END TIME NEWS

The overall impression of U.S. officials, as well as those in Israel and Russia is that Egypt is quietly developing such weapons, with a special concentration on biological weapons and ballistic missiles.

As recently as June of 1997, the CIA reported to Congress that "during the last half of 1996, Egypt obtained Scud-related ballistic missile equipment from North Korea and Russia." Separately, the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency accused Egypt of having a 25-year-old germ warfare program.

Mubarak's allusion to nuclear weapons came at a conference on the 25th anniversary of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, in which Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel but ultimately fell back, in part, out of fear that Israel might unleash its nuclear deterrent.

With an estimated 200 nuclear warheads - more than Britain - and 100 medium-range missiles, Israel is a superpower.

"Israel will do better if it directs its attention to reviewing its policies and stands towards Arabs ... and comes up with a role that befits its size and location on the regional political map," Mubarak said.

He said the 19-month stalemate in Middle East peace moves threatened grave consequences for all parties concerned. "It is not in its (Israel's) interest to waste this historical chance," the president said.

Still, while Egypt continues to point an accusing finger at Israel's nuclear weapons capability, there is considerable evidence that Egypt has been quietly building up its own superweapons programs, including some evidence of interest in nuclear and radiological weapons. So much so that in the past five years, both the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service and the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency have publicly noted the existence of programs not previously known. To quote one congressional expert on superweapons proliferation, "If they were any other Arab state, we would be all over them every day on these issues."

Only time will tell exactly how the explosive situation described by the prophets will be fulfilled in the days just ahead. Yet, one thing is certain - Israel, Egypt, and Syria will be heavily involved (Dan. 11:40-45). For more detail about this subject refer to my book titled "Revelation of the Beast."

"OIL IN THEM HILLS"?

The following is from World Net Daily by Kaye Corbett.

IRVING, TX - A $30 million, six-to-eight month project to uncover the world's largest oil field atop a salt dome at the southwest end of Israel's Dead Sea, is expected to begin in early 1999, according to respected Texas oil man, Harold "Hayseed" Stephens.

Until now, Israel's Islamic enemies have possessed nearly 76 per cent of the world's oil reserves with Israel's supply only a fraction of that. It's reported that Islamic nations such as Saudi Arabia, all sworn enemies of the tiny Jewish state, have trillions of barrels while Israel has only enough oil to supply itself for about one and a half days and depends on other countries for the remainder.

It is believed that there are vast amounts of oil in the Dead Sea region of Israel sufficient enough to free the nation from dependence on foreign energy sources and from vulnerability to economic "pressure" to give up land for peace.

In 1993, according to Stephens, more than 100 earthquakes in seven days rocked the area from Mount Carmel down to the Red Sea, redistributing the massive oil deposit buried from the days of Lot.

When Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, the southwest end of the Dead Sea turned into a mountain of salt, and that salt dome stretches nine miles long, 3/4 miles wide and 18,000 feet deep. The salt has acted as a preservative for the past 4,000 years. It doesn't allow oil to flow through it.

"This is the area where Sodom was located,' explained Stephens. "In Genesis 19, God ignited all of the oil and gas in that valley and then it rained back down and blew a hole 40 miles long, eight miles wide and three miles deep. Fire and brimstone fell into that hole and they eventually turned to salt. It made Sodom and Gomorrah oil boom towns."

Stephens says that the Dead Sea area was once a bubbly sea of oil according to Gen. 13:10-11 and 14:10. He also uses the Hebrew of Isaiah 45:3 (in addition to Isaiah 60:5) to back his claim. The words in parenthesis are his: "I will shoot up (Texas terms for "I will gush up") to you deposits (oil deposits) stored in valuable dungeon-type containers (oil traps)." (Isa. 45:3 - End quote)

If as Stephens contends, oil is found and Israel does become self-sufficient, imagine the political repercussions. Israel could no longer be pressured by the Arabs to grab the beat deal they can get by exchanging land for peace. On the other hand, the only alternative for the Arabs to secure Israeli land, especially Jerusalem, could be all out war! (Zech. 14:1, 2).

SPIRITS IN PRISON

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also He went and preached to the spirits in prison" (I Peter 3:19).

There are various interpretations of the meaning of this verse, primarily because of the ambiguity of the phrase "spirits in prison." The Greek term can refer to human spirits or angels (Psalm104: 4).

Many commentators refer this passage to "evil angels" whom they imagine followed Lucifer in a rebellion against God in pre-historic times. Legend has it that God confined some of these sinister angels to a mysterious cavern located in a shadowy region of the netherworld.

The proclamation to the spirits is often assigned to the time between Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. The commentators usually add: "Jesus did not preach salvation to the spirits in prison but only proclaimed His victory over sin."

A SECOND OPINION

Is there a more logical view?

Did Christ really preach during the interval between His burial and resurrection?

I know this is hard for traditional Christianity to fathom, but Christ felt that He was dead for those three days.

Can dead folks preach?

"The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence" (Psalm 116:17).

No! Dead folks don't preach!

If Christ did actually die both body and soul, this gives real meaning and purpose to the resurrection, the bulwark of Christianity.

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Rom. 10:9).

Without the resurrection there was, and is, no hope for Christ or the Saints (I Cor. 15: 12-18)!

HE PREACHED WHEN?

When did Christ preach to the spirits?

Christ preached while the ark was being built! But how did He preach before the flood if His ministry did not begin until the first century?

"But quickened by the Spirit: -By which also (likewise) he went and preached" (I Peter 3:18,19).

Notice that it was by means of the Spirit by which Christ preached in the days of Noah. Peter sheds light on the subject in the following parallel.

In other words, the same spirit that indwells Christ is the same spirit by which the Old Testament prophets preached - Noah included.

IN THIS SENSE

THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST, THROUGH NOAH,

DID PREACH PRIOR TO THE FLOOD!

In like fashion, Levi paid tithes to Melchisedec centuries after the latter had passed from the scene.

According to Luke 4:18, this prophecy was fulfilled by Christ. Yet, the ministry of Christ did not consist of His opening penitentiary doors so convicts could go free. On the other hand, there are abundant references of Jesus preaching to the spiritually starved masses that wore held captive by sin and were bound in spiritual darkness.