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WorldWatch |
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Vol. 1, No. 2 Published by the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association |
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Will Saddam Hussein Use CHEMICAL and BIOLOGICAL Weapons? The question may be purely rhetorical, for he already has, on NUMEROUS occasions! Recently, as frightened Israelis crowded into distribution stations for new gas mask kits, and the world watched as U.S. forces prepared once again to mount a bombing campaign against Iraq, the State Department issued strong warnings to all U.S. citizens abroad amid frightening scenarios of possible terrorist attacks against the U.S. here at home. Could WE be the targets of Saddam's insane rage? What KIND of weapons does he possess? How would they be used? What are their effects? What defense can we use against them? by Garner Ted Armstrong Their very names conjure up visions of agony. VX, BOTULINUM TOXIN, SERIN, ANTHRAX, the EBOLA virus, BUBONIC PLAGUE, PHOSGENE, CHLORINE, MUSTARD GAS, DIOXIN—the list is long, and chilling. Today, we live in a world where chemicals are a part of daily life. Millions of households are like small chemical laboratories; cans, bottles, containers of all kinds beneath millions of kitchens and in medicine cabinets, or around backyard swimming pools contain enough toxic ingredients to wipe out the families living within. Parents must learn to keep toxic materials out of the reach of children; to carefully read labels, and "use only as directed." We use chemicals for almost everything. Hundreds of factories produce thousands of products for daily use. This is why it is so easy for a mass murderer like Saddam Hussein to conceal chemical and biological programs intended to produce weapons. Iraq is an agricultural country to a large extent. Chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides are produced to aid in crop production, as well as a plethora of household items. Think of your own daily use of chemicals. They are used to clean, dust, scour, dissolve, strip, repair, glue, fertilize; to wash, wipe, scrub, paint; to kill insects, vermin, termites; to cleanse the air, purify our water, or wash out our mouths. Chemicals make up a significant part of our daily intake of poisons. are present in our water, our soft drinks, on our leafy vegetables, in our meat, on our apples and fruits, in our canned goods, in our cheese, bread, our cookies, and even, sometimes, in our wine and beer. We all have our daily diet of chemicals. We breathe them in our air, ingest them through our pores, absorb them through our scalp or our face, or poke them into our bodies through needles, pills, suppositories, or stick-on tabs of tape. Chemicals make sure our glasses do not show a single "bead" mark of water when our automatic dryers are finished with our dish washing. They insure no slight streaks appear on our windows or mirrors. They kill "99.9 %" (but oh, that remaining .1 % just what can IT do?) of the germs in our mouths, or our toilet bowls. They kill termites beneath our homes for a year or more, while we live "safely" within. They preserve our bread so that it will not mold in weeks. They turn our tap water into a chemical soup of dead organisms, floating in a turgid, slightly discolored liquid which foams like a head of beer in our glass when we fill from the tap. They PROTECT us, after all, and we are completely indebted to them. It is so easy for a mass murderer like Saddam Hussein to conceal chemical and biological programs intended to produce weapons. Each "developed" country produces myriads of chemicals. Many are "petrochemicals," based upon the petroleum industry. Oil-based fertilizers, for example, are used massively in nations such as India, because the sprays, often delivered by crop dusters, cling to stems of tiny plants. Here in Texas, we are experiencing a terrible plague. I could go into my own back yard on a given Spring or Summer day, lie down for ten minutes, and within a number of hours, would be dead—dying in agony too intense to describe, from thousands of stings from