Russia Ceases Talks With U.S.

The decision to move ahead with new sanctions, thereby pronouncing the death of the Geneva agreement and the current diplomatic process with Russia, was agreed on a Thursday night video conference call between President Obama (from Tokyo), Prime Minister Cameron, Chancellor Merkel, President Hollande and Prime Minister Renzi, several officials said.

Kerry appeared at the State Department press room Thursday afternoon to declare publicly that Russia was not keeping its word.

“For seven days, Russia has refused to take a single concrete step in the right direction,” Kerry scolded. “Not a single Russian official, not one, has publicly gone on television in Ukraine and called on the separatists to support the Geneva agreement, to support the stand-down, to give up their weapons, and get out of the Ukrainian buildings. They have not called on them to engage in that activity.” MORE

Pentagon officials suspect the ships were part of a spying operation since March against the U.S. nuclear missile submarine base at Kings Bay, Ga. and other U.S. military facilities

Both ships were detected operating off the coast of Florida near the U.S. Naval Station Mayport, Fla., which is south of the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.

The Russian intelligence gathering coincides with heightened tensions between the United States and Russia over Moscow’s recent military annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea. MORE

Russia Threatens Response If U.S. Interferes With "Interests" in Ukraine

Washington believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is behind the rebellion in the east and the crisis has created a precarious Cold War-style standoff between the Moscow and the West. Russia has deployed tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine's eastern border, while the United States was sending 600 soldiers to NATO member countries near Ukraine to boost defenses in eastern Europe. 

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Ukraine Trying to Prove Russian Forces Have Infultrated the East

Ukraine's government has handed photographs to allies in Europe and the U.S. to bolster its case that Russian special forces are operating in the eastern parts of the country amid Ukraine's escalating crisis-- something Russian President Vladimir Putin has flatly denied. 

Click HERE for full article

It was unclear how the Ukrainian government obtained the photos, and CBS News could not independently verify their authenticity, or confirm they showed the same men. The U.S. government does believe they are authentic, and prove what U.S. officials have said all along; that Russia is fomenting the unrest in eastern Ukraine.

Video of The Week: Bible Versions

Excellent video! Very interesting to ponder! Did you know that different Bible versions OMIT certain scriptures?! They're completely gone! I had no idea!

New International Version

I should forewarn you, I am very familiar with Pastor Steven Anderson who is one of the Pastors in the video below. I've listened to a few of his messages. I admire his passion and his desire to share the truth, no matter how controversial it may be. He has a great Revelations series. but I DO NOT agree with everything he says.

No one has the entire truth, so what we have to do is find the truth within everything we hear and take the rest with a grain of salt. This is what I've done with Pastor Anderson's messages. He goes deep into scriptures moreso than anyone else I've ever heard, and it's very understandable - but he has a few view points that, in my opinion, are quite skewed and a bit offensive. But the way he allows scripture to speak for itself is very impressive and there are many things he says that I DO agree with.

Just thought I'd share that clause up front, in case you're interested in seeking out more of his material.

Mysterious Black Circle Hovers over Leamington Spa

Have you seen this article?!? SO. WEIRD. No one can explain it!

It made the Huffington Post, BBC News and even Yahoo UK. It also just so happened to appear the weekend before Passover. One word comes to mind....... INTERESTING.

Click HERE for full article

Here is a quote from the BBC News article:

Several different theories were put forward as to what the ring could be. Some people speculated whether it would be possible to fake the video. In theory you can fake most things, says Iain McArthur, an expert at Audio Video Forensics. For instance, the footage wobbles. You can fake this handheld look. But other elements seem to ring true, he says. There's a "blob" on the top right and top left of the ring, suggesting movement - "something organic", he says. It's not clear how far away the ring is from the smartphone. The video footage is blurred at the sides. But he doesn't think it is suspicious. "Initially it doesn't look like it's faked." It's not like other video of unexplained sightings - in particular the hazy edges to the black circle. "The blurring element is different from any UFO footage I've seen," McArthur says.

Here is a quote from the Yahoo UK article:

Nick Pope, an expert on UFOs and a previous government adviser on unexplained phenomena, said he believed the circle to be 'organic'. "It's a truly bizarre image. It looks like a smoke ring, but I can't see where it could have come from. Other alternatives would include some sort of unusual meteorological phenomenon," he explained. "One other possibility is that the shape is made up of millions of bees or other insects, but I've never heard of insects behaving in this way before, so if this is the explanation, it's a real-life X-File."

Both experts from different fields of study, from two different articles, call the ring... "organic"?

Here is the video footage:

Russia.... The Rise of Magog

WOW - Russia is ALL over the place in the headlines! I wanted to give you a brief overview, because I'd have to enter numerous posts to cover this entire topic. I'm including several videos and websites for you to view on your own time.

Click HERE for full article

 Quote from the above article:

"What clues in the prophecy point to modern day Russia as the biblical land of Magog?

Magog is referred to as the land in the north. If you draw a line from Jerusalem all the way to the North Pole, that line will pass through…Moscow. 

• Gog is referred to as the prince of Meshech and Tubal. 
• Meschech refers to the ancient peoples who live along the Black and Caspien Seas, the Moschi, or the Moschovites. This is the word from which Moscow is derived. 
• Tubal is a derivative of the modern word Tobolsk. Tobolsk is the former capital of Russia and one of its most famous cities. 

It is chillingly clear that the ancient land of Magog is modern day Russia. More startling are Russia’s allies as named by Scripture. A quick survey of Ezekiel 38:5-6 and the reader will note:

• Persia – modern day Iran. It is no secret the role Russia has and is playing in Iran’s nuclear program. Iran is located to the east of Israel. 
• Cush – modern day Ethiopia. A north African nation located to the south of Israel. 
• Put – modern day Lybia. Another north African nation and one that has become completely hostile to the West in recent days. 
• Gomer – while a modern day equivalent here is difficult, biblical scholars agree that the people of Gomer were the Cimmerians, who lived around the Black Sea and were expelled to what is modern day Turkey. So Gomer could be Turkey. However, the ancient Cimmerians lived in what is now known as…Ukraine. We should take particular notice of this as Ukraine has sprung onto the world scene as Russia is on the doorstep of invasion of this sovereign nation. Could Gomer be Ukraine? 
• Beth-togarmah – this too is not certain but some scholars have suggested Germany as the modern day equivalent of this ancient land. 

The uttermost parts of the north – when one looks at a map of the nations north of Israel they will certainly see Syria, among others. Once again, the role of Russia in Syria is unavoidable.

The point is clear. Russia, the ancient land of Magog, is on the move. The headlines declare it so. The pieces of its coalition are quickly falling into place. And it is this collection of nations, led by the great bear of the north, that will at some point make a move against Israel."

MARCH 16, 2014

Click HERE for full article

"Andrew Weiss, vice president for Russian and East European studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, suggested the confrontation could intensify.

Russia "is really turning its back on the outside world and is basically going to say to the West, 'Now, go ahead. Show us how tough you are.' And the West, I think, is struggling to come with an adequate response.""

MARCH 19, 2014

Click HERE for full article

Scope out the quote I posted by John Hagee in my post Russia Testing the U.S. - regarding the importance of the alliance of Russia and Iran.

Click HERE for full article 

"The United States and the EU imposed travel bans and asset freezes against a number of officals from Russia and Ukraine following Sunday's referendum and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden called Moscow's action a "land grab".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in a telephone call that such sanctions were unacceptable and threatened "consequences", without going into detail."

Post by BBC News.

MARCH 21, 2014

Click HERE for full article 

"In Crimea, heavily armed Russian forces and pro-Russia militia have blocked Ukrainian military at their bases for weeks. Following Sunday's referendum they have moved aggressively to flush the Ukrainians out, storming some ships and military facilities.

The Ukrainian government said it was drawing up plans to evacuate its outnumbered troops from Crimea, but many soldiers remained at their bases awaiting orders."

APRIL 12, 2014

Click HERE for full article

"With the federal government and Federal Reserve locked into their respective systemic-destructive fiscal and monetary policies, a related, continuing massive loss of global and domestic confidence in the U.S. dollar, should lead to an outright dumping of the U.S. currency in the global markets, setting the initial stages of a hyperinflationary great depression."

APRIL 15, 2014

Click HERE for my post on this article from 4/15/14

"Obama has vowed repeatedly to enact biting sanctions against Russia's vital economic sectors if the Kremlin tries to replicate its actions in Crimea, the peninsula it annexed from Ukraine, elsewhere in the former Soviet republic.

Despite those warnings, Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be testing Obama's limits, instigating protests in eastern Ukraine, the White House says, and massing tens of thousands of troops on the border, but so far stopping short of a full-scale military incursion."

HEADLINE TODAY APRIL 17, 2014:

Click HERE for full article

""They told me that masked men were waiting for Jewish people after the Passover eve prayer, handed them the flier and told them to obey its instructions," he said.

The leaflet begins, "Dear Ukraine citizens of Jewish nationality," and states that all people of Jewish descent over 16 years old must report to the Commissioner for Nationalities in the Donetsk Regional Administration building and "register."

The leaflet then described which documents Jews should provide: "ID and passport are required to register your Jewish religion, religious documents of family members, as well as documents establishing the rights to all real estate property that belongs to you, including vehicles."

Consequences for non-compliance will result in citizenship being revoked "and you will be forced outside the country with a confiscation of property." A registration fee of $50 would be required, it said."

Again - to understand the magnitude of this latest article - you NEED to visit my post from a few days ago Russia Testing the U.S. and read the quote from John Hagee.

Russia Testing the U.S.

Obama has vowed repeatedly to enact biting sanctions against Russia's vital economic sectors if the Kremlin tries to replicate its actions in Crimea, the peninsula it annexed from Ukraine, elsewhere in the former Soviet republic. Despite those warnings, Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be testing Obama's limits, instigating protests in eastern Ukraine, the White House says, and massing tens of thousands of troops on the border, but so far stopping short of a full-scale military incursion.

I LOVE a quote from John Hagee explaining what is to come in Russia:  Here is the link to the video.

"In Ezekiel 38:7, God labels Russia as a leader. This scripture suggests that America has lost it's super power status, and Russia and Iran are not afraid to attack Israel as America watches without responding. Ezekiel 38:10-11 says, 'At that time some ideas will come to you (Russia and Iran). You will make evil plans. You (Russia and Iran) will say, ‘I will march out against a land whose villages don’t have walls around them. (Israel)'

Ezekiel is portraying Israel as being without protection. Why? In the Old Testament, the wall around your city represented your military defense system. Babylon had a wall that you could race 4 chariots around it's top. If you had a small wall, then you had a very weak military system. But here, Ezekiel is describing Israel as having NO wall, NO protection at all! What does that mean?

The point, here, is not the wall, it's the symbolism of protection. 

Reasons why America will not respond to Israel right now: America is war weary, and we have a right to be war weary. Israel is without protection. The enemies of Israel smell our weakness and our lack of willingness to respond. When they watch our Ambassador and 3 Marines murdered and we don't respond, that means the green light is open for them to do what they want. The enemies of Israel are smelling the weakness of the West."

Click HERE for full article

Easter or Passover?

I recently had a good friend email me and ask how I felt about Passover. She was curious about what our responsibilities as Christians are to celebrate the Passover. I was SO honored that she valued my opinion on the topic enough to reach out to me! I only hope that I helped her find the information she was seeking.

Easter versus Passover is a very controversial topic, especially for Christians. We grow up learning stories and singing songs - and we build traditions that have deep connections to our soul.

For this reason, I want to disclose something right up front:
I am NOT trying to condemn or judge what you believe. Your relationship with God is just that... yours. How you express your love and gratitude to Him regarding His birth and resurrection - is between you and Him. I've celebrated both Easter AND Passover and felt spiritually fulfilled with both at the time I was celebrating them. For this reason - I don't condemn anyone. We're all on a journey. We're all at different stages. We all interpret things differently and we're all learning.

That being said, I've been a truth-seeker for most of my life. I grew up being taught certain principles that I didn't understand, so I left that path and landed on the opposite end of the spectrum. Neither side had all of the answers and I learned a very valuable lesson to always seek the truth for myself. I feel like for the first time in my life, I've uncovered the answers I was searching for. The puzzle pieces fit nicely and I can clearly see the picture.

The information I'm about to share is what I've learned throughout my journey, especially within the last year and a half. It has roots in both historical and biblical accounts.

Jesus spoke to the Jews who had believed him. “If you obey my teaching,” he said, “you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth. And the truth will set you free.”

John 8:31-32

The truth about Easter and Passover – is that one is biblical and the other is not.

PASSOVER

http://concordianews.org/kids/2011/1104-pass.htm

Many people think of Passover as one of the plagues of Egypt where the angel of death passed over the houses and killed the first born children. This is the origin of Passover. It’s been celebrated in remembrance of that event for thousands of years. Every year on Passover, the priests slay a Passover lamb and the Jews commemorate the event. The day after Passover ends, the Jews celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread where they remove leavening from their home. Three days later, they celebrate the Feast of First Fruits.

How does this tie into the story of Jesus? Well, everything in Judaism is calculated. God gave specific instructions for specific times to carry out the celebrations. Jesus died on Passover at the exact moment when the rabbi's were sacrificing the Passover lamb. It's no coincidence that Jesus is called the "lamb of God". He literally became the Passover lamb that was slain for our sins. At the exact second that the priests were killing the lamb for the Passover celebration, God sacrificed a Passover Lamb of His own.

http://www.doctrinalhomilyoutlines.com/2013/01/three-parallels-in-the-passover-and-the-eucharist/

Jesus was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In Judaism, as soon as the sun sets, the current day ends and the next begins. If I were to tell you that Jesus was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, you might assume that he was buried the next day. But this is incorrect. He was buried on same day that he died, but because the sun had set, it was considered the next day already. At the exact moment when the Jews were removing leavening from their home, he was removing sin from our record.

Three days later, Jesus rose from the grave on the Feast of First Fruits. At the exact moment that the Jews were bringing the first of their spring crops to present to the Lord, Jesus was taking the place of our tithe to God. He was our first fruits offering to God.

I wont go into much detail on this, but it is widely believed that because He fulfilled the spring feasts in His first coming, He will fulfill the fall feasts in his return. (Feast of Trumpets - his return to earth is always accompanied by trumpets throughout the Bible, Atonement - where we're getting ourselves right and turning from our sins - possibly the tribulation period, and then Feast of Tabernacles - where we're caught up together with him and celebrate in our new heavenly homes.)

Rather than observing the original story of Passover, we have a new meaning and a new reason to celebrate Passover in remembrance of HIM. After all, God commanded that this holy day be celebrated forever. (Exodus 12:14, Leviticus 16:29, Leviticus 16:31, Leviticus 23:21) You even see the disciples keeping Passover after Christ had ascended. (Acts 2:1, Acts 20:16, Acts 18:20-21, Luke 22:1, Luke 22:19)

http://thespiritmagnus.blogspot.com/2013/03/rome-is-where-heart-is-eucharist-food.html

Christ commanded his disciples to remember Him on Passover in the famous passage where he's having communion with them. The "last supper" actually took place on the first night of Passover. He took the bread and broke it, and the wine and drank it and then said, "Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 1 Corinthians 11:25

He wasn't actually telling them to remember Him every time they drank. They were celebrating a special occasion, so naturally the next time they would drink in this particular way would be on the same occasion... Passover. In the same way that they had been celebrating Passover for thousands of years in remembrance of their ancestors being freed from slavery, Jesus was asking them to remember HIM on Passover in the future... and commemorate His sacrifice which freed US from the bondage of our sin.

I can't think of a more beautiful reason to celebrate Passover, as a Christian.

EASTER

Here's where we're going to tap into LOTS of controversy. Strap yourselves in.

The truth is that Easter really has nothing to do with Jesus. The name “Easter” is the English translation of the name “Ishtar” who was a fertility goddess in ancient Babylonia. That's why Easter is associated with eggs and bunnies, both symbols of fertility.  Back in ancient times, people worshiped the sun, moon and stars as their gods. This is why most of the ancient “gods” were sun gods and goddesses.

Here are some of the most well known sun gods and goddesses worshiped in ancient cultures: Baal and Ashtoreth (Phoenicia), Osiris and Isis (Egypt), Adonis and Aphrodite (Greece), Cupid and Venus (Rome) and Nimrod and Semiramis (Babylon), who later became known as Ishtar.

http://ancientpeoples.tumblr.com/post/26838754545/ishtar-is-the-assyrian-and-babylonian-goddess

Notice a trend with the sun goddesses? Venus and Aphrodite were both known for love and seduction. So it's no coincidence that Ishtar was known as a fertility goddess. She declared a ceremony to be performed every year on the sun-rise immediately following the first full moon after the spring equinox. This is where we get our “sun-rise service” that is still practiced today on Easter Sunday. I wont go into the specifics of her ceremony, but it's very vulgar. You can research it on your own.

