STRANGE DAYS

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One of the aims of this page is to to document events and cultural changes unfolding in our society with the intent to show the gradual degradation of the same and the manifestation of all the traits which characterize the final generation, as described in the Bible before the return of Christ. By the large amount of "unusual" things I have investigated, I should be well insulated against any shock value content in the stories I cover. But sometimes I have to gasp. As for the following story.

The first Church of England vicar to undergo a sex-change operation returned to a warm welcome from parishioners on Sunday. - BBC News, December 3, 2000

Around 100 people attended the service at St Philip's Church in Upper Stratton, Swindon, Wiltshire. The only sour note for the Reverend Carol Stone, previously known to her congregation as Peter, came with a critical outburst from one woman who was escorted out.

   

The other parishioners gave their minister a standing ovation. During the service, Ms Stone, 46, told them she was delighted by the support she had received. But she also dedicated prayers to those unable to accept her transformation. She said: "This sermon hasn't been just three months in the making if the truth be told, I've been waiting to write it for the best part of 46 years - never dreaming one day I might. After almost 23 years of preaching I felt like a young curate again preparing for one's first sermon." Ms Stone, who has been married twice and has a daughter, was dressed in purple robes and wore a pair of gold ear-rings She compared her return to a scene from the classic children's tales of Pooh bear by A A Milne. The vicar related how Pooh had gathered with his friends on a bridge to gaze at the river and told them that everyone was alright apart from him - only to be reassured by Christopher Robin. Ms Stone said: "If Pooh were here today, I'd like to think he would say the same about me - that I too was alright, as indeed you are." A single police officer attended the service as a precautionary measure but the elderly woman who expressed her opposition to Ms Stone was calmly escorted out by church members. After the service, parishioners spoke of their feelings towards the vicar. Michael Ennis, 71, who lives locally, said: "She has shown a great deal of courage. I remember how she was in the last few months before and you could see the strain on her face. I don't think the people here will ever let her go. A person doesn't change - their abilities don't change. I thought the service went very well." Greta Davies, 56, also from Upper Stratton, added: "It was a lovely service. Peter was an exceptional priest and Carol will be too." Ms Stone spent time chatting to her congregation after the service. She said: "I felt terrified. It (giving the sermon) was a very special moment." "I never believed I would be able to return. I knew there would be people here today who held me in their prayers and hearts. The lady who spoke out wasn't part of the church fellowship. As a priest you have a concern for people of all views and standpoints. I believe God still has work for me to do. Inside me there is deep peace and a wholeness I never had before." Broadcasting award

Rev Peter Stone was ordained in 1978 and served at Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire. He was chaplain and head of religious studies at Dauntsey's School, West Lavington, before taking up the post at Upper Stratton in 1996. A regular contributor to radio, he received a National Broadcasting Award from the Sandford St Martin Trust in 1979. He announced he had decided to go ahead with the sex-change operation in June. The Bishop of Bristol, the Right Reverend Barry Rogerson, said there was no ethical or ecclesiastical reason why he could not continue ministry afterwards.

LET THERE BE LIGHT!

2000 years after that miracle night, His Light still shines, glorious, unequaled, unmistakable and undimmed. For those who want it.
Who said that miracles do not happen in our times? In 1983, on the verge of death due to my extreme lifestyle of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll, His Light shone on me, changing my life for evermore. I know that my Saviour lives. I mean I KNOW because I KNOW. I can be sent to the lions, but I cannot deny Him.

Many of our visitors are seekers after truth. Let me tell you simply that you also CAN KNOW HIM. He does not play favourites, but answers ALL who seek Him sincerely. You must experience it. Other people's words and testimonies will only go so far. God must be experienced so that He can become real to you. My hope and prayer for you is that you may REALLY know Him Whose birth is celebrated (kind of) on the 25th of December. Nothing else is as important. I repeat it, no other action, mental or physical is as important and nothing else will change your life so totally, drastically and for the better than knowing Jesus, the Christ.

In the department of "a picture is worth a thousand words...."
Intifada Show 2000

The incredible mess created by the last American elections will not be soon forgotten, and its after shocks, though still largely unknown, will reverberate into the future. It will be an election decided by the courts and not by the people. I doubt that anybody is really following the various legal claims and counter claims that both candidates are staging daily. Fatigue is setting in and confusion is still high. Whatever one may think, this has become a sordid spectacle. It has been said that the American public will soon forget all this as soon as a president is appointed. I don't think so. If the public will forget, the big players will not. The election of an American president is above all an economic affair and not a political one. This, I am sure even children understand. It has been reported that at least one billion $ has been spent for these so called elections, a figure which is even more monstrous than its appears to be.

Much has been happening in these last weeks of waiting. There have been reports that there has been a 900% increase in the sale of fire arms ammunitions amidst the charges of the elections were being stolen by one party or the other. Fraud charges have been rampant throughout, leaving one with a sense of discomfort for having voted at all. Suddenly the American public is confronted with shenanigans usually reserved to third world countries.

Whatever the outcome, I think that the candidate which will be declared loser, will fare much better than the one declared the winner. This last one, no matter how brilliant he will turn out to be, will always be accompanied by the suspicion that he did not really win the elections. Like the proverbial sword of Damocles, this suspicion will hang over his head throughout his mandate. And should he prove to be less than brilliant, I dare not say how he will be treated by the media and by the people.

An American president draws his governing authority and power by a clear mandate which the people confer unto him at election time. This lacking, he becomes a pretender.

Like I said before, we do not deal with politics as such, but we consider carefully what happens at the top of the most powerful nation on earth. The Bible teaches that all power comes from God, and that kings and princes (and presidents) are appointed by God. This may sound new to some, and to many it will raise lots of questions, nonetheless, it is a Bible truth, which is stated and confirmed by and in the Word.

America just got her unblushing face slapped by God, and I am afraid the REAL message of these elections has been lost to mostly all. I have been saying for awhile that America has forgotten the blessings she has enjoyed in times past. A strange wind of "liberation" has been blowing upon her, from shore to shore. We have seen the various "liberation" movements coming and going in these past years, starting with "women liberation" and ending up in our days with "gay liberation". Everybody has become "proud" to be whatever they think they should be. Curiously, these winds of liberation have enslaved the very people upon whom they were blowing. Without naming names, do we really think that we live in such an enlightened society in which all are joyfully conducting their liberated lives? Why is then depression rampant among the "civilized" nations? Why is there so much violence in societies populated with "liberated" people? You get my drift. These movements of "liberation" have had just one purpose: to epochally eliminate the Judean-Christian thrust of Western societies. Yes, to get rid of God, or at least the God of the Bible. No nagging sin complexes, no inferiority feelings, no supreme authority to dictate our lives. This has been the main and not understood cause of these movements.

The New Age movement, has excellently put forth these same sentiments, masquerading them under the guise of spirituality. So, what more can one want, than leading a life of his own choosing and then finding a "religion" to support him? The New Age movement offers "spiritual" harbour and support to all these "liberated" people. No wonder it has grown so extensively in the last decades, keeping pace with any and all the new "liberation" trends.

