I was invited to share an Asian feast tonight. That was hard to pass up. But first I had to take photos of the “blue” moon: the second full moon this month. 8-second slideshow The homemade Asian food was outstanding. There were egg rolls, brown rice, stir fried vegetables, green onion soup, fried tofu, and plum wine. What made it even better was the spicy Thai peanut sauce and the red hot Vietnamese chili paste, Sambal Oelek. The latter was even hotter than the hot salsa I got for Christmas. Man, that meal was yummy! Yes, I had seconds (and sixths on the red hot sauce). Oh yeah, there also were cheesecake and fruitcake for dessert. Then I found a bunch of bok choy that somebody forgot to cook and munched on a (raw) stalk of that. Mmmm, that might be my favorite vegetable, especially steamed. Finally, of course, there was champagne (one small glass for me). 25-second slideshow Then I went out and took another photo of the “blue” moon: Well, there are only three (3) more full moons until the beginning of Passover Week 2010. Then we should know, for certain, whether or not my hypothesis about the European Neighbourhood Policy is correct. According to the official U.S. time, here is the last second of the year; within the next few months, we might wish that we could come back to it: |
||
President Obama spoke today, for the second time, about the attempted terrorist attack on a Northwest Airlines plane on Christmas Day. He referred to it as a “systemic failure”: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian, evidently tried to blow up the plane, with 278 passengers aboard, using plastic explosives attached to his underwear. If it weren’t for the hero of the day, Jasper Schuringa, who pulled the flaming detonater and/or explosives away from Mutallab, that plane very likely would have gone down, either in Detroit, Michigan, or in Windsor, Ontario. |
||
Although I do not believe that December 25 was Jesus’ birthday (but, more likely, Sukkot in late September to early October), and I do not celebrate it as such, I enjoy the day. I certainly do remember, and rejoice, that Yeshua/Jesus, Immanuel (God with us), came to earth to be a substitutionary sacrifice for wrongdoers and transgressors like myself. However, that is something I think about throughout the year. December 25 is just another day to me. 8-second slideshow As for the hot salsa, it contains red, habanero, jalapeño, and pequin chili peppers. The “heat scale” near the bottom of the jar looks like it indicates either an “8” or a “9”; I cannot tell which. The salsa is not quite hot enough, although it is pretty tasty. I wonder if anyone sells molten lava in a jar. In other news, the The Temple Institute in Jerusalem announced today that a model of the sacrificial altar has been completed. It is a common assumption that sacrifices and offerings, on an altar, cannot take place again unless the Third Temple is standing. However, this is not true. According to Ezra, Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening sacrifices. Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred feasts of the LORD, as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the LORD. On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, though the foundation of the LORD's temple had not yet been laid. (Ezra 3:2-6) It can be seen, then, that sacrifices were presented on an altar before the foundation of the Second Temple had been laid. Perhaps this also will occur without the presence of a Third Temple. |
||
Well, there are 60 U.S. Senators, all Democrats, for whom I now have, essentially, no respect. Firstly, they voted to continue the progress of what I feel will be one of the most disastrous bills in U.S. history—the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”—assuming a final bill ultimately passes in the House of Representatives next year. Secondly, until today, the Senate had not gathered for a vote on Christmas Eve since 1895. |
||
On the final day of the 12-day United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, Barack Obama gave a very anticlimactic, lackluster speech on climate change: I felt that it was rather amusing that during this “global warming summit,” a blizzard practically paralyzed Copenhagen by dumping 4 inches of snow on the city. as Leaders Battle Warming Furthermore, yesterday, it was reported that there was a record-breaking low temperature of -5° C or about 23° F (the previous low was -4° C or about 25° F) in Copenhagen. I think it must be due to the Al Gore Effect: Wherever he goes, the black hole in his head sucks up all the heat. |
||
Tonight is the fourth night of Hanukkah (see my Dec. 11 entry). I decided to make potato latkes, a traditional Hanukkah treat. I also decided to throw in a few matzo balls, even though they usually are eaten at Passover (see Apr. 9, when I last made both of these). 20-second slideshow They turned out great! Yum! We ate some after we lit the fourth candle and said the Hanukkah Blessings. |
