Just in case you are looking for New Year's Resolutions, start here...
Dec 31, 2012
The Prophecy of the Popes - The Coming of Peter the Roman
This prophecy has been known for centuries, but if it's accurate, if being the key here, the next Pope will be the last in the line, and will be named or linked closely to the title "Peter the Roman". You can read more about it here.
Dec 30, 2012
Sandy Hook - Ritual Satanic Forces
Tying together some of the strange circumstances surrounding the Sandy Hook Massacre.
U.S. Sponsored Syrian Terrorists Behead Christian, Feed Him To Dogs
This is tragically becoming routine in the countires that NATO, primarily the U.S, Great Britain and France, have overthrown (or are in the process) existing rulers. U.S. tax dollars fund these "liberation fighters" (terrorists), which in turn use their newfound freedom and weapons on local Christians.
Therefore, it's not a stretch to say the U.S. government, Democrat and Republican, are anti-Christian.
Syrian rebels beheaded a Christian man and fed his body to dogs, according to a nun who says the West is ignoring atrocities committed by Islamic extremists.
The nun said taxi driver Andrei Arbashe, 38, was kidnapped after his brother was heard complaining that fighters against the ruling regime behaved like bandits.
She said his headless corpse was found by the side of the road, surrounded by hungry dogs. He had recently married and was soon to be a father.
Sister Agnes-Mariam de la Croix said: ‘His only crime was his brother criticised the rebels, accused them of acting like bandits, which is what they are.’
There have been a growing number of accounts of atrocities carried out by rogue elements of the Syrian Free Army, which opposes dictator Bashar al-Assad and is recognised by Britain and the West as the legitimate leadership.
Sister Agnes-Miriam, mother superior of the Monastery of St James the Mutilated, has condemned Britain and the west for supporting the rebels despite growing evidence of human rights abuses. Murder, kidnapping, rape and robbery are becoming commonplace, she says.
‘The free and democratic world is supporting extremists,’ Sister Agnes-Miriam said from her sanctuary in Lebanon. ‘They want to impose Sharia Law and create an Islamic state in Syria.’
The 60-year-old Carmelite nun claims the west has turned a blind eye to growing evidence of a ‘fifth column’ of fanatics within the rag-tag ranks that make up the Free Syrian Army that they back to oust Assad.
One of the most effective fighting forces is the Jabat Al-Nusra, which has an ideology similar to Al Qaeda.
‘The uprising has been hijacked by Islamist mercenaries who are more interested in fighting a holy war than in changing the government,’ she said.
‘It has turned into a sectarian conflict. One in which Christians are paying a high price.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255103/Syria-rebels-beheaded-Christian-fed-dogs-fears-grow-Islamist-atrocities.html#ixzz2Gb8weV59
Therefore, it's not a stretch to say the U.S. government, Democrat and Republican, are anti-Christian.
- Christian Andrei Arbashe, 38, was kidnapped and beheaded by rebel fighters in northern town of Ras Al-Ayn on the Turkish border
- News came as pro-government forces celebrated their victory against rebels near Aleppo Airport
Syrian rebels beheaded a Christian man and fed his body to dogs, according to a nun who says the West is ignoring atrocities committed by Islamic extremists.
The nun said taxi driver Andrei Arbashe, 38, was kidnapped after his brother was heard complaining that fighters against the ruling regime behaved like bandits.
She said his headless corpse was found by the side of the road, surrounded by hungry dogs. He had recently married and was soon to be a father.
Volatile fighting: The news of the kidnapping and beheading of Mr Arbashe came as pro-government forces celebrated their victory against rebels at the Air Defence Base in Tal Hassil near Aleppo Airport last night
There have been a growing number of accounts of atrocities carried out by rogue elements of the Syrian Free Army, which opposes dictator Bashar al-Assad and is recognised by Britain and the West as the legitimate leadership.
Sister Agnes-Miriam, mother superior of the Monastery of St James the Mutilated, has condemned Britain and the west for supporting the rebels despite growing evidence of human rights abuses. Murder, kidnapping, rape and robbery are becoming commonplace, she says.
‘The free and democratic world is supporting extremists,’ Sister Agnes-Miriam said from her sanctuary in Lebanon. ‘They want to impose Sharia Law and create an Islamic state in Syria.’
Fatal opinion: The man's brother had criticised the behaviour of members of the Free Syrian Army, seen here during heavy clashes with government forces north of Aleppo earlier this month
One of the most effective fighting forces is the Jabat Al-Nusra, which has an ideology similar to Al Qaeda.
‘The uprising has been hijacked by Islamist mercenaries who are more interested in fighting a holy war than in changing the government,’ she said.
‘It has turned into a sectarian conflict. One in which Christians are paying a high price.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255103/Syria-rebels-beheaded-Christian-fed-dogs-fears-grow-Islamist-atrocities.html#ixzz2Gb8weV59
Stanford gets a chaplain for atheists
At least this particular group seems to admit they are a religion...one without common sense, but still a religious belief.
Nanette Asimov
Chaplain John Figdor has a divinity degree from Harvard. He counsels those in need and visits the sick. And he works with Stanford students under the Office of Religious Life.
So Figdor is the last guy you'd tag with the "A" word.
But, yes. The chaplain is an atheist.
"People are shocked when I tell them," Figdor said. "But atheist, agnostic and humanist students suffer the same problems as religious students - deaths or illnesses in the family, questions about the meaning of life, etc. - and would like a sympathetic nontheist to talk to."
Figdor, 28, is one of a growing number of faith-free chaplains at universities, in the military and in the community who believe that nonbelievers can benefit from just about everything religion offers except God.
Hired in July by the Humanist Community at Stanford, a nonprofit group independent of the university, Figdor is one of 18 "professional leaders" at the Office of Religious Life who typically work with sectarian student groups that pay their salaries. A graduate theological degree is required for the job, and the leader is entitled to office space on campus, a parking spot and a Stanford e-mail address. The leaders guide students in whatever way is needed, whether offering advice or organizing events.
But Figdor's flock already extends beyond Stanford.
"A lot of people go back to religious organizations when they start having children," whether or not they believe in God, because religion offers community, Figdor said.
"What I really want to do is create a vibrant, humanist community here in Silicon Valley, where people can find babysitters for their kids and young people can meet each other."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Stanford-gets-a-chaplain-for-atheists-4139991.php#ixzz2Gb5KNKoo
Nanette Asimov
L-R, Jeremy Jimenez and Chaplain John Figdor listen to guest speaker and author Dave Fitzgerald give a talk titled, "The Heathen's Guide to the Holiday," at Stanford Univeristy on Monday, December 3, 2012. Figdor is the professional leader of the Humanist Community group at Stanford. The group of humanists, atheists, agnostics and their supporters met on Monday, November 3, 2012, at Stanford University.
Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle / SF
Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle / SF
Chaplain John Figdor has a divinity degree from Harvard. He counsels those in need and visits the sick. And he works with Stanford students under the Office of Religious Life.
So Figdor is the last guy you'd tag with the "A" word.
But, yes. The chaplain is an atheist.
"People are shocked when I tell them," Figdor said. "But atheist, agnostic and humanist students suffer the same problems as religious students - deaths or illnesses in the family, questions about the meaning of life, etc. - and would like a sympathetic nontheist to talk to."
Figdor, 28, is one of a growing number of faith-free chaplains at universities, in the military and in the community who believe that nonbelievers can benefit from just about everything religion offers except God.
Hired in July by the Humanist Community at Stanford, a nonprofit group independent of the university, Figdor is one of 18 "professional leaders" at the Office of Religious Life who typically work with sectarian student groups that pay their salaries. A graduate theological degree is required for the job, and the leader is entitled to office space on campus, a parking spot and a Stanford e-mail address. The leaders guide students in whatever way is needed, whether offering advice or organizing events.
But Figdor's flock already extends beyond Stanford.
"A lot of people go back to religious organizations when they start having children," whether or not they believe in God, because religion offers community, Figdor said.
"What I really want to do is create a vibrant, humanist community here in Silicon Valley, where people can find babysitters for their kids and young people can meet each other."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Stanford-gets-a-chaplain-for-atheists-4139991.php#ixzz2Gb5KNKoo
Human Genes Engineered Into Experimental GMO Rice Being Grown in Kansas
Unless the rice you buy is certified organic, or comes specifically from a farm that tests its rice crops for genetically modified (GM) traits, you could be eating rice tainted with actual human genes. The only known GMO with inbred human traits in cultivation today, a GM rice product made by biotechnology company Ventria Bioscience is currently being grown on 3,200 acres in Junction City, Kansas — and possibly elsewhere — and most people have no idea about it.
