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
Friday, May 15, 2009
MEN IN RESPONSIBLE POSITIONS WILL TAKE A COURSE DIRECTLY Opposite to that pursued by Nehemiah
Thoughts on The Wilkerson Warning
For Seventh-day Adventists these words sound familiar. We were warned long ago about calamities coming to the cities:
"I am bidden to declare the message that cities full of transgression, and sinful in the extreme, will be destroyed by earthquakes, by fire, by flood. All the world will be warned that there is a God who will display His authority as God. His unseen agencies will cause destruction, devastation, and death." Evangelism, 27
The troubling fact is that Seventh-day Adventists have not been at the forefront of warning the cities of what is coming to these great population centers. Those who do bring such a warning message about calamities coming to the cities are often labeled as "Alarmists" and discredited as trying to frighten people unnecessarily. Yet here is a pastor, not of our faith, who is, without apology, predicting catastrophic events focused on the cities. So when these calamities do fall, who will be remembered as the one who gave the warning? Who will people turn to as the one who knew it in advance? Could it be that many will conclude that since Pastor Wilkerson knew it was coming, perhaps he has the right answers about how to turn back these judgments? What will Pastor Wilkerson tell them? We can't know that for sure, but we were told long ago that in the face of calamities, men in the popular pulpits of the land would tell the people that the only way to turn back the wrath of God would be to honor Sunday:
"...So completely will men be deceived by him that they will declare that these calamities are the result of the desecration of the first day of the week. From the pulpits of the popular churches will be heard the statement that the world is being punished because Sunday is not honored as it should be. . . ." That I May Know Him, 355
If we think about what's at stake here - what we risk by our silence or fear of being viewed as alarmist, we can see the importance of taking up the task that was given us long ago -
"The inhabitants of the ungodly cities so soon to be visited by calamities have been cruelly neglected. The time is near when large cities will be swept away, and all should be warned of these coming judgments. But who is giving to the accomplishment of this work the wholehearted service that God requires?" Evangelism, 29
That's a question you and I must ask ourselves.
A Prayer For Continued Growth

10That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.
11Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
Pope ends Middle East pilgrimage
Benedict said that the wall erected on Palestinian land in the West Bank was one of the saddest sights during his five-day visit.
"As I passed alongside it, I prayed for a future in which the peoples of the Holy Land can live together in peace and harmony without the need for such instruments of security and separation," he said.
Christians believe that Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, was the birthplace of Jesus.
Benedict's tour of Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories was aimed at improving the Roman Catholic church's relations with Muslims and Jews following a string of controversial actions and comments.
Reporter's diary: Barbara Serra travels with the popeVideo: Pope visits refugee camp in Bethlehem
But his remarks on Friday sought to address the political divisions between Israelis and Palestinians. "Let it be universally recognised that the state of Israel has the right to exist, and to enjoy peace and security within internationally agreed borders,'' Benedict said.
"Let it be likewise acknowledged that the Palestinian people have a right to a sovereign independent homeland. Let the two-state solution become a reality, not remain a dream,'' he said.
To both sides he urged: "No more bloodshed! No more fighting! No more terrorism! No more war!"
In the final act of worship of his visit, Benedict preached a message of hope for all mankind at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
"The bitter fruits of recrimination and hostility can be overcome and ... a future of justice, peace, prosperity and co-operation can arise," he said in the ancient church, which believers say marks the site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection.
Holocaust
While Benedict strongly condemned the mass killing of Jews by the Nazis during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, calling it an "appalling chapter of history [that] must never be forgotten or denied", for some who were expecting an apology, it was not enough.
Neither did he discuss what some see as the church's lack of opposition to the genocide or his own time as a member of the Hitler Youth movement.
Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Jerusalem said that Benedict had made more progress in addressing the concerns of the Muslim world than the Jewish world."Muslims were waiting to hear an apology for remarks from a speech in Germany in 2006 when the pope appeared to compare Islam in some way to violence.
"There wasn't any clear apology but he made so many remarks in favour of the Palestinian cause, calling for the blockade of Gaza to be lifted and the critical remarks about the separation wall, the Muslim community is inclined to forgive him.
"Where the visit underplayed expectations was with regards to building bridges with the Jewish community again.
"The pope didn't address any of the controversies. He did denounce anti Semitism ... which in some way has repaired relations with the Jewish world but it wasn't the high moment of reconciliation that some were expecting."
Source:
Agencies
Source:http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/05/2009515131411622223.html
P.S. For those that didn't or won't discern the subtleties of Ratzinger's trip; He averted to remain in the region on the 7th day. He arrived when he landed in Amman, Jordan, last Friday, May 6, 2009. Now, he departs Israel during the "Muslim" day of rest Friday... What's so peculiar about that? Nothing, it's just convenient for him to avoid being anywhere near where the Sabbath first was observed on that day. It might be problematic for his World-wide Sunday ambitions..............Arsenio.
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Former fundamentalist 'debunks' BibleStory Highlights
Next Article in Living »
By John BlakeCNN
CNN -- Just so you know, Bart Ehrman says he's not the anti-Christ.
Ehrman, a best-selling author and a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a biblical sleuth whose investigations make some people very angry. Like the fictional Robert Langdon character played by actor Tom Hanks in the movie "Angels & Demons," he delves into the past to challenge some of Christianity's central claims.
In Ehrman's latest book, "Jesus, Interrupted," he concludes:
Doctrines such as the divinity of Jesus and heaven and hell are not based on anything Jesus or his earlier followers said.
At least 19 of the 27 books in the New Testament are forgeries.
Believing the Bible is infallible is not a condition for being a Christian.
Critic: 'There's a touch of arrogance' about him
Ehrman's claims have found an audience, and controversy. He's a fixture on History Channel and Discovery Channel documentaries on Christianity. He's appeared on National Public Radio, CNN and the BBC and talked about scribes misquoting Jesus on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."
Yet Ehrman's popularity also may be due to a larger trend. The books of people like Elaine Pagels, author of "The Gnostic Gospels," and Dan Brown, author of "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons," resonate with people who believe there are parts of the Bible that the church left on history's editing floor.
Some scholarly critics say Ehrman is saying nothing new.
Bishop William H. Willimon, an author and United Methodist Church bishop based in Alabama, says he doesn't like the "breathless tone" of Ehrman's work.
"He keeps presenting this stuff as if this is wonderful new knowledge that has been kept from you backward lay people and this is the stuff your preachers don't have the guts to tell, and I have," Willimon says. "There's a touch of arrogance in it."
Yet even many of Ehrman's critics say he has a knack for making arcane New Testament scholarship accessible to the public.
"He has a gift for clear thinking and an ability to present some complicated things in simple, direct ways," Willimon says.
Some pastors also say that Ehrman forces them to confront tough questions about the Bible in front of their congregations.
"His take on the scriptures is a gift to the church because of his ability to articulate questions and challenges," says Rev. Guy Williams, a blogger who also happens to be a Methodist minister in Houston, Texas. "It gives us an opportunity to wrestle with the [Bible's] claims and questions."
Ehrman: There was no resurrection
Ehrman says that no one accepts everything in the Bible. Everyone picks and chooses . He cites some New Testament's references to the role of women in church as an example.
In the first book of Corinthians, Ehrman says, the Apostle Paul insists that women should remain silent in church (1 Corinthians 14:35-36).
In the 16th chapter of the book of Romans, Paul's attitude is that women could and should be church leaders -- and he cites women who were serving as deacons and apostles in the early church, Ehrman says.
