Prayer Reduces Dementia
Israeli study shows Prayer reduces Dementia–Climate change and Bible Prophecy
Jerusalem
Shalom John,
Praying Daily Can Help Lower the Risk of Dementia
"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength." (Isaiah 40:31)
An Israeli-American study funded by the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., has discovered that praying daily can reduce the chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease and milder forms of dementia by 50%.
Yakir Kaufman, head of neuropsychiatry at the Herzog hospital in Jerusalem announced: "We found that people with higher levels of spiritual well-being had a significantly slower progression of Alzheimer's disease."
Normal brain (left) and brain with Alzheimer’s disease (right): the picture of thebrain with Alzheimer’s shows extreme shrinkage of the Cerebral Cortex, whichplays a role in memory, perception, thought, language and consciousness, andof the Hippocampus, which plays a role in short- and long-term memory andspatial navigation. Although the disease is not well understood, a recent jointAmerican-Israeli study reveals that prayer may slow the disease’s progression.
The study may also reveal that praying can reduce stress, which is believed by some to be an important contributor to Alzheimer's, one type of dementia.
Melabev, an Israeli non-profit day care center that helps Alzheimer's sufferers, gives therapeutic care by providing a full day of activities for patients.
Six hundred of the Melabev's patients have prayer as part of their daily routine.
Susan Sachs, director of public relations and development at Melabev, explained that prayer "gives hope and perspective, and for many people it helps retain their dignity."
Jewish men praying at the Western (Wailing) Wall
Border Attack on Egypt and Israel
"From the Lord comes deliverance. May Your blessing be on Your people." (Psalms 3:8)
Last week, a group of masked gunmen attacked an Egyptian frontier post in north Sinai at the border with Israel, killing 16 Egyptian soldiers and wounding seven others.
The terrorists, who were wearing suicide belts, then stormed the Israeli border at the Kerem Shalom crossing in two vehicles.
One of the vehicles exploded at the frontier, but the second vehicle, which was an armored car, managed to reach two kilometers into Israel as it raced toward the Kerem Shalom Kibbutz before the Israeli Air Force (IAF) stopped it by blowing it up.
The burnt Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) the morning after the attack.
Defense Minister Barak said a large-scale attack on Israeli civilians had been avoided.
Even though Egypt identified the attack as the work of terrorists, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood took advantage of the situation and alleged that Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, had orchestrated the attack in order to sabotage the new Egyptian government under Mohammed Mursi.
Ismail Haniya, the prime minister of Hamas in Gaza, also blamed Israel for the attack.
"Israel is responsible, one way or another, for this attack to embarrass Egypt’s leadership and create new problems at the border in order to ruin efforts to end the [Israeli] siege of the Gaza Strip," he said.
Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for Israel's foreign ministry, responded to the accusations saying: "Even the person who says this when he looks at himself in the mirror does not believe the nonsense he is uttering."
The attack and subsequent accusations come at a time when the Egypt and Israel are re-defining their relationship after the fall of Hosni Mubarak.
Israel's Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu expressed condolences for the death of the Egyptian border guards, and said: "I think it's clear that Israel and Egypt have a common interest in keeping the border quiet. Having said that, it becomes clear time after time that when it comes to the safety of Israeli citizens, Israel must and can rely only on itself."
Some of the weapons that the terrorists carried during their attempt toinfiltrate Israel.
Iranians Prepare for the "Islamic" Messiah
"At that time if anyone says to you, ÔÇÿLook, here is the Messiah!' or, ÔÇÿThere he is!' do not believe it." (Matthew 24:23)
The Iranian supreme leader's representative to the Revolutionary Guards recently announced during a sermon in Tehran that there must be a direct confrontation between America and Iran before the coming of the Islamic Messiah.
Ali Saeedi urged that preparations be made for the re-appearance of Mahdi, the Shiite's 12th imam, who will kill all the infidels and bring Islam upon the whole world.
Saeedi said that a number of events that would herald the imam's arrival: "Occupy Wall Street must take place, the Americans must lose hope with the Democratic Party and others, and lose faith in the U.N., while at the same time the unraveling in the Middle East, which was not ripe before, must have taken place before the coming."
The Quds Force is a special unit of Iran‘s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).This force, which reports directly to the Supreme Leader of Iran, maycomprise the best and most talented people of the IRGC. It is thought tohave directorates in the following locations: Western countries; IraqAfghanistan, Pakistan, and India; Israel, Lebanon, and Jordan; TurkeyNorth Africa; the Arabian peninsula; and Republics of the former USSR.
Saeedi also went on the public record and stated that a special Iranian unit called the Quds Forces is getting ready for increased terrorist activity.
"The Revolutionary Guards are one vehicle for preparation for the coming of the Islamic Messiah, and in the current Islamic Awakening [the Arab Spring] in the region and on international arena, the Quds Forces play a major role in preparing the readiness of the human force needed for such an event," he said.
"The chief commander of the Guards and the supreme leader's representative are tasked for preparing the individual readiness, regional readiness as well as international readiness for the coming."
This same Quds Force has been shipping explosives to South America and Africa and are on high alert for committing acts of terrorism in other nations as well.
Just like hurricanes, tornadoes and thunderstorms, heatwaves are a formof extreme weather. Long periods of abnormally high temperatures canresult in famine, destruction of vegetation, erosion, increased wildfires, the evaporation of bodies of water, power outages, and a decline in thehealth of livestock. The human body also suffer adverse effects from heatsuch as dehydration and heat stroke.
End-Time Prophecy: Report Concludes Extreme Weather is the Result of Climate Change
"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
A new study presented by the director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, James Hansen, and published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, concludes that recent bouts of extreme weather are the definite result of climate change and not caused by natural variability in weather patterns.
"These weather events are not simply an example of what climate change could bring. They are caused by climate change," Hansen said, referring to the 2003 heat wave in Europe, the 2010 heat wave in Russia, the 2011 drought in Texas, and the current extremely hot summer of 2012 in America.
"The odds that natural variability created these extremes are minuscule, vanishingly small. To count on those odds would be like quitting your job and playing the lottery every morning to pay the bills. (Washington Post)"
The Western (Wailing) WallPlaza in Jerusalem
The study looked at weather patterns between 1951-1980, beginning roughly just after Israel in fulfillment of Bible prophecy became a nation in 1948, and compared those patterns to what is seen now.
A "stunning" rise in the frequency of extremely hot summers has been recorded. In the earlier years that the study referred to, extremely hot temperatures covered less than 0.2% of the planet.
Now, extremely hot temperatures cover about 10% of the earth's land area.
Mr. Hansen stressed this was "deeply troubling not only for our future but also for our present."
Natural disasters that seem to be related to climate change have taken atoll around the globe. Last year was marked by catastrophic floods inThailand and Australia, and hurricanes and tornadoes in the USA.
John, although we might be able to attribute climate change to mankind's use of fossil fuels, the Bible predicted end-time weather events that may include wild weather and climate change.
Yeshua (Jesus) certainly seemed to hint at such a situation in Luke 21: 25:
"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea."
There certainly have been enough tsunamis in recent years to fulfill this prophecy.
The Book of Revelation also seems to describe the Last Days as being characterized by intense heat:
"The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him." (Revelation 16:8)
The temperature has become hotter and extreme weather events more frequent, and these in and of themselves seem to be a fulfillment of end-time prophecy.
A researcher wears a biosafety level four hazmat suit for protection whilestudying the Ebola virus.
In terms of plagues, perhaps none are more frightening than the deadly Ebola virus, which first emerged in 1976 in Zaire and Sudan.
This July a new outbreak was reported in Uganda, and although officials now believe that the outbreak is under control, it will take several weeks to know whether it has ended since the incubation period for the disease is 21 days.
Although these end-time signs seem to be upon us, those who know and love the Lord should not fear. He is on the throne, and He is with us.
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)
Since Israel became a nation only 64 years ago, which is in and of itself an end-time prophecy fulfilled (see Ezekiel 37:21; Isaiah 43:6; Isaiah 11:12, etc.), the worldwide climate has been changing.
This certainly seems like the time the world should keep an eye on Jerusalem, as Yeshua will soon return to the city from which He departed.
