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THEN I HEARD A mighty voice from the temple sanctuary saying to the seven angels, Go and empty out on the earth the seven bowls of God’s wrath and indignation; People were severely burned (scorched) by the fiery heat, and they reviled and blasphemed the name of God, Who has control of these plagues, and they did not repent of their sins [felt no regret, contrition, and compunction for their waywardness, refusing to amend their ways] to give Him glory; And there followed lightning flashes, loud rumblings, peals of thunder, and a tremendous earthquake; nothing like it has ever occurred since men dwelt on the earth, so severe and far-reaching was that earthquake.
Revelation 16:1-21
1THEN I heard a mighty voice from the temple sanctuary saying to the seven angels, Go and empty out on the earth the seven bowls of God’s wrath and indignation.
2So the first [angel] went and emptied his bowl on the earth, and foul and painful ulcers (sores) came on the people who were marked with the stamp of the beast and who did homage to his image.
3The second [angel] emptied his bowl into the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a corpse [thick, corrupt, ill-smelling, and disgusting], and every living thing that was in the sea perished.
4Then the third [angel] emptied out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they turned into (became) blood.
5And I also heard the angel of the waters say, Righteous (just) are You in these Your decisions and judgments, You Who are and were, O Holy One!
6Because they have poured out the blood of Your people (the saints) and the prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. Such is their due [they deserve it]!
7And [from] the altar I heard [the] cry, Yes, Lord God the Omnipotent, Your judgments (sentences, decisions) are true and just and righteous!
8Then the fourth [angel] emptied out his bowl upon the sun, and it was permitted to burn (scorch) humanity with [fierce, glowing] heat (fire).
9People were severely burned (scorched) by the fiery heat, and they reviled and blasphemed the name of God, Who has control of these plagues, and they did not repent of their sins [felt no regret, contrition, and compunction for their waywardness, refusing to amend their ways] to give Him glory.
10Then the fifth [angel] emptied his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was [plunged] in darkness; and people gnawed their tongues for the torment [of their excruciating distress and severe pain]
11And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their anguish and their ulcers (sores), and they did not deplore their wicked deeds or repent [for what they had done].
12Then the sixth [angel] emptied his bowl on the mighty river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to make ready a road for [the coming of] the kings of the east (from the rising sun).
13And I saw three loathsome spirits like frogs, [leaping] from the mouth of the dragon and from the mouth of the beast and from the mouth of the false prophet.
14For really they are the spirits of demons that perform signs (wonders, miracles). And they go forth to the rulers and leaders all over the world, to gather them together for war on the great day of God the Almighty.
15Behold, I am going to come like a thief! Blessed (happy, [a]to be envied) is he who stays awake (alert) and who guards his clothes, so that he may not be naked and [have the shame of being] seen exposed!
16And they gathered them together at the place which in Hebrew is called Armageddon. [II Kings 9:27.]
17Then the seventh [angel] emptied out his bowl into the air, and a mighty voice came out of the sanctuary of heaven from the throne [of God], saying, It is done! [It is all over, it is all accomplished, it has come!]
18And there followed lightning flashes, loud rumblings, peals of thunder, and a tremendous earthquake; nothing like it has ever occurred since men dwelt on the earth, so severe and far-reaching was that earthquake.
19The mighty city was broken into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And God kept in mind mighty Babylon, to make her drain the cup of His furious wrath and indignation.
20And every island fled and no mountains could be found.
21And great (excessively oppressive) hailstones, as heavy as a talent [between fifty and sixty pounds], of immense size, fell from the sky on the people; and men blasphemed God for the plague of the hail, so very great was [the torture] of that plague. – Amplified Bible
- Revelation 16:15 Alexander Souter, Pocket Lexicon.
“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come; Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; There will be famines and earthquakes in various places; All these are the beginning of birth pains.” (Matthew 24:6–8)
Messianic Bible
“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not
alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation
will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines
and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth
pains.” (Matthew 24:6–8)
Shalom,
For Israel and perhaps for the entire world, Iran will probably dominate the
news and shape 2012, whether we want it to or not.
Iran became a hot topic in the news last year when the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) accused Tehran in November of being involved in
a secret nuclear weapons program.
Fordo which is a new Iranian nuclear site capable of producing 20-percent
enriched uranium, has begun operations in a heavily defended bunker site
inside a mountain southwest of Iran’s capital, Tehran.
United States and European Union sanctions imposed on Iran in a bid to halt
its nuclear program have led to increased tension between Iran and the West.
In a recent response to these sanctions, Tehran has threatened to close the
Straits of Hormuz, which would compromise oil shipments to the West.
View to the northern part of Tehran with mountains in background
The assassination of an Iraqi nuclear scientist two weeks ago has resulted in
Iran accusing Israel, the United States and Britain for the assassination, and
led to threats to avenge it.
One or more of the following three scenarios might play out this year:
- The world will unify to take decisive action to stop Iran from
acquiring nuclear warheads; - The world will not take decisive action, and Iran will acquire nuclear
weapons; and/ or - Israel will have no choice but to take preemptive action with a first
strike against Iran.
The United States is coordinating with Israel on the issue of Iran’s nuclear
capabilities with regard to a possible Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.
General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff,
arrived in Israel on Thursday for talks with Defense Minister Ehud Barak,
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, and other senior defense and
intelligence officials.
The United States Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey,
(left) arrived last Thursday in Israel. On his arrival, GEM Martin Dempsey
met with with Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz.
Yeshua: Wars and Rumors of Wars
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore
we will not fear. … The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our
fortress.” (Psalm 46:1, 7)
Yeshua (Jesus) warned that in the last days, there will be wars and rumors
of wars. And yet Yeshua also encouraged his disciples not to lose heart!
(Matthew 24:6)
In the Jewish prayer book, called the Siddur, we read David’s Psalm 91 in
its entirety every day.
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of
the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my
God, in whom I trust.’” (Psalm 91: 1–2)
Lieutenant Asael Lubotzky, an IDF soldier, prays
with tefillin during the 2006 Lebanon War. He
was seriously wounded in the war.
Click here now to help us share Yeshua in these Last Days
What is Praying for the Peace of Jerusalem?
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure.”
(Psalm 122:6)
As Bible believing people, we are commanded to pray for the peace of
Jerusalem.
Many of us interpret this as a passive involvement with Jerusalem from the
safe distance of prayer.
In Hebrew, the Scriptures actually read Sha’alu Shalom Yerushalayim.
This carries the connotation of asking about the welfare of Jerusalem. In
other words, we are commanded to do more than pray; we are to be
concerned for her, aware of what is happening, and involved with her well being.
As God’s people are not to be merely passive observers of world events,
but active participants.
Old City of Jerusalem, with Muslim Gold Mosque in background.
End-Time Prophecy
By becoming aware of end-time prophecies regarding Israel and the Middle
East, we can be more effective in prayer and action.
The Bible gives us insight into certain future events, as yet unseen, not to
frighten us, but to forewarn and prepare us.
