Japan: a determined military revival

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Japan's military. This follows this post about Russia, Iran, and China. This follows this post about fetal development. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.
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Current Events & Trends

Japan: a determined military revival

  by Jerold Aust, John Ross Schroeder Estimated reading time: 1 minute

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As one soldier put it: "For Japan to remain an independent country, defense is indispensable . . . I would like to be the shield to protect Japanese people" (quoted in "As Tensions Rise, Pacifist Japan Marches Into a Military Revival," The Wall Street Journal, July 18, 2013).

After 70 years of relative pacifism, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and top defense adviser Masahisa Sato seem determined to transform Japan's military capacity, freeing it from constraints imposed after World War II. Tokyo is going to increase defense spending due mainly to possible hostilities with both North Korea and China.
U.S. response has been mixed. America fears that remilitarization will worsen Japan's relationship with China. Yet Washington needs both Japan and Australia as allies in the Pacific region.
Although China and Japan are in a protracted dispute over the ownership of certain adjacent islands, “China needs to buy Japanese products as much as Japan needs to sell them” (“Mutual Assured Production,” Foreign Affairs, July-August 2013). Boycotting Japanese products might endanger the Chinese economic miracle. So mutual economic interests may keep the peace, at least for a time.
Biblical prophecy indicates that both China and Japan will likely play a major role in the fulfillment of end-time prophecy, perhaps as part of “the kings of the east,” whose forces invading the Middle East will lead to Armageddon (Revelation 16:12 Revelation 16:12And the sixth angel poured out his vial on the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
American King James Version×, 14). Activities in Asia bear watching. (Sources: Foreign Affairs, The Wall Street Journal. )

Londonistan: How Britain Is Creating a Terror State Within

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Islam in Britain. This follows this post about immigration and refugees. This follows this post about fetal development. For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.
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A Page on the World

Londonistan: How Britain Is Creating a Terror State Within

http://www.ucg.org/world-news-and-prophecy/a-page-on-the-world-londonistan-how-britain-is-creating-a-terror-state

 

  by John Ross Schroeder Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

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Melanie Phillips shows that Britain has become a gathering ground for Islamist terror groups, while the British establishment is in denial (2006, ISBN 1594031444).

I would like to begin with the credentials of the author. Melanie Phillips is the leading political and current affairs columnist for the Daily Mail . Her insightful, common-sense assessments of modern political life in Britain are hard to equal in the world of British journalism because they are generally based upon the backdrop of the traditional values that built the United Kingdom.

Her latest book, Londonistan, points out that Britain has become the leading European gathering ground for recruitment and financing of Islamist terror groups. The sheer scale of these activities has earned the area the label “Londonistan” by antiterrorist specialists elsewhere in the world.

Mrs. Phillips addresses the overall problem from a number of different angles. For instance, she shows that radical Islamic demands are being appeased by multiculturalism and by a so-called replacement theology put forward by certain Christian theologians who seriously question the necessity for the state of Israel (Mrs. Phillips is Jewish).

Franklin Littell calls this replacement theology Christian anti-Semitism that “rings with the genocidal note. This is the myth that the mission of the Jewish people was finished with the coming of Jesus Christ, that 'the old Israel' was written off with the appearance of 'the new Israel.' To teach that a people's mission in God's providence is finished, that they have been relegated to the limbo of history, has murderous implications, which the murderers will in time spell out” ( The Crucifixion of the Jews, 1996).

The gravity of the problem

Although she allows that the majority of the Muslim community in Britain is law-abiding, Melanie Phillips does insist that “the evidence suggests that the numbers who do support either the aims or the tactics of the jihad are terrifying. According to British officials, up to sixteen thousand British Muslims either are actively engaged in or support terrorist activity, while up to three thousand are estimated to have passed through Al Qaeda training camps, with several hundred thought to be primed to attack the United Kingdom” (p. 9).

But why would Britain allow such reprehensible activities within its borders? Mrs. Phillips states the obvious when she notes that Britain is a country “where traditional morality has been systematically undermined and replaced by an 'anything goes' culture in which autonomous decisions about codes of behaviour have become unchallengeable rights” (p. 25).

This reminds one of the descriptions of ancient Israel in the days of the judges when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6 Judges 17:6In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
American King James Version×; 21:25).

The author also takes pains to point out that the threat is not just from a few radical extremists who might rarely succeed like they did when suicide bombers wreaked havoc on the London Underground with the loss of many lives. She believes that the British establishment is in denial about how widespread the threat really is.

Too many erroneously pin the blame on the United States, Israel and even on Britain itself instead of the guilty culprit, which she identifies as radical Islamic ideology.

Melanie Phillips concludes that “the West is under threat from an enemy that has shrewdly observed the decadence and disarray in Europe where Western civilization first began” (p. 285). Those weaknesses are now being exploited on many fronts by those determined to bring down Western civilization as we know it and replace it with a worldwide “umma”—a global community of Islamic believers in submission to Allah.

She further points out that Britain has been the cradle of Western liberty, but urgently needs to squarely face this growing problem and counter it with policies based on “absolute consistency and moral integrity, which arise from the strength of belief in the values that are being defended” (p. 273).

