Prophe-Zine, Issue # 17 April 15, 1996 Credits.......... Statement of Faith......... & Other stuff......... Raymond Gano..........Welcome to Issue # 17 Arthur & Rosalind Eedie.... The Ark Of The Covenant Bob Schlenker .............The Sign for the Church David M. Williams ........Messianic Prophecy Prophe-Zine News Bites..... Assorted Authors and News Services Publication Cycle Notice: Prophe-Zine will be published (up loaded), on the 1st and the15th of each month. (bi-weelkly) Prophe-Zine is freely distributed to the major on-line services, BBSs, and to the Internet. You can also get back issues at Prophe-Zine's web site. Address: http://www.best.com/~ray673/pzhome.html 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. The Legal Stuff About Prophe-Zine Prophe-Zine Copyright © 1996 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. 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, , Color-It, JPEGview, OnLine Bible KJV 2.1. 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! ***************************** Welcome to Issue # 17 Howdy all, Boy does time fly when you are having fun. I just got done sending you the last issue of PZ and here once again it is that time again. No rest for the weary I guess. A lot has been happening in the world. Israel is being bombed and fighting back (also made to look like the bad guys, in which they are not!!!) England is about to give up ALL is sovereignty to the EU, Volcanoes in CA and pacific going off again, Russia and their elections...Say did you hear about their secret bases that they are building again? The anniversary of OK bombing and the liberal press having a hay day demonizing the Patriot movement. So much is going on that I could put out a newsletter out about allthis stuff. Another thing...for those of you who visit Todd Strandbergs Rapture Index...He has hit a new high number of 138(?). Check it out. I also want to say I am sorry about getting the issue out late. I had jury duty, I had the flu/ bad cold, and my office is in the middle of a move (where I put PZ together) So alot has been happening and I hope you can forgive me. I want to say I am sorry to Ray Clark, one of the authors from last issue. I did not do a spell check and thus my typing skills were noticed ( I suck...ok) These spelling errors were mine and not Rays and I felt that it reflected on his work. SO again Ray I am sorry for the possible Bad PR. Other than that, it was an ASSUME article and MANY readers wrote in about it! JFYI, when you like an article, PLEASE write me and the author, we can really use the encouragement. Plus when the authors know that their articles are liked, they will do more of them. Well that is all for now. See ya soon and keep telling your friends about PZ. In His service, Ray PZ ***************************** THE ARK OF THE COVENANT First published in: THE PROPHETIC TELEGRAPH No.78 January 1996 From Arthur & Rosalind Eedie. Oxleigh, Langham Rd, Mumby, Alford, Lincs, LN13 9SQ, England. (Phone/Fax: 01754 872539) In November of last year when writing P.T.73. I closed with a mention of the possible discovery of the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem. Since then I have had the opportunity of following this up, and have found what seems to be conclusive evidence. My earlier account contained some errors, for example, I had assumed that it was Jonathan Gray who made the discovery whereas in fact it was Ron Wyatt. from Nashville, Tennessee. I would like to apologise for this error, due to the scanty information available to me just two months ago. And now, in this number of the Telegraph, I should like to share the facts as revealed in an address given by Jonathan Gray in a London church on Saturday 7th October 1995. a Video of which we have now seen, and also an address given by Ron Wyatt in Nashville. What had totally escaped my notice was the date. The Ark was found on 6th January 1982. exactly 14 years ago, but was kept secret by request of the Israeli Government. Although I cannot claim to have all the "inside information", I have gathered that permission has recently been granted to advertise the find, though not the exact location, and that this year is likely to be the time for the Ark. and its precious content (the two tablets of the law) to be made known to the world. Before beginning the amazIng story of this discovery, I must say that the whole episode has been compassed about by miracle. God has set His seal upon this most holy artifact of the past, and shown that it has some great significance for the days just ahead, whether in fact or in type. And the impact that it will have on world Jewry can hardly be estImated. The story begins in 1978, when Ron Wyatt was swimming in the sea At Ashkelon, one of the ancient cities of the Philistines. He stubbed his toe on something, and found that it was the rim of a large pot. Further investigation revealed that it was a Canaanite burial pot, the like of which archaeologist had long been searching for but had hitherto not found. When this news was brought to the Director of Antiquities in Jerusalem, he was delighted, and the event, seemingly by "accident", proved to be the means of cementing a relationship which was to serve a greater purpose later. A short while afterwards, Ron was standing talking to the Director of Antiquities, facing the cliff known as Golgotha,or Calvary. (These words. both meaning place of skull are respectively Hebrew and Latin.) Suddenly Ron found his arm shooting out, and he pointed, saying "There's Jeremiah's Grotto - that rubbish heap - the Ark of the Covenant must be in there!" The Director answered spontaneously, "Then you must find It." But Ron was surprised at himself. He had no thought in his mind about the Ark, and couldn't understand why he had made the remark. This was miracle number one. and the Director's enthusiastic response and request for him to find the Ark was miracle number two - a most unlikely offer, seeing it was given to a foreigner, and that it Concerned THE most holy, sought-after artifact in the Jewish world. However, Ron needed to get back to the States, and so a whole year went by before he returned with two others, to begin the dig. Meeting again with the Director. he learned that the site was jointly owned by an Arab and a European. Both needed to give permission to excavate the site. Most surprisingly, BOTH gave that permission without even asking what they were looking for! This was miracle number three. And so in that year, 1979, the arduous slow job of removing tons of accumulated rubbish began. Their dig was more or less in front of the "Skull", and quite near to Gordon's tomb. Beginning at the top of the pile, they painstakingly removed load after load of rubbish, and eventually came upon a ledge in which they found three post-holes hacked out of the rock. Each of these holes was about 13 inches square in shape, and some three feet deep. Furthermore. each hole had a "plug" in the top, which contained finger holes for easy removal. It was quite obvious what they had found. It was the site of the crucifixions, the wooden stakes being lowered into these post holes, which would later be plugged until needed again. Behind the post holes was the cliff face, and at a height of about 12 feet, there were ledges cut into the rock, on which could be set the details of the crimes committed by those who were crucified. The middle one was clearly the most significant, and was reserved for the worst criminal. We read that Pilate ordered them to write "This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews" a statement which greatly angered Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, but they had no authority to change it. Amongst the rubbish they found several Coins, none of which was later than A.D. 130, and this showed that the site was afterwards covered up and disused. This date fits in well with history, because the final destruction of Jerusalem came after the Bar-Cochba revolt in A.D.132-135. Further excavation at this level revealed the remains of a building measuring 40 feet out from the cliff-face, and 22 feet wide, that had at one time been constructed over the central post hole. This was thought to be a chapel used by early Christians, who venerated the site of the master's great sacrifice. This idea was given further impetus by the discovery of a huge circular stone on the floor of this building, Quite near to the post hole. The stone measured 13 feet 2 inches in diameter, and about nine inches thick. It was known that stones of this sort were used to roll in front of sepuchral caves. But this one was huge! Investigation was made at the entrance to the cave known as "Gordon's tomb". which was discovered in 1882 by General Gordon on his way home from his historic Chinese campaign. He was not satisfied with the traditional site of the crucifixion, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. founded by Queen Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, because it was WITHIN the city walls, and could not therefore Qualify as being the site according to Scripture. But the "place of the skull" was just outside the Damascus Gate. and by the highway that led to Samaria, and therefore mat all the conditions. Searching led himto the discovery of the actual site of Jesus' burial. As I said. investigation was made at the entrance to this tomb, and in the wall ware found two holes, exactly 13 feet 2 inches apart, in which metal rods were originally inserted to act as a "seal" to the tomb. The metal rod on the right. as you face the tomb, was missing, but the one on the left was still in place, showing all the signs of having been sheared off by some mighty force. Here was clear evidence that the huge stone found above in the chapel, was indeed the stone used to cover the entrance to Jesus' tomb. It was a mighty stone, as the Scriptures declare, and one that would have taken many men to roll back, up the slope. to the left of the tomb. But whoever moved the stone. did so WITHOUT removing the two-inch-thick metal rod. In other words, it was the work of the Angel, who, we are told, "rolled back the stone". Incidentally, the stone could not have been rolled to the right because a stone block had been built into the gully, presumably to arrest the movement of the stone as it was rolled into position. (Incidentally, quite recently the tomb of Herod the Great has been found in Jerusalem, and the stone measured.just four and a half feet in diameter. Exactly one third the diameter of the huge stone that Joseph of Arimathea had made for his sepulchre.) Thus far in the dig, conclusive evidence had been obtained that this was the true site of the crucifixion, and that the early church had built a chapel of remembrance over the post hold and the great stone. It had already been known that Skull Hill was the traditional site for burials, Moslem, Jewish, and Christian. And that in antiquity it was the place where criminals were stoned to death. (In the Mishna it is called "Beth ha-Sekelah", literally "House of Stoning") It was here that Stephen was stoned. Also it was the recognised place of public execution for Jewish criminals. As late as the beginning of the 20th century Jews would spit at the hill, throw stones, and curse the "destroyer of their nation." All this is clear evidence that it was the true scene of Christ's crucifixion and burial. But further investigation showed another important fact. Inside the middle post-hole, the one which was used to hold the Cross of Jesus, they found a crack on the left side. leading down into the rock. Here was the evidence of the earthquake that occurred the moment that Jesus died. This finding was of supreme importance. but was not appreciated until much later. The excavators had not as yet found the entrance to any cave that might house the Ark. The work was exhausting and slow, as lorry-load after lorry-load of rubbish was carted away. Two years went by, and the three men ware getting weary and somewhat discouraged. By this time they were digging a narrow trench against the rock face, and there was only room for one man to work there at a time. And so they would take it in turns, whilst the other two would take a rest on the ground above. Suddenly one day, when Ron Wyatt was digging at the bottom of the trench, he looked up and standing there above him was a very tall man dressed in typical flowing Arabic garments. "God bless you, Ron Wyatt, for what you are doing." "Who are you? How did you know what we are doing?" "I know it all. " "D'you live round here?" "No I don't." "How d'you know my name? where d'you come from?" "I've Just come from South Africa, and I'm on my way to the New Jerusalem. God bless you." Ron jumped up as the man walked away. Reaching the top of the trench he asked the other two which way the man went. They said that they hadn't seen anyone. It was then that Ron realised an Angel had been sent to give them encouragement, to spur them on. This was miracle number four. With renewed enthusiasm, they hacked away until they reached a point where there were signs of a cave entrance. It was January 1982, and four years from when Ron exclaimed to the Director about Jeremiah's rubbish heap. Hastily they broke through into a cave, but the hole was too small for any of them to crawl through. Giving a torch to a small boy, the son of the Arab who was joint-owner of the land, he climbed through. but shot out again very rapidly, looking as white as a ghost. "What's in there? What's in there?" he exclaimed, and since then has refused to tell anyone what ha saw. The hole was enlarged until it was of sufficient size to allow Ron to crawl through. It was 2 p.m. on January 6th. Ron found himself in a large chamber measuring 22 feet from the entrance to the back wall, 14 feet. wide. and about. 