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CHANGE YOUR LIFE. CHANGE YOUR WORLD.
THE EMPTYCAGELove will set you free
POWER FOR APURPOSEWhy you need the Holy Spirit
THE COMING
CASHLESSSOCIETYTheres more to it than
meets the eye
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For a wide range of books and audio
and video productions to feed your soul,
lift your spirit, strengthen your family,
and provide fun learning times for your
children, please contact one of our
distributors below, or visit our Web site
at www.activated.org
Activated Ministries
P.O. Box 462805Escondido, CA 920462805
USA
(877) 8623228
Activated Europe
Bramingham Pk. Business Ctr.
Enterprise Way
Luton, Beds. LU3 4BU
England
(07801) 442317
Activated AfricaP.O. Box 2150
Westville 3630
South Africa
083 55 68 213
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P.O. Box 5215
G.P.O.
Bangalore 560 001
India
EDITOR
Keith Phillips
DESIGNGiselle LeFavre
ILLUSTRATIONSDoug Calder
PRODUCTIONFrancisco Lopez
VOL 5 ISSUE 4April 2004
2004 Aurora Production AGAll Rights Reserved. Printed in Thailand.
www.auroraproduction.com
Unless otherwise indicated, all
Scripture quotations inActivated are
from the New King James Version of the
Bible 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc.
When other versions are quoted, some
typographical changes have been made
for the sake of clarity and uniformity.
Two months ago in this column I quoted Mahatma Gandh(18691948) as saying, I know of no one who has done mofor humanity than Jesus. Much of the world, Christian andnon-Christian alike, would agree. Yet have you ever consid-ered how the world wouldnthave been changed for the bettif Jesus disciples hadnt told others what they had seen and
heard and learned with Jesus? It could have stopped withthem.
Remember, Jesus three-year public ministry wasnt docu-mented by daily newspaper reports or sent around the world
the BBC and CNN, as it no doubt would be today. How manpeople, do you suppose, ever saw the miracles Jesus per-formed or heard Him speak?Fifty thousand?One hundrethousand? How many saw Him die on the cross?A few hudred, perhaps. How many did He appear to after He rose frothe dead on Easter morning?A little over 500, we are told i1 Corinthians 15:46.
Jesus did what only He could doHe died for our sinsbHis disciples also did what only theycould do. They kept Hismessage alive.
What if, after Jesus death, Simon Peter and his fellowformer-fishermen disciples had gone back permanently totheir fishing (John 21:23)? What if Matthew had gone backto collecting taxes? What if doubting Thomas had continuedto doubt? What if the disciples hadnt obeyed Jesus finalinstruction before His ascension to wait for the promise of thFather, the Holy Spirit, and received power from on high(Luke 24:49)? How many millions would have died withoutknowing the Savior? Would we even have the Gospel today?
As we celebrate Jesus resurrection this Easter, lets alsocelebrate Holy Spirit power and those who kept the Gospel
alive by sharing Jesus with others. It was up to them. Now itup to us.
Keith Phillips
For theActivatedfamily
Personally speaking
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them, mister. Theyre just
plain field birds. Theydont sing and they arenteven pretty.
How much? Thomasasked again. The boy sizedup Thomas as if he werecrazy and said, $10.
Thomas reached intohis pocket, took out a $10bill, put it in the boyshand, and took the bird-cage. In a flash, the boy
was gone.Thomas carried the
cage to a grassy spotwhere there was a tree.Then he opened the doorand set the birds free.
The next morningEaster DayThomasshowed the now empty
cage to a group of friendsand told them about theboy and the birds. Thenhe told the followingallegory:
One day Satan andJesus were having a con-versation.
Yes, sir, Satan gloated.I just caught a whole
world full of people! I set a
trap and got them all!
What are you goingto do with them? Jesusasked.
Im going to havesome fun! Satan replie
with glee. Im going toteach them how to lie ancheat and steal and kill.This is going to be great
And what will you dowhen youre through withem? Jesus asked.
