The Literal Meaning of the Bible - the Rapture and the Antichrist

(1). I have read the Bible from cover to cover and I cannot find one mention of an event which describes Christians suddenly being whisked up into the air on a grand scale (millions and millions of Christians at the onetime) and into Heaven to be with the Lord forever, without dying first of course.

I can see several references to a couple of episodes whereby there have been certain select individuals who have been taken up into Heaven without dying; but, I cannot find a single reference to the scenario mentioned above of such an episode happening in one instance to literally millions and millions of Christians, all at the one time.

When the Lord returns back onto the earth, I can see several Biblical references to the dead in Christ arising first and then the Christians that are still alive after Great Tribulation being taken up into the air and then returning back onto the earth to reign with the Lord forever.

Furthermore, for anyone to say they know when such an event will occur is prosperous and is comparable to saying they know when the Lord is going to return back onto the earth; when the reality is that there no one alive, not now or not into the future, that knows the timing of "'the Day of the Lord"'.

However, I do not account for such an event as being as being a Rapture in the sense that I have mentioned above, but rather I see such an occurrence as a meeting up with the Lord, and not a Rapture.
Anyone can of course discount this analogy as long and as hard as they wish but those that choose to do so must provide scriptural evidence to support their theories, scriptural evidence that I will, and can, quite easily dispute.

(2). The Bible says there are many Antichrists and anyone who is against Christ is an Antichrist.

Yet, I find it to be quite incredulous that just as the word Rapture is never ever mentioned in the Bible how do so many people, whether rightly or wrongly, assume that the beast is the Antichrist when there is never ever any reference made to either of the two beasts of Revelation as being the Antichrist, when they are rather simply referred to as being just that -- Beasts.

Even later on in the book of Revelation we are told that Satan will be thrown into the Lake of Fire were the Beast and the False Prophet are: note well in that instance the word Antichrist is never ever used, so how do so many assume that either of the two beasts of Revelation, or even the Little Horn or Daniel, is an Antichrist when he is referred to as a Beast - but not of necessity an Antichrist ?

That of course is a question that I cannot answer!

There are four separate horns in Daniel Chapter 7. I know they are separate horns because they all do different things with the last horn subduing three nations just as the newly appointed EU president Herman Van Rompuy has done in relation to Greece, Spain and Portugal comparative to their financial difficulties.

However I would hesitate to call him the Antichrist or the False Prophet simply because the Bible does not brand him as such but simply labels him as being a Little Horn.

Therefore, as the word Antichrist is never mentioned comparative to the two beasts of Revelation and as we are only told he has ten horns the Little Horn of Daniel could be either one of the two beasts of Revelation?

Daniel Chapter7
Chapter 7 is a foundational chapter in understanding bible prophecy and God’s plan for the nations. In this chapter, Daniel sees a vision, which maps out the course of nations, leading to the kingdom of God.

Chronologically this chapter takes place between chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 5 is the final year of Belshazzar’s reign 539 B.C., and the transition between the Babylonian and Persian kingdoms.

Chapter seven, takes place in the first year of Belshazzar’s reign, 553 B.C. Daniel has a vision of four great beasts rising out the turbulent waters of the great sea. Daniel however, focuses on the fourth beast and its meaning.

Along with the four beasts Daniel, also sees events taking place in Heaven. He describes the “Ancient of Days”, and the “Son of man”, who will succeed the earthly kingdoms of the four beasts. Chapter 7 complements the pattern established in the second chapter. In the second chapter, Nebuchadnezzar has a dream, of an immense image with a head of gold, arms and chest of silver, thighs of bronze, legs of iron and feet made from iron and clay.

In this dream, a stone from a mountain smashes the image at its iron and clay feet. The stone becomes an enormous mountain encompassing the earth. The explanation given by Daniel is that each segment of the image represents a succeeding earthly kingdom, with the head of gold representing Nebuchadnezzar.

The stone represents the kingdom of God crushing the kingdoms of man and God’s kingdom established on the earth. More light is shed on God’s program in chapter 7. Here in seven, we see the division of kingdoms represented by 4 beasts; a lion, bear, leopard and a horrific beast with iron teeth and bronze claws.

The culmination of history ends when a son of man destroys this final kingdom pictured as the fourth beast. This fourth beast corresponds with the Iron and clay feet “Kingdom" in Daniel chapter 2.

Dan 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, [and] told the sum of the matters. Dan 7:2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. Dan 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. Dan 7:4 The first [was] like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. Dan 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and [it had] three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. Dan 7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. Dan 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it [was] diverse from all the beasts that [were] before it; and it had ten horns. Dan 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn [were] eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. Dan 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning fire. Dan 7:10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. Dan 7:11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld [even] till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. Dan 7:12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. Dan 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. Dan 7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed. Dan 7:15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of [my] body, and the visions of my head troubled me. Dan 7:16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. Dan 7:17 These great beasts, which are four, [are] four kings, [which] shall arise out of the earth. Dan 7:18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. Dan 7:19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth [were of] iron, and his nails [of] brass; [which] devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; Dan 7:20 And of the ten horns that [were] in his head, and [of] the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even [of] that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look [was] more stout than his fellows. Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Dan 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Dan 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. Dan 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom [are] ten kings [that] shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. Dan 7:25 And he shall speak [great] words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. Dan 7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy [it] unto the end. Dan 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Dan 7:28 Hitherto [is] the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.

Our new Prime Minister Julia Gillard - Australia's shame

I live in Australia which is supposedly a Christian country and yet the current government has just sacked it's leader for allegedly being down in the polls when they were so close to an election.

The truth is that he was sacked because he chose to do his own thing and go against his political masters as they go about setting up a World Government.

In his place we now have a single female, atheist, Prime Minister who is shacked up with her boyfriend.

One may therefore rightly ask what sort of an example is that to set for the youth of the nation when the young people see their Prime Minister doing that doesn't that send out a message that if Julia is doing it why isn't it alright for me to do it?

Nonetheless, nobody seems to mind at all as all they seem to be concerned with are her policies; the worst part is it looks very much like she is going to win the election due to take place within a few weeks. Australia is not a Christian country it is a pagan country and has taken its eyes off the ball by going away from God -- and for that we will suffer the consequences.

As Australia is predominately a pagan nation Julia Gillard will not be hurt by revealing (when questioned, note) she is an atheist.

Of the 12 prime ministers preceding her, Kevin Rudd alone was overtly Christian. He wore it like a neon sign on his sleeve. Press conferences outside church on a Sunday were common. For sheer crassness, it was hard to top the efforts of Rudd in lobbying the Pope to declare Mary McKillop a saint.

It beats John Howard’s performance of visiting Bob Santamaria on his deathbed. Howard must have known that Santamaria, although the fearsome enemy of Communism, could not stand him. In the end none of this helped Rudd when the polls began to drop.

Of the PMs who came to, or remained in office, as a result of an election, neither Curtin, Chifley, Menzies, Holt, Gorton, Whitlam, Fraser, Hawke, Keating or Howard was regularly seen on their knees, apart from funerals and weddings. (I include those who remained in office as a result of an election because some became PM as a result of changes in party leadership — for example, Gorton became PM on the death of Holt and subsequently won the 1969 election).

Hawke as PM was an agnostic and Whitlam a proud atheist. Whitlam earned the undying hatred of the churches when he removed the sales tax from the contraceptive pill for women. The general population thought it a great idea.

