Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Hello all,
With all of the insanity going on in the world today, it is time we each take a personal stand for what is right, and help to save the life of a young person.
With talk of the reintroduction of the draft in Congress, this could become FACT very shortly. If any of you know a young person who is considering filing for conscientious objector's status, or wishes instead to make arrangements to just flee the country, it behooves this person and their family to discuss this issue now, in ADVANCE, and decide on what status and strategy is best for them.
Libertarians and pacifists have their own arguments on this issue, and are encouraged to look at libertarian websites for literature on this subject.
What is harder to come across, though, is valid, strong information from a Christian point of veiw. This is because, sadly, it seems that many churches either do not take a stand on this issue, or take the wrong stand.
Therefore, for those who know someone who wishes to tackle this issue from a Christian perspective, giving ample proof right out of the Bible, we encourage that you download, read, study, and pass on this important, landmark booklet on Military Service and War.
The Bible proofs in this booklet are so strong, and so voluminous, that it will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt what the Bible says on this subject.
Therefore, for those Christians on our lists who would like to help themselves to this material, we are providing it from the Restoration Website in both HTML and PDF format, which are both easy to download, cross platform formats to give the widest distribution possible.
So, either pass this email along to interested parties, or download the booklet yourself and email it to others you know will be interested. You may even download this material and offer it FREE of charge to your website visitors right from your own website as long as you make no alterations to text or links.
Do someone a life saving favor today. Don't let one more young life be snuffed out in a useless, wrong situation. Spread the word!
HTML Version: http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/military.htm
PDF Version: http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/military.pdf
Thank you for doing your part!
John
---->Gaming solutions, and Ecurrency systems and usages !
----- New Investment Opportunities ------
----> Encryption Services, Relocation Services to
----> Costa Rica, and Elsewhere Privacy/Offshore Consultations
----> Send email to: porongo@safe-mail.net for info.
--<>-- --<<<+>>>-- --<>--
----> Become the Success You Deserve in Life!
----> Visit Destiny Central http://www.destiny-worldwide.net <---
--<>-- --<<<+>>>-- --<>--
Get Spiritual Refreshment. Restore your soul.
----> http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/ <-----------------
----> Discover the mystery of Costa Rica!
----> http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/costa-rica/ <---------------
--<>-- --<<<+>>>-- --<>--
-----------------> Visit our New Blogs! <-----------------
----> SuccessQuest http://successquest.blogspot.com/
----> The Real Truth http://destiny-worldwide.blogspot.com/
----> Costa Rica News http://costa-rica-news.blogspot.com/
------------------
With all of the insanity going on in the world today, it is time we each take a personal stand for what is right, and help to save the life of a young person.
With talk of the reintroduction of the draft in Congress, this could become FACT very shortly. If any of you know a young person who is considering filing for conscientious objector's status, or wishes instead to make arrangements to just flee the country, it behooves this person and their family to discuss this issue now, in ADVANCE, and decide on what status and strategy is best for them.
Libertarians and pacifists have their own arguments on this issue, and are encouraged to look at libertarian websites for literature on this subject.
What is harder to come across, though, is valid, strong information from a Christian point of veiw. This is because, sadly, it seems that many churches either do not take a stand on this issue, or take the wrong stand.
Therefore, for those who know someone who wishes to tackle this issue from a Christian perspective, giving ample proof right out of the Bible, we encourage that you download, read, study, and pass on this important, landmark booklet on Military Service and War.
The Bible proofs in this booklet are so strong, and so voluminous, that it will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt what the Bible says on this subject.
Therefore, for those Christians on our lists who would like to help themselves to this material, we are providing it from the Restoration Website in both HTML and PDF format, which are both easy to download, cross platform formats to give the widest distribution possible.
So, either pass this email along to interested parties, or download the booklet yourself and email it to others you know will be interested. You may even download this material and offer it FREE of charge to your website visitors right from your own website as long as you make no alterations to text or links.
Do someone a life saving favor today. Don't let one more young life be snuffed out in a useless, wrong situation. Spread the word!
HTML Version: http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/military.htm
PDF Version: http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/military.pdf
Thank you for doing your part!
John
---->Gaming solutions, and Ecurrency systems and usages !
----- New Investment Opportunities ------
----> Encryption Services, Relocation Services to
----> Costa Rica, and Elsewhere Privacy/Offshore Consultations
----> Send email to: porongo@safe-mail.net for info.
--<>-- --<<<+>>>-- --<>--
----> Become the Success You Deserve in Life!
----> Visit Destiny Central http://www.destiny-worldwide.net <---
--<>-- --<<<+>>>-- --<>--
Get Spiritual Refreshment. Restore your soul.
----> http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/ <-----------------
----> Discover the mystery of Costa Rica!
----> http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/costa-rica/ <---------------
--<>-- --<<<+>>>-- --<>--
-----------------> Visit our New Blogs! <-----------------
----> SuccessQuest http://successquest.blogspot.com/
----> The Real Truth http://destiny-worldwide.blogspot.com/
----> Costa Rica News http://costa-rica-news.blogspot.com/
------------------
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
This issue of the Prophezine newsletter is positively astounding, so I am forwarding it in its entirety.
As I have predicted for years, a Muslim messiah will arise in the end time and cause a lot of problems for the world. He may already be operational, as this newsletter indicates.
In addition, at about the same time, a Catholic and a Jewish messiah will also appear.
This will loosely correspond to a worldwide religious revival, which I feel the Mel Gibson film is in the process of sparking.
At some point soon, then, we can look for the destruction of the Dome of the Rock and the construction of the Third Temple. If we are now in the fast track period that I believe we are in, then look for this to occur sometime between now and the Day of Atonement in the fall. An alternative to this would be that the Temple Mount is actually elsewhere, the Jewish messiah discovers this fact, and construction of the Third Temple thus begins with the Dome still standing.
Also, I have recently become aware that there is a Muslim prophecy of the destruction of the Dome, so we shall see what happens when it actually happens.
But more startling, and I have confirmed this with other sources besides the one below, Islamic prophecy predicts the appearance of a "new planet." But, further research reveals that some Islamic texts indicate that this planet is where God's Throne is located.
Now, just what and where is this new planet if it exists?
Well, it is not a "new planet" at all, but a very old and ancient one. I believe the Islamic prophecies are referring to none other than the appearance in our skies shortly of the ancient Nibiru, which the governments of this world know is coming and which they are deathly afraid of. The recent acceleration by the US of plans to revive the draft [that was not planned until after the 2004 election, but something is inciting them to take the additional political risks introducing it now will cause].
This is because the intentions of Satanic world governments is none other than to fight GOD when He makes His appearance, because they believe that GOD is nothing more than some invastion of earth by "aliens" from this same "planet." They have been told this by demons masquerading as other "aliens" from outer space, believe it or not!
So, they are gearing up to fight GOD HIMESLEF at His coming, to become KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS over this world and to reign forever and ever and THEY DON'T LIKE BEING PUT OUT OF POWER ONE LITTLE BIT. As an aside, may I suggest that young people NOT answer this renewed call to join the army, because FIGHTING CHRIST AT HIS RETURN IS A LOSING PROPOSITION, to say the least!
To find mention of the appearance of Nibiru in ancient Islamic prophecies as a sign of the arrival of the end times is indeed interesting. To those who doubt that this is about to happen, I don't think you have too much longer to wait.
I believe it was originally scheduled to arrive around 2012, but something has speeded this up. How could a massive planet speed up its approach to our part of the solar system, you might ask?
You would not believe the answer if I told you, but I believe I know at least 2 ways this could be possible, plus one of these explanations adds a whole new dimension and twist to this mystery, and would explain why Christ said "no man knoweth the day or the hour" of His return, and "only the Father in Heaven knows," which if this explanation holds water, these enigmatic statements would be explained in a very logical, common sense way that everyone could understand, even though the explanation itself is mind blowing!
By the way, this explanation also explains such enigmatic Biblical phrases referring to God as "the Ancient of Days," the "Alpha and the Omega," "He that inhabits eternity," and also the reference in the Bible to God as "the Eternal."
While the explanation explains this somewhat, it of course does not answer it completely, of course, and it also raises other imporant issues and questions. I will not go into this now as I am still considering this information, and comparing and compiling it with available data several times from several angles, but so far this particular explanation of many things appears to hold water no matter what way you look at it.
The bottom line is that very soon, humanity may have both PROOF positive and a PARTIAL explanation on who and what God is. It will be revealed to mankind that God is more real than you can imagine, just as powerful as the Bible says He is, and He is on the way now to intervene in world affairs in a very powerful, dramatic and obvious way.
-----Original Message-----
From: Prophezine [mailto:john@prophezine.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2004 8:24 AM
To: john@prophezine.com
Subject: [PZ-NewsBites] Monday, March 29, 2004
The Bible Prophecy Website
www.prophezine.com
PROPHEZINE NEWS BYTES
© Monday, March 29, 2004
EDITOR: Susan Berry
IN THIS EDITION…
Warnings from Islam's 'messianic whirlpool'
‘The Passion of the Christ’ a hit in Beirut, Damascus
Hundreds of Central Texans to attend Ten Commandments Rally
Now NASA looks to change Mars into a garden of Earthly delights
Warnings from Islam's 'messianic whirlpool'
Jihadists in global frenzy over coming of prophesied 'Mahdi'
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=37782
An Israeli intelligence analyst sees a frenzy of jihadist Internet communications as part of a "dangerous Islamic messianic whirlpool" featuring a number of prophecies culminating in the coming of the "Mahdi," reports the latest issue of the premium online intelligence newsletter Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
Some of the documents obtained in a sweep of Internet communications just before the attack on the Madrid trains are signed by an unknown sheikh – assumed to be a nom de guerre for Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri or others in leadership in al-Qaida.
The communications make a number of predictions about world events pointing to "The coming of the Mahdi" – a messianic figure Muslims expect to come and lead them in victory against the infidels in the last days.
Here is what these communications foresee:
Two European countries will be attacked.
Another attack is planned against the U.S.
Followers are asked to get rid of euros and as true Muslims replace them with gold.
There will be an assassination attempt against a high-ranking Egyptian official.
A mass gathering of jihad warriors is expected in the cities of the twin holy mosques Mecca and Medina.
A divine signal will be given when three celestial stars will be aligned on one axis.
The appearance of a new star, never seen before, will be in plain sight to all humanity.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharaf and Yasser Arafat will be annihilated in the same month.
The list includes other apocalyptic predictions such as "the march of Islam through Russia, the return of Islam to Andalusia and a victory parade in Jerusalem with liberated Saddam Hussein at the lead. This will follow after a war in Syria and the assassination of King Abdullah of Jordan."
There is no specific time frame for the apocalyptic prophecy, according to G2 Bulletin sources. The most important aspect of the communications is the subsequent attack in Spain, and an important threat to the continental U.S.
The analyst says the Internet is now the most important tool used by the jihadi propagandists. Some of the material is clearly a warning to Muslims to distance themselves from possible target areas.
Further analysis suggests the second European country to be hit, according to the jihad spirit, is probably Italy or the Vatican. This is based on constant verbal attacks on the pope as an enemy of Islam and on rejection of Christian missionary movements in Africa and the Middle East. A direct threat is aimed against American missionaries and indeed some were attacked last week in Iraq.
Experts say the latest Ramadan saw, according to Muslim scholars, three aligned stars. Also the issue of unknown stars is lately highlighted among jihadists such as the news of March 15 about distant unknown galaxies and information about new stars. The new star is explained by the jihadists as the discovery of a new planet.
The jihadists reacted to this information by saying: "Even infidel researchers are aware of the Mahdi's message." G2B reported earlier that U.S. military intelligence experts were studying a video clip of bin Laden in which he stands before a dry-erase board with an Arabic phrase written upon it – "awaited enlightened one."
