PropheZine #63 Sunday August 17, 1998 Ray Gano Publisher Bob Lally Webmaster Mimi Nila Senior Editor Rick Woodcock Asst. Editor Abraham George Asst. Editor ARTICLES Welcome to PropheZine..Ray Gano Berit Kjos............A NATIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEM Executive Order #13011 Pastor Ron Graff......Technology: Preparing For The Mark Raymond Gano..........The Mark of The Beast...Just How Close Are We? R. g. Wallace........ WHEN ARMIES MOVE - Part 5 A Dissertation on Armageddon from the Prewrath View Ken Onweller..........The Old Vs. The New Covenant Alan Yusko ...........FORNICATION AND SEXUAL DISEASE IN THE LAST DAYS Barry Chamish........ RABIN'S LAST DAYS PROPHEZINE Commentaries WorldNetDaily.........Clinton Plans Second National ID Card- 'Unique Health Identifier' Target Of Criticism BOOK REVIEW Ray Gano..............The Christ Clone Triology by Jim BeauSeigneur Lee Underwood ........F.Y.I. - Israel in the News ************************************ Hello everyone, Well I am back. Many of you know me, for those of you who dont, my name is Ray Gano and I am the founder of PropheZine. I have been on a LONG vacation for about 4-6 months and during my absence, Bob has taken the helm. I want to publicly thank Bob and ALL the PZ staff for their time and effort growing this ministry in my absence. Bob has done a wonderful job and continues to do so. I ask a SPECIAL blessing on him and his family. I also want to thank the staff of PZ for taking up the slack while I was gone. I also wish a special blessing each and every one of the PZ staff. Well I am so excited about this issue. As a coming back issue, I wanted to focus on the Mark of the Beast, one of my favorite topics of Bible Prophecy. So in this issue we have some very good articles from Berit Kjos, Ron Graff and myself on this topic. We also have a special guest author AND PropheZine staff member Ken Onweller. I want to thank Ken for his service to PZ and I am honored to present his article in this issue of PropheZine. I have also written a book review on a GREAT trilogy by Jim BeauSeigneur. The title of this series is "The Christ Clone Trilogy". If you have not read this, then I HIGHLY recommend it to every one of you. If you have enjoyed Tim LeHayes series, you will "eat up" Jim's books. When you get them, get all of them at once because you will want to jump right into the next book as soon as you sit down the last one you read. Well thank you so much for subscribing to PropheZine. Continue visiting the site http://www.prophezine.com Bob and the staff continue to update almost daily. The Lord continues to bless the PropheZine ministry and it has been so exciting being a part of this ministry. I thank him for allowing me to be part of this great rollar coaster ride. It has been fun and I continue to look forward to the future. So may our Lord Christ Jesus be with you and keep you always. In His Service, Ray Gano ray@prophezine.com ************************************ A NATIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEM Executive Order #13011 By Berit Kjos "On July 16, 1996, President Clinton signed Executive Order #13011, creating a massive new bureaucracy with authority to manage "Federal Information Technology." It links the data gathered by the health, education, and labor departments to the data accessible to the FBI, CIA, EPA, and other federal agencies. And it apparently gives this unified information system unspecified power to- propagandize the public by disseminating politically correct information everywhere and control people through a vast federal data bank and monitoring system. Yet, at first glance, this new order sounds practical enough to silence most critics. Section 1 begins, "It shall be the policy of the United States Government that executive agencies shall: a) significantly improve the management of their information systems. b) refocus information technology management to support strategic missions. c) establish clear accountability for information resources management activities by creating agency Chief Information Officers (CIOs). d) promote a coordinated, interoperable, secure, and shared Government-wide infrastructure that is provided and supported by a diversity of private sector suppliers. The CIOs are selected by the heads of participating executive agencies. These include most of the agencies represented in the President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection (Executive Order 13010): the CIA, FEMA, FBI as well as the Departments of Defense, Commerce, Transportation, Energy, etc. Executive Order 13011 expands that network by adding the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the Departments of Interior, Education, Health and Human Services, Labor, HUD, Army, Navy, and Air Force along with NASA, the Agency for International Development, and others. To grasp the extent of its reach, remember that the controversial "Careers Act" (HR1617) would have linked only three agencies-the Departments of Education, Labor and Health and Human Services-in an effort to create a national employment agency and a "National Electronic Data Base," part of a massive "National Labor Market Information System." The Chief Information Officers make up the CIO Council, which shall "develop federal information technology management policy" and "sponsor cooperation in using information resources, procedures, and standards." It still sounds like good business practice, doesn't it? Section 4 establishes Government Information Technology Services that encourages "cross-agency cooperation" and develops "shared governmentwide information infrastructure services." Its "major government mission areas" include electronic commerce, law enforcement, environmental protection, national defense, and health care." In the name of national security and protection from terrorists, polluters, extremists, and other enemies to the global village, the all-seeing eyes of the State will have power to search everywhere and to monitor everyone. Section 7 links the Federal information management system to "State and local governments" and "nongovernmental international organizations" and "intergovernmental organizations." Section 9 deals with "liaison, consultation, and negotiation with foreign governments and intergovernmenal organizations on all matters related to information resources management" and ensures "that the United States is represented in the development of international standards. affecting information technology." Do you see the bigger picture? Standing alone, this executive order might raise little alarm. But examined in the light of the United Nations agenda and stated government intentions, it looks ominous. The UN has called for a sophisticated international computerized information system that would disseminate its politically correct data and pseudo-scientific risk assessments into every community, build consensus based on its visions, goals, values, and choices, then monitor individual and collective compliance everywhere-in homes, schools, offices. "Develop gender-sensitive databases, information and monitoring systems," states the Beijing Platform for Action (#258). It calls for the "consistent flow of information" among "national, subregional/regional and international institutions." (#288) -all under the watchful guidance of the UN's Social and Economic Council. (#314) The UN plan matches the Clinton plan for social transformation through a vast government-controlled information and surveillance system. The President's Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD)-the US counterpart to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development-issued a report that echoes the UN agenda. Called, Sustainable America: A New Consensus, it states in Chapter 3 which deals with "Information and Education," "Citizens depend on the quality and timeliness of information to alert them to hazards and to make informed decisions. As sustainable development focuses attention on new environmental, social, or economic concerns, government must perform this critical management function more effectively to ensure the quality and timely availability of new kinds of information. "The federal government is already participating in collaborative efforts with the public, the private sector, and intergovernmental organizations to improve information management. These efforts should be expanded to include priority setting for data collection and analysis, identification of the most useful formats for dissemination, and additional mechanisms." (p. 59) The report calls for "international cooperation" and broad governmental networks to coordinate "comprehensive regional inventories and assessments of environmental, economic, and social indicators of progress." The public would be warned about "risk assessment" and taught "accurate information built on basic scientific research needed for sound decision making." (p.61) The truthfulness of this "accurate information" would depend on political expedience. As Stanford environmentalist Stephen Schneider said, "We'd like to see the world a better place to get some broad-based support, to capture the public's imagination. That, of course, entails getting loads of media coverage. So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements and make little mention of any doubts we might have." (See Brave New Schools, chapter 5) The PCSD report calls for "policies that increase access to public information for all segments of society and encourage the development of the National Information Infrastructure."(p. 64) It wants "better tools for measuring the public value"-the community consensus and solidarity based on common goals and values called "social capital" by UN and World Bank leaders. To the PCSD, "information is useful only if citizens can put it into a framework of knowledge and use it to solve problems, form values, and make choices"-the right choices. For this "framework of knowledge" is the new global paradigm-the new way of thinking, believing, and deciding that turns traditional values, facts, and logic upside down. It's the bridge to the 21st Century and it burns the bridges to the past. This monstrous information management system is part of a global phenomenon. Already, "more than 100 nations have established national councils on sustainable development similar to the US President's Council on Sustainable Development." (p.160) Following UN guidelines for "information management," each nation guides its unsuspecting public toward global controls through deceptive propaganda in the name of "scientific research." The PCSD report was sent to me from the US Department of Education with a letter that stated, "The PCSD is now entering its implementation phase." Apparently, Executive Order 13011 is part that phase. As you ponder the significance of Executive Orders 13010 and 13011, remember what Al Gore wrote in Earth in the Balance: "Adopting a central organizing principle [saving the earth] means embarking on an all-out effort to use every policy and program, every law and institution, every treaty and alliance, every tactic and strategy to halt the destruction of the environment.... Minor shifts in policy rhetoric offered in lieu of genuine change-these are all forms of appeasement, designed to satisfy the public's desire to believe that sacrifice, struggle and a wrenching transformation of society will not be necessary." (p. 274, Emphasis added) The world is changing fast. If our globalist leaders win this battle, they will end the freedoms Americans have taken for granted. It's time to awaken our neighbors, pray to the only God who can reverse these trends, seek His guidance, and stand together against the forces that would mold our minds and control our lives. When we trust and follow Him, He makes us "more than conquerors." (Romans 8:37) For practical information about the new education system designed to mold the minds of all students, read Brave New Schools (Harvest House Publishers). Available through Christian bookstores or 1-800-829-5646. For information about the global feminist movement and the United Nations' Action Plan (signed at the UN conference for women in Beijing) for surveillance through a global information network, read A Twist of Faith. Available through New Leaf Press (800-643-9535) and Christian bookstores. Additional information and encouragement can be found at our web site: http://www.crossroad.to ************************************ Technology: Preparing For The Mark by Pastor Ron Graff Full text of edited message delivered to the 1997 International Prophecy Conference Alta Loma Brethren In Christ Church September 20, 1997 "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives" 2 Peter 3:11 (NIV) Let's ask ourselves what effect our study of prophecy is having on us. We have session after session ahead of us - more shocking news, more things the Devil could use to make us depressed or fearful. All of this should make us realize that we are on the winning side! We have the victory in the Lord Jesus Christ. He who is going to come back at the end as King of Kings and Lord of Lords is the one we are following. So we are not afraid, and we are not depressed, but we are being motivated and purified as we study these things. When President Ronald Reagan left office in 1989, he bought a ranch in the area above Santa Barbara. The address of that piece of property was 666 St. Cloud Road. President Reagan said, "No way! I'm not moving into there until you change the address." They changed it to 668, then he moved in. Some of you have heard this commercial from Glendale Federal Savings. I was a little stunned when I heard it. It is part of this interesting series where the lady is so sarcastic and down on the big banks. On this particular one she starts out saying that she can never talk to a real person at her bank any more. She raves on about how she can only get answering machines and so on. Then she ends it with something like this: "I can hardly wait for them to put my account number right on my forehead." I called Glendale Federal to ask permission to get a copy and play that commercial, and they denied it. The executive I talked to said they had already received complaints that they were promoting something Satanic. He told me that that was not their intent. The lady who wrote it didn't have the prophecy in mind. He knew all about it himself, but he said she was just talking about the way things are going. Well, we are there, folks! You don't even have to know the prophecy to talk about the mark on your forehead. THE THEOLOGICAL SIDE OF THE ISSUE I would like to give two aspects of this. The first will be brief, but it is the most important of the two. That is the theological side of this issue. It is found in Revelation chapter 13. As you turn there, I will read something from Deuteronomy, chapter 6, that I'm sure you have heard before. See if you notice anything in this very well known Old Testament passage that stands out in the light of our subject of the Mark of The Beast. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV) The Scriptures are so sacred to those who believed the Old Testament that they put the little boxes with a piece of Scripture in it, outside their homes, and they would touch it or kiss it as they came in or went out. They also had these phylacteries, little boxes with scriptures, that they would bind on their foreheads and on their hands. Isn't that incredible? The forehead and the hands were the most obvious places where people could see, and where they themselves could be reminded, that they were under the authority - that they were devoted to - that they were worshippers of Jehovah. With that in mind, we turn to Revelation 13: Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666. Revelation 13:11-18 If you have the Internet, and you type in the number 666, you will be appalled at the number of references that are returned. Some of them are from accounting documents, but there is much, much material available about the meaning of the number 666. It is probably the best known number in our society today. This is interesting, and a little bit scary. On the other hand, it is also frustrating, because people have become so accustomed to it that they really don't take it very seriously. What is this passage all about? It's about a day coming, when people will not be able to buy or sell unless they have the Mark of The Beast. That's obvious. This is control of a global commerce system. We all understand this. We are still putting together the bits and pieces of how this would all come about. But I think, more important than all of that, it's really about worship of the Devil. It's about worship of Antichrist and the Dragon who is behind him. Chapters 12 and 13 go together. In chapter 12 there is a seven-headed red dragon, and it is said plainly in that chapter that it is the Devil. Then in chapter 13 there is another seven-headed dragon which is the Antichrist - the Beast who is injured, and is apparently brought back to life. He allows people to buy or sell according to whether or not they have the mark. So a very fascinating sub-theme is world commerce, but the real theme is worship of the Beast, and of the Devil behind him. Remember that this is what Satan has always wanted, and has never been satisfied in getting. He has always wanted to be worshipped. That's why he was banned from Heaven in the first place. He wanted to ascend to the highest place and be adored as his maker was. And because of this pride and rebellion he was disenfranchised from Heaven. He has always wanted people to worship him, and he has tried in so many ways - in the Garden of Eden, and even with the Lord Jesus. Isn't it amazing that when the Lord Jesus was tempted, the Devil said, "If you will just worship me, I will give you all the kingdoms of the earth." In a sense, he did have the right to offer this. Most of you, being students of prophecy understand this - that he is the force behind these world empires, all of which were evil, and all of which were represented in the seven heads of the dragon. He did have the world's kingdoms, and he could have given them to the Lord Jesus in a sort of shortcut of the mission Jesus had. So, the Devil has always wanted to be worshipped, and this is going to be his best shot at it. At that time he will be able to control the economy of the world so well that he can literally force people to worship him. Most people who study this get carried away with the technology -- the tattoos, implants, and tracking devices. We are going to talk about all of that. But whatever that turns out to be, let's say it might be a biochip placed in your right hand. That biochip would be an identification number for you for the rest of your life, but it would not be the Mark of The Beast. Because the mark is plainly said to be either his name, or the number of his name. This has nothing to do with identification for commerce. It is tied together, because the Bible says that when people receive the Mark of The Beast they are allowed to buy and sell, but the mark itself is an act of worship of Antichrist, and, therefore of the Devil. It is tantamount to wearing those phylacteries of the Old Testament on your hand or forehead. It will be an admission that the wearer is under the authority of Antichrist, and not of God. This explains why it is said very, very, plainly that those who receive the Mark of The Beast are literally doomed. We are told, for instance in Revelation 14 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." Revelation 14:9-11 This is not just about commerce. Commerce is involved, but the greater issue is worship of Antichrist. And those who receive the mark will never be able to stand before God and say, "I didn't know!" " Someone put it on me in my sleep!" " I was lied to by a smooth salesman. " " I knew better, but I just didn't have the courage to say 'no.'" None of those excuses will do. If you get the mark, you are doomed - eternally. I don't believe that you and I are ever going to have to make that choice, because I firmly believe that we are going up in Rapture before the Tribulation begins. However, whether the Rapture takes place at that time or not has nothing to do with the rest of what we are studying here. The Mark of The Beast is primarily an act of worship. And it is something that a person can never take back, or say "I'm sorry, I wish I hadn't done it." It is interesting that the book of Revelation also tells us that just before this registration takes place, angels are going to fly through the heavens - after the 144,000 powerful witnesses have made their impact on the world. Just to make sure that every person really knows the issues before they receive the mark, these angels are going to fly through the heavens and proclaim the Gospel. So that, literally every person in the world will know, and every adult who receives or rejects the Mark will know what he or she is doing. For an example, now, let's suppose that Tim LaHaye's novel is correct. Suppose Antichrist's