The 700 Club - August 24, 2011

It just came down, like right down. Natural disasters have already made this the costliest year on record . . . . Big tornado! Big, strong tornado! . . . . and we're just entering hurricane season. Something bad is happening. We’ve experienced tornadoes and earthquakes. Massive tornado! Massive destruction! Is the worst still to come? It brings people to question the ultimate end of everything. Hear more about the signs of the times, on today’s 700 Club. Well, welcome to this edition of The 700 Club. Can you believe it? In six months we've had more costly natural disasters than in any other year in our recorded history, the time we've been keeping records, I should say. And now all of a sudden—we don't have earthquakes in Virginia. Somebody didn't get the word. I tell you what, I was at Starbucks talking with some folks, and literally everything starts shaking. I started to get dizzy, and I thought it was just the Holy Spirit at first. Well, of course. Then I realized, no. Well, I was watching television, and the sofa I was sitting in kind of jumped, and I thought I was getting dizzy. You don’t think "earthquake." In Virginia! But anyhow, in a little town between Charlottesville and Richmond, it hit. Is that another sign of the time? Well, we'll talk about what this means as we continue to explore the signs of the times. We'll also be taking your questions about End Time prophecy. So log on to CBN.com right now. But first, the earthquake on the east coast, a rare event that shook buildings, and millions of people were involved. This went all the way to Toronto, Canada, all the way out into Chicago, and out into Wisconsin. Jennifer Wishon has that story. It only lasted a few seconds, but that was enough to rattle the White House and buildings in 22 states.  It was a scary one. It started shaking. I jumped under my desk immediately. It came in sort of like two stages. There was the first wave, and then sort of a secondary wave that came afterward. The windows were shaking pretty strongly, so you could hear the noise, like bang, bang, bang. The 5.8 magnitude quake rocked tens of millions of people as far north as Canada and south through Virginia Beach into Georgia. It originated in Mineral, Virginia, a farming community 40 miles northwest of Richmond. Surveillance video inside this Mineral grocery store shows the intensity of the quake. But scientists say the location of its epicenter saved lives. If the earthquake was centered farther east or farther west, we would have had probably significantly much more damage and potentially casualties. Just 15 minutes from Mineral sits the North Anna nuclear power station. The earthquake caused both its reactors to automatically shut down. Another nuclear power plant two hours away also shut down. Company officials said no radiation was released, and they haven't discovered any major damage. Both plants, they say, were built to seismic standards. By west coast standards, a 5.8 quake is mild. I'm from California, so I'm kind of used to it. But east coast residents are not. Virginia hasn't felt a quake that powerful in more than 100 years. Buildings in New York City, Baltimore, and Washington suffered damage, including the Nation Cathedral. Julie Ahlen was inside the building’s crypt as its walls started to rumble. The floors were literally rolling, and you could see the sides of the columns in the building moving like this. The cases were shaking, and stuff was falling out. Masons are examining damage to the building's pinnacles and other iconic architectural details. The earthquake comes just weeks before the tenth anniversary of September 11th. Some say they're thankful the earthquake wasn't an explosion as some first feared. It felt a little like unnerving when your floor is swaying, and you're on the 21st floor. Did you ever think you would experience an earthquake in Washington, DC? Not particularly, no. Although earthquakes on the East Coast are rare, scientists say this one is consistent with what they know about the way the earth moves in Virginia. Jennifer Wishon, CBN News. Thanks, Jennifer. Apparently, this thing was so deep underground. That's why it traveled so far. The California earthquake doesn’t do that. They're more on the surface. But to go all the way to Toronto, all the way past Chicago, all the way deep into the south, maybe as far as Atlanta or beyond that, it's rather extraordinary. We don't have earthquakes here, but we’ve got a tornado, I mean a hurricane, coming up. Hurricane. Crazy. Are you ready? Well, listen, let me tell you, I have 13 people coming to my house starting today. You’re having a hurricane party? No! We're supposed to be renting a home in North Carolina, Cape Hatteras! So all my family members are coming to my house. If I were you, I wouldn’t go to Cape Hatteras. Well, I’m scared, because they’re all going to be staying at my house. Well, they can stay with you. I might be calling you, saying, "Pat, have you got some extra room?" Yes. Well, I’ll take your dog and put him in a kennel. But anyhow, no, I tell you, that’s going to be the place. If it hits, it will hit in Hatteras. I know. I know. That’s where they’re saying it could. Don’t go to Hatteras. Well, anyhow, it’s fun. I mean, this is the time. It’s fun? I say it’s fun. What does it mean? When you see these signs come to pass, lift up your head because your redemption draws nigh. It means that we’re closer to the coming of the Lord. We're going to be talking about prophecy and what it says in the Bible about the end times. Lee Webb has the rest of our top stories from the CBN Newsroom. Lee. Pat, coastal residents from the mid Atlantic to New England are keeping a close eye on what’s become a major hurricane. Irene regained category three status this morning, and forecasters at the National Hurricane Center say it’s only expected to get bigger. Here’s Efrem Graham. Residents of the Bahamas can only wait while Hurricane Irene makes its way up the island chain. For Bahamians, the strong winds and heavy rains aren't their biggest concern. The tidal surge could sweep inland with waves possibly coming in at up to 11 feet high. Well, this is a big hurricane. This is the worst they've had since '04, and this is the first one I've been in over here. So we'll see how it goes. Irene has already shown its destructive power across the Caribbean. It knocked out power to a million residents in Puerto Rico, caused flooding in the Dominican Republic, and hammered the Turks and Caicos Islands with damaging winds overnight. Meanwhile, meteorologists are warning the entire U.S. eastern