Ehrman backs his arguments with a deep knowledge of the culture and history of the New Testament world. He's written 20 books on early Christianity and is an authority on ancient manuscripts used to translate the Bible.
His claims, though, take on some of Christianity's most sacred tenets, like the resurrection of Jesus. Ehrman says he doesn't think the resurrection took place. There's no proof Jesus physically rose from the dead, and the resurrection stories contradict one another, he says.
He says he doesn't believe the followers of Jesus saw their master bodily rise from the dead, but something else.
"My best guess is that what happened is what commonly happens today when someone has a loved one die -- they sometimes think they see them in a vision," Ehrman says. "I think some of the disciples had visions."
Ehrman says he immerses himself in the Bible, though he doesn't believe in its infallibility, because it's the most important book in Western civilization.
"I have friends who teach medieval English," he says. "They don't believe in Chaucer, but they think Chaucer is important," he writes in the conclusion of "Jesus, Interrupted."
The fundamentalist turns agnostic
Ehrman once had a different attitude toward the Bible.
He was raised in the Episcopal Church in Lawrence, Kansas, and became a fundamentalist Christian at age 15 when he met a charismatic Christian youth group leader who reached out to him. Ehrman says he later persuaded his parents to embrace a more conservative brand of Christianity.
He says he became so devoted to the Bible that he memorized entire sections. He was convinced the Bible was "God's words."
But Ehrman says he began to develop doubts about the infallibility of the Bible after attending Princeton Theological Seminary to become a college Bible professor.
He even began to change his opinion of the Christian youth group leader who helped convert him. The youth leader visited Ehrman's father when he was dying of cancer in a hospital.
The youth leader used a bottle of hotel shampoo to "anoint" his father, and tried to persuade his father to confess specific sins, Ehrman says. Ehrman says he was angry at the minister for acting "self-righteous" and "hypocritical."
"For a vulnerable high-schooler who is trying to figure out the world, a personality like that is very attractive," Ehrman says. "They're like cult leaders. They have all the answers."
Ehrman says he later became an agnostic because he couldn't find the answer to another question: How could there be a God when there is so much suffering in the world? An agnostic is one who disclaims any knowledge of God, but does not deny the possibility of God's existence.
Today, Ehrman describes himself as a "happy agnostic."
But some people can't believe an agnostic can be happy, he says. They tell him that they're praying for him. Others say worse. They say he's being fooled by Satan and he's headed to hell. Some say he's the anti-Christ.
"I'm not that powerful," he says, laughing.
His family, however, feels no obligation to talk to Ehrman about his ideas on the Bible, Ehrman says. His mother, brother and sister remain conservative Christians.
He once tried to talk to his mother about his new beliefs, but the discussion proved fruitless.
"My mom is a strong evangelical," Ehrman says. "We talk basketball. We don't talk religion."
Still, Ehrman says he still sends his mother and siblings copies of his latest books. They've never responded, he says.
"I imagine they're hidden in a back room," he says.
Whether it's his family, critics or students, Ehrman says he has a better handle on why he is so threatening to so many people -- some Christians worry they will make the same decision he has.
"I changed my mind," he says. "My students find me more dangerous that way. I really do know what they're talking about when they stake out an evangelical position."
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Je
Colossians 3
1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
12Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
18Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
19Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
20Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
21Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
22Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God;
23And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
24Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
25But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
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Thursday, May 14, 2009
Pelosi: CIA Lied about Waterboarding
— By Kevin Drum Thu May 14, 2009 9:04 AM PST
Nancy Pelosi fights back against news reports that she was briefed on the torture of CIA prisoners in 2002:
In her first public comments on the matter since an intelligence report contradicted her recollections, Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters today that she was never told about the fact that waterboarding had been used on a terrorist suspect, even though terrorist suspect Abu Zubaydah had been waterboarded a month before she was briefed on the subject in Sept. 2002.
“The only mention of waterboarding at that briefing was that it was not being employed,” Pelosi said, reading from a prepared statement. “Those briefing me in Sept. 2002 gave me inaccurate and incomplete information.”
Game on! Two questions, though. First, why did it take you a week to remember this? Second, what about reports that one of your aides, Michael Sheehy, was briefed about waterboarding in early 2003 and passed the news along to you? Any comment on that?
UPDATE: Actually, it turns out that Pelosi did address the Sheehy issue. Details here.
Source:http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/05/pelosi-cia-lied-about-waterboarding
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Xenophobia Threatens Italy, President Warns
ROME — President Giorgio Napolitano warned Thursday that intolerance and xenophobia posed a danger for Italy as the lower house of Parliament approved wide-ranging security legislation that includes measures toughening Italian immigration policies.
Speaking at a conference in Rome, Mr. Napolitano warned that there was a danger that social tensions would be inflamed by “public rhetoric that, even in Italy, does not hesitate to incorporate intolerant and xenophobic tones.”
Under the terms of the bill, which was passed Thursday by the Chamber of Deputies after three confidence votes Wednesday to approve amendments, illegal immigrants entering or residing in Italy will be fined up to 10,000 euros, or about $13,500, before being expelled.
In addition, the period of time that foreigners can be held in detention centers has been tripled to 180 days. An African woman killed herself at one such center near Rome last week.
The bill, backed by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s coalition allies in the Northern League, which has championed a legislative hard line against immigration, also sanctions the creation of neighborhood watch groups to increase security on Italian streets.
“We have the consensus of the majority of Italians,” Interior Minister Roberto Maroni — who belongs to the Northern League — said Thursday shortly after the vote. “The government’s commitment on this front is appreciated by Italians.”
But critics say that because the new law criminalizes clandestine immigration, implementing it would clog up an already backlogged justice system. About a million foreigners are estimated to be living illegally in Italy.
The measure could also have a significant impact on Italian families, many of whom depend on foreign women — many of them in Italy illegally because of existing restrictions on immigration — to care for their elderly and children.
“The disorder this law will produce will be terrible,” said Christopher Hein, the director of the Italian Council for Refugees. “It’s one thing to publicly announce a law, quite another to implement something that will only create more confusion, more bureaucracy and make life more difficult for people who are legally here to work.”
The bill now goes to the Senate for a final passage before becoming law. Crossing that finish line will mark the end of a yearlong battle on the part of the Northern League, which imposed its hard-line position on Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s coalition even as some allies openly wavered in the face of criticism on the part of the Italian Catholic church.
The Northern League has been pushing its anti-immigrant line with the approach of European Parliament elections June 6 and 7. Last week, one League official in Milan suggested that subway trains in the Lombardy capital reserve seats for native Milanese.
Mr. Maroni has also taken credit for the enactment last week of a treaty between Italy and Libya that includes the forced return of migrant boats intercepted in international waters to their port of departure. The government has lauded the practice as key to fighting human trafficking.
On Thursday, Italy gave three patrol boats to Libya that will be used for joint patrolling operations.
What's in a name?
In this photo provided by the Italian presidential press service, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, left, welcomes Governor of Arizona Janet Napolitano prior to their meeting at the Quirinale presidential palace in Rome, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2007.
Official website of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH is one of the world's foremost medical research centers. An agency of the US Department of ...
By Peter Roff, Thomas Jefferson Street blog Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano certainly seems to be working very hard toward becoming the first ...
I'm just curious!
Arsenio.
Economists' letter spells out what went wrong
The prevailing view amongst the commentariat (reflected in the recent deliberations of the G20) that the financial crash of 2008 was caused by market failure is both wrong and dangerous. Government failure had a leading role in creating the conditions that led to the crash.
US government policy encouraged high-risk lending through support for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (which had explicit government targets of providing over 50pc of mortgage finance to poor households) and through the Community Reinvestment Act and related regulations.
Regulators and central bankers failed to use their considerable powers to stop risks building up in the financial system and an extension of regulation will not make a future crash less likely.
Much existing banking regulation exacerbated the crisis and reduced the effectiveness of market monitoring of banks. The FSA, in the UK, has failed in its statutory duty to “maintain market confidence”.
The tax and regulatory systems encourage complex and opaque methods of increasing gearing in the financial system.
Financial institutions that have made mistakes have lost the majority of their value. On the other hand, regulators are being rewarded for failure by an extension of their size and powers.
Evidence suggests that serious systemic problems have not arisen amongst unregulated institutions.
As such, no significant changes are needed to the regulatory environment surrounding hedge funds, short-selling, offshore banks, private equity or tax havens.
A revolution in financial regulation is needed. The proposals of the G20 governments and the EU are wholly misconceived. Specific and targeted laws and regulations could restore market discipline. These should include:
Making bank depositors prior creditors. This will provide better incentives for prudent behaviour and make a call on deposit insurance funds less likely.
Provisions to ensure an orderly winding up, recapitalisation or sale of systemic financial institutions in difficulty. Banks must be allowed to fail.
Enhancing market disclosure by ensuring that banks report relevant information to shareholders.
This should be reinforced with central bank action to ensure that:
Proper use is made of lender-of-last-resort facilities to deal with illiquid banks.
The growth of broad money is monitored together with the build-up of wider inflationary risks.
Yours faithfully,
Dr James Alexander, Head of Equity Research, M&G; Prof Michael Beenstock, Professor of Economics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Prof Philip Booth, Professor of Insurance and Risk Management, Cass Business School; Dr Eamonn Butler, Director, Adam Smith Institute; Prof Tim Congdon, Founder, Lombard Street Research; Prof Laurence Copeland, Professor of Finance, Cardiff Business School; Prof Kevin Dowd, Professor of Financial Risk Management, Nottingham University Business School; Dr John Greenwood, Chief Economist, Invesco; Dr Samuel Gregg, Research Director, Acton Institute; Prof John Kay, St John’s College, Oxford; Prof David Llewellyn, Professor of Money and Banking, Loughborough University; Prof Alan Morrison, Professor of Finance, University of Oxford; Prof D R Myddelton, Emeritus Professor of Finance and Accounting, Cranfield University; Prof Geoffrey Wood, Professor of Economics, Cass Business School.
Take heed that ye be not deceived
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Source: Obama considers more than 6 for high court
Among those under consideration are Solicitor General Elena Kagan, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Appeals Court judges Sonia Sotomayor and Diane Pamela Wood. California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno is also under review by Obama.
Sources familiar with Obama's deliberations confirmed the names to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no candidates have been revealed by the White House. The confirmation amounts to the first time any name has been directly tied to Obama.
One official cautioned that Obama is considering other people who have not been publicly mentioned. And more names may be added as the administration considers a replacement for retiring Justice David Souter.
The disclosure came as the president met privately at the White House with four leading senators likely to play a key role in confirmation proceedings. Separately, top aides invited the leaders of several liberal-leaning outside groups to a meeting.
Most of the people confirmed as under consideration have been mentioned frequently as potential candidates. Moreno — the sole man on the known group of candidates — is the newest name to emerge.
The president is widely expected to choose a woman for a Supreme Court that has nine members but only one female justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He is also under pressure from some Latino officials to name the nation's first Hispanic justice. Moreno and Sotomayor are Hispanic.
Obama is likely before month's end to name a nominee to replace Souter, who is retiring when the court term ends this summer. He is part of the court's liberal wing, and his replacement by the new Democratic president is not expected to change the high court's ideological balance.
Obama met Wednesday with senators who will have huge influence over the pace and tone of the confirmation process.
"I don't envy him the decision, but I think he's going to make it soon," Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said after the private White House session.
Obama met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.; Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Republican on Judiciary; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell; and Leahy. Vice President Joe Biden, a former Judiciary Committee chairman and veteran of confirmation hearings, also attended.
Obama wants his nominee confirmed before the Senate recess in August, which means he would need to name one soon.
"I think he's still in the initial evaluation process," Sessions told reporters later in the day. "That's pretty clear, I think. He's not settled on one name."
The senators who met with Obama said he did not discuss specific names with them.
Moreno was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1998 to serve as a U.S. District Court judge and the Senate unanimously confirmed him. In 2001 he raised a few eyebrows when he gave up his lifetime federal judgeship to accept Democratic Gov. Gray Davis' nomination to the state's high court.
Moreno is the only Democrat on the California Supreme Court and is widely regarded as its most liberal voice. Last year he signed on to the court's 4-3 ruling that legalized gay marriage in the state. Voters later banned gay marriage in a ballot initiative.
The other known candidates under Obama's review:
_Granholm, a former federal prosecutor and Michigan attorney general. She has been a fierce spokeswoman for her state's struggling auto industry and was a strong advocate for Obama during his presidential campaign.
_Napolitano, who stepped down as Arizona's governor to join the administration and was quickly tested as homeland security chief when the swine flu outbreak hit.
_Wood, an appeals court judge who has worked at the State Department, the Justice Department and in private practice. Like Obama, she is a former professor at the University of Chicago.
_Kagan, who stepped down as dean of Harvard Law School to become the nation's first female solicitor general. Like Obama, she is a graduate of Harvard who later taught of the University of Chicago law school. She clerked for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and worked in the Clinton White House.
_Sotomayor, an appeals court judge and former New York prosecutor and private lawyer. President George H.W. Bush nominated her as a federal judge; Clinton nominated her to the appeals court.
Associated Press writers David Espo, Philip Elliott, Paul Elias, Ben Evans, Chuck Babington and Lolita Baldor contributed to this report.
The Deafening Sound of Silence!

Last Trumpet Ministries, PO Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Fax: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/
"Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning; and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at naught all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me."
Proverbs 1:20-28
"And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour."
Revelation 8:1
"And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts."
Revelation 9:20-21
In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will examine our present world in the light of the above Scripture verses. As we do this, we will begin to understand the spiritual reasons why such amazing things continue to happen in our nation and world, and why things are now as they never were before. I have been watching the signs of the times for many years, and I can say with absolute certainty that we are now in the last of the last days. We cannot know the day or hour of the Saviour's return, but we can discern this time. Those who understand this and can see so clearly what is happening are often made to wonder what it will take to open the eyes and ears of the vast majority of the people. When will they wake up? The sad fact is that most never will awaken until it is too late.
The first Scripture portion above tells us that wisdom cries aloud in the streets and in the midst of large gatherings of people; yet there is no response. People everywhere are responding impulsively to the impetus of every kind of sin, especially religious error, but the answer to the call of God is apathetic silence. This silence is deafening. It is like a vast vacuum demanding judgment from Almighty God. The vast majority of the people are spiritually truth-deaf; they can hear nothing but error. That is the very reason they are so easily controlled and manipulated by the elitist illuministic conspirators. We know that Satan is the "father of lies," who brings forth in the final days his ultimate deception, the Antichrist and his global governance under a new one-world economy. All of this is being maneuvered into place even as I write this.