Then Ill kill them,Satan said proudly.
How much do youwant for them? Jesusasked.
Oh, you dont wantthose people! They arenany good. Theyll just ha
you. Theyll cause you
nothing but misery andheartbreak, and theyll kyou in the end. You donwant those people!
How much? Jesusasked again.
Satan looked at Himand sneered. Your LIFE
DONE!Then Jesus paid the
price.
THE DAY BEFORE
EASTER, a man namedGeorge Thomas wastaking a walk when hesaw a boy coming towardhim swinging an old rustybirdcage. He stopped theboy and asked what wasin the cage.
Just three old birds,the boy said. Im going totake them home and have
some funtease themand pull out their feathersto make them fight.
But youll get tiredof those birds sooneror later, Thomas said.What will you do withthem then?
Oh, I have some cats,said the boy. They likebirds. Ill feed them to my
cats.Thomas was silent for a
moment. How much doyou want for those birds,son?
What? the boy said indisbelief. You dont want
You dont want them, mister. Theyre just plain fi eld birds.
They dont sing and they arent even pretty.
AUTHOR UNKNOW
THEEMPTYCAGE
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EASTER CELEBRATES
JESUS RESURRECTION.
His cruel death bycrucifixion took placeat the same time as theJewish holy celebrationof Passover. What theyhad been symbolizing forover 1,000 years with thekilling of sacrificial lambs
and the Passover supperwas now happening tothe Lamb of God. On thevery evening and at thevery hour that peoplethroughout the land wereselecting and slaughteringPassover lambs, Jesus wascrucified.
The way Jesus died alsofulfilled many other OldTestament prophecies inamazing detail.
He was led as a lambto the slaughter, and as asheep before its shearersis silent, so He openednot His mouth (Isaiah53:7). When Jesus stoodtrial for His life before thegovernor, Pontius Pilate,
Jesus didnt speak in Hisown defense (Matthew27:1214).
About 1,000 yearsbefore crucifixion becamea usual means of execu-tion in the Roman Empire,King David wrote of theMessiah: All my bonesare out of joint. They
BY DAVID BRANDT BERG
THEStory
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pierced My hands andMy feet (Psalm 22:14,16).In death by crucifixion,the weight of the victimsbody pulls his arms out
of their sockets. Mostof the condemned weretied to their crosses,but Jesus was nailed toHisthrough the handsand feet.
It was also customaryfor the Romans to breakthe legs of those who hadbeen hanging on theircrosses for hours but
hadnt died yet. The lackof support for the bodycaused the windpipe andlungs to collapse, andhastened their deaths. But
when the Roman execu-tioners came to do this toJesus, they found that He
was already dead. Thusanother Bible proph-ecy was fulfilled: [God]guards all His bones; notone of them is broken(Psalm 34:20).
Instead, just to makesure Jesus was dead, oneof the Romans thrust aspear into Jesus side,piercing His heart. Andimmediately blood and
water came out (John
19:34). This fulfilled thescripture, I am pouredout like water ... Myheart has melted withinMe (Psalm 22:14). One
would expect blood toflow from a spear wound,but not water. Where didthat come from? Medicalscience has found that
people who die in greatanguish of heart oftenhave an accumulation of
water around the heart.Jesus died of a broken
heartfor you and me.Jesus also died feelinglike the lost sinner. He
went through an experi-ence that, thank God,
we will never have to gothroughnot just cruci-fixion, not just agony ofbody, but agony of mindand spirit, feeling thatGod had deserted Him. As
He died, Jesus cried outwith a loud voice, saying,Eli, Eli, lama sabach-thani?that is, My God,My God, why have Youforsaken Me? (Matthew27:46).
Had God forsaken Him?Yes, momentarily Hehad. He had to, that Jesusmight die like a sinnerdies, without God. Thinkof it: Jesus died the deathof the unsaved, in agony!God had to temporarilyturn His back on His ownSon so Jesus might die thedeath of the sinner.