||
Check out the following link. Although it has nothing to do with “regifting,” it may totally amaze you, but only if you follow her directions exactly and subtract the numbers correctly: If you cannot figure out how she does that, email me and I will tell you. |
||
As far as I am concerned, Christmas is highly over-rated. The commercialism, and the fact that most people feel “obligated” to spend exorbitant amounts of money on decorations and gifts, is a huge turn-off to me. Besides all that, I am convinced that Jesus was born during Sukkot, in late September or early October, not in December. 8-second slideshow Now, I have seen many interpretations and explanations of this passage: From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. (Daniel 12:11,12) I believe that the last half of the final seven years (the 70th Week) will last 1,260 days (Revelation 11:3, 12:6). Then there will be two extensions to the 70th Week: 30 days (bringing the count to 1,290 days), and finally 45 days beyond that (totalling 1,335 days). These and other details are explained in my Final Battles commentary. In other news, it seems to be looking increasingly possible that the United Nations, unilaterally, will recognize a Palestinian state. Barack Obama very well may support this. And Israel may not even have a choice in the matter. of Palestinian state? About five months ago, I made two entries (July 12 and July 13) about this same issue, except involving Javier Solana. He was urging the United Nations to adopt a two-state solution and accept the Palestinian state as a full member of the UN. This was apart from any involvement by Israel. It really is amazing how much Javier Solana and Barack Obama think alike on this matter, as indicated in my June 14 entry. |
||
Today, a very strange phenomenon was seen just before dawn, over a wide region of Norway, by thousands of people. A spiral of light was seen to be moving through the sky. There have been many different personal accounts of the event. This web page has several good photos: Interestingly, this is one day before Barack Obama accepts his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. Some have suggested that this was a trial run of “Project Blue Beam.” The most comprehensive description of this project that I have found is a transcription of a presentation by Serge Monast, a French-speaking Canadian journalist (deceased), in 1994: If this is true, I would expect there to be an escalation, after some undetermined point in the future, of unexplained phenomena in the sky seen worldwide. |
||
Yesterday, Sunday Dec. 6, Barack Obama spoke to the Senate Democratic Caucus at the U. S. Capitol, in an attempt to gain their support for his health care bill. Soon thereafter, Harry Reid called the entire Senate into session. All of this is extremely rare for a Sunday, which is considered to be the Sabbath by most of Christendom. This article gives more details: Actually, although I do not have a problem with church attendance on Sunday, I personally prefer to celebrate the Sabbath on Saturday, since it is the seventh day of the week. (No, I am not a Seventh Day Adventist.) Yet, on Saturday Dec. 5, the Senate also met in a rare session. |
||
My friend and I are staying at Las Palomas in Santa Fe for 5 nights. The room is very nice. The best thing is that he is paying for everything (actually, the company he works for is, since he is attending a conference). One of the main things I like about this place is their awesome continental breakfast, served from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. every morning. I bet I’ll be gaining a few pounds this week. At home, I typically don’t even begin eating anything until after noon. 33-second slideshow Here, I’m eating a big breakfast, a nominal lunch, and often a relatively large dinner, such as the one we had at Rancho de Chimayo (combination Mexican plates with HOT red and green chile...M-M-M!): 15-second slideshow Oh, and I took a photo of the full moon last night, as I do sometimes. I wish that the new moon could be photographed; I would take pictures of that occasionally, as well. |
||
In a “European Security and the Middle East Report” today, Javier Solana proposed that “after a ‘fixed deadline,’ a UN Security Council resolution should proclaim the adoption of the two-state solution which should include the following parameters: borders based on those of 1967, the fate of refugees, the status of Jerusalem and security arrangements. The UN would then accept the Palestinian state as a full member.” Solana has been pressing the UN to do this for several months (see my entries of July 12 and July 13).
