05 May 2012

The International Prophetic Voice for the Endtimes

MAY 2012—$4.75

Demonization of Bankers & JewsPg. 12

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

• The Thief, the Law and the Soul

• Four Questions• Global Conspiracy

Pg. 31

A Spiritual Priority ListPg. 20

Don't Attack the Messenger

Pg. 17

PART I

BANKRUPTCY OF OURNATION

ITEM# 2244 • 272 pgs.Paperback

$13.99Author: Jerry Robinson

POTECT YOUR FAMILYFROM OURBUY NOW, PAY LATER NATIONWelcome to the End of an EmpireSurrounded by a host of political and social problems, America stands atthe crossroads of a devastating economic crisis—the size and scope ofwhich demand immediate action, while instability and debt loom over thefuture.

• America is the greatest debtor nation in history.• The value of the dollar is at tremendous risk.• Inflation is about to become a huge reality.

Crippled by personal debt, local and state governments facing revenuelosses, and the federal government struggling to bail out segments of theeconomy, many Americans are suddenly afraid and uncertain of what thefuture may bring. Many worry if the United States can even recover fromthis crisis. Will you and your family financially survive and even thriveduring this turbulent time?

Bankruptcy of Our Nation gives you vital insight, historical and futureperspective, revealing how America got into this mess, and how you canmake informed decisions to weather this economic crisis. Prepare yourfamily for the coming hyperinflationary depression and build yourfinancial house on the Rock of our salvation—we needGod’s wisdom now, more than ever.

Jerry Robinson, conferencespeaker,columnist, economic con-sultant, and president of JerryRobinson Ministries International,offers cutting-edge teaching ongeopolitical, economic, and culturaltrends and how they relate to theChurch.

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When the last one fromamong the Gentiles isadded to the Church,

then something remarkable is go-ing to transpire: Jesus will comefor His own: “For the Lord himselfshall descend from heaven with ashout, with the voice of thearchangel, and with the trump ofGod: and the dead in Christ shallrise first: Then we which are aliveand remain shall be caught up to-gether with them in the clouds, tomeet the Lord in the air: and soshall we ever be with the Lord”(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). That’sour future, our hope, and that’swhy I wrote the book, The GreatMystery of the Rapture. It is abook you need to read, a mes-sage of great comfort, the com-fort we need in these times.

THE GREAT MYSTERY OF THERAPTUREITEM# 1038 • 368 pgs. • Hardcover

$18.99 $15Author: Arno Froese

The incredibledoctrine of thereturn of Christcommands us toinvestigate TheGreat Mystery ofthe Rapture.

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C O N T E N T S

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Building the Temple:Part IBy Dr. Roger LiebiThe Second Temple was an architectural miracle ofAntiquity. The technical possibilities and the availablematerials of that time were wisely employed, in order toproduce a work which bore witness to God’s honor andglory far beyond Israel’s borders.

12 Money: Ends and TrendsDemonization of Bankers & JewsBy Wilfred Hahn

As has often occurred down through the past two millennia in many countriesaround the world, Jews have ended up being convenient but hated scapegoatsduring difficult economic times. The “love of money” and “hatred of the Jew”have frequently proven mutually evil.

17 Don’t Attack the Messenger By Dr. Ron J. Bigalke

Amos demonstrated that there is a cause and effect relationship between experiencingblessing and judgment. All nations are responsible for injustices and unrighteousness, andjudgment is inevitable without accountability to God for actions, attitudes, and motives.

20A Spiritual Priority List By Norbert Lieth

We all know what a priority list is and how important this iswhen planning work, our personal lives, family lives, etc. In 1 Timothy 2, Paul had a list of priorities, and he expected thesame of Timothy. We can learn much from this regardingpriorities for the modern day church.

Midnight CallMAY 2012

COVER STORY

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DEPARTMENTS

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4 Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Peter Malgo

31 Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . By Arno Froese

THE THIEF, THE LAW AND THE SOUL...FOUR QUESTIONS...GLOBAL CONSPIRACY

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25 NETHERLANDS

Dutch ScientistsCreate Killer Virus

26 ISRAEL

Want Social Justice? Raise Taxes

27 UKComputers to the Rescue for PsychiatricDisorder

28 VATICANPope Warns Against GayMarriage

29 MALAYSIARebuilding the Tower ofBabel?

30 USAAmerican Doctors Terrified of Litigation

Important: The address for Midnight Call Ministries has changed. It is now:PO Box 84309, Lexington, SC 29073

4 M I D N I G H T C A L L

“The angel of the LORD encampethround about them that fear him” (Psalm 34:7).

E D I T O R ’ S N O T E

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“To intercede means: to send anangel to someone.” This is howMartin Luther explained the

meaning of intercession. The effect ofthis prayer is often underestimatedand hence neglected. However, inter-

cession should be a foundation pillar ofour prayer life. The Apostle writes: “I ex-hort therefore that, first of all, supplica-tions, prayers, intercessions, and giving ofthanks, be made for all men” (1 Timothy2:1). Verse 4 then makes it clear that weshould do this because it is the expressedwill of God that all men are to be helped incoming to the knowledge of the truth.Therefore, the prayer of intercession hassuch a highly valued position because italso concerns salvation from eternal death.

We cannot tell from these few wordswhether Martin Luther thought of saved ornot yet saved people, to whom the serviceof angels can be imparted by intercession.But in the Bible, we most certainly are in-formed of angels who appeared to keeppeople away from the wrong path. And of-ten, this angel is identified as “the angel of

the Lord.” This is none other than JesusChrist Himself.

Probably the best known appearance ofan angel in the Old Testament is recorded inNumbers 22:31: “Then the Lord opened theeyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of theLORD standing in the way, and his sworddrawn in his hand.” The light which sud-denly radiated from heaven around Saul ofTarsus on his way to Damascus, is also a di-rect intervention of Jesus Christ. Here, thereis no mention of the angel of the Lord, be-cause the Lord reveals Himself with thewords, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest”(Acts 9:5). The Bible also reports about theservice of angels to men who believe in Je-sus Christ. Thus, Peter was twice deliveredout of prison by the hand of angels (Acts5:19; 12:7). And why did this happen? Be-cause there were people who interceded forhim! “But prayer was made without ceasingof the church unto God for him” (Acts12:5). The liberation of Paul and Silas fromthe prison in Philippi is also such an event(Acts 16:26). Some may object that theywere freed because of the earthquake. But

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STATEMENT OF FAITHWE BELIEVE in the divine inspiration of the whole Bible and there-with the infallibility of the Holy Scripture, which is God’s Word, andin the eternal Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

WE BELIEVE Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was conceived of theHoly Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and shed Hisblood to save mankind. He died and arose bodily the third day andlater ascended into heaven.

WE BELIEVE that the Lord Jesus Christ died in the place of eachindividual sinner and that all who believe in Him as their personalSavior are justified through His shed blood and have become children of God.

WE BELIEVE that Israel is God’s chosen people, and that therestoration of the Jews to their own land is the fulfillment of theWord of God.

WE BELIEVE in the pre–tribulational appearance of Jesus Christ forthe Rapture of His Church (all born again believers).

WE BELIEVE in the immortality of our souls and the resurrection ofour bodies, and in the resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved and the everlasting punishment ofthe lost.

The Prophet ic Voice for the Endt imes PRINTED IN 12 LANGUAGES

ISSN 1094–8600was it not angels who caused such an earthquake, in exactly the right place,at exactly the right time, and at the exactly correct intensity?

Such service of angels still takes place today in full reality, even thoughmostly no longer so directly. For example, someone misses the scheduledflight. Later, we learn that it was exactly this plane which crashed. Accident?

The Prussian General George von Viebahn tells us: “One night a motherwas awakened by her child sleeping beside her, who excitedly told her,‘Mommy, there in the door of the living room stands an angel who keepsbeckoning to me with his hand. May I get up and go to him?’ The mother,who believed that a dream had excited the child, tried to calm her and per-suade her to fall back asleep. But very soon the little one called again, ‘DearMother, the beautiful angel keeps beckoning to me again; I’m really notdreaming but see him quite clearly. Please let me go to him!’ Now themother thought that it would calm her little daughter best if she compliedwith her wish and showed her in the next room that no one was there.Therefore, she warmly wrapped the little one and carried her into the livingroom. But no sooner had both arrived there that a loud crash frightenedthem. In the bedroom the tile stove had collapsed and had buried the littlechild’s bed under its ruins.—With what feelings the mother pressed her dar-ling to her heart, and how deep was her prayer of thanks for the miraclewhich the Lord had done for them!”

In Psalm 34:7 we read: “The angel of the LORD encampeth round aboutthem that fear him.” With the prayer of intercession, we have a means in ourhand to cause the Lord to send His angels as the object of our prayers. Yes,intercession means: “To send an angel to someone.” The most beautifulthing in this is that the blessing of the intercession will fall back on us. Thisbecomes clear with Job: “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when heprayed for his friends” (Job 42:10).

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D R . R O G E R L I E B I

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.Unless the LORD builds the house,

those who build it labor in vain.Unless the LORD watches over the city,

the watchman stays awake in vain.Psalm 127:1 [ESV]

PART I

C O V E R S T O R Y

The Second Temple was an architec-tural miracle of Antiquity. The tech-nical possibilities and the available

materials of that time were wisely em-ployed, in order to produce a work whichbore witness to God’s honor and glory farbeyond Israel’s borders.

In many passages of the NT, the edificeof the Church is described as the house ofGod. It should be noted, however, that theHoly Scriptures speak about the building of theChurch as the house of God in principally two dif-ferent ways: on the one hand it is spoken of howGod builds his Temple and will ultimately bring it asa perfect work to completion. In this aspect the per-fect will of God is emphasized which, despite all re-sistance, will one day reach its goal.

On the other hand, the building of the Temple isalso presented as a work of people. From this aspectthe responsibility of the builders is emphasized.Whenever people build, blunders and damage canensue. Ultimately, this requires God’s interventionand judgment so that the irrevocable will of theEternal One, despite all evil, nevertheless comes tocompletion.

God as Builder of the Church

The Building of the Church threatenedby the Gates of HadesAccording to Matthew 16, the Messiah himself isthe Builder of his universal Church: “Simon Peteranswered, You are the Christ, the Son of the livingGod. Jesus replied, Blessed are you, Simon son ofJonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, butby my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you arePeter, and on this rock I will build [1st pers. sg., fu-ture I of oikodomeô] my church, and the gates ofHades will not overcome it” (vv. 16-18, NIV).

The temple to Caesar at Caesarea PhilippiThe dialogue conveyed in these verses took place inCaesarea Philippi (Mt 16:13). The scenic back-

ground is in close connection with this dialogue.1

There was, at the time, a temple to Caesar in Cae-sarea Philippi, erected by Herod the Great.2 It layat the foot of the massif from which the BaniasSpring, a main source of the Jordan River, rose.3

The confession of Jesus being the Messiah, i.e.the King over every king, contains extraordinaryexplosiveness in view of this idolatrous edifice: itwas not Caesar in Rome who had the last wordover this world, but the Messiah from the peopleof Israel. The emperor had himself honored by themasses as the son of the gods. These gods wereimaginary inventions which did not correspond toreality (cf. Acts 17:29). The gods of Rome weredead.4 Peter, full of faith, testified to the truth thatthe Messiah Jesus—in contrast to the emperor ofRome—is “the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16).From ancient times, the god Pan was honored inthe large cave of the Banias Spring.5 Herod theGreat built the inner sanctuary of the temple toCaesar into Pan’s Cave.6 This means, however, thata spring rose in that house or the rock floor of theinner sanctuary, whose waters flowed down theJordan and into the Dead Sea—corresponding tothe vision of the eschatological Temple in Ezekiel47.7 The temple to Caesar was nothing other thana satanic perversion of the divine plans for theThird Temple! Yet the waters from Ezekiel’s Tem-ple will one day waken to life the water of theDead Sea. The water from Banias, on the otherhand, changed nothing concerning the fate ofdeath which characterizes the sea in the AravaPlain to this day.

View from the northeast to the Temple District.

C O V E R S T O R Y

MAY 2012 7


The victorious Church on the massifThe Lord Jesus pronounced the promise that “thegates of Hades,” i.e. the power of death, wouldnever overpower the Church which he himselfwould build. This encouragement has proved itselfto be true: the Ecclesia has remained in existenceaccording to God’s will despite all the bloody andcruel persecution under the Roman emperors fromNero till Diocletian. Countless actually died as mar-tyrs. Yet the Church never perished. Persecutionleading to death was also the portion of the re-deemed in later centuries, up to the third millen-nium. Most Christians were murdered during the20th century, many especially in persecution by theCommunists and Islamists. Yet the gates of Hadescould not defeat the Church (Mt 16:18). TheChurch is still in existence as before. She triumphsin Christ and is spreading the Gospel to all five con-tinents of the world.

These wonderful facts are directly connectedto Jesus Christ himself being the Builder of theChurch. He gave the promise of Matthew 16:18and, because he is the invincible rock founda-tion, his statements can never lapse, “… and onthis rock I will build my church, and the gates ofHades will not overcome it.”

The Building according to 1 Peter 2In 1 Peter 2:3-5, too, the building of the Churchis spoken of. Whoever comes to Jesus Christ, theliving stone, will be built on him: “… if indeedyou have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Com-ing to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeedby men, but chosen by God and precious, youalso, as living stones, are being built up a spiritualhouse, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritualsacrifices acceptable to God through JesusChrist” (NKJV).

The growing Temple according to Eph-esians 2In the closing verses of Ephesians 2, it likewisedeals with the building of the Temple in the handsof God.

From Ephesians 2:19-22, we learn that re-deemed men from Israel and from the Gentile na-tions are being built up on the doctrinalfoundation of the apostles and the New Testamentprophets in a continuous—and even after almost2000 years not yet completed—process, and actu-ally so that Jesus Christ determines the alignmentof the entire architectural work: “Now, therefore,you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fel-

Building the Temple: PART I

Fig. 156 The original street along the Western Wall of the Temple.The surface area of these paving stones is 1 – 18m2.11

Fig. 157 In the Western Wall Tunnel: The first and second position ofthe building stones. The second building block was moved back by c.2cm in order to build the wall slightly aslope, so that it would appearstraight in a reassuring illusion to the observer on the street runningalongside it. (1) = boss (2) = margin (3) = gap of c. 2cm

low citizens with the saints and members of thehousehold of God, having been built [oikodomeo-mai] on the foundation of the apostles andprophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cor-nerstone, in whom the whole building, being fittedtogether [synarmologeomai], grows8 into a holytemple in the Lord, in whom you also are beingbuilt together [epoikodomeomai] for a dwellingplace of God in the Spirit” (NKJV).

Fitly framed togetherHere it is expressed that the building stones arebuilt up in a perfect and harmonious way: “fitlyframed together.”9 This is wonderfully illustrated bythe work done to the Second Temple during theHerodian period: as we have explained earlier, nomortar was used in construction. The stones had,therefore, to be hewn so exactly that they could belaid precisely and fit well together.

In the so-called “Rabbinic Tunnel” on the westside of the Temple Mount, many building stoneshave been maintained in extraordinarily good con-dition, since they were protected from erosion bythe Islamic building over them on this site overmany centuries.10 There we can see how the build-ing stones were laid upon each other with the great-est of care. Furthermore, visitors can also tell howeach position of the building stones was movedback by c. 2cm in contrast to the ones lying below(cf. Fig. 157). Why so? A street led along the wallon the west side of the Temple precinct (Fig. 156). Ifa massive wall were built absolutely straight, itwould convey the impression to the observers be-low it that the construction was overhanging. Bythis Temple wall being built deliberately aslope to aminor degree, it came across as quite straight, reas-suringly to the pedestrians.

