To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Great Millennium Eclipse
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Prophecy buffs should brace themselves for the "Great Millennial Eclipse" of
August 11, 1999, which will soar across Central Europe, the Middle East, and
India. Author J. M. Sckrabulis connects it to a Second Coming-like
occurrence. On that day the Earth will be at the center of a "Cosmic
Cross"--a rare configuration of planets that will symbolize the Book of
Revelation icons of the Eagle, the Ox, the Lion, and Humanity (the four
faces of the Cherubim--see Ezek 1:10, 10:14-22).
Eclipse: Don't Be Left in the Dark
Simon Peter Groebner
via Prophecy Flash
April-May, 1998
====================
NASA Eclipse Bulletin for the 1999 August 11 total solar eclipse
http://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/eclipse/990811/rp.html
====================
See also:
Eclipse info on the web site
Signs in the Sky
http://philologos.org/bpr/research.htm
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: El Nino & Earthquakes
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Over the past 100 years there were 26 El Ninos. During each one, California
has suffered at least two severe quakes. Often as many as 5 or 6. Take a
look. The worst quake so far was the 8.3 (that's Richter scale) quake that
tore San Francisco to pieces in 1906. 1905-06 also happens to mark the first
major El Nino of this century. More recently, in 1989 there was the
devastating World Series quake. Skyscrapers swayed like blades of grass in a
breeze -- for 3 minutes after the quake was over! The most recent El Nino
back? 1985-87...and it's no coincidence that 5 other major quakes hit in
less populated areas in California during that same period.
The last El Nino was 1993-95. And guess what happened.
In 1994 the Northridge quake slammed LA and caused over $4 billion in damage
(other estimates run to $50 billion, more or less)...That same year, another
quake -- just as strong -- hit the remote area of Big Pine. What's the
connection?
It all comes down to water weight.
You see, one square mile of sea water...just one foot deep...weighs 920,000
tons. If the water is 20 feet deep, the weight is 20 times that. Now imagine
all that weight pressing down on the ocean floor.
Now consider what happens during an El Nino. It dumps many hundreds of
thousands of tons more water on California than usual. And that water rushes
through California's rivers and sewers and drains -- and gets dumped into
the ocean. All that adds up to a crushing increase of water weight on the
Pacific shelf, the edge of the very same plates that shift during California
earthquakes. With this year's massive El Nino effect, the pressure has been
heavier than ever...
Already in 1997, there were 12 major earthquakes around the Pacific Rim.
Most of them in places where only geologists go. But California hasn't had
so much as a shiver. At least not the kind that crushes buildings and splits
open highways. The California 'quake-debt' -- the tension that builds up
under places like LA -- is way overdue. In fact, the Southern Earthquake
Center in LA estimates that 6 major fault lines running under the city hold
enough tension for 17 Northridge-size earthquakes...
El Nino is also making for some angry seas...and when the earthquake hits,
we expect a monster wave to crash down on Malibu...where mudslides and brush
fires have already bankrupted the municipal treasury...and where a lot of
Hollywood royalty have their multi-million dollar mansions...
Meanwhile, in Death Valley...the Mohave Desert...and in the dry hills
between Mexico and San Diego...more rain than usual will do wonders for the
local rodent population. Especially water-loving rats...who will happily use
sewer drainage pipes to migrate back into nearby towns and cities. Remember
the Hantavirus? Desert rodents carried the disease. Just like they've
carried Black Plague...typhus...and all kinds of less-than-lovely ailments...
Taipan
winter 1997-98
via Prophecy Flash
April-May, 1998
====================
Television fans looking for fresh summer escapes on the Web have a lot to
look forward to in the coming months, including an earth-shattering June 15
debut on Discovery Channel Online (http://www.discovery.com). That's when
DCOL launches its Earthquake site, a mix of science, history and frolic
featuring daily reports from correspondent Hannah Holmes, who'll spend 20
days touring California's San Andreas Fault. If that sounds too shaky, try
the site for Public Broadcasting's "Going Places" at
http://www.pbs.org...([June 15th] "Volcanoes and Rainforests").
The Web Page
TV Guide
June 6-12, 1998
.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: The Martial Plan
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 1998 15:32:07 -0500
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Forwarded from Koenig's Watch (http://watch.org)
The Martial Plan:
By Declan McCullagh/Washington - Article link -
http://cgi.pathfinder.com/netly/afternoon/0%2c1012%2c2038%2c00.html
Think the Year 2000 problem means mere elevator snafus?
Try dealing with a platoon of Marines who show up in your front yard to
confiscate your hoarded lentils.
Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah)asked the deputy secretary of defense at a
hearing this morning what plans the Pentagon has "in the event of a
Y2K-induced breakdown of community services that might call for martial
law." John Hamre replied carefully, but none too reassuringly, "We've got
fundamental issues to deal with that go beyond just the Year 2000
contingency planning. And I think you're right to bring that up."
Another distressing point that came up at the Senate Armed Services
committee hearing was the fact that the military directs one quarter of
U.S. air traffic. "You may be flying across the country and an air traffic
controller may be a military guy in certain areas as opposed to it being
an FAA person," Hamre said.
Although the FAA's head Y2K guru assured us this afternoon that the
agency will have its Y2K fixes complete by October 1998, the military
appears to be in much worse shape. And other countries? "We can be
sure that there will be social unrest in many parts of the world as a result of
Y2K," Bennett said.
For the record, though, Bennett did say, "I am not one of those who says
that Y2K will automatically produce martial law," and blamed "alarmists,
extremists out there on the Internet" for unnecessary scaremongering.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: U.S. fears Year 2000 bug could spook Russian forces
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 08:53:28 -0500
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
*** U.S. fears Year 2000 bug could spook Russian forces
The U.S. is drawing up plans to keep Russia and others from being
spooked into millennium bug-related "nightmare" military scenarios, a
top Pentagon official said Thursday. In a stark warning about the
Year 2000 computer glitch threat, Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre
cited a need to calm Russian nuclear forces in particular if the
"bug" caused their computers to crash, as many systems may fail
worldwide. He told the Senate Armed Services Committee cash-strapped
Russian forces were relying more and more on nuclear weapons "as a
safeguard for their national security... And their early warning
system is fragile."
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554478667-795
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: China warns Vatican not to meddle through Internet
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 08:53:28 -0500
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
China warns Vatican not to meddle through Internet
China warned Friday the Vatican not to meddle in its internal affairs
in a sharp response to the launch of a Chinese-language service on
the Internet by the Holy See. The Vatican news agency Fides said
Thursday its new Internet service was aimed at spreading news about
the Roman Catholic Church in China. About 4 million Chinese worship
through China's state-sponsored Catholic Church, but twice that
number are estimated to hold allegiance to the Pope and worship in
underground churches. The Pope has often appealed to the Chinese
authorities to grant its people more religious freedom. Human rights
groups say Beijing continues to clamp down on worship outside
official religious circles.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554487283-5a7
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Intelligence Report: Denials only Bolster the Idea that Israel Aided Indian Nuclear Program
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 19:28:08 -0500
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Global Intelligence Update
Red Alert
June 9, 1998
Denials only Bolster the Idea that Israel Aided Indian Nuclear Program
One of the side bars to the Indo-Pakistani story has been the recurrent
claim that Israel was behind the development of the Indian nuclear
weapons program. Some stories have gone so far as to claim that Israeli attack
aircraft, based in India, were poised to attack Pakistani nuclear
facilities in a raid reminiscent of the Israeli attack on Iraqi nuclear
reactors in 1981. Now the claims have become even more extreme. Some
Pakistani media are claiming that Yasir Arafat warned Pakistan of the
impending attack. Since it is unlikely that Arafat would have been
informed by Israel of any planned attack, the story is clearly untrue,
unless Arafat has penetrated Israeli military secrets so deeply that he
had access to this information. It is not, however, the truthfulness of
the report that is important, as much as what the report tells us of the
developing dynamic in the region.
The Pakistanis--facing a hostile India, an Afghanistan torn by an endless
civil war and an Iran, which is backing the other side in that war--feel
genuinely isolated. Having alienated the United States, Pakistan is now
heavily dependent on China, which is separated by the Himalayas and is
therefore fairly irrelevant to the situation on the ground. The bomb
provides Pakistan with a way out of its geopolitical isolation. By
portraying its bomb as an "Islamic" bomb, rather than as a purely
Pakistani invention, Pakistan generates a great deal of support among the
Arab masses, moved by pride. By allowing it to appear that Israel created
the Indian bomb, that Israel was considering an attack on Pakistan from
India, and indeed, that Arafat himself warned the Pakistanis about the
impending attack, Pakistan identifies itself with Arab aspirations. This
limits Iranian actions against Pakistan, forcing Iran to be more favorably
inclined toward Pakistani claims.
