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Chapter 1  Chapter 2  Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7  Chapter 8 Chapter 9

Chapter 9

We recently celebrated Holy Week which is the pinnacle revelation of our faith, belief and hope. It is through the resurrection of Jesus Christ that we the faithful hope we may share in the everlasting life having done good works and deeds while on earth. Saint Paul tells us, “Works without deeds are lost within themselves.” So, if God has done “Works” to change our lives; we perceiving these “Works” go forth in “Deed.” Some call this mission trying to save lost souls while others may call it, working in the fields of the Lord. Either way we look at it the end result is the same. When God has changed our hearts to conversion we are compelled to bring this hope of salvation to other poor souls who do not know God. I believe this is one of the greatest goods we can do because God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son in hope of saving every lost soul. This entire process to me is like the story of the Parable of the Coins in the New Testament.

In this parable we here the story of the Master who called three servants to himself, to one servant the Master gave 3 coins and to another he gave 2 coins and to the latter he gave 1 coin. The Master went away for a time and when he returned he visited with the 3 servants to see what they had done with the coins left in their charge. The servant who had 3 coins had gained another three coins and the servant who had two had gained another two coins. Yet the servant who was given one coin feared the loss of it so he buried the coin in the ground till the Master returned. This servant gave the Master back the one coin. The Master was angry at the servant for having made no gain and he sent that servant away never to return. The moral of this story is simple, when God “Works” in us by His good grace; our hearts are changed to conversion. This conversion of heart is like a coin and we who are in charge of it must decided if we will keep our conversion buried inside of us or to go out and make gain for the Master so that another soul may come to conversion. Again, this is our greatest good as “works without deeds are lost in themselves.”

The series of articles I have written on Signs of the Times is an attempt to gain a coin for the Master. I will never understand why God granted me the gift of conversion. I was far away from Godly things in my life. I was a very selfish person much like Scrooge in Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol.” Yet like the ghosts that visited Scrooge, God’s mercy changed me so like Scrooge, “I was no longer the man I was.” With my new heart I began a journey of the interior life.

Scripture has some very interesting things to say about the interior life and since I have discovered this place inside of me, I have done all I can to recommend others seek that place inside of them where God dwells.

“ Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven”

“Behold for no one can tell you, there is the Kingdom of Heaven or here is the Kingdom of Heaven for the Kingdom of Heaven is within you.”

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who found a treasure on a piece of land and went to sell all he had to buy that land.”

“Do not build up your treasure where the moth consumes and the thief steals (this world) but build up your treasures where the moth does not consume nor a thief steals, (Kingdom of Heaven.)

The above are only 4 Scriptures of so many others in the New Testament that help describe where, how and the result of those who seek the ways of interior life. One of the best descriptions of interior life in my opinion is described in the writings of St. Teresa of Avila who wrote; “Whoever makes a habit of prayer should think only of doing everything to conform his will to God’s. Be assured that in this conformity consists the highest perfection we can attain and those who practice it with the greatest care will be favored by God’s greatest gift and will make the quickest progress in the interior life. Do not imagine there are other secrets. All our good consists in this.”

St. Teresa recommends to us that we need conform our will to God’s as this is our highest perfection. To accomplish this St. Teresa tells us we need make a habit of prayer. She writes she is certain that with such conformity we will receive God’s greatest gift and will quickly make progress in the interior life. Teresa ends by reminding us that not part but all our good consists in this and we should not imagine there are any other secrets. In the complexities of this fearful world we live in today, is it possible prayer can lead to conformity and conformity to near perfection and perfection to the greatest gifts God can give? Is it possible this simple process of the interior life can help us overcome the fears of all the evils written in these articles on Signs of the Times? There is no question we are living in times of great trials and tribulations but can prayer and a path in the interior life overcome the complexities and serious conditions this world faces today?

St. Paul tells us, “Rejoice over tribulation knowing tribulation becomes endurance and endurance becomes tried virtue and tried virtue becomes hope and hope will never disappoint because the charity of God is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit that is given us” (Romans 5:3-5). St. Teresa of Avila tells us prayer leads to conformity and conformity to near perfection and perfection to God’s greatest gift. St. Paul tells us the gift is the Holy Spirit. Come what may in the future of this world, we should always rejoice in tribulation knowing that in the end of the process we will not be disappointed for our hope. God will untimely save His faithful and on that foundation we stand on solid rock. It is good to know the warning signs of the grave times ahead. It is good to warn the poor souls on earth of things to come and to recommend they change their lives so they too may be saved. We do not however have to fear the coming warnings and chastisements predicted by Our Lady Queen of Peace in Medjugorje nor need we concern ourselves with the horrors of the things written in these articles on Signs of the Times. We have no need to worry because we stand on solid rock by faith and hope that does not disappoint in the ways of the interior life which is the Kingdom of Heaven that dwells within us. As such, these 9 chapters of Signs of the Times have been written for the few lost souls who may happen upon this series, in hope that they may be moved to seek out that place inside of them where God dwells. This was, is and remains the soul purpose of these articles. This series has never been about debating what one person believes is correct, wrong or truthful. The Signs of the Times articles are about trying to make another coin for the Master. I know this series has already accomplished this goal several times that I am aware of. Therefore as I see it, a greater good has resulted for the greater glory of God as there are souls who have changed because of this series.

Scripture tells us the things not possible with men are possible with God. Jesus told St. Faustina, “Encourage souls to place great trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the immeasurable depths of My mercy.”  If any soul regardless of the sin was to cry out asking forgiveness and prayed, that soul can obtain mercy and begin the path of the interior life where there is nothing to fear.

Our Lady of Medjugorje told us;

January 25, 2001 "Dear children! Today I call you to renew prayer and fasting with even greater enthusiasm until prayer becomes a joy for you. Little children, the one who prays is not afraid of the
future and the one who fasts is not afraid of evil. Once again, I repeat to you: only through prayer and fasting also wars can be stopped – wars of your unbelief and fear for the future. I am with
you and am teaching you little children: your peace and hope are in God. That is why draw closer to God and put Him in the first place in your life. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Once again I can only repeat that we the faithful have nothing to fear in this world. We only need be like the good servants who take the coin from the Master trying to save another soul. We certainly can not save souls but what we can do is to tell the stories of how we were saved. We can tell what has been given us and what we have learned. We can talk of our salvation and the changes in our lives and the path we are on now. We can recommend to others they seek the same path for the sake of salvation and eternal life.

Below are some updates in the news relevant to a number of different chapters in this series.

Highly respected CNN Headline news journalist, Glen Beck did an hour long program on TV about the "End Times” the last week in March 2007.  Beck had several biblical experts who discussed Biblical Scriptures and how they clearly apply to current events as they have never before applied in the history of the world. What these experts discussed was almost exactly what I have written these past 8 months in these articles. I should note here that what I have written these past 8 months is not based on what I have heard, read or learned from others but based on my Scriptural readings for 22 years and applying those readings to daily news. I am not boasting but the topic of Signs of the Times or End Times is a subject I have studied Biblically more so than any other topic. Having learned the warning signs to watch out for I have spent at least two hour ever day for many years watching news to see if any of the Scriptural warning signs were applying to current events in the news. It was June of 2006 where I noticed a quickening like as Matthew speaks of birth pangs in chapter 24, when I decided it was time to begin this series. Speaking of the quickening and birth pangs, the exact dates escape me at the moment but it was either late March or early April where CNN News reported some recorded 65 tornados in a 48 hour period in the United States alone. Most recently a nor’easter has made it way though a number of state just about mid April causing havoc from high snow amount, flooding, upturned trees, and power outages. The storm hit me here where I live in Massachusetts and I can not recall a spring storm that was ever more violent.

Microchips now commonly being called, “chipping” is now making its way into commercial advertising. Although some pet breeders have started to chip their puppies prior to selling them to pet stores, a company called, “Home Again” has started to advertise on television. This is a pet chipping company.  Should your pet become lost, information would be sent to Vet clinics (as an example) in an attempt that should your pet show up you would be able to locate you pet. This company falls short of offering any GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) services but I’m sure we can expect the advance of technology to include GPS in the future. Chips as we know from a previous chapter are now as small as a grain of rice and can hold a great deal of information. It may be good to also note that these micro chips are also know as RFID, (Radio Frequency Identification Device.) We are see signs of this expansion in our OnStar GPS tracking devices that are coming installed in many vehicles. OnStar is able to locate your vehicle anywhere in the known world and they can even be given the ability to unlock the doors of your car by satellite should you leave your keys in the car by accident. A time is coming where it will be recommended that all children upon birth are chipped. GPS will be added to chipping allowing the technology to locate possible missing children. Yet on the other hand such advancement in technology will continue to lead us to the coming of the new world order and the mark of the beast.

In thoughts of the mark of the beast, President Bush continues to push for 150 more billion dollars to fight the war he created in Iraq. Iran recently captured 12 British troops claiming they have violated its waters. What resulted from this above and beyond the normal appearance is what it quickly did to the stock market and oil futures. Gasoline and other petroleum products are once again on their way to all time record highs, which is collapsing our economy. Foreclosures continue to be on the rise based on years of low interest rates and lenders practices to see everyone got a home regardless of if they could afford one or not. Most states are hit by the rise in foreclosures. Currently at this time Detroit, Michigan is one of the hardest hit areas in the foreclosure market. Meanwhile insurance rates and health care costs are again on the rise. A record number of State taxes are on the rise and local taxes are also on the rise as everyone is trying to balance budgets. Grocery stores have increased prices due to the cost of gas and diesel fuels. Health Care and assistance is failing in the state of Massachusetts and the newly elected governor said he is going to resolve spending issues. During his very first month in office the new governor bought himself a brand new Cadillac for nearly $50,000.00, had a few new table and curtains put in his office at a cost of $28.000.00 and appointed his wife a secretary at $72,000.00 a year all with tax payers money. Meanwhile the poor in Massachusetts can’t even find a dentist who will take their Massachusetts State insurance.  The two riches men in the world Bill Gates and Warren Buffett recently appeared on PBS Television in an hour long show entitled, Bill and Warren go back to school. This program was design to talk with and answer college students concerns about business in the future. In this program Gates and Buffett admitted that although they do pay taxes they pretty much pay nothing as they are above taxes. They both stated the system is designed to protect the rich and extract from the middle and lower class. Gate and Buffett agreed they should be paying far more taxes than they do and that the system is not working and is unfair. Last but not least I have seen several more commercials on CNN for freemasons. All the events mentioned above in this update have happened with the past 10 days since I wrote this article on April 7, 2007.

Lastly a new Global Warming environment group released their shocking finding, predicting the areas that will first be hit by warning temperatures and how the worldwide suffering will continue. For example they stated that by 2020 Africa will be looking at an additional 75 to 250 million people going thirsty due to climate changes. This does not include the diarrhea and related diseases associated with drought or the impact on animal life. This week of April 15^th ABC’s Diane Sawyer has been announcing an upcoming special program on the seriousness of Global Warming which now is claimed to be far worse than discussed in ex-vice president Al Gore’s documentary on Global Warming.

There are many other areas I could go  in these articles on Signs of the Times as there are many issues I have not addressed at all or addresses incompletely or very little. I’m not trying to make excuses or have anyone feel sorry for me but I do have a number of serious health issues and sitting at the computer for long period’s effect my body in a many negative ways. I have truly tried to do the best I can given these medical concerns and my limited abilities.  Although I could continue on for at least 4 or 5 months in this series (if not indefinitely) I think enough has been said. I will be ending this series with this chapter. I hope each reader has come to understand that we who know God and live the way of the interior life have nothing to fear in regard to the End of Days. Yes there will be struggles but we must remember Roman’s 5:3-5. Even though we have no concerns ourselves we should attempt to bring these things to the attentions of others who so far choose to live in the world. These worldly people choose to burry their heads in the sand so they do not see the evil truths in this world. They don’t want to think about where the world is going. They have no answers to the problems or any hope. We who have been blessed by faith to trust and hope need to reach out to the poor in spirit in this world. We need to share our stories and conversions and testimonies. We need to share what the world has become and what it continues to evolve into. We need to reach out to those who feel hopeless and bring them the good news of Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven and the way of the interior life. We need to be as a sign post pointing the way to salvation before the End Days are upon us.

Chapter 1  Chapter 2  Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7  Chapter 8 Chapter 9

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