Tribman

Tribman "The End"

2010-03-29T13:32:00.001-07:00

This concludes this blog I have called "Tribman." I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. It has been good to think on the things which are about to come to pass. I have enjoyed imagining what I would do if I were having to go through the Great Tribulation. I have also enjoyed thinking about how things will be during the millennium and the New Earth age. I long to see the coming of the Lord. This blog was a fictional story but the events on which it was based are coming and they are real. Please be warned and be ready for the coming of the Great Tribulation and the coming of the Lord.

I have plans to print this blog in a hard back book. I will add to it first some color pictures and tweak it a bit. I will put this book in our church library and will keep a copy for myself. I also plan to write a fiction novel based on this blog. I will do this after I complete my doctoral thesis. There are many story and plot details that this blog, because of its format, could not convey. The book will be titled "Tribman" and if there is enough interest I will publish it. If this is something in which you might be interested then leave me a comment. God bless you.

Adam

2010-03-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

“What do you call them?” I asked Adam as I watched him petting a pair of small fury animals the likes of which I had never seen. “I have not given them a name yet.” he replied. “The name needs to fit their nature so until I know them better naming will have to wait.” As I stood their watching Adam interact with them I thought how wonderful it is to get to know my greatest of grandfathers. In the beginning of creation Adam had named all of the animals. I never thought about him actually knowing each one and all there was to know about them.
Adam was here to train me and I watched his every move. He is so good with animals. He has such a wonderful understanding of them. He seems to love getting to know all about them and their needs. I have learned much from him.
We walked through the forest and stopped at the edge of a clearing which was carpeted with a very curious plant. They looked like a cross between a mushroom and a jellyfish. They were clear as crystal and very fragile. The fragrance they emitted was sweet like a gardenia or a honeysuckle vine. Adam got down on his stomach on the ground and looked underneath the plants being careful not to touch them. “Take a look at this,” he said beaconing me to join him on the ground. I got down and peered under the canopy of the plants. I could see scurrying about a multitude of small bugs that where shaped like ladybugs. These were also clear in appearance every part of their anatomy was transparent. “I call these noseeums.” Adam whispered. “You really have to be looking for them to find them.” He added. Adam reached out and touched one of the plants with his finger saying, “watch this.” The outside covering shaped like a dome immediately inverted. The noseeums rushed in one accord and climbed all over the plant as if looking for the cause of the inversion. Finding nothing in or around the inversion they all gathered on the rim and jumped in unison into the air just a few inches high and all landed at the same time back on the rim which caused the plant to take its dome shape again. The noseeums headed off about their business. “Wow, our God is an amazing creator,” I said. Adam smiled and said, “He always has been.”
We walked around the edge of the clearing and came to a taller then normal tree. A monkey like animal high up in its branches came racing down the truck. “There you are,” Adam said in a sweet and low tone of voice. He reached out and took the animal into his arms. “We need to help this little one get back home.” We found Ezra and Tabitha in the next clearing walking in our direction. “You found him,” they said. Adam held out his arms and the monkey like animal leaped into Ezra's outstretched arms. “We will see he gets home safely.” Tabitha reached out to pet him and asked, “Will you be at the meeting.” “Yes, and Noah will be there too,” I said, anticipating Tabitha's next question. “Great, and I hear that Pastor will be there as well,” Ezra said.
Adam bid us farewell and I thanked him for his help. I led the way as we went to meet Noah. She was waiting for us near the Dan river. We walked along the bank of the river following its course to the City. We enjoyed our conversation. I have noticed that little to nothing of what we talk about has to do with our past. It is mostly about the here and now. Current events and anticipation seem to be the subjects at hand.
We entered the city and found our way to the building where we were to have our meeting. Every building in the city is uniquely shaped. Each building has a name. The one for which we were looking was dome shaped with seven towers. It looked much like a crown and is called “Life.” When all were present and accounted for we began to sing praise to our God. One started the song and each in turn added their on verse to it. Each verse reflected the unique experiences of the singer's walk with God. The song morphed into pure praise.
Ezra began: “Christ did my sins bare far away;”
Tabitha chimed forth: “And thus I live now and for aye.”
Noah sang: “Redeemed am I by His dear grace;”
Then, I pointing in the direction of the light, sang with all my might “Now I see Him face to face.”
Pastor in a quiet soft voice which was clear and sweet, sang: “Tis love amazing and so free;”
Jael took over the note an octave above: “that saved our souls for His glory.”

We prayed together and God was with us. We love these meetings. They are the high point of our one eternal day!

The City of God

2010-03-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

The angel at the gate was very helpful. He welcomed our group warmly. The wall of the city was amazing. It was far more beautiful than we could have imagined. The gate was wide open and we started through the long bright tunnel through the wall. We were on the left side; to our right was a river of water and on the other side of the river was the other side of the street. People leaving the city were on the right side and those entering were on the left. Stepping out from under the wall our eyes took in the massive street of gold which went to our left. Straight ahead of us was a bridge that crossed the river and led to the other side of the main street. To exit the city now we would have to cross that bridge and turn to the left then turn right to cross over another bridge to go back out the gate through which we had entered. In the middle of the main street was the clearest river of water eyes had ever seen. It was the source of the smaller river that ran through the gate of the city. On either side of the river there were trees, lush and green and on the tree there were fruits of different shapes and colors. This was the most beautiful tree ever seen. At each gate of the city there were bridges which crossed the river and led to the other side of the main street.
Our little “tribulation” group had met up at the Dan gate which we had agreed to do in the last year of the millennium. We wanted to enter the city for the first time together. Pastor and his wife led the way. We turned to the left and headed down the street which led around the wall then spiraled inwardly toward the center of the city. It was from the center of the city that the light of the city was shining. We strolled past magnificent massive buildings all made of pure gold. Those people on the other side of the street on the other side of the river were leaving the city, having been to the center where they had seen Jesus face to face. There was nothing but absolute joy on every face. Everyone is dressed in white robes. Everyone appears to be the same age. There is no measure of time here so no one is in a hurry. We stop along the way to embrace and talk with others.
We reached the throne of God and the Lamb. We each had a turn to talk with Jesus and to receive instructions. When my turn came I stepped up to the throne and bowed down to worship the LORD. He asked me to rise and told me to go to a place west of the city and to care for and see after the plants and animals that were there. I left His presence eager to do His bidding. Seeing after and caring for God's marvelous creation is an honor indeed. We all have different assignments in different areas of the world. We are free to do God's will, nothing stands in our way now. Freedom like this we have never know. From where I serve the LORD I can see the city. Another thing that has surprised me about being in this new body and living on this new earth is the learning process. I somehow thought I would know everything and would not have to learn but that is not the case. There is so much that I do not know and every day is a learning experience. God reveals more and more each day about His nature, His knowledge, and His power. What I learn in one day here is more than I learned in all of my life as a mortal on the old earth. One might think, then, that I will know it all soon but I see now that I will never know all things like our God. So much of what I was taught about science, nature, and human beings was absolutely false. A lot of things I believed were true turned out to be a lie. Things are not at all as they seemed to me when I was a mortal.

The End of the Millennium

2010-03-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

The fire, called down by the LORD, came in the form of an intensely bright light that instantly reduced to ashes all the enemies of the Son of Man. We knew the end was near and twenty years before it came Noah and I moved permanently to Israel. We prepared a place for our rather large family. We have a home that is 10 stories high. Our children over these past 20 years have slowly relocated to our home. Their children, our grandchildren have also moved here with us. About 70% of our great grandchildren have also moved here. Of our other descendants let me say this, the further away from being our children the greater the percentage that refused to repent and believe in Jesus. It breaks our hearts but each must make their own choice where they will spend eternity. We were tired of our nation's cycle of obedience and rebellion. Nations would rebel in about 100 year cycles. They would be punished with no rain and then the next 99 years or so they would be submissive until some new leader came to power and then trouble would come again. Israel has not had this problem during the millennium. They remained faithful throughout.
There were no signs of Satan's release. Not long after it happened every nation rebelled at the same time. All the nations gathered in one united effort to overthrow, by force, the LORD and His people. Most believers moved to Israel as soon as they could while others waited until the last year of the millennium. This left the rest of the world with nothing but unbelievers for citizens. The world truly came down to “Us” and “Them.” There was amazing calm among the saints of God when this final war began to take shape. It was only the unbelievers that were blinded to the truth of the prophecy that Satan would make one last try to overthrow the Kingdom of God. There was no fear among us, only sorrow for those poor lost souls. Many of those who hated us were our own flesh and blood.
After the fire of God's judgment fell upon the lost the LORD sat upon His great white throne. He called all of His saints to stand behind His throne. Noah and I stood about 2 miles back behind the throne and a little to the left of it. In the instant that He destroyed the wicked we were changed and received our spiritual bodies. We now stood there with the same kind of glorious, immortal, incorruptible body as our friends, Ezra and Tabitha had received over 1000 years earlier. Behind us and in one huge circle which surrounded the whole scene stood all the saints of God. Jesus had called forth all the dead of all the ages and with His saints standing behind His throne and all around, He condemned the wicked unbelievers showing them out of His holy word the wickedness of their deeds and their sinful ways. He showed them, as a testimony to their lost condition, the Lamb's Book of Life. They were sentenced to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire and were cast immediately by a mighty angel into their eternal prison. When this scene was over we walked away to discover that the earth and all things in it were new. The earth we now tread is an absolute paradise! We now await the coming of that great city of God, New Jerusalem!

Half Way

2010-03-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

Year 500:
We are now half way through the millennium. We attend a funeral about once every 30 years. Some of these people die young, about 100 years old. I am now 530 years old and by our old world standards that would be unheard of. I saw in the paper that there was a woman in Israel who is 600 years old which means she was 100 when the Lord returned. I can't imagine surviving the tribulation being that old. The article said she was in very good health and walks 10 miles a day. We still farm and raise horses and have as much energy now as when we were in our 30's.
Trigger died at a good old age. Noah and I both cried. We erected a monument over his grave. He was a dear friend sent from God. Ezra and Tabitha were there for his burial. These dear friends come to us regularly and seem to know just when to show up.
We have 12 children and 182 grandchildren and 1,943 great-grandchildren. We have lost count of great-great-grandchildren so suffice it to say God has truly blessed us. We have a family reunion here on the farm every 10 years. 90% of our family shows up and we have a great time. We call on our dear friend, Ezra, to lead the prayer at our family reunion feast. If it were not for him and Pastor we may never have known how to be saved. Pastor comes by every 100 years or so to check on us. His wife is always by his side. We talk about old times and he preaches us an old time message.
More and more people are choosing not to be saved. So far, all of our children and grandchildren have been saved. Most of our great-grand children are saved. The ones who have not been saved yet are being prayed for and encouraged. Only a fool would say that Jesus is not who He claims to be. More and more lost people are being elected to the governing counsel but so far they have not rebelled like some nations. Egypt decided they would not represent before the Lord and they suffered the worse drought ever recorded which lasted for a year. The paper said most of the believers left Egypt and did not return until it was over. The way things are starting to look here we may be in the same shape. If America rebells we plan to go and stay in Israel. We have a vacation home there since we go sometimes twice a year. We allow others to use our house for their excursions to the Holy Land. We have contemplated moving to Israel permanently but our family would miss us and we would miss them.
Our attendance at worship each week has dropped off. It used to be that everyone in our community dropped whatever they were doing to be at worship services. Now people miss services for the least little thing. Many people have stopped traveling to Jerusalem. They are becoming more and more selfish and self centered. The Devil, when released from his prison, will have many people on his side. We have been trying to warn the lost of their impending doom and the Great White Throne judgment to come but our words fall on seemingly deaf ears.
We who are saved cannot wait until the new earth comes. When Jesus makes all things new we will have incorruptible, immortal bodies like His. The new earth sounds so great we just love talking about it. We are looking for that city with foundations whose builder and maker is God. (Zechariah 14:16-19; Isaiah 65:20)

Government

2010-02-28T22:27:00.000-08:00

Year: 1
We had twins! They were born with no problems at all. Tabitha was born first and Ezra was born second. We named them after our dear friends who stopped by to see them on the day of their birth. They are both healthy and weighed 6 pounds 4 ounces each. We are already telling them about Jesus even though they are only weeks old. We have finished building our house and barn. We have lots of farm animals. We grow a large garden and large fields of wheat and corn.
It has taken all year for them to clean up after the battle of Armageddon over in the land of Israel. Israel is a wonderful place flowing with milk and honey. The land is lush and green. It looks nothing like it did before. It is not an arid land any more.

