Wars and Rumors of Wars – Part 2
By Pastor Hal Mayer
Wars and Rumors of Wars – Part 2
This is Pastor Hal Mayer, bringing you another vital message to help you understand the times in which we live, so you can prepare for the coming of Jesus.
Dear Friends, Our study this month is a vital one. It is again centered on the words of Jesus found in Matt 24:6-8. Last month we began this study on Wars and Rumors of Wars in which we discovered the incredible news that al-Qaida has already forward-deployed nuclear weapons into the United States in preparation for what Osama bin Laden calls his American Hiroshima. He plans to destroy up to nine cities with nuclear devices that will kill hundreds of thousands of people. Since that time, I have uncovered more on the coming wars, including war with China, Russia and other rogue nations. But before we begin, let us bow our heads in prayer.
Our Father in Heaven, Thank you for having such love for your people that you warn them of their danger and of the coming catastrophe. It is comforting to know that you have everything in your control and that all bad things happen only with your permission. As we consider these things, may we seek a closer and more earnest relationship with Jesus our savior and deliverer. In Jesus’ name amen.
Now let us turn to Jesus’ words in Matt 24:6-8. Jesus said, “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:” Then in verse eight, He says, “All these [are] the beginning of sorrows.”
In other words, human war is only the prelude to what is coming from supernatural forces. The earthquake and Tsunamis in Asia last year, are a glimpse of it, but only a small glimpse. Next month we are going to look at what life was like before and during the flood, so that we can understand the wickedness that led to the destruction of the world. The powerful catastrophe that engulfed the world back then is a fitting example of what is coming upon the world under the judgments of God when the angel’s pour out the plagues on our world. There are serious things coming upon this world in punishment for its rebellion against the God of heaven. But we will have to wait for that.
War is something that many of us don’t think of in real terms. We think of it as a conflict in some distant place that doesn’t really effect us. Most of us can remember some wars such as the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the war in Kosovo in recent years, which was called a peace-keeping mission. If a nation or group of nations have to keep the peace, that gives you an enormous clue that there is a war going on. Even World War II seems distant because the current generation is disconnected with its effects. The prosperity of the Western world, and the conflicts in more remote areas left many with the mentality that “it can’t happen where I live.” Even the terrorist attacks on American interests were mostly overseas. Then came September 11 with its direct terrorists attacks on America’s centers of power. For a brief period American’s at least were sensitized to the fact that at least terrorism had directly affected their lives. Though there are reminders every day of the danger through dramatic curtailment of their personal liberties, many still have the funny notion that aside from occasional disruptions from smaller terrorist attacks, America will not see war on its own soil of any consequence.
Let me speak plainly to my fellow Americans for a moment. Are we afraid to face the reality of prophecy? Do we hope that perhaps it won’t happen in our life time or that by not thinking about it, we will somehow delay or prevent the eventuality of a major attack on the only remaining superpower of prophecy? Do we somehow think that the military superiority of the United States will protect our homes and families from destruction that will afflict the rest of the nation. This rather inane mentality is only going to make the crisis an even greater surprise and even more devastating because we are unprepared.
But now let me speak plainly to all of us, and especially to Seventh-day Adventist listeners. Do we somehow think that we have more time to follow God’s clearly revealed counsel and get our lives, our homes and our families right with God? Do we think that we can delay preparation for the crisis by continuing to live like Jesus isn’t coming for a long time? Can we continue to ignore the signs of the times that tell us that the crisis is very near? Perhaps we anxiously listen to the news items and take comfort in the fact that these horrible things aren’t going to happen to us any time soon. Perhaps we are asleep in our sins and the Holy Spirit cannot speak to us plainly so as to warn us about our obsession with money, houses, lands, cars and jobs. Listen to the words of Jesus from Mark 10:29, 30. “And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”
Do we really need something to scare us before we take the necessary steps to align our lives with God and His direct counsel? Do we need something to directly effect us, like damage our homes, effect our health, or empty our wallet before we take notice that we are nearing the crisis? My dear friends, God has given us ample warning. He has shown us plainly what is to come. He has told us openly what to do. But God’s people mock the prophet. They ignore the instruction. And blindly follow their friends in pursuing worldly advantages, while the danger steals upon them quietly, silently. How about you? Are you taking Jesus’ words seriously. Are you studying the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy carefully so that you know what to do? Are you taking time each day to build a solid, unshakable, relationship with Jesus? These are things that must happen before the crisis comes. It can’t happen then. There won’t be time. But it is worse than that. You won’t have the spiritual structure in your soul to manage the crisis internally, spiritually. You won’t have the strength of faith and experience or practice in clinging by faith to Jesus that will allow you to hold on through the crisis. Now is the time. Now is the day of salvation.