Since about 2006,Ventria has been quietly cultivating rice that has been genetically modified (GM) with genes from the human liver for the purpose of taking the artificial proteins produced by this “Frankenrice” and using them in pharmaceuticals. With approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),Ventria has taken one of the most widely cultivated grain crops in the world today, and essentially turned it into a catalyst for producing new drugs.
Originally, the cultivation of this GM rice, which comes in three approved varieties (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/biotech_ea_permits.html), was limited to the laboratory setting. But in 2007,Ventriadecided to bring the rice outdoors. The company initially tried to plant the crops in Missouri, but met resistance fromAnheuser-Buschand others, which threatened to boycott all rice from the state in the event that Ventria began planting its rice within state borders (http://todayyesterdayandtomorrow.wordpress.com).
So Ventria‘s GM rice eventually ended up in Kansas, where it is presumably still being grown for the purpose of manufacturing drugs on 3,200 acres in Junction City. And while this GM rice with added human traits has never been approved for human consumption, it is now being cultivated in open fields where the potential for unrestrained contamination and spread of its unwanted, dangerous GM traits is virtually a given.
Dec 29, 2012
The Coming of the New Age Christ (Antichrist) Phase I
Goodfight always has great references and facts on these topics. Lots of background of where the idea for a New World Order came from here. It's important to remember the influence these characters (Blavatsky, Theosophy) had on the grooming of Adolph Hitler, Alice Bailey on the United Nations, and Benjamin Creme touting the coming of Maitreya, the new age Antichrist.
Perhaps most importantly, these figures are working the public telling them Jesus Christ, or just "the Christ figure", is coming first. The Bible clearly says the Antichrist will come before Jesus returns (1 Th. 2:1-9). This is to deceive the public into believing the Antichrist is Jesus. Don't be deceived, know your scriptures!
Perhaps most importantly, these figures are working the public telling them Jesus Christ, or just "the Christ figure", is coming first. The Bible clearly says the Antichrist will come before Jesus returns (1 Th. 2:1-9). This is to deceive the public into believing the Antichrist is Jesus. Don't be deceived, know your scriptures!
‘More Than 20 Navy SEALS From The Unit That Killed Osama Bin Laden’ Die In Helicopter Crash
This is very strange stuff, to be sure. It's off the charts statistically...
US Navy Seal Commander, Who Killed Osama Bin Laden, Commits ‘Apparent Suicide’ In Afghanistan
- US Navy Commander who killed Bin Laden, commits suicide (The Siasat Daily, Dec 25, 2012):
Hyderabad – SEAL Team 4 Commanding Officer Job W. Price commit suicide. He was best known for finding and then killing Osama bin Laden.- US Navy Seal’s ‘apparent suicide’ in Afghanistan under investigation (Guardian, Dec 25, 2012):
Cmdr. Job W. Price, 42, died Saturday, Dec. 22, of a non-combat-related injury while supporting stability operations in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.
Suicide of the Officer of this grade raises many questions among the media, as the team was best known for killing Osama Bin Laden that assaulted his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan on May 1, 2011.
Military officials are looking into the death of Cmdr. Job W. Price as a possible suicide, but that his death remains under investigation.
Price, 42, of Pottstown, Pa., was in charge of coordinating all Team 4 missions.
Price was in Afghanistan supporting stability operations in Uruzgan Province. He was assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit based in Virginia Beach, Va.
SEAL Team 4 is among eight SEAL team deployments. SEAL Team 6 is best known among them for finding and then killing Osama bin Laden.
Read more at - http://www.opinion-maker.org/2012/12/seals-killers-of-osama-dying-or-being-killed/US military officials are investigating the apparent suicide of a Navy Seal commander in Afghanistan.
Navy Seal Commander Job W Price, 42, of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, died on Saturday from a non-combat-related injury while supporting stability operations in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan.
A US military official said the death “appears to be the result of suicide”. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the death is still being investigated.
“The Naval Special Warfare family is deeply saddened by the loss of our teammate,” said Captain Robert Smith, commander of Naval Special Warfare Group Two, which manages all Virginia-based Navy Seal teams.
“We extend our condolences, thoughts and prayers to the family, friends, and NSW community during this time of grieving.”
Smith added: “As we mourn the loss and honour the memory of our fallen teammate, those he served with will continue to carry out the mission.”.
A US military official confirmed Price was from Virginia Beach, Virginia-based Seal Team 4, which is part of the mission to train Afghan local police to fend off the Taliban in remote parts of Afghanistan.
Price is survived by a wife and a daughter.
Rick Warren and the Dangers of the Seeker-Friendly Church
Rick Warren comes off as a politician, not a shepherd in these clips regarding his shifting views on prop. 8 regarding gay marriage in California. While the issue is old news, the problem is current. Warren is considered the star of the seeker-friendly church movement, one which has taken the church in this country by storm.
The problem with the movement is that Christianity is not "seeker-friendly", at least not in it's true form. Taking up your cross is quite hard, as I can attest. (Matt. 16:24-26) There's no glamour or personal glory. (1 Th. 3:3, 2 Tim. 3:12) But their are some blessings, and great joy in the end. So beware of the shepherds you follow. They should look more like Jesus Christ than the world.
The problem with the movement is that Christianity is not "seeker-friendly", at least not in it's true form. Taking up your cross is quite hard, as I can attest. (Matt. 16:24-26) There's no glamour or personal glory. (1 Th. 3:3, 2 Tim. 3:12) But their are some blessings, and great joy in the end. So beware of the shepherds you follow. They should look more like Jesus Christ than the world.
Electric Comets
The electric universe theory explains a lot of cosmic events better than the currently prevailing ideas. Among the features of comets, this explains why some are unexpectedly brighter than others, why some are so bright so far from the sun, why some mysteriously break up in deep space, and why they are so dangerous to the planet.
More electric power poles burst into flames in Texas
More high strangeness in Texas. This is a recurrence of an event farther north on December 9th. Dust and mist are not causes of power poles bursting into fire. Some type of electrical bursts would explain it, as well as the loss of backup power you will hear in the news report.
Thousands of people in the area are waking up without power.
Austin Energy says up to 50 pole fires sparked overnight due to dirt and moisture on equipment, causing power outages for about 4,000 customers.
Experts say the mist in the air Friday morning turned dust on electric Poles to mud, which created the sparks.
There have also been reports of outages for Pedernales Electric customers. Officials ask those customers to call 888-883-3379 to report an outage.
Austin Energy says 16 crews are working to restore power in 32 locations.
KVUE.com
Thousands of people in the area are waking up without power.
Austin Energy says up to 50 pole fires sparked overnight due to dirt and moisture on equipment, causing power outages for about 4,000 customers.
Experts say the mist in the air Friday morning turned dust on electric Poles to mud, which created the sparks.
There have also been reports of outages for Pedernales Electric customers. Officials ask those customers to call 888-883-3379 to report an outage.
Austin Energy says 16 crews are working to restore power in 32 locations.
KVUE.com
Read more at - http://www.sott.net/article/255275-More-electric-power-poles-burst-into-flames-in-Texas
Dec 28, 2012
Eighty-Eight foot Golden Menorahs in Exchange for the Temple Mount and a Rothschild Masonic Temple
This is a fascinating article. The site which posted this article supports a view that most people of European descent are of the 10 lost tribes of Israel. The author believes that these tribes will soon return to Israel and be reunited with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
The Rothschild Masonic Temple called the International House of Religious Fellowship
It appears that the prophetic river is today flowing nearby the Temple Mount. For centuries, students of the prophets have been waiting for the world energy to become focused upon the Temple Mount as it is believed by most that a Jewish Temple will be built before the final battles as the nations of the world arrive to surround the Land of Israel. These nations that will surround Jerusalem will only find a slippery slope and a stumbling block to their best laid dreams of grandeur.
King Belteshazzar felt justified that the G-d of Israel had forsaken his people, the Jews in exile, for according to his calculations, the 70 years of exile had come and gone. So he gathered all his nobles and military commanders for a celebration feast. It took the finger of the Divine to remind him who was the Master of the Universe.