Year: 2
We are now two years into the millennium. We have a new form of government here in the United States of America. The few governmental leaders that survived the Tribulation met and formed a governing counsel. Their first order of business was to appointed a governor over us who answers to a representative of the King of Kings. He has met with Jesus and received instructions as to how to govern the people of the United States. Our governor appointed judges who were approved by the governing counsel. These have local offices and courts to judge and make decisions for the people. Any conflicts between people is brought before the local court and the judge makes his ruling. We will elect the governing counsel every seven years. As our population grows the counsel will also grow in number. The governor will be appointed by the counsel and will be our representative before the King of Kings. All laws passed by the governing counsel must be approved by a representative of the King of Kings.

Year: 3
There is only one religion in all the world. It does not have a name. People meet in small, local groups to worship and learn the teachings of Jesus. Everyone is allowed to travel for free to Jerusalem to see Jesus and to be taught more advanced lessons on the doctrines of God. Noah and I have been going once a year during the feast of tabernacles. It is a very joyous time in Israel and there are huge crowds of people all glorifying God together. It is a wonderful, wonderful time. We got to meet all of the apostles and sit and learn at their feet. The Apostle John teaches classes on love. Peter teaches classes on loyalty. Thomas teaches classes on faith. Paul teaches classes on evangelism.
We have another baby on the way! It does not matter if it is a boy or a girl. The ladies of our community say it will be a boy. We have a school house in town and we now have three teachers working there. There is going to be a baby boom this year for almost every woman of child bearing age is either expecting or carrying a baby. We have a hospital in our town now and the busiest part of the hospital is the maternity ward. The rest of the hospital is most often empty.

Year: 4
David was born 8 pounds 2 ounces. Again we have named one of our children after one of our friends from the tribulation. We take our children to church services and are training them to sit still during the services. We have four revival services a year in our town. Famous evangelists come and preach for us. We have a different one each night for two weeks. Men who where preachers during their lives on earth come and preach for us and their messages are outstanding and though they seem so short the preaching actually lasts for hours. Our children are young and sleep through most of the services. Some of the greatest singers ever also come and lead the songs of praise. Pastor was one of our evangelists and it was so good to hear him preach.
David and Jonathan, our friends and guardians from the tribulation, stopped in for a visit. David wanted to meet his name sake. These two men make a good team. They have the power to transcend time and space and can be instantly where ever they need to be. They also can hide their identity when the need arises. The main job for them is to help people do the right thing. They don't make people do the right thing; they just show them the way.

A Brave New World

2010-02-22T21:07:00.000-08:00

I stood before the Lord and, though standing in a large crowd, I felt as though He were looking directly at me. We had been led into the Temple and separated into two groups. The other group was spoken to first. Jesus scolded them for their mistreatment of Him. They protested back that they were innocent and had never even seen Him before. They were silenced by His reply and immediately led away. Jesus then looked directly at me. The others in the group would later say that He was looking directly at each of them. We all heard His voice in our own language. He thanked me for the kindness that I had shown to Him when He was hungry, thirsty, and in prison. At that moment I felt like there was no one else in the whole world but Jesus and me. His eyes where full of gratitude as if I had done some great thing for Him. I had never seen Him hungry, thirsty, or in prison. It is I that owed a debt to Him not Him to me. He pointed in a sweeping and hesitating motion toward a group of people standing very closely beside Him. I looked to see the faces of the whole group with which we had endured the Tribulation. There was Ezra, Tabitha, Pastor, Elisabeth, David, Jonathan, Jael, Isaac, Rebekah, Barzillai, and the orphans they had taken in all standing there close to Jesus. My mind was filled with the memories of how grateful they were when I would bring bags of food for them. The sight of the women's prison flashed in my mind as Jesus said, “You did it unto these my people, you did it unto me.” We were led out of the Temple and back to the airport. Ezra explained that we should return to our home and rest in peace. We boarded the plane and in just hours we were home again.
We were greeted by Trigger first thing. He seemed so glad to see us. The weather is perfect and the sky has been miraculously cleared up and has never looked so good. We sleep under the stars without fear of harm. Ants don't bite and bugs don't pester us. We have plenty to eat since everything we plant grows incredibly fast. We have chosen to live a simple life. We like to take long rides and help our neighbors with their projects. Our community consists of about 120 people. We all gather, everyone of us, to worship and sing praises to God. Our life is much like it was back in the late 1800's. We share with our neighbors. Helping one another is a joy. Once a year we travel for free to Jerusalem to see our Lord and Savior. He is so loving and kind. After we visit Jesus at the Temple we follow the line of people out of the city to the top of a hill where there is a horrible reminder of what happens to those who have chosen to be enemies of God. There is a window that allows you to look into the place where the wicked and the evil are imprisoned until judgment day. Many rush by this sight not wanting to see its horror. I look long and hard because if it were not for God's grace I would be there.
Noah and I are expecting our first child. We are so excited about this. The ladies of our community say it is twins and Noah believes it. We plan to have as many children as the Lord will bless us with. Noah says “two dozen would be great.” Farming is actually fun. God is blessing with perfect weather for farming. We have been eating only vegetables, for the most part, along with eggs and cheese. We have seen enough of death and can't bare to take a life any more. Winter was mild and there are things we can grow year round to eat. We do can foods for the winter but we always have food left over and to spare when harvest time comes round again. Everyone is healthy. There are no high blood pressure problems, no diabetes, no heart problems, no cancer. Doctors only treat cuts and minor injuries. There is no war anywhere and people live in safety and peace. There is virtually no crime. We have truly gone from the worst of times to the best of times. (Matthew 25; Isaiah 66; Isaiah 11)

Reunion

2010-02-16T21:28:00.000-08:00

We arrived back in north Texas late yesterday afternoon. We have found a spot we feel is ideal to settle down in for now. We will not pick a permanent spot until we know what our Lord has in store for us. We have begun to build us a good wooden shelter knowing that the earthquakes are a thing of the past. We have slept in tents so long that it will be strange to sleep in a house on a real bed.
Trigger was the first to notice two figures coming across the field this morning. He took off like a shot running directly toward them. We watched as they greeted and embraced him like old friends. We suspected that it was some of our friends who had been raptured and were now returning to let us know that they were back. Ezra looked somehow younger than I remembered and his wife, Tabitha, was with him. We embraced each other for the longest time. It was so good to see them again. We sat down and talked for hours. They told how they had heard a trumpet sound and a voice and when they all turned to see its source they were instantly standing in the heavens before Jesus. They saw marvelous things too wonderful to tell. They followed Jesus back to the earth and were sent by him to tell us to come to Jerusalem to appear before Him.
We shared with them our story of how that God had watched over us and protected us from harm. There were so many questions we had for them and they patiently answered them all. They said we were to go to the nearest airport and get on a plane which would cost us nothing. The plane would take us to Jerusalem and we would be taken to the Temple to see Jesus. There would be no need for money for all our needs would be taken care of. Tomorrow Ezra and Tabitha will go with us to the airport and they will be picking up others along the way that will go with us.
It seems there are not many humans that survived the Great Tribulation. Had it not been cut short by the Lord's return no one would have survived. It is estimated that the population of the earth, not counting those immortal saints who have returned, is about 500 million. The immortal saints have been sent out by twos to bring everyone to Christ. The “M's” cannot refuse to go. When called they drop everything immediately and follow, without question or argument, the ones sent to lead them to the nearest airport, bus or train station. One of our many questions was how has the public transportation systems been repaired so quickly? How is it possible that there are enough pilots and other transportation personnel available and coordinated to get the job of transporting so many people to Jerusalem done? The answer was obvious. The Lord spoke and everything needed was taken care of. In just 75 days all mortals will be brought before the Lord in Jerusalem for judgment. If the Lord could create the Heavens and the Earth in six days a small thing like this is no problem at all.
We picked up 30 people on our way to the airport. It was a journey of about 15 miles. We waited about an hour for the next plane to arrive and then we boarded without any questions being asked. There was no security, no tickets, no ticket agents and no boarding passes. We just got on the plane and took off. We were fed well by the stewards on the flight and the flight was smooth and quick. There must have been a tremendous tail wind for we arrived in Jerusalem in less than four hours. The view from the air of the battlefield north of Jerusalem was terrifying to look upon. Never in the history of the world have so many died in one place and so suddenly. Jerusalem looks amazing and the new Temple unlike anything ever seen.
Our group of 200 is waiting at the north gate. There is a group in there with Jesus now and we are next. Ezra and Tabitha left our group and vanished as they walked away. They are off to gather others to bring them to Christ. I am terrified and it is only by God's grace I have the strength to stand here.

Episode 29: Motion Sickness

2010-02-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

There is no more Internet access, at least for us, so I am now just writing a journal. It has been a little over two months since our friends were raptured. The last vial of the wrath of God which we call “the big one” hit at midnight. It was so violent and lasted so long that we all suffered from motion sickness. We were all sitting around talking when the horses started acting crazy. They were restless at first then as soon as it hit they all laid down and we followed their lead. There is a house near our campsite that collapsed in a cloud of dust. The trees swayed so violently that it snapped the tops off of all the taller ones. The initial quake lasted for thirty minutes. This was followed by huge aftershocks every few minutes each lasting for several seconds. There is no way any building or bridge could have withstood such violent shaking. We stayed lying down or crawling for the next six hours until the horses began to act normal again.
The Lord will be touching down on the Mount of Olives very soon. Right after the quakes were over we loaded up and headed out. Noah and I will split away from the group and keep heading south as the others head west and south west. We plan to settle down in North Texas if the Lord is willing for us to do so. I do not know what He has in store for us but I will trust in Him to do as He deems best.
It will take us about three weeks to get to where we are heading. We are thankful for the horses. Noah rides on Trigger and I am on Silver. Keeping with the TV theme we have named our pack horses Flicka and Mr. Ed. They will be very useful when we start our farm. We are excited and so glad that the horror is over. The last vial has been poured out and now we wait for survivors to climb out of the rubble and begin the process of cleaning up and rebuilding. We are not finding many survivors. The town we just left had no standing buildings and we saw only a few dozen people digging through the piles of what use to be buildings and homes. We stopped long enough to gather canned goods and supplies and then hit the trail again. We have been back in the States for three days and are making good time. We have stopped to rest for the night.

We just had the most wonderful experience. We woke up this morning and the sky off to the east had an unusual appearance. It was brighter than the normal sunrise. There was the sound of violent wind and we saw what looked like a man standing on the clouds descending to the earth. His appearance was glorious and awesome. The sight lasted about 15 minutes. It is exciting to think that Jesus is here on the earth. This means that the battle of Armageddon is over and that Jesus is about to sit on His throne. In celebration of this day of Christ's return I have thrown my gun away and will never pick it up again. We have mixed emotions about seeing the LORD. It is our understanding that we will all be summoned to appear before Him when He sits on the throne of His glory in Jerusalem. On the one hand we long to see the One who has saved our souls and kept us alive through this great tribulation but on the other hand we are ashamed to have lived so much of our lives rejecting Him. He is loving, merciful, and kind. I expect that I will bow before Him and words will fail to express the love I have for Him now. We also long to see our friends again and hopefully the Lord will allow us to do so.

Another night has come and we traveled 80 miles today. The horses were feeling energetic and seemed as anxious as we were to get home. Our GPS does not work at all. It must be that the satellites are all out of order. We do have a map and though the roads are a mess and travel by car is all but impossible the horses are making it just fine. We are following Interstate 29 south. We stop to turn road signs over to see where we are. We are currently at a small town called Mound City, Missouri where we will spend the night. Food and supplies are abundant since most of the population is dead. We come across collapsed convenience stores and gas stations along the way and with no one around we help ourselves to whatever we find useful in the rubble. There are many hurting and dying from their injuries. Those who were killed out right are considered the lucky ones. So far we have only seen “M's” injured and dead, “S's” seem to have been spared. We praise God for His mercy toward us.

