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Prophe-Zine Issue 040
PropheZine #40
May 5, 1997
:::: AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT::::
Ray Gano...Welcome To PropheZine #40
Steven C. Wright ...Laodicean Error Within the Church
Book Review by Berit Kjos...The Celestine Prophecy
R.g. Wallace ....Pre-Wrath Rapture And Dispensations
Karen McDaniel....Are You Among The Living?
PropheZine NewsBytes
Compass Direct ...Kurdish Convert Murdered In Arbil
Compass Direct ...Communist China Silences "dissent church"
IRIS.....Palestinian Quote Sheet #42
Sen.Jesse Helms ...Resist Arafat's blackmail
Barbara DiGilio ...Action for the Unborn!
Erik Vlietinck ...Smart Pen To Catch Forgers
Chris Casatelli ...Netscape Plug-in Uses Fingerprints For Access
Larry Lange and George Leopold ..Digital identification: It's now at our fingertips
Michael Catanzaro ...U.N. OWES A NET $3.5 BILLION TO UNCLE SAM
Paula Demmer ...Global Non-warming
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AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
by: George Salisbury
Editor, PropheZine iNet Digest
email: geosalis@ix.netcom.com
PropheZine has adopted an exciting new technology to more efficiently get timely news into your hands (or should we say, your website browser?) If you have access to the World Wide Web, you'll want to check this out!
Recall the "bookmobiles" (almost a thing of the past) used by library districts? The bookmobile, loaded with a select number of books, would travel around the district to make books available to those who could not conveniently get to the library. As the circuit was usually on a regular schedule, one could count on it arriving at a certain time. A couple of drawbacks included the danger of missing the visit and of not being able to access books other than those on the vehicle. On the other hand, a visit to the library looking for certain information often required the assistance of a librarian for the search.
Intermind Communicator(TM) is the best of both worlds: it provides new information virtually instantly, and it does so without requiring the user to work through an elaborate search process. In addition, access is usually made to previous material which might be considered outdated.
Intermind Communicator(TM) is a software application used on your local machine to manage the communication of HTML files. Intermind Communicator publishers (like PropheZine) produce periodic updates. When you have Intermind Communicator running on your computer, it will automatically poll the servers to see if new updates are available. If so, the new information will be "pushed" right to your browser and you'll be notified. This way, you have the advantage of receiving timely new information without having to scour the contents of a website (or a number of them).
You can also "filter" the information based on "topics," which categorize the information. If certain topics are of no interest to you, then you need not be inconvenienced by their appearance in the update.
The update also may have an IMC "postcard," which resides in the update itself ( as opposed to the more usual links, which would take you through a jump to a specific WWW website). The postcard is a succinct statement of information that can be read without linking to a remote site, and thus can be reviewed offline if desired (although some postcards may have integral links to other sites).
If you have WWW access, you'll want to see this in operation (andsubscribe, hopefully) by visiting: http://www.prophezine.com/inews/pzim.html
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Welcome To PropheZine #40
Hello everyone,
I am once again happy to present you the latest issue of PropheZine. If you have been visiting the www site, you have noticed a great many changes going on. For one, we have entered the "Push Technology" arena. You have already read about this if you read the Important announcement prior to my welcome. I am very excited about this. The newsletter has only been effecting thousands, now with push and Intermind, we at PZ can effect millions of people on the internet. If you are interested in helping out, we can sure use it. We need people who will play "net mole" and dig up those very important news items that the popular media is so often allowing to go by with out any word. If you are interested in this, drop me a email, ray@prophezine.com.
Next big item that we have started on the PZ www site is the PZ Prophecy Forum is once again active. Ron Wallace, a good friend of mine and a pastor, is heading this up and is the "room monitor." He has been posing some great topics and stimulating the conversation on the PZ Prophecy Forum. To take part in the forum, you need to go to the www site using Netscape or IE (AOL users can also access the forum as well)
I am still looking for help with the www site and with the newsletter. So if you are interested, please contact me.
Well I will keep it short and sweet. See ya in the air.
In His service,
Ray Gano
PropheZine
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Laodicean Error Within the Church
By: Steven C. Wright
Revelation 6:5 & 6 - "And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny, and see that thou hurt not the oil and wine."
A recent front page article in the St. Petersburg Times read: Bankruptcies hit record, reveal "dark side" of "boom". Those of us who watch world events and believe in Bible prophecy know that the economy is not good here in the United States as well as the rest of the world. Since 1972, I have said that the economy of the United States would fall, leading to the first truly global collapse, and that it would likely happen around the year 2000 or very soon after. I believe that we are right on schedule in spite of all of the hype coming from many over-confident preachers and politicians and secular analysts. A few years ago I remember seeing the front page of two financial journals tell how strong the economy was and where to invest your money. One was five months and the other two months before the crash of 1929. We now have two generations of financial whiz kids, who have always had prosperity handed to them, making daily risky buys and selling on Wall Street with little if any concern about the small investors.
In 1929 28% of what was traded in the stock market was what is known as "speculative trading" which means that 28% of what was traded did not have cash, assets, or some kind of real collateral. When the crash hit it led to 18% - 20% unemployment in some parts of the country. What do you think it will be when the big one comes down here in the United States? In the 1990s speculative trading is three times what it was in 1929.
The Times article went on to say: "In a first, bankruptcy filings topped 1 million last year." Actually in 1996, bankruptcies increased more than 20%. Bankruptcy filings set another record last year as more than 1.2 million Americans rushed to court for relief from their debts. Its the dark side of the economic expansion," said Samuel Gerdano, executive director of the American Bankruptcy Institute.
The apostle John I believe saw the times just ahead of what we are going to experience. I have lectured and written concerning the coming economic collapse quite often in the 1990s. With the record droughts and floods in recent years (which were planned that way) the United States has joined other countries around the world in major crop failures. For example, here in Florida we have already lost 85% of our strawberry crop due to the unusual weather so far in 1997.
As we read from the book of Revelation, the rider of the black horse was told not to "hurt the oil and the wine". The apostle John seems to be warning of coming food shortages on a global scale like never before, since wheat, barley, oil and wine all weigh out in the "balances" or scales, in other words, food rationing. He also seems to warn us of super hyper inflation since wheat and barley adjusted for todays economy is equal to around $20 per loaf of bread. The United States which once enjoyed the strongest economy and standard of living in the world for its people is now seventh in the world. When I read the plans of the New World Order group to make the United States into a third world country, I believe it!
The church in the United States has some very serious times ahead which the self-acclaimed pillow prophets and pabulum preachers will talk about. So often they tell us that the global economic crash will not happen until after the catching up of the Christian believer. It is commonly agreed upon in theological circles that when the last days come to an end with the "rapture" that this event begins the Tribulation period, but they can not have it both ways.
"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasures together for the last days" James 5:1-3.
Did you notice that James did not say rather these were Christians or non-Christians? So often we are told that James is referring to non-Christians, but he only referred to those who were rich. Did you notice that the said that our wealth etc. was not given to the church as the majority of faith preachers tell us? Also, did you notice that he said that it would happen in the "last days" clearly giving the time frame for this fulfillment?
I believe it is so clear that the prophesied global economic crash happens before the
church is taken out of the earth. One more serious point to mention which I believe every wealth and riches faith and TV preacher should take a close look at is James clearly warned that those who have "heaped up treasures together for the last days" shall have their "gold and silver cankered and turn as a witness against them."
The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: BUT the prophet is a snare of the fowler in all his way, and hatred in the house of his God" Hosea 9:8. This is another warning from the past. Just as James warned the works before mentioned ended up as a witness against those who I believe had gotten their eyes off of God and on natural things, so Hosea shows us that the prophet when he would no longer or could no longer hear the true word of God, the end result was that he became hated in the very house of god where he was once accepted. those prophets who regularly tell us that "when the body of Christ receive the wealth that God intended for it to have, sinners by the millions are going to come flooding into the church because they are going to want to invest in and be a part of what we have" are in for a rude awakening! The serious warning is that when the economy fails, be assured that those who supported them in their error will be held accountable by those who lost everything. Those who have gotten rich and heaped up treasure during what they admit are the last days who are now first will be made last by public humiliation.