name is Nicolae Carpathia. When a person goes up to receive the mark, they will say, "Do you want his name?" Can you picture his name on your forehead or right hand? "Or would you prefer just to have the number of his name?" It will be one or the other. It will be like Christians wearing a cross. It will be a public declaration of one's allegiance and worship of Antichrist. Nothing but the very strongest tools of coercion would cause people to receive something like that. But in that day, it will mean life or death to the ones who will have to make that choice. THE TECHNOLOGICAL SIDE OF THE ISSUE Let's talk about the technological side of the issue. All of this information is currently available - most of it on the Internet. First, let's look at Daniel 12:4. "But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge." We were told this morning that the "going here and there" was travel. I agree with that, but there is another kind of travel that we do today that the writer of the book of Daniel could have never imagined, and that is the travel we do on the "information superhighway." Literally, in a split second, going from here to the far corners of the earth and back again - millions of little packets of information. Computer Technologies Microcomputers I want to talk with you first about the advances of the microcomputer. My first computer was an Apple I, believe it or not. I remember so vividly, reading Popular Mechanics in a barber shop in October of 1977. The article said Radio Shack was planning to come out with a computer that the average person could own. My mind just went bonkers. I always loved technology. If I hadn't been called into the ministry, I'm sure I would have wanted to be a scientist. I thought to myself, "What a dream - to be able to actually use a computer in your own home." So I could hardly wait for the barber to finish the haircut, and I went straight over to Radio Shack, and asked them about it. They didn't have a clue. No one there knew anything about it. I couldn't accept that answer, so I started looking around, and within a week I found a place called "Computer Playground" where they had installed really primitive Apple I computers hooked up to televisions. All you could do with it was play simple computer games or learn how to use BASIC for computer programming. I made arrangements with them to rent an Apple I computer. It was just a board, hand made by Wozniac and Jobs, who were unknown at the time, put into a wooden box that the computer store owner had made, hooked up to our home television. It had 4K memory! No graphics, no color, no sound, but I loved it. There was no storage of data. I had to use a regular tape recorder to capture the strange sounds from the computer, and if we were lucky, we could load them back in next time we started the computer. But we loved it. After a few months of using that, we graduated to an Apple II, and thought that was just the greatest thing in the world! It has gone like that - just every year or year and a half there has been a newer and better computer, from that day until now. Future of Microcomputers (http://www.pathfinder.com/@@70jDbAQAUA7fBsb3/fortune/1997/970217/toshtel.html ) And today, Intel says they are working on microprocessors that will operate, not at today's 200 megahertz, but, by the year 2011, it will run at 10 gigahertz. That's 10,000 megahertz instead of 200! The February issue of Fortune Magazine says it will have 1 billion components! You see, Andy Groves, Intel's CEO predicted that the power of a computer chip would double every 18 months, and so far, Intel has lived up to that "law." "In the last days, knowledge will increase." All of us are able to do things today that we never could have done without that little computer. Today's smart cards, that I will talk about later, look like credit cards, but they have more memory in them than that Apple ! computer had. Supercomputers And while all of this has been going on, while we now have in our homes a computer which is much more powerful than the mainframe computers of a couple of decades ago, supercomputers have just been getting better and better. They are hundreds of times faster and better. Here's something interesting from the history of Apple Computer. I didn't discover this until recently. In July of the first year they came out with their Apple I board, and the retail price was set at $666.66. I took this right off Apple's site. Year 2000 Problem (http://www.year2000.com/) A huge problem is brewing in the world of computers. The main Internet site for this problem tells you exactly how many months, days, hours, minutes and seconds there are until the beginning of the year 2000. The reason for that, is that they expect, exactly at that moment, many computers are going to fail because of their dating system which only allows for two digits. They will need four digits for the date at that point. Big companies are working feverishly to try to make sure that, in every little formula hidden in their millions of lines of code, has been taken care of. They are paranoid about this. Almost every big company in the world is working on this! Newsweek came out with a cover story about this recently. They said that on that New Year's Eve, be very careful where you are and what you're doing. Your car may not function. The elevators may lock up, airplanes could crash. You could suddenly owe millions of dollars to your phone company. They fear that some of the major computer failures at that time might trigger failure of others all over the world. It could even result in a great recession. They are deadly serious about this. I have had people write to my Internet site asking if we think Antichrist could take advantage of this situation? Honestly, we don't know, but if he can possibly provide a solution, he definitely would be a world hero. We've devoted a special page (http://www.Bible-prophecy.com/problem.htm )to this problem. World-Wide Connectivity and Information Technologies The Internet Fiber Optic Cables One small Fiber Optic cable can replace 10,000 ordinary telephone lines! Because of that, the Internet, which is the basic backbone of information sharing all over the world, has been increasing its power with the cable. Internet II (http://www.vbns.net/) They are now working on a new generation of the Internet. It is called Internet II, and it is described as vBNS (very high speed Backbone Network Service). MCI is the provider for a super-fast information network mandated in 1993 by the National Science Foundation. Part of it is already in place, using speeds of 155 million bits per second. When fully functional, it will connect the Supercomputing Centers at speeds of up to 2.5 billion bits (2.5 gigabits) per second. At this speed the new network could transmit the contents of two public libraries per second. Wireless Networks 840 satellites will bring Internet to world beginning 2000 The Internet of the future won't even be limited by fiber optic cables. Last March Bill Gates, who is the richest man in the world, and easily the most powerful person in all the world of technology, went into a partnership with another man and announced the "Internet In The Sky" which they will begin in the year 2000. It will be fully functional by the year 2002. It will employ 840 low-altitude satellites that will be connected in 21 orbits, with 40 satellites in every orbit. They have an animation on their Teledesic website. It's like a big moving net around the entire earth. What it means is, that anywhere on the face of the planet a person with an inexpensive portable wireless Internet communicator, can communicate with anyone else on the earth. It could be at the top of the Himalayas or at the Dead Sea. You might want to keep your eye on Bill Gates. He is buying up all kinds of interests, and just recently bought $150 million worth of non-voting stock in his main competitor, Apple Computer. By doing this, he got the Justice Department off his back because they can't prosecute him for putting Apple out of business, but at the same time he can unofficially dictate what should happen at Apple. Smartcards The real big news right now is what is happening with smart cards. Smart cards are a little different than the cards most of us have in our wallets. They are very popular in Europe. They look the same, except a little thicker - you can hardly notice it. Some of them have little contacts in the middle of the card, but many now use radio waves so they don't need contacts. Inside the card there is actually a little computer, with a tiny battery, and 4K or 8K memory. Smartcard New consortium The smart card manufacturers are beginning to band together so they have a standardized platform. They call it MULTOS (http://www.multos.com/ ). They call this "the smart card getting smarter," because now the machine that can read one card will be able to read all the cards. In the United States the major credit card companies are getting ready to switch over. I don't know if they will tell us, or just send us a new card. With a smart card you can do all kinds of things you can't do with a magnetic stripe card like the ones we have now. The magnetic stripe card lets us store a little information about our account numbers and some personal information, but with a smart card you'll be able to do all kinds of special things: like keep all your passwords. It will store money. Money of the future will not be bills and coins, but digital information. You won't have to go back to the ATM for money because you'll have it right in your smart card. So when you go to a vending machine, you'll just put your card in, and the amount will be subtracted from the card. This is already being done in many places in the world. They call it electronic wallets or purses. Smarty Smart Card Reader (http://www.fisc.com/store/smarty.html) Another big advance in this area is the Smarty Smart Card Reader. It utilizes the floppy disk drive of your personal computer. It allows you to insert your smart card into a slot, and then insert it in the drive, which becomes a reader, which will then act like a personal ATM hooked up to your computer. It won't be able to give you paper money, but you won't need it because the card itself takes the place of money. The average person could afford this device right now. I predict that it will eventually come as a standard peripheral on new computer systems. You will be able to download or even upload money from your bank, or from another person, right at your own computer. It seems like we have gone about as far as we need to go for somebody to be able to control the commerce of the world. Don't you agree? Miniaturization of Components Miniaturization is another issue of importance in this arena. In Japan they recently introduced their latest innovation: Robo-Roach. It is a large cockroach with a radio controlled printed circuit backpack. With this they can control where it goes by tying in to its antennae. If they can do this kind of thing, just imagine what they could do to us! Implants You've been hearing about biochips for a long time. These "implantable transponders" are used for animal identification, but they have not started putting them into people as far as we know. They are only about the size of a grain of rice, and require no batteries. They have a little coil, and a chip with a pre-programmed number, all encapsulated in glass. This can be inserted under your skin with a special hypodermic needle. It won't get infected, and you would hardly know it is there. But scanning devices will know it's there. It could be used to tie into your bank accounts, or whatever they want to do with it. In the future, this could be perfected so that it can actually be your smart card. The technology is not that advanced yet. But the advantage of something like this is that you wouldn't have to remember to take your wallet with you, it will always be a part of you. You couldn't loose it. When you want to get money out, you could just go to your personal computer, wave your hand in front of it, and transfer what you need into the device. You could pay your bills the same way. You could start your car that way because it could take the place of your keys. These are all possibilities for the future. None of it is necessary in order for Antichrist to take over. We have enough in place right now. Here is something that uses the same technology in a much more acceptable form. Some of you may already have these. It is known as the Mobil Speed Pass. It has the same type of device in it that responds to the radio waves and sends back a number. You just drive up, and when you come within five feet of the gas pump, it gets ready to service you. It knows who you are and how to charge your purchase. You still have to get out and put the nozzle in your tank, but the rest is automatic! You don't pull your wallet out. You don't punch in a PIN number. You just wave this little thing and it happens. If you don't want one of these on your key ring, you can get another device from the same company that just sticks on your back window and does the same thing without even handling it. They even make a card version for your wallet, but you don't have to take it out, the transaction just happens. Biometric Identification Other technologies are also leading in the same direction. They have a face recognition device (http://www.faceit.com/ ) you can hook up to your personal computer, and throw away your passwords, because your computer knows it is you. They have a little scanner for your fingerprint that does the same thing. It's called BioMouse (http://www.abio.com/ ). I saw a very interesting commercial for Martin McDonnell just last week. It started with a beautiful space shot. A man in the foreground is pointing at it. Then the camera moved around and closed in on the finger until all you could see was his finger tip with a printed circuit board superimposed over it. They talked about their wonderful fingerprint scanning technology. Then they ended the commercial by saying, by the way, they are also proud of their trips to Mars and other planets. The meaning of this is that, of all the things they're doing now, they are the most proud of their fingerprint scanning, because it is so important for all the things we've been talking about. Programmable Tattoo There's just one other thing I would like to mention. As you can see, we are already close enough, that if Antichrist came to power today, he could do what he needs to do. There's a "Programmable Tattoo" (http://www.webideas.com/biofeedback/news.htm )they can put under your wrist that is actually an LCD display panel. It can serve as a watch to tell the time, or give reports on your vital functions like blood pressure or insulin count: anything you need to know about yourself. The people who have the patents on this are from a company called Interval Research Corporation ( http://www.interval.com/) . You probably have not heard of them. They are very secretive. They say they don't even know what they want to do with this yet. Interval was co-founded by Paul Allen, who was also co-founder of Microsoft. They are creating many innovative things now, but they are keeping a lid on it. There is an interval, you see. They're thinking five, ten, twenty years down the road, all the things they are developing will be put into service. Maybe they will be put into service when the Mark of The Beast is ready. Conclusion What is the bottom line, my friends? Should we be terrified? If you are afraid, I suggest that you don't study prophecy. It's may not be good for you right now. Remember the verse we started with: "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives" 2 Peter 3:11 (NIV) If prophecy motivates you, because you see that what the Bible has prophesied is coming to pass right now; if it purifies you; if it causes you to want to win people to Christ while there is still time; then you're on the right track. May the Lord bless you and help you use your time and strength for Him until He returns! ------------------- The publisher of Prophecy Central is Ron Graff, Senior Pastor of Alta Loma Brethren In Christ Church in Southern California. RonGraff@aol.com Ron Graff has been a pastor and teacher of Biblical Prophecy for 31 years. He is a conference speaker, author, and computer software developer. The Prophecy Puzzle The Prophecy Puzzle is Ron's latest software offering, combining the content of a prophecy book with computer enhancements such as hypertext, searches, optional drill and practice questions, personalized notes, bookmarks, graphics, cut, paste, and print as well as other features. PROPHECY CENTRAL, http://www.bible-prophecy.com/ "A World of Information on Biblical Prophecy," is a useful web site maintained by Ron Graff for the benefit of serious students and teachers of Biblical Prophecy. The site offers Scripture, commentary and notes on 26 vital topics. It utilizes numerous links to other Bible and prophecy resources on-line. ************************************ ************************************ The Mark of The Beast...Just How Close Are We? By: Raymond Gano - ray@prophezine.com Rev. 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six. Just how near are we to Revelation 13? Let's look at what the media is saying. This excepts was taken from a article from EPIC. Federal Register, December 20, 1994 IRS Initiates Massive New Database On December 20, the Internal Revenue Service announced in the Federal Register that it was planning a new database to monitor compliance of taxpayers in a project entitled Compliance 2000. The database would contain information on all individuals in the U.S. who conduct certain financial transactions and would be segmented by different criteria: Any individual who has business and/or financial activities. These may be grouped by industry, occupation, or financial transactions, included in commercial databases, or in information provided by state and local licensing agencies. The new database will combine private and public sector databases in a single searchable entity. A number of federal financial databases from the IRS will be enhanced with state, local and commercial sources. The Federal Register notice describes the non- tax databases: Examples of other information would include data from commercial databases, any state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), credit bureaus, state and local real estate records, commercial publications, newspapers, airplane and pilot information, U.S. Coast Guard vessel registration information, any state's Department of Natural Resources information, as well as other state and local records. In addition, Federal government databases may also be accessed, such as, federal employment files, federal licensing data, etc. Finally, even though the proposed system would use frequently inaccurate "commercial databases" such as direct marketing records, taxpayers would not be able to review their records to ensure that they are accurate and up to date: "This system is exempt from the access and contest provisions of the Privacy Act." EPIC is filing comments asking the IRS to reconsider its use of commercial databases and to ensure that there are greater safeguards on the collection and use of personal information. A copy of the Federal Register notice is available at http://wwwcpsr.org/cpsr/privacy/epic/IRS_compliance_2000_notice_txt Comments on the proposed system must be received by January 19, 1995, and sent to Office of Disclosure, Internal Revenue Service, 1111 Conn. Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20224. EPIC's Comments are available at http://www.cpsr.org/cpsr/privacy/epic/epic_irs_compliance_2000_comments.txt Also this from OMNI magazine Omni magazine, June 1991, (p.59) "CASH AND CREDIT CARDS WILL SOON BE OBSOLETE." Information Week, Oct. 11, 1993, boldly trumpeted on it's cover, The Cashless Society, It's in the Cards, The article dogmatically stated, (p.4)"Bet your bottom dollar: The United States IS BECOMING A CASHLESS SOCIETY . . ." The fastest growing movement in the financial world is "smart cards". Smart cards, which resemble ordinary credit cards, contain tiny computer chips, capable of storing data, such as bank accounts, medical information, etc. Already widely used in Japan and Europe, according to Information Week, (p.4) "BY NEXT YEAR, cards will be used to pay for health care and insurance, to receive government benefits, and to buy items in vending machines . . ." Newsweek magazine, July 31, 1989, (p.54) said smart cards, "may make the old science-fiction notion of a cashless society real." A pilot program is already being tested at the Marine Corp's Parris Island training base in South Carolina. According to Newsweek, "On payday, recruits receive smart cards rather than cash. When a marine makes a purchase on base, he plugs the card into a small terminal and the sum is automatically deducted from his pay." Newsweek says, " The base is, in fact a cashless economy-- even the telephones take smart cards." The Birmingham News, August, 24, 1993, (p.1B) report on smart cards, said, "Before long, you'll use this electronic check to pay for groceries, gasoline, taxes, stamps, fast food -- in virtually any business where you now use checks or cash." Robert Mckinley, president of RAM Research Corp. says, "You've heard about the cashless society . . . it may finally be on its way." Infosecurity News, Sept/Oct 93 (p.27), writes, " An extraordinary effort is now underway to build an infrastructure for large-scale use of smart cards in electronic data interchange, national health-care systems, financial-transaction systems and interactive home services . . ." But that's not all! U.S. News and World Report, told of a frightening reason for smart cards. "To keep closer watch on individuals, engineers have devised a forgery proof National ID Card -- THE SMART CARD." And how will they get the ball rolling? President Clinton has repeatedly, on national television, held up before the American people -- the National ID Card/ Health / Immigration Card. And for the very first time in history, every man, woman, and child will be numbered and required to carry a card. No exceptions! No excuses! EVERYBODY! In the book, Putting People First by President Clinton, outlining the Clinton agenda, page 22, reads, "ALL AMERICANS will carry 'smart cards'. . ." An article in Investor's Business Daily, (Nov. 16, 93, p.1), titled, The Dark Side of Health Reform, stated, "Privacy rights advocates are also concerned that the health ID would end up being used by the government for FAR MORE than just determination of health benefits." POSTAL SERVICE, IRS DEVELOPING NATIONAL IDENTITY CARDS CLINTON MAY GIVE OK. By: Mitch Ratcliffe Digital Media: A Seybold Report PCWEEK MAY 9, 1994, VOLUME 11, NUMBER 18 pgs. 1, 10. The Clinton Administration is working on creating an identification card that every American will need to interact with any federal government agency. The card initiative came into the forefront at last month's Card Tech/Secure Tech Conference in Crystal City, Va., as federal agencies, including the U.S. Postal Service, and the Internal Revenue Service, began detailing their various proposals. At the gathering -- where security experts convened to discuss business and government applications for "smart card" and PCMCIA memory-card technologies -- the Postal Service presented a proposal for a "general-purpose U.S. services smart card," which individuals would use to authenticate their identities when sending and receiving E-mail, transferring funds, and interacting with various government agencies. Sources close to the administration said President Clinton is also considering signing a pair of executive orders what would facilitate the connection of individuals' bank accounts and federal records to a government identification card. White House officials declined to comment. The Postal Service's U.S. Card would use either smart cards-plastic cards that carry a unique number that can be read by a scanner and linked to computerized records stored on a network -- or PCMCIA cards, which can contain megabytes of personal information....... President Clinton is also considering signing a pair of executive orders that would facilitate the connection of individual's bank account's. We will not have to fill out those W2 forms and tax forms, the IRS will "take" / deduct the money automatically. The Postal Service is prepared to put more than 100 million of the cards in citizens' pockets within months of administration approval, which could come at any time. The major concern of the smart card is security. Credit card fraud costs $1 billion dollars a year! And if you think we've got problems with credit card fraud -- what do you think will happen when your "financial-healthcare-identification-everything-smart- card" is stolen! A side-article in Information Week (p.36), asks the "10-million-dollar question", What if A thief swipes your card?. Infosecurity (p.28) also asks, "The standard question is: 'What happens if a user forgets his or her smart card?'". The answer is obvious . . . It's going to have to be -- Permanently attached to the individual! Automatic I.D. News, March 1992 (p.E40), says, "AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION plays an important role in the emerging cashless society." Automatic I.D. News, Sept. 1990 (p.37), says, "The fastest-growing segment in the access control market, . . . is Biometric sensors. These devices identify people by fingerprints, retina patterns and other BODY-BASED methods ...." Already, in Spain and in Canada, dogs and cats, are required by law, to have microchip implants injected into their skin. The system is also used in the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Great Britain, Belgium, Ireland, New York City and California. And, to stop baby-swapping, kidnapping -- it is being considered for use in identifying children. Doctors think the idea is also great in keeping a "eye" on the elderly in preventing them from getting lost or walking away. Prisons have adopted the same plan in preventing "Home Prisoners" from running from the law. Are we living in the "last days"? I do not know, but I have to agree with many Bible scholars that this is the first time since the time of Christ that all the pieces of the puzzle fit. We have much of the technology that will makes it possible for a man to be dictator of this world.(Antichrist), We do have the technology to "give" everyone a "mark", and to keep track of every person on the face of the earth. Many of the things spoken of in Matthew 24, Luke 21 and in Revelation 13 are coming to pass or have come to pass.........are you ready? Who do You serve? Revelation 14: 9 - 11 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. John 3: 16 - 18 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ************************************ WHEN ARMIES MOVE - Part 5 A Dissertation on Armageddon from the Pre-wrath Perspective By R. g. Wallace Libya and Ethiopia are identified at Ezekiel 38:5, as being in alliance with the king of the North. The movement of the king of the West into these areas as per Daniel 11:43, is described at Ezekiel 30:1-9. EZEKIEL Ezek. 30:1-3 The word of the LORD came again to me saying, "Son of man, prophesy and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, Wail, 'Alas for the day!' "For the day is near, Even the day of the LORD is near; It will be a day of clouds, A time {of doom} for the nations." This clearly identifies the military maneuvers in view to take place DURING the Day of the LORD. It is "a time for the nations," but the specific focus is on the Southern alliance associated with Gog. Ezek. 30:4, "And a sword will come upon Egypt, And anguish will be in Ethiopia, When the slain fall in Egypt, They take away her wealth, And her foundations are torn down. This is exactly what we saw at Daniel 11:42-43 Ezek. 30:5, "Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all Arabia, Libya, and the people of the land that is in league will fall with them by the sword." These are in league one with another, as members of the Southern alliance but are also allied with the king of the North. The king of the West is allowed to use its superior weaponry and military might to achieve the victory over this Southern alliance. Ezek. 30:6, Thus says the LORD, Indeed, those who support Egypt will fall, And the pride of her power will come down; From Migdol {to} Syene They will fall within her by the sword," Declares the Lord GOD. Migdol is in Northern Egypt and Syene is in the South. Ezek. 30:7-8 "And they will be desolate In the midst of the desolated lands; And her cities will be In the midst of the devastated cities. "And they will know that I am the LORD, When I set a fire in Egypt And all her helpers are broken. Ezek. 30:9, "On that day messengers will go forth from Me in ships to frighten secure Ethiopia; and anguish will be on them as on the day of Egypt; for, behold, it comes!" This indicates the divine permission for the king of the West to defend itself and push beyond Egypt to the other nations involved. Usually, any mention of ships in these military scenarios, has reference to the Western nations. Daniel 11:43, "and Libyans and Ethiopians {will follow} at his heels." After neutralizing Egypt, the king of the West continues into the other North African nations that have pushed against him. RUMORS FROM THE EAST But while the beast's troops are occupied in the South, the king of the East begins to mobilize his troops toward Palestine. This is designated as "rumors from the East" at Daniel 11:44. It happens in connection with the 6th bowl and brings our time line beyond the end of the 70th week of Daniel into the 30 day period of "cleansing" which follows. The 70th week ends in association with the sounding of the 7th trumpet (Rev. 11:2-15) and the 7 bowls of judgment "which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished" (Rev. 15:1), are poured out on the kingdom of the beast. Daniel 12:11, indicates that there is an additional 30 day period after the designated 1260 days for the last half of the "week." During this time, the temple is still desolated and the beast is still active. But the remaining blows of God's wrath through the bowl judgments will bring it all to an end. Rev. 16:12-15, "And the sixth {angel} poured out his bowl upon the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, that the way might be prepared for the kings from the east. And I saw {coming} out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty." Notice also, that in connection with the advance of the kings of the East, we see the gathering of other nations as well. This includes both the king of the North entering Palestine and the king of the West returning. RUMORS FROM THE NORTH Daniel 11:44 also indicates that rumors from the North disturb the king of the West. This is when the king of the North actually invades Palestine as is described in Ezekiel 38 and Joel 2. Ezekiel 38:15-16 "And you will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a mighty army; and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It will come about in the last days that I shall bring you against My land, in order that the nations may know Me when I shall be sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog." Joel 2:1-2 Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, {So} there is a great and mighty people; There has never been {anything} like it, Nor will there be again after it To the years of many generations. We therefore find, the connection between all the Old Testament passages concerning the king of the North. His worldwide aggressions are focused into his ultimate goal of possessing Palestine and thus, joinswith the other nations to fulfill the prophecies of Joel and Zechariah. Joel 3:1 "For behold, in those days and at that time, When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem" This gives us the time frame for this final invasion of Palestine. It occurs at the time that God intends to "restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem." In other words, at the time that God intends to fulfill all of Israel's national promises as initially given to Abraham. Daniel tells us that the goal of the "70 weeks" is to ultimately "bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy {place}." These three phrases refer to bringing in Israel's kingdom blessings. It will be fulfilled AFTER the 70 weeks are completed. The 70 weeks bring us to the time of fulfillment, but it will be another 75 days AFTER the final 1260 days of the last half of the 70th week, until the Messiah will "officially" begin the kingdom (Dan. 12:11-12; Mat. 25:31-32). Joel 3:2 "I will gather all the nations, And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land (v. 1-2). The valley of Jehoshaphat refers to the valley of "judgment from Yahweh" and is not an actual valley, but embraces the whole land area of Palestine with a special focus on the actual valley of megiddo (or the plain of Esdraelon) which lies between the Sea of Galilee and the natural seaport of Haifa. The valley is 20 miles long and about 16 miles wide. The "valley" of judgment, or as at Joel 3:14, "the valley of the decision." The word "decision" is charuts and means a "cutting" or "dividing." Thus the idea of divine judgment, since all will be "cut off" from the land of the living through the sword of divine justice (Rev. 19:21). Many battles have been fought here throughout history, as control of the valley basically controls land travel between North and South, and determines the usefulness of the seaport. Joel 3:9-11 Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare a war; rouse the mighty men! Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up! Beat your plowshares into swords, And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, "I am a mighty man." Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, And gather yourselves there. Bring down, O LORD, Thy mighty ones. Notice the need for armament. Through the peace covenant of the first half of the 70th week, there was a massive worldwide disarmament. This continued when the beast began his oppressive reign, but as his ability to meet the needs of the nations diminished through the Day of the Lord judgments (trumpets), the nations began to "chomp at the bit" and began to rearm themselves in preparation for resistance to the beast. At this "gathering" of the nations into Palestine, the activities of the king of the East are not detailed for us.It is probable that he simply deploys his troops into the area of Megiddo and awaits the outcome of the conflict between the king of the West and the North. However, before there can be any "human" victory, the Lord Jesus descends from His "control center" in the clouds and begins the reaping process of judgment (Rev. 14:14-20). The king of the North on the other hand, is given alot of coverage in Scripture. The advance of its army through Palestine is described at Joel 2:3-9. "A fire consumes before them, And behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, But a desolate wilderness behind them, And nothing at all escapes them. Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like war horses, so they run. With a noise as of chariots They leap on the tops of the mountains, Like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble, Like a mighty people arranged for battle. Before them the people are in anguish; All faces turn pale. They run like mighty men; They climb the wall like soldiers; And they each march in line, Nor do they deviate from their paths. They do not crowd each other; They march everyone in his path. When they burst through the defenses, They do not break ranks. They rush on the city, They run on the wall; They climb into the houses, They enter through the windows like a thief." Its activity in Jerusalem is summarized at Zech. 14:2. "For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city." A DIVIDED ARMY Daniel 11:45a "And he will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain." The king of the West sets up his camp between the Mediterranean Sea (the seas) and the city of Jerusalem (the beautiful holy mountain). This effectively splits the Northern army into 2 sections according to Joel 2:20 and in this condition the K/N will perish as Israel fights against them with the Messiah's help. "But I will remove the northern {army} far from you, And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, And its vanguard into the eastern sea, And its rear guard into the western sea. And its stench will arise and its foul smell will come up, For it has done great things." Later when Jesus descends to the Mount of Olives, causing it to split down the middle and form an East/West valley extending for 6 miles West of Jerusalem to Azel, the Northern army will be greatly restricted and be unable to escape. The "rear guard" will be pushed into the Mediterranean Sea and the "vanguard" will be defeated at the hands of the men of the city as they fight with the prowess of thousands of "David's." (Zech. 12:5-9) Through this victory, all the resources possessed by these invading armies will become plunder for Israel. Zech. 14:1, Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. But before Israel is victorious, the invaders wreak havoc within the city as we already saw at Zech. 14:2. Furthermore, the king of the west who has camped "in the valley," will come to his end there in the valley as this is part of the final battle. Daniel 11:45b "Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him." The king of the West will find his "Waterloo" when the Lord Jesus descends into Palestine to fight against all the armies that are converged there. --- In part 6, THE CONVERGENCE ON PALESTINE ronw@biblefragrances.com http://www.biblefragrances.com ************************************ The Old Vs. The New Covenant By: Ken Onweller On: August 4, 1998 THE MIRACLE OF WATER TO WINE In Jesus' first miracle recorded in the book of John, we see him turning water into wine at the request of his mother. In looking at the passage, you will see that the first wine is inferior to the second. Also, you will notice that the superior wine came from 6 empty stone vessels which were filled with water. Spiritually, this signifies that the fruit (wine) produced by the New Covenant (water, or Holy Spirit, going into stone vessels, or sinful man) is far superior to the prior fruit. What fruit would have been produced previously? Why, the fruit of the Old Covenant. THE OLD COVENANT What is the Old Covenant and how does it relate to us today? So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. (Deut 4:13) So he [Moses] was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. (Ex 34:28) So the Old Covenant is represented by the 10 Commandments. Just as a reminder, they are: [1] You shall have no other gods before Me. [2] You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. [3] You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. [4] Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. [5] Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. [6] You shall not murder. [7] You shall not commit adultery. [8] You shall not steal. [9] You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. [10] You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet you neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's. (Ex 20:3-17) WHY THE OLD COVENANT? Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Ex 19:5-6) In other words, the keeping of the 10 Commandments would be what identified Israel as God's nation. There were actually 2 covenants made with Israel before they entered the promised land. The first, The 10 Commandments, was given at Horeb after crossing the Red Sea: The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. (Deut 5:2) 40 years later, before entering the Promised Land, was the covenant given at Moab. This covenant was known as the Blessings and the Cursings. Basically, it was a way for Israel to know how they were doing in keeping the 10 Commandments. When serving their God they would receive national blessings, but when in constant sin, national cursings. It was because of sin that Israel was taken captive and not allowed to become a nation again until May 14, 1948. THE OLD COVENANT IS ONLY SKIN DEEP And it shall be, on the day when you cross over the Jordan to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, that you shall set up for yourselves large stones, and white wash them with lime. . .you shall set up these stones, which I command you today, and you shall whitewash them with lime. (Deut 27:2-4) How interesting, white washed stones. These very stones demonstrate the basic fact of the Old Covenant. Those who keep it will look good to everyone else (painted over with white), but inside they are as hard (stone) as ever. We've scratched the surface of the Old Covenant (10 Commandments) and how obedience to them makes you nothing more than a white-washed stone. But what about the New Covenant. What is that all about? THE NEW COVENANT But now He [Jesus] has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. (Heb 8:6) Remember the miracle of the wine: how the first wine (Old Covenant) was inferior to the latter wine (New Covenant)? For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says, "Behold, the days are coming", says the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah--not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them", says the Lord. (Heb 8:7-9) Again, the first covenant clearly had problems and this is why there will be a new covenant made with Israel, although it has not yet happened. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. (Heb 8:10-12) The New Covenant isn't just skin deep like the Old: it affects your heart and mind. JESUS IS THE NEW COVENANT In an acceptable time I have heard You, and in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and GIVE YOU AS A COVENANT to the people, to restore the earth, to cause them to inherit the desolate heritages; that You may say to the prisoners, 'Go forth,' to those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves.' (Isaiah 49:8) The Messiah (Jesus Christ) IS the covenant! Although, Israel is not yet under the New Covenant due to their rejection of Messiah., the Church IS. All who welcome Jesus into their lives enter the New Covenant. ...the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints [Christians]. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Col 1:26-27) Jesus Christ inside you is what the New Covenant is all about. To deny it is the same thing as being against Christ. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:2-4) THE NEW COVENANT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE LAW But now the righteousness of God APART FROM THE LAW is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. (Rom 3:21-22) It isn't by keeping the law (10 Commandments) that we become righteous. God gives us a righteousness which has NOTHING to do with law. Think of salvation as a really thick coat. When you accept Jesus you receive this thick coat and put it on. It is so bright that anyone looking at you can only see the coat and nothing else. THE NEW COVENANT IMPROVES YOUR LIFE, NOW! And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character, and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Rom 5:3-5) Part of the benefit of having Christ in you, leading your life, is that no matter how bad things might get, you still have hope, because the trial is making you more Christ-like. Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. (2 Cor 2:14) The life we live in Christ is a fragrance to the world. God uses us to demonstrate Himself to others. Isn't that amazing? But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Cor 3:18) It is Jesus in you, that is transforming the way you think and feel. We waste so much money on psychologists trying to feel better about ourselves. But it just doesn't work. The only real solution is to change. And this is just what happens under the New Covenant: you begin to change for the better! THE NEW COVENANT: GOD DOES ALL THE WORK FOR FREE!!! But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. (2 Cor 4:7) Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Isa 55:1) This gift of God is ABSOLUTELY FREE! There is nothing you can do to earn it, and there is nothing you need to do to keep it. If you were invited to a meal and then you insisted on paying money for the food, your host would be insulted. Is God any different? The Old Covenant was about trying to be a good person by doing good. This just isn't possible because at our very best we still don't measure up. The New Covenant is all about yielding to God and letting Jesus lead our lives. When we go it on our own strength, we fail. When we have faith in Jesus to do the work, we succeed. INFERIOR FRUIT PRODUCED BY THE OLD COVENANT The results of living your life on your own: Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19-21) SUPERIOR FRUIT PRODUCED BY THE NEW COVENANT The results of letting God lead your life: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Gal 5:22-25) No Christian will ever be perfect. But as we go on in life we become better at letting God rule. In most cases, God's work in our lives is actually hindered because we will put him on the back burner or just plain stand in the way. THE FUTURE BENEFIT OF THE NEW COVENANT Yes, the New Covenant has the immediate benefit of a life being transformed from selfishness to outgoing love. There is another benefit. ...and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Rom 8:17) What is it we are to be heirs of? What are we to share with Jesus? Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (Rev 20:6) When Jesus returns, we'll share in the rulership of the entire earth. Wow! And you thought your job was fun now. Just wait until that happens. Our inheritance doesn't just stop with ruling the earth with Christ for 1000 years. But one testified in a certain place, saying: What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You take care of him? You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. (Heb 2:6-8) All things means ALL THINGS. Everything that has been made by God will be put under our control. It hasn't happened yet, but it WILL happen after the 1000 years are over. Concerning life after the 1000 years, we simply have no clue what it will be like. Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." (Rev 21:5) It should be interesting to note that we have actually written ourselves a letter from this place in the future. And the Spirit and the bride [that would be us] say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. (Rev 22:17) So take your own advice and take of God's free gift of a new life. Recognize your selfishness and let it go. You won't regret it because the New Covenant is without a doubt established on much better promises than the Old Covenant! When you grasp what the New Covenant is really all about, you cannot help but to echo the words of Paul: Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Cor 9:15) Ken Onlweller kender@ix.netcom.com ************************************ FORNICATION AND SEXUAL DISEASE IN THE LAST DAYS by Alan Yusko Due to the importance of this tract I would encourage people to copy, print and freely distribute it. The only limitation is that it may not be changed in any way. Web: http://www.serve.com/rapture We are truly living in the last days before the return of the Lord Jesus! The world is in the process of throwing away all forms of discretion, decency, and morality. With "the world's" approval many are living for their lusts in these last days. Marriage is no longer important as the covenant of marriage is breaking down. Why get married if it is OK just to live together? Men are lusting after women. Women are lusting after men. Men are lusting after men and women are lusting after women. As a result many people have hurt themselves physically and spiritually as they pursue their immoral lifestyle. Good has become evil and evil has become good. This is very true in the area of sexual morality. The spiritual danger of the sexually immoral is rejecting Jesus and perishing in hell as a lost sinner. The physical danger of the sexually immoral is disease, torment, and a shortened life span. There are all kinds of diseases out there ready to infect those who disdain the monogamous sexual relationship in marriage. In fact there are so many diseases that most people do not even know the extreme danger they place themselves as they fornicate from partner to partner. Yes, everyone has heard of AIDS and this plague is a great killer of the sexually immoral. But besides AIDS there are many diseases that can kill and torment a person. This tract will give an overview on some of the common sexual diseases. We will look at how a person can contract the disease, the symptoms and cure (if possible). We will also look at what the Bible says about the sexually immoral. PREVENTION OF SEXUAL DISEASE There are only two ways to prevent an infection from a terrible sexual disease. The first is abstinence from sexual relations. The second is a faithful marriage relationship. There is really no other way. Condoms certainly are not the answer. The lost sinners claim that by just wearing a condom you are protected and can have 'safe sex' with your many partners. This is a lie. People still get pregnant even though a condom is used. The AIDS virus is much smaller than a sperm cell and can easily pass through the many defects in a condom. Plus it is possible to transmit a sexual disease by close contact and even by kissing. Gonorrhea for example, doesn't always manifest symptoms and it can infect the mouth area. A person can be infected by a good kiss to the lips and mouth area. Never-the-less the lost sinner and sexually immoral goes from partner to partner without understanding the dangers of sexual diseases. Many people must have some kind of invulnerability complex or a "it-wont-happen-to-me' type of attitude. Well, I have to let you know, if you play with fire, you will get burned. It is as simple as that. There is no great trick to avoiding sexual diseases. Simply do not fornicate (sex outside of marriage) to avoid terrible disease. There is no pill or condom or any other scientific device to protect from a sexual disease. SEXUAL DISEASES All sexual sin will one day be judged. Those who fornicate before marriage and those who commit adultery after marriage will face judgment. Hebrews 13:4 - Marriage [is] honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. 1 Corinthians 6:18 - Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. According to God's Word, the Bible, if you fornicate, you are sinning against your own body. As a result there are devastating consequences for such sin. The sexual diseases out there are terrible and should be avoided at all costs! These diseases will slowly destroy your body or torment you with their unpleasant symptoms. Any rational, thinking person would not want to be infected with any of the sexual diseases that can be easily contracted. Today there are all kinds of disease that afflict those involved in sexual sin. AIDS, herpes and many other sexual disease show God's disapproval to those who reject morality. If you disagree with that statement then here is a question. What sexually transmitted disease would be here today if sexual immorality was not practiced? The answer is none! AIDS, for example, is only a problem because of the sexually immoral. Without sexual immorality AIDS would not have spread at all. The same is true with the other sexually transmitted diseases. However since we live in a sex crazed world that rejects Godly morals, we see terrible sexual diseases everywhere at alarming and increasing proportions. These diseases spread like wild-fire as the fornicators travel from partner to partner with no concern for God or morality. The first disease we will examine is the very well known plague of AIDS. This disease has gotten lots of publicity in the last 10 years. Unfortunately many people know about AIDS and are blind to all the other diseases besides AIDS. Here is some information on this plague of AIDS. AIDS: Description: AIDS is caused by strains of a virus, known as HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). HIV attacks certain white blood cells called T4, or CD4, cells. The virus is spread through the exchange of body fluids (semen, blood, and blood products). Sexual fornication is a great way to spread the disease. Other ways to become HIV positive is by tainted blood and blood transfusions. This type of infection has been very dangerous as the blood supplies that are used by hospitals have been contaminated by the AIDS virus. Drug use using dirty needles or a nurse or doctor accidentally stabbing themselves with a infected needle or scalpel is another way to get AIDS. Symptoms: AIDS can develop in the body for a decade or more without any visible symptoms. The disease weakens the body's immune system allowing other diseases to attack the body. As the immune system breaks down the body can be attacked by cancer, pneumonia, skin disorders, rashes and other problems. A test may be performed to see if the person is infected with the HIV virus. Most people who are HIV positive do not know it. As they fornicate they freely expose others to the disease. Notes: Since AIDS can remain undetected for ten or more years a HIV positive person can freely spread the disease as he fornicates. AIDS is a fatal disease which will eventually kill the person who has it. Death comes by complications and diseases related to the breakdown of the bodies immune system. The person usually does not die directly from AIDS but from the other complications and sicknesses from a destroyed body immune system. This disease is a killer. If you get it, you are dead. I hope you are ready to stand before God as there is no cure for AIDS. Since the virus easily mutates it will be virtually impossible to cure. As soon as a cure is found the virus will simply mutate to another form to bypass the cure. AIDS is a deadly plague which should be avoided at all costs. The sad thing about AIDS is that it is spreading rapidly. As the number of infected people increase the danger of innocent victims contracting this disease also increases. Innocent victims have already been infected by tainted blood or even from going to a dentist that does not properly clean his instruments. AIDS is truly one of the last days plagues upon the earth. It would never have reached its present level of widespread infections if it had not been for all the immoral fornicators who reject Gods laws and morals. The next disease we will look at is Herpes. This is a terrible disease that also cannot be cured. HERPES Description: It is a contagious viral infection affecting the genitals and mouth area of men and women. It is caused by the Herpes Simplex-2 virus (HSV-2). Another form of Herpes is caused by the Simplex-1 virus (HSV-1) and affects a person from the waist up with blisters and cold sores. This disease can be transmitted by contact with a infected person's genitals (HSV-2) or by a person's mouth that has sores and blisters (HSV-1). Symptoms: Painful lesions or sores that keep reappearing. With HSV-2 the sores are below the waist. With HSV-1 the sores are above the waist. Notes: Herpes is very contagious and currently in North America one person in six have the disease. Since it is a virus based sickness the bodies immune system fights this sickness. As a result the body may be weakened and in danger of other forms of infections and diseases. There is no cure for herpes. Once a person gets this disease they must live with it the rest of their lives. I've heard the term used to describe this disease: 'Herpes are forever!' It is not a fatal disease but it certainly is an infectious and uncomfortable disease to live with. It is best avoided. The next disease we will look at was a big problem back in the sexual revolution of the 60s. However this disease has not gone away and a person can still be infected with this disease as they fornicate. SYPHILIS Description: caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum. It is contracted by sexual contact as person fornicates with an infected person. Symptoms: A chancre or a skin ulcer, eruption of the skin and mucous membranes, inflammation of the eyes, bones, and central nervous system. This disease can damage the heart and aorta. If not treated, there can be central nervous system damage which could lead to blindness and insanity. Notes: Syphilis is treated with Penicillin. However there are now resistant strains that cannot be cured. This is dangerous as many types of syphilis can be treated but others are incurable. I guess it is the 'luck of the draw' to see which type you will get if you are fornicating. Maybe you will get the type of syphilis that cannot be cured or maybe you will get the type that responds to drugs. If you are a immoral person then prepare to enjoy your time with terrible diseases like syphilis. The next disease was also quite popular with the sexual revolution of the 60's. However this disease, like syphilis, is still present today. GONORRHEA: Description: Gonorrhea is a sexually-transmitted disease (commonly known as "the clap" among the hip) caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhea. Areas of the body that can be infected are the genital areas, the mouth, the throat, and the anus. Sexual contact with any of these areas on an infected person can expose a one to the bacteria. Symptoms: Vaginal discharge, increased urinary frequency, and urinary discomfort (dysuria), lower abdominal and pelvic pain, fever, sore throat, painful sexual intercourse, generalized symptoms of bacterial infection, and sterility. Notes: Approximately 50% of women with gonorrhea have no symptoms of the disease. So they freely and unknowingly spread the disease as they fornicate. Gonorrhea is often associated with the presence of other sexually-transmitted diseases. Many times these diseases are a package deal. You get several at a time instead of just one! There are also forms of the disease that cannot be cured. Again it is luck of the draw for the fornicators to see what type of disease you will contract! Ask yourself the question the next time you fornicate: 'Do I feel lucky today?' The next disease is one many people have not heard about at all. But this disease is out there and ready to infect the fornicators. CHLAMYDIA: Description: Caused by microorganisms that live as parasites within a cell(Chlamydia trachomatis). These microorganisms have properties in common with both viruses and bacteria. Transmitted by sexual contact with an infected person. Symptoms: The majority of people with chlamydia are without symptoms until complications appear. In men, the symptoms are similar to gonorrhea. Remember several of these diseases come as a package deal. You just don't get one but you get several diseases at a time! Symptoms for men are: burning with urination, discharge from the end of the penis, tenderness or pain in the testicles and lower abdomen and fever and chills. For women, Infection can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This can cause scarring of the fallopian tubes and sterility. Other symptoms are: urinary burning, increased urinary frequency, and a mild urethral discharge. Sounds like a fun disease doesn't it! Doesn't it make a person just want to go out and fornicate and risk contracting these problems? In addition, there are three strains of chlamydia that are responsible for another sexually-transmitted disease, called lymphogranuloma venereum. This disease is a cause of proctitis and colitis (inflammation of the lower intestine). Notes: Many times people with gonorrhea are also infected with chlamydia and tests for both should be performed. Treatment is with antibiotics. In women, once PID develops, one out of five will become infertile. Here is some other interesting news about this disease: About 70% of individuals infected with chlamydia do not know they have an infection! Until symptoms appear most do not know they have the disease. Remember that fact if you are a lost sinner and are heading off to a night of fornication. Next we have a disease that not too many people know about. However it is out there in the world of fornication and immorality for all to freely partake. HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS: Description: Passed by sexual contact as people fornicate from partner to partner. Symptoms: A family of more than 60 viruses that cause various growths (warts). The warts can be removed but often reoccur. These warts are often associated with cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, and penis. Notes: Not a well known sexually transmitted disease but certainly one to avoid! Re-occurring warts is not a good thing to have. Especially if those warts are on the genital areas of a person's body and can lead to cancer. Here is another disease that is rarely heard of. TRICHOMONIASIS: Description: a sexually transmitted disease caused by the parasitic protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis. Symptoms: In men it can infect the urethra and bladder. For women it can cause urinary tract infection and cause pain in the genital area. There can also be a foamy, irritating discharge. Notes: This disease can be treated with a drug called metronidazole. Again the best cure is prevention. In fact prevention is the best cure for all these sexual diseases. In this life we have enough problems. There is really no need to go out and look for new ones. Next we look at scabies. This is another not-well-know sexual problem that the immoral may contract as they fornicate. SCABIES: Description: Scabies is a skin infestation by small parasites called itch mites. They are transmitted by close body contact with another person during a sex act. The mite lays eggs in the skin of the infected person. As the little bugs hatch from their eggs they are hungry. They feed like crazy on the infected person's tissue causing severe itching and irritation. A new generation of mites is produced about every three weeks. Symptoms: Intense itching which begins one month after the initial infestation. Heavy scratching can lead to bacterial infections. Notes: A lotion containing permethrin or lindane spread on the skin easily cures the condition. At any rate who wants little bugs growing, eating, and hatching eggs on your body? The next disease we will look at is Hepatitis. There are many strains of this virus but some of them can be passed by sexual contact. This puts the sexual fornicators in danger of contracting this disease. HEPATITIS: Description: inflammation of the liver caused by viral infection. There are several strains of the hepatitis virus. Hepatitis B & C can be transmitted by sexual contact. Other ways to get Hepatitis is through infected blood (transfusion, sharing drug needles etc). Symptoms: Symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, muscle pains, tiredness, and jaundice. Notes: Hepatitis cannot be cured. Over time it will damage the liver and cause premature death. This is one to avoid at all costs. WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS: Above is quite a summary of several sexually transmitted diseases that are available for easy infection. It really does not pay to violate God's command and God's laws of moral purity. But unfortunately some people love their pleasure so much that they will not listen to facts or consider changing their lifestyle. Here is what the Bible says about such people: 1 Tim 5:6 - But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. Prov 21:17 - He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich. The Bible warns of severe consequences of sexual sin and immorality. Below is an account of a young man who got involved in sexual sin with a pretty woman. At the time he fornicated it looked good and was even enjoyable. Little did he realize that he was heading toward death. Notice verse 11 below where the man mourns and is sad as his body is consumed. I believe this is a reference to a sexual disease. Prov 5:1-12 1 My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: 2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge. 3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: 4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. 6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. 7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. 8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: 9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel: 10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger; 11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, 12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; Verse 11 and 12 above shows the young man mourning as he is dying a disease racked body. He laments the fact that he hated instruction and reproof. He rejected sound teaching and is now dying as a result of his rebelliousness. Do you know anyone like that? Well our current society praises and lifts up on high people like the above young man. Many young men like the above today are considered 'role models' and even star in big Hollywood movies as they freely fornicate from partner to partner. However the young man in the above Biblical example died as a result of his sin and that fact is hidden from those who promote sexual sin. The lesson to be learned from the above Scripture is there is a price to pay for sexual sin. You may very well pay that price with your life or you could suffer for the rest of your life with a terrible degenerating disease! WARNINGS about strange women The Bible warns men again and again to stay away from immoral women. They are a trap and a snare and will cause pain and death. Although they may be skilled in the art of flattery stay away from sexual sin with a strange woman. Here we will look at some scripture warning about a strange (immoral) woman: Prov 2:16-22 16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; Notice that the strange woman uses flattery to entice her prey. 17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. Both parties who get involved in fornication and adultery have forsaken God. Those who love God will stay clear away from multiple sexual partners and fornication. 18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. Those who get involved in fornication are heading to death and hell. We already covered several terrible diseases that will destroy the body. After the body is destroyed the person has a lost eternity to face in hell, the lake of fire. I also believe that as a person fornicates from partner to partner they also develop a hardened heart to the Gospel. They back away from God and the salvation He freely offers as their fornication become more important. The end result of a hardened heard is dying in rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour. 19 None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. 20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. What do good men do? What to the righteous do? They stay clear away from sexual fornication and adultery. 21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. 22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it. God is judging and the Lord Jesus is coming back to earth very soon. The wicked will be cut off and those who belong to God will prosper and flourish. These verses give definite warning to stay away from strange, enticing women. Those who love judgment and death will ignore these warnings. The next verses ask a question: Prov 5:20-23 20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? Why, why, why would a person want to fornicate with a stranger or someone outside the covenant of marriage? That is a good question to ask considering all the bad consequences (spiritual and physical) of sexual fornication. 21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings. Those who fornicate do not think that God can see what is happening. God is very aware of the moral climate in this world. 22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. 23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray. For those who reject instruction and sound teaching they will go astray and ultimately die and be lost. They will be bound and addicted to their sin as they fornicate from partner to partner. More warnings about fornicating and adultery: Prov 6:24-35 24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. 25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. Again we are warned that strange, immoral, and evil women use flattery to entrap their prey. 26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. Judgment and pain is the only thing that can result to those who fornicate. 27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? 28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? 29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. Can a person stick his hand in open fire and not be burned? The answer is no he cannot! Therefore do not think YOU can fornicate or commit adultery and not pay any consequences for that sin. You can be infected with a tormenting and deadly disease or you may be killed by a jealous spouse. 30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; 31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. 32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. 33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. Those involved in fornication and adultery are destroying their own soul. These warnings are very clear. Do not do such a thing or else you will suffer the consequences! And I might add the consequences are not pleasant. 34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts. For those involved in adultery be aware. The other person's spouse may become very jealous and take vengeance out upon YOU. Many people have been murdered by those in a jealous rage. How does a person protect himself from such an attack? Simple, do not fornicate and commit adultery. More warnings about going after strange a woman! Prov 7:5-27 5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words. This is the third warning that a strange, immoral woman uses flattery to entrap her victim. Next we look a simple young man who goes after a strange woman. 6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, 7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, A you man was walking who was young, strong, and lacked understanding. In other words he was a fool led around blindly by his desires. 8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, 9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: This foolish young man goes walking (purposely) near the home of a strange women. 10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. 11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: 12 Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.) The foolish young man is approached by a strange woman. This woman is rebellious and is not committed to her own family situation. She prefers to have many partners as she commits adultery. 13 So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, 14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. 15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. 16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. 17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. The strange woman uses flattery and slick speech to attract the young fool. 19 For the good man is not at home, he is gone a long journey: 20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. In this case the woman is married and her husband is away on business. Both the woman and the young man are aware of this fact and neither have any problem with adultery. 21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. The foolish man listens and then gives in. She had to twist his arm but I get the impression that it was not very hard to entrap this victim. 22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; The young man goes with the foolish woman. Since he lacks brains he doesn't realize that he is heading for personal disaster. 23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. At first he moves reluctantly but then his passion kicks in and he rushes off with the woman for some adultery. Little does he know that he is heading toward death. 24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. For those reading who are not foolish and can respond to sound teaching from God Himself. this warning is for you! 25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. 26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. 27 Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. God says stay away from the strange woman. Do NOT get involved in fornication or adultery at all! Do not be led astray by the flattery speaking strange woman. The consequences are great and will result in pain, sickness, and death. The physical result is death and the spiritual result is hell, the lake of fire. Will people listen to this warning from God? Prov 14:12 - There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. For those who do not there is death waiting. Many of the diseases covered in this tract will lead to premature death with all kinds of painful symptoms. THE SIN OF SODOMY Another sin that has reached social acceptability is the sin of sodomy. Forty years ago the homosexuals were deep in their little closets doing their perverted acts in secret. However today everything has changed. People have come out of the closet and now practice sodomy openly for all to see. With the full blessings of society and the law makers sodomy is now a valid form of relationship or "sexual preference". Benefits are now paid to same-sex couples. Another interesting point is this trend is worldwide. Sodomy is acceptable at a worldwide level. It is not just the USA or Canada that has openly accepted sodomy and passed laws protecting the rights of the sodomites. Virtually all nations have accepted and legalized this form of immorality and fornication. The Bible is full of warnings about the sin of sodomy. In this section we will look at several of them. The warning is very clear. God wants people to stay away from sexual sin. Below are several verses that show God's attitude toward the sin of sodomy: Leviticus 18:22 - Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination. God is aware of the sin of homosexuality. In fact He calls it an abomination. If a man lays with another man like he would with a woman, it is an abomination to God. Society can pass all the laws it wants. God still says DON'T PARTAKE of this sin. Leviticus 20:13 - If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood [shall be] upon them. In the days when God ruled as King of Israel the penalty for sodomy (homosexuality) was death. Again God calls this sin an abomination and in those days that crime was punished by death. The next series of verses deals with sodomites in the land of Israel. The Bible refers to homosexuals as sodomites because that term also includes the judgment of God on that particular sin. Deut 23:17 - There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. God gave warnings that the women of Israel were not to become whores. Also the men were told not to be homosexuals (sodomites). I King 14:24 - And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. The term sodomites (homosexuals) is again referred to as an abomination to God. The nations before Israel were judged for these abominations and Israel was warned not to partake of their sins. I King 15:12 - And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. The sodomites were removed and cast out of the land of Israel. Also all the idols were removed from the land of Israel. These things were removed from Israel because these abominations brought the judgment of God. I King 22:46 - And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land. Again the sodomites (homosexuals) were removed from the land of Israel. II King 23:7 - And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove. The places where the sodomites gathered to do their sin was destroyed. The concept of homosexual bath-houses is not a new one. When Israel cleaned their land they removed these houses of the sodomites. 1 Cor 6:9-11 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. Above we see that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God. This means they will perish in the lake of fire. Burning forever in the lake of fire is a huge price to pay for a short time enjoying sin and wickedness. The effeminate and abusers of themselves with mankind describe the sodomite homosexual. Finally in verse 11 we are told that 'such WERE some of you'. The key word here is 'were'. Before a person is saved they are lost sinners. That person could be a drunkard, a thief, or a sodomite. However after salvation that person does not practice that sin any longer. 1 Tim 1:9-10 9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; Two of the above describe the sin of sodomy. Both whoremongers and them that defile themselves with mankind describe homosexuality. It is something to be shunned and rejected. Also notice that all those that partake of the above sins are contrary to sound doctrine. If a person tries to defend the sin of sodomy, or the sin of murder, or lying from the Bible then they are contrary to sound doctrine. Do not listen to them as they have rejected sound doctrine and are merely trying to justify their sin. Next we look at Romans chapter 1 which has lots of information on sodomy: Romans 1 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: When God gives a person over to sin it is a sad day for that person. This means that he has rejected God and His salvation so God gives that person over to their sin. As a result they are given over to uncleanness and get involved in all kinds of evil lusts. They also dishonor their own bodies between themselves. This can include sodomy, fornication, or adultery. 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for EVEN THEIR WOMEN DID CHANGE THE NATURAL USE INTO THAT WHICH IS AGAINST NATURE Again God is given the wicked person over to their sin and vile affections. Verse 26 describes the abomination of women sodomites... or lesbians. God says it is against nature for them to do that sin. Because they have reject Him, God gives them up to their sin. It is really sad when a hard hearted person is given over to their sin. 27 AND LIKEWISE ALSO THE MEN LEAVING THE NATURAL USE OF THE WOMAN BURNED IN THEIR LUST ONE TOWARD ANOTHER, MEN WITH MEN WORKING THAT WHICH IS UNSEEMLY, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. Next we have the men whom God has given over to vile affections. Notice the men burn in their lust toward each other. Men with men doing evil forms of fornication as they leave the natural use of the woman. This is a description of sodomy. As a result they receive in themselves recompense of their error. This means they are judged and will reap the fruit of their sin. Today sodomites carry 4-5 sexually transmitted diseases at one time. Most die young and live lonely and unhappy lives. Quite a price to pay for being given over to vile affections. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Since the sodomites choose not to retain God in their knowledge they are given over to reprobate minds. What is a reprobate mind? Well it is a person who can no longer tell good from evil. This person has rejected God and His moral standards and everything becomes relative. That person has no discernment and cannot distinguish good from evil. A reprobate person may have a big mouth and speak glowing words but they still have no Godly discernment. 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: The reprobate people who God has given over to vile affections just become worse and worse as time goes by. Verse 29 states they are 'filled' with all unrighteousness...etc... Since they chose not to be filled with the things of God instead they are given sin and evil to fill their hearts. 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Deep down the reprobates and sodomites know that God is against their sin. They know that just as God judged Sodom and Gomorrah, He one day will judge them. But they ignore that and continue practicing gross sin. They also take a perverse pleasure in others that do the same sin as do they engage in. Today we see that as Hollywood seems to be hell-driven to convert as many to sodomy as possible. There are sodomite characters in sit-coms and movies in an alarming and increasing frequency. Well the above verses from the Word of God say it all. It doesn't matter how a government rules or makes laws. God still says that sodomy is a sin. Anyone with a problem with that fact has a problem directly with God and His precious Word, the Bible! A person can say what they will but God has already made His position very clear on the subject of homosexuality - sodomy in His Word, the Bible. Today we have same-sex marriages, same-sex benefits, sexual-orientation, and homophobic people against such things! I would say that the world is heading into sexual sin at full speed. What was considered perversion just a few short years ago is now considered normal behavior. This will surely bring the judgment of God upon all the immoral and all those that encourage such filth. I have heard that there has never been a nation that gave itself over to sexual perversion that lasted more than 50 years. If that is true then North America is headed for trouble! Actually the world is heading toward judgment as it has openly embraced sexual sin. God will certainly judge just as He did with Sodom and Gomorrah. All the available sexual diseases that can easily infect the immoral fornicators shows that judgment has already begun. WHAT WILL YOU DO? As you read this tract are you involved in fornication or adultery? Are you a foolish person who lacks understanding? Are you NOT afraid of all the terrible sexual diseases that can be freely contracted by the sexually immoral? Let me go one step further. Those who willingly get involved in sexual fornication are doing what the devil would have them to do. This tract has clearly shown God's warnings about sexual fornication. God says do not do it. If you ignore God's warnings you will reap physical and spiritual consequences. The devil hates God and he hates you too! The devil wants people to fornicate and get involved in all kinds of sexual sin. See below: John 8:44 - Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. Some of the lusts the devil wants people to perform are sexual fornication and adulteries. The devil wants to destroy people and harden their hearts so they will never be saved. If he can convince people to give themselves over to sexual sin then they are heading toward death and hell. This is what the devil wants. Who has understanding to see the warnings and the danger and avoid this type of evil? 2 Tim 4:3-4 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. We are living in days when many people are completely unteachable. Many embrace corrupt and false doctrine and will not listen to the truth. Others love their sin and no matter what the consequences they will never give it up. They may die young or contract a deadly disease but the goal is "having fun NOW!!!". That is really a stupid way to live but many are following foolish ways as they seek to satisfy their lusts at all costs. IMMORAL PEOPLE - JEWELS IN PIG'S NOSES If a person is immoral then they are destroying what God created as a beautiful thing. God did not make people to be immoral who fornicate from partner to partner with no concern for right or wrong. God uses an illustration of a pig and a beautiful piece of jewelry to describe the immoral. Proverbs 11:22 - As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion. A pig has always been considered a dirty animal. The Jews were even forbidden by God to eat the pig. Swine and pig farmers were always looked down upon in Jewish culture. So taking a beautiful gold jewel and putting it into a pigs nose is like desecrating something clean and good. To apply this to modern times, a person who enjoys immorality and sexual sin is like the gold ring attached to a pigs nose. There is a higher calling in life than wallowing in the mud of sin and immorality. It is dirty sin like the mud which the pig loves to roll in. There are all kinds of terrible sexual diseases in the mud of sin that should be avoided. Pigs love to roll in the mud and don't care about the dirt and grime. People have a higher calling and should not be engaged in the 'mud' of sexual sin with all its disease, pain, and death. SAFE SEX I just want to say a few more things about the concept of 'safe sex'. The simple fact is there is no such thing as 'safe sex' outside of the marriage relationship. The common belief is if a man wears a condom then everyone is protected. Therefore people may freely fornicate because they are doing 'safe and protected sex'. This is a lie straight from the pit of hell. Condoms may slightly reduce the probability of sexual disease but really not by very much. For example. If a fornication partner has gonorrhea and a condom is used then guess what! You can still get the disease! A person can have gonorrhea and not even know they are infected. Plus they may also have it in their mouth! This also is true for herpes which can infect the mouth area. There are other problems. The first being the fact that condoms do not always work. People have used condoms as birth control and still become pregnant. Also many (most) condoms have defects which allows the disease to still be transferred from person to person. Also what happens if the condom accidentally breaks during usage? The bottom line is if you fornicate then be prepared for sickness and an early death. Do not for one minute think you are safe if a condom is used. JUDGMENT ON THE LOST For those who are lost and perishing the Bible gives some warnings about their ultimate destination. Remember there are physical and spiritual dangers from engaging in fornication. The physical dangers are pain, sickness/disease, and death. The spiritual dangers involve a hardened heart resulting in the person dying in rejection of God and the salvation so freely offered in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible gives a short glimpse as the final destination of the wicked. Their place is in hell, the lake of fire. These verses give a description on what hell is like for the lost. Revelation 14:10-11 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Hell is torment for all eternity with no rest day or night. That is quite a price to pay for rejecting God and the salvation so freely given in the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation 20:11-15 11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. A great judgment is coming. At the end of it all those who are not saved will be thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 21:8 - But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. The second death is the lake of fire. This involves torment forever separated from God and everything that is good as the person burns in the lake of fire. The first death is physical death where a person on earth dies and goes into eternity. At death a person is either saved or lost. A few years seeking physical lusts does not compare with the eternal dangers of hellfire. CONCLUSION In this tract we have covered several forms of terrible sexual disease which should be avoided at all costs. We also looked at what God says about sexual sin and related warnings found in the Bible. After reading this tract, I would suggest anyone with a teachable heart to stop fornicating. If you reject this advise then you better go out and pick out a good coffin and a plot. Your life will be shortened as eventually you WILL be infected with a terrible sexual disease. If the disease doesn't kill it will certainly give physical torment. We also covered that the only safety from these diseases is abstaining from fornication and adultery in all its forms. The goal should be to wait until a proper marriage relationship. Sex within a marriage is blessed by God but outside the marriage there is pain, sickness, and an early death. Anyone with a rational mind would want to avoid any of the sexual diseases covered in this tract. I've heard it said that a man's morality will dictate his theology. This relates to the spiritual consequences to sexual sin. Many who reject Biblical warnings about sexual sin will embrace a theology that will allow them to enjoy their immoral lifestyle. Do not be deceived by your own lusts. Fornication is evil and it will hurt you in physical and spiritual ways. It should be avoided at all costs. If you are involved in an immoral lifestyle then repent, turn to the Lord Jesus, and leave that sinful lifestyle. It really is that simple! We'll close this tract by going through some verses related to the salvation so freely offered through the Lord Jesus Christ. Before anyone can be saved they have to have a repentant attitude toward sin. This means they must dislike the sin and evil in their lives with a willingness to turn away from sin. The following verses show how God wants people to be sorry and repent (turn from) their sin. Psalms 38:18 - For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin. Acts 3:19 - Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; Luke 13:3 - I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Isaiah 55:7 - Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Right now God is calling anyone who will listen to salvation. God doesn't want people to perish and die in their sins. God wants people to come to Him and be forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life. Isaiah 1:18 - Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Matthew 11:28 - Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Rest to the weary is what the Lord Jesus offers. God does not want people to perish in hell. That is why God became a man (Jesus), died on the cross, and purchased a place in heaven which he offers as a gift to all who will receive. The good news is that people do not have to go to hell! God already paid the price for sin and now offers a love gift of forgiveness and eternal life to all who will receive it. John 3:16-19 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. God loves the lost sinner and now offers forgiveness and eternal life. Don't be a Christ rejecting person who loves darkness and sin rather than life. There is nothing that sin and darkness has to offer. Yes a person may fornicate for awhile. But soon they will be afflicted by terrible and tormenting diseases. It really is no fun to live in darkness and sin apart from God with an eternity in hell before you. Right now I would encourage you to pray this simple prayer with an attitude of repentance and faith: SINNERS PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner. I acknowledge that I am lost in sin and in need of a Saviour. Right now, I ask you to come into my life to forgive and save me. I open the door to my heart and ask You to come into my life. I now receive You as my Saviour (trusting in You ALONE to save me) and my Lord (making You my Master and committing my life to You). Allan Lusko rapture77@usa.net ************************************ RABIN'S LAST DAYS by Barry Chamish In my previous article called Why Rabin Was Murdered, I focused on Rabin's visit to the United Nations 50th anniversary celebrations in New York between October 20-23, 1995. There, Rabin was ordered by Secretary of State Warren Christopher (CFR) to agree to a total Israeli pullback on the Golan Heights right to the shore of the Sea of Galilee. When he refused, all the available forces of secret international diplomacy were set on him, but he still refused to budge. Thus, I believed, on October 21, the order to murder Rabin was issued. My method of gathering data to reach the conclusion was simple and if this work ever becomes a full-fledged book, it will be expanded. I utilized the archives of the Jerusalem Post on CD-Rom to trace the activities of Rabin during this period. For this article I use the same method but trace the activities of not only Rabin, but the most important players in his life as well. I made it clear in my previous essay that my research has led me to the conclusion that the Middle East peace process was hatched in the corridors of a Manhattan-based think tank, The Council On Foreign Relations (all CFR members are indicated). I state with assurance that this organization controlled Rabin and he was their means to achieving an agenda that would inevitably lead to Israel's demise. During Rabin's last days he woke up to the tragedy he was promoting and openly rebelled against his bosses. This was the motive for his murder. Now, let us watch the behavior of the CFR Romans and Spartacus Rabin during the last three weeks of his life as reported in the Jerusalem Post with my commentary beginning and ending with three stars ***. I am backdating the published reports by one day to create an accurate chronology of events. October 12: Rabin: I Don't Fear Physical Attack. Blames Likud For Inciting Violence. "I am not afraid personally," Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin stressed yesterday regarding the possibility of violence against him by anti-government protesters. "I will not run away and they will not silence me." Rabin directly blamed the Likud for what he labeled, "right-wing violence." The Likud, he said, provides the background and inspiration for those who attack him and his ministers. ***Rabin is setting the stage for what he has been told is a contingency plan should the peace process fall to the verge of collapse; a staged assassination of him with the Likud and all other right wingers getting the blame. The murder plot has, thus, been set in motion, awaiting only the final go-ahead command.*** October 18: Rabin Stresses Importance Of Settlement Blocs In Final Agreement. For the second time in two weeks, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin yesterday spoke publicly of his vision of a final settlement with the Palestinians, emphasizing the importance of settlement blocs in this final agreement. Rabin stressed that the country's final borders will include - in addition to a united Jerusalem - Maaleh Adumim, Gush Etzion, Efrat, Betar and "other settlements east of the Green Line." Rabin also spoke of the "establishment of blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria" and said Israel would not return to the borders of June 4, 1967. ***This was Rabin's vision, but it was certainly not the vision of a New World Order as created by the CFR. This was later spelled out in the CFR Task Force Report of July 1996 which has Israel withdrawing to its 1948 borders and Jerusalem divided into two national capitals. Since early October Rabin has been making it clear that he will not countenance a complete withdrawal from the West Bank nor will he tolerate a divided Jerusalem. This is not what his CFR bosses want him to announce.*** October 19: US, Europe Compromise On Middle East Bank. An economic summit in Amman this month will announce a compromise between Europe and the United States establishing two institutions to develop the Middle East. Washington and several European states had argued over the necessity of a Middle East development bank, with the US backing the idea and some Europeans favoring a smaller institution... Foreign Minister Shimon Peres told reporters the creation of a Cairo-based regional development bank would be announced at the Amman summit. A second financial institution is also to be created at the conference...This Amman-based institution "will deal with specific projects and seek funds without having a permanent fund," Economics Minister Yossi Beilin said. US Ambassador Martin Indyk said the development bank would have an authorized capitalization of $5 billion, with $1.25 billion in paid-up capital... More than 60 countries will be represented at the three-day conference starting on October 29. ***A mighty big New World Order do is planned for October 29 in Jordan with 60 countries sending delegations. Rabin's Labor Party rivals Peres and Beilin and the American powerbrokers want to set up a bank with seed money of $5 billion but the Europeans are opposed. On the surface, their opposition seems justified. The bank will likely in NWO, IMF, World Bank tradition, be a money laundering siphon for the corrupt peace process used to buy off recalcitrant officials, fund covert operations and guarantee the prosperous retirement of various heads of state. If the Europeans are opposed, it's because they are being left out.*** October 20: Clinton Launches Compromise Drive On Embassy Bill. The Clinton (CFR) administration launched a last minute effort Friday to induce a Senate compromise on a bill calling for the US Embassy to be moved to Jerusalem. The bill's sponsor, Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole (CFR) announced Friday that a vote on the bill would be held tomorrow. The US special Middle East coordinator, Dennis Ross made the rounds on Capital Hill seeking to tone down the bill...AIPAC, which has lobbied for passage, issued a statement calling the legislation "historic" because it establishes a policy that Congress has long supported: Officially changing US policy by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital... ***While Rabin is in New York on October 20, as shown in my previous article, he is ordered to press on with the ultimate New World Order goals of the peace process by UN Secretary General Bhutrous Ghali, Henry Kissinger (CFR), Edgar Bronfman (CFR) and Warren Christopher (CFR). Yet he stubbornly stands firm in defence of Israel. At the same time, in Washington, Robert Dole (CFR) is leading a campaign to have the Senate approve the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Why and how Dole (CFR), a vocal opponent of Israel earlier in his career, was recruited to the task is anyone's guess but the method used was probably hardball in the extreme. Pres. Clinton (CFR) was most upset with Dole (CFR) and sent Dennis Ross door to door to sabotage the bill. The tension is palpable. Clinton (CFR), Ross and Christopher (CFR) want Rabin to lead Israel to a total retreat, while a counterforce in Washington, led by Dole (CFR) and AIPAC, which must have coordinated policy with Rabin and his government, is preparing a huge slap in the face of the New World Order as envisioned by the Administration.*** October 22: Clinton At UN. Some 150 world leaders gathered here yesterday to mark the 50th anniversary of the United Nations...US President Bill Clinton (CFR) called for a global assault on terrorism. Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat was number 23 in a parade of speakers...Due to what were described as logistical complications, Prime Minister Rabin did not hear Arafat's speech. They are expected to meet at the Amman economic conference at the end of the month...Rabin is scheduled to address the UN tomorrow. ***Clinton (CFR) is in New York and probably had a few stiff words for Rabin. For whatever reason, and it must have been a beauty, Rabin insults Arafat, his "peace partner," by snubbing his speech. But Arafat arrived the next day to hear Rabin's speech and undoubtedly didn't like what he heard.*** October 23: Peres: Syria Can't Talk Peace. Earlier yesterday Peres told the Labor faction there would be no peace with Lebanon without Syria. "Syria runs Lebanon," he said. In Washington last night, US Secretary of State Warren Christopher (CFR) was scheduled to meet with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shara on the talks with Israel. ***In the previous article we saw that Rabin, in no uncertain terms, had called off the talks with the Syrians. He would not agree to retreat to the Sea of Galilee. Peres was with him in New York and knew that, but the next day in Israel, gave no hint to that effect. Instead, his message was opposed to Rabin's: there could be no peace without Syria. Christopher (CFR) is paying no attention to Rabin and is determined to continue negotiating with the Syrians on the terms Rabin has rejected.*** October 24: Rabin Praises UN. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was the 22nd speaker to step up to the podium of the United Nations...Saying he was bringing a dream "from Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the state of Israel and the heart of the Jewish people...Rabin called on all nations to fight terror. "This is a fight we cannot afford to lose." ***While Clinton (CFR) is fighting the bill to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Rabin gives him his answer, Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel. Rabin, after years of capitulation to the NWO, has become a proud Jewish warrior. And as such gave a warrior's warning: terrorism must be defeated. Rabin is openly defying his former masters and declaring he will fight for Jerusalem. And indeed, he may have finally declared that he was prepared to die for Jerusalem.*** October 24: Move Is No Longer If But When. The vote in the Senate yesterday was undoubtedly a landmark victory on the road to bringing the US Embassy To Jerusalem...The bill is not exactly a victory for the Rabin government. For months, it sought to keep its distance from the bill, fearful of embarrassing the Clinton administration more than anything else. It only jumped on board in recent weeks... ***Until a few weeks before, Rabin would not support the bill to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem out of fear of Clinton's (CFR) reaction. Then he had a change of heart. It is inconceivable that any prime minister would oppose the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital but such was Rabin's fear of the consequences...until a few weeks before when something made him decide to finally stand proud against the evil forces which had long controlled his every word and action.*** October 24: Zissman Blasts Beilin Quote On "Palestinian Sovereignty" In Jerusalem. Labor MK Emmanuel Zissman launched a blistering attack on Economics Minister Yossi Beilin yesterday, after the minister reportedly spoke on the need for Palestinian sovereignty in Jerusalem. Beilin was quoted in yesterday's Haaretz saying, "In return for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the Arab residents of the city must receive Palestinian sovereignty." October 24: Jerusalem: Good and Bad News...a bill stating that the US recognizes Jerusalem As the capital of Israel was yesterday passed in the senate by an overwhelming majority of 93 to 5. The bill was expected to pass by a similarly crushing majority in the House of Representatives...The bill's passage was intended to greet Prime Minister Rabin on his visit to Washington today... An even sadder commentary on Israel's position on Jerusalem is a recent declaration by the Oslo agreement's chief architect, Minister For Economic Planning Yossi Beilin. Published a day before virtually the whole US Congress voted that Jerusalem must remain undivided, Beilin's pronouncement favors dividing the city between Israeli and Palestinian sovereignties. That Rabin called Beilin's proposal irresponsible is hardly comforting. As one prominent commentator has put it, what Beilin declares today, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres adopts tomorrow, and Rabin signs the day after. ***Perhaps that was the case before, but no longer. Beilin attempted to short-circuit Congress's and Rabin's plans for Jerusalem with a timely and embarrassing statement to the media. Within a day, first Peres, then Beilin contradicted Rabin's stated positions on both the Golan and in Jerusalem. Clearly, there is great opposition to Rabin from within his own cabinet. How significant is it that Rabin arrived in Washington on the very day the bill passed? At a minimum, it signals that Rabin was there to celebrate the bill's passage. It's also a strong hint that Rabin helped coordinate the drive to pass the monumental legislation. If so, there is no stronger proof that Rabin was using all his big guns in Washington to fight the nefarious plans of the New World Order.*** October 24: Jordan, Israel Sign Accord For Joint Battle Against Crime. Jordan and Israel yesterday signed an agreement formalizing cooperation between them to crack down on serious crime...The agreement was signed by Police Minister Moshe Shahal and Jordanian Interior Minister Salma Hamad on the shore of Lake Kinneret...Representatives and officials of both countries' police forces attended the official ceremony. ***In a few days Jordan was going to host a large and complicated gathering of world leaders from sixty countries. So why did they find the time now to send a delegation of security officials to meet with Israel's police minister and sign this agreement? Whether connected or not, and there's little to go on, some might note that police coordination is essential to an assassination.