The following articles are compiled by:

Leo Wong

Leo@WatchmenWatching.com

 

 

Space policy to secure EU independence

 Source EUObserver.com

 

April 27, 2007 -- The European Commission has unveiled a proposal for a collective space policy in the EU, aiming to pool the resources of the 27 member states to create a space strategy to face global challenges.

 

The proposal, tabled together with the European Space Agency (ESA) on Thursday (26 April), focused in particular on creating a European space programme while coordinating and making more effective use of resources and efforts from across the bloc.

 

It also called for more cooperative work between defence and civil space programmes and technologies as well as developing joint international relations in space, such as the possibility of the EU to work with China and India on ESA's planned Mars mission.

 

"Today's proposal marks a milestone, to ensure that Europe does not miss out on the important opportunities that space policy offers," said EU industry commissioner Guenter Verheugen when he presented the report in Brussels.

 

He noted that although Europe is a world leader in the technology sector, the EU is far behind the US and Russia while China and India are racing to catch up with Europe's 10 year technological advantage.

 

Europe needs its own space policy if it wants to secure its economic and political future, the commissioner added. "We need our independence," he said, referring to the project which is estimated to cost around €2.4 billion.

 

Comments:  Space is the final frontier.  The country that controls the expanse of outer space has a leg up on world supremacy.  When U.S. President Ronald Reagan panned the idea of a Star Wars laser defence system, he rationalized his proposal by pointing to the increasing danger of the “Evil Empire”, i.e. the Soviet Union. The USSR was ahead of America in the space race, but America’s superior weapons technology would counter the Soviet threat from up high.

 

The EU is lagging well behind both the U.S. and Russia.  It needs to catch up quickly if it wants a piece of the space pie.  Many Bible prophecy students and authors speculate that the EU will produce the future Antichrist whose police network would include space satellites that will track and monitor each global citizen’s whereabouts and movements through the mark of the beast placed under their forehead or right hand.  He takes control of the entire world. That could mean he will forcibly commandeer the satellites of the U.S., Russia, India, China, etc., i.e. ALL such apparatus that is orbiting the globe.  Who will be able to resist him?  No one, i.e. if you want to live another day that is.

 

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Tim LaHaye thinks there are 2 billion Christians worldwide

Source: Millennium Weekend

 

April 27, 2007 -- I happened to switch the channel to MSNBC-TV last night between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. CDT and saw Joel Rosenberg, Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins being interviewed by host Glen Beck in a 1-hour show titled "End of Days?"

 

I was shocked to hear Tim LaHaye say that he thinks there are some 2 billion Christians worldwide who will be raptured.

 

Glen Beck asked each panellist whether they expect the Rapture to occur during their own lifetime. Jerry Jenkins hesitantly answered "No", but later qualified his answer saying that he wants more people to be saved.

 

Comments:  The last instalment of the wildly popular Left Behind series was released on April 3, 2007.  This is it!  No more new Left Behind books after that. The countless millions of books and DVDs are witness tools to be used to inform and hopefully lead sinners to Jesus Christ prior to the Rapture event.  After the Rapture, the same tools could be used to explain the sudden disappearance of millions of Christians worldwide.  Tim LaHaye’s estimate of 2 billion believers could be way off base.  (LaHaye most likely included the 1.1 billion Catholics.) Dr. David Reagan believes that only a small minority of Earth’s 6.5 billion inhabitants are true born again Christians.  The bulk of believers are in America with perhaps China and Russia being in 2nd and 3rd places.

 

With the birth pangs denoting the last days we’re living in being so close together, it’s unfathomable to think that the Rapture may not occur for another 20 to 50 years like Jerry Jenkins seemed to believe.  Joel Rosenberg is on tip-toe expectation of the Rapture event.  Thank God for the Left Behind series and Joel Rosenberg’s best selling books “The Last Jihad”, “The Ezekiel Option” and his latest, “Epic Center”.  May the Holy Spirit continue to use them to open the minds of the spiritually blind and bring them to Jesus before it’s too late.  There’s no assurance that those who have heard the Gospel of God prior to the Rapture will get a second chance.  Matthew 7:[14] Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

 

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EU’s Javier Solana calls for U.S. to hold direct talks with Iran on nuclear issue

Source: www2.irna.ir

 

April 28, 2007 -- EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana encouraged the US administration to hold direct talks with Iran on issues consistent with Iranian nuclear program.

 

He advised Washington to solve problems of relations with Tehran and termed it as pre-requisite for resolving the dispute on nuclear program.

 

"It would be very difficult to solve completely the stability of the region and the nuclear issue," Solana told the Brussels Forum.

 

"Of course, I am not saying that tomorrow we have to change our policy. This is the forum for us to discuss ideas for the future, and the future maybe weeks or months or maybe more than months. I think the tendency should be in that direction,"....he stressed that the EU and the US together cannot solve all the problems of the world today.

 

The EU foreign policy chief called on the US to open a "channel of communication" with Iran on everything.

 

"We have to see how much the US is willing to engage. I think at this point in time, to have also the U.S. opening a channel of communication with Iran will be worth thinking about," he said.

 

"I think that would be good. I am going to be talking to Washington in the next few days about that." .... "we have many important hurdles to overcome," Solana said. "I think we have to be tenacious."

 

He described his talks with Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani in Ankara on Wednesday and Thursday as "constructive." "They were constructive conversations." 

 

Comments:  This Javier Solana hombre is as slick as a recently waxed floor.  Who is he to suggest to the powerful Americans that they ought to have direct talks with Iran the bully?  It’s because Senor Solana is such a big wig in the EU political circle that when he speaks, people stop stuffing their faces with dessert and actually listen to what this man has to say.  He is one powerful man.

 

The U.S. is currently in protracted negotiations with North Korean officials to convince them to abandon their nukes program in exchange for food and economic benefits.  The Koreans are very interested in the American’s carrots and food baskets.  That being the case, whey can’t the U.S. also employ the same tactic with Iran?  Surely, Iran doesn’t like being placed under economic sanctions.  It just wants the world to take notice that it’s not a pee wee country, but a legitimate powerhouse.  Their nuclear program was one visible way of saying to the world “Hey, look at me!!  I’m over here.”  The interests of everyone concerned are the non‑proliferation of nukes worldwide.  The One World Government backers, movers and shakers want all nukes to be placed in the control of their planned global dictator.  The last thing they need is a rogue nation like Iran producing or acquiring nukes.  Senor Solana has been ordered by his behind the scenes masters to rectify the untenable situation and he’s working like a horse to make it happen.

 

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Jerusalem Day May 16, 2007

Source: www.pakistanchristianpost.com

 

April 28, 2007 -- May 16, 2007 Israel celebrates the 40th anniversary of Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day; the commemoration of the unification of Jerusalem after the 6-day war of 1967.

 

In 1947, the UN decided to create a Jewish and an Arab state out of the Land of Israel of which Jerusalem was to remain neutral, belonging to neither state. That couldn’t be realised exactly as planned.

 

Comments:  40 is the number of testing.  For the past 40 years since Israel took control of most of Jerusalem (she gave the Temple Mount area back to Jordan), this city has been the center of contention and controversy, not to mention suicide bomber attacks.  The three main religions, i.e. Roman Catholicism, Judaism and Islam have all wanted total influence and control.  The Vatican has proposed that Jerusalem be declared an international city to be shared by all faiths and religions.  Both Judaism and Islam wanted no part of this plan.

 

Some Christians speculate that the Rapture is even at the door.  Whereas others think that the generation that saw the rebirth of Israel on May 14, 1948 would be raptured, a growing number believe it will be the generation that witnessed Jerusalem being wrestled away from Gentile control by the Jews.  That was in June 1967.  A generation could be 40 or 50 years, they contend.  Certainly, Jerusalem is the center of attention as many politicians believe that Final Status talks concerning Jerusalem should be conducted without delay.  This “rush” nature would suggest that Satan is most eager for the Rapture to occur so he could reveal both his Antichrist and his False Prophet.

 

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The advent of the Laodicean Church

 

Source: Jack Kelley

 

April 29, 2007 -- I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. (Rev. 3:15-17)

 

One thing the emerging (not emergent, that's the name of one such organization) church with its social gospel fails to understand is that when the Lord evaluates our relationship, He's most interested in our attitude toward Him, not our efforts on His behalf. He made that clear in his criticism of the Church in Ephesus.

 

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. (Rev. 2:2-4)

 

While they claim it's to produce followers of Christ, not just believers in Him, the driving force behind the emerging church is really growth and prosperity. That's why it's so popular. So-called seekers don't come through the doors looking to become followers of Christ. They come to belong to something bigger than themselves, where they can be entertained and feel better about themselves by doing some good works without being made to feel guilty or having to commit to anything. If they wanted to be more like Jesus they'd have come to a place where they could focus on the Bible, and experience some intimate worship, the kind that makes the heart break, the tears flow, and the knee bend.

 

When you ask its leaders how the movement is working they'll quote statistics like "participation on an average weekend" as if the more people they bring through the doors, the more pleasing to God they must be. Then they'll tell you how many ministries they've got going. Some even print current revenues in their bulletins, I guess to show how good sales are, like a business would.

 

The fact that all this money is mostly put to good use is laudable, but the Lord judges us by the motives of our hearts, not the works of our hands. He actually condemned the Church at Ephesus even though they were hard working, faithful, and true. He condemned them because in their efforts to serve the King they had no time left for their relationship with the King.

 

Don't kid yourself into thinking that the Lord needs us to help build His Kingdom. That would be like me saying I need my 3 year old to help fix the leaking faucet. When they asked what work God required of them Jesus didn't say "Do for the One He has sent," He said "Believe in the One He has sent." (John 6:28-29) What you do after that is between you and the Lord, but unless you get first things first, nothing else matters. You'll be lukewarm at best.

 

Comments:  Jack Kelley sure hit the nail squarely on the head.  He said it all concerning the modern emerging church movement which is sweeping Protestant Christendom by storm.  It’s the successor to Rick Warren’s seeker’s sensitive church concept.  The emerging church takes much of their practices from Roman Catholic paganism which we all know is spiritual adultery.  It busies itself with doing good works which appeases a person’s conscience and thinks it’s pleasing God and somehow earns him a place in Heaven.  Working for Jesus takes precedence over following Jesus and doing His will.  The Holy Bible is relegated to collecting dust on book shelves.  People do as they please to satisfy their carnal desires.  Holding the truth without compromise is considered narrow minded and being intolerant.  The social gospel leaves no room for going forth with the Good News.  Saving souls takes a back page to cleaning up this polluted planet.  Ecumenism and bringing all faiths and religions under one umbrella are their marching song.  In short, it’s all about man’s interpretation of what God wants for Christians and not about taking God’s Word at face value.  No wonder God is not amused.  John 4:[34] Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

 

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Vatican conference addresses climate change

Source: Associated Press

 

April 29, 2007 -- Vatican officials closed a conference on climate change Friday that heard from scientists, ministers and religious leaders about the negative -- and sometimes positive -- impacts of climate change.

"Not all the scientific world is crying disaster," Renato Cardinal Martino, who heads the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, told Vatican Radio at the start of the two-day conference he hosted.

 

"There are a good number of scientists who consistently don't view these climactic changes in a negative light, and in fact say that these phenomena recur over the course of years and eras and sometimes they can have favourable results for agriculture and development."

 

He stressed that the Vatican had to look at the issue with precaution, however, in light of the Roman Catholic Church's social doctrine which says that while man dominates God's creation, he is also its custodian.

 

That said, some of the invited panellists were of the view that a warming planet is not all bad.

 

Among them was Craig Idso, chairman of the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change. The organization publishes the weekly online newsletter CO2 Science, which often reports on what it says are the benefits of increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.   

Other invited guests disputed any benefits, saying the increase in global temperatures is dangerous to the Earth and its most vulnerable people.

 

"Rising temperatures will see entire regions experience major declines in crop yields, up to one third in Africa, with rising numbers of people at risk from hunger," Britain's environment minister, David Miliband, said in an extract of his speech to the conference that was published in the British Catholic weekly The Tablet.

 

"Whole ecosystems from coral reefs to rainforests face collapse and many species will face extinction," he wrote.

 

Benedict spoke out about the need to care for the environment on Sept. 1, when the Italian Catholic Church celebrated its first Earth Day. In that message, he lamented the deterioration of the planet that had made the lives of the poor "especially unbearable."

 

Other Christian leaders share the view. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's 200 million Orthodox, is known as "the Green Patriarch" for his environmental trips to focus attention on the state of the world's seas and rivers.

 

Comments:  Genesis 4:[16] And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. [17] And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

 

After Cain murdered his twin brother Abel, he went out from the presence of the Lord and built civilization’s first city.  Yes, cities were constructed by rebellious sinful mankind.  It was not God’s idea for man to be separated from Him, expelled from the Garden of Eden, and dwell in cities estranged from Him.  If Cain had repented and did the will of God, perhaps God’s kingdom would have been established then and there.  Certainly, if the Jews had embraced Jesus Christ as their long awaited Messiah at His first coming, the Kingdom would have definitely been established and God’s righteousness through His beloved Son Jesus would be shining upon us in the New Jerusalem.  Yes, we would be now ruling with Jesus in eternal bliss.

 

Because mankind turned away from God and built a civilization, the world today is concerned about saving this planet from man’s raping and pillaging of Earth’s natural resources.  After decades of irresponsibility, it’s waking up to the possibly of mankind dying off.  Survival has been and will always be the No. 1 motivator is every person’s thinking.  The Vatican is pitching in with its own proposals.  The Church of Rome believes literally that God placed man over animals and man is Earth’s custodian.  It doesn’t realize that by Adam sinning, Satan took control of the world.  Satan is the god of this vile world of sin and debauchery.  He cares not for the welfare and the fate of souls.  Anyone who does not believe that our future is not tied to this world, but we’re looking for a Heavenly city whose maker is God, is an earth dweller.  Many Christians fall into that category.  They don’t want to leave Earth just yet.  They’re comfortably settled down here like Lot was.  We ought to be like Abraham who sojourned through this world as a pilgrim on his way Home.  Hebrews 11:[10] For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

 

 

 

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Keep watching (Matt 24:42)!

 

Until next time,

Shalom!

 

 

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