Church of God News

COGwriter

Europe’s answer to the USA’s Global Positioning System (GPS) hit a major milestone yesterday:

First EU Navigation Satellite Payload Shipped

RedOrbit – April 26, 2010

The Galileo satellite-navigation system – Europe’s answer to the GPS – took a giant step forward on Monday, as the initial spacecraft’s payload was shipped to Rome from the Portsmouth, UK factory where it was developed, according to BBC News science correspondent Jonathan Amos.

Galileo…is co-sponsored by the European Union (EU) and European Space Agency (ESA). It was initially launched in November 2007 and should be operational by 2013 or 2014. http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1855166/first_eu_navigation_satellite_payload_shipped/

Galileo is expected to be more accurate than the USA’s GPS navigational system.  Furthermore, because of satellite problems, budget, and other issues and priorities, it looks like the USA itself expects to be at least partially dependent on Galileo in a few short years for some of its strategic defense.

Notice also the following items:

The Air Force, which operates GPS satellites, plays down the likelihood of degraded GPS service, but other GPS experts say the possibility is real…The first GPS III is to be launched in 2014, according to Lockheed. But in light of the delays that plagued the IIF and most other satellite programs, the GPS III schedule may be unrealistic, the GAO warned….There were other troubles, too, according to the GAO. They included “a loss of expertise in building the GPS satellites on the contractor side, lax program oversight and technical problems.” As a result, the first IIF is 3½ years late and IIF program costs more than doubled, climbing from $729 million to $1.7 billion.  http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4547785&c=FEA&s=TEC

The U.S. Defense Department is linking its Global Positioning System with Europe’s Galileo, another space-based global navigation satellite system. GPS will feature a new military signal called M-code to boost anti-jamming, facilitate secure access and increase the local signal strength.  http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0411054720100205

BBC Jan 7, 2010… Galileo should have been operational by now but the project has run into myriad technical, commercial and political obstacles, including early objections from the Americans who thought a rival system to GPS might be used to attack its armed forces. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8442090.stm

The USA initially opposed Galileo as it considered that the Europeans would have the ability to attack the USA because of it.  Yet, now with the perceived threats of Russia and China, the USA has embraced Galileo while hoping that the Europeans will not do what various USA officials once feared.

However, according to biblical prophecy, the USA should have heeded the advice of those who warned against Galileo as Galileo will likely be one of the military tools of the emerging European beast power (Revelation 13:3-4).  This is also something I warned about in my book 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect.

Some articles of related interest may include:

Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? What MUST happen BEFORE the Great Tribulation?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Prophecies of Barack Obama? Eight reasons why Barack Obama is apocalyptic and eight reasons why Barack Obama is not the Antichrist. This article includes many biblical and non-biblical prophecies, from around the world, that seem to discuss Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist?  Might Barack Obama set the stage for the kings of the North and South as at least one Shiite prophecy suggests?  This is the longest and most complete article on this page on Barack Obama prophecies. Read it and decide for yourself if President Obama seems to be fulfilling various prophecies.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States Some claim that Barack Obama is the prophesied “son of Kenya”, based up an early 20th century writing.
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”?

Rice (Oryza sativa)

COGwriter

A problem with a rice pestilence is concerning farmers in Australia:

Australia Fears Locust Plague

Insects Threaten the 2011 Rice Harvest; ‘They Take Anything Green With Them’

Wall Street Journal – April 26, 2010

CANBERRA—A plague of swarming locusts is casting a shadow over Australia’s efforts to revive its rice production. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703441404575205332807820968.html?mod=WSJ_Markets_section_Commodities

The Philippines is also facing some rice shortages (Philippine Rice Situation).

The have been problems in other areas, like the USA and Africa, as well:

A New Initiative to Feed the World Over the last few decades the developed world lost interest in agricultural development. Now’s the time for change.

By TIMOTHY GEITHNER AND BILL GATES   April 26, 2010
…A steep rise in food prices in 2008 and the recent global economic crisis have pushed the number of hungry people in the world to more than one billion…

Today, many Africans face food shortages in part because the average African farmer produces half the amount of crops per acre of an Indian farmer, one-fourth that of a Chinese farmer, and just one-fifth that of an American farmer.  http://www.modernghana.com/news/273143/1/a-new-initiative-to-feed-the-world-over-the-last-f.html

Wholesale prices rise in March as food costs jump

Associated Press – April 22, 2010   excerpt…

Food prices jumped by 2.4 percent in March, the most since January 1984. Vegetable prices soared by more than 49 percent, the most in 15 years. A cold snap wiped out much of Florida’s tomato and other vegetable crops at the beginning of this year. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jfuYCNDwSbDlL48PB87SrT8ZBSPAD9F87CL81

Meat-Price Outlook
Bloomberg – April 26, 2010

Retail prices may hit records in the next 90 days as U.S. demand peaks during summer grilling season, said John Nalivka, a former USDA economist and the president of meat consultant Sterling Marketing Inc. in Vale, Oregon. The previous records were in 2008 for pork at $3.026 a pound in September, based on monthly averages tracked by the USDA since 1970, and for beef at $4.526 a pound in August. Chicken’s peak was $1.857 a pound in May 2009.

More expensive pork and beef may revive food inflation that dropped last year for the first time since 1961. Meat prices tracked by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization are up 5 percent this year, even as food costs fell 5.8 percent. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=a41ys1pP9w.c&pos=14

U.S. Food Inflation Spiraling Out of Control

NIA – April 22, 2010

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) today released their Producer Price Index (PPI) report for March 2010 and the latest numbers are shocking. Food prices for the month rose by 2.4%, its sixth consecutive monthly increase and the largest jump in over 26 years.

NIA believes that a major breakout in food inflation could be imminent, similar to what is currently being experienced in India.Some of the startling food price increases on a year-over-year basis include, fresh and dry vegetables up 56.1%, fresh fruits and melons up 28.8%, eggs for fresh use up 33.6%, pork up 19.1%, beef and veal up 10.7% and dairy products up 9.7%. On October 30th, 2009, NIA predicted that inflation would appear next in food and agriculture, but we never anticipated that it would spiral so far out of control this quickly. http://inflation.us/foodinflationspiralingoutofcontrol.html

Jesus warned that “famines” would be part of the “beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:7-8).  In the Book of Revelation, food price inflation is predicted with the ride of the third horseman (Revelation 6:6).

Evangelist Richard Ames wrote:

The third seal presents a rider on a black horse, representing the scarcity of food and the resulting famine…Cynics say there have always been wars, famines and pestilences. But, as time goes on, we will see the four horsemen of the apocalypse intensify their ride, with increasing global consequences. (Ames R. The Middle East in Prophecy. Living Church of God, 2006, p. 24)

While we are not yet to the final ride of that horseman, we may be near the start of the “beginning of sorrows”.  Food shortages will affect more than Africa–they will also affect the United States.

As Jesus said:

37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch! (Mark 13:36-37)

Articles of related interest may include:

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What is the Book of Revelation trying to tell us about them? Does the first one deceive many?
Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something?
Africa: Its Biblical Past and Prophesied Future What does the Bible teach about Africa and its future? Did the early Church reach Africa? Will God call all the Africans?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2010, 2011, or 2012? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?

COGwriter

A reader sent me the following in an email titled Another Countdown for 2012:

Population overload

BBC Focus magazine – May 2010 issue.    excerpts…

Space, food and fuel are finite and, as the world’s population increases, so will the demand on them. Ian Taylor looks at the outcomes of this growing problem, and how to solve it.  By the time you’ve finished reading this sentence, the human population of Earth will have increased by approximately 12 people.

The current population is 6.8 billion, and we’re expected to stampede through the 7 billion mark in 2012.

According to the UN, the world population in 2050 will be 9.1 billion – a rise of over 6.6 billion in the 100 years since 1950.

The question is, can the Earth cope with that many people?

http://www.bbcfocusmagazine.com/feature/environment/population-overload

His comments about this were as follows:

Throughout Scripture, the number 7 symbolizes completeness or perfection. Its an unusual coincidence that the World Population will reach 7 Billion early in 2012.  Not 6.8 billion, not 9 billion,

but 7 billion.

