
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. *** REVELATION 14:9
Saturday, June 07, 2008
"PEACE! PEACE! WHERE IS IT?"

WILL THERE BE ANOTHER PROPHET?

Will There Be Another Prophet?
There's a man in India who claims to be the successor of Ellen White! He says he has messages for us from God!
There is a woman in France who says she is a prophet and speaks on behalf of God. They say whoever rejects her messages will burn in hellfire.
Two young girls in Brazil say they saw a vision behind their house.
A West Coast pastors wife was sick in bed, and received a message from Gabriel. She says he told her all we need is compassion, and the church will return to its original purity.
A woman in Texas is awakened each morning by Gabriel, who dictates encouraging things to her, which she writes out.
A man in the Shepherds Rod, living in Hawaii, says the Holy Spirit is a woman and sits beside him on the beach to talk to him.
A person overseas says she saw an angel, who told her Jesus was coming in a few months.
These area all instances which have occurred within the past several years.
Will there be another prophet—that is, a genuine prophet?
If a real prophet were to arise, it would be urgent that the people of God be able to definitely know that fact.
Obviously, at the same time it is important that we be able to identify false prophets.
Here are some facts you should consider:
1 - What does it matter if we accept someone as a true prophet for a time?
When we accept a prophet, we accept everything he says. This makes the whole matter very serious. Regardless of what I tell you, you are going to judge it critically—as you should. I am a frail mortal, just as you are. We all make mistakes.
But when someone is wholeheartedly accepted as a prophet—every word that person utters is accepted as total truth by his followers! So it is dangerous situation to accept a person as a genuine prophet! If you accept the wrong one as a true prophet, he can lead you to perdition.
Over 200 new prophets arise every year in our denomination. Most of them you and I never hear about. Interestingly enough, nearly all of them are women. The prophets generally claim to have seen and listened to an angel, Gabriel, or Christ Himself.
Sometimes the individual claims to have seen an angel standing nearby. At other times he reports one or more dreams, or says he has been taken to heaven in vision.
Because this is such a serious matter, God has only sent a few prophets to mankind throughout all history.
He has given us definite signs by which we can identify a true prophet.
There are a number of tests by which we can identify a true prophet. But, first, I want to tell you about a special one which most people overlook.
When I was writing the book, Prophet of the End (a book to favorably introduce Ellen White to the public—and to our own people), I came upon an interesting fact:
When Ellen White was first called to the prophetic ministry, the Lord provided a number of ongoing occurrences, which unmistakably revealed that God was using her.
But a number of years later, when she had produced enough written material to verify her prophetic status, the special evidences were no longer given very much.
Why were they not given later on?
After Ellen White had written a many, many testimonies and books—those printed materials testified to her genuineness, and the people had to accept her on the basis of what she had written.
But, for the first five years or so, special confirmations were given.
What were these special evidences?
Here are some of them:
She had visions in auditoriums and other gatherings, when many were present.
During these visions, she would not breathe throughout the time she was in vision, which could easily be thirty minutes or an hour.
Sometimes she would be laying down, and sometimes standing and walking around—all the while without breathing.
While in vision, no one could move her arms. Yet she was otherwise a frail woman.
Mirrors were held up to her nose and no indication of breathing was to be found.
There were those who held their hand over her closed mouth, and pinched her nose shut with their fingers. On one occasion (June 28, 1857), D.T. Bordeaux did this for 10 minutes. That settled the matter for him.
How would this information help us today in identifying a true prophet?
It is an intriguing fact that all the modern prophets either (1) have all their visions and dreams when no one else is around, or (2) there is only a small clique of two or three others (often also claiming to be prophets) who supposedly see that person in vision.
Because it is so crucial that we know when a true prophet is sent, we can know that the God of heaven will provide us with unmistakable evidences, as He did when He sent Ellen White with messages to us.
For the first several years, that prophet will travel from place to place, go into vision before entire auditoriums full of people, and will exhibit the same evidences: no breathing, arms that cannot be moved, etc. Tests by neutral observers will be permitted, and it will be clearly seen the person is really in vision.
On several occasions she held heavy Bibles. Twice she held a heavy Bible straight out at arms length for a lengthy period of time. On one such occurrence (early 1845), the Bible weighed 18-1/2 pounds and was held outstretched for thirty minutes. She only weighed 80 pounds at the time.