A play of shadowsThanks to the margin and boss, a beautiful ex-change of light and shadow occurred depending onhow the sunlight fell. Thus, this avoided the Templewalls being seen from a distance as if they had beenclumsy concrete walls. This aesthetically pleasinginterplay gave the walls a less monotonous appear-ance.

Lead between the building stonesThrough archaeological work on the TempleMount, it has been ascertained that lead was placedbetween the building blocks. This confirms the rel-evant reference by Josephus.12 What should thatmean? No mortar was actually used, but lead in-stead?

Since the building blocks of the Temple weighed1-580 tons, or even more, according to size, thedanger arose continually in construction that stonesin a certain position would be damaged or even de-stroyed by the deadweight of the new ones laid ontop. In order to avoid this, lead was placed on thebuilding block. Whenever the next row was laid,the individual building blocks at first had to pressthe lead flat slowly, in slow motion so to speak, be-fore they reached the desired position. Much dam-age was avoided by this painstaking work!13

From quarry to Temple precinctTo transport the building materials from the quarryto the Temple precinct, great numbers of teams ofoxen were employed, which pulled the hewn stonesover rolling blocks.14 To some extent giant woodenwheels were installed around the building blocks sothat they could be rolled to their destination.15 Fur-thermore, cranes were used which worked with thetried and tested principle of block and tackle.16

What people were in a position to achieve withall these means, produces wonderment and aston-ishment in modern observers, despite all the tech-nical possibilities which are available in the 21stcentury. The weight of the building blocks at thePyramids of Giza generally amounts to some 2.8tons, yet in Jerusalem quite different measure-ments were used to some extent! In order to beable to attach the stones to towing ropes, theywere hewn so that a jutting out projection re-mained on the sides. As soon as these buildingblocks were taken to their destination, these pro-jections were knocked off and beautifully preparedthe boss at this point. Sometimes, however, theknocking off of the projection was forgotten. Eventoday such forgotten projections can be discoveredtime and again amongst the remains of the sur-rounding walls.

MAY 2012 9

C O V E R S T O R Y


Constructing the surrounding wallIn constructing the surrounding wall, the freespace between the natural mountain slope andthe wall was filled in with earth on the inside af-ter the placement of each stone. By doing this,each layer of stones could be laid once more atzero level.17 This proceeded up to the point wherethe height of the Court of the Gentiles wasreached.

In the west, the surrounding wall reached aheight of some 32m in the area of Robinson’sArch. Up to the level of the Court of the Gentilesthere were roughly 19m. On top of this came afurther c. 13m which together resulted in a totalof 32m.18 Up to the height of the Court of theGentiles the surrounding walls were called “sup-porting walls,” since they had to withstand thepressure of the filling behind them.

The thickness of the supporting wall was builtup with up to three rows of stones lying next toeach other so that they came to a width of c. 5min total.19 This gave the construction an uncom-monly high stability. A further secret of the wall’sstability was in laying the foundation buildingblocks always directly onto the rock floor.20 Ac-cording to the modern standard of knowledge,the ratio between the height and breadth shouldamount to 4:1 in supporting walls.21 The buildersof the Temple in those days had no access tomodern text books. Nevertheless, they builtthem exactly according to physical require-ments.

“Liberation” of the stones from beingattached to the bedrockThe building blocks were hewn from themassif in a quarry located to the north ofMount Zion. The building blocks werefirstly preformed with hammer and chisel,and only partially released from the at-

tachment to the rock. Afterwards, beams of woodwere inserted into the gaps. Water was poured overthe wood, so that it expanded and powerfullycracked apart the building blocks from their attach-ment to the bedrock (cf. Fig. 160). The stones “lib-erated” in this way were hewn in perfect beauty onthe spot in the quarry with margin and boss.22

Building the Church todayLessons for the building of the Church can be illus-trated vividly and plausibly by means of the way inwhich the Temple was constructed:

Evangelism in the quarryThe work in the quarry corresponds to the evange-listic work of proclaiming the word of God.23 In thisway people are released from their connection tosin and the world. By instruction in the faith, somethings can be “cut correctly” afterwards in light ofthe Holy Scriptures, so that the “stones” can be in-tegrated into the Church in a way that honors God.

Integration of the stonesThe route from the quarry to the Temple Mount istherefore very important.24 People should not sim-ply come to faith. The converted must be integratedinto the local Church. This is, perhaps, a sensitivephase of continuation which often demands greatspiritual skill. Just as the Temple was built of stonesof varying size, so the Church consists of quite dif-ferent people according to God’s plan.25 TheChurch, according to God’s plan, is never an inter-

Fig. 160 Building material left incomplete. Beams ofwood should be inserted into the prepared gap whichwould cause a crack after having water poured overthem so that two building blocks could have been madefrom this block of rock.

Building the Temple: PART I

est group for e.g. believing police officers, studentsor housewives, etc. No, in the Church it should bedemonstrated that God’s power can unite an un-manageable variety of people in Christ, and that the“preprogrammed” difficulties arising from this canbe overcome by subjection to the authority of theBible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit and re-solved in a God-honoring way. In this way, everysingle person should take their place and task in theChurch, “fitly joined together,” as an individualwithin the collective.

By the redeemed standing together, the light ofthe Temple should be a testimony to the world: theOne God and the One Sacrifice should be so effec-tively testified about for the salvation of as manypeople as possible from every nation, tribe and lan-guage.

The light of the TempleWe have seen that the Temple testifies of JesusChrist, the Light of the world (Jn 8:12). Yet JesusChrist himself taught his disciples: “You are thelight of the world” (Mt 5:14, NIV).

Today, the Son of God is the glorified Man inheaven (Mk 16:19). From then on the redeemedhave the task, as the Temple of God, to spread thedivine light in a morally dark world. Through theChurch the One true God and his Good News of theatonement through the Sacrifice of Golgotha shouldbe proclaimed credibly.

We continue with Part II in the next issue, on “TheConstruction of the Temple as Man’s Responsibility.”

From The Messiah in the Temple: The Symbolism andSignificance of the Second Temple in Light of the NewTestament (497)

ENDNOTES1 THIEDE: Funde, Fakten, Fährten, Suche, Spuren des frühen Christen-

tums in Europa, pp. 2-5.

2 JOSEPHUS: War I.21.3.

3 Today the water no longer rises in the Banias Cave in the massif. Dur-

ing the course of millennia the spring has moved to the south

(SHKOLNIK: Banias and Tel Dan, p. 10).

4 It is a fact that the gods of Rome were pure invention. These mytho-

logical persons never existed. We should keep clearly in mind, how-

ever, that behind these dead concepts and figures of the gods there

lay hidden real powers of darkness—demons, fallen angels (cf. 1 Cor

10:20). The gods of Rome served as masks for Satan’s demonic host.

5 The Arabic word form “Banias” is derived from the Greek name for

the god “Pan.”

6 SHKOLNIK: Banias and Tel Dan, p. 10.

7 The river from Ezekiel’s Temple will rise out of the rock of the Holy of

Holies (cf. Ezek 47). The history of Israel began with water from the

rock (Ex 17:1ff.) and will end with water from the rock.

8 Gk auxanô. Here, surprisingly, we find a term in an architectural con-

text which belongs to the field of biology. But we should not be sur-

prised at all: shortly before, Paul spoke of the Church as the “body of

Christ” (Eph 2:15-16). The various aspects of the Church (body of

Christ, house of God, bride of Christ, etc.) belong so closely together

that repeatedly in the treatment of one aspect nevertheless other

aspects are mixed into the same context (cf. e.g. Eph 4:16; 5:25, 30).

9 Gk synarmologeomai; cf. the same word in Eph 4:16 and Col 2:19

where it does not deal with the house of God, but about the body of

Christ.

10 After the Islamic conquest of Jerusalem in 638 the Temple Mount

became an important sanctuary to the Muslims. This led to many

wanting to live as close as possible to the rock in the Dome. So the

west side was built over chaotically with many houses (cf. the model

of the Temple in the Western Wall Tunnel, by which this overbuilding

can be reproduced effectively). It was through this that large parts of

the Temple Mount’s supporting walls were removed from sight until

the Israeli Antiquities Authority brought them to light again through

excavations under these houses (after 1967).

11 BEN-DOV: In the Shadow of the Temple, p. 107.

12 JOSEPHUS: Ant. 15.11.3.

13 BEN-DOV/NAOR/ANER: Die Westmauer, pp. 218-220.

14 BEN-DOV: Herod’s Mighty Temple Mount, p. 45.

15 Ibid., p. 45.

16 RITMEYER: Quarrying Stones for Herod’s Temple Mount, p. 47.

17 Ibid., p. 48.

18 BEN-DOV: In the Shadow of the Temple, p. 92.

19 Ibid., p. 84 and 90-91.

20 Ibid., p. 87.

21 Ibid., p. 90.

22 BEN-DOV: Herod’s Mighty Temple Mount, p. 45.

23 cf. also: 1 Kgs 5:15-18; 2 Chr 2:2; Ezra 3:7.

24 cf. 1 Kgs 5:17.

25 cf. Acts 6:1 (“Hebrews” and “Hellenists”); 8:4-25 (“Samaritans”); 1 Cor

12:13 (“Jews” and “Greeks,” “slaves” and “freemen,” “man” and

“woman”); Col 3:11 (“Greek” and “Jew,” “Circumcision” and “foreskin,”

“Barbarian,” “Scythian,” “slave,” “freeman”).

MAY 2012 11

C O V E R S T O R Y

MONEY: ENDS &MONEY: ENDS & TRENDS $

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Review, visit Wilfred’s website www.eternalvalue.com or contact him at: [email protected]

Demonization of Bankers& Jews

The Economist magazine earlier this year published a most curiously-entitled article: “The Dangers of Demonology” (January 7, 2012). Sincethis is a widely respected global business magazine, we wondered justwhat this article would really be about. As it turned out, the message ofthe article was this: “Hatred of bankers is one of the world’s oldest andmost dangerous prejudices.” This caught our attention. The “oldest” and“most dangerous prejudice” is the hatred of bankers? Just who are thesebankers that are so hated, and does this qualify as demonology?

B y W i l f r e d H a h n

It proved to be a most mis-leading article, in our view.Yet, to the discerning, it

packed an ominous warning.

Spiritually-Blind MediaJust what did the Economist arti-

cle say? To begin, it commented uponthe “social uprisings” around the world,specifically the Occupy Wall Street(OWS) movement and its various off-shoots that are claiming that “a malign1% [the rich], many of them bankers,are ripping off the virtuous 99% [poor].”

Quoting the Economist further on thispoint:

Anger is understandable. The financial

crisis of 2007-08 has produced the

deepest recession since the 1930s. Most

of the financiers at the heart of it have

got off scot-free. The biggest banks are

bigger than ever. Bonuses are flowing

once again. The old saw about

bankers—that they believe in capital-

ism when it comes to pocketing the

profits and socialism when it comes to

paying for the losses—is too true for

comfort.


MAY 2012 13

Demonization of Bankers & Jews

Indeed, this is all too true. In fact,many prominent “Wall Streeters” them-selves would agree. We have longlamented the growing corruption andhugely imbalanced incentives in theworld’s money-related industries. Whatwe see are the natural lusts of mankindplaying out; the condition of the humanheart being at fault.

As societies have taken more liberalstances (for better or worse) and the ex-ternal constraints of law, regulations,and accountability are removed, the un-bridled impulses and lusts of humanitybecome all too apparent. Since the dayof Creation, the key worldly vulnerabili-ties and desires of mankind have re-mained the same. “For everything in theworld—the lust of the flesh, the lust ofthe eyes, and the pride of life—comesnot from the Father but from the world”(1 John 2:16). Just as the force of theearth’s gravity will always exert a con-stant downward pull on mass, so moneylures humans to particular actions. Thecapstone of these mentioned proclivitiesis the innate lure and obeisance to Mam-mon, which is the love of money. “Forthe love of money is a root of all kinds ofevil” (1 Timothy 6:10).

As such, oversized compensation in-centives in any business will test theethical fortitude of its executives, nomatter how virtuous they may be. In thecase of enterprises involved in the in-dustry of credit and debt—these beingclosest to the ancient metaphysical fur-naces of Mammon—the collateral dam-age of greed and corruption is muchlarger. Malfeasance in “money” indus-tries casts a much wider swathe of dam-age; credit creates its own destruction ifit is allowed to run rampant. It is alwayssurprising how few career bankers evenrealize this fact.

When the inevitable forces of over-in-debtedness strike, particularly in the

present era of a “one worldwide mone-tary system,” the results are catastrophicand sudden. Not only is hardship im-posed on a large number of households(deserving or not), massive transfers ofwealth take place. Invariably, these sud-den wealth shifts feed the powers of anemerging class of elites.

Unfairly DeservedThere is a belief that democratic soci-eties get the politicians and govern-ments that they deserve. Therefore, thesame must also apply to a society’s fi-nancial systems and the demeanor of itsbusiness enterprises. It follows that soci-eties then deserve the destruction thatresults from systemic financial corrup-tion. Why? Because the human societalvalues that allow or create the condi-tions for such unbridled corruption tooccur, do not happen in a vacuum.These occur only because theyare accepted. The subtle changesin values are shifts away from“eternal values” to the in-creasing adoption of the hu-manist creed.

The only difference inthis parallel we draw be-tween democracy andwealth stratification isthat one can votepoliticians out of of-fice, but not corruptfinancial elites (to take oneexample), nor an extremelyimbalanced wealth skew.Generally, those that be-come rich (whether right-eously or not) do notwillingly give up their advantageous positions.Viewing history, when-ever such conditions ofextreme wealth distribu-tion have become criti-

$

Just as the force

of the earth’s

gravity will always

exert a constant

downward pull on

mass, so money

lures humans to

particular actions.

cal, eventually social unrest occurs andsometimes a complete societial overturnsuch as occurred in the French Revolu-tion or during the 1950s in Cuba.

Financial Elites Deserve ImmunityLet us return to modern-day moneylending and The Economist. The articletakes the view that since money lendingis linked with the prosperity of societies,we should not be prejudiced againstbankers. Demonizing them will risk un-dermining the very foundations of thestandards of living that we enjoy today.This analysis betrays an incorrect focus.Yes, money lending and the other purecapital formation functions that WallStreet and its sister industries aroundthe globe may create are not bad in andof themselves. The validity of thesefunctions is not being contested. It is thecorruption of individuals to the highestlevels within these businesses that isprotested, as well as the subservience ofhouseholds and entire real economies tothe enterprises of financial speculation,“money manager capitalism” and rapa-cious capital (“raffendes Kapital” ac-cording to old classical Germaneconomists).

If the world and its politicians werenot bought off and given over to thespirit of Mammon, they would be more

likely to reform the financial in-dustry around the world and toreprimand those companies andindividuals that were clearly in-volved in illegal and criminal

activities. So far in thecontinuing Global Fi-nancial Crisis (GFC),this has not happened,at least not in a majorway. But when it does, it

will likely unfold in a verydangerous fashion. How so?

We must first understand that theworld’s entire monetary system (this be-ing based upon a fraudulent fractionalreserve system) is a corruption from thestart. It imparts enormous powers uponpolicymakers and its elites. In a timewhen European banks are in dire straits,with most of them technically insolvent,vested interests will not rock the boat.They will seek to validate the status quoand to protect as many cronies in thissystem as possible.

Next, the article in The Economistgives us a further clue, opening the doorto an ancient phenomenon as shown atlength in the following quote:

Throughout history, moneylenders have

been persecuted. Ethnic minorities—most

obviously the Jews in Europe and America

but also the Chinese in Asia—have clus-

tered in the financial sector first because

they were barred from more “respectable”

pursuits and later because success begets

success. At times, anti-banking prejudice

has acquired a strong tinge of ethnic ha-

tred. In medieval Europe Jews were perse-

cuted not only because they were not

Christians but also because killing them

was a quick way to expunge debts. […] The

forgers of the ‘Protocols of the Learned El-

ders of Zion’ wanted people to believe that

Jewish financiers were engaged in a

fiendish global conspiracy. Louis McFad-

den, the chairman of the United States


We must first

understand that

the world’s entire

monetary system

(this being based

upon a fraudulent

fractional reserve

system) is a

corruption from

the start. It

imparts enormous

powers upon

policymakers and

its elites.