This book review highlights a few crucial points, but cannot really do justice to the massive evidence proffered within its pages that identifies the causes of this disturbing trend threatening Britain's—and Western civilization's—stability and way of life.

The recent deadly train bombings in India, plus a fresh outbreak of violence by terrorist groups against Israel (involving Gaza and Lebanon) that prompted a response unprecedented in recent times, underscore the importance of her warnings and the peril our Western democracies face. WNP

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about the Japanese tsunami. This follows this post about the king of Jordan.For a free magazine subscription or to get the books recommended for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.
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Japan's Earthquake Disaster: A Foretaste of Worse to Come?

article by Noel Hornor

The world was shocked by the destructiveness of the recent earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan. The disaster proved that even a modern, technologically advanced nation is helpless against the forces of nature. What perspectives does the Bible offer on this disaster?

Source: United States Navy

On March 11, 2011, a monstrous 9.0-magnitude earthquake near the east coast of Japan's main island of Honshu rattled the entire country and brought much of the population to its knees.
In the more than a hundred years during which men have been measuring the strength of earthquakes, only three stronger quakes have been recorded. This one tied for the fourth-strongest on record.
This quake was the largest ever in Japan's history, unleashing the equivalent of 30,000 Hiroshima-sized nuclear bombs. It was so powerful that it shifted the earth on its axis by several inches, making make it spin a little faster and thereby shortening the day by 1.8 millionths of a second. It moved the island nation about eight feet to the east.
Since the earthquake's epicenter was offshore, the early damage from the quake was moderate, relative to the size of the tremor. The tsunami that followed was another matter. Within minutes a huge wall of water swept onto the land, crushing buildings, capsizing boats, destroying bridges and sweeping debris in its path. Cars were swept along like they were toys.
In addition to the loss of thousands of lives, half a million people were rendered homeless, forced to take refuge in temporary shelters. Many lost everything they had, except for the clothes on their backs and perhaps a few personal items.
In the days that followed, the havoc wreaked by the earthquake began to increase exponentially. Another threat to life arose—that of radiation sickness from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. With the breakdown of cooling systems due to the earthquake and tsunami, reactors were badly damaged. Officials labored frantically to avoid a disaster like that of 1986 in Chernobyl, Ukraine.
The quake's epicenter was approximately 150 miles from Japan's capital city of Tokyo. The city and its surroundings are home to 39 million people, so any strong tremor there would be catastrophic—even one much smaller than the monstrous 9.0 shaker. So of course it's been calamitous. And that's despite some preparation, big earthquakes having struck the area in the past—in 1703, 1855 and 1923.
We should consider what's happened in the context of other recent and historic quakes—and what the Bible has to say about such natural calamities.

Frequency of recent major quakes

The earthquake off the coast of Japan is the sixth major one worldwide in a year and two months. On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 earthquake struck the poverty-ridden nation of Haiti; the epicenter was approximately 16 miles west of the capital of Port-au-Prince.
Because the nation of Haiti is so poor and had few buildings designed to endure the stress of a convulsion of this magnitude, an estimated 316,000 died, 300,000 were injured and 1 million were made homeless, according to the Haitian government. An estimated 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial structures collapsed or were severely damaged. This was the worst earthquake in the region in more than 200 years.
On February 27, 2010, a devastating magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Chile, one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded. Over 500 people were killed, and more than more than 1.5 million were displaced.
The earthquake triggered a tsunami, which devastated several coastal towns in south-central Chile and damaged the port at Talcahuano. Tsunami warnings were issued in 53 countries, and the wave caused minor damage in the San Diego area of California and in the Tohoku region of Japan, where damage to the fisheries industry was estimated at $66.7 million.
Chileans were only just beginning to grapple with the devastation before them even as more than two dozen significant aftershocks struck the country. In Santiago, the capital, residents reported having been terrified as the city shook for about 90 seconds.
While this earthquake was far stronger than the 7.0-magnitude one that ravaged Haiti six weeks earlier, the damage and death toll in Chile was far less extensive, in part because of stricter building standards enabling structures to withstand damage in devastating earthquakes.
On January 2, 2011, another earthquake shook southern Chile, this one with a magnitude of 7.1. Tens of thousands fled the coastal areas for higher ground, fearing the quake might generate a major tsunami like the one in 2010. Hundreds of tourists spending the New Year's holiday at resort cities cut their trips short and headed north, clogging highways.
On February 22, 2011, a 6.3-magnitude temblor struck New Zealand, leaving the city of Christchurch in ruins. This was the second major quake to strike the country in less than six months.
The earlier one of September 2010 was considerably stronger, but the Christchurch shaker did much more damage because it struck one of New Zealand's largest cities. Churches and tall buildings were toppled and more than 100 people were killed. In viewing the city, Prime Minister John Key said, "It is just a scene of utter devastation" and "We may well be witnessing New Zealand's darkest day."

