Bog note: And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. (Luke 21:11). Jesus is giving a series of prophecies about what to look for as the age of grace comes to a close. This verse from Luke is one of many such prophecies from throughout the Bible. 2017 was the worst year in recorded history for the intensity, frequency, severity, duration and occurrence of a large number of severe natural disasters worldwide. Earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, torrential flooding, unprecedented wildfires in unusual places, devastating droughts, excessive/scorching heat setting records everywhere, record snowfalls in Europe and Russia. Snow in the Arabia. This list can go on. Most studied eschatologists believe these ‘fearful sights’ and massive natural disasters are all part of the ‘CONVERGENCE’ of signs that this Biblical and prophetic age is closing. Most people who study prophecy are familiar with the routine reference(s) made that these things will be like a woman having labor pains that occur in greater severity, frequency, size and duration prior to giving birth. End of note.

 Typhoon Mangkhut kills 3 in the Philippines; China next on alert

By Courtney Spamer, AccuWeather meteorologist. September 15, 2018, 8:13:45 AM EDT

After unleashing heavy rainfall and high winds across the northern Philippines, Typhoon Mangkhut now has its sights set on China. Mangkhut, also known as Ompong in the Philippines, made landfall on the northern tip of Luzon on Friday night, local time.

Peak intensity was reached briefly on Wednesday evening when Mangkhut became the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific.

Debris was hurtled through the air as the powerful typhoon crossed the northern Philippines, with roofs being ripped off of homes and businesses and many trees and power lines downed. Three people were killed and six others are missing in the mountain city of Baguio, according to the Associated Press. “Almost all of the buildings here have been damaged, the roofs were blown away,” Rogelio Sending, a government official in Tuguegarao, the capital of Cagayan, told Reuters. “There has been no electricity supply … communications were also down.”

“We’ve received reports that many trees were uprooted and electric posts toppled and are blocking the roads. This makes the clearing operations really difficult.” More than 15,000 people were evacuated from the Cagayan province prior to the typhoon’s arrival, the Associated Press reporte Over 447 mm (17 inches) of rain was reported in Baguio, Philippines, with 269 mm (11 inches) reported in Tuguegarao, Philippines, leaving cars stranded in flooded roadways.

As Mangkhut pushes westward and emerges into the South China Sea, it may weaken slightly; however, it is expected to at the very least remain a powerful typhoon.