STRANGE DAYS
Chronicles of the End of the AgeSTRANGE DAYS
America, America
Part 2There is another view of America that needs to be discussed. Disquieting as it may be, America is seen by some as being part of the Mystery Babylon, whose demise is described in Revelation 18. The Mystery Babylon of Revelation, is usually interpreted as being the religious power which will be formed during the tribulation period, a united religions amalgam that will dominate and dictate law during that period, and which God will opportunely judge and destroy. But it could very well refer to a "city" (nation). As a matter of fact, the religious and the political realities are closely interwoven in the Revelation text, and Babylon, probably represents both: a religious power and a civil (political) power, which will co-operate with each other during those unfortunate days.
Certainly, it will not be the physical city of Babylon, as it was thought until a few years ago. Before Saddam Hussein started his tirade against America and the West, there were signs that indeed, Babylon might be reconstructed. I remeber reading a newspaper article in 1986, or thereabout, about the plans that Irak was making to bring to light the ancient city. It was to be a modern marvel, a unique and irreproducible tourist attraction, with immense hotels to receive the clamoring crowds; Disneyland by the desert, but on a much grander scale. Work was actually started, and an entrance gate with a processional street were restored. There are pictures of these works. I will try to have them for next week. Even the bricks that were used for these initial works bear the mark of Saddam's megalomania: each and every one of them bear his signature (Saddam sees himself as the modern counterpart of King Nebuchadnezzar).
After the Gulf War, the plans have practically ended, and even if attempts have been made to have a go at it, Irak faces such a dire economic situation that it is to all effects impossible even to consider such a possibility.
The Biblical text that spells final doom for Babylon is found in Isaiah:
13:19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
13:20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
13:21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.
13:22 And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in [their] pleasant palaces: and her time [is] near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
Since the text is quite clear that Babylon will be destroyed for good, some have felt that present day Babylon has not yet achieved that status. But in reality, Babylon has not been permanently inhabited again, regardless of nomadic desert tribes movements, and the Gulf War has sealed her state.
So we must look elsewhere for the Babylon of Revelation. If we relate the title to a "city" (country), it is evident that no other nation on earth qualifies but America. Ponder the following points taken from a site that explicitly points to America as the fateful Babylon.
It's hard to contradict these points. However, even this view is not entirely without its question marks, as we shall examine in the next installment.
First of all, I want to thank all those of you who wrote expressing concern as to why the site was not being updated as usual. Since I cannot answer you all personally, I want to say that your interest has been much appreciated. The reasons for this off-period were several and probably of no interest to most. Anyways, we are over that, and we are having some new staff help, so the work will go on and we will have some new features very soon. Agan, thanks for your interest and prayers.
America, America
I have written in the past about the moral and spiritual decline of the United States. Visitors to our site have sent us several "prophecies" about the imminent "doom" of this once leading country. Surfing the Internet one can find many sites that deal expressely with America's demise. It seems that many of these "prophecies" are centered in the year 1999, now at a close (oh! oh!).While we have steared away from these, we must however acknowledge that America is ripe and due for Divine Judgement, (but so is the rest of the world). There are two main views about America's downfall: a), that she will be imminently and suddenly destroyed, and b), that she will be destroyed well into the tribulation period. In either case not a bright future, to be sure.
The Bible makes no express mention of America. Some sustain that she is indeed mentioned in JerUSAlem, but that is sheer silliness, more or less along the lines of the Bible Codes. At the same time, it seems very strange that the mightiest nation on earth simply has no part in the End Times events, especially in light of the late hour we are now living and of the present world order. So, if indeed America will be out of the picture there must be a reason for her quick exit from the world scene. The first school of thought takes her out of the way totally, by a nuclear attack, probably involving China and Russia with the seat of power then shifting to Europe with the Antichrist arising to establish his New Worl Order which will replace America's present egemony. One question this view seems to answer is the fact that America is nowhere to be found at the time of the Gog attack (the Russsian -led Arab attack of Ezekiel 38, 39).
According to the Word, Israel, at that time will be truly alone except for the help of God. It is inconceivable that America would not rush to Israel's aid in case of attack. The only reason could be that America has been suddendly destroyed and Israel would be next on the list. I must say that this view makes a lot of sense in explaining the final events, but on the other hand it creates more problems that it solves, as we shall see. It must also be said, that many events could be taken to support this view. Here are some:
IS RUSSIA PLANNING MIDEAST ATTACK? (abridged)Joseph Farah
is editor of WorldNetDaily.com and executive director of the Western Journalism Center, an independent group of investigative reporters.
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 01 1999Joseph de Courcy, editor of the well-respected journal Intelligence Digest reports this week: "While NATO congratulates itself on bombing the Serbs into submission, Israel's Mossad and other Middle Eastern intelligence sources have discovered that Kosovo was one humiliation too many for Russia. Now Moscow has agreed to back Saddam's secret plan of revenge. With this all-important Russian backing, Saddam is joining with hated Iran and Syria to launch one final war against Israel. Amazingly, Saddam will allow Iranian troops to cross Iraqi territory to join the attack on Israel. And to keep America from interfering, Moscow has given Osama bin Laden and other terrorists the means to attack American population centers with weapons of mass destruction. The threat is real ... and the implications terrifying...".
These are not the rantings of some self-proclaimed geo-strategic analyst. Joseph de Courcy is one of the most well-respected intelligence journalists in the world.
His report is nothing short of shocking. Yet it confirms and supports the research being done by WorldNetDaily's J.R. Nyquist, author of "Origins of the Fourth World War." I believe, based on trends obvious to anyone capable of picking up a daily newspaper today (online or off) that there is an excellent chance Russia and/or China may embark on a major military adventure before 2001.
Why? There is almost no chance America will be weaker militarily than it is right now during the remainder of the Clinton administration. We've hit rock bottom -- deliberately.
Jane's Air Defense reports next month that a mock battle between U.S. Air Force fighters and Israeli Defense Forces aircraft resulted in a one-sided rout. More than 200 U.S. planes were lost in the simulation while the Israeli pilots lost about 20. The Israelis are good, but they're not THAT good. U.S. military standards have plummeted in the politically correct Clinton years.
Nevertheless, while there are fewer resources for materiel, ammunition, strategic weapons and training, there has been a tenfold increase in the demand for deployments during this era in which the U.S. military has been redefined as the police force of the world.
Yeah, if there were ever an opportunity to surprise the U.S. when its defenses are down, this is it. Not since Pearl Harbor has America been less prepared for existing threats.
The Russians and the Chinese are not stupid. They can clearly see that they may never have a better chance than they have right now to strike a decisive blow to the United States -- a knockout punch from which we may never recover.
Any such designs would almost certainly include an adventure into the Middle East so that the oil fields could be secured, thus effectively shoring up sagging industrial economies for the long term and depriving what remains of the West from any hope of recovery.
You could argue, as some have, that China's best chance has not yet come. It is still emerging as a world economic and military power, they say. Its best days are ahead, say the optimists. Maybe so, but China's economic development has not been nearly as dramatic as some had projected. And it is deeply frustrated by talk of Taiwan independence and co-existence.
But Russia has little hope of competing effectively with the West. Its economy is in shambles. Corruption is rampant. Its weapons are aging. There is open discussion among some Russian leaders that the time is right for taking chances, using or losing its military assets, being bold.
Do not underestimate the strength of the strategic alliance between Moscow and Beijing. This alliance is as important as any since the Hitler-Stalin pact -- and just as dangerous.
And more ....
DRUDGE REPORT EXCLUSIVE
SATURDAY, AUGUST 07, 1999 18:59:25 ET
CHINESE MILITARY BOOK ADVOCATES TERRORISM, COMPUTER WARFARE IN 'WAR OF THE FUTURE' AGAINST AMERICAAccording to publishing sources, the Sunday WASHINGTON POST will feature an explosive front page article exploring a new book by two Chinese colonels who advocate "terrorism, narcotics trafficking, drug smuggling, environmental degradation and computer viruses" as methods to defeat America in the "war of the future"!
POST reporter John Pomfret was granted a rare interview in Beijing with Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui, the authors of "Unrestricted War" -- both of whom express a deep fear of an America that imposes its ways around the world through various methods including war.
"If today you impose your value systems on a European country, tomorrow you can do the same to Taiwan or Tibet," Wang Xiangsui, a member of the Chinese air force, told the POST.
"We are a weak country,'' Xiangsui said, "so do we need to fight according to your rules? No... War has rules but those rules are set by the West, but if you use those rules then weak countries have no chance. But if you use non-traditional means to fight, like those employed by financiers to bring down financial systems, then you have a chance."
In all, "Unrestricted War" describes 24 unconventional forms of warfare which the two militarymen advocate should be used in multiple combinations.
"We realized that if China's military was to face off against the United States, we would not be sufficient. So we realized that China needs a new strategy to right the balance of power," Xiangsui told Pomfret.
Liang and Xiangsui write in their book that "Unrestricted War is a war that surpasses all boundaries and restrictions... It takes non-military forms and military forms and creates a war on many fronts. It is the war of the future."
Next week I will put forth the other view regarding the fate of America. And this will be a stunner. Promise.
Loose Ends
Is anybody noticing the great number of earthquakes in these last weeks? Earthquakes are given as one of the SIGNS of the End Times by the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course, there have been earthquakes in all eras of recorded history, however it would be foolish to bypass the recent trend as coincidences, especially in view of other prophetic items which are concurrently taking place or lining up to.Through modern construction techniques, the earthquake death toll has been comparatively small, given the magnitude of these latest rockers. In Japan, engineers have built "quake-proof" structures, which supposedly will withstand almost any quake. In Italy, a land which is subject to frequent quakes like Japan, there have been for decades, strict building codes for all new construction, as there is in many other areas of the world prone to quakes. Sure, man tries his best to make his artificial environment stable, but stability escapes him. And so, in all of his endevours, man, having excluded God from his horizon, tries "his best" to give consistence to his inconsistence.
But God.
But God probably shakes His Head in amazement at the tenacity of man's futile attempts to build his own world. Truly we are living in a period of history similar to that of the time of the Tower of Babel:
And the LORD said, Behold, the people [is] one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
Genesis 11:6
Indeed, big science seems to know no bounds nor limits to its reach, delving in the very building blocks of the universe. One small thing escapes these researchers; they can "discover" new processes which were previously unknown, and they can experimentally recombine the very DNA of life, but they cannot CREATE it. They start with SOMETHING, the origin of which they cannot explain except with "THEORIES."
It's scandalous how much wealth and resources are WASTED on ridiculous research projects. I wish I had the time to make such a list. So, as the world goes its uncaring way, judgement is piling up upon it, and when it arrives, AND IT SURELY WILL, there will be no technology to hide behind.
This week, I have revised the article on Genetic Modification which I wrote a few months back. It deals with the engineered foodstuffs that chemical companies are cooking up in their Frankenstein labs. The reason for the update was sparked by the news that Monsanto, one of these companies, has bowed to public pressure and stopped work on their infamous project called "Terminator seed," which some may remember as the non-reproduceable seed which the company wanted to market to farmers, thereby obliging them to buy new seeds every year or else. The gall of Monsanto to become the brokers of what we eat! Make no mistake about it, this is the real reason behind all the genetic research, apart from what they say; to control.
This CONTROL fixation is not limited to the food we eat, but extends to all fields that impact our life. Look at the mega-mergings that are taking place in all fields of the commercial spectrum. Sure, it's in the name of competition and all that, but if you believe it, then you deserve it. No, my dear friends, the real reason that all this is happening is CONTROL. Be it by a Microsoft, by a Monsanto or by a government. CONTROL IS POWER, and this takes us back to square one; TOTAL CONTROL, and guess who is coming to dinner to grab it all up!
I read in the local papers that an English Insurance Company has paid out a claim to a lady because she became pregnant upon "being abducted by aliens, on a spaceship." She was insured against such an event! If you think this is a joke, think again. This is for real. I can only think of two reasons why the insurer paid the bill:
1) a good publicity stunt
2) they are nuts
In either case, the incident denotes a precipitous fall into the irrational. The line of demarcation between reality and illusion isn't there anymore. The week following this report, the insurance company got 600 new women who subscribed their policy. I have heard that they are ALSO offering insurance in the case of a VIRGIN BIRTH. Uhm!
Some of you have asked when the "Boiled Frog Syndrome" article will be posted. Soon, I reply. While the article will be written sooner or later, at the moment it is a metaphor of itself, at least to those who know what the syndrome means.
We have a "Maps and Charts" page, which I have been unable to properly fill in for lack of time. I would appreciate it if anybody can indicate to us some good sites that have maps, charts and pictures of Bible related items, such as the Old Testament Tabernacle, the various Jewish Temples, pictures of Israel, prophecy items and a good representation of the New Jerusalem. While I have seen some of these items on some sites, few have stimulated my interest. (I am picky) So please, if in your surfing you come across something great, notify us. To express our gratitude, we will send you your choice of a T shirt or $1,000,000, (according to our capabilities), which means that you will get a t shirt if we use your lead. (PS - we ask permission before we use).
We are stalled again with our foreign language translations. The only site that goes full steam is the italian site, while work on all the others has stopped for one reason or another. Seeing how much trouble we have had with our foreign language sites, I am starting to think that maybe the Good Lord does not want us to do it. Of course, there is the argument that the enemy may be trying to discourage us, this will be a prayer item for us.
Odds and ends
I have a couple of items to share with you. As this page's title states, we are TRULY living in STRANGE DAYS. The Bible calls them correctly "PERILOUS TIMES," and indeed they are, at least for some. The moral decadence of the allegedly "civilized" west is moving forward at full speed, and few are the voices that dare raise objections to questionable events. Most have resigned themselves to the inevitability of it all, and have quit fighting. The rest are too busy in their selfish little lives to care. Well, we shall reap what we sow. In Italy, there is a proverb which goes roughly like this:"The fish starts to stink from its head"
The meaning is clear indeed. It is from our top leaders, beit political, business, cultural, sports etc, that the corruption gets promoted, since most people, like sheep, follow with docile abandon, the head honcho of the group. Lemmings teach us that it's not a prudent thing to do.
President Clinton's Church to Hold Homosexual 'Celebration' Sharing Our Rainbow of Light (SOROL), an interdenominational ministry affirming 'gay,' lesbian, bisexual, and "transgendered" persons, announced that its fourth biennial conference will be held November 11, 1999, at historic Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. Foundry Methodist, which has hosted previous SOROL conferences, is the home church of President and Mrs. Clinton and the former church of Bob and Elizabeth Dole.
The conference is sponsored by Foundry Church in cooperation with a number of homosexual rights groups, including Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, the openly 'gay' Metropolitan Community Church, and the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League, whose most recent "assistance" to 'gay' youth was a pamphlet in support of sadomasochism. Previous SOROL conferences focused on celebrating the gay lifestyle, strategies to counter "homophobia" and the "religious right," and the securing of special rights in civil and church venues.
Among the presenters/facilitators for SOROL IV are the following:
Culture/Society News
Source: www.frc.org
Published: September 8, 1999
Reverend John Shelby Spong - Episcopal bishop of New Jersey, 'gay' rights advocate and self-proclaimed heretic who has renounced his belief in the validity of the Christian gospel.
Dr. Virginia Ramey Mollenkott - Lesbian religious scholar whose 1978 book, Is the Homosexual My Neighbor, contended that Sodom was destroyed because of "inhospitality to strangers," and is often quoted by homosexual activists. Dr. Mollenkott is a leader in the Christianity "re-imagining" movement that features lesbian affirmation, new-age mysticism, and worship of a female godhead (Sophia). A Methodist bishop labeled the movement "the worst heresy in [the last] 1,500 years of Christianity."
Reverend J. Philip Wogaman - Senior pastor of Foundry United Methodist Church and advocate for "gay" rights. Rev. Wogaman favors "gay marriage" and recently called for the church to affirm the rights of homosexual persons to engage in sexual relations.
Rev. Jimmy Creech - United Methodist pastor under suspension for defying the church's ban on performing homosexual "marriages."
While in this site we don't get at all into politics, we feel that in addition to prayer for our leaders, at times we must also voice our disapproval for their behavior. President Clinton has demonstrated with his action that morality is a rather unimportant subject these days and most Americans seem to agree with him. Now this is a strange thing, since America, regardless of new faiths and movements, is still nominally a "Christian-predominant nation." So, I find it quite incredible that most people give a positive rating to Mr. Clinton's performance in office, as polls would have it. Apart from his numerous flirtings, his support for "gay rights" is quite questionable morally, but obviously politically expedient. This is not a question of pragmatism, so there is no justification for the President to attend as guest of honor to a top gay and lesbian reception, as he has done.
Before someone starts shooting at me, please let me restate that we have nothing in particular against homosexuals. We think they need Jesus in their life like any other sinner. Furthermore, in a civil society, I don't think that they should be discriminated in their civil rights. However, I strongly object to giving ANYBODY special rights as it has been the case with the whole misnomer of "gay rights." Granted there are stupid persons, at times masquerading as Christians, who preach hate towards gays (and/or blacks and Jews and Asians and....). Christians are called to announce the Gospel, and to warn. Anybody MUST be free to choose their destiny. While a Christian does not hide his head in the sand, it is through love and communication that people can be won to Christ. How can anybody possibly discover the LOVE of God, through someone's vented or ill-concealed hate?
This said, let's go to the next item. ART & ARTISTS. I think these are overused and abused terms, assigned today to any idiot who can come up with any idiotic "work of art." I will be writing (soon) a full article on Art and Culture. It seems that in the name of "ART" anything must be allowed, and nothing forbidden. NOT SO, and I'll show you why. For the moment, let me present you with the latest row in the "Art World, " and by a man gutsy reaction.
September 26, 1999 NEW YORK (AP) -- Cardinal John O'Connor on Sunday asked Catholics to join him in condemning a painting of the Virgin Mary embellished with a clump of elephant dung, while civil rights activists defended the Brooklyn Museum of Art's right to show the piece.
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani meanwhile, reiterated his pledge to cut all $7 million of city funding to the museum -- one-third of its budget -- unless the painting is pulled from an exhibit scheduled to open Friday.
"I'm saddened by what appears to be an attack not only on our blessed mother ... but one must ask if it is not an attack on religion itself and in a special way on the Catholic Church," said O'Connor in his weekly sermon at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
O'Connor did not name the mayor, but said he was "grateful to city officials," adding: "It is their right, if not their duty, to express themselves on such matters."
O'Connor urged his listeners to write to the museum: "You might want to express your deep sadness at this disrespect."
But New York Civil Liberties Union director Norman Siegel said the mayor's threats to cut the funding "violates the First Amendment. His assertion that New York City can withdraw all funds for the museum based on a single exhibition that he finds offensive illustrates a serious misunderstanding of the Constitution."
Siegel, who discussed the controversy Sunday as a speaker at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Harlem, later said by phone that government funding may not legally be withdrawn because public officials dislike particular works.
"You don't have an obligation to provide funding to the arts but once you do, you can't defund a museum solely because public officials are displeased with the expression of the art," he said.
The Brooklyn Museum's director, Arnold Lehman, has not publicly said what he will do, but he has a reputation for standing firm on matters of artistic expression. Directors of other museums have been noticeably silent.
"There's a chill in the air because people are afraid of the mayor, but if he wins this one there are huge consequences to artistic expression," Siegel said.
Giuliani, meanwhile, defended his funding threat at a news conference at a new riverfront park in the West Village.
"There is nothing in the First Amendment that supports horrible and disgusting projects," Giuliani said. "If you're going to use taxpayers' dollars, you have to be sensitive to the feelings of the public."
One passerby heckled him as "Adolf Giuliani!" and another shouted: "Get your hands off our museums!"
The painting, "The Holy Virgin Mary," depicts Mary with dark skin, African features and flowing robes. It features a shellacked clump of elephant dung and two dozen cutouts of buttocks from pornographic magazines.
The artist, Chris Ofili, 30, a black Catholic who was born in England and lives there, has said he used the pornographic images because classical images of Mary are often sexually charged.
He also told Salon magazine in February: "Elephant dung in itself is quite a beautiful object."
Calls placed Sunday to two New York art dealers who represent Ofili and messages left at his London residence were not immediately returned.
Ofili began using elephant dung during a six-week stay in Zimbabwe. He is now famous for using the material -- which he gets from the London Zoo -- in virtually all his artwork. In 1998, he won Britain's prestigious Turner Prize, a $33,000 award for artists under 50.
Cardinal and activists take sides over Virgin Mary with elephant dung.
And the beat goes on! Another senseless, cold-bloodied massacre. We will hear again all the voices for and against gun control, we will hear the same tired speeches of circumstance, and the beat goes on....
(CNN) -- Police tell CNN eight people were killed in a shooting at a Baptist church in southwest Fort Worth on Wednesday night, including the gunman, who opened fire during a prayer service.
Lt. David Ellis of the Fort Worth Police Department described the gunman as a slender white male in his 30s.
"We also have another subject that we have in custody," Ellis said. "He may turn out just to be a witness. We really don't know. He may be involved, it's too early to tell."
Ellis said three adults and three teen-agers were killed before the shooter turned the gun on himself. While the death toll still stood at seven, including the gunman, eight victims were hospitalized, some in critical condition, Ellis said.
Just after the 7 p.m. (8 p.m. EDT) shooting at Wedgwood Baptist Church, a pipe bomb exploded on a balcony inside the sanctuary, but police did not know of any injuries. A bomb squad was inspecting several suspicious packages found at the church, Ellis said.
Witnesses said the gunman, dressed in black, walked into a crowded youth prayer service and methodically began shooting.
"He hits the door real hard to make his presence known, and he just immediately started firing," said Dax Hughes, Wedgewood Baptist Church's college minister. The gunman told potential victims to stay still
"He was very calm and looked normal and was smoking a cigarette," witness Christy Martin, 17, said........
Gunman opens fire at Texas church; 8 people dead
Frankly, I cannot bear to listen to these reports anymore. They are becoming way too common, almost expected. People are developing a certain numbness to this kind of news. No wonder!
What is behind all this, or rather who is behind all this is not hard for me to understand. I do not need silly and contradictory psychologists reports to KNOW what is happening. Of course, these learned men of science will have all the answers except the REAL ONE: We cannot ignore God's laws and live in peace.
Modern man has successfully eliminated God from his horizon, so God does not exist, or if He did is either dead or highly incapacitated. Those silly Christians who believe in God are simply self-deluded losers, who need a crutch to get ahead in their lives. (strange how this is not said of other religions) Modern man is trying to build his Eden on earth, through science, culture and progress and without God. It seems God is the odd Person out.
Reading the Revelation, one can see that EVEN when all hell will break loose on earth, men will not turn to God. Truly, this is a mystery, as the Bible correctly names it "the mystery of iniquity," and as such it is destined to increase, as the end approaches. Again, the Word gives us the explanation:
...... Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Revelation 12:12
So, unfortunately this (last) season of horror and terror will gradually increase to its ultimate deadly self-conclusion.
Then, the NEW DAY will start.
Sorry for missing a couple of deadlines for this column. I have been incredibly busy. It's a very happening moment for me, so please, if you feel led, pray for me that God may lead me to make all the right choices concerning this work and all other things that crowd my life insistently.
Last week, we celebrated the second birthday of this site, and what an incredible blessing it has been. Numerically we are around 200,000 hits per month. Geographically, I am surprised checking my stats, that we cover the whole planet, even Antarctica. Qualitatively, I thank God for the mail we get from people turning to God, returning to God, or asking how to recieve God. It's a joy that keeps me and the team going on. So, in our third year there will be some changes in some areas. A little layout change here and there, a new page on the Tribulation/Rapture, and some other improvements I am working on. We have started translation in Spanish, thanks to a dear brother in Peru, and the Italian site is regularly updated. Unfortunately work has stopped on the French site, and not yet started on the German one. Well, one step at the time. I rely on the Lord and don't want to push things more than due. Also, updates to the English sites will be made more often than the present once-a-week. So many things are happening so fast that we are always behind in reporting, so from now on, updates will be made continuously. You can always check in the index page what items have been updated and when. Enough for now.
This week's article can be found HERE
This week's article can be found HERE
This week, I am interrupting the "Mark of the Beast," story-line which will be reprised next week with some pretty important developments. The reason being the recent news about the disappearence of John F. Kennedy Jr.'s plane and its 3 occupants (John, his wife, and her sister).
Again, the cold shadow of tragedy rests upon the Kennedy's clan. It seems as if an invisible curse hangs perennially over this family. What to make of all this? It is rather difficult to make any sense out of this tragic sequel of accidents and incidents. As I write, I am listening to a report from the Martha's Vineyard local authorities, announcing the presumed death of the three unfortunate victims. The rescue operation, is turning at this point to an operation of pious recovery of the dead.
John F. Kennedy Jr. had it all going for him. Intelligent, handsome, rich and famous, with a name that is almost legendary, he had shied away from active politics, and wisely so. Recently married, he was not a gossip item. I don't know if John was at peace with his Maker. I sincerely hope so. By denomination, he was a Catholic, but denominations don't tell the whole story. I hear that prayer vigils have been going on since the plane was reported missing, and while it is good for somebody to be loved and respected by his fellow man, it is infinitely better for him, to be in the favour of His Creator.
Death, that foul enemy, has its sides. However, there is nothing like the sudden death of someone we love, to make us think about our own living. Death and life, the two faces of the same coin. When confronted with death, life becomes paramountly important. And let's remember that nobody is assured of seeing the next day!
Beauty, glamour, success, wealth, popularity, these compose the siren call of the world, and people carry on as if they would live forever, removing from their consciousness even the slightest thought of death, and when suddendly death appears, it's a shocker. The death of Lady Diana, for example. It was simply that, shocking, unbelievable. And now John. I see the same incredulous reaction, even if to a minor extent. It is as if people cannot really cope with THAT reality. But death, is a reality, and a much present one.
We live by the Grace of God, even those who don't believe so. Our life may be recalled at any time, and frankly living would be a hopeless and excruciating exercise, apart from God's promise of ETERNAL LIFE. Rightly did the Apostle Paul write:
"... what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die."
1 Corint. 15:32
I remember a catchy song of a few years ago which title was "IS THAT ALL THERE IS?"
It had a sad, nostalgic refrain, with a text which offered no response to the question, but only a quite, resigned desperation. But thank God that THAT IS NOT ALL THERE IS!
God has placed eternity in our spirit, and He has given us the key to enter it, if we want to. We can debate all we want, we can deny all we want, and we can believe whatever we want, but that will not change the Truth of God. Unfortunately, most people will find out after their death, how wrong they were for having refused the free-offer of the love of God in Jesus Christ. Yes, I hope John-John knew Jesus Christ, his (and everyone elses's) ONLY KEY to a blessed eternity.