“The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and
pay the penalty.” (Proverbs 27:12)
We might look at current events from a political or an economic viewpoint,
but only when we bring in the Word of God do we have a three
dimensional perspective.
Click here today to support the Messianic Prophecy Bible Project
Judgment on Elam
“This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning
Elam [Iran].” (Jeremiah 49:34)
The Prophet Jeremiah gave a warning about a coming judgment on Elam,
which is an ancient name for the modern nation of Iran.
As a prophet, Jeremiah’s track record is impeccable. He foresaw the New
Covenant as well as the destruction of Judah by Babylon.
For this word, the prophet was arrested and thrown into a dungeon. Back
then, like today, people preferred false prophets who declared peace and
prosperity, but Jeremiah spoke the truth even though it was unpopular.
Just like Jeremiah, our calling is to tell the truth, not to make people feel
happy by saying all will be well.
This prophecy is for the ‘end times’. The fact that Israel was re-born in
1948 is proof that we are living in the last days. According to Jeremiah,
God will break the military and political power of Iran and scatter its people
to all nations.
Muslim clerics at an Iranian missile test site.
“See, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might. I will bring
against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven; I will scatter
them to the four winds, and there will not be a nation where Elam’s exiles
do not go.” (Jeremiah 49:35–36)
God’s judgment against Elam (Iran) is specifically directed towards its
government leaders, as Jeremiah also says that God will establish His
sovereign rule in the midst of Iran and in the end will restore them.
God’s purpose in judgment is never vindictive but always redemptive
in purpose–in order that all people of every race, tongue and tribe will
come to know that He is the Lord Adonai.
“‘I will shatter Elam before their foes, before those who want to kill them; I
will bring disaster on them, even my fierce anger,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will
pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them. I will set my
throne in Elam and destroy her king and officials,’ declares the Lord. ‘Yet
I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come,’ declares the Lord.”
(Jeremiah 49:37-39)
Iranian protesters gather in the Piccadilly Gardens area of England,
waving flags and holding banners to protest against the ongoing hangings
of Iranian citizens and the “dictatorship” of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Tyranny and the Iranian Exile
“I will bring against Elam [Iran] the four winds from the four quarters of
heaven; I will scatter them to the four winds….” (Jeremiah 49:35–36)
Some consider that this Iranian exile prophesied in Jeremiah has already begun.
In 1979, many Iranians fearing the radical regime of the Islamic Revolution
fled the country.
Approximately five million Iranians now live in exile, scattered across the
world, with one million of them now residing in the United States.
Radical Islam has brought a horrible evil to the people of Iran. The country
is now characterized by political executions, arrests, imprisonments and
torture. Drug and alcohol abuse has skyrocketed. Freedom of speech is
suppressed.
The country has been devastated by poverty as the leadership hoards the
wealth for their own selves and spends huge sums on building their military
forces and developing nuclear weaponry.
This has triggered economic sanctions that make it even harder for the
common people of Iran to survive.
Three Generations: Iranian women in Zanjan, Northern Iran, where
women’s rights are limited.
Anti-Israel Stance Brings Judgment
Today, Iranians live under an evil tyranny.
That tyranny has a spiritual aspect, since the people are trapped in a system
that is taking them away from God. Iran is one of the most fiercely ‘anti-
Israel’ and ‘anti-Yeshua/Jesus’ nations on the planet.
Christianity is outlawed in Iran, and the Christians there are persecuted.
Daily, the leadership of Iran publicly broadcasts vile threats and curses
against Israel and the Jewish people. By doing so, they are opposing God
and bringing their nation under a curse.
God has promised, “I will bless those that bless you (Israel) and will curse
those that curse you.” (Genesis 12:3)
The president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has had a
long-time policy of refusing to recognize Israel as a
legitimate state, and has urged Palestinians to continue
armed resistance to Israel. He has publically declared
that Israel should be wiped off the face of the map.
Click here to stand with Israel
Move of God: Iranians Come to Faith in Yeshua
We must pray that God will save our enemies, not just judge them. Indeed,
God is moving among Iranians.
Presently, over one million Shiite Muslim Iranians have come to faith in
Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).
One Iranian Muslim convert, Hormoz Shariat, called the ‘Billy Graham’ of
the Muslim world, is a research scientist with a PhD in computer engineering.
He used to be a radical Muslim who shouted on the streets of Iran, “Death
to Israel! Death to America!”
Anti-Shah demonstrators marching near a shopping area in Tehran on
December 27, 1978.
In 1979, he and his wife (an “American Christian” who had converted to
Islam and moved to Iran) came to the United States to pursue a higher
education in graduate school. Shariat, however, felt empty spiritually and
trapped in a loveless marriage.
Distraught, and on the verge of divorce, he began to study the Koran.
When he found few answers there, he began to study the Bible as well.
The Lord was also at work in his wife, and she became a born-again
Believer first, through people who shared the Gospel with her, including
the janitor in her building, who spoke very poor English.
Shariat was astonished by the change he witnessed in his wife.
Hormoz Shariat
Even though coming to faith in Yeshua was a difficult road for him because
he tried to find all the answers intellectually, he too eventually became a
born-again follower of Yeshua.
With a passion to reach their own people, they founded a television ministry
in which over 250 million Iranians have given their lives to God through
Yeshua since December 2001.
God is doing something great even in our worst enemy! He is calling to the
individual hearts of Iranians.
God loves Israel, but He also loves the people of Iran. Nevertheless, Iran
as a nation seems bent on war with Israel, and God will deal with them
as a nation.
Israel is surrounded by hostile Arab neighbors threatening her extinction.
Iran has the oldest Jewish Diaspora in the world with perhaps 25,000 Jews,
the second largest Jewish population in the Middle East after Israel. Had it
not been for persecution and forced conversion, there would be more Jews
in Iran. Thirteen Jews have been executed in Iran since the Islamic Revolution.
Jews have lived in this area of the world since the 6th century BCE (First Temple).
To reach Iranians everywhere, the Messianic Prophecy Bible will translated into Farsi.
The Looming War with Iran
“The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and
the heavens will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for His people, a
stronghold for the people of Israel.” (Joel 3:16)
Please join us in praying for the protection of Israel in the coming war with Iran.
At the same time that we pray for peace, we must also prepare
for war.
These two are not mutually exclusive or contradictory—we need to do both:
Pray for peace and prepare for war.
Each of us, especially in Israel, needs to seek God for specifics as to what
we can do to prepare for coming events.
If it’s a biological war, our gas masks will do little and if it’s a nuclear war,
nothing can protect us, except angels diverting the nuclear warheads.
Pray that Israelis would turn to God and to Messiah, Yeshua, in the
time of Jacob’s Trouble.
Click here to Bless Israel and to bring the Gospel to the Jewish People
“He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:4)
–
Watchman declaring: “Prepare the way of the Lord!”
Dr. Des.Org
Doomsday Clock Ticks Closer to Midnight
By at least one measure, the world just got that much closer to apocalypse.