On one occasion August 1848), she held a Bible above her sight, and turned the pages, and, pointing to the passages, quoted them. A ladder was brought, and it was found that she always turned to the right text and quoted it—without being able to see what she was doing.
Such evidences as these would be given.
There are several. Here are several, from chapter four of my book, Prophet of the End:
In vision, a true prophet has no breath (Daniel 10:17), can speak (Daniel 10:16), keeps his eyes open (Numbers 24:16), and is unconscious of his surroundings (2 Corinthians 12:2, 4).
A true prophet will speak in harmony with the Bible (Isaiah 8:20; Deuteronomy 13:1-3), will exalt Christ and not self (2 Corinthians 10:5; Jeremiah 1:4-9).
A true prophet will reprove men of sin (Ezekiel 3:17-19), live a life above reproach (Matthew 7:15-20), utter predictions which come to pass (Deuteronomy 18:21-22; Jeremiah 28:9), will have visions and dreams (Numbers 12:6), and will be known by his fruits in the lives of others (Matthew 7:15-20).
There is no doubt that we live down at the close of time, and we need help guidance from the Lord. But we have the Spirit of Prophecy. A vast wealth of information is in those books, many of which few of us ever read.
The truth is that we do not need any more prophetic guidance. We already have so much light which we do not use.
The truth is that we are not entitled to any more guidance. God has said that only those who use what they have, will receive more. When His people do not obey His law, they will not have the guidance of His prophet (Lamentations 2:9; Ezekiel 7:26; 20:3, 12, 13-16; Jeremiah 26:4-6; Proverbs 29:18; Revelation 12:17). Our people in these last days are very, very disobedient to Gods Word.
We are not told that there will be another genuine prophet after Ellen White, and we are not told there will not. The possibility is not ruled out, but we are given little or no encouragement that it will happen. Indeed, when the brethren would excitedly tell Ellen White about the latest prophet which had arisen, she would reply, to the effect that they should realize it could not be a genuine prophet.
Ellen White specifically said that messages given, similar to hers, should not be accepted as a reason for accepting the person as a prophet. (More on this later in this tract study.)
Yes, if accepted.
The very last deception of Stan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God.1 Selected Messages, 48.
What better way to do this—than by sending a false prophet to subtly counterwork her messages.
Subtly?
Because they have the Spirit of Prophecy books in their hands, Adventist are knowledgeable. When a false prophet arises, Satan initially sends very smooth messages through him—messages which appear to be satisfactory, and not contrary to the Spirit of Prophecy.
One such prophet gave messages for a couple years, before beginning to oppose the Bible Sabbath. More on this later.
Just because a person, claiming to be a prophet, arises with a seemingly good message—is no reason to accept that person as a true prophet.
That is exactly the biggest weakness of our people in this regard: They, all too frequently, hang on the words alone—and do not consider the other tests of a prophet!
The present writer consistently found that the false prophets really had little of significance to say. They are messengers running without having been given a message from God to carry.
So, instead, they present oddities. We will examine some of these empty teachings later in this study.
Victor Houtiff taught his followers that they would be the destroying angels of Ezekiel, and slay the Adventists. This fact has been disputed, but the present writer has spoken with a number of individuals who confirm it as true. He also predicted that he would not die before Christ returned in the clouds of heaven.
After his death, Houtiffs wife and associates predicted that Christ would return in the late 1950s. When that did not happen, the movement tended to break up.
The Hamburg Five arose in the mid-1960s. This was five individuals (some men and some women), living in Hamburg, Germany, who claimed to receive visions from God for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They said they received them when the five were together, and no one else was present.
One of the visions of new light, given them at the time, was of a golden triangle. This was supposed to have great meaning. Obviously, it means nothing at all.
A close friend of ours, who speaks fluent German, traveled at her own expense to Germany a couple years later, and discovered they were smoking.
Benjamin Rodin, a successor to Houtiff in the Davidian movement made a number of wild predictions which did not come true.
After his death, his wife, Lois, said that God had told her the Holy Spirit was a woman. Such a theory runs counter to everything in revealed Scripture. But, Rod followers glibly accepted it, because they regarded her as a prophet.
Two women, in the mid-1980s, claimed that the Holy Spirit came to them daily and gave them messages which they wrote down, word for word. (See our earlier studies on the Spirit Dictations, now in the White Tractbook.)
