Annie's Groundhog Day Page (original) (raw)

"The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, "When evening comes, you say, `It will be fair weather,** **for the sky is red,' and in the morning, `Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away." ~Matthew 16:1-3~

Will the Groundhog see his shadow this year??? Will we have 6 more weeks of WINTER!!!

Groundhog Day: In U.S. popular tradition, the day (February 2) that the groundhog , or woodchuck, comes out of his hole after winter hibernation to look for his shadow; foretells six more weeks of bad weather if he sees it; spring is coming if he cannot see his shadow because of clouds; supposedly goes back into his hole if more bad weather is coming and stays above ground if spring is near; statistical evidence does not support this tradition. ~Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia~

The Lord laid on my heart to share with you what Jesus said about knowing the seasons and the signs of the end times. We need to read the Word of God and make sure we are ready for the return of Jesus.

People today depend on many things. Some read their horoscope faithfully. Others would rather call a psychics network for advice. But we can pray and ask the Lord to direct our steps and paths.

What do you depend on to help you make major decisions in your life? "Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God--or rather are known by God--how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you." ~Galatians 4:8-11~

Can you read the signs of the times and seasons? What did Jesus say about the Signs of the End Times? "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, ' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. ~Matthew 24:4-14~ Read all of Matthew 24

Did you know that Jesus will be coming again? Remember that no one can tell you EXACTLY when Jesus is coming again.

"They therefore, when they were come together, asked him, saying, Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father hath set within His own authority." Acts 1:6,7

"But of that day or that hour knoweth no one, not even the angels in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." Mark 13:32

"Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh" Matthew 24:44

"looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?" 2 Peter 2:12

"looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;" Titus 2:13

Jesus said: "But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats;" Matthew 25: 31 - 32

Jesus said: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also." John 14:3

When Jesus left this earth to go to prepare a place for us, His leaving was not unnoticed or unwitnessed. Read about how he left. Look at what the angels say about the way He will return.

"And when he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they were looking stedfastly into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven." Acts 1: 9,10,11

You should read the whole Chapter of Acts 1

Jesus told us to be ready, to be prepared and to know the seasons.

"Jesus saith unto them, Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." Luke 10:2

Here are some scriptures that talk about the SEASONS:

Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons , and for days, and years: Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. Exodus 18: 22 And let them judge the people at all seasons : and it shall be, [that] every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear [the burden] with thee. Exodus 18:26 And they judged the people at all seasons : the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves. Leviticus 23:4 These [are] the feasts of the LORD, [even] holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons . Psalms 16:7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. Psalms 104:19 He appointed the moon for seasons : the sun knoweth his going down. Jeremiah 33:20 Thus saith Jehovah: If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, so that there shall not be day and night in their season; Daniel 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: Matthew 21:41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out [his] vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Matthew 24:32 Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh; Mark 12:2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruits of the vineyard. Acts 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons , which the Father hath put in his own power. Acts 14:17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons , filling our hearts with food and gladness. Acts 20:18 And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons , 1Thessalonians 5:1 But of the times and the seasons , brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

Now that we have all this modern technology and the satellite pictures we don't really need the Ground Hog. Do we?

Woodchucks are the best-known hibernators among mammals. They are the "groundhogs" which are said to come out of their burrows on February 2 but go back for six more weeks of winter if they see their shadows. Actually, woodchucks go into burrows four or five feet (1.2 to 1.5 meters) underground in September or October. There they stay without moving until March. Ground squirrels, jumping mice, and some bats also hibernate, for four to seven months.

Bears are less perfect hibernators. In the southern United States they remain active all through the year. In the North, black bears hibernate when winter comes, but when the cubs are born, their mothers care for them and nurse them. On warm winter days the male bears often wander about. Red squirrels and skunks, among other animals, do the same, and badgers as far south as Iowa hibernate during only the coldest weather. ~Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia~

Hibernation Differs from Sleep -- Such animals seem to spend much of their time dozing or in sleep. Sleeping is very different from hibernation. Sleeping animals relax, but their way of living does not change. True hibernators, however, almost stop living. Many insects, spiders, and snails are frozen solid; some frogs and northern fish are partly frozen. Woodchucks become cooler and cooler, till their bodies are only a little warmer than the air in their burrows. The animals also breathe very slowly, while the beating of their hearts both slows down and becomes irregular. If the weather becomes dangerously cold they "awaken," move about, and raise the temperatures of their bodies. Any that fail to do this freeze to death.

Squirrel Family: Groundhog (or woodchuck), a burrowing rodent (of the family Sciuridae) Underground burrows with sleeping rooms, food-storage rooms, connecting tunnels, and emergency exits are constructed by groundhogs, prairie dogs, European rabbits, gophers, kangaroo rats, and field mice. ~Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia~

Do you have GOOD LUCK or BAD LUCK? Here is some interesting information about superstitions From The Compton's Encyclopedia:

SUPERSTITION: Fear of Friday the 13th; carrying a rabbit's foot for luck; refusing to walk under a ladder; avoiding cracks in a sidewalk--these are called superstitions. The word superstition is somewhat difficult to define. It can be called an irrational belief or practice. Unfortunately religion can be defined the same way. It has been said that one person's religion is another's superstition.

Followers of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam deride the belief by some African natives that objects in nature possess a conscious life because they are inhabited by spirits. From the late Middle Ages through the 17th century, there was widespread belief in witchcraft in Europe and parts of North America. Today witchcraft is regarded as a superstition except by a very few people. Many who accept no religion denounce all religions as superstitious because they find no evidence to support them.

Elements of magic associated with religion and its beliefs have been regarded as superstitions. Amulets have been used to ward off evil spirits. Similar to the use of amulets is carrying a good-luck charm. The rabbit's foot has been considered a charm for centuries, probably because of the strength of the rabbit's hind legs.

Some superstitions are cultural or personal instead of religious. When a newly married couple enters their home for the first time, it has been traditional for the groom to carry the bride over the threshold. This custom is based on the fear that, if the bride should stumble entering the home, it is a bad omen for the marriage. The custom of tying tin cans to the car of newlyweds probably originated in the notion that noisemakers would frighten away evil spirits. The same may be said of New Year's Eve noisemakers and fireworks.

Fear of the number 13 has long been a superstition. Its roots are religious. At the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples, there were 13 persons, one of whom was Judas, the traitor. Today many tall buildings omit a numbered 13th floor, skipping instead from 12 to 14. Avoidance of black cats has religious origins as well. During the Middle Ages it was believed that witches could turn themselves into black cats. Thus when such a cat was seen, it was considered to be a witch in disguise. Breaking a mirror is supposed to bring seven years of bad luck. Since a mirror reflects the self, distortion of the image was a sign of coming trouble. The Romans allotted seven years for the human body to renew itself after a mirror was broken. Spilling salt has also been thought to bring bad luck. Salt was once a very valuable commodity, and wasting it was a real loss. It was the chief means of preserving and purifying food. Salt has been used to pay workers' wages--the word salary originally meant "salt money." Should a believer of this superstition spill salt on a table, he will take a pinch of it and throw it over his left shoulder--into the face of the devil, who is supposedly poised there. ~Above is quoted from the Compton's Encyclopedia~