As the prophetic future of Belteshazzar was written upon the walls of the palace banquet hall in Babylon, the military sappers of the Medo-Persian forces under the command of General Gobryas, an Israelite king of the tribe of Gad, were crawling under the open gates of the Euphrates River. Within hours the city of Babylon was under the military command of King Cyrus the Great.
Is it not amazing that King Cyrus was also a Lost Israelite of the Pasar-Gadae tribe of Gad. The most impregnable city of the then-known-world, Babylon was taken from the Babylonians and given by the G-d of Israel to the Persians by Lost Israelite military warriors. The imperial rule was given by the G-d of Israel to the Persians who would soon redeem the Jewish people to return to their homeland and rebuild a new temple to the G-d of Israel. This was all done by the G-d of Israel without shedding one drop of Jewish blood.
So today, the guiding hand of the Divine is setting up the nations of the world towards their own fate. The Vatican is still trying to become the chief negotiator in obtaining control of the Temple Mount so that they can build a temple on its premise for all nations and all peoples. Of course the Vatican will deny that they do not have the golden menorah. This is their “crown jewel” and they have no desire to give way this possession that gave them their destiny and ultimate fate.
Yet, if the Vatican does not have the Temple of Herod’s Menorah, then it was taken in the 5thcentury CE by either the Visigoths or theVandals of the Israelite Germanic Tribes of ancient military warfare fame. To their fame, they recovered the famed Treasures of Solomon’s Temple that were in the archives of ancient Rome.
Unknowns even to the Israelite Visigoth and Vandals, was the fact that the Prophet Jeremiah with his priestly commandos, buried a major bulk of the Temple Treasures of Solomon in hidden tunnels and crevasses whose locations are known only to G-d somewhere in the Land of Israel.
One of the Great Menorahs of Solomon’s Temple, according to the research by BibleSearchers Reflections, was taken to Baghdad and was hidden beneath the walls of that ancient city in Babylon. This was an amazing 49 lamped menorah was imbedded with costly gems of great value and brilliance and is still there to this day awaiting the day when the Messiah son of David will come to institute a messianic kingdom for G-d on Planet Earth.
With all of these menorahs reputed to be from Solomon’s Temple, that were claimed to be in existence, were melted down into small golden statues and given to important Romans of that era, it’s strange that one of these golden statutes has not shown up over the centuries. Yet, the Israelite possession of Solomon’s Treasures was documented in the Destination Yisra’el article titled, “The Lost Tribes of Israel as G-d’s Emissary of Divine Judgment upon Rome”:
A more reliable legend is the well documented siege of Rome by both the Visigoths and the Vandals in the years of 420 CE and later in 450 CE. These were the only two times that the city of Rome was ever placed under siege and her mighty walls was breeched by foreign forces. Amazingly, both of these sieges were also done by the Germanic tribes of the Visigoths and the Vandals, just as were done over seven hundred years earlier by the Lost Israelite forces of the Medes and the Persians upon the city of Babylon.
Now we have read the documentation that there were also other majestic menorahs that lid up the Jerusalem night-life during the Succot celebrations in that holy city. Why are we so incapable to see the Divine hand molding and judging the nations that have dwelt an evil and harsh hand against the Jews of the House of Israel?
So today, we are again soon to witness maybe the last of the imperial quests for world dominion so that they can rule by “power, greed, and control” the fate of G-d’s solar-rex capital on Planet Earth. Once again its culmination will end in a blood-bath for those that seek to prevent G-d from completing the prophetic culmination of the “end of the age”, for the days of the Gentiles is now over.
Yet, the return of the menorahs will come at a cost, for Rome nor Vatican Rome have never given the Jews in Jerusalem anything without it costing a fortune; usually dripping with Jewish blood. As stated:
It was on December 5, 2011 that Destination Yisra’el revealed as least one international plan to build an Ecumenical Temple on the Temple Mount in the blog titled, “Is the Rothschild Temple being Prepared to be Built on the Temple Mount?” If this were to happen it would desecrate the region where Solomon’s Temple once stood and be a blasphemy to the Almighty One of Israel.
Read more at - http://destination-yisrael.biblesearchers.com/destination-yisrael/archeology-of-the-lost-tribes-of-israel/
The Rothschild Masonic Temple called the International House of Religious Fellowship
It appears that the prophetic river is today flowing nearby the Temple Mount. For centuries, students of the prophets have been waiting for the world energy to become focused upon the Temple Mount as it is believed by most that a Jewish Temple will be built before the final battles as the nations of the world arrive to surround the Land of Israel. These nations that will surround Jerusalem will only find a slippery slope and a stumbling block to their best laid dreams of grandeur.
King Belteshazzar felt justified that the G-d of Israel had forsaken his people, the Jews in exile, for according to his calculations, the 70 years of exile had come and gone. So he gathered all his nobles and military commanders for a celebration feast. It took the finger of the Divine to remind him who was the Master of the Universe.
As the prophetic future of Belteshazzar was written upon the walls of the palace banquet hall in Babylon, the military sappers of the Medo-Persian forces under the command of General Gobryas, an Israelite king of the tribe of Gad, were crawling under the open gates of the Euphrates River. Within hours the city of Babylon was under the military command of King Cyrus the Great.
Is it not amazing that King Cyrus was also a Lost Israelite of the Pasar-Gadae tribe of Gad. The most impregnable city of the then-known-world, Babylon was taken from the Babylonians and given by the G-d of Israel to the Persians by Lost Israelite military warriors. The imperial rule was given by the G-d of Israel to the Persians who would soon redeem the Jewish people to return to their homeland and rebuild a new temple to the G-d of Israel. This was all done by the G-d of Israel without shedding one drop of Jewish blood.
So today, the guiding hand of the Divine is setting up the nations of the world towards their own fate. The Vatican is still trying to become the chief negotiator in obtaining control of the Temple Mount so that they can build a temple on its premise for all nations and all peoples. Of course the Vatican will deny that they do not have the golden menorah. This is their “crown jewel” and they have no desire to give way this possession that gave them their destiny and ultimate fate.
Yet, if the Vatican does not have the Temple of Herod’s Menorah, then it was taken in the 5thcentury CE by either the Visigoths or theVandals of the Israelite Germanic Tribes of ancient military warfare fame. To their fame, they recovered the famed Treasures of Solomon’s Temple that were in the archives of ancient Rome.
Unknowns even to the Israelite Visigoth and Vandals, was the fact that the Prophet Jeremiah with his priestly commandos, buried a major bulk of the Temple Treasures of Solomon in hidden tunnels and crevasses whose locations are known only to G-d somewhere in the Land of Israel.
One of the Great Menorahs of Solomon’s Temple, according to the research by BibleSearchers Reflections, was taken to Baghdad and was hidden beneath the walls of that ancient city in Babylon. This was an amazing 49 lamped menorah was imbedded with costly gems of great value and brilliance and is still there to this day awaiting the day when the Messiah son of David will come to institute a messianic kingdom for G-d on Planet Earth.
With all of these menorahs reputed to be from Solomon’s Temple, that were claimed to be in existence, were melted down into small golden statues and given to important Romans of that era, it’s strange that one of these golden statutes has not shown up over the centuries. Yet, the Israelite possession of Solomon’s Treasures was documented in the Destination Yisra’el article titled, “The Lost Tribes of Israel as G-d’s Emissary of Divine Judgment upon Rome”:
Destination Yisra’el – “What was even more intriguing, according to innumerable authors, When Alaric forces left the city of Rome, the Treasures of Solomon’s Temple became a part of their tribal possession. When they left, they headed directly over to the Walled Fortress City of Carcassonne located in the Languedoc Province in the southwestern region of France. Here in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountain is where the Visigoths made their “Masada” called the Castle Stronghold of Montségur.
Here along with the numerous 11,000-foot peaked ranges between France and Spain is today still a wild country of sparse settlements. Also there are innumerable caves, most of which have never been explored. Somewhere in these caves, such as atQumran near the Dead Sea, it is believed the Treasures of Jerusalem that were entombed in the dungeons of the Rome werenow entombed in anew home, today known only by G-d and the angelic hosts.
According to legends, the Treasures of Solomon were secreted in the grottos near Sabarthea, or inanother legend, theGrotto of Ornolac or Fontanet. Then there were the legends about the cavern called “The Cathedral” or thechamber called “The Tomb of Hercules”.