No one who has seen the video is quite certain of the meaning or the context. But, the Hadith, a collection of Islamic holy writings that supplement the Quran, predicts the messianic figure will arise in the last days of history. This "Mahdi," along with the "Prophet Jesus," will lead the believers to victory over the infidels.
The video raises the question of whether bin Laden sees himself as this Mahdi or if he is expecting another to arise and lead. Either way, the addition of a dimension of Islamic prophecy to the global terror war may seriously complicate matters for planners in the West.
According to G2 Bulletin's military sources, some of the detainees currently held at Guantanamo Bay have told interrogators they joined bin Laden's al-Qaida offensive because they think he is the "awaited enlightened one." Others in military intelligence say some of the terrorists crossing the border into Iraq with al-Qaida ties are doing so because of their belief in this Islamic prophecy.
Muslim believers – both Sunni and Shiite – expect the Mahdi to return one day to restore justice to the world. This messenger is not as great as Muhammad, but is a messianic figure found in all branches of Islam.
Interestingly, since the end of 2001, bin Laden has been signing his name "Osama bin Muhammad bin Laden," rather than just Osama bin Laden. This is significant because it gives the al-Qaida leader an apocalyptic dimension. The Hadith says the Mahdi will be recognizable, among other things, by the fact that he carries the name of the prophet.
The Mahdi is supposed to come, according to Islamic clerics, just before the advent of the day of judgment – when believers are severely oppressed in every corner of the world. He will fight the "oppressors," unite the Muslims, bring peace and justice to the world, rule over the Arabs, and lead a prayer in Mecca at which Jesus will be present, according to Islamic scholars.
‘The Passion of the Christ’ a hit in Beirut, Damascus
Mel Gibson's controversial film drawing sizeable audience in Syrian, Lebanese capitals.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=9408
Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Passion of the Christ," accused by some Jewish organizations of encouraging anti-Semitism, is drawing a sizeable if unexceptional audience here while apparently touching an emotional nerve in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
"Coming out of the theater ... I saw a lot of people in tears," reported Fayez Wehbe, who saw the film - with Arabic sub-titles - in Damascus.
Certain sequences are in Aramaic, the language that was dominant in the Holy Land at the time of Christ and which can still be heard in certain towns in Syria, notably Maalula and Saadnaya near Damascus.
"Some members of the audience could not conceal their astonishment on hearing some expressions - such as Ya Illah (My God) - that are close to Arabic," said Wehbe.
Added another Syrian cinema-goer: "The fact that this film is being shown in the current Middle East context, which opposes Israel and the Arabs, explains part of its success."
Given its popularity in Damascus a fourth showing has been added to the three that had been initially offered, with people often buying tickets in the morning to be sure of getting a place.
The film has spawned reams of commentary because of its unflinchingly graphic portrayal of Christ's crucifixion. In some quarters it has been seen as promoting anti-Semitism by a negative depiction of Christ's fellow Jews, while that view has been strongly rejected in others.
Here in Beirut, the film has been warmly received. Lebanon's Maronite church has described it as "impressive" and found it not to be anti-Semitic.
"It is very sad, extremely impressive," commented Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, the spiritual head of the Maronite church.
"We don't see any anti-Semitism there."
An official from one of Beirut's larger movie houses said "the public has come in strong numbers to see 'The Passion' but it has not been an exceptional rush."
North of the capital, in the heavily Christian Junieh region, the film is selling well, although it is off limits to youths under the age of 15.
Elsewhere in the Arab world, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat saw the film at his headquarters in Ramallah on the West Bank and pronounced it "moving."
"The Passion of the Christ" will also be shown in Cairo, where it is likewise forbidden to minors because of its violent scenes, starting March 31, and has been available to movie goers in the Gulf state of Qatar since last Sunday.
"We submitted 'The Passion of the Christ' to the censorship committee, which had no objection to its screening" in Qatar, said Abdul Rahman Mohsen, the director general of a private Qatari cinema company.
The committee usually censors scenes or images depicting prophets from the holy books.
The film is being shown three times a day in a cinema in Doha and will be screened for at least one month, Mohsen said.
Three other Gulf states are currently still reviewing the film, he said.
The movie will be shown to the public in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) beginning March 31 after having been given the green light by the ministry of culture and information, the UAE's Gulf News reported Sunday.
Hundreds of Central Texans to attend Ten Commandments Rally http://www.wacotrib.com/news/newsfd/auto/feed/news/2004/03/27/1080368381.23013.9110.0472.html;COXnetJSessionID=Aokh1GhKn2qh2vzr3BKUQHR3l2kxonLo61RaZBdzX132XX89mqTx!1725533550?urac=n&urvf=10805669458710.31245376320462714
Almost 900 Central Texans are planning to travel to Dallas next week for the first in a series of Ten Commandments Rallies to demonstrate their resolve to keep the United States "one nation under God."
Christian conservatives will meet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 3 at the Dallas Convention Center, said Dianna Molix, chairwoman and coordinator of the Ten Commandments Texas Revival Rally.
Believers in "biblical orthodoxy," she said, are being challenged at every turn, putting them on the defensive. "It's time to wake up, stand up and speak up for God in America."
The mission of the Ten Commandments Texas Revival Rally is to "strengthen and mold God's people of all faiths into a battalion of voters who uphold the free acknowledgment of God as the source of our law traditions in America," according to the organization's Web site.
Organizers of the event contend that the culture clash is not just an issue for Christians, or even religious people.
"All liberty is at stake when any liberty is threatened," said Molix. "The Ten Commandments provide the basic principles for a civil society and form a universal declaration of how people interact with honor toward each other."
The Ten Commandments Texas Revival Rally is meant to energize people who believe their Judeo-Christian heritage is being undermined by people who are hostile to their views. Although general seating in an overflow room at the Dallas Convention Center is free, reserved seats cost $10 each. They've given away 4,500 tickets already, Molix said.
VIP tickets, which include a 7 p.m. dinner and reception with keynote speaker Roy Moore of Alabama, cost $150 each. For more information, visit www.TexasRally.us.
Moore is the former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court ousted from office by Alabama's judicial ethics panel in November for defying a federal judge's order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state Supreme Court building.
Bill Thrasher of Waco's KBDE 89.9 FM, a Christian radio station in the American Family Association chain, said the station has coordinated registration locally for the event. Gary Heavin of Curves International has purchased a large block of tickets for KBDE to give away, he said, and people can call the station as late as Thursday at (866) 228-1900 for free tickets to the rally. Several area churches have reserved 50-60-seat blocks of tickets for their use, he added.
"Our station is involved in the opening ceremonies," Thrasher said. Sarah Nelson of Austin, a Baylor graduate and on-air personality, will lead the singing of the National Anthem.
An audio re-cap of some of the remarks surrounding the removal of the Ten Commandments, remixed with music, will be played. Contemporary Christian recording artist Natalie Grant will perform, as will Killeen's own Spensha Baker, an 11-year-old singer featured this season on Star Search . The entire proceedings will be carried nationwide on the AFA stations, Thrasher said, and streamed at www.afr.net.
Focus on the Family is sending someone to read a letter from James Dobson; and Tim Wildmon of American Family Association will also deliver a brief address, Thrasher said.
Molix said the "state" rally, in fact, is turning into more of a regional event, with participants flying or driving in from Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and 12 other states.
The Texas event is seen as a stepping stone on the path to a National Ten Commandments Rally, tentatively set for Oct. 15 in Washington, D.C, and only two weeks before the national election that many have cast as a religious war as much as it is a political battle.
"If this one is successful, it will help us carry the momentum into other states," Molix said. Dateline NBC is coming to videotape the proceedings in Dallas, she added. "I hope a lot of people come out so they know that Texans are standing for God and with Judge Moore."
Gina Parker of Waco, who is running for the chairmanship of the state's Republican Party, is a co-chairwoman of the event. She said her involvement is inspired by the belief that during the formation of the United States, declarations such as "In God We Trust" and "One Nation Under God" have been the standard for citizens of integrity and responsibility.
"We can send to our lawmakers this message: Remember the beliefs of the famous Founding Fathers concerning the role of biblical principles in education, in government, and in the public affairs of our nation," Parker said. "I hope it makes a statement that conservatives oppose judicial activism. We'll send a message to judges legislating from the bench — we're watching what is happening!"
Author and educator Alan Keyes, candidate for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination and founder of The Declaration Foundation, is one of the speakers. The Ten Commandments State Rallies are a Christian community project under the auspices of Alan Keyes' Declaration Foundation and its activist arm, Renew America. The foundation is a non-profit civic educational organization founded in 1996. They are conducted in concert with Rick Scarborough's Vision America and Dianna Molix's Concerned Americans in Action.
At many rallies, Molix said, participants are inspired to "get all fired up" about an issue, and then disburse. For those who want to know how to put their zeal into action, she said, a seminar will take place after the rally to instruct people on writing letters that get noticed or organizing their own communities of affinity to "reclaim our godly constitution."
Now NASA looks to change Mars into a garden of Earthly delights
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1179587,00.html
Fiction could become reality as scientists plan to 'terraform' the fourth rock from the Sun
Finding life on Mars has proved an elusive dream for decades. But scientists now believe they may be able to do it for themselves - by turning the Red Planet into a blue world with streams, green fields and fresh breezes and filling it with Earthly creatures.
The idea - known as terraforming - sounds like science fiction. But turning Mars into an Earthly paradise is being taken seriously by increasing numbers of researchers. They believe that, billions of years after its last seas and rivers dried up, Mars could be restored to its ancient glory thanks to human ingenuity. Its craters would become lakes and its red, parched hillsides would be covered with forests, ultimately providing mankind's teeming ranks with a new home.
This startling concept will be the focus of a major international debate, to be hosted this week by America's space agency, Nasa, which is preparing a multi-billion-dollar Mars research programme at the request of President Bush. Leading researchers as well as science fiction writers, including Arthur C. Clarke and Greg Bear, will attend.
'Terraforming has long been a fictional topic,' said Dr Michael Meyer, Nasa's senior scientist for astrobiology. 'Now, with real scientists exploring the reality, we can ask what are the real possibilities, as well as the potential ramifications, of transforming Mars.'
Most astronomers agree that Mars could be turned into a little Earth, though it would take decades to achieve this goal and would require massive expenditure. But many scientists are horrified by the concept.
'The idea of terraforming Mars is extreme, but it is not cranky - that is the truly horrible thing about it,' said Paul Murdin, of the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge. 'If it was just a silly science-fiction notion, you could laugh it off. But the idea is terribly real. That is why it is dreadful. We are mucking up this world at an incredible pace at the same time that we are talking about screwing up another planet.'
Over the past months, astronomers have become increasingly confident they will find Martian lifeforms after decades of disappointment. Europe's Mars Express and America's two robot rovers, Spirit and Opportunity - which are all investigating the planet at present - have detected strong evidence that water, mixed with soil, exists in large amounts on Mars.
In addition, two different groups of scientists yesterday revealed they had found traces of methane in the Martian atmosphere. The gas is a waste product of living creatures and could be a byproduct of Martian microbes living in the Red Planet's soil.
It is the risk that terraforming poses to these sorts of organisms that outrages scientists, such as Dr Lisa Pratt, a Nasa astrobiologist based at Indiana University.
'It is very depressing. Before we have even discovered if there is life on Mars - which I am increasingly confident we will find - we are talking about undertaking massive projects that would wipe out all these indigenous lifeforms, all the strange microbes that we hope to find buried in the Martian soil. It is simply ethically wrong.'