Thus, the propaganda campaign makes a great deal of sense from
Pakistan's point of view. It is also quite dangerous. Therefore, this weekend,
India, Israel and indeed Pakistan took steps to try to limit the more
extreme impulses arising from the Pakistani campaign. According to the
PTI News Agency, for example, a spokesman for the External Affairs
Ministry in India admitted that Israel had "interacted" with India in
various fields, but denied that they had anything to do with India's
nuclear program. The claim was less than persuasive in that it noted that
Indian nuclear and missile scientists had regularly visited Israel.
In a similarly unconvincing spirit, the Pakistani Information Minister
told Israeli television that the reports of a near-attack by Israel on
Pakistan was disinformation distributed by Indian and Western press and
not by Pakistan. He also emphasized that Pakistan's bomb did not have a
religious dimension and that it should not, therefore, be referred to as
an "Islamic" bomb. Syed also made it clear that Pakistan does not and
will not threaten Israel with the bomb: "We hope that no other country
would feel threatened by Pakistan's nuclear program, since Pakistan has
no aggressive intentions against any other country, we hope that no other
country will have any aggressive intentions toward Pakistan."
The Israeli newspaper Hatzofe made the best case against the notion of
Israeli collusion with India. First, while the Begin Doctrine does hold
that Israel will prevent the introduction of nuclear weapons to the
region, Pakistan is not part of the region and Israel has neither the
interest nor resources to police the entire world. Second, Israel does
not have that long a reach and the claim that Israeli aircraft could reach
Pakistan is a "myth" that should not be encouraged. Finally, and most
important, Israel would never give nuclear secrets to a country (India)
undergoing so much domestic upheaval.
So we have the Indians claiming no collaboration in spite of admissions
that Indian scientists had been in Israel; the Pakistanis denying that it
was an Islamic bomb, in spite of the fact that Pakistani media trumpeted
it as such; and Israel claiming not only that Pakistan is not part of its
region, but also that Pakistan is beyond the reach of Israel's forces.
Two things emerge from this performance. First, we are now indeed
convinced that Israel did have a great deal to do with the Indian nuclear
program. Second, it is clear that all concerned have gone to the brink
and not liked what they have seen. All three countries have worked hard
to reduce tensions this weekend, arguing for the proposition that the
presence of nuclear weapons is a sobering experience that tends to
stabilize, rather than destabilize a region.
An interesting sidelight reveals itself. If Israel was indeed responsible
to some extent for the Indian nuclear program, then this might affect
U.S.- Israel relations. If we are to believe Washington's public
statements, it regards the Indian tests as a serious challenge to its
policy. If Israel is, in fact, behind these policies at a time when
tensions between the U.S. and Israel are high due to differences over the
peace process, then India's decision to go public with its capabilities
couldn't come at a worse time for Israel. This may be the most important
outcome of this entire affair.
___________________________________________________
To receive free daily Global Intelligence Updates
or Computer Security Alerts, sign up on the web at
http://www.stratfor.com/mail/, or send your name,
organization, position, mailing address, phone
number, and e-mail address to alert@stratfor.com
___________________________________________________
STRATFOR Systems, Inc.
3301 Northland Drive, Suite 500
Austin, TX 78731-4939
Phone: 512-454-3626
Fax: 512-454-1614
Internet: http://www.stratfor.com/
Email: info@stratfor.com
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Space Headlines
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 9 Jun 1998 06:22:37 -0500
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Space tourism getting a new look
http://www.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/health/060998/
health12_27908_noframes.html
WASHINGTON (June 9, 1998 01:39 a.m. EDT http://www.nando.net) --
"Twelve years after the shuttle Challenger explosion, the notion of allowing
private citizens to pay to fly in space is being taken seriously in Congress
and elsewhere."
"A study by NASA and the private Space Transportation Association
concluded in March that 'immediate steps can and should be taken' to
encourage space tourism over the next few years."
--------------------
Solar flare may disrupt worldwide communication
http://www.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/health/060898/
health18_20341_noframes.html
SAN DIEGO (June 8, 1998 10:08 p.m. EDT http://www.nando.net) - "A
new video of an exploding solar flare might be a preview of a series of
intense sun storms that could disrupt worldwide communications and make
high-altitude flight dangerous, a scientist said Monday."
"A threat of another kind was outlined by David K. Lynch, a research
scientist for the Aerospace Corp. of El Segundo, Calif., who told reporters
that between 500 and 600 satellites orbiting the earth will be 'sandblasted'
by a Leonid Meteoroid Storm due on Nov. 17."
[BPR - for an extremely detailed look at the Leonid Meteor Showers coming
in November and the possible danger to satellites they pose check
out: http://www.aero.org/leonid/ ]
--------------------
Largest-ever survey of the heavens about to begin
http://www.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/health/060898/
health9_22160_noframes.html
SAN DIEGO (June 8, 1998 10:50 p.m. EDT http://www.nando.net) --
"The most ambitious mapping of the heavens ever undertaken is about to
start from a remote observatory in New Mexico, using the most complex
camera ever built."
"When the survey is complete, it will provide an atlas of the skies 100
times clearer than the star charts relied upon for decades and will have
pinpointed the location of more than 100 million galaxies."
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Global Anti-Semitism
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
SHARP RISE IN GLOBAL ANTI-SEMITISM: The Cabinet Secretariat
announced this week that during the past month a noted increase in
violent anti-Semitism has been recorded. Cabinet Secretary Danny
Naveh, who heads the Anti-Semitism Monitoring Forum, said that a
number of the incidents are connected to the State of Israel's Jubilee
events. He requested that Foreign Ministry representatives around the
world raise the matter in their capitals and ask that the various
governments take decisive action to stop the phenomenon. The recent
incidents have included: two terrorist attacks against Jewish sites in
Greece and Latvia; a string of attacks on Jews on the street (primarily in
Britain) and desecration of gravestones and memorial sites (in Latvia,
Canada, and Argentina). A dramatic increase in the amount of threats
against Jews and Jewish institutions has also been recorded. (CABINET
SECRETARIAT)
F.Y.I. - Israel in the News
Week Ending: June 6, 1998/12 Sivan 5758
http://www.tzemach.org/fyi
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: The Sudetenization of Palestine--Part I
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
The Sudetenization of Palestine
by Steven Plaut
It was not so very long ago that the entire world would have
dismissed as an absurd mockery the suggestion that the basis for the
Arab-Israel conflict was the need for Palestinian "self-determination".
Indeed the Arabs themselves never suggested any such thing until well
after 1967.
The Arabs before 1967 declared with refreshing candor that their
aim was to destroy the Zionist entity and throw all the Jews into the
sea. Palestinians mattered very little in all of this. Obviously the
conflict did not have the slightest connection to Palestinian
"self-determination". The Palestinians were not regarded by Arabs or by
anyone else as having any particular need for or right to
"self-determination". Had such a need been recognized, nothing was
stopping the Arab world from unilaterally granting and establishing such
"self-determination" for the Palestinians in those large swaths of
Palestine already controlled by the Arab countries: the West Bank, the
Gaza Strip, all of Transjordan, and those parts of Syria and Lebanon
that might legitimately be considered "Palestinian".
If the Palestinians were indeed a "nation" in need of their own
state, there was nothing to prevent the Arab world or the United Nations
from creating such a state. Israel would have had no say in it. There
were no voices at all in other parts of the world calling for such
"self-determination" for Palestinians, this two generations after
Woodrow Wilson had made "self-determination" an axiom of international
relations.
It was clear to all that the Arab-Israeli conflict had absolutely
nothing whatsoever to do with Palestinian "self-determination" and
everything to do with Jewish self-determination. It was about the Arab
intention of wiping out all vestiges of Jewish self-determination in the
Land of Israel through the use of military aggression. The Arabs refused
to accept any such Jewish self-determination, in any set of borders
whatsoever.
Until 1967 the Arab world saw little need to invest energies into
propaganda and public relations campaigns aimed at the non-Arab world.
Much as Ben-Gurion dismissed the UN and world opinion ("It matters not
what the goyim say, but what the Jews do"), so Arabs had little interest
in how they were perceived by the infidels outside the House of Islam,
and spent little time in trying to "make their case" in the media. It
was sufficient that the Arab position was self-evidently just to the
Arabs themselves. Arab spokesmen routinely called for genocide and
destruction of the Israeli Jews. Ahmed Shukheiry, the founder of the
Palestine Liberation Organization, promised that after Palestine would
be liberated, no Jew there would be left alive.
After 1967 all this changed. The Arabs discovered that they could
carry a large section of Western public opinion with creative public
relations disinformation, and in particular with a campaign of mock
tears about the supposed suffering of the mistreated Palestinians.
Suddenly - after 1967 - the Arabs discovered (to their own surprise as
much to that of others) that the Palestinians sitting under their noses
constituted a "nation" entitled to Wilsonian "self-determination".
Never mind that they themselves had never exhibited the slightest
interest in granting them such "self-determination" in any of the
territories of Palestine which they had controlled or continued to
control after 1967.
True, there existed some secondary cultural and linguistic
differences that separated Palestinians from other Arabs in Jordan,
Syria and Lebanon. But these were less substantial than similar
differences separating Arabs living in different regions within Iraq,
within Egypt, within Libya, or within Morocco, and no one at all was
suggesting that such differences constituted a legitimate basis for
THOSE groups of Arabs to seek "self-determination".
Instead, Palestinian "national rights" and the need for Palestinian
"self-determination" became the propaganda spin touted by Arab PR
spokesmen (and occasionally spokeswomen) throughout the world. A
Western public that had never quite eliminated its inherent dislike for
and mistrust of Jews found this new propaganda spin an acceptable basis
for supporting Arab ambitions. They could rationalize Arab aggression
and terrorism, not out of any unfashionable and discredited gutter
hatred of Jews, but rather out of politically-correct compassion for the
Palestinian "victims of injustice", the dispossessed Palestinian
"nation" in need of a "homeland". A Western world that could never
quite reach agreement over such simple questions as whether the Flemish,
Walloons, Ulster Protestants, Corsicans, Scots, Welsh, Quebecois,
Basques, Catalonians, or Bretons have any need for or right to
self-determination could all agree over one thing: the Palestinians are
entitled to "self-determination" and independence, even if it involves
jeopardizing Israel's very existence.
Advocates of Palestinian self-determination never examine the
logic of their position too closely or else the contradictions would be
glaringly obvious. If Palestinians need "self-determination", why is it
that they only need it when it involves Israel? Jordan is also
Palestine. Why is it that Jordanian Palestinians have never needed
"self-determination"? And why did the West Bank and Gazan Arabs not
need self-determination on June 4, 1967, but suddenly needed it a few
days later? Why was it that Palestinians have never needed
self-determination EXCEPT when it would involve Israeli territorial
concessions and strategic existential dangers to Israel?
And what exactly is the moral basis for such "self-determination"
supposed to be? Either Palestinians are Arabs or they are not.
(Obviously they are.) If they are Arabs, then why is it that 22
sovereign Arab states holding territory larger than the United States
are not more than sufficient "Arab self-determination", enough to make
all residual demands for further Arab "self-determination" a mockery of
justice? And if Palestinians are not Arabs, and so the 22 Arabs states
are not sufficient in and of themselves to satisfy Palestinian needs
for self-determination, why have Palestinians never demanded their
national rights and national territories from these other Arab peoples
among whom they have lived and to whom they do not "belong"? Why have
Palestinians never demanded self-determination for those Palestinians
NOT under Israeli control - such as in Jordan and Lebanon?
The Arab evocation of the rights of the Palestinians to
"self-determination" succeeded in the West beyond the Arabs' wildest
imagination. By the late 1970s it had become a truism believed by most
and repeated obsessively in the Western media (which has a memory span
of less than a month) that the need for Palestinian "self-determination"
had always been the fundamental basis for the Middle East conflict. If
Israel were only to grant this "self-determination" to the Palestinians
and return to its 1949 borders (more or less), the conflict would end
because its causal basis would vanish into thin air.
Within Israel, at first virtually no one took such arguments with
the least bit of seriousness. Obviously, the Arabs had invented a red
herring by which they hoped the West would be induced into bullying
Israel into withdrawing to what Abba Eban had called her "Auschwitz
borders". The Arabs simply wanted another shot at carrying out what
they had intended to carry out in their assaults on Israel in 1948, 1967
and 1973.
It was not until the 1980s that the Israeli Left and the Diaspora
Jewish liberals joined the "self-determination" bandwagon. It appealed
to their notion of liberal guilt and moral symmetry. If Israel were to
recognize the rights of the Palestinians to "self-determination", then
surely the Arabs would do the same and reciprocate the honor. Fair is
fair. Good sportsmanship and gentlemanly manners require that each side
reciprocate. Liberals refuse to entertain the possibility that the Arab
world is not an English cricket team.
It was on the basis of this moral symmetry non sequitur that the
Israeli and Jewish Left increasingly saw the granting of Palestinian
"self-determination" to be the key to resolving the Middle East
conflict. Group after group of Jews joined in, including virtually the
entire range of Diaspora Jewish political institutions, and spreading
from the Israel far-Left to the Labor Party and then even to the Likud.
And all those who challenged the same non sequitur instantly became the
enemies of peace in the minds of such Jewish advocates of Palestinian
"self-determination", people who valued land higher than human life or
peace.
* * * * * *
In searching for historic analogies to the Middle East conflict,
there is but one that contains ALL of the elements of the Arab-Israeli
conflict, one that illustrates better than any other what really lies at
the heart of the conflict, one that illuminates better than any other
the true political issues at stake. It is also the best source for
lessons that must be learned about the use of "self-determination" as an
instrument of military aggression, violence and genocide. That lesson
involves the Sudetenland.
Even a casual perusal of the history of the Czech-German
conflict must cause an uncanny feeling of deja vu. The campaign for
Palestinian "self-determination", now endorsed by nearly everyone in the
world, including the bulk of the Diaspora Jewish community and much of
the Israeli political spectrum, resembles nothing so much as the
nearly-identical campaign, enjoying similar universal approval, for
Sudeten self-determination in the late 1930s. The negotiations over
Palestinian self-determination bear extremely strong resemblance to the
negotiations over the Sudetenland.
Challenges to the moral, legal, or strategic basis for Palestinian
"self-determination" are dismissed with the same automatic dismissal and
indignant self-righteousness as were similar objections in the 1930s to
demands for Sudeten self-determination. In both cases, the Western
democracies insisted that self-determination for the "oppressed"
represented an instant and a sublimely just solution that would end
conflict and produce tranquility.
It was in 1938, in the midst of negotiations over the settlement of
the Sudeten conflict that the President of Czechoslovakia, Dr. Eduard
Bene, warned the West: "Do not believe it (is) a question of
self-determination. From the beginning, it has been a battle for the
existence of the state." Several years later, after Sudeten
self-determination had been granted and Czechoslovakia had ceased to
exist as a country, Bene - then in exile - was to observe that "such a
concept of self-determination is a priori a denial of the right of
self-determination of ten million Czechoslovakians and precludes the
very existence of a Czechoslovakian state."
The world's campaign on behalf of Palestinian "self-determination"
began around 25 years after Jewish self-determination had been realized
in the independence of the State of Israel. The campaign to recognize
and grant Sudeten self-determination came about twenty years after the
creation of modern Czechoslovakia. In both cases, the advocates of
"self-determination" ignored the obvious fact that self-determination
already existed for the vast majority of the members of the peoples in
question in the form of German or Arab nation-states contiguous to the
areas of dispute. In both cases the populations of the targeted
countries were accused by the aggressors of being "outsiders", of not
belonging in the region. The Czechs were Slavs, invaders of the
Germanic Lebensraum, outsiders. Just as the Israelis were infidels and
outsiders invading the Arab Lebensraum. And in both cases, the world
chose to ignore the indications that demands for "self-determination"
were nothing more than a figleaf being used by the demanders in order to
disguise military aggression aimed at destroying the self-determination
of another nation.
The Czechoslovakian state, like Israel, was a country recreated
after centuries, after it had been destroyed and absorbed by others ages
earlier. In the Middle Ages, Bohemia and Moravia had been separate
Czech kingdoms, enjoying varying degrees of independence, generally
within the framework of the Holy Roman Empire. During the Hussite
rebellion of the 15th century, the Czechs regained their full
independence in a Maccabi-like armed struggle of the few against the
many. Their independence was then to be crushed with finality in 1620,
and the Czech lands were absorbed by the Habsburg Empire, while much of
the Czech population was dispersed.
After World War I, after centuries of persecution, the Czechs
re-established their sovereignty, restored their self-determination,
with their Slovakian cousins, in the state of Czechoslovakia, which
recently in the post-Communism era split into the Czech Republic and
Slovakia.
* * * * * * *
Czechoslovakia, like Israel, lies in a strategically central
location. Bismarck once observed that whoever was master of Bohemia was
master of Europe (a lesson not lost upon Eastern Europe's Communist
masters after World War II). Modern Czech nationalism emerged in the
second half of the 19th century, about the same time as modern Zionism.
