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Prophe-Zine Issue 003
Prophe-Zine #3
Credits
Statement of Faith
& Other Information
Editor/Publisher:
Raymond B. Gano
Contents:
John Kinsella... The Real Conspiracy Theory
Gordie_Tong@mindlink.bc.ca... Premises Of The New Age World View
Dave Breese... We Shall Look Up! The Proper Vision
Prophecy Club... Ark of the Covenant & The Temple
Wes Peters.... The Pre-Wrath Rapture
Ron Wallace.... What Is The Pre-Wrath Rapture Of The Church?
Ron Wallace....The Progress Of The Church Up To The Beginning Of Daniels
70th Week
Geoffrey Kragen...The Bookworm Book Review
Prophe-ZIne News Bites
Cool Resources
Special thanks: I would like to give a special thank you to John Kensella
of This Week In Bible Prophecy. I contacted him and he gave me an article
dealing with the Oklahoma Bombing. I would also like to thank Dave Breese
for giving me all the support that he and his ministry has gone to to help
Prophe-Zine out. At this time I would like to dedicate this issue to all
those who lost there lives and for the families who lost loved ones. We
need to keep them in our prayers.
Publication Cycle Notice: Prophe-Zine will be published (up loaded), on
the 15th of each month.
Prophe-Zine is freely distributed to the major on-line services, BBSs, and
to the Internet.
The Editor of Prophe-Zine can be reached by sending e-mail to:
ray673@best.com. Please write the Editor if you are interested in receiving
guidelines for submission to Prophe-Zine
Statement of Faith
THE PURPOSE of Prophe-Zine is to carry out the command of the Lord Christ
Jesus, recorded in
Matthew 28:19:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations"
Prophe-Zine is a Christian publication grounded in the deity of Christ and
the inerrancy of Scripture. The major intent of the editors is first, the
giving out the message of the Gospel, "For what I received I passed on to
you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures," 1 Cor. 15:3-4.
The Editor of Prophe-Zine holds to a strictly literal and inerrant Bible
interpretation, salvation through Christ alone, a soon pre-tribulation
Rapture of all believers and the establishment of a thousand-year kingdom
on earth. The evangelism of the unbelievers and the exhortation of the
believers take precedence over all other activities of this ministry.
Prophe-Zine may not agree with some of the authors and their beliefs, but
Prophe-Zine believes that we must endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit
(In other words agree to disagree), so Prophe-Zine feels that it must give
equal time to other biblically based doctrines in all fairness.
Eph 4:3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
In His service,
Ray Gano
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Copyright © 1995 Raymond B Gano
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Prophe-Zine may be freely distributed under the following conditions:
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Prophe-Zine's editor uses a Quadra 840 AV Macintosh computer. Programs
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KJV 2.1, plus any other freeware that I can get my hands on to fill up the
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OOPS.... I Forgot
The Editor is currently looking for submissions, artists, writers,
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Feedback and suggestions from the Prophe-Zine readers are ALWAYS WELCOME!
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***************************************
The Real Conspiracy Theory
by John Kinsella
Head Writer -- This Week in Bible Prophecy
President Kennedy remarked in a speech back in 1960 that everyone from his
generation remembered where they were and what they were doing when the
news was announced of President Roosevelt's death. Three years later,
President Kennedy was himself assassinated, becoming a generational
barometer. Today, everyone over forty can remember exactly what they were
doing on Nov. 22, 1963 when it was announced that the "President has been
shot" while driving through Dealy Plaza in Dallas.
Last week, another event burned itself into the consciousness of a nation
-- the systematic destruction of hundreds of American citizens in Oklahoma
City, when a 4000 pound home made bomb destroyed the 9 story Federal
Office Building in the heart of the city. More than that, it was the
heart of America. Oklahoma City is very nearly the geographic dead center
of the United States. If there was a place on earth where Americans could
feel safe from foreign attack, it was Oklahoma City. But this attack
wasn't from without -- it was from within.
The suspected bombers are Americans -- members -- at least ideologically
-- of what is commonly called the "patriot movement." As America
struggles to make sense of the senseless, the media is focusing on this
movement, it's plans and objectives, while glossing over the major issues
that they raise.
In watching the coverage of these groups, I was amazed to see, for the
first time, a major network broadcasting a segment from the video "Waco,
The Big Lie" produced by the Center for American Law and Justice, a
patriot organization affiliated with the 700 Club and Pat Robertson. The
segment used on CNN showed a tank backing out after having crashed through
the wall of the Branch Davidian compound. The video purports to show
flames emanating from a flame thrower or similar object mounted on the
front of the tank.
We got a copy of it when it was first released. We discounted it as a
100% reliable source after its producer, Linda Thompson, admitted on a
radio talk show that it was factually incorrect on several critical issues.
What astonished me about the CNN story was this. They showed what
appeared to be photographic evidence that supports a charge of murder by
agents of the US government. But nobody batted an eye! Nobody offered an
explanation to the contrary, nobody suggested it was a doctored video.
In an unintended demonstration of the power of the media to the clip was
broadcast as evidence of how radical the militia groups were!
Lunatics Without Excuse
Before the mail starts, I want to state categorically that the bombers
are lunatics without excuse. I personally have no objection to the
application of the death penalty -- not just for the bombers, but for
those involved in the planning and preparation. And I think I can speak
for everyone at TWIBP in that regard. Also, I need to point out that
while we are a Canadian ministry, I spent sixteen years defending the US
Constitution, on the front lines -- six years as a US Marine during the
Vietnam War, and ten years as a police officer in Texas.
There are people who say the government perpetrated this crime. That view
is utterly without evidence, and should be discounted unless and until
such charges are conclusively proved. There are others who blame civil
libertarians, that is, those who are concerned about the erosion of civil
rights. That is like blaming white people for producing Adolf Hitler, or
black people for producing Idi Amin. But, it also creates more questions
than it answers: Who is the "government" and who are the "civil
libertarians" and, how can a group be held accountable for the actions of
a few pyromaniacs who are obviously not the sharpest tools in the tool shed
to begin with?
The "Patriot Movement"
The media coverage is intense. We know intimate details about the life,
loves and history of the suspects in this case. Where they grew up, who
their friends were, even details about their family life. In searching
for the answer to the question "why" they are looking everywhere except
where the problem is.
The patriot movement is a grass roots response to what its participants
believe is an erosion of civil liberties in America. They have some
compelling arguments -- arguments we have ourselves presented. Where we
differ dramatically is in the area of what would be considered an
appropriate response. The patriot movement believes we are moving toward
a one world government, and they oppose it. They advocate armed
resistance. Many of them claim to be followers of Jesus Christ -- giving
the media plenty of ammunition to support their contention that this is yet
another example of what Christian fundamentalism really is -- intolerant
rednecks who want to force their view on the rest of America.
A Spiritual Battle
We see things somewhat differently. We believe we are moving toward a
one world government, because that is what God said would happen. But we
reject any suggestion of armed resistance as unbiblical. Jesus told us to
" Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God
the things that are God's." (Matt 21:21) When Pontius Pilate reminded
Jesus of his authority as Roman procurator, Jesus rebuked Pilate, saying
" Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee
from above:" (John 19:11) The Bible not only teaches against armed
resistance to the government, but Jesus makes it plain our leaders occupy
their positions according to His plan. The New World Order is a spiritual
issue, playing out in the carnal arena. Using a bomb to win a spiritual
battle is like trying to lead somebody to Christ by hitting them in the
face with a Bible. It's loud, ineffective, and invariably more useful
to the other side. To try and overthrow by force that which God says He
ordained is tantamount to trying to overthrow God. It's either His will,
or ours. Force is NOT the answer -- prayer is! Godly living, holiness,
and personal integrity -- these are the weapons the world cannot combat or
condemn -- much as it would like to. Bombs just even the playing field,
and bring us into an arena where the other guys have all the advantages.
Resorting to violence is a denial of Christ. Colossians 3:3 teaches that
"For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." We are to be
witnesses of the love of Christ. I saw little evidence of Christian love
reflected in the maimed bodies of innocent children in Oklahoma City.
The Blame Game
The blame game began almost immediately. President Clinton seized the
opportunity to rail against "hate mongers who keep us paranoid and at each
other's throats." There is ample reason for paranoia. The drive toward
global government is real, it is documented, it is coming, and it does
not bode well for freedom loving people anywhere on earth.
We saw our 4th Amendment rights diluted as a measure against drug dealers.
Yet the provisions that allow the government to seize the assets of drug
dealers is being applied against other citizens, like tax protesters,
abortion protesters and other politically incorrect types. HR 666 relaxes
the Constitutional guarantee against unreasonable search and seizure.
The 5th Amendment provides for the right of the accused to face his
accusers. The Omnibus Anti Terrorist Act of 1995 will enable the
government to introduce evidence from "secret" sources -- and denies
defendants the opportunity to cross examine those sources.
And the 1st Amendment guarantees our right to speak out against government
abuses. And that right is now in peril. The President is advocating the
use of an Executive Order to gag such protests. His reasoning? People who
protest influence others to take action. Well of course! That is what the
Founding Fathers intended. Except, it is the government that is supposed
to act. The American system is designed to make government responsive to
the people, not the other way around.
So who's the enemy here?
Blaming the "government" for the erosion of the Constitution is like
blaming the "patriot movement" for the bombing. The "government" is us --
people, both bad and good. The same applies to the patriot movement.
Both are idealistic and at least theoretically draw their views from the
same Constitution.
In the Oklahoma bombing, a few nut bars loosely associated with a legal
and Constitutionally protected protest group blew up their own countrymen
in their misguided belief they were doing the right thing for people who
didn't recognize the danger. Within the government, a few officials have
conspired with unelected elitist groups like the Council on Foreign
Relations to bring about a system of global government, probably in the
belief they were doing the right thing for people who don't recognize the
"benefits" involved.
But all protesters are not killers, and all government officials are not
globalists. The enemy here is the mastermind behind the whole conspiracy
-- a conspiracy so vast it incorporates elements from both sides without
either side ever being aware of it. That mastermind is Satan, the father
of lies! There is a conspiracy, but it is not one that can be fought with
bombs, bullets or even ballots! The conspiracy predates Adam and Eve,
and the conspirators are putting into motion a plan that has existed since
Lucifer first shook his fist in the face of God and shouted "I will."
That is the enemy, that is the threat, and there is the battlefield!
We report on the global government in waiting, not to alarm people and
send them scurrying to the militia training field. Our reports on this
subject are celebration of the fact that God is still on the Throne, that
what He promised would happen is taking place, and that we have nothing to
worry about. As Jesus told us, "And when these things begin to come to
pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth
nigh." (Luke 21:28)
**********************************
PREMISES OF THE NEW AGE WORLD VIEW
The New Age World view is Syncretistic. In other words it blends
elements of other world views. Russell Chandler, author of "Understanding
the New Age", suggests the following beliefs make up some but not all of
the components of this movement:
- All is One (monism). The Cosmos is pure, undifferentiated, universal
energy - a consiousness or "life force". Everything is one vast,
interconnected process. All life is of equal value.
- All is God (pantheism). God is an impersonal principal, a conciousness,
lifeforce, Energy. Everything that is, is God.
- Humans, nature, spirits, ET's, the earth, etc. is infused with or of the
same essence as God. (polytheism). Humans have unlimited potentials being
one with the One." We are God, "affirms many within this movement. Other
enlighten beings, entities, etc. which
share this divinity can also guide, instruct and empower those who opened
the door to other side. Paranormal experiences are often sought and
experienced when encountering these guides, assorted spirits, ET's and
unknown entities.
- All religions are essentially One. Jesus, Krishna, Buddaha, Lao-tsu, and
all the mystics old and new, realized and taught this Oneness. All
spiritual paths are equally valid. Dogmas and doctrines which cause
separation should be de-empasized in favour of personal or communal unitive
experiences of at-one-ness.There is a need say some for a New Age which
will bannish intolerance and promote harmony and unity. Reincarnation is
believed to expalain suffering and karma.
- Humanity's problem is not sin but ignorance. We have forgotten we are
one with God and we ...have infinite potential at our fingertips if we
allow it to flow. Therefore we need to reject the self limitations and
beliefs of the old ways of perception and embrace a "paradigm shift': a
distinct new way of thinking.
- How does humanity embark upon a paradigm shift? Through an "awakening
experience" each individual may "actualize" his or her divine nature and
achieve union with his or her divine nature with the Ultimate Unifying
Prnciple by applying a plethoria of consciousness-changing techniques, or
"psychotechnologies', to body mind and spirit.
- Some examples of what Ferguson calls "intentional triggers of
transformative experiences" are: meditation, Yoga,chanting, mood-altering
music, mind expanding drugs, esoteric systems of religious mysticism and
knowledge, guided imagery, balancing and aligning"energies," hypnosis, body
discipines...radical seminars designed to obliterate former values
etc...The pathway to godhood lies not in left-hemisphere logic but in right
hemisphere's intuitive 'knowing' and creativeness.'
- The sequel to expanded personal awareness is planetary tranformation,
charaterized by mass enlightment and social evolution.... Many of the
world's problems: overpopulation, the envoirmental crisis, war, economic
problems etc. may be solved by realizing our Oneness and untapped
potentials. A New Planetary Order or New World Order which calls for an
emerging global civilizaton and one world government is in the agenda. When
a "critical mass" is achieved through world wide New Age events like the
Harmonic Convergence, or the World Peace Meditations, or Mind Body
Conferences, Earth Day, etc...then we will arrive at the New Age. Millions
have already participated in these events and some of them are annual and
ongoing..there are countless new age communities, conferences, peoples, and
publications in many countries "networking" to achieve critical mass or the
"Hundreth Monkey Effect" as it often called. Although at this present time
there is no one leading group or indivdual guiding this movement...it
never-the-less through networking... is becoming a powerful force in
society and the world.
