Roseville,CA

Copyright©2005CompiledbyDougBatchelorAllrightsreserved.PrintedintheUSA.AmazingFacts,Inc.P.O.Box1058Roseville,CA95678-8058www.amazingfacts.orgEditedbyAnthonyLesterCoverDesign&IllustrationsbyHaleyTrimmer–HaloSquare

CommunicationsTextDesign&LayoutbyGregSolie–AltamontGraphicsFinalCopyEditingbyTarahSolie–AltamontGraphicsISBN1-58019-189-4

ContentsForeword

AmazingAnimals

AmazingPlaces

BizarreBibleFacts

FascinatingScience

IncredibleBiology

InterestingPeople

MechanicalMarvels

ThePhenomenalHumanBody

U.S.HistoryandCulture

WorldHistoryandCulture

Foreword

I continue tobeacuriousperson.Allmy life Ihavesought toaddtomyknowledge.ThatjourneyledmetotheBibleandthetruthscontainedinside.Along the way, I have also come across little bits of knowledge about theamazingworldaroundus.

Didyouknowthattheattentionspanofagoldfishisaboutthreeseconds?

Mineisabitmore,butIstillneedtowritetheseastonishingitemsandstoriesdown. This book is the second volume of these amazing facts that I’vecompiled. If you enjoyed the Book of Amazing Facts, Volume 1—and inspeakingwithmanyofyouorreadingthenumerousemailsandletterswe’vereceivedyouhave—thenyouwillenjoyVolume2.

Ihavefoundtheuseoftheinformationinthesevolumesasawaytobetter

shareandteachthegospel,justasJesususedman'snaturalcuriosityasatoolfor instruction. Whether you’re an educator, pastor, a lay evangelist, or adedicated Bible worker giving studies one at a time, you can illustrate theprinciplesofGod’sWordwiththeseintriguingandsometimesobscurefacts.

You may recognize some of the information here. We use these facts

duringtheBibleAnswersLiveradioprogramandonthepagesofInsideReport.Asalways, ifyouhappentospotan inaccuracyalong theway,write to letusknow.We’llmake appropriate corrections in future editions. Inmany cases,the accuracy of these facts is simply dependant on the faithfulness of oursources.

SoherearejustafewfactsaboutGod’samazingplanetandtheincrediblepeople,places,andthingsthatcallithome.

DougBatchelor

Contents

LoyalLoveBirds ALittleFlap ALittleMoreonHummingbirdsSleepy Animals Beetle Bombers Marine Friends JellyfishHarriet the Tortoise Longwinded Sprinter Carrion PicnickersScalyBehemoth Deep-SeaWeirdo UnderWingsofLove DesertWanderer Spiny Evolutionary Enigma NoOrdinary Tuna TheFire Lizard? So Small, So Strong Tacky Feet As the PenguinSwims…andSees TheRoyalVersion SpiderSilk AnimalsThatThaw Pest Controller Brainless Regenerates Arachnid ScubaDivers Old Dakota Three-Toes Pond Dwellers That's a BigVegetarian A Peculiar Bird Ocean Mammals Armored RoadWarrior Tall&Swift TheLivingFossil

LoyalLoveBirds

The awesomemigration of geese offers a number of inspiring lessons ofsacrifice and teamwork.As each bird flaps itswings, it creates uplift for thebirdimmediatelyfollowing.ByflyingintheirfavoriteVformation,theentireflockaddsatleast70percentgreaterflyingrangethanifeachbirdflewonitsown. When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag andresistanceoftryingtogoitaloneandquicklygetsbackintotakeadvantageoftheformation.Whenthe leadgoosegets tired, itrotatesback intotheVandanother goose flies point—all the while the geese behind are honking theirencouragement.

Even though theyweighbetween20 to25pounds, geese can fly about ashigh as any other bird. A Himalayan mountain climber at 16,000 feet wasamazedtoseeaflockofgeeseflyingnorthwardatabout27,000feet—honkingas theywent.This isamazing,consideringthatat7,000feet,anaveragemanhasahardtimetalkingwhilerunning.Canadiangeesecanreachspeedsofupto 60mph during their flights, and can fly for up to 16 hourswithout rest.Thesemigratorywonderswilloftenflyupto3,000milestotheirdestination.

For birds, geese are very loyal creatures. When a goose gets sick or is

woundedbygunshotandfallsoutofformation,twoothergeesefollowitdowntolendhelpandprotection.Geesealsomateforlife(about20years)andstaytogetherduringallseasons.Theyarealsoexcellentparents,sacrificiallyplacingthemselvesbetweenanyperceivedthreatandtheiryoung.Petgeeseevenmakedevoted “watchdogs,” hissing and honking loudly when strangers comearound.Therearemanyaccountsofafamilygooselayingitslifedowntosavea child froma venomous snake or rabiddog. If only peoplewould standbyeachotherlikeagoose.ALittleFlap

Morethan300kindsofhummingbirdsexistintheworld,andtheycomeineverycoloroftherainbow.ThesmallestisthebeehummingbirdfromCuba—it’sonlytwoincheslongandweighslessthanadime.Thelargestisthegianthummingbird,whichcanreachawhoppingeightinchesinlength.

Yet even though hummingbirds are small in size, they have enormousappetites.Hummingbirdsfeedoftenandmustconsumemorethantheirbodyweightinfoodeachday.Inordertoobtainenoughnectar,theyfeedevery10or15minutes fromdawnuntildusk.Although they endupconsumingonlyfourtosevencaloriesaday,humanswiththesamemetabolismwouldhavetotakein155,000caloriesaday!Fortunately,theyalsohavegoodmemoriesthathelpthemrememberwheretofindtheirfood.

Thehummingbird’scopiousneedforcaloriesisduetotheirextremelyhighheart rate and metabolism. In fact, it is believed that some hummingbirds’metabolismsaresoacceleratedthatifyoucouldseetheworldthoughitstinyeyes,everythingelsewouldseemtobemovinginveryslowmotion.Thismakeshummingbirds amazing hunters of insects, frequently plucking mosquitoes,gnats,andfruitfliesrightoutoftheairwhilehovering.

Hummingbirdsarenotvery social animals,which iswhyyou’llnever seethem flying in flocks. In fact, males and females live apart until breedingseason.Andaftermating,thefemaleisonherowntobuildthenestandraiseheryoung.Mothersusually layoneor twovery tinyeggs,about thesizeofapinto bean. When babies hatch, they are very vulnerable to predators—includinglargeinsects!

Still,whenitcomestoflying,nobodydoesitbetterthanahummingbird.Infact,theyaresogoodatitthatmostofthemneverwalkmorethantwoinchesandcanterrorizebirdstentimestheirownsizewiththeiracrobaticskill.Likea

helicopter,itcangoup,down,sideways,backwards…evenupsidedown!Thisisbecausemostof itswing ismadeofhandbones, insteadofarmbones likeotherbirds.

Theruby-throatedhummingbird, forexample, isreportedtohaveawingrateof70beatspersecond—or4,200perminute!ButdidyoualsoknowthattheBibleteachesthatangelsdonottravelatthespeedofsoundorevenatthespeedoflightbutratheratthespeedofthought?

…AndDidYouKnow?Agoldfish’sattentionspanisthreeseconds.Animalsthatlayeggsdon’thavebellybuttons.Beaverscanholdtheirbreathfor45minutes.

ALittleMoreonHummingbirds

Millions of hummingbirds migrate 500 risky miles across the Gulf ofMexicoeachyear—atripthattakesabout20hoursofconstantflight!Sohowdo they get the energy to sustain this nonstop flight? Evidently, the world’ssmallest birds feast on nectar constantly for about a week to store up thecalories theyneed to fuel their trip, often doubling their bodyweight in theprocess.Likewise,asChristians,weneedtostartstoringupthenectarofGod’sWord in our hearts to make our journey of faith through the comingtribulation.SleepyAnimals

Ifyoudon’tliketosleep,agiraffemightbetheperfectpet—theysleeponly1.9hoursaday.Butifyoupreferalotofsleep,youmightwanttoownabrownbat,whichsleepsabout19.9hoursaday—spendingnearly83percentofitslifeindreamland!

…AndDidYouKnow?

Slugshavefournoses.

Acamelhasthreeeyelids.

Ahoneybeecanflyat15milesperhour.

Aqueenbeecanlay800to1500eggsperday.

Abeehasfiveeyes.

BeetleBombers

Therearemorethan300,000differentspeciesofbeetlesintheworld,butamong them, the bombardier beetle has been created with one of the mostincredible defense systems in the naturalworld.Whenever threatened by anenemyattack,suchasants,frogs,andspiders,thisspiritedlittlebeetleshootsajetofboilingchemicalsandirritating,foul-smellinggasesatitsattacker.Thistoxicsprayexplodesfromtwotailpipesonthetipofitsabdomenrightintothefaceoftheunfortunateaggressor.

With some bombardier beetles, you can actually hear the explosion as aloudpopping,whichisaresultofrapidfiring.Thisrapid-fireactioniscalled“pulsecombustion”andjetstheboilingliquidoutatmorethan500pulsespersecond at 212 degrees F! In addition, the beetle can rotate the end of itsabdomen270degrees in anydirection, like a tiny cannon, andhit the targetwithgreataccuracy.

Scientistshave learned that the fierybeetlemakes itsexplosivebymixingtogether two very volatile chemicals—hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide.Inadditiontothesechemicals, itaddsanothertypeofchemicalknownasaninhibitor, which enables it to store the two unstable chemicals indefinitelywithoutblowingitselfup.Then,wheneveritisapproachedbyapredator,thecleverbugsquirtsthestoredchemicalsintothetwocombustiontubes,whileatthesamemomentaddsyetanotherchemical—ananti-inhibitor.Thisknocksouttheinhibitor,andaviolentexplosionscorchesthepoorattacker.Ofcourse,for some reason, the beetle is not bothered by the heat and irritation thatcomesfromitsownspray.

It is preposterous to believe such a marvelous and complex mechanismcould have evolved piecemeal over millions of years. This would requirethousands of generations of these little beetles blowing themselves to pieceseveryJuly4thuntilfinallytheymasteredtheirexplosivegift.DidyouknowtheBiblepromisesexplosivepowertothosewhomixprayerandBiblestudy?

MarineFriends

HermitcrabsarecuriouscreaturesfoundnearthecoastsofEuropeandtheAmericas.Most aremarine, but a few species, like the coconut crab, live onland and can grow up to 18 inches in length. They are sometimes called“robber crabs” because they are born armor-less and must survive byborrowing the empty shells of dead mollusks as a protective home. Thesecomical scavengers insert their soft abdomens into theabandoned shells anddrag them around for defense. Their strong abdominal appendages areespeciallymodifiedforgrippingtheshellfirmlytotheirbody.

Later in life, hermit crabs are often forced to seek new and bigger shellsbecause theyhaveoutgrown theiroldones,or sometimes theymight changetheir housing whenever they chance upon a stronger shell. But these shellsdon’tofferprotectionfromallpredators—theirmost-fearedantagonist istheoctopus,whichcanuseitsparrot-likebeakstopluckthehermitcrabsoutfromtheirshells.

However,Godhasgivenafewspeciesofhermitcrabsanamazingdefenseagainsteventheseintelligentenemies—attachingseaanemonestotheirshells.Seaanemonesarearmedwithanarrayofpoisonoustentaclesthattheyusetosubdueprey.Thehermitcrabwillgentlyprytheseaanemoneoffthesurfaceofarockandtransferitontotheirshells.

Both hermit crabs and anemones benefit from this arrangement. Thehermit crab gains the use of potent toxins as a predator deterrent, and theanemone can feed on food fragments producedwhen the hermit crabs eats.This mutual relationship, where both organisms benefit, is known assymbiosis.

Did you know the Bible teaches us about another symbiotic relationshipbetweentheSpiritandtheWord?Jellyfish

Fewmarineanimalsareasmysteriousandintimidatingasjellyfish.These

incredible creatures canbe found inall theworld’soceans,buta few speciesinhabitfreshwater.Theyare97percentwaterandarequitesee-through,hencethename.Mostjellyfishliveinshallowcoastalwaters,butafewcanbefoundtodepthsofupto12,000feet!Oneofthelargestjellyfish,thelion’smane,canbe6feetacrossandhavetentaclesmorethan100feetinlength!

Atfirstglance,jellyfishappeartobeoneofGod’ssimplerformsoflife,andit’samazingthattheyarelivingatall.Theyhavenoheart,noblood,nogills,nobonesorcartilage,andnobrain.Somejellieshaveprimitiveeyesthatcandetectlight,whichisevenmoreamazingwithoutabrain.

Jellyfisharemostcloselyrelatedtocoralsandseaanemones,buttheycanmove about by using specialmuscles to drawwater into the “bell” and thenpushitoutagainforahypnoticswimmovement.Wind,waves,andcurrentsalsocarrythemalong.

Most jellies are silent predators that kill and eat other living creatures.Usuallyanunsuspectingfishwillswimintothenear-invisibletentacles,whichare loaded with millions of stinging cells. These complex cells, callednematocysts, shoot out like tiny poison darts into their prey.When the fishcontacts the stinging cells, paralyzing venom is immediately injected into it.Then the jelly can eat its catch at its leisure through its mouth on theunderside.Thepainfulstingofjellyfishalsocanbedeadlyinsomespecies.Theseawasp,ormarinestinger,isratedasthemostdeadlyvenomouscreatureinthe world! In the last century, this feared jellyfish is thought to have killedmorethan70peopleinAustraliaalone.Infact,onehasenoughvenomtokill60people!

Despitetheirstingingcells,animalssuchasoceansunfishandleatherbackturtlesfeedonjellyfish,andmostjellyfishareactuallyharmlesstohumans.Infact,it’sbelievedthatsomeofthepainfulchemicalstheyproducemayprovide

treatmentsforcancer,arthritis,andheartdisease.HarriettheTortoise

In1835EnglishnaturalistCharlesDarwincollectedthreeyoungtortoises,each about five years old, fromSantaCruz Island in theGalapagos.DarwinnotedtheywereonlyaboutasbigasdinnerplateswhenhebroughtthemontotheHMSBeagle back to England with him. He named the three subjects ofscientificresearchTom,Dick,andHarry.

Buttheyoungtortoisesdidn’tfarewellincold,dampEngland.Soin1842,oneofDarwin’scolleagues tookTom,Dick,andHarry toAustraliaaboardawhaling ship anddonated the still youthful 12-year-old tortoises toBrisbaneBotanical Gardens. As time went by, Tom and Dick died from unknowncauses.Butwantingtopreservetheirtortoiseattractionsforthenext100years,Harry’sBrisbanecaretakers tried invain tomatehimwith femaleGalapagoslandtortoises.

WhileintheGardens,thepoorHarryhadtoputupwithpeopleridinghimand leaving scars on his shell where they engraved their names. Soldiersreturninghomefromvariouswarsevenpaintedhisshellacoupleoftimes.

Thenin1952,HarrywasmovedtoasanctuaryonAustralia’sGoldCoast,where,itwasfinallydiscoveredthathewasinfactaHarriet!Harrietmadeherfinalmove in 1988 to theAustraliaZoo,where she has been ever since. Sheloves toeathibiscus flowers,alongwithzucchini, squash,beans,andparsley.At330pounds,Harrietspendsmuchofthedaysnoozinginherpond.Nowat173yearsofage,HarrietthegiantGalapagoslandtortoiseistheoldestknownlivingcreatureonearth.ZooofficialsexpectHarrietmaystillbegoingstrongforatleastanothercoupleofdecades.

OnereasonHarriethassurvivedisbecauseGodprovidesatortoisewithanaturalarmorinitsshell.ButdidyoualsoknowGodhasprovidedanarmorforChristianstopreserveusforeverlastinglife?

…AndDidYouKnow?

Mosquitoesareattractedtopeoplewhohaverecentlyeatenabanana.

Flamingosturnpinkfromeatingshrimp.

Emusandkangarooscannotwalkbackwards.

Catshaveover100vocalcords.

LongwindedSprinter

Nodoubt you’veheard theAmerican folk song that goes: “Ohgivemeahomewherethebuffaloroam,andthedeerandtheantelopeplay.”Ofcourse,NorthAmericadoesn’thaveanyantelope,butitdoeshavethepronghorn,orthe“Americangoat-antelope.”Notreallyagoat,deer,orantelope,it’stheonlymemberofitsspeciesintheworld.

One feature thatmakes the pronghorn unique is its horns.Animals thathavehornslikecowsdonotshedthem,nordotheyforkorbranchaswithdeerandelkantlers.Butpronghornshavehornsmadesomethinglikearhino’s,andtheyaretheonlyanimalsintheworldwhohavehornswithabranchorprong,hencethename.Inaddition,theyaretheonlyanimalsthatshedandgrowbacktheir horns annually. The pronghorn once covered the Midwest in greaternumbers than the bison, perhaps as many as 100 million. But because ofhuntinganddisease,bythe1920sthatnumberwasdecimatedtoabout30,000.Gradually,programssetinplacetoprotectthepronghornraisedthatnumbertoonemillion.

Ifyoueverseeapronghornontheprairie,youcanbesurehesawyoufirst.Theirexceptionaleyescanpickupanymovementuptothreemilesaway,andtheireyesight iscomplementedbyexcellenthearingandasenseofsmell thatmakesitveryhardforacoyotetosneakuponthem.

Butthepronghorn’sgreatestdefenseisspeed.Itisarguablythefastestlandmammalintheworld,sprinting65mphandrunningatasustainedspeedof35mph over rough terrain formiles! Thewell-known cheetah can sprint at 70mph,butonlyforafewsecondsasitquicklytires.Nootherlandmammalcankeepupwiththepronghornoverlongdistances.Andwhenaherdruns,itdoesso inperfect unison and in a very tight, oval-shaped formation,much like aflockofbirds.

One of the strangest behaviors of these creatures is how they relate to abasic wire fence. Even though they can easily jump six or eight feet high,wheneverapronghornencountersafence,itwillusuallytrytocrawlunderit!Theydon’tseemtoknowtheirownability.CarrionPicnickers

Long perceived as themost abominable creature because of its repulsive

feeding habits, the vulture is now beginning to get a better reputation for“cleaning up” dead animals from our forests, fields, and roads. In fact, theLatinname for the turkey vulture isCathartesaura,whichmeans “cleansingwind.”It’struetheyeatcarrion,ofcourse,butdidyouknowthat50percentoftheir diet is vegetarian? On the other hand, the bearded vulture of theHimalayaseatsprimarilybones,swallowingsomeaslongas10inches!

Thevulturedoesitsbesttokeepitselfclean,spendingtwotothreehoursadaypreeningitself.Theyevenbatheinwaterwhenevertheycan—submersing,shaking,andscrubbingforhalfanhour.Thentheywalkuponthebankandholdtheirwingsouttothesuntodry.

Vulturescanflyupto200milesaday,buttheyarealsohomebodies.Somefamilies of vultureshavebeenknown touse the same roost for 100 years ormore.Thevulturehadalsobeenclassifiedasabirdofprey,alongwithhawks,owls, and eagles. But in 1994, due to DNA analysis and other studies onanatomy, physiology, and behavior, the vulture has been reclassified andplacedinthestorkfamily.

The largest flying bird on earth is a vulture, the Andean condor, with awingspread of up to 12 feet, but the turkey vulture is probably the mostgraceful soaring bird in the world—reaching heights of 20,000 feet. Turkeyvultures also have an extraordinary sense of smell, possessing the largestolfactory system of all birds. They have been known to smell carrion frommorethanamileaway.

MostAmericanvulturesarevoiceless,buttheyhaveverykeeneyesight.Itisbelievedtheyareabletospotathree-footcarcassfromfourmilesawayontheopen plains. And when they find it, they will circle above it to notify theirfriends so they can enjoy their “picnic” together. InMatthew 24, Jesus says,“Whereverthecarcassis,therethevultureswillbegatheredtogether.”ScalyBehemoth

Among the largest and longest living reptiles on earth are crocodiles.

Amazingly,much like trees, they have growth rings, which can be found intheir scales.Bycounting these rings, zoologistscan tell theirages,whichcanreach70to100yearsold.Althoughfemalecrocodilesrarelygrowlargerthan10feet,malescanweighmorethan2,000poundsandmeasureover20feetinlength.

Likeallreptiles,crocsarecold-bloodedanimalsandmustlieinthesuntogetwarmorlazeinthewatertocooldown.Butincredibly,theycanalsoshutdown or speed up blood flow to regulate their body temperature. Saltwatercrocodiles actually live in both salt and freshwater and can swim formiles,stayingunderwaterforupto4hours.Theycanevenrunveryquicklyonlandforshortdistances.

Afull-growncrocodilehasabrainabout thesizeasawalnut,butdespitethis,theyseemtobefairlyintelligent,learningquicklyhowtofindprey.Whentheycatchsupper,verypowerfulmusclessnapthejawclosed—andthat’saboutit,astheirjawscan’tmovefromsidetosideandtheycan’tchew.Inaddition,acrocodilecan’tmoveitstongue,butitsdigestivejuicesaresostrongthatitcandigestasteelnail.Still,crocodilescanliveformonthswithouteatingbecausetheydon’tusemuchenergy.

Females build a big compost nest to lay their eggs, up to 80 at a time!Amazingly, a crocodile’s gender is determined by how deeply the eggs areburiedinthenestandthetemperature.Unlikemostreptiles,afemalecrocwilldefend itsnest to thedeath fromanypredators.When themotherhears thebabieshatching,sherunsovertodigthemoutofthenestandthencarriesherbabiessafelytothewaterinhermouth.

Crocs also have very good vision. They have three eyelids: two leatheryprotectiveeyelidsandoneclearortranslucentoneforunderwaterexcursions.Theyalsohaveverygoodvisionandhavetheabilitytoseealmost180degrees.Butinspiteofthis,theycan’tseeanythingbelowtheirnose.Likethecrocodile,someChristiansareblindtoobvioustruthrightundertheirnoses.Deep-SeaWeirdo

One of God’s strangest creations is the grotesque-looking deep-seaanglerfish.Theymaketheirhomesthroughouttheoceansoftheworld,livingmorethanamiledeepwherepressure ismorethan2,000poundspersquare

inch.Itsroundbodyresemblesabasketball,andindeed, it looks like itcouldeasilyswallowone. Ithas the largestmouthcomparedto itsbodysizeofanyothercreatureinthesea.Theyalsohaveastomachthatisgreatlydistensible,enabling them to swallow prey larger than itself. The stomach of one evencontainedalanternfishnearlytwiceitssize!

Inaddition,itsmammothmouthisfilledwithsavage,fang-liketeeththathave earned it a second name: common black devil. Despite its ferociousappearance though, the anglerfish reaches amaximum length of only aboutfiveinches.Andsometimesyoucan’tevenseeit.Inthedarkgloomofthedeepsea, the angler’s blackish skin render them nearly invisible to their prey, byabsorbinganybluishlight.

Itsnamecomes fromthe long,modifieddorsal spine that’s tippedwithalight producing organ known as a photophore. Like many other deepwaterfish,theanglerusesthisorganasaluretoattractitsprey.Itwillflashitslightonandoffwhilewigglingitbackandforthlikeafishingpole.Whenthepreyfishgetscloseenough,theanglersnapsitupwithitspowerfuljaws.

Onlyfemaleanglershavethelure,andthesmallmalessurviveinadifferentway.Themaleisaboutthesizeofafingerandlookslikeablackjellybeanwithfins.Hehassmallhookteeththatitusestobiteandattachitselftothefemale.Onceattached, itsbloodvessels joinwiththatofthefemaleanditwillspendthe rest of its life joined toher like aparasite, getting all of itsnourishmentfromherbody.Hedrinksherbloodinreturnforfertilizinghereggs.Thefleshof the two fish eventually fuses and they remainpermanently connected “tilldeathdotheypart.”ThisaddsanewmeaningtotheScripture,“Andtheytwoshallbeoneflesh.”UnderWingsofLove

AfteraforestfireinYellowstonePark,aNationalGeographicphotographerjoined some forest rangers on a trek up a mountain to assess the inferno’sdamage. As they hiked through the burnt forest, the photographer found ascorchedbirdliterallypetrifiedinashes,perchedstatuesquelyonthegroundatthebaseofatree.Somewhatcuriousbytheeeriesight,hegentlystruckatthebirdwith his boot.When he did, three tiny chicks scurried out from undertheirdeadmother’swings.

The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had led heroffspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings,

instinctivelyknowingthatthetoxicsmokewouldrise.Shecouldhaveflowntosafetybutrefusedtoabandonherbabies.Whentheblazearrivedandtheheatbegan to scorchher small body, themother remained steadfast.Because shehad beenwilling to die, those under the cover of herwings lived. TheBibleteaches,“Hewillcoveryouwithhisfeathers,andunderhiswingsyouwillfindrefuge”(Psalm91:4).

Sometimes our Father in heaven uses the symbol of amother to portrayHislove,asinMatthew23:37:“OJerusalem,Jerusalem,theonewhokillstheprophetsandstonesthosewhoaresenttoher!HowoftenIwantedtogatheryourchildren together,asahengathersherchicksunderherwings,butyouwere not willing!” Isaiah 49:15, 16, says, “Can a woman forget her nursingchild, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely theymayforget,YetIwillnotforgetyou.See,IhaveinscribedyouonthepalmsofMyhands;YourwallsarecontinuallybeforeMe.”

…AndDidYouKnow?

Anant’ssenseofsmellisstrongerthanadog’s.

Itispossibletoleadacowupstairsbutnotdownstairs.

Acat’slowerjawcannotmovesideways.

DesertWanderer

Of course,most people know that camels are verywell adapted to sandy

desertlife.Theirsoftfeetspreadoutsothattheywon’tsinkinthesand,andtoprotecttheireyesfromsandtheyhavetwothickrowsofeyelashes.Butmorethan that, they can see through a third thin eyelid even in an otherwise

blindingsandstorm.Camelscanalsoclosetheirnostrilsagainstblowingsandandhaveextrahairinsidetheirearstokeepsandout.

Butcontrarytothepopularmyth,acameldoesnotstoreanymorewaterthan other animals, yet it can handle extreme dehydration much better—enabling them to go for days without needing a drink. Camels have beenknowntosafelylosebodywaterequivalentto40percentoftheirweight,alossthatwouldbe lethaltoanyotheranimal.Tomakeupforpreviousfluid loss,camelscantakeinverylargeamountsofwateratonesession,drinkingupto27gallonsofwaterin10minutes.

Becauseofthewideswingsindeserttemperaturesbetweennightandday,camelshavetheabilitytoendurevery largefluctuationsinbodytemperature(from97.7to107.6degreesF).BeforetheCivilWar,aneffortwasmadetousecamelsinNorthAmericaforcrossingU.S.deserts,buttheexperimentfailed:Their soft-padded feet are unsuitable for travel over much of the rockySouthwesternterrain.Theyalsofrightenedhorsesandweregenerallydetestedbytheirhandlers,whowereaccustomedtomoredocilemules.

In contrast, about the same time, camels were introduced to Australia,where they flourished. These wild camels are now scattered throughout thearid interior of Australia, side by sidewith kangaroos, and are estimated tonumbermorethan500,000.

Forcenturies,camelshavebeencalled“theshipofthedesert”becausetheylooklikeboatsfloatingacrossaseaofsandandcantravelupto100milesinaday carrying loads weighing asmuch as 1,000 pounds. Keep this picture inmindwhenyouconsiderJesus’words:“It iseasier foracamel togothroughtheeyeofaneedle than forarichmantoenter thekingdomofGod”(Mark10:25).SpinyEvolutionaryEnigma

Oneof the strangest animals in theworld is the long-beaked echidna, orspiny anteater. Weighing about 20 pounds, this nocturnal beast is foundmainly in the humid mountain forests on New Guinea and Indonesia.Interspersedwithitsbrownishorblackfuraresharpspinesofvaryinglength.These spines can be erected, and its arms and legs withdrawn, much like ahedgehog. At the end of its long down-curved tubular snout is a very smallmouththroughwhichitslongtonguecanberapidlyextrudedandretracted.Ithasnoteeth,butcompensateswithrowsofteeth-likespikesonitstongue.The

echidnaprobeswith its longbeak in themuddy soiluntil itdetects,by faintelectricalcurrent,awormorotherinvertebrates.Thetongueisthenextrudedandthewormishookedbythespikesandreeledinlikeafish.

Even though it is technically amammal, the female long-beaked echidnalaysshell-coveredeggsthatareincubatedandhatchedoutsideofthebodylikeareptile,butthentheoffspringarecarriedandnursedinasmallapouchlikeamarsupial. Perhaps most remarkable of their extraordinary features is theirlargeandcomplexbrainsandhigh intelligence,characteristicsunexpected intheworld’smost reptile-likemammal.Theyalso livean incredibly long timewithonehavingbeenkeptintheLondonZooformorethan30years.

Tragically, todaythe long-beakedechidnaisanendangeredspecies.Somereasons for its decline appear tobe loss of forest habitat to logging,mining,farming, andhunting.ThepeopleofNewGuinea relish theoilymeatof theechidna.

Thespinyanteaterisanenigmaforevolutionists,becauseitlookslikeGodassembled it fromspareparts leftoverafterHecreatedall theotheranimals,and stands in a classof its own. In spiteof themassofmediamessages, theworlddidnotevolveovermultipliedmillionsofyears.

…AndDidYouKnow?

Camel’smilkdoesnotcurdle.

Allporcupinesfloatinwater.

Theworld’stermitesoutweightheworld’shumansby10to1.

Ahummingbirdweighslessthanapenny.

Ajellyfishis95percentwater.

NoOrdinaryTuna

Giantbluefinarethelargestlivingspeciesoftuna,reachingupto10feetinlengthandweighing1,400pounds.Abluefin’slifespanisbelievedtobelongerthan20years,butonlyoneinamillionofthehatchlingssurvivetomaturity.Theyarealsoconsideredbymanytobeamongthestrongestandfastestfish.Their torpedo-shaped bodies and ability to retract their pectoral fins enablethem to reach up to 25mph in short bursts. Bluefin are found in all of the

world’soceansandcanmigrateupto5,000milesofopenseainjust50daysinsearchoffood.

Bluefin tuna is popularly served raw as sashimi or sushi in Japaneserestaurants,whereaplateofslicescancommandabillofmorethan$75.Justoneoftheseuniqueanimalscannetfrom$5,000to$30,000atthedock,butinSeptember 2000, an enormous 444-pound bluefin tuna sold at Tokyo’s fishmarketforarecord$173,600.Thiswasthemostexpensivefisheverauctioned—$391apound!Thepoorbutexpensivetunawasreducedto2,400servingsofsushiforwealthydinersat$100perserving!

But an even more priceless catch? Jesus told the disciples that if theyfollowedHim,Hewouldteachthemtofishformen.TheFireLizard?

Timidyet fascinating,salamandersare littleanimals that look like lizards

butareactuallyamphibiansmorerelatedtofrogsandtoads.Thereareabout320 species of salamanders and newts found mainly in the NorthernHemisphere,allthewayfromsealeveltoaltitudesabove13,000feet.Thename“salamander” comes from a Greek word meaning “fire lizards.” Ancientpeoples linked salamanders to firebecause theyoften saw themcrawloutoflogs that had been thrown onto fires, leading people to believe that theseanimalscouldwalkthroughinfernos.

Mostsalamandersareabout4to6incheslong,buttheyrangefromabout1inchtothegiantChinesesalamanderthatgrowsupto6feetlongandweighs55 pounds! And some of these gentle creatures have long life spans. Thehellbenderspeciesiscapableofsurvivingfor25yearsintheirnaturalsettings,andsomefiresalamandershavesurvivedaslongas50yearsincaptivity.

These beasts are earless and thus deaf to airborne sound, but they can“hear”bysensingvibrationsfromtheground.Theyhaverelativelygoodvisionand a keen sense of smell, but they have little or no voice production.Mostadultsalamandershavesack-likelungsforbreathingair,buttheycanalsousetheirpermeableskinasasourceofsupplementaloxygen.

They eat mainly worms and insects that they catch with a long, sticky

tongue. But among the many unique characteristics of salamanders is theirability toshedtheir tails ifapredator threatens them.Oncereleased, the tailtwitches about on the ground and confuses the attacker … while thesalamanderslipsawayandlaterregeneratesanewtail.Jesussaiditisbettertocutoffahandorfootthangotohellwithawholebody.

SoSmall,SoStrong

Ants are themost numerous creatures on earth, and it’s been estimatedthatthecombinedweightofalltheworld’santsisgreaterthanthecombinedweightofallhumans.Antsareadmiredfortheirabilitytopull30times,andlift50times,theirownweight.ThatwouldbeequivalenttoahumanpullingaClydesdaleorliftinganelephant!

Ants know teamwork too. If necessary they will make their bodies intoladders to climb on, or rafts to float on. Ants are also among the mostorganized insects. Some ant species herd aphids like domestic livestock.Theantsandaphidsareengagedinasymbioticrelationship—ononehand,theantsactuallycarefortheaphidsandprotectthemfromladybugs.Inexchange,theantsreceiveanutritious“honeydew”excretedbytheaphids.Theantstaptheaphidswith their antenna to let themknow theywould like somehoneydewsap,thentheycarrythesapbacktothenesttofeedothers.Whiletendingtheirflock, theantsmayredistribute theaphidson thehostplant toprevent localovercrowding.Beforewinter,theseantswillevencarryoffaphideggstostartanewherdofaphidsinthespring.

If thatweren’t enough, someants are also farmers.Leaf-cutter ants fromthe tropical forests ofCentral and SouthAmerica live in huge undergroundcoloniesthatcancontainupto8millionants,allruledbyasinglequeen.Thelargestworkersleavethenesttoforageforleavesandpetals,collectingleavesby cutting themwith their sharp jaws into small pieces.They then carry thepieces back home. But they don’t eat the leaves; instead, these resourcefulinsectsusethemtogrowtheirownfood!Backatthenest,smallerworkerantschew the leaves into even tinier pieces to form large compost heaps. Thiscompost grows the fungus on which they feed. Tiny gardener ants carefullytendthesefungusgardensdeepunderground.

The Bible says, “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and bewise,Which,havingnocaptain,Overseerorruler,Provideshersuppliesinthesummer,Andgathersherfoodintheharvest”(Proverbs6:6–8).TackyFeet

Geckos are small, insect-eating lizards that have an almost miraculousability to scurry up walls and stick to ceilings. Aristotle noted the amazingclimbingabilitiesofgeckosinthefourthcenturyB.C.,andscientistshavebeen

wondering ever since how the noisy little creatures can walk up smoothsurfacesorevenupsidedownonpolishedglass.

Itcertainly isn’t suction,andbecause theydon’thaveanyglandsontheirfeet,geckoscan’tproducetheirownstickyglue.Butresearchersnowthinktheymayhavesolvedtheriddle.Theirstickyabilityappearstocomefromaweakmagneticattractionthatmoleculeshaveforoneanotherwhentheyarebroughtvery close together. Looking through a microscope reveals about 2 milliondenselypacked, finehairs, or “setae,” on eachof their toes.The endof eachsetae is further subdivided into hundreds to thousands of structures called“spatulae.”Thesebillion spatulae,which look likebroccolion the tipsof thehairs,produceelectricalattractionsthatarepressedsoclosetoasurfacetheyelectricallygluetheanimaltothesurface.

Ateamofbiologistsandengineershavecalculatedthecombinedadhesiveforceof all the tinyhairs lining thegecko’s toes at 10 timesgreater than themaximumforceneededtopullageckooffthewall.(Itisestimatedthatifourfeethadthesame“stickingpower”ofageckofoot,eachfootcouldholdabout90poundstoaglassceiling.)Thegeckohairshavealsobeenshowntobeself-cleaning, unlike any other known adhesive. Geckos have also developed anamazingwayofwalking:Theyscamperupwallsandacrossceilingsbyrollingthesehairsontothesurfaceandthenpeelingthemoffagain,justliketape,allwithinafractionofasecond.Researchersbelievethereptile’sstickytoescouldnowhelpthemdevelopanewdrysyntheticadhesivethat’sbetterthantapeandself-cleaning.

TheBible teaches thatwhen aman finds awife, he leaves his father andmotherandcleavesuntohiswife—but itappears that theglueholdingmanymarriagestogetherhasbeenfailing.

…AndDidYouKnow?

Ifyoukeepagoldfishinadarkroom,itwilleventuallyturnwhite.

Elephantssleeponlytwohoursaday.

Aduck’squackdoesn’techo.

Asnailbreathesthroughitsfoot.

AsthePenguinSwims…andSees

Penguinshaveanalmostperfectlystreamlinedbodyprofilethat’sidealfor

chasingfish.Infact,thepenguinhasthemosthydrodynamicbodyshapeevergauged. A swimming chinstrap penguin, seven inches wide, slices throughwaterwith lessresistancethanaquarter-sizedpebble.Theirsleekbodiesalsohelpthemsnagpreyandescapepredatorslikeleopardsealsandkillerwhales.Penguins have other features that make them highly capable fishers. Theirtongues are armedwith sharp,backward-facingbarbs thathelppreventpreyfromescaping.

Butnot only are penguins able to swim faster than aman can run, theirefficient shape enables them to travel long distances. Emperor penguins, forinstance,havebeenknowntocoveralmost1,000milesonforagingtripsthatlastuptoamonth,swimmingmorethan40milesperday.Notbadforabird!

Penguinsarealsoworld-classdivers. In the1970s,dive-recordingdevicesattached to emperor penguins revealed they could dive to depths of at least1,766feetinsearchoffood.That’sastonishingwhenyouconsiderthatthisismuchdeeperthananuclearsubmarinecruises.It’samysteryhowthesebirdssurvive at such depths; for instance, at 1,200 feet, penguins are beingcompressedby40timesthepressuretheyfeelatthesurface!

Yetthepenguineyesappeartobetheirgreatestmiraculousmarvel.Theirpupilscanadjustmuchmorethanacat’s,dilatingfromapinholetothesizeofaquarter,whichgivesthemsharpvisioninboththepitchblackdepthsoftheoceanandattheblindingbrightAntarcticsurface—butanevenmoreamazingaccomplishmentwhenyouconsiderthatairandwaterdemandverydifferentkindsofsight.Penguinsapparentlymaketheswitchsmoothlybyusingfineeyemuscles to bend and warp the lens in their eyes to correct for differencesbetweenairandwatervision.Penguinscanalsoseeintotheultravioletrangeoftheelectromagneticspectrum.

TheBibleteachesthataChristianmustbeabletomaintainspiritualvisionwith their eyes onheavenwhile still living in the darkworld below. “Wherethereisnovision,thepeopleperish”(Proverbs29:18).TheRoyalVersion

Theemperorpenguin, the largestof thespecies, lives35 longyears.NeartheendofeveryMay,thesemajesticbirdstravelfarinlandtotheAntarcticicepack, sometimeswalking, sometimes slidingon theirbellies, formanymiles.

They finally arrive at one of the most desolate places on earth, where thefemalelaysaneggatthefeetofhermalecompanion.

Hequicklycoversitwithafoldofhisfat,featheryfurtokeepitwarm—andcontinues to do it in the middle of winter near the South Pole, with itsperpetualdarkness,terriblecold,andfiercewindstorms!For64dayshestandsthere, livingonhisblubberandeatingnothing.At thebeginning, the femalehelpsbriefly,butsoonsheleaveshimtocarefortheegg,whileshespendsthenexttwoplusmonthsfeedingintheocean.

Themales huddle in clusters of about 100 for protection from the frigidwind,incubatingtheeggsontheirfeet.Soonafterthebabieshatch,thefemalesreturn.How do they find the nesting grounds across the trackless wastes ofthatlandcoveredinwhitesnow?Andoncethere,howdotheyfindtheirchickamongthethousandsofsquawkingyoungsters?Thesearetwogreatmysteries.Buttheydoknowthatwhenthefemalesreturn,themaleshavelost20pounds…andit’stheirturntogototheoceanandfeedwhilethefemalescareforthechildren.

Emperor penguins demonstrate some of the most patient devotion andwarm love for their young of any creatures, and they do this in the coldestconditionsonearth,wheretemperaturesmaydropaslowasminus85degreesbelowzero!TheBiblesays inthe lastdays,“because lawlessnesswillabound,theloveofmanywillgrowcold”(Matthew24:12).Butyourlovecanstaywarmeveninacoldworld!SpiderSilk

One of the most amazing materials in nature is the light, flexible, yetincrediblystrongcompoundsspidersusetocatchunsuspectinginsects—spidersilk. Pound for pound, the threads produced by arachnids can hold moreweight than the most sophisticated manufactured materials. A spider webfeatures a tensile strength of 300,000 pounds per square inch and is bothstrongerandlighterthancompoundsbasedonsteel.Ithasbeensuggestedthatifastrandofspidersilkcouldbeproducedasthickasapencil,itcouldstopaBoeing747inflight.

Peoplehaveknownabouttheimpressivepropertiesofspidersilkforalongtime,andsomehavedreamedofbeingabletocreateitinthesamewayancientChineseproducedsilkfromsilkworms.Butunlikethegentlesilkworm,spidersare aggressive and territorial and not easily domesticated. Up until now, all

attempts to synthesize spider silk have failed, but a new venture involvinggene-splicingisshowingconsiderablepromise.

A Canadian company appears to be on the verge of manufacturing asubstance similar to spider silk through a surprisingmethod—starting withgoatmilk.Researchersplaceaspidersilkgeneintoamilk-producinggoatsincethere are close anatomical similarities between the silk-producing glands ofspidersandthemilk-producingglandsofmammals.Thesilkgenesworkwithamazingefficiencyingoatmammarycells.

The challenge ismass breeding these transgenic goats and extracting thepure silkprotein fromthemilk so it canbe spun into fabric. If itworks, thecompanywillhave itsownspidersilk,called“BioSteel”—whichmaysoonbeusedforavarietyofapplications,frommedicalsuturestoartificialtendonsorligaments.Italsocouldbeusedtocreatelighterandstrongerbulletproofvestsand for even the coatings of space stations to protect them frommicrometeorites.

It’s interesting to consider how many of man’s discoveries have beenplagiarizedfromtheamazingcreaturesGodhasdesigned.Themostamazingfact is that many people still think all these wonders of nature evolved bychance!

…AndDidYouKnow?

Catscanhearultrasound.

Despiteitshumpacamelhasastraightspine.

Mosquitoeshave47teeth.

Fishcandrown.

Kangaroocanjump30feet.

AnimalsThatThaw

Whenhumansandothermammals freeze, it results in frostbiteordeath.ButGodhasgivenspeciesofsnakesandfrogsthatliveinverycoldclimatestheabilitytosurvivebeingfrozen!Thiscapacity isnotfullyunderstood,but it isachievedbytwomechanisms.Oneiscalled“freezingtolerance,”arareability

inwhichthebodyisabletosurvivefreezingandthedestructiveiceformationintissuecellsfollowedbythawing.

The other, more common, condition is “freeze avoidance” or “supercooling.”Inthisprocess,thebodycontainssubstanceslikeglycerolthatactlikea natural antifreeze and prevent ice formation in tissue cells. For instance,below frozen lakes and ponds, painted turtles can stay submerged andmotionless foras longas threemonths—but theyneveractually freeze. It’samysteryhowtheycansurviveinthisstateofsuspendedanimationforsolongwith zerobloodoxygen, forhumans,by contrast,begin to suffer irreversiblenervedamageifoxygentothebrainiscutoffformorethanfourminutes.

Of course, formost cold-blooded animals—freezing temps usuallymeandeath.Buttherearesomeamphibiansthathibernateatornearthesoilsurfacewhere temperatures can drop substantially below the freezing point of theirbodyfluids.Thesecreatureshavetheamazingabilitytoendurethefreezingofwater in extra-cellular body compartments. In fact, among some frogs, asmuchas65percentoftheirtotalbodywatermaybeconvertedtoice,enablingthemtosurvivedaysorweeksofsub-zeroconditions.Whenthespringthawcomes,thesparkoflifeactivatestheirmusclesandtheyappeartoreturntolifeasifresurrected.

BeingthatGodcandesigncells thatsurvivefreezing, it’seasier tobelieveHe canorder themoleculesof adeadbody tobe reconstituted.Butmillionsstillfinditdifficulttobelieveintheresurrection.PestController

AnteatersareamongthestrangestofGod’sanimalcreations.Thelargestofthe species lives in grasslands and the open tropical forests of South andCentralAmerica.Coveredwithstiff,straw-likehairthatgrowsupto10incheslong on the tail, a full-grown giant anteater weighs about 90 pounds andmeasuresuptofourfeetinlength(aboutthesizeofaGermanshepherd),notincludingthepuffytailthataddsanadditionalthreefeet.

Giantanteatershavelarge,hook-likeclawsoneachfrontfoot,walkingonthebackof theirwrists toprotect them.Theseclawsareusedtodig for foodand for self-defense against jaguars andpumas, theirnatural enemies.Giantanteatershavebeenknowntokilltheselargecatsusingtheirpowerfulclaws.

Anteatershaveaveryslowmetabolism,maintainingoneofthelowestbodytemperaturesofanymammalwhilesleepingupto15hoursaday.Thoughthey

have terrible eyesight, their excellent hearing awakens them at the slightestsound.

Anteatersare,ofcourse,insectivores—eatingmostlyantsandtermitesbutalsootherinsectsaslongastheydon’tsting.Attheendoftheanteater’sverylongnoseisaverysmallmouth,barelybigenoughtopassapencil.Butthey’regreatatcatchinginsectswiththeirtwo-footlongstickytongue,flickinginandoutupto160timeseachminute!Thetonguealsohasbackward-pointingbarbsthat mash the captured insects against the hard pallet. Because they aretoothless,mostchewingoccursinthegizzard-likestomach,aidedbyingestedpebbles.

Eventhoughanteatersmighteatmorethan30,000insectsinasingleday,theyonlylickupafewthousandatonefeeding.Theyliketocirculatearoundtheirterritories,feedinglightlyhereandthere,neverdestroyinganyonenestcompletely, allowing the termites colonies to recover,which theydo rapidly.Whileforaging,amotheranteatercarrieshersingleoffspringonherbackforuptooneyear,aconsiderablelengthoftime.

Agiantanteatermarksitterritorywithaglandontheirhindend,andtheodor is so strong that the locals have nicknamed it “stinker of the forest.”Anteaters alsohaveakeen senseof smell that can identify the speciesof antandtermitethatareinthenestbeforetheyripitopen.Buteventhoughtheirsense of smell is 40 times more powerful than a man’s, they don’t seembotheredbytheirownstink!

Jesussaidacommonflawofhumannatureistoseethespeckintheeyeofothers, oblivious that we might have a log in our own eye. But is it everappropriateforChristianstojudgesomeoneelse?

…AndDidYouKnow?

Squidscanhaveeyesthesizeofvolleyball.

Acathas32musclesineachear.

Acrocodilecannotstickoutitstongue.

Fishcough.

BrainlessRegenerates

Starfish are the most popular and recognizable creatures in tide pools.

About1,600different starfish speciescanbe foundalmosteverywhere in theocean, from the deep sea to the shallow reef.They range in size, but certainspeciescanreach26inchesacross.

Starfishareunique,brainless creatures thathaveno front,back,head,ortail—andtheycanmove inanydirectionwithout turning.Rather thanusingmusclestomovetheirhundredsoftinylegs,starfishuseacomplexhydraulicsystemtotravelaroundorclingtorocks.Becausestarfishareslow,theypreyon other slow-moving or stationary creatures, and even scavenge dead ones.Theywilleatjustaboutanything,whichiswhyyoudon’tfindmanyinhomeaquariums.

These creatures also have a good sense of smell to sniff out any edibletidbits, and they can be voracious eaters, devouring up to three times theirbodyweightinaday.(Youngstarfishmayeat10timestheirbodyweight!)Toeatanoysteroraclam,thestarfishpatientlypriesthetwoshellsaparttoopena tinygap,whereupon itperformsaunique feat—it turns its stomach insideout! Everything in pops out of itsmouth into the clam, to release digestivejuicesandabsorbtheresultingsoup!Afterthemeal,itinvertsitsstomachbackintoitsbody.

Starfishusuallyhavefivearms,butafewhavelessandsomespecieshaveasmanyas50.Theyarefamousfortheiramazingabilitytoregenerateorre-growalostarm.OnecommonPacificstarfishcancastoffanarmwithoutanypartofthecentralbodyattachedandthatarmwillslowlygrowintoacompletenewstarfish. In fact, some starfish reproduce by purposely pulling one arm off.Years ago, inexperienced pearl divers would hack up the starfish eating theoysters,notrealizingtheywereonlymakingmorestarfish.

Inlikemanner,theCaesarsoncetriedexterminatingthechurchbykillingChristians.Butthemoretheypersecuted,themorethechurchgrew.

…AndDidYouKnow?

Thebullfrogistheonlyanimalthatneversleeps.

Elephantsarecapableofswimming20milesaday.

Lizardscommunicatebydoingpush-ups.

ArachnidScubaDivers

InEurope,Asia,andpartsofAfricalivesacuriouslittlespiderthatmakesitshomeunderwater.Thiswaterspiderspinsatinywebintheshapeofabellandattachesittothestemsofwaterweedsandplantsjustbelowthesurfaceofafreshwaterpond.

Sinceallspidersneedtobreatheair,thewaterspidertakesitsairalonglikea diver. On the surface, it traps tiny bubbles in the hairs of its body, thenhurrieshomeandbrushesthemoff,releasingthemunderherweb.Thespidermakes many trips to bring back air bubbles for her underwater nest. Thewaterproofwebbecomesinflatedwithtrappedairandmakesaperfectplacetolive,eat,andlayeggs.

Whenthefreshairisusedup,thespiderreturnstothesurfacetobreatheandcollectmorefreshairbubblesforherhomebelow.Livingbelow,andyetbreathing the air from above, this little spider is constantly surrounded bywaterbutremainsperfectlydry!

John17:15,16 says, “Idonotpray thatYou should take themoutof theworld,but thatYoushouldkeepthemfromtheevilone.Theyarenotof theworld,justasIamnotoftheworld.”OldDakotaThree-Toes

Between 1883 and 1918, more than 80,000 wolves were systematicallyslaughtered.Bytheearly1920s,wolvesinthelowerUnitedStateswereallbutwipedout.

Neartheendoftheextermination,alonewolflimpeduptoaranchhousein South Dakota—he had lost one of his toes in a trap. Wolves are socialcreatures,andbecausehehadlostallhisfellowwolves,heseemedtobeseekinghumanaid.Insteadofhelp,hewasmetwitharaisedrifleandhadtoflee.Fromthatdayuntilhisdeathin1925,OldDakotaThree-Toeswagedaviciousone-wolfwaronHardingCounty,SouthDakota.

Measuringfive-and-a-halffeetandweighingover100pounds,Three-Toesspenthisremainingyearskillingranchers’stock.Inonethree-monthperiod,he destroyed $6,700 worth of sheep, cattle, and even horses. The “renegadewolf” that had watched its own species annihilated undertook seeminglywantonattacksoncattleandsheep,killingscoresinanightoutofwhatseemedsheervengeance.

Whole communities marshaled their resources to kill this last of theDakotawolves.However,OldThree-Toesproved tobemore intelligent thanthe150professionalhunterswhotrackedhim.Heledridersdownravinesthatbecametoonarrowforthehorsesandthroughfieldsfullofgopherholeswherethehorsescouldeasilytrip.Heoncehidinthebodycavityofadeadhorse.

Theoldwolfateonlyhisownfreshlykilledpreytoavoidpoisonedbait,andhewasalsoespeciallygoodatspringingtraps.Finally, the legendaryoldwolfwastrappedbyaFederalwolferwhoburiedtrapsonahill,thentransplantedsagebrushbesidethem.ThenextdayThree-Toes,curiousaboutthefreshlydugearthroundthebush,steppedintotwoofthetrapsanddiedafewhourslater.“OldThree-Toes,”thelastnaturalwolfinSouthDakota,waskilledin1925.Hehad lived for nearly 20 years, twice as long as the average wolf, driven byvengeance.

Somepeoplespendmuchoftheirlivesdrivenbybitternessandangeruntiltheyself-destruct.PondDwellers

Fairyshrimpareamazinglittlecrustaceansrelatedtoseashrimpthatcanbefoundinvernalponds,atemporarypondthatusuallyappearsinthespring.Theyareseldommorethananinchlongandusuallymuchsmaller.Theyhave11to17pairofleaf-likelegsusedtocreateacurrentforswimming,whichtheyseemtopreferdoingupsidedown.Thecurrentenablesthemtobreaththroughtheir front appendages, which are called gill legs. They feed on algae, deadplants,andsmalleranimalscaughtinthecurrentmadebytheirappendages.

These shrimp can suddenly appear in vernal ponds by the millions oneyear,thencompletelydisappearinthesamepondforseveralfollowingyears.Femalescanproduceeggsyearround,carryingtheminsacksbehindtheirgilllegs.Buttheyalsohavetheuncannyabilitytoproducedifferentkindsofeggsthroughouttheyear.Forinstance,justbeforeadrought,fairyshrimpproduceeggs thatareencased inahard-walledcyst,orcase, that is sostrong that the

eggscandryupandhatchmanyyearslater.Afterbeingexposedtowater,theeggs hatch out in only 30 hours. These special eggs have been subjected toboilingwaterandtemperaturesaslowas–310degreeFahrenheit,andtheystillremainedviable.Eggshave evenbeenhatched in a laboratory after 20 years,but it is possible these resilient little ones might last hundreds or eventhousandsofyearsandstillhatch!

Recognizing how durable the eggs are, in 1962, Harold von Braunhutbegantomarketthefairyshrimptochildrenas“SeaMonkeys”andhassincemadeafortune.

Wedon’tknowhowGodcanpreservetheessenceoflifeinadormanteggorseed.Wealsodon’tknowhowHecanresurrectadeadbody,butweseesomanymiraclesoflifeinthenaturalworldthatweareinclinedtobelieveHecandothesupernatural.That'saBigVegetarian

The elephant is the largest landmammal on earth. Throughout history,

theyhavebeenrevered,honored,andprizedfortheirgreatsizeandstrength.Onthebattlefield,soldierswithelephantshaveterrifiedandtrampledenemies.Elephantsalsohavebeentrainedtocarryheavysuppliesthroughjunglesandtohaulhugelogsfromtheforestswheretheyoncelived.

A full-grown African elephant can weigh more than 10,000 pounds. Asvegetarians,theymustconsumebetween300to500poundsoffoodanddrinkup to50gallonsperday. In its search for food, anelephant can travelup to6,200miles inoneyear, the longestmammalmigrationonrecord.Theyalsonever stop growing throughout their lifetime; so size is usually a goodindicatorofage—thelargertheelephant,theolderitis.Theycommonlyliveto80years,butsomehavebeenknowntolivebeyond100!

The elephant is the only animal with four knees, so they cannot run orjump.Theycan,however,walkvery fast.Aherdamblesatabout4milesperhour,butwhenprovokedtheywillchargeatmorethan25mph.Softspongy

padson the solesof their feet absorbnoise, allowing thesemassivebeasts tomove through thebushwithvery little commotion.Theycanalsoclimbandevenswim!Theyarecapableofswimmingconsiderabledistancesand,whenindeepwater,theyholdtheirtrunksabovethewaterlikesnorkelsorperiscopes.

Themostobviouscharacteristicofelephants,besidestheirmassivesize,istheirtrunk.Anelephant’strunkisreallynothingmorethananelongationofthenoseandupperlip,butitisthemostversatileofallmammaliancreations.Thetrunkiscomposedofanestimated150,000musclesandisemployedasanose, arm,hand, andotherwisemultipurpose tool topull branchesoff trees,uprootgrass,pluckfruit,andtoplacefoodintheirmouths.It’salsousedforsmelling, trumpeting, drinking, greeting, or throwing dust for dust baths.Elephantsarecapableofpullinguptothreegallonsofwaterintotheirtrunktobe sprayed into themouth for drinking or onto the back for bathing.Usingtheir trunks, elephants can feed as high in trees as giraffes, and the trunk ispowerfulenoughtokillalionwithasingleswipe—yetthefinger-likelobesattheendareagileenoughtoplucka feather fromtheground.Babyelephantsoften insert their trunks into theirmouths and suck on them, like a humanchildsucksonitsthumbs.

Elephanttusksareelongatedupperincisorsandarethelargestandheaviestteeth of any living animal. They are used for digging for roots and water,strippingthebarkofftreesforfood,defensefrompredators,andfightingeachother during mating season. Tusks grow continuously throughout theelephant’s life,as longas10feetandas largeas150poundseach.This ivory,alsoknownas“whitegold,”wasusedatonetimeinthemanufactureofpianokeys,billiardballs,andotherobjects.Overtheyears,huntershaveslaughteredthousandsofthesemagnificentanimalsjustfortheirtusks.Attheturnofthe20th century, elephants numbered from five to 10 million, but widespreadhunting and habitat destruction reduced their numbers to an estimated600,000.Ivorypoachingalmostdroveelephantsintoextinction.

Didyouknowthat theBiblepredicts that inthe lastdays,realChristianswillbehuntedbecausetheychoosetoobeyGod’scommandments?APeculiarBird

OneofthestrangestcreaturesintheworldisaflightlessbirdfoundonlyinNewZealand,calledthe“kiwi.”Thekiwiisthesmallestmemberoftheratitefamily,whichincludestheostrichandemus,andisuniqueinseveralrespects.

Foronething,itistheonlybirdintheworldthathasitsnostrilsattheendofitsbeak,whichisaboutonethirdofitsbodylength.Thekiwiliterallysniffsoutitsfoodbyplungingits longbeakbelowthesurface.Theyalsohaveexcellenthearingthatcandetectawormwigglingunderground.

Kiwisliveasmonogamouscouples,withthebiggerfemaledominatingthemale,whomaydomostoftheincubatingoftheeggs.Andtheeggsarehuge:The femalekiwihasoneof the largestegg-to-bodyweightratiosofanybird.Thematureeggaverages20percentofthefemale’sbodyweight,comparedtotwopercentforanostrich!Afive-poundkiwilaysaneggthatweighsjustoverapound,whichwouldbe likeahundred-poundwomangivingbirth toa20-pound baby.And the eggs take an exceedingly long time to hatch, up to 80days,whereasachickeneggonlytakes21days.

Thekiwiisoftenconfusedforamammalforafewreasons.Foronething,ithaswingsbutcannotfly.Itsloose,hair-likefeathers;longwhiskers;andthefactitburrowsinthegroundallcontributetotheconfusion.

SomethinkitstrangethatNewZealandersliketocallthemselveskiwisandhavemadethe imageof thisbizarrebirdanationalemblemontheirmoney,stamps, and coins. Yet the Bible teaches that Christians are called to be apeculiar people, but does thatmean thatwe are commanded to bewackyorweird?

“Now therefore, if ye will obeymy voice indeed, and keepmy covenant,thenyeshallbeapeculiartreasureuntomeaboveallpeople:foralltheearthismine”(Exodus19:5).“Butyeareachosengeneration,aroyalpriesthood,anholy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of himwhohathcalledyououtofdarknessintohismarvelouslight”(1Peter2:9).OceanMammals

Dolphins are wonderful creatures that belong to a group known ascetaceans, which includes all whales, dolphins, and porpoises.More than 40different species of dolphins and porpoise can be found inmost oceans andeven in some freshwater rivers. Like humans, dolphins are warm-bloodedmammals thatbreatheair andnurse their young.Theyarehighly intelligentandgenerallyliveupto25years.

Incredibly, dolphins can sleep in a semi-alert state by restingone side oftheir brain at a time, and if needed, they can hold their breath for eightminutes and can dive as deep as 650 feet. The bottle-nosed dolphin has 104

teethusedtoseizethesmallfishorsquidtheyfeedon,andtheyoftenworkinateamtorounduptheirprey.

A dolphin sheds a thin outer layer of skin every two hours. This slick,rubberyskinenablesthemtoswimatspeedsupto35mph,whichiswhytheykeepupwithspeedingboats!Infact, thedesignflukesonadolphin’stailareusedtoimprovetheeffectivenessofsubmarinesandboatpropellers!

Dolphinsalmostalwaystrytohelpsickorinjureddolphinsandonseveraloccasionshavebeenknowntoassistorrescuehumansstrandedintheocean,eventothepointofchasingoffthreateningsharks.

Tofindtheirwayaround,dolphinsuseatypeofsonar.Thisecholocationallows themtonavigate throughdarkormurkywaterwithoutbumping intoanything. They produce powerful clicking sounds that travel throughwater,bouncingoffobjectsandreturningtothedolphin.Awhopping1,200clicksasecondcanbetransmittedaheadofadolphin,andbythepitchofthereturningecho,andthetimeittakestogetthere,thedolphincandeterminetheshape,size,speed,texture,anddensityoftheobject.Itcanevenviewtheinsideofanobject,almostlikeanX-ray.

To communicate, dolphins use a variety of noises called vocalizations,which come from their blowholes. You could say that blowholes are theequivalentofthehumannostrils.Everydolphinhasitsownsignaturewhistleto distinguish itself from its companions, and most marine biologists areconvinced they have a complex form of language to communicate emotionsandsignals.Luckychanceorincredibledesign?ArmoredRoadWarrior

Armadillos are one of God’s strangest. Like their cousins, the anteaters,

armadillos have a very long, sticky tongue to slurp up bugs as quickly aspossible.Theyarealsoequippedwithstrongclawstotearopenantnestsandtodigaburrow15feetlonginwhichtobeartheiryoung.Thefemalearmadilloalways bears four young, which are also always the same sex—the only

mammal known to do so. Some female armadillos have been known to givebirth up to two years after they were captured! These “virgin births” are aresult of the female’s amazing ability to delay implantation of the fertilizedegg.

Armadillos like to swim, and they are very good at it. But because theirheavyshellmakesthemsink,theymustswallowairtobecomebuoyant.Whenneeded,theycanholdtheirbreathforuptosixminutesatatimeandcangoquiteadistanceunderwater,walkingalongthebottomofstreamsandpondslikealobster.

The popular nine-banded armadillo is between 29 to 36 inches longincludingthetail.Andtheyusuallyweighbetween8to17pounds.Armadillosmake timid pets partly because they sleep an average of 18 hours a day andventure out at twilight orwhen it is very cloudy, because their eyes are verysensitivetolight.Butsomestillsaytheycanbehousebrokenandmakegoodpets.

Generally,armadillosstruggleintheircoexistencewithman.Thegreatestcauseofdeathisautomobiles.Butmostdonotgethitbythewheels—theyhavea habit of jumping straight up into the air when they are frightened, whichincreasestheirmortalityrateontheroad.

Unfortunately, Armadillos are also ideal creatures for many types ofmedicalresearch.Theirlowbodytemperaturecausesthemtohaveaveryweakimmune system; they are used in leprosy research because they are the onlyanimalsbesideshumans that canget leprosy. In fact, somepeoplehavebeenknown tocontract leprosy fromeatingarmadillos.Perhaps this isoneof thereasonsthattheBiblesaysweshouldnoteatuncleananimals.

StillmanypeoplemistakenlybelievethatJesusabolishedthehealthlaws.TallandSwift

Among land animals, giraffes stand head and shoulders above the rest—toweringupto18feetabovethegrasslandsofAfrica.Giraffesareherbivores,and their extended necks, combined with that 18-inch long tongue, allowsthemtoreachthetastyleaveshighinthetall,thornyacaciatrees.

Although the giraffe’sneck is about seven feet long, it contains the samenumber of vertebrae as amouse—seven; of course, each vertebrae is greatlyelongated. In fact, every time a giraffe picks up its neck, it raises about 550pounds!Itscirculatorysystemisspeciallyadaptedforitslongneck.Theyhave

elasticbloodvesselsintheneckandheadtohandlechangesinbloodpressuredue to head swings.This iswhy a giraffe’s heartmustweigh awhopping 24poundstopumpthebloodtosuchahighaltitude!

Giraffesliveabout25years,buttheyrarelylaydown;theyevensleepandgivebirthstandingup. In fact,newborncalvesbegin their livesby fallingsixfeettotheground.Theyareoneofthefewanimalsbornwithhorns.

ThewordGiraffemeans“onewhowalksswiftly.”Witheachstep,agiraffetravels about 15 feet. They are also fast runners that can reach speeds fasterthanahorse,over35mph.Thoughmalegiraffeswilloften“neckwrestle” toestablishdominance, theyaregenerallypassive,non-territorial, and sociable.They live in loose, openherds grazingpeacefullywith zebra,wildebeest, andantelope.

Agiraffeisthemostvulnerablewhendrinking,becausetheymustspreadtheirfrontlegsfarapartinanawkwardstancetogettheirheadslowenoughtoreachthewater.Fortunately,agiraffecangowithoutwaterevenlongerthanacamel.

Julius Caesar brought the first giraffe ever seen in theWest to Rome inabout46B.C.Becausetheyareasbigasacamelwithspotslikealeopard,theywere thought to be the result of a freakish breeding of the two animals.Althoughweknowthegiraffe isnotacombinationof thesetwoanimals, thescientificname“camelopardalis”stuck.

WemightlaughatthegullibleRomanswhobelievedyoucouldcombineacamel with a leopard to get a giraffe—but a bigger question is, “How can acreaturebehalfGodandhalfman?”TheLivingFossil

AfewdaysbeforeChristmas1938,astrangefishwascaughtinanetnearthemouthoftheChalumnaRiverinSouthAfrica.CaptainHendrickGoosenthought the fish was bizarre enough to alert the localmuseum in the smalltownofEastLondon.Thedirectorof themuseum,MissMarjorieCourtney-Latimer,describedthecreatureas“themostbeautifulfishIhadeverseen,fivefeetlong,andapalemauvebluewithiridescentsilvermarkings.”Marjoriehadnoideawhatthefishwasbutknewitmustgobacktothemuseumatonce.

Searching through the few reference books on hand, Marjorie found apicturethatledhertoaseeminglyimpossibleconclusion.Herspecimenborestriking similarities to a long-extinct prehistoric fish! She alerted the

prominent South African ichthyologist Dr J.L.B. Smith to this amazingdiscovery.Theprofessorcameatonceandidentifiedthefishimmediatelyasacoelacanth(sê-le-kànth´).Thefishwouldsoonbecalledthe“mostimportantzoologicalfindofthecentury.”Theyfoundalivingdinosaur.

Thisparticularspeciesoffishwasfirmlybelievedtohavelivedlongbeforethetimeof thedinosaurs,withthefossilrecorddatingthembackmorethan360million years. Theywere thought to have gone extinct around the sametime as the dinosaurs—about 80 million years ago. Dr. Smith, Courtney-Latimer, and the coelacanth became overnight celebrities. When a one-dayonly public viewing was arranged, 20,000 visitors showed up. Since then,severalothercoelacanthshavebeencaught,mostlyaroundIndonesia.

Howcouldthecoelacanthsupposedlydisappearformorethan80millionyears and then turn up alive andwell in the 20th century? It had also beentaughtthatthecoelacanthwasa“missinglink”withits“protolegs”thatweresupposedlyevolvingintolimbs.Yetifevolutionistrueandthesefishhavebeenaround since before the dinosaurs, why have they not evolved anyimprovementsinthatlongspan?

…AndDidYouKnow?

Aturkeycanrun20milesperhour.

Asharkistheonlyfishthatcanblinkwithbotheyes.

Asnailcansleepforthreeyears.

Anostrich’seyeisbiggerthanitsbrain.

Butterfliestastewiththeirfeet.

Contents

LivingAlongthe38thParallel Cityof theDead TheBigHouseIsraelFacts

LivingAlongthe38thParallel

On July 27, 1953, theArmisticeAgreement established the demilitarizedzone (DMZ) that separates North from South Korea. This imaginary linefollowsthe38thparallel,isabout150mileslong,andaveragesabouttwo-and-a-halfmilesinwidth.TheArmisticeisthelongestcease-fireinhistory,butitalso means that the two Koreas are officially still at war. Today nearly twomilliontroopsfaceoffalongthisline,readytogotowaratamoment’snotice!OneU.S.Presidentevendescribeditas“thescariestplaceonearth.”

Yet to promote the illusion of peace, safety, and prosperity, farmers arepaid to livenear thiswar zone in a settlement called the “FreedomVillage.”They receivebetween$80,000 and$90,000U.S.dollars eachyear,more thanfivetimestheaverageSouthKoreanincome,don’tpaytaxesorrent,andareexemptfrommilitaryservice.Thecatchisthattheymustlivetheremorethan300daysper year, be off the fields beforedark, and in theirhomeswith thedoorslockedby11p.m.CityoftheDead

OneofthestrangestcemeteriesonearthisfoundinnorthernCairo,Egypt.

It’scalledthe“CityoftheDead.”Theword“cemetery”isactuallyamisnomer,

becausethisgraveyardisactuallyteemingwithlifeandactivity.Forhundredsofyears,great rulersofagespastbuilt acresandacresofhugeandelaboratemausoleumsand tombs.Traditiondictated that eachof these tombsbebuiltwithitsown“partyroom.”

Thenaroundthe14thcentury,duetolackofspace,thousandsofpoorandhomeless seeking shelter began squatting in these tombs. Strangely, thiscemeteryisnowclassifiedasasuburbofCairo.Ithasitsownpostoffice,policestation,shops,electricity,runningwater,andseweragesystem.

Theresidenthavemadecreativeuseofthesmallergravestonesbyturningthemintowashinglinesortables.Peopleactuallyliveandconducttheirlivesinthese tombs—sleeping, cooking, and eating—surrounded by their silentmacabreneighbors.

TheBible teachesthat thereareonlytwoclassesofpeople, the livingandthedead.Thatmightbeobvious,butaccordingtotheWordofGod,notallofthelivingarealiveandnotallofthedeadaredead.“HethathaththeSonhathlife;andhethathathnottheSonofGodhathnotlife”(1John5:12).Andonanotheroccasion,Jesussaid,“Letthedeadburytheirowndead,butyougoandpreachthekingdomofGod”(Luke9:60).“GodisnottheGodofthedead,butoftheliving”(Matthew22:32).TheBigHouse

Henry Ford’s mansion, named “Fair Lane,” still stands in Dearborn,Michigan, filledwith elaborately carvedwoodwork and technicalwonders asanexampleofthisuniqueman’sinnovation.Foritslocation,Fordchose1,300beautifulacresoverlookingthemeanderingRiverRouge.Itsdimensionsare56rooms, three floors, and 31,000 square feet. Of its eight fireplaces, one ofmarblestands13feethigh.

Eventoday,thehouseshowsoffitsmagnificentdesign,exquisitetaste,andperfectworkmanship.Thepriceforconstructingandfurnishingitwasabout$2million—andthatwasbackin1915whenaloafofbreadwasanickel.

In addition to the main residence, the estate included a summer house,man-made lake, boat house, staff cottages, gate house, pony barn, skatinghouse, greenhouse, root cellar, vegetable garden, thousand-plant flowergarden, 10,000-plant rose garden, amaple sugar shack, “Santa’sWorkshop”(for Christmas celebrations), working farm built to the scale of Ford’sgrandchildren, agricultural research facilities, and 500 birdhouses to satisfy

Ford’sinterestinornithology.HenryFord’s ingenuityevenreachedto thepowersupply.Determinedto

be independent of public utilities, he built his own power plant, which wasconnected to the home by a 300-foot underground tunnel. The finelymachined turbines fed electricity to the entire estate, with 550 switchesprovidinglightandpowerattheflickofafinger.Therewasevenenoughextrapowertosellbacktotheutilitycompany.

However,inApril1947,whentorrentialrainslashedtheDetroitarea,theRiverRougewentonarampage.Itsmotheredthefireunderthepowerhouseboilersandcausedtheelectricitytofailfortheonlytimeinmorethan30years.Paradoxically, that was the night Henry Ford lay dying in his bedroom.Though surrounded by engineering marvels, he left the world as he hadenteredit87yearsearlier—inacoldhouselitbycandles,onlytwomilesfromthefarmwherehewasborn.

WhenJesusdiedoutsideJerusalemfourmilesfromtheplaceofHisbirth,theskywentdarkandtheveilinthetemplewasrippedfromtoptobottom.IsraelFacts

ThestateofIsraelhasonly.8percentoftheworld’spopulationandistheworld’s 100th smallest country—yet the people can make claim to thefollowingamazingaccomplishments:

24 percent of Israel’s workforce hold university degrees; 12 percent holdadvanceddegrees.That’sthehighestratiointheworld.

Israelhasthesecondlargestnumberofstartupcompaniesintheworld.Israel’seconomyof$100billionislargerthanallofitsimmediateneighborscombined.

IsraelhasthehighestaveragestandardoflivingintheMiddleEastandalsoexceedstheUnitedKingdom.

Israelproducesmorescientificpaperspercapitathananyothernationbyalargemargin—aswellasoneofthehighestper-capitaratesofpatentsfiled.

Israelhastheworld’ssecondhighestnumberofnewbookspercapita.Israelhasthehighestpercentageofhomecomputerspercapita.ThecellphonewasdevelopedinIsraelbyMotorola.

Israelistheonlycountryintheworldthatenteredthe21stcenturywithanetgaininitsnumberoftrees.

Withanaerialarsenalofover250F-16s,Israelhasthesecondlargestfleetoffighteraircraft.

Israel developed the airline industry’s most impenetrable flight security.U.S. officials now look to Israel for advice on how to handle airbornesecuritythreats.

Relativetoitspopulation,Israelisthelargestimmigrant-absorbingnationonearth.

Israelhasmoremuseumspercapitathananyothercountryintheworld. In 1991, during the first Gulf War, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestraplayed a concert wearing gas masks as scud missiles fired by SaddamHusseinfellonTelAviv.It would certainly seem that God is blessing this little country! But why

thenisthisuniquenationsoembattled?

Contents

BibleLands TheWickedBible MilkandHoneyBibleLands

Thenationmostoftenmentioned in theBible is Israel.Butdoyouknowwhichnationissecond?It is theareaknowntodayasIraq!SometimescalledtheFertileCrescentandthecradleofcivilization,thenamesusedintheBiblefor this region are Babylon, Land of Shinar, Mesopotamia, and Nineveh.EveryonefromEsthertoJonah,andfromDanieltoEzekiel,werestationedinthishistoricland.

Ontwooccasions, thepeopleofGodhavebeencarriedoff to the landofIraq. The 10 tribes were carried off into Assyria in 721 B.C., and thenNebuchadnezzardestroyed Jerusalem in587B.C. anddrove its inhabitantsofJudahinto70yearsofcaptivity.

This is one reason SaddamHussein revered kingNebuchadnezzar as hishero—helongedtoduplicatethefeatofconqueringIsraelandrulingtheArabnations!Infact,SaddamoncehadhimselfphotographedinareplicaofthewarchariotofNebuchadnezzar,tryingtoconvincepeoplehewasthereincarnationof the ancient king of Babylon. (Of course, the Bible also tells us thatNebuchadnezzarwentinsaneforsevenyears.)

HistoryrecordsthatBabylonwasconqueredbythePersiansandthentheGreeks, but after the death ofAlexander, the great city of Babylon began tofade.Ultimately,theoncegreatcityceasedtobeinhabitedandtheruinswereswallowedbytheEuphratesriverandshiftingsandoftheIraqdesert.

ManyChristiansfirmlybelievethatBabylonmustberebuiltbeforethelastevents of prophecy canbe fulfilled.But the prophet Isaiah clearly promised,“Nobodywilleverlivethereagain,it’lljustbeahabitationoffoxesandowls”(Isaiah 13:20, 21). Saddam Hussein desperately wanted to prove the Jewishprophet wrong and spent millions trying to rebuild the ruins of ancientBabylon in an effort to restore it to a thriving metropolis. Saddam’s grandplans to restore Babylon were of course thwarted by war and capture. Even

though Saddam had rebuilt some ruins, nobody wants to live there—theBedouinsbelievetheplaceiscursed,soit’sstillaghosttown,”

If the Bible says Babylon will never be rebuilt, then what is the last-dayBabylonspokenofinthebookofRevelation?TheWickedBible

Didyouknowthatatonetime,aprinterlosthisbusinessjustbecauseheaccidentallyomittedasingle,three-letterwordfromtheBible?

Youprobablyknowthatthefirstbookeverprintedonaprintingpresswasthe Bible. But the quality andmethods of printing in those years were veryprimitive,leadingtomanyprintingerrorsintheseearlyBibles.Althoughmostdidn’tcauseanyserioustheologicalconfusion,someofthemwerestillworthasmile.

That is, until 1631—when King Charles I ordered 1,000 Bibles from anEnglishprinternamedRobertBarker.OnlyaftertheBiblesweredelivereddidanyone notice this seriousmistake: In Exodus 20:14, a very small word wasforgotten by the printers—“not.” Thatmight seem like a smallmistake in abookwithmore than700,000words.ButExodus20:14happens tobeoneoftheTenCommandments.This littleerrorchanged the7thcommandment tosay: “Thou shalt commit adultery”!This legendary editionbecameknownasthe“WickedBible.”

King Charles was not amused by the infamous printing blunder. HeorderedtheBiblesrecalledanddestroyed,tookawayBarker’slicensetoprintBibles,andfinedhim300pounds,alifetimeofwagesinthosedays.Only11oftheoriginal1,000WickedBiblesexisttoday.

RobertBarker’smistakewasaninnocentone,buttheBibletellsusthattheBeastpowerwoulddeliberatelytrytochangeGod’slaw.MilkandHoney

Morethan20timesinScripture,GodspeaksofbringingHispeopleintoa

goodland“flowingwithmilkandhoney.”Whymilkandhoney?Milk and honey are the classic odd couple for several reasons:Milk is a

perfectculture fordisease.Left in theopenairwithoutpasteurization, itwillinstantlybegintoseparate,spoil,andbreedbacteria.Ontheotherhand,honeyistheonlyfoodthatdoesn’tspoil.Itcanbeusedasafoodpreservativeandbyitselfwilllastpracticallyforever.Infact,crystallizedhoneythousandsofyearsoldhasbeenfoundinthepyramids,yetitwasreconstitutedafterheating.

Honey placed on an open wound will help to protect, while milk willpromote infection.One is producedby insects, the other bymammals.Milkandhoneyarealsotwoanimalproductsthatcanbeeatenwithoutkillingthecreatures.

Thoughitisnotideal,apersoncanlivealongtimeonadietofwholemilkandnaturalhoneywiththepollen.However,becauseoftheirrichnature,Godneverintendedthateithermilkorhoneybecomeastapleinman’sdiet;itwasconsideredinScriptureasatreattobeeatensparingly.InProverbs25:16,KingSolomoncounseled, “Haveyou foundhoney?Eatonlyasmuchas youneed,Lestyoubefilledwithitandvomit.”

SowhythendoesGodconsistentlyusethisphrase“milkandhoney”asaslogan for the Promised Land? The terms “milk” and “honey” are reallysymbols inScripture for thesweet, rich truthofGod’sWord.Herearea fewexamples: “For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word ofrighteousness:forheisababe”(Hebrews5:13).“ThestatutesoftheLordareright,rejoicingtheheart;ThecommandmentoftheLordispure,enlighteningthe eyes;… Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:8–10).“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shallconceive,andbearason,andshallcallhisnameImmanuel.Butterandhoneyshallheeat,thathemayknowtorefusetheevil,andchoosethegood”(Isaiah7:14,15).

Contents:

GreatBallofFire FoodPyramid WeatherWhirlwinds ColorsofHeaven WhentheEarthMoves TerrifyingWallofWater ALotofSpace TheOceanisFalling NearbyPlanetaryNeighborDropsByNoahandPlastic

GreatBallofFire

Thesunmakesup99.8percentofthemassofoursolarsystem,andit’sone

of the biggest stars in the galaxy (in the top 10 percent)! It’s so big that amillion earths could easily fit inside it. It also generates 386 billion billionmegawatts every second, but still has enough fuel to warm the earth foranotherfivebillionyears!FoodPyramid

Did you know that serving sizes on the United States Department ofAgricultureFoodPyramidandonproductnutritionlabelsaredifferent?Thetwo charts actually serve different purposes. The USDA serving size helpspeoplemeetdailynutritionalneedswithallfoodgroups,whileproductlabelsonlycomparenutritionalvaluesbetweensimilarfoods.

Therefore,asinglesliceofbreadonaproduct labelmightbeoneservingon the label, but could be two servings on the food pyramid! Of course,confusion could be easily assuaged if product labels included the number ofpyramidservingscontainedinaproductlabelserving!

WeatherWhirlwinds

The United States experiences some of the world’s most brutal weatherevents,withatypicalyearbringingseveralhurricanes,about10,000powerfulthunderstorms, and up to 1,000 violently rotating columns of air calledtornadoes.

Eachyear,Americasuffersthroughmoretornadoesthaneveryotherplaceontheplanetcombined,resultingin80deathsandmorethan1,500injuries.Inone 24-hour period in April 1974, a record 148 tornadoes tore through theMidwest,killing309peopleandinjuring5,000.Thedestructiveweatherforcescanoccuranywhereinthestatesatanytimeofyear,thoughthepeakseasoninthesouthisMarchthroughMay.

The worst tornadoes, classified as F-5s, are capable of generatingtremendous speeds—250 miles per hour or more. In the spring of 1999,Oklahoma recordedone its deadliest outbreaks ever:NearOklahomaCity, amassiveF5stayedonthegroundformorethanfourhourscausingincredibledamage.Anestimated2,000homesand10,000vehiclesweredestroyed—andmorethan45peopledied.Researchersclockedthewindat318mph,thefastestsurfacewindeverrecordedonearth.

The awesome power of tornados has been demonstrated by things liketransportinga1,000-poundbaleofhayforfivemiles,drivingapieceofstrawthrough a 2 x 4, imbedding a plasticmusic record halfway into a telephonepole,andleavingan18-wheelertruckdanglingfromatree.OnApril24,1990,a 100-yardwide tornado toucheddown inBartonCounty,Kansas, lifting88traincarsoffthetracksandstackingthemthreetofourcarshigh.

Tornados also do some bizarre things, like putting cows in treetops.Another unusual incident occurred in 1957 in Thomasville, Alabama, whenthousandsofsmall fish, frogs,andcrayfishfell fromthesky.Aftera tornadopulled up lake water somemiles away, its winds lost strength and the littleanimalsrainedacrossthecountryside.

FablestalkaboutTexas’PecosBillridingatornado,butdidyouknowtheScripturesteachaBibleprophetactuallyrodeatornadotoheaven?In2Kings2:11,weseeElijahbeingtakenupbyawhirlwindintoheaven.

…AndDidYouKnow?

Nopieceofpapercanbefoldedinhalvesmorethanseventimes.

Googolisanumber—aonefollowedby100zeros.

Aten-gallonhatholdslessthanaquartofliquid.

ColorsofHeaven

Nowordsareadequatetodescribethemagnificentsplendorofthenaturalphenomenon known as the Aurora Borealis. This spectacular display is alsocalledtheNorthernorSouthernLights,becausetheyareseenpredominantlyaroundthepolarregionsoftheearth.

Theluminousmarvelcanappearincolorsofred,green,yellow,blue,andviolet—aswellasavarietyofforms,likepatchesoflight,streamers,arcs,rays,orevenshimmeringdraperies.TheNorthernLightshavebeendescribedsinceancienttimesandareevenmentionedintheOldTestament,butonlyrecentlyhas man discovered what causes it. The sun gives off high-energy chargedparticles,orions,thatspeedthroughspaceatmorethan500milespersecond.Whenthisstreamofplasma,orsolarwind,strikestheearth’smagneticfield,itis channeled toward the polar regions. When these electrically chargedparticles collidewith the gases in the ionosphere, they start to glow. This ismuch the sameway that electrons passing through the gases in a neon tubemakeaneonsignlightup.SothesespectacularaurorasarereallyGod’sneonlights.

The brightest auroras seem to coincide with periods of greatest sunspotactivity and withmagnetic solar storms. It’s been estimated that these solarwinds can generate up to 100,000 megawatts of electricity in a three-hourexhibition. Scientists are still studying the solar winds, hoping someday theenergy of the auroras might be used for practical purposes. Unfortunately,theseintensedisplaysalsocausetroublinginterferencewithpowerlines,radioandtelevisionbroadcasts,andsatellitecommunications.

It is also true that the dazzling lights on earth can interrupt ourcommunicationswithGod.WhentheEarthMoves

Earthquakes conjure up terrifying images of the ground rocking and

rollingasifmovedbysomediabolicalforcefromtheabyss.Unliketornadoesorhurricanes,earthquakesusuallystrikewithoutwarning.

InNorthAmerica,whenweheartheword“earthquake,”wetypicallythinkof Los Angeles, San Francisco, or maybe Alaska. But there also have beenmajorearthquakesrecordedinBoston;Charleston,SouthCarolina;andLongIsland. Surprisingly, some of the greatest potential for a powerful NorthAmerican earthquake is not on the Pacific or Atlantic Coast, but rather thestates aroundmid-America.The granddaddyof greatAmerican earthquakesoccurredbetween1811and1812ontheNewMadridFault (halfwaybetweenSt. Louis and Memphis beneath the Mississippi). These 8.0 or higherearthquakes shook the entire United States, affecting the topography of theNorth American continent more than any other earthquakes in recordedhistory.The shockwas somassive, largeareas sank into theearth,new lakeswereformed,150,000acresofforestsweredestroyed,andtheMississippiRiverranbackwards,permanentlychanging itscourse.Onesourcenotes, “Houses,gardens, and fields were swallowed up.” Fatalities and damage were low,becausebackthentheareawassparselysettled.Butinthelast200years,thosesameareashavebecomeheavilypopulated.

Foryearsgeologistshavenotbeenwonderingif,butwhen,thebigonewillhit!Scientistsbelievethereisasignificantprobabilitythatamajorearthquakewith a magnitude of 6.0 or greater will strike in the near future, causingcatastrophic loss of life and property damage in the billions. Several NorthAmericacitieshavebeen lookingdownthebarrelofa loadedseismiccanon,hopingforanotherdayofgrace.JesussaidjustbeforeHiscomingtherewouldbeearthquakesindifferentplaces.TerrifyingWallofWater

Tsunamisareamongthemostdestructiveofnaturaldisasters,dueinlargeparttothefactthatmuchoftheworld’spopulationliveswithinamileoftheocean.Tsunamisaresometimescalledtidalwaves,buttheyreallyhavenothingtodowiththetide.Theyareactuallyseismicseawavescausedbyearthquakes,undersealandslides,volcaniceruptions,orevenasteroidsstrikingtheocean—allwhichresultinasuddencolossalmovementoftheseawater.

Tsunamis can look like great massive towering waves or quickly risingmonstertidesthatsurgeinwithoutwarning.Outinthedeepocean,atsunamiwavecantravelat speedsgreater than500mph—asfastasa jetplane!These

killerwavesareoftenonlyafoothighinthedeepoceanandmightnotevenbenoticedbyboats inthearea,butastheyreachshallowwater, thewavesgrowmuchtaller,someover100feethigh!

These frightening events actually occur all the time – perhaps thousandseachyearwith themajority in thePacificOcean–butmostare too small tonotice.But every fewyears, some seismic eventwill produce a large tsunamiwave that kills thousands of people. The famous volcanic explosion ofKrakatoaonAugust27,1883,generatedterrifyingtsunamiwavesthatwereupto120feetinheight.Thesewavesdestroyed295townsandvillagesinWesternJavaandSouthernSumatra,andover36,000peopleweredrowned.ThelargesttsunamiwaveeverrecordedinmoderntimeswasinLituyaBay,Alaska.Thismega-tsunamiwascausedbyamassivelandslidetriggeredbyan8.3magnitudeearthquake.Whenthewaverushedacrossthebay,itranupthevalleywallstoaheight of 1,720 feet. And most recently, on December 26, 2004, more than160,000peoplelosttheirlivesinSoutheastAsiabyatsunamitriggeredbya9.0earthquakeatthebottomoftheocean.

IntheGospelofLuke,Jesussaidoneofthesignsoftheendwouldbethe“distressofnations,withperplexity,theseaandthewavesroaring.”

…AndDidYouKnow?

Theaverageraindropfallsatsevenmilesperhour.

Whenthemoonisdirectlyoverhead,youweighslightlyless.

Rubberbandslastlongerwhenrefrigerated.

ALotofSpace

For the better part of recorded history, the earth was thought to be thestationarycenteroftheuniverse,andtheancientwisemenbelievedtherewereonly 5,119 stars. The constellations were named and filled with colorfullegends, and without a telescope, stars seemed to be just small, twinklingpointsoflightthatmovedacrossthenightsky.

Nowwe know that whenwe look at the heavens, what we once thoughtweresinglestarsareoftenagiganticspiralofstarscalledgalaxies.Agalaxyislikeacolossal islandinspacemadeupofgas,dust,andmillionsofstars.On

clear nights, we can see the spiral edge of our own Milky Way galaxy.Unbelievably,oursunis justonesmallstar inapinwheelcontainingaboutahundred billion blazing suns aligned in the form of a disk. And that’s notcountingtheplanetsthatcouldbeorbitingaroundthesestars.

Recent research indicates that there may be millions of galaxies in ouruniverse.Afewyearsago,theHubbleTelescopetookapictureofasmallspotof sky near the Big Dipper. The area surveyed was no bigger than theappearanceofadimeheld75feetaway.Butinthattinydotofsky,scientistscountedmorethan1,500galaxies!Ifyoutakethatnumbertimesthevolumeofspaceineverydirection,yougetmillionsofbillionsofgalaxieswithbillionsofstarsineachgalaxy!

Thedistanceawayfromthesegalaxiesismeasuredinlightyears.Onelightyearisthedistanceyouwouldtravelifyoucouldrideabeamoflight186,000miles per second for 365 days. The Milky Way is some 30,000 light-yearsacross,meaning youwould have to travel the speed of light 30,000 years tocrossjustourgalaxy!Butyoustillhaven’tleftourfrontyard.Forexample,ifyouwantedtovisittheAndromedaGalaxy,youwouldhavetotravelthespeedoflightforover2.4millionyears.

WhenweconsidertheGodwhomadeallof this,wecanonlysing,“HowGreatThouArt!”ItisalmostinconceivablethattheGodwhomadetheinfinitecosmoswantstodwellwithus.TheOceanisFalling

You have probably heard the expression “raining cats and dogs.”While

thereisnorecordoftheskyevershoweringcaninesandfelines,othercreatures

have indeed rained from the sky. For example, on March 5, 2000, farmerstending their fields in southern Ethiopia reported seeing, and smelling, anunusualdownpourontheirdrought-strickenland.Suddenly,theywerebeingpeltedbymillionsoffallingfish.Foracountrycrippledbyfamine,thiswasawelcomeandunexpectedanswertotheirprayers.Themiraclestormprovidedfood,water,andfertilizerfortheirfields.

Reports of falling fish, frogs, tomatoes, and even coal date back toantiquity.Inthefirstcentury,PlineytheEldermentionedstormsoffrogsandfish.Andmeteorologistssayit’smorecommonthanyoumightthinkforcloudbursts to open and release a hail of small fish, snails, or tadpoles.Weatherexpertsexplainthesefreakshowersoccurbecausepowerfulupdraftsgeneratedduringthunderstormsformmini-tornadoes.Ifthestormbrewsoutatsea,orcrossesariverorlake,thetornadocansuckupsmallfishorfrogsswimmingclose to the surface. These waterspouts can then carry away the “raptured”creaturesanddepositthemseveralmilesaway—sometimeswhilestillalive!

TheBible teaches thatwhen Jesus returns, the savedwillbe caughtup tomeet the Lord in the air. Butmany Christiansmisunderstand how this willhappen.NearbyPlanetaryNeighborDropsBy

In2003,Earthhad its closest approach toMars in thousandsof years…anditwon’thappenagainuntil2287.DuetothewayJupiter’sgravitytugsonMarsandperturbsitsorbit,astronomerscanonlybecertainthatMarshasnotcome this close to Earth in the last 5,000 years or more. The encounterculminatedonAugust27,whenMarscamewithinahair’sbreathofEarth—4,649,589miles.Next to themoon, itwas thebrightestobject in the skyandwitha75-powertelescope,orgoodpairofbinoculars,Marslookedaslargeasthefullmoontothenakedeye.Itwasanexcitingeventwhenyouconsiderthatit would never happen again for those living—or for their children orgrandchildren!

Yet Jesus said there isa favoredgeneration livingat theendof timewhowillbeprivilegedtolookupandseeHisreturninperson.NoahandPlastic

Plastics areoneof themostversatilematerials in theworld.They canbe

made hard as stone, strong as steel, transparent as glass, light aswood, andelasticasrubber.Plasticsarealso lightweight,waterproof,chemicalresistant,andcanbeproducedinalmostanycolor.

Atnightwesleeponpillowsandmattressesunderblanketsandbedspreadsmade of plasticmaterials. In themorningwe step out of bed onto polyesterandnyloncarpets.Plastics areusedextensively in the computersweuse, theutensilswecookwith,therecreationalequipmentweplaywith,thehousesandbuildingsweliveandworkin,andthecarswedrive.Forexample,theaveragecar contains over 300 pounds of plastics—nearly 12 percent of the vehicle’soverallweight!Telephones, textiles,compactdiscs,paints,plumbingfixtures,boats, health products, furniture, and thousands of other domestic productsaremade of plastics. In fact, in 1979 the volume of plastics produced in theUnitedStatessurpassedthevolumeofsteelproduced!

But where does all this plastic come from? Most plastic is chemicallyfabricated from fossil fuels, such as oil, coal, ornatural gas. It thenbegs thequestion,“Wheredidallthegas,oil,andcoalcomefrom?”

These great reserves of fossil fuels were formed from ancient vegetationand animals; yes, even dinosaurs that lived before Noah’s flood. As thesetremendousforestswith lushplantsandcopiousanimal lifediedinthegreatflood, thewind and currents pushed them into great heaps. These immensedeposits of decomposing animals and plants were eventually buried underdeep layersofmudandsilt,whichgraduallyhardened intorock.After4,000years of heat and pressure, these enormous pockets of compost werecompressedandtransformedintothegreatfieldsofcoal,oil,andnaturalgas.

That’sright,thecaryoudriveisnotrunningonhorsepower—butdinosaurpower.Andyourcomputerismadeofancientferns!It’samazingtoconsiderthatsomanyofourmodernplasticproductsaremadefromancientplantsandanimals.

ButGodisthemasterofconvertingmatter.Heturnedwatertowine,andsticks to snakes.TheBible even tells us thatGodonce turned awoman intosalt.

…AndDidYouKnow?

A“jiffy”isanactualunitoftimefor1/100thofasecond.

111,111,111multipliedby111,111,111equals12,345,678,987,654,321

Contents

TheWaspFlower XerodermaPigmentosum OneHeadBetterThanTwo It’s Your Heart That Counts Vanilla Extract Juicy RedKiller? CinchonaMedicine CochinealRed LivingLight BloodCures

TheWaspFlower

Mostplantsandflowersmustpollinatetosurvive,sotheLordhasdevisedmany ingeniousways to help them exchange these precious particles of life.Windisthemostcommon,andtherearealsothemanyflowersandtreesthatarepollinatedbyenticingwithsweetnectarthebirds,thebees,andevensomemammals.Andamazingly,someflowerspeciesonlypretendtohavefoodthatinsectswant,emittingthescentsofthingslikecoconutorevenrottingmeattoattractthem.

Some orchids, however, achieve pollination by appearing to offer insectsthe promise of marriage. Parts of the flower are designed to resemble thefemaleversionsofcertaininsects,andtheimitationisoftenastounding.Take,forexample,theAustralianhammerorchid,whichtakesadvantageofamatingritualofthethynnidwasp.Thelowerlipofthehammerorchid’sflowermimicsafemalewasprestingonatwiglookingupwardwaitingforamaleflyingbytospot her. Even to the human eye, it almost perfectly resembles the plump,winglessfemalethynnidwasp,completewithashinyheadandfurrybody.Theorchidevenreleasesanenticingfemalewasppheromone—achemicalcopyofthesameperfumethefemalewaspwearswhenshe’sreadyformarriage.Poisedat theendofanarmjustabovethisalluringdecoyarestickybags filledwithpollen.

Amalethynnidwaspflyingby, luredbytheimitationscent,willgrabthedecoyand try to flyoffwith“her” inhisgrasp.Ashe takesoff,however,hismomentum flips him and his flowery pretender up and over, right into thestickypollensacks.Afterrealizinghismistake,hereleasesthedecoy—andfliesoff,onlytobefooledagainbyanotherhammerorchidthathenowpollinates

withthepollenhepickeduponhispreviousbaddate.Intheprocess,thewasptransferspollenfromflowertoflower.

Whenrealfemalethynnidwaspsarearound,maleswillinvariablychoosealive oneover the impostor. For this reasonGod convenientlydesigned theseorchidstobloominthebriefperiodseveralweeksbeforefemalewaspsemergefromunderground,givingthefloweratemporaryadvantagewhenmalewaspsare flying, but females are not yet available. Mimicry in nature is trulyremarkable,evenhumorous,butawolfinsheep’sclothesisnolaughingmatterwhenitcomestooursouls.XerodermaPigmentosum

The initials XP are short for Xeroderma Pigmentosum, a very rare andincurable skindisease thatmostlyaffects children.Themaladyprevents skincellsfromrepairingoncetheyhavebecomesun-damaged.Onlyaboutoneinamillionareaffectedbythislife-threateningdisease,butduetoitsnature,thoseafflictedbyXPare1,000-plustimesmorelikelytodevelopskincancersorlosetheirsightthanhealthychildren.

In order to prolong their lives, affected children must take extrememeasures to avoid all direct and indirect sunlight, as well as light fromfluorescent bulbs. Theymust virtually live their lives slathered in sunscreen,hidden away in dim shadows and darkness all in an effort to decrease theirchancesofcancer.Theycanonlycomeouttoplayafterdarkandliveinfearofdaylight!

These XP-afflicted children can make us think of the millions of otherchildren who are trapped in another kind of darkness—spiritual darkness.Theyhavenever been to church or heard the story of Jesus.They are raisedwithoutknowing thatGodhas a greatplan for their lives.As theBible says,“They do not know, nor do they understand; Theywalk about in darkness”(Psalm82:5).OneHeadBetterThanTwo

AteenagerinVirginiawasshockedtofindatwo-headedturtlebehindher

home.Shecaughtthepoorcreatureandwatchedasthetwofreakishheadsdidatug-of-waroverapieceoffoodshegavethem!Accordingtoscientists,two-headedness can occur in all animals, but the lifespan is typically short. Thereasonisthateachheadtendstoworkindependentlyoftheother,controllingits own side of the body, and therefore creating disunity, confusion, andfrustration.Unlessoneheadtakesprimarycontrol,thecreaturewillsoondiefromstarvationandindecision.

Many believe it is a sin to be tempted. This is not true. As the Bibledeclares,wehaveaHighPriestwhowas“inallpointstemptedlikeasweare,yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, so itcan’tpossiblybeasintobetempted.Rather,itisasintogiveintotemptation.

…AndDidYouKnow?

Broccoliandcaulifloweraretheonlyvegetablesthatareflowers.

Almondsaremembersofthepeachfamily.

Theonlyfoodthatdoesn’tspoilishoney.

It’sYourHeartThatCounts

If youwant to know approximately how long an animal is going to live,determine how fast its heart beats. Most creatures get about 800 millionheartbeatsperlife,soanimalswitharapidheartratewillreachthe800millionaveragesoonerthanthosewithaveryslowmetabolism.

For instance,amouse’sheartbeatsabout700timesperminute,andtheylivelessthanthreeyears.Thehummingbird’sheartbeatsupto1,260timesperminuteduring theday,but it actually slows to50beatsperminute atnight,andtheylivetwiceaslongasmice.Butanelephant’sheartplodsalongatabout35 beats perminute, and they have been known to livemore than 80 years.

Romans2:6,7saysGod“willrendertoeverymanaccordingtohisdeeds:Tothemwhobypatientcontinuanceinwelldoingseekforgloryandhonourandimmortality,eternallife.”

…AndDidYouKnow?

Youburn20caloriesperhourchewinggum.

Aone-minutekissburns26calories.

Frowningburnsmorecaloriesthansmiling.

Youwillburnaboutsevenpercentmorecalorieswalkingonharddirtthanonpavement.

VanillaExtract

Vanillabeanisthefruitofauniquespeciesoffragrantorchidthatisnativeto the rainforests of Mexico and Central America. Indigenous nativesdiscoveredthatthetastelessandodorlessvanillabean,whendriedbymonthsoftropicalheatandhumidity,producedarichtasteandaroma.Vanillaistheonlyorchidknowntobearediblefruit.TheIndiansofMexicodiscoveredhowtohand-pollinatethevanillaorchid,whichonlyflowersforonedayayear.

In 1520, Aztec emperor Montezuma served Spanish explorer HernánCortez a golden goblet filled with a thick, syrupy mixture of cocoa beans,ground corn, honey, and black vanilla pods. Cortez conquered the Aztecs,killed Montezuma, and brought vanilla to Europe, where it achieved greatpopularity.QueenElizabethIlovedvanillasomuchthatsheeventuallyrefusedall foods unless prepared with it. And Thomas Jefferson, having acquired atasteforvanillainFrance,wasthefirstpersontoimportittotheUnitedStates.

The vanilla bean requires approximately ninemonths to reachmaturity,growing from 6 to 10 inches long like an overgrown string bean.Harvestedbeans are immersed in a hot water bath, then put into wooden boxes andcoveredwithblanketstolockintheheat,wheretheywill“sweat”for24to72hours, beginning the enzymatic change that produces vanillin. Finally, thebeansareplacedonblanketsanddriedinthesunforthreetofourmonthstocompletethecuringprocess.Thecuredbeans,wrinkledandchocolatecolored,aretiedinbundles,wheretheyareweighed,chopped,andpercolatedinlarge

stainlesssteelcontainers,muchlikecoffee.Afterthevanillaisagedforseveralweeks,theexpensiveextractisbottledandshippedtostores.

TodayvanillabeansaregrownprimarilyinMadagascar,Indonesia,Tahiti,and Mexico, and are by far the world’s most popular flavor. The preciousextractisusedinicecream,puddings,cakes,chocolates,bakedgoods,syrups,candies, liqueurs, tobacco, soft drinks, and even in perfumes. You canunderstandwhyvanillaisoneofthemostexpensiveflavoringsintheworldtoproduce,secondonlytosaffron.

The Bible says that salvation is the most expensive commodity in theuniverse.Butitisfreefortheasking.Howcanweunderstandthisparadox?JuicyRedKiller?

In 1820, a crowd of curious onlookers gathered around the county

courthouse in Salem,New Jersey. The county fairwas in progress, and theyjostled one another in eager anticipation, for they were about to witness adaringfeat.

Soon a man appeared on the steps, holding in one hand a piece ofpoisonousfruitthathadbeenpartofthefair’sdecorations.Ashehelditupforthemtosee,membersofthecrowdwhisperedexcitedlytooneanother.“Ishereallygoing toeat it?” someasked indisbelief.ThemanwasColonelRobertGibbon Johnson—and the fruitwas a tomato, called in those days the “loveapple”andconsidereddeadlypoison.

Spanish conquistadorsbrought the first tomato seeds fromPeru to Italy.Upon arrival, the Italians believed the heart-shaped tomato was anaphrodisiac,thustomatoinItalianispomaamoris,or“loveapple.”Loveapplesweretokensofcourtshiporlawndecorations.Youngmengavethemtotheirgirlfriends,whowouldafterwardweartheseedsinsachetsaroundtheirnecks.The fruit was admired for its beauty, but because of its relation to deadlynightshade, the tomato was regarded as poison by Americans and no one

woulddreamofeatingit.ThecrowdgaspedinhorrorastheColonelplacedthetomatoinhismouth

andateitwithapparentrelish.Theywaitedbreathlessly,expectingsoontoseehimcollapsewrithingindyingagonyonthecourthousesteps…butnothinghappened. Instead, praising the color and texture, he ate a second tomato,explainingthattomatoesweredeliciouseithercookedorraw.Hetheninvitedthe onlookers to join him in his meal, and a few of the braver ones wentforward.Soontheytoowererelishingthetomatoes’flavor.

The news spread quickly, and eventually tomatoes became a widelyacceptedarticleofdietprovidingaprimarysourceofmineralsandvitaminsAandC.Today,theUnitedStatesgrowsabout9millionmetrictonsoftomatoesyearly,andtherearemorevarietiesoftomatoessoldthanofanyotherfruit.

The Bible teaches that the devil is a master of deception in convincingpeopletofearwhatisgoodandtoeatwhatisbad.

…AndDidYouKnow?

Chewinggumwhilepeelingonionswillkeepyoufromcrying.

StrawberriescontainmorevitaminCthanoranges.

CinchonaMedicine

Malaria has been killing people with deadly fever as far back as writtenhistorybegan.Littlewasunderstoodaboutthenatureofthedisease,orhowtotreat it, until the middle of the 17th century. In Peru, a beautiful Spanishcountess, theCondesa deChinchón,was cured ofmalaria by drinking a teamade from the bark of a mysterious tree that Jesuit missionaries gave her.Nobodyknowsforsurehowthepriests learnedofthisremedy,butthereisalegendthatsuppliesaplausibleaccount.

The tale starts with an Indian who was lost in the Peruvian jungle andburningwithfeverfrommalaria.Heeventuallystumbleduponapoolofwaterandthrewhimselfdownattheedgetosatisfyhisthirst.Onegulptoldhimthatthewaterhadbeentaintedbythefallenbarkofatreeknownbythenativesasquina-quina.Itwasbelievedthatthetreewaspoisonous,buttheunfortunatemanwassothirstythathecastasidetheseworriesanddrankhisfull.

Much to his surprise, he did not die but felt his strength returning. He

eventuallyfoundhiswaybacktohisownvillagewherehemadeafullrecovery.He told everybody about the pool and the taste of the quina-quina bark.Thereafter,thelocalpopulaceusedthebarkofthebittertreetomakequinineintheir fightagainstmalaria. In1742, thetreewasrenamed“cinchona”byaSwedishbotanistinhonoroftheCountessofChinchon,reputedtobethefirstEuropeantouseanextractofbarktocureherofmalaria.

However, althoughquinine kills certain formsof the parasite that causesmalaria, it cannot kill the parasite in all stages of its life cycle. Quinine,therefore,isnotatruecureformalaria,butitisveryusefulinsuppressingandcontrollingtherecurringattacksoffeverthatoftenkill.

Still, this deadly parasitical infection has the vicious ability to mutate.Everyyear,malariastillkillsupto3millionpeople,morethanhalfofwhichare children—and 300 to 500million fall ill with the disease. Some doctorseven argue that itmay have even caused the deaths of one out of every twohumanbeingswhoeverlivedontheplanet.

Yetmillionsofliveshavebeensavedfromusingthequininemedicinefromthemiracletree.TheBiblespeaksofanothertreethathastheabilitytohealapersonfromthedeadlydiseaseofsin.CochinealRed

Among the ancient Aztecs, red dye wasmore valuable than gold. That’sbecausetoacquirethisbrightredcolorant,itrequiredthelaborofhundredsofsubjectstocombthedesert insearchof itssource—thetinyfemalecochinealbeetle.Apoundofthisrareextractrequiredaboutamillioninsects.(Equallyamazing,backinthedaysoftheRomanEmpire,apoundofroyalpurpledyerequiredfourmillionmollusks.)

AfterthearrivalofCortezinthe1500s,theSpaniardstradedforthedriedremainsoftheredcochineal,whosedyewasstrongerthaneverbeforeknownand created a brilliant a color that no one could duplicate. Soon after itsdiscovery, Europeans used it for fabrics and illumination in addition tocooking.Intheyearsthatfollowed,Michelangelouseditinpaintings,andtheBritishand theCanadians for their redcoats. It is even thought that the firstU.S.flagmadebyBetsyRosshadcochinealredstripes.

Today,lessexpensivesyntheticdyeshavereplacedit,butitisstillusedasanaturalFDA-approvedcoloringforfood,drugs,andcosmetics.Infact,strangeasitmaysound,somebrandsoffruitjuiceusethisredbugjuiceasacolorant.

Thestoryofcochinealredgetsstillmorefascinating.TheSpanishtradersnevertoldtheEuropeansofitsinsectorigin.Becausethelittlebeetleslookedsomuch likea seed, itwas tradedasgrain.Foralmost300years, theSpaniardsperpetuated thenotion that “dyed in thegrain”was their specialprocess forthis permanent crimson dye that never faded. And that’s where we get theEnglish term“ingrained.”DidyouknowtheBible teaches thatyoucanwashredstainswithredbloodandgetwhite.LivingLight

Bioluminescenceisanamazingphenomenoninwhichachemicalreactionin living organisms produces light without any appreciable heat. This coollight, usually green or blue, results from a chemical reaction involvingspecializedphosphorus-containingmoleculesintheorganisms.

Bioluminescence is found in creatures ranging from the common fireflyand glowworms, to some species of bacteria, algae, and fungi. This built-inlighting system can also be found in many invertebrate animals like squid,jellyfish, worms, and crustaceans. In fact, in the dimmid-water or twilightregionoftheocean(between200to1000yardsdeep),90percentofallanimals,includingshrimp,producelight.

This organic light is produced in some ways like the popular luminousglow-sticks.Whenaglow-stickissnapped,twochemicalsmix,react,andcreateathirdsubstancethatgivesofflight.Marineorganismsdoessentiallythesamethingwithin their special organs or cells. One substance, luciferin, ismixedwith an enzyme, luciferase, andanewmolecule is formed that givesoff thatglowingblue-greenlight.Sciencehasbarelytouchedthesurfacewhenitcomestoreplicatingthisefficientlightproduction.

Bioluminescence is used in nature for a large variety of reasons. Somedeep-sea fish are equipped with fleshy organs that produce luminescence towhich prey is attracted. The flashes emitted bymale and female fireflies areused as species-specific signals for mating. It is also an obvious form ofcommunicationbetweenspeciesinsuchadarkenvironment,andthelightcanbeusedtorepelpredators.

Incredibly,thesophisticatedsquidcancontrolwhenthelightisproduced,itscolor,anditsintensity.Butmostseacreatures,likethemicroscopicdriftingalgae, have simple light-producing systems that are stimulated by watermovement; this is what causes the glow in the wake of a large ship passing

throughthewater.Duringblackoutconditionsinwar,morethanonelostpilothas found his way back to the aircraft carrier by following the green glowbehindthemovingship.

Inlikemanor,onlychurchesthatareactiveandmovingproducelightthatcanattractthelost.BloodCures

InGhana,WestAfrica,around1927,abloodspecimenwas taken froma

poor native, named Asibi, who was very sick with yellow fever. Using thatblood sample, and after years of testing and experimentationwithmonkeys,mousebrains,andchickembryos,amildstrainofyellowfeverwasdevelopedintoavaccine.

Asibieventuallyrecovered,butallthevaccinemanufacturedsince1927,bytheRockefellerFoundation,thegovernment,andotheragencies,derivesfromtheoriginalstrainofvirusobtainedfromthishumblenative.Carrieddowntothepresentdayfromonelaboratorytoanother,throughrepeatedcultures,andexponentialmultiplication, ithasofferedyellow fever immunity to countlessmillionsofpeoplearoundtheworld.

Throughthecreativeimaginationofscience,thebloodofonemaninWestAfrica has beenmade to prolong and improve life among thewhole humanrace.Oneman’sbloodprovided itall.Wecanacknowledge intellectually theexistenceofthevaccine.Wecanrejoiceinthemarvelofitsprovisionandthemanwhoprovided it, but unless an individual receives it, itwould be of nopersonal benefit. So how does that translate to us in our relationship withJesus?

…AndDidYouKnow?

Youburnmorecaloriessleepingthanwatchingtelevision.

Lickingastampburns10calories.

Smellingbananasand/orapplescanhelpyouloseweight.

Peanutsareoneoftheingredientsofdynamite.

Contents

Homesick TelephoneMan AMother’sLove MagicMan ABraveExplorer Are You Wearing My Tent? Scorpion Lover WorldWalker Diamond Farmer Johnny Appleseed The RenaissanceMan ATallTale WideAsleep ACleanRecord CivilWarPivotMan WasThereanIn-flightMovie? SellingtheMoon

Homesick

In the spring of 1927, Lillian Alling, a young emigrant woman living inNewYorkCity,becameveryhomesickanddecidedtoreturntoherfamilyinRussia. After two unhappy years among crowds of people, the peasant girlknewthatlifeinthenoisycitywasnotforher.

ButLilliancouldnotaffordthepassagebyboatbackacrosstheAtlantic,sothis determined woman chose to walk—12,000miles west to Russia! A verytimid lady, Lillian refused to accept rides from strangers, so supplied withhand-drawnmaps,anironrodforprotection,andafewdollars,shebeganherlongjourneyonfoot.Averagingmorethan30milesaday,theslight25-year-oldpassedthroughChicagoandontoWinnipeg.

Inthenorthwestinthosetimes,therewerenogoodroadstospeakof,and,exceptfortheoddtradingpostortelegraphstation,therewasnothingbutanunbroken stretch of the world’s toughest terrain. Still she braved on acrossCanada, through Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. When shecametoaswollenstream,shewouldfloatacrossclingingtoalog.Shesleptintheopen,enduringuntoldhardships,survivingonameagerdietofbreadandwildberries.InVancouver,localswereconcernedbyherraggedconditionandlack of provisions, so to prevent her from going on, she was arrested forvagrancyandthrowninjail.

Sheusedherthreemonthsintheprisontoregainherstrength,andwhenspring arrived, Lillian resumed her daunting quest. Across the Yukon andAlaska,telegraphstationoperatorskepttrackofherprogress.Theygaveherafewclothesandevenadog.Onetelegrapherdiedinablizzardwhilesearching

forher—whenshewastoldthenews,shewept.Finally,shearrivedinNome,Alaska,inJuly1929,wearingadifferenttype

ofmen’s shoeon each foot.But thiswasonly thehalfwaymark forher epicjourney. Soon after leaving Nome, Lillian was last seen rowing a boat fromCapePrinceofWalesacrossthe36milesoftheBeringStraittoSiberia.Inthefall of 1930, one man claimed to have seen a woman on the Siberian coastexplainingthatshehadjustwalkedallthewayfromNewYork,butthereisnoconfirmationthatsheevermadeithome.

WemarvelatLillianAlling’sincredibledeterminationtogettoherhomein Russia, yet so many are indifferent about reaching the home Jesus haspreparedfortheminheaven.

…AndDidYouKnow?

EmilioMarcoPalmawasthefirstpersonborninAntarcticain1978.

HitlerwasvotedTimemagazine’smanoftheyearin1938.

TelephoneMan

In1876,AlexanderGrahamBellwashavingahardtimefindinginvestorsforhisnewconversationdevice.Peoplescoffedthathis“talkingbox”wasjustaclevernoveltythatwouldneverreplacethepopulartelegraph.ButBellsteppedout in faith and continued working on his dream of two-way voicecommunication.

Hehadsomuchfaithinhisinventionthatheriskedeverything,givinguphisjobandlivingonmostlybreadandwater—justforhisidea!AndBelllivedtoseethetelephonereplacethetelegraph,andhediedawealthyman.

…AndDidYouKnow?Stalinwasonlyfivefeet,fourinchestall.Hisleftfoothadwebbedtoes,andhisleftarmwasnoticeablyshorterthanhisright.

Duringhisentire47yearsingovernment,HerbertHooverturnedoverallhissalarytocharity.

AMother’sLove

OnecoldwinterinSouthWales,amotherwastravelingcross-countrywithheryoungbabeandwascaughtinablindingblizzard.Thefollowingday,uponlearningsheneverreachedherdestination,agroupofmenwentoutsearchingfor her. They soon spotted a largemound of snow in the road that shewasknowntohavetraveled.Theyquicklysweptawaythewhitepowderandfoundthefrozenbodyofthebarelydressedwoman.

Inherarmswasabundleofclothing,whichtheyunwrappedtorevealherbaby—alive.Inthestruggleofthesnowstorm,thewomanhadtakenoffmostof her clothing and wrapped it around the little boy to keep him alive. Sheknew that she would perish, but that the babymight survive. The babywasDavidLloydGeorge,wholivedontobecomethecelebratedPrimeMinisterofBritainduringWorldWarI.Oneofthereasonsheachievedsuchgreatnessisthatheneverforgotabouthismother’sloveandsacrifice.

Godhasinfusedintomotherstheinstincttoprotecttheiroffspringevenattheperil of their own lives.TheCreatorhas pre-wired this sacrificial naturenot just into human mothers, but also in the animal kingdom. In themountains of Northern California, we have a lot of black bears that aregenerally harmless. On the few occasions when black bears have attackedhumans, it’s usually because someone camebetween amother andher cubs.Once a carwas ripped apart by amother bear because her cubwas trappedinside when a well-meaning camper tried to take it home with him. As theBiblesays,“Iwillmeetthemlikeabeardeprivedofhercubs;Iwilltearopentheirribcage”(Hosea13:8NKJV).MagicMan

Born in 1874, Harry Houdini became well known as the world’s most

famousescapeartist.Millionswereamazedbyhisremarkableabilitywhenheliberatedhimselfafterbeingchainedwithaseriesofhandcuffs,padlocks,andfootmanacles—allinthemiddleofahigh-securityprisoncell!

The Scriptures teach that Jesus’ primary mission was to “preach goodtidings to the poor… to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to thecaptives,Andtheopeningoftheprisontothosewhoarebound”(Isaiah61:1).Inotherwords,Jesuscametosaveusfromthebondageofsin.Thisistheveryessence of the entire Bible story. The Exodus, God saving a nation frombondage,wasaperfectexampleofhowHewantstosaveusfromtheslaveryofsin. “Most assuredly … whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34NKJV).ABraveExplorer

In 1526, explorer Francisco Pizarro heard that his wearymenwished totakeareliefshipfromPerubacktoPanama.Heunsheathedhissword,drewalineinthesand,andsaid,“Comrades,onthatsidearetoil,hunger,desertionanddeath;onthisside,easeandpleasure.ThereliesPeruwithitsriches;herePanama with its poverty. Choose each man what best becomes a braveCastilian.FormypartIgoto[Peru].”

With thesewords,he crossed the line andwas followedby16 shipmates.TheythenwentontodiscoverthevastrichesoftheremarkableIncaEmpire.Byremainingvigilanttotheend,eveninthefaceofadversity,Christianswillfindtheirrichrewardattheendoftime.AreYouWearingMyTent?

In1853,LeviStrausssailedtoSanFranciscohopingtoselldenimtentstothegoldrushminers.Findinglittlemarketforthetents,Straussprayedaboutwhattodowithallhisclothandrivets.Hewasinspiredtomakeafewpairsofpantsofthetoughcottonmaterialandfastenedthestresspointswiththetentrivets.

The rugged pants and overalls were an instant hit with the miners andlumberjacksbecauseoftheirremarkabledurability.Hepatentedtheinventionin 1873, and the rest is history.Amazingly, even after 130 years, Levi’s bluejeansarestillinstyle!ScorpionLover

Kanchana Ketkeawmade herself comfortable in the glass box where shelivedfor32days.Shehadarefrigerator,television,magazines,asmallplant…and 3,400 scorpions! On October 23, Kanchana emerged from the room,setting the world record for the longest stay in a room full of poisonousscorpions.Shesaid,“Itwaslikebeinginaroomathome,onlywiththousandsoflittlefriends.”

Livingwithscorpions isnotunusual forthe30-year-oldThaientertainer.She has performed with the menacing little creatures daily as a touristattraction, evenputting them inhermouthaspartof the routine.Kanchanahasbeenstunghundredsoftimes—ninetimesduringherrecord-breakingstayin the 130-square-foot room. She was stung once when she got out of bedwithoutlookingatthefloor.ButKanchanasaysthevenomhaslittleeffectonherbecauseoftheimmunityshehasbuiltupoversevenyears.

Someofthescorpionsdiedintheglasschambersonewoneswereadded;some even gave birth. She fed them a dailymixture of raw egg and groundpork.Her room,whichwas locatedata resort towndepartment store,hadabed and a toilet guarded from the public eye by a curtain. Kanchana wasallowedtoleaveherroomfor15minuteseveryeighthourstoshower.

The previous world record was set a year before by aMalaysian womanwhoendured30dayswith2,700scorpions.Beforeherrecord-breakingattemptwasapproved,Kanchananeededtosendafullreport,includingvideofootageandphotos,totheGuinnessWorldRecordsofficeinLondon.

Youcan’thelpbutwonderwhatwouldpossessayoungwomantowillinglylive with scorpions. But thousands of young people are stung every day by

choosingtomarrythewrongperson.WorldWalker

Didyouknowthat theaveragepairof feet takesabout8,000stepsaday?That’s about two-and-a-half million steps a year, meaning for an averagelifetime,youwillwalkapproximately115,000miles.

Butsomepeoplewalkmuchfarther.In1970,DavidKunstgottheideatowalk around the world. Themoon landing the summer before had inspiredDavid’sinterestinadventure.Sothe30-year-oldandhisbrotherJohndecidedtowalkaroundtheworld.AccompaniedbyapackmulenamedWillieMakeitand traveling as volunteer ambassadors for UNICEF, Dave and John leftWaseca,Minnesota,on June20.Theywalked toNewYork, flew toPortugal,and walked all the way to Iran. Tragically, about two years into their epicjourney and halfway around the world, John was killed and David waswoundedbyAfghanbandits.

After four months of recuperating at home, David, now joined by hisbrotherPeter,resumedthewalk fromtheverysiteof theshooting.Oneyearlater,theycrossedIndiaandmovedontoAustralia.Bythistime,PeterneededtoreturnhomeandtheywereontheirthirdWillieMakeitmule.

Then while walking across the Australian desert, Dave’s mule died. ButDave would not give up. Providentially, an Australian schoolteacher namedJenniSamuelvolunteeredtotowthemule’swagonwithhercar.Alongtheway,sheandDavefellinloveandweremarriedafterthewalkended.

On October 5, 1974, David Kunst walked into Waseca, Minnesota, andbecame the firstpersonverified tohave circled the landmassof the earthonfoot. His historic 15,000-mile odyssey required four-and-one-half years, 22pairsofshoes,andthreemules.ThelongwalkearnedKunstanentryintotheGuinnessBookofWorldRecords,aspotonRipley’sBelieveitorNot,andtheopportunitytobeatorchbearerforthe1996Olympicgames.

Walking around the world is quite a feat (pardon the pun), one thatrequiresalotofsoul(pardonthispuntoo),butdidyouknowtheBibletalksaboutamanwhowalkedallthewaytoheaven?DiamondFarmer

Ali Hafed was a prosperous Persian farmer living in India. He owned a

large and beautiful section of land decorated with orchards, streams, andfertile fields. He was happy and content with his family, until one day aBuddhistmonkcametovisit.Themonktoldhimextraordinarytalesofotherfarmerswho’dbecometremendouslywealthyfromdiscoveringdiamonds.

Afterhearingthis,Alibecameobsessedwiththoughtsoffindingdiamonds.No longer happy with his farm, he eventually sold it, left his family withrelatives, and began searching for diamonds. Ali spent the rest of his lifewanderingtheAfricancontinent,andthenEurope, insearchoftheseillusivegleaming jewels.Finally,wornout andpenniless, ina fitofdespondency,hethrewhimselfintotheBayofBarcelonainSpainanddrowned.

Meanwhile,themanwhoboughtAli’sfarmhappenedtobepassingasmallstreamonhisnewpropertywhensuddenlyhiseyecaughtabrightsparkleofblue and red light from the stream bottom.He bent down and picked up agood-sizedcrystalline stone.He took ithomeandput itonhismantleasaninterestingcuriosity.

Severalweekslater,avisitorspottedthestone,studieditclosely,weigheditin his hand, and nearly fainted. He asked the farmer if he knew what he’dfound. When the farmer said he thought it was just a piece of crystal, thevisitor told him that he’d probably found one of the largest diamonds everdiscovered.Theskepticalfarmersaidthathisstreamwasfullofsuchstones—notaslargeastheoneonthemantle,buttheyweresprinkledgenerouslyalongthestreambottom.

ThefarmthatAliHafedhadsoldtogoinsearchofdiamondsturnedouttobetheGolcondaminesofIndia.Foryearsitwasthemostproductivediamondmineintheworld,providingsomeofthelargestdiamondsintheEnglishandRussian crown jewels. Ali had owned acres of diamonds, but had sold his

prosperous farm for practically nothing in order to look for diamondselsewhere.

Realhappinessismuchcloserthanmostpeoplethink,justoutsidethedooroftheirheart.JohnnyAppleseed

Most Americans have heard the legend of Johnny Appleseed, who wentabout the frontierwithakettleonhisheadwhile scatteringapple seeds.ButunlikePecosBill andPaulBunyan, there reallywasa JohnnyAppleseed.HisrealnamewasJohnChapman,andhelivedbetween1775and1845.Johnreallyhadanextraordinary love forapples, andhewantedeverybody tobeable toenjoythem.SohecamedownfromPhiladelphiawithappleseedshecollectedandplantedthemthroughouttheOhioRivervalley.

Heroamedthewildcountrysidevigilantly lookingforplacesyoungappletreescouldflourish—usuallybyaspringoronthesideofahillwithrichsoil.Withahopefulprayer,hegentlypushedthelittleseedsintotheearthandthenbuilt a brush fence to protect the saplings before moving on to the nextpromisingplace.

Every fall, he’d return to the cider presses in Pennsylvania where heselected good seeds from the discarded apple pressings. These he carefullywashed,dried,andbaggedforplantingthefollowingspring.

As the orchards grew, he would sell or trade the young trees to thethousandsofnewfarmersthatweresettlingtheland.Eventhoughhelivedonthefrontier,hedidn’teatmeat,buthealwayscarriedastewpotorkettlewithhim. For these he could gather nuts or berries in season, carry water, boilpotatoes,orcookgroundcornmeal.Hehasbeenpicturedwearingapotonhishead,butmorelikelyhekeptittiedtothetopofhisbackpack.

JohnChapmannevermarried,buthewasadeeplyreligiousmanwholovedpeopleandespecially children.As the settlersmoved into thewilderness,hislonelynightswerefewerbecausehewasawelcomedguestateverycabin.Onmost nights, he would hold them all enthralled with his stories of the wildwoodsorreadtothemfromtheBiblehecarried.Asaresultofpracticinghisfavoritehobbyforabout50years,thisonemanprovidedmountainsofapplestofeedthousandsofpeopleforseveralgenerations!

ThereisnowaytoestimatehowmanyseedsJohnplantedorthenumberoforchardshecreatedintheterritorysouthoftheGreatLakesbetweentheOhio

andMississippiRivers. Even to this day, that region is a very rich source ofbeautifulappletrees.DoyoueverwonderwhattheworldwouldbelikeifeveryChristianfeltthatsamecompellingdesiretospreadGod’sseedsoftruth?TheRenaissanceMan

It is nearly impossible to discuss the Renaissance without mentioningLeonardo da Vinci. Few if any have been born with an intellect that couldmatch the genius of theFlorentineman.DaVinci’s artworks, like theMonaLisa, are remarkable for their harmony, soft light, and sharpness ofobservation.

ButLeonardowasmorethanjustanoutstandingartist;hewasauniversalgenius in science, architecture, and engineering.His interestswere so broadand numerous that it boggles the mind. He observed everything from thepropertiesofherbstothemovementsoftheheavens.AcenturybeforeGalileo,Leonardo was able to find new fundamental knowledge about time keepingand to connect it withmachines, designing clocks that operated byweights,sand,andwater.

In the fields of anatomy, botany, zoology, geology, hydrology, aerology,optics, andmechanics, hewas far aheadofhis time.Hedesigned everythingfromfortifications,weapons,andenginesofwartobeautifulgardens,castles,churches, canals, andmulti-tier roads. He devoted some time tomusic andsoon learnedtoplay the lyre;hecouldalsosingand improvisewell.Heevenmadehimselfasilverlyre,shapedlikeahorse’shead.

He loved animals and trained them with great kindness and patience.Often,whenpassingmarketwherelivebirdsweresold,hewouldletthemoutoftheircagesandthenpaythevendortheprice.Avegetarian,Leonardowrote,“Ihavefromanearlyagerenouncedtheuseofmeat,andthetimewillcomewhenmensuchasI lookuponthemurderofanimalsastheynowlookuponthemurderofmen.”

LeonardodaVinciwassobrilliant,oneobservernotedthathecouldwritea letterwith onehand anddrawwith the other simultaneously!Many knowLeonardo da Vinci invented the scissors, but his other ideas were often faraheadofhistimeandonlyrealizedcenturiesafterhisdeath,suchasthetank,the helicopter, and the parachute. In fact, in 1999, someEnglishmen built aparachute according to Leonardo’s indications and tried it out: It workedperfectly.

Lookingbackonhisdrawingsanddesigns, italmost seemsas ifhecouldseeintothefuture.Thisnaturallymakesuswonder,cananymanreallyknowthefuture?ATallTale

WhenRobertWadlowwasborn inAlton, Illinois, in 1918,heweighed ahealthyeightpounds,sixounces.Buthestarteddrawingattentiontohimselfwhenatsixmonthsold,heweighed30pounds.Ayearlaterat18months,heweighed62pounds.ButRobertwasn’tfat,hewastall!

The boy continued to grow at an astounding rate, reaching six feet, twoinchesand195poundsbythetimehewaseight.Whenhewas13,hebecamethe world’s tallest Boy Scout at seven feet, four inches. Eventually, Robert’sheight of 8 feet, 11.1 inches qualified him as the tallest person in modernhistory.

Hisclothingrequiredthreetimesthenormalamountofcloth,andhissize37 shoes cost $100 a pair (a lot ofmoney back in the 1930s).WhenRobertturned 20, the International Shoe Company provided his shoes for free andhiredRobertandhisfathertopromotethecompany.Thefatherandsonteamvisitedmorethan800townsin41states,travelingover300,000milesontheirgoodwill tour.Hisfatherhadtomodifythefamilycarbyremovingthefrontpassenger seat so Robert could sit in the back and stretch out his long legs.Even though Robert was enormous, he was a gentle giant and very good-natured about all stareshe received.He tried tomaintain anormal life, andenjoyedstampcollectingandphotography.

Robert’suniquesizewasattributedtoanoveractivepituitarygland,whichproduces growth hormone. Modern medicine can compensate for suchproblemstoday,butinthe1930s,suchtherapywasnotavailable.Asayouth,Robertenjoyedgoodhealth,butwhenhegotolderhislargefeettroubledhim.Hehadlittlesensationanddidn’tfeelanychafinguntilblistersformed.WhilemakinganappearanceinMichigan,afatal infectionset in.OnJuly15,1940,Robert passed away in his sleep. At the time of his death, he weighed 490pounds. Robert’s body was brought back to his hometown for burial; morethan40,000peopleattendedthefuneral.The11-footlong1,000-poundcasketrequired20menaspallbearers.Robert’sgravestonesimplyreads,“AtRest.”WideAsleep

Dr.EvanO’NeilKanewas thechief surgeonatKaneSummitHospital inNewYorkCity.Bythetimehewas60,hehadbeenpracticingsurgeryfor37years and was especially interested in anesthetic. Dr. Kane practiced in theearly20thcentury,whenonlygeneralanestheticwasused,meaningthepatienthad to be completely knocked out. This often resulted in seriouscomplications,aspatientsweresometimesleftparalyzedandonoccasionevendied. Dr. Kane believed it was possible to operate on patients who onlyreceivedalocalanesthetic,numbingonlythesmallerareathatneededsurgery.

Hewantedtoprovehispoint,sohefoundapatient,apersonwhoneededhis appendix removed, agreeable to help him experiment. So on Tuesdaymorning, February 15, 1921, the patient was prepared and rolled into theoperatingroom.Kanehadperformedmorethan4,000appendectomies,soheeasily performed the initial incision and clamped the blood vessels while helocatedtheappendix.Hethenskillfullyremoveditashehaddonemanytimesbefore. Through it all, the patient experienced only minor pain. Herecuperatedquicklyandwasreleasedfromthehospitaltwodayslater.

Dr,Kanehaddone it—amilestone inmedicalhistory.Butdidyouknowthatthesurgeonandthepatientwereoneandthesame?Dr.Kaneoperatedonhimselfandremovedhisownappendix!

Perhaps you’ve heard the proverb, “Physician, heal yourself!” Did youknow Jesus spoke thesewords and actually did heal himself? “ThereforeMyFather lovesMe,becauseI laydownMy life thatImaytake itagain.NoonetakesitfromMe,butIlayitdownofMyself.Ihavepowertolayitdown,andIhavepower to take itagain.ThiscommandIhavereceivedfromMyFather”(John10:17,18).

…AndDidYouKnow?

AlbertEinsteinwasofferedthepresidencyofIsraelin1952,butherefused.

AlCapone’sbusinesscardsaidhewasausedfurnituredealer.

ACleanRecord

With rubber gloves, surgical masks, and sterilized instruments, hospital

operating rooms todayare thepictureof sanitation.But thatwasnot alwaysthecase.About140yearsago,almost50percentofpatientsundergoingmajorsurgery died from infection, due largely to filthy conditions. As the famoussayingwent,“Theoperationwasasuccess,butthepatientdied.”Doctorswerebewildered why 80 percent more women died giving birth in hospitalscomparedtothosewhohadtheirbabiesathome.It’shardtoimagine,butbackthen doctors did notwear a sanitary cap,mask, and gown. Theywould justwearabloodyapronandgofromonepatienttothenextwithouteverwashingthebloodfromtheirhandsorinstruments.Inmanycases,patientswithminorwoundsdiedfrominfectionorbloodpoisoningtransmittedbythephysicians’breath,dirtyhands,andtools!

In the 1860s, a deeply religious English surgeon, Joseph Lister, wasdisturbed about the staggering number of patients dying from infection.HereadintheBiblethatGodhadtoldtheIsraelitestowashafteranycontactwiththesickoradeadbody—basedonthisandLouisPasteur’sdiscoveries,Listerrecognizedthatgermswerethelikelysourceofwoundinfection.

Thus he suggested that surgeons wash their hands and sterilize theirinstruments before operating. In addition, Lister insisted that the operatingroom was kept clean and that the surgeon wore clean clothes. He alsodevelopedamethodforpreventinginfectionduringanoperationbytreatingwoundswithanantiseptic.AtfirstListerwasregardedaseccentric,andnursesresentedtheextraworkcausedbyhisobsessionwithcleanliness.Hewasalsomockedandresistedbyhispeers.

ButLister,ashyanddeterminedman,wasfirminhispurpose.HehumblybelievedGodwasdirectinghiminthisendeavor.Inspiteofalltheoppositionhefaced,henevergaveup.Asthemockingwenton,everyonebegantonoticeabig change. The deaths from blood poisoning, infection, and gangreneweregreatly reduced in Lister’s hospitalward inGlasgow. Eventually, British andAmerican hospitals saw the benefits and adopted the sterile procedurespromotedbyDr.Lister.

Beforehedied,Lister’s services tomedicinewere recognized, andhewasawarded a knighthood. Someone has estimated that roughly a third of thedeaths during the Civil War could have been prevented if Dr Lister’sdiscoverieshadbeenmade10yearssooner.LouisPasteurdescribedListerasoneofthegreatestmenofthe19thcentury.Infact,theterms,“BeforeLister”and “After Lister” are used today to describe the age of surgery. Even thecommonBand-Aid,createdbyJohnsonandJohnson,canbedirectlytracedto

Lister’s influence.And as youmighthave guessed, Listerinemouthwashwasnot born in the bathroom, but in the operating room and named after Dr.Lister.

It’samazinghowtheworldhasbeen transformedbyapplying the simpleprinciplesofsanitationfoundintheBible.Butdidyouknowtherearemanyotherbiblicalsecretsofhealththeworldisneglecting?CivilWarPivotMan

IntheearlyafternoononApril9,1865,WilmerMcLeanstoodonthefrontporch of his two-story brick house. General Robert E. Lee arrived first onhorseback that day, accompanied by Colonel Charles Marshall. McLeangreetedthetwoConfederateofficersandinvitedthemintohisparlor.Atabout1:30p.m.,GeneralUlyssesS.Grantarrived,andamonghisUnionofficerswereMajorGeneralGeorgeArmstrongCuster andCaptainRobertToddLincoln,sonofPresidentLincoln.

Afteraboutanhourandahalf,GeneralsLeeandGrantfinallyagreedonthetermsofsurrenderfortheConfederateArmyofNorthernVirginia,whichin effect ended the long, bloody CivilWar. And while Lee and Grant wereconferring,McLeanwaitedoutside thehousewhere,wecanonlysurmise,hemust have thought about the very strange hand of fate that brought thishistoriceventtohishome.

At the outset of the Civil War in 1861, Wilmer was a farmer living innorthernVirginiawithhis family.Thebeginningof thewarhad struckveryclose to his home; in fact, a cannon ball from the first battle landed in thekitchen.Soconcerned for thesafetyofhis family,WilmermovedthemfromthewarzonetocentralVirginiaandeventuallyboughtahomeatAppomattoxCourtHouse.ThusthefirstbattleoftheCivilWar,knownastheBattleofBullRun,foughtonJuly21,1861,tookplaceonWilmerMcLean’sfarm.Soinoneofthemostunusual twistsof fate, theCivilWarstarted inWilmerMcLean’sbackyardin1861andendedinhisparlorin1865.

In similar fashion, the Bible teaches that the last place that Jesus’ feettouchedtheearthwhenHeleftwillbethefirstplaceHeplacesthemwhenHereturns.WasThereanIn-flightMovie?

In 1982, a 33-year-old truck driver in Los Angeles made national news.AbjectboredompromptedLarryWalterstogooutandbuy42,6-footweatherballoons, a huge tank of helium, and some rope. He figured on tying theballoonstohislawnchair,fillingthemwithhelium,andgracefullyfloatingupa fewhundred feet for an aerial viewof theneighborhood.Ashisneighborswatched,Larrysecuredhis lawnchair to thebumperofhisSUV,andonebyonehefilledtheballoonswithheliumandtiedthemtohislawnchair.Beforeliftoff, he provided himself with a two-way radio, a parachute, some jugs ofwater, a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and his BB gun toregulate altitude by shooting out excess balloons. When he was ready, heyelled,“Let’sgo!”andhisneighborscuttheropes.

ButLarrydidn’tslowlyrise100feet.Heshotstraightupsofastthathelosthisglasses,climbingmorethan1,000feetperminute.Atonepoint,heclimbedto over 16,000 feet! For several hours, Larry drifted in the cold air over thePacific near the landing pattern of the Los Angeles International Airport.Eventually, apilot reported thathehadpassedaman ina lawnchairwithagun, and the control tower toldhim to report in immediatelyupon landing,thinkingthepilotmightbedrunk.ButotherreportsandradarconfirmedthebizarreUFOwasreal.Aftershootingoutacoupleofballoons,LarrydroppedhisBBgun.Finally,theairportofficialssentuphelicopterstorescuehim.Ashe settled down to earth, hewas entangled in somepower lines but escapeduninjured.

Ontheground,Larry foundhimself surroundedbyTVcrews, thepolice,andfireandrescuesquads.Itwasamajorevent.Oneof thereportersasked,“Whatintheworldmadeyoudothis?”Larrythoughtaboutitforamomentandsaid,“Well,youcan’tjustsitthere.”

LarryWaltersisright;youcan’tjustsitthere,buthiscasualcalculationsforhis historic flight nearly got him killed. The Bible teaches that when Jesusreturns,theredeemedwillbecaughtuptomeettheLordintheair.Butmanysincere Christians are in danger of being deceived because they havemiscalculatedthenatureofthisevent.SellingtheMoon

In1967, theUnitedNationssigned the internationalOuterSpaceTreaty,

whichforbidsanygovernmentfromclaimingthemoon,oranypartofspace,as their territory. The treaty failed to mention anything about privateindividualsorcorporations,sothisleftaratherlargeandexploitableloopholeininternationallaw.

In 1980, Dennis Hope, from Gardnerville, Nevada, sent letters to theUnited Nations, the United States government, and the government of theSovietUnion,informingthemthathewasofficiallyclaimingownershipofallplanetary and lunar surfaces in our solar system, aside from the earth, ofcourse.Heevengavethemtheopportunitytorespondiftheyhadobjections,butascrazyasitsounds,hehasn’theardawordfromanyofthemsince.

Soformorethan20years,Hopehasbeensellinglandplotsonthemoon,Mars,andotherheavenlybodies forapretty reasonableprice—about$20anacre!Andhe’sbeenpursuingthisasnotjustanoveltysale,butaseriousrealestate transaction, complete with covenants and bylaws that prevent theunsightlyortrivialusageoftheproperty.Hissalesareaccelerating,andwithina couple of years, he anticipates he’ll have a constituency in the millions—enough to put serious pressure on the UN and the U.S. government torecognizethegovernmentofLuna.

In themeantime,DennisHope continues to operate his company sellingpeople “official” title to land on themoon. Although others are now in thesamebusiness,Hopehasearnedabout$6.5millionsincehebeganhisheavenlyreal-estate business. That averages out at $270,000 a year selling land onplanetshehasneverbeentoandthathedoesnotpossess.

DidyouknowthattheBibleteachesthereissomeheavenlyrealestateyoucantrulyown?Andthepriceisalreadypaid!

Contents

Phone Advent Moveable Type Bright Lights, Big City ThreeGorges Dam Speaking of China… Babel Rebuilding BoomerSubmarines AsStrangeasFiction SpaceTraveler

PhoneAdvent

Prior to 1833, telegraph devices were very impractical, requiring 26

separatewirestosendamessage—oneforeachletterofthealphabet.Buttheesteemed artist Samuel F. B.Morse, known then for hisAmerican portraits,was intrigued by communicating long distances using electric impulses. Hedeveloped a revolutionary device and a language, called Morse code, thatrequiredonlyonewire!

Later,onMay24,1844,atelegraphicmessagebasedonMorse’sworkwasdispatched over an experimental line fromWashington, D.C., to Baltimore.Themessage, taken fromNumbers 23:23: “What hath God wrought!” Soonafter, telegraph lineswere crisscrossing the country.ButwhatwouldSamuelMorsethinkofthemind-bogglingvolumeofinformationbeingsentthroughinternetlinestoday?

For 30 years, Morse code was the most cutting-edge means ofcommunication over long distance. Then in 1872, Joshua Coppersmith wasarrested inNewYorkCity.Hewaschargedwithattemptingtoextortmoneyfromgulliblepeoplebyconvincingthemtoinvestinaninstrumentthathesaidwould transmit voice over wire. He called it a “telephone.” Interestingly, aBostonnewspaperreported,“Well-informedpeopleknowthatitisimpossibletotransmitthehumanvoiceoverwire(and)wereitpossibletodoso,thething

wouldbeofnopracticalvalue.”Ofcourse,withinfouryears,AlexanderBelldidsendavoiceoverwire,and

hecalledita“telephone.”OnewonderswhatthatsameBostonreportermighthavesaidaboutsomethingevenmoreseeminglyimprobable—atelephonethattransmits voicewithoutwires.Today there are around1.6 billion cell phonesubscriptions, meaning about half of all the adults in the world have cellphones. It is not uncommon to see people in India or Africa without shoestalkingoncellphones.Andnowwithasatellitephone,peoplecannowmakeacall from virtually any spot on the globe. So with all these phones, what iseveryonetalkingabout?

Jesussaideverymanwillgiveanaccountfor“everyidleword[they]mayspeak,inthedayofjudgment.Forbyyourwordsyouwillbejustified,andbyyourwordsyouwillbecondemned”(Matthew12:36,37).MoveableType

Didyouknowthatthetechnologyofmoveabletype,whichmadethefirstprinted books such as the Holy Bible possible and affordable, originated inKorea?Inthe1100s,Chinesescholarsdevisedaprintingsystemthatreliedoncarvedwoodenblocks.

Koreans, who shared a border and traded with ancient China, greatlyadvanced this by inventing theworld’s firstmetalmoveable type in the 12thcentury,some300yearsbeforeGutenbergprintedhisfirstBible.Koreansstillexceltodayatimprovingpracticaldevelopmentsandinventions.BrightLights,BigCity

Thebrightestman-madelightonearthemanatesfromthetopoftheLuxorhotel, a giant pyramid structure in Las Vegas, Nevada. A total of 45 xenonlights, each one as big as a washing machine and with the brightest bulbavailable,shootsapowerfulblastofradiantlightstraightupintothesky.Thelightbeamingfromthetopofthisartificialmountainissobright,astronautscanseeitastheyflyoverhead.Airlinepilotsarecautionedtoavoidthearea,asthebeamoflightcanblindthemtemporarilyiftheyflythroughit.

Sadly,thislightistotallywasted—it’snotilluminatinganythingasitblazesinto empty space. Did you know there is a story in the Bible that tells of amountaintopblazingwithheavenlylight?Eventhoughitisseldomaddressed,

this event, called the Mount of Transfiguration, or sometimes the GloriousMount, is one of the most pivotal moments in the New Testament. ThisimmenseexperiencefoundintheGospelsofMatthew16,Mark9,andLuke9isfullofprofoundmeaningforChristians,andithelpsilluminatemanyotheramazingBibletruths.ThreeGorgesDam

It is the epitome of a monumental project: a dam one-and-a-half mileswideandmorethan600-feethighthatwillcreateareservoirhundredsoffeetdeep and longer than the state of Oregon. Moreover, this one dam’shydropower turbines are expected to create asmuchelectricity as17nuclearpowerplants.

In 1994, the People’s Republic of China began the largest constructionproject inmodernhistory,knownas theThreeGorgesDam.At3,700miles,the Yangtze is the third longest river in the world. The 15-year project willcreatetheworld’slargestdamandhydroelectricpowerplant.

To China, the Three Gorges Dam proves the sleeping dragon hasawakened, for itwill propel thenation’s economy into the21st century.Theproject promises significant flood control and safer navigation, and thereservoir will enable 10,000-ton oceangoing freighters to sail up the riverdirectlyintothenation’sinteriorforsixmonthsofeachyear,openingaregionexploding with agriculture and manufacturing. The Yangtze River has alsoexperiencedhundredsofcatastrophicfloods.Afloodin1998resultedin4,000dead, 14million left homeless, and $24 billion in economic loss. The ThreeGorges project is estimated to be completed in 2009 at a cost of over $40billion.

China’s leaders call the dam the greatest engineering feat since theconstruction of the Great Wall, but to critics worldwide, it is a social andenvironmentaldisaster.Whenthedamiscompleted,13cities,140towns,andabout1,300villageswillbesubmergedbythereservoir.Ancienttemples,burialgrounds,andhundredsofarcheologicalsiteswillbelostforeverunderwater.Morethan1,600factoriesandabandonedmineswillbesubmergedwhenthedam is completed, and1.5millionpeoplewillhave to abandon theirhomes.Alsoconsiderthatroughly360millionpeoplelivewithinthewatershedoftheYangtzeRiver.Ifintheunlikelyeventthedambreaks,millionsofpeoplewholivedownstreamcouldperish.

YoualsomightbesurprisedtoknowthatthebookofRevelationpredictsadragonwillsendagreatfloodtodestroyGod’schurch.SpeakingofChina…

More than 2,000 years old, the GreatWall of China remains one of the

most impressive engineering wonders of the world—stretching 1,500 miles,fromthemountainsofKoreatotheGobiDesert.That’sroughlythedistancebetweenMiamiandMaine.

TheGreatWall is actually a series ofwalls built and rebuilt by differentdynasties over a 1,000-year period. It was designed to protect an ancientChinese empire frommarauding tribes in thenorth.The first section of theGreatWall,theQin,took10yearstobuildatanastonishingrateofaboutonemileperday!ThissectionofGreatWallwasamassiveundertaking,equivalentto the building of 30 of the great pyramids of Egypt. It’s estimated that foreverypersonbuildingtheQinWall,sixwereneededtoprovidematerials,food,andsupplies.Threemillionpeople,or70percentofChina’spopulationatthetime,wereinvolvedintheconstruction.

ThesectioncalledtheMingWallreportedlytook200yearstocompleteatanestimatedcostof$360billion,or roughly theamount spentonAmerica’sinterstate highway system in the last 40 years. At its peak, the Ming Wallcontainedthousandsofindividualfortsandtowersandwasguardedbymorethan a million men. One section of the wall ascends mountain ridges thatclimbatanangleof70degreesandis7,000feetabovesealevel.

TheGreatWall averages from 15 to 30 feet high and from 15 to 25 feetwidewithabouta13-footwideroadwayontop.Butifyoutookallthebricksfrom theMing portion of the wall alone, they would circle the earth at theequatorinawallfivefeethighandthreefeetthick!

It’sbeenlongrumoredthattheGreatWallistheonlyman-madestructurethatcanbe seen fromthemoon.While theGreatWall cannotreallybe seen

fromthemoon,itcanbefaintlyseenfromtheinternationalspacestation.Infact,inthepastdecade,scientistshaveusedsatellitedatatodiscovermorethan600milesoftheGreatWallthathavebeenburiedovertime.

In 1966, Mao Tse-tung launched the political campaign known as theCultural Revolution, in which he appealed to the Chinese people to destroyanything associated with traditional culture. Unappreciated for its historicvalue, themagnificentwall surroundingBeijingandothersectionswere torndown or cannibalized formaterial during this period.ModernChinese nowrealizethehistoricalvalueoftheGreatWallandarestrugglingtopreserveandrebuildthisnationaltreasure.

Did you know that Bible prophecy reports that in the last days God’speoplerediscoverandrebuildlostancienttruth?Isaiah58:12says,“Andtheythat shall be of thee shall build the oldwaste places: thou shalt raise up thefoundationsofmanygenerations;andthoushaltbecalled,Therepairerofthebreach,Therestorerofpathstodwellin.”BabelRebuilding

Scientists inBulgaria claim they have invented an instant translator thatallows people talking on phones in different languages to understand eachother. The research team from Rousse, Bulgaria, which also worked out acomputer program that translates texts, now claims to have patented thetechnology that converts words spoken in one language into digital code,whichcanthenbeimmediatelyinterpretedintoanotherlanguage.

Thescientistsclaimthetranslatorchipcanbeinsertedintoanyphone.Theproject leadertoldnationalBulgariantelevision,“Apersoncantalkfreelyonthephoneintheirmothertongueandattheotherendoftheworldpeoplecanhearthetranslationofwhattheysay.”Theresearchteamsaidthatifinvestorsshow an interest in the technology, practical application can begin within ayear.

Did you know that the Bible teaches that God has had a patent on thistechnologyforthousandsofyears?BoomerSubmarines

Nuclear submarines, or “Boomers,” are among the most modernengineeringwondersintheworld.Theyaretheequivalenttoatightlypacked,

self-contained city where a crew of 140 shares space equivalent to a three-bedroomhouse.

Thenuclearreactorprovidesheatenergy,whichisconvertedtoelectricity.This power is used to turn the propeller and send the submarine silentlythroughthewater.Becausetheycarrytheirenergysourcewiththem,nuclearsubmarinesareabletotravelatleast400,000mileswithoutrefueling.

Inadditiontotorpedoes,thenewOhioclassofBoomersisequippedwith24launchingtubesholdingwarheadsthatmaybefiredfrombeneaththewatertostriketargetssometimesthousandsofmilesaway.Eachofthesemissilesissufficienttocompletelyobliterateamajorcity.IfGodforbidjustonesubfromeachcountryfiredtheirtotalnuclear-warheadcapacityontheothernation,itwouldprettymuchrenderlifeonthisplanetextinct.

Nuclearsubsaredeployedformonthsandcanstaysubmergedforaslongas90days.Thecrewhaslittlecontactwithfamilyduringthistime;combinedwiththepressureofbeingpreparedto launchnuclearweapons,thismakesitoneofthemoststressfulassignmentsinthemilitary.Tocompensate,theNavytrains the best chefs for these subs—yes, chefs. For instance, a meal mightconsist of prime rib, lobster tails, sautéedmushrooms, bakedpotatoes, freshbread, and real chocolate cakewith freshly squeezed lemon juice fordessert.And all this is done in an 8-by-10-foot galley that is barely larger than thekitchen in a small apartment!You can understandwhy submariners are theonlyfightingforcethatgainsweightduringdeployment.

The Food Network cable channel has even produced a television showdevotedtofoodservedaboardsubs,andacookbookisintheworkstitledDeepComfort:CookingSecretsFromAmerica’sSubmarines.Infact,manyofthesesubmarinechefs,uponleavingtheservice,arehiredbyprestigiousrestaurants,cruiseships,andeventheWhiteHouse.

They say an army travels on its stomach.That’swhy themilitary spendsmillions of dollars carefully evaluatingwhat their soldiers eat. Thenwhy domanyChristiansbelievethatGoddoesnotcarewhatHissoldierseat?Hedoes.AsIsaiah55:2says,“Whydoyouspendmoneyforwhatisnotbread,Andyourwagesforwhatdoesnotsatisfy?ListencarefullytoMe,andeatwhatisgood,Andletyoursouldelightitselfinabundance.”AsStrangeasFiction

On April 14, 1912, the “unsinkable” Titanic was steaming across the

Atlantic on her maiden voyage toward New York—trying to break thetransatlanticspeedrecord.Yetafterstrikinganiceberg,theshipwentdowninonlyamatterofhours.Outofthe2,200passengers,only711weresaved.Sincethen,therehavebeenmanybooksandmoviesabouttheTitanic.

However, one fictional story written by merchant seaman MorganRobertson stands out. Robertson’s book was about an unsinkable passengerlinerthatsankwhilecarryingwealthyelites.ThebookwastitledTheWreckoftheTitan.Eventhoughthebookisfictitious,theeventsinthestoryparallelagreat deal with the events of the real Titanic. Here are a few facts incomparison:

TITAN/TITANICLength:800feet/882feetWidth:90feet/92.5feetTopSpeed:25knots/23knotsWatertightcompartments:19/16Propellers:3/3Capacity:3000/3250Numberofpeopleaboard:2000/2228Lifeboats:24/20Sailing:inAprilFROMNewYork/April10TONewYork

Both ships were built to be unsinkable. Both were encouraged to breakspeed recordsduring their voyage.Both ships sankafter striking apyramid-shaped iceberg that had just turned over. Both ships were on their maidenvoyage.Themostwell-to-doandfamouspeoplewereonboth.Onlyonethirdofthepassengersoneachshipsurvived.Bothshipshadaninadequatenumberoflifeboats.

TheWreckoftheTitanwasneverpublished.Eachtimetheeditorsrejectedit, they told him the same thing: The events he wrote of could not possiblyhappen—the storywas too unbelievable. By theway,TheWreck of theTitanwaswrittenin1898,13yearsbeforetheTitanicwasbuilt.

…AndDidYouKnow?

ThecruiselinerQE2movesonlysixinchesforeachgallonofdieselthatitburns.Themicrowavewasinventedafteraresearcherwalkedbyaradartubeandachocolatebarmeltedinhispocket.

“Typewriter”isthelongestwordthatcanbemadeusingthelettersonlyononerowofthekeyboard.

SpaceTraveler

America’sfirstmannedspacelaunchvehicleengineproducedonly78,000

poundsofthrust—asmallinklingcomparedtothespaceshuttle’sthreemainenginesandtwosolidrocketboostersthatgeneratesome7.3millionpoundsofthrustat liftoff.Theenergyreleasedisequivalenttotheoutputof23HooverDamsandmorepowerfulthan35jumbojetsattakeoff.

Strangely,theliquidhydrogeninthespaceshuttle’smainengineisminus423degreesFahrenheit, thesecondcoldest liquidonearth,butwhenburnedwith liquid oxygen, the engine’s combustion temperature reaches over 6,000degreesFahrenheit, two-thirds the temperatureof the sun’s surface.And thespeedofthegasesexitingthenozzleismorethan6,000milesperhour,aboutfivetimesthespeedofsound!

Theturbopumponthespaceshuttle’smainengine is sopowerful that itcoulddrainanaverage family-sizedswimmingpool in25seconds.Andafter

liftoffitonlytakesabouteightminutesforthespaceshuttletoacceleratetoaspeedofmorethan17,000milesperhour.Ifyoucouldcapturetwominutesofthe heat energy produced by the Shuttle at liftoff and convert it to electricpower, itwouldproduceenoughkilowatts tosupplypowerfor87,000homesforafullday.

The shuttle’s remote robot arm weighs about 905 pounds on earth, butonceinspaceitcanmovecargoweighing66,000pounds,objectsaboutthesizeofaGreyhoundbus.

Duringitsfieryreentry,theunderbellyoftheorbiterisprotectedbyabout24,000heat resistant tiles thatmust be installed individually by hand.Thesesilicate fiber tiles are incredibly lightweight, about thedensity of balsawoodandweredesignedtobeusedfor100missionsbeforerequiringreplacement.Eachtilecandissipateheatsoquicklythatawhite-hottilewithatemperatureof 2,300degrees canbe taken fromanoven andheld in bare hands secondslater without injury. (This was the damaged component that caused thedestructionofthesecondshuttledisaster.)

Thespaceshuttlecontainsallthegreatestscientificandengineeringskillofmodernman.Alloftheworld’sgreatesttechnologyisrepresentedinthisonespaceship. Yet all the power that rockets this craft to the stars is nothingcomparedtothespacevehicleGodisdesigningfortheredeemed.

Contents

ColdBody,GoodGrades TooGoodtobeTrue? PhantomPainColdBody,GoodGrades

In March 1975, an 18-year-old student was submerged in a freezingMichiganpondfor38minutes.Declareddeadatthescene,hewasonthewayto the morgue when he suddenly gasped for air, causing the transportingvehicle to swiftly divert to the nearest hospital! After nearly two hours ofresuscitation efforts, the young man was fully revived. And just two weekslater,hereturnedtocollegeandcontinuedtobeanAstudent.

InRevelation3:15,16,Jesuswarns,“Iwouldthouwertcoldorhot.Sothenbecausethouartlukewarm,andneithercoldnorhot,Iwillspuetheeoutofmymouth.” Yet it appears right now that millions of professed Christians aredrowning in a lukewarm swamp of spiritual worldliness, and we are indesperateneedofrevival!

……AndDidYouKnow?

Childrengrowfasterinthespring.

Ahumanbrainweighsaroundthreepounds.

Youblinkover10milliontimesayear.

Asneezetravelsoutofyourmouthatmorethan100milesanhour.

Brainwavescanbeusedtorunanelectrictrain.

TooGoodtobeTrue?

These “home remedies” arepublished as interesting facts about everydayproductsthatpeopleclaimcanhandlemanyeverydayproblems,buttheyarenot in anywaymedically approved for use to cure the ailments listed. Please

consultwithyourdoctorbeforetryingthesehomeremedies.

Drinking twoglassesofGatoradecan relieveheadachepainalmost immediately—without theunpleasantsideeffectscausedbytraditional“painrelievers.”

Colgatetoothpastemakesanexcellentsalveforburns.

Doyouhaveachymuscles?Mix1tablespoonofhorseradishinacupofoliveoil.Letthemixturesitfor30minutes,thenapplyittothesoreareasasamassageoilforinstantrelief.

SoreThroat?Justmix1/4cupofvinegarwith1/4cupofhoneyandtake1tablespoonsixtimesaday.Thevinegarkillsthebacteria.

You can cure urinary tract infectionswithAlka-Seltzer. Just dissolve two tablets in a glass ofwateranddrink itat theonsetof thesymptoms.Alka-Seltzerbeginseliminatingurinary tractinfectionsalmostinstantly—eventhoughtheproducthasneverbeenadvertisedforthisuse.

EliminatepuffinessunderyoureyesbycarefullyrubbingadabofPreparationHintotheskin,avoiding the eyes. The hemorrhoid ointment acts as a vasoconstrictor, relieving the swellinginstantly.

Coverskinblemisheswithadabofhoneyandplaceaband-aidoverit.Honeykillsthebacteria,keepstheskinsterile,andspeedshealing.Itcanworkovernight.

GetridofunsightlytoenailfungusbysoakingyourtoesinListerinemouthwash.Thepowerfulantiseptic leaves your toenails lookinghealthy again. It canalsobeused todisinfect abrokenblister.

Toprevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small dropofMaybellineCrystalClearNailPolishtothethreadsofthescrewsbeforetighteningthem.

Forgetthoseexpensiverustremovers.JustsaturateanabrasivespongewithCoca-Colaandscrubtheruststain.ThephosphoricacidintheCokeiswhatgetsthejobdone.

Ifmenacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can’t find theinsecticide,tryasprayofFormula409.Insectsdroptothegroundinstantly.

Toremoveasplinter,pouradropofgluealloverthesplinter,letdry,andpeelthedriedglueofftheskin.Thesplinterstickstothedriedglue.

CoverboilswithHunt’s tomatopaste as a compress.The acids from the tomatoes soothe thepainandbringtheboiltoahead.

Getridofbruisesbysoakingacottonballinwhitevinegarandapplyingittothebruiseforonehour.Thevinegarreducesthebluenessandspeedsupthehealingprocess.

Dawndishwashingliquidkillsfleas.Addafewdropstoyourdog’sbathandshampootheanimalthoroughly.Rinsewelltoavoidskinirritations.

Nexttimeyourdogcomesinfromtherain,wipeitdownwithadryersheet, instantlymakingyourdogsmellspringtimefresh.

Eliminateyourcat’searmiteswithafewdropsofWessoncornoil.Massageitinandthencleanwithacottonball.Repeatdailyfor3days.Theoilsoothesthecat’sskin,smothersthemites,andaccelerateshealing.

Toprevent troublesome cat hairballs, apply a dollopofVaselinepetroleum jelly to your cat’snose. The cat will lick off the jelly, lubricating any hair in its stomach so it can pass easilythroughthedigestivesystem.

Forarthritispain,mixtwocupsofQuakerOatsandacupofwaterinabowlandwarminthemicrowaveforoneminute,coolslightly,andapplythemixturetoyourhandsforsoothingrelief.

…AndDidYouKnow?Womenblinknearlytwiceasmuchasmen.

Thestomachhastoproduceanewlayerofmucuseverytwoweeks;otherwise,itwilldigestitself.

PhantomPain

Amputees often experience a sensation called “phantom pain.” For

example,theymighthavelosttheirentireleg,buttheirtoeshurtortheirkneeitcheseventhoughtheynolongeractuallyhavethem.Theysensethisphantomfeeling coming fromanabsentmemberand their invisible toeswill curl andtheir imaginary fingers will grasp. Even a nonexistent leg might feel sturdyenoughtostandon.

Doctors watch helplessly, unable to treat this part of the body that isscreamingforattentioneventhoughitnolongerexists.Inthesameway,therearemanyChristians,newandold,whohaveconfessedandforsakentheirsinsandappliedthebloodofJesusforcleansing,yetstillfeelthephantompainof

guilt.PaulsaysinHebrews12:1,2,“Letus layasideeveryweight,andthesinwhichsoeasilyensnaresus,andletusrunwithendurancetheracethatissetbefore us, looking unto Jesus, the author finisher of our faith” (NKJV). Tosuccessfullyrunthisrace,wearecommandedtolayasidenotonlythesin,butalsotheweightofguiltthatimpedesus.TheBiblealsosays,“Ifweconfessoursins, he is faithful and just to forgiveus our sins, and to cleanseus fromallunrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). That cleansing includes the sin and thephantompainofguilt.

…AndDidYouKnow?

Thetongueisthefastesthealingpartofahumanbody.

Theaveragehumanproduces10,000gallonsofsalivainalifetime.

Babiesarebornwithoutkneecaps.Theydon'tappearuntilachildreachestwoyearsold.It’simpossibletosneezewithyoureyesopen.

Humaneyesarealwaysthesamesizefrombirth,butthenoseandearsneverstopgrowing.

Contents

Debt Facts AVastWasteland WhiteHouse Snubs $14 Buys aFortune IdentityTheft IvyLeague EatTogether,StayTogetherJunk Food Trash Traders Let Freedom Ring “Love YourEnemies” LeftBehindPullsAhead TrafficSignals ComstockLode Friendly Presidents Golden Doorstop Lightning That Heals

SociallyAcceptedTerrorist,Part1 SociallyAcceptedTerrorist,Part1 OurTaxesPayForThis?

DebtFacts

In 1998, people lost $60 billion in legalized gambling in U.S. casinos; a

figurethathasincreasedeachyearformorethantwodecades.Overthepast25years,theUnitedStateshasbeentransformedfromanationinwhichlegalizedgamblingwasrareintooneinwhichsuchactivityiscommon.Today,lotterieshavebeenestablishedin39states,withmorepoisedtofollow—andallbuttwohave some form of legalized gambling. From cruise ships to riverboats andWestern mining towns to Indian casinos and bingo parlors, gambling sitescontinuetoproliferate.Internetgamblingisalsoexploding,enablinganever-increasingsegmentofthepublictobecomeaddictedtogamblingwithouteverleavinghome.

Many problem gamblers have divorced their wives, abandoned theirchildren,andturnedtodrugs.Othershavecommittedsuicideafterlosingtheir

lifesavings,retirement,orfromdrowninginagrowingabyssofdebt.A“VastWasteland”

Newton Minow, the then-chairman of the FCC spoke to the National

Association of Broadcasters on the topic of the “vast wasteland” onMay 9,1961:

“…I inviteyoutosit downinfrontofyourtelevisionsetwhenyourstation goes on the air and stay there without a book, magazine,newspaper,profit-and-loss sheetor ratingbook todistract you—andkeepyoureyesgluedtothatsetuntilthestationsignsoff.Icanassureyouthatyouwillobserveavastwasteland.”

With that in mind, here are some interesting facts about television inAmericatoday(Source:HustonandWright,UniversityofKansas).

99percentofhomeswithelectricityhavetelevisions,withanaverageof2.4TVsetsperhousehold.(Forcomparison,eachhouseholdhasanaverageof2.5people!)

Asof2001,60percentof teens,48percentofschoolchildren,and24percentoftoddlershave“theirown”TVsets.

91 percent of TV homes have at least one VCR, and as of 2001, 6millionvideotapesarerenteddaily!

TheaverageTVviewerhasaccessto75channels,andsomehavemorethan200!

In the average home, the TV is on up to 8 hours a day—with teens

watching3hoursaday.Womenover18watch5hoursaday—atthisrate,that’s9yearsofTViftheylivedtobe75yearsold!

Children spend more time watching television than in any otheractivityexceptsleep.

WhiteHouseSnubs

In1962, thePresidentof theUnitedStates, JohnF.Kennedy,heldastatedinnertohonorAmericanwinnersoftheNobelPrize.Amongtheinviteeswaswriter William Faulkner—who declined! He said the 100-mile trip toWashington“wastoofartogofordinnerwithsomeoneIdidn’tknow.”

Tenyearslater,RalphJ.Perk,thenthemayorofCleveland,Ohio,showedup for a White House dinner with President Richard Nixon. Perk’s wife,Lucille,chosenotcomewithhim—becauseitwasherbowlingnight!

…AndDidYouKnow?

Afterthe“Popeye”comicstripstartedin1931,spinachconsumptionwentupby33percentintheU.S.TheIRSemployeestaxmanualhasinstructionsforcollectingtaxesafteranuclearwar.

FourpercentoftheU.Spopulationisvegetarian.

$14BuysaFortune

Abroochpurchasedfor$14ataRhodeIslandantiqueshopturnedouttobepriceless!Anantiquedealer found the19thcenturyornamentalpinwhilerummagingthroughabasketofotherwisecheapcostumejewelry.Aftercloseexamination,itwasfoundtobemadeof18-karatgoldandincludesthreesmallrose-cutdiamonds.

But most notably, the brooch features two extraordinarily rare pearls,whichexpertssayareall-natural,purple,andproducedfromatypeofveryrareclam known as quahogs. The larger of the two pearls is about the size of a

marble, and its value alone may exceed several million dollars! It wasnicknamed the Pearl of Venus and has been featured on many nationwidetours.

Jesussaid,“Thekingdomofheaven is likeuntoamerchantman,seekinggoodlypearls:Who,whenhehadfoundonepearlofgreatprice,wentandsoldallthathehad,andboughtit”(Matthew13:45,46).IdentityTheft

Identity theft is a growing crime in America. It happens when someone

wrongfully obtains and uses another’s personal data for fraud or deception,typically for economic gain. Unlike your fingerprints, your personal data—especiallyyourSocialSecuritynumber,bankaccountorcreditcardnumber,ortelephonecallingcardPIN—canbeterriblyabusediftheyfallintothewronghands,profitingothersatyourexpense.Everyday,hundreds,ifnotthousands,of people across the country report funds stolen from their accounts. In theworst cases, criminals completely take over victims’ identities, run up vastdebts and commit crimes, leaving the victims with destroyed credit and acriminalrecordthattakesyearstocorrect.

Didyouknowthatthedeviltriedtostealyouridentity,leavingyouindebtandwithacriminalrecordbeyondyourmeanstorepay?TheBiblesays,“Forashethinks inhisheart,so ishe”(Proverbs23:7NKJV). It’s true!Whatyouthinkaboutyourselfhasagreatimpactonhowyoubehave.IvyLeague

Harvard, the first college inNorth America, was established in 1636 for“ChristandtheChurch.”Theministerwhofoundedtheschool,JohnHarvard,said:“Leteverystudentbeplainlyinstructedandearnestlypressedtoconsiderwellthemainendsofhislifeandstudies;toknowGodandJesusChrist.”It’sno wonder then that 52 percent of 17th-century Harvard graduates becameministers! In fact, virtually every other Ivy League school such as Yale andPrincetonwas also establishedprimarily to trainministersof the gospel andevangelize.

Sadly, today youwill scarcely hear the name ofGod on the campuses ofthesegreatinstitutionsexceptincursing.

EatTogether,StayTogetherA recent survey indicates that nearly 75 percent of those polled say that

eatingtogetherasafamilyisveryimportant,butonly43percentactuallydo.That’s terrible considering that families who eat together experience thefollowingbenefits:Childrendobetterinschool,havefewerbehaviorproblems,understand their family’s values more deeply, are less apt to try alcohol ordrugs,communicatemore,andarehealthier.

…AndDidYouKnow?

Fortypercentofwomenhavehurledfootwearataman.

AbouthalfofallbankrobberiestakeplaceonFridays.

Nearly55percentofmotorbikeaccidentshappenontheweekend.

Almost10percentofAmericansreporttohavebeeninthepresenceofaghost.

Thereare293waystomakechangeforadollar.

Untilthe1960s,menwithlonghairwerenotallowedtoenterDisneyland.

InNewMexico,over11,000peoplehavevisitedatortillachipthatisclaimedtohavethefaceofJesusburnedintoit.

Thereisno“BettyRubble”intheFlintstonesChewablesVitamins.

JunkFood

In America, the food industry spends more than $33 billion a year to

advertise“junkfood.”TheAmericanCancerCenterspends$1millionayearto encourage people to eat fruits and vegetables (Source: Media AwarenessNetwork).

And approximately 325,000 people in the country are hospitalized withfoodpoisoningeveryyear.About5,000ofthesecasesresultindeath.TrashTraders

Many U.S. states trade and sell in trash! In fact, in 1996, Pennsylvaniaimportedmoretrashforitslandfillsthanwhatitproducedonitsown.Nearly6.7milliontonsofPennsylvaniagarbagewenttolandfillsfromitscitizens,butthestateimported7.9milliontonsoftrashfromotherstatesandcountries.LetFreedomRing

The Liberty Bell, sometimes called the Bell of the Revolution or Old

Independence,hasbeenanenduringsymbolofAmericanpatriotism…butithadaroughbeginning.

OriginallycastinLondonin1752andweighingmorethan2,000pounds,theLibertyBellarrivedinPhiladelphiainAugust,butitcrackedduringitsfirsttest ringing. It was thenmelted down in Philadelphia, and recast tomake asecondbellinJune1753.Unfortunately,thisnewbellwasdeemedtohavepoortone—thought to have been caused by too much copper—so it was melteddownagainthesameyearandrecasttomakethethirdandfinalbell.

ThisisthecelebratedLibertyBellthatexiststoday,whichismademostlyofcopper and tinwith small amounts of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold, and silver. Ithangsfromwhatisbelievedtobeitsoriginalyoke,madefrom200poundsofAmericanelm.Whenstruck,thebellsoundsthenoteofEflat.

The bell was rung on July 8, 1776, to announce the signing of theDeclaration of Independence, proclaiming America’s freedom. During theRevolutionaryWar, thebellwasplacedonawagon,moved60mileswest toAllentown,andhidden in the floorboardsof theZionReformedChurch—allinanefforttokeepitfromfallingintoBritishhands,whowouldhavenodoubtmelteditdowntomakecannons.

Afterthewar,itwasrungeveryJuly4untilsometimearound1835—whenit cracked again. No one knows exactly when the Liberty Bell cracked the

secondtime;itisamysteryofhistory.Today,the250-yearoldiconisapopularattractioninPhiladelphiaandisonlyrungonspecialoccasions.

DidyouknowthatthebellwasfirstcalledtheLibertyBell,notbypatriotsof the revolution, but by the abolitionists fighting slavery? They chose thisname because of the Bible inscription on the bell from Leviticus 25:1 thatreads, “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitantsthereof”(emphasisadded).Inretrospect,itwasaremarkablyaptmetaphorforacountrythatwasliterallysplitoverslavery.Jesussaidthatwhoevercommitssinisaslaveofsin.Sohowmuchdoesreallibertycost?“LoveYourEnemies”

After the first day of fierce fighting in the Civil War battle of

Fredericksburg,hundredsofUnionsoldierslaywoundedandbleedingonthebattlefield,cryingoutforhelp.Allthroughthenight,andmostofthenextday,artillery fire prevented their relief. Hour after hour, their agonized cries of“Water!Water!”wereheardbehindtheirenemy’sline.

Atlast,however,anobleSouthernsoldier,SergeantRichardKirkland,roseabovehisloveoflifeandtoldhisgeneral,“Ican’tstandthisanylonger!Thosepoorsoulsouttherehavebeenprayingandcryingallnightandallday,andit’smorethanIcanbear!Iaskyourpermissiontogoandgivethemwater.”

Thegeneralanswered,“Butyouknowthatassoonasyoushowyourselftotheenemy,youwillbeshot?”

“Yes, sir. Iknow it,”answered thecompassionate soldier. “But tocarryalittlecomforttothosepoordyingmen,I’mwillingtoruntherisk!”

The general hesitated, but his heart was also touched with sympathy.“Kirkland,it’ssendingyoutoyourdeath,butIcannotopposesuchamotive.IhopeGodwillprotectyou.Go.”

So the brave soldier, furnished with a supply of water, stepped over thestonerampartandbeganhisworkofChristlikemercy.Wonderingeyesbeheldhimashekneltbythenearestsufferer,tenderlyraisedhishead,andheldtherefreshingcuptohisparchedlips.EverysoldierintheUnionlineunderstoodthetendermissionofthemaningray,andnotasingleshotwasfired.Foroveran hour, one after another of the crying, wounded, and dying was givenrefreshing drink, had his cramped or mangled limbs straightened, his headcushioned on his knapsack, and was covered with his coat or blanket astenderlyasthoughbyhisownmother.

Soalsoisitonlife’sgreatbattlefield,wheresoulsarecryinganddyingfromthe fearfuleffectsof sin.Theyare thirsty for theWaterofLife,withnone toreach out to them the refreshing drink they so crave, except the One whostepped over the ramparts of heaven… coming down to riskHis all on thecross.LeftBehindPullsAhead

According to CBSNews,more than 58million prints of theLeft Behind

bookseriesareincirculation,notincludingspin-offpublications.Totalannualrevenue for the series, including the books, movies, audio recordings, andchildren’smerchandisingis$100million.

…AndDidYouKnow?

All50statesarelistedacrossthetopoftheLincolnMemorialonthebackofthe$5bill.Overtheirlifespan,anAmericanwillspendanaverageof6monthswaitingatredlights.

Maineistheonlystatewhosenameisjustonesyllable.

AboutsevenpercentofAmericansthinkElvisisstillalive.

Ohioislistedasthe17thstate,buttechnicallyitisnumber47.UntilAugust7,1953,CongressnevervotedonaresolutiontoadmitOhiototheUnion.

Inonesurvey,52percentofAmericanssaidthey’dratherspendaweekinjailthanbePresident.ThestateofMainehas62lighthouses.

TrafficSignals

Until the end of the 19th century, traffic in large cities was largely

uncontrolled chaos. Carriages and wagons dashed about in every direction,and the danger of frequent runway horses added to the madness. Gettingacross a busy street could be a life-and-death challenge. In the 1860s, the

NYPDformedthefamous“BroadwaySquad.”Theseofficerswerethelargestmeninthedepartment,withaminimumheightofsixfeet;theirprimarydutywassimplytoescortpedestrianssafelyacrossthebedlamofBroadway!

In the 1890s, the traffic pandemonium in New York increased with thebicycle craze. This inspired Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt toorganizeapolicebicyclesquad—nicknamedthe“ScorcherSquad”—tocontrolbicyclespeeddemonswhowereconstantlybreakingthe8mphspeedlimit.

Then with the advent of automobiles, it became even more difficult tonegotiatethethunderousmazeofpeople,horses,carriages,bicycles,andautosonstreetsthatwereoftenunpaved,muddy,ordusty!Theearlycarsfrequentlybrokedown,cloggingthebusystreets,anditwasnotuncommontoseetrafficdisputes settled by drivers fist fighting. It soon became apparent that somemethodtoregulatetrafficwasanabsolutenecessity.

Most cities only had police directing traffic, which was among themostdangerous assignments. Scores were injured or killed and many died fromillnessthroughconstantexposuretoweatherextremes…nottomentionthedaily breathing in of the brew of dust, manure, and choking auto exhaust.Somecitiestriedaconfusingsystemoftrainsignalstoregulatetraffic.Londonevenhadgas-poweredlamps,buttheyjustblewup.

Then in1912,LesterWire, adetectiveon theSaltLakeCitypolice force,thoughtofthewordsofJesusinMatthew5:15:“Nordomenlightalampandput it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all.” ThisinspiredLestertoinventoneoftheworld’sfirstelectrictrafficlights:awoodenboxwith red and green colored lights, up on a polewhere cars could see it.Soontheideaspreadtoothercitieswhereitwasimprovedandrefined.ThinkofhowmanyliveshavebeensavedbythesimpleapplicationofScripture!ComstockLode

In 1859, as the California gold rush began to fade, a few prospectors

wandered into western Nevada following rumors of gold in the WashoeMountains. Twominers, PatMcLaughlin and Peter O’Reilly, did find somegoldandstakedaclaimattheheadofSix-MileCanyon.Anothercleverminer,HenryComstock,stumbledupontheirfindandclaimeditwasonhisproperty,convincing the others to give him a share of the stake. Soon fortune seekerseverywhereheardthenewsandthesurroundinghillsweresprinkledwithgoldmines.

Thebiggestprobleminthisprospectingparadisewasthestickybluishmudsurrounding thegold. Itpiledupeverywherearound theirmines, sticking totheirbootsandclingingtopicksandshovels.Theycalleditthat“blastedbluestuff,” which made their gold mining a miserable business. Eventually, aperceptiveminerhadthebluemudtested,anditwasfoundtobesomeoftherichestsilveroreeverdiscovered,worthmorethan$2,000atonin1859!Theseminerswerekneedeepinoneofthegreatestsinglemineralstrikesinhistory.The fabulous strike was the richest known U.S. silver deposit and becameknown as the legendary Comstock Lode. And the blue mud was about tochangehistory.

By1864,thestaggeringamountsofsilverandgoldcomingoutoftheminereached the attention of President Lincoln, who needed the riches of theComstock Lode to help win the CivilWar. In addition, Lincoln needed thevotes of another state to pass the 13th Amendment, which was drafted toabolish slavery. So even though Nevada was too sparsely populated forstatehood,theentireNevadaconstitutionwastelegraphedtoChicago,whereitwas written out in longhand and delivered toWashington, D.C. It was thelongesttelegraphmessageinhistory,takingFrankBellmorethan12hourstotapitoutatacostofmorethan$4,000tosend!Becauseofbluemud,NevadabecameastateonOctober31,1864,helpingtheNorthwintheCivilWarandabolishslavery.

Sometimesgreatrichesarerightunderourbootsandwedon’trecognizeit.

…AndDidYouKnow?

SanFranciscocablecarsaretheonlymobilenationalmonuments.

TheHawaiianalphabethasonly12letters.

Americanseat18acresofpizzaeveryday.

AnareainWestVirginiaiscommonlyreferredtoasBigUgly.

Alaskaisthemosteasternandwesternstate.

Onhiswayhometovisithisparents,aHarvardstudentfellbetweentworailroadcarsatthestationinJerseyCity,NewJersey,andwasrescuedbyanactoronhiswaytovisithissisterinPhiladelphia.ThestudentwasRobertLincoln,headingfor1600PennsylvaniaAvenue.TheactorwasEdwinBooth,thebrotherofthemanwhoafewweekslaterwouldmurder

thestudent’sfather.

FriendlyPresidents

ThesecondandthirdU.S.Presidents,JohnAdamsandThomasJefferson,

weregoodfriendsintheiryouth,butafterAdamswasreplacedbyJeffersonintheWhiteHouse,politicaldisagreements separated themand theynever saweachotheragain.

They were eventually reconciled in the last 14 years of their lives andexchangedmanyaffectionateletters.WhenJohnAdamsdiedattheripeageof91,his lastwordswere,“ThomasJeffersonstill lives.”But thiswas incorrect.You see, at the age of 83—during his last hours in his home inMonticello,Virginia—Jefferson passed in and out of consciousness. In 1826, just a fewhoursbeforeAdamsdied,Thomas Jeffersondied surroundedby friends andfamily.Hislastwordswere,“Isitthe4th?”Afterheheard,“Yes,”hebreathedhislast.Amazingly,thefinalwordsofthesetwoFoundingFatherswereutteredon the same day, July 4—and on the 50th anniversary of theDeclaration ofIndependence.Theyweretwoofthelastthreesurvivingsignersofthathistoricdocument.

Did you know the day of Jesus’ death also coincided perfectly with theJewishindependenceday?GoldenDoorstop

Whenmostpeople thinkof thediscoveryofgold inNorthAmerica, they

thinkof1849andtheCaliforniagoldrush.ButthefirstbigdiscoveryofgoldinNorth America happened in North Carolina in 1799. A 12-year-old named

ConradReedwasplayinghooky fromchurch togo fishing in a creekonhisfather’sfarmwhenhespottedaninterestingblackrockinthecreek.Heluggedthe17-poundrockhome,which,becauseofitsheavyweight,thefamilyusedasadoorstopfor threeyears.What theydidn’tknowwas that thepieceofrockwasactuallyagiantgoldnugget!

Then in 1802, the Reeds sold it to an eagle-eyed, perhaps unscrupulousjeweler for amere $3.50.Of course, the goldwas actuallyworth a thousandtimes thatmodest sum.Howsad theReed familymusthavebeenwhen theydiscoveredtheyhadbeentrippingoveratreasureforthreeyears.

The Bible teaches that millions of other people are still tripping over apricelessjeweleveryday,unawareofthericheswithintheirreach.InMatthew21:42,Jesussays,“HaveyouneverreadintheScriptures:‘ThestonewhichthebuildersrejectedHasbecomethechiefcornerstone.ThiswastheLord’sdoing,Anditismarvelousinoureyes’?”

…AndDidYouKnow?

Thereare119groovesontheedgeofaquarter.

About18percentofanimalownerssharetheirbedswiththeirpets.

Alaskahasmorecaribouthanpeople.

TheaverageAmericanwilleat35,000cookiesduringhis/herlifetime.

AbouthalfofallAmericansareonadietonanygivenday.

Therearemorethan30,000dietsonpublicrecord.

ThesprayWD-40gotitsnamebecauseittook40attemptstocreatethe“waterdisplacing”substance.

LightningThatHeals

Many years ago, the Swamp United Church of Christ in Ephrata,

Pennsylvania,celebratedtheappearanceofastrangelightningbolt.Accordingto Evangelical Press news service, it seems thatwhen circuit-riding preacherJohnWaldschmidtdiedin1786,hiswifebecamedementedanddeaf.

However, during a church service six years later, lightning struck thecemetery outside. Upon investigation, say church records, the shocked

congregation discovered that the bolt had splitWaldschmidt’s tombstone intwo—andthatthewidowwashealedthesameinstant.

…AndDidYouKnow?

The$200billionbudgetoftheU.S.DepartmentofHealth,Education,andWelfareislargerthanthecombinedoperatingexpensesofallthegovernmentsofthe50U.S.statescombined.WhenSpaindeclaredwaronAmericain1898,thegovernmentinturndeclaredwaronSpain…butbackdatedthedeclarationbythreedayssoitwouldlookmoreheroictohavedeclaredwarfirst.

JohnHanson,notGeorgeWashington,wasthefirstpresidentoftheUnitedStates.WhentheCongressmetin1781,AmericawasgovernedbytheArticlesofConfederation,whichwereadoptedin1777andratifiedbythestatesin1781.Atthatmeeting,CongresselectedJohnHansonits“PresidentoftheU.S.inCongressassembled.”GeorgeWashingtonbecamethefirstpresidentundertheU.S.Constitutionin1789.Alaskahasthehighestpercentageofpeoplethatwalktowork.

SociallyAcceptedTerrorist,Part1

Inthenext24hours,aruthlessterroristwillberesponsiblefornearlyhalf

of all thehomicides inNorthAmerica;half of all thepeoplewhodieon thehighways;halfofallthepeoplewhoareadmittedtothehospital;halfofallthepeoplewhoareincarceratedinjail;andhalfofallthepeoplewhoareinvolvedindomesticviolence.Hischemicalattackwillalsocausehalfofallthenation’sbirthdefects.

Sadly, the government is looking the other way because this terrorist ispaying them hush money. Worse still, even many professed Christians aredefendingandharboringthiscold-heartedkiller.

Who is this deadly villain who is devastating our homes and nation?Alcohol.SociallyAcceptedTerrorist,Part2

Several factories based in North America are producing and sellingweaponsofmassdestruction—thatis,tobaccoandthelethalhabitofcigarettesmoking.Andthesaddestpartisthatthisdeadlyandexpensiveinternationalhealthhazardiseasilypreventable.

Everyyear,4millionpeopledieworldwidefromsmoking-relateddiseases—approximately one person every 8 seconds. And everyminute, 10millioncigarettes are soldworldwide—that’s 15billion everyday. Smoking costs theUnitedStatesmorethan$150billioneachyearinhealthcarecosts,including$81 billion in productivity losses and over $75 billion in excess medicalexpenditures. In addition, smoking is directly responsible for 87 percent oflung cancer victims and causes most cases of emphysema and chronicbronchitis.Smokingisalsoamajorfactorincoronaryheartdiseaseandstroke,and it has been linked to a variety of other health disorders, includinginfertility and peptic ulcers. Smoking during pregnancy accounts for anestimated20to30percentoflow-birthweightbabies,andsome10percentofallinfantdeaths.

Evenwithallthisknowledge,it’sthoughtthatoneoutoffiveteensbetween13 to 15 smokes. Evidence also indicates that half of the people who startsmoking as adolescentswill go on to smoke for 15 to 20 years, and tobaccocompanies continue to invest millions of dollars in effective advertising toencourageyoungpeopletobeginalifelongaddictiontotheirproducts.

Cigarettes contain at least 69 distinct cancer-causing chemicals, one ofwhich is hydrogen cyanide … found both in mainstream and secondhandsmoke.ItisextremelytoxicandwasusedinWorldWarIIasagenocidalagent.Reports also indicate that Saddam Hussein may have used the substanceagainsttheKurdsinthe1980s.

Still, thetobaccocompanies inAmericacontinuetomanufactureandusethese weapons of mass destruction. The greatest irony is that tobaccocompanies outwardly discourage people from smoking on one hand, whiletheycontinuetoprofit frompeddlingtheirdeadlypoisonontheother.Theyareverymuchtalkingfrombothsidesoftheirmouth.

JesusaddressedthisbehaviorwhenHesaid,“ThispeopledrawsneartoMewith theirmouth, andhonorsMewith their lips, but their heart is far fromMe”(Matthew15:7,8).OurTaxesPayForThis?

RepresentativeTomMooresponsoredaresolution in theTexasHouseofRepresentatives to commendAlbertdeSalvo forhisunselfish service to “hiscountry, his state and his community.” The resolution stated, “Thiscompassionate gentleman’s dedication anddevotion tohisworkhas enabledtheweakandthelonelythroughoutthenationtoachieveandmaintainanewdegree of concern for their future. He has been officially recognized by thestateofMassachusetts forhisnotedactivitiesandunconventional techniquesinvolving population control and applied psychology.” The resolution waspassed unanimously. Representative Moore then revealed that he had onlytabledthemotiontoshowhowthelegislaturepassesbillsandresolutionsoftenwithoutreadingthemorunderstandingwhattheysay.AlbertdeSalvowastheBostonStrangler.

Contents

EnigmaMachines HungryinChina ALongRun APoorSportAxis and Allies Carnal Minded Guarding a Dead RosebushBuriedAlive AKing’sRansom TheQueenMary Stalingrad

EnigmaMachines

In World War II, the German army effectively used modified Enigma

machines to communicate details of planned attacks on the Allies. Enigmamachinesreliedoncomplexencryptedcodestomakeitnearlyimpossibleforanyone without the codes to crack a message, even with another Enigmamachine!

Butin1941,theBritishdestroyerHMSBulldogcapturedaGermanU-boatthathadnotonlyanEnigma,butalsoall theneededcodescurrentlyusedbytheNazis. It isbelieved that thisevent shortened thewarbymanyyearsandsavedthousandsoflives.HungryinChina

ThelargestfamineinhumanhistorywastheGreatFamineofChina.Itis

estimated that between 1959 and 1961, some 30 million people starved todeath.Duringthistime,thepeoplemade“bread”fromakindofedibleearth.Butthissubstancewasdevoidofanynutrients,sothosewhoatetheloaveshadatemporarysensationofsatisfaction,yetdiedofmalnutrition.

Itisastarkreminderthatsomanyaretryingtofindreligiousfulfillmentinfaithsthathavenotruthinthem.ALongRun

Themarathonracederives itsname fromthe townofMarathon,Greece,

wherelegendhasitthatahometownrunnercarriednewstoAthensofGreece’svictoryoverthePersians.

This long footraceofmore than26miles requires extraordinaryphysicalenduranceandextremementaltoughness.Thecurrentrecordis justshyof2hoursand5minutes—underfiveminutespermile!

Christiansarenearingtheendofamarathonracetohelprescuetheworld.Weneedtobespirituallytoughandfleet-of-foottodoallwecantocrossthefinishlineasvictors!

…AndDidYouKnow?

IndiahasaBillofRightsforcows.

Coconutskillmorepeopleintheworldthansharks—approximately150people.

APoorSport

Ancient Roman coliseums hosted brutal blood sports in which slaves,

trainedtobefiercefighterscalledgladiators,wouldbattleoneanothertothedeath. Julius Caesar ordered large-scale exhibitions with 300 pairs ofcombatantsononeoccasion.ButtheEmperorTrajangavethelargestcontestofgladiatorsaspartofavictorycelebrationinA.D.107.Itfeaturedastaggering5,000pairsoffighters!

Andsometimes,toprovidespectatorsalittlemore“entertainmentthrill,”hungry wild animals were released into themix. The gladiators would thenhave tobattleoneanotherand the fangedcreatures.Despitenear-impossibleodds,theseslavesfoughtfiercelybecausetheyhadaglimmerofhope:Iftheycould survive the assaults of their fellow gladiators and wild animals, theemperor just might release them. The goal was simply to be the one leftstanding.

…AndDidYouKnow?

OnNovember29,2000,PopeJohnPaulIIwasnamedanHonoraryHarlemGlobetrotter.Onaverage,ahumanbeingwillspendtwoweekskissinginhis/herlifetime.

AxisandAllies

During World War II, resistance fighters in France believed the Nazi

occupation was temporary. These brave men and women fought hard andsufferedtorturewhencaptured,buttheycontinuedtheircampaignrelentlesslyagainstterribleodds,spurredonbythefaiththatsomedaysoonAlliedforceswouldarriveanddeliverFrancefromitscrueloppressors.

Butasdaysturnedintoweeks,andthenmonthsintoyears,somefightersgrewwearyoftheirlifeofconstantresistanceandhiding.Formany,itbegantoseemthat theAllieswouldnevercome—that theywere toobusy fighting theNazisonotherfronts.ItevenlookedasthoughFrancewouldforeverbeunderthecontroloftheenemy.

Intime,afewfreedomfightersfoundthatitwasmucheasiertocooperatewiththeGermans.Theyevenbegantomakefriendswiththeiroppressorsandtobetray their fellowFrenchmen in exchange for favors andposition.Then,suddenly, came D-Day. France was liberated, and the freedom fighters whoenduredtotheendwereheroes,andthetraitorswhocapitulatedwerepubliclyhumiliatedandevenkilled.

Could it be that final events in theChurchwill closely resemble those inFranceduringWorldWarII?CarnalMinded

Youmightbesurprisedto learnthat theword“carnival”comesfromthe

Latinword“carne,”whichmeansflesh.ThestorybehinditdatesbacktoaboutA.D. 400, when the great Coliseum of Rome was often packed with wildspectators who had come to view violent games. The bloody entertainmentconsistedofwatchinghumanbeingsandwildbeastsbattleoneanotheruntiloneortheotherwaskilled.Theassembledmultitudereveledinsuchsportand

roaredwithdelightwhenapersonwasslain.Ononesuchaday,whenthevastcrowdwaswatchingthegladiatorialshow

inthegreatarena,aSyrianmonkbythenameofTelemachusstoodup.Hewasdeeplygrievedandoutragedbytheutterdisregardforhuman life,andsoheleapedintothearenainthemidstofthebutcheryandboldlycriedout,“Thisthingisnotright!Thisthingmuststop!”Becausehewasinterferingwiththeirentertainment, the emperor of Rome commanded that Telemachus be runthroughwithasword.Thusthemonkdied.

Butthroughhisdeath,hekindledaflameintheheartsofthinkingpersons.Historyrecordsthatbecauseofhiscourageoussacrifice,withinafewmonthsthe gladiatorial combats began to decline and soon ceased altogether.Why?Becauseonemandaredtoboldlyspeakoutagainsttheevilcarnage.

TheBiblesays there isabattle ineveryperson’sheartbetweenthecarnalmindandtheSpirit.Whatwillwinyouheart’sbattle?

…AndDidYouKnow?

Theaveragepersonuses150gallonsofwateradayforpersonaluse.

Youshareyourbirthdaywithaleast9millionotherpeopleintheworld.

Theaveragepersonmakesabout1,140telephonecallseachyear.

GuardingaDeadRosebush

Years ago in the old Russian Empire, the ruling Czar Nicholas II was

strolling throughhis vastpalace gardenswhenhe cameupona lonely guardstanding at attention in a secluded corner of the greatmeandering gardens.“Whatareyouguarding?”askedtheinquisitiveruler.

“Totellyouthetruth,GreatSovereign,”repliedthesentry,“Ihavenoidea.However,thecaptainoftheguardorderedmetothispost.”

CzarNicholasthensummonedthecaptain,whoreplied,“GreatSovereign,thereareveryclearwrittenregulationsspecifyingthataguardbeassignedtothatprecisecorneratalltimes,andthishasalwaysbeendoneaslongasIcanremember.”

The curious Czar then ordered a search to find out why. The palacearchives finally yielded the answer: Years before, Catherine the Great hadplantedaspecialrosebushinthatcornerandshehadfirmlyorderedasentry

tobeposted there toguard it sonothingmightdisturbordamage it.Andahundredyearslater,eventhoughtherosebushhaddiedlongbefore,sentrieswere still guarding the barren corner of dirt, even though they had no ideawhy!

Traditionsof faithcanbeverybeautiful experiences,useful inpreservingvaluedidealshandeddownbyfamilyandculture.However,weshouldbewisein what we spend our time guarding! Many religions zealously defendtraditionsandritualseventhoughtheydonotknowwhattheymeanorwherethey came from—guarding barren ground. Jesus clearly warned that if anytraditionsorcustomsconflictwiththecommandmentsofGod,theyshouldbediscarded. “And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines thecommandmentsofmen.ForlayingasidethecommandmentofGod,youholdthetraditionofmen”(Mark7:7,8).BuriedAlive

OnSeptember29,2000,a46-year-oldRomanianfromthesmallvillageof

Braila was placed in his coffin. At the funeral home, grieving family andfriendsfiledpasttheopencaskettopaytheirlastrespects.However,beforehecould be buried, Ionel Olteanu “sprang to life” and walked back home.Neighbors were shocked to see Olteanu strolling the streets of the village—many fell to their knees and started praying. Doctors who had certifiedOlteanu dead aren’t sure what really happened, but they speculate that hemighthavefallenintoatemporarydiabeticcoma.

Didyouknowhistoryislitteredwithfrighteningexamplesofpeopleburiedalive, accidentally and deliberately? In 1896, T.M. Montgomery, whosupervised the moving of all the remains at the Fort Randall Cemetery,reported, “Nearly two percent of those exhumed appeared to be victims ofsuspendedanimation.”

On the islandof Iona, in the sixth century,oneofSt.Columbia’smonkswasdugup thedayafterhisburial and found tobealive.Legendhas it thatwhen Oran told his fellows he had seen heaven and hell, he was promptlyexecutedandre-interredongroundsofheresy.

Andinthelate16thcentury,thebodyofMatthewWallwasbeingloweredto his grave in Braughing, England, when one of the pallbearers tripped,causingtheotherstodropthecoffin,revivingthedeardeparted.Walllivedonfor severalmoreyears,dying in1595.He celebratedhis “resurrection” every

year.In the early 17th century, Marjorie Elphinstone died and was buried in

Ardtannies, Scotland.When grave robbers attempted to steal the jewelry offher body, the deceased scared the daylights out of them by groaning. Theterrifiedrobbers fled for their lives,andMarjorie revived,walkedhome,andoutlivedherhusbandbysixyears.

TheBibleaddressesanotherkindofprematureburial thathappenseveryday—whenpeoplearebaptizedbefore theyhavereally surrendered theirbadhabitstoChrist.AKing’sRansom

In1532,FranciscoPizarroand160ofhismenenteredtheheartoftheInca

Empireinsearchofgold.TheConquistadorseventuallyfoundtheirwayintothepresenceoftheyoungIncakingAtahuallpa.ASpanishfriartravelingwithPizarrothentoldtheIncamonarchthathispeoplemustrenouncetheirgods.WhenAtahuallpaaskedthemuponwhatauthoritytheymadethisdemand,theCatholichandedhimaBible.Atahuallpaheldthebooknexttohisear,tryingtolistentoitspages.Atlastheasked,“Whydoesn’tthebooksayanythingtome?”andhethrewitviolentlytotheground.TheSpanishusedthisinsultasanexcuse to attack andmassacre the crowds of unarmed people and arrest thehandsomeking.

It is astonishing to realizehowa small army likePizarro’s—withonly62horsemenand102 infantry—attackedand conquered an empireof at least 5million.Buthehadthelatesttechnologyindeadlyweapons.Guns,mechanicalcrossbows,andhorsesterrifiedthenatives.

ButKingAtahuallpa, believing that the Spanish really onlywanted gold,came up with a plan to free himself. He told Pizarro he would give for hisreleaseenoughgoldandsilvervesselstofillthreelargerooms.TheSpaniardsthoughtsuchanamountwasimpossible,butthegold-hungryPizarroagreed.

SoAtahuallpadecreedthathisrealmberansackedtofillone18-by-22-foot

room with gold, stacked to a height more than eight feet. In addition, twoequal-sizedroomswere filledwith silver.By July1533,more than24 tonsofexquisitetreasurehadbeencollected,worthatleast$267milliontoday.YettheSpaniardsdidnothonortheirpromise.TheykeptAtahuallpaimprisonedforanotheryearandthenkilledhim.

Howsadthatthelargestransomeverpaidforaman’sfreedomwasinvain!Sadderstill,therearemillionsofpeoplewhohavehadaking’sransompaidfortheirfreedomandtheychoosetoremaininprison!TheQueenMary

Builtintheearly1930s,theQueenMarywasthelargestshipintheworldin

hertime—evensurpassingtheTitanicinalmosteveryway.Formanyyears,shehad a rich history of transporting passengers with more than 1,000transatlanticcrossings.

ThenduringWorldWarII, thegreat ladybecameinstrumental insavinglives. She shuttled thousands of wounded soldiers returning to the UnitedStates and even carried up to 15,000 troops at one time. Servicing the wareffort, the Queen Mary traveled more than 600,000 miles and carried over800,000troops.OnehistoricjourneytoNewYorkinMayof1943includedthepassengerWinstonChurchilland5,000GermanPOWs.

In 1967, the city of Long Beach, CA, purchased the Queen Mary fromCunardLines.Sincethen,$63millionhasbeenspentonitsconversionintoatourist spot with shops, restaurants, and a hotel. Nowmany in Long Beachlookuponthegiantship,dockedontheoceanfrontanddominatingtheview,asafloatingwhiteelephant.Voicesarecallingfortheoldlinertobescrapped.

Withnopossibilityofsailingtheseas,theyclaimtheQueenMaryservesasfalse advertising; calling it a ship is really amisnomer. Even though it has abow,stern,bridgeandallthefeaturesofagreatship,ithasnodestination.Likemany churches today, it is a large floating museum—a resort filled withactivitythatneverleavesport.Stalingrad

In 1943 duringWorldWar II, theRussianmilitary defending Stalingrad

managedtosurroundHitler’ssixtharmy—thebesiegedbecamethebesiegers.In addition to a fierce bombing campaign, the Russians placed powerful

loudspeakerswithinthelisteningrangeofGermansoldiers.Anarrayofsoundtrickswasadopted,suchasthe“monotonoustickingofaclock”followedbyavoicesaying,“AGermandieseverysevensecondsontheEasternFront.”Thepropagandavoicethenintoned,“Stalingrad,massgraveofHitler’sarmy!”andthentangodancemusicwouldstartblaringacrosstheemptyfrozenwasteland.Demoralizedandstarved,91,000Germansoldierseventuallysurrendered.

…AndFinally!

Inayear,theaveragepersonwalksfourmilesmakinghisorherbed.

Inthelast4,000years,nonewanimalshavebeendomesticated.

InEngland,theSpeakeroftheHouseisnotallowedtospeak.

About11percentofthepeopleintheworldareleft-handed.

Untilthe19thcentury,solidblocksofteawereusedasmoneyinSiberia.

February1865istheonlymonthinrecordedhistorynottohaveafullmoon.Theaveragepersonspendsabouttwoyearsonthephoneinalifetime.

AUniqueandPowerfulWitnessingTool

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