To terraform Mars, engineers would have to find a way of thickening its atmosphere, whose pressure is a hundredth of that on Earth. In addition, ways will have to be found to heat up the planet. At present its surface temperature can plunge to minus 60C and below.
However, both goals - heating and thickening - could be achieved together, say researchers. One idea is to build a large mirror, many miles in diameter, and place it orbit above Mars. This would then be used to focus the Sun's rays onto a polar icecap, melting it and releasing its frozen carbon dioxide contents. The carbon dioxide would then trigger greenhouse heating.
The alternative would be to construct plants for generating super-greenhouse gases - made of complex combinations of carbon, chlorine and fluorine, and which are thousands of times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat. These would be built at strategic sites across the planet and should also trigger global temperature rises. Thickening the Martian atmosphere would also protect its surface from the ultra-violet radiation that bombards its surface and which would otherwise kill off most Earth-like lifeforms on the planet.
According to Dr Chris McKay - based at Nasa's Ames Research Centre in California and a participant in this week's terraforming debate - either method could provide the terraforming project with a crucial kick-start. With a thicker, warmer atmosphere, ice trapped in the Martian soil would melt and could be used to sustain agriculture. With plants and trees imported from Earth growing and producing oxygen, the atmosphere would become slowly more Earth-like. 'We should get serious about sending life to Mars,' McKay said.
Other scientists remain cautious. 'We now know Mars used to have an atmosphere, but it disappeared for reasons that are still unclear,' said Monica Grady, a planetary scientist at the Natural History Museum, London. 'If we restore Mars's atmosphere, we could easily find it disappeared again. We would have done some devastating things to the planet for a temporary effect. That is certainly not ethical.'
The point is backed by Pratt. 'If we find life on Mars, the philosophical implications will be profound,' she said. 'If it is unlike Earthly life and has a different genetic code, this will show that living beings evolved separately on two neighbouring worlds. Life is therefore likely to be ubiquitous throughout the galaxy.
'If it has the same genetic code, however, it will indicate that one planet must have contaminated the other - probably by rocks being blasted across the solar system following meteorite impacts. We may really be Martian in origin.
'Given the importance of these issues, we simply cannot risk starting a global experiment that would wipe out the precious sensitive evidence we are seeking,' she added. 'This is just not on.'
Prophezine
The Bible Prophecy Website
www.prophezine.com
PO Box 640
Russellville AR 72811
---->Gaming solutions, and Ecurrency systems and usages !
----- New Investment Opportunities ------
----> Encryption Services, Relocation Services to
----> Costa Rica, and Elsewhere Privacy/Offshore Consultations
----> Send email to: porongo@safe-mail.net for info.
--<>-- --<<<+>>>-- --<>--
----> Become the Success You Deserve in Life!
----> Visit Destiny Central http://www.destiny-worldwide.net <---
--<>-- --<<<+>>>-- --<>--
Get Spiritual Refreshment. Restore your soul.
----> http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/ <-----------------
----> Discover the mystery of Costa Rica!
----> http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/costa-rica/ <---------------
--<>-- --<<<+>>>-- --<>--
-----------------> Visit our New Blogs! <-----------------
----> SuccessQuest http://successquest.blogspot.com/
----> The Real Truth http://destiny-worldwide.blogspot.com/
----> Costa Rica News http://costa-rica-news.blogspot.com/
------------------
As I have predicted for years, a Muslim messiah will arise in the end time and cause a lot of problems for the world. He may already be operational, as this newsletter indicates.
In addition, at about the same time, a Catholic and a Jewish messiah will also appear.
This will loosely correspond to a worldwide religious revival, which I feel the Mel Gibson film is in the process of sparking.
At some point soon, then, we can look for the destruction of the Dome of the Rock and the construction of the Third Temple. If we are now in the fast track period that I believe we are in, then look for this to occur sometime between now and the Day of Atonement in the fall. An alternative to this would be that the Temple Mount is actually elsewhere, the Jewish messiah discovers this fact, and construction of the Third Temple thus begins with the Dome still standing.
Also, I have recently become aware that there is a Muslim prophecy of the destruction of the Dome, so we shall see what happens when it actually happens.
But more startling, and I have confirmed this with other sources besides the one below, Islamic prophecy predicts the appearance of a "new planet." But, further research reveals that some Islamic texts indicate that this planet is where God's Throne is located.
Now, just what and where is this new planet if it exists?
Well, it is not a "new planet" at all, but a very old and ancient one. I believe the Islamic prophecies are referring to none other than the appearance in our skies shortly of the ancient Nibiru, which the governments of this world know is coming and which they are deathly afraid of. The recent acceleration by the US of plans to revive the draft [that was not planned until after the 2004 election, but something is inciting them to take the additional political risks introducing it now will cause].
This is because the intentions of Satanic world governments is none other than to fight GOD when He makes His appearance, because they believe that GOD is nothing more than some invastion of earth by "aliens" from this same "planet." They have been told this by demons masquerading as other "aliens" from outer space, believe it or not!
So, they are gearing up to fight GOD HIMESLEF at His coming, to become KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS over this world and to reign forever and ever and THEY DON'T LIKE BEING PUT OUT OF POWER ONE LITTLE BIT. As an aside, may I suggest that young people NOT answer this renewed call to join the army, because FIGHTING CHRIST AT HIS RETURN IS A LOSING PROPOSITION, to say the least!
To find mention of the appearance of Nibiru in ancient Islamic prophecies as a sign of the arrival of the end times is indeed interesting. To those who doubt that this is about to happen, I don't think you have too much longer to wait.
I believe it was originally scheduled to arrive around 2012, but something has speeded this up. How could a massive planet speed up its approach to our part of the solar system, you might ask?
You would not believe the answer if I told you, but I believe I know at least 2 ways this could be possible, plus one of these explanations adds a whole new dimension and twist to this mystery, and would explain why Christ said "no man knoweth the day or the hour" of His return, and "only the Father in Heaven knows," which if this explanation holds water, these enigmatic statements would be explained in a very logical, common sense way that everyone could understand, even though the explanation itself is mind blowing!
By the way, this explanation also explains such enigmatic Biblical phrases referring to God as "the Ancient of Days," the "Alpha and the Omega," "He that inhabits eternity," and also the reference in the Bible to God as "the Eternal."
While the explanation explains this somewhat, it of course does not answer it completely, of course, and it also raises other imporant issues and questions. I will not go into this now as I am still considering this information, and comparing and compiling it with available data several times from several angles, but so far this particular explanation of many things appears to hold water no matter what way you look at it.
The bottom line is that very soon, humanity may have both PROOF positive and a PARTIAL explanation on who and what God is. It will be revealed to mankind that God is more real than you can imagine, just as powerful as the Bible says He is, and He is on the way now to intervene in world affairs in a very powerful, dramatic and obvious way.
-----Original Message-----
From: Prophezine [mailto:john@prophezine.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2004 8:24 AM
To: john@prophezine.com
Subject: [PZ-NewsBites] Monday, March 29, 2004
The Bible Prophecy Website
www.prophezine.com
PROPHEZINE NEWS BYTES
© Monday, March 29, 2004
EDITOR: Susan Berry
IN THIS EDITION…
Warnings from Islam's 'messianic whirlpool'
‘The Passion of the Christ’ a hit in Beirut, Damascus
Hundreds of Central Texans to attend Ten Commandments Rally
Now NASA looks to change Mars into a garden of Earthly delights
Warnings from Islam's 'messianic whirlpool'
Jihadists in global frenzy over coming of prophesied 'Mahdi'
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=37782
An Israeli intelligence analyst sees a frenzy of jihadist Internet communications as part of a "dangerous Islamic messianic whirlpool" featuring a number of prophecies culminating in the coming of the "Mahdi," reports the latest issue of the premium online intelligence newsletter Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
Some of the documents obtained in a sweep of Internet communications just before the attack on the Madrid trains are signed by an unknown sheikh – assumed to be a nom de guerre for Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri or others in leadership in al-Qaida.
The communications make a number of predictions about world events pointing to "The coming of the Mahdi" – a messianic figure Muslims expect to come and lead them in victory against the infidels in the last days.
Here is what these communications foresee:
Two European countries will be attacked.
Another attack is planned against the U.S.
Followers are asked to get rid of euros and as true Muslims replace them with gold.
There will be an assassination attempt against a high-ranking Egyptian official.
A mass gathering of jihad warriors is expected in the cities of the twin holy mosques Mecca and Medina.
A divine signal will be given when three celestial stars will be aligned on one axis.
The appearance of a new star, never seen before, will be in plain sight to all humanity.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharaf and Yasser Arafat will be annihilated in the same month.
The list includes other apocalyptic predictions such as "the march of Islam through Russia, the return of Islam to Andalusia and a victory parade in Jerusalem with liberated Saddam Hussein at the lead. This will follow after a war in Syria and the assassination of King Abdullah of Jordan."
There is no specific time frame for the apocalyptic prophecy, according to G2 Bulletin sources. The most important aspect of the communications is the subsequent attack in Spain, and an important threat to the continental U.S.
The analyst says the Internet is now the most important tool used by the jihadi propagandists. Some of the material is clearly a warning to Muslims to distance themselves from possible target areas.
Further analysis suggests the second European country to be hit, according to the jihad spirit, is probably Italy or the Vatican. This is based on constant verbal attacks on the pope as an enemy of Islam and on rejection of Christian missionary movements in Africa and the Middle East. A direct threat is aimed against American missionaries and indeed some were attacked last week in Iraq.
Experts say the latest Ramadan saw, according to Muslim scholars, three aligned stars. Also the issue of unknown stars is lately highlighted among jihadists such as the news of March 15 about distant unknown galaxies and information about new stars. The new star is explained by the jihadists as the discovery of a new planet.
The jihadists reacted to this information by saying: "Even infidel researchers are aware of the Mahdi's message." G2B reported earlier that U.S. military intelligence experts were studying a video clip of bin Laden in which he stands before a dry-erase board with an Arabic phrase written upon it – "awaited enlightened one."
No one who has seen the video is quite certain of the meaning or the context. But, the Hadith, a collection of Islamic holy writings that supplement the Quran, predicts the messianic figure will arise in the last days of history. This "Mahdi," along with the "Prophet Jesus," will lead the believers to victory over the infidels.
The video raises the question of whether bin Laden sees himself as this Mahdi or if he is expecting another to arise and lead. Either way, the addition of a dimension of Islamic prophecy to the global terror war may seriously complicate matters for planners in the West.
According to G2 Bulletin's military sources, some of the detainees currently held at Guantanamo Bay have told interrogators they joined bin Laden's al-Qaida offensive because they think he is the "awaited enlightened one." Others in military intelligence say some of the terrorists crossing the border into Iraq with al-Qaida ties are doing so because of their belief in this Islamic prophecy.
Muslim believers – both Sunni and Shiite – expect the Mahdi to return one day to restore justice to the world. This messenger is not as great as Muhammad, but is a messianic figure found in all branches of Islam.
Interestingly, since the end of 2001, bin Laden has been signing his name "Osama bin Muhammad bin Laden," rather than just Osama bin Laden. This is significant because it gives the al-Qaida leader an apocalyptic dimension. The Hadith says the Mahdi will be recognizable, among other things, by the fact that he carries the name of the prophet.
The Mahdi is supposed to come, according to Islamic clerics, just before the advent of the day of judgment – when believers are severely oppressed in every corner of the world. He will fight the "oppressors," unite the Muslims, bring peace and justice to the world, rule over the Arabs, and lead a prayer in Mecca at which Jesus will be present, according to Islamic scholars.
