OMEGA LETTER MAY 1991
At The "Vanguard of Vending:" Coca Cola:
Over the past decade, vending technology has changed
dramatically-from dollar bill validators to debit cards.
"Our role is to provide technical leadership for vending
applications in the Coca-Cola system," says Steve Hyland, manager,
Marketing technology, Coca-Cola USA.
One exciting development in vending technology is the use of debit cards on
many college campuses. With options available through many companies such
as Debitek, bottlers can implement proven technology in their applicable
markets.
Debitek's president Kiran Gandhi, says, "Debitek's cash value card-debit
card- is an ideal payment method. It offers coinless convenience to
students and faculty, secure access of a captive campus clientele for the
bottling company, and a source of increased revenue to colleges."
Syracuse University worked with the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York,
Inc. and Debitek to successfully integrate the system throughout the
campus. Now students use special "Super Cards" at the units, and the
vending price is automatically deducted from their card account.
The students adapted very quickly to the Super Card, which helps eliminate
their need to carry cash on campus. BOTTLER 03/91
Pervasive Bar Codes Vanish - Sort Of:
The now familiar bar code is rapidly replacing adhesive pricing labels on
consumer goods. But the blocks of black strips, which are ready by
computerized scanning equipment, have their own drawbacks.
"The traditional bar codes takes up valuable surface space and can be
obtrusive on certain packaging," says B. Thomas Smith, deputy general
manager of the Electronics Systems Business Group of Battelle Memorial
Institute.
Those problems prompted the Columbus, Ohio research company to come up
with a way to print an inviable bar code that can be read by infrared
sensors and does not interfere with packaging design. In addition to
improving appearance, the inviable bar codes allow manufacturers to
place several bar codes on a product to keep better track of inventory
and shipping.
By having the codes on all sides of its package, a product could be
scanned in the checkout lane without worrying about lining up the
symbol.
"Inviable codes will significantly speed up supermarket checkout
lines," predicts Ken Killian, sales engineer of Accu-Sort Systems
Inc., the Telford, PA. firm that is commercializing the technology.
He expects the seal to be especially popular with magazine publishers,
cosmetics mfg. and others who rely on design to catch the consumer's
eye. INSIGHT 02/04/91
College Students "Charge" Pepsi:
LEWISBURG, PA. (AP)
Plastic is replacing metal in Pepsi machines at Bucknell University.
No, not in the cans, in the coins.
Since December, students have been able to use plastic debit cards
instead of change to purchase soft drinks from the Pepsi machines on
campus. The card are the same ones the university has used for copying
machines for two years.
The cards, with magnetic strips on the back, are sold in $1 or $5
denominations. Using a card, a soda costs $.50, the same as when coins
were used. Card users save money on copying, paying only a nickel a
copy, as opposed to $.10 for coin users.
Digital readouts on the soda and copying machines tell users how much
credit is left. The same cards can be used on soda machines and
copiers. Schmidt said 60-80% of students have them.
The technology is also being used at the U.S. Mints in Philadelphia,
Denver and San Francisco, which make coins. They prohibit employees
from bring coins to work.
"Follow-me Phones":
By 1992, Japan's Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. (NTT) says it
hopes to implement a concept known as the "follow-me phone." With it,
NTT plans to assign phone numbers to people rather than to telephones.
Each subscriber will get a 10-digit number embedded in a calling card.
As they travel around Japan, they'll insert their cards into special
public terminals and punch in the number of the phone where they can
be reached, including cellular phones. BUSINESS WEEK 12/24/90
New Rainbow Money:
By Congressman Ron Paul
You may not have much time left. Next year or next month, the new
money could wipe you out-destroy everything you've worked for and
saved for-and leave your family destitute. We've seen a lot of
financial tyrannies from Washington in this century, but this one
takes the cake. When President Bush announced the New Money during a
War-On-Drugs speech, few realized what it meant, or just how bad it
would be for innocent Americans.
Congressman Ron Paul uncovered the New Money Plans during his last
term in the U.S. Congress and held ugly new bills in his hands. These
totalitarian bills were tinted pink, blue and brown, and blighted with
holograms, diffraction gratings, metal and plastic threads and
chemical alarms. It isn't money for a free people. It is a portable
inquisition, a paper "third-degree", to allow the Feds to keep track
of American cash and American citizens.
To manufacture the new money, the feds have built a colossal blaco-
house in Ft. Worth, Texas, as ugly as evil itself. Designed in Stalin-
style, guarded by KGB-level security, and full of three-color printing
presses and spy device embedders, it belongs in Moscow, not Texas.
Stage one of the new money-microprinting and a polyester thread-was
meant to lull us to sleep, before the knife fell. But the bureaucrat's
scheme went awry when the old Bureau of Engraving and Printing Plant
in Washington D.C. couldn't handle the new technology.
They've fixed that now, and stage two will chill your blood.
The New Money will steal our freedom and our property; it will
accelerate the transfer of wealth and power from the people to the
government and its friends.
Dollars are held and used by people all over the world. It is the
defacto currency in many hyperinflationary countries. What will happen
to these dollars when the greenback is declared defunct? When I
confronted a startled Treasury official about a world dollar panic
brought on by the New Money, he said, "So what? People who hold large
amounts of cash are drug dealers and tax evaders. Let them suffer!"
But we'll suffer too.
Such a panic could cause a depression here. I fear there will be
welfare riots in the big cities. Massive unemployment. The destruction
of wealth. The erosion of personal liberties. Vicious economic
controls. The exaltation of envy. The suppression of privacy.
Authoritarian clamp-downs. Bank and S&L closing on a massive scale. A
world dollar crisis as the greenback (or "pinkback") is rejected for
almost any non-paper alternative.
Maybe the "recovery," which the politicians are always trumpeting, is
permanent. maybe Bush and company will give us the balanced budget,
sound money, and drastic spending and tax cuts we need. maybe they'll
curb the IRS and the FED. maybe lasting prosperity is around the
corner. Maybe there's a tooth fairy. But I don't believe it.
Trouble is coming, and you must be prepared.
The Days OF The British Care Plate Are Numbered:
Car number plates are the latest target in the drive to harmonize EC
standards, diplomats revealed recently.
Plates in the 12 countries would become a standard size, shape and
color under new proposals being prepared by the European Commission.
the new-style light-reflecting plates would be yellow and white.
They would carry the 12 star European flag and a letter denoting the
country in which the car is registered. DAILY MAIL 03/27/91
High Technology Police Tools:
Techno-cops; police tools of the '90s are highly advanced, but privacy
laws lag. In the skies above cities will soon appear some tiny,
pilotless aircraft that might be mistaken for model airplanes. They're
not. inside will be high-resolution cameras that can make out small
objects from hundreds of yards, infrared detectors that can see in the
dark-and maybe even chemical sensors that can pinpoint drugs in the
area.