*** October 25: Law Would Cut Off Aid If Arafat Declares State. Should The PLO unilaterally declare a state, US aid to the Palestinians would be cut off under a new law Congress is on the verge of enacting. The requirement was added at the urging of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). The legislation, the Middle East Peace Facilitation Act, is contained in the foreign aid bill that made its way through a House-Senate conference committee just after midnight yesterday. ***Rabin was in Washington for barely a day and two of the most significant pieces of legislation since the Oslo Accord were signed into law. The first declared Jerusalem as Israel's official capital, the next would essentially stop diplomatic recognition of the Palestinian Authority if it declared a Palestinian state. Rabin is putting the brakes on the Oslo process. He coordinated a strategy with AIPAC to prevent the division of Jerusalem and the declaration of a Palestinian state. He has now, without a shadow of doubt, declared war on Clinton (CFR), Christopher (CFR), Kissinger (CFR), Peres, Beilin, the UN and all Arab leaders, especially his other "peace partner" King Hussein of Jordan. Rabin had been in the NWO game for over two decades. He must have realized the consequences of his actions. He must have known there would be mortal retaliation. For whatever the reasons, Rabin decided to die a hero's death, defending his nation against raw evil.*** October 26: Barak Meets Crown Prince Hassan. Interior Minister Ehud Barak met yesterday in Amman with Crown Prince Hassan and with the Jordanian Chief of General Staff, Gen. Marii. Barak, who visited Jordan when he was still chief of general staff, was invited by Hassan to visit Jordan as a minister. The trip was organized suddenly yesterday morning, and Hassan dispatched the Royal Black Hawk helicopter to fly Barak from the border to Amman...no details of the two hour meeting were divulged. ***Jordan again! First Shahal met the Jordanian security establishment, then two days later Barak was rushed to Amman for reasons not disclosed. What possible reason could the Crown Prince of Jordan have had for an emergency meeting with a mere Interior Minister? This is the time to remind readers of Barak's close ties to the CFRers such as Kissinger, Edgar Bronfman, Lawrence Tisch and Warren Christopher and to recall the Jordanian royal family's membership in numerous secret societies ie. King Hussein and Rabin were both high degree Masons. One must not rule out the possibility in Rabin's case of ritual as well as political assassination.*** October 28: Assad Not Expected To Budge. Israel said yesterday it placed little hope on US Secretary of State Warren Christopher (CFR) achieving progress on stalled Israel-Syria peace talks when he visits Damascus tomorrow...Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said he and Prime Minister Rabin would meet Christopher (CFR) in Amman during the Middle East economic summit opening here today. Christopher (CFR) is to stop in Damascus tomorrow on his way home from Amman. ***Didn't Rabin make it clear enough to Christopher (CFR) in New York that he didn't want to restart negotiations with Syria? Obviously Christopher (CFR) is not taking Rabin seriously for some reason.*** October 29: Barak: No Security Without Separation. The constant friction on all levels of two peoples which profoundly dislike each other is such that personal security cannot be guaranteed without a separation between them, Interior Minister Ehud Barak told the Council On Peace and Security in Tel Aviv last night..."The Palestinians don't have a state and if they want one, we should be asking: "In exchange for what?" ***While Rabin was in Washington a few days before, Congress passed a bill penalizing the PLO if it declared statehood. Now Rabin is in Amman and his Interior Minister is publicly declaring his advocacy of a Palestinian state. Rabin is alone in his own government, surrounded by men who contradict and embarrass him at the most sensitive moments.*** October 29: US Official Defends Meet Of Christopher, Assad. US Secretary of State Warren Christopher (CFR) meets Syrian President Hafez Assad in Damascus today...Christopher's decision to meet with Assad came after weeks of US assurances to Israel that he would not meet the Syrian president as long as Assad did not retract his refusal to resume meetings between the Israeli and Syrian chiefs of staff... US officials stressed that the assassination last week of Islamic Jihad leader Fathi Shkaki would not affect Christopher's (CFR) visit to Damascus where the organization is headquartered...A senior US official suggested that Washington was not surprised by the assassination, which has been blamed on Israel. "Those who produce terrorism often end up being the victims of terrorism," he said. ***Christopher (CFR) defied Rabin's request not to visit Assad and now we have to begin asking why he treated Rabin with such disdain and what was so urgent about negotiations with Syria? And we are reminded of what is probably a very important, though overlooked, fact. Two weeks before he was assassinated, Rabin ordered the assassination of Fathi Shkaki, the leader of the band of terrorists Assad sent into bloody action when he sought leverage with Israel. Rabin had had enough of peace processes and ordered the assassination of a Damascus-funded murderer. One can only imagine the cries for revenge throughout the Arab world against the foolish Jew, Rabin. One can only assume that in secret corridors of power in the Middle East, a terminal act was planned against the suddenly strong and realistic leader of Israel.*** October 30: Christopher-Assad Meet Produces Little Results ***We will soon see why.*** Nov.1: Germany Denies Report It Backs Regional Bank. The German Embassy denied yesterday a report released by the Economics and Planning Ministry, which implied Bonn no longer opposes the establishment of a Middle East regional bank. Following a meeting between economics minister Yossi Beilin and German Economics Minister Gunter Rexrodt, Beilin's office issued a communiqué saying the Amman Conference had convinced Germany to lend its support for the establishment of the Middle East North African Development Bank... However, Bolker Franzen, a German Embassy spokesman, said that neither the Amman Conference nor Beilin aroused German support for the bank and "there's been no change in Germany's stance." ***Rabin has just four days to live and the powerbrokers of the NWO responsible for the Middle East are gathered in droves in Amman, perhaps organizing a post-Rabin Middle East. In such a world, Peres and Beilin will take over and push a new grandiose agenda. That will take money and the Europeans are just not willing to back it: a sign that they are unaware of the plans afoot to get rid of Rabin.*** Nov.2: Shara: Israel Asked To Delay Peace Talks. Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shara said yesterday that in the meeting earlier this week between US Secretary of State Warren Christopher (CFR) and Syrian President Hafez Assad, Christopher (CFR) passed on a request from Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin to postpone renewing the peace negotiations until April. Shara was speaking at a press conference in Vienna. He added the Syrians were surprised because they were under the impression Israel wanted to resume talks as quickly as possible due to the elections next year... ***Rabin warned him but Christopher (CFR) just would not listen: He didn't want to talk to the Syrians right now. So Rabin arrived in Amman for a few hours and met with Christopher (CFR) who likely laid down the law to him. Then Rabin handed him an envelope and told Christopher to pass it on to Assad when they met. Wouldn't it have been wonderful to see the expression on Christopher's (CFR) face when Assad opened the envelope and read a note from Rabin saying, "I don't want to negotiate with you now." The egg must have been dripping off Christopher's (CFR) face. Rabin, hardly known for his mischievous sense of humor, had the last laugh on the CFR before he was murdered.*** end An 80 minute video cassette of Barry Chamish's Who Murdered Yitzhak Rabin, filled with documentary evidence of the murder conspiracy, is being distributed in North America by: robalini@aol.com and jss03@flash.net ************************************ Book Review: The Christ Clone Trilogy by Ray Gano I just finished reading the final book to Jim BeauSeigneur's "The Christ Clone Trilogy" and what a read it was! I was totally captivated, from his first book, "In His Image" to the last "Act of God." In the three books of The Christ Clone Trilogy, author James BeauSeigneur has accomplished what scores of other writers have attempted. He has written an intelligent, well-researched, and flawlessly executed end-times story that both Christians and non-Christians give high marks. In fact, even New Agers sing the books' praises. The thing that really drew me into the Christ Clone Trilogy is that he does not stick to the "norms" as most other Christian authors have done in the past. He has come up with some very intriguing plots that are interwoven as a master weaver would do. His use of documentation and footnotes is something else that I really liked as well. One of the reasons I really liked his book is that it is written to many audiences. His primary target is the person who is involved in the New Age religion. In fact the New age community has openly accepted his first 2 books. The following is a review from NAPRA reVIEW... NAPRA ReVIEW, the official publication of the New Age Publishing and Retailing Association, calls the Trilogy an "ingeniously constructed tale." Well-known New Age author, Barbara Meister Vitale, is even more effusive, "The only appropriate reaction to these highly creative and entertaining books is *WOW!' I couldn't put them down. Master story teller, James BeauSeigneur, holds the reader spellbound. His accuracy in presenting historical events makes The Christ Clone Trilogy incredibly believable. " Jim doesn't sacrifice the message to satisfy the broad audience. As physicist Lambert Dolphin, a Christian and frequent speaker at prophecy conferences, writes of the Trilogy, "Bible Prophecy books appear in droves every year. Most are dull and dry and do not begin to capture the actual dynamics of the huge upheavals that are surely soon to fall upon our planet. This trilogy stretches the imagination to the max, and captivates the mind, all the while staying within reasonable Biblical boundaries. This is not merely entertaining reading, it is spiritually stimulating and renews my own desire to better understand the end of the age." (NOTE: Lambert was a guest speaker at the 97 PropheZine Prophecy Conference in Alta Loma CA.) Jim also does an exceptional job of blending fact, fiction, and prophetic conjecture as he intertwines the novel's characters into historic events to set up the premise for his trilogy. Recounting the actual events of a 1978 expedition of American scientists to examine the Shroud of Turin (an ancient piece of linen which bears the mysterious image of a crucified man), he introduces Professor Harold Goodman who, unknown to the rest of the team, makes a startling discovery: a microscopic cluster of dermal cells still alive after two thousand years. Based on this discovery and the theories of real-life Nobel Prize winner, Francis Crick, Goodman, an atheist, sets about to prove that the man on the Shroud was actually a member of an alien race, four billion years advanced to life on earth. The incredible plan to prove his theory: clone Jesus! The cloning from the cells found on the Shroud sets in motion forces which trigger worldwide cataclysms and the ultimate battle between good and evil. On the back of the first book it states, "The scholarship in all areas covered by the books (science, history, medicine, geography, politics, astrophysics, the Bible, the New Age, and many others) is impeccable," and from the Trilogy's 200-plus footnotes, it appears to be true. At times the novel reads like a techno-thriller with high-tech games of mass destruction and intricate political maneuvering through the halls of the United Nations. Jim has spared no effort in getting his facts right and he seems as much at home with biblical prophecy as he is with discussing how Intuik Eskimoes hunt Beluga whales; the similarities of black holes and white dwarf stars; the fine points of politics in the 1917 Russian revolution; the mechanics of "Star Wars" technology (in which he is a nationally recognized expert); the inner workings of the United Nations, the Russian Kremlin and the Israeli Knesset; the combination of geopolitical, environmental, and religious influences on the conflict between India, Pakistan and China; and the specific capabilities of numerous astronomical observatories and even their planned improvements for the next 25 years. All of these are a part of the amazingly rich tapestry of The Christ Clone Trilogy, and yet never does BeauSeigneur lose the reader's attention in the details. Instead, the story moves briskly along with plot twists and surprises at every turn of the page and a gutsy, hard-driving pace that never lets up. Though he insists the books must be read as fiction, BeauSeigneur has broken some new ground in the Trilogy. For example, by including not just biblical prophecy, but the prophecies of more than a dozen other world religions, he presents the reader with a startling discovery. Through this harmonization of prophecies, not only does he create a riveting tale of science, global politics, and intrigue, he reveals that either by amazing coincidence or Satanic design, the world is being prepared through these other prophecies for the coming of a messianic world leader, whom Christians know as the Antichrist. One of the major attributes about The Christ Clone Trilogy is that for the first time we see an Antichrist character that is worthy of Jesus' warning in Matthew 24:24, "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect if that were possible." In many other books that I have read, the Antichrist has been easily identifiable by Christians and patently unbelievable by anyone who is aware of prophecy. So convincing is the Trilogy's Antichrist that it suddenly becomes entirely conceivable that millions could willingly give their allegiance to this man who in every way matches the known attributes of Revelation's Beast, even to the point of taking a physical mark on their hands or foreheads. In fact, one of the major concerns Jim BeauSeigneur hears from Christians is that his Antichrist is too convincing and might lead astray readers who don't read the Trilogy's third volume. The reviews he's received from New Agers further demonstrates his Antichrist's believability. In fact I found that I really liked the guy, so Jim did a VERY good job at this and was one of the major factors that captured me to read more. Jim BeauSeigneur, a former intelligence analyst for the National Security Agency and former newspaper publisher, taught political science at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and in 1980 was the Republican nominee for U.S. Congress running against Al Gore, now the Vice President. His other published works includes manuals on strategic defense and military avionics, and the lyrics to several contemporary Christian songs. In closing, I HIGHLY recommend that you read these books. I enjoyed them greatly and they sucked me in like no other book of its ilk ever has. If you have been reading Tim LeHayes books, and have been enjoying those, I KNOW that you will enjoy this series. My advise is to buy all three at the same time, because as soon as you finish one, you will want to jump right into the next. Ray Gano Publisher PropheZine ------- The individual books of The Christ Clone Trilogy * In His Image (384 pages), Birth of an Age (256 pages), and Acts of God (448 pages) are available in bookstores through wholesaler Baker & Taylor, on-line at www.amazon.com and www.selectivehouse.com, and from the publisher's toll-free order line at (888) CLONE-99. Readers with access to the Internet can find additional information and read sample scenes from all three books on the publisher's web page at www.selectivehouse.com. ************************************ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PROPHEZINE NEWSLETTER - Commentaries ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Clinton Plans Second National ID Card 'Unique Health Identifier' Target Of Criticism Copyright 1998, WorldNetDaily WASHINGTON -- The Clinton administration is quietly laying plans to assign every American a second national identity number -- this one a computer code to be used to create a federal government national database that would track every citizen's medical history from cradle to grave, The New York Times reports today. Two weeks ago, WorldNetDaily reported exclusively that federal agencies were making plans requiring all states to make their driver's licenses comply with guidelines of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, thus creating a national ID card. Under those plans federal agencies will be required to prohibit the use of state driver's licenses beginning Oct. 1, 2000, unless they comply with the federal standards. The new licenses must use the Social Security number as the driver's license number, for example. Some civil libertarians and constitutionalists have decried the fact that the advent of the new licenses would be required for Americans to access the most basic services -- getting medical treatment, securing a loan, even opening a bank account. The act also calls for digitized biometric information to be a part of each license, or "smart card." This information will not be required initially. But later, the biometric information will include fingerprints, retina scans, DNA prints, and other similar information. The electronic code behind the second ID number was mandated by a different 1996 law. Whichever one is instituted first would represent the first comprehensive national identification system since the Social Security number was introduced in 1935. Although neither idea has attracted much public attention, the medical ID number -- or "unique health identifier" is so contentious, reports the Times, that federal health officials, who were supposed to propose a plan for the identifier by February, have made little headway and are instead launching a series of hearings beginning Monday to solicit public comment. Proponents, including insurance companies and public health researchers, say the benefits would be vast. Doctors and hospitals would be able to monitor the health of patients as they switch from one insurance plan to the next. Patients would not have to wade through a cumbersome bureaucracy to obtain old records. Billing would be streamlined, saving money. A national disease database could be created, offering unlimited opportunities for scientific study. But opponents, including privacy advocates and some doctors' groups, say the code smacks of Big Brother. They warn that sensitive health information might be linked to financial data or criminal records and that already tenuous privacy protections would be further weakened as existing managed care databases, for example, are linked. They say that trust in doctors, already eroded by managed care, would deteriorate further, with patients growing reluctant to share intimate details. And in a world where computer hackers can penetrate the Pentagon's computer system, they ask, will anyone's medical records be safe? "We have very grave concerns about the unique patient identifier," Dr. Donald Palmisano, the American Medical Association's expert on medical privacy, told the Times. "If this information ended up in some central repository, some giant clearinghouse, what protection do we have that some vandal would not break in?" The medical identifier was ordered by Congress in 1996 as part of legislation that permits employees to take their health insurance with them when they switch jobs. That law, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also requires codes for employers, health plans, doctors and hospitals. "We are taking a slow approach," said Campbell Gardett, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, which is charged with creating the system. "This will be an issue that has a lot of sensitivity and a lot of feeling," so much so, he said, that if no consensus can be reached on how to develop the system, the administration could be forced to drop the plan and report to Congress that it was impossible to achieve. "My own feeling is that you do need to have a way to identify people uniquely," said Dr. Don Detmer, chairman of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, a citizens panel that is advising Donna Shalala, the health and human services secretary, on the issue. "Now the challenge comes down to what is the best way of doing that." To sort out these and other issues, Shalala's agency is deviating from its customary rulemaking