‘The Passion of the Christ’ a hit in Beirut, Damascus
Mel Gibson's controversial film drawing sizeable audience in Syrian, Lebanese capitals.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=9408
Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Passion of the Christ," accused by some Jewish organizations of encouraging anti-Semitism, is drawing a sizeable if unexceptional audience here while apparently touching an emotional nerve in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
"Coming out of the theater ... I saw a lot of people in tears," reported Fayez Wehbe, who saw the film - with Arabic sub-titles - in Damascus.
Certain sequences are in Aramaic, the language that was dominant in the Holy Land at the time of Christ and which can still be heard in certain towns in Syria, notably Maalula and Saadnaya near Damascus.
"Some members of the audience could not conceal their astonishment on hearing some expressions - such as Ya Illah (My God) - that are close to Arabic," said Wehbe.
Added another Syrian cinema-goer: "The fact that this film is being shown in the current Middle East context, which opposes Israel and the Arabs, explains part of its success."
Given its popularity in Damascus a fourth showing has been added to the three that had been initially offered, with people often buying tickets in the morning to be sure of getting a place.
The film has spawned reams of commentary because of its unflinchingly graphic portrayal of Christ's crucifixion. In some quarters it has been seen as promoting anti-Semitism by a negative depiction of Christ's fellow Jews, while that view has been strongly rejected in others.
Here in Beirut, the film has been warmly received. Lebanon's Maronite church has described it as "impressive" and found it not to be anti-Semitic.
"It is very sad, extremely impressive," commented Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, the spiritual head of the Maronite church.
"We don't see any anti-Semitism there."
An official from one of Beirut's larger movie houses said "the public has come in strong numbers to see 'The Passion' but it has not been an exceptional rush."
North of the capital, in the heavily Christian Junieh region, the film is selling well, although it is off limits to youths under the age of 15.
Elsewhere in the Arab world, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat saw the film at his headquarters in Ramallah on the West Bank and pronounced it "moving."
"The Passion of the Christ" will also be shown in Cairo, where it is likewise forbidden to minors because of its violent scenes, starting March 31, and has been available to movie goers in the Gulf state of Qatar since last Sunday.
"We submitted 'The Passion of the Christ' to the censorship committee, which had no objection to its screening" in Qatar, said Abdul Rahman Mohsen, the director general of a private Qatari cinema company.
The committee usually censors scenes or images depicting prophets from the holy books.
The film is being shown three times a day in a cinema in Doha and will be screened for at least one month, Mohsen said.
Three other Gulf states are currently still reviewing the film, he said.
The movie will be shown to the public in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) beginning March 31 after having been given the green light by the ministry of culture and information, the UAE's Gulf News reported Sunday.
Hundreds of Central Texans to attend Ten Commandments Rally http://www.wacotrib.com/news/newsfd/auto/feed/news/2004/03/27/1080368381.23013.9110.0472.html;COXnetJSessionID=Aokh1GhKn2qh2vzr3BKUQHR3l2kxonLo61RaZBdzX132XX89mqTx!1725533550?urac=n&urvf=10805669458710.31245376320462714
Almost 900 Central Texans are planning to travel to Dallas next week for the first in a series of Ten Commandments Rallies to demonstrate their resolve to keep the United States "one nation under God."
Christian conservatives will meet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 3 at the Dallas Convention Center, said Dianna Molix, chairwoman and coordinator of the Ten Commandments Texas Revival Rally.
Believers in "biblical orthodoxy," she said, are being challenged at every turn, putting them on the defensive. "It's time to wake up, stand up and speak up for God in America."
The mission of the Ten Commandments Texas Revival Rally is to "strengthen and mold God's people of all faiths into a battalion of voters who uphold the free acknowledgment of God as the source of our law traditions in America," according to the organization's Web site.
Organizers of the event contend that the culture clash is not just an issue for Christians, or even religious people.
"All liberty is at stake when any liberty is threatened," said Molix. "The Ten Commandments provide the basic principles for a civil society and form a universal declaration of how people interact with honor toward each other."
The Ten Commandments Texas Revival Rally is meant to energize people who believe their Judeo-Christian heritage is being undermined by people who are hostile to their views. Although general seating in an overflow room at the Dallas Convention Center is free, reserved seats cost $10 each. They've given away 4,500 tickets already, Molix said.
VIP tickets, which include a 7 p.m. dinner and reception with keynote speaker Roy Moore of Alabama, cost $150 each. For more information, visit www.TexasRally.us.
Moore is the former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court ousted from office by Alabama's judicial ethics panel in November for defying a federal judge's order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state Supreme Court building.
Bill Thrasher of Waco's KBDE 89.9 FM, a Christian radio station in the American Family Association chain, said the station has coordinated registration locally for the event. Gary Heavin of Curves International has purchased a large block of tickets for KBDE to give away, he said, and people can call the station as late as Thursday at (866) 228-1900 for free tickets to the rally. Several area churches have reserved 50-60-seat blocks of tickets for their use, he added.
"Our station is involved in the opening ceremonies," Thrasher said. Sarah Nelson of Austin, a Baylor graduate and on-air personality, will lead the singing of the National Anthem.
An audio re-cap of some of the remarks surrounding the removal of the Ten Commandments, remixed with music, will be played. Contemporary Christian recording artist Natalie Grant will perform, as will Killeen's own Spensha Baker, an 11-year-old singer featured this season on Star Search . The entire proceedings will be carried nationwide on the AFA stations, Thrasher said, and streamed at www.afr.net.
Focus on the Family is sending someone to read a letter from James Dobson; and Tim Wildmon of American Family Association will also deliver a brief address, Thrasher said.
Molix said the "state" rally, in fact, is turning into more of a regional event, with participants flying or driving in from Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and 12 other states.
The Texas event is seen as a stepping stone on the path to a National Ten Commandments Rally, tentatively set for Oct. 15 in Washington, D.C, and only two weeks before the national election that many have cast as a religious war as much as it is a political battle.
"If this one is successful, it will help us carry the momentum into other states," Molix said. Dateline NBC is coming to videotape the proceedings in Dallas, she added. "I hope a lot of people come out so they know that Texans are standing for God and with Judge Moore."
Gina Parker of Waco, who is running for the chairmanship of the state's Republican Party, is a co-chairwoman of the event. She said her involvement is inspired by the belief that during the formation of the United States, declarations such as "In God We Trust" and "One Nation Under God" have been the standard for citizens of integrity and responsibility.
"We can send to our lawmakers this message: Remember the beliefs of the famous Founding Fathers concerning the role of biblical principles in education, in government, and in the public affairs of our nation," Parker said. "I hope it makes a statement that conservatives oppose judicial activism. We'll send a message to judges legislating from the bench — we're watching what is happening!"
Author and educator Alan Keyes, candidate for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination and founder of The Declaration Foundation, is one of the speakers. The Ten Commandments State Rallies are a Christian community project under the auspices of Alan Keyes' Declaration Foundation and its activist arm, Renew America. The foundation is a non-profit civic educational organization founded in 1996. They are conducted in concert with Rick Scarborough's Vision America and Dianna Molix's Concerned Americans in Action.
At many rallies, Molix said, participants are inspired to "get all fired up" about an issue, and then disburse. For those who want to know how to put their zeal into action, she said, a seminar will take place after the rally to instruct people on writing letters that get noticed or organizing their own communities of affinity to "reclaim our godly constitution."
Now NASA looks to change Mars into a garden of Earthly delights
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1179587,00.html
Fiction could become reality as scientists plan to 'terraform' the fourth rock from the Sun
Finding life on Mars has proved an elusive dream for decades. But scientists now believe they may be able to do it for themselves - by turning the Red Planet into a blue world with streams, green fields and fresh breezes and filling it with Earthly creatures.
The idea - known as terraforming - sounds like science fiction. But turning Mars into an Earthly paradise is being taken seriously by increasing numbers of researchers. They believe that, billions of years after its last seas and rivers dried up, Mars could be restored to its ancient glory thanks to human ingenuity. Its craters would become lakes and its red, parched hillsides would be covered with forests, ultimately providing mankind's teeming ranks with a new home.
This startling concept will be the focus of a major international debate, to be hosted this week by America's space agency, Nasa, which is preparing a multi-billion-dollar Mars research programme at the request of President Bush. Leading researchers as well as science fiction writers, including Arthur C. Clarke and Greg Bear, will attend.
'Terraforming has long been a fictional topic,' said Dr Michael Meyer, Nasa's senior scientist for astrobiology. 'Now, with real scientists exploring the reality, we can ask what are the real possibilities, as well as the potential ramifications, of transforming Mars.'
Most astronomers agree that Mars could be turned into a little Earth, though it would take decades to achieve this goal and would require massive expenditure. But many scientists are horrified by the concept.
'The idea of terraforming Mars is extreme, but it is not cranky - that is the truly horrible thing about it,' said Paul Murdin, of the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge. 'If it was just a silly science-fiction notion, you could laugh it off. But the idea is terribly real. That is why it is dreadful. We are mucking up this world at an incredible pace at the same time that we are talking about screwing up another planet.'
Over the past months, astronomers have become increasingly confident they will find Martian lifeforms after decades of disappointment. Europe's Mars Express and America's two robot rovers, Spirit and Opportunity - which are all investigating the planet at present - have detected strong evidence that water, mixed with soil, exists in large amounts on Mars.
In addition, two different groups of scientists yesterday revealed they had found traces of methane in the Martian atmosphere. The gas is a waste product of living creatures and could be a byproduct of Martian microbes living in the Red Planet's soil.
It is the risk that terraforming poses to these sorts of organisms that outrages scientists, such as Dr Lisa Pratt, a Nasa astrobiologist based at Indiana University.
'It is very depressing. Before we have even discovered if there is life on Mars - which I am increasingly confident we will find - we are talking about undertaking massive projects that would wipe out all these indigenous lifeforms, all the strange microbes that we hope to find buried in the Martian soil. It is simply ethically wrong.'
To terraform Mars, engineers would have to find a way of thickening its atmosphere, whose pressure is a hundredth of that on Earth. In addition, ways will have to be found to heat up the planet. At present its surface temperature can plunge to minus 60C and below.
However, both goals - heating and thickening - could be achieved together, say researchers. One idea is to build a large mirror, many miles in diameter, and place it orbit above Mars. This would then be used to focus the Sun's rays onto a polar icecap, melting it and releasing its frozen carbon dioxide contents. The carbon dioxide would then trigger greenhouse heating.
The alternative would be to construct plants for generating super-greenhouse gases - made of complex combinations of carbon, chlorine and fluorine, and which are thousands of times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat. These would be built at strategic sites across the planet and should also trigger global temperature rises. Thickening the Martian atmosphere would also protect its surface from the ultra-violet radiation that bombards its surface and which would otherwise kill off most Earth-like lifeforms on the planet.
According to Dr Chris McKay - based at Nasa's Ames Research Centre in California and a participant in this week's terraforming debate - either method could provide the terraforming project with a crucial kick-start. With a thicker, warmer atmosphere, ice trapped in the Martian soil would melt and could be used to sustain agriculture. With plants and trees imported from Earth growing and producing oxygen, the atmosphere would become slowly more Earth-like. 'We should get serious about sending life to Mars,' McKay said.
Other scientists remain cautious. 'We now know Mars used to have an atmosphere, but it disappeared for reasons that are still unclear,' said Monica Grady, a planetary scientist at the Natural History Museum, London. 'If we restore Mars's atmosphere, we could easily find it disappeared again. We would have done some devastating things to the planet for a temporary effect. That is certainly not ethical.'
The point is backed by Pratt. 'If we find life on Mars, the philosophical implications will be profound,' she said. 'If it is unlike Earthly life and has a different genetic code, this will show that living beings evolved separately on two neighbouring worlds. Life is therefore likely to be ubiquitous throughout the galaxy.