They are called Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's), and they're going to
be used to fight crime and they're real, not just science fiction. And
they are just one small ripple in the long arm of the law by using
eerily invasive high technology to speed the work of catching crooks,
tracking stolen goods, and snooping on suspected wrongdoers.
Electronic tracking of stolen cars has been around for awhile, but it
is about to take a giant leap with the help of Defense Department
satellites.
Probationers have been confined to their homes for years by electronic
bracelets, but now they're going to start getting phone calls from
computers that know their voice. Surveillance cameras may be old hat
but now they use detached pinhead-sized lenses operated by remote
control.
And old fashioned phone taps have already been replaced in some cases
by startling computer technology that can pick out one voice among an
entire phone system-and make it impossible for targets to know they're
being monitored. WALL STREET JOURNAL 11/12/90
The False Christ:
(Almighty God can make the impossible possible, can change all human
hearts, through the queenship of Jesus' mother, Mary.) Pope John Paul
II when he visited Czechoslovakia
Regardless of the way the antichrist rises to power, and regardless of
the exact nature of the 'signs and wonders' that accompany his rise,
we know that he will accomplish three main objectives. First, he will
convince the Jews he is their long awaited Messiah. Secondly, he will
convince the false church that is left behind after the rapture that
he is the "true Christ." Finally, he will convince everyone that this
is actually the beginning of the millennial period spoken of in the
Bible where men live together in peace and harmony for 1000 years. He
will accomplish this while at the same time quoting the Bible. He will
play on mankind's lack of true biblical knowledge and the spirit of
deception that has fallen on the world to twist the scriptures to suit
his own ends.
He will convince Israel that he is the Messiah by bringing a false
peace to Israel that will simulate the true peace that Jesus Christ
will bring seven years later at the height of Armageddon. he will
bring together all the nations of the world to sign a peace pact
guaranteeing the protection of the Chosen People and allowing them to
rebuild the Temple. This peace pact that he inaugurates will be the
hub of the global false peace that he brings to the whole world. He
will proudly point to the scriptures and proclaim to be fulfilling the
prophecies of the Messiah.
At the same time he will convince a heavily deluded world that he is
Christ who has returned to set up his one-thousand-year kingdom on
this earth. The disappearance of millions of people from off the face
of the earth will leave the world ripe for such a supernatural
explanation. Certainly the Bible seems to indicate that no one left
behind after the rapture will believe that it was the rapture that
just happened. The strong delusion that God looses upon the world at
that moment will help to blind the world to that fact. As we've noted
before, the new agers and the spirit guides who have been leading them
will proclaim that at this great moment of evolution for humankind it
is the bad people who have been removed. The Antichrist and his false
prophet, who will also be somehow propelled to world prominence at the
same time, will be ready for just that moment. once again, in the same
way that he will deceive the Jews into believing that he is the
Messiah, the antichrist will convince the rest of the world that he is
"the Christ" by turning to the scriptures and stealing the biblical
explanation of what will happen at the end of the seven year
tribulation period. This is when, at the return of the true Christ,
the exact opposite of the rapture of believers takes place; this time
the "unbelievers" are removed from the world so that the true kingdom
of God can begin. The only participants allowed in the kingdom will be
the believers who were "caught up" in the rapture seven years earlier
and who have now returned with Christ, and also including those who
became believers during the tribulation period. (Matt. 13:40-43)
This is the beginning of the true millennial reign when Jesus shall
rule upon David's throne in Jerusalem. However, you will notice that
just the opposite of what will happen at the beginning of the seven
year tribulation periods takes place. Instead of a rapture of the
"pure in heart" this will be a "catching away" of the "evil ones."
Those who commit iniquity are "taken" out of the world so the true
Kingdom of God can begin. The counterfeit Christ who comes before the
true Christ, and who claims to be inaugurating this millennial period,
will point to these passages and claim that this is just exactly what
has happened. The evil ones, who stood in the way of this new
evolution of mankind to higher spiritual powers and the kingdom of God
have been removed. The he will point to the new miraculous powers that
now flow freely in the world as further proof that the millennium has
come.: (Matt. 24:24-25)
Sings In The Sun:
If the antichrist is to be a perfect counterfeit for the real Christ,
one of the prophecies he will probably try to duplicate are the signs
in the skies that will foreshadow the coming of the true Christ at the
end of the tribulation period. (Luke 21:25,27).
There is little question that in the moments following the rapture,
just like at the time of the Second Coming, there will also be
perplexity and distress in the nations. Any great sign in the skies at
this time would be the final proof the world needed that the man with
all power and signs, who claimed to be Christ, would indeed be who he
said he was.
Fatima, Portugal; October 13, 1917:
Undoubtedly, one of the greatest signs in the skies that has ever been
witnessed by man took place in Fatima, Portugal on October 13, 1917.
On that day an apparition that claimed to be the Virgin Mary appeared
for the sixth consecutive month to three small children at a spot
called Cova da Iria. By the time of this sixth appearance, word of the
affair had spread so widely that over 75,00 people were gathered in
the tiny hamlet. Then it happened. One of the children cried out,
"Look at the sun!" As the crowd looked up the sun had turned to a
silvery color and began to spin at high speeds throwing off colors
that bathed the crowds below in every tint contained in the rainbow.
The sun had begun to roam around the skies, moving this way and then
that. Occasionally, it would stop and once again begin spinning and
shooting forth the colored lights before it would go back to roaming
the heavens. Finally, it stood still, pulsating and trembling in the
sky. Without warning, it plunged from its position in the skies. It
began heading directly down onto the people below. The sun grew bigger
and bigger and the heat became intense as the fire came down from the
heavens. People began to scream and panic, thinking the end of the
world had come. At the height of their panic the sun stopped its
descent and began to climb back up to its conventional place in the
sky. All returned to normal. The show was over. The crowd then
noticed, as a wind blew upon them but seemed to have no effect upon
the trees, that they were completely dry. This was in spite of the
fact that it had rained for days prior to the event and all night the
night before. Even the ground was parched and cracked as if no rain
had fallen in months.
There is no question that something happened on that October afternoon
in 1917. 75,000 people who had come from all over the world witnesses
it. People from up to forty miles away who were not even with the
crowd also saw it. Newsmen and secular reporters of every type were
there too. Everyone agreed that something completely beyond the
control of men had taken place. Most, of course, believed it to be a
great miracle of the Virgin Mary. Clearly it was either that or an
unusually powerful deception being worked on the hearts and minds of
men.
Rome, Italy: May 13, 1981:
Exactly 64 years tot he day after the first appearance of Mary at
Fatima, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, pope John Paul II bent
down to pick up a little girl who had a picture of Mary pinned to her
sweater. As he did the first two bullets from the Browning Automatic
that Mehmet Ali Agca fired at his head sailed over him. The next two
bullets found a place in his body.
