Strange stellar signs, eerie earthly signals :: By Terry James

Published on: April 7, 2021 by RR7

While indicators abound that the Tribulation (Daniel’s seventieth week) is approaching upon the prophetic horizon of the near future, one area of forewarning is somewhat neglected.

We’ve gone over ad infinitum matters involving the stage being set for that last seven years of unprecedented trouble. Things such as developments involving societal and cultural degradation. Things like political, governmental, and economic evil. Developments such as those produced through satanically manipulated science, to the detriment of mankind. Things like cumulative, anti-Christian corruption among churches. All are signals that God’s inevitable judgment approaches America and the world.

But more rarely addressed is one very important sector of forewarning that Jesus, Himself, gave—the prophecy as recorded in the book of Luke.

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. (Luke 21:25–26)

The Lord was telling of a progressive series of end-times signals and, just two verses later, He tells us what we are to do when we see these things “begin” to come to pass.

Keep starkly in your thinking this word “begin.” It’s significant in thinking on our rescue from that terrible time of trouble—the seven-year Tribulation.

And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. (Luke 21:28)

Now, I realize that many—particularly perhaps a majority of seminary students and their professors—interpret this to mean that those enduring the Tribulation are to “look up” because Christ is coming for them. I agree. But I’m convinced that it is a dual audience the Lord has in mind. I believe He is talking not only to saints of the Tribulation era, but also to Christians of the Age of Grace (Church Age).

Jesus is referring to the answer He gave His disciples that day when they asked when would be the time and sign of His coming (Luke 21:25–26 as given above). He is including the signs that will mark the era (the Age of Grace or Church Age) that will usher in the time of Tribulation. He is saying that when these signs “begin” to come to pass, saints of the Church Age are to “look up” and “lift up [their] heads.” He’s also saying to Tribulation Saints (those saved during that terrible era) that when they see these things happening, they, too, are to “look up,” because He is on the way to rescue them.

The first time His people (Church Age saints) are to look up for their redemption is at the Rapture. The second time his people (the Tribulation saints) are to look up is at the Second Advent when He returns with those Church Age saints.

So we consider whether we are now seeing prophetic signs in the sun, moon, and stars as well as all of the other signals mentioned above. Also, Jesus, the Living Word (John 1:1), gave dramatic things to look for upon and in the earth itself as prophecy begins to be fulfilled for the wind-up of history leading to His Second Coming. He gave these through the writer of the book of Acts, who quoted the Old Testament prophet Joel.

And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come. (Acts 2: 19–20)

Reports of increased stellar activity are beginning to light up the hourly newsfeeds. One report says the following.

New observations with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) indicate that the rogue comet 2I/Borisov, which is only the second and most recently detected interstellar visitor to our Solar System, is one of the most pristine ever observed. Astronomers suspect that the comet most likely never passed close to a star, making it an undisturbed relic of the cloud of gas and dust it formed from.

2I/Borisov was discovered by amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov in August 2019 and was confirmed to have come from beyond the Solar System a few weeks later. “2I/Borisov could represent the first truly pristine comet ever observed,” says Stefano Bagnulo of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, Northern Ireland, UK, who led the new study published today in Nature Communications. The team believes that the comet had never passed close to any star before it flew by the Sun in 2019. (“First interstellar comet may be the most pristine ever found,” ESO, March 30, 2021, RR News April 2, 2021)

Other strange things in space are making themselves known in a stellar show that fascinates scientists who watch with critical eyes. A couple of other of these displays are turning eyes and telescopes upward.

Uranus is belching X-rays and is weirder than we ever thought. The more scientists study it, the weirder Uranus gets. The newest mystery to add to the planet’s repertoire? Astronomers have detected X-rays from the strange world—and while some of the signal may be reflected emissions from the sun, some appear to be coming from the planet itself, according to a NASA statement.

My good friend, Dr. Thomas Horn of SkyWatch TV, has done extensive research on a heavenly visitor that portends possible and prodigious prophetic possibilities—if you will forgive the alliteration.

It’s a matter of concern to scientists that most media won’t report because, we presume, of possibly panicking the public.

The space rock, an asteroid, is huge and might be on a trajectory that will bring it near earth. As a matter of fact, those who study such things say that if it comes as close as suspected, it can’t do anything but strike the planet.

While some claim it will come close enough to knock out orbiting satellites, they say it isn’t likely to actually hit the planet.

Tom Horn and others, including top scientists devoted to study of interstellar space, say it’s ludicrous to think such a huge mass could come close enough to knock out orbiting satellites and not plunge into the planet itself.