But never, never does the Holy Spirit dictate every word to the prophet. The prophet is given the views and concepts, and then writes them in his own words. The angel may be quoted, but not everything written is a quotation.
One of these two women later wrote a friend of ours and, on behalf of God, reproved him for his sins. I know the man well, and he has an enthusiastic missionary style. She told him that he should stop urging people to keep the Bible Sabbath, for that was not the message for this time.
Another woman who received spirit dictations, obtained them every morning about 5 a.m. She would write for about an hour. In view of the immense problems and transgressions in our world today, this spirit, like the others, had remarkably little to say. The present writer read through a sheaf of about 50 pages of them. One day, the spirit told her that, beginning the next day, vital new messages of crucial importance would be given her.
Next day, the spirit told her that he was going to give her counsel on the colors of the rainbow. Each day thereafter, for about ten days, he spoke about the meaning of a different color. The instruction was as vapid and useless as all the other messages. On the day that blue was discussed, not one word was said about the law of God (cf. Numbers 15).
These spirits have little to say about putting away of sin, but much to say about extraneous fluff which is of no consequence.
A young man accepted the Davidian message in Riverside (which included the Lois Roden theory about a woman Holy Spirit), and then moved to Hawaii. While there he had dreams that a woman, calling herself the Holy Spirit would come to him with new light. But the new light did not amount to anything. The present writer read transcripts of the messages.
The woman would sarcastically nag him for a time, and then, after saying a little more of no particular consequence, would disappear.
Then there is Jeanine Sautron. She lives in France and, as with the other prophets, receives all her visions and dreams secretly, so they cannot be verified—as Ellen Whites were.
When Michael Dukakis was running for president in 1988, she predicted that a man by the name of Dukakis would become president of the United States, and it would be he who would enact the National Sunday Law. That prediction is on record in her published writings. (A man in Oregon prints them all in English.)
Her followers claim that the prediction is true, and that someday someone by that name will become president. They refuse to consider the possibility that Sautron might be a false prophet.
As with many prophets in our time, Jeanine Sautron frequently utters another time prophecy. According to her, probation has already closed, and the sealing is past. A date just after the turn of the century has been announced as the year when Christ will return.
THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH

Hebrews 12
1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
4Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
5And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
12Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
13And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
14Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
17For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
18For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
19And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:
20(For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
21And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
22But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
25See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
26Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
27And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
29For our God is a consuming fire.
I WILL SING OF JESUS’ LOVE
I WILL SING OF JESUS’ LOVE
(#183 ADVENTIST HYMNAL)
I will sing of Jesus’ love,
Sing of Him Who first loved me;
For He left bright worlds above,
And died on Calvary.
Refrain
I will sing of Jesus’ love,
Endless praise my heart shall give;
He has died that I might live—
I will sing His love for me.
O the depths of love divine!
Earth or Heav’n can never know
How that sins as dark as mine
Can be made as white as snow.
Refrain
Nothing good for Him I’ve done;
How could He such love bestow?
Lord, I own my heart is won,
Help me now my love to show.
Refrain
Words & Music:
Franklin E. Belden, 1886
(MIDI, score).
Friday, June 06, 2008
ARE YOU BETTER OFF TODAY THAN YOU WERE 8 YEARS AGO?

2 THESSALONIANS 2
2 Thessalonians 2
1Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
13But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
14Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
17Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
FREDRICK DOUGLASS 1818 - 1895

U.S. CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS SPRING GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Thu May 1, 2008 12:44pm EDT
Credential applications for media who wish to cover the spring meeting of the
U.S. bishops, June 12-14, at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando,
Florida, are now being accepted.
An application form is attached and may also be found here
The agenda will include a presentation on the recent Pew U.S. Religious
Landscape Survey and the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA)
research on "Sacraments Today: Belief and Practice Among U.S. Catholics."
Other agenda items include a proposed policy statement on embryonic stem cell
research, a progress update on the Causes and Context study of sexual abuse by
clerics by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of
New York, a recommended structure for dialogue between priests and bishops on
the church's handling of sexual abuse allegations, and the new translation of
the Proper of the Seasons of the Roman Missal.
Sessions are open to media on Thursday, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., and Friday 9 a.m.-
10:10 a.m. The rest of the meeting includes executive session, regional
meetings and an afternoon of prayer and reflection.
