ARCHIVED NEWS REPORTS
First News Update of 1999

Contents

Somehow, it looks auspicious, writing 1999 on this News Update, though logically it's no different to any other year.

Or is it? It's not the date that is important, but the amount of events now crowding together to produce possibly the most traumatic year we have ever experienced.

On top of an already crazy weather system, we have the threat of economic meltdown in a number of countries, the beating of distant war-drums, Arafat wanting to declare Palestinian Statehood in May, the new monetary system in Europe, and the Y2K bug, to speak of just a few possibilities for chaos.

But rather than see this year as a terrible sword of Damocles hanging over us, I believe we should step into the year confident that our God is able! He has His plans, which no man can overthrow. What may turn into a nasty situation for the world, may prove to be our best opportunity to preach the gospel.

While eagerly awaiting the soon-returning Lord Jesus, we should be ready to engage in a last-days work of evangelism and counselling to reap the final harvest before we all go home. Before anyone objects, I will add that I don't see this in terms of the "massive global harvest reaping millions into the kingdom" or any such hype. I do believe, however, that before we can go to the Lord's side, we will be given one last chance to preach "this gospel of the kingdom" (Matt 24:14) - which is a very specific message of repentance, judgement and the Coming of the Lord.

I also believe this work of evangelism will take place at a time of unprecedented persecution of genuine believers, stirred up by global forces of evil, the like of which we have never seen before. They are already preparing their weapons, and soon we will see the depth of their hatred and loathing of the One True Way.

We are Cultists!

The BBC has started off the year in the way it intends to continue - as ever, anti-Christian and pro New Age. Did you see the Equinox documentary about the Millennium? While presenting some interesting information, it mixed in some serious errors, especially about the Second Coming and the Rapture. According to the commentators and the people they interviewed, those who believe in biblical prophecy are deluded at best and "cults" at worst.

The book of Daniel was dismissed as having been written in the second century BC (after the events of which it speaks in other words) and the book of Revelation, of course, was dismissed as unintelligible symbolism. Those who took it literally were presented as unstable weirdos, responsible for the worst kind of cult activity, such as the mass suicides of "Heaven's Gate" and the Waco incident.

Indeed, it was said on this programme that Waco happened as a result of David's Koresh's belief in the book of Revelation!

Are we being set up? You bet!!

I suspect things are going to get VERY tough for those who believe in biblical prophecy, the Rapture and the Second Coming. We are going to be universally derided, hated, and blamed for all the evils of false religion. And if a war starts in Israel, maybe we will see the finger pointed at us, for having fuelled the fires of Armageddon.

In the course of the Equinox programme, it was said that the authorities in Israel are very concerned about the level of "cult activity", with Christians coming to the Holy Land to wait for the Second Coming. No distinction is being made between nutcases like Kim Miller, who believes he is Elijah, and ordinary Christians (few of which are expecting the Return of Jesus on any particular day, anyway.)

Apparently the psychiatric hospital in Jerusalem is being extended, to accommodate all these supposed crazies. If you plan to travel to Israel, be sure you don't end up there! Act wisely, and don't antagonise the police, or say foolish things in their hearing.

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EUROPEAN ISSUES

At the time of the 1975 Common Market Referendum the Government distributed a pamphlet in favour of Britain's continued membership of the Common Market to every household. This categorically stated "there was a threat to employment in Britain from the movement in the Common Market towards Economic and Monetary Union. This could have forced us to accept fixed exchange rates for the pound, restricting industrial growth and so putting jobs at risk. This threat has been removed".

The quotation is important for a variety of reasons:

a) It shows there is no mandate for the European single currency from the 1975 referendum;

b) It shows clearly that the Labour Government thought the single currency was a bad thing - why have they changed their minds? Or were they lying?

c) It shows that Economic and Monetary Union has been at the heart of the European 'project' long before the Single European Act and the Maastricht Treaty made those objectives public.

What the British people thought they were voting for in 1975 was membership of a trading association. It is now apparent that the EU is dedicated to the merger of its member nations into a bureaucratic single state. So we have all been conned? In a word, yes.

Consider the following:

"There will not be a blueprint for a federal Europe" - Edward Heath, as Prime Minister, House of Commons, 25th February 1970

BBC Question Time 1st November 1991. Presenter (Peter Sissons): "the single currency; a United States of Europe; was that in your mind when you took Britain in?"

Edward Heath: "Of course, yes".

The case that Britain might lose its political independence was loftily dismissed at the time of Britain's accession to the Treaty of Rome: "There is no question of any erosion of essential national sovereignty," as Edward Heath's 1972 White Paper puts it.

Since the very first paragraph of the Treaty of Rome talks about achieving 'ever closer union' it is difficult to see how our politicians could have fooled themselves that the Common Market did not have a political agenda.

The conclusion is inescapable, therefore, that they were - and are - trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the British public. This process of deception continues to the present day, with the connivance of current political leaders.

Claude Cheysson, the French ex-Foreign Secretary who subsequently became one of France's European Commissioners, famously observed that the Maastricht Treaty could only have been constructed "in the absence of democracy".

He went on to conclude that the problems faced by the EU were the result of the "open debate" permitted during the Maastricht referendum in France. By the admission of one of its architects, therefore, the EU relies on the uncritical endorsement, or at best the apathy, of the European electorate.

Despite - or perhaps because of - the euro's unpopularity, most European electors were denied the chance to vote on its introduction. In Germany, polls showed that 60% of the population opposed scrapping the Deutschmark - yet no referendum was held on the subject. Challenged on this by a Dutch newspaper, which pointed out that most Dutch people wanted to keep the Guilder, the German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel made the extraordinary claim that "politicians should have the courage to take decisions ... against the will of the people."