'If it has the same genetic code, however, it will indicate that one planet must have contaminated the other - probably by rocks being blasted across the solar system following meteorite impacts. We may really be Martian in origin.
'Given the importance of these issues, we simply cannot risk starting a global experiment that would wipe out the precious sensitive evidence we are seeking,' she added. 'This is just not on.'
Prophezine
The Bible Prophecy Website
www.prophezine.com
PO Box 640
Russellville AR 72811
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Friday, March 26, 2004
This is happening earlier than expected. I expected
the Nazis to wait until after the election to do
this.
So they must really be worried.
Military service is involuntary servitude, and
therefore slavery and absolutely and totally
abhorrent.
Governments have no God given right to commit their
mass murders and atrocities any longer, but they will
continue to do so until the people put a stop to it
by just not responding to their nonsense.
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [infowarsnews] DRAFT Legislation: Pending
Vote TODAY
From: "infowars_newsgroup"
Date: Fri, March 26, 2004 9:48 am
To: infowarsnews@yahoogroups.com
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To provide for the common defense by requiring that
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perform a period of military service or a period
of civilian service in furtherance of the national
defense and homeland security, and for other
purposes.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/C?c108:./temp/~c1083Df5vM
S. 89
To provide for the common defense by requiring that
all young
persons in the United States, including women,
perform a period of military service or a period
of civilian service in furtherance of the national
defense and homeland security, and for other
purposes.
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the Nazis to wait until after the election to do
this.
So they must really be worried.
Military service is involuntary servitude, and
therefore slavery and absolutely and totally
abhorrent.
Governments have no God given right to commit their
mass murders and atrocities any longer, but they will
continue to do so until the people put a stop to it
by just not responding to their nonsense.
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [infowarsnews] DRAFT Legislation: Pending
Vote TODAY
From: "infowars_newsgroup"
Date: Fri, March 26, 2004 9:48 am
To: infowarsnews@yahoogroups.com
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or
Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or
more to the US & Canada.
http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/3hSolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Congress Toll Free
1 877 762 8762
H. R. 163
To provide for the common defense by requiring that
all young
persons in the United States, including women,
perform a period of military service or a period
of civilian service in furtherance of the national
defense and homeland security, and for other
purposes.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/C?c108:./temp/~c1083Df5vM
S. 89
To provide for the common defense by requiring that
all young
persons in the United States, including women,
perform a period of military service or a period
of civilian service in furtherance of the national
defense and homeland security, and for other
purposes.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/C?c108:./temp/~c108e4vo5c
---->Gaming solutions, and Ecurrency systems and
usages !
----- New Investment Opportunities ------
----> Encryption Services, Relocation Services to
----> Costa Rica, and Elsewhere Privacy/Offshore
Consultations
----> Send email to: porongo@safe-mail.net for info.
--<>-- --<<<+>>>-- --<>--
----> Become the Success You Deserve in Life!
----> Visit Destiny Central
http://www.destiny-worldwide.net <---
--<>-- --<<<+>>>-- --<>--
Get Spiritual Refreshment. Restore your soul.
----> http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/rcg/
<-----------------
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----> http://www.destiny-worldwide.net/costa-rica/
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------------------
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
This is an excellent article by one of my favourite writers. I especially agree with the item re circumcision which was taught for years by the old WCG.
Craig
Bible Health Laws
TOMORROW'S WORLD MAGAZINE
by Dr Douglas Winnail
The health laws found in the Bible pose an interesting dilemma for anyone who believes in following biblical teachings. The Bible clearly states that certain foods are not to be eaten, and that certain behaviors are sinful and an abomination in God’s sight. Yet people have been claiming for centuries that Jesus did away with these regulations, and that they are burdensome, outdated, bizarre and even barbaric.
But just how did these laws come about? Who authored them, and why were they given? Did Jesus really abolish them, or are they still applicable today? Medical science and history and sound Bible scholarship agree—the answer is absolutely contrary to what most who profess belief in Christ wrongly assume!
Origin of the Health Laws
The biblical health laws are usually referred to as the Laws of Moses. Many scholars assume that Moses collected primitive taboos to form a code of laws. Some claim that the reasons for clean and unclean foods are purely arbitrary, irrational or unexplainable. Some anthropological speculations suggest that unclean animals are imperfect members of their species—tell that to a pig and you will probably get a well-deserved snort of disgust! Educated scholars also claim that the biblical laws have nothing to do with health, but were merely rituals to separate the Israelites from their pagan neighbors, and that only Jews need to observe these laws today. However, all these attempts to explain the biblical health laws are inadequate, as we will see in this article.
In Leviticus 11–20, where these laws are first outlined in detail, we find that "the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, saying, "These are the animals which you may eat"’" (Leviticus 11:1–2). This same introductory statement precedes the enumeration of other health laws in the book of Leviticus. According to the Bible, the author of the biblical health laws was not Moses—but God Himself! God explained to the Israelites that if they obeyed His commandments they would experience "none of the diseases" that plagued other nations (Exodus 15:26). God gave these laws to His chosen people so they could be an example to the world! God wanted their better health to be noticed by surrounding nations who could then inquire how they, too, could gain the same results (see Deuteronomy 4:1–8). While some theologians have naively suggested that these "regulations" were given to Israelites to punish them for their disobedience, these laws were actually given by a God of love to show human beings a better way to live. The health laws were to be taught by the priests, because of their fundamental importance!
It is quite instructive to read what Bible reference books have to say about the health laws. Halley’s Bible Handbook states: "Moses’ Law… [including] its Health and Food regulations, was far purer, more rational, humane and democratic than, and showed a wisdom far in advance of, anything in ancient legislation, Babylonian, Egyptian or any other" (24th edition, p. 138). Eerdmans’ Handbook of the Bible states: "Today we are able to understand and appreciate the sound principles of diet, hygiene and medicine which these laws express" (p. 176). The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, commenting on Leviticus 11, states that "the Levitical laws of cleanness have no known extensive parallels in surrounding cultures," so the idea of Moses borrowing primitive taboos does not hold up, because "surrounding cultures exhibit little of this sort of law."
While some scholars assert that the biblical laws were not given for reasons of health, this same commentary states that "the spiritual and hygienic reasons for the laws may still be affirmed. They are remarkably valuable in the area of public health… These laws protected Israel from bad diet, dangerous vermin and communicable diseases... These were rule-of-thumb laws that God gave in His wisdom to a people who could not know the reason for the provision" (ibid.). Thus, the idea that these biblical laws are outdated and old-fashioned and have nothing to do with health is simply nonsense!
Dietary Laws
The most familiar biblical health laws define clean and unclean meats—creatures that are acceptable to eat and those that are not—yet most people (even theologians!) have little or no understanding of the medically sound reasons behind these instructions! The scientific wisdom behind the biblical dietary laws is seldom taught today; instead, these laws are commonly viewed as Old Testament regulations that are no longer applicable. However, as Eerdmans’ Handbook of the Bible comments: "These lists [of clean and unclean creatures] have a significance often ignored. Far from being based on fad or fancy, these lists emphasize a fact not discovered until late in the last century… that animals carry diseases dangerous to man" (p. 176). In fact, the same animals labeled unclean in Scripture still carry parasitic diseases that are still dangerous to human beings today!
"Clean" land animals are ruminants—grazing animals such as cattle, sheep, deer and elk—whose digestive tracts are designed to turn grass that human beings cannot digest into meat that we can digest. Most unclean animals are carnivores or scavengers that can transmit dangerous diseases to human beings. Pigs eat roots and grains, rather than grass, and thus are ecological competitors to human beings. Clean fish have fins and scales. Unclean aquatic organisms like clams and oysters are filter feeders that purify water, and that concentrate poisonous chemicals and pathologic bacteria and viruses in their tissues. Eating an oyster is like eating your vacuum cleaner bag—yet modern connoisseurs do not like to think about this! Crabs and lobsters are scavengers that eat dead things on the bottom of bodies of water. Most unclean birds are carnivores or scavengers. God in His wisdom inspired laws that protect humans from contracting dangerous diseases, but also protect "nature’s clean up crew" by making them "off limits" as food for mankind (for more information on this subject, request our free reprint article, Do You Really Want to Eat That?). These biological principles still operate today. As a point of illustration: the SARS outbreak was traced to an area in southern China where civet cats (an unclean animal) are eaten as a delicacy!
However, the laws of clean and unclean meats are not the only biblical instructions that concern diet. In Leviticus 3:17, we read that "you shall eat neither fat nor blood" (cf. Leviticus 7:23–27). One of the most significant discoveries in the last century was that high fat diets are linked to increased levels of heart disease, stroke, cancer of the colon and breast and a host of other pathologies—including obesity—that bring additional complications. Our challenge is to learn to recognize major sources of fat in our diet (visible fats on meat, fatty cuts of meat—like bacon, generous amounts of heavy dressings, spoonfuls of oil, etc.), and reduce our intake of fats that are high in calories and often high in saturated fats. It has also become painfully obvious in recent decades that contaminated blood and blood products can transmit AIDS and hepatitis. The simple principle of avoiding fat and blood is a powerful principle of prevention—if it is followed—because it still works today!
Biblical principles also cover the use of plant foods—carbohydrates. Ezekiel was instructed to make a nutritious bread from "wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and spelt" (Ezekiel 4:9). This was a multigrain bread containing complex carbohydrates for energy, different kinds of fiber and multiple amino acids for proteins and bodybuilding. It was not a highly refined product like today’s common breads that have most of their nutrients removed, then are misleadingly called "enriched" when a few nutrients are added back.
The Bible advises us to use sweets like honey or other simple sugars sparingly (Proverbs 25:16; 27). We are warned against overeating—gluttony (Proverbs 28:7). Modern books on health give the same advice! The biblical dietary guidelines are not old-fashioned, burdensome regulations—they are divinely inspired guidelines that have taken mankind’s science thousands of years to understand!
Liquid Refreshment!
Many sincere religious people believe it is evil and sinful to drink alcohol. Yet, when we look at the biblical health guidelines, we find that drunkenness is what is sinful—not the use of alcohol. Warnings against the misuse of alcohol run throughout the Bible (Genesis 9:20–21; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 4:3). Yet, it is worth noting that Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding feast (John 2:1–11). He would not have done this if drinking alcohol were a sin! However, priests were forbidden to drink on the job (Leviticus 10:9).
Paul advises Timothy about the medicinal value of wine for an upset stomach (1 Timothy 5:23). The beneficial effects of moderate amounts of alcohol have been one of the surprises of modern medical studies. People who use alcohol in moderation—a glass of wine a day—have fewer heart attacks than alcohol abusers or total abstainers! Elderly people with digestive problems caused by a lack of stomach acid experience improvement when they take a small glass of wine with meals. Biblical instructions about alcohol are in harmony with scientific evidence, and are still applicable today. We may use alcohol, but we must develop character to use it properly.
Childbirth Laws and Circumcision
At first glance, some may think that biblical instructions about childbirth are biased against women. At the birth of a male child, a woman was considered unclean for 7 days and continued in a state of purification for 33 days; following the birth of a female child, the mother was considered unclean for 14 days and her purification period was 66 days. (Leviticus 12:2–5) However, these instructions fit very well with modern scientific discoveries about childbirth and development and disease prevention. By declaring a woman who had just given birth unclean, the biblical health laws required whoever touched the new mother (especially the midwife) to wash and to avoid immediate contact with other people—a practice designed to prevent the spread of diseases such as childbirth fever, which claimed untold lives throughout history. It was not until the mid-1800s that an Austrian physician, Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, recognized that the spread of childbirth fever could be prevented if birth attendants washed after a delivery—yet biblical health laws had promoted this practice almost 3,000 years earlier!
But there are even more benefits in these instructions. While a new mother was unclean (7–14 days), she was free from the duties of cooking and ordinary housework—giving her time to regain her strength after delivering a baby. During the purification period (33–66 days), she remained in semi-isolation, thus avoiding crowds and contact with disease germs that could harm her or her newborn child. She was not required to travel to a place of worship to make an offering until the end of her purification period. Since travel was often arduous, this gave a nursing mother time for her breast milk to come in, to establish a feeding routine and for the baby to build antibodies and gain strength. The longer period for female babies was not due to male chauvinistic bias. Even today, female babies often have lower birth weights and higher mortality rates, so this longer period at home with the mother was meant to give them a better start in life.
The Bible instructed that male babies were to be circumcised on the eighth day (Genesis 17:12–14; Leviticus 12:3). Modern scientific studies have shown that the blood-clotting mechanism in a baby is not fully developed until the eighth day, so it was not wise to do a surgical procedure earlier because of the threat of hemorrhage (see None of These Diseases, McMillen, pp. 20–21).
While some well-meaning people consider male circumcision barbaric, medical science shows that circumcised little boys have a reduced risk of urinary infections, circumcised men have lower rates of cancer of the penis and women married to circumcised men have much lower rates of cervical cancer!
The custom of female circumcision is a totally different matter. It is non-biblical, and should not be confused with biblical circumcision of males, where only the foreskin is removed. Female circumcision, however, actually removes part of a woman’s genitalia, rather than just skin tissue. Female circumcision is simply mutilation, and has nothing to do with biblical circumcision.
Sanitary Laws and Quarantine
The biblical laws of sanitation were clearly ahead of their time! There was really no way to fully understand the reasons for these laws until the invention of the microscope, the discovery of bacteria and the pioneering work of pathologists in recent centuries, yet these ancient biblical laws have proven scientifically valid today! People who touched a dead or diseased animal or person—or even garments or secretions from a sick person—were to bathe and wash their clothes and avoid contact with others. Contaminated garments were to be washed or burned—important sanitizing principles that are still followed today. Dwellings that showed signs of mold, or that had harbored sick individuals, were to be cleaned, repaired or destroyed, to prevent the spread of disease (see Leviticus 13–15). Porous vessels that came into contact with dead animals were to be broken, since they would harbor bacteria. People showing signs of sickness were to be isolated—quarantined—until examined by a priest and declared well. People were to wash after having sex. Tattoos and cuttings on the flesh were also forbidden (Leviticus 19:28), for reasons that include the risk of contracting disease. Modern physicians warn that tattoos and body-piercing carry a risk for contracting infectious diseases like hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis and HIV/AIDS (International Journal of Infectious Disease, 2001, 5(1), 27–34).
In Deuteronomy 23:9–14, we learn that human wastes were to be buried, away from human dwellings. Today we call this sanitary waste disposal, and its benefits are widely understood but not always practiced—especially in poverty-stricken areas. History is filled with epidemics of typhus, cholera and dysentery, linked to the careless dumping of human waste into streets and rivers, or feeding human waste to animals that are then eaten. Burying human waste breaks the life cycle of many parasitic organisms that spread disease. This simple practice is much more effective, and less expensive, than treating disease after it breaks out—and God put this principle in the Bible thousands of years before mankind’s science understood its benefit!
Moral Laws
Many of the moral laws of the Bible also have definite health implications. Adultery and fornication are clearly forbidden in Scripture (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:20; 1 Corinthians 6:9) because they threaten not only the stability of the family and society, but also the health of the individual. One of the most easily demonstrated facts of medical history is that promiscuity spreads diseases—often dangerous and deadly diseases of which AIDS is only the latest and most notorious. Sexually transmitted diseases bring suffering, disfigurement, infertility and death. This is one reason why Paul advises us to "flee sexual immorality," and warns that the person "who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body" (1 Corinthians 6:18). One reason why prostitution is labeled a sin in the Bible is that it spreads disease. Serious health risks are among the reasons why the Bible prohibits homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13) and bestiality (Leviticus 18:23–30). Sexually active homosexual men have a much shorter life span than the average man, and a much higher risk of contracting—and dying from—a serious disease. The Bible warns that people practicing immoral sexual activity "lack understanding," because they do not grasp the serious risks they are taking—healthwise or otherwise (Proverbs 6:32). These health-related moral laws—and the consequences of breaking them—are still very much in force today!
God is the author of the biblical health laws. The Bible reveals that God does not change (Malachi 3:6), which means that His fundamental laws do not change. The laws of biology did not suddenly change, or stop operating, when Jesus died on the cross! The same factors that caused or prevented disease in the days of Moses still operate today.
Most ancient cultures had extensive lists of medicines and procedures for treating disease. The health laws that God gave to Moses, however, did not focus on treating disease, but instead focused on preventing disease and promoting health! This is why medical historian Ralph Major describes Moses as "the greatest sanitary engineer that the world has ever seen" because "Moses recognized the great principle that the prevention of disease is usually simpler and invariably more far reaching than the cure of disease… His doctrines [in the book of Leviticus] could be summed up by the objects of sanitation today—pure food, pure water, pure air, pure bodies and pure dwellings" (A History of Medicine, vol. 1, pp. 62–64). The biblical health laws are timeless! They were valid in the days of Moses, and they are just as valid—and applicable—today. The Bible reveals that when Jesus Christ returns to establish the Kingdom of God on this earth, the laws of God will be proclaimed to the world from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:2–4). As human beings around the globe learn to live by these simple yet fundamentally important laws, their health will improve—and the plague of disease will begin to disappear (Isaiah 35:5–7). This is part of the gospel! You can play a vital role in this incredible transformation (Isaiah 30:20–21)—if you learn the value of applying these biblical health laws in your own life today!
_________________________________________________
Did Jesus Abolish the Bible Health Laws?
Did Jesus do away with fundamentally important biblical laws concerning human health? Those who believe this usually cite Mark 7 and Acts 10. Some Bible translations of Mark 7:18–19 say: "Jesus declared all foods clean"—yet other translations render the verse differently. When you compare Mark 7 with a similar account in Matthew 15, you find that Jesus was not even addressing the subject of clean or unclean foods—the issue in question was eating without a ceremonial washing of the hands! Acts 10 describes Peter’s vision of a sheet coming down from heaven containing unclean animals that he is told three times to kill and eat. Peter, who had been trained by Christ for more than three years, understood that this was wrong and resisted! While Peter pondered the meaning of the vision (Acts 10:17), several Gentiles arrived at his home. On hearing their mission, Peter grasped the meaning of the vision: "God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean" (Acts 10:28). According to Scripture, Peter did not conclude from this vision that the laws of clean and unclean foods had been eliminated. This is confirmed by a prophecy that indicates when Christ returns He will bring judgment on idol worshipers and those who persist in eating unclean animals (Isaiah 66:15–17).
Craig
Bible Health Laws
TOMORROW'S WORLD MAGAZINE
by Dr Douglas Winnail
The health laws found in the Bible pose an interesting dilemma for anyone who believes in following biblical teachings. The Bible clearly states that certain foods are not to be eaten, and that certain behaviors are sinful and an abomination in God’s sight. Yet people have been claiming for centuries that Jesus did away with these regulations, and that they are burdensome, outdated, bizarre and even barbaric.
But just how did these laws come about? Who authored them, and why were they given? Did Jesus really abolish them, or are they still applicable today? Medical science and history and sound Bible scholarship agree—the answer is absolutely contrary to what most who profess belief in Christ wrongly assume!
Origin of the Health Laws
The biblical health laws are usually referred to as the Laws of Moses. Many scholars assume that Moses collected primitive taboos to form a code of laws. Some claim that the reasons for clean and unclean foods are purely arbitrary, irrational or unexplainable. Some anthropological speculations suggest that unclean animals are imperfect members of their species—tell that to a pig and you will probably get a well-deserved snort of disgust! Educated scholars also claim that the biblical laws have nothing to do with health, but were merely rituals to separate the Israelites from their pagan neighbors, and that only Jews need to observe these laws today. However, all these attempts to explain the biblical health laws are inadequate, as we will see in this article.
In Leviticus 11–20, where these laws are first outlined in detail, we find that "the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, saying, "These are the animals which you may eat"’" (Leviticus 11:1–2). This same introductory statement precedes the enumeration of other health laws in the book of Leviticus. According to the Bible, the author of the biblical health laws was not Moses—but God Himself! God explained to the Israelites that if they obeyed His commandments they would experience "none of the diseases" that plagued other nations (Exodus 15:26). God gave these laws to His chosen people so they could be an example to the world! God wanted their better health to be noticed by surrounding nations who could then inquire how they, too, could gain the same results (see Deuteronomy 4:1–8). While some theologians have naively suggested that these "regulations" were given to Israelites to punish them for their disobedience, these laws were actually given by a God of love to show human beings a better way to live. The health laws were to be taught by the priests, because of their fundamental importance!
It is quite instructive to read what Bible reference books have to say about the health laws. Halley’s Bible Handbook states: "Moses’ Law… [including] its Health and Food regulations, was far purer, more rational, humane and democratic than, and showed a wisdom far in advance of, anything in ancient legislation, Babylonian, Egyptian or any other" (24th edition, p. 138). Eerdmans’ Handbook of the Bible states: "Today we are able to understand and appreciate the sound principles of diet, hygiene and medicine which these laws express" (p. 176). The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, commenting on Leviticus 11, states that "the Levitical laws of cleanness have no known extensive parallels in surrounding cultures," so the idea of Moses borrowing primitive taboos does not hold up, because "surrounding cultures exhibit little of this sort of law."
While some scholars assert that the biblical laws were not given for reasons of health, this same commentary states that "the spiritual and hygienic reasons for the laws may still be affirmed. They are remarkably valuable in the area of public health… These laws protected Israel from bad diet, dangerous vermin and communicable diseases... These were rule-of-thumb laws that God gave in His wisdom to a people who could not know the reason for the provision" (ibid.). Thus, the idea that these biblical laws are outdated and old-fashioned and have nothing to do with health is simply nonsense!
Dietary Laws
The most familiar biblical health laws define clean and unclean meats—creatures that are acceptable to eat and those that are not—yet most people (even theologians!) have little or no understanding of the medically sound reasons behind these instructions! The scientific wisdom behind the biblical dietary laws is seldom taught today; instead, these laws are commonly viewed as Old Testament regulations that are no longer applicable. However, as Eerdmans’ Handbook of the Bible comments: "These lists [of clean and unclean creatures] have a significance often ignored. Far from being based on fad or fancy, these lists emphasize a fact not discovered until late in the last century… that animals carry diseases dangerous to man" (p. 176). In fact, the same animals labeled unclean in Scripture still carry parasitic diseases that are still dangerous to human beings today!
"Clean" land animals are ruminants—grazing animals such as cattle, sheep, deer and elk—whose digestive tracts are designed to turn grass that human beings cannot digest into meat that we can digest. Most unclean animals are carnivores or scavengers that can transmit dangerous diseases to human beings. Pigs eat roots and grains, rather than grass, and thus are ecological competitors to human beings. Clean fish have fins and scales. Unclean aquatic organisms like clams and oysters are filter feeders that purify water, and that concentrate poisonous chemicals and pathologic bacteria and viruses in their tissues. Eating an oyster is like eating your vacuum cleaner bag—yet modern connoisseurs do not like to think about this! Crabs and lobsters are scavengers that eat dead things on the bottom of bodies of water. Most unclean birds are carnivores or scavengers. God in His wisdom inspired laws that protect humans from contracting dangerous diseases, but also protect "nature’s clean up crew" by making them "off limits" as food for mankind (for more information on this subject, request our free reprint article, Do You Really Want to Eat That?). These biological principles still operate today. As a point of illustration: the SARS outbreak was traced to an area in southern China where civet cats (an unclean animal) are eaten as a delicacy!
However, the laws of clean and unclean meats are not the only biblical instructions that concern diet. In Leviticus 3:17, we read that "you shall eat neither fat nor blood" (cf. Leviticus 7:23–27). One of the most significant discoveries in the last century was that high fat diets are linked to increased levels of heart disease, stroke, cancer of the colon and breast and a host of other pathologies—including obesity—that bring additional complications. Our challenge is to learn to recognize major sources of fat in our diet (visible fats on meat, fatty cuts of meat—like bacon, generous amounts of heavy dressings, spoonfuls of oil, etc.), and reduce our intake of fats that are high in calories and often high in saturated fats. It has also become painfully obvious in recent decades that contaminated blood and blood products can transmit AIDS and hepatitis. The simple principle of avoiding fat and blood is a powerful principle of prevention—if it is followed—because it still works today!
Biblical principles also cover the use of plant foods—carbohydrates. Ezekiel was instructed to make a nutritious bread from "wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and spelt" (Ezekiel 4:9). This was a multigrain bread containing complex carbohydrates for energy, different kinds of fiber and multiple amino acids for proteins and bodybuilding. It was not a highly refined product like today’s common breads that have most of their nutrients removed, then are misleadingly called "enriched" when a few nutrients are added back.
The Bible advises us to use sweets like honey or other simple sugars sparingly (Proverbs 25:16; 27). We are warned against overeating—gluttony (Proverbs 28:7). Modern books on health give the same advice! The biblical dietary guidelines are not old-fashioned, burdensome regulations—they are divinely inspired guidelines that have taken mankind’s science thousands of years to understand!
Liquid Refreshment!
Many sincere religious people believe it is evil and sinful to drink alcohol. Yet, when we look at the biblical health guidelines, we find that drunkenness is what is sinful—not the use of alcohol. Warnings against the misuse of alcohol run throughout the Bible (Genesis 9:20–21; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 4:3). Yet, it is worth noting that Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding feast (John 2:1–11). He would not have done this if drinking alcohol were a sin! However, priests were forbidden to drink on the job (Leviticus 10:9).
Paul advises Timothy about the medicinal value of wine for an upset stomach (1 Timothy 5:23). The beneficial effects of moderate amounts of alcohol have been one of the surprises of modern medical studies. People who use alcohol in moderation—a glass of wine a day—have fewer heart attacks than alcohol abusers or total abstainers! Elderly people with digestive problems caused by a lack of stomach acid experience improvement when they take a small glass of wine with meals. Biblical instructions about alcohol are in harmony with scientific evidence, and are still applicable today. We may use alcohol, but we must develop character to use it properly.
Childbirth Laws and Circumcision
At first glance, some may think that biblical instructions about childbirth are biased against women. At the birth of a male child, a woman was considered unclean for 7 days and continued in a state of purification for 33 days; following the birth of a female child, the mother was considered unclean for 14 days and her purification period was 66 days. (Leviticus 12:2–5) However, these instructions fit very well with modern scientific discoveries about childbirth and development and disease prevention. By declaring a woman who had just given birth unclean, the biblical health laws required whoever touched the new mother (especially the midwife) to wash and to avoid immediate contact with other people—a practice designed to prevent the spread of diseases such as childbirth fever, which claimed untold lives throughout history. It was not until the mid-1800s that an Austrian physician, Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, recognized that the spread of childbirth fever could be prevented if birth attendants washed after a delivery—yet biblical health laws had promoted this practice almost 3,000 years earlier!
But there are even more benefits in these instructions. While a new mother was unclean (7–14 days), she was free from the duties of cooking and ordinary housework—giving her time to regain her strength after delivering a baby. During the purification period (33–66 days), she remained in semi-isolation, thus avoiding crowds and contact with disease germs that could harm her or her newborn child. She was not required to travel to a place of worship to make an offering until the end of her purification period. Since travel was often arduous, this gave a nursing mother time for her breast milk to come in, to establish a feeding routine and for the baby to build antibodies and gain strength. The longer period for female babies was not due to male chauvinistic bias. Even today, female babies often have lower birth weights and higher mortality rates, so this longer period at home with the mother was meant to give them a better start in life.
The Bible instructed that male babies were to be circumcised on the eighth day (Genesis 17:12–14; Leviticus 12:3). Modern scientific studies have shown that the blood-clotting mechanism in a baby is not fully developed until the eighth day, so it was not wise to do a surgical procedure earlier because of the threat of hemorrhage (see None of These Diseases, McMillen, pp. 20–21).
While some well-meaning people consider male circumcision barbaric, medical science shows that circumcised little boys have a reduced risk of urinary infections, circumcised men have lower rates of cancer of the penis and women married to circumcised men have much lower rates of cervical cancer!
The custom of female circumcision is a totally different matter. It is non-biblical, and should not be confused with biblical circumcision of males, where only the foreskin is removed. Female circumcision, however, actually removes part of a woman’s genitalia, rather than just skin tissue. Female circumcision is simply mutilation, and has nothing to do with biblical circumcision.
Sanitary Laws and Quarantine
The biblical laws of sanitation were clearly ahead of their time! There was really no way to fully understand the reasons for these laws until the invention of the microscope, the discovery of bacteria and the pioneering work of pathologists in recent centuries, yet these ancient biblical laws have proven scientifically valid today! People who touched a dead or diseased animal or person—or even garments or secretions from a sick person—were to bathe and wash their clothes and avoid contact with others. Contaminated garments were to be washed or burned—important sanitizing principles that are still followed today. Dwellings that showed signs of mold, or that had harbored sick individuals, were to be cleaned, repaired or destroyed, to prevent the spread of disease (see Leviticus 13–15). Porous vessels that came into contact with dead animals were to be broken, since they would harbor bacteria. People showing signs of sickness were to be isolated—quarantined—until examined by a priest and declared well. People were to wash after having sex. Tattoos and cuttings on the flesh were also forbidden (Leviticus 19:28), for reasons that include the risk of contracting disease. Modern physicians warn that tattoos and body-piercing carry a risk for contracting infectious diseases like hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis and HIV/AIDS (International Journal of Infectious Disease, 2001, 5(1), 27–34).
In Deuteronomy 23:9–14, we learn that human wastes were to be buried, away from human dwellings. Today we call this sanitary waste disposal, and its benefits are widely understood but not always practiced—especially in poverty-stricken areas. History is filled with epidemics of typhus, cholera and dysentery, linked to the careless dumping of human waste into streets and rivers, or feeding human waste to animals that are then eaten. Burying human waste breaks the life cycle of many parasitic organisms that spread disease. This simple practice is much more effective, and less expensive, than treating disease after it breaks out—and God put this principle in the Bible thousands of years before mankind’s science understood its benefit!
Moral Laws
Many of the moral laws of the Bible also have definite health implications. Adultery and fornication are clearly forbidden in Scripture (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:20; 1 Corinthians 6:9) because they threaten not only the stability of the family and society, but also the health of the individual. One of the most easily demonstrated facts of medical history is that promiscuity spreads diseases—often dangerous and deadly diseases of which AIDS is only the latest and most notorious. Sexually transmitted diseases bring suffering, disfigurement, infertility and death. This is one reason why Paul advises us to "flee sexual immorality," and warns that the person "who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body" (1 Corinthians 6:18). One reason why prostitution is labeled a sin in the Bible is that it spreads disease. Serious health risks are among the reasons why the Bible prohibits homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13) and bestiality (Leviticus 18:23–30). Sexually active homosexual men have a much shorter life span than the average man, and a much higher risk of contracting—and dying from—a serious disease. The Bible warns that people practicing immoral sexual activity "lack understanding," because they do not grasp the serious risks they are taking—healthwise or otherwise (Proverbs 6:32). These health-related moral laws—and the consequences of breaking them—are still very much in force today!
God is the author of the biblical health laws. The Bible reveals that God does not change (Malachi 3:6), which means that His fundamental laws do not change. The laws of biology did not suddenly change, or stop operating, when Jesus died on the cross! The same factors that caused or prevented disease in the days of Moses still operate today.
Most ancient cultures had extensive lists of medicines and procedures for treating disease. The health laws that God gave to Moses, however, did not focus on treating disease, but instead focused on preventing disease and promoting health! This is why medical historian Ralph Major describes Moses as "the greatest sanitary engineer that the world has ever seen" because "Moses recognized the great principle that the prevention of disease is usually simpler and invariably more far reaching than the cure of disease… His doctrines [in the book of Leviticus] could be summed up by the objects of sanitation today—pure food, pure water, pure air, pure bodies and pure dwellings" (A History of Medicine, vol. 1, pp. 62–64). The biblical health laws are timeless! They were valid in the days of Moses, and they are just as valid—and applicable—today. The Bible reveals that when Jesus Christ returns to establish the Kingdom of God on this earth, the laws of God will be proclaimed to the world from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:2–4). As human beings around the globe learn to live by these simple yet fundamentally important laws, their health will improve—and the plague of disease will begin to disappear (Isaiah 35:5–7). This is part of the gospel! You can play a vital role in this incredible transformation (Isaiah 30:20–21)—if you learn the value of applying these biblical health laws in your own life today!
_________________________________________________
Did Jesus Abolish the Bible Health Laws?
Did Jesus do away with fundamentally important biblical laws concerning human health? Those who believe this usually cite Mark 7 and Acts 10. Some Bible translations of Mark 7:18–19 say: "Jesus declared all foods clean"—yet other translations render the verse differently. When you compare Mark 7 with a similar account in Matthew 15, you find that Jesus was not even addressing the subject of clean or unclean foods—the issue in question was eating without a ceremonial washing of the hands! Acts 10 describes Peter’s vision of a sheet coming down from heaven containing unclean animals that he is told three times to kill and eat. Peter, who had been trained by Christ for more than three years, understood that this was wrong and resisted! While Peter pondered the meaning of the vision (Acts 10:17), several Gentiles arrived at his home. On hearing their mission, Peter grasped the meaning of the vision: "God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean" (Acts 10:28). According to Scripture, Peter did not conclude from this vision that the laws of clean and unclean foods had been eliminated. This is confirmed by a prophecy that indicates when Christ returns He will bring judgment on idol worshipers and those who persist in eating unclean animals (Isaiah 66:15–17).
15 March 2004
Dear Fellow-Workers,
The Passover is just around the corner! So I thought I should try to get a letter off to all of you before Gloria and I travel across the border into Burma for the spring Holy Days. Then communications will become very difficult.
I have been studying the New Testament Passover in the Scriptures. I have found some very interesting things that we may not have noticed before.
The Passover evening – before His crucifixion the next day – Jesus performed a very important act – an act that is incorporated in every Church of God Passover since that night. We find this outlined in John 13:3-5.
This important part of the New Testament Passover we call the “Foot Washing Ceremony”. We do the foot washing FIRST – even before taking the symbols of the unleavened bread and the wine.
Why is this part of the Passover so significant? Most of us understand it as an act of humility. We understand that, as Christians, we are to be humble in our relationships with one another. And, yes, that is important to the symbolic meaning of the foot washing ceremony. But is there more than only one meaning? Are we missing something?
Jesus explained WHY He washed each and every one of the disciples’ feet in JOHN 13:12-20. Traditionally, foot washing was an act in the Middle East that took place whenever one entered the home of another. People wore open sandals (and still do), so their feet got dusty and dirty. The homeowner usually ordered the washing of the guest’s feet as the first act of receiving the guest into his home. Usually, the foot washing was done by a servant. The act of washing a guest’s feet was an important part of accepting the visitor into the home and showing hospitality and respect. By washing the feet, you were symbolically receiving this person into your home and into fellowship with you and your family and other guests. NOT washing a guest’s feet showed just the opposite.
