International news during year 2003

 as it related to fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

1. General prophecies about the end of time and the time of judgment 2003

2. Israel in prophecy 2003

3. The Church in Bible Prophecy 2003

4. America in prophecy 2003

5. Europe in Bible Prophecy 2003

6. Invisible realm of the spirits, Spiritualism 2003

7. Muslims, “Children of the promise"! 2003

8. Genetics

1. General prophecies about the end of time and the time of judgment 2003

          News Stories 

     G147. Bullet marks on school buses linked to other shootings. Dec. 30, 2003

Recently made bullet marks found on two school buses are connected to 16 other shootings along Interstate Highway 270 on the south side of Columbus, Ohio according to authorities.

One woman has been hit and killed in a series of shootings beginning in May and now increasing in frequency in the area.

Classes in the schools in the area were suspended following the discovery of bullet marks on the school buses.

Once again fear reigns in the hearts and minds of Americans even as jury deliberates the sentence of Lee Boyd Malvo for his involvement in last year’s shooting spree in the Washington DC area.

      G146. An even taller tower! Dec. 30, 2003

According to architectural plans just unveiled the first building to replace the destroyed World Trade Center will be the tallest building in the world.

Standing at 1776 feet tall, the “Freedom Tower” will exceed the height of Taipei 101 in Taiwan, now the tallest building in the world, as well as Shanghai’s even taller tower now under construction in its Pudong financial district.

The Freedom Tower’s 1776 foot height and its tapered spire are intended to direct attention to the year of America’s independence and her lasting freedom as symbolized by the Statue of Liberty.

Amidst the competitive rash to build towers may be heard the words of Holy Scripture saying, “For you know perfectly well that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace (freedom) and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.”

Should not 9/11 have been sufficient warning of the signs of our times? (Click here to read about prophecies for the end times)

     G145. “Morning-after” pill gets green light! Dec. 30, 2003

A federal advisory panel has recommended to the Food and Drug Administration that the “morning-after” pill should be made available over the counter without a prescription.

Composed of a higher dose of the same hormones found in birth control pills, the pill was approved for its safety and effectiveness by the FDA in 1998.

Its effectiveness depends upon its ability to delay ovulation and/or to prevent implantation of the fertilized egg in the womb – the later of which is considered by some as a form of abortion.

By making the pill available over the counter without supervision, school kids will have ready access to it – a concern of some parents.

Others argue that condoms are already readily available to those young people choosing to yield their virginity.

Whether or not the pill will further increase extramarital sexual activity seems a moot point in a society that has already yielded most of its moral constraints, but it may further reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and thus the number of abortions and homeless street kids.

Surely our Heavenly Father must pine for our society when He looks down upon us and sees our rank disregard for the laws of life that He crafted so carefully for our happiness and that of our families and society! (Click here to read more about God's love)

      G144. Plight of Saddam Hussein! Dec. 30, 2003

The capture of Saddam Hussein, former dictator of Iraq, is now history.

Found hiding in an underground tunnel, the man surrendered without a fight.

Many Iraqi’s want to try Saddam in revenge for the terrible atrocities he inflicted upon them during the years of his reign of terror.

The international community claim the Iraqi tribunal recently established to try war criminals does not have adequate experience to judge such matters.

Coalition forces have yet to decide how to exact justice.

The Vatican calls for a trial in an “appropriate jurisdiction”, but the pope is opposed to a death penalty.

And many believe that capital punishment would make Saddam a martyr and hero in the Arab world.

One thing seems quite certain.

Mr. Hussein is not likely to be set free any time soon to take up where he left off last spring.

      G143. Food protection law now effective. Dec. 22, 2003

The U.S. Bioterrorism Act requiring food handling companies at home and abroad to register all products with the Food and Drug Administration is now in effect.

Those exporting food to the United States must give American inspectors advanced notice of arrival of food shipments – 2 hours if by truck, 4 hours if by plane or train, and 8 hours if by ship.

Quite naturally the new law is seen as a threat to foreign food producers who say the law is designed to protect American markets rather than to protect against terrorism of the food supply as claimed.

While there have been no reported attempts to terrorize the food supply until now, we have had a recent example of what might happen when green onions were found to be the source of a Hepatitis A outbreak.

The law is simply playing it cautious.  (Click here to read what the Bible says about our times)

     G142. 100 years flying the heavens. Dec. 22, 2003

100 years ago at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright successfully flew through the heavens in a heavier than air machine. It was a feat that has forever changed the world.

During the nearly 6000 years of history preceding the Wright brothers human beings had been confined to the earth in their work and travels.

Suddenly, with mastery of the heavens, our world began to shrink until today we can circumnavigate the globe in just hours as compared to the months and years of former times.

While flight is just one of a myriad of technological achievements of the last century, it serves to remind us of the tremendous contrast that exists in the world of the past century or so with all of the rest of human history.

We might wonder why it took so long - and why once the “code” was broken, it has all happened so fast.

Could it be that it is all within the timetable determined by God for our planet and for our age?

Is it possible that just as Jesus arrived among us as a baby in the “fullness of time” two thousand years ago, so final judgment and the return of our Lord as King may also occur in the “fullness of time”? – And that the timetable called for the whole world to know and to be prepared to meet him? (Click here to read about final judgment)

Certainly our technological age has prepared a way for the Gospel of Jesus’ saving grace to be seen and heard in even the most remote corners of the earth.

And the airplane is a reminder that Jesus’ return is very near!

     G141. Gay precedent set in Australia. Dec. 22, 2003

Australia’s highest court has likened homosexuality to religion and politics in respect to consideration of asylum applications.

In a 4-3 decision, the judges ruled that homosexuals may be considered members of a particular social group eligible for protection under a 1951 international refugee agreement.

According to the U.N. Convention on Refugees, those applying for asylum must have "well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion".

Sexual preference will now be included in that list in Australia.

The ruling sets a precedent that other nations are certain to follow. (Click here to read how the bible describes our times)

     G140. Attitude shirts sell! Dec. 22, 2003

Abercrombie and Fitch have given in to public pressure and retracted their pornographic Christmas catalogue, but according to Don Wildmon, chairman of the American Family Association, JC Penny & Co. has taken up where Abercrombie and Fitch left off.

Attitude shirts – shirts for young teens painted with highly suggestive sexual innuendos (not fit for publication) – encourage casual and promiscuous sex by young teens.

It is easy to blame Abercrombie and Fitch, or JC Penny for taking advantage of teens to make a dollar – and perhaps rightly so – but these are certainly not the only ones at fault for America’s and the world’s moral decline.

Nor ought we place the responsibility upon government and attempt repair by legislation.

Moral decline – as certainly illustrated by our clothing and sexual habits – as destructive as it is to kids and to society – has its roots in the human heart.

There is no answer to our moral decline accept for a new birth experience with Jesus Christ.

Only He has the interest, the power and the authority to change the human heart – to transform it from the slavery of self-satisfaction to one of love for God and for our fellow men. (Click here to read about transformation)

Where are the religious leaders in our world who will lead us to true conversion to Jesus Christ and loving obedience to the laws of life He has given to govern us? (Click here to read about the Church in Bible prophecy)

     G139.  Australia will join in U.S. Missile Defense program. Dec. 14, 2003

Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, has announced Australia’s intent to take part in the U.S. missile defense program.

By doing so, the foreign minister hopes to contribute to global and regional security.

Though Australia has no plans for a missile defense system on its soil, it will join England in providing satellite tracking stations necessary for the program.

Fear that “rouge” nations such as North Korea will soon have missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons to the United States has triggered urgency to the Bush administration’s multibillion dollar plan to create a shield against ballistic missiles.

     G138. Hungry to bed! Dec. 14, 2003

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, (FAO) 850 million people go to bed hungry every night on planet earth – nearly one in every seven of us.

In their annual report, the FAO notes that the number is increasing by about 5 million persons annually – a definite disappointment in view of the UN goal of cutting the incidence of world hunger in half by 2015.

Africa and the Middle East account for the vast majority of the hungry and malnourished – many from the same regions where AIDS, war, corrupt leadership and poverty abound.

On the other hand, in those countries where agriculture is thriving and the economy is brisk, hunger also is reduced. Brazil, under the leadership of Lula da Silva is one such example. He expects to eliminate hunger in his country by the year 2007.

The real irony of the report is that while 20% of us starve, the other 80% of us are gorging and racing to see who can get the fattest the fastest.

We are raising plenty of food to feed everyone – we just have not discovered the necessary incentives to distribute it where needed.

     G137. Warner Brothers Pictures strikes it rich. Dec. 9, 2003

Warner Brothers Pictures will gross more than $1 billion in the U.S. market during the year 2003 for the forth time in the past 5 years.

The figure is especially interesting in view of the difficulty Mel Gibson has had finding theaters that will even show his new film depicting the "Passion of Jesus" – in a nation calling itself Christian at that! (Click here to read of the Church in Bible prophecy)

     G136. Destroying the bridge to our origins. Dec. 9, 2003

“If we lose any great ape species, we will be destroying a bridge to our own origins and with it part of our own humanity."

These are the words of Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the UN environment program (UNEP) that is campaigning to save the great apes from extinction in the wild.

Fearing the loss of the planet’s last few gorillas, chimpanzees and orang-utans, the United Nations is appealing for $25 million to set aside natural habitat in a desperate attempt to save these closest genetic cousins to the human race.

Were evolution of the species a true science, the UN might well have reason to be concerned.

In fact, while we might decry the destruction we humans are bringing upon the earth, we need not fear the loss of simian genetic material – for the God who created us in the first place has not displaced the blueprint.

As in the beginning He spoke and it came to pass, so again at His second coming He will but speak the word and all who have died believing in His power to save will be raised to life everlasting.

Such is the unfailing hope of those knowing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Click here - heaven is a real place!)

     G135. Questions on Doctrines back in print. Dec. 9, 2003

Questions on Doctrines, a book that answered the questions Adventists were asked by other Christians, is back in print after a hiatus of 40 years.

Before Questions on Doctrines, Seventh-day Adventism was considered by many other Christians as a cult to be avoided at all costs.

The book satisfactorily answered the key questions posed by the critics who then welcomed Adventists into the Christian community.

A few statements in the book were viewed by certain Adventist theologians as if yielding vital concessions to the larger Christian world. For this reason the book was removed from print. Today, those issues have been re-visited and the book is once again gracing the shelves of Christian book stores.

Seventh-day Adventists see themselves, not as just another “church”, but as a universal movement established by divine appointment to prepare the world to meet Jesus at His return to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

At a time when the world teeters on the edge of an eternal precipice, Adventists proclaim a message of hope and healing for all men of all faiths as well as those of no faith at all - for the Bible is clear that God takes no delight in the death of the wicked, but wishes that all men everywhere might turn to him and live. (Click here to read more about God's judgment)

     G134. “Dirty bombs” – a real and growing threat. Dec. 9, 2003

“Dirty bombs” – highly radioactive materials capable of spreading dangerous radiation by conventional bombs without need of a nuclear explosion – are no longer the quest of amateurs, but as well of highly skilled criminal and terrorist groups.

One incident taking place in Tbilisi, Georgia may serve to illustrate the risk.

On May 31, a taxi in which Tedo Makeria was riding was stopped by police on a hunch of suspicion as it headed toward the train station.

In the trunk police found boxes containing radioactive strontium and cesium of the type used by terrorists.

As it turned out, Makeria was serving as a courier hired by another Georgian to carry the materials to a troubled area of southwestern Georgia where it is suspected they were to be picked up for delivery to Turkey or Iran.

The identity of the buyer remains unknown.

The report in the Washington Post notes that this was not a unique incident, but rather that dozens of cases of trafficking in radiological materials have been arrested in Eastern Europe and elsewhere in recent years.

In fact, black market radioactive materials are becoming the currency of Professional smugglers and criminals in growing numbers of places in the world where security is lax or non-existent. (Click here to read about end-time Bible prophecies)

     G133. A vegetarian advantage? Dec. 2, 2003

Time was when it was generally considered safer to consume a vegetarian cuisine than one made up largely of animal food products.

A recent out-brake of Hepatitis A - apparently due to the consumption of fresh green onions - in Pennsylvania seems to challenge that assumption.

During the past few years we have experienced major produce-born disease out-brakes from strawberries, raspberries, cantaloupe, and tomatoes.

In fact, figures compiled by the Center for Science in the Public Interest reported nearly equal numbers of illnesses from produce as from beef, poultry, seafood and eggs.

Factors that may account for these findings include the fact that much of our produce is imported from foreign countries where sanitation is below standard - and more Americans are consuming greater quantities of fresh produce – in season and out of season.

While this has many health benefits, it does carry its risks.

Fortunately most of the risk of getting sick from eating fresh produce may be prevented simply by carefully washing and or peeling it before eating.

There is one more bit of advice worth considering. It is this.

Many years ago a lady claiming divine inspiration foretold a time when it would be necessary to be able to raise much of our own food in our gardens.

Are we now approaching that time?

     G132. Gay marriage in Massachusetts! Dec. 2, 2003

If the November 18 ruling of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court holds, Massachusetts may be the first state in America to legalize same-sex marriages.

Opponents to same-sex marriages could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in hopes that the ruling of the lower court might be overturned, or an amendment might be made to the U.S. Constitution making gay marriage illegal.

Neither option looks real promising.

Polls in Massachusetts show that more than 50% of adults surveyed support the legislation.

Vermont’s “civil unions” grant same-sex couples the same rights and benefits as married couples and California has recently passed a “domestic partnership” law with similar benefits. Massachusetts' governor would prefer a similar option in his state.

These things ought not surprise us.

The Bible clearly predicts that our days would be just as the days Sodom and Gomorrah during which sexual immorality and violence ruled the day.

For the sake of even ten people faithful to the Divine Law of God, God assured Abraham that He would with hold judgment on those wicked cities – but there were not ten there.

Proportionately, is our day any different than the days of Sodom and Gomorrah? (Click here to read more)

Does God still rule?

     G131. World Conservation Union sees “red”! Dec. 2, 2003

12,259 varieties of plants and animals are listed as critically endangered on this year’s “red list” of the World Conservation Union.

Indonesia, China, Brazil, and Peru lead the world in the number of endangered birds and mammals.

Ecuador, Malaysia and Sri Lanka join Sri Lanka and Brazil as countries with the most endangered plants.

Since the beginning of the sixteenth century, 762 different varieties of plants and animals are known to have become extinct. No one know how many others have disappeared unbeknown to anyone.

Deforestation is the predominant cause of loss of habitat and consequent endangerment in most places.

Tourism poses a major risk in some areas - especially in beautiful places like Hawaii and other Island nations.

Like spoiled and ungrateful kids who quickly destroy the toys they are given are we humans with the gifts of nature that God has given to us.

Yet we complain and blame Him when disasters strike – often the natural consequence of our own unguarded acts – not the arm of an arbitrary God.

Will we never learn – and change our ways?

     G130. Viagra, brand name recognition second only to Coca-Cola. Nov. 25, 2003

Coca-Cola is a brand name recognized by more people around the world than perhaps any other name – even the name of Jesus!

Viagra has now risen to second place.

Viagra, promoted as the answer to faltering marriages often turns out instead as the premier destroyer of marriages – destroyed when under deception “invigorated” men jump the fence for greener pastures.

Nor ought we forget the risk of AIDS and other life-destroying venereal diseases.

Truly it is a sad commentary of our times when as a world society the sexual experience is the most sought after pleasure imaginable – surely a deception only a devil could conceive.

Should we not rather set the focus of our lives upon the really good things in life – learning to love one another – and the God who created the many beautiful things in this world for us to enjoy?

     G129. “Winds of Satan” batter America. Nov. 25, 2003

Not long after record fires whipped across Southern California destroying thousands of homes and hundreds of thousands of acres of forest and brush land, California was hit with yet another natural calamity – unprecedented hail, lightening, rain, and floods.

Piles of hail more than a foot deep were reported in some parts of Los Angeles – a highly uncommon event.

At the same time, tornados and hurricane like winds (referred to by some as the "Winds of Satan") tore across the upper mid west and New England causing death and further destruction.

And all of this comes on top of devastating ice storms, record numbers of destructive tornados, drought, grasshoppers, and floods already wrecking havoc on the country during the current year.

An article appearing in Spirit Daily, a Catholic web site, interprets these “signs” as precursors of some greater coming storm to be followed by a major, but unidentified event. (Other articles have suggested a special apparition of the Virgin Mary, or possibly Christ himself!)

The article notes further that the recently noted explosions on the sun may be likened to those of eleven hundred years ago at the time of the “great medieval chastisement”.

Ellen White, a devout, inspired lady of a century ago, wrote of visions in which she saw terrible natural disasters coming upon the earth.

These would drive religious people to unite with the state in creating legislation forcing worship to God on the day of the sun – on penalty of death. (Click here to read more)

Could it be that the “signs” we are now witnessing in the heavens and on earth really are trying to tell us something?

     G128. Al-Qaeda rises from the dead. Nov. 25, 2003

Al-Qaeda appears to be rising from the dead.

Following the conflict in Afghanistan many thought that Al-Qaeda had received her death blow.

It is true that Osama bin-laden had not been positively accounted for and it was rumored that if he was still alive, he was at least crippled.

In retrospect, it seems those assessments must have been incorrect.

The recent attacks in Istanbul are only the latest attributed to a live and well Al-Qaeda organization.

Already during 2003, six other attacks have occurred that are attributed to an international organization with all of the marks of Al-Qaeda.

Unfortunately, it is also becoming clear that because key nations are not enforcing sanctions, Al-Qaeda is able to continue to obtain ammunition and means to carry on its operations

In fact the UN Security Council indicates Al-Qaeda’s persistent desire to obtain weapons of mass destruction.

Strategically, Al-Qaeda is shifting her financial activities to areas in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia where surveillance is limited by lack of interest and means.

     G127. Personal bankruptcies escalating. Nov. 25, 2003

Personal bankruptcies are on the rise at a record setting rate, nearly doubling during the past decade.

During the past fiscal year the number of bankruptcies rose by 7.8%, involving 1.6 million Americans.

Suggested contributing factors include the ease of obtaining and using credit cards, the very lenient credit standards prevalent during the decade of the 90’s, and heavy consumer debt. 

It is estimated that because of bankruptcies every American family pays about $400 in higher interest rates and other charges passed on to the consumer.

Legislative efforts to reduce the abuse of the bankruptcy system is hung up in the Senate and unlikely to pass in this session.

While society permits and sometimes encourages hard pressed persons to file for bankruptcy, the system does little to encourage personal financial responsibility.

Although most everyone recognizes the sometimes need for bankruptcy as a means to resolve otherwise impossible financial debts, many see the free use of bankruptcy as a form of stealing – a no! no! for honest, loving people. (Click here to read about society during the end-times)

     G126. “Words of Life and Hope” Nov. 18, 2003

For sixteen consecutive nights in late October the gospel of Jesus Christ was preached from Guatemala City and broadcast via satellite to thousands of viewers throughout the world.

The theme, “Words of Life and Hope” focused upon the lessons of love as the Bible portrays the parables told by Jesus during his days of teaching and ministering.

Hundreds have heard the messages and responded to the call to join the  Advent Movement in its commission to prepare the world for the return of Jesus.

The series of meetings has been a prelude to the year 2004 that has been designated as the year of evangelism – and none too soon.

The world is sick and in dire need of rescue.

This was so poignantly stated by a Lutheran pastor a few weeks ago when he acknowledged the Adventist message as the message for our times.

“You (Adventists) must not neglect to proclaim the message that you have been commissioned to give to the world.

Would that thousands more of all faiths could join this universal effort to proclaim the everlasting gospel as it pertains to these last days and call the peoples of earth back to faithfulness to the God’s eternal Law love. (Click here to read about the gospel to the whole world)

     G125. Article 9 bound for change. Nov. 18, 2003

Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution commits Japan to pacifism and denies her the security of her own military – but with the cold wind of North Korea bearing down upon her, it looks like it’s time for Japan to think about a change.

For 56 years Japan has held to her pacifist ideals – ideals arising from the smoke of Nagasaki and Hiroshima and the defeat of her Kamikaze suicide flight warriors.

Since that time she has depended upon the protective arm of the United States to keep her safe from the Communist Soviet Union – her only real threat for those many decades.

But things are changing now since North Korea’s successful test-firing of a missile over her territory in 1998 and with her more recent threat of nuclear weapons to place on those missiles.

     G124. Prozac – for frogs and fish! Nov. 18, 2003

Yes, we are so enamored with Prozac and related antidepressants that we have begun to feed them to our frogs and fish.

Unfortunately, rather that lifting these creatures from out of the “dumps”, we are threatening their very existence.

Exposed to small amounts of common antidepressants in their watery homes in contaminated rivers and lakes, sexual maturity is delayed in fish, and frogs take longer to trade their tail for feet and legs – all risks to the very survival of these fellow travelers on the planet.

Besides the effects of antidepressants, hormones and antibiotics are showing up in our water sources as well, changing growth and developmental patterns and creating microorganisms resistant to the available antibiotics.

Fortunately, though of no help to the environment, it appears that most of these contaminating medications can be filtered from our drinking water, allowing us to avoid some of the risks our fish and frogs must face.

     G123. Blasphemy? Or following the example of Jesus? Nov. 11, 2003

Gene Robinson has now been consecrated as the first openly gay bishop in Christian history.

Bishop Robinson and his liberal supporters believe they are doing something really great for the cause of Christ by creating a church where gays may find a welcome church family and a place to worship God.

Conservative Episcopalians on the other hand are convinced that the North American church is practicing open blasphemy in acting so diametrically opposed to the law of God and the teachings of the Bible – more specifically, about the sanctity of the marriage relationship and the importance of the home.

What human act could be more presumptuous than to exalt a practicing homosexual to the role of spokesman for God when in fact the man by his own life practices is actively defying the authority of God in the most offensive way possible as taught throughout the Holy Word of God?

Only altering God’s rule regarding the seventh day Sabbath, the other one of the two institutions established and made holy by God at the time of creation, could be such a direct “slap in the face” for the Sovereign, Creator God.

Certainly one ought not fault the New Hampshire Episcopal Church for its desire to reach out to the hurting homosexual community – Jesus would certainly do no less – just as they argue.

But Jesus did not come to this earth to do the impossible act of saving people in their sins.

No, He came to rescue them (and us) from their sins and to restore them to fullness of life for now and for all eternity.

Please pray for the Episcopal and Anglican community during this time of testing as the truly honest in heart begin on a renewed search for the truth about God. (Click here to read about homosexuality)

     G122. “He’s got the whole world in his hands”! Nov. 11, 2003

“He’s got the whole world in his hands” is the title of a popular Christian hymn that has long brought comfort to many during their times of trial.

Many Californians are now wondering where “He” was during the firestorms that devastated three quarters of a million acres of brush-land and lush forest, destroyed more than 3500 homes, killed more than 20 people, and cost the nigh bankrupt government billions of dollars.

After the damage was done, THEN “He” sent the rain and snow to put out the fires!

Where was this powerful God when needed the most?

Were these events merely the consequence of what we humans have done to our environment – upsetting the balance of nature so drastically?

Were they the result of devils exercising their powers with the elements of nature in an effort to make God look bad?

Or were they really the acts of God?

We cannot know the answers to these kinds of questions, but what if God really did bring the winds that fanned the flames AND the rain and snow that quenched them – just to prove to an unbelieving, scientifically oriented generation that He is still God and still in control of the elements - as He has always claimed to be? (Click here to learn more about God and the Bible)

And what if His reason for doing so was, in love, to wake us up, to call us to confess our sins, and turn to Him with our WHOLE hearts?

     G121. Enron executive pleads guilty. Nov. 11, 2003

Two years after the powerful Enron energy corporation collapsed, executive criminals are finally being brought to justice.

First among the corporation’s chief executives is David W. Delainey, former chief of Enron’s wholesale and energy divisions.

In his guilty plea, Mr. Delainey admitted to inside trading and to the sale of millions of dollars of company shares at a time when he knew of company irregularities.

For his guilty plea, Mr. Delainey will pay about $8 million in civil and criminal penalties, face up to ten years in jail, and cooperate with ongoing criminal investigations of other Enron personnel.

Sometimes we humans view God as harsh and vindictive in his dealings with us, but this experience with Enron demonstrates the necessity for justice and retribution as a means of protecting the honest and innocent.

Indeed, when the final judgment of God is complete, all intelligent beings everywhere will bow before him and acknowledge His wisdom, justice and magnanimous love. (Click here to read about God's judgment)

Praise His worthy name.

     G120. Scientists create vaccine-evading viruses. Nov. 11, 2003

Scientists at St. Louis University in St. Louis, Mo. have bio-engineered a mouse-pox virus that is designed to evade vaccines.

If they can do it, so can terrorists – and if with mouse-pox, then also with human smallpox.

Mark Buller, chief scientist on the project, states that by studying how to create vaccine resistant viruses scientists can also learn ways to counter those viruses – either with other vaccines or with anti-viral medications.

Human small pox typically killed about one third of its victims prior to its elimination as a source of infection more than thirty years ago - though the virus still exists in laboratories in the U.S. and former Soviet Union – and possibly in terrorist’s hands.

Should the human pox virus be engineered to resist vaccine, scientists believe present research will prepare them to rapidly design treatment options for controlling the disease and its spread.

The research is not without risk however.

Knowledge thus gained becomes knowledge for terrorists too.

Likewise, the possibility of creating a “super-bug” that cannot be controlled or that claims many lives while searching for controls is real – not unlike the time it took to control the SARS epidemic.

     G119. It Is Written speaker to spearhead world evangelism. Nov. 3, 2003

Pastor Mark Finley, speaker/director of the award winning global telecast, It Is Written has accepted the post as field secretary for world evangelism in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The position is a natural for Pastor Finley who eats, sleeps and lives to lead hurting people to the healing benefits provided by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

From humble beginnings in New England, Pastor Finley and his wife Ernestine expanded their vision and outreach first to metropolitan Chicago where they experimented in urban evangelism and trained young pastors for their calling.

Later, while in Europe the Finley’s began preaching in Poland and the former Soviet Union, leading thousands to Christ during the last days of Communism and following its fall.

With such a burden to share the love of God with the world, it was only natural that the Finley’s would finally discover the power of televangelism – a medium that has allowed Pastor Finley to speak to millions in a weekly television program as well as through international broadcasting of evangelistic meetings held in strategic sites all over the world.

Please remember the Finley’s in prayer as they take up this new challenge to touch the world even more effectively for Jesus Christ and to prepare a people to meet the Lord upon his return to earth one day soon. (Click here to read Jesus' predictions for our time)

     G118. Fires rage out of control in Southern California. Nov. 3, 2003

Driven by hot, dry Santa Anna winds, devastating wild fires burn out of control in Southern California.

Hundreds of homes have already been destroyed and the death toll continues to rise.

Still, most of the fires remain less than 30% contained. (Click here to read Jesus' predictions about our day)

     G117. “Designer steroids” that avoid detection. Nov. 3, 2003

The U.S. Anti-doping Agency has discovered a “nutritional supplement” that until recently has defied identification on steroid screening exams.

Experts suspect that THG (tetrahydrogestrinone) may represent a new era of “designer steroids” created specifically so as to avoid detection.

Europe’s fastest runner has admitted to the use of THG. Other athletes have been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury investigating the agent.

Though exhibiting many of the same characteristics as other anabolic steroids, THG disintegrates in the testing process and fails to show up in the test.

Anabolic steroids are synthetic hormones that like the male hormone, testosterone, are believed to improve an athlete’s performance in competition.

With the discovery of THG we are once again reminded that competitive sports are no longer merely a test of one’s physical prowess, but of one’s cunning to escape detection as well. (Click here to read Jesus' predictions for our times)

Truly a sad day for the world of sports.

     G116. Terri Schiavo’s right to life – or death! Nov. 3, 2003

Terri Schiavo’s heart stopped 13 years ago, leaving Terri dependent upon tube feedings to keep her “alive”.

Since that fateful day Terri has been in a state that her doctors call a “persistent vegetative state”, meaning that though organ functions continue, she has no conscious capacities with which to speak and communicate.

Terri’s family of birth believes that she understands some things and tries to communicate with them.

They expect her to wake up one day from her prolonged sleep. Until then tube feedings, her lease to life, must be continued.

Her husband, on the other hand, states that Terri once told him, “If I’m gone, just let me go”. Based upon this expressed desire of his wife, Michael Schaivo has sought to have her feeding tube removed so that she can realize her wish.

Following a Court order to remove the feeding tube and let Terri die, Florida Governor Jeb Bush with legislative backing ordered the tube reinserted for resumption of feedings.

The question is this: Does Terri Schiavo have the right to life, as her birth family insist, or the right to die, as her husband argues she would desire? (She had not given advanced directives!)

It is interesting that much of the Christian world has supported Terri’s right to life whereas there is very little evidence in the Bible to support this position. Throughout the Bible, death is described as an interval of sleep while awaiting the resurrection into life everlasting at the return of Jesus, not something to be avoided at all cost. (Click here to read about the Bible position regarding death and dying)

Jesus healed many who were chronically ill, and raised a few to life from death, but never did he recommend or play a role in supporting anyone in what we now recognize as a “persistent vegetative state”.

And if we are honest, most of us living today would not choose to be maintained in that state were that choice given to us. (See Matthew 7:12)

How then can we desire such a tragedy upon those that we profess to love?

     G115. The new drug abuse craze. Nov. 3, 2003

Time was when street drugs were the big concern of public health and law enforcement officers.

Today it is prescription drugs – obtained without a legitimate prescription of course!

Teens, college kids, stressed out workers, and old-folks alike – all “pharming” (using prescription pharmaceuticals) for special effects – more than 14.5 million people report taking such drugs for non-medical purposes last year.

Pain pills, antidepressants, tranquilizers and stimulants lead the list of the rapidly escalating epidemic.

Aggressive advertising, careless prescribing practices by some physicians, and a growing public dependency upon pills for all types of ills all undoubtedly contribute to the availability of prescription drugs, but the easy access via more than 2000 domestic and foreign Internet web sites exceeds all of the rest.

Government agencies are now aggressively seeking ways to deal with the problem.

Unfortunately, all they can do is attempt to interrupt the flow by legislation and law enforcement – they have no power to heal the human heart or mend a broken spirit – the real root of the problem.

All such well intended agencies can do may be likened to placing “Band-aids” on gapping wounds.

Would that somehow, today’s hurting people might discover and apply the healing power of the gospel to the troubles of their lives. (Click here to read about God's desire for each one of us)

     G114. Ozone interferes with photosynthesis. Nov. 3, 2003

Scientists reporting in the journal, Nature, have discovered that high levels of ozone interfere with the process of photosynthesis in trees.

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants take carbon dioxide from the air and replace it with oxygen – thereby maintaining the proper balance of elements in the air.

Trees are an important resource for controlling excessive levels of carbon dioxide and its contribution to global warming.

Ozone is formed as the warm summer sun reacts with a variety of pollutants that we send up into the air from our factories, automobiles, etc.

In the study reported in Nature, carbon dioxide absorption was reduced by as much as 50% by high levels of ozone.

Recognizing the consequences of high levels of carbon dioxide and ozone in our atmosphere, and knowing the causes of those high levels, it would seem that intelligent creatures would find ways to curtail both – but we don’t!

Strange! Don’t you think?

What must our Creator think as He watches from his throne in the heavens while we knowingly destroy this beautiful earth home He made for us? (Psalms 103:19 & 102:19,20)

Will he sit and watch forever? Would you? (2 Peter 3:9,10,13)

     G113. Cubs and Red Socks loose! Oct. 28, 2003

Baseball’s Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Socks failed to get the necessary runs to defeat the Miami Marlins and New York Yankees respectively and win their exciting bids to play in the World Series.

What a few days before promised almost certain victory turned suddenly sour in the final games of the playoffs.

There will be no celebrations in Chicago and Boston this year.

Perhaps we should cry with the fans that are hurting during this time of loss.

If baseball is the only god known to its fans, certainly we owe them, as our fellow men, our sympathies during their period of sorrow – for we would desire no less from them.

If, on the other hand, our God is the Creator of the worlds and the Savior of the lost, it should seem idolatrous to give the time of day to the gods of baseball, or any professional sport – for the Bible speaks this truism, “we cannot serve two masters”.

Competitive sports tend by nature to focus upon and exalt self, whereas the Kingdom of Heaven calls us to love others as we love ourselves. (Click here to read about God's love for us)

To attempt to serve two opposing ideologies cannot but anticipate infidelity to either one or the other – for the evidence is clear that we humans take on the characteristics of those things we feed into our brain computers.

And we haven’t even considered the amount of time we dedicate to sports as compared to the time given to the worship of the God of heaven!

     G112. The “Mark of the Beast”? Oct. 28, 2003

For a number of years some Christians have warned of the coming of a time when everyone would be required to receive a “mark” on the forehead and on the hand.

Is this the time?

VeriChip Corporation has developed and is ready to market a chip that is embedded under the skin and used to access various secure areas.

A scanner mounted near the secure area emits a low frequency radio signal that is sensed by the VeriChip transponder chip. It then returns a signal, giving entrance of the person to the secure area.

With the technology established it is only a matter of time before it may be applied in any number of innovative ways to both track individuals and control their movements and activities.

The Bible clearly predicts a time before the return of Jesus when everyone will be required to receive an identification mark.

Any refusing to receive the mark will be subject to persecution and possible death.

A careful study of the Bible prophecy however reveals that the true mark described in the Bible is a symbolic mark describing the character of the person that controls his thoughts (his forehead) and his actions (his hand).

It is obvious to anyone following today’s news that we will all carry foolproof identification, whether by card or by VeriChip, but let us not fall into the deception and accept this as the mark of character described in the prophecy.

As so often happens, the powers of darkness often create counterfeits for the real thing. (Click here to read more)

     G111. The devil and the family! Oct. 28, 2003

One look at the recent news and one thing becomes very clear – the devil is out to destroy the human family.

Canada is on a one-way street toward establishing same-sex marriages.

In one of his last acts as governor of California, Gray Davis signed a bill giving gays essentially the same rights and privileges as married heterosexual couples.

A bill recognizing homosexual marriage has so far been blocked in Arizona, but the battles have not ended.

To his credit, U.S. President George Bush has stood straight and tall for the family and issued a proclamation in support of traditional marriage. To put money where his mouth was, he designated October 12-18 as Marriage Protection Week.

He said, "Marriage is a sacred institution, and its protection is essential to the continued strength of our society. Marriage Protection Week provides an opportunity to focus our efforts on preserving the sanctity of marriage and on building strong and healthy marriages in America. Marriage is a union between a man and a woman, and my Administration is working to support the institution of marriage."

But the devil fights on.

If we can’t have gay marriages, why not just do away with marriage entirely? – That would level the playing field – and that is the recommendation of the American Law Institute, a group of legal scholars and gay activists, in a statement entitled, “Principles of Family Dissolution”. (Click here to read about the devil's tactics)

     G110. Spare the rod, and spoil the child - OR! Oct. 28, 2003

To spare the rod and spoil the child or to abide by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is the issue now pending before the Canadian Supreme Court.

The Canadian Foundation for Children, Youth and the Law has challenged Canada’s Criminal Code justifying the use of corrective force by parents and teachers when indicated - claiming that it violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Canadian Supreme Court must now decide whether Canada will abide by the UN Convention as ratified in 1991 and criminalize physical discipline of children, or “split” with the Convention.

There is no question but what children are often the victims of terrible violence in today’s dysfunctional world.

Unfortunately, eliminating the God given responsibility of parents to discipline their children by physical means when necessary will not likely protect those kids that really need protection.

The dilemma is just one more example of the impossibly complex messes we humans get ourselves into when we ignore the principles of life given to us at the time of our Creation by a wise and loving God – a condition that will only be eliminated with the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (Click here to read prophecies about our times)

     G109. And then there were three! Oct. 28, 2003

China has joined the space “club” to make it three!

Trailing the United States and the former Soviet Union by decades, astronaut Yang Liwei has now jettisoned China into a path determined to close the space gap.

In the process, China will gain certain technological and financial benefits, but the most important benefit to be gained by her venture into space will be her prestige and international influence as a player on the world scene.

Shenzhou 6 will follow Shenzhou 5, and already, plans are well underway to set up a laboratory and station in space.

It is easy to rejoice with China’s space achievement.

We humans have always been intrigued by the beauty and magnitude of the heavens.

To experience this further step into space tickles that intrigue.

But the real thriller will be when Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords returns from space to complete the mission begun on Calvary’s Cross 2000 years ago. (Click here to read about that coming kingdom)

Judging by the events transpiring in the world around us, that day cannot be far hence – very possibly even before China has her space station up and running. 

     G108. A new case of AIDS every 14 seconds! Oct. 28, 2003

Every 14 seconds some young person somewhere in the world is becoming infected with AIDS.

Half of all new infections are in people below the age of 24, and the majority of them are girls and young women.

Unfortunately, misinformation or lack of information is the most frequent cause of infection.

For example, in Somalia, only a quarter of the girls have heard of AIDS, and only 1% know how to protect themselves from infection.

The UN and World Health Organization claim that apart from abstinence, condoms are the next most effective preventive aid.

On the other hand, leaders in the Catholic Church are condemning the use of condoms - making such claims that they do not prevent infection, that they are laced with HIV virus and actually cause infection, and that condoms are actually the reason for the world wide epidemic - not the choice means of prevention.

While it may be true that condoms have indirectly contributed to the AIDS epidemic in some countries by revolutionizing “free sex”, it is not likely the case in most places suffering the highest incidence. In those places condoms have had little or no effect on altering traditional sexual practices.

AIDS would never have become a problem if all people limited sexual relationships to one partner of the opposite sex throughout the lifetime as proscribed by our Creator God from the very beginning - and it is not going to go away until all people have seen their error, repented of it and turned to the Lord. (Click here to read about our times in prophecy)

Certainly abstinence of both partners is the only foolproof way to prevent the disease and ought to be the primary preventive strategy used by world health authorities.

      G107. Pakistan test-fires short-range missile. Oct. 13, 2003

Pakistan has resumed test firing of short-range missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads well into India - her biggest military threat.

Nor has her testing gone un-noticed.

While Pakistani President, General Pervez Musharraf, seeks to maintain Pakistan’s balance of power with India, satisfy America in her battle with Osama bin-laden and the Taliban terrorists, and bring religious moderation into Pakistani society, some are questioning his tactics.

At a time when the nation is spending mega-dollars on arms and ammunition, education is lacking and millions are poor and starving in his homeland.

One can only wonder what the dollars spent on arms could do if spent instead upon education and jobs for the masses of poor.

Of course, Pakistan is not unique in its warfare.

Just suppose all nations – including the United States – were to dedicate all of their military expenditures for education and work opportunities for the unemployed and hurting instead of war.

What would be its effect on our world?

What if just half of our military budget were spent that way?

When God called Jonah to go to Nineveh and warn its people, the record says that Nineveh repented and turned from her self centered ways.

What would our world look like if today we too would heed the call of God and repent?

      G106. Dead Sea, dying! Oct. 13, 2003

The Dead Sea, the saltiest body of water on planet earth, is dying for lack of water.

Normally supplied by the waters of the Jordan River originating far to the North in Mount Herman, the Dead Sea is dying of thirst as farmers draw off the water for irrigation along the way.

Currently, the Dead Sea is dropping at about three feet per year, and during the past fifty years has fallen nearly 90 feet, resulting in a decrease in area by nearly one third.

Famous for its therapeutic mineral baths and the buoyancy of its waters, visitors are attracted from all over the world.

It was along the southern portion of the sea where the infamous cities of Sodom and Gomorrah entertained heavenly visitors who responded to the cries of the hurting in that immoral society and came down to “check it out”.

And it was here that Lot’s wife, conditioned to the lure of wickedness and sexual immorality, was unable to give it up - and turning back from rescue, became a pillar of salt.

G105. Secure Identity card by 2006 in France. Oct. 13, 2003

France will have a “perfectly secure” ID card by 2006 according to Home secretary Nicolas Sarkozi.

The exact structure of the card is still in discussion, but it will contain a computer chip providing a digital authentication system and a public key infrastructure capable of maintaining confidentiality while guaranteeing authenticity of the cardholder.

Given the complexity and growing dishonesty of the peoples of our world, it is only a matter of time before all responsible government will be “forced” to create a similar ID for their own nations.

Illegal immigrants, terrorists, drug dealers, and ordinary consumers have adopted practices once confined to charlatans and crooks.

Because almost no one can be trusted to be true to their word, freedoms must be sacrificed

It’s just a sign of our times! (Click here to read more of these signs)

G104. Ozone hole getting larger and deeper and lasting longer. Oct. 13, 2003

The hole in the Ozone layer over the South Pole is larger and deeper and lasting later in the season than ever before.

Ozone is a natural product resulting from the action of the tropical sunlight upon oxygen high in the atmosphere.

It is in turn destroyed when the sun reacts with atmospheric contaminants such as refrigerants and aerosols as they ascend in the sky at the end of the cold polar winter.

The result of this destruction is the so-called “hole” that since the late 70’s has formed