If you would like to order this entire biblically based teaching on audio cassette, send $6 (or its equivalent in foreign currency) and ask for the message "Laodicean Error Within the Church". All orders include a full list of books, cassettes and videos by the author. Orders are usually sent out the day they are received.
Send check or money order to:
Steven C. Wright
P. O. Box 8426
Clearwater, FL 34618
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Book Review by Berit Kjos
THE CELESTINE PROPHECY
by James Redfield (Warner Books, 1993)
* * * * *
When a self-published, self-distributed book is picked up by the powerful publishing arm of the Time-Warner company and soars to the top of the New York Times bestseller list, you know it has a message the world wants to hear.
* * * *
Has humanity entered a new stage in its spiritual evolution? Is it time to revive ancient mysticism, grow in consciousness through communion with nature, connect with universal energies, and empower one another through love? Could the ancient Mayans have risen to such vibrational heights that they were actually raptured into an invisible spiritual state, leaving only a few mysterious clues to their superior wisdom?
Yes, answers James Redfield's top-selling thriller, The Celestine Prophecy. Its huge enthusiastic readership proves the appeal of its New Age message. After all, why shouldn't humans take charge of their own evolution? Why not seek telepathic connections with plants and people? Why not believe that today's anger, self- centeredness and "profound sense of restlessness" are merely symptoms of a universal awakening to higher spiritual realities. As Redfield shrewdly argues, the church people who resist this spiritual transformation simply don't understand. Afraid of losing authority, they refuse to accept today's psychic discoveries as tools that would clarify biblical truth and broaden spiritual experiences.
By disguising occult concepts in Christian terminology, New Age books have lured masses of so-called Christians into New Age and Neopagan circles. Just look at America's fascination with Betty Eadie's deceptive visions in Embraced by the Light. Notice the soaring demand for counterfeit angels and feminist distortions of God. Since most contemporary "truth-seekers" have neither the facts nor the will to resist these seductive illusions, a paradigm shift - a massive change in America's view of reality - is transforming our culture. "Progressive" educators, writers, entertainers, and media leaders are fast replacing America's "narrow, obsolete" Biblical world view with a utopian New Age/Neopagan paradigm. In his introduction, Redfield summarizes his view of this process:
For half a century now, a new consciousness has been entering the human world, a new awareness that can only be called transcendent, spiritual... We know that life is really about a spiritual unfolding that is personal and enchanting - an unfolding that no science or philosophy or religion has yet fully clarified... [O]nce we understand... how to engage this allusive process and maximize its occurrence in our lives, human society will take a quantum leap into a whole new way of life...
All that any of us have to do is suspend our doubts and distractions just long enough... and miraculously, this reality can be our own.
It sounds tempting. Simply suspend your doubts and flow with the tide. Trust Redfield, a child therapist raised a Methodist, as he outlines the path to global perfection through a set of ancient "Insights." Identify with his fictional characters in their pursuit of the sacred Mayan Manuscript. Follow their growth in consciousness as they experience each new Insight. After all, this teaching is validated by history (as interpreted by Redfield) and carefully researched by sincere scientists. But watch out for the conservative leaders of the religious and scientific establishments. They have initiated a murderous witch-hunt for the keepers of the Manuscript, the true saviors of the earth.
The Manuscript's nine Insights are worth noting, since they illustrate today's steps to social transformation. They beckon young and old through classroom encounter groups, multicultural curricula, earth-centered movies, and New Age books. Blending psychology, pseudo-science, occult spirituality and utopian visions of the future, they teach fantasy instead of facts, and disguise their deceptions in subtle imitations of biblical truth:
1. Be open and alert to the spiritual forces guiding seekers from behind the scenes.
2. Re-imagine history. Realize that the old values no longer fit.
3. See the universe as a vast energy system responsive to human thoughts and expectations.
4. Realize that wrongful manipulation of this cosmic energy causes all human conflict.
5. Resolve conflicts by drawing energy from a higher source.
6. Discover you true selves through oneness with the universal energy.
7. Seek guidance in dreams, thoughts, coincidences....
8. Stay centered. Project energy to others for mutual empowerment.
9. Envision a spiritually evolved humanity living on a planet radiant with health and
energy. Live and share the message.
The Ninth Insight predicts global transformation. In the next millennium, humans "will voluntarily decrease our population so that we all may live in the most powerful and beautiful places on the Earth... we will intentionally let the forest go uncut so that they can mature and build energy... Our needs will be completely met without the exchange of any currency, yet also without any overindulgence or laziness... Guided by their intuitions, everyone will know precisely what to do..."
"Once we reach the critical mass," continues Redfield, "the human race will...see trees and rivers and mountains as temples of great power. We'll demand an end to any economic activity that threatens this treasure... someone will intuit alternative [solutions] as they seek their own evolution."
Strange as they sound, these illusions have taken root in mainstream America. They permeate today's global, multicultural and environmental curricula. World-class education - the aim of international leaders as well as President Clinton and the NEA - call students to save the earth from wars and pollution by embracing a global spirituality, a seductive blend of the world's earth-centered religions. Al Gore calls it a "panreligious perspective" based on "the wisdom distilled by all faiths."
In his book, Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit, our vice- president points his readers toward a global spirituality that would restore "our feeling of connectedness to the rest of nature" and lead us into a better world. Quoting excommunicated Catholic priest and scientist, Teillard de Chardin, whose message of humanity's spiritual evolution echos Redfield's, Gore writes, "'The fate of mankind, as of religion, depends upon the emergence of a new faith in the future.' Armed with such a faith, we might find it possible to resanctify the earth, identify it as God's creation, and accept our responsibility to protect and defend it..."
That pace-setters like Redfield and Gore promote pagan spirituality as the path to global harmony should come as no surprise. As always, when God's people neglect biblical truth, they drift back to earth-centered religions. Americans may hide their pagan beliefs behind Christian terminology and, like Redfield, voice sincere sentiments about love and unity, but they cannot fool our sovereign God. He has warned us that "other gods" and "deceiving spirits" lead to death and destruction, not peace and perfection.
As the masses trade truth for myths in a feverish search for power without accountability, God's people need the unchanging, uncorrupted word of God. As our nation rationalizes sin and idealizes paganism, Christians had better heed the warnings of scriptures and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. As schools become mission stations for global spirituality, our children had better know the strategic truths of God's armor (Ephesians 6:10-18), which can equip them to discern and counter every deception of the enemy.
Remember, our Lord has promised to "supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Those who accept his provisions for victory in today's intensifying battle for truth, can count on His promise in Romans 8:37: "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us!"
* * * * *
For practical information about global spirituality permeating schools, books, movies
and churches, read Brave New Schools (Harvest House Publishers) by Berit Kjos. Available through Christian bookstores or call (800) 829-5646. To learn more about the Armor of God, which offers intimacy with Jesus Christ as well as His vital protection, read A Wardrobe from the King, an eight-week Bible study on Ephesians 6:10-18.
Endnotes:
1. James Redfield, The Celestine Prophecies (New York: Warner Books, 1993), 222 223.
2. Ibid. 224.
3. Al Gore, Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1992), 259.
4. Ibid., 263.
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PRE-WRATH RAPTURE AND DISPENSATIONS
By R.g. Wallace
Among pre-tribulationalists, the greatest concern about the pre-wrath rapture position is dispensational compromise. But there is really no need for concern. Biblical dispensationalism is in no way threatened by the pre-wrath rapture of the church. However, one must be certain to let the Bible determine the details of dispensational theology and not be "locked into" a rigidity that is not present in the Bible nor necessary to preserve dispensational distinctions. Such rigidity needs to "bend" in recognitio ûn of a transitional period between each dispensation.
There was a transitional period between the age of the "family priest" and the age of Israel. There was a transitional period between Israel and the church at 30 to 70 AD. And there will be a transitional period when God completes His purpose for the church and returns (as promised) to Israel.
