Information Related to "World News and Prophecy - Nov 1998"
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World News and Prophecy
Biblical Perspectives on Current Events
NOVEMBER, 1998
United Church of God
Contents
by Melvin Rhodes
by Darris McNeely
by John R. Schroeder
by Darris McNeely
In Search of Heroic Leadership
by Donald Ward
Cloning: Is Man About to Make Himself In His Own Image?
by CecilE. Maranville
by Cecil Maranville, Mario Seiglie, John R. Schroeder and David Palmer
This Is the Way... Any Room at the Inn?
by Robin Webber
The United Church of God provides World News and Prophecy (WNP) as an educational service for interested persons. The purpose of WNP is to help readers discern the times and increase their awareness and understanding of current events in the light of Bible prophecy. Although the staff strives for truth and accuracy in its reporting, analysis, and Bible commentary, WNP is not a doctrinal publication. Articles do undergo both an editorial and a review process.
Reflections On Mitteleuropa
Remember the words of the hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers?" Their meaning really comes home to you when you travel in central Europe. I had an opportunity to do just that in early September, accompanying my parents on tours of three central European cities: Prague, Budapest and Vienna, with a number of other stops en route. An additional blessing was joining 32 other people on our bus, all from the northern England area where I grew up and where my parents still live. I found it particularly interesting to hear their comments on the emerging European Union.
It is sometimes very difficult for those who have grown up in the Anglo-Saxon countries to really grasp history and prophecy. The reason is quite simply that our nations have been around so long. I know that the United States is only 220 years old, but it has enjoyed over 130 years of peace and stability, with a continuous political system within the same stable borders since the end of the Civil War. England has done even better, with almost 300 years of stability under the present royal house, stability that nations like Australia and Canada have been able to share in through their ties to the throne.
This means that nobody living in either of these countries is as old as the country itself. Our memories are of stability so it is difficult to understand the turmoil that others nation have found themselves experiencing during our lifetimes. Yet, it is true to say, that most of the nations in the world today are younger than I am, and I am not yet 50.
The Czech Republic and Slovakia, for example, two of the countries I recently visited, are only just over five years old. Today's Hungary is less than ten years old. The Austrian Republic, as it now is, did not come into existence until 1955. The Federal Republic of Germany did not exist until 1949 - and with its present borders, is only seven years old. Even France's Fifth Republic is only celebrating its fortieth anniversary.
Of course, there were nations on the same pieces of land for centuries before the present political entities came into existence. Some of those nations were even composed of ancestors of the present occupants. But the past, as they say, was another country, no less so than Colonial America was distinct from the United States of America.
These changes have all had an effect on the peoples of these different lands. Whereas Americans and Britons have been lulled into a false sense of security, the peoples of nations that have endured decades of war, foreign domination, political uncertainty, revolutions, divisions, and financial upheaval suffer from what the Germans refer to as angst, a constant worry about the future.
I have often observed that, whereas most American males read the sports page first, most Europeans don't. When you travel on the London Underground it's interesting to see what people are reading. Most are reading a newspaper-there are plenty to choose from-but most people do not read the sports page first. The front page often impacts their daily lives in a way that Americans would find difficult to understand. Accordingly, the average citizen is usually better informed about the issues of the day than the average American.
It came as no surprise then, that the people on our tour all had an opinion on the Euro, the new currency that will bind eleven European nations together from January 1, 1999, just a few weeks away. The United Kingdom is not one of the eleven. The ruling Labour government is in favor of the Euro but will not consider joining it until after the next election, due in 2002. The opposition Conservative Party is divided over the issue, with most of its members against the Euro.
It is hard for Americans to understand the issues here. It is as if the United States was forming an economic union with all the nations of the Americas, and now a common currency was to be set up run by an independent bank based in Havana, Cuba. With a three year transition to start in January, initially both the U.S. dollar and the "Curo" (fictional name for the new currency of the Americas) would be accepted in all businesses, but by the year 2002 the dollar would be phased out and only the Curo would remain, with a "Super Federal Reserve" based in Havana.
With the above scenario, it's doubtful that many Americans would be supportive of the change. Yet opinion polls show that just under 50 percent of the British electorate now supports the Euro. One third is opposed while the others remain undecided, or disinterested.
The dominant nation of the Euro will be Germany, with whom Britain has fought two major conflicts this century. The British people are, in effect, being asked to hand over control of their finances to peoples of other nations, principally their old enemy, Germany.
That's an over-simplification. London is still Europe's biggest financial center, a role that began in colonial times but has continued right up until this time. The British pound is still a major world currency, though not as vital to the world trading system as it once was. Britain has lost a great deal of its independence since joining the European Community in 1973, but losing its own currency and adopting one controlled mostly by others would be the biggest single step ever taken away from independence. Whatever course Britain decides upon, its role as an international financial center will be affected.
For hundreds of years, the British people struggled against continental domination, to preserve their own freedom and the freedom of others and the unity of the multitude of nations that formed the British Empire until fairly recent times. Successive British governments based their foreign policies on not getting involved in European affairs any more than they had to, but always being ready to intervene to stop any single European power from getting too powerful. Now, the British have completely reversed the safe policy of centuries to actually become a part of the latest European super-power, the German led European Union.
Other nations, too, are becoming increasingly enamored of the E.U. Former communist nations in eastern Europe are turning their eyes away from the east to the west, western Europe, that is. All seem to want to be a part of the E.U. The Czech Republic and Hungary are two of the most successful former communist nations. Hungary's economy has really taken off since the end of the communist era. It now shows all the signs of being successfully incorporated in the capitalist west, with many western companies already operating there, as well as having traffic jams and the visibly obvious social evils that freedom brings.
Slovakia isn't doing so well. Economically it's progressive, having embraced free enterprise. But its government is still too dictatorial which holds it back. Entering and leaving Slovakia was very interesting-theirs was the only border with long delays, a sure sign of dictatorship.
Borders have become almost meaningless in western Europe. We emerged from the Channel Tunnel in France. Before we knew it, we had traveled through Belgium and were in Germany, not having had to show any passport or identification. These nations, together with some others, have removed all border controls allowing a totally free movement of people.
The Czech Republic is not yet a member of the E.U., but its border had little substance. We crossed very quickly. For the first time I had to travel on an American passport this trip, as my British passport had expired. I was singled out at all border crossings for special handling, much to the amusement of my English travelling companions. They all now have European passports and can cross any border with minimum hassle. You can certainly see advantages to the new Europe.
This new Europe is part of the appeal of the Euro. In an age where many travel to different countries the desire for one currency for all the nations of Europe appeals to people. Loss of independence seems to be of secondary importance to many.
Although the British government has not yet decided on membership of the Euro, one third of British companies reportedly are gearing up for it. It will be possible for visitors to spend Euros in the biggest British stores. This will add pressure to fully embrace the new money.
But it's on the continent of Europe that enthusiasm for the E.U. is greatest. This has been a disastrous century for the peoples of Europe. It has seen many wars during the three millennia of its written history, but in this century alone two world wars have been fought on its soil. Millions were killed, many millions more dispossessed, having to relocate to strange surroundings. By some estimates, 90 percent of Europe's historical treasures were destroyed in World War II alone. There has been much civil conflict and political division throughout this century, with ethnic tensions often surfacing. The 40-year division of the Cold War only recently came to an end-fears of Russian instability continue to dominate headlines on the continent.
