A Page on the World: Secrets of the Kingdom

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A Page on the World: Secrets of the Kingdom




article by Cecil Maranville





Gerald Posner gives "the inside story of the Saudi-U.S. connection" (2005, ISBN 1-4000-6291-8).
http://www.worldcat.org/title/secrets-of-the-kingdom-the-inside-story-of-the-saudi-us-connection/oclc/58422730&referer=brief_results



Gerald Posner presents a detailed history of Saudi Arabia, "the House of Saud," focusing particularly on the unusual linkage between it and the United States from its creation through to the present. What he has to say isn't always flattering to either nation, but it is eye-opening. Much of current politics hinges upon a covenant that a sheik struck with a religious zealot nearly three centuries ago.



In the 1700s, the Arabian Peninsula was a desolate stretch of desert, broken by the occasional oasis and inhabited by many nomadic tribes that constantly battled each other for control of the sand.



At that time, a local tribesman named Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab tried to persuade all who would listen that they should follow a strict interpretation of Islam. He memorized the entire Koran by the age of 10, and then traveled to what is now Iraq and Iran to study Islamic law further. He returned to the peninsula to preach against paganism and to advocate a pure Muslim faith. His students called themselves mujahideen ("holy warriors"), and they condemned nonbelievers as infidels.



Their detractors referred to them as Wahhabis.



Wahhab had a militant political dimension to his preaching, which attracted the attention of the emir of a tiny oasis town, Ad Diriyah. That emir was Muhammad Saud. The two leaders "...swore a traditional Muslim mithaq, or covenant, promising to work together to establish a state based on the most austere Islamic principles. It was an oath that would change history."



Eventually, Saud subdued all other tribes, creating a kingdom. The West largely discounted it by the turn of the 20th century, expecting it to collapse from bankruptcy. In 1932, geologists discovered oil, and suddenly the Sauds were wealthy and their nation viable. From the beginning, the royals shared their wealth with the Wahhabis, funding religious training.



Initial oil exploration and production was under the control of an American company, which paid royalties to the Saudis, but took most of the profits. That changed in the 1970s, when the oil-producing nations formed OPEC and began a slow nationalization of oil production.



Angry at the Nixon administration for resupplying Israel after the Yom Kippur War, the kingdom led OPEC to raise the price of oil 70 percent in a single jump! Emboldened by what it perceived to be a weak response by the United States, King Faisal pushed OPEC to double its price of crude on top of that increase. Today, the increase of a few dollars per barrel makes headlines. Imagine, by comparison, the price of crude jumping from $65 to $110 overnight—and then, jumping again to over $220 per barrel!



The kingdom discovered the awesome political power of its oil. OPEC embargoed oil production to force the United Nations to pass resolution 242, which called upon Israel to withdraw from land captured in the 1967 war.



Not only could they influence world politics, the Saudis also could enrich themselves. Coincidental with the increase in the cost of a barrel of oil, their share of profits went up, because they were negotiating more and more ownership in the oil companies. Profits before 1973 were about $2 billion per year. After the end of the embargo in March 1974, their income ballooned to more than $l00 billion per year!



Recognizing the opportunity, the kingdom's chief Wahhabi cleric approached then King Faisal about using the mushrooming wealth to promote Wahhabism. The king agreed. With the Wahhabi leaders, he created the Muslim World League to spread Wahhabism, kicking it off with $50 million.



The king placed important ministries under Wahhabi direction, including education. The king himself was a bitter anti-Semite, believing that Jews were attempting to take over the world. In 1972, he told a reporter that when he was on a trip to Paris, police discovered five murdered Arab children, whose blood their Jewish killers drained to make matzo bread for Passover. He repeated this story to others as an illustration of the evils of Zionism.



Under Wahhabi oversight, all Saudi children received an education in anti-Semitism. "A mandatory Saudi textbook, Introduction to the Science of History, condemned Jews as intrinsically evil, and taught that they were a 'corrupt and deceitful' race. A 1968 conference of the Academy of Islamic Research had produced a body of virulent anti-Semitism from Muslim scholars, calling Jews a 'pest and plague,' 'cursed by Satan,' and 'thirsty for drinking more blood of Muslims'" (page 45).



Religious police rigorously enforced Islamic law. They patrolled the Safeway and A&P supermarkets, on the alert for unmarried couples shopping together, which was a "crime" punishable by three days in jail and 80 lashes.



The kingdom continued flexing its political influence, building a powerful pro-Arab lobby in Washington and pressuring the UN to give Yasser Arafat's PLO observer status.



As oil revenues increased, so also did funding for Wahhabi education, including schools outside the kingdom, called madrassas. By the mid-1990s, more than a million children outside the kingdom received a Wahhabi education in these schools, including some who later became Islamic terrorists. As the Saudis' largest customer, the United States contributed hundreds of billions of dollars over the years to the kingdom and, therefore, indirectly to the promotion of Wahhabi theology.



Posner details the profligacy of the royal family. He relates numerous anecdotes about the absurd abuse of wealth, including this one: On one occasion, the king purchased a new luxury automobile, merely because the one he had ran out of gas.



For decades, the royals consumed oil revenue as personal income, with almost nothing trickling down to the average citizen. Perhaps a sense of guilt encouraged them to promote the ultraconservative Wahhabism.



Posner also explains the delicate and controversial internal politics behind Saudi Arabia's invitation to the United States to base troops there in preparation for the first Gulf War. In spite of the great wealth the kingdom gained from doing business with America, it holds the country in contempt. Only the Saudis' fear of Saddam Hussein and/or Iran's Shiites overrunning their borders was stronger.



Given the current geopolitical scene, the latter issue should get our attention. Saudis, like most Muslims, are Sunnis. They do not appreciate Iranian President Ahmadinejad's nuclear saber-rattling, and they do not share his theological view of an end-time Mahdi.



In fact, Posner asserts, the Saudis have a doomsday plan, which would prevent anyone from profiting from their oilfields. They have conventional explosives packed around radiological material in their oilfields, pipelines and ports, which they can trigger should anyone overrun the country. Not only would the explosives destroy the infrastructure, but also the radiological material (essentially, a number of "dirty bombs") would contaminate the sand, as well as the oil and natural gas it contains, for generations to come.



Moreover, they have an underground city beneath Riyadh, built to withstand nuclear, radiological, biological and chemical attacks, for the purpose of allowing the royal family and its billions to survive, even if the nation did not.



Lastly, the Saudis, in turn, invested hundreds of billions of their oil revenues into the American economy. President Bush said recently that America was addicted to Arab oil. It is also addicted to Arab investments. Saudi investments are responsible for several hundreds of thousands of American jobs. WNP

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Extraterrestrial Life: What Does the Bible Say?

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Extraterrestrial Life: What Does the Bible Say?

article by David Treybig





Humans have long searched the heavens for signs of other life. Is there life out there? Is there a way to know for sure?







Most of the world is markedly ignorant of the extraterrestrial life to which the pages of the Bible so abundantly testify.



Source: Photos.comHumanity is fascinated with the concept of extraterrestrial life. Many wonder if intelligent life residing somewhere else in the universe is busy watching us develop. We want to know who we are and if there is anything (or anyone) else out there that resembles us.



Interest in contact with aliens is not just the grist of science fiction but a real-life passion for many devoted to the search for other life forms. When a job transfer put me near Roswell, New Mexico, I soon learned of July 4, 1947, the date of an alleged crash landing of an alien ship a few miles northwest of the city. The next day's newspaper reported that the commander of the nearby U.S. Army base confirmed that a "flying saucer" had indeed crashed into the desert the previous evening.



Rumors circulated that on board the craft had been aliens who had died in the crash. On the second day, however, the commander said the crash was simply a downed weather balloon.



Another report, released in June 1997, just days before the 50th-anniversary extravaganza staged by local residents, said that what some thought had been dead aliens were only test dummies.



The search for life

Of course, man's curiosity has not been limited to stories about flying saucers. Reporting on a radio-telescope project, an article in U.S. News & World Report said recently: "In 1960, Project Ozma in West Virginia began its quest to detect alien radio signals. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration committed $100 million to a formal mission-the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence-but so far, no word has come from out there" (Victoria Pope, "Is There Life on Other Planets?," August 25, 1997).



The article also stated: "Space exploration hasn't turned up life, either. When NASA's Viking landers examined Mars two decades ago, they found a dry, sterile environment. Venus was a blazing inferno. It was only the images from the Galileo spacecraft that raised a slight hope of finding suitable conditions for life elsewhere in our solar system: Jupiter's moon Europa appeared to have an ocean of liquid water covered with pack ice."



More recently NASA's Pathfinder has sent back pictures of Mars that show a rocky desert terrain devoid of any surface vegetation or other signs of life. Now attention is turning to what might be below the surface of the red planet. Scientists wonder whether they should be looking for types of microbes similar to ones on earth that can live in extreme conditions such as searing heat, salt and high pressure.



An alleged martian meteorite recovered in Antarctica containing microscopic wormlike structures generates more questions. Are these structures fossils of earthlike bacteria? Are they just the result of mineral or geologic processes that didn't involve life-forms? Is it possible that life like ours once began on Mars, only to die out later?



Although new possibilities and questions continue to arise as quickly as old ones are rejected, one simple fact remains: We have no scientific evidence of intelligent life beyond this planet.



Comparing science and the Bible

Missing in this discussion is information that has been disallowed by the scientific method, which discards any information that cannot be verified or disproved by observation or experimentation.



That missing information is found in the Bible. The scientific approach generally leads to rejection of biblical facts and statements about other intelligent life, because science cannot prove those statements. This isn't necessarily the fault of science; it simply is the way the scientific discipline was established and functions. Of course, we can rely on something science has proven. But, like most things, even science has its limitations.



When the Bible reveals something of a spiritual nature, such information is often beyond the level of science. Science is often incapable of proving or disproving what is stated. The Bible describes this kind of information as revealed knowledge, or knowledge we cannot discover through human effort alone.



An interesting example of this is found in Matthew 16. Here, Jesus asked His disciples what people were saying about Him. The answers varied. Then He asked: "'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven'" (Matthew 16:15-17 [15] He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

[16] And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

[17] And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.





See All...).



Understanding Jesus Christ's identity as the Son of God is not scientific; it is not in the flesh-and-blood realm, proven through a microscope or telescope. This kind of knowledge is beyond science. In His conversation with Peter, Jesus affirmed that only God reveals this kind of knowledge. This revealed knowledge is the missing component in man's desire to understand his place in the universe. Without it, man will forever be left with a string of unanswered questions and endless possibilities.



Of course, not all who claim revealed knowledge actually have it. Occasionally we learn of cultlike small groups that claim to have secret knowledge of the unknown. When tragedy results, like the recent mass suicide of the Heaven's Gate group near San Diego, many are inclined to dismiss all revealed knowledge.



The difference between these groups and the Bible is the source of their information. Even large, long-established religious assemblies have shown their inadequacies in interpreting and explaining the Bible and attempting to represent God's revealed will. All groups have fallible human leaders, while the Bible contains the very words of God Himself. As 2 Timothy 3:16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:



See All... tells us, "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God." Its authority is unassailable, whereas speculation of individuals remains just that-speculation.



The Bible has answers

So what can we learn from Scripture about extraterrestrial life and man's place in the universe? The Bible reveals that there is extraterrestrial intelligent life, but not as many suppose. The Bible does not speak of aliens who live on other planets, but it does speak of a Spirit Being who "inhabits eternity" (Isaiah 57:15For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.



See All...).



The Bible is silent about extraterrestrial life-forms as popularized in science fiction and the entertainment media, yet it is by no means silent about real extraterrestrial life in all its great abundance. The beings spoken of in the Bible are real. They have appeared and spoken directly to humans (Genesis 3:9-10 [9] And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

[10] And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.





See All...; 4:9; 16:9). The Bible records the existence of many millions of angelic beings (Revelation 5:11And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;



See All...) who are "ministering spirits" to mankind in fulfillment of God's purpose (Hebrews 1:13-14 [13] But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?

[14] Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?





See All...).



The first verse of the Bible introduces us to the ultimate Spirit Being: God. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.



See All...). It presents two pieces of revealed knowledge beyond the realm of science. The first is the existence of God. The second is found in the word created, a translation of the Hebrew word bara.



"This verb is of profound theological significance, since it has only God as its subject. Only God can 'create' in the sense implied by bara. The verb expresses creation out of nothing, an idea seen clearly in passages having to do with creation on a cosmic scale..." ( Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, "Create").



The concept of bringing the universe into existence from nothing is completely outside the parameters of scientific observation and experimentation. Science tells us a great deal about matter that already exists. It tells us that matter can change shapes and form. But science cannot account for the appearance of something that previously did not exist. It can only theorize about possible explanations for how everything we see around us came to exist from nothing.



We see this even in the various theories for the evolution of life into the myriad forms we see today-all start by assuming that matter already existed.



The Bible vs. evolution

In the face of this fundamental deficiency, some have tried to blend revealed knowledge with scientific theory in what is known as theistic evolution, or a belief that God made matter and then allowed evolution to shape life. In a monumental announcement the Roman Catholic Church recently agreed that life as we know it may have come about in this way.



Theistic evolution, however, is not the simple bridge between the spiritual and the physical worlds many would like. There are simply too many conflicts. The Bible, for example, reveals that God formed Adam from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.



See All...), not by evolutionary happenstance.



Scientific limitations aside, the apostle Paul said, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse" (Romans 1:20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:



See All..., New International Version).



Science acknowledges that we live on planet Earth, but in rejecting revealed knowledge it can provide no absolutes about how our world came to be. In contrast, Paul said this beautiful planet, with its many sophisticated, interwoven relationships among its intricate array of life-forms, is testimony to God's existence.



The Bible further says, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God'" (Psalm 14:1(To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.) The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.



See All...; 53:1). Why would anyone reject revealed knowledge simply because it did not meet humanly imposed limitations? Paul, speaking of man's moral decline, explains: "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools" (Romans 1:21-22 [21] Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

[21] Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

[22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

[22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,





See All..., NIV).



Mankind desperately needs the revealed knowledge that only the Bible can provide. Through the pages of this divinely inspired book, we learn not only about extraterrestrial intelligent life (God and the angelic realm), but how this planet and we humans came to be-and what God has in store as our ultimate destiny.



A scientist's last words

The late Carl Sagan was respected worldwide as one of this century's greatest scientists. His many credentials included his tenure as the David Duncan professor of astronomy and space sciences and director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University. He also wrote 30 books and served as an adviser to NASA on the Mariner , Voyager and Viking unmanned space missions.



Before dying from a rare disease in December 1996, he penned these words: "Six times now have I looked Death in the face. And six times Death has averted his gaze and let me pass. Eventually, of course, Death will claim me-as he does each of us. It's only a question of when. And how.



"I've learned much from our confrontations-especially about the beauty and sweet poignancy of life, about the preciousness of friends and family, and about the transforming power of love...



"I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But as much as I want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than wishful thinking" ( Billions & Billions, Random House, New York, 1997, p. 214).



Although he excelled in scientific endeavors as few others have ever done, Sagan's otherwise expansive outlook was in many ways shackled by the scientific method to which he had devoted his life. This remarkable man had not come to trust in the revealed knowledge of the Bible-promises that human beings can eventually "be like" their Creator (1 John 3:1-2 [1] Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

[2] Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.





See All...) and take on His "divine nature" (2 Peter 1:2-4 [2] Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

[3] According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

[4] Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.





See All...).



From the outset the Bible describes man as created "in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.



See All...). The profound ramifications of this concept are discussed and described throughout the rest of the Bible.



Whether human beings understand these things or not, the Bible promises that "the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken" (Isaiah 40:5And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.



See All..., NIV). In due time this will come to pass. The Good News is dedicated to sharing this revealed knowledge found within the Bible.



The Bible is silent about extraterrestrial life, as it is popularly conceived, in other parts of the universe. At the same time, most of the world is markedly ignorant of the extraterrestrial life to which the pages of the Bible so abundantly testify. Mankind is also largely ignorant of the incredible future potential God has in store for human beings "out there."



There is indeed life out there-and your destiny is to become part of it if you so choose! GN

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In the News: Yoga's a Stretch - and Then Some

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

In the News: Yoga's a Stretch - and Then Some

article by Amanda Stiver





A study has found that the physical exercises in the discipline of yoga, an ancient practice of stretching and meditation from India, help to relieve pain in the lower back—but that there is no evidence that the meditation element of yoga increases relief.







Source: Photos.comThe study was initiated by the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and led by Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, Washington.



Low back pain sufferers were assigned to stretching classes or yoga classes or home book-based self-care. Both the stretching classes and the yoga classes were equally effective at eliminating the back pain, suggesting that the stretching aspect of yoga provides the most benefit, not the meditative portion (Jennifer Dooren, "Yoga May Help Low Back Pain. Mental Effects? Not So Much," The Wall Street Journal , Oct. 25, 2011).



Meditation is something the Bible encourages us to do, but not the transcendental meditation often associated with yoga in which, through the help of breathing exercises, the mind is emptied—which can open the mind to wrong spiritual influence. Christian meditation is restful but involves actively thinking about the ways, teachings, laws and words of the Bible as inspired by God.



From a Christian perspective, there are problems with even the physical practices of yoga. Hindu tradition asserts that the first teacher of yoga was the destroyer god Shiva—Lord of Yoga. The postures and hand positioning have pagan symbolic meaning, and some are prayer positions of pagan worship. The body positioning is supposedly to channel spiritual energies. For instance, the bodily exercises of the popular Hatha-yoga are intended to suppress the flow of energies on either side of the spine to force the kundalini (serpent power) to rise from the base of the spine through the spinal energy channel to ultimately be united with Shiva at the crown of the head. There may be nothing to this, but demons do operate within pagan religion (1 Corinthians 10:20But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.



See All...). In any case, the whole system is part of pagan ritual.



To avoid all this, find a stretching class or routine with no connection to yoga.

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China: Cooperation or Conflict?

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China: Cooperation or Conflict?




article by Rod Hall





Concern is growing over China's increasing assertiveness and conflicts with other nations. What is behind the Asian Dragon's growing aggressiveness, and where does Bible prophecy say this will lead?







Soldiers with the People's Liberation Army at Shenyang training base in China.



Source: United States Air ForceThe amazing economic, political and military transformation of the People's Republic of China is rapidly pushing it into the realm of superpower status. Over the past 30 years it has been the world's fastest-growing economy with an average annual increase of 10 percent.



China recently passed Japan in becoming the second greatest economic power behind America, and it overtook Germany as the number one exporting country. It's still far behind the United States in terms of GDP—$5.9 trillion vs. $14.7 trillion. Nevertheless, it's now ousting America as the world's biggest manufacturer—a position the United States has held for 110 years. Chinese manpower is vast. Consider that while China is about the geographic size of America, it has more than four times the population—1.3 billion people or nearly a fifth of humanity.



Moreover, "according to the latest IMF [International Monetary Fund] official forecasts, China's economy will surpass that of America in real terms in 2016—just five years from now" ("IMF Bombshell: Age of America Nears End," MarketWatch, April 25, 2011).



Will this burgeoning global colossus cooperate with America and the West, or will its growing influence lead to greater conflict or even war?



The drophead of an article in The Economist says, "China and America are bound to be rivals, but they do not have to be antagonists" ("The Dangers of a Rising China," Dec. 2, 2010). "But the two mistrust each other," the article states, "China sees America as a waning power that will eventually seek to block its own rise. And America worries about how Chinese nationalism, fueled by rediscovered economic and military might, will express itself." Just where is all of this heading?



Will the new China fit in or become a threat

The impact of the revolutionary changes underway inside China are felt worldwide and are creating a new self-identity—a potent mix of past greatness, recent humiliation, present achievement and future supremacy.



As China transitions into a world power, another article in The Economist asks: "Will it broadly fit in with the Western world, as a place where people want nothing more than a chance to succeed? Or . . . will China become a threat—an angry country set on avenging past wrongs and forcing others to bend to its will?



"China's choice of role, says Jim Steinberg, America's deputy secretary of state, is ‘the great question of our time.' The peace and prosperity of the world depends on which path it takes" ("Brushwood and Gall," Dec. 2, 2010, emphasis added throughout).



Of course it's wise to remember that China is no stranger to conflict. Since 1949 China has had military skirmishes with Russia and has fought against United Nations actions in Korea, India and Vietnam.



According to Foreign Affairs, available data shows "China as the only major power that has been more violent than Muslim states; in crises, it has used force at a rate more than four times as high as that of the United States" (Richard Betts, "Conflict or Cooperation? Three Visions Revisited," Nov.-Dec. 2010).



Conflicts in the South China Sea

As relations grow worse, so does the potential for conflicts. China's rising hard and soft global power is felt most directly in Southeast Asia, where it's trying to create a more dominant sphere of influence than America's. But many of China's 14 neighboring countries remain uneasy about the prediction of a "Chinese century" and hotly dispute its claim to much of the South China Sea.



China sees the shadowy hand of America exerting its influence in an effort to contain and limit its rise, which is something it says it will not permit. The wealth of these Asian countries depends on China while their security currently depends on America, so which way will they turn?



China has joined more than 50 intergovernmental and 1,000 international nongovernmental organizations, including ASEAN Plus Three. ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) recently became China's third-largest trading partner.



"But reasonable China sometimes gives way to aggressive China," says The Economist ("The Dangers of a Rising China," Dec. 2, 2010).



"In March [2010], when the North [i.e., North Korea] sank a South Korean warship, killing 46 sailors, China failed to issue any condemnation. A few months later it fell out with Japan over some Chinese fishermen, arrested for ramming Japanese coastguard vessels around some disputed islands—and then it locked up some Japanese businessmen and withheld exports of rare earths vital for Japanese industry. And it has forcefully reasserted its claim to the Spratly and Paracel Islands and to sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Sea" (ibid.).



China did act quickly to help Japan with disaster relief following the recent earthquake and tsunami, but conflicts remain.



"The danger is that spats and rows will sour relations between China and America, just as the friendship between Germany and Britain crumbled in the decades before the first world war" (ibid.).



Other potential flashpoints

North Korea, Taiwan and various trade disputes are other areas of possible conflict.



China is North Korea's only real ally and primary benefactor. The United States continues to call on China to do more to halt North Korea's provocative behavior and meet international obligations. The Americans recently accused China of "enabling" North Korea to start a uranium-enrichment program and to launch attacks on South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island—the first strike on civilians since the Korean War (1950-53). The North even threatened to use nuclear weapons.



If war breaks out between the two Koreas, it would likely involve the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in the South, and China may back the aggressor as it did during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.



Then there's China's claim to the island nation of Taiwan (which continued as the Republic of China after the communist revolution established the People's Republic of China over the mainland). "If the two Koreas share the world's scariest land border, the Taiwan Strait is its scariest sea passage. [Communist] China's insistence on reunification is absolute," says The Economist ("Friends, or Else," Dec. 2, 2010). While increased air travel and a new free-trade agreement are signs of improving relations, in a military conflict America would likely feel compelled to come to Taiwan's aid.



As for concerns over trade conflicts, "Chinese companies are scouring the globe for the raw materials they need. Already China is Saudi Arabia's biggest customer. It imports about half of the oil it burns, a share that will rise to two-thirds by 2015 and four-fifths by 2030. China cares what happens in the countries that supply it . . . One reason why China is now building an ocean-going navy is to protect its raw materials and goods from embargoes. This reflects a lack of faith in the global trading system, part of an underlying fear that the West is fundamentally hostile to China's prosperity" ("Less Biding and Hiding," The Economist, Dec. 2, 2010).



Growing military might

As the potential for conflicts grows, so does China's military might. The Chinese have the world's second largest navy and the largest standing army—more than 2.25 million troops (plus some 1.17 million paramilitary and reserves).



Over the past decade military expenditures have grown about 10 percent annually, reaching almost $100 billion a year, second only to America. The country has also been modernizing its missiles, submarines, radar, cyber-warfare and anti-satellite weapons.



The Economist reports a few areas that stand out. One is "what the Pentagon calls ‘the most active land-based ballistic- and cruise-missile programme in the world' . . . They are also improving their medium-range ballistic missiles able to carry either conventional or nuclear warheads and deploy several hundred air and land-launched long-range cruise missiles" ("The Fourth Modernisation," Dec. 2, 2010).



Furthermore, "China has transformed and enlarged its submarine fleet. China has about 66 submarines against America's 71, though the American boats are superior" (ibid.). Some estimate they will have 85 to 100 by 2030. "What does this amount to? Military experts in America, Australia and Japan think China's new arsenals are a greater threat than its higher-profile plans to launch aircraft-carriers in the next decade or so . . . Ultimately, China seems to want to stop the American fleet from being able to secure its interests in the western Pacific" (ibid.).



Key prophetic relationships: Russia and India

In addition to building its military capacity, China is also developing closer relations with key countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Its relationships with Russia and India will also likely continue to grow.



Bible prophecy indicates that nations north and east of Jerusalem will engage in a major end-time conflict with a group of 10 European powers led by what the prophet Daniel calls the "king of the North" (Daniel 11:40-44 [40] And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.

[41] He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.

[42] He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

[43] But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

[44] But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.





See All...). The book of Revelation calls this leader, as well as the union he rules over, "the beast" (Revelation 17:12-14 [12] And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

[13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

[14] These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.





See All...).



Russia is the major power north of Jerusalem, while India, China and other Asian countries lie east. According to Ezekiel 38 and 39, these and other Asian nations will fight together against Jesus Christ shortly after He establishes His rule on the earth and restores the people of Israel to their homeland. So it fits well that these northern and eastern forces would be in alliance shortly before His coming as well. Indications are that they will respond with overwhelming military force to the overt military actions of the king of the North as his forces move into the Middle East.



Russia today continues to be China's leading provider of arms, and joint military exercises have been conducted between these nations for the past five years. Even the legislative bodies of the two countries, the Russian Duma and National People's Congress, announced they will begin building a "stronger China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination" (Xinhua News Agency, Dec. 2, 2010).



Ties with India are also growing. Historically, China and India have enjoyed thousands of years of relative peace between them, and now joint trade has been growing at about 46 percent annually over the past five years—reaching $60 billion. For the last four years they have conducted joint military exercises. India has the world's second largest military (1.3 million, plus nearly twice as many paramilitary and reserves) and second largest population (1.2 billion). It also has 60 to 80 nuclear weapons.



Devastating end-time events

In the short run, says The Economist about China's rise, "the most likely outcome is a more assertive China that wants to get more done abroad without fundamentally upsetting the world order. On sensitive territorial issues where the [ruling communist] party's credentials are at stake, China may be uncompromising and increasingly unreasonable . . . How easily will the world accommodate this more assertive China? . . . Asian security will be determined not just by how China uses its new strength but by how other countries react to it" ("Less Biding and Hiding").



Bible prophecy gives no specific indication of a major conflict between China and America. But it does reveal that America's power will fade (Leviticus 26:16-19 [16] I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

[17] And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

[18] And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.

[19] And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:





See All...) while European and Asian powers are destined to rise, building toward critical end-time events.



With the blowing of the sixth of the "seven trumpets" in the book of Revelation (8:6), a huge 200-million-man army will arise from lands to the east of the Euphrates River (Revelation 9:13-19 [13] And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

[14] Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

[15] And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

[16] And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

[17] And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

[18] By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

[19] For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.





See All...). That's about double the nearly 100 million troops mobilized on all sides during World War II.



The resulting engagement will kill a third of mankind and may involve weapons of mass destruction (verses 18-19).



These events are followed by what appears to be a second phase of the overall operation as Revelation 16:12And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.



See All... reveals: "Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared." Notice that the forces of multiple eastern rulers are involved.



The ultimate outcome of these major events is Jesus Christ intervening in divine power to save humanity from complete self-annihilation as the armies of the earth gather at Armageddon (verse 16; Matthew 24:22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.



See All...). Then Jesus will establish His rule on the earth at long last, ushering in a thousand years of peace (see Revelation 20:6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.



See All...; Isaiah 2:2-4 [2] And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

[3] And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

[4] And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.





See All...). The Chinese, as all people, will at that time be led to follow God and pursue peace and cooperation with the rest of humankind.

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Language For The Culture Wars

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

Language For The Culture Wars


by Darris McNeely




Source: Martin Strachoň / Wikimedia CommonsChange the terms, remove the stigma of shame, and all behavior is equal. That's what is happening with two critical issues today.



Last night I was watching Bill O'Reilly on Fox News. He was discussing the culture wars and specifically why traditional voices are losing the battle on two key issues: abortion and same-sex marriage. Since I am not a regular viewer of the program, but am always watching the ongoing culture wars, I stopped to hear what he had to say.



On the subject of abortion, he brought up a key fact I did not know. Science, he said, has confirmed that at the moment of conception in the female, human DNA is present. That being the case, there is a "human presence" from that instant. We are then talking about life and what will eventually develop into a distinct human throughout nine months of gestation.



This is consistent with our stand on abortion here at Beyond Today. Life begins at conception. Abortion is the taking of human life. Abortion is murder. We covered this in a recent Beyond today program entitled, The Sanctity of Life . O'Reilly even showed recent polls indicating more people are pro-life today than just a few years ago.



The terms used in the abortion debate have completely altered the reality of what is being done. Call the unborn child "fetal tissue" and you depersonalize the matter. Argue for "women's rights" and you ignore the right of the child. Hide the destruction of human life behind the term "pro choice" and you don't have to worry about guilt. Change the terms and there is no sin.



The second half of the discussion dealt with same-sex marriage. Here, the "Bible thumpers" are losing the argument, he said, and I totally agree with him—and I am a Bible thumper. I concede that this argument is over in America. Polls show a majority of people accept that gays and lesbians are due equal rights when it comes to marriage. Recent arguments before the United States Supreme Court seek to establish as a constitutional right and at the same time redefine the traditional definition of marriage. They seek the overturning of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).



My colleague here at Beyond Today Media, Mitchell Moss , has been writing on the subject of same-sex marriage and attracting a bit of attention for the effort. We are discussing these hot subjects with fascination. American culture has radically changed in the past ten years. It became very clear after the elections of last November that the nation has passed a point in tolerance for personal morality that was once considered sin.



I fully understand the arguments being made for same sex-marriage are in the civil arena. The Biblical or religious morality of the issue is not even admitted into the debate. It is an unfortunate reality that no Supreme Court justice is going to ask that a friend of the court briefing from the writings of the Apostle Paul on homosexuality be admitted for the justices to consider (what an interesting thought—best saved for another blog post).



However, being a "Bible thumper," I am concerned. That the Biblical view has been pushed out of the public discussion is a bad omen for the future. Make no mistake, the Bible condemns homosexual behavior in clear terms. The Bible also condemns adulterous behavior between heterosexual couples. It also condemns fornication (a completely unknown term to most today), which is sex outside of the marriage covenant. Lastly, the Bible gives clear teaching that marriage between a man and a woman is God's original intent. It does not take a Bible scholar to read the book and understand all the above, despite the ignorant and misinformed ideas to the contrary!



This Bible thumper has diminishing patience for the lack of clear thinking founded upon a Biblical morality. That same book has something to say about the patience God has for a nation saturated in sin—another unknown term for a modern world.

Life Lessons: Three Traits to Avoid when Looking for a Husband

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

Life Lessons: Three Traits to Avoid when Looking for a Husband


by Gary Petty






Source: Photos.comWhen my daughters were teens I told them to be particularly aware of three traits in a boy because these traits influence what kind of man he would become.



Points to build on

1. How does he treat his parents?



Proverbs 19:26He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.



See All... "He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother is a son who causes shame and brings reproach."



Proverbs 28:24Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer.



See All... "Whoever robs his father or his mother, And says, 'It is no transgression,' The same is companion to a destroyer."



Proverbs 30:17The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.



See All... "They eye that mocks his father, And scorns obedience to his mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it."



2. Is he cruel to animals?



Proverbs 12:10A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.



See All... "The righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel."



3. How does he treat those whom he sees as weaker than himself?



Proverbs 14:31He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.



See All... "He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy."



Application

These principles apply to any woman looking for a good husband. No matter how attractive, charming or rich a man may be, if he mistreats his parents; is cruel to animals; and oppresses those who he sees as weak he will do the same to his wife and children.







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Russian Resurgence in a Unipolar World

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Russian Resurgence in a Unipolar World






article by Cecil Maranville





Russia is a superpower no longer, so what is behind President Putin’s bold actions toward Hamas, Iran, Eastern Europe and China? Russia will play a critical role in geopolitics and globalization in the 21st century. No longer a superpower, it is still a superplayer.



A self-confident Vladimir Putin took a reporter's tough question head-on last February. The question had to do with whether Moscow was using its control of natural gas supplies as a political tool. The reporter was referring to the Russian company Gazprom, which forced Ukraine to accept a huge price increase in January. Because the Kremlin owns a controlling interest in the giant oil and gas company, Gazprom's policies are Russia's polices.



Russia wants membership in the World Trade Organization, which would not look favorably on what amounts to Russian imperialism, meddling in the Ukraine to hobble its pro-Western government.



But rather than step back from that impression, Putin shot back to the reporter's question: "We still have plenty of nuclear rockets, too!" (Owen Matthews, "Russian Nukes Redux," Newsweek International, Feb. 13, 2006). Such bravado would hardly comfort the WTO. He added that new Russian missiles were capable of out-maneuvering any missile-defense system. The last comment was for Washington, as the United States is the only nation with such a system.



Putin's speech played well to the Russians, with whom he remains popular (he won his second term with 70 percent of the vote; his closest rival received only 14 percent), but it's all for show. In reality, the new missiles are only in the development stage, and the rockets and submarines needed to launch the missiles are themselves nearly past their period of usefulness.



A decade from now, according to Russian security expert Dr. Aleksei Arbatov, "Russia is likely to have just 500 warheads...to America's 2,000 state-of-the-art nukes" (ibid.).



So, nuclear arms aren't what makes Russia a player on the world scene. Energy is the key.



Not nukes, but energy



President Putin makes no secret of the fact that he would dearly like to steer Russia back into the ranks of the world's leading nations. Russia was a superpower in terms of nuclear capability, never economically. The nation remains poor, but that is in the process of changing—slowly.



Energy resources are a large part of that story. Gazprom is Russia's largest company and the largest gas-producing company in the world. As Russia's constitution requires that Putin step down at the end of his second term (only two years from now), some speculate that he would like to take the helm of Gazprom.



The company is destined to become even larger. Gazprom has or is in the process of signing deals with China, India, Japan, Korea, Italy, Germany, France, Iran, Britain, Austria, Belgium, Turkey, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Ukraine, Belarus and the United States. It hopes to be a major supplier to the United States, providing up to 20 percent of America's liquefied natural gas needs within a decade or so. In our energy-starved world, Gazprom's oil and gas are in high demand. (That's right—oil. Few realize that Russia is the world's second largest producer of black gold.)



The 2004 tragic terrorist attack on a Belsan school that left hundreds of students dead was a watershed event in Russia. Afterwards, Putin tightened the reins of federal power. Russian citizens liked the move, for it seems that they prefer a strong central government.



Shortly after Belsan, Putin announced Moscow would appoint provincial governors, rather than have provincial elections choose them. Shortly thereafter, Putin supporters in the Duma (the Russian parliament) introduced a law to that effect. The Russian president proposes the governors, and their respective legislatures approve or disapprove. Although widely criticized outside Russia as an autocratic move, Putin shook off the complaints.



When President George Bush publicly criticized what he called the rolling back of freedoms in Russia, Putin angrily lashed back, accusing the United States of attempting to enforce its personal vision of democracy on the rest of the world—a not-so-subtle slam on the American role in democratizing Afghanistan and Iraq.



Former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said recently that he sees his country becoming more and more like a dictatorship, reflecting upon state control of business and manipulation of the judiciary and the media.



Oppose the United States any way it can



Russia annoyed much of the Western world by inviting the newly elected Hamas leaders of the Palestinian government to Moscow for "talks." It was a symbolic move that could only help raise the stature of Hamas. So why would Russia do such a thing? It is but another illustration of the desire of Putin's Russia to be a major player in the world's geopolitics again.



The recent translation of two Iraqi documents dated on the eve of the 2003 war revealed that the Russian ambassador relayed detailed intelligence on the American-led coalition's battle plans and force strength to Saddam Hussein's government. Russia seems to be willing to oppose the United States anywhere that it can, just as it did in the Cold War. Moscow is clearly smarting under the dominance of the world's only superpower.



Another poke in America's eye was Russia's out-of-the-blue offer to Tehran to provide the Iranians with the enriched uranium they would require to fuel their Russian-built reactors. The offer temporarily sidetracked Washington's tough stance against Iran's ambitions.



Furthermore, Russia has been working for several years to improve its relationships with the Islamic world. Even though the Iranians turned down Russia's offer of enriched uranium, Russian stock in the eyes of Muslims went up. And it helped its image even more by making it clear to the other members of the United Nations Security Council that it would veto a move to sanction Iran.



If the Iranian crisis leads to war, Russia would still benefit, because the price of oil would go up. And, unlike Saudi Arabia, Russia does not need the use of the Strait of Hormuz to export its product (it uses pipelines and railroad tank cars).



SCO



Lastly, we need to look at the SCO, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Formed by Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in 2001, this intergovernmental organization is little known in the West. Yet we are likely to hear more and more of it in the future.



Kazakhstan holds huge oil reserves that the United States would like to tap. It's also strategically located for oil pipelines.



Uzbekistan was a critical link in the U.S. military's toppling of Taliban-led Afghanistan, allowing the Americans to establish a base there, only 90 miles north of the Afghanistan border. But last year, Uzbekistan—under pressure from fellow SCO members—told the Americans to leave.



SCO is not a military alliance, but it does deal with security issues, enabling intergovernmental cooperation on pursuing, apprehending and prosecuting drug dealers, terrorists and other criminals. It is also a common market of sorts, facilitating business between central Asian countries.



No one paid much attention to the SCO when it began, but now that it is well established, Washington and NATO are taking notice. Washington recently asked for observer status at SCO's annual meeting, but the group rebuffed the request.



SCO just announced it would extend invitations to four more countries to become members: Mongolia, India, Pakistan—and Iran. Iran's deputy foreign minister said this move "'...could make the world more fair.' And he spoke of building an Iran-Russian 'gas-and-oil-arc' by coordinating their activities as energy producing countries" (M.K. Bhadrakumar, "China, Russia Welcome Iran Into the Fold," Asia Times, April 18, 2006).



An Iran-Russia energy alliance would be a formidable economic force. But there is a more immediate potential consequence to SCO's invitation to Iran to become a member.



With the International Atomic Energy Agency report to the UN Security Council about Iran's nuclear program due at the end of the April, Iran's membership in this regional security organization affords it some credibility in debunking the U.S. assertion that it is a member of an "axis of evil." Iran can say to the world, "Here's proof that we are a responsible regional power."



As we go to press, the SCO announced that their members would hold joint military exercises in 2007.



Where these developments fit into the prophetic grid



Russia's "spoiler mentality" toward the United States does not itself threaten the latter as a superpower. But Moscow can certainly thwart American plans for Central Asian energy sources, which at the least will make energy more expensive for American consumers. At the worst, it could give Russia control over a sizable percentage of U.S. energy supplies.



And in the long term, Russia's inclinations will help to strengthen China's economic muscle, which many analysts are forecasting will present ever-increasing competition to the United States. Russian energy is critical to the continuing evolution of the European Union, which is the other primary competitor to the United States. Finally, Russia's efforts to improve its relationships with Muslim countries will coincidentally promote the slow, but steady rise of Islamic influence at the end of the age.



For related information, please see our booklets, The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy , You Can Understand Bible Prophecy and The Middle East in Bible Prophecy . WNP

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