DISCERNING THE TIMES ONLINE
World Events and News Headlines Relating to Bible Prophecy
PChat Forum
There is a lot of talk and speculation going around about the recent "Findings" of interesting information from a Messianic Believer and the possible correlation of " Events & Signs in the Heavens" and the "Second" Coming of Christ.
Now this is really not new information, in fact it has always been there. What I find interesting is how quickly though everyone is quick to just focus on one side of the coin and not the other. For what can be good information there can also be bad. When I heard of this about the solar eclipse the first thing that came into my head and not by my own knowledge was, "Allah was a moon god and Isis of the sun"
As so many Christians are now turning their heads to the skies looking for a sign. So are Muslims. Muslims also follow signs in the Sun, Moon and Stars. In fact even more so then we. Consider where Astronomy's and Astrogolgy's roots are.
Let me provide a little background information.
Solar/Lunar Eclipses in Islam
Muslims offer special prayers during eclipses
Muslims recognize that everything in the heavens and on earth is created and sustained by the Lord of the universe, Allah Almighty. Throughout the Qur'an, people are encouraged to look around them, observe and reflect on the beauties and wonders of the natural world - as signs of Allah's majesty.
"Allah is He, who created the sun, the moon, and the stars -- (all) governed by laws under His commandment." Qur'an 7:54
"It is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon. All (the celestial bodies) swim along, each in its orbit." Qur'an 21:33
"The sun and the moon follow courses exactly computed." Qur'an 55:05
In remembrance and gratefulness for all of His favors, Muslims all over the world bow down in prayer five times each day. At a time of a solar or lunar eclipse, there is a recommended prayer (salatul-kusuf) that is performed by the Muslim community in congregation.
The Prophet's Tradition (peace be upon him)
During the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), there was a solar eclipse on the day that his son Ibrahim died. Some superstitious people said that the sun eclipsed because of the young child's death and the Prophet's sadness on that day. The Prophet corrected their understanding:
Narrated Al-Mughira bin Shu'ba: On the day of Ibrahim's death, the sun eclipsed and the people said that the eclipse was due to the death of Ibrahim (the son of the Prophet). Allah's Apostle said, "The sun and the moon are two signs amongst the signs of Allah. They do not eclipse because of someone's death or life. So when you see them, invoke Allah and pray till the eclipse is clear."
Reasons that Muslims should be humble before Allah during an eclipse
An eclipse is a sign of the majesty and power of Allah.
Narrated Abu Masud: The Prophet said, "The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of the death of someone from the people but they are two signs amongst the signs of Allah. When you see them, stand up and pray."
An eclipse can cause people to become frightened. When frightened, Muslims turn to Allah for patience and perseverance.
Narrated Abu Bakr: Allah's Apostle said: "The sun and the moon are two signs amongst the signs of Allah and they do not eclipse because of the death of someone, but Allah frightens His devotees with them."
An eclipse is a reminder of the Day of Judgment.
Narrated Abu Musa: The sun eclipsed and the Prophet got up, being afraid that it might be the Hour (i.e. Day of Judgment). He went to the Mosque and offered a prayer with the longest Qiyam, bowing and prostration that I had ever seen him doing. Then he said, "These signs which Allah sends do not occur because of the life or death of somebody, but Allah makes His worshipers afraid by them. So when you see anything thereof, proceed to remember Allah, invoke Him and ask for His forgiveness."
How the Prayer is Performed
The eclipse prayer is offered in congregation.
Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr: When the sun eclipsed in the life-time of Allah's Apostle an announcement was made that a prayer was to be offered in congregation.
The eclipse prayer is two rakats (cycles of prayer).
Narrated Abu Bakr: In the life-time of the Prophet the sun eclipsed and then he offered a two Rakat prayer.
Each rakat of the eclipse prayer has two bowings and two prostrations (for a total of four).
Narrated Aisha: The Prophet led us and performed four bowings in two Rakat during the solar eclipse, and the first Raka was longer.
Narrated 'Aisha: In the life-time of Allah's Apostle, the sun eclipsed, so he led the people in prayer, and stood up and performed a long Qiyam, then bowed for a long while. He stood up again and performed a long Qiyam but this time the period of standing was shorter than the first. He bowed again for a long time but shorter than the first one, then he prostrated and prolonged the prostration. He did the same in the second Raka as he did in the first and then finished the prayer; by then the sun (eclipse) had cleared. He delivered the Khutba (sermon) and after praising and glorifying Allah he said, "The sun and the moon are two signs amongst the signs of Allah; they do not eclipse on the death or life of anyone. So when you see the eclipse, remember Allah and say Takbir, pray and give Sadaqa (charity)."
