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May/June 2000 Volume 10/Number 3
WORLD EVENTS FROM A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE
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WORLD EVENTS FROM A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE
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Editors note: Mr. Maurice Strong
chaired the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro
in 1992. He, together with Mikhail
Gorbachev, founded Green Cross
International of which Gorbachev is now
President. Strong was appointed by UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan to preside
over reform of the UN in order to prepare it
for governing the world in the 21st Century.
He is now serving as the president of the UN
University of Peace in Costa Rica. In
March of 2000, Strong and Gorbachev co-
authored the Earth Charter, which they hope
will become a globally accepted statement of
principles that will ultimately bring all of
mankind together.
If you want to know what the powers that
run the world are thinking and planning,
carefully read this exclusive interview with
Mr. Maurice Strong.
Baxter: Mr. Strong, what is your back-
ground the path life has taken you
and how you have arrived at your present
positions.
Strong: Well, that is a tall order, and I
certainly will not try to answer it in de-
tail. I grew up in a small town in
Manitoba, Canada. I recall the latter
days of the depression, which, of course,
affected peoples attitude towards life. I
used to disappear from my school and go
out into nature and learn from nature. It
got me in a bit of trouble with my school
principal, but it did help me find the di-
rection for my future life, which has been
very much related to our relationships
with nature and with each other. That
has taken me into business, and then
into government in Canada, where I
headed our foreign aid program, and
then into the United Nations and a vari-
ety of international assignments. The
most recent of which is to help
Secretary-General Kofi Annan with re-
forming the UN. As a follow-up to that I
have undertaken the job of trying to re-
vitalize and strengthen a very promising
but little known UN organization called
Exclusive Interview
Maurice Strong
Possibly one of the ten most
powerful men on earth
EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW
World environmental expert Maurice Strong
E-mail: endtime@endtime.com, Website: http://www.endtime.com
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1. Old Testament Book
A. Philemon B. Romans C. Job
2. From his shoulders and upward he was higher. (a king)
A. Saul B. Solomon C. Moses
3. Who said I am he that liveth, and was dead?
A. Jesus B. Lazarus C. Enoch
4. How does a man rob God?
A. In hold-ups B. Unjust balances
C. Tithes & offerings
5. Thy King (Messiah) cometh unto thee riding upon
an ____
A. Horse B. Ass C. Camel
6. But seek ye ____ the kingdom of God.
A. Last B. First C. Sometimes
7. And will make Nineveh ___like a wilderness
A. Flourish B. Empty C. Dry
8. Then Philip went down to the city of ___and
preached Jesus to them.
A. Tarsus B. Samaria C. Galilee
9. ____, I have somewhat to say unto thee.
A. Simon B. Andrew C. Nathaniel
10. Into the den of what animals was Daniel cast?
A. Tigers B. Bears C. Lions
11. By faith ___offered unto God a more excellent
sacrifice.
A. Adam B. Cain C. Abel
12. This Old Testament minor prophet was a herdman
from Tekoa.
A. Amos B. Daniel C. Obadiah
13. What color was the robe the soldiers put on Jesus?
A. Purple B. Scarlet C. Black
14. From which tribe came Aaron, the brother of Moses?
A. Reuben B. Levi C. Gad
15. A bishop must not be greedy of filthy ____.
A. Conversation B. Lucre C. Recognition
16. Orpah and ____, Naomis daughter-in-law
A. Rahab B. Miriam C. Ruth
17. The name of the Lord is a strong ____.
A. City B. Tower C. Shield
18. (Wives) What is of great price in the sight of God?
A. A meek and quiet spirit B. Costly array
C. Plaiting of hair
19. Which of these two men is renewed day by day?
A. Outward B. Inward C. Carnal
20. .for the ____ of the Lord is your strength
A. Reward B. Peace C. Joy
Whetstone
by John L. Bryant
Answers on page 31
Radio Log
Politics & Religion
with Irvin Baxter Jr.
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the UN University for Peace.
A Strong Environmentalist
Baxter: I first heard your name back in
1992 when you were chairman of the
Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Tell us a
little bit about that particular meeting
and what came out of it.
Strong: As I mentioned, I have long
had this deep interest in nature the
human relationships with nature and
how our relationships with each other
depend upon and affect nature. So when
the United Nations decided to convene
its first world conference on the environ-
ment in Stockholm, Sweden in 1972,
the Secretary-General of the United
Nations, at that time U Thant, asked me
to come in and become Secretary-
General of that conference. That means
to manage the conference process itself.
That was in 1970. The conference itself
was in 1972. That conference gave rise
to, amongst other things, the establish-
ment of the equivalent of a global
Environmental Protection Agency,
called the UN Environment Program. I
became the first head of that. I subse-
quently went back to my own
government. Then in 1990, the UN
General Assembly decided to convene a
new world conference on the environ-
ment and development, because the
environment and development are
closely linked. I was asked to become
Secretary-General again. I said that,
while happy to help, I think we need a
new generation of leadership. It was de-
cided, however, that I should do it. I
agreed, and it was a great experience.
The conference was held in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil in June 1992. It produced
two major treaties. One on bio-diversity
and one on climate change.
It also produced Agenda 21, which is a
program to help insure a sustainable fu-
ture for the human community in the
21st Century, and a series of principles,
which we call the Declaration of Rio. So
it ended on a high note. However, the
problem, as with so many other interna-
tional agreements, is that there is no
enforcement power at the international
level. Governments have done some
good things, but on the whole, progress
has been much slower that envisaged. I
would have to say that despite progress in
many areas, the condition of the patient,
being the earth, has deteriorated since
then. And we are still doing the kind of
things that are not going to fundamen-
tally get us off of that destructive
pathway.
Strong Enforcement
Baxter: Do you foresee ever being able
to enact enforcement mechanisms?
Strong: Well, we dont need enforce-
ment mechanisms from the global level
on every little aspect of human life. I am
a great believer in the principle of sub-
sidiary, which means that every
regulatory or governmental action that
has to be taken is taken at the level clos-
est to the people concerned at which it
can be managed effectively. On that
basis, not everything needs to be done at
the global level. But there are some
things that can only be done at the
global levelthe atmosphere, the
oceans, and the common areas beyond
national jurisdiction for example. No in-
dividual government, however powerful,
can manage them alone. Yet the condi-
tion of those common areas, and I think
particularly of climate change, the at-
mosphere, carbon dioxide and
greenhouse gas content of the atmos-
phere, is something that is determined by
actions that happen all over the world.