Those seeking credentials must apply by June 2. News media seeking to make a
room reservation should contact the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress at
1-800-233-1234. The room block code is U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Those wishing further assistance may contact the Department of Communications
(202-541-3200).
08-063
DD,SEC,USNewswire,CNS,RNS,Crux
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS
June 12-14, 2008
BILDERBERGERS SET TO MEET IN D.C.

The Bilderberg Group previously met in Istanbul, Turkey
THE NEW WORLD DISORDER
Bilderbergers set to meet in D.C.
Secret confab source of global plotting theories
Posted: June 04, 200811:47 am Eastern
© 2008 WorldNetDaily
The annual secretive gathering of representatives from West European and North American countries, known as the Bilderberg Group, is scheduled to begin tomorrow in the Washington, D.C., area.
While the specific location is still a mystery to the general public, Sweden's Dagens Nyheter reports the conference is being held at the Westfields Marriott Hotel in Chantilly, Va., on the outskirts of the nation's capital.
The Bilderberg Group is an elite invitation-only conference of influential members of the business, media and political communities. Past attendees have included Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The group meets at luxury hotels and resorts throughout the world. Last year's conference was held at the Ritz-Carlton in Istanbul, Turkey. Every four years the conference is held in the U.S. or Canada. The group has an office in Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands.
While the group claims its purpose is to facilitate discussion among Western powers, many see the group as a means toward globalization.
The highly secretive conference is off limits to press, but past reports from sources that have managed to penetrate the high-security venues have stated the meetings emphasize a globalist agenda and dismiss national sovereignty as regressive.
The BBC declared the Bilderberg Group to be one of the most influential organizations in the world.
"It's officially described as a private gathering," BBC reported, "but with a guest list including the heads of European and American corporations, political leaders and a few intellectuals, it's one of the most influential organizations on the planet."
Attendees of the Bilderberg conference are not allowed to speak a word of what was discussed in the meetings outside of the group. The group has no website, and no minutes are kept of the sessions to ensure secrecy.
Despite speculation the conference will be held at the Westfields Marriott, hotel employees could not confirm the location venue for WND.
THE ROBERT F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION

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"We've had difficult times in the past. We will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; it is not the end of disorder."
Robert F. Kennedy, April 3rd 1968
DECLARATION OF THE CLUB OF ROME

INTRODUCTION
We, the members of the Club of Rome, are convinced that the future of humankind is not determined once and for all, and that it is possible to avoid present and foreseeable catastrophes—when they are the result of human selfishness or of mistakes made in managing world affairs. It is important to emphasise the signs of hope and the progress accomplished. We must also combat the threats to humankind, and be aware that these issues of survival are becoming ever more urgent.
The virtue of optimism that becomes rooted in the human spirit would appear to be an essential requirement of our times. We believe that, in order to counter the current trends towards either arrogant triumphalism or pessimism or resignation, we must adopt an attitude of confidence based on personal commitment and optimism, willingness and perseverance by all responsible citizens.
We believe that every human being can choose to take charge of his or her own future rather than be a victim of events. Imagination and creativity of every individual, combined with a greater sense of social responsibility, can contribute to changing our attitudes and making our societies better suited to cope with the multifaceted crises that trouble the world. We believe that the information society that is evolving, although it involves clear risks and constraints, offers considerable opportunities for building this better future.
The world is undergoing a period of unprecedented upheavals and fluctuations in its evolution into a global society for which people are not mentally prepared. As a result, their reaction is often negative, inspired by fear of the unknown and by unawareness of the global dimension of problems which seem no longer on a human scale. These fears, if not tackled, risk driving people to dangerous extremism, sterile nationalism and major social confrontations.
We do not know what this society will be like or how it will work. We must from now on learn to manage this period of fundamental transition, which may last several decades or become a permanent process, and prepare for a future in which humanity can develop in well-being and prosperity .
The times in which we live demand both individual and collective efforts to build systems and societies in which the human being, respect for others and compassion are key values; "competition" should be directed not to dominate and consume, but to stimulate and participate.
We must move towards a society that honours those who do the most to promote human happiness and well-being, not those who wield the greatest destructive power or indulge in the most profligate forms of consumption. Towards this end, education geared to the whole person, and to developing each individual's unique potential and abilities for the greater good of the community, acquires an ever more crucial role .
