Saturday, March 28, 2009

Religious Terrorism in Amerrica


CHAPTER 12

RELIGIOUS TERRORISM IN AMERICA

Where are the Jesuit agenda for America and the world heading? For over 200 years, the goal has been the complete destruction of the United States Constitution. This would mean the utter demise and annihilation of the precious freedoms guaranteed by that document. The right of free speech, free press, freedom of religion or the right to worship God according to the dictates of ones own conscience, the right to bear arms, the right to a fair trail, and the right to personal privacy would all be eliminated. For the past several years, we have seen this war on the Constitution and freedom taking place in earnest.

In the religious arena, the goal of the Jesuits is to wipe out any trace of Protestantism and other religions, and to restore world-wide domination by the pope. Next, we will determine if the Jesuits will be successful in their sinister purposes.

The only reliable source we can turn to for information on future events is prophecy from God. The Bible has predicted one event after another down through history, and the events have occurred exactly as the Bible said they would. With the same unerring accuracy the Bible predicts future events, and it shows the results that will occur as a result of the Jesuits’ conspiracy to rule the world.

The chapter in the Bible that reveals the results of the Jesuits’ treachery is Revelation 13. There are two beasts mentioned in this chapter; the first one rises out of the sea in verse one and the second rises out of the earth in verse eleven. Notice the reading of these verses:

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea.... — Revelation 13:1

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth.... — Revelation 13:11

In order to understand these verses, we must determine what a beast represents in Bible prophecy, and what the sea and the earth represent. Watch how the Bible interprets itself.

The book of Daniel shows that a beast represents a kingdom, or as we would say today, a nation or country.

These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.... Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse [different] from all kingdoms.... — Daniel 7:17,23

Thus, we see that Revelation 13 discusses two powers that came to prominence in the world. These two powers have their beginnings in different areas of the world, one rises out of the sea and the other rises out of the earth.

Next, we discover what water represents in Bible prophecy.

And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. — Revelation 17:15

We see here that the first power in Revelation 13 had its beginning in a heavily populated area of the world amid existing nations. This suggests that the first power came up in the populated area of Europe. The second world power of Revelation 13:11 rises out of the earth, which means it arose in an area of the world where few inhabitants existed. This suggests the rise of the second power occurred in the Western Hemisphere; where the population density was very light.

Here is more information about the first beast.

...having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. — Revelation 13:1,2

There is also more information about the second beast.

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. — Revelation 13:11.

Let us look at the meanings of the words blasphemy, dragon, and lamb in these verses. The first power commits blasphemy, and has been given his existence and authority from the dragon.

Mark explains one of the meanings of blasphemy.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only? — Mark 2:5-7.

As the Son of God, Christ had the power to forgive sins, and He still has the power to forgive sins today. If a mere man claims that he can forgive sins, then that is blasphemy. The Jews, who refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, declared that He had committed blasphemy because they felt He was only a man. This first power in Revelation 13 commits blasphemy by claiming it can forgive people of their sins.

Here is the other meaning of blasphemy.

The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. — John 10:33

Christ was God in human flesh, but the Jews did not acknowledge this. So when Christ claimed to be one with His Father, the Jews declared that He had committed blasphemy. Thus, when a man claims to be God on earth, this is blasphemy, and the first power in Revelation claims to be God.

Can you think of a power, rising up in the area of Europe that claims it can forgive sins and claims to be God? The confessional box of the Catholic Church is known throughout the world as the place where people go to have their sins forgiven by a priest. The most heinous crimes and the most awful deeds have resulted from one individual bearing his or her innermost thoughts to another human being. The Bible says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (1 Timothy 2:5.) A Catholic priest has no more ability to forgive sins than your pet dog!

Next, consider some of the statements the papacy has made about the pope being god on earth.

The Pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God, and the Vicar of God. The Pope is of such lofty and supreme dignity that, properly speaking, he has not been established in any rank of dignity, but rather has been placed upon the very summit of all ranks of dignities.... He is likewise the divine monarch and supreme emperor and king of kings. Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as King of Heaven and of Earth and of the Lower Regions. — Lucius Ferraris, Prompta Bibliotheca, volume 6, pp. 438, 442.
For thou art the shepherd, thou art the physician, thou art the husbandman; finally, thou art another God on earth. — Christopher Marcellus’s Oration in the Fifth Lateran Council, 4th session. J. D. Mansi, Sacrorum Conciliorum...Collectio, volume 32, col. 761, translated.

The pope is the supreme judge of the law of the land.... He is the vicegerent of Christ, who is not only a Priest forever, but also King of kings and Lord of lords. — La Civilta Cattolica, March 18, 1871, quoted in Leonard Woolsey Bacon, An Inside View of the Vatican Council, American Tract Society, p. 229.

Let us consider some of the names applied to Christ in the Scriptures and see if they could possibly apply to the pope: Almighty God, Creator, Savior, Christ, Lord, Most Holy, King of kings, and Reverend. What could be more blasphemous than for a man to claim any of these titles? “And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God. . . .” (Revelation 13:6).

The above quotes are utter blasphemy. The Roman Catholic power is the first beast of Revelation 13. Revelation 13:2 tells us that “The dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” Who is the dragon that gives the papacy her power and authority?

The Bible tells us that the dragon is Satan, the devil.

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. — Revelation 12:9

The devil himself gave the papacy its power, its throne, and great authority. The devil runs the papacy. The devil is the one that leads her to destroy liberty in the earth. The devil is the one that seeks to gain homage from earth’s teeming multitudes by having them bow before the pontiff of Rome. The kind of brutal government the papacy ran through the Dark Ages is the kind the devil and the papacy promotes in the earth today. A satanic government has these characteristics:

1. It is controlled by a few; it is dictatorial.

2. It gives no freedom to its people.

3. It joins the church and the government together.

4. It persecutes anyone who does not comply.

That the papacy is the first power of Revelation 13 is beyond question. However, who is the second power of Revelation 13? We know that it rises in the Western Hemisphere and “he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon” (Verse 11). This verse indicates that the government started out lamb-like, being freedom-loving and just, but it ends up resembling a papal style or satanic government.

The Bible tells us that Christ is the Lamb.

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. — John 1:29.

And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God. — John 1:36.

Christ is the lamb of Bible prophecy. The second power of Revelation 13, that rises in the Western Hemisphere, starts out with a Christ-like government, but ends up acting like the dragon (Satan). It starts out the opposite of the papacy and ends up just like her. Since a Christ-like government is opposite of a Satanic government, then the second power would have these characteristics at its beginning:

1. It is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

2. It guarantees certain inalienable rights and freedoms, like freedom of speech, freedom of religion, etc.

3. It keeps the church and the government separate.

4. It defends its people from political and especially religious tyranny.

The second power of Revelation 13 that has these characteristics could be none other than the United States of America. She alone rose up in the Western Hemisphere and began with a lamb-like government. As we have clearly seen throughout this book, the Jesuits would be used to destroy this lamb-like government and make it papal — devilish. Revelation 13 foretold 2000 years ago that the Jesuits would be successful, for verse 11 said that America would begin with a lamb-like government, but would one day “speak as a dragon.” Jesuit infiltration in all levels and departments of the United States government is why this country becomes a tyrannical, persecuting power. America is speaking and behaving more and more like Satan every day.

