Prophe-Zine #2 Credits Statement of Faith & Other Information Editor/Publisher Raymond B. Gano Contents: Raymond Gano... The Mark of The Beast ....Just How Close Are We? Thomas Ice... Why The Bible Still ProhibitsDate-Setting Jeffery A. Mott.... The Rapture ......When? Terry Cook... Approaching The Mark Of The Beast Terry Cook .....The Mark of the New WorldOrder:..I.D. Biochip in your Right Hand! Patti Lalonde.... Organized Crime: An Excuse for World Government RobertNC@aol.com.... Signs Of The Times Stephan van Os..book review... The Days Of Vengeance Prophe-Zine news bites Cool Resources Special thanks to: To all those who have submitted articles to me, and keeping me busy with Prophe-Zine. I hope everyone that reads Prophe-Zine will be blessed. Publication Cycle Notice: Prophe-Zine will be published (up loaded), on the 15th of each month. Prophe-Zine is freely distributed to the major on-line services, BBSs, and to the Internet. The Editor of Prophe-Zine can be reached by sending e-mail to: ray673@best.com. Please write the Editor if you are interested in receiving guidelines for submission to Prophe-Zine Statement of Faith THE PURPOSE of Prophe-Zine is to carry out the command of the Lord Christ Jesus, recorded in Matthew 28:19: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations" Prophe-Zine is a Christian publication grounded in the deity of Christ and the inerrancy of Scripture. The major intent of the editors is first, the giving out the message of the Gospel, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures," 1 Cor. 15:3-4. The Editor of Prophe-Zine holds to a strictly literal and inerrant Bible interpretation, salvation through Christ alone, a soon pre-tribulation Rapture of all believers and the establishment of a thousand-year kingdom on earth. The evangelism of the unbelievers and the exhortation of the believers take precedence over all other activities of this ministry. Prophe-Zine may not agree with some of the authors and their beliefs, but Prophe-Zine believes that we must endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit (In other words agree to disagree), so Prophe-Zine feels that it must give equal time to other biblically based doctrines in all fairness. Eph 4:3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. In His service, Ray Gano The Legal Stuff About Prophe-Zine Prophe-Zine Copyright © 1995 Raymond B Gano All rights reserved. Please ask for permission before reproducing or reprinting specific articles and/or graphics, since some of the individual works appearing in Prophe-Zine are copyrighted works belonging to their respective authors or artists and are used here with their permission. Certain products, titles, and services mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners. Apple, Mac, and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Prophe-Zine is not affiliated in any way with Apple Computer, Inc. Prophe-Zine may be freely distributed under the following conditions: It may not be included in a software package without prior consent from the author. It may not be distributed or reproduced for commercial purposes. Prophe-Zine's editor uses a Quadra 840 AV Macintosh computer. Programs include: MacWrite, MacDraw Pro, Color-It, JPEGview, Popcorn, OnLine Bible KJV 2.1, plus any other freeware that I can get my hands on to fill up the hard drive and use up even MORE RAM (needs 8 more megs, those graphics are killing me) OOPS.... I Forgot The Editor is currently looking for submissions, artists, writers, fiction, reviews, columnists and other help for Prophe-Zine articles. If interested, please write the Editor to receive a guideline for submissions. Feedback and suggestions from the Prophe-Zine readers are ALWAYS WELCOME! Don't just tell me that you actually liked reading Prophe-Zine, tell me what YOU would like to see in future issues! ****************************************************** The Mark of The Beast ....Just How Close Are We? By: Raymond Gano Rev. 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six. Just how near are we to Revelation 13? Let's look at what the media is saying. This excepts was taken from a article from EPIC. Federal Register, December 20, 1994 IRS Initiates Massive New Database On December 20, the Internal Revenue Service announced in the Federal Register that it was planning a new database to monitor compliance of taxpayers in a project entitled Compliance 2000. The database would contain information on all individuals in the U.S. who conduct certain financial transactions and would be segmented by different criteria: Any individual who has business and/or financial activities. These may be grouped by industry, occupation, or financial transactions, included in commercial databases, or in information provided by state and local licensing agencies. The new database will combine private and public sector databases in a single searchable entity. A number of federal financial databases from the IRS will be enhanced with state, local and commercial sources. The Federal Register notice describes the non- tax databases: Examples of other information would include data from commercial databases, any state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), credit bureaus, state and local real estate records, commercial publications, newspapers, airplane and pilot information, U.S. Coast Guard vessel registration information, any state's Department of Natural Resources information, as well as other state and local records. In addition, Federal government databases may also be accessed, such as, federal employment files, federal licensing data, etc. Finally, even though the proposed system would use frequently inaccurate "commercial databases" such as direct marketing records, taxpayers would not be able to review their records to ensure that they are accurate and up to date: "This system is exempt from the access and contest provisions of the Privacy Act." EPIC is filing comments asking the IRS to reconsider its use of commercial databases and to ensure that there are greater safeguards on the collection and use of personal information. A copy of the Federal Register notice is available at cpsr.org /cpsr/privacy/epic/IRS_compliance_2000_notice_txt Comments on the proposed system must be received by January 19, 1995, and sent to Office of Disclosure, Internal Revenue Service, 1111 Conn. Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20224. EPIC's Comments are available at cpsr.org/cpsr/privacy/epic/epic_irs_compliance_2000_comments.txt Also this from OMNI magazine Omni magazine, June 1991, (p.59) "CASH AND CREDIT CARDS WILL SOON BE OBSOLETE." Information Week, Oct. 11, 1993, boldly trumpeted on it's cover, The Cashless Society, It's in the Cards, The article dogmatically stated, (p.4)"Bet your bottom dollar: The United States IS BECOMING A CASHLESS SOCIETY . . ." The fastest growing movement in the financial world is "smart cards". Smart cards, which resemble ordinary credit cards, contain tiny computer chips, capable of storing data, such as bank accounts, medical information, etc. Already widely used in Japan and Europe, according to Information Week, (p.4) "BY NEXT YEAR, cards will be used to pay for health care and insurance, to receive government benefits, and to buy items in vending machines . . ." Newsweek magazine, July 31, 1989, (p.54) said smart cards, "may make the old science-fiction notion of a cashless society real." A pilot program is already being tested at the Marine Corp's Parris Island training base in South Carolina. According to Newsweek, "On payday, recruits receive smart cards rather than cash. When a marine makes a purchase on base, he plugs the card into a small terminal and the sum is automatically deducted from his pay." Newsweek says, " The base is, in fact a cashless economy-- even the telephones take smart cards." The Birmingham News, August, 24, 1993, (p.1B) report on smart cards, said, "Before long, you'll use this electronic check to pay for groceries, gasoline, taxes, stamps, fast food -- in virtually any business where you now use checks or cash." Robert Mckinley, president of RAM Research Corp. says, "You've heard about the cashless society . . . it may finally be on its way." Infosecurity News, Sept/Oct 93 (p.27), writes, " An extraordinary effort is now underway to build an infrastructure for large-scale use of smart cards in electronic data interchange, national health-care systems, financial-transaction systems and interactive home services . . ." But that's not all! U.S. News and World Report, told of a frightening reason for smart cards. "To keep closer watch on individuals, engineers have devised a forgery proof National ID Card -- THE SMART CARD." And how will they get the ball rolling? President Clinton has repeatedly, on national television, held up before the American people -- the National ID Card/ Health / Immigration Card. And for the very first time in history, every man, woman, and child will be numbered and required to carry a card. No exceptions! No excuses! EVERYBODY! In the book, Putting People First by President Clinton, outlining the Clinton agenda, page 22, reads, "ALL AMERICANS will carry 'smart cards'. . ." An article in Investor's Business Daily, (Nov. 16, 93, p.1), titled, The Dark Side of Health Reform, stated, "Privacy rights advocates are also concerned that the health ID would end up being used by the government for FAR MORE than just determination of health benefits." POSTAL SERVICE, IRS DEVELOPING NATIONAL IDENTITY CARDS CLINTON MAY GIVE OK. By: Mitch Ratcliffe Digital Media: A Seybold Report PCWEEK MAY 9, 1994, VOLUME 11, NUMBER 18 pgs. 1, 10. The Clinton Administration is working on creating an identification card that every American will need to interact with any federal government agency. The card initiative came into the forefront at last month's Card Tech/Secure Tech Conference in Crystal City, Va., as federal agencies, including the U.S. Postal Service, and the Internal Revenue Service, began detailing their various proposals. At the gathering -- where security experts convened to discuss business and government applications for "smart card" and PCMCIA memory-card technologies -- the Postal Service presented a proposal for a "general-purpose U.S. services smart card," which individuals would use to authenticate their identities when sending and receiving E-mail, transferring funds, and interacting with various government agencies. Sources close to the administration said President Clinton is also considering signing a pair of executive orders what would facilitate the connection of individuals' bank accounts and federal records to a government identification card. White House officials declined to comment. The Postal Service's U.S. Card would use either smart cards- plastic cards that carry a unique number that can be read by a scanner and linked to computerized records stored on a network -- or PCMCIA cards, which can contain megabytes of personal information....... President Clinton is also considering signing a pair of executive orders that would facilitate the connection of individual's bank account's. We will not have to fill out those W2 forms and tax forms, the IRS will "take" / deduct the money automatically. The Postal Service is prepared to put more than 100 million of the cards in citizens' pockets within months of administration approval, which could come at any time. The major concern of the smart card is security. Credit card fraud costs $1 billion dollars a year! And if you think we've got problems with credit card fraud -- what do you think will happen when your "financial-healthcare-identification-everything-smart- card" is stolen! A side-article in Information Week (p.36), asks the "10-million-dollar question", What if A thief swipes your card?. Infosecurity (p.28) also asks, "The standard question is: 'What happens if a user forgets his or her smart card?'". The answer is obvious . . . It's going to have to be -- Permanently attached to the individual! Automatic I.D. News, March 1992 (p.E40), says, "AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION plays an important role in the emerging cashless society." Automatic I.D. News, Sept. 1990 (p.37), says, "The fastest-growing segment in the access control market, . . . is biometric sensors. These devices identifypeople by fingerprints, retina patterns and other BODY-BASED methods ...." Already, in Spain and in Canada, dogs and cats, are required by law, to have microchip implants injected into their skin. The system is also used in the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Great Britain, Belgium, Ireland, New York City and California. And, to stop baby-swapping, kidnapping -- it is being considered for use in identifying children. Doctors think the idea is also great in keeping a "eye" on the elderly in preventing them from getting lost or walking away. Prisons have adopted the same plan in preventing "Home Prisoners" from running from the law. Are we living in the "last days"? I do not know, but I have to agree with many Bible scholars that this is the first time since the time of Christ that all the pieces of the puzzle fit. We have much of the technology that will makes it possible for a man to be dictator of this world.( Antichrist), We do have the technology to "give" everyone a "mark", and to keep track of every person on the face of the earth. Many of the things spoken of in Matthew 24, Luke 21 and in Revelation 13 are coming to pass or have come to pass.........are you ready? Who do You serve? Revelation 14: 9 - 11 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. John 3: 16 - 18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. In His service, Raymond Gano ray673@best.com Raymond673@aol.com ********************************************************** Why The Bible Still ProhibitsDate-Setting By: Thomas Ice The following is reprinted from Pre-Trib Perspectives, a publication of the Pre-Trib Research Center, a think-tank committed to the study, proclamation, teaching and defending of the Pretribulational Rapture (pre-70th week of Daniel) and related end-time prophecy [370 L'Enfant Promenade, S.W., Suite 801, Washington, D.C. 20024]: At least six passages (eight if parallel passages are included) specifically warn believers against date-setting. Yet down through church history there has been an amazing amount of date-setting. About every two year there is usually someone who makes headlines proclaiming that they know the date of the Second Coming or the Rapture. The most recent incident involved Family Radio's Harold Camping, who said that Christ would return sometime in September 1994. Interestingly, Camping comes from an amillennial, covenant theology framework. Many may be surprised that there is actually less date- setting today than there was 100 to 300 years ago. This is because in previous times so many prophecy teachers held to the historicist interpretive approach as opposed to the futurist systems that dominate the scene today. However, there are still some prominent personalities who engage in the biblically forbidden practice of date-setting. Biblical Prohibitions Against Date-Setting It is enough for something to be stated only once in the Bible for it to be true, but when God says something many times the emphasis should make such assertions even clearer. I am listing the specific passages below so that we can readily see these important biblical admonitions: Matthew 24:36: "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." Mark 13:32 is an exact parallel. Matthew 24:42: "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming." Matthew 24:44: "For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will." Matthew 25:13: "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour." Mark 13:33-37 is a parallel passage. Acts 1:7: "He said to them, It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority." I Thessalonians 5:1-2: "Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night." These passages are absolute prohibitions against date-setting. They do not teach that it was impossible to know the date in the early church, but in the last days some would come to know it. They do not say that no one knows the day or the hour, except those who are able to figure it out through some scheme. No! the date of Christ's coming is a matter of God's revelation and He has chosen not to reveal it even to Christ in His humanity during His first advent (Mt. 24:36). The Bible teaches that God's Word is sufficient for everything needed to live a life pleasing unto Christ (2 Tim.3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:3-4). This means that if something is not revealed for us in the Bible then it is not needed to accomplish God's plan for our lives. The date of Christ's return is not stated in the Bible, therefore, in spite of what some may say, knowing it is not important for living a godly life. The Lord told Israel "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law" (Deut. 29:29). The date of Christ's coming has not been revealed, thus it is a secret belonging only to God. But What About...? Some believe that there are passages in the Bible which teach that believers will be able to know the date of Christ's return. I will examine some of these passages to show how those who advocate date-setting have misused various passages in their attempts to legitimize date-setting. The Bible does not contain internal contradictions. It is wrong to think that on the one hand Scripture says "not man can know," but then on the other hand that some will be able to figure it out. 1. Luke 21:28: "But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Some have taught that this passage implies a license to date-set. However, important contextual indicators include the fact that it refers to Jewish believers during the futureseven-year tribulation, who right before the Second Coming are told to watch, not date-set, as they endure the final period of severe persecution. This does not relate to date-setting but is a general command to watch for the unknown time of the Lord's return. 