Did God answer Jesuson the cross? Theres norecord of an answer. Jesus
felt that God had desertedHim at that moment
when He needed Himmost.
Jesus suffered the spiri-tual agony of the dyingsinnerlost, withoutsalvation, without God,dying for his sins. Only inJesus case He was dying
for oursins, the sins of twhole world. He was wiing to go through all thaso we could be forgivenand have eternal life. Su
love!And they made Hisgrave with the wickedbut with the rich at Hisdeath (Isaiah 53:9). Jesu
was unjustly condemneand crucified betweentwo common criminals(Matthew 27:38). Yetafter His death, a richman who was among
Jesus followers, Josephof Arimathea, laid Jesusbody in his own new tom(Matthew 27:5760).
After Jesus body walaid in the tomb, to masure His disciples didnsteal His body and claiHed risen from the deathe tomb was sealed ansome Roman soldiersstood guard (Matthew27:6266).
Three days later, MarMagdalene and the otheMary came at dawn tothe tomb, and an angelappeared and rolled thestone away. When theRoman guards saw theangel, they shook for fe
of him, and became asdead men. But the angsaid to the women, Donot be afraid. ... Jesus isnot here; for He is risen,as He said. And the angshowed the women wheJesus body had lain (Mthew 28:18). Jesus hadrisen from the dead!
God had to
temporarily
turn His
back on
His own
Son so
Jesus
might die
the death
of the
sinner.
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A: No! God loves us andwants us to be happy andenjoy life. He created thisbeautiful world to help usexperience His love andlove Him in return. Oneof the best ways we canshow Him that we loveHim and are thankful forall Hes done for us is tobe happy and praise Him
continually.But sad to say, a lot of
people dont realize thatGod wants them to behappy. They equate godli-ness with suffering andself-denial, and physicalpleasure with sin. Somepoor, misguided peopleeven go so far as to torturethemselves, thinking that
will get them closer toGod. They sit on nails,put skewers through theircheeks, walk barefoot onhot coals, whip them-selves, have themselvesnailed to crosses, andsuffer all sorts of other
A: Nothing! You cantsave yourselfnobodycan! Yet the central beliof most religions is that
we can be good enoughto save ourselves. In fac
when you think aboutit, there are really onlytwo schools of religiousthought: the do-it-yourself religions, and the
God-alone-can-save-yokind.
Most of the worldsreligions teach their followers that they can savthemselves by their owpiety and good works,by their own holiness, btheir own suffering andself-denial, or by strictobedience to the laws
and traditions of thatparticular religion. Butaccording to the Bible,
Q: MANY RELIGIONS
TEACH THAT IT IS
NECESSARY FOR US
TO SUFFER IN ORDER
TO TRULY PLEASE AND
DRAW CLOSE TO GOD.
IS THIS TRUE?
self-inflicted pain becausethey think that the morethey suffer, the more reli-gious or holy they willbecome. This, thank God,is notthe case accordingto the Bible!
Its true that there aretimes when we may needto sacrifice or suffer, butaccording to the Bible we
do not need to inflict it onourselves as a means togain personal merit withGod. If we suffer throughlifes trials and tests,theres usually a goodreason for itits a resultof us giving of ourselves tohelp others, or necessaryto help us learn some-thing we wouldnt learn
otherwisenot becausewe think we are going togain righteousness by it.
Q: IF SELF-DENIAL,
SACRIFICE, AND SUF
FERING ARE NOT TH
WAY TO SALVATION,
THEN WHAT CAN I D
TO SAVE MYSELF?
ANSWERSTOYOU
RQUESTIONS
He wants to be our closest friend, whose
count on. He sent Jesus to do what He kne{6 activated VOL 5, IS
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We are allsinners.
Ecclesiastes 7:20Romans 3:10Romans 3:23
Salvation isours by grace(undeserved
mercy), notworks.
Romans 3:20aRomans 11:6Ephesians 2:892 Timothy 1:9Titus 3:5
Salvation is onlythrough Jesus.
John 3:36bJohn 10:1,9John 14:6Acts 4:121 Corinthians 3:111 Timothy 2:51 John 5:12
Believe in Jesus.
John 3:16John 11:2526Acts 16:31Romans 10:910
1 John 5:1a
FEEDING READING
SalvationThe way to HeavenSalvationThe way to Heaven
Receive Jesus.
Revelation 3:20John 1:12Galatians 4:6Ephesians 3:17
Salvation iseternal. You cannever lose it,
even if you makemistakes.
John 6:37John 10:28Romans 8:3839Hebrews 13:5b2 Timothy 2:131 John 5:13
You cant lose
salvation, butas your lovingheavenly Father,God will punishyou for furtherwrongdoing.
Psalm 89:30341 Corinthians
3:1115Hebrews 12:58Revelation 3:19
man yet has been goodenough to earn his ownsalvation. There is nota just man on earth whodoes good and does not
sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Ifwe could save ourselves,then we wouldnt needGodwhich is exactlythe point of some falsereligions today.
No matter how ear-nestly and sincerely wetry by our own piety, good
works, or suffering to get
close to God, becomeenlightened, or attainsalvation, we will alwaysfail to reach this goal. Forall have sinned and fallshort of the glory of God(Romans 3:23).
But theres good news,too. In spite of our mis-takes and sinful nature,God wantsus to have a
close personal relation-ship with Him. He wantsto be our closest friend,
whose love, faithfulness,concern, and care wecan always count on. He
wants to be our near-est and dearest helperand friend, so He sentJesus to do what He knew
we couldnt do for our-selvespay for our sins.
Each of us has madewrong choices at some
time or another. We haveacted selfishly and unlov-ingly. In so doing we notonly hurt others, but wehurt God, who is sad-
dened when He sees usgoing the wrong way.
Were all sinners bynature, and our sinsseparate us from God(Isaiah 59:2). The only way
we could be reconciledwith God was if our sinswere atoned for, and onlyJesuswho was Himself
perfectcould do that.Jesus gave His life aransom for many (Mat-thew 20:28).
God loves you so muchthat He gave His only Sonto die in your place, andJesus loves you so muchthat He did that willingly.
So if youve beentrying to work your way
to Heaven, stop! Simplyreceive Jesus as yourSavior by sincerely pray-ing a prayer like the fol-lowing:
Dear Jesus, thank Youfor dying for me so that allmy mistakes and wrongscan be forgiven. I nowopen the door of my heartand ask You to come in.Please forgive me and giveme Your gift of eternal life.
Amen.
faithfulness, concern, and care we can always
we couldnt do for ourselvespay for our sins.}activated VOL 5, ISSUE 4
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Shortly before His crucifixion
and resurrection, Jesus
promised His disciples
that He would send them a
Comforter, the Holy Spirit,
to strengthen, empower,
lead, and guide them in their
spiritual lives and personal
relationships with Him.
When Jesus was with them in bodHis disciples loved Him and knew thHe loved them. They enjoyed being iHis presence and hearing the comfoing sound of His voice, but they didn
yet know Him the way they were toknow Him later in spirit.
But after Jesus crucifixion and res
rection, when the promise of the HoSpirit was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost, the disciples found that eventhough His body was gone from themHis Spirit was with them in greaterpower than ever beforeand not juswith them, but in them!
Before Jesus ascended to Heaven,told His followers to not depart fromJerusalem, but to wait for the Prom
ise of the Father, which, He said, yohave heard from Me. And you sha
POWERFOR A OSE
BY DAVID
BRANDT
BERG
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one accord inone place (Acts2:1). About 120people, bothmen and women, were numbered
with the disciples at that time (Acts1:15), and they were all together andunited in mind, heart, and spirit.
