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Prophe-Zine Issue 051
PropheZine # 51
December 1,1997
Ray Gano Sr. Editor
Kim Koster Asst. Editor
Mimi Nila Asst. Editor
Mimi Nila.................Welcome to PropheZine
ARTICLES
Steven C. Wright .........Persecution Is Increasing Worldwide
W. B. Howard............. United Religions Initiative 2000
John L. Terry, III CEC ...Financial Woes Continue
Gary North............... Blind Man's Bluff In The Year 2000
John Ankerberg............Thanksgiving: Giving Thanks to God for the
Christian
Author Unknown............A Love Story
PROPHEZINE NEWSBYTES
Lee Underwood .......F.Y.I. - Israel in the News
Paul M. Rodriguez....Is There Nothing Sacred?
Penny Nance..........Disney Boycott Having An Effect
Peter LaBarbara......If You Disapprove of Homosexual Behavior You Could Go
to Jail
Barbara G. Baker.....Christian Prisoner Escapes Armed Attack In Pakistan
Share International .British futurist says 'World Teacher' will be seen on TV within five weeks.
Point Of View..... ..Earth Day Religion
Weekend News Today ..Spy photos sharpen focus on Noah's Ark
C.E. Carlson...... ..Compromising Religious Monitoring
www.persecution.com..No One Will Believe It
NEW ON VIDEO.........The Mysterious Bible Codes By Grant Jeffrey
BASICALLY SPEAKING
R.g. Wallace....... .THE COPYBOOK
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Welcome all,
I want to welcome everyone to PropheZine Newsletter # 51, the after
Thanksgiving Issue. I am sure everyone is still feeding on some
leftovers from Thanksgiving day as we are at my home. This issueâs
focus is Christian persecution as well as the end time events that will
rapidly unfold in the coming years. Ray unearthed a startling article
on the Year 2000 glitches, which is mind boggling. It hit home for me
since Year 2000 work is what I am currently employed at. I must say the
article is right on the money with most of what I have been reading in
the computer trade journals. Government agencies donât seem to fare too
well in the commentaries.
A very special poem by Author Unknown will be something you may want to
share. I found it extremely convicting and comforting at the same
time. Arenât these the ways of our God? Admonishing but comforting all
in the same moment.
2 Corinthians 1:3 (asv) Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort;
I would like to take a moment to thank our glorious Almighty God for
allowing me the opportunity to share in the many gifts of prophecy
teaching he has bestowed upon the many authors we work with. Please
join with me in continuing to pray for our Prophecy Ministry
Leaders/Teachers for they and their families must be under attack
continually. And of course since this issue deals with Christian
persecution let us lift up our brothers and sisters who are persecuted
as martyrs for Christ, in prayer as well. Prayer is our most powerful
weapon against the enemy.
Proverbs 15:29 (asv) Jehovah is far from the wicked; But he heareth the
prayer of the righteous.
In His Service,
Mimi Nila
mnila@ibm.net
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Persecution Is Increasing Worldwide
By Steven C. Wright, Author and Prophecy Teacher
"Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the gentiles," (How long?) "until
the times (dispensation) of the gentiles be fulfilled." Luke 21:24
Since the early 1990s, I have taught and lectured on "The End of Gentile
Evangelism." All of the talk of revival blazing across North America
that is reaching the world simply is not true. In fact, nothing could be
further from the truth. I often say, if there is any doubt, we should
ask Jesus because He certainly would know.
Here in Luke 21:24, Jesus is foretelling how Jerusalem would be
controlled by gentile influence "until" a specific time in history,
during the final generation which witnesses His return. I am so glad He
didn't leave it to the self-acclaimed modern day apostles and prophets
to decide when. Jesus gave us a sign, which grabbed the attention of the
entire world, and that, was the 1967 war when the Jews once again gained
control of Jerusalem as their capital.
Notice also what was to happen: "the times of the gentiles be
fulfilled." In other words, God's dealing with gentiles as a main focus
would begin to phase out. I personally am what little fruit still
remains from the Jesus movement of the mid to late 1960s, and there has
been no major revival since then (no matter how much some preachers have
tried to make it happen).
According to "Newswatch Magazine", "The 700 Club", Dr. Jack Van Impe,
Don McAlvany and many other sources yet still in the minority, a larger
percentage of Christians world wide are experiencing greater persecution
than ever before in history. I believe without question "the times of
the gentiles" have been fulfilled as a main focus. Of course, gentiles
will continue to be saved, but increasingly it is getting more difficult
to win people to Christ.
In America over the past three decades, there has been the biggest drop
in church attendance and membership since records have been kept. A
thirty- percent drop was recorded just in the 1980s alone. Even the IRS
has published the fact that tithes and offerings to non-profit
organizations have dropped in recent years.
In Russia, "perestroika" and "glasnost" had little to do with openness
and freedom. Since 1992 the Russian communists have been cracking down
on the Christian church while they allow drugs and sex to be sold right
in Red Square. According to a recent article by Lawrence Uzzel,
"Russia's 1993 constitution, which declares religious freedom to be a
human right, in the bill's preamble, which proclaims the parliament's
respect for just specifically named traditional religions: Orthodoxy,
Islam, Buddhism and Judaism." Christianity is not listed as a basic
human right! The fact that Islam is protected can be found in Ezekiel
38:4-7. Every nation listed by Ezekiel is Islamic. For the self
acclaimed prophets to tell us revival has broken out all over these
nations is not true. These prophets are prophesying falsehood as in the
days of old. Jeremiah 23:16, "Hearken not unto the words of the prophets
that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their
own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD." The prophets who tell
us of the big revival in Russia, Eastern Europe, Africa, Poland, Turkey,
and the other socialist communist nations is opposite of what is
happening and against what the true Bible prophets warned. Prophets like
Ezekiel and Zechariah foretold of the rise of hatred toward God's
people, a revival of Islam and other false religions, and a phasing out
of gentile evangelism.
"China Cracks Down on Religious Freedom A Second Time" was a front-page
article of the St. Petersburg Times in 1992. Christian persecution in
China is not new, but it has increased dramatically in the 1990s. I will
not describe the torture, but it is happening. I expect this to increase
in spite of most of what we are told while being seated in our
comfortable churches here in America.
Jeremiah 16:14-16: "Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD,
that is shall no more be said, the LORD, liveth, that brought up the
children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, the LORD liveth, that
brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from
the lands (plural) whither he had driven them: and I will bring them
again into their land (Israel) that I gave unto their fathers. Behold, I
will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them;
and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from
every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes in the rocks."
Here Jeremiah foretells of two attempts by God to get His Jewish people
out of the North, what I believe to be Russia, which He did after
Israel's independence of May 14, 1948. What followed was that many
fishers reached out to them to bring the Jews back to their homeland.
However, according to Jeremiah, there will be a second and final attempt
to get the remaining Jews out, and this time God is going to go hunting
for them. Hunting is much more violent and militant than fishing.
Something has to happen fairly soon to drive the Jews who did not leave
the first time, to want to leave, like a prey when it knows it is being
hunted after (its life will depend upon it). Because of the
aggressiveness described by Jeremiah, I expect anti-semitism to greatly
accelerate to finally force the Jews back to their homeland, especially
from the North or Russia, where in the 1990s anti-semitism is on the
rise.
Isaiah 49:12 "Behold, these (Jews) shall come from far: and, lo, these
from the north (Russia) and from the west (especially the United
States); and these (Jewish people) from the land of Sinim." Hong Kong is
now under Chinese communist rule, which is very key in Bible prophecy.
While working on the expanded edition of my first published book
Superpowers In Prophecy in 1990, I found out Sinim apparently has a
large group of Jewish people located there. Within the next five to ten
years or so, they will be forced out more than likely by anti-Semites at
the same time as their Jewish brothers and sisters from Russia and
America. I believe that if Hong Kong is not ancient Sinim, they are at
least somehow tied in together. Sinim, in the footnote of my Amplified
Bible, is referred to as "China". According to my Fausset's Bible
Dictionary, it is more specific - "southern China". I mentioned this at
a Bible prophecy conference in Denver, Colorado in 1995, and a lady
present spoke to me about this truth. She sent me some printed materials
confirming the fact there are underground worshipping Christians and
Jewish people located exactly where I said they were.
When I found out in February 1991 that the government of China, with its
religious persecution, is the role model for the coming persecution of
Christians and Jews here in America, this scripture came to mind:
Proverbs 22:3, "A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself:
but the simple pass on, and are punished."
Matthew 28:20, "...and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of
the world. Amen." No matter what may come down in America and the world,
true Christian believers are assured that Jesus Christ has not forsaken
His followers. 1 Peter 4:14, "If ye be reproached for the name of
Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon
you:" The Greek word used here for glory is doxa which literally means
"glory that appears". Even in times of pressure and persecution, the
true Bible believing Christian can know that our Lord has not left him
alone. According to the apostle Peter when Christians experience trying
times and in some cases outright persecution for their faith and
testimony, the glory of God is indeed resting upon them.
Steven C. Wright, author of several books including "Superpowers in
Prophecy," which was first smuggled into Poland and Russia to be printed
underground during the cold war of the mid 1980's. In the 1960's, Mr.
Wright worked as a professional drummer and was born again during the
"Jesus Movement." He is a teacher and has lectured on college campuses
and in conferences throughout the United States. He has appeared on
nearly 200 secular TV and radio talk shows and has been interviewed with
a number of leading political and military leaders including Benjamin
Netanyahu, the current Prime Minister of Israel.
Currently Mr. Wright is host of "Prophetic Perspective, a
syndicated weekly call-in radio talk show on the Amerinet Broadcasting system.
Steven Wright was a speaker at the Alta Loma PropheZine Conference that was held in September of this year. If you would like to order his tapes, please go to the PropheZine www site for more details.
http://www.prophezine.com/index.shtml
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Report: United Religions Initiative 2000
By: W. B. Howard...Editor of Despatch
November 15th, 1997
Satan's latest attempt to destroy the Truth of God's Word, and reduce
all worship to a pagan, Goddess Mary, Earth centered, dark mystic botch has
emerged in the United Religions Initiative 2000 (URI). A powerful
figure in this URI is Bishop William Swing, San Francisco's dominant
Episcopal bishop. Here in Australia amazing developments have taken
place this year, 1997. I have personally been to Melbourne to attend a
United Religions' conference, political and religious leaders from our
own country, and international religious leaders were there. Written
reports have been sent out by our organization, Endtime Ministries.
Christian Born-again believers need to understand the facts concerning
this plot of Satan's, so that we may pray, witness, warn and exhort with
added awareness. We should uncover the works of darkness.
Paul gave warning in his day of those who speak perverse things, he was
not ashamed to warn and expose evil doctrine and practices. Here is what
Paul says:
"For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the
which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter
in among you, not sparing the flock.
Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse (or corrupt
and depraved) things, to draw away disciples after them.
Therefore WATCH, and REMEMBER, that by the space of three years I
ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace,
which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all
them which are sanctified." (Acts 20:28-32).
Jude wrote:
"Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common
salvation, it was needful for me to write unto, and EXHORT you that ye
should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto
the saints."
Jude 1:3. Contend = to argue, battle, assert and affirm the truth of the
Biblical faith.
The Scriptures have given us vital information in regard to the rise of
the Antichrist religion of UNITY of all faiths which will happen in the Last
Days. The many prophecies are too numerous for our purposes here, but we
will look at just a few. It appears that without a shadow of a doubt
what we are encountering in the United Religions for an entire planet,
based on paganism, witchcraft, mystical New Age religions and Goddess
worship, is the predicted One World Church of the Beast of Revelation.
We are living in spectacular times as we speed towards AD 2000, Christians need great discernment and boldness.
11 Peter 3:3,4 reveals that those who realize that the days are so evil
that Christ Jesus will soon return, will be scoffed at. They will be
considered deluded fanatics, this opposition comes from religious
leaders today who call themselves "christian": Last Days' scoffers,
walking in their own lusts, and saying,
"Where is the promise of His Coming? For since the fathers fell
asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the
creation."
II Thess.2:3 warns us that there will be a great falling away into
apostasy, and that the Day of the Lord will not come UNTIL there come a
great falling away FIRST.
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for THAT DAY (the day of the Lord)
shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of
sin be revealed, the son of perdition."
II Peter 2:1,2 warns against FALSE TEACHERS, who will be in the
churches, calling themselves Christians. These will pamper the unsaved
church-goers with ear-tickling doctrines, which will please them, which
are novel, sensational and entertaining. There will a "turning away"
to "damnable heresies", MANY will follow their "pernicious ways".
"Pernicious ways" = "deadly, fatal, lethal, damaging" ways. MANY will
follow like lambs to the butcher.
The Bible warns that there will be an increase in SPIRITISM, as many
depart from the faith written in the Biblical Scriptures.
I Timothy 4:1 warns that this will happen in the LATTER TIMES (the Last
Days of this Dispensation). There will be those who profess to be
`christian', who will give heed to SEDUCING SPIRITS and DOCTRINES OF
DEVILS.
"Now the spirit SPEAKETH (He gives Divine revelation on the subject)
EXPRESSLY (explicitly or exactly) that in the LATTER TIMES some shall
depart from the faith (that is, the Body of THE faith in the Word, it does not
mean they are saved people who lose their salvation), giving heed to seducing spirits. and doctrines of devils (or demons)." I Timothy 4:1.
The Bible reveals that the phony "christian" churches will join with all
other religions, and make up the OneWorld Church of Satan - in the
Latter Days.
"...ALL the world wondered after the Beast. And they (ALL who did not
go in the Rapture) WORSHIPPED the DRAGON (a massive religion arises)
which gave power unto the beast, saying who is like unto the beast? who
is able to make war with him?
And there was given unto him ( the Beast) a mouth speaking great things
and blasphemies; ...he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to
blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven."
(Revelation 13:3-6).
This will come to full fruition in the Tribulation period, but the lead
up to this is already taking place, the religions of the world are
uniting in order to worship a God (or gods) who are NOT the Biblical
God! He is Lucifer of the New Age.
If any saved believer was asked," what do you consider the greatest
apostasy of all might be?" I'm sure we would agree, that apostasy
against the Saving Grace of God and Christ Jesus' death on the Cross,
this would fit the bill! There is "another Gospel", which is not
another, but an awful perversion of the True Gospel. "Another Gospel",
of which we are warned in Galatians 1:6 and II Corinthians 11:4. It may
come in a number of deceptive forms, but there is one thing the
preachers of "another Gospel" agree upon, they without exception deny
the sufficiency of grace alone to save, and to keep the redeemed, and
make every saved one perfect. They always add human merit in some way,
and never grasp the tremendous glory of the SHED BLOOD OF OUR LORD AT
CALVARY.
The Scriptures predict the FUTURE of the visible churches of Christendom
as being APOSTASY. But the true Church, the invisible Body of Christ, has
quite a different future, one of GLORY. What a contrast!
How immensely important to have a GLORY FUTURE and not an APOSTASY
FUTURE!
Have you been truly born-again?
APOSTASY FUTURE of organized Christendom, the visible churches, is found
in Luke 18:8: II Tim. 3:1-8.
"Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the
earth?"
Read through the II Timothy passage for yourself, it shows perilous
times in the Latter Days, terrible evil doers who "have a form of godliness",
resisting the Truth, men and women with corrupt and reprobate minds.
Reprobate = "no principles" "degenerate" "villainous".
THE GLORY FUTURE of the Invisible Body of Christ is found in
Matt.13:36-43; Romans 8:18-23. I Thess.4:14-17. I will quote three verses only:
"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of
their Father, who hath ears to hear, let him hear."
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
"Then we which are ALIVE AND REMAIN shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be
with the Lord."
What a GLORY the Rapture is, not a cop-out or a wimpish fancy.
WHAT IS THIS UNITED RELIGIONS INITIATIVE 2000?
If you could view the official United Religions Initiative document I am
looking at, you would see it is an invitation. An invitation to ALL
religions to unite under the leadership of Theosophical global powers.
URI can mean U-you, R-are, I-Invited. You would note on the bottom of
the official invitation these three names:
The Rt. Rev. William Swing Bishop, Chancellor, Diocese of California.
Mrs. Judith Hollister, Founder of the Temple of Understanding.
Dr. Robert Muller, UN Peace University.
If you have studied our Website on One World Schooling - 666, or indeed
had done only a reasonable amount of research into the New World Order, you
will recognize the name Dr. Robert Muller. He is the father of the World
Core educational Curriculum for the globe, with UNESCO. Muller gets his
directions from a demon spirit guide Djwhal Khul or D.K., who is
supposed to be a 2000 year old Tibetan!
Muller often acknowledges the former Secretary General of the UN, U
Thant, he too was a follower of the Alice Bailey "Tibetan", D.K.!
Muller's book, "New Genesis; Reshaping a Global Spirituality" actually
has one chapter entitled "The Reappearance of the Christ." This is the
title also of the evil, Luciferian book by the Theosophist, Alice
Bailey.
This data on Judith Hollister is from Dr. Dennis Cuddy's (Ph.D.) book,
"Now is the Dawning of the New Age New World Order" p.143
"In 1959, Mrs. J. Dickerman Hollister thought of the idea of a Temple of
Under-standing (the term was suggested by Mrs. Ellsworth Bunker, who was
the wife of the American ambassador to India). Mrs. Hollister received
encouragement from The Ford Foundation that same year, and the next year
the syncretistic temple was founded by Juliet Hollister, with partial
financing by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The temple
listed its "Founding Friends" as including Pope John XXIII, Thomas
Merton, U. Thant, the Dalai Lama, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Listed among
its advisory council members were Father Thomas Berry, Dr Robert Muller,
and Brother David Steindl-Rast."
THEOSOPHISTS, the Vatican and New Age leaders began the Temple of
Understanding of the UN, and the Theosophists, Muller and Hollister are
on the invitation from the URI.
(II Timothy 4:1-8).
"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove. rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having
itchy ears.
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be
turned unto fables.....a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto
all them also that love his appearing."
=============================================================
Visit our Aussie site: http://www.cth.com.au/corp/despatch/
=============================================================
W.B. Howard...Director & Editor of Despatch Magazine
Endtime Ministries/Christian Resource Center
[pub.Q'rtly.Despatch mag.], $30 Aust. Curr. (overseas +Post & Curr)
which exposes the Infiltration of the N.A.N.W.O. in our Churches and
Society in General.
==============================================================
P.O.B.238,Landsborough.Q.4550.Aust.Phone:07 54941672;Fax:07 54948617
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FINANCIAL WOES CONTINUE...PANIC SELLING A POSSIBILITY
November 25, 1997
By: John L. Terry, III CEC
One of Japan's leading brokerage houses, Yamaichi Securities, announced earlier this week that it was halting operations due to an announced $24 billion ($3 trillion Yen) in liabilities. This makes this failure the largest corporate collapse in Japan since the end of World War II.
The U.S. Markets reacted to this news on Monday, falling over 100 points. The Tokyo Markets plunged over 5%, as investors feared the possible collapse of Japan's financial system. Reports from the investment community said the drop was due, in part, to concerns that Yamaichi may sell off its stock holdings to cover part of its debt. The European Markets have also felt the impact of Yamaichi's failure.
Financial officials in Japan have called for calm, and the Bank of Japan pledged to take swift measures to protect customers and shareholders from "paying the bill" for Yamaichi's failure. While this may work in the short run, Japan's Central Bank could run out of funds if it must bail out a number of weak banks and brokerage houses.
Bond prices moved sharply lower today, based on speculation the Japanese government will increase the issuance of bonds, using tax dollars to resolve bad debt problems among Japan's weakened financial institutions. A report from the Japanese Cabinet today said the government will begin to look into the use of public funds to bolster confidence in the financial system. Of major concern are the country's banks, which are severely encumbered with debt.
A major concern to investors, especially here in the United States, is the fact that Yamaichi holds some $320 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds. Should Yamaichi dump these bonds in an effort to raise capital to settle its liabilities, a global panic could follow, bringing the economies of the world to their knees...or worse, deliver the "knockout punch" that would cause a global economic collapse.
What caused the Yamaichi collapse? PRIDE! The Japanese institutions have been corrupt for some time, and have lived under a motto of "failure at no cost". Yamaichi officials knew the failure of their corporation was imminent, yet they continued to "window dress" their operation simply to keep the illusion alive. Rather than taking their losses, admitting to failure, and restructuring to retain theviability of the company, these officials retained the illusion to the very end, just in a vain attempt to "save face" in the eyes of their peers.
The Bible speaks clearly, "...the love of money is the root of all evil." While God uses money as a means to further His economy on this planet, it was intended to be nothing more than a medium of exchange for goods and services. As believers, we are called to be stewards of God's possessions in our keeping,
and we are to understand that the money God places in our hands has two purposes: (1) to meet our personal needs, (2) to meet the needs of others, being God's hand extended to the world. When the acquisition of money becomes more important than anything else, money ceases to be a medium of exchange and becomes an idol, which stands between man and God. Solomon reminds us, "Pride comes before a fall...".
Is the economic shaking over? Temporarily. We still face the spectre of Y2K compliance (more on this in a later article), and a Global economy which bases the "value" of its currency on the debt of other nations. When the dominoes start to fall, the economic collapse will be unstoppable.
Should such a collapse occur, what are the possible outcomes? A New Economy? A One World economy? Most certainly. What we are witnessing at this time is the Hand of God, serving notice on a greedy, self-serving world that He is in control and anything not built on Christ will not stand. The economies of the world MUST fall to help usher in a New World Order and lay the foundation for a "savior" to come to the world's rescue.
When will it happen? The Year 2000 poses a life threatening problem to the world's economic system. At this point in time, the possibility of a significant financial shake-up in the Year 2000 is a definite possibility. Investors should have their holdings reviewed for Y2k compliance, and consider making adjustments to their portfolios as the Year 2000 approaches.
What do we do in the interim? Occupy until He comes. God's word states that the righteous have never been forsaken nor have His children been without His provision. Be light and salt! Acknowledge God as your source, not your employer. If you are in debt, make every effort to become debt-free. When the financial institutions begin to fall, the economy will falter. A financial institution cannot repossess what you own, only what you are still paying on.
Remember the Parable of the Stewards in Matthew 25. When the Master returns, what will you have to show for the portion of His kingdom He has left in your care? Remember it all belongs to God, we are simply caretakers. Lastly, remember it is the world's economic system which will collapse. God's economic system has never suffered a recession, and it never will.
---BIO---
John Terry is the author of "Dollars and Sense, A Kingdom Look
at Finances", currently used as a textbook by the Christian
Life School of Theology in America and by pastors in Europe
and Africa. John is a contributing economic and financial
editor to various regional and national newsletters and teaches
Biblical economics in churches across America.
He is a Registered Representative with the NASD, and an affiliate
of Rushmore Securities Corporation and Rushmore Investment Advisors,
Inc. He is also a licensed insurance agent and a Certified Estate Counselor.
He owns Terry and Associates, a Financial Management Center. He offers
debt management, insurance, investment, and financial planning
services to individuals and businesses.
e-mail address is: jterry@cswnet.com
EDITORS NOTE: John will be writing regularly for PropheZine. He will be covering Digital Currency, The Global Ecconomy, and The Year 2000 Bug or Y2K and how it is going to effect the financial markets and banking. So look for his articles in the upcoming issues of PropheZine.
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BLIND MAN'S BLUFF IN THE YEAR 2000
By: Gary North
http://www.garynorth.com
What are you going to be doing for a living in the year 2001?
Unless you're a fix-it man living in a small town, you won't be doing
what you do today. If you make your living in financial services, you
will surely be doing something else. If you're a journalist, you will be in a new profession. But what? What other useful service canyou provide? You
have very little time to make the switch.
Let me show you why.
We live in a world that depends on a high division of labor. That
world has less than three years to go. In one gigantic collapse, the
division of labor will implode. This implosion will begin in 1999. It
will accelerate in 2000 and thereafter. Those who work in highly specialized fields will find little or no demand for their skills, in the face of an enormous supply of desperate, low-wage competition. Any job classification that
did not exist in 1945 will probably not have a lot of demand in 2001, with one exception: computer software programming.
The June 2 issue of Newsweek ran a front-cover story on the
looming computer crisis of the Year 2000 - called y2k (Year 2 K --
shorthand for a thousand). In the week it the article appeared (late
May), the Dow Jones Industrial Average set a record new high. (It was
beaten a week later.) If investors believed the information reported in
the Newsweek article, the world's stock markets would have collapsed.
Clearly, people don't believe it. That's why a small handful of people
can get out now -- out of the stock market, the bond market, and any
city over 25,000.
Not everyone can get out at the top of a bull market. This
includes the "bull market" known as modern industrial society. Pull the
plug on the local power utility for 30 days, and every city on earth
becomes unlivable. What if the plug gets pulled for five years?
How do you rebuild the shattered economy if the computers go down,
taking public utilities with them? Without electricity, you can't run
the computers. Without computers, you can't fix computers. How can you
assemble teams of programmers to fix the mess? More to the point, how
do you pay them if the banks are empty?
Chase Manhattan Bank has 200 million lines of code to check and
then repair. Citicorp has 400 million lines. All big banks are
similarly afflicted. And even if this could be fixed, bank by bank,
there is no universal repair standard. Thus, the computers, even if fixed (highly doubtful) will not work together after the individual repairs. A non compliant bank's data will then make every compliant bank non compliant. Thus, the world banking system will crash in 2000. When the public figures this out in 1999, the bank runs will begin.
You probably will not have your present job in 2001.
"It Just Can't Be True!"
You don't believe me, of course. Not yet. But I have published the
evidence on this Web site. You can verify what I'm saying. But you
still won't believe it. Why not? Because it's too painful. In their
book, The Sovereign Individual, Davidson and Rees-Mogg make a very important
observation:
A recent psychological study disguised as a public opinion poll showed
that members of individual occupational groups were almost uniformly
unwilling to accept any conclusion that implied a loss of income for
them, no matter how airtight the logic supporting it. Given increased
specialization, most of the interpretive information about most
specialized occupational groups is designed to cater to the interests of
the groups themselves. They have little interest in views that might be
impolite, unprofitable, or politically incorrect (p. 339).
My views are all three: impolite, unprofitable, and politically
incorrect. Impolite, because I am saying this:
(1) those advising you are as blind as an eighth-century Israelite king;
(2) they have given you information that will prove to be wildly
unprofitable;
(3) all the hype about your getting rich -- the world's getting rich --
is a clap-trap. We are heading for a disaster greater than anything the world
has experienced since the bubonic plague of the mid-14th century.
Because the year 2000 begins on a Saturday, millions of victims will not
be aware of their dilemma until the following Monday or Tuesday. They
will pay no attention to advance warnings, such as this one, that they
are at risk.
As you read this report, I want you to think to yourself: "How will this
affect me? Is my business at risk? Is my income at risk? What should
I do?" I also want you to visit my Web site, http://www.garynorth.com
and examine the accumulating evidence, week by week.
The Origin of the Problem
Here is the problem. Over three decades ago, computer programmers who
wrote mainframe computer software saved disk space -- in those days,
very valuable space -- by designating year codes as two-digit entries:
67 instead of 1967, 78 instead of 1978, etc. Back then, saving this seemingly
minuscule amount of disk space seemed like an economically wise
decision. This may prove to be the most expensive forecasting error
since Noah's flood.
What the programmers ignored for three decades is this: in the year
2000, the two digits will be 00. The computer will sit there, looking
for a year. At midnight, January 1, 2000, every mainframe computer
using unrevised software dies. If old acquaintances are in the
computer, they will indeed be forgot.
Programmers who recognized the implications of this change did not
care. They assumed that their software would be updated by year 2000.
That assumption now threatens every piece of custom software sitting on
every mainframe computer, unless the owner of the computer has had the
code rewritten. In some cases, this involves coordinating half a
billion million lines of code. (Example: AT&T) One error on one line
can shut down the whole system, the way that America Online was shut
down for a day in 1996 because of a one-digit error.
The handful of reporters who have investigated this problem have met a
wall of indifference. "We're all using microcomputers now." "This is a
problem only for a few companies that are still using mainframes."
"Cheap solutions will appear as soon as there is demand." "The software
will be updated soon, and I'll buy it then." "If this were a serious
problem, we'd have heard about it." Yet this last response is given to
someone -- a reporter -- who is trying to tell people about the problem.
I first read about this problem years ago in a book by the pseudonymous
author, Robert X. Cringely: Accidental Empires. It is not as though the
computer industry has been unaware of it. Only a few weeks ago, I read
a Wall Street Journal column on computers that mentioned it. The writer wrote
that his editor is getting tired of having him mention it. This is
typical. The general public hasn't heard about it, yet editors are
already tired of hearing about it. "It's old news." Well, it's new
news for most people.
What does it matter, really? We use microcomputers. Microsoft has
solved the Year 2000 problem, we assume. So have most software
companies. Everyone uses desktop computers or, at the largest,
minicomputers, right? Wrong.
Governments Rely on Aging Mainframes and Software
On September 24, 1996, Congressman Stephen Horn, who is Chairman of the
Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology,
submitted to the full committee a report on the Year 2000 problem. The
Subcommittee held hearings on April 16. (Just one day of hearings.
This indicates the degree of concern that the government has.) He said
that these hearings revealed "a serious lack of awareness of the problem
on the part of a great number of people in business and government.
Even more alarming was the cost estimate reported to the Subcommittee to
remedy the problem, which was said to be $30 billion for the Federal
Government alone." Then he announced:
Without greater urgency, those agencies risk being unable to provide
services or perform functions that they are charged by law with
performing. Senior agency management officials must take aggressive
action if these problems are to be avoided.
Yet despite Horn's valid warning, nothing visible is happening. He
knows this. These agencies must shift hundreds of millions of dollars
from their existing budgets to hire outside programmers to rewrite the
code that runs these agencies. This isn't being done. More to the
point, the longer they delay, the worse the problem gets. You can't
just go out and hire programmers who are familiar with the code. As
businesses find out what threatens them, the demand for these highly
specialized services will soar. (If businessmen don't figure this out
in time, payment will come due in January of 2000.)
The Subcommittee's report warns: "This issue may cause banks, securities
firms and insurance companies to ascertain whether the companies they
finance or insure are year 2000 compliant before making investment
decisions." It also says that companies will start demanding
contractual warranties guaranteeing against Year 2000 breakdowns.
A memorandum from the Library of Congress Research Service (CRS) has
warned that "it may be too late to correct all of the nation's
systems." So, the question arises: Which systems will survive and which
ones won't? Here are some problem areas, according to CRS:
Miscalculation by the Social Security
Administration of the ages of citizens, causing payments to be sent to
people who are not eligible for benefits while ending or not beginning
payments to those who are eligible;
Miscalculation by the Internal Revenue Service of the standard deduction
on income tax returns for persons over age 65, causing incorrect records
of revenues and payments due;
Malfunctioning of certain Defense Department weapon systems;
Erroneous flight schedules generated by the Federal Aviation
Administration's air traffic controllers;
State and local computer systems becoming corrupted with false
records, causing errors in income and property tax records, payroll,
retirement systems, motor vehicle registrations, utilities regulations,
and a breakdown of some public transportation systems. I don't think
these are small issues. They will probably start receiving media
attention when it is so late in the process that there will be massive
foul-ups in coordinating the revisions.
Notice, the biggest one is missing: an international bank run, as
depositors demand cash. From that day on, all exchanges will be local:
the collapse of the division of labor.
When the computers' clocks think it's 1900, it soon will be.
I realize that there has been tremendous progress in microcomputer
power, but does anyone really think that all of the Federal government's
forms -- not an infinite number, but approaching infinity as a limit --
can be put on three dozen Compaq desktop computers and run with, say,
Lotus Approach or Microsoft Access? And even if they could, how would
you re-train all of the bureaucrats to use the new systems? How fast
will they learn? How fast do bureaucracies adapt? The Subcommittee's
report warns:
The clock is ticking and most Federal agencies have not inventoried
their major systems in order to detect where the problem lies within and
among each Federal department, field office and division. The date for
completion of this project cannot slip.
By "cannot," the Subcommittee's report-writer meant "must not." The
date can surely be allowed to slip. It almost certainly will be allowed
to slip.
Additionally, the task may be more difficult for the public sector,
where systems have been in use for decades, may lack software
documentation and therefore increase the time it takes from the
inventory phase to solution.
Did you get that? The software code's records are gone! Remember also
that we're not just talking about the United States government. We're
talking about every government -- national, state, and local -- anywhere
on earth that has its data stored on an unrevised mainframe computer
system or which relies on any third-party computer service that uses
uncorrected software.
As the year 2000 approaches, word will slowly begin to spread: "After
the three-day weekend that will inaugurate the year 2000, there is going
to be a hangover the likes of which we have never seen before." For
some, it will be a time of celebration. For others, it will be the end
of their dreams. It depends on whether they are being squeezed by the
government or dependent on it.
But it's not just government that is at risk. It's private industry.
Kiss Medicare Goodbye
Some 38 million people will receive Medicare payments in 1997. In 2000,
an estimated one billion claims will be filed, totalling over $288
billion. This, according to a May 16, 1997 report of the General
Accounting Office (GAO):
"Medicare Transaction System."
Problem: the Medicare system won't make it through 2000. The same GAO
report shows why. Medicare claims are not actually administered by
Medicare. It's administered by 70 private agencies. These agencies
have been informed that their contracts will not be renewed in 2000.
The agency that officially supervises Medicare has plans for one huge
computer system that will bring the program in-house. It is the same
dream that motivated the Internal Revenue Service for the past 11
years. The IRS announced earlier this year that after 11 years and $4
billion, the attempt had failed.
Medicare now knows that it has a problem with its computers. They are
not Year 2000-compliant. So, to make sure that they will be compliant,
Medicare has issued an appeal to the 70 newly canned companies: please
fix the year 2000 problem for us before you leave. As the GAO report
puts it, "contractors may not have a particularly high incentive to
properly make these conversions. . . ."
What if the system fails? (What if? Are they kidding? When!) The
report says that the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), which
is responsible for running Medicare, has not made contingency plans.
"HCFA officials are relying on the contractors to identify and complete
the necessary work in time to avoid problems. Yet the . . . .
contractors not only have not developed contingency plans, they have
said that they do not intend to do so because they believe that this is
HCFA's responsibility."
Kiss the IRS Goodbye
The IRS has 100 million lines of code. Their code is not year
2000-compliant. After the failure of the 11-year project to upgrade the
system, Chief Information Officer Arthur Gross announced that getting
the IRS year 2000- compliant is the "highest priority for the IRS." The
IRS has nearly 50,000 code applications to coordinate and correct. This
task will require the IRS to move 300 full-time computer programmers to
the new project. (Reported in "TechWeb," April 21, 1997). For
comparison purposes, consider the fact that the Social Security
Administration began working on its year 2000 repair in 1991. Social
Security has 30 million lines of code. By June, 1996, the SSA's 400
programmers had fixed 6 million lines.
What if the IRS isn't technically equipped to pursue tax evaders after
December 31, 1999? What if the IRS computer system isn't fully
integrated with all of its branch offices? What if the system's massive
quantities of forms are not stored in a computer system that is Year
2000-compliant? More to the point, what if 20% of America's taxpayers
believe that the IRS can't get them if they fail to file a return?
In 1999, the IRS may find a drop in compliance from self-employed
people. If the IRS can't prosecute these people after 1999, there will
be a defection of compliance by the self-employed. When word spreads to
the general public, there will be a hue and cry -- maybe at first
against the evaders, but then against employers who are sending in
employees' money when self-employed people are escaping. Meanwhile, cash-only, self-employed businesses will begin to lure business away from tax-compliant businesses by offering big discounts.
This will start happening all over the world. Once it begins, it will
not easily be reversed. The tax system rests on this faith: (1) the
government will pay us what it owes us; (2) the government can get us if
we stop paying. Both aspects of this faith will be called into question
in the year 2000 if the governments' computers are not in compliance.
Big Brother is no more powerful than his software. On January 1, 2000,
this strength may fall to zero. Actually, double zero.
If the IRS cannot collect taxes, and if all the other mainframe
computer-dependent tax collection agencies on earth do not fix this,
what will happen to the government debt markets worldwide? To interest
rates? To the government-guaranteed mortgage market?
Kiss them all goodbye.
"No Problem! Trust me!"
There are a few conservative financial newsletter writers who have heard
about y2k. They deny its economic relevance. A shut-down of all
mainframe computers would mean that newsletter writers will be out of
business after 1999 -- a thought too terrifying for them. So, they
brush y2k aside with some version of this rebuttal: "Of course, the
government may not get its computers fixed." This is supposed to calm
you. It should terrify you. Ask yourself:
What happens to T-bills and T-bonds if the IRS computer breaks down and
a tax revolt spreads because taxpayers know the IRS will never find
them, and that if they pay their taxes, they won't get their refunds?
What happens to money market funds and bond funds that invest heavily
in government debt when investors realize that if the IRS can't collect
taxes, the government will default on its debt?
What happens to the banks when depositors figure out that the FDIC is
bankrupt and that nobody insures their accounts any more?
What happens to your job when the banks close because of bank runs, and
no business can borrow money or even write a check to its employees?
What happens to the delivery of food into cities when money fails
because the banks are busted?
What happens to the delivery of public utilities when money fails because the banks are busted?
What happens to your retirement fund when ERISA, the government pension
guarantee program, goes bankrupt?
What happens to the 38 million people in the U.S. who are dependent on
Medicare?
What happens to 42 million people on Social Security?
What happens to every state government?
What happens to crime rates when the state cannot imprison violent
criminals and may have to release those who are locked up because they
can't be fed?
What happens to the world economy when this scenario is multiplied
across every government?
Kiss your job goodbye. Especially if you're a journalist. I
know. I am one. I figure I'll be out of work -- forced retirement --
January 1, 2000. I'm making plans to be in small-scale agriculture.
I'm out of debt. What about you?
Psychological Deferral
Those in authority prefer to defer thinking about this. They are
playing Scarlett O'Hara: "I'll think about it tomorrow," followed by,
"Well, fiddle dee-dee."
Deferral is a normal response to distant problems. The question is:
What can we afford to defer? People defer making this assessment. The
fact that you have not read much about this looming problem doesn't mean
that it isn't a problem. If your employer has not actively sought
solutions to this problem, your firm had better not use mainframe
computers or be dependent on suppliers that rely on mainframe computers.
Everyone assumes that someone else is doing something to solve
these problems. "It's being taken care of." The problem here is the
passive voice. Who, exactly, is taking care of it? What, exactly, is
this person doing? Is he on schedule? How do you know for sure? Are
you taking his word for it? Anyone who takes the word of a computer
programmer that he is on schedule is a person of very great faith. If
the programmer says "Sorry, I didn't make it" on December 31, 1999,
you're dead in the water. Meanwhile, he
moves on.
What You Should Do, Beginning Today
First, you investigate whether what I'm saying is true.
Second, think through what happens to you if the local power company and
the local water and sewage company shut down in your city for six
months. "Who ya gonna call?" Especially if your phone is dead? And if
you do get through, how ya gonna pay if your local bank is defunct?
Third, here is my personal strategy. I have adopted a question:
"Can I prove on paper that he owes it to me?"
I want hard copy print-outs of everything I do with the government. If
you are owed money from Social Security, and you're dependent on this
income, contact the Social Security Administration every year and get a
letter telling you what you're owed. This is true of every government
pension system.
Do you have a copy of your birth certificate? If not, write to your
place of birth and get it. Even if that community has not computerized
the records, do it now. Even if it keeps the records in a desktop, do
it. If word starts to spread, they may be buried in requests in 1999.
You want your paperwork completed before word gets out.
Do you have a copy of your college transcripts? If not, get it. The
same goes for your work record history. Assume that your records are in
some company's mainframe computer. Assume also that the company has
failed to update the software.
Do you have a print-out of all of your insurance records? Would
they stand up in court? If not, get what you need, now.
Have you spoken with your local insurance agent? Is he fully
aware of the problem? Ask him straight out if he has scheduled an
update of his software if he relies on vendor-supplied software. He
deserves to know what is coming. So do you. (If you want to photocopy
this issue to send him, go ahead.)
Think through this problem in advance, before it gets out and
creates a banking panic, all over the world. This story will get out
eventually. In 1999, when reporters are running around looking for
sensational Year 2000-third millennium stories, this one will at last
surface. It already has: in Newsweek. At that point, every government
bureaucrat whose agency is at risk will start playing the "No problem"
game. "It's being taken care of." The bureaucrat's number-one rule is
to evade responsibility. No one with any authority is going to admit
that his malfeasance in office is going to create a disaster on Jan. 1,
2000. The basic response will be this: "There's no problem here, and
furthermore, I'm not responsible when everything collapses next year!"
Keep visiting my Web site for updated information:
http://www.garynorth.com
*****************************
Thanksgiving: Giving Thanks to God for the Christian
By: John Ankerberg
Everyone loves a great Thanksgiving feast but the real meaning behind
Thanksgiving is much more than turkey and gravy. That wonderful colony
of Pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts who gave it to us in 1621 intended a
day of thanks for the truly bounteous blessings of God upon them in their
new home of America-a bounty symbolized by a great feast. Sadly today, most
Americans may have forgotten God's blessings to them personally-in life itself,
health, joy, family, and so on.
We also wonder if Americans are really thankful for the Christian
Church. That Church has been a tremendous blessing to America and the
world, yet few even recognize this. In 2,000 years no single institution
has done more good for the world-ever-in building hospitals, and
orphanages and almost all the great universities of the West (Princeton,
Harvard, Dartmouth, Cambridge, Oxford, etc.), in transforming pagan
lands and improving socially and spiritually the lives of millions of
people, in feeding the poor and hungry, in showing love and compassion
to those hostile or unlovely, in producing literate societies from
illiterate (e.g., Hawaii)-indeed even in largely producing modern
science and its incalculable benefits to mankind.1
Western civilization itself, in its finest sense, can be traced directly
to the influence of Christianity. This is why encyclopedias routinely
comment upon the great influence of the Christian faith and Scriptures,
e.g., "The Bible has had an incalculable influence on the thought,
attitudes, beliefs, art, sciences and politics of Western society."2
Especially in our day of skepticism and cynicism, its easy to be
critical of the Church. It is true the Church faces formidable
difficulties including battles within and without. Yet given the nature
of humanity and the conditions of the world, not to mention the devil,
the problems we find in the Church are only to be expected. But for each
of us individually, the Church is where we can find much greater
blessings than those we find in the world. As one person stated,
Almost everyone can come up with at least a handful of complaints
against the Church.... Even so, the Church receives more criticism than
it is due. Problems with the Church boil down to one problem all people
have-sin.... Every organization that has people will have sin....
However... I could write a book of the good Jesus has brought about in
me and through me in my time in the Church. My greatest pleasures,
accomplishments and growth have occurred in the Church.... What's wrong
with the Church? Don't bother to make a list-that's Satan's business.
Instead, be an intimate, active member of His body, the Church, and you,
too, will give and receive great blessings as a result!3
Whatever problems the Church faces, let us also remember that in the
end, the Church has been promised complete victory by none less than God
Himself: "the gates of hell shall not overpower it;" before Jesus "every
knee will bow" and He will "reign until He has put all His enemies under
His feet" (Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Philippians 2:10).
So what's right with the Church? Plenty. The Church is a constant source
of amazement and testimony to God's grace. Given the subtlety and power
of such enemies as the world, the flesh, and the devil, it is nothing
short of amazing that the Church has accomplished all She has in 2,000
years.
Today most people in the world have actually heard the biblical gospel
at least once-it is further estimated that each day around the world
some 70,000 people accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. What's more,
the Scriptures are now translated into over 1600 different languages!
Truly, the Church of Jesus Christ and every society which honors Her,
has innumerable blessings to be thankful for. Yet we sometimes wonder if
most Christians recognize the tremendous blessings that come to them
merely from the fact of their salvation or how powerfully the knowledge
of even basic theology and apologetics can dramatically impact their
lives: Do people know what biblical doctrines such as
propitiation/atonement, election, calling, regeneration, conversion,
union with Christ, imputation, justification, adoption, sanctification,
redemption and glorification actually mean for them personally? Do they
really know the infinite and eternal riches they possess merely by being
a simple believer in the Lord Jesus Christ?4 Do they recognize the
impact a knowledge of Christian evidences can have in their lives?
Do they know the innumerable promises that God has given them personally
in His Word?
I am with you always even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20, NASB)
All things work together for good to those who love God and are called
according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28, NASB)
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? ...For I am convinced
that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present
nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything
else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35a, 38-39, NIV)
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your
spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He
also will bring it to pass. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, NASB)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great
mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that
can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, who through
faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that
is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5, NIV)
See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be
called children of God; and such we are. (1 John 3:1, NASB)
If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31b, NIV)
Even the severely persecuted Apostle Paul could say, "I consider that
our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will
be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18, NIV). Indeed, only the length of
eternity itself will reveal to each believer the incalculable love God
has for them reflected at the Cross-and the joys, glory and adventures
yet to be ours. Incredibly, Christians have the immeasurable privilege
of leading others to this very same eternity.
So not only does the Christian have access to all the novelty and
pleasures of this world that all men have-the comfort of friends and
family, the awesome beauty of nature, the privilege and challenge of
work, the fun of entertainment, the pleasure of intimacy, the joy of
learning, the luxuries of food and drink, etc., the Christian will soon
get them in an infinitely perfected form-for all eternity, no less.
As if the spice of life weren't enough to be thankful for, the Christian
can find literally dozens of other areas for gratitude. For example, a
positive correlation is known to exist between active Christian faith
and physical and mental health. This has been observed in scores of
different studies undertaken by many researchers in numerous countries,
throughout this century, using a large number of independent and
dependent variables. Those having religious values are at a
significantly lower risk statistically for heart disease, stroke,
different types of cancers, mental illness, suicide, tuberculosis, and
other diseases.5
So we want to encourage our Christian readers to remember "to give
thanks." Many have not found what we have. Unfortunately, many never
will. And yet all around us are those who, incredibly, object to our
Christian heritage-even, in a sense, to the very celebration of
Thanksgiving Day. In 1993, a news release supplement in Free Inquiry, a
secular humanist magazine, actually proposed we institute a "National
Day of Blame." It stated God should be blamed for much of our problems!:
"If we have much for which we should be thankful, it logically follows
that there may be much for which we should be angry." The article
proposed, "that on this day [Day of Blame] we blame God for the
absurdities, atrocities, contradictions and inconsistencies in His
religious texts... and why so many innocent people are made to suffer."
Therefore, "The National Day of Blame is an idea whose time has come."6
But why charge God with all the problems of various non-Christian
religious texts when He had nothing to do with them in the first place?
Why blame God for the evil in the world when it is people who committed
such evil contrary to their own God-given conscience (Romans 2:14-15)
and to God's stated will in His Word, the Bible? The humanist "Day of
Blame" hardly belongs at God's doorstep-it belongs at ours-and, just
perhaps, also at that of the humanists who do so easily condemn God for
the world's problems, failing to comprehend the moral, logical and other
consequences of their own skeptical philosophy in a world whose greatest
need is that of finding, knowing and loving God.
God has never sat idly by in the heavens, oblivious to human need.
First, God actually sent His own beloved Son to die for the world's
sin-to pay the just penalty for all the evil that men do. He willingly
did this so that in His great love He could freely forgive men and
graciously offer them the gift of eternal life: "For God so loved the
world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
And second, in many ways known only to each individual, God has
faithfully shown love and mercy far beyond what we deserve. As the
psalmist declared, "The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving
toward all he has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up
all who are bowed down....The Lord is righteous in all his ways and
loving toward all he has made. The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who
fear him; he hears their cry and saves them" (Psalm 145:13-14, 17-19,
NIV).
Millions of Christians, and non-Christians as well, could echo the
sentiments of noted Professor Frank Sulliva
n when he recalled: "When you
look back over your life, carefully, you remember all kinds of moments
when you felt God near you; when you felt that somehow or other you
lucked out; when you got something you didn't deserve."7 Or, of famous
racing jockey William Shoemaker, "I must admit that I'm really not very
religious... sometimes in my life I have asked him [God] to help me....
That's happened to me many times, and I think he's helped me. I think
he's been great to me."8 Or, of novelist William Peter Blatty of
"Exorcist" screenplay fame, "And I do trust him, I trust God very
definitely. There have been so many personal interventions in my life."9
And now the Humanists want a special holiday set aside to blame God for
all the evil which men do. How's that for being grateful?
So we still believe that of all people on earth, the Christian should be
the most thankful. He should be on his knees before God in gratitude for
what God has done for him, expectantly looking toward that glory soon to
be revealed, willing in the meantime to sacrifice all for Christ's
kingdom.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
FOOTNOTES
1. E.g., on science see Eugene M. Klaaren (Ph.D. Harvard) who cogently
argues for this viewpoint in Religious Origins of Modern Science (Grand
Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1977). R. Hookyas is the author of over 125
science publications and professor of the History of Science, University
of Utrech; he argues similarly in Religion and the Rise of Modern
Science (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1972). Robert E. D. Clark (Ph.D.
organic chemistry, Cambridge University) is an honors scholar at St.
John's College, Cambridge. He emphasizes, "Christianity has contributed
profoundly to the development of modern science" and "scientific
development has occurred only in a Christian culture." (R. E. D. Clark,
Science and Christianity: A Partnership (Omaha, NE: Pacific Press
Publishing, 1972), pp. 11, 21.
2. The New American Desk Encyclopedia (NY: Signet, 1993), p. 151,
emphasis added.
3. Personal Freedom Outreach Journal, April-June 1989, p. 2.he a
4. J. I. Packer, God's Words (Downer's Grove, IL: InterVarsityn Re,
1986).
5. E.g., "Religion and Health", Social Science and Medicine, 1Cam994,
volume 28, pp. 1475-82 cited in Family Research Report, July-August,
1994, p. 8. foun
6. "Humanist Calls for National Day of Blame," Free Inquiry D. CNews
Release, supplement (Fall 1993 issue).
7. Terrance A. Sweeney, God & Sign (Minneapolis, MN: Winston Press,
1979), p. 127.
8. Ibid., p. 150.51, e
9. Ibid., p. 45
The John Ankerberg Show can now be seen nationwide on the Inspirational
Network Sunday: 7:30 pm Eastern Time, 6:30 pm Central Time, 5:30 pm Mountain
Time, 4:30 pm Pacific Time.
http://www.ankerberg.com/
e-mail atri@ankerberg.com
**************************
A LOVE STORY
Author Unknown
One day, I woke early in the morning to watch the sunrise.
Ah the beauty of God's creation is beyond description.
As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work.
As I sat there, I felt the Lord's presence with me.
He asked me,
"Do you love me?"
I answered,
"Of course, God! You are my Lord and Saviour!"
Then He asked,
"If you were physically handicapped, would you still love me?"
I was perplexed. I looked down upon my arms, legs and the rest of my
body and wondered how many things I wouldn't; be able to do, the things
that I took for granted.
And I answered, "It would be tough Lord, but I would still loveYou."
Then the Lord said,
"If you were blind, would you still love my creation?"
How could I love something without being able to see it? Then I
thought of all the blind people in the world and how many of them still loved
God and His creation.
So I answered, "Its hard to think of it, but I would still love you."
The Lord then asked me,
"If you were deaf, would you still listen to my word?"
How could I listen to anything being deaf? Then I understood.
Listening to God's Word is not merely using our ears, but our hearts. I
answered, "It would be tough, but I would still listen to Your word."
The Lord then asked,
"If you were mute, would you still praise My Name?"
How could I praise without a voice?
Then it occurred to me: God wants us to sing from our very heart and
soul.
It never matters what we sound like. And praising God is not always
with a song, but when we are persecuted, we give God praise with our words
of thanks. So I answered, "Though I could not physically sing, I would
still praise Your Name.
And the Lord asked,
"Do you really love Me?"
With courage and a strong conviction, I answered boldly,"Yes Lord! I
love You because You are the one and true God!"
I thought I had answered well, but...
God asked,
"THEN WHY DO YOU SIN?"
I answered, "Because I am only human. I am not perfect."
"THEN WHY IN TIMES OF PEACE DO YOU STRAY THE FURTHEST?
WHY ONLY IN TIMES OF TROUBLE DO YOU PRAY THE EARNEST?"
No answers. Only tears.
The Lord continued:
"Why only sing at fellowships and retreats? Why seek Me only in times of worship? Why ask things so selfishly? Why ask things so unfaithfully?"
The tears continued to roll down my cheeks.
"Why are you ashamed of Me? Why are you not spreading the good news? Why
in times of persecution, you cry to others when I offer My shoulder to
cry on? Why make excuses when I give you opportunities to serve in My
Name?"
I tried to answer, but there was no answer to give.
"You are blessed with life.
I made you not to throw this gift away.
I have blessed you with talents to serve Me, but you continue to turn
away.
I have revealed My Word to you, but you do not gain in knowledge.
I have spoken to you but your ears were closed.
I have shown My blessings to you, but your eyes were turned away.
I have sent you servants, but you sat idly by as they were pushed away.
I have heard your prayers and I have answered them all."
"DO YOU TRULY LOVE ME ?"
I could not answer. How could I? I was embarrassed beyond belief. I had
no excuse. What could I say to this? When I my heart had cried out and the
tears had flowed, I said, " Please forgive me Lord. I am unworthy to be Your
child."
The Lord answered,
"That is My Grace, My child."
I asked, "Then why do you continue to forgive me? Why do You love me
so?"
The Lord answered,
"Because you are My creation. You are my child.
I will never abandon you.
When you cry, I will have compassion and cry with you.
When you shout with joy, I will laugh with you.
When you are down, I will encourage you.
When you fall, I will raise you up.
When you are tired, I will carry you.
I will be with you till the end of days, and I will
love you forever."
Never had I cried so hard before. How could I have been so cold? How
could I have hurt God as I had done? I asked God,
"How much do You love me?"
The Lord stretched out His arms, and I saw His nail-pierced hands.
I bowed down at the feet of Christ, my Saviour.
And for the first time, I truly prayed.
Author Unknown.
*************************
PROPHEZINE NEWSBYTES
F.Y.I. - Israel in the News
By: Lee Underwood
Week Ending: November 29, 1997/29 Cheshvan 5758
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"My anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the male
goats; For the L-rd of hosts has visited His flock, the house of Judah,
and will make them like His majestic horse in battle." Zechariah 10.3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(This edition is being published late due to the Thanksgiving holiday in
the U.S. Although the week ended on Saturday (11-29-97), we will also
cover a few other items that occurred today [Sunday]. - Editor)
GOVERNMENT VOTES TO WITHDRAW: After a seven-hour meeting Sunday
(11-30-97), the Israeli Cabinet reaffirmed its determination to make
progress in the negotiations with the Palestinians. The Cabinet decided
that before the permanent settlement, a further redeployment will be
carried out in Judea and Samaria. The Cabinet will soon present its plan
on this matter, whose implementation will be conditioned on the
Palestinians fulfilling their commitments, (as detailed in the appendix to
the file of 15 January, 1997 -- The Mutual Commitments Following the
Hebron Agreement). The Cabinet will hold an intensive debate before
formulating its plan for a permanent settlement, including the security
zones necessary for the State of Israel, settlement areas and other vital
interests, in particular in the fields of water resources and historical
Jewish sites. The Cabinet will take the necessary steps to continue the
existence and strengthening of settlements in Judea and Samaria, steps to
decrease friction between the populations in Judea and Samaria and to
increase the security of the Jewish and Arab residents. The government
approved the actions by a vote of 16-0; the two National Religious Party
(NRP) ministers abstained. The NRP ministers later said that the decision
is the best that could have been achieved, and that they succeeded in
their attempt to "restrict" the withdrawal. The government decision
largely matched the proposal of the ministers of the NRP, namely, that the
government would not consider another withdrawal until it formulates its
permanent-status principles. It was further promised, according to NRP
Knesset faction head Chanan Porat, that in any event there will be no
withdrawal until Arafat fulfills his Hebron-agreement commitments. These
include the changing of the Palestinian charter, extradition of
terrorists, the reduction of the Palestinian para-military police force,
and more. The full text of the Hebron-agreement commitments can be seen
in the "Note for the Record" on the Internet at
http://www.tzemach.org/fyi/docs/note.htm. Ha'aretz reported Sunday that
the American administration rejects Prime Minister Netanyahu's withdrawal
plan. Senior American sources told Ha'aretz that Netanyahu's
pre-conditions - the skipping of the third withdrawal and the beginning of
the permanent-status talks instead - cannot be made unilaterally. The
sources were quoted as saying that the conditions place in doubt the
sincerity of Netanyahu's intentions to make concrete progress in the
negotiations.
Meanwhile, the Yesha Council has requested an urgent meeting with Acting
US Ambassador to Israel Richard Roth. A telegram sent by the Council to
Roth explaining the reason for the meeting was entitled "The Americans,
too, Must Keep their Agreements." It mentions that former US Secretary of
State Warren Christopher promised, on the eve of the signing of the Hebron
agreement, that the US would not pressure Israel to continue with the
Oslo process if Arafat does not fulfill all of his commitments. (GPO,
Arutz Sheva)
'SHOOTERS CAME FROM AUTONOMOUS AREAS: Senior commanders in the Israel
Defense Force (IDF) Central Command believe the terrorists responsible for
the shooting attack in Jerusalem, in which one yeshiva student was killed
and another seriously injured, came from Palestinian Authority (PA)
autonomous areas and received assistance from Arab residents of the
capital. Senior IDF commanders in the Central Command and agents of the
General Security Service (GSS/Shin-Bet) stated they are concerned over
the fact that a terror cell (which they believe numbered at least five
persons), made its way to Jerusalem with the assistance of residents of
the capital and carried out an attack using automatic weaponry. "They
managed to enter into the capital with automatic weapons without being
apprehended and following the attack, managed to make a clean getaway,"
stated an unnamed senior officer. The IDF is working diligently together
with the GSS to track down the terror cell. Some of the Jerusalem Arab
residents arrested following the attack, remain in jail. Police believe
they assisted the attackers in some way, prior to the attack.
Meanwhile, Binyamin Dell, 18, who was seriously injured in the terror
attack last week in Jerusalem's Old City, is reported to be doing better.
Dell was transferred out of the Hadassah Ein Kerem intensive care unit to
a surgical unit. Due to the gunshot wounds he sustained in his jaw, Dell
cannot speak at this time but is able to communicate by writing. (IINS)
10,000 CELEBRATE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF UN PARTITION VOTE: Some 10,000
people participated Saturday night in a street celebration in Tel Aviv
marking the 50th anniversary of the UN partition resolution that led to
the creation of the State of Israel. The event recreated the moments of
waiting for the results of the UN vote 50 years ago and the celebrating
that occurred after it. The international body voted 33 countries in
favor, 13 opposed, and 10 abstentions. Tel Aviv Mayor Ronni Milo
presented the ambassadors of the 33 UN member nations that approved the
resolution with a gift of appreciation, at a ceremony at Independence
Hall.
The Cabinet discussed the issue of the events to mark the 50th
anniversary of the State of Israel. Regarding the events to mark the
anniversary, the Prime Minister said that, "in the past 50 years, the
story of the most amazing revival of the 20th century took place here.
What has happened in the Land of Israel is the greatest victory of the
Jewish people. The Jewish people, which was almost eliminated during the
Holocaust, is, today, an important factor in the world; this is a victory
for the Jewish people." Yitzhak Moda'i, who is in charge of events for
the anniversary, presented the Cabinet with the program of events which
are planned to mark the anniversary. Ministers may add their own
proposals, so that the program will be approved at an upcoming Cabinet
meeting. (Jerusalem Post, GPO/MED)
ON THE NORTHERN FRONT: Three South Lebanese Army (SLA) soldiers were
killed and five Nahal Brigade (IDF) troops slightly wounded in separate
attacks in south Lebanon Saturday. Hizb'Allah claimed responsibility for
the attacks. Later Israel Air Force (IAF) warplanes blasted targets west
of Jezzine. Five IDF soldiers were injured Friday evening when a roadside
bomb exploded in the eastern sector of the Security Zone of southern
Lebanon. Fighting was reported throughout most of the day Tuesday, in
various sectors of the Security Zone. During the afternoon a roadside
bomb exploded in the western sector of the Security Zone, adjacent to a
SLA patrol. Later in the day, mortars were fired at SLA positions in the
western and northeastern sectors of the Security Zone. During the late
evening hours, it was reported that mortars were being fired at IDF
outposts in the eastern sector of the Security Zone. No injuries were
reported in all of the incidents. Two or three terrorists were Killed in
southern Lebanon Monday morning, in an engagement with IDF armored forces.
There were no Israeli casualties. Exchange of fire continued for hours
in Lebanon between Hizb'Allah and the IDF. Foreign news stations
reported that Israeli helicopters attacked Hizb'Allah bases.
Last Sunday (11-23-97) fifteen people were injured when the Syrian- and
Iranian-backed Amal and Hizb'Allah groups fired mortars and Katyusha
rockets at the village of Beit Lief, in the Security Zone, about three km
(1.8 miles) from the Israeli border. Of the fifteen killed, seven were
civilians and four of them children. Up to 20 mortars and rockets hit the
village. Some rockets landed in the western Galilee, without causing any
injuries or damage. Hizb'Allah likes to portray itself as a liberation
movement, dedicated to freeing the oppressed south Lebanese from cruel
Israeli occupation. Israel submitted strong complaints over the incidents
to the five-nation group monitoring the rules of engagement established in
southern Lebanon last year. Israel showed the committee, which is
overseeing the implementation of agreements reached following Operation
Grapes of Wrath, parts of the shells used in the attack which bore the
insignia of Iranian military hardware. This evidence refutes Iran's
previous claims that its support of Lebanese terrorists was exclusively
humanitarian.
Meanwhile, following rumors attributed to OC Northern Command, calling
for a unilateral IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon, Defense Minister
Mordechai stated that the IDF Senior Command has been conducting serious
discussions over the situation in the Security Zone. Mordechai stated
that the IDF Senior Command has decided that the time is not right to
consider such a move and for now, IDF troops must remain in the Security
Zone, to repel Hizb'Allah terror attacks on northern Israel. (Jerusalem
Post, IINS, Arutz Sheva, ICEJ, Israel Line)
STRIKES OCCUR ALL OVER THE LAND: In an on-going scenario, doctors struck
this past week in all hospitals, including geriatric and psychiatric
institutions. The doctors are demanding several hundred additional
positions for doctors in the health system. Municipal employees of
Netanya struck also. The strike included all municipal services in the
city, including schools. The nation's schools were hit with partial
strikes, affecting 4th, 7th and 10th grades.
Members of the Histadrut union of clerical workers went on strike Sunday
(11-30-97) in protest against the government's plan for pension reform and
privatization. The strike will affect local authorities throughout the
country, Histadrut institutions, religious councils, the Jewish Agency,
the Jewish National Fund, Magen David Adom first aid services and day care
services of WIZO and NAAMAT. Administrative workers at Ichilov hospital
in Tel Aviv and Rothchild hospital in Haifa are also on strike. Schools
are not affected. Monday the strike will spread to administrative workers
at Kupat Cholim Clalit and the universities. (IINS, Kol Yisrael/MED)
RUSSIA AIDS IRAN MISSILE DEVELOPMENT: Iran is advancing towards the
development of a missile with a 2,000 km (1,200 mile) range carrying a
1,000 kg (2,200 pounds warhead, and it may even have a 3,000 km (1,800
mile) range with a 500 kg (1,100 pounds) warhead. The missile is being
developed with Russian assistance. The development of the missile, named
Shahab 4 by the Iranians, is an extremely important project, which both
Israel and Western countries are monitoring. Sources quoted said Teheran
has so far paid Moscow several hundred million dollars for cooperation in
developing the missile. International military experts say that a missile
like this would give Iran strategic offensive capability against the whole
of the Middle East, and even Central Europe and East Asia. Successful
development of the missile will enable Iran to start producing it before
the end of the present decade, and to introduce it into use by its army at
the beginning of the next century. Iran will thus realize her aim of
gaining recognized status as a foremost regional power, and an
influential country. (Globes/Med )
WHERE DOES THE UN STAND ON ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM? One of the United Nations
world wide web sites
(http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/infonation/e_infonation.htm),
indicates that the State of Israel should remain as it was prior to June
1967. If one attempts to access the database, calling for the capital of
Israel, the following response is obtained:
"Country Capital Israel Jerusalem (cf. InfoNation Notes)1 Notes: 1.
Designation and data provided by Israel. The position of the United
Nations on the question of Jerusalem is contained in General Assembly
resolution 181 (II) and subsequent resolutions of the General Assembly and
the Security Council concerning this question.
Question of Palestine- The General Assembly, Having considered the item
entitled 'Question of Palestine', Recalling its resolution 181 (II) of 29
November 1947, in which, inter alia, it called for the establishment of
an Arab State and a Jewish State in Palestine, Mindful of the special
responsibility of the United Nations to achieve a just solution to the
question of Palestine,
Aware of the proclamation of the State of Palestine by the Palestine
National Council in line with General Assembly resolution 181 (II) and in
exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, Affirming
the urgent need to achieve a just and comprehensive settlement in the
Middle East which, inter alia, provides for peaceful coexistence for all
States in the region, Recalling its resolution 3237 (XXIX) of 22 November
1974 on the observer status for the Palestine Liberation Organization and
subsequent relevant resolutions, 1. Acknowledges the proclamation of the
State of Palestine by the Palestine National Council on 15 November 1988;
2. Affirms the need to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their
sovereignty over their territory occupied since 1967; 3. Decides that,
effective as of 15 December 1988, the designation "Palestine" should be
used in place of the designation "Palestine Liberation Organization" in
the United Nations system, without prejudice to the observer status and
functions of the Palestine Liberation Organization within the United
Nations system, in conformity with relevant United Nations resolutions and
practice; 4. Requests the Secretary General to take the necessary action
to implement the present resolution." (IINS)
IRAQ COULD DESTROY THE WORLD: US Defense Secretary William Cohen says
Iraq is continuing to "evade and deceive" UN weapons inspectors seeking to
destroy its weapons of mass destruction. Cohen said Baghdad may have
produced enough of the deadly chemical VX to kill everyone on earth.
"Originally they indicated they had just a small quantity of VX. One drop
on your finger would produce death in a few moments. Now the UN believes
that Saddam may have produced as much as 200 tons of VX. This would
theoretically be enough to kill every man, woman and child on the face of
the earth." said Cohen. Speaking before the Knesset's Committee on
Foreign and Security Affairs, Maj. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon, Head of IDF
Intelligence, spoke on Tuesday about Iraq's non-conventional weapons
programs, Ha'aretz reported. Ya'alon said that within a year, Iraq's
nuclear weapons development will reach the same stage it had achieved in
1990, prior to the Gulf War. Ya'alon explained that Iraq still has the
necessary knowledge and professional manpower, and now only needs the raw
materials to realize its nuclear capability. (Kol Yisrael/MED, Israel
Line)
GAZA COMMUNITIES THREATENED: Palestinian Authority officials in Gaza are
engaged in various activities designed to stunt the growth of Israeli
communities there. Abu al-Asal, commander of Palestinian forces in the
area, admitted that the PA has begun to construct a military camp adjacent
to the community of Netzarim. In addition, Gaza Arabs have been
instructed to farm the areas adjacent to the fences of the Jewish
communities, in order to prevent their expansion. Al-Asal said that the
activities are not in violation of the agreements because they are being
carried out within PA territory. (Arutz Sheva)
ANOTHER ARAB LAND DEALER KILLED: Nafa Mardawi, an Arab land dealer, died
last week while in a PA jail, it was reported last week. The outcry has
diminished over the PA's announcement earlier this year that the selling
of land to Jews was considered a crime punishable by death. Yet the policy
apparently continues to be enforced. Mardawi, who was arrested on
suspicion of selling land to Jews, died in police cells at Shechem.
Although many cases are believed to have gone unreported, at least five
Arab land merchants have now been killed this year. Dozens more have been
arrested, in some cases being abducted from Israeli-controlled areas.
(ICEJ, Arutz Sheva)
SHARON SAYS PALESTINIAN STATE INEVITABLE: Minister of National
Infrastructure Ariel Sharon has stated the establishment of a Palestinian
state is a matter of time. Sharon stated a Palestinian state is a fact
that must be accepted. Sharon stated the PA will declare a state when it
chooses to, even if Israel objects. Sharon added, that most of the world
is ready to accept such a declaration and it is not in Israel's power to
prevent it. Leaders of the Jewish communities throughout Judea, Samaria
and Gaza, as well as the leadership of the Yesha Council have expressed
their anger and disappointment over the remarks made by Sharon. Sharon,
who is considered a hawk, regarding his political views, has always been a
staunch ally of the Yesha communities. (IINS)
A HAMAS EXHIBITION IN THE AL-NAJAH UNIVERSITY: Last Saturday
(11-22-97) the activities of "A Week of Telling the Story of Palestinian
Resistance and the Intifada" opened in Shechem, with ceremonies and many
celebrations. The exhibit, which was organized and supervised by the
supporters of the Hamas movement in the Al-Najah University, presented the
realities of the intifada years. The University's campus was turned into
a Palestinian city during the intifada-tens of veiled-face individuals
carrying [fake] sub-machine guns, five machine guns on the shoulders,
swords and other sharp objects which created the intifada's unique
culture. At the entrance to the "Martyrs' Exhibit" enormous pictures of
Shahids [holy martyrs] who ascended to heaven were drawn ... as well as a
huge drawing of a veiled-faced youth, carrying a stone in order to throw
it on an occupation patrol. Marking the opening of the "Struggle Week"
activities, veiled-faced youths blew up and burnt an Israeli bus,
symbolizing the suicide bombings carried out by Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam's
squads. In one of the corners there was a large tent called "The Shahid's
Tent," which presented the clothes of Shahids who were killed during the
intifada. Nearby the "Tent of the Expelled" was erected ... while the
suffering of the detainees was presented in the "Prison Tent". In one
corner there was equipment and materials which the occupation used to
oppress the residents during the intifada, in addition to the personal
belongings of soldiers. The body of a man who was executed during the
intifada after being blamed of collaborating with the occupation ['body'
is probably a reference to an effigy] was hung on the stem of a palm
tree.
Meanwhile, a bus traveling in the Gush Etzion (Judea) area Wednesday
morning was bombarded by Arab stone-throwers. Soldiers escorting the bus
fired in the air. Since the previous Israeli redeployment from areas
throughout Judea and Samaria, all public buses and schoolbuses have been
armor-plated to withstand shooting attacks, in anticipation of increased
Arab violence following the signing of the peace accords with the PLO
Authority (PA). No one was injured in this morning's attack but the bus
sustained damage from the stones. (PMR, IINS)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FYI - Israel In The News
"For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace,
and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest" Isaiah 62:1
'F.Y.I.' may be reproduced & distributed in any form. Please give proper credit.
Send comments and subscription requests to Lee Underwood at:
fyi@tzemach.org
Web site: http://www.tzemach.org/fyi
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
IS THERE NOTHING SACRED?
Insight Magazine
December 8th, 1997 Issue
www.insightmag.com/
By Paul M. Rodriguez
Burial plots in the national war cemeteries, including Arlington,
allegedly have been 'bought' by fat-cat donors to Clinton's reelection
committee and the DNC who aren't even veterans.
Pressure from political bigwigs at the White House and within the
Democratic Party apparently helped gain coveted waivers from top brass
at the Defense Department and Department of Veterans Affairs for dozens
of big-time political donors or friends of the Clintons -- civilians
who wanted themselves or family members buried in America's most
precious grounds, the national war cemeteries including Arlington
National, Insight has learned.
Such waivers for unqualified people wishing to be interred at U.S.
national cemeteries were approved by Clinton officials, including
Secretary of the Army Togo West, who now wants to head the Department
of Veterans Affairs, or VA. Arlington National Cemetery, the
resting-place of many of the nation's greatest military heroes, is
controlled by the Army, while 114 other national cemeteries located in 38 states are operated by the National Cemetery System, or NCS, under the authority of the VA.
Burial in the national cemeteries is open to members of the armed
forces and veterans discharged under honorable or higher conditions.
Their spouses, UN remarried widows or widowers, minor children and,
under certain conditions, unmarried adult children also are eligible for
such burial. Also eligible are members of reserve components and the
Reserve Officers' Training Corps, Commissioned officers of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, public health service officers, World War II merchant marines and certain "others" designated by the secretaries of the Army, VA or Air Force.
An Insight investigation of "waivers" needed for an otherwise
ineligible person to be buried at any of these cemeteries, especially
Arlington National, reveals that even eligible individuals often have a
difficult time being placed. For example, a U.S. Marine with three Bronze Stars including a "V" denoting combat action could not be buried at Arlington because of new rules requiring a minimum of a Silver Star or a Purple Heart. "It's very tough to get buried at Arlington, even for those who seemingly qualify or qualified without a doubt in earlier years," says an official at the
cemetery. "We are overcrowded and therefore we are forced to select only the most decorated or the most service-qualified."
But a review of confidential waiver lists held by Department of
Defense, or DOD, sources suggests that far more than Lincoln Bedroom
sleep overs and presidential coffee-klatsches were exchanged for large
donations to the Clinton-Gore campaign or DNC. In fact, Clinton & Co.
may have "sold" not only burial plots for recently deceased but also
future rights to those hallowed grounds without regard for the deceased's status as a veteran.
"The numbers right now are small estimated to be about a dozen or 20,
but what price can you place on such ground?" asks one of several
senior military, legal and VA officials familiar with this brewing
scandal. "Look at the roll call of the men and women who lay buried at
these cemeteries. This does more than cheapen their sacrifice -- it
cheapens the honor of what it means to be granted rights to such
hallowed ground," says a high-level source speaking on condition of
anonymity.
"If nothing else, this is corruption of the worst kind and it ought to
be prosecuted because it is against the law to sell 'public lands' in
any fashion," says the same source. "It is an outrage if even one plot
was 'waived' for political money."
A DOD source that works with the Army says the "sale" of burial plots
came to light amid nervousness of senior Clinton administration
officials about the ongoing fund-raising scandals. "They didn't want
this information coming out," the official said. "There are not many
apolitical waivers with respect to Arlington of the percentage of total requests, but there are a few and some of them clearly do not qualify."
Waiver requests, which the Army says, number in the thousands and come
from high-ranking officials in both political parties, are granted only
after careful consideration of an individual's background and service to
the country. Apparently the White House has cleared at least half a
dozen and West about a dozen or so, according to documents held by
Arlington National Cemetery officials. Lists at other national cemeteries suggest similar incidents, say sources. In some cases, West overruled cemetery
administrators for what some believe were political considerations.
Repeated calls to West and Army spokesmen able to discuss the issue were
ignored.
"The requirements are very difficult, and most requests are denied,"
says an Arlington source. Beyond the fact that most veterans can't even
qualify, the requirements for nonveterans is substantially higher,
according to other cemetery sources. "You're talking about an elder
statesman or somebody of tremendous personal stature -- for example, a senior ambassador or a speaker of the House or a first lady."
"It doesn't happen often that requests for waivers of completely
unqualified people are granted," says one former political/military
officer. "You'd have to be a real jerk to try and get somebody in who
has no veteran status and doesn't fit the exceptions rule concerning
status," this source says. When asked what criteria might be cited to
explain why some or all of the waivers were requested and approved,
one military source said:
"Some gave money to Clinton" -- in a few cases, tens of thousands
of dollars.
A well-placed DNC official confirms that military brass quietly have
been making inquiries to determine whether recent burials -- or those
approved for future burials -- may have received waivers as a result of
political pressure by the White House or by West. Sources tell Insight
that answers have angered career military personnel and, in turn, their
politically appointed civilian superiors are in full panic. "We've had
some people crawling around here lately asking us to put together our
lists," a source at Arlington says, identifying the visitors initially
as "low-levels" working for West -- then identifying them as "very
senior DOD people" after press inquiries began.
Attempts to reach Defense Secretary William Cohen and the White House
were unsuccessful. All these offices and others, including offices of
national cemetery directors, failed to honor repeated requests for
official comments.
Insight's queries were prompted by military families who had heard
rumors of alleged sales of burial plots. The Army Times reported in
mid-June that West had granted an unusual number of waivers since 1993,
whereupon the Army secretary denied his motives were political.
Following further investigation by this magazine, a hush-hush review
began at the highest levels of the Army. This led to "field orders" asking for the names of any reporter or news organization seeking access to the waiver lists. "I was to inform Togo West's office immediately if any of the press asked for a copy of these lists," says one of the cemetery officials who refused to comply with what they believe is a political cover-up.
"It is a huge honor to be buried at one of our sites," says a national
cemetery official -- especially to be buried at Arlington. "It is also
a huge dishonor to bury anyone there who has not rightly earned it.
It'd be a big scandal if the country were to learn that this hallowed
ground was being sold for political contributions."
This source and Arlington National sources talked to Insight because,
they say, they are outraged that the Clinton White House has applied
pressure to gain waivers for fat-cat political donors. "This has been
going on for years," one of the sources says. But while past
administrations have done it, they granted waivers only to civilians who
had served in the military and were Pillars in private sector. This could not be confirmed immediately but is generally believed, military sources say. Under West and Clinton, the number of such waivers has quadrupled to approximately 60 to 75 in the last four to five years.
"It's a disgrace what's happened lately," says one of the military
sources. "And now with all these Clinton fund-raising investigations
going on, they're trying to keep it out of the press."
A review of some names on the waiver lists does, in fact, show that
some individuals approved for burial at the national cemeteries --
including Arlington National -- gave large sums of money to the
Clinton-Gore campaign and to the DNC. But based on an ongoing review of
these lists, the number of political moneybags remains small compared
with the full roster of names.
"That doesn't make any difference," says an Army official familiar with
the issue. "If there's even one person on there only because he gave
Clinton money, that's one person too many. It's disgraceful."A
disgruntled national cemetery official adds, "Congress ought to look
into this." Another source says, "There are names that clearly don't
belong.... These plots are sacred.
They belong to the men and women who died or risked their lives bravely
for their country. They don't belong to the politicians."
"If former Rep. Dan Rostenkowski can go to jail over the selling of a
few office chairs, then somebody over at the White House and Pentagon
ought to be convicted for selling America's most sacred public
property," says a high-ranking administration official briefed on the
situation. Indeed.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disney Boycott Having An Effect
Penny Young Nance of Concerned Women for America reported that the
boycott of the Walt Disney Company and it1/4s subsidiaries is already having a
noticeable effect. Boycott supporters contend that Disney changed
policy in the past few years to favor entertainment that is damaging to
traditional family values. Nance pointed out a recent USA Today poll
found almost 50% of those surveyed supported the boycott. She also noted that
Disney stock prices have declined over the past few months, attendance
at Disney theme parks is down, ratings for Disney-owned ABC-TV are low and
Disney's ³Hercules' movie did not gross as much at the box office as
expected. She said that those supporting the boycott realize the
results of the boycott won't cause the company to change it's policies right
away, and that they plan to continue the boycott ³for the long haul."
Contact'Penny Nance at 202/488-7000.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If You Disapprove of Homosexual Behavior You Could Go to Jail
By: Peter LaBarbara
Peter LaBarbara, publisher of the Lambda Report, provided an analysis of
the current strategies of the homosexual advocacy movement, of President
Clinton1/4s recent remarks advocating teaching children not to
disapprove of homosexuality in the public schools, and of the recently-rejected
initiative in Washington state to make homosexuality, bi-sexuality and
transgenderism a protected class under state law. He emphasized that
the main strategy currently employed by homosexuality advocates is to
marginalize, and, ultimately, criminalize speech disapproving of
homosexual, bi-sexual or transgender behavior. He noted that in Canada
people who say they disapprove of homosexual, bi-sexual or transgender
behavior, even a minister in a pulpit, can be reported to a government
human rights commission and sentenced to a jail term. He also reported
on a case in Wisconsin in which a homosexual and a former homosexual got
into a public argument about the nature of homosexuality, following which the
ex-homosexual (who never struck or touched the other man) was reported
to the government for committing a ³hate crime.3/4 He may now receive up
to a two year prison term. LaBarbara noted that cases like this are more
common than most people realize, and said that a report providing details of
similar incidents, ³The Other Side of Tolerance,3/4 is available upon
request. LaBarbara also discussed a severely flawed study claiming that
1/3 of all youth suicides are among youngsters who believe themselves to
be homosexual, explained why the report is flawed, and how homosexual
advocates have nonetheless used the study effectively to lobby for
teaching advocacy of homosexuality, bi-sexuality and transgenderism in the public schools. He distributed materials. Contact Peter LaBarbara at
202/393-2100.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FLASH NEWS from COMPASS DIRECT
Global News from the Frontlines
CHRISTIAN PRISONER ESCAPES ARMED ATTACK IN PAKISTAN
Ongoing Religious Violence Intimidates Judges over Blasphemy Cases
by Barbara G. Baker
ISTANBUL, November 19 (Compass)--A bullet barely missed Christian
defendant Ayub Masih November 6, as the chained prisoner waited outside a
Pakistani courthouse in Sahiwal for another hearing in his year-long blasphemy
trial.
Although several eyewitnesses identified Masih's would-be assailant, so
far local police have refused to lodge a case of armed assault against the
young Muslim accused of firing the pistol shot.
The attack, which took place in broad daylight on the Sahiwal Courthouse
verandah, came while Masih waited outside with another prisoner to be
called for their respective hearings. Catholic Bishop John Joseph of
Faisalabad told Compass that Masih's parents and three of his brothers
were with the defendant when the incident occurred.
According to one of Masih's brothers, the policeman on guard duty
pointed to Masih and declared loudly, "Oh, so YOU are Ayub Masih!" Seconds
later, a shot was fired at Masih. Eyewitnesses said that the bullet passed under
Masih's arm and did not injure anyone.
When Masih's brothers shouted at the policeman to protect the prisoner
from his attacker, the guard reportedly told them that he could not return
fire because he had removed all the bullets from his rifle.
After a shaken Masih was escorted into the courtroom, the presiding
justice of the Sahiwal Sessions Court called for a busload of policemen to be
brought to the scene. He then adjourned the hearing "sine die" (without
any date), requesting a stay on any further hearings on Masih's case from
the Lahore High Court until the Punjab provincial government could guarantee
the safety of the prisoner, judges, and lawyers involved in the case.
Subsequently, Compass has learned, the Lahore High Court declined to
respond to the Sahiwal court's requested stay order. Instead, Lahore
forwarded it to the High Court in Multan, which has direct jurisdiction
over the Sahiwal district. "Maybe they are all afraid," Bishop Joseph
said, "but we are not going to let it go at that. We are going to make a very
strong protest over this action."
According to local Christians, members of Pakistan's judiciary have been seriously intimidated by the October 10 assassination of retired justice
Arif Iqbal Bhatti, a Muslim who as a senior High Court judge acquitted
two Christians in a well-known blasphemy case two years ago.
Masih's family has attempted to lodge a case of armed assault against
the assailant, whom they said they recognized as Mohammed Akram, their
former neighbor who had filed formal charges of alleged blasphemy against Masih
in October 1996.
"They were told, 'Nobody was hurt, so be grateful to God,'" Bishop
Joseph said. According to Masih's mother, the Superintendent of Police told
her, "Why are you sheltering him? Your son spoke against Mohammed. There is
nothing we can do with him, and we will do nothing for him."
Bishop Joseph stated that a judicial order to stay Masih's hearings
would very likely shelve the case for many months, if not several years,
without any possibility of bail for the defendant. "So he could stay in jail for
five years, exactly like they have done to Anwar Masih!" Bishop Joseph
said, referring to another Christian accused of blasphemy who has
remained behind bars since his arrest in Sammundri early in 1993.
Ayub Masih, now 31, had been arrested on October 14 of last year in his
home village of Arifwala, where Akram filed claims at a local police
station that he had slandered the prophet Mohammed. Local Christians
claimed that the case was fabricated as a cover-up for a land dispute
against Masih's family. Shortly after his arrest, all 14 Christian
families in the village, located in the Pakpatan district of Punjab, were forced
to abandon their homes, animals and belongings to flee mob violence. They
remain displaced in a nearby village.
***
In a related development, the lawyer for Christian defendant Anwar Masih
managed to secure a copy this week of a mid-October judgment proving
that his client's case has been transferred out of Pakistan's established
courts into the controversial new Special Courts established earlier this year
by the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.
Jailed nearly five years ago on charges of blaspheming against the
prophet Mohammed, Anwar Masih faces the death penalty if convicted of violating
Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Bishop Joseph, who last visited Anwar Masih in the Central Jail of
Faisalabad on November 16, said the prisoner told him he had been kept
in his cell 24 hours a day for the past three months. When the bishop
protested to the jail superintendent about this treatment, he said he
was told, "This is for his safety. We have come to know that a group wants
to kill him."
Since a mandatory death penalty was added to Pakistan's notorious
blasphemy laws in 1993, more than a dozen Pakistani Christians have been jailed on
fabricated charges, with four of their number killed by Islamist
fanatics. All these Christians accused of blasphemy against either Islam, the
Koran or the prophet Mohammed have been eventually acquitted, after spending
long years in prison without bail.
**********
Compass Direct Flash News is distributed as available to raise awareness
of Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith.
For subscription information, contact:
Compass Direct
PO Box 27250
Santa Ana CA 92799
USA
TEL: 714-862-0300
FAX: 714-752-6536
compassdr@compuserve.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
EDITORS NOTE: Many of you have been following this gentleman named Maitreya and Benjamin Creme for quiet some time now. For those of you who have not or do not know who these 2 are, here is a short history lesson.
Maitreya, many believe could be the Antichrist. He / Tara Center / Share International have VERY strong ties to the United Nations. He appears to crowds in one part of the world and then to another crowd in another part of the world within minutes/hours. He supposedly "heals" people and "charges water" with his healing powers in most of the places he appears. He is seen not only as Christ, Mohammed, Buddha, etc., but claims to be all of them. He is the first person to claim this sort of claim. Thus merging all the worlds religions into one single religion. He is viewed by many in the New Age Religions to be the "World Teacher" that will take man into the next quantum leap.
To get more information about Maitreya go to ,
http://www.shareintl.org/maitreya.html
*************
British futurist says 'World Teacher' will be seen on TV within five weeks.
From: http://www.shareintl.org/newsrelease.html
LOS ANGELES, 25 November-
At his first American press conference in 15 years, British futurist Benjamin Creme stated that Maitreya - World Teacher for the coming age-will be interviewed on a major American network before the end of the year. This
will be followed by appearances on other networks around the world and, within months, will lead to a global satellite hook-up where Maitreya can speak to all people simultaneously-in their own language. ÊMaitreya, according to Creme, is the great spiritual teacher expected by people of all religions, although they know him by different names: Christ, Messiah, Krishna, Imam Mahdi, Maitreya Buddha and others.
In 1982 Creme challenged the world's media to cover this story as it was then just beginning to unfold. Although major media largely ignored Creme's challenge, citing lack of tangible evidence, small groups of journalists pursued the story over the years, making it possible for Maitreya to exert a growing influence in world affairs.
Creme says that now, fifteen years later, evidence of Maitreya's presence is abundant and points to: ÊRelease by Maitreya of amazingly accurate forecasts of world events, demonstrating his extraordinary insight and understanding of the Law of Cause and Effect. ÊDramatic, unexpected and benevolent world changes, such as the fall of communism in the Soviet Union, the end of apartheid in South Africa, peace initiatives in the Middle East and Northern Ireland, and the growing power of the 'people's voice'.
Maitreya's 'out of the blue' appearances to religious groups throughout the world, many of whom recognize him immediately as their long-awaited teacher. ÊA continuous wave of miraculous phenomena including crosses of light, manifestations of Jesus and Mary in the clouds, weeping statues of the Madonna,
milk-drinking Hindu icons, wells of healing water in Mexico, Germany and elsewhere, and other super-normal events.
Hundreds of letters sent to Share International magazine, of which Creme is Chief Editor, documenting personal experiences of Maitreya. ÊMaitreya's upcoming interview, says Creme, will be an opportunity to present his priorities. His chief concern is the divisions in the world that allow 35,000 people a day to die from starvation and one-fifth of the world's population to live in absolute poverty. His next priority is to restore ecological balance and sustainable use of the Earth's resources.
By creating awareness of what is actually taking place in the world, by awakening human compassion, and by galvanizing us into action, Maitreya, says Creme, will help us completely transform the world over the next 15-20 years. One example of what we can expect, Creme predicts, is a new science-the Technology of Light-which will provide all the power needed on Earth and make possible the regeneration of human organs.
Creme described the extraordinary heart-felt response of people everywhere to Princess Diana as a prelude to the experience on Maitreya's 'Day of Declaration'. "Every individual will feel as if he has embraced them personally," says Creme. "A new livingness will begin from that moment."
Note: The exact timing of this interview will be arranged, at the appropriate moment, between Maitreya and the program's producers. ÊThe identity of the network may not be revealed ahead of time. ÊWe do not expect that Maitreya will be introduced under that name, or as 'the Christ', 'the Messiah', etc.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
EDITOR NOTE: A look into the "otherside's" camp.
EARTH DAY RELIGION
POINT OF VIEW - APRIL 22, 1997 From: http://www.usaradio.com
Earth Day was a big day in Miami this year - people from all over the
world gathered downtown to celebrate the environment and the need to
preserve it. The following pledge was led by "Earth Man (dressed as a
globe) and the Project Earth Band:"
"I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE EARTH . . . MY HOME . . . THE PLANET OF MY
BIRTH . . . FROM THE MOUNTAINS. . . TO THE DEEPEST SEAS. . . FROM THE
FARMLANDS. . . TO THE TALLEST TREES. . . FROM THE LOVE IN YOU . . . TO
THE LOVE WITHIN ME . . . I PLEDGE . . . ALLEGIANCE TO THEE."
The following is taken from the February 14, 1997, issue of Human
Events:
The Ten Commandments of Mother Earth
Earth Worship Mocks Mosesc Law
Radical environmentalists do not believe in the Ten Commandments of the
Bible, but instead embrace an atheistic, materialistic code, which,
among other things, calls for human beings to curb their desire to
procreate because it harms great "Mother Earth." The following "Ten
Commandments," being distributed by the Earth Community Center, is the
new, modern environmental equivalent of the ancient Mosaic Law.
I. Thou shalt love and honor the Earth for it blesses thy life and
governs thy survival.
II. Thou shalt keep each day sacred to the Earth and celebrate the
turning of its seasons.
III. Thou shalt not hold thyself above other living things nor drive
them to extinction.
IV. Thou shalt give thanks for thy food, to the creatures and plants
that nourish thee.
V. Thou shalt limit thy offspring for multitudes of people are a burden
unto the Earth.
VI. Thou shall not kill, nor waste Earths riches upon weapons of war.
VII. Thou shalt not pursue profit at the Earths expense but strive to
restore its damaged majesty.
VIII. Thou shalt not hide from thyself or others the consequences of thy
actions upon the Earth.
IX. Thou shalt not steal from future generations by impoverishing or
poisoning the Earth.
X. Thou shalt consume material goods in moderation so all may share the
Earths bounty.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Spy photos sharpen focus on Noah's Ark
Reported By: Weekend News Today
Source: The Washington Times
11/18/97 - Dino A. Brugioni, a retired CIA photographic specialist who
was directed to study the high-resolution photographs of the unusual
Mount Ararat site two decades ago, say soon-to-be-released U.S. spy
photographs of the odd formation high on Turkey's Mount Ararat could reveal something far more explosive: the remnants of Noah's Ark, the ancient vessel from the Bible that safely preserved a pair of every creature on Earth in the midst of a global flood, The Washington Times reported Tuesday. A series of images snapped by a U-2 spy plane at the end of a 3,000-mile reconnaissance flight from what was then the Soviet Union to Turkey caught the attention of a photo interpreter in his section.
For more than two decades, highflying U.S. reconnaissance aircraft and
satellites routinely photographed the "Ararat Anomaly" site. But over
the next few months, the CIA will begin releasing more detailed
high-resolution spy pictures of the distinctive formation near the
summit.
High-level U.S. government interest in the search for Noah's Ark led to
a study by the CIA's National Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC)
of the Ararat Anomaly back in the 1970s, and the Defense Intelligence
Agency conducted a second, more recent analysis.
The Bible in Genesis tells of God's command to Noah to build an ark 300
cubits in length, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high. (A cubit is an
ancient measurement of about 20 inches, making the ark approximately 500
feet long, 83.3 feet wide, and 50 feet high.) God then made it rain for
40 days "and the waters increased and bore up the ark and it rose high
above the earth ... so mightily upon the earth that all the high
mountains under the heavens were covered," the Bible says.
According to the CIA, the U-2 photographs of the Ararat Anomaly will be
released in the next few months as part of a batch of hundreds of
thousands of spy photographs taken on U-2 and SR-71 spy plane missions
between the 1950s and mid-1970s. CIA spokesman Tom Crispell said
the release of the U-2 photographs will contain pictures of the Ararat
Anomaly. But other photos taken by KH-9 and KH-11 high-resolution spy
satellites are not likely to be made public any time soon, intelligence
sources said.
World famous linguist Charles Berlitz's 1987 book "The Lost Ship of
Noah" describes several expeditions, including a 1916 discovery by the
Russian Imperial Air Force, which sent 150 men up the mountain to
explore a large object measuring as long as a city block. The ark, the
book said, was found to have hundreds of small rooms and several that
were quite large, as if designed to hold beasts larger than elephants.
It included a 20-square-foot doorway. Other rooms were lined with tiers
of cages and everything was heavily painted with a waxlike substance
resembling shellac.
The wood used throughout was oleander, a member of the cypress family
and the "gopher wood" of the Genesis account. Because of its frozen
condition under 50 feet of ice, the boat had been perfectly preserved
for several millenniums, the book reported.
Getting to the site on Ararat's southeastern slope is a mountaineer's
nighmare, as it takes three days to scale the 16,945-foot mountain, a
dormant volcano whose peak is usually hidden by clouds. Even in peak
climbing season during July and August, the remote mountain is loaded
with obstacles: winds reaching up to 150 mph, snow, mist, wild animals,
falling boulders and even bandits who prey on travelers.
The mostly Muslim Turks had long been reluctant to allow exploration of
Mount Ararat because a discovery of the ark would not square with an
account in the Koran which says the ark came to rest on Mount Judi, 200
miles southwest of Ararat. Because the ark is in a politically sensitive
area bordering Russia and Iran, Turkish authorities closed the area in
1990.
The search for the ark on Mount Ararat has been greatly complicated
after the Turkish government closed off the area to visitors. The
government cited problems with Kurdish rebels and the site's proximity
to borders with Iran and Armenia.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
COMPROMISING RELIGIOUS MONITORING
By: C.E. Carlson
The ill-named and malignant FREEDOM FROM RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION ACT has
now encountered resistance in Congress, according to Congressman Matt Salmon
of Arizona, the pillar of opposition.(1) The principal promoters of
HR2431 have begun to talk of compromise and a host of friendly
amendments to the bill are designed to water it down sufficiently to
slide it through Congress either in the closing hours of this session,
or early in the January session. Newt Gingrich and Trent Lott have
committed to passing the bill. It appears sponsor Congressmen Frank
Wolf of Virginia and Christopher Smith of New Jersey and the promoters at FREEDOM HOUSE and HUDSON INSTITUTE want to divert attention from the substance of the bill to an argument over details.
This is a bold move to create a new federal agency with power to
monitor religions from a White House Office, and to sanction other
nations and groups anywhere on account of their religious practices.
Therefore, it is unacceptable in any form.
Michael Horowitz, the bill's Godfather, has turned his efforts from
lauding the nobleness of the bill to attacking the credibility of its
detractors, among them WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS. This is a good sign that
the truth stings, and that HR2431 may be is in more trouble than we
knew.
HR2431 ran into its first snag because of a grass roots movement
rising up within the rank and file of American Christians, many of whom
are now challenging their own organizations' support of the bill.
Faced with growing common sense opposition, the Warmaker-promoters of
HR2431 are now
talking of amending out the more obvious faults.
In response to this first real opposition to the juggernaut "Freedom
>From Religious Persecution Act", Michael Horowitz of the Hudson
Institute, has talked to both friend and foe of compromise. It is
likely that compromise was always the Warmaker's contingency plan, for
HR2431 and was written in the blunt and specific terms of the oligarchic
contract that invites compromise. The Warmakers need only to establish
the OFFICE OF RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION MONITORING in any form or size. It
will then metastasize as agencies always have and will. But to accept any
compromise on HR2431 is to allow the camel's whole body in the tent.
LOVING YOUR ENEMIES WARMAKER STYLE
On the first of October the principal promoters of the bill launched an
attack on the primary opponent to the bill, "We Hold These Truths".
Horowitz signed a two page letter on the letterhead of "Hudson
Institute" stating, "Here's a quick point-by-point response to the
claims made in the letter from Nolan P. Cox to C.E.Carlson. Hopefully,
you and others can write to Cox and Carlson -- with the letters serving
as means of definitively rebutting their campaign. It's now clear to me
that this needs to be done asap."(2)(3)
WHTT discovered the circulation of a similar letter authored by Paul
Nagy, President of the NEW HAMPSHIRE CHRISTIAN COALITION, in which he
attempted to ridicule Nolan Cox, President of AMERICAN FAMILY
ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA, and WHTT, mentioning "black helicopter in my
back yard".(4)
Within a few days a third letter appeared on cue from The Reverend Dr.
David Adams, OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT INFORMATION, LUTHERAN CHURCH-MISSOURI
SYNOD in Washington.(5)
Dr. Adams, in his cover letter states, "having examined Mr. Carlson's
assertions in some detail I find them to be baseless, misleading and
irresponsible." His ten page critique of WILL AMERICA ACCEPT RELIGIOUS
MONITORING by WHTT, entitled, AN ANALYSIS OF CERTAIN CLAIMS ABOUT THE
FREEDOM FROM RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION ACT BEING DISTRIBUTED BY MR. C.
E.CARLSON, is being widely circulated.
Dr. Adams arguments are based upon the simple but untrue assumptions
that a new government agency will never expand beyond its expressed
powers or grow beyond the size originally implied by Congress. One has
only to examine the EPA or the Department of Energy to see the fallacy
of this argument. Dr. Adams also simply ignores the glaring power loopholes in this bill granting dictatorial, Orwellian power at the outset.
However, Reverend David Adams' most revealing statement is found in a
footnote to his paper pertaining to Nina Shea's IN THE LION'S DEN. (6)
Adams, in attempting to defend Nina Shea's seemingly exaggerated
deathfigures in Sudan, has called attention to technique used in her
distortion of facts.
David Adams writes, "As an aside it is worth noting that Mr. Carlson
misrepresents Nina Shea's comments about the number of deaths in Sudan
in her book In the Lion's Den. Mr. Carlson appears to believe that Ms.
Shea says that of all of the estimated 1.3 million killed in the
Khartoum government's Jihad against NON-MUSLIMS ARE CHRISTIANS. She
says no such thing. In writing a book on persecution of Christians, Ms.
Shea does emphasize that Christians have been killed in the Jihad, but
she clearly says that the Jihad includes the persecution of ANIMISTS
(practicers of traditional African religions), as well as CHRISTIANS.
It is undoubtedly true that the majority of those killed in the Jihad
have been animists rather than Christians, but neither Nina Shea nor anyone else has claimed otherwise." (EMPHASIS IS OURS)
But a close examination of Mr. Adams' words when compared to Ms. Shea's
exact quote from her book suggests Ms. Shea may have intended to deceive
with careful word selection, and Dr. Adams now is covering for her, as
follows:
>From "In The Lion's Den", page 32, "The war has pitted the
predominately Muslim north against THE PREDOMINATELY CHRISTIAN AND
ANIMIST south." -EDITOR'S NOTE: Ms. Shea's careful placement of
"Christians" ahead of "Animists", implying Christians are the majority
of the persons cited. As Dr. Adams points out above, this is untrue.
Also page 32, "The militant Islamic governments scorched-earth and
forced starvation tactics as it prosecutes its religious war in the
southern, Christian part of the country have resulted in the deaths of
more than 1.3 million people and displacement of more that 3 million
others, MOSTLY CHRISTIANS AND NON-MUSLIMS."
EDITORS'
NOTE: again Ms. Shea's clear but untrue statement that the
southern part of the country is "Christian", clearly implying they are
the majority. As Adams points out, this is untrue. Later in the same
sentence "Christians" is placed ahead of "non-Muslims" implying they are
the majority of those killed and displaced, again deceptive and untrue.
Ms. Shea repeatedly makes it appear that most of the 1.3 million persons
she claims to have been killed were Christians. In so doing she not
only contradicts common usage but also some law. Ms. Shea is a lawyer
so knows knows about abuse of words.
If Ms. Shea was in the ketchup business she could go to jail.
Examine the label on any can or bottle you purchase and you will find
the ingredients are named in order of the quantity contained. The
ketchup label begins with the most abundant component, tomatoes followed by
water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and finally vegetable flavorings, the
least abundant product listed last. To list them otherwise would be
consumer fraud.
IN THE LIARS' DEN
Mr. Adams in covering for Ms. Shea, properly reversed the order placing
"animists" ahead of "Christians" and tells us, "IT IS UNDOUBTEDLY TRUE
THAT THE MAJORITY OF THOSE KILLED IN THE JIHAD HAVE BEEN ANIMISTS RATHER
THAN CHRISTIANS, BUT NEITHER NINA SHEA NOR ANYONE ELSE HAS CLAIMED
OTHERWISE."
Is his statement true? No, everyone has been told over and over again
by the promoters of this bill that the victims are predominately
Christians, an enormous factual distortion.
In fact, it is likely that only 5 to 10% of those killed were
Christians, not the vast majority, as we have been consistently led to
believe. This is about the percentage of Christians in the Sudanese
population, so Ms. Shea and those who follow her lead are probably exaggerating by about ninety percent. Furthermore, how then can Dr. Adams label this war a
"Jihad against Christians?"
Why is this statistical fudging so important in this day and age of
Madison Avenue journalism? It is important because Nina Shea has been
elevated to the authority on Christian persecution in Sudan. Her book,
"In the Lion's Den", has become the standard, often quoted by others.
But, if her basic figures are misleading, how valid are her
conclusions? It is she, with her close ally, Caroline Cox of CHRISTIAN
SOLIDARITY INTERNATIONAL, who have sold the idea of Christian slave
trade in Sudan, moreover, her total body count of 1.3 million persons
must also be examined with a jaundiced eye.
Others who promote HR2431 have repeated Nina Shea's precise words
about death and slavery in Sudan over and over again until all but a few
have come to accept them. One of hundreds of examples of this cloned
distortion is found in THE PRAYER JOURNAL FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF
PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH, which has been sponsored by many of
the same organizations that have taken the lead in selling HR2431. On
page 13 under a heading "Sudan" we read almost the exact same verbiage
as Ms. Shea, except that the death number has grown to 1.5 million and
homeless has been expanded to 5 million. Distortions grow!(7)
SCAPEGOATING SUDAN
In order to have a fuller understanding of the powers behind HR2431 it
is now time to examine the third fraudulent element in the plan to
establish a federal "Office Of Religious Persecution Monitoring", a
smooth, highly visible publicity campaign to promote war through the
idea of wide scale Christian persecution in Muslim countries. It is unlikely that any country as poor and defenseless as Sudan has ever been more vilified
with less cause.
The Freedom From Religious Persecution Act contains in its body the
mechanism for the most far reaching economic warfare ever waged upon a
foreign nation. As written, the act would isolate and strangle the
African Nation of Sudan, a country Americans, including American
Congressmen, know little about.
Judging from interviews with eyewitnesses in Sudan and results of
similar UN Sanctions on Iraq, the result of the proposed sanctions will
cause the death by starvation and deprivation of an unknown number of
children, for it has always been the children who suffer from economic
sanctions, never the political leaders.
Paradoxically, this legislation is being moved toward passage by the
mobilized and coordinated political strength of leaders of Christian
organizations, TV churches and the political action committees of major
denominations. It is time grass roots Christians learn more about the
intended victims, the Republic of Sudan, for the government of Sudan is
painted as an international tyrant or "renegade government" deserving
of destruction under HR2431.
Sanctions are endorsed by a number of prominent national Christian and
conservative leaders. None of them have, to our knowledge, made an
official, legal visit to Sudan, at least not since 1989 when the current
government came to power. There is a Sudanese Embassy in Washington
where visas are available. A careful examination of Ms. Shea's book
and the writings of other promoters of HR2431 indicate most, if not all
of them, appear to admit they have entered Sudan illegally and or
surreptitiously, if indeed they have been there at all.(8)
LEGISLATIVE LEADER VISITS SUDAN LEGALLY
What Christian legislator would dare go to Sudan, a place we are
told, where the so-called "Khartoum Government" makes it a top priority
to starve, enslave and torture Christians. Pennsylvania State
Representative Harold James joined a small group, including several
other state legislators in a fact-finding visit to Sudan on February
17-25 of this year.(9 )
James is a five-term legislators, a member of the EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF
THE NATIONAL BLACK CAUCUS OF STATE LEGISLATORS and is also a retired
22-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department. He stated he had
"always had an interest in Africa, heard about the reported genocide and
wanted to see for himself." In his press release of March 20, 1997,
James stated, "There were no signs whatsoever of any kind of this activity by the Sudanese. I saw true working relationships between different religious groups, and freedom of religion. I personally visited a Mosque, the Catholic Cathedral, and a Coptic Christian Church and witnessed that freedom for myself. There is also an excellent system of political inclusion there at all levels
of government, including women, Christians, Muslims and many others."
James wrote, " The lies against Sudan seem designed to justify economic
sanctions by the United Nations, and further military attacks against
that nation by neighboring countries, such as Uganda and Ethiopia--."
James called upon Congress to send its own delegation to Sudan, and he
closed by stating, "The truth about the situation in Sudan must be told
based upon first hand observation. Meantime, it is urgent to call off
the push for sanctions against Sudan."
But James' reports received little publicity in the establishment press.
Instead the fanatical anti-Sudanese sentiment expressed in the
nationalmedia has continued to dominate American thought. He related an
interesting anecdote about watching CNN NEWS from his hotel room in
Khartoum, the capital city and viewing an unchallenged news report from
Washington featuring Baroness Carolyn Cox, director of "Christian
Solidarity International", who proclaimed that slavery was rampant in
Sudan, and that Khartoum was about to be overrun by rebel forces at the
time. Mr. James, with a hint of humor, recorded the program on his
portable video camera.
BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS
In an interview with We Hold These Truths on October 22, 1997,
Representative James stated he met with many officials of the
government, including the President of the Sudanese Supreme Court who
had just completed a study and report on the claims of slavery. He "freely
mingled with ordinary members of the public in non-threatening and
unsupervised circumstances both in Khartoum, and in rural areas that he
visited." Mr. James pointed out that he served five years as an
undercover policeman, and he was accustomed having people try to fool
him and hide things, and he felt that "nothing was hidden" from him in
Sudan. Representative James said he attended several Christian church
services and walked to one service from his hotel room. He found the
churches well attended, the Catholic Cathedral "jam-packed". During
one visit to a mosque he was invited to stay for dinner, but was was
mildly amused when he found himself eating from a common bowl with his fingers, as is the custom, but he "enjoyed it" and seemed genuinely comfortable with the
people. He stated many people in the cities speak English, and the only
complaints he heard against the government was at a meeting organized by
the World Council of Churches, and he noted that they are allowed to meet and
express their views. Heard nothing whatsoever from ordinary civilians
about repression of religion or slavery.
James, A former Philadelphia policeman commented on the "relative
freedom from street crime, drugs and alcoholism evident in the capital
city." He observed that the government appeared to be making efforts to
organize and provide care for the large number of refugees that were
streaming north to escape the war zone to the south. He pointed out
that the refugees "showed no visible signs of fearing the government,"
but were in search of help.
What he did find was "a well educated, high spirited people defending
their country." From his own observance and from talking to others who
have visited Sudan, Mr. James considered the war was against insurgents
"controlled from outside," rather than from groups within the country,
as our press reports. He felt that "Sudan's strong agricultural assets
and potential for oil self-sufficiency might be the target of foreign
interests."
Representative James traveled four hundred miles south of the national
capital by motorcar to the Blue Nile State near the Ethiopian border,
where 600 villagers were reported killed in January in attacks by
insurgent forces from Ethiopia. There he visited the Rosieres,
hydroelectric plant that supplies most of the power to the country near
the town of Damzian. The Dam was the apparent target of the insurgent
attacks.
James described his visit to a 4300 person refugee camp and hospital
near the Ethiopian border where recent battles had taken place. He
freely talked to patients through English speaking nurses and aids, and
he commented that he observed no apparent fear of the government troops,
but rather a dependency and "a good bit of appreciation for them." Mr.
James observed no starvation in Sudan and commented about the favorable
food supply in the parts of the country he visited. When asked what
effect the proposed international air embargo under HR2431 would have,
James stated it would be "bad for the people of Sudan, and would no
doubt kill children by disease and starvation." Mr. James stated be
believes the statements of Sudanese aid groups who say that almost all
manufactured drugs, medical supplies, refrigerated vaccines and
chemicals, milk products for babies, antibiotics, and medicines are all
imported exclusively by air, and will be cut off by an air embargo on the capital city of Khartoum.
Representative James asked "We Holds These Truths" a rhetorical
question, "why would anybody want to sanction a country like that, they
are trying to take care of their people and make peace?" Who can
possibly benefit from placing what amounts to an air blockade against
the poor people to the Republic of Sudan? The answer is, the Warmakers
will benefit.(1) It is "We Hold These Truth's" objective that in
the next few months the entire fabric of distortion about Sudan's Jihad,
forced starvation, slavery, forced religious conversions and
crucifixions will come tumbling down around the shoulders of those
promoting HR2431. The weakness of the Warmaker's position is now being
propped up by a gigantic effort to compromise details of the bill in
order to establish the Office.
Mr. Horowitz and his eastern establishment backers have no desire to
face the Christian perspective; namely where in the Christian Bible are
Jesus followers allowed to destroy those who persecute them? Christian
leaders must be brought to face this question. Mr. George Ganem's
letter to Reverend Dr. David Adams addresses this issue from a Christian
perspective. Christian leaders need to read it. (9)
To have any chance of overcoming this political strategy opponents must
be able to see through all the distortions and outright lies we will
continue to hear about Sudan. A Congressional delegation must go to
Sudan legally, as Representative James did, to see for themselves. The
truth must be exposed in the churches and grass root organizations of
America. The TV evangelist and mail-order missionaries who have aided
in promotion of HR2431 apparently must be educated by their own
supporters; the tail must stop wagging the dog. Learn about our Cloud Seeder's program, and contact us if you want to help.
C.E. Carlson, (cecarl@ionet.net)
October 25, 1997
FOOTNOTES:
(1.) "Will AmericansAccept Religious Monitoring", basic report,
"Please, Don't Throw Me in the Briar Patch", the reason President
William Jefferson Clinton's says he opposes the bill, "The Beast Weakens". WHTT Webpage.
(2.) Cox, Nolan, President, American Family Association of Georgia,
September 22, 1997, Cox, Nolan, to Whom It May Concern, October 2, 1997. WHTT Webpage soon.
(3.) Horowitz, Michael, undated, on or before October 1, 1997, to
David Adams, with copies to Faith McD, Rich Cizik, Wil Dobson, Steven Snyder
(Christian Solidarity International) Heidi Stirrup, Melissa McClard.
WHTT Webpage soon.
(4.) Nagy, Paul, President, New Hampshire Christian Coalition, Webpage soon.
(5). Adams, Reverend Dr. David, October 1, 1987, WHTT Webpage soon.
(6.) Shea, Nina, "In The Lion's Den", 1997 Broadman and Holman.
(7.) "The Prayer Journal for the International Day of Prayer for the
Persecuted Church", Box WEF, Wheaton Ill, 60189.
(8.) "Missionary" and human rights organizations that have admitted
illegal entry into Sudan: Christian Solidarity International, Frontline
Fellowships, Voice of Martyrs, Open Door With Brother Andrew.
(9.) James, Howard, House of Representative, Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania March 20, 1997, Press Release, 717-787-9477, Webpage soon.
(10. Ganem, George , letter to Reverend Dr. David Adams, dated October
19, 1997.
This article first appeared on :
WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS
4839 E. Greenway Rd., #151
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
Tel.: (602) 443-0204; Fax: (602) 596-9501
Web Site: http://www.whtt.org
Email: info@whtt.org
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No One Will Believe It
From: http://www.persecution.com
When Pastor Richard Wurmbrand first arrived in the United States in the
late 1960s, one of his first desires was to write of his experiences in
Romanian prisons so that the Christians living in the free world would
know of the tragedies suffered by our fellow members in the Body. Pastor
Wurmbrand wrote examples of persecution and the overcoming faith shared
by those who had passed years of torture and imprisonment at
the hands of the Communists. He recounted his own memoirs of solitary
confinement, repeated beatings on the soles of his feet, and being
stripped of clothing and locked in a refrigerated cell where he was
brought within minutes of freezing to death.
Upon sending the manuscript to major Christian publishing houses here in
the West, he soon learned that no one was willing to publish his
testimony. "Who would believe it?" they asked. "And even if they did,
who wants to read such horrors?" Numerous publishers were approached,
until finally a secular company took a chance with Pastor Wurmbrand and
published the first edition of Tortured for Christ.
A great deal has happened in the past 30 years, and we owe thanks to God
for men like Richard Wurmbrand, Harlan Popov, and others who brought the
message of the underground Church to an ignorant America. Through the
decades, tens of thousands of Christians have dedicated themselves to
the service of the persecuted. Organizations have been formed, books
published, and mass protests carried out on behalf of those in bonds.
But have we done enough? Have the testimonies of today's modern-day
martyrs strengthened our faith? Have we raised our children with the knowledge
of the persecuted Church and the honor God bestows on those to whom
suffering is given? Have we taken a minute during each Christian
gathering to pray for those in restricted nations? Have we been willing
to bleed?
A Voice for the Martyrs
The time has come to awaken the Western Church to the cry of today's
persecuted. We no longer have an excuse. We cannot say, " When did we
see You in prison...?" In the past 24 months, almost every major
Christian publication, radio, and television program has done a feature
on today's persecution of Christians. Secular media such as The New York
Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Reader's Digest have followed
suit. The story has been told. The resources are available to us. It is
time to stand with our forgotten brothers and sisters in Sudan, China, Vietnam, and nearly 40 other nations where serving Christ comes at a great cost.
Together we can raise the voice of today's persecuted church!
The Voice of the Martyrs has been actively serving the persecuted church
for almost 30 years. Our mission is clear. With the continued
persecution of Christ's body around the world, we strive to bring
practical and spiritual assistance while making their voice heard.
The Voice of the Martyrs was founded by pastor Richard Wurmbrand.
During the hard line Communist rule of Romania, Pastor Wurmbrand spent
fourteen years in prison for his ministry with the underground church.
He underwent frequent tortures. In 1964, Pastor Wurmbrand, his wife
Sabina, and their son, Mihai, were ransomed from Romania for $10,000.
Expecting to see a feeble, defeated man, the world witnessed a spiritual
giant who overcame desperate situations through his love for Christ.
His calling became clear as he established the ministry of The Voice of
the Martyrs around the world and quickly became known as "the voice of the underground church."
www.persecution.com
e-mail vomusa@aol.com
Postal and phone
P.O. Box 443
Bartlesville, OK. 74005
(918) 337 8015
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
EDITORS NOTE: Grant Jeffrey is a good friend to PropheZine. We at PropheZine try to keep you the reader informed as to new books, tapes and videos. We believe that we as "Watchmen on the wall" need to stay informed with the many aspects to Bible Prophecy and World Events. Grant's Video is one of those items for all of the watchmen out there. I highly recommend this and advise you to go to Grant's www site and purchase this very informative piece. ..Ray Gano PZ
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BASICALLY SPEAKING
Foundations in Bible Truth
By R.g. Wallace
THE COPYBOOK
One of the most descriptive and functional images of Jesus lies hidden deep
in the word pictures of the Greek language.
We find at 1 Peter 2:21,
"For you have been called for this purpose,
since Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example
for you to follow in His steps."
The word, example, translates the Greek word, hupogrammos which occurs only
here in the New Testament. The word is formed from the preposition, "hupo,"
which means under, and "grammos" which means, writing or letter.
For example, the word scribe, is grammateus and means one who is skilled in
letters or writing. This word means a "copybook" like what was used as an
education tool. It provided either some image or letter to trace over, or a
letter or image to "copy" underneath.
Jesus is our copybook. We focus on His image written on the pages of
Scripture and seek to write it in our own life through the ministry of the
Holy Spirit. As we imitate the copybook of Christ's life by "underwriting"
His character in our soul, we will learn to follow in His steps and reflect
His love and righteousness.
John describes this at 1 John 2:6,
"the one who says he abides in Him,
ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked."
Peter continues, by giving us two "general" descriptions of Christ's life
and one "specific" description.
At verse 22, we have a summary of His sinlessness.
WHO COMMITTED NO SIN:
This refers to overt sin and gives us the example of moral obedience as
amplified by the 10 Commandments, which provides a guideline of how the
believer should treat his fellow man. Paul writes concerning this at Romans
13:9-10,
For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL
NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it
is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of
{the} law.
In application to us, we should observe "how" Jesus loved and through that,
come to understand what TRUE Christian love really means instead of trying
to do what society or even religion dictates as an expression of Christian
love. Jesus said of his life and ministry, "I always do the things that are
pleasing to Him (The Father)." (John 8:29) It is this that really fulfills
Christian love and the Christian calling - to please the Father.
Paul tells us at Romans 14:17-18,
"for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and
peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
For he who in this manner serves Christ is PLEASING to God and approved by
men," (BFT).
Thus, as we "practice" in our COPYBOOK, we learn to become "imitators of
God as beloved children" and to "walk in LOVE, just as Christ loved,"
(Eph. 5:1-2).
NEITHER WAS THERE ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH: Deceit is the word, dolos,
and refers to the mental deception that eventually expresses itself
outwardly in speech and action. This then summarizes the "character" of
Christ as being always truthful, never misleading, and ever trying to meet
the spiritual needs of the people around Him, and ultimately, for the whole
world.
It refers to a genuine "God-centered" motivation for everything He did
while here on earth.
Jesus had no "personal" agenda of selfishness or pride. He came to do the
Father's will (Heb. 10:9). Indeed, every word He spoke was "the word that
you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me," (John 14:24).
Just moments before He was led forth to be crucified, Jesus said to Pilate,
"For this I have been born, and for this I came into the world, to bear
witness to THE TRUTH." (John 18:37).
At the age of 12, He was found in the temple in Jerusalem and answered the
concerns of His worried parents, "did you not know that it was necessary
for me to be involved with the things of My Father?" (Luke 2:49, BFT).
At His baptism, which symbolically portrayed His dedication to doing the
Father's will, Jesus told John, "Permit it now, for in this manner, it is
proper for us to fulfill all righteousness," (Mat. 3:15, BFT).
And during His ministry, "I have come a light into the world, with the
result that everyone who believes in Me, does not remain in darkness,"
(John 12:46, BFT).
And again, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but
the will of Him who sent Me," (John 6:38).
Should we not likewise cultivate a life and character that promotes God's
truth in the world? Should we not be diligent to "proclaim the virtues of
Him who called you out of darkness into His awesome light?" (1 Pet. 2:9,
BFT).
Did not Jesus speak of us as "the light of the world" which should not be
placed under a basket? (Mat. 5:14-16)
And Paul writes at Col. 2:14-16a, BFT),
"Do all things without emotional reaction or intellectual rationalization,
so that you may become blameless and non-compromized, children of God above
reproach in the midst of a (morally) perverse and (spiritually) distorted
generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, by continually
holding forth the word of life."
At 1 Peter 2:23, Peter summarizes the character of Jesus as it was
expressed during His trials and crucifixion.
"AND WHILE BEING REVILED:
The word, revile, means to speak abusively to someone, criticize, insult,
ridicule and disdain. Verbal abuse, the trademark of both fear and
arrogance, was hurled at our Lord Jesus in such a way that the offenders
are described "as a ravening and roaring lion," (Psalm 22:13).
And yet, Jesus, ever relaxed, patient and loving -
HE DID NOT REVILE IN RETURN: He did not return "name" for "name," or
"adjective" for "adjective," but instead, quite calmly pleaded, "Father,
forgive them for they don't understand what they do," (Luke 23:34).
What then, of our attitude toward those who may disdain and revile us?
Peter writes, "not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult, but
speaking well instead," (1 Pet. 3:9).
This indeed takes much growth as we build up in our soul the virtues of
Christ's love, but we should ever hold before us the exhortation of Paul
found at Romans 12:17-21 (NASB),
Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight
of all men.
If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath {of
God,} for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.
"BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A
DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS UPON HIS HEAD."
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Jesus is further described by Peter as -
WHILE SUFFERING, HE UTTERED NO THREATS:
Jesus knew that God's plan was perfect and that nothing could frustrate it,
except perhaps His own failure to, "become obedient, even to the point of
death on the cross," (Philip. 2:8).
Accordingly, He was never intimidated by the ridicule and threats of the
men who crucified Him. He never gave in to the temptation to retort back at
them, "just wait till I get down from here!" Not even did He use the
reality of their future judgment as a threat by saying, "You will sing a
different song when you're swimming in fire!" But quite the opposite! Not
only did He forgive them for their personal attacks against Him, but "He
gave Himself as a ransom for all," (1 Tim. 2:6), paying sin's penalty even
for those who deny Him (2 Pet. 2:1).
Finally, all of this is neatly summarized by Peter with the statement -
BUT KEPT ENTRUSTING HIMSELF:
The word, "entrust," is from paradidomi and means to give to the side of
someone. The idea here is that you "turn yourself over" to the authority
and character of someone else. This is a perfect picture of total trust and
dependence on God in the face of every situation in life. This word
communicates the functional reality of the Faith-Rest life, which we have
previoulsy studied. And in Jesus, we once again have the perfect example.
With absolute confidence in the plan and character of God, Jesus was able
to face the physical pain of the cross and the terror of spiritual death,
as He would bear the sins of the world, with no fears, no doubts and no
hesitation. As He faced the mental pressure, contemplating what was before
Him, He was able to totally trust in The Father. Without "blinking an eye,"
as it were, He prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass
from me; YET not as I will, BUT AS YOU WILL." (Mat. 26:39).
Notice that the object of this trust is -
THE ONE WHO JUDGES RIGHTEOUSLY:
Jesus knew that The Father would always be perfectly just and ever "bring
about justice for His elect" (Luke 18:7). Accordingly, "for the joy that
was set before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame," (Heb. 12:2)
and once more gives us the example we need for endurance -
"for consider Him Who has endured such hostility of sinners against
Himself, so that you might not become weary by giving up in your souls,"
(Heb. 12:3, BFT).
The Copybook lays open before us all, freely and clearly displayed, so that
not only are we exhorted to imitate it, but indeed, CAN actually produce
the very image of Christ in our own lives.
"But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror (The Copybook) the
glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to
glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit," (2 Cor. 3:18).
"But PUT ON the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not be making plans for the flesh
(sin nature) concerning its lusts," (Rom. 13:14, BFT).
"Now be growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ," (2 Pet. 3:18).
ronw@best.com
Visit the Bible Fragrances website:
http://best.com/~ronw/bible.shtml
