boblandis

Terrorists kill 21 Israelis in a day of bloodshed Margot Dudkevitch (Mar 04, 2002) JERUSALEM - A devastated and bereft nation buried its dead yesterday, after 21 people were killed in four terrorist attacks in less than 24 hours in Jerusalem, the Judean Desert, near Ofra in Samaria, and at the Kissufim crossing in the Gaza Strip. * At 7:13 p.m. on Saturday, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Yisrael, killing nine people - including women, children, and babies - and wounding scores. * Close to 8 p.m. Saturday, the body of Jerusalem police detective Ch.-Supt. Moshe Dayan, 46, from Ma'aleh Adumim, was discovered near the Mar Saba Monastery in the Judean Desert. He was shot a number of times as he rode his motorcycle in the desert. * At 6:30 a.m. yesterday, a Palestinian sniper perched on a hilltop overlooking an army roadblock in the Halamiya Valley north of Ofra, shot and killed 10 soldiers and civilians, and wounded four others. * At 7:30 a.m. yesterday, a Palestinian gunman set up an ambush near a guard post south of the Kissufim crossing in the Gaza Strip and waited for Givati Brigade soldiers to arrive and take up their posts. As the soldiers stepped out of their jeep, the gunman opened fire, killing one and wounding four other, one moderately. The identities of the seven soldiers and three civilians killed in yesterday's attacks in the West Bank are: Capt. Ariel Hovav, 25, of Eli, who was buried in Elkana yesterday evening; Sgt.-Maj. Raphael Levy, 42, of Rishon Lezion, who was buried yesterday evening in the military section of the Ramle Cemetery; Sgt.-Maj. Avraham Ezra, 38, of Kiryat Bialik, who will be buried this afternoon at 3:30 in the Haifa Military Cemetery; Sgt.-Maj. Yohai Porat, 26, of Kfar Saba, who will be buried at 4 this afternoon in the town's military cemetery; Lt. David Damelin, 28, of Kibbutz Meitzar, who will be buried at 3 this afternoon in the military cemetery at Kiryat Shaul; Sgt.-Maj. Kfir Weiss , 24, of Beit Shemesh, who will be buried at 1 p.m. today in the military section of the Beit Shemesh Cemetery; and Sgt.-Maj. Eran Gaz, 24, of Rishon Lezion, who will be buried at 3:45 this afternoon in the military section of the local cemetery. The three civilians were identified as Sergei Butarov, 33, and Vadim Galigulah, 32, both of Ariel, and Didi Yitzhak, 66, of Eli. Details of their funerals have not yet been released. The dead soldier in the shooting attack south of the Kissufim crossing was identified as Sgt. Steven Kenigsberg, 19 of Hod Hasharon. He is to be buried tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the military section of the local cemetery. The wounded were taken to Hadassah-University Hospital in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem and Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem. Two of the victims remain in serious condition, one in satisfactory condition, and another suffered light wounds. Fatah's Al-Aksa Martyrs' Brigade claimed responsibility for the attack at the Halamiya roadblock. The PA did not condemn the attack, and Marwan Barghouti, Fatah head in the West Bank, called it heroic. Initial IDF findings indicated only one Palestinian sniper perpetrated the attack. Only after his carbine was damaged by the soldiers' fire did he flee the area unharmed, heading toward the village of Sinjil in Palestinian Authority-controlled territory. According to Palestinian sources, three terrorists participated in the attack. Throughout the day, Palestinians jeered that a sniper armed with a carbine dating back to World War II succeeded in shooting "occupation" soldiers armed with M-16 assault rifles. According to the IDF, the soldiers manning the roadblock were all reservists from the Engineering Corps. They had difficulty at first spotting the sniper due to the hilly terrain on both sides of the road. Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz and OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Yitzhak Eitan arrived at the scene and were briefed by officers. Some of the soldiers who were unharmed demanded measures be taken to give them more security. They said they felt like sitting ducks. In recent weeks in the Ramallah area, 14 soldiers and three civilians have been killed in attacks at army roadblocks. The IDF is reassessing the situation, and several roadblocks have been dismantled. Yesterday morning, five soldiers from the Givati Brigade drove in a jeep to begin guard duty at a position on the Gaza Strip border fence south of the Kissufim crossing. When they got out of their vehicle, a gunman opened fire. Kenigsberg was killed and four of his comrades wounded, one moderately. They were taken to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. Southern Command has launched an investigation, and officers will try to determine why none of the soldiers managed to shoot the terrorist before he fled. Elsewhere in the Gaza Strip, shots were fired last night at soldiers near the Gush Katif border fence, at an IDF post near Ganei Tal, at soldiers near the Gush Katif junction, and at an IDF post near Rafah. In the early evening, Palestinians fired one mortar shell at a community in northern Gaza. Soldiers defused a bomb near Rafah. In the West Bank, shots were fired at the Tel Rumeida quarter in Hebron, at an IDF post south of Balata, at a vehicle on the Trans-Judea highway, and at an IDF post south of Halhoul. A bomb was detonated near an IDF jeep northwest of Hebron.

