Is the dollar iraq’s wmd found? How to think too weak? The shocking story of a foiled chemical attack in Jordan— Strategies for increasing How it affects the world and where the terrorists got their arsenal. your brain power

june 2004 www.thetrumpet.com The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 Vol. 15, No. 5 Circ. 345,290 8 1 22 30

w o r l d 1 From the Editor: 37 Commentary: There The Shocking Story is a Way of Escape About WMD in Jordan How you can be protected from the coming nuclear nightmare Iraqi-trained al-Qaeda ter- rorists were barely prevented e c o n o m y from spreading a mile-wide cloud of poison gas across 22 Is the Dollar Too Weak? downtown Amman. But that’s Allowing the dollar to fall in not the big news. value seems to be a bad move, but overall it’s actually a good pakistan play. Or is it? 13 The Brink of r e l i g i o n w o r l d the Unthinkable Nuclear knowledge is a danger- 26 cover Use God’s Name ous weapon. Despite the rosy Truthfully 3 Democracy on Trial ideals of nonproliferation trea- Few who speak the name of God In Iraq, blood continues to be spilled in the ties, these “secrets” are falling realize the power with which name of democracy. Is this a worthy cause? into the wrong hands. they are playing. Those who use Is it worth the price? Can democracy suc- God’s name or claim to speak ceed in the Mideast? Is there a better system? 14 Timeline of Nuclear Deception for Him must know how to keep editorial 17 Looking the Other Way the Third Commandment. 8 Do We Agree With Pakistan supplied nuclear President Bush? know-how to the world’s most L i v i n g The Trumpet speaks out on a wide array of dangerous states and the U.S. does nothing. Why? 30 How to Think Deeply political issues. Just whose side are we on? Everybody thinks. But have you 10 Overcoming Evil thought about thinking? Deeper 18 Why man’s many “solutions” haven’t worked. WORLDWATCH thinking leads to deeper living. middle east Unsettling Gaza ■ U.S. Military Stretched Too s o C i e T y Thin? ■ europe Battle Groups d e p a r t m e n t s Ready by 2007 ■ EU Soft on 34 SOCIETYWATCH Muslim Anti-Semites mortgages Your Best Invest- 32 Behind the Work ■ eu/china Silk Ties ■ north ment ■ Education Tuition Woes 36 Letters korea No Longer Seoul Enemy ■ Family 101 ■ Liberal Arts ■ More Nukes? ■ cyprus ■ children Behavioral Medi- Turkey’s EU Dreams Hindered cine Tops List ■ health Redis- ■ in brief ■ in brief For a free subscription in the U.S. and Canada, covering God’s Truth call 1-800-772-8577

cover Staff Publisher and Editor in Chief Gerald Flurry The Philadelphia Trumpet (issn 10706348) is published monthly Contact us Please notify us of any change in your address; include your old mail- Reuters Executive Editor Stephen Flurry News Editor Ron (except bimonthly March-April and September-October issues) by ing label and the new address. The publishers assume no responsibility for return of photo Fraser Senior Editor Dennis Leap Managing Edi- the Philadelphia Church of God, 1019 Waterwood Parkway, Suite F, unsolicited artwork, photographs or manuscripts. The editor reserves the right to tor Joel Hilliker Assistant Managing Editor Ryan Edmond, ok 73034. Periodicals postage paid at Edmond, ok, and use any letters, in whole or in part, as he deems in the public interest, and to edit the Malone Associate Editor Donna Grieves Contrib- additional mailing offices. ©2004 Philadelphia Church of God. letter for clarity or space. Website www.theTrumpet.com E-mail letters@theTrumpet. uting Editors Eric Anderson, Wik Heerma, Mark All rights reserved. printed in the u.s.a. Unless otherwise noted, com; subscription or literature requests [email protected] Phone U.S., Canada: Jenkins Contributors Andrew Hessong, Stephen scriptures are quoted from the King James Version of the Holy 1-800-772-8577; Australia: 1-800-22-333-0; New Zealand: 0-800-500-512. Contribu- Bible. U.S. Postmaster: Send address changes to: the philadelphia tions, letters or requests may be sent to our office nearest you: United States p.o. Hill, Gary Rethford, Richard Williams Research How your subscription Canada Caribbean Assistants trumpet, p.o. Box 3700, Edmond, ok 73083. Box 3700, Edmond, ok 73083 p.o. Box 315, Milton, on l9t 4y9 Jesse Frederick, Lisa Godeaux, Brad has been paid: The Trumpet has no subscription price—it is free. p.o. Box 2237, Chaguanas, Trinidad, w.i. Britain, Europe, Middle East p.o. Box 9000, Macdonald, Zrinka Peters Photo Research Aubrey This is made possible by the tithes and offerings of the member- Daventry, nn11 5ta, England Africa p.o. Box 2969, Durbanville, 7551, South Af- Mercado Prepress Production Ryan Malone Cir- ship of the Philadelphia Church of God and others. Contributions, rica India, Sri Lanka p.o. Box 13, Kandana Australia, Pacific Isles p.o. Box 6626, Upper culation Mark Jenkins International Editions Editor however, are welcomed and are tax-deductible in the United States, Mount Gravatt, qld 4122, Australia New Zealand p.o. Box 38-424, Howick, Auckland, Wik Heerma French, Italian Daniel Frendo German Canada and New Zealand. Those who wish to voluntarily support 1730 Philippines p.o. Box 1372, q.c. Central Post Office, Quezon City, Metro Manila Hans Schmidl Spanish Edition Editor Stephen Hill this worldwide work of God are gladly welcomed as co-workers. 1100 Latin America Attn: Spanish Department, p.o. Box 3700, Edmond, ok 73083. f r o m th e e d i t o r

The Shocking Story About WMD in Jordan ave some of Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass that you can use. … They wanted to build three clouds, destruction (wmd) been found in Jordan? a mile across, of toxic gas. A whole witch’s brew of Around the first of April this year, the Jordanian nasty chemicals that were going to go into this poison authorities captured an al-Qaeda terrorist cell that cloud, and this would have gone over shopping malls, worked out of Jordan. The terrorists had about 20 tons of hospitals …” (May 6; emphasis mine throughout).

H reuters chemicals, including poison gas! That’s There may be more information re- right, 20 tons of chemicals—or weapons of vealed later about these chemicals, and mass destruction. this information could be slightly altered. The al-Qaeda leader in Jordan has con- Regardless, this is an Earth-shaking fessed that they planned to kill 80,000 Jor- event that deserves headlines in danians with those chemicals. our media! Unfortunately, little is be- King Abdullah ii of Jordan told the San ing reported—even though the terrorists Francisco Chronicle that “It was a major, have made shocking confessions. major operation. … It would have decapi- Here is more from that interview: tated the government” (April 17). Yes in- “Elder: You said that the Russians told deed—“a major, major operation.” This Saddam, ‘There is going to be an inva- is chemical warfare of the worst kind! But sion. Get rid of your chemical and bio- it is getting hardly any attention from the logical weapons.’ media and politicians. “Loftus: Sure. It would only bring the Do many of these institutions truly un- United Nations down on their heads if derstand what the war against terrorism is they were shown to really have weap- and what the United States must do to win? ons of mass destruction. It’s not gener- Where did these terrorists get the poi- ally known, but the cia has found 41 son gas? The Jordanians know it came different material breaches where from Syria—which in itself is a dangerous plotted against Saddam did have a weapons of mass act of war by that terrorist-sponsoring na- Jordan’s King Abdullah was the target of a destruction program of various tion. But do America and Britain have the foiled al-Qaeda chemical warfare attack. types. It was completely illegal. But no will to stop Syria’s terrorist activity? one could find the stockpiles. And the Terrorism expert John Loftus was interviewed by Larry Elder liberal press seems to be focusing on that. of Creators Syndicate concerning the lack of media interest in “Elder: It seems to me that this is a huge, huge story. the origin of the chemicals found in Jordan. Loftus, a respected “Loftus: It’s embarrassing to the [press]. They’ve staked their author, lawyer and lecturer, is a former Army officer and Justice reputations that this stuff wasn’t there. And now all of a sudden Department prosecutor who once held some of the highest secu- we have al-Qaeda agents from Iraq showing up with weapons rity clearances in the world. Here is a part of that interview: of mass destruction.” “John Loftus: There’s a lot of reason to think [the source of the chemicals] might be Iraq. We captured Iraqi members of al- Unparalleled Shame of the Media Is this “a huge, huge story”? Qaeda, who’ve been trained in Iraq … and now they’re in Jordan You could double or triple the word huge, and still not empha- with nerve gas. … You have to have obtained it from someplace. size this too much! King Abdullah also was repeating a word “Larry Elder: They couldn’t have obtained it from Syria? when he said this was “a major, major operation.” At least a few “Loftus: Syria does have the ability to produce certain kinds people are trying to show us the horrendous danger of this ter- of nerve gasses, but in small quantities. The large stockpiles rorist attempt. were known to be in Iraq. The best U.S. and allied intelligence And where is most of the media focusing? It would seem that say that in the 10 weeks before the Iraq war, Saddam’s Rus- they are focusing on finding stockpiles of wmd only in Iraq. sian adviser told him to get rid of all the nerve gas. … So they But this is not “a huge, huge story” if you are focused only on shipped it across the border to Syria and Lebanon and buried it. finding wmd in Iraq! That is a dangerously shallow view. And … [T]here’s no doubt these guys confessed on Jordanian televi- surely many in the media know this. sion that they received the training for this mission in Iraq. … Are some in the media withholding this Jordanian story so that And from the description it appears this is the form of nerve gas their political candidate can win the U.S. election? Are they sac- known as vx. It’s very rare, and very tough to manufacture … rificing the country’s welfare on the altar of politics? Perhaps they one of the most destructive chemical mass production weapons are over-indulging in self-flagellation over the abhorrent military

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004  f r o m th e e d i t o r scandal regarding Iraqi prisoners. That scandal is abominable, them. Saddam used these weapons against Iran and his own but it is now being used to hide this shocking al-Qaeda capture people. Can anyone really imagine this terrorist-sponsoring in Jordan—which is 10,000 times more important! dictator ever destroying those weapons? There is not one scin- After all, Saddam Hussein inflicted such abuse on his peo- tilla of evidence that this was ever done. ple, and much worse, as a matter of routine. What if the terrorists had been caught in New York Ignoring an Ally The people of Jordan—friends of America, City or Washington or Los Angeles with 20 tons of Britain and Israel—are a very special people in the Arab world. ap/wideworld The bbc on April 30 wrote, “Her Majesty Queen Raniya on Thursday (April 29) par- ticipated with thousands of Jordanians in a national public rally pledging allegiance to the country, denouncing all forms of terror and calling for security and stabil- ity in the region. “‘The silent majority decided to speak out against terrorism in a first-of-its-kind dem- onstration in the Arab and Muslim world on this scale,’ Queen Raniya told the Jordan news agency, Petra. “Walking hand-in-hand with 9th-grade Democracy students from public schools, Queen Rani- ya joined around 250,000 Jordanians from all walks of life who converged on Amman from all over the kingdom to condemn all forms of violence and terrorism.” How rare this is in the Arab world. Can we afford to virtually ignore such a noble effort in the radical Muslim world? Jordan doesn’t have the power to defend itself from the terrorists, sponsored by Syria. Only America can do that. Our media should be supporting the U.S. government in stop- found ping Syria by doing whatever is required. But Jordanian television aired this picture of the chemicals al-Qaeda was planning to use in that is not the case. Most of the media simply explosives against the Jordanian capital of Amman. Did they come from Iraq? do not understand what the U.S. must do to win the war against terrorism. chemicals? Those 20 tons of chemicals could go a long way Too many in the media and politics refuse to see the big pic- toward wrecking the economies of America, Britain or Israel if ture. We aid the terrorists by practically ignoring friendly na- they were used against our nations. This is a story that goes far tions like Jordan, Afghanistan and, to a lesser degree, Pakistan beyond politics or even one or two nations. It’s a world crisis and Libya. We went to war in Iraq with hopes of pressuring ter- of the greatest magnitude! rorist nations to become our friends and oppose terrorism. But The media has been screaming about no wmd ever since at the same time, so many of our leaders in politics and the me- Saddam Hussein was toppled. Now we find 20 tons and they go dia do too little to support friendly nations in the Middle East! shamefully, shamefully quiet! How can we even describe such a King Abdullah also had this to say about the latest plot that disgusting failure to seek the truth (which is supposedly why was stopped: that his country had “lived through an extreme- they exist). Has most of the media totally lost sight of the bigger ly delicate situation in recent days, but divine protection has issues—the life-and-death issues of nations? thwarted the plans of these criminals and saved the lives of Here is more from the Loftus interview: thousands of civilians in what would have been a crime nev- “Elder: David Kay [the man put in charge of searching for er before seen in the kingdom” (New York Times, April 14). wmd in Iraq] said, in an interim report, that there was a pos- Jordan has been the target of several terrorist attacks. The sibility that wmd components were shipped to Syria. really serious attacks have been foiled. (And that is the most fasci- “Loftus: A possibility? We had a Syrian journalist who defect- nating and hopeful story of all. You can learn all about this subject ed to Paris in January. The guy is dying of cancer, and he said, in our Daniel booklet. Just ask for it—all of our literature is free.) ‘Look, my friends in Syrian intelligence told me exactly where But still, “Given the best intelligence in the world, if you stop the stuff is buried.’ He named three sites in Syria, and the Israelis the terrorists time and time again and foil their plots, but never have confirmed the three sites. They know where the stuff is, but go out and eliminate them at the source, all you are doing is the problem is that the United States can’t just go around invad- training them to do better next time” (Capitalism Magazine, ing Arab countries. … We know from Israeli and defectors’ intel- Oct. 11, 2001). ligence that the son of the Syrian defense minister was paid 50 Syria is one of those sources. And until the United States has million bucks to bring the stuff across the border and bury it.” the will to deal with such sources as Syria and Iran, it can never Did Saddam Hussein have wmd? The world knew he had win the war against terrorism. n on Trial

 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 c o v e r s t o r y In Iraq, blood continues to be spilled in the name of democracy. Is this a worthy cause? Is it worth the lives lost? Can democracy succeed in the Middle East? Is there a better system? By ryan malone Democracy on Trial

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004  SALA H M AL K AWI /G ETT Y I M A G ES

Whoooo’s it gonna be ... Iraqis cast their votes in a 2002 referendum on the Iraqi presidency. Saddam Hussein’s likeness graces the ballot box; he ran unopposed.

oppling a dictatorship is one thing. the best form of government. America has long believed that its “enlightened” Filling the leadership void with a function- moral system of rule is the panacea ing government is an entirely different needed to bring peace, prosperity and freedom worldwide. matter. By the end of this month, though, Is it not fitting then at this point in the United States plans to hand over “sover- Middle East history to take a candid look at democracy? Is it not fitting—as eignty” to the Iraqi people. To what extent this November President Bush himself this will actually happen remains to be seen, but the current will come under the eye of the very sys- tem for which he crusades today—to ask TU.S. administration is committed to replacing the former how valuable this political ideology is to the stability of the world? Can democra- autocratic regime with—drum roll, please—democracy. cy work in the Middle East? Does it truly The establishment of democracy, ac- been called the “most ambitious U.S. de- work in the U.S.? Can it really work any- cording to George W. Bush in a May 1 mocracy effort since the end of the Cold where? Is there a better way to govern radio address, is a matter of life and War” (Washington Post, February 28). the affairs of humanity? death. “The failure of Iraqi democracy Including an array of diplomatic, cultur- would embolden terrorists around the al and economic measures, the campaign Democracy’s Non-Western Face Whether globe, increase dangers to the American stands for free elections, independent democracy is an enlightened form of people, and extinguish the hopes of mil- media, equality for women and literacy, rule or an abysmal failure, it should first lions in the Middle East.” and would provide financial booster be established in this context that de- The American president predicted shots to the nations concerned. mocracy cannot retain its “Westernism” that, as the June 30 deadline approaches, This initiative to bring democracy to when applied to a non-Western nation. “[W]e are likely to see more violence from Iraq and the greater Middle East is one of This is something American policy- groups opposed to freedom,” but “we will the core goals of the Bush administration. makers tend to minimize. And it casts finish our work in Iraq because the stakes The reasoning is that the world will be a an ominous cloud over the current U.S. for our country and the world are high.” better place if this greatest-of-all-govern- administration’s goal to bring democ- President Bush, in his self-proclaimed ments is established in nations that pres- racy to Arab states. effort to “change the world,” is using Iraq ently threaten the stability of the world. For instance, democracy is often as merely the starting point in what his This ambition is not original with equated with freedom and equality. But administration has termed the Greater Mr. Bush. Since Woodrow Wilson’s post- try telling that to the lowest members of Middle East Initiative—a pledge to bring World War i efforts “to make the world India’s caste system—within a country the hope of democracy to nations all safe for democracy” the U.S. has been that has both democracy and a social over the Middle East. This initiative has on a quasi-crusade for what it considers structure that says if you’re born a “pol-

 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 W o r l d d e m o c r a c y luted laborer,” your highest achievement America’s version of democracy. When America’s forefathers framed in society will be that of a “polluted labor- As we wrote in our November 2002 the Constitution, they had a realistic er.” Or consider, in the Republic of South issue, “The problem is that this effort appraisal of human nature, knowing Africa and its neighboring “democracies,” to spread the gospel of democracy is that men were flawed and capable of the millions of orphans who have no op- predicated on one erroneous assump- enormous evil. They realized that those portunity for education or even a healthy tion—that all peoples think and act like in power need to be checked by others, environment in which to grow. Or in Americans. They don’t!” to prevent one man or group of elites Zimbabwe, where “free” elections are ac- from wielding absolute control over the companied by intimidation and killing of The Strength of Democracy Though country. Thomas Jefferson, in his Notes political opponents. Is this freedom? Are America’s historic efforts to spread de- on the State of Virginia, warned that all men treated as equals? mocracy worldwide may seem like a members of a legislative body should Another Western assumption about lost cause, many will still argue that de- never be deluded by their own integrity democracy is that it is best when under- mocracy is the best form of government and assume their power would never be pinned by pluralism—the idea that many that humanity has devised. Winston abused. “Human nature is the same on differing views co-existing in a govern- Churchill called it “the worst form of every side of the Atlantic, and will be ment will help create a consensus that government, except for all those others alike influenced by the same causes.” is best for the entire country. This is the that have been tried.” Through frequent elections, the sys- principle the U.S. is proposing to imple- Certainly, democracy has both good tem implanted by America’s founders ment in Iraq: Put the Shiites, Sunnis and and bad points. Let’s briefly examine safeguards against a maniacal dictator Kurds together in a three-member presi- those. For the sake of definition, and rising to the top. dency (one president, two deputies) so since democracy takes different forms in Through the sep- theTrumpet.com any agreements will benefit citizens of all different nations, we will view this from aration of powers, To learn about three. But this idealistic approach is not the perspective of the longest-running officials are held ac- “The Demise of sitting well with anyone, especially the representative democracy in the world: countable for their Democracy,” Shiites’ Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the United States of America. actions. Congress see our who labeled it a recipe for “partition and Some good exists in democracy; three can rein in the presi- November 2002 division” (Asia Times, March 25). broad principles sum it up. dent if he oversteps issue, under The greatest fallacy in Western First: Democracy considers and his bounds, and both Issue Archives. minds, perhaps, is that democracy in protects the interests of those governed. the president and non-Western countries will spawn pro- Abraham Lincoln defined it as govern- Congress must agree on who presides in Western administrations. This rarely ment “of the people, by the people, for the the federal judicial branch. happens, as Samuel P. Huntington wrote people.” Because of this, a democracy like Within this system of government are also varying viewpoints on how to If the moral fabric of the population begins to carry out the functions of government— broadly defined in two major political unravel, as it has today, such decline is only parties, Democratic and Republican. In a democracy, opposing viewpoints are perpetuated through a democratic system. allowed to exist in order to help the law- makers and governing executives arrive in The Clash of Civilizations. He called the U.S. is largely concerned with human at the best solution for their constitu- this the “democracy paradox,” saying rights—fair treatment and equality of all ents. Contrast this with Iraq just two that “adoption by non-Western societ- men and women in the country. Laws are years ago, when if someone opposed the ies of Western democratic institutions enacted to protect the rights of all its autocrat’s political ideals he or she was encourages and gives access to power citizens, minorities included. tortured or silenced by a brutal death. to nativist and anti-Western political Contrast this with communist social- All this is intended to guard against movements” (emphasis mine through- ism, which in theory puts every citizen any of the country’s governmental out). Elections in Islamic countries like on equal footing economically but in branches gaining too much power. Algeria and Turkey have placed Islamist, practice feeds the gluttony of the rul- Third: Democracy allows a great deal anti-U.S. politicians at the helm. ing elite. Take the Democratic People’s of freedom among its citizenry—in con- Muslims tend to see Western democ- Republic of Korea for example (don’t let trast to, say, what an autocratic regime racy as the antithesis of Islam. As one the name fool you), where over 13 mil- might allow. Art is allowed to flour- Sunni sheik in Iraq put it, “[E]verything lion North Koreans are malnourished ish in a society that allows freedoms of that is happening in our country is be- while President Kim Jong-Il has never speech and expression. Freedom of the cause we strayed from our religion. We lacked for a meal. Is it any wonder that press means that the government does strayed from Islam and took the democ- citizens of Communist states like Cuba not have direct control of the media, as it racy of the infidels and the freedom of will pile onto tiny rafts and face sharks, does in countries like China and Zimba- the infidels. There is no solution except hypothermia and drowning to sail to bwe. This Western ideal is another tactic Islam, and stability will never come America’s shores—or die trying? that prevents those in power from gain- back without it. So insist on Islam” (Asia Second: Democracy uses a system of ing too much control and also allows the Times, March 23). The U.S. is facing checks and balances—limited terms in free flow of varying viewpoints on vary- those in the Middle East who believe Is- office and separate governmental branch- ing subjects. These freedoms engender lam cannot remain pure if mixed with es—as a safety valve against corruption. ingenuity, ideas, invention and industry.

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004  w o r l d They encourage creativity, opportunity reuters and, by extension, wealth and prosperity.

Democracy’s Weaknesses These points present a remarkable case for democra- cy. But sadly, we can take the same three points and examine how democracy fails as a system of government—how it fulfills Churchill’s description as “the worst form.” First: A nation governed “for the people” and run “by the people” sits in a precarious position. If the citizens want a leader who focuses more on domestic turmoil than outside threats, the coun- try will elect such a leader—despite what the greater danger actually is. Likewise, if a leader makes a decision based on casting a vote? what is best for the country yet contrary An Iraqi youth protests against coalition soldiers—exercising “freedom of expression” to the general consensus, the public may not tolerated under Saddam Hussein. Democracy does not guarantee pro-Western ideals. opt to yank him from office, regardless of the harm this may cause. When the revolutionary European governed (i.e. those in ultimate control) If the national will or morale is in politician Franz Josef Strauss visited the had to be God-fearing, upright citizens, tatters, administrations will be set up Pasadena campus of Ambassador College or the system would eventually self-de- to reflect this spirit. If the moral fab- in January 1969, just days after Richard struct. In an address to the military, John ric of the population begins to unravel, Nixon took office, he met with Chancel- Adams said, “Our Constitution was made such decline will only be exacerbated lor Herbert Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong only for a moral and religious people. It is by a democratic system. A society glut- recalled a question a guest asked of Mr. wholly inadequate to the government of ted on harmful entertainment will not Strauss: “What do you think was going any other” (Oct. 11, 1798). George Wash- elect leaders who will legislate against on in Mr. Nixon’s mind as he was taking ington said, “It is impossible to rightly the same. A people no longer concerned the oath of office?” Strauss, without hes- govern the world without God and the with the sanctity of marriage will elect itation, responded: “How to be reelected Bible” (Sept. 17, 1796). leaders with sympathetic agendas. Citi- four years from now, of course.” Critical to grasping this point is the zens more concerned about their own Today, leading politicians wage expen- understanding that there is a devil who financial troubles than terrorism will sive and bitter battles leading up to the deceives the whole world and is the elect politicians who promise to cater to November elections. Both sides labor to prince of the power of the air (Revelation these concerns. “The people” often can show the other side’s ineptitude at guid- 12:9; Ephesians 2:2). The Bible, God’s be narrow-minded and selfish. ing the country; both sides are highlight- Word, shows us that Satan is constantly Second: The very safety valves in ing their own qualities and strengths; broadcasting corrupt thoughts, impuls- place to guard against human corrup- the presiding administration, this close es and moods to mankind (see article, p. tion actually build several inherent to November, will avoid subjects it con- 10). All people are subject to the invisible weaknesses into the system. siders too sensitive for an election year. sway of Satan the devil—and in a gov- Democracy limits the effectiveness of And why? All to get the office! ernment “of the people, by the people,” a national leader in dealing with other na- Third: A weakness in democracy, the system becomes endangered when tions. A limited length of term and num- borne out of this blessing of freedom, these freedoms go unrestrained. ber of terms can often transform a na- is that our many freedoms can be taken We must ask, if President Bush wants tion’s foreign policy—weakening its cred- to immoral extremes and decadence. In to “change the world,” what is he going to ibility and leverage in the global arena. Anglo-American democracy, the plural- change it to? Would the world be such a The Islamic radicals who attacked Spain ist, tolerant approach is applied to the better place if it were cast in the image of on March 11—just 74 hours before citizens point where “freedom of speech” pro- the United States of America? Exporting went to the polls—knew this well. tects obscenity, pornography, vulgar our freedom means exporting our vio- Built into this system of terms and music and violent entertainment, and lent entertainment, our pornography, checks and balances—and a govern- where “freedom of religion” warrants our vulgar music, and by extension our ment “by the people”—is free elections. the complete removal of all religion family breakdown! But this activity also gives democracy an from public society. Democracy, despite its strengths, is unavoidable weakness: Those put in the This makes democracy potentially the ill-equipped to bring the world the peace positions of responsibility—as fallible, most fragile of governmental systems. it so desperately needs. And America, selfish human beings—will often seek Since national power resides in the peo- the paragon of this ideology and govern- election, re-election or higher office for ple, the nation as a whole is only as strong mental structure, is setting an appalling themselves more than they will speak the as the individual character of its citizens. example for a nation that has it all—de- truth, legislate or execute in a manner Even America’s founders knew that in or- mocracy, freedom, riches and the power that is truly best for the people. der for this system to work, those being to spread it around the world.

 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 W o r l d d e m o c r a c y Is this what the Iraqis need? They ob- planet for good! And though it means a teous spirit beings with Jesus Christ at viously suffered under Saddam Hussein’s temporarily dark time for world history the helm! Human corruption will be autocratic regime. But is democracy really just before Christ returns, it signals the eliminated—as will government gridlock the answer? Will that solve the problems greatest news we could ever hear! This is and political competition. No more elec- of the Middle East? Do these nations need the “good news” that is the gospel—the tions—no more need for elections! Imag- the chaos installed by what equates to message Jesus Christ preached concern- ine political harmony and productivity, mass rule? Do they need the “freedoms” ing the literal “kingdom of God” (Mark not only nationwide but worldwide! that will bring them mind-destroying en- 1:14) to be set up on Earth! Christ will not serve four years or a tertainment and decadence? There is a better form of government! limit of two terms (Isaiah 9:6-7), nor will Is that what our world needs? And it will rule all nations! His saints under Him be subject to these restrictions; God’s Kingdom will rule The Future of Government Is it really fair God’s Governmental System We must then forever. Christ and the saints will not to be so hard on democracy when it is, briefly look at God’s system of govern- covet higher positions or rule with self- after all, far better—in the West’s opin- ment and why it is the best system for interest—but with outflowing love for ion—than absolute monarchy, dictator- the management of human civilization. the good, happiness, welfare and eternal ship or communist socialism? We will examine it using the same three salvation of those governed. It is more than fair! Why? Because we points we discussed for the good and bad God’s way of governing is loving and can state, with assured confidence, that of democracy. We shall see how it boasts unselfish. Man will be able to experience democracy will ultimately be replaced the strengths of democracy without suc- that way undiluted in what Mr. Armstrong by a far better government! cumbing to its weaknesses. always called the “World Tomorrow.” Before that government is set up, as First: God’s system considers the Third: The noble but inadequate some frightening Bible prophecies show best interests of those governed. freedom that democracy offers will ex- us, democracy will come to a tragic end. His government respects the “inalienable ist in pure, godly form in the World To- Those who speak of the weaknesses rights” of every man, woman and child morrow. Yes, it will be a freedom that of democracy often note its historically of every race. These rights were, in fact, engenders ingenuity, invention, indus- short-lived nature. Even America’s fore- endowed by Him as Creator of mankind. try, opportunity, creativity, prosper- fathers were aware of this. His law and government consider the ity and wealth. But it will be a different The Bible prophesies of the eventual best interests of those being ruled. Imag- “freedom” from the one of today that downfall of the Anglo-American na- ine a world where every citizen of every removes the loving restraints of God’s tions of our modern world (request your nation has opportunity and equality! law—His Ten Commandments. The Bible refers to this law as the “per- Exporting our freedom means exporting our violent fect law of liberty” (James 1:25). This is the only way we can have true free- entertainment, our pornography, our vulgar music, dom. Imagine a world where everyone worshiped the one true God. Imagine and by extension our family breakdown! a world where no one lied, stole, killed or committed adultery. Imagine a world free copy of The United States and Brit- But note this key difference! The without cheating, theft, murder, rape or ain in Prophecy for more). This will spell government will be “for the people,” but divorce. Imagine being able to walk the the end of democracy in these nations! not “of the people, by the people.” It will streets in any neighborhood without fear As for democracy in Europe, the Bible be by the King of kings, Jesus Christ. He of mugging or assault! Imagine homes prophesies the rise of a European super- will be in ultimate control. But unlike and vehicles without locks or security power, called the “beast,” ruled by one any selfish, power-hungry man, Christ systems. That is true freedom! And that dictatorial political leader and one reli- will rule in a way that truly benefits is what God wants for humanity. gious leader (Herbert Armstrong’s free those being ruled. Unlike today’s human President Bush was right about this booklet Who or What Is the Prophetic leaders, Christ cannot sin (1 John 3:9). one thing in his April 13 press conference: Beast? explains this). European countries Second: God’s government will have “[F]reedom is the Almighty’s gift to every will soon shed their democracies to be safety valves in place against human cor- man and woman in this world.” What he steered by these charismatic autocrats. ruption—but not the way democracy has and his administration have yet to under- Paradoxically, all this will be a sign today. Those guards against human cor- stand is that this gift will not come about that good news is just around the cor- ruption will be that “flesh and blood can- through democracy—but through the es- ner—that a government far better than not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor- tablishment of God’s perfect, benevolent democracy or autocracy will take the inthians 15:50). Daniel 2:44 states that “the government ruling this Earth! n reins of global rule! kingdom shall not be left to other people.” The Bible prophesies the return of Those governing in God’s Kingdom will For more on the specifics Jesus Christ to smash the power of this include Jesus Christ at the head, assisted of God’s governmental beast. Daniel 2:44 shows that God’s gov- by those saints who qualify in this life administration, please ernment—His Kingdom—will “break to rule with Him. They will have proven request your free copy of in pieces and consume all these king- their loyalty to God’s government now— Herbert W. Armstrong’s doms, and it shall stand for ever.” so they can be trusted when changed to booklet The Wonderful Democracy is enjoying only a few more spirit members of the God Family. World Tomorrow—What It years of glory before it is erased from the Imagine a world ruled by holy, righ- Will Be Like.

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004  e d i t o r i a l Do We Agree With President Bush? reuters he Trumpet is a magazine that discusses at length the political decisions of leaders and nations. It talks about what actions are being taken, why they are significant and what they may or will lead to. You will find a lot about politics in our magazine. But does that make the Trumpet a political magazine? TJust what is our stance on politics? Do we have a political bias? Is the Trumpet a Bush supporter?

Bible View The Trumpet’s purpose is to illustrate how world events are specifically fulfilling Bible prophecy—to prove that God’s Word is true, that what the Bible predicts is hap- pening—and to declare the ultimate outcome. In so doing, we give biblical reasoning as to why God is allowing and, indeed, directing world events to play out as they are. God warns of the outcome so mankind can change that outcome if they so wish! In the sequence of end-time events, one event that will The current leadership of the U.S. recognizes the serious- increasingly affect each one of us involves the death of a ness of the threat of Islamic terror. President Bush deserves superpower: the United States. The final death blow will be commendation for facing up to and attempting to lead his conquest by a foreign power; but before that time, a weaken- nation to take action. This the Trumpet has acknowledged. ing of the U.S. from within and without is prophesied. However, as we explained in our article “What President The Trumpet aims to illustrate how that weakening is Bush Doesn’t Know!” in the November 2002 Trumpet, the taking place; in what ways the U.S. is losing pride in its administration is blind to the true danger and the solution. power (Leviticus 26:19)—and, in doing so, to show the Those who have been reading the Trumpet for any length onward march of prophecy that will culminate with Jesus of time would know that we have consistently delivered the Christ’s return to rule Earth. message that the only sure way out of the present and com- The Trumpet has regularly pointed out policy decisions ing dangers is for the people of America, as a whole, to turn of the U.S. and other nations that have resulted in negative to God in repentance—with their leaders showing the way. consequences, hastening the fulfillment of this prophecy. If we look back at the example of Abraham Lincoln, we can In doing this, we do not seek to approve or disapprove of see how a leader can rally his nation in a time of crisis by the political actions of any leader, but rather, to tell of their calling on the nation to turn to God in prayer and fasting. outcome. It is all about cause and effect. Fulfilled prophecy We have seen no such action today. is the effect. The actions of our leaders and peoples are the While we have given credit to America’s toppling of an evil cause. It is our job to link the two together. and cruel regime in Iraq, we don’t stop there. The Trumpet In this broad scheme of things, however, the Trumpet does has many times pointed to the fact that the Bush administra- intend to give credit where credit is due. In doing so, we may tion has refused to deal decisively with the terrorist problem appear in some people’s eyes to have a political bias. at its head: Iran. In recent issues, the Trumpet has exposed the actions of the current administration in actually furthering The Bush Administration Let’s take a brief look at how the the cause of this most dangerous country in the Middle East Trumpet views the current administration in the U.S. and through a policy of appeasement. In articles such as “Is Amer- its efforts on the world scene. ica Empowering Iran?” (November 2003) and “Conquest First, President Bush deserves credit for his attempts to rec- Through Sabotage” (last month), we have exposed the under- ognize the authority of God. He openly and publicly acknowl- handedness and hypocrisy of the current administration in edges God and recognizes the need for His divine guidance. its dealings with this “axis of evil” nation. In last month’s is- However, no amount of using God’s name and having faith in sue, our editor in chief stated, “President George W. Bush was a God whom people refuse to obey (Mark 7:6-7) will provide a asked by a reporter about how America was going to deal with solution to America’s woes. Iran. There was no clear answer. … The Iraqi war will never Second, President Bush is aware of and acknowledges be won, unless America confronts and conquers its dangerous that his nation is in peril. As stated, the purpose of this lack of will to use its military might.” magazine largely is to warn of danger coming upon Amer- The Trumpet clearly does not blindly support the present ica and the other modern nations of biblical Israel. (For administration’s policies. Instead, we have aimed to show more information, request The United States and Britain how America’s actions are hastening the fulfillment of Bible in Prophecy). We also warn about the danger coming upon prophecy—e.g. in aiding the rise of the king of the south, a the whole world. We agree with Mr. Bush insofar as we also regional power in the Middle East (Daniel 11:40). We have acknowledge that the U.S. faces danger and must do some- also pointed out for many years that because of its lack of thing about it. Where we differ concerns the extent of the national will, the U.S. has won its last war—no matter what danger and what America should do about it. policy decisions the Bush administration implements!

 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 This is the message the Trumpet brings. Despite any tem- We understand that the whole world is deceived (Revela- porary successes of the current administration—which we tion 12:9) and that “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23). That is may applaud—unless both the leadership and the people of why we base our position on God’s infallible Word. the nation seek God, in true worship and obedience, the na- To the degree a leader conforms to conservative, Bible- tion will increasingly find itself besieged on every side. originated principles, the Trumpet can evidence support of In accordance with the spirit of Romans 13:7—“Render those beliefs—but only to that degree! The Trumpet does therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; not endorse any leader who is ruling in this world under custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to Satan’s government (2 Corinthians 4:4). whom honour”—we give credit to a president who will point Another point to note is that liberals tend to be more ide- out to his nation a danger facing it and attempt to thwart alistic and conservatives more realistic in their view of the the intents of the enemy. But that is as far as we can go in world. The idealistic school of thought assumes that human support of a human leader who does not know how to solve nature is essentially good and that the world’s problems are his nation’s deeper problems or even what the full extent of mainly due to a lack of knowledge or understanding. The the dangers facing his nation is! realist on the other hand attributes the world’s imperfections The most important questions are not being asked: Why to human nature, believing it is capable of enormous evil. is God allowing curses upon America and what should we God is the ultimate realist. The Trumpet, when writ- do about it? In a June 2003 article titled “The Iraq Cam- ing about world events, most often differs from the liberal, paign and American Hypocrisy,” we pointed out that “Our idealistic approach of most of the media and more often leaders refuse to face even the simplest and most basic coincides with the more realistic approach of conservative truths that God has revealed to man.” As long as that con- publications and leaders. tinues, we warn of continued and increasing curses upon Bible prophecy provides a realistic window through America. Whatever the current administration does, with­ which to view each event occurring around the globe. From out God on its side, the ultimate end will be failure. time to time, the views of a conservative national leader may be realistic—they may agree with what we know to be Conservative Vs. Liberal Let us briefly address another rea- true. However, without knowledge of biblical prophecy and, son why the Trumpet may at times appear, to some, to be more importantly, without knowledge of God’s law, no hu- taking sides politically. man being can truly have God’s perspective: the perspective The Trumpet’s teaching is predicated on Bible-based the Trumpet endeavors to provide its readership. principles. In Western politics, there are two major parties: one supposedly “conservative,” the other “liberal.” In reality, The Powers That Be The Trumpet aims to put the world’s the policies and practices of each do not always divide along political events in their true perspective—God’s perspec- these lines. However, to the degree that a party endorses tive. The Bible is our guide—for both our moral standing values that are in line with the Bible (which commonly are and our political analysis. If you will, the Bible provides our associated with “conservative” thinking), the Trumpet view “political bias.” None of our staff has any party affiliation. may coincide with a particular party view. We are, however, intensely interested in the future of our These, of course, are not hard and fast rules—rather the countries and how present events will affect that future. general trends: Liberals tend to reject Bible-based morals, We agree with President Bush that terrorism is a danger favoring moral relativity. Though they promote acceptance that needs dealing with. We agree with him that we should and tolerance, it is usually of things that are contrary to acknowledge God; that we should have strong families and God’s Word: homosexuality, abortion, drug use. Conserva- promote conservative, Bible-based beliefs. Various of his tives, on the other hand, generally believe in the traditional policies have resulted in a positive outcome for his country. values of family, are anti-abortion, are tougher on crime, But that’s about where it stops. Neither President Bush nor and often tend to be more religious. any other human leader can solve the deep-rooted spiritual It is not our purpose here to examine Bush’s specific problems of the United States! Human government is innately policies or personal convictions—or any other politician’s. limited in its capacity to do good because of its susceptibility But, in mentioning these general principles, readers may to greed, selfishness and vanity. As Herbert W. Armstrong Despite any temporary successes of the current stated, God’s Spirit of love is not “in evidence in any of this world’s leaders” (Plain Truth, October/November 1980). No administration—which we may applaud—unless particular party or politician will or can provide solutions both the leadership and the people of the nation to the problems America is facing. seek God, in true worship and obedience, the nation That being said, however, human government does have will increasingly find itself besieged on every side. its purpose at this time, as Christ made clear when He was on Earth (Matthew 22:21). In Romans 13, the Apostle Paul better understand why the Trumpet’s stance is often more in says “the powers that be” are to “execute wrath upon him line with a Republican leader than a Democratic, or liberal, that doeth evil” (verses 1, 4). The Trumpet does attempt to leader. It is not a matter of politics—it is a matter of moral- uphold the authority God has given our human rulers in ity and biblical principles. their pursuit of curbing evil—until the time comes of which Conversely, there are traits in liberal thinking that we may the Prophet Daniel spoke, when “the God of heaven [shall] applaud, and conservative traits we may not condone. For set up a kingdom [or government], which shall never be de- instance, liberals pride themselves on detecting hypocrisy, stroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, while conservatives—commonly touting family values and but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, high moral standards—often don’t practice what they preach. and it shall stand for ever” (Daniel 2:44). n

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004  response to the Abu Ghraib scandal, a group of masked terrorists filmed the horrific execution of American Nick Berg. The video shows one of the hood- Overcoming ed terrorists, possibly al-Qaeda associate Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi, grabbing hold g reuters

ett of the screaming American’s hair, before

y i he began sawing off his head with a long m

a knife. While the video circulated widely g es over the Internet, American news net- works refrained from showing footage of the actual execution. None of the above-mentioned events are defensible, no matter the way they were covered (or not covered) by the me- dia. But the way the media approaches such subjects is a story in itself. More than just revealing media bias, it gives Abu Ghraib scandal Nick Berg beheading insight into the way the human mind will justify certain dubious actions while condemning others.

