The Stage is Being Set
EXTREME WEATHER
Outside Williamsburg, VA, on Dec. 22, an I-64 crash involving 69 vehicles in both east and westbound lanes resulted in 51 injuries, some serious. Heavy fog and ice on a bridge sparked the wreck. When a bridge or overpass is cooler than 32 degrees, water on it turns to ice.
Storms Elsa and Fabian leave 9 dead across southern Europe: 7 in Spain, 2 in Portugal. Corsica was cut off from mainland Europe; a mini-tornado destroyed 20 homes in France.
In England, a tornado battered Chertsey Dec. 21. Over 90 flood warnings were in place across southern England where areas have already been soaked by showers.
Typhoon Phanfone caused devastation in the Philippines on Christmas Eve. The death toll is up to 28 with 12 missing.
In Thailand, severe flooding displaced 37,000 residents with 2 days of torrential rains. A resident said the flood was the worst in 23 years. Prices of farm produce increased as agricultural areas were ravaged. 60,000 people were affected by flooding in the same province earlier in December.
Israel was hit by widespread flooding Thursday with torrential downpours and strong gusts. Some areas experienced continuous rainfall (140 mm; 5 ½ inches). The rain was preceded by a dust storm.
Iceland’s Emigration Center Disappears under Snow. “We’ve never before had snow on this scale,” stated the director of the Emigration Center. Two-story houses almost disappeared under the snow during the storm (9 meters; 30 ft) up to the gable of the biggest house, and roofs are very steep.
Seattle, Washington, known for rainy weather and overcast skies, saw its darkest day in recorded history last Friday due to several factors, including shorter days and dense cloud coverage.
FYI to Global Warming Whiners
Wettest Seattle since 1900, Driest Australia since 1903 — Repeating Cycles to blame, not CO2. Ill-informed puppets are deceived by globalists who want totalitarian control, manipulating people into believing all extreme weather events are due to manmade carbon dioxide emission. But the truth is we could use more C02; it would increase crop production and feed more people. Cycles of weather tend to repeat throughout history, and God controls the weather. Yes, more extreme weather events are occurring. This is only a foretaste, a warning of worse to come in the tribulation. Many aren’t listening now and won’t listen then. Is mankind to blame? Yes, for turning its back on God and His gift of salvation.
WILDFIRES
Australia on fire. Firefighters battling wildfires in New South Wales attempted to make headway Thursday before an “extreme heatwave” this weekend. Over 70 fires (from 100) still burn. 5 million hectares (12.35 million acres) of land have burned nationwide over the past few months, with 9 people killed and over 950 homes destroyed. The hottest day since records began was registered Dec. 18 at 41.9 °C (107.4 °F). A map shows fires ringing the entire continent.
EARTHQUAKES
In the last two weeks, 20 small earthquakes were recorded along the New Madrid fault line, “most seismically active in North America east of the Rockies.” Earthquakes in this Seismic Zone potentially threaten parts of 8 states: Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Mississippi.
Study Picks Up Nearly 2 Million Tiny, Undetected Earthquakes in California. Seismologists identified these tiny tremors hidden in data from 2008 to 2017, roughly 1 every 3 minutes.
California was shaken by a series of small earthquakes, some that stretched the length of the state (on Christmas Eve and before dawn Christmas morning). This whole week has seen a series of small earthquakes in the Ridgecrest area from 2.5 to 3.8.
Four earthquakes between 4.8 and 6.0 struck Monday off the coast of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. A day later on Christmas Eve, a 6.3 occurred off the coast.
A 6.0 earthquake struck Colombia on Christmas Eve, shaking buildings in the capital. Sixteen minutes later, a 5.8 aftershock occurred.
Four earthquakes struck off the coast of Oregon on Dec. 28 within 12 hours, registering 3.0 to 4.3.
In Iran, a 5.1 earthquake struck near the Bushehr nuclear plant on Friday. The quake was shallow which can cause considerable damage. Iran claims the nuclear plant was not damaged.
There were several ocean earthquakes between 5.0 and 6.0.
VOLCANOES
An American tourist burned in the volcanic explosion in New Zealand has died, raising the death toll to 19. There were 47 people on White Island when the volcano erupted Dec. 9, killing 13 initially and leaving over two dozen others with severe burns. Two victims likely washed out to sea.
Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone blew past its yearly eruption record in 2019. The world’s tallest active geyser erupted 47 times, indicating the erratic geyser has entered an unusually active period.
Earth’s Magnetic North Pole Keeps Moving Towards Siberia at a Mysteriously Fast Pace. “The movement since the 1990s is much faster than any time for at least 4 centuries,” says geomagnetic specialist Ciaran Beggan.
EPIDEMICS: DISEASE, PLAGUES AND FAMINE
Pete Buttigieg wants to ban jail time for any kind of drug possession. “Eliminate incarceration for drug possession, reduce sentences for other drug offenses and apply these reductions retroactively, legalize marijuana, and expunge past convictions,” his Criminal Justice Reform web page explains. FYI to Petie: That just encourages more drug use and endangers society, but it might get you votes from the addicts. Get those votes any way you can, huh? He considers it a health problem. Well, Petie, what’s next? Letting murderers off the hook because they have anger issues?
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
The CDC confirmed 138 illnesses in 25 states from E. coli connected to romaine lettuce. Officials identified a common grower in Salinas, California, and say consumers should avoid romaine lettuce from the region. Investigators are trying to find factors that could have led to the contamination.
Hard-boiled egg recall expands to Walmart and Trader Joe’s after deadly listeria outbreak. Almark Foods broadened the recall to include all hard-boiled egg products manufactured in Gainesville, Georgia. The outbreak has been linked to 7 cases, including one death and four hospitalizations; it’s contained to 5 states, but recalled products were shipped nationwide. The expanded recall includes brands like Egglands Best, Pete & Gerry’s and Vital Farms. Trader Joe’s egg and potato salads were recalled because Almark Foods provided egg whites used in their production. Affected products have a “Best If Used By” date that starts with a G.
Walmart Pork Found to Have “Superbug” Bacteria Resistant to Antibiotics. 80% of samples tested from Mid-Atlantic Walmart stores were resistant to at least one antibiotic. 37% were resistant to 3 or more classes of antibiotics. About 27% of resistant bacteria were resistant to classes categorized as Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials by the World Health Organization. Pork samples from another national chain found antibiotic-resistant bacteria but not as bad as Walmart and not considered “critically important to human health.”
Whooping cough outbreak closed Texas school early for break despite 100% vaccination rate. The outbreak a St. Theresa Catholic school affected students and staff. Some children were hospitalized. Whooping cough (pertussis) can take up to 3 weeks for symptoms to appear. Those who’ve received the vaccine can sometimes still contract the disease if exposed. The symptoms are typically milder.
Ultra-high speed 5G is being rolled out all across the country, despite serious reservations about its potential impact on health.
San Francisco, California, spent over $94 million this year on its problem, yet it’s still a needle-infested, poo-covered, failed experiment in tolerance that’s keeping major conferences and tourist dollars away from the city’s 9 billion dollar a year industry. As Mayor Breed participated in a media blitz to reassure that the city takes seriously the problem of squalid streets and bad behavior, a photo of a man defecating in a local Safeway went viral. “Like hepatitis C.”
In the Horn of Africa, Worst Locust Invasion in 25 Years. Somalia urged their government and international community to help protect their crops from this invasion that is leaving many unable to feed their families. The insects have already destroyed 70,000 hectares (175,000 acres) of farmland in Somalia and Ethiopia. “There’s a high probability the locusts will continue to breed until March-April 2020 and spread to other East African nations.
Japan’s economy and industry ministry proposed gradual release or evaporation of massive amounts of treated but still radioactive water being stored at the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant. It claims the release will take years and radiation levels will be kept well below legal limit. It ruled out long-term storage of the radioactive water in industrial tanks, citing leakage risk as well as challenge of transporting the water elsewhere.