8 feet from floor to roof. There before him were sacred items of furniture from Solomon's Temple, the Altar of Burnt offering, the Table of Showbread, and the Altar of Incense. They were covered over with skins, over which were placed lengths of timber, and on top of these were lumps of rock and stone. But Ron became aware that at the back of the cave there was something else, and it had been enclosed within a wall, so that only the top of it could be seen. As his eyes became accustomed to the dim light. so he realised that he was looking at two Cherubim with wings outstretched over the Mercy Seat. It was the Ark of the Covenant! Ron collapsed and fainted, and was unconscious for 45 minutes. Coming to, he crawled out and announced his discovery. The Director of Antiquities was informed, and he hurried to the site, and began to enter the cave, but on doing so his back collapsed and he had to be taken to hospital where he remained paralysed for nearly two weeks. He was later heard to say that he would never again try to enter the Cave and see the Ark. This was miracle number five. Ron took a Polaroid camera into the cave and photographed the Ark. On immediate development, the film was found to be fogged, not entirely but just over the portion where the Ark was. He then tried using his 35 mm camera, and when these shots came out they likewise showed fogging. Then a Video camera was used and the same effect was apparent. Some strange thing was happening to prevent the world from seeing the Ark. This was miracle number six. I have now seen the footage of this video, and all is clear except where the Ark rests, and in front of it there is a golden mist. Ron has pencilled in the outline of what he saw and the Cherubim are of human form with wings outspread over the Ark. At this stage, a Jewish official suddenly decided to halt all further work on the site. It was a severe blow, and Ron and his friends prayed that God might over-rule. The prayer was answered almost immediately, because the man had a heart attack and died. This was miracle number seven. Another man showed great curiosity and interest in what was going on, and tried to prise out of Ron what he was doing and where he was working, but Ron refused to divulge any information. However, this man was determined, and followed the party about surrepticiously until he finally saw what they were doing. Calling a press conference for 9 am the next morning, he prepared himself to blast their secret into the open. But the following morning at 8 am he was found dead in an alley way, in a pool of blood, having been shot by the PLO on some unrelated matter. This was miracle number eight. When the Jewish Authorities were told about this find, they were put in a very difficult position. They had living within the land religious extremists who would stop at nothing if they could but see the Ark, and know that it was genuine. already there had been attempts to blow up the Dome of the Rock, the Arabic sacred site which rests over the place where Abraham was to sacrifice his son Isaac. This mosque rests on the Temple platform, and many Jews would do anything to get it removed, so that they could build a new Temple on the site. The discovery of the Ark would be the greatest single event to spur them on at all costs, but would engulf the Middle East in a "holy war" of unimaginable horror and devastation. The result was that the Israeli Parliament has asked Ron to build a door to the cave, cover it with earth, and plant shrubs to disguise the site. And there it has remained for the last fourteen years. I have no idea what the Israelis have in mind for this Year, but if they decide to make the Ark Public, then I am led to wonder what will happen. Will the Lord allow it? The strange happenings thus far indicate that God is still very interested in the preservation of His holy furniture. But although we have come this far, the story does not end here. I mentioned earlier that there was a crack in the rock on the left side of the middle post-hole, a crack that had been caused by an earthquake. It was only when Ron Wyatt investigated the ark of the Covenant in more detail that he realised what he was looking at. Right above the left hand side of the Mercy Seat the roof of the chamber shows a large fissure, and within this fissure there are copious quantities of dried human blood. Furthermore, on the Mercy Seat itself there is a large amount of dried blood. When measurements were taken, they found that the crack in the post-hole led down to the fissure below, and so it was possible for blood to trickle through. It will be remembered that AFTER Jesus had died, and the earthquake rent the rocks, a Roman soldier pierced the Lord's side with a spear. Presumably the spear entered the Lord's heart or spleen, because "blood and water" flowed out. The Lord had died of a broken heart, crushed by the agony of carrying the load of this world's sin. His death had not been the normal death of one who had been crucified. The two thieves had their legs broken to accelerate death, necessary to comply with Jewish legislation, that no man should remain there on the Sabbath, which was due to begin at about 6 pm that day. And so it was that God the Father had rent the rocks to make a way for His Son's blood to flow down from the spear-wound, through the newly formed fissure onto the very Mercy Seat itself. Now just think about this for a moment. Jeremiah had deposited the Ark in the cave some six centuries B.C., with absolutely no knowledge of the events which were to occur on Good Friday. The Romans who hacked out the post-holes had absolutely no knowledge of what lay beneath their feet, nor that they were positioning the CENTRAL hole in exactly the right place. And until the Lord had died, there was no way for blood to trickle down because there was no crack. But these Amazing coincidences actually happened. Yes, they ARE coincidences, because everything had to COINCIDE exactly for it to happen, but there was never any human design - it was entirely the work of God in Heaven, who knew the end from the beginning, and arranged for it to happen in that way. This is miracle number nine, and it is a "miracle of miracles." In Hebrews we read. "It is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin, - - but Thou hast prepared a body for me - - and lo, I come to do Thy will O God." "By His own blood He entered in once and for all into the Holy Place having obtained eternal redemption for us." (10:4-7 and 9:12) . None of the O.T. sacrifices were able to take away sin. Only the blood of the Son of God could do that. But the children of Israel were accepted as a result of their sacrifices by virtue of faith in the spoken word of God, and the sacrificial laws. Because Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world in God's foreknowledge. He was able to accept the sacrifices of His people BEFORE Christ came into the world. Calvary was the Hub of History. They looked forward. We look back. Each acts in faith, the one in prospect. the other in remembrance. Before Ron closed the cave, he took some of the dried blood that had been kept undisturbed for nearly 2000 years and presented it to a laboratory for testing. Using an electron microscope it was possible to find the chromosomal content of the blood. Ron described it in his address at Nashville, saying that normal human blood contains 46 chromosomes, 23 from each parent. X chromosomes are female, and Y chromosomes are male. All 23 ware present from the mother, but ONLY ONE chromosome was present, the Y chromosome. showing that the blood belonged to a male, but that HE HAD NO HUMAN FATHER. This is miracle number ten. The Lord had preserved the blood until man had the technological means of determining the chromosomal content of the blood, thereby to prove that the Virgin birth was no myth, but VERY FACT. These are the ten miracles connected with the discovery of the Ark of the Covenant. There may be others that I have missed, I don't know. But surely enough has been given to provide us all with such an amazing extra proof of our Lord's sacrifice and what it means, that all evangelism must change into top gear. I praythat this little paper may become a useful tool to use in this respect. Please feel free to copy it if you wish. There is never any copyright on any of our papers. We only ask that COMPLETE copies be made, so that ambiguities do not arise. I should now like to share another item of news in connection with the above scenario. I have a valued friend and brother in Christ who is a retired Doctor of Medicine. In an excited telephone conversation with me a short while ago he said that Ron Wyatt's testimony about the chromosomes had caused him to question whether it would be possible for anyone to have blood so depleted in chromosomal content. Being a man of faith and action, he committed this to the Lord, asking for a clear sign that all was well. Not many days passed before he picked up the New Scientist for 7th October 1995, and there on page 16 he found the following heading - THE BOY WHOSE BLOOD HAS NO FATHER He could hardly believe his eyes! The author, Philip Cohen, quoting an article by David Bonthron and his colleagues at Edinburgh university in Nature Genetic (Volume 11, page 164) explained that a certain three year-old boy had bean found whose white blood cells contain only two X Chromosomes, the signal for a female. To cut a long story short, they went on to explain that the probable cause was a self-activating unfertilised ovum which had subsequently (after a short time) become fertilised in the normal way. The sperm would then have entered only a PART of the divided ovum, thereby creating this most unusual affect. Bonthron believed that the boy's remarkable genetics depended on a number of highly unusual circumstances combining together, and occurring within a very short time window. "I don't expect we'll ever see another one. " he said. Here was yet another miracle! Our Doctor friend had been given information about an incredibly rare condition, yes, but the TIMING of the article in New Scientist was a true gift from God. The little boy's chromosomes do not match those of our Lord, but present what Cohen called "partial parthenogenesis", (parthenogenesis is the biologist's name for Virgin Birth.) however, the similarity was such that it proved the possibility of a human being existing with a considerable depletion in his chromosomal count . And finally. what about those other reported cases of the finding of the Ark of the Covenant? I have left this until last so as not to spoil the TRUE story by preluding it with the spurious. I find it interesting, Almost intriguing, to realise that Steven Spielberg's film "Raiders of the Lost Ark" should have come out for general release in 1981. I remember watching it at the time, and wondered what he was trying to say, being of Jewish origin. The supernatural affects he attributed to the holiness of the Ark certainly had their parallel in the finding of the real Ark. But late in that very year, an announcement was made by another team, saying that they had located the Ark in a cave in Mount Nebo, the mountain where Moses viewed the Promised Land before his death. This team included Tom Crotser, Jim Bollinger, and the astronaut Jim Irwin. Irwin had earlier been interviewed on BBC Television by Richard Baker. who asked him, "What are you doing now?" And amongst other things he said. "I'm helping to find the Ark of the Covenant in Jordan." But it was in the Christmas 1981 issue of Far Eastern Berean that a panelled quotation appeared, taken from the Straits Times of Singapor,. entitled "We found the lost Ark claim!" And so, on BBC 1 in January 1982 (at the very time when Ron Wyatt was breaking through into the cave) Tom Crotser was interviewed, and he showed photographs of the Ark. Furthermore there was a guarded note to this effect in the Jerusalem Post. Now we may very well ask why Crotser was able to obtain clear photographs, whereas Wyatt was not. And I shall leave it to my readers to ponder that question. Incidentally, I have not personally heard anything more about this find in Mount Nebo, except that it is sited in a position belonging to both the Vatican and the Jordanian government, the latter being adamant in refusing anyone to remove the artifact. An American archaeologist by the name of David Lutz made the following statement. "One rabbi told me this discovery would not only promote the building of the Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, but would also signal the end of the Diaspora, the dispersion of the Jewish people. It would be as influential as a spoken command from the Almighty to all Jewish parsons to coma home to the Promised Land. To Christians it would be a clear signal that we are nearing the end or this age and the beginning of the Messianic Kingdom." No wonder there is great excitement Amongst many people, whether they be Jews or Christians. One wonders why the timing of the event on God's calendar is just now. Are we entering the "crossroads of history"? And if so, then we shall need to know which route to take. I am in no position to Say whether the Israeli government will make a move just now. but the facts are already out And being advertised quite widely, and this in itself is creating quite a stir. It is doing to us what the Angel did to Ron wyatt - spur us on with greater vigour than ever before to be ready for the Lord's return. Many people have drawn up plans from prophecy. some say that much still needs to be done before the second coming, but in doing so they destroy the urgency of our Lord's words, "Watch and pray for you know. not the day or the hour - and again I say, watch." The interpretation of prophecy, particularly in the Christian dispensation, has never been an easy task, and we may very well be depriving ourselves of the very thing we need to "trim our lamps" and make ourselves ready. Who knows? We are living in days of electrifying excitement spiritually, and it behoves us to "love His appearing" , and "purify ourselves, even as He is pure". So what is the artifact in Mount Nebo? I do not accuse Crotser lying. He certainly found something. But what is it? My guess is that it is a REPLICA of the true Ark, made in Jeremiah's day, and deposited in the cave according to the words that are found in 2 Maccabees 2:4-8. Why should Jeremiah do this? Because he was a man of great integrity and honour towards the Lord, and he lived Amongst people, even his OWN people, who were dishonest to the Core. They would be watching his every move, and wanting to know what he was doing. This would mean that SOMEONE would find the Ark and raid it. and he didn't want that to happen. So he made a replica, and took it to Mount Nebo. In the event, even this replica has not been found until recent days. There is yet another story about the Ark which needs a mention before I conclude this paper. In 1992 Graham Hancock wrote a book, published by William Heinemann, entitled "The Sign and the Seal". It is the account of his travels in Ethiopia in search of the Ark, which by tradition is held in great secrecy by a people who have a strange mixture of Judaism and ChristianIty. Hancock was never able to gain access to the building where this Ark is kept, and which is closely guarded by a monk by the name of Abba Fameray. The story goes that King Solomon sired a son by the Queen of Sheba, whose name was menelech and when Menelech was in his late teens he travelled to Jerusalem, and was treated very well by Solomon, who asked what gift he would like to take back with him. "The Ark of the Covenant", he said, which prompted an immediate negative response of course. Menelech was not well pleased with this refusal, and later brought several companions with him, and stole the Ark in the dead of night, and transported it to Ethiopia, where it has rested until this very day. This story may be found in the Encyclopedia Britannica and it adds that the Ark now rests in a town called Axum. This is a highly unlikely tale, and would have been a major embarrassment to the children of Israel if they found that it had been stolen. No doubt a "holy war" would Have been raised by Solomon to regain this priceless treasure. But no. There is no mention of it anywhere else, save in Ethiopia. So what do THEY have in that land, which they guard so carefully? I believe it could be yet another replica, not taken in Solomon's day, but probably in Jeremiah's day or thereabouts. Finally, a few addresses for those who would like to write: (a) to Jonathan Gray P.O.Box 3370, Rundle Mall, Adelaide, South Australia. 5000 (b) to Ron Wyatt Wyatt Archaeological Research, 713, Lambert Drive, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A. 37220 (c) to the British H.Q. of Advent Truth P.O.Box 41, Derby, DE1 9ZR, England from whom the Various Videos. tapes, and books may be obtained. ****************************** The Sign for the Church By Bob Schlenker Editor of The Open Scroll A Christian Research Ministries Publication Those of us who are eagerly anticipating the promised gathering of the dead and living in Christ long for any sign of that event's breaking forth on the horizon. Informed Christians rejoice to see the unstable and turbulent character of society and of the whole creation as foretold in the Olivet discourse because we understand that these things must first increase. As we are seeing other similar signs like the development of what must be the "mark of the beast" technology in the implanted transponder micro-chip, the increasing functionality of a unified world order, the potential for the soon restoration of animal sacrifice and offering on the temple mount, etc., it seems that the time of our departure to be with the Lord in the heavenlies could perhaps come at any moment. However, it has come to my attention that although there are many signs of the nearness of our Lord's coming to fulfill his most precious promises to us, there is one, a solitary event, which has been declared in the scriptures to be the very sign for the Church. That's right, a sign for the Church. I myself was weaned on the notion that the Church would be raptured without warning, without prior notice, and that there would be no sign given by which to gauge the nearness of our Lord's coming for his Bride. Personally, this theory seemed to work just fine until I reached a certain point in my passionate quest to understand what lay before us. I reached an impasse. I found myself returning to the same passage again and again as if I were in a loop. I knew that I had to resolve the puzzle before me if I were to proceed. As I undertook the resolution of this passage which was for me so problematic, I was brought into a deeper level of understanding about the biblical text. The author of the scriptures had encrypted His Word, placing within the text the keys to unlock its meaning. What we must first necessarily come to grips with is the fact that matters have been concealed in the Bible and are only understood when the Lord gives the understanding. Our Lord declared in Luke 8:16-17: "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. {17} For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open". The disclosing of the hidden matter is the lamplighter's task. It is the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God which will be "brought to light." Proverbs 25:2: "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings." The purpose of this article is to inform you about the sign so that you will begin to watch for it, learn to recognize it and respond appropriately when it happens. This will be a crucially important time. Since the "window of opportunity" for those to be saved during this Church age will close shortly thereafter, this brief span from the sign to our ingathering will be most urgent. Please consider the evidence deeply. I will try to be thorough but not exhaustive in my treatment of this subject, but please understand that what I will present is merely the foundation. What I would build upon it, and shall, if the Lord wills, must rest to a large degree upon this foundation. What follows reflects my current views and understanding. As such, they do not necessarily represent the views of "THE MANAGEMENT". Upon further study, as the Lord yet tarries, my views may change. I offer this disclaimer because I am but a student at the Lord's feet, fallible and ignorant. Let's proceed! What is this sign? Its what the Bible calls the revelation or revealing of the lawless one. Ironically, through mistranslation and misinterpretation, the one passage which relates this important teaching is popularly used as a basis to teach that the Church will be taken to be with the Lord prior to the lawless one's being revealed. If I'm right about the true meaning of the passage, the currently popular interpretation may well be found to be one of the most damaging doctrines of the latter day Church, causing the ignorant to not only fail to properly prepare for the task at hand but to actually impede the message trumpeted forth by the faithful and informed. Please take this opportunity to read the first 12 verses of II Thessalonians Chapter 2 before you continue reading. Done? OK. This message is given so that we won't be deceived. This implies that without the message some would or will be deceived. Let's understand that the message is targeted by the Deceiver as a matter of extreme importance. The deception was coming to them in the report that the gathering together had already passed. Now, I'm curious. Have you heard this teaching lately? I have. It seems to be gaining popularity once again. Wouldn't it be upsetting to think that the time we are supposed to be gathered to be with the Lord had already happened and that we missed it? Of course it would. We would then have to endure the fullness of the wrath of God as it is poured out upon the world. What kind of hope would we then have? Not much of one. Certainly not the full and glorious scope of what God has indeed promised us! This is why the people were responding by becoming, more accurately rendered, quickly shaken, emotionally, and frightened. So, in this passage we are being informed to keep us from being deceived and to offer comfort. The event in regards to which the sign is given is commonly known in our culture as the rapture. This is the event described in I Thessalonians 4:16-17 and I Corinthians 15:52 and is that which will mark the termination of this age characterized as Gentile Christianity. I say Gentile Christianity because the inclusion of those who are not Jews or Torah observant and their status as fellow heirs lends this present time its unique character, even though the Jews have remained preeminent in many respects. We are told these things by Paul as a matter of comfort and as a means to refute the false claims which had come and would come. Now, here begins the problem I have with the logic of the popular interpretation of this passage. Can comfort be taken in a vague uncertainties? Can bearers of messages asserted to be from authoritative sources be refuted by the same vague uncertainties. I think not. If, then, this "rebellion" is a falling away from true doctrine by the Church, a concept as vague and disputable as any, how could it possibly be considered as a sign of such a nature as to offer comfort? How then could it be offered as evidence in a case against the validity of the message of those who say that the day of the Lord has passed us by? Knowing the history of the Church and how it so rapidly fell into decline and corruption in spite of the diligent effort put forth by the early day apostles to maintain it, would you have argued at any time against a charge that the Church had not already fallen into that condition ofapostasy? And, if it had so early reached such a time of apostasy, what comfort or sign could this possibly be to any who remain at such a time as this when the man of lawlessness has even yet to appear on the scene. See, based upon the popular interpretation, our Lord's intended comfort proclaimed via Paul is no comfort at all. And the intended sign is no sign at all. The message is rendered impotent and useless. If the message has truly been given for a continuing comfort and further to declare a certain sign which will precede our gathering to the Lord, it must contain at its heart certain irrefutable evidence. It is my assertion that it does indeed and that its meaning has come to our attention at the appropriate time ordained by our Lord to fulfill its intended purpose. Whatever this word translated "rebellion" means, it is then a sign, a signal, an indicator and a revelatory event which will precede the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him in the day of the Lord. Paul, by revelation, says that the day of the Lord, which includes and here specifically refers to the gathering of the Christians to the Lord, will not come until the "rebellion: Greek - apostasia" occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed. The word "revealed" is from the Greek, "apokalupto", which means "unveiled, so as to be visible". I had been taught that an apostasy comes first, then the rapture, then the revealing of this man of lawlessness; but I intend to show the fallacy of this doctrine. We will find that apostasia refers to the spiritual nature of the event which is the unveiling of the man of lawlessness and that this is the very sign which will indicate that our departure to be with the Lord is at hand. Who is this man of lawlessness? Verse 4 tells us that he is doomed to destruction and will be the one who sets himself up in God's temple proclaiming himself to be God. Cross-referencing these facts we learn that this is the man of Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24:15. The man of lawlessness is a term which describes the false and counterfeit Messiah to come. In Daniel, he is called the little horn, a stern faced king, the ruler who will come, and the desolator. In Revelation, he's the beast. He's also the embodiment of what is called the serpent's offspring in Genesis 3:15, the foolish and worthless shepherd in Zechariah, and the senseless man in Psalm 92. He is the wicked man in Job 15 and the wicked and evil man of Job 18. There have been many men throughout history who have foreshadowed this man. The Egyptian Pharaoh who would not let the people of Israel go was a type of this man, as was the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 3. Haman in the book of Esther and Goliath the Philistine are also prophetic profiles of this man. Antiochus Epiphanes, Caesar, Herod, Nero, Napoleon and even Hitler foreshadowed the lawless one to come. The apostle John's term for this man is perhaps the most popular in use today, antichrist. Here's what he says in 1 John 2:18: "Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour." John's declaration echoes Paul's doesn't it? In its proper context, we should see that the coming of "the antichrist" will be the indicator that it is the last hour! He says the antichrist. He also says that even now, many antichrists have come. These antichrists who have already come teach us how the antichrist will be when he comes. I want to make a point here about the application of this passage. Because we know that the time in which this was written could not literally be considered the last hour, we must consider what is meant by this time reference. We could call the entire age from around that time until its conclusion "the last hour", or, we could consider that its primary application was meant for the specific time and people of the period denoted by that reference. I personally suspect the latter is a better way. You can do you own study in the Greek of theuse of the words eschatos and hora which appear together only here. Now, the thing that makes this particular man so evil is what made those others so evil. Consider 1 John 4:3: "but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." I believe that "antichrist" is literally a spirit, a spiritual power and entity and not a man himself or a physical manifestation of a spirit with the appearance of a man. A man, a flesh bodied man in whom resides this spirit takes on its nature and characteristics. That man is an antichrist. The nature of this spirit is to deny that Jesus is from God, as seen in 1 John 2. In 2 John 1:7, an antichrist is shown to be a deceiver who does not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. In order to understand what the apostle Paul was teaching in 2 Thessalonians, we must understand that the power of antichrist is a spirit of antichrist, a spiritual power, a demonic entity. It is the counterpart to the holy spirit, the antithesis of the spirit of Christ, the pneuma christos. (See Romans 8:9 and I Peter 1:11) Just to clarify this matter for some of you, let me offer some background. The first beings God created were the angels. At that time, they were united. Today, there are divided into two categories; good angels and bad angels. When Satan was cast out of heaven the first time, he took with him 1/3 of all the created spirit beings. You can read about this fall in Ezekiel 28:12-19 and in Revelation 12:3-4. These fallen angels are called evil spirits or demons and are as real as you and I, just in a different realm. These spiritual beings have specific functions and characteristics and appear to have a hierarchy of rank or authority. Jesus revealed this nature of the kingdom of the devil throughout the Gospels. I believe that those evil spirits who have a specific "antichrist" character or function are those talked about by John. The man who is soon to be revealed can perhaps be considered as having what might be considered their "5 star general" entity, second only to the "commander in chief", in residence. We see then that this lawless man will have this antichrist spirit. But he won't be solely spirit. He'll be a man of flesh too. So, why him, why this particular man? Good question! I think it has to do with genetics. Just as Jesus Christ had a certain genetic grooming, being born of a human mother of the right lineage and having the perfect blood of the Almighty God, this lawless man will have a certain genetic grooming. (The Nephilim (Genesis 6) were the products of genetic tampering of the descendants of Adam by the evil fallen angels and were wiped out in the Noahic flood, the problem didn't end there. As these corrupted beings reappeared after the flood as the Rephaim, etc., it seems illogical to assume that a people of this nature no longer exist. Have you ever considered the book of Jude in this light? E. W. Bullinger offered an interesting commentary on these corrupted people in Appendix 25 of the Companion Bible.) Some have relegated the event known as the revealing of the lawless one to that of merely a symbolic spiritual event. I couldn't disagree more strongly. It will be a concrete physical manifestation of the reality of Satan's power! Don't be fooled - just as Christ was in no way just a mere intangible "spirit entity", neither will be the embodiment of the "antichrist". At this point in our study, let me offer a brief introduction to an interpretive tool which must be used in order to decrypt the passage under study. Those of you with access to the internet may find the information presented at the following URL helpful. http://home.cwnet.com:80/crm/str-1.htm What follows is pretty technical, so, if you don't catch on right away, don't worry about it. You'll probably catch on as we progress through the study. This focal passage, as with all holy scriptures can be seen to have a certain architectural structure. When its themes are considered and studied, they are found to naturally flow in an orderly fashion, with balance and symmetry. The thematic units are usually repeated at least once, causing certain types of arrangements, called by some; division, alternation and introversion. As a result of these thematic repetitions, we find that certain phrases are linked together as matched pairs. The value in this kind of study is found as these matched pairs are compared. These pairs are to be compared in light of their agreement or their contrast. Thus we receive teaching from "between the lines" of the Bible. These teachings are sometimes confirming the interpretation we might find "on the surface" of the passage under study and sometimes offering further, deeper insight. Let's proceed. Please note that the text has not been altered except to insert spaces to separate it at its natural breaking points and to label each element for ease of identification. The Architectural Structure of II Thessalonians 2:1-12 A1) a) {1} "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, b) we ask you, brothers, {2} not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. c) {3} Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, B1) for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs C1) and the man of lawlessness is revealed, D1) the man doomed to destruction. E1) a) {4} He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, b) so that he sets himself up in God's temple, c) proclaiming himself to be God. A2) {5} Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? B2) a1) {6} And now you know what is holding him back, b1) so that he may be revealed at the proper time. c1) {7} For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; a2) but the one who now holds it back b2) will continue to do so c2) till he is taken out of the way. C2) {8} And then the lawless one will be revealed, D2) whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. E2) a1) {9} The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan b1) displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, c1) {10} and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. a2) {11} For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion b2) so that they will believe the lie c2) {12} and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. If you would, please take as much time as is necessary so that you are able to acknowledge that this is the natural God-inspired architectural structure of this passage. Ready? Let's go! The matching pair of elements which have been mistranslated and are the focus of our interest are labeled B1) and B2). Our attention is naturally drawn to them as we study the structure of the passage because their common and linking theme isn't as obvious as those of the other pairs. Let's look closely at these matched elements. This is truly a proper consideration of context. B1) for that day will not come until the rebellion (apostasia) occurs. B2) a1) {6} And now you know what is holding him back, b1) so that he may be revealed at the proper time. c1) {7} For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; a2) but the one who now holds it back b2) will continue to do so c2) till he is taken out of the way. Since we know beyond any doubt that God intended for these two structural companions to be compared, by means of this interpretive tool we have at our disposal, a fresh source of information to teach us about the meaning of apostasia and of the larger scope of the message is now available. I believe we will find that because the translators didn't understand what we now know, they simply weren't able to render thetranslation of sections B1 ) and B2) very well. When we study the text of these paired elements, we must find the common and linking theme if we are to know that we have come upon the meaning God intended for us to find. Then we can offer the proper interpretation based upon not only the confines of the biblical language but also the specific context. In the popular teaching that the word apostasia means that the Church has apostatized, the interpretation is based upon the principle of inference arising from the import of meaning from the context of the other occurrence of the word in the Bible. Unfortunately, this runs aground of the fundamental rule of interpretation according to context, doesn't it? That cannot and does not work here. Before I move on into the matter of translation of the text, we need some background information gleaned from the broader context of the subject at hand. As I mentioned earlier, these two companion segments describe the beginning of the lawless man's ministry with an anointing which counterfeits the true Messiah's. How would you expect the anti-Messiah to be revealed? The prefix "anti" means not only against, or in opposition to, but also connotes a certain commonality or likeness. The event marking the beginning of Jesus' powerful ministry is the genuine after which the counterfeit will be patterned. What will reveal the identity of the lawless one to those who are watching is going to be like that which revealed the one whom he will counterfeit. Don't pass lightly over this significant point at the very heart of this matter of a sign, a revealing! John 1:31 records John the Baptist's declaration about Jesus in the record of his baptism: "I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel." Baptism leads to a revealing. This verse declares that the reason John came baptizing was that Jesus might be revealed to Israel. The identity of Jesus became known to John personally as he testified in the verses which followed his declaration in verse 31. John 1:32-34: "Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. {33} I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' {34} I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." So, the identity of the one upon whom the spirit came became known to John at Jesus' baptism, and John's baptizing with water revealed their Messiah to Israel. Isn't that something? Had you ever noted that before? It would seem that the sign to John was the physical manifestation at the very event and that the sign to Israel has to do with a deeper understanding of the significance of John coming and baptizing with water. In my opinion, it seems likely that the lawless one will be revealed to the alert and informed Christian in similar manner as when Jesus' identity was made known to John; by a sign which will accompany the unveiling event. A sign of spiritual power manifest in the physical realm. The nature of this manifestation is itself outside the scope of this study. Also outside the scope of this article is a further indication I feel I've been led to discover by which we should be able to make a positive ID of this deadly impostor - even without the identifying number of his name - 666. What will then further reveal this man's identity will be the fruit of his ministry. The means by which to identify a counterfeit comes by familiarity with the details of the genuine. Let's take a look at the beginning of Jesus' powerful ministry, the anointing which shows three distinct entities involved: a gift, its giver and its recipient. Mark 1:10-11. "As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." Mark records the Son receiving a gift from his Father. This gift was Spirit. It was holy and was that which empowered Jesus' ministry. The counterfeit event which will reveal the lawless one must likewise involve three entities; a gift, its giver and its recipient. This is the key to understanding the section under study in II Thessalonians! The apostle Paul records another "son" receiving a "gift" from his "Father" - in section B2). The gift is UN-holy, the spirit of antichrist. This is the counterpart to the holy spirit. The evil nature of antichrist will empower the man's ministry at that time, the fruit of which will reveal him as the man of lawlessness. Until the antichrist comes into residence in this man, where is it and what is it doing? I believe the answer is found in Ephesians 6:12, which declares: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." The spirit of antichrist is currently active among spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms and is being prepared for its upcoming role. It is, in a sense, waiting in the wings until it is time to be brought center stage, when the curtain goes up on this act in the drama of Satan's deception. With this background of knowledge of the event, let's return now to the paired elements under study in II Thessalonians and consider the translational errors. In section B2), verse 6 contains the words "holding back" which are translated from the Greek words "to katechon". Let's continue reading: "For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed," "Holds back" here is "o katechon", also better rendered as "holds fast". These should more accurately be rendered as "holding fast". "Holding fast" has the connotation of keeping and retaining, not as holding back or restraining. (If you can find Bullinger's out-of-print commentary on the Epistles, you'll see that he noted that subtle distinction in the translation.) What difference does it make? I think "holding back" leans more towards the two entities involved having opposing wills. "Holding fast" seems to favor a closer unity between the two parties involved. I believe that it is the antichrist spirit that is being held fast, still in its current spiritual abode, and, when it is no longer held fast, it will enter into the lawless one. What is it that is holding fast the antichrist? I submit to you that it is not the Church but the Devil. Satan's kingdom is not divided against itself but there are internal conflicts which appear to be strategic maneuvering within his kingdom. Confusion reigns. Mirrors and smoke. It seems to me that the Devil will exert his authority over the spirit of antichrist in order to keep it properly reigned in, holding it fast, lest of its own accord in lessor wisdom or insight it should undermine the ultimate plan determined by the Counterfeiting Commander in Chief. In regards to the matter of individuality of will among the members of the unholy triad, a rough parallel can be drawn to the genuine as seen in Luke 22:42. Subjugating his will to that of His Father, Jesus declares: "not my will but yours be done." We should note here that it is said of the holy spirit that "...He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears..." (John 16:13) Back in II Thessalonians 2, the phrase "taken out of the way" is really a poor translation of the Greek. It should be rendered literally as "gone from among". Of itself, "gone from among" is clearly an incomplete thought, as the rules of language require that we know what he, or it, is gone from among. This "omission" is actually a common figure of speech called ellipsis. In an ellipsis, what is omitted must be furnished according to the demands of the context. Based upon our understanding of the context, what could be gone from among what? This is the crux of the matter. since, tied up in this very matter, is the meaning of apostasia. I submit to you for your consideration that the proper interpretation is founded upon the truths taught in Ephesians chapter 6. According to verse 12, there are spiritual forces of evil active in the heavenly realms. Amongst these demonic beings, we know that there are changes in abode as easily seen from even the most superficial study of this subject. I propose that "gone from among" reflects such a change of abode. I believe that the spirit of antichrist is now active in its current heavenly abode and that the time is coming when it will be gone from among its demonic cronies in that realm to become joined unto its intended recipient in a more earthly abode. Section B2) with interlaced commentary now reads: "And now you know what is holding fast (Its the devil holding the powerful spirit of antichrist fast in the current abode in the heavenly realm), so that the lawless one may be revealed at the proper time. For the antichrist is already at work (in the heavenly realms); but the devil, who now holds fast to the antichrist will continue to do so till the antichrist, that secret power of lawlessness is gone from among the others of its kind in the heavenly realms. "And then the lawless one will be revealed," Just as the anointing of the Son of God with holy spirit revealed Jesus to John and to Israel, the counterfeit anointing will reveal the lawless one! Does that make sense to you? I pray that your ears may be opened so that you may hear what the Lord of mercies has for you. Now that we understand the interpretation of this structural element, let's shine its light upon its companion. This will now allow us to interpret the word apostasia in its proper context. The word "rebellion" in the NIV is an inappropriate translation. The King James Version offers a similarly misleading translation. The Greek word "apostasia" literally means "standing away from", not "falling away" and not "rebellion". Thus, an awkward but more literal and un-interpreted rendering of the passage I've identified as B1) would be: "for that day will not come until the standing away from occurs..." Because we know that the context is the very same as just learned from our study of its companion, it seems pretty obvious that the activity called the standing away from IS the anointing of the man of lawlessness. The spirit of antichrist will come upon the man to be known as the lawless one when it is gone from among its cronies. When this spiritual power and entity is gone from among, it is then standing away from. These phrases describe the new condition of separation, the change of abode, which will be the basis in the spiritual realm for the powerful anointing that will reveal, in the physical realm, the lawless one for who he is. Here, then is the sign for the Church. When this genetically groomed man receives the counterpart to the genuine holy spirit, the spirit of antichrist, as a gift from his father the Devil, his ministry will be enabled and he will begin to bear the fruit which reveals him as the lawless one. Until that time, speculation as to his identity is just that and nothing more - speculation. (Of, course, based upon other criteria by which he will be known, some educated guesses will probably land on the mark, but I don't think the guessing game is the best use of our resources as this time draws near.) His identity will not be known until he is revealed. This unveiling of his identity to those who are watching is the sign given for us to know for a certainty that our earthly existence is about to cease. The Lord will shortly gather his own to himself! Commentary about some currently popular interpretations When a word is used somewhere else in the Bible, we can usually learn more about the word by studying the context of each occurrence. Sometimes we can import something from the context of one location into that of another. But sometimes not. The specifics of the contexts must determine what we are to do. The only other occurrence of the word "apostasia" in the Bible is in Acts 21:21, which reads; "They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to 'turn away' (apostasia) from (apo) Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs." The occurrence of this word in Acts differs from that found in II Thessalonians slightly. In Acts, it appears in conjunction with the Greek preposition "apo", translated as "from". In II Thessalonians, it appears twice, doubled. Of itself, this point doesn't seem to have much bearing on the matter, but I have noted it in the interest of detailed observation. Now, almost everyone teaches about this word and says that, because of the way its used in Acts, "apostasia" thus means a "falling away from" true doctrine by the people. They then call it "the great apostasy". They say this means great numbers of people in the professing Christian community will fall away in unbelief in the last days. Although this will indeed be the case, (II Timothy 4:3 etc. This has been so since Paul's own latter days.) this interpretation cannot be derived from