While he was recovering, John Paul began to wonder if it was more than
coincidence that the one he worshipped as the Virgin Mary and to whom
he had dedicated his papacy, had saved his life in the anniversary of
the first appearance at Fatima. Quickly he had his answer. As he lay
convalescing, John Paul believes that he had a supernatural vision.
That vision, he says, included an exact repeat of the "miracle" seen
by the 75,000 people at Fatima 64 years earlier. Whatever else John
Paul saw remains a secret, but he was so moved by the event that this
man, who had come to papacy "as a dyed in the wool globalist" changed
his entire approach to bringing forth his envisioned New World Order.
Malachi Martin is believed by many to be the unofficial voice of Pope
John Paul II. He has recently authored a book entitled, "The Keys of
This Blood: The Struggle for World Domination Between Pope John Paul
II, Mikhail Gorbvechev and the Capitalist West." Martin writes on
pages 48 & 49 of the Pope's vision:
"Gone, too, was the Pope's presumed time
frame involving a leisurely and relatively
peaceful evolution from the traditional
system of sovereign and interacting
nation-states to a veritable new world
order. Instead, there was now no doubt in
John Paul's mind that in Heaven's
agenda, all would be thrown into the
cauldron of human judgement gone awry;
of human evil sanctioned by men as normal;
of unparalleled natural catastrophes, catastrophes
caused by the panic.........
This panic, this world gone out of control, will be, John Paul
believes, the result of some event that will evoke "an utterly new
state of consciousness in all of mankind." (pg. 456) This sounds
exactly like the effect that the rapture could have on the world.
However, according to the vision that John Paul II had, it will be
something quite different. Or, as we shall see, it could well be a
combination of both. We know that John Paul speaks of an upcoming
event that will resemble the occurrence that took place in Portugal
those many years ago. We also know that the pope believes that it will
in some way be related to the Bible verse which tells of a "Woman
Clothed with the Sun, and giving birth to a Son who rules the Nations
with a scepter of iron." (pg. 48). Of course this passage is found in
the twelfth chapter of the book of Revelation. (Rev. 12:1-2,5)
There is no question as to the identity of the "Man Child" in this
passage of Scripture. The 19th chapter of the book of Revelation makes
it very clear that He is none other than Jesus Christ, the "King of
kings and Lord of lords." There is also very little dispute among
students of God's word that the woman spoken of in this passage is
Israel.
However, the current head of the Roman Church, which to this day had
not recognized the existence of the State of Israel, seems to believe
that this woman is not Israel at all but the "Queen of Heaven," Mary.
He believes that there is going to be some type of repeat of Fatima.
He believes that at some point in the world will dedicate itself to
Mary, and he will be propelled to a position of unimaginable power as
the moral leader of the world, and a New World Order will be born.
Furthermore, it would seem, from the verse that the pope believes has
direct bearing on this event, that a "Man Child" who rules the world
with a rod of iron will be thrust forward onto the world stage! It
would seem obvious that this Man Child will either be the true King of
Kings or a clever imposter. the answer to that question can easily be
found by determining who this "Mary" was that appeared at Fatima and
who now has "appeared" to john Paul.
Is It really Mary? :
This vision of John Paul is extremely disturbing for a number of
reasons. the greatest of these, of course, is the source of vision. As
previously noted, the position that the Catholic Church gives to Mary
is not biblical. Indeed, Mary is often placed above Jesus Himself, as
the savior of the world. The "Mary" that appeared at Fatima was no
more biblical. This apparition appeared many times and each time
imparted a message to the children who saw her. In the first visit,
this spirit asked the three small children if they were
-----willing to offer yourselves to God and
bear all the suffering he wills....as an act of reparation for the
sins for which he is offended and of supplication for the conversion
of sinners. (Martin quote from taped radio interview, "World Pope,"
Steel on Steel, tape #4)
The idea that three small children could, or needed to, make
reparation for the sins of the world is completely contradictory to
the Word of God. The Bible is clear: that act has been completed, once
and for all solely by the work of Christ. (Heb. 9:12,28; 10:12,14)
At a later date, after showing these terrified children a vision of a
tormented hell, this "Mary" told them what they were to do:
"You have seem hell where the should of the poor sinners go. To save
them God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my immaculate
heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and
there will be peace....Pray the rosary in honor of our Lady of the
Rosary every day in order to obtain peace for the world....because
only she can help you.
There is so much here that is completely at odds with the Word of God
that is difficult to know where to begin. First of all, the idea that
only Mary can help the world is so unbiblical that it seems
unimaginable that it goes unchallenged. Jesus us the light and hope of
the world, not His mother.
Likewise, it is Jesus that will bring peace to this world. He, not
Mary, is the Prince of Peace. And ultimately true peace can only come
to the heart in which Jesus is allowed to reign. Furthermore, to
suggest that God desires to establish devotion to Mary's immaculate
heart presupposes the belief that Mary even has an immaculate heart.
This is completely unscriptural teaching originating within the
Catholic Church. According to this dogma, Mary was conceived sinless
and lived a sinless life. Yet, the Word of God makes it plain that
"all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God." (Ro. 3:23) The
true Mary acknowledged sinful nature and exclaimed "my spirit hath
rejoiced in God my savior." (Luke 1:47) Certainly if she had not
sinned she would have had no need of a savior. Again, the idea that
God wants us to worship Mary in any way is completely absent from the
Bible. Instead, Jesus told us: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matt.
22:37, 38)
The Old Testament records Almighty God's viewpoint: "Thou shalt have
no other gods before me." (Ex. 20:3)
"I am the Lord: that is my name; and my glory I will not give
another." (Isa. 42:8)
Obviously we are confronted with a real problem here. This Mary of
Fatima, and the Catholic teachings about her, are completely at odds
with the Word of God. And the Lord warns us in no uncertain terms how
serious a matter that is:
"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto
you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."
(Gal. 1:8)
There is no possible conclusion that we can come to except the one
which tells us that this apparition which appeared in Fatima and to
the present Pope must be a seducing spirit masquerading as Mary. If
that is the case, the same spirit guides that are leading and
directing the multitudes of new agers are also deceiving the head of
the world's largest religious organization. The terrifying reality is
that John Paul II is far from being only a nominal follower of this
"Mary," he believes that she spared him his life for a divine purpose
and that he now is marching under her direct orders. Thus, whether
this repeat of Fatima ever occurs or not, this seducing spirit has
gained an inside position to deceive this pontiff and his almost 1
billion followers worldwide. And, if this "sign in the sky" does
appear, it is not to difficult to see how this apparition could point
to the convincing imposter and identify him as the "true" Christ.
Woman That Brings Forth The Man Child:
According to what we know of John Paul's vision, the sun and this
apparition which calls itself Mary, will play a central role just like
at Fatima. However, when this sign in the sky appears we can deduce,
by the scripture verse the pope cites, that it will supposedly
announce the arrival of the "Man Child who is to rule the earth with a
rod of iron." Once again, it would seem clear that seducing spirits
will use this event to catapult forward to their false Christ. It is
not inconceivable that this Mary could point to some man as "Her Son"
and then, the mesmerized citizens of the world, interpreting this Mary
to be the biblical "signs in the heavens" believe that he is the
Christ. The pope, who is devoted to this Mary that he awaits to
appear, could quickly become the chief assistant to this Christ.
Indeed, the papacy has always claimed to be the true representative of
Christ on earth. Already that is how the pope sees his upcoming role:
"John Paul knows only that his function will be as servant; that his
years of preparation as one of the world's leaders, a voice and a
figure that have received international recognition, will culminate in
the apostolic ministrations he must perform in a very different world
from the world of the millennial endgame, and among nations that
longer rely on themselves to build on earth a city of Man. )Martin pg.
657.)
Interestingly the Bible speaks of just such an apostle to a false
Christ in the last days whom the Bible identifies as the False
Prophet. Even more interesting is the fact that one of the great signs
that the False Prophet will be able to do in the last days is to make
"fire come down on the earth", just exactly what began at Fatima in
1017.
Of course, I am not identifying the present pope necessarily being the
false prophet. this scenario may not come to pass at all. It is just a
clear example of the deception that is being set up for the "quantum
leap" to the New World Order that lies ahead. With that said, however,
it should be noted that this scenario is compelling for a number of
reasons. If the first place it helps to explain how the false
"Christian" church is pushed forward to a place of leadership over all
the world's other faiths in the world religion that will quickly
emerge. John Paul believes that this event will solidly establish him
as the moral leader of all the world's religions.
Secondly, it gives a precise scenario for the rise of the False
Prophet to world prominence. It also fits perfectly with the biblical
explanation of the fact that the False Prophet will point to the
antichrist as the true Christ just like the scriptures indicate he
will do.
Thirdly, it provides an explanation for the fact that the religious
whore will rule over the kings of the earth in the early days of the
tribulation. Finally, the vision paves the way for a seemingly
"biblical" explanation for the rapture which convinces the world that
the "bad seeds" have been removed. The world will believe that the
millennium has begun and they have been accounted worthy to enter. It
is for this quantum leap that the present pope now awaits to catapult
him to world power:
"Practically considered, the susscess of his papal participation in
the endgame depends on an event whose timing and occasion he is
powerless to determine, and the nature of which he cannot in any way
influence or fashion. Without that event, he will be impotent just at
the height of the endgame. Backed up by that event, he cannot but
emerge as the most powerful man live in his time....He is
waiting....for an event that will fission human history, splitting the
immediate past from the oncoming future. It will be an event on public
view in the skies, in the oceans, and on the continental land masses
of this planet. It will particularly involve our human sun, which
every day lights up and shines upon the valleys, the mountains and the
plains of this earth for our eyes. But on the day of this event, it
will not appear merely as the master star of our so called solar
system. Rather it will be seen as the circumambient glory of the Woman
whom the apostle describes as "clothed with the sun" and giving birth
to "a child who will rule over the nations with a scepter of iron."
Fissioning it will be an event, in John Paul's conviction of faith,
for it will immediately nullify all the grand designs the nations are
now forming and will introduce the Grand Design of man's Maker. John
Paul's waiting and watching time will then be over. His ministry as
the Servant of the Grand Design will then begin. Like his Master, for
this was he born and came into the world. (Martin, pg. 483,639)
(DAN. 11:21) DAN. 9:24,25)
NEW WORLD ORDER
The Final Days are here again
Now that the war in the gulf is over, what exits practitioners of
biblical prophecy is what will happen next. For fundamentalists and
other Christians who believe the last days are at hand, President
Bush's call for a "New World Order" is far more portentous than was
Saddam Hussein's hapless military threat.
As these scriptural soothsayers decode the Bible's apocalyptic
passages, the end-times will begin when the major powers form a world
wide coalition that will force a peace settlement on the state of
Israel.
This will set the stage for the rise of the murderous antichrist as a
global dictator. only then will the biblical Battle of Armageddon take
place, followed by the triumphant Second Coming of Christ. "we're on
the march to Armageddon," says televangelist Jack Van Impe, a self-
styled "Walking Bible" from Detroit. "I just can't believe that I've
preached this all my life and that I have lived to see these things
happening.
Jesus, of course, warned that "you know not the day nor the hour" of
His return. And for orthodox Scripture scholars, treating the Bible
like tea leaves is no way to get at the truth. Nonetheless, since
Iraqu's invasion of kuwait last August, evangelical Christian
publishers have rushed more than a dozen prophecy volumes into print,
and at least a dozen more are on the way.
One paperback alone, "Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East Crisis," by
John F. Walvoord of Dallas Theological Seminary, has sold over a
million copies in the last two months, including 300,000 that were
given away as premiums by Evangelist Billy Graham. Not to be
outprofited, television Pat Robertson, the movement's Alvin Toffler,
is competing with "The New Age Millennium" (250,000 copies in print),
in which he warns that Bush's New World Order could turn into a
"counterfeit millennium" under a hellish one-world government.
Even singer Johnny Cash has jumped on the prophecy bandwagon with
"Goin by the Book," an enthusiastic country ballad linking the gulf
crisis to Armageddon.
In Israel, fundamentalist Jews are also interpreting the Gulf war as
the catalyst that will hasten their own end-times scenario-and their
long awaited Messiah.
Rabbi Leon Ashkenazi, a Jerusalem-based scholar, points to the war
between Iraq and the allies as the fulfillment of "many texts that
speak of a conflict between Babylonia and Rome and Greece, and now
this has happened."
Equally important, says Ashkenazi, is the immigration of Soviet Jews,
which is seen as fulfillment of the "ingathering" of the exiles
prophesied in Hebrew scriptures. In this view, preparation for the
Messiah began with the Balfour Declaration in 1917, followed by the
"unification" of Israel in 1967; it will be completed in 1992 with the
rebuilding of the temple.
The self-anointed prophets are gleeful about their gloomy tidings. One
reason is theological"their predictions rest on the belief that the
Bible is literally true in what it says about the end of the world as
well as about its genesis. Thus any event that seems to confirm the
fundamentalists interpretation of the last days is welcomed proof of
biblical authority.
But Christians like Walvoord and Robertson have another reason as
well. The next great event on their timetable is "the rapture," in
which all true believers like themselves will be instantly plucked up
to heaven-leaving apostate Christians and other believers to perish at
the hands of an avenging Jesus.