America, the trend setter of the world, our modern Rome, has changed so much in the last 40 years as to become the habitation of every filthy and evil spirit on earth. It has been said that the culture of a nation declares its complexive level of excellence more than any other indicator. America has been pouring forth an endless stream of sickening "art" in music, movies, tv, books, stage and in basically any and all vehicles available to her. No wonder God is showing His displeasure with her.

"God bless America" goes the song, "from sea to shining sea". Other times, and other sensibilities. I have been told repeatedly by people in authority that America is NOT a Christian nation and many are working to make this statement a fact. You have come a long way, America.

I don't know what is in store for America, but I don't feel that there will be a turning back. I think it has moved past the point of no return and that Judgement is on the horizon. The symbolic lack of a leader is a powerful sign. The most powerful country on earth, the universal dispenser of democracy and freedom is paralyzed. What a sorry spectacle to a world watching! It has become the gist of jokes worldwide. The following one depicts all the drama and silliness in a few words:

One guy says to another: "America is a great country, a country that counts!"
The other replies: "and counts, and counts..."

I was not going to talk about the American elections for various motives, the most important being that we do not concern ourselves with politics, even as politics do have their place in the scheme of things and in the plans of God. Seeing the great election fiasco (and make no mistake, it is a fiasco) I just have to comment on it.

This week, the world has been presented with a spectacle unprecedented as much as unexpected, and the effects of which America will not soon shake off, both internally and externally. Here we have the most powerful nation on earth, humiliated to the point that it cannot even name a clearly elected leader. To those who have spiritual eyes, this is not casual, of course. God, Who, in times past has abundantly blessed America, is now showing openly His displeasure towards her. What a smack in the face for the much decanted "American Democracy." Oh, it's not me saying this, just read the world's news agencies headlines and commentaries. And talking about ridicule, even Italy, with its over maligned political system performs better, it has been noted.

Electing a leader, is a most important fact for a civil society. In the Bible, both in the Old and in the New Testament, we are counseled to be subjected to the authorities, as these are appointed by God. God is pointing His finger towards America: it can be a last warning or a judgement to come, only time will tell. And it won't be long, I am afraid.

Here is the article I had prepared for this week.

The American court system has been much envied by other countries, and the accolades are probably well earned. But it has been the pervasive power of Hollywood's show business which has turned the America courts into legend. Shows like Perry Mason and the like have spread all over the earth the supposed correctness and morality of the American legal system. But we know how powerful myths can be, even to the point of blinding people to reality. In all fairness, the American due process of law is probably one of the best available on earth, but of late, it has been cannibalizing itself in the search for a more just justice and of a more moral stance. This is a sure sign of a nation grasping for the ultimate and having forgotten her foundation. This is a sure sign of decadence and decay, no matter how noble it may seem to look.

Surely, the accelerating flow of history is discomforting and disturbing to many but the changes it is bringing in its wake are, paradoxically, preparing a pendulum reaction in the other direction, which could turn out to be more deadly than the evil it intends to replace. But for the moment let's see how far have we gone in the direction which was started in the sixties, spawned by the cultural and sexual hippy revolution of those days. These are some articles from stories of these last few weeks. Here is the first:

Lesbian Judge Lets Schoolboy Dress as Girl

NewsMax.com Wires
Saturday, Oct. 14, 2000

BROCKTON, Mass. (UPI) – School officials said Friday they will probably appeal a lesbian judge's order allowing a 15-year-old boy to wear wigs, tight skirts, padded bras, high heels and other women's clothing to class. Administrators said the eighth-grader, identified in court documents only as Pat Doe, is disrupting school. But Superior Court Judge Linda Giles ruled the school district was violating the boy's right to freedom of expression. A therapist testified that Doe has a "gender identity disorder" that makes it "medically necessary" for him to wear women's clothes. The judge wrote that his desire to wear female clothing "is not merely a personal preference but a necessary symbol of her very identity." "I'll be surprised if we don't appeal," school district attorney Ed Lenox told the Boston Herald. Giles, who is openly homosexual, refused to excuse herself from the case before Wednesday's ruling. She said the school had a right to discipline the student for inappropriate behavior but couldn't punish Doe just because he wore women's clothes. The boy has been tutored at home since he was barred from attending Brockton's South Junior High School last year. "We feel this is a disruption to the education process," Brockton Superintendent Joseph Bage said. If a Heterosexual Boy Grabbed a Girl's Butt ... School officials said Doe sometimes wore tight skirts and high-heeled shoes, blew kisses to a male student and once grabbed another boy's buttocks. He was also suspended at least three times for using girls' restrooms. The Boston Globe said Doe's grandmother sued school officials after they said they would not allow her grandson to enroll last month if he wore women's clothing or accessories. The judge ruled that "exposing children to diversity at an early age serves the important social goals of increasing their abilities to tolerate differences and teaching them respect for everyone's experience in that 'Brave New World' out there." Lenox said, however, "The school was extremely reserved and respectful of the individual here, but the school needs to look out for the educational interests of hundreds of students in a given school." Giles' decision was hailed by Jennifer Levi, the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders lawyer who represented the boy in court. "As the first reported decision [in Massachusetts] addressing the rights of a transgender student to express her gender identity in school, it is tremendously important," Levi said. "We know that a large number of transgender students face serious hostility from teachers and administrators." Outside the school, one mother told the Globe that she had given her 14-year-old son permission to beat up Doe if he touched him.

Copyright 2000 by United Press International.

Here is another pearl of a court sentence:

Court halts Indiana's violent video game ruling
Oct. 14, 2000 (Associated Press - All rights reserved)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Kids who enjoy mutilating and maiming video game monsters will be able to do it for a while longer. The city on Wednesday was ordered to hold off enforcement, temporarily at least, of its ordinance against children under 18 using violent or sexually explicit coin-operated video games. The video game industry asked the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago to issue the stay after a federal judge last week ruled the ban on violent games was legal. Steve Campbell, spokesman for Mayor Bart Peterson, said Indianapolis authorities were just starting to enforce the new ordinance. "We had started sending people out to do random visits to different arcades and other sights, basically to educate business owners about what the law is all about," Campbell said. The ordinance, believed to be the first of its kind, requires coin-operated games featuring graphic violence or strong sexual content to have warning labels and to be kept at least 10 feet from non-offending game machines. They must also be separated by a curtain or wall so minors cannot see them. The law bars minors from using games unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Businesses can be fined $200 a day for violations. Three violations in one year can mean license revocation. The City-County Council passed the ordinance July 10, and it was to go into effect September 1. But the American Amusement Machine Association and the Amusement and Music Operators Association, along with a group of Indiana distributors and operators, filed suit against the city in August. They argued that the ordinance's restriction on games with "graphic violence" were content-based restrictions on free speech, in violation of First Amendment guarantees. They also contended that the ordinance was unconstitutionally vague.

Elliott Portnoy, a Washington, D.C., attorney representing the industry associations, said Wednesday he was pleased to see the circuit court respond quickly to his clients' request for an emergency injunction.