Never has there been a greater need for repentance than right now, and never has any desperate cry for repentance been so unheeded and ignored. We know that our Saviour told us that there is rejoicing in Heaven when even one sinner comes to repentance (Luke 15:10). According to the second portion of Scripture above, the time will come when the rejoicing in Heaven completely stops, and there is complete silence about the space of one-half hour. We will reach that sobering time when all repentance has stopped on earth. The final portion of Scripture above reveals that the people of the world refuse to repent, and it gives a list of the evils they refuse to repent of. It is hard to imagine a time when not one person on earth will truly repent, but we are rapidly approaching that time. The Antichrist leader will have the complete attention and adoration of the world.
If you are reading this and have never completely surrendered your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, you can do it right now. You do not have much time left as everything is moving so quickly now. You can know true peace in times of trouble because the Saviour will make his presence known to you. Eternity is just ahead!
Barack Obama - Author of Confusion!
Barack Obama holds the office of President of the United States, and no President has ever been like the current one. Mr. Obama fancies himself as some kind of miracle man, and his recent travels to various parts of the world have been nothing short of an ego trip. When traveling to England for the April 1st, 2009, G-20 Summit, which was appropriately held on April Fools or All Fools Day, Mr. Obama, also known as Mr. Embarrassment, put on quite a show for the world. This man who is proclaiming that he will fix the economy was quite extravagant regarding his trip. He arrived at the summit in England with a staff of five hundred, his own limousine flown in from Washington, D.C., and a fleet of decoy helicopters. His entourage included a number of armor-plated limousines, including his personal limousine, which is named The Beast. The Beast car is a $300,000 dollar vehicle equipped with a night vision camera, reinforced steel plating, a tear gas cannon, and oxygen tanks. In addition to the numerous helicopters were two hundred secret service staff and a six-doctor medical team. He also brought White House kitchen staff to prepare his food. Before Obama arrived, every place he was to go was tested for electronic bugs, and the air was tested for bacteria. A military officer also traveled with him and carried a brief case with all of America's nuclear missile launch codes. A surgical team also traveled with him bringing along with them a supply of type AB blood for the President. (1)
One thing that should be noted about this trip is that President Obama did not bow to the Queen of England, but he did instinctively bow to the King of Saudi Arabia. We know the reason why the President broke protocol and bowed to the Saudi King. One of the titles of the Saudi King is the "Guardian of Mecca." (2) Now the White House is denying that Obama bowed to the Saudi King and said that he knelt down only because the King was shorter than him. The many photographs, however, clearly show it was a submissive bow. The President was bowing in honor of his religion of heart, that is, the Moslem faith. Obama is the author of confusion in so many ways. He claims to be a "Christian" but has clearly stated that America is not a Christian nation. He touts Islam as a great religion, he honors the gods and goddesses of pagan India, and he recently held a Jewish Seder and Passover ritual at the White House.
While in London, President Obama met Dmitry Medvedev of Russia. Medvedev put his arm around Obama and said, "My new comrade." (3) He might as well have said, "My new commissar." Indeed, something strange was going on. When Obama was in the historic city of Strasbourg, he began courting all of Europe with American-style campaigning. (4) It was as if he were running for some kind of invisible office. It was all very out-of-character for an American President. He even held a town hall meeting while in Strasbourg. (5)
While visiting Turkey, Obama made a speech which included the following words: "The partnership between the United States and the Muslim world is critical in rolling back the fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject. We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over so many centuries to shape the world for the better, including my own country." (6) Does Obama know, or has he conveniently forgotten, that during the Islamic wars of the Middle Ages in Northern Africa and in Europe the blood of Christians served a special purpose? The Moslems wore a peculiar hat called a fez. It was conical with a flat top and a tassel. When Christians were killed, the Moslems dipped their hats in Christian blood to color them red. That is why to this day the Masonic Shriners wear the red fez, and it explains their use of the passwords "Mecca Nemesis," which literally means, "the revenge of Mecca."
Many attempts have been made to get various courts of law to examine the overwhelming evidence that Obama is not a natural born citizen of the United States and is not eligible under the Constitution to be President. In every case, judges and justices have rejected the cases and refused to even consider them. At one time, our nation had a Justice Department. Now, as far as they are concerned, it is a "Just Us" Department. The last attempt at an Obama citizenship suit was thrown out of court on March 6th, 2009. U.S. District Judge James Robertson said, "This case, if it were allowed to proceed, would deserve mention in one of those books that seek to prove that the law is foolish or that America has too many lawyers with not enough to do." Robertson then proceeded to threaten the attorney that brought the suit against Obama for violating the court's rules against frivolous and harassing cases. (7) One thing is certain, there will be no frivolous cases on Judgment Day when the Almighty passes judgment on the judges, justices, and others of that ilk. Our U.S. Supreme Court will no doubt get some of the worst of it!
Obama continually promotes his confusing agenda. On March 19th, 2009, the Wall Street Journal featured a story that revealed Obama's plan to release 250 terrorist detainees into the United States. In some cases, the countries that these detainees are from are refusing to take them back. Thus, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said that they are likely to be released here in America. (8)
Mr. Obama has also become quite adept at picking the worst of the worst for high level positions. His choice of Dawn Johnsen to head the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel is a prime example. When Johnsen was a lawyer with the National Abortion Rights Action League, she issued a brief which said, "Forcing women to bear children was disturbingly suggestive of involuntary servitude, prohibited by the 13th Amendment, in that forced pregnancy requires a woman to provide continual physical service to the fetus in order to further the state's asserted interest." (9) In other words, she is stating that if a woman becomes pregnant and is forced by law to carry that child to full birth, it forces her to perform slave labor to the child and violates the thirteenth Amendment against slavery! This is directly in line with Obama's thinking!
Just what is Mr. Obama thinking, and how does his mind work? In a recent interview on the program "60 Minutes," Steve Kroft interviewed President Obama, primarily regarding the U.S. economy. During the interview Mr. Obama stated the following: "I believe the global financial system remains at risk of implosion with the failure of Citigroup or AIG, which could touch off an even more destructive recession and potentially depression." When Obama made these and other such statements, he was continually smirking, chuckling, and laughing, which stunned Steve Kroft. Kroft said to the President, "You're sitting here and you are laughing. You are laughing at some of these problems….are you punch-drunk?" Obama replied by laughing again and said, "No, no. There's gotta be a little gallows humor to get you through the day." (10) There you have it! Our economy is crumbling, America is choking on debt and going down for the last time, our major corporations are down for the count, millions of Americans are out of a job and are losing their homes, families are being separated and destroyed, and Obama laughs at it all and calls it "gallows humor." It is a sad fact that our nation is on the gallows, blindfolded, and with a noose around the neck; and our President is laughing as he prepares to pull the lever!
Financial Intrigue and Satan's New Order!
On April 1st, 2009, Reuters News Service reported that in the month of March 2009 another 742,000 jobs were lost in the private sector! (11) There are now thirteen million Americans who are jobless and have very little hope of finding any kind of sustainable work. (12) The economy is being purposely and systematically destroyed to create a vacuum that will demand a new one-world economy under an antichrist dictatorship. It is all happening just as the Bible said it would. The once highly sought after "blue chip stocks" are now trading below one dollar per share. (13) All of the bailout and rescue programs of the Federal Government have miserably failed, just as they were designed to do. Now the U.S. Postal Service is begging for a bailout as they have been running a deficit of around three billion dollars. (14) In the midst of all of these cries for help by banks, institutions, and enterprises, there are untold amounts of graft. fraud, and corruption. Why did the Pentagon spend one million dollars on two washers worth 38 cents? (15) How did our financial rescue plan reach the point where it nearly equals our entire gross domestic product or GDP? Our Federal Government now has commitments topping 12.8 trillion dollars. (16) Since light travels at approximately 186,000 miles per second, and thus, travels a distance of six trillion miles in one year, our bailout commitments can now be measured in comparison with light years!
