Saturday, April 17, 2010

Marching to Zion


Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
Join in a song with sweet accord
And thus surround the throne,
And thus surround the throne.

Refrain

We’re marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful Zion;
We’re marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.

The sorrows of the mind
Be banished from the place;
Religion never was designed
Religion never was designed,
To make our pleasures less,
To make our pleasures less.

Refrain

Let those refuse to sing,
Who never knew our God;
But favorites of the heavenly King,
But favorites of the heavenly King
May speak their joys abroad,
May speak their joys abroad.

Refrain

The God that rules on high,
And thunders when He please,
Who rides upon the stormy sky,
Who rides upon the stormy sky,
And manages the seas,
And manages the seas.

Refrain

This awful God is ours,
Our Father and our Love;
He will send down his heav’nly powers,
He will send down his heav’nly powers,
To carry us above,
To carry us above.

Refrain

There we shall see His face,
And never, never sin!
There, from the rivers of His grace,
There, from the rivers of His grace,
Drink endless pleasures in,
Drink endless pleasures in.

Refrain

Yea, and before we rise,
To that immortal state,
The thoughts of such amazing bliss,
The thoughts of such amazing bliss,
Should constant joys create,
Should constant joys create.

Refrain

The men of grace have found,
Glory begun below.
Celestial fruits on earthly ground
Celestial fruits on earthly ground
From faith and hope may grow,
From faith and hope may grow.

Refrain

The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the heav’nly fields,
Before we reach the heav’nly fields,
Or walk the golden streets,
Or walk the golden streets.

Refrain

Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground,
We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground,
To fairer worlds on high,
To fairer worlds on high.

Refrain

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Words:
Isaac Watts, Hymns and Spir­it­u­al Songs, 1707; re­frain by Ro­bert Low­ry.
Music:
Ro­bert Low­ry, 1867


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The Scarlet Woman of Revelation 17


The Scarlet Woman of Revelation 17 · June 01, 2004

By Elder Lawrence Nelson

Our subject is the scarlet woman of Revelation 17, number nine in this series. In this message we shall deal with God’s final warning to the inhabitants of this world as found in Revelation 14:8. “And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” The rejection of this warning message will bring forth the wrath of God. Revelation 14:9-10 tells us, “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.”

You have listened to eight of these studies, and now I ask you to pay close attention as we put these divine predictions together. Before we do this we must pray for heavenly guidance. Our loving Father, we are nearing the end of the great controversy between Christ and Satan. Please open our understanding to these inspired prophecies so we may know what is expected of each of us to prepare for Christ’s Second Coming. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Today the entire world is captivated by the pope’s increasing political and religious dealings. This is exactly what God said would happen. Since 1929 the papal deadly wound has been healing. Revelation 13:3 tells us, “And his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” In this our day almost every nation on earth has its ambassador to the Vatican. Even the United States of America has circumvented its Constitution by appointing an ambassador to the Vatican on January 10, 1984.

For some 25 years the Catholic ecumenical movement, planned by Vatican’s two councils, has been accomplishing its deadly purpose. Today it is no wonder that it has become unpopular to preach God’s warning message which you have been hearing on these tapes. In a book The Keys of This Blood , by Malachi Martin (a Jesuit), the struggle of the papacy to regain control of this world is clearly outlined on p. 15. I quote, “It is about who will establish the first one-world system of government in the society of nations. It is about who will hold and wield the dual power of authority and control over each of us as individuals and over all of us together as a community; over the entire six billion people are expected by demographers to inhabit the earth early in the third millennium.” Then just listen to this, “Our way of life as individuals and as citizens of the nations; our families and our jobs; our trade and commerce and money; our educational system and our religions and our cultures; even the badges of our national identity, which most of us have taken for granted – all will have been powerfully and radically altered forever. No one can be exempted from its effects. No sector of our lives will remain untouched.” This is a picture of what the papacy is planning to do when it will gain control of this world.

So few people seem to realize that the pope will become the head of the New World Order and rule the world through the United Nations. For some time it has been common knowledge that the Vatican has been asked to be seated as its world power in the United Nations. On October 5, 2003 the National Catholic Register officially took this step with the headline, “The Vatican is Open to the Full Membership of the United Nations,” p. 4. There is no question that the papacy is planning to rule the world.

Now let us look at the last universal world power of prophetic prophecy. You will find this in your visual aid – beast #8. Notice carefully the divine description as found in Revelation 17:1 – 5, “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

Before we study this tremendous prophecy let us briefly review what God has already revealed in Daniel 2, in Daniel 7 and in Revelation 12, 13 and 14. This will prepare us to understand the prophecy of the scarlet woman. Now, why has God seen it necessary to reveal the dragon power in four different prophecies? Because God, the Creator of our minds, knows the learning process which is so necessary to education. Thus the Lord teaches the simple before presenting the complex. Like a child entering school, he must first learn to add and subtract before he can master algebra or geometry.

Let us quickly review the most simple prophecy of Daniel 2. God begins with the image of a man whose head of gold represented the empire of Babylon (compare beast #2), the chest of silver represented Medo-Persia (beast #3) and the belly and thighs of brass representing Greece (beast #4), the legs of iron stood for pagan Rome and the feet with ten toes a mixture of iron and clay – the division of pagan Rome into ten kingdoms (as you compare beast #5) – out of which papal Rome developed to rule the world (as you find in your visual aid #6). This prophecy of the world kingdoms comes to an amazing climax with a mighty stone destroying the entire image structure representing what will take place at the Second Coming of Christ. For the scripture states, “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” Daniel 2:44.

The second prophecy of world governments is found in Daniel 7 which gives the details of how each world kingdom developed and was overthrown by a succeeding power. For instance, the lion rose in 606 BC (beast #2) which is called Babylon, which had wings. Archeologists discovered this was the exact symbol of Babylon. Next came a bear in 538 BC (beast #3) which devoured the three ribs – or provinces – of Babylon and became lifted up on one side when the Persians overthrew the Medes. Then came the next, the leopard in 331 BC (beast #4) with wings revealing the swiftness in which Alexander the Great conquered the world. The four heads revealed that when Alexander died his four generals would rule in his stead. The next beast was known as pagan Rome in 168 BC (beast #5) which divided into ten kingdoms for it had ten horns. Three of these horns were then destroyed by a little horn, the papacy (beast #6) which spoke great words against the Most High God and wore out the saints of God with persecution and dared to change God’s eternal law by commanding all to keep Sunday sacred instead of the seventh-day Sabbath.