The Doomsday Clock, a figurative timepiece used as a barometer of humankind’s fate, was moved one minute closer to midnight on Tuesday, the first time it has been nudged forward since 2007. It is now 11:55, five minutes before the appointed hour.
The re-setting of the clock has become something of a gimmick in recent years, carried out by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a group established to raise awareness about the perils of nuclear weaponry, and aimed at warning the public about various catastrophic dangers.
But the process involved in deciding the time is a deeply serious one, overseen by a venerable board of scientists, Nobel laureates and others and concluded with a symposium in Washington. The setting of the clock is no longer based only on the proliferation of nuclear arms, but also on threats such as climate change and biological weaponry.
In moving the clock ahead on Tuesday, the BAS cited the failure of world leaders to achieve significant progress on the reduction of nuclear weapons and in developing a comprehensive response to climate change. Just two years ago, following global talks on climate change in Copenhagen and international pledges to reduce nuclear stockpiles, the BAS moved the clock backward by a minute.
Robert Socolow, a professor at Princeton University and a member of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, during an event announcing a reset of the Doomsday Clock. (Saul Loeb — Getty Images)
“Faced with clear and present dangers of nuclear proliferation and climate change, and the need to find sustainable and safe sources of energy, world leads are failing to change business as usual,” said Lawrence Krauss, co-chairman of the group’s board of sponsors.
“As we see it,” Krauss said, “the major challenge at the heart of humanity’s survival in the 21st century is how to meet energy needs for economic growth in developing and industrial countries without further damaging the climate … and without risking further spread of nuclear weapons — and in fact setting the stage for global reductions.”
Since being unveiled in 1947, the clock has been reset 20 times. It came closest to doomsday in 1953, when the start of the nuclear arms race pushed its hand to two minutes to midnight, and moved the farthest away in 1991, when the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) by the United States and the Soviet Union gave the world 17 minutes until midnight.
Despite the passage of various nonproliferation treaties, including the New START treaty under the Obama administration, the United States and Russia remain the chief reasons for concern when it comes to nuclear weaponry, according to Kennette Benedict, the BAS’s executive director. The United States and other major powers have not yet ratified the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. There has also been little progress on a treaty that would prohibit further production of fissile material for nuclear weapons.
“Overall, there’s just really no new thinking,” Benedict said.
- Prophecy News Watch
The New Face of Global Security
by Mary Gehl
As we look back over the previous decade from the ten-year anniversary of September 11th, and look forward to President Obama’s “withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan” plans, a compelling picture emerges of a U.S. foreign policy running straight into Biblical prophecy.
Many of us remember the horror of the image of the charred and mutilated remains of four Americans hanging on a bridge over the Euphrates River on March 31, 2004. Within a few days, the name “Blackwater” became common knowledge. How-ever, the full impact would not be known for years to come. Blackwater, a powerful private security force, would become “the elite Praetorian Guard for the global war on terror.”
Blackwater
Jeremy Scahill’s compelling 2007 work, Black-water: The Rise of The World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, details the rise of Blackwater founder Erik Prince and the organization that changed the face of the U.S. military war machine.
Erik Prince was the only son and one of the heirs of Edgar Prince and the Prince Corporation of Holland, Michigan. Edgar was well on his way to becoming a billionaire in 1973 when his company began production of the “ubiquitous lighted sun visor.” Edgar was also firmly established with the political Religious Right and national conservative Christian lobby groups. He ensured Erik was mentored in his foundational Christian beliefs and remained connected to Edgar’s colleagues and friends.
However, instead of joining his father’s company, Erik joined the Navy after college and served in SEAL Team 8. Erik left the Navy in 1996 amid the backdrop of Chuck Colson’s essay entitled “Kingdoms in Conflict” and the First Things symposium in which Colson stopped short of calling for a Christian rebellion in America, but did state, “…Christian citizens may be compelled to force the government to return to its original understanding…”
The powerful conservative leaders Prince and his family had supported and built up had thrown down the political and religious gauntlet. Erik chose to pick it up. Exploring the possibility of a “showdown between church and state” and a “morally justified revolution,” Erik simultaneously strengthened his ties with powerful Republican legislators and the leaders of the conser-vative movement. He became a major political bankroller on par with his father.
On December 26, 1996, he began building up one of the largest privately held stockpiles of weaponry inside the United States, a few hours outside of Washington, D.C., and incorporated Blackwater Lodge and Training Center. The next year, Erik broke ground on the Blackwater com-pound in Moyock, North Carolina, and in May 1998, the company officially opened for business. (The name Blackwater was inspired by the black waters of the Great Dismal Swamp—a 111,000-acre peat bog stretching from southeastern Virginia to northeastern North Carolina.) The official business purpose of Blackwater was “to fulfill the anticipated demand for government outsourcing of firearms and related security training.”
By 1998, Blackwater was doing a vigorous business in training private and government customers in the use of a wide variety of weapons from pistols to precision rifles to machine guns. Navy SEALs leased the facility for training sessions. Additionally, police officers from Virginia, North Carolina, and Canada had enrolled in Blackwater training programs. Blackwater also contracted with foreign governments to provide “security” training.
September 11, 2001
Interestingly, in September 2000, the Project for a New American Century released a report called Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century. The vision of the report stated that “the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastro-phic and catalyzing event—like a new Pearl Harbor.” A year later, the 9/11 attacks provided that catalyst, and the core conservatives of that report were now entrenched in the Bush White House.
Under Bush, the Pentagon came under new civilian leadership (from large defense contractors): Under Secretary of Defense Pete Aldrege (Aerospace Corporation), Army Secretary Thomas White (Enron), Navy Secretary Gordon England (General Dynamics), and Air Force Secretary James Roche (Northrup Grumman). The new regime enacted the most sweeping privatization and out-sourcing operations in U.S. military history. Sitting in the right place at the right time, Blackwater became the largest beneficiary of outsourced operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
By 2006, despite the involvement of private paramilitary resources, the U.S. military was stretched thin. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell declared, “…the active army is about dead.” In his 2007 State of the Union address, Bush called for an increase of 92,000 active duty troops within five years and proposed a Civilian Reserve Corps to supplement official U.S. forces.
In response, Erik Prince suggested the creation of a “contractor brigade” because he asserted, “We could certainly do it cheaper.” As a man with his own army, the Weekly Standard hailed Prince as “the alpha and omega of military outsourcing.” And indeed, by the middle of the decade, Blackwater led the other military contractors to build a private contract force in the Middle East to a one-to-one ratio with U.S. military personnel.
“Baghdad on the Bayou”
Riding on the success of their overseas operations, Blackwater personnel did not miss the opportunity to place operatives in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans ahead of state and
federal first responders. Although the timing is disputed by local law enforcement, Blackwater president Gary Jackson reported his men basically secured the French Quarter. He added, “This is a totally new thing to have guys like us working CONUS [Continental United States].”
In an effort to make their efforts look hu-manitarian, Blackwater’s executive vice president reported, “First and foremost, this is about Americans helping Americans in a time of desperation… It is time to set the record straight. We are not skull-crushing mercenaries. We don’t believe we will make a profit here. We ran to the fire because it was burning.”