Jesus had them wait in Jerusalemso that when the infilling of the HolySpirit came, they would be in a positionto win many others to Him. That
was the main purpose of the Day ofPentecostnot just the supernaturalmanifestations that took place. Theoutpouring of the Holy Spirit on the
disciples was a means to an end.And suddenly there came a sound
from Heaven, as of a rushing mightywind, and it filled the whole housewhere they were sitting. Then thereappeared to them divided tongues, asof fire, and one sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the HolySpirit and began to speak with othertongues [languages they had never
learned or spoken before], as the Spiritgave them utterance (Acts 2:34).Because this took place on an annual
holy day, the Feast of the Harvest, Jeru-salem was filled with Jews from everynation under heaven (Acts 2:5). And
when this sound occurred, the mul-titude came together, and were con-fused, because everyone heard themspeak in his own language (Acts 2:56).
So they were all amazed and
perplexed, saying to one another,Whatever could this mean? Othersmocking said, They are full of new
wine (Acts 2:1213).But Peter, standing up with the
eleven, raised his voice and said tothem, Men of Judea and all who dwellin Jerusalem, let this be known to you,and heed my words. For these are not
drunk, as you suppose, since it is only
the third hour of the day [9 AM]. Butthis is what was spoken by the prophetJoel: And it shall come to pass in thelast days, says God, that I will pour outof My Spirit on all flesh. And it shallcome to pass that whoever calls on thename of the Lord shall be saved (Acts2:1417,21).
Then those who gladly receivedhis word were baptized; and that dayabout 3,000 souls were added to them
(Acts 2:41). Thousands of peopleaccepted Jesus and were saved! Thatsthe most important thing that hap-pened on the Day of Pentecost. Powerfor witnessing is the main purpose ofthe Holy Spirit.
Continuing daily with one accord inthe Temple, and breaking bread fromhouse to house, they ate their food
with gladness and simplicity of heart,
praising God and having favor withall the people. And the Lord added tothe church daily those who were beingsaved (Acts 2:4647).
Then came another one of Godsgreat setups. God picked somebodythat everybody in town knewa lameman who daily sat begging on theTemple steps. Along came Peter andJohn, and God performed anothergreat miracle. The man was instantly
healed, and the people were filled withwonder (Acts 3:10).
So when Peter saw it, he respondedto the people: Men of Israel, why do
you marvel at this? Or why look sointently at us, as though by our ownpower or godliness we had made thisman walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac,and Jacob, the God of our fathers,
Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fi re, and one
sat upon each of them. And they were all fi lled with the Holy Spirit .{ }
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glorified His Servant Jesus. AndHis [Jesus] name, through faith inHis name, has made this man strong,
whom you see and know. Yes, thefaith which comes through Him has
given him this perfect soundnessin the presence of you all (Acts 3:1213,16).
Many of them which heard theWord believed, and another 5,000people received Jesus as their Savior(Acts 4:4).
What was it about those firstSpirit-filled disciples that convincedso many that Jesus was who He hadsaid He was, the Messiah? Now when
they saw the boldness of Peter andJohn, and perceived that they wereuneducated and untrained men, theymarveled. And they realized that they
had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).Peter, John, and the others didnt
let their backgrounds or anythingelse hold them back. They just wentahead and witnessed boldly, andthey had tremendous power that gottremendous results. It was obviousthat they had been with Jesus. Theyhad the Masters power to carry onthe Masters work!
Have you been filled with the Spiritof Gods love?
Before the time of Christ, God onlyanointed certain leaders, kings, andprophets with His Spirit, but nowthe Holy Spirit is available to allwhoreceive Jesus. It shall come to passafterward that I will pour out MySpirit on allflesh ( Joel 2:28).
Ever since the Day of Pentecost,when the first disciples were filledwith the Holy Spirit, the Lord hasmade the same Holy Spirit poweravailable to every Christian. Now
everybody can have the Holy Spiritand be led directly by the Lord. Nowwe can allenjoy Him anywhere,everywhere, any time, all the time,in all His power and fullness, and
we can all be reached equally, fairly,and simultaneously through thecommunication of the Holy Spirit.