Yep.

I do believe that a regional war is eminent. Whether superpower influence is induced I wouldn't want to speculate. I do belive also that this just might end up as a world war do to escalating tempers everywhere.

Peoples concern about the endtimes is at an all time high as it should be seeing the condition of the world today and endtime prophecies being fulfilled on a daily basis. This has caused many people to cash in on the interests of Christians. It seems that Christianity is being played from every direction. You have the entime stuff comming out of the woodwork. Jabez this and Jabez that. Chicken soup for everyone and everything. Soon there will be one of those chicken soup for dummies books. This new Bible version and that one. People are making billions. That is why I would caution people on what they buy. There is more and more garbage being produced and having a Christian label put on it when it isn't even Christian at all.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knoledge: but fools despise wisdom and knowledge." Proverbs 1:7 "[When] pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly [is] wisdom." Proverbs 11:2. "A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised." Provers 12:8.

This is a good article. It shows people that many people have taken their eye off of Christ and onto the doctrine of comprimise. This is what satan has waited for. The ecumenical movement. More than ever now, Christians have to keep their minds like Christ. I say this for two big reasons. One the deception is going to get worse at a alarming speed and you need not be deceived. Second there are lost souls needing to be rescued. We can not accomplish this without a Christ-like mind.

I don't think our wee little mind could even comprehend what a wonderous place heaven is going to be like.

We comprimise eveytime that we don't pray over large financial matters and leave the decision to ourselves. We are accountible for our tithes. We are also accountable not to squander our money on sinful things (gambling, pornography, alcohol, drugs, idols, and other worldly things etc.). Compared to the majority of the world, most people have much nicer things than I. I am just thankful to God for what I have. If someday He wants me to have nicer things, He will provide a way to get them for me. I will not lose a second sleep because I do not have the wealth of others.

Events in my life and answers to prayers are my personal reasons.

Feburary, 2002 (Read Part 1 - Part 2 - Part3a - Part 3b) WHY WE DESERVE JUDGMENT, PART 4 Calling Good Evil and Evil Good By PASTOR JOHN ANDERSON "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter." (Isaiah 5:20) Moral disarray marks a society's descent towards judgment, when the delusion prevails that standing good and evil on their heads does not matter. Isaiah said, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil." We've pushed evil to the status of "morally neutral." And even higher to "virtue." For example the slaughter of our unborn is no longer "evil" as our forefathers called it. Now such killing is just a "choice," as in "pro-choice." It's also been given the charm of a "right," as in "a woman's right," or a "reproductive right," with such a "right" taking on the inviolable aura of the constitutional right to free speech, religion and the press - we've declared killing our unborn a "right," but we ignore whether it is right! Evil is called good. Killing an unborn child has also been lifted to "a compassionate action." Who hasn't heard that the baby might be "unwanted," or be born into terrible poverty, or be born handicapped - all giving the little one a "bad life"; or the woman is unmarried and has a career, or she has too man children already; or, or, or... So by implication the kind thing to do would be to kill the unborn child, with compassion becoming the ultimate expression of hypocrisy by turning it into a rationale for killing. Again, evil is good. Of course, on the other hand, it's looked at as terribly wrong to deny a woman access to her "right to abortion" - that's opposed venomously. Or to stand against a woman having the choice to "compassionately" kill her unborn - that's hard-hearted and callous. Good is called evil. This convoluted reasoning was illustrated recently when pro-abortionists vehemently denounced the Bush administration's action to change the definition of "fetus" to "unborn child." Abortionists fiercely oppose any language that hints at endowing humanity to the unborn. They want the unborn morally sterilized as a "fetus," or "the product of conception," or "collection of cells." They know that once the unborn is granted humanity, the equation changes. Once marriage between heterosexual partners was the only one acceptable - indeed the only one thought of by most anyone. But now the coupling of immoral partners - unmarried men and women, or homosexuals, living together - is equated with traditional marriage, and in many states is legally equivalent. Evil is called good. Even further, we're seeing our immoral society elevating homosexuality to the status of a third sex, as if there is male and female - and then there is homosexual. We've embraced this "three-sex" concept so deeply that we're teaching it to our children in our tax-funded schools and elsewhere - teaching our children to sin in this way or any other way could in itself bring down God's righteous judgment on us! Evil is called good. And of course any opposition to such licentious reasoning is strenuously objected to, since doing what is right in your own eyes is canonized. Moral judgments are out, right or wrong no longer exist, and whoever calls sin "sin" is quickly and automatically castigated. Good is called evil. Again, Isaiah 5:20, from another translation, "Destruction is certain for those who say that evil is good and good is evil; that dark is light and light is dark; that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter." (New Living Translation) "Destruction is certain..." can only mean one thing: America faces judgment. LET US PRAY with one of our nation's founders, THOMAS JEFFERSON: "Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage, we humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; and from pride and arrogance; and fashion into one united people the multitude brought hither out of may kindreds and tongues. Endow with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in Thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home; and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth. In time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness; and, in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail. All of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen."

