Update 32

“Sheep or Goats”– And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

In Luke 17:11-19, there is the remarkable story of ten lepers. They asked for help from Jesus. He merely gave them these verbal instructions, ” ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ ” This is the entire record of Christ’s response to their plea for mercy and healing.

What is interesting is, that all ten lepers did start on their way to show themselves to the Priests. The account describes something that all Christians need to keep constantly in mind–especially, as we all attempt to exercise the faith that this way of life is built upon: “And so it was that AS THEY WENT, they were cleansed.”

And so it is with us. We have Christ’s instructions. We know what to do, just as the ten lepers knew. Our answer, our fulfillment, is found in OBEDIENCE to God’s instructions–with nothing else but that knowledge to act on.

Finally, let’s consider what Christ said to the one leper in ten who showed THANKS to God and who “…with a loud voice GLORIFIED God” — ” ‘Your FAITH has made you well.’ “

WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

Summary from the Jerusalem Post–February 27, 2002
Many nations are now hopeful of a new peace proposal that is being offered by Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia. At its core, this plan calls for Israel to withdraw to its pre-1967 national boundaries in exchange for trade, diplomatic and security guarantees.

All of this has spawned a new flurry of interest and involvement from the United States and Russia. Of special note is the strong role of European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana in pushing this plan along. The Israeli-Arab problem is steadily introducing an empowered European presence. Momentous struggles in this region continue to position Jerusalem and the land of Israel in its strategic fulfillment of Biblical prophecy–along with the many other nations who will eventually become embroiled.

In addition to observing the exciting events taking place in the Middle East, we must also stay focused on developments in Europe and in the United States, and how they might affect these two power blocs and the rest of the world.

Friendship between Europe and the United States
How fragile current relationships of “friendship” between the U.S. and Europe are, can be seen by the following report:

Der Spiegel pointed out on February 27, that the Foreign Minister of Sweden, Anna Lindh, speaking also on behalf of Great Britain and France, warned the United States NOT to execute any European prisoners presently held in Guantanamo Bay, on the charge of being members of al-Qaeda. Mrs. Lindh stated that otherwise, there would be “extremely drastic repercussions.”

Great Britain gives green light for human cloning
At the same time, a House of Lords Committee in Great Britain ruled that Britain’s scientists are permitted to pioneer the cloning of human embryos for research, and to set up the world’s first embryo cell bank, according to Yahoo News, February 27. The U.S. government had vehemently opposed such possible developments.

Germany accepts leading function in Kabul
Der Stern announced that Germany has agreed to replace Great Britain in April as the “lead nation” in Kabul, by accepting a “leading function” within the multi-national military security force in Afghanistan. The military campaign in Afghanistan has placed Europe and the United States at odds with most Muslims. Reuters reported on February 27 that an “overwhelming majority” of Muslims do not believe that Arabs carried out the September 11 attacks on the United States and disapprove of the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan. They, instead, blame somehow the United States and Israel, according to the report.

Joerg Haider – An Arab?
A rather strange report was run on February 27 in the Austrian News Networld. Seif el Islam Qaddafi, son of Libya’s leader Muammar al-Qaddafi, stated to a French newspaper that Austria’s Joerg Haider’s ancestors were Arabs, and that Mr. Haider is considering converting to Islam. Mr. Haider allegedly said to Seif el Islam Qaddafi, that he wants to be an Arab and a Muslim. Mr. Haider’s wife, Claudia, denied those statements, pointing out that both she and her husband are practicing Catholics.

Doomsday is near!
Considering the following reports, one can see that the world, as a whole, has not become a safer place. “Doomsday” is almost upon us:

First of all, der Spiegel reported on February 27 that Americans are very worried about terrorists attacking with poison gas and deadly microbes. According to the article, experts fear that frustrated scientists might sell their knowledge to terrorists. At the same time, according to an article published by Reuters on February 27, the keepers of the “Doomsday Clock” advanced on Wednesday its hands nearer to midnight, because of worries regarding nuclear weapons conflicts, lagging disarmament efforts, the lack of security of existing stockpiles, and terrorists in general. The clock stands now at seven minutes to midnight (“midnight” meaning “doomsday”), the closest since the end of the Cold War (when, in 1953, it was set at two minutes to midnight), when the United States tested the first hydrogen bomb.