Revelation 13 reveals the rise of the papacy and the United States. It portrays the characteristics of the American government in the beginning and foretells the ultimate takeover by the Jesuits. It also shows us the dictatorial power the papacy had before the great Protestant Reformation.

And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? — Revelation 13:4

During the Dark Ages, the world was worshiping at the feet of the Roman pontiff. With the rise of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation, the Bible was given to the people in their own language as the only rule of faith and practice. The Bible only was the cry of the Reformers. Over time, many thousands of people came to accept teachings found only in the Bible.

It also discloses a time when worship of the pope would once again be required of all the world on pain of death, and the United States would be the power that pushes the world to submit to the papacy.

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.

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. — Revelation 13:12,15

How will the world worship the papacy? What mark reveals papal authority in the earth? We need to find how the Scriptures define worship. How we understand and respond to this will determine our destiny as the following verse shows.

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, 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: — Revelation 14:9,10.

This is the most severe warning from God in the entire Bible. The following verses will show us the distinction between the true worship of God and false worship.

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men…. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. — Mark 7:7-9.

The Jews were given the 10 commandments in Exodus 20:2-17. Over the centuries, the Jews had corrupted the commandments with many traditions that confused the authority of the Ten Commandments. This Christ so unsparingly condemned. He declared that when the Ten Commandments are set aside and the traditions of men are set up, then that is vain worship. True worship would involve honoring all ten of the commandments.

False worship is honoring the traditions of men.

True worship is honoring the commandments of God.

In Revelation 13 and 14, we are confronted with a papal tradition that is being exalted above one of God’s commandments, and this papal tradition is the mark of papal authority in the world. Do you know of a papal tradition, that is directly contrary to one of the Ten Commandments that the papacy herself will tell us is her mark of authority in the earth? This tradition is so vile in Heaven’s eyes that if one continues to obey the papacy’s commandment while knowing full well that it is contrary to the explicit commands of God, “the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.” (Revelation 14:10).

We will now look at several statements from Catholic literature that will show conclusively the papacy’s mark of authority is in the earth.

Prove to me from the Bible alone that I am bound to keep Sunday holy. There is no such law in the Bible. It is a law of the holy Catholic Church alone. The Bible says ‘Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.’ The Catholic Church says, No. By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week. And lo! The entire civilized world bows down in reverent obedience to the command of the Holy Catholic Church. — Thomas Enright, CSSR, President, Redemptorist College (Roman Catholic), Kansas City, MO., February 18, 1884.

The observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic] church. — Monsignor Louis Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today (1868), p. 213.

If Protestants would follow the Bible, they should worship God on the Sabbath Day [Saturday]. In keeping the Sunday they are following a law of the Catholic church. — Albert Smith, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, replying for the Cardinal in a letter of February 10, 1920.

The State, in passing laws for the due sanctification of Sunday, is unwittingly acknowledging the authority of the Catholic Church, and carrying out more or less faithfully its prescriptions.

The Sunday, as a day of the week set apart for the obligatory public worship of Almighty God, to be sanctified by a suspension of all servile labor, trade, and worldly avocations and by exercises of devotion, is purely a creation of the Catholic Church. — The American Catholic Quarterly Review, January, 1883, pp. 152, 139.

Protestants... accept Sunday rather than Saturday as the day for public worship after the Catholic Church made the change.... But the Protestant mind does not seem to realize that...in observing the Sunday, they are accepting the authority of the spokesman for the church, the Pope. — Our Sunday Visitor, February 5, 1950.

It is well to remind the Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and all other Christians, that the Bible does not support them anywhere in their observance of Sunday. Sunday is an institution of the Roman Catholic Church, and those who observe the day observe a commandment of the Catholic Church. — Priest Brady, in an address, reported in the Elizabeth, N.J. “News,” March 18, 1903.

The mark of Catholic Church authority in the world is Sunday observance. This is a tradition that has no place in the Bible. It originated in Rome, and when we honor the Sunday tradition, we are paying homage to the papacy. Sunday goes directly contrary to the plain teaching of the fourth commandment, which declares

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. — Exodus 20:8-11.

The papacy tells us exactly what its MARK is.

Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change [from Saturday to Sunday] was her act. And the act is a MARK of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters. — C. F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons.

Sunday is our MARK of authority.... The church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact. — Catholic Record, September 1, 1923 (Ontario).

By their own words, they tell us that Sunday observance is the Mark of the Beast. Remember that Satan, the devil, gave the Catholic Church its power and great authority in the world. Since the papacy is doing the bidding of the devil, it is the devil who wants the world to break God’s Sabbath commandment and worship the papacy on Sunday.

Revelation 13 and current history tell us that somewhere down the road, the Jesuits will foment another terrorist attack or create some other crisis, and in its aftermath they will be able to institute their planned desire — a National Sunday Law. They have used Waco, Oklahoma City, and the World Trade Center disasters to erode away precious constitutional liberties in America. These three events were all well planned in order to condition Americans to surrender their blood-bought freedoms. This is a developing trend that will not cease until Sunday Laws are passed in this land, and then around the world. These laws will result in bloody persecution just like in the Dark Ages.

There will one day very soon be only two groups in the entire world. On one side will be the great bulk of humanity aligned with the Jesuits of the Vatican in direct rebellion against the God of the universe. The other group will be a much smaller group consisting of those who love God and keep all of His commandments. The great dividing line will be over the Ten Commandments, specifically the fourth commandment, the Sabbath commandment.

Which side will you be on? Will you embrace the papacy’s ultimate goal, Sunday observance, or will you embrace the great sign of God’s power to create and to redeem — the seventh-day Sabbath? Sunday observance, homage to the pope and to the Jesuits of the Vatican, will lead America and then the world to devastation and ruin; whereas Sabbath observance, which represents total submission to God’s commands will lead to everlasting life with the Lord Jesus Christ.

If any man worship the beast [the Catholic Church] and his image, and receive his mark [Sunday observance] in his forehead, or in his hand, 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: — Revelation 14:9, 10.

Source: http://www.pacinst.com/terrorists/chapter12/terror.html

Note:
This is from the book THE SECRET TERRORISTS by Bill Hughes.
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Army Investigating How and Why Troops Were Sent Into Alabama Town After Murder Spree

U.S. Army soldiers from Ft. Rucker patrol the downtown area of Samson, Alabama after a shooting spree March 10, 2009. (Photo: Reuters/Mark Wallheiser. Used by permission.)