CRACKS IN THE NEW AGE WORLD VIEW
- the assumption that all is One and it's implications are not true. If
God is impersonal or all is One, there is no basis for absolutes in terms
of truth, ethics or understanding reality. Reality, truth or right or wrong
becomes whatever a New Age person perceives it to be. Only a wise and good
personal transendent infinite God who is there and not silent can provide
absolutes in terms of truth and ethics. Ethical relativsm is illogical and
unworkable. Try it sometime in a
relationship or in society and see the fruit...Nor do we need abitrary
absolutes given to us by an authoritarian elite...If all is One ..there is
no difference between cruety and non cruelty...Charles Manson said "if all
is
One then nothing is wrong"...he was more consistant with his pantheistic
beliefs than most new age people you meet.
- Man is not God. Human imperfection, finitude, falliblity, and
fallenness are the observable human condition. Humanity may with God's
grace may become more saintly..ie. God's Spirit may enable men and women to
bear the fruits of peace, love, goodness and experience God's miracles of
healing etc... but man will not attain Godhood. The finite will not become
the infinite. We have potential not unlimited potential. Where is evidence
of human perfection
or compassion in Roman Ceasars or others who also claimed to be Gods..or
to-day in India...or elsewhere...all you see is human folly and play
acting.
- There are distintions within the created order. Not all life is of equal
value as taught by New age Deep Ecologists or sometime by reincarnation
beleivers. Relativism-plugged into reincarnation theory-denigrates the
value of human life by reducing all life to the lowest level. In India,
"human babies are no more important than rats! Rats may not be killed
because they are expressions of the same universal energy that
characterizes man. As a result, rodents and other animals eat 20% of
India's grain crop-food thatcould be available for starving people.
Recently in India bubonic plaque has broken out again as it has in the
Middle Ages due to rats growing out of control. Although all life is to
valued as part of nature, nature and man is not perfect and can produce
pestilance and harmful mutations..perhaps we are reaping the fruit of this
as man tries to play God tinkering with genetic engineering...or planting
new species in the wrong eco-systems. Panthesism says all life is
equal...so man becomes no more valuable than the grass we trample on or
burn...
- Jesus did not teach that all paths lead to a pantheistic Oneness or that
man will achieve Godhood. (see John 14, Matt 7:14,) His teaching has to be
distored to suggest that Christ taught New Age philosophy as many within
New Age circles try to prove by taking teaching out of context. Not all
religions promote panthesitic monistic beliefs...as suggested by uninformed
teachers within the movement...
-The Altered State of conciousness reached through meditation and other
psychotechnologies often negates critical thinking and reason, often
dulling the individual's ability to discern between truth and deception. It
also allows for the possiblitiy to contact deceptive or masquarading
spirits (many within the movement acknowledge the existence of negative or
evil entities) or be possessed by them as may happen in the channeling
phenomena. A old proverb states "a man without self-control is like a town
without defences". A person in ASC
who is passive is more vulnarable to suggestiblity and outside control by
whatever controllers human or non human that might happen to be around.
Real spirituallity involves the mind, intellect and heart...critical
thinking, not scepticism or mind-less-ness is - necessary for spiritual
discernment.
- Utopian notions of man and utopian New Age political goals may lead to
totalitarian systems that would grow increasingly intolerant of those who
would critize it. It was the belief in the fallenness and falliblity of
human leadership in Europe and America during the Reformation that led to
ideas of democracy and freedom, as well as, the need for checks and
balances in
government 7. This may be lost as New Age ideas are more and more embraced
in society. Some kind of hierarchy of so called "enlighted" beings are
trying to guide us into the NEW AGE. The question is how do we know that
the spirit guides that are guiding New Age people are what they appear to
be...there is evidence that they are not so enlightened after all, and may
have some other more sinister motives in mind when providing guidance and
so called "
transformative" experiences.
- Reincarnation and evolutionary beliefs instead of bringing real love and
unity to mankind will create elitist feelings and a callowness to human
suffering. Karma supposedly determines a persons caste or position in life.
To try to help those who are suffering, is to interfere with
their karma. Unenlightened people are already called "cancer cells"2.* in
body of Gaia by some within the movement...with the implication that a
"cleansing" is coming or needed..we heard that before from Adolf Hitler...
who in his time wanted to usher in a New Age..(Hitler also claimed he was
guided by voices from the other side) ..There are presently some prominant
leaders guided by powerful entities in this movement who are presently
taking on or promoting Messianic leadership...as well as the "cleanings
concept"..their spirit guides are saying this is necessary...John Randolph
Price, the primary moving force behind the "World Instant of Cooperation,"
was told by his favorite spirit guide, "Asher," that "nature will soon
enter her cleansing cycle...." These individuals [the two billion human
beings who do not have
the 'ring of protection' around them] with their lower vibratory rates
will be removedduring the next two decades...2*. " Please read some of the
references listed below ...there are many people already who are
unknowingly caught up in this spiritual pandora's box...wake up don't be
one of them.
Many persons exploring New Age beliefs are sincere and pleasant people..
and are not throwing their lot in with the more dangerous elements of the
New Age...there are people being hurt by these beliefs and by cultic
leaders.. as well as seductive entites...I've dialoged with many of them in
several countries...so I encourage compassion for victims...we may disagree
and be discerning and helpful but not be arrogant for in the eyes of God we
all
fall short of perfection...and it's only by God's grace we can see even
dimly to avoid many of the pitfals of a fallen world..if you are following
New Age beliefs ask God's Spirit to guide you in your quest for truth and
reality...
Also do your own research as others have below...some listed below were
formally in the New Age Movement and in leadership positions...some
experiencing powerful paranormal experiences until they woke up to the
deception. References below:
1. The Beautiful Side of Evil - Johanna Michaelson..former assistant to
psychic healer...and Sylva Mind disciple.
2. Like Lambs to the Slaughter - Johanna Michaelson. * pp 307-310
3. Understanding the New Age - Russell Chandler , Journalist and religion
writer For Los Angeles Times.
4. Inside the New Age Nightmare - Randall N. Baer -former "crystal power"
expert and teacher. Huntington House, 1989.
5. When the World Will Be As One -The Coming NEW WORLD ORDER in the NEW AGE by
Tal Brooke - former follower of Sai Baba,
presently with The Spiritual Counterfeits
Research Group - Berkeley , Calif.
6. Out on a Broken Limb - Dr. F. LaGard Smith ..Professor of Law at
Pepperdine University. Harvest House 1986.
7."How Should We Then Live' - The Rise and Fall of Western Civilization,
by Dr. Francis Shaeffer. Fleming H Revell Co. NJ. 1976.
Gordie_Tong@mindlink.bc.ca
Gordie Tong at MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canad
*******************************************************
We Shall Look Up!
The Proper Vision
by Dave Breese
The following is reprinted from Dave Breese's Destiny Newsletter;
Hillsboro, KS 67063-0015:
Anyone who has driven an automobile or flown an airplane knows that
there is a basic rule which must always be followed. That indisputable rule
is possible to state very simply. It is this, "Look where you are going."
All other objects of our attention may be interesting but they are never to
become the preoccupation of the person driving the vehicle. However
beguiling may be the scenery and however interesting the ambiance of the
trip, the driver, if the trip is to be successful, must watch where he is
going. Not to keep this rule in mind could well produce some very
unfulfilling results.
As is the case in steering a vehicle, so also it is in life. This is why
life is frequently compared to a trip, a voyage, atraversement toward a
destination. This being the case, the advice is, therefore, most relevant
about life, "Look where you are going." This simple adage is unheeded by
many people, which heedlessness causes many well-known, adverse
consequences.
Where then shall we look if we would be properly informed about the
progress of life? The answer of many in our time is, "We shall look back."
Now, this answer is rarely called by its right name, "regressive
thinking," but rather it is touted as "proper appreciation of heritage."
Much time, therefore, is spent by churches, denominations, organizations of
many kinds and, of course, individuals, in looking back. Much of this is
done in the name of "remembering our roots," "remembering the faith of our
fathers," and even "learning the lessons of history." Some of these
descriptions may even sound sublime. The memories undoubtedly create for
many a wonderful, languid nostalgia. Therefore, to this day there are great
numbers of people who walk through cemeteries, examining old gravestones so
that pieces of the past may make their lives complete today.
Much of this is done despite the instructions, yes, the prohibitions of
the Bible. The Apostle Paul said, "Brethren, I count not myself to have
apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are
behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press
toward the mark for the those things which are before, I press toward the
mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil.
3:13,14). Yes, the past should not unduly influence the future. Hope is
better than heritage by a thousand times! Try as we will, the past cannot
be changed. Conversely, with very little effort the presumed future can be
dramatically altered.
The ancient landmarks must be regarded but not worshipped. They are to
be respected only to the extent that they are helpful in establishing a
course for the future.
Another answer to the direction of our vision is given by many who say,
"We must look about us." Yes, the passing scene through which we are moving
is a fascinating thing indeed. This is especially true in our present,
amazing world. In these very days and weeks, a tidal wave of things,
concepts, events, transpirings has come upon us with attendant, spectacular
fascinations. What's more, interesting events are multiplied by a jillion
via international radio and television and the emergent information super
highway. So much is this the case that the people of our world, especially
the untutored young, are wide-eyed with wonder. Looking about them they are
semi-breathless with human anticipation.
To be fair, we must say that an awareness of our passing world is not
entirely wrong. Christ spoke to His disciples world is not entirely wrong.
Christ spoke to His disciples saying, "Lift up your eyes, and look on the
fields; for they are white already to harvest" (John 4:35). So, we are
enjoined by our Lord to be aware of our circumstances. Let us quickly
mention, however, that that awareness is not for the purpose of being
amazed, but for the purpose of discerning spiritual opportunity. The
important thing about our world is not that it has fast airplanes, cellular
phones and the like, but that it is white unto harvest.
This being the case, it still remains to be said that expertise on
earthly things is not commended in Scripture. People who mind earthly
things can become "enemies of the cross of Christ" (Phil. 3:18). This is
because the cross of Christ cancels the validity, the worth of most human
things.
Peter had an occasion in his life when he concentrated overlong on his
circumstances rather than the Lord who stood above the circumstances. The
Scripture says, "But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and
beginning to sink, he cried, saying Lord, save me" (Matt. 14:30). What
Christian has not found himself in similar circumstances?
Proper attention to our environment is commendable. Undue concentration
is to miss the purpose of life. "No, we must look ahead" say others. This
is certainly a far wiser object of our concentration because, of course, we
are moving "ahead" in life. So Paul helps us by telling that he is
"reaching forth to those things which are before." Again and again we need
to be reminded that we are moving out of the past which we cannot change
into a future which we can profoundly influence. The purposeful individual,
filled with conviction and led by the Spirit of God, can greatly
outdistance in success and accomplishment others who are drifting and
dreaming. Planning the future and anticipating the blessing of God in that
future is a valid and a most necessary course of action.
But, we must also remember, that the human future is not the ultimate
thing. Plan as we will, we are still subject to the principle that says,
"Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring
forth" (Prov. 27:1). Despite all of our prognostications and our best
computer scenarios, we cannot know what finally the future will bring. Our
faith does not cancel the uncertainties of the future, but promises that
Christ will be with us in all of them. So, the human future should be
regarded but it should never be given the sense of finality which is
ascribed to it by so many. In contemplating the future, we must never place
the sign, "The end" anywhere along the way. Yes, we are to look ahead, but
only looking ahead is not the ultimate thing.
What then is the ultimate outlook? It is--and, ah, this is important--to
look up.
Yes, looking up should be our main and constant outlook. By so doing, we
will find ourselves informed and greatly inspired by contemplating a
destination which is available only to the Christian. To the Christian, the
Bible says, "If ye, then, be risen with Christ, seek those things which are
above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on
things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is
hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then
shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:1-4). Yes, we are
instructed, we are commanded to raise our vision above anything that can be
viewed on a horizontal level. We are enjoined to perform the deliberate act
of setting our affections, forcing ourselves to contemplate things above.
Indeed, we are to seek those things which are above. Looking onward and
upward, this is the proper object of Christian
contemplation. The reason for this is simple--that's where we are going!
We can never be delivered from the anxieties of time by merely looking
back, around us or simply ahead. The ultimate merely looking back, around
us or simply ahead. The ultimate purpose of life cannot be discovered on
the horizontal plane. In the last analysis, there is no final fulfillment
available within the historical process. Everything that we can see with
our human eyes is a part of the tapestry of earth. That tapestry, those
hangings which are the ephemeral backdrop of the human drama, must be torn
down and cast away. Speaking about the things of earth and about our
eternal Lord, the Scripture says, "they shall perish, but Thou remainest;
and they all shall become old as doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt
Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed; but Thou art the same, and
Thy years shall not fail" (Heb. 1:11, 12). That should certainly settle it.
Everything that can be seen with the eyes, the earth and even the visible
heavens, will perish. The purpose then for which to live is not the
acquisition of earthly pieces that perish, but to live for an eternity that
is becoming increasingly near.
Speaking about the signs of the dissolution of the things of time,
Christ advised us, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look
up, and lift up your heads; for your redemptiondraweth near" (Luke 21:28).
So we have divine instructions, we
are to look up.
We Christians will do this! Whatever advice we have from the touters of
the things of time, we will look up beyond the is not the acquisition of
earthly pieces that perish, but to live for an eternity that is becoming
increasingly near.
Speaking about the signs of the dissolution of the things of time,
Christ advised us, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look
up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth near" (Luke 21:28).