the dreaded "fire ant." They are everywhere. They are beneath the rocks, around each tree, beneath the concrete slab for my air conditioning unit, along my driveway; wherever there is something solid for them to burrow under. When a mound appears, it means thousands of workers are grooming many "queens"; winged ants which will fly away like a termite hatch, to begin yet other colonies. Each queen will then begin to lay hundreds of thousands of eggs. The "fire ant' is a vicious, frenzied fighter. It stings its victims with a powerful venom that, if it were the size of a mouse, would cause instant, agonizing death. Instead, it "burns like fire", as if the area had been suddenly held over a match! Then an angry red welt appears. Then, it turns into a pustule, comes to a head, and subsides. Then, it remains on the skin for six to eight weeks, itching; forming an ugly scar which eventually disappears. Fire ants attack everything and anything. They eat the insulation on electrical wires, causing air conditioning systems, lights, pumps, motors, to short out and stop. They attack baby quail, pheasants, doves, or any other kinds of birds, mercilessly devouring the helpless little babies in the nest, forming long lines of marching ants, carrying their spoil back to the nest. They have killed baby deer, calves, and baby humans! To "control" the fire ants here in East Texas is almost impossible. But I try. What choice do I have? I use about ten different varieties of poison. Phosgene, "Chlorinated hydrocarbons," "Amdro;" there must be over a dozen brand names. Some say to sprinkle the dry pellets on the nest, then water it in. Some say to sprinkle it around, and the ants will carry the meal to the queen which will sterilize her, and they will move away. Where? To find another fertile queen, no doubt. Then what? Some say to pour it directly on the mound, being careful not to breathe any of the noxious fumes, or spill even so much as a drop on my skin. They are expensive. But what choice do I have? So I sprinkle, pour, scatter, drop, spray, and then wash my hands. Chemicals. Phosgene stinks. "Hot Shot" smells like pure chlorine. My garage looks like a chemical factory. The point is, your super-market shelves and nurseries are filled with dozens of different chemicals manufactured for home use. Those skilled in mixing certain otherwise benign substances used for fertilizer (like the huge bomb that destroyed the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City) can manufacture fearsome weapons which can cause mass death. A determined dictator like Saddam Hussein can easily hide his chemical and biological weapons program behind the facade of dozens of laboratories which produce chemicals for agricultural or home use. After all, it only requires a tiny vial about the size of your thumb, laden with deadly Anthrax spores, to cause mass death over an entire city. Russian Defectors Warns Of Russian Biological Programs In one of the most chilling television interviews I have ever watched, Dianne Sawyer interviewed Dr. Kanatjan Alibek, who was second in command in the biological weapons program of the former Soviet Union. The Russian scientist is now working as a consultant in the United States. Appearing on "Prime Time Live", Alibek sketched a frightening pallet of horror as he outlined how the Soviet Union had stockpiled enough biological cultures to literally kill every last person on earth "four or five times over." He showed how Soviet scientists were mixing "cocktails" of up to three different kinds of virulent germs such as anthrax, smallpox, and bubonic plague; how they had placed canisters of these cultures in the MIRVS aimed at many, many cities in the U.S.A. A "MIRV" is a "multimegaton, independently-targeted reentry vehicle", or an ICBM with up to 20 different warheads. The ICBM would be launched from Russia, and, less than 45 minutes later, come hurtling down out of space into the atmosphere, where the one warhead would separate, causing 20 different warheads, each with pre-programmed guidance systems, to head toward 20 cities, exploding in the air above them, raining down millions of deadly disease spores!
Alibek said he believes that, regardless of agreements between the U.S. and Russia to quit manufacturing and stockpiling such weapons, some of his former Soviet colleagues may hold the key to whether the use of biological weapons will be stopped. He said some are in Russia and some are "overseas." He said, "They are everywhere today, and we have lost control of them." Frighteningly, he spoke of how Russia has descended into poverty, and how scientists who know how to produce such weapons are tempted by promises of huge sums of money from foreign sources! Is There Any Defense Against Anthrax? It has been pointed out that a terrorist, possessing a supply of anthrax spores, could release them in any number of ways, killing perhaps hundreds of thousands. He could release them from a light plane above a city; could rig a device to mix them with the exhaust pouring out of his car, while driving along crowded streets, or release them in subways. Anthrax symptoms are almost identical, in the first stages, to colds and flues. The victim develops a cough, headache, aches and pains. By the time a doctor could perform tests, the victim's lungs have begun to fill with fluid, and he dies. Meanwhile, the deadly spores, multiplying by millions, are being further expelled by the victim in the same fashion that colds and flues are spread. In bitter, wry, perhaps macabre humor, a British writer explained what he had learned when he asked the government in Britain about defense against anthrax: "The big bug the Iraqis have probably grown is anthrax, a cattle disease which British germ warfare experts used to lay waste a Scottish island in the Second World War. To start with, you just have a low grade fever and a hacking cough for a few days. Then you stop breathing, go into shock and die. There is no cure. "I checked it out with a British military doctor after I applied for an Iraqi visa. 'The one thing you could protect against is anthrax, he said. 'It's a horrible death and entirely preventable.' He said all I needed was a shot of combined anthrax and whooping cough vaccine, price £20. He did add that the vaccine was suspected of causing Gulf War syndrome, a mixture of nervous symptoms affecting hundreds of people who served in the coalition army that drove Iraq out of Kuwait in 1991. 'But there's absolutely no scientific evidence,' he said. He inquired how he could get the vaccine, and found out it was not just one shot, but three of them over several weeks! He said, "But they did tell me that the one place I could get the vaccine was the Public Health Laboratory at the Ministry of Health. "The Lab was very frank and helpful. 'There isn't any vaccine at the moment. There isn't any in Britain. We have a new batch being made but it won't be ready until the end of the month.' "So that was that. Panic buying, obviously. Anyway, I found out afterwards that the vaccine takes 32 weeks to work. Even when it's speeded up by being combined with whooping cough vaccine (at the risk of a lifetime's side effects), it still takes 8 weeks. "Moral: if you're not in the army, forget it. And if you are, the vaccine might be nearly as bad as the disease." So much for PROTECTION against an anthrax attack!
Jesus Christ spoke of a time when we would be hearing of "wars and rumors of wars " characterized also by a time of "famines, and PESTILENCES..." (Matthew 24:6-8). A "pestilence" is a major disease epidemic! Today, MAN can deliberately cause massive death by the spread of horrible bacteriological cultures, or by releasing toxic chemicals above crowded cities. When John was transported in vision into our time, he could only write what he saw, using the language of the first century. When John saw the horrible "trumpet plagues" falling upon God-rejecting mankind, he wrote, "And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit" (Rev. 9: 1). John saw a bright, streaking object, like a meteor. God's word uses the term "star" for an angel (Rev. 1:20). The proof is in the next verse, where John says, "And he [the angel] opened the bottomless pit [or: "abyss"]; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. "And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power." What if John had been given a vision of a modern day battlefield, such as that in Kuwait and southern Iraq during the gulf war, or a scene from a war that is just ahead of us? Imagine how you would have described a vision of a whole squadron of Apache attack helicopters appearing out of clouds of smoke from burning oil wells, their main and tail rotors whirring, their huge, tiered, double cockpits reflecting the sun, with "hell fire" missiles belching from their missile racks, and a 20mm "Gatling" gun spewing thousands of rounds a minute from a chin turret. A painful, white-hot stinging sensation (as a scorpion sting) covers their bodies, and causes such suffering they wish to die. John wrote, "And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." Anthrax, botulinum toxin, smallpox, VX, Serin, or Ebola do not damage trees or grass, but they cause agonizing death, or, in small quantities, "Gulf War Syndrome" which has been suffered by thousands of veterans of the Gulf War who believe they were exposed to chemical poisoning. John continued, "And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man." "And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." A painful, white-hot stinging sensation (as a scorpion sting) covers their bodies, and causes such suffering they wish to die. "And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men." John had seen "battle horses" with metal face plates, and chain mail hanging on them. The "heads" of what John thought were huge "locusts" appeared to be metallic, like crowns. He saw faces, which were human. "And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions' " "And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron [are these the thick armor-plating on jet aircraft or attack helicopters?]; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle." He heard a clattering thunder. Did he hear the sound of powerful jet driven main rotors of attack helicopters, or the roar of modern jet engines? He could only relate it to the thunder of hundreds of galloping horses, for he had no other point of reference. "And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails [Modern attack jets can fire missiles in all directions, including ejecting white-hot decoys from their tails to cause enemy missiles to lock on to the decoy. Attack helicopters, when firing missiles, have jets of flame shooting toward the rear. A helicopter looks like a scorpion or a locust, with its "tail" and tail rotor]: and their power was to hurt men five months." Is this the spreading of painful disease, rather than instant death? If you had lived in the first century, and were suddenly given a vision of a modern-day battlefield with huge, towering pillars of smoke, roaring jets, whizzing missiles, clattering helicopters, tanks shooting at each other, rotors flashing in the sun, and bombs exploding with deadly anthrax inside, how would you have described it? As the symbolic "loosing of the angels" which held back the advancing armies of over two hundred million occurred, John saw, "And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand; and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone [did he see modern battle tanks, with huge 75mm cannons blasting, flame throwers belching fire and smoke?]. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. "For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt" (Revelation 9:13-19). In John's awesome vision, he saw a vast battlefield in which ONE OF THE POPULATION OF EARTH is slain! This is greater loss of human life than in all the wars, famines, natural disasters and disease epidemics put together! This is greater loss of human life than in all the wars, famines, natural disasters and disease epidemics put together! Today, we live in a time when it is possible to ANNIHILATE every human on earth! When I heard the interview with the Russian defector who was high up in the biological weapons program of the Soviet Union say they had stockpiled enough poisons and biological agents to "kill the population of the world four or five times over' I had to think of Jesus Christ's warning, "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. "And except those days should be shortened, there should No FLESH BE SAVED [alive!]: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened!" (Matthew 24:21,22). Are you one of God's very ELECT? If you are, you need have NO FEAR of these horrible weapons of mass death! If you are one who has received, NOT the "mark of the Beast," but the "mark of God"; if you are a child of God, having repented, received baptism and the laying on of hands to receive God's Holy Spirit; if you are one who "sighs and cries" for the horrible abominations you see all around you, then you are one of God's elect! Ezekiel prophesied of a time when God will make a difference between His elect and those who are to receive of the plagues of the Day of the Lord: "And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through. the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. "And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity" (Ezekiel 9:4). Surely, as we WATCH world happenings, we know the GREAT TRIBULATION could burst upon us at any time! Let us never forget our Lord and Savior's admonition, "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21:36). o
DEVASTATING WEATHER CONTINUES: As I mentioned last month, EL NINO continues to ravage the globe with topsy-turvy weather! During the first two weeks in March, California continued to be savaged by storms; homes collapsing as the steep hillsides gave way. The Midwest experienced blizzards. Traffic was shut down on hundreds of miles of interstate highways in Nebraska and Iowa. Des Moines had 8-foot drifts of snow. Meanwhile, southern Alabama and the panhandle of Florida experienced freezing weather which cost millions in strawberry and blueberry crops, and just before the freeze, heavy rains and flooding. Shortly after, tornadoes wreaked havoc, creating such disasters the President flew down to see for himself. Then, a tornado tore up a ten mile swath through Lake Lanier, Georgia, killing 16, including a man and a child whose mobile home was thrown into a lake, and destroyed dozens of homes. News reports said "stunned" residents were "cleaning up on Saturday" following the tornado on Friday. A short time ago, CNN produced a one-hour special about the effects of El Nino, documenting the severe drought in Indonesia, the terrible flooding and avalanches of mud ravaging Ecuador and Peru, and then showed scenes of the shattered neighborhoods in northern Florida, where "too many tornadoes to count" had demolished dozens of homes and trailer parks, in one case, literally ripping a child from its father's arms. A few months ago, many scoffed at the warnings. Now, no-one is scoffing, as tens of millions sit transfixed before their television sets (if they are in a region where they have been relatively safe from the shockingly violent weather), or looking fearfully out their windows as they see "mother nature" turned upside down. o ____________________________________
BRITAIN MAY NOT ADOPT EURO. For decades, I have said publicly that I doubted Britain would be a member of the ten-nation coalition that will finally form in central Europe. Now comes news that Britain, along with Denmark and Sweden, will probably not adopt the "Euro the common European currency which is to become the monetary standard in Europe. We believe England is the "Ephraim" of prophecy, and that "Danmark" (which merely means "the mark of Dan"), as well as Sweden and Norway are members of the so-called "Lost Ten Tribes of Israel." o ___________________________
WILL GERMAN TROOPS Kosovo, the southern most province of Yugoslavia next to Macedonia, is almost 90 per-cent ethnic Albanians, which means it is mostly Islamic. "Ethnic" Albanian militants had mounted attacks against Serbian police in recent months. Suddenly, the Serbs sealed off and shelled three villages. Dozens were reported dead. Hundreds were hiding in the woods for fear of their lives. About 2,000 Albanian women gathered in front of the U.S. Information ministry in the capital, Pristina, waving white papers in shouting and crying protest. U.S. Secretary of State Albright flew to London for an emergency meeting, publicly blaming Serb president Slobodan Milosevic. Worldwide protests broke out. In 1989, when Milosevic revoked autonomy for Kosovo, I wrote that it could become the site of a widening war in the Balkans, spilling over into Macedonia. Greece, which is nominal Christian (Greek Orthodox), has no love for Islamic nations—witness the decades-long unrest, sparked by invasions and wars on Cyprus between Greece and Turkey. Some European leaders, no doubt very much aware of U.S. forces stretched thin because of the crisis in the Gulf, were calling for a joint Franco-German force to move into the area. For decades, I predicted a change in the German Constitution which would allow German troops to be injected into foreign disputes. 240,000 tourists, mostly European, visited Yugoslavia last year, including 12,000 Germans. Watch what happens in the Balkans! o _________________________________
ISLAMIC MILITANTS According to Reuters News Agency, unidentified Muslim clerics were calling for "Jihad", or holy war, against Americans all over the world. Senator Jon Kyl, (R), Arizona, chairs a Senate panel on terrorism. He recently received a memorandum from the Counter Terrorist Center at the CIA, in which the CIA said it had learned that "fatwas", or religious rulings, had come from fundamentalist Islamic clerics which would "explicitly justify attacks on American civilians anywhere in the world." Kyl recently chaired a hearing on foreign guerrilla operations in the United States. o _____________________________________
EXPERT CLAIMS WORLD VULNERABLE TO BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS An Atlanta, Georgia publication, warning that biological weapons are easily made and readily deployed, said "...the spread of smallpox and anthrax in a terrorist attack could spark an uncontrollable pandemic More than 70 countries sent scientists to hear former World Health Organization scientist D. A. Henderson, who spoke of how chemical attacks or bombs are "far more manageable" than a biological attack because of the insidious nature of disease, and warned, "...if anthrax bacteria or the eradicated smallpox virus were unleashed, the number of victims would increase exponentially because the vast majority of people have no immunity to the long-dormant diseases." It is known that Russia has stores of both anthrax bacteria and the smallpox virus, and strongly suspected that Iraq also possesses such horrible weapons. o _____________________________________
WORST OUTBREAK OF RABIES
A 7-year old girl, who was visiting a zoo in Asheboro, North Carolina, was attacked by a rabid fox in late February. State officials have documented 839 rabies cases in 1997, compared with only 10 cases in 1990. Late last year, a rabid beaver climbed into a boat with two fishermen and attacked them both. A week later, at Jordan Lake west of Raleigh, a swimmer was bitten by a rabid beaver. God says, "And if you walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me, I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number" (Leviticus 26:21,22). o __________________________________
WORST CRISIS IN DECADES IN INDONESIA Gripped with its worst economic crisis in decades the country is bankrupt and begging the international community for a bailout—Indonesia is also witnessing more than 1,000 fires raging in centuries-old forests turned tinder dry by the prolonged drought caused by the shifting of "El Nino" warm waters far to the West. Coastal peat forests were burning from August to November last year, sending huge blankets of smoke and smog over all of Southeast Asia, where schoolchildren were wearing masks, and health officials said breathing the air was like "smoking two packs of cigarettes a day." o ________________________________
"Warmest, Wettest January-February
Reuters wire service said the first two months of 1998 broke all records in the U.S. going back 104 years, since records began to be kept. The strange, warmer than usual winter was followed by blinding blizzards that paralyzed traffic in several plains states and, later, and choking snowfall that came "on the first day of Spring", even bringing New York to a virtual standstill. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said, "These record-breaking statistics are generally consistent with a strong El Nino." o _____________________________
HISTORIC OLD TOWN Stoneville, North Carolina had many buildings that had been around since the Civil War. Not any more. The downtown business district of the town was devastated by a monster tornado that was said to have reached velocities well in excess of 200 mph. Seven North Carolina counties were visited by powerful twisters. A 24 year old woman was killed, and her mother hospitalized when their car was smashed against a building, then buried under rubble. An elderly man was whisked out of his home and thrown into a field, dead. Residents said it "happened so fast" they scarcely had time to react. o ______________________________
"RAIN FOREST" HAS NO RAIN. In the "Matto Grosso" (giant jungle) of Brazil, known for its vast, untrammeled rain forest, which has been the site of thoughtless lumbering, clearing, burning, and human incursion in the last 30 years, a prolonged drought has resulted in more than 2,000 fires! The fires are burning along Brazil's border with Venezuela, threatening Indian tribes and villages. Even Argentina sent firefighters to join with Venezuelans and Brazilians, with helicopters, who were struggling "...at times with little more than water tanks, mops and sticks." A featured article in Sao Paolo, Brazil was entitled, "Witch Doctors Pray For Rain In Rain-Forest Flames." Apparently (1 Kings 18?) No-one was listening. o _________________________________
Incredibly Obtuse Government Policy
The Clinton Administration is attempting to "induce" China not to help Pakistan and Iran with their own missile development programs, so it has decided to offer American technology to China. By signing the agreement, China would promise not to continue selling missile technology to Egypt, Indonesia, Libya, Syria and Turkey (as well as Iran and Pakistan). A "regime" has been set up called "The Missile Technology Control Regime" which State Department officials want China to sign. Isaiah cried out, "The way of peace they know not, and their is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked, no one who goes in them knows peace" (Isa. 59:8 RSV). The U.S. plan would help China develop a program to get into space. o
A senior general staff officer in Israel said he believes Saddam only agreed with Kofi Annan and the UNSCOM inspectors after he had been able "to hide or remove any barred weapons or technology.' Major General Moshe Ya'alon told the Knesset [Israeli Parliament] Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Saddam still has the capability to produce chemical and biological weapons, adding that "several thousand Iraqi scientists have trained in the West" [most in European countries], and have the "necessary technical know-how." Even though Iraqi military power has been reduced, Ya'alon said Iraq still poses a serious threat. He said the number of tanks in the Iraqi army had been reduced from 6,000 in 1991 to 2,300 today; that its air force had gone down from 700 to 300 planes, many of which have maintenance problems, but he insisted Iraqi pilots are still "capable of reaching Israeli airspace." Though he refused to elaborate, he also told the Knesset committee that "Iraq had fitted some of its planes with the capability of carrying and spraying biological material." o
Published on 'AMERICA ON LINE' "From combined dispatches Israel has reached agreement with the United States to explode a neutron nuclear bomb in an Iraqi city in the event of a serious attack by Saddam Hussein, according to a report in the Australian newspaper 'The Age', and the British military publishers, 'Janes Information.’" o
RECENTLY PUBLISHED IN THE
INTERNATIONAL "An eight-page report in the magazine's December issue details how close Iraqi President Saddam Hussein came to building a bomb before the 1991 gulf war. The Scientific and industrial infrastructure to build a bomb are in place, and hundreds of employees of the nuclear establishment remain on permanent standby, supported by the government, the magazine said." Personal from Garner Ted Armstrong
GREETINGS from headquarters in Tyler! Our small staff has been very, very busy these past weeks, reading mail, receiving telephone calls, duplicating tapes, mailing out letters and booklets. I have been doing television on a regular basis, preparing for our inaugural weekend of several stations on April 4th and 5th. Check Out the "Television Log" notice for stations and times. As you can see from the publication you hold in your hands, I have been busy writing on a continual basis as well, amid all the myriad details to see to regarding our office lease, utilities, establishing corporate bank accounts, obtaining bank stamps, lining up a CPA firm to take care of our bookkeeping work. Early on, I decided I would never again appoint any individual as a business manager, nor would I appoint any "ministerial council" or other "committee" which would have the power to take over my writing, preaching, or television programs. These commitments are written up in our Constitution and By-Laws, which will have been ratified by the first meeting of the Board of Directors of the Intercontinental Church of God by the time you read this. So far, I have been personally writing all the checks; paying all the bills. A professional firm of Certified Public Accountants has been engaged to set up the books for both corporations; the "GTAEA" and the "ICG," and they will prepare weekly and monthly statements and reports, plus keep me currently informed on a daily basis of bills to be paid. As I write, my son Mark is arranging for us to purchase a "digital television camera" which we will be utilizing for each weekly Sabbath service, our weekly television programs, and all other TV requirements. He took the camera to New Orleans for our second formative meeting there over the weekend of March 13th-15th. I have written out a letter to all who will be observing the Passover at home, or in small groups. Please write or call if you need a copy. Also, I am hoping to produce a brief televised study outline of "How to Observe the Passover" so that hosts of fellowship groups can play it on the evening of the Passover. If I have time, I will also try to produce a special TV tape, probably in "Bible Study" format, for the first Day of Unleavened Bread. That way, those scattered members and hosted fellowship groups will be able to have a special tape on the meaning of the Days of Unleavened Bread. We have already OUTGROWN OUR OFFICE! We had to lease a small suite of offices in order to launch this new beginning in God's work, but we are going to have to expand soon. Please pray with us that God will show us where He wants us to locate! If God provides us with the wherewithal, we may be able to find a few acres of ground and BUILD a suitable building which will serve both as an office and a meeting place. Currently, we are having to pay $113.00 each week for a place for the Sabbath services, and, as you can see, $452.00 each month would be saved if we were in our own meeting place. We are very encouraged to be launching the television program from Syracuse, New York to Sacramento, California, and from Springfield, Missouri to New Orleans, Louisiana! Please PRAY with us that God will mightily BLESS these programs; that many will respond, and that we can walk through other doors He opens before us! THANK you, all of you who are helping us on REGULAR, MONTHLY BASIS to accomplish God's work! We know TIME IS SHORT now—you cannot help but know that as you read the many articles and features in this publication, and as you watch your daily television news, or read your newspapers! We are not only nearing the end of a CENTURY as man counts time—we are very close, now, to the beginning of the GREAT TRIBULATION Christ prophesied! Remember, He said not to fear; not to be "troubled" but to "lift up your heads," for you know "your redemption draweth nigh!" PLAN NOW to attend the FEAST OF TABERNACLES this autumn! We want EVERY SINGLE INDIVIDUAL reading this publication to BE THERE! We NEED each other as never before! God's people need to be TOGETHER this Feast; to lock arms, get to know our brethren from all over the country, support each other, LOVE one another, and have the GREATEST feast of our lives! By the next issue, we hope to be able to announce a major feast site where EVERYONE can attend in one site! This may not be possible—we MAY have to provide a couple of auxiliary sites in Florida and California for those who simply cannot travel due to age or health, or who cannot save enough to afford to attend. We'll be working hard on this, and will keep you informed! The Intercontinental Church of God had its second formative meeting in New Orleans over the weekend of March 13th and 14th, attended by approximately 220 brethren, hosts of fellowship groups, and ministers. It was a great success! God gave us many, many hours of inspiring sessions as we addressed all the many organizational details needing attention. The seven Area Coordinators drew up lines on a large U.S. map, determining the churches and hosted fellowship groups within each region by asking all those present to place a small red sticker on the map. Meetings ensued Friday night, all day Sabbath, and Sunday morning until noon. Everyone returned to his or her home greatly inspired, filled with zeal and enthusiasm to "GET ON WITH THE WORK!" GOOD NEWS! Here is a list of our first few television stations, with the times: New Orleans—WGNO-ABC at 6:00 a.m.; Start date: Saturday, April 4th Springfield—KOLR -NBC at 6:30 a.m.; Start date: Sunday, April 5th Syracuse—WTVH-CBS at 6:30 a.m.; Start date: Sunday, April 5th Sacramento—RCC-TV, Cable Channel 20 at 9:30 a.m.; Start date: Sunday, April 5th MORE GOOD NEWS! We ordained five new ministers during the organizational conference in New Orleans. They are: Bernard Bercosky, Marianna, PA. Larry Brookreson, Buffalo Gap, TX. Thomas Cole, Taft,, TN. Eugene Causey, Covington, LA. Clyde Crawford, Lacy Spring, AL. As you can see from the articles and features in this issue, things are really HEATING UP in this evil world! Three Palestinians were shot to death on March 1lth near Hebron when Israeli soldiers opened fire on a truck they said struck one of them, and was trying to run a road block. The Palestinian Authorities said, "This incident is liable to ignite the whole area." A recent headline on the Worldwide Web said, "Israeli Troops Wound Dozens in Clashes," and said "Iraq Seeks Discipline against UNSCOM' (The United Nations team working in Iraq to seek out hidden Iraqi weapons of mass destruction). Ludicrously, the Iraqi government said it would be putting Bill Clinton on trial for "war crimes!" Meanwhile, the "El Nino" effect was once again pounding the U.S., as southern growers lamented the loss of nearly all or most of their peaches, strawberries, blueberries and other crops. A huge deep freeze extended all the way to northern Florida. Earthquakes were being felt in California, north of Los Angeles, while along interstate highway 80 in northern California, police switchboards were flooded with calls when a "200 mile swatch of meteors" suddenly flashed across the sky, startling thousands of travelers. Authorities said the meteor shower came just as the sun was setting, making for a spectacular display. News came via the Internet of terrible flooding in China, which, according to the report, "could kill tens of thousands." There are so many disasters; so much happening in the global economy; politically, socially, and religiously, that it is impossible to keep up with it all! Just as I completed writing all this above, a terrible tornado ripped a ten-mile long swath through Georgia, killing 16 people, and destroying many homes! As Jesus Christ predicted, we would be living in a time of "wars and rumors of wars," and of droughts, famines, disease epidemics, and "earthquakes in divers places." We may not have as many more years to finish God's work as we have thought! I can't tell you how deeply THANKFUL I am for the many hundreds and hundreds of letters coming in, most of which contain tithes and offerings for this NEW BEGINNING in God's work! If it weren't for those letters, we could not be publishing and I could not be going back on television once again! We need to be on MANY, MANY MORE STATIONS—I know we all believe that, and want to see it happen! Thanks for your PRAYERS for God's Work! It is VITAL; it is URGENT that we all decide NOW we will find a way to be together for the eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles! Start saving now! Local churches will strive to help those who are poor! Let's find ways to share rides, share accommodations, give, serve, HELP one-another SO ALL Can come and enjoy the Feast this year! PRAY for God to make a way! PRAY that we may have peace, so we can continue to shout the truth of God; the gospel of Jesus Christ of the coming world-ruling government of God! How desperately this war-torn, disease-ridden, sin-sick world needs the return of our Lord of Lords and King of Kings! In Jesus' name, Garner Ted Armstrong LettersDear Mr. Armstrong: Dear Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong, Sons, and Brethren: "I just finished reading my first issue of the "Worldwatch" Newsletter. As I read my own sentiments expressed in each one of those letters, I sensed a genuine 'oneness' of spirit that I never quite felt before in all the forty-seven years in which I have been affiliated with the people of God's calling. "But now that we're off and running again, let's not
let up, and let us never forget that 'Still our ancient foe yet seeks to
work us woe.' We must keep oil in our lamps and keep them ever trimmed and
burning brightly..." Dear Garner Ted Dear Mr. Garner Ted Armstrong Dear Ted:
Dear Mr. Armstrong, wife and sons: .(From their 8-year old son) "Dear Mr. Armstrong: I
wish I could see your program on TV. It's sad that we can't watch your
program. I hope we can see your program again! Love, Tommy." Dear Bro. Ted & Sister Shirley, Dear Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong |