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Prophe-Zine Issue 043
ProphZine #43
June 15,1997
This newsletter is available in HTML format on the PropheZine website at
http://www.prophezine.com/search/database/is43.0.html
Kim Koster.....................Welcome
iNEWS DIGEST..............Intermind comes to PropheZine
Pastor Geoffrey Kragen....PROPHECY....or something else to argue about?
Grant R Jeffrey................The Hebrew Codes
John Ankerburg...............Where is the Ark of the Covenant
Kim Koster......................The Rising Power that is Being Ignored
Jim Bramlett....................God's Judgment on America
Lori Fiechter.....................A Prayer for the Lost
PropheZine Newbytes
PRN Newswire....Dept. of Treasury Announces First Union
Smartcard
Jacki Juntti.........Soups NOT on !!!!!
SNS News Service...U.S. Votes Jerusalem as Isreal's Capitol.
Lee Underwood...............F.Y.I. - Israel in the News
*****************************************
Welcome to PropheZine # 43. I would like to encourage everyone to check
the PropheZine website if you have not be there for a while. The Discussion
Board is up and running with quite a few interesting subjects
under discussion, including discussion on the Torah codes that Grant
Jeffrey treats in his in-depth article "The Hebrew Codes." PropheZine also
has a new Torah codes archive; check it out at www.prophezine.com.
I would like to take a moment to state that articles run in the PZ
newsletter are not necessarily the views of PZ or staff. I think it is our
responsibility to present different views from time to time so that we may
all be well informed of what is being taught and discussed in the world and
go to God's Word and see what he says on the subject.
I am always on the lookout for interesting articles for future issues from
any of you budding authors(I won't turn down any articles from you well
known authors either ;-)
My e-mail address is KKOSTER@datawise.net
or send them to Ray at ray673@best.com.
***********************************
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********************
(Editor's note: The next article was first published in PropheZine
newsletter #1. I thought it would be interesting to run it again.)
Prophecy OR....Here's Something Else to Fight About
By: Pastor Geoffrey Kragen
This is a online magazine about prophecy. We hope that it will be helpful
in your study of God's Word. But anytime we discuss prophecy it is like
trying to cross a minefield without a map. Of any study in scripture,
prophecy can generate more controversy among believers than any other
topic. Therefore, let's start this discussion by defining the word
prophecy: "1.a. An inspired utterance of a prophet, viewed as a revelation
of divine will. b. A prediction of the future, made under divine
inspiration. c. Such an inspired message or prediction transmitted orally
or in writing." (1)
As you can see, prophecy is not limited to that which foretells the future.
It also includes all inspired revelation given by God to the prophet. The
prophet tells forth God's words. And, these messages may include
foretelling, as well as forth telling.
Generally, when Christians talk about studying prophecy, they mean the
study of eschatology. And that is defined as: "The doctrine of the last
things. Included are two distinct but inseparable questions: the destiny of
the individual -- life, death, immortality, the intermediate state, and
resurrection; and the destiny of history -- the Day of the Lord, the end of
the world, judgment, and the kingdom of God in the new world." (2)
Frequently, when Christians talk about studying eschatology, the concern is
about future events. This is what leads to the battles. Often, we forget
that the real issue when considering future events isn't the events
themselves. What is vital is remembering that God is in control. He will
restore His creation. He will bring an end to unrighteousness and suffering.
I have been teaching the book of Revelation to an adult Sunday School
class. It is difficult to do so without getting into the different
prophetic systems. I have reviewed them all, pointing out which approach is
most consistent with a proper handling of scripture.
The primary message of Revelation is not about future events, it is the
Revelation of Jesus Christ. Without the book of Revelation, we have an
incomplete picture of the work of our Lord. The Gospels only present His
First Coming. His provision of the payment for sin is recorded there. This
provision allows for peace between the Creator and humanity. And while
Christ does refer to the coming kingdom, His role as the coming judge is
not the primary focus.
In the book of Revelation, Christ's Second Coming is depicted in detail.
And with this coming, He will bring judgment on all who reject His shed
blood as the only payment for sin. Without Revelation, we do not see that
the righteous God must judge and send into eternal darkness all who reject
Him. "The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up
the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he
had done,. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake
of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the
book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20: 13-15).
I mention Revelation specifically because the problems with studying this
book are typical of the study of prophecy in general. We spend so much
energy examining every little detail and nuance through the microscope of
our prophetic system that we lose sight of the big picture. And no matter
how convinced we are that our system is correct, we may be wrong.
Assume for a moment that we live in the pre-incarnation period. We are
committed to understanding God's Word. In studying the prophets, we may
well come to the conclusion there will be two Messiahs. One will be the
suffering Messiah. The other will be the ruling Messiah. This conclusion is
wrong. This same problem arises when we are dogmatic about our
understanding of future events. We will only have a complete understanding
of God's program after the fact, not before. However, this doesn't mean we
shouldn't study prophecy. Our prophetic system shouldn't be a test of our
orthodoxy. Methods of interpretation should be of greater concern. How we
view scripture affects our understanding of the Church and Israel, and
therefore our comprehension of God's character and nature. Any system of
interpretation that denies the distinctions between God's program with
Israel and His program with the Church has an extremely detrimental effect
on a complete understanding of scripture and future events.
Nevertheless, eschatology is important. The study of prophecy is a study of
major sections of scripture. Therefore, it must be undertaken. After all,
we are told to study all scripture. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is
useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so
that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2
Timothy 3:16-17).
John F. Walvoord states: "The importance of prophecy should be evident,
even superficially, in examining the Christian faith, for about one fourth
of the Bible was prophecy when it was written. It is evident that God
intended to draw aside the veil of the future and to give some indication
of what His plans and purposes were for the human race and for the universe
as a whole." (3)
The problem isn't studying future events, but getting obsessed by them. We
can be so caught up trying to figure out what is coming that we lose sight
of the fact that we are to continue working right up to the time Christ
comes for us. Jesus put it this way: "Who then is the faithful and wise
servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household
to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that
servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns" (Matthew 24:45-46).
An obsession with future events can undermine our ministry and Christian
credibility. Some time ago, a group of people sold everything they had,
went and sat on a mountain, and waited for the Rapture. And so now they
have nothing, and their government is hostile about efforts to spread the
Gospel. One ministry has had struggles with expansion, because of the
founder's view of prophecy. He believes that since Christ is returning
immediately, there is no point in expanding. In another case, an
evangelist, who has had a successful ministry to a specific minority group,
now spends more time pushing his prophetic theory than reaching out with
the message of salvation.
God will work out future events as He sees fit. Our understanding of these
events has no effect on how they will occur. Although it is acceptable to
disagree in the specific eschatological approach we take, we must never let
this get in the way of unity on the fundamental truths of the Bible. No one
is saved by their understanding of prophetic systems but only by the shed
blood of Christ.
The study of prophecy is vital. The war over systems is destructive. As we
study prophecy we must never forget the words of Paul: "Make every effort
to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one
body and one Spirit -- just as you were called to one hope when you were
called -- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who
is over all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:3-6).
1. AMERICAN HERITAGE ELECTRONIC DICTIONARY, Houghton Mifflin
Company, 1992.
2. THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA, William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 1982.
3. Walvoord, John F., THE PROPHECY KNOWLEDGE HANDBOOK, Victor
Books, Wheaton, IL, 1990, p. 10.
Statement of Faith
I believe in the Verbal Plenary Inspiration, by GOD, of the Old and New
Testament Scriptures, that they are completely inerrant in the original
autograph, and the only infallible authority in faith and life.
I believe in one GOD, existing in three co-equal persons: Father, Son and
Holy Spirit.
I believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the
virgin Mary, and is both fully GOD and fully man.
I believe that the indwelling Holy Spirit is GOD at work in the believer,
to reveal and glorify Jesus Christ.
I believe that GOD is the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe; that man
was created in the image of GOD, that he sinned and thereby incurred not
only physical death, but also spiritual death (which is separation from
GOD); that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are subject
to the power of the world, the flesh and the Devil.
I believe that Jesus Christ voluntarily died for our sins as a
representative and substitutionary sacrifice and that all who believe in
Him are justified (saved from the penalty of sin and declared righteous) by
grace on the basis of His shed blood and resurrection.
I believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead in His resurrection body,
ascended into Heaven, and presently lives there for us as High Priest and
Advocate.
I believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the eternal
blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting conscious punishment
of the unsaved along with Satan and the other fallen angels.
I believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again
of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of GOD and members of
the body of Christ.
I believe that the Christian life is not a reformation (self-improvement),
but a transformation, in which Christ lives through the believer's whole
being. Such a life will be pre-eminently characterized by the fruit of the
Holy Spirit.
********************************
The Mysterious Hebrew Codes
by Grant R. Jeffrey (from his book "The Signature of God")
"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to
search out a matter." Proverbs 25:2
Recently, researchers in Israel discovered a staggering phenomenon of hidden
codes beneath the Hebrew text of the Old Testament that reveal an
astonishing knowledge of future events and personalities that cannot be
explained unless God inspired the writers to record His precise words. The
material is possibly the most important evidence I will present in the book
that will prove to any unprejudiced observer that the Scriptures are truly
inspired by God.
Rabbi Michael Dov Weissmandl, a brilliant Czechoslovakian Jewish scholar in
astronomy, mathematics, and Judaic studies, found an obscure reference in a
book by a fourteenth-century rabbi known as Rabbeynu Bachayah that
described a pattern of letters encoded within the Torah. This discovery
during the years before World War I inspired Rabbi Weissmandl to begin
exploring for other examples of codes hidden within the Torah. During the
war years he found that he could locate certain meaningful words or
phrases, such as hammer and anvil, if he examined the letters at sequences
that were equally spaced in the Hebrew text. In other words, if he found
the first letter of a significant word such as Torah, and then, by skipping
forward seven letters he found the second letter of the word Torah, he
continued to skip forward the same number of letters to see whether or not
the complete word Torah was spelled out in the text at equally spaced
intervals. Rabbi Weissmandl described this phenomenon as "equidistant
letter sequences" (ELS). The rabbi was astonished to find that an
incredible number of significant words were hidden in code within the text
of the Torah at equally spaced intervals. These spaced intervals between
significant letters varied from every five letters, every seven letters,
and numerous other intervals. However, once they found a particular word
spelled out at, say every 22nd letter, the balance of the letters from the
words in this group were also spaced at a 22-letter interval.
Initially, Rabbi Weissmandl could not be certain if this phenomenon was
truly significant or whether it was simply due to the great number of
possible combinations of words and phrases that could occur by chance
arrangement by skipping forward various intervals of letters in the Hebrew
text. The proof that this phenomenon was evidence of a supernatural
intelligence and design was confirmed almost forty years later in Israel.
The invention of sophisticated computers and statistical analysis
finally enabled us to analyze the text of the Bible to prove that these codes
could not have been produced by random chance. Although Rabbi Weissmandl
found many coded names by simply manually counting the letters in the text,
he did not record his discoveries in writing. Fortunately, some of his
students did record several examples of his code discoveries. Over the
following decades, students in Israel who had heard about his research
began searching the Torah for themselves to ascertain whether or not such
codes actually existed. Their discoveries ultimately resulted in the
research studies at Hebrew University that have proven the validity of this
research. The introduction of sophisticated high-speed computers allowed
Jewish scholars at Hebrew University to explore the text of the Torah in
ways that previous generations could only dream about.
Equidistant Letter Sequences
A group of dedicated Jewish scholars in Israel, following up on Rabbi
Weissmandl's research, found many additional hidden codes embedded within
the text of the Torah. A paper called "Equidistant Letter Sequences in the
Book of Genesis" was published in 1988 in the scholarly Journal of the
Royal Statistical Society. This academic magazine is one of the most
prominent mathematical and scientific journals in the world. The study was
completed by Doron Witztum, Yoav Rosenberg, and Eliyahu Rips at Hebrew
University and the Jerusalem College of Technology. This study has been
republished in several other respected scholarly journals recently,
including Bible Review, October 1995, and on the Internet. Their
discoveries of complex Hebrew codes that reveal supernatural and prophetic
knowledge about the future is causing tremendous consternation in the
academic community because it challenges the long-held beliefs of liberal
scholars who generally reject verbal inspiration of the Bible.
This scientific discovery is earth-shaking in its consequences because it
reveals a staggering level of mathematical design and intelligence which
could only have been produced by a supernatural mind, providing unshakable
mathematical proof that the Bible was truly inspired by God. The
incredible data demolishes forever the false claim by liberal scholars and
skeptics that the Bible was written and edited by uninspired men and that
it is full of errors and contradictions. Despite the fact that numerous
scholars and scientists have attempted to challenge the validity of this
Torah research, the evidence has not been refuted.
Every Jot and Tittle
Jesus Christ, Himself, affirmed that the actual letters composing the
Scriptures were directly inspired by God and were preserved in their
precise order throughout eternity. "For verily I say unto you, till heaven
and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law,
till all be fulfilled" (Matthew 5:18). The English word jot is our
translation of the Greek word iota, the Greek letter i. This iota is the
Greek equivalent of the Hebrew letter yod, which is the smallest letter in
the Hebrew alphabet. The word tittle is the Greek work keraia, derived
from the smallest Hebrew grammatical symbol. Jesus Christ stated that even
the smallest of the letters and grammatical marks in the original text of
the Bible were directly inspired by God. This intriguing statement by Jesus
about the Scriptures has been confirmed two thousand years later by means
of an intricate analysis of the Hebrew text of the Bible by mathematicians
and computer scientists in Israel. To their total surprise, these
researchers discovered that every single letter of the Torah fits into a
complicated tapestry of staggering mathematical precision. In this regard
we should remember the provocative words found in Proverbs 25:2, "It is the
glory of God to conceal matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a
matter."
This phenomenon of Hebrew codes was placed beneath the text of the Bible
thousands of years ago. However, it has been hidden successfully by God
until our generation. Many of these codes could not have been discovered
by manual examination of the text. The invention of high-speed computers,
developed in the last twenty years, enabled the researchers to examine
every possible combination occurring in any of hundreds of possible
intervals (from every second letter to every 500th letter, for example)
throughout the millions of Hebrew letters in the Old Testament. However,
once detected by the computer program, anyone can personally verify the
existence of the code by manually counting out the letters to see that a
particular name is spelled out by skipping the appropriate number of
letters.
The Process of Analyzing the Torah
Using the ancient Hebrew textus receptus (the Masoretic text) of the Torah,
the scientists began by eliminating the spaces between the Hebrew letters,
words, and sentences throughout the first five books of the Bible. The
traditional Orthodox text was written in this manner--without punctuation
marks or spaces between the letters, word, grammatical marks, or sentences.
To demonstrate what this would be like, let us take a sentence in English
and write it out as it would appear in an ancient Hebrew manuscript.
THEBIBLEWASWRITTENINHEBREWWITHOUTPUNCTUATIONMARKS
To understand this sentence, we break it up with appropriate spaces:
THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN IN HEBREW WITHOUT PUNCTUATION MARKS
There is a curious tradition in the writings of the ancient Jewish sages
who claim that Moses first saw the Hebrew letters of the Torah revealed in
his vision on Mount Sinai as a continuous sequence, without spaces between
letters, composed of letters of black fire appearing upon a background of
white fire. The sages wrote that Moses wrote these divinely revealed
letters one-by-one in the five books of the Law, the Torah, as he recorded
God's commands to Israel.
In their initial experiment, reported in their 1988 paper, the scientists
arbitrarily chose three hundred Hebrew work-pairs that were logically
related in meaning, such as hammer and anvil, or tree and leaf, or man and
woman. They asked the computer program to locate any such word pairs in
the Genesis text. Once the computer found the first letters in Hebrew of
"hammer," it would look for the second letter at various intervals or
spaces between letters. If the program couldn't locate the second letter
of the target word "hammer" following the first letter at a two-space
interval, it would then search at a three-space interval, then a four-space
interval, etc. Once it located the second letter at, say, the twelve-space
interval, it would then look for the third letter at the same twelve-space
interval, and so on through the entire 78,064 Hebrew letters in Genesis.
The computer also looked for coded words by checking in reverse order.
Since the computer can compute millions of calculations every second, the
scientists could quickly examine every 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th letter, for
example. The sophisticated computers could examine every one of millions
of possible combinations to discover encoded words that no human could ever
have found manually, including such words as Hitler, Berlin and Sadat.
After the program had examined the text for each of the three hundred
word-pairs, the researchers were astonished to realize that every single
word-pair had been located in Genesis in close proximity to each other. As
mathematical statisticians, they were naturally astounded because they knew
it was humanly impossible to construct such an intricate and complicated
pattern beneath a surface text, such as Genesis, which told the history of
the Jewish people. After calculating the probabilities of this phenomenon
occurring randomly by chance alone, they published their calculations in
their scientific journal. The odds against the three hundred word pairs
occurring by chance in the text of Genesis are less than one chance in
fifty quadrillion. To express this number another way, it would look like
this: one chance in 50,000,000,000,000,000! Most scientific journals
consider an experimental result significant if it exceeds the probability
of one chance in twenty. The bottom line is that only a supernatural
intelligence, far beyond our human capacity, could have produced the
pattern of secretly coded words found in the Bible.
More Surprises
As they studied this pattern the scientists discovered that many of the
coded words described future events and personalities in human history,
from ancient times until today. When they looked at the string of Hebrew
letters in Genesis 1:1, they counted forward forty-nine letters from the
first letter (tav) of the Hebrew word Torah and found the second letter in
the word. Skipping forward another forty-nine letters, they found the third
letter of the word Torah. Incredibly, the Hebrew word Torah was spelled
out using every fiftieth letter in the text.
To their surprise they found that the opening verse of Exodus, the second
book in the Bible, contained the same word Torah, once again spelled out at
the same fifty-letter intervals beginning with the first appearance of the
letter. However, when they examined the opening verses of the third
book of the Bible, Leviticus, they did not find Torah encoded. However,
they did discover the word God was spelled out when they skipped forward
every eighth letter from the first letter yod that appeared in the
book.
Upon examining the initial verses of Numbers and Deuteronomy, the fourth
and fifth books of the Bible, the scientists again found that the word
Torah was encoded. In the Book of Numbers, the word Torah is spelled out
in reverse at a fifty-letter interval. However, to their surprise, while
the word Torah was also found to be spelled out in reverse order in the
Book of Deuteronomy, it appeared at a forty-nine-letter interval beginning
with the fifth verse of the book.
Mathematicians calculated that the odds were more than three million to one
against the word Torah being encoded by chance alone within the opening
verses in the first five books of the Bible. Bible students know that the
number fifty is very significant in Scripture. For example, God commanded
Israel to free their slaves and return family lands that had been pledged
to a lender on the fiftieth Year of Jubilee. In addition, the Bible
reveals that Law itself, the Torah, was presented to the Jewish people at
Mount Sinai by God precisely fifty days after their miraculous Exodus from
Egypt.
These coded words are interlaced in intricate patters at evenly spaced
intervals in the text reading both forward and backward. The scientists
realized that these coded letters formed words and associations of such
complexity and design that it is absolutely impossible that the patterns
could have occurred by chance.
It is fascinating to observe that the key word "Eden" is encoded repeatedly
sixteen times within the relatively short Genesis 2:4-10 passage of only
379 Hebrew letters dealing with the Garden of Eden. The odds against
sixteen "Edens" occurring by chance in such a short passage is one chance
in ten thousand. Another fascinating feature of this phenomenon was found,
in Genesis 2, which deals with the Garden of Eden. Scientists found
twenty-five different Hebrew names of trees encoded within the text of this
one chapter. The laws of probability indicate that the odds against this
occurring are one hundred thousand to one (Professor Daniel Michelson,
Codes in the Torah).
25 Names of Trees encoded in Hebrew in Genesis 2
Word Skip
wheat 5
vine-18
grape -6
chestnut 44
forest -3
date 5
accacia -3
bramble 7
cedar -5
nut 13
fig 14
willow-15
pomegranate 8
aloe 6
tamarisk 2
oak 17
poplar -85
cassia 7
almond 5
mastic -2
thorn 5
hazel -13
olive 3
citron -3
fir 8
Thousands of detailed and precise patterns and codes such as these were
discovered hidden in the Hebrew text of the ancient Scriptures.
Mathematical and computer statisticians, after exhaustive statistical
analysis, concluded that this patter of coded words could not have occurred
by chance nor could a human writer have purposely produced this phenomenon.
Their conclusion is that only a divine intelligence could have directed
Moses to record this precise text containing such complex codes thousand of
years ago.
Other Mysterious Codes Reveal God's Prophetic Foreknowledge
The scientists discovered that some of the words coded in the text of the
Torah concerned events and personalities that occurred thousands of years
after Moses wrote the text. Naturally, many academics rejected out of hand
the possibility that this phenomenon could be real. However, despite many
attempts, no one could refute the data. They recently discovered a pair of
words - "Zedekiah", the last king of Judah in 587 B.C., when Jeremiah was a
prophet, and "Matanya", which was king Zedekiah's original name before he
ascended the throne (2 Kings 24:17). Incredibly, they also found the word
"Hanukkah", which refers to the festival of lighting the Menorah that
commemorates the rededication of the Temple after it was recaptured from
Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 165 B.C. The word "Hanukkah" appears near the
word "Hasmoneans" which is the famous name of the family of warriors led by
Judias Maccabee, the Jewish general who defeated the Syrian armies of King
Antiochus IV Epiphanes. How could the writer of Genesis have known about
King Zedekiah and the Festival of Hanukkah when the Book of Genesis was
written centuries before they occurred?
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
Possibly the most astonishing of the phenomena recently discovered involves
codes that reveal events that occurred in our generation. As one example,
the name of the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat occurred together with
the name of the leader of the Moslem Brotherhood assassination team that
killed him. The same code sequence also contained the year of his
assassination, 1981, and the words "president", "gunfire", "shot", and
"murder". Incredibly, even the Hebrew word for "parade" appears in this
coded sequence. President Sadat was assassinated during the president's
review of a military parade in 1981.
Adolph Hitler, the Nazis, and the Death Camps Were Prophesied in the Bible
Truly one of the most incredible of the hidden codes is their discovery of
the words "Hitler", "Nazis" and names of several of the actual death camps
embedded within this text of the Book of Deuteronomy: "For the Lord your
God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a
terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: He doth execute
the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in
giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were
strangers in the land of Egypt. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him
shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. He
is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and
terrible things, which thine eyes have seen. Thy fathers went down into
Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made
thee as the stars of heaven for multitude" (Deuteronomy 10:17-22).
In the Hebrew text of Deuteronomy 10:17-22 , the word "Hitler" in Hebrew
is spelled out at a twenty-two letter interval. Beginning with the second
last appearance of the Hebrew letter (bet) in this passage, researchers
counted every thirteenth letter from left to right. To their amazement
they discovered that the coded letters spelled out the phrase, "b'yam marah
Auschwitz", which means, "in the bitter sea of Auschwitz". As they carried
the counting forward another thirteen letters they came to the letter resh
. From this resh, they counted every twenty-second letter from left to
right. To their amazement they found the word "Hitler", the
name of the greatest enemy of the Jews in history, the one who almost
conquered the Western World in World War II. It was Hitler's satanic
obsession against the Chosen People that motivated him to create the Final
Solution which ultimately slaughtered over six-million Jews and another
six-million Poles and Russians in the murderous death camps in Eastern
Europe, such as Auschwitz. Amazingly, the actual names of the Nazi
concentration camps, "Auschwitz" and "Belsen", were also encoded close to
the word "Hitler" and "Berlin" in a cluster of letters hidden within the
text of this passage in Deuteronomy.
Scientists found that Deuteronomy 33:16 also contained a hidden message
about the Nazi Holocaust. Beginning with the first Hebrew letter mem,
they counted every two hundred and forty-sixth letter from left to right
and found that the coded letters spelled out the phrase, "Melek Natzim",
which translates as the "King of the Nazis". Another group of nearby
letters spelled out the phrase, "laiv m'Laivi" which means, "the heart from
Levi", referring to the Levites, one of the twelve tribes of the Jews.
Incredibly, this same passage yielded another hidden code about the rise of
Nazi Germany; the phrase "kemi bait rah", "an evil house rose up".
