Prophe-Zine, Issue # 19 May 15, 1996 Credits.......... Statement of Faith......... & Other stuff......... Raymond Gano..........Welcome to Issue # 19 Grant R. Jeffrey.....Peace In The Middle East or The Prelude To War? Jim Pinkoski.......Ron Wyatt's Discovery of the Ark of the Covenant David M. Williams.......The 4 Main Approaches To Understanding The Book Of Revelation. Berit Kjos......From The United Nations To The United Religions Prophe-Zine News Bites ....Assorted News sources and faithful readers Special Thanks to: Jim Pinkoski of "The Museum of God's Treasures" located in the Gatlinburg Passion Play Complex in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Jim works with Ron Wyatt who was the person that discovered the Ark of the Covenant. He has written a VERY good first hand follow-up and corrections regarding Ron's discovery in Jerusalem. Many thanks Jim and Ron and keep up the good work. 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 # 19 Hello Everyone, I am glad to see that you are still enjoying my publication Prophe-Zine. I am trying to keep track of how many people subscribe and how many drop offs I get. In fact the way things are going, I am getting about 25 new subscribers every month. It seems that I have gotten a lot more people the last few weeks. So if you are telling people about PZ....keep it up. We need even more readers. In this issue I have a GREAT follow-up on the Ark of the Covenant article. I am also concentrating on Israel in this issue. This month is a pretty busy month for the State of Israel. She is having elections towards the end of May(?) and the Oslo 2 treaty talks start up. The Oslo treaty is going to cover who gets Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. So pray for Israel and for Jerusalem. (Psalms 122:6) Other things that have been happening here in the US is a push to use the injectable Bio-chips. (See PZ news bites..article from one of my readers w/ a follow-up of the original Chicago article) Also here in the US there is a Bill working its way through the House and Senate that is called the Careers Bill. If passed, this bill will issue EVERYONE a national ID which will hold your school records, health records, Work records plus ALL your VERY personal information down to the nitty gritty including who you associate along with your sexual and religious preferences. It is nicknamed the Womb to Tomb Bill. I have some new WWW site links that I have added over the last few weeks. I have really added to the Globalists area. Check out the Biosphere Reserves and UN Heritage lists. I have also added Grant Jeffrey's WWW site to the Prophecy area. Check Grant out..he is one of my favorite authors. I am honored to carry one of his articles for PZ this month and to announce his WWW site to all of you. Well that is about all that I can think of right off hand. I want to remind all you serious news junkies that I have daily news, BUT beware this is NOT for the light hearted email person. I dump up to 15 pieces of email in your box everyday. SO if on-line charges bother you, or weeding out your email or you just can not stand that "YOU HAVE MAIL" voice that AOL has...then this list is not for you. NOW if you are a info / news junkie, drop me a note, because I am quick to add you, but I am slow to take you off the list ( he he he he the power) In His service, Ray Password: Ephesians 6:10-13 God's Armor *********************** Peace In The Middle Eastor, The Prelude To War? By Grant R. Jeffrey We are living in the most extraordinary generation since Jesus walked in Jerusalem two thousand years ago. More prophecies have been fulfilled in our lifetime than in all the generations leading up to 1948. When the nation of Israel was officially reborn at 12.01 AM, May 15, 1948, the prophetic clock began ticking inexorably in the final countdown to Armageddon. Israel's False Peace In 1980 YaArafat stated: "Peace for us means the dest its deadly enemy, the PLO, have signed numerous peace agreements in a process that they promised would end four decades of deadly warfare in the Middle East. Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin took the first tentative steps towards a possible peace treaty between their two peoples. Since that meeting Israeli forces have withdrawn from Gaza and major parts of the West Bank including Jericho. The Palestinians have completed their "democratic" elections in which Yasser Arafat was proclaimed president of the Palestinian embryonic state. Does this mean true peace is at hand? Or, will a false peace lead inexorably to the invasion of Israel by Russia and the Arab states in the War of Gog and Magog that was prophesied by the ancient prophets of Israel? The Arab governments and the PLO have offered Israel "peace for land." But what kind of "peace" are they offering? There are two concepts of "peace" in the Arab language. One represents a true peace such as Canada and the U.S.A. enjoy where we genuinely wish the best for our neighbours. The other Arab concept of "peace" is in reality "an armed truce." During the crusades Saladin, the great general of the temporarily defeated Muslim armies, offered the English general, Richard the Lion-Heart, a peace treaty. However, two years later,after rebuilding his armies, Saladin broke his agreement and defeated the English armies. In Yasser Arafat's speeches to Arab audiences, he explained that he will offer Israel "the peace of Saladin." This proves that he is dishonestly offering Israel only "an armed truce" rather than true peace. The PLO have not relinquished their commitment to conquer every inch of the land of Israel. In Yassir Arafat's speech to a Muslim group in South Africa he told them he was launching a "Jihad," a holy war, to conquer Jerusalem. In addition he declared that he was only offering the Jews a "peace" similar to the peace treaty Mohammed made with his enemy, the powerful Koreish tribe that controlled Mecca. All Muslims understood his meaning because the Koran tells of how Mohammed betrayed and destroyed the Koreish. Two years after the treaty was signed, Mohammed betrayed the Koreish tribe by attacking without warning, killing their leaders and conquering Mecca. All Palestinian groups uses emblems, flags and wn to Armageddon. Israel's False Peace "Peace for us means the destruction of Israel." Yassir Arafat - 1980 In the last few years the leaders of Israel letterhead that contains maps showing that all of Israel and the territories must be conquered from the Jews. The Jewish state does not appear on the official maps of the Arab nations nor in their p for the future of the Middle East. Incredibly, instead ofrist bus bombings, the present Israeli Labor government continues to negotiate away the land given to the Jews by God four thousand years ago. Arafat openly glorifies the Palestine suicide bombers who kill innocent Jewish chmen and old men as "shaheedun" tildren, women and old men as "shaheedun" the Arab word for martyrs. In addition, he provides millions in aid to the families of these evil terrorist bombers. Only a few weeks ago Arafat declared that once the Jews retreated totally from Gaza and the West Bank territories he would invite in up to nine million Palestinians from other countries to overwhelm the Jewish state. Arafat declared that the Palestinian would ultimately succeed in eliminating the state of Israel from the Middle East. The PLO have oflared that the Palestinians would ultimately succeed in eliminating the state of Israel from the Middle East. The PLO have oftelans for the future of the Middle East. Incredibly, instead of breaking off negotiations with the PLO in light of the Palestinian's bad faith as revealed by these actions and the horrific terroas revealed by these actions and the horrific terrorrific terron declared that their long-term strategy is to eliminate Israel in a plan called "Liberation by Phases." Yassir Arafat has openly decreed since 1974 that during the first phase of his "Phases Plan" the PLO will establish a beachhead in Gaza and the West Baence that this peace accord was part of his 1974 "Liberation by Phases" plan. During interviews many Arab leaders and individual Arabs have declared they will never be content until they recover the entire land of Israel from the Jews. Arafat stated in 1980: "Peace for us means the destruction of Israel." One of the reasons the Arabs will never accept the right of Israel to exist in the Middle East is that their Koran teaches that, if a land was ever occupied in the past by Muslims, then it must be recovered by "Jihad," or holy war. Although Yasser Arafat pledged in the Oslo Accords to eliminate references to the destruction of Israel from the Charter of the Palestine Liberation Organization, he now refuses to do so. Furthermore, most of his Arab allies refuse to relinquish their goals to destroy the Jewish state. The Coming Russian - Arab Invasion of Israel Bible prophecy provides some insight into the ongoing peace negotiations. Thousands of years ago the prophet Ezekiel (Chapter 38 & 39) predicted that a huge confederacy of Arab nations under Russian leadership will join together to attack Israel after the Jewish exiles have returned to their homeland. Despite massive changes in Russia the hardliners in the KGB, the army and military-industrial complex maintain their grip on power. A recent study of the role of the military in Russia revealed that Boris Yeltsin has secretly appointed over 14,000 senior military generals to assume command of every single department of the Russian government including the Health, Agricultural, Transportation and Mining ministries. No one could rise to the rank of major in Russian's army unless they were an approved member of the Russian Communist Party. By this action Yeltsin has allowed the Communist Party and their military allies to secretly assume control over every decision in his government. Regardless of who wins the June 1996 elections, the leadership of Russia is firmly in the hands of the Communist Party, the renamed KGB now called the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Red Army generals. The prophet Ezekiel declared that a future military leader of this alliance will say "I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates" (Ezekiel 38:11). For the last forty-five years Israel could not "dwell safely." Israel was forced to live as an armed camp for decades surrounded by two hundred million Arabs. Israel had to spend more of its budget on defense than any other country. However, this recent peace process and the blindness of the Israeli leadership may create a false sense of security and safety over the next few years that will allow Israel to relax its defenses and "dwell safely." This peace agreement may set the stage for the fulfillment of the great War of Gog and Magog prophesied by the prophet Ezekiel. This battle will be won by God's spectacular intervention with supernatural earthquakes and pestilence defeating the combined Russian and Arab armies. This miraculous deliverance by the hand of God will allow Israel to rebuild the Third Temple and resume animal sacrifices as described by Daniel 9:24-27. These awesome prophetic events will prepare the way for the fulfillment of the prophecies of the rise of Antichrist and his signing of a seven-year treaty with Israel. The treaty will commence a seven-year countdown to the return of the Messiah and His saints at the Battle of Armageddon to establish His millennial kingdom. These critical developments in the Middle East encourage us as believers to live in constant expectation of the glorious Rapture of the Church to meet our Lord. Jesus said, "when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh"(Luke 21:28). Yet we must live in a spiritual balance in these last days. Although He may come today He may also delay His return for a generation because our Lord "is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance"(2 Peter 3:9) We must live and witness to those around us as though the Rapture will occur tomorrow. Yet we must also plan and work as though we have a hundred years. Our Lord's command is that we "Occupy till I come"(Luke 19:13). The Strategic Importance of Territory Israel requires military control of the Golan Heights, Gaza and the West Bank in order to provide the strategic depth to defend itself against the overwhelming military force of its Arab enemies. Every military study in the last twenty five years concluded that Israel cannot be defended by conventional forces and weapons if it loses military control over these vital strategic territories. The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff 1992 study confirmed Israel could not give up the Golan, Gaza or the West Bank and expect to survive an Arab invasion. Without the West Bank territory Israel will be less than nine miles wide at its centre near Tel Aviv where almost eighty percent of its population lives. In a future conflict enemy armies could cut Israel in two by attacking from the PLO controlled high ground of Judea and Samaria (West Bank). The Jewish state could be overrun in a matter of days. In a future war Israel may be forced to resort to nuclear weapons from the onset when it finds its small diminished territory about to be overcome by enemy armies. The Israeli army calls this "the Samson Option" because it would destroy the Middle East, just as Samson brought down the temple on his enemies. Despite this grim reality the present Israeli government has agreed to relinquish these strategic areas. For the first time since its creation in 1948 Israel's conventional army and air force will not be able to successfully defend its vital territory and population from an armed invasion. We are commanded by God to "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee" (Psalms 122:6). However, this current peace process between the PLO and Israel may set the stage for the fulfillment of these tremendous prophecies leading to the Messiah's return in our generation. While we would rejoice at the prospects of a true peace in the Middle East we must recognize that the ancient prophets warned that a false peace will set the stage for the final conflict that will end with the Battle of Armageddon. However the prophet Jeremiah warned that in the last days men would say "Peace, peace! When there is no peace" (Jeremiah 6:14). Our world will not know true peace until Jesus the Messiah, the Prince of Peace comes. According to the Bible, real peace will only come to the Middle East when the coming Messiah changes the hearts of both the Arabs and the Jews. Then both peoples will dwell as brothers in true peace forever under the rule of their Messiah. Based on Grant R. Jeffrey'ss books PRINCE OF DARKNESS and FINAL WARNING Frontier Research Publications Inc. Box 129, Station "U" Toronto, Ontario M8Z 5M4 To Order Books - Call: 1 - (800) 883 - 1812 ******************** Editors Note: I received a great amount of mail regard the Ark article that first appeared in Prophe-Zine #17. The following is a follow-up to the article by Jim Pinkoski, who has been working for Ron Wyatt for the past 6 years. I want to thank Jim for coming to me with this VERY important information. I also want to thank Jim for taking the time to inform Prophe-Zine and our readers to the important corrections to the article in PZ # 17. Ron Wyatt's Discovery of the Ark of the Covenant by Jim Pinkoski Issue #17 of Prophe-Zine printed an article entitled "The Ark of the Covenant" by Arthur & Rosalind Eedie in England. It explained the story of the discovery of the Ark of the Covenant by Ron Wyatt who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. For the most part their telling of the story was very well done, but I need to correct and clarify a few of their statements. I have worked with Ron Wyatt for the past six years. I have co-authored and illustrated two of Ron's magazines, drawn the logo for his newsletter, and on July 16th, 1993 I had the very special honor and privilege of being asked to draw the Ark of the Covenant for Ron. That drawing appeared in his 4th newsletter. Then, in June of 1994, when Ron made arrangements to open up his first museum which is located inside the Gatlinburg Passion Play Complex, I was appointed to be its manager and curator. Accordingly, I have been on hand as Ron's work developed, and I have shown Ron's videos and materials to hundreds