So we have divine instructions, we
are to look up.
We Christians will do this! Whatever advice we have from the touters of
the things of time, we will look up beyond the trinkets and tinfoil of
earth. We will see this world as only relatively important and not to be
compared with the realities of eternity. Yes, we've long since learned that
the things that are not seen are eternal.
Let us, therefore, worry no longer about the disappointments of time.
This because--so soon is time gone. Our answer, therefore, to the question,
"What will you do in the event that trouble will increase (which it is) and
that earth finally will be destroyed (which it will be). Our answer is
always and ever the expression of our glorious hope--we will look up!
About Dave Breese:
Dave Breese is the Bible Teacher on The King Is Coming telecast. Each
week, he speaks to the nation, expounding God's plan for the future from
the prophetic scriptures.
World Prophetic Ministry teaches Bible Prophecy in these End-Times
days.Through our outreach of books,audio and video cassettes, and our
highly acclaimed telecast The King Is Coming, we proclaim the Good News:
Christ died for our sins and is coming again soon.
Please Write Dave and tell him that you saw his article here in
Prophe-Zine. He has a free catalog of books and newsletters that you can
order from him. They are an excellent resource for the study of Prophecy
and World events.
Write to :
World Prophetic Ministry
P.O Box 907
Colton, CA 92324
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Ark of the Covenant & The Temple
This article appeared in the March 95 issue of Prophecy Club
Will the Ark of the Covenant be revealed prior to the millennium?
Why is the Ark of the Covenant important to Bible Prophecy in 1995? It may
play a major role in the last days. A time is coming when Gods' attention
will turn from the gentiles, to the Jews. And they shall fall by the edge
of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and
Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the
Gentiles be fulfilled. LUK 21:24 God will clean up the sins of Israel.
JER 50:20 In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of
Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah,
and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.
How will God remove the sins from Israel? We would like to think they
receive Jesus as Messiah. We know they will toward the end of Daniels'
seventieth week. All of Israel is saved. It may be the Ark of the
Covenant is used.
Where is the Ark of the Covenant?
Some believe it is in a cave on mount Nebo just as is quoted in II
Maccabees 2:5. (5. And when Jeremy came thither, he found an hollow
cave, wherein he laid the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of
incense, and so stopped the door.) Others say it is in Ethiopia. Grant
Jeffrey says he talked with a man in a position to know, that told him it
was flown from Ethiopia to Israel by plane when the Ethiopian Jews
returned to Israel.
Which one is correct? All I can tell you is what I know. Maybe an ark was
brought from Ethiopia. An ark may be in a cave somewhere. I can't say. I
can tell you where it had to be on the day Jesus was sacrificed, the Bible
tells me so. Jesus tells us he came to fulfill the law and the prophets.
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come
to destroy, but to fulfil. MAT 5:17
Jesus is telling us he must fulfil the prophecies concerning the Messiah,
and the laws concerning sacrifice. In His birth, death, burial and
resurrection Jesus fulfilled 109 prophecies concerning the Messiah. We
can easily prove he fulfilled the prophecies of the Messiah. What about
the laws concerning sacrifice? John called Jesus the "Lamb of God."
And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
JOHN 1:36 For the Jews to accept Jesus as the "Lamb of God," he would
have to fulfill the scriptures concerning animal sacrifice. What are the
laws concerning sacrifice to wash the sins of a nation away?
The day of Atonement
As we recall, on the day of Atonement two goats were brought to the High
Priest. Lots were cast, one goat, called the "scapegoat" (Representative
of Barabas.) was set free in the wilderness. The blood of the second goat
(Representative of Jesus.) was taken in a golden bowl into the Holy of
Holies, and sprinkled on the Ark of the Covenant seven times. LEV 16:14 And
he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger
upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle
of the blood with his finger seven times.
This was a sacrifice to wash the sins of the entire nation of Israel away.
It was different from the other sacrifices in that it was not a sacrifice
regarding one man or his family, but the entire nation. The Ark of the
Covenant was so Holy that the Priest had to perform sacrifices to purify
himself to approach the Ark. Tradition has it bells were tied on his
garment, and a rope around his waist, or foot, in the event he was not
pure enough, and was struck dead, he could be pulled out for burial.On the
day Jesus was crucified the sun went dark and the ground was "rent" or
"cracked."
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the
bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; MAT 27:51 The
Centurion came to Jesus and ran a sword in his side and out came blood and
water.
But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came
there out blood and water. JOH 19:34
Where did that blood of Jesus go? If Jesus was the "Lamb of God" his blood
had to drip on the Ark of the Covenant seven times. Jesus was the "Lamb
of God." According to Ron Wyatt, the blood went down a crack to the left
side of the center cross-hole and dropped on the Ark of the Covenant.
When Ron was in our home he told my wife and I he found 3 units of blood on
top of the Ark of the Covenant. All he could tell us was it was human
blood, and it was the blood of only one human, but it was different from
all other blood on earth. Later, he told us how it was different. THINK
for a minute. How would the blood of the Son of God be different from all
other blood on earth? Would you like to know? When I started typing this
paragraph I had full intentions of telling you. But I think I will let
that be one of the questions you can ask when you come to hear Ron speak,
or you can get the video. I will just say it is more proof that Ron Wyatt
found the Ark of the Covenant!
Where is the Ark of the Covenant? The only place it could be, under the
center cross-hole! If Jesus' blood did not drop on the Ark of the Covenant
then he did not fulfill sacrificial laws, and it is going to be difficult
to get any Jew to believe he was the Messiah. There may be an ark in
mount Nebo, there may be an ark in Ethiopia. There may have been one
brought back from Ethiopia, I can't say. I can only say that the real one
had to be underneath the center cross-hole. Where is the Ark of the
Covenant? I don't know. If you can show me where the center cross-hole is
I can tell you where to find the Ark of the Covenant.
Why is Archaeology important to Prophecy?
The following tells of a time of revival coming our way in the midst of
trouble. O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of
affliction, [NOTE: We prophecy students recognize these words as words
from Psalm 91. We also recognize these words as a date stamp. The "day
of affliction" is usually referring to the "Tribulation" or "Daniels
Seventieth Week." So we can probably assume this prophecy is to be
fulfilled near the last seven years before the Millennium.] the Gentiles
shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our
fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no
profit. Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods? ["They
have made unto themselves Gods that are not Gods." Such as Buddah etc.]
Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them
to know mine hand and my might; and they shall
know that my name is The LORD. JER 16:19-21 [Which is to say, I will
prove myself and my Word. We think part of this will be the pouring out
of Gods' Spirit mentioned in Joel 2:28. We also think many of these
Archaeological discoveries are part of God demonstrating His power.
How was the Ark found?
In 1991 my wife and I accompanied Ron Wyatt, his wife Mary Nell, and 26
other people on a two week bumpy tour to see many of Rons' discoveries.
My wife is a very discerning person that has not mis-judged people very
often. We believe Ron is telling the truth. We had just toured Golgotha,
and the tomb of Jesus. We sat down in an open bench area to hear Ron talk.
When Ron talked, I taped. I taped 12 hours of the tour. I condensed it
into a two hour video, and I was amazed at how good the footage came out.
We offer it as V-3 Archaeology Confirms the Bible. People say it is
astonishing! At that time if you had told me that one day part of this
audio would be played on 17 radio stations, including shortwave and
satellite I would have been startled. Yet, God had a plan. The following
is a 21 minute transcription of Rons' account of his discovery of the Ark
of the Covenant.
One day I was walking along this escarpment with an Archaeologist friend
of mine. Those of you that know me know that I am not given to salubrious
soliloquies or sepulferal solicitudes. I am hard headed, hard nosed, and
I want to know the facts, and that is all I want to know. As I was
walking by my left arm pointed to a dump under the wall of the escarpment,
and my mouth said, "That's Jeremiahs' grotto and the Ark of the Covenant
is in there!" Well, I love the Israelis, but they are not overly generous,
and I think our friend here will agree. (Refers to our Israeli tour
guide.) But this man said that's wonderful! We will let you excavate, we
will give you a place to stay, we will give you all the help you need, we
will provide you food, and we will do your laundry. (Turns to Israeli
guide again.) How many times does an Israeli offer that to a Goreon?
(Gentile) Not often. I was flabbergasted! I had not even thought about the
Ark of the Covenant, or Jeremiahs' cave, or none of that stuff. I said,
"Later, maybe I will do this, but now I have got to go home. So, I went
home.
I dug through history books. I found out at the vanishing of the Ark of
the Covenant and the other major furnishings of the first temple, when
they first vanished the city was surrounded by a siege wall.
...Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against
Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round
about. 2KI 25:1 In the Hebrew this simply means a siege wall. Titus did
the same thing, part of Titus' wall has survived to the North. They were
built out of range of the catapults in the city. Catapultology had not
advanced since Nebuchadnezzars' time, and the Roman catapults had about
the same range as the one in Nebuchadnezzars' time. So we can conclude
that Nebuchadnezzars' wall was about where Titus' was. The Ark of the
Covenant vanished out of this besieged city. Some people say it was taken
to Mount Horeb, some people say that Solomans' son by the Queen of Sheba
snookered him into making a replica and he traded. But the Shekinah Glory
didn't leave until about 586 BC. This man might have snookered Soloman,
and everybody else around but he couldn't snooker the Shekinah Glory. So
that did not happen.
The only place, short of God blinding part of the Babylonian army, and
having some of His people take this out and hide it, was it had to be
hidden in the city, or inside this siege wall. The city is being
systematically excavated down underneath -the tunnels,the caves, and
everything, with very scientific methods. I went to the Israeli
Archeological authorities, including the gentleman I was speaking with
when my mouth said something my brain, ...ah... shall we say, didn't go
along with, or had no idea about. I explained how it had to be inside
this siege wall, and I thought it was there from my research. So they
gave me a permit based upon that.
So we started digging, and as we dug we found cut-outs in the cliff face,
where three public signs related to the crucifixion were set up when a well
known criminal was to be crucified. Now this arrangement, I always
thought, was just for Christ. It was not. This is how the Romans did it.
They had captured Barabas who had stirred up a lot of trouble in the area
-rebelled and tried to overthrow the government. He didn't have a lot of
luck, but he tried. So he was sentenced to be crucified. He was to be
crucified in a very public manner. Some say on a hill far away. This is
a hill far away. It is a little below the crest, because they made a
quarry through here. But it is still on Mount Moriah.
They always crucified people right along beside a very busy road. It was
meant to intimidate anybody that would be thinking about trying something.
They put the name of the person and what they were accused of in thechief
local languages. In Jerusalem it was Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, or Roman.
And there is three cut-outs there. Now in other cities they put up what
ever languages were used there. But Roman was always one of those
languages. As we excavated down the escarpment we found these cut outs.
The wall that was on the outside away from the cliff face got so high and
tetery, we decided to sink a shaft down to see what statta we would find.
We turned the samples in appropriately. We did carbon 14 dating on the
charred wood we found at different levels. We turned in the mortars and
pestals. When we got down to the bottom we came back up to where the
ledge of the cliff had been cut down into. We went along in a horizontal
shaft carefully documenting everything as we went.
Any Archaeologist that doesn't do this is a criminal. Because people
deserve to know what happened here and what was found. Not some made up
story. Not some things that were brought in from some other dig and put
here so they can say well we found this here so this proves such and such.
There is a lot of that going on. In school they teach you that you do
not go out and dig to see what is there. You decide what is there and
then you see to it that you find it.
We went along this wall at the Roman level we found Roman coins, we found
Roman glass, we found Roman pottery. We turned it all in. It is in boxes
in the storage area at the Rockefeller Museum. Unless somebody came along
and decided it wasn't any good, and we have too much of this sort of thing
anyway.
As we went along we found this cut-out rock. I thought, man, that's
unusual. So I picked the thing up, and there was a depression under the
rock. I started digging carefully under there, it was just some debris.
[EDITORS NOTE: By reading this account you miss several important gestures
Ron makes that confirms this really happened. Before I came full-time in
The Prophecy Club I used to teach people how to speak in public. When a
story is made up, natural gestures normally associated with an action talk
are missing. If you were telling an incident in which you were riding a
bicycle down the side of a steep hill, hit a rock and fell.
Unconsciously, you would
have your hands in place as if they were on the handle bars, and move them
as if you were riding a bicycle. When you described the part where you
hit the rock, your hands would jerk to one side, you may even show how you
began to tumble. You might even reach to lift your pant legs to show the
scar. Normal gestures follow an action talk. Since they are important to
the authenticity of the story I will note them. I encourage you to get
the video and see this talk for yourself.] but, it was a cross-hole filled
with debris. [He simulates digging in a small area. Making gestures
similar to you stirring batter in a mixing bowl.]
Apparently, when these cross-holes were not in use for crucifixion they
had plugs they put in them so horses or people walking by wouldn't break a
leg, and so they wouldn't fill up. I was told to put that in a safe
place, which I did, and it is still in a safe place. It dawned upon me.
This had to be where Christ was crucified, because this was twelve feet
below these cut-outs in this cliff face, and it was at the Roman level.
[My wife and I prayed that God would lay on the hearts of people he wanted
to see these amazing discoveries to call us. We agreed that if we were
called, we would go and show as much as they had time to see, without
regard to distance, or number of people. We would ask no money. If a
love offering was given, fine. We showed our video and parts of Ron's
video to over 35 different Christian groups and Churches. On one occasion,
in Manhattan Kansas, a man came to me before the meeting and said, "I
don't mean to be offensive brother, but I just want to tell you, I don't
believe a word of this. I hope you have some evidence." Once we showed the
people our video and told them our story, including this man, we never had
a person tell us they did not believe us.
It was a test of our faith to see if we really wanted to serve God. Would
we be faithful to tell the truth in the face of opposition or unpopularity.
Once passed, the greater opportunity to serve via The Prophecy Club would
be given. Secondly, the video that Ron shows when he speaks is the truth,
and people see it for themselves. Ron will show far more than what we
have to show!] We found coins of Tiberius, and some others. We know that
this was open to the public for several years, including the point in time
when Christ was Crucified.
As we were working there we noticed a crack in the cliff right by the left
side of where this cross-hole was. That didn't mean a lot. This area has
been fractured considerably. If you will look along this escarpment you
will see there is a lot of cracks in there. The Bible says ...the earth
did quake, and the rocks rent; [MAT 27:51] Today I know that crack
occurred at that moment in time. Then, I didn't know that. What was I
excavating for? What was I looking for? What was my permit about? It was
to see if the Ark of the Covenant had been hidden in this escarpment. I
had people that I had to report to periodically.
I was running out of money, and it was time to go home. I prayed, "Lord,
what shall I do?" I was impressed to break right through the cliff face.
That seemed very ignorant to me. So I kept looking around, and I found
some very old buildings, old foundations, old altar stones, which I left
in place as any good Archaeologist will do. When we got ready to go, my
oldest son, it was his turn down in the hole, we were passing the tools
out to store them. He said, "Dad, you always pray about things, why
haven't you prayed so you will know where to dig?" I said, "I have," and
he said, "What happened?" I said, "I was impressed to break through this
cliff wall!" Like that settles that. My son says, "Well, why don't you do
it... You've done dumber things than that before!" So, I said, "OK." I
had him holler up at my youngest son to pass the tools back down.
Here this crack was in the cliff face that went right by the left side of
the wall. I decided if I made my chisel crack over here [He makes a
motion showing where the crack was, and where he chiseled, and how a large
triangle shaped chunk of rock would fall out.] that I could just pop this
out. I would have a nice piece I could put back, and I wouldn't damage
anything. We popped this out, and way back in the dark end of this crack
was a dark hole about like this. [Holds fingers together in the "OK" sign
indicating a circle about 2 to 3 inches across.] Well, I said, "Give me the
flashlight." I shined it back in there, and here was this cave chamber!
[His hands pull apart as if to indicate a large room.] I thought the Ark
of the Covenant has got to be setting right back there! I went off into
never-never land, goose bumps, swimmy head, and the whole bit! [He moves
his hands in reverse directions on both sides of his head to indicate
having a swimmy head of euphoria.]
We quickly enlarged the hole, and got in. Well, the Ark of the Covenant
wasn't setting there. So I worked and worked. I poked around in this
little hole and that little hole, and followed this erosion path through
the limestone.
Finally, the 6th of January, 1982, at 2:00pm in the afternoon. That's
something else an Archaeologist always does. When you enter a chamber
where you think something might be, you look at your watch. [He looks at
his watch, touches the face of it, and lays his finger to the side of his
head, as if to make a mental note.] You make a note of that. It may be
important. If you don't find anything in there you can forget about it,
but you should look in case. So, I did that, I went in there -nothing but
rocks!
Ordinarily, I would have crawled right back out of that place, but, my
sons had gotten double pneumonia, walking pneumonia. They were running
fevers of about 104, and so was I! So, I sent them home. I decided I was
either going to find that this trip, or die in the hole! I really did.
That's not very bright, but when you are sick enough it seemed very
logical to me.I got this little Arab guy. He was about so big. [Indicates
about 4 to 4´ foot tall.] He was marvelous at getting into places and
shining the light around so I could see if they were empty, or if they had
anything in there. We came to a hole where the water had eroded a bit
through there. There was a stalactite hanging over the hole. [Indicates a
stalactite of about 4 inches at the top tapering down to a point.
Gestures indicate it is about 12 to 14 inches in height.] So I took my
hammer and I carefully tapped it at the base and laid it aside so we would
have that for future reference if necessary. Then I made the hole big
enough for him to get in. This is the way we had been working. So he
crawls in there. I start to hand the light back in there to him, and here
he came out terrified! Absolutely terrified!
If I hadn't got out of his way I honestly believe he would have taken me
apart! ...getting out! He was mindless terror! [He moves his hands back and
forth in a circular manner over each side of his head indicating total
mindless terror.] That made me suspect there was something special in
there. He said, "What's in there, what's in there!!!! I am not going back
in there!!!" That was fine by me, but, I made the hole big enough so I
could get in there. That is the only reason I looked in that cave,
because it looked very unpromising.
I crawled around on these rocks. The place was full of them. There was
about eighteen inches of clearance to the ceiling. I shined my light down
through the openings down through the rocks. [Holds his hands as if he has
a flashlight in it. Makes gestures as if he is shining it down between
rocks. With the other hand makes a circle as if he sees the spot of gold.]
I saw a little spot of gold here, and I saw a spot of gold there, and I saw
a spot of gold there. My heart started pounding like you wouldn't
believe!! [He makes a fist and strikes his chest to indicate his heart is
pounding hard!] I started taking these rocks, and started sticking them
here, there and everywhere. [Makes gestures of moving rocks about one foot
square.] I actually ended up with rocks behind my shoulders here. [Makes
gesture of putting a rock behind him.] Here was a gold veneered table! I
thought, that's the table of shewbread! Later I found out that by reading
the book of Sammuel a little more carefully that Soloman made ten more of
them besides the one Moses had Basalil make out in the wilderness. So now
I don't know if that was a copy, or the real thing. At that point in time
we didn't know that.
I happened to notice this stone box right in front of me, and the lid
cracked right here. Well, I thought there has got to be something special
in this box. I looked up to see what I could do to get rid of some more
rock. I saw some brown... dark brown stuff. I looked on up the wall, and
here it had come through a crack, and down the wall and landed on that
broken area of that lid. [Points up and his finger seems to trace down the
side of the wall.] Suddenly, it all came together. The cut-outs! The
cross-hole! The crack! The Ark of the Covenant! Christs' blood on the mercy
seat!45 minutes later I came to enough that I carefully put everything
back, crawled out of there, and sealed up the hole. [He was able to
convince the authorities at the department of antiquities that he did find
the Ark of the Covenant when he presented a gold covered pomegranate from
the cave.
He later came back and cut a large shaft down to within a foot of breaking
into the chamber. He told a group in Omaha, "when the decision is made to
bring the Ark out, it can be on display in one day!"
Come and hear Ron tell the story in person, or get V-3 Archaeology
Confirms the Bible to see him give this particular talk, or order the
video of his talk to The Prophecy Club when he speaks in March.
The Prophecy Club's BBS telephone # is 913-271-8048
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The Pre-Wrath Rapture
By Wes Peters wes@ionet.net
When talking about end times prophecy in general and the rapture in
particular, a distinction needs to be made between the tribulation period
and the time of God's judgment. As Christians, we are not the object of
God's wrath yet in this world we will have tribulation.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation
through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thess. 5:9
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the
world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
John 16:33
Concerning the last days, the end of the tribulation will be followed by
cosmic signs and the Son of Man appearing in the clouds of the sky.
"But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall
from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and then the
sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of
the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds
of the sky with power and great glory." Matt. 24:29-30
This is almost an identical account of what will happen at the opening of
the sixth seal.
"And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great
earthquake; and the sun became black
as sackcloth made of hair, and the
whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth,
as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. And the
sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain
and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth and
the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every
slave and free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the
mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us and
hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath
of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to
stand?' " Rev. 6:12-17
The tribulation period of the days prior to these events will be over when
the sixth seal is opened. What follows the sixth seal is the seventh seal
which sets in motion the seven trumpet judgments of God. But something
must take place first. Since Christians are not the object of God's
judgment, they must be removed from the earth. The account in Matthew
continues by saying . . .
"And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will
gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to
the other." Matt. 24:31
Yes, the rapture of the church does not occur until after the sixth seal
is opened which is after the church undergoes the persecution associated
with the rise of the Antichrist. Multitudes of believers, possibly you and
I, will give their lives rather than worship the Antichrist or the image of
the beast. Are you ready?
I have set up a web page that looks at current events and how they might
relate to end times prophecy. Recognizing the trend toward the end can
help us be alert and ready. The URL is:
http://ionet.net/~wes
E-mail copies of the current events are available for those who want them.
I am always looking for events that might pertain to end times prophecy.
If you know of any, I would appreciate it if you would bring them to my
attention.
I have also put together a booklet on end times prophecy. This booklet is
available for download from the above URL. I also have copies that I can
e-mail or snail-mail, free of charge, for those interested.
Wes Peters
wes@ionet.net
http://ionet.net/~wes
***************************************************
WHAT IS THE PRE-WRATH RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH?
By Ron Wallace
ronw@netcom.com
The pre-wrath rapture position, based on a more literally defined
terminology, places the rapture of the church at the Day of the LORD which
occurs after the man of lawlessness is revealed (2 Thes. 2:3) and after the
tribulation of those days is inter-rupted and cut short by that Day of the
LORD return of Jesus.
(Mt. 24:29)
The primary adjustments in terminology are as follows:
1. The tribulation is never defined in scripture as being 7 years long.
Jesus defines it at Mt. 24:9-29 as a period of time, beginning at the
mid-point of Daniel's 70th week, when man will oppress man. He further
indicates that the time period will be cut short at some unknown day and
hour before the end of the 70th week by His return in the clouds.
2. The tribulation is man's wrath and Satan's wrath poured out on the
world. It is not God's wrath. God's wrath is poured out after the Day of
the LORD arrives.
3. The seals are chronological except that numbers 3, 4 and 5 are
concurrent during the oppression from the man of lawlessness.
4. The first seal corresponds with the little horn of Daniel 7:24, when he
conguers the 10 nation European (Roman) confederacy by taking control of 3
of them.
5. The 7 year covenant of Dan. 9:27 will take place shortly after that and
officially begin the 70th week of Daniel.
6. The second seal corresponds with the revelation of the man of
lawlessness as he breaks the covenant and takes THE peace from the earth.
This begins the tribulation of Mt. 24:9-29.
7. The third, fourth and fifth seals are concurrent during the great
tribulation & are the results of man's oppression on man.
8. The sixth seal is the return of Jesus at the Day of the LORD and
parallels Mt. 24:29-31 and Joel 2:30-31. It is the announcement of God's
wrath which will come upon the world and is represented by the 7th seal
from where come both the trumpets and bowls.
9. Rev. 7:9-17 sees the raptured church in heaven having been taken out of
the great tribulation just as Jesus taught would happen at Mt. 24:22,
29-31.
10.The seventh trumpet occurs 3 1/2 days after the end of the 70th week of
Daniel and announces the final outpouring of God's wrath via the seven
bowls. Rev. 11:1-19
11.The seven bowls of God's final wrath will take place during the 30 days
after the end of the 70th week culminating with the final battle at
Armageddon. Dan. 12:11 with Rev. 11 & 16.
12.There will then be 45 days of preparation for the Messiah to begin His
formal 1000 year reign upon the earth. Dan. 12:12.
13.Comments on the interpretive system applied to the book of the
Revelation. Although there may be slight differences even among others who
hold to a pre-wrath position, the operative
factor will be the Golden Rule of Interpretation, for knowledge of which I
am indebted to D.L. Cooper.
When the plain sense of scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense;
therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning
unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related
passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise.
Accordingly, I view the book of the Revelation to be chronological except
in those places where it is clearly indicated to be retrospect.
The seals produce the trumpets and the trumpets the bowls. These do not
overlap in the least but are chronological, beginning with the start of the
70th week (or slightly before it) and progressing through the 70th week and
to the end of the 30 day period which follows the 70th week.
The book itself obviously begins with the church on the earth prior to the
start of the 70th week and progresses through Messiah's 1000 year physical
reign on the earth, to the last
judgment and into the eternal state. Throughout, there are chapters that
give a retrospect for amplification and it is imperitive to recognize these
as retrospects in order to retain the true focus and intent of the vision.
The pre-wrath rapture position, though recently so titled, was indeed the
view of the early church and the Ante-Nicene Fathers (those Christian
leaders from John until the Council of Nicea in 325 AD) who clearly
believed in a "post-tribulation" rapture of the church. That is, a
deliverance of the church which would follow the persecutions from the
beast against the church. Although citations from these ancient witnesses
will show us a few different theological viewpoints, yet they are in
certain agreement that the church would experience the great tribulation.
What has been missed throughout history, is the precise definition of that
tribulation period and the Day of the LORD. And it is that precision that
the pre-wrath position seeks to restore.
In grace, Ron
ronw@netcom.com
**********************************************
THE PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH UP TO THE BEGINNING OF
DANIELS 70TH WEEK
By Ron Wallace
Matt. 24:4 And Jesus answered and said to them,
See to it that no one misleads you.
Mankind has always been preoccupied with the future, and of course, the
disciples of Jesus were no exception. During the week prior to the
crucifixion in 30 AD, Jesus frequented the temple in Jerusalem every day.
And it was on one of these days, the 12th of the month Nisan, that it
appears as though He actually baited the curiosity of the disciples by
emphasizing a future destruction of the temple with very strong language.
The occasion, according to Mt. 24:1 and Luke 21:5, was the disciple's
enamorment with the temple structure. The bait then, appears to be recorded
at Mt. 24:2 and Luke 21:6.
Mt 24:2, - - Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you,
not one stone here shall be left upon another,
which will not be torn down.
This of course, elicited from them the obvious question of - When? But in
actuality, they asked Him four specific questions.
1. When will these things be? Mt. 24:3; Mk. 13:4; Lk. 21:7
2. What will be the sign of these things? Lk. 21:7; Mk. 13:4
3. What will be the sign of your coming? Mt. 24:3
4. And the sign of the end of the age? Mt. 24:3
The answers of Jesus, recorded for us in Mt. 24 and Luke 21, give us an
outline for the history of the church up until the gathering of the elect
(church age believers) out from this world at the arrival of the Day of the
LORD.
Matthew 24:4 - the possibility of deception requires specific information
so that the church might be oriented to the progress of history and not be
distracted from her evangelistic purpose. If the church, or more
specifically, individual believers, get too distracted and discouraged at
the progress of evil in the world, they will lose sight of the true
objective for their continued sojourn here on the earth. 1 Peter 2:9
At 1 Peter 4.12, we are told that we should not be surprised at the fiery
ordeal among you which comes upon you for your testing, as though SOME
STRANGE THING were happening to you;
Thus, we have the Olivet Discourse, wherein Jesus orients us to the
historical trends that will occur during the church age, leading up to His
return at the Day of the LORD.
As this is studied, it is imperative to properly harmonize the three
accounts that we have in the synoptic gospels. And as they unfold it will
be clear that the progress is viewed from 30 AD as an uninterrupted
history of the church until Mt. 24:29-31 when Jesus returns in association
with the Day of the LORD signs and gathers His elect from the world.
Jesus breaks down the historical trends into three periods.
1. Those before 70 AD.
2. Those between 70 AD and the great tribulation.
3. And those during the great tribulation.
CHURCH AGE TRENDS - General trends both before and after 70 AD: Mt. 24.5,
For many will come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, (Lk. 21.8, I am
{He,} and, The time is at hand) and will mislead many. (do not go after
them. LK)
(For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work - 2 Th.2.7)
v.6 And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see
that you are not frightened, for it must take place,
but {that} is not yet the end.
(Lk. 21:9 And when you hear of wars and disturbances,
do not be terrified; for these things must take place first,
but the end {does} not {follow} immediately.)
All of these things have been occurring since 30 AD, and are to be viewed
as general trends without placin any specific significance upon them.
But then at Mat. 24:7 and Luke 21:10-11, Jesus describe trends that take
place on a much larger scale than the ones just mentioned - - For nation
shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom - - -.
There are two things in this passage which tell us that these *larger
scale* trends are those which will occur after AD 70.
1. The idea of *kingdom against kingdom* conflicts does not
describe the conflicts that took place within the Roman
Empire prior to 70 AD.
2. Luke 21:12 - *but before all these things* -
Here Jesus backs up in His discourse in order to describe
the events leading up to and culminating in the destruction
of Jerusalem and the temple.
By saying, *before all these things*, Jesus is placing the following
information before the ~larger scale~ trends just described.And so,
chronologically, these events should be viewed first.
As we approach this study, there is an important point that needs to be
recognized in order to properly correlate the language Jesus uses as He
tells of the events that will take place. Jesus taught about two different
times of persecution and two different times of crisis for Jerusalem. He
uses similarity of language to describe both, and we must be careful to
make the separation between the two situations or else our perspective
will become a bit confused.
When Jesus talks about the persecution between 30-70 AD, he uses
language that is very similar to what He uses to describe the persecution
of the great tribulation. But by careful analysis, the distinction between
the two periods can be preserved. The same principle applies to the
destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the oppression by the beast in the
great tribulation.
SPECIFIC PERSECUTION BETWEEN 30-70 AD
(based on Luke 21.12, But before all these things)
V.12-19, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you,
delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before
kings and governors for My names sake. It will lead to an
opportunity for your testimony. So make up your minds not to
prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; for I will give you
utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to
resist or refute. But you will be delivered up even by parents
and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put {some}
of you to death, and you will be hated by all on account of My
name. Yet not a hair of your will perish. By your endurance
you will gain your lives.
Mark also records this information at Mark 13:9-13 and it is best to take
that passage as paralleling Luke 21:12-19. It should further be recognized
that Matthew records this same teaching much earlier than the Olivet
discourse. Mat. 10.16-23 But at Mat. 10.23, Jesus takes the persecution
and the gospel proclamation beyond the immediate time frame of the
apostolic era and applies it to the church age in general - You shall not
finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.
This simply confirms the idea that there is no *interruption* of the
historical progress of the church until Jesus returns at the Day of the
LORD.
Mk 13:9-13 But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to
courts, and you will be flogged in synagogues, and you will
stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to
them. And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.
The world-wide proclamation of the gospel was fulfilled by the apostles
prior to 70 AD according to language that we find at
Col. 1.6, 23. But it also has great significance for the period of time
prior to the Day of the LORD. For there shall be, indeed, needs to be a
blanket of gospel truth announced to Israel both locally, in Palestine,
as well as world-wide, in order to sow the seed that will sprout in the
144,000 Jews who are converted just after the Day of the LORD arrives.
(Rev. 7:1-8)
Matthew 24:14,
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed
in the whole world for a witness to all the nations,
and then shall the end come.
DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM - 70 AD
Having recognized the 30-70 AD time context of Luke 21:12-19, it should
be clear that Jesus picks up at v. 20-24 with the siege of Jerusalem by the
armies of Rome. This event actually becomes the point of contact and
overlap between AD 70 and the future oppression of the beast during the
great tribulation.
And once again, we must be very careful in recognizing the precision in
the words of Jesus to distinguish between these two events, and at the
same time realize that He used similarity of language to describe both.
Luke 21.20-22, But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,
then recognize that her desolation is at hand. Then let those
who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in
the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the
country enter the city; because these are days of vengeance, in
order that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
All things fulfilled does not refer to the *entire* plan of God for
Jerusalem, but specifically, that which involves a world-wide dispersion.
A world-wide dispersion is not what happens in the yet future oppression by
the beast, nor what happens when the nations surround Jerusalem during the
Armageddon campaign.This prophecy of Jesus specifically fulfills OT
passages that deal with the destruction of the city and the dispersion of
the people.
Lev. 26.27; Deut. 28.49-68
It deals with the national discipline that God will administer upon the
Jewish people because of the rejection of their Messiah.
Mt. 21:33-46; 23:37-39
That is why the term *days of vengeance* is used at Lk. 21:22.
Luke 21:23-24, Woe to those who are with child and to those who
nurse babes in those days; for there will be great distress upon
the land, and wrath to THIS people, and they will fall by the
edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations,
and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until
the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Dan. 9.26, (And after the 62 weeks the Messiah will be cut off
and have nothing,) And the people of the prince who is to come
will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come
with a flood; and to the end there will be war, a decree of
desolations. (my translation)
The Roman army under Titus besieged the city in 70 AD on the 14th of the
month Nisan until its fall, 134 days later on the 8th of Elul. This was
prophesied by Daniel as taking place after the cutting off of Messiah. The
cutting off of Messiah must be understood from the context
of Isaiah 53.8 - He was cut off from the land of the living, for the
transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due. (There is a
different Hebrew word for cut off at Is. 53:8, but that does not change
the parallel).
The prince who is to come is the little horn of Daniel and refers to the
future dictator of a Revived Roman Empire who makes a 7 year covenant with
Israel and then breaks it 3 1/2 years later. But the people of that *end
times* prince refers to the Romans, who in AD 70 destroyed the city and the
sanctuary.
And after 70 AD, until the end (end times) there will be war, just as
Jesus said at Mat. 24:6, and a decree of desolations which includes the
famines and earthquakes of Mt. 24:7. And the plagues mentioned at Luke
21:11.
Additional OT references concerning the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Zechariah 13:8
And it will come about in all the land, declares
the Lord, That 2 parts in it will be cut off
and perish; but the third will be left in it.
Here, Zechariah tells us that 2 parts - by far the greater majority of
the people - will perish in a future judgment on Israel. Josephus gives
the number as 1 million and 100 thousand,
and although most authorities believe that to be an exaggeration, there
is no way of knowing for sure. The third part that is left in it includes
those who remain alive.This group includes not only the 97,000 who were
taken captive from Judea, but the over-all population of the Jews
throughout the Roman Empire. These remain alive and make up the world-wide
dispersion which exists to this very day.
Hosea 5:14-15
For I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
and like a young lion to the house of Judah,
I, even I, will tear to pieces and go away,
I will CARRY AWAY and return to my place
until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face;
In their affliction they will earnestly seek me.
In this passage, Yahweh tells us that He will *judge* Judah -and carry
away. Carry away is the world wide dispersion that began in AD 70 and
remains in effect even to this very day. He also said that He would return
to His place. This refers to the fact that Yahweh (Jesus the Messiah)
would leave the earth after accomplishing His judgment on the nation.
The judgment has 2 stages:
1. The indictment stage which took place during the ministry
of Jesus and at the cross in AD 30.
2. The physical stage which took place 40 years later in AD 70,
is the destruction of the city and the temple.
3. Jesus actually left in AD 30 at his ascension to the right hand
of the Father, but it is this very ascension through
resurrection that confirmed the indictment He placed on the
nation during His ministry. Mt. 21:43-44; 23:37-39
And Jesus will stay away until the nation acknowledges their guilt.
Notice the comparison with Mt. 23:39, until you say - - Blessed is He who
comes in the name of the LORD!
Back in Hosea, Yahweh then tells us exactly when it will be that they
will seek Him. *in their affliction* - the time of Jacobs trouble, the
great tribulation. This will be discussed later but it is evidenced by
the fact that *faithful* or orthodox Israel does not accept the beast
worship and instead flees into the wilderness when the beast sets up his
image in the temple. Mt. 24:15-16; Rev.12.13-14
Zechariah describes for us the history of the nation of Israel subsequent
to 70 AD as a history of refinement and testing which will culminate with
them *calling on my name* -
Zech. 13.9,
And I will bring the third part through the fire,
refine them as silver is refined,
and test them as gold is tested.
they will call on My name and I will answer them;
I will say, They are my people,
and they will say, The Lord is my God.
In view of this scenario Daniel provides very interesting details. At
Dan. 11:21-32, we have the history of Antiochus and the Maccabean revival
which took place between 171-165 BC. And then at Dan. 11:33, we jump to a ti
me of revival just prior to the destruction and captivity of Jerusalem in
AD 70.
Daniel 11.33
And those who have insight among the people - -
(Messiah believers -the church- between AD 30-70)
will give understanding to the many; (Israel)
and they (Israel) will fall by sword and by flame,
by captivity and by plunder, for {many} days.
(As Jesus taught at Luke 21:24 - -
And Jerusalem shall be trampled under foot by the
Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles is fulfilled).
An important point for proper interpretation here, is to determine
whether the *destruction* language at v. 33 can properly refer to the
condition of Israel during and/or after the Maccabean revival, or must look
to a more complete destruction by the Romans in 70 AD.
And if, as is best, the language at v. 33 refers to 70 AD, then - v.
34-35 must refer to events after 70 AD and which culminate in the
purification of Israel at the time of the end. Ie, during
the great tribulation and just prior to the Day of the LORD.
And so, according to a very common practice in the OT prophets, the
writer jumps the history after 70 AD and picks up with the 70th week.
Daniel 11.34-35
*Now when they (Israel) fall (world-wide dispersion) they will be granted
a little help,*
Israel remains *fallen* until the end of the great tribulation when the
period of time known as the Day of the LORD arrives. It is during this time
that she shall look on Him whom she pierced, acknowledge her national guilt
and proclaim, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD.
In her fallen condition, since the Roman dispersion, Israel has come
under much and varied attacks without much reprieve if any. But there will
come a time when she shall be granted a little help. This is best defined
as the covenant that is made by the dictator of Revived Rome which will
give Israel the religious freedom she needs to build a temple and
reinstitute its sacrificial system.
It is called *a little help* because it is a false covenant that will be
broken just 3 1/2 years after its confirmation.
~and many will join with them in hypocrisy.~
(Israel's apostacy - the covenant with the beast)
Once the covenant is broken and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the
hypocrisy of the covenant will be exposed. But still, many Jews will
continue and join in the hypocrisy
of beast worship.
~And some of those who have insight (the church) will fall, (martyrdom)
in order to refine, purge, and make them pure, (evangelistic outreach to
Israel) until the time of the end;
(Day of the LORD)
because {it is} still {to come} at the appointed time.~
It is primarily the testimony of the true Messiah worshipers (the
church), even in the midst of extreme persecution, (the 5th seal of Rev.
6:9-11) that will produce a purification so that when the Day of the LORD
arrives, there will be a large group of Jews who trust in Jesus the
Messiah. (Rev. 7.1-8)
But all this is to be amplified later. Right now we must return
to our chronology.
CHURCH AGE TRENDS - after 70 AD
MT. 24:7-8 (and) nation will rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and
earthquakes, (and plagues, and great signs from heaven; LK. 21:11)
But all these things are {merely} the beginning of birth pangs.
All this continues from 70 AD as the beginning of birth pangs. Birth
pangs for what? For the end of course. And that *end* is identified here in
Matthew, as the return of Jesus (V. 32-35)
and elsewhere as the Day of the LORD.
The advanced stage of birth pangs begins with Mt. 24:9 - the events of
the great tribulation. It is during this time frame (v.9-28) that the
gospel will be proclaimed throughout the whole world - *and then shall the
end come*. The result of that gospel proclamation will be additions to the
church which will be raptured at the Day of the LORD, and at least the
144,000 Jewish converts after the rapture.
Thus, the natural flow of Matthew 24 is to record the progress of the
church from AD 70 into and to the end of the great tribulation. The
message of Jesus bypasses the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel and
simply picks up at the mid-point of the week when the man of lawlessness
begins his oppressive reign as the beast out of the sea. In fact,
everywhere the emphasis is not on the 1st half of the week, but always on
the 2nd half. There is a conspicuous absence of information about the 1st
half, but an abundance of information about the middle of the week, the
oppressive reign of the beast and all that follows.
The reason of course, is because the 1st half is a time of peace for
probably all the world, as a result of the covenant that is signed by the
dictator of Revived Rome and the peoples of Palestine.
And the history of the church progresses smoothly up into that first half
and into the great tribulation to be delivered, as that tribulation is cut
short, by the one and only visible return of Jesus at the Day of the LORD.
So prior to the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel, the church will
progress in a world environment of *beginning birth pangs.* But the
environment of the church itself will be one of false teaching and
compromise. This is represented both by the letters of Paul and Peter, and
by the letters to the 7 churches recorded in Revelation 2-3, all which
describe conditions prior to the breaking of the first seal and actually
extending up to the 6th seal.
2 Thes. 2:1-3
Now we request you brethren, with regard to the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him, that you
may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed
either by a spirit or a message or a leter as if from us, to the
effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way
deceive yoiu, for (it will not come) unless the apostacy comes
first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruc-
tion, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or
object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God,
displaying himself as being God.
Any discussion is indeed welcome on this subject. I can be reached
E-mail: ronw@netcom.com
In love and grace,
Ron Wallace
**********************************************
This month I thought I'd offer a potpourri, three reviews from three
sources. These are very different books and will appeal to a diverse
readership. The first two are by guest critics, K. David Kragen, and
Janette Kragen. (Don't ever say we practice nepotism around here.) The
Third is by yours truly, the Bookworm. The first book reviewed is by
Christian author Annie Dillard. With the great lack of adequate Christian
literature, we felt that this book deserved some attention.
THE LIVING
by Annie Dillard New York, 1992.
Reviewed by K. D. Kragen.
Annie Dillard won the Pulitzer Prize in nonfiction for PILGRIM AT TINKER
CREEK in 1975. Now she has written her first novel. The Living follows the
lives of three families settling the Bellingham Bay region of Western
Washington between 1855 and 1893.
Throughout this sweeping chronicle, Ada Gleason Fishburn Tawes and a host
of other very real characters work and die, suffer and struggle and
celebrate and die in a world where one is constantly life-stung and
death-stung, growing and loving. Dillard, in speaking of death, speaks of
the living.
Like Melville's Moby Dick, The Living will be one of the great, lasting
epics of American Literature. Like Moby Dick, underneath the every-day--so
well described you can smell it! -- are those ever-present metaphysical
currents of eternity: swirling eddies of spiritual sight, myriad portraits
of love and marriage, youth and age, scenes which illumine the streets of
1893 Seattle and 1855 Whatcom, and the ever-present gargantuan rain forests
stretching north. But, unlike Moby Dick, Dillard's book neither goes on
forever, nor requires a degree inphilosophical theology to dredge out its
myriad visions and truths.
For example, at one place the hulking, strangely brutal Beal Obenchain
announces to Clare Fishburn, quite philosophically, he's going to kill him.
From that point on things changed for Clare:
"There was a wagging patch of light on the wall above the sink; the bushes
outside the dining room wagged, too. The planet wagged on; the man who
planted those bushes was dead. And time, for Clare, had sprung a leak ...
"Clare could see the dark at the edge of the plain. He felt a hole in the
wall behind him; things rushed out that hole. He was running low on air.
Yesterday, talking with John Ireland in front of the high school, he had
imagined and seen the long horizon of bay water and beach begin to tilt and
upend. On the low side a gap appeared, and water and houses and schools and
all the world's contents slid into the gap and blew away" (p. 197).
Dillard's style is a finely crafted fugue of concrete reality and its
infinite underpinning, the little things tentatively moored to a space-time
universe, the mooring lines illumined in startling flashes of the writer's
art.
"Mabel and her cousin Nesta, and flat-nosed Cyrus Sharp, and his youngest
brother, Horace, were tying each other to a tree. They had found a length
of line and were tying each other to the cottonwood tree. Clare watched
from the kitchen. He had forgotten this piece of information: children tie
one another to trees. Children find wild eggs, treasure, and corpses; they
make trails, huts, and fires; they hit one another, hold hands, and tie one
another to trees. They tied Horace Sharp to the tree; he cried. They tied
Mabel to the tree; her flat beret fell off, and she could not break away.
"Clare had looked out past the pie safe. Here is a solid planet, he
thought, stocked with mountains and cliffs, where stone banks jut and
deeply rooted trees hang on. Among these fixed and enduring features wander
the flimsy people. The earth rolls down and the people die; their survivors
derive solace from clinging, not to the rocks, not to the cliffs, not to
the trees, but to each other. It was singular. Loose people clung in
families, holding on for dear life. Grasping at straws! One would think
people would beg to be tied to trees" (p. 350-51).
This is so typical of Annie Dillard! It is so characteristic of her
aesthetic and delightfully human view of life, of all of us -- the living.
Elegant and refined prose, mature and seemingly effortless descriptions
flow seamlessly between dialogue and narrative, resounding with the ring of
truth and a great and glorious depth of humanity. The Living is a work of
astounding eloquence, a work of sweet, unforgettable aesthetic fire.
********************
One of the ongoing battles facing the Christian Community is the death of
the Pre-born. It is a battle that must be fought for the sake of the
defenseless victim. Here is a book by a victim who did not die.
GIANNA
by Jessica Shaver
A Focus on the Family Book, Colorado Springs, CO, 1994
reviewed by Janette Kragen
Gianna by Jessica Shaver is one of the most powerful pro-life testimonials
I have ever read. The subject, Gianna Jessen, a 17 year-old singer, was the
survivor of a saline abortion. In the last two years, she has become an
outspoken advocate for life in the public arena. She testifies against
abortion in churches, at youth conferences, pro-life rallies, in
legislative committee hearings and on national radio and television.
This book, published by Focus on the Family, is written in a basic
conversational style. It is primarily aimed at a broad market of younger
non-readers. I recommend using this book as a family reading and discussion
project. It can also be used in the church for youth group meetings.
********************
From time-to-time, as the new millennium approaches, I will review books
that deal with Millennial Madness. This is an excellent work of sanity in
the midst of a lot of insanity.
99 REASONS WHY NO ONE KNOWS WHEN CHRIST WILL RETURN
by B. J. Oropeza
InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1994.
As we continue to hear how Christ is returning "this week" or "next
month," or "next year," this book will be an invaluable reference to refute
the mushy thinking that underlies the demand that we know exactly when
Christ is coming.
B. J. Oropeza is a Fuller Theological Seminary graduate and is a research
associate with the Christian Research Institute. His research skills have
served him well in writing this book.
I do, however, have one significant criticism. Those who hold a
Pre-Tribulational, Pre-Millennial view will find disagreement with some of
Oropeza's positions. These disagreements shouldn't be with his general
position about date-setting, but will be with some of his positions on
Israel. Also, he sometimes fails to recognize that holding a
Dispensationalist position is not synonymous with date setting.
Having expressed my concerns, I can never-the-less recommend the book
without reservation. Its strengths far out way its drawbacks. The book is
broken down into 14 sections. The first is introductory, with sections two
through thirteen grouping reasons by categories. Let me list a few of the
sections to give you a flavor of the approach.
Section 2 - "Reasons Why No One Knows the Date Through Scriptures.
Section 6 - "Reasons Why No One Knows the Date Through the Signs of the Times
Section 7 - Reasons Why No One Knows the Date Through Current World Affairs.
One of my favorites is "Why No One Knows the Date Through Rumors. This
includes some of my favorite contemporary myths: 1. The increase in the
number of vultures in Israel, 2. Hell is enlarging itself to make room for
the damned, 3. The New Age Movement is a world-wide conspiracy and my
personal choice: 4. The Illuminati is behind everything.
Oropeza provides excellent material in a clear and concise way to show
that to set dates for the return of Christ is, in the final analysis,
direct disobedience to the teaching of Scripture.
Christ can and may return at any time, but we are to tarry until he does,
living in obedience and advancing the kingdom. Let us be found at work in
the Father's fields when Christ comes. Let's leave the date setting to
someone else. This book will give you a ready answer when your neighbor
tells you "Be prepared, the Lord is coming this weekend."
So, until next time, good reading!
Your friend, The Bookworm
***********************************************
Prophe-Zine News Bites
Electronic Global Cash**********
With its 20m inhabitants, the Internet is more populous than most
countries. Now the net is developing an economy as businesses open "virtual
storefronts". All that is missing is a global on-line currency to match its
borderless reach: hence the search for digital cash. A quaint academic
project? Not entirely. Whoever can win acceptance for a currency for
multimedia commerce could become the banker for the digital age.
One company in the hunt is DigiCash, an Amsterdam-based firm that makes
"smart cards" for electronic transactions. In the DigiCash scheme,
customers would use local currency to buy an equivalent amount of digital
cash--"Internet dollars", say--from a bank. The bank's computer would then
instruct special software on the user's own PC to issue that amount of
money. The instructions would be coded strings of numbers included, like
regular text, in electronic mail messages. Users would spend their Internet
dollars by sending these strings to sellers (who would be able to check
with the bank to ensure that the buyer had enough money to pay).
This seems close to writing a normal cheque. But David Chaum, DigiCash's
founder, points out that its cash--like real cash--offers anonymity. The
string is untraceable. The bank can say only if the number is valid, not to
whom it was issued. As more marketers begin to track and sell purchasing
information, Mr. Chaum predicts, consumers will soon demand the ability to
buy things anonymously, simply as a way to protect their privacy.
Meanwhile the Information Networking Institute of Carnegie Mellon
University is sponsoring "NetBill"--a scheme which would broker
transactions through a third-party financial institution, much like the
debit cards that exist today. Both customer and merchant would maintain
accounts with the third party. When the customer wants to buy something,
his software will notify the third party to transfer the amount to the
merchant's account.
The Information Sciences Institute at the University of Southern
California is developing both a cash/cheque model and a debit card model.
Clifford Neuman, who heads the project, expects both models to be used,
depending on whether the user wants anonymity or not. ISI is working with a
team of banks including Bank of America and Citibank; its two rivals are
both working with credit-card companies. The first global currency may
turn out to be nothing more than an abstract electronic string, but
financial institutions want to ensure that even in a wired world a bank is
still a bank.
Meanwhile the Information Networking Institute of Carnegie Mellon
University is sponsoring "NetBill"--a scheme which would broker
transactions through a third-party financial institution, much like the
debit cards that exist today. Both customer and merchant would maintain
accounts with the third party. When the customer wants to buy something,
his software will notify the third party to transfer the amount to the
merchant's account.
The Information Sciences Institute at the University of Southern
California is developing both a cash/cheque model and a debit card model.
Clifford Neuman, who heads the project, expects both models to be used,
depending on whether the user wants anonymity or not. ISI is working with a
team of banks including Bank of America and Citibank; its two rivals are
both working with credit-card companies. The first global currency may
turn out to be nothing more than an abstract electronic string, but
financial institutions want to ensure that even in a wired world a bank is
still a bank.
-The Economist; Sept. 10, 1994
FBI NABS NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR FINGERPRINT ID SYSTEM******
* CRIME: Agency is automating its database to replace
cumbersome system. New process locates suspects
faster.
By Ronald J. Ostrow
Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON -- Police, clueless and frustrated over the respected
professor's slaying, come up with a single fingerprint at the murder scene.
They rush it to the FBI, and within hours the killer is identified.
If this sounds too good to be true, it is--for now. It would take
weeks,even months, to get the fingerprint through the FBI's cumbersome
system.And at the end of the process, the chances that a fingerprint
examiner could match a single print with that of one of the 32 million
individuals whose prints are on file with the FBI would be virtually nil.
But by 1998, the FBI plans to be using a computerized system that will
slash the turnaround time to practically nothing: as little as two hours
for a suspect in custody and 48 hours for more routine cases in which no
one is being held.
All this will be possible thanks to a marriage of two technologies: laser
scanners that can read fingerprints much as supermarket scanners now read
bar codes, and computers that canmatch fingerprints far faster than the
human eye. The fingerprint scanners were developed for law enforcement but
are already spawning an array of applications as substitutes for such
everday items as door keys and credit cards.
Some state and city law enforcement authorities, including California and
Los Angeles, already are operating their own automated fingerprint systems
and there the FBI will be just catching up.
But nationally, the so-called integrated automated fingerprint
identification system, projected to cost $520 million, will be an enormous
advance.
If the automated sytem had been operating when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
was murdered in 1968, for example, assassin James Earl Ray could have been
identified within hours from a thumbprint on the rifle, binoculars anda
map that he left behind, FBI officials calculate.
As it was, the FBI identified Ray 15 days after the killing by running a
print from the crime scene against a file of fugitives' prints. During
those 15 days, investigators looked fruitlessly for the killer under two
aliases across the country while riots scarred many of the nation's cities.
Already the FBI has in place a computerized repository of the names and
fingerprints of more than 20 million individuals, from arrested persons to
convicted felons. Some 200 employees work full time to transfer the
millions of remaining 10-print cards--augmented by 20,000 to 30,000 cards
that roll in every day from law enforcement agencies across the
country--onto computer tape at FBI headquarters in Washington.
Some law enforcement agencies and members of Congress have criticized the
FBI's pace of automation as too slow.
"The FBI is playing catch-up to an extent," said Wally Briefs, the ident-
ification unit coordinator at the Sunnyvale (Calif.) Department of Public
Safety. "There are systems all over the United States that are ahead of the
FBI."
But as soon as next year, the FBI's system is scheduled to allow police
anywhere in the country to tap into a central data bank of the fingerprints
of 300,000 to 400,000 wanted persons.
Using Computers in their patrol cars, police will be able to run a
suspect's right index fingerprint against the FBI's file of fugitives'
prints. A match will provide sufficient legal cause to take the suspect to
the station for a 10-finger check. The cost to equip each patrol car with
the equipmentwill be about $500.
Even this is only a small step along the way to the far more sophisticated
system that the FBI intends to have in place by 1998. That system, using
all 10 fingerprints instead of just one, will provide law enforcement
authorities with positive identifications in as little as two hours. Still
more important in some situations, it will enable computerized matches of
"latent" fingerprints--those left behind at the scene of a crime--with
prints on file at the FBI.
The new fingerprint system constitutes the largest single technology
investment the FBI ever made.
The FBI's fingerprint activity is split about equally between criminal and
civil applications, with the civil ranging from applicants for federal jobs
to licensing required for certain industries and child-care providers in
some states.
The FBI's identification division has blossomed into the Criminal Justice
Information Services, which is in the process of relocating to West
Virginia.
"This division is the single largest in the FBI, and it overwhelmingly
serves the criminal justice community outside the FBI," said assistant FBI
Director Steven Pomerantz, who is in charge of the CJIS.
Even when the automated system begoms operating, there will be a
substanial number of police departments that lack the technology to fully
use it. "We'll still be taking fingerprint cards from them and entering
them in the system," pomerantz said. "For a number of years, we'll work a
dual system."
THe new system will be entirely paperless, with images of each finger
recorded and entered into a computerized database and transmitted
electronically to the FBI. No human has to touch a finger-print card in the
process, but a certified fingerprint examiner must still certify each
match.
The system will be able to handle 635 latent print searches a day, split
about evenly between federal investigators and state and local police. This
will limit its use to homicides and sex crimes.
"The problem is that in a crime of violence, it's not unusual to develop
25 to 30 latent prints," noted Danny W. Greathouse, chief of the FBI's
latent fingerprint section.
"Six hundred and thirty-five is a significant number, but it is not many
when you think of how many murdres or rapes or armed robberies there are
every day."
California's entire daily allocation would be just 34 latent searches. "If
you have a triple murder in Los Angeles, that could take up all the 34
searches," Greathouse said. "Then you put on hold that double murder in
Sacramento and that rape in San Francisco."
But thanks to systems already in place at the state level and in Los
Angeles, California enjoys a substantial head start and will need to use
the national system only sparingly.
The Los Angeles Police Department ran 10,000 latent prints through its
system in 1993 and, as a result, identified 2,670 people, said Wendell
Clements, chief of the latent fingerprint section. Prints of everyone
arrested for a violent crime are run against the department's database of
latent prints from unsolved crimes.
About 95% of the matches are with the local databases, not the state's or
the FBI's Clements noted--a reflection of criminals' habit of sticking
close to home.
"I can't think of the last time I had a burglar fly up from L.A. rent a
car and drive to Sunnyvale to steal a microwave oven," said Briefs, the
official in Sunnyvale, which was involved in a pilot program for an
advanced automated fingerprint identification system. "The vast majority of
criminals stay local."
Latent prints are usually far less distinct than inked prints taken at a
police station, and they typically carry only a tiny fraction of the
details that examiners need to match them against prints on file. Experts
worry that computers will have an even harder time dealing with latent
prints than humans do.
After substantial controversy within law enforcement circles, the FBI
settle on a system that will provide a medium level of clarity--better than
many metropolitan police departments have in their automated finger-print
systems but less than the nation's top finger-print sleuths wanted.
As a significant as these developments appear, it took some fancy budget
footwork by the master of Capitol Hill manipulation, Sen. Robert C. Byrd
(D-W.Va), to win congressional approval of the funding. One year he
resorted to a "dire emergency supplemental appropriations bill" to raise
$185 million of the project's $520 million cost.
Pomerantz, assistant director of CJIS, acknowledged that finger-print
processing "is not one of the big, glamorous items in law enforcement. So
money is tough to get."
The move to West Virginia, with two satellite facilities already operating
there, may be a boon for Byrd's constituents, but it is proving a major
headache for FBI Director Louis J. Freeh. Freeh has been unable to deliver
on a promise made by predecessor William S. Sessions that no jobs would be
lost during the move.
Only 418 of 1,718 division employees still in Washington are willing to
move to West Virginia, and finding FBI jobs in Washington for the other
1,3000 is proving impossible at a time when the entire federal bureaucracy
is shrinking.
The division's staff is largely black and female, and Freeh has ordered
that those who won't move be given preferences for openings in FBI jobs
here and elsewhere. He is notifying employees six months in advance that
their jobs are being transferred and guaranteeing them that they can keep
working until Sept. 30, 1996.
MONDAY, APRIL 3, 1995
LOS ANGELES TIMES
666 Trial Run *********************
According to a KNBR radio report this morning, the city of Novato is
considering a municipal ordinance that would involve implanting a microchip
(about the size of a grain of rice) between the shoulder blades of every
cat in town. That way, when a cat is picked up by animal control, they can
wave a reader over it and the bar code will indicate who the owner is and
where the
animal lives.
CASHLESS CURRENCY************
AT&T NEWS page 2 Feb 1995
AT&T Smart Cards and GiroVend Holdings Ltd. have signed a joint agreement
to promote new smart-card applications and technology for smaller cashless
consumer transactions.
AT&T Smart Cards are credit-card-sized devices that contain a
microprocessor and memory chip that store and process personalized user
information.The two companies plan to focus initially on the U.S.
educational market [The younger uninformed will accept their changes easier.
] for smart-card payments as an alternative to cash-handling systems. That
initiative will be extended to global markets in health care, banking,
retail, entertainment, governinent, travel and universities in the future.
"Our society is clearly moving towards an era when cash is no longer the
most common form of payment.
Smart cards will become standard currency of this cashless society." said
John Bermingham, president, AT&T Smart Cards. "Just as credit cards have
replaced cash for large-value transactions the last 30 years, smart cards
are likely to replace cash for many smaller transactions. [More proof we
are heading toward the Mark of the Beast. For the ultimate video on Mark of
the Beast information, order, M-16, Approaching the Mark of the Beast.]
GORBACHEV,BUSH LEAD THE CHARGE*************
By Mike Blair
Just as San Francisco was the birthplace of the United Nations,
now the "city by the bay" will host a meeting to establish ground rules for
governing for a united world.
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has been named the
"convening chair" and host of a world forum on the "first global
civilization" planned for San Francisco from September 27 to October 1.
Elitists at the conference are scheduled to consider how the
so-called "new world order" will be governed. The last dictator of the
fallen Soviet Union, Gorbachev has ensconced his Gorbachev Foundation USA
in the former Coast Guard commandant's residence at the closed
U.S. Military base, the Presidio, in San Francisco.
The SPOTLIGHT has learned has learned former President George
Bush and ex-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher have agreed, among
others, to serve as co-chairs of the forum slated San Francisco's Fairmont
Hotel.
Others to co-chair the meeting on the so-called new world order
include: Ted Turner, U.S. teleivision mogul; George Shultz, a former
secretary of state;Askar Akaev, president of the Soviet break-away republic
of Kyrgystan;Tansu Ciller, prime minster of Turkey;Vaclav Havel, prime
minster of the Czech Republic; Bilderberger Rund Lubbers, ex-prime minister
of the Netherlands; Rigoberta Menchu, Guatemala, like Gorbachev a receipent
of the Nobel Peace Prize; Yasuhiro Nakasone, former prime of Japan; Julius
Nyerere, ex-president of Tanzania; and Desmond Tutu Episcopal archbishop of
South Africa.
In explaining the purpose of the forum, former U.S. Sen. Alan
Cranston (D-Calif), chairman of the Gorbachev Foundation USA, said he hopes
for a new world order following the cold war have dimmed. "There appears to
be a great cynicism everywhere with government," Cranston said, "And there
is a yearning for a new directions."
About 8,000 business leaders from 75 countries have beeninvited
to attend as paying participants at a cost of $8,000 each, which will bring
the tax-exempt Gorbachev Foundation USA a total of $64 Million, if all
attend.
Other invited guests include Vice President Al Gore, President Nelson
Mandela of South Africa, ABC newsman Ted Koppel, novelist Isabel Allende,
Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security adviser in the Carter adminstration,
Jessica Tuchman Mathews, senior fellow of the
Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) who writes a column on the WASHINGTON
POST, and Paul Volcker, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.
President Bill Clinton does not appear either on the list of
co-chairs or invited guests, which is unusal since he has received high
praise from Gorbachev. According to the CAPE COD (Massachusetts)TIMES of
January 23, 1993, Gorbachev stated: "The future needs....international
institutions acting on behalf of all. A higher institution that operates on
a consensus, such a choice would narrow the independence many believe the
United States now enjoys...President Clinton will be a success if he uses
American influence to accomplish this transformation of international
responsibility and increase significantly the role of the United Nations.
He will be a great president if he can make Americathe creator of a new
world order based on consensus."
The "mission" of the world forum,accoirding to literature
released by the Gorbachev Foundation USA, "will focus on the fundamental
challenges and opportunities confronting humanity as we enter the next
century and a new millennium. It is being held in the
belief that at this momentous juncture in history, we are giving birth to
the first global civilization.
"In this spirit, the intent of the Forum is to articulate a clear
vision of new international priorities. Its task will be the generation of
innovative approaches to the fundamental challenges facing human society
through a process which emphasizes global awareness, individual empowerment
and a sense of home.....Inherent within the forum is the potential for the
establishement of a global brain trust to continue into the next century."
The dictatorial nature of the "global civilization" becomes clear
with the descriptive literature stating that in "new ways ... our political
leaders are challenged to provide the framework for stability and REGULATED
[SPOTLIGHT emphasis] human interactions; our
moral leaders to give expression to the eternal values which have always
guided humanity; the business community to assume responsibility for the
investment and management necessary for prosperity; scientists to continue
technological development to serve
human needs; artists to give metaphorical expression to our dreams and our
tragedies; our youth to demand that the future be better than in the past;
and intellectuals to offer penetrating insight concerning humanity's
progress toward shared golas.Only the creative interaction of these groups,
rather than the supremacy of one group over others, will allow the answers
we all seek to emerge and guide us as we shape the next phase of human
development ..." It's worth noting that Gorbachev, as the last leader of
the Soviet Union, has never renounced
his Marxist ideology.
For subscribtion information call the Spotlight at 1-800-522-6292 or
snail mail:
The Spotlight
300 Independence Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20003
THE UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD**********
January 1995 REPUBLICAN WOMEN'S CLUB OF SAN MARINO
Senate Resolution 70 has been signed by a large number of senators. This
resolution would be a sense of the Senate debate on the ratification of the
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. If this treaty is
ratified, it would carry the same weight as constitutional law; nullifying
any state laws which are against the provisions in the treaty.
Since 1989 one hundred countries have signed the Convention. Mr. Bush did
not sign or send it to the Senate for consideration; however, Mr. Clinton
has done so. Mrs. Feinstein is a co-sponsor of the treaty. Like former
President Bush, many thinking Americans are approaching elements of this
treaty with a great deal of concern. Mainly, it is seen as positioning
children's rights against parent's rights.
The document enumerates many so called "rights" of the child, but the
language is unclear on rights of parents. Some troubling parts of the
convention include; [Ed Note: Notice every "right" is against the laws of
God. The New World Order is a world without God based on Lucifers laws.]
(Article 12) right of the child to express his own views freely in all
circumstances. [I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my
tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
PSA 39:1]
(Article 13) right of the child to receive any kind of information through
the media of his choice. [Indoctrination for the New World Order? He that
walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of
oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth
his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He
shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks:
bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. ISA 33:15&16]
(Article 14) right of the child to freedom of religion. [They don't mean
to allow all children to be Christians they mean the child has the RIGHT
NOT to attend Church.[Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for
it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou
serve. MAT 4:10]
(Article 16) right of the child to privacy in his correspondence. [They
want to remove the wall of protection parents have to protect the child
from the evil of the state. [Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy
days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. EXO
20:12]
(Article 17) right of the child to receive information from national and
international media. [They want to train our children to be good little
socialists so they will be good adult sinners. Once again, against Gods
law. [My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law
of thy mother: PRO 1:8 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall
exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see
it. PSA 37:34 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good
understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth
for ever. PSA 111:10]
(Article 30) right of the child to his own language. [If Isaiah said he
was a man of unclean lips, left alone, what would the child be? Then said
I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I
dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the
King, the LORD of hosts. ISA 6:5]
(Article 31) right of the child to rest and leisure. [Yet a little sleep,
a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy
poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. PRO
6:10&11]It does not take a stretch of the imagination to see the potential
problems this presents. Carried to the extreme, this would allow children
to rear
themselves with the aid of the United Nations. We wonder how it would be
enforced. Would our government hire lawyers to represent children in law
suits against their parents? It is interesting-to-note that the United
States Constitution lists rights that can be enforced againstgovernment,
but the United Nations treaty lists rights that could be enforced against
parents, institutions or countries. What would be the impact in an
international court as suits were brought against the United States by the
United Nations? What would be the impact of suits brought against parents?
When considering this treaty further, we can't forget the international
bureaucracy that would be formed. A committee would be created to implement
the treaty with no assurance that any Americans would be included. People
would be appointed to monitor and report on each country's adherence to the
treaty. Congressman Thomas I. Bliley Jr. is quoted as saying that the
treaty represents a potential threat to our form of government. The good
news is that it probably will he necessary to hold it over to the next
session of Congress. Let's hope that the new Republican Congress will show
the same interest in the Convention that the Bush Administation did - NONE!
Patricia English, Political Education
USA Today newspaper chain pushes new world religion (6/94)******
The following is from Christian Crusade Newspaper, P.O. Box 977,
Tulsa, OK 74102, in its 42nd year of publication. We can
be E-mailed on America On Line as Christcrew, on Compuserve
at 72204,541, and via the Internet as Christcrew@aol.com .
by Keith Wilkerson, editor
What some fear is emerging as the new, pagan, world religion
received an unexpected endorsement from the Gannett Corporation, acording
to Media Monitor.
Gannett is America's largest newspaper chain and owns such
newspapers as USA Today, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the Cincinnati
Enquirer, the Des Moines Register-Tribune, the Reno Evening Gazette,
Florida Today, the Knoxville Journal, the El Paso Times, Tuscon Citizen,
the Pacific Daily News, the Idaho Statesman, and the Oakland Tribune -- as
well as more than 100 others and a number of TV stations
"Gannett is much bigger than USA Today," wriote Reed Irvine and
Cliff Kincaid of the press watchdog group Accuracy in the Media. "It runs
scores of papers around the country and its USA Weekend magazine appears
in hundreds of newspapers around
the country.
"This magazine appears to have gone off the deep end "
USA Today has invited readers to send away to the Gannett
headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, for a free copy of the final
declaration of unity issued by the Parliament of the World's Religions held
in Chicago last September.
Only the most theologically liberal Catholics, such as the
controversial Hans Kung, were represented at the event, which was shunned
by evangelicals. The Southern Baptist Convention and the Assemblies of God
Churches declined their invitations. In the middle
of the week, the official Greek Orthodox delegation withdrew and several
Jewish delegations walked out, in part because of the prominence given to a
number of obscure groups of witches, pagans and occultists.
"But none of that bothered Gannett," wrote Irvine and Kincaid,
"which seemed eager to get copies of the final conference document into the
hands of the gullible. All that was required was a stamped, self-addressed
envelope.
"USA Weekend reporter Cathryn Creno tried to justify her focus on
this nonsense by noting that other more important papers had covered this
material in a positive manner. She said, 'In the past few years, serious
articles about Wicca have appeared in Newsweek, New
York Newsday, and the New York Times. The Times even praised Wicca in an
editorial, saying it promotes values "as profoundly humane as motherhood
itself."'
It doesn't seem to matter that this is at variance with traditional
religion. Pope John Paul II, for instance, has publicly attacked Wicca and
goddess worship, saying they undermine Christianity.
"You would never catch the New York Times or Gannett hawking the
writings of the Pope or any other traditional religious figure," noted
Media Monitor.
"But when a New Age gathering produces a spiritual-sounding but
counterfeit document, Gannett uses its clout in an effort to distribute
copies nationally."
WHAT IS CHRISTIAN CRUSADE NEWSPAPER?
Christian Crusade Newspaper is in its 42nd year, has a
worldwide circulation and is published by Christian Crusade, P.O. Box 977,
Tulsa, OK 74102.
It is mailed to subscribers without charge as a result of the
conviction of its founder not to put a price-tag on the gospel. For a free
subscription, just ask.
Although Dr. Hargis no longer travels, editor-in-chief Keith
Wilkerson accepts speaking invitations. Both can be E-mailed on America On
Line as Christcrew, on GEnie as K.Wilkerson3, via the Internet as
Christcrew@aol.com, and on Compuserve at 72204,541.
END TIMES PROPHECY WEB SITE*********
A new prophecy related web site has gone online. This site, titled
"Current Events and End Times Prophecy", looks at certain current events
and how theymight relate to biblical prophecy, just as the name implies.
The current events that are posted are grouped according to "trends".
There are three general trend categories. They are the political trend,
the economic trend, and the moral trend.
On this web site there is also an online book, "In Light of Biblical
Prophecy". This book, also available for downloading, contains
thescriptural basis for the trends presented. It also challanges some of
the conventional interpretations. For example: why is the beast with seven
heads and ten horns always referred to as the Antichrist when he clearly
comes up out of the abyss? (Rev.17:8, 11:7) He is not the Antichrist, but
rather, a demon. The Antichrist is the false prophet of Rev.13:11 and is
the mouth that is given to the beast with seven heads and ten horns. And
will there be a ten nation federation? The Bible says that the ten horns
are ten kings which have not yet received a kingdom but receive power as
kings for one hour. (Rev.17:12) A world kingdom is already in place when
the ten kings receive power because they destroy the world's capital.
(Rev.17:16-18) They rise up from out of the final world kingdom. So what
is the final world kingdom like? According to Daniel 2:41-43, it is a
multi-national kingdom.
Also on this web site are links to other end times related material.
Visitors are encouraged to recommend any end times related articles they
know of for posting. This way we can keep informed of what is going on
from a biblical perspective.
The URL for this web site is: http://ionet.net/~wes
TEN TIPS ON HOW TO LIVE IN THE NEW WORLD ORDER********
By No. 405-33-1231
1. WATCH LOTS OF TELEVISION. Television pleasantly sublimates the
primitive human defense mechanism that can get you in trouble.
2 AVOID TALKING ABOUT RELIGION OR POLITICS. No matter how innocuous your
speech may be, it could be misinterpreted and recorded in your Government
Personal Thought Dossier.
3. IDENTIFY YOURSELF BY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. Use of one's Christian or
Family name may be perceived as prideful individualism.......a Class B
Felony.
4. PUBLICLY DISOWN FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS WHO HAVE BEEN COERCIVELY
ENROLLED IN RE-EDUCATION CENTERS. NWO Rules of Justice provide for
expeditious prosecution and conviction of Guilt by Association.
5. VOTE CORRECTLY. The new FAX, PHONE, and MAIL BALLOTING SYSTEM is
carefully monitored by Elections Security Police (ESP) to identify
potential dissidents and enemies of the World. Avoid voting for
mavericks----most of whom are sponsored and financed by the World
Government Opportunities Agency (WGOA) to bring malcontents out into the
open. To assure minimal risk when voting, cast your ballot for incumbents
having an A-1 rating by the ADL.
6. ATTEND ALL POLITICALLY-CORRECT RALLIES AND PATRIOTIC FUNCTIONS IN YOUR
AREA. To obtain additional merit points, carry a sign which derides
viewpoints held by Constitutionalists, Patriot Groups, Fundamentalist
Christians and other bigots.
7. MEMORIZE THE OPINIONS OF THE NWO LEADERS AND TELEVISION ANCHOR PERSONS.
Reiterate them as if they were your own during all social and busines
conversations.
8. ATHEISM IS THE SAFEST POLICY. But affiliations with State-Approved
religious organizations are permitted, and may be rich fields for business
contacts.
9. BE AMONG THE FIRST IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD TO TURN IN YOUR SPORTING RIFLES
when the UNIVERSAL PLOWSHARES ACT goes into effect. You will be well-fed
under the terms of THE SOCIAL PAN-AGRICULTURE AND WILDLIFE PROTECTION
PROGRAM, hunting will be unnecessary, and possession of firearms of any
description after the effective date of UPA will constitute the capitol
offense of Aggravated Intent to Commit Homicide.
10.WILLINGLY AND HAPPILY SURRENDER YOUR PARENTAL RIGHTS, participate
enthusiastically in the new OBE school program and realize the honor
associated with being a breeder and care taker of the first generation to
SERVE THE MASTERS in THE NEW WORLD ORDER.
Subject: Soylent baby************
Another Commercial Use for Human Fetuses: Health Food
For those of a utilitarian mind and a strong stomach, Shenzhen, PRC seems
to be the place to go for an abortion. Shenzhen hospitals carried out 7,000
abortions last year, but that is not their only claim to infamy. Hong Kong
women sometimes go there seeking cheap abortions, but some of the
abortionists' remuneration comes from an unlikely source: the health-food
industry. The bodies of the fetuses are eaten as a soup, together with pork
and ginger. Reportedly, private clinics sell aborted fetuses for between
$1.60 and $2.00.
But at the publicly-minded state-run Shenzhen Health Centre for Women and
Children, obtaining fetuses is free. "We are a state hospital and don't
charge," commented a female doctor. A day after being asked, she handed the
reporter a glass bottle filled with thumb-sized fetuses. The doctor was
quoted as saying: "There are 10 fetuses here, all aborted this morning. You
can take them. Normally we doctors take them home to eat -- all free. Since
you don't look well, you can take them." From a western perspective, it is
not hard to imagine what the reporter may have blanched at.
Zou Qin, a doctor working at the Luo Hu clinic in Shenzhen, said the
fetuses were "nutritious" and claimed to have eaten 100 herself in the past
six months. She said the "best" were first-born males from young women. "We
don't carry out abortions just to eat the fetuses," she remonstrated, but
added that fetuses would be "wasted if not eaten."
According to the Hong Kong _Eastern Express_, the story originated when
journalists from its sister publication, _Eastweek_, had gone across the
border from Hong Kong, to see if fetuses were being sold. The story ran in
the 12 April edition of the _The Eastern Express_, and the 13th April
edition of _The London Daily Telegraph_, and was reportedly carried by UPI,
the _Japanese Economic Newswire_ and the _Agence French Press_. The report
was ignored by the mainstream U.S. media.
This report largely taken from the 13 April edition of _The London Daily
Telegraph_, page 14: "Chinese trade in human foetuses for consumption is
uncovered," By Yojana Sharma in Hong Kong and Graham Hutchins in Beijing.
Many thanks to readers Phil Sevilla and Christopher Coope.
Cool Quotes***********
It can't be repeated too often that, in the Declaration of
Independence, our Founding Fathers asserted the revolution ary and "self
evident" truth that "men...are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights." The Founders went on to assert, "to secure these
Rights, Governments are instituted among Men." Note the logical sequence:
1) God exists; 2) God creates man and endows him with rights; and 3) Man
creates government to protect those rights. The individual precedes and
is superior to government. Our Constitution is not a body of law to govern
the people; it was formulated to govern the government, to make government
the servant and not the master of the people.
Source: Global Tyranny...Step By Step:
The United Nations and the Emerging New World Order
By William F. Jasper (c)1992
p.147
"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Ben Franklin, 1759
"A lot of people say there's too much personal freedom. When personal
freedom's being abused, you have to move to limit it."
President Clinton as quoted on MTV, April 19, 1994
"To believe in Bible prophesy is unforgivable, not only is this idea
heretical, it is an appallingly, self fulfilling prophesy of doom."--- Al
Gore
CULTIST DEFINITION: " A cultist is one who has strong belief in the Bible
and the Second Coming of Christ; who frequently attends Bible studies; Who
has a high level of financial giving to a Christian cause; who home schools
his children; who has accumulated survival foods and has a strong belief in
the 2nd amendment, and who distrusts big government"
Attorney General Janet Reno after the Waco invasion
"War to the hilt between capitalism and communism is inevitable. Today,
of course, we are not strong enough to attack. Our time will come in 20 or
30years. In order to win, we shall need the element of surprise. The
bourgeoisie will have to be put to sleep, so we shall begin by launching
the most spectacular peace movement on record. There will be electrifying
overtures and unheard of concessions. The capitalist countries, stupid
and decadent, will rejoice to cooperate in their own destruction. They
will leap at another chance to be friends. As soon as their guard is down,
we shall smash them with our clenched fist."
-Quoted by Dmitri Z. Manuisky, Lenin School of Political Warfare (1931).
Sarah Brady (president of Handgun Control, Inc., and wife of James Brady,
after whom the Brady Bill is named) on civil disarmament:
"Our task of creating a Socialist America can only succeed when those who
would resist us have been totally disarmed."
Machine Gun News, June 1991, Volume 5, Number 1, Page 6, "RAFFICA" by Dan
Shea, Column 2, paragraph 2. Machine Gun News, PO Box 761, Hot Springs, AR
71902-0761
Phone (501) 623-4951
"This Year Will Go Down In History.
For The First Time, A Civilized Nation Has Full Gun Registration!
Our Streets Will Be Safer, Our Police More Efficient,
And The World Will Follow Our Lead Into The Future!"
Adolph Hitler
1935
******************************
Cool Resources
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ON LINE BIBLE COLLEGE
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Sysop: Dr. Charles A. Wootten
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Fax: (804) 590-1659
WYCLIFFE BIBLE TRANSLATORS
P.O. Box 2727
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phone: (714) 969-4600
FAX: (714) 969-4661
ZONDERVAN PUBLISHING HOUSE
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1-800-727-3480
Other Pubs Too....
The CHRISTIAN WORLD REPORT
(Prophecy and current events newspaper from Peter LaLonde)
($29.95 annual, 11 issues per year)
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DECISION MAGAZINE
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55440-0779
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY MAGAZINE
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80935-3550
(free upon request)
HIGHWAY
A magazine for Truck Drivers
Transport For Christ - Highway
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17517
IN OTHER WORDS
Newspaper of Wycliffe Bible Translators
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PARTNERS PRAYER GUIDE (Partner Ministries)
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(free guide to praying for different nations)
PRISON EVANGELISM MAGAZINE
International Prison Ministry
P.O. Box 63
Dallas, TX 75221
THE TEACHING HOME
(A Christian magazine for home educators)
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Phone: (503) 253-9633
Fax: (503) 253-7345
TESTIMONY NEWSLETTER
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TODAY IN THE WORD (Moody Bible Institute)
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(free 3-month trial subscription)
TRACKS IN THE SAND
Uncovering Christian Men's Issues
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92680
INTERNET: mark.perew@ofa123.fidonet.org
WORLD CHALLENGE (David Wilkerson letter)
(free newsletter, 17 issues per year)
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(903)-963-8626
WORLD PROPHETIC MINISTRY (Dave Breese newsletter and books)
P.O Box 907
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