One of the most fascinating of these Nazi codes appeared in Deuteronomy
32:52. Beginning with the appearance of the first letter aleph, the
researchers counted from left to right every six hundred and seventy
letters throughout the passage, and discovered the name "Aik'man", which is
a Hebrew form of the name "Eichmann". Adolph Eichmann was a Nazi official
who designed the Final Solution, the evil system of concentration camps
used in the Holocaust. Eichmann and Hitler were among the greatest killers
in history.
The whole series of hidden codes dealing with Nazi Germany ended in
Deuteronomy 33:21 with a final astonishing code. Beginning with the letter
resh that appeared in the word "Yisrael", researchers counted every
twenty-second letter from left to right and found the tragic phrase
"re'tzach alm" describing the terrible sufferings of the Jews during the
Holocaust, which translated as "a people cry murder, slaughter". I have
often been asked by Jews about why the Bible's prophecies do not say
anything about the Holocaust, the worst event in the history of God's
Chosen People. Now we can see that God included these coded words beneath
the text of the Bible describing this terrible time of persecution.
Skip Word(s)
-------------------------
50 the Holocaust
Found in the passage of Deuteronomy traditionally
quoted as foreshadowing the Holocaust- "and I will hide my
face on that day because of all the evil that you did for
you turned to other gods ..." (5 31 16).
Other close word-pairs found on Hitler
Word(s) Skip
Germany153
Berlin -4
the troubler 9
Nazi 12
he was a great hunter 1
the breaking of the Jews 153
Hitler -31
Nazi -1
the butchery
for the heart of a man is evil from his youth 1
Auschwitz 119
the Holocaust -2
Holocaust 2
The French Revolution in the Torah
Another passage in the Book of Genesis revealed a cluster of encoded words
that deals with the French Revolution. The following words are clustered
together: "Mapecha HaSarfatit" (which spells "the French Revolution" in
Hebrew), "Louis", the name of the French king, and word "Beit[house of]
Bourbon", his royal dynasty. In the same cluster were the following words:
"Hamarseilles"(the name of the French national anthem) and the word
"Bastilla"(the infamous French prison for political prisoners that was
stormed by revolutionaries). Interestingly, this cluster dealing with the
French Revolution appears embedded in Genesis, chapters 39-41, which
describe Joseph's imprisonment in Egypt. The Hebrew word for "Bastilla" is
found encoded within the sentence in Genesis 39:20 that describes "the
prison in which the king keeps his prisoners".
It is fascinating that these messages and data have been hidden secretly
within the text of the Torah for thirty-five centuries until today.
However, a skeptical and scientifically minded generation in our lifetime
has generally rejected the authority and inspiration of the Bible. There
is a greater need for our generation to see evidence and proof that the
Bible is the true Word of God. In the sovereign plan of God, it is only in
this generation of sophisticated high-speed computers and new techniques of
statistical analysis, that men could both discover and fully appreciate
this divine message from the past that introduces our skeptical generation
to the God of their future.
Dr. David Kazhdan, chairman of the mathematics department at Harvard
University, warned those who would casually reject this evidence of Torah
codes: "The phenomenon is real. What conclusion you reach from this is up
to the individual".
The Scientists Prove Their Findings
The Israeli scientists wrote a follow-up paper for submission to
Statistical Science, a scientific journal that insisted that a group of
opposing scholars review and challenge their data and examine their
computer program before publication. Despite the fact that all of the
reviewers held previous beliefs against the inspiration of the Scriptures,
the overwhelming evidence and the integrity of the data forced the editors
to approve the study's scientific accuracy and reluctantly publish the
article. Robert Kass, the editor of Statistical Science, wrote this
comment about the study: "Our referees were baffled: their prior beliefs
made them think the Book of Genesis could not possibly contain meaningful
references to modern day individuals, yet when the authors carried out
additional analyses and checks the effect persisted. The paper is thus
offered to Statistical Science readers as a challenging puzzle".
("Equidistant Letter Sequences in the Book of Genesis", Statistical
Science, August 1994). The study concluded that the peculiar sequences of
Hebrew letters at equal spaces from each other that formed significant
words could not possibly have occurred by simple coincidence.
The Response From Recognized Experts
I realize that this information will sound almost unbelievable to many
readers. However, the well-respected mathematician, Professor Kazhdan of
Harvard University, and his fellow scientists from other universities
including Yale and Hebrew University in Jerusalem, have confirmed that this
is "serious research carried out by serious investigators". These
recognized experts in mathematics wrote a letter confirming the value of
this research in the introduction to a recent Israeli book about this
phenomenon called Maymad HaNosaf (The Added Dimension), written by
Professor Doron Witztum of the Jerusalem College of Technology. Professor
Witztum is the leading researcher on these Torah codes. Realizing that
this discovery is extremely controversial in today's academic world, these
scientists encouraged additional research on the phenomenon and declared
that "the results are sufficiently striking to deserve a wide audience".
In light of their known attitude of rejection of the Bible's inspiration
and the supernatural, their statement is a powerful endorsement that the
phenomenon is legitimate.
One of the most interesting of the experiments examined the text of Genesis
38, which describes the history of Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar, who
gave birth to two sons, Pharez and Zerah. The Book of Ruth tells us that
King David, the greatest king of Israel, was descended from Pharez in this
manner: Pharez was the ancestor of Boaz, who married Ruth and gave birth
to Obed, the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David. Every one
of the five Hebrew names of these ancestors of King David were found
encoded at forty-nine-letter intervals, hidden within the text of Genesis
38. Incredibly, these five names also appeared in the correct
chronological order as recorded in the Bible. The statisticians calculated
that the odds against these five names occurring in this passage in the
exact, chronological order they lived, are more than eight hundred thousand
to one against this happening by chance.
They also examined the text of Genesis 28 dealing with Jacob's vision of
the ladder to heaven, which he received at Mount Moriah, the "place of
God". The scientists found the key words "Temple" and "Torah" encoded at
twenty-six-letter intervals in a continuous sequence of nine Hebrew
letters. The occurrence of these two significant words occurring together
in sequence in a biblical passage declaring that "this is none other but
the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven" is extraordinary. The
researchers calculated the probability of these key words occurring by
chance in this passage dealing with the "place of God" was less than one
chance in seventeen billion (17,000,000,000).
Coded word found in Genesis 1 28:10 - 1 28:17
Word(s)Skip
Temple -26
the Torah 26
the Palace 26
Zion -26
In another analysis, they examined the first chapter of Leviticus, which
records God's laws concerning the priesthood of Aaron, the High Priest of
Israel. They found the Hebrew name "Aaron" encoded twenty-five times in
this one chapter, not counting the four times the word Aaron appears in the
normal surface text. The odds against this occurring by chance are more
than four hundred thousand to one.
Aaron in Hebrew (Aharon) found 25 times [22 listed here] in Leviticus -
(the Torah of the Priests):
Word Skip
Aaron -4
Aaron -6
Aaron -9
Aaron 18
Aaron -21
Aaron 26
Aaron -26
Aaron -32
Aaron 36
Aaron -44
Aaron 62
Aaron -64
Aaron 76
Aaron -78
Aaron 87
Aaron -87
Aaron 109
Aaron 136
Aaron-139
Aaron 141
Aaron 150
Aaron 180
(See also the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society,
Vol. 151 Part I, 1988 p. 177,178.)
Scientists who have studied these results state no human could create such
a Hebrew document containing hundreds of encoded, significant words hidden
within this text. They concluded that it would be impossible to reproduce
this phenomenon in a Hebrew text even if they had the help of a group of
brilliant language geniuses, or the assistance of the world's most
sophisticated super-computers. In addition, it is impossible to account
for the prophetic knowledge of future personalities and events found in
these codes. The inescapable, logical conclusion is that God inspired
Moses to record the precise Hebrew words in the words of the Torah. In
addition to demonstrating that the text of the Torah was dictated by God,
this evidence of this marvelous design destroys the false theory of the
skeptics that the Book of Genesis was created by different "editors" who
interwove several different texts centuries after the life of Moses. Only
one supernatural mind could have imposed this marvelously complex design
upon these five books of the Law. Only God could have designed the text of
the Torah. Recently, the researchers discovered similar codes throughout
the Old Testament.
More Astonishing Discoveries
In a 1994 follow-up paper, the team of researchers recorded the results of
their search for pairs of encoded words that relate to events which
occurred during the period long after the time when Moses wrote the Torah.
They selected the names of thirty-four of the most prominent rabbis and
Jewish sages during the thousand years leading up to A.D. 1900.
Interestingly, the researches simply selected the thirty-four sages with
the longest biographies in the Encyclopedia of Great Men In Israel, as
well-respected Hebrew reference book. They asked the computer program to
search the text of the Torah for close word pairs coded at equally spaced
intervals that contained the name of the famous rabbis paired with their
date of birth or death (using the Hebrew month and day). The Jewish people
celebrate the memory of their famous sages by commemorating their date of
death. Incredibly, the computer program found every single one of the
thirty-four names of these rabbis embedded in the text of Genesis paired at
significantly close proximity with their actual date of birth or their date
of death. The odds against these particular names and dates occurring by
random chance were calculated by the mathematicians as only once chance in
775 million.
Scholars at the Statistical Science Journal who reviewed this experimental
data were naturally astonished. They demanded that the scientists run the
computer test program again on a second sample searching for the next
thirty-two most prominent Jewish sages listed in the encyclopedia. To the
astonishment of the skeptical reviewers, the results on the second set of
famous sages were equally successful. The staggering result of the
combined test revealed that the names and dates of their birth or death of
every one of the sixty-six most famous Jewish sages were coded in close
proximity within the text of Genesis.
An article in Bible Review magazine by Dr. Jeffrey Satinover, in October
1995, reported that the mathematical probability of these sixty-six names
of Jewish sages and their dates of birth or death occurring by chance in an
ancient text like Genesis was less than one chance in two and a half
billion! Interestingly, the researchers attempted to reproduce these
results by running the computer program on other religious Hebrew texts
outside the Bible, including the Samaritan Pentateuch. The Samaritans
developed their own variant text of the five books of Moses, called the
Samaritan Pentateuch, which differs in many very small textual changes from
the Hebrew Bible, which is the basis of our modern Authorized King James
Version. Despite the surface similarity of the two texts to the normal
reader, the researchers could not detect word pairs in the Samaritan
Pentateuch or any other Hebrew text outside the Bible.
When you carefully think about the phenomenon you can see that even a minor
change of spelling or choice of words would totally destroy the precise
sequence of Hebrew letters that reveals these hidden words coded at evenly
spaced distances throughout the text of the Torah. A reviewer insisted
they attempt to find codes in a Hebrew translation of Tolstoy's famous
novel War and Peace, because it was the same length as the Book of Genesis.
However, the phenomenon was not present in War and Peace; nor any other
modern Hebrew writing. In fact, an exhaustive analysis reveals that no
other Hebrew text outside the Old Testament contains these mysterious
codes, not even the Hebrew apocryphal books written during the four hundred
years before the birth of Christ.
Naturally, following the appearance of this article on divine authority in
Bible Review, there was a virtual onslaught of letters to the editor in the
following monthly issues attacking the article in the strongest terms.
Most of the critical letters dismissed the phenomenon out-of-hand without
seriously considering the scientific data that was presented. Several
critics attacked the author's argument and data in ways that revealed they
either failed to grasp the actual statistical method used to detect the
Hebrew codes or they didn't understand the rigorous methodology that
eliminated the possibility that this phenomenon had occurred by pure random
chance.
After his research was published in Bible Review in November 1995, the
original researcher, Dr. Jeffrey Satinover, responded to his critics who
had challenged his assertion that a pattern of elaborate and significant
words was encoded within the text of the Torah. Dr. Satinover replied to
his critics as follows: "The robustness of the Torah codes findings
derives from the rigor of the research. To be published in a journal such
as Statistical Science, it had to run, without stumbling, an unusually long
gauntlet manned by some of the world's most eminent statisticians. The
results were thus triply unusual: in the extraordinariness of what was
found; in the strict scrutiny the findings had to hold up under; and in the
unusually small odds (less than 1 in 62,500) that they were due to chance.