(Compiled from a document on the EuroFAQ website, URL below)

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Europe plans huge spy web

Police will be able to eavesdrop on any European telecommunication under new surveillance plans, writes Simon Davies in the "Connected" supplement of the Daily Telegraph, January 7th 1999

Law enforcement agencies have laid the foundations for a massive eavesdropping system capable of intercepting all mobile phone calls, Internet communications, and fax and pager messages in Europe. The plan, known as Enfopol98, has been drawn up in secret by police and justice officials as part of a Europe-wide strategy to create a seamless web of telecommunications surveillance across national boundaries.

The strategy, which has received widespread support in the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council, will oblige all ISPs and telephone exchanges to provide agencies with "real time, full time" access to all communications, regardless of the country of origin.

Current eavesdropping techniques require specific authority to be granted within each individual country so that agencies can monitor pre-designated communications within each jurisdiction. Under the proposed system, Europe will create a "one-stop shop" for snooping on communications. Satellite systems such as Iridium will be forced to create "wiretap-friendly" technology, while ISPs must submit to requirements for interception of content.

The plan was revealed by the German Internet magazine Telepolis, which recently published details of the strategy. The EU won't comment on the status of the proposal but it is now known that Enfopol has passed through the Justice and Home Affairs Council to the stage of draft resolution. So far, national parliaments have yet to be involved.

To the dismay of advocates of strong encryption, Enfopol will function on the principle that all code must be capable of being broken. The Enfopol system will be aided by a "subject tagging" system capable of tracking targets wherever they travel. Known as the "International User Requirements for Interception" (TUR), the tagging system will create a data processing and transmission network that involves not only the names, addresses and phone numbers of targets and associates, but e-mail addresses, credit card details, PINs and passwords.

The move to establish Enfopol follows a five-year lobbying exercise by American: agencies such as the FBI. When completed, the system will provide a global interception regime.

Corpus Juris - another threat from Europe

The EU is working towards a common legal system for the whole of Europe. This new judicial system will be based on the Continental inquisition method, not the British trial-by-jury. Habeas Corpus, one of the central planks of the Magna Carta, would disappear at a stroke! And Corpus Juris, as it is called is being seen as the "embryo of a future European Criminal Code".

One member of the British Parliament has confirmed that a devious plan has been set in motion to introduce an EU criminal law system. The idea is well advanced on the Continent, though hardly anyone in this country has heard of it. Clearly, they would rather we did not know!

The proposed European Union code for conducting criminal procedures known as Corpus Juris was originally requested by the European Parliament and was compiled by a group of "academic experts" under the aegis of the European Commission. Corpus Juris was first presented by the European Commission to a specially invited audience at a Seminar of the Instituto Europeo de España held on 17th and 18th April 1997, in San Sebastián, Spain.

Initially designed as a way of combating fraud, it has grown into a plan for a Central Criminal Court, with a European Public Prosecutor. The Prosecutor would have the power to issue a "European Arrest Warrant" valid across the whole of the EU. Suspects would be transferred to the country where the offense took place without any extradition privileges, and could be held for up to nine months pending trial.

As always, the real danger is to dissenters. If, as seems likely, the Antichrist system is set up across Europe, then a central body such as this could demand the arrest and imprisonment of offenders against "European Law" whether or not their homeland agreed to the charges! They would be at the mercy of the European overlords, with no rights, no bail, and not a hope of appealing through the legal system of their own countries.

Roman Empire Rises Again!

It's all going in one direction - fast! Despite every assurance, the European Superstate is forming right before our eyes. This month sees the launch of the Euro, a European monetary system that hammers another nail into national sovereignty.

According to Otmar Issing, who is on the Council of the Bundesbank, "There is no example in history of a lasting monetary union that was not linked to political union".

Even more chilling have been the references to the old Roman Empire. We are being told that this year, for the first time since the Roman Empire, we again have a Europe-wide single currency.

Like the Euro, the Roman coinage was a symbol of centralised authority. The aim is also to harmonise the taxation system, just as in the Roman Empire. Yes, the Beast Empire is rising again with a smiling face and a slavering jaw!

Meanwhile, our money is lining the pockets of the EU fraudsters. At least £3BILLION (yes, that's billion) of the 1997 EU budget has been mis-spent according to its own financial watchdogs. Yet the man who has tried to force Brussels to look into the multi-million pound frauds of taxpayer's money, Paul van Buitenen, has been suspended on half-pay for his trouble. He has also received threatening phone calls.

You will not hear the truth about the European Superstate from the newspapers, much less from the Government. You need to go to one of the many websites that tell it like it is. Here's a selection:

• Free Britain Site: http://www.freebrit.demon.co.uk/ - many links!!!

• Oxford Campaign Against a Federal Europe (CAFE) http://users.ox.ac.uk/~shug0334/cafe.htm

• Oxford Campaign Against a Federal Europe (CAFE) links page: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~shug0334/link.htm

• Referendum Party links page: http://www.demon.co.uk/dita/europe/rp/

• EuroFAQ: amazing archive of documents including the full text of Corpus Jurisis - http://members.aol.com/eurofaq

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Fear Not Their Threats!

The devil has a particular but not very clever trick which, once spotted, becomes very obvious. He turns things on their head, calls black white and white black. And his own sins and his own evil, he projects onto innocent people and accuses them of it.

Thus, anyone who works for truth is called a liar, anyone who loves Christians enough to warn them against evil is denounced as "unloving"; anyone who exposes demonic activity is branded "demon possessed" and anyone who walks truly with the Holy Spirit, and loves the Word of God, defending doctrine, is told he is "blaspheming the Spirit". And so on.