Headaches

2010-02-01T21:03:00.000-08:00

Darkness has come upon AC's kingdom. The people who took his Mark are suffering with horrible migraine like headaches. Their sores will not heal and no amount of pain medication will relieve their pain. I praise God that I did not take the Mark. There has been some rebellion against AC but he has crushed every country that has gone against him. No one dares to stand up against him. Coalition forces made up of armies from all the major countries are gathering for the battle of Armageddon. They don't see it that way because they are so deceived.
Bro. John says that we will need to return to civilization when Christ returns. He expects that we will be informed as to what to do and says to expect a summons to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem. He says that everyone will stand before Jesus to be judged and that those who are saved will be allowed to go home and live out their lives in peace. Those who are lost will die in their sins.
Since we have seen all but the last vial poured out we expect the time of the end is only days away. We have had plenty to eat and those of our group who know horses have not only taken care of the ones we have but have found other horses and added to the herd. It looks like everyone will have their own horse to ride with a few extra to spare. They also found some cows that they said were strays and these have provided us with some really good meals. We have a plan for when the big earthquake hits and have been having earthquake drills to make sure we are ready. When it is over we will head south back to the States.
It worries Noah and me that some of the others want to take matters into their own hands. It is better for us to live like Christians ought to live and trust in God to care for us. I know that the way we have been treated by the “M's” was wrong and that they have killed many Christians who certainly did not deserve to die. But vengeance belongs to God, not to us. We should not let our hatred for those who have killed our friends and loved ones cause us to be like those of the world. I felt so bad about looting that house even though the owners were dead. It still was not right and the guilt that I felt afterward is not worth it. I will not take that which does not belong to me but instead will let the Lord provide. Pastor John has been trying to make everyone understand that in less than three months we will be standing before Jesus and He knows everything that we have done. All we will be able to do when that day comes is to thank Him for His mercy and grace.
I have seen enough of war and hatred. Pastor John's description of the coming kingdom sounds so good. It will be wonderful to live in peace and to have loving and caring neighbors. I look forward to helping my neighbors rebuild their homes and share with them the produce from my garden and to sit on their porches and have them sit on mine and enjoy peace and quite. Noah and I are not going to have a TV, computer, or even a radio. We want to love and know our neighbors and enjoy a simple way of life. I can't imagine lions laying down with lambs so I can't wait to see it. There was a time in our country when people knew and helped their neighbors; A time when community gatherings for fun and games was what everyone looked forward to. Pastor John says we will be allowed and encouraged to travel to Jerusalem to see the Lord every year. What a great time that will be.
We pray for the world because of the earthquake that is coming. Every city will collapse and many people will be killed.

Canada

2010-01-23T18:49:00.000-08:00

I have to ride for three hours to get to a spot where I get enough signal to get on the Internet. I do this because of a promise to a dear friend that I believe I will see again very soon. We made it to the contact point 10 days ago and to our surprise we found 38 people there. They came from all over the country having deciphered our code from the blog. They wanted to join us on our journey to Canada. After getting acquainted they made me the “trail boss” and so after assigning responsibilities to everyone in the group we headed off for the border. We even have a Pastor. He was still beating himself up for having a doctor's degree in theology and yet did not know Jesus as his Savior until 90% of his congregation disappeared in the rapture. I got him aside right off and told him to cut it out and step up and be the spiritual leader that he trained to be. Even the Apostle Paul was a doctor of the Law before he was saved. We crossed the border by night and saw no one. We are staying away from populated areas. Three of the people in our group raise horses and brought them along. Our little group has 15 horses now so Trigger has some company. We are made up of people between the ages of 13 and 70 all in relatively good health. All have unique stories as to why they were left behind and how they have survived the great tribulation. Pastor's story is my favorite.
The rivers have turned blood red and we had been melting snow for drinking water. The temperature has begun to rise and the snow is all gone now. For fear of sunburn and heat stroke we stay covered in the shade and sleep, doing our work at night. We have guns and are in such a remote area that we do not fear persecution. We hunt, cook, and eat during the night and sleep during the oppressive heat of the day. We filter and drink water out of a lake which is red and tastes like iron. The horses don't seem to mind drinking the water.
Since arriving in Canada we have not seen any people. We have looted some abandoned houses along the way and even came across a barn with enough hay for the horses. I have been persuaded not to feel guilty for looting. But there is one thing that I could not do and will not be talked into. There are some in our group that would not hesitate to kill “M's” if felt threatened. They reason that “M's” have no hope and their lives are not worth the loss of even one “S.” I must confess there is a part of me that agrees with that thought but the Bible says “Love your enemies” and “Turn the other cheek” so I encourage the group not to hate anyone. According to the Internet there is misery everywhere. “AC” is rallying everyone to go against Israel in one last great push to do them in forever. I have decided not to check the news anymore and just stay focused on prayer and waiting for the end. It keeps us busy just surviving and watching the eastern sky. Pastor, Bro. John as we call him, brings us lessons about the coming reign of Christ each morning right before sunrise. He has quickly gained our respect and confidence. The rest of us know almost nothing about the Bible.
I expect that this may be the last blog for a while if the darkness has anything to do with the lack of electricity. I will continue to write and will post later. We are surviving the heat and are watching for the coming of the LORD. There is pain coming to those who have the Mark. There is drought coming to those in the Middle East. There is the mother of all earthquakes coming to us all. We are going to watch for our Lord and when He comes we will be oh so ready.

North Bound

2010-01-18T16:50:00.000-08:00

(This is Sam again.) We feel guilty for doing so, but we believe that God will forgive us. We broke into a house that was badly damaged by the earthquake. The family inside were all dead and we stole some of their things. We found that they had a wireless cell phone modem and so are using that to connect to the Internet. They will shut it off eventually when the bill is not paid but for now it works great when we can get a signal. Most cell towers are down. We have stayed on the move not staying anywhere more than one night. Trigger carries our things except for what is in our back packs. We are on a freight train right now heading north. It was quite a chore to get Trigger on this flat bed rail car. Under the cover of dark we found a train that had come to a stop and there were several empty flat bed cars. We built a ramp for him to walk up on and he did not trust our workmanship at first. It did hold him up and we will ride as far as this train will take us. We have no worries as long as it is night but during the day when we pass through towns people give us a strange look and we just hope they are not calling the police. The train has headed steadily north and we are now three states north of where we started. When the train stops we will get off and walk north until we can catch another train.
We have seen many people with sores on their faces and hands. They look bad and they hate anyone who does not have the Mark. We have wrapped our heads and hands as if covering sores so we blend in with everyone else. We have seen on the Internet the Red tide in the oceans. The fishing industry has been devastated and beaches are covered with dead fish and many dead whales have washed ashore. The temperature of the oceans has risen and the weather is going to be greatly affected. Seeing these things lets us know that the first two bowls of wrath have been poured out and there are five more to come.
We are headed for Canada trying to get as far north as we can to escape the scorching heat that we know is coming. We figure there is less direct sun light near the arctic circle than closer to the equator. We have a GPS but it does not work very well. A lot of the satellites are down, I suppose, but still it gives us a close enough estimate of where we are on the earth.
Again I want to say that we feel bad about looting houses and stores that have collapsed. We only do so if there is no one around. There have been so many people killed that there is a lot of stuff left unclaimed. It is by stealing that we have enough supplies for our journey. There was one small town that was so devastated that it was a ghost town. We found a lot of food there and filled our packs. There was a small pharmacy that had collapsed and after two hours of digging we recovered some anti-biotics and other medicines which may be helpful. We also feel bad about not helping people. We run the risk of arrest if we have much interaction with “M's.” We pray for them and have helped some who were in desperate need.
To those who have tried to contact Ezra I want you to know that he is gone and here is how you may connect with me as you would have him: 010711-0147282022-1309091113-1508353137-01050811 We long for this connection with you and hope and pray you will be able.

They are Gone

2010-01-09T21:28:00.000-08:00

“We stood for hours watching through Barzillai's window the news coverage of the death of the two witnesses. “AC” has succeeded, in his all out war, in killing them and the TV stations keep playing the scene over and over. A holiday has been declared and people are celebrating all over the world. Pastor stayed by the window long enough to see the scene once and hear the report and then went back to camp. He has been in prayer and has been crying a lot. He is very emotional about all these things. The witnesses were killed at about 7:00 AM three days ago. Yesterday we were chased out of our camp by a raiding party of vigilantes. David and Jonathan stayed behind to buy us escape time. They were able to kill the dogs right off but the humans they could have killed they left alive. David and Jonathan were both killed and their bodies taken away. Poor Cushi watched from a safe distance as the mob beheaded them both and threw their lifeless bodies into the back of a truck. There have been a lot of “S's” found and arrested in these past few weeks. This is due to the incredible amount of zeal people have about the war “AC” is waging against the witnesses. Our children have not contacted us nor have they been on the Internet. We pray that they are all safe. We are devastated by the loss of David and Jonathan. Our hearts are broken and we are full of grief. This will most likely be my la...............”
These were the last words typed by Ezra. I am the one he called Sam. Noah and I returned to camp from a quick trip into town to find them all gone. Their things were just as they left them. Their clothes were in small piles where they evidently had been standing. They all left from the standing position and all were facing east. Noah and I ran to Barzallai's house to find him gone as well. It is an eerie sight to see. The fillings in their teeth, rings, even Barzallai's artificial hip were left behind. Noah and I did not truly believe in Jesus Christ the Savior of which our friends spoke. We do now and so the first order of business for us was to fall on our knees and pray. Jesus who is now our LORD has mercifully saved us and now we will strive to endure until He comes. Thanks to Pastor's Bible and notes which we have been studying intensely we know what is going to happen next. The most massive earthquake to yet hit the world took place moments after we arrived back at camp. We are not sure when the rapture occurred but we must have missed seeing their departure by a matter of minutes. Our quick trip to town was for the purpose to see what they did with the bodies of David and Jonathan. They were thrown on a pile with many other “S's” who had also been beheaded. The bodies were in one pile and the heads in another. It is amazing how uncivilized and barbaric the human race has become.
I plan to guard this laptop computer with my life. I have backed up the files and will keep them as I was instructed to show future generations what life was like in these the worst of times. I will post on the blog as often as I can but the time is short and it will not be long before the LORD and our friends will come back again. The first vial of the wrath of God will not affect us directly for we do not have the Mark. The second and third vials will effect the sea and the rivers. The fourth will bring high temperatures and great heat. We are not sure how we will cope with this. Underground would keep us cool but earthquakes make being underground risky. The fifth will affect the “M's” only as did the first and the sixth will impact the middle eastern area hardest. The seventh is the greatest worldwide earthquake to ever hit and we will pray for God to save us through it and all of these. Trigger is staying very close to us. It is as if he is afraid and we are not sure if he is afraid for himself or for us. Ezra often remarked that Trigger was an angel sent by God to help and I believe he was exactly right.
According to Pastor's notes we have about 3 months or so to endure until the Lord's return. With it being just the two of us we plan to travel north and hope that our chances of survival will be better there. We may try to hitch a ride on a freight train and get as far as it will take us. Our thinking is that it will be cooler the farther north we go and we have whatever time it takes for the first three vials to be poured out to get to a cooler climate. I will blog as I can as we pass towns on our journey. I do not know if anyone will be reading this. I hope that those who were reading this blog have all gone up to meet the Lord in the air.

One in Three

2010-01-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

The Sixth Trumpet has sounded and the cinder cones are causing death all over the planet. The numbers of the estimated dead, which the news media are giving out, are far fewer than what we know to be the actual numbers. The Bible has said that at the Sixth Trumpet one third of men will be killed. There is not one volcano that is not currently active. These are spewing ash clouds and lava which are killing millions of people. Entire communities and towns have been buried under tons of ash. Our site is in a safe area between cinder cones. There is a thick haze over us but it is not so bad as to require the use of dust masks.
The two prophets in Israel have been on the news a lot lately. They have been the cause of much misery and are being blamed for everything bad that has happened. “AC” has had his fill of them and is on His way to Jerusalem to confront them. We already know how this is going to come out so we are ready. Pastor believes that we have just a matter of weeks before the seventh trumpet will sound. A group of us have come to town this time to lend a hand digging people out of the rubble and ash. There are just not enough rescue workers for the amount of people effected by these eruptions. Sam, Noah, Jael, Isaac, Rebekah, David, Jonathan, my wife and I have helped to rescue several people. Not one of them complained that we did not have the Mark. We left the others behind at camp to take care of the orphans. Trigger was a big help. We put a harness on him and he was able to pull large chunks of debris out of the way.
Looking at the scenes on the TV and the scenes which we have seen here in our local area we wonder how in the world will this mess ever be cleaned up. I remember seeing pictures of bombed out cities from World War II and seeing the same cities all cleaned up and restored. The amount of clean up work that it will take to restore these places to a livable condition seems, as in those days, overwhelming. Pastor reminded me that they will have 1000 years to get it done.
With the rapture perhaps just weeks away we are trying to tell as many as we can about the Gospel of Christ and of the things to come. Our message seems to fall on deaf ears and even the people we have rescued have been completely unrepentant.

I have spoken with Sam privately about being saved. He still is unsure and hesitant. I have asked him to take over my scribe duties when I am gone and continue to record the events of the seven vials of the wrath of God. Future generations will need to hear these stories and how men lived during these the worst of times. He has not consented to do so but I believe that he will.
Our Children are faring well. The Seventh Trumpet is about to sound and we are more excited than kids on Christmas eve. If I do not get to blog again I hope to see you all in heaven soon. According to the Bible we will be changed instantly and will be taken up into the clouds to meet the LORD in the air. The Lord will take us to heaven where we shall stand on the sea of glass and have the greatest praise and worship service ever known to man or angel. That service is described in Revelation 19:1-6. We go to sleep each night knowing we may be awakened by the sound of a mighty trumpet. Even so come quickly Lord Jesus! (Revelation 9:12-21)

Tribman will be back after the hollidays, stay tuned.