People can draw a border on the ground
to separate their country from another,
but they cant draw a border in the at-
mosphere. The atmosphere is
everybodys atmosphere. What people do
to it helps or hurts everyone. So there are
issues of that kind climate change and
protecting the sources of bio-diversity
around the world. These are the key to
earths life systems. Many of them require
a degree of international cooperation
that no government can enforce. Of
course, the mechanism for doing this is
our treaties and conventions. We have a
whole system now of conventions and
treaties; however, we have very, very lim-
ited enforcement mechanisms. I have to
say I am a great admirer of America as
the most powerful country in the
worlda country that has given us such
a great example of law and order and
democracy. But Americans need to re-
mind themselves that their government
has not always practiced what it preaches
on the international level. Some under-
takings that it makes, which are in
international law and treaty commit-
ments, frankly arent always adhered to.
Now when the greatest country of the
world doesnt abide by its international
commitments, that certainly doesnt
make it very conducive to other coun-
tries pursuing and following their
exc l usi ve i n t er vi ewMaur ic e st r o n g
E-mail: endtime@endtime.com, Website: http://www.endtime.com
Maurice Strong, left, chairman of the Earth Council talks with former Soviet leader Mikhail
Gorbachev, right, during a press meeting at the Rio-Plus-Five Conference in Rio de Janeiro in
1997.
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E-mail: endtime@endtime.com, Website: http://www.endtime.com
agreements. So there is a huge amount of
work to be done out there. I am con-
vinced that the ordinary American does
not realize the degree to which the U.S
does not adhere to some of the interna-
tional laws and treaties. Now, of course,
America is not doing that across the
board. In many cases the U.S. is in the
lead in these things. But as the most
powerful country in the world, the point
I am making is not so much criticizing
the U.S., but reminding Americans that
what they do or fail to do makes a vast
amount of difference. Until the U.S. gets
solidly behind the consistent and fair en-
forcement of international
agreements, it is going to be very, very
hard to develop an enforceable system
of international law, which is ab-
solutely essential to our future.
A Strong Friendship with
Gorbachev
Baxter: Maurice, I find myself with
questions bubbling to the top of my
mind, because you are such a wealth
of information. Out of the Earth
Summit at Rio de Janeiro where you
were the chairman, there was an orga-
nization born called Green Cross
International. Mikhail Gorbachev be-
came the president of that
organization. Tell me, how does a man
go from being the dynamic, charis-
matic, and world-dominating leader
that Mikhail Gorbachev was, to the
totally different venue of environ-
mentalism? What is going on in the
heart and mind of Mikhail
Gorbachev?
Strong: Well, you will have to go to
Mikhail Gorbachev to find out what
is going on in his mind and heart.
However, I can tell you what I see, as a
friend of his and as one who has been
privileged to work with him and know
him. We are joint chairpersons of the
Earth Charter Initiative. This is an ini-
tiative of his Green Cross Organization
and the organization of which I am the
chair, the Earth Council. The Earth
Council also emerged from the Earth
Summit Conference in Rio. While
Gorbachev was still Secretary-General of
the Communist party and President of
the Soviet Union, you could read in his
many statements some first clues as to his
real interest in the environment and his
interest in spirituality. What interested
me while he was still in office was to see
the number of times that he mentioned
the importance of spiritual life, of spiritu-
ality. He didnt talk about religion, but he
talked about spirituality. Later, as I got to
know him, it was quite clear that he has
a real spiritual orientation. It is also clear
that he had a deep interest in the envi-
ronmental issue, both personally and in
the sense of being one of the early people
amongst world leaders to recognize its
importance to world peace and security,
as well as the future of humanity.
Global Spirituality & The Earth
Charter
Baxter: When you speak of spirituality,
can you describe what that means in a
global context?
Strong: Well, everyone will have his
own definition, but I define spirituality as
that set of forces which links us to the
source of all life in the cosmos. People
define it in different ways, through reli-
gions and through philosophies. But
fundamentally, it really addresses the link
between us as human beings and the
larger forces that created us, which regu-
late our life and into which we ultimately
return.
Baxter: Robert Muller wrote a book
called, New Genesis: Toward A Global
Spirituality. He and I discussed this point
when he was on our program. We were
talking about the fact that the world had
been brought together as far as it could
be brought together politically through
the United Nations. He felt the need for
something beyond that a global spiri-
tuality that could pull nations together.
How is that going to be enacted?
Strong: Well, first of all we have to
recognize those basic spiritual con-
cepts and moral and ethical values
which do have a universal degree of
validity, and an almost virtual univer-
sal degree of acceptance. Compare
these spiritual concepts with the ones
that divide people because they
involve different religious interpreta-
tions. My own belief is that there is an
innate universal spirituality that links
people. People strive to express it in
the best way possible, and in doing so,
they go on different pathways; but
they are still heading for the same
mountaintop. We have tried to distill
the essence of these in what we call
the Earth Charter. This is the move-
ment started by Mikhail Gorbachev
and me as a result of the Earth
Summit in Rio, where I had proposed
to the governments in attendance
that they should adopt an Earth
Charter. The Earth Charter is basi-
cally a statement of ethical and moral
principles designed to guide the be-
havior of human beings towards each
other and towards the earth. It is in-
tended to shape a secure and sustainable
future for humankind. The governments
werent quite ready for it. They did agree
on a Declaration of Principles, but it did-
nt go nearly as far as we had expected.
Following Rio, and then after Mr.
Gorbachev left office, we joined to un-
dertake a peoples movement to produce
a Peoples Earth Charter. Literally mil-
lions of people throughout the world
have been involved in that process. We
have developed a Charter now, which is
the product of widespread consultations
and dialogue amongst vastly different
My own belief is
that there is an
innate universal
spirituality that links
people. People strive
to express it in the
best way possible,
and in doing so, they
go on different path-
ways; but they are
still heading for the
same mountaintop.
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16 endtime MAY/JUNE 2000 E-mail: endtime@endtime.com, Website: http://www.endtime.com
people, who are separated religiously, ide-
ologically, geographically and ethnically.
But these people have joined in identify-
ing those universal spiritual, moral and
ethical values that they can all sign onto
and that they believe are essential. This
will enable us to cooperate in securing a
future for all of us. Now, after three years
of intensive dialogue and consultations,
we have just agreed on the Earth
Charter. It happened in March, in Paris,
at UNESCO Headquarters. The Earth
Charter is not a statement written in
stone. It is a product of widespread con-
sultation. It articulates these universal
values and principles, but it is not de-
signed as a document for people to sign
onto. Rather it is to serve as a focal point
for them to examine their own hearts
and souls. They should examine their
own life priorities in relation to the Earth
Charter and the principles that it articu-
lates. They should look at those
principles in terms of how they apply in
their own communities, their own orga-
nizations, and how they apply in their
own national life. Then we hope to stim-
ulate that kind of educational and
dialogue process throughout the world.
Then in 2002, on the 10th Anniversary
of the Rio Earth Summit and the 30th
Anniversary of the original Global
Environmental Conference in
Stockholm, we expect to submit this as a
Peoples Earth Charter to the United
Nations. We dont necessarily expect the
United Nations to automatically adopt
it. They will hopefully give it blessing,
but it will stand on the authority of the
millions of people around the world who
have helped to design it and who have
helped to make it a centerpiece of our
universal moral and spiritual life. That is
where it will derive its authority from,
and it is well on its way to that now.
Baxter: Maurice, we have interviewed
Hans Kung on this program. He wrote a
book called A Global Ethic for the Global
Politic and the Global Economic. He also
wrote a document called Towards a
Global Ethic, which was adopted by the
Parliament of the Worlds Religions in
1993. I also know that Bishop William
Swing plans to have the Charter signing
of the United Religions Initiative on
June 26th of this year. Have these reli-
gious leaders had any input into the
Earth Charter?
Strong: Very much so. They have been
very much involved. It has not been con-
fined to religious leaders only, but they
have been very influential indeed. This
coming August, just before the special
millennium session of the UN General
Assembly, there will be a Millennium
Peace Summit of Religious & Spiritual
Leaders convened in New York, involv-
ing spiritual and religious leaders from
throughout the world. The Earth
Charter will be an important agenda
centerpiece.
Baxter: So is it possible that the
United Religions Organization may well
lend their influence and maybe even the
Parliament of the Worlds Religions. This
could become a document for people to
rally around.
Strong: Absolutely! We have to be
clear though. It is not another piece of
sacred writ. It is simply a statement of
ethical, moral and spiritual principles. It
has come about through a very spiritually
exciting process. It should be used as a
focal point of education for reflection for
action for determining how we can reori-
ent our own actions and our own lives in
the places that we have influence around
these basic principles. If people start to
do this, the world can be changed.
Strong Reform to the UN
Baxter: Maurice, I am so interested in
you being appointed to UN reform. I
An e cologica l a ge nda
Ecological security did not become a U.N.
concern until the Stockholm Conference on the
Human Environment in 1972. The Earth Charter
is the first worldwide campaign addressing the
interrelated problems of poverty, conflict, social
injustice and environmental degradation.
EARTH CHARTER TIMELINE
1987 The World Commission on Environment and
Development (Brundtland Commission) recommends
the creation of a universal declaration on environmental protection
and sustainable development.
1992 An Earth Charter is placed on the agenda for the Earth Summit,
but governments fail to reach agreement. Instead, the Rio Declaration
on Environment and Development is adopted.
1992 Creation of the Earth Council to promote and advance the
implementation of the Earth Summit agreements.
1994 A new Earth Charter initiative is launched under the leadership
of Maurice Strong, the Secretary General of the UNCED, and Mikhail
Gorbachev, the president of Green Cross International.
1995 The Earth Council and Green Cross International, with support
from the Dutch government, begin the task of developing a peoples
Earth Charter to be presented to the United Nations by 2000.
1996 The Earth Council initiates the Earth Charter Consultation in
preparation for the Rio+5 Forum.
1997 The Earth Charter Commission is formed and convenes at the
Rio+5 Forum. A Benchmark Draft is released as a "document in
progress."
1998-1999 Groups from some 45 countries join the Earth Charter
initiative.
1999 Benchmark Draft II of the Earth Charter is released in April.
2000 The Earth Charter Commissioners convene in France to ratify
the latest version of the document and to endorse The Earth Charter
Campaign.
2000 The official launch of The Earth Charter Dialogues and Media
Campaign is scheduled for June at The Hague Peace Palace.
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know that President Clinton was very
dissatisfied with the United Nations, and
he insisted that there be a new Secretary-
General instead of Mr. Boutros
Boutros-Ghali. Clinton wanted UN re-
form. Consequently, Kofi Annan became
our Secretary-General of the United
Nations and appointed you as the
Under-Secretary in charge of UN reform.
Can you give us an overview of what the
goals are of this effort? How is it pro-
gressing? Where are we right now?
Strong: First of all let me be histori-
cally correct here. I was, in fact, directly
in charge under the Secretary-General of
his UN reform program. I have now
moved to an advisory role and have un-
dertaken to reform a particular UN
institution, which is the University for
Peace in Costa Rica, where I am speak-
ing to you from today. The U.S. had
been pressing for reform. That is true.
But the U.S. wasnt the only one.
People in the UN wanted reform.
Usually people in organizations know
when they need to be changed even
though sometimes they resist the
change. So the U.S. wasnt the only
one. This certainly wasnt President
Clintons intention, but some elements
in the U.S. wanted the UN to reform
primarily to reduce its cost. Of course
that is a worthy goal in itself, but it is
not a sufficient reason for reform. The
UN and its various institutions were
created just after WWII and in the af-
termath of that war. Their composition
largely reflects the conditions that ex-
isted at that time. Those conditions
have changed immensely. We have
now over 185 members in the UN,
most of them from the developing
world. Very few developing countries
were even there when the UN was cre-
ated. They were colonies and therefore,
not represented. So the world has
changed, and it is only normal that the
institutions that reflect that would have
to adjust accordingly. Kofi Annan, as
Secretary-General, came into his job
knowing that, having more experience
in the organization than any Secretary-
General has ever had. Kofi Annan grew
up in the UN. Nobody knew the UN
better. So he was able not just to respond
to the Presidents call, but to respond to
the basic need for reform, which he, him-
self, understood as well as anybody. He
decided, and I think quite realistically,
that he had to undertake reform on two
separate pathways. On the first tract, he
took care of those things that were under
his control as the chief executive officer.
Tract two represented those very funda-
mental reforms which the
Secretary-General was not able to under-
take on his own. These he could only
recommend to governments, because
only governments could undertake
those. It is interesting to observe that
even those governments who keep call-
ing for reform are reluctant to undertake
fundamental reform themselves.
Virtually every single thing on tract one
that was under the authority of the
Secretary-General has been done or is in
the process of being done. Almost noth-
ing of tract two has been done.
Baxter: Could you give us some exam-
ples of that, Maurice?
Strong: Cutting a third off of adminis-
trating costs and putting that money into
a special development fund to help de-
veloping countries. Taking thirty
different departments and organizations
of the UN and consolidating them into
five executive decision-making struc-
tures. And consolidating different
agencies where the UN functions. The
UN is a big family. There are a lot of dif-
ferent organizations, and they often act
individually. We have brought them to-
gether into a common UN house, having
them work cooperatively, and thereby
improving both their effectiveness as
well as sharing costs and efficiencies.
Taxing Matters
Baxter: What lies ahead to be done?