(Right: Erik Prince testifies before Congress to explain his position)
Despite its moralistic boasts, by the end of 2005, the Department of Homeland Security paid Blackwater at least $33.3 million for its Katrina contracts, which included guarding companies, banks, hotels, industrial sites, wealthy individuals, and miscellaneous DHS Federal Protective Services.
As the scene in New Orleans played out, journalist Christian Parenti dispatched this report:
It seems the rescue effort is turning into an urban war game: An imaginary domestic version of the total victory that eludes America in Baghdad will be imposed here, on New Orleans. It’s almost as if the Tigris—rather than the Mississippi—had flooded the city. The place feels like a sick theme park—Macho World—where cops, mercenaries, journalists and weird volunteers of all sorts are playing out a relatively safe version of their militaristic fantasies about Armageddon and the cleansing iron fist.
Moving Forward
As the impact of a powerful private army began to be understood by some members of Congress, questions regarding their use rose through the Bush administration. In a letter to then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, senators asked for an “accurate tally” of the “privately armed” personnel operating in Iraq. The letter further stated:
These security contractors are armed and operate in a fashion that is hard to distinguish from military forces, especially special operations forces. How-ever, these private security companies are not under military control and are not subject to the rules that guide the conduct of American military personnel. It would be a dangerous precedent if the United States allowed the presence of private armies operating outside the control of governmental authority and beholden only to those who pay them. Security in a hostile fire area is a classic military mission and delegating it to private contractors raises serious questions.
Rumsfeld ignored the letter. Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights wrote the following of his concerns:
To the extent a population is called upon to go to war, there is resistance, a necessary resistance to prevent wars of self-aggrandizement, foolish wars, and hegemonic imperialist wars. Private forces are almost a necessity for a United States bent on retaining its declining empire. Think about Rome and its increasing need for mercenaries. Likewise, here at home in the United States. Controlling an angry, abused population with a police force bound to obey the Constitution can be difficult—private forces can solve this problem.
Following several missteps and lawsuits involving activities in Iraq and Afghanistan, executives of Blackwater decided a name change was warranted. Blackwater became Xe (pronounced Zee). Gary Jackson, president of Xe, said in an interoffice memo, “Xe will be a one-stop shop-ping source for world class services in the fields of security, stability, aviation, training and logistics.” The subsidiaries that were a part of the Blackwater family of companies also changed the name reference.
However, the name change was not enough to stop the onslaught of legal suits and government harassments for Erik Prince.
In the summer of 2010, Erik Prince put his company up for sale and moved to Abu Dhabi stating he was “weary of proctology exams” from Congress. According to his associates, Prince is developing a protective security and antiterrorism business in Africa, relying on many of the third-world nationals he employed during Black-water’s prime.
In December 2010, Xe Services was acquired by a consortium of investors led by Forte Capital Advisors and Manhattan Partners. Forte’s managing partner, Jason DeYonker has been close to Prince for years.
Meanwhile, in 2011, the U.S. State Department approved a contract worth more than $84 million dollars over five years to International Developments Solutions, a joint venture that includes the U.S. Training Center (the former Blackwater training center). According to State Department spokesman Mark Toner, the consortium will provide protective security in “the Israel-occupied West Bank—services that are based from the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem.” The training for the new Jerusalem contract will need to be done in Moyock because the U.S. Training Center has no comparable facilities elsewhere.
To further question the intent of the new “Blackwater” consortium in cleaning up its image, in September 2011, former disgraced AIG “Compliance Czar” Suzanne Folsom was hired as its first chief regulatory/compliance officer and deputy general counsel. Folsom’s reputation as a “non-compliant” compliance officer precedes her to her new position.
As 2011 comes to a close, multi-million dollar contracts from world governments to private security and military/police training centers will require a closer inspection, especially in a world searching for new leadership in 2012.
This article was originally published in the
December 2011 Personal Update NewsJournal.
For a FREE 1-Year Subscription, click here.
**NOTES**Scahill, Jeremy. Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army. New
York, NY: Nation Books, 2007.http://www.h-net.org/~hst306/documents/indust.html
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/spy-talk/2011/01/blackwater-linked_firm_scores.html
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/government-inc/2009/02/behind_the_blackwater_name_cha.html
http://www.whistleblower.org/010/1499-xe-blackwaterhires-disgracedaig-qcomplianceczarq-suzannefolsom
http://www.thenation.com/blog/36756/blackwaters-newsugar-daddy-obama-administration
Even More Calendars Predict End in 2012
With all the hype about the ancient Mayan calendar suggesting the demise of human civilization taking place in 2012, an American author wants everyone to know that other calendars predict the same outcome, and he claims a demonic plot bringing about the end date could be hiding in plain sight inside the U.S. Capitol and your wallet right now.
Tom Horn, a Bible-believing Christian and author of “Apollyon Rising 2012,” says he never actually had an interest in the Mayan calendar, which comes to a cyclical end on Dec. 21, 2012. But then he became aware of numerous unrelated calendars and prophecies spanning many centuries, all predicting the end of the current human age at next year’s winter solstice.
“I started finding that it wasn’t just the Maya,” Horn told WND, noting prognostications from Jewish mystics, as well as the ancient Chinese, Hindus, Cherokee Indians, and even artwork among famous American symbols that all point to the same time frame.
Despite not having telescopes, the Mayan people of Central America were extremely accurate observers of celestial movements, with the zenith of their civilization occurring between A.D. 250 and 900.
“The Maya understood this procession of the equinox, basically not to end, but to roll over, to start over,” in December 2012, Horn explained.
He says their prophets coupled that date “with prophecies of unrest on Earth after which a new form of man appears on Earth, plus the return of their dragon god, a flying serpent who has the power of air.”
“The Aztec saw the same thing, a flying serpent, Quetzalcoatl,” Horn said, adding, “their calendar ends in 2012.”
He says the Kali Yuga calendar of the Hindus forecasts global changes around 2012, and China’s “Book of Changes,” also known as the “I-Ching,” predicts the end for the same year.
A timeline graph created in 1973 based on China’s Book of Changes, or I-Ching, shows the line plunging entirely off the graph precisely on Dec. 21, 2012.
Horn says 38 years ago, when scientists Terrence and Dennis McKenna created a stock-market-like linear graph based on the “I-Ching,” the timeline abruptly plunged off the graph into infinity on precisely Dec. 21, 2012.
“This finding is all the more astonishing given that McKenna’s research was published in 1973 independent of any knowledge of the ending date in the Mayan calendar,” Horn noted.
Meanwhile, the Zohar, a collection of books in the mystical Jewish Kabbalah that first debuted in Spain in the 13th century, talks about the coming of the Messiah at the same general time the other calendars forecast the end.