There is so much intrigue and secrecy surrounding our government regarding the financial bailout programs. On April 1st, 2009, the U.S. Treasury Department was still absolutely refusing to disclose bank bailout details. The entire operation is vague and without oversight. (17) The agenda of Barack Obama, however, is becoming quite clear. The Wall Street Journal stated it very clearly on April 5th, 2009, with the following words: "Obama wants to control the banks." Obama has made it known that any bank that accepted bailout money will be under his direct control, and he has refused to allow banks to return the money and back out of the trap that was set for them. (18) Why would the government refuse to accept the money when the banks are begging them to take it back? They now realize that because they had put their snouts into the trough of the Federal Government they are irreversibly snared by Marxist Socialism. To cement the fact that socialism is the order of the day, the Washington Post published an article on March 24th, 2009, with the shocking headline as follows: "U.S. Seeks Expanded Power to Seize Firms." (19) We already know that President Obama personally fired the chief executive officer of General Motors and actually got away with doing it. Since when does an elected official have such power over private enterprise? The Federal Government is now forcing General Motors into bankruptcy. The terminology used by the Federal Government as they interact with General Motors is quite unique. They say they are "easing General Motors into a controlled bankruptcy." (20) Obama's Washington is becoming heavy with power, and he is just getting started. The handwriting is on the wall!
How did things get this way? Could so many people make that many mistakes? How could the banks make so many bad loans? Why were five million illegal immigrants granted mortgages? (21) Now we have learned that the U.S. Government has set up a website to help people cope with financial worries. People who log onto the "big brother" site are counseled regarding depression, suicide, mental illness, and other problems. It also lists the warning signs as "persistent sadness, crying, excessive anxiety, lack of sleep, constant fatigue, excessive irritability, and anger." (22) All of these conditions are the bitter fruit of the Obama election. If you log onto the government site, they will no doubt mark you in their data bases as unstable and reactionary. That is why I will not print their website in this newsletter.
On April 1st, 2009, also known as April Fools' Day, the G-20 Summit began in London, England. The major nations of the world gathered at the ExCel Hotel, which is a bizarre-looking building with a large glass pyramid in front of it. (23) Headlines in major newspapers around the world all featured the breaking news of this meeting that would change everything forever. Bloomberg News Service featured the following headline: "G-20 Shapes New World Order With Lesser Role for U.S., Markets." (24) The Matt Drudge Report displayed a picture of various world leaders, including Obama, with the words "Saved the World Today!" (25) It was here at this strange and clandestine meeting that the final groundwork was laid for the forthcoming one-world dictatorship and new universal global money system. It was Satan's business, and I am sure the demons frolicked among the elitists. Seated right next to Michelle Obama was J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter witchcraft books. (26) All such high-level meetings need a resident witch to direct the activities of demons in the spirit realm. Why else would Rowling be at a political and economic meeting? High-level satanic activities are always sealed in a blood covenant, and just as the meetings were ending, a mass killing took place in Binghamton, New York, leaving exactly thirteen victims dead before the mind-controlled gunman killed himself. (27) The timing was precise.
On April 1st, 2009, when the G-20 Summit began, the world leaders went first to Buckingham Palace, where they met with the Queen of England, who was seated front and center with the world leaders. (28) Before the summit was over, the leaders of the world also met with Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, where they all agreed to support his plan to put billions of dollars into saving the rainforests of the world. (29) What strange spiritual purpose does this age-old British monarchy have in the final days of time? Something strange is arising!
In the United States, conditions continue to deteriorate under Obama's "rule." Many Americans are now beginning to wake up to smell the stench of what is happening. On April 15, 2009, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a warning that they are watching large numbers of right-wing protestors, including those who oppose abortion, Obama's financial policies, and numerous other issues. A special mention was made of anti-abortion groups as right-wing radicals. (30) The American Gestapo (Homeland Security) wants all of these Americans to know that they are suspect and are being watched closely! This report was issued on April 15th, or income tax day. This day, April 15th, 2009, is also the day when massive protests known as "tea parties" are being held simultaneously in over three hundred locations in all fifty states! (31) In addition to that, the state of Texas is raising its voice loudly against Washington, D.C. Texas Governor Rick Perry, with strong backing, is sponsoring House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 50 in support of states' rights under the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. (32) I heard the Texas Governor's speech, and it sounded just like the speeches that preceded the American Civil War. The Governor was forceful and direct, and he essentially told Washington, D.C., to get out of Texas. He also stated that Texas has the power and resources to do very well on its own. It appears that we are at the very beginning stages of a revolution within the United States.
Global Hypertension!
This troubled world has more than money problems. We have wars, rumors of wars, and the continual threat of a World War III. The entire Middle East is a powder keg waiting to go off as Iran gains in strength with the backing of Russia. The United States and company have now killed one million Iraqis in a war that never made sense from the start. (33) We were not attacked by Iraq! One primary reason why the United States is hated so much is not because of our so-called liberty as George Bush kept saying, but rather because the United States has the bad habit of meddling in the affairs of so many other nations. Now the United States has announced that they will push hard for a Palestinian State, and they acknowledged that it will be with much trouble. (34) The political maneuvering in the Middle East is dangerous business, and this activity is what will ultimately trigger the final World War. In Zechariah 12:2-3, the prophet warned us as follows: "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it." Yes, the earthly Jerusalem does have a role in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. A cup of trembling is one that cannot be carried without spilling its contents, and a burdensome stone is one that takes every effort to try to move, but without success. This problem has been going on for thousands of years, and Hillary Clinton certainly is not going to fix it! It is late in time, however, and something is going to give very soon!
The election of Barack Obama was a promotion to complete incompetence. When North Korea recently launched a long-range missile, they were challenging Obama and the rest of the world. North Korea won because when they launched it, the rest of the world did absolutely nothing. It will not be long until incidents intensify. We have Somali pirates attacking ships on a continual basis, and no one seems to know how to stop them! The world is in a state of confusion, and there is never a clear definition of who the enemies are. Russia recently announced that they are creating an Arctic military force. (35) Both Russia and Red China continually threaten the United States, but when it comes to economics, they all gather in London and put their arms around each other and call each other "comrade." Apparently, enemies can be friends when they have a scheme in common! From this satanic confusion will come forth an Antichrist who will define all things according to the dictates of hell!
Hell's Society!
It is almost beyond comprehension how wicked this end time society has become. People do not think at all like they once did. If the thinking and actions of this society of today could suddenly be transferred back to the society of fifty years ago, the people of that time would think they were suddenly living in hell. We have degenerated into an antichrist society through gradualism, and now the earth is ready to receive her king!
Homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals, and so on are a sure sign of the very end of the world. The sodomite movement has become a large and accepted one with full government protection. On April fourth, the state of Iowa legalized "gay marriage," and other states are rapidly planning to do the same. (36) Fire and brimstone fell on Sodom and Gomorrah; why should America escape the wrath of the Almighty?