Strong: Well, the biggest single
reforms must be undertaken by govern-
ments. For example, the
Secretary-General recommended that a
number of committees and governing
bodies be consolidated, and some of
them actually removed. None of that
has been done, and none of it can be
done by the Secretary-General. He can
only recommend. These actions, of
course, would not only improve costs,
but would also improve effectiveness.
Also remember that the United
Nations is very different than national
governments, in the sense it has no tax-
ing power to raise the money that it
requires to do the jobs that are en-
trusted to it.
The second half of our interview with
Maurice Strong will appear in the next edi-
tion of Endtime.
Heres a brief look-ahead at some of his
comments.
On revising the UN Security Council:
The original permanent members were
chosen from among the victors in WWII.
We need a significant revision of the
Security Council. It has to be brought to a
situation where it reflects real world geopol-
itics.
On reforming the veto power: perhaps
having it apply only in certain limited cir-
cumstances. Or maybe requiring that more
than one country join in the veto to make it
effective. Or providing some basis where the
veto could be overridden in the General
Assembly by a two-thirds majority.
On getting the U.S. to surrender sover-
eignty: No nation has to surrender
sovereignty. But it is in the U.S.s interest in
many cases to make that decision.
E-mail: endtime@endtime.com, Website: http://www.endtime.com
August...there will
be a Millennium
Peace Summit of
Religious & Spiritual
Leaders convened in
New York, involving
spiritual and religious
leaders from through-
out the world. The
Earth Charter will be
an important agenda
centerpiece.
m/j 00 mag 1/24/01 9:57 AM Page 17
18 endtime MAY/JUNE 2000
I
ts the next obvious step a cash-
less society. Virtually everyone
wants it. Almost nobody is against
it. And by the way, its prophesied
in the Bible.
Money has become a relic of the past.
May we please have a moment of silence?
Your usefulness has come and gone. You
are leaving this cold, cruel world and
being replaced by a string of ones and ze-
roes. We will miss you.
What is cash, anyway? When you sell
something, you get it. When you buy
something, you give it. Cash is what you
hold onto between acts of selling and
buying. Why do you accept it from peo-
ple? Its because you believe that cash has
a value and that everyone recognizes this
value. Why do people take it from you?
Because they believe it has a value, too.
Cash is what you temporarily hold
onto between sales and purchases. How
much time does a person hold onto cash
these days? Not much. With the inven-
tion of the computer, the Internet, smart
cards and other technological advances,
the amount of time a person needs in-
terim cash is approaching nil. Cash is
quickly becoming unnecessary. In fact,
the only reason its really still around is
because the masses arent ready to part
with it completely yet.
Living in a cashless society has many
obvious benefits. Convenience, safety,
reduced crime and cost savings are but a
few. Whats not to like?
Ask the government. They have some
major problems with the emerging cash-
less society. You see, the technologies are
coming together in a way that is enabling
individuals and corporations to move
their money to any place in the world, at
the speed of light, and (heres the kicker)
without the knowledge of Big Brother.
And what Big Brother doesnt know, Big
Brother cant tax.
The ramifications are clear. The gov-
ernments very existence is being
threatened, and the government knows
it. Their traditional methods of tracing
the financial activities of citizens and
criminals alike are coming to an end. Its
a new day. Technology has passed them
by.
What will Big Brother do?
Government has two choices. First, it
can hope for its citizens to voluntarily
come forth with all of the information
needed in order to levy its taxes. Sure.
Their second option is to take a stroll
down Intrusion Boulevard. They can at-
tempt to compile a detailed record of
every financial transaction for every per-
son in the country. The justification for
this violation of liberty would be in the
name of tax collection and crime pre-
vention.
Which option do you think they
might choose?
Controlled &
Cashless
by Eddie Sax
TECHNOLOGY
WATCH
Is the cashless society closer than we think?
E
n
d
t
i
m
e
P
h
o
t
o
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m/j 00 mag 1/24/01 9:57 AM Page 18
19 MAY/JUNE 2000endtime E-mail: endtime@endtime.com, Website: http://www.endtime.com
Understanding the
Endtime Level 1
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The Global Environ-
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The End of Money
by Dr. Richard Rahn
Sometimes the most com-
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brink of a cashless society!
Order #1052, $25.00
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m/j 00 mag 1/24/01 9:58 AM Page 19
endtime MAY/JUNE 2000 E-mail: endtime@endtime.com, Website: http://www.endtime.com
Another headache that technology
has given the governments of the world
is free speech. The Internet is a big, wide
super-information highway that trans-
mits any kind of message quickly and
efficientlyincluding politically-incor-
rect ones. Its cheap, its anonymous and
totalitarian systems dont like it too
much. But they cant stop it.
They can, however, control it.
Got the picture? Good. Now lets look
at the prophecy.
Revelation 13:16-17 describes an
endtime cashless society. In it, nobody
will be allowed to buy or sell unless he
has some sort of mark. This mark will be
a persons entry ticket into the economy.
An economy is a place where you buy
and sell things like food, for instance.
The context of the chapter tells us that
this economy will be a global economy,
and the markwell, the mark will not
be good. Its called the mark of the beast,
and the beastwell, the beast will be the
leader of a global government. In fact,
the power of
this world gov-
ernment will
come from
Satan himself.
Bringing this
all together, the
prophecy states
that, in order to
gain entry into
the coming
global econ-
omy, a person
will have to
take on the
mark of Satan.
This, for obvi-
ous reasons,
will result in
eternal damna-
tion. After all,
its what one
should expect
for taking on
the mark of
Satan.
The prophecy
reads like this:
And he
causeth all,
both small and
great, rich and
poor, free and
bond, to re-
ceive a mark in their right hand, or in
their foreheads: And that no man might
buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or
the name of the beast, or the number of
his name.
It is more than a coincidence that we
are living today on the brink of a global
cashless society. A worldwide economic
system is being established, as we speak,
that will have the ability to lock people
out if they dont have the password. The
password will be a number, and you will
only be issued your number by agreeing
to play by the rules of the New World
Order. Unfortunately for Bible-believing
Christians, the rules will require taking
an unbiblical oath that will, in effect,
deny Jesus as your exclusive Lord and
Savior. This is the reason why taking the
mark of the beast will result in eternal
damnation.
What will the mark be like? The Bible
says it could be a mark, or it could be the
name of the beast, or it may even be the
number of his name. And that number
will be 666.
How will one calculate the number of
someones name to be 666? We dont
know at this time. Revelation 13:18 says
it will take wisdom. Here is wisdom. Let
him that hath understanding count the
number of the beast: for it is the number
of a man; and his number is Six hundred
threescore and six.
It is apparent from the prophecies that
the governments of this world will
choose to exercise intrusive measures
upon the emerging computerized cash-
less society. If you want to play the game,
youll have to get your number.
Mythological, you say? Try getting a job
without a social security number. Try
opening a bank account. Try buying land
or getting a dentist to fix your teeth.
Welcome to the 21st Century, where
myths become realities.
A cashless society is a technological
inevitability. Its already in place. Will
the government control this cashless so-
ciety? That, too, is inevitable. Theyre
already working on it.
Its time to slap on your Nikes, grab
your sword and start spreading the Good
News. Youre running out of time.
20
Pass the Chips
E
ver since the patent rights for Digital Angel were ac-
quired late last year by Applied Digital Systems of Palm
Beach, Florida, many in the Christian community have
been alarmed that this product will become the mechanism used
by the Antichrist to fulfill the mark of the beast prophecy.
DigitalAngel.net, Inc. is a subsidiary of ADS. Its president, Dr.
Peter Zhou, is also the chief scientist for the computer chip im-
plant device. In an interview with WorldNetDaily.com he
responded to concerns from the Christian community. I am a
Christian, but I dont think [that argument] makes sense. The
purpose of the device is to save your life and improve the quality
of life. Theres no connection to the Bible.
In comparing Digital Angel to pacemakers, he said,
Pacemakers used to be seen as bizarre, but now they are part of
everyday life. Digital Angel will be received the same way. A few
years ago there may have been resistance, but not anymore.
People are getting used to having implants.
ADS President Richard Sullivan added, No one will be forced
to wear Digital Angel. We live in a voluntary society.
When a true global economy is finally established, which will
not be long from now, the Christian community may want to re-
voice its concerns. If this Digital Angel technology falls under the
control of the New World Orders global economy, Christians
should indeed be speaking loudly at that time.
It would be of interest to note that a special Technology
Pioneers Award was recently given to Applied Digital Systems
from the World Economic Forum for its contributions to world-
wide economic development and social progress through
technology advancements. Global economy planners apparently
see the potential of Digital Angel for the future global economy.
And thats scary!
Recommended Reading
The End of Money
by Richard Rahn
The question is not about what will happen. The
question is how will the governments handle it?
Richard Rahn is one of the most highly respected
economists in the U.S. This book, masterfully writ-
ten in layman's terms, presents the case for
financial privacy. Rahn explains how government
should deal with the reality of the digital world.
Order #1052, $25.00
m/j 00 mag 1/24/01 9:58 AM Page 20
21 MAY/JUNE 2000endtime
E-mail: endtime@endtime.com, Website: http://www.endtime.com
Global Religion
T329 The Dangers of Interfaithism
T308 Dealing With False Religions, Part I
T309 Dealing With False Religions, Part II
S1220 Ecumenical Movement: A Critical Look, Part I
S1221 Interview with United Religions Exec. Dir. Charles Gibbs
S1222 Ecumenical Movement: A Critical Look, Part II
S1104 Hans Kung Interview: Author of the Global Ethic
S1207 Implications of the Global Ethic
T410 False Prophet in Scripture
The Vatican in Prophecy
T314 Popes Apology: What Does It Mean?
T322 Prelude to False Prophet: Pope Visits Israel
S308 Identifying the Whore of Revelation 17, Part I
S310 Identifying the Whore of Revelation 17, Part II
S315 Marriage of Catholicism & Communism
S329 Mother of Harlots: Who Are Her Daughters?
R1116 The False Prophet: Absolute Identification
The China Threat
T112 China An Urgent Wake-Up Call to the World
T320 Taiwan Elects Chen What Will China Do?
T321 Bill Gertz from Wash. Times: Aftermath of Taiwan Elections
T330 6th Trumpet: How to Reach America
S1012 Interview with U.S. Senator James Inhofe on China
SPECIALInterview with Maurice
Strong
T411 Interview: UN Under-Secretary General Maurice Strong
T412 Maurice, Mikhail, & The Earth Charter
Will Gorbachev Be the Antichrist?
T111 Does Gorbachev Now Own AOL & Time Warner?
SPECIAL 1988 Lecture by Irvin Baxter Jr. on Gorbachev
R511 Live with Globalism Expert, Gary Kah
S1020 GorbachevWorld Savior or Antichrist?
Endtime Parables of Jesus
S916 Parable: The Fig Tree
S923 Parable: Harvesting the Wheat and the Tares
S930 Parable: The Wicked Husbandmen
Mark of the Beast
T217 The End of Money
T119 How Will We Survive the Mark, Part I
S1011 Invention of the Computer and the Mark of the Beast
Proofs of the Endtime
R521 Proofs of the Endtime, Part I
R522 Proofs of the Endtime, Part II
Israel, 3rd Temple, Armageddon
T322 Prelude to False Prophet: Pope Visits Israel
S804 Live with Gershon Salomon, Temple Mount Faithful
World Government
T406 International Criminal Court: A Hard Look
R706 Greatest Deception of the 20th Century: Death of Communism
S908 The New World Army
S928 Strobe Talbott: Clintons Globalist Guru
R924 Global Taxes: Ready or Not
T323 Kosovo Proves Nations Can Forfeit Sovereignty
Highly RecommendedNew
SPECIAL Responding to a Letter From a Gay Christian (T127)
SPECIAL What Is the Kingdom of God?
SPECIAL The Second Temple Revival, Part I (S1117)
SPECIAL The Second Temple Revival, Part II (S1118)
SPECIAL Prophetic Coincidences (T224)
Prophetic Future of United
States
T110 The United States and Other Modern Nations in the Bible
T208 Jesse Helms: Its America vs. The U.N.
T209 Madeleine Albright Rebukes Helms: Prophetic Implications
S223 Alger Hiss: U.S. Communist Spy, Father of the UN
S1213 Violating U.S. Sovereignty in the Name of Human Rights
Understanding Revelation
T228 The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
T306 The Prophesied Revival of the Holy Roman Empire
R603 Chernobyl The 3rd Trumpet of Revelation
R604 Understanding the 6th Seal, 7th Trumpet & 7th Vial
R1217 5th Trumpet Saddam Hussein in the Bible
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m/j 00 mag 1/24/01 9:58 AM Page 21
22 endtime MAY/JUNE 2000
H
ow do you say that the
world is on the brink of the
most horrible catastrophe
since the creation of
mankind without being
judged as alarmist, paranoid and a little
on the edge? What words could possibly
be used to say that one-third of the
worlds population, two billion people,
will soon be snuffed out by a fiery nuclear
exchange? How could a person say these
things and remain credible? Im not sure
there is a way.
The prophecy doesnt lie
However, the scripture is right there
staring back at us off the pages of
Revelation 9:15-16. And the four angels
were loosed, which were prepared for an
hour, and a day, and a month, and a year,
for to slay the third part of men. And the
number of the army of the horsemen
were two hundred thousand thousand:
and I heard the number of them.
Perhaps we shouldnt say it. Maybe the
more prudent course would be to play it
safe and hold our tongue. Yet how can
anyone justify silence when the Bible
plainly prophesies a holocaust in which
one person out of three will die?
Believing that the time for this prophetic
fulfillment is at hand (whether that
means four months or five years from
now), doesnt this call for the mobiliza-
tion of every resource at our disposal to
warn a world of the coming catastrophe.
I want to declare with no equivocation
that there is not a single possibility that
this prophesied destruction of the third
Worlds Greatest
Disaster
Just Ahead
by Irvin Baxter Jr.
FEATURE
ARTICLE
Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji makes a point during his press conference in Beijing Wednesday,
March 15, 2000. Accusing the U.S. of blocking China's unification with Taiwan, Zhu said the
Chinese people would "use all their blood and even sacrifice their lives" to defend the unity of the
motherland.
E-mail: endtime@endtime.com, Website: http://www.endtime.com
A
P
W
i
d
e
w
o
r
l
d
P
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o
t
o
/
G
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g
B
a
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m/j 00 mag 1/24/01 9:58 AM Page 22
23 MAY/JUNE 2000endtime
part of men will not occur. It is going to
happen! The only question is When?
An army of 200 million?
The prophecy clearly says that an army
of 200 million will participate in the war
that kills one-third part of men. Only
one nation has ever possessed the neces-
sary population base to place an army of
200 million on the battlefield. The late
leader of China, Mao TseTung, stated in
his diary that China could field an army
of 200 million soldiers, the exact number
in the prophecy.
Taiwans elections move area
closer to war
Three days before Taiwans March
18th elections, Chinese Prime Minister
Zhu Rongji warned the people of Taiwan
not to choose the independence candi-
date. He was referring to Chen
Shui-bian, candidate for the Democratic
Progressive Party (DPP).
Zhu said that under no circumstances
would China tolerate the independence
of Taiwan, while the Chinese military
said: Taiwan independence means war.
We are prepared to pay any price to pro-
tect the peaceful reunification of the
motherland.
Chen replied, We do not accept one
China, two systems. We oppose becom-
ing the second Hong Kong or second
Macau. We have independent sover-
eignty, he said.
Chen was the clear target of Zhus
threat that whoever proposes Taiwanese
independence will not end up well. If
the Taiwan independence forces come
into power it could trigger a war between
the two sides of the strait, Zhu said.
When the people of Taiwan voted
three days later, they chose Chen Shui-
bian.
Chinese-American War?
With tensions presently escalating
sharply over Taiwan and with the U.S.
pledged to defend Taiwan, the possibility
of a nuclear conflict between China and
the United States is very real.
On February 23, 2000, The Washington
Post published an article, Pentagon
Issues Warning to China. The article
stated, A top Pentagon official yesterday
warned China that it would face incal-
culable consequences if it followed
through on threats to use force against
Taiwan.
Also on February 23, 2000, CNN
News reported a statement by White
House spokesman Joe Lockhart, We
have repeated, in I think both actions
and words, that we view any threat to
Taiwan with grave concern.
Lockhart said, the country would
not hesitate to respond if China attacks
Taiwan. In 1996 we responded appropri-
ately to what we viewed was a threat.
That should give you some indication of
how we view this situation.
A few days later on February 29, 2000,
The Washington Times published an arti-
cle entitled China Threatens U.S. with
Missile Strike. The article stated,
China stepped up its war of words over
Taiwan yesterday, bluntly threatening to
fire long-range nuclear missiles at the
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A top Pentagon
official yesterday
warned China that
it would face
incalculable
consequences if it
followed through on
threats to use force
against Taiwan.
m/j 00 mag 1/24/01 9:58 AM Page 23
United States if it defends the island.
Experts: War is coming
There is going to be a military con-
frontation, predicted Charles W.
Freeman Jr., a former assistant secretary
of defense and retired American diplo-
mat with long experience in China.
While the clash may not be imminent,
Freeman said, its very likely the U.S.
and China are going to have a war over
this issue. Freemans statement was pub-
lished in The Washington Post, March 16,
2000, in an article headlined Experts
Debate Likelihood of a U.S.-China
Clash.
CIA Predicts Military Confrontation
in the Straits in 2000Central
Intelligence Agency Director George
Tenet warned that a military confronta-
tion in the Taiwan Strait was likely this
year because of Taiwans presidential
election in March and related talk of in-
dependence for the island. Tenet made
his comments when he delivered his an-
nual global threat-assessment report to
the Senate Intelligence Committee on
Wednesday, February 3, 2000. (China
News Digest, February 7, 2000)
USA Today on March 15, 2000,
summed it up this way, A conflict is in-
evitable because the Taiwanese wont
reunify with communist China, and
Beijing wont settle for anything less.
How did we arrive at this
dangerous juncture?
China has stated repeatedly over the
last fifty years that there is one China
and that Taiwan is a renegade province
of that one China. She has insisted that
someday Taiwan must reunite with the
Mainland. However, it appeared that the
uneasy co-existence between Taiwan and
the Chinese Dragon just 100 miles away
might be allowed to continue until some-
day it would hopefully just work itself
out.
Since 1972, the United States govern-
ment has assented to this One China
policywith one condition. The pro-
jected reunification must be done
through peaceful diplomacy, not through
war. Congress passed the Taiwan
Relations Act in 1979, which obligated
the U.S. to supply Taiwan with the nec-
essary military equipment to defend
herself against invasion.
The turning point came in 1996 when
Taiwan held its first democratic elec-
tions. The last thing the communist
dictatorship on the Mainland wanted
was for the dreaded disease of democracy
to take root in China, and the Mainland
insisted that Taiwan was an inseparable
part of China.
In an attempt to scare Taiwan out of
holding the elections, China fired mis-
siles just off the coast of Taiwan while at
the same time threatening invasion.
President Clinton sent two aircraft carri-
ers and 100,000 troops into the Straits of
Taiwan. China was forced to back down.
Within one year, China placed an
Wo r l d s gr eat est di sast er just ah ead
The following article appeared on April 12 in the Hong Kong
Standard. Hong Kong is controlled by Mainland China.
Beijing is prepared for a nuclear war against the United
States if Washington would dare to stand in the way of
Chinas reunification, a military-backed weekly has warned.
In such a possible Sino-U.S. war over Taiwan, Washington
would be subject to tremendous losses in human casualties as
well as in its global and regional interests, warned an article in
the latest issue of the Military Review Weekly.
The magazine is an official publication with retired Peoples
Liberation Army generals, including for Chief of General
Staff Yang Chengwu, operating as its honorary publishers or
advisers. The article quoted unnamed military experts as say-
ing that China would use nuclear weapons if the U.S. dared
to stand in the way of the countrys reunification. China, to
safeguard its national interests, has prepared for a nuclear war
against the United States, it said.
Although Chinas weaponry in general could not match
Washingtons, it had its strong points, the paper said. China
had world-class spy satellites and its space chip-launching
technology would enable its missiles to break though the
U.S. National Missile Defense System to strike U.S. territory.
China also leads the world in miniaturization of the neu-
tron bomb. Such bombs would be very difficult for U.S. air-
craft carriers to defend against, the article said. When the
PLA launched war games and test-fired missiles into waters
off Taiwan in mid-1995 to early 1996 to intimidate the is-
lands voters before the first presidential election, the U.S.
responded by sending two aircraft carrier battle groups to the
area. In a war without boundaries the U.S. would suffer un-
bearable human causalities, it said.
When such a Sino-U.S. war started, China would then no
longer honor its commitment on non-proliferation. "And
then if countries like Iraq, Iran or North Korea obtain missile
technology from China, the U.S. would be under global
threat, it said. The enemys enemy is our friend. China
would then ally with countries, which had been bullied, such
as Iran, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Libya and Cuba. It would even be
possible for China to form a military alliance with Russia, and
perhaps India, the article said.
It also warned Japan not to provide logistical support to the
U.S. military in a Sino-U.S. war over Taiwan. If they did,
Beijing would see it as Tokyo's declaration of war against
China and then Japan would become part of the battlefield.
The U.S. would also suffer great economic losses in the region
as the mainland's market is far more important to the U.S.
economy than Taiwans.
China Ready for Nuclear War Over Taiwan
There is going
to be a military
confrontation,
predicted Charles
W. Freeman Jr.
24 endtime MAY/JUNE 2000 E-mail: endtime@endtime.com, Website: http://www.endtime.com
m/j 00 mag 1/24/01 9:58 AM Page 24
25 MAY/JUNE 2000endtime
order with Russia for two Sovremenny-
class destroyers. These warships are
equipped with nuclear missiles that can
sink the U.S. aircraft carriers with one
shot. China took delivery of the first
Sovremenny in February of 2000 and is
scheduled to receive the other one later
this year.
In the meantime, another event con-
tributed to the escalation of tensions
across the Straits of Taiwan.
Negotiations for the eventual reunifica-
tion of Taiwan with the Mainland were
scheduled to begin in August of 1999. In
July of 1999, Taiwans President Lee at-
tempted to establish Taiwans position on
a German talk radio show. He stated that
China should negotiate with Taiwan on
a state-to-state basis.
Chinese leaders went ballistic. They
protested that Lees statement was a de
facto declaration of independence and
was therefore a cause for war unless it was
retracted. President Lee stood firm and
no retraction was forthcoming. China
immediately began to threaten invasion
of Taiwan.
In August, a secret paper was issued to
Chinese military officers instructing
them to prepare for war with Taiwan and
the United States.
In September, Chinese forces con-
ducted a mock invasion of Taiwan.
During the exercise, troops chanted, We
will liberate Taiwan.
On October 1, 1999, China held a
huge parade in Tiananmen Square com-
memorating the 50-year anniversary of
the communist takeover in China.
Intercontinental ballistic missiles with
nuclear warheads capable of reaching the
United States were displayed in the pa-
rade. Soldiers carried a huge banner in
the parade that read, We will not wait
forever to liberate Taiwan.
Then came all the threats and
counter-threats during the Taiwanese
election campaign. With the election of
pro-independence candidate Chen Shui-
bian, China has suddenly been thrown
into a quandary. Does she make good on
her threats to invade or should she con-
tinue to depend on diplomacy to pursue
the unification of Taiwan to the
Mainland?
The latest position taken by China is
that they will wait to see what President
Chen says in his May 20 inaugural
speech and what he does. They say that,
if reunification talks do not begin within
a few months, they will invade Taiwan.
President-elect Chen has been very
careful about making any statement that
might anger the Chinese. The last thing
Taiwan wants is war with the Mainland.
Yet he has refused to agree to the one
China policy that China says must be ac-
cepted in order to avert war.
So what will happen?
We all would like to believe that
cooler heads will prevail and that ten-
sions between Taiwan and China will
dissipate. However, the prophecy of
Revelation 9:15-16 and the opinion of
the secular experts seem to indicate just
the opposite. It seems certain that we are
headed straight toward the most horrific
war ever experienced by the human race.
The only remaining question is
When?
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Biometrics:
Tool for Control
Biometrics means automatically rec-
ognizing a person using distinguishing
traits. Fingerprints and retinal scans are
two such examples. Reading an im-
planted chip is another.
The Biometric Consortium (www.bio-
metrics.org) serves as the U.S.
Governments focal point for research,
development, testing, evaluation and ap-
plication of biometric-based personal
identification technology. While one
would hope that the Department of
Commerce would have the greatest in-
terest in this technology, the branches of
the government most actively involved
with biometrics are the FBI, National
Security Council, Department of
Defense and Department of Justice.
Wiring the World
Ford has made PCs and Internet
hook-ups available to its 350,000 em-
ployees for $5 per month, and Delta
Airlines made a similar pledge. Intel has
just announced it will give all its employ-
ees PCs and Internet access and services
at no charge.
By the end of the year, more than
70,000 Intel employees worldwide will
receive Pentium III processor-based ma-
chines, unlimited Internet access and
other computer products, including a
printer, monitor and software packages.
The program aims to create more
tech-savvy workers and encourage fami-
lie to take advantage of the Internet
Age, an Intel spokesman said.
The Army is considering giving lap-
tops to its recruits.
Bigger Sacks, Stronger Backs
In an effort to curb drug dealers and
money launderers, a proposal is under
consideration in Canadas parliament to
eliminate that nations largest denomina-
tion, the $1,000 bill. Its worth about 690
U.S. dollars.
Criminals trying to transport their ill-
gotten profits out of the country will
need bigger suitcases and stronger mus-
cles. The next largest denomination is
the $100 bill, worth about $69. The load
would become ten times as great.
It will be interesting to see if the bill
passes.
e-purse
A smart card has just been developed
that can verify its owner through finger-
print verification or iris recognition. It is
being called e-purse. The smart card is
based on a technology known as biomet-
rics, and was developed by Keyware
Technologies as a way to combat fraud
and other security issues.
The biometrics can be used in con-
junction with PINs (personal
identification numbers) and passwords
and, according to the company, cannot
be duplicated by impostors.
A release date for this invention has
yet to be announced.
e-wallet
According to Forrester Research, 66%
of online shoppers abandon their shop-
ping carts at the checkout because of
repeatedly having to fill in forms with
credit card numbers and address details.
If the process can be streamlined for the
e-consumers, it would not only be more
convenient for them, but also, more lu-
crative to the e-vendors.
Enter e-wallets, a digital wallet stored
online that contains all of the pertinent
information you are asked at e-checkout
counters. E-commerce keeps getting E-
asier.
Gorbachev Calls Pope Most
Important Socialist in the World
On April 10, in a speech at Romes
Sapienza University, the worlds most re-
spected communist described Pope John
Paul II as the most important socialist in
the world.
In his address, former Soviet president
Mikhail Gorbachev said, Globalization
can also have destructive effects but we
must pursue, as the pope says, its positive
aspects. Wherever John Paul II goes on
his trips, he will always speak of the poor
and of solidarity. He is the most impor-
tant socialist in the world.
Prince Charles
Defender of Interfaith
Ecumenism and the spirit of compro-
mise has swept into the royal family of
Great Britain. For the last 1,000 years,
the King of England would swear to up-
hold the Protestant faith at his
coronation ceremony. When Prince
Charles of Wales is crowned King, how-
ever, it appears that it will be a
multi-faith inauguration ceremony.
The issue is religious discrimination.
The establishment of the Church of
England causes religious disadvantage
to other faiths and Christian denomina-
tions. The current coronation ceremony
may no longer be appropriate in modern,
multi-cultural Britain, a government re-
port says.
The Kings role as Supreme Governor
of the Anglican Church and Defender
of the Faith is also to be reviewed. The
report argues that the union between
church and state may not be the best or
the most appropriate way forward in
terms of the need to embody the princi-
ples of equity, inclusivity and
participation in the contemporary plural
society of the United Kingdom.
Tony Blair has become increasingly in-
terested in the relationship between
Christianity and other faiths. The gov-
ernment would almost certainly resist
severing the link altogether, but senior
figures think other religions should have
a greater role in national life, just as rep-
resentatives of other faiths are to be
given seats in the House of Lords along
with Anglican bishops.
The Church of England is itself con-
sidering ways to be more inclusive. The
Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George
Carey, is reported to have told an audi-
ence in his diocese that he expects the
church one day to have its status and
privileges reduced.
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W o r l d R
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m/j 00 mag 1/24/01 9:58 AM Page 26
27 MAY/JUNE 2000endtime
The Prince of Wales has made it clear
that he wants to be the defender of
faith, rather than the defender of the
faith.
Jiang Tours Israel,
Promotes Palestinian State
Following in Pope John Paul IIs foot-
steps, Chinese President Jiang Zemin just
completed a tour to Israel. Between visits
to various holy sites, Jiang met with both
Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
Israel is Chinas second largest military
equipment supplier.
The support of the Palestinians just
cause will remain one of the pillars of
Chinese policy, remarked Jiang in his
meeting with Chairman Yasser Arafat.
The Chinese people will always remain
an honest friend which the Palestinians
can depend on.
He added that the Palestinians had
made considerable progress towards the
great objective of establishing an inde-
pendent state.
Chernobyl: Many Men
Would Die And Are
Ukraines Health Ministry has released
a report detailing the mounting death
harvest of the 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear
Power Plant Meltdown. About 3.5 mil-
lion people have suffered illness due to
the contamination. One-third of these
are children. Some cancers are occurring
at ten times the national average.
The health of the people affected by
the Chernobyl accident is getting worse
and worse every year, reported Deputy
Health Minister Olha Bobyleva. We are
very disturbed.
The Third Trumpet prophecy states
that a star by the name of Wormwood
would bring forth the same type of dev-
astation as was wrought by Chernobyl. It
is not a coincidence that the Ukrainian
word for wormwood is chernobyl.
Albright Plays
Environmentalism Card
U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright has found another platform
from which to promote global gover-
nance water. She struck this
environmental chord in a speech in
Singapore on Earth Day, April 11, when
she proposed the creation of a global
water security alliance.
The goals of our alliance must be to
dramatically improve the management
of transboundary water resources, elimi-
nate water as a source of regional
instability and use cooperation on water
as a basis for bringing nations together on
other issues, Albright said.
Albright is aware that water is one of
the major issues in the Middle East peace
process. Israel has it. The Palestinians
dont.
This is yet another case of a world
leader invoking the cause of environ-
mentalism to further the case for the
establishment of a one-world govern-
ment.
Reform Jewish Rabbis
Sanction Gay Marriages
Judaisms most liberal branch, Reform,
became the first major religious denomi-
nation to sanction and officiate same-sex
unions. An overwhelming majority of
the 500 members of the Central
Conference of American Rabbis ap-
proved a resolution backing any rabbis
decision to preside over a gay union
through appropriate Jewish ritual.
Understanding the issues sensitivity,
the rabbis also support those within its
ranks who choose not to officiate at such
ceremonies.
Rabbi Paul Menitoff, CCARs execu-
tive vice president, said, These are
people who are subjected to signals, sub-
tle and not so subtle, that they are
abnormal, sinful and less than whole.
Can you imagine the impact on them to
finally hear a confirming message after so
many negative messages from all those
religious groups?
One rabbi who opposed the move did
so on interesting grounds. I am comfort-
able concluding that marriage in Judaism
is a relationship between one man and
one woman, in spiritual reclamation of
the Garden of Eden, said Rabbi Clifford
Librach of Sharon, Massachusetts.
Other relationships may have great in-
tegrity and be worthy of celebration and
distinction, but they are not marriages.
Clearer-thinking opponents argue that
the resolution violates the teachings of
the Torah (a.k.a. Old Testament). The
sanctification of a marriage between two
people of the same sex would not be ap-
propriate, remarked Rabbi Jerome
Epstein, a leader in Conservative
Judaism. The Torah clearly prohibits
that.
In 1990, Reform Judaism voted to or-
dain openly gay rabbis, endorsing the
view that all Jews are religiously equal
regardless of sexual orientation.
Reform Judaism, while a large move-
ment in the United States, does not
represent Judaism at large, and accounts
for less than 5% of Jews in Israel.
Prophecy Shorts
G According to news sources out of
Taipei, Russia is scheduled to conclude
a deal to sell another nuclear subma-
rine to China on May 10
G Russian President and former-spy
Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated
that he wishes to bring Russia closer to
the Western nations. He is also plan-
ning to resurrect the feared KGB
just announced
G Some say that the International
Monetary Fund and World Bank arent
doing enough to nurture the global
economy. The anti-globalists say
they are doing too much. Both sides
came out in full force to protest their
latest meeting in Washington, D.C
G The Russian Coast Guard fired on a
Japanese fishing boat that, according
to Tokyo, was within Japans northern
waters. Moscow says it was in Russian
waters. So they shotem. No injuries...