The International Prophetic Voice for the Endtimes

APRIL 2011$4.75

Did the Early Church Affirm Preterism?

PARTII

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Old Covenant Regeneration Charismatic/Pentecostal Elders

Pg. 30

Pg. 42

World Conspiracy in Light of the Bible

Pg. 34

Hope and Responsibility inView of the Rapture

Pg. 19

Jubileum Part I: Gods Prophetic Outline for Prosperity

Pg. 14

In 2011, Midnight Call Ministry will begin to send out FREE of charge, via email,

the latest updated news items relating to Bible prophecy to all Swift-Word Members.
Without charge and with no obligation on your part, you will receive as a Swift-Word Member one selected news item with commentary six times each week. Read it, pass it on to family and friends or make use of it as you see fit. What is the Reason for Swift-Word Membership? We base Swift-Word Membership on Psalm 147:15, He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly. That is an up-to-date statement. Today, more than any other time in history, we are able to send His Word very swiftly, almost instantaneously to any part of the world by email and Internet. We are commanded to be His witnesses to send forth His Word, or as Ecclesiastes 11:1 says, Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Sharing the precious Word of God will reap fruit for eternity. The distribution of the Word of God is the key to salvation. This is evidenced in Acts 6:7, And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. Other Benefits When you become a Swift-Word Member, you will be eligible for special, Swift-Word Membership benefits to be determined and implemented in the future. And, you will be notified of special discounted resources from time to time. Notice To qualify for membership, we must have your full name and email address. We will not accept email addresses sent in by friends. Your Swift-Word Membership may be canceled at any time for any reason. Just click unsubscribe on any issue. Signup page at www.midnightcall.com/swiftword

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THE DELIVERER CD ALBUM

ITEM #5250 300 minutes

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$30.00 ONLY
Author: Arno Froese

$25

Combines the CD messages of Arno Froese's The Deliverer series (Items 3225 through 3229 a total of five CDs) into one handsome album.The series is a commentary on the book of Hosea. 1 Unfaithful Israel (Chapters 1-3) 3225 2 Prophetic Promises and Judgments (Chapters 4-6) 3226 3 Israels Separation from the Promised Land (Chapters 7-9) 3227 4 Gods Love Declaration Rejected (Chapters 10-11) 3228 5 Irreversible Judgment Leads to Salvation (Chapters 12-14) 3229

C O N T E N T S
COVER STORY

An Incredible Story
By Thomas Lieth
Calvary, the death of Jesus on the cross, the darkness at midday, the earthquake, the burial in the tomb, the resurrection, the opening of the graves, the appearing of the Lord Jesus up to His ascensiontruly an incredible story! But even if such a story seems incredible, this does not mean that it is not true!

37 USA
Earths Magnetic Pole Shift Unleashing Poison into the Air?

$ 14 Money: Ends and Trends Jubileum Part I: Gods Prophetic Outline for Prosperity
By Wilfred Hahn
Just what does the Bible say about the rich the poor about wealth distribution how things will be when Jesus Christ restores all things (Acts 3:21)? Quite a bit. In fact, as much as 40% of the Bible is said to deal with these and related topics.

39 FRANCE
A New Global Finance System in the Making?

40 RUSSIA

19

Hope and Responsibility in View of the Rapture

By Norbert Lieth
The Rapture is the next great event which awaits the Church of Jesus Christ.What hope is connected with this, and what is the Churchs responsibility in view of Jesusreturn?

The Calling of theTwelve Disciples James,the Son of Alphaeus

By Marcel Malgo

26

Crew Trained to Walk on Mars on Simulated Mission

41 ECUADOR
Chevron Fined $8.6bn for Pollution

30 34

Did the Early Church Affirm Preterism? Part II World Conspiracy in Light of the Bible

By Dr. Ron J. Bigalke

41 IRAN
Iran Has No Nuke Capability

By Johannes Pflaum

DEPARTMENTS

Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Peter Malgo

42

Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Arno Froese OLD COVENANT REGENERATION...CHARISMATIC/PENTECOSTAL...ELDERS

Midnight Call
APRIL 2011

E D I T O R S

N O T E

Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition,
upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:11-12).
B y P e t e r M a l g o

he intensity of natural catastrophes is steadily increasing all over the world. While the past year already ended as the year with the most catastrophes in history, hardly a week passes this year in which reports of fearful events do not reach us again. Australia was hit with special force. Since records were kept a hundred years ago, the highest rainfall ever recorded took place there a few months ago. This led to the heaviest floods. The flooded area was as large as Germany and France combined. A little later the monster cyclone Yasi rushed towards Australia. Even while the subsequent floods taxed the strength of the rescue teams, bush fires in Western Australia were raging beyond control. At the same time, unimaginable catastrophes took place elsewhere in the world: after heavy storms, an entire mountain slope slid down and mud avalanches buried hundreds of people. A resident of that place was barely able to save his children but had
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to watch helplessly as his wife was torn away with the masses of mud. I could have lost everything, but not my wife, he sobbed. The list of these disasters could be endlessly enlargedfloods in China, volcanic eruptions in Japan, earthquakes in Haiti, fire on Mount Carmel in Israel, blizzards in the USA, a tsunami in Indonesia. Numerous people lost their lives in them. It was most tragic, however, that many people could have been saved if they had paid attention to the warnings of the security forces and obeyed their instructions. Instead, some preferred to remain in their homes, unaware that soon a hot lava stream would rush in or a flood wave would overflow them in the next few minutes, or a fire would deny them all possibility of flight. In January, parts of South Germany were also deeply submerged by water. A newspaper report described how people in traffic who wanted to drive on a flooded street simply removed the barriers

E D IT OR

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The Prophetic Voice for the Endtimes

within the reach of a mudslide. The police spokesman stated: The drivers are evidently unaware that they risk great danger because the slope threatens to slide down. Besides these natural catastrophes threatening our physical lives, we Christians also risk finding ourselves in areas where our spiritual lives are under attack. The Bible throws light upon numerous warnings to us. But do we heed such warnings? This is drastically shown us by the judgment of Sodom. God wanted to save the entire family of Lot and said: Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed (Genesis 19:17). But Lots wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt (verse 26). God also quite concretely wants to keep us away from zones of danger and false ways. Therefore, He speaks through circumstances, by His Word, by the soft voice of the Holy Spirit in our conscience. But do we pay attention to this? In Numbers 22 beginning with verse 22, we read how God tried by His angel to turn Balaam back from his wrong way. Finally, God had to use very unusual means to open Balaams eyes. Today, we live in a time in which the enemys arts of seduction increase uncannily. Jesus Himself compares the end time with the time of Noah. It is reported about his contemporaries that they knew nothing until the flood came, and took them all away. And Jesus continued, So shall also the coming of the Son of man be Watch therefore (Matthew 24:39, 42). Later, Paul wrote the Corinthians: Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:11-12). MC

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MIDNIGHT CALL, INC.

PO Box 280008 Columbia, SC 29228 Physical Location: 4694 Platt Springs Road West Columbia, SC 29170

Founder Dr. Wim Malgo (1922 92) Editor Peter Malgo Executive Director Arno Froese Contributing Authors Norbert Lieth, Marcel Malgo, Wilfred Hahn, Dr. Ron J. Bigalke, Reinhold Federolf, Samuel Rindlisbacher, Ernst Kraft and Thomas Lieth
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WE BELIEVE Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and shed His blood to save mankind. He died and arose bodily the third day and later ascended into heaven. WE BELIEVE that the Lord Jesus Christ died in the place of each individual sinner and that all who believe in Him as their personal Savior are justified through His shed blood and have become children of God. WE BELIEVE that Israel is Gods chosen people, and that the restoration of the Jews to their own land is the fulfillment of the Word of God. WE BELIEVE in the pretribulational appearance of Jesus Christ for the Rapture of His Church (all born again believers). WE BELIEVE in the immortality of our souls and the resurrection of our bodies, and in the resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved and the everlasting punishment of the lost.

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APRIL 2011

Calvary, the death of Jesus on the cross, the darkness at midday, the earthquake, the burial in the tomb, the resurrection, the opening of the graves, the appearing of the Lord Jesus up to His ascensiontruly an incredible story! But even if such a story seems incredible, this does not mean that it is not true! THOMAS LIETH

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Jesus ChristHe truly is the Redeemer and He is the rightful King of Israel.But for this,He received only scornful laughter.It is no different today.

n Mark 15:21 to 16:14, we read of the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, His appearing afterwards, as well as the reaction of those to whom He appeared. This event was totally incredible, even for His trusted disciples. Although Jesus had referred to His resurrection when speaking to them, and they had believed Him, trusted Him and followed Him, it was still incredible for these believers when the resurrection took place. And yet the Lord Jesus had foretold His path of suffering three times. From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day (Matthew 16:21, cf. Mark 8:31). Peter exclaimed, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. His reaction showed that the disciple ultimately did not know what to make of the idea of the death and resurrection of the promised Redeemer, although He had told them about it, For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him (Mark 9:31-32).

When the Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross,

in addition to His pain, He had to endure mockery and scorn, Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save (Mark 15:31). He saved others; how true that is! The Lord Jesus Christ came to the earth as a Savior (Romans 10:11-13). He saved others, the chief priests and

scribes said mockingly, but they themselves would not let Him save them. He came unto his own, and his own received him not (John 1:11). The mockery continued in that they said, Let Christ the King of Israel (Mark 15:32). Before, when He stood before the council, Jesus was confronted with His position when the high priest asked Him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? (Mark 14:61). That meant, Are you the Anointed One, the promised Messiah-King? And the Lord Jesus answered, I am (verse 62). How moving this is! He saved others ... Christ, the King of Israel. That which was meant as scorn and mockery was nothing other than an unconscious testimony to the Son of God. Jesus ChristHe truly is the Redeemer and He is the rightful King of Israel. But for this, He received only scornful laughter. It is no different today. Who is more mocked, and who is more ridiculed? Buddha? Not interesting! Mohammed? Life threatening! Any other deity? Insignificant! No, in the most cases, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is slandered and ridiculed. It was the same at that time when He hung on the cross. Nobody laughed at the two robbers at His side. They were not mocked, spat on or ridiculed. Could it perhaps be because the statement of the Lord Jesus Christ, No man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6), is so provocative because it is the simple truth? If something does not affect us, we can overlook it without becoming indignant or defending ourselves with mockery and blasphemy. But woe betide anyone who says something that makes us feel they are speaking to us, even doubting us! Then it is not
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Unfortunately,we Christians of today also tend to want to see and thereby prove the Bible and strengthen our faith.Yet we go from believing to seeing and not the other way round.Man is not convicted of sin by earthly,visible things and heroic deeds,but by the Word of God.
raised people from death. No, the triumph was that He conquered death by remaining on the cross, voluntarily dying there and ultimately being raised from the dead. This was the victory of God and not some heroic deed of Batman or Superman. From this we see that the words, Descend now from the cross were not only a mockery but also simultaneously a temptation. Perhaps a last desperate attempt of Satan to turn away his defeat. That we may see and believe! What did the Lord Jesus say to His disciple Thomas after His appearing? Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed (John 20:29). Not seeing and then believing, but exactly the other way round: first believe and then see. For we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Are we prepared to believe? Then we will see. If you are not prepared to believe, however, you will not believe even if you see. The chief priests and the scribes, as well as the many who saw Jesus when He bore His cross, had heard of the signs and wonders of the Lord Jesus, and perhaps even experienced them. Those of these Jews who did not want to believe before Calvary, however, those who had closed their hearts to the impressive speaking of God in His Son until this time, would not have believed even if the Son of God had descended from the cross. Unfortunately, we Christians of today also tend to want to see and thereby prove the Bible and strengthen our faith. Yet we go from believing to seeing and not the other way round. Man is not convicted of sin by earthly, visible things and heroic deeds, but by the Word of God.

enough merely to reject Jesus, to nail Him to the cross; no, tasteless scorn is poured upon Him. With this, people cover their conviction; with this they want to demonstrate their superiority, although they are inwardly full of fear and uncertainty. Could the Bible be right? Could this despised man on the cross be the Son of God after all? Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe (Mark 15:32). Does this not remind us of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness? There the devil tempted the Lord Jesus with the words, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread (Luke 4:3). But the Son of God did not let Himself be tempted; He was obedient unto death (Philippians 2:8). His descent from the cross would not have been a triumph, although that would have been an easy thing for the incarnate God, who had healed blind and lame people and even
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The dividing wall between God and man was not the veil in itself,but sin.The veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom,from God to man.It was the veil that divided off the Holy of Holies.
Salvation, the now free way to God, did not take place just like that, but it was and is the proof of Gods love for you and me (Romans 5:8). And if we look at this grace of God, His love and kindness, how irrelevant and trivial earthly things become! And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God (Mark 15:39). This Roman officer realized that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He would not have contemplated the possibility of His resurrection. He did not have the hope of the resurrection, and stood perplexed and full of fear in the face of his realization. He simply knew, I am also guilty of the death of this just Man. How terrible this thought must have been, and how guilty he must have felt at this moment. We do not know what happened to this centurion. We do not know whether he later met the risen Lord and came to saving faith in Him. The only thing we know is that the crucifixion of this just Man moved him deeply. If he confessed his guilt and sincerely prayed for mercy, then we will see this Roman centurion one day in heaven. Then the words of Jesus on the cross, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34) applied to this Roman soldier, who really had no idea who this Man was that they nailed to the cross. There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; (who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem (Mark 15:40-41). Who
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Of the death of our Lord Jesus on the cross,

Mark says, And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom (Mark 15:37-38). The veil in the temple is torn; now we have access to the heavenly sanctuary! Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh (Hebrews 10:1920). Hallelujah! The way is free! The dividing wall between God and man was not the veil in itself, but sin. The veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom, from God to man. It was the veil that divided off the Holy of Holies. This shows us that sin has been blotted out and paid for. Just like that? No, not just like that. It may seem so to us because it is nothing more than undeserved favor, but for God this act was not simply that; it was the painful, humiliating way to the cross, with torture, mockery and scorn, with pain, suffering and death.

