|
 |  |
 |
The Angel in the Whirlwind
Inaugural Speech of George Walker Bush 43rd President of the United States Saturday, January 20, 2001 The peaceful transfer of authority is rare in history, yet common in our country. With a simple oath, we affirm old traditions, and make new beginnings. As I begin, I thank President Clinton for his service to our nation. And I thank Vice President Gore for a contest conducted with spirit, and ended with grace. I am honored and humbled to stand here, where so many of America's leaders have come before me, and so many will follow. We have a place, all of us, in a long story; a story we continue, but whose end we will not see. It is the story of a new world that became a friend and liberator of the old. The story of a slave-holding society that became a servant of freedom. The story of a power that went into the world to protect but not possess, to defend but not to conquer. It is the American story; a story of flawed and fallible people, united across the generations by grand and enduring ideals. The grandest of these ideals is an unfolding American promise: that everyone belongs, that everyone deserves a chance, that no insignificant person was ever born. Americans are called to enact this promise in our lives and in our laws. And though our nation has sometimes halted, and sometimes delayed, we must follow no other course. Through much of the last century, America's faith in freedom and democracy was a rock in a raging sea. Now it is a seed upon the wind, taking root in many nations. Our democratic faith is more than the creed of our country, it is the inborn hope of our humanity; an ideal we carry but do not own, a trust we bear and pass along. And even after nearly 225 years, we have a long way yet to travel. While many of our citizens prosper, others doubt the promise - even the justice - of our own country. The ambitions of some Americans are limited by failing schools, and hidden prejudice, and the circumstances of their birth. And sometimes our differences run so deep, it seems we share a continent, but not a country. We do not accept this, and we will not allow it. Our unity, our union, is the serious work of leaders and citizens in every generation. And this is my solemn pledge: I will work to build a single nation of justice and opportunity. I know this is within our reach, because we are guided by a power larger than ourselves, who creates us equal in his image. And we are confident in principles that unite and lead us onward. America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests, and teach us what it means to be citizens. Every child must be taught these principles. Every citizen must uphold them. And every immigrant, by embracing these ideals, makes our country more, not less, American. Today we affirm a new commitment to live out our nation's promise through civility, courage, compassion and character. America, at its best, matches a commitment to principle with a concern for civility. A civil society demands from each of us good will and respect, fair dealing and forgiveness. Some seem to believe that our politics can afford to be petty because, in a time of peace, the stakes of our debates appear small. But the stakes, for America, are never small. If our country does not lead the cause of freedom, it will not be led. If we do not turn the hearts of children toward knowledge and character, we will lose their gifts and undermine their idealism. If we permit our economy to drift and decline, the vulnerable will suffer most. We must live up to the calling we share. Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment. It is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos. And this commitment, if we keep it, is a way to shared accomplishment. America, at its best, is also courageous. Our national courage has been clear in times of depression and war, when defeating common dangers defined our common good. Now we must choose if the example of our fathers and mothers will inspire us or condemn us. We must show courage in a time of blessing, by confronting problems instead of passing them on to future generations. Together, we will reclaim America's schools, before ignorance and apathy claim more young lives. We will reform Social Security and Medicare, sparing our children from struggles we have the power to prevent. And we will reduce taxes, to recover the momentum of our economy and reward the effort and enterprise of working Americans. We will build our defenses beyond challenge, lest weakness invite challenge. We will confront weapons of mass destruction, so that a new century is spared new horrors. The enemies of liberty and our country should make no mistake. America remains engaged in the world, by history and by choice, shaping a balance of power that favors freedom. We will defend our allies and our interests. We will show purpose without arrogance. We will meet aggression and bad faith with resolve and strength. And to all nations, we will speak for the values that gave our nation birth. America, at its best, is compassionate. In the quiet of American conscience, we know that deep, persistent poverty is unworthy of our nation's promise. And whatever our views of its cause, we can agree that children at risk are not at fault. Abandonment and abuse are not acts of God, they are failures of love. And the proliferation of prisons, however necessary, is no substitute for hope and order in our souls. Where there is suffering, there is duty. Americans in need are not strangers, they are citizens; not problems, but priorities; and all of us are diminished when any are hopeless. Government has great responsibilities, for public safety and public health, for civil rights and common schools. Yet compassion is the work of a nation, not just a government. And some needs and hurts are so deep they will only respond to a mentor's touch or a pastor's prayer. Church and charity, synagogue and mosque, lend our communities their humanity, and they will have an honored place in our plans and laws. Many in our country do not know the pain of poverty. But we can listen to those who do. And I can pledge our nation to a goal: When we see that wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, we will not pass to the other side. America, at its best, is a place where personal responsibility is valued and expected. Encouraging responsibility is not a search for scapegoats, it is a call to conscience. And though it requires sacrifice, it brings a deeper fulfillment. We find the fullness of life, not only in options, but in commitments. And we find that children and community are the commitments that set us free. Our public interest depends on private character; on civic duty and family bonds and basic fairness; on uncounted, unhonored acts of decency which give direction to our freedom. Sometimes in life we are called to do great things. But as a saint of our times has said, every day we are called to do small things with great love. The most important tasks of a democracy are done by everyone. I will live and lead by these principles: to advance my convictions with civility; to pursue the public interest with courage; to speak for greater justice and compassion; to call for responsibility, and try to live it as well. In all these ways, I will bring the values of our history to the care of our times. What you do is as important as anything government does. I ask you to seek a common good beyond your comfort; to defend needed reforms against easy attacks; to serve your nation, beginning with your neighbor. I ask you to be citizens. Citizens, not spectators. Citizens, not subjects. Responsible citizens, building communities of service and a nation of character. Americans are generous and strong and decent, not because we believe in ourselves, but because we hold beliefs beyond ourselves. When this spirit of citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it. When this spirit is present, no wrong can stand against it. After the Declaration of Independence was signed, Virginia statesman John Page wrote to Thomas Jefferson: "We know the Race is not to the swift nor the Battle to the Strong. Do you not think an Angel rides in the Whirlwind and directs this Storm?" Much time has passed since Jefferson arrived for his inaugural. The years and changes accumulate. But the themes of this day he would know: our nation's grand story of courage, and its simple dream of dignity. We are not this story's author, who fills time and eternity with his purpose. Yet his purpose is achieved in our duty; and our duty is fulfilled in service to one another. Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today: to make our country more just and generous; to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life. This work continues. This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm. God bless you all. God bless America. | |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Signs in the Heavens
The significance of celestial, astronomical and heavenly events has been a key feature of world history from the time of Genesis. If we go to the book of Genesis we see a profound statement made by Moses in his account of the creation of the heavens by God Almighty. Why did God create the stars in the heavens in the first place? We read one significant answer in Genesis, the first chapter. Moses wrote:
“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years” Genesis 1:14
From a biblical perspective the use of the Sun and Moon as signs is evident. For instance in the book of Joshua chapter 10, the sun and the moon stood still for Joshua and his army over Gibeon, so they could have enough day time to complete the war. In Genesis we see that a young Joseph had a dream that involved the sun, moon and stars which would become a symbolic prophecy of his rise to greatness.
Incredible heavenly phenomena have been witnessed throughout history and there would be too many to feature here. However the following provides a snapshot of strange events which immediately triggered an association with bible prophecies.
The 1780 Day of Darkness
On the 19th of May, 1780 many people thought that the day of the Lord had arrived when the sky became pitch black during the day. The darkness was not due to an eclipse since the moon was then nearly full. It was not caused by clouds, nor due to the thickness of the atmosphere, as in some localities where the darkness extended, the sky was so clear that the stars could be seen.
The extent of the darkness was also very remarkable. It was observed at the most eastern regions of New England; westward, to the farthest part of Connecticut, and southward at Albany, it was observed all along the sea coast; and to the north, as far as the American settlements extended. It probably far exceeded those boundaries, but the exact limits were never positively known. With regard to its duration, it continued in the neighborhood of Boston for at least fourteen or fifteen hours."
Timothy Dwight says, "The 19th of May, 1780, was a remarkable dark day. Candles were lighted in many houses; the birds were silent and disappeared, and the fowls retired to roost. ... A very general opinion prevailed, that the day of judgment was at hand." Quoted in Connecticut Historical Collections, compiled by John Warner Barber (2nd ed.; New Haven: Durrie & Peck and J.W. Barber, 1836) p. 403.
The August 1999 Total Eclipse
On August 11th 1999, millions of people across Europe, Middle East and Africa witnessed a total solar eclipse. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across the surface of the Earth, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible over a region thousands of kilometers wide.
The path of the Moon's shadow began in the Atlantic Ocean and, before noon, was traversing Cornwall, Devon, northern France, Belgium, Luxembourg, southern Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, and northern FR Yugoslavia (Vojvodina). Its maximum was in Romania (next to a town called Ocnele Mari near Râmnicu Vâlcea); and it continued across Bulgaria, the Black Sea, Turkey, Iran, southern Pakistan and Srikakulam in India and ended in the Bay of Bengal.
Millions witnessed an eerie feeling as darkness descended, the air cooled down and the birds stopped singing. Because of the high density populated in the areas of the path, there is little doubt that this was the most-viewed total solar eclipse in human history.
The Jupiter Effect, Comets and Meteorites
Other heavenly signs that have caused significant discussion and debate also include the planetary alignment phenomena of 1982. The Jupiter Effect was a best-selling book by John Gribbin, Ph.D., and Stephen Plagemann (published. 1974) that predicted that this alignment of the planets of the solar system would create a number of catastrophes, including a great earthquake on the San Andreas Fault in Los Angeles, on March 10, 1982.
Many of you will also remember the Hale-Bopp Comet, one of the most publicized celestial bodies which in 1997 sparked a major tragedy in which 39 members of the Heaven's Gate, an American UFO religion doomsday cult based in San Diego California, committed mass suicide in order to reach what they believed was an alien space craft following the Comet Hale–Bopp, which was then at its brightest.
More recently on September 15, 2007, a meteorite impacted Earth near the village of Carancas, Peru, creating a 50-foot-wide crater. When local officials went to investigate, they saw boiling water bubbling at the bottom of the hole. Sickeningly foul-smelling, noxious gases rose out of it, striking the investigators ill on the spot. In the days after the impact, about 200 villagers came down with a mysterious illness, suffering nausea, headaches and vomiting. Later, tests of the impact site by scientists at Peru's Mining, Metallurgy, and Geology Institute showed that the locals had likely suffered mild arsenic poisoning.
In all three cases at the time parallels were drawn with bible prophecy and the book of Revelation in which John in his vision saw a number of global cataclysmic events which involved astral projects impacting the earth causing significant calamity.
The Prophecy of the Blood Moon Tetrads
When major astronomical and heavenly events take place it has been natural to turn to the Bible for validation since Jesus Christ himself said, referring to the days before His second coming:
“And there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven”.....“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars . . .” Luke 21: 11, 25.
However there are specific references that focus on the moon looking "blood red" in the lead up to the great and terrible Day of the Lord and it is for this reason that the prophecy of the Blood Moon Tetrads is causing a ripple across the bible community.
“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD” Joel 2:31 “I look when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood” Revelation.6:12
Blood Moons are when the moon appears red due to lunar eclipses. They occur when the earth is positioned between the sun and the moon (see top part of image below). The Earth's shadow blocks the sun’s light, which would normally reflect off the moon. The delicate layer of dusty air surrounding our planet reddens and redirects the light of the sun, filling the dark behind the Earth with a sunset-red glow. This is in contrast to a solar eclipse where the moon is positioned between the earth and the sun causing darkness (see bottom part of image below).
.
Blood Moon lunar eclipses have happened continuously throughout history, but a Blood Moon Tetrad is when 4 consecutive total lunar eclipses occur on a Jewish Holy Feast day. There have only been 7 Blood Moon Tetrads between Jesus Christ's first coming and 2013, and every time they happened it has been proven that there was some significant event which impacted upon the Jewish people within a year of the first or last eclipse of the tetrad.
The only time during this Millennium (2000 AD - 3000 AD) that a Blood Moon Tetrad will take place is the year 2014-2015. A growing group of researchers believe something significant is going to happen in 2014 and 2015 which will involve Israel and the world. This has set off a chain reaction of debate and discussion about this event.
Signs of the Blood Moons
Signs of the Blood Moons is a four part report created by Kade Hawkins, director of Prophecy News Watch. Kade is one of the most prolific providers of critical bible prophecy news and as such has developed a reputation in the bible prophecy community that is trusted. Signs of the Blood Moons is one of the first publications on the subject to provide a full critique and examination of the Blood Moon prophecy and will provide significant input to the growing debate and discussion on this controversial subject.
See below for key insights.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | Should the Bible and cosmology be so closely associated? |
| Is the Blood Moon Tetrad theory another example of attempts to read into the scriptures more than should be read? |
| What are the Feasts of the Lord and why is something which is part of the Mosaic law still relevant even during this dispensation of grace? |
| Is the association of Blood Moon Tetrad dates with significant historical events involving Israel pure coincidence? |
| Will the day of the Lord or the Great Tribulation begin in 2014-2015? |
| Will an Islamic Holy Jihad be triggered against the state of Israel during 2014-2015? |
| Is there any significance to the destruction of Damascus in Syria during this time period? |
Take your first step and be one of the 2% of the population who are seeking the alternative truth.
| ||||||||||||
| Seasons of 2014: | |
|---|---|
| SPRING EQUINOX | March 20, 12:57 P.M. EDT |
| SUMMER SOLSTICE | June 21, 6:51 A.M. EDT |
| FALL EQUINOX | September 22, 10:29 P.M. EDT |
| WINTER SOLSTICE | December 21, 6:03 P.M. EST |
Print
Email