It seems to me that this extreme view of "freedom of expression" is a deliberate twisting and distorting of the First Amendment. Does this mean that ANYTHING AND ALL should be allowed just because somebody must have the freedom to express him/herself? Where does it stops if it stops anywhere at all?

WHY IS THIS MAN LAUGHING?

This photo of Mr. Arafat was taken last Saturday, October 21 / 2000, as he was entering the meeting place of the hastily called assembly of Arab countries in Cairo, Egypt.
Question: how can he find it in his heart to contentedly smile, while the "intifada" that he has been carefully orchestrating is causing dozen of victims of his own people, whom he claims to represent and to defend from the Jewish oppressor?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this one is worth a million! It shows Mr. Arafat in all his squalor: a cruel, cynic person who thinks nothing of sacrificing his own people to get what he wants or what he thinks it is best for them. While the intifada may appear as a casual phenomenon and a just reaction of an oppressed people, the fact is that it has been engineered to the very last detail in order to show to the world the "massacre of the Palestinian people." It must be said that the situation being so volatile, any other leader the Palestinians had had, would have been moved by the same spirit as Mr. Arafat's. He just happens to be there at this point in time, but the fundamental problem does not reside with him personally. The roots of this confrontation, are very ancient and not likely to be solved by any human intervention.

The big question here is whether it is a true fact that God has promised that contested land to the Jews or not. Paradoxically, this calls into question the very existence of God, the truthfulness of the Bible and therefore of God's promises made to Abraham, and reconfirmed to his descendants from Jacob onwards. The Arab people claim as well a divine right to that land as per their Qur'an, asserting that Abraham's true line was not through Isaac and Jacob, but through Ishmael (Abraham's other son, from whom the Arab people descend). Evidently, these two distinct and opposite revelations cannot be both true.

The showdown will arrive, as sure as the day follows the night. This is not a question that can be solved by peace treaties, trade agreements, threats or even wars. This problem will persist until God will intervene and leave no doubt as to what He has promised and to whom. In the year 2000, this last probability is not credible to the vast majority of the earth's people. But God has His ways.

Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) is named 811 times as such in the Bible. Moreover, it is also named by its other names -Zion, 152 times, Salem ... etc- (figures may vary slightly according to different Bible versions). In the Qur'an it is not mentioned even once. This is a fact. The name Palestine was given to Israel by the Romans, after their invasion and destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.C.. It was a name imposed by the Romans to humiliate the Jews, since it derived from the Philistines, the perennial thorn-in-the-side of the Jews (and from whom the Palestinian people reportedly descend). But we know that God uses "thorns" to minister Grace. As human beings, we would love to have our roses without thorns, but in living, we find out that the thorns form an indissoluble team with the roses due to the judgement in which even nature finds itself subjected to because of man's disobedience.

While the Moslem faith can point to several "Holy Places", the Jews have always and only pointed to Jerusalem as their one-and-only point of reference and fundamental place of worship. "Next year in Jerusalem" has been the melancholic yet hopeful greeting that the diaspora Jews have exchanged for two millennia, since they were expelled from Israel. The Arabs cannot prove even the minimum attachment to Jerusalem contrary to the Jews who have done so throughout their existence. Mr. Arafat's ploy to get his hands on Jerusalem (and the rest of the land) is an empty and hypocritical game that does not stand the test of history nor of morality. But as I said, as words go, one can easily be contradicted, but not so in regards to the PROMISED LAND, which has been given in perpetuity to Israel by Someone Who is able to deliver what He has promised. Without discounting for a moment the needs and aspirations of the Palestinian people, we suggest that they look elsewhere for a homeland (in Jordan, for example). What they call Palestine, is Israel, belongs to Israel, and no wars, nor suicide bombers, no conniving nor any other argument or trick can change this truth. The Supreme Landlord has given an everlasting lease to the Jews.
Faithful is He who promised.

While there are several leads and trends in the field of personal identification biometrics and relative fields, to my personal understanding, none is more "promising" than the so called "Digital Angel," system, to get us into the Mark zone. The very name is a program, and its development is moving in the fast lane.

A working prototype of an implant designed to monitor the physiology and whereabouts of human wearers, known as Digital Angel, is scheduled to be unveiled in October at an invitation-only event in New York City -- two months ahead of schedule.

Developed by Applied Digital Solutions, the device is said to be the first-ever operational combination of bio-sensor technology and Web-enabled wireless telecommunications linked to global positioning satellite location-tracking systems.

Applied Digital Solutions Chairman Richard Sullivan said the development of the technology has progressed well ahead of schedule. "We're extremely heartened by the remarkable progress made by Dr. Peter Zhou and his entire research team, including professors and their associates at Princeton University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology," said Sullivan. "This technology relates directly to the exploding wireless marketplace. We'll be demonstrating for the first time ever that wireless telecommunications systems and bio-sensor devices -- capable of measuring and transmitting critical body function data -- can be successfully linked together with GPS (global positioning satellite) technology and integrated with the Internet."

As previously reported in WorldNetDaily, Digital Angel is intended to serve a number of functions. In addition to locating missing persons and monitoring physiological data, the device will be marketed to the world of e-commerce as a means of verifying online consumer identity. Similar to microchip technologies currently used as electronic ID tags for pets, Digital Angel is a dime-sized implant, inserted just under the skin. When implanted within a human body, the device is powered electro mechanically through the movement of muscles and can be activated either by the "wearer" or by a monitoring facility.

Applied Digital Solutions is also exploring avenues for utilizing Digital Angel without implanting it. "We are currently talking to a watch maker who is interested in placing the device on the back of their watches," Sullivan told WorldNetDaily. "In addition, technology is being developed that would allow Digital Angel to function from the back of a cellular phone, transmitting bio-sensor information when carried by the user." While estimates of Digital Angel's marketplace potential vary, Sullivan and Applied Digital's partners believe they can enter the implant into a multi-billion dollar market through various licensing arrangements, Web-enabled wireless services and data transactions handled by Applied Digital's Application Service Provider center. Those attending the event in New York City will see a working, multimedia demonstration of the implant. A miniature sensor device -- smaller than a grain of rice and equipped with a tiny antenna -- will capture and wirelessly transmit a person's vital body-function data, such as body temperature or pulse, to an Internet-integrated ground station. In addition, the antenna will also receive information regarding the location of the individual from the GPS satellite. Both sets of data -- medical information and location -- will then be wirelessly transmitted to the ground station and made available on Web-enabled desktop, laptop or wireless devices.

According to Applied Digital, the demonstration will represent the first time these technologies have been united into one functioning system. The New York event -- at a time, date and location to be announced later -- will feature live presentations from top Applied Digital executives, including Sullivan and Dr. Peter Zhou, president and chief scientist at DigitalAngel.net, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Applied Digital.

Attendees at the device's unveiling ceremony will include a handpicked group of potential joint-venture partners, as well as senior-level players in the e-commerce, wireless and Internet industries, and stock analysts. Zhou is passionately enthusiastic about the device. "I'm particularly excited about Digital Angel's ability to save lives by remotely monitoring the medical conditions of at-risk patients and providing emergency rescue units with the person's exact location," he said. "I also see great potential for Digital Angel in the area of 'location-aware' e-commerce.

This is a whole new wireless and Web-enabled frontier in which a purchaser's actual location is integral to making a successful sale or providing a valuable, location-critical service." In an exclusive interview with WorldNetDaily in March, Zhou expressed his belief that the implant will be as popular as cell phones and vaccines. Digital Angel, said Zhou, "will be a connection from yourself to the electronic world. It will be your guardian, protector. It will bring good things to you." He added, "We will be a hybrid of electronic intelligence and our own soul." Applied Digital Solutions first announced it had acquired the patent rights to a miniature digital transceiver in December 1999.

Naming the device Digital Angel, ADS formed DigitalAngel.net, Inc. to serve as the research and development unit for the device. Since that time, ADS has actively promoted the implant, pointing to what executives and scientists say are lifestyle benefits of the chip. "The first market we hope to tap into is a $10 billion agri-industry," said Sullivan. "The FDA is requiring improved tracking methods for beef and poultry. The Digital Angel, with its ability to monitor body functions, can track quality from the [animal] pens to the supermarket." The next large market ADS hopes to tap into is that of preventive medical tracking. Through its body function tracking capabilities, the Digital Angel can monitor such functions as body temperature, heartbeat and specific needs such as insulin levels. This information can then be transmitted to a doctor or health-care provider. "The Digital Angel serves as an advance warning device, which can help lower the cost of medical care," commented Sullivan. However, despite the excitement over an early working model of this new technology, concerns have been raised as to personal privacy.

With the integrated technology, a person's location, health status and other personal data will be transmitted and available via the Internet. ADS claims, however, that privacy concerns are misplaced, since the device can be turned off by the owner. Additional concerns have been raised by Christians, who contend Digital Angel could be the fulfillment of a biblical prediction found in the book of Revelation. Zhou, president of DigitalAngel.net, Inc., disagrees. "I am a Christian, but I don't think [that argument] makes sense," he told WND in March. "The purpose of the device is to save your life and improve the quality of life. There's no connection to the Bible." As the technology becomes more commonplace, the debate, as well as sales, are likely to continue growing.

"We'll soon be ready to move ahead to the production-design phase of Digital Angel geared to specific marketplace applications," Sullivan said. "The key message right now is this: Digital Angel isn't a blue-sky technology. This is real. Digital Angel breakthrough technology is here. It's live!"

Well, folks, are we close or aren't we? These are exciting times in which we are living. We are seeing prophecy fulfilled before our eyes, and I am not only referring to the Mark. Look at all the other signs!!! Look at Israel!!!

Regarding the article above, notice some key words that are being used like "The purpose of the device is to save your life and improve the quality of life" or "It will bring good things to you" (yes indeed), and what about "We will be a hybrid of electronic intelligence and our own soul." And this inventor even professes to be a Christian! Of course that is quickly and easily said, especially nowadays.

There are people who want or need proofs before believing the Word of God. The Mark of the Beast ties the Word of God to our days in ways unimagined even 20 years ago, like saing: do you want proof that the Word is True? Here is proof! But of course, we all know that it is not so easy as it seems. There will be scoffers and blasphemers even when God will thunder His Wrath from above. Salvation is every bit incredible as it is mysterious.

Upon reading some critic's review of the new MISSION IMPOSSIBLE movie, I was very surprised to find out that it introduces its audiences to the joys of subcutaneous implants (à la DIGITAL ANGEL). Personally, I don't go to the movies, but I do read the occasional review, as I did with MI2, according to which, a lady who gets the tiny chip under her skin, gets rescued at the end by being localized by satellite after being abducted, thanks to the implanted chip. Here we go, I said. Hollywood is getting into the game and since the movie industry is able to glamorise people and things like none other on earth, I sat up and took notice.

Here is the infamous chip being portrayed as a lifesaver. Soon people will demand to have that security item for themselves. We will assists to a run on complacent firms who will advertise the new, global TOTAL SECURITY for the lucky ones who will be able to buy it. I don't know in the United States, but in Europe, we have had this service available to track expensive cars and the whereabouts of delivery trucks. Moreover, articles have appeared to the effect that some famous and rich people recently have been having this chip implanted for their protection. The little satellite above will pinpoint the person with the chip within a two meters range.

In my humble estimation, the Hollywood hype is unsurpassed by any other medium as a propaganda machine: they have a way to "touch" the heart and the mind of people in quasi-mesmerising manner. So, the chip is going mainstream! How far can the MARK be? Wake-up, folks!

Another item we need to examine is Syria's leadership succession, after Sadat's death. More than other states surrounding Israel, Syria plays a pivotal role in End Times events. Here is a report to understand better what forces are at play in that part of the world.

Lebanon Withdrawal. Assad's Death. What's Next? (abridged)
Clarence H. Wagner, Jr - The Bridges for Peace

Hardly two weeks had passed since Israel had withdrawn from S. Lebanon and feelers were being sent out once again to determine if Israel's move would solicit any peace overtures from Lebanon and Syria.  Then, on Saturday morning June 10th at approximately 11 am, Syria's autocratic president of 30 years, Hafez  Assad died suddenly at 69, after suffering from a heart condition for years.  He was in a telephone conversation with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, when he collapsed.

The Syrian parliament immediately changed the constitution that required the head of state to be at least 40 years old, so that Assad's eldest living son, Bashar, 34, could assume the presidency. Assad has held tightly to his outdated belief  that the Arab would be united into a pan-Arab state, destroy Israel, and expel Western influence from the Middle East.  He could never really escape from this doctrine, forging numerous alliances with other Arab and Moslem countries, like Libya, Egypt and even Iran. Assad was from the minority Alawite tribe of Moslems, which represents only 10% of the population of Syria.  They were a poorer and less educated sect of Islam and Assad's dictatorial strongman tactics put the military and secret police into the hands of the Alawites. They controlled the majority Sunni Moslems, which represent 85% of the Syrian population, and the Christian minority represents 5% of the population. His people lived in fear as he oppressed them to hold onto power. 

In 1982, Assad and his brother Rifaat, who commanded the army, oversaw the artillery and gas massacre of 20,000 rival Moslems in Hama. It is odd how death turned this ruthless and cruel dictator into a "noble leader."  The condolences from world leaders and the commentary by the foreign press shed crocodile tears as if a great statesman has passed away. Meanwhile, Assad's son, Bashar, is now positioned to become the new President of Syria in a succession that would suggest a monarchy, not a republic.  Of course, Syria has been run by a dictatorial regime, as the pretense of voting is meaningless in a one-party system. 

Who is this man?
When Bashar's brother, Basel, died in a high-speed car accident in 1994, Bashar was studying ophthalmology in Britain.  He was quickly summoned back to Syria where he was put on a fast tract to become the eventual head of state.  He was promoted through the military to the rank of colonel within a year.  He was placed in charge of policy in Lebanon and dispatched to meet the changed leadership of the Middle East.  He also assumed his brother's roles, such as heading the Syrian Computer Society, a position he used to promote nationwide computer literacy and the Internet in Syria.  He has a reputation for honesty and modesty among some people, while others believe he is as cunning as his father.   Many hope that he can use this opportunity to seek peaceful relations in the Middle East, the West, and particularly with Israel. It is not known if Bashar will remain for long in his position.  He does not come into it from a position of strength, having had very little political or governmental experience.  And, his "home court" is not all friendly.