INIQUITY (LAWLESSNESS; WICKEDNESS) SHALL ABOUND
In Kentucky, there’s a large reward for information on shooting deaths of nearly two dozen free-roaming horses. Police are trying to find who is responsible; others want to keep the other horses safe. The horses were wild, but were constantly interacting with people who came from the mountain to feed them. Keeping them safe now might be hard because the horses have seen others in the herd killed, and may not be trusting towards humans. “Somebody knew they were there, knew where they stayed and knew how to navigate the area.”
APOSTASY AND DOCTRINES OF DEMONS
Nearly 200 evangelical leaders slam Christianity Today for questioning their Christian witness.
In a letter to Timothy Dalrymple (president of Christianity Today) faith leaders condemned its editorial calling for removal of President Trump, and its editor-in-chief Mark Galli for dismissing evangelicals who oppose Galli’s views. Also From Breitbart: Mark Galli has no moral authority to judge political preferences. He wrote an approving biography of Karl Barth, a neo-orthodox theologian and avowed socialist who excused Stalin’s “totalitarian atrocities” due to the “positive intention” of the Marxist world view.
Grace Fellowship United Methodist Church in Texas with approximately 2,800 members voted to leave the mainline denomination because of its debate over whether to amend the Book of Discipline to remove language that states homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Jim Leggett, founding pastor, said his congregation wanted “to remove ourselves from the dysfunctional fighting in the UMC so we can fully devote our energies to fulfilling the mission and vision that God has given to us… Despite having biblical standards of morality on paper…the leadership of the United Methodist Church is unable or unwilling to live by those standards.”
At Bethel ‘Church’ (Redding, California), ‘pastor’ at Bethel School of ‘Supernatural Ministry,’ Abi Stumvoll, gave a shocking sermon (<link). One remark was, “Jesus says I frickin’ get a kick out of you.”
A Post-Christian Christmas: People Don’t Know the Christmas Story. Upcoming generations of the West are growing up in a post-Christian culture. Example: a survey discovered 38% of Britons, ages 21-28, didn’t know the identity of the baby in Christmas Nativity scenes. Only 6% of Britons can be classified as practicing Christians.
Between 1941-2019, 175 minors were sexually abused by 33 priests in Catholic religious order called Legionaries with Christ, with at least 60 abused by its founder Father Maciel. The Vatican dismissed accusations for decades. Maciel even abused children he fathered secretly with at least two women. It wasn’t until 2006 that the Vatican acknowledged his crimes; Benedict ordered him to retire to a life of “prayer and penitence.” Benedict resisted calls for this toxic order to be dissolved. Cardinal Sodano, 92, who was secretary of state under John Paul II, was one of the Legionaries’ biggest protectors. Sodano has long faced criticism for his role in several clerical sexual abuse scandals. Francis accepted Sodano’s resignation as dean of the college of cardinals on Saturday due to his advanced age.
In what many see as an effort to normalize homosexuality in the Catholic Church, the Vatican released a new book that reduces the “sin of Sodom” (Genesis 19:1–29) to “a lack of hospitality towards strangers.” “The story about the city of Sodom … illustrates a sin that consists in the lack of hospitality, with hostility and violence towards the stranger, a behavior judged to be very serious and therefore deserving to be sanctioned with the utmost severity,” the new book asserts.
Francis told high school students this week that “we are all the same, all children of God” and that true disciples of Jesus don’t try to convert others. Yet the Bible says only those in Christ are considered children of God, and that we are to spread the gospel of Christ to the world. But the RCC doesn’t advocate people reading the Bible for themselves.
MAN PLAYING gods
Frankenstein Fenagling: First human head transplant could be achieved by 2030, veteran NHS neurosurgeon claims. Proponents say the controversial procedure could pave the way to immortality. Bruce Mathew, a former clinical lead for neurosurgery at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, asserts that advancements in nerve surgery, robotics and stem cell transplants mean it could be possible to reattach an entire spinal cord – and its corresponding head – to another body before 2030.