The asteroid, named Apophis after a god of ancient mythology, is headed earth’s way, according to those carefully tracking it.

You may have seen this week where NASA is calling an “all clear” on the impact possibility of Apophis in 2029. But just one of many scientists is warning that NASA’s trajectory calculation of Apophis is off by as much as 600,000 miles, which Harry Lear implies could send Apophis crashing into earth eight years from now on April 13, 2029. Lear sent an open letter to the President and U.S. Government scientists begging them to cross-check these calculations immediately, even though he ends his dispatch with an ominous admonition that we may already be out of time.…

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson admits that on April 13, 2029: “Apophis will come so close to Earth that it will dip below our orbiting communication satellites. It will be the largest closest thing we have ever observed to come by earth… the orbit we now have for it is uncertain…because these things are hard to measure and hard to get an exact distance for—we cannot tell you exactly where that trajectory will be.” (“When Prophets and Scientists Agree: Nasa “Deceptively” Clouding Truth about 2029 Asteroid Impact Odds,” 3/30/21, SkyWatch Editor)

Tom Horn, in his books The Messenger and The Wormwood Prophecy, goes into great detail, including prophetic possibilities regarding this massive space rock.

He believes that it’s possible that it might have something to do with the catastrophic object from space given in the following Scripture.

The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.” (Revelation 8: 7–11)

Jesus’ foretelling that there would be a great many earthquakes and violent upheavals in the earth also seems to becoming more in view with each news cycle. Here are just a few that are occurring simultaneously.

5.2 magnitude earthquake hits near Georgetown, Saint Helena
5.2 magnitude earthquake hits near Merizo Village, Guam
5.1 magnitude earthquake hits the Owen Fracture Zone region
Elevated unrest continues at Taal volcano with 212 earthquakes in 24 hours, Philippines
Mt. Etna volcano in Italy erupts to 30,000 ft
Sabancaya volcano in Peru erupts to 24,000 ft
Popocateptl volcano in Mexico erupts to 19,000 ft
Sangay volcano in Ecuador erupts to 19,000 ft
Reventador volcano in Ecuador erupts to 15,000 ft
Fuego volano in Guatemala erupts to 14,000 ft
Pacaya volcano in Guatemala erupts to 11,000 ft
Lava flow at Pacaya volcano heads toward inhabited areas, Guatemala
Iceland volcano: photographer runs away as lava flows towards him

The Lord’s admonition to be looking up when these things begin to come to pass must not be ignored. His Word must be embraced and spread so others will escape that horrific seven years soon to break upon an unsuspecting world. These are not signals of doom for the believer in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Here’s what He promises regarding this time of Tribulation that will be His judgment and wrath (called “the hour of temptation” in KJV):

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10)

Even so, come Lord Jesus!

The Russian “Anschluss” :: By Matt Ward

Published on: April 6, 2021 by RR7

On March 12th, 1938, German troops marched into Austria, annexing the German-speaking Austrian nation into the Third Reich.

This annexation was not an instinctive act from Adolf Hitler. It was something that he had envisaged and planned for quite a considerable amount of time beforehand. In 1938, Austrian Nazis conspiring with Germany attempted to seize the Austrian government by force and unite the nation with Germany.

Austrian Chancellor Kurt Von Schuschnigg, learning of the conspiracy, met with German Chancellor Adolf Hitler to try to resolve the crisis peacefully and avert a disaster for Austria.

But Adolf Hitler was not for turning. Hitler had already decided that he was going to use the pretext of protecting the “German-speaking” people of Austria to justify his invasion.

So Adolf Hitler, Chancellor of Germany, mercilessly bullied Schuschnigg when they met in 1938, not giving a single inch, and overtly threatened him. The end result of the meeting was that several top Austrian Nazis were forced the next day into the Austrian cabinet, very much against the government’s will.

On March 11th Schuschnigg resigned. The very next day, on March 12th, Germany invaded Austria, an event known in history as the “Anschluss,” the uniting of Germany with Austria.

German troops, met by enthusiastic crowds, marched into Austria, and a once independent nation became merely an additional state province of greater Germany, a situation that lasted until the very end of the Second World War.

At the end of the war, the Allies declared the Anschluss null and void, restoring Austria to full, independent nation statehood, and releasing Schuschnigg from the prison cell in which he had been confined for almost seven years.

Today, in 2021, Russia is attempting to do the very same thing with Ukraine. At the point of writing, 25,000 Russian troops have amassed on the Ukraine border. This is something that cannot be ignored. Yet like so many other things today, it is being ignored and is almost completely unreported by mainstream media outlets.

To all impartial observers, it looks exactly like it potentially is, a prelude to an invasion.