2. Hebrews 10:25b: "But encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near." Some teach that this implies that believers are able to see or know that "the day" (i.e., the Second Coming) is drawing near. While some do interpret "the day" as a reference to the Second Coming, I think that the immediate context and the context of the book of Hebrews is one that is a warning to Jewish believers before the A.D. 70 destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple not to return (i.e., apostatize) to Judaism, since the immediate future only contained wrath for those Jews who reject Jesus as their Messiah. Therefore, "the day" is not a reference to the Second Coming, instead it refers to Jerusalem's destruction by the Romans in A.D. 70. 3. I Thessalonians 5:4: "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a theif." It has been taught from this passage that believers would have to know the timing of "the day" (i.e., "the day of the Lord," see 5:2) in order to not be overtaken by it. This date-setting interpretation attaches the wrong sense to Paul's teaching. Paul is saying that they will not be overtaken because they are prepared by virtue of the fact that they are believers. All believers will be taken care of by the Lord (I believe through the Pre-Trib Rapture) so that unlike the unbeliever who will be unprepared and caught off guard, the believer is prepared. 4. Israel's Feast Cycle: The Bible teaches a cycle of seven feasts which Israel was to celebrate yearly. The seven feasts are Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Feast of Weeks, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles. The first four feasts are celebrated in Spring, while the remaining three are commemorated in the Fall. A common interpretation concludes that the feasts also are prophetic of the career of the Messiah. The Spring cycle is said to have been fulfilled by Christ at His first coming, while the Fall cycle will be fulfilled in the future through events surrounding the Second Coming. Up to this point, I have no problem with this scheme. However, I do have a problem with those who teach that the fifth feast (Trumpets) is a reference to the Rapture. Since Rosh HaShannah (Hebrew for Feast of Trumpets) is yearly celebrated on Tishri 1 according to the Hebrew calendar (this day usually falls in September according to our contemporary calendar), and it is argued that trumpets are related to the Rapture (I Cor. 15:52), therefore, the Rapture will occur on Tishri 1 as the Spring cycle begins to be fulfilled. This scheme argues that if the year of the Rapture can be determined, then we would know that it would occur in the fall of the year. It seems that many of the more recent and popular date-setting schemes have implemented Israel's feast cycle in some way. There is one major problem with this approach that disqualifies any use of it for date-setting. Israel's feasts relate to Israel and Israel alone. True, the fulfillment of Israel's feasts relate to salvation for all mankind, but the precise fulfillment relates exclusively to national Israel. The Rapture is a new event related only to the church and thus could not have been predicted through Old Testament revelation such as Israel's feast. Thus any use of the feasts of Israel in an attempt to date-set is invalid. If Not Date-Setting, What? Since the Bible prohibits date-setting, what does it teach? Many of the same passages which prohibit date-setting, at the same time instruct us what to do until the Lord returns. For example, Matthew 24:42 not only warns "for you do not know which day your Lord is coming," but also admonishes believers to "be on the alert." Matthew 24:44 tells us to "be ready" because "the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will." Also, Matthew 25:13 admonishes us to "be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour." The alert to which believers are called is not to date-setting, but one of looking for the Savior, since we do not know when He will return. We are to be alert, in contrast to unbelievers who are pictured as sleeping in regard to the things of God. We are to be alert for the purpose of godly living until the Lord does return because we are in the dark night of this current evil age, which requires an active alertness toward evil. If the church knew the day or the hour of the Rapture then imminence, the posture Christians have in relation to the Rapture, would be destroyed. Biblical imminence teaches that Christ can, but does not have to, come at any moment. It also means that there are no signs which have to be fulfilled in order for the Rapture to occur. Thus, Christ could literally come today, or this hour or moment. Thus, date-setting destroys imminence. How? If someone taught that the Rapture will happen on September 22, 1995, then it would mean that Christ could not come before that time. This would mean that the Rapture could not be imminent, since Christ could not come today if we knew the Rapture would occur on a specific date. Since imminence is often related to commands to holy living, date-setting would also have a negative impact upon ethics. Signs of the Times and Date-Setting While date-setting is prohibited in God's Word, I believe that it is valid to realize that god is setting the stage for His great end-time program. What does that mean? As we stated in a previous issue, the Rapture is a signless event, thus it is impossible to identify any signs that indicate the nearness of the Rapture. This is why all attempts to date the Rapture have had to wrongly resort to an application of passages relating to God's plan for Israel to the church. An example of this misuse would be those who say Israel's feasts (i.e., Rosh HaShannah) relate to dating the Rapture as noted above. However, since the Bible outlines a clear scenario of players, events and nations involved in the end-time tribulation, we can see God's preparation for the final seven years of Daniel's seventy weeks for Israel. For example, the fact that ethnic Israel has been reestablished as a nation and now controls Jerusalem is a strong indicator that we are near the end of the church age. This can only be a general indication, since no time table is specifically given for current preparation. Therefore, we cannot know for certain that we are the last generation before the Rapture since God may choose to "stage set" for another 100 years or longer. Dr. John F. Walvoord correctly says, "There is no scriptural ground for setting dates for the Lord's return or the end of the world...As students of the Bible observe proper interpretation principles, they are becoming increasingly aware of a remarkable correspondence between the obvious trend of world events and what the Bible predicted centuries ago." (Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East Crisis; Zondervan Books) ******************************************************** The Rapture ......When? By: Jeffery A. Mott If you are like most Christians, you have probably heard about the removal of the church known as the rapture many times. This removal is popularly taught as occurring before the seven years of the tribulation (known as a pre-tribulation rapture). You may have heard some teachers saying there are others teaching false doctrines regarding this event. Some are even saying that to believe anything other than a pre-tribulation rapture you must ignore the scriptures. Many scriptural references are provided to support the pre-tribulation rapture position, but if you have read any of these references, you may have found that none of them tell you "the rapture will happen at this time or that time." Others are indeed telling of "mid-tribulation, post-tribulation, and pre-wrath" rapture options. The fact that there are other voices caused me to wonder: Which rapture teaching really agrees with the scriptures? I wanted to set aside all the hype and just see what God's word said - without any preconceived ideas - just seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. To get an understanding that comes from God's word and not from our own expectations of God's plan, we need to see what each scriptural reference is really talking about. We also need to establish what events take place for each verse and when they occur. Lets start with the favorite verse quoted to support the rapture of the church at the start of the tribulation: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, KJV). Sequence of Events: 1 The Lord descends 2 A shout, voice, trump 3 The dead rise 4 The living caught up Timing: Nothing specifies a particular time for these events. In this verse we found nothing conclusive to be used to identify the specific time when the rapture might occur except that it follows the Lord's descent from heaven and the sounding of the trumpet of God. Lets take a look at another very popular verse about the rapture of the church: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51,52, KJV). Sequence of events: 1 The trumpet sounds 2 The dead rise 3 The living changed Timing: Begins with the "last trump" The trump identified as the "last trump" seems to be the cause of these events. This appears to indicate that other trumpets will sound before this one, but none after it. Could this be the final (seventh trumpet found in revelations? If so, that would put it at or near the end of the tribulation. Wait a minute! This isn't what is being taught about the rapture of the church. Are there any other verses that can help clarify this matter? Yes! In fact, Jesus himself explains to his disciples what to expect in the end times. There are two sets of verses regarding Jesus explanation: Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31, KJV). Sequence of events: 1 The tribulation ends 2 Sun, moon darkened - stars fall 3 The sign of the Son of man seen - Son of man coming 4 Angels sent with sound of trumpet 5 Elect gathered from four winds (earth) and one end of heaven to the other Timing: The coming of the Son of man and his gathering of the elect follows the darkness at the end of the tribulation. And the second set of verses covering Christ's description of the end times: But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. (Mark 13:24-27, KJV). Sequence of events: 1 The tribulation ends 2 Sun, moon darkened - stars fall 3 The Son of man seen coming 4 Angels sent 5 Elect gathered from the four winds (earth) and uttermost part of heaven Timing: Again, the Son of man's coming and the gathering of his elect follows the darkness at the end of the tribulation. In both these references we see it clearly states that the tribulation will end with the sun and moon darkened and the stars falling. After all the people of the world see the sign of the Son of man, he causes the sounding of the trumpet and sends his angels to gather both the dead (in heaven) and the living (on earth) saints. There should be little doubt left here, that Jesus says these events occur after the tribulation. Are there any other scriptures that can either confirm or refute this conclusion? Yes: And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. (Revelation 11:15-18, KJV). Sequence of events: 1 The seventh (last) trumpet of the tribulation sounds. 2 The earthly reign of Christ begins. 3 The time of the dead (resurrection). 4 Prophets, and saints judged for rewards. 5 Those who destroy the earth are destroyed Timing: Beginning with the seventh trumpet of the tribulation. The seventh and final trumpet of the period of the tribulation is sounded and the reign of Christ begins on earth. At this time the resurrection and judgment of the saints occurs - after the tribulation. This seems to confirm our previous conclusion. One more verse for further confirmation or refutation: And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4-6, KJV). Sequence of events: 1 The first resurrection (this includes people who are killed during the tribulation for not worshipping the beast or receiving his mark. 2 Those who are resurrected reign 1000 years with Christ. 3 The rest of the dead rise after the 1000 years is finished 4 The second death (For those who are not part of the first resurrection) Timing: Begins after the people are beheaded for their witness of Jesus, and for not worshipping the beast or receiving his mark, but before the thousand year reign of Christ. Here we can clearly see that there will be people who have been executed during the tribulation present at the first resurrection. This can only occur if the resurrection occurs after the tribulation. These are the people who reign with Christ for a thousand years. If there is a pre-tribulation rapture, then these people are raised before the first official resurrection, they may not reign with Christ, and they may even be subject to the second death! Clearly, a pre-tribulation rapture requires that these verses must either be refuted or ignored. Another scripture frequently used to support a pre-tribulation rapture needs to reviewed to insure there is not true conflict: Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: (2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, KJV). Sequence of events: 1 A spiritual falling away. 2 He who now letteth (hinders or restrains) is taken out of the way. 3 The man of sin is revealed in the temple. 4 The coming of our lord Jesus Christ and our gathering unto him. Timing: Just before the middle of the seven year period of the tribulation when the antichrist is revealed. As I said, this reference is used to show that the church must be raptured before the tribulation. They go directly to verses 7 and 8 and state that he that letteth (restrains) is the Holy Spirit who is in every believer and that when he (the Holy Spirit) is taken out of the way, (so the wicked one can be revealed) those in whom he dwells must also be removed in the rapture. Verse 4 says that the gathering comes after the falling away and the man of sin is revealed. How can this be if the gathering occurs first, removing the Holy Spirit and believers? Obviously it can't. There are 447 verses dealing with the spirit and there is not one reference in which the Holy Spirit is fighting, restraining, or any other adversarial task. The Holy Spirit seems to have three tasks: 1 to comfort believers, 2 to teach believers the meaning of the Word of God and most importantly, 3 convict sinners of their sin. If the Holy Spirit is removed, who will convict the sinners who are saved during the tribulation? If the Holy Spirit is not "he who letteth," then who is? There are but seven verses about Michael, the Archangel and yet he is fighting against principalities and powers in each one. It is therefore more likely that it is Michael who now restrains the Devil and will do so until told to throw him out of heaven to the earth: And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. (Revelation 12:6-12, KJV). Sequence of events: 1 The woman (Israel) flees into the wilderness (her stay is 1260 days or about 3 1/2 years.) 2 Michael & his angels fight a war with Satan & his angels. 3 Satan looses and he & his angels are cast out of heaven down to the earth. 4 Rejoicing in heaven. 5 Sorrow expressed for earth's inhabitants. Timing: The middle of the seven year period of the tribulation about the time Israel flees into the mountains. Note that it is Michael who does battle with Satan, so it could also be him who God has appointed to "let" or withhold Satan's power. Is there any confirmation that Michael is the one who now restrains Satan's power? Yes! And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. (Daniel 12:1, KJV). Sequence of events: 1 Michael "stands up." 2 A time of great trouble (tribulation) begins. 