Other amazing claims about the Bible, Shakespeare, etc., have never even
remotely approached this kind of rigor, and have therefore never come at
all close to publication in a peer-reviewed, hard-science venue. The
editor of Statistical Science, himself a skeptic, has challenged readers to
find a flaw; though many have tried, none has succeeded. All the 'First
Crack' questions asked by Bible Review readers--and many more sophisticated
ones--have therefore already been asked by professional critics and
exhaustively answered by the research. Complete and convincing responses
to even these initial criticisms can get fairly technical" (Bible Review,
November 1995).
Some critics have suggested that the Israeli scientists simply played with
the computer program long enough, that by chance alone, "they got lucky".
This objection raises the relevant objection that there might be numerous
unreported "hidden failures", a common problem in most scientific research
today. To prevent this from occurring, editorial observers from the
Statistical Journal demanded that the scientists analyze their data by
examining a completely new group of personalities that were chosen solely
by the Statistical Journal's editorial judges, namely the sixty-six most
famous Jewish sages. The results I quoted earlier were based on this group
of individuals chosen by these judges. In addition, the judges appointed
by the Statistical Journal analyzed the computer programs to determine that
they were both valid and neutral in their design.
We need to keep in mind that the standard text of the five books of the
Torah was published years ago in widely available computer programs and
printed texts. These texts cannot be modified. In fact, as a result of
the production and sale of fascinating "Torah Codes" computer programs that
are now available in North America, anyone with a computer and lots of time
can personally verify the existence of these codes beneath the text of
Scriptures. I have personally verified the presence of these fascinating
patters of hidden codes during long hours of examination using the computer
programs I acquired several years ago in Jerusalem when this research was
just beginning.
Professor Harold Gans, a senior researcher who examined sophisticated
foreign government intelligence codes for the U.S. Army, has publicly
confirmed the existence of these codes as reported in Statistical Journal
through the use of advanced analytic techniques and his own sophisticated
computer program. Dr. Gans is a brilliant mathematician who has published
180 technical papers. Gans learned of this discovery by Professor Witztum
of coded words hidden within the Torah. However, as a skeptic, he initially
believed that the claims were "ridiculous." Unlike many readers, as an
intelligence specialist dealing with complex codes and computers, Gans had
the technical ability to test the claims and data for himself. In 1989 he
created a complex and original computer program on his computer to check
Witztum's data. For nineteen straight days and nights, Gans let his program
examine all possible variations and combinations in the 74,064 Hebrew
letters in the Book of Genesis. Dr. Gans' program checked through hundreds
of thousands of possible letter combinations at many differently-spaced
intervals. Finally, Gans concluded that these Torah codes actually existed
and that they could not have occurred by random chance or by human design.
He had confirmed the absolute accuracy of Professor Witztum's conclusions.
As a result of his discoveries, Professor Gans now teaches classes in
synagogues throughout the world about the incredible evidence proving
divine authorship of the Bible.
A follow-up study examined the data on the sixty-six Hebrew sages in the
last 2000 years. Incredibly, Dr. Harold Gans' study found that the text of
Genesis also revealed the encoded names of the actual cities where each of
these sixty-six sages was born. Professor Witztum produced a new scientific
paper, on this new set of data about the cities of the sages which proved
the odds against this occurring by chance was one chance in 250,000,000. In
response to the claim that this phenomenon is a result of simple chance,
the scientific team determined that the odds against even the simplest
codes occurring by random chance is only one chance in 62,500. However,
when we examine the most complex patterns mentioned in this paper the odds
are far in excess of billions to one against the possibility that this
phenomenon has occurred by random chance. I can assure you there are many
additional examples that will be revealed in the future. Careful
investigations are now being conducted by many scientists from other
universities and laboratories that confirm the supernatural nature of the
phenomenon.
A Caution Regarding This Phenomenon of Hebrew Codes
There is an important caution we need to keep in mind regarding this
phenomenal discovery. Remember that no one can search the Torah using these
codes to foretell future events. The reason is that it is impossible to
extract the encoded information unless you already know what the future
facts are. The information about future event cannot be pulled out of the
text in code in advance of the event because you wouldn't know what to tell
the computer to look for. It is only after the event has occurred that you
could have the program look for the name of the person or the event and
check to see if the codes contain the information concerning the event. In
other words, this method confirms that the Torah has encoded data about
events that occurred centuries after it was written. However, the method
cannot be used to foretell the future. The Bible prohibits us from
foretelling the future.
The ability to prophesy future events is left to God alone. The Bible
clearly forbids fortune telling. The prophet Isaiah warned against false
prophets and declared only God can prophesy future events accurately
(Isaiah 46:9,10). When an event has occurred and we can verify that the
codes within the text of the Bible accurately describe it thousands of
years ago then God will receive the glory, not man. Although this discovery
proves that some future events were encoded by God within the text of the
Torah, we must wait until the future becomes the past before we can find
them. It is also important to remember that although the phenomenon of hidden
codes is statistically powerful, it is still relatively weak. The proximity
of the word-pairs in the Hebrew text is defined only statistically. In
addition, the phenomenon of word-pairs appears only when we examine a large
number of examples that reveal a much closer proximity than would be
expected by chance occurrence alone.
Another important point to note is that these Hebrew codes do not contain
any hidden theological or doctrinal messages. This phenomenon has nothing
to do with numerology. There are no secret messages or theology. God's
message to mankind is only found in the open words of the Scriptures.
However, the discovery in our lifetime of these incredible codes reveals
names and events that provide a wonderful proof to a skeptical humanity
that God truly inspired the writers of the Bible to record His message to
mankind.
The phenomenon of Torah codes is now being presented to Jewish groups and
synagogues throughout North America and Israel by a group called "Discovery
Seminar," sponsored by the Alish HaTorah College of Jewish Studies. This
group was created in Israel by a number of scientists, mathematicians, and
Judaic scholars. In addition to presentations in Israel, Aish HaTorah have
adapted the material to English enabling their teams to share this
fascinating information with Jewish audiences throughout the world showing
the divine inspiration and authority of the Torah. Many people have told me
that numerous agnostic Jews have returned to their religious roots in
Orthodox Judaism as a result of their exposure to this incredible evidence
of God's inspiration of the Scriptures.
The Implications
Even those scholars who are philosophically opposed to God and the
inspiration of the Bible are stunned by this research. Despite many
arguments and challenges the data still stands uncontested. Secular
scientific journals have declared that the phenomenon is real and not a
result of fraud or computer error. The simple truth is that this phenomenon
could not have occurred by chance alone. Nor could any group of brilliant
human beings, even with super-computers at their disposal, produce this
awesome result of encoding a huge number of significant names beneath the
surface text of the Torah. The odds against these biblical codes occurring
by random chance are one in several billion.
To those who would casually ignore these odds and suggest that they are not
that impressive, consider this equivalent scenario. Imagine that someone
blindfolded you and laid out before you a mountain of one billion pills
loaded with cyanide. In the whole pile of pills is one pill that contains
sugar. Would you blindly swallow one of these pills by chance if you knew
that only one pill contained sugar while all of the rest would result in
instant death by cyanide poisoning?
It would surpass the skills of any group of human writers to encode these
complex and prophetic messages within the text of the Torah. Since the
evidence is overwhelming that the five books of Moses were written over
three-and-a-half thousand years ago we are left with the undeniable
conclusion that this phenomenon is another clearly authenticated signature
of God upon the pages of His message to mankind.
Some Examples; Word-pairs of finds related to technology, science and
medicine.
Word(s)Skip
hammer-24
anvil-5
light beams 975
the candles 7
and burn 1
a proton 1196
a neutron 1910
mathematical 572
sequence-3
sequences 208
convergent 1974
Reaming -3-3
conjecture 9
diseases -5
viruses-304
viruses (in Hebrew) 931
bacteria 434
cholera 4
the cholera 126
Koch (discoverer of the cure) 2
bacilli 2
bacillus 401
bacilli -400
the anthrax 401
diabetes -6
from the pancreas 8390
pancreas 1
insulin 3378
AIDS -6
death 1
in the blood -2
from the monkeys 1612
Here are some more pairs of finds related to places, people and
times and history.
Word(s) Skip
Shaul 1
Jonathan 35
Tzedekiah 7752
Mattaniah (his name at first) -2
Jerusalem 71
Jerusalem 130
an American 1271
American 1271
Yankee 1271
Doodle 1270
Franz 36
Yosef 1
king of Austria 10
a Hapsburg 582
in the city 1
Vienna 9
Jerusalem 198
tsar of Russia 1274
Nikolai 7
Peter 321
the great 1
king of Denmark 688
Waldemar -9
the Great -141
Denmark -19
king of Sweden -2890
Gustav 6504
the Swedish -7
Tomas 9
Masaryk 570
president 2
Prague 1
will be installed 81
10 of Kislev (the day Masaryk took office)
The AIDS epidemic - Here are more finds connected with the
AIDS virus that appear coincidentally from Dr. Doron
Witztum's book, "HaMaimod HaNosaf" (The Additional
Dimension). In this case, the text was searched for the
word 'a destruction' near the passage in Genesis dealing
with the destruction of the Flood (Noah). In the same
tableau the minimum occurrence of the words 'in the
guise of a virus' is found coincidentally with the words
'AIDS' and 'a terror'.
Word(s) Skip
I will destroy the man that I have created 1
a destruction -3
in the guise of a virus 220
AIDS -220
a terror 220
The Gulf War - Israeli negotiations with the P.L.O. - These
finds connected with the Gulf War and the recent Israeli
negotiations with the P.L.O. collected from the Aleynu
Seminars and from Dr. Moshe Katz. Each set was found in
small matrix tableaus in Sefer Bereshis:
Word(s) Skip
Scuds -57
missile -1
Russian- ( the Scuds were Russian ) 12
will be activated ( or fired off ) -6
on the 3rd of Shevat -( Hebrew date of first missile attacks on Israel ) 88
Word(s)Skip
Schwartzkopf - ( commander of American forces ) 6777
Sadam - ( ruler of Iraq ) 6
they were the mighty men that were of old the men of renown 1
the 2nd of Shevat - ( Hebrew date of first day of the war )20
Iraq -6
on the seventeenth day of the month on the fifth day (the war started on
Thursday - the 5th day of the week-, Jan. 17) - this passage refers to
the beginning of the 'flood' 1
Word(s) Skip
Arafat - (This whole sequence takes place during the story of the fight
between Jacob and the angel of Esav.)12
shook hands 1
shook hands 25
with Rabin 8
Kadumi - (PLO 2nd in command) 9
27th of Elul - (the day of the signing) 118
the head of the P.L.O. 1255
Reference: Jeffrey, Grant R., "The Signature of God", Frontier Research
Publications, Inc. (1996), p.202-220
"The Signature of God" can be ordered from
"http://www.grantjeffrey.com/adsignaturepage.html?121,26" GRANT R. JEFFREY
MINISTRIES
Additional References for the tables:
TORAH SOFT NEWS, VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1, PURIM, 5753
Codes in the Torah, Prof. Daniel Michelson, in B'Or HaTorah,
Number 6, 1987, p. 7-39, SHAMIR, Jerusalem.
Jewish Studies Magazine, Yeshiva Dvar Yerushalayim, 33,
Jerusalem, Summer 5747-1987.
Discovery, Jerusalem and Arachim, Bnei-Brak Seminars
TORAH SOFT NEWS VOLUME 1, NUMBER 2
Torah Soft News - Summer '95 SHAVUOS, 5755
Codes in the Torah, Prof. Daniel Michelson, in B'Or HaTorah,
Number 6, 1987, p. 7-39, SHAMIR, Jerusalem.
Codes in the Torah: A Rejoinder, Prof. A. M. HaSofer, in B'Or
HaTorah, Number 8E, 1990, SHAMIR, Jerusalem.
Codes in the Torah, discussion- Profs. Michelson, HaSofer, Eidelberg,
Rabbi Stolper, in B'Or HaTorah, Number 9, 1995, p. 113-129,
SHAMIR, Jerusalem.
Jewish Studies Magazine, Yeshiva Dvar Yerushalayim, 33,
Jerusalem, Summer 5747-1987.
Discovery, Jerusalem and Arachim, Bnei-Brak Seminars.
D. Witztum, E. Rips, Y. Rosenberg, Equidistant Letter Sequences
in the Book of Genesis, Journal of Statistical Science, Aug. 1994.