This power ruled the world for 1260 years. Here again God revealed the climax, for God holds a judgment session in heaven and sends Christ back to this earth to punish such wickedness as we read in Daniel 7:26, 27, “But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”

Now this brings us to the third prophetic prophecy found in Revelation 12: 13, 14 which describes in detail the beginning of this dragon power controlling this world. It reveals how this war began in heaven and now continued on this earth (see beast #1). Revelation 12:3, 7- 9 reads, “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. .. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 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.”

This is an inspired description of the war that began in heaven and is continuing here on earth between the dragon’s church of pagan tradition and God’s true church which the Bible pictures as a pure woman. The scriptures give us the detail of how it began on earth when the old serpent (that’s Satan) beguiled Eve and Adam in the Garden of Eden. The war that started in heaven continues on this earth. God said in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity (that’s war) between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Revelation 12 describes how the dragon used King Herod of pagan Rome (beast #5) to try to kill Baby Jesus. After some 33 years of harassing Christ finally he succeeded in deceiving the Jews to crucify their Messiah. However Christ arose victorious from His grave and returned to His Father in heaven after He had begun His New Testament church which replaced the Jewish Church. God’s true church is now represented by the woman and was continually persecuted for 1260 years during the papal reign as described in Revelation 13:1, 2. “I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, 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.” And it was given unto him to make war with the saints.

You will notice that these verses trace the devil’s kingdom back to the very beginning by naming each beast in reverse order (see beasts #5 – 1) such as the ten-horned beast of pagan Rome (beast #5). Next it takes us back to the leopard beast of Greece (beast #4), and then back to the beast of Medo-Persia (beast #3), then back to the lion of Babylon (beast #2), and finally to the dragon who is Satan (beast #1). Here God is tracing back through each kingdom revealing how Satan was able to give his great authority of paganism to the papacy.

Then inspiration adds the verse of Revelation 13:3, “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” This deadly wound took place in 1798 – the same date the United States of America was recognized as a new world power (beast #7). The papal deadly wound began to heal in 1929 when his temple kingdom was restored to the Vatican. Today the whole world wonders after the beast and the Bible predicts that the United States will enforce the papal mark of the beast. To make sure that no one could possible misunderstand who this beast is God has give us his number – 666 – that is found in his name.

These astounding facts are God’s final warning of Revelation 14:9-11. We read, “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: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

Here again the climax of this prophecy is revealed in the Second Coming of Christ who comes with a sharp sickle. I am reading in Revelation 14:14-16, “I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.” This scripture plainly states those who will be saved in this final harvest. I am reading verse 12, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

Now with this background of three major Bible prophesies all related to the ending of the world, let us now study the fourth prophecy of the scarlet woman of Revelation 17. I am reading verses 1-5, “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” (This is beast #8 on your visual aid).

Here is brought to view the final and complete destruction of papal power. We will list these divine predictions one by one.

You will notice that inspiration declares this evil woman sits on the beast. She is in absolute control. Her deadly wound has been healed. She has control of the whole world for the waters under the beast represent the peoples of the entire world as you read in Revelation 17:15, “The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”

The beast upon which the harlot sits is the same papal beast as described in Revelation 13 (beast #6). However, since this prophecy is specifically dealing with its condition at the end of the world God now declares it a scarlet beast, the Biblical description used to designate her sins. Isaiah 1:18 says, “Though your sins be as scarlet,” … “For her sins have reached unto heaven,” Revelation 18:5.

Furthermore this papal power is given the name “Mystery, Babylon.” This terminology takes us back to the beginning of pagan doctrines. It was Nimrod who built the Tower of Babel on the plains of Shinar in defiance of God. He boasted that he could build a tower so high that it would reach unto heaven. Genesis 11:4. But now God declares her sins – those of modern Babylon – have indeed reached unto heaven. Revelation 18:5. When Nimrod died, this pagan religion of Satan taught that he went straight to the sun and became the sun-god to be worshiped by keeping Sunday as a holy day. His evil wife, Samiramus, who was also worshiped because she bore an illegitimate son whom she claimed was by a virgin birth, had a child who was born on December 25 and named Tammuz. He was killed in a wild boar hunt. Since he was supposed to be a holy child they declared forty days of a weeping vigil to be held each year. This was the beginning of pagan Sunday-keeping and worship of the Virgin Mary, and Christmas on the twenty-fifth of December, and the Catholic forty days of Lent. All this is paganism.

Inspiration declares this harlot woman to be a great city in Revelation 17:18, “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” This is a religious and a political power ruling the world and commanding obedience to her spiritual doctrines of tradition.

Revelation 16:19 declares, “And the great city was divided into three parts.” This is explained in verse 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.” The dragon is the author of paganism which is spiritualistic in doctrines as visualized in beast #1. The beast here mentioned is the papal power (beast #6) and the false prophet is apostate Protestantism (beast #7) which has made an image to the beast by obeying and enforcing the commands of the beast to keep Sunday instead of the Lord’s Day, the seventh-day Sabbath.

Let us now consider the words, “Drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” Revelation 17:6. History verifies that this scarlet woman, the papacy, killed millions of Christians who would not obey the pope, and again in the very end time it will be a persecuting power.

Keep in mind the words of Revelation 17:5, “The mother of harlots.” This reveals that the ecumenical movement has accomplished its goal. Protestant churches no longer protest against the beast for they have accepted the papal invitation as “separated brethren” and have joined the papacy to enforce her doctrines.

As Christ revealed these mysteries John marveled. “And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.” Revelation 17:7. If John wondered, no wonder that all the world wonders after the beast!

Please take note: God emphasizes that this scarlet-colored beast is indeed the same beast of Revelation 13:3 (beast #6) for the wound has been healed. Revelation 17:8 clarifies this so there can be no doubt. “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” The words “the beast that was,” refers to the time period when the papal church ruled the world for 1260 years from 538 AD to 1798 AD at which time she received a deadly wound when the pope was taken prisoner and died in exile. The words “and is not” is the period of time from 1798 to 1929 when the papacy was no longer in control of the world because of its wound. The words “yet is” reveals that the wound that began to heal in 1929 when Mussolini returned the Vatican state to the pope is once again controlling the world affairs. Thus inspiration declare, “All the world wondered after the beast.” Revelation 13:3.

