Random news for you: Syria, Greece, apocalyptic hailstorm, more

Here is a random roundup of interesting news for you:

Photos of "apocalyptic-like hailstorm in Dallas." That was the Weather Channel's headline. The photos are really amazing. Remember, God does send hail. I can't say that He specifically did this time, but He does at times.

Hail damage in Texas -- RT @adamccecil:
Thanks to some tennis ball sized hail my car is done for!
#unlucky pic.twitter.com/MaS9RlBD

"... the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword." (Joshua 10:11)

"He destroyed their vines with hail...He gave up their cattle also to the hail...." (Psalm 78:47-48)

Sun blasts huge magnetic bubble at earth
"For the second day in a row, an active region on the sun has erupted with a coronal mass ejection (CME), blasting a beautifully dynamic magnetic bubble of energetic plasma in the direction of Earth. It is powering through interplanetary space at a breakneck speed of 1,360 kilometers per second (that's over 3 million miles per hour!) ... Active region 1504 (or AR1504) is a magnetically intense region that is crackling with flares and it has rotated in our direction. Powerful arcs of magnetic field are protruding deep from within the solar body, pushing back the hot outer layers of the sun's photosphere, exposing the cooler, (comparatively) dark interior. A beautiful complex of sunspots is the result -- shown in the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory image, below."

US moves USS Enterprise into Pakistani waters. The news article is from the Pakistan Times, and they claim the US move violated international law.

The situation in Syria is very precarious. Prophecy-wise it is pregnant with possibilities, a 9th month pregnant. (Isaiah 17)

Sky News: UN Says Syrian Town Has 'Stench Of Bodies'
"UN observers have visited al Haffa town in the province of Latakia and reported that nearly all government buildings have been burned down.The UN Supervisory Mission in Syria said observers in Haffa reported finding it all but deserted with a strong stench of dead bodies and almost all government institutions gutted from the inside."

Joel C. Rosenberg has been writing constantly and in a bit more breathless fashion that he usually does. Today he wrote: "Will Syria implode?"

"Will Syria implode in a bloody civil war even worse than the horrific violence already underway? That’s the big question right now. Weapons are pouring into both sides.,the government and the rebels. Russian Czar Vladimir Putin is reportedly sending more arms to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Iranian leaders are also standing squarely with Assad. Meanwhile, Israel is worried about a civil war and Syrian implosion. More instability in the epicenter poses severe risks to the Jewish State. No one wants Assad in power. But if he falls, could his successor be worse? And when will the Bible prophecies concerning the complete destruction of Damascus come true? Christians need to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Syria. We also need to pray and work to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all Syrians and strengthen the underground Church there. God has been moving powerfully in Syria in recent years — see here. By God’s grace, The Joshua Fund has been investing in the spread of the Gospel in Syria, especially through an evangelistic film made by Syrian Arabs called “DAMASCUS” — see here. Please pray that the Lord will give us much wisdom as we seek to continue to serve the church in Syria at this critical moment."

The situation in Egypt is very precarious. Prophecy-wise it is pregnant with possibilities, a 9th month kind of pregnant. (Isaiah 19).

New Political Showdown in Egypt as Court Invalidates Parliament
"Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court on Thursday ruled that the Islamist-led Parliament must be immediately dissolved, while also blessing the right of Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister to run for president, escalating a battle for power between the remnants of the toppled order and rising Islamists."

Spain and the European economy is also very precarious. The election in Greece Sunday will do much to decide the direction of the euro, pundits tell us, citing a choice for the Greeks between electing the candidate who said he will accept the offered austerity package (result: instant poverty), or electing the candidate who said he will reject austerity (result: imploding under their debt). Either way, the Greek economy seems done for. There have been billions pulled out of banks in advance of the election, and thousands are hoarding canned food. Spain is not faring better, despite their bailout this week.

Moody's cuts Spain's credit rating, citing rescue
"Moody's Investor Service cut the Spanish government's credit rating Wednesday, a direct result of the rescue package lined up by European leaders over the weekend. The rating lowered Spain's rating from A3 to Baa3, which leaves it in investment-grade status but just one notch above junk."

Michael T. Snyder has a good essay on how an economic collapse works. It is not an all-at-once event, he said. It is like waves coming up on a sandcastle. Bigger eaves take chunks away (like in 2008) and smaller waves chip away at the structure (like since 2008). But all the while the castle is crumbling.

Speaking of judgment-inducing news, Pentagon to Celebrate Pride Month Nearly a Year After Repealing Ban on Gays. "The Pentagon will host its first ever celebration of gays and lesbians in the military this month, which was recently proclaimed by President Barack Obama as LGBT Pride Month."

Really, how close are we?? Meantime, here is some good news:

"your hands, all peoples!  Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the LORD, the Most High,  is to be feared,  a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us,and nations under our feet. He chose our  heritage for us,  the pride of Jacob whom he loves." (Psalm 47:1-4)

Till next time: "May God be gracious to us and bless usand make his face to shine upon us, Selah". (Psalm 67:1)

Greece, the euro, and self-delusion

Here is an interesting article out this morning from Reuters.

"Greeks embrace some new myths about life with the euro"
"In a land of ancient myths, modern Greeks have created some of their own about their near-bankrupt country's future as an integral part of a Europe that will never kick them out. Solemn warnings from abroad that Athens cannot stay in the euro while rejecting the terms attached to the billions offered to pull Greece out of its financial hole are widely disbelieved in a land that considers itself the envy of foreigners. However bad their prospects, many Greeks seem to think that since money to bail them out was found in the past, it will be found again, whatever politicians say. Nor do they believe that Europe will simply cast them loose, despite growing signs that Greece is heading for the exit from the single currency and towards the economic and social catastrophe that would follow."

'Never be kicked out'? 'The envy of foreigners'?? 'They will get more bailouts'???

How is it possible to be THAT deluded? There is a biblical answer to that, and one that the article's headline alluded to. It is shown to us in Daniel 10:20, where there is a mention of a Prince of Greece:

"When said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come."

From Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, "But before he communicated to Daniel what would befall his people in the "latter days" (Daniel 10:14), he gives to him yet further disclosures regarding the proceedings in the spirit-kingdom which determine the fate of nations, and contain for Israel, in the times of persecution awaiting them."

What is happening is that Daniel had inquired of the LORD. The LORD dispatched an angel to give Daniel the answer. But on the way, the holy angel was delayed in the celestial realms by evil angels who opposed him and tried to prevent the message from being delivered. Finally after 21 days Michael had to be sent to help the holy angel get through. And when the holy angel was finished speaking with Daniel, he said was going to have to leave and go deal with the prince of Persia and the prince of Greece.

We know that the princes spoken of are not in this context earthly princes like Prince Charles of Britain. They are angels. Daniel 12:1 speaks of archangel Michael being the "prince" who is assigned to 'Thy People" the Israelites. It seems that there are evil angels and good angels who are assigned in a military type hierarchy to different regions. And Greece apparently has a very powerful prince assigned to it by satan.

John MacArthur preached on this verse, explaining,

"Now listen to this. Satan has an incredibly clever organization. He has set up a network of demons that are behind all of the activities of human history. There was a demon assigned to Persia. Verse 20 says there's a demon to be assigned to Greece. The Bible says that all the gods of the nations are demons. And I believe without question, throughout all of human history Satan's network of demons have been behind the scenes, endeavoring to do all they can to foil the plan of God. His task, this prince of Persia, was to hinder the will and the working of God in regard to Persia, to do all he could to hold back God's plan."

"And when Persia passed away, and Greece became the third great world empire, according to verse 20, there would be another demon assigned to be the power in Greece and he would have under him a whole plethora of demons to carry out his bidding. Is that an insight? God actually carries out His will through the angelic conflict. Incredible. And this angel says I've got to hurry and get my message so I can get back to the war."

"And when I'm done with this Persian deal, Greece is going to come along and I've got to fight that one, too."

So from the land that gave us myths, which are false religions and twists on His truth, we have an evilly powerful prince of Greece and his unholy minions who delude an entire nation. That's how it's possible to be so deluded.

Reports of Greece's economic default quickly retracted

The economy is dying. We can hear the death rattle and see the seizing gasps.

We read that in America, poverty is rising to unprecedented proportions. We read heartbreakingly that almost one quarter of all US children are living in poverty. Income is plummeting, and job growth is stagnant with unemployment at new heights.

In Europe, the situation is worse. Far worse. The Euro-zone, that is, European nations that have linked up their economies under one currency, are defaulting or are at near default. Greece has been teetering since the crash of 2008. Successive bailouts by the wealthier European nations have proven fruitless. "The Greek debt-to-GDP is currently at 140%. It will be close to 180% by year’s end (assuming someone gives them the money). The deficit is north of 15%. They simply cannot afford to make the interest payments. True market (not Eurozone-subsidized) interest rates on Greek short-term debt are close to 100%, as I read the press. Their long-term debt simply cannot be refinanced without Eurozone bailouts" wrote economist John Mauldin recently.

The problem is if Greece goes, Italy and Spain might go. Italy recently turned to China for help and it looks like China will help. But is it all too late? Is the snowball too big and rolling down the hill too fast? Reports from The Netherlands tonight state that Greece is already defaulting.

Translated from Dutch:
FINANCE: GREECE GOES BANKRUPT
"The bankruptcy of Greece is under the Ministry of Finance inevitable. Sources that have reported to RTL News. The question of the ministry is no longer whether but how Greece went bankrupt. Greece would be impossible to meet all debt obligations. The ministry calls for a controlled form of bankruptcy to prevent panic. Problems occur in other countries...If not in a controlled manner is, other weak euro countries like Italy and Spain in big trouble. If these countries do not stand up, pop the eurozone apart and chaos is incalculable."

Because economic news is so skittishly tied to the rumors that prop up stocks and finance, and any report as bombshell as this one would ignite the whole Euro-zone, the push-back was swift. Denials were almost immediate. The following headline is original to Business Insider:

THAT WAS FAST: Now The Dutch Are Denying Reports Of Inevitable Greek Default
"Update: Unbelievable, the report has already been rejected by the Dutch. The speed of rumor and rumor-denial right now in the markets is just bonkers."

The international alarm is growing as euro zone crisis grows
"International alarm over Europe's debt crisis hit new heights on Tuesday, with President Barack Obama pressing the bloc's big countries to show leadership as talk of a Greek default escalated and markets heaped pressure on Italy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought to quash talk of an imminent Greek default or exit from the euro zone, but confusion over whether she would issue a joint statement on Greece with French President Sarkozy sent markets gyrating up and then down."

Why is there such panic over a Greek sovereign default? Here is a "REMINDER: Here's Who Gets Crushed If Greece Goes Bust"
1. Japanese banks hold $432 million in Greek debt
2. Spanish banks hold $540 million in Greek debt
3. U.S. banks hold $1.5 billion in Greek debt
4. Italian banks hold $2.35 billion in Greek debt
5. UK banks hold $3.4 billion in Greek debt
6. French banks hold $14.96 billion in Greek debt
7. German banks hold $22.65 billion in Greek debt
8. Greek banks hold $62.8 billion in Greek debt
9. But banks in Europe have been working to cut their exposures
10. Greek Banks Downgraded by S&P
11. Moody’s expected to downgrade Soc Gen, BNP Paribas, and Credit Agricole this week
12. ...

No wonder they are panicking. Globalization apparently has its downsides. So what do this have to do with the end time and then the Tribulation?

Revelation 6 and Revelation 13 and Revelation 18, that is the tie-in. Revelation 6 shows us that the Third Horseman is famine. "When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine."

A denarius at that time was an entire day's wage. So people in the Tribulation are working but the inflation is such that it takes a whole day's pay to get a loaf of bread. Revelation 13:16-17 shows us that the global economic system has been reformed into a tightly controlled, one-currency system overseen by one man: the antichrist. We do not have such a system now, but the world will when the Tribulation arrives. Last, Revelation 18:11-16 shows that despite the terrible poverty of most of the world crying for enough pay for a loaf of bread, luxuries are traded by people who are still wealthy. There is the abject poor dying int he muddy streets, and there is the grossly rich laughing it up during the most depraved tiem in all human history.

Things are progressing quickly now. Hal Lindsey's report this week was tremendously informing of the untenable situation in Syria. It is called "Fortress Syria." He lays out the pieces leading to the Isaiah 17, Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38-39.

In Israel, there are reports of unrest. Right wing extremists are turning from targeting Arabs to targeting their own Israelis.
"Extreme right-wing Jewish activists in the West Bank have moved from spontaneous acts against Arabs - following the demolition of Jewish homes by Israeli authorities, or terror attacks against Jews - to organized planning that includes use of a database of potential targets, according to new analysis by the Shin Bet security service."

Rife with natural disasters, 2011 will become the most expensive weather year ever. Several volcanoes are waking up, "It has been almost 20 years since there has been any volcanic activity in these stretch of four volcanoes, but two are on yellow alert after signs that that dry spell of activity may be coming to an end soon. Ruiz and Machin are both on elevated alert status, but Machín is the more interesting of the two as it has likely been almost 900 years since it last erupted." The magma dome on Alaska's Cleveland volcano is growing, and the worst case scenario of La Palma in the Canary Islands shows growing quake swarm.

Things are falling apart. There is no other way to say it. Things and coming apart politically, economically, financially, and naturally. This is by God's design. He allows sin to take its natural course, and that always means degradation of all things. Satan is in charge of this world and that means that evil reigns. God impacts the world at His decision and in His way and that means disruption of all humans systems. Why? because God is a Big Ole Meanie? No. Because His ways are best and ours are not. Because He has told us righteous ways of living and proper governments and we fail because we are sinful.

The things will fall apart and He will allow it because in the end, the government is on His shoulders. "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)

"Politics and government. We seem to see them as necessary evils, bringing frustration in the present but still giving us hope for the future. Our contradictory attitudes about politics are revealing. We recognize the failure of human solutions, but at the same time we know something must be done to fix what’s broken in the world. What man can’t do, God has done; He’s given the Messiah."

“The government will rest on His shoulders” affirms His lordship. This verse looks to a time still future when Christ will reign over a literal, earthly, geopolitical kingdom that encompasses all the kingdoms and governments of the world (cf. Daniel 2:44; Zechariah 14:9).

"In that day, the government of the whole world will rest on His shoulders. But until that time, His kingdom is in an invisible form (cf. Luke 17:20-21). The Messiah’s rule is over those who trust Him and obey Him as Lord. It’s currently an invisible kingdom, but will one day become visible and universal as His rule extends even over those who do not acknowledge His lordship in their hearts."(source)

That time is fast approaching. I see it coming and I know the Lord is my friend. Is He your friend, or your enemy? Will He usher you into His kingdom and welcome you to His government? Or will He banish you into oblivion as an enemy? He leaves the choice up to you.
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