Like the loving parent who gently shakes a child to wake him up, God is shaking the world today in an attempt to wake us from our slumber. And like the child who doesn't wake up immediately, the shaking becomes a bit more firm and serious.
If America and, for that matter - the world doesn't wake up soon, that shaking will become stronger and more severe.
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(MUCH OF THIS IS ORIGINALLY FROM A YEAR AGO)
HIGH-TECH DISCOVERIES OR INNOVATIONS
· The Internet has become THE "hot ticket" in technology, and has truly changed the way the world works. Yet the WWW or, the "world wide web" as it's known, has only been a global entity for about the last 11 years, after first being a much smaller, internal computer "web" used in scientific and university settings. Think about how far technology has come in just over a decade!
· Computers - not only are they the fastest growing home electronics purchase, but more and more businesses and industries are forcing the public to use computers for business transactions such as banking, paying bills, getting unemployment checks, checking records, shopping, etc. Many businesses (such as banks) actually charge a fee if customers use a human bank teller or talk to a person on the phone!
· Technology is jumping further and further ahead, and is forcing us, by default, to keep up (i.e., replacing computers and cell phones due to becoming antiquated after a mere 2-3 years). The chips and electronics that run all of this are getting smaller and smaller – there are now computer and bio chips the size of grains of rice (and getting smaller), but truly remarkable are RFID tags (radio frequency ID tags) which are the size of a
speck of dust!
· Talking billboards are ones that can recognize when someone is standing in front of them; this may lead to a "Minority Report-esque" type of billboard that can recognize a person by name by reading their personal number/chip/cellphone:
http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=13078
· Many banks and financial institutions now require either fingerprints and/or eye scans for all new customers, and most stores that cash checks also require thumbprints.
· Most states now require a social security number and thumb prints when renewing drivers licenses
· At one time, one's social security number was a highly prized and highly secretive number, much like a bank account number. It was only given to one entering the work force at age 16, and was not under any circumstances, to be given to anyone other than one's employer. Today, the privacy of that number is no more—as is that of bank accounts and medical histories. Because of the Internet, and electronic business in general, the social security number has become the choice in record identification of all kinds, with the buying and selling of lists of these numbers going to companies who have little or nothing to do with privacy, government, banking or medical institutions. Personal information once deemed private is readily available from doctors, creditors, and banks for a fee. Lists of names, bank accounts and credit card information are now commonly sold to telemarketers, insurance companies and direct mail companies.
· The biggest terrorist strike against the U.S. in its history: on September 11, 2001, under the direction of extremist Muslim Arabs, headed up by Osama Bin Laden, two separate jet liners were hijacked and flown into the two World Trade Towers in New York City. The towers collapsed, killing thousands who were trapped inside, as well as hundreds of NY police and firemen. Another plane crashed into the Pentagon, killing 800; yet another hijacked plane, bound for Washington, was thwarted by some of the passengers, who forced the plane to dive into a field in Pennsylvania, rather than attack the capital. A few of the pieces of fallout from the September 11, 2001 attack:
- Massive security measures were taken around the country at airports and entrance points into the U.S. All U.S. airports now use Federal employees at security checkpoints, rather than contracted outside companies.
- Due to tightened security, all foreigners entering the U.S. may soon be required to give fingerprints and photos. (update January 2003: there are serious discussions now to "chip" all foreigners as they enter the U.S. (from EndTime.com)
http://www.cascadiamedia.org/posters/verichip.pdf This may then bleed into regular U.S. citizens as well. The chip is called Digital Angel…and the top two proposed leading implant areas are: the back of the hand or the forehead.
- Also, we are quickly heading toward consolidating a person's religion, nationality, race, medical info, educational background, and work-related issues (i.e., the dreaded "permanent record"?), social security number/phone number/drivers license number on an electronic national ID card, or in an implantable bio-chip to implant under the skin.
· The Global Satellite Positioning System (standardization of the GPS will be implemented for "security" and "tracking/safety" purposes). The GPS is becoming a greater and more ubiquitous part of life with technology." The GPS can view/take a picture of any point on earth, down to within one square yard. The GPS is also used for other types of tracking, such as herded animals on farms or ranches to prevent theft. Many rental car agencies have installed GPS in their cars (i.e., "OnStar").