DEMONIC DELUSION
Scientists aim to make the search for extraterrestrial intelligence academically respectable. The initial class was an experiment, but now the “search for extraterrestrial intelligence” (SETI) is in the Pennsylvania State University’s official course catalogue and represents its first step in boosting SETI research. The giant leap will be creation of the Penn State Extraterrestrial Intelligence Center, or PSETI Center: a formal academic hub that aims to fund research, host conferences, educate students, and raise up the next generations of scientists looking for space aliens.
HATRED OF JEWS AND ISRAEL AKA HATRED OF GOD
First some good news: A federal complaint has been filed against Columbia University, accusing the school of anti-Semitic discrimination — first case filed since President Trump’s order on combating anti-Semitism, which grants Jewish students the same protections as other minority groups.
More good news: Britain’s new conservative government to outlaw public bodies boycotting Israel. Boris Johnson said “we will stop public bodies from taking it upon themselves to boycott goods from other countries, to develop their own pseudo foreign policy against countries, which with nauseating frequency turns out to be Israel.”
In New York, at least 8 anti-Semitic attacks occurred this week during Hanukkah in Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, 7 of them in Brooklyn. One of the attacks was on two little Jewish boys, ages 6 and 7. Three suspects have been arrested so far.
ICC makes Jewish rights to biblical Israel a war crime. PM Netanyahu spoke about the “absurd” decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to turn the right of Jews to live in biblical Israel into a war crime, while ignoring human rights abuses of countries like Iran, Syria and Turkey. The Israeli NGO Adalah, a prominent grantee of the US-based leftist New Israel Fund, said it’s “prepared to submit legal material” to the ICC against Israel. The New Israel Fund has been funded by George Soros. Also, Fatou Bensouda, a Muslim, is the chief prosecutor of the ICC. She served as a senior official in the government of former Gambian president Yahya Jammeha. She was a legal adviser for one of the most ruthless dictators in the world! Typical Leftist projection agenda – accusing others of doing or supporting what you’re actually guilty of doing or supporting.
French Jewish principals urge students to leave France because it’s no longer a safe place for Jews.
HATRED OF CHRISTIANITY AKA HATRED OF GOD
Good news: Hobby Lobby Ran Full-Page ‘Christ the Lord’ Ads in Newspapers Around the Country during the week of Christmas that celebrated the birth of Jesus.
More good news: President Trump called on Americans to “exemplify the teachings of Christ” in a Christmas Day message.
And more good news: Britain’s new conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivered a rousing defense of Christianity during his 2019 Christmas message. He said, “We Stand with Christians Everywhere, In Solidarity.” Let’s pray he can turn that now almost secular nation back to Christ.
The Bossier, Louisiana, school district has a recent history of being severely targeted by atheists. In the latest, when a high school’s student newspaper cover featured students placing snowflake ornaments on a Christmas tree adorned with messages from students explaining what Christmas meant to them, and one saying, “I love Jesus,” Randy Brown, publisher of Bossier Press, received an urgent phone call to stop the presses, that mention of Jesus is not allowed. It moved him to tears, so he sent the cover out blank. “When people see the blank front page, they’re going to ask questions,” Brown said.
In Eastern India, tribal *animists wielding axes surrounded a church building and threatened to “chop” the Christians “to pieces” before burning the church to the ground amid escalating persecution in the south Asian country. A few days earlier, a gang of drunken animists raided homes of several Christians as they slept, burning any Bibles they discovered. *Animists worship so-called gods based on ancestors, spirits, and nature.
ISLAMIZATION OF THE NATIONS
In England, Muslims Turn Christmas Into Festivus. When you can’t sing the word ‘Lord’ in a Christmas carol. The latest manifestation of Islamic supremacism comes from Whitehall Primary School. In past centuries, no non-Christians, no Jews in England ever complained about the phrase “Lord Jesus.” What has changed? It’s the swelling Muslim population who feel numerous and powerful enough to demand Christians accommodate them in leaching the meaning out of Christian observances
In mostly Muslim Brunei, anyone found illegally celebrating Christmas could face up to 5 years in prison. Brunei introduced its ban over fears that celebrating it “excessively and openly” could lead its Muslim population astray.
