Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Who and What are the Beasts in the Bible? (Part 1 of 2) - By Michael Hile - https://www.raptureready.com/2020/05/14/who-and-what-are-the-beasts-in-the-bible-part-1-of-2-by-michael-hile/
The Beasts of the Earth "And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good" (Gen. 1:24-25). There are many different types of "beasts" mentioned in the Bible. There are beasts (living creatures) in Heaven (Rev. 4:6-9), beasts that live on the earth (Gen. 1:24-25) and beasts that come up from the bottomless pit to torment men on the earth (Rev. 9:1-11, 11:7). On the earth, there are beasts that are used for work, especially in underdeveloped countries (horses, mules and oxen), beasts that are raised for food (cattle, hogs and chickens) and beasts that are domesticated for pets (dogs, cats and birds). There are wild beasts and creeping things that live in the forests, jungles and deserts that are carnivores (meat eaters), herbivores (plant eaters), omnivores (meat and plant eaters) and scavengers that eat dead and decaying organic matter (Gen. 1:30-31). There are also small, microscopic organisms, sometimes referred to as micro-beasts, such as germs, viruses, fungi and parasites that cause sickness, disease and death. "So I looked, and behold, an ashen (pale greenish gray) horse [like a corpse, representing death and pestilence]; and its rider's name was Death; and Hades (the realm of the dead) was following with him. They were given authority and power over a fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword and with famine and with plague [pestilence, disease] and by the wild beasts of the earth" (Rev. 6:8). A Different Kind of Beast There are several places in the prophetic scriptures where the term "beast" is used, but the description and context let us know that it is not talking about traditional animals and creatures that inhabit the earth (Gen. 2:19-20). The term "beast" was originally used to describe any animal (living organism) that was not a human being. Later, the word "beast" was expanded to describe "a person who is gross, brutal, vile, etc." When a "beast" is described in the scriptures, and it is not an animal in the normal sense of the word, it is probably a king or ruler on the earth who acts like a "wild beast" and rules over his "beast kingdom." The word "beast" is used in apocalyptic writings, especially the books of Daniel and Revelation, to refer to kings and kingdoms whose behavior is more like a wild beast from the wilderness than a human being created in God's image (Dan. 7:17, 23; Titus 1:12). Carnivorous animals that live in the wild are aggressive, vicious, and predatory in their quest for survival. Their beastly nature and habits are self-serving, and they have no regard for the life of other creatures. They prey upon other unsuspecting animals, sometimes to the point of devouring their own offspring. Animals on the earth (beasts) do not know they are going to die. God has given them instincts to run, fly or swim in order to escape predators (beasts) that want to devour them. Somewhat resembling the voracious behavior of predatory animals, people in positions of high leadership (kings, dictators, despots) sometimes develop "delusions of grandeur," thinking they are god-like, immune to death and not accountable to anyone, including God. They then begin to act like ravenous animals (beasts) and seek to destroy or maim anyone (even their own children) who might challenge their authority or get in the way of their quest for power and control. A "beast" from God's point of view, as described in Daniel and Revelation, is a person (and the kingdom he rules over) who has decided to live like a wild animal, who ignores and disregards God, takes advantage of other people, is only interested in themselves or those close to them, and does not regard the lives of other people, unless it furthers their own selfish, self-centered goals (Dan. 7:1-8:27; Rev. 13:1-18, 17:1-18, 19:11-21). Due to the temptations associated with their position, power, prestige, and possessions, it is rare that a "beast" leader sees the error of their way and turns to God for the redemption of their sins (1 Cor. 1:25-29). Rather, they operate as if there is no God and sometimes foolishly believe they are God (Psalm 14:1). The ultimate example of man thinking he is God will someday be exhibited by "the man of sin" (Antichrist). "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2 Thess. 