DAWN Fridayfax 1996 #46

DAWN News from Russia/UK, World, Netherlands, Australia, France

Russia/UK: new gospel on old frequencies

Signs in the heavens: more than coincidence?

Netherlands: protests against inappropriate advertising have an effect

Australia: Aboriginals form their own council

France: 450 new churches planted in 5 years

Russia/UK: new gospel on old frequencies

In a historical irony, Russia has granted permission for a Christian radio evangelisation group to broadcast on frequencies previously used for spreading communist propaganda in Europe. "These frequencies were originally used in the days of Hitler and Stalin with the aim of spreading their 'gospel' in Europe. Observers view this as one of the greatest 'peace dividends' since the end of the cold war," says Gareth Littler, Managing Director of the United Christian Broadcasters of Europe. He continues: "Examining the frequency tables, I noticed that there were two Russian frequency bands which reached England but are now unused, so I flew to Moscow with Ian Mackie, one of the other founder members of UCB, to obtain permission to use these frequencies. We were granted permission - even free of charge." UCB is now setting up transmitters for the two medium wave and one short wave frequency slots in Britain. The two medium wave frequencies alone can reach 60 million people.

Source: Dan Wooding, ASSIST, and United Christian Broadcasters (UCB), Hanchurch, Stoke on Trent, Fax (44)-1782-641121.

Signs in the heavens: more than coincidence?

"God has set the sun, moon and stars in place to separate the days, the years and the seasons, but also to serve as signs," according to Genesis 1:14. "On the eve of Passover, Erev Pesach, this year, there was a total eclipse of the moon. The moon became as red as blood. This occurred a second time on the eve of Succoth, the Feast of Tabernacles.

The last time such a double event occurred was in the year that Herod the Great died," says the messianic Jew Lance Lambert. "On 13. September 1996, which was the eve of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, there occurred another unique astrological event: the constellation of Virgo had the moon under her feet and a 'crown' of twelve stars on her 'head'. This is," according to Lambert, "the first and only time in the history of the universe that this has occurred, and it reminds us of what it says in Revelation 12: 'A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.' John also saw another sign in the heavens, an enormous red dragon. There is another constellation called Draco, the dragon."

The Swedish intercessor Kjell Sjoberg, quoting the above, says "Astrology and horoscopes are a distortion of what God has spoken through the stars. The names of the stars in Virgo bear testimony to Jesus. Spica = the offspring, Vindemiatrix = the son to come, Subilon = the grain of wheat (which falls into the ground and dies), Zivijava = radiant glory (Isaiah 4:2). The prophetic revelation in heaven begins with the sign of Virgo, which is the first chapter in the Lamb's book. The message communicated through the stars is that a virgin will bear a son who will be called the offspring of the Lord."

Source: Lance Lambert, Kjell Sjoberg, fax (46)-8-582-46643

Netherlands: protests against inappropriate advertising have an effect

At the start of September 1996, the clothing company Mexx introduced a new perfume in the Netherlands. Their advertising consisted of a poster at bus stops, depicting a completely naked girl. As part of a protest event to which the press had been invited, one of the bus stops was completely covered in paper. After the advertising standards authority in Holland had been contacted, the advertising campaign was banned for 'inappropriate use' of nakedness.

Source: Christian News from CFT, fax (27)-32-4815507

Australia: Aboriginals form their own council

On 14th November 1996, a group of Christian leaders of the Aboriginals, Australia's indigenous people, met in Canberra and agreed "to take the future of their people into their own hands." Mr. Leonard McNally (New South Wales), Speaker of the newly-formed 14-member council, pointed out that similar projects in third-world countries had led to the indigenous peoples taking more responsibility and gaining influence. All members of the Aboriginal Leadership Council have been trained by the 'Haggai Institute', an organisation specialised in training Christian leaders. To date, the organisation has trained around 23,000 people from 143 countries.

Source: Rev. Leonard McNally Tel. (61)-69-421129, via Ramon A. Williams

France: 450 new churches planted in 15 years

Research conducted in France for AUBE 2000, the national evangelistic strategy group, by Action Recherche Croissance shows that almost 450 new Protestant/Evangelical churches were planted between 1980 and 1995. St. Peray's David Stevens, one of the people responsible for the research, says that this is "a clear sign that God is at work in this evangelistically neglected country." The study shows that there are presently 2,465 local Protestant churches in France - around one per 23,000 of the population.

According to Raymond Sanford of Action Recherche Croissance, his research indicates that 128 new churches have been planted in France in the last 5 years. In total, from 1980 to date, 466 new churches have been planted. 185 of those are traditional evangelical churches, 115 independent churches, and 75 Pentecostal churches. The other 91 new churches are spread across the whole theological spectrum. Some of them are reopened Reformed and Lutheran churches, "actually not planted churches," according to Sanford, "but these represent basically new bodies of believers."

Source: Raymond Sanford, David Stevens, 1, rue Paul Langevin, 07130 Saint Peray, France (E-mail: 101662.220@compuserve.com)

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