Everyone who receives Jesus astheir Savior is given a certain amounof the Spirit, but receiving a complet
infillingor baptismof theHoly Spirit is usually a subsequentexperience to that of salvation. Thisis why the apostle Paul inquired
of certaindisciples hemet, Have
you receivedthe HolySpirit since
you believed? (Acts 19:2). If you aresaved, this power from God is yoursfor the asking. Like salvation, it is agift of God. Your heavenly Father[will] give the Holy Spirit to those
who ask Him (Luke 11:13).Be filled with the Holy Spirit,
and you will be closer to Jesus andunderstand His Word better. The HoSpirit will also give you the boldness
you need to share your faith with
others. If you havent already, you careceive the infilling of the Holy Spiritright now by praying this prayer:
Dear Jesus, please fill me tooverflowing with the Holy Spirit sothat I can love You more, follow Youmore closely, and have greater poweto tell others about Your love andsalvation. Amen.
{ }It shall come to pass in the last days, says God,that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh.
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ITHAPPENEDTOM
E
The Strangeron Campus
BY TERRI MOORE
I soaked up the sunny southern Cali-fornia afternoon as I walked from mylast class of the day at Fullerton JuniorCollege to the parking lot where Id leftmy car. I hoped the warm sunshine
would soothe my weary body and calmmy spirit, and it seemed to be working.I was happy that my day was nearlyover and I was free to go home, relax,and enjoy some time to myself. Butbefore I got to the parking lot, I had aseemingly insignificant encounter thateventually changed my life forever.
A young man offered me a leafletthat turned out to be about Jesus.The young man wasnt particularly
good looking, to be frank, and I couldtell right away that he was extremelyshy. What motivated him to approachstrangers like me? What did he knowabout me or my life? What did he care?
His message was simple: Jesus lovedme. It was clear that he was sharingsomething from deep in his heart,something he truly believed in, andI had to admire the conviction thatsomehow helped him overcome his
shyness.At the same time, I was annoyed that
he had disturbed my peace and quiet,and I let him know by flatly rejecting
what he had to say. I understand nowthat my pride was what stopped mefrom being more civil or showing anyinterest in the message of Gods lovehe was trying to share with me. I had
no time for such things, I told him, aacted as though I couldnt have caredless. But despite the haughty front,myheartwas listening. Deep down, believed every word he said.
How I must have discouraged thapoor young man! Im sure he had amuch harder time approaching anyoelse after the way I embarrassed himsomething for which Ive been sorryever since. Im also sorry that he nevknew how he got through to me thatday. You see, all the way home and fomany days after, I thought about him
Though he was shy and unassumI could tell he had something I didn
something wonderful and amazingthat helped him smile through thehumiliation I heaped on him and cotinue to reach out to me. Im ashameto say this, but I already knew Jesus athe time. I had already experiencedthe Lords love, but I was too proudto talk to this young man or hardlyanyone else about Him. Suddenly I
wished I had as much love and concfor others as this stranger. Suddenly
wished I had as much boldness, so thLord could use me too.
I studied about the Holy Spirit, anfound that all I needed to do to receiit was ask in faith. So one night, alonin my room, I prayed for the gift of thHoly Spirit. I asked with allmy heartI beggedfor the power to be what Iknew I wasnt capable of myself. I as
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God to fill me to overflowing with theSpirit, and He did! I began praisingthe Lordpraise from the depths ofmy souland connected with Him ina way I never had before. I felt as if Imight never stop pouring out My heartto God in this way, and I didnt want to.It was the most thrilling experience Idever had!
I also learned from all this that Godlooks past outward appearances andsees our hearts. He knows exactly whateach of us needs, and Hes just waitingfor us to ask so He can help. Whether
youre like the shy stranger, needing toovercome your inhibitions in order to
reach out to others, or youre like I was,proudly pretending not to need Godsor anyone elses help, His transform-ing power is only a prayer away. He canhelp you do things you never thoughtpossible, He can help you be all youcan be, and He can do all that throughthe Holy Spirit.
So if you havent yet experiencedthat miracle-working power, dont betoo proud to ask for it. Or if you have,
then let God use you to help someoneelse. Let Him shine His love and truththrough you, and a life may be changedforeverlike mine was!
A PRAYER FOR EASTER
How wonderful, how marvelous, is Your love, Jesus!To think that You were willing to go through that for meWhat a day of rejoicing that must have been when
You rose and realized it was all overYou had won thevictory! You had accomplished Your mission. You hadmade the way for the world to be saved. You had gonethrough the horrors of Hell and death for us, and it wasover.
You arose in victory, joy, liberation, and freedomfrom the hands of evil men, never to have to gothrough that againand You did it all to spare us the
same. Now we can say with the apostle Paul, O deathwhere is your sting? O Hades [grave], where is yourvictory? (1 Corinthians 15:5557).
As I think of the seemingly terrible defeat that Yousuffered and how it resulted in such a tremendousvictory, it fills me with wonder and gives me suchhope and peace. Surely You and Your love will see me
through whatever troubles may come my way, fromnow till eternity! Amen.
TERRI MOORE IS A FULLTIME CHRISTIAN
VOLUNTEER WITH THE FAMILY.
We have thistreasure[the Holy Spirit] in EARTHE
vessels, that the excellence of the POWERmay be
ofGodand not of us (2 Corinthians 4:7).
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SOCTand give people a senseof truly possessing. In
that respect, the worldhasnt changed much inthousands of years, since
coins were first minted.Many people are stilluneasy with the idea of acomputerized card or chiplinking them to their invis-ible wealth. Cash is stillthe way.
As the time draws
nearer, the Antichristmust speed up themove toward a cashlesseconomy by proving tothe world that it needshis mark of the Beastor 666 financial system
(Revelation 13:1618). Todo that, he will use crisisafter crisis in the nations
of the world. One will bea near-global economiccrashthe recession ofall recessions. He will usethis crash to overcome theinertia of the status quo.Without such radical inter-vention, people changetheir ways too slowly tosuit his purposes and fit
his time frame.Other factors and de
opments will also makethis new economic systseem necessary. Goverments will embrace it ameans of cracking dowon crime and cuttinggovernment spendingby cutting bureaucracy
Businesses will embracit as a means of instantpayment and automateinventory and accounticutting their expenses athereby increasing their
profits. The masses willembrace it for its speedconvenience, security, aease. There will be manapparent advantages.
The Antichrist will alsprepare the world for itin other waysthrough
wars, civil disorders, anfears of such things as rorism and epidemics o
new, incurable diseasesAll these happenings wmake people desperatefor change. Eventuallythey will be ready to tosout the old and embracthe new. Its already hapened in a big way in tharea of technology, andnow happening with co
merce.The Antichrist will
introduce a new monetsystem, whereby he wiprofess to fix the worldeconomic woes. Thosewho want to be a part ohis new economy andsociety will be compelleto receive the mark of
NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR
A CASHLESS SOCIETY IS
MARCHING right in stepwith other moves towardthe coming Antichristworld government. Weoften hear about the NewWorld Order and theglobal communitybuzzwords that are help-ing prepare the world for anew international financialand political system, a
society controlled bynetworked computerscontaining a databaseof information on nearlyeveryoneas Revela-tion chapter 13 appearsto have predicted nearly2,000 years ago!
The switch to elec-tronic commerce has
been slow and gradual.People like the speed andconvenience of electroniccommerce, but they arealso comfortable with the
way things have been alltheir lives. For hundredsof years, the world hasoperated on cashbillsand coins that are tangible
ENDTIMEINSIGHTS
BY JOSEPH CANDEL
THE COMINGTHE COMING
CASHESSSOCITY
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the Beast in their handor foreheadprobably inthe form of a tiny com-puterized chip bearing alltheir personal, financial,and medical information.Big Brother and the NewWorld Order will therebybe able to monitor every-ones every move.
In fact, a few peoplehave already taken thestep of receiving computerchip implants. Chippingof people began quietly inthe U.S. in May 2002, with
the chipping of the Jacobsfamily. This otherwisenormal family of four andseveral other volunteershad unique identifierchipsVeriChipsinjected under their skin.The VeriChip, produced
and marketed by AppliedDigital Solutions, is aboutthe size of the tip of a
ballpoint pen and canbe read by a handheldVeriChip scanner. Howlong will it be till thischipping of peoplebecomes the norm andwidely used to facilitatedaily business such asshopping and banking?
One thing is certain: A
global cashless economyand a totally monitored
and controlled societyare in the making. Fiberoptics, satellites, andcomputer databases havethe potential to controlthe world in a way thatboggles the imagination.
Many governments
and private corporationsworldwide are already pur-suing policies to eliminatecash and checks, whilemany other countries aretesting various methodsof doing business withoutphysical currency.
The town of Swindon,England, started to go
cashless in July 1995.In a joint venture, theNational Westminster andMidland banks and Brit-ish Telecommunicationstest-marketed a plastic/
silicon cash substitute.This system uses Mondexcards that are similar toATM cards, but containsophisticated computerchips. Monetary transferscan be done by phone ora small wireless device
called a wallet.France moved one step
closer to a cashless future
with a nationwide launchin 2003 of computerizedsmart cards, dubbedMoneo. The idea behindthis new breed ofmicrochip-embeddedplastic card is simpletodispense with pocketchange and speed smallertransactions.
In Japan, 650,000 elec-tronic purses known as
Edy cards are in circula-tion and can be used atabout 2,100 stores, mainlyin the Tokyo area. Theplan is for these cards,which store the bearersfinancial information,to eventually be used
anywhere. What makesthese different from credor debit cards is that thedo not need to be swipethrough a card readerand the bearers identitydoesnt need to be verifiby a cashier. All the beahas to do is hold the carup to a sensor that read
the information.Prosperous Singapor
is planning to do awaywith old-fashionedmoney by 2008.
[The Antichrists
government] causes all,both small and great, ricand poor, free and slaveto receive a mark on [or
in] their right hand or on[in] their foreheads, andthat no one may buy orsell except one who has
the mark or the name ofthe beast, or the numbeof his name (Revelation
13:1617). For the firsttime, the hi-tech means fulfilling the chilling visiothe apostle John receivenearly 2000 years ago ishere!
Are you ready for thesgreat and final eventsof the end? You can getready now by receiving
Jesus into your heart antaking time to study wha
the Bible has to say aboEndtime events, includ-ing the coming Antichrisworld dictatorship. Thenyou wont be caughtby surprise when theyhappen, or duped into flowing the Antichrist.
All these
happenings
will make
people
desperate
for change.
Eventuallythey will be
ready to toss
out the old
and embrace
the new.
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AS CONSTANT AS THE SUN
FROM JESUS WITH LOVE
H a P Pi N S S
THE HAPPINESS OF THE SPIRIT is far
above the happiness of the flesh, for the
happiness of the spirit is something that will
always be there for you. The loneliest nights or
the darkest clouds cant take it away from you.
The happiness of the flesh is fleet-ing. It comes and goes with your mood
and surroundings, with the physical
things that you see and feel, but the
happiness of the spirit comes from knowing that I
am your Savior and that I care for you. Those truths
never change.
The happiness that I give is as constant as the sun.
When the sun disappears beneath the horizon at night, do
you worry that its gone forever? No, you realize that it is constant,
always there. Though the night comes and you cannot see the sun,
you never doubt its existence or that it will rise the
next morning. So is the happiness of the spirit; its
ever-present, like the sun.
When darkness settles on
your spirit and you lose sight of
the happiness I have promised, that is
the time to trust until morning, until you see
and feel the sunshine of My love again. Never
doubtthe dawn will come!