Witchcraft is another sure sign of the end. Groups and organizations are forming all across America that are designed to merge so-called "Christianity" with Wicca and other forms of witchcraft. One such group has been formed in Traverse City, Michigan, and is called the Area Council on Religious Diversity, or ACORD. (37) The group is made up of witches, Unitarian Universalists, and even Quakers. Our society, and especially mainstream Christianity, has been deeply affected by the saturation of witchcraft under the guise of entertainment. The Harry Potter books and movies, the television programs, and even the toy industry have all been turning hearts toward Wicca and the occult. This is happening worldwide. One example is Australia. According to Dr. She' D'Montford, an Australian High Priestess of witchcraft, there are 130,000 initiated witches in Australia. (38)
All of this rebellion against God has taken another reprehensible form that is detestable to Almighty God. Abortion is the worst form of murder, and it is legal in America, the United States of Babylon! We must remember that there is a spiritual reason for all of this baby killing. It is human sacrifice to the Devil. In Jeremiah 2:34 we read as follows: "Also in they skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these." Here let it be known that on April 2nd, 2009, Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, an openly lesbian minister in the American Episcopal Church, preached a sermon entitled "Our Work is Not Done." In her sermon, she blatantly stated that "abortion is a blessing." She also called for unrestricted abortion in every city, village, town, and military base. (39) We have also leaned that the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinic's Surgery Center made secret plans to perform late-term, second trimester abortions at its facilities. When it became known, thirty Wisconsin legislators, massive groups of protestors, and a petition with twenty thousand signatures all appealed to the hospital board to stop their plans to use their publicly funded surgery center to do the late-term abortions. On February 6th, 2009, the surgery center board members ignored every plea and voted unanimously to proceed with the baby killings as planned! (40)
On March 23rd, 2009, Almighty God made a direct statement against abortion, which was nothing short of a miracle. On that day, an airplane crashed into a cemetery near Butte, Montana. On board the chartered plane were the family and friends of Dr. Irving (Bud) Feldkamp, and there were no survivors. Dr. Feldkamp of northern California was waiting at the entrance of an ultra-exclusive ski resort for everyone on the plane to arrive, so they could join him there. Dr. Feldkamp and his family were heavily involved in the abortion industry. Feldkamp is the owner of the largest chain of abortion clinics in America, and his clinics all perform late-term abortions. He became filthy-rich and a multi-millionaire from blood money from the slaughtering of babies. The truly amazing part of this is that the cemetery where the plane crashed was unique in one special respect. This cemetery contained a special monument that was set up by pro-life and anti-abortion groups, and the monument carried the inscription "The Tomb of the Unborn." It is there that the plane crashed, and all fourteen people on board perished. (41)
Signs in the Creation!
The Lord speaks to his people in many ways, and He told us to watch and pray. The earthquakes continue in great numbers. There have been 320 significant quakes within the past 30 days of this writing, including a massive undersea quake with a magnitude of 7.9 in the Tonga region. (42) Hundreds were killed and thousands injured, and there was extensive damage to Roman Catholic sacred artifacts. Strong aftershocks were also felt in Rome! (43) The earth seems to be rumbling continually now, and in Alaska the Mt. Redoubt Volcano erupted five times in late March 2009. (44) In addition to that, strange lights appeared along the East Coast of the United States from Maryland in the north to North Carolina in the south. The National Weather Service said there is no scientific explanation for the orange and green fireballs and the loud noises that accompany them. (45) In addition to this, the NASA Chandra X-Ray Observatory photographed a gigantic glowing blue hand in space in the area of PSR B1509-58. The mysterious hand is seen reaching for a beautiful, circular glowing crown! (46) We have this photo available upon request, but please help us with postage if you can. God is revealing awesome things to us!
In closing, I want to thank all of you who support this end time prophetic ministry. I pray you are greatly blessed. Your prayer requests are always welcomed, and they will receive individual attention. Grace and peace be unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus.
David J. Meyer
Acknowledgements
01. The Guardian, Mar. 29, 2009, London, England, U.K.
02. WorldNetDaily, Apr. 3, 2009, by Bob Unruh, WorldNetDaily.com.
03. AFP News Service, Apr. 3, 2009, London, England, U.K.
04. Associated Press, Apr. 3, 2009, by Jennifer Loven, Strasbourg, France.
05. The Washington Times, Apr. 3, 2009, by Joseph Curl, Washington, D.C.
06. Associated Press, Apr. 6, 2009, by Tom Raum, Ankara, Turkey.
07. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Mar. 6, 2009, AP, Washington, D.C.
08. The Wall Street Journal, Mar. 19, 2009, by Evan Perez, Washington, D.C.
09. Fox News, Apr. 7, 2009, FoxNews.com.
10. Politico, Mar. 22, 2009, by Craig Gordon & Jonathan Martin, Washington, D.C.
11. Reuters News Service, Apr. 1, 2009, New York, NY.
12. Associated Press, Apr. 3, 2009, by Jeannine Aversa, Washington, D.C.
13. New York Times, Mar. 6, 2009, by Jack Healy, New York, NY.
14. Associated Press, Mar. 25, 2009, Washington, D.C.
15. Reuters News Service, Mar. 2, 2009, Washington, D.C.
16. Bloomberg News Service, Mar. 31, 2009, by Mark Pittman & Bob Ivry, New York, NY.
17. McClatchy News Service, Apr. 1, 2009, by Chris Adams, Washington, D.C.
18. The Wall Street Journal, Apr. 4, 2009, by Stuart Varney, New York, NY.
19. The Washington Post, Mar. 24, 2009, by Binyamin Appelbaum & David Cho, Washington, D.C.
20. The New York Times, Apr. 1, 2009, by Michael J. de la Merced & Jonathan D. Glater, New York, NY.
21. San Francisco Chronicle, Oct. 16, 2008, San Francisco, CA.
22. The Matt Drudge Report, Mar. 31, 2009, http://www.drudgereport.com.
23. ExCel Hotel, photograph.
24. Bloomberg News Service, Apr. 3, 2009, by Rich Miller & Simon Kennedy, London, England, U.K.
25. The Matt Drudge Report, Apr. 2, 2009, http://www.drudgereport.com.
26. The Daily Telegraph, Apr. 1, 2009, London, England, U.K.
27. Associated Press, Apr. 4, 2009, by William Kates, Binghamtom, NY.
28. Associated Press, Apr. 2, 2009, Buckingham Palace, London, England, U.K.
29. The Daily Telegraph, Apr. 2, 2009, by Louise Gray, London, England, U.K.
30. The Washington Times, Apr. 14, 2009, by Audrey Hudson & Eli Lake, Washington, D.C.
31. The Wall Street Journal, Apr. 14, 2009, by Glenn Harlan Reynolds, New York, NY.
32. The Matt Drudge Report, Apr. 15, 2009, http://wwwdrudgereport.com.
33. CNN News, Feb. 27, 2009.
34. Yahoo News, Apr. 3, 2009, by Sue Pleming, Yahoo News, India.
35. Associated Press, Mar. 27, 2009, Moscow, Russia.
36. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Apr. 4, 2009, Milwaukee, WI.
37. The Traverse City Record-Eagle, Mar. 14, 2009, Traverse City, MI.
38. Woman's Day Magazine, Oct. 1, 2007, Melbourne, Australia.
39. LifeSiteNews, Apr. 2, 2009, by Hilary White, LifeSiteNews.com.
40. Wisconsin Christian News, Jan. 31, 2009, by Rob Pue, Madison, WI.
41. Christian News Wire, Mar. 24, 2009, by Gingi Edmonds, http://www.christiannewswire.com.
42. U.S. Geological Survey, Mar. 19, 2009.
43. Associated Press, Apr. 7, 2009, by Marta Falconi, L'Aquila, Italy.
44. Associated Press, Mar. 23, 2009, by Mary Pemberton, Willow, Alaska.
45. WBAL TV-Baltimore, Mar. 30, 2009, Baltimore, MD.
46. Fox News Service, Apr. 7, 2009.
http://lasttrumpetministries.org
Study finds cocaine in city's air
May 14, 2009 03:30am
SPANISH scientists have detected the presence of cocaine in the air of Madrid and Barcelona by using a new technique for the first time, a research institute says.
The scientists looked for 17 components in five different types of illegal drugs - cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, cannabinoids and lysergic acid.
The results revealed cocaine is the predominant drug in the air of the two cities, the CSIC institute said yesterday.
It was found in concentrations of 29 to 850 picograms per cubic metre of air. A picogram is one trillionth of a gram.
The study is the result of the first use of a new method for the detection of drugs in the air, adapted specifically for the researchers, who are to publish their results in the review Analytical Chemistry.
"Heroin was also found in detectable levels in the samples taken in Madrid, but not in those from Barcelona,'' the CSIC said.
This it explained by the fact that the area of Madrid where the sample was taken is close to a district where drug dealers are suspected of operating.
The scientists also reported a higher concentration of the components during the weekend, "suggesting higher consumption this time''.
But it said there was no reason for the public to be concerned.
"Even if we lived 1000 years we would not consume the equivalant of a dose of cocaine through the air,'' said one of the scientists, Miren Lopez de Alda.
Catholic Inquisition and The Torture Tools
Correction: Guernsey's Auction House =
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25466484-23109,00.html
Here are some of the Torture instruments, and how they were utilized:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx8PdvOELvYhttp://
October 2009: Jesuit Sunday prayer intentions
That Sunday may be lived as the day on which Christians
gather to celebrate the risen Lord, participating in the Eucharist.
With the event of the Resurrection, creation and
redemption reach their fulfilment. On the "first day after
Saturday", the women and then the Disciples, meeting the Risen
One, understood that this was "the day which the Lord has made"
(Ps 118[117]:24), "his" day, the Dies Domini. In fact, this is what
the liturgy sings: "O first and last day, radiant and shining with
Christ's triumph".
[...]
How much more necessary it is today to reaffirm the
sacredness of the Lord's Day and the need to take part in Sunday
Mass! The cultural context in which we live, often marked by
religious indifference and secularism that blot out the horizon of
the transcendent, must not let us forget that the People of God,
born from "Christ's Passover, Sunday", should return to it as to an
inexhaustible source, in order to understand better and better the
features of their own identity and the reasons for their existence.
The Second Vatican Council, after pointing out the origin
of Sunday, continued: "On this day Christ's faithful are bound to
come together into one place. They should listen to the Word of
God and take part in the Eucharist, thus calling to mind the
Passion, Resurrection and Glory of the Lord Jesus and giving
thanks to God who "has begotten them again, through the
Resurrection of Christ from the dead, unto a living hope'"
(Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 106).
Sunday was not chosen by the Christian community but by
the Apostles, and indeed by Christ himself, who on that day, "the
first day of the week", rose and appeared to the disciples (cf. Mt
28:1; Mk 16:9; Lk 24:1; Jn 20:1,19; Ac 20:7; 1Co 16:2), and
appeared to them again "eight days later" (Jn 20:26). Sunday is the
day on which the Risen Lord makes himself present among his
followers, invites them to his banquet and shares himself with them
so that they too, united and configured to him, may worship God
properly.
Therefore, as I encourage people to give ever greater
importance to the "Lord's Day", I am eager to highlight the central
place of the Eucharist as a fundamental pillar of Sunday and of all
ecclesial life. Indeed, at every Sunday Eucharistic celebration, the
sanctification of the Christian people takes place as it will take
place until the Sunday that never sets, the day of the definitive
encounter of God with his creatures.
Benedict XVI
Letter to Card. Francis Arinze on the occasion of the Study Day in
honour of the 43th anniversary of the promulgation of the
Constitution on the sacred liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium,
27 November 2006
© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
See more at www.vatican.va
John Paul II, Apostolic Letter "Dies Domini", 31 May 1998.
- 279 -
PAST
Claudio Barriga, S.J.
The prayer intention for this month invites us to revalue
Sunday as a family day, a day of rest, marked by meeting with the
Lord, in particular in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Pope John Paul II offered a beautiful reflection in his 1998
letter Dies Domini, in which he explained Sunday as "dies Domini,
with reference to the work of the creation; dies Christi as the day
of the new creation and the gift of the Holy Spirit made by the
Risen Lord; dies Ecclesiae as the day in which the Christian
community gathers together for the celebration; dies hominis as the
day of joyfulness, rest and brotherly charity" (quoted by Benedict
XVI in Sacramentum Caritatis, n.73).
The first Christians understood that Jesus himself changed
the sabbath into Sunday. Origen explains it well in his
Commentary to Psalm 91: "The Word moved the feast of the
sabbath to the day when the light rose and gave us as the image of
true rest the day of salvation, Sunday, the first day of light, in
which the Saviour of the world, after fulfilling all his works in the
midst of human beings, conquered death and crossed the gates of
heaven, going beyond the creation of the six days and welcoming
the blessed sabbath and beatific rest". There are people who
throughout history came to the point of giving up their lives to
defend Sundays. The testimony of a group of Christians who were
martyred in the IV century in North Africa is memorable:
"Sine dominico non possumus!" Without the gift of the
- 280 -
given in the year 304 by Christians from Abitene in present-day
Tunisia, when they were caught celebrating the forbidden Sunday
Eucharist and brought before the judge. They were asked why they
were celebrating the Christian Sunday Eucharist, even though they
knew it was a capital offence. "Sine dominico non possumus"
(Benedict XVI, Vienna, 9 September 2007).
LITURGY – CELEBRATION
EUCHARIST:
Votive Mass of the Most Holy Eucharist.
CELEBRATION OF THE WORD:
First reading: I will rain down bread for you from the heavens: Ex
16:2-15.
Responsorial Psalm: Lord, you have redeemed us with your
blood: Ps 115.
Second reading: Every time you eat of this bread, you announce
the Lord's death: 1Co 11:25-26.
Gospel: I am the living bread that comes down from heaven: Jn
6:41-51.
QUESTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL
AND GROUP REFLECTION
1. How do you celebrate Sundays?
2. Do we teach our sons and daughters that this is a day
consecrated to God?
3. How can we foster participation in the Eucharist as the most
important part of Sunday in our families?
MISSION INTENTION
That the entire People of God, to whom Christ entrusted the
mandate to go and preach the Gospel to every creature, may
eagerly assume their own missionary responsibility and
consider it the highest service they can offer humanity.
"All the Churches for all the world"
Therefore, as has often been said, missionary commitment
remains the first service that the Church owes to humanity today to
guide and evangelize the cultural, social and ethical
transformations; to offer Christ's salvation to the people of our
time in so many parts of the world who are humiliated and
oppressed by endemic poverty, violence and the systematic denial
of human rights.
The Church cannot shirk this universal mission; for her it
has a binding force. Since Christ first entrusted the missionary
mandate to Peter and to the Apostles, today it is primarily the
responsibility of the Successor of Peter whom divine Providence
has chosen as a visible foundation of the Church's unity, and of the
Bishops directly responsible for evangelization, both as members of
the Episcopal College and as Pastors of the particular Churches (cf.
Redemptoris Missio, n. 63).
[...]
Nor can we forget the many men and women religious and
lay volunteers who, together with the priests, spared no effort to
spread the Gospel to the very ends of the earth. May World
Mission Day be an opportunity to remember in prayer these
brothers and sisters of ours in the faith and all who continue to
work in the vast field of the mission.
Let us ask God that their example may everywhere inspire
new vocations and a renewed mission awareness in the Christian
people.
Indeed, every Christian community is born missionary, and
it is precisely on the basis of the courage to evangelize that the love
of believers for their Lord is measured.
Consequently, we could say that for the individual
members of the faithful it is no longer merely a matter of
collaborating in evangelizing work but of feeling that they
themselves are protagonists and corresponsible. This
corresponsibility entails the growth of communion between the
communities and increases reciprocal help with regard to the
personnel (priests, men and women religious and lay volunteers)
and the use of the means necessary for evangelization today.
Dear brothers and sisters, the missionary mandate entrusted
by Christ to the Apostles truly involves us all. May World Mission
Day therefore be a favourable opportunity to acquire a deeper
awareness and to work out together appropriate spiritual and
formative itineraries which encourage inter-Church cooperation and
the training of new missionaries to spread the Gospel in our time.
However, let it not be forgotten that the first and priority
contribution that we are called to offer to the missionary action of
the Church is prayer. "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers
are few", the Lord said; "pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to
send out labourers into his harvest" Lk 10:2.
"First of all, therefore", Pope Pius XII of venerable
memory wrote 50 years ago, "Venerable Brethren, We trust that
more continuous and fervent prayers will be raised to God for this
cause" (Fidei Donum, n. 49). Remember the immense spiritual
needs of the numerous populations who are far from the true faith
or who stand in such great need of the means of perseverance (cf.
n. 55). And he urged the faithful to increase the number of Masses
offered for the missions, saying that "this is in accordance with the
prayers of Our Lord who loves his Church and wishes her to
flourish and enlarge her borders throughout the whole world"
(ibid., n. 52).
Benedict XVI
Message for the 81st World Mission Sunday 2007
27 May 2007
© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
PASTORAL COMMENT
Claudio Barriga, S.J.
In continuation with the prayer intention for May, this
month the Holy Father reminds us that the entire people of God, all
baptized people, have a missionary responsibility. The Apostleship
of Prayer which, as we said in the Comment for May, was born
with a missionary impetus, has participated spiritually in the
evangelizing task of the Church in all its 160 years of history. We
continue "actively" in this participation, through our ecclesial
vocation of prayer and service - active in direct missionary service,
in every way we can, active in the prayer and sacrifice which are
the basis of our spirituality. Pope John Paul II's words in
Redemptoris Missio, (n. 78) confirm us in this:
"Among the forms of sharing, first place goes to spiritual
cooperation through prayer, sacrifice and the witness of Christian
life. Prayer should accompany the journey of missionaries so that
the proclamation of the word will be effective through God's
grace. In his Letters, Saint Paul often asks the faithful to pray for
him so that he might proclaim the Gospel with confidence and
conviction. Prayer needs to be accompanied by sacrifice. The
redemptive value of suffering, accepted and offered to God with
love, derives from the sacrifice of Christ himself, who calls the
members of his Mystical Body to share in his sufferings, to
complete them in their own flesh (cf. Col 1:24). The sacrifice of
missionaries should be shared and accompanied by the sacrifices of
all the faithful. I therefore urge those engaged in the pastoral care
of the sick to teach them about the efficacy of suffering, and to
encourage them to offer their sufferings to God for missionaries.
By making such an offering, the sick themselves become
- 285 -
have sprung up among them and for them. The solemnity of
Pentecost - the beginning of the Church's mission - is celebrated in
some communities as a "Day of Suffering for the Missions".
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POPE BENEDICT XVI'S GENERAL AND MISSION INTENTIONS FOR 2009
POPE BENEDICT XVI'S GENERAL AND MISSION INTENTIONS FOR 2009
(click on the text of the intentions to go to the comment)
General: Family a place of Formation.
That the family may become more and more a place of training in charity, personal growth and transmission of the faith.
Mission: Christian Unity.
That the different Christian confessions, aware of the need for a new evangelization in this period of profound transformations, may be committed to announcing the Good News and moving towards the full unity of all Christians in order to offer a more credible testimony of the Gospel.
February
General: Church Pastors, docile to the Spirit.
That the Pastors of the Church may always be docile to the action of the Holy Spirit in their teaching and in their service to God's people.
Mission: Promotion of Peace in Africa.
That the Church in Africa may find adequate ways and means to promote reconciliation, justice and peace efficaciously, according to the indications of the Synod of the Bishops' II Special Assembly for Africa.
March
General: The Dignity of Women.
That the role of women may be more appreciated and used to good advantage in every country in the world.
Mission: Church Unity in China.
That, in the light of the letter addressed to them by Pope Benedict XVI, the Bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the Popular Republic of China may commit themselves to being the sign and instrument of unity, communion and peace.
April
General: Farmers and World Hunger.
That the Lord may bless the farmers' work with an abundant harvest and sensitize the richer populations to the drama of hunger in the world.
Mission: Christians as Signs of Hope to the Poor.
That the Christians who operate in the territories where the conditions of the poor, the weak and the women and children are most tragic, may be signs of hope, thanks to their courageous testimony to the Gospel of solidarity and love.
May
General: Laity as Vocations Promoters.
That the laity and the Christian communities may be responsible promoters of priestly and religious vocations.
Mission: A Missionary Church.
That the recently founded Catholic Churches, grateful to the Lord for the gift of faith, may be ready to share in the universal mission of the Church, offering their availability to preach the Gospel throughout the world.
June
General: Foreign Debt Relief.
That international attention towards the poorer countries may give rise to more concrete help, in particular to relieve them of the crushing burden of foreign debt.
Mission: The Church in Areas of Violence.
That the particular Churches operating in regions marked by violence may be sustained by the love and concrete closeness of all the Catholics in the world.
July
General: Christians in the Middle East.
That the Christians of the Middle East may live their faith in full freedom and be an instrument of peace and reconciliation.
Mission: Humanity Reconciled.
That the Church may be the seed and nucleus of a humanity reconciled and reunited in God's one and only family, thanks to the testimony of all the faithful in every country in the world.
August
General: Refugees and Displaced Peoples.
That public opinion may be more aware of the problem of millions of displaced persons and refugees and that concrete solutions may be found for their often tragic situation.
Mission: Christians Suffering Persecution and Discrimination.
That those Christians who are discriminated against and persecuted in many Countries because of the name of Christ may have their human rights, equality and religious freedom recognized, in order to be able to live and profess their own faith freely.
September
General: Word of God be better known.
That the word of God may be better known, welcomed and lived as the source of freedom and joy.
Mission: Christians in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
That Christians in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, who often meet with great difficulties, may not be discouraged from announcing the Gospel to their brothers, trusting in the strength of the Holy Spirit.
October
General: Sundays and the Eucharist.
That Sunday may be lived as the day on which Christians gather to celebrate the risen Lord, participating in the Eucharist.
Mission: The Spirit of Mission.
That the entire People of God, to whom Christ entrusted the mandate to go and preach the Gospel to every creature, may eagerly assume their own missionary responsibility and consider it the highest service they can offer humanity.
November
General: Care of Creation.
That all the men and women in the world, especially those who have responsibilities in the field of politics and economics, may never fail in their commitment to safeguard creation.
Mission: That the Name of God may bring Peace.
That believers in the different religions, through the testimony of their lives and fraternal dialogue, may clearly demonstrate that the name of God is a bearer of peace.
December
General: Respect for Children.
That children may be respected and loved and never be the victims of exploitation in its various forms.
Mission: Christ, Light of the World.
That at Christmas the peoples of the earth may recognize in the Word Incarnate the light which illuminates every man and that the Nations may open their doors to Christ, the Saviour of the world.