Army Investigating How and Why Troops Were Sent Into Alabama Town After Murder Spree

Wednesday, March 18, 2009
By Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor

(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Army has launched an inquiry into how and why active duty troops from Fort Rucker, Ala., came to be placed on the streets of Samson, Ala., during last week's murder spree in that tiny South Alabama community. The use of the troops was a possible violation of federal law.

“On March 10, after a report of an apparent mass murder in Samson, Ala., 22 military police soldiers from Fort Rucker, Ala., along with the provost marshal, were sent to the city of Samson,” Harvey Perritt, spokesman for the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) at Fort Monroe, Va., told CNSNews.com on Monday.

“The purpose for sending the military police, the authority for doing so, and what duties they performed is the subject of an ongoing commander’s inquiry--directed by the commanding general of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Gen. Martin Dempsey.”

TRADOC is the headquarters command for Ft. Rucker.

“In addition to determining the facts, this inquiry will also determine whether law, regulation and policy were followed,” Perritt added. “Until those facts are determined, it would be inappropriate to speculate or comment further.”

Jim Stromenger, a dispatcher at the Samson Police Department, confirmed the MP’s presence in the town, telling CNSNews.com that the troops “came in to help with traffic control and to secure the crime scene”--and the department was glad for the help.

“We’ve been getting a lot of calls,” Stromenger said. “They weren’t here to police, let me make that clear. They were here to help with traffic and to control the crime scene--so people wouldn’t trample all over (it).”

Stromenger said the town needed help--calls had gone out to all police departments in the area.

“We only have a five-man police department,” he told CNSNews.com. “We had officers from all surrounding areas helping out. There were a lot of streets to be blocked off and there had to be someone physically there to block them off. That’s what these MPs were doing. I don’t think they were even armed. The troops helped keep nosy people away.”

But Stromenger said it wasn’t the Samson Police Department that called for the troops.

“I don’t know who called Fort Rucker. But someone did. They wouldn’t have been able to come if someone hadn’t,” he added.

Under Whose Authority?

The troops were apparently not deployed by the request of Alabama Gov. Bob Riley -- or by the request of President Obama, as required by law.

When contacted by CNSNews.com, the governor’s office could not confirm that the governor had requested help from the Army, and Gov. Riley's spokesman, Todd Stacy, expressed surprise when he was told that troops had been sent to the town.

No request from President Obama, meanwhile, was issued by the White House--or the Defense Department.

Wrongful use of federal troops inside U.S. borders is a violation of several federal laws, including one known as the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, Title 18, Section 1385 of the U.S. Code.

“Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both,” the law states.

David Rittgers, legal policy analyst at the Cato Institute, said there are other laws barring use of federal troops outside of federal property, as well.

“Title 18, Section 375 of the U.S. Code is a direct restriction on military personnel, and it basically precludes any member of the army in participating in a ‘search, seizure, arrest or other similar activity, unless participation is otherwise authorized by law,’ “ Rittgers told CNSNews.com.

“The security of a crime scene is something I think that would roll up in the category of a ‘search, seizure or other activity,’” Rittgers added.

In addition, there is the Insurrection Act of 1808, as amended in 2007, (Title 10, Section 331 of the U.S. Code) under which the president can authorize troops “to restore order and enforce the laws of the United States” in an insurrection.

“Whenever there is an insurrection in any State against its government, the President may, upon the request of its legislature or of its governor if the legislature cannot be convened, call into federal service such of the militia of the other States, in the number requested by that State, and use such of the armed forces, as he considers necessary to suppress the insurrection,” the law states.

In 2007, Congress expanded the list to include “natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or other condition” as situations for which the president can authorize troops, provided that “domestic violence has occurred to such an extent that the constituted authorities of the state or possession are incapable of maintaining public order.”

Congress has been clear that the use of U.S. troops for civilian police purposes is forbidden.

“One of the statutes explicitly says that military brigs can’t even be used to detain domestic criminals,” Rittgers said. “It really is supposed to be a black and white line.”

The U.S. Department of Justice, meanwhile, would have prosecuting authority, if any violation is deemed to have occurred. The Justice Department did not comment for this story.

Ft. Rucker, located in Southern Alabama, is the home of Army Aviation.
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Source: http://www.cnsnews.com/public/Content/Article.aspx?rsrcid=45206
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U.S. Constitution: First Amendment (Sunday Closing Laws)


Sunday Closing Laws .--The history of Sunday Closing Laws goes back into United States colonial history and far back into English history. 144 Commonly, the laws require the observance of the Christian Sabbath as a day of rest, although in recent years they have tended to become honeycombed with exceptions. The Supreme Court rejected an Establishment Clause challenge to Sunday Closing Laws in McGowan v. Maryland. 145 The Court acknowledged that historically the laws had a religious motivation and were designed to effectuate concepts of Christian theology. However, ''[i]n light of the evolution of our Sunday Closing Laws through the centuries, and of their more or less recent emphasis upon secular considerations, it is not difficult to discern that as presently written and administered, most of them, at least, are of a secular rather than of a religious character, and that presently they bear no relationship to establishment of religion. . . .'' 146 ''[T]he fact that this [prescribed day of rest] is Sunday, a day of particular significance for the dominant Christian sects, does not bar the State from achieving its secular goals. To say that the States cannot prescribe Sunday as a day of rest for these purposes solely because centuries ago such laws had their genesis in religion would give a constitutional interpretation of hostility to the public welfare rather than one of mere separation of church and State.'' 147 The choice of Sunday as the day of rest, while originally religious, now reflected simple legislative inertia or recognition that Sunday was a traditional day for the choice. 148 Valid secular reasons existed for not simply requiring one day of rest and leaving to each individual to choose the day, reasons of ease of enforcement and of assuring a common day in the community for rest and leisure. 149 More recently, a state statute mandating that employers honor the Sabbath day of the employee's choice was held invalid as having the primary effect of promoting religion by weighing the employee's Sabbath choice over all other interests. 150

Footnotes
[Footnote 144] The history is recited at length in the opinion of the Court in McGowan v. Maryland, 366 U.S. 420, 431 -40 (1961), and in Justice Frankfurter's concurrence. Id. at 459, 470-551 and appendix.
[Footnote 145] 366 U.S. 420 (1961). Decision on the establishment question in this case also controlled the similar decision on that question in Two Guys from Harrison-Allentown v. McGinley, 366 U.S. 582 (1961), Braunfeld v. Brown, 366 U.S. 599 (1961), and Gallagher v. Crown Kosher Super Market, 366 U.S. 617 (1961). On free exercise in these cases, see infra, pp.1011-12.
[Footnote 146] McGowan v. Maryland, 366 U.S. 420, 444 (1961).
[Footnote 147] Id. at 445.
[Footnote 148] Id. at 449-52.
[Footnote 149] Id. Justice Frankfurter, with whom Justice Harlan concurred, arrived at the same conclusions by a route that did not require approval of Everson v. Board of Education, from which he had dissented.
[Footnote 150] Estate of Thornton v. Caldor, Inc., 472 U.S. 703 (1985).

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Note: This is an excerpt of a long legal annotation..... Arsenio.
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A Standard you can Trust


Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Eph. 6:11.


At every revival of God's work, the prince of evil is aroused to more intense activity; he is now putting forth his utmost efforts for a final struggle against Christ and His followers. The last great delusion is soon to open before us. Antichrist is to perform his marvelous works in our sight. So closely will the counterfeit resemble the true, that it will be impossible to distinguish between them except by the Holy Scriptures. By their testimony.


None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict. To every soul will come the searching test: Shall I obey God rather than men? The decisive hour is even now at hand. Are our feet planted on the rock of God's immutable word? Are we prepared to stand firm in defense of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus? . . .


It is the first and highest duty of every rational being to learn from the Scriptures what is truth, and then to walk in the light, and encourage others to follow his example. We should day by day study the Bible diligently, weighing every thought, and comparing scripture with scripture. With divine help we are to form our opinions for ourselves as we are to answer for ourselves before God. . . .


Jesus promised His disciples: "The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:26. But the teachings of Christ must previously have been stored in the mind, in order for the Spirit of God to bring them to our remembrance in the time of peril. . . .


When the testing time shall come, those who have made God's word their rule of life will be revealed. . . . Let persecution be kindled, and the halfhearted and hypocritical will waver and yield the faith; but the true Christian will stand firm as a rock, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, than in days of prosperity.
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Maranatha, E.G. White, p.94.
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Warning to the Shepherds (Pastors)


Ezekiel 34

1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

3Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.

4The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.

5And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.

6My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

7Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

8As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;

9Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

10Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.

11For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.

12As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

13And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

14I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.

15I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.

16I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

17And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.

18Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?

19And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.

20Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.

21Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;

22Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.

23And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

24And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.

25And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.

26And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.

27And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.

28And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.

29And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.

30Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD.

31And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.

Friday, March 27, 2009

A Shelter in the time of storm


The Lord’s our Rock, in Him we hide,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
Secure whatever ill betide,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

Refrain

Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A weary land, a weary land;
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

A shade by day, defense by night,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
No fears alarm, no foes afright,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

Refrain

The raging storms may round us beat,
A Shelter in the time of storm
We’ll never leave our safe retreat,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

Refrain

O Rock divine, O Refuge dear,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
Be Thou our Helper ever near,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

Refrain


Words: Ve­rnon J. Charles­worth, cir­ca 1880.

Music: Ira D. Sank­ey, cir­ca 1885


the seven last plagues


Chapter 17

THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES

Let us now consider more of the details of the last days. Since we have all broken the law of God, we are all guilty of sin and deserving of death. We are all, therefore, on probation in this life. One day soon, however, probation will close, and those who have not responded to the message of truth at that time will be forever lost to suffer their own penalty for sin, which, of course, is death. From the time probation closes, the righteous will remain righteous, and the wicked will remain wicked. There will be no one converted to the truth once probation closes. Revelation 22:11,12 tells us that after probation closes, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

Christ is waiting for His 144,000 perfect people, symbolized in the parable of the wheat and the tares by the ripened wheat. The wicked at this time are also ripening — into perfect wickedness, so that the world will be completely polarized. When this polarization occurs, probation closes and the events of the final year of earth’s history are initiated.

What event marks the close of probation? None! The people of earth will not realize that probation has closed — until the first of the seven last plagues occurs. Shortly after probation closes, the seven last plagues begin on the earth. This is the time of trouble, described in Daniel 12:1, such as was not since there was a nation. “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”

When severe trouble comes, people who never give the Lord a thought when times are good turn to God for help, but during this time of overwhelming trouble they will be unable to find the Word of the Lord, as Amos 8:11,12 says. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.”

Let us now investigate the seven last plagues, which begin shortly after probation closes. Revelation 15:1-8 gives a prelude to the plagues.

Verse 1. And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

2. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

3. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

4. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

5. And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:

6. And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

7. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

8. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Verses 1 through 4 describe the righteous praising God. The righteous make it plain that God is not to be held responsible for the calamity of the seven last plagues, for they emphasize in verse 3 that “just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.” This shows that God is not directly responsible for the seven last plagues. He, of course, could prevent the plagues from happening, but He must allow the plagues to fall in order to finish this drama of earth.

Satan, you will remember, wants to be God. He has his own ideas as to how the universe should be run, and he has accused God of all kinds of injustice in an effort to discredit God. Up until probation closes, God overrules Satan’s operation, not permitting the full results of evil to become apparent. During the seven last plagues, however, God completely removes His influence and His Holy Spirit from the earth and allows Satan and the wicked complete freedom to do as they will. This is symbolized in Revelation 15:8 by the temple’s being filled with smoke so that no one could enter. God completely withdraws Himself during the seven last plagues and lets things happen as they will.

Satan wants to be God. Now he has his opportunity without any restriction from God at all. The results are total chaos. Satan cannot hold things together, and the seven last plagues are the result. Even he did not realize the mighty power of God to keep all nature under control. You will remember that Colossians 1:17 tells us that it is God who holds all things together. “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist (hold together).”

With the understanding that God does not cause the seven last plagues — He only permits them to happen — let us read the entire sixteenth chapter of Revelation, which describes these plagues. Revelation 16:1-21:

Verse 1. And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

2. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

3. And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

4. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters: and they became blood.

5. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.

6. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

7. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

8. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.

9. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

10. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,

11. And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

12. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

13. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

14. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

16. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

17. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

18. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

19. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

20. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

21. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

The first plague, described in verse 2, is ulcerous, cancerous sores all over the bodies of the wicked. The New International translation says “ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.” Notice how this verse emphasizes the fact that those who have the mark of the beast will be afflicted with these sores. God’s true people, the 144,000, do not, of course, receive the sores.

The second plague, described in verse three, is a sea of blood, which kills every living thing in the sea. The wicked are enraged at this time because of the sores and because of the bloody sea. They blame the righteous for these plagues, saying that if they could rid the earth of the Sabbath-keepers, these plagues would be abated. There is, therefore, a death decree, mentioned in Revelation 13:15, issued for the extermination of all those who will not fall into line and observe Sunday instead of God’s Sabbath day. This action on the part of the wicked is reminiscent of the time nearly two thousand years ago when the rulers proclaimed that one man, Christ, should perish rather than the whole nation.

The third plague is that all the fresh water is turned into blood. Imagine having the discomfort of the sores and having to drink blood to quench your thirst. This plague further enrages the wicked against the righteous.

The fourth plague, found in verse 8, is that the sun increases its energy output, and the temperature of the earth drastically increases, thus aggravating the pain and misery which the wicked suffer at this time when they are covered with boils and have no water to drink. This intense heat, of course, will cause a severe drought and famine, and the water which is blood will by this time undoubtedly emit an unbearable stench. Still the wicked blaspheme God and blame His people for their predicament.

The fifth plague is a darkening of the earth in rapid succession after the burning heat of the sun. The sun now decreases its energy output. Darkness, bitter cold, and misery follow. “And they gnawed their tongues for pain. And blasphemed the God of heaven. . . .”

The sixth plague is the drying up of the waters of the Euphrates River in preparation for the kings of the east. In order to understand this symbol we need to review the historical account of the drying up of the Euphrates River, which the Medo-Persian army used as a means to defeat the ancient city of Babylon. The river Euphrates flowed through the center of ancient Babylon. Before their attack on Babylon, the army of Medo-Persia diverted the river. They marched into the city over the empty river bottom, and Babylon was defeated. This sixth plague is a reference to the fall of ancient Babylon. The drying up of the waters symbolizes the preparation for the defeat of modern Babylon and the return of the Lord.

In ancient Babylon the people were having a drunken orgy, as described in Daniel chapter five, when the city fell to the Medes and Persians. The people of Babylon were unaware of what was happening. In fact, they were even so careless as to leave the gates across the river open, and the city fell quite easily to the invading army. Likewise modern Babylon, the vast collection of false churches and religions, is totally unaware of its impending doom. In its stupor, drunken on the wine of Babylon, it persecutes God’s true people mercilessly. The kings of the east mentioned in this verse represent Christ and those who accompany Him on His return to earth. Christ and all the holy angels will first appear as a small cloud in the east upon their arrival at earth.

Satan knows that his time is getting very short and that things are out of control. He must do something to try to turn the tide of his defeat. He sees the 144,000 whom he has not been able to swerve from their perfect allegiance to God. He must force these people to break God’s law, for his life depends on it. It is time for his most overpowering deception: his masquerading again as Christ. He first appeared as Christ to put his counterfeit power and authority behind the Sunday law before probation closed. In all his glory, he will again appear to the inhabitants of earth in his last-ditch effort to make the 144,000 believe that he is Christ and thereby cause them to sin. He must appear at this time in order to be a credible counterfeit, for this is the time the 144,000 are expecting the Lord to return. Because God’s true people know that Satan will masquerade as Christ, Satan’s appearance before probation closes satisfies their expectation that he will do this and tends to make them more susceptible to his overpowering deception in these final hours.

Have you any idea of the tremendous power these events will have to cause the 144,000 to believe that Satan is Christ? This is the reason for Revelation 16:15, “Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” In this verse Jesus gives His righteous people a gentle warning against Satan’s overpowering deception when he masquerades as Christ. It is also a word of encouragement to God’s people. The deception will be almost overwhelming; but God’s people trust in Him and believe His Word, and by His grace they are able to remain steadfast.

Satan will also be the major instigator of the battle of the great day of God Almighty. “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” (Verses 13 and 14) The three frogs symbolize lying propaganda which comes from Satan, the papacy, and the great Protestant ecumenical alliance, which had caused the United States to pass the national Sunday law. All three of these proclaim with a loud voice the lying propaganda which goes forth to the nations of earth to prepare them for the battle of that great day of God Almighty, when the entire earth, with the exception of the 144,000, will be arrayed against the returning Lord.

Let us review some of the details of this “battle of the great day of God Almighty.” We saw in chapter 5 that this is NOT the battle of Armageddon. What is this propaganda that these three put out, and how does it prepare the wicked for Christ’s return? Let us review what we learned in chapter 5.

For some time now publications and the news media have been talking about a large asteroid hitting the earth and the catastrophic damage it will cause. Thousands of articles have been written and movies have been made on this subject. Asteroids are millions of rocks in orbit around the Sun generally between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. They range in size from small boulders to hundreds of miles in diameter. The largest asteroid is about 600 miles in diameter. The impact speed of an asteroid as it hits the earth could be more than 30 thousand miles per hour. If a large asteroid hit the earth it would cause catastrophic damage. The cover of the April, 1997 issue of Popular Science magazine has a dramatic, full-color picture of a large asteroid heading straight for the earth. The headlines say, “Asteroid Hit, Planet Earth Will Be Hit by an Asteroid or Comet.” The dinosaurs were destroyed during Noah’s flood, but scientists are claiming that a large asteroid that hit the earth was responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs.



Thus the devil is trying to convince people that the earth is in danger of being destroyed by an asteroid. Why do you suppose he is doing this? We saw earlier that when Christ returns the people will see a small cloud in the east. As Christ gets closer to the earth, the cloud will appear larger and larger. Satan will convince people that this cloud is an asteroid that is headed for the earth, and in order to save the earth we will have to fire nuclear missiles at it in an attempt to break it up into smaller fragments before it gets too close. This is the battle of the great day of God Almighty. Christ will be welcomed with a barrage of nuclear missiles.

Let us review what we learned about Armageddon in chapter 5. Armageddon is generally thought to be this great final battle on earth. It is also generally thought to be a conflict between armies on the earth, between east and west. Verse 16 says, “He gathered them together into a place called . . . Armageddon.” The word “Armageddon” is thought to mean Mount Meggido, but there was never a mountain called by this name. No geographical location was ever known by the name Armageddon. This place called Armageddon, therefore, must be symbolic. A careful study of verses 14 through 16 will show the meaning of this term clearly. Verse 14 mentions the battle of the great day of God Almighty. Verse 15 next refers to the righteous. In verse 15 Christ personally gives His people a gentle warning to be on their guard when Satan masquerades as Christ. Verse 16, then, which mentions Armageddon, refers not to the battle of verse 14 but to Christ and the righteous of verse 15. The meaning of verse 16 becomes clear when one realizes who the personal pronouns refer to in this verse. Let us read verse 16 and indicate the proper meaning of these pronouns: “And he (Christ, who spoke in the previous verse) gathered them (the righteous of the previous verse) together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”

Armageddon, therefore, are the places all over the world where the righteous are gathered to escape the wrath of the wicked and to wait for the return of the Lord. As the persecution over Sunday observance versus Sabbath keeping increases to fearful intensity, the righteous escape to the hills and to the mountains, where they find refuge among the munitions of rocks, as Isaiah 33:15-17 says. “He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.” The land that is very far off is, of course, heaven.

Armageddon does not refer to a specific place, but to the hills and mountains and other secluded places all over the world where the righteous gather in small companies to escape the wrath of the wicked and to wait for the return of the Lord. This is why, search as they will, scholars cannot find the specific place called Armageddon.

During the seven last plagues the righteous are cared for in a very special way, as Isaiah 33:16 shows. The wicked have blood to drink, but the righteous will have both bread and water. Just as God fed the Israelites of old with manna and supplied them with water as they wandered in the wilderness of Sinai for forty years, so He will supply manna and water for His 144,000 during the time of the plagues.

Christ, with all His holy angels, returns to the earth immediately before the seventh plague to gather the righteous, both living and dead, and takes them off the earth before the destruction of the wicked at the seventh plague. During the seventh plague the wicked are all slain and the entire surface of the earth and all the works in the earth are completely broken up by the world-wide earthquake and the huge hailstones. This was described in detail in Chapter Five, The Grand Finale. Notice verse 19: “And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.” Babylon is divided into three parts. These are the same three parts mentioned in Revelation 16:13 as the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. These three parts are (1) Spiritualism (devil worship through the occult), (2) Catholicism, and (3) the great Protestant ecumenical alliance.

Ezekiel 33:11 says: “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?” Probation could close any day. For those who have died, probation closed at the time of death. None of us knows how long his life will last.

For us to miss eternity in God’s new earth would be tragic. Nothing in this world is worth it. To be ready when the Lord returns is worth any sacrifice we might have to make.

“And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” (Revelation 22:6,7).
BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Josiah Litch, The Probability of the Second Coming ofChrist About A.D. 1843, Boston, David H. Ela, 1838.

2. Rene Noorbergen, Secrets of the Lost Races, BobbsMerrillCompany, Inc., Indianapolis-New York, 1977.

3. Rene Noorbergen, The Ark File, Pacific Press PublishingAssn., Mountain View, CA, 1974, pp. 83-87.

4. Ellen G. White, Early Writings, Review and HeraldPublishing Assn., Washington, D.C., p. 169.

5. Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, Pacific PressPublishing Assn., Mountain View, CA, 1950, p. 678.

6. U.S. News and World Report, May 29, 1972, p. 29.

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Toxic Assets


Jesus, the Father, and the Comforter.


John 14

1Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

2In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

4And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

5Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

7If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

8Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

9Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?

10Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

11Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

12Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

13And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

15If ye love me, keep my commandments.

16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

18I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

19Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

20At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

21He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

22Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?

23Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

24He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

25These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.

26But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

27Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

28Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

29And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.

30Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.

31But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Alaska volcano erupts twice, spews ash 12 miles up

By Al Grillo, AP
Before Thursday's eruptions the volcano had been relatively quiet for more than a day.

ANCHORAGE (AP) — Alaska's Mount Redoubt erupted several times Thursday, spewing a more than 12-mile-high cloud that could drop ash on Anchorage for the first time since the volcano began erupting Sunday night.


The Alaska Volcano Observatory said the first eruption about 8:30 a.m. shot an ash cloud about 30,000 feet in the air, and the second eruption about an hour later sent ash 65,000 feet high — the highest cloud since the eruptions began. The larger eruption caused a mud flow into the Drift River near the base of the volcano.

Officials said there were 5 to 10 smaller eruptions later, but none of the plumes went above 20,000 feet.

Before Thursday's eruptions the volcano had been relatively quiet for more than a day.

"We can have these large explosions pretty much any time," said Stephanie Prejean, an observatory seismologist. "We don't know how long this will continue."

When Redoubt last erupted 20 years ago, it went on for four months.

According to the National Weather Service, prevailing winds are expected to carry ash from the larger eruption east across Cook Inlet toward some of Alaska's larger communities. An ash fall advisory for the western Kenai Peninsula covers the towns of Kenai, Soldotna and Cooper Landing.

Anchorage spokeswoman Jenny Evans said the state's largest city, roughly 100 miles northeast of the volcano, could see trace amounts of ash.

The smaller cloud Thursday afternoon dropped ash on Homer, a tourist and fishing town at the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula.

Juxia Scarpitta, owner of Halcyon Heights Bed and Breakfast in Homer, said the ash had obliterated her view of the bay. It was turning the snow into what looked like a carpet covered with gray dots.

"It is falling pretty fast," she said. "Right now you see snowflakes, falling all over. I think they are ash."

Ash poses a significant threat to aircraft engines, and a small carrier, Era Aviation, canceled four flights as of midday. Alaska Airlines canceled all flights to and from Anchorage until sunrise Friday.

Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage also moved six planes north to Eielson Air Force, near Fairbanks, and two to McChord Air Force Base near Tacoma, Washington, as a precaution. All other planes at Elmendorf have been placed in shelters.

The National Weather Service also issued a flash flood warning for the Drift River, near the volcano. Eruptions can cause snow and ice to melt on the mountain, resulting in flooding along the river that drains from the mountain.

Research geologists with the U.S. Geological Survey have said a lot of snow and ice remains on the mountain, increasing the danger from mud flows that already have downed hundreds of trees and carved a huge gouge out of a glacier.

The mud flows also have littered the airport at the Drift River Terminal, a Chevron-operated facility that has been shut down but still has 6.2 million gallons of crude stored in two tanks. Until the airport runway is cleared, it is unusable.

Eleven employees were evacuated from the terminal Monday. An attempt to reach the terminal by helicopter on Wednesday was unsuccessful, but previous flights indicated that the oil storage tanks were not damaged and surrounding berms and dikes to contain any spilled oil were also Oklahoma.

Prejean said there is no monitoring equipment at the terminal and it was not known if the mud flow produced Thursday reached the oil storage facility.

Since the first series of eruption Sunday night and early Monday morning, the volcano has had several smaller bursts with most ash falling on sparsely populated areas northwest of Anchorage. Some people in more populated areas were nervous about getting a dusting from Thursday's eruptions.

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Kinder calls for Public Safety Director to be placed on administrative leave


Kinder calls for Public Safety Director to be placed on administrative leave

Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 11:18 AM
By Steve Walsh

A controversial report from the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) is getting a lot of attention at the State Capitol and has prompted Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder (R-MO) to ask that Missouri Public Safety Director John Britt be placed on administrative leave. MIAC works with the Department of Homeland Security.

The February 20th report indicates supporters of such things as smaller government and crackdowns on illegal immigration, as well as backers of 2008 presidential candidates Ron Paul, Bob Barr, and Chuck Baldwin have tendencies to join militias.

Reaction throughout Missouri and parts of the country has prompted Britt to apologize to former White House candidates Paul, Barr, and Baldwin. In issuing that apology, Britt stated he had not read the report prior to it being issued.

Kinder is now calling for Britt to be placed on administrative leave until what Kinder calls allegations of profiling can be fully investigated. Kinder points out that while conservative and libertarian groups are targeted, liberal groups that include eco-terrorists who have killed and maimed, are given a pass.

The Lieutenant Governor would like to see the probe conducted by the General Assembly, with a legislative committee calling Britt to testify
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Preparing for Civil Unrest in America


Legislation to Establish Internment Camps on US Military Bases
by Michel Chossudovsky


The Economic and Social Crisis

The financial meltdown has unleashed a latent and emergent social crisis across the United States.

What is at stake is the fraudulent confiscation of lifelong savings and pension funds, the appropriation of tax revenues to finance the trillion dollar "bank bailouts", which ultimately serve to line the pockets of the richest people in America.

This economic crisis is in large part the result of financial manipulation and outright fraud to the detriment of entire populations, leading to a renewed wave of corporate bankruptcies, mass unemployment and poverty.

The criminalization of the global financial system, characterized by a "Shadow Banking" network has resulted in the centralization of bank power and an unprecedented concentration of private wealth.

Obama's "economic stimulus" package and budget proposals contribute to a further process of concentration and centralization of bank power, the cumulative effects of which will eventually resul in large scale corporate, bankruptcies, a new wave of foreclosures not to mention fiscal collapse and the downfall of State social programs. (For further details see Michel Chossudovsky, America's Fiscal Collapse, Global Research, March 2, 2009).

The cumulative decline of real economic activity backlashes on employment and wages, which in turn leads to a collapse in purchaisng power. The proposed "solution" under the Obama administration contributes to exacerbating rather than alleviating social inequalities and the process of wealth concentration.

The Protest Movement

When people across America, whose lives have been shattered and destroyed, come to realize the true face of the global "free market" system, the legitimacy of Wall Street, the Federal Reserve and the US administration will be challenged.

A latent protest movement directed against the seat of economic and political power is unfolding.

How this process will occur is hard to predict. All sectors of American society are potentially affected: wage earners, small, medium and even large businesses, farmers, professionals, federal, State and municipal employees, students, teachers, health workers, and unemployed. Protests will initially emerge from these various sectors. There is, however, at this stage, no organized national resistance movement directed against the administration's economic and financial agenda.

Obama's populist rhetoric conceals the true nature of macro-economic policy. Acting on behalf of Wall Street, the administration's economic package, which includes close to a trillion dollar "aid" package for the financial services industry, coupled with massive austerity measures, contributes to precipitating America into a bottomless crisis.

"Orwellian Solution" to the Great Depression: Curbing Civil Unrest

At this particular juncture, there is no economic recovery program in sight. The Washington-Wall Street consensus prevails. There are no policies, no alternatives formulated from within the political and economic system. .

What is the way out? How will the US government face an impending social catastrophe?

The solution is to curb social unrest. The chosen avenue, inherited from the outgoing Bush administration is the reinforcement of the Homeland Security apparatus and the militarization of civilian State institutions.

The outgoing administration has laid the groundwork. Various pieces of "anti-terrorist" legislation (including the Patriot Acts) and presidential directives have been put in place since 2001, largely using the pretext of the "Global War on Terrorism."

Homeland Security's Internment Camps

Directly related to the issue of curbing social unrest, cohesive system of detention camps is also envisaged, under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon.

A bill entitled the National Emergency Centers Establishment Act (HR 645) was introduced in the US Congress in January. It calls for the establishment of six national emergency centers in major regions in the US to be located on existing military installations. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-645

The stated purpose of the "national emergency centers" is to provide "temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster." In actuality, what we are dealing with are FEMA internment camps. HR 645 states that the camps can be used to "meet other appropriate needs, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security."

There has been virtually no press coverage of HR 645.

These "civilian facilities" on US military bases are to be established in cooperation with the US Military. Modeled on Guantanamo, what we are dealing with is the militarization of FEMA internment facilities.

Once a person is arrested and interned in a FEMA camp located on a military base, that person would in all likelihood, under a national emergency, fall under the de facto jurisdiction of the Military: civilian justice and law enforcement including habeas corpus would no longer apply.

HR 645 bears a direct relationship to the economic crisis and the likelihood of mass protests across America. It constitutes a further move to militarize civilian law enforcement, repealing the Posse Comitatus Act.

In the words of Rep. Ron Paul:

"...the fusion centers, militarized police, surveillance cameras and a domestic military command is not enough... Even though we know that detention facilities are already in place, they now want to legalize the construction of FEMA camps on military installations using the ever popular excuse that the facilities are for the purposes of a national emergency. With the phony debt-based economy getting worse and worse by the day, the possibility of civil unrest is becoming a greater threat to the establishment. One need only look at Iceland, Greece and other nations for what might happen in the United States next." (Daily Paul, September 2008, emphasis added)

The proposed internment camps should be seen in relation to the broader process of militarization of civilian institutions. The construction of internment camps predates the introduction of HR 645 (Establishment of Emergency Centers) in January 2009. There are, according to various (unconfirmed) reports, some 800 FEMA prison camps in different regions of the U.S. Moreover, since the 1980s, the US military has developed "tactics, techniques and procedures" to suppress civilian dissent, to be used in the eventuality of mass protests (United States Army Field Manual 19-15 under Operation Garden Plot, entitled "Civil Disturbances" was issued in 1985)

In early 2006, tax revenues were allocated to building modern internment camp facilities. In January 2006, Kellogg Brown and Roots, which at the time was a subsidiary of Halliburton, received a $385 million contract from the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE):

"The contract, which is effective immediately [January 2006], provides for establishing temporary detention and processing capabilities to augment existing ICE Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) Program facilities in the event of an emergency influx of immigrants into the U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs...

The contract may also provide migrant detention support to other U.S. Government organizations in the event of an immigration emergency, as well as the development of a plan to react to a national emergency, such as a natural disaster. (KBR, 24 January 2006, emphasis added)

The stated objectives of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are to:

"protect national security and uphold public safety by targeting criminal networks and terrorist organizations that seek to exploit vulnerabilities in our immigration system, in our financial networks, along our border, at federal facilities and elsewhere in order to do harm to the United States. The end result is a safer, more secure America" (ICE homepage)

The US media is mum on the issue of the internment camps on US soil. While casually acknowledging the multimillion dollar contract granted to Halliburton's subsidiary, the news reports largely focused their attention on possible "cost overruns" (similar to those which occurred with KBR in Iraq).

What is the political intent and purpose of these camps? The potential use of these internment facilities to detain American citizens under a martial law situation are not an object of media debate or discussion.

Combat Units Assigned to the Homeland

In the last months of the Bush administration, prior to the November 2008 presidential elections, the Department of Defense ordered the recall of the 3rd Infantry’s 1st Brigade Combat Team from Iraq. The relocation of a combat unit from the war theater to domestic front is an integral part of the Homeland Security agenda. The BCT was assigned to assist in law enforcement activities within the US.

The BCT combat unit was attached to US Army North, the Army's component of US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). The 1st BCT and other combat units would be called upon to perform specific military functions in the case of civil unrest:

The 1st BCT’s soldiers also will learn how to use “the first ever nonlethal package that the Army has fielded,” 1st BCT commander Col. Roger Cloutier said, referring to crowd and traffic control equipment and nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them.(

(See Gina Cavallaro, Brigade homeland tours start Oct. 1, Army Times, September 8, 2008).

Under the proposed withdrawal of US forces from Iraq under the Obama administration, one expects that other combat units will be brought home from the war theater and reassigned in the United States.

The evolving national security scenario is characterized by a mesh of civilian and military institutions:

-Army combat units working with civilian law enforcement, with the stated mission to curb "social unrest".

- the establishment of new internment camps under civilian jurisdiction located on US military facilities.

The FEMA internment camps are part of the Continuity of Government (COG), which would be put in place in the case of martial law.

The internment camps are intended to "protect the government" against its citizens, by locking up protesters as well as political activists who might challenge the legitimacy of the Administration's national security, economic or military agenda.

Spying on Americans: The Big Brother Data Bank

Related to the issue of internment and mass protests, how will data on American citizens be collected?

How will individuals across America be categorized?

What are the criteria of the Department of Homeland Security?

In a 2004 report of the Homeland Security Council entitled Planning Scenarios, pertaining to the defense of the Homeland, the following categories of potential "conspirators" were identified:

"foreign [Islamic] terrorists" ,

"domestic radical groups", [antiwar and civil rights groups]

"state sponsored adversaries" ["rogue states", "unstable nations"]

"disgruntled employees" [labor and union activists].

In June of last year, the Bush administration issued a National Security Presidential Directive (NSPD 59- HSPD 24) entitled Biometrics for Identification and Screening to Enhance National Security (For Further details see Michel Chossudovsky, "Big Brother" Presidential Directive: "Biometrics for Identification and Screening to Enhance National Security", Global Research, June 2008)

Adopted without public debate or Congressional approval, its relevant procedures are far-reaching. They are related to the issue of civil unrest. They are also part of the logic behind the establishment of FEMA internment camps under HR 645. .

NSPD 59 (Biometrics for Identification and Screening to Enhance National Security) goes far beyond the narrow issue of biometric identification, it recommends the collection and storage of "associated biographic" information, meaning information on the private lives of US citizens, in minute detail, all of which will be "accomplished within the law":

"The contextual data that accompanies biometric data includes information on date and place of birth, citizenship, current address and address history, current employment and employment history, current phone numbers and phone number history, use of government services and tax filings. Other contextual data may include bank account and credit card histories, plus criminal database records on a local, state and federal level. The database also could include legal judgments or other public records documenting involvement in legal disputes, child custody records and marriage or divorce records."(See Jerome Corsi, June 2008)

The directive uses 9/11 and the "Global War on Terrorism" as an all encompassing justification to wage a witch hunt against dissenting citizens, establishing at the same time an atmosphere of fear and intimidation across the land.

It also calls for the integration of various data banks as well as inter-agency cooperation in the sharing of information, with a view to eventually centralizing the information on American citizens.

In a carefully worded text, NSPD 59 "establishes a framework" to enable the Federal government and its various police and intelligence agencies to:

"use mutually compatible methods and procedures in the collection, storage, use, analysis, and sharing of biometric and associated biographic and contextual information of individuals in a lawful and appropriate manner, while respecting their information privacy and other legal rights under United States law."

The NSPD 59 Directive recommends: "actions and associated timelines for enhancing the existing terrorist-oriented identification and screening processes by expanding the use of biometrics".

The procedures under NSPD 59 are consistent with an earlier June 2005 decision which consisted in creating a "domestic spy service", under the auspices of the FBI. (For further details see Michel Chossudovsky, Bush Administration creates "Secret State Police", June 30, 2005)

Working hand in glove with Homeland Security (DHS), the proposed "domestic intelligence department" would combine FBI counterterrorism, intelligence and espionage operations into a single service.

The new department operating under the auspices of the FBI would have the authority to "seize the property of people deemed to be helping the spread of WMD": They would be able to "spy on people in America suspected of terrorism or having critical intelligence information, even if they are not suspected of committing a crime." (NBC Tonight, 29 June 2005).\
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Source:http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=CHO20090318&articleId=12793
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P.S. Text of H.R. 645: National Emergency Centers Establishment Act:

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Why I Do Not Argue with People


Why I Do Not Argue with People

by David J. Stewart

Sharing the gospel with someone is essential, but arguing and debating with them certainly is not. Constructive conversation is good. For two people to try to understand one another through conversation is good. However, arguing about the truth is not good and neither is it necessary. The truth (Jesus and His Word) stand alone regardless of whether a heretic thinks they get the last word or not! The truth STILL stands! If I spent all my time defending what I believe, I wouldn’t have time to do anything else! Either people want to do the right thing or they don’t. I began this website by God’s grace to get the truth out, NOT to argue or debate the truth. Though some people will always want to debate, I thank God for the many truth-hungry people who have been helped through this website.

The same sun that melts the wax hardens the clay.

All you can do is share the gospel with someone, whether they want to get saved or not is between them and God. The apostle Paul advises us to witness to someone twice.

“A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.” -Titus 3:10,11

The apostle Paul wasn’t saying that we should give up on people, he is simply saying that we should make good use of our soul winning efforts. Some people love to argue and will waste all our time. Why should we spend time arguing with someone who just wants to argue when there is a world of lost sinners out there who haven’t even heard the gospel one time?

By the way, if you are a Christian actively doing something for Christ, expect persecution

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” -2nd Timothy 3:12

Don’t be surprised when it comes. The Bible says that all who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Not “maybe” but “shall”. In sharing Christ on the world wide web, I get all kinds of folks coming here from all different religions and backgrounds. I get Satanists and evolutionists, Catholics and atheists, some nice and some not so nice. Unfortunately, many of them want to argue with me. I get many evolutionists that want to argue, I simply won’t do it. I do try to respond to the questions of any nice person who writes me. If someone is calling me names and cursing me, I never respond. I just don’t want to argue. Often I’ll just send them a Bible verse or two. Let them argue with God. We are commanded not to argue with belligerent people and I’ve learned the hard way to obey these commandments. Striving with people will certainly eat you “as doth a canker” as the Scripture saith. Here are just a few scriptures:

“strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers” -II Timothy 2:14


“But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker…” -2nd Timothy 2:16-17


“But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.” -2nd Timothy 2:23


“Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.” (Proverbs 26:4-5)


You need to use wisdom to know when to ignore a fool and when to answer a fool. Let the heathen argue with the heathen, because we born-again believers need to preach the gospel to the world. If someone doesn’t want to get saved, you can’t make them. Just remember that arguing generates more heat than light (i.e. heated emotions instead of truth). Listen to the somber words of the Apostle Paul…

“If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.” -1st Corinthians 16:22


The word “anathema” means “let him be cursed.” The word “Maranatha” means “the Lord is coming.” The Apostle Paul is simply saying that if a person doesn’t want to get saved, then they are digging their own grave because judgment day is coming. Life is short friend!