What are the heavens telling us?
Mar 4, 2013 10:14:35 GMT -5
Post by baydoll on Mar 4, 2013 10:14:35 GMT -5
WorldNetDaily
Meteors, lights, signs all creating worldwide wonder
Published: 3 days ago
STOCKHOLM, Sweden – February was packed with celestial events – notably the meteor that exploded over Russia – and some theological leaders and experts are convinced that God is trying to send a message.
Citing biblical passages about signs and wonders in the heavens, more than a few have been talking about whether biblical prophecies in Scripture are being fulfilled.
One incident that received widespread coverage, for example, was a lightning bolt that struck St. Peter’s Basilica just hours after Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation.
The meteor that shook Russia, along with numerous other meteors documented over the last month, also have believers and non-believers alike wondering where this all may be going.
A seeming surge in recent UFO sightings, corresponding with a deluge of coverage in the media and the entertainment industry over the last few years, plays a role as well, experts told WND.
Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, author of the New York Times bestseller “The Harbinger” as well as its DVD version, “The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment,” the No. 1 faith video in the world, told WND he has been deluged with inquiries from people around the world as to what lies ahead.
“We know we’re in the last days,” Cahn said. “The signs are evident – Israel’s return to the land, the world’s focus on the Middle East, the increase in man’s powers, including that of self-destruction, the increase in immorality and a massive worldwide apostasy.”
Cahn, who also serves as president of Hope of the World ministries and the senior pastor and messianic rabbi of the Jerusalem Center/Beth Israel in New Jersey, said the evidence is becoming clear.
“In addition, there are very precise signs of biblical warning and judgment which have been manifesting, particularly in America,” he warned.
“These signs, recorded in ‘The Harbinger,’ are distinct warnings given to a nation in defiance and departure from God. Thus, we’re in a critical time of transition,” Cahn concluded. “As we watch the spiritual and physical decline of America, it only further sets the stage for what the Bible foretells of the last days.”
Signs and wonders in the Bible
As Bible readers know, there are numerous references to signs and wonders in the heavens found throughout Scripture.
Luke 21:25-26, for example, states: “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
In the Old Testament, Joel 2:30-31 says: “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.”
The book of Revelation is known for its numerous references to signs and wonders in the heavens preceding the end of days.
Many other prophecies in both the New and Old testaments contain similar passages.
Russian meteor: A message from God?
On Feb. 15, the same day that a large asteroid passed some 18,000 miles from the Earth’s surface, an unrelated explosion above the Chelyabinsk region of Russian released an estimated 500 kilotons of energy – the force of about 30 Hiroshima atomic bombs, according to news reports.
The impact was detected by sensors operated by the nuclear-watchdog International Monitoring System as far as Antarctica, over 9,000 miles away.
Contrary to early reports of a meteor shower, Russian officials and scientists said the blast – the largest infrasound event recorded in history – was caused by a single 10,000-ton meteor burning up in the lower atmosphere.
After the massive explosion over the Ural Mountains region, at least 1,000 injuries were reported. Thousands of buildings were also reported damaged.
Despite the magnitude of the explosion, the event was not the first of its kind.
More than a century ago, a suspected asteroid leveled almost 1,000 square miles of forest in remote Siberia in what eventually became known as the Tunguska event.
Indeed, over the last 4,000 years, scientists say tens of thousands of meteorites have hit the earth.
Still, Russians were suspicious of the official explanation.
A poll of readers published by the Noviye Izvestia newspaper found that just half of respondents believed the government’s account.
Some thought it was a UFO or an alien invasion, while others, including a Russian politician, claimed it was some sort of secret U.S. government weapon.
“Our people remember the Soviet past, when news of disasters was concealed or lied about,” Deputy Director Alexei Grazhdankin of the independent Moscow polling agency Levada Center told reporters.
“A lot of our people just prefer not to accept the safe explanations they were taught at school,” Grazhdankin added. “Even when all necessary information is available, they don’t want to believe it.”
Despite all the talk of UFOs, alien invasions and U.S. weapons, a Christian leader had a different explanation: The spectacular blast was a message from God.
The Russian Orthodox bishop of Chelyabinsk and Zlatoust, Metropolitan Feofan, urged locals “not to lose the strength of will.” He added that the narrow escape from devastation should spark reflection on how often people pray, as well as a reassessment of people’s lives through the prism of Scripture.
“The Holy Bible says that God sends us signs and warnings through natural calamities,” the Christian cleric said in a widely quoted statement. “The meteor shower seen last night was a reminder for residents of the Urals and the rest of the world that we all live in a fragile and unpredictable world.”
“We must be happy that God has saved us from a more severe aftermath, and we must thank Him for this favor,” Metropolitan Feofan said.
“A natural phenomenon must not incite panic or despondency,” he concluded. “No natural disaster, sickness or even death can separate us from God. The only real evil in the world is sin.”
The Orthodox bishop was hardly alone in seeing the hand of God behind the meteor.
Other meteors dazzle
On Feb. 16, the Associated Press, citing state-run media outlets, reported that Cuba experienced a similar, albeit smaller, meteor that also shook buildings and left residents bewildered.
“On Tuesday we left home to fish around five in the afternoon, and around 8:00 we saw a light in the heavens and then a big ball of fire, bigger than the sun,” a local man said in the video cited by the AP.
A woman quoted in the report said her home “shook completely” and that she “had never heard such a strange thing.”
Another major event happened over the skies of Southern California on Feb. 22, when a giant streak of light prompted dozens of eyewitness to file reports with the American Meteor Society.
Residents were apparently so concerned that government officials even responded to the event.
“We are in routine operations,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said on Twitter. “There are no emergencies in Los Angeles related to the sighting of a bright light in our atmosphere.”
A few days before that, numerous witnesses reported a meteor over Florida’s Eastern coast, according to press reports.
Video of the event captured by startled onlookers was run by local media outlets.
“I was like, ‘Wow! That’s weird,’” West Palm Beach resident Amanda Mayer, who obtained footage of the event, told the local NBC affiliate. “I just started videotaping, and that’s when it happened. I was pretty sure it was a meteor because of everything else that’s been happening.”
Read the rest here:
Read more at www.wnd.com/2013/03/what-are-the-heavens-telling-us/#HE4mOmIuDT6Esdew.99
Meteors, lights, signs all creating worldwide wonder
Published: 3 days ago
STOCKHOLM, Sweden – February was packed with celestial events – notably the meteor that exploded over Russia – and some theological leaders and experts are convinced that God is trying to send a message.
Citing biblical passages about signs and wonders in the heavens, more than a few have been talking about whether biblical prophecies in Scripture are being fulfilled.
One incident that received widespread coverage, for example, was a lightning bolt that struck St. Peter’s Basilica just hours after Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation.
The meteor that shook Russia, along with numerous other meteors documented over the last month, also have believers and non-believers alike wondering where this all may be going.
A seeming surge in recent UFO sightings, corresponding with a deluge of coverage in the media and the entertainment industry over the last few years, plays a role as well, experts told WND.
Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, author of the New York Times bestseller “The Harbinger” as well as its DVD version, “The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment,” the No. 1 faith video in the world, told WND he has been deluged with inquiries from people around the world as to what lies ahead.
“We know we’re in the last days,” Cahn said. “The signs are evident – Israel’s return to the land, the world’s focus on the Middle East, the increase in man’s powers, including that of self-destruction, the increase in immorality and a massive worldwide apostasy.”
Cahn, who also serves as president of Hope of the World ministries and the senior pastor and messianic rabbi of the Jerusalem Center/Beth Israel in New Jersey, said the evidence is becoming clear.
“In addition, there are very precise signs of biblical warning and judgment which have been manifesting, particularly in America,” he warned.
“These signs, recorded in ‘The Harbinger,’ are distinct warnings given to a nation in defiance and departure from God. Thus, we’re in a critical time of transition,” Cahn concluded. “As we watch the spiritual and physical decline of America, it only further sets the stage for what the Bible foretells of the last days.”
Signs and wonders in the Bible
As Bible readers know, there are numerous references to signs and wonders in the heavens found throughout Scripture.
Luke 21:25-26, for example, states: “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
In the Old Testament, Joel 2:30-31 says: “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.”
The book of Revelation is known for its numerous references to signs and wonders in the heavens preceding the end of days.
Many other prophecies in both the New and Old testaments contain similar passages.
Russian meteor: A message from God?
On Feb. 15, the same day that a large asteroid passed some 18,000 miles from the Earth’s surface, an unrelated explosion above the Chelyabinsk region of Russian released an estimated 500 kilotons of energy – the force of about 30 Hiroshima atomic bombs, according to news reports.
The impact was detected by sensors operated by the nuclear-watchdog International Monitoring System as far as Antarctica, over 9,000 miles away.
Contrary to early reports of a meteor shower, Russian officials and scientists said the blast – the largest infrasound event recorded in history – was caused by a single 10,000-ton meteor burning up in the lower atmosphere.
After the massive explosion over the Ural Mountains region, at least 1,000 injuries were reported. Thousands of buildings were also reported damaged.
Despite the magnitude of the explosion, the event was not the first of its kind.
More than a century ago, a suspected asteroid leveled almost 1,000 square miles of forest in remote Siberia in what eventually became known as the Tunguska event.
Indeed, over the last 4,000 years, scientists say tens of thousands of meteorites have hit the earth.
Still, Russians were suspicious of the official explanation.
A poll of readers published by the Noviye Izvestia newspaper found that just half of respondents believed the government’s account.
Some thought it was a UFO or an alien invasion, while others, including a Russian politician, claimed it was some sort of secret U.S. government weapon.
“Our people remember the Soviet past, when news of disasters was concealed or lied about,” Deputy Director Alexei Grazhdankin of the independent Moscow polling agency Levada Center told reporters.
“A lot of our people just prefer not to accept the safe explanations they were taught at school,” Grazhdankin added. “Even when all necessary information is available, they don’t want to believe it.”
Despite all the talk of UFOs, alien invasions and U.S. weapons, a Christian leader had a different explanation: The spectacular blast was a message from God.
The Russian Orthodox bishop of Chelyabinsk and Zlatoust, Metropolitan Feofan, urged locals “not to lose the strength of will.” He added that the narrow escape from devastation should spark reflection on how often people pray, as well as a reassessment of people’s lives through the prism of Scripture.
“The Holy Bible says that God sends us signs and warnings through natural calamities,” the Christian cleric said in a widely quoted statement. “The meteor shower seen last night was a reminder for residents of the Urals and the rest of the world that we all live in a fragile and unpredictable world.”
“We must be happy that God has saved us from a more severe aftermath, and we must thank Him for this favor,” Metropolitan Feofan said.
“A natural phenomenon must not incite panic or despondency,” he concluded. “No natural disaster, sickness or even death can separate us from God. The only real evil in the world is sin.”
The Orthodox bishop was hardly alone in seeing the hand of God behind the meteor.
Other meteors dazzle
On Feb. 16, the Associated Press, citing state-run media outlets, reported that Cuba experienced a similar, albeit smaller, meteor that also shook buildings and left residents bewildered.
“On Tuesday we left home to fish around five in the afternoon, and around 8:00 we saw a light in the heavens and then a big ball of fire, bigger than the sun,” a local man said in the video cited by the AP.
A woman quoted in the report said her home “shook completely” and that she “had never heard such a strange thing.”
Another major event happened over the skies of Southern California on Feb. 22, when a giant streak of light prompted dozens of eyewitness to file reports with the American Meteor Society.
Residents were apparently so concerned that government officials even responded to the event.
“We are in routine operations,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said on Twitter. “There are no emergencies in Los Angeles related to the sighting of a bright light in our atmosphere.”
A few days before that, numerous witnesses reported a meteor over Florida’s Eastern coast, according to press reports.
Video of the event captured by startled onlookers was run by local media outlets.
“I was like, ‘Wow! That’s weird,’” West Palm Beach resident Amanda Mayer, who obtained footage of the event, told the local NBC affiliate. “I just started videotaping, and that’s when it happened. I was pretty sure it was a meteor because of everything else that’s been happening.”
Read the rest here:
Read more at www.wnd.com/2013/03/what-are-the-heavens-telling-us/#HE4mOmIuDT6Esdew.99