Obviously, there are many uncertainties in the near future for Israel's northern border. The Hizbollah has taken over S. Lebanon and the central Lebanese government and army have yet to take positions there to stabilize the situation.  The Syrian scene needs to be watched closely to see who ends up on top to better assess the potential for peace or war from a neighbor well armed with chemical missiles and a large army. One thing is for sure, there is never a dull moment in Israel.  Praying for the peace of Jerusalem is not just poetic language or a suggestion, but a daily mandate that only God can accomplish.

And the LORD said, Behold, the people [is] one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
Genesis 11:6

This amazing verse reveals, with pinpoint accuracy, the incredible potential that God has placed in man and the terrible misuse man has made of it, from Babel on. If every discovery of man has had a legitimate purpose, that purpose has in the long or short run been twisted beyond recognition.
Genetic research, promisingly started as an innovating scientific research and to help diagnose and cure otherwise non-treatable diseases. Along the way, surprised and tantalized by their own discoveries, those same researchers, in a delirium of omnipotence, have diverted their scopes to embrace the building blocks of life.

Although genetic experiments are not expressly given in the Bible as a Sign of the End, methinks that they should be regarded as such. It would have been very improbable to write or speak about such things two thousand years ago, even in symbolic language. But let's face it, these scientists are playing "god" and the real God of heaven and earth will not allow such horrors to go on much further. As He did in Babel, He will step in to make an end of such abominations.

I am not so naive as to think that just because the US or Europe or any country passe laws forbidding experimenting in human genetics that the situation is really so. I am instead quite sure that the same countries that pass laws against them are the first ones who are conducting secret research in their out-of-the-public-view lab facilities. This apple is just too juicy, too promising, too inviting, too brimming with possibilities to bet ignored. God only knows what monstrosities are being "grown" on such hellish places.

As countries research and build armaments for defense and attack, so they will research ANY new frontiers, just because none of them can risk to be left behind in the "knowledge" race. Simple as that. Now, since genetic manipulation has gotten itself a bad name, it is expedient that officially a country places bans and restrictions on it, but don't you believe it for a moment.

Incredible advances have been made in the last few years in human genetics. Since the DNA was discovered, in the forties, in this year 2000 it has been announced that finally the Human Genoma has been unraveled. Theoretically, scientist stand on the threshold of shaping future life. Wow, how would Hitler have rejoiced at this possibility. Genetic engineering would have made his dream of a master race possible within his lifetime.

Now, some countries, are even relaxing their former restrictions, to allow research for the "good of mankind", a silly platitude, at best. Researchers have shifted their public focus, by setting visions of semi-immortality before the eyes of a doped and manipulated public attention. Again, if the above picture is what is allowed to be shown, just think what is NOT allowed to be shown. Yet.

HUMAN ORGANS TO BE CLONED IN BRITAIN
By IAN KIRBY, Political correspondent

THE controversial cloning of human organs is to be given the go-ahead by the government. British scientists will be the first in the world to be allowed to develop the technology which will enable them to "grow" organs in other animals. The first human parts - cloned from a patient's stem cells - could be used for heart, lung, liver or kidney transplants within the next SIX YEARS. Stem cells are the ones containing a genetic imprint which tells other cells what body part they should become. If successful, artificially created replacement organs could always be available and end the heart-rending search for a human donor. Health Secretary Alan Milburn and Home Secretary Jack Straw are set to draw up changes in the law which will make the medical miracle possible. Experiments on human stem cells are only allowed for 14 days at the moment.
Under the new proposals there will be no time limit, and scientists will be allowed to graft the cells into embryonic animal cells where they can developed. When the animal grows, any organ genetically altered will contain a full human DNA pattern and be suitable for transplant.

Strict

The government will make sure there are strict clauses in the law to ensure the full cloning of identical humans remains outlawed. But the dramatic change is still expected to cause a moral uproar among pro-life campaigners and religious groups. They will argue it is morally wrong for scientists to "play God". But ministers decided they must act after reading a secret report from the government's chief medical officer, Liam Donaldson, last week. He said the massive medical advances possible after a change in the law far outweigh any moral objections.

Leaders

He urged the government to make a bold step and turn British scientists into world leaders in the field. In the report, Mr Donaldson pointed out the technology will end the heart-breaking ordeal many people face when suffering a serious illness - the knowledge they will die unless a donor organ is found. Last night, a senior Health Department insider told the News of the World : "The important thing is people don't get stuck on the word 'cloning' with its strange connotations and recognize this is incredibly important." But replacement organs could be just the tip of the iceberg. Using a different form of cloning, a scientist in America produced a human ear on the back of a mouse. But experts say they will soon be able to develop cloned brain cells for patients suffering from Parkinson's disease. The treated cells would replace damaged ones, giving a patient a chance of longer life.
White blood cells could also be developed to aid leukaemia sufferers.

GENIUS OR MISGUIDED?

Professor Ian Wilmut leads cloning technology

There will also be a massive profit from any cloning project. Analysts estimate that the first company to produce cloned human tissue will establish a market which will be worth £3.8 BILLION within a decade.

We will continue to report on this subject, as we believe it is too important in its basic premises and in its stated and unstated goals.

COMPUTER CRIME PLAN BAD FOR BUSINESS

BBC NEWS - May 8, 2000

Controversial proposals to control the interception of e-mail and other communications return to the UK Parliament on Monday, having previously been described appalling and objectionable.
The government says legal changes are needed to continue the fight against crime in the internet age, given that encryption codes are freely available to make secret electronic messages uncrackable.
But the Home Office's Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill has come under fierce criticism, from opposition politicians and groups outside parliament. They have two main fears. The first is a potential financial burden on business if internet service providers (ISPs) are forced to provide access to data for the government. The second is a "reverse burden of proof", meaning people unable to produce the key to encrypted information would be guilty of a crime.

No concessions The government says the bill clearly covers questions of who can use the interception powers, for what purpose and how the power is regulated. Observers believe they are unlikely to shift their position on the key objections, which could lead to the Conservative opposition abstaining on the whole bill. This would go against their traditional support for measures which strengthen crime-fighting powers. The human and civil rights group Liberty welcomes parts of the bill, but believes: "The bill will require some amendment in order to comply with international human rights standards. For example, the proposed powers to recover encryption keys risk reversing the burden of proof." This has been the objection most vehemently voiced. Many businesses and individuals wish to send sensitive information over the internet. This can be done by encrypting the message, using one of many free programs available.
However, criminals can do the same and the government proposes to make it illegal to fail to hand over the key to any encrypted information. The problem, according to the critics, is that the individual has to prove he no longer has the key, if it has been lost or forgotten. To spy or not to spy Prominent critic Caspar Bowden, Director of the Foundation for Information Policy Research, told the BBC: "Either we can go down the path of trying to set up total surveillance apparatus or we accept that changes in technology have fundamentally limited the ability of governments to do this. "The latter choice means proceeding on the basis of very specialized forensic investigation teams that target the most serious criminals with the best techniques."

The other main point of contention is over the potential cost to business of the proposed legislation, which some say will make people pay for the provision of the government's ability to intercept their e-mail.
Keith Mitchell, who runs the London Internet Exchange told the BBC: "I think there are going to be significant burdens on ISPs in terms of using our skilled engineers as moonlighting government spooks."
He believes that current proposals requiring the government to be given access to data will cost large ISPs at least £250,000 a year. He said that cost has to be passed to consumers, making internet access more expensive. An industry think tank told the BBC that such costs could drive businesses out of Britain: "There is a risk that e-commerce could be damaged - it would be very easy for all kinds of e-business to migrate to Ireland or France."

WHOSE WATCHING WHO

by John Shipton

An article appeared in the prominent British newspaper called the DAILY MAIL on Tuesday, the 5th of May, under the heading of SILICON SPIES.  It told how the British Government is behind £25 million funding of a SPY CENTRE at which intelligence officers and the police can eaves drop on e-mails and messages sent over the internet.  These people will be able to decode encrypted messages and be able to monitor mobile phone networks.  Is this something out from science-fiction?  No...it is already happening to people like me who surf the internet and remain in contact with others throughout the world by e-mail. It is certainly frightening and disturbing for this Spy Centre as they gather data, will soon know more about me than my closest friends and relations, even members of my own family. As I write to people on the internet who in return reply to my messages; visit web sites, browse on internet sites, electronic "footprints" will be left making it very easy and simple for personal data to be obtained and collected.  In particular, millions of sites use electronic tracking devices called "cookies".  These are small files which attach themselves to the hard disk of computers when a web site is visited.  They then relay information to the company or organization which has planted the cookie.  Such company/organization and even a government department/agency can use them to remember your name and password, so you do not have to log on when you return to a site. Already people surfing the internet are picking up these cookies unwittingly and thus allowing companies, etc, to keep track of what each individual internet surfer is doing on the web and build up a profile of his or hers interests.  So this Spy Centre will able to hold databases of phenomenally detailed information on millions of people.  To put the spanner in the works, there is no legislation to prevent the gathering of information or what is done with it.  The powers to be that run the European Union and what has already been discussed at Brussels, such practices of gathering information from the use of the internet, is underway and there is no turning back.  With the bombardment of advertisements encouraging the use of the internet for banking, shopping , buying and selling and, now dot.companies sponsoring television programmes and events, the day is coming when visiting a supermarket or a shop, will become obsolete, as it did with the vinyl long playing record.  Even cassette tapes and cds later on in the 21st century will become things of the past...a prediction already noted by industry!

The above is not a scare mongering story made up, but a reality of what is happening before our very eyes and of which is coming soon.  Big Brother is WATCHING you and you cannot do anything about it....

Rat race, bear market, bull market and so: to saner people it's an animal farm and in more ways than one. Even poor Bill Gates lost something around $12,000,000,000- ($12 billion, for those of you who have never seen so many zeros). I guess, all the curses sent to him and Microsoft by crashed Windows users finally got to him. But I don't think he is worried a bit: he will make that back in a few days. After all, he is still the only game in town. I like Billy, really. He does what anybody else in his shoes would do. Moreover, I know a brother in Christ who is very defensive of Billy, since he lived in the same town, and knew his family or something, so I better leave him alone. (Come on Linux!!!)

In truth, I can be so lighthearted about this market thing, because I have no stocks nor finances to worry about, but I understand that this issue touches many people where it counts or where it hurts, or in both places. This is why I have just posted a new X file which deals with the stock market:
PONZI SCHEMES, THE INVESTMENT CRAZE, AND THE END OF DAYS

What has the stock market to do with End Times prophecy, one may ask. Quite a bit. Throughout history, money has been the underlying cause of all wars and general evil human behaviour. Again, it is not money per se, which is intrinsically evil, but the love of it. Love of money, greed!

For the love of money is the root of all evil ...
I Timothy 6:10

I purposely halved the above verse. The missing part refers to Christians who "get" this wrong kind of love and end up miserably. I would like to think that Christians would and should be wiser about what they LOVE most. Anyway, and returning to our subject matter, money and its manipulation is important to the extent that without it, we cannot buy food or the most basic necessities of life. Even our Lord, while on earth, had to use money for His and the Apostle's needs. Never mind the miracles of the loaves and fishes. That was not ordinary administration, not the rule and certainly not for His own sake. Jesus refused to turn the stones into bread, to satisfy His hunger. The Apostles had a treasurer (Judas) who would buy the necessities for the group, out of the offers which were made to the Ministry of Jesus. So, while I have heard of some missionaries in impossible places and situations, being rescued miraculously by the Lord, most of us need money when we get to the check-out counter. So we use part of our day to work, to get money for these needs.

Christians know, or should know, that there is coming a day when all this buying and selling will be subjected to the most strict rule ever devised by man. In other words, at a certain point in time, all people will be obliged to adhere to a certain state of things or they will not be able to go to the local store and buy food, other items or services. Those who refuse to adhere, will be completely cut off from the market, having no other possibilities to feed themselves or to do anything at all in that kind of economy. This will be possible only by the extensive use of powerful computers, which will keep track of who belongs and who does not. People, at that time will be obliged to take the infamous "Mark of the Beast", which will be etched (tattooed, inserted?) in their right hand or in their foreheads. This special mark will identify people, everywhere. This is why we dedicate considerable space to review technological discoveries in biometrics, computer chips, smart cards etc.. We KNOW it is coming and we want to alert those who are not aware of what is going on. Now, this cannot be avoided, since the WORD of God explicitly states that it will happen so.
For more information on this item, please, refer to our THE MARK OF BEAST article.

I have written over three years ago, that one of the causes that could precipitate the introduction of the Mark, could very well be a colossal breakdown of the various world stock markets, which day by day have become more intrinsically tied together so that when one of them catches a cold, they all sneeze. Such a tumble would create a serious situation for trade, commerce and finance, as to make past depressions, rip-roaring picnics. So, for some sobering info read the above mentioned X file and take stock (pun intended) of your situation.

This week we had some "production " problems, so I am filling in with a little humour story, sent to us.
And while you are at it, do a little thinking.

There is this atheist swimming in the ocean. All of a sudden he sees this shark in the water, so he starts swimming towards his boat.

As he looks back he sees the shark turn and head towards him. His boat is a ways off and he starts swimming like crazy. He's scared to death, and as he turns to see the jaws of the great white beast open revealing its teeth in a horrific splendor, the atheist screams, "Oh God! Save me!" In an instant, time is frozen and a bright light shines down from above. The man is motionless in the water when he hears the voice of God say, "You are an atheist. Why do you call upon me when you do not believe in me?" Aghast with confusion and knowing he can't lie the man replies, "Well, that's true I don't believe in you, but how about the shark? Can you make the shark believe in you?" The Lord replies, "As you wish," and the light retracted back into the heavens and the man could feel the water begin to move once again. As the atheist looks back he can see the jaws of the shark start to close down on him, when all of sudden the shark stops and pulls back. Shocked, the man looks at the shark as the huge beast closes its eyes and bows its head and says,

"Thank you Lord for this food for which I am about to receive..."

In the last decades, we have assisted to the enormous ascendancy of Arab and Muslim influence with all its accompanying pluses and minuses, mostly minuses. Wielding the oil sword, they have brought havoc and forced reassessments in many countries, and diplomatic circles, U.S. included. Yes, we need oil for our cars and factories, and so we will play to their tune. Is it not hypocritical how the "civilized" West can condemn little tyrants like Milosevik and the like, while totally disregarding much bigger ones, just because it is not pragmatically expedient to do so?

It is little known to most, how many of these Muslim countries indulge in an orgy of bloody tyranny. I received a report about what is going on in Afghanistan, after the Talebanis took power. It is enough to make anybody cry, or puke. But more on this on a later date. This week I am posting a report just out by Amnesty International. It deals with one country, Saudi Arabia, but it could well be as well about many others. What the report does NOT says is: SHAME on the "civilized" West, for keeping silent, SHAME for not having the courage to confront them, SHAME for placing financial interests before morality and justice.

AMNESTY RIPS SAUDI REIGN OF TERROR

Amnesty International accused the Saudi Arabian government on Tuesday of operating a justice system founded on terror, secrecy and torture which results in an average of two public beheadings every week, plus an occasional maiming. The Islamic Saudi regime adheres to a strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law, which allows courts to hand down sentences of amputation for thieves and public executions for murderers, rapists and drug traffickers.

In a new human rights report called "Saudi Arabia: A Secret State of Suffering," Amnesty revealed that the government has "systematically targeted its political and religious opponents, and abused the rights of migrant workers, women and other relatively powerless individuals." They concluded there was a "culture of brutality, torture and ill-treatment" in police stations, detention centers and prisons. Criminal defendants had no right to a lawyer, and were often convicted based on a torture-induced confession.

Trials involving serious charges were completed secretly within a few minutes and resulted in death or amputation. Amnesty said it knew of at least 1,100 people who had been executed in the past twenty years. Decapitations are routinely done in a public square on Fridays, but the "convicts" are never aware of the date until the last moment. Usually a sword is used, but the execution may require more than one chop. According to one executioner quoted in the report, guns are the choice of weapons when the case involves a woman, thus sparing them the shame of uncovering their head and neck in public. At least thirteen people have been beheaded so far this year.

Other punishments include amputations - with five cases of "cross amputation" (left foot/right hand) and lashings this year alone. In 1990, an Egyptian convicted of theft was sentenced to 4,000 lashes, at a rate of fifty every two weeks.

Amnesty said political groups are banned and authorities do not tolerate any form of public dissent: "Any criticism, independent thought or activity that might challenge the state's policies arouse the wrath of the government and invariably lead to brutal retaliatory action. This creates a climate of fear which is fed by secrecy, by a government that bans all political parties, independent lawyers' associations and human rights organizations."

Christians, Sikhs and other minorities in the Muslim monarchy are subjected to discrimination and are targeted by security forces. "Political and religious opponents of the government, migrant workers, women and other powerless individuals emerge as consistent victims of discrimination,'' the report added.

Women are not permitted to drive, have to remain covered head-to-toe in public - in line with rigid Muslim laws - and are not allowed to travel abroad without being escorted by a close relative such as a husband or a brother or with the written approval of a similarly-close relative.

There are no trade unions in Saudi Arabia and human rights groups have in the past accused authorities of taking unjust and arbitrary actions against foreign workers, the majority of whom are from Egypt, India, Indonesia and Pakistan.

Amnesty charged the Saudi government "spares no effort in keeping its appalling human rights record a secret by employing well-paid, foreign-based (some American) public relations firms and lobbyists." In 1999, the oil-rich kingdom spent more than $1 million on these companies for this purpose, the report said. The Amnesty report noted the case of a US citizen, Stanley Kizzie, who was locked up in a Saudi prison for 5 1/2 months last year without charge or trial. "I have witnessed many of the human rights violations that Amnesty International cites in its report," Kizzie was quoted as saying.

The report appears to be the first major independent examination of the conditions within Saudi Arabia. Amnesty believes the UN, the US and other governments, in order to advance business interests and geopolitical concerns, are helping to maintain the Saudi veil of secrecy.

The Saudi government has not formally acknowledged the report, but a deputy foreign minister in charge of international organizations, Prince Turki bin Mohammed, has says that it is inaccurate. The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheik Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Al al-Sheik, denounced it on Thursday. "The enemies of Islam are incensed at the Kingdom's blessings. Everyone knows that these claims are fabricated and baseless, coming from a side that hates Islam and wants to get at it using the pretext of human rights," he said.

In all fairness, it must be said that most Austrians did not vote Mr. Haider's party into power. Many European states have complicated electoral systems, and sometimes it happens that a party may win an election but it may not have enough seats to govern and so it must form an alliance with smaller parties, who play their insignificant shares for all it is worth, and more. This is what has happened in Austria.

Moreover, Austrians have taken to the streets to protest against Mr. Haider and his party, all done with the proverbial Austrian composure, and with practically no violence. In one such manifestation, Mr. Haider was seen dining in a Vienna restaurant, and was obliged to escape by the back door by its aroused participants. All in all, the reaction, both in Austria and abroad has been encouraging, in the sense of people becoming aware, alarmed and engaged in this episode. Unfortunately, it is my belief, supported by facts, that sooner or later, most people will become tired or bored with it, and that is the danger point. Mr. Haider himself, has said that "the furor, will die out in a few weeks." He is right, you know!

Our generation is known by many defined terms, one of them being "the Instant Generation," the meaning of which is quite clear. We talk in terms of nanoseconds, and 3 seconds of "non-response" is an eternity. I have seen a report that CD makers are doing away with the in-between-tracks muting (all of two seconds) because younger people are protesting this "silence." encroachment into their lives. It is a known fact that the attention span of most people has declined dangerously that even a 30 minute sermon may seem to some like an eternity. All influential speakers know about this, so they concentrate their stuff and use mnemonic devices to drive their point home. Many of our teachers problems are due, among other things, to this sad reality. It seems to me that as we get faster cars, faster trains, faster planes and all, our mental process want to reset themselves as well to keep pace. This may also be a reaction to mass media news bombardment. It has been estimated that the amount of information and sensory input we receive in a single day is equivalent to a lifetime of news that our great grandfathers experienced.

Ever noticed how "big news stories" gradually fade into the background and then into obliviousness? President Clinton knows something about that. Let's face it, people get tired and they want something "new" to set their attention upon. This is also true within the "Church," and it explains the continuous "New Move of the Spirit" proposed by the "evangelist" of the moment. Truly a restless generation.

But let's look at the prophetic significance of Mr. Haider's party rise to government.
According to the Word, in the last days prior to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be a revival of the Old Roman Empire. Daniel, in his prophetic descriptions of the four world empires which would rule the world until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, points to the revival of the last one, the Roman, as being in place during the final stages of history. While this is not an article of explanations of Daniel's prophecies (Daniel 7), we must note that the Roman Empire did not end with the political decline of Rome, but that it is continuing until this very day and it will be in place at the return of Christ. Whether it will be composed by European nations or by a mix of other nations or whether it will be a global government, we do not know at this time, although the prophetic path points to Europe.

It is apparent that conditions are being created that will spell TROUBLE for the Jews. The Swiss bank accounts scandal, the German (and other nations) acknowledgement and compensation of Jewish slave labour, the Palestinian problem and other stories are building a high level of intolerance toward Israel and the individual Jew. Mr. Haider tongue slips simply reveal these feelings. He is the shadow of things to come.

Mind you, we do not think that Israel or the Jews are guilty of all these items, if anything they are the victims. However, once the historical moment is passed, people forget and resent. This is what is happening right now in Europe and worldwide. The time of "Jacob's Trouble" is approaching fast, even as other essential elements are lining up to usher the final moments of the history of man on earth.

How are the Jews reacting to this rising wave of resentment against them? For the most part, badly, as is the case. It is obvious that they do not understand their destiny and the approaching hoofs of anti-semitism, and this is simply terrible. They will be caught unaware by the prophetic events described in their own Old Testament. The only bright spot in all this is the phenomenal increase of Messianic Jews (Jews who believe in Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah). A few weeks ago I did an Internet search for Messianic Jews and I came up with so many entries that I was frankly surprised. The Holy Spirit is certainly moving among the sons of Abraham.

As I am closing this article, the news of Mr. Haider's leaving the leadership of his party is being broadcast. Also, the Minister of Justice, appointed from Haider's party is leaving his post. Europe seems to react negatively against this apparent move to appease world opinion. The problem is not Mr. Haider himself, but the political party he has led and its ideological foundations. Moreover his move seems to pre-announce a government crisis and the calling of new elections, where he could candidate himself to the presidentship of the country. This remains a situation to monitor, since it has given fire to similar political parties and movements. Mr. Haider has been called a "shining star" by a deficient political leader, who shall go nameless. Despite the inevitable, it behooves every true Christian to make of Israel a regular item of prayer.

Charles Schultz, the comic strip designer of the world-renown PEANUTS characters is dead at 77.

Few know that Mr. Schultz was a devout Christian. To his honor, it may be said that he shared his Christianity both in his private life (his generosity, reported by others and known to its many beneficiaries), and in the simplicity of his cartoons strips. Without being preachy or arrogant, he has communicated that life is worthwhile living, despite all injustices and falls, real or imagined. Since his strip was syndicated world-wide, he had to walk a fine line between his beliefs and what was expected of him. Nonetheless, in his humble, quiet and dignified way, he shared his faith in a manner that few are able to. Many a preacher and tele-evangelist could learn a lesson or two in style and class from his example.
Well done. Good bye, Charlie Brown!

Is Haider an isolated case in Europe? Not quite, as we shall see, but it is unquestionably the most notorious and successful case.
Regarding Austria, much has been said of the Far Right electoral success. Mostly it comes down to the fact that Austria is a small country, with long-established traditions and lifestyle. Austrians feel helpless to face the challenges that globalization is laying down at their door. I have noticed that small countries, like Switzerland, Austria, Belgium and others, have a more difficult time to deal with this process than bigger countries like Germany, Italy or France. Being confronted by increasing rush of admissions by people who do not share their way of life, but who instead bring different and "strange" cultural demands, such small countries feel that if they do not act to preserve their customs, in a generation or two, they will lose their long-established and cherished identity. This is not acceptable to many.

While this given reason is probably the most played one, it is by no means, the only one.

Since the end of the Iron Wall, Europe has been under a steady "assault" by former communist countries citizens, to whom Europe represents the Eldorado. Furthermore, waves of immigrants from African countries are making their way to the continent. Unfortunately Europe, unlike the United States, is not organized to handle such mass immigration and the results are evident. A lot of these immigrants end up in the streets, and they are destined to a life of begging and crime. It is not surprising to find that extra-Europeans fill in the jails of countries like Italy and others. Lots of people are getting tired of rising crime rates, or of being continuously hassled by aggressive beggars or "service providers": in Rome, and in a lot of other cities, at every traffic light, you will be approached by someone with a window brush who wants to clean your window shield. Actually, you have no choice, since they will "clean" your window anyway and then pretend a tip. Italians probably have the cleanest car windows in the world.

In the past few years, single countries have formulated sometimes contradictory laws to deal with this emergency, but it is clear that only a joint effort by all the member states is sorely needed, and that therefore this matter has become of paramount importance to the European Government, which has still little power to legislate in most matters reserved to the single states sovereignty. Many, hope that this year the European Government will be able to extend its powers and take over areas which are presently under local control.

As we have said, Austria is by no means the only country where far-right parties has taken hold. Here is a list of other countries which have a rising number of people who accept the far-right ideology:

United Kingdom - British National Party

Countries like Sweden, which have no organized far-right party are nonetheless plagued by a growing xenophobic and nazi-styled youth which think nothing of bombing foreigners dwellings or beating them up. Switzerland, which does not belong to the EU, has its far-right party as well, The Swiss People Party, which recently, has clamorously gained seats in the last round of federal elections. Spain, which also does not have an organized far-right party, was recently theatre to the worst anti immigrants episode in its history, in the town of El Ejido. Thousands of Spaniards demonstrated and rioted against its Moroccan community in retaliation for a murder of a Spaniard by an immigrant from Morocco.

Most of the above parties do not share a common ideological approach, but however, their battle cry is more or less the same:
anti immigration, anti EU, with all the implications thereof. Muslims are being pointed out as not belonging in "Christian" Europe. Certainly, the Muslim community does not help its integration by pretending that their daughters wear the traditional head scarf in school, or by requesting their own cemeteries, meat stores etc. Some Europeans countries face other less known problems, like infibulation, an horrendous genital mutilation that many Muslim immigrants practice on their daughters and are taken aback by a lack of appropriate legislation. Sweden's Mrs. Kjaersgaard, head of the Danish People Party, has said in as many words: "I think the Muslims are a problem. They are quite as good people as you or me, but it's a problem in a Christian country to have too many Muslims."

Returning to the Austrian case, I have noticed the notable absence of a declaration from the Vatican, always prompt to comment on political events it does not like. Could it be because Austria is a heavily Catholic country, and also very attached to the Roman Curia?

In our next installment, we will examine the prophetic significance of these events and how they are preparing the stage for the final events of the End Times.

---

Feb 8 / 2000

SHADOWS

Joerg Haider

Of late, no single event has stirred Europe as the coalition government just formed in Austria between the Conservatives and the far-right Freedom Party, led by Mr. Joerg Haider. The reason for all this controversy are the Nazi-like statements and political objectives attributed to Mr. Haider. While as Governor of Carinthia, his influence was somewhat limited, his raise to national power has sent shockwaves through the European establishments halls.

Demagogy will not explain the whys of the case: