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Prophe-Zine Issue 030
PropheZine #30
17 November 1996
Ray Gano .............................. Welcome
Shannon StraffinIn Search of Freedom: A Christian Perspective
Raymond ClarkeGod Became Man: Why?
Barbara Aho. TRUSTY a dog story
Lori Fiechter .They Shall Prosper that Love Thee
PropheZine News Bytes
The House of Harrari .............Sponsor a Harp for the Temple
John Loeffler .........................An Editorial
The White House Press .........Yet Another Executive Order
..............................................Smart Card Update
Sylvia Genders LeReverend ,,, Sylvia's News Notes
Rudy Hulstrom .......................A New World Order?
James K. Campbell ..............Weapons Of Mass Destruction In Terrorism
Lee Underwood....................F.Y.I. - Israel In The News
Jon Roland..........................Rogue Plantet obiting Hale-Bopp?
IRIS ..................................Russia helping syria with nerve gas
ability
The Rutherford Institute.... Federal District Court Judge Takes Aim At
Parent's Rights
****************
Welcome To PropheZine #30
Hello all,
TONS of stuff have been happening here at PZ!!! I have added to my staff
again. I have a new Technical Director named Bob Lally. He is the one doing
ALL the cool stuff on the PropheZine WWW site. He has added a search
engine, a Subscribe and Unsubscribe, a Guest book for you to sign, and a
really cool ad-on a Message board to discuss topics in regards to Bible
Prophecy. This Board is monitored and means no flaming, non-Christian
harassment, and such. So check out the Cool stuff that are happening at the
PZ site.
I have also add two other gentlemen Ed Stoghill and Jim Decker. If you have
seen some of the 3-D art on the site a few months back, that was from Ed.
Well Ed is going to be heading up the Ministries and follow-up department.
If you are interested in having a Modem Ministry and interested in
Discipleship, Then contact Ed.. estodgh@rmi.net. Now the other gentleman
who has been added is Jim Decker. He is going to be working on the "look
and Feel" of the Search Engine. Right now if you do a search, the articles
come up and all, but we are missing graphics and different colored
backgrounds, et. Well Jim is "norming" all the pages.
Now, BIG things are soon to come to the PZ WWW site also. One of them is
the Prophecy Alliance. There are many ministries out there that do not have
a WWW site or a very small one. What the Prophecy Alliance will do is turn
PZ into the "One Stop Shop" for Bible Prophecy. PZ is going to be giving
space to all the Prophecy ministries that agree to the Prophecy Alliance
Charter and Statement of Faith / Doctrine. We are still hacking this out
right now, but so far we have had JR Church, Terry Cook, Berit Kjos and
Norm Franz. I foresee the site really growing into THE prophecy web site.
If you know of any ministries that would be interested in joining, please
contact me. Prophecy Alliance is total free to those wishing to join us.
Again, write for details regarding the Prophecy Alliance.
OK....enough on the WWW site lets get down to business. This issue is a
special issue to me. All the main articles are from PZ readers like
yourself. This is the main reason I put PZ together, and that is to give a
forum to other writers and would be writers a place to be seen and
published. The lead article is VERY special to me because it was written by
a very dear and good friend of mine, Shannon Straffin. Shannon is a member
of my church where I attend. Shannon wrote this article for school and I
have heard allot about it. I asked Shannon if I can review it. I loved the
article and it spoke to my heart with great conviction. If you like her
article, please do me the favor and write her and tell here how much you
liked it. in fact whenever you see an article appear in PZ and it speaks to
your heart, please write and encourage the author. So many times we forget
to give encouragement to these people who enrich our lives greatly with
their writings. Now along that same path...I need more articles. So like
Shannon, Ray, Barbara and Lori, you to can put pen to paper ...or in this
case fingers to keyboard, and write me an article and I will use it for PZ.
I have 4 guidelines that are very simple to follow...just write to me and I
will zapp them to you.
Well, that is really all for right now. PLEASE stop by the WWW site and
check it out...sign the guest book, get involved in the group
disscussions..TELL YOUR FRIENDS,FAMILY, CHURCH MEMBERS, NEIGHBORS,
ETC...ETC..etc, about PropheZine and the PropheZine WWW site. This issue I
went over 1000 subscribers, I want to go over 2000 by years end and only
you can help me with that goal...so you tell someone and they tell someone
and so on...and so on....and so on.
ALSO...Make sure you read the news bytes this issue...quiet a few of NEWS
BREAKING Items that I think PZ got the scoop on. So check it out!
So till we meet on this earth (Maybe at Ray Brubacker Prophecy Conference
in FL) or in the air with our Lord....
Always in His service,
Ray Gano
Sr. Editor
PropheZine
****************
In Search of Freedom: A Christian Perspective
By: Shannon Straffin
straffin@best.com (shannon Straffin)
October 1996
Observations on Freedom in the "Real World"
"Freedom in the medieval sense, when there was no abstract freedom but
only countable Freedoms, each bestowed all subject to forfeiture" -Martin
Joos
When I was little, I would often question my mother's instructions,
especially when they interfered with my plans. Directions to take a bath,
go to bed, or eat my vegetables were frequently met with a protest of "But
mom, do I have to?". Occasionally, I actually got my way, at least for a
little bit. More often than not, I got a stern look in response that
brooked no opposition. Other times, mom would tell me, "The only thing you
actually have to do is live until you die. You're free to do whatever else
you want as long as you can stand the consequences." I soon discovered
when I heard that line that it was better for me to freely decide to do as
she said because I was NOT going to like the consequences of disobedience!
We are all familiar with having limits placed on our decisions, and not
just from our childhood. In many cases, we voluntarily comply with
behavioral restrictions dictated by our culture or our laws. Yet, here in
America, we say we live in a free country. What does it mean to be free?
Is there such a thing as freedom in an absolute, abstract sense? If so,
how is this abstraction implemented in a society composed of interdependent
people?
There are many different ways of looking at the concept of freedom.
Freedom from oppression. Freedom to choose. Personal, civic and corporate
freedom. The dictionary offers two basic definitions: 1) Freedom is the
absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action. i.e.,
"No one is telling me what to do. I can do what I feel like." 2) Freedom
is also the power or condition of acting without compulsion. i.e., "I am
calling the shots. I can do what I feel like."
In both cases, the word freedom implies a release from restriction, an
opportunity to act without hindrance. The second definition, however, is
closer to the definition of liberty, "the positive enjoyment of various
social, political, or economic rights and privileges." Webster's
Collegiate Dictionary (1979) offers a short description on the difference
between freedom and liberty:
Freedom may imply total or moderate absence of restraint or merely an
unawareness of being unduly hampered or frustrated. Liberty may carry more
clearly an implication of the power to choose or one of deliverance from
constraint or compulsion.
These definitions have focused on the environment surrounding a decision:
absence of restraint or compulsion. What is missing is a description of
the result of this decision. If I am free to put my hand on a hot stove,
then I am also free to get burned for my efforts. Cause and effect; action
and consequence. The definition of freedom says that if my choice is free,
I don't have to choose something with negative consequences like putting my
hand on a hot stove. However, it offers no guarantees about the results of
my decision. Having freedom does not mean that I have the ability to
choose something with negative consequences and then somehow manage to
avoid those consequences. It simply means I have the ability to choose.
Outside the dictionary, in the "real world," personal freedom is equated
with independence. If the marketing mavens are to be believed, freedom is
a near-nirvana state of being achieved by having various products and
services which grant you more control over your own life. And what exactly
are we to do with all of this freedom? What ever we want! The sky's the
limit!
Taken to it's extreme, this view of freedom as individual independence is
self-will run amuck. Some say that chaos would result if everyone at once
fully exercised their freedom. Others argue that a new, self-imposed type
of order would emerge as the society regulates itself. I fail to see how
either of these outcomes results in true freedom in an absolute sense. If
chaos reigned, there would certainly be precious little freedom to enjoy
peace of mind or personal security. If a new order emerged, we would
merely return to our current situation, only with new packaging as
different freedoms are added or removed.
I think a lot of what we see in our culture today is the concept that we
should have absolute liberty, rather than absolute freedom. The difference
is more than a split hair over word choice. The concept of control is
central to the way our society seems to view freedom. There is a growing
trend in this country that very much disturbs me. People insist on having
the right to do or say anything they please. As long as it doesn't break
the law. Or at least as long as it doesn't break a law that they agree
with. Or as long as there aren't extenuating circumstances surrounding the
breaking of a law that they normally agree with. (And there are always
extenuating circumstances, it seems. This is moral relativism, but I am
getting ahead of myself!) Anyway, people insist on having the ability to
do what they want, but at the same time they deny any and all
responsibility for the negative consequences of their actions. Not only do
people seem to feel that they themselves ought to have this liberty of
liberties, freedom from consequence, but they also seem to think everyone
else is entitled to it, too. (Unless, of course, it interferes with their
own ability to exercise this freedom)
The most ironic example I can think of which demonstrates this thinking
involves the case of the Menendez brothers, who brutally murdered their
parents. I remember seeing an interview with a woman (a member of the
jury?) who felt sorry for "those poor boys" because now they would spend
the rest of their lives without their mother and father. I can't help but
wonder how different her reaction might have been if the deceased parents
had been close friends of hers.
I believe this trend of rampant victimization, where no one is to blame
for the bad things that happen to them, is an outgrowth of our society's
views on freedom. In our reach for personal freedom, which we define as
independence, we focus on self-fulfillment. The problem is our pursuit of
this goal will eventually interfere with someone else's pursuit of the same
goal. Usually some compromise will be possible that will allow both sides
to have at least most of what they want. In this conflict, which is more
important: the right of the individual to freely pursue getting exactly
what they want, or the collective good that may force one or both parties
to relinquish something? This is necessarily a very value-laden question
since freedom, goal achievement, and harmonious living are all things upon
which people place value. The answer lies in redefining the concept of
freedom.
What Christians Believe About Freedom
"You will know the truth and the truth will set you free"-Jn 8:32, NIV
To the Christian, true freedom lies only in complete submission of our
will to Jesus Christ. The apparent paradox in this statement lies in our
desire to direct our own lives for good and our human inability to do so.
We are released from the bonds of sin and death through a saving
relationship with Christ. Only through Christ can we see the truth of our
actions, and only through Him can we receive forgiveness from their eternal
consequences. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit do we receive the
strength needed to walk a path away from what hurts us to one that is truly
beneficial for us. Freedom in an abstract sense that releases us from all
restraint has no meaning for the Christian.
It is part of the human condition that we will serve someone: we will
either serve ourselves or serve God. The human heart can be a harsh
master. Feed it a little, and soon it craves more. Our society abounds
with examples of how this is true. Consider the change in what we perceive
as entertaining. Movies today are increasingly violent and sexually
explicit. Producers seek new ways to thrill audiences already numbed by
previous exposure. It takes more extreme measures to evoke the same
response, and the hippest artists are always those who are "on the edge" of
pushing the limits. Films created a generation ago are seen as boring and
impossibly slow paced. We've seen it all before: been there, done that,
moved on.
Serving the self is a never ending process, and one that does not always
lead us to choose the things that are truly best for us. For example,
viewing sexually explicit material is closely linked to violence against
women. It would make sense, therefore, for a society not to produce or
view such material. But this restraint does not please the self. Only by
removing the focus from serving ourselves, by relinquishing the pursuit of
our own independent brand of freedom, can we break the spiraling feedback
loop of self-gratification. Serving God instead of ourselves leads us to
make decisions that ultimately lead to true happiness and freedom.
Therefore, the only true freedom lies in being a servant to God.
As you can see, the Christian perspective on freedom is very different
from the perspective apparently in use in our society. True freedom lies
not in removing all boundaries, an impossible task, but rather in
discovering where those boundaries are. I think we understand this concept
much better as children. Children want clear boundaries. They push their
parents to define those boundaries for them, and then through the family
relationship, test the boundaries to see how strong they are. In the
example from my own childhood at the beginning of this paper, we have
already seen that freedom is a relational concept. In the Bible, freedom
is also depicted as a spiritual concept as well. This is primarily because
the most important relationship in which we can experience freedom is the
one we have with God.
In order for there to be any meaningful conversation about human freedom,
we need to understand the role of human free will. God created mankind in
His image for the purpose of being in relationship with Him. In order to
fulfill this purpose, God gave us free will, the ability to choose. This
free will is essential to the relationship with God: the incredible
potential for greatness (and for failure) is not possible without it. What
is the sense in having a relationship with an automaton who has no ability
to do other than what you say? Yet parents know the joy of seeing their
children choose to obediently follow the guidance which the parents have
given for the benefit of the child. How much more so is this same concept
true of our Heavenly Father! It is therefore part of God's plan that we
have been created with the ability to choose whether or not we want to even
acknowledge, much less fulfill, the purpose for which we were created.
The free will we were given has its limits. It does not come with the
ability to change the laws of the universe, the power to break the cycle of
action and reaction, or the knowledge of the future. Furthermore, as human
beings, we live under certain boundary conditions which we can't deny or
change. We can't escape our need for oxygen, food and water. We are
social creatures, and have therefore have social needs as well, such as
companionship and love. We were created with a need to be in relationship
not only with other people, but with God as well. Within the boundaries in
which we were created, we seek to exercise our free will to meet our needs
and the desires of our hearts. All too often, however, the freedom we seek
ends up turning into another form of slavery.
"Everyone who sins is a slave to sin" -Jn 8:34, NIV
Sin, simply put, is disobedience to God and His divine standard. It is
both the cause and the effect of what happens when we place our desires for
our lives above the desires God has for us. This disobedience puts us at
odds with God, the same way a disobedient child is at odds with his
parents. God established the divine standard for how we relate to each
other and to Him for our own protection. Yet time and again, we go our own
way, thinking that we know better than the One who created us. By doing
so, we invite needless pain into our lives by choosing to act in ways which
bring negative consequences upon us or others. Even worse than that, we
have now put ourselves in a predicament. Not only are we living apart from
the relationship with God which we were created to enjoy, but we have also
firmly entrenched ourselves in the bonds of self-service.
I have heard it said that we have all been born with a God-shaped hole in
our hearts. One effect of sin is to drive a wedge between us and God.
This separation prevents us from satisfying our need for a relationship
with God. It then causes us to try to find substitutions for what is
missing in our lives. Like trying to fit the proverbial square peg in the
God-shaped hole, we spend our energies seeking something that will satisfy
us-money, possessions, fame, sex, power-you name it. Because we are so
focused on ourselves, we deviate from the divine standard of God's will for
our lives. Once we deviate from the divine standard, we enter the realm of
moral relativism. Truth becomes a vague concept instead of a real Person.
Determining right from wrong becomes more a matter of deciding what is
pleasing to us rather than describing the facts. This leads us into all
sorts of twisted reasoning and poor decisions, and ultimately winds up in
pain and confusion. The Menendez case mentioned earlier is a dramatic
example of this.