3 Thy people (written in the book) shall be delivered. Timing: The middle of the seven year period of the tribulation about the time the "great trouble" begins. So we see here that when Michael "stands up" he delivers those written in the book through a time of great trouble. Since Michael also fights the war with Satan and throws him out of heaven, it is clear that Michael is who restrains Satan now. Also note that the view of the church being raptured before the the antichrist is revealed requires you to ignore II Thessalonians verses 3 and 4. These verses clearly state that the man of sin is revealed sitting in the temple of God before the day of Christ. The reference to II Thessalonians 2:5-6, when taken in context, not only does not support a pre-tribulation rapture, it shows a pre-tribulation rapture is not possible. Have we covered all the verses used to "prove" a pre-tribulation rapture? I'm afraid not: Try Luke 12:36 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (Luke 21:34-36, KJV). I have included verses 34 and 35 to provide the proper context for verse 36. Here a timeline presentation is not as helpful. Verse 36 is quoted to indicate the escape of the things that come to pass. That escape is supposed to be the rapture. The problem is that verses 34 and 35 give a completely different picture to this meaning for verse 36. In verse 34 we are told to be careful of ourselves, or we might forget to watch for the coming day because we are too busy surfeiting (eating) and drinking, or that we may become depressed with the day to day worries of this life. We should keep watch or the day will surprise us. Verse 35 tells us that "that day" will come upon all who live on the planet earth. ALL! Verse 36 says to be watchful and pray, so that we will be aware of the events enough so as to avoid the things that will occur, and be able to stand worthy before Jesus. How do we escape? In a rapture, or in like type to the children of Israel when God sent plagues upon Egypt. They went through the tribulations of the day but were unharmed because they were deemed worthy to escape the judgments brought upon Egypt. We are likewise told many times to comfort and strengthen one another with these words. Why would we need to comfort and strengthen unless we will be here. Another verse quoted is Titus 2:13 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeemus from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:11-14, KJV). Again, I add the verses around the referenced one to look at the context. This verse does indeed speak of Jesus return, but it doesn't provide any idea of when to expect this event. It simply tells us we should always be looking with joyful anticipation so that we no longer are tempted by ungodliness and worldly lusts. By now you are probably saying: so, why tell me this? Why do you take up a discussion that will probably only be answered when the event occurs? Let me explain my reason for writing this booklet. Many good Christian pastors, evangelists, and teachers teach the pre-tribulation rapture as fact, not just as one of several opinions. Many have been taught it as a fact themselves and believe it to be so. I myself was also taught it as fact and for many years believed it. Many logical reasons and theories, based on a number of assumptions were provided to support the pre-tribulation rapture. None were totally based on scripture and so, I was never quite sure. I said that as long as I could find no scriptures that told me for sure when it was, that I would believe in a pre-tribulation rapture. Some time ago I read some scriptures nobody had ever quoted regarding the rapture and they were clear and they were specific about when this event was to be. But what really concerns me is that some pastors and teachers may not believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, yet feel they must teach it anyway. This may be so, because some of them may believe that if they teach their church members they will go through the tribulation, many members will be offended, possibly placing his job in jeopardy. But I believe that the doctrine of pre-tribulation rapture is the strong delusion to be sent according to II Thessalonians 2:11. If you believe in the pre-tribulation rapture, you are not preparing to withstand the tribulation challenges. You're preparing for a trip! A trip away from all the troubles of the times. The Jews must face this time alone. Anyone else can escape by being saved before the tribulation begins. Since the only sign that occurs at the beginning tribulation is a peace treaty in Israel, the first time you will have any real evidence that the tribulation has begun is when the Abomination of Desolation stands in the Holy place. If you are here on that day, will you have kept yourself from the snares of the Devil? Or will you also begin to wonder the question: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. (2 Peter 3:3-4, KJV). Look at this text. Some say this refers to scoffers about the coming of the Lord to reign. I believe this is the attitude of scoffers and weak believers who have been waiting for the pre-tribulation rapture when they realize the Abomination of Desolation has been revealed. They will turn to their teachers and perhaps even their pastors and ask: Where is the promised pre-tribulation rapture or literally the coming of Christ for his church? Won't you please consider these quotes and search the scriptures yourself. Read the verses and check the context of the verses. Ask God to show you is true concerning this subject. There are scriptures that tell us to comfort and strengthen each other with these words. As the children of Israel were told to be strengthened and see the hand of the Lord at work in Egypt. We too are to remind each other that God will deliver us from the plagues coming upon the earth. Will you be ready? Will you have made proper plans? Will your name be found in the book? ********************************************************** APPROACHING THE MARK OF THE BEAST By: Terry Cook In order for "The Mark of the Beast" of REV 13:17 (And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of thebeast, or the number of his name.) to be implemented, a few preparations must be made. Outside of a simple stamp or tattoo, it would almost have to be high-tech. If the "Mark" were a simple tattoo. How would the worlds most evil dictator get the necessary cooperation from every shop owner, and every bank world wide to enforce a law requiring it? Common sense tells us it would almost have to have certain requirements in order to work. 1. Physically, the system must exist, or be in its final testing stages, including fiber optics etc. 2. It must be needed to prevent a tragedy, or calm a chaos. 3. Be globally accepted and controlled 4. Be connected with the purchase of all products. Lets examine how much of the "system" is in place! 1. PHYSICALLY, THE SYSTEM MUST EXIST, OR BE IN ITS FINAL TESTING STAGES... NEW DOD SYSTEM TRACKS REFUGEES Navy deploys RF/ID-based human tracking system to cope with Haitian/Cuban exodus By Lynne Braxemen, Contributing Editor for Automatic I.D. News Volume 10, No. 13 December 1994 Sent in by Terry L. Cook Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba - They call it the "infamous" Blue Caraibe. It is a weather-beaten, one-story, wood-frame bungalow huddled under the vast expanse of the brilliant, cerulean-blue Caribbean sky. As if for camouflage, its dusty shingles are painted what was once sky-blue. It has no windows. The battered blue metal door creaks open - onto a fantastic, futuristic scene. Banks of sophisticated computer workstations are connected by yards of dangling LAN cables to CCD photo cameras, fingerprint scanning terminals and remote frequency identification (RF/ID) transponder readers. Military personnel in green combat fatigues stride hurriedly back and forth. The entire 2,000-square-foot interior of this former base restaurant [Editor Note: This shows you how portable, and how quickly a system to administer the "Mark of the Beast" could be in place.] this has been converted into a state-of-the-art computer processing center to identify and track the more than 50,000 Cuban and Haitian refugees who flooded into this 45-square-mile base between June and September of this year. Last June, the United States Atlantic Command (USACOM), under the direction of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, implemented the Deployable Mass Population Identification and Tracking System (DMPITS). A prototype of DMPITS had been designed and tested in 1992 in response to the last great influx of Haitian refugees. At that time the Guantanamo naval base (affectionately referred to as GITMO) served as the processing center for 34,000 Haitians requesting asylum in the United States after President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was deposed. Now, having performed beyond its designers' greatest expectations, the DMPITS system has also been purchased by the U.S. Department of Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) [Today they identify Cubans, tomorrow Christians?] and installed Oct. 1, 1994, in border patrol stations in the San Diego area. A new era of tracking illegal aliens and immigrants with automatic identification technology has begun. [Notice they not only want to identify us BUT track us also.] BACKGROUND OF A HISTORIC DIASPORA During the last presidential campaign, Bill Clinton promised to end the Reagan/Bush policy of involuntarily repatriating Haitian immigrants who had attempted to gain entry to the U.S. but had been rejected by the INS. Under U.S. law, a prospective immigrant must prove that she is fleeing from political persecution, not just economic hardship. When President Clinton announced last May that all Haitians picked up on the high seas would be granted an interview for refugee status with the INS, thousands of Haitians set out for the U.S. on anything that would float. In August, thousands of Cubans joined the Haitians in their desperate flight, spurred by Fidel Castro's announcement that he would no longer prevent them from leaving. Unlike the Haitians, most Cubans had heretofore enjoyed instant refugee status upon arriving on U.S. soil. However, the irre pressible flood of people launching pitiful rafts during hurricane season forced the Clinton administration to rescind that policy. The Cubans were sent to join the Haitians in refugee camps on Guantanamo. New immigration policies required that applications for entry into the U.S. must be made from the country of origin. By the end of September, the historic diaspora began to wind down, leaving more than 50,000 refugees interned on Guantanamo. SCRAMBLING Mike Humphrey, Chief of Applications Programming for USACOM, worked with the various civilian government agencies during the 1991-92 operation. "We saw a need to improve the integrity and tracking of the individuals being processed for asylum in the United States." [Now why would they "need" to track people if not intending one day track all people?] he said. In 1991-92, refugees were identified with the Army's standard, color-coded prisoner-of-war bracelet - a plastic band in which a printed label is inserted. [COLOR CODED? Do you recall the video available from The Prophecy Club "America Under Siege" that shows the inside of a FEMA Detention Center? Do you recall the "color coded" rectangles attached to the fence? Do you recall how they appeared to be placed to have people that were "color coded" line up in front of them? Do you recall the video also showing you various "color coded" squares, rectangles and circles on the back of highway signs that seem to be international symbols that seem to direct a person to a detention center or a railroad crossing? Could it be these railroad crossings are points to load Christians and other "resistors" of the New World Order on to boxcars for transport to elimination facilities? Could these wrist bands have more meaning and use in their "color coding" that to just mark prisoners of war? Could we find ourselves wearing "color coded" wristbands one day?] Because only 8% to 10% of those refugees received approval to enter the U.S., some refugees began defacing or removing their ID bands, giving false names and claiming that they too were among those granted refugee status. The situation was chaotic. [If the "refugee" can "deface or remove" their ID bands, it is not perfect identification. Hmmmm, maybe they should put the computer chip under the skin. Then it would not be lost, "defaced or removed."] "We were also concerned that the Army bracelets weren't really appropriate for a humanitarian operation," said Humphrey. "We were worried about personal privacy and access control to the database for lawyers and humanitarian agencies who had come to talk to the refugees." In early 1992, Humphrey approached Identix, a manufacturer of fingerprint identification systems. Gordon Dechman, then an engineer at Identix, assisted Humphrey in designing a proposal he could take to the Joint Chiefs of Staff for a $70,000 prototype system based on fingerprint identification and RF/ID transponder technology [Mark of the Beast?] hooked up to laptop computers. Dechman, now head of his own company, FingerPrint USA had created a similar application with Cogent Systems, a small software development company located in Alhambra, CA. Shortly after President Clinton took office, USACOM placed its first order for a complete DMPITS system. [Do you think Clinton is expecting a mass influx of refugees? Perhaps. Perhaps he is planning for a "chaos" that he knows is planned. Perhaps this has been planned for years!] "That was the most comfortable contact that's ever been let for DMPITS," said Dechman with a laugh." We received the order on Jan. 7, 1993. We delivered on Feb. 1, 1993. So we had not quite, but almost, 30 whole days." [Priority is important. Why would Clinton order this system within the first week of taking office? Surely he was busy with many important details..... perhaps this was a very important detail. Perhaps we have been living on borrowed time for quite some time? Perhaps he was expecting the coming revolution any day. Rule #1: Nothing happens by accident in politics!] Last May, President Clinton announced the imminent implementation of the new policy on Haitian immigration. USACOM began scrambling Asylum seekers that would be processed on this navy hospital ship the USNS Comfort anchored in the harbor at Kingston, Jamaica. On June 6, Major Roger Basedall, United States Army, took command of the newly-installed DMPITS system on the Comfort. He was to supervise the deployment of the new system under true crisis circumstances. [They know there is a "crisis" in the plans. But, so do we prophecy students! AMO 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.] The first Haitians arrived June 16. By the end of July, so many refugees were being picked up by the Coast Guard, the whole DMPITS operation was transferred to GITMO. Within three weeks, Paschall's unit had processed 18,000 Haitians. As its peak, the 81-person DMPITS unit was processing 400 to 500 people an hour, 21 hours a day. A total of 22,000 Creole speaking Haitians and 32,000 Spanish speaking Cubans passed through the system. By mid-October the numbers entered at GITMO had shrunk to 11,695 Haitians and 26,471 Cubans. Many Haitians had been voluntarily repatriated after President Aristide's restoration to power. Approximately 8,000 Cubans had volunteered to be moved to more comfortable refugee camps in Panama. (Another complete DMPITS system was ordered for the Panama operation). The transfer of so much humanity taxed the capabilities of the DMPITS unit to the max. Dechman received emergency orders for three more complete systems for the Navy and two complete systems for INS within three months. A Navy source confirmed that each complete basic system cost approximately $1 million. Some of the systems had to be delivered within as little as 10 days. "One of the things we specialize in is fire drills." Dechman said with a laugh. "And we've actually gotten pretty good in it." HOW IT WORKS A new enrollee takes a seat facing a work station with an imposing army of technology; a Hewlett-Packard 715 or 735 UNIX workstation sporting a 2 gigabyte internal hard drive, a 19-inch color monitor, keyboard, and mouse, an Identix TV-555 Touchview Fingerprint Scanner, an AVID ID Tag Scanner, and a Panasonic CCD color video camera. The system's server configuration includes an HP-735 workstation with 80M of RAM and a 525 GB external hard drive, a 9.6 bbps analog communications modem. A flatbed scanner, a Hewlett-Packard Laserjet IV laser printer with 6M of memory and a V.42 high-speed modem. The DMPITS Software is based on Congent System Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) software "sailor-proofed" as Humphrey put it, to present a very user-friendly front end. Military personnel place a black plastic wristband on the person's right wrist. [I wonder why they choose the RIGHT WRIST? Once again prophecy is about to be fulfilled! REV 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.] The wristband contains a read-only AVID RF transponder containing a nine-digit identification number. [I wonder why nine-digit? Our social security number is "nine-digit" could it be it makes it easier to "fit in" to the system? ] It is secured using an aluminum metal pop riveter. Small children have the wristband attached to an ankle. Infants are identified with a wristband placed on their mother's left arm. Since the pop riveter resembles a large metal drill, Paschall was concerned that it would frighten some refugees, especially children. After some dress rehearsals with marines, it was decided that the crew would wear civilian clothing and the job of fastening on the wristbands would go to women soldiers. However, it soon became clear that the problem was not as big as expected. Said Paschall, "Once the first individual did not scream in agony, it tended to be much easier after that." The enrollee places the right index finger on the glowing red surface of the Touchprint scanner. [ALL people in California MUST give them their finger print as well as stand in front of a video camera for their drivers license. Why a "video" camera? The image can be stored "digitally" in the computer. Thus enabling the Beast system to "track" you better and transmit your picture instantly to any terminal! Welcome to the New World Control Order.] A reproduction of the fingerprint