2:3-4). Motivation, Methods and Manners of the Beasts Beastly rulers do not usually implement their evil plans by themselves, but use surrogates and subordinates to carry out torture, mayhem and carnage in order to advance their position, power and possessions. Death camps (gulags-political labor camps) and the accompanying starvation, deprivation, medical experimentation and execution are many times the products of wicked "beast" rulers. Numerous means of torturing the victims of evil, "beast" leaders have been devised and specifically designed to induce "horror, dread and despair" to those who have challenged or opposed their wicked plans. Torture chambers have been around for centuries and were used frequently during the Middle Ages for religious, social and political persecution. Historically, torture chambers were located in royal palaces, in castles of the nobility and even buildings belonging to the church. The medieval torture chamber was windowless and often built underground, was lit by a few candles and featured secret trap-doors which could be activated to throw victims into dark dungeons where they remained and eventually died. A notable torture chamber mentioned in the Bible was the lion's den that the Medo-Persians maintained for their enemies (Dan. 6:16). The depravity (moral corruption; wickedness) of mankind towards other human beings appears to have no limit when evil men are given an excessive amount of money, power and authority. Although dictators and despots have been around since the days of Noah (Nimrod, et al), the twentieth century saw more enslavement, torture and death under "beast" rulers than all the previous centuries combined. People who have accomplished much on this earth in business, sports, agriculture and other endeavors are sometimes inducted into a "Hall of Fame" for outstanding achievement in their chosen field. If recognition was given to the many evil "beast" rulers that have lived on the planet, and they were voted into a "Hall of Shame," some of the top candidates who have tortured, maimed and killed the most people in the world include:
"Hell from beneath is excited about you, to meet you at your coming; It stirs up the dead for you, all the chief ones of the earth; It has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. They all shall speak and say to you: 'Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us? Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, and the sound of your stringed instruments; The maggot is spread under you, and worms cover you'" (Isa. 14:9-11). Who are some of the Beasts? In addition to the infamous bunch of "beast" leaders who created havoc (widespread destruction) during the twentieth century, many of today's religious and political leaders, including kings, presidents, prime ministers, and high-level government officials are considered "beasts" from God's perspective. Deception and intrigue are prevalent among today's politicians and will be major traits of the Antichrist (Dan. 8:24-25, 11:21, 23, 27, 32). Rich and famous people, terrorists, murderers, thieves, liars, and ordinary humans who forsake God and take advantage of others are also referred to as "beasts" in the scriptures (2 Peter 2:12; Jude 10; Titus 1:12). Some beast-like personalities in the ancient world include King Nebuchadnezzar II (c. 634-562 BC-Daniel 3:1-30), Antiochus IV Epiphanes (c. 215-164 BC-1 Maccabees, Josephus), Herod the Great (c. 73-4 BC-Luke 1:5), Attila the Hun (c. 406-453 AD), Genghis Khan (c. 1162-1227 AD) and many others. The four great beasts (7:3-7) described in Daniel's dream/visions during the first year of Belshazzar's reign (553 BC) are "four kings" (beast kings) "which shall arise out of the earth" and rule over their kingdoms (Dan. 7:17-23). One example of God giving a "beast" king "a taste of his own medicine" and changing his thinking and behavior into that of a beast (insanity, madness), so that he acted like a beast and ate grass with the oxen (boanthropy) for seven years, was Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon (4:1-37). Nebuchadnezzar was very fortunate, unlike many leaders with "beast" personalities, in that his punishment to eat grass and behave like an oxen for seven years caused him to awaken spiritually, experience God's grace, perceive God's sovereign rule over creation, realize that he had a haughty spirit and was full of pride, understand that his accomplishments were really God's blessings and that he was not as important and autonomous as he once thought himself to be. "And at the end of the time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?' At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down" (Dan. 4:34-37). Examples of Beast Kingdoms in the Bible Daniel's writings contain examples of dreams and visions he had about future "beast" kingdoms that would rise to power and battle with other "beast' kingdoms for dominance. The vision Daniel received of a "ram" and "goat" during the third year of King Belshazzar's rule (551 BC) was so traumatic emotionally that he fainted and was sick several days (Dan. 8:27). In Daniel's vision, the Medo-Persian Empire was referred to as a "ram which had two horns," and all the surrounding kingdoms were referred to as "beasts" (8:3-4, 20). The Grecian kingdom (8:21) of Alexander the Great was referred to as a "he goat with a notable horn between his eyes" (8:5-7). The implication is that God views kingdoms and nations in the world as "beasts" (8:4), and their rulers (horns) and accomplices are also considered "beasts" (Dan. 7:17; Rev. 13:3-8, 11-18). One rare