|
||
Today I met a good friend of mine, from northern California, at the airport in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We’ve been friends for over 30 years. He invited me to come hang out with him for several days in Santa Fe, where he will be attending a pediatrics conference. On the way out of Albuquerque, he wanted to stop at Sandia Casino, since last week I jokingly had told him, in an email, that he was going to hit his first Royal Flush in poker while in NM. 5-second slideshow Immediately, I went out to the car and got my camera, sneaked it into the casino, and photographed the jackpot hand on the machine. I’m pretty sure that cameras are against casino policy, but oh well; I’m not a big follower of the world’s rules sometimes. Awhile later, I got the second highest hand in poker, a Straight Flush (5, 6, 7, 8, & 9 of Diamonds), on a different machine. |
||
In the 18th Century, rabbinic authority Vilna Gaon predicted that the Hurva Synagogue, in Jerusalem, would be destroyed twice and rebuilt twice. What is even more interesting is how he also predicted that, immediately upon the dedication of the third Hurva Synagogue, construction of the Third Temple would begin. Now, I have hypothesized that the seven-year European Neighbourhood Policy may be the fulfillment of the prophesied seven-year agreement in Daniel 9:27. Furthermore, the middle of my hypothesized seven-year period is the Feast of Firstfruits 2010 (Easter Sunday), which occurs on April 4, 2010. For my hypothesis to be correct, sacrifice and offering would have to be put to a stop in Jerusalem—presumably in the Third Temple—by then. |
||
I hope that you had a happy Thanksgiving. We did. Several different types of foods were consumed. I made cornbread dressing (plus an extra batch of cornbread, with jalapeño peppers), whipped potatoes, and a chocolate cake. 10-second slideshow During the day, I thought about the numerous families who have been adversely affected by the severe economic downturn. It made me sad to think that many of them probably did not have a nice Thanksgiving at all. I wish I could say that I think things will be “looking up” for them soon; however, I do not feel that this will be true, in most cases. |
||
One of the most visited pages at my website is Special ALT Characters, located in my HTML Tutorial section. Most programs and applications will recognize many, but not necessarily all, of the Alt characters. In other news, I found this article to be very interesting: UEA global warming data "manipulation" |
||
In Europe, Herman Van Rompuy, Prime Minister of Belgium, has been chosen to be the new European Council President. Catherine Ashton, UK trade commissioner, will become the new EU Foreign Policy Chief. Read more here: I have received comments indicating that, in light of this new development, the European Neighbourhood Policy might not be be the prophesied seven-year agreement of Daniel 9:27. At least two reasons have been suggested:
I think I am missing a link. There is nothing inherent in the office of the EU presidency, nor of the EU foreign policy chief, that should make anyone occupying either of those positions, potentially, to become the most important or powerful person in the world. The U.S. dollar collapses suddenly, and a shockwave occurs around the world, resulting in the collapse of numerous stock markets and other currencies. There is a subsequent global socio-economic failure, and everybody panics. This is on top of the H1N1 pandemic, widespread famines, an escalation in hostilities everywhere, a gigantic earthquake in California or the American Midwest, and other calamities and unrest. Again, all of this is mere conjecture but, I believe, plausible nonetheless. If you’ve ever visited Solana’s You Tube page, you should. In the column on the right are four categories of videos (Uploads, Favorites, Javier Solana on the road, and Javier Solana speaks to the...). At the bottom of each category is a “see all” link, which you can click on to have access to all of the videos in that category. Just because Solana no longer is the EU foreign policy chief does not mean that he necessarily has dropped out of sight. Certainly, a multitude of important leaders he has met, around the world, have not forgotten about him. 2009 is the first year of global governance, with the establishment of the G-20 in the middle of the financial crisis. The climate conference in Copenhagen is another step toward the global management of our planet. As I have for 3 years, I continue to consider the possibility that the ENP is not the prophesied seven-year agreement and that another one could materialize. Even if the ENP is “the one,” it is possible that someone else could emerge as the final global leader. However, it would seem that such a man would have to be closely associated with the ENP, as is the case with Javier Solana. |