US Central Command has escalated its military posture to its highest level, “potential imminent crisis,” with the United States Air Force now flying constant observation missions over and along the Russian border, tracking Russian troop movements.

US President Joe Biden called Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to express his support and his solidarity. It seems to have offered little succour.

Dominic Raab, U.K. Defence Secretary, has issued a similar statement of support for Ukraine and its territorial integrity, stating, “We are gravely concerned about Russian military activity which threatens Ukraine.”

On Thursday, NATO ambassadors held a nonscheduled crisis meeting to discuss this fast-developing situation, tweeting as a group of the “grave concerns” they share over Russian actions.

Russia’s response is a belligerent one. Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, rebuffed all concerns, essentially openly threatening NATO should they attempt any future aid of Ukraine.

Peskov continued,

“There is no doubt such a scenario would lead to a further increase in tensions close to Russian borders. Of course, this would lead to additional measures from the Russian side to ensure its security.”

This all sounds ominously familiar. Not just because there is historical precedent between Germany and Austria, but because Vladimir Putin has used these old German tactics before, extremely successfully.

It was these same tactics that Putin used to invade Georgia in August 2008. At that time, Russia accused Georgia of aggression against South Ossetia and launched a large-scale land, air and sea invasion of Georgia on August 8 with the pretext of a “peace enforcement “operation.

Currently, 20% of Georgia’s internationally recognized territory is under Russian military occupation. Additionally, Russia does not even allow EU monitors to enter South Ossetia and Abkhazia at all now, in direct violation of the Six Point Ceasefire Agreement signed by all participants.

Russia has annexed this territory into greater Russia, and just like the original German Anschluss in 1938, the world stood by and did nothing.

Russia’s actions today regarding Ukraine are merely a rehashing of an old Putin tactic to justify military action by claiming Russian interests are at risk. It worked for him before, just as it worked for Adolf Hitler in 1938.

To further cement this claim, the Kremlin has been handing out thousands and thousands of Russian passports to Ukrainian residents in the east of the Ukraine.

By making hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians essentially new Russian citizens, Putin is turning them into his direct responsibility.

If he can then engineer a situation where “Russian” people are threatened, he can then justify an invasion to protect them. At this point, that is seeming increasingly likely.

The million-dollar question is what will the United States do in response? What will NATO do in response?

In the event of an invasion, Ukraine has only a few very limited options: cede a big chunk of its territory over to Russia, hit back politically by cozying up to and asking for help from the West, or it could fight.

However, despite Ukraine being stronger in military terms than one would think, they are simply no match for Russia.

NATO, for its part, could retaliate militarily. This, though, is unlikely. Just the thought of a hot war between Russia and NATO is enough to turn your blood cold. Such a confrontation would bring with it the highest risk of nuclear war in human history.

NATO might immediately admit Ukraine into its membership. But again, if NATO does this, it would be duty-bound to defend Ukraine from Russian aggression, bringing the nuclear superpowers once again back into direct confrontation.

More likely is that NATO would immediately admit Ukraine to the last stage before full membership, without becoming a full member, thus warning Russia, “this far, no further.”

The United States might employ sanctions against Russia or even reinvigorate the missile shield program, which Russia truly hates, in places like Poland in Eastern Europe. This would be a direct threat to Russia’s own deterrence capability.

But in such an eventuality, should Russia actually invade Ukraine as it did Georgia in 2008, there are simply no good options.

The world will be on tenterhooks; and diplomats, military leaders and politicians will be managing the finest of all balancing acts, trying desperately to avoid all out escalation.

In the Bible, when describing the very last days of the end times, Jesus talks of a time of “wars and rumours of wars.” We have long since been in that time frame. As we hurtle increasingly into that time period, the increasing birth pains will become more and more severe and intense. War will become more intense.

In 2021, in every direction one chooses to look, Jesus’s words of wars and rumours of war are and have become a present-day reality. From Russia to China, dictators are looking out from their own lands with greedy eyes. From Ukraine to Taiwan, to the south China seas to Hong Kong.

Whether it be in Eastern Europe between Russia and NATO, or more likely in Southeast Asia between the United States of America and China, major superpower confrontation and conflict is almost certainly coming in the next decade.

It is like a slow-motion train crash; everybody can see that it’s going to happen, but nobody seems to be able to stop it or even slow it down.

For us who believe in and hold to Jesus, we have a different hope and a different expectation of the decade to come. One of deliverance. That should be our focus today, and every day, until that deliverance becomes our own reality.

“When you see these things begin to come to pass, look up and lift up your head for your redemption draws nigh” (Luke 21:28).

wardmatt1977@gmail.com