seaboard to be on alert. It has still been able to maintain its hurricane status. So as it lifts off to the north and then northwest, by Wednesday and Thursday we expect Irene to intensify rapidly, possibly reaching a hurricane four status by the time we get into Thursday. That means maximum sustained winds of at least 131 miles per hour. Irene is the first hurricane to threaten the U.S. in three years. It could reach category four strength before it comes ashore in the U.S. The current projected path has the system making landfall in the Carolinas and then working its way up the East Coast. We have boards to go over our windows. We went out and got a few supplies today. Not too many, but before everybody else wiped everything out. So we're going to see what happens. Meteorologists say Irene could remain a hurricane all the way up to New England, an area not accustomed to such strong storms. But they stress that the storm can change direction at any time, and predictions made this far in advance can be off by 100 miles. Efrem Graham, CBN News. And for that reason, Pat, officials say the residents along the east coast need to remain alert. It’s been interesting over this week to watch the forecast path. It keeps inching to the east, and hopefully it will continue to do that, and we’ll dodge this bullet. I was having a little vacation in the Outer Bank some years ago when they forecast a hurricane. And I basically said, "It’s not going to be a hurricane while I’m there." But I was kind of looking forward to the thing, and I went to sleep waking to big winds. I woke up; it was all sunny and pretty. It blew through. So wouldn’t it be wonderful if that was the scenario and that literally the winds turned and the hurricane went back out to sea? That would be a blessing. But I was in Florida right after Andrew. It was hideous the amount of damage. They had tornadoes in the hurricane, and winds up in excess of 200 miles an hour, devastating, down in the southern part of Florida. I was also, right after Hugo, in Charleston, South Carolina. You cannot believe the devastation that took place. We had humanitarian activity going down there. And, of course, down in Katrina, a big relief effort here from CBN and Operation Blessing. So we’re there to help people. And I think the biggest thing we can do right now about this one coming in is to pray that it will go off into the ocean. Lee. Pat, new home sales fell for the third straight month in July, another sign that the housing industry remains weak and is hurting the economy. New home sales may be the worst since records began in 1963. Home prices have dropped more than they did during the Great Depression even, and it took 19 years for them to recover then, Pat. Well, there was a bubble. Everybody was all euphoric about "you can never lose money on your house. It’s an investment." A house is not an investment. It is a place to live in. My friend, Gary Schilling, kept saying, "They're overpriced. They're overpriced." And we kept saying they’re overpriced. And it looks like the correction will take the house prices from their peak down maybe 45, even 50, percent until they get down to where they were about, well, 1997 or 2001. Something like in that area would be the bottom. And I'm sorry if you bought houses after then, but you've lost money, and there is nothing you can do to get it back. So just live in your house and enjoy it. But I can tell you that you’re not going to make a lot of money on your house. Well, here’s my question for you, Pat. What’s that? Do you know when you think maybe the tides will start to turn, and the housing market will start to improve? Do you have any idea? Do you have any thoughts? Yes, 19 to 20 years. That's what it said, and I think that's true. Wow! They were level. Houses are supposed to level. Houses are not investments. People were day trading on the opportunity to buy condos. It was crazy down in Florida, absolutely crazy. And speculation was going on, and the prices and the bubble went up. Well, it’s going to come back down. It’s already coming down, but where is it going to end? It will come down maybe as much as 50 percent of the peak or more. But when is it going to come back? Twenty years. Are you ready for that? No, so I’m going to have to pray that it happens sooner. Well, I wish you the best. All right. Well, rebel forces in Libya are on the hunt for Moammar Gadhafi. Rebel fighters seized Gadhafi’s compound in Tripoli yesterday, but the Libyan leader was nowhere to be found. Some believe he’s hiding in underground bunkers beneath his compound or that he used hidden tunnels to make a quick escape from the capital city. Plans for a new Libyan government are moving forward. The head of Libya’s transitional council travels to France today for a meeting with President Nicolas Sarkozy. They’ll discuss how the international community can support Libya’s political transition. Lee. Pat, in other news, when we take medicine, we expect it to work. But medications have to be stored properly. If they’re not, they’ll stop working and may even become dangerous. Charlene Israel has that story. It’s a life-threatening situation. You suffer an allergy attack, and your medicine doesn’t work. That happened to Stephen Conrad during a family vacation. The incident taught his family a very valuable lesson. Well, we didn't know at the time, but I guess now we know they stopped working, because it was really hot. Stephen’s medicine was in the trunk of the family car during a six-hour trip to New Hampshire. Both extremes of temperature can be bad for medicines, super cold, super hot. Most medicines are designed to be most useful and helpful around room temperature. The warnings are right there on the packaging, and pharmacists say they need to be taken seriously. Medicine should be kept between 68 and 77 degrees. Exposing them to temperatures over 86 degrees can actually cause them to break down, making them ineffective. Anything that’s a life saving or life preserving kind of medication, you probably need to be very, very careful with that. Pharmacists suggest a few precautions. When flying keep medications in your carry-on luggage. The tarmac causes cargo holds on planes to get too hot. When driving keep medicine in the car and not in the trunk. And finally, if you’re having medication mailed to you, choose the overnight shipping option. Mailboxes can reach more than 130 degrees during the day. The best place to store medicine in your home would be a temperature-controlled area like a linen closet. Avoid bathroom medicine cabinets, because bathrooms get both warm