Revelation 17:12, 13 reveals that the United Nations would divide the world into ten sections, which it has already done. “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.” This is verified by the enclosed visual aid chart of the ten kingdoms proposed by the club of Rome. The words “having one mind” reveal the entire world has united with the papacy, but only for a short time of one hour. The Bible prophecy tells us that a year stands for a day as found in Ezekiel 4:6. Therefore one hour is about 15 days. It is at this time that Christ will pour out the seven last plagues.

As we consider Revelation 17:10,11 keep in mind the time in which this is written by the apostle John some 66 years after the resurrection of Jesus. For this scripture states, “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.” Paul who lived during this time wrote in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work.” So consider the words “five are fallen.”


Now look at your chart of beasts and count them.

#1 The dragon


#2 Babylon


#3 Media Persia


#4 Greece


#5 Pagan Rome


Thus five empires are fallen. Then Inspiration continues, “one is,” (which is papal Rome #6). Next the scripture states, “the other is not yet come,” (that’s beast #7 referring to the United States which did not exist when this verse was written). But the scripture says, “when he cometh he must continue a short space,” (which means a little while).

Now this brings us to Revelation 17:11. “And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.” The word “the beast that was” is the papal power (beast #6). The words “is not” speaks of the time when the wound was inflicted by Berthier who took the pope prisoner in 1798 to die in exile. The words, “even he is the eighth,” reveals that this is the same power which had emerged after the healing of the wound in 1929. The words, “of the seven,” reveal that the dragon power which was manifested in the past world empires (beasts #1-7) is now again existing in the scarlet woman – but God declares not for long because this time it goeth into perdition. She will be destroyed by the very nations which she has deceived.

So it is no wonder that we have come to a time when the pope boasts that soon the world will demand that he rule over them in the New World Order. This is what God said the papacy would do. I am reading Revelation 18:7. “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.”

What made this possible? The papacy has succeeded in making all churches drink from its cup of false doctrines. Revelation 17:4 states, “Having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations … of her fornication.” Let us examine some of these lies found in her cup as time permits.

1) The papacy teaches that the soul never dies, but God says in Ezekiel 18:20, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

2) The papal church says that hell is burning now, but God says in 2 Peter 3:7, 12, “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”

3) The papal church says tradition, not the scripture, is the rock on which the church of Jesus Christ is built. But God says in 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

4) The papal church teaches that we should pray to Mary, but God says in Matthew 6:6, “ But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”

5) The papal church teaches (and this is found in Development of Christian Doctrine p. 272, 273 by Cardinal Newman), “The use of temples and these dedicated to particular saints and ornamented on occasion with branches of trees, incense, lamps, candles, votive offerings on recovering from illness, holy water, asylums, holy days and seasons, the use of vestments, to tonsure (the shaving of the head), the ring in marriage, turning to the east, images at a later date, perhaps the ecclesiastical chant (and notice these words) all are of pagan origin and sanctified by their adoption into the church.” Friend, this is why God says in Matthew 15:3, “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?”

6) The papal church commands, “Keep the first day of the week and lo the whole entire civilized world bows reverent obedience to the commands of the Holy Catholic Church. It is the mark of our authority to overrule God’s law.” Father Enright, History of the Sabbath p. 802. But God says in Exodus 20: 8-10, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God.” “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. Revelation 14: 9,10.

We could present many more but time would not permit. Like the three major preceding prophecies of this dragon power this fourth prophecy of the scarlet woman ends with the battle in which Christ will be victorious by completely destroying the papal power with its United Nations. I am reading Revelation 17:14, “These shall make war with the Lamb.” But Revelation 19 describes the outcome, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS….And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

Beloved, on what side will you fight in this final battle soon to take place here on this earth? Will you be numbered with the dragon by accepting his traditions and receiving the mark of the beast or when Christ comes will He find you keeping His commandments and receive His seal of approval? How you answer will determine the difference between eternal life or eternal death. May God help you to obey Christ. Be aware, God has revealed how you can gain the victory with Him as found in Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him (that’s the dragon) by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death.”

Let us pray. Our loving Father, we must each make a decision now. Please help us to so live that we may be worthy of Thy great love by obeying Thy commandments to live eternally with Jesus. Open our eyes that we may see beneath the tinsel of temporal prosperity and realize that by obeying Satan, we can only gain in this life a life that ends in death, but by saying yes to Jesus, we will live eternally. Thank thee, dear God, for Thy precious gift of eternal life given to those who obey Him. Amen.

The Antichrist


The Antichrist
By : Lawrence M. Nelson

Today the entire world is focused on the Antichrist mentioned in the Bible. God's Word tells us that he is soon to appear. But, who is he? The vast majority who have done a lot of speculation as to who it might be are in for a big surprise!

The New World Order being promoted by international statesmen, labor unions, and religionists will discover-too late- that this united effort to save planet earth has been masterminded by the Antichrist!

God has revealed the identity beyond any doubt by His description of the woman riding the beast as given in the 17th chapter of Revelation.

The author has traveled the world as an International lecturer opening up the Word of God as the only answer to today's confusing problems.


Chapter One The Mystery Beast of Revelation 13.

Chapter Two The Maid, the Moon, the Monster.

Chapter Three The Deadly Wound.

Chapter Four The Two-Horned Beast.

Chapter Five The Mark of the Beast.

Chapter Six The Scarlet Beast of Revelation 17.



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Charting The Future


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Source: http://backtoenoch.org/charting-the-future.html
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Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision,..


Joel 3



1For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,

2I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

3And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.

4Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;

5Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:

6The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.

7Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:

8And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

9Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:

10Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.

11Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.

12Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.

13Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

14Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

15The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

16The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

17So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

18And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth out of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.

19Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

20But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

21For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.


King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain

A Time for Decision!


Choose you this day whom ye will serve. Joshua 24:15.


Today the world is mad: an insanity is upon men and women, and is hurrying them on to eternal ruin. Every species of indulgence prevails, and men have become so infatuated with vice that they will not listen to warnings or appeals.

The Lord says to the people of the earth, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve." All are now deciding their eternal destiny. Men need to be aroused to realize the solemnity of the time, the nearness of the day when human probation shall be ended. God gives no man a message that it will be five years or ten years or twenty years before this earth's history shall close. He would not give any living being an excuse for delaying the preparation for His appearing. He would have no one say, as did the unfaithful servant, "My lord delayeth his coming;" for this leads to reckless neglect of the opportunities and privileges given to prepare us for that great day. Everyone who claims to be a servant of God is called to do His service as if each day might be the last. . . .

Talk of the speedy appearing of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Put not off that day. . . .