of visitors that have come to "The Museum of God's Treasures." The only thing I have not yet done is to go overseas to work firsthand on Ron's projects. Comments & Corrections to be made to the Prophe-Zine #17 Article: 1) This discovery was most definitely made by Ron Wyatt, not Jonathan Gray. I have not met this man, but I understand that he is doing hundreds of presentations throughout Europe, New Zealand, and Australia (where he is originally from). When he heard about Ron's discoveries, he had a healthy skepticism -- and then he visited many of the sites and now he is a firm supporter of Ron's work. The only remaining thing I might say here is that perhaps he needs to state "more clearly" in his presentations that this discovery was originally made by Ron Wyatt, so that his whole audience understands this. The Eedies came away from his meeting mistakenly thinking that Mr. Gray had made the discovery, which is not the case. 2) The article states that "the story begins in 1978" when Ron was swimming in the sea at Ashkelon and stubbed his toe on the rim of a large burial pot. They go on to say, "A short while afterwards" Ron is with the Director of Antiquities at the Calvary Escarpment. These two events are switched. Our "Presentation of Discoveries Video" clearly tells that Ron was in Jerusalem in 1978 because he had gotten sunburned while diving for chariot parts in the Red Sea, then the event with the Director took place wherein Ron's left arm rose and pointed at the escarpment and his voice said, "That's Jeremiah's Grotto, and the Ark of the Covenant is in there." The event of finding the burial pots in the sea at Ashkelon happened a number of years later when Ron returned to Jerusalem to continue working on the Ark of the Covenant dig, but he found out that there had been a turnover in personnel at the Antiquities Department, and Ron's "lifelong permit" had been rescinded. It was at this time that the burial pots were found, and the Antiquities Department granted Ron a new permit so he could continue working on the Ark of the Covenant site. 3) They mention Ron finding "3 post holes." He actually found a total of 4 cross holes. This is documented in his "Ark of the Covenant" booklet that was published in 1995, which is a reprint of Newsletter #12. The cross hole that was Christ's was central and on a raised level behind the other cross holes. Obviously only 2 of the front cross holes were used to hold the crosses of the 2 thieves, one to Christ's left, and one to Christ's right. Jesus' cross was in the middle, closer to the cliff face, and the ground level was approximately 4 feet higher. 4) They write that in the back portion of the cave that the Ark "had been enclosed within a wall, so that only the top of it could be seen," and "as his eyes became accustomed to the dim light, he realized that he was looking at two Cherubim with wings outstretched over the Mercy Seat." This is incorrect. Ron has always stated that when he first found it the Ark was in a stone case, and the case had a stone lid on it. The lid was cracked, and the smaller portion of it was moved aside, but still on top of the stone box. The ceiling of the cave came right down near the lid, so close that Ron could not even look over the top edge into the stone case. But he could see the crack in the roof of the cave above the area of the broken lid, and he could see a dark substancesplattered on the broken edge of the lid, indicating that something had dripped or run through the crack in the ceiling and had gone down into the opening in the lid and into the stone case. That is when Ron realized that he was directly under the area of the cross holes (which he had uncovered a year or so earlier), and this is when Ron realized that Christ's blood had come down through the crack that extended from the cross hole that was 20 feet above this cave, and the blood had gone onto the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant which was inside this stone case! But Ron did not "see" the Ark or the Cherubim during this first time in the cave. Both Ron's video and his booklet explain that he returned another time and drilled a small hole into the stone case and inserted a colonoscope into the case to be able to see and identify that the object in the case was truly the Ark. And the glowing photo of the Ark was taken sometime after this trip, because that photo shows that the Ark no longer seems to be "inside" that stone case. This is the proper order of these events. 5) As far as the actual video footage taken of the Ark in that cave, that footage has never been shown or released. Even I have never seen it. The footage that Arthur & Rosalind Eedie mention seeing in their article is on Ron's "Presentation of Discoveries Video," which only shows one of the Polaroid photos of the glowing Ark. 6) The conversation with the angel had fewer words in it, although the overall content was the same.The angel did not call Ron by name, and when the angel responded to Ron's questions, the angel merely said, "No" (not "No, I don't.") The statement about having just come from South Africa and heading for the New Jerusalem is completely correct. This event is written up on page 22 in his "Ark of the Covenant" booklet. 7) Overall, I thought that the article by Arthur & Rosalind Eedie was very well written, and very positive. I hope these few corrections help clarify things. And I was extremely pleased to hear about the article that was found in the October 7th, 1995 issue of the "New Scientist" magazine about the 3 year old boy whose chromosome count was deficient, because I too have encountered a few individuals who have worked in the medical field who have stated that Ron's scenario regarding the chromosome count in Christ's blood is "impossible" and "crazy." Praise the Lord that the retired doctor in the Eedies' article found the proof he needed to help him understand that this arrangement of the chromosomes in Christ's blood is entirely within the realm of the possible! "And with God ALL things are possible"! Matthew 19:26. Amen to that! The following is the text of the flyer (with a few modifications) that I hand out in our Museum: THE DISCOVERY OF THE ARK OF THE COVENANT Copyright 1994 Wyatt Archaeological Research (W.A.R.) In 1978 Ron Wyatt was walking along the Calvary Escarpment when something happened to him that has, so far, only occurred once in his life. His left arm raised up and pointed to the escarpment and his voice said, "That' Jeremiah's Grotto, and the Ark of the Covenant is in there." Ron had no control of what he said, it was the Lord giving him those words to speak. He was walking with a man who was the head of the Israeli Antiquities Department, and this man said, "That's wonderful! We'll not only furnish the permit, we'll put you up in a place to stay, have your laundry done and furnish your meals!" Ron and his two sons came back several times over the next few years and spent hundreds of hours digging at that location. Ron says that he finally found and entered the cave that contains the Ark of the Covenant on January 6th, 1982. On this trip his two sons became sick and had to return home early. Ron continued working in the cramped and convoluted cave system with only a young Arab boy as his assistant. Ron found a small opening in a wall of a tunnel that had a 16 inch stalactite hanging down in front of it which almost appeared to be "guarding" the tiny hole. He broke off the stalactite, and, thinking that this was probably just going to be another "dead end," he widened the opening to make it large enough for his young co-worker to enter. The boy squeezed in through the tiny opening, but before Ron could hand him a flashlight to look around in the chamber, the lad came scurrying out of that chamber as fast as he could, shaking and shouting, "What's in there? What's in there??" He was scared to death! The young boy refused ever again to enter that cave system. Ronsays that he now lives outside Israel, and because of governmental visitor regulations he cannot re-enter the country. After seeing the behavior of his helper, Ron became excited about inspecting this part of the cave system, so he widened the opening and crawled in. He was all by himself in that cave system. During the previous excavations in this area, Ron had found what he believed to be the location of Christ's crucifixion. It took place along the face of the Calvary Escarpment. In various movies, etc., it is commonly "assumed" that the crucifixion took place on the "top" of a hill and that the crosses stood upright with nothing but sky around and above them. But that is not stated so in the Bible. John 19:41 says, "Now in the place WHERE HE WAS CRUCIFIED there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre." Ron is a firm believer that the Garden Tomb is the true burial place of Jesus, and that Christ was crucified up against what is known as the Calvary Escarpment, very near Golgotha and the Garden Tomb. Ron first found what he believed to be 3 cutouts in the cliff face, where 3 large signs might have been posted around the cross in the 3 different languages. When Christ died on the cross, "the rocks were rent." That earthquake split the escarpment, and also caused a large crack to appear in the ground to the left side of the hole that held Christ's cross. Ron says that he located a total of 4 cross holes in this area, and they are approximately 14 feet under the current ground level. The cross hole that we believe held Christ's cross was 13 inches by 14 inches in width, and 23 and 1/2 inches deep, and there was a stone "plug" in the top of the cross hole that was squarish and approximately 8 inches thick. When Christ died on the cross and the Centurion stabbed Him in the side with his spear, Christ's blood and water flowed out. He was stabbed into His left side under the 5th rib, and directly into the spleen. Christ's blood went into the large crack in the ground at the base of the cross, and it continued underground through the split in the rocks caused by the earthquake -- and the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, went upon the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant that was buried in a cave that was approximately 20 feet right below the crucifixion site! When Ron entered that cave for the very first time at 2 p.m. in the afternoon of January 6th, 1982, this is what he saw: There was very little room for him to crawl around, because the things in the cave left only about a foot and a half of crawl space between them and the ceiling of the cave. Ron was crawling on top of rocks, which were on the top of boards, which were on top of animal skins. When he shined his flashlight down between the rocks, he saw that much of the wood and furs were rotted away, and he saw "gold" glittering underneath the rocks. Moving a number of the stones aside, he partially uncovered what he recognized to be a gold veneered table with a raised moulding around the side which consisted of an alternating pattern of a bell and a pomegranate -- it was the Table of Shewbread! Then Ron shined his flashlight around the cave to see what else he could see, and at the far side of the cave he saw a stone box which was of the approximate size which could hold the Ark of the Covenant! And he saw that directly above the stone box was a crack in the ceiling of the cave. Ron crawled closer to get a better look. The stone lid of the box was cracked, and the smaller portion of the lid was moved aside a short distance. There was a dark dried substance on part of the stone lid where it was broken. Looking at the crack in the ceiling, Ron suddenly realized what had taken place here nearly 2,000 years ago! Overwhelmed with emotion and double pneumonia, Ron passed out for 45 minutes in that chamber. THE BLOOD When the Lord says, "It's time," Ron will return and re-enter that cave and take along with him a camera crew and one or more genetic scientists. We will see them remove the objects from that cave, and we will see them take a sample of Christ's blood (there is a dried puddle of it on the Mercy Seat!), and we will see the test results of that extremely unique blood! Ron says that he has already tested his own sample, and he knows what the results will be. Remember, Ron has worked as a nurse anesthetist for over 20 years, and he's seen lots of blood. Normal human blood has 46 chromosomes. When a child is conceived, 23 chromosomes come from the mother (all of these are "X" chromosomes), and 23 come from the father parent. If the child is to be a male child, a "Y" chromosome is provided by the father, and that chromosome designates that the child will be a male. The blood of Jesus only had A TOTAL OF 24 CHROMOSOMES! There were 23 from His earthly human mother, AND ONLY ONE "Y" CHROMOSOME FROM HIS HEAVENLY FATHER! No other human blood like this has ever existed on the earth! The scientific term for this is "ploidy," or "haploid." Ron says that there have been known examples of females born with only half the normal chromosome count -- 23 -- but never a male child, because the father parent has to provide the distinctive "Y" chromosome! Thus God will SCIENTIFICALLY prove beyond all doubt that Jesus was no mere "good teacher" or "just a good man" -- JESUS WAS THE DIVINE SON OF GOD! THE TEN COMMANDMENTS We will also see the Ten Commandments removed from the Ark of the Covenant. Hopefully they will go on display and travel around the world like the King Tut Exhibit, and you and I will actually get to see them "in person"! Ron says that he has SEEN the Ten Commandment stones. He says that they look as if someone wrote in soft butter with their finger and then turned them to stone. A number of very important artifacts are there in that cave. In the back "side" of the Ark, on a leather scroll, are 4 of the the first 5 books of the Bible (Ron says that Genesis is missing). He says that the leather scroll is as fresh and supple as the day it was written. Just as the shoe leather of theIsraelites did not wear out in the desert, this leather has also remained in perfect condition and shows no deterioration. What about Aaron's rod that budded, and the pot of manna? They are no longer in the Ark, just as 1 Kings 8:9 says. But Ron says that all the major furnishings of the first Temple were there in the cave, the 7 branched Candlestick, the Golden Altar of Incense, the Table of Shewbread -- and there was also a 5 foot 2 inch sword (that is most likely Goliath's sword), an Ephod, a Miter with an ivory pomegranate on the tip, a brass shekel weight, and numerous oil lamps. CLOSING COMMENTS Many people ask, "When will we get to see the Ark?" Ron does not know exactly when this wonderful and solemn event will happen, but he feels that the time is imminent. He says that there are 4 angels guarding the Ark, and that over the years 5 people have died attempting to interfere or take over the dig -- and Ron says that it will not be finished until God says, "It is time." All the documentation that we have available about this dig is on Ron's "Presentation of Discoveries Video" (available for $30 plus s&h, and it also includes documentation on 4 other of Ron's very important discoveries), and in the 35-page "Ark of the Covenant" booklet which tells many more of the details (available for $10 plus s&h). The official policy statement from W.A.R. is that this is all the documentation that will be released in regard to the Ark of the Covenant discovery up until the time the project is to be completed. Documentation on the analysis of the blood is *not* available at this time. We invite people to come see Ron Wyatt's material in "The Museum of God's Treasures," located in the Gatlinburg Passion Play Complex in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The museum phone number is 423-436-7644. We also invite people to visit our World Wide Web page. The address is: http://199.190.118.223/ark/war.htm We are in the process of up loading ALL of Ron's discoveries onto the Web, but the Ark of the Covenant material is being saved for last. If you wish to see this material now, please order a copy of the video and the booklet. The total cost would be $44. My CompuServe e-mail address is 74532,737@Compuserve.com ********************* The Four Main Approaches To Understanding The Book Of Revelation. By David M. Williams dave@maths.newcastle.edu.au