and humid. Charlene Israel, CBN News. Forecasters say the southwest drought will continue into the fall. A three-month forecast by the National Weather Service predicts warmer than normal temperatures for much of the country. That means no relief for Texas or Oklahoma. Both states are experiencing record-breaking droughts. The prediction shows that only the southeast, northwest, and California will be spared from the warm fall temperatures. Pat. It’s just amazing what is happening. It is like the Grapes of Wrath. Things are happening. Well, is this prophetic? We're going to talk about prophecy. What does it say? Is it just the normal weather cycle and you can expect this sort of thing, or is it something worse? Kristi. Exactly, Pat. I'm going to pig piggyback off exactly what you said. Listen, it’s only August, so, really, what’s up with all the hurricanes or tornadoes and the earthquakes so far this year? It is a sobering thing for even modern man to face up to natural disasters that don't make any sense at all. It brings people to question the ultimate end of everything. Another look at the signs of the times. It is all coming up next. Plus, our chat room is open. So if you have a question about the end of times, I’ll tell you what, I do. All you have to do is just log on to CBN.com. We're going to hit those, and it is going to be great. My name is Roger Stump, and I’m a cancer survivor. The surgeon said it's inoperable. "It's already in your liver." My wife, Brenda, sat there and cried; and I'm thinking, "I can't die right now. I'm only 52 years old." I was so distraught. I've heard Cancer Treatment Centers of America have experience with pancreatic cancers. It was like night and day. The hospital just breeds an environment of hope. You get a CT scan, and the next morning the results were read to you. We’d go up there; I just knew it was going to be a good result. You could just see the joy on Dr. Granik’s face. Call now and we’ll show you how the most compassionate people anywhere put you at the center of everything we do. Together, we'll explore real treatment options you may not even know exist. Cancer Treatment Centers of America. It is such a different place, because they give you hope. I would strongly urge you to call them and get a second opinion. Please call today. Tomorrow . . . . The place is a tinderbox. One spark, and the whole thing can go up in flames. The next war for Israel may not be fought with guns or tanks, but in boardrooms thousands of miles away. They're trying to legally destroy us. The Jewish state is under attack from all sides, and Jerusalem is in the crosshairs. Here we are facing this threat. Hear more about this sign of the times, tomorrow on The 700 Club. Now, get this, ladies and gentlemen, it's very important. In just the first half this year, 2011, the world experienced so many natural disasters that it was the most expensive year ever for property damages. Dale Hurd has this look at the incredible string of disasters so far in 2011. The year 2011 began with a flood in Australia so vast, it turned an area larger than Texas into a disaster zone. Little did we know then there was much worse to come. In January, earthquakes hit Argentina, Chile, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Tonga. In February, they hit Burma, the Pacific Islands, and the big one, in Christchurch, New Zealand. Buildings were toppled, scores buried. One hundred eighty-one died. Survivors who crawled from collapsed office buildings were stunned. It just came down. Like, right down. But the monster earthquake of 2011 was something out of a science fiction movie. The great Japan earthquake was one of the strongest in recorded history. From 20 miles underwater, it created a tsunami 130 feet high that traveled six miles inland, causing cars and boats to bob like toys. It was a quake so powerful it moved the island of Honshu eight feet. More than 15,000 people died, and almost 5,000 are missing. Then in a terrible twist, after the quake knocked out power at the Fukushima nuclear plant, the tsunami washed out its backup generators, the last line of defense against overheating. It would be the world's first triple meltdown, spreading radiation over a wide area. It was the worst disaster to afflict Japan since World War II. The world was still in shock when the southern and eastern United States experienced the worst rash of tornadoes in recorded weather history. The 2011 "Super Outbreak," as it was called, included four monster EF-5 tornadoes, and led to almost 350 deaths and more than six billion dollars in insured losses. Tornadoes coming to the city! Massive tornado, massive destruction! Then just weeks later on a Sunday afternoon in May, a mile-wide multiple vortex EF-5 tornado plowed through Joplin, Missouri, obliterating whole sections of the town, killing 159 people and causing an estimated two billion dollars in insured losses. The insurance industry was reeling. Americans were in shock. Dr. Vinson Synan, author of 19 books and Dean Emeritus at Regent University, says the unprecedented string of calamities has forced many Americans to ask why. It's a sobering thing for even modern man to face up to natural disasters that don't make any sense at all, and to hit randomly in the world, and may hit you. The question, in the back of their minds, "What does this mean?" And unfortunately, the world's worst disasters could still be ahead, like a category five hurricane making a direct hit on a large American city. But experts also study other scenarios many of us have never heard of. Geologists have warned that heavy rains on Mount Rainer in Washington State could cause a huge, deadly, 40-mile mudslide moving at 60 miles per hour and filled with rocks and trees. Some fear the collapse of the giant volcanic mountain, Cumbre Vieja, in the Canary Islands could send an 80-foot high tsunami into the east coast of the United States at 600 miles per hour. And along the Mississippi, a catastrophic quake at the giant new Madrid fault would cause utter devastation to America's heartland. Many Americans might think they live in one of the safest periods in world history. But do they? Why have so many natural disasters struck the planet this year? It brings people to question the ultimate end of everything. Even the natural man who doesn't even know God is saying "Something bad is happening." It's getting worse and worse. What are the ultimate reasons for this? What's the ultimate answer from God or from somewhere? Dale Hurd, CBN News. Wow, incredible! Well, natural disasters are clearly mentioned in the Bible as clues as