2009-12-22T11:53:00.000-08:00

Orphans

2009-12-12T17:58:00.000-08:00

We now have six more mouths to feed. The orphan's have joined us. The youngest is 6 and the oldest is 16. They all have been saved, except the youngest, and we do not see them as a liability but as an asset. The 2 oldest ones are already in training with David and Jonathan. They are being taught how to use and hunt with a sling shot and a bow. They are learning what plants can and can not be eaten. They are fast learners and with God's blessings our food quantities may increase. They certainly have a lot of energy. Because of this I have named the oldest Cushi and the next to oldest Ahimaaz. These were the two young men who were runners that came to David with news about the death of Absalom. The younger four, two girls and two boys, help around the camp and Rebekah and Jael are teaching them in a makeshift school. The kids think school is a waste of time seeing that the Lord will soon be coming. Jael assured them that they need to know how to read and write if they are going to be able to understand the Book that is never going to go away. Cushi's sister is one of the girls and Ahimaaz's sister is the other. The two younger boys are brothers. All three sets of these children's parents died as a result of earthquakes. Cushi took them in and kept them together. He has a good heart and treats the others with great tenderness. It was Ahimaaz who first befriended Jael. These children still have nightmares and often awaken us in the night crying. Some of them lost not only their parents but grandparents, other siblings, and many friends. Some of their parents were “M's” and others were not. We console them as best we can and tell them to keep watching the sky for Jesus is coming soon and will make all things better.
The locust have begun to die out. Their five months is over. They have caused great misery on the earth. The “M's” will be so glad when they realize they are gone. Isaac's “M” detector has died but he has not released it yet. Isaac says, “Moses kept a sample of the manna so I'm gonna keep this one just for a reminder.” Sam and Noah are no longer wearing their “bee suits.” They believe the Bible and are convinced that now that the five months is over they are safe. They just have not yet professed Jesus as Savior. We plead with them gently but they still put it off. “The Seven vials of the wrath of God are just as real and certain as the Six Seals and the Seven Trumpets” Pastor told them, “The only way to escape what's coming is to be saved now.”
All around the world, everywhere that there is a fault line, earthquakes are happening every single day. New cinder cones are popping up almost over night along these fault lines. There have been thousands of these pop up in our State alone. Places where we never dreamed there was a fault line now have a row of cinder cones. There are two of these near us, one to our northeast and one to our south. Looks like the sixth trumpet has sounded and we are praying extra long and hard for those who are lost. The Lord will be coming for us soon!

"M" Detector

2009-12-05T12:36:00.001-08:00

The locust, though tormenting the “M's”, continue to bring us peace. This should last another two months or so. No one has been snooping around our area looking for us. Our kids have also had some relief from their persecutions. They have been offline for a while but are back up now. They have suffered much more than we have during this past year so the locust have been a welcomed relief for them. The locust have made the “S's” to really stand out. You can tell an “S” from a mile away. They are the ones who do not fear the locust.
We have not had a lot to eat lately but we are getting by. Noah has taken to cooking for Barzallai. He is enjoying her cooking and Sam, her new husband, tags along. Two or three days a week they eat supper with him and he loves their company. We have enjoyed the spring weather and the fresh vegetables we have both grown and harvested from the wild. David and Jonathan have been used of God to keep us from starving and by adding a lot of water to the pot one small animal can make enough stew to feed thirteen hungry mouths. Sam brings us flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, dried beans and such when he can. The chickens have been laying eggs providing us with just short of a dozen a day. Our days are fairly routine. We eat breakfast, then have Bible study and prayer. We do our morning chores, cleaning, gathering wood, hunting, mending, and then we gather together for lunch. After lunch we read from the Bible and pray together. In the evening we watch the news through the window and then return to sit in a circle in the tee-pee and discuss what is going on in the world and what is about to happen.
The sixth trumpet is about to sound, according to our Pastor. He says this will kill 1/3 of the population of the earth. There will be an army numbering 200 million which will kill men with fire, smoke and brimstone. These sound like volcanoes but there are not 200 million of these on the earth. It causes us to invoke our favorite saying, “We will understand it better by and by.”
Jael usually goes to town by herself but since she has taken such a liking to Noah and Sam she goes with them to the edge of town where they go their separate ways. Trigger carries the ladies while Sam leads the way. Jael has been looking for those who have not become “M's” as yet. She speaks boldly to them almost like Pastor does. She tells them plainly they need to be saved. A few weeks back she befriended a young boy. She would see him every time she went to town. He was eventually saved and with the locust around you can tell quickly if someone has faith or not. As soon as he was saved he started chasing locust. He is an orphan living with a small gang of orphans who have been hiding from the authorities and refusing to take the Mark. They shoplift and break into houses to steal food and clothing. I think it was Jael's stern motherly image that caused this orphan to seek her out every time she came to town coupled with the fact that she too refused the Mark. We are praying that the Lord will help Jael and this young convert influence the rest of the orphans so that they will be saved also. When that happens she will bring Pastor to them and, if he agrees, they will join our number. They range in age from 6 to 16.
Isaac is amazing in his ability to find the humorous side of things. He caught one of the locust and put it in a jar and calls it his “M” detector. “Those that would join us,” he says, “must pass the “M” detector test.” When someone says something out of line or shows any ignorance of the scriptures Isaac reaches for the “M” detector and waves it over them. “Just checking,” he says.
People are amazing in that they have learned to adjust to the bad things that are plaguing the world. It seems that in just a few weeks life with the locust is the norm. They just adapt, do what they must, and keep going. They still carry on with their lives, business as usual. It is as if they say goodbye to their old life and accept the new. There was a backyard wedding that we passed on our way through town. They had spread a huge net over the yard to keep the locust out and it looked like they were having a great time. We see this a lot where humans are trapped indoors like animals in cages at a zoo and the locust are the visitors. People being dressed in bee suits does not seem strange to anyone. They still go shopping and sightseeing but dress as if they were astronauts on a strange new planet. It is quite a sight. If you want to blend in you must dress the same way when you go to town.
Sam and Noah are very close to being saved. They have been a bit distracted lately with the difficulty finding work and the wedding. I am not sure why they put it off. We do not hassle them about being saved though Jael is very vocal with them at times. They are kind of like Agrippa in the Bible, “almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” They were not raised as Christians and all of this is still new to them.

Wedding Bells

2009-11-28T18:44:00.000-08:00

We are beginning to see more people riding horses. The frequent earthquakes keep closing roads and so the only sure way to get back home is an off road mode of transportation. The locust are still tormenting “M's” and we have been left alone. There have not been any of the locust in our new camp. I have seen a lot of them as I go into town and they are a comfort to us who are “S's.” When the locust are around the “M's” are not. The streets are very empty and I can blog without any fear of being seen. Our oldest child's blog has been hacked and they have had to resort to emergency plan B. Someone edited their last blog and said things that they would never say. It was an attempt to draw us out but it failed. We anticipated this possibility and came up with a plan B and that plan is working well. They are otherwise doing well. Still no word from our youngest. They must be having problems getting Internet access. They have not used emergency plan C yet so hopefully all is well with them.
Jael has been working on K and Sam. She has always been blunt and just speaks to them plainly that they need to be saved. Pastor is not so pushy. He preaches the Word and lets the Holy Spirit convict. She has made progress influencing them though. Her time spent with K has been good for them both. At the prodding of K, Jael has been spending a lot of time talking to Sam. My wife and I were not sure what was going on but we had our suspicions. Sure enough, yesterday Sam popped the question and K did not hesitate to respond with a resounding “YES.” Pastor performed the ceremony and David, Jonathan, and Isaac were the groom's men. Jael was the maid of honor and Mary, Tabitha, and Shiphrah were the bridesmaids. I gave the bride away. Rebekah, my guitar instructor, provided the music and Elisabeth sang. Everybody had a part. K wore Barzallai's wife's wedding dress which needed only a little alteration. Sam was even able to get a wedding cake and a set of rings. He had some trouble getting the cake home in one piece. Trigger did the best he could to give the cake a smooth ride home. Sam and Noah, yes they all liked K's nickname, seem to be a perfect match. They had been friends for a long time but never serious until the Mark hit. They had both made the decision that the Mark was not a good thing and though they knew very little about the Bible they knew taking the Mark would not be right. They are very close to being saved and I think they will be soon.
We go over to Barzillai's house most evenings to watch the news. The two witnesses have killed several people who have tried to kill them. They have been causing draught and other plagues throughout the middle east and Europe. There are currently 1500 active volcanoes on land and many others under the oceans. Earthquakes continue to be intense both in frequency and magnitude. They are hoping that the 1500 will not all go off at the same time. Such an event, they say, would be the end of our world. How little they know about how their world is going to end. When they do go off Pastor says that 33% of the human race will be killed. This will mean that Earth will have less than half the population it had before the tribulation began. Pastor has suggested that we be prepared for the coming eruptions. We have masks for the dust, ash, and smoke. We have chosen this location because it is not near any Volcanoes and with God's help we will be fine. We have even rigged up a makeshift mask for Trigger including some goggles for his eyes. He does not seem to like these at all but when he is faced with the alternative we expect he will accept them without hesitation. God has spared us and even blessed us through the seals and trumpets. Each has in its own way been a curse to the “M's” and a blessing to the “S's.” We have made us a storm shelter and fixed an air filtering system for it. It should protect us from the smoke and fire but brimstone is a whole different matter. We will pray that God will protect us from the sixth trumpet. (Matthew 24:38-39; Revelation 9:1-20)

Jael

2009-11-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

Jael, who I introduced to you as “a woman you don't want to mess with,” has a rough exterior and is not timid a bit. She will speak her mind and if you ask her opinion she won't hold anything back. She is a “get it done” kind of person. Her chores are quickly and efficiently completed each day. She never needs anyones help. Beneath this rough exterior lies a very sweet and compassionate person. People will say this of her and then add, “You just have to look for it.” K has had a hard time fitting in with our little group. Sam goes off to work nearly every day and some days returns empty handed. Sam has been a huge help to us all and has made our existence much easier. But K seems to have nothing to contribute. The last person I would ever have expected for K to take up with was Jael. I was so shocked when I came back from town to see K and Jael together and not only getting along but enjoying each other's company. They are spending a lot of time together and this has made K feel good about joining us. It looks like they are building a close relationship with each other. When you see the two of them together Jael is like a whole different person. I am praying that through this close relationship that Jael will be able to lead K to the Lord.
Barzallai is not doing well. K brought Jael over to his house and introduced her to him. He still does not know about the rest of us. He might not have liked Jael “before K” but now Jael's compassion and sweetness keeps popping out. We tease her about it often. I think I see now why K had such influential friends in high places before. I am toying with the nick name “Noah” for K. As with the other nicknames I will take a straw poll of the group but so far I am batting a thousand with my nickname approvals. “Noah” means rest or comfort. People seem to be at rest and comfortable around K. I'll let you know if the name is approved.
Our prayers have been answered. Mary has returned to our fold. She came back one morning a few days ago. She confessed that she was not saved and knew that she would be exposed by the locust. She went to a friend's house and when her friend was no where to be found she inquired and found out that her friend had died in a building collapse a month ago. She was chased by the locust and barely escaped being stung. She had ducked into a portable john, and with the locust crawling all around looking for a way in, she begged God to save her soul. She claimed that at that very moment the sound of the locust crawling and flying all around the outside of the john stopped. “Everything grew quite,” she said. "I waited a bit and peeked out of the upper vent windows and the locust were standing still." She waited a bit longer and then with a thunderous roar the locust took off in flight. She stepped out of the john and dropped to her knees thanking God for His salvation. She ran as fast as she could back to the new pad. It is so good to have her back. Mary got her name because she is young and she prays the sweetest prayers. She was really good at praising God and now that she is saved her praises are even more moving. Our prayers continue for Hannah. She too was very pious in her conversation and could be such an asset to God's Kingdom if she would repent.
Pastor and Elisabeth are doing well. Her being back has made all the difference in his over all health and strength. They are a wonderful couple. David and Jonathan have been very good hunters and we are eating well. Hunger truly is the best seasoning for food. They came home one day with a canteen full of milk. We asked where and how they got the milk and the story that followed had us all laughing out loud.
The locust has given us a time of peace which we have not known for some time. The “M's” are all too busy trying to deal with these pests to worry about “S's.” I did run into some trouble in town last week. There were some men standing around which looked suspicious. I had to find another portal to the Web and much to my delight I found another very quickly.
We built a tee-pee and it is a very comfortable place to hold our worship services. We build a fire in the middle and all sit around in comfort out of the rain and cold singing praises to God. It sleeps six comfortably around the fire. Though we all have our own smaller tents it is nice to sleep by the fire on those really cold nights. If we get enough materials we will build a second one. The blogs of our children have not been updated in the past two weeks which is starting to cause us concern.