It predicts in late 2012, “All the kings of the world will assemble in the great city of Rome, and the Holy One will shower on them fire and hail and meteoric stones until they are all destroyed, with the exception of those who will not yet have arrived there. These will commence anew to make other wars. From that time the Mashiach (Messiah) will begin to declare himself, and round him there will be gathered many nations and many hosts from the uttermost ends of the Earth.”
Horn says, “Given the rejection of Jesus by orthodox Jews as Messiah, this coming could herald the coming of Antichrist in 2012.”
What’s perhaps most fascinating is Horn’s discussion of what could be the mother of all conspiracy theories, dating back to the Bible’s Book of Genesis, involving Noah’s great grandson Nimrod, who not only built the famous Tower of Babel, but is the “mighty hunter” who scholars believe became worshipped as the sun god, with names such as Osiris in Egypt and Apollo in Greece.
Horn says from deepest antiquity, a plot involving pagan sun-worshippers, America’s Founding Fathers, Masons and Freemasons has apparently been in the works, culminating in the end time with the return or resurrection of an evil, supernatural being. That character may actually be pictured as the all-seeing eye on top of the uncapped pyramid on the Great Seal of the United States, found on the back of a $1 bill.
Others have speculated the eye on top of the pyramid could be a representation of Jesus Christ, since the Bible notes, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone.” (Psalm 118:22 New International Version).
The date at the base of the pyramid is 1776, which is not only the year the Declaration of Independence was signed, but also the beginning of a new Mayan “katun,” a time period of 19.7 years. If each of the 13 levels of the pyramid on the Great Seal represents one of these time periods, the top level would mark the year 2012.
The Latin phrase “Novus ordo seclorum” is part of the American seal, and translates to “New order of the ages,” which some fear is what many U.S. presidents, including George Herbert Walker Bush, allude to when they use the phrase, “New World Order.”
Other strange connections to the United States include the Frieze of American History, a painted panorama at the U.S. Capitol.
Among the artwork is “Cortez and Montezuma at Mexican Temple” by Italian artist Constantino Brumidi.
Montezuma is shown gesturing to the sacred fire with a serpent wrapped around it. According to the Aztec calendar, the fire is predicted to burn out on Dec. 21, 2012.
It depicts Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez, the conqueror of Mexico, entering the Aztec temple in 1519. He’s welcomed by Emperor Montezuma II, who thought Cortez was a god.
“Montezuma’s hand is pointing directly down at the sacred fire, which, in point of fact, goes out … Dec. 21, 2012, the end of the calendar,” Horn noted.
Also featured in the frieze is the Aztec calendar stone, and the sun god Tonatiuh, to whom pagan priests had 80,000 people sacrificed in the year of 1487 alone.
“Hiding in plain sight is the god who demands human sacrifice,” said Horn.
He says another high-profile piece that may hold end-time clues is the famous painting in the Rotunda of the Capitol, titled “The Apotheosis of George Washington.” The word “apotheosis” means to deify or elevate to divine status, and Washington is depicted being resurrected and becoming divine.
The U.S. Capitol Rotunda features “The Apotheosis of George Washington,” with America’s first president becoming glorified as a god, along with numerous pagan gods.
But Horn notes in “Apollyon Rising 2012″:
Those who believe the United States was founded on Christianity and visit the Capitol for the first time will be surprised by the stark contrast to historic Christian artwork of the ascension of Jesus Christ compared to the “heaven” George Washington rises into from within the energized Capitol Dome/womb of Isis. It is not occupied by angels, but with devils and pagan deities important to Masonic belief. These include Hermes, Neptune, Venus (Isis), Ceres, Minerva, and Vulcan (Satan), of course, the son of Jupiter and Juno to which human sacrifices are made.
Horn says the symbolism in the painting associated with the deeply rooted idea that chosen humans are selected by supernatural forces, and their earthly kingdoms are formed and guided by these pagan gods.
Washington was himself a Mason, and, according to the book “The Age of Washington” by George W. Nordham, the president was dressed in Masonic attire as he laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 18, 1793.
When it comes to biblical references to the end, a central theme is that Jesus Christ will be returning to Earth in what is often referred to as the “Second Coming” to administer the kingdom of God. While Scripture does not provide a specific date for “the day of the Lord” as it’s often called, it does suggest everyone be ready at all times, because His return would come suddenly, like “a thief in the night,” and Jesus Himself warned to “be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:44 New King James Version)
The 24th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew features Jesus answering his apostles’ questions about signs of His coming and the end of the current age, and Jesus provides a laundry list of events including wars and rumors of wars, false Christs, famines, pestilences, earthquakes and great tribulation, with many believers being slain.
Jesus noted, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” (Matthew 24:14 King James Version)
He also said: “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about – the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.” (Matthew 24:15-16 New Living Translation)
This reference to the “Holy Place” has many believing that a new temple of God will have to be constructed in Jerusalem before Jesus’ return.
Some Christians, such as Noel Hornor of the Good News Magazine, think the 2012 prognostications are the result of misplaced fears and reliance on pagan systems rather than the Bible itself.
Hornor writes: “Yes, Dec. 21, 2012, will come and go, Dec. 22 will arrive, and the Earth will go on. And so will new theories regarding new exact dates for the end of the world. The cry has been shouted by strident voices for millennia, and you can be sure it will continue.”
As for Tom Horn, he says he never places any pagan prophecy ahead of the Bible, but just wonders why so many different and unrelated civilizations talk about the end of days in December 2012.
“I would not say that I’m yet convinced that 2012 will be anything more than the next Y2K,” he said, referring to the misplaced hysteria about the world coming to an end when 1999 turned into 2000.
“It’s very easy to take extraordinary circumstances to interpret in Bible prophecy, and then it doesn’t develop. There were lots of reasons to believe Hitler was the Antichrist. He wasn’t. He was an antichrist, but not the Antichrist.”
“All I can do is bring to the surface the good research,” Horn concluded. “I’m kind of holding back, leaning today that 2012 isn’t going to mean anything. But in the back of my mind, I can’t forget all these cultures.”
Prophecy News Watch has a limited numbers of copies left of the DVD – 2012: Prophecy or Panic? DVD that give a Christian perspective of the possible links between the year 2012 and Bible Prophecy. Click here to order
- Prophecy News Watch
Christian Author Joel Rosenberg: We May See ‘More Bible Prophesies in the Near Future’
Author Joel C. Rosenberg has been called a modern-day Nostradamus. His fiction writings have been viewed by many as intriguing, yet eery, as they often highlight major world-wide events months before they actually occur.
Don’t believe me? Consider the author’s track record. In January 2001, Rosenberg began working on his first novel, “The Last Jihad.” The book, which is a fictional account of a U.S. war with Iraq (yes, this preceded the actual war that America launched in that region), describes the highjacking of an airliner in an attack on America.
Then, there was his second novel, “The Last Days,” which starts by recapping the death of Yasser Arafat (and published 13 months before the Palestinian leader perished). Call it coincidence of divine providence, but Rosenberg definitely seems to have a knack for clairvoyance.