Earthquake threats to the United States

What is the danger that the United States will be jolted by a colossal quake? It is not only a danger; it is virtually guaranteed to happen eventually. The two densely populated areas that are most in danger are the midlands and the West Coast.
The New Madrid fault in the Midwest is not as infamous for the threat of major earthquake damage as other faults in the continental United States, but this area experienced major seismic activity in the years 1811-1812. Seven earthquakes in the magnitude range of 6.0 to 7.7 occurred in the period of Dec. 16, 1811, through Feb. 7, 1812. These quakes rank as some of the largest in America since its settlement by Europeans.
These quakes are not as well known as other major U.S. quakes, because the affected area was sparsely populated when the cataclysms occurred. According to the United States Geologic Survey, "The area of strong shaking associated with these shocks is two to three times as large as that of the 1964 Alaska earthquake and 10 times as large as that of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake."
The first main shock of these seven occurred on Dec. 16, 1811, and was felt far away. "People were awakened by the shaking in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Charleston, South Carolina" (USGS).
During the quake that occurred on Feb. 7, 1812, the vibrations were so great that some areas of the ground sank as much as 16 feet. Resulting tidal waves from the Mississippi River created Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee. It is Tennessee's largest natural lake.

West coast quakes

The most famous of mainland earthquakes in America is the 7.8-magnitude quake that struck San Francisco in 1906. This was due to seismic shifting on the San Andreas Fault, which runs roughly 810 miles through California to Baja California in northern Mexico.
Yuri Fialko, Professor of Geophysics at the University of California San Diego, completed a study in 2006 in which he demonstrated that the San Andreas Fault has been stressed to a level sufficient for the next "big one"—an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 or greater.
Fialko's data suggests that the fault is ready for the next big earthquake, but exactly when that might occur we're not able to tell. According to professor Fialko, "It could be tomorrow or it could be 10 years or more from now."
Then there's the Cascadia subduction zone, a 680-mile fault that runs 50 miles off the coast of the Pacific Northwest from Cape Mendocino in California to Vancouver Island in southern British Columbia. Geophysicists estimate that it's capable of generating an earthquake with a magnitude as high as 9.0. The last time this occurred was in 1700; the one before that is estimated to have occurred around 1500.
Scientists say a rupture along this fault would cause the sea floor to bounce 20 feet or more, setting off powerful waves close to shore. The resultant monstrous tsunami would inundate coastal communities in minutes. As with the San Andreas Fault, geophysicists do not know if such a disaster is imminent but agree that eventually it is inevitable.

Earthquakes can affect the whole world

Every year thousands of earthquakes occur around the world, some strong enough to be felt by people. Most of them do no significant damage either to life or property. But some that have been recorded in the last 150 years have resulted in massive loss of life. An estimated 200,000 people were killed in an 8.5 quake in Kansu, China in 1920. In 1976, 255,000 people died from damage caused by an 8.0 quake centered near Tangshan, China. And the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami left more than 230,000 people dead in 14 countries.
Earthquakes can cripple—at least temporarily—a nation's economy. Japan is the third-largest economy in the world. While the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami will have a harmful short-term medium effect on their economy, some economists believe the catastrophe will have a negative impact short-term on the world economy.
Historically, earthquakes have at times wrought permanent damage to major powers. In ancient Greece, the city-state of Sparta had the greatest military power during the classical era. "From the ninth to the fourth century BCE its armies were almost invincible . . . Sometime around 464 BCE a powerful earthquake devastated the city of Sparta with many fatalities. This event, while not immediately affecting Sparta's prominence, had a catalytic role in its eventual decline.
"The fatalities included not only Spartan soldiers but a great many women and children as well. Thus in the following years there were many fewer births among the Spartan soldier caste, leading to the weakening of Sparta's army. This earthquake foreshadowed Sparta's gradual deterioration and disappearance from the world stage" (Jelle Zeilinga de Boer and Donald Theodore Sanders, Earthquakes in Human History, 2005, pp. 45-46).
Thus, even the mighty can be laid low by the powerful shaking of the earth.

God's involvement in earthquakes?

Is God's hand ever present in the occurrence of tragic earthquakes? This quandary has often provided fodder for philosophers.
"A shocking event at mid-[18th] century supplied a brutal confirmation of disbelief. On the eve of All Saint's Day [Nov. 1] in 1755, while the faithful were in church, an earthquake shattered Lisbon. Fire and flood from the Tagus River completed its destruction. Tens of thousands perished.
"Instantly, [French historian and philosopher] Voltaire set to work on a long poem that drew the moral: how could a personal God endowed with power and justice ordain such a holocaust? For what conceivable reason kill worshipping men, women and children in a peculiarly horrible manner?
"That they were worse sinners than the same number of Parisians or Londoners was a contemptible answer. There was no answer, except that the forces of nature acted independently of their creator" (Jacques Barzun, From Dawn to Decadence, 2000, p. 378).
Because God is omnipotent, He has power over all the forces of nature to use earthquakes to punish individuals or nations, should He choose to do so. However, we should not conclude that in all cases He singles out people for chastisement through such tragedies. Sometimes people die or suffer other losses through natural disasters because of time and chance (Ecclesiastes:9:11I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.). They are in the wrong place at the wrong time.
There are exceptions, though. Sometimes God does speak through earth's turmoil, and there is surely no greater natural tumult that man can suffer than to have the very earth shake under his feet. A prolonged horrendous earthquake can turn the bravest human beings into a quivering, frightened mass of fearful flesh.
There is perhaps nothing we depend on more than having the steady, predictable solidity of the ground under our feet. When it begins to shake, buckle and roll violently, man's confidence can be reduced to zero as he sees everything he has made with his hands come crashing down around him. God's power is limitless. "He looks on the earth, and it trembles" (Psalm:104:32He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.).

God's past interventions

During past turbulent historical periods, God has moved the earth—sometimes to instill awe, fear and respect into the minds of people. Shortly after the time that God brought Israel out of Egypt through the Exodus, there were certain men—Korah, Dathan and Abiram—who dared question the divine authority that God had given Moses. They accused Moses of presumptuousness and self-exultation (Numbers:16:3And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?). Furthermore, a majority of the people was sympathetic to Korah, the ringleader (verse 19).
Moses knew that God was working through him, so he assembled the three rebels and the cantankerous congregation and warned them that God would move the earth, create a crevice and cause it to swallow up those who dared reject God (verse 30). Right after Moses spoke, God caused the earth to gape open with a fissure that swallowed the rebellious leaders and their families (verses 31-32).
This historical example demonstrates that God does sometimes punish disobedient people with shaking and splitting of the earth as appropriate payment for sins.

Earthquakes at the death and resurrection of Jesus

At times God has used an earthquake to send a different message. He spoke through an earthquake in the first century right after His Son was nailed to the cross.
When Jesus died, "the earth quaked, and the rocks were split" (Matthew:27:51And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;). Perhaps the quake foreshadowed the coming judgment of God on those who had crucified Jesus and also served as a divine sign that He truly was the Son of the Father.
It impressed the Roman soldiers who were guarding the site. "So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake . . . they feared greatly, saying, 'Truly this was the Son of God!'" (verse 54).
God also used an earthquake to roll the stone away from Christ's empty tomb—to show that He had gained victory over the grave (Matthew:28:1-6 [1] In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
[2] And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
[3] His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
[4] And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
[5] And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
[6] He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.).

The coming terror because of earthquakes

Biblical prophecy tells of future earthquakes far more powerful than any that human beings have yet experienced. The reason for these, in part, will be to instill awe and respect towards God in the hearts of all humanity at the end of the age and the return of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah:29:1Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. issues a woe of warning to "Ariel," which is another name for Jerusalem. Included in the dire message is the notice: "You will be punished by the Lord of hosts with thunder and earthquake and great noise" (verse 6).
Shortly before His death, Jesus gave a solemn prophetic warning of terrifying and terrible events that would precede His return. He included among these the fact that "there will be great earthquakes in various places" (Luke:21:11And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven., emphasis added throughout).
He also admonished all that there will be the turbulence of "the sea and the waves roaring" (verse 25). This may be a reference to future titanic tsunamis.
It will be more than just the area of Jerusalem that will be dealt deathly earthquakes at the time of the end. The greatest shakings of the planet since people have existed will make the entire earth tremble. The reaction of human beings will be nothing short of absolute panic: "They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the Lord and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily" (Isaiah:2:19And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.).
There may be multiple quakes that follow that which Isaiah describes. But there will finally be one trembling and quaking of the earth that will be greater than all others.
The apostle John was given a preview of it through a vision in the book of Revelation. It will occur in conjunction with the final great battle, commonly (though erroneously) known as Armageddon, which pits the forces of Jesus Christ against those who dare rise up in rebellion against Him at His arrival.
It is part of the seventh bowl of God's wrath that is to be poured out: "There was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth ... Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found" (Revelation:16:18-20 [18] And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
[19] And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
[20] And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.).
Why will God speak through such horrifying calamities to the population of the planet? It is because man is in rebellion against Him. We have worshipped and are worshipping idols and other gods instead of the true God (Isaiah:2:7-8 [7] Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots:
[8] Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:).
This monstrous quaking of the planet will cause men to cast away their idols of silver and gold (verse 20). Idol worship is not limited to adoration of graven images. Idol worship includes the love of money and all things that money can buy. It can include excessive, inordinate lust for anything, because covetousness is idolatry (Colossians:3:5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:). We need to heed the Bible's warnings and turn from our sins!

What should you do?

In any given year, geophysicists record thousands of earthquakes; over 21,000 occurred in 2010. Most of these are small and do no damage. Large ones can do horrendous damage, and those that occur in the oceans can trigger disastrous tsunamis.
Men try to protect life and property against these powerful forces. They build seawalls to ward off the roiling ocean currents. Japan had constructed a 31-foot seawall near Fukushima on the island of Honshu. Yet even this could not stop the relentless wall of water.
No amount of planning, skills or constructing can stop a force that moves the planet, shaking the very ground on which we stand. Eventually the only deliverance is by turning to and placing ourselves in the hands of the only One who can truly save us—the all-powerful living God.

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The Population Explosion and Prophecy

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about countries with a population explosion! This follows this post about the Vatican release of the third Fatima mystery. For a free magazine subscription or to get the book shown for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

The Population Explosion and Prophecy

How is the increase of the world's population related to prophecy?

According to population experts, it took almost 1,900 years for the world to slowly rise from an estimated 250 million at the time of Christ to a billion and a half at the beginning of the 20th century. Then, in the 20th century alone, the earth's population has exploded as it quadrupled in size. It has passed the staggering mark of 6 billion people. In spite of advances in birth control, the world population still rapidly climbs.

A glimpse at the trend shows why many are concerned. According to the United Nations Population Division, it took 123 years to move from 1 billion to 2 billion population. Yet it took only 33 years to reach the 3 billion mark and 14 years to arrive at the 4 billion level. Next it took only 13 years to reach 5 billion, and just 11 years later we crossed the 6 billion mark.

From now on, it is estimated, a billion people will be added every 10 years. Provided this rate of growth—adding some 80 million new people per year—continues, the planet's population will double again in 50 years.

What does this all mean? Is the earth able to sustain this level of population growth without bringing on dire consequences?

Signs of global environmental fatigue

Already the earth is showing serious consequences from this rapid population increase combined with the excessive consumption of the earth's resources. In 1989 the fishing industry reported a dwindling of fish catches in oceans, and the decline has continued. Diminishing reserves of metals, fossil fuels, forests, arable lands, freshwater and wildlife are facts of life.

Pollution has reached a global scale, with hardly any part of the earth free from contaminated air, water and soil. This is not an extremist view, but what world organizations such as the UN and the Red Cross are regularly reporting.

Perhaps in the United States, Europe and Japan, where funds are available to curb the most damaging effects of the rise in population, there is not so much concern. But these nations comprise only a sixth of the world's inhabitants. The rest of the world is in a far worse condition.

More famines predicted

The dramatic increase in the world population has placed great strains on the political, military, economic and social systems around the planet. Some relief agencies already consider parts of Africa to be in a chronic state of hunger.

The population explosion is not only a problem of quantity, but of quality—because of varying living standards. While the birth rate in industrialized countries has plummeted, in backward regions it remains quite high.

It is estimated that 95 percent of population growth will occur in the 130 poorest countries. Already a fourth of the earth's inhabitants live on less than a dollar a day. Yet this is where population growth is greatest. Two countries and one region—China (1.3 billion people), India (1.1 billion) and Africa (800 million)—contain half the world's population.

As the population grows, it strains the relations within cities and among nations. More crime, violence and disease will invariably appear as people are increasingly forced to live in cramped and unhealthy quarters.

According to 2001 UN statistics, Tokyo was the world's most populous city, with 26 million. But the UN calculates that in the next 15 years the world's largest cities will be Bombay (Mumbai), India, with 26 million; Lagos, Nigeria, with 23 million; Dhaka, Bangladesh, with 21 million; São Paulo, Brazil, with 20 million; Karachi, Pakistan, and Mexico City with 19 million; and Jakarta, Indonesia, and Calcutta and Delhi, India, with 17 million. Can these nations, many of them impoverished, continue to provide basic services and enforce the peace as their resources dry up?

Prophecy on the march

How is this related to prophecy? First, according to the end-time scenario described in the book of Revelation, a massive army from east of the Euphrates will cross the river and bring a disastrous world war. "And I heard a voice … saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.' So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million" (Revelation 9:13-16 [13] And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

[14] Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

[15] And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

[16] And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.



See All...).

For this prophecy to come to pass, billions of people must exist on the planet for this region to field 200 million able-bodied soldiers. Until the latter part of the 20th century, the nations in this area could not muster even half that number. But now, for the first time in history, they can provide such a massive military force.

Also, as world population multiplied in the 20th century, so did the explosion of knowledge, made possible by improved communications, travel and technology. We can easily see the fulfillment of the prophecy God gave to Daniel: "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase" (Daniel 12:4But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

See All...).

We take for granted such things as rapid international travel, computers, the Internet and the knowledge explosion, but these were widely available beginning only during the closing years of the 20th century.

Japan Considers Preemptive Strike on North Korea!

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about an opportunity that Japan has considered before. This follows this post about homosexuality in the newspaper comics. For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

In Brief... World News Review: Japan Considers Preemptive Strike on North Korea

article by Darris McNeely, Mike Bennett





If we accept that there is no other option to prevent an attack... there is the view that attacking the launch base of the guided missiles is within the constitutional right of self-defense.







After North Korea's provocative missile tests in early July, Japan said it was considering whether a preemptive strike on North Korea's missile bases would violate its constitution.



According to Mari Yamaguchi (AP, July 10), several government officials openly discussed whether the country ought to take steps to better defend itself, including setting up the legal framework to allow Japan to launch a preemptive strike.



"If we accept that there is no other option to prevent an attack... there is the view that attacking the launch base of the guided missiles is within the constitutional right of self-defense. We need to deepen discussion," Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said.



"With all of Japan easily within range of North Korean missiles, an opinion poll conducted by Japan's NHK television showed that 82 percent of respondents in Japan said they felt 'fearful' or 'somewhat fearful' of the seven or more missiles that North Korea shot into the Sea of Japan on July 4," reported Anthony Faiola in the Washington Post July 11.



Japan's constitution, written after World War II, prohibits the use of military force, though Japan does maintain a 240,000-strong self-defense force.



However, AP quoted a Japanese Defense Agency spokeswoman as saying Japan has no attacking weapons such as ballistic missiles that could reach North Korea. Its forces only have ground-to-air missiles and ground-to-vessel missiles, she said on condition of anonymity.



For their part, North Korea scoffed at the UN Security Council resolution asking it to quit launching missiles and return to six-party talks. "The vicious, hostile policy of the U.S. and the irresponsibility of the UN Security Council have created an extremely dangerous situation on the Korean Peninsula," said a North Korean Foreign Ministry statement ( The Week, July 28, 2006).



—Sources: AP, The Week, WashingtonPost.com

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Japan's Earthquake Disaster: A Foretaste of Worse to Come?

An interesting article from www.gnmagazine.org about the earthquake, tsunami, and radiation leaks in Japan. This follows this post about the deficit of the United States. For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

Japan's Earthquake Disaster: A Foretaste of Worse to Come?


article by Noel Hornor





The world was shocked by the destructiveness of the recent earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan. The disaster proved that even a modern, technologically advanced nation is helpless against the forces of nature. What perspectives does the Bible offer on this disaster?







Source: United States NavyOn March 11, 2011, a monstrous 9.0-magnitude earthquake near the east coast of Japan's main island of Honshu rattled the entire country and brought much of the population to its knees.



In the more than a hundred years during which men have been measuring the strength of earthquakes, only three stronger quakes have been recorded. This one tied for the fourth-strongest on record.



This quake was the largest ever in Japan's history, unleashing the equivalent of 30,000 Hiroshima-sized nuclear bombs. It was so powerful that it shifted the earth on its axis by several inches, making make it spin a little faster and thereby shortening the day by 1.8 millionths of a second. It moved the island nation about eight feet to the east.



Since the earthquake's epicenter was offshore, the early damage from the quake was moderate, relative to the size of the tremor. The tsunami that followed was another matter. Within minutes a huge wall of water swept onto the land, crushing buildings, capsizing boats, destroying bridges and sweeping debris in its path. Cars were swept along like they were toys.



In addition to the loss of thousands of lives, half a million people were rendered homeless, forced to take refuge in temporary shelters. Many lost everything they had, except for the clothes on their backs and perhaps a few personal items.



In the days that followed, the havoc wreaked by the earthquake began to increase exponentially. Another threat to life arose—that of radiation sickness from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. With the breakdown of cooling systems due to the earthquake and tsunami, reactors were badly damaged. Officials labored frantically to avoid a disaster like that of 1986 in Chernobyl, Ukraine.



The quake's epicenter was approximately 150 miles from Japan's capital city of Tokyo. The city and its surroundings are home to 39 million people, so any strong tremor there would be catastrophic—even one much smaller than the monstrous 9.0 shaker. So of course it's been calamitous. And that's despite some preparation, big earthquakes having struck the area in the past—in 1703, 1855 and 1923.



We should consider what's happened in the context of other recent and historic quakes—and what the Bible has to say about such natural calamities.



Frequency of recent major quakes

The earthquake off the coast of Japan is the sixth major one worldwide in a year and two months. On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 earthquake struck the poverty-ridden nation of Haiti; the epicenter was approximately 16 miles west of the capital of Port-au-Prince.



Because the nation of Haiti is so poor and had few buildings designed to endure the stress of a convulsion of this magnitude, an estimated 316,000 died, 300,000 were injured and 1 million were made homeless, according to the Haitian government. An estimated 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial structures collapsed or were severely damaged. This was the worst earthquake in the region in more than 200 years.



On February 27, 2010, a devastating magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Chile, one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded. Over 500 people were killed, and more than more than 1.5 million were displaced.



The earthquake triggered a tsunami, which devastated several coastal towns in south-central Chile and damaged the port at Talcahuano. Tsunami warnings were issued in 53 countries, and the wave caused minor damage in the San Diego area of California and in the Tohoku region of Japan, where damage to the fisheries industry was estimated at $66.7 million.



Chileans were only just beginning to grapple with the devastation before them even as more than two dozen significant aftershocks struck the country. In Santiago, the capital, residents reported having been terrified as the city shook for about 90 seconds.



While this earthquake was far stronger than the 7.0-magnitude one that ravaged Haiti six weeks earlier, the damage and death toll in Chile was far less extensive, in part because of stricter building standards enabling structures to withstand damage in devastating earthquakes.



On January 2, 2011, another earthquake shook southern Chile, this one with a magnitude of 7.1. Tens of thousands fled the coastal areas for higher ground, fearing the quake might generate a major tsunami like the one in 2010. Hundreds of tourists spending the New Year's holiday at resort cities cut their trips short and headed north, clogging highways.



On February 22, 2011, a 6.3-magnitude temblor struck New Zealand, leaving the city of Christchurch in ruins. This was the second major quake to strike the country in less than six months.



The earlier one of September 2010 was considerably stronger, but the Christchurch shaker did much more damage because it struck one of New Zealand's largest cities. Churches and tall buildings were toppled and more than 100 people were killed. In viewing the city, Prime Minister John Key said, "It is just a scene of utter devastation" and "We may well be witnessing New Zealand's darkest day."



Earthquake threats to the United States

What is the danger that the United States will be jolted by a colossal quake? It is not only a danger; it is virtually guaranteed to happen eventually. The two densely populated areas that are most in danger are the midlands and the West Coast.



The New Madrid fault in the Midwest is not as infamous for the threat of major earthquake damage as other faults in the continental United States, but this area experienced major seismic activity in the years 1811-1812. Seven earthquakes in the magnitude range of 6.0 to 7.7 occurred in the period of Dec. 16, 1811, through Feb. 7, 1812. These quakes rank as some of the largest in America since its settlement by Europeans.



These quakes are not as well known as other major U.S. quakes, because the affected area was sparsely populated when the cataclysms occurred. According to the United States Geologic Survey, "The area of strong shaking associated with these shocks is two to three times as large as that of the 1964 Alaska earthquake and 10 times as large as that of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake."



The first main shock of these seven occurred on Dec. 16, 1811, and was felt far away. "People were awakened by the shaking in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Charleston, South Carolina" (USGS).



During the quake that occurred on Feb. 7, 1812, the vibrations were so great that some areas of the ground sank as much as 16 feet. Resulting tidal waves from the Mississippi River created Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee. It is Tennessee's largest natural lake.



West coast quakes

The most famous of mainland earthquakes in America is the 7.8-magnitude quake that struck San Francisco in 1906. This was due to seismic shifting on the San Andreas Fault, which runs roughly 810 miles through California to Baja California in northern Mexico.



Yuri Fialko, Professor of Geophysics at the University of California San Diego, completed a study in 2006 in which he demonstrated that the San Andreas Fault has been stressed to a level sufficient for the next "big one"—an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 or greater.



Fialko's data suggests that the fault is ready for the next big earthquake, but exactly when that might occur we're not able to tell. According to professor Fialko, "It could be tomorrow or it could be 10 years or more from now."



Then there's the Cascadia subduction zone, a 680-mile fault that runs 50 miles off the coast of the Pacific Northwest from Cape Mendocino in California to Vancouver Island in southern British Columbia. Geophysicists estimate that it's capable of generating an earthquake with a magnitude as high as 9.0. The last time this occurred was in 1700; the one before that is estimated to have occurred around 1500.



Scientists say a rupture along this fault would cause the sea floor to bounce 20 feet or more, setting off powerful waves close to shore. The resultant monstrous tsunami would inundate coastal communities in minutes. As with the San Andreas Fault, geophysicists do not know if such a disaster is imminent but agree that eventually it is inevitable.



Earthquakes can affect the whole world

Every year thousands of earthquakes occur around the world, some strong enough to be felt by people. Most of them do no significant damage either to life or property. But some that have been recorded in the last 150 years have resulted in massive loss of life. An estimated 200,000 people were killed in an 8.5 quake in Kansu, China in 1920. In 1976, 255,000 people died from damage caused by an 8.0 quake centered near Tangshan, China. And the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami left more than 230,000 people dead in 14 countries.



Earthquakes can cripple—at least temporarily—a nation's economy. Japan is the third-largest economy in the world. While the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami will have a harmful short-term medium effect on their economy, some economists believe the catastrophe will have a negative impact short-term on the world economy.



Historically, earthquakes have at times wrought permanent damage to major powers. In ancient Greece, the city-state of Sparta had the greatest military power during the classical era. "From the ninth to the fourth century BCE its armies were almost invincible . . . Sometime around 464 BCE a powerful earthquake devastated the city of Sparta with many fatalities. This event, while not immediately affecting Sparta's prominence, had a catalytic role in its eventual decline.



"The fatalities included not only Spartan soldiers but a great many women and children as well. Thus in the following years there were many fewer births among the Spartan soldier caste, leading to the weakening of Sparta's army. This earthquake foreshadowed Sparta's gradual deterioration and disappearance from the world stage" (Jelle Zeilinga de Boer and Donald Theodore Sanders, Earthquakes in Human History, 2005, pp. 45-46).



Thus, even the mighty can be laid low by the powerful shaking of the earth.



God's involvement in earthquakes?

Is God's hand ever present in the occurrence of tragic earthquakes? This quandary has often provided fodder for philosophers.



"A shocking event at mid-[18th] century supplied a brutal confirmation of disbelief. On the eve of All Saint's Day [Nov. 1] in 1755, while the faithful were in church, an earthquake shattered Lisbon. Fire and flood from the Tagus River completed its destruction. Tens of thousands perished.



"Instantly, [French historian and philosopher] Voltaire set to work on a long poem that drew the moral: how could a personal God endowed with power and justice ordain such a holocaust? For what conceivable reason kill worshipping men, women and children in a peculiarly horrible manner?



"That they were worse sinners than the same number of Parisians or Londoners was a contemptible answer. There was no answer, except that the forces of nature acted independently of their creator" (Jacques Barzun, From Dawn to Decadence, 2000, p. 378).



Because God is omnipotent, He has power over all the forces of nature to use earthquakes to punish individuals or nations, should He choose to do so. However, we should not conclude that in all cases He singles out people for chastisement through such tragedies. Sometimes people die or suffer other losses through natural disasters because of time and chance (Ecclesiastes:9:11I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.). They are in the wrong place at the wrong time.