Some have expressed concern that this idea violates dispensations in that God would be dealing with two distinct groups of people two different ways at the same time. However, that is not even what dispensations is all about. It is not a matter of "what" group God is dealing with but rather "how" God is using man to disseminate His viewpoint throughout the world. Dispensations involves the administration of divine truth to the world through different evangelistic agents.
NEW ORIENTATION TO DISPENSATIONS
The word, "dispensation," is based on the Greek word, oikonomia which means, "an administration" or a performance of responsibility. As it applies to dispensational theology, it refers to how God administrates His truth in the world after sin entered at the fall of Adam.
The "times of dispensations (ages)" did not begin until after the fall of Adam (Titus 1:2) and refers to the different human agents God uses to administrate the salvation message to the world. Accordingly, the traditional "age of innocence" is not valid as it precedes "the times of ages" according to Titus 1:2. Furthermore, since God administrated the salvation message in exactly the same from Ad lam until the nation of Israel, that whole period should be viewed as one administration. And since the traditional divisions of "conscience" and "human government" have nothing to do with the administration of the gospel, they are not valid dispensational divisions.
Thus, the time period from Adam to Israel is the first dispensation and was administered by various "family priests" who represented divine truth to their respective societies. There was no change in administration of the gospel during this time period. Whether it was before or after the flood, or after Babel, or during the time of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the administration of the gospel was always the same until God gave the evangelistic commission to Israel at her deliverance from Egypt as stated at Exodus 19:5-6. The establishment of Israel as a nation with the divine commission to be a "king idom of priests" constitutes the first change in dispensations.
Sometimes the dispensation prior to Israel is designated as the age of the Gentile, but that only has significance "looking back" from the time when there are Israelites. At the time that this dispensation was being administered, there were no Israelites. The issue is not in "non-Israelites" being dealt with, but with WHO administrates the gospel. In this case it is the family priest, and since everyone was a "non-Israelite," the designation "age of Gentiles" seems irrelevant.
The next change in dispensations must also be based on a change in the administration of the gospel. Here there is usually little dispute. Israel was temporarily set aside and replaced by the Church until the transitional period, during the 70th week of Daniel, just before the establishment of Messiah's physical kingdom on the earth. At that time Israel will once again function as the evangelistic agent and be instrumental in building a remnant of both Jew and Gentiles to enter into Messiah's 1000 year kingdom.
The 4th dispensation follows upon the 70th week of Daniel, after a 75 day time of preparation. It will be administered by Christ, His bride and by those citizens of the kingdom who are believers. The Kingdom dispensation begins with just believers, living in normal physical bodies and functioning as faithful subjects to the King and His bride. There will still be normal procreation for these citizens and after several years, there will once again be a need for evangelistic activity throughout the world. Even with Christ personally present and reigning in righteousness, there will be many who inwardly rebel against Him.
The 5th dispensation is the eternal age, during which, truth will be administered by the Godhead, and as finite creatures we will continually be growing up toward greater and greater love and worship of God.
ORIENTATION TO TRANSITIONS
Prior to Israel, it was the family priest who was responsible to represent truth within his society. Then God chose the nation of Israel to function in that capacity. But at the time Israel was chosen and began to function in her priestly capacity, there were still family priests representing truth, such as Jethro, the priest of Midian. Just because God had "created" a special nation to "carry the torch" of truth does not mean He immediately shuts down those "priests" who are still serving.
Israel was chosen by God to be the bearer of His truth (the Messianic
promise) but when they rejected the actual personal presence of ÷the Messiah in the person of Jesus Christ, God rejected them (as a nation) and turned to a "spiritual" nation bringing forth the fruits of the kingdom (acceptance of the Messiah). But it is Israel as a "nation" that is rejected - not the Jews. For the new spiritual nation is comprised of both Jew and Gentile, as both are united in one body for the purpose of representing God's truth to the world. What the Jews and the Gentiles enter into during this church age period is the "spiritual" blessings which had been promised "before the times of ages" ( Titus 1:2, Greek). Ie, right after the fall while Adam was still in the garden (Gen. 3:15).
When God created the nation of Israel via the promises given to Abe, part of the promised blessing was a "physical" kingdom over which Abe's Seed would reign (Land, seed, kingdom - Gen. 12:1-3). The spiritual blessing which is salvation from sin is extended to all mankind as God proclaimed "in you shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Gal. 3:8). But since ; the "nation" rejected the Messiah, only the spiritual blessings are extended, and then, only to those who will accept the Messiah. The physical blessing promised only to the nation of Israel (although the Gentile nations will certainly benefit under Messiah's earthly reign) is postponed and denied to the nation at Messiah's first advent. And yet, any individual can accept Messiah and share in the spiritual blessing (John 1:10-13).
The technical dismissal of the nation occurred via Christ's own indictments at Mat. 21:33-44 and 23:33-39 but the actual "physical" dismissal of the nation occurs 40 years later in 70 AD when the national culture via the temple is wiped out (Luke 21:20-24; Zech. 13:8; Isaiah 28:13).
During the 40 year transition period, God is inviting the citizens of the nation to disassociate from the 9nation and identify with the Messiah in order to participate in the spiritual blessings and avoid the physical judgment in 70 AD (purpose for the gift of tongues). He was not really "dealing with the nation" but addressing the individuals within the nation.
During this time of transition, there were many believers who were still "of Israel." And although they had recognized in Jesus the fulfillment of the Messianic promise, they had not been joined into "the church." Believers such as Apollos (Acts 18:24-26), and the disciples of John the baptizer (Acts 19:1-7).
Now we progress through the church age until the time when God has determined to restore the nation of Israel to it's place of promised prestige and give it it's long delayed physical blessings. It is the purpose of the 70 weeks of Daniel to bring the na tion to that place where they can enjoy both the spiritual blessings as well as the physical blessings. To the present hour, Israel has only been able to participate in the spiritual blessings, and that, only on a personal, "non-national" basis. But when God's timing initiates the 70th week in order to bring to completion the promises long ago given to Abe, the message to the nation will (again) be one of association with the Messiah. Thus, even then, for Israel to inherit her physical blessings, she must embrace Jesus as the Messiah (Mat. 23:39; Hos. 5:14-15). But before Israel will be "motivated" to embrace Jesus from the standpoint of a "national" testimony, she must endure that time of Jacob's trouble (the tribulation, the great one) which will entail the oppression of the beast indwelt by Satan. (Hos. 5:15, in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.)
Israel was placed under discipline (cycle #5, Lev. 26:27-33) in 605-586 BC and then restored after that. But the Nation still remained under discipline (4th cycle - Lev. 26:23-26) administrated first by Persia, then Greece and finally Rome. She remained under cycle #4 of "national" discipline until it was extended to cycle #5 for the 2nd time in 70 AD (Lev. 26:36-39). And she remains under cycle #5 and will do so until she is "physically" delivered by Messiah's descent to the earth in connection with the Armageddon campaign, when He will physically judge the nation's enemies and set up His earthly kingdom with Israel as the hub.
Thus, when the 70th p week begins, we find Israel still under discipline from God and yet through her own efforts trying to restore herself to the place of proper worship via a temple in Jerusalem. It is at this time that the beast will establish the covenant in the Middle East that will allow Israel to build her temple and engage in her sacrifices. but all this is done without the guidance and blessing of God. The only ones who will have the "moxy" to know what is going on and provide a Messianic witness to the nation - is the church.
That is why we see at Rev. 12 for example, the nation of Israel (faithful to her heritage and trying to worship in her temple) being persecuted by the beast (after the mid-point of the week, which officially begins the tribulation) and fleeing into the mountains to avoid beast worship. And why we see as well, a different group of people than Israel (the woman) also being persecuted by the beast, but identified as those who hold to the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 12:17).
The 70th week provides a transitional period when God will complete his plans for the church (the fullness of the Gentiles come in) and return to bringing Israel to the place of national blessing. Thus, some time prior to the end of the 70th week (since the tribulation will be cut short, Mat. 24:22) the Lord will return to deliver Israel and restore her to her national favor with God. This is called the Day of the Lord. And it is at this time (6th seal) that the church will be raptured out and 144,000 Jews (with emphasis on their national identity, ie, 12 tribes) will trust in Jesus as the Messiah and become the firstfruits of the "nation" to return to God (Rev. 7:1-8; 14:4).
When we place the rapture of the church AT the Day of the LORD return of Jesus as 2 Thes. 2:1-2 demands, there i s no compromise of dispensations, no "mixture" of Israel and the church on earth, no violation of any scriptural truth whatever.
Although God has returned to Israel's timetable with the institution of the 70th week of Daniel (her last 7 years), she is still under discipline from God and not functioning as the evangelistic agent. The purpose of the 70th week is to bring Israel back to fellowship with God so she can participate in her national promises and share in the kingdom of Messiah.
The process for bringing her back includes the evangelistic activity of the church within that 70th week up until the Day of the LORD return of Jesus when the church will be removed and the 144,000 will "pick up the torch" of service and complete the process of national restoration.
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ARE YOU AMONG THE LIVING?
By: Karen McDaniel
Email: RWade59604@aol.com
Are you living in Jesus Christ? No I didn't ask whether you have made a "profession of faith", or even whether you are a "born-again believer". I asked if you are LIVING in our resurrected Lord. Consider for a moment Galatians 5:22-23 as God's Word describes the fruit of the Spirit. Where there was hopelessness there is now joy; uneasiness is turned to peace; impatience is replaced by long-suffering; harshness is overcome by gentleness; wickedness is transformed into goodness; doubt gives way to faith; arrogance is changed to meekness; lust is converted to temperance. This is how we are to identify the fruit of the Spirit. Note, that it is not fruits of the Spirit; it is singular. All of these changes work together in true believers to bring about their maturity in God.
You see, we all struggle in the growth process, but if (after a painfully intensive inventory regarding your spirit) you can't honestly say that you see growth in all of the areas above, then you are not living the full "resurrected life" in Christ. The true believer is to bear "fruit" well-balanced evidence of change in ALL of the areas above. If there is even one area where growth is absent or stagnant, it is cause for IMMEDIATE spiritual alarm. You see, bearing "fruit" (the singular, well-balanced compilation of traits in His Word) is the evidence that we are truly abiding in the vine, and are participants in the resurrected life of Christ. Because all of these attributes work together as one "fruit", if any of the above areas is not in evidence, our "fruit" can NOT be ripe unto harvest.
God wanted us to know where we are spiritually with Him, and where others are as well, so He gave us a gauge to test our lives with Him, a barometer of sorts to find the pressure reading of His influence upon us. This gauge is simply the fruit we bear. If any of the attributes needed to compose the fruit of His Spirit are missing or in disrepair, then we get a low pressure reading. The fruit is still green, and cannot become ripe unto harvest until we make the proper adjustments in our spirit. Now don't get discouraged. Adjustments are not always easy for us, but we are not expected to tackle the problem on our own. That is why we were given God's strength. (He well knows that our own strength is insufficient to bring about the changes He desires for us to make.) So, are we making full use of the strength that we were given? We received all we needed to live the resurrected life of Christ when we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The question remains, are we utilizing it? As we take this strength seriously, standing upon it and allowing it to overcome our own selfish will in all areas of our lives, we find that we are able to yield our spirits to God, truly becoming one with Him. His Spirit will fill us completely, our fruit will ripen, and our barometer reading will indicate a healthy high reading, to full and overflowing! We will even begin to find that we actually love God with all of our heart, our soul, and our mind as we were told to do.
Until we become aware that this process of being joined to the very Spirit of God is necessary, (or sometimes in a misguided effort to circumvent it) we may try to demonstrate how good we are to God, by busying ourselves with the "works" of diligently helping others. In so doing, we hope to gain God's favor (or even to earn the privilege of going to heaven), and all the while we are basking in the glory that comes our way for being known as "such a good person". Our motives for "works" must always be closely examined. Ephesians 2:8-10 will clarify that salvation is a gift of God that we are free to accept or reject, but that we can't in any way earn God's favor or buy our way to heaven through "works"! As Christians we must also be certain that all of the glory for anything God allows us to achieve goes directly and without reservation to Him! The Bible explains that only God is "good", so the only way we can truly be good is for Him to be working through us. Service to others is not to be "works" performed by us, but the result of a natural outpouring of God working through us when we are living as one with Him in a totally selfless manner. Our righteousness is indeed the righteousness of Christ, and nothing we have achieved on our own. We must, however, fully yield our lives to Christ in order for Him to bring about His
righteousness within us! In accordance with II Corinthians 10:3-5, we must
be willing to bring all of our thoughts and motivations into close scrutiny before Him, and into submission to Him through obedience. He will not override our will, so we MUST yield it to Him in order for Him to create His righteousness within us.
We are somewhat like a bottle in respect to the capacity of our will vs. The will of God. Just as a bottle will hold only a certain quantity, and no amount of pushing and shoving can increase its capacity, so it is with us. Our capacity is limited as well, and we can either choose to fill it with our will or God's. If we are FILLED with God's will (by being filled with His Spirit), there simply can not be any room whatsoever left for our own. God's Word tells us to BE FILLED with His Spirit in Ephesians 5:18. If He tells us to do it, then we must be able by His strength to do so. Indeed, with His strength we can, but until we choose to do so, (submitting ALL of our will to Him), He will not reign and rule in our lives. If we do not allow Him TOTAL freedom to work through us, the growth of His righteousness within us will be stunted, and the barometer reading will be low because the fruit is still green.
We receive further clarification in God's Word to us regarding this submission process. Galatians 2:20 shows us that we need to be spiritually crucified with Christ, killing all of the old self-will, and yielding completely to Christ. Then as His Spirit fills us to overflowing, we will find that we have been resurrected in Him as well, and are living the resurrected life that He intended for us to live. Even as Jesus was not just PARTIALLY crucified and resurrected, neither are we to be. Only when we have TOTALLY laid our self-will to rest and given ourselves COMPLETELY TO Him can He fill us and bring our lives into a well-balanced and harmonious fruition. Only then can He ripen our fruit unto harvest.
Is it possible that there is a part of your life that you have not given to Him? Don't you yet trust Him to lovingly tend to it? Maybe you just want to cling to the carnal desires of the world in that area, or are you afraid of what people would say? If God speaks to your heart about an area of strife with His Spirit, please LISTEN. This process of yielding is based entirely upon our trust in Christ to deal rightly with every aspect of our lives. We can trust Him to give us the grace to face any conflict as we yield to Him.
Faith is the word we use in the English language to encompass this process of trusting. Paul said in II Timothy 4:7 that he had "kept" the faith. To keep requires active involvement. Thus, faith is not just a matter of mental acknowledgment, it requires something more, a continuous process of the yielding of self to Christ, a constant stance of fidelity in our spiritual union with Him. In Luke 18:8 Jesus asked if He would find faith when He returned. What a sobering question that is. The mental acknowledgment often referred to as faith is rather common among "Christians" today, but Jesus sounded as though the faith He was referring to would be mighty scarce indeed when He returned. Will He find this faith that is born of a deep spiritual commitment through the total yielding of the old self and the triumphant living in the resurrected life of Christ? Will He find it in you, and in me? I pray that He will!
In Luke 21:31-36, Jesus told us that we should know when the kingdom of God is at hand, and to take heed lest our hearts be overcharged with the cares of this life and that day should come upon us unaware, that it would come as a snare on all that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Then He exhorts us to WATCH AND PRAY ALWAYS THAT WE MAY BE ACCOUNTED WORTHY TO ESCAPE ALL THESE THINGS THAT SHALL COME TO PASS, AND TO STAND BEFORE THE SON OF MAN. Now take note here, that Jesus is speaking to the Christians that would be reading His Word in the last days. Brothers and sisters in Christ, that's us! Why would He tell today's Christians to watch and pray always that we might be accounted worthy to escape the wrath to come upon the earth if we are automatically going to be raptured?
Thessalonians 5:9 explains that He doesn't want us to experience this Tribulation Period, but throughout the rest of His Word, it becomes obvious that our exemption from this wrath is conditional - that it is dependent upon our being FILLED with His Holy Spirit. We were not "appointed" to wrath, but unto salvation by Christ from this time of horrors upon the earth; so don't fall into this wrath through negligence!
Please don't take solace in the theory that all born-again believers will be taken home in the rapture. This is simply a theory of man, and may well have been created in order to be able to soothe the itching ears spoken of in II Timothy 4:3. The problem becomes more pronounced, however, as this theory has now been deemed doctrinal by some theologians, (almost to the extent that those who would disagree are tagged as heretics!). Bear in mind that the theological bandwagon can be a dangerous place to ride when God's literal Word speaks so powerfully in opposition to even such commonly accepted theories. Many people now believe that there is no hell, but that doesn't change God's Truth in the least. Some day they will have to acknowledge it. If a theory is wrong, it does not matter HOW MANY people believe it, how popular it is among theologians, or how dogmatically it is taught in our churches, God's Truth is not modified by it the least bit! The Bible is God's Word to us, and it is His unalterable Truth. When a theory of man comes into conflict with the teachings in God's Word, we must be sure we maintain the right perspective. We must ALWAYS make God's Word to us our final authority.
In this case, the commonly accepted theory that all born-again believers will be raptured seems to be contested repeatedly in God's Word. If this commonly accepted theory could by some stretch of logic be correct, then Praise God! All who are born-again believers will be going home when He comes, and the author would be DELIGHTED to stand corrected! However, should that theory be as full of holes as the Bible seems to indicate, many born-again (though backslidden and/or asleep) believers will intensely regret that they chose to stay on the theological bandwagon, ignoring the seemingly clear-cut warnings in God's Word to get right with Him BEFORE His return!
In Chapter 2 of Revelation He told the Church of Ephesus that unless they turned around, He would remove it's candlestick. In the preceding chapter, verse 20, He revealed the symbolism of this candlestick. IT WAS THE CHURCH ITSELF. Now He was speaking to Christians, so if He didn't mean He would remove the church from it's eternal salvation, the inference would almost certainly be that He would remove it from it's appointed position of temporal salvation from the wrath of God during the Tribulation Period!
In Revelation 3:4 He tells the Church of Sardis that there are a FEW who have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with Him in white: for they are worthy. How do we keep our garments undefiled? We certainly can't do it on our own! It can ONLY be accomplished by the fullness of God's Spirit in the "yielded" believer! Would you rather "overcome" by the power of God's fullness in you PRIOR to the rapture, or by the intense purification process that is to occur DURING the Tribulation period when Christians are martyred?
My friend, the Bridegroom is even at the doors, as evidenced by the events in the news today, new technological capabilities, the rapid formation of the One World Government foretold almost 2000 years ago, and Israel's recent coalition with her sworn enemy, saying peace when there is no peace. The Lord didn't devote such an extensive amount of Scripture to prophecy to be ignored. He WANTS US TO KNOW WHEN HE IS COMING! We are to know when He is even at the door. I Thessalonians 5:1-11 tells us that Jesus will come as a thief in the night, but that WE as Christians are not to be in darkness that that day should overtake us as a thief.
We have His Word to read, and His Spirit to guide us, and He intends for us to be awake; ready for His return. Over and over we are exhorted to be watching for Him, waiting for Him, ready to meet Him when He comes for His Bride. We're living on borrowed time my friend, so stop saying, "Lord, you can have this part of me, but leave that part alone. I'm not ready to trust You with it yet", or "I'm having too much fun in the flesh with it right now". Revelation tells us that the Bride must make herself ready. She, herself, cannot produce the results of readiness, but she must initiate the process of readiness by submitting herself totally to Christ so He can prepare her. He will not do so until she fully submits her will to Him. Halfhearted compromise is simply not in His program!
The Bridegroom is even at the door for his Bride (those believers whose vessels are FILLED with the oil of His Spirit, totally yielded to Him, as evidenced by the mature "fruit" of His Word). From all appearances today, He may be prophetically ready to gather in the first fruit harvest of believers any day now. Is your fruit ripe, can He harvest you when He comes? Now is the time to do spiritual inventory. Don't even wait until tomorrow. We must be ready When He comes, or the door will be shut, and the Tribulation will be beckoning with no reprieve in sight. Don't be found here after He has come and gone with His first fruit harvest, His Bride.
An expected part of living in Christ is to be awake and aware. We are admonished to be watching for the Bridegroom to return for His Bride. Why not be sure you are right with God now, and not risk being subjected to His wrath? Isn't that what is best for you anyway? It is the ONLY way the Christian will EVER truly be happy! Why not REALLY TRUST HIM with every jot and tittle of your life, and yield it completely to Him. You won't believe the difference it will make!!!
If we are among the living His Spirit will be prompting us to seek His Word, and grow in understanding and watchfulness these last days, and to share with others the impending return of the Bridegroom. A major indicator of whether we are truly living in Him will be to have a heart for others, and to want to be sure they too are ready when He comes.
Many indications in God's Word point to His return only for those who are truly ready and waiting for Him, living the resurrection life He intends for us to live. Are you among the "living"?
God bless you as you seek His Word regarding this material, which He has so urgently laid upon my heart to share with you. May God find us waiting, watching, and ready when He comes!
About the Author:
The author's credentials are simple: "God has sent me." You see, Karen M. McDaniel is not formally trained in semenaries, does not have doctorates, nor does she have a statistical string of achievements. She is simply sent of God. She does riot claim to be prophetic, nor evangelistic, nor a teacher of God's Word. Her gifts are simply exhortation, and giving (or impartation). She simply shares with others through multi-media speaking engagements, audio tapes, and written materials the Biblical enlightenments she has been blessed to receive as the result of innumerable hours of prayerful study of the Word of God in correlation with the current events of these end days. She has not been entrenched into any "Theologically Correct" interpretations, but has been blessed with fresh insight into the deeper Truth of God's word, and wishes to shed light in this rapidly darkening world. Her work is never intended to be a statement of reality, but rather a springboard for the ardent believer to use for research in order to discover the deeper Truth our Lord intended for us to find. Please use any of the author's work in such manner, seeking for yourself His Truth in His Word.
Karen recognizes God's Word to be our ultimate source of authority today. She believes the original text to be the inerrant and inspired Word of God (His total Truth as revealed to mankind), that it must be in harmony throughout the text, and that we must align each passage with the entirety of His Word in order to establish this total Truth as He taught us to do in Isaiah 28:9-10. It is this effort Karen undertakes with all diligence in order to sort out preconceived partial truths, and realign God's Word to attain his entire Truth. Karen is called to be a watchman on the wall in these end days, and does not take lightly the responsibility to share with others those things she has been blessed to find.
This work is copyrighted strictly for precautionary purposes. Permission to reproduce this work at no charge is hereby granted, but limited exclusively to non-profit purposes. Karen trusts in the higher provision of God Almighty through the hearts of His children rather than on royalties per man's economic system. if you should feel led to help meet the author's expenses, this can be done by sending non-tax-deductible contributions to the following address. All such donations are greatly appreciated, and discreetly used to further God's work. May God richly bless you as you consider these writings, and may you grow in Him!
Master mind Ministries
P. 0. Box 576
Bowling Green, FL 33834-0576
Copyright @ 1995 by Master Mind Ministries.
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PropheZine News Bytes
KURDISH CONVERT MURDERED IN ARBIL
From: COMPASS DIRECT
Global News from the Frontlines
Victim's Christian Co-Worker Arrested by Kurdish Security Police
ARBIL, Northern Iraq, May 2 (Compass)--A Kurdish Christian who discovered the murdered body of Kurdish convert to Christianity Mansour Hussein Sifir 10 days ago has been arrested by local security police as an alleged suspect in the case.
Hussein, 43, was shot and killed on the morning of April 21 by an unknown assailant in the Christian bookstore where he worked in Arbil, regional capital of Iraqi Kurdistan (Northern Iraq). His body was found in the bookshop only minutes after the murder by his fellow employee.
One week later, Arbil security police put Hussein's co-worker under arrest, stating they were required by law to do so in response to a written complaint from the victim's family accusing the 26-year-old Kurd of complicity in Hussein's murder. The accused convert is being denied bail while detained for investigation under Criminal Code No. 406 for premeditated murder.
Although the Arbil bookstore is one of three Christian outlets operating legally in Iraqi Kurdistan, both Hussein and his co-worker had been personally threatened at their place of work.
A Security Court judge is expected to review the case file on the murder accusation on May 3, when he will rule whether there is sufficient evidence to warrant legal proceedings against the alleged suspect.
"I am 100 percent sure this man will be released, because there is no evidence against him," Major Salaam Ahmed Ibrahim told Compass on April 30. As Chief of Security of the Arbil Governorate, Salaam said local investigators believed the perpetrator's motives in Hussein's murder were more political than religious, "trying to create an unstable situation" in the region. However, he did not rule out any possibilities, including the involvement of Baghdad, Tehran, the spate of Islamist movements or the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in control of the Sulimaniyya Governorate.
According to Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Saad Abdullah of Arbil Governorate, Hussein's murder "may be a neighbor's work," although he declined to specify further. Security authorities have linked the Kurdish Christian's assassination to four other murders and another attempt in Arbil during April, all using a pistol fitted with a locally manufactured silencer.
Although only minor mention of Hussein's death appeared in any of the Kurdish or Arabic newspapers printed in Northern Iraq, no reference was made to his conversion to Christianity. However, one observer with offices along Terbiye Street where the murder took place told Compass that when he inquired about the crowd around the bookshop on the morning of the crime, he was told, "He was a Kurd who became a Christian, and then he converted two other Kurds, so somebody killed him."
Compass Direct Flash News is distributed as available to raise awareness of and encourage prayer for Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith.
For subscription information:
Compass Direct
PO Box 27250
Santa Ana CA 92799
USA
TEL: 714-862-0300
FAX: 714-752-6536
compassdr@compuserve.com
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Communist China Silences "dissent church"
From: Compass Direct
China's hard-line communist government has effectively silenced all political dissent. All dissidents have either been imprisoned or murdered.
Source in China say that eight Christian house church leaders were arrested in Henan province during this last month. The Christian house church movement is strongest in Henan and grows by tens of thousands every day.
By striking at pastors and evangelists, the government hopes to stop the movements from spreading.
Among the eight house church leaders was Peer Xu Yongze, head of the New Birth house church in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan. The seven other leaders arrested were still being held as of this week. they were arrested after having met with an overseas couple in an hotel. The couple was held for several days before being released. The names of the other seven are Wang Xincai, Qing Jing, Mu Sheng, Feng Xian, Wang Baoquan, Liu Zhenying and Elder Qiao.
Chines Christian sources fear the eight Christians might be executed. The number of believers the eight leaders represent is estimated to be upward for 10 million people.
On April 11, a Bible school was raided and ransacked by the police in Jianqsu Province. And estimate 50 police raided the school and confiscated everything. All students were detained by police for questions and later released. Also, house churches in Wan Zhou, Ninhai and Nanjing were raided.
One Christian workers in china told international Christian Concern "as long as the Clinton administration and European governments continue their present policies of business before human rights, this situation will probably remain the same."
Compass Direct Flash News is distributed as available to raise awareness of and encourage prayer for Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith.
For subscription information:
Compass Direct
PO Box 27250
Santa Ana CA 92799
USA
TEL: 714-862-0300
FAX: 714-752-6536
compassdr@compuserve.com
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THE PALESTINIANS IN THEIR OWN WORDS
(Palestinian Quote Sheet #42)
Echoes of classical anti-Semitism:
"We are fighting and struggling with an enemy who is Shylock. We must know that he is Shylock."
--- Othman Abu Gharbiya, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's Adviser on National Political Guidance, in a radio interview (Voice of Palestine, 15 March 1997)
"Israeli authorities... infected by injection 300 Palestinian children with the HIV virus during the years of the intifada."
--- Palestinian U.N. representative Nabil Ramlawi at a session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva (Jerusalem Post, 17 March 1997)
"We must not forget that the American administration suffers from a disease whose name is the Zionist lobby in Washington."
--- PA Cabinet Secretary Ahmad Abdul Rahman in a radio interview (Voice of Palestine, 14 April 1997)
"Five Zionist Jews are running the policy of the United States in the Middle East: Madeleine Albright, William Cohen, Dennis Ross, Miller and Martin Indyk. It is not possible that the American nation, which consists of 250 million people, can not find anyone other than five Zionist Jews to conduct the peace process with the Palestinians."
--- PA Justice Minister Freih Abu Middein (Yediot Ahronot, 13 April 1997)
====
This is the forty-second in a series of quote sheets prepared by IRIS (Information Regarding Israel's Security)
E-mail address: <iris@shamash.org>
Web site: <http://www.netaxs.com/people/iris>
To subscribe to the IRIS mailing list, send a message to
<listproc@shamash.org> with no subject and the following text:
subscribe iris <Your Name>
substituting your real name for <Your Name>.
++++++++++++++++
Resist Arafat's blackmail
by JESSE HELMS
(Sen. Jesse Helms is chairman of the US Foreign Relations Committee and author of the Middle East Peace Facilitation Act.)
(April 25) - In the past few weeks, Yasser Arafat has led a terrorist Palestinian group to assume it has his approval for acts of terrorism against Israel. He has urged the Arab League to resume its boycott of Israel. As a result, the peace process has plummeted to its lowest ebb in recent memory.
The behavior of Arafat and his cohorts has reduced the "peace process" to scarcely more than blackmail. The Palestinians and their Arab partners have formulated a dangerous either/or threat: Peace on their terms or suffer their boycotts, bombs and stones. All of this seems to be based on the weird presumption that it will have no impact on relations with the United States.
This presumption is terribly wrong. For years it has been obvious that certain realities have been unclear to the Arab parties to the peace process. The Department of State, constrained by the meaningless rhetoric of diplomacy, is ill-equipped to convey those very clear realities. It is long past time that Arafat and Company wake up and smell the coffee.
The American people are not likely to be bullied away from their friendship and support for the State of Israel. Americans want a foreign policy dictated by values, not by realpolitik. They respect democracy, and they like Israel because they feel comfortable with a system of majority rule, of elections, of civil and political freedom.
Congress needs no pro-Israel lobby to instruct us as to why we should support Israel. The US cares about Israel because the values held dear by Americans are reflected in Israel. Those who undertake to subvert these values earn our enmity. We should not engage with them; we should not trade with them; we must do our utmost to isolate them. (Witness US policies against Iran and Cuba.)
The Palestinians, led by Arafat, have labored too long under the delusion that because they are engaged in an illusory, on-again, off-again peace process with Israel, they have no obligation to abide by the standards expected of other nations in partnership with the United States. The Palestinians must understand the choice confronting them: They can adopt our values, reject further terrorism, and embrace democracy, or they can join the pariahs.
For other participants in the Arab League's recent hate-fest in Cairo, similar conditions apply. There are indeed relationships with many Arab states that are important to us. But if they undertake to revert to the old boycott days, there are US laws to restrict the scope of our relations, and they will be applied.
These realities must be made completely clear throughout the Middle East, especially in light of the impending final status talks between Israel and the Palestinians. There is little doubt that once the peace process clears this current hurdle, discussions of the ultimate disposition of the West Bank and Jerusalem can and will commence.
On this, the views of the Congress are clear: Jerusalem is the united capital of the State of Israel, and the US will support its remaining so forever. If this is unacceptable to the Arab parties to the peace process, if they resort to terrorism, boycotts and other failed policies of the past, relations with the United Sates will surely deteriorate.
US acceptance of the Palestine Liberation Organization as a negotiating party in the peace process was conditioned on the PLO's decision to renounce terrorism. For those willing to embrace the fantasy that terrorists are, somehow , freedom fighters, the PLO's words alone were enough. For the rest of us, renunciation of terrorism demands that Arafat and the Palestinian Authority must not merely condemn acts of terror, but must also actively prevent such acts and imprison the perpetrators.
I confess disinterest in the exigencies of Palestinian balance-of-power politics that "require" Arafat to entertain Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
If, during the final status talks, we are obliged to look forward to PLO-sanctioned acts of terrorism and a chorus of threats from the Arab League, Israel and its friends will have little incentive to attend such talks. That would not, of course, reflect any change in the US relationship with Israel, which is based on shared values. But it will bode ill for the US-Palestinian relationship, which, after all, is based on the peace process and little else.
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Action for the Unborn!
From: Barbara DiGilio
Email: mayim@doitnow.com
Shalom to all,
This was sent to me by a dear friend. I would like you to take action, cast your vote LIFE. Then sent tis to anyone you believe who will do the same.
God Save The Unborn,
Barbara
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Internet Action Item
I came across a site on the weekend that may be of interest to you. The address is http://www.abortion.com. On this site one can vote whether he is pro-life or pro-choice. The results are then forwarded to the White House every month.
The tally is shown right on the screen. When I visited the site the numbers were enormously in favor of pro-choice. This means that more pro-lifers have to visit this site.
To help do this could you forward this message (or a modified form of it) to as many people as possible, especially Americans.
Father James N. Dean
St. Mic
hael's Catholic Church
302 East Magnolia Avenue
Auburn, Alabama 36830
(334) 887-5540
(334) 887-5572 (fax)
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Smart Pen To Catch Forgers
By Erik Vlietinck
HANNOVER, Germany -- A computerized "intelligent pen" that uses biometric technology to spot even a perfectly forged signature made its first public appearance Friday at the CeBit trade show in Germany. The LCI SmartPen device is a ball-point pen fitted with sensors that let a computer authenticate its user's identity by examining the biometric characteristics of their signature. The biometric characteristics recorded by the pen are transmitted by radio signal to a host computer. By monitoring even the smallest movement of a user's hand as he or she writes, the device builds up hugely detailed biometric profiles of users.
Someone wanting to make an important financial transaction would sign their name using the SmartPen, which would then compare the details of their hand movements with a biometric profile already stored on a database. If the two don't match, the pen alerts the bank to a forgery -- even if the signature appears genuine.
The technology behind the device was developed by the IMEC research institute in Leuven, Belgium. LCI Computer Group, a Dutch developer that licensed the technology, launched the SmartPen at the CeBit trade fair in Hannover, Germany on Friday. IMEC and LCI said the pen offers fool-proof and unequivocal identification of its users.
"As the SmartPen writes on a piece of paper on a flat surface, the pen tip will travel through 3-D space near the paper. The pen tip's trajectory, as calculated, will be a 3-D curve lying around the writing surface. The curve incorporates unique characteristics of the writer," said Professor Roger Van Overstraeten, president of IMEC. "Signature verification with the SmartPen does not depend on the graphic image of the signature, but on the dynamics of the act of signing."
Since SmartPen is effectively a miniature computer, the decvice could be used for remote user authentication over the Internet and private networks, as well as in banks and offices, according to LCI's chief executive Sam Asseer.
The SmartPen device contains all the processing power needed to calculate the 3D trajectory. It has sensors, a mouse, a digital signal processor, a radio transmitter and receiver, and an encryption system built in.
An important difference with traditional signature verification technology is the fact that the pen is intended to be used on normal paper, and does not require a special digitizing "tablet". It therefore enables people to write with it as they are accustomed to. Until now, signature verification implied having a pen or digitizing "tablet" attached to the computer.
The unit price of the production version will range from US$50 to US$250, depending on the features.
"SmartPen will forever impact the way electronic commerce is conducted, particularly over the Internet. By authenticating the author of a transaction, the act will become undeniable," Asseer said. Financial institutions and health care industry organizations have already expressed an interest in the product, he said. Firms considering commerce on the Internet and companies dealing with network security are also interested, he added.
A recent Gartner Group s report predicted that adopters of computerized signature verification technology would include the medical and pharmaceutical industries and government departments. Gartner also mentions
check cashing, welfare or social security, retail transactions and computer application security.
LCI will spend the next two years developing software for additional application areas, Asseer said. The company intends to be "conservative" in the initial stages of marketing the device, in order to ensure successful implementation in selective markets, he added.
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Netscape Plug-in Uses Fingerprints For Access
By Chris Casatelli
A Midwestern software company has developed a Netscape plug-in that uses fingerprint data to scrutinize computer users who want to browse certain websites. The software, which is still unnamed, was developed for a client in the medical industry by Biometric Tracking, North Kansas City, Mo. The company is now marketing the product to hospitals, insurance companies, government and military users, said Jim Myers, director of new product development at Biometric Tracking.
The software works in conjunction with a Netscape browser and is triggered only when an Internet user tries to access a website that requires special authentication. It provides an additional layer of protection beyond firewalls and passwords, which organizations may require as more people access databases over the Internet, Myers said.
"With this software, you'll be able to pull up a record anywhere in the world after positively verifying you are who say you are," he said.
The software grants access after getting the OK from a connected biometrics device, which collects and compares unique personal data to confirm a user's identity. The Biometric Tracking product uses a TouchSafe II fingerprint scanner made by Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Identix.
The device, which is connected to the PC via an ISA bus card, compares live fingerprint data offered by would-be entrants to data that has been collected from authorized users and stored in the machine or on a smart card. If the samples match, access is granted.
The price of the Biometric Tracking software is roughly $600 for a single copy, Myers said, adding that prices will vary according to volume and configuration. The company is also developing a Java applet for HotJava browsers that uses biometric technology to protect Internet and intranet resources.
Biometrics products -- which also take the shape of retina-scanning, palm-scanning and voice-recognition devices -- have been around for years for time-and-attendance applications and for controlling physical access. The Internet has spawned a niche market for biometric companies that develop products for organizations interested in staying online but concerned about keeping intruders out of their networks.
"There is demand for biometrics, especially in electronic commerce," said Erik Bowman, an analyst for Personal Identification News, a newsletter that tracks the biometric industry.
Bowman estimated the market for biometric devices to be $16 million in 1996. He said biometrics should become more commonplace as hardware sizes shrink.
The National Registry Inc. (NRI), based in Tampa, Fla., demonstrated its own version of identity verification for the Internet earlier this month using NRIdentity personal authentication scanners and software. Called SAF/Windows NT, the software provides access control for Microsoft Windows NT-based workstations and networks using a biometric logon.
To log on, authorized users enter a user ID then place their index fingers on the NRIdentity personal authentication desktop or keyboard scanner. This prompts SAF/Windows NT to verify the user's identity and automatically completes the logon by delivering the user's password to the operating system.
Oracle on Monday added support for Identix's TouchNet II fingerprint verification system to release 2.3 of the Oracle Advanced Networking Option, and for the upcoming release of Oracle7. The biometric option will begin shipping in the first half of 1997.
Despite recent advances, biometrics has a ways to go before it becomes mainstream.
"Certainly biometrics is a market that has potential," Bowman said. "It just depends on whether or not computer users want to keep this $1,000 [biometrics device] on their desk."
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Digital identification: It's now at our fingertips
By Larry Lange and George Leopold
Electronic Engineering Times
March 24, 1997, Issue: 946
Section: News
Arlington, Va. - Fingerprint-identification technology is poised to make the first big splash in biometrics, the science-once called futuristic-of using digital methodologies to identify individuals based on their physiology. Beyond the tips of the fingers, a person's eyes, hands, voice, face and even facial temperature are all candidates for one day replacing PINs and passwords, according to participants at the recent BiometriCon '97 here.
As two dozen vendors hawked digital identification wares for fingerprint, iris, voice and face recognition-and protesters outside the conference hall warned of "Orwellian scenarios"-technical meetings showcased the promise and problems of this fledgling field. The event, sponsored by the National Computer Security Association, also addressed the pressing need for standards, with major announcements from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Novell Inc. They offered authentication and API solutions, respectively (see sidebar)
The need to send biometric data securely over networks is also being addressed in new forms of data scrambling called biometric encryption, which attempts to address authentication gaps in current cryptographic schemes. Suppliers painted a picture of data whizzing across the Internet and corporate intranets.
Biometric technology is mushrooming because security breaches, fraud, unauthorized entry and simple human administrative errors are becoming bigger and bigger problems in many industries. False acceptance at ATM machines alone runs about 30 percent, resulting in billions lost or stolen annually. Reports estimate worldwide fraud at $2.98 billion a year, and MasterCard reports over $450 million in losses annually. It's no surprise that biometrics is catching on with banks, credit-card firms, hospitals, government agencies and law enforcement.
For government, biometrics could help the massive shift to electronic benefits transfers. The Clinton administration has announced plans to shift to such transfers as a way to cut welfare fraud and reduce overhead as sweeping changes in U.S. welfare rules are implemented. Electronic transfers were a key reform in a February report released by Vice President Al Gore on streamlining delivery of government services.
And immigration officials are leaning toward biometrics such as hand-geometry and facial-recognition systems to speed and tighten border checks and airport security. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service is incorporating a range of biometrics into its operations, as are a handful of airports in places like Taiwan (fingerprint database), Brisbane, Australia (face recognition) and Frankfurt, Germany.
Fingerprints first
Fingerprints will come first, said conference goers, since using them builds on automated fingerprint-identity systems already widely employed by the police and FBI. "The biometric that is the strongest contender to become the de facto standard is the fingerprint," said Ann Brown, vice president of Mytec Technologies Inc., which uses a fingerprint scanner with its biometric encryption system. Proponents cite reliability, ease of use, non-intrusiveness and the difficulty of cosmetically altering fingerprints without detection.
In fact, the government already uses fingerprinting to prevent welfare fraud and track criminal aliens and refugees.
Spain is setting up an automated welfare plan that represents the largest biometric application to date, using fingerprint scanners made by Identicator (San Bruno, Calif.). Unisys Corp. (Alexandria, Va.) is systems
integrator. So far, about 7 million Spaniards are enrolled.
Taking fingerprinting one cyberstep further is Biometric Tracking L.L.C. (Kansas City, Mo.), which has Java or Netscape browser-enabled "biometric plug-in" software that filters biometric verification over the Net. "Web resources can be protected with an interactive dialog box that issues a query to a database on the Web, which then transfers the fingerprint profile," said Thomas Flynn, the firm's vice president of technology.
Others at the conference insisted that other methodologies offer more robust solutions. The J.P. Morgan investment company and Japanese investors have plunked down millions to back iris-scanning technology for use in banking applications. IriScan Inc. (Mount Laurel, N.J.), which holds the exclusive patent on iris recognition, makes hardware and software for such identification.
"Fingerprints have 60 different forms of variations from which to compare and analyze," said Kelly Gates, marketing manger at IriScan. "But with 400 discriminations available, an individual iris structure is six times more unique, stemming from embryonic genetic development. In the entire human population, no two irises are alike."
IriScan is working with British Telecom on telecom-related security, and with Oki Electric Industry Ltd. in Tokyo, a leading ATM supplier, which wants to replace PIN numbers and signatures.
Retinal recognition is also being developed for the Internet. EyeDentify Inc. (Baton Rouge, La.) makes a device to recognize retinal vascular patterns. It needs a storage base of only 96 bytes per user. The company also offers a host system that can integrate retinal-scan biometrics into a network, including one based on the Internet's Transmission Control Protocol and Internetwork Protocol.
Voice recognition for telephone authentication is being explored. by Votan Corp. (Pleasonton, Calif.). Its architecture uses extraction and pattern-matching algorithms running on a DSP chip, and proprietary pattern processing on a VLSI chip.
The system needs a scanner and smart "voice card," but Voton is looking ahead to the Internet. "A data-access verification system may be configured as a verification server installed on a digital network, via an external LAN using TCP/IP," said Voton product manager Graeme Kinsey.
Facing the ID
Identification Technologies International Inc. (Coral Gables, Fla.) uses face identification in a system called One-on-One. Photographic images are digitized, creating a numerical "facial signature" that is encoded on a chip. At the security site, the owner inserts a smart card into a reader, and a camera captures facial data and compares it to that in the card-all in less than a second. The One-on-One system can also be transferred over a TCP/IP network.
Going a step further is the Unisys "thermogram" technology, which produces an image from infrared light radiated from the temperature of a face. "The heat is radiated from below the skin, in the capillaries, bones and tissues," said Unisys technology director Fred Herr. "These patterns of different temperatures relative to each other across the image of the face remain constant. They don't change over a life. It's a very reliable biometric."
Meanwhile, several protest groups showed up at the conference to warn of the potential for abuse inherent in government and corporate control over large databases of biometric IDs. "The advent of biometrics means simply this," said a representative of Sovereignty International Inc. (Bangor, Maine.): "the bitter end of what's left of the world's privacy."
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Global Assembly Is The Real Deadbeat
U.N. OWES A NET $3.5 BILLION TO UNCLE SAM
By Michael Catanzaro
Despite claims to the contrary by United Nations' Secretary General Kofi Annan, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and President Clinton, the United States owes nothing to the U.N. In fact, according to a March 1996 Genral Accounting Office (GAO) report titled "Peace Operations, U.S. Costs in Support of Haiti, Former Yugoslavia, Somalia and Rwanda," the U.N. owes the U.S. some $3.5 billion for assistance in peacekeeping operations.
On March 5, following up on the GAO's finding, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R.-Md.) and the Coalition to End the U.N. Entitlement, which is a member of the American Sovereignty Protection Association (ASAP), held a press conference to announce the United Nations Erroneous Debt Act (HR 934), a bill sponsored by Bartlett and 52 other congressmen. The measure would essentially prohibit any U.S. payment to the U.N. until, as Bartlett said, "our overpayments are either reimbursed or properly credited." The bill has been referred to the House Committee on International relations, and hearings have not yet been scheduled.
According to the GAO report, during the period 1992 to 1995, "the incremental cost reported by U.S. government agencies for support of U.N peace operations in Haiti, the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Somalia was over $6.6 billion." The funds, which came primarily from the Department of Defense and various federal agencies, were used to provide military supplies, transportation, humanitarian relief and other services to the U.N.
Of the $6.6 billion, however, the United States was credited with only $1.8 billion against assessed contributions to the U.N. during the period 1992 to 1995. This means, in effect, that after subtracting the $1.3 billion in "dues" that the United States allegedly owes as a U.N. member, Annan and friends owe the United States a total of $3.5 billion.
"Today, the Congress and the American people are sending a clear message to the U.N.," Bartlett said. "Unless it fixes its books, becomes accountable for its spending, and reforms its bloated bureaucracy, it will not get a single penny of American taxpayers' money."
Cliff Kincaid, director of ASAP, chastised the U.N. as "the real global deadbeat," and offered suggestions as to how the United States could come up with the money it owes the U.S. Perhaps, he said, Kofi Annan could take a voluntary pay cut from his annual salary of $280,075, or the organization could rescind former U.N. Secretary General and Nazi collaborator Kurt Waldheim's $102,000 salary. In any case, Kincaid said, "We must set up our own national version of a Neigh- borhood Watch program" to monitor the delinquent and derelict world body.
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Global Non-warming
From: Paula Demmer
Email: Rdy4Battle@aol.com
Regarding the government's popular hype on 'global warming', one of the best articles showing that the idea is bogus was first printed in June of 1992. The Fall 1993 special issue of The New American details most of the better known environmentalism scams, including global warming.
Dr. Fred Singer does an outstanding job of exposing this expensive fraud in the article entitled: Nothing More Than Hot Air. Ironically, more CO2 in our atmosphere results in a significant increase in agricultural production. "Dr. Sherwood Idso of the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory in Arizona has shown that controlled increases in carbon dioxide have nearly tripled the growth of experimental orange trees, increased their fruit production tenfold, and vastly increased their water-use efficiency. Far from being something to be feared, more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere should be welcomed, says Idso". You may remember Dr. William Happer, Director of Research for the Department of Energy. A few years ago, he gave a newspaper interview in which he explained that global warming was pure fiction dreamed up for political and financial reasons. He was fired immediatly. Incidentally, on the cover of the aforementioned Fall 1993 magazine is a beautiful photograph of the Earth taken from Space. Plainly visible is the North Polar Opening with an unusually small amount of cloud cover.
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