Yet, the “Treasures of the Visigoths” were much larger than the“Treasures of Solomon” for the Visigothic Treasures included the two bribes of 4,000 pounds of gold, and later the 5,000 pounds of gold that were given the Visigoths to keep them from destroying the City of Rome. One thing is known, these “Treasures of the Visigoths” were within site of the “Eagle Nest” Citadel of the Cathars at Montségur and thenearby village of Rennes-le-Chateau near Couiza."
Now we have read the documentation that there were also other majestic menorahs that lid up the Jerusalem night-life during the Succot celebrations in that holy city. Why are we so incapable to see the Divine hand molding and judging the nations that have dwelt an evil and harsh hand against the Jews of the House of Israel?
So today, we are again soon to witness maybe the last of the imperial quests for world dominion so that they can rule by “power, greed, and control” the fate of G-d’s solar-rex capital on Planet Earth. Once again its culmination will end in a blood-bath for those that seek to prevent G-d from completing the prophetic culmination of the “end of the age”, for the days of the Gentiles is now over.
Yet, the return of the menorahs will come at a cost, for Rome nor Vatican Rome have never given the Jews in Jerusalem anything without it costing a fortune; usually dripping with Jewish blood. As stated:
Destination YIsra’el – “After that a new temple could be built on the site of the original one beside the mosque and together with a Hindu Temple, a Buddhist Temple, a Church and a zone for alternative belief systems.”
Read more at - http://destination-yisrael.biblesearchers.com/destination-yisrael/archeology-of-the-lost-tribes-of-israel/
Connected events? Gas explosion rocks Sochi, Russia, site of 2014 Olympics, followed by 5.3 magnitude earthquake
© Mikhail Modasov/AFP/Getty Images
A view of the construction site of Olympic Stadium in Sochi, Russia.
A view of the construction site of Olympic Stadium in Sochi, Russia.
Sochi is to be host of the 2014 Winter Olympics, scheduled for Feb. 7-23.
There were no reported injuries from either incident.
Russia President Vladimir Putin ordered authorities to inspect Olympic sites, particularly those under construction, to ensure that there was no damage.
"Emergencies Ministry servicemen scoured through the city districts, but there was no damage," according to Irina Gogoleva of Russia's Emergencies Ministry.
Gogoleva said the reason for the explosion is unknown.
Comment: Interestingly, there was a fireball sighting, which may or may not have actually plunged into the Black Sea, just ten days ago:
Fireball plunges off Black Sea
Tokyo Almost As Irradiated As Fukushima
So many things are happening now, that we often lose track of one catastrophe in the wake of others. However Fukushima is a disaster that keeps on giving...radiation that is.
Tepco – and West Coast of America – Slammed with Radiation
We’ve documented the spread of radiation from Fukushima to Tokyo for a year and a half. See this, this, this, this, this and this. Unfortunately, as the following recent headlines from Ene News show, things are only getting worse:- Tokyo Bay cesium even higher than levels reported off Fukushima — Nearly entire sea floor contaminated by 2014
- Tokyo getting 5 times more radioactive fallout than prefectures closer to Fukushima
- Japanese Legal Expert: “Even residents of Tokyo are evacuating” — More and more people fleeing Fukushima
- People from Tokyo area report thyroid cysts and nodules — Japanese doctors laughing at patients
- Japan Scientists: Radiation dose has been “significantly increased” around Tokyo metropolitan area after Fukushima
- “Absolutely Every One” – 15 Out of 15 – Bluefin Tuna Tested In California Waters Contaminated with Fukushima Radiation
- Fukushima Radiation: Japan Irradiates the West Coast of North America
Dec 27, 2012
The Magi and the Star of Bethlehem
The Magi and the Star of Bethlehem
by Tom Stewart
December 2, 2002
The birth of Jesus Christ is of such great consequence that even those in the world that reject Him must count their days by a calendar that celebrates His birth. "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Acceptance of the story of the nativity of Christ implies that if the narrative occurred as depicted in the Scriptures, then such elements as the Magi and the Star of Bethlehem may have more profound implications than simply character and color for a quaint story. "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into Glory." (1Timothy 3:16). Who were the Magi? The name Magi comes from the Greek word magoi. It is translated as wise men in the King James Version and is used four times in the New Testament Christmas story, e.g., "1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came Wise Men from the East to Jerusalem, 2 saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the East, and are come to worship Him" (Matthew 2:1-2). However, the most common derivative from the name of the Magi is the word magic. When the Apostle Paul began his first missionary journey, he encountered a "certain sorcerer [Greek, magos ], a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus" (Acts 13:6). Sorcerer comes from the same Greek word magos that identifies the name of the Magi; and, if that was all that we knew of the Magi, then Christians would have only a very negative and confused picture of the Wise Men of the Christmas story. "Then Herod, when he had privily called the Wise Men, enquired of them diligently what time the Star appeared" (Matthew 2:7).
This art print, "And Wise Men Came Bearing Gifts" by Tom duBois is provided courtesy of Christ-Centered Art" ---New Window.
Other than the obvious and positive use of the phrase "wise men" in the Old Testament Scriptures, i.e., "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed" (Proverbs 13:20), we find that both the dynasties of the Egyptian pharaohs, i.e., "Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments" (Exodus 7:11), and the kingdoms of the Babylonian and Medo-Persian monarchs surrounded themselves with "wise men." Originating from the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, the Magi were religious priests, Chaldeans, physicians, philosophers, astronomers, astrologers, soothsayers, in short, the brain trust of their kingdom. In ancient Babylon, which is now modern Iraq, King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a great image, where he not only forgot his dream but called upon his "wise men" to interpret the vision on pain of death. "2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. 4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation. 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill" (Daniel 2:2-5).
Naturally, the wise men objected to the impossible demand of the king. "10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the Earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. 11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh" (Daniel 2:10-11). And, like an oriental despot, Nebuchadnezzar "was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon" (2:12). Now, notice who the Divine Scriptures identify with the "wise men" of Babylonia. "And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain" (2:13). Yes, not only were Daniel and his companions (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) identified as "wise men," but, we are further informed that Daniel was promoted to be the chief [Aramaic, rab ] among the "wise men" for successfully interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream, i.e., "Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon" (2:48). Later, Belshazzar was informed that Daniel, the Master Magi of Babylon, was the only man that could interpret the famed handwriting on the wall, "MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN" (5:25). "There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master [Aramaic, rab ] of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers" (5:11).
Certainly, the Almighty made a way for Daniel to avoid the obvious pitfalls of the occult practices of the "wise men of Babylon," and He used the lawful functions of Daniel's office to preserve the Seventy Weeks prophecy concerning the First and Second Advents of Messiah the Prince. "24 Seventy weeks [490 prophetic years] are determined upon thy people [Israel] and upon thy holy city [Jerusalem], to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in Everlasting Righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy [the Second Coming of Jesus Christ]. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem [decree of Artaxerxes on March 14th 445 BC] unto the Messiah the Prince [Triumphal Entry of Christ on April 6th 32 AD] shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks [7 + 60 + 2 = 69 (weeks) x 7 (of years) = 483 prophetic years]: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off [Crucifixion and Atonement of Jesus Christ only a handful of days after the Triumphal Entry], but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come [Ancient Rome] shall destroy the city and the sanctuary [70 AD]; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he [Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [a shortly upcoming Tribulation Week of seven years that obviously occurs after a more than 2,000 year gap between the 69th and 70th Week of Daniel]: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease [the Abomination of Desolation in the Middle of the Week], and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate" (Daniel 9:24-27).
It is uncertain what the Magi of the Christmas story identified as a star to cause them to set out for Jerusalem to see who the Jewish Scriptures of Daniel would choose as the King of the Jews, but they knew that Messiah the Prince would sit upon the throne of David. "Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with Judgment and with Justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will perform this" (Isaiah 9:7). Since the Magi were able to calculate the time of the cutting off of Messiah the Prince in Israel from Daniel's Seventy Weeks prophecy, they needed a miraculous sign to indicate more precisely the time and place of the birth of the Messiah, which the Almighty gladly provided by the Star of Bethlehem. "We have seen His star in the East, and are come to worship Him" (Matthew 2:2). Several things can be deduced from the Scriptural narrative of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew concerning the Magi and the Star of Bethlehem.