Earlier this month, the communications advisor and famed novelist released his seventh work of fiction, “The Tehran Initiative” (additionally, he has two non-fiction books under his belt). In his latest work, Rosenberg creates a story that he hopes will both entertain and educate readers. A description of the action-packed book reads:
“The world is on the brink of disaster and the clock is ticking. Iran has just conducted its first atomic weapons test. Millions of Muslims around the world are convinced their messiah—known as ‘the Twelfth Imam’—has just arrived on earth. Israeli leaders fear Tehran, under the Twelfth Imam’s spell, will soon launch a nuclear attack that could bring about a second holocaust and the annihilation of Israel.
The White House fears Jerusalem will strike first, launching a preemptive attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities that could cause the entire Middle East to go up in flames, oil prices to skyrocket, and the global economy to collapse. With the stakes high and few viable options left, the president of the United States orders CIA operative David Shirazi and his team to track down and sabotage Iran’s nuclear warheads before Iran or Israel can launch a devastating first strike.”
Timely, no? Considering ongoing global strife and Iran’s role in stoking the international flamed of instability, Rosenberg appears to be delving into subjects that are pertinent to the current political landscape.
Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with Rosenberg about “The Tehran Initiative” and his motivation for creating such impactful and unique stories. It’s a known fact that Rosenberg has a penchant for exploring End Times theology (a characteristic that works its way into his writings). ”I am intrigued with where we are in human history, especially as a follower of Jesus Christ and as a student of bible prophesy,” he told me.
See, Rosenberg believes that we‘ve already seen some of the Bible’s prophesies come to fruition. “We’ve already seen some of what Ezekiel 36 and 37 promised — the rebirth of Israel and the Jews rebuilding the ancient ruins,” he said. “This has all happened in the last 63 years, which raises the possibility that we’ll see more Bible prophesies in the near future.”
For Rosenberg, novels are a key tool that can help people better imagine what the world would look like if, indeed, these prophesies come to fruition in the coming years. While he says that he‘s not claiming these promised events will happen as he’s writing them, Rosenberg hopes that his written works will get people thinking about the events and possibilities that surround them.
Clearly, he has a firm belief in the Biblical tenets that mainstream Christianity heralds as undeniable truths. For Rosenberg, faith is the motivating force that guides his overall work.
“Faith, to me, is the lens through which I’m watching all these dramatic and tumultuous events — particularly in the Middle East and North Africa,” he said. ”The idea that Russia, Iran, Libya, Sudan and Turkey…end up forming an alliance in the last days to surround, isolate and attack Israel — that type of alliance has never existed in more than 2,500 years, but its happening now.”
Even those who may believe that the Bible is nothing more than a book of fables, may be, at the least, intrigued to hear Rosenberg’s thoughts on the days events, especially when considering what’s happening around the globe. Iran is an ongoing problem for the West. Libya’s future is uncertain. And Russia, Sudan and Turkey, some say, are poised to increase their diplomatic relations with Iran.
But it is this first nation — Iran — that Rosenberg sees as a major threat to both the United States and Israel. “The biggest danger we face as americans right now is that Washington will miscalculate with regards to Iran — that Washington will wait to long to neutralize the Iranian threat,” he explained.
I found this comment intriguing. After all, both the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama have been criticized for what some see as a refusal to go after the Iranian government. These critiques, of course, are diverse in gauging where blame should be placed.
Some have said that Bush chose the wrong target in going after Iraq rather than Iran, while others believe that Obama has been too coddling to the radical, Middle Eastern regime. So, I asked Rosenberg what he thinks the Obama administration is doing in its current handling of the situation.
“The Obama administration is miscalculating,” he affirmed. “They are convinced that they can negotiate with and engage the radical mullahs that run Iran. But after three years it’s demonstrably false…Iran has gotten closer to getting the bomb.”
While the author sees this political strategy as problematic, he concedes that it has, at the least, shown that appeasement and soft handling as a diplomatic tool in dealing with Iran, doesn’t work. ”It’s useful to know,” he says. “But some of us knew that three years ago.”
“Evil,” Rosenberg says, is at the center of his work. “The core of my writing – particular ‘The Tehran Initiative’ centers on the fact that misunderstanding the nature and threat of evil is to risk being blindsided by it,” he said. “We didn’t understand the Japanese threat and we got hit by Pearl Harbor. We misunderstood Hitler and Nazis and we got World War II. We underestimated Osama bin Laden and we got 9/11.”
Thus, misunderstanding Iran and its goals, particularly when it comes to radical religious adherence, is dangerous to both the United States and the world as a whole. Rosenberg explained that the Iranian government — like mainstream Christianity — is driven by an End Times theology. “As an evangelical Christian, I don’t fault anyone for having an end times theology,” he explained.
But, unlike the Christian understanding of the end days, he asserts that Iran’s government is driven by the idea that they need to hasten the second coming of the Twelfth Imam — a messiah of sorts (read more about Shia Islamic eschatology, including this Imam, here). Rosenberg says that Iran‘s leaders believe that annihilating Israel and the United States may help hasten the Imam’s arrival.
“I have described Shia Islamic eschatology as a photographic negative of Christian end times theology – there are a lot of similarities but they are completely opposite,” he explained. “Christians believe that it’s important for people to get saved and then Christ comes back, not murder to achieve the same result. There’s a difference in the value of life and death and good versus evil.”
This threat, he says, may be overlooked by those who don’t embrace a personal faith. “Too many in our secular, modern, western world don’t understand how deeply faith motivates people,” he said. For those who consider themselves religious, it may be difficult to understand how powerful faith can be. If one can’t relate to this important dynamic, it may be tough to fathom how death and destruction might come as the result of an inherent connection to a belief in a religious system.
Considering all of these hefty elements, it’s surprising that Rosenberg would be so wedded to telling his story through fiction. It would seem, when exploring the content and the real-life events, that non-fiction would be a more effective angle. But — he makes a compelling case for story-telling.
“I think that conservatives, generally, and Christians, in particular, sometimes forget the power of story,” Rosenberg said. “Sometimes fiction has a way of capturing peoples’ imagination and drawing them into certain truths that a speech or an op-ed…simply cant create.”
Rosenberg went on to say that Christians have forgotten the power of a story and that it’s something that needs to be recovered. Fiction, he explains, has created an environment in which he can grab peoples’ attention about the threat of radical Islam. It is these theories that helped lead to his latest book, “The Tehran Initiative.”
In describing the book, he says, “I think of it as a war game to create as realistic a geopolitical environment I can. To run a war game exercise to project forward what could happen if an American president badly miscalculates a threat from Iran”
“There’s nothing like taking people inside Iran from the eyes of a CIA operative to suddenly be in the middle of all hell breaking loose,” he explained with excitement.
Rosenberg hopes that the book will leave readers “wildly entertained,” while encouraging them to consider the implications of how horrific a world with a nuclear-equipped Iran would be. Additionally, he hopes that readers will consider which presidential contenders hold the power to keep their families safe. Lastly, he hopes that the book will cause people to consider their own salvation — something that’s deeply important in all of his work.
- Prophecy News Watch
Harold Camping Doomsday Wrong Again; Now on to December 2012? [Video: Prophecy or Panic]
As Oct. 22 dawned on the world, another Rapture date prophesied by California-based Christian radio broadcaster Harold Camping turned out to be a dud, which did not surprise much of the public already familiar with the Bible teacher’s false prophecies.
After his doomsday prediction of May 21 and a massive advertising campaign arranged by Camping and his Family Radio International, the broadcaster, who claimed he had discovered the key to a numerical dating code contained in the Bible, has become a target of mockery and general antipathy.
Most evangelical Christian leaders have renounced Camping and his false preachings. The Rev. Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, even said in a Thursday interview with The Christian Post that the radio founder and host should be “muzzled” for his false prophecies.
Camping was also targeted by his former followers who spent all of their savings on the May 21 doomsday campaign; these people reportedly expected they would no longer need money. In his radio Q&A show, Open Forum, in which Camping used to reply to callers’ questions, he was attacked by one such dismayed listener on May 23. Other callers were simply deeply disappointed.
“In my case, I don’t know what it means to be faithful anymore because I am really disappointed,” a listener said at the time. “I was one of those 200 million, Mr. Camping, that was praying for that day to come, not only to finally go be with the Father but also to finally see judgment like you said in the Good Book.”
Many wonder what will now happen to Camping and if he will recalculate some more for a new doomsday prophecy. A religion scholar who studied doomsday prophets told CP on Oct. 7 that it is unlikely anyone will pay any more attention to Camping.
“It surprises me that he was able to continue this for this long,” he said at the time.
The radio host himself has not made a statement as of yet and has been avoiding the media.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but we at Family Radio have been directed to not talk to the media or the press,” Camping’s daughter responded to an email inquiry sent by The Christian Science Monitor Friday.
But as the Harold Camping doomsday craze may finally be over, it is unlikely that people will stop wondering about the end times date.
Theories claiming that the world will end in Decemeber 2012, for example, abound.
In 2008, ABC reported on a story of a man who had quit his job already in 2006, because he believed the world would end come 2012. That was why he formed a “survival group” and began collecting various gear that was to help him survive the apocalypse. His survival gear included water purifiers, dust masks and vegetable seeds.
The man quoted the ancient Maya cyclical calendar as proof of his doomsday belief. The Mayan calendar has reportedly last renewed itself approximately 5,125 years ago and is set to end again, supposedly with catastrophic consequences, in 2012, wrote ABC.
But this man’s case is not a lone one. Google “2012,” and the first results to come up, after the movie with the same title (which, of course, also depicts the alleged apocalypse of the following year), are websites debating whether or not 2012 is the doomsday year, with long lists of apparent evidence. The website Rapture Ready, for example, has a whole arsenal of apocalypse-related data, including “rapture ready news.”
Probably the most popular such website is December2012.com. The webside features a doomsday countdown – which is at 425 days, 21 hours, as of Saturday afternoon – and an online store which lets visitors purchase “survival supplies.” Those apparently include t-shirts with signs reading “Doomsday December 2012″ and the 2012 survival guide book.
NASA dedicates a whole chapter of its website to the 2012 apocalypse theory. The cosmic developer and research body compared the 2012 craze to the uneasiness preceding the first day of year 2000. The doomsday predictions have been, according to NASA, analyzed and the science of the end of the Earth thoroughly studied.
“Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012,” an article on the space agency’s website reads. “Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012.”
For a Biblical perspective on 2012 check out our newest featured item: 2012 Prophecy or Panic?:
Will a Revived Roman Empire Be Felled by Greece?
Ever since the first financial restructuring for Greece was arranged in 2010, Europe has been front-page news. In recent months, instabilities have escalated to the point where the survival of the euro (the common currency of 17 member countries of the European Union (EU) is being questioned.
In fact, will the European Union even survive in its current form?
Many analysts are extremely pessimistic about the fate of Europe. They conclude that the current monetary and government budget arrangements of the individual EU member nations and that of the broader, supra European institutions such as the European Central Bank (ECB) and lately the EFSF (European Financial Stability Facility) are incompatible and are sure to lead to financial disaster.
No doubt, there exists very serious debt imbalances and economic sustainability issues within the current membership of the European monetary union. Indeed, the current conditions are not sustainable. Economically-strong nations such as Germany and the Netherlands, have generally been reliant upon their more profligate euro-zone member countries for export demand – such as Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal and others.
This is only possible if export-surplus nations like Germany are also willing to provide what amounts to vendor financing to these buyers of their goods.
Incidentally, this is the same type of imbalance that has emerged between China (and other Asian export nations) and the United States. America is able to buy Chinese goods so long as China in turn buys U.S. bonds (debt) or facilitates the purchase of U.S. debt by other surplus nations.
For the moment, the anguished focus of financial markets is upon Europe. However, before long … once the European conflagrations have quieted … the focus of the global financial community will again turn to the shaky finances of the U.S. and its states (i.e. Wisconsin, California … etc.).
However, back to Europe: Here, the deficit countries had continued to be net importers, thanks to the surplus funding of the exporting nations in Europe. That this state of affairs could not last was not a surprise.
In this type of system, the chasm between the lenders and borrowers becomes so large that the debts in relation to the servicing capability of the debtor nation is so large and impossible; that the whole merry-go-round comes to a panicked stop. This, in short, explains the main structural impossibility that underlies the current Eurozone and the cause for recent financial market calamities. But, what next?
Some economic analysts are sure that the current “Common Europe” project is finished and unsalvageable. This may be the case. Without a doubt, recapitalizations of various European banks will be required. Frankly, there is no way of knowing just which countries will need to go through a bail-out or restructuring. Suffice it to say that European leaders are extremely frightened at present.
Do recent events shed any light on the Revived Roman Empire theories that are popularly held amongst many Bible prophecy students? Frankly, no.
Readers will be familiar with the “10 kings” (mentioned or pictured in at least 5 prophecies found in both the Old and New Testaments) that come together in the last days to form a world-ruling coalition.
In our case, we do not assign a 100% probability to the scenario that all 10 “kings” will come from modern-day Europe. Nevertheless, it may very well happen that all 10 members will come from Europe. It is a very plausible theory. Yet, it is possible that other outcomes are possible as these are not precluded by the Bible. All the same, we still do not believe that recent financial fireworks provide any helpful information on this prophetic question.
There are a number or reasons why we are of this view. Firstly, crises have been – and must continue to be – a necessary part of the Europe project. It is only during crisis that the collective will-power and urgency will be sufficient to move a unified Europe forward, thus gradually whittling down the individual sovereign powers of each of the individual nations. This realization was always in the mind of the leaders behind this “Common Europe” movement. For example, said Romano Prodi, EU Commission President in December 2001:
“I am sure the Euro will oblige us to introduce a new set of economic policy instruments. It is politically impossible to propose that now. But some day there will be a crisis and new instruments will be created.”