The desire amongst most of the people of the continent today is for unity. Few have thought it through to the extent of exactly what kind of unity they want, but most would agree with the stated intent of the E.U. to work toward "an ever closer union," this same union which is prophesied in the pages of our Bible (see Revelation, chapter 13 and chapter 17; and Daniel chapter 7). Revelation 17:12-14 shows that there will be a union of ten nations who receive power with the beast for one hour immediately prior to the return of Jesus Christ. Indeed, these "ten kings" (ten nations, or groups of nations) will turn against Jesus Christ at His return, but they will not win.
This union could pose a major threat to the Anglo-Saxon nations that have dominated the world for the last two or three centuries. Ironically, both the United States and Great Britain have played major roles in creating this European Union. Even amongst the British people, who are a part of this new Europe, there is a great deal of ignorance on the implications. Nobody on our bus even knew of the European Union-they all still referred to it as the EEC (European Economic Community), its former name when the intention was to create a single economy. The name was changed a few years ago to show that the goal now is full economic, political and military union, "an ever closer union". In a similar way, Americans often refer to the Euro as the Eurodollar, which it isn't. Europe has moved forward considerably during this decade.
In the next issue of WNP we will take a closer look at the three cities visited on my European tour, to understand their history and the historical, political and economic forces that are driving them toward European unity. v
What Is Europe?
In an article in the October 19, 1998, Wall Street Journal titled "Europeans Search For a Shared Identity Amid Dark Memories," reporter Robert Frank outlined some of the contradictions that lie in the path of eventual European union:
"'What exactly is Europe?' asks Angelique Berky, a 15-year-old high-school student in a European Studies class. Her classmates are equally puzzled. 'Isn't it everything between Russia and Iceland?' offers a classmate. 'Russia isn't Europe,' interrupts a girl with a baseball hat and Nike sneakers. 'Britain's not really Europe either. They're more like…Americans.'"
"So it goes in Europe's quest to find itself. Even as this sweeping region exudes newfound confidence-new currency, new leaders, new hype about a Third Way to organize national economies-Europe is beset by growing angst about its identity and place in the world. No region produces as many schemes to define itself, and yet no region remains as poorly defined. While America and Asia are grappling with the world financial crisis, Europe has the added existential burden of figuring out just what it is" (Wall Street Journal, October 19, 1998, page 1).
Unification in Spite of Resistance
The process of unification will continue despite uncertainty and resistance inherent in the differences of the many nations that constitute Europe. The many languages of Europe constitute a formidable barrier to the single identity that a true union represents. While many, especially the youth, are bilingual, most Europeans cannot carry on a conversation in a language other than their own.
Thirty-six countries constitute the traditional definition of "Europe." It stretches from Iceland in the west to the Ural mountains of Russia in the east, and from the Arctic circle in the north to Turkey in the south. The diversity of culture alone represents major impediments to union that under normal processes will take years and delicate wisdom to surmount. Defining a "European culture" is almost impossible. American music and movies dominate the European entertainment scene, as they do in much of the world.
When it comes to creating a common foreign policy the E.U. has plans on the books for its own foreign minister, but it is a long way from acting with a united front toward any international incident, much less affairs in its own backyard. The recent crisis in Kosovo, the separatist region of the former Yugoslavia, is a case in point. No European nation has been able to offer a solution to this tragedy. To this day any serious attempt at settlement has only come through the diplomatic efforts of the United States. The same could be said for the entire Balkans crisis of the 1990s.
"Europe wasn't founded in Rome, but on Freud's couch in Vienna," says Pedro Schwartz, economics professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid. "The Germans want to forget Hitler, the French want to control the Germans, the Spanish want to forget Franco and the Italians want any government but their own. Is this the makings of a union?" (ibid.).
On the surface it may not look like a union, but unseen events have a way of producing changes in world affairs that create unexpected and unforeseeable alignments of nations. For decades the church of God has watched the European political scene for the rise of a bloc of nations that will fulfill the scriptures about an end time entity called "the beast" as described in Revelation 13 and 17. Why have we looked with such intense scrutiny at Europe and the unification of its nations over the years?
The Holy Roman Empire
We have understood the Roman Empire to be the fulfillment of the two legs of the image in Daniel 2:33 and the fourth beast of Daniel 7:7. This fourth beast also had ten horns. The Roman Empire in the west collapsed in 476 A.D. when Rome was overrun by barbarian tribes from the north. The eastern emperor, Justinian, attempted a short-lived restoration in 554 A.D. This healing of the "deadly wound" (Rev. 13:3) did not endure and it was not until 800 A.D. that we have the beginning of what history calls the Holy Roman Empire, which was a continuation of this system of church and state, a true spiritual heir of the ancient Roman Empire. Charlemagne was crowned imperator Romanorum and reigned over a united Europe from his palace in Aachen.
This revival was continued with the ascendancy of Otto the Great in 962 A.D. The Hapsburg dynasty of the 16th century under Charles V was next in line until the arrival of Napoleon in the late 1700s. Napoleon desired to re-create a Roman-European civilization, this time led by France, and had himself crowned emperor by the Pope in 1804. The French leader considered himself the worthy successor of Charlemagne and believed that Europe would not see peace until it was united under one sovereign.
Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini are the two agents of the twentieth century phase of the ancient Roman system with their alliance during World War II. Mussolini went so far as to declare his rule a form of the resurrected Roman Empire in 1936. Both men made agreements with the Catholic papacy that mutually benefited both church and state during this dark period of the twentieth century. Hitler's Third Reich dominated more areas of Europe under a single banner than any time since that of ancient Rome.
What Do We Look For?
Today we wait for a final revival of this ancient system called "the beast." The arrival of this political power will dominate the world scene in the days prior to Christ's return. How and when will this all come about? It might be helpful to review the basic scenario as shown in Daniel and Revelation.
The second chapter of Daniel describes an image seen by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, with a head of gold, arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet made of a mixture of iron and clay (Daniel 2:32,33). Based on Daniel's explanation to the king we understand the head to be the ancient Babylonian empire. From that we deduce that the subsequent Persian, Greek, and Roman empires in world history correspond with the other sections of the image. Daniel's interpretation shows that "a stone...cut without hands...struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. And the stone...became a great mountain and filled the whole earth" (verses. 34-35). Verse 44 shows "in the days of these kings (those represented by the feet), the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed."
Here we have an overview of history from the time of Daniel to the establishment of God's kingdom at the return of Jesus Christ. Revelation 17 gives us a closer view of the figure's 10 toes where they are described as 10 "horns" of a beast representing "ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast" (Revelation 17:12). These ten kings, whatever they represent, are the final revival of the system that sprang from the roots of the Roman Empire at its fall in 476 A.D. As we have seen there have been numerous resurrections of that ancient system that have pulled together political and spiritual power to rule over many nations. Revelation 17 shows there is one that "has not yet come" (verse 10). This is the one we look for in today's world scene.
History and prophecy show that powerful religious figures in the person of the Roman Catholic papacy have cooperated with these political entities to further their own purpose. The future and final union of these two forces will create an unprecedented combination of influence and world power unlike any the world has previously seen (Revelation 17:3). This is why we have always looked to the European scene for an understanding of where we are in the march of prophecy.
A Global Power
It is this last thought that we should examine closely for help in understanding what, where, and how to watch for this coming event. Let's notice what Revelation tells us about the influence of this system. Revelation 13:7 says, "He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation" (Revelation 13:7, NIV). The influence of this system extends to every nation. Verses 12 and 14 say all the earth worships and is deceived by the work of this system.