procedure, the Times reports. Rather than issuing a proposal and inviting public comment, as it already has with regulations for the employer and provider identifier codes, the department is sponsoring a series of public hearings on the unique patient identifier. The first is scheduled for Monday in Chicago. But Americans may not accept the notion of a national ID number, said Dr. Richard Sobel, a research fellow at Harvard Law School. Sobel, who studies the political and constitutional questions raised by government databanks, said the nation has a suspicion of technological efficiency that dates to the Founding Fathers. "The American political system was set up to be inefficient, to divide power," Sobel said. "What ID numbers do is centralize power, and in a time when knowledge is power, then centralized information is centralized power. I think people have a gut sense that this is not a good idea." An earlier proposal for a national medical identification card, put forth by the Clinton administration in 1993 as part of its ill-fated plan to provide universal health insurance, generated huge opposition. Critics complained that the card would become the equivalent of a domestic passport; the idea dropped by the wayside when the plan to overhaul the health system fell apart. Critics of the national identification code say that once different plans can talk to one another, linking medical records for years and even decades, patient privacy will be virtually nonexistent. A.G. Breitenstein, director of the Health Law Institute, an advocacy group based in Boston, said: "That information will be irrevocably integrated into a cradle-to-grave medical record to which insurers, employers, government and law enforcement will have access is, to me, exactly what privacy is not. People are not going to feel comfortable going to the doctor, because now you are going to have a permanent record that will follow you around for the rest of your life that says you had syphilis, or depression, or an abortion or whatever else." Meanwhile, responsibility for the design and implementation of the other national ID card has been given to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the Department of Transportation. That agency has recently published the proposed "Driver's License/SSN/National Identification Document," which contains the guidelines which must be in force by Oct. 1, 2000. The "Notice of Proposed Rule Making" sets out the standards for each state to follow in the design of "identification documents." "These new National ID regulations violate every notion of federalism, because they force states to comply with regulations issued by the federal government without any constitutional authority to do so," says Patrick Poole of the Free Congress Foundation. "Nor are federal agencies empowered to force state to gather detailed information on every person in order to comply with federal mandates. The net result of the DOT's regulations is to establish a national ID system, which has been opposed by almost every non-governmental sector for the past five decades." Shortly after the passage of the immigration act by congress, Utah state Rep. Gerry A. Adair introduced a bill to comply with the federal requirements. The level of opposition from the public was extensive, which Adair said at the time surprised him. The bill was defeated and was regarded as one of the most controversial bills of that session. States which fail to comply with the federal requirements will impose difficulties on their citizens. Without the new card it may become impossible to purchase firearms, get a job, board a plane, vote, cash a check, open a bank or investment account, purchase insurance, receive federal benefits, obtain a student loan, receive Medicare or Medicaid benefits, and many more basic services presently taken for granted according to Poole. Once the card is in use, Poole suggests that privacy will be a thing of the past. Information will be easily available about all aspects of every American's life. The information stored in each card will be held in a computer chip imbedded in the card, which may one day be injected under a person's skin. Experiments testing such an identification system have already been conducted on military personnel and for identification security at the Olympics. For those who point to the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, Poole explains that President Bill Clinton recently signed Executive Order 13083 entitled "Federalism." That document effectively gives authority to the federal government to force anything it wants on states. Initially, no effort was made by anyone in Congress to overturn the executive order. However, once it was reported by WorldNetDaily, Reps. Ron Paul, Bob Barr and others initiated action to declare it null and void. More recently, seven organizations of state and local legislators complained to the Clinton administration about the order. The White House is now expected to delay implementation of the order. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ F.Y.I. - Israel in the News Week Ending: August 15, 1998/23 Av 5758 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "And the L-rd roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble. But the L- rd is a refuge for His people and a stronghold to the sons of Israel."Joel 3:16 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TALKS STALLED: After eight negotiating sessions between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA/PLO), Arafat's team now refuses to attend any more meetings. They demand active American intervention in the talks and the publication of the US plan for further Israeli territorial concessions. US State Department spokesman James Foley stated again this week that there are no current plans for a US mediator to visit the region. The PA denied Saturday reports of an imminent resumption of negotiations. In response to US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's call for more talks with Israel, Arafat asserted that previous negotiations were not fruitful. PA International Cooperation and Planning Minister Nabil Shaath stated. "We are in an almost total freeze," he said. "There has been almost no [movement] in coping with the American proposal." [Editor's note: The PA/PLO does not intend on negotiating with Israel; rather it will only agree to implement the 'American proposal' -- an Israeli military withdrawal from 13 percent of Judea and Samaria in exchange for a Palestinian commitment to fight terrorism.] (ARUTZ SHEVA, JERUSALEM POST) FATAH'S CONSTITUTION: As Israel negotiates with the PA/PLO to change their Covenant, an Internet website of Arafat's Fatah movement has released a constitution that calls for Israel's destruction, the JERUSALEM POST reported. The constitution calls the Zionist movement "racial, colonial and aggressive in ideology, goals, organization and method." Calling for a "complete liberation of Palestine and eradication of Zionist economic, political, military and cultural existence," the constitution asserts that "armed public revolution is the inevitable method for liberating Palestine." The constitution says it opposes any "political solution offered as an alternative to demolishing the Zionist occupation in Palestine." The website, www.fateh.org, labels Israel as "a Zionist invasion with a colonial expansive base," and "a natural ally to colonialism and international imperialism." David Bar-Ilan, Director of Policy Planning for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said, "This is as clear an indication as any that the Palestine Liberation Organization has not abandoned its intention to destroy the State of Israel." Fatah representatives form the largest bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council, and most of the ministers in Arafat's newly-named cabinet are from Fatah. (ISRAEL LINE, ICEJ) ARAFAT'S CONTRIBUTION TO HAMAS: Arafat has donated $100,000 dollars for the building of a new mosque dedicated to Izzadin al-Kassim, the infamous Arab terrorist after whom Hamas terrorist cells have named themselves. al-Kassim was killed during the Arab riots of 1936-1939. During the mosque's dedication last week, a representative from the PA/PLO's Office of Holy Sites, Sheikh Salame, thanked Arafat for his generous financial support. "This shows President Arafat's commitment to remembering those who defend the land," said the Sheikh. The new mosque was built in Kfar Yamon, south of Jenin. (ARUTZ SHEVA) TERRORIST ATTACK UPDATE: Israel has arrested a Muslim cleric who was suspected of involvement in last week's shooting deaths of two Jewish settlers. He was arrested late Tuesday in his village of Assira, near the Jewish settlement of Yitzhar where the two were killed. A neighbor said Hamabni was active in the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which opposes Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking and has carried out deadly attacks against Israelis. He said the religious leader was expelled from Israel in 1992 along with hundreds of Islamic radicals who were allowed to return a year later. Two other Palestinian men were arrested Wednesday, also in connection with the killings. Meanwhile, PA/PLO policemen prevented students of the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in Shechem Tuesday from bringing maintenance supplies into the building. During the ensuing altercation, a Palestinian commander physically assaulted one of the yeshiva students. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) demanded that the yeshiva students remove the supplies after which the Palestinians cleared their blockade from around the area of Yosef's tomb. (AP, ARUTZ SHEVA) FBI: IRAN BOMBED JEWISH CENTER: A US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report has accused Iran of organizing and financing the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina's Interior Minister Carlos Corach said. An Argentine federal judge, who is overseeing the case, will be receiving the FBI report shortly. The Argentine newspaper CLARIN first reported the existence of the FBI report on August 7, adding that a group of 10 FBI experts had conducted a 40-day investigation in Buenos Aires and delivered their findings to Corach. A bomb leveled the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association on 18 July 1994, killing 86 people and wounding more than 200. In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi denied any Iranian role in the bombing. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment on the report. (JANE'S FOREIGN REPORT) SWISS TO RETURN $1.2 BILLION: Switzerland's two largest commercial banks -- Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS AG) and the Credit Suisse -- agreed to a settlement Wednesday after talks with Jewish groups and lawyers representing Holocaust survivors in a class-action lawsuit. The banks will pay the $1.25 billion to cover claims and lawsuits against all Swiss banks and industry, as well as the Swiss government. The deal ends a class-action lawsuit brought against the banks by of Holocaust survivors. Payments are not expected to begin for at least six months. Tens of thousands of Holocaust victims deposited money in Swiss banks in secret accounts as the Nazis gained power in Europe, expecting to retrieve it later. But banks often told survivors or their heirs they could not find accounts, and some cases the banks requested death certificates for account holders killed in Nazi camps. With a settlement agreed with the Swiss, attention is now likely to turn to insurance companies, with several lawsuits pending over policies held by holocaust victims which the insurance companies refused to honor. In an interesting twist, one of the Swiss bank that refused to repay hundreds of millions of pounds to Holocaust survivors spent nine years pursuing tiny debts of British officers interned in Switzerland for part of the 1939-45 War. According to documents recently released at the Public Record Office, the UBS AG lent money to 140 officers who had escaped from POW camps in Italy or Germany and reached neutral territory, often starving and dressed in rags. A letter sent by UBS to the War Office in 1954 said that 28 of the officers had failed to repay debts, which ranged from $13 to $113 ($260 to $2,277 at today's values). Eventually, the debts were paid from the public purse, although at least one officer had paid his debt eight years earlier. A War Office chief executive officer had written at the time: "The view is held strongly here [Switzerland] that non-payment is an abuse of the friendly assistance and co-operation afforded by the Swiss in time of need and brings discredit upon both the debtors and the military forces to which they belong". (AP, MED, LONDON TELEGRAPH) ON THE NORTHERN FRONT: Israeli warplanes struck a Palestinian terrorist base in eastern Lebanon Thursday night, an IDF spokesman said. The raid targeted a base in the Bekaa valley run by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC) headed by Ahmad Jibril, he said. Israeli planes also struck at a stronghold of the Lebanese Shi'ite terrorist group Hizb'Allah in the Iqlim al-Tuffah mountain range of southern Lebanon. A South Lebanon Army (SLA) soldier was killed in a Hizb'Allah bombing inside the Security Zone of southern Lebanon on Monday, an SLA source said. The Islamic Resistance, the military wing of Hizb'Allah, claimed responsibility for the attack. Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz, upon completing his investigation of Sunday night's terrorist infiltration into an IDF outpost in Lebanon, announced his decisions. Saying that he views the incident "in a most grave manner," he deposed the Group Commander and two other soldiers from the paratroopers brigade. Mofaz said that the commander, who shot at the terrorist, should not have allowed him to escape, but should have "engaged him and killed him." The infiltration occurred Sunday when a Hizb'Allah terrorist made his way in broad daylight into an Israeli-held position in the Security Zone. According to the army, the terrorist encountered a paratrooper, and the two grappled. Another soldier shot and wounded the terrorist, who threw down his assault rifle and escaped. In another incident Sunday evening, three bombs went off near a Golani infantry brigade force that was on an operational mission in the western sector of the Security Zone. The Shi'ite Amal organization claimed responsibility for the explosions. One soldier was injured when the force subsequently came under sustained fire by the Hizb'Allah. (AFP, ARUTZ SHEVA, AP, ISRAEL LINE) ARAB LEAGUE CONDEMNS EXPANSION: The Arab League has strongly condemned the decision of the Israeli government to expand settlements in the Golan Heights (see F.Y.I. 08-08-98/16 Av 5758). stressed that an Israel attempt as such "will not undermine Syria's determination and steadfast stand nor the cohesion between the Syrian and Lebanese peace tracks." Meanwhile, the Arab League noted the urgent need to intensify contacts with Turkey so as to halt its increasing military cooperation with Israel, a cooperation which ultimately serves Israel and damages relations between Turkey and the Arab states. The League expressed hope that Turkey would reconsider its military cooperation with Israel. (ARABICNEWS) POLLARD EXPOSED POLICY ERRORS, NO HARM TO US SECURITY: The WALL STREET JOURNAL has provided a fresh outlook on the latest Iraqi crisis through the perspective of the Jonathan Pollard affair. An August 6th article by Boston University Prof. Angelo Codevilla, a former senior staff member of the US Senate Intelligence Committee, shows that although what Pollard did was undeniably against the law, it should now be realized that he did not hurt Washington's intelligence operations per se, but only "subverted US policy in the Middle East." Codevilla then goes on to show exactly what that policy was: the building of an "important" and "fruitful" relationship with Saddam Hussein, which later led directly to the Gulf War and the ensuing crises. Codevilla writes that Pollard's sin was "blowing the whistle on an embarrassing policy." By doing so, he embarrassed administration officials such as then-Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger and then-Deputy CIA Director Bobby Ray Inman, leading to Pollard's being sentenced to life instead of the more appropriate sentence of four years. Prof. Codevilla writes, "Some senior officials of the US government had decided that Israel should not have certain information about Iraq and other Arab countries because the officials did not like what Israel was doing with it ... Some senior US officials were angry at Israel for getting in the way of their Middle East policy. In 1981, shortly after Israel had bombed the Osirak reactor that had been the centerpiece of Saddam Hussein's nuclear weapons program, Inman went to Capitol Hill to criticize the Israelis, who had used US satellite pictures to plan the bombing. Mr. Inman said they had harmed sophisticated US efforts to build an important relationship with Saddam ... [He] reported to incredulous senators in 1982 that US intelligence no longer supported the conclusion that Iraq was a major sponsor of terrorism. High-level officials dismissed concerns about Baghdad's purchase of a chemical facility that became the centerpiece of Iraq's chemical and biological weapons program, and during the 1980's these officials provided Saddam with US weapons and intelligence. These officials also knew about -- and failed to hinder -- the transfer of German technology to the Saad 16 missile factory in northern Iraq. This policy, vigorously pursued by Washington until the very eve of the Gulf War, turned Iraq into a danger to mankind. This policy helped supply the technologies that killed US soldiers in the Gulf War -- the technologies for which inspectors now are searching fruitlessly and that may well kill other Americans in the future." (ARUTZ SHEVA) HEAT WAVE TAKES ITS TOLL: The intense heat wave currently pervading the Middle East has claimed the lives of scores of people. In Cyprus, 40 people died from the heat which reached 43 degrees Centigrade (109.4 Fahrenheit) Sunday. Last week, 26 Turks drowned when they attempted to evade the heat by swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. In Israel's southern desert region, a record 47 degrees Centigrade was recorded. Fifty-six people were treated in Israeli hospitals for heat exhaustion. Poultry farms have reported the deaths of over 60,000 chickens. Flower farmers say that the heat has destroyed approximately 90 million flowers designated for export. A 10 percent decrease in milk production was also registered. The heat wave has also caused the early ripening of pears, apples, avocado, mango, figs, grapes, and dates, as well as vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers. As a result, the exports of these fruits and vegetables will be hurt, and many of them will be put on the local market at relatively low prices. Widespread use of air conditioning brought the national demand for electricity to a new all-time peak Sunday -- 7,000 megawatts. The electric company's maximum production capacity is 7,900 megawatts. (ARUTZ SHEVA, HA'ARETZ) BARAK WOULD RATHER WIN: "The reason I do not express more dovish views is because I want to win the next election." So said Labor party leader Ehud Barak, visiting the previous week in the United States. Meeting with representatives of the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee, Barak said, "I know that you would like to hear more sharply-dovish viewpoints, but I will not do that. In Israel, too, people ask me why I do not express a more dovish point of view, and I explain to them that it is not a matter of being right; I want to win the election." Meanwhile, Labor MK Yossi Beilin talked with Arafat several times last week, and recommended to him that he call off the talks with Israel. Beilin figured that the Netanyahu government was about to fall, and the resumption of talks with a new Labor government would give the Oslo process better chances. (ARUTZ SHEVA) NEW TORAH SCROLL IN HEBRON: On Monday many people came into Hebron to celebrate a "Hachnasat Sefer Torah" or new Torah dedication. The Torah was dedicated by Dr. Joseph and Mrs. Karen Frager from New York. Following a tour of the Jewish sites in Hebron, the group went to the Avraham Avinu neighborhood by 40 Yeshiva students visiting in Israel. Together, the group sang and danced through the roads of Hebron to Ma'arat Ha'Machpelah. Inside the huge 2,000 year old structure atop the Caves of Machpelah, the festivities continued. Finally, there was a reading from the new Torah and it was placed in the "Aron Kodesh" or Holy Ark. (HEBRON PRESS OFFICE) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FYI - Israel In The News "For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest" Isaiah 62:1 'F.Y.I.' may be reproduced & distributed in any form. 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