Gain is Godliness In i Timothy 6:3-5, the Apostle Paul wrote that the mind of man supposes that gain is godliness. That’s E v i l why news organizations can justify bury- Why man’s many “solutions” haven’t worked. By Stephen Flurry ing stories about the vile acts of Saddam Hussein. It’s a tough call, a news execu- tive might reason, but if it keeps our bu- wo days after the fall yanked out by pliers and was forbidden reau open, maybe it’s the right thing to do. of Baghdad last year, the to wear dentures afterward because Uday On the other hand, running a story that New York Times printed wanted him to be continually reminded might endanger American lives is a tough Evila short editorial written of how he upset his boss. call, but if the story conforms to the news- by cnn’s chief news ex- “I felt awful having these stories bot- caster’s political agenda and if it’s a ratings ecutive, Eason Jordan. Mr. tled up inside me,” Mr. Jordan wrote in boon, maybe it’s the right thing to do. Jordan had visited Baghdad 13 times dur- his article. “Now that Saddam Hussein’s Look at the way Arab media outlets Ting the reign of Saddam to lobby the dic- regime is gone, I suspect we will hear covered the Abu Ghraib scandal. There tatorship to keep cnn’s Baghdad bureau many, many more gut-wrenching tales was virtually no mention of the fact open. Each trip troubled the news execu- from Iraqis about the decades of torment. that these American offenders were be- tive because of what he witnessed—“aw- At last, these stories can be told freely.” ing prosecuted and punished for their ful things that could not be reported be- While that might be true, the media crimes. Nothing was said about Abu cause doing so would have jeopardized certainly has not amplified them like it Ghraib’s infamous history before Amer- the lives of Iraqis, particularly those on has other gut-wrenching atrocities, like ican occupation—where Saddam’s men our Baghdad staff” (April 11, 2003). the now infamous prisoner abuse at Abu forcibly raped and tortured thousands. He then recounted a number of sto- Ghraib. Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of Indeed, if anything was said about that ries that cnn buried while Saddam was the Joint Chiefs of Staff, asked Dan Rather gruesome history, it was only in making in charge. One cameraman had been ab- to delay running the story until hostilities the absurd claim that American occupa- ducted and tortured by Saddam’s hench- in Iraq had simmered down. But Rather tion was just as bad as Saddam’s rule. men in the mid-1990s because of the ri- pressed forward with the story after he A few weeks before the Abu Ghraib diculous assumption that Mr. Jordan was learned that the New Yorker magazine story emerged, Arab networks were the a cia operative. In 1995, Uday Hussein was about to uncover the scandal. first to break the story about four Ameri- told cnn he intended to assassinate two Lost in the midst of the prisoner abuse can contractors whose charred bodies of his brothers-in-law who had defected story is how it exposed media hypocrisy. were mutilated before throngs of cheer- to neighboring Jordan. cnn put a lid on In the world of media elites, it’s perfectly ing Iraqis in Fallujah. When they aired the threat for fear of what Uday might do fine to overlook the atrocities of a mad- that story, there was no accompanying to the translator who was present dur- man in a far-away country, so long as it outrage in the Arab world—at least not ing the interview. (Uday later coaxed keeps your Baghdad bureau open. But to like there was with the reporting on Abu the brothers back to Iraq and then killed bury photos that would give America’s Ghraib. The same can be said for the them.) One Iraqi, after his brother had enemies a powerful weapon and expose Arab reaction to al-Zarqawi chopping been killed by the Baathist regime, was U.S. citizens to greater danger would be that young man’s head off on television. forced to congratulate Saddam by let- morally irresponsible, in their minds. Why would Arab reporting and reac- ter. One aide to Uday had his front teeth Two weeks after Rather’s story, in tion in those instances be so different

10 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 w o r l d d e m o c r a c y from their reporting of the Abu Ghraib evil terrorist, but American soldiers are to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to report scandal? Isn’t it because, in their minds, brute beasts. What should we do? firsthand on the treatment of prisoners the evil wrought upon those four Amer- History dating back to ancient times at Gitmo. According to soldiers he inter- ican workers and Nick Berg was more is replete with episodes of brutality and viewed, Arab males would strip them- justifiable than the treatment of those torture during wartime—oftentimes on selves naked and perform sex acts in front Iraqi prisoners? Wouldn’t the average a massive scale. Over the past century, of female soldiers just to embarrass them. Islamic mind view the prison abuse as we’ve witnessed humanity at its worst. Soldiers said detainees also baited them more evil than murdering Americans? into aggressive behavior so it would ap- And wouldn’t the average American Cultural Depravity Watching the congres- pear prisoners were being brutalized in mind view decapitating a defenseless sional hearings on the prison abuse scan- the presence of international witnesses. American as far more evil than abusing dal, I was struck by how American poli- None of this is meant to justify the a prisoner of war? Why is that? ticians looked and sounded so righteous. voyeuristic behavior of soldiers at Abu What were those American soldiers All of them, in some form or another, Ghraib, but rather to dispel the notion thinking in Abu Ghraib? What went expressed shock and outrage at the sexu- that Islamic males are somehow immune through their minds at the time they ally abusive acts depicted in those photos to sexually deviant behavior. Pornography committed their abusive acts? These from Abu Ghraib. And yet, every week, is now widespread in Iraq—and not just prisoners are the enemy, they might have reasoned—possibly linked to a worldwide The Bush administration called the images from Abu Ghraib “un- terrorist network. A lot of our fellow-sol- American.” In truth, they are shamefully American: Porn is bigger diers have gotten killed this week. We’re business than pro football, basketball and baseball combined. under a lot of pressure to “soften up” these prisoners for interrogators. With that line thousands upon thousands of images just because of Iraq’s newfound “freedoms” of reasoning, would it be possible for the like those from Iraq—only far worse— under U.S. occupation. High-ranking of- human mind to conclude that if abuse come streaming out of Hollywood. ficials in the Baathist regime were renown and humiliation gets information out The Bush administration called the for their addiction to pornography and of them, maybe it’s the right thing to do? obscene images from Abu Ghraib “un- their acts of sexual assault and degrada- On the other hand, maybe they were just American.” In truth, they are shamefully, tion toward women. Islamic terrorists sexual perverts on a sadistic power trip. quintessentially American. The pornog- willing to kill and mutilate in the name Whatever the motivation, historians raphy business in America is bigger than of God are also found lacking in sexual have said that their behavior is not ex- professional football, basketball and base- morality. Ramzi Yusuf, who orchestrated actly uncommon. Writing for the Guard- ball combined! Should we then be shocked the first World Trade Center bombing in ian in London, Joanna Bourke noted that to discover that one military unit in Iraq 1993, traversed the world, partying and “torture and sexual violence are endemic had a pornographic ring in its midst— womanizing at each stop. Many of the 9/11 in wartime. In the past, as now, military complete with videotaped sex between terrorists frequented strip clubs in Florida personnel tend to simply accept that U.S. soldiers and simulated sex involving and partied on the Las Vegas Strip in the atrocities, including sexual ones, will take Iraqi detainees? American soldiers have weeks before they attacked America. place” (May 7). She then quoted one British been raised in a sex-crazed culture where They behave like the “infidels” they colonel who admitted during World War pornography has gone mainstream. Where detest, and then murder Westerners in i, “I’ve seen my own men commit atroci- do you suppose the soldiers at Abu Ghraib the name of God. After sawing off Nick ties, and should expect to see it again. You got the idea to film sadomasochistic acts? Berg’s head, those five terrorists shout- can’t stimulate and let loose the animal in Why no congressional hearings on ed, “God is great!” In their minds, what man and then expect to be able to cage it America’s pornography problem? What they did was right and good—or, at the up again at a moment’s notice.” She also about the pornography problem within very least, justified. quoted General Patton, who said during U.S. military circles all over the world? In President Bush’s mind, terror- World War ii, that despite his most dili- Listening to our politicians, it’s as if ism can be defeated if America meets it gent efforts to prevent it, “There would Abu Ghraib happened by accident. head-on. Furthermore, he believes U.S.- unquestionably be some raping.” Muslim clerics have a different view. Arab relations will vastly improve once What the Guardian conveniently left They see events at Abu Ghraib as yet an- America firmly establishes a thriving out of its anti-American pages is that other reflection of America’s depraved cul- democracy in the Middle East. He has it was a thousand times worse under ture. They’ve been sickened and repulsed strong views about what evil is in this Hitler. How did the Nazi regime treat its by the photos of their fellow Arabs being world. He believes that Americans are a captives? How did they interrogate their paraded about naked—humiliated by a good people who must spread the good. prisoners? After the Abu Ghraib scan- woman, of all people. One detainee who Liberal minds in America don’t see it dal, German military lawyers advised had also been tortured at Abu Ghraib by that way at all. They believe Mr. Bush’s their soldiers in Afghanistan not to take Saddam’s cronies insisted that the Ameri- ideas are dangerous. America has got- prisoners of war so they wouldn’t have can abuse was worse. Torture, even death, ten bogged down in Iraq and distracted to turn them over to American authori- was better than being stripped naked and away from the real war on terrorism. ties, according to Der Spiegel magazine. having your manhood shattered, he said, The president has alienated the United Think about that for a moment. Think as if to imply that Saddam’s people never States from the rest of the world. In their of the moral dilemma German com- used sex to humiliate prisoners. minds, we need someone like John Kerry manders would face should they happen Shortly after the war on terror began, to repair the damage that the Bush ad- to bump into Osama bin Laden. He is an the Weekly Standard’s Matt Labash flew ministration has done.

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 11 w o r l d In Europe and the Middle East, while this world tolerate and use torture as a tery of the Ages. He said, “[I]t can have a the general populace might not condone means of punishment. Will seven Abu sense of morality, ethics, art, culture not terrorism, they view America as being Ghraib convictions help eliminate the possessed by the dumb animals. But in arrogant and hypocritical. practice of genital mutilation—some- the realm of good and evil it can know And on and on it could go. Nations, thing forced upon 2 million girls and and perform what is good only on the hu- governments, religions, political par- women each year? man level, made possible by the human ties—even family members and co- Viewing the world in its proper context, spirit within man. But this sense and per- workers—disagree on everything, it no wonder God’s final assessment is that formance of good is limited to the human seems! And it’s all because this world is all have gone aside—all of us, together, level of the human spirit that is innately cut off from God. have become filthy—there are none who selfish” (emphasis added). do good, not even one! (Psalm 14:3). In This is why Americans and Arabs can Infectious Disease When God placed the i Kings 8:38, God calls the human heart, view the same evil act and have two com- first man in the Garden of Eden, He of- or mind, a plague! God says the hu- pletely different reactions. It’s why the fered Adam the opportunity to eat freely man mind, whether conservative or lib- media can spin a story one direction un- from the tree of life, which represented eral, whether Arab or American, whether der Saddam—and the opposite way under God’s Holy Spirit (Romans 8:10). But Western or Third World—is a sick, dis- American occupation. It’s why terrorists think the answer is eliminating the “great Viewing the world in its proper context, no wonder God’s final Satan.” And it’s why America thinks the assessment is that all have gone aside—all of us, together, answer lies in eliminating terrorism. have become filthy—there are none who do good, not even one. Innate selfishness. That’s the problem. Left to ourselves, cut off from God, we Adam, following after his wife, instead ease-ridden plague that spreads just as have assumed that selfish gain is godli- ate from the tree of the knowledge of good fast as the human population grows. And ness. If it is good for me—for my fam- and evil, which represented human nature world population is ballooning by 75 mil- ily—for my country—for my race—for without God, as influenced by Satan. lion people every year. my religion—then it must be right. Satan convinced Adam and Eve to And every new inhabitant on Earth, For 6,000 years now, because we have leave God out of the picture and decide for thanks to Satan’s powerful influence and been left to ourselves to decide what is themselves right from wrong, good versus the fact that God cut mankind off from right and wrong, man has been limited in evil. When they made that disastrous the tree of life, comes equipped with the his power and ability to do good. He can- The Brink of choice, God “drove out the man” from the same plague-stricken mind! not rise above the human level, which, as garden and barred re-entrance (Genesis Nothing man does or proposes will we have seen, is innately selfish. 3:22-24). God cut man off from the tree of cure this infectious disease from spread- God’s love—His goodness—tran- life and left him to his own devices, sub- ing! That’s not to say there won’t be a lot scends all of that! Godly love puts ject to the powerful influence and sway of of ideas thrown into the hat. Liberals have God first above all else—it loves neigh- the Unthinkable Satan the devil (Ephesians 2:2). their answer to the problems of this world. bor, meaning all of mankind, as self. This is why the works of this world So do conservatives. So do Christians, This goodness—this godly love—leads have brought forth such evil and despi- Muslims, atheists, socialists, communists, to repentance from sin—a complete cable fruits. It’s why half the people on blacks, whites, browns—all have their change in direction (Romans 2:4). It Earth today are illiterate and uneducat- “solutions,” but nothing works. Prob- means turning from the way of selfish- ed. How much do they care about photo- lems persist—world conditions worsen. ness to that of selflessness and sacrifice. graphs depicting sexual abuse? Many of This miraculous change is brought them are more concerned about gaining Human Good Not the Answer But does about by God’s Holy Spirit (Romans access to fresh water—something 1.2 bil- the fact that man has been cut off from 5:5)—the spiritual dimension God de- lion people do not have. God mean there is nothing good in this nied to Adam after he set out to decide Forty percent of Earth’s inhabitants world? Well, yes and no. Only God is for himself what was right and wrong. still use substances like wood and char- good, Jesus said (Matthew 19:17). This But God has made that most valuable coal as their primary source of energy. world is evil, Paul wrote in Galatians resource available to a tiny few for the How worried are they about the rising 1:4. There is nothing worth salvaging, purpose of preparing them now to rule cost of oil or natural gas? which is why God will allow the Great with Christ when He returns—to teach In 1960, the richest 20 percent of the Tribulation to come upon the whole this world God’s way of life—to help ush- world’s population was worth 30 times Earth (Luke 21:35). God will essentially er in a new age, a new civilization—a won- that of the poorest 20 percent. Today, the start over and build a new society ruled derful, happy, peaceful age lovingly ruled rich are worth 80 times more. Never in by Jesus Christ. by the Family of God. human history has the gap between the But there is some good in the tree of That’s when God will pour out His rich and poor been so wide—and it keeps the knowledge of good and evil. Not all Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28). That getting wider. One in five people on Earth Arabs, after all, are Islamic terrorists. process is beginning now in the smallest live on less than one dollar per day. Not every American is addicted to por- of ways. But it will spread and eventually At present, one third of the world’s nography. Not every American soldier overpower the ubiquitous evil, suffering population is at war. What will it take to abuses prisoners. and misery on Earth. That is how God solve that problem? Finding Osama bin But even that “good” must be seen in conquers evil—by overcoming it with Laden? Bringing down the “great Satan”? context. Herbert Armstrong described good (Romans 12:21). At least 150 national governments in man’s capacity for good in his book Mys- There is no other way. n

12 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 p a k i s t a n The “secret” is out. Nuclear proliferation treaties are a sham. terrorist-sponsoring “axis of evil.” What Nuclear hardware is just another traded commodity on the was once “secret” is now public knowl- edge. Yet what is now public has long international black market. Where is this leading? been known to successive U.S. adminis-

p trations. Why have they failed to bring it h

otospin to light—and why did Pakistan finally go public on the issue? Amazingly, these are questions that have received scant cov- erage in the world press and media. Yet they are questions that will not go away, it seems, till we are shaken out of our col- lective, ostrich-like tendency to bury our heads in the sand of self-delusion. Indi- cations are that most will continue their denial of reality until the horrific results of nuclear proliferation literally blow up in our faces!

Lifting the Lid How did the story of the global black market in nuclear technolo- gy come to light? The history is an inter- esting one (see p. 14). It is one that ought to prove, once and for all, something the U.S. had long suspected: Khan’s was but a leading role in a worldwide network of nuclear weapons smuggling. What the world feared has now prov- en to be a reality. The nuclear cat is well The Brink of and truly out of the bag, and a very nasty animal it is indeed. It has clawed its way deep into the flesh of rogue nations, the unpredictable actions of which more re- sponsible world powers have every rea- the Unthinkable son to fear. Indications are that global by Ron Fraser terrorism is an integral part of the pro- liferation equation. Non-proliferation ust WHY is the world in such has proven to be a sham. The great shame is that leading West- turmoil? Why are we nearing ern democracies, including Britain and the very end of this world? The America, have been complicit in all this world does not understand. (see story, p. 17). “J Pakistan is a key link in the whole un- The world’s leaders do not understand. They are derground system that has spread nuclear bewildered. They know well the world stands poised technology around the globe. It has been for the nuclear war that could annihilate all human revealed that Pakistan evolved over time life from the Earth. And they don’t know how to stop the nuclear to become not only a possessor of nucle- ar weapons, but a net distributor of that buildup or prevent such an unthinkable end to all human life.” technology to some of the most extreme anti-Western regimes. This is a classic tale That dramatic statement was made ful- Earlier this year, the reality of those of international intrigue and subterfuge. ly 20 years ago by Herbert W. Armstrong, ringing words of Mr. Armstrong came In early 1998, some publicity was founding editor of the widely read Plain back to haunt us as the lid was lifted on given to the possibility that China was Truth magazine, in a letter to those who the worldwide network of massive graft supplying Pakistan with the know-how supported his worldwide work (June 15, and corruption, surrounding under-the- for constructing a short-range m-11 mis- 1984). It reflects the essence of the mes- counter trade in nuclear technology. sile. At that time, the name given as the sage that he preached and published In February, a Pakistani nuclear weap- supervisor of this project was Abdul Qa- over a rich and fulfilling lifetime of ser- ons scientist, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, deer Khan. In October 1999, Pakistan’s vice to the global community from that revealed his involvement in wholesaling chief of the army staff and chairman of magazine’s inception in 1934 to his death nuclear weapons materials and technolo- the joint-chiefs-of-staff committee, Gen. on January 16, 1986. Mr. Armstrong was gy to other nations, including at least two Pervez Musharraf, led a successful coup mentor to those who now produce this of those identified post-9/11 by President against then-Pakistani Prime Minister magazine, the Philadelphia Trumpet. George W. Bush as comprising part of a Nawaz Sharif. A little over a year later,

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 13 w o r l d p a k i s t a n in November 2000, Pakistan’s National Timeline of Nuclear Deception Command Authority decided to consol- idate management of its entire nuclear June 1953 u.S. President Dwight Eisenhower invites Pakistan under then-Prime weapons program under General Mush- Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra to join the Atoms for Peace program. arraf’s personal command. 1955 u.S. provides $350,000 grant to Pakistan to subsidize its first nuclear reactor. In April 2003, acting on well-estab- lished proof of Pakistan’s involvement in 1962 u.S. supplies Pakistan with a 5-megawatt light-water research reactor. nuclear exchanges with North Korea, the 1971 Canadian General Electric Co. completes construction of 137-megawatt U.S. started to confront Musharraf on power reactor for the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant. the issue. By February this year, the Bush administration exerted sufficient pres- British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. completes plans for Pakistan plutonium sure on Musharraf’s regime to squeeze a separation process. public confession out of Pakistan’s nucle- french/Belgium consortium designs pilot reprocessing plant for Pakistan. ar technology hero, Dr. Khan, to his part in the nuclear technology black market. Jan. 1972 Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto declares Pakistan’s intention to Then the whole sorry tale emerged. develop a nuclear bomb to senior military officials in a secret meeting. Yet no sooner had Khan confessed Jan. 1975 u.S. State Department produces paper on Pakistan’s nuclear proliferation. his sins publicly than Musharraf let him completely off the hook by grant- 1976 netherlands sells centrifuge components to Pakistan. Swiss and German ing him a pardon within days! And firms join the line of supply to Pakistan of various components and sub- Khan’s legacy? A yet-to-be-determined systems for its nuclear program. spread of nuclear know-how involving 1977 emerson Electric of Britain sells centrifuge components to Pakistan. links in a chain that join Pakistan with China, Russia, North Korea, Malaysia, June 1983 state Department briefs U.S. President Ronald Reagan on Pakistani nuclear Libya and Iran, to name just a few of the weapons progress. known black-market traders that histori- 1980-89 former West Germany becomes a major supplier of nuclear components to cally show anything but affection for the Pakistan via a web of front companies. English-speaking peoples of the world. “The extent of the ring remains un- 1990 u.S. intelligence agencies produce evidence of the U.S. government permitting known …. Inspectors from the Vien- U.S. companies to supply Pakistan with nuclear-related components. na-based International Atomic Energy 1994 Pakistan involved in exchange of nuclear technology with North Korea. Agency [iaea] and intelligence and law 1999 Pakistani General Pervez Musharraf seizes power in a military coup. enforcement authorities on three conti- nents are trying to reconstruct what they 2000 Pakistan’s National Command Authority consolidates its nuclear weapons consider the worst nuclear proliferation management under the control of General Musharraf. network in history, and to dismantle it” April 2003 u.S. imposes commercial restraints on Kahn Research Laboratories (KRL) (Miami Herald, March 7). cia Direc- in Pakistan, declaring that KRL arranged the transfer of nuclear-capable tor George Tenet said this “was shaving missiles from North Korea to Pakistan. years” off the time some countries need- ed to develop nuclear weapons (United Aug. 2003 l.A. Times claims that Abdul Qadeer Khan, head of KRL, directly aided Iran Press International, March 3). in its nuclear program. Pakistan’s foreign ministry issues powerful denial. Despite U.S. sanctions, Pakistan Oct. 2003 u.S. secret agents seize a shipment of nuclear weapons from Pakistan in managed to not only develop its own transit to Libya. nuclear capability, but wholesale its expertise around the world. Douglas Nov. 2003 international Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) commences investigations into Frantz and Josh Meyer, reporting from connections between Iran and Pakistan. Vienna, exposed how the nuclear smug- Dec. 2003 u.S. administration begins exerting pressure on Middle Eastern countries gling operation was so brazen that the involved in nuclear proliferation. Libya capitulates. Iran covertly cooperates. government weapons laboratory Khan directed produced its own glossy sales Jan. 2004 u.S. pressure mounts on Musharraf. Using knowledge of Abdul Khan’s nuclear brochure with a complete list of nuclear trading as leverage, the U.S. seeks cooperation in the hunt for al-Qaeda’s production equipment for sale—along leader, Osama bin Laden, suspected to be holed up in Pakistani border country. with Khan’s “consultancy and advisory musharraf fires Abdul Khan, who thus becomes the fall guy for Pakistan’s services” (Miami Herald, op. cit.). nuclear proliferation and goes public to confess his nuclear sins. He names One New Delhi newspaper declared Iran, Libya and North Korea as recipients of his nuclear largesse. that, far from a glib pardon from an ob- viously complicit Pakistani president, Feb. 2004 february 5, Musharraf officially pardons Khan—the same day IAEA chief Khan should face the most extreme Mohammad el-Baradei declares that Khan is but the tip of the iceberg in a punishment, “if there is punishment for spreading nuclear proliferation scandal. Malaysia and China are cited as a crime that qualifies to be categorized being of particular concern, and also the Russian black market. as a crime against humanity” (Pioneer, Sources: Stratfor; Suddeutsche Zeitung; South China Morning Post; News (Pakistan); Pioneer (New Delhi); New Yorker India, February 4).

14 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 reuters But is it really Khan who should be nouncing in Washington that Iran was canned for this atrocious crime? Or is it in fact involved in the secret construc- rather the government of that country, tion of nuclear weapons facilities in des- Pakistan, which “over a period of years, ert locales south of Tehran. Dragging sold nuclear secrets to other countries as its feet, the iaea mounted inspections a matter of state policy”? (Stratfor, Feb- seven months after this announcement. ruary 6). It maintained that it found nothing of consequence. Yet in follow-up inspec- Getting Perspective The sheer lack of bal- tions, iaea representatives “discovered” anced perspective in international rela- mitigating evidence of Iran’s offensive tions may be viewed by comparing the nuclear weapons development involv- imbroglio over one U.S. military unit’s ing collusion between Iran and Pakistan. involvement in alleged crimes against The lying mullahs fessed up. Iran admit- Iraqi prisoners with the massive poten- ted that its involvement in the nuclear tial threat to humanity unleashed by program dated back to 1980. Pakistan’s policy of proliferation. How utterly ineffectual are the various But the real concern here is not just institutions that this world has created to that rogue nations possess nuclear tech- maintain peace and an orderly system of nology. It is the collective fear around the international relations. As respected Brit- world that, via the Pakistan connection ish historian and journalist Paul Johnson or other links in the underground chain, observes, “The world order is in ruins terrorist organizations already may have and needs renewal. The UN is effectively received the necessary hardware to man- dead because most people have lost faith ufacture portable nuclear weapons. All bark… in it. Its record in running places is an ap- In an exposé of Pakistan’s culpabil- In September 2003, Mohammad El-Baradei palling tale of muddle, incompetence and ity within this nuclear proliferation net- calls on Iran to be more open with the IAEA. corruption” (Spectator, April 19, 2003). work, investigative reporter Seymour M. Yes the international institutions have Hersh quotes Robert Gallucci, former chasing to ground those who, to this day, failed. Who else is there to police the world United Nations weapons inspector and continue to profit from this evil trade. against threats such as the one Pakistan now dean of the Georgetown University has created? How about China? Japan? Is- School of Foreign Service, regarding this Toothless Tiger And what of the institu- lamic Indonesia? India? What about Rus- concern. “Bad as it is with Iran, North tion set up to achieve this end, the iaea? sia? Then what of that entity that the pope Korea and Libya having nuclear weap- Hans J. Morgenthau wrote, “The ne- declares to be the very nurturing-ground ons material, the worst part is that they glect with which the public treats inter- of Western civilization, the newly resur- could transfer it to a non-state group” national functional agencies is but the rected combine of united Europe in the (New Yorker, March 8). exaggerated reflection of the minor role form of the European Union? This is no blind fear. This is real. Very these agencies play for the solution of Paul Johnson’s unique historical per- real! important international issues” (Politics spective, albeit delightfully politically in- Mohammad El-Baradei, the direc- Among Nations). correct, says it all: “The French and their tor-general of the iaea, talked about the two gaunt and grim co-conspirators, nightmare of this nuclear proliferation How utterly ineffectual are the Germany and Russia, hope to use the UN enabling the operation of an enrichment as a cover behind which they can pursue facility in a place like northern Afghani- various institutions that this national interests at the expense of the stan. “Who knows?” he said. “It’s not hard world has created to maintain battered, bewildered Iraqi people. They for a non-state to hide, especially if there are the vultures, the jackals and looters is a state in collusion with it” (ibid.). peace and an orderly system of who move in after the soldiers have done As Pakistani journalist Imtiaz Alam international relations. their job” (ibid.). Germany has clearly stated, “A nuclear program designed for stated its intentions to lead the European self-defense and limited deterrence par- Such an organization is the iaea, Union in wresting control of British nu- tially fell into the hands of most unscru- whose stated purpose is to monitor nucle- clear power from sovereign British con- pulous wheeler-dealers who … became ar proliferation. In effect, it is a moribund, trol and handing it over to the EU lackey, instrumental in the thriving under- toothless tiger. Witness its inspections of Brussels, headquarters of that 25-nation world of nuclear proliferation” (News, Iran’s nuclear facilities and the outcome. combine. Given Germany’s history, this February 9). The U.S. State Department had long will lead to an unmitigated disaster! Yet since this story broke earlier harbored suspicions about Iran’s nuclear So where does that leave us? Johnson this year, the world press have largely program. In fact, since the 1980s intelli- concludes, quoting Abraham Lincoln, continued to ignore its hugely negative gence experts had been aware that Iran, “America is, in a real sense, the ‘last, best potential. The left-wing, utopian media- in the face of lying denials by its religious hope’ for mankind” (ibid.). mongers are more intent on destroying leaders, was involved in developing nucle- a U.S. administration that is working to ar facilities with an offensive capability. Last, Best Hope? The United States, pres- contain the prospect of nuclear terror- Almost two years ago, a former Ira- ently using its preeminence and power ism than on hounding, revealing and nian opposition group went public, an- to wage a global war on terrorism, truly

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 15 w o r l d p a k i s t a n is the closest thing to a policeman the Civil War in America, responded, “… I world experts also reaching that conclu- world presently has. Yet, as we have seen, know the Lord is always on the side of sion, Mr. Armstrong said in a sermon, even it has compromised its position in the right. But it is my constant anxiety “A former Harvard professor who gave dealing with a threat such as Pakistan. and prayer that I and this nation should this report [on nuclear destruction] to Moreover, this “last, best hope for be on the Lord’s side.” the Plain Truth is now president of the mankind” is in trouble. When it finally The U.S. currently has a president Physicians for Social Responsibility. And gets a leader who will endeavor to fin- who is not afraid to tell the world that he this is the quote: ‘Survival is the only ish the job that the Russians started in prays to God for guidance, and the world issue that matters now. The other Afghanistan, who will attempt to finish lampoons him as a bumbling cowboy issues pale into total insignificance if the job that previous U.S. presidencies out of touch with reality! That’s how the we don’t do anything about it’—that is, left uncompleted in Iraq, who works to world treats its “last, best hope”! the nuclear war threat—‘within 10 to 20 expose the covert nuclear black market Given current trends—the gathering years we’ll all be killed anyhow’” (“The tolerated by previous U.S. administra- storm of hatred for President Bush, for Unthinkable Will Happen!”). Those 20 years have elapsed! During that time, as If 6,000 years of documented history is any measure of man’s the account of Pakistan’s involvement in proliferating this potential of nuclear attempts to bring peace to Earth, ending as it is with the very terror indicates, far from the situation question of human survival on this planet hanging over our improving, it has become much worse! In the same sermon, given in 1982, Mr. heads, then surely we are forced to conclude, in Paul Johnson’s Armstrong continued, “I guess it’s still the same old thing—there is both good news words, that mankind “needs help from a metaphysical source.” and bad news. And there’s some won- derfully good news clear beyond human tions, half the nation, egged on by a sur- the institution of the presidency within comprehension … coming, but there’s ly, self-hating liberal element that has the the U.S. itself, and for the Anglo-Ameri- some bad news still completely beyond media by the throat, cries foul! What’s can peoples themselves—a realist would comprehension that is coming first. And more, many, whose national existence is have to conclude that the failure of the God has told us to prepare for it. And has owed to America’s determination in two nations to accept leadership of the only shown us how He is going to protect us. world wars to vanquish tyranny, with- global power prepared to show any sem- But the unthinkable is coming!” draw active support in the front line of blance of leadership leaves the world Just what is that unthinkable? Her- the most recent war against a terrorizing with absolutely no hope of survival! bert Armstrong made it very plain: “I tyrant in Iraq. Johnson hits the nail on the head. want to show you what’s prophesied, and Can you see any real hope in this lack There is but one singular hope for this it’s not going to be one city only, but many of collective international support of the world. But it is not America! cities. And supposing that bombs like I U.S. in its unpopular rule as peacekeep- “We all want a better world. Yet man just read, the description like I just read, er? Can you see any hope of a lasting, is a radically flawed creature and history would hit New York, also hit Boston, and positive, peaceful outcome? shows that he cannot create it alone. He hit Washington in the East, and hit Chi- Paul Johnson throws the banal, foolish needs help from a metaphysical source. cago, and hit Houston, Texas, and Kansas ignorance of the anti-American liberal- The … story of God sending His only City, and Denver, and Los Angeles, and socialist politico-media clique right back Son to redeem humanity is especially San Francisco. And possibly in the Pacific in their face by his declaration that “Peo- relevant today” (ibid.; emphasis added). Northwest, we’ll just say Portland because ple should not curse or envy; they should Which brings us back to Herbert Arm- that would reach Seattle too. What would pray for America. For the foreseeable strong’s very real, very timely warning. be left of the United States of America? … future, the lot of the civilized world, the The nation would be gone!” world we wish to preserve for law and de- Human Survival The world press concen- But this aged sage, this loyal man of cency, for sensible progress and fairness, trates on Iraq and on demonizing the God, also saw hope, real hope, beyond is irrevocably cast with America. There leader of the only nation to show any the unthinkable. He pointed to the very is no one else to lead” (ibid.). leadership in that sad situation while real and future manifestation of that only Yes—on the human level, there is no it turns its back on the biggest story of hope left to mankind to solve its now un- one else to lead! all—the question of human survival! controllable problems—the intervention “A sole superpower which is also a If 6,000 years of documented his- of a metaphysical source: the very real, working democracy—indeed a passion- tory is any measure of man’s attempts to soon-coming return of the Savior of this ate democracy—is a much safer and bring peace to Earth, ending as it is with world, the living Jesus Christ, to squelch more responsible step toward world or- the very question of human survival on all rebellion, to silence every dissenter, der than a corrupt pandemonium like this planet hanging over our heads, then and establish world peace, under divine the UN or a rapacious and blind bureau- surely we are forced to conclude, in John- authority, forever! Request now, without cracy like the EU” (ibid.). son’s words, that mankind “needs help delay, your free copy of the book Mr. Well said! But as the Messiah once from a metaphysical source.” Armstrong authored on this subject, stated, a house divided against itself will Mr. Armstrong constantly warned The Wonderful World Tomorrow—What fall. And America is a divided nation. that humanity would reach this same It Will Be Like, and begin now to focus Abraham Lincoln, when asked whose conclusion only under the most dire of on, reach for and take hold of that one side God was supporting during the threats to its own survival. Referring to great hope for mankind! n

16 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 The Nuclear Web Revealed Late last year, reporter, asserted that this was a “make- evidence came to light that Pakistan had believe performance.” He claimed that supplied both Iran and Libya with nu- in interviews in Islamabad, “politicians, Looking clear weapons hardware and technology. diplomats and nuclear experts dismissed The resulting pressure put on Pakistan the Khan confession and the Musharraf led to Khan’s “confession.” On Febru- pardon with expressions of scorn and ary 4, Dr. Khan appeared on a state-run disbelief” (New Yorker, op. cit.). “It is the Other television network to claim sole respon- state propaganda,” said Samina Ahmed, sibility for operating an international the director of the Islamabad office of black market in nuclear material. He the International Crisis Group, a non- claimed he acted by himself, with no au- governmental organization that stud- Way thorization from Pakistan’s Gen. Pervez ies conflict resolution. “The deal is that Musharraf or military involvement. Khan doesn’t tell what he knows” (ibid.). Pakistan supplied nuclear know-how There is little dispute among nuclear The U.S. government, however, at to the world’s most dangerous states experts and intelligence sources that least in public, not only accepted Mush- and the U.S. does nothing. Why? Khan could not have conducted his arraf’s pardon no questions asked, but trade in this nuclear technology without actually praised him for it. “We value government and military involvement. the commitments Mr. Musharraf has By donna grieves Husain Haqqani, a special assistant to made to prevent the expertise in Paki- he greatest threat be- three prime ministers before Musharraf stan from reaching other places,” said fore humanity today is the came to power, told the New Yorker, State Department spokesman Richard possibility of secret and “This is not a few scientists pocketing Boucher the following day (Washington “Tsudden attack with chemi- money and getting rich. It’s a state poli- Post, February 6). Further, the U.S. made cal or biological or radiological or nu- cy” (March 8). no protest when Musharraf followed up clear weapons. … We’re determined to confront those threats at the source. We will stop these weapons from being ac- quired or built. We’ll block them from be- ing transferred. We’ll prevent them from ever being used.” Strong statements. Those were the words of the United States president in an address at the Na- tional Defense University in Washing- ton on February 11 this year. But even as these intentions are de- clared, do the actions—or rather, the in- action—of the U.S. tell a different story? It was in February that Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the “father” of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb, made public his involve- ment in selling nuclear weapons hard- ware and technology to—in addition to other countries—at least two of the na- tions President Bush labeled part of an “axis of evil.” The response of the Paki- stani leadership to this declaration may have been predictable. But what was re- vealing was the U.S. response. For some time, among certain cir- complicit cles, there has been dismay at America’s Musharraf (left) swiftly pardoned Khan after the nuclear scientist’s sham public confession. seeming nonchalance toward Iran’s nu- clear weapons program, especially when General Musharraf, obviously with a refusal to let foreign inspectors compared to the vigor with which weap- complicit, not only accepted the confes- access Pakistan’s nuclear sites, a refusal ons of mass destruction have been pur- sion but pardoned Khan, who is a na- to release any relevant documentation sued by the U.S. in Iraq. It now appears tional hero for developing the nation’s and a refusal to let foreign intelligence that America’s attitude toward Paki- nuclear program. In doing so, a trial services question Dr. Khan. Musharraf stan—exposed as a supplier of nuclear was averted—a trial that could have led gave assurances that the matter would hardware and technology to rogue and to “embarrassing revelations about top be investigated internally. terrorist-sponsoring nations—is strik- government and military officials” (As- And the Pakistani government has ingly similar to that shown toward Iran: sociated Press, February 4). nothing to hide? an attitude of looking the other way. Seymour M. Hersh, an influential Why did the U.S. turn a blind eye, political commentator and investigative See pakistan page 25

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 17 w o r l d w a tch a Survey of Global Events and Conditions to Keep an Eye on nadav neu nadav A few days later, two more The real solution to the Palestinian gunmen fired on Gazan quagmire lies in the memorial service of the knowing the cause of these h aus/afp/ murdered family. Hours after ills. The Jewish nation was that, terrorists detonated a born and sustained by godly bomb beneath an armored miracles. But today, Israel g ett personnel carrier, destroying refuses to trust God. y i the entire vehicle and As a result, God is breaking m a

g strewing the body parts of six its national will (Leviticus es Israeli Defense Forces (idf) 26:19). Israel is being ground soldiers all over the site. The down by terrorism. Despite all carnage continued the next evidence to the contrary, Israel day, with five more Israeli still clings to the idea that soldiers killed in an attack on giving up land is key to having another idf convoy. peace. This is utterly false. Sharon and his political Only when Israel turns porous border An Israeli soldier sees a large smuggling tunnel allies have called the pullout to God in repentance will it in a demolished Palestinian home in Gaza; underground it runs the only way to prevent find lasting solutions to these 300 meters toward the Egyptian border. More than 90 such tunnels further deaths in Gaza. But relentless problems. For more, have been destroyed since the intifada began September 2000. consider what happened when request our free booklet Israel pulled out of southern Jerusalem in Prophecy. i s r a e l fence, it would give Israel Lebanon in 2000 without a tru

LEBANON m

defensible borders and reduce peace plan: The Palestinians m pet Unsettling Gaza friction with the Palestinians. began the intifada that SYRIA

Though Sharon’s own continues to this day. ap West aza. The southwest party voted against any Israel’s giving up land has Mediterranean Sea Bank corner of Israel—despite withdrawal in a referendum never appeased its enemies, itsG bright golden beaches, on May 2, over 60 percent because they are not interested Gaza its warm climate and its of Israelis support the in minor concessions: They ISRAEL green orchards, parks and disengagement. Sharon is want the nation of Israel as a ORDAN E G Y PT J gardens—is one of the most likely to come up with an whole destroyed—pushed off tense places on Earth. alternative plan before long. that bright golden sand right For a strip of land only 7 Sharon’s plan called for a into the sea. miles wide and 25 miles long, unilateral move that ignored it has given Israel no end of negotiations and a recently U.S. Military Stretched Too Thin? trouble. For over a decade, proposed “road map” for g weapons have been smuggled peace—however stalled. he lengthy ett y i

to Palestinians across the Palestinians were furious, Iraq campaign, m

T a Egyptian border through a feeling they would end up along with the g es complex network of tunnels. reuters with less in dwindling support of The Gaza Strip is a base of the long run if international forces, operations for some of the Israel, backed by is leading the U.S. worst Arab-Israeli savagery. the U.S., drew to make some major The most recent violence the borders by military shifts. stems from the nerve struck itself rather First, on the home by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel sharon than negotiating front, America is Sharon’s Gaza disengagement over the fate of calling for more plan—involving a complete the Gaza Strip, the West Bank reservists to serve MOVE Two of the 119,000 U.S. troops evacuation of Israelis from and other issues. in Iraq. Lacking a stationed in Europe stand guard. Gaza by 2005. Proposed in Thus, rather than drawing military draft, America has The Pentagon projects that February, the plan would out jubilant Gazan crowds, had to rely heavily on its over the next three to five evacuate 7,500 Israelis in 21 the withdrawal plan caused Army Reserves and National years, it will require between Gaza settlements and four an outbreak of despicably Guard. The Pentagon plans 100,000 and 150,000 Guard more settlements in the West inhuman violence. On the to expand the U.S. force and Reserve forces to support Bank. day of the referendum, two in Iraq to 138,000 troops ongoing military operations” Sharon pushed the Palestinian terrorists forced through 2005. “Already, (Christian Science Monitor, disengagement plan as a car containing a pregnant 51 percent of the 350,000- May 13). a step toward peace for Israeli woman and her four strong Army National Guard This rise in the call for Israel, saying that, with the daughters off the road, then has been activated since the reservists has influenced a completion of the security shot them at close range. Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. lowering of some of the troops’

18 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 e u r o p e y ett Battle Groups Ready by 2007 g ermany, France and anticipate that these groups

Britain recently received will be able to deploy quickly k florin/afp/ aG nod of approval from Euro­ when necessary and be pean Union defense ministers sustainable for 30 days, or 120 for their most recent military days with rotation. frederic proposal—a plan that calls Final plans for the battle for individual battle groups groups will be set by the end who is responsible? Graffiti mars a Jewish cemetery in France. comprised of 1,500 soldiers, of June. deployable to any location This push for military within 15 days, to be fully organization is evidence that EU Soft on Muslim Anti-Semites functional by 2007. EU leaders are thinking of the ast year, EU officials tor Weitzel, who worked on These small military Union as more than a trade attempted to conceal a the center’s study, says the reaction groups are the or political federation: It is a reportL produced by German EU seems incapable of facing forerunner to the proposed global power with the military academics that indicated up to the truth on this. He 60,000 rapid reaction troops muscle to back up its interests. Arab gangs were largely re- added, ‘Everything is being deployable in 60 days—a For more on Europe’s sponsible for the increase tilted to ensure nice soft con- grand idea not yet feasible due increasing military strength, in anti-Jewish violence in clusions’” (ibid.). to the current political and please request a free copy of Europe. In March this year, It has long been suspected economic state of the Union. our booklet The Rising Beast. another report on anti- that Europe harbors a quiet Soldiers in these groups Semitism, from the European fear of the Muslims in its es g

will be trained for combat in a Monitoring Center on Rac- midst—witness the revival of all types of terrain—desert, m ism and Xenophobia, was the anti-immigration issue y i mountains, jungle, urban, modified to avoid placing any at election time in numerous ett etc.—and will be sent into g specific blame on Muslims. EU countries. Suppressing the “world’s most dangerous The report summary says such information is also in- and inhospitable places” the majority of perpetrators tended to calm the Islamic (EUobserver, April 5). As of were white, young, neo-Nazi population not only within now, the battle groups will Europeans—a flagrant contra- Europe itself, but also within mainly be sent to Africa to LEADERS France, Germany and diction to the evidence in the the countries now brought support the United Nations. Britain (L-R) have pushed for report itself: “In France, for closer to the EU via its newly Berlin, Paris and London more active EU defense. example, the study acknowl- expanded borders. edges that the majority of 193 But perhaps there is a deep- U.S. Military Stretched Too Thin? anti-Semitic attacks in 2002 er reason for this determined morale. People usually join the be transferred. Many will were ascribed by local authori- cover-up, beyond fear of incit- military reserves for reasons probably move to trouble ties to youth from neighbor- ing Muslim anger. The EU is other than any desire to serve spots in the Middle East. hoods sensitive to the Israeli- well-known to be sympathetic in combat. Therefore, the The reshuffling of troops Palestinian conflict, princi- to the Palestinian cause, regu- number of those joining the and the extensive use of pally adolescents of North larly at Israel’s expense. World reserves will likely diminish. reservists is evidence that African descent. In only 9 media has also documented Second, while the reserves America’s military is being percent of the attacks were the steady rise of neo-Nazism pour into Iraq, troops stretched thin. For decades, neo-Nazi extremists identified in Europe over recent years, stationed in other parts of the the late Herbert Armstrong as being responsible” (Insight although precisely to what world are being reshuffled. prophesied of the U.S. on the News, May 10). extent the neo-Nazi spirit In May, Washington military’s decline. More Such blatant censorship permeates the conglomerate is indicated it would move specifically, he noted that a is just the sort of eerily anti- unknown. Could it be that the 3,600 soldiers stationed near major U.S. pullout of Europe democratic behavior that EU lacks a belief in equality the North Korean border to would accelerate the rise of makes Euroskeptics cringe. and democratic ideals strong the operation in Iraq. South a united Europe that would But the question remains of enough to confront anti-Semi- Korea has hosted 37,000 eventually turn on the U.S., why such action has repeat- tism head on? troops since the end of the as Bible prophecy indicates. edly been taken to distort the Though this timidity may Korean War 51 years ago. For more on the prophetic truth and appease the Mus- pacify relations with Arab The U.S. is preparing to implications of America’s lim population. Investigators neighbors for a while, even- cut the number of troops troop realignment, please who worked on the report tually the lid will be blown stationed in Europe by up to a see our July 2003 article said they were under “tre- off this fragile relationship. third. With 119,000 American “Shuffling the Deck” under mendous pressure” to soften Request our free booklet The troops there, that means “Issue Archives” at www the wording in the summary. King of the South for more on about 40,000 troops will .theTrumpet.com. “… German academic Vic- this pressing issue.

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 19 w o r l d w a tch g re emphasis ours throughout). n o r th k o r e a g ba The EU’s move to increase k er/afp/ trade with China is more No Longer Seoul Enemy than simply a trade or

g economics issue. It points to a or two countries Bible prophecy foretells ett shift in Europe’s “geopolitical that are still technically that Asian nations will unite y i focus.” The European enemies,F North and South in a massive military effort in m a

g combine is starting to look Korea are looking more and the end time (request our free es less westward and more more friendly. booklet Russia and China in toward the Far East. In the past, official Seoul Prophecy). Asian countries Currently, negotiations are Defense Ministry documents will continue drawing closer underway to free China from described North Korea as as that time approaches. the arms embargo the EU South Korea’s “main enemy.” Watch for South Korea placed on it in 1989. Analysts But not anymore. Now, to maintain its path toward GROWING Premier Wen (right) believe that if China agrees phrases such as that have further cooperation with the greets EU’s Prodi in Beijing. to implement the United been replaced with words like North at the expense of its Nation’s Covenant on Civil “partner.” Schools used to alliance with Washington. e u / ch i n a and Political Rights, Europe portray Kim Jong-Il, North And watch for the U.S. to will happily release China Korea’s dictator, as a horned welcome this move as its Silk Ties from the embargo. If this devil, but now he is depicted interests get further tangled occurs, the European and as a respected leader. The in the Middle East. he European Union’s Chinese militaries will be free South Korean government relationship with China to swap military technology is working hard to prove to isT complex. In spite of an EU and hardware. its people that Pyongyang is arms embargo on China (cre- On top of improving not the threat it once was. In More Nukes? ated after the 1989 Tianan- military, trade and economic contrast, Washington still orth Korea’s men Square massacre) and ties, Beijing has also made considers North Korea part nuclear capability China’s widely known human it clear that it wants to be of an “axis of evil.” mayN be greater than rights abuses, the Sino-EU involved with the EU’s space At inter-Korean talks in previously believed. Some relationship is blooming. program. “China’s keen May, parties agreed to an U.S. officials believe Evidence of the improving interest in the EU’s Galileo unprecedented summit. A Pyongyang has produced relations was abundant earlier radio satellite project is meeting, slated for August, will as many as eight nuclear this year when government mainly driven by the prospect occur with generals from both weapons. They also fear officials from the EU and of acquiring an alternative to countries in the demilitarized “that a covert highly China met on two separate the American-operated Global zone that separates the two enriched uranium program occasions. Bilateral trade Positioning System” (Asia Koreas. It will be “the most could be operational between the two surpassed Times, May 1). senior uniformed encounter by 2007, and capable of us$100 billion in 2003, The Asia Times article across the demilitarized producing another half a making China the EU’s went on to say, “[T]he EU zone … since the 1950-53 dozen bombs” (www second-largest trading and U.S. could become Korean War ended in a truce” .theage.com.au, April partner after the United States. rivals over the Chinese (Reuters, May 7). 30). Previous estimates Where is this alliance arms market.” There is no North Korea also accepted were that North Korea leading? mistaking Europe’s and $25 million in aid from the possessed only one or two Speaking during a visit China’s motives here: They South. (In the past, Pyongyang nuclear devices. Officials of China’s Premier Wen are attempting to curb has refused such aid.) Seoul are most concerned that Jiabao to Brussels in May, American global influence. sees this as an indication of a North Korea might sell EU Commission President Although it will take friendlier north. nuclear devices to other Romano Prodi said that time for this to happen Meanwhile, South Korea states if its nuclear arsenal he “would bet that the EU- completely (e.g., the EU continues to distance itself were expanded. g

China trade relationship will would need to double its from the U.S. as it pursues ett

be the single biggest in the trade with China to match trade agreements with y i world.” Reporting on Prodi’s its trade with America), the Vietnam, Japan and China. m a g

statements, EUobserver.com current marginalization Kim Hang-gyeong, a former es wrote, “Mr. Prodi’s com­ of the U.S. by the EU and South Korean vice foreign ments could signal a shift in China is the beginning minister, said that based on geopolitical focus—a move of a dangerous trend for polls among lawmakers, “in to diversify away from the America. For more on this, the future, China will receive transatlantic partnership that see our February 2004 article more importance than the has traditionally been seen “Superpower Under Siege” United States,” in diplomatic as Europe’s most important under “Issue Archives” at and trade issues (english IN USE Steam rises from a trade relationship” (May 6; www.theTrumpet.com. .chosun.com, April 30). nuke reactor in North Korea.

20 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 reuters i n b r i e f suicide bombing, [Israeli] officials said. … They m i d d l e e a s T said the insurgents were U.S.’s Chalabi Spying for paid a salary as well as Iran? CBSNews.com, May 20 bonuses for each Israeli “In the latest setback casualty, regardless of the for a man once seen as circumstances.” the possible leader of a free and democratic Iraq, e u r o P E Iraqi police backed by U.S. Militants Call for Jihad troops raided the Baghdad New York Times, April 26 home and offices of Iraqi “The call to jihad is politician Ahmad Chalabi. rising in the streets of … Senior U.S. officials told Europe …. [I]ntelligence 60 Minutes Correspondent chiefs across Europe Lesley Stahl that they have say they are struggling evidence Chalabi has been to contain the openly ALL GREEK Cyprus will remain divided, thanks to 76 percent of passing highly classified seditious speech of Islamic Greek Cypriots who voted in the April 24 referendum. U.S. intelligence to Iran. extremists, some of whom, C Y P r u s The evidence shows that they say, have been inciting Chalabi personally gave young men to suicidal Iranian intelligence officers violence since the 1990s.” Turkey’s EU Dreams Hindered information so sensitive UN plan to reunify Turkey’s bid for the EU that if revealed it could … v a T I C a n ACyprus failed on April is more complicated than ‘get Americans killed.’ The Europe Needs “Revival” 24 when Greek Cypriots just the Cyprus settlement. evidence is said to be ‘rock LifeSite Daily News, May 14 overwhelmingly rejected the The EU is built upon the solid.’ … [S]ources told “In a powerful speech proposal in a referendum. traditions of mainly Catholic Stahl that one of Chalabi’s delivered to a conference Despite U.S. and EU support Christianity. If Turkey joined, closest confidantes on European identity [on for the plan, almost 76 it would be second only to … is believed to have May 13], Cardinal Joseph percent of Greek Cypriots Germany in size and would been recruited by Iran’s Ratzinger spoke of a severe voted no. As a result, make almost 20 percent of intelligence agency … and is ‘decline’ in European culture. Cyprus did not join the EU the EU’s population Muslim. on their payroll.” The German cardinal also as a united state on May This is an obvious concern lamented that the European 1, meaning EU laws and for the EU. WMD Found in Iraq? ‘charter of fundamental benefits will only apply to “Turkey’s entry into Middle East Newsline, May 19 rights’ defines marriage in the Greek Cypriot-controlled the Union is certainly not “U.S. officials said vague terms, and predicted southern side of the island. desirable in the short term,” a roadside bomb that that the recognition of same- This is yet another French President Jacques contained the nerve agent sex unions would lead to ‘a obstacle to Turkey’s dreams Chirac said. “My conviction sarin exploded near a U.S. dissolution of the image of for membership in the is that it is in the long military convoy traveling man, with extremely grave European Union. term. We’re talking about outside Baghdad on Monday. consequences.’ … Delivering Ankara has been doing a perspective of 10 to 15 … The attack could mark a grim assessment of everything in its power to years” (International Herald the first nonconventional Europe’s spiritual condition g strengthen its bid for EU ett Tribune, April weapons strike against the … Ratzinger said that membership. Turkish Prime y i 30). U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. The faithful Christians should m

Minister Recep Tayyip a The EU Saddam Hussein regime … ‘recognize themselves as g Erdogan said he hoped es is expected had claimed that all weapons a creative minority’ in Turkey’s enthusiastic support to decide of mass destruction were today’s Europe. The task for the reunification plan on whether destroyed in the early 1990s.” before such Christians, he would aid his country’s Turkey can said, is to work for a revival efforts in joining the EU. ERDOGAN begin official Death Commission of Europe’s true Christian Turkey, which does not membership negotiations Middle East Newsline, May 18 culture, ‘so that Europe recognize the Greek Cypriot in December. The outcome “Hizbullah has regains the best of her government, is asking to will not likely surprise instituted a payment system identity, and puts herself in join the EU when it does not anyone. For more on Turkey’s that rewards Palestinian the service of all mankind.’” even officially recognize all significance in coming world insurgents for each Israeli For more on Europe’s of its members. Turkey can events, refer to “Turkey: casualty. … The result has Catholic revival, see “The also expect Cyprus to do An Act of Revenge!” under been Hizbullah payments Unifying Power” under everything in its power to “Editor’s Choice” at www that have ranged from “Editor’s Choice” at www. block Turkey’s membership. .theTrumpet.com. $25,000 and $40,000 per the Trumpet.com.

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 21 e C o n o m y conomists readily agree that a lot of their electronics, much of their on the domestic front, low infla- clothing, many of their cars and much of tion, low unemployment and their oil. As import prices rise, domestic Ehigh growth are always good for Is the producers will likely increase their pric- the economy. When it comes to interna- es as well, leading to inflation. tional goals however, whether a country Furthermore, America depends signif- should have a stronger currency or a icantly on foreign investment to finance weaker currency is often open to debate. its budget deficits, and an unstable dollar This is reflected in the changing posi- Dollar becomes a riskier investment. Higher in- tion of the United States. terest rates may be required to attract that The U.S. has long had a “strong dol- needed capital. If that happens, the inter- lar” policy, but in recent months it seems est payments will add billions of dollars to have pursued a policy of weakening to the budget deficit. When higher inter- the dollar. The main topic of discus- Too est rates are paid on investments, it can sion in February among the financial push other interest rates up too. representatives of seven major national Consequently, not only do consumers economies (the group of seven, or G- face the prospect of higher prices (on im- 7) was the declining dollar. Comments ports, at a minimum), but those who hold made by U.S. Treasury Secretary John Weak? variable-rate debt could be burdened with Snow were perceived to mean that the higher interest payments as well. administration welcomed the decline, A cheap dollar can bring The U.S. government is willing to take especially against the euro. short-term advantages. all these risks by promoting a weaker dol- Then in April, U.S. Vice President But the greater implications lar in order to lower the trade deficit and Dick Cheney was in China (not a G-7 reduce unemployment. Why? To discern member) pressuring the Chinese leader- should alarm us all. properly, we first need to understand what ship to float its currency, the yuan, which by Fred Dattolo causes the value of the dollar to fluctuate. would increase its value against the dol- lar (most economists agree that the yuan Exchange Rate People exchange curren- is undervalued relative to the dollar). cies to buy goods, services or assets in So why is the U.S. government other countries. The exchange rate is the trying to weaken the dollar? And rate at which one country’s currency can is that a short-sighted policy? be traded for another country’s currency. “[T]he Bush administration has It tells you what the price of a foreign made a calculated economic and currency is. Exchange rates are de- political choice. By condoning and termined by supply and demand. even encouraging a cheap dollar, Say, for example, a European the administration is providing wants to buy an ibm computer a big push to American export- made in the U.S. He has euros, ers by making their products but ibm wants dollars. In order less expensive in foreign mar- to buy the computer, he must kets. That should encour- exchange euros for dollars. age more hiring and lower In this case, the demand for unemployment leading up dollars comes from a Euro- to the election” (New York pean who is willing to give Times, February 9). up euros in order to buy an American product. Advantages and Disad- To facilitate these vantages The main ad- kinds of transactions, vantage of a weaker dol- the buying and selling of lar is that it makes foreign currencies takes place currencies more expensive, in the forex (foreign thereby making imports into the U.S. exchange) market. more expensive and exports from the Commercial banks U.S. cheaper. By encouraging exports and other financial and discouraging imports, the admin- institutions, corpora- istration not only hopes to stimulate tions or even individuals manufacturing jobs but also to shrink may buy and sell money—us- the trade deficit. ing one currency to purchase another. But there is a price to pay for a weaker In essence, the forex market is governed dollar. by the law of supply and demand. The Higher import prices mean that price set for each country’s currency American consumers will pay more for is determined by the desire

22 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 of those trading to acquire more of it or to keep in mind that supply and demand owned. According to one estimate, Ger- hold less of it. causes the exchange rate to fluctuate. man companies alone now account for As we saw with the example of the more than half the industry. American European wanting to buy an Ameri- The Impact of the Trade Deficit While publishers that are now German-owned can computer, this supply-and-demand there are several factors that have caused include Random House; St. Martin’s framework for currency ties in directly the dollar to fall, “The biggest single fac- Press; Doubleday; Crown; and Farrar, to the supply and demand of a country’s tor … has been the soaring deficit in Straus & Giroux” (American Prospect, goods, services and assets. It boils down U.S. trade. The United States imports March 2004). to this: Barring government interven- [demands] far more than it exports “In effect, the United States is selling tion, if country A sells more to country B [supplies] in goods and services. U.S. the family silver. Within the space of a than it purchases from country B, coun- consumers have a strong appetite for single generation, it is disposing of much try A’s currency is in demand more than Japanese automobiles, Chinese clothing, of its industrial and commercial base—a country B’s (relative to each other). This German machinery and Finnish mobile base that was built by many earlier gen- will tend to push up the value of country phones. Oil imports, by far the largest erations of Americans” (ibid.). In 2002 A’s currency relative to country B. item, grow steadily. U.S. companies are alone, foreign-owned assets in the U.S. If country A purchases more from not able to export products and services increased by $707 billion while U.S.- country B than it sells to country B, of the same value” (Global Policy Fo- owned assets abroad increased by only country A’s currency is in demand less rum, August 2003). $179 billion. This is a negative invest- than country B’s. This will tend to push Between 1990 and 2000, U.S. exports ment-asset difference of $528 billion! down the value of country A’s currency doubled, but they’ve been relatively flat (Figures for 2003 are not available as of relative to country B. since then. America exported a little this writing.) When a country allows market forces less last year than in 2000. Meanwhile, It should be obvious that sooner or to determine the value of its currency, it imports continue to climb to the extent later America needs to start producing is said to “float” the currency. that America’s trade deficit (the differ- more than it consumes—not only to pre- Governments, however, sometimes ence between imports and exports) was serve ownership of remaining assets, but intervene in the forex market in order a whopping $489 billion in 2003—an also to stem the flow of dividends and to maintain a desired exchange rate. For all-time record. interest payments that the U.S. must re- example, for about a decade now China Basically, the trade deficit means that mit to foreign owners of U.S. assets. has fixed its exchange rate by “pegging” as a country, the U.S. consumes (or de- The trade deficit is a very serious its yuan to the U.S. dollar. As the value mands) more than it produces (or sup- problem, and though it doesn’t get as of the dollar fluctuates, so does the yuan. plies). This “excess consumption” has to much “press” as the budget deficit, we How is this done and why? be financed! The trade deficit is paid for can begin to see why Washington is con- China had a trade surplus with the by selling U.S. assets—physical assets cerned and why it is promoting a weaker U.S. of $124 billion last year. The ex- such as factories, land and buildings, dollar to try to encourage more exports. change rate is about 8 yuan to the dollar. or financial assets such as U.S. dollars, But is that a good solution? Barring asset sales, China’s trade surplus stocks and bonds. In other words, for ev- of goods and services shows that the yuan ery $1 of deficit goods and services con- Barriers to More Exports In theory, a is more in demand than the dollar—more sumed, the U.S. must sell $1 of its assets. weaker dollar should stimulate exports, Americans are buying Chinese goods and “Foreign central banks, led by China’s reduce the trade deficit and increase jobs. services than Chinese are buying Ameri- and Japan’s, now hold close to $1 trillion of But this assumes that there’s enough un- can goods and services. In essence, at the Treasury bonds and bills, almost a quar- used manufacturing capacity to turn price of 8 yuan to the dollar, more people ter of publicly held U.S. debt” (Wall Street things around. “After 30 years of ris- want to buy than sell yuan. This pushes Journal, April 26). And many of Ameri- ing merchandise trade deficits, much of the price of the yuan up, because there is a greater demand for yuan than people are willing to supply (or sell). In theory, a weaker dollar should stimulate exports, In order to compensate for this up- reduce the trade deficit and increase jobs. ward pressure on the yuan and to pre- vent it from rising in value against the ca’s largest corporations, such as Amoco, America’s once formidable manufactur- dollar—to keep it at 8 yuan to the dol- Chrysler and portions of Lucent and ibm, ing capacity has been wiped out” (ibid.). lar—the Chinese central bank simply have been gobbled up by foreigners. Also, many U.S. manufacturing com- sells yuan in the forex market. It sells Furthermore, “Large parts of Wall panies have relocated some or all of their enough to satisfy the excess demand to Street have also come under foreign con- operations abroad. They produce around the extent needed to bring the price back trol. Names like Scudder Investments, the world and sell to foreign markets as down to 8 yuan to the dollar. Bankers Trust, First Boston, Alliance well as to the U.S. from locations outside The main reason China pegs its cur- Capital, Republic Bank, Kemper Corpo- America. “The best estimates are that rency to the dollar is to keep the price of ration … may still sound American, but around 45 percent of all U.S. imports are its exports relatively stable and cheap for these former pillars of the U.S. financial intra-trade within U.S. companies that the American consumer. The Chinese establishment are now controlled from produce outside the U.S. and sell inside economy relies heavily on its exports. places like Zurich, Frankfurt, Paris and the U.S.” (Le Monde Diplomatique, Oc- As we examine more closely the ques- London. Even the American book-pub- tober 2003; emphasis mine throughout). tion of whether the dollar is too weak, lishing industry is now largely foreign- That is not likely to change.

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 23 e c o n o m y Furthermore, countries like Japan and much of their goods and services from of choice in global finance and trade, ow- Germany “now increasingly specialize in the European Union and must pay for ing to its overwhelming relative economic producing goods that Americans can no them in euros. As the dollar loses ground and financial power. Countries are eager longer make (or in some cases never have against the euro, their purchasing power to hold that currency as a reserve. It is a made), including advanced materials deteriorates. They can either raise prices cherished asset that can be deployed any- (such as super-strong composites used in (as Americans have already experienced where, in any nation with which it has planes), key components (such as the more at the gas pumps) or start pricing oil con- international economic relations, because advanced components in cell phones) and tracts in euros as Iraq did in 1999. it knows that every other country also sophisticated capital goods (everything Russia also sells oil in dollars but im- wants this currency as a reserve for the from the semiconductor industry’s ‘step- ports many of its goods from the EU. So same reasons it desires the currency” (Le pers’ to television broadcasting equip- Monde Diplomatique, op. cit.). ment)” (American Prospect, op. cit.). The U.S. has a big advantage for this And some of what the U.S. exports reason. It is the only nation that can is imported content that is then re-ex- simply print dollars and easily exchange ported as part of something else. “Vir- them for other currencies to buy prod- tually every American-manufactured ucts without increasing the domestic product these days is heavily dependent money supply and risking inflation. It’s on imported content. Indeed, America’s like getting an interest-free loan, and it most advanced manufacturers have led is one reason the U.S. economy has been the trend to outsource the most-difficult able to run trade deficits. to make components and materials from The real danger of a weakening dollar former rivals in Japan and Germany. A The unstable dollar is is that it cools the demand for dollars as a classic in this regard is Boeing, which is putting pressure on cen- reserve currency! If the dollar continues relying on Japanese partners for much of to fall over time (which some analysts say the serious manufacturing in its forth- tral banks from around it must), and if demand wanes and the coming 7e7 jet” (ibid.). supply of foreign capital starts to dry up, This also occurs when, for example, the world to move away we face the prospect of strategic power goods that Asian manufacturers air from dollar reserves. shifts in global markets that would weak- freight to Los Angeles are then trucked en the power of the U.S.—the same thing to Mexico. At the border they are re- it is losing purchasing power too. Ac- that happened to Britain not so long ago. corded as U.S. exports to Mexico. cording to www.gateway2russia.com, the Finally, while a falling dollar may deputy chairman of the Russian Central The Euro Challenge In 2002, 12 nations of indeed have some impact in lowering Bank has recently suggested abandoning the EU adopted the euro as their com- export prices, it does not make exports the policy of pegging the Russian ruble mon currency. It was not just for domes- cheaper to countries like China that peg to the dollar only, replacing it with both tic economic reasons. “[P]lanners hoped their currency to the dollar; and the ef- the dollar and the euro (March 1). that the importance of the euro would fect is mitigated in countries that have The unstable dollar is putting pres- lead individuals throughout the world to unfair trade practices or that might im- sure on central banks around the world to hold their assets in euros rather than in pose trade barriers. move away from dollar reserves. In fact, dollars” (David C. Colander, Economics). In spite of these impediments, we can several have already reduced their dol- Recent U.S. aggressiveness, as Europe still expect the weaker dollar to add im- lar reserves to stop further losses. “A new sees it, and the meteoric rise of the euro petus to exports overall, but most likely analysis by Lehman Brothers estimates against the dollar have rekindled that not to the degree needed to overcome that in the last half of last year as much as aspiration. There is renewed speculation the trade deficit. It should be obvious $133 billion of foreign exchange reserves about whether the euro can become an that more far-reaching solutions are in non-Japan Asia left the dollar for stron- alternative reserve currency to the dollar. needed to fix the structural problems ger, higher-yielding currencies such as the Admittedly, there are structural prob- that underlie the cause of the trade defi- euro” (Observer, February 22). lems that hinder such a development. cit—not only in physical capital shortag- What this indicates is that the U.S. For example, the practices of the Euro- es but also in human and social capital dollar—as a result of its weakening—is pean banking system are cumbersome deficiencies. losing some of its status as a reserve in handling transactions between coun- Even with the benefits that accrue currency. This has far-reaching impli- tries compared to U.S. banking practic- from cheaper exports in the short run, cations. In order to be able to transact es. And there are policy roadblocks such a weakened U.S. dollar is a dangerous business on a global scale in a smooth as the stability and growth pact that the policy to embrace. manner that promotes growth, the European Central Bank interprets very world relies on a universally accepted narrowly and that unduly constrains The Implications of a Weakened Dollar Re- currency—the reserve currency. In the national fiscal policy, especially in the member that two likely side effects of the 19th century, the British pound sterling economies of Germany and France. sliding dollar for the U.S. are higher in- served the purpose. After World War ii, While there are reasons to doubt the terest rates and climbing prices, especial- the U.S. dollar gradually replaced it. emergence of the euro as a reserve cur- ly on imports—not the least of which is “A national currency becomes an inter- rency, remember that the U.S. dollar oil. The Middle East oil-producing coun- national reserve currency for other coun- also has three enormous vulnerabilities: tries sell oil in dollars, but they import tries when it is established as the currency persistent trade deficits now running at

24 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 pakistan from page 17 about a half trillion dollars a year, bud- accepting the pretense that blame for lose an ally in Musharraf if the truth get deficits that are perceived to be out the whole smuggling network rested comes to light? After all, how could of control, and a lack of confidence in on the shoulders of one man? Why al- America be an ally of the nuclear sup- Washington’s foreign policy decisions low—without protest—the very govern- plier to the “axis of evil”? (whether justified or not). ment and military that watched over the But the U.S. did not simply refrain Meanwhile, the weaker dollar is in- whole operation to investigate it? from taking action against Pakistan. deed hurting European exports to the Rather than imposing sanctions or U.S. and undercutting the growth of the A Deal? As both symbolic and real evi- some other penalty on a nation for its EU economy. This is placing “unexpected dence of progress in the war on terror, the flagrant disregard of nuclear prolifera- and growing pressures on the euro zone U.S. has been involved for some months tion within its borders, the U.S. in fact governments to advance structural re- in efforts to capture or kill Osama bin removed the current sanctions! Sanc- forms to make their economies more Laden and al-Qaeda operatives hiding tions in place since Musharraf seized competitive” (Stratfor Global Market in the border regions of Afghanistan power in 1999 were waived by the U.S. Brief, February 16). If the EU advances and Pakistan. In this effort, the U.S. in March, leaving the way open for these reforms faster than the U.S. can put has heavily relied upon Pakistan’s coop- “millions of dollars of indirect U.S. its financial house in order, watch for the eration. Though considered an impor- economic aid” (ibid., March 25). In euro to increasingly edge out the dollar as tant “ally” by the Bush administration, fact, the Washington Post reports that a preferred reserve currency. This would Musharraf has dragged his feet in fear President Bush has requested Congress especially occur if more terrorist attacks of the Islamic element within his own grant Pakistan a five-year, $3 billion as- on U.S. soil further undermined confi- country. The U.S. has wanted Musharraf sistance package (May 5). dence in the U.S. dollar as a safe haven. to be a little more helpful. Not only that, in the days that followed “Britain’s 200 years of global suprem- the Khan “confession,” the Bush adminis- acy were based on a strong currency, a Just how much does tration made the highly symbolic gesture large trade surplus and growing for- of rewarding Pakistan with Major Non- eign investments. Trade decline in the America need Pakistan’s nato Ally status—shared by only 12 oth- late 19th and early 20th century gave a cooperation? What will it er nations—which will open the way for clear sign that Britain’s empire was on increased Pakistani military acquisitions the wane. Today’s trade and payments overlook to maintain from the U.S. deficits, and the falling dollar, may point that cooperation? Is that really a reward for assistance in the very same direction for the global Pakistan has already given in the war on order based on U.S. dominance” (Global According to U.S. administration terrorism, or an incentive to coax Paki- Policy Forum, op. cit.). sources, “Washington and Islamabad stan to more fully cooperate? Bible prophecy shows this is a correct have cut a deal under which the United Just how much does America need analysis. Speaking through Moses to the States will be permitted to send thou- Pakistan’s cooperation? To what extent ancestors of modern Britain and Ameri- sands of troops into Pakistan and will is the U.S. prepared to go—what will it ca, God promised, “He will lend to you, be provided with Pakistani intelligence overlook—to maintain that cooperation? but you will not lend to him. He will be assistance as to the location of bin Lad- the head, but you will be the tail. All these en. In exchange, the United States will Compromised The facts are out: Pakistan curses will come upon you. They will pur- not make an issue of the pardon given has not only sold nuclear resources to sue you and overtake you until you are de- Pakistan’s chief nuclear scientist …” rogue and terrorist-sponsoring nations, stroyed, because you did not obey the Lord (Stratfor, March 1). but has developed an underground net- your God and observe the commands Though the planned U.S. “spring of- work that is yet to be fully discovered. and decrees he gave you” (Deuteronomy fensive” did not proceed (no doubt due But the nation that promises to confront 28:44-45; New International Version). to the increase in difficulties in Iraq over and stop nuclear proliferation appears Because the people of America are the past couple months), Stratfor reports to be rewarding Pakistan rather than increasingly profaning God’s command- that the U.S. intends to pursue this cam- taking punitive action. ments, God will follow through on His paign further next year. In the meantime, Just as the U.S. has softened its stance promise. Just as Great Britain and its the U.S. needs to keep Pakistan on side. on Iran (see “Conquest Through Sabo- pound sterling were toppled from eco- Whatever the exact nature of the tage” in last month’s issue), so it has nomic supremacy, so will the United deal (which is denied by Pakistan), the compromised in its response to Paki- States and its dollar be toppled. Look for fact remains that the U.S. needs Paki- stan’s role in nuclear proliferation to aid the dollar to decline in value further over stan’s—Musharraf’s—cooperation. This in its hunt for bin Laden. the long haul, and keep your eye on the explains the U.S. silence on the pardon The fact that Washington must take European currency as it rises to promi- of Khan—why the U.S. is taking Mush- the “friends” and “allies” it can—even if nence along with a united Europe. n arraf’s statements at face value. they contravene the very principles the The U.S. is not insisting on indepen- U.S. is fighting for—demonstrates the To learn more about the dent investigation of Pakistan’s nuclear compromised nature of America’s pow- geopolitical aspects of this weapons activities. The U.S. knows that er on the world scene. coming economic turn- any investigation will reveal the true We can see that, despite perhaps the around, request our free extent of the Musharraf government’s best of intentions, once again America is booklet Who or What Is the involvement in the clandestine nuclear putting at risk its long-term security for Prophetic Beast? dealings. Does the U.S. fear that it will the sake of temporary alliances. n

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 25 r e l i g i o n Do you know God—what He is like? God is known by His name. Do you use God’s name properly? This article explains how to fully obey the Third Commandment. by Dennis Leap Use God’s Name Truthfully

e neither know me, nor percent of Americans believe in God. Yet sue. To disrespect God’s name carries my Father …” (John 8:19). only 37 percent say they attend a place of the penalty of eternal death (Romans Jesus Christ’s words cut worship each week. The figures for Britain 6:23). Why is that? What’s in a name? deep. There was simply no are far less. A February bbc poll revealed In the Bible, personal names carry sig- “Yway to sugarcoat the truth. The religious that only 67 percent of Britons believe in nificant meaning. Names often indicate elites of His day—the scribes and Phari- God. The bbc also reported, “More than the character and nature, or the attri- sees—held a high opinion of their own a quarter of Britons thought the world butes, of an individual. The Bible states spirituality. They not only believed they would be more peaceful with nobody be- that Adam named his wife Eve because were close to God, they trusted that they lieving in God …” (February 26). she was the “mother of all living” (Gen- knew God and acted for God. Nothing God the Father and Jesus Christ great- esis 3:20). The Hebrew word for Eve is could have been further from the truth. ly desire to bring all people on this planet Chavvah, meaning life-giver. At times, Their dealings with Christ proved they very close to them. Yet the truth is, many God renamed individuals in the Bible did not know God, love God or agree today don’t want to know God. When indicating the identification of an of- with His way of doing things. God reveals Himself to them, He seems fice, position of authority or change in Jesus Christ said He came specifically strange—undesirable! Few follow God’s character. God changed Abram’s name to “reveal” the Father (Matthew 11:27; ways. Yet, the majority speak often about to Abraham, which means “a father of Luke 10:22). Until the time of Christ, the God—how they love God. Many believe many nations,” because that was his Father was unknown to the world. Jesus they act as God acts, yet God would never God-ordained destiny (Genesis 17:5). Christ’s teachings were not His own. consider doing what people do! When the patriarch Jacob wrestled with He brought the Father’s message to this God (the Being who became Jesus Christ) world. On the temple grounds He stated Vital Third Commandment In the last two all night, God changed his name to Israel forcefully, “I speak to the world those articles of this series, we showed that the (Genesis 32:28). The name Jacob in the things which I have heard of him” (John First Commandment forbids making a Hebrew means heel-catcher or supplant- 8:26). God and Christ yearned to bring god out of anything—putting it in place er. It carries a negative overtone—implies the nation of Judah back into a close re- of the true God. The Second Command- a devious nature. Jacob did scheme with lationship with them. ment governs how to worship the true his mother against his aged, blind father Unfortunately, the religious leaders God. God is the great Educator—He de- to steal his brother’s birthright. He sup- at that time did not like Christ’s revela- mands that we worship Him in the man- planted, or unseated, Esau from receiv- tion. They succeeded in turning the peo- ner He chooses. God lovingly shows us ing Isaac’s blessing. His new name, Isra- ple against Him. Very few accepted His what dangers to avoid in worship. Men el, in the Hebrew means to rule or prevail teaching or followed His example. As His must never make a graven image—any as God. The name change implies that by ministry grew, there was constant tension aid, picture or physical object—to wor- tests and trials God transformed Jacob’s and open, often heated arguments with ship God. God wants to be worshiped character to that of godly righteousness. Him. Jesus Christ knew where events were directly “in spirit and in truth” (John Describing the Hebrew tradition of leading: “[N]ow ye seek to kill me, a man 4:23-24). A truly converted person does name-giving, Thayer’s Greek-English that hath told you the truth, which I have not need a physical aid to worship God. Lexicon of the New Testament states un- heard of God …” (verse 40). The crowds The Third Commandment shows us der the word for name (onoma), “[T]he following Christ came to hate Him, His how to properly use God’s great name. name is used for everything which the message and the God He stood for. The Let’s continue our review of the his- name covers … [:] one’s rank, author- religious leaders conspired to murder Je- tory in Exodus 20. God personally spoke ity, interests, pleasure, commands, excel- sus Christ. They attempted to kill Him to His people a third time from Mount lences, deeds, etc.” time and again—and finally succeeded in Sinai. He said, “Thou shalt not take the This Hebrew tradition certainly ap- executing him by Roman crucifixion. name of the Lord thy God in vain; for plies to God’s name. Why? God is the Are we any different than the people the Lord will not hold him guiltless that originator of the tradition! God’s name of the first century? Do we want to know taketh his name in vain” (Exodus 20:7). reveals His high rank, authority, inter- God? Do we sincerely love God? Do we Listing the proper use of His name as ests, deeds and—most important of all— fully support God’s way of doing things? one of the Ten Commandments shows His righteous character. In fact, the Bible Polls taken last October show that 92 that God places great weight on this is- shows that God has many names. Why? God’s name reveals His high rank, authority, interests, deeds and—most important of all—His righteous character.

26 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 No one name can adequately express ble of doing evil. He demands that His shows that God considers a person who God’s fullness. Each name carries impor- name not be associated with any kind of abuses His name as spiritually unclean. tant meaning. We must hold great honor evil act of human beings. For example, How we use God’s name privately and and respect for all of God’s names. throughout human history, men have publicly reveals the quality of our spiritu- waged war in the name of God. Yet God al life. An acid test of our spiritual cleanli- Use of God’s Name It will take some deep never sponsored such wars. ness is our attitude toward God’s name. study and meditation to understand the God requires men always to use His Third Commandment fully. To help you name truthfully. This commandment God’s Names Reveal God God wants all do this, let’s look briefly at the Hebrew places great responsibility on all those people to know Him. Do you know what meaning behind three words from the who teach and preach for God. God pro- God is really like? Do you know what His commandment: take, vain and guiltless. hibits attaching His name to false doc- personal interests are? Do you actually The Hebrew word for take is nasa. Ge- trine or heresy. God corrected ancient know what God’s offices are? God tells us senius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon shows Israel and Judah for this exact problem. through the pages of the Bible. Open up that the biblical writers use the word in Through Isaiah, God thundered, “Hear your Bible and search this matter out. a variety of ways. It means “to take up, to ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called Moses’s first personal contact with

lift up” anything. The root word Y God came after age 40. At that of nasa expresses the idea of rais- time, he certainly knew of God ing up or bearing. In reference but didn’t have a close relation- to Exodus 20:7, Gesenius specifi- ARTTODA ship with Him. God took the cally states the word means “to first step and brought Moses lift up or take up anything with into His presence through the the voice.” miracle of the burning bush. The Third Commandment He introduced Himself, “I am primarily requires that we the God of thy father, the God properly use God’s name in our of Abraham, the God of Isaac, speaking, which includes every- and the God of Jacob” (Exodus day conversation as well as our 3:6). Moses actually never saw speaking in public or private God here—just the flames. At worship. But the spirit of the this supernatural meeting, God commandment requires that commissioned Moses to return God’s people—those who bear to Egypt and bring His people His name—honor His name out of slavery. Moses was reluc- through right actions. tant to accept God’s commis- In the matter of Uriah and sion. He looked for ways to get Bathsheba, David’s sin brought out of the job. Before the con- great shame to God’s name. versation ended, Moses wanted God corrected him for this. He to know God’s name. He said, told David through Nathan the Moses witnessed a tiny portion of God’s overwhelming great- “Behold, when I come unto the prophet, “Howbeit, because by ness and power in the burning bush on Mount Horeb. children of Israel, and shall say this deed thou hast given great unto them, The God of your occasion to the enemies of the Lord to by the name of Israel, and are come forth fathers hath sent me unto you; and they blaspheme, the child also that is born out of the waters of Judah, which swear shall say to me, What is his name? what unto thee shall surely die” (2 Samuel by the name of the Lord, and make men- shall I say unto them?” (verse 13). God 12:14). David was king of the nation that tion of the God of Israel, but not in truth, then identified Himself as “I Am that I belonged directly to God. As king, he was nor in righteousness” (Isaiah 48:1). To Am” (verse 14). required to act in a manner that would associate God’s name with a lie or false- Although this verse has stirred up bring honor to God. Today, if we claim hood is outstandingly bad. Realize that much controversy among scholars, es- to be one of God’s own, we must act in Isaiah’s prophecies are dual. They apply sentially God was explaining the mean- ways that bring honor to His name. to our time as well (Isaiah 30:8). These ing of His name. God was giving the The Hebrew word for vain is shav. verses show that God believes that we are definition for the name Lord found in Gesenius’ Lexicon gives the meaning, “… equally as guilty as our ancestors. the King James Version. Other Bible ver- evil … which is committed, wickedness, Of course, this commandment also sions translate Lord as Jehovah or yhvh. iniquity … falsehood [or] a lie … empti- prohibits using God’s name casually or The name comes from the Hebrew word ness, vanity [and] nothingness ….” for a useless purpose. hayah, which corresponds with the Eng- God prohibits the use of His name in Finally, the Hebrew word for guiltless is lish verb to be. God told Moses that He is connection with evil or wickedness. God naqah. Gesenius’ Lexicon gives the mean- the Eternal, Ever Living or Self-Existent is righteous character. God is not capa- ing, “to be (or make) clean.” This word One. This is God’s name forever (verse God requires men always to use His name truthfully. This commandment places great responsibility on all those who teach and preach for God.

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 27 r e l i g i o n 15). Only the great Creator of the an- the Lord, He is my refuge and my for- Kingdom of God, restoring the gov- gels, universe and man can claim such tress: my God; in him will I trust” (vers- ernment of God abolished by Lucifer, a name. It reveals His very person, His es 1-2). This was probably authored by then all being filled and led by God’s character, His power, His authority, His King David, who knew God well. God Spirit shall become born sons of God. reputation. This name deserves our ut- calls him “a man after mine own heart” The God Family will then rule all most awe and respect. Essentially, God (Acts 13:22). David put his whole heart nations with the government of God was saying that “I Am” would be actively into getting to know God. He learned restored!” (Mystery of the Ages). This involved in what He was requiring Mo- about God by studying, relying on and is incredible knowledge that few know ses to do in Egypt. There was no need for honoring the meaning behind God’s today. Some who do know it, reject it. worry or concern on Moses’s part. The But it is the very truth of God. You may name implies that I Am is a covenant- request a free copy of the incredible book making God. This God was establishing Mystery of the Ages—it will unlock the a relationship with Moses. There was to The name Elohim reveals mysteries of God for you that men have be a team effort, and I Am was to play God’s most intense desired to know for centuries. the major part. The name Elohim reveals God’s most All mankind must come to the full desire—to have a family intense desire—to have a Family of per- understanding that God has always ex- sons with His very name, nature and isted and will forever exist to carry out of persons with His very righteous character (2 Peter 1:4; 1 John His purposes and plans. He has the pow- 3:9). Mankind’s incredible human po- er to keep His covenant and promises to name, nature and tential is to be born into the very Fam- His people. He will always exist to bless ily of God. This knowledge alone should them. What an incredible name! righteous character. drive us to know God better. It is interesting to note that the Jews of Christ’s day knew that this name Abusing God’s Name People may not re- should only be associated with God. various names. We must imitate David’s alize it, but the abuse of God’s name is Jesus Christ applied this same name to sterling example. commonplace in our modern world. Himself, and the people attempted to Look at our entertainment industry. stone Him for doing so (John 8:58-59). God Is a Family “In the beginning God Each night on television and in movies, When Pharaoh refused to let the Is- created the heaven and the earth” (Gen- God’s name is used in a flippant manner raelites leave Egypt, God revealed an- esis 1:1). In this first verse of the Bible, continuously. It seems as if the writers of other name to Moses to encourage him. God reveals something utterly fantas- such entertainment look for every pos- God told Moses, “I am the Lord: And I tic about His true nature. The Hebrew sible way to make the use of God’s name appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, word for God here is Elohim. This is into a punchline. Decades ago, this cur- and unto Jacob, by the name of God Al- the very first name for God used in the rent custom was known for exactly what mighty, but by my name Jehovah was Bible. The English word God in no way it is—profanity! Use of profanity on tele- I not known to them” (Exodus 6:2-3). communicates the significant meaning vision and in movies was not permitted. The name God Almighty comes from of this name. Herbert Armstrong ex- Look at how far we’ve degenerated in our the Hebrew words El Shaddai, mean- plained, “Now once again to Genesis 1:1 language and conversation. Even little ing strength, mighty and power. What a …. This originally was written by Mo- children are accustomed to using God’s fantastic confidence-booster for Moses ses as God inspired him. Moses wrote name as an expletive. at that most difficult time when he must in Hebrew. The Hebrew word translated This is considered a very serious sin have felt totally powerless! God showed ‘God’ is Elohim—a noun or name, plural to God. God warned Israel, “I will set my Moses that he could rely on His almighty in form, but normally singular in gram- face against that man, and will cut him power—for God is the source of all pow- matical usage. It is the same sort of word off from among his people; because he er in heaven and in the universe. as family, church, group—one family hath given of his seed unto Molech, to The other names of God listed in the consisting of two or more members— defile my sanctuary, and to profane my Bible are Most High God (El Elyown), one church composed of many mem- holy name” (Leviticus 20:3). This verse Lord (without all-capital letters in the bers—one group of several persons. speaks of the first three commandments King James Version is the word Ado- “It is referring to precisely the same directly. God will not stand for our friv- nai), Everlasting God (El Owlam), Lord Persons, making up or composing the olous use of His name much longer. In of Hosts (Jehovah Sabaoth), God our one God, as we found in John 1:1—the fact, as stated in Leviticus, God is going Healer (yhvh-Rapha), and the most im- Word and God—and each of those two to deal personally with our disobedi- portant of all, God (Elohim). Any good Persons is God. ence of the Third Commandment. Here Bible lexicon will give the meanings of “In other words, God is now a is real proof that the peoples of America these names. Throughout the Bible, Family of Persons, composed so far and Britain will experience the brunt of God’s name is connected with His ac- of only the two—God the Father and the Great Tribulation for our violation tions, His mercy, His faithfulness, His Christ the Son. But if the Holy Spirit of of this and other commandments. wisdom and His love. In the first several God dwells in someone, and he is be- It is also a common custom to use verses of Psalm 91, four of God’s names ing led by God’s Spirit, then (Romans God’s name in connection with damn- are used: “He that dwelleth in the secret 8:14) he is a begotten son of God. But, ing someone. This is not using God’s place of the most High shall abide under at the time of Christ’s return to Earth in name truthfully. Why? It is not God’s the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of supreme power and glory to set up the intention to damn any human being. To

28 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 believe that it is in God’s nature or char- used in other countries as well. The hon- in this sense (1 Corinthians 4:14-16). But acter to damn men is heresy and a lie! est word of human beings with character this should not be confused with assign- God desires to save all men. Jesus Christ is to be trusted far more than a dishonest ing the title “father” to any man. told His disciples, “For the Son of man person swearing in the name of God. is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to To the Religious The spiritually minded save them” (Luke 9:56). To call on God to Profane Religious Titles Jesus Christ must carefully consider the use of God’s damn someone is to ask God to do some- commanded that certain religious titles name. It has become common practice thing He never desires to do. It is true should be avoided. He said, “And call no to say Jesus Christ’s name repeatedly that some men will eventually suffer the man your father upon the earth: for one in a prayer-like fashion in private and punishment of the lake of fire. However, public worship. Christ said, “But when the fault will be with the lack of repen- ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the tance in the human beings caught in that heathen do: for they think that they shall fate—not with God’s intention. Our only spiritual be heard for their much speaking” (Mat- It is a violation of the Third Com- Father is God! thew 6:7). Remember, Jesus Christ is God mandment to make light of the name of (Hebrews 1:8). God the Father has given God in jokes or stories. This robs God Connecting such a title Him a name “Far above all principality, of the deep veneration and respect that and power, and might, and dominion, His high office as Creator, Ruler and with a man in a religious and every name that is named, not only Sustainer of the universe deserves. in this world, but also in that which is Some try to avoid the misuse of God’s office violates the Third to come” (Ephesians 1:21). To say Jesus name by substituting another seemingly Christ’s name repeatedly is a vain, or more acceptable word, called a euphe- Commandment. useless, repetition. To begin or end every mism, in place of God’s name. Using sentence with His name is vain repeti- such words is still a violation of the Third tion. Notice that Christ recognizes that Commandment. We must rid such ex- is your Father, which is in heaven” (Mat- people who truly know God would not pressions from our conversations. Never thew 23:9). Several large religious orga- do such things. Vainly repeating God’s forget Jesus Christ’s instruction in the nizations on this Earth flagrantly ignore name is a heathen practice! We must rev- model prayer: We are to always hallow— this clear statement. Our only spiritual erence God’s name even in our praying. or venerate—God’s name (Matthew 6:9). Father is God! Connecting such a title But there is more. Jesus Christ said, with a man in a religious office violates “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do Taking Oaths Should we swear an oath the Third Commandment. This tradition not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). by using God’s name? This is a common is a false assumption of a divine title. Prayer without obedience is the most practice in many legal ceremonies in In a similar fashion, for a man to ac- subtle form of blasphemy. Religious peo- some countries. cept the title Reverend is also a violation ple who talk about God all the time but Jesus Christ said, “But I say unto you, of the Third Commandment. The term do not obey God’s Word and His com- Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it reverend means someone to be revered mandments are guilty of a far greater sin is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it or worthy of worship. No human being is than the ones who admittedly live a sin- is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for worthy of such a title because no human ful life but do not pretend to be religious. it is the city of the great King. Neither being is worthy of worship. The Prophet Religious hypocrisy is a violation of the shalt thou swear by thy head, because Jeremiah wrote, “The heart is deceitful Third Commandment. thou canst not make one hair white or above all things, and desperately wick- Jesus Christ vehemently went after black. But let your communication be, ed: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). the rampant hypocrisy in the spiritual Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is Of course, this verse applies to ministers leaders of the first century. We must cut more than these cometh of evil” (Mat- along with all human beings. The Apos- such spiritual cancer out of our lives if thew 5:34-37). Jesus Christ taught that tle Paul acknowledged that ministers are we truly desire to enter into God’s King- God’s name is so sacred and holy that we “compassed with infirmity” (Hebrews dom. Christ also said, “Not every one are commanded not to use it to back up 5:2). The point is, God has reserved the that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall en- our words or our oaths. Isn’t it common title Reverend for Himself alone: “He ter into the kingdom of heaven; but he knowledge that many people connect sent redemption unto his people: he hath that doeth the will of my Father which God’s name with their words and oaths, commanded his covenant for ever: holy is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Holding yet know in their hearts that they intend and reverend is his name” (Psalms 111:9). reverence for God with our speaking is to lie? What a travesty! God is not ca- Any human being desirous of a title re- clearly not enough. We must strive to pable of lying (Titus 1:2). served solely for God will have to repent obey God’s Word and commandments. Fortunately, the American justice sys- or suffer the consequences. We must desire to do God’s will. tem was established by men that read the Naturally, we are able to call our own It is time that all men, women and chil- Bible. They made great allowance for men human parent father. Even God does dren deeply reverence God’s great name. and women to live by the Bible. No one so in the Fifth Commandment. And of His name represents His high office as in this country is forced to raise a hand course, we should do this with the ut- Creator, His character and His dignity. in court and swear on the Bible. A provi- most honor and respect. Also, certain God desires to be worshiped in “spirit and sion has been made so that anyone who spiritual leaders whom God has used to in truth.” He also commands us to use so chooses may simply use the word af- bring many to the truth—like the Apos- His name truthfully. Let’s be sure that we firm instead of swearing. This practice is tle Paul—have been described as fathers learn how to—then do so. n

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 29 l i v i n g his world is hostile to serious thought. Our lives are cluttered with barriers that sear our minds with the habit of lazy, How to Tshallow thinking. Consider the insipid television and movies that pass for enter- tainment, transparently hostile toward Eliminate Distractions anything approximating deep thought. Think tru The most common barrier to deep Consider the overstimulated, technolo- thought is distractions. m gy-driven, information-saturated nature toda pet/art Life today is chock-a-block with them! of modern life. It is too noisy for us to hdtvs, dvds, cds, pdas, xm radio, wi-fi, hear ourselves think, yet so omnipresent broadband, laptops, mobile phones, sat- and addictive that silence disquiets us. ellite, cable, movies, video games—there Even within respected circles of soci- y is always something to keep us stimu- ety, intellectuals are plagued by funda- lated. Television, our third-most time- mental flaws in their thinking. Consider consuming activity after work and sleep, the education and scientific communities, gives us a hyper world of fast cuts, zooms which staunchly stand by the unprovable and pans, noise and suddenness. The theory of evolution. Formal education nightly news promises the world in 22 can actually be a hindrance to quality minutes. If you can’t wait for that, cable thought—emphasizing the wrong sub- provides “headline news,” with multiple jects, approaching certain subjects im- bits of information flashing and scroll- properly, bullying students into specific ing simultaneously. There is so much go- political and/or intellectual mind-sets, ing on in the world, we want only the es- fostering a destructive social atmosphere. sential, only the cream, only the surface. Little wonder that many of the great men What price are we paying for such and women of history were self-educated. compulsive hyperness? The price we pay How we think is critical. Our is depth. thoughts govern our moods, our atti- That’s right. You can’t cover a lot of tudes, our words, our actions. Thinking ground quickly and also go deep; you is the core of our being. Superficial, un- are either plowing or you are digging. focused thinking produces a superficial, Realize: Information is not the same unfocused life. We are what we think. thing as understanding. Of course the Trouble is, generally we are not taught stupid entertainment that dulls the mind how to think. It is a skill we are expected is a distraction. (Proverbs 12:11 in the Re- to know, without specific instruction. vised Standard Version is wonderfully What is the quality of your think- pithy and tactless on this subject: “[H]e ing? Are you skilled at analyzing prob- who follows worthless pursuits has no lems? Are you able to concentrate on sense.”) But anything can be a distrac- the things you want to concentrate on, tion. Mere information—even good in- or are you easily distracted? How deep a formation—becomes another distraction thinker are you? if you’re not thinking about it, evaluating it, analyzing it—if it’s not stimulating In With the New Vigorous thinking is your mind in original directions. fundamentally a matter of replacing in- Distractions simply crowd our minds ferior thoughts with quality thoughts. with inferior thoughts. So turn off that You cannot think shallow thoughts tacky television, skip that silly movie, and deep thoughts at the same time—it’s mute the mindless music, put down the one or the other. So first you must push trashy novel—create some quiet and clear out, put off and purge the one in order to space for something of substance. clear space for the other. To think deep- ly, first you must expunge the shallow thought that so easily fills your mind, and then fill that mental vacuum with quality thought. We will save for the end of this article a brief discussion on just what “quality thought” is. But first, let’s look at some barriers to quality thought that we must eliminate and some blessings to quality Deeply thought we must cultivate in order to develop better mental habits. By joel hilliker

30 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 Cultivate Concentration Ruminate Good Mental Food Beware Conformity Just what is thinking? It is merely a col- So—you have evicted some trivialities How is it that fatal flaws in thinking can lection of images flickering through from your mental living quarters; the pervade whole communities of intelli- your mind, a sequence of associations. space may now be leased out to more re- gent people? How, for example, could the Thinking deeply then is a matter of fined tenants. untruths that riddled national socialism restricting those associations so as to re- Dimnet advocated populating your have pervaded Europe so thoroughly as peatedly and purposefully mull a partic- mind with greatness. to have produced the Holocaust? How ular thing. It requires eliminating irrele- “It is impossible to spend an hour in could higher education be almost unan- vant thoughts: those weed-like musings a room with a man approaching great- imously condescending toward the re- that crowd your mind and pull you off ness without feeling the contagiousness vealed truths of God’s Word? the subject you want to be pondering. of distinguished thinking,” he wrote. A dangerous barrier to deep thought is The Apostle Paul was an advocate “Such men cannot always be found, or our natural “joiner” mentality—wanting of such mental discipline. He spoke of our chances for meeting them may be to be part of the group. This tendency is “bringing into captivity every thought to limited. But anybody with an average generally helpful in smoothing the prog- the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians knowledge of the history of nations, liter- ress of interpersonal relationships, but too 10:5). This requires a moment-by-mo- ature, philanthropy or art, not to speak of much concern about what others think ment awareness of and restraint over the the history of great religionists or saints, renders your mind inhospitable to origi- images, impressions and ideas that float can people his imagination with groups nal thought and can result in your hold- through the mind and then an expung- of superior men in every realm. … [O]ur ing on to dangerous misconceptions. ing of anything unwelcome. That, in es- serious hours cannot be devoted to a more A true thinker must have a certain sence, is exactly what concentration is. useful occupation than studying the lives independence of thought. He or she Good idea, but how do you apply it? or ideas of great men” (ibid.). must not be afraid to stand out from the Perhaps we all would love to possess Dimnet threw out this challenge: “If, crowd. Exodus 23:2 contains the sage greater powers of concentration. at any moment, you are unable to name and generally ignored command, “Thou You may not like to hear it, but con- a great man who is, or has recently been, shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.” centration is a skill acquired with prac- having an influence on your conduct, On the flip side, however, when you tice (just as poor, petty thinking is a habit you will be passing the verdict: ordi- have found a solid truth, then by all strengthened by years of practice). If you nary on the quality of your own thought means conform your thinking to it—it is aren’t used to focusing your attention, and existence.” a foundation on which to build. “Prove you can’t suddenly summon the knack. It Who do you spend your time with? all things,” wrote Paul, “hold fast that requires habitual concerted deliberation. Their influence on you looms larger than which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). But there is a trick to learning it. Rec- you would like to believe. Scripture is filled All great thinking is founded upon the ognize this simple truth about how your with admonitions such as this: “He that thoughts of great thinkers—chief of mind works: We naturally concentrate walketh with wise men shall be wise: but whom is God. on what we enjoy. a companion of fools shall be destroyed” Once your views are based on great In a wonderful little book written in (Proverbs 13:20). Find those wise men and thinking, contribute something of your- 1928 called The Art of Thinking, Ernest women, and then really converse—meet self to the process. Dimnet wrote, “[R]eal interest is essen- minds—think deeply together. Yes, there is an element of original- tial for concentration and creates it in an When you read, what do you read? ity in deep thinking. When you think instant. The same boy who goes a-wool- What is the quality of the food you feed deeply, you travel intellectual territory gathering when he has to write a literary your mind? that no one else will travel in quite that essay can concentrate for half a day on And—just as important—when you way—and you acquire unique intellec- mathematics or on a new radio imple- read, how much do you think? Studying tual property to offer those around you. ment” (emphasis mine throughout). something to the point where it has “an You are a distinctive individual. God Thus, concentrate only on those things influence on your conduct” means let- loves diversity, and there is a reason why you enjoy—or learn to enjoy those things ting it soak into and saturate the folds of each of us is so exceptional—not even you must concentrate on. At least, you can your gray matter. Be honest: How much in a brood of sextuplets is there a single consciously practice concentrating on the of your reading is forgotten the moment carbon copy. To the person who under- more satisfying things and progressively you close the book? stands the incredible human potential, work toward applying the skill elsewhere. Yes, read more. But as you read—read this is an inspiring fact to contemplate. Paul also understood this principle. less, think more. Deep thinking is that which nurtures To the one who seeks to attain God’s something uniquely you, and the unique Kingdom, he advises to “set your affec- personality, talents and character that tion” on it (Colossians 3:1-2). God is developing in you.

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 31 l i v i n g But as it is written, Eye hath“ not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the Cultivate Solitude things which God hath This leads us to another essential com- prepared for them that love modity for the thinker: solitude. him. But God hath revealed “Solitude produces an exhilaration them unto us by his Spirit: for of consciousness, the consciousness of our innermost, whatever that may be. It the Spirit searcheth all things, never fails of this result,” Dimnet wrote. yea, the deep things of God.” “Take strong coffee one morning, to 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 keep yourself awake, lie not in bed but on a couch for two or three hours, and try to simplify and again simplify your God’s Thoughts God is the epitome of problems ….” quality thought, of depth, of substance, of How much time do you dedicate to quiet meditation, of everything opposite private, quiet contemplation each day? our shallowness. “For my thoughts are not Most people would laugh at the question. your thoughts, neither are your ways my But if we are eliminating distractions, ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens we will be redeeming some time (Ephe- are higher than the earth, so are my ways sians 5:16), which can then be devoted to higher than your ways, and my thoughts secluded thinking. “How can we secure than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). solitude when our path is beset with a But the wonderful truth is, that variety of undesirables?” asked Dimnet. great gulf need not remain. Yes, God’s “There is no answer to this question if thoughts are much higher than ours— we do not really crave solitude” (ibid.). but we can strive to rise to His level. And Yes, we must crave solitude. with the help of God’s Holy Spirit we can King David did (Psalms 63:1; 119:148). succeed—in no small measure. Jesus Christ did (Mark 1:35; Matthew “But as it is written, Eye hath not 14:23). seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered A life of worship of the true God into the heart of man, the things which should involve daily personal prayer— God hath prepared for them that love time spent in isolation communing with him. But God hath revealed them unto News of the Philadelphia Church God, which requires a certain degree of us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth of God—the organization introspection. Daily prayer is a huge ben- all things, yea, the deep things of God” behind the Trumpet efit to deeper thinking—not only because (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). of the invaluable contact with the Creator This is what we’re striving for: God’s that it brings, but also because it instills thoughts. When we talk about becoming n Mail Processing Center Activated the habit of focused, effortful thinking to deep thinkers, we’re talking about our pcg mail operations are now of- a purpose, done in seclusion. thoughts co-mingling with and coming ficially being directed from the new Educator and theologian Herbert to approximate God’s thoughts. There is Mail Processing Center, located on W. Armstrong recommended about an no thinking deeper than that. the northeast corner of the Imperial hour of prayer a day. Secular sources say Consider: God can impact your mind College campus. The opening of the that even 20 minutes a day of quiet re- to the extent that you have the capacity mail center has made obsolete the flection goes a long way toward improv- for deep thought. If you are a shallow pcg’s nearly 20 storage sheds scattered ing a person’s mental health. thinker, you’ll only ever be able to have around Edmond, saving thousands The Bible is filled with directives to a shallow understanding of the deep annually. For the first time, the entire think about what you’re doing, to regu- things of God. stock of pcg literature is stored under larly evaluate yourself. For example, The deeper thinker you are, the more one roof. The 17,400-square-foot ware- Haggai 1:5 says, “Now therefore thus rigorous your thinking is, and the more house contains all literature inventory saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your you exercise and chal- along with offices for the Mail, Corre- ways.” Analyze your life. Think about lenge your mind, the spondence and Television staff. what is working and what isn’t. Involve deeper your understand- This move has also freed up much- God in this process and you can save ing can be. n needed office space in the pcg’s of- yourself a lot of problems—and deepen fice suite in downtown Edmond for your thinking in the process. For more on the art of the Editorial staff, the Trumpet News thinking, request our free Bureau and the business department. booklet Education With These operations will continue at Vision. this location until an administration

32 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 B e h i n d th e w o r k

TRU n New Set Gives New Look to TV M

PET On the mezzanine level of the Mail

(3) Processing Center sits one of the more beautiful aspects of the pcg’s building program—the new Key of David televi- sion studio. The spacious studio houses the set handcrafted by Delton Burch, a pcg member. Incorporating over 600 square feet of red oak, the set gleams with a glossy finish. The studio desk, 12 feet long and 5 feet deep, is more than twice the size of Presenter Gerald Flurry’s previous desk. The 900-square-foot studio is 21/2 times larger than the old studio. The size of the room allows for more cam- era angles, and a higher ceiling provides better lighting for the program. Dennis Whitney, a pcg member from Califor- nia who works as a head electrician for cbs, installed the studio lights. About 70 strategically placed gray acoustical pan- els cover the walls of the studio, provid- ing for better sound. On May 4, only three weeks after the television department moved from the headquarters building in Edmond to its new home on the Imperial cam- pus, Mr. Flurry broke in the new studio with a program titled “Noah’s Flood— Myth?” which offered, for the first time, Herbert Armstrong’s The Proof of the Bible. Despite being aired at the beginning of the “summer slump” of viewership, it gained the sixth-highest building is constructed on the Imperial lights, camera, action Top: Gerald response this season. campus, scheduled to begin in the fall. Flurry sits at the desk of the new Key of Mr. Flurry plans to continue a regular Stationed on the first floor, along David studio; bottom (L-R): outside the Mail filming schedule throughout the sum- with the warehouse, is the call center— Processing Center; the warehouse being mer, setting a program record of over 40 with 23 work stations set up to handle stocked with pallets of literature. original episodes this year. response from the Key of David’s toll- free number. The call center is making improvements to handle the increasing number of requests—one of those being more staff to handle the calls, including operators participating in the Church’s in-home wats (wide-area telephone service) program. The response team is taking 85 percent of the calls on viewers’ first attempts—a significant improve- ment over past seasons.

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 33 s o c i e t y w a tch p h m o r tg a g e s otospin Family 101

Your Best college education Amight indeed bring back Investment higher returns financially, but it increasingly offers mericans taking out little else, which highlights Amortgage loans are in- one of education’s greatest creasingly choosing a riskier flaws—teaching young route as interest rates are people how to earn a living, climbing in conjunction but failing to teach them how with increasing house prices. to live. And the demands Well over one third of new of the Information Age mortgage applicants ask for are only making matters adjustable-rate mortgages worse. Employers today (arm). At present, fixed- rates can go up in a single into your budget. need more experts trained rate mortgage interest rates year and over the life of the If you can afford to buy in highly specialized fields— have risen over 1 percent loan, and how quickly the a home, don’t risk losing it in the past year, while arm mortgage payments can later because you failed to interest rates have remained increase” (May 20). With a “count the cost” (Luke 14:28). Liberal Arts fairly constant—perhaps fixed rate, on the other hand, Stay within budget and avoid one reason home buyers opt the interest rate remains the risky financial arrange- ccording to a study for the latter. But as interest same throughout the life of ments, and your home could Areported in the May rates rise, which is widely the loan, making it easier to turn out to be your best in- 14 Wall Street Journal, anticipated by the financial determine if the home fits vestment. “America’s leading col- markets, the risk grows for leges and universities

borrowers holding arms. tru have largely abandoned e d u c a t i o n The main reason most m the idea that there ex- consumers select arms is pet ists some common body because they offer the low- of knowledge and skills est monthly payment right Tuition Woes that all graduates ought now. But borrowers should to master.” Most of the consider the long-term cost f you’ve ever thought 50 universities studied by of the loan. While arms may Iabout buying a second the American Council appear to be a bargain today, home, just send your teen to of Trustees and Alumni if the short-term interest rate college. That’s what it’s like, “continue to pay lip service rises, they could cost more costwise, according to the to the idea of a liberal edu- over the life of the loan than Weekly Standard (May 12). cation. But in practice a a fixed-rate loan. Of particu- “Getting a college degree liberal education has come lar risk are those who bought used to be like buying an WORK IT OFF Helping the mail to be defined by a ‘smor- a house they couldn’t afford expensive car. Now it’s like department is one way Imperial gasbord approach’ that without buying a house”—and with students pay their tuition. undercuts that mission.” theTrumpet.com the low an “adjustable-rate mort- Cornell University in For more on this monthly gage” that keeps going up, we school diploma and a bach- New York boasts, “there subject, see our payments might add. “If the past is any elor of arts degree is more is no course that students August 2003 afforded guide, those costs will rise than $1 million. Fair enough. must take, and there are article “The by arms next year and the next and Yet that doesn’t answer the nearly 2,000 from which Next Market to today. the next,” says the Standard. question of why it is that col- they may choose.” In Crash,” under As short- At present, here’s how the lege must cost so much.” these types of universi- Issue Archives. term cost breaks down: $50,000 At Imperial College, the ties, a student “can satisfy interest for a four-year degree at a educational institution spon- her literature require- rates increase, so will the public school and $120,000 if sored by the same Church ment equally with a cost of their mortgages. you attend a private school. that produces this magazine, course in Shakespeare or The Wall Street Journal According to the Standard, we do things differently. ‘Writing Tibet’ ….” offers good advice to any- “The College Board admon- After a $4,000 entrance fee, Who will provide one considering an adjust- ishes sticker-shocked parents our students pay for all room, young people the direc- able-rate mortgage: “[P]ay (and students) to ‘consider board, supplies and tuition tion they need when some keen attention to the details. college an investment’ and through a student work pro- of the world’s greatest These include what index informs that the gap in earn- gram—and they graduate educational institutions the loan is tied to, how much ing potential between a high debt free! refuse to do so?

34 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 narrowing the focus of intensive family course—first h e a l th i n b r i e f education further. teaching individuals how to True education is much live, but also preparing them Rediscovering f a m i l y broader than most people for the marriage and family Save the Marriages realize. It’s more than careers they will enter into God’s Truth Wall Street Journal, May 21 vocational training, or even after college. “A coalition backing developing the intellect. True If your only goal in college f you want to save your something called Com­ education has to do with is to increase your earning Icompany money, stay home munity Marriage Policies developing the whole man, potential later, then you will when you are sick. A recent has claimed that, in more including spiritual, mental, not be satisfied with your study found that employees than 100 counties across physical and personality initial investment. Supposing who show up sick for work the U.S., its program has development. Above all, it you do increase your actually cost their company cut the divorce rate by an should teach students the earnings by $1 million over $225 a year. “That’s because, average of 17.5 percent over divine purpose for human the course of your lifetime— says the report in the Journal seven years, nearly double life. Beyond that, using the what good is that if you can’t of Occupational and Envi- the decline in comparable Bible as its foundation, it have a happy marriage? ronmental Medicine, they counties in each state should familiarize students have trouble concentrating, whose divorce rates fell by ics with the spiritual laws h operate more sluggishly, and an average of only 9.4 per-

God ordained to govern rap often have to repeat tasks, re- cent in the same period. …

our lives—and then thrust ic g ducing overall productivity. ‘Marriages fail for all them into situations where m What’s more, they can make kinds of reasons, but they na y

they can learn to apply that d their coworkers sick” (U.S. can be summarized as knowledge now. News & World Report, May 3, selfishness of one kind or True education is like an emphasis ours). another,’ says Michael This is the latest example McManus … president of of a scientific study that veri- the advocacy group Mar- ch i l d r e n fies the immutable teachings riage Savers …. ‘We try to of God. While doctors might move people from selfish- Behavioral Medicine Tops List not consider the Bible a health ness to selflessness.’” textbook, it does, neverthe- n the January Trumpet, we cited a study that less, contain the foundation CH i l d r e n Iindicated one in 20 American children had been of all knowledge. As such, it A Spanking Debate Chris- diagnosed with some kind of attention deficit disorder. revealed millennia ago many tian Science Monitor, April 19 By 2007, that figure essential health laws—some of “As a new children’s y is projected to reach which man has only recently bill makes its way through one in seven. And “rediscovered.” [British] Parliament,

art toda according to the May God instituted laws of ministers and officials are 25 Wall Street Journal, sanitation and quarantine debating whether all forms about 10 million thousands of years ago in of corporal punishment— children and teens ancient Israel. If everyone even by parents—should suffer from some form followed these strict rules be banned. The govern­ of “psychiatric illness.” today, contagious diseases ment has taken state Over the last 3 would simply not spread as interference in personal years, there has been they do in our society. Addi- behavior to a new level; a 23 percent increase tionally, it would most likely it now seems to distrust in drug usage treating hasten your own recovery parents so much that attention deficit disorders. (For those under the age of 5, process when sick—and save it thinks they can’t the increase has been a whopping 49 percent.) With these the boss money! distinguish between recent increases, spending on behavioral medicines, disciplining their kids including stimulants and anti-depressants, has now Societywatch is compiled and assaulting them. … surpassed the figure Americans spend on antibiotics. and edited by Stephen Flurry, There is an assumption The figures break down this way: 17 percent of total with assistance from the that child abuse by parents spending on drugs for children goes toward behavioral Trumpet’s editorial team. If you is widespread, that it is medicines; 16 percent for antibiotics and asthma drugs; run across items that could be happening everywhere 11 percent for skin conditions. used here, send them to us at behind closed doors, that The top moneymaker is now medicine used to treat societywatch, P.O. Box 1099, parents who spank are mental “sickness.” Obviously, there are legitimate cases Edmond, OK 73083, or e-mail murderers in the making. of mental sickness among youths. But they are rare. As [email protected]. Such a climate of mistrust we pointed out in January, far too many parents rely on If you e-mail a story from a and suspicion is surely far behavioral drugs to regulate a child’s behavior because website, be sure to include the worse for children than they have failed to do so themselves as parents. URL address. the occasional spanking.”

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 35 l e tt e r s A Treasure losophies and Earth’s catastrophes and Not long ago, all visitors to the United I just read your March/April is- maximize the use of human resources, States had to affirm in writing that they sue and I’m impressed by the scope of natural resources and political offices were not prostitutes, communists or knowledge and fair reporting of facts. for the good of our respective societies, members of any group advocating the In addition, several new approaches to mankind and the whole Earth? violent overthrow of our society. Today hidden dangers have been revealed, and I believe strongly that we can fulfill we are letting in all of the above and the the strong reference to Bible passages (part) of that universe potential now, cauldron of hate may start boiling here, leads me to believe that we’ve stumbled before Christ comes to rapture the as in Europe. Would it be too much to ask onto a treasure. church and later set up His Kingdom on that Muslims learn to live in harmony Ronald Liska—Newland, N.C. Earth; then we may be talking of going with others in Iran, Iraq, Egypt and Saudi ■ to Mars and the entire universe at large. Arabia before testing our patience here? Dotun Ojo—Ibadan, Nigeria Earl Hemming—Brisbane, Calif. I thank you very much and wish to The previous two letters ask why we focus ■ express my utmost pleasure in reading on the positive aspect of the future rather an article by Carl Hilliker and Mark than trying to rebuild the Earth now. We The Ten Commandments Jenkins titled “What’s So Sacred About could just as easily ask why Jesus Christ I am very excited about your series Easter” (March/April). Their honesty did not rejuvenate the Earth and establish on the Ten Commandments. The Com- and research is correct and astound- His Kingdom the first time He came. The an- mandments are a part of my daily med- ing in these days of cover-ups, lies and swer is that Christ laid the groundwork for itation, and I have much to understand deceiving, dishonest publishers, editors that future Kingdom when He founded His about these royal and foundational and writers. Church. When Jesus Christ came, He es- laws. I do know that by observing the Frank Durham—Draper, Utah tablished His Church and said He would go Commandments, as well as all of God’s ■ and prepare a place before returning (John laws and statutes, my life has become 14:2). Also, when He returns, His bride—the enriched, and I have found a freedom Fixing the Earth Now Church—will have been made ready (Rev- and happiness as well as peace of mind Your editorial about the planet elation 19:7). When He returns, the future that I have never had before. Thank you Mars and the prospects of what man, we often write about will be established. for your continued administration of through the power of God, can achieve To read about this in greater detail, request God’s government and truth as taught by probing the heavens is both intrigu- our free reprint article “7,000 Years of by Herbert Armstrong. ing as well as confusing to a layman like Preparation.” That said, it is also true that E-mail response me (“Mars Reveals Your Universe Po- we should “live the future right now” in ■ tential!”, February 2004). The Ameri- the sense of abiding by the laws of God’s can landing on the Red Planet is a mar- Kingdom and, as much as possible, living Before I stumbled upon your maga- velous achievement, but would it not peaceably with all people (Romans 12:18). zine, I had been groping in the dark have been best to put our house here on ■ seeking an answer to a question bother- Earth in order first, before the attempts ing me. It was “Who and what is man?” to transform the planet Mars into a Muslim Unrest I had become a Muslim, Bahaist, a habitable place for human beings? Whenever I get a chance to speak Buddhist and even joined a traditional Transforming the deserts of our mother to people of the Muslim faith, I always sect seeking this answer, but all to no Earth to arable green fields is the first ask why it is against their laws (often avail. Then came your magazine “Why thing science ought to try. Then we punishable by death) for Christians to Marriage” (September/October 2003). could apply the methods to similar con- open churches in their lands. The reply Then came Mr. Armstrong’s books, and ditions on the outer planets. one often gets is that Christians in their the whole puzzle was solved. I thank Godfrey Otiri—Aarhus City, Denmark midst would seed such discontent as to God for sending His revelation through ■ breed civil war and unrest. Mr. Armstrong. I thank you in God’s This is why France, with a growing name for opening my eyes to something With reference to your Mars arti- Muslim population, is constantly “on preachers do not know. Please, can you cle, I would like to comment: You place the edge.” From the viewpoint of too extend your program to Africa? so much emphasis on the events of the many Muslim fanatics, the only good Samuel Adams—Ghana future. Well, that is good, but can’t we Christian is a dead one! A gnawing Our television program is not currently start living the future right from this question is, are we obligated to accom- airing in Africa, although we are certainly very moment? Do we have to wait till modate members of such groups into interested in pursuing broadcast coverage Christ’s Second Coming before we ful- our harmonious, yet diverse, wealthy there. However, our program is available fill our true potential? Can’t we begin societies? Except for the shining exam- anywhere with an Internet connection via to lay God’s groundwork, master plan ple of Turkey, all Muslim lands languish our website at www.keyofdavid.com. We and foundation before Christ comes to in a state of permanent poverty and dic- hope you are able to use this service. establish His government in this world? tatorships. Would it be prejudicial to ask Apart from merely announcing the if we really want to share some of that? future coming of His Kingdom like the It seems like every time you turn on Comments? Jehovah’s Witnesses, can’t we start to the tv, there is news about ongoing civil [email protected] rebuild the Earth in terms of subduing wars between Muslims and most other or: The Trumpet, P.O. Box 1099, wicked governments, humanistic phi- religions all over the world. Edmond, OK 73083

36 The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 c o m m e n t a r y There Is a Way of Escape How YOU can be protected from the impending nuclear nightmare by Herbert W. Armstrong

oo many people are getting used to violence anything that ever was, or ever shall be! Jeremiah foretold it (Jer- and war and threats of war. The world is too busy emiah 30). He identified the nations primarily affected. It will be pursuing material goods to be much concerned about those whom God caused to be named after Jacob—or Israel— the oncoming nuclear World War iii that WILL, the nations descended from the two sons of Joseph. And those Tunless prevented by Almighty God, simply erase human life are the United States and British peoples of the United Kingdom, from this planet! Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. (Request our Soft words and pretty speeches do not arouse people out of free book The United States and Britain in Prophecy.) this pleasant dream. It takes a jolt! When we attempted to warn Ezekiel foretells it (Ezekiel 5:12; 6:6). Moses describes it our readers with words strong enough to arouse, I received let- (Deuteronomy 28—especially verses 20-24, 32-34 and 49- ters saying: “Cancel my subscription! That article frightened 50; also Leviticus 26, especially verses 16-20). Already these me.” Yes, if you are to continue to LIVE, prophecies are beginning to be carried out. you need to be frightened—enough to take Already the “pride of our power” (Leviticus

the action that will SAVE YOUR LIFE! otospin 26:19) has been broken. Britain, the for- h

But, you say, what can I do? Well, there is p mer world’s number-one power, has been something you must do if you are to escape reduced to a second-rate power. And the the agonies of and probable terrifying death “pride” of America’s power was certainly in, the coming prophesied Great Tribulation! broken in Vietnam. Yes, you can escape all this! The Great Tribulation is to be primarily That is what we are trying to make our on the United States and the British peoples! readers understand! Events leading to it are smoldering under God Almighty will intervene. He will pre- cover now, gradually gaining momentum. vent entire cosmocide! But He will not inter- And then, suddenly, the world will ex- vene to stop the carnage until man has come plode into nuclear World War iii. to the very end of his rope! So long as man But let me tell you, I do not expect to be thinks he can save himself, without God, the here in its path when it strikes! And you Eternal will let him go on trying. God will not need not be one of its multiple-millions of intervene until man’s last hope is gone. God victims! will never allow man to accuse Him, saying: “Your intervention Jesus Christ gave the warning (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke was unnecessary and tyrannical! We could have saved ourselves 21). And when He said, in Luke’s version of His warning: if you had not used your arbitrary God-power to intervene.” “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be ac- God’s final last-minute intervention will follow—not pre- counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come vent—this Great Tribulation that will be World War iii. to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (at His coming— But, I repeat, you can escape all this! Luke 21:36), He was giving you and me a promise of divine It is only those who will not heed who must go through its protection from these very things He had been describing—IF agony. And remember—God is not going to cause it. Man we do watch world events as prophesied, and remain obedi- himself will bring it on. But God will protect His own from it! ent and continually in contact with God through prayer. Jesus’s young students—His disciples—came to Him pri- There is another promise of miraculous protection from this vately and asked when the end of the world would come, and Great Tribulation. It is in the third chapter of Revelation. Be- what would be the sign of His return in power to rule all the ginning verse 7 is a description of how the living Christ would Earth, in peace. open a door by which His gospel may go out to all the world as These things, Jesus replied, must come first: a false “Chris- a witness and a warning. That is the very work being carried on tian” religion, whose ministers would falsely claim to be Christ’s today by the organization that prints this magazine. ministers, coming in His name, deceiving the many. Then wars, In verse 10 is Christ’s promise that because we have been climaxing finally into world wars; then famines and disease faithful with His Word, He will also keep us from “the hour epidemics and increasing earthquakes. Just before the end, He of temptation.” But the marginal reading—the correct transla- said, His true gospel of God’s Kingdom would be preached in all tion from the original Greek—is “trial” or “Great Tribulation.” the world—not to convert the world, but “for a witness”—and These events are real! then, He said, shall the end of this world come! This world is hurling itself rapidly to the grand-smash cli- All these things already have occurred—except that we are max of world trouble. Crime, violence, lawlessness, disrespect now in a recess during the world wars—between World Wars for authority, are increasing at a rapid rate! ii and iii; and that we have so far had only the first forerunners God help us not to treat this warning lightly. of the famine and disease epidemics and earthquakes. These Take heed and read in Psalm 91 the further promise of pro- shall increase greatly. tection not only through the Great Tribulation, but also the Then what? “Then,” continues Jesus, “shall be great tribu- plagues of the Day of the Lord to follow. ■ lation,” a time of violence, destruction and death greater than Excerpted from the Plain Truth, March 1984

The Philadelphia Trumpet june 2004 37 Television Listing

United States Guatemala WGN 6:00 am, Sun Honduras Nationwide satellite Galaxy 3 Trans. 7 11:30 am ET, Tue/Thur WGN 6:00 am, Sun Mexico Nationwide satellite Galaxy 5 Trans. 7 8:00 am ET, Sun WGN 7:00 am, Sun; WWOR 8:30 am, Sun Panama Direct TV DBS WGN Chan. 307 8:00 am ET, Sun WGN 7:00 am, Sun Puerto Rico Dish Network DBS WGN Chan. 239 8:00 am ET, Sun WGN 8:00 am, Sun; WWOR 9:30 am, Sun Venezuela Dish Network DBS WWOR Chan. 238 9:30 am ET, Sun WWOR 10:30 am, Sun Nationwide cable WGN 8:00 am ET, Sun Northeast cable WWOR 9:30 am ET, Sun caribbean Regional satellite California, Los Angeles KCAL 7:00 am, Sun Galaxy 3 Trans. 7 11:30 am ET, Tue/Thur Regional satellite Illinois, Chicago WFLD 8:30 am, Sun Galaxy 5 Trans. 7 8:00 am ET, Sun Aruba New York, New York City WWOR 9:30 am, Sun WGN 8:00 am, Sun Bahamas Oklahoma, Oklahoma City KOCB 9:00 am, Sun WGN 8:00 am, Sun Belize Oregon, Portland KPDX 8:00 am, Sun WGN 7:00 am, Sun Cuba Pennsylvania, Philadelphia WPHL 9:00 am, Sun WGN 8:00 am, Sun; WWOR 9:30 am, Sun Dominican Republic Washington, Seattle KTWB 9:30 am, Sun WGN 8:00 am, Sun Grenada Washington D.C. WDCA 8:00 am, Sun CCN 7:30 am, Sun Grenada Meaningful TV 7:00 am, Sun canada Haiti WGN 7:00 am, Sun Jamaica Nationwide satellite Galaxy 3 Trans. 7 11:30 am ET, Tue/Thur WGN 9:00 am, Sun; WWOR 10:30 am, Sun Tobago Nationwide satellite Galaxy 5 Trans. 7 8:00 am ET, Sun CCN 7:30 am, Sun Trinidad Nationwide cable WGN 8:00 am ET, Sun CCN 7:30 am, Sun Nationwide cable Vision TV 8:30 am ET, Sun europe Latin America Malta Smash TV 5:00 pm, Sat; 11:00 pm, Wed; 11:25 pm, Fri Regional satellite Galaxy 3 Trans. 7 11:30 am ET, Tue/Thur Argentina WWOR 10:30 am Sun australia/new zealand Adelaide, Southern Australia Brazil WWOR 10:30 am, Sun Channel 31 11:30 am, Sun Australia nationwide Chile WWOR 10:30 am, Sun Network Ten 4:30 am, Sun Tasmania Colombia WGN 7:00 am, Sun; WWOR 8:30 am, Sun Southern Cross TV 5:00 am, Sun New Zealand nationwide El Salvador WGN 6:00 am, Sun TV3 6:00 am, Fri Watch online: keyofdavid.com

Philadelphia Church of God Post Office Box 3700 EDMOND, OKLAHOMA 73083 U.S. For a FREE subscription, call 1-800-772-8577