exception, revealed to Daniel, is the lion with eagle's wings, whose wings were plucked from the lion (7:4). Although the lion is the major component of the first beast, the eagle's wings are also part of the first beast. After the eagle's wings are painfully removed from the lion, the offspring of the lion (the eagle) appears to become independent of the lion (a separate beast), is made to stand up like a man and is given a man's heart. It remains an eagle, but its beast-like behavior changes, so that it acts like a human being rather than a beast. Modern-day examples of world powers (beast kingdoms/nations) that have adopted animal symbols include England (lion), France (rooster), Spain (bull), Germany (black eagle), United States (bald eagle), Russia (bear) and China (dragon). Rarely do kingdoms or nations give their citizens personal, political and religious freedom like the United States. Rather, most "beast kingdoms/nations" in the world today, that have socialist/communist/Islamic governments, use military force and intimidation to oppress and limit freedoms of speech, religion, press, assembly, expression and access to a fair judicial system (Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, et al). Modern-Day Beast Leaders Some famous dictator "beasts" in recent history include Lenin and Stalin (Russia), Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Hirohito (Japan), Castro (Cuba), Amin (Uganda), Hussein (Iraq), Gaddafi (Libya), Chavez (Venezuela), Kim Jong-un (North Korea) and many others. Two notorious examples of human "beasts" that will rise to power in the future at "the time of the end" (Dan. 12:4-13) are the Antichrist (First Beast-Rev. 13:4-8, 19:20) and the False Prophet (Second Beast-Rev. 13:11-18, 19:20). "Beast" leaders have goals and behaviors that are self-serving, and they are usually arrogant, boastful, charismatic leaders with narcissist personalities. They frequently have statues and pictures of themselves placed in public places for everyone to see, and they control the news markets so that they receive positive media coverage. "Beast" leaders are good at misleading and deceiving those they rule over through carefully crafted lies, distortion and propaganda. Sometimes, "Beast" leaders suffer violent and tragic deaths when the populace revolts or stronger "beast" nations remove them from power. Examples include Belshazzar (Babylon-Dan. 5:30-31), Adolf Hitler (Germany), Nicolae Ceausescu (Romania), Saddam Hussein (Iraq) and Muammar Gaddafi (Libya). God directly intervened to save the children of Israel when He took out the "beast-like" Pharaoh and his army by drowning them in the Red Sea following Israel's exodus from Egypt (Exodus 14:5-15:19; Psalm 136:15). "Beast" leaders sometimes come to power by overthrowing an existing government (coup d' état). They many times solidify their power base through corrupt elections or by taking advantage of an ignorant voter population through control of the media and using various propaganda schemes. "Beast" leaders sometimes build their military strength until they feel confident enough to overtake their neighbor(s). "Beast" leaders, especially the more powerful and aggressive types, follow their "beast-like" nature and "devour" (conquer) other less powerful countries or provinces. Before the advent of television and the modern-day news media, world leaders were not as concerned about their public image, since they could control what was released and what was withheld from public scrutiny. All that has changed with the 24-hour news cycle, where saying or doing the wrong thing can expose you to mockery or public (national and international) condemnation. It may seem unnatural to think of current world leaders as "beasts," since they are usually seen in the public arena at international conferences with other "beast" leaders, wearing expensive clothing and taking advantage of photo opportunities. Modern-Day "beast" leaders are frequently seen smiling and shaking hands with other world leaders, especially when the cameras are on. However, if you look at their actions off camera when no one is watching and observe how their citizens, religious groups and political opponents are treated when they are back in their home country, it is no wonder God refers to these ruthless, wicked tyrants as "beasts." To be continued in Part 2. Pompeo, the coronavirus and the 'risks' of sovereignty - Caroline Glick - https://www.jns.org/opinion/pompeo-the-coronavirus-and-the-risks-of-sovereignty/ On May 10, Saudi journalist Abdelhameed al-Ghoban gave an interview to the BBC in Arabic. His remarks, which were translated by MEMRI, were devoid of nuance. "Today, the public is informed. There is a deluge [of opinions] against the Palestinian cause. It is no longer just public support for normalization and building ties with Israel. [Our] public has turned against the Palestinians in general. Unfortunately, the Palestinians have lost. The Palestinians have not contributed anything. We can say that they are emotional people whose behavior