INTRODUCTION Over the last 1900 years, four primary understandings of the Book of Revelation have developed - the Idealist, Preterist, Historicist and Futurist viewpoints. These understandings are distinct with their own notable characteristics. Horton believes that part of the reason for this incompatible variety stems from whether the hermeneutics employed tend to interpret the Bible more literally or figuratively (Horton, 1994, p. 619). As will be explained however, there are stronger reasons for the variety, which pertain to one's objectivity. IDEALIST The Idealist believes simply that Revelation does not refer to any historical or future event at all; rather it is a timeless allegory of the conflict between good and evil (Stern, 1992, p. 784) - a description of the spiritual principles of God that equip one for spiritual battles, which constantly confront the Church (Goswiller, n.d., p. 5). This view originated with the Alexandrian School of Theology represented by Clement and Origen, who (consistent with their other teachings) taught that the "true spiritual interpretation" of the book could only be discovered through an allegorical interpretation (Goswiller, n.d., p. 5; Wilson, n.d., p. 15). Nevertheless, though the book does have many symbolic figures, they all represent realities. The Antichrist is called a beast, but he will be a real person and will fulfill plain statements given in other prophecies (such as II Thessalonians 2:3-12). Jesus must personally come to bring about the final triumph (Horton, 1994, p. 619). The Idealist view does not appear to have much serious support, its deficiencies being apparent. Morris (1980, p. 1338) states, "The difficulty is that the seer does claim to be prophesying of later days". Wilson (n.d., p. 6) writes, "The results of this method were not satisfactory, for each interpreter understood the symbols and figures according to his own ideas". Jensen (1981, p. 498) goes as far as to claim that this view is anemic. PRETERIST The Preterist view derives its name from the Latin word praeter meaning "past". It attempts to relate all of Revelation except for the very end to events in the first century, with Rome and its early emperors, particularly Nero, being the only principals (Horton, 1994, p. 619). Kenneth Gentry (n.d.) sustains this position by appealing to 1:9 ("I John, who also am your brother, and companion in the tribulation") as evidence that "the" tribulation was a reality in John's time (although most translations do not render the verse this way). Gentry continues, citing the continual warnings, "He that has an ear, let him hear" (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22) as evidence that the events of Revelation were taking place in that day. Gentry further appeals to Revelation 17 where a vision of the seven-headed beast is recorded, verses 9 and 10 explaining, Here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh he must continue a short space. Gentry (n.d.) proceeds to explain that the seven mountains represent the famous seven hills of Rome. The seven heads also have a political reference, being simultaneously seven kings. Gentry states, It surely is no accident that Nero was the sixth emperor of Rome. Flavius Josephus, the Jewish contemporary of John, clearly points out that Julius Caesar was the first emperor of Rome and that he was followed in succession by Augustus, Tiberius, Caius, Claudius, and, sixthly, Nero (Antiquities, books 18 and 19). Gentry next enlists the aid of the number of the Beast from Revelation 13:18 to prove "Nero and Nero alone fits the bill as the specific or personal expression of the Beast" (Gentry, n.d.), stating A Hebrew spelling of Nero Caesar's name was Nrwn Qsr. . . . It has been documented by archaeological finds that a first century Hebrew spelling of Nero's name provides us with precisely the value of 666. Although Preterists believe that the last two chapters of Revelation pertain to the future (Jensen, 1981, p. 498), the essence of their position is that the events of Revelation arose out of conditions in the Roman empire of the 1st century AD. The seer was appalled at the possibilities for evil inherent in the Roman empire and he used symbolic imagery to protest against it, and to record his conviction that God would intervene to bring about what pleased him (Morris, 1980, p. 1338). Nevertheless, despite Gentry's firm belief, one must conclude that the Preterist position is untenable. It overlooks the fact that the book calls itself a prophecy (1:3). Mickelsen finds fault with the Preterist understanding of the mark of the Beast, stating, Nero Caesar in Hebrew letters comes out right if the consonants are NRWN QSR. But in the Talmud the word Caesar is spelled QYSR. If this is adopted, the total numerical value comes to 676. In Greek, of course, no form of Nero Caesar comes to 666 (Mickelsen, 1963, p. 202; also Morris, 1980, p. 1338). Finally, the Preterist view is highly dependant on Revelation having been written before 70 A.D., yet the evidence for a 95/96 A.D. date is overwhelming (Goswiller, n.d., p. 3), Irenaeus even explicitly stating that John wrote the book during Domitian's reign (Glasson, 1965, p. 8; Morris, 1980, p. 1338). HISTORICIST The Historicist view of Revelation attempts to map the events described in the book to historical events, providing a panorama of the history of the Church from the days of John to the end of time (Ryrie, 1978, p. 1785). Thomas Foster (1983, p. 8), co-founder of the Christian Revival Crusade, sees the seven Churches in chapters two and three of Revelation as being an overview of the entire Church age (which many Futurists would also believe). Chapters four to 19 of Revelation are claimed to be a more in-depth view of Church history, with the Millennium being described in chapter 20. According to Foster (1983, p. 123), "the Millennium proper commences about 2000 A.D." although the Laodicean period finished in 1967 (Foster, 1983, p. 18) with the six-day war in Israel. Foster's views are strongly anti-Catholic. The beast worship of Revelation 13 is related to allegiance to the Papal Empire in 533 B.C (Foster, 1983, p. 68). The mark of the beast is the Latin language (lateinus having the value 666) which is significant because Pope Vitallian issued a decree commanding the exclusive use of Latin in all services of the Catholic Church in 666 A.D. (Foster, 1983, p. 74-75). Further, the battle of Armageddon is claimed to be nothing more than Russian Communism challenging Britain and the USA for supremacy (Foster, 1983, p. 94), Britian and the USA having replaced Israel, and Communism being related to Roman Catholicism. This view is fraught with complications - its interpretations are subjective and internally inconsistent. Foster, for example, believes that the 42 months of blasphemies by the beast refers to 1260 years of Papal power from 606 A.D. to 1866 A.D. (Foster, 1983, p. 68). Nevertheless, the closest Foster can come to a historical event for this is the capturing of Rome by Italy in 1870 (Foster, 1983, p. 89). One must also question the hermeneutic involved in "a day stands for a year" (Foster, 1983, p. 55) used to achieve certain dates in this scheme. Further, Morris (1980, p. 1338) states, "It is difficult to see why the outline of history should confine itself to W[estern] Europe, especially since in earlier days at least much of the expansion of Christianity was in E[astern] lands." Finally, Historicist adherers tend to continually rework the whole interpretation to come out in their own generation (Horton, 1994, p. 619; Morris, 1980, p. 1338). This has been the case with Historicists in the past and undoubtedly certain of Foster's dates would now be different. FUTURIST Although the three views given above may entail some recognition of predictive prophecy in Revelation, not one of them permit Eschatological derivations to be made. The fourth manner in which Revelation may be understood is the Futurist viewpoint, which views most of the book (chapters 4 - 22) as prophecy yet to be fulfilled. Ryrie (1978, p. 1785) believes this to be the only logical interpretation if one is to interpret the text plainly. Similarly, Walvoord states that the Futurist (in particular, pre-millenial, pre- tribulationism) viewpoint is the only one which most literally follows scripture under "consistent and proper hermeneutics" (Walvoord, 1978, p. 270). Nevertheless, the Futurist viewpoint itself contains a number of variant views. The seven Churches in chapters two and three, for example, may be seen in a Preterist manner (that is, relating solely to the Church in the first century) or a Historicist manner (that is, reflecting the history of the Church). Yonggi Cho, for example, holds to the latter view, with the Laodecian Church reflecting the Church from 1905 until the Tribulation (Cho, 1991, p. 47). The most reasonable view, however, is the Characteristic Interpretation where the letters, while still written to physical Churches in John's day, present a picture of the continuous conditions of the Church throughout history - that is, at any given time there will be an "Ephesian" Church, a "Laodicean" Church and so on (Goswiller, n.d., p. 13). Another area for consideration is the millennium, which has its basis in Revelation 20 - "He threw him [Satan] into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations any more until the thousand years were ended" (20:3); "They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (20:4, also 20:5, 7). "Millennium" means a thousand years, and Christian thought is divided into three categories over the millennium. Amillennialists believe that the millennium is not a literal period of time, rather the millennial kingdom is not future but is spiritual and is in progress at the present time. There is no distinction between the Church and Israel and Satan is actually bound now through the victory of Jesus at the cross and Christ reigns in the world in the hearts of his followers (Goswiller, n.d., p. 2). Post-millennialists believe that the millennium is a literal thousand year period, but in contrast to Revelation's chronological ordering, "Christ will have a spiritual reign which will last for 1,000 years. His second coming follows the thousand year reign" (Goswiller, n.d., p. 2). A flaw in post-millennial thinking is that Christ's spiritual reign is to come about because "the present gospel message will root out all the evils of the world" (Goswiller, n.d., p. 2). This notion was first perpetuated by Augustine who claimed that the ever-increasing influence of the Church would overturn evil in the world before Christ's return (Zoba, 1995, p. 20). The Bible however indicates that the world's condition will worsen in the last days (I Timothy 4:1-3; II Timothy 3:1-5). During the Middle Ages the thought of a literal millennium was generally regarded as heretical (Berkhof, 1975, p. 263), but the faith of the early Church was undoubtedly chiliasm - an ill-defined pre-millennial outlook (Berkhof, 1975, p. 262; Zoba, 1995, p. 21) which anticipated Christ's literal thousand year reign after His Second Coming. Again, the Futurist viewpoint is divided over chapters four to 19. While all recognise the seven year Great Tribulation, the timing of the rapture is in dispute, the rapture being the "catching up" described in I Thessalonians 4:13-18 and I Corinthians 15:51-52. Post-tribulationists believe that the rapture occurs after the Tribulation. This means that the Church must endure the Tribulation, and Willmington (n.d., p. 825) dismises this view by appealing to I Thessalonians 5:9 ("For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ"). Mid- tribulationists believe that the rapture occurs midway through the Tribulation, and finally pre-tribulationists believe that the rapture occurs prior to the Tribulation. It is important to note that "only in relation to the premillennial position does the issue of when the rapture takes place arise; for Post- and Amillennialists, the rapture is vaguely identified with the Messiah's one and only return" (Stern, 1992, p. 623). To realise the time of the rapture one must recognise that the Tribulation is not merely a time of suffering or persecution (indeed, Christ said, "in this world you will have tribulation" in John 16:33). It is rather a time of God's wrath being outpoured on the earth. People will cry to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" (Revelation 6:16-17). Just as God delivered Noah and his family from God's wrath (Genesis 7:6-7) and Lot and his daughters (Genesis 19:14) and even the Israelites (Exodus 7:18; 8:3, 21-22; 9:3-4; 10:22-23; 11:6-7), so too the Church shall be saved from the coming Tribulation by the rapture - for the Church looks for "His Son from heaven who has delivered us from the wrath to come" (I Thessalonians 1:10). CONCLUSION Four (main) views of the Book of Revelation exist; obviously not all can be simultaneously correct. While pondering the area of modern-day miracles, former Dallas Theological Seminary professor, Jack Deere, made the conclusion, . . . . the majority of what Christians believe is not derived from their own patient and careful study of the Scriptures. The majority of Christians believe what they believe because godly and respected teachers told them it was correct. (Deere, 1993, p. 47). This is not necessarily negative, however. Many Christians believe in the deity of Jesus, for example, and believe the Scriptures teach this, but they could never defend His deity from the Scriptures, nor did they personally come to this belief through their own study of the Scriptures. It is part of the tradition that has been handed down to them by teachers. In this case, they benefit from tradition because this particular tradition is fully supported by Scripture. Nevertheless, for this reason, many notions have been propagated which are not Scripturally sound. Revelation should not be an overwhelming mystery. John wrote to reveal, not to conceal truth, "revelation" meaning an "opening up, uncovering" (Gentry, n.d.). The facts have been presented and conclusions may be drawn. Everyone is encouraged to read Revelation; a blessing is promised to those who persevere in its study - Blessed is he who reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand (Revelation 1:3). WORKS CITED Berkhof, L. 1975 (1937). The History of Christian Doctrines, Baker Book House, Michigan. Cho, P. Y. 1991. Revelation, Word Books, Milton Keynes. Deere, J. 1993. Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, Zondervan, Michigan. Foster, T. 1983. Amazing Book of Revelation Explained!, Crusade Centre, Victoria. Gentry, K. L. n.d. The Beast of Revelation Identified, Southern California Centre for Christian Studies, California. Glasson, T. F. 1965. The Revelation of John, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Goswiller, R. n.d. Revelation, Pacific Study Series, Melbourne. Horton, S. M. 1994. 'The Last Things', in Systematic Theology: A Pentecostal Perspective, ed. S. M. Horton, Logion Press, Springfield. Jensen, I. L. 1981. Jensen's Survey of the New Testament, Moody Press, Chicago. Mickelsen, A. B. 1963. Interpreting the Bible, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Michigan. Morris, L. L. 1980. 'Revelation, Book of', in The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ed. F. F. Bruce, Inter-Varsity Press. Ryrie, C. 1978. The Ryrie Study Bible, Moody Press, Chicago. Stern, D. 1992. Jewish New Testament Commentary, Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc., Maryland. Walvoord, J. 1978. The Rapture Question, Zondervan, Michigan. Willmington, n.d. Willmington's Guide to the Bible, Pacific College Study Series, Melbourne. Wilson, C. n.d. The Book of Revelation, Pacific College Study Series, Melbourne. Zoba, W. 1995. 'Future Tense', Christianity Today, vol. 39, no. 11. This essay is free for distribution in any manner, with the provision that it remains completely intact, with this notice, the author's name and the full text of the essay. Any comments are gratefully welcomed. Copyright 1996. *************************** >From The United Nations To The United Religions by Berit Kjos "We're on the threshold of the first global civilization," said Episcopal Bishop William A. Swing shortly before leaving on a world tour to build support for his dream: a United Religions, modeled after the United Nations, where representatives of the world's religions would unite instead of fight. "As we become one global unit, we have to find out where religion is in regard to our global tribe." Like the Gorbachev Foundation, the United Religions would be headquartered on the Presidio, the former U.S. army base overlooking the San Francisco Bay. Here the world's spiritual representatives would debate "the great issues" of our times, put aside their suspicions, and learn to cooperate. The bishop of the California diocese began his world tour on February 7 with $150,000 in seed money and some powerful allies. "There are a lot of people all over the world giving me a green light and saying, 'It's time. This is the right thing to do. Please go for it," Bishop Swing told Richard Scheinin, religion reporter for the San Jose Mercury News (2-3-96). Among them are South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu, "the Islamic head of the Supreme Court of Pakistan," and the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan Buddhist leader is "giving me his 'unconditional commitment' to make sure this happens," said Swing. According to Scheinin, the Episcopal bishop will visit Mother Teresa in Calcutta, the Dalai Lama in India, King Hussein in Jordan, "high-level Muslim leaders in Cairo, and rabbis in Jerusalem." He will also stop in Istanbul, Rome, and Canterbury to invite representatives from the world's "great spiritual traditions" to a 1997 United Religions meeting in San Francisco. Here, at the birthplace of the U.N. charter, they would write and sign a U.R. charter. "You can work in terms of the model of the U.N., where you have the General Assembly and the Security Council," explained Swing. "There has to be some kind of division between folks who have been around a long time with a lot of clout, and those who have been here a short time. . . . If you take the Muslim and the Roman Catholic voices, each has more than a billion people." Swing's U.R. would offer more than formal debates and peace-making resolutions. He envisions "a gathering place" where religious leaders could share their sacred treasures with the public. The doors would be open daily, welcoming spiritual seekers eager to hear the sacred scriptures, music, prayers and wisdom usually hidden behind the cloistered doors of unapproachable sages. "I'm interested in people's reactions to your project," Scheinin told Bishop Swing. "Do many say you're unrealistic?" "Some say it could never happen because the great religions have such deep suspicions of each other," Swing answered. "Or because some of the religions think the others are of the devil, and they are of God. It's such a chaotic, irrational field out there that no order could come out of that chaos. That's the argument." "How do you answer that?" "Fifty years ago, when people were trying to get the United Nations together, the same arguments could have been used. The nations had warred against each other for so long. . . that no one would ever come to a table and accept any mutually agreed-upon authority. But the nations of all the people of the world did it, so why can't the religions of all the people do it?" Many will, for spiritual and political leaders around the world already share Swing's expensive dream. International conferences such as the Parliament of World Religions, Mikhail Gorbachev's State of the World Forum, and the United Nations' fiftieth anniversary celebrations linked thousands of globalists determined to unify the world and establish a global ethic and a common belief system. The new international education system, mandated in our nation through Goals 2000, will assess and track our children's values to make sure they conform. The time is ripe. Spiritual unity fits the philosophy of our age: everything is changing, so compromise, cooperate, unify and adapt. The only people who can't join the converging streams toward oneness are Christians who base their faith on the Bible. They know only one God, one sacred Book, and one door to eternal life. They can accept no other and must refuse to mold their beliefs to fit an all-inclusive global spirituality. No wonder globalists call these uncompromising Christians narrow and intolerant "extremists" who block unity. In the end, we may be the only ones who resist the totalitarian unity planned for the 21st century. It may cost our lives. "If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you," said Jesus. (John 15:20) But we are on the winning side. Neither the U.N. nor the U.R. can meet the hopes of their makers, for they scorn the God who alone can bring peace on earth. "Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?" asks the psalmist who sees the absurdity of arrogant little humans mocking their Maker. In the end, they reap destruction, for the God of the universe will not long permit alternative gods to reign. But "blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. (Psalm 2) _________________________________________________________ For practical information about the new international education system and its strategies for producing global citizens with common beliefs and values, read Brave New Schools by Berit Kjos. Available in Christian bookstores or call 800-829-5646. Bio Information Berit Kjos 14710 Manuella Road Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 Fax: (415) 941-9352 Berit Kios is a widely respected researcher, the author of books and magazine articles, a popular conference speaker, and a concerned parent who has extensively studied current education systems. Kjos first became aware of New Age and occult influences in our society at a 1974 conference on holistic health. As a registered nurse, she was interested in methods of healing, but soon discovered that the occult powers found in New Age methods brought bondage instead of true healing. As a parrot, Kjos became aware of similar New Age influences in education. She began to monitor the schools for classroom programs that taught occultism and New Age spirituality, then began to share what she learned with other parents and teachers. Now a popular speaker for churches, Christian schools, and homeschooling groups nationwide, Kjos has given workshops and seminars at conferences such as the Association for Christian Schools International. She has spoken at conferences for such groups as the Constitutional Coalition, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Concerned Women for America, and Citizens for Excellence in Education. Kjos' newest book, Brave New Schools, surveys the scene in today's public schools and provides guidelines for parents who are concerned about their children's education. Kjos shows how myth, feeling, imagination, and politically correct stories are replacing truth, facts, logic, and history in the classroom. She also explains what programs such as Goals 2000 are all about, and why all students-even homeschoolers-eventually will be required to demonstrate competence in the new social and thinking skills before they can move on to higher education or jobs. Kjos is also the author of Your Child and the New Age, Under the Spell of Mother Earth, and A Wardrobe from the King. Her articles have appeared in magazines such as Virtue, Moody, Servant, Focus on the Family, and the Chrsitian Conscience. Kjos has also written numerous Bible study guides, booklets, and devotional. A frequent guest on national radio and television programs, Kjos has been interviewed on The 700 Club, Point of View, Bible Answer Man, Beverly LaHaye Live, Crosstalk, CBN Radio, Family Radio Network, and many more. PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Berit Kjos has authored four books, Your Child and the New Age, Under the Spell of Mother Earth, Brave New Schools, and A Wardrobe from the King, a Bible study showing how to wear the Armor of God. These books were written to encourage Christian families to resist the New Age and Neo-pagan influences that are transforming America. A 1974 conference on Holistic Health first introduced Berit, a registered nurse, to the enticing "universal force" of the New Age. While writing Bible studies and training leaders, she saw the need to show children the basic differences between New Age teaching and Biblical truth--and to help them know and love the truths that counter deception. Berit Kjos' newest book Brave New Schools, shows how the goals of education have been turned upside-down. Socialization--learning global beliefs and values and politically correct behavior--have replaced academics as the main outcome of education. You may hear nice-sounding promises, but factual learning and individual thinking are out, feelings and group thinking are in. If this international system is put in place by AD 2001 as planned, all children will be monitored through a national computerized data transmission system designed to build a permanent, personal file on every child. No one will be safe from the watchful eyes of those who control the new "school-to-work" system-not children taught at home or in private schools, not their parents, not anyone. So be informed. Learn what you can do to help preserve our families and freedoms. ************************ Prophe-Zine News Bites Historically Normal? By Zola Levitt May 96 Issue of the Levitt Letter We receive all sorts of letters at a ministry with so wide an outreach. Time magazine once proudly published the number of letters it receives per year, and I was surprised to see that we receive more than they do. Among these are the usual congratulations and complaints. But now and then I receive a letter so noteworthy in the position it takes that I want to call it to everyone's attention. The letter that follows is very cleverly written and puts forth a view of Israel which I'm afraid is becoming very popular. I have included a lengthy reply, and a copy of this newsletter will go to the writer of this letter. Dear Sir: During the wee small hours a few nights ago, I caught a bit of your broadcast on television. You were most convincing. You must be a wonderful salesman. You must understand, however, that to many of us, while the actions of Israel are historically normal, no attempt should be made to excuse those actions morally. For example, it was normal for the colonists to take over the land they found on the North American continent. It was not morally right that they annihilated the majority of the native population they found there and have not to this day stopped persecuting. It sounds an off-key note when you revile Arafat as a terrorist, but never mention Begin's rather unsavory history. When one compares the number of casualties between Israelis and Palestinians during the past years, it is obvious that the Israelis are winning the war. Does it place the Israelis in a higher moral position? The answer is, of course, that it does not. I, for one, do not blame Israel for any actions taken in conquering Palestine. They are historically normal. The strong (and those with strong allies) always take what they want from those who are weak or without strong friends. Yes, alas it is true -- might makes right. It is also true that might does not make moral right. I am offended when you try to convince me that it does. I recall a moment years ago in school, during a "Current Events" reading and discussion, when I asked the teacher, "But where will the people who live there now go?" Her reply showed her a fool, although I did not know it at the time. She said, "Oh, they are all Bedouin. They just move around all the time. They don't need homes." The Israelites must do what they must do to oust the Palestinians. I have no quarrel with that. Christians in quest for wealth, power and territorial rights have always followed the same path. That does not make it a Christian ethic. I cannot appreciate your effort to make me see it that way. Most sincerely, P.K. Dear P.K.: Regarding your first point, yes, we Americans did annihilate the population on this continent. The Israelis, however, did not do this to the Palestinians. As for the Israelis winning the "war," during the five years or so of the Intifada there were something like 750 Palestinians killed (some by their own people for being "collaborators" with Israel). The Israelis had 2,500 casualties in the 1973 war alone. You compare Arafat with Begin, but Arafat is a self-proclaimed terrorist who gladly took credit for his terrorist activities. Begin was a freedom fighter, opposed to the British occupation of Israel. Arafat has certainly been responsible for far more deaths than Begin was. And these were innocent civilians, as with the Munich athletes, the Achille Lauro cruise ship, and Pan Am 103, just to mention a few PLO exploits, proudly claimed. Begin was an official elected to serve the people, and he retired at the end of his career. Arafat has been a dictator for 30 years, only "elected" now for the first time. You state that the strong take what they want from the weak, but the Palestinians are not weak and Israel is not strong. In the Middle East, there are 250 million Arabs, compared to 4.5 million Israelis. And the current situation is the exact opposite of that stated in the first sentence of your final paragraph: the Palestinians are doing what they can to oust the Israelis, and with the blessing of the whole world. In all candor, I think your letter betrays you as simply a person who dislikes Israel, and probably the Jewish people. Generally when one argues passionately, he or she may accidentally distort one or two facts. But every "fact" in your letter is a distortion. While I am plainly in favor of Israel and say so gladly, you hide behind some intellectual neutrality, calling the supposed sins of Israel "historically normal." To tell you the truth, I don't think you are being perfectly honest. The teacher you mentioned was obviously not well-informed about the Israeli situation, and that is probably why you quote her. In reality, the Palestinians live better than Arabs in any Arab country. They certainly don't have to "move around all the time." They're the only Arabs in the Arab world privileged to live in a democracy (despite the recent PLO "elections"). If they would cooperate with Israel rather than fight them at every turn, they would be embraced into a democracy, as were your ancestors and mine in the United States. When my father came from Latvia, he did not claim this land for Latvia or say, however preposterously, that his people were here first. He was glad to participate in a democracy. He got a job and put three kids through graduate school. In the last paragraph of your letter, you tie Christians in with the moral "wrongs" you are addressing. Those you accuse of these crimes obviously are not Christians, as defined by the Lord's dictum, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35). Shalom, Zola +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Israel And The New World Order From: Michael Alter The Middle East has been on my heart lately and the Lord has given me a fresh annointing over the weekend to help me put the conflict into a spiritual perspective. I would like to share my thoughts on the matter for your consideration. Your comments would be most appreciated. In essence, the Middle East conflict is not a political battle or even religious battle. It is a spiritual battle between the God of Israel and the god of Islam. Unfortuntately, the so-called "Christian West" does not recognize this fundamental truth. Instead, those in the West supporting a "just and lasting" peace settlement in the region believe a lie which claims that since both Jews and Arabs worship the same God, they should each make compromises to get along. If this is true, then God is a hypocrite. On one hand, the God of Israel promised the land of Israel and Jerusalem as an everlasting covenant to the Jews who are the decendents of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. The god of Islam, on the other hand, views Jewish control of Palestine and Jerusalem as a cancer in the region and encourages every Muslim to take up the sword if necessary to liberate the land from the Jews. Those "moderate" Muslims who argue that only extreme fundamentalists hold this view are not being honest with themselves because the Koran clearly supports the aims and goals of Islamic terrorists in regard to the illegitimacy of Israel. The New World Order is pushing Israel into giving up most of its land and its capitol Jerusalem. To the applaud of nations, which promises Israel both security, prestige and financial assitance, the current Israeli leadership has signed agreements which puts the very legitimacy of the state of Israel and Jewish control over Jerusalem into question. The problem is that Israeli Prime Minisister Shimon Peres has no right to give up any land because it is not his to give. The Land belongs to the Lord. Can a tenant give up property against the Landlord's wishes ? Prime Minister Peres has stated that Israel just wants to be like the rest of the nations. Israel shall never be like the nations. Let me say once and for all that Israel can never be and shall never be part of the New World Order !!! Israel will be like a square peg in a round hole. The Scriptures state in the book of Zechariah that Jersusalem shall be a stone burdening the entire world, and when the nations unite (UN) in an attempt to move her, they will be crushed. All efforts to give up land is viewed by the most high God as rebellion and will come to naught. The New World Order is being orchestrated by Satan to negate the promises of God to the decendents of Abraham, Issac and Jacob and make God into a liar. Israel's God-ordained destiny is different from the rest of the nations. Unfortunately, the leaders of Israel are pushing the nation into an untenable situation which will cause bloodshed, pain and suffering for her people and will eventually culminate into the final battle of Armageddon. Only then will the people of Israel recognize their God and Messiah, and His foot shall step on Mount Olives and the Lord almighty will be fully clothed for battle in that day. He will subdue the nations and totally destroy the New World Order. +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Norwegian Paper: State Leaders Are Working For Israel's Destruction From: Arutz Sheva News Service Monday, May 6, 1996 / Iyar 17, 5756 The Norwegian Daily, Dagen, published a shocking report on Friday exposing a 25 year-old commitment by leading figures in Norway's ruling Labor Party to support and facilitate the demise of a sovereign Jewish Israel, and to establish in its place a secular, liberal Palestinian state. The report is based on revelations contained in a book by Haakon Lie, former Secretary-General of Norway's Labor Party. Lie traces the trail that eventually led to his party's embracing of the PLO and Arafat, beginning with a shocking statement by the Labor Party's Youth Organization AUF at its 1971 national convention. The chairman, Bjorn Tore Godal, approved the following statement: "The AUF will support the forces which struggle for the national and social liberation of the Palestinian people. The qualification for lasting peace must be that Israel ceases to exist as a Jewish state, and that a progressive Palestinian state is established where all ethnic groups can live side by side in complete equality." Godal is today Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a strong advocate of a Palestinian state. ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Editors Note: Special thanks to Lee Underwood for his Weekly Updates regarding Israel and her people. This is a good weekly update for those interested in what is happening in Israel. Write to Lee and tell him you heard about his newsletter from Prophe-Zine. OSLO 2 FINAL STATUS: From: Lee Underwood In Sunday evening's opening session of the final stage of talks between Israel and the PLO, PLO Chief Negotiator Abu Mazen spoke of the need to establish a "Palestinian State with Jerusalem serving as its capital." This has been the PLO position from the beginning and Yassir Arafat has spoken openly of the need "to liberate Jerusalem and establish it as the PLO capital." PLO Minister of Jerusalem Affairs, Faisal Husseini, spoke of the possibility of Jerusalem Arabs maintaining dual citizenship. He also suggested the same situation for the Jewish residents of Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Israel's Chief Negotiator, Uri Savir, stated that Jerusalem will remain the united capital of Israel. Though the talks in Taba officially adjourned Monday until after the Israeli elections, Savir stated that Israel wants secret negotiations to continue in small working groups. This final stage of negotiations is expected to take as long as three years. Mazen called on Israel to fulfill all commitments of the Interim Agreement, such as the IDF redeployment in Hevron. ++++++++++++++++++++++ PLO COVENANT UPDATE: From: Lee Underwood According to a report, Israeli security agencies all agree that the PNC Charter has actually been amended. According to a senior Israeli source, the General Security Service (GSS), Israel Defense Force (IDF) Intelligence Corps, and the IDF Civil Administration all agree on this point. However, according to a report by Galei Tzahal (Army Radio), a PLO spokesman stated that the news stories released by Israel, regarding the PLO having omitted sections of the PNC Charter are false. The PLO spokesman, speaking from Taba, stated they have not abolished sections of the Charter dealing with the destruction of Israel and reports are false. "We cannot continue [negotiations] like this. Israel cannot fabricate things", stated the spokesman. The letter from Arafat to PM Peres, which the latter presented at the last government meeting as proof that the PLO charter was in fact amended, is once again in the news. Peace Watch, the independent body monitoring implementation of the Oslo accords, announced that the English and Arabic versions of the letter are not identical, and that the binding, Arabic version is much less definitive. The English version reads, "It has been decided that the charter is hereby amended," implying a completed fact, while the Arabic says, "It was decided to change the charter." Peace Watch stated that in any event, no specific clauses to be changed were enumerated. (Arutz Sheva, SNS) +++++++++++++++++++++++ A UN-LED PIECE ACCORD? From: Lee Underwood The weekly Akhbar al-Yom reports that UN Secretary General Boutrous Ghali has yielded to a request of Yassir Arafat, and will attempt to convene another UN session to discuss the extended closure in the autonomous territories. This is an attempt to create a standard norm by which subjects under dispute between Israel and the Palestinians will be discussed in the United Nations. (Arutz Sheva) +++++++++++++++++++ SAUDI ARABIA MAKES $11 MILLION DONATION TO PLO: From: Lee Underwood Saudi Arabia has given $11 million in aid to the PLO specifically earmarked for projects in Jerusalem and Hevron. The money is part of a pledge made in 1993 but from was withheld until specific projects were designated. The projects allocated funding in the $11 million are: 1. The building of 48 apartments on Al Aksa Mosque for mosque guards. 2. The construction of an Islamic Cultural Center in Jerusalem. 3. The rehabilitation of 500 apartments in Hevron, near the Maarat Hamachpelah (Cave of the Patriarchs). The money is being given to strengthen the PLO claims to the Holy Cities, stated the PLO Minister of Religious Affairs. (SNS) +++++++++++++++++++++++ NORWEGIAN LEADERS ARE WORKING FOR ISRAEL'S DESTRUCTION: From: Lee Underwood The Norwegian Daily, Dagen, published a shocking report on Friday exposing a 25 year-old commitment by leading figures in Norway's ruling Labor Party to support and facilitate the demise of a sovereign Jewish Israel, and to establish in its place a secular, liberal Palestinian state. The report is based on revelations contained in a book by Haakon Lie, former Secretary-General of Norway's Labor Party. Lie traces the trail that eventually led to his party's embracing of the PLO and Arafat, beginning with a shocking statement by the Labor Party's Youth Organization AUF at its 1971 national convention. The chairman, Bjorn Tore Godal, approved the following statement: "The AUF will support the forces which struggle for the national and social liberation of the Palestinian people. The qualification for lasting peace must be that Israel ceases to exist as a Jewish state, and that a progressive Palestinian state is established where all ethnic groups can live side by side in complete equality." Godal is today Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a strong advocate of a Palestinian state. (Arutz Sheva) +++++++++++++++++++++ US AID TO PLO ON HOLD: From: Lee Underwood US Congressman Benjamin Gilman, Chairman of the House International Relations Committee, reiterated that the hold he has placed on $10 million in US aid to the PLO will continue until questions he has raised concerning its financial structure and assets are answered. The statement was made in response to a request by the State Department to lift the hold. Gilman said that the the PLO has so far failed to provide satisfactory answers regarding the requested information, which is "not unlike that which is provided by many other organizations to which the US provides foreign assistance." After more than a year of effort, the General Accounting Office reported to Gilman on November 28, 1995 that "we were unable to independently verify the PLO's current financial condition since the PLO was unwilling to provide us with requested accounting records and supporting documentation." (Arutz Sheva) +++++++++++++++++++++++ Bio-Chip Update Electronic Vehicle Identification From: Jim Rudisill Jim_Rudisill/ICM%ICM@smtp.icmus.com Hi everyone! Here in New Jersey, and on the bridges and ferries to New York City as well as turnpikes to the Connecticut metro area, there are already pilot programs in place. I personally have seen these "EZPass" units set up on the Garden State Parkway and NJ Turnpike. They're being hailed as a marvel of efficiency that will allow somehwere around 35% more flow through toll gates. What they're not saying of course is that the 35% figure is based upon the idea that everyone would have these transponders. (They look kinda like radar detectors.) They haven't begun tying it in with weigh stations and Car ID concepts yet, but they're going to need some gimmick to convince people to get this in their cars. The last news report I'd heard said they were planning to have all the major toll roads in the Tri-State area (the NYC metro area, northern NJ, and southern CT) ramped up to this technology by the end of the decade. Something to chew on re: Freematt's comment on Speeding and Suspicious Activities - We know that cell-phone technology has your carphone broadcast it's ID signal to mini-towers scattered throughout the calling area. That's how they know where to send the call. (It's also how your signal gets stolen and copied by thieves who can read these "broadcasts" and then program other carphones with your "ID Code." You won't know until you get a bill for thousands of dollars of calls. The only remedy they've come up with is to have your "ID Code" changed every couple of weeks.) My point: We already possess the capability to "track" people (via phone.) And we already have these "EZPass" transponders that send a signal to the toll booths. How much fiddling do you think they'll have to do to marry the EZPass into the cell-phone network? And if they strung receivers along the highways at regular intervals (in the interest of improving cell-phone reception, of course,) then they could immediately determine if you didn't take long enough to get to the next one and bill you immediately for speeding (thanks to the magic of theEZPass, which has your credit line - or insert your SmartCard. Or whatever...) And they'll know your location (and travel habits) at all times. So if well-to-do Mr. Jones has traffic patterns showing him frequently visiting a run-down low income area known for drug sales, how long do you think it'll take to show "probable cause" and get a warrant to search his house? Just some thoughts. Obviously we're not in that situation, but it certainly wouldn't take much to get us there. Talk to you all later! With Love In Christ JimR Editors Note: Here in CA the EVI (Electronic Vehicle Identification) transponder is being used to speed up weigh station passage for commercial transports by automatically identifying the vehicle as it rolls by at highway speed and billing the owner automatically for entry and road fees. Those truckers that have it seem happy with it, and more are adding it daily. It is also being used successfully in California to identify rolling stolen vehicles. The use of the vehicle identification transponder likely will not applicable for speeding since laser and radar are the most effective means for that type of traffic enforcement. +++++++++++++++++++++++ Bio-Chip Update part 2 Biochip Implants From: American Liberties Fellowship alf@TheCyberChannel.com Dear Reader: We've been warning for some time - as have many others who are attuned to current world events - that biochip implants are a reality in the foreseeable, *very near* future. Moreover, we've tried to get Americans - Christians in particular - to take their heads out of the sand and realize where we're headed. Indeed, there may be no way to stop what has been prophesied in the Good Book from coming to pass (for God cannot tell a lie). But - ready or not - at some point, you, your wife, your children and everyone you know will have to face a decision. For it is written: "And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either name of the beast of the number of his name." Rev 13:16-17 A pastor friend of mine - whom I greatly admire - recently acknowledged to our prayer group that there would indeed be a One World Government, a cashless society, and a National I.D. card. However, he went on to say that he had "no problem with a national I.D. card." This I found this truly amazing. He feels the time for deciding whether to bow to the new Babylon or remain faithful to Jesus is when you're forced to make that choice at gunpoint under the coming world regime. This sounds like an attempt to relieve us of our earthly responsibilities - particularly in the area of government - responsibilities (and rights) which most of the church are ignorant of because church leaders want to spiritualize everything. Such an attitude is akin to being sat in a car headed for a cliff. Although you clearly see the cliff ahead, you decide to wait until the very last minute before applying the brakes! Doesn't it make sense to apply the brakes now - while there remains some distance (albeit very little) between our freedoms and those who would take them away? If you can't stop the car, surely you could slow it down! In the same scenario, many believe that prayer ALONE will spare them. This is error. In such a situation, that would be putting the Lord your God to the test! Pray for strength and discernment; then, use the foot the Almighty gave you and hit the brakes! He's not going to do it for you. If all we had to do is pray, you wouldn't have to work and your wife wouldn't have to cook. The two of you could just "pray" your meals to the table! But it doesn't work that way, does it! Another example would be that of a hungry and homeless man who showed up on your doorstep, only to be turned away by you so that you could go into your prayer closets and "pray for him". Will such prayers be heard by God? Yes... but only for the sake of the hungry man that you would not feed! What prayer does is allow Yahweh to bless us with the opportunities and empower us to DO the WORK - whatever it may be. Prayer does NOT relieve us of the responsibility to do the work! "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps!" - Prov. 16:9 My same pastor friend has also told our group that anti-christ cannot come lest the church allow him in. On this point, I wholeheartedly agree with my brother. Anti-christ will be able to take control ONLY when the church ceases to bar the door (apostasy). But consider the two reasons why this will happen - 1) lack of prayer on the part of God's people; 2) lack of vigilance on the part of God's people - partly due to apathy, largely due to lack of understanding of America's birthright. (Read Deuteronomy 32 for an uncanny picture of modern day America!) "For they are a nation lacking counsel, and there is no understanding in them. Would that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would discern their future!" Deut. 32:28-29 Certainly, the Word of Yahweh WILL come to pass... but, does it have to be on our watch? Is it already too late? Only God knows. I recommend you read the account of Jonah and note how God spared Ninevah once they repented. Can that happen in America? Yes! Will it happen in America? It's up to you. That means less time in front of the "propaganda" tube, and more time spent on our knees in prayer before the throne of God.... AND, IN ACTIVE EXERCISE OF THE VOICE IN GOVERNMENT WHICH OUR CONSTITUTION HAS RESERVED TO THE PEOPLE - that's you and me, friend. Would you believe me if I told you that some of us are called ONLY to be "prayer warriors"... and others are called ONLY to be "works warriors"? If so, then follow your calling and do not judge those who are Godly "activists" and "patriots" trying to keep your country on her Constitutional tracks. (Yes... there are bad, misguided patriots... just as there are bad, misguided government officials. It is communistic to apply such a label to the whole bunch. Don't fall for the "guilt by association" rhetoric spewed forth by the news media! Use your spiritual discernment!) It has been said that those most critical of their country tend to be the truest of patriots. I believe you cannot be of one calling without the other. Being only a "prayer warrior" is faithless because you neglect your earthly responsibilities. (You may not be OF the world, but for now... you're still IN the world, and you still have responsibilities beyond your prayer closet.) And being only a "works warrior" is futile because what can you accomplish without the hand of God to guide you? Remember, the Good Book says, "Faith without works is dead!" And even King David, whom Yahweh described as a man after God's own heart, did not slay the Philistine giant except that he FIRST appealed to the God of Heaven; but THEN, he took up a sling and 5 smooth stones and RAN to MEET the enemy head on! It took both the blessing of God AND ACTION on David's part to conquer the enemy. We should expect to have to do no less. Let's get our heads out of the sand, our hearts turned to God, raise up the standard and begin to take up the responsibility of governing our republic which our forefathers secured for ourselves and our posterity. Karl J. Olinde for American Liberties Fellowship alf@TheCyberChannel.com P.S. Notice how our freedoms are always eroded under the guise of "safety" and for the good of the whole. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [The following has been forwarded from the Internet] Subject: BIOCHIPS IN CHICAGO TRIBUNE Date: Tuesday, May 7, 1996 Source: By Jon Van, Tribune Staff Writer. Section: NEWS Parts: 1 Copyright Chicago Tribune IN FUTURE, TINY CHIP MAY GET UNDER SKIN CRITICS ARGUE DEVICE INVITES BIG BROTHER A tiny chip implanted inside the human body to send and receive radio messages, long a popular delusion among paranoids, is likely to be marketed as a consumer item early in the nextcentury. Several technologies already available or under development will enable electronics firms to make implantable ID locators, say futurists, and our yearning for convenience and security makes them almost irresistible to marketers. "This is currently very hot," said Edward Cornish, president of the World Future Society, based in Bethesda, Md. "The field is developing because the technology is becoming available to do it." He added: "Its appeal will depend on what features are offered and the price. I'm sure a large number of people would want such products." Inevitably, implantable radio locators conjure up visions of Big Brother and unscrupulous scientists abusing such technology to control the masses. But the researchers laying the foundations for this technology see their work as helping humankind, not subverting privacy. They seek to aid people using wireless phones to summon emergency help, to track soldiers who become lost on maneuvers and to enable people to get along without carrying cash by automatically crediting an account. Animal advocates already urge pet owners to have tiny identification chips implanted in their dogs and cats so if they are lost, shelters can identify them through a national computerized database. The notion of using implantable chips to control humans isn't entirely absent, even in these early stages of the technology's development. Cornish noted that authorities have experimented for years with fitting convicts with electronic monitors to allow them to leave jails for limited reasons, such as work release. "The problem is that monitors worn outside the body can be tampered with," Cornish said. "Implanted locators would be more difficult to get at. You might see this used as a condition for parole." Several systems already are in place with the potential to locate people using radio signals. The most obvious, called GPS, for global positioning satellites, was launched by the military years ago and has become available for civilian applications. It uses satellites to map a person's position with great precision. Some automobiles come equipped with GPS gadgets that can give drivers their location, and boaters use similar technology. Researchers want to combine such locators with equipment that monitors a person's health. Engineers in Salt Lake City have designed a device intended to determine whether someone wearing it is becoming too cold or too hot, a sign of exposure. "We want to highlight people who need attention early, when there is still time to get to them with help," said Peter Kind, a senior vice president at Sarcos Research Corp., which has developed a prototype GPS-based device that will be ready for field tests this year. Sarcos' initial target is the military. The body monitors and locators could transmit information about soldiers to a central location to reduce the risks while troops are on maneuvers. Civilian markets might include ill people who usually would be restricted to nursing environments, Kind said. "This could help save costs, letting people who only need observation be released earlier from the hospital without risking their health," he said. Right now, the prototype equipment is worn on a belt, but the goal is to miniaturize it into a chip. The monitors could be worn in the area of the ear canal or elsewhere in or on the body. Another means to track people relies upon the existing network of cellular-phone transmitters. The cellular industry and emergency-response officials have proposed standards to the Federal Communications Commission that would enable police, fire and ambulance dispatchers to find people who dial 911 from wireless phones. At present, nearly one-quarter of the 911 emergency calls made in the U.S. come from wireless phones, and half the time the callers don't know their location, posing a major problem for emergency personnel. Developing computer systems to track locations of so many calls is a daunting task, but it is consistent with the phone industry's goal of one day assigning phone numbers to human beings, rather than to equipment. Once the phone network becomes sophisticated enough to do this, it will smooth the way for widespread monitoring of people's whereabouts. Companies already market pagers for children so parents can keep in touch when youngsters are away from home. Adding the ability to pinpoint location at any time is a natural extension; keeping track of the child through a chip implanted under the skin may be another. "People accept that increased communications makes life more convenient at the same time that it means there's no hiding place anymore," said Bernard Beck, a Northwestern University sociologist. "If I have a universal ID implanted, I can cash a check anywhere in the world. There's no worry about credit cards being stolen. These are attractive matters." Although older people might recoil at the notion of sticking gizmos inside themselves, younger ones tend to like the idea, Beck said. "In the last generation there's been a radical change about surgery and altering your body. The resistance to having tattoos and wearing body rings is dropping. Altering your appearance through surgery is no longer a cause for amazement." Problems may arise when some people decide that their implant makes them itch or when it malfunctions and doesn't send out a strong enough radio signal to be received. Beck sees another potential problem: "You'll see people ripping off implants, counterfeiting them, subverting the technology just as they've done to past technologies." The main problem, most scholars agree, will be the tradeoff between lost privacy and enhanced convenience. "It's common in a certain genre of science fiction for people to walk into a place, pick up any item they like and walk out with it, not having to pay because their action automatically generates a debit to their account," said Dan Polsby, a Northwestern University law professor. "That would make for a very open society," Polsby said. Implanting tracers in criminals could reduce incarceration because it would allow them to be tracked at all times. And, he added, people wearing locators would be deterred from committing crimes because of the likelihood they would be caught. But the potential loss of privacy is a huge issue. Everyone likes to drop off the screen for an hour or so now and then. "I don't know that we've wrapped our minds around being accountable minute-by-minute. The legal implications of who owns this information are major," Polsby said. "It's one thing to have my hospital monitoring my heartbeat for fibrillation, but it's an entirely different matter to have the government monitoring my whereabouts." Although potential problems are huge, locator ID chips may be inevitable, said Cornish of the World Future Society. Just as many people now allow supermarket chains to keep computerized records of their individual purchases in return for price discounts, many will embrace the chips for the security and convenience they offer, Cornish said. "We all want to walk down the street feeling safe," he said. "This technology offers that promise along with the dilemma of lost privacy." Cornish believes, at least initially, that such chips would be voluntary. But he acknowledges that "things that are voluntary today have a way of becoming compulsory tomorrow. "I was in London recently on a day when everyone on the street was wearing a red poppy. I felt conspicuous without one. I wanted one. As these chips are introduced, people will begin to assume you are locatable. It will become an issue if you aren't," he said. Cornish said he sees a similar attitude already regarding e-mail addresses and pagers. "If you tell people you don't have an e-mail address, they ask, `How can we contact you?' Some employers now require staff to wear pagers, to be locatable. Someday, they may require chips." +++++++++++++++++++++++++ United Nations Taxes By M Pietrantoni American Survival Guide UN Secretary General Boutrous Boutros-Ghali recently proposed a series of worldwide taxes that would be paid to the United Nations. He said the revenue generated by the taxes could be used for the day- to-day operation of the UN and for UN peace keeping missions. The tax proposals he said were necessary because many member states are way behind in their assessments and the UN is currently running a large deficit. Some of Mr Ghali's proposed UN taxes would fall on international money transfers, large arms and munitions deals between countries, and even a ticket tax on international airline travellers. To counter this UN tax plan, a number of US senators, including Bobe Dole, have introduced a bill, S-1519, that would end any US payments to the UN, either voluntary or assessed, if the UN passes or even continues to try to pass any tax which affects American citizens. S-1519 is called the "Prohibition on United Nations Taxation Act of 1996." In the "Findings" section of the bill it notes that: "(3) United Nations officials have made numerous and repeated proposals to provide financing for the United Nations outside the scrutiny of Member States of the United Nations, including borrowing from international financial instutions, assuming control of bonds issued by Member States, and imposing taxes on an extensive range of transactions, goods, and services; "(4) the 1994 'Human Development Report' of the United Nations Development Program stated that 'it is appropriate that the proceeds of an international tax be devoted to international purposes and be placed at the disposal of international instutions.'; "(5) on January 14, 1996, United Nations General Secretary Boutros Boutros-Ghali stated that an international tax would mean that [he would] not be under the daily financial will of the Member States'...(8) the power to tax is an attribute of sovereignty; (9) the United Nations does not have the attributes of sovereignty and is not a sovereign power; and (10) the United Nations has no legal authority to impose taxes on United States citizens." A duplicate bill has been introduced into the House of Representatives as HR 2867. Its sponsors include both Democrats and Republicans. Sponsors in both houses of Congress say the bills are likely to pass, but they are uncertain whether or not Bill Clinton would sign them into law. +++++++++++++++++++++ Revived Roman Empire: 2002 A.D. Michael Alter Scenario for Changeover to the Single Currency The changeover to the single currency is an essential step in the European integration process and will concern all economic players : banks, business, administrations and consumers. The decisions taken by the Madrid European Council in December 1995 have now dispelled the main uncertainties, and particularly those surrounding the name of the single currency and the timetable and scenario for its introduction. The single currency will thus be called the EURO and it will be introduced in three main phases : In early 1998 the European Council will name the first group of countries that are to take part in economic and monetary union (EMU), i.e. those Member States which meet the economic convergence criteria laid down in the Maastricht Treaty. Clearly, EMU should ultimately be open to all Member States that wish to join, provided that they fulfil the conditions laid down in the Treaty. On 1 January 1999 EMU will effectively start, with the rates of conversion between the EURO and the participating currencies being irrevocably fixed, the European Central Bank using EURO's for its monetary policy operations, and public debt being issued in EURO's. Finally, by 1 January 2002 at the latest, the new notes and coins be put into circulation. The final changeover to the single currency will thus be completed by 1 July 2002 at the latest. The success of the changeover to the single currency will depend on one condition : the EURO must win full public acceptance. Although the switch will indeed be a radical change and will upset people's habits, it will at the same time bring many benefits : elimination of the additional costs associated with the existence of different national currencies, enhanced price stability and transparency, simplified travel across Europe, less costly funds transfers from one country to another, but also stimulation of employment and a stronger role for Europe on the world stage. In short, the single currency will bring Europe closer to the citizen, strengthen European unity and make a genuine contribution to stability, peace and prosperity. ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Rights of th Child Update S. RESOLUTION 133 Mr. Helms, Mr. Lott, Mr. Abraham, Mr. Ashcroft, Mr. Coats, Mr. Craig, Mr. Dewine, Mr. Faircloth, Mr. Frist, Mr. Gramm, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Kempthorne, Mr. McConnel, Mr. Murkowski, Mr. Nickles, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Smith and Mr. Thurmond submitted the following resolution which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations: Expressing the sense of the Senate that the primary safeguard for the well-being and protection of children is the family, and that, because the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child could undermine those rights of the family, the president should not sign and transmit it to the Senate. Whereas the Senate affirms the commitment of the United States to work with other nations to enhance the protection of children, the advancement of education, the eradication of disease, and the protection of human rights. Whereas the Constitution and laws of the United States are the best guarantees against mistreatment of children in our country. Whereas the laws and traditions of the United States affirm the right of parents to raise their children and to transmit to them their values and religious beliefs. Whereas that Convention establishes a "universal standard" which must be met by all parties to the Convention thereby inhibiting the rights of the States and the Federal Government to enact child protection and support laws inconsistent with that standard: and Whereas the Convention's intrusion into national sovereignty was manifested by the Convention's 1995 committee report faulting the United Kingdom for permitting Parents to make decisions for their children: Now therefore, be it Resolved, that it is the sense of the Senate that: (l) The United Nations Convention on the rights of the Child is incompatible with the God-given right and responsibility of parents to raise their children; (2) the Convention has the potential to severely restrict States and the Federal Government in their efforts to protect children and to enhance family life; (3) The United States Constitution is the ultimate guarantor of rights and privilege to every American, including children; and (4) the President should not sign and transmit to the Senate that fundamentally flawed Convention. +++++++++++++++++++ Congress Poised To Mandate Government Registration and Tracking of All Americans By Mark Weaver MAWeav@aol.com Imagine an America in which every citizen is required to carry a biometrically-encoded identification card as a precondition for conducting business. Imagine having your retina scanned every time you need to prove your identification. Imagine carrying a card containing your entire medical, academic, social, and financial history. Now, imagine that bureaucrats, police officers, and social workers have access under certain circumstances to the information on your card. Finally, imagine an America in which it is illegal to seek any employment without approval from the United States government. This future may be more real than many Americans would like to think if Congressional lawmakers are allowed to proceed with their most recent attempt at monitoring the private lives of American citizens. Enter S. 269, the latest attempt by Congress to mandate a computer-driven, biometrically-verifiable national identification system. If enacted into law, S. 269 would require the most comprehensive registration and tracking of American citizens by the federal government in history. Some experts have speculated that once the system envisioned by S. 269 is in place, the scope of the identity card could be expanded to include information of a highly personal nature, such as credit and spending history and medical, educational, and social records. On February 29, 1996, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to begin deliberation on S. 269, The Immigration Reform Act of 1996. The bill has already passed the Immigration Subcommittee and is being promoted by Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). In the House, Republican Congressman Lamar Smith of Texas is the key sponsor of a similar bill, H.R.2202, The Immigration in the National Interest Act. Although the House bill is not as extreme in its proposals as the Senate version, it still contains provisions which should be viewed as objectionable by family privacy advocates. H.R. 2202 is scheduled for a final floor vote on March 18. The Clinton Administration is a strong proponent of both bills. Why would Congress and the Clinton Administration consider such a plan? Some Americans believe that America is in the midst of an illegal immigration crisis. Politicians want to show their constituents that they are taking strong action against illegal immigration. These politicians argue that the best way to control illegal immigration is to give the government the right to approve all employee hiring in America. By using advanced technology to register, track and store information on every citizen, they argue, it will be easy to spot illegal immigrants. If At First You Don't Succeed . . . Similar (but unsuccessful) proposals to create a national registry and tracking system were advanced in the early 1980's by a powerful array of government agencies who brushed aside any concerns about personal privacy. Agencies like the Internal Revenue Service, the State Department, and the Central Intelligence Agency, each for their own unique reasons, craved a law which would require every American to carry a national identity card. One attempt to register and track Americans came close to being endorsed by the Reagan cabinet in July 1981, but it was stopped when President Reagan personally vetoed the idea on the grounds that it was a massive invasion of privacy. In 1993, under the guise of an immunization bill, Congress attempted to register and track every American from birth, but the measure was defanged of its dangerous provisions after tens of thousands of calls and letters poured into Washington D.C. from parents around the country asking Congress to respect their family privacy and individual liberties. Perhaps the most famous attempt to create a national registry came in 1994 as part of the Clinton Administration's ill-fated Health Security Act. Each time these proposals have been mounted, pro-family forces have rallied to defeat them. Smart Cards, Retina Scans, Voice Patterns and the Coming Biometric Privacy Invasion Biometrics is the science of measuring unique physiological or behavioral characteristics. In recent years, the technology which drives this science has evolved well beyond fingerprinting and dental records. In fact, the technology is available to identify people by the length of their fingers, the pattern of their retinas, the sound of their voices, and the smell of their skin. Senate lawmakers intend to incorporate advanced forms of this technology as part of the most comprehensive identification and information gathering program in history. On May 10, 1995, the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration met for a hearing entitled, "Verification of Applicant Identity for the Purposes of Employment and Public Assistance." The hearing was chaired by Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY) and was attended by Senators Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Jon Kyl (R-AZ). Robert Rasor, from the Financial Crimes Division of the Secret Service, provided an explanation to the Subcommittee of the emerging "biometric" technologies' role in personal identification: "The use of biometrics is the means by which an individual may be conclusively identified There are two types of biometric identifiers: physical and behavioral characteristics. Physiological biometrics include facial features, hand geometry, retinal and iris patterns, DNA, and fingerprints. Behavioral characteristics include voice characteristics and signature analysis." Although the language of S. 269 does not mandate which specific biometric technique will be used to register, track and identify every American, it clearly calls for the use of biometrics (Section 115(7)). Senator Dianne Feinstein, an original drafter of the proposal, recently explained in a Capitol Hill magazine that it is her intention to see Congress immediately implement a national identity system where every American is required to carry a card with a "magnetic strip on which the bearer's unique voice, retina pattern, or fingerprint is digitally encoded." "Fifteen years ago, they would have torn the building down." Despite the fact that this bill could dramatically increase the role of the federal government in the private lives of Americans, the proposal has received relatively little media attention. Senate sponsors seem to be pleased by the opportunity to act covertly. During his closing remarks following the last panel of the May 10 subcommittee meeting, Senator Simpson mused on the relative lack of media attention given the hearings and the overlap between a national ID card and President Clinton's proposal for a "Health Security Card" two years ago: "There is much to do here, but I was just saying to Ted [Kennedy] before he left, a hearing like this fifteen years ago, they would have torn the building down. And here we are today just a bunch of us, kind of sitting around and no media, no nothing. This is fine with me. I get tired of them on this issue." Key Problems With The Bill Congressional attempts to include privacy safeguards in the language offer little hope or consolation. Agencies like the IRS and the Social Security Administration (SSA) have recently been subject to criticism for their lack of control over employees who, in violation of the privacy safeguards, were opening confidential files and making the information available to outsiders. Among other things, the bill establishes: * That the federal government create a national database containing information on all Americans and immigrants eligible towork in this country (S. 269, Sec. 111). * That all Americans may be required to obtain a national identification device, like an ID card (S. 269, Sec. 111(b)). * Beginning in 1999, all employers must receive authorization from the national computer database before hiring any new employee this does not just apply to immigrants. For each new employee, the company would be required to transmit his name and identification number via modem and then wait for the national database to respond with an can not work (S. 269, Sec. 111). * All American children must register with the SSA by age sixteen. When they register, they must provide the agency with a "fingerprint or other biometric data." The agency would place the fingerprint "or other biometric data" on the child's birth certificate, hoping to make the birth certificate more fraud-resistant (S. 269, Sec. 116(7)). * In violation of the Tenth Amendment, the Senate bill would create federalize rules pertaining to the creation of driver's licenses, and would unconstitutionally mandate that 1) social security numbers be attached to the license; and that 2) all drivers licenses "shall contain a fingerprint or other biometric data." (S. 269, Sec. 116(b)). A National Database Would Be a Nightmare! Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX) called the national computer registry and move toward a national identity card, "an abomination and wholly at odds with the American tradition of individual freedom." Senator Spencer Abraham (R-MI) recently joined Armey in signing a letter denouncing the tracking system. Jack Kemp wrote in the New York Times, "An anti-privacy, anti-business and anti-American approach is no way to run immigration policy." These bills would create an unprecedented increase in the government's ability to collect information. For the first time: * The government would have a comprehensive registry of every American name, date of birth, place of birth, mother's maiden name, Social Security number, gender, race, and other information. Personal information that is now scattered in many different places would be consolidated in one database, controlled by a single federal agency. * Personal information would be accessible to local agencies and anyone who claims to be an employer. * The government would have to grant approval before a company enters into private employment contract with a private citizen. The Legislation Is Likely To Pass Unless Significant Opposition Develops Soon Under the current political climate, the bill is likely to be enacted into law. Most Senators do not even realize that the bill would create a national, computer-linked registry and tracking system driven by biometric technology. Those who do understand have not properly evaluated the tremendous threat to individual liberties and family privacy posed by the measure. The House Version In its current form, H.R. 2202 calls for pilot programs to test the idea of an computer-linked verification system. It calls for new and unprecedented databases and data sharing and computer link-ups between state and federal agencies, thus expanding the government's ability to monitor private citizens. Like S. 269, it would, for the first time, require private employers to receive approval from a federal computer database before entering into private employment contracts with individuals. Opposition To The Bills More than fifty influential organizations representing groups on both the right and left of the political spectrum have joined together in an effort to defeat these bills. A number of Representatives and Senators have responded favorably to their concerns. Two of them, Senators Spence Abraham (R-MI) and Rus Feingold (D-WI) have joined together to offer amendments to delete all references to registries, ID cards, or employment verification programs from the Senate bill. Action Is Urgently Needed The registry and tracking system currently before Congress must be defeated. Now is the time to write and call urging your lawmakers on Capitol Hill to oppose any national registry, tracking and identification system. Tell them that the threat to individual liberty and family privacy far outweigh any potential benefits that such a system might provide in curbing illegal immigration. If your senator is a member of the Judiciary Committee urge him to support the Abraham/Feingold Amendment. Tell them that there are acceptable solutions to America's illegal immigration problem but giving the government the power to register and track its citizens is not one of them. [Note: S. 269 may be officially redubbed S.1394.] Call your Senator at (202) 225-3121 and your Representative at (202) 224-3121. This special report was prepared by the legal staff of the National Center for Home Education P.O. Box 125, Paeonian Springs, VA 22129. Permission is granted to reprint this report in its entirety. +++++++++++++++++ UNconscription... From: The New American May 27, 1996 Are They Catching On? The matter of Army Specialist Michael New, who has become a cause celebre after being court-martialled for refusing to wear the Macedonia, is familiar to readers of THE NEW AMERICAN. Despite New's bad-conduct discharge (still under appeal), the decorated medic remains the subject of congressional attention and legislation, as in a bill introduced by Congressmen Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) and James Traficant (D-OH), dubbed the American Hero Restoration Act. In addition, scores of congressmen have backed other legislation to make it unlawful to require U.S. armed services personnel to wear insignia indicating affiliation with or allegiance to the UN. Recently at a conference in Washington, DC sponsored by the American Sovereignty Action Project (ASAP), Bartlett and several legal experts concurred that the order requiring New to don the UN blue beret and insignia "clearly violates the law" and the U.S. Constitution. The conference also was addressed by retired Marine Colonel Ron Ray, chief counsel for Specialist New. Ray, who has briefed Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell extensively, told THE NEW AMERICAN that UN peacekeeping issues are going to be part of hearings to be held soon by the senator. Senator McConnell, noting legal discrepancies in the Macedonia deployment, has sent a letter to the President, threatening to withhold peacekeeping funds. Ray displayed a copy of the insignia worn by U.S. members of the force in Macedonia (which is headed by a Finnish officer); the shield for Operation Able Sentry includes the insignia of the UN at the heart of the American eagle. Security concerns for "peacekeepers" not identified as U.S. troops were also discussed at the ASAP conference. Retired Navy Captain "Red" McDaniel, who was brutalized and held captive by the North Vietnamese for more than six years, fears that any captive Americans held as UN "detainees" might have even fewer protections. Forcing uniformed Americans to ignore the oath of allegiance to which they swore has struck a chord within the services. The ASAP conference heard from Sergeant First Class Edward Rasor, a Special Forces medic at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. An 11-year veteran with an excellent service record, Rasor has been reprimanded and is on the verge of being cashiered because -- on his own time -- he expressed support for Specialist New. Rasor said he was called on the carpet at the direct instigation of the Clinton Administration, which conveyed the message that either he was to stop speaking against the UN or leave the Army. ================================ THE NEW AMERICAN -- May 27, 1996 Copyright 1996 -- American Opinion Publishing, Incorporated P.O. Box 8040, Appleton, WI 54913 SUBSCRIPTIONS: $39.00/year (26 issues) WRITTEN PERMISSION FOR REPOSTING REQUIRED: Released for informational purposes to allow individual file transfer and non-commercial mail-list transfer only. All other copyright privileges are reserved. Address reposting requests to or the above address. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Big Brother comes to Britain From: "d.brett" A VERY ENGLISH THOUGHT POLICE ? It seems the spectre of Big Brother is being seen in Britain with the proposal of a new Security Bill, which will come into force in the autumn. It will allow the police to install bugs and surveillence cameras in private homes without the owners' knowledge. For the past few years MI5 has had a monopoly of surveillence, but only with the sanction of the Home Secretary. Now the police force will gain wide ranging powers which the pressure group "Liberty" fears will be used on political activists and campaigners and not just murderers or drug traffickers. Placed in the light of all the restrictions being imposed on people's civil right in the US and the emergence of similar legislation throughout Europe, espeicially Germany, France and Italy, many people are beginning to smell the proverbial dead rat in the political establishment.The establishment and the media will undoubtedly respond to any accusations of conspiracy as paranoia. ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Discharge of Specialist Michael New From: Committee to Restore the Constitution comminc@fortnet.org Specialist Michael New court martial conviction at Wuerzburg, Germany, 24 January 1996, for refusal to wear UN insignia, faces a `bad conduct' discharge unless General Montgomery Meigs, Commanding General, rules otherwise. Colonel Ronald D Ray, USMC, ret, attorney for Michael New, pleads New's case in Germany. "America's first military principles: Virtue, Honor and Patriotism", said Colonel Ray, "were first so declared by our Constitutional Congress on November 28, 1775, and reaffirmed by Congress in 1956. Many people in America's trusted institutions enjoy the benefits and protections of the institution. However, today, leadership in government and the military, from the President to Generals and civilian appointees, have increasingly lost the American commitment to Virtue, Honor and Patriotism. Thus," Ray declared, "we have an increasing level of unfaithfulness in even our most trusted institutions. Unfaithful political and compliant military leadership seem all too willing to dishonor Michael New's faithfulness to his oath and country." "This appears to be done", charged the Colonel, "in hopes of covering the President's unlawful UN deployment of America's sons and daughters and the lack of honor and patriotism in allowing those under their command to be involuntarily transformed into UN soldiers in direct violation of the Constitution, US law, and even service regulations." "It remains to be seen", Ray concluded, "if Congress and America will allow Michael New's faithfulness and honorable service to be dismissed as "bad conduct". Reposting of this message is encouraged. Donations may be sent to: Spc. Michael New Defense Fund, PO Box 1136, Crestwood, KY 40014. It is further suggested that entire text, including following `solution' be transmitted via USPS to Members of Congress from recipiants state. ====================== At the core of interlocking subversion in government departments are (1) Senate Joint Resolution #65, "Establishing a commission to study the creation of a standing international military force under the United Nations Charter", 16 March 1993, and (2) Presidential Decision Directive #25, 3 May 1994 (State Department Summary), "The Clinton Administration's Policy on Reforming Multilateral Peace Operations". PDD#25 is so politically charged that it has not been released to Congress or to the people. PDD#25 is the implementing directive surreptitously transferring US military to UN command. Both were denied by the military court as evidence in the Michael New defense. (Available from Committee to Restore the Constitution) A Solution to the United Nations problem is available to Members of Congress, "International Organization Recision Act". Text follows. ===================== INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION RECISION ACT House of Representatives (1971) to Rescind and Revoke Membership of the United States in the United Nations, by John Rarick, U.S. Representative, 6th Congressional District. HOUSE RESOLUTION 2632: To rescind and revoke membership of the United States in the United Nations and specialized agencies thereof, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled - Section 1. That from and after the effective date of this ACT the ratification by the Senate of the United States on July 28, 1945, of the United Nations Charter, making the United States a member of the United Nations, be, and said ratification hereby is, rescinded, revoked and held for naught; and all ACTS designed and intended to perfect and carry out such membership of the United States in the United Nations are hereby repealed. Section 2. That from and after the effective date of this ACT, all ACTS and parts of ACTS designed and intended to make the United States a member of the specialized agencies of the United Nations, or of any of them, are hereby repealed, and all executive agreements, international undertakings and understandings however characterized and named, designed, and intended to make the United States a member of the specialized agencies of the United Nations are hereby rescinded, revoked and held for naught. Section 3. That from and after the effective date of this ACT any and all appropriations for defraying the costs of the membership of the United States in the United Nations or in the specialized agencies thereof are hereby rescinded and revoked; and any unexpended and unencumbered balance of any such appropriations shall be recovered into the general fund of the Treasury of the United States. Section 4. That the International Organization Act of December 29, 1945 (59 Stat. 669; Title 22, Sections 288 to 2886 U.S.C.) be and is repealed; and any and all Executive Orders extend or granting immunities, benefits and privileges under said ACT of December 29, 1945, are hereby rescinded, revoked and held for naught. Section 5. This act may be cited as the INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION RECISION ACT. If both Houses of Congress are unable to enact Congressman Rarick's UN RECISION ACT (HR 2632-1971) because of a lack of a majority vote, any single Congressman or Senator who voted FOR the reintroduced U.N. Recision Act, or voted AGAINST any annual U.N. assessment due from the U.S. Treasury, has judicial standing to seek a Federal Court declaration that the U.N. Treaty is unconstitutional and void, on any one or more of the following grounds: That the U.N. Treaty transfers Congress' power to declare war to the U.N. Security Council (violates Art. 1, Sec 8, U.S. Const.); That the U.N. Treaty transfers the U.S. Supreme Court's judicial power over treaties to the U.N. International Court, (violates Art. III, Sec. 2, U.S. Const.); That the U.N. Income Tax 4-year refund of U.N. employees' income tax (6 million +) is a federal income tax fraud on the U.S. Treasury, (violates the XVI Amend., U.S. Const.); That Congress' International Organization Immunities Act of Dec. 29, 1945, together with Executive Orders in pursuance of the U.N. Treaty, granting U.N. personnel immunity from suit violates Art. III, Sec. 2 U.S. Const. and are beyond Congress' powers (violates Art 1, Sec. 8, U.S. Const.) See Kennedy vs. Sampson, et al, (1974) 511 F 2nd 430, where the U.S. Court of Appeals held that a single U.S. Senator had standing to protect the effectiveness of his vote on legislation in Congress. ++++++++++++++++++++ FOOD SHORTAGE? Evidence of drought damage to the winter crop in the U.S. Plains from Kansas to Texas had triggered a blistering rally this month - wheat prices had risen from about $5 per bushel early in January to around S7.30 last week. Corn prices last week pushed through the $5 per bushel level for the first time ever, also on fears of planting delays and concerns about dry weather hurting spring-planted crops like corn and soybeans. Analysts were cautious about predicting a good recovery for the drought-damaged winter wheat crop in the high plains states. "The problem with the rain in Kansas is what rain they are getting may be just too little too late." the U.S. Agriculture department's chief meteorologist Albert Peterlin said. "This is just not going to be a good crop." he said. Action to combat the slump in cattle prices, now at their lowest level in a decade, was welcomed by members of Congress and the cattle industry. Aside from low slaughter prices, producers face high grain prices because of tight supplies. "We're doing our best to keep markets from falling further," Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said, adding that the administration's steps could avert a damaging sell-off of cattle herds. Food prices were forecast to rise modestly this year -- 2.5 percent -- but the surge in grain prices has brought fears of a possible spurt in grocery store prices. As reported by Reuters April 29 and May 1, 1996 +++++++++++++++++++++ THE V-CHIP On February 8, 1996 president Clinton signed into law a huge, far-reaching telecommunications bill. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 (S 652) revamps the 1934 Communications Acts by tearing down the barriers between cable broadcast and telephone companies, making it possible for the next level of the communications "superhighway" to be established. Unfortunately, when Clinton used a digital pen to electronically sign the bill into law, he not only laid the groundwork for the monopolizing of the communications industry, he also paved the way for government to intrude even more into our personal lives. The law requires that all television sets larger than 13 inches include "a feature designed to enable viewers to block display of all programs with a common rating." This blocking device, commonly referred to as the "V chip," (the 'V' is for violence) would work in a similar fashion to that of other coding services, such as close-captioning, that are now requiredon most new televisions. But who decides what the ratings will be? Under pressure from politicians, the television industry has promised to begin rating shows by the end of the year. Enforcement of the new ratings system will be by an industry-wide panel that will monitor the shows to see if government guidelines are followed. Another part of the "communications Decency Act" criminalizes any "obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, or indecent" material send via modem through an electronic network of any kind. Who decides what is obscene or lascivious? One interesting note: companies in the on-line services industry were initially rabid opponents of the Telecom Bill. After lawyers rewrote huge portions of the "decency" amendment leaving on-line service providers immune to criminal penalty, Prodigy and the rest became lap dogs, totally in favor of this new law. Putting a computer chip in your TV to control obscenity is like putting a Band-Aid on a wound that will soon need a tourniquet. Moreover, since this is a government-mandated computer chip, it paves the way for similar and not-so-similar computer chips (such as the digital snooping Clipper chip) to be placed in your computer, telephone, or cable box. As reported by American Survival June l996 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Rutherford Institute Sues School District On Behalf Of Violated Junior High Girls East Stroudsburg, Pa.- The Rutherford Institute today filed suit on behalf of a family against a Pennsylvania school district which forced more than 50 sixth-grade girls to undergo physical examinations, many of which included gynecological exams, without informed parental consent and against the girls' wishes. Additional families are expected to join the suit later this month. When the girls learned of the school's intention to have them undergo the exams, many of the asked to be excused--the school district denied these requests. Before the incident, the district had sent notices home asking the parents' permission to perform "physical examinations" on their children. The form did not explain that "physical examinations" included gynecological exams. "The school's actions were outrageous," said David Melton, a Rutherford Institute staff attorney who is co-counsel in the case. "The school acted with total disregard for either the students' or the parents' rights." One girls parents even sent the permission slip back to school, denying it permission to examine their child--but the school examined her anyway. The district claims it lost her form. The Rutherford Institute is arguing that the school's actions violated the students' Fourth Amendment right to privacy, parents' rights, and was an intentional infliction of emotional distress. Rutherford Institute affiliate attorneys Mike Sebastian and Tom Ratchford are handling the case. "This case is a classic example of 'child abuse' programs run amok," said Melton. "These children were abused by the school in order to determine whether they could have been abused by their parents. This is more akin to child abuse than education." The Rutherford Institute is an international, nonprofit civil liberties organization specializing in the defense of religious liberty. P.O. Box 7482, 1445 East Rio Road Charlottesville, Va. 22906-7482 U.S.A. Phone (804)978-3888 Facsimile (804)978-1789 e-mail: rutherford@fni.com +++++++++++++++++++++ *Creationism Not Ok, Says Ohio ACLU* From: ACLU News 05-13-96: The ACLU of Ohio has announced its intention to take legal action against Lakewood Public Schools System if the district does not adopt written policy against teaching creationism, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. Advocating creationism is a clear violation of the "U.S. Constitution's mandate of separation of church and state," the ACLU said. "The U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that creationism is religious theory, not science, and has no place in public classrooms." Recent reports in the Plain Dealer have revealed that two Lakewood physics teachers have been promoting creationism in their classrooms. One teacher has been doing so for the past five years, passing out creationist material as "critical thinking exercises." ACLU attorney Ray Vasvari said that "'critical thinking skills' are buzzwords in creationist circles on how to get these ideas through the door." The other teacher, the Plain Dealer reported, told his students that "evolution doesn't make sense," adding that homosexuality is wrong and gay people "won't go to heaven." Lakewood school board members have taken these accounts very seriously, the Plain Dealer reported. The board has already held one meeting to address the issue, and is planning on holding hearings as well. The ACLU wasted no time in alerting the school board as to the unconstitutionality of allowing religious doctrine in public schools. In a letter submitted to the school district superintendent, the ACLU outlined the actions that the school system must take in order to avoid a lawsuit. Besides adopting an official policy banning creationism, the letter demanded that the policy be clearly communicated to all of the district's teachers and that the two teachers who have taught creationism illegally should be "specifically cautioned." According to the Ohio ACLU director Christine Link, the ACLU is interested in settling the matter amicably. "We will make every effort to work with the Lakewood schools to ensure that their physics curriculum remains in the scientific realm and does not cross the line into religious dogma," Link said. 41