Sin and the ensuing moral relativism it leads us to would not be so
problematic if we lived only for our short life spans on this earth, but
that is not the case. God has created us as eternal beings. Our earthly
choices shape the eternal destiny of our souls: whether we will spend
eternity with God or utterly apart from Him. The reason for this can be
represented by two lines that are almost, but not quite parallel to each
other. If these lines were not very long, they would not be very far apart
at their end points. Now imagine that these same lines are infinitely
long. The further one travels down the lines, the further apart they
become. At some point it becomes obvious that these lines are pointing in
very different directions. One line represents God, the other line
represents humanity. God will not violate His own rules; that which is not
God can't spend eternity with God. There is a separation between man and
God that must be overcome, caused by mankind's self-serving, sinful nature.
From the early days recorded in the Old Testament, there has always been a
consequence for sin and wrong doing. That consequence is eternal
separation from God Himself, the source of all goodness in creation.
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed"--Jn 8:36, NIV
In His great love, God provided a way to overcome this separation by
sending Jesus to pay for the consequences of our sinfulness once and for
all. Trapped by our slavery to sin, there is no way that we could ever
achieve the perfection of character God desires in us on our own because of
our sin. Therefore, God mercifully made a way for us to be reunited with
him. This way requires us to regain our relationship with God by being
obedient to his commandments.
It is for this reason that Christians do not view true freedom as total
independence from a master. Freedom is found only in taking a new master,
Christ. Only through Him do we have the ability to actually avoid the
eternal negative consequence, separation from God, which we have earned
through our sinful actions. The benefits of service to Christ are
available even during this lifetime. Through Christ's power, we now have
the ability to break the hold of sin on our lives. The focus can finally
be transformed from a need to satisfy the self into a desire to please God.
"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his
life for me will find it" --Matt 16:25
There are certain things that God commands for our lives. These things
are recorded in scripture. There are other areas, however, where He is
silent. For example, God says nothing about what career we should choose;
only that we should do honest work for our food. Likewise, scripture gives
no exact formula for how we should invest our money, how many children we
should have, how old we should be when we get married, etc. We are given
freedom in these decisions as long as our actions are in keeping with the
instructions that have been spelled out for us. In this way, God allows
room in His will for our individual personalities and talents. He is not
interested in turning us all into carbon copies of each other. Rather, He
wants us to find the freedom to become who He meant for us to be when He
created us. We can only achieve this potential when we are freed from sin
and the need to serve ourselves. The Christian finds freedom, not in
unlimited expression of an independent will, but in submission of his will
freely and joyfully to God, in thanksgiving for the goodness God has shown.
"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to
indulge the sinful nature;
rather, serve one another in love." -Gal 5:13, NIV
Another problem with the common definition of freedom as individual
independence is the fact that we live in an interdependent society. Our
lives constantly impact each other to some degree. We increasingly see
examples of our interconnectedness, and not just in heavily populated
cities. The farmer who uses banned pesticides on his crops causes the acid
rain that kills the fish in a lake a hundred miles away. Outside of the
Christian framework of freedom, how can every individual exercise their
freedom as independence and still live in harmony with other people?
It is not a strictly Christian perspective that a focus on self-service is
not the best way to go, either for the individual or for the society. In
"Choice: Evolution or Extinction," Lazlo says that we must act morally by
"living in a way that allows other people to live as well." This
definition is one model for living interdependently, but what does it mean?
Lazlo describes a system of voluntary changes in lives around the world
that reflect a denial of something an individual desires. While I do agree
that not everyone is running around purposely spending their lives in
flagrant dissipation to consume as much as possible, I don't agree that
humanity will suddenly become enlightened and voluntarily become less
consumptive simply because it is "the right thing to do." Somehow, I just
don't see it happening without some external influence. And where is that
influence going to come from, if not from God?
Our popular view of freedom as an ideal is distorted. True freedom is
found in responsible behavior that avoids needlessly bringing negative
consequences upon ourselves or others, not in recklessness that provides
some measure of immediate pleasure. We need to temper our desire for
instant gratification with wisdom, knowing that the false promise of
freedom that is license to do whatever we please is an invitation to
disaster.1 Lazlo and other systems thinkers recognize the truth in this;
again, it is not a strictly Christian sentiment.
So why does the Christian insist on bringing God into the equation? Why
canít we just live in harmony with other people, mindfully aware of the
interconnectedness of human life, without all the religious overtones? I
donít think thatís enough motivation by itself. If it were, wouldnít we
all be doing that already to take care of our loved ones? The problem
again comes back to the human condition and the disease of sin. Not only
does sin disrupt the relationship between man and God, but also between man
and man. (And man and woman, too!) As we have already discussed, the
power to overcome sin is only available through the Holy Spirit, and the
Holy Spirit is only available through a relationship with Christ. As we
obey the scriptures, we learn not only how to regain a right relationship
with God, but also find guidance for healthy relationships with other
people. In this promise lies our only hope for true freedom.
Final Thoughts
"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just
might find you get what you need" -The Rolling Stones
"But godliness with contentment is great gain." -1 Ti 6:6, NIV
Footnotes
1 Richards, L. O. (1991). Zondervan Expository Dictionary of Bible Words.
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Press.
******************
God Became Man: Why?
by
Raymond Clarke
jodyc@python.viper.net
Scripture teaches us that God became man. Did you ever wonder why? Why
was it necessary that Jesus Christ come into this earth through the virgin
birth. Why could God not have just sent Jesus into the earth as a part of
the Godhead, destroy Satan and restore mankind? We have all heard that
Jesus came into this world to die for our sins. Why was that necessary?
Why could our sins not just be forgiven without anyone having to die for
them? If God is all powerful and all loving why are there so many evil
things going on in the world today? Why can we not do enough good works to
earn our salvation. Why does scripture teach that Jesus in the only way
to God? Why can't we Christians be a little more tolerant and accept
other religions? Why are our works considered unacceptable in the eyes of
God? Is there really an eternal hell and how could such a great,
wonderful God
condemn anyone to eternal damnation?
These are the type questions with which I will deal as I expand upon these
thoughts. I have heard questions of this nature raised by born again
Christians many times and it is the type questions that troubled me as a
youngster which I never really understood. I recall many times pastors
telling us that this or that was so because the Bible said that it was so.
But if you did not believe in the Bible how could you accept that
reality?. At times I had difficulty accepting or understanding the
authority of God's word. I was always searching for the why but seldom
heard it. This is, perhaps, one of the reasons I deal with the why, not
just the fact that it is so. One of the ways we can authenticate God's
Word is through Bible prophecy, a most powerful tool given to us by
Almighty God and many of these prophecies will be interwoven throughout
this study as we consider the" WHY "of God's Word.
In order to gain an understanding of questions of this type let us move
back across the pages of time and find out about how sin started and how
mankind found himself literally in Satan's kingdom with seemingly no way
out.
THE ORIGIN OF SATAN
As we look back into eternity past, we learn what God's Word tells us
about the origin of Satan, how that momentous event came about and how it
is still affecting mankind today. The information regarding Satan's rise
to prominence is sketchy but not completely lacking in God's Word. We
know through the scripture that Satan, formerly Lucifer, was the leading
Arc Angel. He was the anointed one, the most high angel until iniquity
was found in him. This proved to be a sad day for God's kingdom and for
mankind.
"... Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols;
the worm is spread under thee and the worms cover thee. How art thou
fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down
to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in
thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt mythrone above the
stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the
sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will
be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the
sides of the pit, They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee and
consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble,
that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, destroyed
the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?..."
(Isaiah 14: 11 -16) Here we learn of Lucifer's rebellion against God. This
is actually the beginning of the "Newage" we hear so much about today.
Lucifer said, "I will be like the most High." It is not really very new
is it? As a result, Lucifer, God's most high angel, was stripped of his
title and glory and became Satan. There is yet another scripture which
gives further information about Lucifer's fall found in Ezekiel 8: 11 -
15.
"...Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying , Son of man, take
up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith
the Lord God: Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect
beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone
was thy covering , the Sardius, the sapphire, the beryl, the onyx, and
the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the
workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the
day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth
thee; and I have set thee so: Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God;
thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou was
perfect in thy ways from the day thou wast created, till iniquity was
found in thee. (Ezekiel 8: 1-15 KJV)
God's most high angel was found in rebellion against Him and was brought
down and it would be only a short time before he brought mankind down with
him. We learn several things from these two scriptures regarding the
origin of Satan. First, the angelic host was created as free moral
agents. How else could Lucifer have chosen to rebel against God. In
Revelation we find where approximately one-third of the angelic host
followed Lucifer into open rebellion and were likewise brought down. While
we sometimes struggle to know the exact sequence of events throughout God's
word it is helpful to know all that we can. It is believed that God
created the angelic host prior to the creation of the universe. We see
this evidenced in the book of Job as God speaks to Job out of the
whirlwind. In this scripture we find Job complaining and questioning God.
God allows him to speak before He decided that Job has said enough
whereupon God speaks:
"...Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up
now thylions like a man; for I will demand of thee, Where wast thou when I
laid the foundations of the earth? Declare if thou hast understanding.
Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who stretched the
line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid
the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all of
he sons of God shouted for joy?..." (Job 38: 2-7 KJV)
From this scripture we see that God created the angelic host before He
created the universe, for we read in verse seven that " ... all the Morning
Stars sang for joy..." when the universe was created. This tells us two
things about the creation of the angelic host. Lucifer, God's most high
angel had apparently not yet rebelled against God for we are told that
"...all the Morning Stars (the angels) sang for joy..." It also tells us
that the angelic host was created before the creation of the universe.
However, sometime following this event described in Job 38 Lucifer became
proud and iniquity was found in him as he rebelled against God and carried
one-third of the angelic host with him. "...And there appeared another
wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten
horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part
of the stars of heaven, and didst cast them to the earth..." War broke
out in the heavenlies and according to some Bible scholars (though I cannot
fully verify this with scripture) possibly spilled over into the earth
prior to man's creation thereby destroying God's perfect creation, leaving
the earth in the chaotic condition described in Genesis one verse two.
According to this theory, the creation, spoken of in Genesis 1 :2, may have
been the recreation of a destroyed earth on which God placed man. It was
believed that Lucifer may have, in fact, ruled over the angelic host on the
planet earth in pre-historic times. This is an interesting thought but, in
my opinion, cannot be verified with scripture. Regardless, when God chose
to create man he provided an earthly home for man and placed mankind in
authority in the earth. Man is the only being to whom God gave authority
in the earth and this is a most important point as you will see. Why did
God create man? Once again scripture is limited as it relates to the
reasons why man was created, but we are told that God desired fellowship
with man. It is also likely that God needed man to carry out his overall
plan in the universe. When Satan rebelled against God and lost his
original standing with God, it is possible that Satan challenged God's
perfection. God being a "God of Absolute Perfection" and righteousness
desired to show Satan and the fallen angelic host that, not only was he
justified in the action He took, but that, in fact, there was no
alternative left to Him. Suffice it to say that God did, in fact, create
man and placed him upon the earth and gave Satan the opportunity
tochallenge His absolute perfection through mankind. God being a God of
"Absolute Perfection" did not want any doubt in Satan's mind or the mind
of the angelic host that He was completely justified in the action He took
against Satan and his now demonic host. Through his crowning creation
(mankind) God would prove His "Absolute Perfection" / righteousness once
and for all to Satan and his host.Let us now move forward from eternity
past to the beginning of time when Adam and Eve were created and placed in
the Garden of Eden. Through His spoken word and his absolute faith, God
created mankind, placed him on this earth and gave him dominion over the
things in the earth. God is going to rigidly respect that authority even
to the point that He allows man to hand that authority over to Satan.
THE NATURE OF GOD
Remember, that God is a God of "Absolute Perfection" but He is also a God
of "Absolute Justice" and that may not always be good news. Through faith
and the words of His mouth, God created this universe and everything in it.
He is the personification of "Perfection". We also know that, in addition
to all else, God is Omnipresent (present everywhere at all times), He is
Omniscient (All knowing) and Omnipotent ( All powerful). Being a God of
"Absolute Perfection" and "Absolute Justice", He expects and even demands
absolute perfection from mankind. We sometimes lose sight of this as we
consider God's mercy, never-the-less He demands perfection. If you think
God is going to ignore or wink at sin make no mistake- He will not.
Without perfection no man will ever see God! Every sin ever committed or
ever to be committed will be paid for by shed blood or death. There is no
other way to describe God's nature except "Absolute Perfection" and in this
perfection He cannot and will not violate His previously established word
no matter what the cost. Should He ever violate His established word Satan
would winthe universe and take God's throne. Often we wonder why God allows
so much evil continue in the world today. We must remember that no matter
what, God cannot violate His established word, therefore, He must allow
certain things to happen even though He may not approve. We must remember
that when Adam and Eve bowed the knee to Satan in the Garden of Eden,
Satan became the "god of this world" and this worldly system which has
evolved over the centuries is a part of Satan's kingdom, not Gods.
Since God gave mankind authority in the earth, it is required of man to
take authority over the evil and if man fails to do so then it will
continue until God brings it all to an end and Jesus Christ returns in His
glorious Second Coming. God is so committed to honoring His established
word that if and when man fails to exercise his authority over Satan, God
is bound to allow Satan to have his way within established limits,
therefore, do not blame God for the evil going on in the world today rather
blame the ones to whom God gave authority in the earth "born-again-man".
God Establishes His Law Of Perfection.
In the very beginning God firmly and absolutely established His "Law of
Absolute Perfection" and His unchangeable word. That law, established by
His Word, will stand forever and no man who has ever lived or who will ever
live will be allowed to break that law without very serious consequences -
death. This law was firmly established in the Garden of Eden following the
creation of Adam and Eve. You will recall that He placed Adam and Eve in
the Garden of Eden and gave to them only one command. God plainly told
them that the penalty for violating that law was certain death. There was
no misunderstanding of what God had commanded of them. He told Adam that
they could not eat the fruit from the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil"
without bringing upon themselves certain death.
"...And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to
dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of
every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: For in the day that
thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die..." (Genesis 2:15-17 KJV)
Since God speaks no idle words, the statement found in Genesis 2:15 firmly
establishes a spiritual law which no man will be permitted to break.
Initially this constituted the entire "law of perfection" but later the Old
Covenant, including the Mosaic Law was incorporated into and constituted
God's "law of perfection".
Not only was God a God of absolute perfection or righteousness but He was a
God which demanded absolute justice. This means that if His law is
violated in any way then justice is demanded and justice was satisfied by
death, therefore when Adam and Eve violated His law the only justice was
death. In His infinite grace God instituted animal sacrifice to
temporarily atone for sin but this required the shedding of blood which
likewise required death. This temporary justice would suffice until God
could fulfill his promise of the Messiah who was to become that "Lamb of
God" who would be sacrificed for the sins of mankind and permanently atone
for man's sin. You will recall that any animal sacrifice had to be a
"spotless lamb" likewise the "Lamb of God" had to be a man who was spotless
or without sin. You will recall that John the Baptist referred to Jesus as
the "...Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world...". Jesus
would become the "Spotless Lamb" who would be sacrificed on behalf of
mankind. He had to be all man, for had he fulfilled his mission as a part
of the Godhead, it would have been illegal because it was required of man
to fulfill the law. He had to live a life of absolute perfection because
even one "small sin" would have disqualified him as the "Spotless Lamb".