When the Habsburg Empire collapsed in World War I, Czech nationalism
achieved self-determination, just as Israel's creation was a direct
result of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
During World War I, Czech leaders lobbied in European capitals for
independence at the very same time that Chaim Weizmann and the other
leaders of the Zionist movement were struggling for support and
recognition. Czechs participated in resistance and espionage against
the Axis powers during World War I at the same time that Zionists in
Palestine were operating the NILI espionage group in support of the
British.
The Czechoslovakia that emerged from World War I contained a
diverse and heterogeneous population, like the Habsburg Empire. In
particular, about 23% of the citizens of the state were ethnic Germans
(not far from the portion of Arabs among Israel's population),
concentrated in the Western section known as the Sudetenland. Most of
these Sudeten Germans were violently opposed to being incorporated
within the Czechoslovakian state. On October 21, 1918, German deputies
from all parts of the former Austrian Empire convened and issued a call
for national "self-determination" for the Germans of Czechoslovakia,
using the Wilsonian term that had recently entered the international
lexicon.
In the following year the Sudeten Germans launched a wave of
violent demonstrations and terrorism in opposition to the inclusion of
their lands in the Czech state. Thousands of Sudeten Germans fled from
the new state to the neighboring countries of Germany and Austria.
The new Czechoslovakian government, like the Israeli government of
1948, was faced with a mixed population that included a large minority
with questionable loyalty to the state - one that identified itself
openly with the large populations in neighboring countries, one that was
fundamentally opposed to the very existence of the new state. Both
countries attempted to resolve their problems with the same strategy:
winning over the hostile minority through economic integration,
tolerance, freedom, and liberal social reform. The first President of
Czechoslovakia was Tom=E1s Garrigue Masaryk, who resembled David
Ben-Gurion as a powerful, strong-willed, charismatic and progressive
politician. Masaryk, like Ben-Gurion, proposed a comprehensive program
of social, economic, and linguistic equality for all national groups in
the new state. Indeed, both men saw the integration of their respective
minorities as an ultimate test of their progressive principles.
Both the Czechoslovakia of the 1920s and the Israel of the 1950s
developed quickly into stable parliamentary democracies with protection
for all the freedoms found in modern Western states. In both countries
a large number of political parties contested elections and gained
representation in the parliaments. In both, government coalitions of
parties were formed after a great deal of partisan horse-trading. Like
Israeli Arabs, the Sudeten Germans voted and were elected to parliament.
In both countries, a pattern of decentralization evolved, where the
minority groups were permitted to operate their own schools in their own
languages and control their own local affairs. Both countries
guaranteed religious pluralism and tolerance. German was an official
national language in the German areas of Czechoslovakia, much as Arabic
has always been an official national language in Israel. On the whole,
the Sudeten Germans probably enjoyed better treatment than any other
national minority in Europe, just as Arabs in Israel (even including
those in the "occupied territories") have enjoyed freedom and tolerance
without precedent for a Middle East minority.
Czechoslovakia, like Israel, was ruled by social democrats
committed to social reform and egalitarianism. Both countries passed
legislative programs that were among the most progressive in the world.
In both countries trade union activism and power bloomed. In both
countries widespread experimentation with cooperative agriculture took
place. Both countries quickly surpassed their neighbors in economic
development, education, and standards of living.
Both the Sudeten Germans and the Palestinian Arabs found themselves
at the center of international conflicts and escalating tensions. In
both cases, the conflicts developed following the increased
radicalization of the nationalist movements in neighboring countries,
where power was seized by revolutionary and xenophobic leaders. The
Sudeten conflict was enflamed as a result of the Pan-German ideology and
imperialist ambitions of the Third Reich, just as the Palestinian
conflict was invented by the Pan-Arab and Pan-Islamic movements of the
Middle East.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: The Sudetenization of Palestine--Part II
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
For Sudeten Germans and Palestinian Arabs, peaceful coexistence
gave way to increasing polarization and extremism. German complaints of
discrimination and mistreatment at the hands of Czechs multiplied as
international tensions grew, much as Palestinian protests spread decades
later. In both cases there occurred a shift in voting patterns as
frustration peaked. During the first decade of Czechoslovakian
independence, Sudeten Germans had voted primarily for the more moderate
parties, much as Israeli Arabs at first voted for the Zionist parties.
But in the 1930s Sudeten voters shifted to nationalist parties with
totalitarian ideologies, just like Israeli Arabs. In particular the
Sudeten German support for the Nazi surrogate party called the Sudeten
German Party - or SdP - soared.
The SdP received more than 60 percent of the Czechoslovakian German
vote in 1935 (a higher vote than what the Nazis received in Germany),
and more than 85% in 1938. In a similar pattern, Arab voters in Israel
have transferred their loyalties in large majorities to the anti-Zionist
Hadash Communist Party, which has never renounced Stalinism, and to the
PLO. Totalitarianism is virtually the only existing political sentiment
among Palestinians in the Palestinian Autonomy areas.
Neither the complaints of the Sudeten Germans nor those of the
Palestinian Arabs were entirely without foundation. In both cases, the
minority group was underrepresented in the civil service and armed
forces, partly because of security fears. Both groups experienced some
security-related restrictions, particularly during periods of exterior
threats and tensions.
In both cases, the issue of land ownership was one of extremist
political passion for the minority group. Land owned by Sudeten Germans
was expropriated for defense fortifications, as the Sudeten lands were
alongside Germany whence any future military threats would come. Some
Arab land in Israel and the "occupied territories" was similarly
expropriated. When Czechoslovakia was created, the Germans owned a
disproportionately large portion of the land, just as did Israel's
Arabs. This also meant that when private land was expropriated, it was
more likely to belong to the minority group. Both the Third Reich and
the Arab countries used the land expropriations as a justification for
their military aggression. Both Nazi Germany and the Arab world were to
justify aggression on grounds of rushing to defend the human rights of
their brethren, while at the same time suppressing all human rights
within their own countries.
The growing Sudeten nationalist movement was anti-liberal,
anti-democratic, and authoritarian, just like the Palestinian movement.
The SdP, like the PLO, never outlined a political or social program of
nation-building beyond demanding "self-determination". Both
organizations used violence to suppress other competing nationalist
parties, and each asserted its own position as sole spokesmen for the
peoples in question. The SdP organized Sudeten refugees who had fled to
Germany when Czechoslovakia became independent. These were recruited
into the Sudeten German Heimatbund, a paramilitary organization. Later
this group formed the basis of the Sudeten German Freikorps, a terrorist
organization to which 34,000 Sudetens living in Germany were recruited.
These terrorists raided Czech border areas and carried out atrocities
until after Munich.
The Nazi Party was formally banned in Czechoslovakia. Yet freedom
of the press was scrupulously maintained there, even in the face of
escalating violence and provocations by the Sudeten Germans. The
Sudeten political organizations and press quite openly identified with
the Nazi Party in Germany, much as the Israeli Arab press quite openly
identifies with the PLO and with people such as Saddam Hussein.
After coming to power, Hitler turned the issue of Sudeten national
rights into the main instrument for military aggression. His interest
in "self-determination" was based entirely on his determination to
destroy and annex Czechoslovakia. The Nazi propaganda machine shifted
into high gear, alleging widespread violations of the human rights of
Sudeten Germans by the Czechoslovakian authorities. Nazi funds flowed
into the coffers of the SdP. Germany ominously warned of the existence
of imaginary Soviet airfields in Czechoslovakia, much as the Arabs were
to "discover" imaginary American airfields In Israel in 1967. Germany
labeled Czechoslovakia "a puppet of Soviet imperialism", just as the
Arabs were to label Israel a puppet and instrument of American
imperialism. But the most important part of the Nazi propaganda assault
on Czechoslovakia was the denunciation of the supposed torture and
physical abuse of Sudeten Germans at the hands of Czechoslovakia. This
from the nation that was already building concentration camps.
By the summer of 1937, Hitler was simultaneously pressuring Prague
to make concessions on the Sudeten issue and completing his military
plan for the invasion of Czechoslovakia. The head of the SdP, Konrad
Heinlein, went on a diplomatic offensive, touring the Western capitals
and demanding that Sudeten rights be acknowledged. A Sudeten Arafat,
Heinlein at first attempted to convince the European governments that
his ambitions were limited to autonomy for Sudeten Germans. Yet his
statements became increasingly belligerent. There is no German
equivalent for "jihad", or Heinlein would have used it, like Arafat.