Locust

2009-11-13T22:55:00.000-08:00

Our new home is working out very well. We have adequate amounts of water and firewood and our mighty men of valor have found game for our table. The chickens are molting and so egg production is low. We eat a lot of cornbread, potatoes, and beans. Trigger has not had much to eat and Sam was able to get a sack of horse feed for him last week. Sam is starting to have trouble getting work. More and more people don't want anything to do with those who will not take the Mark. Barzallai goes to town twice a month for groceries and has given K some things we have needed like bandages, soap, and a number of other things he has had for a long time and never used. K helped him clean out is closets and brought a large bag full of good warm clothes which my wife soon altered for various ones who needed them.
Our hearts have been saddened by a grim reality. The fifth trumpet has driven two from our little band. It seems that Mary has left us. We are not certain as to why. She departed quietly one night without saying a word to anyone. She did not seem like herself after Pastor read and explained Revelation 9:1-11. The next day she did her chores like usual but seemed very worried. I have a theory about why she left but I hope it is not true. If she had stayed with us the locust would have revealed that she was not one of us. She did not want to take that chance so left. There does not seem to be any other reasonable explanation for her sudden departure.
Hannah has also left us but not anything like Mary. When the locust came she was bitten by one as she was filling the water jugs at the well early one morning. At first we thought she had been bitten or stung by some kind of dreadful spider or scorpion. We never dreamed it could be one of the locust for we just knew she would have the seal of God in her forehead, being a saved person. The second time she was stung Pastor and I saw it. In her agony and pain she cursed us and left in a rage screaming. She left expressing that we were all against her, that we had misunderstood the Bible teaching about the fifth seal, and that we thought we were better than her. In her mind she is convinced she is saved and that there has to be some other explanation for her being stung when none of the rest of us have been. “Let her go,” Pastor said. “There is nothing we can do.” There is a fear that she will turn us in but we are hoping she will not. I am afraid that she will reason in her mind that the Mark is not really of the devil and will take it so she can survive. We now know how the disciples must have felt when they found out about Judas. Their leaving came as a complete surprise to us all. It might be that Mary is lost, knows it, and yet so far has done nothing about it. Hannah is lost, does not know it, and goes on thinking she is okay. We pray that they will repent and be saved.
The locust have been spreading like a plague everywhere. They seem to have no interest in eating vegetation like normal locust. There are reports that many have been bitten by them and their bites are very painful. None of the pesticides will kill them and they just seem to be everywhere. They seem to stay away from our camp for the most part. We have seen only one or two at a time whereas in town they are seen in swarms. Sam and K are very careful not to come in contact with these locusts. They are very afraid of them. So far they have not been touched and they credit that fact to their carefulness. They wear heavy clothing and look like bee keepers when they are outside. They think they're safe because they are careful and are in good standing with God since they have helped us. As for the rest of us, when we walk outside of camp the locust move out of our way and though they look like they would just love to bite us they don't even try. The chickens just love them. I assume they don't taste like chicken to chickens.
I noticed on our way into town that the hospitals are filled to overflowing with people who have been bitten. They seem to be in agony and even the strongest of men were weeping and wailing. It seems the sting and swelling only lasts for about a week but with so many locust one can't help but be bitten every week or even every day. Those who can, stay indoors with their windows and doors taped shut. There does not seem to be any medicine that will relieve the pain and swelling. Many are put on suicide watch because the pain is overwhelming. Heavy sedation works well but they can't do that for everyone.
We are down to 12 now and this plague will last for four more months. Only two more trumpets and we will be going home.

Barzillai

2009-11-07T16:47:00.000-08:00

We made it to our new location after some very close calls. The well took some work to make it ready for use and that project took several days. There is an elderly man, we have nicknamed him Barzillai after king David's elderly friend in the Bible, whose house is fairly close to our new location. K has taken to seeing about him every few days. He has family but they only come round once or twice a year. His mind is not completely right and he does not understand, and at times does not even realize that he has the mark. We think he was taken by one of his children to get the mark and it was never explained to him what it was and why he had to have it. Often he is very confused but seems to know how to take care of himself. He loves company. He allows K to watch the news on his TV and to charge up the battery on our laptop computer. It is amazing to see what is going on in the world and not just to hear it. K often returns to describe what is happening in the world. Our radio still works and we still get most of our news from it. We all, being careful to stay out of sight, went and watched through the window the coverage of the two prophets. The two witnesses, or prophets as they are called by the Israelis, are being blamed for every natural disaster and misery that has come upon the earth. AC is about to have his fill of them. This means so much to us because, as Pastor says “When they go we go.” Barzillai is hard of hearing and that is why we could hear the TV while seeing the news. K has not let him know about us for security reasons.
We have given Bicycle Man a new name, Sam. Sam comes from the good Samaritan in the Bible. So when I refer to Sam you think of a good man who is not numbered with God's people but we hope he will be one day. Sam has been able to fall right into work. He rides Trigger to town, does his work and when he's through he takes for his services the box of goodies which he requested as payment, climbs back on Trigger, returns home and we all benefit.
It took a while to find Internet access. I am not 100% sure that it is safe and secure but it's worth the risk to keep friends and family informed. It is also needed for peace of mind as it is our only source of information about our children and their families. The news was not good from our youngest. Their experience, through these perilous times, has been much more violent than the rest of us. They are in an area full of over enthusiastic “M's.” These have a great hatred of “S's.” They do not seem content just to turn them in to the authorities but take the law in their own hands and as a mob have killed many “S's.” The people of our area are not at all that way. The worst we have seen is “S's” reported to the police and arrested. Since we stay away from the public eye we are left alone. There have been hunting parties where our youngest lives going out with dogs looking for “S's” that may be hiding in the woods. Hunting them like animals, destroying their camps, and stealing their supplies.
It is Christmas time and we are going to celebrate it as best we can. There is not much time left before the rapture. We have a rationing system that should see us through the winter. We are too far from the rendezvous point to check it any more. There will not be anymore joining us unless God sends someone our way. Winter's have been mild these past six years and we are hopeful this last one will be as well.
I have been asked to share a little more about our companions. There are twelve “S's” and two “C's” in our little band. Pastor and Elisabeth (pastor and his wife), David and Jonathan (our hunters and mighty men of valor), Shiphrah (our nurse), Ezra and Tabitha (me and my wife who is good at sewing thus the name), Sam and K (our kind and helpful “C's”), Isaac and Rebekah (a man who can find joy and humor in most anything and his wife who Isaac says “imitates a really good cook”), Mary and Hannah (the two ladies who escaped with Elisabeth), and Jael (a woman you don't want to mess with).
K got to watch some footage of a meteor hitting the earth. It caused an earthquake and a huge, massive volcano in Russia has erupted and begun to darken the sky. Huge billows of black smoke are pouring out of it. Pastor believes this may be the fifth trumpet. (Revelation 9:1-2; 11:3-12; Matthew 24:8-11; Revelation 7:13-17)

Night and Day

2009-10-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

We are overjoyed to have Elisabeth back. That is the nickname we have given to Pastor's wife. She seems to have been well cared for in prison. She told us that after dark they would gather in groups and have prayer together. They would each quote as many scriptures as they could and then discuss their meaning. She is so glad to have and hold a Bible again.
Night and day are sort of mixed up now with all the smoke, ash, and such in the sky. We get about 6 hours of good sunlight and then several hours of dusk. Then after about 6 hours of darkness the sky becomes light again several hours before we actually see the sun. It has been very strange. No one has ever seen anything like it.
K and BM were waiting for us by the side of the road on our way home the last time we came to town. It seems they are in danger and are going to need to move to avoid trouble and to keep us out of danger. They followed us to the Pad one more time to say goodbye. After assessing their situation and our own it was decided that we needed to relocate also. Our registered well has been visited once and most likely will be again. The strange truck continues to be a concern. The escapees will be sought and we are not near far enough away from the prison. So it has been decided that we will move and that K and BM will go with us. With the daytime and nighttime being shortened it will allow us to travel farther in a days time than we could have before. Also aircraft and satellite surveillance have been hampered by all the debris in the atmosphere.
We have made a horse drawn wagon for our gear and supplies. We each will carry as much as we can and poor Trigger will pull the rest. My wife and I have come to town to blog and to say that we do not know if we will be able to have secure Internet access where we are going but as soon as we can we will let you know how we are doing. David and Jonathan have scouted out our route and our relocation point. It is not perfect by any means but sounds workable. The most important things we need are there like water and isolation. There is an unregistered well there with good water. According to their blogs our children and their families are surviving. They continue to have problems and close calls. They have even had a lot of illness but, like us, they have had friends, “C's”, who have been a big help to them. We can't thank God enough for “C's.”
When we return to the Pad we will be heading out for our new location. BM will still be able to do the thing he does for those who need his services in exchange for his “shopping list.” K will have no connections for support and must depend on God as we do for sustenance. (Revelation 8:12-13)

Wormwood

2009-10-24T12:41:00.001-07:00

Bicycle Man came to the Pad rather unexpectedly. He asked us to gather round for news concerning Pastor's wife. “My friend has confirmed that it is your wife in the women's prison,” he told Pastor. We all rejoiced at this great news. Not knowing had been agonizing. “I don't want to get your hopes up but there is an outside chance that we can get her out,” He continued. “Lets just say we think it is worth a try.” He began to tell us his plan which would require the help of David and Jonathan. It was a risky plan that might end with four more in prison rather than one less.
Packed for a five day journey they headed off. The plan was for BM and his friend, whom I shall call “K” to go into the prison dressed as prison guards. K's cousin, who is the Warden, would have Pastor's wife brought to his office where he had paperwork to give them stating that she was being transferred to another prison unit. She would be taken from the prison in their custody. They would drive to a remote location and turn Pastor's wife over to David and Jonathan who would take her back safely to the Pad. No one in the prison system would know, except the Warden. The Warden was doing this favor for K in exchange for some property he had always wanted which had been in K's family for centuries.
Things did not go at all according to the plan. It was a long two day hike to the spot where they were to meet K and they left the Pad under the cover of darkness. Right after they left, there was an incredible meteor shower. It was unlike anything ever seen before on earth. Pastor said “Wormwood is here.” David, Jonathan, and BM walked all night. By the early morning light they could see what looked like patches of hailstones on the ground. Some places the patches were heavy and other places there was none at all. They believed that this hail was somehow connected with the meteor shower. The morning sun soon melted the patches of hail. It took another long day of hiking to arrive at the predetermined rendezvous point where they met K. They rested for a day and then BM and K headed for the prison. When they arrived there was no guard at the front counter. They waited a while and when there was no sign of anyone coming K climbed over the counter and walked toward the back. K returned and signaled BM to follow. A guard was lying on the floor dead. They took his keys and unlocked the door at the end of the hall. Inside they found more guards dead. They made their way to the Wardens office where they found him still in his chair also dead. Through the window they could see that there were many prisoners who were lying motionless on the ground in the courtyard. Others were sitting in small groups. K lead the way to the door that lead into the courtyard. They were greeted by those who had survived whatever had killed the rest. Pastor's wife was near the back of the group. K explained the reason for their being there and encouraged those who wanted to escape to leave. They told Pastor's wife that they had come for her and that her husband was waiting for her. She could not bare to leave two of her new found friends behind who had no place to go, so the five of them headed off. David and Jonathan led the way back to camp while BM and K went on their way.
It was day break when we saw a line of five figures come out of the woods and start across the meadow. We soon could recognize the leader was David followed by three women and Jonathan in the rear. Pastor and his wife embraced for the longest time while praising and thanking God for his mercy that endures forever.
We discovered later that the water at the prison had been poisoned by the hailstones which had melted and ran into the reservoirs from which the public water system got its water. Christians knew this was coming so they knew not to drink the water the day after the meteor shower hit. It would be two days before the prison would be found empty of prisoners, giving the escapees a good head start. You see, the off duty workers at the prison were also poisoned and so the relieving shifts of guards and staff never arrived.
We are making plans to relocate. Between the truck that keeps snooping around and the registered water well we have decided it is best to move. They will most likely check on the well again, looking for sources of good water. Thanks to Trigger's refusal to drink water from the stream, but eagerness to drink water from the well, we knew that the water in the well was fine. The radio says that scattered throughout the country there are pockets of death where whole towns have been killed. Yet there are other cities and towns which were not affected by Wormwood. We are blessed to have been in a safe zone. (Revelation 8:10-11)

No More Tuna

2009-10-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

The grass in our meadow is beginning to sprout again. The leaves will not be back until spring. The radio says that this year winter will be very cold and hard due to the amount of ash in the air. Not much sunlight makes it through to warm things up. The radio has been a blessing. We don't go to town as often as before so our news comes from the radio and Bicycle Man. Yes, BM has been coming to see us every week and stays for a meal and Bible study. He brings groceries and most of all news. Due to the high activity of volcanoes there is a huge amount of Red Tide which has killed the fishing industry. Tuna fish is a luxury now and horded like gold. The tidal waves have devastated ports, destroying 1000's of ships and the docks along the water fronts. Sounds like the second trumpet has sounded for sure. The greatest news of all has raised our hopes. BM thinks his friend has found Pastor's wife. She is alive and in a women's prison. I say “thinks” because her name was found on the role of prisoners but it might be another woman with the same name. His Friend is going to find out for sure and let him know. Pastor cried uncontrollably at the news. His tears seemed to really affect BM and he is going to do all he can to get the news back to us as soon as possible. I walked BM back to the road where he confided in me that prisoners are not well treated. Due to earthquake damage they are kept in tents in a courtyard. Rumor has it that executions are prevalent and those who inquire about the welfare of inmates are often detained for long periods of time. When escapees are caught they are never brought back alive. Some of the ones who dare to inquire about prisoners have even come up missing themselves.
Our hunters, David and Jonathan, have taken on another important duty. They watch for intruders. There has been a truck seen repeatedly on the road near our camp. They saw it to our south and then on another day it was to our north. Our pad is not within sight of the road even with all the trees and underbrush now gone. We remain quiet and try not to bring any attention to ourselves. I am afraid that it was this truck that was sending out the wireless signal that my laptop picked up. I have not made that mistake again. I just hope that that one time was not enough to cause us a problem. David has been watching from the north and camping there at nights to keep his ears and eyes on the look out. Jonathan has been doing the same thing to the south. If there is trouble they will sound the alarm and we will follow our escape route to get away. We are talking about moving our location each night so we are never in the same place twice. It will be a lot of trouble but may be worth it. BM asked me what we would do if we had to run and relocate suddenly. Would it be possible for him to find us if that happened? I reassured him I would leave him a clue as to how to contact us.
We have been amazed that no one else has come to the rendezvous point. With all that's happening in the world you would think people would be coming to Christianity by the droves. I can now see how the rapture of the saints could go almost unnoticed by the world. True Christians have all gone into hiding. It's funny to think that we hid in plain sight before all this hit because we told virtually no one about our faith.
Our food stores are very low. God is blessing our hunters with game and occasional fruits and vegetables. They found some ribbon cane and we made some syrup out of it. That was a special treat. Pastor keeps getting sick. He is very weak and Shiphrah takes good care of him. We call our designated nurse/doctor Shiphrah after one of the midwives of Exodus 1:15. We have all taken on Bible nicknames. Mine is Ezra (the ready scribe) because I keep this journal of our experiences. Had these nicknames been handed out a year ago mine might have been Eglon (Judges 3:17) but that name would not fit any of us now. (Revelation 8:8)

Fire Storm

2009-10-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

Forewarned is forearmed. We knew the firestorm of the first trumpet was coming so we got as ready for it as we could. The radio said that fires are burning out of control in almost every State. The fire reached our clearing from the south side late one night. The smoke was the worst part. We had buried everything that could burn and we hid in our underground shelter which gave us some relief from the smoke. We felt bad for Trigger but there was no way we could dig a hole big enough to accommodate him and us. It was cool in the shelter and though the smell of smoke was great it was not visible in the shelter. Trigger seemed to be okay after it was all over. It took just three hours for the storm to move through. Daylight revealed that the larger trees near the creek and by the pond had survived. Our firewood pile was untouched, being with us near the center of the meadow. Having come through at night the chickens were in their roost and were not hurt, though two of them are missing. Bicycle Man had given us some large boxes of oatmeal and we sacrificed one of them for Trigger. He will not have much to eat until the grass sprouts back out. We praised the Lord because Trigger brought us to town on the strength of that one box of oats.
It is very dangerous to go to town. The authorities have their hands full with all the disasters that keep happening. They don't seem to have time to bother rooting out undesirable Christian “Cells.” We encountered Bicycle Man on our way into town. He has a friend who thinks he can find out what happened to Pastor's wife. This friend is a “C” like B. M. (who, by the way, did not like that I called him “BM” for short). This friend has a unique relationship with the powers that be and should be able, through his connections, to help us. A lot of homes were burned in town. Several business were also burned out. The landscape looks sad with everything charred. Food continues to be in short supply and our stores are running low. “Give us this day our daily bread” has taken on a whole new meaning now.
According to their blogs our children and their groups are doing well. They have had serious problems but have survived them by the grace of God. Our oldest and their group were betrayed and had to flee. A few of their group were caught. They have reason to believe that they have been executed. It has caused us all a bit of concern. If the disciples of Jesus did not have a clue about Judas how would we have one of a traitor in our midst. I will have to admit that Mark 13:12, a scripture that is prophetic of these last days, has caused me a couple of sleepless nights. Thank you Lord for sparing my children and grandchildren. You truly are our Rock and our Fortress.
Summer is gone and Pastor believes we have but one year left to endure. When we see Jesus we will sing and shout the victory. I am so excited to be living during these last days. Many have been saved and many have been martyred. The way we worship now is so much better than when our lives were normal. We truly live by faith and see the Glory of God every single day. God use to be only a part of our lives and now He is everything. Not a single moment goes by that I do not feel His presence and His working. His Spirit is within me and though I do not hear an audible voice nor do I hear voices in my head still He speaks to me clearly. I listen and follow His lead.
Hind sight is 20/20. I wish I had not been such a fool all my life. I wasted so much of my life with things. I truly hate the things of this world now. I just wish I had always done so. Regret is a powerful feeling. I regret my past life and form of religion. I am glad that I was saved at an early age but regret now that I did not love the LORD as I should have. If I could go back in time and give myself some advice it would be to stop striving for wealth and success and start focusing on loving the LORD with ALL your heart. Give of your BEST to the MASTER not what's left over. Seek FIRST the kingdom of God. Spend more time with family and friends and no time watching TV. The eight friends I live with now I know way more about than any friend I ever had before and I have only known most of them a year. God forgive me for not spending more time building relationships with others. My life before the tribulation was all about me. Now it is all about HIM.

Life Outside of Babylon

2009-10-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

Life outside of “Babylon the Great” (Rev. 18:4) is not as bad as one might think. When God said for us to come out of her I must admit that we were full of doubt how we would be able to survive. What we found instead was a life which God intended for us to live all along. He said, “The just shall live by his faith,” and that is exactly how we live our lives now. I can remember the time that I thought loosing my health insurance coverage would be the end of the world. I laugh at that now. Pastor said, “We have the same health insurance that Abraham had and it's the best on earth. We have the same housing that Abraham had, the same hope as Abraham, and we look for the same city for which Abraham looked. We serve the same God which Abraham served.” So an outhouse is not such a bad thing; neither is sleeping in a tent. Eating as Abraham ate is actually healthy. Speaking of food we inherited fifteen chickens. That's a long story in itself but suffice it to say we built them a roost and they return to the nests we provided and so we each get an egg a day. Life is good outside of Babylon. We don't have to worry about paying bills or balancing a check book. Truly Caesar, and by that I mean the government of men, invented money and we are glad to have given it back to him. I have not had to file a tax return for three years now and that in itself is a big plus to life outside of Babylon.
The largest earthquake to ever hit the earth came at the Seventh Seal and It was tremendous indeed. Trigger warned us and laid down on the ground and we followed his lead and waited for it. We stayed down until he got up. Sometimes I think, though I know it surely can't be so, that Trigger is actually an angel in disguise. This quake was followed by one of the greatest storms I have ever experienced. We had everything tied down and were as ready for it as we could be. A lot of trees were downed and the lightning was non stop. Dozens of lightning bolts hit the trees and ground within our sight. It was awesome and terrifying. In spite of our best efforts we all got wet. Water ran into the tents by way of streams on the ground. The wind tore the seams in places allowing the rain to come in. There was nothing we could do but ride it out. We heard on the radio that every volcano and cinder cone on the earth is now active. They say that if they were all to erupt at once, it would be the end of our world. They don't expect that to happen but just a fourth of them going off at one time would drastically change life on earth. We know the outcome of these things so we are not worried as they are. After the storm passed and things dried up Pastor suggested we burn the grass in our meadow because of the coming fires of Revelation 8:7. “Let's keep the grass around our campsite and just burn the edges,” I said. Pastor patted me on the back and replied, “When the Bible says ALL it means ALL.” We started at our campsite and burned a big circle around us of about 300 feet in radius. We plan to go literally under ground to escape the coming smoke. We are digging a storm shelter in the ground and hope to have it ready for when the fire storm hits. We also have been storing up hay for Trigger, since the return of the grass will most likely be slow. Insects will flee to our little bare spot when the fire comes and the chickens should have a feast. I better sign off for now and get back to digging. Hope each of you are fairing well. No word yet from Pastor's wife. She has not been seen by anyone since Pastor was arrested. We stop by the rendezvous point every trip to town but so far no one else has joined us. We see Bicycle Man almost every week. He has not yet consented to visit us at the Pad but I think we are wearing him down. He gives us a couple of sacks of groceries and other items every time we see him. We now know where he lives and it may be safe enough for us to go there to visit some day. He is going to do some snooping around and try to find out something about Pastor's wife. We told him to be careful. It could be a trap. We get a WiFi signal at the pad now but we think it unwise to use it. I opened the laptop to compose a blog entry before heading for town and the signal showed up. I turned off my WiFi as quickly as I could and hoped it did not give our position away. (Revelation 8:1-7; 18:4)

Poke Salad Revival

2009-09-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

We heard on the radio that the two witnesses, or prophets as the people in Israel are calling them, have caused a lot of Jews to believe that Jesus was and is their Messiah. They say there was a rally just outside the temple in Jerusalem and that there was a crowd of about 200,000 people there. So many that they filled the streets in all directions. AC is not happy about it and persecution of saints has been stepped up by FP. Since the time AC was shot in the head and recovered FP has been the one causing trouble. It use to be that we did not fear going to town for it seemed to be enough punishment for “S's” just to not be able to buy or sell. But now “S's” are seen as unpatriotic and rebels. They have taken to stopping people in public and asking to see the Mark. We still go to town to blog and talk to those who are trustworthy then head back as quickly as we can. On our last trip to town a man tried to follow us at a distance. We had Trigger take us off road across a pasture and then down through the middle of a creek for a good ways so as not to leave tracks. We stopped for about half an hour and waited to see if we had lost him and when we felt he was gone we took a long round about way to get back to the pad. We got lost a time or two but Trigger seems to have a good since of direction and got us home.
Yesterday when we had all gotten up and were about to get started on our daily chores we noticed that something was different. It seemed eerie that no wind was blowing and no birds were singing. It was as if all nature just stopped and stood in silence. We gathered up and had prayer together and Pastor read from the Bible about the seventh seal. He said the prayers of the saints have been heard so we should be ready for a great storm and another great earthquake. Nothing has happened so far and since it was our turn to go to town we chose to make a quick trip. Hopefully we will be home before the storms come. Trigger is good about warning us in advance of earthquakes and we all keep our eyes on him throughout the day. I mentioned chores earlier and these have been divided up by twos. Two gather firewood each day, two prepare the meals and clean up afterward, two fish and hunt for food, two tend to the garden, carry water, and make repairs on tents and tools, and Pastor, still weak and somewhat frail, studies and prays. They starved him in prison and kept him in solitary confinement and he, even now, does not eat much and seems to avoid being indoors as much as possible. I feel he is grieving the loss of his wife. We still pray she will turn up okay.
We have been blessed with food lately and are eating a little more than before. David and Jonathan (not their real names), the two hunters in our group, using very primitive weapons and snares have been able to provide us with ducks, squirrels, fish, doves, and quail. They even found some Poke Salad which Mary and Martha (not their real names), our cooks, boiled thrice according to southern tradition to dilute the toxins. The part I have not enjoyed about wilderness living is bathing only once a week in a #3 wash tub in only slightly warm water. We have an out house which is not very pleasant but workable. The problem with it is that we have to stand it back up after every serious earthquake. The well has water in it again but we treat it before drinking. The sky is growing dark; looks like the storms are coming. (Revelation 7:1-17; 8:1-6)

The Help of a Sheep

2009-09-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

Our children are doing well. They have been blessed and though life is tough for them they are surviving. Where they live I can not reveal but they have made very good choices and I thank God for that. We miss seeing them and the grandchildren but we will see them soon.
All is well at the Pad. There are still just nine of us and I will not tell on this blog who they are nor much about them. They are all good people and a mix of young and old. We take turns coming to town and checking on things. When it is our turn I post my blog when I can get an Internet connection. That is becoming increasingly difficult.
One day last week as we were returning to the Pad we met a man who was resting on the side of the road. He had been to town and was on his way home. He was not an “M” and usually if a person is not an “M” by now he is not going to be. We talked to him about the Lord and he said “My jury is still out on all of that.” He had some large sacks on either end of a pole that he had been carrying. He opened the sacks up and began to pile cans and bags of various foods on the ground. He took a plastic sack out of his pocket and filled it with the items he had placed on the ground. The items included rice, dried beans, macaroni, peanut butter, a couple of cans of fruit, crackers, and some canned meats. He handed the sack to us and said "Here take this." We accepted it reluctantly until he explained that he had plenty. “Where did you get all of this,” we asked. “Well,” he replied, “I have a skill that few have and so the “M's” (not his word but ours) need me and are willing to pay me with whatever I ask. So I fix things for them and they give me whatever is on my list. I have all that I need and like to share with people I meet.” It seems the “M's” put up with him and, though I dare not reveal his skill and connections, God truly has blessed him. Words were not enough but we thanked him as sincerely as we could. Everyone was excited to see the goodies we brought. It was enough food to last us a week at the rate we have been rationing. Pastor suggested we have a feast and so double portions were prepared for our noon meal. The picture is of the pot of beans and rice with a can of corn beef mixed in cooking over the fire. It was wonderful. They say the best seasoning for food is hunger and this tasted outstanding. I have asked Pastor what he thinks about inviting the benefactor of our feast to the Pad and he thinks it would be okay. I think this man is a “C” for sure and maybe we can help him to become an “S.” Pastor has a way with the Word and the Holy Spirit sure seems to work overtime when he preaches, so if we see this man again we will invite him to join us. Oh, by the way, his bicycle was being repaired and, yes, it was the one we had seen from half a mile away. (Matthew 25:33-40; Revelation 7:14-17)

Oh Happy Day

2009-09-11T22:01:00.000-07:00

He said it felt like Paul and Silas. The quake hit and the prison walls came tumbling down. His prison cell was open and the guards were all dead. He walked out and, like Peter set free by the angel, he headed into town. That's right Pastor is alive and though very weak he is doing well. He was waiting at the Rendezvous with six other people. They had found him laying exhausted on the side of the road. After finding our fish box they had been unable to figure out the riddle so after nursing Pastor back to health he told them what they must do to be saved. “Being saved”, he told them, “is more important than figuring out a riddle.” “Be saved” said he, “and you'll understand the riddle.” So taking the Bible in hand he showed them the way to righteousness. They all fell to their knees and begged God to have mercy on their souls. Assured by Romans 10:13 they arose with tear filled eyes and likened to have hugged pastor to death. “Don't thank me” Pastor said, “Give God the glory.” Pastor handed the paper containing the riddle back to them and said “Now read it again.” They did and then their faces lit up and with Pastor in tow they knew right where to go.
When we saw Pastor in the group through the binoculars we were overwhelmed with joy. Without any hesitation we rode Trigger as fast as he would carry us to meet them. We embraced them all and sat together to hear their story. We got control of our emotions and then, almost like Christ's triumphal entry, we put Pastor on Trigger and led him to the Pad, like a parade, singing God's praises with great joy. Pastor does not know where his wife is. No one seems to know but we will try in the coming weeks to find her or at least what has become of her.
We have church every day with just the nine of us. It's how we start and end each day. I have never been to more sincere worship services in all my life. We study the Bible as if cramming for a final exam. It's like we don't want to be embarrassed when we meet the Lord, having spent our lives in church and not knowing any more than we do about His Holy Word. We play this game kind of like charades where you have to get the others to guess a secret word or phrase and the only words that can come out of your mouth are quotes from scriptures. The ones who win this game are those who have memorized the most scriptures.

One of the six people who have joined us at the Pad can actually play the guitar. She is teaching me and I have been doing it all wrong. Music, worship, games, and work keep our minds off of our empty stomachs. We are rationing the food and we each try to reverse cheat by eating less than our fair share to leave more for the others. Misery loves company, they say, and something about our love for God has made us love each other supremely. There are two of us who have “extra” weight on our frames. We joke as we skip meals that we are dieting to be slim and trim as the rest. We are filtering water out of the creek and a near by pond for drinking water. Up to this point we had not needed our water filters and bleach. Each filter is good for about 50 gallons of water and we should be all set for drinking water. The garden we have planted lacks enough sunlight to flourish but it looks like we will have at least a meager harvest. Pastor believes that the rapture is about a year and a half away. I am praying the Lord will help us make it to end.

The Big One

2009-09-05T16:32:00.000-07:00

Trigger warned us of the Big One about 30 minutes before it hit. We had noticed that before any of the mild earthquakes, such as we get weekly, he would act a little strange. Well this time he went berserk. We knew that the sixth seal would be the biggest earthquake to ever hit the earth so we knew this must be it. We rushed into the Pad and drug out what was left of our supplies. We drew up water and got all our containers full. We took down the tent and packed everything away. We moved out into the open field and laid down. Trigger followed us and paced back and forth and round and round. When he stopped and seemed to suddenly brace himself we embraced each other and started to pray. It hit with incredible force. The Pad collapsed immediately and completely. We were rocked violently back and forth and had we been on our feet would not have been for long. The food barrels fell over and began to roll three feet one way and then three the other. Trigger fell over onto his side and was sliding back and forth on the damp grass. It lasted for about 30 minutes. When the shaking stopped we remained down knowing after shocks would come and they did. All day we spent in that field under a cloudy sky enduring the after shocks. We snacked between quakes and decided to set our tent up out in the open away from trees even though they had shed most of their limbs due to the shaking.
We have come to town to blog and to check on things after the quake. Horse back, or major 4 wheel drive, is the best way to travel right now. We have waited these two weeks to let things settle down. The sky is always dark and the sun can barely be seen during the day. The radio said that seven major volcanoes erupted at the same time when the quake hit. Air planes are having to fly at very low altitudes because of the ash in the upper atmosphere.
We are not currently afraid of people and of going to town for there are not many people left anyway. We go to town and see about things and talk to friends whether they are “S's” or not. We are not outspoken about our faith but we are not silent either. We don't feel persecuted so much but our move to the Pad was a form of self protection. Town was about what we expected. All houses and buildings were severely damaged and some completely. In two weeks they have cleared the roads and put up a lot of temporary shelters. We were surprised that the stores have reopened and the electricity was back on. We did have a hard time finding Internet access and have had to drop our guard a bit just to get this blog posted. There are water trucks available for drinking water and most people are still without running water to which we say “welcome to the club.” People were being asked to show the Mark to get water from the truck so we stayed away. We are headed to the rendezvous point for surely this quake has made believers out of some. We went to where we could see our old house and it was in shambles. I'll let you know next time what we found at the rendezvous. God blessed us with a sack of groceries today. Someone on an overloaded bicycle dropped it and rode off without it. We saw this from a half mile away. When we got to it he was long gone. We thanked God for it and asked Him to bless the one who lost it. (Revelation 6:12-17)

Trigger

2009-08-29T12:57:00.001-07:00

He walked up in the middle of the night and liked to have scared us to death. We call him Trigger. We were awakened about 2:00 in the morning with the sound of a horse. We could tell he was close by and our fear was not of him but of his rider. Well when I crawled out of the tent to take a look he had no rider. He was saddled but riderless. When it was daylight we looked him over and determined that he had had that saddle and bridle on for quite a while and when I removed them he seemed so happy. He took off for the creek and took a long drink of water and stayed there eating grass for the rest of the day. Each night he comes back to within about 100 feet of our tent and just hangs around. He is very gentle and friendly. He seems to like attention. After a few weeks of his hanging around and his saddle sores healed I put a blanket and the bridle on him and led him to a place where I could climb onto his back and he took me for a ride. I know nothing at all about horses but when I said whoa he stopped right away. My wife and I rode him to within about two miles of town and released him. After checking on things in town and blogging we headed back to the Pad expecting that Trigger would be gone. He was right where we left him and he gave us a ride back home. He can walk so much faster than we can. He is truly a blessing. We shower him with attention and he loves every minute of it. At night he seems to like to hang near us and does not seem to mind my poor guitar playing.
The “Mark” is officially here and most have it on their right hand and very few on the forehead. It is cold out so we can hide our right hands with gloves for now. We check on our friends and visit the nursing home while in town. Pastor and his wife are gone and no one knows where. We heard that they were arrested but that is just a rumor that we can not confirm. One of our friends told us that the police raided the home of one of the other pastors in town and they got onto his computer and found illegal pictures of kids on it. These were most likely downloaded to his computer by a virus he got from the Internet. I bet you can guess the source of the virus. They will do anything to get “S” leaders discredited and out of influence. There are many “S's” missing and we fear that they have been secretly executed. There is much fear and no one asks questions fearing the same fate.
No one, as yet, has shown up at our rendezvous point needing our help. With “M's” being very apparent now and all means of buying and selling controlled by FP's new law we will check the point every week. All of our children have already been joined by some and they expect to have to start turning people away soon. We must strictly abide by the protocol for safely helping others else we put ourselves in danger which might end our helping anyone. If these disappearances are the fifth seal then the sixth will soon be opened and the biggest earthquake ever is about to hit the whole world.
We live each moment as if it were our last. Just like we never expect Trigger to stay, we return to the Pad expecting that all our food stores and supplies will be gone. We have our backpacks with us at all times and can flee at a moments notice. We are ready for the big one. The well may cave in and the Pad may collapse but we will be okay. (Rev. 13:11-18; Rev. 6:9-17)

They Found the Well

2009-08-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

This picture is of what we call our Microwave Oven. It is our alcohol stove and we consider it a luxury item and use it sparingly because we have very little fuel for it. It is good to set it outside our tent door to heat water for a hot drink when it is cold and raining.

I have a friend that I have always felt was a “C” and it turned out that he was except now he's an “S.” His name is Frank and he found a way to get on the Internet more securely than ever. I cannot give it away here but it definitely works. Frank always was a geek.

Life at the Pad has been interesting. The nights are cold this time of year but we stay warm enough in the tent. Hurricane season is finally over and we have collected as many containers of rain water as we could for later use. Which reminds me, the well was registered after all and a man in a State vehicle carrying a GPS came and looked at it. I can't help but believe that he knows that it has been used lately, though we try to leave no evidence on the surface of it. He shined a mirror down the well and then replaced the makeshift cover. He tagged the well with a danger ribbon which will be difficult to get around. The well water stays a little cloudy due to the earthquakes but seems to be alright.

We are awakened frequently by earthquakes and our tent is covered with duct tape patches. The Pad is well disguised and looks completely untouched. The well man did not even attempt to look inside. Our food is safe from animals and the weather. The porch roof has fallen down now making it look even worse than it did. We do not enter it by the doors but through some loose boards on one of the sides.

We spend our evenings after dark sitting around a small fire. The smoke can not be seen at night and we are to far from civilization for it to be smelled by humans. I am learning to play the guitar which my children gave me long ago and I never had time to learn to play it. I have nothing but time now and will trade it in for a harp soon. I enjoy hearing my wife sing as I play. The radio is still working and at night we get a different channel than during the day. They are reporting that there is peace in the middle east but we know that when they say “peace, peace” then sudden destruction comes. That peace will not last. Christians are being condemned by the news media or at least shown in a bad light. We are seen as pessimists and dooms day freaks when quite the opposite is true. Things are about to get a whole lot better than they have ever been. We spend our days listening to the news, reading the Bible, praying, and watching the eastern sky.

I have a theory about that coyote attack a few weeks ago. I think it was the Lord letting us know that the fourth seal had been opened. We have seen other wild animals but none of these came near us. God is looking out for us. Another hunter came by within 100 feet of our tent and did not notice us. We ration our water and food and try to get by with as little as possible.

According to our children's blogs they are doing well. On our trip into town to blog we went by our pastor's house and he was not home. We went by the church and he was not there. I hope he is doing alright. He is very outspoken and will not hide but is constantly preaching to people all over town. Mostly people just ignore him or mock him. We heard he was arrested and released last week. They say he is disturbing the peace and being a public nuisance. One of our friends, a “C” who lives a few houses down from us said that Pastor was meeting at different homes with different small groups for Bible study. The church building looks sad standing vacant and the yard unkept. I am hearing rumors that some Christian leaders are missing and no one knows what happened to them. Could it be the fifth seal has been opened? We will pray for safety for AC will make war on the saints and will overcome them. Christians are the only ones who know about and read Revelations and with them out of the way no one will be hearing what the Bible says about what is coming. (Revelation 6:9-11)

The Beasts of the Earth.

2009-08-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

We were attacked by a coyote yesterday. We had gone to the Pad to drop off a load and when I saw him come through the door I grabbed the shovel and charged at him. He was suppose to be afraid and run away but instead he lunged at me and I caught him in mid-flight with a blow from the shovel. It stunned him enough that I got in a second hit to the head and killed him. I would have normally thought he was rabid but all of the news I have seen lately indicates that wildlife attacks on humans have dramatically increased due to the shortage of food even in the wild. I have a shotgun but am afraid to use it. I do not want to draw attention to our Pad.
I almost hate to pick up the ear piece to the foxhole radio anymore since the news seems to always be bad. I never dreamed that here in the USA people would be dying by the thousands from hunger. People are killing one another in food lines and the riots are killing more than the wars did. Tomorrow we will move permanently to the Pad. AC will be in complete control soon so the time is right to get out of here. We plan to leave everything in the house, as is, including some food in the pantry, and leave the car, (it has not been of much use to us anyway), in the driveway. The food left behind will help others and will throw off suspicion concerning our flight. They will think we are among the many who are missing from one of the many earthquake collapses. Our next door neighbor has been missing for a month now and his house has been looted. We will put our backpacks on and take off about 2:00 in the morning which will get us out of town unnoticed. It will take us three days to get to the Pad on foot. (I am so glad I took up the sport of hiking!) We will depend on the Lord to protect us from harm. I fear robbers more than animal attacks. I don't mind killing an attacking animal but just can't bring myself to kill someone who is hungry and just wanting our food.
Our health has been good and we have not fallen prey to the pandemic. It has been cool and raining since Victor came through. The Pad has survived the three hurricanes very well. It will be perfect hiking weather. Jesus said “pray that your flight be not in the winter...” and He has answered our prayers. We get to choose when to flee but the Jews have no Idea what is about to hit them. They think AC is their friend but he certainly is not. It will be more difficult to blog after the move. I will compose my blog entries ahead of time and then my connection to the Internet will only last a few minutes at the hot spot. It's the long walk to the hot spot that I dread. I will copy and paste your blogs and read them later so that I will not be online long. Thanks for sharing your experiences. They have been a big help. T.J.'s modified car was a brilliant idea.
I thank God that He revealed in His Holy Word how long this is going to last. Knowing how long has helped us to prepare. These are exciting times. I could not help but pause and watch a backyard wedding last week. People have adapted to hard times and chaos. They have chosen to go on with life as usual and seem very content to go about their daily lives not knowing what is about to befall the earth. Kind of sounds like those in the days of Noah.
I was asked about our children and want to let you know that they are fine and better prepared than we are. The grandkids, mostly the younger ones, are excited about their new homes and just love camping out. It all seems like a fun game to them. They trust their parents to take care of them so they have no worries. I trust the Lord to take care of us and our children and so I have no worries. The picture I have posted here is one I found on the Internet of a foxhole radio and is easy to make.
(Matthew 24:15-22; Revelation 6:7-8; 13:5; Luke 17:26-27)

Fish Box

2009-08-08T21:45:00.001-07:00

I have been trying to warn as many as I can about the coming of the Lord but most just will not listen. Many have forsaken church services because of fear. I have taken to giving people the facts and then just leaving it with them. I feel like Jonah running around Nineveh giving people just the facts. If they are C's they will believe and be all right and if they are M's persistent argument will not change their minds. Real S's are easy to spot now and that is both good and bad I suppose. Good in that you know who you can trust and bad because the M's can spot us also. Love for family may be our undoing according to Matt. 10:36. We love our family and do not want to see them condemned but that love may be turned against us. We want to be a witness as long as we can but at some point when our witness keeps falling on deaf ears we will flee. We have a plan in place for those who want a second chance. If after we have gone into hiding they want our help they can follow the instructions that we leave behind and these instructions will protect us and them.
We went to the Pad and found tracks there which were not made by us. Nothing was disturbed and the house had not been entered. We know this because our indicators had not been disturbed. I think it may have been some hunters. With the food shortages there are more hunters than ever. We took some extra clothes and blankets getting ready for the move. I expect by the next time I blog we will be officially in hiding.
Earthquakes continue to be a problem and hurricane Shawn is about to make life even more miserable for us. The roof at the Pad leaks a bit and will not stand much wind. The shelves at the stores continue to be empty and highway robbery is on the increase. Trucks have to be guarded on route and loading docks have armed security. The national guard have their hands full watching farm land and food processing centers. We made a recording for those we leave behind when the Lord comes for us. It tells them what to do to be saved and how to prepare for the wrath to come. M's will not be looking for us or for answers but C's will be and that is why we have left them the “fish” box.

Tribman: Government Registration

2009-08-01T12:11:00.001-07:00

A few years ago our state government sent out a form requesting all land owners to report the location of all wells on their property. The reason for this request sounded good and so I sent mine in. My fear is that the well at the Pad has been registered with the State as abandoned and eventually someone will be sent to see if it has been filled in or not. Looking for the well they might find our stores and steal or report them. I am going to try and find out if it has been registered to set my mind at ease. I may move some of our supplies to another location just in case.
The news media and the government have begun condemning the hording of food. It seems the rich are not concerned about the prices and buy up all they can. The government is putting limits on how much each family can buy. It is too late now to store up supplies so what we have now will have to do. Rationing and terrorist tracking will be the two biggest reasons given for allowing the government to control our ability to buy and sell. People in a panic will give up their freedoms for safety and security. You will not be able to cheat the system. I wish I had listened to you guys and not lost that first six months.
Time is passing quickly. We are now in the second year and the 3rd seal has been opened and the fourth is coming very soon. I see now that our Pastor was right. Each seal prepares the way for the next. The wars (2nd seal) led to famine and inflation. Famine and inflation (3rd seal) will lead to diseases and violence and so on.
They had the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem a month or so ago and the Jewish people are back to offering sacrifices. There has been little in the news about it due to the coverage of the economy and food shortages. Life goes on with business as usual for almost everyone. They have no idea what is about to happen. People just don't want to think about the possibility that the Bible is right. Church attendance has begun to dwindle. I thought that there would be a great revival due to these events being so obviously apocalyptic but the new has worn off and we are back to the faithful few. Pastor said it would be so but I just did not want to believe it. People are in a panic over the food shortages and hatred for those who were prepared for it is growing. We are eating only enough to get by and are loosing a pound or so a week. I can stand the weight loss but my wife can not. Someone broke into our home this week and ransacked the place. Very little was taken so I think they were just probing. They may have thought because we are Christians that we had a lot of food stored up. I am sure they will go back to tell their friends that we are no better off than they. We go to the Pad every other week and pick up a few jars and some dehydrated foods. We sure miss fresh milk, powdered is just not the same. I mentioned in my last blog that when the shortages start we would move but as long as we have electricity and water here we will stay.
These are exciting times. Margaret and Frank both got saved this week, Hallelujah! Just think, the Lord will soon be here!
(Revelation 6:5-6; Revelation 13:17; Daniel 9:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:3)

Tribman: "Guns or Butter"

2009-07-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

It has been 3 weeks and I have resigned myself to the fact that there is no way I am going to be able to blog every week. Bloging must take a back seat to more pressing matters. There are so many that I need to visit to help them understand the urgency of preparing for the coming of the LORD. I am starting to evaluate people and categorize them as C's, M's, and S's. Most, unfortunately, are M's, C's come in second and S's are dead last.

The second seal has been opened and I had no idea that there could be so many wars going on at once. That is all that is on the news lately. The US is broken financially and has had to pull most of her military back home, closing most foreign bases. There is a heavy concentration of troops on the border with Mexico and it is looking like we may intervene in that war. I have been watching the news and it looks as though a nuclear strike may be imminent. The world is crying out for some solution to these violent world wide wars and AC is poised to end them quickly but at a great human cost. Countries are spending millions on war and the “guns or butter” economic models are not looking too good. This is going to set us up for the third seal with its scarcity of food and runaway inflation. I am so glad this is only going to last another 6 years.

I am doing all I can, as I am sure each of you are, to store up dry goods against that day. Dried beans, rice, pasta, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, cream of wheat, oatmeal, vegetable oil, and dried fruit are cheap and available right now but not for long. I have purchased as many freeze dried meals as I could get my hands on and my wife has been caning as many jars of food as she can. Our dehydrator is running round the clock. We make weekly trips, being sure to stick with the protocol, to the pad to unload supplies. We found 3 metal 55 gallon drums with removable lids. These make excellent rodent proof storage for our food. We are trying to store up enough for us and as many as we can help. Food lines are coming so be ready.

It took all morning to prepare the old well at the pad. I used the device shown in the picture to clean out the gunk from the bottom of the well. It is 40 feet deep and we had to use a bucket and rope to dip as much water out as we could. I measured the depth and diameter of the water in the well and came up with how many gallons of water it contained. I poured in a cup of bleach and will let that set for a week or two before spending another half day or so bailing it out again. This should make the water safe for drinking. That well has not been used for 35 years. Looks like we will be ready to go when the third seal comes. When the shortages start we will abandon our home and spend the rest of our days at the pad. I built a foxhole radio and it works. As long as AM radio does not go digital we can keep up with the news with no batteries. A foxhole radio has no electronics and can not be detected, (remember the protocol). Google foxhole radio, they are easy to make.

Our pastor read a scripture that used to not make since to me but it sure does now. Daniel 8:25 “And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.” I can now see people in a panic will do anything for peace even if it means the death of millions. (Rev. 6:3-6)

Tribman and Bills

2009-07-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry I could not blog last week. I was just too busy. With all the road and bridge repairs due to the recent earthquakes it is hard to get around. First let me report some great news. Bill got saved last week! We were talking about old times when out of the blue he said he wanted me to help him with something. I said “sure, anything.” He said show me what the Bible says about how you can know if you're going to heaven when you die. I got out my Bible and in just a little bit he said he wanted to be saved and asked me if I would pray with him. I did and when we finished he said with a tear in his eye “Thank You, LORD!” I have seen more people saved this past week than I have seen in the past 10 years. Our church attendance is way up and the preacher is preaching three times as long as he did before and no one seems to mind at all. He is teaching us about the coming of the LORD and we hang on his every word. He has a steady stream of people through his office wanting to know more and many wanting to be saved. He says they even come to his house and I asked him if he was getting any sleep to which he replied “I'll rest up there.”
I cashed in my 401k and it should be direct deposited in about a month. I hate to loose all that money because of early withdrawal but it's better than losing it all. The “Covenant” will do away with cash in less than two years and we will all be on the Acme so I have refined my shopping list and have already started buying, with cash, what we will need. Between the earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes the stores stay sold out of a lot of the items we need. I truly thank God for small "Mom and Pop" stores that don't have security cameras and don't keep records. If I had listened to you guys I would not be having this problem. I guess I should quit kicking myself about that. The picture is of our pad and it definitely is not a second honeymoon suite. It does not look like much from the outside and that is the way we want it to look, vacant. It is out of sight from the road and only our children know of its location. We have a good tent and due to the danger the frequent earthquakes pose we will spend most nights in it. Living like Abraham did will not be so bad. For the first time in my life I will truly feel like a pilgrim on the earth. We will enjoy our house for as long as we can. I have prepaid our electric bill so we will have a sizable credit with them, enough to last a year or so. They seemed more than happy for me to overpay our bill. I have done the gas bill and internet service the same way but the water bill can only be pay as you go. I figure we can live here for the first year of the second half and then we will have to move to the pad. ….Whoa got to run, earth is shaking bad. I can see why Jesus called this time “the beginning of sorrows.”
(Matthew 24:4-8) (Romans 10:13)

Tribman Online

2009-07-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

Well I have followed the protocol and visited each of your sites and now I have mine up and running. It is my prayer that this will work and serve us all well. I have a “hot spot” picked out and found a secure place to access it unnoticed. I have also located a secure power source for charging my battery. This is all new territory for us and we will need to help one another discover what works and what does not. I have my “Pad” chosen and it meets all the criteria we have been discussing.
I wish now I had not been so stubborn and blind but had believed you guys when you tried to convince me that “The Treaty” was “The Covenant.” I have lost precious time, a full 6 months, with which to prepare for the second half. I will work extra hard now knowing the time is close. Can you believe how fast the Temple is going up? I have my emergency pack ready and as you can see from the picture I have included the Bible. I am so glad now that my brother introduced me to the sport of hiking a few years back. The survival skills that sport has taught me will sure come in handy during the coming disasters. I can see that the next 6 years will see us all doing a lot of hiking. I want to thank JS for the food ideas and the book you recommended is great. I have always wondered what life was like for my mother when she was a girl living in the country back in the 1930's and now I guess I will get to experience that life for myself. If she could do it so can I. Got to run, I have less than three years to get ready and the first order of business is to say goodbye to 401K. As agreed I will blog again next Saturday.
(Daniel 9:27)

Tribman

2009-07-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

This blog will be a fictional account of a man who is going through The Great Tribulation. This fictional character will post every Saturday. He will tell what things have happened in the world and in his own life during that week. The intent of this blog is to stir the mind of the reader to consider the details of The Great Tribulation and suggest possible scenarios of life during those troublesome times. I hope that you will enjoy this fictional blog and that you will be drawn to a closer walk with God.