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February 18 Husband prepares lunch! For the 1st time in their 3 year marriage, a wife asked if her husband
would mind making the next day's lunches for them both. Obligingly he
agrees. The next morning, the young wife asks her loving husband, 'Where is our lunch, honey?' He replied, 'I placed it on the second shelf of the fridge. My lunch is the one on the left, and yours is on the right' Have a look at the photo… LOVE IT!
February 16 Is Spring around the corner? Yesterday I took my granddaughter back to her parents who had been
staying the evening in an Hotel for Valentine. Having lunch at that
hotel, we then drove back coming back through some wonderious snow
scenes and finally reaching the outskirts of where I live.
February 13 Friday 13th!Extracts from From: njgill@ix.netcom.com (Nancy J. Gill) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban Misc/friday the 13th origins NARROW HOUSES "Of all superstitions, perhaps the most pervasive -- and yet least explicable -- is the aversion to the number thirteen. Many buildings (particularly hotels) tall enough to have a thirteenth floor will not number it as such. We are told that the registration of Princess Margaret's birth was delayed so that she would not be entered as number thirteen. So firm is its grip upon us that even hospitals, those supposed bastions of rational thought, decline to label their operating theaters with the number. What is it about the 'devil's dozen' that poses such evil portent? The answer, as with so many superstitions, is biblical. Thirteen gathered in the upper room on the night of the Last Supper. 'And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.' (Mark 14: 17-18). 'Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot . . for he it was that should betray him.' (John 6: 70-71). As for Friday the 13th: a lamentable intersection of unlucky number and dire day. 'And on a Friday fil al this meschaunce,' wrote Chaucer in 'The Nun's Priest's Tale'. The superstitions surrounding this fateful day -- particularly Good Fridays -- are numerous: a child born on Friday is doomed to misfortune; do not feed anyone butter churned or eggs laid that day. Courting, and especially marriage, on Friday is a folly. Do not move to a new home or new job on that fateful day; do not rise from an illness; and please, please do not take a journey -- for as the fishermen say, 'A Friday's sail, always fail." This had more meat to it, more background--but was it still too neat? Well, this one appeared to back Winter up: MAGIC AND SUPERSTITION "Thirteen is especially unlucky terms of dinner parties, referring back to the Last Supper or the Norse feast: it is believed that one of the thirteen diners will die within a year. But the fear exists in every occurrence of the number. Throughout the western world people can still be found numbering their houses '12 1/2,' to avoid living in number 13. The state lotteries of France, Italy, and elsewhere never sell tickets with that number. Hotels and hospitals, and similar institutions, often have no room numbered thirteen; and many big hotels, like the new Cavendish Hotel completed in London in 1966, also have no thirteenth floor. Fear is also aroused if the thirteenth of the month falls on a Friday--in itself a notoriously unlucky day, largely by association with Good Friday." Last Supper, Good Friday...yup, got all the elements. But what’s this about a Norse feast? Is that pre-Christian? Better look some more. Hmmmm, what’s this, then: EVERY MAN'S BOOK OF SUPERSTITIONS "When making beds, mattress should never be turned on a Friday or a Sunday. Sunday is taboo, of course, because of the biblical prohibition working on the Sabbath--the Jewish Sabbath being transferred to the first day of the week in Christian practice and Friday because of the general bad luck attributed to it. Many people consider that this attribute of Friday is due its being the day of the Crucifixion, but the belief in its ill luck probably goes much farther back in history and m have something to do with the sacrifices offered to the goddess Friga in Norse mythology. And there is still an uneasy feeling among both seamen and passengers when a voyage begins on a Friday. If the Friday happens also to be the thirteenth day of the month apprehension is doubly strong. Perhaps the best known of meal-time dangers is the belief that it is unlucky to sit down thirteen to table. So widespread is this superstition that most hostesses will go far out of their way to avoid such a catastrophe. Should any invited guest unexpectedly fall out leaving only thirteen for the meal, almost anyone will be dragged in to fill the vacant chair. The old belief is that the first person to rise from the table will die within a year. Slight protection against this fate is supposed by some to be afforded if all the company rise together. Nevertheless it is safer to avoid the unlucky number if possible. Usually the host or hostess will try to arrange matters so that neither a person falling out nor an unexpected guest will leave thirteen. It is thought that this superstition may have had its origin in the Gospel story of the Last Supper in the events which followed the Passover meal partaken of by the twelve disciples and their Master. Judas, who rose first from the table, was the first to die as recounted in the New Testament It is probable, however, that it goes back farther in time than that, for divination by numbers played a large part in ancient religions." So here we have Norse Mythology again being used to link the bad character of Friday to a much earlier time than the previous references. Well, there was only one other book in the library that might be of use in the research project. Of course, it was terribly old, and written in such a fey voice! But never mind--I can make one last attempt to pin down the Norse reference: POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS "The rise of the compound Three-Ten for Thirteen is so very general all over the world, that it seems clear that to the primitive mind of early Man it had no real meaning--he stopped at Twelve. So persistent are these old instincts that, even today, we stop at "Twelve Times Twelve "in our school multiplication triplication tables, though there is absolutely no reason whatever why we should do so, except for our inherited instinct that it was, and therefore still must be, the utmost limit of mathematical thought. Thirteen, therefore was not used as number, but as a vague word meaning anything beyond Twelve. To the untutored savage, as to the animal mind of today, anything unknown conveyed an immediate sense of danger. Thirteen was not really an unlucky number, but a fateful one--a number full of vague and unimaginable possibilities and therefore a number to be avoided by any peace-loving man. This curious point is amply proved by the many superstitions that cluster round this number, for they are all based upon the number itself. In the majority of hotels, for instance, there is no room bearing this number, and the visitor who sleeps in the thirteenth room slumbers quite peacefully because it bears the number 14 on the door. The ill-luck, you see, is not attached to the room, but to the number, which carried to the savage mind such dreaded fear of the Unknown. Possibly that may have been a million years ago, but the fateful character still clings to the number. Many people believe that the superstition about sitting thirteen at table dates from the Last Supper and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. That is not possible, for the idea goes back centuries earlier: but it does seem clear that this world fatality gave the idea new life and sent it bounding forward along the years to come. As a matter of fact, this was not an isolated case of at thirteen at table, for Christ and the chosen disciples worked together regularly every day, and must, surely, have risked the fateful thirteen many thousands of times. In Scotland, Thirteen is known as the "Devil's Dozen"--a title characteristic of the worst associations of this much abused number. I have already made reference to the question of Thirteen sitting at table together. But the Romans considered that the fatality followed the number whenever and for whatever purpose thirteen people gathered together. The Fish was an emblem of Freyja, and as such was associated with the worship
of Love. It was offered by the Scandinavians to their goddess, on the sixth day
of the week, i.e., Friday. I have already pointed out that many primitive
customs were "adopted" by the early Christians, in order to make life easier for
their converts--this was a case in point. Fish has been accepted by Catholics as
the correct diet on their sixth day fast. Here then we have the obvious clue to the Day's bad name--no decent man would be associated with such practices! Friday started its career as a good day, almost a sacred day--and in many countries it is still the day of all days for lovers. Then love degenerated into lust, and now the day is universally shunned! This trick of attributing to poor old Friday all the disasters that have ever befallen Mankind is a very general one--in addition to Eve's "indiscretion," as I may call it, Friday is popularly, but not historically, supposed to have seen the murder of Abel, the stoning of Stephen, the Crucifixion, the Massacre of the Innocents by Herod, the flight of the children of Israel through the Red Sea, the Deluge (of course !), the Confusion of Tongues at the Tower of Babel and many others, right up to William Tell and the other Apple! Give a poor dog a bad name, and you might as well hang it!" Wow! Thirteen has been ‘fateful’ as long as there have been numbers, and Friday has been disastrous since ‘Eve.’ I think Mr. Hitt may have been misled by Spanish conspiracy theorists, anxious to give more importance to the Knights Templar, their attackers, and their defenders. And guess which group succeeded the KsT? So that’s what I found out about the background of Friday the thirteenth. My sources weren’t impeccable, but they were the only ones available to me. I’m sure there are many other sources with other derivations. Who’s got another version? Which one’s right? Who knows? Thank you for your support. February 12 Life gets tedious don't it? I no sooner seem to finish a blog, go and see other people's, make a
few comments, do my emails and replies, go into Facebook and see what
everyone there is doing and hey presto - it is lunchtime! I always
thought that it was because I was getting older that time was speeding
up - you know I think that is where the term 'over the hill' came from!