MONEY: ENDS & TRENDS $

Demonization of Bankers & Jews

House Committee on Banking and Cur-

rency in the 1930s, claimed that ‘the Gen-

tiles have the slips of paper while the Jews

have the lawful money.’ The same canards

have been used against Chinese minorities

across Asia. This is not to say that the [OWS]

protesters are guilty of ethnic prejudice:

they belong to a class and a generation

that is largely free from such vices. But de-

monization can easily mutate into new

forms.

Is the Economist correct to take such anon-alarmist view?

We think not. The balance of historysuggests that the “demonization” will infact not mutate into new forms and thatpeople are not free of such vices andhates. Yes, the Chinese diaspora to therest of Asia in response to the politicalinstabilities in China during this pastcentury, does carry some similaritieswith the fate of Jews; however, there arekey differences. Firstly, the Chinese di-aspora has taken place over a little morethan a century. For the Jews, on theother hand, this persecution hasspanned a time period that is 20 timeslonger and has involved virtually everynation in the world. Secondly, the Jewsare a people set apart from the rest of thenations of the world (the Gentiles) byGod (Leviticus 20:24). Thirdly, a godlessworld, ruled by the “prince of the powerof the air” (Ephesians 2:2), will con-tinue to persecute the Jews.

Even further, for the nations that rageagainst God (Acts 4:25) to disprove orinvalidate the promises and propheciesof God, they must neutralize the Jewishrace. Mainly as consequence of thesefactors, Jews have repeatedly and unjus-tifiably been the scapegoats during thedifficult economic periods of manycountries. As such, we should not becoaxed to take the “non-alarmist” per-spective that the Economist promotes.

Anti-Semitism is rising sharply in NorthAmerican and many other countriesaround the world … from Spain toJapan.

Other Anti-Semitic Voices Gain Cre-denceAn Op-Ed article that recently appearedin the Financial Times by Mahathir Mo-hamad entitled “West needs to go backto capitalist basics,” sounds some simi-lar alarms, at least for those who knowsomething about this man (January 11,2012, www.ft.com). We admired Ma-hathir for the economic policies that heenforced during his time as President ofMalaysia during the Asian Financial Cri-sis of the late 1990s, although his poli-cies were very controversial at the time.(I remember that time clearly, as manymillions in Malaysian investments that I was responsible for as Chief Invest-ment Officer of a large international in-vestment institution were frozen.)Although his policies were eventuallyvindicated, there is strong reason to besuspicious of his religious bias.

The perspectives Mahathir expressesin the Op-Ed article are not entirelywithout merit. He argues that the west-ern world, not able to compete in goodstrade with the rest of the world, optedinstead to promote the alchemies of fi-nancial markets. As he states in the arti-cle, “Getting greedy, they abused thesystem, manipulating the market forgreater profits.” We would not vigor-ously disagree with this statement. Thenhe comes to the nub of his analysis, aswe see it; he claims that “currency trad-ing” is at the root of the problem.

While some might think that theseare the rantings of an 86-year-old manwho is reliving the glories of the time in1998, in which he rebuked cross-borderinvestors (so-called currency traders)that he believed were driving down the

$

Even further, for

the nations that

rage against God

(Acts 4:25) to

disprove or

invalidate the

promises and

prophecies of

God, they must

neutralize the

Jewish race.

MAY 2012 15

ringgit (Malaysia’s currency), there is muchmore behind his euphemism of “currencytraders.” Just who specifically does Ma-hathir mean when he assigns the blame to“currency traders”? Allow us to quote fromsome of his statements in the past.

In late 1997, Mahathir claimed to have“definite information” that financierGeorge Soros, whom he identified as a Jew,was responsible for Malaysia’s currencyproblems. He stated: “We do not want tosay that this is a plot by the Jews, but in re-ality it is a Jew who triggered the currencyplunge, and coincidentally Soros is a Jew. Itis also a coincidence that Malaysians aremostly Moslem. Indeed, the Jews are nothappy to see Moslems progress. If it werePalestine, the Jews would rob Palestinians.Thus this is what they are doing to ourcountry.”

In his 1970 book The Malay Dilemma,Mahathir wrote: “Jewish stinginess andfinancial wizardry gained them commer-cial control of Europe and provokedanti-Semitism which waxed and wanedin Europe throughout the ages.” He alsowrote that “the Jews for example are notmerely hook-nosed, but understandmoney instinctively” (Sydney MorningHerald, October 17, 1997).

Mahathir also has made utterly repre-hensible statements that have suggestedthat the periodic persecutions andkillings of the Jews are deserved. On Oc-tober 16, 2003, in a speech to the TenthIslamic Summit Conference in Putra-jaya, Malaysia, he said “The Muslimswill forever be oppressed and dominatedby the Europeans and the Jews.” The Fi-nancial Times (a blue-blood Anglo publi-cation with huge internationalinfluence) makes no mention of Ma-hathir’s religious bias, though these arewell known and public. Given his viru-lently anti-Semitic and anti-Europeanstatements, we wonder why the Finan-cial Times (headquartered in Britain)

would even print an Op-Ed written bythis man.

Thoughts to PonderConcluding, we again quote the Econo-mist article:

Railing against the 1%—particularly when

so many of them work for companies with

names like Goldman Sachs and N.M. Roth-

schild—can unleash emotions that are diffi-

cult to cage. A survey in the Boston Review in

2009 found that 25% of non-Jewish Ameri-

cans blamed Jews for the financial crisis, with

a higher percentage among Democrats than

Republicans. […] Today, the combination of

hard times and harsh rhetoric could also pro-

duce something nasty.

What would be nasty? The Bible andhistory tell us. “I will pursue them withthe sword, famine and plague and willmake them abhorrent to all the king-doms of the earth, a curse and an objectof horror, of scorn and reproach, amongall the nations where I drive them” (Jere-miah 29:18).

As has often occurred down throughthe past two millennia in many countriesaround the world, Jews have ended upbeing convenient but hated scapegoatsduring difficult economic times. The“love of money” and “hatred of the Jew”have frequently proven mutually evil.

We urge readers to read Chapter 10 inour most recent book, Global FinancialApocalypse Prophesied: Preserving TrueRiches in an Age of Deception and Trouble.[Please consider ordering this bookfrom Midnight Call Ministries at 1-800-845-2420.] Anti-Semitism is surgingdangerously. Christians need to be awareof the agendas underway and the an-cient plot that has played out repeatedlyover the millennia. Christians shouldhave no part in this; even more, we areobliged to pray for and protect ourbrother the Jew.


As has often

occurred down

through the past

two millennia in

many countries

around the world,

Jews have ended

up being

convenient but

hated scapegoats

during difficult

economic times.

The “love of

money” and

“hatred of the

Jew” have

frequently proven

mutually evil.

MONEY: ENDS & TRENDS $

MC

Amos 3 emphasized that significant privilegenecessitates tremendous responsibility, whichis true not only for Israel but also for all na-

tions. Israel was especially accountable to God be-cause the nation was chosen to know Him in a specialand unique manner. All nations are responsible forinjustices and unrighteousness, and judgment is in-evitable without accountability to God for actions,attitudes, and motives (Rom 1:18-20). The truthof this universal responsibility was difficult tocomprehend for those who had experiencedGod’s blessing and privilege. Amos demon-strated that there is a cause and effect relation-ship between experiencing blessing and

judgment.

Don’t Attack the Messenger

Amos 3–6 exposes the apathy andhypocrisy of the Northern

Kingdom of Israel. Each of thethree sermons begins with the

formula, “Hear this word” (3:1; 4:1; 5:1).

By Dr. Ron J. Bigalke

MAY 2012 17

“Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growlfrom his den unless he has captured something?” (Amos 3:4). A lion will roar orgrowl for a reason: prey has been captured. Consequently, the judgment of Godwill not be without a reason.

THE MESSAGE(6:1-14) “Does a lion roar in the forestwhen he has no prey? Does a young liongrowl from his den unless he has capturedsomething?” (Amos 3:4). A lion will roaror growl for a reason: prey has been cap-tured. Consequently, the judgment of Godwill not be without a reason: individualsand nations have not practiced justice andrighteousness (5:23-24). The judgmentprophesied in chapter 3 would be severe.Following the judgment, the “‘People willstagger from sea to sea and from the northeven to the east; they will go to and fro toseek the word of the LORD, but they willnot find it’” (8:12).

The second sermon demonstrated that there is acausal relationship between social inequities andspiritual injustice. Amos depicted the women of Is-rael in an unflattering manner. They were “cows ofBashan” who were well-nourished and sought to bethe focus of attention at all the socialite parties; inthe process of their revelry, the women oppressedthe poor, crushing the needy for the sake of theirpartying (4:1). The spiritual sins of the people wereregarded with irony (4:4-5). As opposed to trueworship that seeks to praise God, the people de-cided to satisfy their need for enjoyment by gather-ing together to continue sinning in a religioussetting (which was the historical situation in thenorthern religious centers of Israel). The lack of re-pentance resulted in God’s dreaded “therefore.” As aconsequence of both social and spiritual sin, thepeople must prepare themselves to meet their Godin judgment (4:12).

The final address of chapters 3—6 concludesGod’s response to the nation’s apathy toward socialinequities and vacuous religiosity. The apathy is ex-pressed as a consequence of the luxurious positionof the dignitaries. Wealth can never provide lastingsecurity to a people who do not obey and worship

God. Banquets are not inherently sinful, which isevident in the fact that Jesus often attended suchsocial occasions. Sinful parties, however, make amockery of God.

Amos portrayed the luxury as the expression ofspiritual laxity, which pervaded the city and al-lowed moral corruption to continue (cf. Esth 1:1-12; Isa 28:1-3; Dan 5). The carefree andself-confident would be the first to experience cap-tivity because they did not seek the Lord (6:1-6).Chapter 6 abounds with lessons concerning the fu-tility of misguided confidence. The vain trust that isdescribed in this chapter is an obvious contrast tothe gentle and humble proffer that Christ offers tosinners in Matthew 11:28-30.

The message of chapter 6 is a warning againstfalse security. A nation or people cannot continue tolive in peace and security, yet mock God with cor-ruption and immorality. History is replete withfallen empires of the past, including ancient Romeand the 20th century Soviet Union. What Godasked of ancient Israel is appropriate for any nation:“Are they better than these kingdoms?” (6:2). Thevisions reported in chapter 7 illustrate the truthful-ness of Amos’ message.

DON’T ATTACK THE MESSENGER


MAY 2012 19

THE MESSENGER(7:1-17) The first three visions were recorded to-gether because they appear to parallel the messagesthat Amos proclaimed in chapters 1—2.1 The pro-gression of the first in a series of visions (which areconcluded in chapter 9) helps to explain Amos’words in chapters 1—2. The first two visionsprophesy with regard to a plague of locusts (7:1-3)and a drought caused by fire (7:4-6). Both visionsare symbolic of impending judgment. The interces-sion of the prophet Amos for his people, and judg-ment being averted, followed both visions.

The third vision depicted God standing beside awall with a plumb line in His hand. The portrayal iswhether the wall was straight and able to remain, orif not, the wall would need to be destroyed and re-built. Amos was unable to intercede for his peoplethis time, which means that judgment was notaverted. God would spare His people “nolonger”(7:8).

The people were measured by God’s absolutestandard; therefore, the full extent of judgmentwould be upon them. The sequence of these threevisions is an appropriate answer to those who heardthe sermons of chapters 1—2 and asked whetherGod had pity and was merciful. Verses 1-9 of chap-ter 7 reveal that God has already demonstrated Hispity by mercifully forestalling judgment.

Verses 10-17 of chapter 7 form a his-torical interlude, which describes the re-ception of Amos in Bethel when heproclaimed the warning that God hadgiven him. The priest of Bethel reportedto the king that the words of impendingjudgment were a burden to the people(7:10). Amaziah demonstrated completedisregard for God’s divinely appointedspokesman. The priest confronted Amosand commanded him to stop botheringthe north, and return instead to his homein the southern kingdom of Judah (7:13).Doom, gloom, and judgment of sin are

never a popular message, especially if the words aredirected against us. The message of Amos was di-rect, and therefore uncomfortable for his listeners.As opposed to heeding the message of God, thepeople forsook His Word and attempted to silenceand oppose the messenger.

The message of judgment against the house ofJeroboam was offensive to the king, and Amos wascommanded to return home and make his liveli-hood there (7:12-13). Amos replied that he was notspeaking because it was his desire (7:14-15). Amoswas not motivated by personal benefit in proclaim-ing his message, but confessed that the only reasonfor his proclamation was the command of the LordGod. The refusal of the people to hear and heedGod’s Word would result in judgment (7:16-17).Proclaiming God’s truth to a sinful world is never apopular thing to do. However, the message of God’sWord is unambiguous against any who wouldsquelch His truth. The fate will be the same for anynation or people who attempt to hinder or silenceGod’s Word. May it not be true of you and me, butlet us humbly “seek good and not evil” so we maylive joyful and blessed lives (5:13-15).

(498)

ENDNOTE1 John D. W. Watts, Studying the Book of Amos (Nashville: Broadman

Press, 1966) 28-31.

Doom, gloom, and judgment of sin are never a popular message, especially ifthe words are directed against us. The message of Amos was direct, and there-fore uncomfortable for his listeners.


In his first letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul tells him “…how thou oughtest tobehave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, thepillar and ground of the truth.” Read here Part 5.

By NORBERT LIETH

In 1 Timothy 2:1, Paul begins with the words, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all….” We allknow what a priority list is and how important

this is when planning work, our personal lives, ourfamily lives, the bringing up of children, leadershipof a business, the reaching of goals we have set forourselves, etc. Some things come first and otherscan wait, or we will make no progress.

Paul had a list of priorities, and he expected thesame of Timothy, and that he would put it intopractice. Paul had his priorities in his prayer life,his decisions, in where he went, in his preaching, inhis visiting churches….

1st priority: His prayer life and the proper order,“…supplications, prayers, intercessions, and givingof thanks” (verse 1). Above all other things, beforeall new tasks or work, prayer has the first place.

We should remember that the letter to Timothyis a letter to the church. In it we find orders for thechurch. The sequence of the four kinds of prayer isstriking: supplications, prayers, intercessions andgiving of thanks. In many churches this sequence isnot adhered to, and so the priorities are wrong.With Paul, the giving of thanks came last. In manychurch services, thanksgiving or worship is givenfirst place.

PART V

MAY 2012 21

“Supplications” refers to needs that we can andshould bring to the Lord in prayer. With “prayers”he is speaking of the general, continual attitude ofprayer which we should have in our hearts in thesense of “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians5:17). With “intercession” we bring the needs ofothers to God; we join with them in their prayersand pray for others. In the “giving of thanks” we ex-press our trust in our Lord, we thank Him in faithfor that which He has done, we praise His power,etc.

Today, in my opinion, people have the wrongidea of worship. They overlook the fact that this se-quence of prayer is already an expression of wor-ship. When I come to Jesus with prayers andsupplications, for instance, then I am already bring-ing Him praise and glory because I am trusting Himalone.

2nd priority: The order of precedence in ourprayers: “…for all men; for kings, and for all thatare in authority; that we may lead a quiet andpeaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this

is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Sav-iour; who will have all men to be saved, and tocome unto the knowledge of the truth” (verses 1-4).

“For all men.” This means that nobody may beexcluded from our prayers and that there are nolimits. There is no ex-communication in interces-sion. God Himself sets the priorities, for as far asGod wants all men to be saved and to come to theknowledge of the truth, thus far our prayers mustgo. Nobody is excluded by God. With Him there areno “buts.” He does not have any limits; therefore,nobody may be excluded from our prayers.