This is why Jesus had to come into the earth through the birth process so
that He might qualify as a man. Had Jesus ever given in to even one
temptation, mankind would have been forever damned as a result of God's
demand for absolute justice. God is unable to compromise and must forever
remain true to His established word regardless to the cost. The cost of
violating His word would be far greater than His demand for absolute
perfection.
Man Must Fulfill God's Law
God has established an absolute law and has required of mankind that His
law be completely and perfectly fulfilled. It is very important that we
zero in on the fact that God has required that man, not the "Godhead",
fulfill the law. When Eve was tempted by Satan and did eat from the "Tree
of Knowledge of Good and Evil" and caused Adam to eat thereof, she invoked
the penalty of death upon herself, upon Adam, and upon all descendants of
Adam - that includes you and me.
"...Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the
LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye
shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees
of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God
hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: How can
fallen man ever fulfill God's law of "Absolute Perfection"?
Spiritually, Adam and Eve died immediately. The Shekinah Glory that had
clothed them disappeared and they realized that they were naked. Physical
death set in and ultimately claimed the lives of all mankind. Man was
created to live eternally. Had he fulfilled God's law, man would have
lived forever and death would never have come upon the human race.
All of mankind now stood condemned under God's "Law of Perfection" and
justice demanded death. Through the transgression of Adam and Eve,
mankind, in essence, bowed the knee to Satan. He became the "god of this
world " as he laid claim to the Title Deed of the earth. Mankind became
the legal subject of Satan's Kingdom. God had given mankind dominion over
the earth, but man betrayed God's trust, bowed the knee to Satan and handed
that dominion over to Satan. God, in His absolute perfection, was legally
bound to honor His word and recognize Satan's claim. It is very important
to keep in mind that the kingdom which developed upon this earth belonged
to Satan, for Satan was now legally the "god of this world." Man had
failed to fulfill God's law as was required of him, hence he could not be
redeemed until that law was fulfilled completely! What is man to do?
Second Corinthians tells us that Satan is indeed the "god of this world."2
Cor 4:4; In whom the god of this world hath blinded, the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is
the image of God, should shine unto them. (KJV)
If God is an absolute God, and His Word is absolute, what choice did He
have but allow death to come upon mankind, for His word had already been
established? He had no choice. Had He not fulfilled his command, He would
have violated His own Word and Satan would have defeated Him. Satan could
have rightly challenged God's perfection and God would have been in the
same situation in which mankind found himself.In His perfection it
sometimes appears that God is a harsh God. Why could He not just forgive
and forget that which Adam and Eve had done? Just keep in mind that God's
word is equivalent to spiritual law. It is eternal and it will stand no
matter what the consequences might be. If God ever violates His word He,
in effect, lies. Since God had decreed that Satan is the father of lies,
He would have subjected Himself to Satan's rule.Consider somehing as simple
as our sysem ofjustice. It works fine as long as everyone involved is
completely honest and fully informed. If that breaks down, then it is very
likely that our system of justice would become a travesty. While God's
perfection may at times seem harsh, consider the alternative. If we were
not able to depend entirely, completely and absolutely on God's word, there
would be no such thing as truth. There would be no absolutes! Nothing
could be depended upon completely.
We find man and God in a "catch 22" situation and it appears that there is
no way out. God has demanded "absolute perfection" from mankind and
mankind has already "violated God's trust. Man must fulfill God's law of
perfection. Since every descendent of Adam is under the curse, then it
appears that no man will ever be able to fulfillGod's law perfectly. But
God is locked in by His word and cannot violate it even once. Satan thinks
that he has won. If God is going to save mankind, then He must never
violate His word. Satan knows that if and when God ever violates His word,
he will win the universe and even God's throne. But God was way ahead of
Satan and soon after the fall of man He set in motion a plan whereby
mankind could be redeemed legally, a plan upon which Satan did not count,
found in Genesis 3: 15. This is the first prophecy given regarding the
coming of the Messiah.
"Genesis 3: 15 - And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt
bruise his heel." (KJV)
God promised in Genesis 3:15 that a redeemer, the seed of woman, would come
and that redeemer would bruise the head of Satan. Notice, God said that
the "seed of woman" would bruise his head not the "seed of man". This is
very important. "Satan Didn't Count On" Remember God promised Satan that
the seed of woman would bruise his head in Genesis 3:15? This was God's
first promise of a redeemer, but that redeemer had to legally qualify as a
man but had to come from the seed of woman. Every descendent born of Adam
was under the curse and could not qualify. What Satan didn't count on was
the Virgin Birth! What is the significance of the virgin birth? There
are those who do not believe that the virgin birth was possible. By
nature it is an impossibility, but with God anything is possible.
God could not just forgive Adam and Eve of their sin because such a move
would have been illegal and Satan had to be defeated on absolutely legal
grounds. The only way that this could be accomplished was for man to
fulfill God's "Law of Perfection"- thus the virgin birth became a
necessity. The seed of woman mentioned in chapter two was the key to the
redemption of mankind. The Son of God had to enter the earth via way of
the birth process in order to qualify as a man He was the only being who
could qualify, but even He could not qualify as a member of the Triune
Godhead, He had to enter the earth through the birth process in order to
qualify as a man. He had to become incarnate man and the virgin birth was
the only way that this could be accomplished. Had he been born into this
earth as the seed of man, he would have been under the Adamic curse and
could not have qualified, therefore, it was no accident that God had
decreed that the "seed of woman" would bruise the head of Satan or destroy
Satan.We know through science that the blood of the mother does not enter
the body of the unborn child. The unborn child produces its own blood,
following conception, therefore, if a virgin birth were possible then the
seed of Adam could be bypassed and an individual could be born into the
earth who was not under the curse. It is for this reason that God had to
send His son into the earth via way of the virgin birth. However, before
this could happen, God had to send forth His word until such time that He
could bring His Son into the earth in order to fulfill His prophecy in
Genesis 3:15.God, therefore, raised up a righteous line from Adam and Eve
and supernaturally protected this righteous line and from the destructive
forces of Satan. Through the scripture, this line can be traced from Adam
and Eve to Abraham, God's covenant partner. Abraham was chosen as the one
with whom God would cut a blood covenant and begin the long process of
feeding His word into this earth through Abraham and his descendants until
such time that He could bring His son into this earth as a man - the man
who would indeed fulfill God's "Law of Perfection" and qualify as the only
one who could take from Satan all authority that God had originally given
to mankind in the person of Adam. Jesus became that perfect man, and as a
man, fulfilled God's "Law of Perfection" which was required of man. Once
He had accomplished that he qualified to become that spotless lamb who was
sacrificed for all of mankind. He went to the cross where he died for the
sins of the world. God placed all of man's sin past, present and future
sins upon Him. He was made sin. He never sinnedbut was made sin for
mankind and literally went into the very pit of hell and paid the price
which you and I deserved to pay. After three days and three nights God
raised Him up victoriously whereupon he defeated Satan, took from him the
keys to death, hell and the grave and he led the captives free. The
captives referred to here were the men of God who had died and gone into
paradise to await for the shedding of Jesus' blood for even they could not
enter heaven until Jesus shed his blood. Once that took place His blood
reached back across the pages of time and cleansed their sins and then and
only then were they allowed to enter heaven. Jesus' blood covers our sins
today and all sins we shall commit in the future. Upon death today born
again man does not go into paradise but goes directly to heaven to be with
Jesus Christ forever. Unlike the saints of old for they could not enter
heaven until Jesus' blood was shed for them. Prior to that time their sins
were temporarily atoned for by animal sacrifice. Upon death, unborn again
men go directly into the bowels of the earth where they are incarcerated in
what some call hell to await the Great White Throne Judgment where they
will be cast into the final and eternal hell, God forbid! Man does not have
to go there but so many will simply not listen or hear the truth.How did
God accomplish all of this for man? How did he get His son into the earth
to reverse that which Adam had caused? That is the story of the Old
Testament condensed herein to give you an overview of what took place.
Since man had given his control over to Satan, God had to set in motion a
plan whereby man could be redeemed. For this move to be legal, He had to
establish a legal link to man. This He accomplished through a Blood
Covenant with Abraham.
God Seeks A Covenant Relationship With Mankind God must find a man through
whom he can work to establish some kind of legal relationship before He can
accomplish that which He desires to accomplish on behalf of mankind. God
is looking for a way in which He can feed His word into the earth in
sufficient abundance that He can bring the redeemer who is to redeem
mankind. Since He must work through man, He must find a man upon whom He
can depend completely and cut a blood Covenant with that man. Through this
blood Covenant, God will once again be free to work in the earth but he
must work through this covenant relationship which He shall
establish with His covenant partner - Abraham. He will not come into the
earth as a part of the Godhead and usurp the authority of Satan. Why did
God not just send His son Jesus into the earth as a part of the Godhead,
destroy Satan and all of his work and forgive mankind and start over? To
do so would have violated His word because He had given man authority in
the earth. Man must fulfill God's "law of perfection" not God, therefore,
God was, by his own word, required to work through man and Abraham was
God's man through whom He chose to work. In order that this work be legal
and in keeping with God's established word, God cut a covenant with him
which, in effect, allowed God to begin putting His plan of redemption into
operation in the earth. In other words, God now had permission of man to
begin implementing His plan. God could not have implemented His plan
without man's permission or approval because it would have violated His
word - something God will never do no matter what the cost might be. The
cost of violating His word would spell eternal doom for all of mankind, God
and His
creation.
God's Call To Abram
God's call goes out to Abram as He begins to groom Abram for a very special
relationship that He intends to establish with him. God apparently wanted
Abram away from his people and away from their idolatry so that Abram would
be free to follow the calling which God had in mind for him. Notice,
however, that God apparently offered no explanation to Abram at that time.
He was looking for a man who would be obedient.Gen 12:1-4 1 Now the LORD
had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and
from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will
make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name
great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless
thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of
the earth be blessed. 4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him;
and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he
departed out of Haran. (KJV) Although this call was not the completion of
what God had in mind for Abram, He did promise Abram a very special
blessing and also assured him that he would become the father of many
nations and that through him all the families of the earth would be
blessed. Abram obeys the call of God without question. Then in chapter 15
we find where God once again appears to Abram.
Gen 15:1-18
1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision,
saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. 2
And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless,
and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3 And Abram said,
Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is
mine heir. 4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This
shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own
bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said,
Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them:
and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the
LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. 7 And he said unto him, I
am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this
land to inherit it. 8 And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I
shall inherit it? 9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three
years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old,
and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10 And he took unto him all these,
and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but
the birds divided he not. 11 And when the fowls came down upon the
carcases, Abram drove them away. 12 And when the sun was going down, a
deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon
him. 13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a
stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall
afflict them four hundred years; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall
serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great
substance. 15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be
buried in a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come
hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. 17 And it
came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a
smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18
In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed
have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the
river Euphrates:
Here we find where God cut a blood covenant with Abram and sealed that
covenant with the animal sacrifice which Abram was instructed by God to
obtain and so arrange. Abram asked God how he could know that he would
gain possession of that which God had promised. God called upon Abram to
arrange for a Blood Covenant into which He would enter with him. Abram
knew the meaning of and understood the significance of a Blood Covenant,
therefore,
God met Abram at a level which he understood. God will always meet man at
the level of his understanding. That night God walked between the pieces
which Abram had arranged and God sealed His part of the Covenant in that
manner. Then in Chapter 17 of Genesis, we find where Abram was called upon
to confirm his part of the Blood Covenant.God once again appears to Abram
and He begins to outline more detail of this Covenant to Abram. He
instructed Abram, "walk before me and be blameless." He also changed
Abram's name to Abraham and Sarai's name to Sarah. Abraham agreed and was
circumcised and he circumcised every male member of his clan as God had
instructed him to do. This was a visible way in which Abraham signed this
Blood Covenant. Every male child born into Abraham's family in the future
became a part of that Covenant when he was circumcised and the promise
which God had made to Abraham was made also to all of Abraham's
descendants.
God now has a Blood Covenant partner through which He can begin his work to
bring His word into the earth and fulfill His plan to bring the Living
Word, Jesus Christ, into the earth which He had promised in Genesis 3:15.
Abram believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. God now
has legal entry back into the earth. Through the descendants of Abraham,
God begins to feed His word into the earth to prepare the world for the
coming Messiah. Prior to this Blood Covenant, God had no legal entry into
the earth because He had given dominion of the earth over to man and man
had given it over to Satan. Through this legal contract, however, God now
has a man who has sworn on a blood covenant that he would obey God. Now
God is able to begin working through this legal arrangement to undo that
which Adam had done.God Calls Upon Abraham To Sacrifice Issac, His Son The
entire Old Testament is filled with the details of the story of how God
went about the process of bringing His Son into the earth as a man in order
that man might qualify to reclaim that which Adam had given away. God
had to test Abraham completely to make certain that He would fulfill His
part of the Covenant. God had no misgivings, but He wanted to prove
beyond any doubt to Satan and his legions that Abraham would follow his
commands in order that His work would be completely legal as He took steps
to reclaim mankind and the Title Deed to the earth which Satan had
temporarily taken from man. Therefore, God called upon Abraham to
sacrifice Issac, his son upon an altar. In Genesis 22: 1- 18 we read about
how God called upon Abraham to sacrifice his only son.What a remarkable
sacrifice Abraham was called upon to make. God called upon him to
sacrifice his only (legal) son. Why would God do such a thing? Again, it
was to prove beyond any doubt to Satan and his legion that Abraham would
fulfill his part of this Covenant. Had Abraham refused, then Satan could
and would have cried foul. But notice what God said after Abraham, had
fulfilled his part of this Covenant and agreed to sacrifice Issac. God
said, "By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done
this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in
blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as
the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and
thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall
all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my
voice." ( Genesis 22: 16 - 18 KJV)
Since Abraham had agreed to sacrifice his only son, it enabled God to
sacrifice His only son on behalf of mankind. Had Abraham disobeyed God and
failed to offer his son on the sacrificial altar, then God could not have
legally sacrificed His only son and mankind would have been eternally
doomed. Therefore, Abraham, God's Covenant Partner, made it possible for
God to redeem mankind. However, before God's Son could qualify, He had to
enter the earth as a man and as a man He had to defeat Satan. To have come
into the earth as a part of the Godhead would have been illegal and would
not have satisfied the claims of justice which was required of man.God
continued to work through the descendants of Abraham to bring His Only Son
into the earth as a man. The entire Old Testament outlines much detail of
these events. We find that the people through which God worked were not
perfect for they made many mistakes along the way. The Bible never attempts
to cover those mistakes, but readily brings them out for everyone to read
about. There are never any cover ups in God's Word. Some of the people
which were mightily used of God fell into Satan's trap often and while
serious consequences did follow, God continued to use them when they would
allow Him to do so. This is good news to us today, for we realize that our
imperfections today can be turned for the Glory of God when we realize our
mistakes and are willing to repent of them and call upon God for
forgiveness.