appears in a window on the DMPITS enrollment screen. [Also digitally stored in the computer.] The system searches the entire database to see if that fingerprint has already been recorded. If not, the left index finger is scanned. The individual's picture is recorded by the Panasonic CCD camera and also appears on the screen. [Notice it is not a photograph, it is a digital picture!] The name is key-entered into the proper field. Finally, the processor interrogates the individual's wristband with the RF/ID reader, recording the unique identification number. With the aid of interpreters, some demographic information is obtained: name, sex, date of birth, age, place of birth, nationality, names of family relations, point of origin, whether the individual is the head of a family, any perceivable handicaps, and whether the individual is an unaccompanied minor. Finally, the individual's camp number, tent number and cot number are recorded. [Up to 1600 pages of information can be stored on the optical card. How much information about you could be stored in 1600 pages of information? One day they may come up with a very small computer chip encased in glass that stores your life history, family history, and any other information that may be deemed important. Notice the interest in identifying and tracking all people.] The individual then proceeds to another bank of PCs which are connected to a totally separate Novell LAN. The RF/ID bracelet is read, automatically entering the individual's DMPITS identification number into a new record. The individual is then interviewed in greater depth by bilingual personnel for a wide rage of demographic information required by the INS, including: medical information, mental assessment, immunization information, HIV infection status, whether or not INS has previously processed the individual, etc. If the individual has a prospective sponsor in the U.S., complete contact information is also required. Other fields record the individual's progress through the INS application process. Humphrey said DMPITS had been designed as two district systems to protect the sensitive demographic information collected from the refugee. "We control access at the data element level, so that information is provided on a "need-to-know" basis." he said. "We try to ensure the privacy of the individual, even though they're not American citizens." [The problem with information that is provided on a "need-to-know" basis is the people in the government -those working for world government are the ones that have a "need-to-know" basis. They have unlimited access to anything, as long as it moves them to world government!] This demographic database is accessed by many international relief organizations like the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to verify the treatment of the refugees. These organizations have RF/ID readers and access to the database at their field stations out in the refugee camps. In addition, each camp has an Administrative Tent, where an officer mans a DMPITS workstation equipped with an RF/ID reader. The camp hospital is also equipped with DMPITS stations and scanning equipment. When refugees are transferred between camps or transferred off the base, their ID bracelets are read. The systems updates the camps population census and creates a manifest for departing ships and flights. Couriers accompanying Cubans who have chosen to move to the Panama camp carry DAT tapes with the DMPITS records of the people on each flight. Upon arrival, those records are downloaded into the Panama camp's database and verified. [DAT tapes as mentioned above are "Digital Audio Tapes" which is proof they are storing the information in "Digital" format. Which means they can not only store all of your history on that tape/chip/bracelet but your "Digital" picture, your "Digital" signature, or your "Digital" finger prints. Look up! Your redemption draweth neigh! LUK 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.] LESSONS LEARNED Humphrey and DMPITS personnel in Guantanamo are unanimous that the most serious problem from their standpoint was connectivity. The system design called for connecting DMPITS headquarters and the various camp and hospital stations by radio frequency antennae. Unfortunately, this was not possible because of the number of ships coming in and out of the tiny Guantanamo base. "Our equipment was on the same radio wavelengths as the ships radar," said Humphrey. "It was just beating our signal to death. We couldn't keep a good link. So we ran fiber optic cable." [Now being installed in USA.] Miles of cable were strung across the base. More than once cables were pulled down by vehicles or damaged by careless workers. Humphrey said he could consider using infrared technology the next time. "Its a direct line-of-sight shot. You don't have to worry about all the outside interference, but it's a high-cost solution," he said. Personnel on the ground at Guantanamo found fault with the scarcity of RF/ID readers, the lack of a human readable ID on the refugees and a lack of ruggedness of the DMPITS PCs stationed in open-side tents out in the camps. The DMPITS stations are only rated for environments between 400F to 1000F and 30% to 85% noncondensing humidity. An army sergeant manning a DMPITS station in Haitian Camp #7 suggested field stations could be redesigned to accommodate the Army's rugged "green gear" portable computers. Regarding the shortage of RF/ID readers, Humphrey said that the Guantanamo operation has more than 150 readers. "I don't exactly know what they're doing with all of them," he said bemusedly However, without human readable ID, it is understandable that RF readers would be in great demand as the only quick and accurate means of identifying people. "You could type their name into the system and search for them that way." said Humphrey but, frankly there are so many Jean-Baptistes." Spelling differences and the complications of a foreign language made the use of the RF transponder and reader critical to identifying the right person quickly as masses of people were moved from location to location. We needed to be sure that these 15 Jean-Baptistes getting on this boat back to Haiti were the right 15 Jean-Baptistes," said Humphrey. Soldiers on the ground suggested adding human readable Functionality to the wristband itself. However, Humphrey said the cost would be prohibitive, raising the price per wristband from $3.25 to more than $6. Actually, DMPITS is designed to also produce a bar-coded photo ID badge which includes the name and fingerprint of the wearer. Due to the nature of the crisis, such IDs were not provided to the refugees. However, the feature was still put to good use. DMPITs ended up providing ID badges for the hundreds of civilian employees of government, international and relief organizations that were sent to provide services for the operation. Major Pasehall observed that many of the refugees had managed to remove the plastic wristband. Some chewed through them, or cut them off with homemade knives. Although their records could always be found using the Touchprint scanner, time and material were wasted replacing lost wristbands. He suggested reinforcing the plastic wristband with metal filament. [The implant is perfect identification.] STILL THERE'S A LOT TO COW ABOUT Humphrey says the original system was scaled for growth to 50,000 records. He credits Cogent Systems with supplying the upgrades and data compression software to double that capacity to 100,000 records. "Cogent is constantly Improving the product, said Humphrey were doing a throughput of 100 per machine per hour." Humphrey said that the issue of language barriers has been completely surmounted by this system, taking the chaos out of the management of the large numbers of people in the camps. "We take a lot of time and care and make sure that everything is correct when it first goes in the system. Then the system makes sure from then on that the right people get in the right line." Dechman is brimming with perhaps justifiable pride. He said this major new system has been deployed internationally in three different operational sites with a grand total of less than three months' development work. Says Dechman, "it's absolutely a miracle that a thing of this complexity has worked as well as it has." ***************** HIGH HOPES FOR REFUGEES Automatic I.D. News, page 6, December 1994 Sent in by Terry L. Cook Speaking of inspirations obtained while reading our magazine -Mike Humphrey, a DoD systems designer, told our Contributing Editor Lynne Brakeman that he got the initial inspiration to use RF/ID to track refugees interned on the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from a story he read in AUTOMATIC I.D. NEWS. We sent Lynne to Guantanamo Bay to get the firsthand story on the Deployable Mass Population Tracking and Identification System (DMPITS). It is an incredible application -one of the first to cross a controversial line and tag humans with RF/ID transponders. Lynne came back, she says, with a new appreciation for our military" and a great sympathy for these refugees and their plight. The RF/ID wristband has become a symbol of solidarity with the refugees cause and Lynne, like many of the U.S. military personnel, is still wearing the wristband. She says she won't take it off until the last refugees are home whether that be back to Cuba or Haiti or to a new home in the United States. While we are celebrating the holidays days here in America, my heart goes out to these thousands of people who cast their lives onto the sea hoping for the chance to become U.S. citizens. For them, their RF/ID wristband symbolizes their hope that someone in the U.S. is paying attention to their plight. [Talking about a sales job? They have convinced these refugees RF/ID wristbands are a "symbol of their cause." Will the "Mark of the Beast" also be a symbol of the "World Cause?" This goes to show you how convincing a lie can be! Beware the wiles of the devil! I should also stress. These people, and these companies are probably good people, and the companies good companies. Lucifer is using what could be some good ideas for bad purposes. At this point, no one has been hurt, but prophecy tells us it will come to that!] RF/ID COVERAGE STIRS UP WATERS OF CONTROVERSY Page 100 Automatic ID News, November 1991 To the editor: I was compelled to write to you after reading your editorial in the August issue of Automatic I.D. News. The title of the editorial was, "If 'chips' are for pets, why not for kids?" While I can understand your reservations over using RF/ID technology for tracking people. I am troubled by your firm lack of support of this application. [This is a good example of the benefits modern technology can afford us. Identification is a good idea if it were not for the abuse that is coming by the Antichrist. Those unfamiliar with Bible prophecy are lost in understanding the meaning for the future.] While our forefathers wrote the Declaration of Independence and formulated a guideline for civil rights, I don't think they had in mind that there would be a time when repeat criminals are allowed to roam free. Conversely, if they did envision this time, they certainly never offered a plan that would enable families to recover their children safely after an abduction, from the home no less. Privacy issues appear to be a matter of subjected interpretation of the law that makes no distinction between when or whose privacy should be protected. Therefore, we must ask ourselves whose privacy should be protected in a variety of circumstances. In cases where a child has been abducted, I would think the privacy issue would be clearly defined. [If we allow them to get there foot in the door to our privacy today, tomorrow they will have it wide open to abuse as they please.] Certainly, the child would want to have his or her privacy unprotected if it meant a speedy rescue from the prospect of being brutally raped and/or murdered. Maybe the criminal would want his or her privacy protected in the midst of a crime, but does society as a whole? [History has shown us, whatever the mind of man can conceive to stop evil, evil men can conceive of a way around it. For example, the Police were going to virtually eliminate speeders by using radar. I don't need to go into the elaborate radar detectors available on the market to avoid it today. This is only one example. Until Jesus returns --evil will wax worse and worse.] Instead of worrying about the abuses of this application, we should explore the benefits. I believe that if we look closer at the number of child abductions, we may find an age group that may benefit from using this technology. I also believe that 'chipping' inmates would be a good idea if it meant that the inmate could be quickly located after an escape. Furthermore, chipping repeat offenders that are out on parole could also prove beneficial in cases where the parolee chooses to "skip town." In a final note, I want to say that I applaud the RF/ID industry and the technological advancements industry participants have made. I will continue to applaud and support this industry and I look forward to the day when a child is safely recovered just minutes after an abduction. I ask you to reconsider your opinion of this application and put it into the perspective of how you might feel just minutes after you realized one of your own children was abducted. Kathleen Erickson Frost and Sullivan Mountain View, CA 2. IT MUST BE NEEDED TO PREVENT A TRAGEDY, OR CALM A CHAOS... NATIONAL CITIZEN I.D. IS PROPOSED By Maria Puente of USA TODAY Sent in by Terry L. Cook All U.S. citizens and legal immigrants would get the equivalent of a national I.D. card under an expected proposal to Congress by the Commission on Immigration Reform. Similar proposals have been embraced by Congress but vehemently opposed by some immigrant and privacy advocates as costly and prone to abuse. The new Social Security type cards including photo and fingerpnnts, would allow employers to verify work eligibility through a national data base. "Workers would not have to carry them at all times but would have to present them when applying for a job," says Susan Martin, CIR director. The idea is to prevent illegal immigrants from getting jobs through fake documents, and reduce discrimination against citizens and legal aliens. [If not for the Bible we would believe this, and be caught unaware. The Mark of the Beast, the idea of one money, one card/ID chip or what ever the "Mark" is has some value if the person heading the world government were Jesus rather than the Antichrist.] The commission's first report is due in September. 3. BE GLOBALLY ACCEPTED AND CONTROLLED.... DRIVERS LICENSESWITH COMPUTER CHIP Bangkok Post, Friday September 2, 1994 Sent in by Terry L. Cook [Do you think America is more technically advanced than Thailand? Most everyone would answer "Yes!" Then if the following comes from Thailand, imagine to where the hidden technology has really advanced?] The National Police Agency is considering introduction of IC "smart card" drivers licenses that could be used as identity cards or even to start a car. The data storage capability of cards with integrated circuits, agency officials said, could make it possible to imbed in the cards such essential identity information as name, address, emergency notification information, and records of traffic violations. The information can be read by a portable device that will be carried by traffic police. It added the licenses will be about the same size as credit cards and the new drivinglicenses that were introduced in May. The cards will help facilitate the issuance of traffic violation tickets by giving police easy access to drivers' records and enabling police to input violations quickly. Police will also be able to use the cards to identify drivers involved in accidents. [I thought we had the capability to identify drivers now! Why do we need this if it is not for global identification heading to the Mark of the Beast?] The agency said it hopes to introduce the licenses in two to three years. Some technical problems need to be solved before the licenses are introduced, [The global system is not ready to go on-line yet, but it is getting very close.] however, for example, the cards need to be slightly thinner. When the licenses are first introduced, they will have some information printed on them and some that has been input electronically. But eventually, they will only have the drivers mug shot on one side. Because a password has to be input before information on the card can be read, personal information remains safe even if the cards are stolen or lost, the officials said. Drivers will be able to customize their cards after inputting a personal code and use them as ignition or door keys or as membership cards to various clubs. [So what will the government use them for --Mark of the Beast? So many prophecies are being fulfilled and so many are so near fulfillment! Praise the Lord!] HIGH-TECH SKIING - MISROCHIP Bob Schoenbaum - Newsweek Jan 16, 1995 Trends: Microchips and other slope-smoothers With their spandex body suits and oversize goggles and neon skis, skiers already look high-tech, ready for the millennium. But fashion isn't all that's futuristic on the slopes this season. Here's some of the new stuff you'll see: The "Ski Key" is a watch-size black box (Worn on a velcro wristband) that contains a