is governed by their feelings." Al-Ghoban added, "It is in our strategic interest, and in keeping with our future economic interests, to maintain real relations with Israel. Israel is an advanced country and we can benefit from it." Al-Ghoban's remarks are not a lone voice in the wilderness. During the Ramadan Muslim holy month, Saudi television networks broadcast two series that portray Jews and Israelis in a positive light. Palestinian leaders are beside themselves at what they view as pan-Arab abandonment. In remarks to Israel Hayom this week, a senior Palestinian official bitterly referred to the mild criticisms of U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan and of Israel's plan to apply its sovereignty to its communities in Judea and Samaria and to the Jordan Valley as no more than "lip service." Israeli leftist groups are hanging their hopes for torpedoing Israel's sovereignty plans on the European Union. France's plan, supported by Luxembourg, Belgium and Ireland, to impose E.U. sanctions on Israel in the event it implements its sovereignty plan was widely reported this week. But like the Palestinians, Israeli leftists are likely to be disappointed. E.U. rules require all decisions to be made by consensus, and there is no consensus on sanctioning Israel. Even worse for the leftists is the fact that Israel's plan to apply sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria is not a unilateral move. Israel will carry it out in the framework of the U.S. peace plan. If the European Union retaliates against Israel for implementing the first stage of the Trump peace plan, it will antagonize the White House, which will rightly view the move as anti-American. This state of affairs will increase the number of E.U. member states that will oppose anti-Israel sanctions-or any other anti-Israel response to the sovereignty plan. Given this state of affairs, Israeli leftist groups will have to learn to live with disappointment. Europe will not be able to force the government to embrace their radical policies. There is another reason that Israel needn't be too concerned that applying its laws to parts of Judea and Samaria will damage it diplomatically or economically. To understand what it is, it is worth considering what was likely a key reason, if not the key reason, that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Israel this week, in the middle of the global coronavirus pandemic. Commentators in Israel and the United States were surprised by Pompeo's visit. Like most world leaders, Pompeo has been grounded since late February. Why was he breaking the coronavirus lockdown to fly to Israel of all places for a few hours? What was so important that he couldn't discuss it via secure video conference? Most media outlets claimed that the sovereignty plan is what brought him to Jerusalem. But that made little sense even before Pompeo arrived and said that he wasn't here for that. Both in Pompeo's interview to Israel Hayom on Tuesday, and in Ambassador David Friedman's interview with Israel Hayom two weeks ago, they made clear that the Trump administration continues to support Israel's plan. Friedman even made clear that he views the issue with great urgency. Another popular explanation was that Pompeo flew to Israel to discuss Iran. This too, makes no sense. Israel and the United States are completely coordinated in their Iran policies. There appear to be two reasons that Pompeo came to Israel this week of all times. The first and more discussed may be the less significant one. That reason is China. On both sides of the partisan divide, U.S. leaders have long been concerned about Israel's technological ties with China and with its willingness to grant infrastructure construction contracts to Chinese firms. In an interview with the Washington Free Beacon, published on the eve of Pompeo's arrival in Israel, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker said, "We don't want them [Israel] to get into a problematic relationship with China." Schenker focused his remarks on U.S. concerns with Israeli-Chinese contracts for major infrastructure projects, like a water desalination plant and the Haifa port. "China sees a lot of value in a relationship with Israel, the high-tech, the innovations," said Schenker. He continued, "Israel also needs all sorts of infrastructure and it looks to China. China is a low-cost bidder and Chinese companies do all this work. But there are things that have to be taken into account. We also have interests and we want to be able to work with Israel." Pompeo emphasized U.S. concern with Israel-China ties both in his discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in his remarks to the Israeli media. There is no doubt that the heightened U.S. pressure on Israel to lower the flame on its ties with China is reasonable. China, after all, disseminated the coronavirus plague worldwide and hid the dangers from the world for two months while it purchased the global supply of ventilators and personal protective equipment. Yet at the