Where is the United States in Prophecy? (click here to learn more about this trend)

Farewell to Pax Americana

With hindsight we may see 2006 as the end of Pax Americana. Ever since World War II, the United States has used its military and economic superiority to promote a stable world order that has, on the whole, kept the peace and spread prosperity. But the United States increasingly lacks both the power and the will to play this role. It isn't just Iraq, though Iraq has been profoundly destabilizing and demoralizing. Many other factors erode U.S. power: China's rise; probable nuclear proliferation; shrinking support for open trade; higher spending for Social Security and Medicare that squeezes the military; the weakness of traditional U.S. allies -- Europe and Japan. America won't retire from the world stage, but how active it will be remains yet unclear.


US plans 20-year war on terror

The Pentagon has laid out a new 20-year military strategy for US troops to be deployed, often clandestinely, in dozens of countries at once to fight terrorism and other non-traditional threats. The Washington Post reported yesterday that the initiative includes a 15 per cent boost in the number of Special Operations Forces, a near-doubling of the capacity of unmanned aerial drones to gather intelligence, a $1.5 billion investment in counter-biological warfare, and the creation of special teams to find, track and defuse nuclear bombs and other catastrophic weapons.

China stocks nukes as anti-U.S. tactic

China is building up its nuclear forces as part of a secret strategy targeting the United States, according to a former Chinese diplomat. China's strategy calls for "proactive defense," and senior Chinese Communist Party leaders think that building nuclear arms is the key to countering U.S. power in Asia and other parts of the world, said Chen Yonglin, a diplomat who defected to Australia two months ago. A recent comment by a Chinese general shows that Beijing's leaders are prepared to launch "a pre-emptive attack on the country considered a huge threat to China," Mr. Chen said. Chinese Maj. Gen. Zhu Chenghu told reporters two weeks ago that China is prepared to use nuclear weapons against "hundreds" of U.S. cities if a conflict breaks out over Taiwan.



2. Israel - God's Timepiece (Click here to learn more about this trend)

The Sanhedrin Returns

A unique ceremony - probably only the second of its kind in the past 1,600 years - is taking place in Tiberias today: The launching of a Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish-legal tribunal in the Land of Israel. Organizers' announced their intention to convene 71 rabbis who have received special rabbinic ordination as specified by Maimonides. The goal is to have one rabbinic body in Jerusalem that will convene monthly and issue rulings on central issues. This is the need of the generation and of the hour." Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, who heads the Temple institute in Jerusalem, is one of the participating rabbis.

Religious UN To Be Set Up In Jerusalem?

Israel's Ashkenazi chief rabbi, Yonah Metzger, meeting with the Dalai Lama, a Buddhist monk who is the leader of Tibet, suggested that representatives of the world's religions establish a United Nations in Jerusalem, representing religions instead of nations, like the UN currently based in New York.

Will Bible lead to oil reserve under Israel?

Does Israel have beneath its surface an enormous oil reserve mapped out in the Old Testament that when found will immediately change the geopolitical structure of the Middle East? So believe the officers of Zion Oil, a company using updated scientific methods alongside biblical text to explore for oil north of Tel Aviv. The company, which recently filed for an initial public offering on the American Stock Exchange, says it is making headway – including locating areas conducive to oil storage – and expects interesting finds in the very near future.



3. A Revived Roman Empire? (Click here to learn more about this trend)

The EU's Big Brother

The European Union is building its own network of spy satellites, allowing Brussels to ensure nations and private individuals are obeying its policies. The multibillion-dollar system, known as Global Monitoring for Environment and Security, should be up and running by 2010, a commission spokesman said. A commission statement also acknowledged that GMES would play a key role in the "implementation, review and monitoring of EU policies," including watching for agriculture and fisheries fraud and boosting "internal security." In addition, officials hope GMES will support the European Union's first steps toward becoming a military power. It will "provide authorities with necessary elements for a European Security and Defense Policy," the commission said.

EU looks to build military power to back up foreign policy

The initiatives from the newly-created European Defence Agency represent the EU's first step in military research and development. They are aimed at transforming the EU from being solely a political power, in charge of policies such as agriculture and trade, to a military one, capable of sending troops around the world to enforce a foreign policy agreed by its member states.

France secretly upgrades capacity of nuclear arsenal

France has secretly modified its nuclear arsenal to increase the strike range and accuracy of its weapons. The move comes weeks after President Jacques Chirac warned that states which threatened the country could face the "ultimate warning" of a nuclear retaliation.



4. The Gog/Magog War (Click here to learn more about this trend)

Iran threat: Attack by West risks all 'Middle East oil'

Iran has warned that Gulf Arab oil would be endangered by any U.S. attack on the Islamic republic. In the first such threat, a leading Iranian official raised the prospect of Iranian retaliation against Middle East oil exports. The official said such Gulf oil states as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia could be threatened. "An attack on Iran will be tantamount to endangering Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and – in a word – the entire Middle East oil," Iranian Expediency Council secretary Mohsen Rezai said this week. About 40 percent of the world's crude oil shipments passes through the two-mile wide channel of the strategic Straits of Hormuz. Iranian forces are deployed at the head of the channel. Oman and the United Arab Emirates are located on the other side.

Russia Developing New Mystery Nuclear Missile

President Vladimir Putin said this week that Russia is developing a new form of nuclear missile unlike those held by other countries, news agencies reported. Earlier this year, a senior Defense Ministry official was quoted as telling news agencies that Russia had developed a weapon that could make the United States' proposed missile-defense system useless. Details were not given, but military analysts said the claimed new weapon could be a hypersonic cruise missile or maneuverable ballistic missile warheads.

Russia, China To Hold Joint War Games

Nearly 10,000 troops are to take part in unprecedented joint military exercises by China and Russia this month aimed at strengthening ties between the armed forces of two powers that were once bitter foes. The scale of the exercises, which will involve land, air, naval, paratroop and marine forces, underlines the determination of Beijing and Moscow to expand a military relationship that has blossomed over the past 15 years. The war games reflect strengthening ties between Russia and China over shared concerns about U.S. dominance of world affairs.



5. Apostate Christianity (Click here to learn more about this trend)

Survey: Two-Thirds of Evangelicals Doubt Jesus' Words Regarding Salvation Thru Him Alone

There's a new poll out which points to a growing rejection among Evangelicals that Jesus is the only way of salvation. For years, most evangelical Christians have been taught and accepted the words of Jesus in John 14:6, where He states, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man cometh unto the Father but my Me." But now a new Newsweek/Beliefnet poll is showing a shocking number of people who call themselves evangelical and born-again have come to reject those words.The question in the poll read: "Can a good person who isn't of your religious faith go to heaven or attain salvation, or not?" According to the poll results of more than 1,000 adults 18 years of age and older, 68 percent of evangelical Christians believe "good" people of other faiths can also go to heaven. Nationally, 79 percent of those surveyed said the same thing, with an "astounding" 91 percent agreement among Catholics, notes Beliefnet. Beliefnet spokesman Steven Waldman calls the results "pretty amazing."

Pro-Evolution Clergy Sign Letter Affirming Faith in Darwin's Theory

Thousands of mainline church leaders and pastors have signed a letter rejecting a literal interpretation of the creation story in the Bible's Book of Genesis. The "Clergy Letter Project" signatories are urging school board members to "preserve the integrity of the science curriculum by affirming the teaching of the theory of evolution as a core component of human knowledge."

U.S. congregations largely ignore the Bible's teaching about discipline

The next meeting of the United Methodist Church's highest tribunal will review an unusual dispute about discipline. It involves whether the Rev. Edward Johnson should have been put on forced unpaid leave because he refused a homosexual who wanted to join his congregation in South Hill, Va. The evangelical Good News caucus says the gay applicant is living in a relationship with another man and "unrepentant about his practice" so Johnson was merely applying Methodism's teaching against same-sex behavior. But Virginia's Methodist clergy decided Johnson violated church policy, both in rejecting a homosexual and in defying directives to accept him that came from the bishop and district superintendent. The case attracts attention because it's rare nowadays for a pastor to attempt to bar or discipline a lay member. U.S. congregations largely ignore the Bible's teaching about discipline and the result is "the impending collapse of authentic Christianity in this generation," asserted the Rev. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.



6. Increase in Knowledge/New Technologies (Click here to learn more about this trend)

FDA Approves Use of Chip Implants in Humans

The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that Applied Digital Solutions of Delray Beach, Fla., could market the VeriChip, an implantable computer chip about the size of a grain of rice, for storing medical information. With the pinch of a syringe, the microchip is inserted under the skin in a procedure that takes less than 20 minutes and requires no stitches. Silently and invisibly, the dormant chip stores a code that releases patient-specific information when a scanner passes over it.