microchip. It's in use at California's Northstar at Tahoe, where scanners on chairlifts keep track of vertical miles skied. Like members of airline frequent-flier clubs. Ski Keyers win prizes for accumulated mileage. Skiers can charge lift fees and meals directly to the Key, and it even alerts them to phone messages so the office is never more than a mogul away. 4. BE CONNECTED WITH THE PURCHASE OF ALL PRODUCTS... ACROSS NATION, FIBER OPTICS RACE IS ON By CARLA LAZZARESCUII Times Staff Writer The great race to wire America for the next generation of entertainment and information services is finally on. The Clinton Administrations plan for a national electronic superhighway is spurring cable and telephone companies to install their own fiber-optic highways to protect their turf. After years of footdraging, the nations phone companies are spending billions on the fiber-optic networks capable of offering movies, at home shopping and video store prices. CHANGE MONEY'S COLOR, STUDY SAYS The Associated Press WASHINGTON - Greenbacks could turn blue if federal officials adopt proposals for redesigning U.S. currency to help people with limited sight. The government-authorized study released Tuesday also recommends varying the size of bills to help the blind figure out denominations. Such changes have a better chance of approval now because the Treasury Department already is planning big changes to fight counterfeiters. [All of this is propaganda. It is preparing us to accept the new currency -if there is any. We still think the best scenario, barring any chaos before hand, will be a currency exchange. Perhaps a 1 to 10 exchange rate like they did in Russia. Don't rule out the possibility in a jump from cash to cashless without the exchange first. Either way, we know we are going cashless.] EUROPEAN CURRENCY POSSIBLE BY 1997 ECONOMY. The deadline is feasible if member countries meet strict targets, French official says. Bloomberg Business News - Orange County Register 11-24-94 PARIS - France's central bank governor rekindled expectations that European monetary union could take place as early, as 1997. With France due to assume the presidency of the European Union in January, bank officials, Jean-Claude Trichet said the 1997 deadline is feasible if member countries have the will to meet strict economic targets. Trichet told a business audience that France has been effectively locked into monetary union since signing the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, and has enshrined it as a goal in its constitution and has the ability to achieve it on time. "Monetary union in 1997 is possible. [Meaning, ONE WORLD ECONOMIC ORDER!!!! If the New World Order, is the tribulation, and we don't know that it is; but if it is, we can expect things to begin to fall apart financially very soon.] It depends on everyone's effort," Trichet said. "If a majority of countries meet the criteria by then, we'll have a single currency." [Headlines scream prophecy is being fulfilled. Jesus is coming very soon!] Doubt among international investors over Europe's ability and will to compete moves to monetary union has arisen because of damage done to Europe's economy by the recession of the past; couple of years, and the havoc wrought to its monetary system by last years currency crisis. Although state deficits have risen in the past two years, and countries have been forced to abandon narrow exchange rate bands, most European governments remain committed to monetary union and believe it can be achieved. As you can see by the previous articles the system to accommodate the "Mark of the Beast" is rapidly being set in place. Prophecies tell us the end of this age is near. Jesus is the only escape from the New World Satanic Order -the only escape from Daniels' seventieth week. Repent of your sins. Ask Jesus to rule your life! "It is evident that the new world order as conceived in Washington is about control and surveillance, not about values or a better life for the peoples of the world." -Falk pg.102 World Federalist Association 418 7th St SE, Washington, DC 20003 ********************************************************** The Mark of the New WorldOrder: I.D. Biochip in your Right Hand! By: Terry L. Cook Clinton's proposed health care card, a disguised NATIONAL IDENTITY CARD is an ingenious device for tracking and controlling the lives of American citizens. This new ID card will allow Big Brother and Big Sister (uncle Bill and aunt Hillary, or any other New World Order representative) to maintain digitized, permanent, and accessible records on every man, woman and child in America. The government wants us to believe that this socialistic plan will benefit us by allegedly improving the quality and/or general availability of health care coverage in the United States. But nothing could be further from the truth! Indeed, the ulterior objective of this plan is not to improve the quality or availability of health care insurance. Rather, it is a devious means of consolidating and computerizing all available information on each of us into a new electronically digitized, centralized government data base that will ultimately lead to a complete loss of privacy, enslavement, and control. To make this enslaving system work, each of us must have a unique ID number that can be accessed by various local, national and international computer banks. That is why the National Health Board, which would be set up under this socialistic "Health Care" program, would "enforce unique identification numbers for all consumers," according to government literature. This is already being done in Canada and other countries. The Clintonista National Identity Card will become so ubiquitous, so necessary in order to comply with government regulations, that we will be forced to carry it with us at all times! That leads to a very serious problem. What if we lose it? What if someone steals it? Will we be able to function without it? Probably not! But don't fret, your "friendly" New-World-Order government has a solution. You see, there is a new, more advanced and sophisticated system of identification that cannot be lost or stolen! It will make the ID card obsolete. It's a syringe-implantable ID tra nsponder biochip that goes into your body. A tiny microchip, the size of a grain of rice, is simply injected under the skin of your RIGHT HAND! Unlike laser-light bar code marking systems, biochip implants utilize low frequency FM radio waves (125 kHz) that pass through objects. These ID biochips are therefore much more effective and efficient than any previous method of verifying one's identity. In fact, biochip transponder technology is the only viable means of identifying living creatures. ID implants will eventually replace all existing forms of identification devices for people.' These amazing, relatively simple biochip radio transceiver implants are battery-free, passive devices that will have everyone's unalterable, international 18 digit ID number electronically encoded into them. Once they have been injected under our skin, we will have been ELECTRONICALLY BRANDED for life! Liken it to a modern, electronic TECHNOLOGICAL TATTOO if you will. Of course, most of us (especially Christians) will find such a surgically implanted government microchip unacceptable and repugnant. But it will be forced on us nevertheless. In fact many will be easily coerced into this new totalitarian system of identification because without accepting it no one will be permitted to buy or sell anything, anywhere in the coming cashless, global economy. Yes, that's correct! In the coming New World Order system of communistic control there will be no jobs, no food, no homes, no cars, no health care, no retirement benefits, no bank accounts or money without this hightech electronic ID Mark IN YOUR BODY. You'll not be able to function in any respect whatsoever without this world government ID/debit chip in your right hand. Nor will you have any privacy. Individual privacy will be eliminated! Transponder ID/debit chips will not only replace cash, checks and credit cards, they will supplant all existing forms of identification. These biochip implants will become our passports, driver's licenses, health care cards, social security cards, etc. In other words, they will become our UNIVERSAL ID and ATM / DEBIT CHIPS all in one. One World, One Biochip. Presently, AT&T advertises it's new contactless, electronic smart card as, "One World. One Card." Simply pass your right hand over a radio-frequency (RFID) scanner and you will be identified instantaneously and processed automatically wherever you are. A radio wave will pass through the skin of your hand, activate your ID transponder, and transmit your unique ID number back outside the skin to the scanner. This entire process of identification will require only about two seconds. Computers in the new, digitized, fiber-optical Information Superhighway infrastructure will do the rest. In the very near future, all buying and selling will be controlled. Scan your hand, and debit your account. Sounds great, right? Wrong! Welcome to the enslaving, satanic New World Order! Mr. Tim Willard, executive officer of the World Future Society, a New Age Washington DC- based organization that claims 27,000 members globally (including "Future Shock" author Alvin Toffler) was quoted recently as saying, "The technology behind such a biochip implant is fairly uncomplicated and with a little refinement, could be used in a variety of HUMAN applications." "Conceivably," Willard said, "a number could be assigned at birth and follow that person throughout life. Most likely, it would be implanted on the back of the RIGHT or LEFT HAND so that it would be easy to scan at stores. You simply scan your hand to automatically debit your banking account."Willard added, "The biochip implant could also be used as a universal type of identification card that would replace all credit cards, passports and that sort of thing. It could also become our medical care ID chip. It could even replace house and car keys someday." Currently, farmers, pet owners and manufacturers are using radio frequency biochips or transponders to track and account for animals and equipment, But one day soon, every human being on the face of the earth will also be tracked and controlled with this technology, How do I know this? Really, it is very simple. Nineteen hundred years ago John warned us about just such a global system of enslavement. He wrote in Revelation. A man, a world dictator, whose number would be "666", would arise to power at the end of the Age (I suspect by the year 2001) to enslave the world. He said that this incarnate devil-man, THE ANTICHRIST, would make every living person on earth worship him and take his number in their right hand or forehead. The Bible clearly informs us this will be the most diabolical system of world government history has ever known. Revelation Chapter 13, verses 16 through 18, state it this way, REV 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. Revelation Chapter 14, verses 9 and 11 says that any person who worships this coming dictator/beast/man/antichrist and accepts his 666 economic MARK (biochip implant?) in their right hands or foreheads will burn for eternity. God will not forgive anyone who worships the devil and takes his mark. Could the Coming NEW WORLD ORDER global government be the final, devil-led system of world government about which John wrote? Could the ID biochip transponder be the MARK OF THE BEAST? I believe so, It is looking more and more like it every day. If so, we should all strive to get closer to the Lord Jesus Christ as those EVIL days approach us. Scripture says that only those who believe in Christ will escape the coming horrors of the New World Order. Choose Jesus Christ not the Antichrist as your master today! God bless you! A short bio about Terry Cook Terry Cook is a retired Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff and a former State of California fraud investigator.. He holds A.A., A.S., B.A., & B.S. degrees. He also holds four teaching credentials and is a California licensed real estate broker and insurance agent. In addition, he is a FAA licensed airline transport jet pilot (commercial) and flight instructor. Terry has been investigating biochip transponder identification technology for the past five years. He has produced several educational, informative videos and books on the subject. Presently, he is making available an excellent package of information on implantable biochip technology arid how it relates to the New World Order plan to enslave and control us. Videos by Terry Cook $20 each. 666 Mark of the Beast Pressing Toward "THE MARK of the Beast!" NO 666 ID FOUND Book by Terry Cook Implantable Biochip Technology $10 All of Terry's books and videos are available by writing: Second Coming Ministries 774 Mays Blvd. Incline Village, NV 89451 ******************************************************** Organized Crime: An Excuse for World Government by Patti Lalonde reported in the March 95 issue of Christian World Report In light of the United Nation's World Ministerial Conference on Organized Transnational Crime (Nov. 21-23, 1994), readers should watch for increasing reports on the global problem of organized crime. Recent reports have been claiming that organized crime is turning into an octopus whose tentacles know no boundaries. One of the reasons slated is the dismantling of trade barriers. While the controversy over the GATT agreement was taking place in the U.S. Congress, the U.N.'s conference on organized crime was looking at GATT in another light. According to a Nov. 21, 1994 Reuters report, "Ironically, world moves toward broader trade and open frontiers, seen as vital to promoting international prosperity, are also creating unprecedented opportunities for crime gangs. "Traditionally clannish organizations such as the Hong Kong- based Triads, Italy's Mafias, the Japanese Yakuza and the Russian bands, are beginning to make deals with each other and co-operate in crime." Similarly, a Dec. 19, 1994 Canadian Press report noted, "South American drug lords are looking for ways to exploit the North American Free Trade Deal to launder their illegal profits, an RCMP intelligence report says. "The crime groups have reviewed the options created by the trade deal between Canada, the United States and Mexico, the 1994 National Drug Intelligence Estimate has concluded. "It says there has been no change in the way drug money flows through the three countries, but the national police force admits it's not sure what kind of impact the North American Free Trade Deal (NAFTA) has had on drug trafficking. "NAFTA is making it harder for police to track drug-money laundering operations, said Inspector Tim Killam of the anti-drug profiteering squad. "'If there's freer trade, it's just as if there are transactions happening within a country,' Killam said in a telephone interview from Ottawa." And the U.N.'s solution to this growing problem is? Well one suggestion offered by U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali is an international convention which would go beyond the domestic laws of a nation-state. And this was something addressed by some of the delegates representing 140 nations attending the conference. According to a Reuters report, "top officials from countries such as China, Colombia, Russia and the United States will also seek common ground for a new set of international conventions covering a range of criminal activities. "So far only drugs and piracy are covered by international conventions. "'We can make beautiful recommendations but if there are no binding obligations to follow, they do not amount to much,' said one senior U.N. official attending the conference." And according to Liliana Ferraro, one of the organizers of the U.N.'s conference on organized crime, "By getting all these countries together, we hope to raise the level of awareness that organised crime can no longer be fought with national laws alone." Besides the borderless world, another reason given for the growing inability to control organized crime is cash. "The dollar, German mark and Japanese yen," notes Reuters (Nov. 21, 1994), "are exchangeable currencies almost anywhere in the world, and electronic banking allows criminal cartels to turn their ill-gotten gains into legitimate deposits at the press of a button." Ultimately, the world under the Antichrist may look upon a cashless society and the mark of the beast as possibly the best solution for problems like organized crime. In the meantime, however, one apparent solution for the prevention of turning dirty money into clean electronic cash is to have tighter laws for monitoring and control. Prior to the U.N.'s World Ministerial Conference on Organized Transnational Crime, The European (Nov.18-24, 1994) observed: "Italy's anti-Mafia magistrates agree that the war against the Mafia must be fought on the financial front. Investigators are irritated that Mafia drug smugglers are able to launder profits on the doorstep of Europe in the Channel Islands and in offshore banking centres in the Caribbean... "As Italy prepares to host a conference on organised crime in Naples from 21 to 23 November, laundering laws are being widely seen as ineffectual, despite costing the banking community L200bn a year to apply. Italian law requires banks to report operations involving more than L20m to the finance police but reports