Except Those Days Should Be Shortened

Matthew 24: 21-22 ~ "21-For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22-And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."

The devastation and loss of human life and life in general has never been so pronounced in this generation as we have seen over the last 10 years or so. From, mass wildlife die-offs to earthquakes, tsunami's, volcano eruptions and more, it seems that the Earth and those of us on it are under attack. According to the US Geological Survey over 1 million people, an average of 100,000 per year, have died as a direct result of the most dangerous earthquakes in the last 10 years around the world. According to data compiled from the by the same organization, there is an upward trend of about 150 earthquakes per year above category 6 over the last 30 years. This averages out to be about 3 per week somewhere in the world. Although that number spikes at times, it is generally holding to that trend.    

Japanese Coast Line
Before (above) and after (below)

Because there are advanced detection and sensor systems in use, scientists have been able to observe some rather interesting effects that the natural disasters have caused. Scientists can now measure how these events effect the whole Earth. Most specifically when we look at some of the recent earthquakes we find that they actually effected the Earth's rotation and axis resulting in a reduction in time by causing the Earth's rotation to speed up. According to a a Yahoo News article by Liz Goodwin:

• The quake off of the Japanese coast shifted the earth's axis by 6.5 inches, and also shortened the day by 1.6 microseconds. It also  and sank Japan downward by about two feet and moved it closer to the United States by 8 feet.  

• The 2010  massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile also shortened the day by 1.26 microseconds

• The 2004 Sumatra quake shortened the length of day by 6.8 microseconds and shifted Earth's axis by 2.76inches

Dr. Richard Gross of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, stated the following:

"An earthquake can make Earth rotate faster by nudging some of its mass closer to the planet's axis, just as ice skaters can speed up their spins by pulling in their arms. Conversely, a quake can slow the rotation and lengthen the day if it redistributes mass away from that axis" 

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Haiti ~ Did God Do This?

Over the holidays I decided to tackle some of the more difficult assertions that the New and Reformed atheists are setting forth these days. You know those assertions that seem to make sense on the surface but fall apart upon examination? In this post, which will also be followed by an upcoming radio podcast, I plan to do just that.

My heart goes out to all of the many thousand men, women and children who are suffering through the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake. I have been in prayer most of the day as I have read the reports and God quickened my spirit to speak to those of us who also now travail for these our fellow human beings. Please let's continue to pray for them now.

The Tragedy

In what can only be described as one of the worst tragedies imaginable, we observe Haitian devastation that has shaken many of us to our core:

In what is one of the most devastating natural events in recent history, it is estimated that an earthquake with a magnitude of at least 7.0 hit Haiti along the fault line, known as the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone. The quake shook Haiti claiming what preliminary estimates say could be hundreds of thousands dead.

Its currently reported that Haiti consists of approximately 9 million people 80% of whom are Catholic, and that 1/3 of its population is said to be directly and severely affected by this devastation. There is an outcry from all sectors of society. The wealthy and the poor have suffered extremely in this devastation. The Prime Minister's palace, which once stood proudly in regal and grand fashion, has been destroyed and cast aside similar to a rickety shacks and inadequately built homes that housed over 60% of this population.

The devastation has also effected those that are in Haiti to help others in large numbers. A group of approximately 800 physicians and medical service personnel, named Doctor's Without Boarders, whose top mission is to provide humanitarian medical services to the destitute, has itself been stricken, leaving most of its staff unaccounted for and and all of it's locations nonfunctional.

Neither religious nor secular humanitarian leaders have been spared the effects of this devastation by any means. The Roman Catholic Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot, 63 was found dead in his office and UN Leaders such as Heidi Annabe along with at least 100 other UN employees and officials are missing and feared to be dead also.

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Is This An Angel Of The Lords Presence?

Lights In The Sky Over China ~ Could This Be An Angel Of The Lord?

For as many as 30 minutes before the tragic and horrific earthquake in Sichuan, China; what is known as "Earthquake Lights" appeared in the sky. The video shows the notable discolorations in the sky at about the 10 minute mark before the quake. It has also been confirmed that similar lights have been observed before earthquakes in Peru and Japan over the years. Scientists liken the phenomeon to the Aurora Borealis or some form of electromagnetic or radio wave interference, or maybe some sort of "Earth Plasma" discharged just in advance of a quake into the atmosphere.

The question I pose is simple...Is this an angel of the Lord's presence? Is there any scriptural support for or against the notion that the Spirit of the Lord appears visably before tragedy of any sort? I'll be posting some pretty heavy material on my more regular subjects in future posts but I'd really like to hear your thoughts on this one and other issues regarding the judgement of the Lord. For those of you that are hard pressed to believe in miracles you may want to read my study on Antisupernaturalism, Historical Critical Methodology & Miracles before you answer.

Blessed!

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