To further illustrate how much God depended upon man to carry out His work
here on earth, you can study the story of he supernatural destruction of
Sodom and Gomorah in the eighteenth and nineteenth Chapters of Genesis.
In this story you learn of the significance of God's Covenant with Abraham.
God planned to destroy Sodom and Gomorah because of the evil corruption
that was taking place in the cities. The perverse sin of homosexuality was
rampant in Sodom and Gomorah and God determined to destroy the city and
everyone in the cities, however, He would not do so until he consulted with
His covenant partner, Abraham. You will recall how Abraham bargain
ed with
God to save the cities and God agreed that if He could find only five
righteous people in the cities, He would not destroy them, but even five
could not be found. In spite of that, God promised to bring Lot and his
family out of the cities before bringing destruction upon them. Lot was a
relative of Abraham and God so respected His covenant partner that he
brought Abraham's kinsmen out prior to bringing destruction upon Sodom and
Gomorah.
Throughout the Old Testament, you find God's people standing firmly upon
that Abrahamic Covenant and never once did God refuse to honor that
Covenant as long as His people honored it and stood upon it.David stood
upon that Covenant when he faced Goliath and he defied the enemies of
Israel in the name of the Covenant and God gave him a great victory. David
never flinched! He knew his Covenant rights and he stood unmoved upon that
Covenant and God honored him. As David prepared to meet Goliath he stated:
"...26 who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies
of the living God.
45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and
with a spear, and with a shield: But I come to thee In the name of the
Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom thou hast defied..."(I
Samuel
17: 26 & 45)
Moses stood unyielding upon that Covenant when he literally challenged God
to do what was right in the name of the Covenant and according to the
scriptures, God repented. That Covenant was powerful and a mighty weapon
when His people would stand upon it.
"...Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
Remember Abraham, Issac, and Israel, thy servants to whom thou swearest by
thine own self, and saidst unto him, I will multiply your seed as the
stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto
your seed, and they shall inherit it forever. And the Lord repented of
the evil which he thought to do unto his people..." (Exodus 32: 12-14)
Dare a man speak to God in any such manner? Moses knew his Covenant and
dared to stand upon that Covenant and challenge God in the name of His
Covenant. Again, that tells you something about how powerful was God's
Covenant with Israel. If man would dare to stand upon it, certainly God
would honor it. The scripture tells us that God repented! He changed His
mind when Moses reminded of His promise to Abraham, Issac and Israel. As pow
erful as the Covenant with Israel was, it does not compare to the Covenant
we have today with Jesus Christ as surety. The New Covenant is even
better and more powerful than the old. To become a partaker of the New
Covenant, we do not have to be circumcised and make animal sacrifices, but
only believe that Jesus Christ isindeed the Son of The Living God and
accept Him as Lord and Savior and we become partakers of the New Covenant
and if we will but stand upon theNew Covenant as David stood upon the Old
Covenant or Moses stood on the Old Covenant, there is no doubt but what God
will honor His Covenant today. The problem with modern man is that even if
he is familiar with the New Covenant, and refuses to stand upon it God
cannot honor it. How unfortunatethat is for mankind today, for therein lies
the victorious life for mankind upon this earth. Still another illustration
of God's absolute determination to honor man's rights and dominion on this
earth may be found in Ezekiel 22: 30-32.
"...And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and
stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: But
I found none. Therefore, have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I
have consumed them with fire of my wrath: Their own way have I recompensed
upon their heads, saith he Lord God..." (Ezekiel 22: 30-31)
In this scripture we find Israel in rebellion against God. They are not
living under the terms of the Covenant and Judgment must come upon them for
their rebellion. God is telling us that he sought for a man to stand in
the gap on their behalf, for He did not desire to bring judgment upon
them. It seems that God was bound by His word to bring judgment upon the
nation unless someone interceded on their behalf. Since God could find No
one to stand in the gap, God was forced to let that judgment. Because of
his previously established word, He had no choice. Imagine it! Man
possesses that much power with God when he dares to stand upon his
Covenant! Whatever must be on the mind of God today in a world which has
become so rampant with abortion, homosexuality, child abuse, pornography
greed, hatred, humanism and the like. What is holding back the wrath of
God today? It could well be those few Christians whose eyes are not
blinded and who are interceding on behalf of this nation and the world.
My point here is that if the Church, the Body of Christ, will intercede
and stand upon that mighty Covenant which we have available today and
cease with our doubts and disbelief God will hear and honor our prayers
today just as He did David's when he went against Goliath and Moses when
he challenged God to honor his Covenant. "Will anyone stand in the gap
today?" God must surely be asking today. Our powerful armies certainly
are not holding this world together today, nor is our mighty government,
nor our great institutions of higher learning, but it is that forgotten
"Body of Jesus Christ," the Church that is holding this world together
today. One day in the not too distant future that Body of Christ is going
to be raptured or taken out of this earth and the Godless people will then
realize what havoc will be wreaked upon this earth when the anti-christ
comes to power. God is going to give the world that which they desire - a
world which is free or almost free of the Christian influence. What a sad
day for the world, for such havoc will come upon his earth that has never
before been known as the world is literally ripped apart by violence,
nuclear war, starvation, pestilence, disease and famine.
"...For there shall be a great tribulation, such as was not since the
beginning of the world to this time; nor ever shall be. And except those
days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: But for the
elect's sake, those days shall be shortened..."
Scripture tells us that men will beg to die but can't. Many will be saved
during this time, but they will face certain death if they turn to Christ
but failure to do so will insure an eternity of damnation and separation
from the love of God. The Bible tells us that there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth as people come to the realization of what an eternity
will be like when the love of God is forever taken away and it dawns upon
them that they will spend an eternity in hell.
"...But He shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from
me all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of
teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Issac, and Jacob, and all the
prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out..." (Luke
13: 27-28)
Can you imagine the fear and trepidation which will seize you when you hear
the words, "...depart from me..." and it begins to dawn upon you that you
are going to spend an eternity in hell. We are talking about an eternity
separated from God and His love. What a travesty that will be. It is no
wonder that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. But it does not
have to be that way. Jesus has already paid that price that you might not
have to pay it. However, failure on your part to accept that pardon will
guarantee your place in hell. I realize that this is plain talk but it
must be said. You will not stand before the Great White Throne judgment
and tell God that you did not know. This is the reason for both the old
and new covenant.
The Old Covenant was powerful, but the New Covenant is even more powerful
and more perfect. Today we have Jesus Christ as our surety and the
Covenant exists between Jesus Christ and God Almighty. That Covenant shall
stand forever.
"...But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is
also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better
promises..." (Hebrews 8:6).
Indeed, Jesus Christ has established a better Covenant for us today, the
details of which are outlined in he entire New Testament. This Covenant
cannot be broken, but you have a choice of becoming a part of this New
Covenant. Circumcision is not required today. You only have to receive
Jesus Christ as Your Lord and Savior and accept the pardon which He has
provided for you. Unless you do that, indeed, you will go into hell and
pay the price yourself, for God will not wink at sin. No church
membership will redeem any man. Water baptism will not redeem any man.
The only way a man can be redeemed is through a personal relationship with
Jesus Christ. God sill demands absolute perfection which enables you to
bypass hell. How tragic it will be for those who do not take the time to
know what Jesus actually did for them. He has already paid for your
pardon if you will but receive it! The choice is yours. Choose this day
whom you will serve - The Lord Jesus Christ or lord Satan! To make no
choice is to choose Satan and eternal damnation. When you choose Jesus
Christ and allow Him to become your Lord and Savior then His righteousness
becomes your righteousness and in the eyes of Almighty God you are even
as perfect as is Jesus Christ. This comes not by your works but by your
faith in Jesus Christ. His blood was shed for you. All of your sins
past, present and future are covered by His blood. There is something
about that blood. It is a free gift. It is God's Amazing Grace! You
cannot be saved by who you are, what you do or how good you may be. There
will be many morally good people in hell simply because they continue to
believe falsely that they can become good enough to merit God's
forgiveness. You can't you must receive the pardon which Jesus made
available to you as a result of His death upon the cross. This is what is
known in many circles as being "born again!" Failure to do that will
insure you a place in hell! It is just that simple.
Hell Is A Reality
Granted, many people do not believe in hell, but that does not make it any
less a reality. Jesus spoke of hell more than He did of heaven because he
wanted people to know that it was for real. All that they need to do today
is go to God's Word and study what it has to say about it. Below are just
a few scriptures which tells us of the reality of hell.
Matt 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill
the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body
in hell. (KJV)
Matt 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the
damnation of hell? (KJV)
Mark 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to
enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the
fire that never shall be quenched: (KJV)
Luke 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after
he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear
him. (KJV)
Luke 16:23 And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth
Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (KJV)
2 Pet 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down
to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto
judgment; (KJV)
It should be noted that the final hell comes after the Great White Throne
Judgment when all who are in the temporary hell or those who have died
without God and are presently incarcerated in the bowels of the earth while
awaiting the Great White Throne Judgment. Rev. 20: 14 noted below speaks
of hell being cast into the lake of fire. This means that those who have
died without God since the beginning of time who are presently incarcerated
in Hades will be cast into that final lake of fire.
Rev 20:11-15 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from
whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place
for them. (KJV) 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God;
and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book
of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written
in the books, according to their works. 3 And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in
them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And
death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second
death.15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire. (KJV)
Why would a loving God send anyone into an eternal hell? He will not! He
has provided mankind a pardon and all that he must do is to accept it.
After Jesus, operating under the authority of man, fulfilled the law as God
required of man died and went to the cross all of your sins and mine were
put upon Him and He paid the price that you and I deserve to pay. If we
refuse to accept that pardon then we make the decision ourselves to enter
hell to pay the price. You make the choice, not God. Remember, however,
to make no choice is to choose Satan. You must decide for yourself. There
is no way but through Jesus Christ. That is why Christianity can never
compromise with this world system or with any other religion for anything
that is not of God is of Satan. Any man who refuses to choose God chooses
Satan's system and any man who chooses Satan's system is making the
decision to reject that which Jesus has done for him Thus they will, by
their own decision, face eternal damnation along with Satan and his
demonic horde. Any man who refuses the pardon Jesus Christ has provided
shall stand before the Great White Throne Judgment where it will be
revealed to him why he must pay the price himself. All who stand before
the Great White Throne will have already been condemned. Their life will
quickly be flashed before their eyes and they will see every opportunity
they had to accept Jesus Christ but refused. And when they are told to
"...depart, I never knew you..." and their knees begin to buckle from
fear, it is no wonder that there will indeed be weeping and gnashing of
teeth. I am reminded of a testimony my daughter gave in church once when
she returned from a work and witness trip. She told of a dream she had
while on that trip. It seems that she saw a long line of people including
her friends as they were moving along falling off into hell as she
watched. She could do nothing to stop them. I have heard many others
tell of similar dreams or visions, therefore, I know that it was from God
as he was trying to tell her that she must do something to let her friends
know the imminent danger which they faced. What a privilege it would be
to have God speak to you in such a manner but how sad if one fails to heed
the message which God gave to them. I have never been able to get that
off my mind and I do not think my daughter shall ever forget that dream.
It shall always be with her. Sadly many morally good people will face this
damnation because they failed to take the time to study God's word and
find the truth for themselves. Somehow they rationalize that God is going
to weigh their good works against the bad and if the good outweighs the
bad they will make it but scripture simply does not support such a popular
idea. The great white throne judgment will not be to determine if your
good works outweigh your bad, rather it will be to let those who are
already condemned know why they are facing eternal damnation. Jesus
Christ is the only answer! He is the only way! There can be no mistake,
your good deeds or your good works are absolutely worthless in the eyes of
God. He said they are but filthy rags! There is nothing you can do to
earn eternal life. You must be born again! You must repent of your sins
and ask Jesus Christ to become your Lord and Savior. There is no other
way! I, therefore, challenge you and urgently beseech you to begin to
seek God's truths. He has told us that if we "would seek we would find."
Go to God's word and begin to search for these truths. God will
certainly not fail you. But you say I just do no believe all this
"stuff." That's OK get into God's word with a determination to know the
truth and I will absolutely guarantee you upon the authority of God's word
that you will find the answers. Just Pray and ask the Holy Spirit, that
if He is for real, to reveal the truth to you. You will be surprised at
what you will begin to find in God's Holy Word. I know because I have
been here. At one point in my life I found myself in a near state of
disbelief of God. I really believed that all of the answers to all of the
problems of mankind could be resolved through education. It was only
after I got into God's word and began to search the scriptures that I
found the truths which were locked therein and came to realize that few or
no answers will be found anywhere except through Jesus Christ.
There is nothing more important in your life than finding Jesus Christ and
inviting Him to become your Lord and Savior. Even the job of the President
of the United States pales beside your seeking the truths of God's word.
Suffice it to say that it is not what I say, but what God's word says that
will change your life forever. Your eternal destiny may depend upon how
you take this challenge! Jesus said, "you must be born again."
"...Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to You, unless
one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God..." (John 3:3 NKJV) My
friend, there is no other way! You may ask how can I receive this promise
of eternal life. Romans 10:9 gives you the essential ingredients for
salvation. It is so simple yet so important.
"...if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, and believe
in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation..."
Then in verse 13 we read: "...For whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be Saved..."
Just pray this prayer and mean it in your heart and you have it on the
authority of God's word that you will be born again and will never have to
stand before that great white throne judgment.
"Father, I come humbly before You today to confess Jesus Christ as my Lord
andSavior. Though I may not fully understand what this is all about, I do
believe that Jesus Christ is Your son, that he came into this earth and
took my sins upon himself and died for them. He was raised up and now
reigns on the Throne with You. I invite Jesus Christ to come into my
heart and forgive my sins this very moment and I submit to His lordship.
I thank you and praise you for saving me today and I shall serve You the
rest of my live!" If you prayed this prayer or some similar prayer and you
meant it, then you have it on the authority of His word that you are born
again. At this point you should get into his word and begin to study and
renew your mind . If you refuse to so humble yourself before the hand of
Almighty God you can rest assured that some day you shall bow the knee and
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord but it will be everlastingly too late
and you will have to go into the very pit of hell and pay the price which
Jesus has already paid.
Submitted In Jesus' Name by
Raymond Clarke
1609 Lakeview Drive NW
Cullman, AL 35055
jodyc@python.viper.net (Raymond Clarke)
***********************
TRUSTY a dog story
By Barbara Aho
timbarbaho@msn.com
Once there was a dog named Trusty. He lived with a family called the
Hunters. They were a fine, upstanding family who lived in a small town
named Dry Gulch. The Hunter family cared very much about Dry Gulch and
would always do whatever they could to promote the general welfare of the
townspeople. Because they were "hunters," just like their name said, they
recognized the responsibility they had to protect Dry Gulch from the wild
bears, snakes and other dangerous animals that lived in the nearby woods.