are not always effectively followed up. Confcommercio said 100 Italian banks are under investigation for alleged complicity in money laundering. It hopes that a new computer system being developed by the European Union will help monitor suspect financial transactions." [emphasis added; no details on the computer system were given] Now take into account the following two reports which came out just days after The European report: "SWISS and US police are investigating a cross-border money laundering operation said to have been run by an executive of the private Swiss bank CBI-TDB. "The executive has been in detention in Florida for over a week, accused of money laundering, membership of a criminal organisation, and of recruiting clients who put more than $10 million into the scheme... "Three others have also been arrested, including the financial director of a Hollywood retail chain, after he allegedly told an undercover customs official that he had passed thousands of dollars in 'dirty' money to Geneva since 1975. "The joint operation was launched after US customs last year infiltrated the ring, which operated across Switzerland, Miami, New York and London." (The European; Dec. 2-8, 1994) And: "More than half of Russia's 25 largest banks, including one with an office in Washington, D.C., are linked to Russian organized crime groups or involved in other illicit financial activities, according to a secret CIA report. "'The criminal threat to Russian banks and the spillover effect into the international financial markets is likely to persist until Russian la enforcement and regulatory agencies develop the expertise, gain the resources, and achieve the strong political mandate needed to deter it,' the document states... "Crime groups in Russia are using bribery, kidnapping and murder to gain control over many of Russia's 1,800 banks, [CIA Director R. James Woolsey] said. Some of the groups have forged ties to Italian crime groups to move money through Russian banks, he said." (The Washington Times; Dec. 12-18, 1994) If bankers themselves are corrupt and being influenced by organized criminals, as we are being led to believe, it won't belong before the world starts crying for some outside governmental agency, perhaps under the authority of the U.N., to monitor and control the situation. It all has the fishy smell of a textbook case of "management-by-crisis." Indeed, the solutions being proposed in this management by crisis scenario will seem logical and necessary to a world yearning for peace and prosperity. As Christians, we know that these are simply steps leading to the world order over which the Antichrist will rule prior to Christ's second coming. The steps being built to shape this new world order are fulfilling the prophesied creation of the Revived Roman Empire. Interestingly, in speaking of the thinking behind the U.N. gathering, The European reported, "[Liliana Ferraro, a senior civil servant at the Italian ministry of justice] emphasizes the need for countries including Italy and the U.S., both of which have tough anti-Mafia legislation, to help developing nations. 'It's a bit like the Roman Empire,' she said. 'We don't want to treat these countries like colonies but we can't afford to leave them behind. If their legislation leaves loopholes, the cartels will exploit them.'" *********** "In the second century of the Christian era, the Empire of Rome comprehended the fairest part of the earth, and the most civilised portion of mankind. The frontiers of that extensive monarchy were guarded by ancient renown and disciplined valour. The gentle but powerful influence of laws and manners had gradually cemented the union of the provinces." -Edward Gibbon in The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire European reported, "[Liliana Ferraro, a senior civil servant at the Italian ministry of justice] emphasizes the need for countries including Italy and the U.S., both of which have tough anti-Mafia legislation, to help developing nations. 'It's a bit like the Roman Empire,' she said. 'We don't want to treat these countries like colonies but we can't afford to leave them behind. If their legislation leaves loopholes, the cartels will exploit them.'" ********************************************************** SIGNS OF THE TIMES By: RobertNC@aol.com "These are extraordinary times." That's a phrase we hear repeated frequently these days by everyone from President Bush to other political bleaders to commentators. Even the most seasoned newsmen who have "seen it all" are in awe of the world developments of the last year. All of them realize that something unique in the history of the world is happening today. And what's most stunning about it all is the breathtaking rapidity of these recent developments. We see it in the crumbling of the Eastern Bloc of Europe and the Communist Empire. We see it in the Soviet Union's disintegrating economy. We see it in the recent unprecedented vote by the Soviet communist party to relinquish its absolute hold on power for the first time since it seized power 70 years ago. We see it in the failing ecosystem of Planet Earth. Even though we see it all so clearly, it's still difficult to comprehend. What does it all mean? Where is it all leading? The only way to understand the big picture is to look at the various categories of signs that the Bible predicted would come together just before the return of Christ. The key to understanding current events is in some familiar old scriptural passages. Jesus Himself gave us the best insight shortly before his execution on the cross. In Matthew Chapter 24:3, the disciples came to Jesus and asked: "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" The question was in the context of Jesus' prediction to them that Jerusalem and the Temple was about to be utterly destroyed. Note that the disciples actually asked three questions: when will these things be? What will be the sign of Your coming? And, what will be the sign of the end of the age? The disciples did not realize how complex their questions were. They assumed that the destruction of Jerusalem, the return of the Messiah and the end of the age were all connected events. JERUSALEM'S STATUS A KEY SIGN But look how carefully and precisely Jesus answered the questions. In Luke Chapter 21:12-24, Jesus focuses on the first question about the destruction of the state of Israel and the ensuing Diaspora. Jesus gives a precise chronology of the most important events that would separate the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem from the signs that would much latter herald His second advent and the end of the age: "And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led away captive into all nations;and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled",Here we see clearly that the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple is not connected directly with His Second Coming. This even has already occurred in 70AD, when the Roman 10th Legion under Titus destroyed the city and Temple. That was the second destruction of the city. (The Babylonians destroyed it first in 587BC). Jerusalem would remain under Gentile domination 70AD until the times of the gentiles were fulfilled, Jesus said. Now how would we know when the TIMES OF THE GENTILES are beginning to end? We would know when Gentile domination of Jerusalem would begin to be taken away? The Gentile domination began to end June 5, 1967, when the new State of Israel took sovereign control over it. But they do not as yet have control of the most important part, the temple area. This will still be disputed in the Tribulation period that immediately precedes the Lord's return. Let's remember that in 1948, the Jews recaptured a small part of their land, but it wasn't until 1967 in the Six Day War that Jerusalem was retaken and sovereign control was established by the Jews over old Jerusalem for the first time in 2500 years. As I have restudied the Book of Daniel recently, I have begun to see that the recapture of Jerusalem was prophetically as important as the taking and reestablishing of the nation of Israel. The focus of Daniel's prophecy about the last seven years before Christ's return is on Jerusalem. Daniel (Chapter 9:24) speaks of the time "decreed for your people and your holy city." Jerusalem is the key to all of the Second Coming prophecy. That's why it was such an important development when the city wastaken in 1967. It is also relevant that we see so much turmoil taking place in Israel and the Middle east right now. Control over the old city of Jerusalem is the uppermost concern of the Moslem world. This is their third holiest site, only slightly less important than Mecca and Medina. BIRTH PANGS OF THE SECOND COMING Only after Jesus answered that first question about the holy city did He address the broader questions about His return and the end of the age. His last great prophetic message as it is recorded in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 is the key to understanding the mind boggling events that are so rapidly coming upon our generation. Here's how the major signs Jesus foretold developed in the 1980's--many of which we will be exploring in-dept in this report: RELIGIOUS DECEPTION Ten years ago, we could see the beginning of this trend, but not to the extent we see it today. In the 1980's, there were tremendous increases in satanism, ritual abuse, occult activities, New Age beliefs and apostasy--which I define as the rejection of known truth about God. WAR AND RUMORS OF WARS The 20th century will undoubtedly be known as the greatest warring century of all time. But the most significant development in the late 1980s was the way the stage has been set for the ushering in of a global pseudo-peace. This phase of peace will actually put the world at greater jeopardy than any of the great wars. This peace will be a part of Satan's great deception. In Daniel 8:24-26, we learn of the rise of the Antichrist and how he will use peace to destroy many. The fourth clause in Daniel 8:25 literally says in the original Hebrew, "And by means of peace he (the Antichrist) will destroy many." How can you destroy people by peace? Because this peace is the means by which he will gain control over the world. We may be about to see a breakout of peace on a scale the world has not seen. And just as the Bible forewarned: "WHILE THEY ARE SAYING, PEACE AND SAFETY! THEN SUDDEN DESTRUCTION WILL COME UPON THEM SUDDENLY..." (1Thessalonians 5:3)*WORLDWIDE REVOLUTION: Despite the rapid crumbling of communism in Europe, the 1950s through the 1980s will be remembered as the age of revolution. Under the sponsorship of the Soviet Union the communist gospel of economic security beguiled nation after nation. Once communism took over, it maintained control by the ruthless use of power. As Mao Tsetung said, "Political power comes only from the barrel of a gun. The gun must never slip from the communist party's hand". Over one hundred Million people have been killed in order to establish and keep communism in power. Jesus predicted this would precede His coming, "When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away." (Luke 21:9 NIV) Jesus predicted that part of the birth pangs would be four great unrelated global catastrophes that will occur in concert, "There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences [plagues} in various places, and fearful events and signs from heaven [i.e., space and the earth's atmosphere]." (Luke 21:12 NIV)*FAMINES: While hunger has always plagued the Earth's population, during the last generation, famine became institutionalized in many parts of the world. Changing weather patterns, inefficient state planning and the use of good as a political weapon ensured that millions would starve. ironically, this occurred at the same time unprecedented breakthroughs were made which enhanced agricultural production. We are officially now in the age of famines. *PLAGUES: I remember when I used to talk about plagues returning before Christ comes back, I would really get the raspberries from the medical profession. "We're in the age of miracle drugs." they would say. There's nothing we can't cure. Then suddenly we're hit with the ultimate plague--AIDS. In 1989, more people died of AIDS than the US lost in the Vietnamese war. AIDS is the worst of all plagues because it destroys our immunity to every disease. *EARTHQUAKES: Looking at major quakes since the turn of the century, we see that they have increased exponentially in the last 40 years. We went from an average of 3 per decade to 46 in the 1970s and 74 in the 1980s. Now who can explain why through all those decades in this century there were so few major quakes and then suddenly they have just increased dramatically. In the short forty year period between 1950 and 1990, there have been a total of 152 major earthquakes. This is more than there had been in the previous 500 years. The Lord said it would happen, and it is happening. SIGNS IN THE HEAVENS The 1980s witnessed big increases in strange phenomena in the skies. Not the least of these was the incident that has caused concern and consternation in the Soviet Union. Soviet cosmonauts in the space station videotaped seven gigantic angels the size of 747s, according to official reports. The angels were reportedly smiling "like they knew something we didn't know", said the cosmonauts. If they happen to be the angels who blow the seven trumpets of Revelation, they do know something the Soviets ought to know.But there have also been changes taking place in our solar system and increases in UFO sightings. Society began to develop an acceptance toward contact with extraterrestrial beings, thus setting the stage for a demonic deception in the last days. ISRAEL AS CENTER OF WORLD CONCERN In the late 1980s the Palestinian intifada has refocused world attention on the Jewish state. Israel is in much greater danger today than it was following its decisive military victories in the 1960s and 1970s. Meanwhile, also fulfilling biblical prophecy is the fact that Jewish refugees are returning to Israel at unprecedented levels as communist states open up the flood gates. Anti Semitism is on the rise worldwide, adding to the reasons that Jerusalem has become a burden to the whole world. Eventually, the whole world will go to war over Israel. REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE The first real concrete steps toward the rebuilding of the Temple--a development of paramount prophetic significance began to take place during the past decade. INCREASE IN LAWLESSNESS Following a declaration of war on authority in the last two decades have witnessed unprecedented rises in crime. PREACHING OF GOSPEL TO THE WHOLE WORLD In the light of the population explosion, satellite technology widely used in the last 20 years will greatly aid in fulfilling this prophetic promise. ARAB UNITY AND MUSLIM CONFEDERATION Because the Bible says that Egypt will lead attack against Israel, it is necessary for Cairo to come back into the fold of Arab nations. Syria is already armed to the teeth and roughly 1,250 miles with accuracy. Biological, chemical and possibly even nuclear warheads are not out of the question. Libya has missiles that can nearly reach Israel and bombers with the potential for air-to-air refueling. Iran must eventually side with the Soviets, and Teheran is already moving in that direction. THE ROLE OF THE SOVIET UNION Ezekiel 38 warns that Russia will launch an ill-fated attack on Israel. The changes that are taking place within the Soviet Union and among its Eastern European allies may look promising on the surface. But they are also destabilizing, and the deteriorating economic condition within the communist power only increase the likelihood of a desperate military action of the kind described in the Bible. THE REVIVAL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE The European Economic Community moved in the late 1980s toward its goal of economic unification by 1992. The constant cry of the one-world-government promoters is that we now live in one great global economic village. As the world witnesses the great accomplishments of the EEC, it will set the stage for a global economic inter-dependence that will lead to a one world government. PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH As the world turns against the excesses of the televangelists and reacts to the Christian Reconstructionists' avowed plans for taking political power, it appears that Christians are nearing the time of persecution predicted in the Bible. Already the civil libertarian extremists are attempting to place 'barbed wire and machine-gun turrets' at the top of that imaginary wall separating church and state. A radical secularist agenda is driving traditional Christian values from the public sector. I believe there may be a great persecution of believers in the Western World before Christ comes for the church. Already the New Age movement has labeled the Bible believing Christian as the No. 1 hindrance to mankind's greatest evolutionary advancement through a global "quantum leap in consciousness". They believe this will bring mankind to recognize that he is a god, and that he can create his own reality through positive thinking. In spite of all these grim events that are on our horizon, I continue to be an optimist. In the rest of the report, I will show you why. deteriorating economic condition within the communist power only increase the likelihood of a desperate military action of the kind described in the Bible. THE ROLE OF CHINA As the massacre in Tiananmen Square illustrated, China remains a belligerent and dangerous power. The Bible predicts that the "KINGS OF THE EAST" will be one of the last great powers on earth. They will muster a 200 million man army for the final battle in the Middle east. China will certainly be the major power in this oriental confederacy. The US foolishly continues to pour military applicable high technology into China. CHANGING WEATHER PATTERNS The environment has become the major issue of the day worldwide. The greenhouse effect, the ozone holes and other global ecological concerns fit precisely into the prophetic pattern. Interestingly, the radical left have seized upon the ecological issues as their rallying point instead of their old trusted friend, the nuclear threat. NEW AGE PROPHECY OF ELIMINATING CHRISTIANS In his book, GLOBAL BRAIN, New Age theoretician Peter Russell explains his belief that each human being represents a brain cell in the mind of God. Some of the cells, he says are cancerous and cause division and malfunctions in the universe. The cancerous cells are the people who cling to the tired old theology of the past. Can you guess who they would be? Look in the mirror, Christian.Several New Age Leaders, including Russell and John Randolph Price, author of Practical Spirituality, say their "spirit guides" revealed to them in the the 1980s that these cancerous elements--you, me and other believers in the Word of God--will not be allowed to interfere with mankind's next quantum leap or evolutionary step. What do they say will happen to them (especially Christians)? "These people will be exported into the non-physical realm or "removed" from the Earth". Sound familiar? This is the explanation for the Rapture I've been predicting for years would come. Don't be surprised. Satan has long been preparing the world to accept and rationalize such a momentous and supernatural development as the Rapture. The world is rapidly moving toward this fearful judgment predicted in God's word, "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie..." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-11). Perhaps most interesting about the New Age movement has been the willingness to accept it by important world leaders. Mikhail Gorbachev is probably the New Age movement's most respected world leader. In 1988,Gorbachev was reportedly brought nearly to tears by a presentation of a crystal globe by a delegation of New Age women. His recent comments before meeting with Pope John Paul II regarding his acceptance of religion are certain to foster even more goodwill. And, the pope himself promoted many New Age beliefs in meeting at the Vatican with religious leaders from all over the world, witch doctors and shamans giving credibility and moral weight to the neo-pagans. At the same time many professing Christians are falling away from sound biblical doctrine CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION BEGINS In the early 1980s, much of the church saw great hope for the nation and the world. Morality and traditional value seemed to be making a comeback. Conservative Christians had played a major part in electing a President who was leading the charge against abortion and for the family. Out of this exhilaration came an upsurge in support for a theological movement determined to bring the kingdom of God to Earth. The Reconstructionists or "Kingdom Now" movement rejected the "Second Coming mentality" and preached that it was the responsibility of the church to turn America into a Christian nation. By the end of the 1980s, it should have been apparent to even the most dedicated reconstructionists that their plan was going awry. Instead of turning to Christian principles and values, the nation seemed almost ready to war with religion and the hypocrisy it had seen in the church. * Televangelists were the source of jokes and ridicule following the scandals surrounding Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart and others. * The media turned on Christians, routinely portraying clergy as corrupt and organized religion as hypocritical and superstitious. * The movies blasphemed the very name and person of Jesus Christ. * The art world came to the defense of a God-hater who submerged a crucifix in a vat of urine and won a government grant for his "artistic" endeavor. * The wall between church and state got a little bit higher as the ACLU AND OTHER RADICAL SECULARIST ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS PLANNED PARENTHOOD, the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION AND THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN PUSHED THROUGH A LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL AGENDA. * A newspaper reporter was fired for her pro-life views and activities * A major movie studio refused to sell photos to a Christian movie reviewer precisely because he was an Christian. *Internationally, Beirut's Christian community was on the verge of annihilation and the world seemed not to care. * Evangelical ministries throughout the U.S. were attacked as "destructive cults" by former members and a group called Cult Awareness Network. * A fifth grader at an elementary school in Omaha, Neb., was forced to take his teacher and school to court when he was prohibited from bringing his Bible to school. * A federal judge in Denver ruled that a teacher does not have the right to have in his classroom library two books on Christianity nor to read the Bible silently during classroom hours. * The Freedom From Religion Foundation launched a crusade to get hotel owners to rid their rooms of Gideon Bibles. * Property owners in several states have been charged with discrimination for refusing to rent to unmarried couples out of religious convictions. * A Church in Ohio was fined for refusing to apply for a state license to operate a school. * When a 6-year-old brought a "Jesus Loves Me" book to school in Alabama for show and tell, he was told to take it home because it was "against the Law" These examples are just a few cases from the late 1980s. Christians and Bible-based Christianity are under attack. This is a foreshadowing of an even worse persecution to come. With challenges from an increasingly secular government, hostile media and the growing threat of the New Age movement, with its distinct plan for persecution of Christians, the church is facing unparalleled threats. The United States, which for so long has provided a base for evangelism to the whole world, can no longer be counted on to provide a shining example of religious freedom and tolerance. Christians are repeatedly warned by Bible prophecy concerning persecution in the days just before Christ's coming. "According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep, For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." (1Thessalonians 4:15-18) In Him, RobertNC@aol.com ********************************************************* The Days Of Vengeance by David Chilton Book Review By: Stephan van Os No study of end times theology would be complete without a reference to the Book of Revelation. The big question for most people is how to make sense of all the details in such a way that they don't lose sight of the overall picture. For many years I struggled with Revelation, but then a new book entered the market place which I can fairly say is the most helpful and comprehensive commentary on Revelation produced during the last 50 years. At nearly 720 pages it is the largest single Bible believing commentary on this book available in print today. The title in question is "The Days Of Vengeance" by David Chilton. It is published by Dominion Press, Fort Worth, Texas, 1987. ISBN 0-930462-09-2. A number of features go towards making this book a satisfying study from both an intellectual and spiritual point of view. First of all the author takes the Old Testament seriously as the main background for Revelation. It contains literally hundreds of references to the Old Testament and for that reason alone can be called the most Biblical book in the whole Bible. The details are brought to life magnificently and as you read through the commentary you will be amazed at how it draws together a variety of great truths as we move inexorably to the final consummation of human history. Secondly the author develops the five point covenant structure of Revelation based in part on the Old Testament research of Meredith Kline in his book The Structure of Biblical Authority. Chilton argues that this framework enables us to make sense of Revelation as a whole so that we don't become completely bogged down in the details and lose the primary point about Revelation which is to be an encouragement for Christians experiencing troubled times. Thirdly the author critiques from Scripture the pessimism which is found in many parts of the Western world with regard to the future of the Church in time and history. According to Chilton's exegesis Revelation is a book about the victory of the Christian Church within human history. In that sense it is a profoundly optimistic book. Because this is God's world in which God is sovereign and Christ is on the throne at the right hand of the Father, pessimisim is the last characteristic we should be showing. If you are tired of being a historical loser this commentary will help to put iron in your soul and show you the path to victory. If you take seriously the author's conclusions about Revelation it will stimulate not only your work of evangelism and outreach, but also encourage you to address the very real political, social and economic evils present in our society today. Revelation portrays Jesus Christ as Lord now. As Christians we are called to display the reality of that ruth in our lives, our churches and ultimately our society. This commentary is written in a vigorous, highly readable style. When I first read it I found great difficulty in putting it down and getting on with my other work! That is not something which could be said about every Bible commentary. Due to the optimistic nature of Chiltons's exegesis of Revelation his views will not command universal assent in churches committed to the various forms of eschatological pessimism. But if you are interested in having a fresh look at the evidence for yourself, are prepared to be challenged intellectually and spiritually then this book is for you. Any new study of Revelation will have to take seriously the conclusions arrived at in this commentary. I recommend it highly. This book should be available in any good Christian book store. If anyone has difficulty getting hold of it they can always try Great Christian Books Elkton, Maryland on 800 569-2481. At the cost of $5 (12 month membership) they will be receive comprehensive catalogues and be entitled to purchase a vast range of excellent books at greatly discounted prices in addition to Days of Vengeance. They accept all the usual credit cards. Yours sincerely in Christ, Stephan van Os. swvanos@erasmus.win-uk.net A short Bio about Stephan van Os My name is Stephan van Os and I am a minister in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. At present I am between ministries , but in the summer I will become the pastor of 1st Lurgan Presbyterian Church in Lurgan, Co.Armagh, Northern Ireland. I've been a Christian since Christmas 1973 and have a particular interest in the music of J.S. Bach. I'm a firm believer in the value of expository preaching and am currently working through the petitions of the Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6:9-13. I'm planning a series on the book of Revelation for my next ministry and have found Chilton's commentary one of the most valuable on the market. I'm fairly new to the Internet and E-Mail concepts so have no idea of how to send a copy of the cover of the book, but I'm sure you'll be able to find it somewhere. Sincerely, Stephan van Os swvanos@erasmus.win-uk.net ********************************************************** Prophe-Zine News Bites Biometrics: The Future Alternative? Biometric Technology Today in its June 1994 issue reported that it had randomly surveyed shoppers in the UK about the use of personal identification numbers. The BTT survey showed that nearly 20% of those questioned admitted that at some point they had forgotten their PIN and were unable to get cash from an ATM. About 50% of the people surveyed couldn't remember their PIN. And roughly 18% wrote the PIN down on a piece of paper or kept the slip of paper with the PIN number on it that had been sent to them by their bank along with their card. These slips of paper are supposed to be destroyed virtually upon receipt after the cardholder has memorized his/her PIN. Putting all this together with the statistics on fraud gathered by European banking institutions, BTT suggests the time may have come to consider biometrics as a better alternative. EU CASCADE Project Looks To Use Biometrics For Future Smart Cards According to the May 1994 issue of PIN (Personal Identification News), the European Union has recently forked out 3 million ECU for a research project for the development of the next generation of smart cards. The research team will be looking for ways to develop an advanced microchip as well as advanced security. According to PIN, the plan, known as CASCADE Project (Chip Architectures for Smart CArds and DEvices) intends to design "a neural network capability for the purpose of verifying cardholders through biometrics." Research will be conducted by a company called Domain Dynamics to determine which biometric will be used. Biometrics and Guns For Police Officers According to a Biometric Technology Today report (June 1994), the U.S. National Institute of Justice has started a program which could result in all law enforcement officers carrying a biometric identification device. The purpose of the device would not be to identify suspects, but instead would be used to allow police officers to fire their own weapons. Apparently about 25% of police officers killed are murdered by their own weapon. The biometric identification device would ensure that the gun's owner is the one doing the shooting. The program is only in early testing stages. U.S. Prisons to Use Biometrics According to Tom Miller of the United States Justice Department, about 40% of escapees from federal prisons escape through the main entrance by posing as someone else. What happens, for example, is that on visiting day the escapee walks out as one of the visitors. As a solution to this growing problem, the U.S. Department of Justice has announced that it will be installing hand geometry identification equipment in federal prisons. For starters, the new identification system will be installed at three prisons as part of a six-month program. The decision follows a successful test since February 1993 at a prison in Jesup, Georgia. Visitors will be required to be enrolled in the hand geometry system upon entering the prison. An image of the scanned hand is stored in the prison's central computer system, along with some personal details and a facial image captured by video camera. The visitor is also required to carry a magnetic stripe card for identification while they are in the prison facilities. Prison staff will also be enrolled in the system. Hand geometry equipment will also be installed in other prison areas. According to Tom Miller of the United States Justice Department, about 40% of escapees from federal prisons escape through the main entrance by posing as someone else. What happens, for example, is that on visiting day the escapee walks out as one of the visitors. As a solution to this growing problem, the U.S. Department of Justice has announced that it will be installing hand geometry identification equipment in federal prisons. For starters, the new identification system will be installed at three prisons as part of a six-month program. The decision follows a successful test since February 1993 at a prison in Jesup, Georgia. Visitors will be required to be enrolled in the hand geometry system upon entering the prison. An image of the scanned hand is stored in the prison's central computer system, along with some personal details and a facial image captured by video camera. The visitor is also required to carry a magnetic stripe card for identification while they are in the prison facilities. Prison staff will also be enrolled in the system. Hand geometry equipment will also be installed in other prison areas like the cafeteria to keep track of prisoners' whereabouts. Visa's View of Biometrics Changing According to a June 1994 report from PIN: Personal Identification News, identification for cardholders is still a big question. For the increasingly popular pre-paid or electronic purse cards, ID is not that big of a concern because the added values are not generally that large. But on debit/credit cards, the ID issue is more serious. According to the PIN report, studies of ATMs in the 1980s suggested that most cardholders took years before they were comfortable with remembering their personal identification number. MasterCard conducted studies in 1986-87 on electronic chip cards. It found that a lot of cardholders didn't even realize they needed a PIN to use the card. When asked to enter their PIN on an ATM or Point-of-Sale device, many cardholders started pulling