In chapter 17 we are told "the great harlot who sits on many waters (nations) with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (verses 2-3). Verse 18 says, "And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth." All nations and leaders of the world will be in league with this globally interlocked system of trade and finance (Revelation 18:3). And when it comes to a sudden end, all the world will feel the loss and consequence of its demise. The final collapse of this Babylonish system will affect all the nations who have come under her seductive powers (Revelation 18:23).
Daniel 12:1 says of this end time period: "At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people-everyone whose name is found written in the book-will be delivered" (NIV). Looking at these verses it is obvious that this end time power will hold the whole world in its grasp, exercising life and death influence over everyone.
How will this be done? The "mark," or symbol, of this power will determine one's ability to trade in the world economy (Revelation 13:17). Historically, the enforcement of worship on the Lord's day, Sunday, has been a means by which the papacy has sought to bend peoples to its will. This past July, Pope John Paul II issued a pastoral letter, Dies Domine (The Lord's Day), in which he enjoined the sanctification of the first day of the week as the day of rest for all men. It was a strong affirmation of Sunday worship.
Watch with Wisdom
When we see the worldwide influence of this beast power it tells us that we should be looking at global trends in all the world at the same time we watch for a movement toward unification in Europe. The world's largest nation in terms of population, China, cannot be left out of any scenario. In fact, all the nations of the Pacific Rim will have a role to play in end time events. This is also true for the nations of Africa and Latin America that will be affected by the appearance of this system called Babylon.
How these nations will fit into the scheme of matters is yet to be seen. We do not know exactly what is meant by the "ten kings" who will give their power to the beast. There are already 15 members of the European Union, and more likely to be added. Could it refer to 10 groupings of nations or power blocs? Will nations other than those strictly termed European be a part of this scenario? We will have to wait to see the final development.
It is wiser for us to focus on the clear trends the Bible tells us to watch for. Christ warned of religious deception, wars and rumors of wars, famine and pestilence, and developments specifically affecting Jerusalem. The apostle Paul foretold specific social trends that would worsen in the end time in 2 Timothy 3:1-4. And certainly the Hebrew prophets have much to add to our understanding of things to watch for toward the close of the age.
This end-time power will astound the world with its appearance, its influence, and its promise. However those who watch with wisdom will be delivered from its wrath. v
Papal Power in Perspective
Certainly in comparison to some who have held the papal office in bygone centuries, this present pope is a paragon of virtue. Considering the fact of his 20-year reign at the summit of the one of the largest corporate bodies in existence, very little if any scandal has touched him personally. He has consistently preached and upheld Catholic moral standards. And he has urged people to seek the meaning of life while viewing scientific advances through the perspective of spiritual values.
The pontiff's influence runs far beyond the borders of the Roman Catholic Church. He is highly regarded even by atheists and agnostics, not to mention those of other faiths. Politicians recognize that this pope has already influenced the fate of nations. Said Mikhail Gorbachev: "Everything that happened in Eastern Europe would have been impossible without the presence of the Pope." And non-Catholic British author Timothy Garton Ash frankly wrote: "I want to argue that John Paul II is simply the greatest world leader of our times."
Recently a brand new book has been published about the Roman Church. The title is, Absolute Truth: The Catholic Church in the World Today. Its author, Edward Stourton, describes the confident keynote: "The difficulties the Vatican faces in preserving doctrinal discipline cannot obscure the power of the Church's claim to hold an absolute truth revealed by God." Mr Stourton is also amazed by "the extraordinary resilience of the Roman Catholic Church."
As we move rapidly toward the year 2000 we cannot help but speculate as to what is in store for this largest of all the world's mainstream Christian bodies. After all, John Paul II is nearing 80 and the Vatican is already cautiously considering who the new pope might be. Wrote Ann Simpson in The Herald (Glasgow): "Cardinals are the Pope's closest advisers, and those under the age of 80 can enter the conclave to elect a successor. But since John Paul has named more than 88 per cent of the present college, the informed guess is that his successor will be a conservative in his own image" (October 16).
Of course, the present pontiff hopes he will live long enough to personally call a World Ecumenical Council for 2001. Some who think that might not happen are already "discreetly jostling for position." Richard Owen, reporting for The Times from Rome (October 13), speculated that Cardinal Camillo Ruini (an Italian), 67, may be emerging as the front-runner. He is said to have spent the summer learning English.
But some Vatican watchers believe the next pope will be either an African or Latin American, reflecting the growth of Catholicism in the Third World.
We who are members of the United Church of God may respect the current pope for both preaching and adhering to his own Catholic standards of morality, while simultaneously recognizing that the unmitigated biblical values we publish and proclaim go far beyond the standards of a church that often puts tradition on the same par as the Bible. Also we cannot forget that the book of Revelation strongly indicates that a world religious leader will play a major role in fulfilling crisis-charged, end-time prophecies that will help bring this age of man to a close just prior to the Second Coming of Christ and the beginning of His millennial rule.
The Roman Catholic Church bears watching! Is its influence growing in the world? Who will be the next Pope and how will he choose to exercise papal power? Will he have the same moral fiber as the present pontiff?
Most all of the biblical prophets uttered their prophecies in the context of the current events of their times. They did not prophesy in a vacuum. We too are charged to watch world happenings as they unfold. Remember Luke 21:36! v
Additional Sources: The Daily Telegraph, September 26; The Sunday Times, October 18; The Independent, October 16.
Book Review...
by Jonathan Kwitney
Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1997
This book offers a review of the major issues that have concerned the Roman Catholic Church in the past 50 years. The issues of Communism, birth control, ecumenicalism, and attacks upon the centuries old authority of the papacy and church tradition, are all treated in this book. You are introduced to the themes of Polish cultural history, basic Catholic theology, and Vatican politics. The book seems well researched. The author delves into many issues covered by previous books on the papacy and refutes previously held ideas.
A strong case is made that this Slavic Pope was largely responsible for the peaceful overthrow of Communism. His support for Poland's Solidarity movement along with his visits to the country helped galvanize resistance to the Moscow backed regime. Indeed, he did employ nonviolent methods as effectively as anyone, but the influence of his role will be analyzed and debated for some time.
Fascinating Personal Insights
Kwitney offers fascinating insights into the personal life of Karol Wojtyla. By age 21 he was orphaned and alone. After working in a factory and dabbling in the theater he decided to enter the priesthood. This decision is presented as a natural step for an introspective and private individual who was not known for forming any romantic relationships with the opposite sex. His personal habits reveal a man of simple tastes who has collected few material goods through his life. Repeatedly he would give away the gifts of clothing from friends and continue wearing the used items to which he was accustomed. He has never had an interest in money or the things money can buy. A bishop once told a supporter not to hand then Cardinal Wojtyla any money, which would have gone to some other cause, because he would not know what to do with it.
His ability to do two things at once is legendary. While listening to lectures or after dinner conversation his habit would be to read a book or sort through a pile of correspondence. Afterwards, he would always be able to sum up what was said around him.
Pope John Paul II has a reputation of being a mystic. This is well known and documented. Following the attempt on his life in 1981 he attributed his safety to the Virgin Mary, whom he has always venerated with special regard. Interestingly, the date of this shooting came on the anniversary, May 13, of the 1917 appearance of the virgin to three shepherd girls in Fatima. An early influence in this area came from a monk named Padre Pio whose stories claimed personal contact with God and the devil. He claimed supernatural powers that included exorcism and healing of disease.
At the height of his fame a multi-million dollar tourist industry sprung up around his home monastery, San Giovanni Rotondo, near the city of Foggia. Pio claimed to literally wrestle in the night with demons that would strip him naked and beat him. In 1947, as a seminary student in Rome, Karol Wojtyla began to visit this strange monk. He became a devoted adherent and formed with the monk the "strangest relationship of his life." Wojtyla even asked him to pray for a friend who had been diagnosed with cancer. The friend was "instantaneously cured" according to the future Pope. To a fellow Cardinal he confided that "Padre Pio told him he would gain the highest post in the Church" (page 101). Wojtyla thought it meant he might one day be a cardinal.
Impressions of America
In 1969 he made his first visit to North America, visiting most major cities. His opinion was that "the U.S. was greedy and overly commercial, and had come loose from its spiritual moorings" (page 227). John Paul II has always viewed Western, and particularly American culture, as greedy, self-centered, and inherently inhumane. His early trips to the U.S. left him amazed at the wealth of America compared to what he was accustomed to in Poland. His reaction was conditioned by his formative years under both Nazi and Communist rule. His native Poland has suffered great depravation during his lifetime. He has called American society a "culture of death" and thereby alienated himself from a potential audience. It appears he has not been able to fully grasp the nature of American democracy.
In 1976 as Cardinal of Krakow, Wojtyla led Pope Paul VI and other Vatican officials on a spiritual retreat. He gave 22 lectures grouped under the heading "Sign of Contradiction." Among the themes he developed were the birth of the new man‚ and talks about science as a common ground for all religions. He introduced an idea he would pursue into his papacy. He said the Bible was "the key to understanding today's world.... I think it is true that today one cannot understand either Sartre or Marx without having first read and pondered very deeply the first three chapters of Genesis." He dwelt on the temptations of Adam and Eve by the serpent, which for him became a real devil. These are interesting concepts for a future Pope to be teaching a sitting Pope.
His Vision for the Future
Particular attention is paid to the Pope's efforts at ecumenism. In December 1983 he became the first Pope to preach in a Lutheran church. In his sermon he took a giant step toward rehabilitating the monk who broke with Rome. He said, "He could see from afar the dawn of the restoration of our unity." John Paul hopes to live to the year 2000, during which he plans to visit the places on the road taken by the people of God of the Old Covenant, starting from the places associated with Abraham and Moses, through Egypt as far as Damascus, the city that witnessed the conversion of Paul. He dreams of convening a meeting of leaders of the major world faiths on Mount Sinai "to work together to give our world a more metaphysical dimension" (page 673).
This Pope has gone to extraordinary lengths to promote the unity of all faiths. While not all his overtures have been reciprocated, he has persisted in establishing dialogue and holding meetings with other faiths in an attempt to heal the breaches. In the encyclical Ut Unum Sint (That All May Be One), he called ecumenism "a dialogue of conversion, and went on to hint at a desire to "find a way of exercising the primacy (referring to the papal office) while in no way renouncing what is essential to its mission, (but) nonetheless (be) open to a new situation" (page 673).
The book concludes with a bleak perspective of the church and the world. Statistics on abortion and morality and a declining aging leadership within Catholicism have the pope "praying that the year 2000 will bring a second miracle." v
In Search of Heroic Leadership
The contexts of these prophecies reveal that God places great and grave responsibility for Israel's failure on the shoulders of the leadership. As a result of men shirking their leadership responsibilities, God says that He, "will give children to be their princes and babes shall rule over them. And the people shall be oppressed, everyone by another, and every one by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honorable. As for my people children are their oppressors and women rule over them" (Isaiah 3:4,5,12).
We Must All Share Responsibility
With such scriptures staring us in the face, we might have the tendency to point our fingers at one another and play the game of whose fault is it. Such fault finding and finger pointing is fruitless. We must all share the responsibility for the condition of the world, our nation, our church and our families.
God gave all of us vital roles to play in providing the kind of leadership that would produce the fruits of a godly people. God gave specific instructions for the rulers of his people: "And it shall be that when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them; That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children in the midst of Israel" (Deuteronomy 17:18-20).
God gave the priests the responsibility of teaching his law to the people of Israel. Today, God's ministers are to shepherd and teach God's heritage and be examples to the flock.
The scriptures clearly reveal that each family member must fulfill vital leadership roles. The apostle Paul summarizes these roles as follows: "Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. Children obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor your father and mother: which is the first commandment with promise. That it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth. And, you fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 5:22,25; 6:1-4).
As the head of the home, the father must be responsible for providing Godly leadership in the family. God instructed our first parents, Adam and Eve, to look to Him for moral and spiritual leadership. As our loving Creator and Father, He deeply desires to have a lasting relationship with His sons and daughters. Adam and Eve rejected the key to lasting relationships and true leadership. As a result of their rebellion against their Father they fostered the principles of false leadership that plagues the world to this very day.
World Loses Sight of True Leadership
In the western world, leadership came to be associated with the acquisition of wealth and possessions. Wealth brings power and influence. Powerful and wealthy people are the kingmakers, and in some cases, the kings. The kings of the western world sponsored expeditions to the four corners of the earth in search of fame and fortune. Real men were conquerors and builders of a new world. They had little time or energy for moral and spiritual leadership.
Couple this with the fact that Satan continues to seduce and deceive the men in the same way that Baalam taught Balaac to seduce Israel as they wandered in the wilderness. That is, he taught the Moabite women to seduce the men of Israel. These illicit relationships led Israel into the worship of idols (Numbers 25:1-3).
In the western world sexual prowess came to be associated with real masculinity. Real men compared the notches on their gun-figuratively and literally. Add to this the fact that the advertising world bases its commercials on youth, beauty, adventure, sex, and romance and you have the perfect formula for seducing the entire population by training them to covet. "Having eyes full of adultery (adulteress), and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls; an heart they have exercised (trained) with covetous practices; cursed children (having children of curse)" (2 Peter 2:14). The advertising and entertainment world are now exploiting men, women and children by teaching them to covet. The peoples of the western world are led to believe that their worth as human beings revolve around youth, beauty, fun, adventure and sex appeal.
Making the headlines today on CNN news is an inquiry into catchy beer commercials that seemed to be aimed at youth. CNN's coverage of this story showed how partial nudity is used in these commercials to attract the attention of teenagers. Those leading the inquiry believe that these commercials encourage teenagers to buy beer. It is amazing to see how up to date the prophecies of the Bible really are.
As men abdicated their God ordained responsibility for providing moral and spiritual leadership, women and children were left to fend for themselves. Women were the ones who led the way in building schools and churches. Women became the teachers. To this day, 94 percent of the teachers in American public schools are women. As this vacuum in leadership was created, by default women became the moral and spiritual leaders in the western world. Women should be commended for their efforts. There is surely nothing wrong with women serving as school teachers. But they shouldn't have to shoulder the bulk of the responsibility. Research shows that youngsters also need male teachers and role models.
Call For Heroic Leadership
Jesus Christ was a real man and a true leader. Yet He amassed little wealth and He never had a single sexual relationship. Jesus Christ as the Word of God, revealed to us through the pages of the Bible the principles of true leadership. But principles that are not applied bear no fruit. The challenge before the men, women and children of the church of God is to restore true leadership at all levels of their responsibilities. We need heroic leadership at all levels.