(Editor's note: To see other articles like this go to the Grant Jeffrey's
web site or the Prophecy Central web site, both of which can be reached from
PropheZine's prophecy links page at www.prophezine.com)
*************************************
WHERE IS THE ARK OF THE COVENANT?
>From the John Ankerburg show
Question from the Audience: Where is the Ark of the Covenant Now?
I've read quite a bit on the Ark of the Covenant and there are
different theories about if the Ark's even here yet. Some
people think the Ark was taken off by God to the heavenly temple. Others
under the Temple Mount. I've read some people believe it's in Ethiopia. I'm
sure there are some people in the world who believe Harrison Ford has it
stashed in his basement. But my question is, what is your
opinion? I'd like all three gentlemen's opinion on this. What is your
opinion on where the Ark is and do you have biblical Scripture to back
that. And is it necessary for the Ark to be discovered before they build
the temple?
Dr. Jimmy DeYoung: I believe, number one, that it is necessary for the
Tribulation temple for the Ark of the Covenant to be there because of the
fact that in order for the Jewish people who are preparing to build the
temple right now, they must have
the Ark of the Covenant. In the Millennial
Temple which will be standing in Jerusalem during the Thousand-Year
Millennial Kingdom, Jeremiah 3:16 says we don't need the Ark anymore. The
reason for that: the Ark was a prototype of Jesus Christ, and when you have
the real thing, you don't need the model. So He'll be here for the
Millennial Temple, but for that Tribulation temple it will have to be
there.
Is it in Ethiopia? I do not believe so. I believe it is underneath the
Temple Mount. I have talked to two men, two very prestigious rabbis who
said they came within inches of bringing the Ark of the Covenant out. One
man said he took a mirror, looked around a wall and saw the Ark of the
Covenant. He was a very prestigious rabbi. I would not stake my life on it
but I believe he's talking about what he said and he said, "By the way,
that's simple. Extrabiblical writing tells us exactly where the Ark of the
Covenant is. And the Bible talks about Hezekiah (I believe the king was),
who said, 'Take the ark and put it in the special place prepared for it
right now.' Not in the temple but a special place prepared."
Ankerberg: Oh, by the way, why did he not bring it out?
DeYoung: Why did he not bring it out? There was not any place to house it.
you have to have the temple standing on the Temple Mount. He said,
"We will bring it"...I asked him that question. He said, "We will bring it out
when the temple is standing there and we're ready to put it in its location."
Ankerberg: Is that becoming the motivation to build the third temple?
DeYoung: Absolutely! And all those, (I know every personality and every
project involved in preparations to build the third temple), all of those
personalities accepted this man as a very, very scholarly rabbi and believe
exactly what he had to say.
Ankerberg: Elwood? Rennie?
Dr. Renald Showers: Another view as to what happened to it was that it was
destroyed by the Babylonians or carried by the Babylonians to their country
when they destroyed Solomon's temple in the city of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
Interestingly, the second temple that the Jews built, when they returned
from the Babylonian captivity-- which later on Herod took over and enlarged--
never had the Ark of the Covenant in it. So for centuries the Jews
worshipped God at the second temple without the Ark of the Covenant. So
they didn't have to have it there at that time to be worshipping God at the
temple.
If it is in existence today--and it may very well be--I'm convinced as
well it's not down in Ethiopia. You know, the tradition has been that the
Queen of Sheba came up from there. She had relations with Solomon. They
gave birth to a son. And she and the son took the true Ark of the Covenant
down to Ethiopia, left a duplicate of it in Solomon's temple. To me, one of
the big problems with that is, only the priests of Israel were allowed to
touch that Ark and carry it. These were Gentile people. They would have
been stricken dead on the spot if they had taken that. In fact, who could
have gone inside the Holy of Holies to bring it out when only the High
Priest was allowed to go in there and one day out of the year, the Day of
Atonement, and even then if he didn't go in there exactly the way God
prescribed, he would have been stricken dead on the spot. So I'm convinced
it's not down in Ethiopia.
Dr. Elwood McQuaid: There's another theory that Jeremiah took the
tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant, hid it in a cave, and then forgot
where it was--that they lost it. The best-bet scenario is that it's vaulted
under the northeast corner of the temple. When the implements of the temple
that were carried to Babylon were mentioned in Scripture, the Ark was not
mentioned. They had plenty of time to hide it and the priests certainly
would have done something responsible with the Ark before the Babylonians
destroyed the city.
DeYoung: Let me just say this, John. I was wrong on the king. It was not
Hezekiah; it was Josiah. And it's 2 Chronicles 35:3 and Josiah tells the
Levites to take the Ark and put the Holy Ark in the house. It had been in
the temple already for 400 years. He wasn't telling them to put it in the
Holy of Holies, he was saying, "Put it in the house," and the Hebrew word
there basically is saying, "Put it in the special place prepared to protect
it."
(Editor's note: If you enjoyed this article and want more information, go to
the PropheZine prophecy links page and click onto the John Ankerburg site)
**************************************
THE RISING POWER THAT IS BEING IGNORED
By Kim Koster
There are two basic facts that make up the geopolitical arena today--the
Russians are getting weaker and the Chinese are getting stronger. In the
North Atlantic, across Eurasia and in East Asia, and this can be seen by
the confusion in Albany to the vigilance in Hong Kong. But if you look at
President Clinton's foreign policies they look like they are intended to do
exactly the opposite challenges.
As Russia wallows in an economic decline and military reorganization, the
Clinton administration is using taxpayer money and making a major effort
to head off an invasion of central Europe. Meanwhile, China is growing
economically and increasing its armed forces. All the while, the U.S. is
decreasing its military might in the region, relying on the goodwill of
Beijing instead.
The economy in Russia is only half the size it used to be before communism
fell, and the economy continues to decline. The military "can only be
described as a catastrophy," states a report by a private Russian research
group.
Our country's main problems with Russia are many: the danger of chaos
inside that country and on the borders of Central Asia; the possibility of
its losing control of its nuclear arsenal; a breakdown in relations between
the military and the government. President Clinton has been able to push the
Russians into agreeing to NATO expansion into Eastern Europe only because
they are not strong enough to put forth a good job at obstructing it.
At the same time China push forward at a fast pace increasing its economic
growth. In the last five years China's economy has grown at a rate of
almost 12 percent, and its exports are rising dramatically. Most of the
exports consist mainly of low cost goods, but China is gaining more access
to high technology.
The military is also a growth industry. China's defense budget is estimated
to be as high as $30 billion and increasing by 10 percent every year. The
people's liberation Army is the largest in the world; it has the third
largest nuclear arsenal in terms of delivery vehicles. Meanwhile Beijing is
having boundary disputes with Russia, North Korea, Tajikistan and India.
Our problems with the Chinese all relate to its strength; the growing
military; increasing chauvinism, aggressively one-sided economic policies.
To keep China from attempts at expanding, such as the military takeover of
Taiwan, The U.S must have a greater military presence in East Asia.
The Clinton Administration on the other hand thinks that talking with
Beijing can bring about results on issues such as human rights and trade,
even as America reduces its military deterrent. The U.S has barely any
military forces in the Philippines and has decreased its presence in Japan.
If Clinton is successful in his policies, in 10 years from now a large,
well -equipped U.S led force will be placed in Central Europe, fully
capable of deterring Russia. At the same time America's power and pull in
East Asia will have shrunk and East Asia will have become the World's next
super power.
"And the sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great river, the
Euphrates; and its water was dried up, that the way might be prepared for
the kings from the east." Revelation 16:12
************************************
God's Judgment On America
by Jim Bramlett
Is the United States of America mentioned in biblical prophecy? If we are,
indeed, in the "last days" before Christ's return, as the overwhelming
evidence indicates, is it possible that the greatest Gentile power in
history would have been overlooked, or is irrelevant? Or, are references
hidden, as are many other prophecies, to be "unsealed" to seekers in the
last days according to Daniel 12:4?
I believe there are passages that do not name but do infer America.
Interestingly, these passages are compatible with current geopolitical
developments, and also visions and other supernatural revelations reported
by several believers over the years. The message is of severe judgment, and
is ominous.
Judgment Already Decreed
First, a few words about our beloved country. This is hard for me to say
about America. When World War II started, I was age 11. My father fought
with the infantry in Europe; my uncle with the Air Corps in North Africa. I
went to a top military prep school. Later, at a large university, I
practically majored in Air Force ROTC, becoming the highest ranking cadet
officer and Corps Commander. I devoted my career to the nation's military
service, retiring early -- before I was eligible for promotion to full
colonel -- only because of a higher priority, a call into full-time
Christian service. I laid that promotion at the Cross. But now, even
retired as a regular officer, the government has a claim on me as long as I
live. I love my country. The flag can still give me goose bumps. I have
always been extremely patriotic. I have researched and lectured on
America's Christian heritage. I know how God's hand has been on America,
starting with Columbus. Yet, to God, the nations are but a grain of sand, and
as a nation America has rebelled against God, insulted Him, and declared
Him "not wanted." Some believe America will get away with it because "God
need" America to fulfill the Great Commission. He doesn't. We won't .
Many are praying for revival in America according to the promises of 2
Chronicles 7:14. God will surely honor the prayers. There will be revival,
and there will be a great harvest, the greatest the world has ever known.
However, based on the parallel of Jeremiah's warning to Israel and God's
answer to him, the part of 2 Chronicles 7:14 about "heal their land" -- as
relates to the secular culture -- will not be answered until Messiah
returns. As with Israel in Jeremiah's day, I believe judgment on America
has already been decreed. God's moth-like judgment (Hosea 5:12) is in
progress, eating at us slowly, but His lion-like judgment (Hosea 5:14) will
soon pounce, devouring us suddenly and completely.
Applicability of 2 Chronicles 7:14?
Even though 2 Chronicles was not written for probably over a hundred years
later, Jeremiah may have tried to implement the principles of it. As a
priest, he was surely aware of the promise to Solomon several hundred years
earlier, either from the oral tradition or written records. But three
different times (three for divine emphasis), God said to Jeremiah, "Do not
pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead
with me, for I will not listen to you." (7:16, NIV). Also see 11:14 and
14:11. In the latter, God says, "Although they fast, I will not listen to
their cry I will not accept them. Instead I will destroy them with the
sword, famine and plague."
In another passage, God reiterates His willingness to show mercy and urges
Israel to repent. "Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a
plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform
your ways and your actions." (18:11). But in His omniscience and
foreknowledge, God then says, "But they will reply, 'It's no use. We will
continue with our own plans; each of us will follow the stubbornness of his
evil heart'" (v. 12). God knew what their reaction would be; thus, judgment
was decreed beforehand. (And even Solomon, after God's clear promises and
warnings in 2 Chronicles 7, fell into sin, soon died and the kingdom was
split.)
Why This Probably Applies to America
1. The End of the Gentile Age .
The evidence is overwhelming that the 8times of the Gentilese referred to
by Jesus (Luke 21:24) -- the same as the age of the eGentilese referred to
by James (Acts 15:14-16), and Paul (Romans 11:25) -- is in the final
seconds. We are in the final countdown to what God revealed to Daniel as 8
the appointed time.e It is no accident that America, the largest and most
powerful Gentile nation, has been in a precipitous cultural decline in the
last half of this century (as Israel, the fig tree, has blossomed) as
measured by numerous statistical indicators. And our global cultural
influence is taking the world with us, as we daily export worldwide our
anti-God and perverted national values .
God's prophetic plan and timetable will not be stopped, and it takes
precedence over everything. For example, Israel is still in rebellion,
largely a godless nation. But God promised to regather them in the last
days. He has, in spite of themselves-- and with no effort on their part to
comply with 2 Chronicles 7:14, but simply because of His plan. "It is not
for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but
for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations
where you have gone....Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct" (Ezekiel
37:22, 32). Israel does not deserve mercy, and a further chastening lies
ahead. Yet God will honor His covenant with their fathers, which Paul
strongly reminds us so that we will not be ignorant or "conceited" as
saved Gentiles, wild branches grafted into the natural olive tree (Romans
11:24-25).
2. The Pervasiveness of Evil .
As before the Flood, and with Sodom and Gomorrah, and with the idolatrous
occupants of the Promised Land before Joshua entered, evil is now so deeply
pervasive and entrenched that it must be purged by judgment. Such seems to
be a clear message of the prophets and the New Testament writers. The world
is rushing madly toward the prophesied Tribulation, "such as was not since
the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matthew
24:21).
3. Veiled References to America .
While America is not mentioned by name in prophecy, some Bible students
believe there are indirect references. For example, some believe we are the
last-days Babylon of Jeremiah 50 and 51 and elsewhere. The reason is that a
number of the references seemingly do not apply to ancient Babylon, or even
to a possibly restored Babylon in Iraq, and that America is now the world's
major military and financial power. For example, the "rich" Babylon
Jeremiah describes lives "by many waters" (USA, not ancient Babylon;
51:13). "She made the whole earth drunk....they have now gone mad" (our
drug/sex/rock culture via MTV and other media pervades the earth; 51:7).
Our soldiers "have become like women" (homosexuals, women in combat;
51:30). She will be attacked by "arrows" (missiles; 50:9), from "the north"
(direction of Russia; 50:3), with her judgment rising "as high as the
clouds" (nuclear; 51:9). NASA's space program is implied in 51:53 (KJV),
with Babylon mounting "up to heaven" Also, "They sinned against the
LORD....the hope of their fathers" (USA, not ancient Babylon; 50:7).
Economic Babylon of Revelation 18, the commercial capital of the world, may
be New York (the Babylon of chapter 17 may be Rome because of the reference
to the "seven hills" in v9). Chapter 18:4 mentions that in one day, and
verse 10 says in one hour, she will be destroyed, with the world's
government and financial leaders weeping and mourning (18:9,15). A one-hour
destruction of a great city is something possible only in the past 50
years, and probable only this decade with the proliferation of nuclear
weapons, recently spreading on the black market from the former USSR to
terrorist organizations, according to intelligence sources. Only God is
holding back Iran, Iraq and other radicals from setting off a nuclear
explosion in New York, Washington, D.C., Tel Aviv and elsewhere, until "the
appointed time."
In addition, a strong case can be made that America and the 1991 Gulf War
are referred to in Daniel 8, with Iraq the ram, and America the goat which
"came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground"
(verse 5, NIV), seemingly our massive intercontinental air and sea lift. In
verse 8, the goat is later "broken," or destroyed, apparently after a
second Gulf War, possibly soon. We know from verses 20-21 that Media,
Persia and Greece were the first fulfillment, but from elsewhere, such as
verse 17, we know that the vision, in a dual fulfillment, is for "the time
of the end." The above seems more plausible when the following is
considered....
4. Soon Fulfillment of Ezekiel 38 .
Another possible reference to America, by conspicuous omission, is in
Ezekiel 38 and what most scholars see as an invasion of Israel by Russia
and a confederation of Moslem nations. The geopolitical preconditions for
this are rapidly forming. There are reasons to believe this may occur in
the very, very near future (perhaps at the beginning rather than the end of
the Tribulation as some believe). For example, there has been a recent
security agreement between Russia (Magog, 38:2) and the leading terrorist
state, Iran (Persia, 38:5). Russia is supplying Iran with nuclear materials
and--on the black market--with nuclear warheads. (And I have heard the
weapons have only a seven-year shelf life!) I have a reliable report of a
recent briefing by NATO intelligence that a nuclear war in the Middle East
is feared probable! America would surely be involved, perhaps as below :
If Israel is attacked according to Ezekiel 38, it is strange that there is
no hint of help from its security partner, the powerful USA. Oddly, we do
not seem to even be a factor. I believe it may be because, from a military
standpoint, America has been neutralized and rendered powerless by a
surprise nuclear attack by Russia (see below). This would surely give
Russian military planners an assumed and enticing cakewalk to a Middle East
takeover, ownership of the oil fields, new mineral resources and an
expansion to the Persian Gulf, a stated goal of at least one radical in the
wings, Vladimir Zhirinovski, whose autobiography is prophetically titled
The Last March South! While Zhirinovsky may never rise to power, this
territorial ambition is undoubtedly shared by other radicals--possibly
rising star, anti-Christian and anti-Semitic General Alexander Lebed. Of
course, we know from Ezekiel 39:1-6 that God Himself will defend Israel and
destroy the invaders, to make His holy name known (v. 7). Again, the above
still seems more plausible when the following is considered ...
5. End-time Supernatural Revelations .
Acts 2:17 promises "visions" and "prophesies" in the last days. I have
become aware of and have collected records of visions and prophecies from
various believers over a period of years. Some visions have clearly seen a
surprise nuclear attack on America from Russian submarines.
I also know of an older, respected pastor who had an apparent angel visit
in his home, in his study late at night, with the same message of a Russian
surprise nuclear attack from submarines. The being just suddenly appeared
and disappeared out of nowhere. Also, George Washington reportedly had a
vision in his day of America's major wars and a final military attack on
America.
The idea of a submarine attack is exactly in line with Russia's present
defense policy. According to the Wall Street Journal (August 25, 1995), "One
puzzling aspect of Russia's defense policy is its emphasis on
submarines....is still completing construction of submarines begun in the
Soviet era, on about the same timetable as the Soviets produced
them....(they) will enter the next century with the largest nuclear
submarine fleet in the world." Submarines are basically an offensive
weapon. Why are they doing this? It must be part of God's plan. For years,
high-tech and missile-carrying Russian subs have shadowed U.S ships or
invisibly and silently patrolled the U.S. coast under the radar/sonar cover
of their fishing trawlers.
For a nation near collapse, on the brink of fascism, this is not a picture
of peace and stability. Yet foolish American leaders continue to give
billions of dollars to Russia (which they are using on armaments) and
shrink our own military, crying, "peace and safety" according to
1 Thessalonians 5:3, "then sudden destruction shall come upon them." With
uncanny timing, just moments after I wrote this paragraph, Dateline NBC
aired a report that the secret nuclear shelter built in West Virginia for
our Congress is now closed and being dismantled -- because it is no longer
needed, since the "Cold War" is now over! "Look! I am preparing a
disaster for you and devising a plan against you," God says. Russian
submarines? He says to Magog, "You will devise an evil scheme....You will
say, 'I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people'" (Ezekiel 38:10).
America, instead of Israel, or both?
Other Revelations.
Highly esteemed missionary pioneer Hudson Taylor had a
vision in 1855. He saw both world wars, followed then by a spiritual awakening
in Russia, Europe and elsewhere, as we are seeing, followed by the coming
of Christ. Also, in 1930 a prophecy was reportedly given in Russia that a
future leader named Mikhail, with a birthmark on his head, would bring open
doors for the gospel, which would remain open "only for a short period of
time, then it would end and the repression would begin again." Plus, there
were reportedly several prophecies in Russia in 1988 that "the door would
stay open for about seven years." The doors swung open in 1989!
Conclusion
There are three witnesses to the above scenario that seem to confirm one
another: (1) Scripture, (2) contemporary world events, and (3) agreeing
supernatural revelations, such as visions and prophecies. God will answer
and honor prayers for revival, even though judgment on the nation has
already been decreed. Revival and harvest will come -- but possibly as a
result of judgment, and not instead of, a typical biblical pattern. Where
is the Rapture in the above scenario? We cannot be sure, and must not be
presumptuous.
With amazing timing, as God often confirms things to me, the same week this
was first printed, NBC News reported new Pentagon alarm at Russian
submarines lurking just off the U.S. coasts! Also, just as I was finishing
this report, two different audio tapes came to me, both unsolicited, from
two people I have never met, both with the message of God's coming judgment
on America! Months later I received a similar message the very same day I
received a newsletter headlined, "It's Time to Weep for America."
Message to the Church. It is time to boldly "blow the trumpet."; The
warning should be greatly sharpened to more of a Jeremiah-type warning,
that actual destruction is coming, not just deteriorating social conditions
or loss of freedoms. "If the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will
get ready for battle?" (1 Corinthians 14:8). The trumpet call should
be to God's own people, since "judgment must begin at the house of God"
(1 Peter 4:17). God's message to His people today is to humbly walk with Him
in obedience and to come out of the world's value system. Christians should
get ready to joyously meet their soon-coming King, and tell as many others
as possible about God's grace and salvation .
Final Note:
In one U.S. Air Force assignment, I was a "Minuteman" -- the commander
of a Minuteman ICBM nuclear missile launch crew responsible, if
so ordered in the event of attack, for vaporizing ten Russian
cities/targets, and in personal possession of the top secret war code.
Always "on alert," I was only seconds away from the President's launch
command, unsealing the code, and ending civilization as we know it.
America's leaders have now dismantled many Minuteman missiles and reduced
other defense systems, but oddly, in a spiritual sense, and in one of God's
"coincidences," I am still a "Minuteman," still on alert, and still only
seconds away from the King of king's shout and command, with His code (from
His Word) already being "unsealed," and with civilization as we know it
soon to end.)
For a free copy of the special report, Christ's Soon Return: the
Overwhelming Evidence, or a detailed, verified report on angel
announcements of Christ's soon return, send self-addressed, stamped,
business-size envelope to Jim Bramlett, 10637 Crystal Springs Court,
Orlando, Florida 32825.
Specify which report desired; if both, include extra stamp for added weight
8/96
(Editor's note: This was published at the Cutting edge website. If you would
like to see some more articles go to The Cutting Edge PropheZine prophecy
links page)
************************
A Prayer for the Lost
Lord, open the eyes of the spiritually blind
And help them to realize--there isn't much time!
Life is a vapor which passes away
And the time of Your coming draws closer each day.
The stakes are eternal--this isn't a game!
The prince of this world won't relinquish his claim;
Souls have been blinded, deceived, and enslaved;
They won't admit they are lost--how can they be saved?
Lord, open their ears--why haven't they heard?
Soften their hearts to the truth of Your word.
They are walking in darkness where the Enemy reigns
Only You can release them from their bondage and chains.
Loose them, unbind them! Let Your truth set them free!
Take the scales from their eyes and allow them to see!
Call them and draw them to step out in faith;
Until, snatched from the fire, they are saved by Your grace!
Lori Fiechter 3-8-97
******************************
PropheZine News Bytes
Department of Treasury Announces First Union Smart Card
FT. LEONARD WOOD, Mo., May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Over 28,000 new recruits will
be issued more than a uniform as they begin their army training at Ft.
Leonard Wood -- they will also be issued a First Union smart card. Starting
today, recruits will use the funds on these smart cards to pay for their
personal items such as toiletries and haircuts during their eight weeks of
basic training on the post.
As the first Visa Cash pilot in the government's history, the Department of
Treasury funded program will examine the use of stored value as a prototype
for future military operations and for the possibility for eliminating cash
in military facilities. By eliminating hard currency, the Department of
Defense will reduce their cash handling operating costs by automating
services.
Featuring an embedded microchip, the Schlumberger manufactured Visa Cash
smart cards store money as electronic cash. Verifone Omni 395
card-accepting terminals will be stationed at designated locations and will
automatically deduct the cost of the recruit's purchase from the chip
balance.
The Army Air Force Exchange Service will support all merchant terminals on
the post and ensure daily settlement of the smart card machines.
"We studied the Visa Cash pilot in the open market during the Atlanta
Olympics and were impressed with the technology and conveniences it offered
consumers," said Gary Grippo, project manager electronic money with the
U.S. Department of Treasury. "We selected First Union as the issuing bank
for this project because of their extensive smart card experience and their
leadership position in implementing smart card technology."
"First Union committed to chip card technology in 1994. We have worked
with Visa Cash on several projects, including the Atlanta Olympics and
believe that our vision for the future of smarts cards provided us with
this opportunity today," said Mike Love, vice president of smart card
technology for First Union's Customer Direct Access Division. "We are
honored to work with these organizations and to develop this innovative
prototype application for the Department of the Army."
The Defense Finance and Accounting service will prepare and distribute
cards to incoming Ft. Leonard Wood recruits. All smart cards will be
personalized with the soldier's name and contain a signature panel on the
back for identification purposes. At the end of basic training any unused
portion of the First Union issued smart card will be credited to the
soldier's military payroll account.
"First Union's new chip-card program with the U.S. Department of Treasury
and the Department of Defense demonstrates how the Visa Cash stored-value
product can be used to solve commercial issues," said Diana Knox, vice
president of chip products for Visa U.S.A. "Visa Cash is an open and
accountable payment product for small-ticket items that, in the future,
will be combined on the chip with credit and debit functionality to give
consumers a full range of payment options."
Charlotte-based First Union Corp. (NYSE: FTU) provides financial products
and services to more than 12 million corporate and retail customers
nationwide. First Union is the nation's sixth-largest bank holding company
with assets of $137 billion as of March 31, 1997.
The Financial Management Service, a bureau of the U.S. Department of the
Treasury, is the Federal Government's cash manager. The Financial
Management Service issues over 850 million payments on behalf of
non-defense agencies, annually; manages the collection of over $1 trillion
in revenues, including all Federal income taxes each year; administers the
Government's central accounting and financial record keeping duties; and
manages the collection of the Government's non-tax delinquent debt
portfolio.
Visa is the world's largest consumer payment system. It plays a pivotal
role in advancing new payment products and technologies to benefit its
20,700 member financial institutions, their cardholders and the global
economy. Visa's 561 million cards are accepted at 13 million locations
worldwide. The Visa Global ATM Network consists of more than 342,000
ATMs in 113 countries.
For more information on Visa, visit Visa Expo at www.visa.com.
CO: First Union Corporation; Visa; U.S. Department of the Treasury
ST: North Carolina, Missouri
IN: FIN
US:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Soups "NOT" on!!!!
Does this wake anyone up? Please be deciding which Grocery Store you
will shop at and which McGourmet Cafe will be your dining out choice? Oh,
better change your eating habits too while you're at it so you are not
determined to be a drain on the system.
Jackie Juntti
http://www.nwlink.com/~idzrus/index.html
Not a single area of our lives will escape the goals of the globalists. In
short, this article speaks of an upcoming meeting in which the UN will draw
up plans for FMO's (Food Management Organizations). You will be required to
notify the government of the single grocery store you will shop at and the
single restaurant you will dine out during the year. Your food purchases
will be monitored and regulated.
Changing Consumption Patterns in "Human Settlements."
"IN ORDER TO STABILIZE WORLD POPULATION, WE MUST
ELIMINATE 350,000 PEOPLE PER DAY."
Jacques Cousteau in 1991, UNESCO Courier.
Notice of Symposium to Outline Gorbachev's and Maurice Strong's "Plans for
Your Standard of Living"
(Editor's Note: The Notice below from the United Nations to NGOs who
attended the Istanbul Habitat II UN Conference announces a symposium to
tell participants how to force changes in "consumption patterns" in the
21st Century through Worldwide Planning at the UN. The
prime target is reduction in the consumption and standard of living of
Americans.)
From: Andre Dzikusby way of information habitat
To: habitat partners network; NGO committee on Human
settlements; earth summit two csdgen@nygate.undp.org
Subject: Symposium on Changing Consumption Patterns in Human Settlements,
4/6/1997, New York
Date: Tuesday, May 27, 1997 10:20 AM
Dear Colleague,
I am pleased to inform you that the United Nations Center for Human
Settlements (Habitat) is organizing a one-day Symposium on the theme:
"Changing Consumption Patterns in Human Settlements", to be held at the
United Nations in New York on Tuesday, 24 June 1997 as a part of the
parallel events of the United Nations General Assembly special session on
sustainable development.
The event will be an important follow-up to the United Nations Conference
on Human Settlements (Habitat II), addressing the goal of sustainable human
settlements development in a rapidly urbanizing world. The Symposium is
aimed at bringing together new thinking on sustainable consumption in human
settlements, in the growing cities of the developing and the developed
world in particular, where the majority of the world's population will live
and work by the turn of the century, where most economic activity will take
place, natural resources will be consumed and pollution generated - with
consequent impact on the environment.
The Symposium will also provide a forum to present the findings of an
expert-group meeting on the same theme organized by the United Nations
Center for Human Settlements, in cooperation with the United Nations
Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, at the
United Nations in New York in April 1997. The attached flyer gives more
information on the event.
Should you require any additional information please do not hesitate to
contact this office. Your participation in the symposium is welcome.
Yours sincerely
Kalyan Ray
* Chief, BITS/RDD
* UNCHS (Habitat)
* e-mail: kalyan.ray@unchs.org
SYMPOSIUM ON CHANGING CONSUMPTION PATTERNS
IN HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
Date: Tuesday, 24 June 1997
Time: 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Venue: Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium United Nations, New York
Organizer: United Nations Center for Human Settlements (Habitat)
Invited Keynote Speakers: Hon. Prof. Dr. Klaus Toepfer, Minister for
Regional Planning, Building and Urban Development, Federal Republic of
Germany
Mr. Maurice Strong, Chairperson, Rio+5, and Chairman, The Earth Council
Mr. Nitin Desai, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations Department for
Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development
Mr. Ismail Serageldin, Vice-President, Environmentally Sustainable
Development, The World Bank
Mr. Wally N'Dow, Co-Chairperson, Rio+5, and Assistant-Secretary-General,
United Nations, Head of the United Nations Center for Human Settlements
Invited Panelists:
Prof. Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore
Lord Mayor Norbert Burger, Mayor of Cologne and President of WACLAC
Mr. Jaime Lerner, Governor of the State of Parana,Brazil
Hon. Mr. John Edward Afful, Minister of Environment, Accra, Ghana
Mr. Martti Lujanen, Director-General, Ministry of the Environment, Finland
Mrs. Kiran Agarwal, Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Urban
Affairs and Employment, India
Ms. Raquel Alfaro, Consultant, Santiago, Chile
UNITED NATIONS CENTRE FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS (HABITAT)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blueprint for food
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1996
Blueprint for Managed Foodcare
By KARL-OTTO LIEBMANN
The time has come for the eating public to face a stark reality: The
consumption of food, if allowed to grow at the present rate, will bankrupt
our great nation.
Production of food has risen from 10% to more than 30% of the gross
domestic product since 1945. The Congressional Budget Office projects that
by the year 2010 Americans will spend more money and time on eating than on
working, vacationing, and being sick combined. To counter this threat, a
junior U.S. senator, (whose name has been withheld upon request) has begun
to draft legislation designed to fundamentally reform the way Americans
consume food.
The proposal, preliminarily dubbed "Managed Foodcare," promotes the
cost-efficient consumption of food by regulating access to stores and
restaurants. It preserves the principles of consumer choice and free
competition.
A brief outline will illustrate how the reforms benefit the average eater.
Each year, during the last week of December, consumers have the choice of
signing up at their preferred grocery store or restaurant for the year to
come.
These two main retail markets for the distribution of food are referred to
as Primary Food Providers. Employers will by law be required to offer
employees a choice among at least three so-called Food Benefit Plans. FBPs
describe what stores, restaurants, kinds of food and menus will be covered
by the plan. FBPs will also furnish comprehensive brochures listing the
items approved, such as certain cereals, vegetables, meats, and so on.
The lawmakers anticipate that the opportunity to choose only once a year
what to eat for the next 12 months will save families innumerable hours of
time now spent on gazing at store shelves or menus and comparing brands and
prices. During the year of the plan, consumers will be obliged to buy all
their food at the chosen store and eat at the restaurant they elected.
There will be a designated co-payment, they will also pay a monthly premium
to a Food management Organization.
FMOs, whose formation will be encouraged under the legislation, are
privately owned corporations. They control the production and manage the
distribution of food based on a highly variable Cost Efficiency Quotient,
whose numerical value is directly proportional to the value at which the
FMOs' stocks are traded on the open market. FMOs contract with Primary Food
Providers to provide the most cost-efficient nutrition to their enrollees.
The key element of the reform is known as "capitation." Basically, stores
and restaurants will receive a fixed annual amount of money from their FMO
for each enrolled customer, regardless of how much or little he consumes
during the year. If the enrollee spends more than his allotment, it will be
the provider's loss; if less, it will be the provider's gain.
Legislators from New York and California have objected that some people
habitually eat more than others or have developed rather idiosyncratic and
expensive tastes. Such behavior, comparable to the reckless spending of
health dollars by people with chronic or terminal illnesses, could quickly
bankrupt the provider. To counter this fiscal threat, the FMOs will
maintain personal customer records listing all purchases, creating an
"Individual Consumption Profile" (CPI) for each member. The ICP is subject
to periodic review and approval by the FMO.
People with excessive ICPs are considered "high risk" and may eventually
lose their right to be re-enrolled in any FMO. (Soup kitchens and self-help
groups will no doubt assist these misfits.)
To rein in abuse of specialty shops and gourmet restaurants, access to these
establishments will be controlled by the primary food providers. They will
serve as "gatekeepers" and decide whether and when a consumer should be
referred to specialty providers such as Italian bakeries or French
restaurants. Their decisions will be guided by their conviction that
packaged breads and cakes or fast food can meet the same nutritional needs
as delicatessen food.
They also recognize that the more money from a fixed, capitated amount that
consumers spend on outlandish food, the less will remain for primary food
providers.
The proponents of managed Foodcare sum up their argument by pointing out
that their proposal preserves and protects genuine American values. The new
laws support yearly renewable consumer choice, and at the same time reduce
unnecessary and costly culinary options. They encourage corporate and
individual responsibility by rewarding thoughtful management of food supply
and demand. Capitation will further thriftiness, invention, and imaginative
sales practices. Ultimately, Managed Foodcare will accelerate the
accumulation of capital in the hands of those who know best how to promote
a healthier and leaner America.
-------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Liebmann is an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Yale
University School of Medicine.
[Those of you who know nothing or very little about Liberalism, a
de-emphasis of Socialism, which is nothing more than a softer word for
Communism, had better study the subject if you care about your future. Do
yourselves a great favor and start by reading the Communist Manifesto;
compare it to the U.S. Constitution. You will be shockingly enlightened at
the usurpation of power in the U.S.A.]
[The "ultimate" objective of Socialism/Communism is not the re-distribution
of wealth, but the control of the people of the world by a tiny group of
appointed World Dictators, with the help of an ignorant, dumbed-down
"peace-keeping force." This is exactly why the United Nations was founded.
Get ready folks!]
Daniel Webster, (1782-1852) Congressman and patriot once said (prophesied)
that "There is no nation on earth powerful enough to accomplish our
overthrow. Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
US Votes Jerusalem As Israel's Capital
(SNS News Service -Israel-6/12) In a 406-17 vote, the United States House
of Representatives voted a united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The
house also approved $100 million to move the US Embassy from Tel-Aviv to
Jerusalem.
The vote was contrary to the position of the Clinton administration feeling
it would harm the ongoing peace process between Israel and the PA. The vote
was praised by Israel and was the subject of criticism by PA officials.
Some Reactions:
Senior Netanyahu Advisor, David Bar-Illan - "We are delighted that the
Congress has recognized Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel and
that it will remain so forever."
PA Minister Hanan Ashrawi - "A resolution of obvious support for Israel
..puts a big nail in the coffin of the peace process and the credibility of
the United States as a peace broker,"
In addition, the US officials issued a strong condemnation of the PA law
barring the sale of [Arab] lands to Jews. To date, three Arab land dealers
have been executed as a result of their dealings with Jews.
House Speaker Newt Gingrich linked the murders of the land dealers
directly to PA officials. Gingrich stated the shooting of land dealers in
the head was "Nazi-like."
State Department Spokesman Nicholas Burns rejected calls from US
representatives to suspend aid promised to the PA due to the racist land
law. As reported earlier by SNS, Senator Jesse Helms and Congressman
Benjamin Gilman have been in the forefront of the campaign to cut off PA
aid until the law is rescinded.
Senior Arafat advisor Nabil Abu Rudeineh denied that the PA ever
implemented the law or had any connection to the three murders. (Israel
has already stated they have obtained a copy of a "wanted list" issued on
official PA stationary, for the land dealers who are suspected of having
dealings with Jews).
**************************************
F.Y.I. - Israel in the News
Week Ending: June 14, 1997/9 Sivan 5757
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness;
Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the L-rd until
He comes to rain righteousness on you." Hosea 10.12
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
U.S. CONGRESS RECOGNIZES JERUSALEM: The US House of Representatives
has voiced its support for Israel's claim to Jerusalem as its
eternal and undivided capital, Kol Yisrael reported. In a non-binding
resolution, the House voted 406 to 17 in favor of the resolution.
The House also approved $100 million to move the US Embassy from
Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem. The vote was contrary to the position of the
Clinton administration feeling it would harm the ongoing peace
process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Israeli
officials welcomed the move. David Bar-Ilan, the Prime Minister's
communications advisor said he was "delighted" by the resolution.
Sources close to Arafat stated he has expressed his anger over the
American decision. PA official Saeb Arichat stated the bloodbath in
the area [Israel] will be a direct result of the decision and those
who supported it will be responsible. US Congress or PM Netanyahu
will not decide the future of Jerusalem stated Arichat. The decision
was a "declaration of war" against the Palestinians, a senior PA
official said. (MED, ICEJ, SNS)
POSSIBLE SYRIAN SURPRISE ATTACK: Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief
of Staff Amnon Lipkin-Shahak told the Washington Post the army has
information on a possible surprise attack by Syria. 'War is not
around the corner, we are not en route to war, but there is different
behavior, a different atmosphere and different thinking on the
Syrian side with respect to the possibility of war,' Shahak said. 'We
cannot, nor need not, ignore this. The Syrians are talking about the
possibility of a surprise attack.' Syrian Vice President Abed
al-Halim Haddam said Israel has shut the door on peace and there is
nothing left to negotiate. 'Israel's aggressive, occupationist
policy will never be in Israel's interests and will never bring about
the desired peace and stability, only a just, comprehensive peace
can bring about security and stability,' he said. Israel's Channel
Two television news reports that the Syrian Army recently completed
a series of drills preparing it for a possible all-out war against
Israel or a limited operation to seize some or all of the Golan
Heights. "The Syrian Army has been or is conducting a long series of
exercises that are turning it into a very prepared force," the
report said. (Yediot Aharonot, ICEJ)
A MUSLIM NEW WORLD ORDER'? Turkey's prime minister has accused
western nations of double standards and of failing to create what he
terms a just world order. The Turkish leader said in a speech
Islamic nations should lead the way in establishing justice, human
rights, and democracy throughout the world. The prime minister
expounded on his vision of a world led by Islamic states, with Turkey
at its helm. He was speaking to culture ministers from the so-called
Developing Eight group of countries, who were meeting ahead of a
weekend summit of their heads of states in Istanbul. The group brings
together Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria,
Pakistan and Turkey. (VOA)
PEACE TALKS REMAIN STALLED: Special envoy Osama Al-Baz said his
consultations are moving in the right direction and will continue. PM
Netanyahu expressed similar sentiments. Nevertheless, the chief
Palestinian negotiator Erakat said Thursday's meetings merely
demonstrated the depth of the current Israeli-Palestinian dispute,
mainly over settlements, and that no one should raise their
expectations for a quick solution. There was no direct
Israeli-Palestinian meeting Thursday, as had been planned. Such a
meeting in Cairo Sunday made no apparent progress, and a talked-about
Egyptian-Israeli-Palestinian summit has not yet been scheduled.
In a related story, despite reports emanating from senior PA sources,
the Prime Minister's Office is denying that Netanyahu has agreed to a
building freeze on the Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa. According
to PA officials, attorney David Molcho agreed to a freeze of
construction on Har Homa during meetings with PA officials, on
behalf of the Israeli government. Jerusalem Mayor Olmert reported the
tractors are continuing to work according to schedule in Har Homa.
Coalition members of the National Religious and Tzomet parties
stated if the government does order the halt of the controversial
project, it will bring about an immediate break-up of the government.
Meanwhile, Kol Yisrael reports the US and the European Union (EU)
have agreed to give Egypt an additional two weeks in its mediation
efforts between Israel and the PA. Miguel Moratinos of the EU said
that if no breakthrough is seen at the end of the two-week period,
the US would resume its mediation efforts to resolve the crisis in
coordination with the EU. This was agreed last week at a meeting
between Moratinos and Dennis Ross. Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak
has blasted the two-week deadline. (VOA, SNS, MED)
ARAB VIOLENCE IN GAZA: A large mob of Arabs burst through a new
fence surrounding the Gush Katif (Gaza) community of Morag Thursday
morning. They broke down 200 meters (220 yards) of the fence,
uprooted trees, and caused damage to greenhouses. The Palestinians
claim that the fence was erected within their territory, but the IDF
categorically denied this. IDF troops used rubber bullets to
distance the rioters, but they continue to crowd around, waving
Palestinian flags, 150 meters (165 yards) from the homes in Morag.
On Friday, during the late night hours, a firebomb was thrown at IDF
soldiers assigned to protect the community. No injuries were
reported as a result of the attack.
In other violence, Arabs blocked off the main junctions to Gush
Katif for more than four hours Thursday afternoon, preventing any
entry to, or exit from the Jewish communities there. The disturbance
began when the Palestinians refused to allow a planned ceremony to be
conducted in memory of the soldier Yehuda Levy; the junction was to
be named after Sgt. Levy, who was killed in the line of duty during
the Arab-initiated violence of September 1996. They blocked the
intersection, and threw rocks at any Jewish car that attempted to
drive through it. After a while, they dispersed, but continued to
disturb the ceremony by honking and throwing rocks. The Palestinian
police did not take any action against the perpetrators, and were
even reported to have taken part in the commotion. (Arutz Sheva)
SENIOR PA SECURITY OFFICIAL TO STAND TRIAL: PLO leader Arafat has
announced that a senior PA security official in the Ram'Allah area
will be placed on trial for his part in the murder of one Arab land
dealer. Arafat denied that Toufik Tirawi, a senior security official
in the PA, has any connection to the murders of three Arab land
dealers. Meanwhile, PM Netanyahu decided to follow the advice of
senior security officials and ordered the VIP status of Tirawi
revoked. This move will severely limit Tirawi's ability to travel
from PA autonomous areas to "Israel proper." State Attorney General
Professor Elyakim Rubinstein also supported the move.
Despite the threats against those who sell properties to Jews, the
sales continue. A building known as Beit Micha'el has been acquired
within the last few days by the Ateret Cohanim association. The
building, in the Moslem Quarter of the Old City, was bought for a
"bargain" price of $600,000. Ma'ariv newspaper reports that in the
past month, properties have been acquired by Jewish groups in Abu
Tor, Beit Tsafafa, Mt. of Olives, and 1.5 dunams near Rachel's Tomb.
(SNS, MED, Arutz Sheva)
NETANYAHU WILL OPPOSE 'ANTI-MISSIONARY' BILL: In a letter written to
an American Christian leader supportive of Israel, Netanyahu wrote
on June 3: "It has come to my attention that a bill before the
Israeli parliament concerning possession of missionary literature has
created a stir among our many Christian friends in the United States
. . . The government strenuously objects to this bill and will act
to ensure that it does not pass." Netanyahu also explained how the
bill had passed its preliminary reading: "With fewer than 30 Knesset
members present at the session, the bill succeeded in passing its
preliminary reading in the Knesset. But to become law, it must pass
three additional readings." Critics of the bill have argued that it
is blatantly undemocratic and could lead to state-sponsored religious
censorship. The preliminary reading proposed that it be made an
offence "to hold, print, copy, distribute or hand out [any kind of
literature] in which there is any form of an effort to persuade
another to change his religion". Offenders would face a year in jail.
(ICEJ)
ISRAEL REJECTS UN DEMAND: Israel Saturday rejected a UN demand that
it pay $1.7 million in damages for shelling a peacekeeping base in
Lebanon last year. David Bar-Illan, a spokesman for PM Benjamin
Netanyahu, said the Shi'ite Muslim group Hizb'Allah started the
violence near Kana and should be held responsible for its results.
"The blame for war casualties lies with those who start the war and
there is no question who began the shelling of civilians and who
began the hostilities," Bar-Illan told the Associated Press. About
100 people were killed when Israeli artillery struck the UN base,
which was packed with civilians who had taken refuge from a bombing
blitz aimed at Lebanese guerrillas. Israel says the base was hit by
mistake after the Iranian-backed Hizb'Allah nearby fired on Israeli
targets. Both Israel and the US have accused guerrillas of taking
refuge at the base. Israel and the US voted against the non-binding
resolution, which the UN General Assembly approved 66-2 Friday with
59 abstentions. (Kol Yisrael, SNS)
FAMILY AND CHILDREN STOPPED BY PALESTINIANS: Soldiers at the Gross
Square stopped a suspicious-looking Arab walking in the area of the
Avraham Avinu neighborhood Sunday. They took his identity card in
order to perform a security check and told the man to wait. As a
result, Arabs in the area decided to then prevent Jews from reaching
the middle of the city by stopping them on the road, in the H1-
Arafat controlled part of Hevron. Jews are forced to travel in this
area because the street in Jewish controlled Hevron has been closed
since the middle of March, due to road construction. Armed Arabs,
some of whom were in uniform, and others not, stopped a GMC van, full
of children, and a family automobile, on the road. They were held
there for about 20 minutes. Finally, when the soldiers at Gross
Square released the Arab whom they had held, the roadblock was
opened and the vehicles were allowed to continue.
In another incident, Fatah activists pelted the Jewish neighborhood
near Beit Hadassah again Saturday with rocks and firebombs. Starting
at about 11:30 in the morning, and lasting all afternoon, rocks were
thrown from behind the 12 meter fence built to prevent such attacks
and also from behind Beit Shneerson. Rocks reached the army outpost
in front of Beit Hadassah, and also hit the building. Soldiers
reacted by shooting into the Arab mob. However, they were given
orders not to apprehend any of the attackers. The rioters said they
were angered by a US congressional resolution recognizing Jerusalem
as Israel's capital. (Hevron Press Office, AP, VOA)
IDF PREPARING FOR ALL EVENTUALITIES: The local Jerusalem weekly Kol
Ha'Ir reports that the IDF has recently executed exercises in
preparation for a re-takeover of the cities in Judea and Samaria. The
emergency plan, called Operation Thorn Field', is in case of a
renewal of hostilities such as those that occurred last September.
(Arutz Sheva)
ARAFAT PRAISES HAMAS: Arafat has words of praise for Hamas. A
reporter for the Russian newspaper Novoya Vremya asked him whether
he feels that Hamas is a terrorist organization. Arafat answered,
"Hamas, even its military wing, is a patriotic movement." In answer
to another question, the PA chairman said that the Palestinians may
very well return to an armed struggle against Israel.
On the other hand, there are signs that the PA is becoming
increasingly worried about the growing power of Hamas, and its
growing relationship with Jordan. Elements within the PA feel that a
Hamas leadership is being reassembled in Jordan, centered around Abu
Marzuq, who was recently deported from the US to Jordan. In a
memorandum to Arafat, Muhammad Dahlan, PA security chief in Gaza,
has warned that Hamas is attempting to gain control of municipalities
and other institutions within the autonomy, in anticipation of a
crisis as the final settlement stage draws near. (Arutz Sheva)
STING, SINEAD TO PERFORM FOR PALESTINIAN CAUSE: British musician
Sting and Irish singer Sinead O'Connor will perform at a concert in
Jerusalem on June 21, to promote a project calling for the
establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The concert is to benefit the "Sharing Jerusalem" project, whose
slogan is "two capitals for two states." The concert will be funded
by the Ford Foundation, the Danish Embassy and the Spanish, Belgian,
French and Swedish consulates. (ICEJ)
JERUSALEM CHURCH LEADER PRAISES IRANIAN SUPPORT: Greek Catholic
Archbishop Hilarion Capucci of Jerusalem held talks recently with
Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati on the question of
Jerusalem and "Palestine." Tehran IRIB Television reported that
Capucci told the Iranian that "the Muslim people of Iran are
revolutionary standard-bearers of humanitarian and moral values."
Referring to the fact the late Ayatollah Khomeini "used to attach
importance to unity as a source of glory for followers of divine
religions", Capucci said the Iranians supported "the just struggle of
the Palestinian people." "From the beginning we knew that the
Zionists' peace process was nothing but a mirage and that they
planned to deceive Arab countries," the archbishop said. Capucci, a
longtime supporter of the PLO, was sentenced to 15 years'
imprisonment by Israel for smuggling weapons for the PLO in his
church-registered vehicle in 1974. After serving just a third of the
sentence, he was freed following strong pressure from the Vatican.
(ICEJ)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FYI - Israel In The News
"For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quiet" Isaiah 62:1
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