“For kings, and for all that are in authority.” Thisrefers to those who govern us, from heads of statesto local politicians, and certainly to police and mili-tary servicemen. At that time, the young churchwas often persecuted by those in authority. Up tothe present day Christians suffer worldwide perse-cution. Nevertheless they are called upon to blessthe government, to submit to it and to obey it.

Paul hints at the power of prayer with the words,“…that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all

We all know what a priority list is and how important this is when planning work, ourpersonal lives, our family lives, the bringing up of children, leadership of a business, thereaching of goals we have set for ourselves, etc. Some things come first and others canwait, or we will make no progress.

godliness and honesty.” Prayer is more powerfulthan the power of governments. It can result in usleading a quiet and peaceable life, in which we cancome together to worship God unhindered. Godmoves the hearts of the leaders through the prayersof His children. We apply this prayer far too littleand expect so little of it. This prayer is explicitly or-dered by God, “For this is good and acceptable inthe sight of God our Saviour” (verse 3).

Moreover, we should remember that God haseveryone in view and that we should therefore prayfor all people, “Who will have all men to be saved,and to come unto the knowledge of the truth”(verse 4). It is not God who excludes men from sal-vation; His will stands firm, but man excludes him-self through his self-will.

We find an example of this in Matthew 23:37, “OJerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets,and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how of-ten would I have gathered thy children together,even as a hen gathereth her chickens under herwings, and ye would not!” And Peter declares in 2Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning hispromise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any shouldperish, but that all should come to repentance.” If itis stated what God wants and what He does notwant, how can people say that He has predestinedsome to be saved and others to be lost?

Our inner conviction should never include pre-destination; we should not set any limits. If every-thing was predestined, we would not be able, as isrequired of us in verse 1, to pray for all men. Then,everything would already be decided. God does notmake fools of us. If it is His will to save all men,then we should pray for all men. Verses 5-6 referagain to this fact, “…the man Christ Jesus; whogave himself a ransom for all.”

3rd priority: Jesus alone, “For there is one God, andone mediator between God and men, the manChrist Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to

be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained apreacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth inChrist, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles infaith and verity” (verses 5-7).

The reality of the incarnation of Jesus: Paul em-phasizes in the first sentence three alternatives,namely “God,” “men” and “the man Christ Jesus.” Ifthe “man Christ Jesus” as an individual person isemphasized in contrast with all other people, thishighlights His incarnation in a special way. And thisagain emphasizes His divinity and the fact that astrue God He became true man, in order to be able tobe the mediator between God and man. “Only theperfect God-man could combine God and man”(John MacArthur). Among the thousands of beliefs,there is in reality no other possibility for man tocome into contact with God than alone through theincarnate God, Jesus Christ. “Or what shall a mangive in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:37).

What does the mediation of Jesus mean in mylife? God is constantly present in Jesus, and I amcontinually with God through Jesus. Does the LordJesus only become my mediator when I call uponHis name, when I pray? Is He only my mediatorwhen I repent and confess my transgressions? Is Heonly mediator when I want to approach God the Fa-ther? No. We understand the mediation of the Lordthe wrong way around if we reduce it to certain sit-uations, opportunities or actions. Jesus is the con-tinual and constant mediator for us. Always and atall times He is in the middle, between us and theFather. There is no exception. This means that theFather always sees us in and through Jesus. Our“life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

Perhaps we are often so despondent for this rea-son, because we do not have this truth before oureyes. We only look at our shortcomings and are con-tinually miserable because our lives cannot sufficethe holy demands of God. Many among us live,therefore, under the impression that God continuallylooks down on our lives scowling, because He is notpleased. The truth is, though, that God looks upon

Prayer is more powerful than the power of governments. It can resultin us leading a quiet and peaceable life, in which we can cometogether to worship God unhindered. God moves the hearts of theleaders through the prayers of His children.


us through Jesus, and thus He has His Son before Hiseyes. Therefore, He is also pleased with us. Just as wefell in Adam, so we are exalted in Jesus. If we do notdoubt the first, we should not doubt the second.

When will I have reached a stage where I can sayof myself, “Now the Lord is completely pleasedwith my life; now I have tried so hard, now my be-havior is so good that it could not be better”? Beforethis happens, we will have fallen flat on our faces ahundred times again. And every time we have fallenflat on our faces, do we need Jesus as our mediator?No, He is continually the mediator. This glorioustruth does not lead us to a careless lifestyle, but onthe contrary, it encourages us to walk with Jesusand to lead a sanctified life in complete obedience.

The result of His incarnation: “…who gave him-self a ransom for all” (verse 6). Here it must bementioned that it does not say that He was given orsacrificed, but that He gave Himself. Our redemp-tion rests alone and exclusively on the initiative ofGod. It is His act of salvation for us. The Lord Jesuspaid the whole price alone. Man could not do any-thing toward this, and nothing was expected ofman. Jesus gave Himself as a ransom; not a part of

Himself, not something of Himself or a lot of Him-self, but His whole self. He did not keep anythingback. He paid the whole price with His whole life.

The term “ransom” in the Bible has three differ-ent meanings. From this we see how all-embracingthe work of redemption of Jesus Christ is:

1. It describes the covering of a debt through asubstitution (ransom). “If there be laid on him asum of money, then he shall give for the ransom ofhis life whatsoever is laid upon him” (Exodus21:30).

2. A slave was bought free with a ransom (Leviti-cus 25:51-55).

3. A ransom was paid for a condemned life, thatis for a life destined for death, in order to save it, i.e.redeem it (Numbers 3:44-51 and Exodus 21:32).Exodus 21:32 says that if an ox killed a slave, acompensation of 30 shekels of silver had to be paid.This reminds us of the 30 pieces of silver that Jesuswas betrayed for (Zechariah 11:12 and Matthew26:15).

We know that the Lord Jesus did not pay the ran-som with silver or gold, but with His precious blood

Our inner conviction should never include predestination; we should not set any limits. If everything was predestined, we would not be able, as is required of us in verse 1, to pray for all men.

MAY 2012 23

(1 Peter 1:18-19). The ransom was paid for all men,not just for a selection of them (verse 6). All menare under the divine counsel of salvation; nobody isexcluded. The connection between verse 1 andverse 4 (all) makes this clear. We are called upon topray for all men because all men are the object ofHis redemption. God wants all men to be saved,and therefore He paid the price for them all.

How does this compare with the statement inMark 10:45? “For even the Son of man came not tobe ministered unto, but to minister, and to give hislife a ransom for many.” The price has been paid forall, but only for those who claim redemption forthemselves personally is the ransom valid. There arefurther statements about the sacrifice of Jesus andthe effect on diverse groups. In Ephesians 5:25 itsays, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christalso loved the church, and gave himself for it.” Eph-esians 5:2 says, “And walk in love, as Christ alsohath loved us, and hath given himself for us an of-fering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmellingsavour.” And in Galatians 2:20 it says, “I am cruci-fied with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, butChrist liveth in me: and the life which I now live inthe flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, wholoved me, and gave himself for me.” Jesus’ work ofredemption is for all men, but only those who takeadvantage of it become partakers of it. “For it (theChurch),” “for us (those who claim it),” “for me(personally).”

The testimony of the incarnation of Jesus: “…tobe testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained apreacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth inChrist, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faithand verity” (verses 6-7). To what does the testimonyin due time refer? To the statements mentioned inthis connection, namely:

– God has become our Savior (verse 3),– God wants all men to be saved, and to come to

the knowledge of the truth (verses 1,4, 6; cf. also4:10).

– There is only one God and mediator betweenGod and man (verse 5),

– The Lord Himself paid the price of redemp-tion for all.

This is the testimony in due time that Paul wasordained to proclaim as a teacher and apostle,particularly for the Gentiles, because these werenow also included in the term “all men” (Gala-tians 2:7-8; Acts 22:15).

What is meant by this “to be testified in duetime”? In particular our age of grace, to which allthe above-mentioned things apply and which havebeen fulfilled in Jesus. Parallel to this Paul wrote inhis second letter to Timothy, “Who hath saved us,and called us with an holy calling, not according toour works, but according to his own purpose andgrace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before theworld began, but is now made manifest by the ap-pearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abol-ished death, and hath brought life and immortalityto light through the gospel: whereunto I am ap-pointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher ofthe Gentiles” (2 Timothy 1:9-11). In Galatians 4:4Paul states, “When the fullness of the time wascome, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman,made under the law.” And in Romans 5:6, “Forwhen we were yet without strength, in due timeChrist died for the ungodly.”

We have the privilege of living at this particulartime, in the age of evangelism, the age of grace, theage of the Church. Now our task is to use this timeand to set priorities, “…redeeming the time”(Colossians 4:5 and Ephesians 5:16)—in prayer forall people and in the spreading of “sound doctrine”(1 Timothy 1:10). Paul emphasizes in this connec-tion how important it is to stand by this doctrine infaith and in truth. It must fill our own hearts, andwhen we proclaim it or pass it on in any other way,it must be the one true doctrine, the sound doctrine(1 Timothy 1:10 & 4:6). (MR1110/422)

We have the privilege of living at this particular time, in the age ofevangelism, the age of grace, the age of the Church. Now our task isto use this time and to set priorities, “…redeeming the time”(Colossians 4:5 and Ephesians 5:16)—in prayer for all people and inthe spreading of “sound doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:10).


Ron Fouchier, a giant of a man atmore than two meters tall (6’6”), has

dark circles under his eyes. His life has beenstressful lately. “They want to paint me as ahomicidal idiot,” he says heatedly. He is re-ferring, most of all, to a powerful institutionfrom the United States, the National ScienceAdvisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB).In his work Fouchier, a virologist, uses the

methods of a branch of research that is asbooming as it is controversial. Synthetic biol-ogy employs targeted manipulation throughgenetic engineering to construct new organ-isms. The 45-year-old’s research has evenset off alarm bells at the World Health Organi-zation (WHO). Fouchier will appear before aninternational panel of experts at the WHO toexplain his experiments.Fouchier is attracting so much attention be-

cause he has created a new organism. Andalthough it is tiny, if it escaped from his labo-ratory it would claim far more human livesthan an exploding nuclear power plant.The pathogen is a new mutation of the

feared bird flu virus, H5N1. In nature, thisvirus, which kills one of every two people in-fected, has not yet been transmitted from hu-mans to humans. So far, a relatively smallnumber of people have caught the virus frompoultry, and 336 people have died. But now Fouchier’s experiments have

given the research community a wake-up call.The scientist performed only a few targetedmanipulations on the genetic material of theordinary H5N1 virus and, to make the viruseven more dangerous, he repeatedly trans-

mitted it from one laboratory animal to thenext.“In the end, the virus became airborne,” the

Dutch scientist explains. From then on Fouch-ier’s ferrets, animals that most closely resemblehumans when it comes to influenza, transmittedthe virus to each other without direct contact,through tiny droplets of saliva and mucus.The scientific community anxiously antici-

pated learning about the details of the experi-ments. How had Fouchier manipulated the birdflu virus? And, most of all, must the medicalcommunity now fear that the natural bird flu viruswill develop in similar ways? Scientists hoped tofind answers to these questions in findings thatwere to be published in the scientific magazinesNature and Science.But the articles were not published. Officials

from the NSABB had called the magazines’ ex-ecutive editors to prevent their publication.The NSABB censorship came as a shock to

most influenza researchers. “I’ve never seenanything like this,” says Hans-Dieter Klenk, aninfluenza expert in the German city of Marburg.His colleague Stephan Ludwig, a virologist at the

University of Münster in northwest Germany,sees the move as a threat to scientific freedom.“A door has been pushed open here that won’tbe so easy to close again,” he says.To buy some time in the face of so much op-

position, 39 influenza researchers from aroundthe world began a 60-day moratorium on all re-search related to controversial viruses at the endof January. “We realize that organizations andgovernments around the world need time to findthe best solutions for opportunities and chal-lenges that stem from the work,” the scientistswrote in an open letter published in Nature. Most virologists feel that the risks are justifi-

able. “We have set up a laboratory here that hasthree separate physical barriers,” Fouchier in-sists. The core of the laboratory consists ofwardrobe-sized boxes outfitted with glass win-dows, each containing four cages of ferrets.Nevertheless, not even Fouchier can deny

that pathogens have escaped from highly securelaboratories. The “Russian flu” of 1977 may havebeen triggered by a lab virus. SARS, a respira-tory disease, almost returned when laboratoryworkers became infected with the coronavirus

Dutch Scientists Create Killer VirusShould scientists be allowed to create extremely aggressive and highly infectious influenza viruses?Dutch virologists have done it and, in the process, triggered a fierce debate over the risks of bioterrorismand the potential release of deadly viruses.

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NETHER LANDS

MAY 2012 25

Scientists at Philipp University inMarburg, Germany, conductresearch in a lab with the highestso-called biosafety level, or BSL-4.Some virologists have called forresearch involving bird flu virusesto be conducted under suchconditions.

DAPD


during their work. A scientist in Chicago evendied of SARS in 2009.Hundreds of new virus laboratories have

been established worldwide in recent years,and highly dangerous pathogens are used in alarge share of these laboratories. “The risk of avirus being released accidentally is consider-able,” says critic Richard Ebright, a molecularbiologist at Rutgers University.

-www.spiegel.de, 17 February 2012

Man continues to do research in his unendingquest to uncover some of God’s mysteries ofcreation. One of the major inventions has beenweapons of war, and man has made use of itespecially for the past 150 years. The mosthorrendous of man’s creations was the atomic

bomb, but only one nation has made use of it.What will happen in this case, creating ahighly infectious influenza virus, is anybody’sguess. Will such viruses be part of the finaljudgment? With assurance, we can say no.Why? Because endtime judgment, as de-scribed in the Apocalypse, is God initiated.Things will occur on Earth which are literallyout of this world. We read, for example, inRevelation 9:3-6, “And there came out of thesmoke locusts upon the earth: and unto themwas given power, as the scorpions of the earthhave power. And it was commanded them thatthey should not hurt the grass of the earth, nei-ther any green thing, neither any tree; but onlythose men which have not the seal of God intheir foreheads. And to them it was given that

they should not kill them, but that they shouldbe tormented five months: and their tormentwas as the torment of a scorpion, when hestriketh a man. And in those days shall menseek death, and shall not find it; and shall de-sire to die, and death shall flee from them.” What is the end result? Verse 21 answers,

“Neither repented they of their murders, nor oftheir sorceries, norof their fornica-tion, nor of theirthefts.” 4323

(For more on this sub-

ject, read Revelation 13:

Satan’s Last Victory,

Item 1067.)

I S R AE L

Want Social Justice?Raise TaxesLeah Achdut cautions against Is-rael losing its economic achieve-ments in a populist wave.

Achdut, a member of the Economics andManagement Department at the Ruppin

Academic Center, a member of the Economicsand Society Program team at The Van LeerJerusalem Institute and former deputy head ofthe National Insurance Institute, is also part ofthe Israel 2021 endeavor. Asked about the so-cial protest, Achdut agrees that the governmentneeds to change its priorities, but warns againstIsrael losing its economic achievements.

Some of the protesters belong to thericher classes yet still feel short of money.Will their situation improve?“In Scandinavia, social solidarity takes the form

of the richer paying more tax, benefiting the poorand middle class. Right now, there is no vision inIsrael for how things should be,” Achdut says. “Butthat’s okay. The murkiness will drive processes.”

When did the welfare state disappear?“The extent of a welfare state is measured in

public expenditure as a function of GDP. Israel

began reducing that ratio in 1985,” Achdut says.“It had to be done because public expenditurehad reached 70% of GDP; but by the start of thismillennium, that ratio had been reduced to 50%.”

What is our situation today relative to theworld?“Today, public expenditure as a function of

GDP has fallen to 42%. In practice, excludingdefense costs and interest payments, dispos-able income for spending on services to citizenshas fallen to 33%, compared with the OECD av-erage of 40%,” Achdut answers.“International comparisons show that coun-

tries that spend a lot and also collect a lot oftaxes don’t grow any less than countries thatcharge little tax and spend little,” she said. “TheScandinavian countries grow perfectly well withhigh expenditure and taxation.”“During the last two years Israel’s prosperity

filtered down through job creation: unemploy-ment is very low, which is good for all. Yet onecannot ignore that much of GDP originates incapital and profits, while the proportion gener-ated by labor has been shrinking,” Achdut says.“During the past 10 years, inflation-adjusted

wages have barely increased. The tycoons earnmore and pay less tax, which is why inequalityhas increased,” she notes.

What could be done in the short run of a fewyears, and what is the long-term solution?“Since public expenditure as a function of GDP

has shrunk so much, there’s room to increase itwithout imperiling the economy,” she says. “Imme-diate steps can be taken regarding tax, such ascanceling the tax cuts Netanyahu planned by2016. We need the tax income to pay for services.So don’t lower corporate tax to 18%, which wouldbe the lowest rate in Europe. Don’t lower incometax, because that would help only the richest.”

-haaretz.com, 22 August 2011

A word of explanation: the word “welfare”is not equal to the meaning ascribed to it inthe U.S. To be a welfare state means thateveryone fares reasonably well. When itcomes to statistics on human rights, health-care, the environment, workers’ rights, etc.,Scandinavian and northern European nationsvirtually always occupy the top 10 places.Israel is different. Although considered a

welfare state until the late 1980s, Israel hasdrifted to the right in the political/economicarena. Professor Leah Achdut rightly says,“The tycoons earn more and pay less tax.”The recent “occupy Tel Aviv stock ex-change” and other mass protests throughout

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Killer Virus (continued from page 25)


MAY 2012 27

UK

Computersto the Rescue forPsychiatricDisorder

Computer programs can betaught to select between brainscans of healthy young peopleand scans showing adolescentswho are at higher risk of devel-oping mental disorders such asanxiety and depression, scien-tists said.

“Combining machine learning and neu-roimaging, we have a technique which

shows enormous potential to help us identifywhich adolescents are at true risk of developinganxiety and mood disorders, especially wherethere is limited clinical or genetic information,”said Janaina Mourao-Miranda of University Col-lege London, who led the study.Depression and other psychiatric disorders

are a major cause of death, disability and eco-nomic burden worldwide. The World Health Or-ganization predicts that by 2020, depressionalone will be the second leading contributor tothe global burden of disease across all ages.Two studies published late last year found

that up to 40 percent of Europeans suffer frommental and neurological illnesses each year,and the annual cost of brain disorders is almost800 billion euros.But experts think that being able to diagnose

potential problems earlier, and intervene to helpat-risk young people, could significantly reducethe damage caused by psychiatric disorders andhelp ward off serious or recurrent illness.A family history of bipolar disorder, for exam-

ple, confers a 10 percent risk of future bipolardisorder, but also a 10 to 25 percent risk of con-ditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD), major depression and anxiety disor-ders and it is impossible to say which, if any, ismore likely.

The researchers found the computer pro-gram predicted significantly higher risk proba-bilities for young people who were found infollow-up to have developed psychiatric disor-ders than for those who remained healthy atfollow-up.Mary Phillips of Pittsburgh University in the

United States, who also worked on the study,said since most mental disorders begin in ado-lescence or early adulthood, early detectionand treatment could delay or even prevent fu-ture illness.“Anxiety and mood disorders can have a dev-

astating effect,” she said in a statement. “If weare able to identify those individuals at greatestrisk early-on, we can offer early and appropriateinterventions to delay, or even prevent, onset ofthese terrible conditions.”

-www.reuters.com, 15 February 2012

This reveals another step toward man at-tempting to control the scientifically uniden-tifiable spirit-soul of a person. Will they besuccessful? The answer is yes. As science in-creases with the additional knowledge aboutthe infrastructure of man, the realization thatman is a living soul and that life originateswith God will decrease. It stands to reasonthat scientists will increasingly ignore theAuthor and Creator of life and depend moreon their own achievements.From the prophetic standpoint, we

know that the ultimate goal is to controlevery human being on planet Earth. It isthe great imitation of Satan, who by decep-tion will unite humanity and create a coun-

terfeit to the realperfect unity ofthe true Churchof Jesus Christon Earth. 4324

(For more on this sub-

ject, read Preparing for

the Mark of the Beast,

Item 1061.)

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Israel are beginning to move Israel some-what to the left of the scale, but the bot-tom line will always be paying moretaxes to implement more social justice.About 3,000 years ago, we read of Is-

rael’s rebellion against the king. The peo-ple came to Rehoboam, the son ofSolomon with this request, “Thy fathermade our yoke grievous: now thereforemake thou the grievous service of thy fa-ther, and his heavy yoke which he put uponus, lighter, and we will serve thee” (1Kings 12:4). The common people recog-nized that they were paying too much in“taxes.” They were the ones who made theking rich. We read the testimony in chapter10, “So king Solomon exceeded all thekings of the earth for riches and for wis-dom” (verse 23). Solomon was the richestking on earth, and his son Rehoboam wasthe heir. The people simply wanted a taxbreak. What was the answer of Re-hoboam? “And the king answered the peo-ple roughly, and forsook the old men’scounsel that they gave him; And spake tothem after the counsel of the young men,saying, My father made your yoke heavy,and I will add to your yoke: my father alsochastised you with whips, but I will chas-tise you with scorpions” (verses 13-14).That broke the kingdom into two, Judah-Benjamin and the ten tribes. Never againdid Israel experience the glory of the past. Prophetically speaking, today’s world

operates in the reverse direction: not thebreaking up of nations and groups, but theopposite. The voice of democracy, themasses of the people, insist on more equal-ity; they want all the world to be ONE. In theend, this will lead to global democracy, andfinally the entire earth will enthusiastically

applaud theirgreatest leader—Antichrist. 4335

(For more on this

subject, read How

Democracy Will Elect

the Antichrist, Item

1064.)

Social Justice (continued from page 26)

CH INA / EU

First Chinese Car Plantin EuropeIt used to be that European car-makers opened plants to assem-ble their cars in China. Now theChinese have turned the tableswith the opening of their firstfactory in Bulgaria, an EU coun-try with low labor costs andtaxes. Increasingly, Chinese car-makers are setting their sightson the European and Americanautomobile markets.

For years, European carmakers likeVolkswagen have established large joint

ventures in order to gain footholds in the Chi-nese market, but now the tables appear to beturning.“Stepping on the European market is our

strategy,” Great Wall CEO Wang Fengying saidat the opening festivities.Within three to five years, the company plans

to produce an entire line of models in Bahovitsato be sold in Europe, she said. Test assembly ofthe Voleex C10 and the Steed 5 pick-up truck,which sell for 16,000 to 25,000 leva (� 8,200 to� 12,800), began already in November.In the midterm, Great Wall plans to as-

semble around 50,000 automobiles per yearat the 500,000 square meter plant. The num-ber of workers is expected to grow from thecurrent total of 120 to 2,000. Initially, thecompany plans to sell its vehicles primarily inBulgaria and neighboring Eastern Europeancountries like Serbia and Macedonia, but it

later plans to expand into other EU coun-tries.Bulgaria, the EU’s poorest country, is attrac-

tive as a labor market because it is an oasis ofcheap wages and low taxes. Workers are con-sidered well educated and the country is idealas the site for a company like Great Wall tolaunch. Given that wages for factory workershave risen considerably in China in recentyears, assembly sites abroad have become in-creasingly attractive for some manufacturers.Other Chinese carmakers are also expanding,

but they are adopting diverse strategies in theirpush into Europe. Automobile-maker Geely, for

example, purchasedSwedish carmakerVolvo from Ford in2010. And China’slargest homegrowncarmaker, Chery, to-gether with Italy’sDR Motor, bought aFiat plant in TerminiImerese in Sicily.“It is a way for

them to make progress in quality levels,” analystYann Lacroix of credit insurance firm Euler Her-mes told French news agency Agence FrancePresse.

-www.spiegel.de, 22 February 2012

Communist China, representing theworld’s strongest economy, is outsourcingjobs to Europe, home of the most expen-sive workforce in the world. For Bulgaria,this is a “shot in the arm”—the poorest Eu-ropean Union country, plagued with cor-ruption, has become the “open door” forChina to the world’s largest economy. Ex-pert observers are not surprised; althoughChina has a long way to go to catch upwith Europe, they are on the right track.Most importantly, China is the great giantwith pockets full of cash, thus experienc-ing only minimal opposition in their goalto acquire an ever-larger slice of Europeanindustry.

This is just another stepping stone to-ward an egalitarian world society. Coun-tries that used to be called third world,poverty stricken, and seemingly hopelessare now arising. This shows again howBible prophecy is being fulfilled, howthe nations are coming closer through theavenue of mer-chandising (readRevelation 18).4318

(For detailed information

about our increasingly

global world, we suggest

Democracy Invades Islam,

Item 1072.)

VAT I C AN

Pope Warns AgainstGay MarriagePope Benedict XVI has de-nounced gay marriage in aspeech to US bishops visitingVatican City.

The Pope warned of “powerful politicaland cultural currents seeking to alter

the legal definition of marriage.”He also urged the bishops to emphasize to

their church that premarital sex and cohabita-tion was “gravely sinful” and “damaging to thestability of society.”“Sexual differences cannot be dismissed as

irrelevant to the definition of marriage,” thePope said.He acknowledged during the speech that

his point of view may sound “countercultural,”especially to young people.But the Pope stressed that the bishops

should do what they could to ensure tradi-tional marriage would be “defended fromevery possible misrepresentation of their truenature.”Timothy Dolan, the New York archbishop

who was recently made a cardinal by the

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A Chinesebeachhead intoEurope: Employeesstand next to anassembly line of thenew Great WallMotor car plant inthe Bulgarianvillage of Bahovitsa.

AFP

Pope, spoke out during 2011 against thespread of same-sex marriage laws.In September 2011, shortly after New York

passed legislation, he wrote to PresidentObama criticizing a decision not to support afederal ban on same-sex marriage.In the letter, the then-Archbishop Dolan

said the White House’s policy could “precipi-

tate a national conflict between Churchand state of enormous proportions.”

-bbc.co.uk, 9 March 2012

Archbishop (now Cardinal) Dolan’sstatement highlights the potential

conflict between Church and state, frompolitical/religious perspectives. But whatthe Bible says is decisive for Christians.We read in Romans 1:26-28, “For thiscause God gave them up unto vile affec-tions: for even their women did changethe natural use into that which is againstnature: And likewise also the men, leav-

ing the natural use of the woman, burnedin their lust one toward another; men withmen working that which is unseemly, andreceiving in themselves that recompenceof their error which was meet. And even

as they did not like to re-tain God in their knowl-edge, God gave themover to a reprobate mind,to do those things whichare not convenient.” 4332

(For more on this subject, read Signs

of the Times, Item 9103.)

MAY 2012 29

MALAYS I A

Rebuilding the Tower ofBabel?Earlier this year, the MalaysianMinistry of Defense unveiled itsglossy new website, designed toshow off its military prowess andhigh standards to the world. Un-fortunately, nobody had both-ered to check the Englishtranslations.

One section said that the Malaysian govern-ment had taken “drastic measures to in-

crease the level of any national security threat” afterthe country’s independence in 1957. Another pagesuggested women should not wear items that “pokeout the eye,” an apparent translation of a rule thatwomen should not wear revealing clothing.The episode was embarrassing for the Malaysian

ministry, but it also provides an object lesson in thelimitations of today’s machine translation technol-ogy, which despite billions of pounds of researchand massive demand from businesses, politiciansand the military, not to mention tourists, is still onlystuttering along.So why is it so hard to automatically translate

texts?Scientists and academics have been trying to au-

tomate translation for almost as long as computershave been in existence. In the 1940s and 1950s it

was widely assumed that once the vocabulary andthe rules of grammar of a language had been codi-fied, it would make automated translation easy, ac-cording to Dr Blunsom. But attempts to makecomputers learn languages in this way over the nextforty years were largely unsuccessful, unless therange of words they were expected to translate wasvery limited.“The main problem is that language is too com-

plex,” explains Philipp Koehn, a machine translationresearcher at the University of Edinburgh School ofInformatics. “Language is always ambiguous, soyou can’t always use rules, and new vocabulary isalways coming in, so you need someone to continu-ally maintain those rules.” What it boils down to isthat there are simply too many possible rules forthem all to be written down, and there are also toomany exceptions to those rules, he adds.

-www.bbc.com, 6 March 2012

Man’s attempt to bridge over God’s divi-sion of the languages is in full swing. Willhe succeed? As the article indicates, accu-rate translation from one language into an-other seems all but impossible.

A recent vivid exam-ple occurred in our fam-ily. A person who isunjustifiably afraid iscalled a “chicken” inEnglish. In German,

however, it is a “frog” (sei kein Frosch). Toprogram this knowledge into a computerand turn the “chicken” into a “frog” vio-lates basic definition rules.Nevertheless, from the Bible we know

that a manmade instrument (image) will beable not only to speak but also to distin-guish what’s in the mind of the person(mind reading); thus we read, “Saying tothem that dwell on the earth, that theyshould make an image to the beast…thatthe image of the beast should both speak,and cause that as many as would not wor-ship the image of the beast should bekilled” (Revelation 13:14-15). That will bethe end result, the crown of man’s scientific

achievement; hisown manufactured“image” will be-come the ultimateauthority—a man-made god. 4327

(For more on this subject,

read One World, Item 2203.)

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Gay Marriage (continued from page 28)

Pope Benedict XVI haslong supportedtraditional marriagebetween a man and awoman Reuters

Scientists have been trying toautomatically translatelanguages for almost as longas computers have been inexistence. So why is it sohard? SPL

USA

American Doctors Terrified of LitigationImagine that you are floatingin a small raft, in the middleof the ocean, with a fiery sunbeating down on your back.There is one other person inthe raft, who is thirsty, so yougive him the only bottle ofwater available. He chokes onthe water and develops pneu-monia. When you are rescuedtwo days later, your companiongoes to your boss, and tells himyou should be fired and theycompensated.

Welcome to the world of medical mal-practice.

Not much is supposed to scare the modernAmerican physician. After all, they work in acomplex environment of growing specialization,within an ever-changing practice landscape.They deal with matters of life and death on adaily basis. Despite statistics by the WHO thatput the overall US healthcare ranking among thelowest for western democracies, Americanphysicians are widely regarded as the best inthe world, with excellent use of the latest med-ical evidence in their practice.Yet, there is something that is on the mind of

every American physician, every single day—the threat of litigation.In some counties in the US, if a physician is

found guilty of malpractice, the prosecution cango after their assets, including savings andhomes. Malpractice suits also affect the ability toget on staff at other hospitals, referrals from in-surance companies, and licensing in otherstates. One or two successful lawsuits, whetherjustified or not, can destroy a physician’s career.At the very least, these lawsuits change theprism through which the physician views patientcare.Against this backdrop, one can easily under-

stand where the term “defensive medicine”comes from. It is impossible for a physician in

the US to examine and diagnose even a singlepatient without considering the possibility of liti-gation.This fear of lawsuits permeates every aspect

of medicine. Physicians document patient visits,knowing that a judge can subpoena their clinicalnotes. They are careful when correspondingwith patients or their peers via e-mails or textmessages, knowing that these can also be sub-poenaed. The effect this might have on patientcare is hard to know. So what, you ask? Well, the patient then

learns that invasive testing and procedures arethe only valid way to treat their condition. Theybecome less willing to accept more conservativetreatment measures. It makes sense that theywould then advise their acquaintances to getMRIs if they have back pain. As every physicianknows, if a patient enters the office insistent ona particular test, it is too dangerous from a liabil-ity standpoint to ignore his/her requests. Order-ing the MRI is easier, and legally more astute,than spending several minutes counseling thepatient as to why the MRI is not helpful.Things have gone too far. Doctors routinely

stop seeing patient populations that they per-ceive as high-risk. They order unnecessary teststo protect themselves from lawsuits. The pa-tient-doctor relationship is put under tremen-dous strain.Medical professionals who practice in other

countries may be shocked by the degree towhich the proverbial sword of litigation hangsover the head of every American doctor. Theyhave good reason—this is, for now, the way thatAmerican society has chosen to deal with con-flicts within the doctor-patient relationship.

-www.aljazeera.com, 16 February 2012

The few excerptsfrom the extendedarticle show that aphysician mustalso practice lawwhile trying topractice medicine.This fact is sup-ported by the vari-ous claims made in

the media. Generally, law firms promisegreat rewards for patients who believe theyare the casualty of malpractice; thus, greedbecomes part of the American healthcaresystem. Our concern, however, is the Church of

Jesus Christ. How are we to act? Here is whatwe read in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “What?know ye not that your body is the temple ofthe Holy Ghost which is in you, which yehave of God, and ye are not your own? Forye are bought with a price: therefore glorifyGod in your body, and in your spirit, whichare God’s.” That should be our guideline.What are we to do in case of sickness?

Here James 5:14-15 answers, “Is any sickamong you? let him call for the elders ofthe church; and let them pray over him,anointing him with oil in the name of theLord: And the prayer of faith shall save thesick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and ifhe have committed sins, they shall be for-given him.” Finally, it is important to realize that our

life is hid in Christ Jesus, and rememberHebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed untomen once to die, but after this the judg-ment.” In Psalm 90:12 we are admonished,

“So teach us tonumber our days,that we may applyour hearts untowisdom.” 4329

(For daily biblical wis-

dom, read Spiritual

Strength for Each Day,

Item 1062.)

L

Malpracticepremiums inhigh-riskspecialties, suchas neurosurgery,can be up to$140,000 per year

[GALLO/GETTY]


The Thief, the Law and the Soul...Four Questions...Global Conspiracy

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR *

Address letters for publication to: Letters to the Editor, Midnight Call, P.O. Box 280008,Columbia, SC 29228. Include full name, address, and daytime phone number. Withoutname and address, letters will be discarded unread. All material is subject to editing. Midnight Call assumes all publishing rights on letters sent to the Editor. Note: All letters will be answered by the Executive Editor, Arno Froese.

The Thief, the Law and theSoulDear Mr. Froese,

As I read the March issue of Mid-night Call, I found several subjectsof concern. First, in the article by N.Winkler, “Jesus Is Coming Soon,”he states that the moment we die,we are in the presence of God. Asproof text, he quotes the statementof Jesus, “I say unto you, today youshall be with me in heaven.” How-ever, in the original transcripts,there were no punctuations. Theywere added later. In this instance,the comma was misplaced. Jesus didnot go to heaven that day! He aroseon the third day and then spentsome forty days talking with and in-structing his disciples before he as-cended into heaven (read24:13-51).

In the Letter to the Editor on“Keeping the Law,” you say, “Theentire law is nailed to the cross.”

Sorry, but I agree with the writer ofthe letter. You quoted Scriptures inColossians 2, but missed some im-portant points. “The handwriting ofrequirements that was againstus…contrary to us” refers to thehandwritten Mosaic laws. The TenCommandments were written bythe finger of God—not handwrit-ten. They were placed inside theArk of the Covenant, while the Mo-saic laws were placed outside theark.

In the second letter regarded“Soul Sleep,” Genesis 2:7 states thatGod made man from the dust of theground and breathed into his nos-trils the breath of life, “and man be-came a living soul.” The soul is thetotality of man, his body and all itsfunctions. We often say things like,“I went to the park and there wasnot a soul there.”

The word “spirit” generally refersto the Spirit of God/the Holy Spirit.

MAY 2012 31

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR *LETTERS TO THE EDITOR *


It also refers to the good or evilspirits, sometimes an activepresence within man. We maybe moved by the Holy Spirit ortempted by evil spirits, whichcan affect our feelings, emo-tions and actions. It’s true: if wewalk in the Spirit, we will notfulfill the lust of the flesh. Wewill not seek after fleshly de-sires. My biggest concern in thisarticle, however, is with youranswer regarding the death ofthose who are lost. You say that“the soul that sinneth, it shalldie and suffer for all eternity.”That is NOT true!

God does not continue thatpunishment throughout alleternity. What kind of Godwould have people who arespiritually lost burn in hell for-ever and ever, throughout alleternity? Even we, as humanbeings would not keep someonealive and burning forever! Thatis cruel, inhumane and cer-tainly not what a loving Godwould do—even to the worstsinner. His punishment is al-ways appropriate to the crime!

-O. Snyder, CA

Answer: We may not comprehend the

words Jesus spoke, but we are safe in

leaving it the way it is, “Today shalt

thou be with me in paradise.” Physi-

cally, this is impossible—but spiritu-

ally, it’s a reality. We, who are still on

earth, are simultaneously in heavenly

places with Christ Jesus (see Eph-

esians 2:6; Philippians 3:20). Jesus said

to Mary, “Touch me not; for I am not

yet ascended to my Father,” because

He had to ascend to the Father first.

Later, He invites Thomas, “Reach hither

thy finger…and thrust it into my

side….” That, obviously, was after He

had “ascended unto the Father.” The

mistake we often make is trying to an-

alyze Scripture from earthly, physical

perspectives, ignoring heavenly, physi-

cal realities.

Man consists of spirit, soul and

body, as written in 1 Thessalonians

5:23.

We don’t have a chance at “keeping

the law.” Even the slightest hidden

thought in my mind condemns me as

a lawbreaker continuously. As to the

Ten Commandments, they were writ-

ten as a confirmation to Israel that

they were transgressors just like Adam

and Eve, who took of the tree of

knowledge of good and evil. Hence all

people, at all times, know what is good

and evil.

The Bible says, “the soul that sin-

neth, it shall die,” and, “the smoke of

their torment ascendeth up for ever

and ever: and they have no rest day or

night, who worship the beast and his

image, and whosoever receiveth the

mark of his name.” That may seem il-

logical for a loving God, but I do not

have the authority to take it upon my-

self to change the clear statement of

Holy Scripture.

Four QuestionsMidnight Call Ministries,

I enjoy your magazine verymuch. It’s always very interest-ing. I have a few questions inwhich I need some answers:

1. Please explain the sevenlevels of heaven.

2. The number of crownsthat is talked about in Revela-tion; do they have stars onthem, and what do they mean?

3. The new heaven and thenew earth: will the new earth beour heaven?

4. Can you list the names ofall the children that Adam andEve had? It seems there werenine.

If you could answer thesequestions, I would really appre-ciate it.

Thank you for your time.-C. Jenkins, MO

Answer: To your questions, the follow-

ing:

1. I find no mention of seven levels

of heaven in the Bible.

2. “Crown” is an earthly symbol of

rulership. A crown is promised to

those who overcome (Revelation 2:10;

3:11). Revelation 12 speaks of the na-

tion of Israel, “…upon her head a

crown of 12 stars.” This signifies the 12

tribes of Israel and, spiritually, the 12

apostles of the Lamb. The last time it’s

mentioned is in Revelation 14:14,

where the Son of man, having a

golden crown on His head and the

sharp sickle in his hand, demonstrates

His absolute authority on earth—He

will rule the nations with a rod of iron.

3. The new heaven and the new

earth are indescribable except for

what we read in Revelation. Wherever

Jesus is, there we shall be also, accord-

ing to 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

4. Genesis 5:4 answers, “And the

days of Adam after he had begotten

Seth were eight hundred years: and he

begat sons and daughters.” He lived to

the age of 930. But the Bible does not

give information as to how many chil-

dren he had.

Global ConspiracyDear Midnight Call,

Hello everyone at MC! I verymuch appreciate your publica-tion and look forward to read-ing it every month (I must like

*LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

MAY 2012 33

it—I have been a subscriber afew years now).

Thanks for your help and agreat publication! I was gettinginto the Bilderberg and Tri-lat-eral Commission readings, untilI read the ongoing series cau-tioning about it and that it hasno biblical basis to the theories.That saved me from goingdown a path that probablywould have only confused meabout the Bible writings!Thanks again for everything.

-M. Jeffery, GA

Answer: During the about 6,000

years of human history, everyone

blames the other. Adam blamed Eve,

Eve blamed the serpent, and Cain had

the gall to answer God, “Am I my

brother’s keeper?” Since that time, in-

numerable wars have been fought

and each time, the winner blamed

the loser. In our time when war has

virtually ceased in the European

world (West), we blame others for fi-

nancial and economic problems. Con-

spiracy Theories are a welcome

avenue to “make sense” of imagina-

tions, and all for one purpose—to de-

viate the Church of Jesus Christ from

its calling. When we occupy ourselves

with politics or conspiracies, it will

take time and resources away from

our calling to “show forth the praises

of him who has called you out of

darkness into his marvelous light” (1

Peter 2:9).

Church and PoliticsDear Midnight Call,

In light of world events andthe current chaos in the Re-publican Party, do you see thisas a real sign of Christ’s return?If Obama is reelected, and that

seems to be more possible thanI would have believed earlier,would this not lead to a situa-tion of Israel going to war withIran? This would seem to cre-ate the need for someone tobroker in a peace agreementand maybe the “7 year treaty.”

-K. Donaldson, NC

Answer: The Church may take notice

of world events, but may ignore any-

thing that is taking place in the politi-

cal world because it has no direct

connection to the Church of Jesus

Christ.

Israel always has and always will

act totally independent of any other

nation. Here we must recall Israel’s

Operation Babylon, when they de-

stroyed Iraq’s nuclear facility on 7

June 1981. Then President Ronald

Reagan responded with an embargo

of the sale of further F16 aircraft to

Israel. Reagan said Israel had “vio-

lated its commitment to use the

planes only for self-defense.” Israel

knows better than to listen to any-

one, as past experience has taught.

Israel must and will act to protect

their nation.

The Rapture EventDear Mr. Froese,

I believe the Rapture will be amuch documented event. Con-sider all the cameras about: se-curity cameras, folks shootingYouTube videos, vacationvideos, live sporting events,movie shoots, live television,etc. This goes on 24/7 world-wide.

Picture a great multitude ofpeople disappearing before theworld’s eyes, with their clothesleft behind. I gather this will

happen as Jesus’ grave clotheswere left and His head garmentneatly folded up.

I also believe the graves ofthe saved will be disturbed, bro-ken open and their remainsgone, be it dust or bones. Afterall, there is a one to one corre-spondence with the old bodyand our new bodies in the res-urrection. Again, Jesus is ourmodel.

How will the world explainthis event? Also, do you thinkthere is a gap between the Rap-ture and the start of the 70thweek? It seems to me the An-tichrist may need some time togo from the Little Horn to theworld dictator after the restrain-ing Holy Spirit leaves with theChurch.

-M. Hoxmeier, CA

Answer: Jesus is not our model; He is

different as death could not hold Him,

and His body did not see “corruption.”

We have no evidence that other peo-

ple, besides the disciples, witnessed

the ascension of Jesus from the Mount

of Olives. Will the world witness the

Rapture? I personally don’t think so

because the Rapture is a supernatural

intervention of God in human history

to remove the light from the world.

How the world will react is left to our

imagination. Books have been written

and films made, but all are based on

imagination, fiction, and fantasy.

Is there a gap after the Rapture

for the Antichrist to prepare? Again,

I don’t think so because Antichrist

has been preparing humanity for

6,000 years. All lost human beings

are his people, doing his will, and ul-

timately worshiping him. His final

goal is reached when “all that dwell

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR *LETTERS TO THE EDITOR *


upon the earth shall worship him.” For

that reason, he challenged Jesus to

worship him and until this day, he is

trying to destroy the Church. We are

living in a most dangerous time be-

cause the distinction between the

Church and the world is being increas-

ingly eradicated.

Action for IsraelDear Midnight Call Min-

istries:My parents have received

your magazine for years, andI’ve been known to readthrough it from time to timealso.

In your February issue, I wasdrawn to the article called “Actionfor Israel.” I was looking for aministry God wanted me to sup-port with monthly donations. I knew without a doubt God ledme to this article. I would like tosupport this ministry each month.

Is there any other informa-tion you can send me concern-ing the “Action for Israel”ministry? Might I have the ad-dress of the Winklers in Israel,just to write them? If you can’tgive that out, I’ll understand.Our family does God’s work tooand we also have nine children;six girls and three boys likethese who are Christians. Justthought it might be interestingto correspond with them.

I thank your ministry for allyou do, and you’re always in myprayers.

-R. Phelps, MT

Answer: Time and space permitting,

we will continue to update our readers

about our Action for Israel project,

now in its 39th year. Here is a short

summary: Action for Israel was founded

as a result of the Yom Kippur War in

1973. Our late founder, Dr. Wim Malgo,

wanted to demonstrate Christian love

to the people who lost loved ones dur-

ing that terrible war. Since that time, we

have continued to receive funds and

use them to comfort the people of Is-

rael in the name of Jesus. There are vari-

ous Christian organizations Midnight

Call also supports, but due to the sensi-

tive issue of missionary activity, we do

not publish their names or the extent

of their ministry. The address for Fredi

and Beate Winkler is:

Hotel Beth Shalom

PO Box 6208

31060 Haifa

ISRAEL

Two Creations? Dear Editor Froese,

I came across a January 2009copy of Midnight Call, whichhas been my first opportunity atreading this very informativemagazine.

After reading the Letters tothe Editor section, I was inhopes of sharing some of myideas. I would very much like toget yours as well as the readers’opinions on this subject:

Two Different Versions ofCreation?

There appear to be two dif-ferent versions of the creationfound in the Bible. They showtwo different orders of events,and regarding the purpose ofmankind after the fall fromgrace.

From studying these ac-counts, I came to see that in thefirst, the earth emerged out ofthe waters and was saturatedwith moisture, which needed to

be gathered into one place so dryland could appear. The secondversion shows the whole face ofthe earth needed to be watered.

Now the birds and beasts arecreated before man in the firstversion, and in the second, manis created first. All fowl that flyare made out of the waters in thefirst account, while in the sec-ond they are made out of theground.

Man is created in the imageof God in the first story, whilein the second man is made outof the dust and animated by thebreath of life. Only after eatingthe forbidden fruit does Godsay that because of this, manhas become “as one of us” andknows good and evil.

In the first account, man ismade lord of the whole earth,while in the second, he ismerely placed in the garden todress and keep it. And again, inthe first account, the man andwoman are created together asthe completion work of thewhole process of creation, whilein the second version, the beastsand birds are created after theappearance of the man and be-fore the creation of the woman.

In conclusion, was the sec-ond version composed by a dif-ferent writer than the first?

-B. Howard, SC

Answer: The Bible reports of only one

creation. Chapter 1 gives the summary

and chapter 2 gives the details. That,

incidentally, is good journalism. Pick

up a media piece and you will find that

the first paragraph gives a summary,

and then continues to give details, but

all about the same event. MC

MAY 2012 35

MIDNIGHT CALL

2 0 1 2 A T L A N T I C C O A S T P R O P H E C Y C O N G R E S S

20-22 October 2012Landmark Resort Hotel, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

When Light Meets Darkness

RESERVE 20-22 OCTOBER 2012 FOR OUR ANNUAL INTERNATIONALPROPHECY CONGRESS!Midnight Call’s Prophecy Congress will be held under the theme, “When Light Meets Dark-ness.” This promises to be one of the greatest gatherings in 2012.

There is much commotion, insecurity, and often fear of the future expressed every-where. The conflict in the Arab world continues. Israel finds itself again in a precarious situ-ation, fearing for its very existence if no military action is undertaken against Iran. Yet thewhole world unanimously strongly advises Israel, don’t attack. Then there is the comingelection in the United States and several other countries. Everyone seems to have an an-swer, but Bible believers know there is none except one Answer—the Lord Jesus Christ, theLight of the world. The Gospel of John reports, “In him was life; and the life was the light ofmen. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:4-5). During these 2 ½ days of intense Bible study, it will be shown from Holy Scripture thatwe are living in darkness, which covers the whole world. Yet, there is light and that light willbe the center of the 2012 Atlantic Coast International Prophecy Congress.

You owe it to yourself to participate in this important event by sending in your registra-tion early. The entire fee is 100% refundable at any time. So, don’t miss this importantProphecy Congress: register today!

LANDMARK RESORT HOTELThis fine facility, in the heart of Myrtle Beach, offers extremely favorable rates for confer-ence participants. There are various categories of rooms and suites available. Some havefull kitchen facilities, but all rooms are equipped with a kitchen sink, refrigerator and mi-crowave oven.

The hotel is located directly on the oceanfront. There are a number of restaurants closeby on Ocean Boulevard. Only two blocks away is the famous Kings Highway. Here you willfind several restaurants and shops for your convenience.

REGISTRATION/RESERVATIONRegistration is $59 ($49 by 31 July) per person. As always, the registration fee is 100% re-fundable should you be hindered from attending the conference.

Although the hotel offers over 400 rooms for your selection, they are available onlyon a first-come-first-serve basis. Therefore, we recommend that you make your reserva-tions early.

MIDNIGHT CALL

2 0 1 2 A T L A N T I C C O A S T P R O P H E C Y C O N G R E S S

20-22 October 2012 Landmark Resort Hotel, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina


MEET THE SPEAKERSFrom Switzerland comes Dr. Roger Liebi (Dipl. Mus.,B.Th., M.Th., Th.D.). He has served in many of Mid-night Call’s conferences and Congresses in Europeand Israel. Dr. Liebi is proficient in classical and mod-ern Hebrew, as well as Aramaic and Greek. He has au-thored many works translated into variouslanguages.

Dr. Elia Morise, an Egyptian Arab, will be a high-light as he presents Scripture from Egyptian perspec-tives. Dr. Morise’s knowledge and experience relatingto the witness to Muslims will definitely be a greatbenefit to the Church in America. Dr. Morise is themain Arab language speaker for Midnight Call’s RadioNew Hope programs.

From Germany, we have Norbert Lieth. He is agraduate of Midnight Call Bible School in Montev-ideo, Uruguay. He has served as Midnight Call’s mis-sionary in several South American countries. NorbertLieth is the lead speaker for Midnight Call Ministriesthroughout Europe.

Wilfred Hahn comes from Canada. He is knownfor his writings and insights on present-day worldeconomic and money trends, viewed from a Biblicalperspective. He has global investment industry expe-rience spanning three decades, having held variousexecutive positions from Director of Research for amajor Wall Street firm, to Chairman of Canada’slargest global investment group.

Arno Froese is the executive director of MidnightCall Ministries U.S.A. and editor-in-chief of the critically-acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and Newsfrom Israel. He has authored a number of well-receivedbooks, and has sponsored many prophecy conferencesin the U.S., Canada and Israel.

This is America’s first and only InternationalProphecy Congress. It is expected to be filled early.

MEET THE MUSICIANS

For the first time, we will have two Israeli believers,Irit Iffert and Jael Kalisher. They will bless us withtheir exceptional musical talents, compassionately pre-senting Hebrew Scripture songs, along with traditionaland modern Christian music. But there is more goodnews: originating from the Netherlands, Govert Roos,who serves as music director at Midnight Call Interna-tional Headquarters in Dübendorf, Switzerland, willbless us with his inspiring voice, contributing to thetheme, “When Light Meets Darkness.”

Registration by phone:(800) 845-2420 or (803) 755-0733 Fax: (803) 755-6002

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MIDNIGHT CALL 20-22 October 2012

MC 05/12Mail to: Midnight CallP.O. Box 84309, Lexington, SC 29073



Dr. Roger Liebi

Dr. Elia Morise

Norbert Lieth

Wilfred Hahn

Arno Froese

Irit Iffert Govert RoosJael Kalisher

HOTEL RESERVATIONMC 05/12

MAY 2012 37

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Mail to: Atlantic Coast Prophecy Congress, Landmark Resort Hotel, 1501 South Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach, SC 29577

Reservations: (800) 845-0658 or Fax (843) 445-7274Please mention Midnight Call or Atlantic Coast Prophecy Congress when calling.

MIDNIGHT CALL

2012 ATLANTIC COAST INTERNATIONAL PROPHECY CONGRESS

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Elia MoriseTestimony to Islam: Part I

Irit Iffert, Jael Kalisher, Govert Roos

Roger LiebiAre We Really in the Endtimes?

Part I



Part II

Norbert LiethThe Light of God in History

Elia MoriseTestimony to Islam: Part II

Arno FroeseDarkness upon Israel

Wilfred HahnProphecy’s View on Geopolitical Darkness

Norbert LiethThe Target of Eternal Light


Elia MoriseTestimony to Islam: Part III


Questions & Answers

Norbert LiethMessianic Light

Arno Froese When Light Meets Darkness

8:30

9:15

9:45

10:15

11:00

14:00

14:45

15:15

18:30

19:00

19:45

20:15

Introduction/Welcome

Break Break

Congress Banquet

CONGRESS SCHEDULE

Arno FroeseDarkness upon the Earth TBA

Wilfred HahnEndtime Global Political Economies


Part III

Irit Iffert, Jael Kalisher, Govert Roos Irit Iffert, Jael Kalisher, Govert Roos

MIDNIGHT CALL

20-22 October 2012 Landmark Resort Hotel, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina


Time Saturday, 20 October Sunday, 21 October Monday, 22 October


B y A r n o F r o e s e

What a remarkable statement,“justified freely.” This is diffi-cult to comprehend with the

intellect, but it fills the heart of the be-liever with joy. We are participants of Hisaccomplished redemption in and throughChrist Jesus our Lord.

The next verse reveals the center of re-demption, His blood: “Whom God hathset forth to be a propitiation through faithin his blood, to declare his righteousnessfor the remission of sins that are past,through the forbearance of God.” Thenthe declaration is made with the followingsimple, yet amazingly powerful words,“To declare, I say, at this time his right-eousness: that he might be just, and thejustifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”That is the completed work of grace and,amazingly, all we have to do is believe.There are no more and no less require-ments to attain the position of being sonsand daughters of God than to believe.

These few words are a summary of ourmissionaries’ activity. They present thisglorious gospel of grace to people every-where. What is the result? In a recent re-port published in Mitternachtsruf Übersee,

our missionaries Erich and Jutta Schäferwrite the following:

Argentina“…but we also joy in God through ourLord Jesus Christ, of whom we have nowreceived the atonement” (Romans 5:11).

To have “joy in God” is revealed in var-ious ways. Just recently, we experiencedthat many brethren in our church hadbeen taken in by the spirit of missions togo out for the one specific purpose—pro-claiming the glorious Gospel of our LordJesus Christ. Young and old are involvedin the mission activity. As a result of thevarious undertakings, a number of newchurches have been established.

That’s how it was again on a recent Sat-urday. At about 11:00 we all met at thechurch in Hurlingham, a suburb of thecity of Buenos Aires. On that morning,our group consisted of young people ages18-25, with a number of elderly as well.Just about everyone able and willing to bepart of this missions project was ready togo. Midnight Call missionaries took partin this undertaking. We drove ourMaranatha-Latino-Mobil to undergird this

MIDNIGHT CALL

“Being justified freely by his gracethrough the redemption that is inChrist Jesus” (Romans 3:24).

missions endeavor. One of our “old time” mission-aries, Hilde Kuriger, who served the Lord Jesus forover 40 years in Bolivia, Uruguay and Brazil, hap-pened to be on a visit to our station. In spite of her76 years of age and the extreme heat, she joyfullyaccompanied us to do the work of the Lord.

Hilde was eager to help preparing bundles oftracts for the event, which were later distributedfrom door-to-door. About 30 young people wereeagerly at work. During lunchtime, many testifiedwith gladness about the experience and conversa-tions they had when knocking on doors. Hilde,who speaks Spanish quite well, reported of themany conversations she had. She gave testimonyduring the lunch break, and that was another en-couragement to do the work of the Lord.

At about 16:00, a school bus arrived with agroup of teenagers. There were about 40 youngpeople, ages 12-18. There was so much activity oc-

curring in the church facilities that it was like ananthill, with people walking and running to and frothroughout the campus. How wonderful it was torealize that everyone had the same goal, namelyleading people to Jesus Christ. So one more time,we went back to work in small groups, targetingpeople on the streets and in parks. One group tookalong a football, and was able to play a game withlocals who found themselves eager participants. Atthe end, the Gospel was presented. Several of theseyoung people came with the group back to thechurch to hear more about the Lord Jesus Christ,who forgives sins and saves us from eternal damna-tion. The evening was concluded with discussionsand prayer.

Tired, but full of joy and thankfulness to ourLord for the opportunity to proclaim His Word,which will not return unto Him void, we give Himpraise, honor, and glory.

With credit cardready, call:

800-845-2420 or fax:

803-755-6002

MC0512

“At about 11:00 we all met at the church inHurlingham, a suburb of the city of Buenos Aires.On that morning, our group consisted of youngpeople ages 18-25, with a number of elderly aswell. Just about everyone able and willing to bepart of this missions project was ready to go. ”

MC

MIDNIGHT CALL

“To the only wise Godour Saviour, be gloryand majesty, dominionand power, both nowand ever” (Jude 25).

Mail to: Midnight Call Ministries, PO Box 84309, Lexington, SC 29073

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MAY 2012 39


The center of the world is Israel; it is located be-tween the three major continents: Europe, Asia,and Africa. Some ancient drawings also reveal

Israel as the center of the world. The city of Jerusalemis the center of Israel, and the center of Jerusalem is theTemple Mount. But right now, on top of that mountstands the Dome of the Rock, a Muslim structure com-pleted in 691. Thus, the heart of Israel is occupied by ashrine in honor of the Islamic religion.

While many Jews have tried, sometimes forcefully,to reoccupy the Temple Mount, all have failed. Today,it is all but impossible to visualize the removal of theDome of the Rock and it being replaced with a Jewishtemple.

A recent article in the Jerusalem Post reports the fol-lowing:

Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, along with several other

senior rabbis, has issued a public statement to warn the public

that visiting the Temple Mount is forbidden by Jewish law.

“It is a sacred duty to awaken your

hearts [to the fact that] it is com-

pletely forbidden according to

Jewish law to go up to the

Temple Mount,” the

statement reads. “This

prohibition has been simple and clear for a long time, and has

been forbidden by all of the great Torah scholars.”

The Temple Mount is Judaism’s holiest site. However, Jew-

ish law requires those going up to the site to be ritually pure, a

status only obtainable through a ceremony that cannot be

performed today.

Along with Chief Rabbi Amar, the much-respected rabbi of

the Old City of Jerusalem Avigdor Neventzal, former Sephardi

Chief Rabbi Bakshi Doron, and dean of the Porat Yosef yeshiva

in the Old City all signed the statement.

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger also added his name

to the declaration and said that anyone giving permission to

Jews to visit the site was leading people astray.

The religious authorities of the Jews, the chief rabbis,recognize that this tiny spot in the center of Jerusalem isthe place where once the glorious Temple of Solomonstood. But presently, one cannot even step on this por-tion of real estate without offending “Jewish Law.”

Why is the Temple Mount so important? Because Ju-daism, without the center, the Temple, is not complete.

He Shall Build the TempleThe word “temple” appears over 200 times in the

Bible. In the Old Testament, the temple meantthe literal, physical temple on Mount Moriah.In the New Testament, it is the spiritual tem-ple, which is made up of born again believersin whom the Spirit of God resides.

One of the profound prophecies oftenquoted by Orthodox Jews is Zechariah 6:12,“And speak unto him, saying, Thusspeaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Beholdthe man whose name is The BRANCH; andhe shall grow up out of his place, and he

shall build the temple of the LORD.”That is one Scripture many Jewscomfort themselves with, knowing

that sometime in the future, the tem-ple will be built.

But who is this BRANCH? Verse 13answers, “Even he shall build the tem-

ple of the LORD; and he shall bear the

Ac ion for Israel

Don’t Go to the TempleMount, Rabbis Warn


MIDNIGHT CALL

glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and heshall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel ofpeace shall be between them both.” Clearly, this is theKing-Priest, a title contrary to biblical law. Israel’sfirst king Saul violated that principle when he tookupon himself the office of a priest, and was subse-quently rejected by God.

But the BRANCH will build the temple of the Lordand will be a ruler (King) and a priest.

From New Testament perspectives, we know thatJesus prophesied in John 2:19, “Destroy this temple,and in three days I will raise it up.” That is the spiri-tual temple, the body of Christ. Peter writes about it,“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritualhouse, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacri-fices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter2:5), and the Apostle Paul confirms, “In whom all thebuilding fitly framed together groweth unto an holytemple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded to-gether for an habitation of God through the Spirit”(Ephesians 2:21-22). The spiritual temple is a reality.

The Jews have been waiting for about 2,000 years,and pray, “Next year in Jerusalem.” Since 14 May1948, the State of Israel exists on the soil of thePromised Land. In 1967, Jerusalem was liberated andlater declared as the capital city of the State of Israel.But the temple is still missing.

The Spiritual TempleHere is where believers come in. We, who constitutethis spiritual temple of God, do not need a physicaltemple built with men’s hands; we have access to thevery throne of God through the precious blood of Je-sus Christ our Lord.

The Apostle Paul deals with the relationship be-

tween the Jews and the Gentiles. He makes it crystalclear that God has not rejected His people, “I saythen, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid.For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, ofthe tribe of Benjamin” (Romans 11:1). Then Paulshows our duty toward Israel, “I say then, Have theystumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but ratherthrough their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles,for to provoke them to jealousy” (verse 11).

The Jews in Israel know their history well. Theyare taught in school about their dispersion through-out the world, the persecution they endured, and theworst that ever happened—the Holocaust, whenover 6 million Jews were murdered during Ger-many’s Nazi reign of Europe.

For Jews to witness the generosity and love ofChristians is something words cannot describe. Of-ten, we have experienced that those who receive ourlove in the form of donations, have indeed awokento jealousy: “Why are you helping us? Why do youexpress so much love for the Jewish people and thenation of Israel? What is your real purpose?” Ouranswer is, God loves His people. Israel is God’s first-born, and Jesus Himself stated, “Salvation is of theJews.” That is why Midnight Call Ministries estab-lished the Action for Israel fund in 1973. It is an ac-tive demonstration of our love for His people in thename of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Yes, the temple has already been built and could beready for completion at any moment. It’s the spiritualtemple, the body of Christ, the true Church on earth.But when that spiritual temple is removed by a super-natural intervention of God, then the time will comefor the Jews in the land of Israel to finally get theirtemple.

Mail to: Midnight Call Ministries, PO Box 84309, Lexington, SC 29073

r After prayerful consideration, I/we have decided to supportthe project “Action for Israel.”

r yearly r monthly r one time $_______

Name:___________________________________________

Address:______________________________________

City:__________________________________________

State:______________________Zip:________________

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MAY 2012 41

MC0512

“I will bless them thatbless thee...” (Genesis 12:3).

Ac ion for Israel

MIDNIGHT CALL

Why is the Temple Mount so important? Because Judaism, withoutthe center, the Temple, is not complete.

MC

The Mark of the Beast, as found inRevelation 13, has long been asubject of heated debate, even

outrageous sensationalism. What isthe mark of the beast? Can we iden-tify the Mark today? Are weapproaching the final revelation?

That is what this book is all about.Only a few decades ago, the identitysystem based on computer technol-ogy and science was not available.Yet, preparation for it had alreadybegun in the Garden of Eden.

Now, however, we are in the endstages of the end times; therefore, anidentity system will and must beestablished globally in the not toodistant future.Preparing for the Mark of the Beast

tracks the various stages of develop-ment which target the global imple-

mentation as prophesied in Revela-tion 13:14-15, “And deceiveth themthat dwell on the earth by themeans of those miracles which hehad power to do in the sight of thebeast; saying to them that dwell onthe earth, that they should make animage to the beast, which had thewound by a sword, and did live.And he had power to give life untothe image of the beast, that theimage of the beast should bothspeak, and cause that as many aswould not worship the image ofthe beast should be killed.”

This book is definitely a must readfor all who are waiting for the com-ing of the Lord and want to bewarned of the things taking place inour world today.

Midnight Call’sMay Resource Guide

What is the mark of the beast? Canwe identify the Mark today?

PREPARING FOR THE MARK OF THE BEASTITEM # 1061 • 240 pgs. • Hardcover

$16.95 Sale $12Author: Arno Froese

The awakening of the Arabnations heralds to theworld the coming greatchange—the Arabs are tobe counted as an importantpower structure on earth.

Democracy Invades Is-lam reveals how the Arabrevolution will hasten the establish-ment of the final world government under the auspices ofDemocracy, led by Antichrist.

DEMOCRACY INVADES ISLAMITEM # 1072 • 256 pgs. • Paperback

$12.95 Sale $10 Author: Arno Froese

Somethingstrange ishappening inthe Mideast.

Finally, it seems the world has aleadership they can trust, admire,even worship. How Satan and hiscohorts accomplish this feat ofdeception, and how far hispreparations have progressed isthe theme of this book, Revelation 13: Satan’s LastVictory.

REVELATION 13: SATAN’S LAST VICTORYITEM # 1067 • 256 pgs. • Paperback

$11.95 Sale $9 Author: Arno Froese


Read about Satan’splan to create peaceand prosperitythrough deception!

Midnight Call’sMay Resource Guide

MAY 2012 43

The Olivet DiscourseChapters 24 & 25 of the book of Matthew have given birth to numerous doctrinal stances.Largely those doctrinal statements have revolved around eschatological issues. Many vitalquestions concerning the timing of endtime events are dissected and addressed in theexamination of these prophetic chapters.

HIDDEN SIGNS IN THE OLIVET DISCOURSEITEM # 1060 • 208 pgs. • Paperback

$10.95 Sale $8 Author: Norbert Lieth

Enhance Your Study of BibleProphecyThis project has been described as one of the mostcomprehensive works dealing with Bible prophecy, as it representsyears of research. Along with the text of the King James Version, acenturies-old best-seller, this Bible provides textual commentary,historical information, full-color charts and maps, more than 75topical articles from some of the finest scholars in the field of Bibleprophecy, a concordance, and a special prophecy time-line, displayingthe events of history and describing the future.

FEATURES:• Full-color overview charts • Center-column references• Timelines of biblical events • More than 70 articles related to Bibleprophecy • Book introductions • 83 charts and tables • Bibleconcordance • Textual notations on key passages related to Bibleprophecy • And much, much more!

TIM LAHAYE PROPHECY STUDY BIBLEITEM# 9350 • Hardcover

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TIM LAHAYE PROPHECY STUDY BIBLEITEM# 9356 • Burgundy Bonded Leather

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How Daniel Saw Our DaysDaniel’s Prophecies Made Easy takes anew and refreshing look at the ancientprophecies illustrated byNebuchadnezzar’s image, the fourworld powers, the ten horns andthe climax of Antichrist’sdominion of planet Earth, followed

by the establishment of God’s divinelyordained Kingdom.

DANIEL’S PROPHECIES MADE EASYITEM # 1057 • 240 pgs. • Paperback

$12 Sale $9 Author: Arno Froese

Zechariah is the mostChrist-centered of all the prophets.Norbert Lieth explains howZechariah documents Jesus’ Firstand Second Coming, His futurerule, priesthood, kingship,

humanity and divinity.

ZECHARIAH’S PROPHETIC VISION FOR THE NEW WORLDITEM # 1052 • 304 pgs. • Paperback

$12.99 Sale $10 Author: Norbert Lieth

Do you wonder what some Bible verses mean?Popular Bible teacher Ron Rhodes has appeared on many TV and radio shows and spoken at countlesschurches, conferences, rallies, and seminars. At most of these events, people have asked him to explaindifficult Bible verses. Now you can learn from his concise and easy-to-understand responses to commonlyasked questions like these:

“The Lord said to Satan…he is in your hands” (Job 2:6).How could a loving God allow Job, an upright man, to suffer?

“Ask and it will given to you” (Matthew 7:7).Despite Jesus’ promise, some prayers don’t get answered. Why not?

These responses to frequently misunderstood Bible verses will stimulate your personal growth and bolsteryour confidence in the Word of God.

COMMONLY MISUNDERSTOOD BIBLE VERSES

ITEM # 2262 • 300 pgs. • Paperback $13.99 Sale $12 Author: Ron Rhodes


How can anyone know what to BELIEVE? Why arethere so many different religions?Current research, comparative charts, and thoughtful analysis all work together to make this a valuable resource for those who desire clarity in their quest for truth.

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT OTHER RELIGIONS?

ITEM # 2255 • 256 pgs. • Paperback

$12.99 Sale $12 Authors: John Ankerberg and Dillon Burroughs

You will find responses to those honest questions of faith, helping to build a confidence in God’s Word.Today there are untold voices in print, on television, and online calling for our attention, and so many of thesemock or belittle our faith. From coworkers to those calling themselves Christians, the tone has become one ofreproach, disparaging the character of God and undermining the authority of the Bible. For those who have aheart for God, it can be intimidating and discouraging.

How Do We Know the Bible is True? is based on the absolute authority of God’s Word, not man-centered ex-planations. Clearly presented, it will help bring clarity in a world filled with increasingly vague notions of truth.

HOW DO WE KNOW THE BIBLE IS TRUE?ITEM # 2267 • 300 pgs. • Paperback

$ 14.99 Sale $12 General Editors: Ken Ham & Bodie Hodge

Explore some of the most fascinating aspects of Bible prophecy.It is quite amazing when one realizes that things prophesied 2,000 or more than 3,000 years ago are actu-ally coming to pass today in an accurate manner. Mark Hitchcock uses 20 chapters to document thatprophecies recorded in the Bible are amazingly accurate. This 238-page book goes back into biblical his-tory, comparing it with events that have transpired. He shows clearly how the coming of Jesus was fulfill-ment of prophecy, and leads us step-by-step through the events that have taken place from ancient torecent history, concluding with chapter 20, “The Day that Will Shock the World.”

THE AMAZING CLAIMS OF BIBLE PROPHECYITEM # 2259 • 238 pgs. Paperback

$13.99 Sale $12 Author: Mark Hitchcock

HANDBOOK OF BIBLICAL EVIDENCESITEM # 2261 • 406 pgs. • Paperback

$16.99 Sale $15 Authors: John Ankerberg and John Weldon

“Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asksyou to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter3:15).Examine the life of Christ—the most unique man in history—and discover startling ancient prophecies thatpoint directly to Jesus as the Messiah. Explore the miracle of creation and see how archeology confirms thetruth of the Bible. Evaluate Scripture in light of history and determine its inerrancy for yourself. If you’vebeen afraid to talk about your faith for fear of not knowing what to say, this book will help you.

WHAT LOVE IS THIS?ITEM # 2260 • 576 pgs. • Hardcover $27.99 Sale $25 Author: Dave Hunt

What John Calvin and his early followers of the sixteenth andseventeenth centuries actually believed and practicedAlthough there are disputed variations of the Calvinist doctrine, among its chief proponents (whom wequote extensively in context) there is general agreement on certain core beliefs. Many evangelicals whothink they are Calvinist will be surprised to learn of Calvin’s belief in salvation through infant baptism, andof his grossly un-Christian behavior, at times, as the “Protestant Pope” of Geneva, Switzerland.

Most shocking of all, however, is Calvinism’s misrepresentation of God who “is love.” It is our prayerthat this volume will enable readers to examine more carefully the vital issues involved and to follow God’sHoly Word—not man.

Are you prepared to “Earnestly contend for the faith”?“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong

holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledgeof God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians10:4-5).

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to beashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

The book that needs to be read by every serious Christian.

IN DEFENSE OF THE FAITHITEM # 2106 • 374 pgs. • Paperback $21.99 Sale $18 Author: Dave Hunt

A Chapter-by-chapter discussion of IN DEFENSE OF THE FAITH withDave Hunt and T. A. McMahon, as heard on the nationwide radio broad-

cast of Search the Scriptures Daily. *Requires MP3-compatible CD player or computer

FREEBONUS

AUDIO DISCINSIDE!

MAY 2012 45

Should we trust God’s Word or religious traditions?The book presents an objective contrast between the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church andthe Word of God. It is an excellent discipleship manual for Roman Catholics who have not discoveredthe narrow road that leads to eternal life. The book prepares the reader for eternity by showing howthe Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient to save sinners completely and forever. The author knows his sub-ject well, having spent 37 years in the Catholic religion. He presents the truth in love with compas-sion for those who are where he once was, destined for a Christless-eternity and not even aware of it.(This is the updated and revised edition of Preparing Catholics for Eternity with a new cover and title.)

PREPARING FOR ETERNITYITEM # 2268 • 240 pgs. • Paperback $15 Authors: Mike Gendron

Revised Edition


The Stone and the Glory: Lessons on the Temple Presence and the Glory of GodIn The Stone and the Glory, Greg Harris takes his readers on a profound journeythrough the Scriptures as they explore the glorious realities of the stone prophe-cies. The journey begins with Abraham on his way to Canaan; it continues withthe Israelites wandering toward the Promised Land; it includes the glorious Tem-ple, as well as the life of Christ in the days before His passion; it chronicles thestone prophecies in the book of Acts; and it culminates with Messiah’s return inglory. Along the way, readers will joyfully find themselves identifying with the bib-lical characters, pondering how they would have responded if they themselveswere living in Bible times. Like a skilled tour guide, Dr. Harris brings the Scriptureto life in a way that insightfully weds biblical exegesis, Christ-centered theology,and practical application. –– from the foreword by John MacArthur

The Darkness and the Glory: His Cup and the Glory fromGethsemane to the AscensionThe Darkness and the Glory examines the cross from Christ’s perspective and provides a com-pelling behind-the-scenes look at the profound spiritual and theological realities of Calvary—reali-ties that transcend the physical, as the wrath of man was surpassed by both the wrath of Satanand ultimately the wrath of God. With theological acumen and pastoral insight, Greg Harris invitesreaders to join him on a journey to the cross they will never forget. Doctrinally sound yet warmlydevotional, this Christ-centered book is highly recommended to all who desire a better under-standing of the glories of the cross. (Adapted from the Foreword by John MacArthur)

THE DARKNESS AND THE GLORYITEM # 2266 • 210 pgs. • Paperback

$14.99 Sale $12 Author: Greg Harris

The Cup and the Glory: Lessons on Suffering and theGlory of GodGod beckons “place your life in my hands.” It is only when we reach the point of absolute surrenderthat we embrace the absolute sovereignty of God. God then allows entrance into the pathway of Hiswill and wonder of His glory. Larry A. Mercer, President, Washington Bible College and Capital BibleSeminary . . . Authentically expresses the bright hope of God’s eternal glory that places even thedarkest cup of earthly pain in perspective. Whether you now suffer or comfort those who do, this is amust read. John MacArthur, President, The Master’s College and Seminary . . . A careful andpenetrating study born from the heart of a pastor/theologian. This book will challenge, convict andcomfort those who enter in. Danny Akin, President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

THE CUP AND THE GLORYITEM # 2265 • 170 pgs. • Paperback $13.99 Sale $12 Author: Greg Harris

Study Guide

Greg Harris (M.Div., Th.M., Talbot Theological Seminary;Th.D., DallasTheological Seminary) is Professor of Bible Exposition at The Master’s Seminaryand international faculty at Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary. He hasformerly served as Associate Professor of Bible Exposition at Southeastern BaptistTheological Seminary and professor of Exposition at Washington Bible College.

THE STONE AND THE GLORYITEM # 2263 • 216 pgs. • Paperback


THE STONE AND THE GLORY (STUDY GUIDE)ITEM # 2264 • 108 pgs. • Paperback


Mail to: Midnight Call PO Box 84309, Lexington, SC 29073 or call: 1–800–845–2420 (M-F, 8-5 EST) fax: 803–755–6002online: www.midnightcall.com/store

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Questions That Need AnswersOne of the unique books published by Midnight Call Ministries is Letters to the Editor. Thisbook features original letters with a variety of questions selected during many decades andprayerfully answered from the pages of Holy Scripture.

Letters to the Editor is a topical arrangement of carefully compiled and categorized lettersthat appeared in Midnight Call magazine. Editor Arno Froese has tackled a great many chal-lenging questions in the magazine’s most popular feature, such as Church Doctrine, Escha-tology, Scripture Explanations and the Rapture of the Church.

This 437-page book will contribute to a better understanding of many often difficult ques-tions. You will find twenty-two chapters categorized under subject issues for easy reference. Hereare the chapter titles:

Find out for yourself why “Letters to the Editor” is the popular column in Midnight Call magazine, as testified by innumerablereaders with the words, “When I receive your magazine, I first go to the last pages and read the ‘Letters to the Editor.’”

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

ITEM #1045 • 438 Pages • Hardcover$22.99 $15 Author: Arno Froese

• Creation/Evolution• Sin• Israel• Authority of Scripture• Spiritual Fundamentals

• Prayer and Salvation• Christian Practices?• End of Life• Scriptural Explanation• Endtime Prophecy

• Future Prophecies• Past and Future Prophecies• Globalism or Patriotism?• Bible Codes, Y2K, and

Promise Keepers

MAY 2012 47

Spiritual Strength for Each DaySpiritual Strength for Each Day serves as a guideline for believers who seek a deeper and closerrelationship with Jesus Christ our Lord. This book is intended to remind the reader throughout the yearthat life as we know it is temporary and the ultimate goal of our lives should be to prepare foreternity…desiring to hear the words from our Lord. “Well done thou good and faithful servant…enter thouinto the joy of thy Lord.”

SPRITUAL STRENGTH FOR EACH DAY

ITEM # 1062 • 400 pgs. • Hardcover $ 16.95 Sale $12 Author: Wim Malgo

Midnight Call Box 84309 Lexington, SC 29073

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage PaidColumbia, SCPermit No. 185

The Imminent End of Oil ...

ApocalypseSoon?

Ron Rhodes, a leading scholar on biblical prophecy, re-veals how looming tensions over oil factor into end-timeglobal alignments and how they may lead to a dramaticshift in the balance of power in the world. Much of theworld’s oil is in the custody of unstable and sometimeshostile regimes. Nations around the world are posi-tioning themselves to protect their shrinking piece ofthe pie of dwindling oil reserves. Global tensionscontinue to rise.

In The Coming Oil Storm Rhodes documents therole of Islam as the religion in control of most ofthe world’s oil reserves and shows convincinglythat once Muslims are in possession of the twoswords of oil and nuclear weapons, they will feel

empowered to act as they wish. Oil could even play a role inthe path to Armageddon.

The Coming Oil Storm is an essential guide for understanding thestate of the world today…and what’s yet to come.

THE COMING OIL STORMITEM #2248 • 224 pgs. • Paperback

$13.99 Author: Ron Rhodes

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