Here is the great burden to be carried by each one. Are my sins forgiven? Has Christ, the burden-bearer, taken away my guilt? Have I a clean heart, purified by the righteousness of Jesus Christ? Woe be to any soul who is not seeking a refuge in Christ. Woe be to all who shall in any way divert the mind from the work, and cause any soul to be less vigilant now. . . .

The great work from which the mind should not be diverted is the consideration of our personal standing in the sight of God. Are our feet on the Rock of Ages? Are we hiding ourselves in the only Refuge? The storm is coming, relentless in its fury. Are we prepared to meet it? Are we one with Christ as He is one with the Father? Are we heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ? . . .

The character of Christ is to be our character. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our hearts. Here is our only safety. Nothing can separate a living Christian from God.


Maranatha, Ellen G. White, pp.108

Easter Presentations Touch Thousands

by Jay Wintermeyer and Jon Dalrymple
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SPOKANE, Wash., - Four UCC churches participated in Easter outreach events that shared the good news of our risen Savior. Nearly 4,000 visitors attended three events in Spokane, Cheney, and Coeur D'Alene.

Easter Presentations Reach Thousands from UCC Communication on Vimeo.'>http://


Source: © 2010 Seventh-day Adventist Church, Upper Columbia Conference

Source: http://uccsda.org/News/news04142010

Friday, April 16, 2010

Adventist film well received by Andrews audience




Documentary discusses church's approach to health
By DEBRA HAIGHT - H-P Correspondent
Published: Monday, April 12, 2010 1:08 PM EDT


BERRIEN SPRINGS - It wasn't exactly a Hollywood premiere with stars walking down a red carpet, but the Southwest Michigan premiere of "The Adventists" drew rave reviews from those watching Saturday night at Andrews University.

Nearly 2,000 people crowded into Pioneer Memorial Church on campus to watch the one-hour film about the Seventh-day Adventist Church's role in promoting a holistic approach to health.

People's applause was long and spontaneous as the film credits rolled at the end. During the showing, occasional laughter as well as murmurs of "wow" and other exclamations could be periodically heard.

"The Adventists" is the latest film by Martin Doblmeier, founder of Journey Films and an award-winning documentary filmmaker. His other films include "Bonhoeffer," which was a theatrical release, and "The Power of Forgiveness."

Doblmeier readily admits that "The Adventists" is not a comprehensive look at what he describes as the "American-born religion" founded by Ellen White, but instead a look at "the intersection of faith and health care."

He said he became interested in making a film about the Seventh-day Adventist role in the development of modern health care after touring the Adventist Loma Linda health facilities in California.

"I was presenting a screening of 'Bonhoeffer' at Loma Linda and while I was out there, I was given a tour of the medical facility," he said in an interview Saturday.

"That crystallized the idea of investigating the idea of the intersection of faith and health care. There was also data coming out showing that Seventh-day Adventists were living five to 10 years longer on average than other Americans."

The film highlights the Loma Linda hospital and Adventist hospitals in Florida and Ohio. It delves into the roots of the Adventist approach by telling the stories of Ellen White and John Harvey Kellogg.

White, founder of the Seventh-day Adventists, was a follower of William Miller, who believed that Christ would return in 1844. She later said she had visions about the relationship between physical and spiritual health and the need for a simpler lifestyle where people didn't smoke, drink or eat meat.

Kellogg was an early convert and founded the Battle Creek Sanitarium where people, including many celebrities, flocked in the late 1800s and early 1900s to learn healthy habits.

Like many of Doblmeier's other productions, this film has been shown on Public Broadcasting Service stations nationwide. It has not been scheduled for WNIT, the PBS station reaching much of Southwest Michigan.

He said people should check the http://www.journey/ films.com Web site to learn when and where the film will be aired.

Doblemeier spent Friday and Saturday at Andrews, showing "The Adventists" and "The Power of Forgiveness." He also spoke at four workshops and at the Saturday morning Sabbath service at Pioneer Memorial.

"The response has been terrific" for "The Adventists," he said. "The timing is also so good with health care being an important conversation going on in the country right now."
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Source: http://heraldpalladium.com/articles/2010/04/12/local_news/1342931.txt
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Note: Bolds, Highlights and Italics added.
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Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead?



1Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

2That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

3For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

4Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

5Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.

6For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

7But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

8And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

9Use hospitality one to another without grudging.

10As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

11If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.


1 Peter 4:1-11. (King James Version)

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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Filipino troops chase militants after deadly raid

Police investigators examine at one of three bombing sites at the island province of Basilan in southern Philippines where Muslim militants disguised as policemen and army troops detonated bombs and opened fire Tuesday April 13, 2010 in Isabela city, triggering clashes that killed at least 11 people, officials said. The dead included three marines and three militants, including an Abu Sayyaf commander identified as Bensar Indama, who wore a police camouflage uniform. (AP Photo/Al Jacinto)


By JIM GOMEZ (AP) – 2 hours ago

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine troops clashed Wednesday with a top Muslim militant commander and dozens of fighters suspected of trying to seize a key predominantly Christian southern city in a daring attack the previous day that killed at least 13 people.

There was no word of casualties in the latest fighting between troops and more than 60 Abu Sayyaf gunmen led by Puruji Indama, a notorious militant whose brother was among the dead in Tuesday's coordinated attacks on the Basilan provincial capital of Isabela, said Lt. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino.

Dozens of Abu Sayyaf gunmen, many disguised as police commandos, detonated bombs and then opened fire on civilians and troops after their apparent plan to seize Isabela faltered as government forces fought back.

It was one of the most ambitious attacks by the Abu Sayyaf, a small but violent al-Qaida-linked group blacklisted by Washington following two decades of deadly bombings, kidnappings and beheadings. The Abu Sayyaf is suspected of having received training and funds from Osama bin Laden's terrorist network.

Citing intelligence and information from captured militants, Rear Adm. Alex Pama said Abu Sayyaf gunmen may have planned to explode bombs and take over key roads as they unleashed violence in Isabela by burning buildings, kidnapping people and springing jailed detainees.

The well-funded plan was similar to the April 1995 attack on the Christian town of Ipil, also in the south, where the militants killed more than 50 people after robbing banks and stores and burning the town center.

"The Ipil raid was apparently their model for this failed siege," Pama told The Associated Press. "It was a major, well-planned attack that luckily went bad in their own hands."

A bomb in a van apparently exploded prematurely near an Isabela sports field, damaging a grandstand and catching the attention of residents and a contingent of marines, who engaged the militants.

