Blog note. Jesus indicated that ‘fearful sights’ (various natural disasters) would occur leading up to the time known as the Tribulation and Great Tribulation (a combined seven year period of great destruction on earth). Although these types of things have occurred in the past for centuries and thousands of years, they could be identified as the ‘season of the times’ due to the ferociousness of these events. They would be occurring in greater intensity, severity, frequency, size, duration, scope … just like the pains that a woman experiences in labor the farther along she is in the labor process. We are in the ‘season of the times’ that comes just before the seven (7) year Tribulation/Great Tribulation period
… 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).
… And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and
upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves
roaring; (Luke 21:25)
… Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which
are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken; (Luke 21:26)
… This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2 Timothy
3:1)
Jesus is giving a series of
prophecies about what to look for as the age of grace comes to a close. These
verses are several 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, growing in intensity, frequency, size and duration.
Mystery oil spills blot more than 130 Brazilian beaches
Louis GENOT AFP•October 8, 2019
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – The source of large blots of oil staining more than 130 beaches in northeastern Brazil remained a mystery Tuesday despite President Jair Bolsonaro’s assertions they came from outside the country and were possibly the work of criminals.
Tamar, a group dedicated to the protection of sea turtles, said the oil spill was “the worst environmental tragedy” it has encountered since its formation in 1980.
The patches of oil began appearing in early September and have now turned up along a 2,000 kilometer (1,200 mile) stretch of Atlantic coastline.
“We are not in the presence of a constant leak. If it is the result of a shipwrecked oil tanker, the leaks will continue for the moment,” Bolsonaro told a news conference in Brasilia.
“It appears to be criminal. This oil could have been dumped at sea.”
Environment Minister Ricardo Salles, appearing alongside Bolsonaro, said the government’s priority is “to act quickly to remove what is on land and to deepen the investigation to find the origin.”
On Monday, Salles said after visiting the affected areas that more than 100 tonnes of oil have been removed from the beaches in the northeast.
State oil company Petrobras, which is taking part in the cleanup, said its analysis determined that the oil was neither produced nor marketed by the company.
The patches of oil have been detected in all nine states of northeastern Brazil, a poor region known for the beauty of its beaches and whose economy depends on tourism.
– Ecosystems at risk –
On Saturday, Bolsonaro ordered a swift investigation to “establish the causes and determine the responsibilities” for the spilled oil. The federal police announced last week that they were investigating the spills as an “environmental crime.”
Monday evening, Bolsonaro said Brazilian authorities had identified a country that the oil could have come from, but he did not name it.
Citing a confidential report, the daily Folha de Sao Paulo revealed that analysis by Petrobras showed the oil could have come from Venezuela.
But Bolsonaro refrained from singling out Brazil’s South American neighbor.
Bolsonaro has been a vocal critic of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and relations between the two countries are strained.
Bolsonaro has also lashed out at international critics who blamed him for massive forest fires in the Amazon basin in August and a broader failure to protect the world’s largest tropical forest.
Regardless of the source of the oil pollution, the government did not respond to the situation until last week.
“The government took too much time in reacting,” said biologist Mario Moscatelli, who said coastal ecosystems — the beaches, mangroves and coral reefs — are particularly vulnerable to oil spills.
“It’s fundamental that those responsible be identified and that they pay for the damage, environmental as well as economic,” he said.
“Without a firm reaction, this kind of episode could happen again,” he said.