another card out of their wallets. For the increasingly popular pre-paid or electronic purse cards, ID is not that big of a concern because the added values are not generally that large. Says PIN, "Visa still believes that issuers total volume could be jeopardized with PINs, and is placing renewed faith in biometrics as the ultimate solution.. PINs will likely be the initial method of user ID, but [Visa Senior Vice President for Payment Technologies Peter Hill] indicated that Visa believes it is seeing significant improvements in the cost, false rejection performance and ease of use in biometric devices. This is a complete turn around in attitude for Visa which has given biometrics only cursory attention for the past five years." WTO update Champagne corks popped on 30 December as the United States, Canada and the European Union ceremoniously ratified the treaty setting up the World Trade Organisation. The WTO is now up and running as the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. So, too are its problems. Chief among them is who is gong to run it: Peter Sutherland is staying on as caretaker director general until April, but there is no sign as to who will take the job. WTO membership was up to more than 80 countries by the time the organisation got under way, with more Uruguay Round ratifications coming in. Only three countries have a problem with ratifying quickly all for domestic political reasons. They are Cyprus, Liechtenstein Gorby's Global Government Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev is working on plans for the first "State of the World Forum". The event is to take place Sept. 28 to Oct. 1, 1995. Among the list of global shakers and movers who will be participating in the forum are George Bush, Jimmy Carter, Javier Perez de Cuellar, Jacques Delors, Vaclav Havel, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Ted Turner, Brian Mulroney and others. The purpose of the event is to provide for "an on-going substantive dialogue which will convene some of the most thoughtful individuals in the world to discuss the fundamental questions and common future of the human community." Also, on Oct. 19, 1994, Gorbachev presented to the Council on Foreign Relations his completed draft of the "Final Report of the Global Security Project. The report was put together by The Global Security Project, GSP for short, an appendage of his Gorbachev Foundation/USA. According to the report, global efforts should be focused on the reduction and elimination of nuclear and conventional weapons, strengthening peacekeeping forces (i.e. through the U.N.), and finding new methods for preventing conflicts before they start. Gorbachev's blueprint suggests that control of all nuclear weapons be placed under the control of the U.N.'s International Atomic Agency. The "Final Report" also recommends that conventional military forces be placed under the international control of the U.N. According to an article by William Norman Grigg which appeared in the Dec. 12, 1994 issue of The New American, "the GSP urges UN-administered reconstruction of national armies into 'territorial defense' entities 'incapable of deep cross-border attack.' These national defense entities would all be subject to UN oversight and control: 'When the international [peacekeeping] authority is formed, it shall assist and then regulate this global territorial defense regime.'" It is interesting that globalist Strobe Talbott was sent on a mission to Africa in November to promote the beginnings of such a concept. He visited Ghana, Malawi, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Zaire and the Ivory Coast, all nations unaccustomed to a visit from such a high-ranking U.S. official. "What gives?" writes Ben Barber (The Washington Times; Nov. 7-13, 1994). "Diplomatic and congressional sources say Mr. Talbott was sent by his close friend Mr. Clinton to explain and promote a new U.S. policy for the continent... "[H]e sent his No. 2 diplomat to six African nations to urge them to launch peacekeeping missions in their own neighborhoods... "Because the United Nations is 'overburdened' with peacekeeping missions, Mr. Talbott said, the United States is backing peacekeeping and conflict resolution efforts by the Organization of African Unity and by smaller groups of nations within Africa... "In a New York Times article, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali echoed the call for peacekeeping by the neighbors of troubled states, saying local peacekeeping forces may cost less, respond more quickly, and be familiar with the culture and geography." And in a Globe & Mail article (Dec. 17, 1994) dealing with the future of NATO, Paul Koring writes, "Regional power politics is even receiving the stamp of approval from the wider international community. Witness the approval of last week's Conference on Security and Co-operation of a Russian-led and mostly Russian-manned 'peacekeeping' force for Nagorno-Karabakh. Even Canada, long among the most ardent champions of the UN principle that peacekeeping forces should come from disinterested parties and certainly not neighbouring nations, endorsed the CSCE peacekeeping venture between Azeris and Armenians in Nagorno- Karabakh. "'We have to accept the reality that near-neighbours are probably [going] to be better contributors' to peacekeeping, [Canadian Foreign Minister Andre Ouellet] said in Budapest." Also, Gorby's global blueprint suggests that more emphasis should be placed on preventing conflicts before they happen, as could have been the case in the former Yugoslavia. According to The New American, "Under the heading 'Conflict Prevention and Resolution,' the GSP program amplifies the concept of 'preventative intervention' into a full-blown doctrine of 'hate crimes' prevention and attitude reconstruction. According to the report, 'new knowledge about psychological motivation, conscious and unconscious, toward violence, as well as about constructive behavior in individuals, large groups and nations, can give impetus to preventative and peacemaking initiatives.'" According to Gorbachev's plan, conflict prevention should be overseen by a newly created "United Nations General Assembly Commission for the Prevention and Resolution of Conflicts" which would consist of about 10 to 15 elected persons. Although Gorbachev's suggestion focuses on the U.N., it is interesting that one of the outcomes of the December Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe summit, at Canada's suggestion, is the establishment of a human rights office to monitor the media for hate propaganda. This human rights office will be overseen by the CSCE (now the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe). According to a Toronto Star report, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien "urged the CSCE to denounce government use of the media in the former Soviet bloc to incite hatred. "'Freedom of expression must also be characterized by tolerance. "'To unmask the hate propaganda and disinformation, the CSCE must denounce the use of the media as an instrument for inciting violence and hatred.' "He proposed the CSCE's office, for democratic institutions be given the job of identifying 'the first signs of abuse in public communications.'" Rumour also has it that Gorbachev is considering running in Russia's 1996 presidential elections. According to a Dec. 8, 1994 Reuter report, "Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev is eyeing a run for president of Russia. "'I pay a lot of attention to that subject and I cannot exclude that,' he said when asked at a news conference about suggestion, is the establishment of a human rights office to monitor the media for hate propaganda. This human rights office will be overseen by the CSCE (now the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe). According to a Toronto Star report, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien "urged the CSCE to denounce government use of the media in the former Soviet bloc to incite hatred. "'Freedom of expression must also be characterized by tolerance. "'To unmask the hate propaganda and disinformation, the CSCE must denounce the use of the media as an instrument for inciting violence and hatred.' "He proposed the CSCE's office, for democratic institutions be given the job of identifying 'the first signs of abuse in public communications.'" Rumour also has it that Gorbachev is considering running in Russia's 1996 presidential elections. According to a Dec. 8, 1994 Reuter report, "Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev is eyeing a run for president of Russia. "'I pay a lot of attention to that subject and I cannot exclude that,' he said when asked at a news conference about running in Russia's 1996 presidential election.." CWA SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE REPORT This weekend I came across this flyer that was prepared by Concerned women for America (CWA) concerning the UN Treaty on the Rights of the Child. I think it states the dangers of the treaty in a clear manner and shows that we all have reason to be concerned. The following is retyped intact from the flyer, and I urge all of you to call your Senators and let them know how you feel about this heinous attempt to subvert the Constitution that protects our freedom from a totalitarian government right here at home. __________________________________________________________ OPERATION HANDS OFF OUR KIDS NATIONAL ALERT On order from President Clinton and the urging of First Lady Hillary Rodham clinton, America s UN Ambassador has signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This UN treaty destroys the authority of American parents and violates the sanctity of our families. CWA LAUNCHES OPERATION HANDS OFF OUR KIDS CWA is leading the effort nationally to prevent ratification of this destructive UN treaty by the United States Senate. AMERICAN PARENTS AND FAMILIES THREATENED The UN treaty on child rights sanctions fovernment control over families. It endorses the rights of children to decide their own future and directly attacks the nurturing role of mothers and fathers in the moral and spiritual development of their kids. VITAL TREATY INFORMATION Over 175 nations, now including the U.S., have endorsed this UN treaty that destroys traditional family values and strips parents of their rights to raise their children as they see fit. If ratified by the U.S., this international, one-world-view treaty will... - Negate all God given rights under our .S. Constitution. - Destroy the sanctity and autonomy of the American family. - Strip parents of their authority to raise their children. - Replace traditional family values with state-sanctioned values. The UN treaty contains 54 Articles. Here is a sampling of the destructive principles embodied in it. ARTICLE 2: Empowers the government to determine the religious training of a child by adoptive parents. ARTICLE 13: Grants freedom of expression to children and destroys the rights of parents to guide the intellectual, spiritual, and moral development of their children. ARTICLE 14: Guarantees children freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Parents could be prevented from enrolling their children in sectarian schools or having their children attend a particular church. ARTICLE 15: Parents prohibited from forbidding their children to join gangs, cults, or racist groups. ARTICLE 16: Establishes a child s right to privacy, including the right to abortion without notice to parents, the purchase and use of contraceptives, the right to have heterosexual or homosexual sex, and a right to possess pornographic or obscene materials. ARTICLE 17: Directs governments to use mass media for purposes of teaching state-approved values--giving information which government officials determine uplifting to children--and of imposing state-sanctioned beliefs in children. ARTICLE 18: Grants children the right to benefit from child-care services and facilities. These services would be provided by the government and would impose values the state determines appropriate for children. ARTICLE 24: Requires all governments to provide children with family planning education and services. ARTICLE 43: Sets up an international committee of 10 experts of high moral stature to oversee and monitor the rights of children. WHAT YOU MUST DO TO PROTECT OUR RIGHTS AND CHILDREN Christians across America must make their opposition to this treaty known. And as a CWA member, here s what you must do immediately... ACTION STEP 1. Your signed petitions to your U.S. Senators are needed by CWA now.! One voice--strong and united--is vital for the rights of parents and families. Your petitions clearly state that you believe parents, not government, should decide what is best for children. ACTION STEP 2. The week of March 27-31, call the Washington offices of your U.S. senators at (202) 224-3121. Let them know you do not approve of this UN treaty. Adv ise them that you sill hold them accountable if they vote for its ratification. ACTION STEP 3. Share this information with neighbors, friends, and colleagues. Give them the U.S. Senate switchboard number, (202) 224-3121. Urge them to call it and make their opposition to this treaty known. ACTION STEP 4. Please be generous in your financial support of CWA s Operation HANDS OFF OUR KIDS. We are expending tens of thousands of dollars to defeat this anti-family and anti-parent UN treaty. Your prayers and gifts are essential. ********************************************************* Cool Resources CHRISTIAN BOOK DISTRIBUTORS P.O. Box 6000 Peabody MA. 01961-6000 Customer Service: (508) 977-4550 Membership and monthly catalog subscription; $3 per year CHRISTIAN COMMUNICATIONS Prison & Ministry Outreach - Online Bible Studies Jeannine Robinson P.O. Box 45094, 81 Lakeshore Road East Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5G4S7 Phone/Fax (905) 271-7371 BBS (905) 271-3617 CHRISTIAN DISTRIBUTION NETWORK (Electronic bulletin board systems) Ray Waldo, Project Manager Route 1, Box 175W Loranger, LA 70446-9720 Voice: (504) 878-2956 BBS (504) 878-3023 FIDONET 1:394/1 CDN Headquarters 8:200/0 The CHRISTIAN GENERAL STORE (Quality Christian Materials on Issues Related to HIV/AIDS) 2130 Fourth Street San Rafael, CA 94901 (415) 457-9489 CHRISTIAN LAW ASSOCIATION (Publishers of "The Briefcase") Subscription: P.O. Box 30 Conneaut, Ohio 44030-0030 Publisher Office: (216) 593-3933 Gibbs & Craze Law Firm (216) 599-8900 CHRISTIAN MACINTOSH USERS GROUP 2190 Bristolwood Lane San Jose, CA 95132-1208 408/945-5773 - voice 408/946-4946 - FAX INTERNET: rickt5@aol.com CHRISTIAN TAPES FOR THE DISABLED (Write for catalog of cassettes and information) Box 455 - Buffalo, NY 14209 (716) 885-0307 CORNERSTONE COMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL (Helping Christian writers get published since 1984) 1117 Marquette Avenue, Suite 2303 Minneapolis, MN 55403 Fax (612) 673-0866 Internet Email: calliesmom@aol.com GREAT CHRISTIAN BOOKS 229 S. Bridge St. PO BOX 8000 Elkton MD 21922-8000 ($5 membership fee) INSTITUTE FOR RELIGIOUS RESEARCH 1340 Monroe Ave, NW Grand Rapids Michigan 49505 Phone: (616) 451-4562 Fax: (616) 451-8907 INTERNATIONAL BIBLE SOCIETY PO BOX 35700 Colorado Springs CO 80935-3570 (719) 488-9200 (800) 524-1588 Fax: (719) 488-0870 MESSIANIC RECORDS INC./LAMB (A Concert Ministry) 7605 Brookhaven Road Philadelphia, PA 19151 (215) 477-1050 Fax (215) 477-1087 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR RELEASE TIME CHRISTIAN EDUCATION P.O. Box K Ellijay, GA 30540 (404) 276-7900 ON LINE BIBLE COLLEGE Servant of the Lord BBS: 804-590-2161 Whole Cousel Ministries Mataoca, Virginia Sysop: Dr. Charles A. Wootten INTERNET: listener1@aol.com or 76476.1556@cis Fax: (804) 590-1659 WYCLIFFE BIBLE TRANSLATORS P.O. Box 2727 Huntington Beach, CA 92647 phone: (714) 969-4600 FAX: (714) 969-4661 ZONDERVAN PUBLISHING HOUSE -NRSV Concordance -NIV Atlas of the Bible 1-800-727-3480 Other Pubs Too.... The CHRISTIAN WORLD REPORT (Prophecy and current events newspaper from Peter LaLonde) ($29.95 annual, 11 issues per year) US: P.O. Box 1440, Niagara Falls, NY 14302 Canada: P.O Box 5091, Burlington, Ontario L7R 4M2 DECISION MAGAZINE ($7 annually, 11 issues per year) Billy Graham Evangelistic Association P.O. Box 779 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55440-0779 FOCUS ON THE FAMILY MAGAZINE P.O. Box 35500 Colorado Springs, Co 80935-3550 (free upon request) HIGHWAY A magazine for Truck Drivers Transport For Christ - Highway P.O. Box 303 Denver, PA 17517 IN OTHER WORDS Newspaper of Wycliffe Bible Translators PO BOX 2727 Huntington Beach, CA 92647 PARTNERS PRAYER GUIDE (Partner Ministries) 1470 N. 4th St. PO BOX 15025 San Jose CA. 95115-0025 (free guide to praying for different nations) PRISON EVANGELISM MAGAZINE International Prison Ministry P.O. Box 63 Dallas, TX 75221 THE TEACHING HOME (A Christian magazine for home educators) P.O. Box 20219 Portland, Oregon 97220-0219 Phone: (503) 253-9633 Fax: (503) 253-7345 TESTIMONY NEWSLETTER Dennis R. Mallory, Publisher P. O. Box 14974 Albany, NY 12212-4974 TODAY IN THE WORD (Moody Bible Institute) 820 North La Salle Drive Chicago Il. 60610 (free 3-month trial subscription) TRACKS IN THE SAND Uncovering Christian Men's Issues P.O. Box 1828 Tustin, CA 92680 INTERNET: mark.perew@ofa123.fidonet.org WORLD CHALLENGE (David Wilkerson letter) (free newsletter, 17 issues per year) P.O. Box 260 Lindale, Texas 75771 (903)-963-8626 42