· Some GPS systems are used to monitor the driving habits of rental car users, and if they are found to exceed the speed limit, either a ticket is automatically mailed to them, or a deduction is automatically removed from their checking account. Children as well now have clothing or watches to wear, in order to track them in case of a kidnapping:
http://www.techtv.com/news/computing/story/0,24195,3350809,00.html and
http://www.wherifywireless.com/prod_watches.htm
· Many states use window-mounted electronic toll tags on their toll highways, and reports are developed which can be accessed on line by the user. These reports track the frequency, toll amount, the location of, and the speed of, the vehicle. Many states also have tracking devices implanted in the roads to track traffic flow.
· Many new automobile models will now have "black boxes" in them, similar to those used in the airlines. These computerized boxes will gather information on the user's driving habits, such as speed, usage/wear, maintenance, etc., all of which could potentially be downloaded and used by insurance companies to control costs and to become more "discerning" (read: discriminatory) in who they will and will not take on as a new customer.
· Cellphones will soon all have the GPS system in them:
http://eyetap.org/wearable/wear-hard-98/19984064.html
· A U.S. family, the Jacobs, of Florida, have become the first family to be implanted with bio chips the size of a grain of rice:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2002/05/10/implantable-chip.htm
· Cameras are now everywhere on the streets and in buildings/airports and use the new recognition software to catch potential criminals based on facial features. This technology is starting to be used very freely in public areas, as "breach of privacy" is negated if the person is out in a public domain.
· Identity theft is on the rise, so technology must keep ahead of the thieves (photos, fingerprints, or eye scans)
http://www.privacyrights.org/identity.htm
· Cameras can automatically take pictures of non-paying drivers at tollbooths and red light runners are sent tickets in the mail (or are even emailed tickets).
· Is teleportation, ala Star Trek' on the horizon?
http://www.uforc.com/research/page42.html
BIOTECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS / BREAKTHROUGHS
· Human cloning may have become a reality
http://www.clonaid.com/ And cloning of animals has become very common. However, cloned animals have been known to acquire a host of medical problems as they age.
· The many ways of creating a baby (in vitro, surrogate, etc.) is now very common.
· Biochips now made small enough and powerful enough to implant in an animal for tracking purposes, or under the skin of humans to make banking/buying/medical information simpler and easier. Already happening.
· DNA sampling of criminals and inmates is now
de rigueur in most prisons.
· Technical advancements in mechanical prosthetic limbs, and hearing aids that completely stop stutterers from stuttering.
· Lasik, liposuction, and procedures that were once considered invasive, requiring a hospital stay of up to a week, can now be done simply as outpatient procedures.
RELIGIOUS MATTERS
· The Millennium World Peace Summit was held at the United Nations on August 29, 2000. A major portion of the meeting's funding is coming from the U.N. Foundation/Better World fund, created by Ted Turner, the vice chairman of Time Warner Inc. and founder of Cable News Network, the parent network of CNN Interactive. Turner, who served as honorary chairman of the meeting, has in the past had to apologize for brash remarks about organized religion, including a 1990 comment that Christianity was "for losers." Turner was once married to Jane Fonda, who became a born-again Christian shortly before they separated.
· Rampant sexual abuse by Catholic priests being revealed and the millions of dollars in litigation this has caused, not to mention untold lack of trust of Catholics in their religious leaders around the world.
· The emergence and acceptance of Eastern-Asian religions/practices and the overall acceptance and integration of them into society (yoga, meditation, Feng Shui, spirit guides)
· The acceptance of talking to spiritualists, mediums, and psychics in everyday society. The well-known medium, John Edwards, even has his own television program called "Crossing Over," where he claims to talk to the dead loved ones of audience members.
· Worldwide persecution of Christians in Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist countries
SOCIO-ECONOMIC, GOVERNMENTAL, GLOBAL
· After Sept. 11, the entire world has been in recession; hundreds of businesses have closed (airlines) and have layed off millions of people (in 2003, the effects are still being felt).
· Regarding Iraq. The Euphrates river, from which the four demonic angels of Revelation are to be loosed, is located in Iraq (Revelation 9:18). Saddam Hussein makes a point of comparing himself and his rule with that of Nebucadnezzar of Babylon - they even have Festival Babylon where special coins are minted that have Saddam's face on one side and Neb's on the other. Saddam is also rebuilding Babylon, complete with huge thick fortress walls, ornate hanging gardens, and any other historic information that has been gleaned from the first Babylon. Also, the name "Saddam" means "destroyer" because his was such a difficult pregnancy for his mother (her doctors even told her that it might be best for her to abort). If the U.S. is truly planning on attacking Iraq and starting another war, will this war be the one to destroy 1/3 of life on Earth? One frightening
scenario:
- The U.S. attacks Iraq and Saddam Hussein; [
UPDATE 2004 - Saddam Hussein captured by U.S. troops!]
- Iraq retaliates by attacking Israel;
- Israel attacks Iraq in self defense, causing other Arab nations to attack Israel as well (according to the Bible, Israel should, however, be Divinely protected by God if this happens;
- North Korea figures the U.S. has its hands full, so attacks South Korea;
- China then invades Taiwan, whom they believe belongs to them;
- India and Pakistan also go to war over Kashmir, because they figure that the U.S. can't be everywhere at once.
All of these wars could theoretically use both use nuclear and biological weapons, which could theoretically--and very easily--destroy 1/3 of life of Earth (as foretold in the Bible 2,000 years ago).
- There has been a resolution submitted by some Senator asking that those people who own smaller cars (in order to save gas and pollution) should now be taxed on their road usage; i.e., a fee per mile. No word yet on what they have planned for those road monsters, SUVs.
· India and Pakistan have been on the verge of a nuclear war over the state of Kashmir for some time. This may also include China, as the three countries each own, or claim rights to, the province of Kashmir.
· North Korea has confessed to making nuclear weapons of mass destruction. They have also been shaking their fist at the U.S., the western alliance, and South Korea as well.
· China has been threatening to invade Taiwan for some time as well. China believes that Taiwan belongs to them in whole; Taiwan, on the other hand, after 75 years of British rule, now thinks and acts like a sovereign democratic state and will not go quietly.
· The Taliban war in Afghanistan and subsequent removal of them from power.
· The number of Muslims in the U.S. has reached an all time high, and continues to grow.
· The global criminal court, another UN sanctioned initiative.
·
Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Statement of principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests were adopted by more than 178 Governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992.
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/agenda21.htm The Earth Summit was convened to address urgent problems of environmental protection and socio-economic development. Agenda 21 is now being pushed hard to all countries.
· The push by the UN for a global tax, in order to keep the richer countries more "poor" and to push the world in a socialistic direction
· The constant and escalating fighting between Israel and the Arab states.
· There has been much talk in Jerusalem about a way to rebuild the Temple without tearing down any of the sacred Israeli or Arab sites. War permitting.
· The Brazilian/Argentinean monetary situations are extremely perilous; monetary rates fluctuate wildly on a day-to-day basis, and there is constant fear of total economic collapse. Argentina, after nearly devaluing its currency, and having five presidents in only a month's time in 2001, now is involved in so much unrest that civil war is imminent, and oil exporting (14% of U.S. oil imports) has nearly come to a standstill.
· there is a resolution submitted by some Senator asking that those people who have small cars (in order to save gas and pollution) now be taxed on their road usage; i.e., a fee per mile.
· Hilary Clinton may very well run for President within the next decade; she tends to be very pro-Palestinian and extremely left-wing; GWB may win a second election, but after that is completely up for grabs and a lot can happen before his term is over.
BUSINESS / FINANCIAL / INDUSTRY
· The mergers/buyouts/absorption of corporate media giants such as Viacom, AOL Time Warner, ClearChannel, etc. have been buying out smaller media companies, and each other. Soon there may be only a few media powerhouses to feed us their view of reality…which many think smacks of corporate monopolies.
· Along those lines, banks and financial institutions around the world are being bought out or merging, creating fewer, but more powerful, banking institutions (i.e., Bank of America / Bank One)
· The Enron scandal - how one of the biggest energy related companies in the world completed collapsed, causing thousands of employees to lose billions of dollars in company 401Ks.
· WorldCom Telecommunications shortly followed suit, going Chapter 11 in 2002 (they had $4 billion on the books as revenue rather than debt). One after the next, America's deregulated industries have collapsed: airlines, electric utilities, and telecommunications. All have effectively been bankrupted by deregulation
· The inception of the NAFTA trade agreement between Canada/U.S./Mexico
· The birth of the Euro on January 1, 2002. Twelve (12) European countries are now using Euro currency (paper and coin), but 3-4 countries are lagging; though it is said that they will "come around" soon enough when they discover the problems created by not using the new currency; or have sanctions against them for not joining.
· There supposedly is a very powerful computer located in Belgium known as "the Beast." Supposedly, this supercomputer houses financial information on nearly everyone who has ever done a bank transaction, worldwide.
SOCIO-FAMILIAL / RELATIONSHIPS / HUMAN INTERACTION
· The maturing of children at an exponential rate. Overly sexualized role models, television, cable, and even commercials now make even the youngest children "little adults" in both look and actions.
· The breakdown of community within the family. Both parents often work, so they can afford "the good things" of life; leaving the kids on their own, and left to their own devices. The children are not taught good values, good manners, good morals, or if they are taught them at all, they are fast and few between, and rarely reinforced. Children are given "things" in order to make up for lack of quality time and love from the parents. This then spills over into rebelliousness, lack of respect for others or those in authority, no acknowledgement of right and wrong (only what's relative). This causes more crime, more divorce, less education, more out of wedlock pregnancies, in an never ending societal downward spiral.
· The exponential growth of pornography on the Internet and in society in general. With right and wrong being of a relative nature, pornography and perversions of all kind is running rampant. Internet sex, phone sex, pedophilia of all types, swingers clubs, erotic dance clubs and prostitution are at an all time high, yet hardly anyone bats an eye any longer. "If it feels good, do it" and "if it's right for you, it's okay" mentalities help to reinforce these industries.
· The "boredom and apathy" of high tech overload: we're so constantly blasted and assaulted by noise and activity, that we rarely ever have time to sit quietly, think for ourselves, do something creative, listen to God, or do something productive (many people even tend to be bothered by too much quiet)
· On line dating continues to grow in appeal with many single adults, whose lives are too busy to just go out and meet that special someone. Along with that, the percentage of divorces in the U.S. is now up to 60%.
· The Pledge of Allegiance is being forced out of schools by the courts:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/LAW/06/26/pledge.allegiance/index.html
· The family as it was once known (father, mother [at home], children) is fast disappearing, and "families" now consist of single parents, unmarried parents, step-parents and step- or half-siblings; lesbian couples, gay couples, or any group of people living together who call themselves a "family." Talk show host Rosie O'Donnell recently admitted she was gay, and openly boasted of her pride in being a single, gay mother (with a partner) of 4 adopted kids of varying backgrounds. Also, several female celebrities have made the choice to become single mothers.
· The gay agenda and lifestyle is being pushed heavily and is becoming more prevalent in society. Insurance companies are now having to insure "life partners" or "significant others" whether or not the couple is married or even of the same gender. Nickelodeon, a family/children's cable channel, will soon be showing a sitcom based around a family with gay members. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil hosted a huge gay pride parade, which drew hundreds of thousands of people, and where the mayor of the city said that he was "proud" to serve in a city that was so "diverse."
· Children, especially little girls, are growing up extremely fast, becoming neurotic, bulimic and anorexic at grade school levels due to being inundated with television, websites and magazines that advocate extreme thinness, sex and beauty; and midriff-baring, barely-clothed, overly sexual "role models" like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, who give the impression that one can-and should-only be admired purely on a sexual level.
· TV shows like "the Osbournes" (as in Ozzy) are becoming new role models for kids. Because of the extremely vulgar language of not only the parents, but their teenage kids, nearly the entire show is bleeped. However, Ozzy is being hailed (by Dan Quayle) as role models for telling his kids not to do drugs on the show (meanwhile, he himself had a string of devil-inspired musical hits, and bit the heads off doves and bats on stage).
· The growing fascination with the occult and/or satanic/wiccan religions and ways of life, and even TV shows (Buffy, Angel, Charmed, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, etc.)
· The fact (FACT) that Christianity in general the world over is now looked at as a fundamentalist/extremist/intolerant religion, and all things connected with it are being [legally] expunged from schools, government, social strata and businesses (i.e., Christmas is now a "winter celebration" with nary even a mention of the word "holiday"). However, all other religions, faiths and beliefs seem to be welcomed with open arms and are touted and celebrated, especially in schools (couched as "diversity" and "tolerance")
More to come...