Thus, those who are tirelessly working to shore up crumbling dams against the flood of false teaching are seen as not just an irritation and a threat, but actual enemies of God, fit only for damnation.

A teaching has arisen that permits (even encourages) churchgoers - can I call them believers? - to curse "opponents" of the current "move of God". In that way, it's believed God's judgement will fall upon them and they will either cease their opposition or die.

Bob Jones and the Shepherd's Rod

So I was not too surprised to see this teaching in black and white on the website of Bob Jones, one of the weirdest of the Kansas City Prophets.

The recent history of Bob Jones is relevant, as he was always regarded as a wild card even in the heady days of Grace Ministries; his fellows ministers were themselves wary of Jones's auras, nightly visions and out-of-body experiences, his purple hands of healing, and rambling monologues.

Some years back, Bob Jones was removed from office by his fellow ministers following evidence of "sexual improprieties" involving several female members of the congregation. However, a little while later it was said that the fulness of the coming glory could not be achieved without Bob Jones, so he was welcomed back into the circuit and continues to be a major source of "revelation" to this day.

One strange practise of Bob Jones is the "Shepherd's Rod" whereby he causes his people to "pass under the Shepherd's Rod" every year to be evaluated - based on Ezekiel 20:37.

But this verse actually refers to something that the Lord Himself prophesied He would do for His people, and when we read the verse in context, it refers to judgement, a judgement that Bob Jones and the other so-called Prophets believe they are handing out to "the rebels" who will not come under their dominion:

"I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you, says the Lord GOD. I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD. (Ezek 20:34-38 NKJ)

This scripture symbolically portrays a shepherd extending his rod as the sheep pass under his staff for evaluation. See also Jeremiah 33:13 and Leviticus 27:32.

On The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) every year, Bob Jones receives "significant revelation" for the coming year - rather like Old Moore's Almanac! This year, Jones prophesies that power to CURSE will be poured out on believers. Here is an extract of his 1999 predictions:

THE COMING POWER

One of the most important words for this year is the promised release of genuine Holy Spirit POWER. Power that travels with the speed of thought. Power to confront. Power to read people's hearts. Power to run through a troop of the enemy and power to jump over their walls. Power to bless and power to curse. This power to curse is a righteous power from the Holy Spirit enabling the church to curse sickness and disease and all the power of the evil one.

The Lord is going to release the power and authority to curse all that is in opposition to His purposes in the church and on the earth. There is coming power to open and power to close. "Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder, when he opens no one will shut, when he shuts no one will open. "And I will drive him {like} a peg in a firm place, and he will become a throne of glory to his father's house. (Isaiah 22:22-23)

... This power will also create a sizeable shaking in the mega-ministries that have not been totally faithful in the provision entrusted to them. The coming power will produce many good and profitable things, likewise, it will also shake all that can be shaken.

Although this is dressed up in spiritual language, there is no disguising the source of such a power to curse. Nowhere in the New Testament does Jesus command Christians to curse others! Indeed, he plainly says: "Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not." (Rom 12:14 KJV)

God's enemies will be dealt with at the right time, and by the right Person - the Lord Jesus Christ, for all judgement has been given into his hand. "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son". (John 5:22 KJV).

And this:

"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." (Rom 12:19-21 KJV)

But contrary to these scriptures, Bob Jones and those like him feel it's their place to call down curses on the heads of those who disagree with them!

Years ago, when I began writing about the Restoration Movement, I saw where things were heading. I said at that time, that the idea of the Church as the Governing Authority on earth would lead to the belief that God's judgement was also meted out by his Agents, the leaders of the Church.

If there is a power that prompts people to CURSE those they perceive as their enemies, or the enemies of their cause, it is the power of the devil. What actually happens when people command curses to fall on others, is that demons are released with permission to do harm and to cause trouble in that person's life! It is, in effect, a witchcraft spell dressed up as prayer!!

The Bible speaks of such curses in terms of arrows, or swords, or darts being hurled against God's people.

Ps 57:4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

Ps 64:3-5 3 Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not. They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?

Ps 11:2 For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.

But God has made a provision to protect us from these "arrows":

Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Ps 91:4-11 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

There will, I believe, be an escalation of this teaching on curses. It is already happening (usually behind closed doors) but it will become more open and more widespread as time goes on. BUT...

1 Pet 3:13-14 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

Ezek 2:6-7 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.

Isa 54:15-17 Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake... No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Receive The Mark

Bob Jones also received another revelation for the coming year. He said that some people would receive a mark on their foreheads!!

THE BRANDING IRON

The Lord then displayed a "Branding Iron" coming from heaven. The branding iron is for the purpose of placing the seal of God upon those who have allowed the purging and consecrating work of the Holy Spirit and lamented over the sins of the church and this nation. This Divine Mark is for the purpose of bearing a clear distinction between those who are wholly His and those who are not.

An angelic host will be sent through the earth marking on the foreheads the seal of God for those who have groaned and sighed over the abominations being committed in the earth.

Again, this sounds scriptural until you realise that true believers HAVE ALREADY BEEN SEALED! (Eph 4:30 /2 Cor 1:22 ) Anyone who has been truly born again has been sealed once and forever, and there is no further sealing for him or her. (The seal of God in Revelation is for the faithful of Israel, who are not yet born again).

What then is this second seal seen by Bob Jones? Is it a Godly seal at all - or is it THE MARK that will seal all those who bow to the Antichrist?

Bob Jones Web Site is: http://bobjones.org/

Strange Bedfellows!

I have been checking out who is linking to this site, in order to ask them to change their links to my new URL. This has been an interesting exercise to say the least! I already knew that I was listed as an "enemy" on the pro-Gnostic/New-Age site, but I also found myself linked on a pagan site as an example of blindness to the truth.