||
I visited a friend in Fullerton (not far from S.C.C.O., where I attended school decades ago). He offered me a piece of peanut brittle, which might have been the best I’ve ever tasted. He told me that the recipe was from another friend, now deceased, with an interesting story attached. Go here to see more: By the way, the Leonid Meteor Shower should be visible tonight and tomorrow night. Tonight there is a new moon, so the viewing should be decent, in many places in the Northern Hemisphere, during the early morning hours of darkness. There could be a strong shower this year, with more than 500 meteors per hour. |
||
A friend and I drove to Palm Springs to meet a friend of hers. She has a time-share place here. I’ve always enjoyed Palm Springs; it’s a nice place in a desert/mountain location. We took the aerial tramway, a 2½-mile ride from the valley floor, elevation 2,643 feet, up to Mount San Jacinto, at 8,516 feet. This also involved about a 30° drop in temperature, so we had to wear warm clothes. At the top, we spent about 3 hours hiking all over the place. We even saw snow. It was a very fun day. 45-second slideshow Palm Springs is a nice place to visit, but I would not want to live here. It is way too close to the San Andreas Fault. The seismic activity on this and nearby faults, over eons of time, formed the mountain range here. This gigantic fault is long overdue to “pop” with the “big one” in So. CA. I sure would not want to be riding on that tram when it happens. By the way, according to The Bible Code book, the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake was predicted in the ancient Hebrew code of the Bible. I remember that quake (at about 4:30 a.m., January 17, 1994) very well. Although I was 55 miles away from the epicenter, my house in Irvine shook so much that I feared it might come off of its foundation. It seems that another great earthquake is predicted for Los Angeles, in the Hebrew year 5770, that is 2010 (click on the two small graphic images above). Author Michael Drosnin, on page 142, noted that the Bible code seems to predict that Los Angeles will feel the big earthquake Los Angeles in 2010. We’ll see. [Retroactive entry: On April 4, 2010, the Baja California earthquake, magnitude 7.2, was felt in much of the southwest United States, including in Los Angeles.] |
||
Evidently in anticipation of the release tomorrow (Friday the 13th) of the sci-fi thriller, 2012, I have received more comments than usual about my email response to the following question: If we have entered the 70th Week, do you see any special significance to the year 2012? Apparently, there are some who believe I am unrealistically “fearful” or “paranoid” about the possibility that an asteroid could strike the earth and/or that one would not be detected in plenty of time before it did. Oh really? Check out a short interview of Michio Kaku, a theoretical physics professor, by Bill Hemmer of Fox News Channel this morning: In the interview, Dr. Kaku makes a reference to an asteroid that recently (October 8) exploded in the atmosphere over Indonesia: So then, do I believe that an asteroid is going to destroy the earth? Absolutely not. However, I do feel that, most likely, one about the size of a mountain will crash into an ocean or sea, causing at least moderate damage (Revelation 8:8,9). If the timing of my 70th Week hypothesis is correct, I believe that the optimum time for this to occur will be in the Fall of 2012. Attempting to prevent it from taking place will be an utter waste of time and money. |
||
My cousin in Alabama sent me a table showing differences between the symptoms of a cold and the symptoms of the H1N1 flu. You can view the chart here: Cold and H1N1 Flu Symptoms Thanks, cuz. I’m sure that many will find this to be useful. I encourage people to have surgical masks on hand, as this pandemic continues to become increasingly widespread. When I flew recently, I saw some people wearing these masks. I expect the incidence of that to increase, especially next year. |
||
At the gym, I usually have my earphones on listening to either AM 600 KOGO, San Diego, or AM 640 KFI, Los Angeles. Today, I was listening to Leo Laporte, “the Tech Guy,” who knows almost everything about anything electronic. He was expressing his reservations about the eventual passage of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), an international treaty. For the most part, ACTA has remained secret or, at most, under the “radar” of most. Most of what we know about it has been “leaked.” Mandelson puts 'three strikes' internet plan in motion What if someone splices into your Wi-Fi connection, in a public place, and downloads something illegally? What if someone, who has discovered the user name and password of your account, logs onto your account and performs an illegal download? There are a host of possible ways that an innocent person could be falsely accused and, potentially, banned from the internet. According to Laporte, if your ISP bans you, they will be obligated to release your name to other ISPs, who in turn will be legally obligated to refuse service to you as well. Here is a recent article about this: I merely am providing the very “tip of the iceberg” about this issue. If you have questions, you can do the research on the internet, as well as I can, and find out more information about it yourself. My main concern is that if ACTA becomes a global treaty, it could become extremely invasive of people’s rights. For instance, according to the ACTA report on Wikipedia, “the proposed agreement would empower security officials at airports and other international borders to conduct random ex officio searches of laptops, MP3 players, and cellular phones for illegally downloaded or 'ripped' music and movies. Travellers with infringing content would be subject to a fine and may have their devices confiscated or destroyed.” And that is only one small element of the “treaty.” |
||
I had a great time in Alabama for a couple of weeks. Now I’m back in Southern California. This afternoon, I had an enjoyable walk through one of my favorite greenbelts in Irvine, which I miss if I am away from it for too long. By the way, the “714” in my email address (TMont714@aol.com) was Irvine’s area code many years ago, before it was changed to “949” a few years back. 13-second slideshow Irvine is my favorite city in Orange County. There are city ordinances against things such as telephone or electric wires above ground, as well as billboards. Plus, there are several nice parks and lakes located in various places. So the whole city is aesthetically pleasing (except that there used to be orange groves everywhere, and most of those are gone). |
||
Back on July 1, I was suggesting that Governor Schwarzenegger should just declare California bankrupt and be done with it. Recently, California taxpayers began seeing an additional 10% being withheld from their paychecks. However, lawmakers do not call it a “tax increase”; in effect, it is a “compulsory interest-free loan from taxpayers to the state.” Read more about it here: California is in colossal trouble socio-economically. This state is utterly desperate to dig itself out of its “deep doo doo” mess, even to the extent of performing the drastic measure of forcing “loans” from its citizens—money that may get paid back in IOUs, or else may never be paid back at all. And I have very little doubt that more drastic measures are to come. People in other states: Beware! California leads the nation in many ways—even in reprehensible ones. |
||
Someone linked me to the following narratives, which essentially are dreams or visions that two people claimed to have had, one in 1993 and one in 2009. The person who brought them to my attention pointed out the common denominator of how they both seem to support the idea of a partial Mid-tribulation Rapture of “firstfruits” believers. The only modifications I’ve made to these accounts are a few changes in grammar and punctuation: I cannot and will not attest to the validity or reliability of either of these dreams/visions. I know nothing about the people who wrote them. I only am including these here because if my 70th Week hypothesis is correct, and if there is going to be a sudden, unexpected intervention by God at the midpoint of that interval of time, these accounts would seem to corroborate this. If so, presumably this intervention would take place on or around the Feast of Firstfruits 2010 (that is, Resurrection Day or Easter Sunday), about five months from now. |
||
We had a tasty dinner, Chicken Fried Rice, which was purchased at Aldi food store. After leaving the package out of the freezer for about 5 hours to thaw, it was incredibly easy to prepare. The pre-cooked chicken was heated in a frying pan for 2 minutes. The rice and vegetables were added, stirring frequently, for 6 minutes. Then the sauce was added and stirred in, and voilà it was done. 8-second slideshow Best of all, it cost only $3.99 for 4 servings. For other examples of that store’s awesome prices, check my October 25 entry. By the way, last time I was there, I got a bag of semi-ripe bananas for only 20¢. How can they afford to do that?? |
||
Halloween, and all that it stands for, is not something that I celebrate. Admittedly, I do like the candy, especially Reese’s peanut butter cups. But I believe that all the spooks, ghouls, witches, monsters, and ghosts simply promote and advance the kingdom and power of Satan on earth. Nevertheless, I think this cartoon is hysterical: The only thing I don’t like is that all of those pumpkin seeds will go to waste. I would have been happy to clean up that entire mess myself. I would have rinsed off all of those seeds, toasted them, and eaten every one of them. I think it’s about time to go to the store and buy one so I can do that. |
||
There is a tree in this neighborhood that was struck by lightning a few months ago. You can see how a strip of bark was ripped off from the top of the trunk all the way to the bottom. Wow, I would have loved to have been around when that happened. I bet it was REALLY LOUD. |
||
I was struck by the tragic story of a young folk singer, Taylor Mitchell, who died in Canada recently. She had been attacked by two coyotes, a rare occurrence for animals which typically are very shy. after coyote attack while hiking Considering where we may be in prophesied history, I have to contemplate the possibility that this is just one example of wild beast attacks, as part of Fourth Seal events (Revelation 6:7,8). I have heard of numerous other animal attacks in the past couple of years by bears, lions, cougars, sharks, alligators, and other “wild beasts.” If my 70th Week hypothesis is correct, watch for a marked increase of such attacks in the near future. |
||
I haven’t made lasagna in quite awhile, but my cousins like the way I make it. So I made two lasagnas this afternoon. I used extra lean ground beef (I drained off all the grease), onions, lots of garlic, mushrooms, yellow crooknecked squash, spinach leaves, broccoli, low-fat cottage cheese, mozarella cheese, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. The second lasagna was bigger and the cheese in the middle wasn’t browning very well, so I had to put the oven on broil for a few minutes after I had removed the first one. When it came time to boil the lasagna noodles, I noticed that they were “oven ready” noodles, meaning they do not need to be boiled. I’ve never seen those before. I was skeptical, because they looked and felt like regular lasagna noodles. 10-second slideshow So I made one lasagna with those noodles and the second lasagna with regular noodles, which I found in the cabinet and boiled. I had one piece of each lasagna; amazingly, they tasted the same, and the noodles in each had the same texture. I think I’m sold on “oven ready” noodles. |
||
My cousin’s cat, Brat, has been limping around for a couple of days. Somehow, he hurt his right/front paw. We don’t know how it happened. In each of these photos, you can see how he has that paw retracted. 8-second slideshow Normally, Brat is not allowed on the dining room table. But since he is injured, he is being extended leniency. Nobody eats on that table anyway. I hope Brat the cat’s paw is better soon, or he will have to be taken to the vet. He is a good kitty. My cousin thought it looked “yucky”; actually, it was quite yummy. Anyway, I just wanted to get rid of leftovers, in case I get motivated to make a lasagna tomorrow. |
||
I am visiting my cousin in Alabama. Typically, I do not link to commercial websites from mine, but I am making an exception. 8-second slideshow The chocolate cake was one of the tastiest I've ever made. The mix (at the Aldi store) was 89¢, and the frosting was $1.19. Unlike in California, there is tax on food here. But with prices like that, I don’t really mind. |
||
Yesterday, Javier Solana was visiting the Palestinian Territories. Today, he was in Israel, stating how he feels Israel’s relationship with the European Union is stronger than that of Croatia, a candidate to become a member of the EU: It makes me wonder if this could be a strategy, by Solana, to ingratiate himself to Israel. Perhaps he has future personal dealings with Israel in mind. |
||
EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, met with President Mahmoud Abbas, of the Palestinian Authority, in Ramallah today. Solana made it clear that the objective of the European Union “is to have a Palestinian state, the sooner the better.” He also indicated that a Palestinian state should be established along 1967 lines. In other news, things are gearing up for the “climate change” convention in Copenhagen, December 7-18: Protocol to the Climate Change Treaty Even if man-made “climate change” or “global warming” were to be proven, which I am convinced it has not been, I do not like the idea of the world’s nations (especially the USA) being enslaved to a climate change treaty. For one thing, this is one way that the forthcoming global government will be able to wield a great deal of power over billions of people. Here is a (lengthy) copy of the Copenhagen Agreement: For another thing, if we truly are near the very end of the age (as I suspect that we are), cataclysmic events, worldwide, are going to begin taking place relatively soon—during the “day of vengeance.” I believe that, most likely, this will be throughout the seventh year of Daniel’s 70th Week. |
||
I was in the Phoenix airport a few days ago, about to return to San Diego. I was doing some things online with my laptop computer. Not paying attention to the gate, I looked up and my group was boarding. I hurriedly unplugged my laptop computer and stuffed the AC adapter into my backpack while my computer was shutting down. However, I failed to put my computer into my backpack, leaving it behind. |
||
At a new school in Mitzpe Yericho, Israel, descendants of the Cohanim (priests) and Levites are being trained in the process of conducting services, including sacrifices and offerings, in anticipation of the building of the next temple. These are being done in an exact replica, currently under construction, of the Third Temple. See more here: It has been suggested that if sacrifices and offerings are begun in this replica of the temple, and then stopped at some point, this potentially could qualify as fulfilling the prophecy in Daniel 9:27. Maybe so; I guess we’ll see. What I would be interested in knowing is whether or not the new sacrificial altar stone (see my July 30 entry) will be placed in the temple replica at the school. |
||
Anyone who has been paying attention will know that the frequency of very large earthquakes in the world appears to be rising. Go here to see how much the incidence of deadly and destructive quakes, from magnitude 6.0 to 8.0, has escalated since 1900, especially in just the last handful of years: Between Magnitudes 6 and 8 Since 1900 This make sense to me, since I strongly suspect that we now are within the period of time referred to by Jesus as “the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:7,8)--see Are the "birth pains" spoken of by Jesus the same as the "labor pains" described by Paul? Furthermore, look what happens after the Sixth Seal of the heavenly scroll is opened: I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake...and every mountain and island was removed from its place (Revelation 6:12,14). Every mountain and island will be removed from its place. Wow. That sounds to me like that great earthquake will shake the entire earth. In case my proposed seven-year time frame is correct, this will take place in the Fall of 2012—less than three years from now. |
||
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) now has been told it must wait three weeks before being given access to Iran’s most recent, previously secret, uranium enrichment plant. Understandably, Britain rightfully has expressed irritation about this, as shown in this article: Yet, another article two days ago indicates that, at the Geneva talks on October 1, “Tehran agreed to open its new nuclear enrichment plant for international inspections within two weeks”: I suspect that Iran is stalling on inspections, for as long as it can, to “straighten up” its nuclear facility and hide anything that would raise the suspicion of IAEA inspectors. Javier Solana said that there will be further dialogue, between the six global powers and Iran, before the end of the month. Presumably, Solana will be representing the “big six,” just as he did at the Geneva talks. |
||
I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about the following. Then I felt compelled to write it down before I went back to sleep. I don’t know why I woke up with it in my head, and I don’t know why I felt that I needed to write it down...just did. |
||
At sunset this evening, the festival of Sukkot, or Feast of Tabernacles (or Feast of Booths), began. Tomorrow continues the first day of Sukkot, on which there always is a full moon. I believe that Jesus was born on the first day of Sukkot. Thus, He was born on a full moon, and He also died on a full moon (Passover). |
||
Today, Javier Solana hosted talks in Geneva, Switzerland, referred to as “Geneva Talks 2.” He appeared to be the main representative and spokesperson of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, Germany, and China in negotiating with Saeed Jalili, representing Iran, concerning Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. Mr. Jalili promised that Iran would allow inspections “soon” and within “a few weeks.” He also stated, “The Islamic Republic would by no means be dissuaded of its certain rights.” I will believe that inspections of Iran’s newest nuclear facility have been made only when I hear that this has been done. That is, I will believe it when I see it. 18-second slideshow If you would like to see a 3¼-minute video of Javier Solana and Saeed Jalili arriving at the conference in Geneva, click here (although you will need RealPlayer to view it). In the video, Solana emerges from the back seat of the first limosine and Jalili from the back seat of the second limo. These “talks” remind me of the “Geneva (1) Talks” of July 19, 2008, also between Solana and Jalili (see my July 20, 2008 entry). Absolutely nothing was accomplished then, and I seriously doubt that anything substantial was accomplished today. |