It is interesting to note that the angel spoke of Jesus the Nazarene,i.e.of the Crucified One,and not of the Son of God.Everything still seems to be taking place on earth; it is all about the man Jesus,and only later on with His incredible ascension do we find the transition to the heavenly Kingdom of God,which Luke hints at,Why seek ye the living among the dead?(Luke 24:5).The central thing about this incredible story is certainly the fact of the resurrection,He is risen; he is not here(Mark 16:6).
apostles James and John), the sons of Zebedee (Matthew 27:56). These women, who are mentioned by name, and many others looked where the body of the Lord Jesus was taken (Mark 15:47).

Notice what love women had for Jesus. We

only have to think of the ministry of Mary and Martha. Think of how lovingly Mary anointed the feet of the Lord Jesus, and see how these three women bought sweet spices to anoint the body of the Lord (Mark 16:1-2). This is love, this is faithfulness, this is devotion which only women are capable of in this measure. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him (Mark 16:5-6). It is interesting to note that the angel spoke of Jesus the Nazarene, i.e. of the Crucified One, and not of the Son of God. Everything still seems to be taking place on earth; it is all about the man Jesus, and only later on with His incredible ascension do we find the transition to the heavenly Kingdom of God, which Luke hints at, Why seek ye the living among the dead? (Luke 24:5). The central thing about this incredible story is certainly the fact of the resurrection, He is risen; he is not here (Mark 16:6). And then the angel, in the guise of the young man, continues, But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth be-

were the women of whom these verses speak? It is said of Mary Magdalene that the Lord Jesus had healed her from her demon possession (Luke 8:2). Mary, the mother of James and Joses, was the mother of the Apostle James, the son of Alphaeus; and Salome was the mother of the so-called sons of thunder (the
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What a faith it would have been if the disciples had made their way to Galilee after the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus,to wait for Him there instead of barricading themselves in a house in Jerusalem.The apostles should have known,and yet they were completely taken by surprise.They were not expecting the Lord Jesus,really.
fore you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you (verse 7). Why is Peter specially mentioned? The angel spoke of the disciples of the Lord Jesus; that should have been enough. Peter was one of them, after all. I think this has to do with his previous denial of Jesus. Peter, who denied his Lord and Master three times, was full of shame and sorrow over his personal failure. How vehemently he had declared before this that he would go to his death with Jesus. But when theory was turned into practice, he denied the Lord who loved him so much. And Peter certainly loved his Lord. He must have felt all the worse after his denial of Him. With the command of the angel to tell Peter in particular that the Lord Jesus was risen from the dead, Peters sadness was to be changed into joy. And it should assure him, Peter, I forgive you! None of the disciples suffered as much as Peter, and so this news of the resurrection was like a tremendous liberation to him. An incredible story for Peter, who, as Luke and John report, now hastened to the grave to see for himself what they had told him (Luke 24:12 and John 20:3). But when, where and in what circumstances did Jesus tell His disciples that after His resurrection He would go to Galilee? This took place when He was on the Mount of Olives together with His disciples, after the last supper, and shortly before His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, when He also predicted Peters denial of Him (Mark 14:28). This detail was also known to the disciples, and yet they were so slow to understand all this. I say deliberately to understand and not to believe, because I think that they really did believe, in the true sense of the word, but did not really understand. It was all an incredible story for them, mere theory and not to be understood in practice. The angel underlined the reliability of the Word of God by expressly emphasizing, There shall ye see him, as he said unto you (Mark 16:7). In other words, and this is valid up to the present day, Believe and trust in the Word of God; then you will not go wrong. What a faith it would have been if the disciples had made their way to Galilee after the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, to wait for Him there instead of barricading themselves in a house in Jerusalem. The apostles should have known, and yet they were completely taken by surprise. They were not expecting the Lord Jesus, really. Are you waiting for the Lord? I do not meant theoretically, according to the Word, but practically. Are you ready to meet the Lord, or are you saying, The Lord will not come for a long time? As he said unto youthese are words that should touch our hearts too. And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid (Mark 16:8). An incredible story is our theme, and we see by the reaction of the women how incredible this all seemed to them. We could really say they were suffering from shock. They had reckoned with everything, just not an empty tomb. And now the angel gives them a command. This must have seemed like a dream to them. And what about the command they received to tell the disciples and Peter of the risen One? Neither said they any thing to any man. We do not want to judge them, but we acknowlAPRIL 2011 11

And even when the two disciples who had been on the road to Emmaus told the disciples, they were incapable of regarding the impossible as being possible.Then the Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples,and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen (verse 14).
whom he had cast seven devils (Mark 16:9). Only Mark writes of the fact that the shocked women did not say anything to anyone at first. As the other Gospels report, these women were full of fear on the one hand, but full of great joy on the other hand. On the way to the disciples, to tell them of their incredible meeting, they were silent, knowing that nobody would believe them anyway. Who would take them seriously as women? The testimony of a woman at that time had absolutely no value. This fact is also a proof of the credibility of the Bible: if this book would have been written later on by people without the inspiration of the holy God, then the writers would surely have come up with more reliable witnesses than a couple of women. Mark describes further that the Lord Jesus met with Mary Magdalene. She had possibly not even gotten over the shock of His death when the Lord appeared to her. Similarly as with Thomas later on, first she had to see before she believed with all her heart. And she [Mary Magdalene] went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not (verses 10-11). Luke 24:11 says it even more emphatically, And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. What is our title? An incredible story. They did not believe it. It was simply an incredible story. We see this again in Mark 16:13, after the Lord Jesus had revealed Himself to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they

edge this fact, and above all we ask ourselves, what command has the Lord given us? Are we fulfilling it? Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). This is the Lords command to us too. And what did Peter and John say so eloquently afterwards, For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard (Acts 4:20). Is this the case with us, or perhaps the words, Neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid, are more applicable where we are concerned. Let us each examine ourselves and answer for ourselves. The words of 2 Timothy 1:7 should encourage us in this connection, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

After all this, at last the appearing of the Lord took place, Now when Jesus was
risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of
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Are you also concerning yourself with the question, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? (Mark 16:3),when this stone has been rolled away long ago? The women realized it when they looked up (verse 4).
walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them (verses 12-13). Let us imagine how the eleven disciples must have felt just before that. A couple of days ago, they were there when their Lord and Master rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, and then the events leading up to the crucifixion took place in quick succession. The disciples were despondent, desperate, full of fear, unsure and perplexed. And then came Mary Magdalene and the other women. But what is the reason for Jesus first appearing to the women and not His disciples? This testimony was too incredible to be true. And even when the two disciples who had been on the road to Emmaus told the disciples, they were incapable of regarding the impossible as being possible. Then the Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen (verse 14). The Lord Jesus had to scold His closest friends, namely the remaining eleven apostles, for their unbelief. Unbelief? In what form? They saw in Jesus the Anointed One and Son of God, and confessed Him as such. The disciples believed in Jesus, by all means. Yet they showed their unbelief in their practical faith-lives. Just as today, many Christians believe in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but do not put their faith into practice. They give no testimony, although they know of their commission. They do not grow, although they should.

They still consume spiritual milk, although they should have become teachers themselves long ago (Hebrews 5:12). They complain and despair although they know the promises. Are you also concerning yourself with the question, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? (Mark 16:3), when this stone has been rolled away long ago? The women realized it when they looked up (verse 4). What are you spending more time doing? Looking at the stones that you think are in your way, or are you looking up to your Lord and Savior? Do what the scolded disciples did and let the admonition of the Lord be an encouragement to grow spiritually. Later on, after the Lord Jesus had ascended into heaven, they could not do other than to proclaim boldly and powerfully the fact of the resurrection, And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all (Acts 4:33). An incredible story? Yes, indeed. Incredible, and yet true. What grace that those who believe it will one day go from believing to seeing. Praise be to the risen (MR0410/432) Lord Jesus Christ!
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MONEY: E NDS & TRENDS

For resources on endtime economics and to subscribe to the free newsletter, Eternal Value Review, visit Wilfreds website www.eternalvalue.com or contact him at: staff@eternalvalue.com

Jubileum Part I: Gods Prophetic Outline for Prosperity

B y W i l f r e d H a h n

Just what does the Bible say about the rich the poor about wealth distribution how things will be when Jesus Christ restores all things (Acts 3:21)? Quite a bit. In fact, as much as 40% of the Bible is said to deal with these and related topics.
ost wonderfully, the Bible concerns itself primarily with the captives and the poor, whether in spirit or physically. In this 3-part series, our aim is to show just how wonderfully God has aligned the physical creation with his heavenly kingdom and work of salvation. Should His requirements of love, mercy and forgiveness not be practiced, the societies of mankind are designed to malfunction and self-destruct. We will begin by first consulting the Bible for its perspectives on these topics. In Part II, we will then explore Gods ideal plan for economic justice on eartha program that will be reinstituted in the Millennium period. Part
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III reflects upon the wonderful blessings of cancellation and forgiveness. As we will discover, these concepts are necessary for both eternal salvation and the blessed existence of mankind during his temporal, physical, existence on earth. The Poor and the Rich Every time we risk writing about Biblical perspectives on wealth and its distribution, we seem to invite incendiary responses. Quoting Robert E. Lucas, Of the tendencies that are harmful to sound economics, the most seductive, and the most poisonous, is to focus on questions of distribution.1 We would agree. Even my background as a practitioner in the Darwinian world of the global in-

Jubileum Part I: Gods Prophetic Outline for Prosperity

vestment industry, has not spared me from being accused a Marxist. Therefore, lets settle this point right at the outset. We are here more interested in the Bibles view on these questions of wealth, the poor, forgiveness and Gods desired economy for mankind, not the secular theories of men. As it is, the field of economics and its myriad theories (which is a subject body that belongs to the humanities, not science) has yet to settle on a unanimous view. It should also be recognized that this field of nonsciences has had a terrible, terrible track record. Moreover, populist views and policies on these matters tend to change with the times and zeitgeist. For example, in America today, to speak of wealth redistribution from the rich to the poor would be economic heresy. According to the thinking in higher-echelon political circles, the rich must be protected. In short, arent they the ones that provide the capital that provides jobs and incomes for everyone else? Therefore, the right and privilege to achieve huge outsized after-tax incomes and wealth must be preserved. At least, that is the reasoning that is prevalent in the halls of power. However, lets get back to the Biblical view and put these things into proper focus. It is not so much that specific tenets of capitalist theories about wealth creation and distribution are dead wrong. It is that their implementation does not always emphasize fairness, compassion and love. Dont believe it? If that were not the case, one would need to wonder why the Holy Spirit went to the trouble of inspiring the Bible. Its central message would be obviated. As the Bible repeatedly shows, God chooses to observe the motives of the heart rather than the punctilious observance of ritual or theory. For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings (Hosea 6:6, see also Matthew 12:7, 9:13). Through Micah, God admonished the Jews, saying, He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). The same message is found in the New Testament. Even the gospel cannot be operative without love and mercy. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). People may have great head knowledge of Scriptures or elegant economic theories about wealth creation and prosperity. However, it is all insignificant noise if its implementation (putting into practice) does not involve love. The two Royal Laws, which Christ said encompassed all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:40), were best summarized by the law expert mentioned in Luke 10:27: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, love your neighbor as yourself.
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If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

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wealth theory cannot be disassociated from love and justice, and has no union with concepts of self-interest (Adam Smith and later concepts of the good of capitalism or affluence); nor associations with envy nor covetousness; and more lately, the good of greed. Why Are There Poor? Wasnt Abraham, the Biblical patriarch, wealthy? This observation is often made in the defense of the rich. It completely misses the point. To be relatively or absolutely wealthy is not a sin (though it is also true that very few are capable of justly managing wealth). The Bible does not condemn the state of being rich; it rather indicts the elite rich that oppress their fellow mankind and take no concern for the poor. Without a doubt, there were numerous wealthy individuals mentioned in the Old Testament. But, what conclusions should we draw from this observation? First, we need to draw a distinction between those rich that were righteous and those that were not. We have already drawn attention to the critical differentiationlove, mercy and justice. However, lets also consider some practical aspects. Who would not agree that it is impossible for everyone in the world to be as rich as Abraham, in relative terms. This is simply not physically possible. Nor does the Bible ever promise that everyone can be rich (as do todays popular and widespread [false] Prosperity Gospel teachers). The Bible draws a distinction between the state of being wealthy and that of hoarding. These are not one and the same concepts. It is a mathematically-supportable fact that hoarding must result in a wealth distribution skew in other

The Bible draws a distinction between the state of being wealthy and that of hoarding.

The very last days of the Church Era the terrible times that Paul talks ofare described as being without love, unforgiving, instead characterized by the love of money and love of themselves (2 Timothy 3:2-3). That exactly describes the attitudes required to underpin an environment of economic oppression, high indebtedness and widening wealth skews. That day is here today. If anything (by at least some measures), these conditions are likely to get worse and most certainly, much worse by the time the Tribulation unfolds. The Bible Versus Political Polemics Using such terms as Marxism or Capitalism is not helpful in discussing what the Bible actually says and mandates vis-vis wealth. Neither ism is supported in the Bible. (In fact, the Bible supports no isms of mankind.) Actually, the Scriptures and ancient wisdom precede these man-made theories by several millennia. To the extent that Karl Marx might have theorized some of the flaws of capitalism (as does the Bible), this did not qualify him as a godly man. Much to the contrary. His seminal failings were that he did not operate out of a spirit of love (more likely envy) nor a fear of God. Likewise, any rich person or proponent of capitalism would not be sinfully wrong, were they inspired by a sense of justice or love for fellow mankind. Without love and mercy, the ultimate consequence of even the best theory and doctrine will be destructive. The essential points and attitudes to which we must orient ourselves in relation to wealth and physical possessions are found in the Bible. These were established long before Adam Smith or Karl Marx came along. To emphasize, Biblical
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Jubileum Part I: Gods Prophetic Outline for Prosperity

words, a relative division in wealth or standard of living. In fact, such is the very definition of hoarding. As outlined in James 5:1-6, wealth is described as having been heaped or amassed, which is implied by the Greek word saurizo. This is an important distinction, as it gives evidence of a wealth skew. Wealth cannot be heaped and concentrated without there being a lessening or deprivation of someone elses relative wealth. The impulse for this effect may be unintentional, sin or conspiracy. At the very least, we must not forget the innate vulnerability of all human flesh. Everything else being equal, the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10), the lust of the flesh (1 John 2:16), and all mankind being born into sin testify to the corruptible bias of the world. Just who is uncorruptible? It is no surprise therefore that almost the entire emphasis of the Bible in relation to the poor is to their defense. But why should this be? Just why is it necessary for the Bible to counsel special aid and care for the poor? While there are godly people mentioned in the Bible who were wealthy, just why is it that the rich attract so little favorable mention in the Scriptures? The answer: the same reason that mankind needs salvation and forgiveness of sins. Therefore, what the Bible does consistently concern itself with are the poor and the oppressed, both physically and in spirit. Moses said to the Hebrews, There should be no poor among you (Deuteronomy 15:4), this being a command from God. Jesus said that he came to preach good news to the poor. (The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressedLuke 4:18.) He also said: You will always have the poor among you (John 12:8), pointing out the unfortunate state of a fallen world.

Gods Plan for Fair Dealing with Wealth A thorough study of the economic principles within the God-given laws to the Israelites of the Sabbath and the Jubilee Year reveals the intended wealth distribution that God had planned upon earth. It is not unreasonable to take instruction from these commanded ordinances of the Israelites as, after all, they were called to be a light to the world (Isaiah 42:6, 49:6). But arent ancient laws and principles irrelevant today? No. Consider that God himself will again reinstitute these two Sabbath ordinances in the Millennium period. Think of it: when Jesus Christ restores all things (Acts 3:21), the Sabbath and Jubilee years will be practiced by the entire earth. Civil leaders today would then do well if they sought to pursue the same principles behind these two ordinances. Then, just what are these principles? We next need to examine the Bibles teachings about the Sabbath and Jubilee Years. Of course, the Sabbath finds its original roots at Creation. God rested on the 7th day. The entire earth was to rest on this day. Ever since, all developed cultureswhether Asian, Western or otherwisehave operated on a seven-day, weekly cycle. Later, the Sabbath Law was given to the Hebrews. However, this occurred in several stages, as we will review in Part II.

As a brief foretaste, considered what God said through Moses, At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts (Deuteronomy 15:1). As such, we see that a seven-year debt cycle was instituted. There was no such thing as perpetual debt: every Sabbath Year, debts had to be laid flat. Anyone who could not pay back his debts by that time was forgiven this amount.

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God somehow coded into the infinite complexities of life a clock that ticks to the time of a seven-day rhythm. We humans have no control over these innate circaseptan rhythms and benefit best by simply living in sympathetic harmony with them. More importantly, the seven-day cycle in physical nature points beyond temporal reality to a far greater spiritual reality. God, with masterful design, uses time itself and a seventh day rest to call his creation to pause and listen. He has a message which explains why we were created and for what special purpose. His words are so majestic, so exciting, so unbelievable, so beyond our mundane world that they could only be comprehended as coming from God himself. His message dispels ignorance, solves lifes grand mysteries, and offers a future too beautiful to be true. His personal message introduces himself as our creator, he gives us dignity and a special relationship to himself by declaring we have been made in his image, he then offers to save us into an eternity with himif we but follow him. He invites us to join him on his journey, to walk with him, to talk with him, to learn from him, to even rule with him. How could we refuse such an invitation? The mystery of the seven-day cycle was never intended to be a mystery, but a call from the Creator to get in harmony, in sync, with him. It is high time we get in step with God.

The mystery of the seven-day cycle was never intended to be a mystery, but a call from the Creator to get in harmony, in sync, with him. It is high time we get in step with God.

As a brief foretaste, considered what God said through Moses, At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts (Deuteronomy 15:1). As such, we see that a seven-year debt cycle was instituted. There was no such thing as perpetual debt: every Sabbath Year, debts had to be laid flat. Anyone who could not pay back his debts by that time was forgiven this amount. We can imagine just how different our economies would be today were this same convention applied. Points to PonderThe Circaseptan Cycle The seven-day cycle, ending with the day of rest, is evidenced by all of Creation. Here is an excerpt from an excellent article on this subject, written by Kenneth Westby, entitled The Amazing 7-Day Cycle.2
Now we discover that the beat all life is tuned to is seven. How did seven come to be imbedded deep into the ancient genetic building blocks of life? Why is seven the key coordinating rhythm for lifes myriad complexities? God did wind up the clockwork leaving his fingerprints all over the clock. The new science of chronobiology has had some of sciences most impressive successes in seeing back to creation with its discovery of primitive origins to the seven-day cycle found in human cells and other life forms.

In Part II and Part III, we will focus on Gods perfect plan for economic justice and the great gifts of forgiveness and cancellation. MC

ENDNOTES
1 2 Robert E. Lucas,The Industrial Revolutions: Past and Future (2004) http://www.godward.org/archives/Special%20 Articles/7-Day%20Cycle.htm

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HOPE AND RESPONSIBILITY IN VIEW OFTHE RAPTURE

BY NORBERT LIETH

And the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

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Paul explains that the new body will be adapted to heaven, just as the bodies of birds are adapted for flying, the bodies of animals for the earth, the bodies of fish to water and the bodies of people to the world (1 Corinthians 15:39-49).

he Rapture is the next great event which awaits the Church of Jesus Christ. What hope is connected with this, and what is the Churchs responsibility in view of Jesus return?

The hope embraces five encouragements. The

first one is, And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed (Romans 13:11). Every day the return of Jesus for His own draws a little nearer. For now refers to people who have already been redeemed through Jesus (spiritually renewed), and gives them the hope of redemption from the body at the Rapture, i.e. the resurrection. The return of Jesus to take home His Church is the conclusion of the process of redemption of the children of God. We could say that it is our ultimate salvation or the completion of redemption. The process of redemption which began with the spiritual renewal will culminate in the transformation of the body and the glory of God. At our conversion, our soul was redeemed; at the Rapture, the body will also be transformed. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body (Romans 8:23). Everything earthly (physical, negative), everything that limits us through our physical nature, all physical weakness, such as the process of aging, the inclination to sin, sorrow, tears, and worry, will be transformed into eternal glory. Paul explains that the new body will be adapted to heaven, just as the bodies of birds are adapted for flying, the bodies of animals for the earth, the bodies of fish to water and the bodies of people to the world (1 Corinthians 15:39-49). The second encouragement is: For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned
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like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself (Philippians 3:20-21). I would like to emphasize the word citizenship. It is so wonderful that the Bible always gives us assurance. What is citizenship? Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a country. As a German citizen, I have the right to live in Germany, and nobody can drive me out. I am a child of this people. As a citizen of heaven, I have the right to live in Gods kingdom, because I have become a child of God through Jesus Christ. We are born into the people of a nation. In the same way, we are born into the kingdom of heaven (through rebirth). Jesus bought us the right to become a citizen of heaven; through Him we have become partakers of grace. He is our guarantee, the divine signature, our legitimation, our passport. Now we are awaiting the Lord Jesus, for Him to return to take us home, to the kingdom where He has prepared a place for us. The third encouragement: Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works (Titus 2:13-14). The blessed hope is directly connected with the appearing of the Lord, who is our God and Savior. What is blessed? It is the expression for redemption and fellowship with God. Blessed is the term for attaining to the highest supernatural blessing that lies beyond the possibility of man. The highest blessing is God Himself. Therefore, blessedness puts everything humanly achievable into the shade. The uniting with God through the appearing of Jesus is, therefore, our blessed hope. The fourth encouragement: And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels (2 Thessalonians 1:7).

HOPE AND RESPONSIBILITY IN VIEW OF THE RAPTURE We are born into the people of a nation. In the same way, we are born into the kingdom of heaven (through rebirth). Jesus bought us the right to become a citizen of heaven; through Him we have become partakers of grace. He is our guarantee, the divine signature, our legitimation, our passport.
The Bible tells us that at the return of Jesus for the resurrection and Rapture, we will first enter into rest, to appear with the angels of His power in glory later on. Rest means that we have come to rest from all toil, the battle of faith and overcoming. We will be liberated from all suffering, trouble will be over; life will attain its utmost fullness, the goal of our faith having been reached. When Jesus was risen from the dead, it says that His head covering in the tomb was folded up in a special place by itself (John 20:7). Why is this mentioned? It is to draw our attention to the fact of what Jesus achieved. The cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus head reminds us of a sweatband (in the sweat of thy face, Genesis 3:19): the battle, the trouble and toil were set aside. He accomplished the work in our place and thereby created a blessed rest, a rest from having to work for our redemption ourselves. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his (Hebrews 4:10). Fifth encouragement: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5). Notice the correlation: the eternal inheritance that Jesus achieved for us is kept for us in heaven, and we are kept for this inheritance. Isnt that wonderful? The Bible always gives us assurance! It is not our power that keeps us, or we would soon be in trouble; it is Gods power, His omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence that keep us. We may trust in this power of God in faith and act accordingly.

The responsibility embraces five admonitions. First admonition: In view of the imminent return of the Lord Jesus for His Church, we are told to love one another, Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed (Romans 13:8-11). A child once wrote the following words to God, Dear God, I bet its hard for You to love everyone in this world. We are only four people in my family, and I never make it! When a person close to us is taken from us by death, we often regret many things; we regret not having loved them more, for instance. John Wesley once said, I have often regretted judging too harshly, but only seldom being too compassionate. When we stand before the judgment seat of God, the Lord will not ask in the first place how much we prayed or how much we resisted sin, how well we fought and admonished, how faithful we were
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And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book (Revelation 22:6-7).
or how much we did for Him. He will ask how much we loved. Love is the fulfillment of the law; love is the greatest thing of all. And the worst thing of all is to neglect to love. The letter to the Church at Ephesus shows us where our priorities lie (in Revelation 2:1-7). Everything else is important too, but love always has priority. Second admonition: We are admonished to keep a pure conscience, Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron (1 Timothy 4:1-2). A man once asked his neighbor, who was a farmer, why he had been looking so sad recently. After a while, the farmer admitted, I have a guilty conscience because I stole a chain. The neighbor encouraged him to give the chain back and put the matter in order, so that his conscience would be clear and he could be happy again. Days later he met the farmer again, but he still looked sad. He asked him whether he had returned the chain, to which the farmer answered, Yes, I did, but it didnt help matters much. After a while, he ultimately confessed, Well, there was a cow at the end of the chain. We must tell the whole truth, and many people are afraid to do this, and therefore they are not free. Third admonition: We are admonished to await Jesus. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13). Christians have many goals that they pursue, and they are awaiting a lot of things, but they look far too little for the return of Jesus for the Rapture. We await death, the day of judgment, the end of the world, but hardly Jesus
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appearing. It is not without significance that the New Testament speaks less of our expectation of death than the return of Jesus (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:7 and 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10). Fervent expectation belongs to true conversion and true service. Fourth admonition: We are admonished to hope, But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with himWherefore comfort one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 & 18). People who have no personal relationship with Jesus are called outsiders, them that are without; in the Word of God, they are people without hope, who have no citizenship in heaven and no comfort. The Bible describes the kingdom of heaven for us in the most vivid colors, but it also says that we will not go there automatically. A personal turning in faith to Jesus Christ is, according to the Scriptures, essential and cannot be replaced by anything else. Fifth admonition: We are admonished to take the Word of God seriously. And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book (Revelation 22:6-7). The Bible proclaims the judgment of God. It speaks of the coming wrath, it speaks of death and the possibility of spending eternity far from God. We should not ignore these warnings, but take them seriously, and they should lead us to turn consciously to the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
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Your host will be the director of Midnight Call Ministries and noted Bible prophecy teacher, Arno Froese. He will highlight the Scriptural significance of sites along the way and regarding the people and land of Israel in general. Your tour guide will be Ariel Winkler, the son of the Swiss and Dutch directors of Beth Shalom: Fredi and Beate Winkler. Beate is the daughter of Midnight Call founder, Wim Malgo. Fredi is also the international editor of News From Israel. The price listed includes accommodations, breakfast and dinner each day, and all entrance fees to sights and parks covered in the itinerary. Prices are based on double occupancy; if you are coming alone and have not specified a roommate, you will be assigned a roommate of the same gender. Alternatively, you may pay an additional $525 for a single-room.

n the 18th of May 2011, we will embark on a 12-day tour of Israel.This once-in-a-lifetime tour carries the low price tag of only $1995 plus airfare.To secure your seat, please send a $400 deposit for each person. We will be limited to one bus; this means only 45 people will be able to participate, so be sure to reserve your seat early.

You will need to make round-trip airline reservations to Tel Aviv separately. We recommend that you use the services of Travel Concepts (Toll Free: 1-800-366-4124), but you are free to use whatever agency or online booking service you like.
Olive Tours/Midnight Call Ministries PO Box 280008 Columbia SC 29228 1-800-845-2420 Fax: 803-755-6002 kathy@midnightcall.com Latest information: http://www.midnightcall.com/israel_tours.html

For participant-initiated cancellations, a full refund of the land-only portion of the tour ($1995 per person, plus optional $525 single room supplement) will be made up to 45 days before departure (4/4/2011), and at a sliding scale down to zero for no-shows on 19 May 2011. If we need to cancel the tour for any reason, you will receive an immediate and automatic refund of everything you have paid Midnight Call for the 2011 tour; this refund will release Midnight Call from any further obligations. Since you will be making air travel arrangements separately, the airlines cancellation/refund policy applies. If you feel it necessary, purchase travel interruption insuranceeither from our travel agent or another source.

Cancellation Policy

MC0411

t Yes, I wish to join the Promised Land Prophecy Tour. Please reserve _______seat(s) for me(us).
I enclose $400 deposit for each person. t Just send me a complete information package at this time. t Please reserve a single room for me ($525 extra).
Name:_______________________________________ Address:______________________________________ City:________________________________________ State/Province:__________________________________ Zip/Postal Code:_________________________________

Midnight Call Ministries P.O. BOX 280008 Columbia, SC 29228

t Check t Visa/Master/Discover/Amex
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E-mail: _______________________________________

We will need additional information for each participant. If possible, please use the detailed registration form found on our website: http://www.midnightcall.com/israel_tours.html in lieu of this coupon.

2 0 1 1 AT L A N T I C COA S T P R O P H E C Y CO N F E R E N C E

16-18 October 2011

Landmark Resort Hotel Myrtle Beach,South Carolina
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn (Zechariah 12:10). We are living in an increasingly insecure world. The news media continues to bombard us with reports, mainly negative, and we can barely digest it all. But the above Scripture gives us the answer: its about the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the spirit of grace. Israels salvation is at stake. The Gentiles are mentioned in the previous verse: And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem (verse 9). That sums up the conviction of our world today. This years Atlantic Coast Prophecy Conference will be targeted toward Israel, the Church, and the Gentile world. What it all means and what the Bible has to say about it will be presented by our speakers during the 2 1/2 day prophecy conference. So, dont miss this important event!

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
Mail to: Midnight Call P.O. Box 280008,Columbia, SC 29228

MC 04/11

HOTEL RESERVATION
Mail to: Atlantic Coast Prophecy Conference,Landmark Resort Hotel, 1501 South Ocean Blvd.,Myrtle Beach,SC 29577 Reservations: (800) 845-0658 or Fax (843) 445-7274

MC 04/11

Registration by phone: (800) 8452420 or (803) 755-0733 Fax:(803) 755-6002

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M IID N IIG H T C A LLLL M DN GHT CA

MEET THE SPEAKERS

NORBERT LIETH is a graduate of Midnight Call Bible School in Montevideo/Uruguay. He has served as Midnight Calls missionary in several South American countries. Norbert Lieth is the lead speaker for Midnight Call Ministries throughout Europe. He has authored 18 books, and many have been translated into several languages. He and his wife, Elke, and their four daughters reside in Switzerland. WILFRED HAHN is known for his writings and insights on present-day world economic and money trends, viewed from a Biblical perspective. He has global investment industry experience spanning three decades, having held various executive positions from Director of Research for a major Wall Street firm, to Chairman of Canadas largest global investment group. At one time also a top-ranked global analyst and strategist, he continues to write and work as a Chief Investment Officer. The Mulberry Ministry, founded in 1995 with his wife, Joyce, publishes and distributes Eternal Value Review and over 40 books and booklets. For the past 10 years, he has been a contributor to Midnight Call magazine. DR. CHUCK MISSLER, a Naval academy graduate and former Branch Chief of the Dept. of Guided Missiles, had a remarkable 30-year executive career. He served on the Board of Directors of 12 public companies and was CEO of 6 of them. For twenty years, Chuck balanced his high-profile corporate career with his teaching commitment to a weekly Bible study at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa in Southern California. He earned a Ph.D. from Louisiana Baptist University in Biblical Studies in 1999. He and his wife Nancy established Koinonia House in 1973. Koinonia House publishes the monthly Personal UPDATE, which highlights the Biblical relevance of current events to over 50,000 subscribers worldwide. After a devastating earthquake in 1992 demolished their home in Big Bear, California, Chuck and Nancy moved Koinonia House to Coeur dAlene, Idaho, and K-House now reaches tens of thousands through its monthly newsletter, radio shows, cassette tapes, and conferences. DR. GREG HARRIS (Th.D.) has taught at Washington Bible College for seven years. Then for ten years, Dr. Harris taught Bible and Greek at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He continues to serve as an international faculty member of the Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary in Amman, and maintains an ongoing international conference and pulpit ministry. He is the author of The Cup and the Glory, The Darkness and the Glory, and The Stone and the Glory and numerous journal articles. He joined The Masters Seminary family in 2006 as Professor of Bible Exposition, and also teaches as an adjunct professor at The Masters College. Dr. Harris serves as the teaching pastor at Lake Hills Community Church in Castaic, CA. JAMES K. WALKER, the president of Watchman Fellowship, is a former fourth generation Mormon with over twenty years of ministry experience in the field of Christian counter-cult evangelism, apologetics, and discernment. He has been interviewed as an expert on new religious movements and cults on a variety of network television programs including Nightline, ABC World News Tonight, and The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. He has spoken at hundreds of churches, colleges, universities, and seminaries throughout the United States and internationally. ARNO FROESE is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the critically-acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.

The Calling of the Twelve Disciples

the Son ofAlphaeus

BY MARCEL MALGO

James,

And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him (Matthew 10:1-4).
ames, the son of Alphaeus, is almost always only mentioned in the various lists of the apostles, and always toward the end of them. Apart from this, he is only mentioned a few times in connection with his mother (Matthew 27:56, Mark 16:1 and Luke 24:10). He is also called James the less in Mark 15:40, to distinguish him from James, the son of Zebedee. We may assume from this that the latter was taller or older than James, the son of Alphaeus.

How were the disciples called? The brothers Peter and Andrew, and also James and John, were called directly from their place of work to follow Jesus (cf. Matthew 4:19-22). This was surely something that they remembered all their lives, that tremendous moment when they were called out of their daily routine to follow Jesus, Peter, do you remember? John, do you remember?
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MIDNIGHT CALL

The calling of Philip and Nathanael or Bartholomew was extraordinary, The day following Jesus would go into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow mePhilip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of JosephJesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these (John 1:43, 45 & 47-50). This must have changed the lives of the two disciples. Matthew was also called from his

Yet particularly with James, the son of Alphaeus, we could have expected a special report of his calling, because he was probably related to Jesus Christ on his mothers side. In John 19:25, the following three women are named, Now there

stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mothers sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.
Veronese, Crucifixion 1582

tax booth in a special way (Matthew 9:9). This must have moved this man enormously. But how was it with James, the son of Alphaeus? Could he also look back on a special moment? One thing is sure, at some point there was a day in his life in which he was received into the circle of the twelve. The Bible does not speak of this day. It gives no information as to whether this calling took place in a spectacular way. The Bible does not say a word too much, but not a word too little either. If it does not say anything about the calling of James, the son of Alphaeus to be a disciple, then there is nothing spectacular to say. It must have been an insignificant event that took place in all stillness. Nonetheless, this James was an apostle who was received into the circle of the disciples by Jesus Christ Himself. Yet particularly with James, the son of Alphaeus, we could have expected a special report of his calling, because he was probably related to Jesus Christ on his mothers side. In John 19:25, the following three women are named, Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mothers sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. The name Cleophas is a Greek form of the Aramaic name Chalpaj, which can also be translated as Alphaeus. Therefore, Cleophas Alphaeus was the father of the apostle James. This made Mary, the wife of Cleophas the mother of James. And this Mary was called the sister of Mary, the mother of the Lord.

There are two arguments against this. Firstly, that in John 19:25, not three but four women are mentioned. According to this theory, his mothers sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas are two different people and not, as we presume, one and the same person. Most expositors speak actually of a total of three women. Secondly, you could say that two physical sisters would surely not bear the same name. The German Bible translator Ludwig Albrecht writes, however, in the margin of his Bible, The fact that two sisters bore the same name would not necessarily have been odd at that time. King Herod the Great had two sons who were both called Herod. The Bible scholar Abraham Meister also had no problem with this, and he wrote explaining the name of Cleophas, Husband of Mary, the sister of the mother of Christ. Proceeding from the assumption that this James was related to Jesus, it is not peculiar to think that there must have been a special bond between Jesus Christ and the family of Alphaeus. In spite of this, we read nothing of the calling, life or ministry of this apostle.
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The Calling of the Twelve Disciples

James, the Son of Alphaeus

James, the son of Alphaeus, was a man in the background and played a rather modest role ... He lived according to the words of
Jesus, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls (Matthew 11:29).
James, the son of Alphaeus,
was a man in the background and played a rather modest role. If this had not been the case, then the four evangelists would certainly have mentioned him. But James apparently accepted this subordinate role completely. He lived according to the words of Jesus, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls (Matthew 11:29). Why can this be applied to this unknown apostle? Let us concern ourselves briefly with the situation after the ascension of Jesus (Acts 1:9). A whole new era began for the disciples. They had to ask themselves, Where do we go from here? This taking stock would have been the opportunity for James to make a completely human decision, namely, to leave. He had always been in the background, in spite of the fact that he was related to Jesus. Peter was already the uncontested leading figure. You could probably have been able to tell from afar that he was an apostle. Perhaps you could not say this about this James, the son of Alphaeus. Jesus was no longer there. How could things get any better? He could have reviewed the supposedly meager years and decided to leave and begin anew. But James, the son of Alphaeus, did not do this. He remained with the disciples, And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James (Acts 1:13). He was an apostle, and in
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this he was no less than Peter. He would also receive the promised reward from Jesus, And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke 22:29-30). He had the same rank, the same position; he was like all the others, and all the others like him. Is this not a message to our hearts? There are Christians who experience so much with the Lord that we could become green with envy when we hear them speak. But there are also many believers who do not have such experiences, or merely occasionally, and therefore they have nothing to tell. Are they the poorer Christians than those who experience so much with the Lord? By no means. In the first place, it is not about experiencing spectacular things with the Lord, but having Him. James, the son of Alphaeus, experienced much less than Peter or John probably, but he did not have the Lord any less than they. Perhaps you feel like a James, the son of Alphaeus. You are often alone, experience little and

Think of James, son of Alphaeus. He could have expected more, seeing that he walked with his Master, Jesus Christ. He remains in the Bible a

minor apostle. Did he give up his office as an apostle? No, he carried on after Jesus ascension into heaven, even if his position did not change.
We should all take this to heart. The same Jesus dwells through the power of His Holy Spirit in each of us. The tasks and the experiences may be different, but in Jesus Christ, all men are equal. Our Lord Jesus does not require any spectacular things of us, but only our faithfulness. He will one day judge justly, as it says in Matthew 25:21, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
(MR1009/359)

are seldom asked for your help, although you wait for it. Your experiences with Jesus are fewer than those of others. Your life is sometimes monotonous. You feel underestimated and misjudged. Perhaps you ask yourself sometimes, What is the point of it all? Think of James, son of Alphaeus. He could have expected more, seeing that he walked with his Master, Jesus Christ. He remains in the Bible a minor apostle. Did he give up his office as an apostle? No, he carried on after Jesus ascension into heaven, even if his position did not change.

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Roman Triumphal arch panel copy from Beth Hatefutsoth, showing spoils of the Jerusalem temple.

Did the Early Church Affirm Preterism?

PART II
By Dr. Ron J. Bigalke
Studying the writings of the early church is beneficial to discern the general beliefs of those who were closer to the time of the New Testament. If true, the preterist assertion that the majority of biblical prophecy was fulfilled in the first century should have evidence from the record of history. The reality, however, is that even a nascent preterism is lacking in the history of the early church.

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Did the Early Church Affirm Preterism? PART II

Titus did not enter the city of Jerusalem until after the construction of his wall and the famine consumed the Jews. Therefore, it would be impossible to heed the commands of Jesus to flee the city because of witnessing the abomination of desolation spoken of in Matthew 24:15. It should be mentioned again that any sacrilege on the part of the Romans was after the city and Temple were destroyed.

EUSEBIUS AND OTHER HISTORIANS

Eusebius wrote, . . . when finally, the abomination of desolation, according to the prophetic declaration, stood in the very temple of God, so celebrated of old, but which now was approaching its total downfal [sic] and final destruction by fire; all this, I say, any one that wishes may see accurately stated in the history written by Josephus [Book III, Chapter V].1 Schaff quoted Eusebius for his information, and Eusebius based his history upon the accounts of Josephus The Wars of the Jews. In The Wars of the Jews 6.4.1 5.4, not once did Josephus record any abomination of desolation in the Jewish Temple prior to it being destroyed. After the Temple was destroyed, Josephus recorded,
And now the Romans, upon the flight of the seditious into the city, and upon the burning of the holy house itself, and of all the buildings round about it, brought their ensigns to the temple, and set them over against its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifices to them, and there did they make Titus imperator, with the greatest acclamations of joy [6.6.1].2

People Mourn over the Ruins of Jerusalem

Schaff also documented the preceding quote from Josephus. Within a quotation, he wrote, Thus was fulfilled the prophecy concerning the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place.3 A casual reading of Schaffs History of the Christian Church would seem to indicate that Josephus wrote the preceding sentence, but since the sentence cannot be found in Josephus section on the destruction of Jerusalem, it is obvious that the sentence is the conclusion of Schaff. He referenced Daniel

9:27; Matt. 24:15; comp. Luke 21:204 as being fulfilled in the destruction. Eusebius was correct in referencing Luke 19:42-44 and 21:23-24 (Book 3, Chapter 7),5 and Schaff was correct in referencing Luke 21:20 as fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem. However, Eusebius was incorrect when referencing Matthew 24:19-21, and Schaff also when referencing Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24:15. The reason why both historians are wrong in quoting the Daniel and Matthean passages is that Josephus recorded the Roman sacrifices (desolation) as ocAPRIL 2011 31

Preterists are akin to interpreting the eagles in Matthew 24:28 as symbolic of the Roman armies. In this view, Jesus was prophesying of the Roman armies, with their ensigns bearing the eagle, coming to destroy Jerusalem. In other words, the Jews would understand the mere presence of the Roman armies surrounding Jerusalem with banners of eagles on them as the fulfillment of the abomination of desolation.

curring after the fire destroyed the city and the Temple. Furthermore, as Buswell mentioned, there was no opportunity for the Jews to escape the city as Jesus commanded in Matthew 24:15-21. Josephus recorded that Titus had a wall constructed which encompassed the entire city of Jerusalem . . . to guard against the Jews coming out. . . . So all hope of escaping was now cut off from the Jews, together with their liberty of going out of the city (5.12.1, 3).6 It was due to the wall encompassing the city, preventing any escape, that famine which consumed the Jews (5.12.1-4).7 Titus did not enter the city of Jerusalem until after the construction of his wall and the famine consumed the Jews. Therefore, it would be impossible to heed the commands of Jesus to flee the city because of witnessing the abomination of desolation spoken of in Matthew 24:15. It should be mentioned again that any sacrilege on the part of the Romans was after the city and Temple were destroyed. Buswell provided the reasons why much of the events of Matthew 24 do not correlate with a date of AD 70. First, There was no possibility that any32
MIDNIGHT CALL

body could flee from Jerusalem. Second, Titus does not in any way resemble what Daniel said of the Prince of the Covenant. Third, There was no covenant with Titus or Vespatian or anybody else remotely resembling the covenant of Daniel 9:27. Fourth, The event which Schaff calls the abomination of desolation did not occur in the midst of any recognizable seven year period. There was nothing three and one half years before or after which in any way corresponds to Daniels prediction. Fifth, There was no resurrection of the dead (Daniel 12:2). The Son of Man did not appear in the clouds of heaven (Matthew 24:30) nor gather His elect with the sound of a trumpet (Matthew 24:31). Sixth, The sacrifices were not stopped by Titus but by the Jews themselves.8 Schaff demonstrated that the ceasing of the sacrifices was not the result of Titus. He wrote, The daily sacrifices ceased July 17th, because the hands were all needed for defence, but the Temple was burned on the tenth of August, A.D. 70, the same day of the year on which . . . the first temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.9 Preterists are akin to interpreting the eagles in Matthew 24:28 as symbolic of the Roman armies. In this view, Jesus was prophesying of the Roman armies, with their ensigns bearing the eagle, coming to destroy Jerusalem. In other words, the Jews would understand the mere presence of the Roman armies surrounding Jerusalem with banners of eagles on them as the fulfillment of the abomination of desolation. Buswell commented on the problem with such an interpretation as follows: But Roman

Did the Early Church Affirm Preterism? PART II

Therefore, Jesus was well aware of the ensigns that Pilate had brought into Jerusalem. If the Jews were to understand the fulfillment of the abomination of desolation as the presence of the Roman ensigns in the city, then the fulfillment of Matthew 24:15 would have been prior to AD 70 when Jesus was speaking to them.14

ensigns, eagles and idolatrous objects worshipped by the Roman soldiers were common in the time of Christ and Paul.10 As an editorial footnote to Josephus The War of the Jews 6.6.1, Whiston quoted Tertullian similarly: . . . and Tertullian truly says in his Apologetic, 16.162, that the entire religion of the Roman camp almost consisted in worshipping the ensigns, in swearing by the ensigns, and in preferring the ensigns before all the [other] gods.11 Josephus The Antiquities of the Jews (16.3.1) attributed the presence of the Roman eagle banners in Jerusalem with Pilate. He wrote,
But now Pilate . . . introduced Caesars effigies, which were upon the ensigns, and brought them into the city; whereas our law forbids us the very making of images; on which account the former procurators were wont to make their entry into the city with such ensigns as had not those ornaments. Pilate was the first who brought those images to Jerusalem; and set them up there; which was done without the knowledge of the people. . . . . . . Pilate was deeply affected with their firm resolution to keep their laws inviolable, and presently commanded the images to be carried back from Jerusalem to Cesarea.12

nia, overlooking the temple area. It may be supposed that they usually refrained from displaying their ensigns.13 Therefore, Jesus was well aware of the ensigns that Pilate had brought into Jerusalem. If the Jews were to understand the fulfillment of the abomination of desolation as the presence of the Roman ensigns in the city, then the fulfillment of Matthew 24:15 would have been prior to AD 70 when Jesus was speaking to them.14

CONCLUSION
It should be evident that even a nascent preterism is lacking in the history of the early church. The earliest form of preterism is a mild form near the close of the fifth century or early sixth. The historical evidence, and most importantly, the revelation of Scripture demonstrate that preterism is not a correct interpretation of the biblical text. (424)

ENDNOTES
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Eusebius Pamphilus, Ecclesiastical History, trans. Christian Frederick Cruse (reprint Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994), 86. Flavius Josephus,The Wars of the Jews in The Works of Josephus, trans.William Whiston (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1987), 743. Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church (Charles Scribners Sons, 1858; reprint, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 1:398. Ibid. Eusebius, History, 93. Josephus,Wars, 722-24. Referencing Josephus, Eusebius (Book III, Chapter VI) also mentioned the famine that consumed the Jews because of the inability to escape from the midst of the city. 8 J. Oliver Buswell, A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion, 2 vols. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962; reprint, 10th printing, 1976), 2:403-04. 9 10 11 12 13 14 Schaff, History, 397-98. Buswell, Systematic Theology, 2:404. Footnote a in Josephus,Wars, 743. Josephus,The Antiquities of the Jews, in Works of Josephus, 479-80. Buswell, Systematic Theology, 2:404. Ibid., 2:401-04.

In Lukes Gospel, there is the record on the cruelty of Pilate toward the Jews. Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices (Luke 13:1). Jesus did not agree that Pilates victims were greater sinners than all other Galileans (13:2). Indeed, His response to them was: . . . no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (13:3). It is likely that when Jesus spoke these words He was thinking of the judgment that would fall upon all the unrepentant in the destruction of the city by the Romans in AD 70. Buswell commented, Alford commenting on Acts 21:31, 32 suggests that a Roman guard was stationed in the tower of Anto-

APRIL 2011

33

World Conspiracy in Light of the Bible

Johannes Pflaum What does the Bible say about world conspiracy theories? Do they belong to the prophetic Word? In this series, we will consider this and other questions connected with the topic. Here is Part 1.

n 2 Peter 1:19-21, it says, We have also a more Everyone from the Bible-believing camp will be sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well in agreement with this introduction. And yet we that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in must continually examine anew whether we intera dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star pret the trains of thought, philosophies and movearise in your hearts: knowing this first, that no ments that we are confronted with in the light of prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpre- the Bible, or whether we are beginning to judge tation. For the prophecy came not in old time by and to interpret the Bible in the light of these By Dr. Ron J. Bigalke the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they thoughts, philosophies and tendencies. In this conwere moved by the Holy Ghost. I have deliberately nection, I am discovering a dangerous tendency quoted these verses at the beginning of this article among Bible-believers. In recent times, I have been on the subject of World conspiracy in light of the confronted more and more, in churches and by inBible. What shines like a light in a dark place is the dividuals, with world conspiracy theories that are prophetic Word of the Bible. It is the sole measure claimed to be the fulfillment of end-times propheand guideline for all the things which we are con- cies. Moreover, within the Bible-believing camp, an fronted with in the end times. This does not mean ever-growing field of experts in these matters is the prophetic Word alone, but the whole of the manifesting itself. Whether it is about the election of a US presiWord of God, as we read in Psalm 119:105 and dent, the events of 9/11, swine flu or the world fiother places.
M I DM I ID N I T H T LCL A L L N GH G CA

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World Conspiracy in Light of the Bible

nancial crisis: behind them, it is alleged, are the Insider, The Rockefeller File and Dark Man in the Freemasons, the Bilderbergers and Illuminati, White House. This was, so to speak, my personal inwhich use the UN, as well as the whole of world troduction into the allegedly true background of politics and the mass media, as instruments for world events, which, as I thought then, was in their own purposes and that they are determining agreement with Biblical prophecy. fate. They allegedly direct the course of world hisJohn Todd, the alleged former high-level Illumitory and world economics with a firm hand and natist, reported, for example, how the Illuminati lead everything, step by step, according to a plan, donated millions of dollars to the Jesus People toward world dominion and the appearing of the movement to enable them to bring Christian rock Antichrist. As their Biblical basis, they say that the music into churches as a destructive element. This Scriptures predict the appearing of the last great was breathtaking news. Unfortunately, the Illumiworld dictator and opponent of Christ. The ques- natist, John Todd, the supreme witch, Rebecca tion as to whether all these theories are in agreement with Are all these world conspiracy theories really examined in what the Word of God says the light of the Bible, or have people begunperhaps with about the course of history and the end-times developments ingood motivesto read and interpret the Bible in the light dividually is not sufficiently of these theories? taken into consideration. For this reason, I am returning to the beginning. Are all these world conspiracy theo- Brown, and also the alleged Jesuit, Alberto Rivera, ries really examined in the light of the Bible, or were found to be untrustworthy and liars. I only have people begunperhaps with good motives found this out many years later, though. to read and interpret the Bible in the light of these Looking back, it was other reasons, and above all theories? an ever-increasing study of the Bible itself that My greatest fear is that the second and not the made me question and doubt the whole idea of first possibility is gaining ground among Bible-be- world conspiracy theories. As I have mentioned, tolievers. From a Biblical standpoint, I consider it day I think it is even very probable that they are a meanwhile to be more and more possible that all very cunning and piously camouflaged work of these conspiracy theories are a part of the end-times darkness which draws many Christians away from deception. Twenty-nine years ago, I was confronted the simplicity in Christ and deceives them into with these theories for the first time, which fasci- thinking beyond what is written. My views are not nated and captivated me as a Christian teenager. intended to be the ultimate wisdom, but correspond It was the testimony of the alleged ex-Illumi- with my present degree of knowledge. I want to renatist, John Todd, who belonged to the supreme main open to correction in future also. This series committee of this occultic secret brotherhood, and should simultaneously serve as a challenge to the after his conversion revealed the truth about individual to continually consider alleged facts world dominion. Added to this was the alleged for- from a Biblical point of view, and not to let themmer supreme witch, Rebecca Brown, as well as the selves be drawn in any direction. alleged former Jesuit Father, Alberto Rivera (known from the Chick-Comics), which both testify of the It is without question that we are living in the destruction and undermining of the Evangelicals. end times, and sin and evil are ripening worldwide. Through these revelations, I came across the books Apostasy is apparent, even in the Church. This lawby Des Griffin: Who Rules the World? and The lessness will culminate in the appearing of the AnRulers: Lucifers Fifth Colony, which also testified to tichrist. A completely different question, however, the world rule of the Freemasons and Illuminati. In is whether the whole thing is a process steered by addition to this came the books by Gary Allen: The secret brotherhoods that is pursued, step by step, over
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World Conspiracy in Light of the Bible

Further, it is to be noted that the conspiracy theories have increased explosively through the Internet. Apparently, anyone can become an expert within a short space of time about the true background regarding world rule, the Illuminati, Freemasonry, September 11th or the swine flu.

decades, or whether the appearing of the Antichrist will come about simply through the ripening of sin and godlessness, as well as the powers of darkness connected with this. As a second basic fact, we must remember that the Freemasons, the Bilderbergers and other organizations are permeated with the spirit of this world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life and the influence of darkness (1 John 2:16). A worldwide striving for power of these unions is possible. In certain events, such as the French Revolution, the influence of the Freemasons can be seen. The question as to whether these unions have the influence and power in world politics that is attributed to them in the conspiracy theories is another matter entirely. Perhaps you have noticed that I have left out the Illuminati in the previous paragraph.. There is a reason for this, which I will go into in the next part of this article. The question should also be allowed as to whether the whole effort to achieve world unity really is led by a central organization ultimately, or whether it is simply the expression of the increasing godlessness and the ripening of sin, and thereby the blindness which comes from the god of this world, as Paul calls Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4). When we look at the Tower of Babel in the Old Testament, we see that no secret organization was necessary to advance the desire for world unity. The sinful human heart and godlessness connected with it were sufficient for this. Further, it is to be noted that the conspiracy theories have increased explosively through the Internet. Apparently, anyone can become an expert within a short space of time about the true background regarding world rule, the Illuminati, Freemasonry, September 11th or the swine flu. It is not just in Bible-believing circles that the Internet, despite many worthy characteristics, is looked
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upon as an instrument for the falsification and manipulation of the truth to an immense extent. Experts agree that through the Internet, true knowledge is decreasing, and more and more superficial information and pseudo-knowledge is being spread. Besides true academic forums and personalities that can be taken seriously, there are also a whole number of professors, doctors and others who, out of personal vanity, thirst for esteem, or out of hurt feelings make sweeping statements and invent adventurous theses. The question is asked far too seldom, what ideological aim the individuals are pursuing with their statements. Moreover, in many cases it is not even clear whether the self-appointed experts truly possess all their alleged scientific titles, and whether their daring theses even belong to their field of expertise. Particularly in connection with the swine flu, there were also scientists with an esoteric background, and those who advocate fringe medical practices among the conspiracy theorists. I have made an interesting observation in Biblebelieving circles. On the one hand, they warn of the deception through the Internet. On the other hand, many of the self-appointed conspiracy experts refer to their research on the Internet. This should give us food for thought. A fourth note is that far more important than all that has been said thus far, our task should be to find out what the Bible really says about the endtime developments. Superficially, some things in the conspiracy theories may agree with the Scriptures, as these speak of a world government and world dictatorship at the end. When we take a closer look, however, I find in prophecy a line which fundamentally challenges the elaborate conspiracy theories, and in large part even contradicts them. I will be returning to this fact later. In the next article, I would like to illuminate the call of the Bible to sobriety.
(MR0111/428)

USA

Earths Magnetic Pole Shift Unleashing Poison into the Air?

Following the unexplained deaths of several thousand birds, events are now emerging that may offer a physics-based explanation for the mysterious deaths.
It all begins on a runway in Tampa, where airport officials recently closed that runway in order to change the numeric designators painted there. Why are those numeric designators being changed? Because the Earths magnetic poles are shifting and the numbers previously painted on the runway no longer match up with the magnetic measurements of sensitive airplane instruments. As Physorg.com explains:
The primary runway at the airport is designated 18R/36L, which means the runway is aligned along 180 degrees from north (that is, due south) when approached from the north and 360 degrees from north when approached from the south. Now the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has requested the designation be changed to 19R/1L to account for the movement of the magnetic north pole.

The really concerning part about all this is the sudden realization that if these poisoning clouds of Hydrogen Cyanide could reach into our lower atmosphere, they could also theoretically reach ground level. Thats where humans live, of course, and if such a poisonous cloud reached down into a major city such as New York, it would cause the mass instantaneous death of potentially millions of people. The working theory in all this, at least for the birds, is that deadly space clouds are reaching into the lower atmosphere and killing these birds in flight, after which the birds fall to the ground. The reports of the birds experiencing blunt trauma are likely from the birds hitting the ground. We are only quoting a few excerpts from this interesting article relating to the unexplained death of birds in the sky and fish in the water. While there are innumerable theories about the causes and effects, one thing remains clear: it is
(continued page 39)

-www.naturalnews.com 13 January 2011

What Is Going On?

he bird and fish kills are not, apparently, isolated incidents in the United States of America, nor indeed in the region. In recent days there have been several.What exactly is going on? The sudden plummeting to the ground of thousands of red-winged blackbirds in Beebe, Arkansas on New Years Eve grabbed the headlines around the world. However, this came after a horrific mass fish kill of 100,000 drum fish in the same State 160 km away on December 30, and another mass bird kill on January 3 just south of Arkansas, 500 more birds. Now we discover that on December 29 in Haiti, scores of fish were found dead in Lake Azuei and since December 24,in the area of Fond Parisien and Malpasse.

The Earths magnetic field is extremely important for protecting the planet from so-called solar wind and other electromagnetic influences from space. The magnetosphere, which is driven by the Earths magnetic field, serves as a kind of electromagnetic barrier to prevent dangerous rays from reaching the surface of the planet. The Earths magnetic field flips (or reverses polarity) every few thousand years. This is called a geomagnetic reversal. In between these flips, the magnetic field can become quite weak and chaotic, causing turbulence in the field, which can effectively cause weaker gaps in the magnetosphere.

And inVolusia County,Florida,thousands of fish were found floating dead in Spruce Creek, Port Orange. The fish were ladyfish,catfish and mullet.Conflicting reports point towards the weather (the official line is a reaction tothecold),ahypothesisdashedbylocalswhosayithas been mild.As if that were not enough,further north in Chesapeake Bay, lying between Virginia and Maryland, two million fish are reported dead in another kill. FromWinnipeg,Manitoba,Canada,unconfirmed reports of a cover-up after the authorities were alerted of a mass kill of tens of thousands of birds, which were taken away by the authorities and the area closed down. So,what is going on? -Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey
-english.pravda.ru, 5 January 2011

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USA

Love is BeyondWatsons Intelligence

What doesWatsons Jeopardy victory tell us? Not much, says David Gelernter, the computer science pioneer andYale professor. SPIEGEL spoke with Gelernter about the prospects of achieving artificallycreated consciousness and the belief that eternal life can be secured on a hard drive.
SPIEGEL: Dr. Gelernter, the American journalist Ambrose Bierce described the word we are looking for as a temporary insanity curable by marriage. Do you know what we mean? Gelernter: I dont. SPIEGEL: Its love. Its a question from the TV show Jeopardy, and the IBM supercomputer Watson had no problem finding the solution. So does that mean Watson knows what love is? Gelernter: He doesnt have the vaguest idea. The field of artificial intelligence has not even started to address how emotions are represented cognitively, what makes a belief and so forth. The problem is, I don't think only with my mind. I think with my body and my mind together. Theres no such thing as love without bodily input, output, reaction and response. So love is beyond Watson. SPIEGEL: Why, then, is Watson still doing well at Jeopardy? Gelernter: Because the body is not involved in playing Jeopardy. You dont have to mean or to believe a single thing you say. The game is superficial enough to be winnable by an entity with no emotions, no sensations, and no self. SPIEGEL: Watson defeated Jennings and Rutter in the competition recently with staggering ease. If not human-like, can Watson at least tell us something about the human mind? Gelernter: Watson was not built to study the human mind. And the IBM people dont claim that theyve solved any cognitive problems. Watson was built to win Jeopardy. Thats it. For that purpose, it is drawing heavy on the parallel programming strategy. This strategy explicitly says: forget about the brain. The question is, can we burn raw computing power in such a way that we can create something thats able to compete with a human? within a decade. Wouldnt that be a creature like us? Gelernter: They could produce a very accurate brain simulator. They may be able to predict the behavior of the brain down to the transmission of signals. But theyre not going to produce a mind any more than a hurricane (Photo:AP) simulator produces a hurricane. The result is an extraordinary piece of technology SPIEGEL: Other scientists are far more optithatunlike IBMs chess computer Deep Blue mistic. Regardless of all the obstacles, they say, has major implications for applied artificial intelli- the exponentially growing number of transistors on gence. a chip will provide us with virtually infinite possibiliSPIEGEL: But could you bring yourself to call a ties. If we connect huge numbers of computer machine like that intelligent? chips in the right way and give them the right tasks Gelernter: The question is how superficial you to perform, then at some point consciousness will are willing to be with your definition of intelli- emerge. gence. When we think of it seriously, intelligence Gelernter: It is impossible to create mental implies a self who is intelligent, an entity that can states by writing softwareno matter how sophistisense its thoughts, is aware of the fact that its cated it gets. If a simple computer cant produce orthinking and that it is manifesting intelligence. ange juice, a much more complicated computer None of that is part of Watson by design. wont do any better. Computer chips are just the SPIEGEL: But even Watson might soon be wrong substrate, the wrong stuff for consciousable to come up with interesting analogies. Just ness. Now, can some kind of a miracle happen if give him the right books to read. you put a lot of them together? Maybe. But I have Gelernter: Its possible to build a machine that no reason to believe that such a miracle will hapis capable of what seems like creativityeven a pen. machine that can hallucinate. But it wouldnt be like SPIEGEL: The American computer scientist us at all. It would always be a fake, a facade. So, it Ray Kurzweil argues that the Internet itself might is perfectly plausible that Watson 2050 will win be on the brink of becoming super-intelligent, just some poetry contests. It might write a magnificent because it will have computing power beyond sonnet that I find beautiful and moving and that be- imagination. And his beliefs are gaining in popularcomes famous all over the world. But does that ity. Why are these ideas so attractive? mean that Watson has a mind, a sense of self? No, Gelernter: Because creating the mind is the of course not. There is nobody at home. philosophers stone of the Digital Age. In the MidSPIEGEL: There is a lab in Lausanne, Switzer- dle Ages, the alchemists tried to produce gold. land, where a group of scientists are trying to Now theyve moved over to the mind. Dont get me recreate the brains biology in each and every de- wrong: They are going to produce a lot of interesttail, one neuron at a time, in a supercomputer. ing science along the way. But they are not going They hope to replicate a complete human brain to get a mind.
Ken Jennings, left, and Brad Rutter were easily bested by the machine in the latest attempt to make computers act more like humans.
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(continued from page 38)

Watson

FRANCE

SPIEGEL: Assuming those popular visions of Artificial Intelligence wont come true in the foreseeable future, where do you see AI research going in the next decade? Gelernter: My hope is that the philosophy of mind and cognitive science will develop a very sophisticated theory of how the mind works. The philosophy of mind has been dazzled by computing, which led down the wrong path. We have to get rid of this ridiculous obsession with computing, which has done tremendous damage. Now, in an entirely separate effort, Artificial Intelligence will produce more and more powerful machines. Well rely on them heavily. They will fix problems and answer questions for us all the time. No one will claim that they have minds, least of all the people who built the programs. SPIEGEL: You wouldnt feel tempted to get yourself a Watson? Gelernter: Sure I would. This is a brilliant, exciting piece of technology. I don't want to take anything away from it. It puts AI on a track that is going to produce fascinating technology. It uses exactly what we are rich in, namely pure primitive computer power, to produce sophisticated answers to complex questions. We need that ability, and Watson can do it.
-www.spiegel.de, 21 February 2011

A New Global Finance System in the Making?

France, as current head of the Group of 20 countries, will help the transition to a global financial system based on several international currencies, French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde said.
Lagarde, speaking ahead of a G20 finance ministers meeting in Paris, said the world had to move on from the non-monetary system it now has to one based on several international currencies. Accordingly, France wants to see less need for countries, especially the emerging economies, to accumulate huge foreign reserves, she said. At the same time, international capital flows should be better regulated and the role of the Special Drawing Rights issued by the International Monetary Fund should be reinforced by the inclusion of Chinas yuan in the system. China, whose booming economy now ranks second only to the US in size after overtaking Japan, has accumulated massive forex reserves of more than $2.5 trillion on the back of its sustained trade surpluses and foreign fund inflows. Washington says the build-up reflects an unfair undervaluation of the yuan, a charge Beijing rejects. France has previously said it wanted to see the global financial system reduce its reliance on the dollar for a more broad-based arrangement.
-www.rte.ie/news, 14 February 2011

Christine Lagarde wants changes on the world's finance system.

We only publish an abbreviated version of this interview just to show that scientists are not 100 percent sure about the so-called artificial intelligence. However, the Bible gives us a simple answer about a man-manufactured image that will cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed (Revelation 13:15). While this image of the beast does not possess artificial intelligence, it can distinguish between those who worship and those who do not worship, and the image has authority over life and death. Our book, The Coming Digital God (Item 1046) deals with this subject in depth from biblical prophetic perspectives. 4015

The US dollar has been entrenched as the global currency since the Second World War. But with globalism virtually exploding, it becomes more and more evident that another more reliable financial vehicle should be created. With the euro in temporarily insecure waters, the US dollar at this time would be difficult to replace. One thing we do know for sure, the entire world financial and economic system will be united more closely with each coming year. Nevertheless, in the end, the greatest catastrophe will happen as described in the book of Revelation. It will place all previous financial and economic catastrophes in the shade. The total collapse of the world system is part of the Great Tribulation, For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be (Matthew 24:21). 4012

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most unusual. Humanity has learned to deal with so-called natural catastrophes, but when it comes to unexplained phenomena, man is at a loss and only fear remains. The Bible has much to say about the unexplained. The prophet Ezekiel speaks of the time when Gog comes against the land of Israel: So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence,

Magnetic Pole

and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground (Ezekiel 38:20). That, indeed, is most unusual. The fish of the sea and the birds in the air, including all living things on earth, will be affected. In the prophetic speech of Jesus, we read of this coming unnatural catastrophe: Mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven 3998 shall be shaken (Luke 21:26).
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RUSSIA

CrewTrained to Walk on Marson Simulated Mission

Two men are about to put on spacesuits at a Moscow institute and walk across a sandpit, pretending they are on the surface of Mars.

Alexander Smoleevskiy and Diego Urbina walk on the "surface of Mars" (Photo:AP)

It is the latest stage in a remarkable experiment that is trying to simulate what it would be like for humans to go to the Red Planet. The pairboth volunteershave spent eight months with four other men locked away in a series of windowless steel tubes representing their spacecraft. The Mars500 project is halfway through. Once the explorers planned Marswalks are completed, the men will return to their moth-

ership for the long journey homein reality, another eight months of isolation in the sealed modules at the Institute of Biomedical Problems on the outskirts of the Russian capital. The purpose of the Mars500 experiment is to find out how the minds and bodies of astronauts would cope on a long-duration spaceflightthe cramped conditions, the same faces every day, the monotonous routine. The life the six men are experiencing is quite different from that on the International Space Station (ISS) where vehicles and their passengers come and go. The station is a busy place and communication with the ground is also possible in real-time for its residents. The crew comprises three Russians, two EU citizens and a Chinese national. Smoleevskiy and Urbina will make the first Marswalk, wearing Orlan spacesuitsthe type worn by real cosmonauts. They will simulate the sort of geological investigations future astronauts might pursue on the Red Planet one day. A robot rover will assist the Marswalkers, and their activity will be overseen by Mission Control Moscow which normally deals with events on the ISS. They will go on to the surface two at a time, with one man staying behind in the landing module, explained Dr. Martin Zell, who heads up the European Space Agencys scientific program on the ISS.

Mars500 is so called because it simulates the duration of a possible human Mars mission in the future using conventional propulsion: 250 days for the trip to the Red Planet, 30 days on the Martian surface and 240 days for the return journey, totaling 520 days. (In reality, it would probably take a lot longer than this.)
-www.bbc.co.uk, 14 February 2011

Russia is the birthplace of space travel, when they successfully launched Sputnik 1 into orbit on 4 October 1957, under the auspices of the Soviet Union. Although the U.S.S.R. did not succeed in landing a man on the moon, their space program continued with relative fame launching the first space station, Mir. Now Russia, as well as the U.S.A. and the EU, are attempting to reach beyond into the unknown. What is the reason? It is the belief in extra-terrestrial life, fueled by the theory of evolution. The analogy is simple: if planet Earth evolved out of nothing, then there must be other planets that have done likewise. But mans intention and thoughts are nothing other than a comical expression of mans limitation, He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision (Psalm 2:4). 4011

Russia:DestinationMars!
A new word is launched in Russia: a Marsonaut. The six members of the simulation program for a visit to Mars have started the third phase of the experiment, namely a Mars landing followed by the first Mars walk. The Russian flag now flies firmly and proudly on the Red Planet!
The six participants, led by Russian cosmonaut Aleksei Sityov were chosen from a total of 6,000 people from 40 countries. They are: Romain Charles, French engineer; Sukhrob Rustamovich Kamolov, Russian surgeon; Alexey Sergevich Sitev, Russian engineer and commander of the mission Alexandr Egorovich Smoleevskiy, Russian physiologist (general practitioner). Diego Urbina, Italian-Colombian engineer. Wang Yue, Chinese instructor at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center.
-english.pravda.ru, 14 February 2011

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IRAN

ECUADOR

Chevron Fined $8.6bn for Pollution

A court in Ecuador has told oil giant Chevron Corp to pay $8.6bn in environmental damages, but the US company has termed the court order as illegitimate and unenforceable and said it would appeal. An Ecuadorean judge ruled that Chevron was responsible for oil drilling contamination and also asked it to pay a legally mandated 10 percent reparations fee. The amount$8.6bn plus the legally mandated 10 percent reparations feeis far below the $27.3bn award recommended by a court-appointed expert, but appeared to be the highest damage award ever issued in an environmental lawsuit. We plan to appeal that and every other aspect of this illegitimate verdict and see to it that the perpetrators of this fraud are brought to justice, James Craig, a Chevron spokesman, told the Reuters news agency. In case Chevron appeals, the lawsuit, which dates from drilling in the Andean nation during the 1970s and 1980s, could drag on. This ruling is an intermediate step. The appeals could go on for many years, John van Schaik, an oil analyst at Medley Global Advisors in New York, said. But the fact that the Lago Agrio court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs sends a signal to oil companies that, more than ever, they need to be good corporate citizens, he added. Chevron has long contended it could never get a fair trial in Ecuador and has removed all assets from the country, whose leftist president, Rafael Correa, had voiced support for the plaintiffs. The ruling was hailed by the environmentalist groups, Amazon Watch and Rainforest Action Network, as proving overwhelmingly that the oil giant is responsible for billions of gallons of highly toxic waste sludge deliberately dumped into local streams and rivers, which thousands depend on for drinking, bathing, and fishing. It is time Chevron cleaned up its disastrous mess in Ecuador, they said in a joint statement. If upheld and enforced, the award would substantially exceed the $5bn originally awarded to victims of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaskas Prince William Sound. That jury award was later cut down to $507.5m by the US Supreme Court.

Iran Has No Nuke Capability

Iran does not have the capability to create a nuclear weapon at this point, due to technological difficulties it has recently been facing, Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon told Israel Radio.
Residents said faulty drilling practices harmed the environment and indigenous people
[GALLO/GETTY]

Other major environmental damage payments include the $470m paid by Union Carbide in 1989 to Indias government for the lethal gas leak five years earlier in Bhopal that killed an estimated 15,000 people. BP set up a $20bn oil spill compensation fund after last years massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill, of which about $3.4bn has been paid out.
-english.aljazeera.net, 15 February 2010

Yaalon, who is also strategic affairs minister, estimated that Teheran would be capable of creating a nuclear bomb within three years. In addition, Yaalon mentioned that Jordan and Egypt, along with Israel, fear a Hamas takeover in the West Bank. According to the strategic affairs minister, the US and Europe are straying away from the Idea of unilaterally establishing a Palestinian state. Addressing the recent escalation in violence along the Gaza Strip, Yaalon said he did not think a large-scale conflict would erupt in the area since Hamas had no interest in damaging its security.
-The Jerusalem Post, 30 December 2010, pg. 2

Harvesting energy has beenand still isa lucrative business, but with increasingly high risk. Energy needs will increase significantly in the immediate future. Giants such as China, India, Russia, and Brazil have yet to experience an American-style industrial and technological explosion. Furthermore, energy is no longer available in abundance on land, where its relatively easy to access. Now, oil companies must spend billions before recovering commercial volumes of oil from beneath the oceans. Plus, as is evident in this case, lawsuits will add additional burdens to energy corporations who wish to assure investors of virtually unlimited profits. Again, this too will come to an end when the sixth judgment seal is opened: And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb (Revelation 4013 6:15-16).

Moshe Yaalon is the former Chief-ofStaff of the Israeli Defense Force. He is presently serving in the government as the countrys Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Affairs. No nuke capability is indeed good news not only for Israel, but also for the entire Mid-East and the world. However, no one really knows the extent of technology and capability Iran has accumulated and what they will do in the near future. One thing becomes clear: virtually all nations are on edge when it comes to the Middle East. In the end, it will not be Hamas, Hezbollah or Iran, but Israel will be the decisive nation in the region, and ultimately the entire world. 3999
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LET TE RS TO TH E ED ITOR
Address letters for publication to: Letters to the Editor, Midnight Call, P.O. Box 280008, Columbia, SC 29228. Include full name, address, and daytime phone number. Without name and address, letters will be discarded unread. All material is subject to editing. Midnight Call assumes all publishing rights on letters sent to the Editor.

Old Covenant Regeneration... Charismatic/Pentecostal... Elders

Old Covenant Regeneration Dear Mr. Froese, In the December 2010 Midnight Call article, Old Testament Salvation in Letters to the Editor, you state that salvation based on the rebirth was not available until the day of Pentecost. I along with others would disagree with you. Salvation isnt based on Pentecost, but by faith in Ephesians 2:8-9. We are saved by grace through faith. Enclosed are inserts from others thoughts concerning this: That Old Testament saints were regenerated is evident for several reasons. Firstly, Jesus told Nicodemus that the only way into the kingdom of God is through regeneration (John 3:3,5), and yet Jesus said that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophets belong to the kingdom of God (Luke 13:28-29). It is obvious from this that Abraham, Isaac, Ja42
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cob, and the prophets, all of whom were Old Testament saints, were regenerated. Secondly, the acts of faith performed by such Old Testament saints as Noah, Abraham, David, Moses, and others indicate that these men were spiritually alive. But spiritual life comes only as a result of regeneration. The fact that these men were spiritually alive indicates that as Old Testament saints they were regenerated.
-P. McHugh, OH

Answer: We need to differentiate between regeneration, rebirth, the kingdom of heaven, and the body of Christ. The heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11 were moved by the Holy Spirit and by faith accomplished these things. But the rebirth was not available until Jesus departed physically from the earth, resulting in the coming of the Holy Spirit, evidenced with the flame of fire

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

I am reminded of a local boy who years back heard his father preach on the same topic to his congregation. Following the sermon, he came to the front as did many other people back then to visit before leaving for Sunday dinner, and the boy went to his father and commented where many could hear, Daddy, what about the horse Jesus rides on when he returns!
-R. LAMKIN, KY
on the heads of the Jewish disciples in Jerusalem. That was the beginning of the rebirth, the building of the body of Christ, the spiritual house, a holy temple in the Lord, a habitation of God through the Spirit. That is the body of Christ. The Old Covenant saints are not part of the body of Christ. This is evident from Jesus statement about John the Baptist, who was the greatest born of women, yet the least in the kingdom of God. No one could be reborn without the Holy Spirit the Comforter, who could only come after Jesus had departed, I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you (John 16:7). Note also the words Jesus speaks to His disciples in John 14:17: Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. The Holy Spirit was with the disciples, but in the future, He shall be in you. Verse 18 says: I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Even today, Jesus comes to us through the Holy Spirit. In Jeremiah 31:31, the New Covenant is promised and the result is explained in verses 33-34, I will put my law in their inward partsthey shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them. That is Israels hope and is yet to come. ing again. Unfortunately, there are some extreme manifestations within the movement that are clearly contrary to Scripture.We must keep in mind that the true Church is not manifested by organizations, denominations, movements, or ministries; such only serve as scaffolding but do not constitute the actual building of the spiritual housethe holy temple in the Lorda habitation of God through the Spirit. Our late Founder, Dr. Wim Malgo gave this advice, Eat the fish, spit out the bones.

Charismatic/Pentecostal Mr. Froese, I have a few questions that I would like you to answer if you would. (1) Do you believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues? (2) What is your opinion of the Charismatic/ Pentecostal faith? Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.
-J. Heard, ME

Answer: In 1 Corinthians 12:29-30, seven questions are asked, of which all are answered categorically with no. Not all are apostles, nor do all speak in tongues. The Holy Spirit baptism is described in Ephesians 1:13-14. The often stated, the evidence of speaking in tonguesis not confirmed in Scripture. Within the Charismatic/Pentecostal movement, there are believers born again of the Spirit of God,testifying that Jesus is Lord and Savior and He is com-

Elders Dear Brother Froese, Your answer to the question concerning elders or deacons in the December Midnight Call left me with more questions. Your statement, Elders are the pillars of the church who see to it that the pastor proclaims the pure Gospel and the church is spiritually nourished. I understand and agree. Your statement, An elder, whether pastor, bishop or leader, must be a ruler over the flock. Do you mean leader or ruler? Your statement, Elders are always present in any true church,
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LE T T E R S TO TH E E DITOR

although they may not be identified by such a title. What would they be called or known as? Do elders make a church a true church? I am a member of a Southern Baptist church where we dont have elders as such and where the pastor is the sole authority, which I dont agree with. Please help me understand.
-R.Connor,AL

Answer: When it comes to the task of an elder, I prefer the definition ruler instead of leader. This is based on 1 Timothy 3:5. A person led by the Holy Spirit is authorized to rule regarding the orthodoxy of the church, but it is a spiritual matter. The Apostle Paul speaks of the leaders of the churchapostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachersbut not elders. Why not? Because they are part of the body of Christ, without an official functioning position. A prayer warrior, for example, is an elder.

many other people back then to visit before leaving for Sunday dinner, and the boy went to his father and commented where many could hear, Daddy, what about the horse Jesus rides on when he returns! Certainly, the pastor was taken aback by his sons comment. Additionally, there will be the four horses of the Apocalypse coming from somewhere with Him as described in Revelation 6:2-8. I couldnt pass up the opportunity to share some humor on the topic.
-R.Lamkin,KY

beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. Now Ive always thought that the saints were the good guys. That theyre the only ones who will be raptured, and now after 1,000 years, in your opinion, God will devour some of the saints at that time with fire. Seems like being a saint is a little iffy.
-J.Quist,MN

Answer:One must take note of the position; it is from heaven to earth, not vice versa. Will there be earthly horses in heaven? Of course not; they are heavenly horses.

Heavenly Horses Dear Editor, I have been a subscriber to your publication for over one year, and I have shared subscriptions with friends since we are so impressed with your materials. I have read other subscribers comments regarding pets and your response that there is no specific Scripture addressing this topic. This is likely an issue where letters and opinions will never cease this side of Heaven. I am reminded of a local boy who years back heard his father preach on the same topic to his congregation. Following the sermon, he came to the front as did
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MIDNIGHT CALL

Gog and Magog Dear Editor, You say its your opinion that at the end of the 1,000-year Kingdom of Peace, the world will be populated by saints only. The Bible seems to have a different opinion on that. In Revelation 20:7-8, it says, And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. Thats a lot of people, saints or not that Satan has to deceive in a little season. Verse 9, And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the

Answer: When Jesus comes to rule the world, He will do it with a rod of iron; thats not grace, but irrevocable judgment. Isaiah proclaims,The sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed (65:20). That means sin will not be tolerated. For the first time in history, righteous judgment will be implemented. He who sins must die. Revelation 20 speaks of the nations who went up on the breath of the earth, or as another translation reads, come up from the earth. That is from hell.After judgment,we find no weapons of war, no bodies. This indicates a demonic identity and human nations. The enemies, Gog and Magog, will be devoured, not the saints. I have dealt with that issue in the last chapter of my book, How DemocracyWill Elect the Antichrist.

Glorified Bodies Dear Arno Froese: You are doing an excellent job of promoting the truth of the Bible in Letters to the Editor. For many years, I have been a Bible student, but havent said anything, but when I saw what you are doing, I just had to join in. So here goes:
The Millennium: There are four groups of people involved:

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

1. Christians will account for millions of people (Revelation 20:4 one example). We cant reproduce children (Mark 12:25-26). We will be able to eat food (Luke 24:42-43). We will be able to go through walls (John 20:19). We will be Christs rod of iron(Revelation 19:15).The sword the Christ has in His mouth is the Bible.Yes,we who know the Bible will be His sword. 2. Lovers of mankind: Thousands? Millions? These will come from all times. The best example is Job (19:25-26). They will have glorified bodies like us,but being that they do not know Christ, they will have to learn from us. 3. The many, many Hebrews: Men like Moses, David, Daniel, etc. This is explained in Ezekiels valley of dried bones (37:11). We will have to teach them about Christ. They will believe and receive. And they cannot go to heaven unless they go by Him (John 14:6).We will be good teachers (Jeremiah 3:15). They all will receive and be saved (Revelation 20:6). The Second Deathhas no power. 4. Flesh and blood humans who are left over on the earthafter the terrible tribulation. The number is probably one-third to one-half of the earths population. These alone will reproduce. They will form the great armies who will try to wipe us out, but God wont let them do this. He sends fire down from heaven and consumes them (Revelation 20:7-9).

Answer: The Church is unlikely to be Christs rod of iron.We are the fruit of grace, not of enforcement.ToLovers of mankind, Luther translates Job 19:26, Without the flesh, I shall see God. Job is speaking prophetically; although his skin was destroyed, he was restored and his flesh saw the work of GodHis salvation. There is no evidence that people will receive glorified bodies without them knowing Christ. Neither do I see a group of people, many, many Hebrews, who will need to be taught by the Church about Christ, because the New Covenant promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34 makes it clear that Israel will be taught by the Holy Spirit. Under Flesh and blood humans, you list the reference Revelation 20:7-9. I have answered this in the previous letter. During the Millennium, Jesus will rule the nations with a rod of iron.That means absolute truth; sinners will be eradicated. My understanding is that these nations are demonic entities.

dust (Genesis 2:7), then there is only one person here who was actually conceived by the Holy Spirit, and that was our Lord Jesus Christ.
-J. Lieske, IL

Answer: Thank you for calling attention to the insufficient explanation in the statement, The only two persons born without sin were Adam, who fell into sin, and Jesus Christ our Lord. It should have read,Only two men were without sinAdam and Jesusuntil Adam fell into sin. MC

You may think this idea is not true, but think: Every human being who lived has been tempted by the Devil. Thats why God lets the Devil out of the pit so they also may be tempted.
-T.Muller,WI

Born Sinless Dear Mr. Froese, In response to T. Pinet of Missouri in the January 2011 issue, you responded by saying that the only two persons born without sin were Adam, who fell into sin, and Jesus Christ our Lord, who was without sin. What about Eve? Wasnt she born without sin? She couldnt have been a sinner before she was deceived and ate the fruit and sinned. Could you please humble yourself and admit your misstatement. When you get down to it, as Eve was fashioned from the rib which God took out of Adam (Genesis 2:21-23), and Adam was formed from the ground of

Midnight Call Magazines #1 Feature!

Readers have enjoyed the opportunity of writing in and posing various questions and concerns relative to the Body of Christ. They have benefited from the authors concise Scriptural responses on topics such as the Rapture of the Church, globalism, the Ecumenical Movement, false religions, eschatology, general Scripture explanations and much more.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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Why Do the Heathen Rage?

EgyptTunisiaYemenQatarLibyaBahrainJordanLebanonand several other nations are in a rage.Others are planningDays of Rage.
What Is the Purpose of Their Rage? What do the nations want? Democracy: A New Religion? Discover for yourself the many fascinating truths often conveniently set aside.Be sure to read this explosive book,How Democracy Will Elect the Antichrist.
HOW DEMOCRACY WILL ELECT THE ANTICHRIST
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Author:Arno Froese