to the end of the age. Well, Pat explains that and more in this segment on the signs of the times. Take a look. We’re talking about prophecy, Bible prophecy, and the question is, how will it all end? And is our world that we're in now, is this the end? Are we in the last days? What's going on? What's happening? Terrible floods, terrible earthquakes, terrible natural disasters. All of these things are happening. Is this the end? Well, I daresay at the time of the end of the Roman Empire, people were asking the same thing. So we have got to understand precisely what the Bible has to say about it and what will happen. Now let’s see what Jesus told his disciples. Jesus answered, "Watch out that no one deceives you, for many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many." So sign number one, there will be people claiming to be the Messiah. There will be false religions, false Messiahs, and religious heresy. You will have that proliferating in this little period of time. Now, next, He says "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you be not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is not to come." So the next thing we’re to look for is wars. We have had more wars in the last 2,000 years than probably in all time of history, thousand of wars. And in the last hundred years, the killing has been beyond measure. We have never seen such slaughter as we had in World War I and World War II. Now, He goes on to say, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places." So there will be revolution. There will be upheavals. There will be economic disasters. There will be famine. There will be earthquakes. We have had extraordinary earthquake activity. We’ve had extraordinary tsunami activity. We've had volcanic activity. We have had an upheaval in the earth. And He says, "You'll see this in many places." And we've also had hideous famines. Right now, in Somalia, there are hundreds of thousands of people in the horn of Africa that are facing starvation. There are others who are facing starvation. We've had what was going on in Darfur. We’ve had awful, awful things. And under the reign of Stalin, the reign of Mao Tse Tung, tens of millions of people starved to death. Famine in various place. But the end isn’t there yet. This is so interesting, because He was giving an answer to the question that’s on your heart. "All these are the beginning of the birth pangs." Now, what is birth pang? I am the proud father of four children and a proud grandfather of 14 grandchildren, and now I’m the proud great-grandfather of a couple more. So I’ve got a progeny that just goes on out there. And the thing is when a woman goes into labor, they call that labor pains or birth pangs. But once these birth pangs come, it’s like, the apostle, Paul, he said it will be like birth pangs grabbing a woman with child, and there’s no escape. Once this happens, once this happens, there is no end to it. It’s going to come, and there’s going to be birth of what? Of a new order. There’s going to be a new world, a new birthing of something that is really wonderful. But Jesus said these are the beginning of the birth pangs. Then listen to this, "You will be handed over to be persecuted, put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me. And at that time, many will turn away. They'll turn away from the faith and betray each other." That happened during communism. They turned away under the Nazis. The children actually turned their parents into the authorities. They bore witness against their own parents. This is what Jesus said was going to happen. It happened under communism. It has happened in Chinese communists. It happened to the Russian communists. And young children have been taught to betray their parents and also to betray Christians. And you'll be hated. And then "many false prophets will appear and deceive many people." You can just beware of the fact that before Jesus comes back again, there’s going to be a proliferation of false doctrine. And the people will welcome it. They will welcome false doctrine. There will be all kinds of strange teaching, like scientology, and, of course, Islam, and then these other "isms" that come about, all kinds of different faiths. People are going to be deceived, going after this one, that one, and the other one. Jesus said it was going to happen. Don't be surprised. It is going to happen. So what are the signs? And then He says, "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will go cold." So one of the things before He comes back again, before the end of the age, there is going to be an increase of wickedness: fornication, adultery, drunkenness, drug addiction, nudity, gambling, blasphemy, stealing. People will see all this around them, and so they will have a form of godliness, but they'll deny the power thereof. That’s what the Bible says is going to happen. These are all signs of the birth pangs, signs of the end of the age. But He doesn't stop there, thank goodness. And here is what else He has to say: "But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved," and this is key, "This Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end is going to come." So what's the sign of the coming of the Lord and the end of the age? When will it all end? It will end when the Gospel of the Kingdom is preached in all the world for a witness. I was reading in the prophet Daniel today, and he says, "The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ." He said, "The saints of the most high will bear rule. God is going to give rule to the saints of the most high." I was interested to read a book by Vinson Synan. He wrote about this great charismatic revival that’s going on in the world. And he says that right now there are so many people becoming Charismatics around the world that he figures at least half of the leaders in the nations of this world will be spirit-filled, born-again Christians. Now, that’s what’s going to happen. And Jesus said the leaders will become Christians. The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. Is that happening today? Yes, it is. The love of many growing cold? Yes. Wickedness abounded? Yes. Wars, rumors of wars? Yes. Famines? Earthquakes? All these things in diverse places. But the one sign is when this Gospel of the Kingdom is preached in all the world for a witness, then the end is going to come. Amazing. Well, we're going to continue to bring you more on segments on The Signs of the Times throughout the entire week. So you really don't want to miss it. Plus, if you'd like to watch any of the previous segments, you missed them, you can always share them with your friends. All you have to do is just log on to CBN.com. There are great buttons. You hit it, share it, print it, whatever you need to do, but just do it. Well, when we come back, your e-mail questions on the signs of the times. Laura says, "My son received an e-mail saying that there is going to be an earthquake, a tsunami, and a volcanic eruption in the Pacific Northwest this year. Do you think there is any truth to this?" Well, we're going to find out, so don't go away. Do you have money to burn? If not, you need to know that the paper dollars you've invested your life savings in are being consumed right now in a growing blaze of inflation and declining value. Economists know why the dollar is burning and at risk of crashing. It's because politicians and central bankers keep printing, and this makes the dollars you've worked so hard to for, worth less and less. The politicians and bankers hated the gold standard, because it forced them to be honest. 