Trusty was by nature and breeding a true hunting dog. Even from a pup he
loved to go with his master, Jeb Hunter, into the woods to track down a
wild animal that had threatened the townspeople. He too cared about the
people and had a natural instinct for finding the killer beast. Everyone
loved and depended on Trusty and Jeb to protect the town. Trusty was
devoted to his master and had been trained to obey his every command. Jeb
Hunter was so very kind to his dog (and to everyone) that Trusty did not
question any of his master's orders. There had never been any reason to
doubt the master's good intentions toward the little town of Dry Gulch.
Trusty's family also lived with the Hunters - his father, mother, brother
and sister. Trusty's mother was an old dog who could no longer join in the
hunt, since she could neither run fast nor follow a scent on the trail
through the woods. Those days were over and she now spent her hours lazily
roaming through the town and the neighboring areas. She was so proud of
Trusty, not only for his natural skill as a hunting dog, but for his almost
human concern for the welfare of the townspeople. It didn't bother her
that she had to retire from the hunt, for she knew that Trusty and Jeb were
very capable of doing the job right.
One day, a new family named the Fellers moved into Dry Gulch. They were
from the big city and were very welthy. Rocky Feller was a successful
businessman and he soon became one of the town leaders. Unfortunately,
Rocky and his family were not as interested in the well-being of the
townspeople as they were in becoming richer and more powerful (as we shall
see later).
As Trusty's mother meandered through the streets and alleys of Dry Gulch
each day, she began to sense that things were not quite right in the happy
little town. Something very sinister seemed to be afoot in the humble
community. As she observed Mr. Rocky Feller and the others in this
prominent family, she asked herself many questions. Why did Rocky leave
town frequently to meet with his rich friends in the other towns? Why did
he come back to Dry Gulch with so many strange new ideas? Why did he put
his family in charge of the town bank? Why were only his relatives and
close friends elected to public office in Dry Gulch? And why did these
same people run the town newspaper? Why were all the children expected to
attend the public school instead of the church school? And why was he
putting pressure on everyone in the town to join a new church which did not
even teach the Bible? The old dog decided that she would spend her final
days investigating the strange turn of events that had come to pass in Dry
Gulch.
Mr. Rocky Feller had noticed that Jeb Hunter and his family were very
respected by the townspeople and he soon asked Jeb if he would run for
sheriff of Dry Gulch. Jeb had no trouble winning the election as everyone
already loved and had great confidence in him. Trusty was very excited
because now he could help his master to protect the town from the outlaws,
which everyone feared even more than the wild animals. In fact, Mr. Rocky
Feller was going to send Jeb and Trusty to a training school in a far away
place to learn more effective ways of "advancing the welfare of society."
Soon Dry Gulch would be free of all of the problems that were a part of
everyday life in the Wild West and would become the perfect town, according
to Mr. Rocky Feller.
At the training school, Jeb and Trusty learned that the only way to solve
the local problems of Dry Gulch would be for the citizens to give up their
independent form of self-government and join with all the other Western
towns to be ruled by a humanitarian organization called the "United West."
(U.W.) After all, the people of Dry Gulch and the other Western towns were
not very progressive and needed the worldly wisdom and careful supervision
of Rocky Feller and his business associates to have a new perfect society.
They also learned that the real problem in Dry Gulch was not the outlaws
that robbed and killed the townspeople, but the Christians and their Bible.
This Bible told everyone that they were sinful and would go to a bad place
if they did not repent and trust the Lord Jesus Christ to save them from
their sins. (Romans 3:23,24) This made the outlaws feel bad about their
deeds and, for this reason, they became angry and killed people. So, when
the New Western Order was established, the sheriff and his deputies would
be in charge of the "Final Solution" to reeducate the radical Christian
sect and get rid of their Bibles. With this morbid and negative influence
out of the way, the outlaws and the townspeople would be free to take a
Quantum Leap into the Universal Consciousness of their "inherent godhood"
and love one other as they are naturally inclined to do without a guilt
trip. (II Thess. 2:10,11)
Although Jeb and Trusty did not understand what "Final Solution" meant,
they were happy to hear that the sheriff's department would be an important
part of this plan for a "kinder, gentler Dry Gulch." They took many
interesting classes in economics, religion and politics and studied very
hard the textbooks they received, which were: "The Mark of the Beast," "The
ApoState Church," and "How The West Was One." (Rev. 13, 17, 18)
Meanwhile, back in Dry Gulch, Trusty's mother was lingering about the Rocky
Feller Ranch, hoping to discover what was behind the strange goings on in
Dry Gulch. Because she was so old and seemingly senile, nobody paid much
attention as she curled up on the ground near the house under a window and
pretended she was asleep. There she overheard the talk that came from the
parlour, and she did not like what she was hearing one bit!! (II Pet.
2:7,8)
Apparently, as was stated earlier, the Rocky Fellers were not as
interested in the well-being of Dry Gulch as they seemed to be. They had a
secret plan to become the dictators, not only of the town, but of the
entire West. Their rich friends in the other towns shared the same selfish
ambition and together they had formed two clubs, the Conspiracy against
Freedom and Rights (C.F.R.) and the Treason Commission. They often held
secret meetings to discuss "The Plan" which they were developing to take
over the West and to keep all the gold for themselves. In order to
implement this evil plan, they would first have to convince the townspeople
to give up their sovereignty and then theywould make them slaves of the
New Western Order. They planned to use the sheriff's department as part of
a Western police force to imprison and execute anyone who had a negative
attitude and resisted joining the new government and religious system.
(Dan. 7:19-25; 11:33; Rev. 13:7)
"Oh dear!" thought Trusty's mother, "How can this be happening in Dry
Gulch? I must forewarn the townspeople about it and, above all, I must
tell Trusty so that he can inform his master! But how can I warn humans
when I am only a dog and cannot talk? I will at least tell Trusty
and I know that he will find a way to communicate to Jeb Hunter this awful
plan."
When Trusty arrived home from the training school, he told his whole family
about the wonderful new plan that he had learned for the social advancement
of Dry Gulch.
"The Sheriff's Department has signed a 'Contract' with all the townspeople
promising that we are finally going to turn Dry Gulch around," he said,
"and in order to accomplish this, we have another secret plan with all the
other towns to form a New Western Order."
They listened attentively as Trusty described the wonderful plan for a New
Order that would unify Dry Gulch and all the Western towns to finally bring
law and order to the West. Everyone was so proud of Trusty, who had just
been made Deputy Dog of Dry Gulch. They were also very happy for the
little town of Dry Gulch - all, that is, except Trusty's mother. With
tears in her eyes, the grand old dame then proceeded to tell her family
about the other plan that she had overheard while eavesdropping at the
Rocky Feller Ranch. Most of all, she could hardly bear to tell them about
the program to terminate the good Christians and to destroy their Bible,
which teaches people about the Lord Jesus who died to save them.
"That's incredible!," they said. "Why, the Rocky Fellers and all of their
associates are such fine, decent people. They have only the best interests
of Dry Gulch at heart. They would never try to take all the power and gold
for themselves!"
And so, no one would believe her. (Mark 6:4)
"Oh, what shall I do, Lord?" she prayed, "I feel so very helpless. I
taught my son from the time he was a puppy to be a faithful dog and to
always do what is right. Now he is a fine young dog and I have encouraged
him to be loyal to his master and to help protect the townspeople. Trusty
and his master have not heard the secret plan you allowed me to hear at the
Rocky Feller Ranch. Trusty must think I am imagining these terrible things
and have finally gone mad. O, Lord, will you please help me to show him
the secret plan? Trusty and Jeb could then expose it to the townspeople
and they may even be able to save Dry Gulch from this dreadful fate.
(Daniel 11:32b)
"And if that is not possible, at least Trusty and Jeb must refuse to carry
out the 'Final Solution' for the Christians. The Bible (which the Rocky
Fellers plan to get rid of) says that anyone who takes part in this evil
system won't go to Dog Heaven (or People Heaven) according to Revelation
14:9,10. O, Heavenly Father, please help Trusty to realize what these evil
men are planning to do and to warn his master and the others in the
Sheriff's Department. Please, Lord, do not let him be deceived or have any
part in the New Western Order. (Matthew 24:24) In Jesus' Name I pray.
Amen."
How will this story end?
Is this the end of Dry Gulch as we know it? (I Pet. 4:7; II Pet. 3:12,13)
Will Trusty investigate the matter to see if there really is an evil plot
to take over the town of Dry Gulch? (Prov. 25:2)
Will he tell his master, Jeb Hunter? (Prov. 14:25)
Will Trusty and Jeb Hunter be part of the New Western Order or will they
warn the rest of the town about it? (Prov. 24:11,12)
Will some Christians be reeducated and then join the New Western Order?
(II Thess. 2:3,11)
What is the "Final Solution" for those who don't? (Rev. 6:9-11)
Be sure to read the next exciting adventure of "TRUSTY" (coming sooner than
you think) to see what will happen to Trusty and Jeb and the little town
of Dry Gulch.
**********************
They Shall Prosper that Love Thee
By: Lori Fiechter
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
The city of God in the hands of men!
Peace be to thee, without and within;
They shall prosper that love thee, Jerusalem!
Solomon's glory is long past and gone;
You have been a hissing; an object of scorn.
Now a burdensome stone for the nations you are:
Though tiny in size, yet how Judah does roar!
Your friends are but few, while foes do abound;
Israel is upbraided by all those around.
Is there none to stand with you from the nations of men?
You're beleaguered on all sides, Jerusalem!
But lift up your head for redemption is near:
Those dwelling in Zion shall live without fear!
City chosen of God, though contested by men,
You shall yet be a praise in the earth once again!
(For Jehovah shall comfort Jerusalem!)
Lori Fiechter 10-24-96
************************
PropheZine NewsBytes
Editors Note: I was very excited when I found out about The House of
Harrari. I contacted them right away and asked permission to help them
spread the word about thier harps. I found it paradoxal when thinking, that
if I sponsored a harp to be made and then we were Raptured, in 7 years time
I when we would come back with our Lord to help rule; that if at that time
I would enter the temple in Jerusalem and find the harp I sponsored and
then tell the Levite playing it, I helped in having that harp made so that
you can sing praises to the Messiah. Pretty trippy heh? --Ray PZ --
Sponsor a Harp for the Temple
From: http://www.virtual.co.il/arts/harrari/
This year is the official celebration of the 3000th anniversary of the
uniting of ancient Jerusalem by King David. During his lifetime, King David
personally collected most of the materials used to build the Temple, its
furnishings, utensils and chambers.
In the time of the Holy Temple, it was through the tribe of Levi that the
work of the Temple was carried out. Of their various jobs in the services
there, the playing of music and singing was an important part. 4000 Levites
sang and played in the orchestra, including their sons and daughters
(Chronicles 23:5; 25:2). Nowadays no one knows how the music was arranged,
but the Talmud teaches that on the pilgrim festivals of Pesach, Shavuot and
Succot, there were so many harps played that the sound of the harp was
heard in Jericho.
When we had to leave the land of Israel and go into exile we hung those
very same harps on the willow trees. "For how can we sing the Lord's song
in a strange land." (Psalm 137). And the harp of the Temple became silent
and disappeared into the winds of time.
About 2500 years ago, the Biblical prophets spoke of a time to come when
the descendants of these people would return to the land of their ancestors
and restore what was lost.
Following in that tradition and in honor of this special year, we are
beginning a new direction in our work with the biblical harps of David. We
are building a limited edition of 3000 Levitical harps for use in the next
Temple.
We are inviting congregations world-wide to sponsor a Levitical harp which
will be built and delivered as a centerpiece cared for and prayed for and
finally returned to Jerusalem when the temple is rebuilt.
Each harp will have the Levitical symbol on the harp and the stone of the
Levitical tribe inlaid into the crown. In this manner, those who understand
the implications of such a project can take an active part in the actual
re-building process.
Each harp will be registered with the name of the sponsoring congregation
or individual onto a special Temple scroll, to be presented to the chief
Levite in charge of the Temple orchestra when the time comes into its
fulfillment.
The harp will arrive to the congregation with a special certificate and
brass plaque for public display. Private donations to this project are also
welcome.
For us personally this represents the beginning of a new era as we draw
closer to the time of redemption and the re-dedication of the Holy Temple
"A House of Prayer for all Nations".
For further information please write:
The House of Harrari
fax and telephone #: 972-2-255-191,
e-mail address: harari@virtual.co.il"
Correspondence to:
House of Harrari, P.O. Box 1577,
Jerusalem, Israel
Visit our store located at:
7 Maalot Nachalat Shiva Street, Jerusalem, Israel
©All designs copyrighted.
+++++++++++++++++
An Editorial
By John Loeffler of Steel on Steel
loeffler@iea.com
It has become fashionable for people on the left to chirp "extremist" at
any viewpoint that is set against something they believe. This is quite
amusing when one considers that the great and good of today's political
correctness movement are the radical leftists of thirty years ago.
What is called extreme right today is descriptive of where the culture was
thirty years ago when the radical leftist flower children commenced their
change of society. Over that period of time, leftist academics, to the
cheering of the media, have pounded the culture with a constant socialist,
left leaning drumbeat. Generation after generation educated by this
drumbeat began moving
leftward, and assumed it's view to be the cultural mainstream. Now, they
have discovered a whole crowd of people who didn't move left with them, the
ones they're calling radical right. "Moderation" has become the mantra of
choice.
Was the civil rights movement of the early 1960s a moderate movement?.
Absolutely not. It was driven by people standing (with their lives in some
cases) for a political change they believed was essential. What about the
various anti-war and university protests that dotted the 1960s and early
70s? Were they moderate?
Moderation comes from a combination of I'm O.K.-- You're O.K. psychology
combined with a philosophy that there is no such thing as absolute truth.
Notice there are never condemnations of those who are extreme about their
"moderation" which is really a form of militant mediocrity. It's tragic
but even Christians -- who should know better -- have gotten sucked up into
this mode of thought.
Since there is no such thing as absolute truth, the reasoning goes, no one
should believe anything too much. Therefore all ideas have equal weight,
all cultures are equally good and no one should criticize anyone else since
all our ideas are wonderful -- insert warm fuzzy group hug here -- and
peace on earth is just around the corner.
The real consequences of this pablum now in vogue are staggering. The
entire culture has been placed on an ocean of floating, contradictory
values which are determined by the pop fad of the moment rather than by
more solid concepts of right and wrong.
For example, it is argued that since homosexuals form 1-2% of global
populations, this is a normal genetic trait and should be accepted by
society. Gays maintain they cannot unlearn their behavior. However,
never is it argued that since homophobia occurs worldwide in predictable
amounts among straight men, this is likewise genetic. No, homophobia is a
learned disorder, homosexuality is not. Who said? Nobody but it just
sounds right and since there are no absolute values, who's to say?
What about feminists who argue strongly in favor of a woman's right to
choose? Are the same feminists in favor of a woman's right to abort a
female foetus because it's a girl? Of course not. The very same people
who will tell you that the public has no right to tell a woman what to do
with her own body will start telling that woman what to do with her body.
But that's the fun of making your own truth up as you go.
Since homosexuality is allegedly genetic, and most gays are in favor of a
woman's right to choose, are they likewise in favor of parents aborting a
potentially homosexual baby if we could figure out which gene causes it?
Right -- when Greenwich Village votes for James Dobson.
The contradictions of relative truths flooding the culture, especially the
judicial system, are dangerous to our future stability. There are no rules
except that we have no rules except toleration of all rules except those
rules that say we mustn't tolerate something, and we can't tolerate that;
that would be intolerant. Did you follow that? Good. I didn't either
but that is the nonsense being foisted on us today.
For a Christian, the argument should NEVER be over whether or not there is
an absolute truth -- the Bible tells us there is. The argument is over
whether or not our ideas, views, theology and philosophies come close to
that truth. This provides us with hard core references in a sea of
floating and constantly changing public values.
The next time someone says to you "that's just your truth" or "there is no
such thing as absolute truth," ask them to hand over YOUR money which is in
THEIR wallet or purse. You'll see how fast they really believe what
they're saying about no absolutes. I guarantee it -- absolutely!
John Loeffler
Steel on Steel Productions
P.O. 3358
Hayden, ID 83835-3358
++++++++++++++++
Yet Another Executive Order
By The White House Press
Published in today (13 November 1996)'s Chicago *Sun-Times*, page 42)
From the White House:
"On November 14, 1994, by Executive Order 12938. I declared a
emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the
national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States posed
by the proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons ('weapons
of mass destruction') and the means of delivering such weapons. Because
the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the means of
delivering them continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to
the national security, foreign policy, and economy to the United States,
the national emergency declared on November 14, 1994, and extended on
November 14, 1995, must continue in effect beyond NOvember 14, 1996.
Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies
Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing the national emergency declared in
Executive Order 12938.This notice shall be published in the Federal
Register and transmitted to the Congress."
++++++++++++++++++
Smart Card Update
From: A PZ reader who's name I missplaced
I got the following from the Dec 96 issue of PC novice. Although smart
cards may not yet be prevalent in wallets around the country, next year you
may not leave home without one. Microsoft is working with companies such
as Hewlett-Packard, France's Groupe Bull, germany's Siemens AG, and
Schlumberger Ltd. to integrate smart cards with Pc's. Smart Cards are
another way to keepcash on hand; you purchase an amount of credit, and the
card stores the money amount on a chip, electronically deducting the
purchases. Imagine buying a new software game via the internet by plugging
a smart card into a slot on the side of your computer. Currently, the
companies are developing technical standards for smart cards, smart card
readers, and PC's. Microsoft hopes to incorporate support for smart cards
into its Windows operating system and Internet products and provide
preliminary releases of key components to developers by the end of the
year.
+++++++++++++++++
Sylvia's News Notes 11/15/96
By: Sylvia Genders LeReverend
sylvia@itrc.on.ca
*** Cuba hails world support against U.S. embargo
Cuba welcomed as a "complete success" a larger-than-ever vote by the U.N.
General Assembly against the longstanding U.S. economic embargo on the
island. Vice President Carlos Lage said that the vote in favor of a
resolution calling for an end to the embargo showed Washington's
international isolation, and worldwide rejection of a U.S. move in March to
toughen the sanctions. It was the fifth consecutive year that the General
Assembly has adopted a resolution calling for an end to the embargo, which
is more than three decades old. For the full text story, see
http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=506862-74a
*** Palestinians blast Israel at Cairo conference
Palestinians lashed out at Israel at a Middle East economic conference
Tuesday, accusing its right-wing government of strangling their economy and
hindering regional cooperation. But U.S. Secretary of State Warren
Christopher, who met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian l
eader Yasser Arafat at the conference, said he still believed an
Israeli-Palestinian agreement on Hebron was "close at hand." Christopher's
spokesman Nicholas Burns advised against expecting a deal in the next few
days. For the full text story, see
http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=504119-32f
*** Scientists seek more cash to track asteroids
The earth could be hit any time by a deadly asteroid, and governments
should fund more programs to seek them out and find ways of destroying
them, British and Australian astronomers said Tuesday. One astronomer said,
"People like to imagine that there are battalions of astronomers scouring
the skies. There aren't." He said a person's risk of being killed by a
collision is four times higher than that of being killed in an air crash,
though the risk of an actual asteroid collision is much lower than the risk
that a passenger jet will crash. For the full text story, see
http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=505541-901
**** An earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale and centered in the
Pacific Ocean shook southern Peru yesterday killing 15 and injuring up to
500 people. - city of Nazca 290 miles south of Lima was hit hardest.
*** Ariane launches satellites for Arab bloc, Malaysia
Western Europe's 92nd Ariane rocket blasted off from French Guiana
Wednesday, carrying satellites for the 21-nation Arab League and Malaysia.
Twenty minutes after takeoff, space officials said the ARABSAT 2B satellite
separated from the rocket. Five minutes later MEASAT 2 for Malaysia's
satellite operator Binariang was released into space. The launch was the
fifth Ariane mission since the failure of an Ariane-5 rocket June 4, the
first of a new generation, 37 seconds after its maiden launch in Kourou,
French Guiana. For the full text story, see
http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=513797-eef
*** Netanyahu cancels U.S. trip on Hebron deal hopes
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a trip to the United
States Wednesday amid signs that a deal with the Palestinians on the issue
of Hebron might be close. An Israeli official said the Hebron deal may
happen Wednesday or Thursday. Negotiators are trying to seal an accord
under which Israeli troops would hand over 80 percent of the town to
Palestinian police. Netanyahu wants to modify a deal signed by Israel's
previous government to safeguard the settlers.
the full text story, see
http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=512665-9cd
*** Russia threatens reprisals in spy feud with U.S.
Russia threatened "tangible" reprisals Wednesday if an ex-Soviet KGB agent
arrested in the United States last month was not released unconditionally,
saying U.S.-Russian ties faced serious harm. "The FBI cannot ignore the
fact that former U.S. spies working in Russia will face similiar measures,"
said Tatyana Samolis, a Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) spokeswoman.
Kremlin spymasters are furious over the arrest of Vladimir Galkin on a
visit to New York after he openly acknowledged his old profession. For the
full text story, see
http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=511541-43a
*** China would go to war over Taiwan independence
Singapore Defense Minister, Tony Tan, said Wednesday China will go to war
if Taiwan declares independence. Tan, a deputy prime minister, said issues
of human rights, bitter trade disputes and violations of intellectual
property rights would not lead to a break in ties between
Washington and Beijing. He added that the issue of Taiwan is non-negotiable
for China. "Taiwan also knows the U.S. is the only superpower left, and the
only one that can possibly help Taiwan to gain independence. Beijing
considers Taiwan a renegade province. For the full text story, see
http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=510668-fe6
*** Egypt nominates Boutros-Ghali for second term
Egypt has nominated U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali for
election to a second term, setting the stage for an expected United States
veto as early as next Monday, council sources said Wednesday. The United
States, which has a veto, has repeatedly threatened to block a second term
for Boutros-Ghali. The nomination will be discussed when the council holds
consultations Monday and then put to a vote at a formal meeting. If
Boutros-Ghali is vetoed Monday, other candidates could be nominated. For
the full text story, see
http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=511172-a2d
*** Sex online is cheating - author
Sex online for married couples is cheating, said John Gray, author of "Men
Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus." In the December issue of Yahoo!
Internet Life magazine (www.yil.com), Gray warns that the Internet is no
place for fantasy sexual escapades, particularly for married individuals.
"The Internet is dangerous because people don't have a sense of shame that
they are doing something wrong to their partner," he said. For the full
text story, see http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=509404-286
* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday cancelled a
scheduled trip to the US, reportedly due to a pending agreement with
Palestinians concerning Israeli withdrawals from Hebron.
* Whitewater prosecutors yesterday acknowledged that former Clinton partner
James McDougal has been cooperating in investigations against the President
and first lady.
* Deputy Defense Secretary John White, speaking to the Presidentia
Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illnesses yesterday, said that it is
possible the Defense Dept. and the CIA have acted to cover up evidence of
US troop exposure to chemical weapons.
* A UN World Food Summit opened yesterday in Rome to answer questions of
food shortages.- UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates food
production will have to rise 75% in the next 30 years to keep up with the
growing world population.
+++++++++++++++++++++
A New World Order?
By: Rudy Hulstrom
102551.1063@Compuserve.Com
This is not a new concept, as you would call new. It is as old as
creation itself. The idea of a global government sprang from the mind of
man,through the influence of Satan,or the Devil. Let's take a quick look at
the Bible's book of Genesis chapter 11.
After the flood{which destroyed the then wicked world} Noah and his
family were to be the rebirth of humanity on earth,with the goal of
righteousness. But as human nature was and is still evil, the result was
another attempt to "unify"the world. Against God's wishes. The sons of
Noah,Ham Shem and Japheth, were the founders of the new worlds civilization
and through time built the then known world. The following is the answer
God has given to the attempt of building a"new world order". It is no
different today!
Genesis 11:1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one
speech.
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a
plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them
thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.
4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may
reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad
upon the face of the whole earth.
5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children
of men builded.
6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one
language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained
from them, which they have imagined to do.
7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may
not understand one another's speech.
8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the
earth: and they left off to build the city.
9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there
confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD
scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
(That was the first real attempt at buliding a global government.
This idea has been in the mind of man since then.It has taken different
twists and turns throughout history,with the very same goal in mind. Thetot
al control of the world's population through force,if neccessay.
That was"in the beginning",but what about today? Is there a plan to
build a"one world government"? A plot to take control of the human
population? The answer is yes and by the very word of God himself. Let's
take a quick look at the Bible's book of Revelation.
The Apostle John was given this vision of the last days by Jesus
Christ himself.
This is a vision of the terrible times that are to come on this
earth according to the Bible.
Please get a copy of the Bible and read this entire book of
Revelation for yourself.If what is written here is true then we must make
certain decisions that will keep us from the devastation that is promised.
See John 3:16 and Romans 10:9-10 )
Revelation 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels(which
represent the last seven plagues of the tribulation period) which had the
seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show
unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the
inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her
fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a
woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having
seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with
gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full
of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the
blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great
admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell
thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which
hath the seven heads and ten horns.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received
no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.13
These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the
beast.
(Could these"ten kings"be 10 regional world leaders? Could they be the
result of United Nations plans to divide the world into 10 regions for the
purpose of global control? Please think of this one thing. If these"ten
kings"were real kings,then they would have countries to reign over. But the
word says that "they received no kingdom as yet",not kingdoms. I submit
that these 10 kings will be regional leaders that will ultimately"give
their power and strength unto the beast"(the anti-christ world dictator)
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them:
for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are
called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore
sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
(Here you see that global control is the goal of this plan and that
this plan is prophesied by God. To bring glory and honor to himself.
Yes there is a global government on the way. It has been prophesied
by the word of God and is to be fulfilled by man.
Yes there is a conspiracy to form a world government! The
governments of the world ,through the United Nations,are unknowingly
fulfilling the plans of God,thinking that this is a plan of their own!
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate
the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh,
and burn her with fire.
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and
give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be
fulfilled.
Yes,there is a global government coming! This New World Order will
be nothing less than a global dictatorship! Even now there are forces at
work who truly believe that this is a good thing! Because the people of
earth are ignorant and need their"help".
Every other type of"New World Order"has had the same ideals and
goals,the complete suppression of the human race.Every other attempt at
global control has begun with a form of socialist government,and here in
the United States it is no different.The incorporation of socialist ideas
over the last fifty years in this country has only been used to open the
door for this "New World Order"
For a list of other reports on the New World Order send a
self-addressed-stamped envelope to Rudy Hulstrom 1504 Cardinal. Melrose
Park,IL. 60160
For a list by E-Mail send to 102551.1063@Compuserve.Com (ask for list of
New World Order reports)
+++++++++++++++++++++
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION IN TERRORISM
The Emerging Threat Posed by Non-State Proliferation
by James K. Campbell
Commander, U.S. Navy
27 October 1996
To date most informed opinions on non-state political violence suggest that
terrorist of the future will neither seek to develop, nor threaten to use
weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Arguments supporting this position are
typically presented through a framework of anachronistic assumptions that
have been in use since the days of the late nineteenth century Russian
Nihilist movement.
These assumptions suggest that first, the terrorist groups are nothing more
than a collection of frustrated, political actors bent on correcting a
perceived flaw in the socio-political order of the state. The cause to take
up terrorism evolves adjunct to their failure or inability to influence
objectional political, economic and/or social conditions that define their
environment. Second, it is assumed that these frustrated actors adopt
terrorism as a means to press their political agenda through the use of
directed and modulated violence. This violence is designed to communicate a
complex message that primarily gains the terrorist group public recognition
for their cause. Unmitigated destruction and violence is not the goal as
noted by Brian Jenkins who suggests that "terrorists want a lot of people
watching, not a lot of people dead."
A third assumption suggests that terrorists are "mirror imaging rational
actors," e.g., their behavior is normative. As such they are subsumed to
understand that exceeding a certain violence threshold may result in a
globally enjoined effort to eradicate them.
Finally it is assumed that the technology and associated costs involved in
the development and production of weapons of mass destruction are beyond
the reach of the non- state group. For these reasons the image of the
classical terrorist of the twentieth century has not included WMD. However,
these traditional arguments have arguably weakened due to the changing
nature of the terrorist phenomenon. Specifically these changes are emerging
in areas related to supply and demand variables, variables that certainly
influence a non-state group's decision to develop and use WMD.
Supply issues suggest that first, the availability of materials and
technical requirements to produce "lo-tech" WMD are well within the reach
of contemporary non-state groups; second, that many groups have the
financial capacity to fund such programs; and third, that individuals
knowledgeable of WMD technologies are involved with groups that might
threaten the use of
WMD.
Demand issues suggest that ownership and use of WMD by a non-state group
provides a powerful negotiating tool, status, and power. Thomas Schelling
notes that a terrorist organization which achieves a WMD capability ascends
to a higher position of relative power and prestige. Of note, the absence
of territorial boundaries in the case of the non-state group serves to make
state retaliation difficult as the terrorist become hard to target, a
problem that Marrs suggests serves to "vitiate the retaliatory threats of
the state."
Third, non-state groups that embrace religious ideologies affiliated with
apocalyptic millennialism, redemptive religious fanaticism or racist/ethnic
hate may not operate according to traditional terrorist logic. In many of
these groups, egregious acts of an extremely violent nature are viewed as
either sanctioned or demanded by God. Where traditional terrorists
typically operate within certain violence thresholds, those operating under
the interpreted direction of the Almighty are arguably not subject to the
same constraints. Non-state groups operating under the "cloak of religion"
might very well be the most likely candidates to use the unlimited or
disproportionate violence WMD affords.