Daniel's Seventy Weeks prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) coupled with other Messianic prophecies, e.g., "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be" (Genesis 49:10), enabled these believing Magi to greet their Newborn King with royal gifts, but they needed a special sign from God in the form of the Star of Bethlehem, i.e., "there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel" (Numbers 24:17), to pinpoint the birth of the Messiah at His First Advent. As much as Christians are rightly warned about seeking after signs, i.e., a "wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it" (Matthew 16:4) and seeking to know the day and the hour of the coming of Jesus Christ, i.e., "ye know not when the time is" (Mark 13:33), both a sign and date will be given for the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. The miraculous sign for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will be the Pre-Tribulational Rapture of the Watching and Waiting Saints, i.e., "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36), while the timing for the LORD's Appearing will be the termination of the Seventieth Week of Daniel, i.e., "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in Everlasting Righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy" (Daniel 9:24). [See our articles, "Must There Be a Pre-Tribulational Rapture?" ---New Window and "The Seventy Weeks of Daniel" ---New Window, for more background on each of these prophetic themes.]
Like the Magi who looked for the appearing of the King of the Jews, it is right that we look and wait expectantly for the soon return of the KING of Kings. "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto Salvation" (Hebrews 9:28). The difference between those Magi of old who sought the Young Child of Bethlehem and the contemporary seeker of Christ is that their sign was the Star of Bethlehem, while our Pre-Tribulational Rapture will be a sign to those who are left behind, who should have known better. "1 Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, LORD, LORD, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh" (Matthew 25:1-13). [See our article, "A Tale of Ten Virgins" ---New Window, for greater understanding of Christ's parable and the Pre-Tribulational Rapture.]
May God grant to us the grace to shine as the Star of Bethlehem, and may the "LORD direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ" (2Thessalonians 3:5).
Maranatha!
by Tom Stewart
December 2, 2002
The birth of Jesus Christ is of such great consequence that even those in the world that reject Him must count their days by a calendar that celebrates His birth. "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Acceptance of the story of the nativity of Christ implies that if the narrative occurred as depicted in the Scriptures, then such elements as the Magi and the Star of Bethlehem may have more profound implications than simply character and color for a quaint story. "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into Glory." (1Timothy 3:16). Who were the Magi? The name Magi comes from the Greek word magoi. It is translated as wise men in the King James Version and is used four times in the New Testament Christmas story, e.g., "1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came Wise Men from the East to Jerusalem, 2 saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the East, and are come to worship Him" (Matthew 2:1-2). However, the most common derivative from the name of the Magi is the word magic. When the Apostle Paul began his first missionary journey, he encountered a "certain sorcerer [Greek, magos ], a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus" (Acts 13:6). Sorcerer comes from the same Greek word magos that identifies the name of the Magi; and, if that was all that we knew of the Magi, then Christians would have only a very negative and confused picture of the Wise Men of the Christmas story. "Then Herod, when he had privily called the Wise Men, enquired of them diligently what time the Star appeared" (Matthew 2:7).
This art print, "And Wise Men Came Bearing Gifts" by Tom duBois is provided courtesy of Christ-Centered Art" ---New Window.
Other than the obvious and positive use of the phrase "wise men" in the Old Testament Scriptures, i.e., "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed" (Proverbs 13:20), we find that both the dynasties of the Egyptian pharaohs, i.e., "Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments" (Exodus 7:11), and the kingdoms of the Babylonian and Medo-Persian monarchs surrounded themselves with "wise men." Originating from the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, the Magi were religious priests, Chaldeans, physicians, philosophers, astronomers, astrologers, soothsayers, in short, the brain trust of their kingdom. In ancient Babylon, which is now modern Iraq, King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a great image, where he not only forgot his dream but called upon his "wise men" to interpret the vision on pain of death. "2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. 4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation. 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill" (Daniel 2:2-5).
Naturally, the wise men objected to the impossible demand of the king. "10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the Earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. 11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh" (Daniel 2:10-11). And, like an oriental despot, Nebuchadnezzar "was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon" (2:12). Now, notice who the Divine Scriptures identify with the "wise men" of Babylonia. "And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain" (2:13). Yes, not only were Daniel and his companions (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) identified as "wise men," but, we are further informed that Daniel was promoted to be the chief [Aramaic, rab ] among the "wise men" for successfully interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream, i.e., "Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon" (2:48). Later, Belshazzar was informed that Daniel, the Master Magi of Babylon, was the only man that could interpret the famed handwriting on the wall, "MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN" (5:25). "There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master [Aramaic, rab ] of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers" (5:11).
Certainly, the Almighty made a way for Daniel to avoid the obvious pitfalls of the occult practices of the "wise men of Babylon," and He used the lawful functions of Daniel's office to preserve the Seventy Weeks prophecy concerning the First and Second Advents of Messiah the Prince. "24 Seventy weeks [490 prophetic years] are determined upon thy people [Israel] and upon thy holy city [Jerusalem], to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in Everlasting Righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy [the Second Coming of Jesus Christ]. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem [decree of Artaxerxes on March 14th 445 BC] unto the Messiah the Prince [Triumphal Entry of Christ on April 6th 32 AD] shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks [7 + 60 + 2 = 69 (weeks) x 7 (of years) = 483 prophetic years]: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off [Crucifixion and Atonement of Jesus Christ only a handful of days after the Triumphal Entry], but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come [Ancient Rome] shall destroy the city and the sanctuary [70 AD]; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he [Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [a shortly upcoming Tribulation Week of seven years that obviously occurs after a more than 2,000 year gap between the 69th and 70th Week of Daniel]: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease [the Abomination of Desolation in the Middle of the Week], and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate" (Daniel 9:24-27).
It is uncertain what the Magi of the Christmas story identified as a star to cause them to set out for Jerusalem to see who the Jewish Scriptures of Daniel would choose as the King of the Jews, but they knew that Messiah the Prince would sit upon the throne of David. "Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with Judgment and with Justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will perform this" (Isaiah 9:7). Since the Magi were able to calculate the time of the cutting off of Messiah the Prince in Israel from Daniel's Seventy Weeks prophecy, they needed a miraculous sign to indicate more precisely the time and place of the birth of the Messiah, which the Almighty gladly provided by the Star of Bethlehem. "We have seen His star in the East, and are come to worship Him" (Matthew 2:2). Several things can be deduced from the Scriptural narrative of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew concerning the Magi and the Star of Bethlehem.
- First, the two year period given to King Herod represented the period during which the Wise Men first saw the Star of Bethlehem until their conversation with Herod, and not indicating their time in transit from the East nor necessarily the exact moment of the Saviour's birth; therefore, the birth of Christ could have been as late as the autumn of 4 BC, i.e., "7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the Wise Men, enquired of them diligently what time the Star appeared... 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the Wise Men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the Wise Men" (Matthew 2:7, 16).
- Second, the astronomical phenomenon of the Star of Bethlehem appears to be explained more as a miracle than as a momentary conjunction of the planets of Jupiter and Saturn (6 BC) or the brilliant but violent display of stellar light for a few months from a supernova or the tail of Halley's Comet (11 BC); additionally, the star un-astronomically traveled before the Magi, then stood still, i.e., "When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the Star, which they saw in the East, went before them, till it came and stood over where the Young Child was" (Matthew 2:9).
- Third, Herod the Great did not have the Wise Men followed because both he and the Wise Men were initially in agreement that the exact whereabouts of the Young Child would be reported back to Herod; but, God warned them "in a dream that they should not return to Herod" (Matthew 2:12).
- Fourth, though tradition identifies the Wise Men as three-- Gaspar, Melchior and Belthazar-- because, most likely, they were numbered by the three gifts of "gold [for a king], and frankincense [a spice for priestly duties], and myrrh [an embalming ointment that anticipated the Saviour's future death]" (Matthew 2:11), they were more likely a larger entourage that could stir the interest of the city of Jerusalem, i.e., "When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him" (Matthew 2:3).
- Fifth, the Wise Men found the Young Child Jesus in a Bethlehem house and not in a stable, indicating a later time than the nativity seen by the shepherds in the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, possibly only a month later, i.e., "And when they were come into the house, they saw the Young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him" (Matthew 2:11).
- Sixth, Joseph and Mary most probably had returned to Bethlehem from the dedication of Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem to complete about a two month sojourn in Bethlehem before fleeing into Egypt and then returning to Nazareth, i.e., "14 When he arose, he took the Young Child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: 15 And was there until the death of Herod [late in 4 BC]: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the LORD by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called My Son" (Matthew 2:14-15).
