Merry Messiah-Mas (Christmas) from Tov Roe

Shalom Dear Friend!

I want to thank you for taking the time to open this letter and read along. Michelle and I understand how important your time is and we’re very thankful for your using some of yours to bless us and share in our lives. Don't forget to look at the article I am including at the end of this email!

There have been a lot of activity and change in our lives over the last six months. After nearly three years of looking for work, I finally found a job that I love. I get to help people with physical and mental disabilities find work and/or start their own micro-businesses. Several of the people I work with have been living normally for most of the lives, but because of life, accident, or illness have ended up relying on the state, or the federal government for their existence. For many, there are levels of shame, victimization, and other negatives and stereotypes to overcome in their own minds and the minds of others. Considering what Michelle and I have been through over the last twelve years, I can perfectly understand where these people are in their spiritual walks and physical realities. God has prepared me to be in their lives.

In other news, God still has an open door for me to host a local radio program here in Minneapolis. The program manager is still considering our proposal. Minneapolis is the 16^th largest media market in the country, which is significant. We've have been dedicating a lot of prayer to this opportunity and would be grateful if you would join us for God to open doors as only He can.

Finally,  on 12/19 Wednesday, my wife, Michelle, will have surgery. We’d appreciate your continued prayer for her recovery.

Blessings in Yeshua (Jesus)!

-TOV

Excerpt from The New Messianic Version of the Bible

ET

The First and the Last[1]

By TOV Rose

Although this edition will not incorporate notations for the ET in the Bible, I do feel is critical to comment on it.

The Hebrew language is read from right to left. The most common word in the Hebrew Bible is the t' (et). The first letter אis called an Aleph, which also begins the Hebrew Alpha-Bet. The second letter in the word t' (et) is ת (Tav),which is the last letter of the Hebrew Alpha-Bet. These two letters are the “first and the last,” the “beginning and the end” and the “Alephand the Tav” which is translated into Greek as the Alpha and the Omega — the first and last letters of the Greek AlphaBet. Jesus uses this as a term for himself several times in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 1:8 ~ ”I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

t' is used over 7,000 times in the Hebrew scriptures and beginning with the very first verse of the Bible. This brings us back to why the ancient Rabbis translated the Aramaic Targumim in such a manner as they did.

`#r,a'(h' taeîw> ~yIm:ßV'h; taeî ~yhi_l{a/ ar'äB' tyviÞareB. Genesis 1:1

B’rasheet bara Elōhim et HaShamayim v’et HaEretz

“In the beginning God created taeî the heaven and taeî the earth.”

An ancient reading of this text, blended with the knowledge that Jesus revealed himself as the two letters of this very word, which previously had no definition; would render the translation as:

“Everything that exists was created in the beginnings by though and for (Elōhim) [The Living Word], the tae[First & the Last] created the Heaven and the tae [First & the Last] created the Earth.”

Does this sound familiar? John 1:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness compre-hended it not.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 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.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (John 1:1-14)

Our Messiah Jesus is the tae Aleph and Tav in Hebrew[2], the Alpha and Omega in Greek and A to Z in English. Although much more could be said on this subject, I will point only to one more observation concerning the t' (et). It appears quite often that t' (et) seems to act as a sort of bookend around important words or phrases in Scripture, acting as more than just a notation pointing to the direct object of a sentence. It is as if the word has an implied meaning such as, “Author and Finisher accomplished what was described.”

Exodus 14:30 Thus the LORD saved ta,-Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw theta,-Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.

dY:åmi laeÞr'f.yI-ta, aWh±h; ~AYðB; hw”÷hy> [v;AY”w:

`~Y”)h; tp;îf.-l[; tmeÞ ~yIr;êc.mi-ta, ‘laer'f.yI ar.Y:Üw: ~yIr”+c.mi

In other words, the Book of Revelation is aptly named for both New Testament believers and his Old Testament covenant Jewish people. The Bible from start to finish is the Revelation to the world of the One whose name means, Behold My Hands Are Pierced, The God of Israel[3].

The Rabbis have a very interesting saying that seems to apply here: Shiv’im Panim la’Torah: “The Torah has 70 faces[4].”

Want to read more? Follow this link: http://www.amazon.com/Tov-Rose/e/B004WLJN1K

---

[1] Isaiah 44:6; 48:12

[2] Talmud: Yalcut Rubeni, fol. 17, 4: Adam transgressed the entirety of God from aleph to tav; i.e., from the beginning to the end. Abraham observed the entirety of God, from aleph to tav; i.e., he kept it entirely, from beginning to end. When the holy blessed God pronounced a blessing on the Israelites, he did it from aleph to tav; i.e., he did it perfectly.

[3] See 1 Peter 1:19-20 and Rev. 13:8

[4] Talmud: Bamidbar Rabbah 13:15

Democratic Party Flying OBAMA Flag (Is this North Korea)?

Some things just make you scratch your head wondering what in the world is going on in your world. Ever have a day like that? I did after seeing this article about Democrats in Florida flying a "USA" flag missing the stars, but with a face of the President on it. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but you have to at least scratch your head at this one...

By Paul Stanley , Christian Post Reporter

March 14, 2012|4:10 pm

A veteran who saw what resembled a U.S. flag with President Obama's image where the stars were supposed to be demanded that the Lake County, Fla., Democratic Party remove the flag which flew outside their headquarters.

"It's absolutely disrespectful," 71-year-old veteran Jim Bradford told Fox News. "It's totally ridiculous. To put somebody's picture there, to me, it's a disgrace to do that."

The flag with the president's image was spotted flying under the American flag outside of the Democrat Party office. Bradford took pictures of the flag in front of the headquarters and after researching the issue and finding it was in violation of U.S. law.

Since the property is in Florida, Statute 256.05 of the state's code says: "No person shall, in any manner, for exhibition or display:

"(1) Place or cause to be placed any word, figure, mark, picture, design, drawing or advertisement of any nature upon any flag, standard, color, ensign or shield of the United States or of this state, or authorized by any law of the United States or this state; or

"(2) Expose to public view any such flag, standard, color, ensign or shield upon which shall have been printed, painted or otherwise produced, or to which shall have been attached, appended, affixed or annexed any such word, figure, mark, picture, design, drawing or advertisement."

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Soon after Bradford circulated a picture of the flag, a group of veterans showed up at the Democratic Party office and delivered the chairwoman of the Lake County Democratic Party, Nancy Hurlbert, a copy of the federal code governing the U.S. flag.

"We read that to her, but she would not accept that," Bradford told Fox News. "The discussion finally got a little heated."

Bradford and his group offered to take the flag down, instead replacing it with the POW/MIA flag the group offered as a gift, but Hurlbert declined their offer. "No, you will not," Hurlbert told the veterans. "This is private property."

The chairlady said the flag had been given to the group as a gift and had been flying in front of the headquarters for about two months. Before Bradford and his fellow veterans showed up there had been no complaints.

"It leads me to believe that it's not about the flag," Hurlbert told Fox News. "Certain elements cannot accept Barack Obama as president."

Hurlbert eventually relented and removed the flag, but when asked if she or Democratic Party officials would fly it again, Hurlbert would not say.

"I won't say no and I won't say yes," she said. "We want to find out what our legal rights are."

The group's chairlady refused to take the POW/MIA flag. It has also been determined that the flag with Obama's image was made in China. Several states have introduced and passed legislation requiring that all U.S. flags been made in America.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/veterans-call-obama-flag-disrespectful-demand-removal-from-democrat-hq-71440/

Top Books

Minnesota in the News Again: Reincarnated Hindu Spiritual Leader in Columbia Heights?

The little lama from Columbia Heights

• Article by: ALLIE SHAH , Star Tribune 
• Updated: December 18, 2011 - 9:00 AM

Tibetan Buddhists see the extraordinary in this Columbia Heights boy -- a reincarnated guru.

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It's morning time and a little boy with a shaved head and a face shaped like the moon chants a Tibetan prayer.

His high-pitched voice echoes inside the Columbia Heights bedroom that his father has transformed into a lavish prayer room. In here, the 4-year-old forsakes his cartoons and toys to study scripture and learn to pray the Buddhist way.

Big for his age, he looks bigger still perched on an ornate chair draped in crimson and saffron robes. "Only for lamas," explains his father, Dorje Tsegyal, sitting cross-legged on the floor at his son's feet.

Jalue Dorjee, you see, is believed to be no ordinary boy.