Here are some examples of foot washing in the Bible:
GEN 18:4 When the Eternal God came to judge Sodom with 2 angels, Abraham quickly received them into his camp at the Oaks of Mamre by providing water to wash their feet. He then served them food.
1 SAM 25:38-41 When David sent his men to bring him Abigail as his wife, she indicated she was willing to be his wife and bond-slave by saying she would be David’s maid to wash the feet of his servants.
Now let’s look at an opposite attitude in LUKE 7:36-50: Why Simon the Pharisee invited Jesus into his home and then why Jesus’ feet were NOT washed – is not stated in the Bible. Was it perhaps that Jesus was not of the same sect as the Pharisees and therefore – NOT considered a brother? This is not clear. BUT, Jesus did bring up this obvious breach of hospitality and protocol by comparing it to the woman’s show of deep respect, gratitude and worship. In verse 44 - Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon:
“See you this woman? I entered into your house, you gave me no water for My feet:
but she has washed My feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.”…
Washing feet at Passover demonstrates a very important character trait of a Godly Leader: HUMILITY. Jesus told His disciples that, if He – their LORD and TEACHER – was willing to kneel down and wash their feet, then they should wash one another’s feet. In other words, if the LEADER and CHIEF was willing to HUMBLE Himself and wash the feet of His SERVANTS as an act of respect and fellowship, then they should do the same to each other. This example of Jesus’ humility is made even more vivid because He was going to die the following day by one of the most cruel and humiliating forms of execution possible under the Roman system – crucifixion.
Someone who is unwilling to wash the feet of another – is REJECTING that person as deserving his acceptance, respect and fellowship.
People who take the Passover together must be reconciled together and willing to accept one another in a spirit of fellowship (MATT 5: 23-24). Jesus said that IF I DO IT – THEN YOU MUST DO IT! (John 13:15)
We are to follow Jesus’ example of leadership. How can we be Jesus disciple if we are unwilling to reconcile to our brothers and sisters in Christ? The obvious answer is that, if we are unwilling to forgive and reconcile, we cannot be Jesus’ disciple. We must all carry the cross of self-sacrifice and humility if we want to be His disciples. A Christian must be a student (disciple) of Jesus. If someone calls himself a Christian – but is unwilling to LEARN from Jesus and do what He says, then he is NOT A TRUE CHRISTIAN! MATT 10:38-42.
Something Jesus said in Matt 10, he repeats in connection with the foot washing as related in John 13. Jesus said, “He who receives you – receives Me, and he who receives Me – receives Him who sent Me.” (Verse 40). Going forward to the Passover foot washing in John 13, John quotes Jesus as saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send – receives Me, and he who receives Me – receives Him who sent Me.” (Verse 20)
By washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus was symbolically ACCEPTING and RECEIVING them into HIS fellowship – HIS brotherhood; JUST as the act of washing guests’ feet accepted and received them into one’s home and fellowship.
To further support this understanding of the meaning of foot washing – let’s look at what Jesus told His disciples to do if they were rejected (not received and not accepted) – in their evangelistic travels. In MATT 10:14 Jesus told them to “shake off the dust of your feet” against them if they were rejected. Why? Because the disciples’ feet were STILL DIRTY! They had not been ACCEPTED and RECEIVED by the act of foot washing!
“…he who receives whomsoever I send – receives Me.”
If we are unwilling to wash someone’s feet at Passover, we are unwilling to accept them into our brotherhood and fellowship. It is very simple and clear.
Being baptized and placed into the Body of Christ (the Church of God) is very serious. It is serious because you must now take relationships very seriously. You now have a serious relationship with Jesus and God Our Father. But you also have a serious relationship with others that God has chosen and called into His Family.
Foot washing is symbolic of that important relationship with God the Father; with Jesus our Elder Brother – and with one another. God takes it seriously. Jesus takes it seriously. And so should we.
Now we come to a very important question: What would happen if someone showed up to take the Passover with you and your congregation – and, what if he/she WAS NOT of your particular Church of God fellowship? Would the deacons bar the doors? Would this person be escorted from the room? Or, if allowed to stay, would you wash this person’s feet?
This is an important question to ask of ALL the various COG groups who will be keeping the 14th Nissan Passover. What if this person ALSO is a servant of Jesus, just not one belonging to your fellowship? What if this person has ALSO been chosen by Our Lord and sent out to do His Will? Can anyone in good conscience turn that person away, and NOT wash that person’s feet? Everyone who reads this letter should think carefully on these things,
because …
“…he who receives whomsoever I send – receives Me.”
First Graduation of Legacy Institute International Leadership Training Center
The very first graduation commencement exercise of Legacy Institute International Leadership Training Center was a wonderful success! Five students graduated with a Diploma in Liberal Arts on February 22, 2004. Two of the graduates are from the Karen tribe and three are from the Kachin tribal peoples in Burma.
After my opening remarks and the commencement address, instrumental performances were given by individual students on guitar or keyboard. The remarkable thing was that all the performers read music as they played their instruments. How did they learn to read music and play an instrument? Most learned at Legacy School!
Then four choral numbers were performed by the Legacy Choral, directed by Daniel Miller, one of our volunteer teachers from USA. The numbers were: I Sing the Mighty Power of God, Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee, It Won’t Be Long Now and Journey of Faith.
Also each of the 5 graduates gave an 8 minute graduation speech (in English) about what they felt were the important things they had learned at Legacy School. After that, Certificates of Merit were awarded. They were: Valedictorian, Leadership, Excellence in Music, Spirit of Excellence and Academic Improvement. Finally we held the Presentation of Diplomas.
65 relatives and special guests were in attendance. After photographs were taken, all ate a buffet meal together with a special donated performance by the “Amazing Dr. Penguin.”
Each graduate will now begin his or her “Give Back Year”. Each will serve as a volunteer teacher helping to educate others less fortunate. One graduate will help teach the Karen children and also Thai at Legacy School next academic year.
The last 2 years have been tough. But we have been successful. The first of Legacy’s graduates will go out into the world and pass along what we have taught them. Two years is not enough, I know! But Gloria and I, along with our volunteer teachers, have been working diligently to instill in them the principles of God’s True Way of Life. The rest is up to Him.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God is not just for us. What God has given, we have an Heavenly command by Jesus Our Lord Himself to pass on to others. At Legacy School, all students learn about the coming Kingdom of God and what it will mean to the world. Some get it – and maybe some do not. We cannot make them all have ears to hear and a heart that is led, somehow, by the Holy Spirit of God. But that doesn’t change the mandate given to ALL followers of Jesus. He commanded, “GO OUT - PREACH – BAPTIZE – TEACH.” (Matthew 28)
The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds. You can barely see it! But Jesus said that it can grow to become one of the largest plants in the field. Also, the Bible tells us in Zech. 4:10, that we should not despise the day of small things. Legacy Institute is just such a “small thing”. When we started the school, we really had no money to begin and did not know where we should have the school. We had no teachers. We just knew that, if it was His Will, things would work out, and they did! Now the blood, sweat and tears of the last two years at Legacy Institute Leadership Training Center are beginning to yield fruit. It is fruit that glorifies God because He is the one doing it!
This year we begin another academic year again in June. We need more volunteer teachers. We need teachers who can instruct music, computers, English, organic agriculture, health and hygiene (or all of the above!) We need people willing to forego some of the luxuries of the West in order to give to others. And we need people instilled with the desire to serve God and do His Will. Anyone willing to tackle this challenge will have to sacrifice. They will pay their own plane tickets and must commit to one academic year (10 months) with room and board furnished – but no pay. All interested parties please contact the address at the top of this newsletter.
Purchase of Land for Legacy School
God has blessed us with an opportunity to purchase the land we currently call the “Farm”. This property is ideal for the building of the Legacy Institute ILTC. It has about one acre of property; a large house with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms with lots of living space; and an outside building with a kitchen. It is also advantageous because the land sits directly at a small stream which we can use for irrigation all year around.
We currently lease property for the school and farm and our leases will be up next year. This means that the owners could raise the rent as they wish, or even ask us to leave and rent to another; or sell the property at any time. If we are going to develop a permanent school – we need a permanent location.
Originally the person we thought was the owner, in fact, was not. He was asking an exorbitant price for the land and we knew that purchasing it was out of the question. But we prayed and asked God that if He wanted us to have a permanent location – then He would have to provide it.
Recently we found out that the land is in foreclosure and the man we thought was the owner really was only a broker! So, we asked a lawyer to find and contact the real owner for us. He turned out to be an agriculture professor at the Agricultural University in Bangkok and was very favorable of the purchase of the property for a charitable foundation. He was willing to help us get the land for much less than we originally thought!
The bottom line is – we now have an opportunity to purchase the “farm” for our school. We will need to pay a significant amount as a “down” to cover all the back interest and taxes that haven’t been paid for over 10 years. Then the bank is willing to give us a loan for the property at a modest interest rate.
This is a real answer to prayer as we thought we might have to move to another location and start all over again! God is very kind by providing this opportunity. Please pray that God will also provide the down-payment and other fees which are needed to complete this purchase.
Leon and Gloria’s May Trip to Europe and USA
Gloria and I will be on an extended trip to Europe and the USA in May. We have been invited to attend the International Ministerial Congress (IMC) of the Church of God (7th Day), which will e held in Warsaw, Poland at the end of April. This will give us a chance to do some “bridge building” with a fellow COG organization as well as other Church of God organizations in Europe. Then we are headed to the US to visit family and as many of all of you as we can. Our US itinerary follows:
May 6-14 Ohio Area
May 15 Knoxville, Tenn.
May 16-17 St. Louis Area
May 19-28 Dallas, Texas
May 29-30 Minneapolis, Minn.
June 2 San Francisco Area
June 3-7 San Diego and Los Angeles Areas
June 8 Return to Bangkok
If you want to learn where we will be scheduled to speak, please contact as follows:
Anita Showers at 330.852.2709 or email: mshowers@wilkshire.net.
Herb Vierra at 626 357 2588 or email: accmo@verizon.net.
We are preparing an exciting PowerPoint slide presentation of what Legacy Institute is doing in Asia, which we hope to present in every area we visit. Hope to see you there!
May God grant you all a safe and spiritually rejuvenating Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread.
In Jesus’ Service,
WHAT IS LEGACY INSTITUTE?
LEGACY INSTITUTE is a private, non-profit, charitable foundation and is not affiliated with any human church organization. Legacy Institute seeks to serve and help mankind in the spirit and example of our Lord Jesus Christ. His instructions were to freely give. This means without discrimination and without prejudice. Your donations to Legacy Institute are tax deductible in the USA.
Leon Sexton
Thursday, March 18, 2004
As each day goes by, I realize more and more how bad we need Christ
to return to this earth and end the suffering under satan's rule, but
we know Christ is on the job right now and he can heal us if we have
faith. I have a friend who met the aunt of Hannah, who is a little
girl who has a rare type of cancer. Please see the following website
and lets pray for her.
http://www.caringbridge.org/tx/hannah/
Thanks
Mark
to return to this earth and end the suffering under satan's rule, but
we know Christ is on the job right now and he can heal us if we have
faith. I have a friend who met the aunt of Hannah, who is a little
girl who has a rare type of cancer. Please see the following website
and lets pray for her.
http://www.caringbridge.org/tx/hannah/
Thanks
Mark
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
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We will be updating you with articles of interest at least once per day.
Also, check out our DAILY webcast stream and our Cyber Services!
Enjoy!
