The Bibical Quake issue and Haiti. There is more to all of this than you know.

In these last days on this earth as it shifts into a new awakening. The truth is becoming more than most can handle.

Earthquakes in these Last Days

by Steven A. Austin, Ph.D.

Earthquakes are among the most awesome, and sometimes most terrifying, natural events a person can experience. That was brought to the world's attention again by the great California earthquake of October 17, 1989. Already, that earthquake is recognized to be the most costly natural disaster in the history of the United States. Christians, also, have been asking what God's purposes have been for earthquakes.

SPECIAL PURPOSES FOR ANCIENT EARTHQUAKES

A review of the twelve historic earthquakes of the Bible shows that they were used at various times for special purposes.

1. Day Three of Creation Week. On the third day of creation the earth's waters were collected into their oceanic basins as continents appeared (Genesis 1:9,10). Continents were uplifted and the ocean floor was depressed during a great faulting process which "established" the foundations of the earth. We are told that angels saw and praised the omnipotent God as this earth-shaking process occurred (Job 38:4-7; Psalm 148:1-6; possibly Psalm 104:5,6).
2. Noah's Flood on the Earth. One of the primary physical causes of God's great judgment in Noah's Flood was the splitting open of all the fountains of the great deep (Genesis 7:11). Enormous earth upheavals on the sea floor occurred as sea floor springs were faulted open, unleashing a universal flood on our planet. God's purpose was to begin the human race again from the family of Noah.
3. Crossing the Red Sea. Although the historical record of Israel's crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 14) has no reference to earthquakes, the poetically heightened account in Psalm 77:18 speaks of God's voice expressed as earthquakes accompanying this extraordinary deliverance.
4. Moses on Sinai. Before God spoke to Moses and gave the Ten Commandments, there was a great shaking of the mountain (Exodus 19:18). No doubt the earthquake prepared both Moses and Israel for the important truths the Lord was going to communicate.
5. The Fall of Jericho. Bible readers, especially those who are familiar with the archaeological excavations at Jericho, have supposed that an earthquake toppled the walls of the city. However, the account of Israel's conquering the city of Jericho (Joshua 6) contains no reference to earthquakes. There is no doubt that the fall to earth of the city's great wall would have caused the earth to shake. God delivered the city, by whatever means, into Israel's hand.
6. Korah's Rebellion in the Wilderness. Korah and all his men were killed, and all of their possessions taken, as the land on which they were camped split apart and closed back upon them (Numbers 6:31-33). The 250 men were destroyed by God because they were in rebellion against Him.
7. Philistine Camp near Geba. Israel conquered the Philistines near Geba after an earthquake occurred in their camp (I Samuel 14:15). Jonathan and his armor bearer were separated from their army and would otherwise have been killed by the Philistines.
8. Elijah on Mount Horeb. God spoke to Elijah at Mount Sinai (Horeb) as He did before to Moses after the occurrence of an earthquake (I Kings 19:11). Elijah, who had been hiding in a cave, realized that the Lord does not need to use a mighty earthquake to speak, but can, in His meekness, reveal Himself simply in a still, small voice.
9. Uzziah's Earthquake at Jerusalem. Uzziah, the longest-reigning King of Judah, became proud of his great buildings and the strength of his army (11 Chronicles 26). The Lord afflicted Uzziah's kingdom and buildings with a great earthquake (Amos 1:1; Zechariah 14:5) as well as Uzziah personally, with incurable leprosy. A recent technical report gives evidence that this earthquake was the largest in the last 4,000 years of Palestine.¹
10. The Crucifixion in Jerusalem. When our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross, a great earthquake tore the curtain of the sanctuary of the temple, and many dead saints were resurrected from their tombs (Matthew 27:51-54). The earthquake was used by the Lord to show the great salvation that had been accomplished that day on the cross. Because of the earthquake, the centurion and those with him at the cross recognized that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.
11. The Resurrection in Jerusalem. No human agency rolled away the stone blocking the opening of our Lord's tomb (Matthew 28:2).
12. The Prison at Philippi. An earthquake not only released Paul and Silas from the prison (Acts 16:26), but it authenticated their testimony. The jailer who witnessed the event recognized the Lord's hand and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

"BIRTH PANGS" AND RECENT EARTHQUAKES

Recent earthquakes should receive a different interpretation in the Christian's thinking. Jesus Christ spoke of them as "signs" of His coming again to earth. He said, "There will be earthquakes in divers places" (Matthew 24:7; Mark 13:8), a fact now verified by the global distribution of earthquakes recorded on seismographs. Furthermore, He said this sign is the "beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8; Mark 13:8). The word translated "sorrows" in many English Bibles is the Greek work for "birth pangs." Just as we know that a woman is going to give birth to a child because of birth pangs, Jesus says we know that the intolerable anguish of God's judgment and the return of His Son is at hand.

The birth pang theme is also alluded to by the apostles Paul and John. Paul speaks in cosmic dimensions of all creation "groaning in travail" (Romans 8:22), awaiting the new birth of the world; John speaks of the sign of the pregnant woman (Revelation 12:2) and later describes the greatest earthquake since men have been upon the earth, when mountains and islands will be displaced (Revelation 16:18-20). This great future earthquake will be associated with the return of Christ to Jerusalem (Acts 1:9-12; Zechariah 14:1-11), and is described as inflicting severe topographic and geologic changes on a global scale.²

Figure 1. Global summary of ninety years of seismograph records showing the frequency and energy of large shallow earthquakes.3 A. Number of great earthquakes with measured surface wave magnitudes greater than or equal to 8.0 reported each year since 1897. B. Number of shallow earthquakes with surface wave magnitudes greater than or equal to 7.0 reported each year since 1897. C. Global energy of large earthquakes assembled from seismograph records beginning with the year 1900. Curve shows five-year running average (in ergs per year) displayed on the logarithmic energy scale.

Some people have supposed that earthquake frequency and intensity have been increasing significantly in recent times, and that this is fulfilling prophecy. This is an illusion caused lately by more frequent detection of earthquakes (more seismographs with greater sensitivity). The illusion is also promoted by the fact that earthquakes inflict greater damage on today's larger, urbanized populations, and, therefore, make the news more often. Since good seismographs went into operation late in the 1890's, no steady trend suggesting increased frequency or intensity has been demonstrated.

The birth-pang notion of earthquakes is verified by seismographic data, which shows their erratic occurrence. Figure 1 summarizes global data on large earthquakes during the last ninety years. For the decades of the 1950's and 60's, twelve great earthquakes with magnitudes greater than or equal to 8.0 occurred (Figure 1A), but for the decades of the 1970's and 80's, only three have occurred. Similarly, shallow earthquakes, with magnitudes greater than or equal to 7.0 for the period 1899-1970, averaged ten events per year, but during the decades of the 1970's and 80's, they have averaged just seven events per year (Figure 1B). Perhaps the best illustration of the erratic trend in earthquake frequency and intensity is seen in the total energy of large earthquakes (Figure 1C). A pronounced peak in global earthquake energy release occurred from 1952 to 1965. For the year 1989, the global energy release may be one-tenth the yearly release of the early 60's. Global seismic activity is very non-uniform in time; it is like waiting for birth pangs. When will there be another global upturn in seismic activity?

CONCLUSION

Earthquakes have been used of God at special times, with special people, for special purposes. Like other miracles, Biblical earthquakes were employed infrequently when no other human or physical agency could inflict judgment on the wicked, redeem His righteous people from difficult situations, or gain man's attention so God's Word could be considered. In fact, these three purposes—judgment, deliverance, and communication —should form our basis for understanding earthquakes. In our fast-paced, man-centered, technology-based society of the late 20th century, God would have us pause and consider His sovereign nature and His coming program for the world.

REFERENCES

1. S.A. Austin, "The Extraordinary Middle East Earthquake of 750 B.C.," ICR unpublished technical report, August 1989, 18 pp.
2. H. M. Morris, The Revelation Record, (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1983), p. 321.
3. Figures IA and 1B after K. Abe and S. Noguchi, "Revision of magnitudes of large shallow earthquakes, 1897-1912," Physics of Earth and Planetary Interiors, 33 (1983): pp. 1-11. Figure 1C after H. Kanamori, "Importance of Historical Seismograms for Geophysical Research," W. Lee, H. Meyers, and K. Shimazaki, eds., Historical Seismograms and Earthquakes of the World (New York: Academic Press, 1988), pp. 16-33. These figures were brought current from the year 1980 to the year 1988 by a computer search of the global earthquake data base of National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder, Colorado.

*Dr. Austin is Chairman of the Geology Department at ICR.

The problem here is where do you find the fine line between where the bible stops and folklore begins.

Even Pat Roberson was right in a racist kind of way.
And Rush in on his last days...

*evil stare*

Please PRAY for Haiti ... "Message from Wyclef Jean for people stateside: Please text "Yele" to 501501 to donate $5 to YELE HAITI.Your money will help with relief efforts. They need our help..please help if you can. The $5 gets added to your next phone bill." ♥ Thank you!!!

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Racism in The Marine Corps and in the Military.

This is more about history than it is about racism.

With the beginning of World War II African Americans would get their chance to be in “the toughest outfit going,” the previously all-white Marine Corps.  The first recruits reported to Montford Point, a small section of land on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina on August 26, 1942.  By October only 600 recruits had begun training although the call was for 1,000 for combat in the 51st and 52nd Composite Defense Battalions. 

Initially the recruits were trained by white officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) but citing a desire to have blacks train blacks, the Marines quickly singled out several exceptional black recruits to serve as NCO drill instructors.  In January 1943, Edgar R. Huff became the first black NCO as a private first class. In February Gilbert "Hashmark" Johnson, a 19-year veteran of the Army and Navy, became the first Drill Sergeant.  By May 1943 all training at Montford Point was done by black sergeants and drill instructors (DIs), with Johnson as chief DI.  Both Johnson and Huff would be renowned throughout the entire Marine Corps for their demanding training and exceptional leadership abilities.

The men of the 51st soon distinguished themselves as the finest artillery gunners in the Marine Corps, breaking almost every accuracy record in training.  Unfortunately, discrimination towards African American fighting abilities still existed and when shipped to the Pacific, the 51st and 52nd were posted to outlying islands away from the primary action.  The only Montfort Marines to see action, and record casualties, were the Ammunition and Depot Companies in Saipan, Guam, and Peleliu.  Private Kenneth Tibbs was the first black Marine to lose his life on June 15, 1944.

Sources:
Gerald Astor, The Right to Fight: A History of African Americans in the Military (Novato, Ca.: Presidio Press, 1998); Gail Buckley, American Patriots (New York: Random House, 2001); Bernard C. Nalty, The Right to Fight: African-American Marines in World War II (Washington, D.C.: Center for Military History, The United States Army, 1985).

I'm posting this subject here after having found out a few uncomfortable things about many of the Dark Green Marines I have recently reconnected with on a few other sites who all seems to have the same issues with certain treatment from their commands on and around Cherry point.

Now, I also remember the stories of the Montford Point Marines and their struggles in the Corps and how this also relates to this subject.

The subject I'm speaking of is Racism in the Marine Corps.

And for over 20 years I kept a personal shame of having had such a short term in the Corps that ended at the Cherry Point. And it wasn't until I became reconnected with a few old Marine buddies from school and from My time on Cherry Points Base that I found need to reach out to others and ask if anyone else has noticed or heard of this kind of issue growing around the Marine Corps? Especially around the Coastal area of NC in or around Cherry Point.

Here was My story in short...

My miserable time was in Cherry Point right after finishing My training at Ft Bliss where I got busted in rank two stripes and a nice notch out of My pay for a charge from some grunt lifer sgt that I beat up (defending My gurlfriend's honor) off base and didn't know he was a Marine and he reported for duty and I was the duty... And there I was reporting for duty as a buck private only to find out that My racist ass top at school was best friends with the new top I got stuck with and he chewed Me a new asshole the first day reporting and gave Me hell every chance he got.

And to add insult to injury My girlfriend got married and I had to find out from her parents after we had made plans for her to move to NC with me and marry Me. And My image of that great life in the Corps was dying fast as My top and his boys played with the UCMJ so much that I had more article 15s than Chesty Puller. And then I found out that something sneaky with our weapons in the Armory with missing parts from rifles that had not been used by us and reported it and shit hit the fan some more. And then I broke My leg playing football and still had to walk Guard duty with a cast on, and My family was having personal troubles I could not deal with from that distance and I was getting mess duty and guard duty every holiday I was on base almost. And no matter how many maritoious(sp) masses I got I got busted for something. And that shit never let up and there was no jumping MOS's with the amount of money they put into My training.

So it all ended with Me having to fight a court marshal that ended with Me having a choice of putting My top and damn near the whole food chain all the way up to Master sgt on charges after they found out about all the treatment I had recorded and them leaving Me back on base unsupervised during a NATO exercise in Navada. And I had two choices...

Court Marshal My chain of command and try to stay in one of two places I could be in My MOS or leave. And I didn't want to go but I had a critical MOS so I did. And they made My last days even more hell and even fucked up My paperwork to such a degree that I didn't even know what My discharge was until I got back to Atlanta... My car was stolen the day before I left and I was stuck with too much shit to fit on a Greyhound.

So let's just say that My most miserable time in the service was on cherry Point where right off base friends and family of many on base paraded in full uniform with the WPM(White Power Movement) and I never knew that in My SRB was the history of My family in the civil rights movement and I got stuck with some of the oldest racist asses in the corps in a unit that really never was useful in battle...lol

So I never did My 4 years by a few months.

And I wanted to live all My days in the Corps, until I woke up and found Myself back on the streets fighting the same shit I thought I was getting away from in the service.

The sunny side to all of this is all the people in question were made to retire instead of being court marshaled.

So I guess My story could be called a miserable time in Cherry Point and Havlock NC...lol

respect

"Please note that I did not try to personally call My treatment from many of the other Marines racist. But I always felt that it could not have been as bad as I found it in My journey in the Corps until lately as I started to find out from others similar stories like My own."

...

Now here is where I'm at now...

After talking to at least 5 Marines that I have reconnected with as of late. Each of them all had a similar issues and even similar discharges. ALL around the same era and time frame. And all but one were all attached to MAG28 during the 80's.

At least half of them were all rather contacted by CID or reported racial activity to CID or some form of JAG.

On Camp Lajune(sp) there was a report of Marines in uniform passing out flyers for a KKK and Local White Power meeting off base.

I personally had issue with a few "Light Green" Marines who actually had a KKK Robe in their locker that they removed only for inspection and personal use.

There was even a White Power celebration and parade in the city of Havlock that took place yearly right in front of the front gates of Cherry Point.

...

So I'm wondering if anyone has any memory of racial tension or even racist acts within the Marine Corps?

Not that it really matters...lol

But I have really been wondering about how known racism has been within the Marine Corps.

evil stare

respect

Reality check or stay in the cheep seats... 2010 You have arived at the promise land.

It's 2010...

A new Decade.
The change has come.

Time to shake the bonds of insecurity and mental slavery and hit the bricks like everybody else!

The only thing stopping you now is yourself.

And that old slave mentality you think you still got to bitch about.

You got a Black President.
Rather you like it or not.
That means you aint got nothing to complain about no more.

Time has changed.

So get off your fat lazy ass and do something!
*evil grin*

It's just that simple!
Just listen/read what Ole Russel Simmons said:

Message For The New Decade

At the dawn of a new decade, we have arrived at a moment unlike any other in the history of our beautiful nation. We have endured the brutality of slavery, we have survived the pain of Jim Crow and we have overcome segregation to declare our dignity and equal rights. We witnessed and participated in one of the greatest achievements in the history of our country when we elected our first black president, Barack Obama. And here we stand, with great opportunity, this year, this decade, to once and for all, emancipate ourselves from the mental slavery that is limiting our society and our people from moving forward.

To remove these shackles forever, we must take advantage of the opportunities that we have created. To me, during segregation, the black community was strong, because we had black dentists, doctors, drug store owners, grocery store owners, and many other business leaders providing our community with care and services. Integration came and although it gave us much more freedom and liberty, it also presented new challenges that we continue to face.  New  cultural and entrepreneurial groups came into our communities and took over many of these businesses and destroyed potential economic opportunities. However, now more than ever, the 89% of this country that is not black, is thirsting to buy our products and follow our cultural lead. If we ignore this 89%, we will never be able to move forward. We should not limit ourselves to just interact and do business with each other. I don't want to address just 11% of the population. I want to speak to100% of America. If I had segregated myself and  my businesses when I started Def Jam, then I never would have brought Melle Mel, Kurtis Blow and Run-DMC to the Mud Club in the Village, which was a White club. Black people didn’t like rap music, they rejected it at first. It was the White press that made us popular…the first time I heard my record on the radio was in Amsterdam on a Dutch station! I say all this, not to criticize you, but to challenge you to recognize your power.

I am saddened by many of my peers who continue to perpetuate the notion that diversity is wrong. When  black TV executives compare the multiracial programming I produce to “black” shows on their networks, it reminds me that we are also responsible for limiting ourselves. When online “black” gossip sites make an issue of inter-racial dating it exhibits our own responsibility for not progressing forward. If you only interact with “your group” in university or the work place, you not only do yourself and your company a disservice, you diminish the possibilities of a generation.   We have nothing to fear from integration because our culture is the New American Mainstream, the entire world is embracing us.  It’s our time to be open to the world.  At this point in our history as a people, we must uplift each other and encourage each other to change how we see in the world. It is honest integration that the next generation is bringing and they are challenging the old guard to step down and stop their old ways.  Similarly, too many mainstream companies today are limited by their inability to honestly integrate some of the most powerful American ideas because of their lack of diversity.  To speak to the new America, you have to completely rethink your “diversity” approaches in an integrated, fast-forward way, or risk being overtaken by an unstoppable tide of demographic and cultural change.

So, as we enter this new decade, let’s practice loving everybody and everything. Let’s be proud of our diversity and make sure it means what the word actually is supposed to mean. Let us not be agents for others to co-opt, let us be the agents of change. It is the wisdom from having experience and inside perspective from the most important cultural phenomenon our country has ever seen that this new generation carries forward. And damn, it is exciting.

-Russell Simmons

OUT WITH THE OLD
In with the new!

So are you ready?

*blank stare*

I wanna say you are but I doubt it!

As I glance around at many of you and your words it's the same old sad shit.

Waiting on a handout.
Blaming the invisible white man.

Well all bets are off now.

The only thing stopping you now...

Is you.


You are standing on fresh new images of change.

You may not see them right now.
But it's here.


Now what you gonna do?






respect