Ideology of Islam. “Such a long and unwavering history of sexually enslaving European women on the claim that they’re all “pieces of meat,” “nothing more than sluts,” and “white whores,” should place Islam’s ongoing sexual abuse of Western women in context.”
The leader of the Muslim group Hizb-ut-tahrir publicly defended killing ex-Muslims, saying it’s Islamic law (Sharia law). Are we going to let America be ruled by Sharia Law? That’s what Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Linda Sarsour, etc. want – not to defend or protect America, but Islamize it, as does the organization CAIR. Their Qur’an commands them to take over by any means.
1,500 killed in Iran crackdown ordered by Ayatollah Khamenei. ‘Do whatever it takes to end it’ he is cited as telling his lieutenants as bloodshed unraveled the brutal crackdown on protests.
TERRORISM
The Islamic State (ISIS) released a video claiming to show the beheading of 11 Christians in Nigeria.
In West Africa, more killings in Burkina Faso after Muslim jihadi attack on Christmas Eve. Eleven soldiers were killed Thursday as the country mourned victims of jihadis on Christmas Eve. In Tuesday’s attack, 35 civilians (mostly women) and 7 soldiers were killed in the worst assault on the country in 5 years.
In the Philippines, a series of explosions rocked a city known for (ISIS) Islamic State-linked violence, wounding at least 17 people including soldiers.
ISIS getting stronger again. ISIS has reorganized in Iraq, and attacks are increasing.
LAST DAYS RETURN TO DAYS OF LOT
Teen Vogue has again published a “guide to anal sex” for their very young readers. The magazine frequently pushes the boundaries of extremist politics and sexual degeneracy to minors.
Creepy Hands Joe Biden, Dem candidate for president, during a recent CNN “town hall” event, decried believers in Jesus Christ for opposing the radical LGBTQ agenda.
“Fifty Shades of Grey” Trilogy: The 3 Best-Selling Books in the US Over the Last Decade. Indication of how deeply sexual perversion has metastasized in our society.
Disney Doings: They provided an alternative cut of the new Star Wars film to Mideast viewers, removing the lesbian kiss, yet Westerners opposed are expected shut up. The irony reaches its peak when we find that LGBT advocates furious over Mideast censorship of the kiss they didn’t consider sufficient representation of LGBTQ’s in the first place.
Drag Queen Story Hour founder is an occultist. Michelle Tea, DQSH founder and author of Modern Tarot: Connecting with Your Higher Self through the Wisdom of the Cards, and other feminist firestarters, says she’s “a little bit of a witch.” In an episode of “Witch City,” she searches for an “empowered, amazing life” with guidance from witches. In one visit, she goes to a nightclub to meet with “drag witch” Coleman Drew for “gender magic” and “priestess energy.” By day, Coleman works at a popular witch shop. By night, he’s ‘Judy Darling. “This is ceremonial magic, in a way,” Drew says. “I’ve set out an altar that I pray to the great ‘Judy Darling,’ and people come; and I am a shaman in a bar.”
Regarding the article “God made the rainbow: why the Bible welcomes a gender spectrum,” Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis said it distorts, takes out of context, and perverts the Scriptures to try to make the Bible validate the LGBTQ worldview. This article can be summed up this way: “…which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction…” (2 Peter 3:16).
LAST DAYS TRAITORS: A FUNGUS AMONG US
Excerpt from Alex Newman: Common Core, Still in Place, Nationalized Educational Quackery. American students—already far dumber and less educated than previous generations—have continued to suffer academically as Common Core has accelerated the destruction of education. Over two thirds of U.S. 8th graders aren’t proficient in any core subject. Dr. Duke Pesta, a leading expert on Common Core, said one of its goals was to indoctrinate American children into progressive ideology —now re-branded state by state to fool people into thinking it’s been removed (when it hasn’t). Fake history. Fake science. Social-justice propaganda in math questions. Outrageous “reading” assignments.
Dems Deliberately Creating Chaos: Democrats Seek To Outlaw Suburban, Single-Family House Zoning, Calling It Racist And Bad For The Environment. Muslim Virginia House Delegate Ibraheem Samirah introduced a bill that would override local zoning officials to permit multi-family housing in every neighborhood, changing the character of quiet suburbs. Oregon passed a similar bill, following cities such as Minneapolis; Austin, Texas; and Seattle. Proponents say urban lifestyles are better for the environment and that suburbs are bastions of racial segregation.
‘Stop Playing Games’: Graham Warns Pelosi that the Senate May ‘Strike Back’ Over Impeachment Debacle. “The Senate will decide how we dispose of this sham created by the house,” Lindsey Graham said, referring to the impasse created by Pelosi – who’s refusing to transmit two articles of impeachment against President Trump until the Senate agrees to her terms.
Does the Constitution require McConnell to do anything with these articles of impeachment? Georgetown law professor Bradley Blakeman argued that an impeachment trial is neither required or needed, especially in this instance. Democrats have “cried wolf” once too often.
AT&T Arrangement With NSA – Phone Records – Quid Pro Quo Released to Schiff. AT&T owns Warner Media Group, making them the largest media conglomerate in the world. Warner Media Group owns CNN, Bleacher Report and Otter Media. Otter Media was founded by Chernin Group and AT&T as a holding company tasked with acquiring other media outlets. Peter Chernin is a diehard Democrat who hosted parties for Obama and contributed heavily to Hillary’s failed campaign for 2016 president.
Attorney General Barr Calls Out George Soros For Subverting Legal System and Causing “Increase in Violent Crime and More Victims” Through Targeting District Attorney Races. Many of his backed candidates have won their races and are causing havoc across the country.
Shocking revelations are surfacing against the FBI’s star witness who went undercover to infiltrate the Trump campaign. FBI’s Steven Halper ran a mob-backed CIA bank that illegally funded millions to Iran Contras. “Halper has been a CIA insider and soldier for 50 years.”
Former British spy Christopher Steele spread other accusations against President Trump that weren’t included in his publicized discredited dossier, according to the Justice Dept’s report on FBI misconduct. The report by Inspector General Horowitz show that claims made by Steele were used by the FBI to obtain a FISA warrant on Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
The Great Cover Up Of The Biggest Scandal In American History. “The number of people involved in just the FBI scandal is phenomenal, at least 20, plus dozens of bit players in the media and DOJ. So far, ‘contractors’ with access to the NSA database haven’t been revealed, but it could be hundreds, given that it seems to have been a free-for-all. The corruption may not only go back a long time, but cover a wide swath of official Washington. The rule of law is over; what comes next is the rule of men.”
Virginia Governor Northam Increases Corrections Budget In Anticipation Of Jailing Gun Owners. “As if Northam’s attack on law-abiding gun owners wasn’t enough, he and his Bloomberg-bought allies in the General Assembly want the state’s taxpayers to foot the bill for their unconstitutional schemes.”
The Canadian Broadcasting Company deleted a scene from “Home Alone 2” because it included a cameo by Donald Trump. This is what fascism looks like. Yet they call us fascists.
Robert DeNiro is on a rant again, saying he’d like to see a bag of s*** thrown in Trump’s face, adding that “he needs to be humiliated.” It must be strongly suggested in the entertainment industry to sell one’s soul to leftist causes, to say the least, in order to “make it.” I’ve heard this is so.
LEFTIST/GLOBALIST DEPOPULATION AGENDA
Pro-abortion lawmakers throughout the US sought to instate policies in 2019 that expanded abortion access and removed safeguards on abortions. As Democrat lawmakers fought to stem the tidal wave of pro-life legislation in red states across the country, pro-abortion advocates pushed to loosen abortion laws in states such as New York, Virginia, Maine, Illinois, Nevada, and Rhode Island.
Anti-Trump Comedian Michelle Wolf Says Having Her Unborn Baby Killed Made Her Feel ‘Powerful’ Like ‘God’: During her Netflix “comedy” special, titled “Joke Show,” Wolf spewed left-wing abortion points, pushing abortion-on-demand and without stigma, telling her audience that abortion “should be as normal as hearing ‘about your gluten allergy.’ She said, “I think you should be able to get an abortion for any reason you want.” The audience applauded, of course.