The founding fathers wisely decided that Australia should have a secular Constitution, not attached to any religion. Whitlam’s most famous reference to the Almighty came with his dismissal by the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr in 1975. Then came the dramatic reading of the instrument of dissolution of the parliament on the front steps of the building by Kerr’s secretary, David Smith. The steps were crowded with onlookers and MPs and Whitlam was slightly behind Smith looking over his shoulder. When Smith finished his reading with the standard exhortation ‘God save the Queen’, Whitlam told those assembled: “Well may he say God save the Queen, for nothing will save the Governor-General.”

Last Easter, the churches and atheists had a good old stoush on whether or not there is a God. Whatever the intellectual argument, it’s clear most Australians couldn’t care less about God.

Bureau of Statistics figures show that in 2001 barely 10% named a Christian religion to which they adhered. Between 1996 and 2001 (a mere five years), the number of adherents dropped by 7%. The biggest denomination, Catholic was a mere 764,800 in 2001, amounting to a dismaying drop (for the church) of 13%. Anglican/Protestant, the next biggest denomination at 759,000, was steady. Only the Holy roller, hot gospeller, minority groups gained substantial ground.

Church attendance is currently less than 8% of the total population and those at church are mostly grey haired old ladies. The small Muslim population is, of course, devoted to their Mosque and there is a much smaller group of Buddhists. Fortunately the Almighty, unlike the unfortunate United States, does not receive calls from political leaders (even Rudd when PM) to assist them in their various missions.

George Bush was always calling on Him (or Her for the sisterhood) for assistance in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In Canberra, the Lord’s Prayer is read by the speaker and senate president every day to start proceedings. This was not the practice in the first parliament after Federation and it was because of pressure from a much larger (proportionately) population of Christians that the parliament agreed to prayers.

Gillard will of course show respect to those who have religious faith, but Australians generally, apart from having no interest in religion, regard it as a private matter as they do s-xual preferences of others.

Tony Abbott, who once trained for the priesthood, is a devout Catholic, but will not attempt to make anything of Gillard’s atheism. He should make sure that every Coalition MP gets this message.

In Anne Frank's old home town of Amsterdam, Jews are again being hunted down.

Jews are once again being hunted down in Europe. Worldwide anti-semitism is at fever pitch - a sure sign that we are in the end times immediately prior to our Lord's return. Jesus was a Jew, something the world forgets. Satan is stirring up attacks on Jews as, if they can be wiped out - no Second Advent. It won't work. But two thirds of the world's Jews will be killed, the Bible predicts. Here's what's happening in Anne Frank's old home town..... Note the coy way the Telegraph refers to "young men often of immigrant origin.." They actually mean the tidal wave of Islamic immigrants pouring into Europe, where up to ten per cent of the population- a young ten per cent- is now Islamic.

The Greater Depression will soon arrive. The real story is here and it's not what you'll hear on most big media.

Photo: EPA

With the US trapped in depression, this really is starting to feel like 1932? The US workforce shrank by 652,000 in June, one of the sharpest contractions ever. The rate of hourly earnings fell 0.1pc. Wages are flirting with deflation.

By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard (of The Daily Telegraph, London - one of the few commentators worth reading!)

People queue for a job fair in New York. The share of the US working-age population with jobs in June fell from 58.7pc to 58.5pc. The ratio was 63pc three years ago. "The economy is still in the gravitational pull of the Great Recession," said Robert Reich, former US labour secretary. "All the booster rockets for getting us beyond it are failing."

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Monetary union has left half of Europe trapped in depression
Asia needs to fully wake up to the scale of the West's economic crisis Eurozone falls into deflation as M3 money supply shrinks
Wages fall at fastest rate since records began Deflation: workers face more pay freezes as prices fall at sharpest rate since 1933 Ambrose Evans-Pritchard:

Comment "Home sales are down. Retail sales are down. Factory orders in May suffered their biggest tumble since March of last year. So what are we doing about it? Less than nothing," he said. California is tightening faster than Greece. State workers have seen a 14pc fall in earnings this year due to forced furloughs.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is cutting pay for 200,000 state workers to the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour to cover his $19bn (£15bn) deficit. Can Illinois be far behind? The state has a deficit of $12bn and is $5bn in arrears to schools, nursing homes, child care centres, and prisons. "It is getting worse every single day," said state comptroller Daniel Hynes. "We are not paying bills for absolutely essential services.

That is obscene." Roughly a million Americans have dropped out of the jobs market altogether over the past two months. That is the only reason why the headline unemployment rate is not exploding to a post-war high.

Let us be honest.
The US is still trapped in depression a full 18 months into zero interest rates, quantitative easing (QE), and fiscal stimulus that has pushed the budget deficit above 10pc of GDP. The share of the US working-age population with jobs in June actually fell from 58.7pc to 58.5pc.

This is the real stress indicator.
The ratio was 63pc three years ago. Eight million jobs have been lost. The average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks. Nothing like this has been seen before in the post-war era.

Jeff Weniger, of Harris Private Bank, said this compares with a peak of 21.2 weeks in the Volcker recession of the early 1980s. "Legions of individuals have been left with stale skills, and little prospect of finding meaningful work, and benefits that are being exhausted.

By our math the crop of people who are unemployed but not receiving a check amounts to 9.2m." Republicans on Capitol Hill are filibustering a bill to extend the dole for up to 1.2m jobless facing an imminent cut-off. Dean Heller from Vermont called them "hobos".

This really is starting to feel like 1932.
Washington's fiscal stimulus is draining away. It peaked in the first quarter, yet even then the economy eked out a growth rate of just 2.7pc. This compares with 5.1pc, 9.3pc, 8.1pc and 8.5pc in the four quarters coming off recession in the early 1980s. The housing market is already crumbling as government props are pulled away.

The expiry of homebuyers' tax credit led to a 30pc fall in the number of buyers signing contracts in May. "It is cataclysmic," said David Bloom from HSBC. Federal tax rises are automatically baked into the pie. The Congressional Budget Office said fiscal policy will swing from a net +2pc of GDP to -2pc by late 2011.

The states and counties may have to cut as much as $180bn. Investors are starting to chew over the awful possibility that America's recovery will stall just as Asia hits the buffers. China's manufacturing index has been falling since January, with a downward lurch in June to 50.4, just above the break-even line of 50. Momentum seems to be flagging everywhere, whether in Australian building permits, Turkish exports, or Japanese industrial output.

On Friday, Jacques Cailloux from RBS put out a "double-dip alert" for Europe. "The risk is rising fast. Absent an effect policy intervention to tackle the debt crisis on the periphery over coming months, the European economy will double dip in 2011," he said. It is obvious what that policy should be for Europe, America, and Japan.

If budgets are to shrink in an orderly fashion over several years – as they must, to avoid sovereign debt spirals – then central banks will have to cushion the blow keeping monetary policy ultra-loose for as long it takes. The Fed is already eyeing the printing press again.

"It's appropriate to think about what we would do under a deflationary scenario," said Dennis Lockhart for the Atlanta Fed. His colleague Kevin Warsh said the pros and cons of purchasing more bonds should be subject to "strict scrutiny", a comment I took as confirmation that the Fed Board is arguing internally about QE2. Perhaps naively, I still think central banks have the tools to head off disaster.

The question is whether they will do so fast enough, or even whether they wish to resist the chorus of 1930s liquidation taking charge of the debate. Last week the Bank for International Settlements called for combined fiscal and monetary tightening, lending its great authority to the forces of debt-deflation and mass unemployment. If even the BIS has lost the plot, God help us.

The New World Order is being created before your eyes! The Euro - Europe's common money - is in trouble and riots, financial meltdown and dictatorship

By ALAN FRANKLIN.