“But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished [Strong’s #5055 finished, fulfilled, expired, filled up, made an end].” Revelation 10:7

Now, since I have written a book with 2012 in the title, let me try to clearly explain some of what what will and what will not happen in 2012:

1. Despite what anyone says, the world absolutely will not end in a flood on December 21, 2012–the Bible says that is NOT possible (Genesis 9:11).
2. Scoffers will complain that prophecy is of no real value and that nothing shows that Jesus is to soon return or that God’s judgment is coming.  But they will be wrong (2 Peter 3:3-12).
3. However, when the world does not end in a flood, certain of those associated with the New Age Movement will declare that they were always correct that the end of the Mayan long-count calendar did not signal the destruction of the earth, but instead it signaled the dawn of a new age of peace.  However, the Bible is clear that wars are part of the “beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:7-8) and the great tribulation still is coming (Matthew 24:21).  The Bible has many warnings about false declarations of peace and because of non-biblical lies being told this may be associated with one of them (Ezekiel 13:8-10).
4. People will be running to and fro and knowledge (though some of it tainted) will increase as we get closer to the end (Daniel 12:4).
5. Since the peace deal of Daniel 9:27 has not been made as of today (April 26, 2010) and it will take 3 1/2 years for the Great Tribulation to begin once that deal is “confirmed” by the “prince” (Daniel 9:26-27), then the Great Tribulation itself will NOT start in 2012 (it would have to be no early than 2013 at this stage, with 2014 or so more likely).
6. The USA and its Anglo-allies will not yet have been taken over by the rising European power (though the UK’s status at that time with the EU may be complicated).
7. If the peace deal of Daniel 9:27 is made by 12/31/2012, and we in the Living Church of God start to announce that (as we would be expected to), then the world’s media and more of its people will at least become more familiar with Christ’s gospel of the kingdom, which is consistent with other prophecies (e.g. Matthew 24:14; 28:19-20).  This public proclamation may be uncomfortable for some and lead to reprisals that could start by the end of 2012 or relatively shortly thereafter (Matthew 24:9-10; Daniel 11:28-30).

The following may or may not happen in 2012:

1. We may be in the time known as “the beginning of sorrows” (however, those could have started in or by October 2009) .  These prophesied sorrows include religious deception, wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places, and other troubles (Matthew 24:4-8; Mark 13:5-8).  Changes in weather patterns are consistent with the prophecies for this time.
2. Solar flares may or may not cause power disruptions.
3. The population of earth may or may not surpass seven billion.
4. There may or may not be civil unrest in Europe and/or North America.
5. The USA and UK may have so much debt that there may be serious problems with the value of their currencies and their futures (Habakkuk 2:1-8).
6. The USA will likely have more gaps in its military readiness.
7. Europe may be developing military technologies from the Large Hadron Collider or other sources which will allow it to fulfill prophecies (e.g. Revelation 13:3-4; Isaiah 10:5-11).

The 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect book has more details, more prophecies, and is a lot longer (about 384 pages) than my online article.

The book is now available now from Amazon.com in English, Spanish, and German. It is also available from Barnes and Noble .com at the following title links 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect, 2012 Y El Surgimiento De La Secta Secreta, and 2012 Und Das Auftreten Der Geheimen Sekte.

I hope regular readers of this page will read and study this book as it contains numerous prophecies and explains which will, which may, and which will not come to pass.  If readers order it from the following link this week, 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect, they will also receive a bonus report showing many world events which align with at least ten or eleven predictions in the book which have come to pass since the book was published.  Bible prophecy has come to pass, is coming to pass, and will come to pass.  Hopefully, the comments and many biblical quotes in my 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect book will help take some of the uncertainty out of the events that are occurring and will occur in this age.

Approximate extent of Scythia and the Scythian languages (orange) in the 1st century BC

COGwriter

A new book provides additional evidence that the Scots of Scotland came from Scythia:

Book review: The Highland Clans, by Alistair Moffat

The Scotsman – April 26, 2010…

Not many have noted, as Moffat does, that when teams of geneticists led by Professor Bryan Sykes took DNA samples in the Celtic regions of Britain they discovered ancestries in the Caucasus, which lay within ancient Scythia, and Mediterranean Europe. If those prototypical Scotti had travelled from Scythia towards the setting sun they would most likely have journeyed over decades and centuries through the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Straits of Gibraltar…

Moffat locates the origins of the Scottish clans in bloodline and land. Around a thousand years ago extended family groups, the descendants of Picts (Clan Chattan) or Vikings (MacLeod) or Gaels (MacDonald) or Anglo-Normans (Fraser), sought to maintain their line and defend their acres. They evolved into a society which combined the ability to herd animals, grow crops, steal, trade and muster war parties from among the same modest body of men.

http://news.scotsman.com/features/Book-review-The-Highland-Clans.6223804.jp

So, why is that COG news?