We believe in the need to stimulate general debates on the major issues that have global implications for all aspects of the human condition, taking a holistic approach that covers their moral, material, cultural, social and scientific aspects. To this end, we publish works that will encourage governments, international agencies, business leaders and non-governmental organisations, youth movements and the positive forces in societies throughout the world, to adopt policies and take strategic decisions that are appropriate to constantly changing circumstances. It is clear that public opinion must play an increasingly critical role in this growth of awareness. We, the members of the Club of Rome, are one hundred individuals, at present drawn from 52 countries and five continents. We represent different educations, philosophies, religions and cultures; we have different professional backgrounds and expertises. Naturally we often have different visions of the future. Yet we are united by a common concern — the future of humankind — and we therefore study the major issues affecting the world which we all share.
For as long as each member of the Club of Rome is able to fulfil his or her responsibilities, each of us undertakes to devote a significant proportion of his or her time and talents to working on behalf of humankind, and in particular helping to build societies that are more humane, more sustainable, more equitable and more peaceful.
With a view to serving humanity, the Club of Rome wishes to strengthen its role as a catalyst of change and as a centre of innovation and initiative; it can do this thanks to its wealth of ideas and energies, to the diversity of its membership and the ability of its members to act acquired as a result of their past or present positions and experience.
We trust in the ultimate capacity of men and women to express and to live in accordance with their ethical and spiritual values, while respecting the diversity of humankind.
We call upon men and women of good will, especially the young people of today, to share with us this work of reflection and action.
OUR MISSION
The world has undergone drastic changes since the Club of Rome was created in 1968. As a result, we need to rethink our role and reformulate our mission to take account of the new demands arising from the period in which we are living.
As the 21st century approaches, there is a growing sense of uncertainty and anxiety. Faced by increasing complexity, dizzying globalisation and a world subject to constant political, economic and social upheavals, human beings today are fearful. We appear to be in the early stages of the formation of a new type of world society.
The population explosion in the South and the ageing of the populations of the North, the risk of major disturbances in world climate, the precarious nature of supplies of food and water in many regions of the world, are all signs of the vast changes taking place.
The rapid growth of new technologies is another major element in the global problematique. At one level, these technologies are tools of progress in areas ranging from space and the environment to education and health care. At another, at least in the short term if not longer, they have an impact on such key sectors as employment and can have adverse effects on human beings, harming rather than helping them. In any case, they have a profound influence on societies, cultures and human psychology. These changes are so massive as to constitute a revolution of values and practices that affects the world as a whole, and will soon affect every individual.
Humanity is therefore confronted with a pressing need to create and develop a vision of the future, of a new civilisation, enriched by the diversity of cultures, wisdom and philosophies derived from the various regions of the world. Although until now these ideas have sometimes existed only in the imaginations of certain unusually inspired individuals, we need now to bring them together and make full use of them in our search for a better future for humanity. So far, the efforts to promote the growing globalisation have almost always been perceived in a negative light, as an unfortunate consequence of a crisis of civilisation . From now on, the most urgent challenge facing humanity is, on the contrary, to know how to make the most of the positive aspects and the new opportunities offered by the situation now before us; how to take advantage of this crucial opportunity to be imaginative and innovative, to build anew, that this unique historic moment offers to us.
This global revolution has no ideological basis. It is being shaped by an unprecedented mixture of geo-strategic shifts and of social, economic, technological, cultural and ethical factors which combine to generate unpredictable situations. In this transitional period, humanity is therefore facing a double challenge: having to grope its way towards an understanding of the new world with so many as yet hidden facets, and also, in the mists of uncertainty, to learn how to manage the new world and not be dominated by it .
Nothing escapes this tidal wave that carries all before it . Yet the greatest impact is undoubtedly on human hearts and minds. This is why our aim must be essentially normative and action-oriented. We must develop common standards, based on a sense of our shared responsibility towards future generations. The basis of the new order should be an understanding that human initiatives and institutions exist only to serve human needs. Central to it should be values that cannot be imposed from outside but must grow as part of the renewal occurring within every human individual.
From this standpoint, we shall then be able to visualise the sort of world we would like to live in; in order for this vision to be attainable and viable, we must evaluate the resources - human and moral and material - to forge this new global society. We must also devise ways of maintaining a balance between strengthening cultural identities and the requirements of globalisation. Part of our efforts must be devoted to stimulating greater understanding of the nature of interdependence, both among human beings and between the human and natural worlds.
Given these conditions, what is the distinctive role of the Club of Rome?
After all, there is now a far greater awareness of the multifarious problems facing humanity. Governments, institutions, political bodies, business and labour organisations, environmentalists, academics, religious groups, victims and visionaries of the developing world and concerned groups of people everywhere are all trying to grapple with the same set of problems, which are so intertwined that those struggling with them have developed a sense of sharing in the difficulties, even if not of triumphing over them. Contributing to this level of awareness has been one of the greatest achievements of the Club of Rome. Today more than ever we feel the need to address new global imbalances caused by differing speeds of population and economic growth as well as the disruptive effects of globalisation in terms of fiercer competition, resulting in unemployment in some countries and miserably low pay in others, and leading to poverty and exclusion. We strongly feel the need for a thorough overhaul of democracy, going far beyond its present organisation and functioning, and also to devise a new economic system that avoids the shortcomings of the market economy. We are vividly aware of the lack of political leadership almost everywhere in the world and the absence of workable institutions for real international cooperation. Governance, destruction of the environment, energy, demography, underdevelopment and increasing poverty, international financial disorder, education, ethical values are some of the global issues that we are studying in order to arrive at a deeper understanding of the interactions within the tangle of contemporary problems, whatever they may be: political, social, economic, technological, environmental, cultural, and psychological.
The essential mission of the Club of Rome is to act as an international, non-official catalyst of change. This role is prompted by the slowness and inadequacy of governments and their institutions to respond to urgent problems, constrained as they are by structures and policies designed for earlier, simpler times and by relatively short electoral cycles. This, in view of the confrontational nature of much of public and international life, the stifling influence of expanding bureaucracies and the growing complexity of issues, suggests that the voice of independent and concerned people having access to the corridors of power around the world, should have a valuable contribution to make towards increasing understanding and, at times, jolting the system into action.
In this regard, we feel that the education of the young, as well as a process of lifelong learning, and the continued search for knowledge, are an essential ingredient in fostering a greater sense of responsibility among the citizens of both developing and industrialised countries.
The information society that is now rapidly developing is creating unique opportunities and methods for eliciting a sense of vigilance and responsibility among individuals and communities. In this area, too, we must stimulate people's minds and thinking about these new experiences, where speed is all-important: speed of information, speed of travel, speed of change affecting the "global village", speed in acquiring knowledge and in eroding the social fabric. Let us not ignore any longer the risks of watching the tools of information accentuate the gulf between rich and poor people and countries. The need for a centre of innovative thinking, especially about social issues, is becoming increasingly urgent - it should be able to identify new global issues before they appear on the international scene and then analyse them, to tackle their root causes, not merely (as so often) their consequences, and to encourage preventive measures rather than belated action. In the past, the Club has proved its competence in this role; it will do its best to continue to do so in future.
We live in a world overflowing with theoretical reports and policy analyses that are often filed without being read. One of our principal concerns must therefore be how we can obtain direct results from our work which will affect and modify the global trends we discuss .The Club is in no position to offer panaceas; however, it has already taken a number of initiatives to provide pathways to solutions with an impact on policy.
Since the creation of the Club of Rome thirty years ago, many useful new bodies have followed in our footsteps and have concerned themselves with individual aspects of the global problematique. But there does not appear to be any other body at the international level concerned with the whole range of problems and so many countries, disciplines and experiences within its membership.
This is what makes the Club of Rome truly unique.
THE CONCEPTUAL BASIS
- To adopt a global perspective in examining issues and situations with the awareness that the increasing interdependence of nations, the emergence of world-wide problems and the future needs of all people posed predicaments beyond the capacity of individual countries to solve.
- To think holistically and to seek a deeper understanding of interactions within the tangle of contemporary problems -- political, social, economic, technological, environmental, psychological and cultural in every sense -- for which we coined the phrase "the world problematique".
- To take a longer term perspective in studies than is possible for governments preoccupied with day-to-day problems.
We believe that all three needs persist. The present trend is to propose highly differentiated solutions to individual problems with too little recognition of how much the problems interact. Our earlier attempts to identify and analyse the world problematique convince us that we must, on the contrary, work towards comprehensive solutions that involve public participation and negotiation to overcome apathy and confrontation; this is what we call the "resolutique".