This leads us to our subject for today. You remember from last month that Al-Qaida is planning a nuclear attack on the United States. Those of our listeners in other countries should not take comfort that it is likely to happen in the United States. It is likely to happen in other places as well. For example, Britain recognizes the danger. They are taking steps to at least do what they can to prevent such an attack from taking place in their land.
Britain, according to the New York Times on August 12, 2005 is starting to deport anyone that they think is a “threat to national security.” At least 10 foreigners have been seized and deportation proceedings have already begun. I will read from the report. “The [10] detainees were said by one of his lawyers to include Abu Qatada, who has been described by a European investigator as the spiritual ambassador of Al-Qaida in Europe and an inspiration for Mohamed Atta, one of the Sept.11, 2001 hijackers in the United States.”
Britain has already jailed or restricted a number of Muslim clerics. That is the term for Islamic pastors. A militant cleric named Omar Bakri Mohammed, had no doubt suspected that something like this would happen, and left Britain for Beirut, Lebanon on what he called a “vacation,” but admitted that he would not return to Britain “except as a tourist.” Britain banned him from returning, reported the NY Times on August 13, 2005, “because his presence ‘is not conducive to the public good.” Mr. Bakri is “known for his incendiary anti-Western sermons,” stated the Times.
Other people were seized in Britain when they refused to cooperate with the police after the failed July 21 attacks in London. “The circumstances of our national security have changed” said Mr. Clarke, the Home Secretary, “It is vital that we act against those who threaten it.” Ten of the people detained were being held without charges at the time of the article.
Now, there are several issues related to this article. First it is important to note that those being deported are a “threat to national security.” Making this kind of statement moves their treatment and their case into the realm of secret processes. The public will know only what the government wants them to know for national security reasons.
Please note that another reason why people are banned or deported from Britain is that their presence is “not conducive to the public good.” Apparently, the public good has taken precedence over freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is limited to that which is within the widely recognized public good. Could this concept eventually be used against those who preach the truth?
Also in the war on terror, detainees are held on the basis of suspected links to terrorists, or suspected activities, but were not charged with a crime. This legal maneuver has become commonplace in the war on terror.
Right now in Britain, you can imagine what non-Muslims think when they see a Muslim. Is he a terrorist, planning to bomb some public facility? The suspicion and worry can easily create a very unstable environment for Muslims who do not believe in terrorism. Imagine what they must think when they are always looked upon with suspicion or concern by others. How would you feel if your every move was watched? Get ready for it. Your love for the Sabbath, and your loyalty to Jesus will create the same kind of circumstances in the near future.
After the attacks in London, the BBC, on July 20, 2005 reported that Mr. Blair, the Prime Minister said “The mood now is different, people do not talk of scaremongering.” In other words, when there is a real terrorist attack, people are far more willing to give up their rights and freedoms in the name of security. And governments can move ahead unhindered in making laws, and that will restrict even their own citizens from doing that which is newly considered to be “unacceptable behavior.”
When the Sabbath becomes the center of attention, when it becomes the test of your faith, your unyielding stand for the Sabbath will likely be seen as undermining national security, because it will be Sabbath keepers that will be blamed for the acts of God in natural disasters and the destruction of large cities. When your faith becomes the focus of “unacceptable behavior,” what do you think will happen to you? You may well be detained without charges on the suspicion that you are undermining national security or because you are participating in “unacceptable behavior.” If you are a foreigner, you may well be deported. If you are just a regular citizen, you will be under suspicion every where you go. This is not a pleasant environment.
Those of you who receive the CD version of our monthly sermons remember that last month in our liberty update we mentioned a development in Britain in which Tony Blair, Britain’s Prime Minister, is taking steps to create laws that will make it illegal to preach or write certain types of messages, particularly messages that “glorify, prepare for or incite acts of terrorism,” even if these acts were done outside Britain. The new policies include closing down mosques, which are Islamic churches or houses of worship as well as deporting those who preach or teach “unacceptable” messages. “I intend to draw up a list of unacceptable behaviours which would fall into this,” said Mr. Blair. “For example, preaching, running websites or writing articles which are intended to foment or provoke terrorism.” Reported the BBC on July 20, 2005.
I’m quoting again now from the New York Times, August 6, 2005. “Mr. Blair said Britain planned… to broaden the grounds for deportation to include “fostering hatred, advocating violence to further a person’s beliefs or justifying or validating such violence.” He also said that a global list was being drawn up of people “whose activities or views pose a threat to Britain’s security.”
These rather ambiguous terms are intended to prevent Muslim clerics from preaching the kinds of messages that foster terrorism, but perhaps an unintended side effect will be to stifle other types of preaching such as sermons on the true biblical antichrist, because they might be construed as inciting hatred. No doubt it is not unintended with Satan. He is setting this all up. He is staging it so that when the time comes, the people of Britain and of other nations will already be conditioned to go along with a perceived threat to their national security and will easily believe the allegations that will be made against those of God’s true people who will stand on Bible truth.
Mr. Blair, according to the Times, wants to apply the new laws “to naturalized citizens engaged in extremism and making the procedures simpler and more effective.” What that means we do not yet know. However, it does mean that the British people are going to know that anyone labeled extreme is to be feared, and treated as an illegal. It probably means that the process for criminalizing those outside the law will be faster and more powerful. Just the mere allegation of extremism will likely create an unstable environment for those who uphold God’s law and His truth. Does that sound impossible? Mark my words. These laws will come to the United States too and to many other countries of the world. Many of them are already being implemented quietly in Europe and other countries. How soon will these same laws be used against regular citizens as well?
Will you one day be labeled as an extremist because your Bible beliefs are not accepted by the “mainstream” church? If you teach Bible prophecy and the Sabbath the way it really is, do you think you will be labeled as an extremist by many of your fellow believers?
The war on terror is also a war on God’s truth in disguise. No matter how much the public focus is on the terrorists, it is increasingly clear that the methods, procedures, laws and policies that are being implemented now to fight terrorism will be a perfect fit when matched against God’s people in the final conflict. We have to look beyond the immediate and through prophecy see the future. The scriptures says in Revelation 13:15-17, “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
If God’s people are going to be killed because they refuse the mark of the beast, which is Sunday worship, there has to be a legal mechanism and a justice system infrastructure to do it.
Now vs. 16 and 17, “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
If no one can buy or sell that does not have the mark of the beast, there again must be a system by which to prevent buying and selling by God’s people. That system, that infrastructure and legal system is being established to fight the terrorists. Most people have no clue that it will one day come in very handy when the devil turns the focus of all that governmental machinery against God’s people.
The public is being conditioned to react in certain ways to key words used in the press or by government leaders. When the timing is right, rest assured that the things that are happening to Muslim clerics will also happen to God’s true preachers of righteousness. My friends, we don’t have much time left.
Now let us come back to Al-Qaida. Al-Qaida is largely responsible for creating the growing environment where governments can take more control of their citizens. Al-Qaida’s enormous resources are being used, through terrorism, to bring a new arrangement of politics in the developed world, so that prophecy can be fulfilled. The devil has found a useful ally. To not takes these steps against radical Islam would be irresponsible of government leaders. But the backside of it is that these same laws, procedures and policies will one day be used against God’s people who
say and do that which before was acceptable, but is now “unacceptable behavior, or who are no longer “conducive to the public good.”
Mr. Blair further stated, “We know that this fringe of extremists does not truly represent Islam,” the New York Times reported. It will be very easy to label people as extreme, ban their books and websites, close their churches, and detain those that preach Bible truth and prophecy and uphold the Sabbath once they have been sufficiently villainized.
Al-Qaida plans to attack Western nations that do not to their demands. This could of course, include many more countries than the United States. But let me quote to you what people who are in a position to know say about the nuclear threat from terrorist organizations like al-Qaida. I’m quoting from worldnetdaily.com, August 11, 2005. “In the 2004 presidential debate, President Bush and Senator John Kerry both agreed on one thing – that the possibility of nuclear terrorism was, ‘the single most serious threat to the U.S. national security.’
Former CIA Director George Tenet said: “Al-Qaida continues to pursue its strategic goal of obtaining nuclear weapons,” while his successor Porter Goss, said: “It may only be a matter of time before Al-Qaida or another group attempts to use chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear devices.”
FBI Director Bob Mueller said: “Intelligence continues to show al-Qaida’s clear intention to obtain and ultimately use some form of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear material in its attacks against the United States.”
A CIA counter-terrorism Center expert said: “Al-Qaida probably has access to nuclear expertise and facilities, and there is the real possibility of the group developing a crude nuclear device.”
The Robb-Silberman Commission put together by President Bush said in its report: “The U.S. intelligence community has assessed that al-Qaida was capable of fabricating at least a crude nuclear device if it could obtain the requisite nuclear material.”
And even Vice-President of the United States Dick Cheney warned: “The biggest threat we face now as a nation is the possibility of terrorists ending up in the middle of one of our cities with deadlier weapons than have ever before been used against us — biological agents or a nuclear weapon or a chemical weapon of some kind, to be able to threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans.”
Warren Buffett, the wall street financial magnate said: “We’re going to have something in the way of a major nuclear event in this country. It will happen. Whether it will happen in 10 years or 10 minutes, or 50 years… it’s virtually a certainty.”
These men are clearly aware that there is coming an unbelievable holocaust of fire and brimstone on some American cities. They are getting themselves prepared for it. How about you? They know where they are going to go when the time comes. How about you? They are worldly men. They don’t know prophecy like you and I do, but they can see what is coming. They think they know what they have to do to prepare. But do they? You know for certain what you have to do to prepare. But are you?
But don’t think that if it happens in New York, that it won’t affect those of you living in San Francisco or Sydney. Don’t think that if there is a major nuclear event in this country that it will not affect the lifestyle of all who live in the developed world. You may not have telephones, internet, or any other form of communication with those you love. Transportation such as air travel, trucking and rail will be disrupted. Food will likely become scarce and the financial markets would likely collapse. These men know what is going to happen, but they don’t know what to do about it. Al-Qaida’s American Hiroshima plan is going to be devastating, more devastating than we can imagine.
There is another thing to think about. If there is a nuclear attack on the United States, let’s say for example in Los Angeles, the nuclear fallout will probably affect the whole United States at least until the radiation dwindles down to almost nothing. Arizona and New Mexico would probably experience quite a lot of fallout. If Chicago was hit with a nuclear bomb, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and New England would suffer fallout as well as parts of southeastern Canada. The extent would depend on a number of factors including the wind direction and the height to which radio active particles would rise in the air.
It is very easy in its all-to-real war with the West, once nuclear armaments are inside the target country, whether the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, or wherever, for them to be carried into a large city marked for destruction. It is believed that al-Qaida already has at least two in the United States right now. It may have them in other countries as well. For it is also reported that they have in the range of 40 nuclear devices in their possession.
One of the ways they may have brought them into the United States is by smuggling them through Mexico and across the almost wide-open border. Another way is in shipping containers. The United States does not have the facilities or personnel to inspect all shipping containers. In fact, they only inspect a small percentage of them on average. Though radioactivity detection devices have been developed, they are not very sophisticated, and they aren’t deployed in very many places. It is likely that this is another way to get nuclear devices into the United States, and perhaps most countries.
Interestingly, the expertise for the nuclear bombs apparently comes from Pakistan, supposedly a friend of the United States. According to the Asia Times June 4, 2004 Pakistan is protecting Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan and other top level nuclear scientists have been helping Osama bin Laden obtain and maintain nuclear weapons. He is being protected by the Pakistani government and not even the CIA can approach him according to Worldnetdaily.com. Yet the U.S. must keep a good relationship with Pakistan if they intend to continue the war on terrorism.
CNN reported that as early as 2002, there had been arrests of some Al-Qaida operatives in the Philippines with some of the high level explosives needed to make devastating bombs.
Even the Europeans are preparing for a nuclear attack. Fox News channel on May 4, 2004 reported that the European Union in Brussels simulated an attack using video projections and computer displays in which 40,000 people were killed. Former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn helped organize it. “He said preventing Al-Qaeda from getting its hands on such material was the best chance of stopping it from building a bomb, Fox news reported. “It’s well within Al-Qaida’s operational capabilities to recruit the technical expertise needed to build a crude nuclear devise,” He said. “the hard part is getting the nuclear material, but we do not make it nearly hard enough.”
Javier Solana is the European Union’s security chief, attended the simulations along with other top leaders and security officials. “The threat of catastrophic terrorism is not confined to the United States or Russia or the Middle East,” he said. “The new terrorist movements seem willing to use unlimited violence and cause massive casualties.” That’s from the CNN report.
It was the collapse of the Soviet Union that gave the terrorists the best opportunity to acquire nuclear material. Until then it was not easy to obtain because it was highly controlled. One wonders if President Reagan and John Paul II realized that their joint efforts to destabilize communism and change the world would make the world a much more dangerous place. One also wonders what type of long range planning goes on behind the scenes in places like the Vatican. Could there be those that know that terrorism plays to the political advantage of the Papacy as the great peace maker? Without war, the Vatican could not make peace.
Listen to this interesting statement from the pen of Inspiration. It is from Last Day Events, page 131-132. “As we approach the last crisis it is of vital moment that harmony and unity exist among the Lord’s instrumentalities. The world is filled with storm and war and variance. Yet under one head—the papal power—the people will unite to oppose God in the person of His witnesses. This union is cemented by the great apostate.”
In other words, it is really in the Vatican’s best interests for there to be war and variance. This deserves and explanation. In a world where there is only one political superpower, the United States, and only one religious superpower, the Vatican, and in a world where the two work very closely together, war is in the interests of both of them. First because the Vatican can be the peace maker, and second because the United States uses Vatican influence to achieve its political ends (in a similar way that medieval nations used the Vatican for their own purposes), and because the U.S. is capable of supporting the Vatican’s agenda, both politically and militarily. The Vatican is being very open and conciliatory to mainstream Islam, but it also recognizes that radical Islam is going to give it the opportunity it needs to work more closely with mainstream Islam and the Western nations of the world who think they need the advantages that a close Vatican alliance brings them. The entity that gains the most out of all of this war and variance, is the Vatican.
Once the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, al-Qaida has had an opportunity to purchase on the black market, nuclear weaponry that it could use in terrorism. This is much easier than trying to build ones own nuclear devices. As early as 1998, the Arabic media was reporting that bin Laden was spending millions of dollars trying to obtain nuclear weapons. William Robert Johnston, of the johnstonsarchive.net observed that Arabic media reported activities including “hiring nuclear scientists from Turkmenistan and Iran; offering money to Chechens and Russian smugglers for nuclear material and “suitcase” nuclear bombs; attempting to set up an infrastructure for constructing nuclear weapons. There are numerous reports of concerns about the whereabouts of nuclear bombs and devices in the former soviet republics. Now instead of being under a centralized control, they are disbursed and some are unaccounted for.
Even in interviews with Time Magazine and ABC news in 1998, Osama bin Laden stated that the acquisition of nuclear weapons “in defense of Muslims is a religious duty.” He also said, “Hostility toward America is a religious duty, and we hope to be rewarded for it by God.” And in May of that year, bin Laden issued a statement entitled “The Nuclear Bomb of Islam,” under the banner of the “International Islamic Front for Fighting the Jews and Crusaders,” in which he stated that “it is the duty of Muslims to prepare as much force as possible to terrorize the enemies of God.”
How soon would a nuclear attack on America happen. In a Fox News Channel report, dated July 22, 2005, Juval Aviv, a counter-terrorism expert told Fox news, “I predict, based primarily on information that is floating in Europe and the Middle East, that an event is imminent and around the corner here in the United States. It could happen as soon as tomorrow, or it could happen in the next few months. Ninety days at the most.”
That is a pretty serious statement by a person who is in close contact with the relevant information. It is time to get our lives right with God. It is time to pray for victory over sin. It is time to move to the country if you are not already there. It is time to pray that God will send His angels to protect you and learn to claim His promises.
But al-Qaida is not the only threat of war. North Korea has openly claimed that it has nuclear weapons and that it has the capability to deliver them to the U.S. cities on the West Coast, and that it is willing to use them. It also threatened to restart its nuclear weapons production facilities. Though there are mixed signals from North Korea, it remains a viable threat.
From the G2 Intelligence Bulletin of Worldnetdaily.com, we learn that Russia is building an enormous underground bunker in the Ural mountains. The bunker is a secret facility that is apparently going to be an underground command and control structure in the event of nuclear war. “President Vladimir Putin boasted last year that Russia had successfully tested a new strategic missile system that U.S. defenses would be incapable of stopping due to its maneuverability.” And on August 18, 2005, The Russians and the Chinese, began a joint training mission in China, including substantial war games, with long-distance bombers, amphibious assault training, cruise missile attacks on sea targets, and anti-submarine warfare. For what purpose? China has always claimed that Taiwan must be repatriated to mainland China. The United States has always stood in its way. China needs Russia’s help to make sure that there isn’t going to be much U.S. resistance. With Russia an “ally” of the “U.S.” it will be very difficult for the U.S. to interfere if China attempts an attack on Taiwan.
The Chinese have indicated that they are willing to go to nuclear war to achieve their objectives. If and when America commits itself to defending Taiwan, China realizes that it will have to go to war with the United States. Recently a Chinese military official Zhu Chenghu commented that American involvement in the battle for Taiwan would call for a nuclear strike on the U.S. China knows that would mean the destruction of some Chinese cities in consequence. Zhu Chenghu said that the Peoples Republic of China is prepared for the destruction of all their cities east of Xian, and that the Americans had better be ready for hundreds of their cities to be destroyed as well. China’s philosophy of war has not changed.
Iran is another threat to international stability. Iran’s new President Mahmood Ahmadinejad has been identified by at least six U.S. hostages as a ringleader in the 1979 U.S. embassy takeover, reported the G2 Intelligence Bulletin. As Mayor of Tehran, he openly fostered and sponsored suicide bombers. After his election, he made at least two television appearances and spoke in praise of the “art of Martyrdom.” Here is a man who is at war with the West. Now he is the president of Iran. Imagine that! On the heals of his election, Iran restarted its nuclear activities. The New York times reported that Iran has admitted to deceiving [atomic commission] inspectors for 17 years about many of its activities. The European union is very concerned that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons and has been in negotiations with Iran over the matter. Iran rejected the proposals of the EU, reported the Times. It is not hard to imagine what Iran would do with nuclear weapons capability, especially under its new president, who said “Allah willing, Islam… will conquer all the mountaintops of the world.”
Islam is also at war much closer to Europe. The G2Bulletin reported on August 18, 2005 that “As the war against jihadi terrorism rages in Iraq and Afghanistan, militant Islam goes unchallenged in a U.S. battlefield of the 1990s.”
”The immediate victims of the jihad in Kosovo are the minority of 210,000 Christians who found themselves on the short end of the stick after the U.S. and NATO forces interceded on behalf of the Muslim, Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army…
The problems in Kosovo remain unresolved and are getting worse G2 reported. “A major danger to security, and therefore a problem for all those involved with the U.S.-led war on terrorism, derives from Islamic militants moving with full force into the vulnerable province…”
In essence the Muslim Albanians have been destroying the homes and churches of Albanian Christians causing tens of thousands of Kosovar Christians to flee their homes or live in fear of attacks and pogroms. Many of their churches have been replaced with Mosques.
The strong islamization move in Kosovo is now attracting also the attention of intelligence and counter-terror experts…” G2 reported. “The situation in Kosovo is of great importance to those at the forefront of counter-terrorism. The province has become a magnet for jihadists, who regard the Balkans as an important bridge on their way to West Europe’s heart. Intelligence analysts believe the cities or PRistina and Prizren are part of a terror and narco-terror smuggling pipeline going across Serbia, through the city of Uzice all the way to the Croatian border. From there the way to Western Europe is short and relatively easy. Jihadists have become quite familiar with the area due to their involvement in the civil war, which brought an end to Yugoslavia as an integrated entity.
They lean heavily on the support of Islamic radicals, even Albanian Muslim rank and file, in an elaborate plan to turn Kosovo into a jihadi base. The fact that most of the funds for the so-called Islamic revival of Kosovo come from Wahabi Saudi Arabia and from the Iranian Shia ayatollahs should be a wakeup call for the West, perhaps even more so to the U.S., which during the Clinton administration was the motivating force in bringing down Yugoslavia. The U.S., more than any other country, stood up for the protection of the Muslim minority in Yugoslavia – even though the KLA was organized by bin Laden.
Summarizing a presentation on Capitol Hill, defense analyst Peterson said: “The dividing line between the Christian and Islamic world moves closer to the European Union, and we are at great risk of tolerating what should not be tolerated in order to buy some peace in our time.”
What this is saying is that Islam wants access to Europe, particularly radical Islam. From there they can launch more terror and mayhem in an effort to conquer the West. Please note that again, in spite of a delicate and careful effort by the Bush administration, Pope Benedict XVI and others to describe the war as against radical Islam as opposed to Islam in general, Muslims apparently don’t make the same distinction. They are focused on conquering so-called “Christian cultures” and Jews.
Let us continue to watch and pray my brothers and sisters as the world becomes more and more unstable. We are seeing Jesus’ words fulfilled in a most shocking and profound way.
Listen to this famous statement from the pen of Ellen White. It is found in Testimonies, vol. 9, page 11. “The days in which we live are solemn and important. The Spirit of God is gradually but surely being withdrawn from the earth. Plagues and judgments are already falling upon the despisers of the grace of God. The calamities by land and sea, the unsettled state of society, the alarms of war, are portentous. They forecast approaching events of the greatest magnitude. The agencies of evil are combining their forces, and consolidating. They are strengthening for the last great crisis. Great changes are soon to take place in our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones.
Here is another very important one from Prophets and Kings, page 278 with a special warning for us. “God’s message for the inhabitants of earth today is, “Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 24:44. The conditions prevailing in society, and especially in the great cities of the nations, proclaim in thunder tones that the hour of God’s judgment is come and that the end of all things earthly is at hand. We are standing on the threshold of the crisis of the ages. In quick succession the judgments of God will follow one another—fire, and flood, and earthquake, with war and bloodshed. We are not to be surprised at this time by events both great and decisive; for the angel of mercy cannot remain much longer to shelter the impenitent.”
But most important of all is this statement from Great Controversy, page 614. It speaks of the time that is soon to arrive on planet earth. “When [Jesus] leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor. The restraint which has been upon the wicked is removed, and Satan has entire control of the finally impenitent. God’s long-suffering has ended. The world has rejected His mercy, despised His love, and trampled upon His law. The wicked have passed the boundary of their probation; the Spirit of God, persistently resisted, has been at last withdrawn. Unsheltered by divine grace, they have no protection from the wicked one. Satan will then plunge the inhabitants of the earth into one great, final trouble. As the angels of God cease to hold in check the fierce winds of human passion, all the elements of strife will be let loose. The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of old.”
My friends, We are facing a terrible conflict. The world is about to be cast into great turmoil. It will be very surprising and horrifying to those that know not the inner peace of victory in Jesus Christ. Do you want His saving power in your life? Do you want His righteousness to cover you? Do you want His protection during the tremendous upheavals this world is about to experience? I pray you do. I pray that you are making the necessary decisions about your spiritual destiny. I pray that you are putting out of your life anything that is working against the instructions of the God of heaven.
Let us pray. Our Father in Heaven. We are not surprised by the news of what is going to take place very soon in our world as the Holy Spirit is withdrawn from it, and Satan is allowed to plunge the world into the final scenes of the Great Controversy. Please help us to turn everything over to Jesus. Please help us to give up our sins and live for Jesus. Cover us with the shadow of thy wing. In Jesus name, Amen.
For those of you receiving the CD version of this message, the following is a current events update of interest to those that love the appearing of Jesus Christ and are watching the fulfilling prophecies. This part of the program is only available on CD and on our website. We can see the signs of the times telling us that we are nearing the world’s great crisis. May the Lord find us faithful.
Florida May Start Using Digital Birth ID
Our first item this month concerns surveillance and privacy. It appears that Florida may be the first state within the United States to consider using a “Digital Birth ID.” The Palm Beach Post reported the following.
”Imagine a virtual ‘thumbprint’ that attaches your time and place of birth to your photo and iris scans — one of millions collected, warehoused and monitored by the watchful eye of Big Brother.”
“The technology is no longer just the stuff of science fiction… No government has tried it out on a large scale, but Florida might become the first. A defense contractor has proposed that the state assign a ‘digital birth certificate’ to each of its 16 million residents, in what some experts say is the best way to protect privacy…
“‘It is as Orwellian as you imagine it to be, and should be frightening,’ said Oscar Gandy, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School of Communications, who specializes in technology and public policy.
‘The proposal comes in response to a law quietly passed on the last day of this year’s legislative session and signed by Gov. Jeb Bush. (the U.S. President’s brother).
“The law, which focuses on making family courts more efficient, includes a provision requiring a board of court-related officials to come up with a mechanism to create a “unique personal identifier” to recognize individuals in court cases — a step toward eliminating social security numbers and ID numbers…
“’I think it is very, very bad for security,” said Bruce Schneier, a security technologist and consultant. “It brings us one step closer to a police state.’
“States may have to collect retinal scans or biometric data other than photographs for driver licenses and identification cards to comply with the recently passed federal Real ID act. Driver license offices then would be outfitted with the equipment necessary for the digital birth certificate…
The proposal would digitize and marry basic information such as name, date and place of birth with other biometric identifiers such as fingerprints and iris scans. These would then be used to help prevent identity fraud and identify criminals.
What this would do is create an environment that would open the way for governments to profile people using the information collected when ordinary people use their identity for purchases, bank transactions, travel, etc. As people go through their lives, more and more information about them would become available and this would make it easier to profile and offer or deny access to anything requiring an identity including buying and selling.
Perhaps the program would start out mildly enough. But as time progresses, certainly there would be calls for more integration and more information stored in the system.
What will happen to God’s people when they are targeted as criminals by the state? How will this information be used against them, such as denying them the “privilege” of buying and selling?
The Patriot Act Used to Access Library Records
Now let us turn to the U.S. Patriot Act. The New York Times reported on August 27, 2005 in an article entitled “Excessive Powers” that “when John Ashcroft was the attorney general, he railed against the “hysteria” of critics of Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which allows the government to search library records. The number of times Section 215 had been used to search libraries was, Mr. Ashcroft declared, zero. But civil libertarians opposed the provision not because they knew it had been used – searches under Section 215 are secret – but because they expected it would be.” In other words, why write a law that would not ever be used?
The New York Times article continued. “It turns out that [Ashcroft’s critics] were right to be concerned. The American Civil Liberties Union has just reported that the F.B.I. demanded library records from a Connecticut institution by using another troubling Patriot Act provision that authorizes a tool known as a national security letter. The A.C.L.U. says it cannot identify the institution or specify the nature of the request because of federal secrecy rules. But this is the first confirmed instance of the F.B.I.‘s use of the Patriot Act to demand library records.”
But “The Connecticut library inquiry follows on the heels of an American Library Association report, that law enforcement officials have made at least 200 inquiries to libraries about reading materials and other internal matters since October 2001. In some cases, the officers issued subpoenas; in others, they relied on informal requests.
“Both Section 215, which expressly concerns libraries, and the far broader national security letter provision of the Patriot Act” reported the post, “are so expansively written that they invite law enforcement to overreach and demand the confidential records of people with no connection to terrorism.
In other words, the broadly defined provisions of the Patriot Act can be used to breach privacy and mine information of regular citizens of no threat to national security whatsoever. It is also clear that law enforcement officials have been accessing information since at least 2001, not with section 215, but in other ways. This provision simply opens it up so that it can be done on a much wider scale without the knowledge of the library user.
You may remember when we reported on this law previously that it involved bookstore records as well. In essence a surveillance system is being put in place that will make it very easy for those who are not considered to be in the mainstream to be watched and tracked. Considering that certain books will likely be added to “watchlists” and used to profile God’s remnant people who refuse the mark of the beast, this is ominous.
Secret Courts in Great Britain
Now let us talk briefly about Great Britain. The BBC News reported that secret courts for terrorism suspects are being considered in Britain. In summary, A specially appointed judge would “look at sensitive material to see if there was a way of using it in a conventional trial” reported the BBC. This review would happen probably before a suspect is charged.
“Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer said “There is no question of secret trials, there is no question of juryless trials, there is no question of any sort of internment.”
What is really being said is that there are plans in Britain to extend the imprisonment of suspects without charging them, and that the trials in terrorism related courts would be secret and without a jury. The BBC reported that “Police chiefs want the limit [of imprisonment without charge] to be extended to three months because of the complexity of terror cases. Lord Falconer said that did not amount to internment but was just a ‘sensible period to detain suspects while sensible investigation is going on.’” The current limit on detaining a suspect is two weeks.
Apparently concerns were raised that the new system would be like the old Inquisition which was a secret tribunal without a jury and without the defendant knowing the charges against him. The government tried to downplay the idea of such a system but did not rule it out. The BBC reported that “the Home Office says any idea of moving towards a French-style inquisitorial, rather than adversarial court system, is “very long term” and not being actively considered.”
Perhaps it is being passively considered. This is interesting because the British government has not ruled out an inquisitorial style of court, only put it in the context of a long term plan. The BBC even stated that “one possible model for the pre-trial hearings could be the Special Immigrations Appeals Tribunal,” a court that is already in existence. This court “sits in secret and keeps the details of charges from [defendants]. Defendants are represented by special advocates, who have access to the evidence but do not brief their ‘clients’ on the details.”
This is almost like the Inquisition. Notice that the accused, or the defendant in the Special Immigrations Appeals Tribunal does not know what the charges are against him, nor does he face a jury of peers and the whole proceedings are kept secret. This is exactly what the Inquisition was doing in the dark ages. While this tribunal is not used on British citizens, it is being used against non-citizens and abridges their civil rights just the same.
Shami Chakrabart, the director of a civil rights group called Liberty said “The thought of secret hearings where once again the accused will never hear the case against them fills me with dread.” John Silverman, a legal affairs analyst pointed out that “Inquisitorial practices are at odds with the English legal process.”
These amazing steps in Great Britain which are moving it steadily back to the practices of the dark ages does indeed cause us to pause and realize that human beings have not changed, and when given the opportunity, and the right circumstances, they will resort to the worst type of justice and abuse of human rights — all in the name of security and the war on terror.
Pope Benedict XVI calls for Display of Crucifixes in Public
Now a word about Pope Benedict XVI. The Basque News and Information Channel reported on August 15, 2005 that Pope Benedict XVI has “backed the display of crucifixes in public buildings, saying that God should be present in public life.
“It is important that god is present in public life, with the sign of the cross, in homes and public buildings,” the Italian news agency ANSA quoted the pontiff as saying during a recent homily.
“He made no reference to specific disputes, but the issue of whether religious symbols have a place in government buildings has been a divisive one in Italy and elsewhere.”
Rome wants a higher profile. Benedict XVI’s remarks come at a time when the issue of public display of religious symbols is being hotly debated in many places including France, Italy, and the United States. Expect more debate and conflict in the future.
Pat Robertson Advocates Assassination
Last on this month’s list is concerning Pat Robertson. On Monday, August 22, 2005 Pat Robertson, the leaders of the Christian Right in America said on “The 700 Club,” a program he hosts, that he thinks the time has come to assassinate Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, setting off an international firestorm.
Speaking of Chavez, who has frequently accused the United States of trying to assassinate him, Mr. Robertson said “If he thinks we’re trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war.”
Mr. Robertson’s remarks came immediately after a segment on Venezuela aired on “The 700 Club” TV show. “We have the ability to take him out,” he said, “and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don’t need another $200 billion dollar war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator,” he continued. “It’s a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.” “The 700 Club” boasts a million viewers.
These shocking statements were denounced, not surprisingly, by Fidel Castro, a close friend of Mr. Chavez, and Vice president of Venezuela, Jose’ Vicente Rangel. Bush administration leaders distanced themselves from the statements. “Certainly it’s against the law,” said Donald Rumsfeld. “Our department doesn’t do that type of thing.” Pat Robertson’s statement however, treated the matter of political assassinations carried out by U.S. operatives as a matter of fact, if not a matter of policy or law. Perhaps he knows more about political assassinations than the Defense Department is comfortable with.
Rumsfeld added, ‘Private citizens say all kinds of things all the time.” But Pat Robertson is not just a private citizen. He is a televangelist with a million viewers each week. He is a strong political voice in the USA and a friend of the Bush administration. He is not just a private citizen.
What is more, Pat Robertson claims to be a servant of God, advocating Christian morals. “Thou shalt not kill is one of the ten commandments.” This blatant hypocrisy has many in the evangelical world scrambling to distance themselves from Robertson too.
Mr. Robertson ran for president in 1988. Perhaps it is a good thing that he lost the race. The religious right, consciously or unconsciously believes that America is God’s chosen nation and that it is destined to be the moral muscle of the world.
It causes us to wonder what radical men like Pat Robertson will advocate when God’s remnant Sabbath-keeping people will be misrepresented as the cause of God’s judgments upon the nation.
I pray that all of us will be faithful. And may God give us the courage we need at the time we need it. Until next month, God bless and keep you.