The "Post-Modern Terrorist" or "The Revolution in Terrorist Affairs"
Much as scientific, technological, and social changes continually influence
the manner and mediums by which artists express themselves, so to have
these things influenced the behavior and enhanced the capabilities of the
terrorist. The attenuation of traditional means to ends in recent terrorist
acts is evident in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103; the 1993 World Trade
Center complex bombing; the 1995 Oklahoma Federal Building bombing and
Tokyo nerve gas attack; the 1996 Hamas bombings in Israel, IRA bombings in
London, the Islamic radical bombings in Saudi Arabia, the bombing of a
pavilion at the Atlanta Olympics, and what appears to be the work of
terrorists in the downing of TWA flight 800. These ultra-violent acts
suggest the days of constrained violence are diminishing. New twists on old
ideological imperatives coupled with the availability of more lethal
weapons and weapon related technologies are rapidly enabling the terrorist
to cause maximum death and destruction.
Of increasing occurrence is the ultra-violent terrorist act followed by
silence. Many times in recent years terrorist acts have been committed
without a group "stepping forward" to claim credit for the event. Events
such as the downing of Pan Am flight 103, the Air India flight that crashed
off of the Irish coast in 1988, the recent terrorist bombing at the 1996
Olympics in Atlanta, all suggest a "shift" in terms of the message the
terrorist act is supposed to send. Where traditional terrorists use the
event to gain access to a "bully-pulpit" to air their grievances, these
"silent terrorist" send a silent message creating a superordinary sense of
overwhelming fear, and vulnerability.
By not claiming responsibility for the event, non-state (or state
supported) groups may actually be able to do more damage to the selected
target. The fact that no one group has stepped forward to claim
responsibility for the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing has, at a minimum, caused
difficulties between the U.S. and her economic allies, heightening tensions
between the Islamic countries of Libya, Iran, Sudan and Syria vis-a-vis the
U.S. This could represent part of a new non-state strategy to polarize the
Islamic community against the West, while at the same time causing a
divisiveness between Western allies.
This change in the characterization of terrorism may be indicative of a new
era, one in which the traditi
onal, "constrained," terrorist of the
twentieth century is supplanted by the ultra- violent "post-modern
terrorist" of the twenty-first century who uses advanced technology, and
anonymity, to conduct destructive acts traditionally viewed as
disproportionate to desired ends.
Genesis of the "Post Modern Terrorist"
Expanding on a general theme discussed recently by Walter Laqueur, the
emergence of the "post-modern terrorist" appears to have two causes. One
may be religious revivalism. Religion has played a part in legitimizing
extremes of violence throughout history, tendencies that are generally
constrained in traditionally (secular-political) oriented, non-state
groups. Ultra- violent terrorist acts rooted in religious imperatives can
be seen in Sri Lanka, where Tamil Hindus are waging a bloody terrorist
campaign against the Sinhalese Buddhists; in India and Pakistan where
Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslim extremist groups engage in violent struggles; in
Israel, where both radical Palestinian and Israeli movements have caused
great injury and death in the name of God. The success of Khomeini's 1979
Islamic Revolution has also been viewed as enhancing the level of violence
in terrorist activities perpetrated by radical Islamists world- wide.
The second cause is arguably related to the removal of constraints imposed
by the Cold War, and the subsequent disintegration of a bipolar world
order. As a result of this disintegration, a new world disorder seems to
have emerged in which the legitimacy of many states is being challenged
from within by increasing non-state calls for self-determination.
Huntington affirms this trend in a recent essay in which he suggests that
the causes of future conflict will be rooted in a clash of cultures. He
argues that ethnic and religious movements will supplant traditional
political ideologies with cultural ones. Where these movements cross each
other, bloody conflict will erupt.
Prime examples of this phenomenon can already be seen in Algeria, Somalia,
Egypt, Sudan, Rwanda, Chechnya, the Balkans, Indonesia - and even here in
the United States. These movements often prey on the insecurities of the
population, offering to fill the psychological, sociological, political or
religious security needs of those who would join them. Examples of such
groups have emerged in the form of the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo; the
Identity movement in the U.S.; and the radical Islamic revivalist movements
that exist in a variety of countries.
These religiously oriented groups appear to share a common ideological
thread that rejects existing societal structures and demand a structural
revision of the world in a manner that will ensure their own dominance. To
this end, the threat or actual use of WMD may be the method by which they
believe they can paralyze the state without having to expose themselves.
Capitalizing on the highly cultivated fear WMD use engenders could permit
the non-state group to "snatch" a piece of power from the state as it tries
to respond to the crises, and manage the consequence of the threatened
attack. Thus, armed with WMD, the non-state group is enabled to press home
an agenda without having to engage in protracted social movements or
insurgency.
Conclusion
WMD use can cause mass casualties and substantial infrastructure
disruption, far more than that caused by any previous terrorist incident.
Since the threat to use WMD affords the non- state group a powerful tool
that heretofore has not been available to them, non-state proliferation
presents a security dilemma that the global community must actively attempt
to resolve.
Recognizing the WMD threat in general terms, President Clinton signed
Executive Order No. 12938 on November 14, 1994. This order declared a
national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction pose to the national security,
foreign interest, and economy of the United States. On November 9, 1995, a
continuation of this order was declared by Executive notice. This declared
state of a national emergency has continued. Despite the existence of a
robust, widely supported international regime to control the spread of WMD,
the consensus of various scholars and policy makers, identifies WMD
proliferation as the top security threat our Nation faces today. Senator
Sam Nunn's address concerning proliferation echoes these sentiments:
The number one security challenge in the United States now and probably for
years ahead is to prevent these weapons of mass destruction, whether
chemical, biological or nuclear, and the scientific knowledge of how to
make them, from going all over the world to rogue groups, to terrorist
groups, to rogue nations.
Raising the specter of this concern, in March of 1995, members of the
Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo released nerve gas in a Tokyo subway, resulting
in the death of 12 people and the injury of 5000. Following this horrendous
act, Congressional hearings on the potential for continued non-state group
employment of WMD concluded with the assertion that non-state proliferation
poses a difficult challenge to our National security primarily because
these groups are exceptionally hard to target, and much harder to deter,
more so than say an identifiable rogue state.
It is intimately clear that when a non-state group such as Aum is able to
develop a WMD capability, an endemic failure within the international
community exists that must certainly be remedied. That failure relates to
two significant deficiencies. First, our collective, intelligence
capabilities to identify such groups early on needs to be improved. As
discussed in Congressional hearings held in November of 1995, the threat
posed by Aum was never even on our intelligence "radar screens." If we are
going to beat these "bad guys," we must fine tune our intelligence
apparatus so that we may identify these groups, their capabilities and
intentions. By doing this we assure ourselves the ability to operate inside
the terrorist group's "decision making loop." Operating inside this "loop"
will allow us to preempt the terrorist action before it occurs. Second,
export controls and domestic efforts to restrict the sale of
chemical/biological precursors, dual use technology and equipment must be
strengthened.
Aum has proven that a determined non-state group can amass material,
know-how, and equipment to develop and threaten the use of WMD. The concern
now lies in discerning what the next group will do having learned from
Aum's mistakes. A robust effort to improve our knowledge of terrorist
groups through human and open source intelligence gathering, coupled with
strengthened efforts to control access to chemical and biological agents,
their precursors and duel use equipment, will certainly help to minimize
the WMD threat posed by these "post-modern-terrorists."
+++++++++++++++
F.Y.I. - Israel In The News
Week Ending: November 16, 1996/Kislev 5, 5757
"Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; the
recompense of God will come, but He will save you." Isaiah 35.4
HEVRON UPDATE: Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have finished their work
for the week, without the expected agreement on an Israeli withdrawal from
Hevron. Israel wants new restrictions on the Palestinian Authority's (PA)
operations in Hevron and the right for Israeli forces to enter
PA-controlled parts of the city in pursuit of alleged terrorists. The
Palestinians refuse, and demand a written promise from Israel's new
government that it will implement other parts of the latest piece accord.
Meanwhile, hundreds of scouts from Hevron's elementary and high schools
marched through Hevron on Thursday to mark Palestinian Independence Day --
the day in 1988, five years before the Israeli/Palestinian piece accord --
when PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat declared Palestinian statehood in Judea and
Samaria and the Gaza Strip. The celebration continued on through Saturday.
Ministers are demanding to see the agreement and to be permitted to study
it carefully prior to being asked to approve it. This demand is now being
voiced primarily by those ministers who are most opposed to the agreement,
but it also has come from some on whom Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
can count to ultimately support it. It is still not clear whether he will
submit the agreement to the Knesset for approval.
In another story, Defense Minister Mordechai met Monday night with leaders
of the Hevron Jewish Community and other representatives of the Council of
Jewish Settlements in Judea, Samaria and Gaza (Yesha), to discuss the
impending withdrawal from Hevron. He said, "Nothing is yet final. Every
time we are ready to sign, the Palestinians come with new demands."
Daniella Weiss, head of the Regional Council of Kedumim, who participated
in the meeting, told Arutz Sheva that Mordechai avoided giving real answers
to the difficult questions that were raised concerning the security of the
Jews there and the continued development of the Community. She also said
that she views the strong demands being made by the Yesha leaders as
something that strengthens the government, not weakens it.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) has already begun intensive
preparations for a withdrawal fromHevron. Most of the equipment in the
Military Compound in the city has been removed, in anticipation of its
being handed over to the PLO. Work on a liaison post near Beit Hadassah was
begun Monday, where IDF and Palestinian officers will be stationed. Senior
Israeli security officials met on Thursday with General Security Service
(GSS - Shin Bet) officials to discuss the plans to incarcerate or limit the
movements of "right-wing extremists" who the government feels will endanger
or work to complicate the planned IDF redeployment from Hevron. According
to Minister of Internal Security Kahalani, about 30 Jews will be placed
under administrative arrest or house arrest in the very near future. Most
of them will be taken to jails outside of the Hevron area. The arrests are
being made to prevent violent reactions to the IDF redeployment from the
area, according to government sources. This move comes despite objections
made by the Prime Minister and some of his Ministers when they were in
opposition during the time period of the former Labor-led government. At
that time, Prime Ministers Rabin and Peres used administrative emergency
laws to incarcerate any right-wing citizens who disagreed with government
polices and the piece process. Noam Arnon, the Spokesman of the Hevron
Jewish Community has asked why "left-wing extremists" such as those who
attacked police during Saturday's violent demonstration in Hevron, are not
placed under administrative detention. At least ten "right-wing extremists"
are reported to have left their homes and gone into hiding. The persons
involved, are residents of the Hevron area. Shomron News Service (SNS) has
received information that members of its staff may be marked for
administrative arrests. While it is hoped the information provided by
sources close to PM Netanyahu is false, nevertheless they have decided to
go on record. These laws remain on the Israeli Law books as "emergency
laws" that were used during the British occupation of Israel. The law
deprives a recipient of due process and a recipient may be placed in jail
or under house arrest without even being charged with a crime. (VOA,
Jerusalem Post, SNS, Yediot Achronot)
JOINT PATROLS RESUMED: Joint patrols between the IDF and the Palestinian
Police resumed on Tuesday in Jericho and Jenin according to a regular
schedule, Ha'Aretz reported. The decision was made during consultations
between IDF officers from the Central Command and Palestinian Police
officers. There is a move to resume joint patrols according to the same
arrangements that prevailed throughout Judea and Samaria cities of
Palestinian self-rule prior to riots in the territories. The IDF opened
Jenin and Jericho to Israelis and canceled the cities' status as closed
military regions -- a directive which has remained in place since the
riots. At the same time, the Palestinian Police opened Jericho's ancient
Jewish synagogue to visitors. A Border Policeman, Guy Bosi, was discharged
from his position after refusing to participate in joint Israeli-PA patrols
in the Tulkarem area. Guy explained that following his seeing first hand
violence and PLO troops shooting at Israeli soldiers in September, he no
longer trusts them enough to be in a joint patrol with PA security troops.
Several other Border Policemen were transferred to administrative duties
after they too refused to participate in joint patrols. (Israel Line, SNS,
Channel 2 Radio News)
BUT THE RIOTS CONTINUE: A Palestinian demonstration turned violent on
Sunday near the village of Kharbata, about halfway between Jerusalem and
Tel Aviv. According to Palestinian sources, one Arab was killed and twelve
injured. Hundreds of Arab demonstrators marched towards the Jewish town of
Kiryat Sefer to protest against plans to build a new neighborhood there.
They refused to stop upon approaching an Israeli checkpoint. Instead,
mosque loudspeakers in adjacent Arab villages called on the crowd to go
confront the soldiers. Demonstrators began stoning the soldiers. In efforts
to disperse the crowd, soldiers shot into the air and fired rubberbullets,
causing the casualties. There have been a number of similar demonstrations
in the area recently, but none was as turbulent as Sunday's. The IDF
Spokesman stated that an investigation into the violent Arab demonstration
was within proper procedure regarding the actions of the IDF soldiers. The
soldiers did not open fire at the advancing crowd until they were certain
that their lives were in danger. (SNS, Kol Yisrael, Channel 2 TV News)
ON THE NORTHERN FRONT: An explosion tore apart the car of a Hizb'Allah
(Party of God) official in southern Lebanon on Saturday, but no one was
injured. The group accused Israel of planting the bomb. The explosion
occurred about eight miles south of Tyre. Hizb'Allah accused Israel of
trying to assassinate the official. A South Lebanese Army (SLA) soldier was
killed on Wednesday after Hizb'Allah guerrillas attacked his post in south
Lebanon, SLA sources said. In Beirut, the pro-Iranian Hizb'Allah claimed
responsibility for the assault. An SLA soldier was killed Wednesday morning
by Hizb'Allah gunfire in the Eastern Sector of the Security Zone of
southern Lebanon. On Tuesday, an SLA soldier was lightly injured when he
was hit by Hizb'Allah gunfire in the Eastern sector of the Security Zone of
southern Lebanon. The soldier was hit by a Sager missile. Three Israeli
soldiers were injured Sunday morning in the Israeli- patrolled security
zone in southern Lebanon when their tank was hit by a Sagger missile fired
by Hizb'Allah. The soldiers were engaged in pursuit of the Hizb'Allah unit
responsible for Saturday's (11-9-96) similar attack on another Israeli
tank, in which one Israeli soldier was killed and three injured, one
seriously. The IDF will investigate how it happened that Sagger missiles
penetrated Israeli tanks two days in a row. According to some observers,
Hizb'Allah will likely continue to intensify its activities against IDF and
SLA troops in the Security Zone, especially now that the US elections are
over. (Lebanon News Wire, AP, Channel 2 Radio News, SNS, Jerusalem Post)
ECHOS OF WAR: Several weeks ago Egypt staged an unusual festival that
purported to hail Cairo's efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East. The
"Festival of Arab Honor" reached the homes of most Egyptians. Egyptian
television showed reels of footage of Egyptian tanks and artillery pounding
Israeli positions in the Sinai during the 1973 Yom Kippur war. Then came
the "Peace Operetta," in which - in song and dance - Egypt was shown
victorious against an unnamed foe located in the southern Levant. Two days
later, Egyptian Coptic Pope Shenouda III told Egyptian journalists: "We
must stand up to the Jews with adequate means. Condemnation is not enough.
We must resort to force and unity." Israeli government and military experts
watched the broadcasts as well. For them, it was yet another indication of
something they had been increasingly concerned about for the past three
months: The Arab world is beating the drums of war. "Some might argue that
Syria would attack not to save the [peace] process but to destroy it, and
bring with it the rest of the Arabs," Anthony Cordesman, who has served in
senior positions in the Pentagon and NATO, says. "The Israeli position is
not one that is safe against war. Instituting the Palestinian uprising
would be a strategic disaster for Israel." "Remember that in the Yom Kippur
war, the Syrian offensive was disguised as an exercise as well," a senior
intelligence officer says. "And it wasn't done all at once. They kept us on
alert several times until they gauged that they were ready and we weren't."
MK Hanan Porat, a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee, says Assad is now waiting to see how Israel responds to his
military moves. (Jerusalem Post)
EXPLOSION IN EAST JERUSALEM: Shortly after 8:00 am, Thursday morning
(11-7-96), an explosive device went off near the entrance of the East
Jerusalem Office of the Ministry of the Interior. The blast, described as
small, was said to have been laid on a overhang to the main entrance of the
building. Four persons, Arab pedestrians, including an infant, were injured
in the explosion. Israeli security forces arrived at the scene and
immediately began a search for additional explosive devices. No subsequent
devices were found at the scene. No person or group has taken credit for
the blast. Police are not ruling out the possibility that the bomb was
placed by "right-wing Jewish extremists." Police added they believe either
Arab or Jewish extremists are responsible for placing the bomb for
"nationalistic" reasons or it may have been an attack with "criminal"
motives behind it. The blast is believed to have been set to scare rather
than harm or kill. The explosive device was placed inside a can of Coca
Cola. (SNS, Galei Tzahal)
US MARINES LAND IN ISRAEL: United States Marine troops are conducting
exercises in an IDF base located in Southern Israel. The marines landed in
Israel Monday. A Spokesman for the US government stated the training
exercises were planned some time ago and not related to current political
events in Israel.
In another development, the US and Egypt are engaged in a large military
exercise which will continue through November 17. The exercise, which
includes 500 Americans, will practice various measures to protect the Gulf.
As part of the exercise, 1,500 soldiers with their vehicles and equipment
will be transported between two bases to test the ability to move forces
quickly. (SNS, Channel 2 TV News, IMRA, Ha'Aretz)
ARABS SEEK TO INCITE SETTLERS: The Voice of Palestine radio station is
actively involved in incitement against the Jewish residents of Yesha.
Despite denials by the director of the station, the incitement against
Jewish Yesha residents continues. Arutz Sheva reporter Yoseph Mantinband
listened to a Voice of Palestine broadcast in English, and recorded the
following words: Commentator Simon Vee said, "The situation now is that the
Netanyahu government continues blackmailing and deceiving on the one hand,
and sets loose the settlers to commit murders and usurp more Palestinian
land on the other ... Settlers are zealots who believe that killing Arabs
is but a quencher to their bloodthirsty subhuman mentality ... Settlers
have shown that their souls and their minds are but a mixture of a strange
substance inferior to human integrity, a substance of human degradation
that could not be identified or defined by humans except those who have
little respect for themselves." The Palestine Radio Station was established
under the auspices of the former Minister of Communications Shulamit Aloni
(Meretz). The station was given antennas and a frequency which belonged to
the Voice of Israel.
Meanwhile, an article in Ma'ariv newspaper asserted that Israeli security
officials were told by Palestinian sources that Arafat is encouraging riots
and disturbances, and releasing dangerous Hamas members from prison.
Journalist Nadav Haetzni writes that Fatah activists in Hevron received
secret instructions from Arafat's bureau in Gaza last week to lead the city
towards an explosion. The activists were instructed, according to the
sources, to organize a broad front of violent riots, especially against the
settlers, which would enable Arafat to claim that it is impossible to live
with the Jews in Hevron, and that they must be removed from the city before
the agreement is signed. (Arutz Sheva)
AND THE TERRORISM CONTINUES . . .: A firebomb was thrown at an Egged Number
160 bus traveling from Jerusalem southbound towards Hevron on Monday
(11-4-96). The attack took place near the Arab village of Arab. No injuries
or damages were reported. Again, this past Wednesday, the Number 160 Bus
was attacked by a firebomb near the Arab village of Arab. No damage or
injuries were reported. Note: The bus is armor-plated against gunfire and
has bulletproof glass.
In another story, a senior figure in the Islamic Jihad terrorist
organization, who was arrested in August by IDF soldiers when he attempted
to pass through an IDF Gaza checkpoint, has been charged with "attempting
to rebuild the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, while receiving assistance from person
s in the Palestine Authority security forces."
A known Hamas activist blew himself up Saturday in Kabatiya, a village near
Jenin, apparently while preparing a bomb, the IDF said. Two suicide
bombings, in Afula and Hadera in 1994, were planned from Kabatiya, where a
militant Hamas cell is known to be working. Kabatiya is in Area B, which is
under Israeli security control. "At about 11 am this [Saturday] morning, a
huge explosion was heard in town," a Kabatiya resident said. "People from
all over came to the site of the explosion in Asaf's yard on the outskirts
of town, where his family found his body completely charred and blown to
bits. The explosion even created a crater several dozen centimeters deep
nearby." (SNS, The Voice in the Field News Service, Arutz Sheva)
HAMAS FORMS NEW UMBRELLA GROUP: The Hamas terror organization has announced
its intention to form an umbrella group of Arab groups opposed to the piece
accords between Israel and the PA. The representatives of eight Arab
organizations met Saturday night in Damascus to discuss a planned union of
the Arab opposition proposed by Hamas, the group's Damascus representative,
Abu Mohammad Mustapha, said. He said the coalition group would be called
the "National Palestinian Independence Front."
Send comments to Lee Underwood at: mbi@digital.net Archives located at:
http://www.inet-images.com/fellowship/fyi.htm Note: The word "peace" is not
misspelled in this document. When used in conjunction with the Middle East
process, it is correctly spelled "piece"-ed.
==============================================================
Lee Underwood mbi@digital.net
"For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will
not keep quiet" Isaiah 62:1
==============================================================
++++++++++++++++++
Rogue Plantet obiting Hale-Bopp?
By Jon Roland
jon.roland@the-spa.com
Amateur astronomer Chuck Shramek of Houston, Texas, claims he has imaged an
object accompanying Comet Hale-Bopp that appears to be about 3-4 times the
size of Earth, and that the comet appears to be in orbit around it.
His images and interpretation of them are found on his WWW site at
http://paradise.pplnet.com/shram/comet.htm
It will be interesting if other observers confirm this report, and if so,
what the trajectory might be. The projected trajectory of the comet is not
expected to get closer than about 90 million miles to Earth during 1997.
However, the presence of a more massive object passing through the Solar
System could have gravitational effects on the inner planets that should
concern us. There could also be other accompanying objects that could cause
trouble for us.
The existence of rogue planets, that is, planets unbound to any star, but
wandering through the galaxy, has been the subject of speculation for some
time. They could account for much of the missing "dark matter" that has an
observed gravitational effect on the dynamics of the galaxy but which
neither emit or absorb light in ways that make it possible to detect them
easily.
Some comets are interstellar. That is, their orbits are hyperbolic, so that
they are unbound to our sun, and will, after passing nearby once, leave the
neighborhood of the sun and never return. It is possible that there may be
very large nonluminous bodies out there, essentially comets, but as large
or larger than planets, objects that never got large enough to ignite as
stars.
I have also speculated in past articles that a significant number of such
rogue bodies could be rocky planets with hot cores, like that of Earth,
cores heated by internal radioactivity and gravitational compression. Such
planets could be suitable abodes for colonization, with the colonists
living beneath the surface and drawing energy from the core. There is no
need to have a star to warm the surface. The core could support a
civilization in comfort for billions of years.
If this object is such a planet suitable for colonization, it is too bad
that it is approaching now, when we are unready to take advantage of it. In
a decade or two wemight be ready to plant a colony on it, provide humanity
a second home, and begin spreading throughout the galaxy, using such rogue
planets as our starships.
Of course, it is also possible that it has already been colonized by others
who had the same idea before us. Could they be visiting us now as they
prepare to pass nearby? Perhaps looking for new places to colonize?
We need a mission to Hale-Bopp, preferable one that is manned, a mission
equipped to land on Hale-Bopp or this companion object, take samples, and
return. It could be the greatest opportunity of the millennium.
--Jon
--
=======================================================================
Constitution Society, 1731 Howe Av #370, Sacramento, CA 95825 916-450-7941
http://www.constitution.org/ mailto:jon.roland@the-spa.com
=======================================================================
+++++++++++++++
Information Regarding Israels Security (IRIS)
From: Leiah and Jason Elbaum <elbaum@dircon.co.uk>
The Washington Post reports (12 November, p. D1) that the American science
fiction film Independence Day may be banned in Lebanon because scientist
David Levinson, the Jeff Goldblum character who saves the planet, is
Jewish.
The Shiite Muslim group Hizbullah has denounced the film, now playing in
Lebanon, calling it "propaganda for the so-called genius of the Jews and
their concern for humanity." Even many upscale Christian moviegoers in
East Beirut are upset that the film's heroes are a Jew and a black man,
while some of the Christian white characters have less flattering roles.
In the version playing in Lebanon, all of the scenes in which the Goldblum
character or his father are shown to be Jewish were cut by Lebanese censors
before it could be approved by the Interior Ministry's Public Security
Department. Also censored were the few seconds in which Israeli troops and
Arabs work side by side in the desert to fight the invading aliens.
Ibrahim Musawi, Hizbullah's foreign press liaison in Beirut, said, "What do
you think the Hezbollah would say about this film? We are making the
connection that this film, playing in Lebanese cinemas, is polishing and
presenting the Jews as a very humane people. You are releasing mistaken
images about them." Hizbullah also mysteriously alleges that the film
"hints that the source of danger to mankind emanates from certain parts of
the Third World, particularly from the Arab and Islamic world."
====
Israel Radio reports (17 November) that an Israeli had his hand cut off by
attackers, believed to be Arabs, in Jerusalem's Old City on Saturday.
Vladimir Sukenik, of the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, was
undergoing surgery in a Jerusalem hospital.
====
The Sunday Times (London) reports (17 November) on comments by Israeli
Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai in an interview with the newspaper, his
first interview with a Western paper since taking office earlier this year.
Responding to last week's comments by Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlas,
who warned that Syria is ready and capable of war with Israel, Mordechai
said, "I am not going to threaten him as he threatens me. I will make
peace and call on President [Hafez] Assad to come to the negotiating table.
If they decide to go to war, they know we are ready and capable of hitting
them badly." If Syria goes to war, he warned of a "devastating Israeli
attack which could destroy [Assad's] regime."
Russian scientists are helping Syria develop a lethal nerve gas, Mordechai
said. Israeli intelligence has discovered that Syria can make and store
chemical weapons. Among these is VX, which can kill within seconds if a
minute quantity comes into contact with exposed skin. It can also
penetrate light clothing and footwear and can remain in the atmosphere for
days or weeks after being dispersed.
Israel has no interest in discussing handing over the strategic Golan
Heights to Syria, he said. "What for?" he asked. "Because the Syrians are
keeping 4,000 battle tanks or because of their chemical weapons
development? When things change we will be considering many options for
peace with the Syrians."
====
Jason and Leiah Elbaum
IRIS
http://www.netaxs.com/people/iris
++++++++++++++++++++
The Rutherford Institute
*** PRESS RELEASE ***
For Immediate Release May 13, 1996
Press Contact: Kelly Shackelford
214-890-0360
FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT JUDGE TAKES AIM AT PARENT'S RIGHTS
Houston - A federal district court judge has effectively ruled that parents
lose their rights to direct the upbringing of their children when they put
their children in public school. In granting summary judgment disposing of
all claims against Katy Independent School District in Dawson v. Harris,
the court ruled that the district did not violate parental rights by
failing to inform the parents that the child was to be interrogated by
state employees.
Harris County Children's Protective Services, or CPS, was contacted by a
school counselor to investigate passible child abuse after the Dawson's son
reported that he had been paddled. CPS interviewed the boy without
informing the parents.
"Had CPS approached the Dawsons at home, they could have refused access,"
said Rutherford Institute affiliate attorney, Patrick Appel, who is
handling the case. "They didn't give up their rights simply because they
sent their children to mandated compulsory education."
While Katy Independent School District is, for now, excused from the case,
the Dawsons are continuing with the claims against CPS for its egregious
conduct in the aftermath of the investigation of their son.
"It is outrageous for a court to say that parents give up their rights when
they drop their children off at public school," said Kelly Shackelford,
southwestern regional coordinator for The Rutherford Institute. "This is
especially oppressive to the many families who cannot afford private school
and thus have their parental rights forcibly taken."
The Rutherford Institute is an international, nonprofit civil liberties
organization specializing in the defense of religious liberty.
The Rutherford Institute
P.O. Box 7482
Charlottesville, Virginia
Phone: 804-978-3888
Fax: 804-978-1789
E-Mail: rutherford@fni.com
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Press Contact: Kelly Shackelford (214)890-0360 October 2, 1996
TEXAS OFFICIAL RETRACTS CLAIM THAT PARENTS HAVE NO RIGHT TO
FAMILY RELATIONS
Shocking Claim Came in Dispute Over Actions of Children's Protective Services
Houston - James Hine, the head of the Texas Department of Protective and
Regulatory Services and top official for Children's Protective Services,
has just retracted his former statement that "[parents] have no
constitutional right to familial relations." The shocking quote had
appeared in a motion asking a U.S. District Court for summary judgment in
his favor against a Texas family.
Hine's motion made the controversial statement in response to the parents'
contention that CANRIS, a computer system used by CPS, restricts a
constitutional right to family relationship. Hine's motion replied, "The
interest of a parent in maintaining the stability and autonomy of the
family unit has not been recognized... as a clearly established right for
purposes of constitutional analysis."
"This was nothing less than a direct attack on the rights of all parents in
the state of Texas," said Kelly Shackelford, southwest regional coordinator
for The Rutherford Institute. "Every parent should be up in arms."
Hines updated pleading states that he did not contend that the constitution
provides no protection to the integrity of the family unit, and his motion
did not intend to imply such a stand. The case itself centers around the
actions of CPS, which took custody of a Texas family's children and kept
them for over tow months without obtaining a court order or granting the
family due process.
In a continuing legal education seminar in Houston this friday, The
Rutherford Institute will discuss parents' rights as well as numerous other
constitutional issues.
"We're certainly pleased," said Shackelford, "that this specific attack
against the rights of parents has been retracted. It is truly frightening;
however, that such an argument could even be made by the highest CPS
official in the state."
The Rutherford Institute is an international, nonprofit civil liberties
organization specializing in the defense of religious liberty.
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