METHODOLOGY
The Club of Rome is governed by an Executive Committee of thirteen members who investigate global issues, then set the priorities and decide on the strategies of the Club. Between its meetings, a Bureau of four members, led by the President and Secretary General of the Club, takes care of implementing the decisions and assuring the day-to-day management of the Club.
The most common methods are publishing Reports or notes, organising meetings and symposia to which selected members are invited, frequent contacts with decisionmakers in both public and private sectors, and a communications policy.
The first report The Club of Rome commissioned and published was "The Limits to Growth", a book which produced a world-wide impact (it sold 12 million copies in 37 languages) Its thesis was interpreted in many different ways. It stressed above all, for the first time, the importance of the environment, and the essential links with population and energy. This was a particularly striking illustration of what is meant by the global problematique.
This Report, a seminal one for the Club, has been followed by 21 others, on problems ranging from education, energy, the impact of micro-electronics on society, to governance, the role of NGOs in development and the environment. Others are now being prepared.
Only one book has been published as a Report by the Executive Committee rather than to the Club of Rome: it was entitled "The First Global Revolution" and was written by Alexander King and Bertrand Schneider. The Report tried to assess what had happened to the world problematique in the 21 years since "The Limits to Growth", stressing two critical elements — the human dimension and the need always when discussing world problems to consider concrete ways of dealing with them, i. e. the resolutique.
It is important to emphasize that, in addition to their role as information, the preparation and publication of these Reports must also meet two essential functions. First, they represent the starting point of a process and not its culmination. Their publication allows the Club, which has no claim to possessing the truth, to launch wide-ranging debates to discuss the conclusions and so share with a variety of audiences, from governments to universities and the media, its thinking and suggestions for the problems affecting the world. Secondly, they are the starting point for certain initiatives implemented at the highest levels of decision-making, both public and private, with a view to fostering changes to strategic factors.
In principle, the Club of Rome holds a Conference every year, always in a different region of the world. Thus the most recent meetings have been held in Kuala Lumpur, Hanover, Buenos Aires and Puerto Rico. In addition to the working sessions reserved for members of the Club, these meetings bring together personalities from the region or the world who are invited to take part in discussions on a particular aspect of the global problematique. These meetings have established fruitful inter-personal relations with leaders and activists in the region, enabled a better understanding of the region's specific problems and its perception of global issues and the role it would like to play in them.
Members of the Club also take part in numerous working parties and symposia, such as the ones organised in Denver, Colorado, Toronto or Fukuoka in Japan on the theme of "Global—Local Interaction". The Club is also frequently invited to participate in meetings, national and international, official and private.
The members of the Executive Committee are frequently consulted by decision-makers in international institutions, governments, the business community and civil society; this has always been an important part of our work.
Aware of the importance of the information society, the Club has adopted a policy of world wide comrnunication, using all the means available, and most recently the Internet, on which we are establishing a web-site. However, the Club itself tends normally to adopt a low profile, and the passionate debate sparked by "The Limits to Growth", updated by the authors under the title "Beyond the Limits", has been the only and unexpected exception to this desire to operate discreetly. We believe that we are sometimes more effective when we work behind the scenes.
In its early years, The Club of Rome adopted as its central project "The Predicament of Mankind" as a comprehensive approach to the world problematique and as an expression of its humanistic objectives. This still remains our essential concern. However, changes in the world situation and the experience gained through our studies and debates suggest that a revision of our emphasis and refinement of our approach are necessary for the new phase of our work.
Accumulated experience suggests that we should be operating within a paradigm of organic growth and holistic development, this means:
- systematic, interdependent development where no part grows at the expense of others;
- multifaceted development that corresponds to needs and will necessarily differ in different parts of the world;
- harmonious coordination of goals to ensure world-wide compatibility;
- the ability to absorb disruptive influences on the course of development;
- emphasis on quality of development as a recognition that its processes are essentially directed towards the well-being of the human individual, who does not live "by bread alone";
- constant renewal where new goals emerge as old goals are seen in a new light.
We believe that, if utilised, these strengths will enable human beings to realize the future they desire.
CHAVEZ DECREE TIGHTENS HOLD ON INTELLIGENCE

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chávez has used his decree powers to carry out a major overhaul of this country’s intelligence agencies, provoking a fierce backlash here from human rights groups and legal scholars who say the measures will force citizens to inform on one another to avoid prison terms.