Security law would unlock Net

The federal cabinet will review new legislation this fall that would give police and security agencies vast powers to begin surveillance of the Internet without court authority. The new measures would allow law enforcement agents to intercept personal e-mails, text messages and possibly even password-secure Web sites used for purchasing and financial transactions. "I think it's the kind of legislation that is literally going to shock millions of Canadians," University of Ottawa professor Michael Geist said.

RFID wristbands used for cashless payment

"Smart Kiosk is a money loading device that works similar to ATM machines, but instead, funds are transferred onto patrons' RFID wristbands," comments Victor LaRosa , PDC RFID Manager. "It is part of the latest cashless payment technology which is practical for water and amusement parks where patrons don't like to carry wallets, and loose cash can get wet or lost. It provides an added convenience for both park owners and patrons." The system helps increase throughput at concession stands, reducing long lines that often deter patrons from making additional purchases. Most of the time spent waiting in lines is attributed to the financial transactions of handling and counting cash or processing credit cards - that is now practically eliminated.



7. Christian Worldview/Issues (Click here to learn more about this trend)

Alarming Number of 'Stayaway Saints' Affecting Today's Church

An alarming number of Christians are staying home on Sunday mornings and the trend is affecting today's church. Believers who have become "stayaway saints" are alternately worrying and exciting church leaders, pointing to what is being seen as either a serious threat to the spread of the gospel or the actual cusp of a revolution that could usher in the sort of revival many have prayed for and dreamed of for years. A recent study found that about 13 million Americans whom the researchers identified as being born again were "unchurched ... not having attended a Christian church service, other than for a holiday ... at any time in the past six months."

The Beginning Of The End Of Christianity In Australia?

Two Australian Christian pastors have been found guilty of vilifying Muslims. The decision was handed down in Melbourne this week. Bill Muehlenberg, the National Vice-President of The Australian Family Association said the decision could "could mark the beginning of the end of freedom of speech in Australia, and the official restriction of proclaiming the Christian gospel." Judge Higgins said that the two pastors, Daniel Scot ( a former Muslim), and Danny Nalliah, breached section 8 of Australia's Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 which says a person cannot engage in conduct that "incites hatred against, serious contempt for, or revulsion or severe ridicule of, that other person or class of persons."

Nation's Unchurched Doubled in Decade

The proportion of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation doubled over the last decade and now stands at 16% of the population, according to a new study on religious identity. Only Catholics (24%) and Baptists (17%) outnumber the so-called "non-identifiers," or "nones," said the report. Based on telephone interviews with more than 10,000 randomly selected people, said about one in six answered "none" or "no religion" or described themselves as secular, humanist, ethical-culturalist, agnostic or atheist. Their ranks will continue to grow, and they'll soon outnumber Baptists.



8. Other World Events To Watch (Click here to learn more about this trend)

China's thirst for oil gets into top gear

China is not the biggest oil consumer in the world, that prize goes to America, nor is it the biggest importer - which is also the USA. What China outdoes the rest of the world at is the growth of its appetite. Ten years ago China imported no oil at all. Last year it overtook Japan to become the world's second biggest importer. Its thirst continues to grow. Imports are expected to rise another 40% this year. China's appetite for oil shows no sign of slowing. Today China has 10 million private cars - by 2020 that number will be 120 million.

Natural disasters 'on the rise'

More and more people are being caught up in a growing number of natural disasters, a UN agency said this week. It said 254 million people were affected by natural hazards last year - nearly three times as many as in 1990. Events including earthquakes and volcanoes, floods and droughts, storms, fires and landslides killed about 83,000 people, up from about 53,000 deaths 13 years earlier.

Deadly viruses mutating to infect humans at rate never seen before

At least one new disease is jumping the species barrier from animals to human beings every year, exposing people to emerging germs at a rate that may be unprecedented. The first work to catalogue the range of germs capable of infecting people has disclosed that 38 new human pathogens have emerged in the past 25 years. Three quarters of these, including Aids, avian flu, Sars and new variant CJD, originated as animal diseases.


.........................................................benny

Hey, you get the prophecy new's watch too, eh? it's a really good news letter.

Here's some more...

250 Million Christians Will Be Persecuted in 2007

Around 250 million Christians worldwide will face persecution in 2007, simply for following Jesus Christ, according to persecution watchdog Release International. In particular the U.K.-based group found that persecution is growing the fastest in the Muslim world.

According to Release, most persecution takes place in four distinct "zones": those of Islam, Communism, Hinduism and Buddhism. But persecution is growing fastest of all in the Muslim world.

Governments in even moderate Muslim countries often fail to safeguard the rights of their Christian minorities, explained RI. Abuses suffered by Christians include kidnapping, forced conversion, imprisonment, church destruction, torture, rape and execution.

One of the world’s worst abusers of religious freedom is Saudi Arabia, guardian of Islam’s holiest sites – Mecca and Medina. Saudi Arabia forbids all other religions. A Muslim found "guilty" of converting to Christianity could face the death sentence for apostasy. And anyone who leads a Muslim to Christ faces jail, expulsion or execution.

"There’s a conspiracy of silence around Saudi," said Release International’s CEO Andy Dipper, "probably because the West wants their oil and their money. But this is a government that hands out the death sentence for its own citizens who want nothing more than the freedom to choose their own faith. And while Saudi bans all Christian literature, it spends billions of dollars each year propagating Islam around the world."

But some of the most violent persecution in the Muslim world is beyond government control. Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the world has been made dramatically aware of extremist Islamist global networks. Although the best known is Al Qaeda, there are others who exploit religious tensions for their own political ends, RI told U.K.-based Christian Today.

"A rising number of extremists interpret the call to jihad as a call to violence. They seem to regard it as their religious duty to force Christians and non-Muslims to convert to Islam. Those who refuse must be driven out or killed," said RI.

The persecution watchdog continued: "There is a growing movement to impose Islamic Sharia law, which results in increased pressure on Christians. In Nigeria, militants have driven Christians from their homes to remove political opposition and pave the way for Sharia law.

"Despite the spectacular collapse of communism in Europe, persecution of Christians continues in China, Cuba, Laos and Vietnam, while the dubious accolade of the world’s worst persecutor of Christians goes to North Korea."

Communist governments remain ideologically opposed to Christianity and have pursued systematic programs to weaken and destroy the church. Some persecution also continues under the "old guard" in the former Soviet Union, and China – for all its economic openness – continues to drive Christians underground.

"As China prepares for the Olympic Games, western governments would do well to remember that China detains more Christians than any other country," said Dipper. "Believers and leaders who want nothing more than to worship freely face imprisonment, torture and even death."

RI also explained to Christian Today that in the Hindu world Christians face persecution in India and Nepal. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), one of India’s largest political parties, is associated with militant Hindu nationalist groups. Extremists have been involved in a growing number of attacks against both Christians and Muslims.

Several Indian states have introduced laws against forced conversion, but these are wide open to abuse. Christians face most pressure in rural areas, where militants have destroyed churches and threatened, attacked and killed church leaders.

In the Buddhist world, Christians face persecution in Bhutan, Burma and Sri Lanka. Buddhist militants regard Christianity as a threat to their national identity and unity. They have stirred up harassment and violence against Christians in Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

Back in 1966, Burma expelled most of its Christian missions. Today, the repressive military regime still maintains controls over religious activity. There have been many cases of forced conversion to Buddhism as well as violence against Christians.

This is the United States' final resting place in prophecy.
The Lord will do it.
Will you know it when it happens?

Isaiah 34
1 Come near, you nations, to hear; And heed, you people! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, The world and all things that come forth from it.
2 For the indignation of the Lord is against all nations, And His fury against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to the slaughter.
3 Also their slain shall be thrown out; Their stench shall rise from their corpses, And the mountains shall be melted with their blood.

what's painful (the most painful in this article) is the subject of degrading faith among Evangelicals. A verse comes to my mind "Luke 18:8b (NIV) When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

Senteami, I don't think He will find it in organized religion, only in the individual Christian. I jumped from church to church to church looking for one that would actually preach and teach the Word of God accurately and without fear. In a town of 70,000, I found one that does and our congregation is about 25. We teach repentance of sin, and I think most people want to continue in sin and not be confronted with it.

I like your heron-avatar. That is that kind of bird, isn't it?

In Christ, Angela