EARTH CHANGES AND DIVINE JUDGMENT

EARTH CHANGES AND DIVINE JUDGMENT

For he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.

- Jesus (Matthew 5:45)

In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other. . .

- Ecclesiastes 7:14

If you were like many people, you took a longer than usual look at the moon this past October 27th (2004). We were treated to a full lunar eclipse.

The eclipse cast the Earth's shadow over the lunar globe, leaving it darkened with a reddish hue. Some saw it with foreboding reminding us of the prophecy that "the sun shall be darkened and the moon turned to blood on the great and notable day of the Lord" (Acts 2:19-20).

There have been many uneventful eclipses since that prophecy was made and many of us continue to struggle with what it might mean. Some have speculated as to what kind of natural event would cause both celestial bodies to react in this manner. A number of theories have been propounded, from a total eclipse (how can they both be eclipsed at the same time?), to the effects of World War III (which someone once suggested would be fought on the moon), and then to atmospheric effects of volcanic eruptions.

The latest concern has been with a Planet X.

If you are not up-to-date with the latest Doomsday scenario, I'll try to clue you in. Planet X refers to a postulated tenth planet which is alleged to be so huge that it can be mistaken for a red dwarf star. It is said to be on a highly eliptical orbit which makes its frequency of appearance every 3600 years (or there abouts - the dates are debated). Because it is in an orbit and trajectory opposite of the other planets (including ours), it causes havoc and catastrophe every time it enters the solar system. The ancients were so awed by it that they ascribed it with the highest title of deity: Nibiru, Marduk, the Dragon, etc.

Before you are tempted to join the Planet X gloom parade, I must remind you of Y2K. Remember Y2K?

A lot of us are too embarrassed to admit that we saw the approaching new millennium with anxiety. The claim was made from the highest levels of government, industry, and intelligence agencies that the world's computers were not prepared to roll over to "00" without shutting down or getting scrambled. Billions of dollars were spent to update and reprogram systems. But when the fateful day of 1/1/00 finally arrived, nothing happened.

Many people expected the worst, and bought retreats, survival goods, and prepared for doomsday. Even Henry Kissinger was interviewed on television warning us to get ready. Afterward, town criers, like Gary North, were blamed for their jeremaids, but really, they were simply reporting the statements of public officials. The true culprits in instigating this hysteria were public figures like Alan Greenspan, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve System.

Was it a real problem? Some people think that the system was fixed before doomsday. That's the government's line anyway. It was not fixed. Entire nations did nothing. Their computer systems did not crash.

What is the moral of this story? It could be that the whole Y2K scare was a hoax to support the computer industry. A lot of people went into debt, including people like myself, who were not in debt before. A lot of us, though, bought survival equipment, stuff that we can't use right now - stuff that we are still paying for. That might have been the unintended consequences of the hoax.

Do I regret it? Not really. When I considered the price inflation involved with these products (Lehman's Hardware sees price increases every year as high as 10%), I figured it was worth paying the userer to get this equipment now. But I do suspect that Y2K was an ingenious plan to pump the computer bubble.

Lessons learned? The statements of public officials are unreliable and often capricious. They change their minds when it suits them.

The data from public sources are unreliable. Every report of a new aspiring PhD changes the paradigm of conventional wisdom. We live in an age when "the blind lead the blind." If a leader says there is a problem, there probably isn't a problem. If a leader says there is no problem, there probably is a big problem.

In Y2K, we got both - official assurances, yet statements which could be construed otherwise. With Planet X, we have official silence, yet public sources of information which are saying otherwise.

A good example is Professor Jim McCanney. He tells us Planet X is coming. Like a good scientest, he won't speculate when. He complains about NASA's official silence, but uses their data - like the SOHO satellite which watches the sun - to prove his case. Yet, he then advises us that the data is doctored by NASA and is unreliable. So why does he use it? How do we know that their denial is not a part of the methodology to create hysteria?