In modern times, superstitions and fear surrounding solar and lunar eclipses have diminished. However, Muslims continue the tradition of praying during an eclipse, as a reminder that Allah Alone has power over all things, in the heavens and on earth.
"When the Nishkalank Avtar will appear, his coming will be proclaimed unto the whole world; and the sun and the moon will give his evidence." [Ravi in Sanskrit means the sun and Ind stands for the moon].
c. The Mahdi’s Appearance:
This double obscuration of the sun and the moon took place in the year 1300 Hijrah, corresponding to the year 1894 of the Christian era. In the month of Ramazan, in that year, the moon was eclipsed on the 13th night and the sun on the 28th day, precisely in accordance with the Holy Prophet’s, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, word. It was such a unique and unprecedented eclipse, that it has ever since been called THE DARK DAY in history. Astronomers turned every leaf of their dusty record in vain, for not a single similar instance they could find ever since this world came into existence. The Mahdi, of a truth, had come into the world. And he was no other man than Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib of Qadian. Righteous souls rallied round him and Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib applied himself with assiduity to the rejuvenation of Islam.
The growing popularity and success of Hazrat Mirza Sahib made the Maulvis all the more adamant. They fretted and fumed with envy, crying that the sign had not been fulfilled, and that the lunar eclipse, according to the Holy Prophet’s, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, hadith should take place on the first night of Ramazan and the solar eclipse on the 15th day:
The lunar eclipse on the 1st and the solar on the 15th, according to the law governing eclipses, are sheer impossibilities. Moreover, the moon of the first night is almost invisible, and it will be much more so if it were eclipsed. No human eye will be able to see this sign, this darkened moon of the first night, and yet it is, according to the Maulvis, the singular sign of the Great Mahdi. And, thus such a interpretation of the hadith is, on the very face of it, senseless and absurd.
Increasing tensions between Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad intensified when hardline clerics exerted pressure on Ahmadinejad to obey the supreme leader as the ultimate authority. Those tensions were exacerbated with the arrest of over 25 of Ahmadinejad’s associates and loyalists, along with a high-level member of his inner circle. Supporters of the supreme leader are referring to Ahmadinejad’s group as “The Deviant Movement.”
This “group” has announced that within the upcoming weeks a monumental event will turn the tide to their advantage.
Based on a report from Iran’s Ayandeh, one of the officials within “The Deviant Movement” has informed his confidants that certain sources close to the “Mahdi’s Emergence Movement” have stated that an important event will soon change the course of operations to Ahmadinejad’s favor. According to interpretations offered by Ahmadinejad’s team, a high-ranking member of the Islamic Republic will meet with a climactic incident. This in turn will build up to the announcement of the “covert emergence” of the Twelfth Imam (or Mahdi) in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Hardliners critical of Ahmadinejad maintain that his team believes a covert emergence will commence on the 14th of Khordaad (June 5) in Medina, setting the stage for the announcement of the actual emergence in the next few years.
Certain accounts have chronicled that prior to the official emergence of the Mahdi, he will appear covertly in Medina, and during a period of one to three years he will lay the foundations for the actual announcement of his appearance.
The Deviant Movement states that: “At the time of the covert emergence, his regent (i.e., the supreme leader) will be deposed from his position.”
Previously, Ali Mottahari — a pro-supreme leader member of the Islamic Parliament — criticized Ahmadinejad:
Reports claim his team believes a covert emergence will commence on the 14th of Khordaad (June 5) in Medina, setting the stage for the announcement of the actual emergence in the next few years.
Ahmadinejad’s Team Expects Arrival of 12th Imam … on June 5
"Ahmadinejad believes that the covert emergence has, in fact, occurred. Therefore, he acts like he no longer needs the supreme leader and that he can disobey him, as he is taking his orders directly from the Mahdi himself."
Eclipses and Mahdi and Islam, Oh My!
The first lunar eclipse of 2011 occurs at the Moon's ascending node in southern Ophiuchus about 7° west of the Lagoon Nebula (M8). The Moon passes deeply through Earth's umbral shadow during this rather long event. The total phase itself lasts 100 minutes. The last eclipse to exceed this duration was in July 2000. The Moon's contact times with Earth's umbral and penumbral shadows are listed below.
Penumbral Eclipse Begins: 17:24:34 UTPartial Eclipse Begins: 18:22:56 UTTotal Eclipse Begins: 19:22:30 UTGreatest Eclipse: 20:12:37 UTTotal Eclipse Ends: 21:02:42 UTPartial Eclipse Ends: 22:02:15 UTPenumbral Eclipse Ends: 23:00:45 UTAt the instant of greatest eclipse [5] the umbral eclipse magnitude [6] will reach 1.6998 as the Moon's centre passes within 5.3 arc-minutes of the shadow axis. The Moon's southern limb will lay 54.2 arc-minutes from the edge of the umbra while the northern limb will lay 22.3 arc-minutes from the umbra's edge. Thus, the northern regions of the Moon will probably appear brighter than the southern regions that lie deeper in the shadow. Since the Moon samples a large range of umbral depths during totality, its appearance will change dramatically with time. NASA
The next partial solar eclipse occurs at the Moon's descending node in Taurus. The event is visible from high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere.
The eclipse begins at sunrise in Siberia and northern China where the penumbral shadow first touches Earth at 19:25:18 UT. Two hours later, greatest eclipse occurs at 21:16:11 UT. At that time, an eclipse of magnitude 0.601 will be visible from the Arctic coast of western Siberia as the midnight Sun skirts the northern horizon. Although most of Alaska and northern Canada will witness the partial eclipse, the southern limit of the penumbra falls along a curve from south of Fairbanks to central New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Reykjavik, Iceland receives a 0.462 magnitude eclipse just before sunset. Northern most Norway, Sweden and Finland also get a midnight Sun eclipse with the event hanging above the northern horizon. The partial eclipse ends at 23:06:56 UT when the penumbra leaves Earth just north of Newfoundland in the Atlantic Ocean.
Eclipse times and local circumstances for major cities in North America, Europe and Asia are given in Table 2. The Sun's altitude, azimuth, the eclipse magnitude and obscuration are given at the instant of maximum eclipse.
This is the 68th eclipse of Saros 118. The family began with a group of 8 partial eclipses from the years 803 to 929. The Saros ends with a small partial eclipse in 2083. NASA
Upcoming Eclipses in June 2011
Signs of the Mahdi - The Hidden Imam
Here at Discerning the Times Online / Prophecy Chat, our goal is to present news and opinion that demonstrate that we are living in a time when we should be anticipating the soon Return of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In order to do that we will sometimes present speculation on current events and Biblical prophecy in order to provoke thought and discussion. We will also sometimes present non-Christian points of view. Please be aware that the opinions expressed are not always those of Discerning the Times Online / Prophecy Chat. Please read and listen with discernment.
Act 17:10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
Act 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
The edit and translation is by Reza Kahlili (Copyright: Reza Kahlili) - (The original Farsi version is over one hour long and the makers have stated specifically that there are no restrictions on copying said video. They have also asked the public to distribute the video).For more information about this movie and on the book "A Time to Betray", please visit:
Seyed Khorasani, Shoeib-Ebne Saleh and Yamani
Iran Leaders: The Coming is Upon Us – Israel Shall be Destroyed!
by Reza Khalili
Several months ago I was informed by my contacts in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that the Basij had started a project that had the approval of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The purpose of the project was to inform Muslims across the globe of the immediate coming of the last Islamic messiah. The Iranian leaders, now more than ever, feel that all the stars are aligned for such event.
Ever since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the Islamic rulers of Iran have declared themselves representatives of God on Earth, believing their mission is to pave the way for the reappearance of the last messiah, the Shiites 12th Imam Mahdi.
Their belief is based on the centuries old Hadith by Prophet Mohammad and his descendants, who have provided clear guidance as to the timing of The Coming.
According to the Hadith in the age of The Coming, a revolution takes place in Iran. This is a key sign indicating that the reappearance is near and serves as the initial preparation in the worldwide movement for The Coming of the last messiah. Based on this belief, the leaders of Iran see it as their duty to prepare the ground for The Coming. One of the most important events to securing the reappearance of the last Messiah, as called for in the Hadith, is the annihilation of Israel and conquering Beitol Moghadas (Jerusalem). They state with conviction that Islam will soon conquer the world and all infidels will be destroyed.
The pursuit of nuclear bombs by the radicals ruling Iran is directly connected to this belief, as war, chaos, and lawlessness must engulf the world to pave the way for Imam Mahdi’s reappearance.
This movie has been produced in Iran by an organization called “Conductors of The Coming” in collaboration with the Iranian president’s office and the Basij (Iranian paramilitary force). Also reports indicate that Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, President Ahmadinejad’s top adviser and chief of staff, was directly involved with this project. The movie was completed a few months ago and recently screened for the high clerics by the Iranian president’s office with one of its high ranking official analyzing it. More
Between the Eclipses
The Mahdi is Reappearing to Rid World of 'Devils in Human Form
By Seyyed Ali Shahbaz
July 17, 2011
This article appeared in a column in Iran's state-run Kayhan
"Before this, we wrote in the Psalms, after the Message (given to Moses): My servants the righteous shall inherit the earth." (Holy Quran 21:105).
Whatever God has promised is the absolute truth, and whether one likes it or not, it will come to pass. In other words, after all it has been through since Cain killed his brother Abel; after all the tyrants which have terrorized mankind in every age and clime; after all the uses of weapons of mass destruction like the atomic bomb so criminally dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; our planet will one day witness peace prosperity and justice.
Does that mean that devils in human form, who are responsible for mankind's past, present and future misery, will have a sudden change of heart and give up their evil pursuit of war, exploitation, and corruption, and become virtuous servants of God?
That would be nothing but a naive assumption - particularly in this age of scientific confusion, when, as a result of a loss of morals, ethics, faith, spirituality and humanitarian values, people doubt their own divine existence.
A closer scrutiny of the words of God, especially those in the Holy Quran - regarded by us Muslims as the final and universally-applicable scripture of heaven for all mankind since it was revealed to the last and greatest of messengers, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) - reveals that a divinely guided reformer is needed if humanity is to be salvaged and led toward perfection.
He will not be a Prophet nor will bring a new code of shariah. As a matter of fact, what he will do is revive the pure and pristine shariah of the Seal of the Messengers [another phrase referring to the word of the Prophet Muhammad, regarded by most Muslims as not only the last prophet, but the last messenger].
This is the reason he [this reformer] is called the Mahdi or divinely guided. And this is the reason Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) emphasized that this person would be from among his infallible progeny, as all denominations of Islam believe.
For instance a hadith [saying] of the Prophet, mentioned in the Isbaat al-Huda [a book] of the great Shiite scholar Moqaddas Ardabeli says:
"The Mahdi will be from among my descendants, from my family, and will rise at the end of time. Rain will pour from the heavens and green grass will grow out of the earth to welcome him. He will fill the earth with justice and equity just as it will be filled with tyranny and injustice before he comes." To Read More
Putin: I Saw Jesus in Iran’s Leader
Iran’s supreme leader is being elevated to sainthood and leader of the worldwide Islamic movement by the Iranian media. In commentaries that reflect the dictates of the Iranian regime, the media for the first time are publishing statements by world officials and others that deify Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The most significant of such statements comes from Vladimir Putin, the former president and current prime minister of Russia. The media outlet Mahramaneh reports that in October 2007, when Putin traveled to Iran, he specifically requested a meeting with Khamenei and came away dazzled.
During that meeting, according to the report, Khamenei talked about the history of Russia and what lies ahead, which surprised Putin. Afterward, Iranian diplomats said that Putin’s behavior had changed drastically. When Putin returned to Moscow, a reporter asked what he thought of the Iranian supreme leader. Putin is quoted as saying: “I don’t know much about the Messiah, the Christ, just what I have heard or read in the Bible, but I saw Christ, the Messiah, in the leader of Iran.”
Kofi Annan, who served as the seventh secretary general of the United Nations, is also quoted as saying: “I have met … many world leaders whom I came to respect such as Jacques Chirac, the French president, Mikhail Gorbachev, the head of state of the U.S.S.R., and Helmut Kohl, chancellor of Germany, but none of these men touched me the way Ayatollah Khamenei did. In my meeting with him, I forgot about everything else as I was overwhelmed by his spirituality.”
Recently, the Iranian state-controlled TV for the first time publicly announced that Khamenei is really the mythical figure Seyed Khorasani, who, a centuries-old hadith (saying) states, will create the circumstances for the end of the world and the reappearance of the last Islamic messiah, the Shiites’ 12th Imam Mahdi, who will conquer the world under the banner of Islam.
Several high-ranking clerics in Iran have publicly announced that Khamenei is the deputy of the Shiite’s 12th Imam on Earth and that refusal to obey his orders would be to refuse Allah. Some have also stated that Khamenei once a year travels to the sky and meets with the 12th Imam and confers on needed actions. During one such meeting, according to the clerics, he was told to continue on with the Iranian nuclear program despite widespread world objection. More at Pajamas Media