Secondly, it is very plausible that Europe breaks apart into several sub-groups of countries. For example, one economic research firm holds the view that a group of northern nations headed by Germany will split off.
They would have their own currency (dubbed the “neuro”). Southern European nations will also form their own group (these generally being the countries with deficits) as they desperately will want their own currency that they can then devalue (this currency being dubbed the “sudo”). Other groups could splinter off, as well.
Anything is possible at this stage. It may very well occur that a smaller group of 10 nations will now emerge (rather than the current EU membership of 27, which never did fit the “10 king” prototype of Scripture). It remains conjecture.
Though we cannot draw any firm conclusions about the future steps to the final “10 king coalition”, this one observation is certainly true: Huge and rapid geopolitical changes are very possible during this current period of global upheaval and economic instabilities.
- Prophecy News Watch
666 Evolution: Embedded Chips In Humans For Cyber Connectivity
Federally funded research at the University of Illinois has produced a microchip that can be put on skin like a temporary tattoo and is successful in linking the physical world and the cyberworld in stunning new ways, according to a university announcement.
“We think this could be an important conceptual advance in wearable electronics, to achieve something that is almost unnoticeable to the wearer,” said university electrical and computer engineering professor Todd Coleman.
Coleman helped lead the multi-disciplinary team that worked on the project that is being touted for its uses in medical monitoring as well as treatment of disorders that require links to computers.
Find out the startling evil taking place in secret that’s looking to change what it means to be a human being.
“The researchers found that, when applied to the skin of the throat, the sensors could distinguish muscle movement for simple speech,” the university report said. “The researchers have even used the electronic patches to control a video game, demonstrating the potential for human-computer interfacing.”
Coleman said the technology “can connect you to the physical world and the cyberworld in a very natural way that feels very comfortable.”
The development recalls a recent WND report about the area of study called “transhumanism,” a term often used synonymously with “human enhancement.”
Basically, it’s a sort of regenesis, altering human bodies – genetically, mechanically or both – to make them better than they’ve been for thousands of years, affording them Superman-style abilities in both brains and brawn.
Futurists describe it as being “posthuman,” the next step in what they believe to be the evolutionary process.
According to the University of Illinois, “Skin-mounted electronics have many biomedical applications, including EEG and EMG sensors to monitor nerve and muscle activity. One major advantage of skin-like circuits is that they don’t require conductive gel, tape, skin-penetrating pins or bulky wires, which can be uncomfortable for the user and limit coupling efficiency. They are much more comfortable and less cumbersome than traditional electrodes and give the wearers complete freedom of movement.”
The report said the technology will allow a more accurate understanding of how the human brain functions.
“If we want to understand brain function in a natural environment, that’s completely incompatible with EEG studies in a laboratory,” said Coleman, who has since moved to the University of California at San Diego. “The best way to do this is to record neural signals in natural settings, with devices that are invisible to the user.”
The report said the skin-mounted electronics also could be used for patients with neurological disorders, connecting them to computers.
The research was discussed in the Aug. 12 issue of the journal Science.
The new product is a circuit that bends, wrinkles and stretches with the skin, yet maintains the full functions of the sensors, LEDs, transistors, radio frequency capacitors, antennas and other components.
“We threw everything in our bag of tricks onto that platform, and then added a few other new ideas on top of those, to show that we could make it work,” Rogers said in the university report.
The chips are applied in a method similar to affixing a temporary tattoo.
Rogers collaborated with Northwestern University engineering professor Yonggang Huang to develop what they call filamentary serpentine, in which circuits are made up of squiggled wires. The circuits are mounted on a flexible surface.
“The blurring of electronics and biology is really the key point here,” Huang said in the report. “All established forms of electronics are hard, rigid. Biology is soft, elastic. It’s two different worlds. This is a way to truly integrate them.”
The scientists’ next goals, they said, are to integrate various electronics into a system and add Wi-Fi capability.
“The vision is to exploit these concepts in systems that have self-contained, integrated functionality, perhaps ultimately working in a therapeutic fashion with closed feedback control based on integrated sensors, in a coordinated manner with the body itself,” Rogers said.
WND previously has reported on chips used in hospitals to identify newborns, VeriChip’s desire to embed chips in immigrants, a government health event showcasing the product and Wal-Mart’s use of chips to track customers.
- Prophecy News Watch
BUT AS to the suitable times and the precise seasons and dates, brethren, you have no necessity for anything being written to you; For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord will come [as unexpectedly and suddenly] as a thief in the night; Do not quench (suppress or subdue) the [Holy] Spirit; Do not spurn the gifts and utterances of the prophets [do not depreciate prophetic revelations nor despise inspired instruction or exhortation or warning]; But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-28
1BUT AS to the suitable times and the precise seasons and dates, brethren, you have no necessity for anything being written to you.
2For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord will come [as unexpectedly and suddenly] as a thief in the night.
3When people are saying, All is well and secure, and, There is peace and safety, then in a moment unforeseen destruction (ruin and death) will come upon them as suddenly as labor pains come upon a woman with child; and they shall by no means escape, for there will be no escape.
4But you are not in [given up to the power of] darkness, brethren, for that day to overtake you by surprise like a thief.
5For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we do not belong either to the night or to darkness.
6Accordingly then, let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us keep wide awake (alert, watchful, cautious, and on our guard) and let us be sober (calm, collected, and circumspect).
7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, get drunk at night.
8But we belong to the day; therefore, let us be sober and put on the breastplate (corslet) of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
9For God has not appointed us to [incur His] wrath [He did not select us to condemn us], but [that we might] obtain [His] salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)
10Who died for us so that whether we are still alive or are dead [at Christ's appearing], we might live together with Him and share His life.
11Therefore encourage (admonish, exhort) one another and edify (strengthen and build up) one another, just as you are doing.
12Now also we beseech you, brethren, get to know those who labor among you [recognize them for what they are, acknowledge and appreciate and respect them all]–your leaders who are over you in the Lord and those who warn and kindly reprove and exhort you.
13And hold them in very high and most affectionate esteem in [intelligent and sympathetic] appreciation of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
14And we earnestly beseech you, brethren, admonish (warn and seriously advise) those who are out of line [the loafers, the disorderly, and the unruly]; encourage the timid and fainthearted, help and give your support to the weak souls, [and] be very patient with everybody [always keeping your temper].
15See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody.
16Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always);
17Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly];
18Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].
19Do not quench (suppress or subdue) the [Holy] Spirit;
20Do not spurn the gifts and utterances of the prophets [do not depreciate prophetic revelations nor despise inspired instruction or exhortation or warning].
21But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.
22Abstain from evil [shrink from it and keep aloof from it] in whatever form or whatever kind it may be.
23And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
24Faithful is He Who is calling you [to Himself] and utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it [fulfill His call by hallowing and keeping you].
25Brethren, pray for us.
26Greet all the brethren with a sacred kiss.
27I solemnly charge you [in the name of] the Lord to have this letter read before all the brethren.
28The grace (the unmerited favor and blessings) of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with you all. Amen, (so be it). — Amplified Bible