Another bomb attached to a motorcycle went off at the back of a Roman Catholic cathedral an hour later, damaging five cars and wounding civilians. Troops later found and detonated a third bomb outside the house of a judge.

Tuesday's death toll included three marines, a police officer and three militants, including Bensar Indama, the brother of militant leader Puruji Indama and whose body was found in a police uniform.

Six civilians were killed in one residential area, where the militants tried to take a family hostage to cover their escape but later abandoned the plan and fired guns randomly, said Dolorfino, the regional military commander.

Puruji Indama reportedly fled with three men toward a mangrove area on Isabela's outskirts. Officials said that villagers sighted another 60 Abu Sayyaf gunmen who were sent apparently to fetch Puruji, the second-highest guerrilla commander on Basilan, the birthplace of the Abu Sayyaf, about 550 miles (880 kilometers) south of Manila.

Troops poured into the area overnight, sparking sporadic gunbattles. Helicopter gunships stood by to support them, Dolorfino said.

The attackers slipped into the city, one of two Christian regions in the mainly Muslim island province, Dolorfino said. The planning and funding of the attack indicated the involvement of members of Jemaah Islamiyah, an Indonesian-based Southeast Asian militant network with links to the Abu Sayyaf.

The Abu Sayyaf is the smaller of at least four Muslim groups fighting for decades for a separate homeland in the predominantly Catholic nation's south. The government has often dismissed the Abu Sayyaf as a bandit group crippled by relentless U.S.-backed military offensives.

But the Abu Sayyaf, estimated to have more than 390 fighters, has periodically surprised authorities with high-profile attacks and is still considered a major security menace.

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Thai protesters move to "final battleground"



WRAPUP 7-Thai protesters move to "final battleground"
Wed Apr 14, 2010 5:17am EDT* Protesters refuse talks, to resume action after holiday


* Thai death toll rises to 23 from Saturday's clashes

* Coalition partner says still supports Abhisit (Adds analyst, paragraphs 7-8)

By Ambika Ahuja

BANGKOK, April 14 (Reuters) - Thailand's "red shirt" protesters congregated at a ritzy Bangkok shopping district on Wednesday, preparing a "final battleground" in their campaign to oust army-backed Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

The focus on the commercial heart of the city of 15 million comes as the death toll from Thailand's bloodiest political violence since 1992 rose by two -- a protester and a soldier -- to 23 and as the prospect of further impasse looked set to clip growth in Southeast Asia's second-largest economy.

"We will use the Rachaprasong area as the final battleground to oust the government," protest leader Nattawut Saikua told reporters on Wednesday, referring to the hotel and shopping district a couple of blocks from Bangkok's financial area.

"There will be no more negotiations."

The "red shirts", who have vowed "final" days of reckoning before, want Abhisit to quit office and dissolve parliament ahead of new elections. They began leaving a protest site close to Saturday's clashes to consolidate at Rachaprasong, which they have occupied for the past 10 days.

"Strategically, it is a move that gives the red shirts an advantage," Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, a political analyst at the National Institute of Development Administration, said.

"It's safer for them in the Rachaprasong area and with a large crowd, chances of the security forces moving in are slim." <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ For full coverage, click on [ID:nTHAILAND] For a graphic: link.reuters.com/rap67j ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>

The area is home to Central World CPN.BK, the second-largest shopping complex in Southeast Asia, and other big malls, which shut their doors when the protests began.

"They are holding the economy as their hostage," said Ramkhamhaeng University political scientist Boonyakiat Karavekphan.

NIGHT OF REVELRY

Bangkok was peaceful on Wednesday during the second day of the three-day Thai New Year called Songkran, after protesters called off a planned a march on an army base where Abhisit has taken shelter during the month-long campaign.

Tens of thousands of revellers took to the streets of Bangkok on Tuesday night, dousing each other with water and flour in traditional celebrations.

But tension could flare again when the holiday ends, and financial markets are likely to see renewed selling when they reopen on Friday.

Abhisit, who had been expected to ride out the storm, appears more vulnerable now after the surprise announcement this week of an investigation into possible corrupt funding of his party and comments from the army chief that only polls could end a crisis that has gripped Thailand since 2006.

Abhisit has said he could call elections by the end of the year, although his hand could be forced by a recommendation this week from the Election Commission that his Democrat Party should face charges of illegal funding.

If a court upholds the charges, Abhisit, who came to power in 2008 when the army brokered a deal in parliament, could be banned from holding office and Thailand's oldest political party could be dissolved. Any prosecution could take months, however.

Chumpol Silpa-Archa, leader of the Charthai Pattana party, said coalition partners still supported Abhisit.

"We have no intention to pull out, but we want to see a clear roadmap to resolve the crisis, which eventually leads to a dissolution of parliament," he said.

Coalition partners have been calling on Abhisit to dissolve parliament within six months.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban ordered police to hunt for "terrorists" the government blames for the killings in the old quarter on Saturday. More than 800 people were injured in the army's failed attempt to eject protesters from that site.

The streets are still spattered with blood, and makeshift Buddhist shrines have been set up near wrecked army personnel carriers daubed with Thai graffiti, such as "tyrant Abhisit".

The confrontation pits the mostly rural and working-class supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a 2006 coup and now living abroad, and a traditional elite represented by the British-born and Oxford-educated Abhisit.

Investment bank Morgan Stanley calculates economic growth this year could be cut by 0.2 percentage points due to the impact on tourism, which accounts for 6 percent of gross domestic product in the "Land of Smiles" and employs 1.8 million people. (Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Bill Tarrant)

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300 dead in Tibetan quake

8,000 reportedly injured



By Jamie L. Slaten - Morning News Producer

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 - 2:17am
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake killed at least 300 people in China's mountainous Tibetan Plateau Tuesday.

Rescue workers say dozens more are trapped in collapsed houses in the ethnic Tibetan Region and nearly 8,000 people were injured.

China's official news agency reported this morning that a series of quakes and aftershocks caused low level brick buildings to collapse.

The quake was centered in the mountains that divide China's Qinghai Province from the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The foothills to the South and East of the area are home to herders and Tibetan monasteries.
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Source: http://www.ketknbc.com/tibet/300-dead-in-tibetan-quake
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Tuesday, April 13, 2010

SIGNS OF THE END


At “...the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Daniel 12:4

For many more signs of the end see Chapter 7 of our book Earth’s Final Hours, which is available on these pages.




