OO ccasionally we receive inquiriesfrom students of prophecy whoask, “Where are we now in Bible

prophecy?” People naturally want tounderstand where we are in the march ofend-time prophetic events.

Someone recently sent me an e-mailabout a fantastic scenario of the end timebased on several nonbiblical events. Itsought to pinpoint exactly where we wereprior to the coming of Christ and the endof the age. I can’t fault a person for want-ing to understand. After all, it was theapostles who first posed the question toChrist while in Jerusalem. “What will bethe sign of Your coming and of the end ofthe age?” they asked.

Like the apostles, we ask the samequestion. We want to know how close weare to the time of 10 kings appearing andthe time of a great fearsome person or sys-tem called “the beast.” We want to knowwho the “false prophet” may be.

Daniel the prophet sought the samedetailed understanding of the fantasticvisions given to him in his day. Servantsof God through the ages have wanted tounderstand their times, whether they wereliving in the end days and if they would beamong the generation to see Christ returnin His glory.

Students of Bible prophecy are likethe disciples and Daniel. We want under-standing and we want to know when—when will the Beast power come together,

when will the Great Tribulation begin. Wewant to know who will be the man of sinfrom 2 Thessalonians. We want to con-struct elaborate timelines to align refer-ences to days and weeks, all in an attemptto determine, “as close as we can withoutsetting dates,” the time when Christ willreturn. Like the precision mind of an engi-neer, we analyze a complex prophecy likeDaniel’s 70 weeks, attempting to puttogether the pieces of a historical, geo-graphical and theological puzzle that onlyGod can divine.

But where do we begin to answer thisquestion of the ages? Rather than inMatthew 24, let’s go to what Christrevealed to John while the apostle was onthe island of Patmos. Doing so will helpus get an overview that is critical to keep-ing a balanced perspective on prophecy.

Balance is a critical keySo often we want to get into the minu-

tiae of prophetic subjects with the intentof understanding everything. Sometimeswe want to know all the secrets now, for-getting that God will veil them until thetime when He wants to reveal all.

Amos says, “Surely the Lord GOD

does nothing, unless He reveals Hissecret to His servants the prophets”(Amos 3:7). Would we not do better toadopt a larger overview of Bible prophe-cy, accepting what God chooses to

Where Are We Nowin Prophecy?

Are today’s headlines foretold in the pages of your Bible? Isthere a message of hope beyond the gloom and doom news cycle

of today’s world? Jesus Christ was a prophet; He forecast theoverall sequence of events of the world from His time on intothe future. His futuristic message was current then and it’s

current today.

by Darris McNeely

Where Are We Now inProphecy?

by Darris McNeely . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Restoration: Day of Rain, Day of Sun

by Darris McNeely . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

After Arafat

by Cecil Maranville . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Intelligence Failure—FromListening to the WrongPeople?

by Melvin Rhodes . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Britain’s Declining Respectfor Biblical Values

by John Ross Schroeder . . . . . . . . . 10

Radical Liberalism

by Gary Petty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

This Is the Way... Beyond Politics

by Robin Webber. . . . . . . . . . . . 16

August 2004 | Vol. 7, No. 7

(See “NOW,” page 3)

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World News and Prophecy is published monthly by theUnited Church of God, an International Association,publisher of The Good News magazine, 555Technecenter Drive, Milford, OH 45150. © 2004United Church of God, an International Association.Printed in the U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproductionin any form without written permission is prohibited.

The mission of World News and Prophecy (WNP) is toprovide United Church of God members and otherinterested persons with commentary and analysis ofselected world news topics in the light of Bible prophe-cy. Its purpose is to help readers discern the times andincrease their awareness and understanding of theanswers Christ gave to His disciples’ questions: “Tellus, when will these things be? And what will be the signof Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew24:3).

Editor: Don WardManaging editor: Darris McNeely

Senior editors: Melvin Rhodes, Robin WebberContributing editor: John Ross Schroeder

Copy editors: Becky Bennett, Doug Johnson, CecilE. Maranville

Layout/design: Mike Bennett, Peter W. Eddington

Scriptural references are from the New King JamesVersion (© 1988 Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers)unless otherwise noted.

The United Church of God provides World News andProphecy (WNP) as an educational service for interestedpersons. The purpose of WNP is to help readers discernthe times and increase their awareness and understandingof current events in the light of Bible prophecy. Althoughthe staff strives for truth and accuracy in its reporting,analysis and Bible commentary, WNP is not a doctrinalpublication. Articles do undergo both an editorial and areview process.

Unsolicited materials: Due to staffing limitations,unsolicited materials sent to World News andProphecy will not be critiqued or returned. By theirsubmission authors agree that submitted materialsbecome the property of the United Church of God,an International Association, to use as it sees fit.This agreement is controlled by California law.

Subscriptions: World News and Prophecy is sentfree to members of the United Church of God, andall who request it. There is no subscription price. Torequest a subscription, write to World News andProphecy, P.O. Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027, phone (513) 576-9796 or download fromwww.ucg.org. For international addresses, see page15.

Address changes: POSTMASTER—Send addresschanges to World News and Prophecy, P.O. Box541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027.

World News and Prophecy online: Read WorldNews and Prophecy as soon as it is completed. Thenext issue is scheduled to be available by Sept. 10,2004, on the Internet at:

http://www.ucg.org/wnp/

August 2004 Vol. 7, No. 7

As I write this column, the political convention season is in full swing as the twoleading candidates for the U.S. presidency are presenting their cases to theirparties and the American people. Rhetoric flows. Challenges are thrown down.

And promises for a better tomorrow are made, as they are every four years in an end-less cycle that has the same refrain. Honestly, take away the faces and you can almostuse the same speeches every four years.

This could be called the summer of the American presidency. We have the con-ventions and candidates gearing up for a tough, acrimonious campaign. But earlierwe had another presidential moment, one that does not come too often. In early JuneAmerica laid to rest its 40th president, Ronald Reagan. America may not have all thepomp and circumstance of its mother country, but when it holds a state funeral, it doesso with style, grace and the appropriate majesty. The weeklong remembrance and cel-ebration of this man’s life was a welcome pause in the political season.

June 11 was the day for a national ceremony and burial. The National Cathedralin Washington was set for a gathering of national and world leaders. Dawn broughtrain. Watching the soldiers carry the casket from the Capitol Rotunda down the steepwest steps, you held your breath hoping they would not slip on the wet pavement.Headlights from the limos cut a path of light through the streets as the procession madeits way to the service.

All the living American presidents were gathered for the service. Two of them gaveeulogies. The words of the hymn “The Mansions of the Lord” concluded the service.

To fallen soldiers let us sing / Where no rockets fly nor bullets wing / Ourbroken brothers let us bring / To the mansions of the Lord

No more bleeding no more fight / No prayers pleading through the night /Just divine embrace, eternal light / In the mansions of the Lord

Where no mothers cry and no children weep / We will stand and guard tothe angels sleep / All through the ages safely keep / The mansions of the Lord.The hymn is a call for a time when strife ceases and the pain of war is removed

from mothers and children. It speaks to the agelong hope of all peoples. What mostdon’t understand is that this hope will only be realized when Jesus Christ returns tothis earth in the power of the heavens and restores the just and righteous rule of theKingdom of God. God’s eternal gospel carries that message of hope. I have readenough of the life of Ronald Reagan to know he held a deep desire to rid the world ofnuclear weapons and end the possibility of nuclear holocaust. It was perhaps the defin-ing theme of his presidency.

A presidential jet carried Reagan’s body back to California where it was laid to restlater that day on the grounds of his presidential library in Simi Valley. In contrast tothe rain of the morning, the day ended with a beautiful western sunset framing theocean, the hills and the flag-draped coffin. It was a fitting conclusion for a man wholooked at America as a “shining city on a hill.” He wished her to have a “bright newdawn ahead.”

Reagan’s wish will come true. Not in this age and not at the hands of today’saspiring leaders. It will be true in the age to come when those who exercise pow-er will be as those described by King David. “He who rules over men must bejust, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be like the light of the morning whenthe sun rises, a morning without clouds, like the tender grass springing out of theearth, by clear shining after rain” (2 Samuel 23:3-4).