Who benefits from public hysteria? The government. Every time the public perceives a crisis, they give more power to the government. They surrender more of their rights. They listen to radio programs about nuclear war, UFOs, Iraqi terrorists, global warming, illegal immigration ad nauseam, and they wonder why the "government isn't doing something about it"? It's a recipe for mass mind control.

People who would normally be fighting for the cause of liberty are neutralized by these wild goose chases. They spend all of their time and resources on bogus crises, while the government consolidates its power. "Keep your eye on the birdie" is a very old and effective tactic.

At our home, we live a life of preparedness because we believe it is Biblical: "consider the ant" (Proverbs 6:6). But it is not central to our mission or vision. We believe God sends seasons of judgment upon the world. We don't know when. It doesn't matter to us. If you live a life of self improvement, close to the land, and learn the basic skills of survival, what more can you do in any scenario?

Is there a Planet X? Probably. Independent observation of the sun indicates that it is electrically interacting with another massive celestial body which has entered our solar system. How far away is it and will it cause catastrophe? Nobody knows. Nobody can see it. A trajectory is impossible to determine when you can't see what's coming at you.

The Earth is changing. Our climate is changing. Resources are declining. We are all vulnerable to the next financial downturn. Our greatest strength is in our ability to unite to help each other, of learning to choose stable leadership and work toward a common goal. Live righteously and form covenant communities. Consider the Family Abbey. That is an admonishment we are all obliged to heed.

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Addendum

At our last annual Labor Day Gathering, the issue of Planet X was discussed extensively. If there is such a planet which has entered our solar system, we will continue to see the following indicators:

1) The Sun will continue in its spasmodic behavior with increasing severity. There is no longer an 11-year solar cycle. There appears to be no cycle at all. This gyration will, in turn, cause greater weather extremes on Earth with new and horrific storms. As the Planet X approaches, there will be increased solar flaring and plasma ejections into space. Increased solar radiation and a weakened magnetic field on Earth will adversely affect human immune systems. New and tenacious plague-like diseases will increase. Cancer will increase.

2) The entourage of comets and space debris which travels with this Planet X will continue to pass through the solar system. The number of comets have increased significantly. There are comets hitting the Sun. Another one crashed into the Sun a few weeks ago. This will increase. Collisions with the outer planets will be observable to amateur astronomers. One or more of them might strike Earth, with all of the disasterous consequences that implies.

3) Long before Planet X's arrival, the world will be in economic crisis from bad weather, crop failures, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other localized catastrophes. The cumulative effect of these events will grind down the world economy and lead to a culture of war around the world as the peoples of the Earth struggle to survive.

4) At some point, problems with power failures, communications equipment (including satellites), insects, and migrating birds and other creatures will increase to the point of confusion and the breakdown of the infrastructure.

Response: For many people of the world, Doomsday will have already arrived long before the passing of Planet X. Obviously, a well-planned preparedness program is needed now. We have already begun to see isolated, yet record-breaking events which are the harbinger of things to come.

5) When Planet X enters the solar system proper, we will see various planets rocked or pulled out of orbit. This phenomena will be a warning that it is time to move our civilization underground. It will no longer be safe to conduct normal human activity above ground. Obviously, somebody needs to consider hole-digging now, since this is a time-consuming process.

6) The passing of Planet X in the inner solar system does not require Planet X to collide with Earth to be disasterous. Called by Professor McCanney "action at a distance", anything this large passing through the inner solar system, even if as far away as Mars, would probably rock the planet. This kind of Earth movement would destroy the remnants of our civilization and all but the most durable of man-built structures. The ocean's tides would flood most of Earth's low lands. Other dislocations too numerous to contemplate would also occur to the extent that there would be nothing left for the survivors except what would be in their backpacks.

Response: Only the most dedicated of persons to the survival of our species will remain alive after such a display of Divine power. Perhaps, that is the purpose for such seasons of judgment. People who are highly developed physically and mentally and who are willing to endure privation in order to rebuild civilization will survive. Fat, lazy, and stupid people will not. People who pray will survive; people who don't think they need a higher power to help them will not.

Final Note: How an encounter of this kind might fit into Bible prophecy was discussed at the Conference. This information is available only to Church Catechumens.