Ishtar had a son with her husband Nimrod (the same Nimrod who built the tower of Babel). They named him Tammuz. Ishtar's name is not specifically mentioned in the bible, however she is commonly referred to as the "queen of heaven" in scripture. Tammuz's name, on the other hand, is found in the Bible, along with Nimrod. So are Baal and Ashtoreth. (1 Kings 11:5)  - Keep in mind that they're all the same people, but they were called by different names according to different cultures.

https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2006/10/30/who-was-nimrod.aspx

Tammuz grew up to be an incredible hunter. According to Babylonian legend – he was out hunting in his 40th year and was killed by a wild boar. This was a HUGE event in ancient times because he was considered to be a “god”. The Bible actually backs this story up. “Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and I saw women sitting there, mourning the god Tammuz.” Ezekiel 8:14

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/582039/Tammuz

The mourning of his death was taken very seriously in the ancient world. In fact, Ishtar commanded that her followers give up something of importance to them for 40 days each year on the anniversary of his death. She believed that if they sacrificed something that they enjoyed, then her son could enjoy it in the afterlife. This is the origin of the Catholic practice of lent. She also commanded her followers to eat ham on the anniversary of his death– because he was killed by a boar. This is where we get our Easter ham.

Throughout scripture, you see God trying to protect and separate his people the Jews. Clearly, there was a lot of paganism going on in the background of history. Lots of sun gods and goddesses that the rest of civilization were worshiping. God was continually trying to keep his people away from it all. He put strict boundaries on their practices to keep them from being corrupted. He even put these at the top of the 10 commandments!

The first 3 commandments establish who the true God is, and His disdain for the worship of other gods and idols. I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. I can see why it was so important for him to drill this in.

Throughout history, as Christianity evolved and we accepted more and more outsiders into our faith –they brought with them portions of their own heritage.  Apparently, these cultural beliefs, through one form or another, were slowly merged into the Christian story. This is the exact merge that God was trying desperately to warn us against.

History has proven that we've merged beliefs across the board - including our Sabbath.

http://www.end-times-prophecy.org/roman-catholic-sun-worship-eucharist.html

Sunday was originally the date that the pagans worshipped their "sun" gods. It was the Roman Emperor Constantine that changed the date of worship for Christians from Saturday to Sunday. He was trying to make Christianity more appealing to pagans. In his seemingly innocent desire to make Christianity the most popular religion in the world, he basically told the pagans – “We’ll change our date of worship so that you can keep worshiping on the date you always have, just worship our God instead.”  This new date of worship got passed down into what eventually became the Roman Catholic Church.

The origins of Easter/Ishtar date back all the way to Nimrod, and was being celebrated long before Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt. It's no coincidence that this pagan sun-rise service, falls so closely to the Passover celebration that God commanded his children to observe.

There's a book out by an author I like - and I LOVE the title. It's called the "Cosmic Chess Match." The whole idea is that this underlying war of Satan against God is constantly a game of move and then counter-move. God moves and Satan counter-moves. Whatever God has, Satan tries to beat him to the punch and put something in place that is very similar in appearance and yet opposite end of the spectrum spiritually. Case in point: Easter vs Passover.

The Bible does forewarn us that Satan's whole purpose is to "kill, steal and destroy". (John 10:10) This not only applies to us on a personal level, but also to our spiritual relationship with our creator - the very thing that God desires the most. If the devil can lead us astray and manipulate us to believe that we're doing something that honors God, then he not only has us fooled, but He's also hurting the heart of God in the process.

If you think about it... it's pretty conniving!

I realize that this is a big pill to swallow, and I also realize that not everyone will want to believe this as truth... and that's OK. I'm simply sharing what I've learned - take it or leave it. There are those who are seeking answers for the puzzle pieces that don't quite fit. I only hope that I've helped you find what you were looking for.

Be Blessed!

Yellowstone Animals Fleeing Park: Volcano Dormant for 650,000 Years Ready to Erupt Again?

At Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, there is a mass animal exodus underway. Miles of buffalo can be seen running frantically from the Northwest end of the park. They are even running down roads. Elk are also evacuating at an astounding rate. Smaller animals such as rabbits and squirrels are also fleeing Yellowstone.

Recall, if you will, the tsunami in late 2006. Do you remember reports that animals were escaping and running for higher ground hours before the waves hit? This mass animal evacuation brought into light the instinct which biologists have known about for years which seems to tell animals when disaster is about to strike.

Click HERE for full article