Under the new intelligence law, which took effect last week, Venezuela’s two main intelligence services, the DISIP secret police and the DIM military intelligence agency, will be replaced with new agencies, the General Intelligence Office and General Counterintelligence Office, under the control of Mr. Chávez.
The new law requires people in the country to comply with requests to assist the agencies, secret police or community activist groups loyal to Mr. Chávez. Refusal can result in prison terms of two to four years for most people and four to six years for government employees.
“We are before a set of measures that are a threat to all of us,” said Blanca Rosa Mármol de León, a justice on Venezuela’s top court, in a rare public judicial dissent. “I have an obligation to say this, as a citizen and a judge. This is a step toward the creation of a society of informers.”
The sweeping intelligence changes reflect an effort by Mr. Chávez to assert greater control over public institutions in the face of political challenges following a stinging defeat in December of a package of constitutional changes that would have expanded his powers.
Mr. Chávez, who has insisted the defeat will not dampen his ambitions to transform Venezuela into a Socialist state, said the new law was intended to guarantee “national security” and shield against “imperialist attacks.”
He lashed out at its critics as being agents of the “empire,” meaning the United States.
The law’s stated aim of protecting Venezuela follows a history of antagonism between the governments in Caracas and Washington, dating at least from the Bush administration’s tacit support for a short-lived coup against Mr. Chávez in 2002.
Recently, Venezuela has claimed it was subject to military intimidation from the United States, pointing to a recent violation of Venezuelan airspace by an American fighter jet and Washington’s recent reactivation of its Fourth Fleet to patrol Latin American and Caribbean waters.
On Sunday, Mr. Chávez referred to critics of the intelligence law as de facto supporters of the Bush administration and of the Patriot Act, the American antiterrorism law that enhances the ability of security agencies to monitor personal telephone and e-mail communications.
Mr. Chávez’s new intelligence law has similar flourishes. For instance, it authorizes his new intelligence agencies to use “any special or technically designed method” to intercept and obtain information.
But the new law may also point to the influence of Cuba, Venezuela’s top ally, on intelligence policies. For instance, the use of community-monitoring groups to assist in gathering intelligence resembles Cuba’s use of neighborhood Committees for the Defense of the Revolution to report on antigovernment behavior.
“This is purely Cuban-style policy,” Juan José Molina, a legislator with Podemos, a leftist party that broke from Mr. Chávez’s coalition last year, said of the new intelligence law. “Our rulers want to impose old models upon us.”
Interior Minister Ramón Rodríguez Chacín announced the intelligence overhaul in a public appearance here last week, saying it was needed to combat “interference from the United States” by having intelligence agency workers imbued with “ideological commitment.”
On Monday, however, Mr. Rodríguez Chacín softened his tone, saying the law would not lead to political intimidation or restrict freedom of expression. “We are talking about the responsibility all Venezuelans have with the security of the state and the resolution of any crime,” he said.
The drafting and passage of the law behind closed doors, without exposing it to the public debate it would have had if Mr. Chávez had submitted it to the Assembly, also contributed to the public uproar and suspicion.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/world/americas/03venez.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST IS SET UP
Source: http://www.unic-eg.org/Default.aspx?tabid=93&EntryID=407
The Image to the Beast Set Up
[He] deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast. Rev. 13:14.
The image of the beast will be formed before probation closes; for it is to be the great test for the people of God, by which their eternal destiny will be decided.... {Mar 164.1}
In Revelation 13 this subject is plainly presented: "I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed." Then the miracle-working power is revealed: "And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 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: 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." {Mar 164.2}
This is the test that the people of God must have before they are sealed. All who prove their loyalty to God by observing His law, and refusing to accept a spurious sabbath, will rank under the banner of the Lord God Jehovah, and will receive the seal of the living God. Those who yield the truth of heavenly origin, and accept the Sunday sabbath, will receive the mark of the beast.... {Mar 164.3}
While John was shown the last great struggles of the church with earthly powers, he was also permitted to behold the final victory and deliverance of the faithful.... Looking beyond the smoke and din of the battle, he beheld a company upon Mount Zion with the Lamb, having, instead of the mark of the beast, the "Father's name written in their foreheads." {Mar 164.4}