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Within the first couple of weeks, I started to lose inches. I lost 50 pounds in three months using the Treadclimber. Call or go online to buytc.com for your free info kit. We'll also send you the Bowflex Insiders Guide with the personal fitness assessment, to help you jumpstart your Bowflex body today, absolutely free. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Bowflex. Sincerely, J.D. Weber. To see this week’s top on demand videos, go to CBN.com. Well, our chat room is on fire. So many people have logged on to CBN.com for questions, so we're going to jump right in. Laura says, "My son got an e-mail saying there was going to be an earthquake, a tsunami, and a volcanic eruption in the Pacific Northwest in October. Has the Lord told you anything about this Pat?" Well, not particularly, but I must say, that sits on what's called the Pacific Ring of Fire. It is a highly seismic area. Those volcanoes there, you know, were active, Mount Hood and Mount Rainier, and so forth. We had Mount Saint Helens that blew up. It was a big explosion, so, that area is very active, and the possibility of something taking place like that in the Pacific Northwest is very real. At this point I can't claim any kind of revelation, but there it is. Seattle is right down there. It's very vulnerable, so there's no reason in the world to expect something less than that, but it's just a question of when. Okay. Here's another one from Kim who says, "I'm confused as to why you think Pat, that we're close to the End. We've always had wars. In fact several wars across Asia 1000 years ago killed a higher percentage of the world’s population than World War I and II combined. The plague killed over 100 million centuries ago. We've always had natural disasters, many far worse than the great Virginia quake of 2011. So, why are the events more of a sign than the events of the past? Remember the Bible says that there are those who say, "Where is the promise of his coming since our forefathers fell asleep, all these things have happened?" You're exactly right. This kind of stuff has gone on, and Jesus said it would. It would go on, and on, and on. Why do we think this may be the culmination? I think Israel is the key. For the first time in 2000 years, the Jews have come back into the Holy Land. I think that is the trigger to prophecy. And on the other hand is CBN, just CBN, this little organization here, we've led 500 million people to faith in Christ since the fall of Communism. That is a sign of the times, worldwide evangelization on a massive scale. But you're absolutely right. There have been terrible wars, terrible famines, terrible pestilences, the world has known them. And Jesus said, "These things are going to happen, but the end is not yet." You're right. There are other signs taking place that are coinciding right now. But didn't the Bible also talk about things happening faster, like time would speed up? That's like a woman with child. You start timing, I've timed them, you know, okay, 20 minutes, 10 minutes, five minutes, get your bag, and let's get in the car, we’re on the way. Yeah, right. They come more and more frequently. Okay. Okay, Bob says, "Is the ‘One World Government’ spoken of in Scripture? What significance does the ‘One World Government’ have in End Times prophecy? Well, I'll tell you what my feel about a One World Government, if there is a One World Government, and many of the satiric cult's have talked about this, one world is a whole lot easier to control by Satan than 200 nations. If we have 50 states, it's more difficult to control them if there's one. So, the idea of bringing all the world together with one ruler has been the dream of the occult, for years. What about that in Scripture? The Bible talks about an Antichrist. It talks about a world system. It talks about a time you won't be able to buy or sell except with a quote, "Mark of the Beast." The answer is, the Bible does talk about it. Read Revelation. All right. All right, the next one comes from Nick, who writes in, and he wants to know, "How should we prepare for the End times?" Nick, the big thing is to get your heart right with God. I think that's more important. He talked about the wise virgins and the foolish virgins. The wise virgins had their lamps ready, but they also had a spare supply of oil; and so when the bridegroom came they trimmed their lamps, put the oil in, and away they went. The others ran out and said, "Give us some, and they said no, we can't; we haven't got enough to spare." I think the biggest thing we need is to be filled with the Holy Spirit, on fire with God, and listening to God, and walking with God day to day, to day, to day, to day. So, when something happens, the Lord will speak to us. He'll tell his people. He'll lead his people. He'll show us what to do and what not to do. At the same time, it doesn't hurt to have a supply of water, to have battery-powered radios, to have a generator if you can afford one, to have water purification pills or something like that, so you can have water. Because regardless if it's the coming of the Lord, if we have a serious problem like a major earthquake, major volcanic eruption, or hurricane, you'll need short-term supplies. I told our guys today; fill up all the cars with gas, get everything full up so that you're prepared. Well, we're looking for a hurricane coming in here, we want to be prepared. Okay. Well, you know real quick, I was kind of joking with the audience, but not really joking about how after the earthquake hit here in Virginia, last night, I’m laying in bed and I'm praying and repenting up a storm. I said, "Lord, this person has got on my nerves, Lord help me, and forgive me." I did, because my mom always said keep your account short. Short with God. And I was like, "Lord . . . . That’s the best way to get ready for whatever is going to happen. Exactly. Be filled with the Spirit. Amen. Jackie says, "Since no one knows when the End Times will begin, do you think the Devil has appointed certain people throughout history to be the Antichrist? For example, I think if God wanted the End Times to happen in the 1940s, then the Devil would have had Hitler as the Antichrist. If the End Times happened 1500 years earlier, the Devil would have used Attila the Hun. When you think?" Well, It’s hard to say. This whole concept of what's in the Book of Revelation about the Antichrist, it's hard to understand it. It really is. Was he talking about the Roman emperors? They were some pretty wicked people. You look at Caligula, I mean he was as much of a monster as you can imagine. He wanted to kill his own sons, so they wouldn't run the possibility of his taking over in his place. He could've been the Antichrist. Nero could've been the Antichrist. The whole idea is that somebody who sets himself against Jesus, and I really believe that in our world today, Islam, militant Islam, fulfills the definition. They deny the deity of Christ. They deny the power of Jesus Christ. I just believe they are militant. They want to persecute Christians. They want to establish their political domination around the world. But the idea of a One World Government is certainly something that the Bible talks about. You can't buy or sell without having the certification of the government. Watch Big Brother. Watch big government. It's not your friend. Well, still ahead, a man is buried alive by an earthquake. Coming up later: Got up early Tuesday morning. Enjoyed the amazing view. But the same afternoon . . . . Within three seconds the hotel had collapsed. . . . . he was buried alive for days. If found, please give to my wife, Christina. Our world moves at an incredible pace, people everywhere rushing to their destinations. But there is a destiny that awaits each one of us, and all of us will face life’s ultimate question: where will I spend eternity? In his new DVD, Life Beyond the Grave, Pat Robertson introduces you to real people with remarkable stories of Heaven and riveting accounts of Hell. You’ll learn what the Bible has to say about life after death. The Bible tells us that eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor mind conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. Life Beyond the Grave will build your faith as God’s promises come alive, prepare you to face your eternity, and provide you with a powerful witnessing tool to share with your loved ones. I want you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your destiny is sealed forever in Heaven. Attention those on Medicare with diabetes, you may be eligible for an upgraded meter. If you're tired of stabbing your fingertips to test your blood glucose, we have news that could change your life. If you're on Medicare with diabetes, then you need to know there is an alternative method for checking your blood glucose every day. You don't need to stab your fingertips anymore. The Embrace Meter, from Diabetes Care Club, is easier to use, and nearly painless. And the best news, is that the Diabetes Care Club would love to send you one of these meters. This method hurts less, and because you can see and hear your results, it may be easier to understand. Your blood glucose reading is 89. Call now to find out why nearly a quarter of a million patients have joined Diabetes Care Club. Membership is free. So is the call. Call 1-800-445-3014. Talk to Diabetes Care Club. You'll be glad you did. When you look in the mirror, can you imagine erasing years of aging? That's what I used to look like. Lifestyle Lift takes only about an hour. See the difference immediately. I'm Linda. I'm 70 years old. Can you believe it? Call now for a free information kit. It's quick, affordable, and takes only about an hour. Lifestyle Lift, a breakthrough medical procedure that helps remove wrinkles, frown lines and sagging skin. Call now for a free information kit. Consultations are free. Call Lifestyle Lift today. Welcome back to The 700 Club. Prayers are no longer taking place before high school football games in one Kentucky town. Officials in Bell County made that call after receiving a complaint from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. That group says that the complaint comes on behalf of a local family. The school district consulted with an attorney and decided to end pre-game prayers. School Superintendent George Thompson calls the decision distressing, saying, "Christian beliefs in Bell County is the fabric that makes our community special." A bomb blast in Iraq cause severe to a church in the northern town of Kirkuk. It was the second attack against a church there this month. Here you see the damage done to the Syriac Orthodox Church at Mar Afram. The bomb blew a hole in the wall sending bricks across the church floor and furniture. The pastor says is the third attack against his church in the last five years. No one was hurt in this attack. You can always get the latest from CBN news by going to our website at CBNnews.com. Pat and Kristi will be back with more of The 700 Club after this. Look, like I to read and all but who has the time? It was killing me that I didn’t have time to read the new book everyone was talking about. So, about a year ago a friend told me about audible.com. At first I was like, "Are you kidding me?" My grandmother listens to books. I just couldn’t see myself doing it. Then I found out I could download books to my iPod and listen at the gym. I tried listening to business books on my morning commute. I loved that Elizabeth Gilbert reads, "Eat, Pray, Love. It was great to finally be ahead of the curve. Now I go through three books a month just at the gym or while I’m doing errands. Now I’m the one recommending audible.com. With audible.com, you can enjoy the books you want in the time you have available. Choose from over 85,000 titles, many read by the authors themselves. Now you can try audible.com free. Download any book and listen on your iPod, Kindle, or over 500 other devices. Just go to audible.com/tvoffer for your free audiobook. Go right now and you’ll get a second audio book free. Download two free audiobooks now at audible.com/tvoffer. It’s incredible to see what God’s faithfulness and your partnership has accomplished through CBN over the past five decades. What began as just a tiny signal that reached to the corner . . . . . . . . has grown into a broadcasting giant, reaching over 100 countries and more than 60 languages. That’s why we’re having a very special, 50 years of broadcasting celebration here in Virginia Beach, the weekend of October 1st, and we want you to be a part of it. The all-day festival includes live entertainment from Mercy Me, Diamond Rio, and the Annie Moses Band. There will be hot air balloon rides, a petting zoo, Irish dancers, an antique car show, hay rides and a whole lot more. You can go to CBN.com today to find out more about the event and register to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime jubilee. We look forward to having you here with us . . . . . . . . as we praise the Lord for all he’s done. God bless you. Okay that's it, it's coming, October 1. We went on the air Sunday, October 1st, 1961. Our first broadcast of a little TV station in Portsmouth Virginia. We're celebrating 50 years of broadcasting on October 1st. It's going to be a big celebration. My good friend Reinhardt Bonnke is going to be here to preach. He is an anointed man of God. We've got all kinds of music, and you name it, it's going to be a fun day for the whole family. Saturday, October 1, everybody's invited. You want to find out more about it. You can log on to . . . . CBN.com. . . . . CBN.com. Get the word. Okay. Absolutely. Well, listen, we've been talking about a lot of natural disasters going on here and abroad. Well, when an F5 tornado actually hit Charles Greens neighborhood, he was at work. But his wife and children were at home. In 35 seconds his entire neighborhood was demolished, and Charles feared for the worst for his entire family. Charles Green watched the weather radar on his computer at work is an F4 tornado approached Birmingham, Alabama. His neighborhood lay directly in its path. I'm listening to the guy saying the storm is headed to Pratt City, Smithfield Estates area. So I immediately called my wife to tell her, get downstairs right now. I could hear glass breaking and everyone started yelling. Children were yelling, "Dad, Daddy." My wife was screaming. And when the phone went dead. Man, I almost collapsed. I didn't know what happened to them. I thought they were gone. I kept saying to myself, "Jesus please, keep them safe." It took just 35 seconds for the tornado to rip through Smithfield Estates. Charles tried frantically to reach his wife. When I finally got through, and she answered the phone, I just said, "Thank you God. Thank you " I knew what he was going to be thinking, so that was the first thing out of my mouth, "We're okay, we're okay." If you look around here, and the fact that a community walked out of this neighborhood that night was God. Now that's God. We sustained a lot of damage. The roof on the back bedroom, it caved in. All the windows were blown out. A tree fell on the back of my house, and I was just sitting in my yard before that thinking, how in the world am I going to get all these trees get this stuff taken care of? And I walk around the corner, and Operation Blessing is there. Volunteers came from as far as way as Canada, California, and Virginia to remove trees and cover damaged roofs. I wouldn't have been able to do it on my own, no way. Like I said, this was someone that shows they care like that. It means the world to me. The fact that people give up their time, their jobs, to come and help a community that you don't even know. You have nothing invested in except human kindness to another person. That's miraculous to me. I thank God everyday for y'all being all right. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for giving, because without Operation Blessing, like I said, I don't know what we would have done. Wow, I just want to hug them! I was watching that story, and got all choked up. None of us can predict what's going to happen, but you know what, we can prepare. We can prepare because when natural disasters happen or strike, in one moment, our lives can change. That's why we really do have to prepare to be able to love, and help, and to serve, and to help those who are in need, like we did in Joplin, and so many other places around the country. So listen, we want to encourage you right now, if you are not a 700 Club partner, let this day be the day that you say, "I’m going to do it." It’s just 65 cents a day, $20 a month, can as you see, change a life, give hope, give encouragement, especially when you're at that point, and you feel that you're so desperate, you’re by yourself. There are so many people who need to know they're not alone, that you're there and you come in the name of the Lord. Listen, so once again, you can either call the number right there, 1-800-759-0700, or log on to CBN.com to become a 700 Club partner. When you do, we want to bless you. We did this series a little bit ago, and this is a life-changing series. It's called Life Beyond the Grave. The whole concept of it is, people who have died; they've gone to Heaven and Hell, and really come back to tell about their life-changing experience. Really, that's what it's all about. Because tomorrow is not promised for any of us. But to know where we're going to go, when we do go, that's the key. So call in right now. Once again, 1-800-759-0700. Pat. Thanks. Thanks so much. The address is there by the way, for Operation Blessing for disasters. Well, yesterday was a beautiful sunny day here in the state of Virginia, then suddenly in a little town between Charlottesville and Richmond, the earth moved, and then it moved all over this part of the country. Well, on January the 12th of 2010, it was also a beautiful sunny day in Haiti. Dan Woolley was enjoying the gorgeous scenery from his hotel when suddenly the floor rumbled beneath him, and before he knew what had happened, Dan was buried alive. "If found, please give to my wife, Christina. I love you. I have never stopped loving you or even slowed down." The blood stained pages of Dan Woolley's journal reflect his most desperate moments. He had only arrived in Haiti one day before the deadly earthquake literally buried him alive. I never could have predicted that this would be such a dividing line in my life. Really, now I look at this, and it’s life before this and life after this. Woolley’s work with Compassion International brought him to Port-au-Prince to capture the pictures and stories of the organization’s work with poor mothers, struggling to hold their families together. "I love Josh and Nathan, the joy and pride of my life." But the father of two also left a struggle behind at home with his wife. It’s not that we didn’t care for each other anymore. It’s just that we had allowed the busyness life to get in the way of the true deep intimacy that we used to have. Though he grew up a Christian, the busyness of life strained another key relationship. There had been a cooling off between me and God. And the priority that I feel my faith needs to have in my life just wasn't there. The Haiti trip offered an escape, exciting work, and relaxing accommodations. I stayed the night, Monday night, in the Hotel Montana, and got up early Tuesday morning, enjoyed the amazing view from the Montana. And, of course, never imagining what would befall later that afternoon. The earthquake hit at exactly 4:53. Dan and his colleague had just returned to the hotel lobby where the floor rumbled beneath them. I had debris hitting me from all sides. And so something knocked my backpack off my back. Something struck my head. I had a big gash on my head. And then things hit both sides of my legs and then something passed right by my face. Within three seconds, the hotel had collapsed, and went from vibrant color to complete, absolute darkness. I actually wonder at first if I am dead. I think that, "Maybe this is it, and I have passed on." In the darkness, he could feel his camera around his neck. He began taking pictures, using the flash to see his surroundings. At one point I take a picture of the elevator car and I realize, "Okay, now that looks like a safer place that I can get to." In time, he freed himself from the rubble and climbed into the tiny elevator car. He hoped someone would find him but wondered what would happen if no one did. I was very concerned about that. What is it going to be like when I face my Creator? So I just right there just came to God with nothing hidden, nothing held back. While I was doing that, I heard a voice in my head say, "You are Mine." That gave him peace as hours of waiting turned into days. He then began writing this letter to his family. "I was in a big accident. Don’t be upset at God. He always provides for His children." Even though I had settled kind of settled my heart with God, I still didn't feel like it was my time to go. Woolley wanted to survive and found himself worshiping God in the tiny elevator car. But after three days in the underground darkness, he became desperate. And I decided to give up, and so I crawled out of the elevator, and I just was laying on the rubble. And it was at that moment in the shaft above my elevator that I saw the head lamp of my rescuer as he came down and he said, "I am coming for you. I’m going to get you out of there." The story of his rise from the ruins played around the world. "I’m still praying that God will get me out." He lived to read that letter to his wife and children. His partner, David Haynes, did not make it, but Woolley pays tribute to him in his new book, Unshaken. It’s the story of how he survived to rebuild those broken relationships with God and family. I think the earthquake saved the life that God meant for me. He had pursued me to the bottom of this collapsed hotel, because He wanted all of me. Dan Woolley made the right decision. We're talking about disasters, and I don't want to scare people, but the truth is you never know. It was a beautiful day in Haiti, and suddenly everything collapsed. It was a beautiful day yesterday in Virginia, and then suddenly the earth began to shake. You never know. You never know when there is going to be a tsunami like there was in northern Japan. Nobody would have thought that suddenly the ground would shake, and actually part of that whole island would move. You never know. I can't promise you another day, because I can't guarantee it for anybody including me. But what we do know is that if we have Jesus Christ in our lives. If we have given ourselves to Him, we don't have to worry about the future. We don't have to worry about what might happen. We don't have to worry about disaster, because we know we're in the hands of a loving Father. If you haven't made that decision, Dan Woolley made it in an elevator shaft under a pile of rubble. Would you like to make that decision now? If you do, please pray with me and pray these words, do it and mean it. Bow your head, these words, "Jesus." That's right. "Jesus, I am a sinner Lord, and I need a Savior, and I believe that you died for my sins, and that you have paid the price. So, Lord at this moment I surrender to you. I give you my life. I give you my heart. I'm yours, Jesus. I take you as Lord and as Savior. Thank you, Lord, for hearing my prayer, forgiving my sins, and saving my soul. Thank you Lord. Amen." If you prayed with me, I want to send you something which I think will be a blessing to you. It’s called, A New Day. You might not know what happens next. Well, this is a compact disc here. It's about 73 minutes. It'll tell you about in exchanged life, what happens when you come to Jesus, what's going on, what that prayer you just prayed, what it means. I'll give you that, and there's no financial obligation whatsoever. So, pick up the phone, and call in, and say, "Listen, I prayed with Pat. I gave my heart to the Lord." 1-800-759-0700. Tomorrow, Signs of the Times continues. Watch the story of a man with a vision of the end of the world. Today we leave you with the words of Jesus from Matthew 28 . . . . "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." That's all the time we've got. Remember our telephones are available 24 hours, 1-800-759-0700. We'll see you tomorrow as we continue the exciting series, Signs of the Times. Here at CBN, we see amazing things happen when we stand together. That’s why we want to say thank you to the thousands of you . . . . . . . . who recently pledged to join the 700 Club. Your monthly gift makes it possible to bring crucial help to those who need it most. You help heal the sick, feed the hungry . . . . . . . . and preach the Gospel across America and throughout the world. You’ve brought health and hope to people in desperate need. And changed their lives forever. Chen Xiu couldn’t hear or speak. His parents were too poor to afford the speech therapy he needed. His mother prayed that God would help her little boy. That's when you were the answer to her prayers and provided Chen Xiu with the therapy he needed. You took them out of a silent prison and gave him hope for the future. So please watch for this mailing and send in your pledge. This year millions will know . . . . The love and saving power of Jesus Christ. And that only happens, because you were there.