same time, even these heightened concerns don't explain Pompeo's sudden decision to fly to Israel. There have been no notable new developments in Israel's ties with China in recent months. And Israel announced last year that it would not be participating in Huawei's 5G network. Certainly, the messages Pompeo communicated to Netanyahu could just have easily and effectively been delivered in a videoconference. This brings us to the coronavirus itself. On May 5, the Israel Institute for Biological Research in Nes Ziona announced a "groundbreaking scientific development" towards a potential treatment for COVID-19 based on an antibody that neutralizes SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease. It was the second breakthrough announced that week by institute scientists, who days earlier announced that they had isolated a key coronavirus antibody. In its announcement of the developments, the Israeli Defense Ministry said that the institute is now pursuing a patent for its development, after which it will begin discussions with international manufacturers. Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, who visited the institute on May 7 with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to receive a briefing on the discovery, said at the end of the tour, "I instructed the defense establishment and the institute to move ahead at the highest speed to develop a mass cure. We will not spare money or resources. We will do everything in our power to shorten the time it takes to have a commercial medicine." The first report of Pompeo's sudden decision to visit Jerusalem this week came on May 6, the day after the Institute of Biological Research's initial announcement and the day before Bennet and Rivlin visited the institute. In his remarks at the Prime Minister's Office with Netanyahu on Wednesday morning, Pompeo mentioned U.S.-Israeli cooperation in fighting the pandemic. Turning to Netanyahu, he said, "Israeli technologies, Israeli medical expertise, all of the things that you and I and our teams can work on together. I know we'll deliver good outcomes and decrease the risk for people all across the world from this global pandemic." The Defense Ministry's announcement of the Institute of Biological Research's latest breakthrough noted, "This is an important milestone, which will be followed by a series of complex tests and a process of regulatory approvals." That process could take several months. Experts in and out of the defense establishment note that it is too early to know the full implications of the discovery. Obviously, if Israel has developed a cure for the coronavirus, its economic and diplomatic position will be upgraded significantly. But even if the Institute for Biological Research's latest discovery doesn't lead to an immediate cure for the coronavirus, it is clear that the biomedical and technological capabilities that Israel has demonstrated in its treatment and research of the coronavirus have solidified its place among the world-leading nations in these critical areas. Arab states that are driven towards Israel due to their shared interest in preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons and becoming a regional hegemon will cling to Israel ever more tightly now. European governments that seek to punish Israel for asserting its sovereign rights in Judea and Samaria, will have to balance their hostility with their desire to benefit from cooperation with Israel. It is very possible that the main foreign policy challenge facing Israel today is not how to minimize the risks of diplomatic blowback for applying its laws in Judea and Samaria. It is figuring out how to maximize Israel's new global position in a manner that will strengthen us diplomatically, economically and strategically into the future. Nearing Midnight: The Rapture Ready Virus - Todd Strandberg - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ It is currently believed that the coronavirus started with a single person in the city of Wuhan, China. I find it amazing that one person's interaction with a bat could trigger a cascade of tragedy that has now claimed the lives of 300,000 people and has cost the world $5 trillion in efforts to combat the virus. I've watched several videos on how the virus takes over our cells to make endless copies of itself. Each time I'm stunned by how such a simple piece of genetic code can replicate itself and cause so much damage to its host. The pandemic made me think of a positive outcome that is my hope for the Rapture Ready site. When the rapture finally takes place, a huge number of people will flock to the internet, looking for information on this stunning event. The main goal of the site is to be a resource to people who are interested in prophecy. For people who find themselves on the wrong side of the rapture, we have very gripping content. Many years ago, Kurt Seland sent me the article "The Post-Rapture Survival Guide." First, he warned about how everyone should be ready, and then made plain the reality that they will soon face: First of all, it is to warn those who receive this manual prior to the rapture of the events that will take place in the last days as foretold in the Bible. Based on what the Bible has to say about future events, nobody in their right mind would want to live on earth after the rapture. Hopefully, many will read, believe, seek God, repent and be saved. Salvation is very simple, so simple to attain, in fact, that most people cannot accept its simplicity; thereby, they reject it completely. Let me be really frank with you. If you are reading this manual and the rapture has already occurred, then you probably are not going to physically survive; you most likely will die sometime in the next few years. This manual is about the survival of your soul. You are going to go through terrible suffering. The only question that remains is whether you will go to Heaven or go to hell when you die. When the rapture takes place, it will be a gut punch to the global media. When Project Veritas released secretly recorded video of Planned Parenthood executives discussing the harvesting and sale of fetal organs, it took the liberal media two or three days to think of a reason why the abortionists were the ones being wronged. It may take them a week or so to devise how the onset of the tribulation is nothing to fear. During a brief window, I'm hopeful that millions of people will be able to read and save the content from RR. Because things are so crazy right now, I feel the day of the big download may be very near. Several times in the past month, we had nearly 100,000 people visit RR in a single day. I know that there are many people in this group that have a general interest in prophecy, but they don't consider themselves believers to any religion. When the rapture takes place, many of these people will be transformed into highly motivated missionaries. Everyone who realizes they were left behind, they need to repent of their sins by placing their trust in Jesus Christ, and then they need to copy every resource they can find on the net because it won't be there for very long. It would only take a handful of people to make copies of RR or some other sites. It would be a huge blessing if someone like Bill Gates became saved and decided to transmit the content of RR in ways that I could never conceive. My technological capabilities are stuck in the world of HTML. I have Twitter and Facebook accounts, but I have no idea how to use them. The site you are currently accessing is not designed to be a post-rapture resource. Because RR.com is based on a huge database that might need 100 files just to bring up one page, it would quickly crash once a million people try to access it at once. I just had them double the size of our server because of all the recent virus-related traffic. I think the best way to transmit content is the flat files that make up our mirror sites. They can be found on our link page. They are old tech, but they are extremely rugged. Because most pages have a single article file and a graphic header, they never crash. Back in the day, we could have a quarter-million people visit the site in a single day on a Pentium-based server with no problems. These HTML sites can be loaded on thumb drives and still operate. If the internet police ban all sites related to prophecy, tribulation saints will need to pass Bible-related content by hand. The mirror sites are stripped to 60 MB, which allows for fast transfer. There are very few books in print on the subject of the rapture. Most Christian bookstores have gone out of business over the past 20 years. Terry and I live in the central Arkansas area, and I don't know of any such stores. There was a Lifeway book store in Little Rock, but it closed a couple of years ago. People can get books from Amazon, but that option can disappear with the click of a mouse. This lack of end-time biblical information is another sign of how close we are to the tribulation hour. The prophecy in the book of Amos perfectly describes our current state of affairs: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD" (Amos 8:11). Solar Minimum Could Bring Drastic Changes To Our Planet - By Michael Snyder/End of the American Dream - https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=4059 At a time when the world is already being hit with major crisis after major crisis, our sun is behaving in ways that we have never seen before. For as long as records have been kept, the sun has never been quieter than it has been in 2019 and 2020, and as you will see below we are being warned that we have now entered "a very deep solar minimum". Unfortunately, other very deep solar minimums throughout history have corresponded with brutally cold temperatures and horrific global famines, and of course this new solar minimum comes at a time when the United Nations is already warning that we are on the verge of "biblical" famines around the world. So we better hope that the sun wakes up soon, because the alternative is almost too horrifying to talk about. Without the sun, life on Earth could not exist, and so the fact that it is behaving so weirdly right now should be big news. Sadly, most mainstream news outlets are largely ignoring this story, but at least a few are covering it. The following comes from Forbes... While we on Earth suffer from coronavirus, our star--the Sun--is having a lockdown all of its own. Spaceweather.com reports that already there have been 100 days in 2020 when our Sun has displayed zero sunspots. That makes 2020 the second consecutive year of a record-setting low number of sunspots. And here is what the New York Post is saying... Our sun has gone into lockdown, which could cause freezing weather, earthquakes and famine, scientists say. The sun is currently in a period of "solar minimum," meaning activity on its surface has fallen dramatically. Experts believe we are about to enter the deepest period of sunshine "recession" ever recorded as sunspots have virtually disappeared. Yes, covering COVID-19 is important, but the fact that scientists are warning that we are potentially facing "freezing weather, earthquakes and famine" should be deeply alarming for all of us. And since the mainstream media has been largely silent on this crisis, most Americans don't even know that it exists. Last year, there were no sunspots at all 77 percent of the time, and so far this year there have been no sunspots at all 76 percent of the time... "This is a sign that solar minimum is underway," reads SpaceWeather.com. "So far this year, the Sun has been blank 76% of the time, a rate surpassed only once before in the Space Age. Last year, 2019, the Sun was blank 77% of the time. Two consecutive years of record-setting spotlessness adds up to a very deep solar minimum, indeed." So why is this such a big deal? Well, every once in a while a very deep solar minimum that lasts for several decades comes along, and when our planet has experienced such periods in the past the consequences have been quite dramatic. For example, the New York Post is claiming that NASA scientists fear that we could potentially be facing "a repeat of the Dalton Minimum"... NASA scientists fear it could be a repeat of the Dalton Minimum, which happened between 1790 and 1830 -- leading to periods of brutal cold, crop loss, famine and powerful volcanic eruptions. Temperatures plummeted by up to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over 20 years, devastating the world's food production. Even worse would be a repeat of the Maunder Minimum which stretched from 1645 to 1715. It came as the globe was already in the midst of "the Little Ice Age", and it caused harvest failures and famines all over the globe... The Maunder Minimum is the most famous cold period of the Little Ice Age. Temperatures plummeted in Europe, the growing season became shorter by more than a month, the number of snowy days increased from a few to 20-30, the ground froze to several feet, alpine glaciers advanced all over the world, glaciers in the Swiss Alps encroached on farms and buried villages, tree-lines in the Alps dropped, sea ports were blocked by sea ice that surrounded Iceland and Holland for about 20 miles, wine grape harvests diminished, and cereal grain harvests failed, leading to mass famines. The Thames River and canals and rivers of the Netherlands froze over during the winter. The population of Iceland decreased by about half. In parts of China, warm-weather crops that had been grown for centuries were abandoned. In North America, early European settlers experienced exceptionally severe winters. Of course this would be an exceptionally bad time for such a cataclysmic climate shift, because African Swine Fever has already wiped out approximately one-fourth of all the pigs in the world, colossal armies of locusts the size of major cities are systematically wiping out crops across much of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and fear of COVID-19 is greatly disrupting global food supply chains. In fact, it is being reported that widespread shutdowns of meat processing facilities in the United States may force farmers to euthanize "as many as 10 million hogs by September"... U.S. pork farmers may be forced to euthanize as many as 10 million hogs by September as a result of production-plant shutdowns brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the National Pork Producers Council. At least 14,000 reported positive COVID-19 cases have been connected to meatpacking facilities in at least 181 plants in 31 states as of May 13, and at least 54 meatpacking facility workers have died of the virus at 30 plants in 18 states, according to an investigation by the Midwest Center for Investigative reporting. Even if the sun suddenly started acting perfectly normal once again, we would still be facing what the UN is calling "the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two". Global food supplies are getting tighter with each passing day, and many are warning that some areas of the globe will soon be dealing with severe food shortages. What we really need are a few