- And finally, the Star of Bethlehem was not obvious to those who were not aware of it to be looking and noticing, or Herod would have already arrived at Bethlehem to kill his rival, i.e., "Herod will seek the Young Child to destroy Him" (Matthew 2:13).
Daniel's Seventy Weeks prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) coupled with other Messianic prophecies, e.g., "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be" (Genesis 49:10), enabled these believing Magi to greet their Newborn King with royal gifts, but they needed a special sign from God in the form of the Star of Bethlehem, i.e., "there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel" (Numbers 24:17), to pinpoint the birth of the Messiah at His First Advent. As much as Christians are rightly warned about seeking after signs, i.e., a "wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it" (Matthew 16:4) and seeking to know the day and the hour of the coming of Jesus Christ, i.e., "ye know not when the time is" (Mark 13:33), both a sign and date will be given for the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. The miraculous sign for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will be the Pre-Tribulational Rapture of the Watching and Waiting Saints, i.e., "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36), while the timing for the LORD's Appearing will be the termination of the Seventieth Week of Daniel, i.e., "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in Everlasting Righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy" (Daniel 9:24). [See our articles, "Must There Be a Pre-Tribulational Rapture?" ---New Window and "The Seventy Weeks of Daniel" ---New Window, for more background on each of these prophetic themes.]
Like the Magi who looked for the appearing of the King of the Jews, it is right that we look and wait expectantly for the soon return of the KING of Kings. "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto Salvation" (Hebrews 9:28). The difference between those Magi of old who sought the Young Child of Bethlehem and the contemporary seeker of Christ is that their sign was the Star of Bethlehem, while our Pre-Tribulational Rapture will be a sign to those who are left behind, who should have known better. "1 Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, LORD, LORD, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh" (Matthew 25:1-13). [See our article, "A Tale of Ten Virgins" ---New Window, for greater understanding of Christ's parable and the Pre-Tribulational Rapture.]
May God grant to us the grace to shine as the Star of Bethlehem, and may the "LORD direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ" (2Thessalonians 3:5).
Maranatha!
[See our article, "The Glory and Majesty of Christmas" ---New Window, for more background on the Christmas story. And, Sir Robert Anderson's "The Coming Prince" ---New Window (1895) provides a scholarly and faith-filled defense of Daniel's Seventy Weeks prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) of the First and Second Advent of Messiah the Prince, giving justification for many of the dates employed in this presentation. Also, "Sir Robert Anderson and the Seventy Weeks of Daniel" ---New Window gives background on Sir Robert Anderson, a stalwart defender of the "faith which was once delivered unto the Saints" (Jude 3).]
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Read more at - http://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Fellowship/Edit_Magi_and_the_Star.htmlThis Scientist Wants Tomorrow’s Troops to Be Mutant-Powered
Andrew Herr in Mongolia. Photo: via Andrew Herr
Greater strength and endurance. Enhanced thinking. Better teamwork. New classes of genetic weaponry, able to subvert DNA. Not long from now, the technology could exist to routinely enhance — and undermine — people’s minds and bodies using a wide range of chemical, neurological, genetic and behavioral techniques.
It’s warfare waged at the evolutionary level. And it’s coming sooner than many people think. According to the futurists at the U.S. National Intelligence Council, by 2030, “neuro-enhancements could provide superior memory recall or speed of thought. Brain-machine interfaces could provide ‘superhuman‘ abilities, enhancing strength and speed, as well as providing functions not previously available.”
Qualities that today must be honed by years of training and education could be installed in a relative instant by, say, an injection or a targeted burst of electricity to the brain. Rapid advancements in neurology, pharmacology and genetics could soon make such installations fairly easy.
These modifications could give rise to new breeds of biologically enhanced troops possessing what one expert in the field calls “mutant powers.” But those troops may not American. So far, the U.S. military has been extremely reluctant to embrace human biological modification, or “biomods.” And that could result in a veritable mutant gap. In this new form of biological warfare, the U.S. could find itself outgunned.
But not if Andrew Herr can help it.
A 29-year-old Georgetown-trained researcher with degrees in microbiology, health physics and national security, Herr is one a handful of specialists in the defense community preaching greater U.S. investment in biomods. First as a consultant with the Scitor Corporation, a Virginia-based firm whose clients include top military and intelligence agencies, and later as the head of his own research organization, Herr’s job has been to think about biological modifications whose effects he says are “more than evolutionary.”
Another word for that: revolutionary.
Whether positive or negative, the impact of routine biomods could be huge. “The best-case scenario is extraordinary increases in quality of life in the First World and beyond,” Herr says. The worst-case scenario, he adds, is people being biologically modified “without them knowing it.” That is, an evolutionary sneak attack.
Read more at - http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/12/andrew-herr/
How A Small Group of Bankers Govern the Nations
Nicely done brief history of the growing tyranny of the central banks, run by a small group of families. It points out real heroes of the past (like Andrew Jackson) and real villains (like Woodrow Wilson). It also reminds us that groups that insist on working in the dark (the Federal Reserve, the private bank that prints and gives away U.S. money) are linked through history with assassins, blackmail and any possible means of gaining power.
Lest the bankers think they can and will "win", judgment awaits all men. And the judgment of those who have wrought such villainy will be fierce.
Lest the bankers think they can and will "win", judgment awaits all men. And the judgment of those who have wrought such villainy will be fierce.
Evacuation order issued for residents living near Nicaragua’s San Cristobal volcano
December 27, 2012 – MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Nicaraguan authorities say they’ve ordered the evacuation of some 300 families living on the flanks of the country’s highest volcano after it began spewing hot gas and ash Tuesday. Some 1,500 farmers living on the slopes of the San Cristobal volcano refused to leave, despite being ordered to evacuate as the volcano spewed gas, sand and ash.
“People have not evacuated because we do not want to go and leave the area abandoned,” Maria Pereira told AFP. Pereira lives in “Grecia 4,” a community of about 600 people at the base of the volcano, in the Chinandega department.
She said columns of ash “bathed the trees, houses, and roads in white” and “pretty sand fell” in the morning. She said by early afternoon volcanic activity had decreased, though in the evening new columns of ash shot up.
In another community near the volcano, Bethlehem, some farmers resisted efforts of Civil Defence officials to convince them to obey the evacuation order.
Federal government spokeswoman and first lady Rosario Murillo told a local radio station that a yellow alert was declared Wednesday in a 1.8-mile radius around the San Cristobal volcano to allow the evacuation of residents who would be at highest risk during a significant eruption. Murillo said 15 eruptions had been recorded over the last day at the volcano northeast of the capital of Managua. She said the volcano has emitted regular small eruptions, but larger ones are unpredictable. Authorities had wanted to move the closest residents away from the volcano as a precaution.
Read more at - http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/1244668/1/.html
European Union Leader Calls For Global Governance
This isn't reallly new, so it's not technically "news", but many aren't aware of the push for "global governance" (a single global governing body determining law for all nations). So, time to wake up...
Dec 26, 2012
December 26 - The Feast of Stephen
by John Loeffler World Affairs Editor
Good King Wenceslaus went out
On the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even.
O.K., Christians of the world: Church history for one hundred. When is the Feast of Stephen and to whom does it refer? (Pause for hemming and hawing.)
It's December 26, the day after Christmas, when the death of the church's first martyr, Stephen, is traditionally commemorated. Trivial, yes, but most Christians can't give me the correct answer.
My preoccupation with this began a year ago, when I found myself sitting in an evangelical church in early December listening to the singing of Christmas carols. "Could the church have lost its mind?" I thought. It has become so much like the world.
In the ancient church, Christmas was celebrated on... Christmas. Everything prior to that was a preparation for the big day but Christmas itself wasn't celebrated until midnight, December 24th, when the Christ child was welcomed into the world.
Christ wasn't actually born on December 25th. The actual date is a subject of debate. But in 336 a.d. the church set the date at December 25th (Julian calendar) to offset the pagan celebration of the winter solstice at the Saturnalia, much as churches today have "harvest parties" to offset what is becoming an increasingly occult Halloween.
Following the time of the apostles, the early church began to develop organization and worship in five major centers around the Mediterranean: Jerusalem (naturally), Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople and Rome.
Just as the Jewish calendar had an annual series of liturgically rotating feasts that God ordained in the Old Testament, so the form of worship in the early churches rapidly developed into a liturgical calendar centering around the Lord's Supper, which originally they all shared in one form or another.
Distance caused the different liturgies to diverge in the selection of prayers, requirements and customs, but after the Great Schism between the Roman and Orthodox churches in 1054, the liturgical form of worship was still retained. The western church followed the Roman rite (the Mass) and the Orthodox churches followed the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Both still today have major portions of their rites in common.
The Roman church developed a hierarchical structure centered around the papacy and the bishops. The Orthodox churches developed a more networked approach, centering around the bishops, all of whom were in affiliation with each other in what were called autocephalos or independent churches, who reported to a Metropolitan.
During the Reformation, the Lutheran church retained the form of the Roman liturgy and much of the church structure but corrected what it believed were non-Biblical errors that had crept into the Roman church over the centuries. The Anglican church likewise retained the church structure and worship.
Other Christian groups opted to throw out all of it in favor of different, more simplistic and often stark forms of worship. In retrospect, they may have thrown out the baby with the bath water, retaining only key dates such as Christmas, Easter and possibly Pentecost. Some introduced a few new ones, such as Reformation Sunday.
In trying to counter the secularization of its holy days, the church is having a difficult time because it has forgotten the origins of its celebrations.
Advent
In western churches the four Sundays prior to Christmas were called Advent, coming from the Latin verb advenire, meaning "to come towards."
The church was decorated in purple, along with the priest who wore the same color, signifying penance. Prior to December 25th, the church was in a period of penance, preparation and anticipation of the Messiah's birth. Fasting was observed several times a week. All of the hymns and prayers reflected this repentance and preparation; a period of darkness into which the Lumen Christi (the light of Christ) must come.
Scripture readings from the Old Testament and the Gospels matched the season, such as the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah and Gospel passages about the ministry of John the Baptist preparing the way for Christ.
Hymns included "On Jordan's Bank the Baptists Cry" and "O Come Immanuel" but never a Christmas carol. Christ had not yet arrived.
Then Cometh Christ's Mass
For centuries the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve was a radical change from the previous four weeks"this liturgical text became the centerpiece of a number of Baroque and classical compositions.
Christmas itself means Christ's Mass"the mass celebrated on Christmas Day. The church was decorated and ablaze with lights. Colors had shifted from purple to gold and white and the traditional green/red themes. Much incense was used. Christ had finally come. This was a time of great celebration, and hence the use of the word "feast" to designate the day.
Other Christmas Traditions
The Middle Ages saw the beginnings of liturgical dramas (often called "mystery plays") designed to portray Biblical stories surrounding Christmas. Recall that the majority of the population of Europe at the time was illiterate and so the mystery plays provided a method of teaching Biblical things. Over the centuries the mystery dramas started to become profane and secular in nature (sound familiar?) and so performances in churches were eventually banned.
Also, manger scenes (or creches as they were called in French) began to appear, and it was a Christmas custom for every family to visit the crche.
The Advent Wreath
The custom of the Advent wreath evolved in northern Europe. The wreath has four candles: three purple and one pink. In some cases, three red and one white candle are used.
One candle is lit on each Sunday of Advent at dinner time and the family sings "O Come Immanuel" prior to the blessing. The third Sunday of Advent is a different color, signifying that while we are still in darkness, there is hope and the light of Christ is coming.
In the western church it was called Gaudate (gow-day-tay) Sunday, meaning we should rejoice, for there is hope.
In America, the tradition has started of adding a white candle in the center on Christmas Day to signify that the light of Christ has come into the world.
Some Lutheran churches reverse the Advent wreath process, using a ring of candles, one for each Sunday of Lent prior to Holy Week. Sunday after Sunday one less candle is lit until finally, on Good Friday, the center Christ candle is extinguished.
There are as many Christmas traditions as there are countries and centuries. Many had strictly Christian origins. Others are a mix of vestiges of pagan custom adapted into Christianity. This, and the observance of Christmas itself, has been the source of much debate, which is not the subject of this article.
The Twelve Days of Christmas
The Twelve Days of Christmas ranks as part of the regular Christmas carol fare. So what are they? They are the days when Christmas was traditionally observed, between December 25th and January 6th. January 6th was the Feast of the Epiphany, when the three Wise Men finally arrived, thus the twelve days when Christmas was celebrated.
In some places presents were given each day of the twelve days instead of tearing into a big wallop of presents on December 25th. Traditionally the Christmas tree went up on December 24th in the evening and came down on January 6th.
The Feast of the Holy Innocents is celebrated on December 28th, commemorating the children who were killed in Bethlehem as Herod sought to destroy the child Jesus.
Santa Claus
Santa Claus means Holy Claus, short for Nicholas. The word "santo" is "holy" in Latin as well as its descendent tongues, such as Spanish and Italian. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, St. Nicholas was born in the ancient city of Patara. As a youth he traveled to Palestine and later became Bishop of Myra. He was imprisoned during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian and was later attendant at the First Council of Nicea in 325 a.d.
Legend says that he showed unusual kindness to the poor and the weak; oftentimes leaving things for them while they were asleep. In the Middle Ages he became patron saint of charitable fraternities, children, and other things as well as patron saint of the City of Moscow, Russia. After the Reformation, the legend of St. Nicholas died out everywhere except in Holland. It migrated to the U.S. with Dutch Reformed Christians.
Later in Germany, St. Nick would traditionally arrive on his Feast Day, December 6th. A man dressed as St. Nick would go door to door loaded with a giant sack. To those children who had been good during the year, he gave presents. To those who had been bad, a lump of coal was their lot. "How did he do that?" the kids would wonder.
St. Nicholas's red outfit was derived from the red colors bishops wore. The modern version of St. Nick originated in a series of Thomas Nast engravings, which appeared in Harper's Weekly between 1863 and 1886.1
Other Traditions
The Night before Christmas was first published in 1822 and picked up widespread popularity and republishing. During Queen Victoria's reign in England, tree decorating was well under way. Martin Luther is reported to have been the first person to actually put lights on a Christmas tree. (One can only speculate whose house was the first to burn down as the result of a Christmas tree.)
In 1880, Woolworth's first sold manufactured Christmas tree ornaments and they caught on very quickly.2
In Mexico and southern parts of the United States, Las Posadas has been a major tradition, which is now spreading in popularity. Las Posadas sees children going door to door asking for shelter, just as Joseph and Mary did when Mary was about to give birth to Jesus. The answer from the person who answers is always a negative head shake and the response, "no posada" (no shelter). Candles placed in paper bags (luminarias) serve as chains of lanterns on the ground leading up to the doors to show the expectant couple the way.
Rudolph, the genetically mutant reindeer, is a latecomer and has absolutely no religious significance whatsoever. In 1939, Santas at Montgomery Wards gave away 2.4 million copies of a booklet called "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." 3 It was written by Robert May, an advertising executive in the store. In 1949, western singer Gene Autrey did a musical rendition of the poem and it became an overnight best-seller.
Christians today tend to fight the ongoing secularization of their holidays. Some have rejected anything to do with them, saying they are not Biblically ordained. Others have tried to go back to keeping the Jewish feasts instead. It should be pointed out that the New Testament doesn't really ordain anything other than the Lord's Supper. But it does not prohibit it either, and under grace Christians are free to honor different days if they wish. Those families who want to keep Christ as the center of Christmas may find it easier to do by understanding the various symbols that have been used to celebrate Christ's birth through the ages and using them to retain the uniqueness inherent in the mystery of the incarnation: the birth of the Son of God.
Read more at - http://www.khouse.org/articles/2000/310/
Good King Wenceslaus went out
On the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even.
O.K., Christians of the world: Church history for one hundred. When is the Feast of Stephen and to whom does it refer? (Pause for hemming and hawing.)
It's December 26, the day after Christmas, when the death of the church's first martyr, Stephen, is traditionally commemorated. Trivial, yes, but most Christians can't give me the correct answer.
My preoccupation with this began a year ago, when I found myself sitting in an evangelical church in early December listening to the singing of Christmas carols. "Could the church have lost its mind?" I thought. It has become so much like the world.
In the ancient church, Christmas was celebrated on... Christmas. Everything prior to that was a preparation for the big day but Christmas itself wasn't celebrated until midnight, December 24th, when the Christ child was welcomed into the world.
Christ wasn't actually born on December 25th. The actual date is a subject of debate. But in 336 a.d. the church set the date at December 25th (Julian calendar) to offset the pagan celebration of the winter solstice at the Saturnalia, much as churches today have "harvest parties" to offset what is becoming an increasingly occult Halloween.
Following the time of the apostles, the early church began to develop organization and worship in five major centers around the Mediterranean: Jerusalem (naturally), Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople and Rome.
Just as the Jewish calendar had an annual series of liturgically rotating feasts that God ordained in the Old Testament, so the form of worship in the early churches rapidly developed into a liturgical calendar centering around the Lord's Supper, which originally they all shared in one form or another.
Distance caused the different liturgies to diverge in the selection of prayers, requirements and customs, but after the Great Schism between the Roman and Orthodox churches in 1054, the liturgical form of worship was still retained. The western church followed the Roman rite (the Mass) and the Orthodox churches followed the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Both still today have major portions of their rites in common.
The Roman church developed a hierarchical structure centered around the papacy and the bishops. The Orthodox churches developed a more networked approach, centering around the bishops, all of whom were in affiliation with each other in what were called autocephalos or independent churches, who reported to a Metropolitan.
During the Reformation, the Lutheran church retained the form of the Roman liturgy and much of the church structure but corrected what it believed were non-Biblical errors that had crept into the Roman church over the centuries. The Anglican church likewise retained the church structure and worship.
Other Christian groups opted to throw out all of it in favor of different, more simplistic and often stark forms of worship. In retrospect, they may have thrown out the baby with the bath water, retaining only key dates such as Christmas, Easter and possibly Pentecost. Some introduced a few new ones, such as Reformation Sunday.
In trying to counter the secularization of its holy days, the church is having a difficult time because it has forgotten the origins of its celebrations.
Advent
In western churches the four Sundays prior to Christmas were called Advent, coming from the Latin verb advenire, meaning "to come towards."
The church was decorated in purple, along with the priest who wore the same color, signifying penance. Prior to December 25th, the church was in a period of penance, preparation and anticipation of the Messiah's birth. Fasting was observed several times a week. All of the hymns and prayers reflected this repentance and preparation; a period of darkness into which the Lumen Christi (the light of Christ) must come.
Scripture readings from the Old Testament and the Gospels matched the season, such as the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah and Gospel passages about the ministry of John the Baptist preparing the way for Christ.
Hymns included "On Jordan's Bank the Baptists Cry" and "O Come Immanuel" but never a Christmas carol. Christ had not yet arrived.
Then Cometh Christ's Mass
For centuries the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve was a radical change from the previous four weeks"this liturgical text became the centerpiece of a number of Baroque and classical compositions.
Christmas itself means Christ's Mass"the mass celebrated on Christmas Day. The church was decorated and ablaze with lights. Colors had shifted from purple to gold and white and the traditional green/red themes. Much incense was used. Christ had finally come. This was a time of great celebration, and hence the use of the word "feast" to designate the day.
Other Christmas Traditions
The Middle Ages saw the beginnings of liturgical dramas (often called "mystery plays") designed to portray Biblical stories surrounding Christmas. Recall that the majority of the population of Europe at the time was illiterate and so the mystery plays provided a method of teaching Biblical things. Over the centuries the mystery dramas started to become profane and secular in nature (sound familiar?) and so performances in churches were eventually banned.
Also, manger scenes (or creches as they were called in French) began to appear, and it was a Christmas custom for every family to visit the crche.
The Advent Wreath
The custom of the Advent wreath evolved in northern Europe. The wreath has four candles: three purple and one pink. In some cases, three red and one white candle are used.
One candle is lit on each Sunday of Advent at dinner time and the family sings "O Come Immanuel" prior to the blessing. The third Sunday of Advent is a different color, signifying that while we are still in darkness, there is hope and the light of Christ is coming.
In the western church it was called Gaudate (gow-day-tay) Sunday, meaning we should rejoice, for there is hope.
In America, the tradition has started of adding a white candle in the center on Christmas Day to signify that the light of Christ has come into the world.
Some Lutheran churches reverse the Advent wreath process, using a ring of candles, one for each Sunday of Lent prior to Holy Week. Sunday after Sunday one less candle is lit until finally, on Good Friday, the center Christ candle is extinguished.
There are as many Christmas traditions as there are countries and centuries. Many had strictly Christian origins. Others are a mix of vestiges of pagan custom adapted into Christianity. This, and the observance of Christmas itself, has been the source of much debate, which is not the subject of this article.
The Twelve Days of Christmas
The Twelve Days of Christmas ranks as part of the regular Christmas carol fare. So what are they? They are the days when Christmas was traditionally observed, between December 25th and January 6th. January 6th was the Feast of the Epiphany, when the three Wise Men finally arrived, thus the twelve days when Christmas was celebrated.
In some places presents were given each day of the twelve days instead of tearing into a big wallop of presents on December 25th. Traditionally the Christmas tree went up on December 24th in the evening and came down on January 6th.
The Feast of the Holy Innocents is celebrated on December 28th, commemorating the children who were killed in Bethlehem as Herod sought to destroy the child Jesus.
Santa Claus
Santa Claus means Holy Claus, short for Nicholas. The word "santo" is "holy" in Latin as well as its descendent tongues, such as Spanish and Italian. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, St. Nicholas was born in the ancient city of Patara. As a youth he traveled to Palestine and later became Bishop of Myra. He was imprisoned during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian and was later attendant at the First Council of Nicea in 325 a.d.
Legend says that he showed unusual kindness to the poor and the weak; oftentimes leaving things for them while they were asleep. In the Middle Ages he became patron saint of charitable fraternities, children, and other things as well as patron saint of the City of Moscow, Russia. After the Reformation, the legend of St. Nicholas died out everywhere except in Holland. It migrated to the U.S. with Dutch Reformed Christians.
Later in Germany, St. Nick would traditionally arrive on his Feast Day, December 6th. A man dressed as St. Nick would go door to door loaded with a giant sack. To those children who had been good during the year, he gave presents. To those who had been bad, a lump of coal was their lot. "How did he do that?" the kids would wonder.
St. Nicholas's red outfit was derived from the red colors bishops wore. The modern version of St. Nick originated in a series of Thomas Nast engravings, which appeared in Harper's Weekly between 1863 and 1886.1
Other Traditions
The Night before Christmas was first published in 1822 and picked up widespread popularity and republishing. During Queen Victoria's reign in England, tree decorating was well under way. Martin Luther is reported to have been the first person to actually put lights on a Christmas tree. (One can only speculate whose house was the first to burn down as the result of a Christmas tree.)
In 1880, Woolworth's first sold manufactured Christmas tree ornaments and they caught on very quickly.2
In Mexico and southern parts of the United States, Las Posadas has been a major tradition, which is now spreading in popularity. Las Posadas sees children going door to door asking for shelter, just as Joseph and Mary did when Mary was about to give birth to Jesus. The answer from the person who answers is always a negative head shake and the response, "no posada" (no shelter). Candles placed in paper bags (luminarias) serve as chains of lanterns on the ground leading up to the doors to show the expectant couple the way.
Rudolph, the genetically mutant reindeer, is a latecomer and has absolutely no religious significance whatsoever. In 1939, Santas at Montgomery Wards gave away 2.4 million copies of a booklet called "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." 3 It was written by Robert May, an advertising executive in the store. In 1949, western singer Gene Autrey did a musical rendition of the poem and it became an overnight best-seller.
Christians today tend to fight the ongoing secularization of their holidays. Some have rejected anything to do with them, saying they are not Biblically ordained. Others have tried to go back to keeping the Jewish feasts instead. It should be pointed out that the New Testament doesn't really ordain anything other than the Lord's Supper. But it does not prohibit it either, and under grace Christians are free to honor different days if they wish. Those families who want to keep Christ as the center of Christmas may find it easier to do by understanding the various symbols that have been used to celebrate Christ's birth through the ages and using them to retain the uniqueness inherent in the mystery of the incarnation: the birth of the Son of God.
Read more at - http://www.khouse.org/articles/2000/310/
Comment: Last time we checked, mist and dust don't cause power poles to burst into flames. It would be great to hear more detailed reports, but it sounds like another case of St. Elmo's fire, a plasma phenomenon caused by an electric discharge. The Wiki page on St. Elmo's says it can be generated by thunderstorms or volcanic eruptions, but another possibility is electric discharge from incoming bolides.
Sunday, 9th December 2012: Power poles burst into flames in Texas one day before Fireball sightings