The world is a theater; the actors, its inhabitants, are preparing to act their part in the last great drama. With the great masses of mankind there is no unity, except as men confederate to accomplish their selfish purposes. God is looking on. His purposes in regard to His rebellious subjects will be fulfilled. The world has not been given into the hands of men, though God is permitting the elements of confusion and disorder to bear sway for a season. A power from beneath is working to bring about the last great scenes in the drama — Satan coming as Christ, and working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in those who are binding themselves together in secret societies. Those who are yielding to the passion for confederation are working out the plans of the enemy. The cause will be followed by the effect.

Transgression has almost reached its limit. Confusion fills the world, and a great terror is soon to come upon human beings. The end is very near. We who know the truth should be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise.

E. G. White
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Most Americans may soon be banned from traveling overseas and US may also restrict imports under new regime

Posted by benjamin
March 29, 2010

The United States is facing regime change as a result of the nation’s imminent bankruptcy, according to high level CIA sources in Washington and also senior MI6 sources. The information reaching us is that all the State governments except Florida, Washington and California are backing a return to constitutional law. The Pentagon is also on the program with people like General’s Schwarskopf and Stubblemeyer leading the patriotic forces. There is talk of action starting this week and this photo of Obama on March 26th shows us he is clearly worried and stressed out about something:



President Barack Obama

The new regime may take some drastic measures on the economy as a result of the bankruptcy of the Federal Government, the sources say. These measures would include restrictions on imports so the US can rebuild its manufacturing base. There may also be severe restrictions placed on the amount of Americans allowed to travel overseas. These measures are designed to eliminate the US’s structural external deficit as quickly as possible.

The various states, together with the Pentagon and the Supreme Court will take over, at least temporarily, the powers to create currency. They will replace Federal Reserve promissory or debt notes with a new currency. They will exchange Federal Reserve promissory notes for the new currency at a fixed rate within a 30-day period. The 90% of US dollars owned by non-Americans are likely to be converted into other currencies. The Chinese are actively considering offering gold and commodities backed Hong Kong dollars in exchange for valid (i.e. not created through derivatives fraud) US dollars. The Japanese, the Russians, the Europeans and others may also offer to exchange the overseas US dollars for their own currencies.

It is still not decided if the new US currency will be the Amero or something else but signs are that it will be something else, probably a new type of Greenback. The British are actively using their influence to remove New World Order traitor Harper and his government and not allow him to hand Canadian sovereignty over to the Washington D.C. criminal cabal. That is why the Amero idea looks like it will not float.

The final shape of the soon to be announced international debt jubilee is also starting to appear. The latest news from our sources is that international financial obligations between nation states will be reset to 1916 levels. That is because although the Federal Reserve Board act was passed in 1913, it did not go into action until 1916.

Hopefully this will be accompanied by a much needed telling of the real truth behind the horrific tragedy and wasted opportunity that was the 20th century.

Pentagon people have contacted the Black Dragon Society and have indicated they are going actively start developing free energy technology for civilian use. The main technology they are pushing is the Stirling engines they currently use to power their missiles (have you ever wondered how a cruise missile can travel thousands of miles without giant fuel tanks?). Since at least 6,000, and probably a lot more, inventions have been suppressed in the name of “national security” we can expect a lot more wonders to emerge soon from the bowels of the Pentagon.

Several different major financial institutions including the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, Credit Agricole, Mizuho Bank and the People’s Bank of China have begun creating funds dedicated to the development and application of the various suppressed technologies. Once the various T’s are crossed and I’s dotted then hundreds of billions of dollars will become available to finance the new technology as well as to finance an end to poverty and the repair of global eco-systems.

In Japan, meanwhile, pressure is steadily being increased on New World Order and Trilateral Commission hold outs led by former Prime Minister Nakasone. The system of worshipping the Emperor as a symbol will continue in Japan. However, the Japanese right-wing now realizes that ever since Emperor Hirohito died, the emperor became merely a symbol for David Rockefeller and his Federal Reserve Board crime syndicate lackeys in Japan.

The new system will be headed by an informal group of Japan’s most intelligent and powerful people. They will act as a shadow government that will step in only if Japan’s democratic and bureaucratic institutions show signs of becoming dysfunctional. The Emperor will once again become a truly Japanese symbol under the new system.

The Japanese right wing has also been explained that they cannot count on the United States to defend Japan against China. They know, for example, that when Obama visited China last year, he offered to give control of Japan to China as part of a proposed G2. China rejected the plan but the Japanese right wing remains wary of China nonetheless. That is why they will be seeking an alliance of countries like Russia and India -countries that actually have borders with China- to agree to protect each other from Chinese domination.

The Chinese do not see these moves as a threat because they insist their rise will be peaceful and that nobody, including Japan should worry about it. The Black Dragon Society has a reliable pipeline now to the Chinese politburo and we believe all concerned are interested in harmonious relations.

In Europe meanwhile, the secret war against Nazi influence continues unabated. The recent revelations against the German pope Ratzinger regarding his helping a pedophile in the Church are part of a campaign to purge the upper reaches of the Vatican of all Satan worshippers. The Christian rank and file of the Church is behind the move to expose these people.

The agreement by the EU to act as a last resort helper of Greece is expected to be nothing more than a time saving effort and will almost certainly not prevent the demise of the Euro. Once the new financial system kicks into gear, there may be plenty of money available to the nearly bankrupt PIIGs (Portugal, Ireland, Italy and Greece) but they will be told in no uncertain terms that they will have to earn any money they get. The economic reality facing these countries is that they will either have to lower their standard of living or else leave the Eurozone and put out a new Mediterranean currency. This will also, of course lead to a temporary drop in living standards but that is inevitable because a derivatives sugar high is always only temporary. Reality cannot be avoided forever.

Various European governments are also actively considering a new alliance with Russia and the colonization of Siberia by unemployed Europeans.

However, until the dust settles it is hard to see exactly what new institutions will arise from the ashes of the old.

The dark Cabal is still in control of much of the US media and the fake Obama regime continues in power at the time of this writing. Until we see this end, we must keep our powder dry and our wits sharp.

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Source: http://benjaminfulford.blog.shinobi.jp/
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No room for error on U.S. debt


By Colin Barr, senior writer

March 16, 2010: 6:06 AM ET


NEW YORK (Fortune) -- The United States isn't in jeopardy of losing its gold-plated credit rating, though by one measure America is closer to the ratings-downgrade danger zone than Spain.

That's according to credit rating agency Moody's. In a quarterly report about sovereign debt, Moody's analysts wrote that despite market worries about rising government debt levels, there is "no imminent rating pressure" for the United States and other big governments carrying its highest triple-A rating.


But the report added that these governments' margin for error "has in all cases substantially diminished," thanks to a weak outlook for economic growth and enormous debt loads taken on to quell the financial meltdown of 2008-2009.

Cutting back on public spending too soon risks a double-dip recession, Moody's said, while leaving stimulus measures in place too long could lead to a sharp rise in interest rates "with more abrupt rating consequences a possibility."

What's more, governments that wish to avoid credit downgrades may need to implement harsh and potentially unpopular policies. The Moody's analysts, led by London-based managing director Pierre Cailleteau, wrote that "preserving debt affordability ... will invariably require fiscal adjustments of a magnitude that, in some cases, will test social cohesion."

Nor can big developed countries expect to export their way to health on the back of booms in emerging markets such as India and China. "Demand from the emerging world undoubtedly provides some support, but cannot on its own compensate for weak domestic demand," Moody's said.

In the case of the United States, interest payments on general government debt -- combining the federal government with the states -- could rise above 10% of revenue by 2013, according to the report.

That's the level at which the rating agency typically considers a downgrade. Moody's said debt affordability is the key factor to consider in ratings decisions, because debt costs are apt to constrain policymakers.

The report notes that U.S. debt service costs could rise from around 7% in 2009 to 11% in 2013 under Moody's baseline scenario, which calls for a muted economic recovery and a moderate interest-rate shock.

In this forecast, Moody's analysts expect the yield on the five-year Treasury to be above 4% by 2012, a level it hasn't reached since the end of 2007. It was around 2.4% Monday.

U.S. debt service costs are higher in 2013 under the Moody's assumptions than in any of the other major triple-A-rated governments -- the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain.

Moody's cautioned that debt service costs alone don't drive the decision, and noted the key role of politics in driving longer-term fiscal policies. The analysts said it would only downgrade a triple-A government's debt if analysts "concluded that the government was unable and/or unwilling to quickly reverse the deterioration it has incurred."

Accordingly, Spain continues to carry Moody's highest rating in spite of its inclusion in a Wall Street epithet for fiscally challenged countries around Europe's periphery, the PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Spain). Spanish government finances have been hammered by the collapse of a major housing bubble and unemployment is near 20%.

The rating agency acknowledged that "Spain's debt affordability has already deteriorated significantly and is expected to deteriorate further," to a level near the point at which Moody's might consider a downgrade to double-A.

But it said Spanish deficit-reduction plans are "already reasonably well formulated" and the ratings firm doesn't expect to downgrade Spain's debt.





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Monday, April 12, 2010

Adventist Church plans expanded partnership with World Health Organization

Leaders approve involvement in project to curb maternal, infant mortality in rural communities

7 Apr 2010, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Elizabeth Lechleitner/ANN

Seventh-day Adventist Church officials voted yesterday to accept a proposal from the World Health Organization (WHO) that seeks the denomination's partnership with the United Nations' agency in a program to reduce maternal and infant mortality.

The approval paves the way for expanding the church's fledgling alliance with the WHO in helping to implement public health initiatives.




Church Health Ministries Director Allan Handysides outlines a World Health Organization (WHO) proposal soliciting the Adventist Church's efforts to reduce infant and maternal mortality worldwide. The partnership, approved April 6 by church leadership, broadens the scope of the church's collaboration with the WHO. [photo: Rajmund Dabrowski/ANN]


Church administrative and health leaders first explored a collaboration with the WHO last summer during a health conference in Geneva. In October, they released a statement positioning the denomination to better improve global health through partnerships with allied health organizations, such as the WHO.

The WHO proposal discussed yesterday during Spring Meeting at world church headquarters requests that selected Adventist-run schools of nursing that teach midwifery or obstetrics serve as "laboratories of change." There, the WHO, Health Ministries and church-run Loma Linda School of Nursing in Loma Linda, California, will concentrate resources to graduate Highly Skilled Birth Attendants, said Allan Handysides, director of the world church's department of Health Ministries.

An increase in birth attendants is expected to curb the number of maternal deaths per births in many African and Asian countries, which stands at 600 per 100,000, compared to 16 per 100,000 in Western countries, Handysides said. The ratio represents an estimated 3 million preventable maternal deaths per year, he said.

"I want to stress to you that through this partnership, the image and reputation of the Adventist church may be held up to the scrutiny of the WHO," Handysides told the delegates. He urged them not only to approve the proposal, but also to commit to "100 percent participation" and "keen oversight" by all levels of church administration in implementing the project, particularly in church regions where the effort is concentrated.

Patricia Jones, associate Health Ministries director for Nursing, reiterated Handysides' call for full involvement. Jones, also a professor of Nursing at the Loma Linda School of Nursing, said if problems in implementation arise, the goal of the partnership -- fewer infant and maternal deaths -- would suffer most.

Delegates seemed largely in favor of the partnership, one calling it a "vote of confidence" in the work of the church's Health Ministries department. However, they asked that potential downsides to the partnership be fully analyzed before the church moves forward.

"I am reluctant to enter this partnership -- even though the benefits may be tremendous -- without a thorough plan to avoid any risks that may arise," said Paul Ratsara, president of the church's Southern Africa-Indian Ocean region.

While potential risks cannot be eliminated, "thorough work has and will yet be done" to "minimize" them, said Peter Landless, associate Health Ministries director. Landless called for a "careful, measured pace" as the church proceeds with the partnership, which, he added "may serve as a very needed injection of new life into some of our health institutions."

The partnership is expected to upgrade the quality of instruction and increase the number of instructors at the selected nursing schools. Also anticipated is a spike in enrollment, due to students contracted by the government to return to their rural communities, where infant and maternal mortality is the highest, Handysides said.

Developing an extensive network of such "laboratories of change" is expected to cost an estimated $5 million, he said.

"We were at first apprehensive about this because the cost of such a project would certainly be beyond our capabilities," Handysides said. However, the WHO has since said they are "very willing" to secure funding for the initiative, he added.

The Adventist Church "should embrace this opportunity to have a public expression of our healing and serving values as a global organization," said Lowell Cooper, a world church vice president and Loma Linda University's board chair.

Cooper is also a member of the church's administrative committee, which delegates agreed will guide the partnership's progress during its five-year duration.

While "ambitious," the partnership is admittedly short-term and thus an "experiment," Handysides said, adding that ideally it will give the WHO a positive impression of what a relationship with a denomination can achieve.

"This may be a possible model for future partnerships," Adventist world church president Jan Paulsen said following the vote.
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Source: Adventist News Network
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Source: http://news.adventist.org/2010/04/adventist-church-pla.html
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P.S. Bolds and Highlights added.
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Interfaith movement gains new strength

Breaking barriers, creating bonds with other religions

By Julia Duin

This is the first in a series of reports that will look at new efforts — driven largely by American faith leaders — to bridge old divisions among the nation's and the world's believers.

NEW YORK When FaithHouse Manhattan has its twice-monthly interfaith gatherings, the guest list is a carnival of religious belief and creed.

An Islamic Sufi dervish greets you at the door, but the program director, an Episcopalian, makes the announcements. A rabbi, a female Muslim and a Seventh-day Adventist share leadership of the meeting.

The night's program at FaithHouse, in a posh office just off Fifth Avenue, was the Jewish holiday of Purim. Oranges, nuts, apricots and hamentaschen, a Jewish holiday pastry, were offered as snacks. Participants put on costumes to act out the biblical story of Esther.

"People who have a hunger for religious experience can have a taste of it here," said Samir Selmanovic, the Adventist co-leader. Born in Croatia to a Muslim father and a Catholic mother, he helped found FaithHouse 18 months ago. Then he wrote a book, "It's All About God: Reflections of a Muslim Atheist Jewish Christian," on the plethora of religions that Americans are increasingly sampling.

FaithHouse is probably the only multireligious church in the country, but its jumble of faiths and practices is becoming less unusual in today's religious marketplace.

In a world in which sectarian divisions fuel some of the most violent and dangerous confrontations, the interfaith movement — once thought as irrelevant — has emerged as a force in American religion like never before.

The movement has made for some unlikely bedfellows, such as an emerging think tank for Jews and Mormons in Salt Lake City.

It involves unlikely alliances, such as when one of the most conservative Christian pro-life groups staged a news conference on Capitol Hill in September applauding a Muslim prayer service on the Mall.

It involves unlikely allies, such as leading Christian "emergent" leader Brian McLaren, who was roundly criticized during Ramadan last year when he fasted the entire month out of solidarity with Muslims.

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Read More @ http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/05/interfaith-movement-gains-new-strength/
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P.S. Bolds and Highlights added.
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From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it


1The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

2Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

3The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

4Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

5Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

6From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.

7Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

8And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

9Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

Isaiah 1:1-9.

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Magnitude 6.2 quake hits southern Spain




Magnitude 6.2 quake hits southern Spain: USGS
AFP April 12, 2010, 9:44 am

MADRID (AFP) - A magnitude 6.2 quake hit southern Spain on Monday some 24 kilometres (14 miles) to the southeast of the city of Granada, the US Geological Survey said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties on Spanish media from the quake, which Spain's National Geographic Institute said had a magnitude of 4.8.

The quake occurred at 00:08 am (2208 GMT Sunday) at a depth of 616 kilometres near the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the USGS said.

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Source: http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/7049556/magnitude-6-2-quake-hits-southern-spain-usgs/
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Sunday, April 11, 2010

Top Republican Says Filibuster of Supreme Court Nominee 'Unlikely'

Posted: 04/11/10


Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl said Sunday he would not take the possibility of using a filibuster to try and block confirmation of whoever President Obama nominates to the Supreme Court "off the table," but he said the chances of Republicans using that tactic was "unlikely."

"I am going to abide by what became known as the rule of the gang of 14," Kyl said on ABC's This Week. "It is unlikely that there would be a filibuster, except if there is an extraordinary circumstance."

Kyl was referring to the group of seven Democratic and seven Republican senators who joined together to avert a major partisan clash in 2005 when the Republican leadership, angered by the Democrats' blocking of votes on former President Bush's judicial nominees, threatened to use the "nuclear option" of changing the rules to curtail the minority's ability to filibuster. Under the agreement fashioned by the "gang," the seven Democrats agreed not to resort to the filibuster except under "extreme circumstances." That exception was never defined and its interpretation was left up to individual senators.


"President Obama himself attempted to filibuster Justice (Samuel) Alito, who now sits on the Supreme Court," Kyl said. "So if the president isn't going to take it off the table, I'm not going to take it off the table. But I think it can easily be avoided by appointing ... someone who is mainstream enough that with intellect and the application of good law can persuade colleagues to support his position or her position."

On Fox News Sunday, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) also said he'd abide by the "Gang of 14" precedent. "Except in cases of judicial extraordinary cases, we're going to allow up-or-down vote," he said. "I still believe in that. That's my view. There was no even discussion of a filibuster of Justice (Sonia) Sotomayor. And I was one of the Republicans who voted to confirm her."


Obama will get his chance to choose a second justice for the high court -- his first was Sotomayor -- due to the retirement of John Paul Stevens, who evolved in his 35 years on the bench into the leader of the court's liberal wing. Some of the most-mentioned possibilities are Solicitor General Elena Kagan, U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Merrick Garland and Diana Wood, also a Court of Appeals judge.

Kyl called that group "all nominally qualified" and said "the question I think to present is, do judges like this or candidates like this approach judging on the basis of each case presenting its unique facts and law and being decided strictly on that basis, rather than with a judge coming to the bench with an ideological position."

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said on NBC's Meet the Press that he expected Obama to make his nomination "very soon because we'd like to get this wrapped up this summer."

Also speaking on ABC, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he hoped Obama's choice would be someone who would be able to swing votes from the court's conservative majority.

"Justice Roberts has tried to move the court very far to the right, much further than we ever envisioned," Schumer said. "I think Justice Stevens felt that in some of the opinions, dissents that he rendered. And he's been able to get Justice (Anthony) Kennedy to go along with some of those."

"I'd like the new nominee to be ... somebody who would be quite persuasive in terms of influencing other justices, I guess particularly Justice Kennedy, to his or her point of view," Schumer said. "And that would matter to me more than any particular ideology."

On Fox, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) said "I'm also encouraged ... by the mention by some people of the possibility that President Obama may choose someone who is not a sitting judge at this time ... The remaining eight justices on the Supreme Court have all come to the court from appellate judgeships. Maybe we need somebody who's been a law professor, or a lawyer, a practicing lawyer, or a person in public office like a governor or a senator."

Leahy, speaking on NBC, echoed Lieberman's sentiments: "I've often said I wish we could have some more people outside the judicial monastery. I think Justice Sotomayor came the closest to that having been in prosecutor and in private practice and a trial judge.

Some of the non-judicial possibilities that have been mentioned include Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano who was a former governor, and senators Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.
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