Tuesday, December 23, 2008

JIHADHIST GENOCIDE IN JOS

The reality and intensity of Satan’s wrath and evil end-time agenda, thinly veiled by the hustle and bustle of every day civil living, was again vividly demonstrated late November, as elements of the Moslem community in Jos, Plateau state of Nigeria, descended heavily on unsuspecting Christians, inflicting terrible damages and casualties. The excuse for the action, this time around, was a peacefully-conducted Local Government elections whose results tended to favour the Christian candidates against the Moslems.
It didn’t take long however to realize that the violence was directed neither at officials nor properties of any political party. Rather, the casualties were largely Christian men and women, irrespective of whether they were indigenes of Plateau state or elsewhere. An e-mail from the Anglican Archbishop of Jos Rt Rev. Ben Kwashi to Barnabas Fund on Saturday 30th November described the pogrom that had started without any warning the previous day: “The Muslims are attacking and burning this morning. It looks well coordinated. They are well armed with AK47 and pump machine guns….” Several Nigerian blogs carried the nauseating details of how organized Moslem mobs went from one identified Christian home to another, pulling down the gates and killing in cold blood, mostly the male occupants (see, for instance www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/forum/main-square/27336-three-youth-corpers-among-dead-jos.html). Another core of Moslem invaders, apparently hired mercenaries from outside Plateau state, came dressed in army and police uniforms, thus further confusing many Christians who, expecting refuge, actually ran towards their eventual executioners! Before the real army (led by the Army chief of staff himself) would intervene two days later, hundreds of innocent lives have been lost. Unfortunately a number of Moslem folks caught in the reprisal attack would also be part of that number.
One of the particularly moving killings was that of Ibukun Akinjogbin a fresh University graduate participating in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps scheme at Jos He was on the phone with his parents requesting for prayers as the Islamic mob descended on him and his friends. The heartless killers picked the phone and sadistically described to the distraught family in Lagos, the gradual ebbing-out of Ibukun’s life!
Yet, several national leaders, following the usual “douse the tension” script, were vociferous in declaring that the mayhem has nothing to do with either ethnicity or religion, but was a mere political protest. While one may not necessarily blame Moslem political figures, such as the Speaker of House of Representatives, for making such patently false statements, it is difficult to excuse those with the label of Christianity, such as the Senate President, who join in the ostrich game. The Nigerian number three man was quoted as saying “Truly, what is going on in Jos has nothing to do with religion….. I am not aware of any faith that advocates violence. Every faith that I know of condemns killing.” Really? Wouldn’t it have been more helpful keeping quiet than reducing a serious matter to mere rhetoric? The sad, bitter reality is that Islamic violence is indeed rooted in faith – at least as interpreted and clearly demonstrated by many. This would explain why subsequent governments have preferred to shy away from the problem rather than attempt to address it. For instance by the simple and sensible action of treating those who engage in arson and murder as the cheap criminals that they would be – if not regarded as religious faithfuls!
However, sadder still is the response of Christian leaders who hastily pronounced the violence, even as it was yet unfolding, as totally having nothing to do with religion. No less a person than the national chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria - CAN, (who also is the catholic Archbishop of Abuja) hasted to make such a declaration – even from far away Rome, where he was at the outbreak of the incidence. (www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=1285) He could at least have consulted his colleague, the chairman of the Plateau state chapter of CAN, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, who repeatedly averred that the crisis was definitely religious, and was clearly instigated by the Moslems. According to Kaigama, “We were surprised at the way some of our churches and property were attacked and some of our faithful and clergy killed. The attacks were carefully planned and executed. The questions that bog our minds are why were churches and clergy attacked and killed? Why were politicians and political party offices not attacked if it were a political conflict? Why were the business premises and property of innocent civilians destroyed? We strongly feel that it was not political but pre-meditated act under the guise of elections.” www.barnabasfund.org/email/email.php?id=255. The Anglican Bishop of Jos, the Rt Revd Ben Kwashi ventures an answer: "We are the victims of ... Islamic anger. Two years ago, it was the Danish cartoons. Now they are trying to lay it at the feet of the elections. We have become a convenient scapegoat and target...” www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/023788.php
With national leaders and even Christian leaders trying hard to exonerate Islam from the killings, it is little wonder that the foreign media would follow the cue. Though the foreign media were forced to concede that the riot was religious, they effectively (even if silently) put the blame mostly on Christians! For instance, the BBC in reporting “the death of hundreds of people in clashes between Christians and Moslems”, added the sub-heading “A Muslim charity in the town of Jos says it collected more than 300 bodies, and fatalities are also expected among Christians.” (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7756695.stm.) Such silly, biased reporting gives the impression that the bodies collected by the “Muslim charity” were those of Muslims killed by Christians; and that the Christians probably lost a few people too! It is however well-known that Moslems have learnt to quickly give Islamic mass burial for victims of riots picked from the streets ( as in this situation), mainly to discourage retaliatory killings in the South (particularly the catholic South-East) triggered by strong emotions that are evoked when such bodies are returned home for proper burial. According to the Punch newspaper, “ The identities of the dead could not be ascertained as they were said to have been picked up randomly by the Muslim community and taken to the mosque.”
www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20081201235371. Moreover, many of the Moslems killed in Jos were militants, reportedly shot down on the streets by the state-based security forces. Several hundred others (including foreign merceneries) were arrested. (www.mnnonline.org/article/12016).
Another widely circulated news report originated from the Agence France Presse (AFP) with the blazing headline: 2,000 "angry youths" storm mosque. The truth however was that the “angry youths” were not Christian youths as silently implied, but Moslems who came to threaten/blackmail the visiting parliamentary official who had come to placate the Moslem community. Some media houses using the story (such as this, www.calgaryherald.com/news/youths+storm+mosque+riot+torn+nigerian+city/1017450/story.html) even added the picture of a traumatized female youth corper, in clear Islamic veil, to complete the impression of apparent culpability of Christians in the matter!
The well-planned pogrom had began on Friday 29th November, when the results of the Local Government council elections, held very peacefully the previous day, began to indicate that indigenous Christian candidates were set to sweep the polls in all 17 LG council areas of the state. This would represent a decisive break in the influence which the largely Moslem Hausa-Fulani group has been trying to build over the years and which they hoped to consolidate with the elections. For instance, the attitude of the largely Christian Yoruba community in Jos (whose community reportedly lost about 113 people) could be contrasted with that of the Hausa-Fulani community. In a peace meeting convened by the State governor, the Yoruba leader, Chief Toye Ogunshuyi said: “We have been carrying out legitimate businesses in Jos since 1891 and we built the first church in Jos but we have been living peacefully without fighting to rule Jos” www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/23328/47/. On the other hand, speaking to Reuters, Sheikh Khalid Aliyu, spokesman for the council of imams in Plateau state insisted: "We are not aliens, we are not foreigners. We deserve each and every right." (africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnJOE4B10FZ.html).
The only problem is that such righteously indignant assertion is supposed only to apply in regions where Moslems are in the minority. Refer for instance, to the story in the last edition of CA! exemplifying incredible Islamic arrogance, even in the simple matter of allowing a legally-cleared Church building to operate in a favoured area in Ilorin, Kwara state. Kwara, just like Plateau, is a gateway state linking the North and South of Nigeria; and both of them have a roughly equal Christian-Moslem population. In such a situation, as is fast becoming a reality in Kwara state, access to state powers is blatantly used to compel non-moslems to a subdued ‘dhimmified’ second-class citizen livelihood – as in states like Kano and Zamfara where Moslems are in the vast majority. Achieving Kwara in Plateau state is clearly one of the major goals of Nigerian Islamic Jihadists, and a direct cause of the Jos conflict. It is at the same time religious, ethnic and political – in that order of relative importance!
As for the hundreds of lives lost in pre-meditated Islam-instigated killing, the President of the country, Alhaji Umaru Yar Adua at the Joint Sitting of the National Assembly for the presentation of the 2009 Appropriation Bill requested the customary “ one-minute silence” in their memory. For the survivors, he offered his personal prayers, according to the Vanguard newspaper, that “the almighty Allah condoles those who have lost their loved ones and those who have lost their property and also those who have sustained all kinds of injuries.” (www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/23228/42/). Going by past antecedents, (as we have always been careful to point out), that’s probably the end of the story. How sad!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

TEN YEARS OF HOLY GHOST CONGRESS: JOY UNSPEAKABLE


Many people will be surprised to recall that it is now ten quick years since the famous Lekki ’98, when millions (CNN said to have reported 7 million) gathered together at the Lekki Beach to celebrate the first edition of what then used to be called the Holy Ghost Festival. Organized by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), it was certainly a landmark event, reminiscent of the congregation of the children of Israel in the days of Moses. Subsequent editions have moved to the Holy Ghost Arena at the Redemption Camp, first as a 3-day event , and now as an all week-long (Monday to Saturday) affair.
Spiritually-speaking, the Holy Ghost Congress has an even older history. The first “Congress “ in the RCCG was actually Pastor Adeboye’s indignant response to the Festival of Arts of Culture (FESTAC) hosted by Nigeria in 1977. Irked about the idea of people congregating in large number to celebrate dead idols, the then totally unknown Pastor E.A. Adeboye persuaded his father-in-the-Lord, the General Superintendent of the then obscured RCCG, to organize a “parallel” celebration of the Holy Ghost at Ilesa, in Osun State. Today, while organizers of FESTAC struggle to have a repeat celebration (see for instance www.pmg.org.za/files/docs/080205draftbrief.pdf), the ORGANIZER of the Holy Ghost Congress seemingly has no difficulty in taking the event to ever-increasing heights of glory, attracting millions of participants from all over the world every year.
Church Arise! believes that apart from an exciting Spirit-charged atmosphere featuring excellent music, seminars and teachings; or the outright miracles and life-imparting prophecies, the Sovereign Almighty God Himself – for some point He is keen on making -is directly behind the gathering of the multitudes who have become faithful features of these meetings. If you are yet to participate in the Holy Ghost Congress, this year is an excellent time to partake of this unique indescribable experience. Themed “Joy Unspeakable”, the 11th Holy Ghost Congress runs from Monday 15th – Saturday 20th December.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Jos Killing

While preparing the belated vol 11 no 6 edition of Church Arise!, I think it informative to post the following comment by Emeka Reuben Okala, a UK christian commentator whom I respect, on the Jos killings. As many people would have us believe, the crisis has nothing to do with religion! Emeka Okala wrote this on Naijanet - a Nigerian village-setting forum.
Joshua
=========================================================

"Bogobiri, who also doubles as the Catholic Bishop of Kafachan said any religion which promotes violence certainly has some questions to answer, saying that the circumstances leading to the Jos crisis has nothing to do with religion but purely political.
"What happened in Jos cannot be described as a religious thing, because there is nothing religious about what has happened. it is only a pity that any time a crises like that occur, it is given some religious coloration and talk."

Comment:
The last time I checked, innocent graduate-youths on various national callings (NYSC) from the Southern parts of the country were heartlessly hacked down in their primes, even when they were talking to their relatives on phones and praying to God for immediate intervention. It was not reported that those Copers were candidates and flag-bearers of any of the political parties that contested the local government's elections in the Plateau state. It was also not reported that those future leaders cut down in their primes were party fanatics. The cause of their heinous killings simply bordered more on either their religion or tribe. No more! No less!

I'm not saying that the cause of the mayhem was not political. What I'm saying is that political factor could be its remote cause. But "remote" is not the only cause of these dastardly and unacceptable killings, disorder and lawlessness in Jos. There was the "immediate cause element which even became more deadlier than the "remote cause element".

Both causes should be investigated, and those involved brought to book in accordance with the Law of the land. No one has the right to take another person's life under whatever guise. No! Enough is Enough!!

Let me put it succinctly clear to Bogobiri, the Catholic Bishop of Kafanchan that, aside from the remote causes of the mayhem which is undoubtedly political, there was also the immediate' cause element which could either be religious or tribal or both. Immediate causes shouldn't be swept under the carpet as Bogobiri appears to be doing. Nigeria should learn to call a spade by its name and give it the exact treatment it deserves.

With what is happening in Jos, if I were seeing my life in Nigeria at this point in time, I don't think I would encourage any of my relatives to go to any of the Nigerian states in the North to serve the country in the name of NYSC. I will stop her/him from going their - not because I'm not patriotic. It has everything to do with his/her safety. He/she is not safe in the North as long as he/she remains a Christian or Southerner. And this is very unfortunate.

May I call on the Aso Rock, to avoid listening to the rhetoric of religious leaders and politicians and take the bull by the horn. The REMOTE and IMMEDIATE causes of the trouble in Jos should be EQUALLY investigated and those responsible brought seriously to book.

This is the way to bring back confidence in the polity, honour those whose lives were cut down senselessly and keep Nigeria ONE!

Emeka Reuben Okala
London, UK

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Bridging the Gap between Good and Evil

The serpent's temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden, that we can be like God, remains with mankind to this very day. It is important to understand that Satan is not simply trying to draw people to the dark side of a good versus evil conflict. Actually, he is trying to eradicate the gap between himself and God, between good and evil, altogether.
When those in the emerging church try to persuade people that we need to bridge the gap between Christians (or Christ-followers as they put it) and non-Christians, they aren't really talking about reaching out to the unsaved in order to share the Gospel with them. They are talking about coming to a consensus, a common ground. Leonard Sweet explains:
“ The key to navigating postmodernity's choppy,
crazy waters is not to seek some balance or ‘safe
middle ground,’ but to ride the waves and bridge the
opposites, especially where they converge in
reconciliation and illumination.”
It takes a little thinking to figure out what Sweet is saying by this statement, but when he talks about bridging the opposites, he's referring to a chasm that exists between good and evil. This tension between the two is called dualism, and at the heart of occultism is the effort to eradicate it. If that gap could truly be closed, then Satan and God would be equal. The Bible clearly states this will never happen.
This misguided effort to unite all things, to give people the option of maintaining their own religious practices, suggesting they do not have to call themselves Christians is a spiritually slippery slope and an undoing of the Christian faith.
Chris Carmichael speaks the truth in his Mission Statement at Christian Unplugged when he says:
It is our belief, therefore, that professing Christians must “unplug” themselves from these postmodern influences of relativism, pluralism and ecumenism, and return to the biblical model of faith. We advocate a return to spiritual discernment that only comes by God's grace through a thorough interaction with the Truth of God's Word. We must study, reflect upon, and understand the theology it represents and the doctrines it teaches; and we should ground this noble pursuit on the confession that God, through His divine power, 'has granted to us EVERYTHING pertaining to LIFE and GODLINESS, through the true knowledge' of Christ” (2 Peter 1:3).
(http://www.christianunplugged.com/mission.htm, caps in original)
Roger Oakland, Understand the Times
(http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/spirituality/lighthousetrails/08/8-bridging.htm )

Nigeria fuels global governance agenda with Bakassi precedence

For the first time in the history of nations, according to experts, a sovereign country has voluntarily cedes part of its territory to another country – at the instruction of an international organization. At the same time that Russia was foraging into Georgia, and the US declaring international (UN) agreements not approved by her Congress (e.g. Kyoto protocols) as non-binding and un-implementable, Nigeria released the strategic Bakassi peninsula to Cameroun, at the instructions of the International Court of Justice, overruling Nigeria’s laws and strategic interests
Land squabbles are as old as human society. When humans are not fighting over land as one nation against another nation, they are bound to do it either as one state of a federation versus another state, or at city, village or even individual levels! And the outcome of such squamishes are not any different – they are always bloody and span generations. Watch out, as different interest groups (akin to Nigeria’s Niger Delta militias) arise among the Cameroonians each laying claim to Bakassi!
In the light of this reality, the real big issue to which CA! would want to draw the attention of every reader, is the impetus this action by Nigeria has given to the One World government agenda. Clearly, this action has demonstrated (as we’ve heard repeated ad nauseum in recent times) that international interests and laws are superior to our national ones!
The follow-ups to this development are not hard to imagine. We can expect very soon to hear arguments about how, for instance, the proposed Nigerian law against homosexuality (which had remained a proposal for almost 3 years now, as we warned in Vol 9 No 2 and Vol 10 No 2), is against and inferior to the presumed global opinion on the issue. And, while still on that example, the UN is not leaving anyone in doubts what this supposed ‘global opinion’ is, with the recent granting of “consultative status” to two gay-advocacy NGOs from Spain and the Netherlands. This move has been widely interpreted as designed to weaken the sovereignty of nations, especially with respect to opinions on “sexual rights” issues.
(www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=71256).
There are countless other efforts, of course, by which global governance advocates seek to change the face and mind of society. Some of the important ones we have been stressing over the years include environmental issues (such as the obdurate insistence that global warming is caused by man despite concrete evidences to the contrary), and educational issues (where for instance all the paradigm is built on the incredible assumption that man evolved from animals which evolved from inanimate objects which in turn evolved from quantum fluctuation of nothing!)
The concept of using a higher law to override inferior ones by global government advocates (a bastardized version of the law of spirit of life overriding that of death as in Rom 8:2) has long been recognized and used by agents of the antichrist. For instance, the Roe vs Wade precedence in the US in 1973 made abortion legal all over the US, eroding the existing laws in several states opposing abortion. About 50 million babies (including those who initially survived the abortion procedure!) have had their lives legally terminated since, in the same country where to destroy the egg of an eagle would attract a stiff jail term and up to $250,000 fine!
We warned in the last edition that all the spates of the laws from individual states in the US proscribing mandatory implantation of the microchip will also be easily swept away by one federal law (or should we say UN law!) at the appropriate time near the unveiling of the antichrist.

“For the Kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations” - Psalm 22:28

California’s Anti Homeschooling Ruling Reversed

We published in Vol 11 No 2 the ruling by a California appeals court that parents who have no teaching qualifications appropriate for the age รจ grade of a particular child could not homeschool such a child themselves. Now the good news is that, following a national outrage, that ruling has been reversed by a new ruling pronounced on August 8 by the 2nd Appellate District in Los Angeles. The previous ruling threatened an estimated 166,000 homeschoolers in California – parents who are disillusioned at the evolution-based education offered at public schools with the attendant moral and crime problems. Details at
www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=71831.

Homosexuals fight to take over the Western world

A Canadian human rights tribunal has ordered a Christian pastor to renounce his faith and never again express moral opposition to homosexuality. Pastor Stephen Boisson was also ordered to pay $5,000 for "damages for pain and suffering" as well as apologize to the gay activist who complained of being hurt by the pastor’s declaration of the Biblical view of homosexuality as sinful. The same Tribunal, which has mandated all managers and employees in Canada to receive a pro-homosexuality “human rights training program”, has also, in April, slammed a Christian ministry with a whooping fine of $23,000 for rejecting a homosexual employee.
Similar battles to gag the Christian view on homosexuality is raging in other countries as well. In the US, a family-owned photography studio in New Mexico which refused, on religious grounds, to take pictures at a same-sex ceremony was asked to pay $6,600 fine for such uncivil "discrimination"; while a Nigerian-born UK Court Registrar, Lilian Ladele, who opts out of officiating at same-sex marriages on her religious conviction was harassed, victimized and threatened; but she maintained her stand. Her landmark victory at a Tribunal in July was widely celebrated among believers worldwide. (see http://kingdomwatch.blogspot.com/2008/07/lillian-ladele-laughs-last.html).
“This is a victory for religious liberty, not just for myself but for others in a similar position,” Lilian enthused. “Gay rights should not be used as an excuse to bully and harass people over their religious beliefs.”
Now, the new battle ground is Colorado in the US where a new law, SB200, is set to continue this gay assault on the larger majority in society. Conscientious Christians are not giving in without a fight, though. According to Steve Curtis, president of the "American RTL [Right to Life] Action, a Colorado-based group: “we're not going to hire someone cohabitating outside of marriage, let alone a homosexual." Fuming, he further declared: "SB200 … makes it a crime for us to publish biblical teaching on immorality, so we are prepared to violate this anti-Christian government censorship. The liberals always said what homosexuals do in private could never affect anyone else; of course that was always a lie; they're trying to criminalize traditional Christianity. The fight is on."
Meanwhile, Hallmark, the largest greeting card company in the United States has began to roll out same-sex wedding cards - featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside.(AP Thu Aug 21)

Interfaith, pro-gay, 'cooperation' blossom at Rick Warren’s Church

Recently, Warren was the envy of all journalists as he got one of the biggest scoops of the year, when both presidential candidates of the Republican Party, John McCain, and of the Democratic Party, Barak Obama agreed to have their first joint public appearance in his church - with him as the interviewer. The event no doubt shows the amount of clout Warren is gathering. However, the not-so publicized fact that the appearance was jointly sponsored by Warren’s Church (Saddleback) and a major homosexual advocacy inter-faith group (Faith in Public Life ) is also telling. It is precisely to maintain such clout that Warren is ever chained to his anti-Biblical yoking with groups purveying values that are diametrically opposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And he tries to justify these with dead “good works”.
Parallel with the Presidential Forum, Warren also convened “an interfaith meeting for 30 Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders "to discuss cooperation for the common good of all Americans." www.onenewsnow.com/Church/Default.aspx?id=189618
Both presidential hopefuls have identical unbiblical opinions about gay and abortion, with Obama being slightly more “liberal”.

Todd Bentley’s Lakeland ‘Revival’ Crashes – Following Moral lapses, Evangelist asked to withdraw from public ministry

We urgently wrote the article in the last edition on the so-called ‘revival’ at the Ignite Church Lakeland, US, under the auspices of visiting Canadian evangelist Todd Bentley, because despite its clearly unchristian character, the phenomenon nevertheless continued to gather raving reviews and endorsements - not only from throngs of young gullible Christians, but from many respected Christian leaders as well.
The Lord Jesus however, did give clear guidelines by which to judge such events, “By their fruits ye shall know them” saith the Lord in Mathew 7: 15ff.
For those who are unable to discern spiritual fruits, the Lakeland ‘revival’ is now producing physical ‘fruits’ which meanings should no longer by difficult to interpret. First was the news from Bentley’s Fresh Fire ministries on August 15, that following the discovery of “information revealing that Todd Bentley has entered into an unhealthy relationship on an emotional level with a female member of his staff”, he “has agreed to step down from his position on the Board of Directors and to refrain from all public ministry for a season to receive counsel in his personal life”. Furthermore, Bentley had separated from his wife and mother of his 3 children, Shonnah .
Fresh fire Board of Directors were clearly confused, and they are not hiding it. In the same breath, the Board refers, in an August 12 prayer request, to “pressures and the burden of the Outpouring” as possibly exacerbating existing tension among the Bentleys, but hasten to add that the “Outpouring is not ‘to blame.’” Ordinarily, a time of revival, if truly from the Lord, ought to be a time of strengthening, if not physically, but spiritually – and the visible fruits must be in repentance, holiness, righteousness, strengthening of Godly relationships and values, forgiveness, etc!
One of the three pastors in charge of Bentley’s rehabilitation, John Arnott of Toronto Airport Church, further revealed on his website that Bentley had the additional problem of “drinking excessively”. As seen on the video False Anointing by Joseph Chambers (available at our Library), getting drunk is no big deal with these “new wave” ministers, but here, even they find Bentley’s drinking “excessive”!
Unfortunately, while many of the so-called leaders who have been endorsing Bentley and his farce of a revival are now compelled to agree that the bubble has burst, many of his deceived neonate Christians still struggle to find straws to cling at. “Don’t judge others, nobody is perfect, etc” are common phrases emanating from blogsites of Bentley’s devotees. GodTV which had carried the Lakeland meetings live all throughout the over 140 days it lasted, had earlier declared that any criticism of Bentley could only be “demonic”!
The disappointed host pastor at the Ignite Church, Lakeland, Rev. Stephen Strader, while reluctantly divulging that Bentley had actually had a similar marriage-threatening “other-woman” relationship, three years ago, still insists that the developments do not in any way invalidate the revival – which had been based solely on Mr Bentley and his mysterious female ‘angel’, Emma! According to Strader: "Miracles are still happening. God's power is still present in the building."
The Fresh Fire ministries, itself while trying to launder its image with the good humanitarian works they are doing in Uganda and elsewhere, hopes to take the development in its strides and plans to continue with its “major African crusade”
While the ostriches may still continue to hide their heads in the sand, others are highlighting lessons to learn from the entire saga. Lee Grady of Charisma magazine was one level-headed Christian whose constituency/readership was deeply involved and supportive of Bentley. He lamented: "Many of us would rather watch a noisy demonstration of miracles, signs, and wonders than have a quiet Bible study." Adding, "Our adolescent craving for the wild and crazy makes us do stupid things. It's way past time for us to grow up."
Andrew Strom (www.revivalschool.com), in an open letter addressed alternately to leaders of the controversial prophetic and apostles movement, Rick Joyner and C. Peter Wagner, asked bluntly: “Sir, if your discernment is such that you could get on a stage and openly endorse one of the most deceptive movements in the history of the church, then - with all due respect - should you really be heading up the apostles of the entire Charismatic world? Are you aware that you have greatly endangered God's precious sheep all around the globe?” See more details from Fresh fire website, or at
www.onenewsnow.com/Church/Default.aspx?id=212520

Olympic Games reveal the character of the coming “One World” Dream

For a country notorious for deadly fake products (recent being its toxic toothpastes in the US), China was certainly happy with her new image and role in promoting the “One World One Dream” gospel of the UN with a clinical near-perfect execution of the 2008 Summer Olympics. According to one literature issued by the Organizers of Beijing 2008, “The slogan ‘One World One Dream’ fully reflects the essence and the universal values of the Olympic spirit -- Unity, Friendship, Progress, Harmony, Participation and Dream.'
In pursuing the Olympic spirit, however, the whole world seems to agree to collectively turn blind eye to the hard realities on ground, and bask in the false euphoria of apparent progress towards the achievement of man-made peace on earth.
Even as the spectacular and breathtaking grand opening of the Games was going on, Russia was rolling in her tanks into Georgia,
claiming to want to protect the interests of ethnic Russians who in turn had been earlier harassed and massacred by Georgian forces! Over 2,000 civilians had been killed before the Georgian Parliament quickly approved a declaration of a ‘state of war’ (www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/09/georgia.russia2). Both Georgia and Russia were at the Games.
Back home in China, several house Churches were closed down and .a number of Chinese House Church Pastors were relocated to remote locations, while the Olympic games lasted. So much for the so-called Olympic spirit and values! (www.onenewsnow.com/Persecution/Default.aspx?id=212700)
The hypocritical and deceptive spirit behind this surface-level “friendship, unity and brotherhood” of mankind is freely reflected throughout the games. “The dazzling chain of massive fireworks” at the Opening Ceremonies, turned out to be “mostly computer-generated;” while the nine year old girl who sang the amazing solo at the event was actually tucked away in some corner, while “a more beautiful girl (with a less perfect voice)” stood on the public rostrum, miming the words and receiving the applause of 91,000 spectators.
In x-raying the spirit of the Beijing Olympics, other questions raised by Berit Kjos in her website included: “Were the vast Olympic construction projects worth evicting more than a million people? Was winning a gold medal worth lying about the age of a gifted gymnast?” For more in depth analyses of this topic, visit www.newswithviews.com/BeritKjos/kjos93.htm
Unfortunately, this is the true reality behind the entire ‘One World One people’ faรงade. It is just nice-sounding verbose, backed with sound logic but a spirituality that is straight from the pit of hell. It is the spirit of the anti-christ.

False Christs: Another ‘Jesus’ appears at Siberia

One of the signs of the end times given by the Lord in Mathew 24 is the emergence of false christs. Today, there are legions of people going by that title, especially as the new age movement teaches that anyone can create their own realities and live in their own self-made (illusory) world. One of the more well-known false Christs in Nigeria is of course Guru Maharajji, the Ibadan-based self proclaimed “master of the universe”. But at least he doesn’t claim to operate a Church.
However, ABC News (US) has recently reported on another wave-making “messiah”, deep in the heart of Siberia's birch forests. Here dwell 5,000 people who have abandoned their families and homes to form “one of the largest and most remote religious communes of the planet.” Another 5,000 people in other locations of the world (mainly Europe) make up the Church of the Last Testament which is centred on one man, Sergei Torop, a former Traffic Warden. He is now known as Vissarion, meaning "he who gives new life," or simply as the teacher, and he claims that he is Jesus Christ.
Seeing the Vissarions and Todd Bentleys of this world, you would think they are competing to act out in true life drama, some of the characters and scenarios described by Frank Peretti in his classic novel, The Visitation! Clarissa Ward of ABC news described the new-look Sergei Torop: “My first
impression seeing the teacher was that he did actually look how one might imagine Jesus. With his long hair, flowing white robes and kind smile, he looked the part. But as the interview began, my feelings soon changed.”
According to the ABC, “Many of Vissarion's followers are educated people from different European countries. Some of them used to work as doctors, teachers and engineers. One was even the former Belorussian deputy railway minister.” ABC NEWS (US) [Disney] June 23, 2008

DARPA funding Warwick on microchip implant project

Remember Kevin Warwick? He is the Professor of Cyberneutics at Reading University, UK where he is pushing the frontiers in the application of the microchip implant to provide an interface between Man and Machine – the subject matter of Cyberneutics. We described his Cyborg 2 experiments in vol 4 No 6, 2001 showing that his efforts to use the microchip to gain unfettered access to the mind of anyone so implanted easily takes the microchip from the realm of technology into the so-called psychic realm, and with clear-cut spiritual implications. Specifically, he inserted microchips into both his wife and himself to demonstrate communication of thoughts and emotions between people located on two different continents via internet interactions between the implanted chips. It was at that stage that we were convinced that the microchip, (capable of not only reading one’s thoughts and emotions, but actually controlling them), would be “the precursor to the mark of the beast” described in advance in Rev 13.
Prof Kevin Warwick, with quite boisterous character going by his numerous press interviews that litter the internet (you may just google his name for some links), has been relatively ‘quiet’ in the last few years. It is therefore interesting reading the reports by Cutting Edge that Prof Warwick has been collaborating actively with the United States Homeland Security through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (D.A.R.P.A) on the Multi Micro Electrode Array (MMEA) project – a project which extends the results of the Cyborg experiments.
Homeland Security was created immediately after the 9/11 attacks to oversee the general internal security in the United States, particularly in light of the declaration of war against terrorism by the US president. That was an enormous responsibility with an appropriate influence and budget to go with it. Since its inauguration, Cabinet positions, including the CIA, Department of Justice, and Department of Defense, that used to report directly to the President of the US now report to the Director of the DARPA, Mr Tom Ridge, who in turn interacts directly with the President.
The question is, what is such a powerful Organization, with clearly indicated interests in mass surveillance and mass controlling of the public, doing with the MMEA? It is quite clear that compared with the MMEA, the commercially-marketed Verichip is no more than a toy; and it has been suggested that the Verichip is really meant to distract the discerning public from probing too deep into the MMEA. It is taken for granted that the publicly-acknowledged research activities of DARPA are only to provide the starting points for the classified activities. Mark of the Beast or not, are we to believe that all these clandestine ‘advancements’ in these worrisome directions are really for the benefit of mankind?
Visit the website of the Cutting Edge ministries (www.cuttingedge.org/) for more interesting details.
www.angelfire.com/d20/philadelphians/index2.html

UPDATES ON ROMAN CATHOLICSM

While the on-going feud in the Anglican communion has been providing hope to shore up alarmingly declining figures in the Catholic Church (see e.g,. Vol 11 No 2), via mass conversion from Anglicannism; this over 1 billion strong denomination whose head is seen as the “Vicar of the Son of God” on earth continues its desperate struggles to remain relevant in other arenas.
Her inter-faith agenda seems to be right on course with the recent warm embrace given the Pope by the moslem community in Sydney during the World Youth Day in July. There an Islamic school offered to host part of the catholic visitors and served as ushers in addition to hosting a papal interfaith event during the visit. (ZENIT NEWS AGENCY [Innovative Media] - July 16, 2008).
Also top of the news is the rumour that President Bush, just like Tony Blair before him, is set to convert to catholicism at the end of his presidential term. Bush has recently developed a strong relationship with the Pope and has made known his deep respect for Catholicism, pandering to its demands in several state matters. According to Rick Santorum, former U.S. senator and close confidant of Mr Bush, "I don't think there's any question about it. He's certainly much more Catholic than Kennedy." CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY - June 16, 2008
However, these gains of the catholic church are hardly sufficient to offset the severe impact of declining figures, continued embarrassment from reports of gross immorality among top clergy and religious orders, and perhaps most hard-hitting of all, that a very large percentage of the teeming catholic crowd are merely “catholic” in name, neither believing in the church’s doctrine nor active in its practices. Responding to a survey conducted in the US by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Denver Roman Catholic Arcbishop Charles Chaput said: "The statistics show, more than anything else, that many who describe themselves as Catholics do not know or understand the teachings of their church,….It also means that the church ought to work harder at evangelizing its own members." (ASSOCIATED PRESS June 23, 2008).
The call of Christ to anyone who accepts that His leadership and authority are still valid in this world, rather than vested in some other person or institution is clear: Come ye out of her, my people…..” (2 Cor 6:17, Rev 18:4)

And as for the rest of the Anglican Communion….?

Meanwhile, with the traditionalists sorting out their future alliances as reported in the two articles above, the remnant Anglican-by-name Church is digging deep into the emergent doctrine, wooing not just the homosexuals and elements of the inter-faith movement, but also actively reaching out to the no-faith movement as well.
The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, in urging Christians to treat atheists and agnostics with “deep esteem” argued that believers may in fact be partly responsible for the decline in faith by their insisting on God as a “fact in the world”. According to the learned Anglican clergy, "If Christians really believed in the mystery of God, we would realise that proper talk about God is always difficult, always tentative….I want to encourage people of faith to regard those without faith with deep esteem because the hidden God is active in their lives as well as in the lives of those who believe."
The atheist gang would not be wooed so easily though. British number 1 atheist, Richard Dawkins, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the cardinal's comments carried no weight.
BBC NEWS [PSB operated by BBC Trust] - May 9, 2008

The other “traditional faction” of the Anglican Communion heads for Rome

Not all those who desire that the Anglican Communion should remain to its traditional doctrines and practices are necessarily taking their stance based on Biblical principles. While one faction of the “traditional wing” of the Anglican communion opted for their own separate spiritual retreat in Jerusalem under the leadership of Dr Peter Akinola of Nigeria, another prominent faction is actively negotiating to be absorbed into the Roman catholic Church. Going by the embarrassing spates of homosexual and often paedophilic practices currently being resolved in the courts in the USA involving top brasses of the Roman Catholic Church, it is clear that the abominableness of homosexuality is a minor point with this other “traditional wing”. In fact the main issue is the ordination of female Bishops.
Reporting on the secret “talks that some believe may presage a mass return of Anglicans to the Catholic fold”, the Sunday Telegraph quoted an Anglican bishop as saying "There can be no future for Christianity in Europe without Rome." In 1992, a large number of Anglican ministers had applied to become Catholics on the condition that Rome would create a provision to retain the traditional Anglican style of worship. Even though some “Anglican Use” catholic parishes were established in the US, the episcopate of the Catholic Church of England and Wales obstructed the solution insisting that “converts would only be accepted individually, not en masse, and there would be no provision made for the retention of 500 year-old Anglican liturgical traditions” (LIFESITENEWS.com,July 7, 2008).
However, Pope Benedict XVI before his election, was known to be a strong supporter of the Anglican traditionalists; and it is expected that things might be different this time around. Reuters reported on July 8 that the Vatican “strongly criticized” the Church of England’s plan to ordain women bishops while The New York Times of the same day wrote that as many as 1,300 Anglican clergy members said they were prepared to leave the church rather than accept women as bishops.

Nigeria leads resistance against Emergent doctrine in the Anglican Communion

Archbshop Peter Akinola of Nigeria is often cited as one of the key leaders in the “traditionalist wing” of the Anglican church who, according to the Washington Post on July 26, “condemns homosexuality as an abomination against God’s teaching”. The call that homosexuality should be embraced and allowed to flourish in the church is a key feature in the emergent doctrine where the distinction between the Church and the world is gradually but steadily being eroded in the name of post-modernity. This is actively being marketed by Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback and his many other colleagues.
Surely, no true Christian will ask that homosexuals should be hanged as is hyprocritically and publicly done in Islamic countries such as Iran. But no one worthy of the name Christian would contest that this abominable and sinful act should be roundly condemned; and those caught in its deadly web should be lovingly helped. In the case of the Anglican Church, the main issue is not even that homosexuals could freely participate in Church life but that they could function in the office of a bishop - while keeping male sleeping partners with them in the vicarage!
The Lambeth conference held once every ten years at Canterbury, is the major stakeholder’s forum in the 77 million-strong Anglican Communion. The 1998 edition of the meeting produced a resolution that declared “active homosexuality” to be incompatible with the teachings of the Bible – technically providing a leeway for so-called “celibate homosexuals”, i.e. those who profess to be homosexuals but are not currently living with a same-sex partner. However, five years later, the U.S. branch of the Anglican Church, the Episcopal Church, elevated a notorious practicing homosexual, Gene Robinson, to the office of a Bishop leading to the breaking away of over a dozen congregations in Virginia from the Episcopal church. The congregations then chose to put themselves under the spiritual leadership of Archbishop Akinola. Seeing the direction of things within the Anglican Communion, the Nigerian Archbishop together with over 200 others from several countries, decided to boycott this year’s Lambeth conference (held in July), convening an alternate conference in Jerusalem, earlier in June. Though not officially invited to Lambeth, Bishop Robinson, together with his recently wedded “wife”, Mr Mark Andrew, attended and freely interacted with the participants.
Contrary to the posturing of many of the so-called Christian spokesmen for homosexuality, the condition is reversible (mainly in those who accept the truth about its reversibility) and this is confirmed by the myriads of ex-gays and ex-lesbians who now live normal lives. Visit one of their websites at http://www.exodusglobalalliance.org/ to read their stories!

Somali Christian martyred

In Somalia, a 28-year-old Christian, who had converted from Islam and has been “described as extremely successful in evangelizing the community” has paid the ultimate price for his faith. Hussein was confronted by Islamic extremists who demanded to know if he faces Mecca when he prays, as required of Muslims. When he replied that his God is omnipresent and he can therefore face anywhere when praying, "the extremists were very much enraged…. and they killed him.”
www.onenewsnow.com/Persecution/Default.aspx?id=201016

Iran unveils painting of...Muhammad

As we reported at various times before, Moslems have been known to deface the Koran so that some innocent Christian with whom they have grudges could be framed up; or even publicly burn the Koran provided these are the copies of their opponents as happened in Sokoto (see Vol. 10 No 4, 2007). In all of these nobody seems to remember to charge the offending moslem for blasphemy!
Now, after all the many innocent lives that have been terminated on the guise that somebody published the cartoon or drawing of the Islamic prophet Mohammed, (e.g. Vol 9 No 2) the Islamic state of Iran is set to unveil a painting of Mohammed. Apparently the idea that “Islam forbids depictions of the prophet Muhammed” applies only to infidels? Details at: www.jihadwatch.org/archives/022299.php or http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8705300937

Saudi Arabia deports Christians for worshipping in their private homes

Fifteen Christians in Saudi Arabia who were accused by government officials of worshipping in their homes have been ordered deported. According to a report from International Christian Concern, the Christians were scheduled for expulsion on Aug 5 “for their part in a home worship service in Taif .”
They were arrested at gun point, Gestapo-style, and ordered to hand over their resident permits and mobile phones. The worshippers initially faced accusations of preaching and singing, but the charges were later changed to holding a 'dance party' and collecting money to support terrorism,"
Details at
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=71498

Iran – House church raided; Elderly couple beaten to death

An Iranian Christian couple in their 60s have died from injuries sustained when secret police raided a house church service hosted at their house and severely beat them. Compass reported in August that the Police beat and arrested Amiri on July 17, along with seven other men, six women and two minors who were attending the service. Amiri died in a hospital on July 30 from injuries sustained from the beating while his wife Sakineh Rahnama, died on Sunday (Aug. 3) from stress-related causes.
Citing the Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN), Compass reported that violence against Amiri was reportedly intensified when the policemen discovered that he had taken a pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the five pillars of Islam required of all devout Muslims, before he had become a Christian. He was also a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, a strong source of Iranian national pride, so his conversion further infuriated police, according to FCNN. All those arrested at the house meeting are reportedly still in custody, including Amiri’s daughter and the two minors.
Arrests and violence against Iranian Christians have intensified in recent weeks. Twelve Christians traveling to Armenia via Tehran were arrested on July 12 at the Kerman airport in south-central Iran. In February the Iranian parliament proposed a draft penal code that demands the death penalty for leaving Islam. Under current Iranian law, “apostasy” is considered a capital offense, but punishment is left to the discretion of the judge. The draft penal code is scheduled to be reviewed in the next parliamentary session. http://www.onenewsnow.com/Persecution/Default.aspx?id=205546

Son of Hamas Leader Embraces Christianity

It is gratifying that despite such intense persecution and efforts of Islamicists to stop men and women trapped in religion to secure liberty through the Lord Jesus Christ, the Truth cannot be bound or trapped. And, as we showed for instance in Vol 11 No 2, multitudes continue to flock out of Islam into a living relationship with their Maker, the Lord Jesus Christ. A recent notable example is the case of Mosab Hassan Yousef, son of one of the most influential leaders of the militant Hamas organization in the West Bank and raised up in a strict Islamic family. Thirty years old Mosab renounced his Muslim faith about 18 months ago, but has recently, damning the ominous consequences, decided to come open with the decision hoping in particular to use it to draw attention to how Palestinian leadership is “misleading” and exploiting its people. He has had to leave behind in Ramallah, his affluent and influential family, where he is regarded as heir apparent. He is currently seeking asylum in the United States, where he attends an evangelical Christian church, Barabbas Road, in San Diego, California. His extraordinary story can be found in the Daily Telegraph of 24th August or Barabbas Road church website (www.whoisbarabbas.com/joseph.html)."
"I knew from the beginning my family would face an impossible situation…. They are definitely suffering because of what I've done…They are not a regular family, they are a very famous family, and Muslims around the world praise my family, praise my father. So when I came with a step like this, it was impossible to think about, it was crazy.
His father, Hassan Yousef, a highly respected sheikh born in the West Bank town of al-Ghaniya near Ramallah, is a founding member of Hamas and has spent more than a decade in Israeli jails for his involvement with Hamas. He was actually in prison when he "got the worst news in his life" - that his son had become a Christian and left Ramallah. However, according to Mosab, “at the same time he (his father) sent me a message of love.
"Everybody is asking him to disown me. You understand if he disowns me he will give terrorists a chance to kill me. … He loves me as a son and he believes that what I've done was something I believed in, but at the same time it's very difficult for him to understand and he won't be able to understand."
It was after a chance encounter nine years ago with a British missionary that Yousef began exploring Christianity. He began to secretly study the Bible and was struck by the central tenet "love your enemies". Joseph, as his friends now call hi, does not however advocate the "collapse of Islam", but rather for people to acknowledge that after 1,400 years "it's not working any more". Abdel-Jaber Fuqaha, an Islamist parliamentarian and friend of the family who described Mr Yousef as "a straightforward, observant Muslim" summarized the situation for all parties concerned: “It is the most difficult thing, to convert from one religion to another."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/2613399/Mosab-Hassan-Yousef-son-of-Hamas-leader-becomes-a-Christian.html

Muslim father roasts Christian daughter to death in Saudi Arabia

A moslem faithful in Saudi Arabia has been taken into police custody for cutting out the tongue of his own daughter and then burning her alive, unto death. The reason for this outrageous callous and wicked action was simply that the girl decided to become a Christian. According to the Gulf News, the girl came to know about Jesus through the Internet. The killer-dad is a devout moslem who works for the mutaween (Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice), an arm of the government that enforces religious purity and is the government’s face of persecution to Christians in Saudi
Arabia.
The state is obviously not keen that this kind of a report should gain much publicity. The name of the man was withheld, as well as the date the hideous crime was committed. However the International Christian Concern, who disseminated the news on the Internet on August 13, learnt that the sad event
“happened recently”.
Amazingly, most pious moslems believe that they are serving the same God as Christians and that the Lord Jesus is a holy prophet of God. What sort of mentality would then make a man to murder his own daughter in a most gruesome manner, not because (at least in his opinion) she had gone against God into immorality for instance, but simply because she is opting for a different way of serving God? This indicates gross confusion indeed and gives the lie to on-going efforts spearheaded by the Saudi monarch at bringing together the so-called three Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Islam and Judaism) as well as Hinduism, Bhuddism and Taosim. Stopping Christian proselytization seems to be a task the Saudis have committed themselves to doing by all means – violence as well as fake peace both included!
This confused worldview is not peculiar to Saudi Arabian moslems alone. The ICC reported that the United States commission on International Religious Freedom has in a recent press release, indicated that textbooks found at the Saudi government school in Northern Virginia, in the United States, teach that “it is permissible for a Muslim to kill an apostate (a convert
from Islam)”. See more details at www.persecution.org.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Now, the world to brace up for Global Cooling!

“The first half of 2008 was the coolest for at least five years,” Reuters has reported, based on a release by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) on Wednesday August 20.
This fact is a sharp embarrassment for global warming alarmists, many who have been predicting brimstone and fire, if urgent steps are not made to revisit the world’s political and economy structure, to give more leverage to the UN and its organs, who supposedly hold the key to save mankind from total environmental catastrophe. The truth however, is that there has been no global warming since 1998 when temperatures leveled off; and now they are beginning to plummet in direct correlation with decline in sunspot activity.
Much anecdotal evidence is at hand to announce what might be the onset of a coming global cooling: China reportedly recently experienced its coldest winter in 100 years while northeast America was hit by record snow levels. In Britain, many are reportedly yearning for global warming as the country suffered its coldest April in decades.
However, available hard data are even more compelling. Despite the predictions by man-made global warming advocates that there would be a mass melting of the polar ice caps this summer, conservative analyses of data collated from the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the University of Illinois show that Arctic ice extent was 30 per cent greater on August 11, 2008 than it was on the August 12, 2007. A similar trend of cooling is also observed at the Antartica, down south.
(Paul Joseph Watson, Prison Planet, Aug. 19, 2008). In fact, a recent release from the prestigious Armagh Observatory in the UK (www.arm.ac.uk/) affirms that global temperatures are actually set to drop by two degrees over the next 20 years as solar activity grinds to a halt and the planet drastically cools down. The Armagh observatory which has been measuring sun cycles for over 200 years, believes such cooling could potentially herald the onset of a new ice age.
Contrast all these with the confident predictions of global warming advocates, such as David Barber of the University of Manitoba, who had told the influential National Geographic Magazine in June that “We’re actually projecting this year that the North Pole may be free of ice for the first time [in history].” Earlier in February, Dr. Olav Orheim, head of the Norwegian International Polar Year Secretariat, had also told Xinhua, “If Norway’s average temperature this year equals that in 2007, the ice cap in the Arctic will all melt away, which is highly possible judging from current conditions.”
Unfortunately, just like the global warming of the past few decades, there is little man can do to influence the more deadly global cooling once it starts! It may not be an unreasonable proposition, turning to the One who put the planet in orbit in the first place, to find out what next to do.

Now, the world to brace up for Global Cooling!

Now, the world to brace up for Global Cooling!
“The first half of 2008 was the coolest for at least five years,” Reuters has reported, based on a release by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) on Wednesday August 20.
This fact is a sharp embarrassment for global warming alarmists, many who have been predicting brimstone and fire, if urgent steps are not made to revisit the world’s political and economy structure, to give more leverage to the UN and its organs, who supposedly hold the key to save mankind from total environmental catastrophe. The truth however, is that there has been no global warming since 1998 when temperatures leveled off; and now they are beginning to plummet in direct correlation with decline in sunspot activity.
Much anecdotal evidence is at hand to announce what might be the onset of a coming global cooling: China reportedly recently experienced its coldest winter in 100 years while northeast America was hit by record snow levels. In Britain, many are reportedly yearning for global warming as the country suffered its coldest April in decades.
However, available hard data are even more compelling. Despite the predictions by man-made global warming advocates that there would be a mass melting of the polar ice caps this summer, conservative analyses of data collated from the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the University of Illinois show that Arctic ice extent was 30 per cent greater on August 11, 2008 than it was on the August 12, 2007. A similar trend of cooling is also observed at the Antartica, down south.
(Paul Joseph Watson, Prison Planet, Aug. 19, 2008). In fact, a recent release from the prestigious Armagh Observatory in the UK (www.arm.ac.uk/) affirms that global temperatures are actually set to drop by two degrees over the next 20 years as solar activity grinds to a halt and the planet drastically cools down. The Armagh observatory which has been measuring sun cycles for over 200 years, believes such cooling could potentially herald the onset of a new ice age.
Contrast all these with the confident predictions of global warming advocates, such as David Barber of the University of Manitoba, who had told the influential National Geographic Magazine in June that “We’re actually projecting this year that the North Pole may be free of ice for the first time [in history].” Earlier in February, Dr. Olav Orheim, head of the Norwegian International Polar Year Secretariat, had also told Xinhua, “If Norway’s average temperature this year equals that in 2007, the ice cap in the Arctic will all melt away, which is highly possible judging from current conditions.”
Unfortunately, just like the global warming of the past few decades, there is little man can do to influence the more deadly global cooling once it starts! It may not be an unreasonable proposition, turning to the One who put the planet in orbit in the first place, to find out what next to do.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Christian persecution intensifying.

Ten college students in North Korea are currently languishing in jail for the simple offence of being caught reading a Bible or watching a DVD about the Bible. [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001CjddaMLHO-EIhFm5rNwa7ueXjPh9h2TO627Xi3Mzfu8uFaRc7YMbzE4ZjFiusnWRH_yoeh5fPZlL-oqvOJvuaMCksPUvr7DAgM5tgmbLgvGimp44lSE34gKWpf7H1wzLkTmNe03DD22ul783Vmp3Mw==] A similar story is reported from Algeria where a Christian woman, Habiba Kouider, was charged after being plucked off a bus, for possession of several Bibles and books on Christianity. The case gained notoriety when Algerian newspapers reported that court officials mocked Habiba for her conversion and pressured her to return to Islam.

The same Algerian court in the city of Tiaret had world’s attention as state prosecutor hounded 6 men before the court for “practicing non-Muslim religious rites without a license.” When that charge would not stick, prosecutors changed their charges to that of engagement in activities that could "shake the faith of Muslims," demanding two-year jail sentences and 500,000 dinar (US$8,145) fines for each of the men. "How can six people shake the faith of 40 million unless the court is convinced that the faith of the 40 million is not based on strong foundations?" one of the accused Christians asked the court in what has now become a popular quote on the internet. Four of the men were found guilty and given 2 – 6 months suspended jail terms plus hefty fines. <http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/021222.php>

Globally, the Church is marching on strong!

Despite the persecutions involved, Moslems continue to troop out of Islam, as reported in last edition. Many, not so much because they were preached to by Christians, but by the self-evident contradictions they find in the religion or even direct visitation by the Lord Jesus in dreams and visions. A new book has just been published by WND Books titled "Why We Left Islam: Former Muslims Speak Out," It contained “gripping firsthand personal accounts of 23 men and women who risked their lives by abandoning the Koran.” One of the ex-Moslems, Waleed, says the attack on the World Trade Center changed him: "On Sept. 11, 2001, I saw the real face of Islam. I saw the happiness on the faces of our people because so many infidels were slaughtered so easily. I saw many people who started thanking Allah for this massacre." http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=62905
Meanwhile, the Indonesian government has ordered Ahmadiyyas to return to orthodox Islam – or face 5 years in prison for "insulting Islam" <http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/021333.php>

Todd Bentley and the “Third Wave Outpouring”

He mentioned Nigeria directly by name in his “Prophetic Directions for 2008”, as God’s own country http://www.etpv.org/2008/pd4208.html. Glowing testimonies from Nigeria are among the top cited ones on his Fresh Fire Ministries website; yet there are disconcerting aspects about Todd Bentley (a Canadian evangelist with global ministry) that the average Nigerian pastor is most likely totally ignorant about. Todd’s interest and great potential influence in Nigeria, is what has made it a burden for Church Arise! to bring out the information that follow in this article. The responsibility for taking appropriate action is then left for the individual pastor and Christian reader of this newsletter.

So what about Todd Bentley? He is the man at the centre of what is being labelled as the “Third Wave” Revival, in the footsteps of the much discredited First and Second Wave revivals at Toronto and Pensacola years back. This “third wave” on-going since April 2, 2008, is happening in the United States. Todd Bentley had been invited to hold a series of meetings, scheduled to last 5 days, at the United Church, Lakeland, Florida, but an outburst of unusual supernatural manifestations has kept the meetings going on ever since, now running into weeks. (Wikipaedia has a brief favourable report here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakeland_revival).

Yes, there are reports of spectacular healings, signs and wonders; but associated with these are also some strange manifestations. Mike Oppenheimer of “Let us Reason” Ministries (http://www.letusreason.org/) describes some of these manifestations: “This revival has all the spiritual sensations and activities of the other revivals combined: Roaring, groaning, burning sensations in the body, head, and stomach; shaking, jerking, spiritual drunkenness and uncontrollable laughter and then some new manifestations. People have their eyes rolled back in the back of their heads. There are reports of women gyrating and pulsating like they've been ravaged from behind by some unseen force.” Todd Bentley himself describes a particular scenario: “During a visitation, the pastor's wife got totally whacked by the Holy Ghost. She began running around barking like a dog or squawking like a chicken as a powerful prophetic spirit came on her.” Oppenheimer, himself a deep occultist before becoming saved, was blunt in declaring: “Holy or un-holy may still be debated by some but to those of us who are knowledgeable of the previous 'revivals' and the power of the occult, the jury is in. The source is not the God of the Bible.” (www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/markell-prophet-wolf.htm)

Todd Bentley, with his tattoos and body piercings (which he had probably when he was still a demon-afflicted Satanist, before becoming a Christian), has far more than these chaotic manifestations to answer for, even if asking the questions has not always been easy. For example, according to Charisma Magazine editor Lee Grady: “When I called for scrutiny of some aspects of the Lakeland Revival, I was labeled a Pharisee and a 'religious policeman.' I had suddenly become the enemy.”

There were also the issues of significant violence associated with Todd’s ministrations - as when he tried to maul a young man he was ministering deliverance to; or his gloating about the kicking of a healing-seeking lady in the face with his biker boot – under the instruction of the ‘Holy Spirit’. Incredible, but it’s true! See http://www.prophezine.com/PZArticles/AreChristiansThatStupidByRayGano/tabid/706/Default.aspx. (For a partial word-for-word transcript of a YouTube video titled, “Todd Bentley's Raging Revival”. See http://www.christianresearchservice.com/ToddBentleyResearchPage.htm) The 2 minute-37 second video may be reviewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K8XjObzfXM. An apologist, futilely attempts to water down the situation, insisting the boot never touched the face of the lady before she fell under the unction of the spirit! (http://completefaith.wordpress.com/).

By far the most serious aspect of this hyped “great outpouring”, however, has to do with doctrine. One major issue is the key role the “female angel” named Emma plays in the whole “revival” saga. Todd describes the so-called angel as a young, (about 22) beautiful female who appears at the meetings spreading gold dust on people, which invariably translates to financial breakthrough for those so-dusted, among other miracles. As part of his new angels-centred theology, Bentley now teaches: “So when I need a financial breakthrough, I don't just pray and ask God for my financial breakthrough. I go into intercession and become a partner with the angels by petitioning the Father for the angels that are assigned to getting me money: 'Father, give me the angels in heaven right now that are assigned to get me money and wealth... Let them go into the four corners of the earth and gather me money.” This type of prayer is unfortunately gaining much currency among Pentecostal circles in Nigeria at the present time. While the Scriptures say the Father will give His angels charge over us, heir of salvation, it is not our job specifying which angels to send and when! Summoning ‘angels’ and ‘spirits’ has long been the main character of the occult.

Further on doctrine, Bentley has been claiming he makes routine trips to the 3rd heaven where he interacts with Abraham, Jesus, and at least on one occasion, interviewed the apostle Paul (http://www.scribd.com/doc/3356633/-Todd-Bentley-DEMONIC-STAR-GATE-PORTALS-TO-THIRD-HEAVENS- ). Bentley describes all these matter-of-factly and is even ready to assist others to learn how to make these no-big-deal trips. Any informed Christian would easily understand that the trips are nothing different from the out-of-the-body astral travels that are so common in new age spirituality, where a horde of demons meet the gullible seeker at the point of his/her expectations – from posing as UFOs, to taking on forms of dead relatives, or (for the religious minded folks) some biblical character!

Read more on this subject matter from Jan Markell’s article FOOTPRINTS OF A PROPHET OR TRACKS OF A WOLF? http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/markell-prophet-wolf.htm

Apostasy and The Last Days

The New Testament teaches us to expect that apostasy will arise within the church throughout the church age, but especially during the last days of the church. In fact, guarding against apostasy is one of the top priorities that the New Testament assigns for a pastor and the spiritual leadership of a local church to be engaged.

There are seven major passages that warn of the dangers latent during the church's last days (1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 4:3-4; James 5:1-8; 2 Pet. 2:1-22; 3:3-6; Jude 1-25). Interestingly, virtually all of these comments come from the epistles written shortly before the death of each Apostle writing (i.e., during the last days of the various Apostles), as if to highlight their warnings about apostasy in the last days of the current church age. Every one of these passages emphasizes over and over again that the great characteristic of the final time of the church will be that of
apostasy.

Laodicea is the seventh church of Revelation 2—3 and likely represents the condition of the final stage of the church. Laodicea is clearly the most apostate of the seven churches. In fact, our Lord threatens to spew this self-sufficient church out of His mouth (Rev. 3:16). The apostasy of the church in our day is preparing Christendom for her role during the tribulation as the Great Whore of Babylon (Revelation 17:1-7) that will be used by the Antichrist to gain world power.

The New Testament pictures the condition within the professing church at the end of the age by a system of denials.

• Denial of God—Luke 17:26; 2 Timothy 3:4-5
• Denial of Christ—1 John 2:18; 4:3; 2 Peter 2:6
• Denial of Christ's return—2 Peter 3:3-4
• Denial of the faith—1 Timothy 4:1-2; Jude 3
• Denial of sound doctrine—2 Timothy 4:3-4
• Denial of the separated life—2 Timothy 3:1-7
• Denial of Christian liberty—1 Timothy 4:3-4
• Denial of morals—2 Timothy 3:1-8,13; Jude 18
• Denial of authority—2 Timothy 3:4[5]

The clear course of the last days for the church consists of constant warnings to the believer to be on guard against doctrinal defection, known as apostasy. Scripture indicates that apostasy will characterize Christendom during the time when the rapture will take place. Thus we need to be sober and alert to the many ways in which the current evangelical church in America is sinking into apostasy, lest we too become caught up in things that are not pleasing to our Lord. Maranatha!

Thomas Ice
(culled from http://www.pre-trib.org/pdf/Ice-TheEnd-TimeApostasy.pdf)

Church continues to lose ground to Islam in Britain

Church attendance in Britain is declining so fast that the number of regular churchgoers will be fewer than those attending mosques within a generation, according to a research reported by the Times of London on May 8. Yet, a traditionalist Anglican who advocates that the Church of England work explicitly to convert Muslims to Christianity is under intense fire, especially from “senior figures in the Church”. Paul Eddy, a lay member of the General Synod, is unwavering though. Speaking to the Sunday programme on BBC Radio Four, he said that in an effort to be inclusive and inoffensive, the church had "lost its nerve" and was "not doing what the Bible says". "Both Christianity and Islam are missionary faiths," he observed. "For years, we have sent missionaries throughout the whole world, but when we have the privilege of people of all nations on our doorstep, we have a responsibility as the state church to share the gospel of Jesus Christ."

Paul faulted the argument that preaching the undiluted Christian message would be offensive to Islam: "Most Muslims that I've talked to say, 'I really wish that Christians would stop watering down their faith and expecting us to do the same.. Until we start really saying what we really believe in our faith, there will be no respect.” Speaking further, he said: "Actually, to present to a Muslim that we believe Jesus is the only way to God, they'll say, 'We know that'. "They will expect us - if we're true Christians - to try to evangelise them, in the same way they will expect us, if they're true Muslims, to adopt their faith." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7418957.stm

Meanwhile, two pastors, Arthur Cunningham, 48, and Joseph Abraham, 65, handing out gospel leaflets in a predominantly Muslim area of Birmingham, England, were threatened with arrest and warned of being beaten for committing what an officer called a "hate crime."

They were accosted by police community support officer, or PCSO who told them that they “were in a Muslim area and were not allowed to spread [the] Christian message." In April, Rev. Michael Nazir-Ali, bishop of Rochester and the Church of England's only Pakistan-born bishop, had written in the Telegraph that certain pockets of England were becoming "no-go" zones, places too dangerous for non-Muslims to enter. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=65922

Progress on the One World Government Agenda

World leaders, under the United Nations, had an emergency 3-day food summit in Rome, early June and agreed to act quickly and boldly to control soaring food prices that threaten nearly 1 billion people with hunger and could trigger global social unrest. (Los Angeles Times, June 4, 2008). Like we have written extensively in the past, food shortage is one of many “global problems” which is forcing governments to come together to seek for “global solutions”, which of course are all geared to ending with nations losing their sovereignties and a one world government being instituted. The environment (global warming, etc) and terrorism are other major issues.

The arrowhead and model for the One World Government agenda is surely Europe. European agenda received a leap forward with the recent approval of the EU treaty by the UK Parliament – despite the position of the Irish (the only entity that subjected the matter to referendum) to reject it. See BBC Coverage at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7461918.stm With this, other moves to institute Europe-like regional governments in other regions of the world have received a boost.

On May 23, South American leaders signed an agreement to establish the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). Modelled after the EU, the treaty sets goals for integration of energy and transportation networks and immigration policies. It also creates a South American parliament in Cochabamba, Bolivia. According to Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the creation of a South American bloc is a step towards the creation of a single central bank and a single regional currency.

Institutions are not left out of these moves towards global governance. According to Business Week (May 23, 2008), tax collecting agencies from many nations are joining forces in new collaborations to hound tax cheats all across the globe – much like the Interpol and other investigative units already collaborate on criminal matters. Surely the days of the anticipated global tax are nearby - which tax the UN desperately seeks, and many believe is responsible for that organization’s adamant insistence that man is the main cause of global warming, so that nations may be appropriately taxed to finance the solution.

Meanwhile, the silence from the corporate press was deafening, as none dared to include a single mention of the meeting of the powerful Bilderberg group meeting which held June 6-8 at Chantilly, in the United States. Imagine a meeting of over 125 global power brokers including David Rockefeller, Henry Kissinger, the secretary general of NATO, Ben Bernanke, Condoleezza Rice, CEO's of the world's biggest corporations, U.S. politicians and European royalty, together with a secret visit by American presidential hopeful Barak Obama and his arch contender, Hillary Clinton – all these folks, meeting amidst tight security and the ubiquitous protesters, yet absolutely no mention of the event in any corporate media house, local or international! Anyone who still believes there is nothing like a secretive high-level move to discuss global issue and governance, to borrow an expression from ex-President Obasanjo, “needs to have their head examined”.

Challenging Darwin in 2009

The year 2009 will mark the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species and the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth. Not surprisingly, there is a flurry of activities being planned by evolutionists to mark these two anniversaries and maintain the stranglehold that Darwin’s ideas have held on intelligence in our world. Thankfully, the Creation Ministries International has been working on an excellent Biblical response. Its Darwin Project is a major international documentary film which revisits some of the places Darwin visited, and ideas he formulated, during his historic 1830’s voyage on HMS Beagle. Together with natural history footage from South America, period re-enactments and interviews with leading authorities from around the world, the documentary will illustrate how the evolutionary viewpoint is far from the tried and tested science fact that many believe it to be. It will investigate the man, the legend and the unfortunate world-changing legacy of Charles Darwin. The enthralling quality one hour international broadcast documentary will also include dramatic re-enactments. Check the progress, and support this worthy initiative at DarwinFilm.com.

Meanwhile, the famous evangelical apologist and erudite scholar, R.C. Sproul of Ligonier Ministries said he has changed his publicly advocated non-literal reading of the opening chapters of Genesis. In his recently published three-volume layman’s guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith entitled Truths We Confess, he says he has changed his position from what he held for most of his teaching career. He now believes that God indeed made the earth in six literal days, and not some undeterminable long eons or epochs, as some attempt to reason, in order to placate the current dominant (even though clearly faulty) scientific position. See details at http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/5774. Visit also www.icr.org for many stunning results from ongoing scientific research by very competent and proven scientists on the subject matter.

Earthquakes, cyclones and weather warfare

Despite what has been described as “probably the most swift and effective response to a large-scale natural disaster in peacetime by any government in history," about more than 80,000 people are confirmed dead or missing from China's worst earthquake in decades. The government said on May 22, 10 days after the event, that more than 29,000 were still missing. Another 288,000 people were reportedly injured while some 5 million were left homeless by the 7.9 magnitude quake. At Beichuan, the quake killed 8,600 of the 13,000 residents, and since “not a single building remains safe”, authorities are planning to completely abandon the site, as a monument and a memorial to commemorate the quake victims. A new Beichuan will be built at a new site. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080522/ts_nm/quake_dc_23;_ylt=AhDw5Ac5G7hw_rFLpcRBI0n0kPUI.

Only 10 days earlier, a terrible cyclone had swept past Myanmar (former Burma) killing, by government’s official toll, as at the last count, 84,537 human beings with another 53,836 missing. A million were rendered homeless. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j-KLCx-cPpNwkc58Tlon43vaIOBQD91H9F8O1.

The response of the military authorities at Myanmar became a major international concern as some international aid workers were denied entry visa, on the basis that they might have other interests such as espionage, in mind. Such fears, unfortunately, are often not baseless – underscoring the complexities of the world we live in.

But real complexity was introduced into the situation when Benjamin Fulford, posted a video on YouTube (reposted on Google Video) claiming that US military authorities were behind the earthquake at China, and possibly the Myanmar’s cyclone also (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InV0cVH6KZc). Citing the visible lights noticed at the quake area about a quarter of an hour before the quake, many bloggers seem to be agreed, that such was consistent with activities traceable to the US new High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP). [Wikipaedia has a well balanced article on HAARP at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Frequency_Active_Auroral_Research_Program.].

Anyway, it is generally agreed that earthquakes could be predicted by the radiowave emissions from the ground and changes to the ionosphere created by subterranean pressure – which generates a very strong magnetic field; but the question is whether the reverse process is feasible – electrically charging the ionosphere to trigger earthquakes. The fact that the US military has secured several patents for exactly that kind of facility is not helping matters however! Way back in 1996, in an article titled, “Weather As A Force Multiplier: Owning the Weather in 2025,” the US military wrote that:
“It could have offensive and defensive applications and even be used for deterrence purposes. The ability to generate precipitation, fog and storms on earth or to modify space weather… and the production of artificial weather all are a part of an integrated set of [military] technologies.”
http://www.fas.org/spp/military/docops/usaf/2025/v3c15/v3c15-1.htm
see, the article,Warring with Earthquakes, US next? at http://www.bbsradio.com/cgi-bin/webbbs/webbbs_config.pl/noframes/read/21547, or ,for more general details and references, www.weatherwars.info.

Whatever be your take on the cause of these bizarre earthquakes, cyclones and volcanos – whether natural or man-made, one thing is clear: the frequency, magnitudes and impacts have been unprecedented. Hearts of men all over are indeed failing them. All these fall squarely in line with the predictions of the Scriptures that at the end times, these things will be exactly so.


Earthquake may destroy the Jerusalem shrines - forecast

While on the subject of earthquakes, an Interfax report on May 30, says a powerful earthquake in the Middle East is being widely expected. The earthquake will not only endanger “dozen thousands of human lives, but also world famous shrines such as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Wailing Wall, the scientists warn.” According to Israel seismologists, a 7.00 earthquake may happen any time. Dr. Ron Evny from the Beer Sheva University, was quoted as saying powerful earthquakes have taken place in the Holy Land once in 84 years from the mid 18th century. The last powerful earthquake (6,25) was registered in Palestine on July 11, 1927 and caused 300 deaths.

Many Jewish faithfuls who look forward to the erection of the 4th Temple on its original site, currently occupied by the Al Aqsa mosque, freely express their conviction that something, even if it had to be an earthquake, will remove the mosque when the time comes for the Temple’s re-birth. Hence the confident preparations for the Temple life, such as the preparation of the linen garments by the Temple Institute, as we reported in the last edition of CA!

Prestigious Children's hospital launches puberty-delaying programme for kids

A doctor at the renowned Children's Hospital Boston has launched a new program to drug children to delay puberty until they can decide whether they want a male or a female body. Before puberty, there is not much apparent differences between the male and female bodies.

Defending the Gender Management Services (GeMS) programme, 64 year old Dr Norman Spack ranted about a so-called “Gender Identity Disorder”, which makes people uncomfortable with the gender they are born into. Spack told an interviewer that he has seen "preadolescents" who have been dressing in underwear of the opposite sex "for years." Apparently such a serious problem must be urgently dealt with by all means possible! (www.childrenshospital.org/newsroom/Site1339/mainpageS1339P351sublevel434.html)

The “GID patients” seen at Dr Spack’s GeMS clinic “have no known genetic, anatomic, or hormonal abnormality, yet they identify as the opposite sex.” And even though, according to the WND, (based on reports from LifeSiteNews) Spack had previously acknowledged that only about 20 percent of children who claim to have a confusion over their gender hold those feelings in adulthood”, the Children Hospital Boston is still excited in announcing their programme which they flaunt as "unique in the Western hemisphere."

Of course such a procedure has serious implications for the patient’s reproductive ability in the future, but Spack waves that aside. “Fitting in” socially is by far more important! In his own words, "You have to explain to the patients that if they go ahead, they may not be able to have children. … But if you don't start treatment, they will always have trouble fitting in,". Wonder which should be able to explain to the young child – to accept his natural gender, or accept being sterilized for fitting in sake! For a peep into the kind of perversed person Spack really is, check the articles by the pro-family Mass Resistance organization: http://massresistance.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html ! "We don't think that demonic is too strong a word to describe this," the organization said in a statement. "It brings us thoughts of the Nazi doctors who thought they were doing good things”.…"This is going on at the world-renowned Children's Hospital in Boston – not some backwater clinic. This is the elite of the medical profession," the organization further lamented.

WorldNetDaily has reported previously on some of the controversies prompted by the belief that a man can be born in a woman's body, or vice versa, including in Montgomery County, Md., where county officials have adopted a law that precludes those who provide public accommodations from discriminating based on that "gender identity." http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=60721

Many people are referring, quite correctly in our opinion, to all these development as the ‘homosexualization’ of children – much like the “catch them young efforts” we alluded to in an earlier article (see http://nigeriaworld.com/articles/2006/feb/072.html)

THE MARCH TOWARDS MANDATORY MICROCHIPPING

Just as every other index of the coming Rapture and eventual post-rapture life on earth, the climax in the battle to forcibly coerce/cajole all human beings on earth to receive a microchip insert seems fast approaching.

One evidence is the fervour with which certain states in the US, (who should know what they are doing) are spinning out laws proscribing the forceful/coerced microchipping of any individual in their territory. The latest to do that was the state of Okhlahoma (www.publicbroadcasting.net/kosu/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1284048§ionID=1); joining others such as Wisconsin, North Dakota, and California who have already passed similar bills. Yet others, Missouri, Georgia, New Hampshire, Ohio, Colorado, Washington, and Florida are considering identical legislation. [However, it has been noted that a Federal bill could overrule these individual bills from the states!]. One argument often sounded by critics of this kind of bill is that no one has complained of being forced over the issue, and such bills are really much fuss over a non-existent problem . Or is it?

Apart from the “troubling insiders’ information” that One of the discussions at the recently concluded Bilderberg’s 2008 meeting was the need to microchip all, ostensibly to fight terrorism (http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/june2008/061008_secret_agenda.htm), the public arrowhead of microchipping, the company VeriChip, seems to be making a last ditch break or win effort to get the chip acceptable to the public.

In a blitzkrieg advertising campaign launched in April (beginning with the website http://www.healthlinkinfo.com/, and including TV and newspaper ads), the company is presenting its human microchip implant Verimed, now re-branded as Health Link system, directly to people through retail stores. According to Scott Silverman, CEO and chairman of VeriChip, the company hopes to be able to convince 1,000 South Florididans, within 3 months, to get a chip linked to health records for less that $150. If this gets done, the company hopes to get the much needed lifeline to prevent total collapse and strategize further expansion to other regions of the country, most likely beginning in northern New Jersey. According to Mr Silverman, "If, three months from now, nobody gets the chip, we will have to look at our business model.” http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/4055/2/1/

There are indeed grounds to expect people will continue to keep their distance from the chip, despite the 900 or so hospitals on the East Coast which have agreed to participate in the VeriChip system. No thanks to Katherine Albrecht and her anti-chip organization which has also launched their own campaign with the release of a damning 42 page report (June 3) featuring 85 frequently asked questions on the microchip. The document clearly shows the product as a totally bankrupt system, prone to innumerable failures and quite obviously incapable of delivering on its many great hypes. At the same time, it is subject to innumerable health and security hazards. And for all these hazards and failures, which are kept well hidden from the public, the gullible subscriber is made to sign away any right to legal recourse. Download a copy of this must-read document from . http://www.antichips.com/faq/pdf/albrecht-microchip-implants-faq.pdf

While on the website, readers are encouraged to download Dr. Albrecht's comprehensive 52-page overview of the studies, "Microchip-Induced Tumors in Laboratory Rodents and Dogs: A Review of the Literature 1990-2006," and to review scanned copies of the original documents. http://www.antichips.com/cancer/albrecht-microchip-cancer-full-paper. Part of the several questions the document address is the “much ado about nothing” issue. Two interesting instances in the US Congress were cited:

First U.S. Senator Joe Biden, was quoted as having told Justice John Roberts during his Supreme Court Confirmation hearings on September 12, 2005:
"Can a microscopic tag be implanted in a person's body to track his every movement? There's actual discussion about that. You will rule on that, mark my words, before your tenure is over."

Also Senator Arlen Spector, according to the Congressional Record affirmed that “President Uribe [of Colombia] said he would consider having Colombian workers have microchips implanted into their bodies before they are permitted to enter the United States to work on a seasonal basis….”

So far, the work of Albrecht, particularly the publication by the Associated Press last September of research linking the implantable microchip to cancer, has had considerable impact on Verimed’s public image and its financial performance. According to Albrecht, “The same company that once predicted revenues in the "billions" earned just $3,000 from its microchip implant operations in the first quarter of 2008, as patients shun the device that many are now calling the "cancer chip."

Investors have also distanced themselves from the failing company, with VeriChip's stock plummeting from a high of $10.62 last year to just over $2.00 today.” To date, Verimed admits only about 600 people have been chipped in the US, though Caspian feels up to 2000 people outside the US might have received one.

However, what may not be freely said is that those who are bankrolling the whole enterprise are really not after profit; but public control. Once the current basic microchips are accepted for implantation, more sophisticated ones (such as those demonstrated by Prof Kevin Warwick of Cyberneutics department, University of Reading) which have thoughts control capacity, could be introduced leading eventually to the mark of the beast predicted in the Bible for the end times (see Rev. 13:16)