ALAN writes: I was reporting in the European Parliament when the members voted to give up their nations' independence by adopting a common currency, the Euro. I later told some of the MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) that the end game would be a dictatorship, to eventually be headed by the Antichrist. Of course, they didn't take me seriously. However, that is now the way we are fast heading, as a currency meltdown will hasten the ending of all freedom and the bringing in of the big brother world government.

The Euro - the currency used by 15 of the 27 nations making up the EU superstate – the country called Europe –is under strain. Riots in Greece, with more likely to follow elsewhere, show what happens when a nation cannot allow its currency to rise or fall according to market sentiment. The Euro is run from Germany by the European Central Bank and Germans only agreed to abandon their Deutschmark when they were assured the Euro would be a strong currency – and they would basically run it, from Frankfurt.

So interest rates have always been set to please Germany, the European nation with the largest population and strongest economy. This, however, has been disastrous for the southern nations like Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal. Unable to set their own monetary policy and forced to live with interest rates unsuited to their needs, the result has been looming bankruptcy.

Britain, which retains the pound, has been able to set its own interest rates and allow the currency to find a level appropriate for Britain’s economic position – currently poor. But the nations trapped in the Euro are like economic prisoners, with the only solution to their financial woes the cutting of jobs and wages. That’s why there are riots in Greece.

Other nations are likely to have to follow suit, so expect the troubles to spread. Many people are saying that the Euro is doomed. This is not so. The leaders of Europe will do what it takes to keep the “project” going forward, for the aim is to create a single nation state with one economic government. A slogan of the EU is “ever closer union” and they won’t let a small matter like national bankruptcies – Greece and others are in reality broke - stop the project careering forward.

What you are seeing in Europe now is the creation of a dictatorship, for the EU chiefs believe in never wasting a good crisis. The EU financial leaders, appearing daily on business TV channels, keep saying things like 2the Euro will not be allowed to fail.” They mean it. The EU project was always political as it makes no economic sense. The EU is basically just a vast spider-web of red tape and asinine rules, all extremely costly to nations like Britain, whose taxpayers now pay to pave roads in Spain, and so on. It was built on a lie – that the nation state was not under threat.

Traitors like former British Prime Minister Ted Heath always told British voters this before finally, not long before he died, admitting on TV that this was untrue- the EU was always a political project. So what happens next? British trade unionist John Monks, reported in The Daily Mail, says EU Commission President Jose Barroso told him democracy could collapse in some European countries unless urgent action is taken.

Here I hand over to my friends at The Euro Realist magazine for this pithy riposte: “Most people will be having a problem getting their heads around this comment due to President Barroso and his EU being the driving force undermining democracy across Europe for many years. “They are now bewailing the fact that the global financial crisis, made much worse in Europe by the creation of the euro, could undermine democracy in Spain, Portugal and Greece! Despite this the EU continues undermining the democracies of all the other member nations too.

“According to 'brother' Monks, Jose Barroso has set out an 'apocalyptic' vision in which crisis-hit countries in southern Europe could fall victim to military coups or popular uprisings as interest rates soar and public services collapse because their governments run out of money.

“As the crisis begins to create angst across all of Europe, many of the people in once pro-EU countries are beginning to curse the day their governments sacrificed their own sovereign currencies on the fiscally bloodstained altar of the EU's euro. They have suffered inflation and job losses while their own finance ministers are hamstrung to do much about it as they are not allowed to set an interest rate which would be of benefit to their economies.

“As Lord Monkton, who is now the joint Deputy Leader of the UK Independence Party, pointed out in the Daily Telegraph (15th June 2010), the EU is now proposing to undermine all the EU's democratic governments by vetting their budgets before their own parliaments see them, yet it hasn't been able to sign off its own books as it can't account for £billions of its own budget which has gone missing due to fraud, corruption and gross incompetence. “The only threat of a dictatorship in Europe is the dictatorship being created by the European Union itself.”

Lisbon Treaty to be altered?

Remember the Lisbon Treaty; that was the relatively short pact between the 27 member nations of the EU that allowed for a position of a full time EU president to be created that into power Ex Belgium Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy to act as a puppet, figurine type of president only.

It now seems the tables may have turned and what they may have unleashed instead may have been the Beast of Revelation as the Lisbon treaty is altered time and time again giving more and more powers over to the EU Commission and Van Rompuy as they contest each other, or join together, for control of the EU.

Accordingly, are we seeing in EU president Herman Van Rompuy and EU Commission president Jose Manuel Barrasso the Antichrist and the False Prophet consecutively?

So much for the end point of European integration. The European Central Bank has added its voice to calls for the Lisbon Treaty to be altered to allow for increased "economic government" - most likely, involving the European Commission "punishing" nations who don't fall into line with spending directives.

EU Actif reports that the ECB submitted a report to Herman van Rompuy's council of finance ministers, recommending that "an EU country would have to prove to its neighbours that it does not deserve to be punished for exceeding the EU's debt targets."

The burden of proof would lie with the accused nation, which would then have to muster a majority of countries willing to support it. Clearly the process would be open to abuse, with countries forming allegiances or exercising influence in other unrelated areas to secure a "qualified majority" to avoid punishment. Smaller countries with less influence, such as Greece, would be more likely to feel the EU's wrath than other high-debt nations with beaucoup de clout, such as France.

EU Actif, which is largely uncritical of EU affairs, notes that the proposals amount to a "power grab" for the European Commission (which is itself in a struggle for superiority with van Rompuy's gang of finance ministers and the European Parliament).

It would more than likely mean that the Lisbon Treaty is changed to accommodate this new economic government. While EUrophiles claim that Lisbon represents the high watermark of European federalism, EURSOC has warned that the treaty's self-amending nature means that its corrosive effect on the democratic institutions of European nations will only become apparent over time. Changing its wording to allow for the "punishment" of European nations who can't abide by deficit rules goes even further, however, and demonstrates the contempt in which Eurocrats hold even their own rulebook.

British sceptics saw an opportunity for David Cameron to call a British referendum on Lisbon, given that an altered treaty would not be the same one we signed up for. Cameron has indicated that he would be happy to allow the EU to rewrite Lisbon for Eurozone states, provided Britain was left out of any economic government; we shall see.

It is unlikely any prospective European government would stop at the exercise of sanctions. Even as plans are being laid for these new EU powers, the European Commission is extending its reach into other areas. Yesterday it revealed suggestions to "take politics out of European pensions" by introducing laws to ensure retirement age rose in accordance with rising life expectancy.

It doesn't propose an EU-wide "retirement age", but rather a system in which nations would agree to automatic incremental rises in the age of retirement, with another international body ensuring that governments were able to meet their pension obligations.
This is quite possibly a sensible option, particularly if Eurozone nations will be sharing financial obligations as seems likely. The Germans famously don't want to retire at 69 to allow the Greeks to leave work at 50. However, it is likely to be resisted strongly in the Eurozone's southern nations, where low retirement ages are seen as a human right.

France faces severe street protests this autumn following the government's plan to slowly raise the retirement age; similar protests could spread across Italy and Spain. And as for the Northern Europeans, who retire much later but are likely to pay for it all - perhaps they'll riot too as their contributions and retirement ages are raised to pay for the sweet life in the South.

I predict Lisbon will be rewritten again, and again. It is increasingly evident that the future for the Eurozone is either total integration, or a split.

Some Questions and Possible Answers on Revelation Chapter 13?

The head of the economic governmentof Europe Herman Van Rompuy

There is something that has been bothering me for some time relative to the prophecies of Revelation Chapter 13 that someone out there in cyber land may be able to be of some assistance with.

Some of you out there may recall the prophecy mentions two beasts.