years of really good growing weather, but the behavior of the sun may not make that possible. So let's keep a very close eye on the giant ball of fire that we are revolving around, because if it remains very quiet that could mean big trouble for all of us. Daily Jot: The unbalanced scales of justice - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com The blindfolded Lady Justice, the allegorical personification of the ethical ethos in the justice system, appears to have one eye uncovered and the other covered with scales when it comes to Attorney General William Barr's investigation of criminal activity of the Democratic Party's attempt to remove President Trump. The Mueller Investigation and declassification of the House Intelligence Committee testimonies indicate that the immediate past president, the Democratic National Committee, then-Vice President Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and a host of others falsified information for court warrants, spying, and using the deep state to remove Trump. But don't expect the top names to be prosecuted, Barr says that these top officials are unlikely to face a criminal investigation because the criminal justice system should not be used as a political weapon. Barr said in a Monday news conference, "This is not good for our political life and it's not good for the criminal justice system. As long as I'm attorney general, the criminal justice system will not be used for partisan political ends. This is especially true for the upcoming elections in November." He said of the former president and Joe Biden, "Whatever their level of involvement based on the level of information I have today, I don't expect Mr. [US Attorney John] Durham's work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man. Our concern over potential criminality is focused on others." If the former president, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and whoever was running the Democratic National Committee were guilty of such subversive activity, and we know from various testimonies of the players involved, that evidence points to them, they should be investigated just like any other American. Barr is correct that none of this is good for our political life and criminal justice system. Nevertheless, trying to overthrow a duly elected head of state by using all the powers of the government is a serious issue. The taxpayer money spent on investigations, spying, and hearings alone should be enough reason to press for criminal investigations. Is it right to allow laws to be broken with impunity because the lawbreakers hold high positions in politics and society? While Barr's example of honor to the system is admirable, he also has a responsibility to see that justice is administered. Since late 2016, criminal elements in the US governmental system have schemed to rid the elected American president. The American people have been fed lies, their hard-earned tax dollars wasted, and a network of anti-American espionage has been exposed. Already, Democrats are signaling they will try again to impeach Trump. Is there no end? How much more political weaponization of investigative power can or should we endure? Mr. Barr, should put an end to this by letting the chips fall as they may. Proverbs 11;1 says, "Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight." There should be one law for all, and Lady Justice should have honest scales, not scales over one eye. Daily Devotion: Leave Payback to God - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. -Romans 12:17 "Never hate your enemies," said Michael Corleone in The Godfather, Part III, "It affects your judgment." Our job is to forgive; God's job is to avenge. When someone hits us we want to hit back, don't we? And if someone hurts us we want to hurt them. We want to settle the score. We want payback. If you're a Christian, however, that is not the way you should live. God says, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay" (Romans 12:19 NKJV). The apostle Paul knew what it was like to be mistreated. I think no other leader in the first century suffered more than he did. Yet it was Paul who wrote, "Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men" (Romans 12:17 NKJV). And he modeled this as well. When he was arrested with Silas for preaching the gospel, the jailer was especially cruel. He beat them and tore open their backs with a whip. Then he fastened their feet in stocks and put them in the deep recesses of a filthy, horrible dungeon. Then we read, "At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed" (Acts 16:25-26 NKJV). The jailer, realizing he would be executed for escaped prisoners, was about to kill himself. But Paul called out to him, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here" (verse 28 NKJV). He extended grace to this man. And ultimately, he led the jailer and his family to Christ. His example shows us that when we're hurt or offended, we need to let God settle the score. 
FROM THE HEART
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