Now this second site may be of interest to you, because it perfectly illustrates what we've said for a long time, that the Toronto experience is in fact an occultic "kundalini" power. Opponents of the "toronto blessing" have often said that what began to be poured out in 1994 was in reality an occult power, a power that has given countless thousands a spiritual experience that is very real, but not of God. This is called "kundalini" by occultists.

Note what is said on the pagan site I mentioned about the kundalini (or serpent-power), and how closely this accords with the experiences at Toronto, Brownsville and the other centres of the TB:

A lot of bodily and emotional symptoms usually begin with the arising of the Kundalini. Most are pretty surprising and create a lot of fear. Although the process is natural and healing, many of the symptoms may be mistaken for different kinds of physical or mental illness. Even an experienced medical doctor or psychiatrist may not be aware that this are the byproducts of a Kundalini arousal.

To give you an idea, consider (occurring and disappearing in strong emotional situations or without any obvious external cause):

• Involuntary body movements, like shaking, trembling or twitching. These movements can be very, very strong and result in unusual postures.
• Having the unresistable urge to lie on or bow down to the earth is very common. (see also these citations from Osho [below] about this.)
• Feeling heat and/or pain in several parts of the body. Pain may decrease or disappear when certain body movements are not inhibited - let the body move as it wants to (if this is possible without danger for you and others).
• Seeing lights, bright colors or hearing sounds.
• Making involuntary noises (often together with sudden movements).
• Feeling immensely happy and grateful or totally desperate, lonely and fearful.
• Being unable to (or needing to) sleep for days or weeks.
• Unusual breathing patterns, like deep breathing or not breathing for minutes.
• Intense sexual arousal or loosing the interest in sex at all.

Shaking and Trembling: the First Contact with the Divine in us

"When it happened to Mohammed, the first day when he came in contact with the divine, he fell on the ground, started shivering and shaking and perspiring -- and the morning was as cold as this morning. He was alone and from the very pores of the soles of his feet he started perspiring, he was afraid. Something unknown had touched him ... Many blanket were put upon him, and he still continued shivering." [Osho, And the Flowers Showered, Chapt. 9]

"Whenever God approaches you, you will see that you are going mad. You will vibrate into a new rhythm, your whole body will be full of shivering, shaking, you will feel a new energy pouring into you -- and the energy is so tremendous that your capacity is not that much. By and by, your capacity will grow. By and by, you will be able to absorb it. By and by, the shaking and trembling will disappear. By and by, you will become perfectly silent -- but it takes time." [Osho, The Beloved, Vol 1 Chapt. 3]

"It is said that for twenty-four hours he was lying down under a tree as if dead, the whole body shaking, tears continuously flowing." [Osho about Ananda's enlightenment, The True Sage Chapt. 1]

"In Japan it is called 'Zen-madness'. In Japan even doctors know it -- because sometimes it may happen to the disciple, and his family may take him to the doctor. Because he goes berserk -- he starts shouting, doing things, screaming, shaking, quaking, trembling, for no reason. Or starts laughing or crying for no reason, or starts dancing. Sometimes the family will take the person to the doctor. But in Japan they know." [Osho, The Path of Paradox, Vol 2 Chapt. 10]

"Close your eyes and feel full of light inside, as if a great light is arising from your belly and filling your whole body. If trembling arises, shaking, swaying, go with it. If your body wants to take some posture -- if your hands start moving -- allow it. Let the energy possess you, and whatsoever starts happening, allow -- trembling, shaking ... " [Osho during Sannyas initiations, Believing the Impossible Before Breakfast, Chapt. 1 and 3]

I find it amazing, reading this, that Christians refuse to see the real source of the "toronto" power! These manifestations are not just similar, but IDENTICAL! Yet Christians are being taught that this is the power of the Holy Spirit.

AND, the very same advice is given to Christians, ie "Let the energy possess you, and whatsoever starts happening, allow". What deceptive times we live in!

This information is from: zenhouse.com/spirituality/natural_center.html

And by the way, I'm not afraid of being linked by them. Maybe somebody will come to my site as a result, and the power of God's truth will convict them. Let's pray so!

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Could This Become A Global Prayermeeting?

Like many of you, I receive the "Last Trumpet Newsletter" of David Meyer. Over the years, I have not always agreed with David, nor accepted all the assertions in his newsletter, while at the same time recognising his tremendous zeal for the Lord and his intense desire to come against the evils of this world.

As a former occultist, David Meyer has a unique understanding of what drives this world. In the last few years he has developed a very effective intercessory ministry, and he has seen some remarkable answers to prayer.

I don't know all the details, but David and his prayergroup travel to various locations in the States and in places of supreme evil (such as the UN meditation room) they pray that God's hand of judgement will move against all that is ungodly and satanic.

You can obtain details of all this direct from the ministry address which is "Last Trumpet Newsletter" PO Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916, USA. The newsletter is free, but clearly, David Meyer cannot work entirely without funds, so do please enclose a donation when you write.

I believe David is inspired by God to do this work, and it struck me as something we should all support with our own prayers - preferably at the very same time as David's group meets which is on a Saturday between the hours of 6pm and 8pm (Central Standard Time, USA).

For British readers, this is approximately six hours behind GMT, so to co-ordinate our efforts we'd have to pray at midnight! But I'm sure that late Saturday evening would be acceptable. Some of us may still be up and about at midnight anyway, even if not in a prayergroup, so remember to pray at that time if you can!

This is something new to me. I don't often feel excited about global prayergroups. But this may be an opportunity to mount a Godly defence to all that is coming upon us as a Body.

There are so many who are being troubled, tormented, driven into doubt and despair. There are many who are suffering hardships and tragedies. God cares, and he wants us to respond in believing prayer. Can we all spare an hour or two to join AS ONE UNITED BODY round the world, to seek God for His help and guidance? If we do, we could see many glorious results.

The special focus of David Meyer's prayer, however, is to come against the powers of evil that are infiltrating every area of our lives. He engages in genuine biblical warfare, which is to stand firm in the victory of Christ on the Cross, and be guided by the Holy Spirit to ask God to move against various abominations. Already, David has seen a pornographic bookstore closed down, a Masonic Temple closed, and a blasphemous film removed from the playlists. And much more. (Ask him for back-copies of his newsletter if possible.)

To add to the abominations above, I would urge you to pray that false teaching is hindered, and that the innocent victims of deception will be rescued by God. I hope I need not explain every single thing you could be praying, because you should wait on the Holy Spirit to inspire you and lead you in prayer. (Indeed, there's not much point in praying, otherwise, as you'd only be expressing the desires of your flesh!).

Oh and by the way, before you e-mail me - no, I don't believe we can completely alter the course of the deception and coming Tribulation by such prayer, because the Bible says it WILL happen. Nevertheless, within certain parameters, we can ask God for victory over the forces of evil - don't you agree?

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News Items in Brief

Become an organ donor, whether you want to or not!

The BMA ( British Medical Association) has approved a proposal to allow the removal of organs from any patient who dies in hospital without their permission. This is the opposite to the current scheme where those willing to be donors give their permission prior to their death. In the new plan, patients would have to actively OPT OUT of being a donor, to prevent their bodies being harvested for organs.

I am already concerned at the trend towards switching off life support too early. Organs for transplant must be taken from a living body, so the only source is patients in a coma or on life support machines. Imagine the pressure on doctors to pull the plug on coma patients when transplant patients are crying out for organs!! With the growing demand for transplants, parents and family members are being urged to agree that an accident victim is "brain dead" and has no hope of recovery.

At the moment, family members are asked to give their permission for organs to be donated. Under the new proposals, unless a specific opt-out had been given, organs can be removed without permission!

Also, what happens if you get knocked down by a car or suffer a sudden heart attack or stroke before you had a chance to formally "opt out". Then, whether you like it or not, your body will be raided by the doctors for your organs.

Transvestite will host religious TV show

A cross-dressing "tele-evangelist" is to host a Sunday night religious show on BBC. "Sister Paula" who is actually a man called Larry Neilson, is a part-time hostess at a homosexual nightclub in Portland, Oregon. However, the BBC have booked "her" to expound on biblical texts for seven weeks on their new series "The Big End" - a satirical look at the millennium.

The programme is described as a "tongue-in-cheek exploration of strange spiritual groups inspired by the Millennium (another attempt by the media to label everyone believing in the Endtimes or the events of Revelation as cultic and dangerous! Stand by for more of this as the year progresses.)

Indulgences Once More

It is reported that the Pope has revived the practise of earning "indulgences" - which is odd, since they had never been abandoned in the first place. However, this will bring the practise to the forefront once more. An indulgence is supposed to release a sinner from time in Purgatory, and shorten the time it takes them to reach heaven. The living may earn indulgences on behalf of the dead.

Before the Reformation, indulgences were sold for cash, and many of the world's cathedrals were built from the money so raised. This time around, sinners are supposed to earn their indulgences by good deeds, pilgrimages, prayer, abstinences and giving to the poor.

It was partly the sale of indulgences that enraged the early Protestants and caused them to criticise the Church. But the Protestant church is not entirely free of the spirit of indulgences itself! Many Word of Faith teachers, just like the priests of old, fund their luxurious lifestyles by teaching that spiritual benefits will come from the donation of funds to the ministry. If you need prayer, deliverance or healing, just pop your cheque into the envelope provided and your miracle is assured!

One example, again from the Bob Jones website (but there are many more examples to be found):

Bob was told that those who will sacrificially give now will have the fruit of the Spirit, and will bring forth the manifold wisdom of God so that even the principalities and powers in heavenly places would begin to see the wisdom of God revealed through the church... Then Bob was told to look again at the mite that was dropped, and he saw it as a token such as you would give at a toll gate. He was told that this was the coin taken from the fish's mouth, which was used for the temple tax and which was used for getting into the temple. Bob understood this to somehow mean that it was through sacrificial giving that we would enter into the higher purposes of the Lord.

Also, like the RC priests of old, Word of Faithers sell "relics" - items that supposedly have spiritual properties to do miracles, like blessed handkerchiefs and water from the Sea of Galilee. It's a pity that Christians are still gullible enough to fall for the old tricks of the trade.

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Muslims and Christians get together

A mosque in Oxford is planning to appoint a Church of England clergyman to "improve relations between Christians and Muslims". This move has been warmly approved by Oxford's Bishop, the Rt. Rev Richard Harris.

The Muslim secretary, Sultan Dogar says "we are all working very hard to achieve something in Oxford that many have said is impossible - Muslim and Christian unity".

The priest appointed to the job will be barred from engaging in evangelism. What the Church seeks is "improved relationship" not converts.

In a similar move, the Prison Service is to appoint a Muslim adviser for the first time, to work alongside the Prison Chaplaincy. The London Islamic Centre has campaigned for years for representation in prisons, for halal food, Ramadan preparations and Friday prayers.

