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Vol. II Number 28 July 26, 1998
In the news there is a lot mentioned about the year 2000 bug or as is known in the industry as the y2k bug. For the most part most of the press coverage is a lot of hype. But this past week Forbes magazine reported that many of the Russian and former Soviet States still have their missiles pointed at us. The computers that they are using are some of the oldest in the world. Some of the Russian computers are still tube machines operating with less power than the lowly IBM XT. Though these machines are ancient, they are dependable.
The problem is when the date rolls over to Jan 1, 2000 where some of the legacy Soviet Computers will attempt to perform a division by 0. In the computer technology the operation is ``not defined'' causing a computer crash. On modern systems when a computer encounters a divide by zero error all that happens to the computer is that the program exits with an error message. But on systems that were built in the 50's and 60's there was no such protection of the system. The system just crashed sending random instructions to the output devices.
Now a output device is something like a printer, speakers, or any device that takes instructions from the computer. An Example is the old Apple II when it crashed all of the sudden the printer went crazy and the monitor showed all kinds of garbage. Now imagine an output device that is an ICBM (Inter Continental Ballistic Missile). The result will be deleterious to the recipients of that missile.
Included in this study are the following articles:
The Forbes magazine articles actually take you to the Forbes Magazine site. The others came from a computer hacker news service slashdot.org. This news group is the source for many technology shows and articles. They have the references to all of the late breaking news of stuff that matters.
Now how does all of this link into the Bible? In the book of Revelation there is a nation that is totally destroyed in a day. It is described as a nuclear waste land and that nation could be us!
Revelation 18:1-24
1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having
great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is
fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of
every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and
the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants
of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people,
that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her
iniquities.
6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according
to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment
and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no
widow, and shall see no sorrow.
8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and
famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God
who judgeth her.
9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived
deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see
the smoke of her burning,
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that
great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man
buyeth their merchandise any more:
12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls,
and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all
manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of
brass, and iron, and marble,
13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and
oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and
chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all
things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find
them no more at all.
15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand
afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen,
and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and
pearls!
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster,
and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood
afar off,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is
like unto this great city!
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying,
Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the
sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God
hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it
into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be
thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters,
shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he
be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be
heard no more at all in thee;
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the
voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee:
for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were
all nations deceived.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that
were slain upon the earth.
The result is that quite possible the Lord can use the Y2K bug to expedite the prophecy to destroy the end time Babylon. The Bible states in Revelation 18:8 That Babylon shall be destroyed in a day. Also, Revelation 18:19 states that Babylon will be destroyed in one hour. Jeremiah describes descriptions of both the historical Babylon and the end time Babylon. One verse will describe the historical Babylon and the next verse will go into a discourse about the end time Babylon. The knowledge student of the Bible will know enough about ancient history to be able to differentiate between the parts concerning the historical Babylon and the end time Babylon. The main thing to realize is that the end time Babylon is so utterly destroyed that there won't be any human life possible. This describes a total nuclear holocaust.
Jeremiah 51:1-64
1 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against
them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying
wind;
2 And will send unto Babylon fanners, that shall fan her, and shall empty her
land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.
3 Against him that bendeth let the archer bend his bow, and against him that
lifteth himself up in his brigandine: and spare ye not her young men; destroy
ye utterly all her host.
4 Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are
thrust through in her streets.
5 For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of
hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.
6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not
cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD's vengeance; he will
render unto her a recompence.
7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth
drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.
8 Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her
pain, if so be she may be healed.
9 We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let
us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven,
and is lifted up even to the skies.
10 The LORD hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in
Zion the work of the LORD our God.
11 Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the
spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy
it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple.
12 Set up the standard upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch strong, set
up the watchmen, prepare the ambushes: for the LORD hath both devised and done
that which he spake against the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is
come, and the measure of thy covetousness.
14 The LORD of hosts hath sworn by himself, saying, Surely I will fill thee
with men, as with caterpillers; and they shall lift up a shout against thee.
15 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his
wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.
16 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens;
and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh
lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.
17 Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the
graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in
them.
18 They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they
shall perish.
19 The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things:
and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts is his name.
20 Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in
pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;
21 And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with
thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider;
22 With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I
break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young
man and the maid;
23 I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with
thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee
will I break in pieces captains and rulers.
24 And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all
their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the LORD.
25 Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which
destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll
thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.
26 And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for
foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith the LORD.
27 Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations,
prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of
Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses
to come up as the rough caterpillers.
28 Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, the captains
thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion.
29 And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall
be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without
an inhabitant.
30 The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in
their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned
her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
31 One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to
shew the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end,
32 And that the passages are stopped, and the reeds they have burned with
fire, and the men of war are affrighted.
33 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of
Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while,
and the time of her harvest shall come.
34 Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me,
he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath
filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out.
35 The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the
inhabitant of Zion say; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall
Jerusalem say.
36 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take
vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.
37 And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an
astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.
38 They shall roar together like lions: they shall yell as lions' whelps.
39 In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that
they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD.
40 I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he
goats.
41 How is Sheshach taken! and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised!
how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!
42 The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the
waves thereof.
43 Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein
no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby.
44 And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth
that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any
more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.
45 My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his
soul from the fierce anger of the LORD.
46 And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumour that shall be heard
in the land; a rumour shall both come one year, and after that in another year
shall come a rumour, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler.
47 Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven
images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain
shall fall in the midst of her.
48 Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for
Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the LORD.
49 As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall
fall the slain of all the earth.
50 Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the
LORD afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.
51 We are confounded, because we have heard reproach: shame hath covered our
faces: for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the LORD's house.
52 Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will do judgment
upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan.
53 Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify
the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the
LORD.
54 A sound of a cry cometh from Babylon, and great destruction from the land
of the Chaldeans:
55 Because the LORD hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great
voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is
uttered:
56 Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty
men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the LORD God of
recompences shall surely requite.
57 And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her
rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not
wake, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts
58 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly
broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall
labour in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary.
59 The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah,
the son of Maaseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon
in the fourth year of his reign. And this Seraiah was a quiet prince.
60 So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon,
even all these words that are written against Babylon.
61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt see,
and shalt read all these words;
62 Then shalt thou say, O LORD, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut
it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall
be desolate for ever.
63 And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that
thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates:
64 And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the
evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the
words of Jeremiah.
3014 E Street Philadelphia, PA 19134 Church Office Phone: (215) 634-3637 Published by: Rev. LeRoy D. Cressy (215) 535-4037
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