“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness” (Isaiah 59:1-3). “For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim 3:6-7).
SURVEILLANCE SOCIETY AND THOUGHT CONTROL
U.S. College administrators are tracking student’s personal cellphones to monitor their location at all times. “Sounds like something the Communist Party might do in China” – only its right here.
Top Chinese universities amend charters to remove reference to freedom. Dozens of Chinese students staged a rare protest on a university campus after their school amended its charter to remove references to academic freedom and replaced them with a pledge of loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. At least 3 top Chinese universities edited their charters this month with Shanghai’s prestigious Fudan University removing references to “freedom of thought.”
Instagram ‘Fact-Checking,’ Filtering Satirical Posts and Memes. Their 3rd-party ‘fact-checkers’ have confused satire with factual assertions. Instagram ‘fact checked’ a Greta Thunberg meme that was obviously satirical. Facebook has warned the Christian conservative satirical website Babylon Bee that its content would be suppressed if it continued to post articles disputed by fact-checkers. Yet, the site clearly labels itself satirical. It was even erroneously “fact-checked” by Snopes.
ISRAELI PRIMARIES
Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu defeated MK Gideon Sa’ar in the primaries for the leadership of the Likud and will continue to lead the party in the elections to the 23rd Knesset.
“WHEN THEY SHALL SAY ‘PEACE AND SAFETY,’ THEN SUDDEN DESTRUCTION”
There are multiple messages by self-serving political organizations recommending Israelis vote out the current Israeli Knesset leaders to accelerate creation of an Arab “Palestinian” State on part of the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people. Relinquishing Jewish land to sworn enemies of freedom won’t bring peace. It will further destabilize the Mideast with unimaginable consequences for all.
INTERESTING OCCURRENCES
The following events have been all over the news recently, hence the mention.
This year’s annular solar eclipse was a rare ring of fire eclipse, called “dazzling,” “stunning” and “spectacular” by news sources. It began Christmas night EST and reached its peak just after midnight on Dec. 26 (but it wasn’t visible to North America). It was visible in the Eastern Hemisphere on Dec. 26 in the daytime. The moon covered the sun’s center, leaving the sun’s visible outer edges to form the ring of fire or ring of light.
An asteroid said to be larger than One World Trade Center passed Earth in the hours after Christmas on Dec. 26 (Boxing Day) at a safe distance but was still classified as potentially hazardous. (Boxing Day is a national holiday in the UK and Ireland. The name is a reference to holiday gifts. A ‘Christmas Box’ in Britain is a name for a Christmas present. Boxing Day was traditionally a day off for servants and the day when they received a ‘Christmas Box’ from the master. The servants would also go home on Boxing Day to give ‘Christmas Boxes’ to their families).
Another asteroid is supposed to pass Earth on New Year’s Eve, and another on New Year’s Day.
From Dec. 11, Cosmos Magazine: 2019 has been a bumper year for asteroid-spotters. ESA reports that sky-gazers found the largest haul of new objects ever – recording 2144 since New Year’s Day, 175 of them in November alone. That number is sure to grow in the last couple of weeks of the year, pushing the overall total even higher.
The giant red star Betelgeuse began dimming in October and is now the dimmest it’s been in a century. Dimming isn’t odd for Betelgeuse since, as a variable star, it shifts in brightness. However, it’s unusual for it to fade so noticeably. Astronomers say they’ve known it’s near the end of its life and wonder if it might soon explode and die, briefly blazing brighter than the full moon and able to be seen in the daytime for months before it vanishes forever. Of course, the sites claim it’s millions of years old.
INTERNET FOR THE WORLD
Laser-Linked Satellites Could Deliver Internet from Space. Such a network could potentially reach remote and underserved areas.
This should remind us that technology is advancing to the point that the world will see God’s Two Witnesses preaching in Jerusalem during the tribulation, their deaths, rising from the dead and ascension. See Revelation 11.
WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS
US contractor killed, forces reported wounded in Iraq rocket attack. Rockets struck a base in Iraq on Dec. 27 where anti-ISIS coalition personnel are located. One U.S. civilian contractor was killed and several U.S. service members and Iraqi personnel were wounded.
Scientists warn AI control of nukes could lead to ‘Terminator-style’ war. While numerous AI experts have said over the years that people worried about AI turning on humanity as in the “Terminator” movies misunderstand the technology, the likelihood of AI making a catastrophic mistake with nuclear weapons is no fairytale.
Japan will send a warship and patrol planes to protect Japanese ships in the Middle East due to the volatile situation.
MOVING TOWARD FULFILLMENT OF ISAIAH 17 AND EZEKIEL 38 and 39
The Pentagon is considering significantly cutting back U.S. presence in West Africa and eliminating assistance to French forces in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. A potential reduction, or total withdrawal, is reportedly part of a larger examination to re-evaluate global deployments while it looks to redirect forces from counterterrorism efforts so it can better counter aggression by China and Russia.
Russian-backed Syrian forces renewed their assault against the last opposition in Syria and deny allegations of bombing civilian areas. However, reports say there are intense aerial strikes on civilian areas with Russian jets even hitting civilian cars fleeing the city. Activists posted photos of charred bodies. Rescuers said at least 8 people were killed, including 3 women and 2 children. They say Russian jets hit a busy marketplace, leaving at least 8 dead and scores injured. Tens of thousands of Syrians have fled towards the Turkish border since Dec. 16, and Erdogan warns that Turkey can’t handle it. President Trump issued a warning to stop killing civilians.
Turkey will send troops to Libya at its request as soon as next month, putting the North African country’s conflict at the center of wider regional frictions.
Russia Claims Military Superiority For First Time. Putin says Russia has become the first country to deploy hypersonic weapons.
Iran’s armed forces will hold a 4-day naval exercise with Russia and China in the first such trilateral exercise as Iran seeks to boost military cooperation with China and Russia.
Netanyahu again rushed offstage as Gaza rocket fired at Ashkelon Wednesday night as he was campaigning. This is the 2nd time in under 4 months that this has happened. Israel’s IDF fighter jets and helicopters attacked several Hamas targets in retaliation.
The prospect of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is heightened after discovery of oil and gas reserves in waters disputed by the two sides.
Israel is blamed for attacking several targets near Damascus last Sunday night where Hezbollah and Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard members are located. Reports say several weapons warehouses were hit and three deaths occurred, including an Iranian general. A senior Iranian official said Israel “will regret” its missile strikes against Iranian assets in Syria.
5 Iraqi Shiite militants loyal to Iran were killed in an attack Wednesday in eastern Syria in Al-Bukamal. Several headquarters of militias were targeted. Missiles with explosives came from an unknown source in the 2nd assault within hours. Al-Bukamal, near the Iraqi border, is used by Iranian forces and proxies such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah as a “land corridor” to transfer missiles and other weaponry.
Israel’s top military commander warns: The next war will hit our home front extremely hard. IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi said Israel was prepared to go to war as a last resort in order to restore quiet to the Gaza region. He also addressed the most serious threat: “We won’t allow Iran to establish a military presence in [Syria], or even in Iraq,” he said. He lamented that Israel is alone in the fight against Iran and its proxies in the Middle East, as the Islamic Republic grows increasingly aggressive. Kohavi specifically referred to efforts by Iran and Hezbollah to develop precision-guided missiles — a threat that Israeli officials generally consider to be second only to a nuclear-armed Iran — as the type of issue that the IDF would risk war in order to prevent.
CONCLUSION
It’s obvious to students of Bible prophecy that we’re in the last days of this earth “as we know it” before Christ returns. Many believe we’re already seeing the beginning of birth pangs, or a foretaste of events that will increase exponentially during the tribulation.
As we watch for our Savior Christ Jesus to catch up His true believers before the wrath of God falls upon the unbelieving world in the tribulation, we should be busier than ever now with the Lord’s work in warning others about the times we’re in and helping lead the lost to Christ. We know how hard it will be for them to turn to Christ during the tribulation.
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
“As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live…” (Ezekiel 33:11).
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).