Because we in the Living Church of God have long suspected that the term Scot came from Scythia and that some of the Scythians (and probably Parthians) were descended from many of the tribes of Israel.

Notice the following from Dr. D. Winnail:

Records of History

The Bible and history record that Assyrians carried the ten tribes of Israel into captivity, into what is today northern Iraq, northwestern Iran and Armenia—the area between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. The Black Obelisk from Nineveh in ancient Assyria (now in the British Museum) refers to the Israelites as the Khumri or the people of Omri (the name of the Israelite king who built Samaria—the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel, as noted in 1 Kings 16:21–27). The Babylonians referred to these same people as the Gimiri. Around 500bc, the Persian king Darius carved an inscription of his conquests in three different languages on a rock face at Behistun in northwestern Iran. This inscription refers to the Gimri as the Sacae (who historians also identify with the Scythians who spread over Europe). Archeologist George Rawlinson stated, “We have reasonable grounds for regarding the Gimirri, or Cimmerians… and the Sacae of the Behistun Rock… as identical with the Beth-Khumree of Samaria, or the Ten Tribes of the House of Israel” (The Story of Celto-Saxon Israel, Bennett, p. 151).
Clear historical and biblical evidence traces the ancient Israelite tribes’ migration through the lands of Armenia as well as northern Iraq and Iran. This agrees with historical records that trace the origins of people now living in Britain. The Declaration of Abroath (the “Scottish Declaration of Independence”), written in 1320ad, states that the Scots’ ancestors came from Greater Scythia (around the Black Sea) through the Mediterranean Sea to Spain and then to Britain “twelve hundred years after the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea” (Bennett, pp. 159–161). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, written around 800ad, traces the origins of the Saxon peoples to the region of Armenia (ibid., p. 209). In his work The Ruin of Britain, the early British writer Gildas (475–550ad) refers to the British people as Israelites. Irish legends call some of the first Irish settlers the tuatha de Danann (The Story of the Irish Race, MacManus, p. 5). Cyrus Gordon, a leading American archeologist, recognized the tuatha de Danann as the biblical tribe of Dan, and connected these Israelite peoples with Ireland and Denmark (Bennett, p. 79). These Danite peoples first arrived in Ireland around the time of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. It is also interesting that the Welsh refer to themselves as the Cymri or Cymru—after the Assyrian name for the people of Israel. The records of history link the national identities of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Denmark with the Israelites of the Bible (Winnail D. Modern Nations and God’s Ancient Plan. Tomorrow’s World Magazine, Volume 8, Issue 4. July-August, 2006).

Hence, history shows some of the travels of the tribes of Israel. (Note: For more on the Scottish people, please see an article by Rod King titled Who Are the Scots?).

Notice additional information from Dr. Winnail:

Though many modern scholars have lost track of the Israelite tribes, the identity and location of the tribes of Israel have not really been lost!…Josephus, a Jew writing in the first century ad, recorded that “the ten tribes are beyond the Euphrates till now, and are an immense multitude” (Antiquities of the Jews, 11:5:2). The phrase “beyond the Euphrates” reveals that the ten tribes were in Parthia—an area south of the Caspian Sea—where the Israelites had gone into captivity centuries earlier. Oxford Professor George Rawlinson noted that the Parthians were part of the Scythians, that their name “Parthi” meant “exiles” and that they had been under the dominion of the Assyrians and the Medes (The Sixth Great Oriental Monarchy, pp. 19, 26)—a description that fits the Israelites! Parthians heard Peter speak in Jerusalem on Pentecost (Acts 2:9). The early church historian Eusebius (263–339ad) relates that Christ’s disciple Andrew went to Scythia, and that Thomas went to Parthia (The History of the Church, 3:1:1). Early traditions also link Bartholomew and Philip with these same areas—which shows that the Apostles knew the location of the Israelite tribes in their day.