For many years I may have been acting under a false allusion that the first beast referred to the Antichrist while the second beast made reference to the False Prophet.

Yet, if this were the case all along I could not understand the Christian belief system which has very clearly made reference to the Mark of the Beast as being the mark of the Antichrist when quite clearly the mark was forced upon everyone by the second beast whom I have for so long thought was the False Prophet.

There are numerous others who call the second beast the FP and yet at the same time say the number of the Antichrist is 666 which adds further to the confusion.

This doesn't really worry me a great deal but it is something that I would like to clarify once and for all as it simply does not add up.

After serious contemplation I may have the answer.

We definitely know that there are two separate beasts because later on in the book of the Revelation we are told that Satan is thrown into the lake of fire were the False Prophet and the Antichrist are.

But could it be that the first beast of Revelation Chapter 13 is the False Prophet while the second Beast is the Antichrist, and not vice versa.

I can only recall of the instance of Revelation Chapter 13 where we learn that the Beast has ten horns and ten crowns. That is the only instance I can find of that occurring.

Beforehand in Daniel Chapter 7 there are four separate horns with the final one being the Antichrist.

Each of these little horns has ten horns but there is no mention of the ten crowns and ten horns there at all, just ten horns.

If what I suppose is correct then I could name the current French president Nicholas Sarkozy as being the first beast of Revelation Chapter 13, the False Prophet as it was he who brought together and co-chaired the ten nations of the Mediterranean Union and it has been he who has been acting as if he were the Antichrist for so long now so much so that it has led many to believe that he was indeed the Antichrist.

Remembering that he was appointed as the head of the economic government of Europe if that is correct then second beast who has two horns like a lamb and forces everyone to take a mark for buying and selling could only be the newly appointed EU president Herman Van Rompuy.

Here is how I have described Van Rompuy on my blog spot at www.there-is-no-rapture.blogspot.com:

""Van Rompuy is known in Belgium for his inscrutable, mouse-like, mild-mannered exterior and his self-deprecating humour. He was in office in Belgium just a year and managed to keep Flemish- and French-speaking factions of the country from tearing the nation in two through conciliatory methods. Yet his past antics of political subterfuge indicate much more to his inner man than just a guy who composes haiku during parliamentary meetings. Unassuming Van Rompuy has a history of getting his way. He advises that the path to power is to appear innocuous and unobtrusive, yet his methods have at times appeared more underhanded than meek.""

Sounds very much like a lamb to me while being a master of trickery at the same time?

REVELATION CHAPTER 13
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as [the feet] of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who [is] like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty [and] two months.

And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindred's, and tongues, and nations.

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

If any man have an ear, let him hear.

He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six.

HERMAN VAN ROMPUY AND THE EU SUPERSTATE

European Union leaders congregated in Toronto June 26th and 27th in a Group of 20 meeting to address the struggle of economies world-wide. Those leaders agreed to take steps toward job growth, the reform and strengthening of financial institutions like banks, and economic stimulation world-wide. At its conclusion, Presidents José Manuel Barroso and Herman Van Rompuy declared the meeting a success – the premier forum for international cooperation. Earlier in June, Van Rompuy announced two additional upcoming meetings; one in September on foreign affairs and one in January and February 2011 to deal with energy issues.

As of December 1, 2009, the European Union’s Treaty of Lisbon aspires to mold and uplift the 27 member nations of Western Europe into a more powerful single voice on the world stage. On January 1, 2010, Herman Van Rompuy went from obscure prime minister of Belgium to first appointed Permanent President of Europe.

Permanent President of Europe? That’s right; and not by public election, but by appointment of the members of the European Council. The “permanent” appellation is cloudy; Van Rompuy’s 30-month term leading the council ends in May 2012.

“As president of the European Council, I will listen to every country and make sure every country comes out a winner in every negotiation,” Van Rompuy told the press last fall when he was first appointed as the EU’s first full-time president.

Van Rompuy is known in Belgium for his inscrutable, mouse-like, mild-mannered exterior and his self-deprecating humor. He was in office in Belgium just a year and managed to keep Flemish- and French-speaking factions of the country from tearing the nation in two through conciliatory methods. Yet his past antics of political subterfuge indicate much more to his inner man than just a guy who composes haiku during parliamentary meetings.

Unassuming Van Rompuy has a history of getting his way. He advises that the path to power is to appear innocuous and unobtrusive, yet his methods have at times appeared more underhanded than meek. His critics point out that he broke a major 2007 campaign promise to split up his own political party’s illegally proportioned election district, and he did so purposely and quietly. As Speaker of the parliament, he delayed a vote on the proposed district split, going so far as to have the locks changed on the session meeting rooms so that dissenting parliamentary members could not meet, He avoided his own office for over a week (purportedly) to avoid opening a related letter from concerned opponents. His opponents assert that he works not for the interests of the people, but for big government.

Herman Van Rompuy is an enigmatic, camera shy man who avoids elaborate public statements and media exposure. Van Rompuy is a federalist who wants the individual nation-state symbols, flags, and currencies to be set aside in exchange for one set of European icons. He is geared to meld the EU nations into a single economy and body, even against individual nations’ objections to one federal government and the new taxes that come with it. Van Rompuy said last autumn, “The financing of the welfare state, irrespective of the social reform we implement, will require new resources. The possibility of financial levies at European level needs to be seriously reviewed.”

Van Rompuy is pushing for Brussels to collect one Europe-wide Euro tax on financial transactions based on the unpopular Tobin tax. It could look a lot like an American national sales tax. Opponents of such a tax include Poland - which is not one of the eleven “insider” eurozone member countries and therefore fears losing power to them - and Great Britain, which has traditionally balked at surrendering its currency to the Euro.

Van Rompuy is currently working to assemble a taskforce of European leaders within the economic union of the eurozone of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. Eight other states are obliged to join the eurozone once they fulfill the strict entry criteria.

It will be very intriguing as US citizens to watch the European economy, freedoms, and spending over the upcoming months and years. Will Herman Van Rompuy, David Cameron, Jose Manuel Barroso lead Western Europe to an undeniably one-man or one-entity governed superpower, or will the countries and the individuals in them be weakened by too much governance and a loss of their own freedom of choice and enterprise?

There is power play going on within the EU between the incumbent EU president Herman Van Rompuy and the current French president Nicholas Sarkozy

PARIS, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Within a week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy made a whirlwind visit to Germany, Britain, Russia and Brussels where EU leaders just had their summit, trying to tune up and harmonize European voices on international economic governance.

The attempt was made right before the G20 and G8 summits on economic governance.

Regarding bilateral issues of political ties, security consensus and business contracts, the French president got almost all he wanted, but in terms of Europe-wide economic governance and global financial regulation, Sarkozy had both gains and losses.

TURNING UP ACCORD
President Sarkozy made Berlin the first stop of his visit.

After months of rifts over financial regulations in Europe and national austerity measures, Sarkozy succeeded in reaching concrete consensus with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on global banking levies and financial transaction taxes in the postponed meeting.

With this common basis between the traditional European motors, the EU council meeting on the following day agreed on publishing "stress tests" of leading European banks by end-July, reflecting a pillar proposition in a joint letter by Sarkozy and Merkel to EU President Herman van Rompuy.

Just days before the G20 and G8 summits in Canada, Sarkozy rapidly stretched his visit to Britain and even outside the EU bloc to Russia.

Last Friday, Sarkozy also became the first French president to mark General Charles de Gaulle's speech date, a routine ceremony in France.

He was warmly welcomed by Prince Charles and accompanied by British Prime Minister David Cameron to pay tribute to soldiers of both countries. Cameron hailed the "great relationship" with France, which was well illustrated by a full-ceremonial troop parade.