Pope to join Bethlehem 2000 celebration in Palestine

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat received a communique from Pope John Paul II in answer to a message sent by Arafat during last November. In the communique Pope Pope John Paul II accepted the invitation of Arafat to join the international committee on Bethlehem 2000. Palestinian sources considered the approval of the Pope to join Bethlehem 2000 as enhancing the international status of this project

Yasser Arafat is the sponsor of Bethlehem 2000, a Palestinian project which will co-ordinate many Bimillennial celebrations over a 16 month period. Arafat has invited all of Christendom to Bethlehem to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ starting at Christmas 1999 through Easter 2001. See the website below:

http://www.bethlehem2000.org/theproject.html

"The Bethlehem 2000 Project was established in March 1997 through a presidential decree and was declared to be a high priority project for the Palestinian people. The Project is headed by H. E. President Yasser Arafat. A General Co-ordinator, Minister Dr. Nabeel Kassis, oversees the implementation of the project."

For further information, see Watch Unto Prayer http://watch.pair.com/pray.html

Ruth Prince

Ruth Prince, wife of Derek Prince died on Tuesday the 29th December 1998, after many weeks of fighting an infection. Derek, their daughter Jessica, and other friends were by her bedside, worshipping the Lord with Ruth's favourite Hebrew choruses. The funeral service and interment was in Jerusalem on the 31st.

Benny Hinn Aide Dies of Heroin Abuse

A long-time aide to Orlando minister Benny Hinn died of chronic heroin abuse last December, a month after coming under suspicion of supplying a fatal heroin overdose to another church worker.

David Delgado, 45, died in New York City after returning from a two-week crusade in Jordan, one of scores of tours Delgado made during a decade of service with Hinn.

Delgado started out as a "catcher" who kept swooning believers from striking the floor. He rose in the church to become Hinn's personal assistant and friend, helping arrange such details as the pastor's schedule, meals and grooming, his family said. The former drywall contractor credited Hinn with calling him to God and giving him the strength to give up drugs 12 years ago.

"David loved Pastor Benny," Delgado's widow, Mary, said Tuesday from her Orlando home. Her husband went on his last crusade despite knowing he was dying from cirrhosis of the liver, a side effect of heroin abuse.

Delgado also knew he was under suspicion in the death of co-worker Sydney Williams, Orange County sheriff's records show. Williams, 42, died Nov. 15, 1997, at his Lockhart home after injecting himself with a massive dose of heroin, according to an Orange County autopsy report.

Delgado became a suspect in the death partly because Williams appeared to have been drugged after visiting Delgado the night before Williams died. Drug and homicide detectives tried to question Delgado afterward but were told he was out of state and unavailable, Miller said.

Late Tuesday, a spokesman announced that Benny Hinn Ministries has instituted random drug testing of its employees as a result "of these tragic events." In a statement, the ministry said it had no knowledge of any drug use by Delgado or Williams, noting that the organization has 360 employees. "We will not tolerate and will not condone illegal drug use by employees of the ministry," Hinn spokesman David Brokaw said "When we find out about it we will act immediately."

by Henry Pierson Curtis and Mark Pinsky of The Sentinel Staff
Published in The Orlando Sentinel, Dec 2 1998

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Crop Circle Hoaxer Comes Clean

At last. After twenty years of speculation about crop circles, the man who started it all has admitted it's a hoax. 74-year old Doug Bower has confessed that the patterns were made with planks of wood and string. His hoaxing began in 1978 when he and some friends, after spending the evening in the pub, created their first simple crop circle as a laugh. Later they went on to make ever more elaborate circles. What began as a joke took root in the public psyche and soon news of the patterns spread round the world.

Others followed suit and made patterns of their own, and a cult was born. Fourteen years later, Doug decided to confess, but the mystics, psychics and UFOlogists refused to listen. They were already convinced that the patterns were supernatural. A sad reflection, again, on the gullibility of the public.

Easter Poster with Marxist Theme

The churches of Britain have come up with a stunner this time - a poster designed to draw people to church at Easter that features the face of Che Guevara in a crown of thorns. The Churches Advertising Network which represents all the major denominations in Britain, launched a national poster campaign yesterday (Jan 5th 1998) and 50,000 churches will be asked to buy packs of posters in time for Easter. The five-foot blood-red poster, which will be on public display all over the nation, has a picture of Che Guevara outlined in black, wearing a crown of thorns. Underneath it says "MEEK. MILD. AS IF. Discover the Real Jesus, Church, April 4th".

Smith Wigglesworth Prophecy; A New Interpretation?

Now, I'm going to shock some of you, but I don't want you to go all paranoid on me. The following is just a thought of mine, and I don't present it as gospel truth. Most of us know about the famous prophecy given by Smith Wigglesworth in 1947 about revival in the endtimes. Given the man, and his ministry, it's been dismissed as error (and there are some people who don't accept ANY prophecy as of God in any case - I'm not one of those, although I admit it's very rare these days.)

I read the prophecy recently, and I thought the earlier (and popular) interpretations could well be wrong, and maybe we have misjudged this. If you consider carefully what it says, it could well refer to what is actually happening today!

Here it is: (I can't vouch for the accuracy, as it comes from another web site.)

"During the next few decades there will be two distinct moves of the Holy Spirit across the church in Great Britain. The first move will affect every church that is open to receive it and will be characterised by a restoration of the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

The second move of the Holy Spirit will result in people leaving historic churches and planting new churches.

In the duration of each of these moves, the people who are involved will say 'This is the great revival'. But the Lord says 'No, neither is this the great revival but both are steps towards it.

When the new church phase is on the wane, [my emphasis] there will be evidenced in the churches something that has not been seen before: a coming together of those with an emphasis on the Word and those with an emphasis on the Spirit. 

When the Word and the Spirit come together, there will be the biggest movement of the Holy Spirit that the nation, and indeed the world, has ever seen. It will mark the beginning of a revival that will eclipse anything that has been witnessed within these shores, even the Wesleyan and the Welsh revivals of former years. The outpouring of God's Spirit will flow over from the UK to the mainland of Europe, and from there will begin a missionary move to the ends of the earth."

He was right (at least in the UK) about the two distinct moves, firstly the Charismatic Renewal that began in the Anglican and other historic churches and brought back the understanding of "baptism in the Spirit" and the gifts and ministries of the Spirit - this came about in the 1960's and early 1970's. Then, as a reaction to the stuffy, intractable and dogmatic attitudes of many denominations, the renewal burst out of the historic churches and went into House Churches around the mid-70's and onwards.

Both of these events were, I believe, originally designed by God to wake up his people and prepare them for the approaching endtimes battle against evil. Sadly, the devil infiltrated and perverted this genuine move of God and seeded it with false doctrine. Those who had been set free of formalism and ritualism were then bound up again in the chains of Dominionism. This had its heyday in the 1980's.

The false doctrine acted like the leaven that ruined the whole "lump" and as we have seen it led directly to the chaos of the Toronto experience and similar errors. Many other false doctrines crowded in at the same time, most of them from the same "latter-rain" roots.

Now we have come to the situation where the majority of charismatic (and other) churches in the UK are preaching various forms of false doctrine, and the genuine Spirit-led believers are voting with their feet. There has been a massive move OUT of these churches on the part of genuine believers, and a seeking after the "old paths" of righteousness again.

As Smith-Wigglesworth said, neither the first nor the second move was a true revival, and that includes Toronto et al! There is a final phase characterised by the gathering together of those who both love the Word AND are filled with the Spirit. They are coming together as One on the basis of a common love of the truth, in the face of great opposition and persecution.

THIS will be the true revival, that is yet to come. Not amongst the visible churches, as they expect, but amongst the genuine believers out of every denomination. We are now so hard-pressed and troubled, not to speak of weak, that we do NEED the Holy Spirit desperately to lift us up as from the dead - to revive us again, and to stand us on our feet, before the End. Otherwise we will just not make it!

I remember years and years ago, when I had a heart for revival as I understood it, and prayed much for this in my own church. Eventually I heard the Lord whisper to me "It's not REVIVAL but SURVIVAL". And I began, dimly, to understand that God provides for His people at a time of need, not just for their selfish enjoyment.

On another occasion, as I was cycling home from work (my favourite time to pray) I was again turning over in my mind the idea of revival, and the Lord showed me plainly that his Holy Spirit's power would be displayed in his people at a time of terrible persecution and suffering. I didn't want to accept that - I still don't. But that's what he said, all the same.

So, when the hour strikes, the power, guidance, comfort, uplifting, healing and discernment of the Holy Spirit will be upon us as never before - because we will need Him.

That seems somehow to gel with the last part of the prophecy above. I'd like to believe that the missionary zeal that the Holy Spirit brings at that time WILL flow over into other countries like never before. I am in two minds about that. Unlike the large charismatic organisations, I don't see any great global change of heart before the End. But maybe the evangelism will "eclipse other revivals" in the sense of being "more pure, more powerfully led by the Spirit, more effective" rather than involving thousands of people? Or maybe I'm entirely wrong about all of this!

It's something to think about, anyway.

It's No Sin to be Under Pressure

For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, (2 Cor 1:8-10 NKJ)

There's a certain type of fellowship, and you will know what I mean if you have been or are a member, where you daren't admit to being under the weather, in trouble, ill or depressed - or anything "negative" - because that is seen as a failure to live above the circumstances. You are somehow not "spiritual enough" if you are in trouble or ill.

This problem is not just confined to Word of Faith fellowships. I remember going to such a fellowship years ago - and it was a superb church, well-led, mature, with truly Spirit-led worship and teaching. However, only the fittest survived. When greeted on a Sunday with a cheery "hello, how are you?" you were supposed to beam radiantly and say "wonderful, praise the Lord!". But, because I was an honest (and rather naive) sort of person, I would answer truthfully when I was feeling down, or ill.

I suppose I expected Christians to sympathise, or pray for me - but instead I got an embarrassed stare, and then the person would turn away and greet somebody else.

I went through a low time in my life around that time, and suffered from depression. Things were going badly for me in many ways. But nobody in the Fellowship knew because I was never allowed to admit to these "negative" things.

It once got out, when a girl overheard me talking to a close friend, that I was depressed. The next weekday home Bible Group, this girl - in front of everybody - said "and I hear Tricia is having mental problems!!!" All heads turned, and I wanted to fall through the floor. This was an accusation, not sympathy. The accusation came out of that church's belief that once you were born again and filled with the Spirit you "walked in victory" and if you didn't, then it was tantamount to being a backslider.

If you couldn't get results in prayer, if you failed to receive spiritual help from the Lord, if you couldn't shake off illness and "live in victory" then you were a second-class Christian who wasn't pulling his/her weight.

Perhaps you know what I mean?

Well now that things in the world and churches are so much worse than those halcyon days of the charismatic renewal, we are all under pressure like never before. Time after time I hear of problems, disasters, tragedies, illnesses, deaths. Genuine Christians are suffering dreadful things, and it seems there is no relief! How can we account for this "failure?". How can we accept that we prayed, but God did not move to save us out of trouble?

Well, I cannot in this News Update tackle those questions fully, but here are some very moving articles written by David Wilkerson that do address these issues. (Links are to David Wilkerson's web site, not this site.)

• When you come to the end of yourself
• Are we going to make it?
• Freedom from fear
• Covering letter, with a word from the Lord
• Covering letter, commenting on Y2K

  Each article has its own covering letter - they are all worth reading. Spend some time on Dave Wilkerson's site, and download some articles to read. You won't regret it!

In the meanwhile, I just wanted to point out, from scripture, that IT IS NO SIN TO SUFFER. Now I am the first to agree that, biblically, we are walking in the light, living in victory, having the authority over our demonic enemies, and all that. Yes, we should have confidence and boldness that God hears our prayers, that he cares, that he loves and shelters us in time of trial.

But the other side of the coin is illustrated by the scripture above, where Paul testifies that his troubles were "beyond measure". He was in over his head. (What? The Apostle of God? Paul, who had been taken up to the third heaven? Paul, who had seen Jesus on the Damascus road?? Was he also unable to get himself out of trouble?).

The verse says that their troubles in Asia were so bad that they "despaired of life". They thought they were going to die. Surely they had prayed for protection before going to Asia? So why didn't God protect and help them? In their situation, we might have been asking ourselves this very question; we might have been thinking "have I fallen into sin...have I missed God...am I out of his will...?"

But did they feel ashamed that they were suffering and in trouble? Did they blame themselves because they were being accused and persecuted? Did they think their extraordinary suffering was a sign of sin or failure in their lives? Were they dumbfounded because they believed they should have been spared such torments? Did they think God had forsaken them? NO!!!

Matthew Henry said it well:

It is not certain what particular troubles in Asia are here referred to; whether the tumult raised by Demetrius at Ephesus, mentioned, or the fight with beasts at Ephesus, mentioned in the former epistle (ch. 15), or some other trouble; for the apostle was in deaths often. This however is evident, that they were great tribulations. They were pushed out of measure, to a very extraordinary degree, above the common strength of men, or of ordinary Christians, to bear up under them, insomuch that they despaired even of life (v. 8), and thought they should have been killed, or have fainted away and expired.
What they did in their distress: They trusted in God. And they were brought to this extremity in order that they should not trust in themselves but in God, v. 9. Note, God often brings his people into great straits, that they may apprehend their own insufficiency to help themselves, and may be induced to place their trust and hope in his all-sufficiency. Our extremity is God's opportunity. (from Matthew Henry's Commentary)

Beyond Prayer!

Paul and his fellow-travellers " were burdened beyond measure, above strength",

The English translation does not do justice to the Greek words that Paul uses. He was weighed down, pressured, burdened (hurt?) beyond anything in normal experience, "above strength" - "beyond dunamis" - this trouble, this burden, was even immune to the miracle-working power of the Holy Spirit that is available to a Christian. He had reached the end of his ability to help himself by prayer and the application of the powers of the Holy Spirit!

Have you ever felt like this? You tried everything you knew to try, and still there was no answer?

And the result was utter despair: "so that we despaired even of life."

The Greek is formed out of two words that together mean: "we were utterly at a loss to find a way of escape".

They couldn't escape. A mountain of pain, worry, hurt, danger and opposition was in front of them and there was no way round, no matter how much they prayed. The only way through was right through the middle of it. There was no way of escape. They made up their minds to die, because it seemed inevitable!

Am I going to Die?

Paul continues: "Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves..."

The Greek construction for the words "Sentence of death" is unusual. This is the only place it appears in the New Testament, and it is used differently in Classical Greek and in the Septuagint. It actually means:

"When I have asked myself what would be the issue of this struggle, the answer has been, 'death'". (from Vincent's Word Studies of the New Testament)

The Vulgate translation is similar: "When I asked myself, what must I expect? the answer was "death," That is: "We had so given up all thoughts of life, that our only hope was fixed on the coming resurrection."

So, faced with troubles and burdens beyond their ability to cope in the natural, they prayed and received no immediate answer. Whichever way they looked at things, the only way out was death. Imagine that!

But the question on their lips, and on YOUR lips at such moments, is WHY? WHY? WHY?

The answer comes (I suspect, afterwards!): "that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us."

Paul was not the first one in scripture to face such a problem. Remember Daniel in the lion's den, or the three Jews in the fiery furnace? They did not know whether they would die or not, but it made no difference - they were going to praise God to the end, in any case. They had also "received the sentence of death" like Paul, and they said: "... our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." (Dan 3:17-18 KJV)

Remember Isaac on that sacrificial slab, and Abraham holding aloft the knife, knowing that God had commanded he kill his only son?

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called," concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. (Heb 11:17-19 NKJ)

Even if all else fails, God will raise us up at the last day and we will receive our reward, and we will know everlasting blessedness with the Lord in Heaven. So there is no need to despair, even in the worst of troubles. But while we live, we continue to trust in God to deliver us.

Iin Paul's case the appointed day of his death had not quite arrived, and God delivered him. Through that incident, Paul learned never to trust in his own strength, abilities, knowledge, power - or even his own spirituality or prayers!

Trust in God Alone

Oftentimes, when we face trials, it is to show us this very thing. God is shaking our ability in ourselves. Do you see yourself as a great prayer-warrior? Well, your prayers will be made to fail. Do you think you have the ability to shake off illness and walk in the health of the Lord? God will permit you to fall ill, until you see that the only power of healing is in the Lord's hands.

Do you put faith in your scriptural knowledge or your long-time experience of the faith? Something will come along that is totally beyond your knowledge! Is your faith in the Bible - or God? Is it in Church - or God? Is it in leaders, friends, pastors, ministries - or God? Whatever you are trusting in, God will make to fail, until you bow the knee as a broken soul before God Almighty and say "You are the Lord. I am nothing! Only you can deliver me, and if you choose not to do so, I will love, honour and serve you even unto death!"

On that sobering note, I will finish my first Update of this year, praying that all of you will know blessing abundantly in 1999.

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This News Update prepared by Tricia Tillin of Banner Ministries, UK. It may not be reproduced without the permission of Tricia Tillin. Please see e-mail address below.

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