Historians connect the Scythians with a people called the Sacae. In his translation of Herodotus’ The Histories, Rawlinson connected the Sacae—mentioned in inscriptions that Darius commissioned ca. 500bc on the Behistun Rock in northwestern Iran—“with the Beth-Khumree of Samaria, or the Ten Tribes of the House of Israel” (p. 378). In the Apocrypha, the book of 2 Esdras states that (after the fall of the Assyrian empire) “the ten tribes… took this counsel among themselves… [to] go forth into a further country… and they entered into the Euphrates by the narrow passages of the river” (2 Esdras 13:40–45)—they headed north through the gorges to the Crimea. Nineteenth century London historian Sharon Turner wrote, “The emigrating Scythians crossed the Araxes [a river between the Black and Caspian Sea], passed out of Asia, and invading the Kimmerians, suddenly appeared in Europe, in the seventh century before the Christian era” (The History of the Anglo-Saxons, vol. 1, p. 98). Turner also described how the Scythians and a related people, the Kimmerians (Kimbri or Kumri or Cymry), eventually reached Britain, and that “The Welsh, who are their descendants, have always called themselves Cymry” (ibid., p. 34)—indeed, that name is on their postcards today!…

Prophetic Significance

But why is it important, today, to know the identity and location of the tribes of Israel? Bible prophecies record traits of the tribes of Israel that will become obvious and recognizable “in the last days” (Genesis 49:1). Moses prophesied that the descendants of the Israelites would become utterly corrupt and face difficult times “in the latter days” (Deuteronomy 4:27–30; 28:26–29). Jeremiah warns of a coming period of tribulation and chastisement for sinful Israelite nations that he calls a time of “Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:1–15). God’s servants have the duty to warn His people of dangers that lie ahead (Isaiah 58:1; Amos 3:7). Understanding the location and identity of modern Israelite nations is a key to understanding Bible prophecies about their future, and it helps to target our message as these prophecies come alive today! (Winnail D. Finding the “Lost” Tribes of Israel. Tomorrow’s World magazine, Nov-Dec 2008, pp. 14-15)

We in the Living Church of God believe that the descendants of “lost tribes” of Israel ended up in Europe.  And some further migrated to places such as the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere.

An article of possibly related interest may include:

Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?

Union for the Mediterranean

Blue: Members of the European Union in the Union for the Mediterranean States
Green: Other members (primarily from the African Union & Arab League)
Striped green: Libya is currently only an observer member in the Union for the Mediterranean

COGwriter

Several events are pointing to a concerted effort for a “peace deal” in the Middle East:

Brazil Wants Bigger Role for Itself and IBSA on Middle East Talks

Alexandra Rocha, 18 April 2010

Celso Amorim, Brazil’s Foreign minister, said in Brasília that greater participation of the countries of the IBSA, the group that includes India, Brazil and South Africa, in the peace talks between Israel and Palestine is urgent.  http://www.brazzilmag.com/component/content/article/84-april-2010/12116-brazil-wants-bigger-role-for-itself-and-ibsa-on-middle-east-talks.html

Brazil is apparently signaling the world that it intends to be a major player on the world scene.  However, notice that because it is in the EU, Syria believes that Bulgaria has an important role:

Syria President: Bulgaria Can Play Key Role in Middle East Peace Process

Diplomacy | April 25, 2010

As a member of the EU, Bulgaria has an extremely important role to play in the resolving of the Middle East conflict, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad told a Bulgarian delegation.  http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=115591

And biblically, it is clear that the nations that will support the upcoming “king of the North” will confirm a peace deal.  Whether it comes from the EU or not.

Furthermore, notice that Spain expects Israel to listen to Europe since it is supposed to be part of the Union for the Mediterranean States:

Spain urges Israel to support Mediterranean Union

(AFP) – April 23, 2010

MADRID — Spain called on Israel Thursday to support the nascent Mediterranean Union as well as efforts to reach peace in the Middle East during a visit to Madrid by Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos asked Lieberman “for Israel’s full cooperation with the Mediterranean Union, which is of maximum interest to Spain and all of its Euro-Mediterranean partners,” the foreign ministry said in a statement…

The 43-nation Mediterranean Union, whose headquarters is in Barcelona, was established in 2008 in Paris by France and Egypt.

It groups all 27 EU member states with countries in North Africa, the Balkans, the Arab world as well as Israel in a bid to foster cooperation in one of the world’s most volatile regions.  http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gKmbGez0t_i2E8LjaKJVe6he-M_A

In its update announced yesterday, LCG wrote:

Is Europe the KEY to Middle East Peace? In a recent EU Observer opinion article, a former Middle East representative to the World Council of Churches urged Europe to take a greater role in the Middle East peace process. In his article, Ghassan Rubeiz pointed to Israel’s need for security and the Palestinian need for freedom, and how a European military/police presence in the Holy Land could be the key to making both parties happy. The EU already plays a role in Lebanon and on the Egyptian border, and an increased presence in the Palestinian territories would not be overly difficult to envision (EU Observer, February 17, 2010). God indicates that, for a time, Assyria (Germany) will participate in a peace deal with many Middle Eastern nations (Psalm 83:5-8). Daniel 9 also indicates that a temporary peace treaty will occur between the kings of the north and south, prior to the 3.5-year “times of the Gentiles” spoken of by Christ (Luke 21:24) – a time when the Beast will likely control Jerusalem. At that time, the king of the north will break the peace treaty he was instrumental in creating…

We are getting close to the time of this peace deal.

Although he has several events out of sequence in his book, even the famed Protestant theologian John Walvoord understood the importance of the deal in Daniel 9:27:

The final revelation in Daniel 9:27 states, “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven,’ but in the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to the sacrifice and offering…”…the covenant of Daniel 9:27 is not the covenant of grace…this refers to the coming world ruler at the beginning of the last seven years…He will make a covenant with Israel for a seven-year period. As Daniel 9:27 indicates, in the middle of the seven years he will break the covenant, stop the sacrifices offered…and become their persecutor instead of their protector

The seven-year peace treaty with Israel; consumated seven years before the second coming of Christ (Dan. 9:27; Revelation 19:11-16). (Walvoord J. The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook. Victor Books, 1990, pp. 256,257,551)

This deal could be in place as early as this coming Fall (see EU Peace Deal this Autumn?), but even if it takes another year or two, time is getting short.

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? What is ahead for Europe?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? When does the six thousand years of human rule end?
Mexico, Central America, South America, and Brazil in Prophecy [Español: México, America Central, Suramérica, y el Brasil en profecíal] [Português: México, América Central, Ámérica do Sul, e Brasil na profecia] What will happen to those of Latin America? Will they have prosperity? Will they cooperate with Europe? Will they suffer in the future? What rule might the various Caribbean nations/territories play?
2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect This is a link related to a book by Bob Thiel (COGwriter). This also has YouTube videos related to 2012. It discusses what happens when the peace deal of Daniel 9:27 takes place.
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2010, 2011, or 2012? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?

Crown of the “Holy Roman Empire”

COGwriter

All the emperors of the old “Holy Roman Empire” were part of what has been known as the Habsburg line.  Charlemagne was crowned the first Holy Roman Emperor, reputedly with the crown shown above, by Pope Leo III in Rome on Christmas Night, 800 AD.  And now, over 1200 years later, the descendants of that family are still influential in and near Europe.

The late Herbert W. Armstrong used to believe that Otto von Habsburg was one to watch as a leader in Europe.  Otto von Habsburg was quite influential in helping put together what is now the 500,000,000 person empire called the European Union.

Here are a few news clips (most are fairly recent) related to some Habsburg descendants:

Kyiv Post, Ukraine – April 20, 2010

LVIV, Ukraine – Karl von Habsburg laughed heartily when asked what it feels like to walk the streets of Lviv, a city that was once ruled by his ancestors…Nearly a century after the Habsburg monarchy’s rule ended in Europe, he is dedicating himself to ensure its legacy lives on in western Ukraine.

Still, von Habsburg and his relatives remain politically active. Von Habsburg was once a member of the European parliament, while others currently hold posts there. One relative even became a citizen of Georgia and is her new country’s ambassador in Germany.

“It’s a family that hasn’t focused on just one part of the world,” von Habsburg said.

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/64493/

Habsburg descendant takes on Austria law

AFP – March 29, 2010

Ulrich Habsburg-Lothringen, imperial descendant, republican and Green party member, is fighting for his right to run for president – a job from which he is barred by Austria’s constitution.

A nephew of Otto Habsburg, the eldest son of Austria’s last emperor, Ulrich Habsburg – he only uses the name Lothringen when signing documents – says the Austrian constitution does not afford equal rights to all citizens, ahead of presidential elections on April 25.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/habsburg-descendant-takes-on-austria-law-20100329-r76v.html

Gyoergy Habsburg – hungary

Associated Press – June 7, 2009

Gyoergy Habsburg, grandson of the last Austrian emperor and Hungarian king, a member of European Parliament (MEP) and candidate of the junior opposition conservative party, Hungarian Democratic Forum MDF, leaves a polling booth after voting in the European elections in Soskut, some 30 kilometers south of Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, June 7, 2009. Hungary will delegate 22 members to the 736-member European Parliament. Gyoergy Habsburg is the eldest son of the President of the Pan-European Union, Otto von Habsburg-Lothringen, head of the Habsburg dynasty.

http://www.daylife.com

The princess and the bear

Europe’s aristocracy, alive and kicking

The Economist – Feb 18, 2010…

Georgia’s new ambassador to Berlin, once she presents her credentials to the president next month, will be Gabriela Maria Charlotte Felicitas Elisabeth Antonia von Habsburg-Lothringen, princess Imperial and Archduchess of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary and Bohemia. A name like that, says Georgia’s president Mikheil Saakashvili, should open doors…

By the standards of her family, a spot of diplomacy in Berlin is not particularly exotic. The heirs to the Habsburg emperors helped speed the downfall of the Soviet empire, particularly by arranging the cross-border exodus from Hungary to Austria in the summer of 1989 that punched the first big hole in the iron curtain.

Among Ms von Habsburg’s six siblings, her younger sister Walburga is a leading conservative politician in Sweden; her brother Georg is an ambassador-at-large for Hungary. Another used to be in the European Parliament.

Her father, Otto von Habsburg, now aged 97, is one of very few who can remember the Austro-Hungarian empire (his father, Karl, was its last emperor and it collapsed when Otto was six). http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15551306&fsrc=rss

So, in the 21st century there are Habsburg’s with political influence in at least Austria, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Sweden, Ukraine, and the European Parliament.  Perhaps I should mention that many of the queens of France and Portugal were daughters of Habsburgs (as well as some in other lands as well).

I thought that the statement “The heirs to the Habsburg emperors helped speed the downfall of the Soviet empire” needed to be emphasized to show all who would look that the Habsburgs still have a lot of important political influence.

And although he does not have the word “Habsburg” in his incredibly long name, Baron Karl Theodor Maria Nikolaus Johann Jacob Philipp Franz Joseph Sylvester Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg’s mother was a Habsburg which means that the Baron is a descendant of that line too.  He is one to watch in European politics as I have often written.  He, for example, may just become the final one that the Bible refers to as the King of the North (Daniel 11:21-45) and Beast (Revelation 13).  If the Baron is the one, Having influential distant relatives may assist his attainment to power.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe?
Russia: Its Origins and Prophesied Future Where do the Russians come from? What about those in the Ukraine? What is prophesied for Russia and its allies? What will they do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end?

Jerusalem

COGwriter

Last night, ICG’s Mark Armstrong reported:

Israel celebrated the 62nd anniversary as an independent modern nation this week. It was marked by the traditional remembrance of holocaust and national birth pangs along with their victories in wars and those lost in the nation’s preservation. But as reported in the New York Times, there is a dark foreboding hanging in the air. Coincidental with what is believed to be a final push for nuclear weapons in Iran, Israelis are grappling with the reality that their ally and benefactor, the United States, has turned its back on their plight. Israel apparently doesn’t dare take action against Iran’s nuclear installations without risking the wrath of the Obama administration. But already, relations have become downright acrimonious between the U.S. administration and Israel.

It comes at a time when Iran is seen to be instigating a provocation between Syria and Israel. Consignments of Iranian supplied missiles are reportedly being shipped to Hezbollah at Iran’s behest. Several reports indicate that, since it appears that Iran will succeed in acquiring nukes, Saudi Arabia has begun to participate in the regional nuclear arms race. It’s no wonder that the Israeli’s are feeling mighty insecure.

And how secure will the United States be once Iran has nuclear weapons at its disposal. Analysts predicted this week that the Iranians will have missiles capable of reaching the U.S. by 2015. But the dangers are even more immediate than that. Debkafile quoted an official in a publication out of Tehran warning that nuclear explosions will hit American cities if its nuclear facilities are attacked. We can only hope that’s merely more of the bogus blather we’ve come to expect from that crowd.

Many events are happening in the Middle East.

It is one of the primary focal points of end-time biblical prophecy.  The Bible tells of a time that a confederation of Middle Eastern peoples will make a deal to eliminate the descendants of Israel and be helped by the end time descendants of Assyria (Psalm 83; Isaiah 10).  This time is getting closer.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? What does the Bible say?
The Arab World (and Iran) In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam?  How might Iran be involved?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?  What will happen to the nation of Israel?

Hyphae of Fungus Hyaloperonospora Parasitica Haustoria

COGwriter

Two readers sent me articles today on a particular fungal problem:

Deadly strain of airborne fungus spreading among healthy people and animals in U.S., scientists warn

Daily Mail, UK – April 23, 2010

A deadly strain of fungus is quietly spreading among animals and people in the U.S. and Canada, scientists have warned.

The airborne Cryptococcus gattii usually only infects transplant and Aids patients and others with weak immune systems.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1268297/Deadly-strain-airborne-fungus-spreading-healthy-people-animals-scientists-warn.html

Potentially Lethal Airborne Fungus May Spread to California

Unlike typical strains, new pathogen can attack healthy people, researchers say

Businessweek – April 22, 2010

THURSDAY (HealthDay News) — A strain of potentially lethal airborne fungus recently discovered in Oregon may soon spread to California and other neighboring areas, scientists warn.

Several people in Oregon have died after being infected with the new VGIIc genotype of Cryptococcus gattii. In the 21 Pacific Northwest cases analyzed by researchers, the strain has a death rate of about 25 percent…

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about cryptococcus.

— Robert Preidt

SOURCE: Duke University Medical Center, news release, April 22, 2010

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/638292.html

Fungi are a unique type of organism that can reproduce quite rapidly–far beyond the rate of normal pathogens like bacterium or viruses.

Because of their reproductive and invasive abilities, I have long felt that various fungi could be part of the pestilences that the Bible warned about for the end times.   Jesus taught:

7…And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.  (Matthew 24:6-8)

We may be in or very near the time Jesus called “the beginning of sorrows”.  There have been “earthquakes in various places” this year.  There are some famines (though so far not more than happens most years).  If the fungal problem expands, it could be a possible sign that the “sorrows” have began.

As Jesus said:

37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch! (Mark 13:36-37)

Two articles of related interest may include:

Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2010, 2011, or 2012? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What happens in the “beginning of sorrows”? What is the Day of the Lord?

TRANSFORMED FROM TRUTH

COGwriter

Today, GCI (formerly called WCG) sent the following out from its leader, Joseph Tkach:

It won’t be long before election campaigning will get under way again for senate seats, governorships, and other elected offices, as well as for new laws and taxes. Viewpoints will vary widely and both sides one any given issue or candidate will try to bury its opponents in rhetoric, half-truths, innuendo and often blatant accusations.

What is a Christian to do on Election Day, when he or she wants to reflect Christ in every aspect of their lives? Christians and politics — it’s been thorny relationship throughout history. One thing we know: God does not have a “favorite” political party nor some “divinely chosen” candidate out there somewhere.

The truth is, none of the political parties or candidates is going to solve all the national, state or local problems they promise they’re going to solve. Nor are any of us voters going to solve them by voting for the perfect candidate, because there is no perfect candidate.

At election time, our job is simply to become as knowledgeable about the issues and candidates as we can and then vote as wisely as we can. And when it’s over, regardless of who wins, our job is to pray that the winners will promote peace, justice and freedom.

It’s such a blessing to have the right to vote. But it has little value unless we exercise it. The Bible teaches us to be responsible citizens, and in our democracies, part of being a responsible citizen is to exercise our right to vote. The right to vote goes hand in hand with freedom, as well as helps ensure another cherished right, our right to worship as we see fit.

So we vote as wisely and we can and hope for the best.

While the old WCG was opposed to voting, and faithful COGs like LCG remain opposed to voting in worldly elections, voting is another way that GCI is now like most of the world’s churches.

Two articles of possible interest may include:

Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. Would Jesus vote for president? Is voting in the Bible? This is a subject Christians need to understand.
There are Many COGs: Why Support the Living Church of God? This is an article for those who wish to more easily sort out the different COGs. It really should be a MUST READ for current and former WCG/GCI members or any interested in supporting the faithful church. It also explains a lot of what the COGs are all about.

Palace of Westminster in London

COGwriter

The second ever live debate for UK Prime Minister was held last night:

Second U.K. Prime Minister Debate Yields Two-Way Draw

• http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/Second-UK-Prime-Minister-Debate-Yields-Two-Way-Draw-3337/

Since ultimately, I expect that the UK will leave the EU and/or overcome by it, whoever becomes the Prime Minister there will help fulfill certain end-time prophecies.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? What is ahead for Europe?
Is Tony Blair Apocalyptic? The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom converted to Catholicism shortly after leaving his office and has been active in European affairs. What role might he play?