—Darris McNeely

2 World News and Prophecy

Day of Rain, Day of Sun

reveal and what He chooses to hide?Doing so would keep us from gettingmired in the swamps of intricate details,which experience teaches us are trickyand treacherous.

In the first pages of the book ofRevelation we see who the Revelator is.He is Jesus Christ. Notice in chapter 1:“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, whichGod gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. AndHe sent and signified it by His angel to Hisservant John, who bore witness to theword of God, and to the testimony of JesusChrist, to all things that he saw” (verses 1-2).

Here we focus on a little-understoodrole of Jesus. It is His role in telling thefuture, prophesying of things to come.This is a vital dimension of Christ’s min-istry, which few fully understand andappreciate.

Here at the beginning of Revelation thescene is set. It is a glimpse of Christ in glo-ry, in heaven among angels and stars andlamps, His face radiating power like thesun. In His hands He holds the power ofthe stars in heaven. His words carry forceand weight and importance.

John describes the awesome scene: “Iheard behind me a loud voice, as of a trum-pet, saying, ‘I am the Alpha and theOmega, the First and the Last,’and, ‘Whatyou see, write in a book . . .’Then I turnedto see the voice that spoke with me. Andhaving turned I saw seven golden lamp-stands, and in the midst of the seven lamp-stands One like the Son of Man, clothedwith a garment down to the feet and gird-ed about the chest with a golden band. Hishead and hair were white like wool, aswhite as snow, and His eyes like a flameof fire; His feet were like fine brass, as ifrefined in a furnace, and His voice as thesound of many waters; He had in His righthand seven stars, out of His mouth went asharp two-edged sword, and His counte-nance was like the sun shining in itsstrength.

“And when I saw Him, I fell at His feetas dead. But He laid His right hand on me,saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am theFirst and the Last. I am He who lives, andwas dead, and behold, I am alive forever-more. Amen. And I have the keys of Hadesand of Death. Write the things which youhave seen, and the things which are, and

the things which will take place after this’”(Revelation 1:10-19).

Christ is in charge of the events of theworld. Nothing takes place without Hisand the Father’s notice (Revelation 4:11).

Christ the RevelatorDuring His earthly ministry Jesus

spoke of a world to come in precise andunmistakable terms. It is a world wheredeath, the enemy of man, will bedestroyed: “But they which shall beaccounted worthy to obtain that world, andthe resurrection from the dead, neithermarry, nor are given in marriage: Neithercan they die any more” (Luke 20:35-36,King James Version).

To His closest followers, those whowould form the Church’s foundation asapostles, He said: “And I appoint unto youa kingdom, as my Father hath appointedunto me; that ye may eat and drink at mytable in my kingdom, and sit on thronesjudging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke22:29-30, KJV).

The reign of Christ, the first 1,000years of which are called the Millenniumbecause of the reference in Revelation 20to a 1,000-year time span, will produce

this wonderful age. Many more scriptures,beyond the scope of this article, paint apicture of peace and productive coopera-tion among peoples and nations. It will bethe utopian experience foretold by Isaiah,Ezekiel and other prophets. Peace, like ariver, will flow through all the earth.

Before this time of peace there will bea time of world trouble and upheaval likenone before. Christ spoke of these eventsas well with precise certainty. Notice thefollowing unmistakable, interrelatedevents He foretold.

In Matthew 24, His longest propheticlesson, Christ spoke of the “abominationof desolation,” involving a holy site inJerusalem (verse 15).

A related unmistakable event is mili-tary operations around the city ofJerusalem. Notice Luke 21:20, “And whenye shall see Jerusalem compassed witharmies, then know that the desolationthereof is nigh” (KJV). He warns thosewho are faithful followers to flee, indicat-ing they will know who they are and exact-ly what they should do. These events willsignal the beginning of another eventcalled the Great Tribulation (Matthew24:15-16, 21).

“NOW,” (Continued from page 1)

August 2004 3

The wailing wall in Jerusalem. Jerusalem plays a key role in end-timeprophecies, when it will see the “abomination of desolation” and be

surrounded by armies.

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Jerusalem has been surrounded andconquered many times in the past, but thissection speaks of a time yet ahead when asequence of specific events will coincide ina perfect prophetic storm.

Additionally, Christ indicates there willbe a great spiritual deception (Matthew24:24) that will even threaten to deceivethe elect, God’s chosen. Herein is a puz-zling matter. The world is full of many stu-dents of the Bible who have accurateinsight into today’s world events and theconnection to prophecy. They, too, look for

a power in Europe to arise and dominatethe world. They look in all the right placesfor the appearance of two individuals, onesecular and one religious, in fulfillment ofRevelation 13. So why will there be adeception so great that only “the elect” willescape? What will they understand thatmany other people tuned in to prophecywill not?

Part of the answer lies in understandinghow the Holy Spirit works in the people ofGod. The Spirit does lead us into all thetruth as Christ said it would. Christ’s faith-ful people worship Him in spirit and intruth, keeping themselves unspotted fromthis present evil world. Through the Spiritin them, they have the ability to understandthe times and to be vigilant in their per-sonal affairs. The spiritual deception of theend times will not impair their judgment.

Right now we are in a time bestdescribed as one of broad trends. We do“see darkly” in some cases as we awaitspecific fulfillments. On the other hand, we

can see an unrelenting erosion of moralityin society. General trends are important tounderstand. For if the elect are not able toidentify and understand them, then decep-tion is very likely. Sometimes a societalchange takes place over several decades.

A recent Wall Street Journal columngave an example of how Western societyhas changed its morality over the past 40years. There is a current revival of a play,A Raisin in the Sun, first produced in 1960,currently running on Broadway. The storyis of a family set in 1950s America. It is anintact nuclear family where everyoneworks hard and dreams of success. Animportant moment in the plot comes whena character announces she is pregnant andhas decided to have an abortion. She hasalready put $5 payment toward the actionwith a neighborhood back-alley abortion-ist. Of course, in the 1950s abortion hadnot been legalized in the United States.

When this play first came out in 1960,it stirred agonizing emotions. Abortionwas a moral matter dealing with the sanc-tity of life. Societal norms weighed heavi-ly against this choice. But the reaction of a2004 audience reflected a monumentalshift in societal values in the ensuingdecades:

“They heard the young woman say shewas about to end the life of her child, andthey applauded. Some of them cheered. Itwas stunning. The reaction seemed to star-tle the actors on stage, and shake their con-centration.

“I was startled. I turned to my friend.‘We have just witnessed a terrible culturalmoment,’ I said. ‘Don’t I know it,’ heresponded. Afterwards, thinking about it, Isaid to my friend, ‘When that play openedthat plot point was understood—they knewit was tragic. And that was only what, 40years ago.’ He said, ‘They would haveknown it was tragic even 25 years ago.’And it gave me a shiver because I knew itwas true. So much progress followed the1960s, in so many ways, but applaudingabortion isn’t progress. It’s ugly” (PeggyNoonan, “‘Raisin’ and Falling,” April 29,2004).

Changes like this indicate a worseningmoral climate in America and other largeWestern nations. Those who “sigh andcry” over the abominations of our nationsare getting fewer and fewer. Trends likethese lead to a time when faith will bescarce among the nations of the earth.

Christ spoke of discerning the timesin which one lives. “Then He also saidto the multitudes, ‘Whenever you see acloud rising out of the west, immediate-ly you say, “A shower is coming”; andso it is. And when you see the southwind blow, you say, “There will be hotweather”; and there is. Hypocrites! Youcan discern the face of the sky and of theearth, but how is it you do not discernthis time?’” (Luke 12:54-56).

We have not seen the specific eventsto which Christ refers. When we do,they will be unmistakable to the elect. Inour lifetimes we have seen a steadydecline in the glory and strength of twopeoples, America and Britain, twonations descended from two brothersupon whom the name of Israel and thatof his fathers, Isaac and Abraham, hadbeen placed (Genesis 48:16). (For a fullbiblical and historical explanation ofwhy we identify these nations withIsrael in prophecy, see our free bookletThe United States and Britain in BibleProphecy.)

America and Britain have been a“multitude in the midst of the earth.”They have dramatically influenced thepast 200 years. That we can talk aboutthe divine connection openly and in themidst of freedom and prosperity is ananomaly of history. It is due to God’sultimate mercy. But after this comes ajudgment.

Where are we in prophecy? We are ina time when we should be watching, learn-ing and repenting. It is a time to heed thewarnings of Jesus Christ, the Revelator andgreatest of all the prophets.

4 World News and Prophecy

“Whenever you see a cloud risingout of the west, immediately you

say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so itis . . . But how is it you do not dis-cern this time?” (Luke 12:54-56)

To help you betterunderstand theoverview of prophecy,we have prepared sev-eral booklets. Pleaserequest Are We Livingin the Time of theEnd?, The UnitedStates and Britain inBible Prophecy andYou Can Understand Bible Prophecy.

Contact any of our offices listed on page15, or request or download them from

our Web site atwww.ucg.org

Recommended Reading

August 2004 5

Yasir Arafat, president of the PalestinianAuthority (PA), isn’t gone—yet. But hismegalomaniacal leadership has put in

place what will happen when he is. Already, spo-radic gun battles take place in the streets ofPalestinian towns and cities, as clan leaders andwarlords jockey for power. For the most part,they still submit to Arafat, who strangelyremains a symbol of opposition to Israel. Butthese gangs are positioning themselves to seizeadvantage when he is gone.

The legacy Arafat leaves will likely ensurethat peace with Israel will not take place for along time. But it will also ensure wretchednessfor the people he is supposed to lead into secu-rity and nationhood.

Sources told Time magazine that Arafat said,“I know how to protect the Palestinian interestsbetter than anyone else,” when meeting withPrime Minister Ahmed Queria (Matthew Reesand Jamil Hamad, “Aafat Under Fire,” July 25,2004). “I’m not going to surrender,” he added,as if the latest dispute was a personal attack onhim, instead of a revolt against the rot that per-meates his organization.

Speaking of Arafat’s leadership, Palestinianlegislator Hana Ashrawi said, “We should putthis one-man-show behind us” (Jerusalem PostOnline Edition, July 26, 2004). She told of trou-bling rumors of a high volume of sales ofweapons in both Gaza and the West Bank.

Arafat has governed the 3.7 million residentsof the Palestinian territories like so many ruth-less dictators in Middle East history, not like ademocratically elected president. Of course,there has been only one presidential election, in1996, and no date set for another. And, in thatelection, he saw to it that the only opponent hefaced was a 73-year-old female social activist.

“Leadership” by force and briberyThroughout his years of notoriety, from

international terrorist to quasi head-of-state, hehas managed those who might take over fromhim with Machiavellian skill. Instead of serv-ing the people he presides over, he ensures that

the powerful continue to fight among them-selves, thus controlling his people through car-rot and stick. He channels millions of dollars offoreign aid to businessmen loyal to him andbribes government officials to remain in hiscamp.

Using the Al Aqsa Martyrs’Brigade—a mili-tia within the PA that is listed by the U.S. StateDepartment as a terrorist organization—hewields his mafia-style control through lynch-ings, shootings, kidnappings, arrests and threatsof violence—against Palestinians!

As often happens with those corrupt to thepoint of arrogance, Arafat in blatant nepotismappointed his unpopular and incapable cousin,Musa Arafat, over all PA security forces in lateJuly. Musa in the past headed one of the manybranches of security in the PA, military intelli-gence.

Violent protests erupted throughout thePalestinian territories. About 300 armed menseized the governor’s office in Khan Yunis, a cityin the Gaza Strip, holding it for several hoursuntil the security officers received assurances

After ArafatA second contentious dispute between Yasir Arafat and a second prime minister over the control of

the Palestinian Security Services shows the world what kind of leader Arafat is—and what thePalestinian Authority will be like when he is gone.

by Cecil E. Maranville

Clan leaders andwarlords arebeginning tojockey for powerwhen Arafat isgone.

Palestinian Authority President Yasir Arafat

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6 World News and Prophecy

they would not lose their jobs in retri-bution for their rebellion.

Included in the 300 were membersof the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, indi-cating that Arafat no longer has the fullsupport of this violent and heavilyarmed terrorist band.

Others were members of thePalestinian Security Services—a con-cept that needs some explanation.According to the Oslo Accord of 1993,the PA could have only a police force—nothing approaching a paramilitary ormilitary organization—that numberedno more than 30,000.

But the PA’s security force numbersbetween 40,000 and 80,000, and itsmembers carry automatic weapons,have armored vehicles, antitank andantiaircraft missiles. Even at the lowestimate of 40,000, the PA would be themost heavily policed territory in theworld. And with that kind of weaponry,the security services are the beginningsof an army.

There are 12 different services oper-ating within the Palestinian SecurityServices. They clash and compete witheach other—sometimes violently. Oneof the services, Force 17, is a privatesecurity group of 3,000 whose soleresponsibility is the protection ofArafat.

Palestinian cement buildsIsraeli barrier

In a stunning revelation on the heelsof the International Court of Justice’sdecision that the Israeli barrier wall isillegal, a damning report by Palestinianlegislators claims that Palestinian com-panies sold hundreds of thousands oftons of cement to Israel to create thewall, all with the knowledge andapproval of Arafat.

“The report reveals that the cementoriginally came from Egyptian compa-nies which supplied it at a huge dis-count of $22 . . . a tonne to help rebuilddilapidated Palestinian houses or build-ings bulldozed by the Israelis.

“Between September 2003 andMarch this year, 420,000 tonnes ofcement were allegedly sent to three bigPalestinian companies. According tothe report, however, only 33,000 tonneswere sold in the Palestinian market. Thevast bulk was transported to Israel on

trucks owned by the three firms.According to [Hassan] Khreishe [oneof the report’s three authors and coun-cil member from Tulkarm, a city in theWest Bank], the cement was then soldwith a mark-up of at least $15 atonne—and possibly as high as $100—making profits of well over $6 mil-lion . . . for company executives” (InigoGilmore, “Palestinian Cement for IsraelBarrier,” The Telegraph of Calcutta,India, July 26, 2004).

The report asserts that Arafat’s gov-ernment approved the transactions; thatArafat personally knew of the business

dealings for five months before thereport made them public, and that hedid nothing to stop it, all the while con-demning the construction of the wall.

Pilfered millionsThanks to the generosity of nations

willing to send aid to the Palestinians,Arafat has hundreds of millions of dol-lars to work with, which he seems touse as he chooses. Last September theInternational Monetary Fund found thathe diverted $900 million of donatedmonies into his private bank account.His personal worth is estimated to be atleast $1.3 billion. CBS News reportedan additional fund of $800 million thatArafat funneled into an account in thename of his wife, Suha, and daughter,in addition to $100,000 given to Suhamonthly by the Palestinian Authority.

In February of this year, Frenchprosecutors opened an investigationinto money laundering, focusing upon$15 million paid into Suha Arafat’saccount between July 2002 and July2003. Mrs. Arafat spends most of hertime in Europe, living the luxurious

lifestyle of a queen. The French satiri-cal publication Le Canard Echainereported that Suha paid 2 million eurosout of those funds to an interior deco-rator who is frequently employed by theworld’s jet-setters.

Using the huge resources of inter-national aid as he chooses obviouslygives Arafat untouchable power in thePalestinian Authority. Yet his family’sluxury stands in horrible contrast to thepoverty of the Palestinians in the campsof the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.Jessica Stern in Terror in the Name ofGod (2003) writes of seeing rawsewage pumped onto the sand sur-rounding Palestinian camps in whichpeople live in depressing squalor, mostof them without jobs.

Stern says that both Arafat’s Fatahparty and the Islamic terrorist groupHamas actually want to keep thePalestinians in poverty, because itkeeps them dependent and thereforecontrollable. People would literallystarve were it not for handouts fromtheir corrupt government or from theterrorists.

This has nothing to do with Israel,but rather the leadership of Arafat. Hadhe condemned the intifada begun in2000 by the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigadeinstead of funding it, had he used thehundreds of millions of aid dollars tohelp Palestinians develop the business-es and skills to be self-supportinginstead of as his personal treasure, hadhe stopped the rampant corruptionwithin the Palestinian Authority insteadof encouraging bribery and kickbacks,had he ordered the establishment of apolice force instead of trying to createan army, had he brought the many trib-al factions together instead of stirringup infighting, the Palestinian peoplewould have a state of their own today.

Legacy of criminal self-indulgence

How will history remember Arafat?I believe it will judge him as a greedy,self-important man who caused griev-ous harm to his people.

Arafat’s declaration, “I’m not goingto surrender,” to his most recent primeminister in the most recent blowup overwho has authority over the PalestinianSecurity Services is telling. It’s all about

Thanks to the generosity ofnations willing to send aid tothe Palestinians, Arafat has

hundreds of millions ofdollars to work with, which

he seems to use as hechooses . . . His personal

worth is estimated to be atleast $1.3 billion.

August 2004 7

Arafat. It’s always been all about Arafat. The crux issue is that security ser-

vices must be taken out of Arafat’s con-trol and put under the prime minister.That is what Egypt and “the Quartet”(Russia, the United Nations, the UnitedStates and the European Union)demanded. That is what the firstPalestinian prime minister, MahmoudAbbas, was to do; it was what he triedto do; it was what he resigned over fail-ing to do.

And in spite of promises that final-ly Prime Minister Queria will haveauthority to reform the security ser-vices, you can be sure that Arafat has-n’t surrendered actual control.

Egypt borders the Gaza Strip andfears that, after Arafat, the Islamic ter-rorist group Hamas will take control.For their sake, Egypt pressed Arafat toreform the security services and put anend to the infighting between the vari-ous branches. Arafat refused Egypt’sadvice.

He seems to be doing the same withthe Quartet’s demand. Julie Stahl,CNSNews.com’s Jerusalem bureauchief, cites Israeli intelligence sourcesas saying Arafat is waiting out what hehopes will be a change of administra-tions in Washington. The most frequentguest in the Clinton White House,Arafat is reportedly angered by theBush administration’s refusal to treathim with such deference. Whether aKerry White House would embraceArafat is uncertain, as so many revela-tions of corruption have surfaced inrecent months.

Disaster in the wingsWhy don’t the Palestinian people

overthrow the tyrant? As noted above,he controls the purse strings of theirsurvival and he is willing to use hismilitia to enforce his will on them. Butbeyond these factors, he controls or bul-lies the media and the schools.

“While charming diplomatic dupesin the West with beautiful English-lan-guage statements, he has for years beenrallying Palestinians to Jihad—inArabic. It’s all part of Arafat’s cult ofdeath. It starts by brainwashing youthsnot long after they are out of diapers,and the incitement continues with thebombardment of constant anti-

Semitism and calls to arms over radioand television. With so much venominjected into Palestinian hearts andminds, it’s a fair question if peace cancome even after Arafat exits stage left”(Joel Mowbray, “Arafat’s PoisonousReign Finally Being Challenged,”Townhall.com, July 26, 2004).

A senior Fatah official told Time’sMatthew Rees and Jamil Hamad thatparty leaders gave Arafat notice twoyears ago to clean his house up. Now itis dawning upon them that Arafat willnot change. But if anyone other thanArafat attempts reform, for examplePrime Minister Queria attempting todisarm the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigadeand other militias, Arafat has the peopleso primed that reform will appear to begiving in to Israeli interests.

Jane’s Intelligence in its Feb. 18,2004, foreign report suggests that a post-Arafat Palestinian Authority will frag-ment into small groups of warlords withtheir own armed forces. None will belarge enough in itself to have the weight

to speak for all Palestinians. Any mod-erates who see that they could actuallyhave their state through negotiationswith Israel would not have any strengthwithout the backing of warlords—whowould not back negotiations.

After Arafat, then, there will bechaos in the PA. What’s the worst thatcould happen? I mentioned above thefear that the Egyptians have of Hamastaking control of the Gaza Strip. Anactivist group calling itself Tanzim isclosely allied with the terrorist Al AqsaMartyrs’Brigade in the West Bank. Thealliance views their joining arms withHamas as a post-Arafat strategy forcontrolling the West Bank region too.

Think of what that means—radicalIslamic terrorist control of land fromthe Mediterranean Sea to the JordanRiver. Arafat alive has been a disaster.Arafat dead could actually be worse.

Keep up with how events in thisdynamically critical area of the worldrelate to prophecy with our free booklet,The Middle East in Bible Prophecy.

Palestinian President Yasir Arafat, right, flashes a victory sign as PrimeMinister Ahmed Queria looks on during a rally outside his headquarters inRamallah Aug. 2. Palestinian areas have been rocked by upheaval in recentweeks, including kidnappings, street protests and gun battles between mili-tants and security forces, in the biggest internal challenge to Arafat since he

returned from exile a decade ago.

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8 World News and Prophecy

It comes as no surprise to my wife and methat there are fundamental weaknesses inAmerican intelligence.A little over 25 years ago we were residents

in the West African nation of Ghana. At thetime we were living under a military govern-ment known as the Supreme Military CouncilII (Reconstituted). The complicated name wasto distinguish it from an earlier SMC that wasin power at the time we arrived in Ghana inMay of 1978.

The first SMC was led by General IgnatiusAcheampong. He was removed from office ina palace coup six weeks after we arrived in thecountry. We first heard about the change on theBBC World Service from London, England.Another military leader replaced him, Major-General Fred Akuffo.

At the time the country was in rapid eco-nomic decline. You could say the economywas in free fall. With inflation estimated atabout 600 percent a year (estimated becausethere was no government department trying tokeep track of it) and worsening shortages offood, detergents, toiletries and other essen-tials, there were constant rumors of coups andcountercoups. Such is life in the Third World.

Although we were faced with our own veryreal challenges just trying to survive it all, wedid try to keep up with what was happeningelsewhere. In January of that fateful year,1979, the shah of Iran was overthrown.Looking back now 25 years, we can see howfateful a year it was, for subsequent eventshave plainly shown that the overthrow of theshah was the first victory for Islamic funda-mentalism and a defeat for the U.S.-led West.

For months the U.S. State Department hadbeen receiving intelligence reports from Iranthat said the pro-American shah was stable andthat the demonstrations occurring daily in dif-ferent parts of the country were put on by a fewrabble-rousers.

Intel turned out to be wrong. Very wrong.

And we are living with the consequences tothis day.

Instability in West AfricaWhy was it not a surprise to my wife and

me? Because the same intelligence reportswere going back to Washington D.C. fromAccra, Ghana. According to intelligence, thegovernment of Ghana was popular and stable.

The reports were also decidedly wrong. OnJune 4, 1979, Ghana’s government was over-thrown in a bloody coup that was uncharacter-istic of the country. A new, anti-American,leftist military regime came to power with theaid of the radical Arab nationalist (now sup-posedly reformed) Colonel Gadhafi of Libya.Gadhafi himself had overthrown a pro-American monarchy in Libya 10 years earli-er—after which he closed down British andAmerican military bases in the country andkicked out most of their nationals.

Why did intel get it wrong in both Tehranand Accra? And, undoubtedly, in Tripoli backin ’69? And later in other West African coun-tries as one nation after another copied eventsin Ghana?

I believe the answer to that can be found inthe affluent suburb of the Airport ResidentialArea in Accra. This is where most diplomatsand expatriates (foreign nationals working inthe country) live. Today houses there rent forabout $3,000 per month. This is in a countrythat has an official per capita income of about$30 per month. Yes, per month.

How can some afford to rent at $3,000 permonth and others live on $30 per month?

Well, Ghana’s no different from otherThird World nations. There’s a small rulingelite that takes almost all the national wealth,leaving the vast majority (well over 90 per-cent) with little or nothing to live on.

Small elite group rulesThis was illustrated very well by a segment

Intelligencereports have been

wrong before.Although the

reasons for failuresare probably ascomplex as the

elaborateintelligence

communitiesthemselves,consider an

outsider’sspeculation aboutone simple factorthat rarely seems

to be given properweight.

Intelligence Failure—FromListening to the Wrong People?Sept. 11 and the war in Iraq have both been partially blamed on bad intelligence. It came as no

surprise to this World News and Prophecy writer.

by Melvin Rhodes

August 2004 9

on CBS’s 60 Minutes program on July18, 2004.

The news item came fromEquatorial Guinea, another WestAfrican nation, but one which, onpaper at least, is wealthy. EquatorialGuinea has oil—enough oil for everyman, woman and child to receivesomething in the region of $6,000 peryear, per person, if its revenues wereevenly distributed.

Instead, over 90 percent of the peo-ple live on less than one dollar a day.

It didn’t take the 60 Minutes’ teamlong to discover why.

The president of the country lives infabulous palaces in his native country,has two multimillion-dollar mansionsin Washington, D.C., and has a son liv-ing in Paris’ Ritz Hotel in a style thatwould make Dodi Fayed seem like apauper. Dodi, you will remember, wasPrincess Diana’s companion the nightshe (and he) was killed. He was receiv-ing a monthly allowance of $100,000from his father, without doing anywork.

If 60 Minutes is correct, the son ofthe president of Equatorial Guinealives a similar lifestyle to Dodi—dri-ving around all day in a very expensiveLamborghini, spending millions onfrivolous items bought at the beststores in Paris.

Why do the people put up with thispresident? One answer to that is that heis a lot nicer than his uncle, the previ-ous president whom he overthrew morethan two decades ago. The previouspresident, the first leader of the coun-try after independence from Spain, wasMacias Nguema, who killed an esti-mated one third of all the people in hiscountry.

What was particularly interesting inthis report, however, was the connec-tion between the president ofEquatorial Guinea and U.S. oil compa-nies. Because his country sits on mas-sive reserves of oil and because theUnited States needs the oil even morenow with all the uncertainties in theMiddle East, the current president ofthis West African nation is a frequentvisitor to Washington.

I wouldn’t be surprised if intelli-gence reports are coming back toWashington saying that his regime is

stable and popular and that Americaninterests are secure there.

But how would intelligence agentsknow any different?

Diplomats live in a differentworld

From my experience in Ghana, Ibelieve that most people connectedwith the various embassies (whetherinvolved in intelligence or not) spendmost of their time socializing witheach other. They have a very highstandard of living with beautiful spa-cious homes. Their children attendexpensive private schools. There isvery little contact with the average cit-izen—unless they sit down and talkwith their servants, which few areinclined to do.

A few weeks before the 1979 coupthat overthrew the government ofGhana, we were visiting our Americanneighbor. He worked for USAID, thedevelopmental arm of the U.S. govern-ment overseas. We were discussing thesituation in Ghana. All four of usagreed that something dreadful wasabout to happen. We knew this becausewe were in tune with the ordinary peo-ple in the country, people who weretruly suffering under an oppressive and

incompetent government, a govern-ment that had led people down the pathto financial ruin.

It came as no surprise to us whenthe country erupted into violence a fewweeks later. Nor will I be surprisedwhen I hear on the news that the presi-dent of Equatorial Guinea has beenoverthrown and the assets of U.S. oilcompanies seized. A fabulouslywealthy president presiding over anation of paupers isn’t going to enjoypower very long. As CBS showed,tongue in cheek, his popularity hasalready declined, from 99.7 percent inan “election” held a few years ago, to amere 97.5 percent in a recent “elec-tion!”

The 60 Minutes report showed thebeautiful homes of U.S. oil workers inEquatorial Guinea—all built on primeland sold to them by the president, allprotected by high walls. Neither oilworkers nor intelligence agents, itseems, have much contact with thelocals.

My experience tells me you can getmore accurate information listening toAmerican missionaries and aid work-ers, rather than the diplomats and intel-ligence agents who, it seems, live onthe wrong side of town.

Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo holds talks withFrench President Jacques Chirac at the Elysee Palace in Paris, July 21, 2004.

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10 World News and Prophecy

Britain’s Declining Respect forBiblical Values

Traditional values, like basic respect for the rights and dignity of others, are fast disappearing from asociety steadily undermined by secularism and growing ignorance of the Bible. How do we rebuild a

culture of respect?

by John Ross Schroeder

Have you experienced a driver carelesslycutting in front of you recently? Orwalked past a group of youths who

hurled abuse and foul language in your direc-tion? What about people pushing in line?Today we see a serious and growing erosion oftraditional biblical values such as respect forthe dignity and rights of others.

“It’s a tradition we have lost as our valuesare eroded,” stated British Home SecretaryDavid Blunkett as he “blamed parents who failto accept responsibility for instilling values ofrespect in their families and a breakdown ofneighbourliness in villages, towns and cities”(Daily Mail, May 21, 2004, emphasis addedthroughout).

Of course, Britons in the hundreds of thou-sands still show respect for others while con-ducting their daily lives. They not only behavein an orderly, civilized manner, but also haveraised their children to imitate their own con-duct. Nonetheless, many observers freelyacknowledge a serious and growing erosion oftraditional biblical values.

Myriads of examplesNewspaper columnist Melanie Phillips

laments the waning of the quality of respect inthe British Isles: “You can see examples every-where in the myriad incivilities of everydaylife: the shouting and swearing in the streets,the lighted cigarettes dangled carelessly in chil-dren’s faces by rush-hour crowds; the casualslovenliness on the Tube [subway], as passen-gers anti-socially chomp their way throughhamburgers and leave rubbish littering the car-riages.

“You see it in schools where teachers findit increasingly impossible to impose theirauthority upon badly behaved pupils. You see itin those children’s parents who proclaim theimpossibility of controlling their children andthen threaten teachers with physical violence

if they dare to discipline them” (ibid.). There is no question that there are some

very big holes in the British national fabric, asin other Western nations. Relationships arebecoming increasingly fragile. The land is fullof broken marriages, lonely people, singlemothers, confused and uncared for children—accompanied by a marked decline in courtesy,civility and good manners—in another words,plain old common sense in showing respect forothers. Even the standard of driving has suf-fered in recent years and road rage is nowbecoming all too common.

This general decline in traditional values isnot without its major causes, and ignorance ofbiblical standards constitutes a fundamentalone.

The decline in Judeo-Christian influence

As British author Leo McKinstry observed:“Children growing up today know nothing ofthe central tenets of Christianity: the TenCommandments, the four gospels, the Sermonon the Mount . . . We are living in a religiouslyilliterate society, where young people are noteven given the opportunity to decide for them-selves whether they believe in God or notbecause they are so ill-informed about the reli-gion which built our civilization” (Turning theTide, 1999, p. 6).

Jonathan Sacks, the chief rabbi of London,adds: “We have become less religious, and reli-gion was the classic source of our belief in arevealed morality, commandments engraved ontablets of stone. We have become more cultur-ally diverse, and we now know that what seemswrong to one group may be permissible in asecond, and even admirable in a third” (Faithin the Future, 1997, p. 17).

Spiritually speaking, what is being taught inthe educational system can be very detrimentalto our young people. For example, one Oxford

Spirituallyspeaking, what is

being taught inthe educational

system can bevery detrimental

to our youngpeople.

August 2004 11

professor wrote: “Some people thinkthat the Ten Commandments are a set ofuniversal moral rules, which everybodyshould obey. But they are not. They areaddressed to the Jews . . . Again theseare not universal moral rules for thewhole world” (Keith Ward, God: AGuide for the Perplexed, 2002, p. 73). Ashocking view indeed!

The observing of biblical standardsis definitely on the wane in the BritishIsles and elsewhere in the Westernworld. Confusion reigns as to what isright or wrong, good or bad, truth orerror. The Hebrew prophet Isaiahlooked at his own age, and what he sawcertainly applies to ours. He wrote:“Woe to those who call evil good, andgood evil; who put darkness for light,and light for darkness; who put bitter forsweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah5:20).

Remedies for root causesClearly the fact that our culture is in

crisis testifies to the existence of a moraluniverse ruled by basic spiritual princi-ples. There is a cause for every effect.“The curse causeless shall not come”(Proverbs 26:2, KJV).

Hear again the leading Jewish rabbi,Jonathan Sacks: “In teaching our chil-dren moral relativism we have placedthem in a world without a moral com-pass, even hinting that there is no suchthing. In the name of tolerance we havetaught that every alternative lifestyle islegitimate and that moral judgment is

taboo, even ‘judgmental’ . . . A politicalorder based on liberty and tolerance hasyielded a Britain significantly less tol-erant and more violent, harsh and abra-sive than the one my grandparentsknew” (op. cit., pp. 14-15).

Some solutions are being offered.British Home Secretary Blunkett hascalled for “police and government towork together to find ways of reversingthe decline” of simple respect for thedignity of other human beings (op. cit.).Melanie Phillips adds: “Respect can be

restored, but only if we acknowledgelimits to selfishness and impose againthe disciplines that create respect foroneself and for others” (ibid.).

While these solutions are certainly astart, we who preach Christ’s gospelmust emphasize a restoration of respectfor the God who created human beingsand for the laws He established for ourgood. We urge a change of heart and aturning to an altogether different direc-tion—one of love for others by obedi-

ence to God’s basic spiritual law, theTen Commandments.

The biblical solution What the prophet Isaiah wrote so

many centuries ago applies equally welltoday: “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up yourvoice like a trumpet; tell My people theirtransgression, and the house of Jacobtheir sins” (Isaiah 58:1). For what pur-pose? To restore the abundant blessingsthat spring from obedience to God’s laws.

Isaiah also wrote: “‘Come now, andlet us reason together,’ says the LORD,‘Though your sins are like scarlet, theyshall be as white as snow; though theyare red like crimson, they shall be aswool. If you are willing and obedient,you shall eat the good of the land’”(Isaiah 1:18-19).

Luke’s version of the GreatCommission emphasizes repentance inparticular: “And that repentance andremission of sins should be preached inHis name to all nations, beginning atJerusalem” (Luke 24:47).

The United Church of God publish-es a substantial booklet about God’slaw, The Ten Commandments, showinghow each and every one is as powerful,active and unchanging as the physicallaw of gravity. This basic spiritual law isthe summation of God’s absolute stan-dard for the conduct of all people. Youcannot afford to be without this publi-cation and the companion brochurecalled Making Life Work. They are bothfree for the asking.

World-famous British novelist, the late George Orwell,wrote of his countrymen in 1941:

“Their extreme gentleness, their deeply moral attitude tolife . . . the gentleness of English civilisation is perhaps itsmost marked characteristic. You notice it the instant you setfoot on English soil. It is a land where bus conductors aregood-tempered and the policemen carry no revolvers” (TheLion and the Unicorn, 1941).

Writing 14 years later in 1955, American anthropologistGeoffrey Gorer echoed Orwell’s words and added his obser-vations: “The English are certainly among the most peace-ful, gentle, courteous and orderly population that thecivilised world has ever seen. The control of aggression has

gone to such remarkable lengths that you hardly ever see afight in a bar [pub] and football crowds are as orderly aschurch meetings” (quoted in Norman Dennis, Rising Crimeand the Dismembered Family, London, 1993).

Today no author in his right mind could conscientiouslywrite such glowing words. What we now see about us hashappened in one or two generations. The behavioral changeswithin one century are truly astonishing.

Yet reversal is possible if we would only begin again toteach the spiritual absolutes regarding how a society shouldbehave. The Christian pulpits in the Western world have aserious duty—an awesome responsibility for which theywill be held accountable.

Once Upon a Time: Our Green and Pleasant Land

We urge a change of heartand a turning to an alto-

gether different direction—one of love for others byobedience to God’s basic

spiritual law, the TenCommandments.

12 World News and Prophecy

Radical LiberalismLawyers argue in U.S. courts that pornography falls under the constitutional right of free speech.

There is a strong movement to replace Judeo-Christian influences in schools with extrememulticulturalism. Radical feminists denounce concepts of the traditional family. Homosexuals want

to totally redefine marriage. What is happening to America?

by Gary Petty

To understand theorigins of modern

liberalism, youhave to go back to

the time inWestern

civilization knownas the

Enlightenment.

The American republic was founded on idealsof liberal democracy rooted in concepts ofindividual freedom and equality. The politi-

cal and social liberalism of the early 21st centuryis in many ways radically different from the idealsof the founding fathers. U.S. culture reflects a rad-ical or modern liberalism created by two centuriesof political and social evolution.

To understand the origins of modern liberal-ism, you have to go back to the time in Westerncivilization known as the Enlightenment. After thecollapse of the Roman Empire, Europe entered thethousand-year period of the Middle Ages. It wasa time of political fragmentation and feudalism, aswell as an age of grand cathedrals and monarchswho claimed divine privilege.

Europe suffered confusion and horror in the14th century with the Hundred Years’ War, theBlack Death (which killed one third of the popu-lation throughout the territory between India andIceland) and the anarchy that followed in the wakeof disease and war. During the next century, theeconomic structure and social life of Europe expe-rienced dramatic changes, including a culturalrenaissance—a revival of art, literature and music.

Medieval Catholic theologians believed thechurch was establishing the Kingdom of God onearth. Earthly kings received their authority fromthe clergy. Corruption in the church’s hierarchy,and a papacy more concerned with temporal pol-itics than spiritual purity, eroded trust in pontificalsupremacy.

In the 16th century, religious protestorslaunched the Reformation. Protestants began tochallenge papal rule and eventually to challengethe idea of the divine right of monarchs. Scienceflourished and philosophers began to assert that allhuman problems could be solved by reason.

These trends produced a period in Europeanhistory known as the Age of Reason, or theEnlightenment, extending throughout the 1700s.The philosophers of the Enlightenment didn’t seehuman nature as hopelessly corrupt, instead sug-gesting that solutions to humanity’s problemswere rooted in reason and scientific thought. This

laid the foundation for the emergence of politicaland social liberalism, placing value on personalliberty and equality instead of duty to king andclergy.

Some Enlightenment philosophers acceptedthe idea of the biblical Creator, while others reject-ed the miracles and supernatural events claimed inthe Bible. For some Enlightenment philosophers,the Bible contained good teachings, but theysought to strip it of the miraculous workings ofGod. Even the divinity of Jesus Christ was ques-tioned.

The founding of the United StatesThe founding fathers of the United States

attempted to create a government promotingideals of the Enlightenment, like personal liberty,equality and the positive aspects of human nature,while still promoting the moral teachings of theBible. They believed that the human tendency toturn freedom into lawlessness could be checkedonly by the ideals of a diverse yet moral Christianheritage.

At the same time, they rejected the class sys-tem and religious hierarchy of the Middle Ages.The influences of the Enlightenment can be seenin the Declaration of Independence. The mostfamous quote in American history is Jefferson’s:“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that allMen are created equal, that they are endowed bytheir Creator with certain unalienable Rights, thatamong these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit ofHappiness—That to secure these Rights,Governments are instituted among Men, derivingtheir just Powers from the Consent of theGoverned . . .”

In the American republic, equality and the per-sonal pursuit of life, liberty and happinessreplaced the old ideals that life was lived underthe restrictions of a state church and a monarchyordained by God. Government was no longer seenas an instrument of divine authority, but as ahuman institution, elected by the populace,designed to protect individual rights ordained byGod.

August 2004 13

Many of the founding fathers fearedthat democracy would unleash anarchy.There had to be limits to the concepts ofequality and the pursuit of individual hap-piness. In 1781 they created the Articles ofConfederation to govern the relationshipsbetween the states. Within less than sevenyears this new government was in disarray.So, “in order to create a more perfectUnion,” these remarkable men created theConstitution of the United States in 1787.

From its inception as a nation, the peo-ple of the American republic struggledwith the limitations of the rule of law,which restricts behavior for the good ofsociety, and the philosophy of equality andpersonal freedom. Most founders believedthat the entire experiment relied on a com-monly accepted morality based on theChristian Bible. Over the next two cen-turies the moral teachings of the Biblebecame less influential in an increasinglyhedonistic society.

Trends in radical liberalismRobert Bork, nominated for the U.S.

Supreme Court by President RonaldReagan, outlines the two major preceptsof radical liberalism in his controversialbook Slouching Towards Gomorrah. Oneis what he calls “radical egalitarianism,”or the attempt to control the equality ofoutcomes instead of providing equalopportunities. The second is “radicalindividualism,” an idea promoting theeradication of personal limits for self-gratification regardless of societal conse-quences.

We can see this second precept in thepromotion of pornography. Sexual free-dom is one of the tenets of the radical lib-eral philosophy. Historically, Christianchurches have opposed pornography indefense of the sacredness of sex in mar-riage.

Liberalism states that there can be nogovernmental enforcement of religion, andthat pornography is a right in the pursuit ofhappiness. In the name of freedom, newlaws are passed and pornography becomesan issue of free speech. The lawful prolif-eration of pornography eventually allowsit to become tolerated and even accepted inprint, movies, television and on theInternet.

The nation has come a long way fromthe founders’ concept of freedom of reli-gion, which was intended to promote a

diverse Christianity as the foundation ofsociety. Three major radical liberal trendshave had an enormous impact onChristianity:

First is the idea that all concepts ofmorality are equal. Freedom to pursue hap-piness has come to mean that there are noabsolute truths, and all morality is based onsubjective criteria.

Second is radical feminism. Since mostof the Bible was written by men, manyfeminists approach Scripture with a “vic-tors write history” interpretation. Thismeans that anything that doesn’t fit femi-nist dogma can be discarded as male influ-ence, instead of divine revelation.

Third is the democratizing of churchesso that teachings reflect current culture,instead of the church being a moral author-ity, holding culture to higher standards. Agood example is the controversy in manyChristian denominations over the ordina-tion of homosexual clergy. The biblicalteachings of sin are subjected to a cultureof acceptance.

Radical liberalism and the BibleThe most-quoted verse in the New

Testament is John 3:16: “For God so lovedthe world that He gave His only begottenSon, that whoever believes in Him shouldnot perish but have everlasting life.” Thiscertainly shows that God places an enor-mous value on the individual. He createdhuman beings to be His children. Each per-son has abilities and personality traits thatmake him or her a unique creation.

But it is a far cry from recognizing thevalue of the individual, to the concept thatfreedom entitles people to abolish allboundaries of personal behavior. Whenreading Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, it isapparent that His emphasis is not on per-sonal rights, but on personal responsibility,character and the law of God. The rightsof the individual can only be protected in asociety in which each citizen acts on adeep-rooted sense of responsibility torestrict harmful and immoral behavior.

The Bible reveals that all individualsare equal in the opportunity to receive thelove of God, but all are not equal in abili-ties or in outcomes of life. Jesus illustratedGod’s thinking on this through the parableof the wealthy man who goes on a journeyand gives each of his servants differentresponsibilities. He gives one 10 talents,another five and another one. When he

returns the servants have to give anaccounting. Two of the servants used theirtalents wisely and are rewarded. The thirdhid his talent and is punished. All hadunique abilities, all had equal opportunity,but not all outcomes were equal.

The paradox of the human condition isthat true liberty can only be protectedthrough laws that restrict behavior harm-ful to society. The Creator of the universeknows how life works. He has givenhumanity a set of laws that protect therights of the individual, the family and thegreater society. They’re called the TenCommandments.

The U.S. Constitution is one of themost incredible documents ever written. Itis the pinnacle of the concepts of theEnlightenment, tempered by the realiza-tion of the need for the rule of law and arecognition of the necessity of the moralrestrictions of the Christian Bible. But inthe final analysis, the Constitution can’t fixthe real problem with human government.All human governments eventually fail,because they are run by beings with anature that is a mixture of good and evil.

As Christians, we must never forgetthat the only real solution to the problemsof human government isn’t human. It is thereturn of Jesus Christ to establish HisFather’s Kingdom on this earth.

This article is an excerpt from a recent-ly aired Good News radio program. GoodNews radio is heard on stations across thecountry. For a listing of stations and timesor to download radio programs, go towww.ucg.org/radio. While online you canalso order the booklet offered on this pro-gram, The Ten Commandments.

The Creator of theuniverse has givenhumanity a set oflaws that protect therights of the individ-ual and the commu-nity. Our free book-let The TenCommandmentsexplores these vitalprinciples that are so often ignored.

Contact any of our offices listed on page15, or request or download them from

our Web site atwww.ucg.org

Recommended Reading

14 World News and Prophecy

States,” June 8, 1783. What were thepressing demands in that immediatemoment of time? It was a period ofdynamic infighting and increasing frag-mentation as the various formercolonies, now each independent states,but not yet a federal union, were beingswayed by their own personal agendas.This vacuum of a functioning govern-mental structure could have had devas-tating results.

It was a time very similar to theperiod found in the book of Judges ofwhich it was said, “In those days, therewas no king in Israel; everyone didwhat was right in his own eyes”(Judges 21:25).

Scripture not only shines a light onthis period of darkness, but the historybooks clearly lay out a portrait of dev-astation in the wake of the French andRussian revolutions in which partyspirit ripped the national fabrics asun-der.

Washington understood the delicateand fragile moment at which he hadbeen called to be a light in the darkness.It was at this crucial moment that hepenned the following:

“I now make it my earnest prayer,that God would have you, and theState over which you preside, in Hisholy protection, that He would inclinethe hearts of the Citizens to cultivatea spirit of subordination and obedi-ence to Government, to entertain abrotherly affection and love for oneanother, for their fellow Citizens ofthe United States at large, and partic-ularly for their brethren who haveserved in the Field, and finally, thatHe would most graciously be pleasedto dispose us all, to do Justice, to lovemercy, and to demean ourselves withthat Charity, humility and pacifictemper of mind, which were theCharacteristics of the Divine Authorof our blessed Religion, and withoutan humble imitation of whose exam-ple in those things, we can never hopeto be a happy Nation.”

“What does the LORD require”?Washington’s prayerful plea is but

an echo of the resonating virtues thatGod spotlights in Micah 6:8. Here wefind a way of being, yes, a purpose

beyond self, beyond party politics,beyond the ways of this world when leftto its own devices. “He has shown you,O man, what is good; and what does theLORD require of you but to do justly, tolove mercy, and to walk humbly withyour God?”

Because of these characteristicsand more, Washington was elected bythe people as the first executive officerof the grandest political experiment yetto occur in the course of human histo-ry.

But even so, when it is all said anddone, Washington was a man. Like allmen he had his faults and weaknesses,and like all men his time has come andgone. He left office worn out and trou-bled by the burgeoning nemesis of par-ty factions that were emerging around

Alexander Hamilton and ThomasJefferson.

Oh, how we could use such a mantoday, even with all his humanity, tohandle wisely and courageously thevexing problems of this irritated glob-al village called earth. A person likeWashington, who could rise above par-ty spirit or the personal need to bereelected at whatever cost. A personunlike the proverbial politician whohad changed his views rather radicallyand was being congratulated by a col-league who said, “I’m glad you’ve seenthe light.” The politician responded, “Ididn’t see the light. What I felt was theheat!”

Such a story adds meaning to God’sWord as found in Psalm 146:3-4: “Donot put your trust in princes, nor in a

“POLITICS,” (Continued from page 16)

Because of these characteristics and more, Washington waselected by the people as the first executive officer of the

grandest political experiment yet to occur in the course ofhuman history. But even so, when it is all said and done,

Washington was a man.

August 2004 15

son of man, in whom there is no help.His spirit departs, he returns to hisearth; in that very day his plan perish-es.”

“I am the light of the world” But there is good news. News

beyond politics! News beyond theexploits of a human hero. World Newsand Prophecy is dedicated to the surereality of the coming global emergenceof the One who is beyond party affilia-tion. In fact, He is the “All-wiseCreator” and “Disposer of Events” thatWashington claimed as his guidingcompass.

Infinitely greater than a thousandWashingtons is the One coming back tothis earth, the Creator of life, the Onewho blessed the United States and itsbirth among the nations and who offersus a greater hope far beyond that whichthe best of men can possibly bequeathto us. Not merely one who has come “tosee the light” or to be motivated by theheat of an upset electorate, but ratherthe very One who proclaims: “I am thelight of the world. He who follows Meshall not walk in darkness, but have thelight of life.”

Remember the incredible descrip-tion by Leroy Brownlow regardingWashington? Well, look at what theBible has to say about the soon-returning King of Kings, Jesus Christ,in Isaiah 11:1-5:

“There shall come forth a Rod fromthe stem of Jesse, and a Branch shallgrow out of his roots. The Spirit of theLORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit ofwisdom and understanding, the Spirit ofcounsel and might, the Spirit of knowl-edge and of the fear of the LORD. Hisdelight is in the fear of the LORD, and Heshall not judge by the sight of His eyes,nor decide by the hearing of His ears;but with righteousness He shall judgethe poor, and decide with equity for themeek of the earth; He shall strike theearth with the rod of His mouth, andwith the breath of His lips He shall slaythe wicked. Righteousness shall be thebelt of His loins, and faithfulness thebelt of His waist.”

Being about the “humble imitation”

This is beyond man. This is beyond

politics. But this is not beyond yourability to learn more, appreciate moreand become a part of the greatest cam-paign in human history—the spreadingof the gospel of Jesus Christ and theKingdom of God.

For now, it is spread (in the words ofWashington) in “humble imitation” ofthe Divine Author. It is spread personby person, need by need and deed bydeed.

It is a willingness to build bridgeseven over troubled waters, rather thanto sustain the walls of fear, suspicionand self-proclaimed rightness. We findmore than ample fertile ground for thiscampaign in our homes, offices, com-munities and congregations of worship.Why? Because party spirit, the spirit ofpolitics, the spirit of “enemy formationsof them vs. us,” is always lurking with-

in the recesses of every human heart.It is in the words of one man, an

individual who was not swayed by pol-itics but by a visionary ideal, whosevoice guides us to move above the roarof the crowd and the heat of themoment. His plea of civility is synony-mous with the good walk as found inIsaiah 30:21 that cries out for those whowill hear to follow: “This is the way,walk in it.”

George Washington’s was a way oflife that acknowledged that God“would most graciously be pleased todispose us all, to do Justice, to lovemercy, and to demean ourselves withthat Charity, humility and pacific tem-per of mind.” Such a call to actionawaits us. It is beyond the politics oftoday. But it is not beyond your abilityto act—now!

How to Contact UsAFRICA (except as listed below): United Church ofGod, P.O. Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027,U.S.A. E-mail: info@ucg.orgAUSTRALIA: United Church of God–Australia, GPOBox 535, Brisbane, Qld. 4001, Australia. Phone: 0755202-111 Fax: 0755 202-122BAHAMAS: United Church of God, P.O. Box N8873,Nassau, Bahamas. Phone: (242) 324-3169 Fax: (242)364-5566BRITISH ISLES: P.O. Box 705, Watford, Herts. WD196FZ England. Phone: 020-8386-8467 Fax: 01257-453978CANADA: United Church of God–Canada, P.O. Box144, Station D, Etobicoke, ON M9A 4X1, Canada.Phone: (905) 876-9966, (800) 338-7779 Fax: (905)876-0569 E-mail: info@ucg.caFIJI: United Church of God, P.O. Box 11081, LaucalaBeach Estate, SuvaFRENCH-SPEAKING AREAS: Église de DieuUnie–France, 127 rue Amelot, 75011 Paris, FranceGERMANY:Vereinte Kirche Gottes, Postfach 30 15 09,D-53195 Bonn, Germany. Phone: 0228 - 9454636 Fax:0228 - 9454637 E-mail: info@gutenachrichten.orgITALY: La Buona Notizia, Chiesa di Dio Unita, CasellaPostale 187, 24121 Bergamo Centro, Italy. Phone/Fax:(+39) 035-4523573 E-mail: info@labuonanotizia.orgKENYA: United Church of God, Kenya, P.O. Box75261, Nairobi 00200 Kenya. E-mail: kenya@ucg.orgMALAWI: United Church of God, P.O. Box 23076,Kitwe, Zambia. E-mail: malawi@ucg.orgMAURITIUS: P.O. Box 53, Quatre Bornes. E-mail:mauritius@ucg.orgThe NETHERLANDS: United Church of God Holland,P.O. Box 93, 2800 AB Gouda, The NetherlandsNEW ZEALAND: United Church of God, P.O. Box 22,Auckland, 1015, New Zealand. Phone: 0508-463-763NIGERIA: United Church of God–West Africa, P.O.Box 1715,Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria. Phone: 234-1-7918009 E-mail: nigeria@ucg.orgPHILIPPINES: United Church of God, P.O. Box81840, DCCPO, 8000 Davao City, Philippines. Phone:(+63) 82 241-0150 Cell/Text: (+63) 0918-904-4444SCANDINAVIA: Guds Enade Kyrka, P.O. Box 705,Watford, Herts. WD19 6FZ England E-mail:sverige@ucg.orgSOUTH AFRICA (and Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho,Swaziland only): United Church of God, Southern Africa,P.O. Box 2209, Beacon Bay, East London 5205.Phone/Fax: 043 748-1694 E-mail: rsa@ucg.orgSPANISH-SPEAKING AREAS: Iglesia de DiosUnida, P.O. Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027,U.S.A. Phone: (513) 576-9796TONGA: United Church of God–Tonga, P.O. Box 127,Nuku’alofa, TongaUNITED STATES: World News and Prophecy, P.O.Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027. Phone (513)576-9796. E-mail info@ucg.orgZAMBIA: United Church of God, P.O. Box 23076,Kitwe, Zambia. E-mail: zambia@ucg.orgZIMBABWE: United Church of God, Zimbabwe, P.O.Box 928, Causeway, Harare. Cell Phone: 011716273E-mail: zimbabwe@ucg.org

Internet access on your computer:The United Church of God’s home pagehttp://www.ucg.org gives you access to The Good News,booklets and links to our international Web sites:www.ucg.ca (Canada), www.ucg.org.au (Australia),www.labuonanotizia.org (Italy), www.goodnews.org.uk(British Isles), www.ucg.org.ph (Philippines) andwww.ucgrsa.org (Southern Africa ).

This is beyond man. This isbeyond politics. But this isnot beyond your ability to

learn more, appreciate moreand become a part of the

greatest campaign in humanhistory—the spreading ofthe gospel of Jesus Christand the Kingdom of God.

16 World News and Prophecy

America is now fully immersed in the sizzling sum-mertime dynamics of its presidential election sea-son. Every four years the political temperature in

this country reaches the boiling point as partisan politicsfan the flames of “party spirit.”

This national spectacle has a wide-ranging global audi-ence due to the reality that the individual who becomespresident of the United States becomes the single mostinfluential human being in the world for the next fouryears.

The stakes are high not only for America, but also forthe rest of humanity. Unfortunately, today’s partisan feel-ings seemingly run even higher as American society isbasically split right down the middle as to the future courseof the oldest of all modern-day republics.

A giant shadowBut was there ever a different time and style, before

the coarseness of American politics created a split per-sonality in the national psyche? Was there ever a timewhen people could basically agree on one man to leadthem? Yes, there was, but we have to go back over 200years to find it.

What was it that allowed the revolutionary Americansto even consider the office of the executive after they hadjust overthrown a monarchy? The answer comes down toone man and his extraordinary character.

His historical shadow still casts a giant silhouette fromcoast to coast across this republic. It is his name that dotsthe capital of his country. It is his monument that towersabove all others in a city designed to showcase monu-

ments. It is his name alone among all its presidents that isclaimed by one of the 50 states.

Amazingly, it is this one individual and his charac-ter, not his party affiliation, that sculpted the job descrip-tion of an executive office that had not yet beenenvisioned or implemented in the realm of human histo-ry. The office did not shape him. His lifetime valuesshaped the job description of what has become the mostimportant job in the world. The man’s name was GeorgeWashington.

Perhaps Leroy Brownlow sums it up best in his journalToday Is Mine in his entry for Feb. 22 titled “Worthy toRule”:

“When a man treasures the rights of men—asWashington did; and prefers principle to profit—asWashington preferred; and believes that man was notdesigned by the ‘All-wise Creator’ to live for himselfalone—as Washington believed; and is courageousenough to stand up to opposition—as Washington stood;and towers above trickery and partisanship—asWashington towered; and refused to be a king—asWashington refused; and trusts in ‘the All-wise Disposerof events’—as Washington trusted; and sees heroics inragged men with a cause—as Washington saw—thatman is truly worthy of rulership and a place in the heartsof his countrymen.”

A guiding compassPerhaps Washington’s guiding compass of virtue and

morality can best be discovered in his “Circular to the

Beyond Politics

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(See “POLITICS,” page 14)

by Robin Webber