Super Storm Sandy

Super Storm Sandy tore its way up the east coast leaving much damage in its wake. I have been glued to the Weather Channel watching the carnage ensue. As a former New Yorker, I was horrified to see the damage to Manhattan. It will certainly take some time for things to get back to normal over there. Every time they showed a picture of some damage it brought back memories of when I had been in those places, very scary. My Mom lives in Delaware and my brother in Maryland, as a matter of fact my whole family lives on the east coast and due to the size of Sandy, they were all in her path. Many of my friends were also in Sandy's way. As far as I can see, most of my friends and my family survived Sandy. I am still waiting to hear from my friends on Long Island, I am sure their power is out. I am hoping they did not have any major flooding and damage. 

This picture is from the Weather Channel as they were predicting the path of Sandy. This was the kind of storm none of us have ever seen. The size of this storm was beyond belief, 900 miles across, incredible. As if this storm itself was not enough, there was also another storm that was travelling east at the same time. As the storms collided they caused a massive blizzard in the mountain areas of western Virginia, West Virginia, western Maryland and eastern Kentucky. Some areas received around three feet of snow.

 East village in Manhattan

 Path station in Hoboken NJ

Most of Manhattan blacked out during storm.

It seems like these kinds of storms are occurring more often. Last year Hurricane Irene caused $19 billion in damage, Sandy will be much more. Then the October snowstorm last year and then a mild winter, it seems the weather is not following the usual patterns. People cry global warming, but weather has always followed patterns, it is just that we have never seen anything like this in our lifetime or since people started keeping track of the weather. 
With all the concern over Sandy there was another even that occurred on Saturday that would have been front page news on a normal day, a 7.7 earthquake off the coast of British Columbia, Canada triggered tsunami warnings down to northern California and all the islands of Hawaii evacuated the lower coastal areas for higher ground.

I am sure many are wondering about this crazy weather and signs of the end times. I believe that they are what Jesus refers to as birth pangs in Matthew.

⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains. Matthew 24:7-8

²⁵ “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. ²⁶ People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. Luke 21:25-26


As we get closer to the end of the church age and the beginning of Daniel's 70th week things will get more unsettled. There are only two events that need to happen before the Tribulation period begins and God's judgment on Israel. You may wonder why God is sending judgment on His people, but it is really a last effort to gain their attention and bring them back to relationship with Him. The last two events are the Rapture of the Church and the War of Gog and Magog. After these the Antichrist will rise and sign a peace treaty with Israel for seven years. 
I believe we will be seeing many more storms that are greater in intensity and also more earthquakes as well. Time is short, do you know Jesus?

The End Times

We have reached the final chapter of Daniel. Daniel has received several disturbing visions throughout his life. Daniel was faithful to God even when it could have cost him his life and God blessed him even living among his enemies. This is similar to God's blessings on Joseph when he lived among the Egyptians. God blessed Joseph and all the Israelites because he was faithful to God. Daniel rose to a similar position of authority among the Babylonians, the Medes and the Persians. Through his faithfulness God used Daniel to show His power to the rulers of the land where the Israelites had been taken in captivity. These rulers, seeing God's power, acknowledged Him as God and passed decrees that the people must revere God. Daniel was faithful to God and God sent Daniel visions of the future. That may not seem like a reward, but God knew that Daniel was faithful and would write everything down just as he was shown. 

12 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. ² Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake:some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. ³ Those who are wise^[a] will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. ⁴ But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”

⁵ Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. ⁶ One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”

⁷ The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever,saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time.^[b] When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”
⁸ I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?”
⁹ He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. ¹⁰ Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.
¹¹ “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. ¹² Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.
¹³ “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."

In Daniel 9:24-27 he was told that there would be seventy sevens before the Jews are restored to relationship with God.

 ²⁴ “Seventy ‘sevens’^[c] are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish^[d]transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.^[e]
25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,^[f] the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.²⁶ After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.^[g] The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. ²⁷ He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’^[h] In the middle of the ‘seven’^[i] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple^[j] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.^[k]”^[l]

After the 69th week there is an interlude, in this interlude we have the church age. That is the period that we are currently living in. The time period starts with the Messiah being cut off, this occurs with Jesus crucifixion about 33 AD. 

This period will end with the rise of the Antichrist and his treaty with Israel for seven years. This final seven years is the final seven of the prophecy. 
Daniel 12 is about this period of time, the final seven of the seventy sevens.
During this time the church has been removed at the rapture. The name Michael with the title the great prince can only mean Jesus the Messiah. When he first started His ministry, He came to His people, the Jews. Since the Jews rejected Him, the ministry went to all the others. Now, after the church has been removed, the final week is for the Jewish people to return to relationship with God, this does not mean that only Jews shall be saved at this time, but the focus of this period is the Jews. Those that turn to Jesus and stand for Him at this time will be saved, they may die a martyr but will live forever with Christ. 
Daniel is told to seal up the scroll until the time of the end, when men will rush here and there to increase knowledge. The end times prophecies were not going to be fulfilled for a long time and the people would not be able to understand them. Daniel was told to seal up the prophecy until the end times when people would be able to understand them. 
Two other angels appeared, one on either bank of the river, they ask when these things shall be fulfilled. Jesus swears by God that it will be a time, times and half a time, this is a week, two weeks and half a week or three and a half weeks, 1260 days or 42 months. 
Daniel does not understand what was going to happen. He is told not to worry about it. The time for these things was going to be a long time away. People would continue to be good or wicked. The wicked would not understand, but the wise would understand these words. 
Daniel is told that from the time that the Temple is defiled until the end will be 1260 days, or three and a half years. This is when the Antichrist breaks his covenant with the Jews and goes into the Temple and declares that he is god. 
Now the verse says that blessed is he that reaches the end of 1335 days, which is 45 days after the end of the final seven. There are many conflicting opinions about what this means, but really nothing certain. We will find out one day for sure. 
Daniel is then told to continue living his life, after he dies he will rest and at the end of days he will rise to receive his inheritance.