According to the highest authorities of the Tibetan Buddhist order, he is the reincarnation of the speech, mind and body of a lama, or spiritual guru, who died in Switzerland six years ago. Jalue is said to be the eighth appearance of the original lama, born in 1655.

His discovery in 2009 is considered an honor and a blessing for his working-class parents. But it comes with a hefty price. Jalue (pronounced JAH-loo) is their only child -- their everything. This week, he turns 5, a critical marker on his predestined path. In just five more years, he will leave the familiarity of his parents' home in Minnesota to live and study in a monastery in India.

Jalue is believed to be one of a very few American tulkus -- or reincarnated lamas -- and the first one born in Minnesota, which has the second-largest Tibetan population in the country. Still, the finding comes amid some controversy over the way tulkus are being identified, as some Tibetan scholars question why their number has been increasing -- to thousands worldwide.

But Jalue's parents are faithful believers, and they look past any doubters to the work they must do to prepare their son for his destiny.

The thought of letting Jalue go pains his mother, but she consoles herself that when the time comes, she will probably be accustomed to the idea.

Of dreams and letters

From the time a new life first began to stir inside her in 2006, Dechen Wangmo said she sensed there was something special about this child.

He was peaceful inside her body. She carried him with ease. She never felt sick, not even in the mornings.

And there were those dreams.

One night, an elephant appeared with several little ones around it, she said. They merged into the small prayer room in the family home. Once inside, they vanished.

Tsegyal, too, remembers having vivid, symbolic dreams at the time. In one, he said, he saw many lamas surrounded by tall sunflowers.

So when a highly respected lama from India came to visit the Twin Cities Tibetan community, Tsegyal told him about the dreams. That night, the lama had magical dreams of his own, according to Tsegyal, (pronounced Say-jull). The lama told him he saw huge tigers, one in each room of the family home. Robust tigers are a good omen and a sign of strength and protection, according to Tibetan Buddhist custom.

Before Jalue was born, the family asked the lama to perform a practice known as "divination," which is used by lamas in Tibetan Buddhism to advise people on important matters. Different lamas use their own divination methods, including ones using a rosary or dice to interpret events. This lama performed a divination using two arrows and prayer, Tsegyal recalled.

Weeks later, a letter arrived at the Columbia Heights home. In it, the visiting lama wrote that he was sure the child was the reincarnation of a Buddhist spiritual master, Tsegyal recalled. Which spiritual master, the lama did not know.

Determined to find out, Tsegyal wrote to His Holiness Trulshik Shatrul Rinpoche, the spiritual leader of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, the oldest of the four schools.

Rinpoche performed another divination, also using the arrows. Soon another letter arrived at the family doorstep.

"Your son is lucky to be a reincarnate of body, speech and mind of TAKSHAM NUEDEN DORJEE."

Accepting fate

Emotions filled Tsegyal: gratitude and fear, honor and pride.

He showed the letter to Wangmo. "Let's not tell anyone right now," she said.

What if people questioned Jalue's legitimacy? she worried.

Besides, he was their one and only child. She could not bear the thought of sending her precious son off to a monastery far from her in just a few short years.

But there could be consequences, Tsegyal gently persisted. Tibetan Buddhists believe that interfering with a person's destiny may cut their life short.

"If he is a real reincarnated lama, we have to nurture him and nourish him," he said softly. "Otherwise, he will not have a long life."

Wangmo saw that she must accept her son's fate.

When another lama from India came to town, Tsegyal brought his newborn son for a blessing, but kept quiet about the recognition. "Your son seems to be of high birth," the lama observed.

At Tsegyal's request, the lama performed a third divination ritual. Like the others, he quickly concluded the child was indeed a tulku. He told Tsegyal to alert the three highest lamas, and this led to more letters confirming Jalue as a reincarnated lama.

On Jan. 6, 2009, a letter arrived bearing the seal of the greatest spiritual leader of the Tibetan diaspora. The Dalai Lama officially recognized Jalue as the reincarnation of the lama known as Taksham Nueden Dorjee. In a second letter, the Dalai Lama gave Jalue a formal lama name -- Tenzin Gyurme Trinley Dorjee.

The boy was now 3. His life was about to change.

Enlightened parenting

The first thing to go was his hair.

Buddhist monks must keep their hair no more than 2 inches long, a custom stemming from a story about Buddha snapping his fingers and instantly removing all the monks' hair, mustaches and beards.