There are exceptions, though. Sometimes God does speak through earth's turmoil, and there is surely no greater natural tumult that man can suffer than to have the very earth shake under his feet. A prolonged horrendous earthquake can turn the bravest human beings into a quivering, frightened mass of fearful flesh.



There is perhaps nothing we depend on more than having the steady, predictable solidity of the ground under our feet. When it begins to shake, buckle and roll violently, man's confidence can be reduced to zero as he sees everything he has made with his hands come crashing down around him. God's power is limitless. "He looks on the earth, and it trembles" (Psalm:104:32He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.).



God's past interventions

During past turbulent historical periods, God has moved the earth—sometimes to instill awe, fear and respect into the minds of people. Shortly after the time that God brought Israel out of Egypt through the Exodus, there were certain men—Korah, Dathan and Abiram—who dared question the divine authority that God had given Moses. They accused Moses of presumptuousness and self-exultation (Numbers:16:3And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?). Furthermore, a majority of the people was sympathetic to Korah, the ringleader (verse 19).



Moses knew that God was working through him, so he assembled the three rebels and the cantankerous congregation and warned them that God would move the earth, create a crevice and cause it to swallow up those who dared reject God (verse 30). Right after Moses spoke, God caused the earth to gape open with a fissure that swallowed the rebellious leaders and their families (verses 31-32).



This historical example demonstrates that God does sometimes punish disobedient people with shaking and splitting of the earth as appropriate payment for sins.



Earthquakes at the death and resurrection of Jesus

At times God has used an earthquake to send a different message. He spoke through an earthquake in the first century right after His Son was nailed to the cross.



When Jesus died, "the earth quaked, and the rocks were split" (Matthew:27:51And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;). Perhaps the quake foreshadowed the coming judgment of God on those who had crucified Jesus and also served as a divine sign that He truly was the Son of the Father.



It impressed the Roman soldiers who were guarding the site. "So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake . . . they feared greatly, saying, 'Truly this was the Son of God!'" (verse 54).



God also used an earthquake to roll the stone away from Christ's empty tomb—to show that He had gained victory over the grave (Matthew:28:1-6[1]In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.[2]And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.[3]His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:[4]And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.[5]And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.[6]He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.).



The coming terror because of earthquakes

Biblical prophecy tells of future earthquakes far more powerful than any that human beings have yet experienced. The reason for these, in part, will be to instill awe and respect towards God in the hearts of all humanity at the end of the age and the return of Jesus Christ.



Isaiah:29:1Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. issues a woe of warning to "Ariel," which is another name for Jerusalem. Included in the dire message is the notice: "You will be punished by the Lord of hosts with thunder and earthquake and great noise" (verse 6).



Shortly before His death, Jesus gave a solemn prophetic warning of terrifying and terrible events that would precede His return. He included among these the fact that "there will be great earthquakes in various places" (Luke:21:11And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven., emphasis added throughout).



He also admonished all that there will be the turbulence of "the sea and the waves roaring" (verse 25). This may be a reference to future titanic tsunamis.



It will be more than just the area of Jerusalem that will be dealt deathly earthquakes at the time of the end. The greatest shakings of the planet since people have existed will make the entire earth tremble. The reaction of human beings will be nothing short of absolute panic: "They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the Lord and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily" (Isaiah:2:19And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.).



There may be multiple quakes that follow that which Isaiah describes. But there will finally be one trembling and quaking of the earth that will be greater than all others.



The apostle John was given a preview of it through a vision in the book of Revelation. It will occur in conjunction with the final great battle, commonly (though erroneously) known as Armageddon, which pits the forces of Jesus Christ against those who dare rise up in rebellion against Him at His arrival.



It is part of the seventh bowl of God's wrath that is to be poured out: "There was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth ... Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found" (Revelation:16:18-20).



Why will God speak through such horrifying calamities to the population of the planet? It is because man is in rebellion against Him. We have worshipped and are worshipping idols and other gods instead of the true God (Isaiah:2:7-8[7]Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots:[8]Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:).



This monstrous quaking of the planet will cause men to cast away their idols of silver and gold (verse 20). Idol worship is not limited to adoration of graven images. Idol worship includes the love of money and all things that money can buy. It can include excessive, inordinate lust for anything, because covetousness is idolatry (Colossians:3:5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:). We need to heed the Bible's warnings and turn from our sins!



What should you do?

In any given year, geophysicists record thousands of earthquakes; over 21,000 occurred in 2010. Most of these are small and do no damage. Large ones can do horrendous damage, and those that occur in the oceans can trigger disastrous tsunamis.



Men try to protect life and property against these powerful forces. They build seawalls to ward off the roiling ocean currents. Japan had constructed a 31-foot seawall near Fukushima on the island of Honshu. Yet even this could not stop the relentless wall of water.



No amount of planning, skills or constructing can stop a force that moves the planet, shaking the very ground on which we stand. Eventually the only deliverance is by turning to and placing ourselves in the hands of the only One who can truly save us—the all-powerful living God.

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http://www.ucg.org/news-and-prophecy/japans-earthquake-disaster-foretaste-worse-come/