On January 1, 1938, Heinlein said: "The Czechoslovakian people must
recognize that no settlement will ever be reached with our great
neighbor, Germany, until the Sudeten Germans are satisfied." In 1938
the SdP adopted the Carlsbad Eight Points. This manifesto, considerably
more moderate than the still-unrenounced Palestinian National Covenant
of the PLO, essentially called for the partitioning of Czechoslovakia
and the secession of the Sudetenland to Germany. Unlike the PLO
National Covenant, the SdP position seemed to leave open the possibility
of coexistence with a truncated Czechoslovakian state after such a
"redeployment" would take place.
An internal problem involving minority "rights" quickly assumed
international dimensions. Responding to Nazi protests, the Western
powers began pressuring Prague to accede to Sudeten demands. As early
as July 1936, Anthony Eden, the British Foreign Minister, urged
Czechoslovakia to grant the Sudeten Germans full autonomy. Heinlein
visited London a number of times and received official welcomes of a
kind usually reserved for heads of state, much like the near-universal
crowning of Arafat by the world's political leaders decades later.
The Czech historian Radomir Luza contrasted these honors thrust
upon Heinlein with the London reception for Czechoslovakian President
Benes, whom he says was treated "more cavalierly than if he had been the
chief of a tribe in Africa." Had he lived, Luza might have said,
"Almost like a Netanyahu."
Following the Austrian Anschluss, mass support for the SdP among
the Sudeten Germans grew, along with violence and mass demonstrations
against Czechoslovakia. Heinlein escalated the war of rhetoric and
violence in the streets, denouncing the Prague regime as
"Hussite-Bolshevik criminals", which might be compared with Arab
utterances about the "Zionist imperialist criminals". Threats from the
Third Reich assumed a more ominous tone. Reports arrived of German
troop concentrations near the Czechoslovak frontier. Germany daily
denounced the Czechs as "the real disturbers of peace in Europe", at the
same time that the Reich prepared for war.
Responding to Western pressures, the Czechoslovakian leaders agreed
to negotiate with the SdP, and proposed their own program for limited
autonomy. The SdP, under orders from Hitler, rejected the plan
peremptorily. London repeatedly pressured Prague to sweeten the plan
and to agree to a Sudeten plebiscite, even though it was obvious that
such a plebiscite would lead to the partition of Czechoslovakia.
Against the mood of appeasement, a few Western protests were
voiced, but generally ignored. William Srang, head of the Central
European Department of the British Foreign Office, warned: "Even if
there were not a single German in Czechoslovakia, the root problem of
German-Czechoslovakian relations would remain, viz., a Slav state thrust
into the heart of Germany ... The German government ... (is) using the
Sudeten German question as an instrument of policy to strengthen (its)
political and military position." Would that such honesty were to be
heard from the American State Department Arabists in the 1990s.
From the beginning, Czechoslovakia had argued that the issue of
Sudeten "self-determination" was a red herring. The real cause of the
Central European crisis was the aggressive intentions of the Third
Reich. Yet the democracies continued to view the conflict as a question
of minority rights and self-determination. Britain and Germany held
talks and issued a joint statement affirming the rights of the Sudeten
Germans, with no mention at all of the security needs of Czechoslovakia.
Forewarnings of the behavior of the General Assembly of the United
Nations decades later.
In 1938, London demanded and Prague was forced to accept a British
mediator, even though Czechoslovakia had always maintained that the
Sudeten problem was an internal affair and no business of the world
community. London appointed Lord Runciman, who was himself renowned for
his strong sympathies for the Germans. In his report to British Prime
Minister Neville Chamberlain, Runciman recommended that all agitation
against the Nazis be forbidden inside Czechoslovakia, somewhat reminiscent
of the McCarthyist campaign of the Israeli Left decades later against
anti-Oslo dissidents for "criminal incitement and sedition". Runciman
added: "Czechoslovakian rule in the Sudeten areas for the last twenty
years, though not actively oppressive, ... has been marked by
tactlessness, lack of understanding, petty intolerance, and
discrimination, to a point where the resentment of the German population
was inevitably moving in the direction of revolt." Change the names,
and you have the near-universal "explanation" for the intifada.
During the negotiations, Czechoslovakia was forced to accede to
demand after demand by the Germans. Under Western pressure, Prague
agreed that the Carlsbad Eight Points would form the basis for
negotiations. After each unilateral concession by Prague, new demands
were raised by the SdP, which was under orders from Berlin not to reach
any real agreement. German strategy called for the negotiations to
fail, so that the Reich would be forced to intervene militarily.
Heinlein was instructed that in the unlikely event of complete
capitulation by Prague to the Carlsbad program, new demands were to be
added that in effect infringed upon the ability of Czechoslovakia to
formulate its own foreign policy, and so accede to compromising its own
sovereignty. Years later, the Arab world would condition any settlement
with Israel on its agreeing to cancel its Law of Return and relinquish
its sovereignty over immigration policy, in addition to other
concessions.
As tensions mounted along the borders, Czechoslovakia went on
military alert. Like the Israel Defense Forces, the Czechoslovakian
military was largely based on a system of emergency reserve
mobilization. As the reserves were called up, Western pressure was
exerted on Prague to demobilize, so as not to provoke Berlin. Prague
persisted, and was denounced for war-mongering by some in the West.
Most of the ethnic-German reservists failed to report. During the
mobilization, two German citizens were killed by Czechoslovakian guards,
and Hitler roared against the Czech aggressors.
Eventually, Czechoslovakia agreed to a settlement that was
essentially a complete capitulation to the Carlsbad program. On
September 13, 1938, before the SdP could formally respond, an intifada
revolt broke out in the Sudetenland. Organized by the SdP, the rioters
attacked Jews, Czechs, and democrats, and fired on many Czechoslovakian
policemen. The Czechoslovakian army restored order and established
martial law, as the SdP leadership fled to Germany. Pressure increased
on Czechoslovakia and the Sudeten Germans sensed victory. On September
19, Britain and France proposed to transfer to Germany all parts of
Czechoslovakia in which the population was more than half German. In
exchange, they offered Czechoslovakia an international guarantee for its
new boundaries after partition. In fact no such formal guarantee was
ever received. Earlier of course the same Western powers had pledged to
defend Czechoslovakia sovereignty over its entire territory.
* * * * * * * *
On September 29, 1938, the leaders of Europe met in Munich and
sealed the fate of Czechoslovakia. There were no Czechoslovakian
representatives present. On October 1, the German Wehrmacht entered the
Sudetenland. Parts of Czechoslovakia were also awarded to Poland and
Hungary. Most of the Czechoslovakian fortifications were located in the
Czech "West Bank" that was ceded to Hitler.
The Germans immediately instituted their program of
Gleichschaltung, suppressing the Czech and Slovak languages,
confiscating Czechoslovakian property, and forcing Czechoslovakians -
three quarters of a million of whom had remained in the territories
ceded - to emigrate at bayonet point. At the same time, German
propaganda continued to clamor about the denial of national and human
rights to the Germans who still remained within the territory of the
rump Czechoslovakian state. Germany demanded recognition of their
rights to self-determination as well, much as the Arabs have always made
it clear that Palestinian statehood would not preclude the necessity of
granting self-determination to the Arabs living within Israel proper,
within the Green Line.
On March 12, 1939, there were German demonstrations in all the
remaining Czechoslovakian cities with a German population. On March 15,
the German army completed the destruction of Czechoslovakia, and the
Sudeten people were at last liberated and granted their national rights
and self-determination. Not a single country lifted a finger.
The Czech historian Luza has observed: "The Sudeten German problem
was not a cause of the context but its pretext. The true reason,
according to the Germans themselves, was a refusal of the
Czechoslovakian state to become a German vassal (emphasis in original)."
Hitler confirmed this on January 23, 1942, when he said, "To put it
briefly, the Czechoslovakians are a foreign body in the midst of the
German community. There is no room both for them and for us. One of us
must give way."
When the Arab world discovered the sudden need for the
Palestinians to achieve "self-determination" after 1967, it also made it
clear that achieving such "self-determination" in the West Bank and in
Gaza would be a precondition for reaching a settlement with Israel,
rather than a complete achievement thereof. The PLO has made it clear
that it sticks to this position, as does most of the Arab world, with
Egypt and Jordan maintaining some ambiguity. Just as Germany continued
to demand further concessions from Prague for the Czech Germans
remaining behind in the rump partitioned Czechoslovakia after Munich, so
once a Palestinian state arises in the West Bank and Gaza, the PLO and
the Arab world will inevitably discover the plight of the oppressed and
mistreated Arabs remaining in the rump Israel behind the Green Line.
Demands will arise for self-determination for the Arabs of the Galilee,
the Negev, the Triangle, and then those in Ramla, Haifa, and Jaffa. No
doubt a Galilee Liberation Organization would be the lead item on the
agenda.
Arab aggression towards Israel has never had the slightest
connection with any Arab concern over the rights and treatment of
Palestinians, as their own treatment of their own Arabs makes clear.
The Arab world's behavior towards the non-Arab minorities living amongst
them is among the worst in the world. The Arab assault on Israel is
based on nothing other than their determination to drive Israel out of
their Lebensraum.
* * * * * * *
There are of course important differences between the campaign for
Palestinian self-determination and that for Sudeten self-determination
in the 1930s. Unlike Nazi Germany, most Arab countries and the PLO have
never pretended that the relinquishing of territories by Israel would
satisfy their demands. The Western democracies have never signed mutual
defense treaties with Israel, as they had with Czechoslovakia. Unlike
Israel, the liberated Czechoslovakia at the end of World War II
immediately expelled virtually all of the Sudeten Germans from its
territory, and has refused ever since to even think about negotiations
for their return or their compensation, a "transfer" of population the
rest of the world has long forgotten.
But the most important difference is that Czechoslovakia was unable
to defend itself militarily in 1938, to counter-attack and drive back
the Nazi military.
It would be a fascinating thought experiment to imagine what would
have happened if the valiant Czechoslovakians had beaten back the
Wehrmacht and seized Bavaria as a bargaining piece. Would history have
recreated the Middle East conflict, with the leaders of the world
denouncing Czech militarism and aggression, rushing to arm the Nazi
victims of Czech imperialism? With protests around the world about the
mistreatment of Sudetens and Bavarians by fanatic Czechs? With Heinlein
granted a Nobel Prize? With Czech leftists and assimilated Diaspora
Czechs in America denouncing the evil government in Prague consisting of
people who put land ahead of peace?
And all would agree that self-determination for the Sudetens is the
key to peace in the world.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: 6/8/98 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
9:00 PM Eastern
PBS - PEOPLE'S CENTURY - "Lost Peace" - Despite
pacifist efforts after World War I, prejudice and militarism
escalate in the form of fascism.(CC)(TVPG)
HIST - ROCKETS! - "First Steps to the Stars" - Evolution of
rockets; rockets in ancient China; Wernher von Braun; Robert
Goddard.(CC)(TVG)
10:00 PM
DISC - TREASURES OF THE EARTH - "Diamonds" - Emerging from
coal, the diamond both decorates and aids
humans.(CC)(TVG)
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Jewish Settlers Take Over Houses in East Jerusalem
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Jewish settlers take over houses in East Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (June 8, 1998 02:08 a.m. EDT ) - Jewish settlers took over a
number of homes in Arab East Jerusalem overnight and at least one
Palestinian was hurt in clashes at the site, Israeli police and Israel
Radio said on Monday.
Israeli news reports identified the injured man as Faisal Husseini, the
Palestinian official responsible for Jerusalem affairs.
They said Husseini was hit by a stone and slightly injured during
demonstrations outside the houses in the Silwan neighborhood of East
Jerusalem. The reports said up to four houses had been occupied by the settlers.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said members of the
right-wing Elad group owned the homes.
"They own the houses and this is an absolutely legal transaction," said
David Bar-Illan, an adviser to Netanyahu.
Asked whether the Jews would be removed, Bar-Illan said: "No."
Elad said it had bought the properties nearly 10 years ago.
"There were legal discussions for many years ... and a few months ago the
courts decided in our favor," Elad member Yehuda Amali told Israel Radio.
Israeli peace activists at the site said the settlers had moved in at 3 a.m.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East War and later
annexed it. It regards all of Jerusalem as its "united and eternal" capital
and says Jews have a right to live anywhere in the city.
Palestinians regard East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.
(Reuters)
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Grasshoppers/Fish Kills/Star Cluster
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
*** Grasshoppers swarm into Madagascar capital
A flying column of grasshoppers at least seven miles long swarmed
into Antananarivo, the capital of the Indian Ocean island of
Madagascar, Monday in the largest invasion of the flying insects in
50 years, witnesses said. The government set up a crisis unit to deal
with the onslaught, while farmers in the Antananarivo plain struggled
to protect rice and other crops. Authorities advised residents not to
set fire to the bush but to find places where the insects slept so
they could be targeted with insecticide sprayed from the air.
Agriculture on Madagascar, the world's fourth largest island, is
frequently hit by hurricanes and other natural disasters. (Reuters)
*** Warm weather causes numerous fish kills in Fla.
A record-breaking heat wave blamed for brushfires that consumed
dozens of houses in central Florida also caused fish kills in lakes
all over the state, the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission
said Monday. The majority of cases involve small ponds in residential
areas and lakes near farmland, a biologist said. The biologists said
the unusual heat - temperatures have been above 100 degrees in much
of the state - and lower than usual rainfall have concentrated
pollutants in lakes and ponds, increasing fish deaths. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554533872-3eb
*** Astronomers discover mysterious star cluster
Astronomers on Monday announced the discovery of a mysterious cluster
of newly-formed stars, far closer to Earth than expected and
accompanied by a giant "brown dwarf" planet. The astronomers, from
the University of California at Los Angeles, said they were still
trying to understand how the cluster was formed and why it had not
been discovered sooner. "It is remarkable that it took so many years
to find the nearest cluster of young stars to the Earth," said
Benjamin Zuckerman, a professor of physics and astronomy. "You would
think the nearest ones would be much easier to find than distant
clusters, but in this case it is not so." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2554531829-7ae
http://www.info.beat
June 8, 1998
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: 6/9/98 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
8:00 PM Eastern
PBS - NOVA - "Treasures of the Sunken City" - After
earthquakes, much of Egypt's ancient city of Alexandria sinks
into the sea.(CC)(TVG)
HIST - IN SEARCH OF HISTORY - "Secrets of the Rosetta
Stone" - In 1822 a young French scholar deciphers the Rosetta
Stone.(CC)(TVG)
9:00 PM
PBS - FRONTLINE - "Once Upon a Time in Arkansas" - The
personal finances of Bill and Hillary
Clinton.(CC)
HIST - ROCKETS! - "The Vengeance Weapon" - Nazi Germany
develops the first operational ballistic
missile.(CC)(TVG)
10:00 PM
DISC - TREASURES OF THE EARTH - "Amber and Pearls" - The
opaque gems of amber and pearl have unique
origins.(CC)(TVG)
TLC - BLAST MASTERS: THE SCIENCE OF EXPLOSION - "Anatomy of
an Explosion" - Natural sources of explosive power; nuclear
detonation; a supernova; devastating shock waves;
fireworks.(CC)(TVPG)
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: "The Mark of the Antichrist"
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Seeks reprieve from national ID
May 28, 1998
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) -- The Ukrainian branch of the Russian Orthodox Church
has denounced a new national ID system as "the mark of the Antichrist."
The system introduced last fall is similar to U.S. Social Security numbers
and has become more widespread in recent weeks.
The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine appealed to
President Leonid Kuchma, the government and parliament to change it.
According to the appeal, many Orthodox Christians regard the system "as the
fulfillment of the apocalyptic prophecy about the mark of the Antichrist and
regard the identification numbers as ... `the number of the beast'."
The Bible's Book of Revelation cites 666 as the number of the Antichrist,
but some Christians believe it could be any identifying number required to
transact business.
Ukrainian banks now require the numbers before paying out wages, pensions
and other benefits. The synod has asked for an alternate ID system for
believers and to allow them to refuse a number that contains three or more
sixes.
As church leaders met, two dozen believers, mostly elderly women, chanted
songs and held signs that read: "Allow us to receive our wages and pensions
without betraying our faith."
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: "Apocalyptic Flood"
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Jamaicans retreat from 'apocalyptic flood'
May 28, 1998
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) -- Several members of a Pentecostal congregation have
sought refuge in their church from what they say is an apocalyptic flood
that will destroy Jamaica.
The members of the Angels of God Sabbath Church, 10 adults and 14 children,
have been living in the church since Easter and say they will stay there
indefinitely. Their pastor, the Rev. Wesley Knott, claims God plans to
punish Jamaicans for their sins and that only the church building will survive.
"We will remain here because we were told to stay here, just like (God) told
Noah to build an ark," Knott says. In the Bible, Noah and his family survive
a worldwide flood by building a huge seagoing vessel.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Christ's "Return" to Jerusalem
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Millennialist Christians await Christ's "return" to
Jerusalem
Copyright 1998 by Agence France-Presse
Sat, 30 May 1998 8:32:20 PDT
JERUSALEM, May 30 (AFP) - Christian millennialists who want a ringside seat
for what they predict will be Jesus Christ's return to Jerusalem on January
1, 2000, need only contact Brother David, who is already finding
accommodation for them here.
The bearded, 58-year-old American is renting apartments from Palestinians on
the Mount of Olives in Israeli-occupied east Jerualem so there will be
enough places to stay for the flocks of faithful he says will gather in the
holy city for Jesus's re-appearence.
"Four years ago, God told me to prepare and rent houses to pilgrims," said
David, a member of an American millennialist sect who has lived in Israel
for nearly 20 years.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Doomsday Clock to Reset
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 07:59:12 -0500
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will reset its Doomsday Clock
this morning (Thursday) at a press conference in Chicago. (10:30 CST, I
believe). This is a clock that symbolizes the world's possible impending
nuclear doom.
To see how many minutes before midnight it is, check out their web site at:
http://www.bullatomsci.org/clock.html
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Rev 12:14: Care and Protection of God
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 09:56:21 -0500
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
These notes on my study of Rev 12:14 are more of a personal nature than
previous notes that have been sent through the list. I debated on whether
to send them or not as they don't necessarily deal with prophecy per se.
But while reading and re-reading verse 14 over and over again, I began to
focus upon the care and protection that the 'woman' will receive while in
the wilderness. I was then reminded that as a child of God, I have received
that same loving care and protection when fleeing to or hiding in my own
wildernesses.
The Care and Protection of God
(Rev 12:14 KJV) "And to the woman were given two wings of a great
eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is
nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the
serpent."
The Wings of a Great Eagle
(Exo 19:4 KJV) "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I
bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself."
(Deu 32:9-12 KJV) "For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot
of his inheritance. {10} He found him in a desert land, and in the waste
howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the
apple of his eye. {11} As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her
young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her
wings: {12} So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange
god with him."
(Isa 40:31 KJV) "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not
be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
"And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle..."
The term "eagle" in the KJV refers to several types of birds of prey that are
active at daytime rather than night.
The largest flying bird in Palestine is the eagle. Its wingspan may reach 8
feet or more. It is swift, strong, soars high, nests in inaccessible rocks, and
can sight its prey from great distances. The eagle has been noted for its
parenting qualities in that while destructive with their enemies they are
quite tender with their young.
"It is said that the eagle sheds his feathers in the beginning of spring, and
with fresh plumage assumes the appearance of youth" (cf Psa 103:5;
Isa 40:31). It is thus believed that this molting process renews the eagle's
strength.
"An interesting illustration is thus recorded by Sir Humphry Davy: 'I once
saw a very interesting sight above the crags of Ben Nevis. Two parent
eagles were teaching their offspring, two young birds, the maneuvers of
flight. They began by rising from the top of the mountain in the eye of the
sun. It was about mid-day, and bright for the climate. They at first made
small circles, and the young birds imitated them. They paused on their
wings, waiting till they had made their flight, and then took a second and
larger gyration, always rising toward the sun, and enlarging their circle of
flight so as to make a gradually ascending spiral. The young ones still and
slowly followed, apparently flying better as they mounted; and they
continued this sublime exercise, always rising till they became mere points
in the air, and the young ones were lost, and afterwards their parents, to
our aching sight.'" (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
An eagle is a "foe to serpents."
In the ancient world, the eagle was often associated with diety.
The tribe of Dan (northern leader in arrangement around the tabernacle)
used an eagle for its standard or banner.
Other References: Holman Bible Dictionary; The New Unger's Bible
Dictionary; Wilmington's Guide to the Bible
-------------
The Wilderness
"... into the wilderness, into her place..."
"The words for wilderness in the Old Testament come close to our word
desert, because they usually mean a rocky, dry wasteland. Desert in the
lands of the Bible is usually rocks instead of sand dunes. These have been
called 'tame' deserts, because they have infrequent rainfall and wells or
oases enough to accommodate some nomadic or seminomadic human
occupancy. It was the land that neighbored inhabited land to which
shepherds could drive their sheep and goats for pasture." (Easton's Bible
Dictionary)
(Psa 100:3 KJV) "Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath
made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his
pasture."
(John 10:14 KJV) "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am
known of mine."
[We all have our wildernesses we go through -- those rough, barren, lonely
places in our lives. Perhaps its a wilderness of sin, or a wilderness of
temptation. Or it could be a wilderness of sorrow, of pain, of hopelessness,
or of fear. Perhaps it's just a journey that we are being lead through on the
way to another pasture, another phase in our relationship with God -- a
wilderness of instruction, of learning to depend on Him. Whatever the
situation, wherever the place, I believe that if you are a child of God, then
there are reasons for such wildernesses.
Sometimes we think that we are alone, that no one cares or even
understands what we are going through. But Jesus is quite familiar with the
wildernesses in our lives. He had His own wilderness to go through both
literally and figuratively while on earth for it was in the desert that He was
tempted of Satan. The Jews believed that evil spirits dwelt in the
wilderness, so it is fitting that such a place was chosen.]
---------------
Nourished
"...where she is nourished ..."
The word "nourished" is from the Greek "trepho," which means
"to bring up, feed," or "nourish." It implies pampering, or fattening, i.e. to
cherish with food, etc. The idea is certainly one of being provided for. But
it also conveys so much more in light of the whole verse.
(Luke 12:24 KJV) "Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap;
which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth [trepho] them:
how much more are ye better than the fowls?"
'nuff said...
References: Strong's Dictionary
-----------
[The 'woman' will flee into the wilderness -- into her place, her own
wilderness, prepared by God. But she's not going alone. She will have the
protection that an eagle mother would give her young when first teaching
them to fly. There she will find nourishment, strength, and instruction.]
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Interesting Quote
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 12:05:23 -0500
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Are you familiar with the fires in Mexico, the smoke drifting into the southern
parts of the U.S with alerts being issued in Texas, etc. etc. etc? Well....
here's an interesting quote (with a poetic flare to it) from the Drudge Report:
"One DRUDGE REPORT reader in Mexico recently e-mailed a personal
description of the tragedy: 'I sniff the air like a tired old hound dog... You
can smell it, taste it. The breeze feels like it's forced out of a blast
furnace. It reeks of sulfur. Some are calling it the 'stinking wind' ... a
gust of dark ill omen.' "
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Mail Woes
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1998 11:57:10 -0500
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Hi everyone...
Apparently we are having a problem with outgoing mail. Some users are
reporting that they have not received any messages for a day or so.
I have therefore resent mail that I believe may have been missed
(should only be four messages though, I think... I hope).
Sorry if some of these are duplicates to some of you.
Thanks!
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: "Road to Armageddon is Paved"
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY SAYS ROAD TO ARMAGEDDON IS PAVED
CNN News - June 9, 1998
According to CNN's Headline News, U.S. Secretary of
Defense said recently on the CBS television program
"Face the Nation" May 31st: "This, there should be
no mistake about it, is very serious[the new nuclear
status of India and Pakistan]. The road to Armageddon
is paved by those who are indulging in nationalistic
chest pounding and have indicated before with nuclear
weapons. And I think everyone should take this very
seriously. The world should look at this very seriously.
You have two countries who have been antagonistic toward
each other and have fought wars against each other, who
now are running up the ladder to nuclear weapons. And I
think it's a very dangerous situation..." Meanwhile, new
reports say that the border confrontations between Pakistan
and India over Kashmir continue with sporatic fighting.
PROPHEZINE NEWS BITES
TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 1998
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: 6/10/98 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
9:00 PM Eastern
CBS - PUBLIC EYE WITH BRYANT GUMBEL - King Hussein
and Queen Noor of Jordan celebrate their 20th
anniversary.(CC)
10:00 PM
DISC - TREASURES OF THE EARTH - "Gold" - Throughout history,
gold has been a coveted material.(CC)(TVG)
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Rev 12:15 Flood
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
(Rev 12:15 KJV) "And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood
after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
"The Bible declares that God separated the waters below from the waters that
were above (in the heavens): 'And God said, Let there be a firmament in the
midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God
made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament
from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so' (Gen 1:6,7).
This biblical statement declares that God created a large amount of water
which He placed in the heavens or outer space. Does any evidence exist to
prove the accuracy of this statement from the Bible? The existence of water
in space seemed improbable, to say the least, to scientists until quite
recently. However, further astronomical discoveries have proven conclusively
that massive amounts of water do exist in space, just as the Bible claimed.
Naturally, because of extreme temperatures, the waters in space are frozen
into permanent ice. Recently our satellites discovered large quantities of
ice in the ice caps of Mars as well as in the rings of Saturn. In addition,
we now know that the huge comets that travel through our solar system are
composed of massive amounts of ice.
"A massive block of ice from space collided with the earth at the beginning
of this century at a point in northern Russia: 'In the morning of 30 June
1908, a fantastic explosion occurred in central Siberia...Witnesses
described an enormous meteoric bolide visible in the sky for a few seconds.
Other witnesses from a distance of 60 kilometers (36 miles) from the point
of impact were knocked over...Seismic shocks were registered over the whole
world...this event was due to the collision with the earth of a block of ice
weighing 30,000 tons which...released energy equivalent to that of a
thermonuclear bomb of 12 megatons.' (J. Audouzze, The Cambridge Atlas of
Astronomy, [Cambridge: At the University Press, 1985], p. 219). Researchers
found that this Siberian explosion was caused by a small fragment of the
comet Encke that broke away during its passage through our solar system. The
latest scientific research has revealed that massive amounts of ice also
exist at the outer edge of our solar system. The Ort Cloud at the edge of
our solar system is a vast region of space that is estimated to hold as many
as a trillion large comets composed of ice and rock. Each large comet is
calculated to contain as much as one trillion tons of ice. The vast amount
of water in our oceans is less than a fraction of the quantities of water
that exist in the 'firmament above' in the heavens as reported in the Book
of Genesis. A passage in Job also refers to the ice and frost in the
heavens: 'Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew? Out
of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered
it? The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of
Orion?' (Job 38:28-31)."
The Signature of God, Grant Jeffrey
====================
NASA's Polar Spacecraft Confirms ...
Small Comets are Pelting Earth
A series of spectacular images produced by state-of-the-art cameras on
NASA's Polar spacecraft have confirmed that Earth is being pelted by
thousands of small comets each day. These never-before-seen images establish
the physical reality of the house-sized "snowballs" that weigh tens of tons,
break up as they approach Earth, and deposit large clouds of water vapor in
the upper atmosphere.
These Earthbound comets, however, represent no threat to either people on
the ground or in orbit as these objects disintegrate far above the Earth's
atmosphere. "In fact," says Louis A. Frank, the University of Iowa space
physicist who first proposed the existence of these small comets more than a
decade ago, "this relatively gentle cosmic rain and its possible simple
organic compounds may well have nurtured the development of life on our
planet."
"The Polar results definitively demonstrate that there are objects entering
Earth's upper atmosphere that contain a lot of water," says University of
Michigan professor Thomas Donahue, one of the world's leading authorities on
atmospheric science.
"Images like this show that we have a large population of objects in Earth's
vicinity that have not been detected before," notes Frank.
http://smallcomets.physics.uiowa.edu/www/may28-1.html
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: More History of the Dragon and Its Association with Water
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
The parting of the Red Sea by God is symbolized as a "defeat of the
primeval serpent Leviathan or Lotan."
(Psa 74:13-14) "Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest
the heads of the dragons in the waters. {14} Thou brakest the heads of
leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the
wilderness."
Leviathan represents the sea monster that in turn is symbolic of evil
in the Old Testament (cf Psa 104:26; Job 41:1; Isa. 27:1).
"However, leviathan may be purely a mythical concept adapted to biblical
usage (as dragon used to prefigure Satan). Since the discovery of the Ras
Shamra religious texts in Syria on the site of ancient Ugarit, it has become
evident that there is a parallel between the seven-headed Canaanite
monster Lotan of prevailing mythology, 1700-1400 B.C., and the biblical
leviathan." Thus, in Isaiah 27:1 for example, the writer uses this
mythological idea in a poetic sense to symbolize God's victory over evil.
(The New Unger's Bible Dictionary, p 73).
Other References: IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament;
Believer's Study Bible
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Dragon/Flood
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and
Satan...And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the
woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.--Rev 12:9,15
====================
Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he
hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath
filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out.--Jer 51:34
Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh
king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which
hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.--Eze 29:3
----------
So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from
the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit
of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall
come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the
LORD.--Isa 59:19,20
Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble,
and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates. Who is this that cometh up
as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers? Egypt riseth up like a
flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up,
and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants
thereof.--Jer 46:6-8
The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the
Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza. Thus saith the LORD; Behold,
waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and
shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that
dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land
shall howl.--Jer 47:1,2
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for
himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city
and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the
end of the war desolations are determined.--Dan 9:26
They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage,
until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and
destroyed them all.--Luke 17:27
====================
"It is a cloudless September summer night, and the moon casts its shining
image on the banks of the gentle Euphrates River. Thousands of guests and
dignitaries walk by torch light to Babylon's Procession Street and enter the
city from the north. Instructed to line the streets along the massive walls,
the guests obediently follow orders. When the audience is in place, the
dark-eyed man in charge nods, and the procession begins.
"Rows and rows of soldiers parade in, dressed in Babylonian tunics and
carrying swords, spears, and shields. Interspersed among the ranks of
soldiers are groups of musicians playing harps, horns, and drums. Clusters
of children carry palm branches, and runners bear bowls of incense. Then
come soldiers and still more soldiers in a seemingly endless line of men and
weapons. After the procession, the guests attend a ceremony paying tribute
to Ishtar, the mother goddess of Babylon.
"Have I just described a scene of pagan worship from the time of Daniel?
Perhaps, but it is also exactly what I witnessed when I returned to Babylon
in 1988 for the second International Babylon Festival held under the
patronage of Saddam Hussein."
----------
"As recently as fifteen years ago, all that existed on the site of ancient
Babylon were dusty ruins, or ruins of ruins...But as of February 1990, over
sixty million bricks had been laid in the reconstruction of Nebuchadnezzar's
fabled city. Saddam Hussein has ignored the objections of archaeologists who
consider it a crime to build over ancient ruins...On the exact site of
ancient Babylon, he has reconstructed the Southern Palace of Nebuchadnezzar,
including the Procession Street, a Greek theater, many temples, what was
once Nebuchadnezzar's throne room, and a half-scale model of the Ishtar
Gate." [The Ishtar Gate was decorated with blue-enameled reliefs of bulls
and dragons.]
-----------
Hussein wants to "reestablish Iraq as the cradle of civilization and the
Iraqi people as heirs to the great culture of Babylon, Nineveh, and Ur..."
He has given a blank check to the project of reconstructing Babylon.
----------
Whenever a new ruler arose, he would rebuild all the great cities and Saddam
thinks he is the successor of Nebuchadnezzar. "The festival's official seal
featured the two men's portraits side by side, stressing their physical
similarities. The festival's official theme was 'From Nabukhadnezzar to
Saddam Hussein, Babylon undergoes a renaissance.'" All this talk of
Nebuchadnezzar makes the Arab world antsy, though, because Nebuchadnezzar's
kingdom included Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as
well. Something else to keep in mind is that one of the high points of
Nebuchadnezzar's reign was that he conquered Jerusalem and one of the murals
on the walls of the Museum in the rebuilt Babylon shows a picture of Saddam
leading his army against a "walled city in a mountainous region surrounded
by a prominent valley--clearly Jerusalem."
Material in quotes from:
The Rise of Babylon
Charles H. Dyer, 1991
====================
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: "Book of Life" technology
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
The shape of life: How does the computer "know" when it sees it?
Artificial Intelligence employed in searching for extraterrestrial organisms
and designing new pharmaceuticals
June 11, 1998: Looks may not be everything, but they may indicate whether
something was alive - here, or on Mars. To find out if looks and shape can
be a signature of life, Dr. David Noever at NASA's Marshall Space Flight
Center plans to conduct what may be one of the world's largest computations.
Noever is developing "Book of Life" technology to identify and classify the
tiniest life forms found on Earth and in samples from Mars. The project
recently started under a grant from NASA's Advanced Concepts Office in
Washington.
http://science.msfc.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast11jun98_1.htm
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Oregon Priorities
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Study Subject: Revelation 12
---------------------------------------------------------------
From: research-bpr <research-bpr@philologos.org>
* In March, the Oregon Lottery Commission awarded a $124,000
contract to a company to advise it on how best to restore its
gambling games to operating status in case of a catastrophic
earthquake or asteroid collision, with a goal of having video poker
back up within two hours of a disaster. Several critics suggested
there might be more pressing problems after an earthquake, but the
Commission pointed out that gambling generates $1 million a day
for the state.
WEIRDNUZ.533 (News of the Weird, April 24, 1998)
by Chuck Shepherd
http://www.nine.org/notw/notw.html
Please be advised that this domain (Philologos.org) does not endorse 100 per cent any link contained herein. This forum is for the dissemination of pertinent information on an end-times biblical theme which includes many disturbing, unethical, immoral, etc. topics and should be viewed with a mature, discerning eye.