As you reach the top and start the downward slide it gets faster and
faster. And I guess that is where I am at. However I just wonder why
our youngsters are also 'over the hill' as they too keep saying how
fast the time is going! Well I guess the answer is really easy there. In our days, we did not have all the wonderful gadgets of today. There was little TV, usually one channel, radio which meant we could sew or play cards or we would read books. We were taught how to knit and how to darn socks! Something I stopped doing when I got married! There were no computers, Wii, Xbox. We did have an opportunity to learn to play a recorder at school, I sang in the school and church choir, was a member of the girl guides and wished I had been born wealthy enough to learn to play the piano! Singing and books was my life. I even had a torch to read under my sheet after I had gone to bed! Remember those times? lol On the whole we played outside as there were more 'toys', if you like, out there than in the house. There was trees to climb, streams to walk along, tadpoles to catch, conkers to collect for the conker battles, wild flowers to take to school. We had bare knees that were scraped regularly and we shared what little we had amongst the other children. Someone may have a doll and someone a bike - I had a long wait for my bike but when I had it I think it gave me more pleasure than my first car! I had no time for dolls preferring to play football with the lads. Oh I used to spend hours on that bike - I would do acrobats on it, riding without hands was the norm, it became an extension of me - I went everywhere on it and it was like my best friend as apart from the odd puncture it never let me down. School became much closer as I did not have to walk - apart from when it snowed of course. It was a bit of a ladder if that bottom branch was a bit to high to reach - it was a fast get away after pinching apples that used to tempt us in someones garden and we got caught! Well we only took what we could eat and fruit was not part of our diet in abundance in those days. In these days time was magical. It seemed to stand still in the summer months during school holidays. Hours spent on the beach (I lived close to the sea) exploring the driftwood and shells and the dunes. I once discovered a hermit living there amongst the dunes - after my initial fright I would visit him on the odd occasion - keeping my distance of course. One day he was no longer there, having moved on presumably. On another occasion, my cousin and I came across a huge huge jellyfish - we later learnt it was a 'Man of War' and deadly poisenous. Fortunately we did not touch it. It was dead and had been washed up on shore. On other days we used to pick the blueberries from amongst the bushes beyond the dunes and take them to my friends house where I would stay for tea and we would have those blueberries. As the sun started to sink, I would realise I had better get home. No-one sent out search parties for me - no-one was worried where I was - we were a lot safer in those days. Although there was one occasion when a man called me across the road then asked me for directions and then told me he had a cramp in his leg and could I help him!! lol I was a little wild but even by then I was aware that this was not correct and I ran. I never told anyone though always fearing I would be in more trouble from my parents for having spoken to the man in the first place! Yes the song comes to mind - 'Roll out those lazy hazy crazy days of summer ' and certainly for me they were. Now one day seems only to be one minute and I do so wish I could slow it down - just a little. Today I am intending - hoping? - to start another painting but the sun is coming out ................... Guess what The sun is shining!! Beautiful blue skies with whisps of clouds -
makes you feel that Spring is on its way and puts a spring in your
step:) Unfortunately as you look down on the ground you see the snow
still sitting there reminding you that we are not out of the dark
winter days just yet. However, plant a smile on your face and you will soon feel so much better - I am sitting here as I type, listening to music. I have just received through the post a book called 'Acrylics Workshop ' which later on I will get to grips with. I am hoping it is going to give me a few more tips to improve my other hobby. That of painting. I find it so relaxing and if I am feeling down it is a good place to go to within myself and try to paint something that I might just find there - a memory, or a picture I remember seeing and all my troubles go away for a while and I am at peace. So it is off to the cinema for me shortly - the film starts at 12.00 so I will be back in early before the cold starts to bite again and the darkness falls. Have you noticed how the days are starting to lengthen? Especially with the snow on the ground it almost appears to be daylight for such a long time - the last three nights have been beautiful with the full moon creating a mystical other worldly feel to our planet. I just love the moon! During the summer months I have great difficulty as I would stay up all night just sitting under that moon and not wanting to leave to go to bed. I particularly love it over the sea - it picks up the ripples on the surface turning them to silver as they gently ebb and flow on the shoreline. The sound of them with the slight breeze rippling through makes me forget where I am and I feel I could stay there for ever. I lived abroad for a while where it was sunshine and warmth all day long and huge great moons over a placid sea at night. I had such a battle with myself as to whether I should sleep during the day or sleep during the night - I just wanted to do both! I have taken many walks along a moonlit beach under the stars and found it was equally mystical either by yourself or with a partner - provided they did not spoil the magic by speaking! Ok I had best get myself prepared for going out - being well wrapped up is the order of the day because despite the sun it is still bitterly cold - although the ice is melting slowly but surely. The film I am off to see is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Director: David Fincher Starring: Jason Flemyng, Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond. I think Brad Pitt has become one of the best actors around at present - versatile and charming, his ability to turn himself into any character is great. For myself who was brought up with some wonderful actors and actresses - many of whom have passed on, it is such a pleasure to get one who I feel will be around for a long long time giving pleasure to audiences world wide. February 09 Another Monday Here we are yet another cold grey Monday! Forecast? More snow on its way! Did I move to another country and not realise it? I dont remember doing so and everything around me seems familiar but I do not remember either a summer like we did'nt have, a cold autumn and now finally the coldest winter with the most snow fall in 40 years! Global warming?? Seems to me like Global freezing. Everywhere you hear of massive amounts of snow - not just in our country but also in America who are also suffering with more snow than usual. In the meantime, that country across the world from us is experiencing such heat that they are having a massive problem with bush fires. Yes Australia - those poor people have had their homes burnt round their ears - people missing, cars abandoned and I wonder what happened to the animals there, did they perish or were they able to flee? I hope so. I was supposed to be travelling today! On Saturday we made the decision to cancel the three day break and have rebooked it for another two weeks time. I am so glad we did as Cornwall is being hit hard with bad weather and we are forecasted more snow here today. So far we have only had rain - however if that freezes......... say no more! My weekend was uneventful really - went out for lunch on Saturday to a local garden centre who has a great cafe and then home again. On Sunday went for lunch at my sons and spent the afternoon discussing and planning his next exciting venture. He will be running it alongside his other business so him and partner have a lot of work on their hands and will be literally run off their feet. We are there to support as much as we can but for them their whole life is about to be turned upside down and it will be a lot of stress for them. However, with a little help from friends and family we are sure he will be alright and we obviously wish him all the luck in the world. At this stage I am not saying what it is he is taking on - will leave that for future blogs - I dont want to jinx it by talking too early :) Have decided to take a chance and go to the cinema - it starts at one and so I will be out by three and hopefully safely home before any major problems occur on the roads. Have chosen to see 'Doubt' which looks quite good - Director: John Patrick Shanley Starring: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Viola Davis. This is the write up: 'At St Nicholas school in the Bronx, a charismatic priest named Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is attempting to challenge the establishment's strict customs. Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) is the iron-gloved Principal who has long upheld these traditions, and who has an unshakeable belief in the power of fear and discipline. It's 1964, the winds of political change are sweeping through the community and the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when the innocent, well-meaning Sister James (Amy Adams) shares with Sister Aloysius her suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius, without a shard of proof besides her own moral certainty, sets out on a personal crusade to unearth the truth, which threatens to tear the community apart.'
I am also wanting to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Director: David Fincher Starring: Jason Flemyng, Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Julia
Ormond. This is the write up: 'Brad Pitt plays a man born in his eighties who grows progressively younger as his life keeps pace with the events of history. Adapted from a story by Great Gatsby author F Scott Fitzgerald, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tells the tale of a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards. We follow his life from the end of World War I in 1918 and into the 21st century, following a journey that is as unusual as any man's life can be. Directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett with Taraji P Henson, Tilda Swinton, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas and Julia Ormond, Benjamin Button is the tale of a not-so ordinary man and the people and places he encounters. The ever-versatile Brad Pitt is the perfect actor to convey the joys of love and the sadness of death in this touching and magical fable.' So I shall be going to the cinema twice this week. There are actually some good films on this week and with my concessions it does not cost me much to go so I like to take advantage of it - I can go anytime day or night, any day and see how ever many films I wish to - pretty good isnt it? It is called an Anytime Ticket. Check it out. Guess thats all for today - travel warmly and safely - its a full moon tonight!
February 06 Is this the best you got? I wasnt going to do any more politics but could not resist this article :) I hope the pictures come out too but if not you will just have to ignore the spaces ! Is This the Best You Got? (written by Ethan Roberts, Contributing Editor, Tycoon Report) dated 6th February 2009 You may recall an article that I wrote last September in which I mentioned a little league pitcher who was so good, they wouldn't let him compete against the other kids of his age. If you thought that was strange, how about the recent story of the Texas high school women's basketball team that defeated another team by the amazing score of 100-0, only to have the winning school fire their coach and apologize to the other school for running up the score. They even went so far as to request that the league grant them a forfeit for winning by such a lopsided amount!  Now this week we have the withdrawal of two of President Obama's selections for cabinet posts, Nancy Killefer, and Tom Daschle, for improprieties related to their tax returns. Killefer's tax lien was less than $1,000, but her problem paled in comparison to Daschle who somehow "forgot" to pay $128,000 of income taxes owed. And let's not forget our newly appointed treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, another tax offender from 2001-2004, who blamed his "mistakes" on Turbo Tax and his accountant. President Obama, is this the BEST you got? Daschle held a press conference earlier this week to apologize for his oversight, saying "It was completely inadvertent, but that's no excuse." Press secretary Robert Gibbs supported Daschle, saying "Nobody's perfect. It was a serious mistake." Ironically, Vice President Joe Biden, whose mantra during the campaign was that it is one's "patriotic duty" to pay his fair share of taxes, spent considerable time calling upon other senators, trying to hold support for Daschle's normination. But on Tuesday the NY Times called on Daschle to withdraw, and essentially it was all over. With Valentine's Day approaching, I can't help but think about Al Capone, that infamous gangster of the prohibition era, who literally got away with murder for years, but was finally put in prison for tax evasion. He allegedly organized the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, avoided prosecution for that crime, but it was non payment of taxes that finally led to his conviction and prison time. Today, by contrast, one only has to be a politician of prominence to receive a nice slap on the wrist for tax fraud.  The infamous Al Capone. If only he had
thought to apologize, he could have avoided prison and maybe even been given a
cabinet post!
What has happened to the American Dream? The popular media loves to build celebrities and sports stars up, so they can then tear them down when they become winners. There is a perplexing class envy in this country against rich and successful people that is supported by the media and certain politicians, which threatens to destroy the American spirit to achieve and aspire to be the best. TMZ and other fluff content websites make money by posting ugly photos of actresses without their makeup and stars at their most embarrassing moments. The big story this week is about how Olympics hero Michael Phelps, who won eight gold medals for swimming, was captured on film smoking pot. Now we know why reports say that Michael Phelps consumes 10,000 calories per day!  The future Mr. Phelps...? Hey, I really don't care if Michael Phelps smokes
pot. If he wants to destroy the best lungs in America, let him. Maybe he
figures there is nowhere to go but down after you win eight gold medals. Nor do
I care if Jessica Simpson gains weight or Brad and Angelina are fighting. It's
less than a week after the Steelers' hard fought, brilliant Super Bowl victory,
and already there is an article that predicts they will be unable to repeat
their performance next year. Good grief, can't we just let them enjoy their
victory for a few weeks before we start to bash them?!
So what I am saying is that we need to support the people who are the winners and achievers in our society, and stop tearing them down. What does this teach future generations - that achievement should be avoided at all costs? That you have to forfeit, or not be allowed to play if you are too good? That everyone deserves a trophy, even if they come in last place? That as Senator Clare McCaskill (D- Missouri) just proposed, corporate CEO's can only get paid a maximum of $400,000 a year? Brilliant move, Ms. McCaskill. How are struggling companies supposed to lure the top executive talent in America to turn their company around on a salary that is probably far less than their current earnings?  Clare McCaskill greets little Jimmy, the new
CEO of XYZ Widgets. Said Jimmy, "Thanks Miss Clare! Nobody else wanted the job,
but I took it 'cause it pays twice what Mom and Dad give me to mow the
lawn!"
I don't know how Tycoon readers feel, but
I'm sick of this whole drive for mediocrity, fairness, and banality! I am
wondering: how will this affect us as investors? In the future if you make a
big profit from a stock trade, will you have to share your profit with someone
who lost money on that same stock? Will the government make me share any
profits from a foreclosure that I buy and later sell with the previous owner who
lost that house? Or will I just be required to buy homes with a mediocre view,
so-so location, and a school district that came in last in graduating students?
Not if I have any say in the
matter!
To be a winner in life, one searches for and
strives to be the best at all times. You look to buy homes with great floor
plans, excellent location, the best schools, etc. You only want to buy stocks
that will be winners, either short or long term. As investors, you search the
web looking for breakout charts, top performing ETFs or Mutual Funds, and
superior performance on all levels. We are not here to break even or to have
mediocre portfolio results. We are here to be successful and to grow our wealth
over time.
So let's make a pledge together in 2009 to be as competitive as possible, to strive for excellence, and to always give our best in our work, our investing, and with our friends and families. As the sub prime meltdown and current economic climate indicate, political correctness is definitely not working to sustain greatness in America. Only faith in the free markets and superior individual efforts by all can restore our once great society.  It is Friday! Woke up this morning to that stillness and light that only snow can bring so I knew even before I opened the curtains that it had snowed yet again in the night. It looks so beautiful - but like many beautiful things it can also be lethal ! Today most schools are closed, there are cars abandoned, people have struggled to get to work - most anyway - and are contemplating leaving early in order to get home just in case. The worse prospect of course is ICE - if it freezes on top of all this snow it will not be pleasant. So who knows what the weekend will bring? Personally I am hoping it will soon clear as I am off on Monday! Just three days away - I suppose it is too much to ask that the snow stays away just for that period? Keeping my fingers crossed. It is strange that our whole family has been affected by the snow despite the differences of where we live. I have a son and a step son in America and for Xmas the son was snowed in, the end of January the step son was snowed in and now it is us the English family who, if not exactly snowed in, are finding things difficult. My English son is having problems as his employees cannot get to the jobs that have been booked in and Paige could not get to school. Think about people who are moving house today! What a nightmare wondering if the removal wagons will even turn up or if the house you are going to, the owners have been able to move out! Can you just picture the chaos! My problems are simple - I could not go to the gym this morning and the planned cinema trip I had today. Nothing drastic but being housebound is not much fun either! It was nice to have a phone call from my friend Elaine who lives in Taunton and is also having trouble getting into work but still had the time to think about me and to ring to see if I was alright with this weather - that meant a lot to me. It was also nice to hear from my younger son Mitch, here in England who had the same thought - it makes me feel warm inside to know that someone is thinking about me and have concern for me - I am indeed fortunate :) I am not cold though and that counts for a lot - I have finished my painting and now looking to see what will be the next one. I will not be starting a new one though until I come home from my break so I just may get some inspiration whilst away :) In the meantime I am now going to curl up with a book and maybe watch a little tv - from the kitchen there is an delicious aroma of mince and dumplings seeping through, making my tummy rumble - still a bit early to eat though. I know I should not eat dumplings but just this once wont hurt me - it is truly comforting food for when it is cold and white outside - that is my excuse anyway:) Well I will take this opportunity of wishing whoever (if anyone!) is reading this, a very happy and peaceful weekend - do something you enjoy doing - life is too short to put things off! God bless.  February 05 Thursday - another snow day! Well I missed writing yesterday - funny day really. Went to the hairdressers in the morning and whilst there received a phone call from my son asking us to join them for lunch. They were basically looking at the competition - he is considering a pub and has had an offer accepted on it! This is quite exciting for all of us although I am not actually involved in working there but to watch them as they start off on a new adventure is a boost to all of us. He has many plans and I am sure he will put them into action as soon as he can. Of course we now know where next Xmas and New Year will be held - lol It is a nice little pub and I will not jinx it by saying where it is or what it is called until it is signed sealed and delivered. He is looking at building up the restaurant side of things as well as the bar itself. The pub has been closed for 9 months for refurbishments and so has lost its trade - this in itself is a challenge but word of mouth soon gets things flowing again. I am looking forward to seeing him installed although it is going to be hard work for them both as they still have their other business to run and still have their house which they have put up for sale but will not accept silly offers! Neither should they as it is a lovely 4 bedroom house - they are going into three bedroom accommodation so a quart into a pint pot comes to mind - lol. Today if you look out the window you can see presumably what I am seeing. A heavy downfall of snow has everything covered and it is far thicker than what we had at the beginning of the week! So I am snowbound really - unless I get out there with a shovel and salt and my health does not allow me to do things like that! Never mind, good excuse for staying in my p.j's and get on with my painting which I have half completed. I want to get this one finished as I am missing doing seascapes and would like to start one soon. Was going to the cinema today but guess that has to be put on hold - I am hoping and praying that this will clear over the weekend as going to Cornwall on Monday. Once there it will not be so bad but I do not want to have to cancel cos we cant travel or getting stuck there cos we cant get home - mind you that is a better option:) So today \I think I will make a list out of what is needed and make a start. February 03 Pilates - its a must for me to keep fit! Sunshine and clear expanse of blue blue skies with a few whisps of white cloud. Am I describing summer? No - it is still snow outside, still freezing and still very white. As I speak snow flurries are being scattered around as the wind has arrived and blowing the snow from the trees - having spent a fortune on salt to get the drive way clear enough for me to get back in - I am glad that we do not have enough snow around to cover the drive once again and have more ice! However it does call for me to get out and having missed one session at gym yesterday I do need to go today - I feel I might seize up if I dont - bit like a car really, leaving it sitting there and it rusts and parts stop working - well that is me! lol Whilst out, there is a large pot of stew quietly bubbling away and the smell is delicious! It will be waiting there for me when I get home and will warm me up. I just love looking out at the white magical landscape with the sun shining on it! It is not often we get snow so I feel I must make the most of it - mind I only like to look not touch! I think the worse thing at the moment is the freezing cold and now with the wind this enhances the chill. One day more we are assured and then the weather will change. I am thanking our timing, as next week we are off to Cornwall for a three day break and it could so easily have been this week that we chose which would have been a disaster! The hotel we are staying at has spa and pampering facilities so the weather will not bother me unduly - providing I can get there and back without incident. A couple of good books, a little swimming and a massage - good food and warm comfortable surroundings - who could ask for anything more? Off to the gym now to do my pilates - may or may not stay on for Tai Chi but am tired today having not slept well so may be wiser not to do two classes. Best go and get ready. February 02 Snowy cold Monday Well here we are - it is Monday the 2nd February - and what a day! It is snowing, bitterly cold and I had a meeting to go to at 9.30 several miles away! So on reflection I decided it was silly to attempt to go and have emailed to send my apologies. I have to say it looks quite pretty out there but we also have a cold wind which is freezing the snow and dropping temperatures to feel like minus 3 or 4. Therefore, in my opinion, unless you actually have to go somewhere, the best place is to stay in and keep warm. This is particularly true of course, for me who is so vulnerable to colds and other virus's. I will take the opportunity of catching up mail and recorded television programmes - the day will soon go. I may start a painting later on today depends on how I feel. I am feeling just a little tired today as it has been quite a busy weekend for me - dinner out on Saturday night was good and we did not have a late night as it was yet again bitterly cold and we all wanted to get home before it got worse. On Sunday after a very nice lunch cooked by Dan, we had a drink or two or three or ...... you get the picture?? lol I am fortunate in as far as Pat does not drink so I do not have to worry about driving home. I was not the worse for drink or anything like that but in view of the cold and ice that was around I am not happy driving in those conditions and particularly in the dark so it was good to be driven home - an hours tv viewing with a hot chocolate and bed. My friend had left much earlier and she arrived home safely before any of the snow started coming down in ernest. Nice weekend. Today as I said above, I had a meeting to be going to so got up early but made the decision very quickly not to attend particularly as it was nothing that important to risk life or limb for. I will no doubt hear how it went in due time. I have just had a friend ring to ask me if I was going and I told her that in view of the weather I would not be going so she decided that I was wise and she too is sending an email to send her apologies. As I said to her - next week we are going to Cornwall for three days and I do not want to be ill with a cold or anything when I go! The weather there will not bother me too much as it has swimming pool and all those sort of facilities and I have a couple of good books to read so will be quite happy being pampered in the warmth and having some nice food served up :) Right enough for today - lets see what the rest of the day brings. Oh yes, I have had some interesting correspondence from a couple of friends in America regarding my previous blogs on Gods Final Witness and we now have a three way discussion group going as we read and disect and listen to each others views on this and the Bible and Testiments themselves. It is nice to get something like this going and is proving really interesting and fun. January 31 On a lighter note Well I have finished writing or publishing God's Final Witness and am now deciding what to do next. Not that I lack things to do - I most certainly do not! It is simply a question of what I do first! Today my friend is coming to stay the evening - she has just sent a text to say she is on her way so will be here in about a couple of hours. Was waiting on her for lunch but hungry so we will eat and save her some :) I hope we will be able to have a long chatter - unfortunately it is too cold - again - to go out anywhere despite the fact the sun is shining. This evening we are joining my son, partner and granddaughter at a local Italian restaurant which is very good (if a little expensive) but we will not be staying out long. The forecast for tonight is not good either - heavy frost and very cold for tomorrow too. As we are all lunching out tomorrow, I doubt that will be a late event either! My friend needs to get back home and the rest of us need to get back to normal - whatever that is! We have snow forecasted for Monday! Just when you think you have got rid of the longest and coldest month they bring back winter in full force!. Mind you talking to friends abroad they have had really bad snowfalls since before Christmas and my own particular family who live in the States were without power over the Xmas period. They still managed to do a meal on their BBQ and stayed cheerful - good to know the Xmas spirit stayed with them  I now have my step son who also lives in America, snowed in also - problem for him is he is running out of alchol to keep up his spirits - on a more serious note - his wife who has been away may just have difficulty getting back home - I hope for Roger's sake she does get home safely. I have another friend who lives in Spain and he is having trouble coming to terms over the fact that he too has had snow!!! He was in Ireland for Christmas but went home hoping for warmer weather and gets snow! Cheer up Peter - think about spring that will shortly be on its way:) On a sad note I was really sorry to hear that my daughter-in-law's father in America is on a life saving machine and a decision has to be taken whether to continue with this or not - it has been delayed now for a week to see if there is any chance of improvement. My thoughts and prayers are with them at this terrible time. I hope to shortly start my next painting. I have done the Xmas scene and the Spring scene but my family want to have the 4 seasons so I still have to do Summer and Autumn. It is not easy doing the same picture in different seasons and is very challenging for a novice like myself but I never say no so will have a go. Therefore some planning will be necessary. Well I guess that brings my weekend plans to a close and so we will see what Monday brings - when it arrives. Keep warm out there and keep cheerful and think positive thoughts - they do work!  Part three 2008 - God's Final Witness by Ronald Weinland Moses was to address the Israelites, and even Pharaoh, in a straightforward, matter-of-fact manner. It was not Moses’ responsibility to try to prove this in some way; it was God’s. God showed the Israelites and Egypt that Moses was His servant and His prophet by fulfilling what He said through him. You should note that God did not use the gift of healing or the performance of other miraculous signs to deliver the Israelites from Egypt, and He will not use such signs in the end-time to reveal where He is working and with whom. Some people believe that God will perform such signs in the end-time to reveal His Church and His true servants. That is not true. Just as God humbled Israel and Egypt in Moses’ day, He will do the same during the end-time. The whole world will be humbled before the power of Almighty God. This miracle of God, the exodus of a nation of people from Egypt, sent fear throughout the world. God will once again show unrepentant mankind the consequences of opposing Him. The Almighty God is going to bring about the end of 6,000 years of man’s self-rule on earth. What God did through Moses is small by comparison to what He will do through His two end-time prophets—referred to as His two witnesses. Hopefully, you will begin to see the magnitude of what is being said in this book and what is about to come. Importance of Two Witnesses God is going to magnify His two end-time prophets in a way that He has never magnified His prophets before. Approximately onethird of the Bible contains prophecy from God, and nearly 80 percent of that prophecy applies to this end-time. The major work of these two prophets will be during the last three and one-half years of this end-time—the most momentous 2008—GOD’S FINAL WITNESS 13 time in all human history. This final period will be the culmination in God’s plan of salvation, reaching a pinnacle, through this transition, from one age into another. When this period is over, the result will be good news for this earth and all mankind. However, the transitional period will be horrifying! The majority of prophecies given by the prophets of old, including those given by Jesus Christ, are for our time now. Early prophets were not to witness the fulfillment of these end-time prophecies. Moses, King David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel did not see these prophecies fulfilled. Even Daniel, to whom God gave very specific prophecy concerning the end-time, did not see these prophecies fulfilled. After Daniel wrote the prophecies God gave him, he asked God about their meaning. Notice what God told Daniel about what he had written, “And He said, ‘Go your way Daniel because these words are closed up and sealed until the end-time” (Daniel 12:9). This time in all human history is so important because these prophecies pertain to our time now. It is at this time that God will accomplish the fulfillment of all the things written by all His prophets of old. This too is why God places so much importance on the revelation and work of His two end-time prophets. These two people will reveal the present-day meaning of all the endtime prophecies, and they will witness the fulfillment of all the writings of the prophets of old. The work of these two prophets will be powerful and mighty before God. They will be instrumental in revealing God and His truth to this earth with power and strength on a scale that mankind has never witnessed in ages past. These two witnesses will proclaim the meaning of prophecies that have been hidden from man—prophecies that occupy over 25 percent of the Bible. They will give testimony (witness) of the validity of God’s word that is to be revealed to man over the next few years. Then they will also witness their fulfillment, as will the rest of the world. How important are these two witnesses to God’s plan? What kind of significance does God place on them and their role? This can be answered in part by understanding some of the symbolism God gives concerning them. God the Father and Jesus Christ inspired the prophet John to write the Book of Revelation. John never saw the fulfillment of what he wrote because it was not about his time. The beginning of Revelation is mostly about the Church of God that would continue for nearly 2,000 years, leading into the very end-time. John gave testimony about seven Church eras that would exist through this time. One era would follow another until the last era, the Laodicea era. The Church is in that era now, and near the end of it. Laodicea is the last era of the Church before the return of Jesus Christ as King of kings to rule the earth in God’s government. Man’s government is about to be brought to a close. In the first chapter of Revelation, John describes these seven Church eras, in symbolism, as seven golden lamp stands. Certainly this symbolism is important to God because it is about His Church that has continued since the day of Pentecost in 31 A.D., with each era leading into the next, until the end. The next two chapters go on to describe the unique characteristics and role that each era would fulfill. Later, in the Book of Revelation, God gives more symbolism that reflects the importance of His two witnesses. Notice what God says: And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth [symbolic of humility]. These are the two olive trees, and the two lamp stands standing [Gk.—set, 2008—GOD’S FINAL WITNESS 15 established] before [Gk.—in the presence of] the God of the earth. (Revelation 11:3-4) A literal translation of this last verse is saying, “These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands which are established in the presence of God unto the earth.” These two people are represented as two lamp stands and two olive trees, which God sets before Him to reveal His will to the whole earth. This symbolism is of great importance to God. It represents what He is about to accomplish on the earth through His two endtime prophets. The symbolism of the Church and these two witnesses is also recorded in Zechariah. This prophecy in Zechariah places great importance on the symbolism of the lamp stands that concerns the Church and the olive trees that represent God’s two witnesses. Zechariah was awakened out of a sleep by an angel and asked what he had seen. I have looked, and behold a lamp stand all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top of it, and two olive trees by it, with one upon the right side of the bowl and the other upon the left side of it. (Zechariah 4:2-3) This is the same symbolism that was given to John concerning the Church eras and the two witnesses. Zechariah continued to question the angel: What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candle stand and upon the left side thereof? And I asked further and said to him, “What are these two olive branches which go through the two golden pipes to empty the golden oil out of themselves?” And he answered me and said, “Don’t you know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones that stand before the Lord unto the whole earth.” (Zechariah 4:11-14) This prophecy in Zechariah is the same as what is clarified more fully through John in the Book of Revelation. These two olive trees that stand beside the candle stands, which picture the seven Church eras, symbolize the importance, magnitude and power that will conclude nearly 2,000 years of Church history and 6,000 years of man’s self-rule. God’s two anointed ones, His two witnesses—His two prophets, are established to witness to the whole world about the greatest phase yet of His plan and purpose for mankind. It is the prophetic transition from one era to another, from man’s self-rule to God’s rule, from the firstfruits of God’s Church to the manifestation of the Kingdom of God. The Next Step It is now with boldness, confidence and great clarity that I give to you what God has given me. I am to announce, through God’s direct revelation, that I am one of those two witnesses. The other witness will be revealed to the world during the time of the great tribulation—within the final three and one-half years of man’s era. During that period of time, we will, together, completely fulfill all that God has given us to witness to this whole earth. Then, at the end, we will die in the streets of Jerusalem; and finally, exactly three and one-half days later, we will be resurrected (Revelation 11). The world will see this resurrection via television. At this same time Jesus Christ will appear in the heavens above the earth as He is returning to take the reigns of man’s government on earth. All this will be explained more fully later in this book. 2008—GOD’S FINAL WITNESS 17 It is not my job to prove this to anyone—it is God’s! He will do so by His great power. This is all about God—His plan, His purpose, His will, His judgment, His way, and His truth. My job is to tell it like it is—as God directs me. I am to say as Moses said, “I AM has sent me to you.” Yes, the ETERNAL God, the God of Abraham has sent me to you. I am to state clearly that I am an end-time prophet, a prophet of the God of Abraham. A prophet of the God of Abraham is specifically given for a great purpose, which is to make clear that this book is not slanted to show favoritism to Judaism, Christianity or Islam, but to take all three back to a time of common ground. First and foremost, God will address the followers of those three religions. The rest of humanity will be dealt with differently. There is only one true, eternal-living God. He created all the universe and man upon the earth. He is the God of Abraham. Yet, after Abraham, and on through time, religious ideas about God became horribly varied and obscure. Various offshoots began to believe that they were the only true religion and the only authentic representatives of God’s Word. God will now begin to reveal, and very powerfully, what is true and what is from Him. God will expose all that is false and not of Him. People are not accustomed to hearing a prophet because no prophet has been sent by God during this generation, until now. No writings of a prophet have been recorded for centuries, until now. People are not accustomed to being spoken to in the way I am doing in this book. God will not cajole, plead or seek to be diplomatic with the feelings, beliefs or concerns of others. You are the one who must come into subjection to God. His ways will reign. All who resist and oppose God will be broken. The fragile sensitivities of the politically correct are of no concern to God. This is not a time to test God. This is not a time to ignore God’s words. This is not a time to “wait and see,” although most will do so for as long as they can. This is not a time to hold onto your “religious” beliefs. This is all deeply true because this is the time that God has chosen to change the earth. This is the time He has chosen to remove all governments and religions. The time of man has come to an end. The time of God has come—it is NOW! It all depends upon you. Catastrophic end-time events will be fulfilled. You can respond to God in a genuine manner, through repentance, and place yourself at His mercy seat, for Almighty God is a God of love. He is compassionate and full of mercy toward those who seek His ways. All other ways cause suffering, pain and oppression in life. God’s desire is that we be free from all that, and this just happens to be the age of man when such deliverance is coming. As God delivered Israel from the burdens of Egypt, He is now going to deliver this entire world from the burdens of man’s self-rule and the way of bondage that has come from Satan. However, this time, God is going to do all this on a scale that is many times greater. Much to Consider As God’s prophetic writings unfold through their systematic unveiling and literal manifestation, the world will be confounded. You have much to ponder and consider as you read. Much of this will seem surreal, but it will be reality. Radio interviews, regarding the first book, The Prophesied End-Time, reflect much about the attitude and nature of man. How could anyone seriously believe all that was written in it? 2008—GOD’S FINAL WITNESS 19 The world has been flooded with books that contain everything that man can imagine. Whatever subject interests you, something has been written about it. Is it any wonder that man is so skeptical? Is it any wonder that man is so confused, especially when it comes to so many different ideas—so much contradiction about God? Future interviews, after the publication of this book, will take on an even stronger message; and they will be followed by greater end-time events. God is going to broadcast powerfully the message contained in both books. It is like the proverbial mustard seed, which starts out small but grows very large. Not very many copies of this book will go out into the world, but the book’s message will go out; and it will become stronger as cataclysmic events in the world become stronger. Man’s ability to destroy himself will, itself, be destroyed. Man’s oppression of man will be brought to an end. A world ofunprecedented peace will follow. Can you imagine a world with no wars and no oppression, a world where people and businesses cooperate rather than compete, a world with one religion, a world with one government, and a world where everyone in government deals in righteousness rather than politics and selfish gain? This is the good news beyond all that is bad, which must first befall the earth. God speed that time! A Final Matter Some of the interviews, along with numerous call-in responses, addressed a question that needs to be answered here. Their concern referred to the timing of the end-time. This was approached in different ways, but basically it was stated as follows, “Isn’t it true that no man knows the time or hour of these things Again, this was stated in many different ways. Some were closer to the actual Biblical statements than others, but most stated this as a simple generality. This may have been addressed by some in a sincere manner, but most were “making a statement.” Those who were making a statement were doing so in order to discredit me as a prophet. After all, if I contradict God’s word, then how can I be a prophet? This would be true if they actually understood the Biblical statements to which they were referring. They were referring to the occasion when Jesus Christ was with his disciples walking in the area of the temple and admiring the work. Jesus Christ then spoke of a time when the temple would be cast down and not one stone would be left upon another. He was not referring to the physical temple, which was later destroyed, but he was referring to the spiritual temple—the Church that would be cast down in the end-time. The disciples responded to Christ’s statements by asking him a question, “And as he [Jesus Christ] sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when shall these things be and what shall be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?’” (Matthew 24:3). This is often translated as “the end of the world.” It is not the end of the world, but the end of an age—the age of man [his first 6,000 years on earth]. Jesus answered by giving them prophecies concerning the end-time, most of which applied to those things that would transpire in God’s own Church. They would also parallel events that would occur in the world, bearing physical similarities, yet not the same. Much of this story is addressed more fully in The Prophesied End-Time. 2008—GOD’S FINAL WITNESS 21 After those prophecies were given by Jesus Christ, he went on to say, “But no man knows that day or hour. No, not even the angels in heaven. But only the Father knows” (Matthew 24:36). The same account in the Book of Mark adds, “No man knows that day or hour. No, not the angels in heaven and not even the Son. Only the Father knows” (Mark 13:32). So the answer to the disciples was that the timing was only known by God the Father. This does not mean that God would not reveal the timing of events at a later time. These prophecies of Jesus Christ, concerning the signs of the end of the age, show that in time, they would become apparent, at least to those whom God would reveal them. Even the parallel prophecies given to John in the Book of Revelation show that the Seals of Revelation would one day have to be opened. As covered in the first book, those Seals are being opened by Jesus Christ. Therefore, the time to begin opening them has already been given to the Son by His Father. As was also covered in the first book, the Seventh Seal, at the time of this writing, has not yet been opened. When that seal is opened, you can rest assured, the final tribulation has arrived. God says that time will last for three and one-half years. Prophecy shows that one-third of the United States will be destroyed after this seal is opened. In addition, at the very end-time, God will give His two witnesses great power to accomplish the work He has for them to do. These two (and others who know them) know exactly the day when Jesus Christ will return. These two will know positively when God gives them this power, and from that time they know that exactly three and one-half years remain. Notice: “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days,clothed in sackcloth” (Revelation 11:3). The symbolism of “sackcloth” is given because these two will be filled with humility. That which they have been given to do is not about themselves, but about God and His plan being unveiled. They will not take credit to themselves, and they will not be lifted up with pride as a result of the focus placed upon them. So this verse clearly shows that these two anointed ones of God have a specific time to do the primary thrust of their work. They know the exact day that Jesus Christ will return because they know their final work will last exactly 1,260 days. It is exactly at this point that they will be killed: And when they [the two witnesses] shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit [Satan through his influence on men] shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified [in Jerusalem]. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three and one-half days [via television], and their dead bodies shall not be allowed to be put in graves. (Revelation 11:7-9) These two prophets of God will complete the work that God has given them to do, then they will be killed in the streets of Jerusalem. Their bodies will remain in the streets of Jerusalem for three and one-half days while the world watches via television. Then the unbelievable will happen. Many in the world, who still will not believe they are whom they say they are, will receive a very rude awakening. After all, if they remain dead beyond three and one-half days, then they cannot be of God. 2008—GOD’S FINAL WITNESS 23 After three and one-half days the Spirit of life from God entered into them [the two witnesses] and they stood upon their feet. Then great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, “Come up here.” And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud and their enemies saw this happening to them. (Revelation 11:11-12) These two prophets of God are resurrected from the dead, in the sight of all who are watching, and rise up into the heavens of the atmosphere of this earth. It is in this same time-frame that a massive resurrection of 144,000 also rise to meet Jesus Christ. The 144,000 will return with Christ on this same day after the seven last plagues are poured out upon the earth. It is at the beginning of this same day that the return of Jesus Christ becomes visible to the whole world. Again, this is all quite basic because, by the time the Seventh Seal is opened, Jesus Christ most assuredly knows the day He will return to the earth the second time to take control of all government on earth. At what point the Father made known the timing to Jesus Christ, we do not know, but we do know that when the Seventh Seal is opened there will be three and one-half years until the return of Christ. The final work of the two witnesses will begin at the same time the Seventh Seal is opened, therefore, they will know the exact day of Christ’s return. Yes, I do know the timing of events as the Seals of Revelation are opening. I do know we are in the end-time and that six Seals have already been opened. I know the exact day the First Seal was opened. As will be covered in another chapter, I know the exact day the Sixth Seal was opened, and the world will be shocked and in horror on the day that the Seventh Seal is opened. God has given to Jesus Christ the timing for the seals to be opened, and Jesus Christ, in turn, has given the timing to me. Those who will receive these words can receive the same. If people choose to remain ignorant, refusing God’s word, then they will have to suffer for their arrogance and pride against God. Arrogance and pride are exactly what God is going to break in man. These resist God’s way of peace and genuine love that man should be expressing toward God and one another. Often, in a futile attempt to discredit what they do not understand concerning the timing for end-time events, some will quote the words of Jesus Christ, “No man knows that day or hour.” Up until only a decade ago, this was still very true, but conditions and circumstances have now changed. The countdown for the end-time has already begun, and it began when Jesus Christ started to open the seals of Revelation, the first of which was opened on December 17, 1994. Indeed, the skepticism in those interviews about T h e Prophesied End-Time is understandable. However, God is going to begin removing the skepticism of the world, especially once the Seventh Seal is opened. You can listen to those interviews on the following website: www.the-end.com. Today, people are not accustomed to how God works through His prophets. They don’t understand the reasons why, but you can be certain of one thing, “The Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Chapter 2 THE DECEPTION IN MAN One of the most difficult things for people to do is admit they are wrong. Human nature tends to see itself as being right. We hold to our opinions and beliefs on nearly every subject as though we are right, and all others who are in disagreement are simply wrong. Think about it. Isn’t that the way we are? It doesn’t matter where you turn or what you address, you constantly see people with different opinions at odds with each other. God tells us that “every way of a man is right in his own eyes” (Proverbs 21:2). It is the way of human nature, yet God also tells man that only He can reveal the true motives of the heart—the mind of human nature. But who is really concerned about what God has to say? Man has always been determined to live his life his own way—the way that he sees fit, and as he does this, he considers himself to be right in his choices and decisions. But this is a lie, because the very core and inner working of human nature is based on pride and selfishness—self being first. Whether man likes it or not, this base nature is the cause of the problems we experience. It is the cause of conflicts, arguments, dissension, envy, competition, hatred, wars, stress, and unhappiness in life. Herbert W. Armstrong, a wise man of God and an apostle in the twentieth century, taught millions that there are two basic ways of life. One is give, and one is get. Man, by nature, lives the way of get. Only when people begin to seek God’s help to change their nature can they begin to find the true ways to peace. Man simply does not know the way of peace. This is evidenced in a bloodstained earth through 6,000 years of human history. A painful reality of life is to learn that the way of man is steeped in deception and lies. This truth has had a negative impact on human life far greater than most know or can admit. We live life with many prejudices. Prejudices are hard to see in ourselves, and we have great difficulty admitting them. These prejudices have much to do with our own selfishness—our ownself-interest—our own private corner of the world. What is your gender, nationality, race, or political persuasion? Do you have any bias on these subjects? Everyone has bias to address in his or her life. Facing your bias will help you learn much about yourself, but many simply cannot be truthful with themselves. This leads us to address one of the most passionate subjects of all. It is the cause of the greatest division, hatred and deception on earth. It is religion! Throughout time, this world’s religions have been the greatest cause of evil and human suffering. You need to understand why! One of the harshest realities people can face is to learn that they have been lied to about their religious beliefs—that they have been deceived. This is one of the most difficult barriers in life to break. People instinctively defend their beliefs because they are foundational to their entire outlook on life—the core of their decision-making process in all matters of life. Lying—deception—is one of the most refined character flaws of mankind. Before we launch into more of what is about to happen on this earth and how God is going to overthrow all the governments of mankind, you need to preface your reading with some very basic knowledge. Lies, Lies and More Lies! Do you get tired of lies? Do you recognize how many lies you are 2008—GOD’S FINAL WITNESS 27 constantly being told? We have become desensitized to lying since it has become such a normal part of living. Lying is the outcome of people being right in their own eyes and stubbornly holding to their own viewpoint, regardless of evidence to the contrary. Lies are constantly in politics and government, and we tend to simply accept it. Rarely does anyone address issues truthfully. And when such a rare thing does occur, many simply do not want to hear the truth. Politics and lying are quite synonymous. to seek God’s help to change their nature can they begin to find the true ways to peace. We are constantly being bombarded by little lies, big lies and every kind of shading of the truth that falls in between. In talk shows, books, advertising, and the news—what is the truth? How often do you find genuine truth, fidelity, honesty, and faithfulness in marital relationships? Again, how many lies? Over half of all marriages in the United States end in divorce. Are lies involved in such cases? Constantly! Are there lies in the work place, in corporations and between employers and employees? People live with lies and deceit every day, and this very thing contributes mightily to the daily stress of life. Lies hurt relationships and cause people to be agitated and angry at one another. How much stress is added to other areas of your life because of lies? What about relationships in families and the home, with children and parents, and between neighbors, friends or relatives? The list is endless, but we simply don’t stop to consider how such a thing impacts everyday life. The consequences are enormous and far greater than anyone can imagine. So how long has it been since you were lied to by someone? How many minutes has it been? Religion Is the Worst Offender Religion is the greatest culprit of all when it comes to lying and deceit. You need to know why! It is for this very reason that this earth is about to suffer more than it has at any other time in history. Religion has had a devastating impact on people in all nations of the world. The clash of lying religions is about to erupt on a worldwide scale that will affect every person on earth. Why is this, and how is such a thing possible? This book addresses religion because, whether you know it or not, at this very time, religion is at the heart and core of your life, even if you are not religious. Most people don’t like to discuss this subject, much less mention the word “God.” This book is not religiously syrupy or preachy, but it does candidly discuss religion and God; yet not in the manner you are accustomed to hearing. The truth is, religion is the greatest cause of suffering and evil in this world, and it is due to this that the greatest clash of religion the world has ever known is about to erupt. Lies are going to be exposed by this book, and generally, when lies are exposed, people get mad. If some of these lies affect your life, which they will, what will you do? Will you get mad and upset, or will you honestly address those lies with the truth? Such moments in life are quite revealing. Can you objectively deal with the truth when you hear it? The truth is, most cannot! Candidly, how you respond has much to do with what you will experience in the months and very few remaining years that follow. This is a time for man’s judgment. It is not to be taken lightly. One More Consideration Before we continue, one additional matter needs to be made clear. Although I, the author, live in the United States, this book is not written with the prejudices or biases of an American. No national prejudice is affecting what is written here, nor any prejudice from any religion of this world. 2008—GOD’S FINAL WITNESS 29 This is important to understand since this book will be widely distributed and people around the world tend to be very distrusting of anything written by an American. People are just as distrusting in matters of religion, especially if the view is different from what they have always believed. All these feelings are normal and very understandable, but what you need to keep in mind are the things you read in the first chapter. This book does not originate from the prejudices of man; its message comes from the inspiration and revelation of God Almighty given to one of His prophets. To read more on this fascinating subject - it is a book - you can go to http://www.the-end.com/2008GodsFinalWitness/2008_Gods_Final_Witness.pdf to continue reading. It is a very long book and too long to continue to write here. I hope it has proved interesting and that you would like to continue to read it - personally I find it of interest and will continue to read but will now leave you to form you own conclusions - thank you for reading :) January 30 Part two 2008 - God's Final Witness by Ronald WeinlandThe sign of a woman in labor involves numerous natural disasters and acts of terrorism that will continue to increase in magnitude and intensity. These are not significant individually, but they are cumulatively! Specific events will follow all this, and many of these events will be described more thoroughly in later chapters. The first, which has already been mentioned in part, is the destruction of one-third of the United States.
The Answer Again, the underlying current of the interviewers was, “Why should anyone believe you over others?” So indeed, why should anyone believe what is written in either book? That is the whole point! People cannot believe these things unless there is proof. This is part of the reason God has chosen to reveal end-time events in the manner that He has. Through the centuries, people have been lied to about God; this very subject will be covered in the next chapter. Every religion in this world cannot be right about God. All of them can’t be true. The very definition of “truth” cries out that only one thing can be true. Only one way can be God’s way. This is a great dilemma for man.
If the Catholics are right in what they teach, then all the Protestant churches are wrong. If a particular Protestant group is right, then the Catholics are wrong, and so is every other Protestant group. If Judaism is true, then all Christianity is false. If Islam is true, then Judaism and Christianity are false. Only one way and one truth can be genuine! Do you see the dilemma? If the Pharisees were right, in the time of Christ, then the Sadducees were wrong, and vise-versa. But Jesus Christ made it clear that both of them were wrong!
2008—GOD’S FINAL WITNESS 7 Only God can make the truth prevail. We are at the very time when God is doing exactly that! After 6,000 years, God is in the process of bringing the world into one order, away from the control of man’s self-rule. Through the process of end-time events, God is bringing the world under one government, with only one true religion. God proclaims that this new world government will last for 1,000 years, with even greater changes beyond that. As I told the interviewers, I do not expect anyone to believe this yet. In a very few years, more and more people will begin to believe what God is doing, and what He is allowing to occur on earth. The change from one world to another will not come easily. It is likened to a woman in labor before delivering her child. People will begin to change the way they think throughout the end-time because they will see the proof of God unfold before their very eyes. This book reveals that proof; time unveils it! God is beginning to make a distinction between what is His truth and all that is false in the world. When all of it is finished, only the truth will prevail; and, all lies and liars will have been exposed.
So the answer is that most do not believe and cannot; but all who survive will eventually believe what God says concerning this end-time, because in time, all that is true will be revealed—and in a very short time at that. As described in my first book, most will resist what is true and most will resist to the point of death. The truth is, that eventually, in the United States alone, over 250 million will die. Your hope for survival will depend largely upon your response to the truth when God begins to reveal who He is and who He is not. Only by responding to God and turning to Him “in the truth” can you hope for His mercy and intervention to give you aid. So what will you do as world conditions worsen and catastrophic events unfold with greater intensity and frequency? The day is fast approaching when you will cry out for answers! You can begin to receive those answers now.
A Twofold Answer Why should anyone believe what is written in either book? Again, the answer is twofold. The answer is not in anything that is stated or written because words by themselves do not prove credibility and truth. That which man has written about God does not prove it is true. Only God Himself can prove what is true by bringing to pass exactly what He has said. Only the next few years can prove whether or not these two books are true and of God. If nothing happens, then you can know positively that this is complete fiction. However, if things continue to happen as described, then you have much to fear! And indeed, man has much to fear because God has declared that we are now entering the most catastrophic time of all human history. The God of Abraham declares that there has never been a time like this one coming, and there never will be one like it again. So again, the first answer is that people are not able to believe what is written until they begin to admit the growing evidence of a woman in labor—that devastation is increasing in magnitude and frequency. Only then can people really begin to believe what they are witnessing. This is one of the main reasons these books have been written, so that people can begin to respond to the one Great Creator God when they see these things come to pass. The second part of this twofold answer will come in a similar manner. People will begin to believe what is written as God begins to reveal more powerfully what is true through His two end-time witnesses—His two prophets for the end-time. This 2008—GOD’S FINAL WITNESS 9 book and this very chapter are written to announce the beginning of that revelation from God. These two witnesses of God, as recorded in the Book of Revelation, will do their work during the last three and one-half years of their lives, which is the same time period as the great and final tribulation that will come on the entire world. This period of time will begin with one-third of the United States being destroyed! More about this will be addressed later. The stories of the Bible are recorded as being true, but that does not mean people believe them; these two books tell the truth, but that does not mean people will believe them. The overwhelming majority of those who have read the first book do not yet believe what is written in it. Some people believe part of it, while others have adopted a “wait and see” approach. This is fully understandable because they need proof. God is going to give them great proof. How many people today actually believe the story of Noah’s flood? Many so-called religious scholars don’t even believe it actually happened. They think it is a “nice story” containing symbolism that can teach valuable lessons. Why don’t people believe it? Their response is, “Where is the proof?” Believing the account of the flood is strictly a matter of faith because there is no strong physical evidence. Therefore, most people do not believe in a literal flood. If you had lived in the time of Noah, you would have been a believer. Ultimately, everyone in the world at that time believed what God said through Noah. It took him and his family 120 years to build the ark. Very few people believe that such a ship could be built by a single family, over such a period of time, and hold the number of animals described; but those who lived at that time and in that area saw this project. Eventually, as everyone witnessed the rising waters, they began to believe what God said through Noah. So much of what is written in the Bible is received by people in this manner. People want proof; they want powerful proof! So God is going to give just that—a final witness to mankind.
We have entered the end-time. As with the time of Noah, we can say that the rains have begun, and soon, the water will begin to rise. End-time events will become far more devastating, growing in frequency, until we are finally thrown into the midst of the water when the final three and one-half years of great tribulation strike.
God’s Two End-Time Witnesses Throughout the history of man’s 6,000 years on earth, God sent His prophets to tell mankind about His ways and the need to repent of their ways and turn to Him. But man is filled with such pride and self-will that, for the most part, he has not listened to God or turned to His ways. Only a very, very few through time have listened. The overall history of man is that he will not listen to God. Knowing that man will not listen to Him, God sent his prophets, not only to tell people to turn to Him (repent of their ways), but that disobedience to their Creator would have consequences. God sent prophets with specific messages about what would happen to them if they did not listen. For six millennia, God has been patient toward man’s unwillingness to listen to Him through His prophets. This has much to do with why God is once again—one last time—sending His prophets (His two witnesses) into the world in the most powerful way yet. The early Church had some prophets, but they were sent to the Church and not the world. John, who wrote the Book of 2008—GOD’S FINAL WITNESS 11 Revelation, was not sent to the world with the prophecies he wrote. Jesus Christ is the Prophet of God spoken of in scripture, and certainly, as the Son of God, there is none other like Him. As for the other prophets among men, one must go back more than 2,500 years to find those whom God worked through in a great way. Yet, of all the major and minor prophets of the Old Testament, you will find that most were sent to the nation of Judah or Israel (or both), but they were not sent to the world. One of the most notable times when God gave great power to a prophet was just over 3,000 years ago when He raised up Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. This time marked the beginning of a new phase in God’s plan—to work with a physical nation. At that time, God chose to begin revealing Himself to part of mankind in a greater way than ever before. It is important to understand the story of Moses so that you can grasp the magnitude of what God will do through His endtime prophets. These two prophets will be sent into the world! In actuality, there has never been a time when God has given such power to His prophets to accomplish so much, and on a worldwide scale. These two witnesses will be the most formidable prophets God has ever used in all 6,000 years of human history.
Moses
was understandably concerned that the Israelites would not believe him, so he
asked God, “Who shall I tell them has sent me
unto them?” God simply responded, “Tell them I AM has sent me unto you.” But
God also told Moses to tell the Israelites even
more, instructing him to say, “This is what you shall say to the
children of Israel,
‘The ETERNAL God of your fathers, the God
of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me unto you’” (Exodus
3:15). to be continued .................. January 28 2008 - God's Final Witness by Ronald WeinlandCopyright © 2006 by the-end.com, inc. All rights reserved. Published October, 2006 Printed in the United States of America the-end.com, inc., P.O. Box 14447, Cincinnati, OH 45250 Visit our Web site at www.the-end.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Weinland, Ronald. 2008 – God’s Final Witness ISBN: 0-9753240-6-3 (hardcover) ISBN: 0-9753240-7-1 (softcover) ___________________________________________
Chapter 1 GOD’S TWO WITNESSES It is with apprehension and heaviness of heart that I begin to write a second book. My first book, The Prophesied End-Time, was published nearly a year and a half ago and has been distributed in over 100 countries. It describes the prophetic endtime destruction that is about to come on this earth. It foretells of World War III and the overthrow of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and much ofWestern Europe. Some of these events, as well as other prophesied conflicts, will now be covered in more detail; although these are not the primary focus of this book. There
are many fictional books and movies about apocalyptic events
that result in massive destruction on earth. The source of such
destruction is generally portrayed as man-made, the result of natural
disasters, or sometimes, the result of invasion from beyond
this earth. This NON-fiction book reveals a combination of
all three sources, ending in massive destruction of most of this earth,
including most of its population. This
is not easy to write; it will not be easy to read. You may not
read past the first few pages before you decide that this is too outrageous
to continue. Nevertheless, it is all true! And you owe it to yourself and those you love to fully consider what is
written here.
2
God’s Two Witnesses Interviews The
publicist of my first book scheduled interviews for me throughout
the United States.
Those interviews began in September
2004. I mention this because there was an underlying theme
that ran throughout those interviews which will help you to
better understand the need for this second book. Final end-time events
that will lead into the great tribulation, at the opening of the
Seventh Seal, have already begun. These were covered in The Prophesied
End-Time, as well as the interviews. Understandably,
it was difficult for the hosts of those interviews
to believe that this world is about to enter a time of destruction
which will ultimately end 6,000 years of man’s government—man’s
self-rule. One of the most common questions
or sentiment was, “Why should anyone believe you over
so many others who, throughout time, have made predictions
about the end-time or the end of this world?” The answer
is twofold and was partially addressed in the first book. Before
the first answer is given, it should be noted that toward the
end of the interviews, one phase of end-time events was well under
way. (Many of those interviews can be heard on a website to
be given later in this chapter.) In
December of 2004, a great tsunami, originating in the Indian
Ocean, struck
several countries with massive destruction and
a death toll that has been estimated at well over 225,000. The UN
estimated the number of people displaced by the tsunami to be
five million. This tsunami, caused by an earthquake, is the second
strongest in recorded history. It has been followed by an escalation
in the number and magnitude of earthquakes worldwide. The
United States
witnessed a record breaking year for hurricanes both in number and magnitude. 2005 had the most named
tropical storms on record. Letters of the Greek Alphabet have
never been used to name storms, but even now in December,
Hurricane Epsilon has become the fifth named storm in
the Greek Alphabet. This past year witnessed the highest number
of hurricanes on record along with the most category five storms
ever. In August, Hurricane Katrina produced the greatest destruction
from a natural disaster ever seen in the U.S., which left
some areas of New Orleans
almost wiped out. This devastation
is so great that there is not enough time to rebuild it before
this age of man comes to an end. From
another perspective, the average number of named storms
in any season is 10, but in 2005 there were 26. The average
number of hurricanes is 6, but 2005 had 14. The average number
of major hurricanes is 2, but 2005 had 7. Then,
in October, a massive earthquake struck northern Pakistan
with collateral destruction extending into India. As a result,
over 80,000 people lost their lives and approximately 2.5 million
were left homeless. But
before these disasters occurred, many of the interview hosts
questioned the validity of what was written in Th
e Prophesied
End-Time. In those interviews, they were told that such
events would begin to occur and continue to increase in magnitude
over the following four years. But the question was asked,
“Haven’t there always been earthquakes and other destructive
forces that have claimed large numbers of lives?” The answer
is yes, but the whole point of this is the answer to the question,
“Why should anyone believe all this?” These
events are occurring exactly as these books describe. Yes,
through time, natural disasters have resulted in great destruction
and loss of life. The difference is, that now, we are at the beginning of the final events which will culminate in
the end of
this age—the end of man’s self-rule on earth. The
proof of the validity of my first book, and now this one, is in
the timing and the destruction that follows, exactly as both books
describe. God
gives the analogy of a woman in labor pain to show how these
events will unfold. As labor begins, the contractions are farther
apart and less intense; but as time between contractions decreases,
the intensity of those contractions grows. Such is the reality
of labor pain, and such will be part of the proof of what is written
here.What
we have witnessed since those interviews a year ago will only
increase in magnitude and frequency until we come to the last
and final stage. This final stage is referred to as the great tribulation
which is prophesied to last for a final three and onehalf years.
It will begin with one-third of the United States being destroyed—followed
by World War III. So
what makes what I have to say in these two books any different
from what others have had to say about the end-time? You
need to ask, “Who else has laid everything on the line, and in
such detail, as found in these two books?” Over
the centuries, people have seen natural disasters and predicted
that man was in the end-times of Bible prophecy. But throughout
time, they have been wrong. The Bible has much to say
about such times, therefore, it has been a natural consequence that
these “religious” people have made such predictions. The difference
is that now it is true! We have now entered the
endtimes. Today, people are making the same kind of claims as others have done for centuries; but this time they just “happen” to be right that this is the end. Due to the magnitude of the disastrous events that have occurred over the past year, there has been a marked increase in popularity and interest in end-time predictions and the growing willingness of “religious types” to make more pronouncements. But all of them are wrong in their conclusions, except for one coincidental truth—this is the endtime. Such prognosticators will only increase as disastrous events increase, and they will deceive many people. It is easy to “jump on the band wagon” (an American expression used to describe the behavior of conformists and opportunists). As disastrous events increase, they will claim that each event is some kind of sign or that it has special religious significance—after the event has already occurred. But who is presenting a time frame and getting more specific as all this increases? Who is putting all this together so that people can understand what is happening and why, while also informing people of what is coming upon the United States once the Seventh Seal of the Book of Revelation has been opened? An example of some obnoxious religious opportunists concerns some who have made claims that New Orleans was devastated by the hurricane because of God’s punishment for her sinful ways. And yet others say it was God’s punishment on the U.S. for occupying Iraq. Still others conclude it was a specific sign that we are entering the end-times. All of these people are religious opportunists who are no different from those of ages gone by. The claim that what happened to New Orleans was “a sign,” isclosest to being true; but it is still wrong. The tragedy of New Orleans is not a specific sign; it is only part of an overall sign of a “woman in labor.” The devastation of New Orleans is not a Biblical sign of itself, and it is not mentioned by God as a single sign of the end-time. to be contd ......
Returning for a while I find it difficult navigating around here I must admit so for the time being I hope you will bear with me whilst I fathom things out. I do intend to do something a little different and will be doing an article (for lack of a better word at the moment) in a series of instalments over a period of maybe 7 days or thereabouts. Not sure when this will start - maybe tomorrow I will do the first part - it might be controversial and remember it is just to make you think and make up your own minds and to comment as you wish. I make it plain that I am only publishing it - I did not write it and it is not necessarily my thoughts or beliefs nor do I intend to guide you in any way. It is done for you to peruse, hopefully, with some interest and to comment as you feel fit. Do not make a personal attack on me though please - lol - your honest comments will suffice December 23 Happy Christmas 2008 This is a message to all the friends I have on here although I am found more often on Facebook There are still so many of you and I just wanted to let you know I have not forgotten you and that I hope you have not forgotten me and I hope that one day we will communicate again. I wish you the happiest of Christmas's and everything you wish for in the New Year. We are rich indeed when we have friends and the warmth and companionship they bring far outweigh any possessions so remember this if you are like the rest of us - struggling in this downturn - remember it will not last forever so keep smiling and give your all to the next few days festivities. I personally will remember each and everyone of you as I raise a glass and toast my fortune of being with my family around the table eating our Christmas Dinner.Christmas is the time of year when thoughts fly to celebrations We fret and buy presents and trees and decorations We ignore the fact that we cannot really afford to do this and that As long as our table is full and the turkey fat. Perhaps we should remember those in need who are not as lucky as we A warm bed, a blanket. a pair of shoes or even a cup of tea Would be welcome at any time of the year not just Xmas time so try to give Just a little, not very much, to those who really do have the right to live. Then turn to your loved ones and give them your brightest smiles With a heart full of the love you feel and that covers many miles Be happy, be safe and merry and full of love, hope and cheer In the knowledge that you will hopefully feel the same for the New Year November 07 Remembrance SundaySunday next is the day to Remember The date is the 9th November For all our elders and relatives gone before Who lost their lives and more at War
Not for the glory or honour did they do this Living, hurt, starving and dying in the abyss They fought and did it for us you know So we could live in peace and our country grow
The cold, wet and fear they felt and saw No-one else had ever seen war like this before They died there huddled in the trenches and mud Hungry, some limbless, clothes ripped and covered in blood
So take this opportunity to think of them on this day And remember them as in graves they lay If it were not for them where would we have been? In a different world silent, cold, our pride never seen .
P.S. Elliott August 21 Wireless??
Ancient Telephone Networks
After having dug to a depth of 10 meters last year, Scottish scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.
Not to be outdone by the Scots, in the weeks that followed, English scientists dug to a depth of 20 meters, and shortly after, headlines in the English newspapers read: "English archaeologists have found traces of 200-year-old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the Scots."
One week later, "The Kerrymen," a southwest Irish newsletter, reported the following: "After digging as deep as 30 meters in peat bog near Tralee, Paddy O'Droll, a self-taught archaeologist, reported that he found absolutely nothing. Paddy has therefore concluded that 300 years ago, Ireland had already gone wireless."
August 15 A job opening> > > >> At the dole office in Milton Keynes a local traveller walked in to pick up his cheque. > >> > >> He marched straight up to the counter and said, 'Hi. You know, I just HATE drawing welfare. I'd really rather have a job.' > >> > >> The social worker behind the counter said, 'Your timing is excellent. We just got a job opening from a very wealthy old man who wants a chauffeur and bodyguard for his beautiful daughter. > >> > >> You'll have to drive around in his 2008 Mercedes-Benz CL, and he will supply all of your clothes. > >> > >> Because of the long hours, meals will be provided. > >> > >> You'll also be expected to escort the daughter on her overseas holiday trips. > >> > >> This is rather awkward to say but you will also have, as part of your job assignment, to satisfy her sexual urges as the daughter is in her mid-20's and has a rather strong sex drive. > >> > >> A two-bedroom loft type apartment with plasma TV, stereo, bar, etc. Located above the garage, will be designated for your sole use and the salary is £200,000 a year.' > >> > >> The Traveller just plain wide-eyed, said, ' you're bullshittin' me!' > >> > >> The social worker said, ' Yeah, well you started it.' > |
(this is not the actual picture from yesterday just resembles it as I did not have a camera with me to take one)
Waving their delicate heads and saying 'Here we are, the first signs of Spring'
How wonderful to see these pretty little crocus out too!
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