January, 2002 (Read Part 1 - Part 2 - Part3a) WHY WE DESERVE JUDGMENT, 3b Let Us Interview the Men at Valley Forge By PASTOR JOHN ANDERSON "If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed." (Deuteronomy 8:14) What if we could actually return to Valley Forge in December 1777, and could talk to Gen. George Washington's troops? We might tell them about life now, some two-and-a-quarter centuries later; about our homes, automobiles, computers, prosperity, airplanes, entertainment, TV's, movies, music, politics, etc. No doubt it would amaze them. However, what if they asked us about our values? What if they asked us about what we believed in now? Whether the idea of freedom was still in our hearts? What would we say? What if somewhere in our conversation with them we said the following: "You know, your sacrifice, suffering, and even death, there in Valley Forge - and throughout that Revolutionary War - provided us with a most wonderful freedom. It gave us the special freedom to kill our unborn!" How do you think they would react? They might say, "What do you mean, 'kill your unborn'? Do you mean, a baby, in the womb, before it is born - you kill it then?" "Yes, the freedom to choose this has become very important to women." "You mean a mother in your day would do that, kill her unborn baby? And that it is important to her to be able to do so if she wishes?" We might try to explain, "You see, two-and-a-quarter centuries in the future, women will believe that the freedom for which you sacrificed, gives them the right to kill their unborn." "What about the fathers? What do they think?" "As far as the fathers are concerned, the freedom for the mothers means that the fathers can't say anything." "But, then the fathers don't have any freedom." "Yes, and since the unborn baby, I mean fetus, is in a mother's body, it's her body, so the freedom is only for her." Before they could respond, perhaps we went on, "But another freedom you sacrificed to give us, is to make it possible for children to be adopted by two men or two women who are living together, who are a couple." "'Living together' and 'are a couple' means like husband and wife?" "Precisely." "Do people do that in your day, openly that is?" "People believe they should have that right." "And you put children with them?" "Of course. It's part of the wonderful freedom you've given us; which by the way, has also made it possible for us to teach our children in school about the freedoms I've mentioned, like a mother being able to kill her unborn and people of the same sex living together and adopting children!" "You mean you teach children about those kinds of things?" "Yes, in school and other places." "Doesn't anyone in your day think these things are wrong?" "Oh, some people object, religious people and some others. But most people either think these things are all right or they don't care." After our interview, how inspired might those men at Valley Forge have been to stay and bear the sacrifices of that war which birthed our America? What have we done with their sacrifice? Let us pray together: Our gracious Father, thank you for the gift of America. You have given us a beautiful land. Men such as were at Valley Forge made enormous sacrifices to bring this nation into being. We are grieved at what we are doing with what we have received. We are killing millions of our unborn and rationalizing immorality and perversion. Worse, we are doing such sinning with arrogance. We're sinning boldly. Gracious Lord, forgive us. May Your Church understand this hour and lead the way in humble repentance. And may our America have a spiritual awakening and a rebirth of grateful thanksgiving to You for our country. In the Name of Your Son, and our Savior and Lord, Amen

January, 2002 Part 1, WHY WE DESERVE JUDGMENT, PART 1 Time To Get Honest About Our Chosen Lies By PASTOR JOHN ANDERSON "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25) "Deep down in his mind, every man knows that he is the creature of God and responsible to God. Every man, at bottom, knows that he is a covenant-breaker. But every man acts and talks as though this were not so." (Theologian Cornelius van Til) Many have said that the terrible events of September 11, 2001, should be a wake-up call. Agreed. But it should be a wake-up call for us as a nation and as the American Church to go to the mirror and take a penetrating look at the kind of people we've become. Today the CHPA Pastor,s Alert begins a series of discussions on this theme. We will distribute the Pastor,s Alert about once a week. Any input you have will be appreciated. We start with the pride that spawns self-delusions. I remember as a youngster once hearing some older persons make idle comment about a high building in the city I think it was a hotel. One said, "It doesn't have a thirteenth floor," and alluded to the superstition about the number thirteen. I don't know if high buildings still are constructed without a thirteenth floor, but years later I realized that no matter what the floor just after number twelve is designated, it is still the thirteenth. It may make people feel better who are edgy about a thirteenth floor to have that floor labeled the fourteenth; but that cosmetic change doesn't alter the truth that in the numerical sequence of the floors it is still the thirteenth one. We've learned to change the labels to alter the perception of truth: We call an unborn baby "a mass of tissue," "a collection of cells" or even "a fetus," anything to deny the unborn's humanity. An abortion is labeled "the evacuation of a uterus," "a termination of pregnancy," or "a reproductive right." Whoremongering is "promiscuousness." Fornication is "pre-marital sex." Adultery is "an affair." Sodomy is "gay." And on and on we go with our self-delusions. Sadly, lying to ourselves could be called a national contagion. Columnist Craig McMillan said, "It is clear that our age has embraced the spirit of deceit. School principals endorse minor children lying to their parents about an abortion while they prohibit school nurses from dispensing an aspirin tablet without parental approval. Husbands and wives lie to one another about their sexual liaisons Yes, we are drowning in a sea of deceit, tangled in a life jacket of lies, and going down for the third time both as individuals and as a nation." When a nation listens to "the lie," as the Arthur S. DeMoss Foundation said in The Rebirth of America, "it dethrones God and deifies man's achievements; it exalts human reason as supreme; it trusts education and science to solve its problems; it believes that man is evolving into perfection; it replaces God's moral standards with situational ethics; it promotes sensual pleasure and instant gratification; it strives for a world utopia of prosperity and peace; it makes the State the sovereign dictator over everyone." Dr. Alan Keyes said, "We have placed upon the throne lying and dishonesty and lack of integrity. And right now it looks as if there are too many Americans tempted to go down on their knees and worship that vice." Who can forget that inglorious "age of lying" in the just-past presidential administration when we were told that perhaps "is" and "alone" do not mean what they mean and some kinds of sex are not sex. "Spin" became the "spin-word" for political lying. That president had the most scandalous administration in our history. Values were so ignored that the president could commit adultery Sunday morning, pick up his Bible and go to church, while a sizeable majority of the nation excused his sin and kept his approval ratings high, revealing, lamentably, the depravity in the electorate. Even we preachers can hype our ministries, play the celebrity and push fads, and no one seems to care that we're not speaking balanced truth. "They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved" (II Thessalonians 2:10). Sobering. Verse 11 says something even more sobering: "For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth." And verse 12 refers to those "who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness." We didn't like how God's truth of the sanctity of human life kept us from the legal right to kill our unborn, so we dreamed up the "right" of a mother to kill her unborn baby. We didn't like how God's holy and happy truth for sexual intimacy within marriage kept us from sexual license, so we championed the lie of whoremongering. "If it feels good, do it." When we want to sin, we will find a way to toss out God's truth and embrace our own chosen lies. The alarming part is that our chosen lies are now rooted deeply into our national character, revealed by the growing ease we are abandoning restraint in regard to them. We willfully forget that chosen sins bring consequences and judgment: "all will be condemned" as II Thessalonians 2:11 says. We find it hard to believe that God said to Israel and other nations, "I am against you" (see Ezekiel 21:3; 25:7; 26:3; 29:3; 35:3). Israel particularly couldn't believe God would say such a thing to them, caught up as they were in the hubris of their wonderful heritage. And the same prideful attitude is showing up in our America. But why should God be for us? We weep to ask, what does America have to recommend itself to the great Almighty God of holiness and justice? Why should God bless liars? Why should God bless us with our collective hands dripping with the blood of our unborn with no end in sight, when we are increasingly contending that such killing should be completely unhindered? It is said that September 11 has changed our nation and has stirred us to examine our priorities, to examine what is really important. Good. Let's include in our time of evaluation the questions just asked. Plus, let us look deeply at the priority of national repentance with those in the pulpit expounding the Scriptures to lead the examination. Let us pray together: "Lord, we rejoice in You as our heavenly Father. May the terrible events of September 11 be a wake-up call for us to examine the chosen lies we have embraced and the consequences of judgment that are sure to follow. May we return to You in humble repentance. We ask You for revival in Your church and a spiritual awakening in our nation. In the Name of Your Son and our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, Amen."

Sorry, I don't have any visions. I guess I would never make a good prophet.

At the rate we are going, the anti-christ will not have much trouble getting most people to take his mark.

Jesus is everything.

Kiwi, You have a bunch of good advise in the posts before me. The very first thing you need to do before anthing else is to pray hard and ask for the Lord's guidence. He will answer in due time.

I see it as both. Moral people will use it for good and evil people will use it for destruction.

God is fair and just. It is we that are unfair and unjust.

THE SCENT OF SPRING IN FEBRUARY FOR ENGLAND Tues Feb 19 2002 00:45:46 UTC DAILY MAIL BIRDS are opting not to migrate, lawns are continuing to grow and frogs are waking up weeks early. The natural world, it would seem, is in a state of utter confusion. According to the calendar, Britain should be trying to shake off the winter gloom. But unusually warm weather has kicked off the earliest spring in recorded history. Temperatures between January 13 and February 12 were the warmest since records began in 1659, averaging 8-10c compared to the normal 4-6c. Scientists observing the activity of trees, plants and birds reckon nature is approximately three weeks ahead of itself. With newborn lambs already gambolling among the daffodils, the picture is a happy contrast to spring last year, which was marked by the sorry sight of a lamb stranded in a quagmire in Norfolk, unable to be moved because of foot-and-mouth restrictions. Nick Collinson, of the Woodland Trust, said: 'Spring is usually regarded as starting at the beginning of March but this year it has been the middle of February. All sorts of species are responding. 'We are calling it 'the winter squeeze', with a longer autumn and an earlier spring. January was exceptionally mild, except for the first week or so. 'There's absolutely no question there is something going on when you see the figures for the last 30 years.' Mr Collinson said he had had reports of gardeners in southern England who have had to mow their lawns throughout the winter. Birds like the blackcap and chiffchaff were staying in Britain in ever greater numbers for the winter rather than migrating to Africa, he said. Flowers such as the lesser celandine and coltsfoot were already starting to bloom, hawthorns were budding and elders were in leaf. The National Trust gardens in Trelissick, Cornwall, are opening early next weekend to take advantage of the warm weather. Visitors will be able to wonder at the beautiful purple and white bloom of a rhododendron harrissi which has been tricked by the warm weather into flowering early. Last week the Daily Mail reported how the mild weather was prompting thousands of frogs to take to the ponds of southern England to start the mating season early. But while many people will welcome spring's early arrival, it could have a serious downside. Research in Oxfordshire has shown that some birds could struggle to find food if they start to nest earlier. The insects which make up their diet are much slower to respond to the warmer weather and so are not available so early. Similarly, trees which respond quickest to the warmth may in the longer term force out those which react more slowly. Rats also favour warmer weather and breed in greater numbers during mild winters. 'We suspect there will be all sorts of knock-on impacts, many of which we don't yet know about,' said Mr Collinson. Weather expert Philip Eden calculated the temperature data and compared it with figures from the last 342 years. He said: 'If you compare that 31-day period with the historical records, it falls way outside anything we have seen before. It's a #### of a difference if you think about it. It adds to growing evidence that global warming is a reality. These types of temperatures could be the norm in the future.' Last October was also the warmest on record with temperatures of 14c compared to the normal average of 10c. Scientists meeting in Boston last weekend heard that global warming will continue for the next 100 years, even if the use of fossil fuels is dramatically reduced. Professor Robert Dickinson, of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, said temperature increases of up to 5c can be expected over the next century.

Monday February 18, 11:40 Pope has performed 3 exorcisms to ward off devil VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul has performed three exorcisms during his 23-year pontificate, including one as recently as September, one of the Catholic Church's leading exorcists said on Monday. Father Gabriele Amorth told Italy's La Stampa newspaper that the Pope had carried out his first exorcism in 1982. "This girl was rolling around on the ground. People in the Vatican had never seen anything like it. For us exorcists it is run of the mill," Amorth said. The Pope has since taken part in two more exorcisms, including that of a 20-year-old woman in September, to underline the importance of the ceremony. "He carried out these exorcisms because he wanted to give a powerful example. He wanted to give the message that we must once again start exorcising those who are possessed by demons," Amorth said. For Roman Catholics, exorcism is the casting out of what is believed to be an evil spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands. Amorth said possession by demons took many shapes. "I have seen many strange things...objects such as nails spat out. The devil told a woman that he would make her spit out a transistor radio and lo and behold she started spitting out bits and pieces of a radio transistor," he said. "I have seen levitations, and a force that needed six or eight men to hold the person still. Such things are rare, but they happen," he said. Amorth said the woman whom the Pope exorcised in September was still undergoing treatment. "It's a very serious case. A series of curses," he said. The interview was published a day after the Pope warned of the daily temptations of the devil during his Sunday address. "The devil, the 'prince of this world', even today continues his insidious actions. Each and every man...is tempted by the devil when he least expects it," the Pope said. The official Roman Catholic exorcism starts with prayers, the blessing and sprinkling of holy water, the laying of hands on the possessed, and the making of the sign of the cross. It ends with the priest commanding the devil to leave the possessed person.

Deborah Smith Saturday 16 February 2002 The world's first cyborg, a machine-enhanced man, could be walking within weeks. A British professor of cybernetics, Kevin Warwick, plans to have a chip implanted in his arm that will transmit signals from his nervous system to a computer. By relaying the signals back to his nerves, he hopes to see whether the same movements, sensations or even emotions can be evoked. The Reading University professor first had a chip implanted in 1998 that communicated with a network of antennas in his laboratory, so, for example, the door opened as he approached. His latest plan was aimed at provoking debate about the risks and benefits of computer-enhancement of healthy humans. A more practical aim of the research is to help disabled people. The Bionic Age, where machines help restore lost movement in missing or damaged limbs, or substitute for failing organs, is almost upon us, according to a review of the latest technology published in the journal Science. advertisement advertisement The spare parts side is well advanced. NASA, for example, has developed a robotic hand that is almost as dexterous as our own. Systems that rely on the power of thought to move artificial limbs have already been developed. Their potential was recently demonstrated by a monkey in Brooklyn, New York, whose brain signals were used to control a robotic arm located in North Carolina. "Cognitive control of artificial limbs, at least for primitive but important motions such as grasping, thus can be achieved with a bionic brain-machine interface," says biomedical engineer at Rutgers University in New Jersey, William Craelius. Another promising new device is a Bion, which is injected deep into a muscle and, given the appropriate radio commands, can control muscles. However, more than 1000 connections between the brain and a bionic device would be needed to communicate the data necessary to produce a complex action like walking. Professor Craelius predicts this will soon be achievable, even if most of the computer processing is done outside the person's body at first.

2:00 a.m. Feb. 15, 2002 PST A Brazilian legislator wants to become the first politician to be implanted with a controversial microchip that would contain his personal information. "I want to demonstrate to the citizens of Brazil and the world that this technology is safe," Antonio de Cunha Lima, a federal minister from the state of S

Good post Wisdom. It gives people something to think about.

My church is not cultic. Everything that is taught there is straight out of the Bible.

An Overview of the Signs of the Times The great variety of signs that point to the Lord's soon return. Dr. David R. Reagan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many people believe there is nothing that can be known about the timing of the Lord's return because Jesus said He would return like a thief in the night (Matthew 24:42-44). But Paul makes it clear in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 that Jesus' statement does not apply to believers: "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief. . ." He then proceeds to explain why: "for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober." Paul is referring, of course, to the light of the Holy Spirit who indwells all true believers and who can enlighten us through our study of Scripture to know the season of the Lord's return (1 John 2:27). God's Attitude As a matter of fact, God is obligated by His character to warn the world of the imminent return of His Son. The reason is that Jesus is returning in great wrath to "judge and wage war" (Revelation 19:11), and God never pours out His wrath without warning. God does not wish that any should perish, but that all should be brought to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Therefore, God always warns before He executes His wrath. He warned the world through Noah for 120 years. He warned Sodom and Gomorrah through Abraham. He sent Jonah to warn the pagan city of Ninevah, and He sent Nahum to the same city 150 years later. Likewise, God is warning the world today that His Son is about to return. He is calling the world to repentance. The message of the hour to unbelievers can be summed up in these words: "Flee from the wrath that is to come by fleeing into the loving arms of Jesus now." Jesus came the first time as an expression of God's love; He came to die for the sins of Mankind. But when He returns, He will come in vengeance to pour out the wrath of God on those who have rejected God's love and grace. The soon return of Jesus also carries with it a message for believers. Lukewarm Christians and carnal Christians are being called to commit their lives to holiness: The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. - Romans 13:12-14 God's Method of Warning God is alerting believers of the soon return of His Son through what are called "signs of the times." These are prophecies concerning world events that we are told to watch for, prophecies that will identify the season of the Lord's return. The Bible is full of these signs. There are about 500 prophecies in the Old Testament that relate to the Second Coming of the Messiah. In the New Testament, one out of every 25 verses is concerned with the return of Jesus. In fact, there are so many signs that it is difficult to grasp all of them. The best way I have found to do this is to put them in categories: 1) The Signs of Nature - We are told to watch for earthquakes, famine, pestilence, and signs in the heavens (see Matthew 24:7 and Luke 21:11). This is the least respected category of signs for several reasons. For one thing, many people simply shrug their shoulders and say, "There have always been natural calamities, so what else is new?" Note that Jesus says these signs will be like "birth pangs" (Matthew 24:8) that is, they will increase in frequency and intensity as the time draws near for His return. In other words, there will be more intense earthquakes and more frequent ones. That is exactly what is happening today. Another reason these signs are given little respect is because most Christians are so rationalistic that they do not really believe in the supernatural, and they therefore find it difficult to believe that God speaks to the world through signs of nature. Yet, the Bible teaches this principle from start to finish. God dealt with the world's sin through a great flood in the days of Noah (Genesis 6). He called the nation of Judah to repentance through a terrible locust invasion (Joel 1). In like manner, He called for the nation of Israel to repent by sending drought, wind storms, mildew, locusts, famine and pestilence (Amos 4:6-10). The prophet Haggai pointed to a drought as evidence that God was calling the people to get their priorities in order (Haggai 1:10-11). The New Testament begins with a special light in the heavens marking the birth of the Messiah (Matthew 2:2). On the day that Jesus was crucified, there was three hours of darkness and an earthquake (Matthew 27:45-51). And when Jesus returns, the earth will experience the greatest earthquake in its history as every mountain is lowered, every valley is raised, and every island is moved (Revelation 16:17-21). God has always spoken through signs of nature, and He continues to do so today. We had better pay close attention to them. 2) The Signs of Society - Jesus said that society will become increasingly lawless and immoral as the time approaches for His return. In fact, He said it would become as evil as it was in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:12,37-39). Paul paints a chilling picture of end time society in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. He says it will be characterized by three loves the love of self (humanism), the love of money (Materialism), and the love of pleasure (hedonism). He then points out that the payoff of this carnal lifestyle will be what the philosophers call nihilism that is, a society wallowing in despair. Men's minds will become depraved (Romans 1:28), and people will call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). We are seeing these prophecies fulfilled before our eyes today as we watch our society reject its Christian heritage and descend into a hellish pit of lawlessness, immorality, and despair. Even worse, we are exporting our nihilism around the world through our immoral and violent movies and television programs. 3) The Spiritual Signs - There are both positive and negative spiritual signs that we are to watch for. The negative ones include the appearance of false christs and their cults (Matthew 24:5,11,24), the apostasy of the professing church (2 Thessalonians 2:3), an outbreak of Satanism (1 Timothy 4:1), and the persecution of faithful Christians (Matthew 24:9) These negative spiritual signs began to appear in the mid-19th Century when Christian cults started forming. First came the Mormons, then the Jehovah's Witnesses, and then a great variety of spiritualist groups like the Church of Christ Scientists and the Unity Church. The apostasy of the mainline Christian denominations began in the 1920's when the German school of higher criticism invaded American seminaries and undermined the authority of the Scriptures, teaching that the Bible is Man's search for God rather than God's revelation to Man. During the 1960's Satanism exploded on the American scene and has since been exported worldwide through American movies, books, and television programs. Dabbling in the occult has become commonplace in the form of astrology, numerology, crystal gazing, transcendental meditation, and channeling. The whole trend has consummated in the appearance of the New Age Movement with its teaching that Man is God. As society has secularized, true Christianity has come under increasing attack. Judeo-Christian values, once the foundation of Western Civilization, are now openly mocked, and those who still adhere to them are castigated as "intolerant fundamentalists" by the media. The positive spiritual signs include the proclamation of the Gospel to the whole world (Matthew 24:14), a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-32), and spiritual illumination to understand prophecies that have been "sealed up" until the end times (Daniel 12:4,9). As with the negative signs, we are seeing these positive signs fulfilled in our day and time. Through the use of modern technology, the Gospel has been proclaimed throughout the world in this Century, and the Bible has been translated into all major languages. The great end time pouring out of the Holy Spirit that was prophesied by the prophet Joel has also begun. Joel called it "the latter rain" (Joel 2:23), and he said it would occur after the Jews had returned to their land. The state of Israel was re-established in 1948. In 1949 God anointed two ministries that would have a worldwide impact the ministries of Billy Graham and Oral Roberts. Then, in the 60's, came the Charismatic Movement which prompted renewal in worship and gave emphasis to the continuing validity of the gifts of the Spirit. The acceleration in the understanding of Bible prophecy began in 1970 with the publication of Hal Lindsey's book, The Late Great Planet Earth. It seemed to open up to popular understanding many prophecies that had been "sealed up" until the end times (Daniel 12:4, 9). Remarkably, it became the number one best seller in the world with the sole exception of the Bible for the next ten years! 4) The Signs of Technology - The book of Daniel says that there will be an explosion of knowledge in the end times and that people will move about quickly (Daniel 12:4). There are many Bible prophecies that cannot be understood apart from modern technology. For example, how can the whole world look upon two bodies lying in the streets of Jerusalem (Revelation 11:8-9)? Modern television satellite technology makes it easy. How can the False Prophet build an image of the Anti-Christ that appears to be alive (Revelation 13:15)? The answer, of course, is the science of robotics. How can the False Prophet require all people on earth to take the mark of the Anti-Christ in order to buy and sell (Revelation 13:16-17)? It would not be possible apart from computers and lasers. Jesus said that the Tribulation will be so terrible that all life on earth would cease to exist if He did not cut the period short (Matthew 24:21-22). How could all life be threatened prior to the advent of nuclear weapons? Another reference to nuclear power is likely contained in Luke's statement that men in the end times will "faint from fear" because "the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Luke 21:26). That certainly sounds like a reference to the splitting of the atom. 5) The Signs of World Politics - The Bible prophesies that there will be a certain pattern of world politics that will characterize the end time geopolitical map. The focus will be the re-established state of Israel (Zechariah 12:2-3). It will be besieged by a menacing nation from the "remote parts of the north," the nation of "Rosh" or modern day Russia (Ezekiel 38:2,6). There will also be a threatening nation to the East that will be capable of sending an army of 200 million namely, China (Revelation 9:13-16 and Revelation 16:12-13). A third source of danger to Israel will be the Arab nations that immediately surround it. They will covet the land and will try to take it from the Jews (Ezekiel 35:10 and 36:2). Another key player on the world political scene in the end times will be a coalition of European nations that will form a confederation centered in the area of the old Roman empire (Daniel 2:41-44, Daniel 7:7,23-24, and Revelation 17:12-13). This confederation will serve as the political base for the rise of the Anti-Christ and the creation of his worldwide kingdom (Daniel 7:8). Other international political signs include wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6), civil wars (Matthew 24:7), and general international terrorism and lawlessness (Matthew 24:12). 6) The Signs of Israel - The signs related to the state of Israel are prolific and very important. The most frequently repeated prophecy in the Old Testament is the prediction that the Jewish people will be regathered from the "four corners of the earth" in the end times (Isaiah 11:10-12). The Bible states that a consequence of this regathering will be the re-establishment of the state of Israel (Isaiah 66:7-8). The Scriptures say that once the Jews are back in their land, the land itself will experience a miracle of reclamation (Isaiah 35). The desert will bloom and people will exclaim, "This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden" (Ezekiel 36:35). Another end time miracle will be the revival of the Hebrew language (Zephaniah 3:9). Most people are not aware of the fact that when the Jews were dispersed from their land in 70 A.D., they ceased to speak the Hebrew language. The Jews who settled in Europe developed a new language called Yiddish a combination of German and Hebrew. The Jews who migrated to the Mediterranean basin created a language called Ladino a combination of Hebrew and Spanish. Other significant signs of Israel that we are told to watch for in the end times include the re-occupation of Jerusalem (Luke 21:24), the resurgence of Israeli military strength (Zechariah 12:6), and the re-focusing of world politics on Israel (Zechariah 12:3). All these signs have been fulfilled in this century. The nation has been re-established, the land has been reclaimed, the ancient language has been revived, the Jews are back in Jerusalem, and Israel is the focal point of world politics. Jesus says in Luke 21:28 that when these signs begin to happen, we should "straighten up and lift up our heads" because "our redemption is drawing near." The Key Signs The most important signs are the ones that relate to Israel because God uses the Jews throughout the Scriptures as His prophetic time clock. By this I mean that very often when the Lord is revealing an important event that will take place in the future, He will point to the Jewish people and state that when a certain thing happens to them, the important event will also occur. A good example of this principle can be found in Daniel 9 in the famous "Seventy Weeks of Years" prophecy. The prophet tells us to watch for a decree to be issued that will authorize the rebuilding of Jerusalem. He then says that the Messiah will come sixty-nine weeks of years (483 years) after that decree is issued to the Jewish people. There are two key prophecies which relate the return of Jesus to events that have occurred in Jewish history since 1948. These two events clearly established the period in which we are now living as the season of the Lords's return. The State of Israel The first is the re-establishment of the state of Israel which occurred on May 14, 1948. Jesus singled out this event as the one that would signal His soon return. His prophecy is contained in the fig tree parable (Matthew 24:32-35) which He presented in His Olivet Discourse. The day before He delivered this speech, He had put a curse on a barren fig tree, causing it to wither (Matthew 21:28-29). This was a symbolic prophecy that God would soon pour out His wrath upon the Jewish people because of their spiritual barrenness in rejecting His Son. The next day Jesus reminded His disciples of the fig tree. He said to watch for it to bloom again. In other words, He said watch for the rebirth of Israel. He indicated that when the fig tree blooms again, He would be at the gates of Heaven, ready to return (Matthew 24:33). Equally significant, He added an interesting observation: "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place" (Matthew 24:34). What generation? The generation that sees the fig tree blossom. We are that generation. The fig tree has blossomed. Jesus is at the gates. The City of Jerusalem The second key event was prophesied by Jesus in the same speech, as recorded by Luke: "[The Jews] will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). The first half of this prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D., forty years after Jesus spoke the words. In that year the Romans under Titus conquered Jerusalem and dispersed the Jews among the nations. Jerusalem remained under Gentile occupation for 1,897 years until June 7, 1967, when Israel won the city back during the Six Day War. The Jewish re-occupation of the city of Jerusalem is proof positive that we are living in the season of the Lord's return. Jesus said it would mark the end of the Gentile Age. A Call to Action There is no way to escape the conclusion that we are living on borrowed time. The signs of the times are upon us, and they are shouting for our attention. Are you ready? If Jesus were to return today, would He be your "Blessed Hope" (Titus 2:11-14) or would He be your "Holy Terror" (Revelation 6:12-17)? If you have never received Him as your Lord and Savior, now is the time to act. Repent of your sins, and call upon the name of the Lord that you might be saved (Acts 2:14-39). And if you are a Christian, are you living as if Jesus might return any minute? Have you committed your life to holiness? Are you praying for the lost and witnessing the Lord when you have an opportunity? Are you yearning for the Lord's return? Can you say with Paul that you are a candidate for a "crown of righteousness" because you have lived your life "in the love of His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:7-8)? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. - Jesus, in John 14:3.