the word "apostasia" in 2 Thessalonians. Read I Thessalonians 1-12 again. Is there anything here to suggest that behavioral trends are a sign? Could it be that this idea has solely come into the interpretation of this passage in II Thessalonians by being imported from Acts? I think so. Based upon my analysis of the architectural structure of the passage, its usage in II Thessalonians is specifically in regards to the revealing of the lawless one. It has nothing at all to say about the trends of the professing Christian Church. We must let the Bible interpret itself according to context if we're going to understand what God has to say to us! This, or course is oft stated but seldom accomplished, right? We're going to have to dust off the tools which have been given to the Church so that we can recognize the signposts guiding us to God's intended meaning. Another popular view being promoted today is that "apostasia" means the Church of the Body is gathered to the Lord so that it is "standing away from" this present evil age (Galatians 1:4). But, that can't be a valid interpretation because the verse would then state that the gathering together would not occur until the gathering together occurs, right? Those who teach this interpretation, along with those who teach the former mentioned usually continue along this line to teach that its the presence of the Church that's holding the lawless one back, from being revealed, and that when the Church (often calling it the "restrainer") is "taken out of the way" (stating that this means - gathered to the Lord), the lawless one will then be revealed. That totally negates the point made in the passage! The subject is a sign for the Church. I believe that the correct interpretation of the word apostasia is distinctly marked by God in the structure of the passage. It appears that its only when we have discerned its structure and analyzed it that we learn how to interpret this word in its context. Conclusion This article was intended to inform you about the sign which will precede our departure to be with the Lord so that you will begin to watch for it, learn to recognize it and respond appropriately when it happens. But all I've really accomplished, at best, is to present an introduction to the spiritual basis of the event and to show that its to be a sign for the Church. I haven't even touched upon the probable nature of the manifestation of this event in the physical realm. Neither have I even mentioned that there is a candidate for the actual day this sign might appear suggested in the holy scriptures. Yes, there is a particular day on the Jewish Calendar on which we might expect this event to occur. That is, if history is a teacher. Wouldn't that be something if God did things in recognizable cycles and consistent trends. Wouldn't that be something. Some might ask why we should care about a sign for the Church, or what difference it makes whether we recognize it or not. I would say that it really doesn't matter... if you're not prepared! You'll be lost in the confusion. The stated purpose of this antichrist work to come is to deceive those who are perishing. But God has been patient and wants all men to be saved. He obviously intends to provide a final severe warning, a wake-up call and an invitation to those who've neglected to accept God's invitation through Jesus Christ. And here's the point that I would make about the whole thing - this is what I believe the Lord would have us do with our knowledge of the sign. Those who recognize it and can offer the certain evidence of the meaning of the event, pointing to the wicked man and labeling him properly, will be called upon to do so. This is the voice of truth in the midst of the lies. This will be the clarion trumpeting call amidst the din and confusion. It seems likely that the apparent Church will be sharply divided between those who stand boldly proclaiming the truth and those who attempt to deny it and repress it. Deception will reign. The saints will be intensely persecuted for their audacity to declare the "blasphemies". What will be the outcome? The world will have been brought to a point of decision. There will be absolutely no excuse for those alive at that time to not accept God's invitation. Although God will extend his mercy for a little while longer, it will be withdrawn according to schedule in the prescribed ways. So, what's at stake in this closing act of the Gentile Christian drama is the number of people who may be spared the brunt of God's judgment upon the world during the final years of tribulation. Who will go with us and join in our joy and reward as we realize the fulfillment of our hope? What we stand to lose or gain is our place in the Lord's plan and the reward thereof. Will we be rewarded or chastised for our participation in his plan in these last days? Its your call. As I understand it, from the time the man of lawlessness is revealed there will be a brief period of time remaining until the rapture. I believe that it is this very time specifically referred to in Ephesians 6:13. "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." It seems to me that if the evil day was a present reality at the time of Paul's writing, he would not have written of it as being a future time, which he clearly did. Think about it! Can the phrase "evil day" describe some period of time other than that which is apparently about to come upon us - that time when the spirit of antichrist is empowering Satan's "son's" ministry and great persecution has come against God's elite? I implore you: Do not be a hearer only, making this study a merely academic exercise. I have utilized a tool given by the revealer of mysteries to unshroud this crucial passage in II Thessalonians so that we can begin to understand the sign for the Church that will precede our ingathering. We know that this signal event will parallel and counterfeit the anointing of the true Messiah of Israel, Y'shua HaMashiach. I propose to you that the Lord has unveiled the nature of the event in these latter days so that you and I would be further encouraged to humble ourselves before him, to live holy before him and to prepare ourselves for useful service. Let's put on the full armor of God - we're going to need it to stand our ground! Then, as he will gather us to himself together with the dead in Christ, our earthly ministries will have been completed, having done everything. Then we will stand before the Lord of Glory and receive that which he promised for those things done while in the body. Praise God! Baruch Hashem! "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." I Corinthians 15:58 "my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge...." Hosea 4:6 'Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil,because of the Son of Man. {23} Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets." Luke 6:22-23 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? {46} It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns." Matthew 24:45-46 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. {8} Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." II Timothy 4:7-8 Bob Schlenker is the editor of The Open Scroll, a Christian Research Ministries publication dedicated to the proclamation of the deeper things of God's word so urgently needed in these last days. Permission is granted by the author to reproduce this article for non-profit distribution. Kindly acknowledge the source and retain its full text, if you would. CHRISTIAN RESEARCH MINISTRIES BOB SCHLENKER P.O. BOX 620571 ORANGEVALE, CA 95662 Internet URL: http://home.cwnet.com:80/crm/ E-Mail Address: crm-bob@cwnet.com Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. ********************************** Messianic Prophecy By: David M. Williams David.Williams@frey.newcastle.edu.au The reason why prophecy is an indication of the divine authorship of the Scriptures, and hence a testimony to the trustworthiness of the message of the Scriptures, is because of the minute probability of fulfillment. Anyone can make predictions, for that is simple. However, having prophecies fulfilled is vastly different. In fact, the more statements made about the future, and the more the detail, then the less likely the precise fulfillment will be. For example, what is the likelihood of a person predicting today the exact city in which the birth of a future leader would take place, well into the 21st century? This is indeed what the prophet Micah did 700 years before the Messiah. Further, what is the likelihood of predicting the precise manner of death that a new, unknown religious leader would experience, a thousand years from now - a manner of death presently unknown, and to remain unknown for hundreds of years? Yet, this is indeed what David did in 1000 B.C. Again, what is the likelihood of predicting the specific date of the appearance of some great future leader, hundreds of years in advance? Yet, this is indeed what Daniel did, 530 years before Christ. If one were to conceive 50 specific prophecies about a person in the future, who one would never meet, just what is the likelihood that this person will fulfill all 50 of the predictions? How much less would this likelihood be if 25 of these predictions were about what other people would do to him, and were completely beyond his control? For example, how does someone "arrange" to be born in a specific family? How does one "arrange" to be born in a specified city, in which their parents do not actually live? How does one "arrange" their own death - and specifically by crucifixion, with two others, and then "arrange" to have their executioners gamble for their clothing? How does one "arrange" to be betrayed in advance? How does one "arrange" to have the executioners carry out the regular practice of breaking the legs of the two victims on either side, but not their own? Finally, how does one "arrange" to be God? How does one escape from a grave and appear to people after having been killed? Indeed, it may be possible for someone to fake one or two of the Messianic prophecies, but it would be impossible for any one person to arrange and fulfill all of these prophecies. John Ankerberg et. al. relate the true story of how governments use prearranged identification signs to identify correct agents : David Greenglass was a World War II traitor. He gave atomic secrets to the Russians and then fled to Mexico after the war. His conspirators arranged to help him by planning a meeting with the secretary of the Russian ambassador in Mexico City. Proper identification for both parties became vital. Greenglass was to identify himself with six prearranged signs. These instructions had been given to both the secretary and Greenglass so there would be no possibility of making a mistake. They were : (1) once in Mexico City Greenglass was to write a note to the secretary, signing his name as ``I. Jackson''; (2) after three days he was to go to the Plaza de Colon in Mexico City and (3) stand before the statue of Columbus, (4) with his middle finger placed in a guide book. In addition, (5) when he was approached, he was to say it was a magnificent statue and that he was from Oklahoma. (6) The secretary was to then give him a passport. The six prearranged signs worked. Why? With six identifying characteristics it was impossible for the secretary not to identify Greenglass as the proper contact (John Ankerberg, John Weldon and Walter Kaiser, The Case for Jesus The Messiah, Melbourne: Pacific College Study Series, 1994, 17-18). How true, then, it must be that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah if He had 456 identifying characteristics well in advance (as identified by Alfred Edersheim in his classic, "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah"), and fulfilled them all! In fact, what does the science of probability make of this? The science of probability attempts to determine the chance that a given event will occur. The value and accuracy of the science of probability has been well established beyond doubt - for example, insurance rates are fixed according to statistical probabilities. Professor Emeritus of Science at Westmont College, Peter Stoner, has calculated the probability of one man fulfilling the major prophecies made concerning the Messiah. The estimates were worked out by twelve different classes, representing some 600 college students. The students carefully weighed all the factors, discussed each prophecy at length, and examined the various circumstances which might indicate that men had conspired together to fulfill a particular prophecy. They made their estimates conservative enough so that there was finally unanimous agreement even among the most skeptical students. However then Professor Stoner took their estimates and made them even more conservative. He also encouraged other skeptics or scientists to make their own estimates to see if his conclusions were more than fair. Finally, he submitted his figures for review to a Committee of the American Scientific Affiliation. Upon examination, they verified that his calculations were dependable and accurate in regard to the scientific material presented (Peter Stoner, Science Speaks, Chicago: Moody Press, 1969, 4). For example, concerning Micah 5:2, where it states the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah, Stoner and his students determined the average population of Bethlehem from the time of Micah to the present; then they divided it by the average population of the earth during the same period. They concluded that the chance of one man being born in Bethlehem was one in 2.8 x 10^5 - or rounded, one in 300,000. After examining only eight different prophecies (Idem, 106), they conservatively estimated that the chance of one man fulfilling all eight prophecies was one in 10^17. To illustrate how large the number 10^17 is (a figure with 17 zeros), Stoner gave this illustration : If you mark one of ten tickets, and place all the tickets in a hat, and thoroughly stir them, and then ask a blindfolded man to draw one, his chance of getting the right ticket is one in ten. Suppose that we take 10^17 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly,all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote them in their own wisdom (Idem, 106-107). In financial terms, is there anyone who would not invest in a financial venture if the chance of failure were only one in 10^17? This is the kind of sure investment we are offered by God for belief in His Messiah. Professor Stoner, from these figures, draws the conclusion the fulfillment of these eight prophecies alone proves that God inspired the writing of the prophecies (Idem, 107) - the likelihood of mere chance is only one in 10^17! Another way of saying this is that any person who minimises or ignores the significance of the Biblical identifying signs concerning the Messiah would be foolish. But, of course, there are many more than eight prophecies. In another calculation, Stoner used 48 prophecies (Idem, 109) (even though he could have used Edersheim's 456) and arrived at the extremely conservative estimate that the probability of 48 prophecies being fulfilled in one person is the incredible number 10^157. In fact, if anybody can find someone, living or dead, other than Jesus, who can fulfill only half of the predictions concerning the Messiah given in the book _Messiah in Both Testaments_ by Fred John Meldau, the Christian Victory Publishing Company is ready to give a one thousand dollar reward! As apologist Josh McDowell says, "There are a lot of men in the universities that could use some extra cash!" (Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, California: Campus Crusade for Christ, 175). How large is the number one in 10^157? 10^157 contains 157 zeros! Stoner gives an illustratation of this number using electrons. Electrons are very small objects. They are smaller than atoms. It would take 2.5 times 10^15 of them, laid side by side, to make one inch. Even if we counted 250 of these electrons each minute and counted day and night, it would still take 19 million years just to count a line of electrons one-inch long (Stoner, op. cit., 109). With this introduction, let us go back to our chance of 1 in 10^157. Let us suppose that we are taking this number of electrons, marking one, and thoroughly stirring it into the whole mass, then blindfolding a man and letting him try to find the right one. What chance has he of finding the right one? What kind of a pile will this number of electrons make? They make an inconceivably large volume. The distance from our system of stars, or galaxy, to the next nearest one is nearly 1,500,000 lightyears; that is the distance that light will travel in 1,500,000 years going 186,000 miles each and every second. This distance is so great that if every man, woman and child in the United States, 200,000,000 of them, had a library of 65,000 volumes, and you collected every book in all of these libraries and then started on this journey of 1,500,000 light-years, and decided to place one letter from one of the books on each mile (e.g., if ``the'' was the first word in the first book you would put ``t'' on the first mile, ``h'' on the second mile, and ``e'' on the third mile; then leave a mile blank without a letter and start the next word in the same manner, etc.), before you complete your journey you will use up every letter in every book of every one of the libraries and have to call for more (Idem, 110). This is the result from considering a mere 48 prophecies. Obviously, the probability that 456 prophecies would be fulfilled in one man by chance is vastly smaller. According to Emile Borel, once one goes past one chance in 10^50, the probabilities are so small that it is impossible to think that they will ever occur (Ankerberg et. al., op. cit., 21). As Stoner concludes, ``Any man who rejects Christ as the Son of God is rejecting a fact proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in the world (Stoner, op. cit., 112).'' **************************** Prophe-Zine News Bites ELEMENTS OF PROOF: A Plot to Overthrow the Constitution and erect a centralized, soviet-style government on ruins of the Republic. By: Archibald E Roberts, Ltcol, AUS, ret, Director Fatal steps which transformed the Republic into a dictatorship of the financial elite are set out in the following Congressional statutes, executive orders and proclamations which trace a seditious conspiracy of interlocking subversion in government departments during the period 16 October 1968 to 20 October 1972. (Many important supplementary statutes and regulations omitted for reasons of space.) FATAL STEP NUMBER ONE... 16 October 1968 - Public Law 90-577, 90th Congress, S.698, "Intergovernmental Cooperation Act of 1968", "To Achieve the fullest cooperation and continuation of activities among the levels of government .. to establish coordinated intergovernmental policy and administration .. to provide for the acquisition, use, and disposition of land within the urban areas by Federal agencies." Public Law 90-577 destroyed the separation of powers which is the principle of the US Constitution. By its Title IV the US Congress purported to yield legislative power to the President. He, in turn, allegedly transferred that law-making power to his appointed directors in the grant-making agencies of the Federal Regions per section 403 of the bill. Out of that arrangement has grown the A-95 regional clearing house review system, designed by the Office of Management and Budget. The resulting Federal Region-substate control system straps regional governance (control by regulation) as a way of life over all Americans. FATAL STEP NUMBER TWO... 27 March 1969 - "Statement by the President on Restructuring of Government Service Systems", The White House. Quoting the Reorganization Act, signed the same day, as his authority, President Nixon divided the United States into eight (later ten) Federal Regions or provinces, each with a new provincial capitol. Coordination and control of the Ten Federal Regions would be administered from Washington. Formation of such `super states' is, of course, a violation of paragraph 1, section 3, Article IV, United States Constitution. Objective: Transfer political power from the respective sovereign State governments to appointed Federal Agencies whose controllers are the directors of the corporate world state. FATAL STEP NUMBER THREE... 30 October 1969 - Executive Order #11490 "Assigning Emergency Preparedness Functions to Federal Departments and Agencies", The Federal Register. E.O. #11490 authorizes the Office of Emergency Planning to put all controls into effect, "in times of increased international tensions and economic or financial crisis". Takeover by government agencies include communications media, all electrical power, gas, petroleum, fuels and minerals, food resources and farms, all modes of transportation and control of highways, seaports, etc., health, education and welfare functions, airports and aircraft. Provision is also made for the mobilization of civilians into work brigades under government supervision. The order directs the Postmaster General to operate a national registration of all persons; permits the Housing and Finance Authority to relocate communities, and grants authority to the Department of Justice to enforce the plans set out in E.O. #11490, and to operate penal and correctional institutions. FATAL STEP NUMBER FOUR... 15 August 1971 - Executive Order #11615 "Providing for Stabilization of Prices, Rents, Wages, and Salaries", The Federal Register. E.O. #11615 designated the Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as the director of a Cost of Living Council, with authority to request the Department of Justice to bring actions for injunctions "Whenever it appears to the Council that any person has engaged, is engaged, or is about to engage in any acts or practice constituting a violation of any regulation or order issued pursuant to this Order". (See E.O. #11490) The Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board thus became czar over prices, rents, wages and salaries, in addition to his control over money, interest rates, and the stock market, granted under the provisions of the Federal Reserve Act of 23 December 1913. FATAL STEP NUMBER FIVE... 15 August 1971 - Proclamation #4074 "Imposition of Supplemental Duty for Balance of Payment Purposes", The President. The Principal objective of Proclamation #4074 was to "declare a national emergency" and so establish stand-by authority to implement any or all of the provisions of Executive Order #11490 at such time as the American people have been conditioned to accept dictatorship. The people are now being brain washed to accept, in fact, demand, full government control over their lives and property. FATAL STEP NUMBER SIX... 12 February 1972 - Executive Order #11647 "Federal Regional Councils", The Federal Register. E.O. #11647 "...establish a Federal Regional Council for each of the Ten Standard Federal Regions", which Nixon effected by proclamation on 27 March 1969. The Office of Management and Budget was designated the control agency. By this order the ten provincial capitols were staffed by the directors of the grant-making agencies: Department of Labor, Health, Education and Welfare, and Housing and Urban Development; the Secretarial Representatives of the Department of Transportation, and the directors of the regional offices of the Office of Economic Opportunity, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. The President subsequently appointed a commissar for each Federal Region. FATAL STEP NUMBER SEVEN... 20 October 1972 - Public Law 92-512, 92nd Congress, H.R. #14370, Federal/State Revenue Sharing, "To .. authorize Federal Collection of State individual income taxes, and for other purposes." The primary function of Public Law 92-512 is to provide that ".. after 1 January 1974, if two or more States request it of the US Government, and at the option of the individual states, all State taxes may be collected by the federal government." (The decision is irreversible.) Under this Act state and county governments will, in time, wither for lack of tax funds, representative government will die (although the trappings of a republican form of government may be retained to fool the people) and dictatorship control over people and property will be imposed upon once free Americans. In the intervening years, by stealth and subterfuge, the American people have been moved into the orbit of a financial/industrial cabal who control their corporate world state through the United Nations Organization, the United States Congress and other front organizations. Citizens, with a plan of action, can instruct state elected officials in their states to confine functions of government to limitations defined in the Constitution (implementing details available). The State is a Principal under the constitutional contract and has the power and authority to correct violations of the Constitution by its Legislative, Executive and Judicial agents in Washington. Information on preparing a `letter of instruction' to state lawmakers, model bill directing state investigation, and model state statute "To Provide for Enforcement of the United States Constitution with Regard to Federal Regionalism" (with criminal sanctions for violators) available. The safety of the state begins with you. Decide now to participate in the mission to restore freedoms of person and property guaranteed to you by the Constitution. THE SILENT REVOLUTION OF FEDERAL REGIONALISM - A SOLUTION is available in electronic magazine format, Committee to Restore the Constitution home page: http://www.fortnet.org/~comminc Program is also available in print or on disk for uploading to computer and downloading to BBS in your area. (Specify Macintosh or IBM). Archibald E Roberts, Ltcol, AUS, ret, Director COMMITTEE TO RESTORE THE CONSTITUTION, Inc Post Office Box 986 Fort Collins CO 80522 e-mail: comminc@mail.fortnet.org home page: http://www.fortnet.org/~comminc ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Drug-resistant TB 'is likely to kill tens of millions' BY EVE-ANN PRENTICE From The Times, London: A DRUG-RESISTANT form of tuberculosis, in which body tissue takes on the appearance of cheese, is poised to kill tens of millions of people across the world, according to the World Health Organisation. The new plague, which will be far more widespread and devastating than Aids, is "only a whisker away", the WHO will announce in London today, because warnings about the global threat from the disease made three years ago have been largely ignored. The strain of the disease, which is airborne and therefore far more contagious than Aids, has infected people in London and New York, as well as in the developing world. Dr Joel Almeida, medical officer for the WHO's Global Tuberculosis Programme, said yesterday: "No one is safe; even the Queen is not immune. You cannot protect yourself by wearing a condom." Tuberculosis is expected to kill 30 million people this decade, according to the organisation. After decades in remission, the disease is epidemic in parts of Russia and is spreading worldwide, the WHO said. Merlin, the British medical relief agency which is helping to fight an epidemic in Chechenia and Siberia, has issued a warning that the drug-resistant strains of TB are emerging because many infected people are not completing courses of antibiotics. If pa tients abandon their treatment half way through the six-month course, the bacilli survive and develop immunity. "If the multi-drug-resistant strain becomes predominant, we will be back in pre-antibiotic days," Dr Almeida said. "All we will be able to do is pray and send people off to sanitoriums like we did in the last century. There will be nowhere to hide except perhaps go to the moon. Eight out of ten people catching the disease contract the pulmonary form, but this can affect anywhere: spine or the brain, which sends you mad. A patient's body tissue suffers caseating necrosis, which is from the Latin for turning to cheese, so healthy tissue becomes cheesy and patients begin to cough it up. Some drown in their own blood." Today in a press conference drawing attention to the threat in the run-up to World TB Day on Sunday, Merlin joins the WHO in pressing governments and non-governmental organisations to spend more money on a campaign to curb the drug-resistant strain through a treatment known as DOTS, Directly Observed Treatment, Short course, in which health workers ensure that patients complete their antibiotic courses. World TB Day will also be marked by a religious service conducted by a former TB sufferer, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in Cape Town. President Mandela of South Africa also contracted the disease, while he was a prisoner. A third of the world's population is infected by TB which causes more than a quarter of avoidable adult deaths in the developing world, the WHO says. It predicts that 300 million people will become infected in the next ten years and, without treatment, each victim will infect ten to 15 others every year. The WHO wants the world's governments to invest $500 million (#326 million) a year to fight the threat. The organisation estimates that that would save the lives of three million breadwinners, or #15.6 billion a year. "People looking to invest in the emerging new global markets are only a plane ride away from disaster," Dr Almeida said. "The scale of the problem is far more vast than people seem to realise. One big outbreak, and you will have governments scrambling to do something about it, but it will be too late." +++++++++++++++++++ Subject: New $100 Bills subbmitted by: RSmith1996@aol.com EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE AT 8:15 AM EST March 4, 1996 NEW $100 NOTES TO BE SHIPPED TO LOCAL BANKS BEGINNING MARCH 25 U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin and Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan announced today that the redesigned $100 U.S. note will be issued by the Federal Reserve System to depository institutions beginning on March 25, 1996. On that day, the Federal Reserve System's 37 offices and branches around the United States will begin to ship 1996 series $100 notes to depository institutions in different regions of the country. In addition, the Federal Reserve Banks will issue currency to U.S. banks that have ordered new notes on behalf of depository institutions abroad. After making the initial shipments, the Federal Reserve will fulfill orders for $100 notes with only the new notes, which will replace the older series notes as they are deposited with the Fed by depository institutions. The new notes will begin to appear at some depository institutions on March 26, and be available to many customers by the end of March or early April. Consequently, not all depository institutions and not all depository institution customers will see the new $100 notes immediately Old notes will not be recalled or devalued. The older series notes will co-circulate with the new notes and will always be legal tender. "Depository institutions have helped us develop a strategy to ensure an orderly introduction of the new notes," Chairman Greenspan said. "We have worked hard to educate cash handlers, both domestically and abroad, about the new features and the introduction process, and we fully anticipate a smooth transition. " The new note contains several security enhancements that will help the United States maintain the currency's security against counterfeiting. The $100 note is the first note to be redesigned; smaller denomination notes will be introduced at approximately one-year intervals. "This change will ensure that U.S. currency remains the most trusted and respected in the world," Secretary Rubin said. "The U.S. government is committed to maintaining the integrity and security of its currency. The features we have developed will keep our notes ahead of new and existing reprographic technologies and the possibilities they may create for counterfeiting," he said. The newly designed currency strikes a balance between enhanced security and familiarity, incorporating proven deterrent features while maintaining a traditional "American" look. The size, colors, paper and historical portraits and vignettes will remain the same in the new series notes. The most noticeable change is an enlarged portrait of Ben Franklin that is moved slightly off-center. The note will also include the following new features: - A watermark to the right of the historical portrait depicting the same figure as the portrait. The watermark is visible only when held up to a bright light. - A security thread that will glow red when exposed to ultraviolet light. The thread will be in a unique position on each denomination. - Color-shifting ink used to print the denomination number in the lower-right corner on the front of the note changes from green to black when viewed from different angles. - Microprinting in the numeral in the note's lower left-hand corner and on Ben Franklin's lapel. - Concentric fine-line printing in the background of the portrait and on the back of the note. This type of printing is difficult to copy well. - Other features to facilitate machine authentication and processing of currency. While the $100 note will incorporate all of these features, smaller denominations may have fewer features. Additional background materials and releases may be obtained through the following sources: - Treasury's interactive fax system at (202) 622-2040 (ask for document #591 for a complete index of available materials) - Television stations may obtain B-roll by calling the Bureau of Engraving and Printing at (202) 874-3019 - Treasury's Internet address: http:/www.ustreas.gov/ - For additional information, call your nearest U.S. embassy or Treasury's Global Information Center at (202) 622-2970, or call the Bureau of Engraving and Printing at (202) 874-3019 +++++++++++++++++++++++ Subject: Unbelievable Television Program From: ddeming@uoknor.edu (D. Deming) On the night of Wed., March 20 there was an unbelievable program on channel 34, KOCB, in Oklahoma City. The plot line had a detective pursueing a Nazi - white supremacist who had taken his 8-year-old child from the divorced or separated mother. In the program, the words "patriot" and "white christian" were used to describe Nazis and white supremacists. All terms were used interchangeably in the same context. In one scene, the detective shows up at the Nazi headquarters. The villain comes out with the child. The detective asks the villain to let his son go, explaining that even he would surely agree that this is not a "good environment" for the child. At this point the villain exclaims: "at least its a white christian environment". If you had told people 20 or 30 years ago that in 1996 "patriots" and "white christians" would be portrayed as Nazis and white supremacists in popular entertainment, they would have thought you were nuts. This is truely Orwellian. Consider that those in the "patriot" movement generally want a return to limited consitutional government, and are particularly concerned about the militarization of federal police forces. This is the exact opposite of what the Nazi, or National Socialist Workers Party, stood for. +++++++++++++++++++++ ID System Update News Release -- April 1st, 1996 V-chip rating system extended to books CLA endorses 'V-barcode' plan The Canadian Library Association today announced its intention to comply with the wishes of millions of Canadians who had signed a petition decrying the increasing presence of "vivid imagery of sex and violence" in books targetted at children. "Once my daughter started reading books in the 'Goose Bumps' series", says one concerned parent, "reading became like an addiction to her." Even though the books were so violent and scary the girl had nightmares. "Soon she started reading beyond her grade level and was getting into books with 'adult themes'." The problem, say most busy parents, is that kids can visit the local library and borrow anything they choose, regardless of their family's values. The new book rating system, modelled after television's highly successful V-chip, has been dubbed the V-barcode, because each book will have a machine-readable "barcode" on the spine that encodes a rating of the book's contents on several scales: sex, violence, coarse language, drug use, religion, and 'alternative lifestyles'. "This isn't about censorship", says Keith Spicer, who recently joined the CLA as policy director after leaving the CRTC, "this is about choice, ... about empowering parents to make choices." Under the new system, parents will select their family's "tolerance levels" on each scale. These are encoded as a barcode on their child's library card. When a child wants to borrow a book, the librarian simply passes the library card and book over a scanner (just like the ones used in the supermarket) and a screen instantly displays whether authorization should be granted. "It's a marvel of technology", bubbles Spicer, "it's just like the child's parent is there, saying to the child -- 'No, we don't borrow that kind of book in this family.'". The CLA dismisses complaints the system will be burdensome. "We already have barcodes on most books, so the cost of the new system will be incidental", said a CLA spokesperson. Library patrons can expect to pay an additional $5 per year over their normal borrowing fees. "The V-barcode is just a small part of the overall solution for dealing with violence in books," says Spicer. "The best way of dealing with bad books is to have more good books, and we hope that once children stop borrowing the bad books publishers will start printing books of better quality." There are still a few wrinkles to be worked out, however. Some skeptical parents think children might start hanging out in libraries -- where they can still read books they aren't allowed to borrow. Still, to many parents, the new system gives a parent more control over what their child reads than is the case without this technology. "It's a social experiment worth trying", says one parent, "It will be interesting to see what guidelines will be drawn up and who will be doing the drawing. It will force people to reflect on ethics and reading, which is something we could afford to be more reflective about." Enthusiasts of the V-barcode would like to see its use expanded. "We'd like to see the V-barcode system adopted in bookstores", says Keith Spicer, "We've already got a pilot project going with the Cole's Bookstore chain and the Bank of Montreal where the parental tolerance levels are encoded into the mag-stripe on the child's bank card." A book purchase can be declined at the checkout if it exceeds the family's tolerance levels. "Cash purchases," says Spicer, "are still a problem." Contact Information: CLA media liason on V-barcodes: David Jones (905) 525-9140 x24689 Editors Note: This sounds like a very good idea, but how much freedon or liberty do we negate in order to have a little bit of security? Also I see this as just another way to numb the people as to items "marked" or "tattooed." What is next? Rev. 13:16-18. -- Ray, Prophe-Zine-- +++++++++++++++++++++++ Is That your Mark of the Beast or Just Your Pager. By Ray Gano The Congress of the United States on Wednesday March 27, planned a Federal Communications Commission proposal to provide pagers to the homeless! Is this the first step to giving everyone some sort of "chip" or tracking device? The beeper proposal would implement a provision of the telecommunications law intended to ensure that everyone in the United States who wants phone service receives it -- a concept known as ``universal service.'' Rep. Jack Fields , Rep. TX, said ``I think it's a noble idea to think about providing pagers for the homeless. But this goes far beyond anything that was ever discussed in the universal service area,'' I have also heard of a plan to give everyone a "universal" telephone number. Once you are issued this number, all you did is use the phone at where ever you are and "log-in." When you are logged in, your calls would follow you where ever you last logged in. Is this yet one more way to "track" everyone and issue everyone a unique number so that you can be contacted by your loved ones 24 hours a day? Once again this is a way, in my opinion, to numb the people so that they have a "cause" to accept a numbering system. ++++++++++++++++++++ Trends towards Bible Prophecy By Todd Strandberg Lately, there's been talk of reforming the USSR. Russia and Belarus are in talks about a merger. Earlier the Duma voted to reform the Soviet Union. This was only a symbolic act, because they currently lack the political power to bring this about. They may gain that ability in June if the Communist win. If Bill Clinton should win a second term, a number of things could come into play. It's not possible for Clinton to run for a third term so he may be more willing to go full throttle on the implementing of his liberal policies. Historically second terms for Presidents have been chaotic ones -- Nixon had Watergate and Reagan had Iran-Contra. I was watching TV the other night and I saw the first advertisement for the new VISA debit card. A man was in the desert, he walks up to a pop machine to get something to drink, The man was 5 cents short, he spots the VISA symbol, and then pulls out his debit card. The convenience of these cards, I believe, will make them very well received. The debit card will be the forerunner of the mark of the beast. The V-chip has been in the news lately. The purpose of this chip is to block out violence you don't want your kids to see. I see the calling for the V-chip as a bad thing. If it was implemented, the networks would be able to put out more violent programming. They could say if you don't like, use your v-clip. The P-chip (porn chip), I'm sure, would soon follow. A number of companies are working on internet money transactions. This would be a step up from credit card transactions which are now the current means of consumer cashless payment. The true advent of totally digital cash will be one step closer as they put together the required networks. Security is the biggest hold up, but several firm already have systems that promise a safe format for electronic money exchanges. Physical Fitness has become the religion of the 1990's. For many people working out and eating the right things is a life consuming crusade. This striving all goes toward worshipping of that little god -- their own body. The human body no matter how well managed will someday parish. They may add on a few more years to their lives, But if they spend those extra years adoring their own vanity, they will gain nothing. In the next life we will have the true "perfect body". There is a growing trend of persecution against Christians in third would nations. As Islamic fundamentalism spreads so does the persecutions. Another major source is Communist countries like North Korea, Cuba, and China. The liberal press has been deathly silent on this trend. A number of Christian and humane rights groups are now starting to get the message, and they have begun sounding alarms to this countries leaders. A record number of Senators have decided not to run for reelection - the current number stands at 13. There's a major, prophetic occurrence transpiring here that I don't think any prophecy watchers have noticed. When a members of Congress leaves, he is replaced by one younger, and the newcomer is more likely to come from a generation of lower moral standards. I can recall on several occasions, when bills that would degraded the morality of this nation, failed by just a few votes. The ones voting against the bills where both Republicans and Democrats, not just Republicans alone. There is one exception, liberal Democrats can always be trusted to be on the devil's side of every issue. The drug Methamphetamine, better known as speed, has been coming back into fashion lately. More and more drug arrests involve this substance. It's easy to produce and highly addictive. One way law enforcement officials discover the source of this drug, is when one of the manufacturing labs blows up - the chemical use in the production are highly volatile. Several explosions have resulted in deaths. ++++++++++++++++++++++ THE AMERICAN FORCED LABOR BILL HR 1617 "The Work Force Development Act of 1995" It mandates: * Government data collection on individuals (HR 1617 Sec 183, pps. 91-95) * Government evaluation & treatment centers (HR 1617 Sec 106, pps. 22-26) * Government residential work/training centers (HR 1617 Sec 131-161, pps. 60-75) * Government hiring quotas and controls (HR 1617 Sec 121, 122 and 155 pps. 52-57 and 69) This legislation, inspired by Marc Tucker and Hillary Clinton, Kills the American Dream, Destroys limited government and Ends freedom to live and work without government interference & control. Forced labor systems ONLY exist in totalitarian societies! THERE IS STILL TIME TO STOP THIS NIGHTMARE! Call your U.S. Senator: 1-800-962-3524 Call your U.S. Representative: 1-800-972-3524 Stop HR 1617 (now in Conference Committee) Repeal 1994's School-to-Work Act and Goals 2000! For more information contact Steven Kossor e-mail: sakossor@mail.voicenet.com web site: http://www.voicenet.com/~sakossor If we don't stop this legislation, there will be no "Allied Force" in the world to liberate US! +++++++++++++++++++++++++ GUN CONTROL - CLINTON STYLE Guns are the tools most often associated with independence, and from the start, Hillary has had Bill and a few henchmen working hard to decrease the number of firearms in private hands. Too much independence is apparently not good for ordinary people. When it became clear to the administration that there was only a certain amount of civil liberties-bashing they could get away with in America to limit private gun ownership, they decided to block the importatio n of certain weapons by armtwisting some of the bureaucrats at ATF and elsewhere into bending the laws. Fortunately, these back door tactics were exposed for what they were. As a result, the White House had to back down in 1993. But now it seems they have come full-circle and the administration is trying something new, transnational gun control. The Clintons are using the State Department to stop countries from exporting guns the White House characterizes as "attractive to criminals." The list of "attractive to criminals" includes bolt-action 1898 Mausers and Winchester manufactured lever-action rifles, sent to Russians around 1900. Clinton's State Department has overseen a Voluntary Restraint Agreement in which the Russians voluntarily agree not to send any more sporting firearms and ammunition to America. The same VFA agreements are likely to be presented to Germany, Spain, Belgium, Brazil and other countries manufacturing sporting firearms destined for the U.S. If transnational gun control succeeds where gun control by executive order has failed, the Clinton's will only have domestic manufacturers and suppliers of firearms to contend with, and make no mistake about it, if Hillary and Bill are re-elected, they probably won't let public opinion or civil rights stand in the way of closing down domestic suppliers. Soldier of Fortune May 1996 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE EVOLUTION OF BELIEF? by Peter Kogler Should we believe the Theory of Evolution? It does seem odd to pose the question in the latter part of the twentieth century. Surely nothing has become more firmly part of our modern catechism than that we are all in linear descent from primordial amoebas with a temporary pit stop in apedom. Yet, is it true? Despite being the one undeniable, universally accepted article of faith in the modern world, the General Theory of Evolution has quietly slipped into a state of crisis. The crisis is this: that there is no longer a credible working model for the actual mechanism of evolution. Increasingly science is having to recognize the working of a Mind or Creative Force to explain what was once thought to have been explainable by random mutation and natural selection over eons of time. To illustrate this here are a few quotes from a recent TIME magazine article (4 Dec. 1995): Scientists used to think that the evolution of Phyla took place over a period of 75 million years, and even that seemed impossibly short. Two years ago... this long standing problem escalated into a crisis... chopping the Cambrian period to half its former length... [with phylum development] concentrated in the first third.... It was during the Cambrian that nature invented the animal body plans that define the broad biological groupings known as phyla. The more scientists struggle to explain the Cambrian explosion the more singular it seems... experts wonder if the twin Darwinian imperatives of genetic variation and natural selection provide an adequate framework for understanding evolution. Scientists delicately slide across data thin ice, suggesting scenarios based on intuition rather than solid evidence......... I see. Is there much difference between saying "Nature invented" and "God created"? Isn't it true that no matter which aspect of creation we turn our minds to, whether the nature of the atom, or the universe, or the history of life on earth, we are always faced with an unfathomable mystery? Is it not reasonable therefore to take off our hats, bow our heads and humbly acknowledge the reality of our Creator in whose wonderland we have been miraculously and temporarily placed? The days when science could be used as a weapon to destroy the faith of the educated has passed. Once again the pride of man with his puny mental powers has been humbled and this in an area where the most revolutionary abandonment of the Judeo-Christian faith has been justified by the "scientific" discovery that life evolved blindly and mechanically through genetic mutation and natural selection, something we know now did not occur. Nevertheless the Darwinian model of evolution has become the chief paradigm of modern thought. The idea that progress is somehow part of the inevitable unfolding of nature, that evolution is always in a positive direction, from the lower to the higher, has replaced gratitude for the blessings of God in the Western World. The West became great because the West had the Bible, believed, and followed the principles laid out in that great book for many centuries. We see our rejection of this heritage as itself a manifestation of the "evolution" of ideas and have faith that we are headed into a new and more advanced level of development. Yet, is the modern world the better for having lost its faith? There is nothing among the marvels of science that need be any threat to faith. Science and rationalism are themselves among the great blessings of Christian civilization. Yes, they have graced other civilizations but have never so profusely and enduringly flowered as in Christian civilization. For all our technological mastery, do we not seem, as we survey our social landscape, that we are like the branch severed from the vine, weakening, without direction or confidence. It is perfectly within the bounds of intellectual honesty to humbly go back to the Bible for instruction. It is a book that has withstood the test of time. It has won the admiration of the finest minds of the Western World and will be a source of inspiration, wisdom, and power long after Darwin's On the Origin of Species becomes a book mostly of historical interest. ### ======================== C O N S E R V A T I V E C O N S E N S U S (tm) ***************************************************************** Events * Analysis * Forecasts * Commentary * Readers' Opinions ***************************************************************** Copyright 1996 by Conservative Consensus, ISSN 1074-245X. QUOTATION AND REDISTRIBUTION are permitted, for private, non-commercial use, provided nothing is changed and our headers and trailers remain intact. V2X21 GET THE FULL STORY: Our monthly Journal contains over 100 news events -- and accompanying analysis -- that have been spiked, suppressed, or ignored by the government-sourced mainline media! REQUEST A FREE CATALOG. Our automated listserver is easy and quick. Just leave the subject line of your email message blank. Put "get catalog" as the first and only line in the message. Send email to: info-consensus@connect2000.com THE EDITORS are heard live nationally on the Eagle Radio Network. Satellite receivers can pick us up every Saturday 11-noon PST on G2 or G6, transponder 14, subaudio 1.57. Ask your local station's program manager to carry Conservative Consensus Live. Have your station contact the Eagle Radio Network at 802-485-4170. ++++++++++++++++++++++ Whats Wrong With The Kids? By: antinewage@fincen.gov (antinewage) You hear about it every day.They even have a television show (SOS) to let you know what is going on.What is wrong with Americas teenagers? We have teenagers burning down houses, setting off pipebombs, setting other people on fire, engaging in homosexuality like its nothing, doing more drugs that the adults do, filled with hatred. To understand what is wrong with todays teenagers, you must first understand something.They have 'something' the older folks don't. Older folks think "Those damn teenagers, stupid kids." But they dont realize the kids are products of an evil plot. The New Age Movement. --------------------- The New Age Movement has been around for a VERY long time.Its true goal is to KILL souls.When you hear these people speak of 'a new lawareness', 'ascension' , 'becoming one with yourself' , 'harmonizing with yourself' , they are allowing access to the cosmic awareness they have placed on this planet. MANY prophets prophecied that at the end of the 20th century there would be a new awareness that would enter the earth and people would become 'one with themselves' and discover that they could harmonize with the earth (which they say is alive.) The prophets go on to explain that once this process was complete, the person would no longer have a soul.Their soul would be replaced by a New Age 'person'. In order to crown their project a sucess, within the people they would have to create a view of the world, such a view that it revolved around THEM (the one person).They think of this as open-mindness and a new cosmic awareness, but it is actually COMPLETELY close-minded almost to the point of brain-dead robots being programmed. New Age Movement goes Air-Born ------------------------------ In 1990, the New Age Movement placed their cosmic awareness onto earth in an air-born type status aimed at youths.It AUTOMATICALLY enters the person and works at destroying the soul, and mind-programming. Next time your 15 year old daughter talks about how the 'dream' state is actually another reality, and that she can slip back and forth from dimension to dimension, believe her.But also realize she is no longer the person you and your mate gave birth to. New Age Movement in Complete Control of your Body ------------------------------------------------- In 1992, the people behind the New Age Movement made a deal with our government that they would hand over 'remote manipulation' tactics if the government would make people against them look bad.This was secretly a part of the Rio Treaty signed by President Clinton. 'Remote Manipulation' includes twitches at night, hearing things on the edge of drowsiness right before you go to sleep.. What you dont know is it is all just a test that will eventually get worse.Soon you will hear things you heard during the day amplified at full volume repeated over and over again.THEY ARE BEING PLAYED RIGHT NOW.How much the government wants to let the streem of unconscious material actually make it to your ears is up to them. Those that will laugh at this and tell you the New Age is not a hoax, are described in John's last prophecies: "There will be those that work for this New dragon, whos jobs will be to replace one with another and mock those who dare to defy them. Stay away from them: for they are the ones who work for the New dragon : they are truly blind." New Age Tentacles Cling to Anything ----------------------------------- You must realize that in order for the New Age to crown their plan a success, they must be in control of all things.By completing a series of steps, since 1990, they have control of: * the media * the churches (wars within churches) * the people (people divided by race, sexual preference.Tolerance and attention span eaten at to the point that it is non-existant in teenagers.) * Rock Music (predicted in the New Age Coven that in the late 20th century, natural urges for music would be replaced by hypnotic noises and wierd sounds.) Note that all of these probably DO NOT KNOW that they are working for the New Age.The people fighting others in churches don't know that they have been heavily impacted by the New Age : The normal average joe doesnt know why his attention span is gone (they call it attention deficit disorder) or why the line between committing TABOO sexual acts has become VERY THIN. WHAT CAN WE DO -------------- Wake up. Spread this file.Those who laugh are being laughed at by the New Age Movement because the people behind the New Age Movement KNOW it is wrong. +++++++++++++++++++++ A New god In Town.... From: Zychik Chronicle 04/11/96 A day at the revival meeting: (Los Angeles Times) Yesterday, in a speech at Stanford University, Secretary of Stupidity, Warren Christopher announced the US's new goals in foreign policy. Forget about self-defense. Forget about tax-payer interest first. There's a god to be worshipped and its name is "Environment." Sounding like any other high priest or witch doctor, Christopher says, "'Environmental forces transcend borders and oceans to threaten directly the health, prosperity and jobs of American citizens. . . We are determined to put environmental issues where they belong: in the mainstream of American foreign policy." The savages in the audience, oops make that "science and public policy experts" were overjoyed. They called for more human sacrifice. Gee, did I say that? How naughty. Actually Paul Ehrlich, a higher priest than Christopher - he authored The Population Bomb - said "'if we don't address these issues we're going to be in deep, deep trouble.'" By "we", he didn't mean humans. Christopher claims that pollution and other environmental issues are "the underlying causes of political upheaval." Duh, I thought it was freedom vs. slavery. But what the hell do I know? I'm a human lover. Continuing with his asinine propaganda, high priest Warren linked the supposed decline in living standards in Russia "to widespread pollution." Isn't it amazing how the political pond scum pile lie on top of lie? According to Christopher, the standard of living in Russia was higher under communism. But what the hell do I know? I'm a freedom lover. Finally, using the perverted, twisted logic than only a brain-dead tree worshipper is capable of, Secretary of Self-hate Christopher said that fighting pollution will also help fight drug trafficking. He proposed that instead of burning drug crops, "we encourage sustainable agriculture as an alternative." In other words, pay Guatemalan and Colombian farmers more to grow something other than cocoa and opium. Guess, who's going to foot the bill for that one? Secretary of Sicko-policy Christopher did not call for an easier solution to the drug war, - ending the war on drugs. Why didn't he? 'Cause he needs that war for backup in case his war on humans is called off. +++++++++++++++++++++++ Editors Note: Every once in a while I stand beside the ACLU. It is things like this that worries me. Looking at the current administration, what would happen if Bill or Janet makes being a Christian a Fed offence? Is this a law that can be used against the patriot movement in the future? Food for thought. -- Ray -- From: ACLU News 04-10-96: *Congress Sets Stage for Swift Executions* In a lead-of-the-paper story, The Christian Science Monitor reported on Monday that "one of the most significant alterations of American law since 1867 is quietly heading for a vote on Capitol Hill." The legislation, called "The Effective Death Penalty bill, would "dramatically change the terms of habeas corpus -- a revered by often-misunderstood right mentioned in Article 1 of the Constitution," the Monitor said. "The bill would limit for the first time the ability of convicted prisoners to have their cases reviewed and would diminish the power of federal judges to disagree with state court decisions." In a joint letter signed by 25 diverse organizations -- ranging from gun rights groups to Jewish groups, from the NAACP to the American Muslim Council, the ACLU told Congress that it recognized that "the current system is in need of meaningful reform." The habeas provisions of the bill, however, "threaten to obliterate the federal courts' authority entirely," the joint letter said. "There was a time in their country when the federal courts were unable to correct state court mistakes about constitutional issues. In the notorious Leo Frank case in 1915, an innocent Jewish man was denied access to the federal courts even though he had been convicted and sentenced to death in a trial dominated by an anti-Semitic mob," it continued. "This great country of ours deserves a better brand of justice than Leo frank received. The habeas corpus title in these bills would turn back the clock of history, reviving the very injustices we have tried so hard, and so long, to overcome." +++++++++++++++++