At the time, Jalue's shiny black hair fell to his shoulders.

His parents timed his first haircut to the Dalai Lama's visit to the Tibetan community in Madison, Wis., in May 2010. The family traveled to Madison and the Dalai Lama did the honors, cutting a lock of the boy's hair. Tsegyal keeps that strand of hair preserved inside a blue, folded paper at home.

Tsegyal had one more question for the Dalai Lama: How should he raise Jalue to ensure he will become a great lama?

The Dalai Lama told him to keep the boy in the United States until he reaches the age of 10 so he can go to school here and learn good English. When he turns 10, he should be sent to a monastery in India, where he can learn as much as he can before he is full-grown.

Jalue's father says he realizes that he is raising a lama for the 21st century. A tech-savvy spiritual leader who can easily communicate with people in the West and East. Yet someone also fully versed in the wisdom and practices of Tibetan Buddhism and able to teach those concepts to others.

On a crisp fall morning, Jalue looks the part of a boy in two worlds. He practices reading Tibetan words, sitting on his lama chair at home. He is wearing a yellow "Highland Hawks" T-shirt and red flannel pajama bottoms, his favorite colors, and the ones that lamas wear exclusively.

His head bowed over his workbook, he points to each word with a highlighter and reads aloud.

Tsegyal sits next to his son. "He learns very fast," the father says, watching Jalue power through the workbook and look to his father with a "what's next?" expression. He's learning the basics -- how to say the morning and afternoon prayers and how to read the scriptures. In due time, his father says, he will also learn the meaning of those scriptures.

"Right now," Tsegyal explains, "it's very important to know the reading. The important words. Once he will grow up his age, he will start to understand."

The boy lama

There is so much more Tsegyal must teach his son before they part. How to wear the monk robes properly. How to walk and how to sit. At times, Tsegyal feels overwhelmed by his duty.

Mother and father still struggle to find the right balance for shaping a holy man while parenting a 4-year-old.

Once Tsegyal became stern while trying to get Jalue to recite a line in the scripture. The boy's face became serious, Tsegyal said, and he spoke in a commanding tone. "Abba, now I am small. You don't have to do that. When I am grown up, I will know it."

His mother remembers the day when Jalue took issue with her discipline. "I'm the reincarnate of Taksham," he told her. "You have to talk slow and in a good manner. Otherwise, I'll be shamed."

Other times, he appears no different than any other 4-year-old.

At home, he sucks down his favorite beef soup and rice dish. He runs around the house in his Power Ranger mask, makes action figures soar off the kitchen table, builds a garage out of Legos for his toy cars. He giggles while watching "Mr. Bean" videos or play-wrestling with his dad.

He carries his eagerness to learn to preschool. He often sits near the front of the class, and when his teacher, Kathy Anderson, asks a question, he stretches his hand as high as he can, waving frantically.

Jalue stands a full head taller than his classmates. A gentle giant, he grins at a blond-haired boy named Ryan and punches him playfully on the arm. "You want to play with ME?" he asks excitedly, then leads Ryan to a tub full of Legos.

At preschool he's just one of the kids, but at the local Tibetan center, Jalue is viewed with great respect and awe. He stopped at the center on Saturday to celebrate his birthday with cake, candles and singing.

Jalue appeared stoic, in his monk robes, standing in front of dozens of other Tibetan-American children. They craned their necks to get a better view of the boy, introduced to them as "rinpoche," meaning "precious one." Then, they sang "Happy Birthday" to him in Tibetan. At the end, the headmaster of the Tibetan center's weekend school leaned down and touched his forehead to Jalue's -- in order to receive blessings from the little lama.

A mother's dilemma

Dechen Wangmo is 40 years old now, and says she won't have any more children.

She isn't sure what will happen in five years, when the day comes for Jalue to join the monastery. Sometimes she thinks she will move to India, too. Other times she feels she must stay because her job and her family are here in Minnesota.

"Right now she thinks so many things," said Thinly Woser, a family friend and longtime Tibetan community leader who agreed to translate. "Of course, she would like to go to India with him. But she needs to be here. She is in a dilemma."

She avoids taking him to shopping malls or Tibetan community events and steers clear of crowded places. Were he an ordinary boy, she would take him everywhere. But in Tibet, lamas must be kept clean and away from bad pollution so that they may have a clear vision.

On the rare times she has taken him out in public in his monk robes, people have barraged her with questions. Is this a lama? Who is he? Why do you keep him here? Why don't you take him to India? Then she feels shy. She points to Jalue's father and tells the people: "Ask him."

Her heart clings to her baby, but her faith tells her she must let go.

"Since His Holiness is our guru and he says he has to go to the monastery, then of course he has to go to the monastery," she said.

On a recent morning, Wangmo makes breakfast.

She spreads peanut butter on warm naan and pours a cup of chai tea. "Jalue," she calls.

He nibbles his bread, then pushes away from the table and rushes back to the living room to watch Elmo on TV. His mother inspects his teacup and frowns. "Jalue, are you done with this?" she calls to him again. He returns, tilts the blue and white porcelain cup, and gulps the last of the tea.

"Whoa, good boy," she says, as she wipes his mouth.

Knowing their time together is short has made Wangmo value every minute with her son. It's also made her realize that to be ready to separate from him, she must practice.

When it's time for preschool, Jalue trots down the stairs dressed head to toe in maroon with a pair of Spider-Man sunglasses over his eyes and a backpack over his shoulders. He leans against his mother as she helps him put on his sneakers.

Outside Jalue points at the yellow school bus making its way down his street. "Bus coming!" he yells. He lifts his face to receive a goodbye kiss. She bends down, cups his face and nuzzles him. The bus stops at the end of the driveway, and the whooshing sound of the doors opening tells her that it's time to let go.

She follows Jalue with her eyes, watching as he climbs each step, cheerfully greets the bus driver and takes a seat. She stands in the driveway and waves to him and to the other little faces looking out the windows. She waves until she can't see him anymore. Then she walks up the driveway toward the house. Not once looking back.

Allie Shah • 612-673-4488

Amazing Discoveries in Mexico, Did Solomon's Navy Make It This Far?

Were Hebrews in the Americas long before Columbus? More evidence comes from the investigations of Dr. Alexander von Wuthenau, whom I interviewed at his home in Mexico City. His living room was filled to overflowing with terra cotta pottery figures and objects d' art. In his book The Art of Terra Cotta Pottery in Pre-Columbian Central and South America, Dr. Von Wuthenau published scores of photographs of these art objects. He tells of his astonishment, when he first noted that in the earliest, lower levels of each excavation he encountered -- not typical Indian heads -- but heads of Mongolians, Chinese, Japanese, Tartars, Negroes, and "all kinds of white people, especially Semitic Types with and without beards" (p. 49).

At Acapulco, von Wuthenau found that early Semitic peoples lived in considerable numbers. "The curious points about these essentially primitive figures are that, first, there is an emphasis on markedly Semitic-Hebrew features," he declared (p. 86). Female figures found in the region are also markedly Caucasian, with delicate eyebrows, small mouths and opulent coiffures.

Cyrus Gordon, who has studied the collection, points out: "In the private collection of Alexander von Wuthenau is a Mayan head, larger than life-size, portraying a pensive, bearded Semite. The dolichosephalic ("long-headed") type fits the Near East well. He resembles certain European Jews, but he is more like many Yemenite Jews."

Near Tampico, the early Huastecan culture reveals portrait heads with a predominant Semitic, white element, but also Negroid features appear. At Veracruz, meanwhile, a figurine of a female dancer possesses the features just like those of a Frenchwoman of Brittany! She wears a headdress reminiscent of Phoenician fashion. Also at Veracruz a figure with a false beard, styled like an Egyptian beard, had a snake-like protrusion on the forehead.

Again and again, figures with definite Semitic features have been found. A sample of Maya ceramic painting shows a lady with a flower who has an undeniable Negroid character. The figure has an affinity with Egyptian painting, says Wuthenau. yet it was not found along the Nile, but in Central America! On the Pacific coast of Ecuador, also, evidence for the presence of early Hebrews has been found. Also discovered was a figurine of a lovely girl who wore a headdress with a remarkable Phoenician affinity. Other Ecuadorian heads show definite Semitic features. Clearly, the Semites penetrated a large part of the American continent in "prehistoric" times!

The Fall of The American Babylon, Part II

Mystery Babylon: 'Economic System' or Actual Nation?

Babylon's greatest sin was introducing into the world the Worship of Money.

Notice that before the final Beast system rises where everyone is required to its mark on their foreheads or right hands (which is easily provable to happen at the start of the Great Tribulation, or 3½ years into the 7 year period of trials for the nation of Israel), a nation called Babylon will have already fallen. This can only be the USA as Jeremiah 50, 51 and Isaiah 47, 48 and Revelation 17, 18 point to as the only candidate that fits all the Scripture on Mystery Babylon.

There are some interesting parallels between Ancient Babylon and the USA. For example, Ancient Babylon not only standardized commerce throughout the ancient world, but also exported its culture, rituals, designer clothes and fads of the time, and their pagan gods. They also were structured in a very similar manner.

Ancient Babylon was an Empire made up of many different countries it had conquered or made allegiances with. By some estimates there were as many as 127 of these “Provinces.” Contrast this with the United States of America, where originally 13 States or Countries, created a Federal Government for mutual self-interest, specifically to help govern trade between them and other outside governments, and for mutual protection.

Under the United States Constitution, the federal government was assigned specific limited powers and most government functions were left to the States. To ensure that people understood the limits on federal power, the Framers added the Constitution's Tenth Amendment:

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

The Tenth Amendment embodies federalism, the idea that federal and state governments have separate areas of activity and that federal responsibilities were "few and defined," as James Madison noted. Historically, federalism acted as a safeguard of American freedoms. Indeed, President Ronald Reagan noted in a 1987 executive order:

"Federalism is rooted in the knowledge that our political liberties are best assured by limiting the size and scope of the national government."

In other words, today the USA is a group of 50 separate countries that have covenanted together in order to form a super-government to oversee issues of mutual concern, specifically Commerce and Protection. In doing so, they became the greatest Economic Power the world had ever known, at least since the days of Ancient Babylon.

In addition to these Political States, the USA is also comprised of the following territories, protectorates and possessions:

Territories:

·         American Samoa - since 1878 (original purpose of acquisition: coaling station)

·         Guam - since 1898 (original purpose of acquisition: military significance)

·         United States Virgin Islands - since 1917 (original purpose of acquisition: military significance)

Commonwealths:

·         Puerto Rico - under US control since 1900, became a commonwealth in 1902 (original purpose of acquisition: military significance)

·         Northern Mariana Islands - under US control since 1947, became a commonwealth in 1978 (original purpose of acquisition: military significance) 

Possessions:

·         Howland, Baker, and Jarvis Islands - since 1857 (original purpose of acquisition: guano production)

·         Navassa Island - since 1857 (original purpose of acquisition: guano production)

·         Johnston Island - since 1858 (original purpose of acquisition: guano production)

·         Midway Atolls - claimed in 1876, annexed in 1908 (original purpose of acquisition: military significance)

·         Palmyra Atoll - since 1898 (original purpose of acquisition: was part of the Hawaii acquisition)

·         Wake Islands - since 1898 (original purpose of acquisition: military significance)

·         Guantanamo Bay - since 1898 (original purpose of acquisition: military significance)

·         Kingman Reef - since 1922 (original purpose of acquisition: stopping point for air traffic)

Compacts of Free Association:

·         Republic of the Marshall Islands - since 1947 (used for nuclear weapons testing)

·         Republic of Palau - under trusteeship in 1947, gained independence in 1994

·         Federated States of Micronesia - since 1978

In addition to these places it is helpful to know which places have been possessions of the United States in the past as well.  Previously occupied American territories include:

• The Philippines 1901 - 1946
• Panama Canal 1903 - 1999  
• Nicaragua 1912 - 1933
• Haiti 1915 - 1934
• Dominican Republic 1916 – 1924

·         Palua 1947—1994

On a more subjective level there are also many countries whose leaders or political systems have been controlled or influenced by the United States in some way over the years.  For the purpose of helping to understand American influence I will include some of these places here and the times in which it is generally accepted that their political systems were under significant influence of the United States.

• Nicaragua 1855 - 1860
• Liberia 1820 - 1865
• Cuba 1898 - 1952
• Germany 1945 - 1955
• Japan 1945 - 1955
• South Korea 1948 - 1960
• Congo 1960 - 1964
• Vietnam 1950 - 1973
• Chile 1964 - 1973
• Iran 1953 - 1979
• Guatemala 1953 - 1980s
• Indonesia/East Timor 1965 - 2002
• Iraq (aka: Babylon) 2003 - ?

In addition to the above, the United States also has relationships with the following 176 “Occupied Territories” which have some measure of autonomy. These areas were Judicially Established in 1978 and does not include dozens of others still attempting to gain recognition.

1. Seneca 2. Delaware, Wyandot, Potawatomi, Ottawa, Chippewa 3. Ottawa 4. Delaware, Ottawa, Shawnee, Wyandot 5. Delaware 6. Shawnee 7. Potawatomi, Ottawa, Chippewa 8. Potawatomi 9. Potawatomi 10. Potawatomi 11. Potawatomi 12. Potawatomi 13. Potawatomi 14. Potawatomi 15. Potawatomi 16. Sault Ste. Marie Band 17. Ottawa, Chippewa 18. Saginaw Chippewa 19. Saginaw Chippewa 20. Grand River Band 21. Miami, Potawatomi 22. Miami, Potawatomi 23. Miami 24. Miami, Eel River 25. Miami, Delaware 26. Miami, Wea 27. Potawatomi, Wea 28. Potawatomi, Wea, Kickapoo 29. Wea, Kickapoo 30. Wea 31. Delaware, Piankeshaw 32. Potawatomi, Kickapoo 33. Kickapoo 34. Kaskaskia, Kickapoo 35. Piankeshaw 36. Kaskaskia 37. Cherokee 38. Creek 39. Creek 40. Creek 41. Seminole 42. Lake Superior Bands, Mississippi Bands 43. Lake Superior Bands, Mississippi Bands 44. Lake Superior Bands 45. Bois Forte Band 46. Mississippi Bands 47. Lake Superior Bands, Mississippi Bands 48. Pillager & Lake Winnibigoshish Bands 49. Pillager Band 50. Red Lake Band 51. Red Lake Band, Pembina Band 52. Pembina Band 53. Potawatomi 54. Winnebago 55. Sac & Fox 56. Sac & Fox 57. Sac & Fox 58. Sac & Fox 59. Sac & Fox 60. Iowa, Sac & Fox 61. Sac & Fox 62. Iowa 63. Iowa 64. Otoe & Missouria, Iowa, Omaha, Sac & Fox 65. Omaha 66. Ponca 67. Otoe & Missouria 68. Pawnee 69. Osage 70. Osage 71. Osage 72. Quapaw 73. Caddo 74. Medawakanton Band 75. Eastern or Mississippi Sioux 76. Yankton 77. Sisseton & Wahpeton 78. Sisseton 79. Teton & Yanktonai 80. Yankton 81. Sioux (Dahcotah) Nation 82. Arikara, Mandan, Hidatsa 83. Arikara, Mandan, Hidatsa 84. Assiniboine 85. Crow 86. Blackfeet & Gros Ventre 87. Flathead 88. Upper Pend D'Oreille

89. Kootenai 90. Nez Perce 91. Coeur D'Alene 92. Kalispel 93. Spokane 94. Palus 95. Cayuse 96. Walla Walla 97. Umatilla 98. Yakima 99. Colville 100. Lake Tribe 101. Sanpoil-Nespelem 102. Okanogan 103. Methow 104. Warm Springs 105. Clatsop 106. Tillamook 107. Tillamook 108. Coquille, Chetco, Too-too-to-ney 109. Snake 110. Lemhi 111. Shoshone 112. Cheyenne & Arapaho, Northern Cheyenne, Northern Arapaho 113. Klamath 114. Modoc 115. Pitt River 116. Northern Paiute 117. Washoe 118. Indians of California 119. Western Shoshone 120. Goshute 121. Uintah Ute 122. Southern Paiute 123. Hopi 124. Navajo 125. Acoma 126. Laguna 127. Zia, Jemez, Santa Ana 128. Santo Domingo 129. San Ildefonso 130. Nambe 131. Santa Clara 132. Taos 133. Kiowa, Comanche & Apache 134. Jicarilla Apache 135. Mescalero Apache 136. Mescalero Apache 137. Lipan Apache 138. Chiricahua Apache 139. Chiricahua Apache 140. Western Apache 141. Tonto Apache 142. Havasupai 143. Hualapai 144. Mohave 145. Chemehuevi 146. Yavapai 147. Pima-Maricopa 148. Quechan 149. Papago 150. Nooksack 151. Lummi 152. Samish 153. Upper Skagit 154. Swinomish 155. Lower Skagit 156. Kikiallus 157. Stillaguamish 158. Makah 159. S'Klallam 160. Snohomish 161. Quileute 162. Skokomish 163. Skykomish 164. Snoqualmie 165. Suquamish 166. Duwamish 167. Quinaielt 168. Squaxin 169. Muckleshoot 170. Puyallup 171. Steilacoom 172. Nisqually 173. Lower Chehalis 174. Upper Chehalis 175. Cowlitz 176. Chinook

Now Revelation 17 and 18 specifically then must be dual, they speak of America as the Center of World Trade and Commerce (aka: The World Trade Center), and the actual reborn Nation of Babylon in the Middle East. This is why Revelation 18 and 14 say "Babylon has fallen (1), has fallen (2)". There is no reason any angel would need to declare the fall of Babylon twice unless it literally does fall twice. It's dual, and not limited to one fulfillment. America, called technically a daughter of Babylon by Jeremiah and Isaiah, can only fall once. Then the full and final embodiment of the Nation of Babylon reborn will fall at a later date.

It is important to note that the Backup World Trade computer system had already been set up and came online exactly one hour after commerce ceased in New York City on September 11, 2001. This is in fulfillment of –Revelation 18:8-17. 

⁸ Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:
   death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,
   for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

 ⁹ “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. ¹⁰ Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:

   “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
   you mighty city of Babylon! 

In one hour your doom has come!’

 ¹¹ “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— ¹² cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; ¹³ cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.

 ¹⁴ “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ ¹⁵ The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn ¹⁶ and cry out:

   “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
   dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
   and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! 

¹⁷ In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’

Now you might wonder where this backup computer system is for World Commerce that came online exactly one hour after the Twin Towers fell.

Answer: Babylon 

Specifically in the city known today as Baghdad, but in ancient times was known as Babylon. 

And people wonder why the USA immediately went to war with Iraq? The computer system and world commerce needed to by protected by a multi-national force to prevent it being monopolized by a dictatorial régime.

Jeremiah 50-51 says 5 times to leave Babylon and go to Jerusalem/Zion.

–Jeremiah 50:5

They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to God in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

– Jeremiah 50:28

The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of God our God, the vengeance of his temple. 

–Jeremiah 51:6

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 God's vengeance; he will render unto her a recompense. 

–Jeremiah 51:10

God hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of God our God. 

–Jeremiah 51:49-50

As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth. Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember God afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.

Revelation 18 also tells people to flee so to not take part in her sins and her judgment on them. I am not convinced that this means to physically leave America, but I am convinced it does mean that we should remember that this world is not our ultimate home, and that we should be prepared for anything.

–Revelation 18:4-5 

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. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

While these certainly work on a spiritual level (stop sinning), this does not negate plain sense literal interpretation (physical). How this will play out precisely is yet to be experienced.

Lot, too, had to physically leave Sodom before her judgment (Genesis 14). Did not Jesus say the last days would be like the days Noah (Genesis 6-9), all over again? Like Noah, if Lot had stayed in Sodom to witness to the Sodomites, we might instead be told, "Remember Lot", instead of "Remember Lot's wife" in our instructions for these last days (Luke 17:32). If Noah had not obeyed and built an ark so he could leave the land soon to be judged by being under water, he would have died prematurely and ended his testimony as a different kind of example for our admonishment.

However, Lot's wife's testimony teaches us it’s not enough to just physically leave, but we must really get the love for the world and its ways out of us as well. We need to leave Babylon and get Babylon out of us. Israel, too, had to leave Egypt and get Egypt out of them. On top of all this, Jeremiah 50 and Isaiah 13 speak of the downfall of the American Babylon as exactly like Sodom's. Perhaps the righteous will be fleeing America in the future, just as Lot fled then, or at least fleeing certain more guilty regions of the Empire known currently as the USA.

This brings me to a criticism about the Church in America that continues to preach the "prosperity" of Christians, and socially relevant messages with more foundation in secular psychology and issues of today than Biblical foundation:

Why would God give this American Christian people more of their Idol? 

If you can't say Amen, say Ouch.