We live in a time in which those who would stand in the gap and lead us in the paths of righteousness are despised. Paul warned us, "that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away" (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
At this critical time in the course of human history we must not abdicate our God-given responsibility to lead in whatever role God has so graciously assigned to each one of us.
What are leaders supposed to do? Leaders must engage the ones they are responsible for leading, in developing and understanding the vision of their purpose for being. They must engage their followers in developing goals for achieving their vision. Moreover, they must develop strategies for achieving their goals. Leaders must keep the vision alive. They must be willing to lay down their lives for their vision. In short, every one of us has to be totally committed to fulfilling our God ordained roles of heroic leadership in our families and in all of our responsibilities.
Focus on Role of Fathers
Since the family is the very fabric of society and God charges the father with the responsibility of faithfully teaching God's way of life, let's focus on the role of fathers.
So what should fathers do? First and foremost God is love and from His love flows all good gifts. As a "doer" God is first and foremost our Creator both physically and spiritually. As our Creator in the spiritual sense, He is first and foremost our loving Father. "But now, O LORD, you art our Father; we are the clay, and you our potter; and we all are the work of your hand. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his son into our hearts, crying, Abba Father" (Isaiah 64:8, Galatians 4:6). So first and foremost fathers should strive to love their wives and children, as our heavenly father loves each one of us. God is continually aware of His creation and looking out for their best interests.
God and Christ are unconditional givers of themselves. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to love one another. We love him because he first loved us" (I John 4:10,11,19). Just as our Heavenly Father makes the first step toward us in the reconciliation process, fathers should lead the way in making peace in the home. When disagreements and unrest develops in the family, he should humble himself and take the first steps in leading the family in the way of peace and harmony.
Fathers should show their love for their wives and children. The number one way whereby people perceive love from another person is through the words "I love you." God the Father has freely expressed His love for us, we should express our love to our family and to our neighbors.
Children learn how to love from their parents. If fathers do not express their love through verbal expression and proper physical contact such as touching, stroking and hugging, children grow up in an emotional vacuum.
An article in the Dallas Morning News titled "Fathering," states "Psychologists and sociologists agree that father should be the principal transmitter of culturally based conceptions of masculinity and femininity"! The article goes on to state that "even though a boy seems to need his father most in the first five years of his life, the rest of his childhood also contributes to the man he ultimately becomes. Folk wisdom has always to some extent recognized this. Growing up alongside a father who talks to him, takes a constant interest in him, makes decisions that his son is aware of, sets some limits to what his son may not do, gets his son to work with him on jobs and plays sports with him, enriches and smoothes the transition from young child to adolescent. If father knows how to praise and encourage rather than criticize and undermine, he will learn all the faster" (Dallas Morning News, May 16, 1976).
Research shows that boys without fathers are usually lacking in self-esteem and initiative. They are overaggressive, impulsive and generally less able to follow the rules of society. Researchers conclude that if a boy hasn't learned how to get along with a father, he may always find it difficult to cope with male figures in authority.
So, just as God and Christ have communicated Their love, care and concern for us, fathers must do the same in their families. "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant know not what his lord does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you" (John 15:15). Christ set us an example to follow in all things. God commands us to communicate. "But to do good and communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased" (Hebrews 13:16).
One of the names of God is El Shaddai. It literally means "God who nourishes." In addition to providing physical nourishment, fathers should provide emotional and spiritual nourishment. Fathers should lead their families in spiritual activities such as family Bible studies, church attendance and a home environment that reflects godly principles in human relationships.
Just as God is long-suffering and merciful to each one of us, fathers must be willing to forgive and forge ahead. We are all prodigal sons in our heavenly Father's eyes, yet He has wrapped His loving arms around us and welcomed us home with Him. In the parable of the prodigal son, a mere mortal received his long lost son with unconditional love. Heroic fathers will do the same.
Accepting the Challenge
God is looking for men, women and children who will stand in the gap-individuals who will love each other just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. God is looking for heroes. It is the challenge of the ages. Are we, the Israel of God, willing to meet the challenge? If we do, it may be written of us: As for my people fathers are the loving leaders of their families with virtuous wives and children at their sides. v
Cloning: Is Man About to Make Himself In His Own Image?
Multiplicity, a zany movie released a few years ago, centered around the comedic plot of an overworked building contractor that had himself cloned in order to meet the many demands on his time. The idea that a genetic engineer could copy a man like a Xerox machine copies a document was, of course, absurd!
But the idea of cloning a human being is far from absurd in light of stunning developments in the world of science. While geneticists cannot instantly make a fully mature adult like the movie, cloning is no longer science fiction.
Cloning research and experimentation has been conducted for four decades, but it underwent a dramatic breakthrough with the successful cloning of a sheep known around the world as Dolly. That was in 1996. The event exploded upon the scientific community, for most believed that genuine cloning was simply impossible.
What is cloning? It is the production of an exact genetic replica. Dolly is the exact duplicate-in every detail-of a sheep that was six years old when its clone was born. The older sheep was neither mother nor father to Dolly. Its contribution was a single cell taken from its udder and stored in a laboratory freezer until the series of experiments that led to the creation of Dolly were conducted.
How Is It Done?
How is cloning accomplished? Here is a brief and greatly simplified explanation. In the making of Dolly, Dr. Ian Wilmut, an embryologist, took a healthy egg cell and removed its nucleus. Taking the frozen udder cell from the adult sheep, he fused its nucleus into the shell of the egg cell. Providing a minute electrical charge, he was able to "fool" the egg cell into beginning to divide and grow just as if it had been fertilized.
No longer having the DNA of its original nucleus, it used the DNA of the implanted nucleus as its "blueprint" or genetic code for producing life-in this case, Dolly. Dolly is a normal sheep in every sense and recently gave birth to offspring of her own.
Other clones have been made since the creation of Dolly. Last year scientists at the University of Hawaii announced they had successfully cloned 50 mice. Geneticists say that the genetic makeup of mice is very close to that of humans. (Really!) The genes are lined up differently for mice. (For which we are thankful!)
Does it have anything to do with humans? Is all of this research serious? Is it leading to anything significant? It cannot be more serious!
"Give a Dog a Clone"
Under the clever title "Give a Dog a Clone," BBC News reported in August that an American millionaire has paid five million dollars to hire a cloning expert from Texas A&M University to create a clone of his pet dog. Sound crazy? Should the story be dismissed, chalked up to the eccentricity of a wealthy man? To do so would be to ignore a scientific watershed of far-reaching consequences.
According to Lee Silver, professor of genetics at Princeton University, "the incredible thing is that if you can affect the technology in lots of different animals it makes it that much more likely it's going to move to human beings (emphasis mine throughout)" (© 1998 BBC News).
Is it really possible to clone a human being? Dr. Wilmut, the scientist that cloned Dolly says yes! "There is no reason in principle why you couldn't do it" (Clone by Gina Kolata, © 1998 Gina Kolata). Other scientists agree, including genetics expert Steen Willadsen: "It is a relatively simple procedure. There must be hundreds of people who would be able to do it now. It would only take a couple of years plus the obligatory nine months" (The Race to Clone the First Human, © 1998 BBC News).
The question is not, "Can it be done?" But "Should it be done?" Doctor Wilmut thinks it unlikely, saying "all of us (scientists capable of cloning) find that offensive" (Op. Cit., Clone). However, his thinking is not shared by all.
Lee Silver said, "There are definitely going to be human clones" (op. Cit. BBC News). The same article quotes Dr. Willadsen offering agreement that many laboratories would eagerly take on the task. Gina Kolata reports that most "infertility experts, asked if humans will one day be cloned, replied, 'Of course'" (op Cit. Clone).
Even more shocking is the assertion made by Dr. Willadsen to Ms. Kolata that he thinks "humans may have already been cloned-accidentally" in fertility clinics.
It sounds almost miraculous, doesn't it? Other items included on the "dream list" include growing solid organs, like heart, livers or kidneys. Burn victims could grow their own skin for grafting. There would never again be a fear of the body rejecting donated tissue.
Some scientists hope to create animals whose organs are perfect matches for transplanting into humans. As sci-fi as this sounds, it is possible to add a human gene to the genes of an animal in order to create the desired result. Once made, this "wonder animal" can be cloned as often as needed.
J. Madeleine Nash, in "The Case for Cloning" (© 1998 Time magazine) argues that the potential benefit to genetic research should weigh heavily in any debate about cloning. Genes that cause rare and difficult to treat diseases can conceivably be identified and snipped from the DNA string before a cloned embryonic cell begins to grow.
In glowing terms about the possibilities opened by cloning, the author writes, "An elderly man develops macular degeneration, a disease that destroys vision. To bolster his failing eyesight, he receives a transplant of healthy retinal tissue-cloned from his own cells and cultivated in a lab dish.
"A baby girl was born free of the gene that causes Tay-Sachs disease, even though both her parents are carriers. The reason? In the embryonic cell from which she was cloned, the flawed gene was replaced with normal DNA."
Such a shimmering vision of the future, enabled by cloning, glosses over serious problems.
Are Serious Problems Being Glossed Over?
Having told her readers of the grand possibilities granted by cloning, Nash also acknowledges issues of concern that have neither been addressed nor resolved. While genetic engineering can help to eliminate inherited diseases, parents may well choose to use the same technology to try to "improve" their children by eliminating genes that cause alcoholism and obesity-or even to manipulate intelligence and athletic ability.
She concludes her article with the cheerfully optimistic suggestion that "sensible action" can prevent the worst-case scenarios feared by many. Much easier said than done.
Ruth Macklin, a professor of bioethics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, argues that we should not be in a hurry to say no to cloning. "Even if human cloning offers no obvious benefits to humanity, why ban it? …And if it is ever attempted, it should-and no doubt will-take place only with careful scrutiny and layers of legal oversight" ("Human Cloning? Don't Just Say No," © U.S. News 1997).
Experience proves that it is not as simple as she makes it sound to institute those "layers of legal oversight." Legislators are wrestling with controversy as they attempt to create guidelines and provide oversight for cloning. Where laws have been enacted, they have been met with angry criticism from the scientific community.
Fearing coming restrictions, scientists "… are speeding matters up now in the hope they can break the taboo on cloning before it is made illegal" (op. Cit. "The Race to Clone the First Human").
Startling Things Being Done by Reproductive Science
One of the most controversial fields affected by cloning is that of reproductive science. Ruth Macklin, quoted above, writes that, "Infertile couples are likely to seek out cloning. That such couples have other options (in vitro fertilization or adoption) is not an argument for denying them the right to clone" (op Cit.).
There is strong interest in the field of reproductive science in cloning human embryos. "It is such an attractive idea, said Robert Anderson, who is director of the Southern California Center for Reproductive Medicine in Newport Beach, that 'I guarantee somebody, someplace, is working on it right now.'" (op. Cit. Clone).
Shocking as it might seem, fertility experts presently operate virtually without regulation. "'There are no hard-and-fast rules; there is no legislation,) said Arthur Wisot, the executive director of the Center for Advanced Reproductive Care in Redondo Beach, California. 'This whole area of medicine is totally unregulated. We don't answer to anyone but our peers'" (op. Cit. Clone).
Gina Kolata wrote that a doctor told her as early as May of 1997 that he had been contacted by three women (all under the age of 45) who "wanted him to add the DNA from one of their husband's cells to an egg from a donor, whose own DNA had been removed. That would produce a clone of the husband. Alternatively, doctors might add the genes from one of the woman's cells to a donor egg, producing a clone of the wife"(op. Cit.).
Many organizations, as well as governments, have voiced opposition to the concept of cloning. Japan has banned human cloning, and 19 European nations have signed an anti-cloning treaty. "But not every organization was opposed to the cloning of humans. In New York, a pro-cloning group sprang up, the Clone Rights United Front, whose members included gay men and lesbians who wanted to clone themselves. The lesbians envisioned taking a cell from one woman and implanting it in another, thus creating a baby without the presence of a man" (op Cit. Clone).
What a disgusting thought.
Is There Knowledge That We Do Not Want?
Because Ms. Kolata's book is so powerfully written, I want to conclude this article with several thought-provoking excerpts from it.
Cloning forces us back to the most basic questions that have plagued humankind since the dawn of recorded time: what is good and what is evil? And how much potential for evil can we tolerate to obtain something that might be good? We live in a time when sin is becoming one of those quaint words that we might hear in church but that has little to do with our daily world. Cloning, however, with its possibilities for creating our own identical twins, brings us back to the ancient sins of vanity and pride…. In a time when we hear the rallying cries of reproductive freedom…and the rights of people to do what they want
Is there, in fact, knowledge that we do not want? Are there paths we'd rather not pursue?
The time is long past when we can speak of the purity of science, divorced from its consequences… Before the (atomic) bomb was made, (J. Robert) Oppenheimer said, "When you see something that is technically sweet you go ahead and do it." After the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in a chilling speech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1947, he said: "In some sort of crude sense which no vulgarity, no humor, no overstatement can quite extinguish, the physicists have known sin; and this is a knowledge which they cannot lose." As with the atom bomb, cloning is complex, multilayered in its threats and its promises.
What is at issue, (Leon) Kass (biochemist turned philosopher at the University of Chicago) said, "is nothing less than whether human procreation is going to remain human, whether children are going to be made rather than begotten…. This is one of those critical moments (when) one gets a chance to think about terribly important things. Not just genetics and what is the meaning of mother and father and kinship, but also the whole relationship between science and society and attitudes toward technology…. The future of humanity may hang in the balance."
As science hastens forward in this incredible field, I cannot help thinking of God's sobering words of Genesis 11:6. "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them" (Revised Standard Version). v
In Brief...
Man is wiping out his surroundings. A third of the natural world has been lost in the last 25 years. Ecologists call our present assault on the environment "the biggest extinction since the dinosaurs." This is the legacy of our present generation.
More specifically, the rain forests in South America have declined from 3.4 million square miles in 1970 to 2.7 square miles today. Also just half of the original Florida Everglades are left. And the disturbing hole in the ozone layer above the Antarctic was the biggest on record in September.
Moving on to the animal world, black rhinos in Africa have fallen from 95 per cent since 1970 to a low figure of 2,500. Red squirrels could vanish from England in twelve years. In the Atlantic, the bluefin tuna has declined by 90 per cent since 1975.
These few examples form the proverbial tip of the iceberg. God has given sufficient specific laws for the protection of planet earth's environment to establish the proper principles of stewardship that should rightly govern mankind's ecological activities. Especially during the 20th century, man has failed miserably to respect his environment.
God is justly concerned about man's treatment of His marvellous creation. Beyond the normal payback from the earth's ecological systems, God promises that He will "destroy them which destroy the earth" (Revelation 11:18, KJV) at the Second Coming of Christ (verses 15-17).
Sources:
The Independent (London), October 2, 1998; The Daily Mail (London), October 2, 1998.
Troubled Hedge Funds-Tip of the Iceberg?
Financial concerns continue as a large U.S. investment trust, Long Term Capital, collapsed in early October and the Federal Reserve organized its rescue. TIME magazine reported: "Last week's bailout raised twin fears in Washington and on Wall Street as tall as Manhattan's Twin Towers. The first: that Long Term Capital's financial troubles are shared by many of the country's 4,000 hedge funds-lightly regulated and often secretive, high risk vehicles for sophisticated investors.... The second fear is that the Long Term Capital bailout could encourage banks to make still more risky loans, confident that the government won't let them get into trouble.... Wall Street insiders say what really spooked the Fed (into lowering interest rates) was indications that Long Term Capital had off-balance sheet derivative contracts with a value of more than $1 trillion.... Says House banking chairman Jim Leach, who plans to hold hearings in the next week or two: 'The question that remains for the economy is what other risk exists in the hedge-fund and derivatives industries'" (October 5, 1998, pages 34-36).
The world is slowly coming to understand that a lot of money in banks and investment institutions is being used for "gambling" on which way interest rates, stocks or currencies will go. Regarding the Long Term Capital collapse, Ken Guenther, executive vice president of the Independent Bankers Association of America asks, "Why wasn't the Fed blowing the whistle on these totally inappropriate, crapshoot investments by some of the biggest banks in the country?" (Ibid., page 36).
The problem is that much of the investments were made when the world economy appeared to be booming, and there was little risk that there would be a recession. Much of the money was carelessly invested. "Why did Long Term Capital suddenly lose money after years of winning? Short answer: the fund's investing formulas were blindsided by the financial meltdown that has spread so rapidly from Asia to Russia and Latin America" (Ibid., page 36).
The world economy has always had an important role in creating an international political climate. It is no coincidence that a man such as Hitler rose to power mainly due to the distress caused in Germany by an economic depression. Will the world economy recuperate-or will it sink because of the reckless investments of greedy men who used much of the people's savings to bet as if they were in a gambling casino?
Source: TIME
Lost Tribe of Israel?
The Canadian press has taken an interest in the lost tribes of Israel-at least in a group that some think is one of the tribes. An unusual community of 1.5 million Jews living on the India-Burma border has captured the attention of some influential people.
WorldNet Daily has picked up the story. Maclean's, Canada's national weekly magazine, has also run a feature about this unusual group. So have Toronto's Globe & Mail and the Canadian Jewish News. What is their purpose? The media wants to bring pressure to bear on the nation of Israel to accept these Jews into their country.
The group, which is known as the Children of Menmasseh-thought to be a variation of "Manasseh"-practices a religion that is a mix of Judaism and Christianity. Its members believe in Christ but also observe Purim. They hold to a number of other "Judaic customs such as male circumcision on the eighth day, the sacrifice of a goat on Passover with its blood painted on their doors, an obligation for a man to marry his brother's widow, the offering of sacrifices on altars, and the wearing of their shawls that resemble tallit with fringes and blue threads."
Of significant interest to those who have followed the subject of the ten lost tribes is what reporter Kaye Corbett wrote about this subject. "In the past 2,700 years, historians and Bible scholars have searched for these 10 lost tribes. The Scriptures suggest they will be identified and returned to Israel in the Last Days." She then adds a list of Bible references from the Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Zechariah.
Corbett suggests that the making of a documentary called "Quest for the Lost Tribes"-soon to air on cable television channel A&E-has revived interest in the subject. It is intriguing to find this topic addressed in the main stream press.
Source: "A Lost and Found Tribe," by Kaye Corbett, © 1998 WorldNet Daily
What Price Peace in the
In two consecutive, scorching columns, Eric Margolis blasted the Clinton Administration for attempting to "rent Mideast peace" and passing it off as a genuine achievement. Calling it "Hollywood diplomacy," Margolis' perception is in sharp contrast to much of the media that touts the accord as a wonderful achievement.
How expensive is "the rent?"
"Hard figures are beginning to emerge. Israel is likely to get a special U.S. $1 billion grant on top of the $3-5 billion in annual aid that it currently receives. The Palestinian Authority may get $100 million, some of which is more likely to end up in Switzerland than Palestine. This is a very expensive photo-op" (Making America a Bigger Target of Terrorism by Eric Margolis, © 1998).
"The rent" is to be paid in more than just dollars, for the United States has offered to use the Central Intelligence Agency against terrorism in the region and to "ensure the Palestinian Authority is making a maximum effort to crush Palestinian radicals" (ibid.). Margolis soberly warns that United States may pay an even higher price as it reaps increased terrorist activity for using the CIA in this way.
Both the Prime Minister and Yasser Arafat have returned home to angry opposition to the accord. "Ominous cries of 'Bibi-traitor!' heard at demonstrations in Israel this week, have rightly rattled the Shin Bet security service. November 4th will mark the third anniversary of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, who was killed for launching the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians"(The Economist, October 29, 1998).
In a related, stunning development for watchers of Bible prophecy, the Vatican's Foreign Minister issued a bold statement on October 27, 1998, saying that "Israelis and Palestinians…must consider other interested parties" in discussing the future of Jerusalem.
Archbishop John-Louis Tauran said the Jerusalem is, "too sacred for its future to be decided only by Israelis and the PLO Authority." He added, "The Holy See believes in the importance of extending the representation at the negotiating table in order to be sure that no aspect of the problems is overlooked and to affirm that the whole international community is responsible for the uniqueness and the sacredness of this incomparable city" ("Vatican Calls for Special Status for Jerusalem," © Reuters).
Sources: Eric Margolis, The Economist and Reuters.
Quake Connection
Scientists say there may be a link between earthquakes and volcanoes. Historical records appear to show that large earthquakes can trigger volcanic eruptions. Alan Linde and Selwyn Sacks of the Carnegie Institution in Washington studied records dating back 1,500 years and found a statistical link between the two. It is suspected that earthquakes may cause bubbles in the molten rock under the earth's surface, increasing the pressure that leads to an eruption. Bill Menk of Columbia University says, "A volcanic eruption is about 8 times as likely on a day of a big earthquake as compared to any other day."
In Canada, an expert says southern Ontario is not doing enough to guard against earthquakes. A University of Toronto seismologist says there is a good chance the Toronto region will be hit by a strong quake sometime in the future. Since the region is unprepared, the damage could be very heavy.
One of the signs all of the end time that Jesus gave in the Olivet prophecy had to do with weather upheaval, including earthquakes in different places. Something to consider: is it possible that an earthquake in the Pacific Ocean could cause a tidal wave-known as a Tsunami-at the same time as Mount St. Helens or Mount Ranier explode in a volcanic eruption? Seismologists and scientists in both Seattle, Washington, and Victoria, British Columbia, have already warned of just such a possibility.
Sources: Associated Press and Canadian Press
Contributors:
Cecil Maranville, Mario Seigle, John R. Schroeder, David Palmer
This Is the Way...
Any Room at the Inn?
Dexter Filkins, a Los Angeles Times staff writer in his article "Afghans Report Massacre by Taliban," reports "that thousands of refugees have been pouring in to the border city of Peshawar, Pakistan. All are fleeing from the nearby Afghan region surrounding the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. These refugees say Taliban fighters focused exclusively on an ethnic minority known as the Hazaras, picked out by their distinctive Mongolian features. This particular tribal group practices Islam in the Shiite tradition placing them at odds with the majority of Islamic practitioners who primarily practice after the Sunni tradition. What creates a part of the tension is that both the Hazaras and nearby Iran practice the same religious traditions, therefore, this makes them suspect in the eyes of the Afghan majority." As I read the opening lines of the article I could not help but consider the historical maxim: "If looks don't kill, religion will!"
As Filkins continues to say, "Many refugees say they fled a city littered with corpses, some of them machine-gunned, others with their throats cut, others blown to pieces by missiles or grenades." Quoting a 42-year-old shopkeeper named Mohammed Rasool, Mr. Filkins paints a bleak picture in stating, "there were bodies in the streets in the city and in the markets. All of them were civilians. The ones with weapons fled long ago." Rupert Colville, spokesman for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Islamabad, Pakistan, informed the Times staff reporter that the Taliban might have killed as many as 6,000 Hazaras in September alone!
Putting Names and Faces to the Tragedy
The author of the article then turned to some gripping personal accounts with names and faces. Mr. Filkins brings to light the experience of Abbas, a 30-year-old engineer who uses only one name. Mr. Filkins graphically quotes Abbas as stating, "while working in his shop about 10 a.m., 15 pickup trucks full of Taliban soldiers rumbled down his street. One of the Taliban fighters summoned the Hazara male elders of the Lachapan neighborhood to a nearby Shiite mosque. When about 30 men gathered in front of the mosque, the Taliban gunners opened fire. I saw the old people get shot, and I ran! After that, everybody was trying to escape. The shooting went on for five hours."
Abbas continues to share the plight of the moment through Mr. Filkins words as he states that, "as he darted down the alleys and back streets of Mazar-i-Sharif he passed dozens of bodies of fellow Hazara. You see with the regular Hazara army already evacuated, that left only civilians. The Talibans didn't touch the other people-the Uzbeks or the Tajiks, they only killed the Hazara." Mr. Filkins concludes this portion of his report by saying that, "the Taliban army is primarily composed of Pushtuns who have been battling the Hazara ever since the superpower withdrawal."
So often, we are seemingly "bull-dozed over" with the amount of horrific events which occur on a daily basis in our world. Unfortunately, we become numb, even saturated, with the sheer volume of human carnage. The current reality of Christ's prophetic warning on the Mt. of Olives regarding "wars and rumors of wars" can simply cause us to steer away from any news, and thereby forgo some of the inspiring one-on-one moments that do occur out there in the middle of catastrophe.
A Hero Without a Name
It is to this rewarding point of human relationship that Mr. Filkins leads us as he goes on to recount the story of an engineer too afraid to give his name for fear of reprisal. The writer captures the voice of the engineer when he states: "they killed children, ladies, everyone. When they entered the village, they went after everyone who looked like a Hazara. He gathered his wife and four children and rushed to the home of a Pushtun friend. When Taliban troops came looking for Hazara, his friend told them none were there. The family hid in the friend's home for 20 days, listening to the gunfire and screams outside. I am very grateful for my friend. Among the corpses he recalled passing on his way out of town was that of the local shoeshine man. His throat had been slit. But most of the bodies were unrecognizable, for after a few days you can't tell who they are. The dogs had begun to eat them."
That was the end of the article echoing the tragedy and voices of a far off place in Afghanistan, but where his report ended is where my thoughts began and challenged me as to what would I have done, better still what will I do in the future? The Pushtan man who opened his door for a friend fleeing for his life and the safety of his family caught my imagination and made me think deeply.
I am a husband and a father with three lovely daughters. I could only imagine myself running down a street with my family, seemingly with the whole world not only turned upside down, but against me. No doors opening, all windows shutting, all friends who had been friends now no longer there when I needed them most. All of this because I am different. I know where I want to go. I know where my good friend lives, but will he still be my friend, now, when I need him the most, or perhaps he too will cave into the insidious pressure of communal hysteria?
And then, the moment comes. I am there. That one precious door opens! One man, in one village, in one country gone crazy who steps out and risks his life for my family. What was he thinking about? Didn't he realize his entire family could be killed and his extended family exterminated? What an example, and I don't even know his name. I can only know he was a Pushtan tribesman who looked at his friend and said "come in, you are welcome and I will care for your family." I shuddered, considering the power of the moment and the gravity of the simple words "come in."
All sorts of thoughts came to mind. I thought of Anne Frank, the little Jewish girl in Amsterdam with the ever-so-large diary, and how she must have felt having been given safe lodging for the moment. My mind ran to Oskar Schindler and his "list"-a list that meant life, to the Jews within his care. I thought of how many times this "open door" must be occurring in Bosnia between Croat, Serb, and Muslim. I then began to think of Rahab and her courage as she hid the Israelite spies. My thoughts trickled down through the centuries to some of her ancestors who were turned away in another town because there was "no room at the inn!"
Prepare Today for Tomorrow's Trials
I come back to the realization that you don't find your values in a trial. You take those values into the "fire" with you. It is today that I prepare for tomorrow. It is today that I appreciate the sanctity of life within each human and recognize they are a potential child of God. They may not "look" like me, or even "believe" like me at this moment, but I had to ask whether I would have opened my door at a moment when the whole world was going crazy.
Second Timothy 3:1 warns us: "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves." Couple this passage with Matthew 24:10,12: "And then many will be offended, and will betray one another and will hate one another. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold."
Do we hear the message of "this is the way" through this nameless hero's courageous example? Imagine a time in the future when every man and woman, every village and city, every country and nation will open wide their door and live out the godly passage of Isaiah 35:3-4, "Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, 'Be strong, do not fear!'"
You and I, as Christians, are to have that
forethought now, as we live out the values of the God's coming kingdom in today's
world of anxieties. v
|
Doing the Right Thing So often we are overwhelmed by the number of horrific events that occur on a daily basis in our world. But every once in a while one-on-one moments occur in the middle of catastrophe that inspire us. This is one of those moments. In Orahovac, Yugoslavia, Mladen Cerovic, a retired police chief, saved five of his Albanian neighbors from execution. Cerovic, a 70-year old Orthodox Christian Serb, is now a hero to his Muslim neighbors. As reported in U.S. News & World Report, "We were up against the wall and they released the safeties on their machine guns,"recalls Muhedin Bekeri. "I thought I was a dead man" (November 2, 1998, page 40). The Serbian police had pulled Bekeri and four of his brothers from their homes and lined them up for execution. Cerovic recalls, "I was lying...next to the window.... I saw them line the men up, and Ijumped up and ran out. Iknew one of the (arresting) officers. He was a local" (ibid.). In the name of God Cerovic begged the police not to open fire. The detainees he said had nothing to do with the Kosovo Liberation Army. Hesaid, "I know them, Iguarantee they are not KLA members and they are not even the slightest bit guilty" (ibid.). Soon, other Serbs emptied out of their homes, forming a small crowd that was successful in having the Serb police lower their rifles and release the Albanian men. This story has been confirmed by Cerovic's neighbors, and, at risk of ethnic retaliation, he told U.S. News & World Report his story three months after the event. As Robin Webber points out in his accompanying article in this issue of WNP: "They may not 'look' like me, or even 'believe' like me at this moment, but I have to ask whether I would have opened my door" to save the life of another person. Imagine a time coming when all human beings will look out for the best interests of each other, when war and violence will be history, and stories such as these will not be necessary. Peter Eddington |
© 1998 United Church of God, an International Association
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