"We will not be here for Armageddon,' Boasts a confident Jerry
Falwell. And Walvoord, at 80, expects the rapture to occur in his own
lifetime. So many people will be suddenly missing, he muses, "I wish I
could be around to see how the media explains it." None of the
prophets, however, is predicting what will happen to the end-times'
major protagonist, George Bush.
Kenneth L. Woodward NEWSWEEK 3/18/91
European Community Assured Role In Mideast Peace Talks
The prophet Daniel, in Chapter 9, tells of his vision from the Lord.
Gabriel, the angel, interprets a portion of his dream in verse 27:
"And he [the antichrist] shall confirm [enter into] the covenant with
many [Israel] for one week [seven years]."
As we go to press with this issue of the Omega-Letter, U.S. Secretary
of State, James Baker III has just assured the ministers of the
European Community that they would have a role in the upcoming
regional peace conference. Since the end of the Persian Gulf war,
Baker has been trying to arrange the details of the peace talks
between Israel and the surrounding Arab states.
Israel, concerned that pro_arab nations in Western Europe might try to
persuade Israel to make unfair concession, offered a suggestion that
the EC be simply an observer, not a participant in the talks. The EC
ministers, now apparently with agreement by Baker, have given a
"unanimous thumbs-down" to that approach.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Jacques Santer reported that "the Americans
have promised" a part for the Europeans in the peace efforts. "The
European Community can be very useful to set off the peace process,"
Santer said.
During a meeting in Feb., the EC foreign ministers issued a statement
calling for renewed efforts to resolve the Arab-Israeli dispute and
the Palestinian question.
They said that a "properly structured international conference at an
appropriate time will provide a suitable framework for negotiations."
Could it be that the prophetic scenario depicted by Daniel 9:27 is in
the process of being fulfilled-at this very moment.
UN Has New Emblem
A Newspaper clipping we received with the headline, "The White Horse
as a Peace Messenger," reported the following: "The dove, symbol of
peace and communion between the nations, has competition now.
Elizabeth von Janota-Bzowski[s] "design of the white horse was donated
for the purpose of a peaceful uniting of 5 continents, symbolized
through strength to assure freedom and unity. As the head of the
horse, the United Nations emblem is to be seen with five differently
colored ribbons symbolizing the five continents (world organizations
only recognize 5 continents; Europe, Africa, Asia, American and
Australia."
This is significant news for believers. The white horse, symbolizing
the UN reminds us of Rev. 6:1,2: "And I saw when the Lamb opened one
of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the
four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse;
and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and
he went forth conquering and to conquer."
The revelation of the beast is demonstrating itself before our eyes.
ISRAELI REPORT
ONE WORLD CHURCH
WCC Welcomes Anti-Christian Pagans! By Ralph G. Griffin
The World Council of Churches, meeting in its Seventh Assembly,
February 7 to 20, 1991, in Canberra, Australia, sent a letter the
Council hopes will be received by "all churches, Christians and
peoples." Their message is therefore presumed to be directed to every
human being on earth.
The letter, which summarizes the unified beliefs "of all religions,"
which were affirmed at the Assembly, was released in order to gain
acceptance of all Christians, non-believers, atheists, Buddhists,
Hindus, Hare Krishna, pagans, Wackiness, Satan worshipers, and
everyone else not otherwise listed.
The purpose of the Assembly, as well as the avowed mission of the WCC
is to bring all religions together as one...One religion. One Church.
One unitied Superchurch. One-World Church. Unity!
Unity...at the sacrifice of doctrine. A new doctrine. Doctrine so
watered down and meaningless and unholy that it really doesn't matter
if one believes that Jesus Christ is the way, the only was, to God.
By all means, let's have unity!
It is being said in small meetings, large meetings and in nearly all
churches all over the world these days that UNITY is the only
important thing the body of Christ should be striving for., It is
being said (by self-acclaimed BELIEVERS, even) that "there will be
only One church in the end-time, so let's just forget about DOCTRINE
and join together in UNITY1
Such ignorance!
These so-called "Christians" do not read--or do not discern--the
Bible. There WILL be One Church in the last days. It is the apostate
church.
It is called the Great Whore in Revelation 17. It is MYSTERY, BABYLON
and God hates it!
God says, In Revelation 18:4 "Come out of her, my people, that ye be
not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."
The One-World Church is being established NOW! Listen to the prattle
of the World Council of Churches: "This journey to God's rule and the
unity of the church and of humankind...Come, Holy Spirit...Come, most
splendid adornment of all living beings, the sole salvation of all
living beings, the sole salvation of all who are mortal." Do they not
realize that all men are not going to have salvation? Many have
already and many more will die in their sin without asking for or
receiving forgiveness; and will spend eternity with their father, the
Devil. And neither is the Holy Spirit their sole salvation. Jesus
said of the Holy Spirit, in John 16:14: "He shall glorify me."
The letter continues, "The Spirit calls the churches to a commitment
to seek visibly unity...we seek...ways to be more accountable to each
other and to the Lord Christ who prayed that we 'may be one'." This
scriptural reference is found in John 17:20-23, where Jesus is
testifying to the oneness in the faith and spiritual life of all who
believe and have been reborn. Belief and unbelief cannot be united.
Believers and unbelievers in Jesus Christ as God cannot be "one."
The fourth paragraph of their letter states, "The presence of
representatives of other world religions as guests in the Assembly
reminded us of the growing need to respect the image of God in all
people, to accept each other as neighbors and to admit our common
responsibility with them for God's creation, including humanity."
This viewpoint needs to be exposed for the heresy it is. All those
outside of Christ are dead in sin; they have no image of God,
they have no righteousness. Only in Christ is God's image of
righteousness restored. It is Christ's righteousness that is given to
the redeemed. I John 1:6,7 tells us, "If we say that we have
fellowship with hi, (Jesus Christ) and walk in darkness, we lie, and
do not the truth:
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another."
The fellowship of the New Testament churches did not include the yoke
with unbelievers: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with
unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?"
This WCC letter to "all churches, Christians, and Peoples" is very
deceptive. It has no value for Bible-believing people except to point
out the seduction of Christianity and the satanic deception coming
over the true Church in these last days.
The unbeliever---the people of the world---must be led to Christ and
His salvation, and then fed the meat of the Word in faithful, Bible-
teaching churches. Such churches do not have "fellowship" and
affiliation with the World Council of Churches.
ANOTHER GOSPEL
Tibet's Dalai Lama Wows Scientists
CAMBRIDGE, Masdd. (AP) - East met West on March 24 in a mind-body
symposium featuring the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of
Tibet, who wowed a panel of neuro-scientists and psychiatrists with
his Buddhist teachings.
The Dalai Lams's appearance at the forum opened a nine-city U>S> tour
to draw attention to Tibetan culture. Tibet was taken over by China
in 1950, and the Dalai Lakma, winner of the 1989 Nobel Peach Prize,
fled his homeland after a failed uprising in 1959.
The day long event, co-sponsored by Harvard Medical School, drew a
crowd of several hundred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
campus to discuss both Tibetan Buddhist and Western concepts of the
human mind.
"The West likes to appreciate other cultures, but from a paternalistic
point of view," said Robert Thurman, a man, a professor of Indo-
Tibetan Buddhist studies at Columbia University. "We feel we are the
only ones who understand the planet, that we are the intellectuals.
But Tibet has preserved the greatest panoply of the Indian mind
sciences."
Dressed in a burgundy and yellow robe, the smiling Dalai Lama, 55, was
a bright spot on stage as he instructed a panel of gray-suited
academics and medical researchers in the says of his ancient beliefs.
Alternating between Tibetan and English, he peppered his talk with
guips as he advocated the use of meditation to free the mind from the
body and achieve "clear light," a tranquil mental state.
"If you can separate your mind from your body in a dream state, you
can take your mind skyward," he said. "If you achieve that state, you
can do more work, even if you don't get paid for it."
The Dalai Lama said the mind, normally calm, "can be stained or
covered by negative emotional states. Through meditation techniques,
one can free the mind of delusions and attain what we call
enlightenment."
The other panelists noted that meditation has gained increasing
acceptance in the West in recent years as a way to reduce stress, and
may prove helpful in other areas, such as the treatment of drug
addicts.
Prince Charles Seeks "Healing"
Chicago Sun-Times (90/10/31)---Prince Charles is at it again. This
time it's the "magic waters" of the ancient Chalice Well at
Glastonbury in southern England. Apparently, the Prince sought the
mystical healing powers of the water after being continuously
discouraged because of a broken arm he suffered during a June polo
accident.
He visited the Chalice Well, also known as the Blood Spring because of
its rich iron deposits. The well is reputed to be the heart of King
Arthur's mythical Camelot and draws thousands of cure-seekers each
year. A warden at the well said Prince Charles drank the water and
"plunged his hand in" during his short visit.
The prince is a noted New Ager who has participated in many occultic
practices. The Sun-Times story seems to further establish that fact:
"The Daily Mirron devoted an editorial to the heir of the throne,
whose other headline-grabbing activities have included talking to
plants to encourage them to grow." CIB Bulletin, 91/04
Police Raid Psychic Fair
INDEPENDENCE, Mo (AP) - One thing that didn't show up clearly in the
crystal ball at a psychic fair was a raid. Police arrested seven
people Saturday, Jan 26 for allegedly violating a city ordinance that
prohibits anyone from profiting commercially from palm and card
readings or other methods of predicting the future.
The self-styled psychics contended they were only asking for voluntary
donations. "We consider these readings a fraud," said police Sgt.
Dave Smith. "If they can tell the future, how come they didn't know
we were coming?" The Cedar Rapids Gazette, 91/01/28.
Holistic Medicine: Ten Dominant Themes
In "Unmasking the New Age," Douglas R. Groothuis lists a condensed
version of ten holistic themes from Paul and Terri Reisser and John
Weldon's book, "New Age Medicine: A Christian Perspective on Holistic
Health."
He cautions us, though, "that not all practitioners of the 'New
Medicine' follow all ten of these precepts; not do I want to imply
that believing in one or some of these ideas labels one automatically
a disciple of the New Age movement. Nevertheless these themes give an
accurate summary of New Age health care." (1) We have condensed them
here a second time from Groothuis' work:
1) The whole is greater than the parts. "The human being is more
than a cellular and molecular mechanism, and to focus on these
processes to the exclusion of the whole person is medical tunnel
vision.. Bodily malfunction should not be abstracted from a person's
diet, environment and mental attitude, since they all contribute to
the total picture."(2)
2) Health or "wellness" is more than an absence of disease.
Medicine has eliminated certain diseases, but not necessarily restored
health..Optimum health must "include the well-being of the whole
person in every area. Health or wellness is a positive state of
growth and self-realization."(3)
3) We are responsible for our health or disease. In "The Turning
Point," New Ager Fritjof Capra objects to the "mystique that surrounds
the medical profession" which causes us to confer "on physicians the
exclusive right to determine what constitutes illness, who is sick and
who is well, and what should be done to the sick."(4) In "The Aquarian
Conspiracy," Marilyn Ferguson quotes an anatomist concerning the
body's innate healing power: "The healer inside us is the wisest, most
complex, integrated entity in the universe." Ferguson added that she
now knows "there is always a doctor in the house."(5)
4) Natural forms of healing are preferable to drugs and surgery.
"Fearing that the 'cure' (drug and surgery) of modern medicine may be
worse than the problem, holistic health is suspicious of medical
technology."(6)
5) Most methods of protecting health can be holistic, but some
methods are more innately holistic than others. "A number of
alternative practices to Western medicine have become popular in
recent years. Although not all are necessarily linked with New Age
though, all of them are used by those in the movement (e.g.,
acupuncture, biofeedback, chiropractic, osteopathy, homeopathy,
iridology, massage and body-work therapies used in conjunction with
Eastern meditation, visualization, self-hypnosis, psychic
diagnosis)."(7)
6) Health implies evolution. "Holistic health is seen by many as one
manifestation of the advance into the New Consciousness and New
Age...'the historical, even evolutionary significance of the holistic
health movement (is expected to) facilitate the next stage in human
evolution.'"(8)
7) An understanding of energy, not matter, is the key to health.
"The universal energy of which we are all a part is frequently cited
as the source of healing...Many involved with holistic health adopt a
pantheistic view of energy which maintains that 'we are not just
independent blobs of energy, but an intimate part of the universal
energy, the creative force of the universe, the universal
consciousness, whose energy flows through us and unites us.'(9) While
many in holistic health may wed this idea to modern physics to give it
scientific credibility, the idea of God as impersonal, universal
energy is ancient and has been called by many names."(10)
8) Death is the final stage of growth. "Although the quest for
longevity is a passion for many in holistic health, death is often
viewed as a transition to another state of consciousness or as an
illusion...Dossey says that...'death, in view of health, becomes
effete (powerless).'(11) And because all is one, individuals cannot
die."(12)
9) The thinking and practices of ancient civilizations are a rich
source for healthy living. "Whether it by ancient shamanistic,
Chinese or Indian cultures, holistic health looks to the past for
wisdom...As Reisser, Reisser and Weldon note (13), although the Bible
is full of incidents of healing, holistic health usually avoids it as
a source of wisdom because of its non-monistic world view."(14)
10) Holistic health must be incorporated into the fabric of society
through public policy. "Ideas have political consequences, and
holistic health adherents desire that its practices be implemented
governmentally. Capra contends that both health education and health
policies should follow the holistic policies should follow the
holistic model. (15) A Washington conference called 'Holistic Health:
A Public Policy,' sponsored in 1978 by several government agencies, is
but one example of governmental funds promoting holistic health.
Ferguson notes that the topics included yoga, Buddhist meditation and
assorted holistic health practices."(16)
New Age medicine is certainly based in the occult. But Scripture is
clear that the true God has provided healing for man by the Holy
Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ (see Isaiah 53:5, James 5:13-16).
1)Pp.58-59. 2)Groothuis, p 59. 3) ibid. 4) Groothuis, p.59 citing
capra, p.158. 5) Groothuis, p.60 citing Ferguson, p.248 6) Groothuis,
p.60 7)ibid 8)Groothuis, p.63, citing Brooks Alexander's quote of Dr.
Jonas Salk in "Holistic Health from the Inside," Spiritual
Counterfeits Journal, August 1978, p.10. 9)Groothuis, p63, citing Paul
c> Relsser, Teri K. Reisser and John Weldon, "The Holistic Healers,"
p.29. 10) Groothuis, p63. 11)Larry Dossey, "Space, Time and
Medicine,"p 55. 12)Groothuis, pp 63-64. 13)Groothuis, p64 commenting
on Reisser, et al.,"holistic Healers,"p31. 14)Groothuis, p64.
15)"Turning Point,"pp333-334. 16)Groothuis,p64,commenting on
Ferguson,pp259-260.
Ed and Mary Tarkowski, Pass It On! Newsletter, March 1991, 6209 Red
Pine Lane, Erie, Pa 16506
The "New" Battle of Armageddon
Now we have a new interpretation for the coming Battle of Armageddon.
It is now defined as "Women's holy world war."
So says a very expensive, full-page-length paid advertisement in the
March 28, 1991 Bangor Daily News.
Written by a male "World Citizen" to the "World Religious Leaders," he
writes, "I recently saw a t-shirt that said, "When God created man,
She made a mistake." Could this be the battle-cry of the Battle of
Armageddon, the last world war, the holy war of the sexes?...I can no
longer accept your pronunciation of God as He, Him, His,Himself.
Forto do so would only fan the flames of hell which are rising to
engulf the would in the battle of the sexes.
By continuing this great debate in the New Dawn of the New Humanity,
we are opening the door of the spiritual closet in which humanity has
locked itself by excluding women, animals, plants and minerals from
the masculine pronouns of God. Let's face it; God is coming out of
the closet...It's not too late to change course if we will but change
out definition of God."
The world may prefer to label the movement "equality," "feminism," or
even "women's liberation," but what started not too long ago as the
women's movement has now progressed to virtual 'goddess worship"!
Where will all end? At the real battle of Armageddon.
Experiment In Consciousness
(Editor: The following is advertising copy for a new book just
released by "the man who initiated the December 31st World Healing
Day," John Randolph Price. The book's title is "A Spiritual
Philosophy For The New World." We do not recommend it, but it can be
found in the "Religious Books" section in bookstores.)
In 1988, a number of men and women in the U.S. and abroad volunteered
for an experiment in consciousness. They were asked to move beyond
the human plane of existence and live in another Dimension for a
period of two months. This book is a road map of that incredible
journey including the step-by-step program they followed and the
results they achieved. What began as a 60-day experiment became a
lifetime commitment.
With great clarity Price shows how you, too, can rise above the human
sense of consciousness and move into the Fourth Dimension, become
empowered by those higher energies and vibrations, then come back into
"this world" to do your mightily work as a spiritual being in physical
form.
He reveals how the "non-human" process will dramatically change your
life--including your health, finances and relationships and how you
can then "go forth with great inspiration to transform this planet
into the Heavenly Body that it was created to be--the Planet of
Serenity and the home of the Forces of Light."
Wanted - Occult Participants
(Editor: From the Classified Section of "The Marths's Vineyard
Times.")
Whitches, druids, shamans, etc. Students of native religions. Future
events you may wish to be part of. Send name and address to: Private
Showings, PO Box XXXX, Edgartown, MA 02539. Privacy assured.
Earth Day Pledge
Just how far will the present would system go in its worship of false
gods?
The daughter of a Mennonite pastor was required to recite this "pledge
to the earth" at her elementary school during as assembly of the
entire school: "I pledge allegiance to the earth, and to the flora,
fauna, and human life that it supports. One planet, indivisible, with
safe air, water, and soil: dedicated to economic justice, equal
rights, and peace for all."
After being forced to recite the pledge, the students were then told
to sign the pledge card.
The pastor, Thomas Forsee, became deeply concerned that this demonic
New Age material was indoctrinating the children of his community. He
now is voicing his opposition to such a blatant attempt to coerce our
children to worship other "goods and goddesses."
Mr. Forsee's objections are the same as ours: Our planet is not
"indivisible;" this pledge instills a one-world government, as well as
a one-world religious concept; and children are being forced to pledge
their allegiance to the flowers and animals (Flora: mythological Roman
god of flowers, Fauna: Roman goddess of animals).
We also wonder why the statement "dedicated to economic justice, equal
rights, and peace for all: is a part of this worship of "Mother
Earth"? On second thought, we recognize this line of thinking: we
have seen it before---in the Communist Manifesto and The Humanist
Manifesto.
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the
glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible
man, and to birds, and to four footed beasts, and creeping
things...Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and
served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever.
Amen." (Romans 1:22,23,25)
Meditation Touted As Penal System Fix
HOUSTON (AP) - Texas could save $100 million in prison costs over the
next two years if it adopts a transcendental meditation program for
inmates, backers of the idea said recently.
And, at $1,500 per inmate, transcendental meditation advocates are
hoping to sell their idea to Harris County and the state of Texas as a
means of easing chronic jail and prison crowding problems.
"Something very fundamental has to be done about our thinking of how
society is structured and how we can do something about it," said
David Orme-Johnson, head of the psychology department at Maharishi
International University in Fairfield, Iowa.
The financial savings to the state, as backers of the meditation plan
described it during a news conference in Houston, would come from
shorter prison time,. fewer inmates and a decline in the recidivism
rate. They also contended drug use would decline, violence would
decrease and health care would improve with the techniques.
They pointed to what they said were some 500 scientific studies that
showed transcendental meditation, beginning with two 20-minute
sessions daily, reduces anxiety and stress levels.
"What we're proposing is a new idea about the structure of the human
mind and human society," Orme-Johnson said. "The basic idea is very
simple. That idea is that every human being has a source of order
within themselves."
"What we're proposing is very simple, a technique which puts
individuals in contact with the source of order within themselves, so
human society begins to be governed naturally and spontaneously with
the same perfect order we see throughout nature."
(Editor: It is tragic that the people responsible for spending our tax
dollars seem to rely on secular "expert" psychologists such as Mr.
Orme-Johnson. This representative of false teaching is in fact, NOT
"proposing a new idea...that every human being has a source of order
within themselves."
Lucifer began this deception in the Garden of Eden when he told Eve,
"You shall be as gods." Born-again believers of Jesus Christ, with
the Holy Spirit indwelling our hearts, have a perfect "source of
order" within ourselves. That source is Jesus Christ.
And while it is true that unbelievers also have within themselves a
"source of order," the psychology departments of our world's system
are not telling them that the "source within ourselves" is in fact,
demonic.)
Humanity Is Not Alone ... Inner Guidance Of The World
"Behind all constructive human effort stand the guidance and
inspiration of the inner subjective government of the planet.
"Given different names by people in the East and West, such as the
spiritual Hierarchy, the Masters of the Wisdom, The Christ and His
disciples, or the Company of Illumined Minds, its members function as
custodians of the divine Plan.
"They are watching over our evolution and guiding the destinies of
mankind. This they carry forward not through an enforced control
which would infringe upon the free will of the human spirit, but
through the implanting of ideas in the minds of thinkers and the
evocation of the human consciousness.
"This group constitutes the fifth kingdom in nature--beyond the
mineral, vegetable, animal and human kingdoms. Its members have moved
ahead of humanity in evolution; they are governed by love and wisdom.
The way to reach and cooperate with them is through the heart and
mind, and through selfless service in the world.
"More on this theme is given in a 20-page booklet, compiled from the
writings of Alice A Baily and Helena Roerich and entitled "The
Spiritual Hierarchy--Inner Guidance of the World.'"
(From an ad in "The New Age Journal." This "guidance" is available
free from the School for Esoteric Studies in New York.)
Maharishi Targets Crime
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the guru who taught rock musicians like the
Beatles to meditate in the l960s, is reemerging with a plan to
eradicate crime and violence with mantras in the 1990s.
Hundreds of the maharishi's followers, including a Navy commander,
lawyers and business people, launched the campaign in Washington and
other big cities to use the gura's meditation techniques to reduce
crime.
The Hindu religious leader predicts if a least 1% of the population in
each major city meditated together, there will be a calming effect
that will sharply reduce crime, violence and stress.
"This is our focus now, to make every capital city free of crime," the
maharishi said in a telephone interview from the Netherlands. "We can
have a world free of criminal tendencies, free of war."
Reincarnation Gets New Life: Theologians Debate Link With Christianity
Fueled by interest in the New Age movement, the theory of
reincarnation is making a comeback.
Accepted as doctrine in Hinduism and Buddhism, the belief that the
soul reappears in Earth in a series of bodies has long been rejected
by most Christian theologians who say it contradicts the idea of
resurrection by God's grace through Christ.
But some people would like to change that.
"There is no incompatibility with reincarnationists' thinking and
Jesus's teaching," said Chris Bache, author of "Lifecycles," a book on
Christianity and reincarnation published in February by Paragon books.
Dr. Bache, a religion professor at Youngstown State University in
Ohio, once studied for the Catholic priesthood. He now describes
himself as a universalist. Christianity, he said, "is not inherently
contradicted by the concept that we live on Earth more than once...We
come from God and we go back to God, but we spend more time going back
and forth."
An Atlanta psychologist, Diane Seaman, agrees. Ms.Seaman, 38, a past-
life therapist who attends All Saints Episcopal Church, teaches
classes on Christianity and reincarnation. Ms. Seaman said she became
interested in reincarnation in 1979, from experiencing "Bleed-
through," or memories from past lives. She claims to have been an
Egyptian slave and Atlanta author Margaret Mitchell.
Rather than dampening her Christian faith, the discovery of past lives
"was a real religious awakening, a mystical experience," she said.
Reincarnation helps her deal with some tough questions of
Christianity, such as how a loving God can allow suffering and pain.
People can atone for sins and be rewarded for accomplishments of past
lives--as a persecutor who may come back as a victim of persecution--
she said. "Reincarnation requires that we be a lot more responsible
for our own salvation," she said. It is exactly that responsibility
that most Christian theologians reject.
A lengthy series of attempts at perfection does not fit the Christian
concept of God's grace, said Dr. George Stroup, a professor at
Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur.
Humankind can never achieve the perfection of Christ, even given an
infinite number of lifetimes, he said. "In both Catholic and
Protestant traditions, people believe God's grace through Jesus Christ
means they are free from bondage to a law they cannot fulfill."
The New Testament is very clear that life after death is not at the
point of each individual's death, but will happen when Christ
triumphantly raises the dead, he said.
Scholars at various times have raised the argument that Christianity
should embrace the doctrine of reincarnation. The Gnostics, early
Christians who emphasized knowledge over faith, accepted belief in
reincarnation, but were regarded as heretics by the larger church.
Dr. Bache argues that the Christian church rejected reincarnation not
because of theological differences, but because leaders saw it as a
threat to their power.Science ultimately will determine whether
Christianity accepts reincarnation, according to British theologian
John Hick. When the fact can be "definitely ascertained," he wrote,
"any belief system should then include or exclude reincarnation in
response to the evidence."
Dr. Bache and Ms. Seaman argue that proof of reincarnation is
accumulating. "Reincarnation will get larger and larger," Dr. Bache
said. "Eventually Christianity will accept it."
The Atlanta Journal, 91/03/02
Making The Circle
(Editor: From a "ceremony" to "worship the earth.") "Grandmother
Earth, hear me! The two-leggeds, the four-leggeds, the wingeds, and
all that move upon You are Your children. With all beings and all
things we shall be no relatives; just as we are related to You, O
Mother."
The purpose of our gathering to celebrate the seasons is to restore
our sense of spiritual connection with the rhythms of the Earth, the
beautiful blue-green living planet from whose body we are born and on
which we live, and to praise and thank Her, the Great Mother of us
all!
Making a circle is the first step in any ritual or magical work. It
defines a sacred space. We make the circle by joining hands and
visualizing a circle of light flowing through us and around the
circle. As we make the circle, we reinforce the connecting bond by
joining our voices in deep chant: OM...OM...OM...
Do You Realize?
*That over 40,000,000 Americans trust the stars (astrology)
*That 2,500 new religious groups have formed since WWII
*That ouija boards have had sales of 2,000,000 in the past three years
*100,000 seances are held weekly in London
*In San Francisco, the First Satanic Church has more that 100,000
carefully screened members
*In Brazil, there are over 20,000,000 spiritualists
*According to a George Gallup poll, there are over 16,000.000
Americans between ages 16 and 26 involved in over 2,500 cults
*There are 10 large book clubs in the United States with membership
over 3,000,000 dealing in the world of occult