Sarkozy's Saturday visit to Russia was highlighted by signing business contracts ranging from natural gas (GDF Suez) to space technology (Arianespace), amid strong appeals for closer ties on global economic arena.

The G20 summit should think about a new financial system, even a new international currency system, to replace the outdated one based on the Bretton Woods conference, Sarkozy told a joint conference with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who voiced his support and went even further by calling for more currencies as reserves other than the euro and the dollar.

TURNING DOWN RIFT
Clear rifts and nuance difference were played down during Sarkozy's visits.

Seeking for common ground in Europe, the French president yielded to Merkel's insistence that closer "economic government" should involve all 27members of the EU instead of just the 16 members of the eurozone, which means the economic "secretariat" advocated by French officials gave way to "a common vision" between France and Germany.

Sarkozy said he was convinced in a rarely low-key speech at a packed news conference in Berlin.

Most Vision.
European leaders, especially EU President van Rompuy, didn't buy France's "economic government"

"We must avoid dividing lines ... There is no need to create new institutions," he said at the European Council summit following the Sarkozy-Merkel meeting.

Besides the concession on the economic secretariat idea, French officials said that France and Germany would like to make more compromises on issues of restrained budget and tighter economic governance across Europe.

During his Paris tour, the British prime minister has expressed his reservations about the eurozone crisis, and even insisted on staying outside eurozone forever at the Brussels summit.

Britain and Germany's military presence in Afghanistan, their historical friendship and even the World Cup, obviously diluted the economic issues, but their top leaders' better-than-before personal ties are definitely a favourable start.

Franco-Russian cooperation focused more on business and trade ties, but their warship deals aroused criticism within the NATO bloc.

Without mentioning the value of over 20 bilateral contracts, the two leaders underlined the importance of G20, calling it "a group of 20 wealthy and developing nations."

BRACING FOR G20
On the resilience after the global economic crisis, France, as one of the main engines of European economy, is eager to take the lead in designing a new international financial system, supposedly a major task of the G20 talk in Canada this week.

However, Europe was lagging behind the global recovery and facing great risk in the wake of the Greece debt crisis, which made a coordinated platform in Europe imperative.

It was against this backdrop that Sarkozy's whirlpool visit to major European countries not only sought ways for faster recovery but also tried to sell France's financial proposals to floor a potential new system, which could include European stabilizer fund, global banking tax, stricter economic governance and others.

It seems that the French president is going to Toronto with at least a target in mind: if it misses the G20 summit in June, France will continue to work for the similar, if not bigger target after the country takes over the rotating presidency of the G20 and G8 in November.

Herman Van Rompuy's full name...

Here is an interesting piece of information: Herman Van Rompuy's full name is 'Herman Archille Van Rompuy.''

In Greek mythology, Achilles (Ancient Greek: Ἀχιλλεύς) was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.

Achilles also has the attributes of being the most handsome of the heroes assembled against Troy.

Later legends (beginning with a poem by Statius in the first century AD) state that Achilles was invulnerable in all of his body except for his heel. Since he died due to an arrow shot into his heel, the "Achilles' heel" has come to mean a person's principal weakness.

Achilles was the son of the nymph Thetis and Peleus, the king of the Myrmidons. Zeus and Poseidon had been rivals for the hand of Thetis until Prometheus, the fire-bringer, warned Zeus of a prophecy that Thetis would bear a son greater than his father.

For this reason, the two gods withdrew their pursuit, and had her wed Peleus. As with most mythology there is a tale which offers an alternative version of these events: in Argonautica (iv.760) Hera alludes to Thetis's chaste resistance to the advances of Zeus, that Thetis was so loyal to Hera's marriage bond that she coolly rejected him. Thetis, although a daughter of the sea-god Nereus, was also brought up by Hera, further explaining her resistance to the advances of Zeus.

The Education of Achilles (ca. 1772), by James Barry
According to the Achilleid, written by Statius in the first century AD, and to no surviving previous sources, when Achilles was born Thetis tried to make him immortal by dipping him in the river Styx. However, he was left vulnerable at the part of the body she held him by, his heel. (See Achilles heel, Achilles' tendon.)

It is not clear if this version of events was known earlier. In another version of this story, Thetis anointed the boy in ambrosia and put him on top of a fire to burn away the mortal parts of his body. She was interrupted by Peleus and abandoned both father and son in a rage.

However none of the sources before Statius makes any reference to this general invulnerability. To the contrary, in the Iliad Homer mentions Achilles being wounded: in Book 21 the Paeonian hero Asteropaeus, son of Pelagon, challenged Achilles by the river Scamander. He cast two spears at once, one grazed Achilles' elbow, "drawing a spurt of blood."

Also in the fragmentary poems of the Epic Cycle in which we can find description of the hero's death, Kúpria (unknown author), Aithiopis by Arctinus of Miletus, Ilias Mikrá by Lesche of Mytilene, Iliou pérsis by Arctinus of Miletus, there is no trace of any reference to his general invulnerability or his famous weakness (heel); in the later vase-paintings presenting Achilles' death, the arrow (or in many cases, arrows) hit his body.

Peleus entrusted Achilles to Chiron the Centaur, on Mt. Pelion, to be raised

If Jesus Came To Your House

If Jesus Came to your house to spend a day or two,If He came unexpectedly, I wonder what you would do.Oh, I know you would give your nicest room to such an honoured guestAnd all the food you’d serve Him, would be the very best.And you would keep assuring Him you’re glad to have him there –That serving Him in your own home is joy beyond compare.
But – when you saw Him coming would you meet Him at the doorWith arms outstretched to your heavenly visitor?Or would you have to change your clothes before you let him in?Or hide some magazines and place the Bible where they had been?Would you turn off the radio and hope that He hadn’t heard?And wish that you hadn’t uttered that last, loud, nasty word?
Would you hide your worldly music, and put some hymnbooks out?Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about?And I wonder – if the saviour spent a day or two with you,Would you go right on doing the same things you always do?Would you go right on saying the same things you always say?Would life continue for you as it does from day to day?
Would your family conversation keep up it’s usual pace?And would you find it hard at each meal to say a table grace?Would you sing the songs you always sing and read the books you always read?And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed?Would you take Jesus everywhere you had planned to go?Or would you, maybe change your plans for just a day or so?
Would you be glad to have Him meet your very closest friends?Or would you hope that they’d stay away until his visit ends?Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on?Or would you sigh with relief when at last he is gone?It might be interesting to know the things that you would do.If Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with you.

A step by step guide to surviving the coming Greater Depression

A Suggested Survival List

By Chuck Baldwin
This column was initially released last December. Without a doubt, this has been one of my most requested columns. So, in response to the large number of readers who have asked me to re-release this column, I do so today. And in doing so, I have added some new material to the original column.

One does not have to be a prophet to know that we are on the precipice of some potentially catastrophic--or at the very least, challenging--days. In fact, most of us are already in challenging days, and some are already enduring catastrophic events. That is, if one would call being out of work, losing one's home, facing life-threatening medical conditions without any prospect of medical insurance, several families being forced to live in one house due to homes being foreclosed, etc., catastrophic.

The potential for an escalation of cataclysmic events, however, is very real. Only a "blooming idiot" would call someone who attempts to prepare for "the day of adversity" a Chicken Little now. Anyone who does not see the storm clouds on the horizon isn't paying attention.

For example, can one imagine what would happen if terrorists nuked a major American city or cities? (Once again, I encourage readers to go get the videos of the CBS TV series "Jericho" to get an idea of how quickly life, and even civilization, could change.) Imagine if there was another 9/11-type event. What would happen if some form of Zimbabwe-style inflation hit the US? What would happen if anything disrupted the distribution of Welfare checks, or food to local grocers? Imagine a Hurricane Katrina-style natural disaster in your town. I think people everywhere are beginning to awaken to just how vulnerable we all really are.

As a result, people from virtually every walk of life have recently been asking my thoughts on how they should prepare. Therefore, I will attempt to share with my readers some of the counsel I have given these folks.

First, a disclaimer. I am not an economist; I am not a survival expert; I am not a firearms expert; I am not an attorney; I am not a physician. In fact, I am not an expert in anything! For several years, however, I have tried to learn from others. I am an avid reader. My work has allowed me to travel extensively. I have had the privilege of sitting at the feet of--and learning from--many of America's most learned, most trained, and most qualified "experts" in a variety of fields. What I write today, I have learned from others. I've formed my own opinions and priorities, of course, but everything I'm sharing has been said, or written about, before. But if I can share something in today's column that will help someone be better prepared for the days to come, then my goal will have been achieved.

Location:
First, analyze your living conditions. Where do you live? Do you live in an urban or rural environment? Is it a big city or small town? Do you live in an apartment or condominium? How close are your neighbors? Do you even know your neighbors? Would you trust them if the electricity was off and they were hungry? Could you grow your own food, if you had to? How easily could you secure your home? If you live in a cold weather environment, how long could you stay warm without electricity? These are the kinds of questions you need to ask yourself now.

Over the past several decades, masses of people have migrated into large metropolitan areas. More people live in urban areas than at any time in American history. While this may be well and good for times of prosperity, it is an absolute nightmare in any kind of disaster. Does anyone remember what New Orleans looked like after Hurricane Katrina came through? Can anyone recall what happened in downtown Los Angeles during the 1992 riots?

Needless to say, any inner-city environment could become a powder keg almost instantaneously, given the right (or wrong) circumstances. And the bigger the city, the bigger the potential problems.

If you live in the inner city, I suggest you consider moving to a more rural location. Obviously, now is a very good time to buy property (especially rural property), but the downside is, selling property is not as favorable.

If you can afford it, now is a great time to buy a "safe house" outside the city. If you are fortunate enough to have family or some true friends nearby, you might want to put your heads--and some resources--together in preparation for serious upheaval. Obviously, a team of prepared people is much better than being alone.

If you must stay in your urban location, have some commonsense plans in hand in the event of a major disaster. Get to know your neighbors: find out whom you can trust and whom you can't. Keep some extra gasoline on hand, in case you need to get in your car quickly and leave. Have several exit routes planned ahead of time, in case roads are blocked. Have a "bug-out" bag containing essential ingredients to live on for 3 or 4 days. If leaving is not an option, have a plan to secure your home as best you can. You'll need to think about things such as food, water, medicine, warmth, self-defense, etc. But at this point, to do nothing is absolute lunacy!

Provisions:
During a major disaster, food will quickly disappear. Living for over 3 decades on the Gulf Coast, I can tell you with absolute certainty that whenever disaster strikes (usually an approaching hurricane, for us), food and provisions at the store sell completely out in a matter of a few hours.

People panic, and within hours, you cannot find food, bottled water, ice, generators, batteries, candles, etc. In a matter of hours, every gas station in the area will be completely out of gas. Not days. Hours!

Furthermore, almost all disasters include a complete loss of electricity.

The water supply is compromised. Bottled water becomes more valuable than bank accounts. Dehydration becomes a very real and present danger. I remember witnessing a man offer an ice vendor $100 for an extra bag of ice during Hurricane Ivan. My wife and I went 2 weeks (14 days) without electricity in the aftermath of that hurricane. Believe me, I got a taste of just how precious bottled water, ice, batteries, generators, fuel, etc., can become.

I suggest you have a supply of food and water to last at least 2 weeks. A month would be even better. Personally, I can live a long time on tuna fish or peanut butter. You can purchase MREs from a variety of sources, as well as "camp-style" packaged food from stores such as Academy Sports & Outdoors.

Of course, bottled water is available everywhere during normal times. Stock up! Plus, I suggest you have some water purification tablets or a Katadyn water filter on hand. And, if you are able, prepare to grow your own food.

Canning food is another very helpful hedge against deprivation. If your parents were like mine, this was standard operating procedure.

Get a generator. Keep a supply of fuel on hand. Stay stocked up on batteries, candles, portable lights, first aid supplies, and personal hygiene items--especially toilet paper. Trust me, during times of intense and prolonged disaster, toilet paper could become more valuable than money.

I also suggest you never run out of lighters or matches. You never know when you'll need to build a fire, and during a prolonged survival situation, fire could save your life. If you live in a cold weather climate, you probably already have some sort of wood stove or fireplace.

Obviously, you need to take stock of your clothing. Do you have clothes suitable for extended outdoor activity? What about boots? During a disaster, you would trade your best suit from Neiman Marcus for a good pair of boots.

Do you have gloves? Insulated underwear? What about camouflage clothing?

These could become essential outerwear in the right conditions. Plus, any "bug-out" bag will need to include spare clothing.

Communication and medical provisions are also a high priority in any kind of emergency. How will you communicate with your loved ones when the phones (including cell phones) go down? A preordained rally point (or safe house) might be something to think about. And what about medical supplies? Do you have enough to take care of routine (and not-so-routine) emergencies? What about your prescription drugs? How long could you function if you were cut off from your druggist for any length of time? Think about it now.

And one more suggestion, while we're on this subject: the best resources in the world are of little use if one is physically incapable of making good use of them. In other words, GET IN SHAPE. During any kind of emergency situation, physical exertion and stamina become immensely important.

Commodities:
I suggest you have at least some cash on hand. Just about any and all disasters will result in banks being closed for extended periods of time.

That also means credit card purchases being suspended. You need to have enough cash to be able to purchase essential goods (if they are even available) for an undetermined amount of time.

Of course, some survival gurus insist that during any cataclysmic climate, precious metals will become the only reliable currency. But when most of us are trying to feed our families and pay our bills, it is difficult to get excited about buying gold and silver. Obviously, I would never recommend that anyone jeopardize the present on the altar of the future. My parents made it through the Great Depression with canned goods and garden vegetables; gold and silver were certainly not a priority with them. On the other hand, a little gold and silver could go a long way in a prolonged emergency--if you can afford it without jeopardizing present needs.

In fact, in a disaster, what is considered a valuable commodity can change rather quickly, as the barter system takes a life of its own. What is valuable is determined by what you need and how badly you need it. In a prolonged disaster, simple things such as toilet paper, canned goods, ammunition, and clothing could become extremely valuable; while cars, video games, televisions, etc., could be reduced to junk status. In antiquity, wars were fought over things such as salt.

Speaking of cars, remember that during a prolonged "national emergency" that might involve some sort of nuclear attack or widespread civil unrest, an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) might be employed; in which case, most every late model vehicle would be completely inoperable. Accordingly, if one can keep an older, pre-computer-age vehicle in good working order, he or she might be driving the only non-government vehicle
capable of going anywhere.

Self-Defense:
Needless to say, during any kind of disaster, your safety and protection will be completely up to you. If you really think that the police are going to be able to protect you during an upheaval, you are living in a dreamworld.

In both the New Orleans and Los Angeles disasters, police protection was non-existent. Lawless gangs quickly took control of the streets, and people were left to either defend themselves or swiftly become the helpless prey of violent marauders. In fact, in New Orleans, some of the policemen actually abandoned their oaths to uphold the law and joined with the criminals, turning their weapons upon the public.

Face it, folks: in any kind of disaster, you must be able to defend yourself, or you and your family will be meat for these animals of society that will quickly descend without mercy upon the unprepared, unsuspecting souls around them. This requires that you be armed! It also requires that you be skilled enough to be able to efficiently use your arms.

Therefore, I strongly suggest that you purchase firearms sufficient to keep you and your family safe, and also that you practice sufficiently to know how to use them.

Now, when it comes to a discussion of which firearms are preferable for self-defense, the suggestions are as varied as the people who proffer them.

These are my suggestions:
I believe every man (along with his wife and children of adequate age) should be proficient with the following weapons: a handgun in .38 caliber or above, a .22 rifle, a center-fire hunting rifle, a semi-automatic battle rifle, and a shotgun.

My personal preference for a self-defense handgun is either a .45 ACP 1911 (either Colt or Kimber) or a .40 S&W. In the .40 caliber, my favorite is a Glock 23. In the 1911, I like the Commander size configuration. I also like the Glock 21, 30, and 36 in .45 caliber. My wife prefers to carry a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver in the snub-nose, J-frame configuration. But this is primarily due to the reduced weight of these weapons for carry purposes. If needed, she could make a good accounting of herself with a Glock 19 in 9mm. If you are someone who has never owned and seldom fired a handgun, I recommend you buy a Glock. They are as simple as revolvers to operate, reliable, and almost indestructible. Plus, they provide increased magazine capacity, and are safe. They are also very easy to disassemble and clean. Of course, in dangerous game territory, you will need the power of a
.45 Long Colt, .44 Magnum, or even a .454 Casull. These calibers are not for the limp-wristed, but when one is facing a brown bear or mountain lion, it is what one will need to survive. Plus, when your life is on the line, you'll never feel the recoil.

For a .22 rifle, I really like the Ruger 10/22. For a hunting rifle, my suggestion is either a .270 or .30-06 caliber bolt-action rifle. I prefer the Remington Model 700 BDL or Browning X-Bolt, but there are several fine weapons in this configuration and caliber by numerous manufacturers. In dangerous game territory, a Marlin .45-70 could be a lifesaver. For a battle rifle, I suggest an AR-15-style weapon (I prefer Bushmaster) in .223 caliber or a .308 Springfield M1A. For a shotgun, I suggest a 12-gauge pump. Here I prefer a Winchester Model 1300, which is not made anymore. So, you'll probably have to choose between Mossberg and Remington. For ladies, however, a 20-gauge shotgun is probably a better choice, and at "bad breath" range (where a shotgun shines, anyway), it is just as lethal.

Whatever you choose, practice with it to the point that you are able to use it proficiently. And be sure you stock up on ammunition. A gun without ammo is reduced to being either an expensive club or a cumbersome paperweight.

Go to your local independent sporting goods store (I don't recommend the large national chain stores to do your firearms shopping) and get to know your hometown firearms dealer. Most of these people are kind and helpful folks who will be more than happy to assist you in finding exactly what type of firearm is suitable for you and your family. If you live in the Pensacola, Florida, area, a visit with Rick Bankston at Buck and Bass on Pine Forest Road is highly recommended. He is a fine Christian gentleman and very knowledgeable in all things gun. His
phone number is 850-944-5692. Give him a call.

Spiritual Power:
I firmly believe that man is created to have fellowship with his Creator-God. I really don't know how people can face the uncertain future that we currently face without the spiritual knowledge, wisdom, comfort, and power that is made available through Jesus Christ. I believe the maxim is true: "Wise men still seek Him." I strongly suggest that you seek to possess a personal relationship with God's only begotten Son. In truth, spiritual preparation is far and away the most important preparation of all.

Accordingly, be sure to pack a copy of God's Word in your survival gear.

That we are facing challenging days is a certainty. Exactly what that means is yet to be determined. I trust that some of my suggestions will help you be better prepared for what lies before us. Plus, here is an excellent online Survival Blog chock-full of great suggestions and resources for all things survival.

Bilderbergers and Van Rompuy make a power play for the control of the EU as Merkel pushes for changes in EU treaties.

By VERENA SCHMITT-ROSCHMANN (AP) – 3 days ago BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed Thursday for changes in European treaties so that countries running excessive deficits or debts can be reprimanded.

European President Herman van Rompuy said there was "no taboo" about discussing that option.

Merkel said after a meeting with van Rompuy in Berlin that clarifying what will happen to countries that do not adhere to the EU stability and growth pact might calm financial markets. "I am of the opinion that we need a change of the treaties," she said.

While van Rompuy stressed that "our priority is to work within the framework of the treaties," he added "there is no taboo to speak about treaty changes" if necessary.

The comments come before a meeting in Brussels next week in which EU leaders are expected to lay out broad plans to make their economies function better.

Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy wrote a joint letter this week to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso calling on Europe to redouble efforts to regulate financial markets and crack down on speculative trading by possibly banning so-called naked short selling across the trade bloc.

Short-selling occurs when traders sell shares or investments they do not own themselves. Merkel and Sarkozy said in the letter, released Wednesday, that "considering recent market developments, we believe there is an urgent need for the Commission to speed up its work to establish stricter control of markets."

Merkel said next week's EU meeting will launch a process that could lead to a permanent institution to deal with competitiveness and stability.

"I think it is necessary that the common European markets, the common issues of the stability and growth pact for all 27 member states are also talked about on the level of heads of government," she said.

Van Rompuy said tighter cooperation is indispensable. "Euro states share the same currency, which requires a high level of coordination," he said.

In separate comments, British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said after a meeting with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle that all EU governments need to bring "stability and balance to our government finances."

He said Britain's new government would soon initiate an "ambitious plan to bring greater stability in our public finances." Clegg, who was accompanied by British Foreign Minister William Hague, said the British government was convinced of the need for an overhaul of financial market regulation.

"The question is not whether we need to revisit regulation nor whether there is any need for further regulation: We accept that there is," he told reporters. "The question is what kind of regulation and what part of the financial services sector?"

He said regulation should focus on the "over-leveraged unsustainable lending practices in the banking system." Merkel would not comment on whether she expected France to come up with a package of budget cuts, saying each country had to decide on its own how to deal with deficits. "

I believe we all have pledged to adhere to the stability and growth pact again more or less by 2013," Merkel said. The pact calls for countries to keep government debt below 3 percent of GDP.

Pearls of Wisdom as Barry R Smith Speaks from Beyond the Veil

In late 1969 I was involved in a tragic bus accident. At that time, a powerful message from the Lord was written down for me, instructing me that this absolutely shattering experience was `no accident', and that I must not rely on any man, but on the Lord. For this reason, whilst in many cases I appreciate the gifting of God to certain men, I do not allow myself to be publicly linked with other ministries, which could polarize listeners. It's not about `my teaching' or `his teaching' (Paul OR Apollos). It's about encouraging people to develop a personal, unshakable faith in Christ Jesus `for themselves'. I freely admit that CWM and Moriel both have the right to preach what they believe is God's directive for them. Our God is a God of variety. I deliberately try not to criticize other ministries because of Jesus' Words, "Let the wheat and tares grow up together". We read that God will send angels to root out the tares or weeds at the appointed time. We are warned in the scriptures, that in the process of trying to pull out the tares, we may in fact pull out the wheat. For this purpose God reserved the right to fulfil this particular task Himself. Observations of churches who have majored in this area of trying to rectify all wrongs have lead me to believe that often, all that is left are congregations of bitter people, examining every ministry and Christian persons' life with a fine tooth comb — instead of enjoying the message of the Word of God which breaths life. Certainly we need discernment to keep our own Christian lives on track, but in my case I feel it safer to address doctrine, rather than attacking names. Further, if we bite and devour each other, we shall be consumed one of another. In simple English, "If I eat you, and you eat me, there will be on one left to preach the gospel".
I must note here that others see this differently, and state that even the apostle Paul named those he considered to be enemies of the gospel. I personally feel that it is a huge call to name other men negatively. There are different ministry emphases — but this one is not mine. Years ago I was asked what I thought about a certain ministry. The phrase attributed to DL Moody I felt was applicable: "I like the way he's doing it better than the way I'm not". I still use that phrase today.

European Parliament hears about Bilderberger one-world government plans

What if the U.S. Congress invited a speaker to address the conspiracy issue of 'a secretive global government' -- would that be surprising? Today? Probably yes. Surprising or not, the European Parliament did just that.

I also shouldn't need to stress the fact that the newly elected EU president Herman Van Rompuy is a member of the Bilderbergers.

As WorldNetDaily reported yesterday...
"The goal of the Bilderbergers, those powerful elite who are invited annually to a private and protected meeting from which world events are steered, is power, plain and simple, according to an author who spoke on the subject today before the European Parliament. But Daniel Estulin, author of the hot-selling book, "The True Story of the Bilderberger Group," said in the text of his remarks that he believes the very efforts by the power-hungry to manipulate the world economy is awakening the masses, who now have an opportunity to change history and give mankind back its future. Estulin was invited to speak to the European Parliament, considered one of the most powerful legislative bodies in the world, by Mario Borghezio, Italy's most senior member, about what many have considered a "conspiracy" or "secretive cabal."Well, whether you believe the Bilderbergers, the CFR or the 'internationalists' are working to control the world or not, our guest on today's show says someone(s) other than U.S. constitutionalists are at work to create regional gov'ts, of which the NAU (North American Union) is a part, in order to move the U.S. closer to global government. He said the members simply want to control. Read about those who would plan your future for you, in "The True Story of the Bilderberg Group" by Daniel Estulin. "These people want an empire," he said. "That's what globalization is. … Too many people believe that in order to have an empire, you need money. You have all heard of the phrase – the money[ed] elite. But money is not a determinant of wealth and the economy. Money does not make the world go around." He explained it is the power that derives from money and the ability to make decisions affecting other person that is central.

"The idea behind each and every Bilderberger meeting is to create what they themselves call the aristocracy of purpose between European and North American elites on the best way to manage the planet. In other words, the creation of a global network of giant cartels, more powerful than any nation on Earth, destined to control the necessities of life of the rest of humanity, obviously from their vantage point, for our own good and in our benefit – the great unwashed as they call us," he said. Sometimes, he said, this power comes through the destruction of economies. "They are destroying the world economy on purpose," he explained. "This isn't the first time either. This was done in the 14th century New Dark Age: 30 percent of the population wiped out."
But there is a light, he asserted. "We are now in a position to change history. I finally believe that mankind has a future. A once-demoralized population with no moral purpose is coming out of [a] prolonged slumber. In this general awakening, people are beginning to ask the right questions," he said. "It's no longer, 'What will I get out of it?' but rather 'What's right?' It's an international phenomenon of response and reaction to a … perception that the entire world is doomed to catastrophe unless we the people do something about it." He said the concept of the Bilderbergers is easy to understand. "In the world of international finance, there are those who steer the events and those who react to the events. While the latter are better known, greater in numbers, and seemingly more powerful, the true power rests with the former," he said. He explained the Bilderberger organization is dynamic, "in that it changes with the times, absorbs and creates new parts while excreting the remains of the decaying parts. Members come and go, but the system itself has not changed." "It is a self-perpetuating system, a virtual spider web of interlocked financial, political, economic and industry interests," he said. Actually, it's not much of a secret any longer and not much conspiracy, said Estulin. "It's a meeting of people who represent a certain ideology," he said. "The ideology is of a one world company limited. "Bilderberger is a medium of bringing together financial institutions which are the world's most powerful and most predatory financial interests. And at this time, it is that combination which is the worst enemy of humanity," he said. He said the citizens of the world have forced the higher level of awareness about the plots and plans "by becoming very aware that presidents and prime ministers and your little shrinking queens and kings are puppets of powerful forces working from behind the scenes." He said that's where the door to success may open. "Something has happened to us, the people in the midst of this general economic collapse. People at large are gripped by something they don't always understand. But, it compels them to act in a certain way, in their own interest. That's what they are doing in Greece. That's what they are doing in Spain, in the United States. It's called the anthropic principle. It's like a tidal movement came upon us and washed our fears away. As people realize that their existence is threatened, they have lost their fear, and Bilderberger and others sense it," he said. "Perhaps that's why at a recent Council on Foreign Relations speech in Montreal, Zbigniew Brzezinski … warned that a 'global political awakening,' in combination with infighting amongst the elite, was threatening to derail the move towards a one world government," he said. "What I am talking about is not a scientific problem or economic question, but rather a morality question, a question of immortality. Do we as nation states, as people of the planet believe in the future of mankind? And what kind of future will we have 100 or 200 years in the future. What about 10,000 years from now? Do we have a right to dream? If we have a sense of purpose for being here, then the bad guys can't win," he said. The Bilderberger Group is an annual, invitation-only conference usually with more than 100 of the globe's most influential leaders, including heads of state and business tycoons. It always is closed to the public and press, a privacy frequently ensured by armed agents. WND reported attendance at last year's event included U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner; Larry Summers, the director of the U.S. National Economic Council; Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan; World Bank President Robert Zoellick; European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet and European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso. "Bilderberger is not a bogeyman," Estulin told WND before his parliamentary address, "but it is a powerful organization. It's a medium for bringing together financial institutions – the largest, predatory institutions in the world – which acts in ways that are now the worst enemy of society." He said the elite consider the national resources their own, not "everyone's." "They want us to work for them, where our children and our children's children work for an elite group, the oligarchy," he said. He has cited David Rockefeller's own admission. Rockefeller, a Bilderberger member, wrote: "Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as 'internationalists' and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure – one world, if you will. If that's the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it." Estulin's book, "The True Story of the Bilderberg Group," is based on years of his work as a Madrid-based journalist and investigative reporter. He connected the dots between the Bilderberger Group, world events, politicians and corporate tycoons over a period of 15 years. Estulin revealed how the web of people and organizations has become a "shadow government whose top priority is to erase the sovereignty of all nation-states and supplant them with global corporate control of their economies under the surveillance of 'an electronic global police state.'" He says not all members of the group are "bad," explaining that membership is structured like concentric circles, with varying responsibilities and relationships. But it includes almost every famous player in politics and finance, such as George W. Bush, George Soros, George McGovern and Jimmy Carter. Estulin writes: "This parallel world remains unseen in the daily struggles of most of humanity, but, believe me, it is there: a cesspool of duplicity and lies and double-speak and innuendo and blackmail and bribery. It is a surreal world of double and triple agents, of changing loyalties, of professional psychotic assassins, brainwashed black ops agents, soldiers of fortune and mercenaries, whose primary sources of income are the dirtiest and most despicable government-run subversive missions - the kind that can never be exposed." The conference this year is scheduled June 3-6 in Sitges, Spain. Former British cabinet minister Lord Denis Healey, one of the founders of the group, explained the purpose of the group to Jon Ronson of the Guardian. "Those of us in Bilderberger felt we couldn't go on forever fighting one another for nothing and killing people and rendering millions homeless," he said. "So we felt that a single community throughout the world would be a good thing." Estulin reports the following items will be on the Bilderberger Group's 2010 agenda: