Quote: "A new value proposition for journalism and its mission in society. The Council is championing a new global, independent news and information service whose role is to inform, educate and improve the state of the world – one that would take advantage of all platforms of content delivery from mobile to satellite and online to create a new global network. It could bring together journalists and citizens, aggregating content to create new communities of interest that cross the boundaries already crossed by companies and NGOs and that eliminate the barriers that so often frustrate truly global responses. And how do we advance the proposals of the Network of Global Agenda Councils if not through an ambitious act of journalism itself? It will take innovative public-private funding to provide that global voice, one that can both generate content and imagine a new global community in which people can share, participate and disagree, with a focus on mission rather than the bottom line. That voice, and the content it creates, will act as a focus for providing education, campaigning for access and championing empowerment. If we are going to create a global voice, we need to empower it by removing the restrictions on story-telling. To do that, businesses, governments and institutions need to embrace both transparency and a readiness to be open to information provision. Why is something new required in a world seemingly awash with information? In a world where there are calls for global governance as a response to a global financial crisis, where scientific research, capital flows and production chains are globalized, the media and the communities in which we imagine ourselves remain fiercely localized. Even the media voices we think of as international come from London, Qatar or Atlanta. Via the World Economic Forum committed to improving the state of the world, the agenda that will deliver those improvements needs a genuine, global voice that shares that fundamental commitment. The Forum was created to bring a space for international debate and cooperation where global stakeholders could talk about global issues. In a world facing global problems but with little to match in global governance, its foundation was an act of imagination. Communicating a global agenda, and motivating and mobilizing people to support it, requires an initiative of global imagination, and why shouldn’t such an initiative come from the World Economic Forum and its Members?

As Cliff Kincaid states in his article, this is not journalism, it is propaganda. Journalism is when you report the facts without bias towards one side or another. News becomes propaganda when an idea or opinion that you want to convey is added into the mix, or when you suppress facts that would appear detrimental to your cause. In this case "global governance" is the goal, and "communicating a global agenda" through the media is the means of bringing it about. Of course there is nothing intrinsically evil about the idea of global governance. It could be that some of these people have no greater ambition than making the world a better place to live in. Some believe that a devilish plot is being hatched by the global elite in order to bring us into a New World Order. That is possible too, but I prefer to stick to what I personally know to be true. The fact is, God still rules in the kingdom of men (Daniel 4:17). On one occasion God gave all the kingdoms of the world into the hands of an evil dictator called Nebuchadnezzar, and He did so in order that His will might be accomplished.

Jeremiah 27:5-7
I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.

The Bible states that during the tribulation period, a one world government will be set up. It will be headed by an evil dictator called the man of sin (2nd Thessalonians 2:3). Satan will give him his seat and great authority (Revelation 13:2), and he will be given a 'global voice' speaking great blasphemies (Revelation 13:5). But rather than resolving global issues, the problems will continue to grow worse, and believers in the one true God will become the scapegoat. And thus will commence the period of time called the great tribulation. All this will happen in the permissive will of God. But when the King of Kings returns, all the kingdoms of the world will be destroyed (Daniel 2:44-45), "And of the increase of His government and of peace, there shall be no end", Isaiah 9:7. So while we know all these things must come to pass, we can still have hope.

Revelation 21:5
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

Do you have hope for the future? Do you belong to the kingdom of God? Jesus Christ declares that only those who are born again of God's Holy Spirit shall enter His kingdom (John 3:3). Jesus Christ gave His life upon the cross so that your sins could be forgiven and you could live in His kingdom (John 3:16). Turn away from your sins and trust in Him for salvation today.

John 1:12-13
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 

Source USA Survival, Global Agenda 2009

Quote: ""The Future of Babylon" project launched last month seeks to "map the current conditions of Babylon and develop a master plan for its conservation, study and tourism," the WMF says. "We don't know how long it will take to reopen to tourists," said Mariam Omran Musa, head of a government inspection team based at the site. "It depends on funds. I hope that Babylon can be reborn in a better image."

When you look at the history of the region, it easy to understand how tourism could play a significant role in the rebuilding of Iraq. The region is mentioned more times in the Scriptures than virtually any other country, under names such as Assyria, Babylon and Mesopotamia. The garden of Eden is thought by some to have been located in Iraq, if the names of the rivers described in the book of Genesis are anything to go by. The tower of Babel was built in Iraq. Abraham came from Ur of the Chaldees, which was in Iraq. Jonah was sent by God to preach in Nineveh, which was once a major city in Iraq. Daniel was taken captive to Babylon, the capital city of the ancient kingdom. And Babylon is one of the first major empires mentioned in Bible prophecy. In the Scriptures Babylon could be thought of as being symbolic of man's best efforts to achieve greatness without God. King Nebuchadnezzar once proclaimed, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?", Daniel 4:30. In testament to God's judgement on the pride of man, King Nebuchadnezzar lost his mind and was removed as ruler of Babylon for a period of seven years, until he understood that it is God that rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to Whomsoever He will (Daniel 4:25). Nebuchadnezzar then repented of his sin and was restored to his kingdom. I believe he is in heaven today. There is another 'great Babylon' mentioned in the Scriptures. The book of Revelation mentions a city by the name of Babylon. There are differing opinions as to the identity of this city. Some believe it could be symbolic of a major commercial centre such as New York. Some say it could refer to a capital of the religious world such as the Vatican. Others say there is no reason why it could not refer to a future time when the actual city of Babylon will be rebuilt and will become both the commercial and religious centres of the world. Which interpretation you follow doesn't really matter. For whatever form 'Babylon the great' takes in this world today, the outcome will be the same. It is going to come crashing down. Just like in King Nebuchadnezzar's day, seven years of judgement are going to come upon this world. The question is, what are you going to do? Will you respond like Nebuchadnezzar did, and break off your sins by righteousness through trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation (Daniel 4:27)? Or will you respond like Belshazzar did, and continue on in your sins and perish in the overthrow of the city (Daniel 5:30)? Only you can make that choice. Trust in Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Revelation 18:9-10
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, 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.

Source News Daily

Quote: ""Uniquely in this global age, it is now in our power to come together so that 2008 is remembered not just for the failure of a financial crash that engulfed the world but for the resilience and optimism with which we faced the storm, endured it and prevailed," Brown told the lord mayor's banquet. "...And if we learn from our experience of turning unity of purpose into unity of action, we can together seize this moment of change in our world to create a truly global society."

Just a few days ago, I commented on the letter sent by the EU to the new American administration, which called for a 'partnership of equals' on global foreign policy issues and seemed to signal a seismic shift towards an EU-centric world. Previously military officials have discussed the idea of setting up a combined EU-US-NATO command structure, which would be based in Brussels and be responsible for co-ordinating action against the global terrorist threat. There is also talk of the European Union and United States of America harmonizing their tax laws with the goal of creating a Transatlantic Common Market by the year 2015. This year we have also witnessed the establishment of the Union for the Mediterranean, which aims to create a region of peace and stability on the borders of Europe, and aspires to revive the glory days of the old Roman Empire. We may also soon witness the full ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, which will create the posts of EU President and Foreign Minister, and give the bloc its own legal identity on the world stage. As you can see, we are well on the way towards the establishment of a global society, governed by Daniel's fourth beast - the European Union. It will be man's last attempt at bringing peace to this troubled world. It will also be Satan's last attempt at preventing the return of Christ to set up His Millennial Kingdom. But as Daniel said of King Nebuchadnezzar's vision, the dream is certain and the interpretation of it is sure. For in the days of these ten kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44-45). The Stone, which King Nebuchadnezzar saw striking his image on the feet and grinding it to powder, is none other than Jesus Christ.

Luke 20:17-18
And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Jesus Christ is the Stone of Israel (Genesis 49:24). He was the Head Corner Stone that the builders of the nation of Israel rejected (Psalm 118:22-23). And whosoever shall fall on this Stone in repentance shall be broken, but whosoever this Stone shall fall on in judgement shall be destroyed. Jesus Christ loves you so much He gave His life for you upon the cross, so your sins could be forgiven and you could have everlasting life in heaven (John 3:16). He is waiting for you to come to Him in repentance today. He says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest", Matthew 11:28. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31).

Source Reuters

The head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has warned that the world teeters on the brink of economic meltdown, as fear continues to grip the financial markets. His comments come just days after half a dozen central banks reduced their interest rates by half a percent in an effort to stave off the prospect of a global recession. Panic selling on the international stock exchanges has continued despite a record $700 billion bail-out for US financial institutions and a £500 billion bailout promised for eight major UK banks and building societies. The crisis began earlier in the year after several major US loans companies, which had been encouraged to lend to people with poor credit ratings, collapsed due to bad debt. This was compounded by property prices in my own country, which had escalated to the point to where first-time buyers could no longer afford to get on the property ladder. Property investors were making millions of pounds, while many ordinary people were struggling just to survive. We were told that this housing 'bubble' would never burst, that this was the way it was going to be from now on. It did burst however. Now house prices aren't half what they were this time twelve months ago, and even builders are finding themselves out of work. This financial crisis has since spread throughout the world, and shows no sign of abating any time soon.

Quote: "Speaking in the US capital on Saturday, Mr Strauss-Kahn said: "Intensifying solvency concerns about a number of the largest US-based and European financial institutions have pushed the global financial system to the brink of systemic meltdown."

I remember hearing the late Barry Smith talk about the coming global economic collapse, and how he once overheard two City investors on a train talking about trying to 'bring down the system'. At the beginning of this year, just as the US financial crisis was getting underway, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was already calling for a complete overhaul of global economic institutions such as the World Bank and IMF.

Quote: "In a wide-ranging speech, he said the international institutions formed after World War Two, such as the United Nations, World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), had to be radically reformed to fit the new, globalised world. "I see a world that harnesses for the common good the growing inter-dependence of nations, cultures and peoples -- a new global society," he said in a speech to business groups in New Delhi. 

Did Gordon Brown foresee the current economic crisis arising? Or has the crisis been manufactured in order to bring about the desired reforms? There is no doubt that world leaders are now talking about this very prospect. But I would still err on the side that Gordon Brown did not foresee this present crisis arising, and that it is not specifically manufactured in order to bring about a global monetary system. Personally I feel that this crisis is greater than man is capable of dealing with by himself. I don't know whether or not this financial meltdown is the one the Bible prophesies will occur during the last days or not. But the judgement prophesied against the "rich men" in James does bear remarkable similarity to what is happening on the international stock exchanges today.

James 5:1-3
Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

If this is the economic collapse that is predicted in the Scriptures, we can expect things to continue to get worse. If it is not, then prospects will improve again. But in any case, the Lord will look after His own. This is why the Lord said for us not to lay up for ourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust can corrupt, and thieves can break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where moth and rust cannot corrupt, and thieves cannot break through and steal (Matthew 6:19-21). There are no economic meltdowns in heaven! My inheritance is 'laid up'. What about yours? Have you trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation? Have you had your sins forgiven? If you have trusted in Christ then you have no reason to fear what you may or may not lose on this earth. Because the earth and all its works will be burned up, but we seek a new heaven and a new earth which are eternal (2nd Peter 3:12-13). Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation today.

1st Peter 1:3-5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Source BBC, Telegraph, Telegraph, IMF