ARTICLES - HOT OFF THE FAGGOT

AI Autos: Leave the Driving to Us

Amplify’d from www.wired.com

AI Autos: Leave the Driving to Us



  • By Joe Brown Email Author


Crash avoidance and automatic parking are just the start.—Tomorrow's cars will be brains on wheels.

Crash avoidance and automatic parking are just the start. Tomorrow's cars will be brains on wheels.
Photo: Mauricio Alejo

The 200-mile trip from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe can be a frustrating slog in the wintertime traffic on Interstate 80. Speeds in the fast lane swing from 90 to 30 for no discernible reason. Slow, fast, faster, slow. Hit rush hour in Sacramento—or Donner Pass on a snowy day—and you’ll see the speedometer’s needle tapping the 10 mph mark like a woodpecker on a tasty log.




Stick-shift drivers collapse with dead legs on the side of the road; even the P-R-N-D crowd can be seen massaging their sore knees at roadside burger joints and woodsy rest stops.




Not me. I’m playing the license plate game and humming through playlists with a few friends, happy and comfortable in a borrowed Mercedes-Benz S550, a luxury sedan that’s currently justifying the pants off its $100,000 window sticker. We’re bopping through the same unpredictable range of velocities as everyone else, but I haven’t touched a pedal in hours.









Fraud Detection


The neural nets are watching.



Credit card fraud costs US merchants and credit card companies more than $3.4 billion a year. That figure would undoubtedly be much higher without the use of computer surveillance systems to monitor every transaction.




One of the most proven antifraud systems is FICO’s Falcon Fraud Manager, which keeps tabs on more than 4 billion transactions a month and uses lightning-fast neural networks to scan for suspicious purchase patterns. Neural networks were originally designed to mimic human gray matter. Over time, however, the technology has moved far beyond brain simulation to become a basic building block of many computer systems capable of learning and pattern recognition. The networks typically consist of layers of interconnected “neurons,” each of which produces a signal only when its input exceeds a certain threshold. Though the individual neurons are simple, the net as a whole can learn to recognize complex patterns of inputs.




The Falcon system specializes in detecting things a human would never notice. For example, if you use your card to buy a tank of gas and then go directly to a jewelry store to make a purchase, your account will almost surely be flagged, especially if you’re not a person who buys a lot of bling. The reason: Over years of correlating variables, testing, and learning, the system has noticed that a criminal’s first stop after stealing a credit card is often a gas station. If that transaction goes through, the thief knows the card hasn’t yet been reported as stolen and heads off on a spending spree—often at some high-priced retailer.


—J.S.









The Benz is doing most of the driving, keeping us a comfortable distance from the cars ahead with its next-gen cruise-control system. The core of the setup is a pair of radar emitters—a narrow-banded one that pings vehicles up ahead and a wide-angle unit that watches the rest of the traffic and keeps a sharp eye out for jackasses weaving into our lane. All that locational info is fed to the car’s vehicle control unit, a computer that smoothly modulates the brakes and throttle to keep us moving with traffic. The driver specifies a maximum speed, and the car does its best to hit that number—without hitting anything else.




The first time you let the car do its thing is a magically scary experience: You see the cars ahead closing at a rate that activates the “I’m going too fast” reflex; your foot hovers over the brake pedal as your frontal cortex strenuously attempts to override your survival instinct. Cognitively, you know that this system has been meticulously tested by obsessive German engineers who would never let an unsafe car cross the threshold of their shiny factory.




And then, just as you’re contemplating the various safety regulations the car must have complied with on its way to the dealership, you feel yourself slowing—gently, autonomously, in perfect control. The cold cannonball in your gut turns back into warm muscle, and you chuckle softly to yourself for being so silly as to doubt such a well-engineered system. Getting used to these autonomous systems takes time. It turns out that we have to adapt to the machines more than they have to adapt to us.




Cruise control is just the most obvious sign of a particular kind of AI that has been accelerating for decades. Think about it: Antilock brakes know when to back off the pedal. Airbags know that you just smacked into something. Stability control knows that you just overcooked your Volvo into that hairpin and need a little help to stay out of the ditch. Your nav system knows where you are, your wipers know it’s raining, that annoying seat-belt chime knows you’re flouting the law. In short, modern cars are loaded with sensors and computing power. The 2011 Chevy Volt, for example, runs on some 10 million lines of code—more than Lockheed Martin’s new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.




The marquee innovation that made intelligent cruise control possible is the drive-by-wire throttle: the introduction of motor skills to the automotive body. The throttle is a flap that lets air and fuel enter the engine. In the conventional setup, it’s linked to the gas pedal by a thin metal cable threaded through a grooved wheel. But many newer cars have done away with the cable. Instead, there is a sensor on the gas pedal and a small electric motor on the throttle. Step on the accelerator and an electrical impulse travels to the computer, telling it how far the pedal is depressed; the computer then tells that little electric motor how wide to open the flap. Electronics and software are mediating the whole process. Voilà You’re driving by wire.




Of course, by-wire technology isn’t just for throttles. The same exquisitely sensitive actuation systems are finding their way into brakes and steering as well. And where there are electronically controlled systems, there are sensors and software and processors that can command them. In other words, by-wire technology is paving the way to truly smart cars.




Drive-by-wire didn’t start in the automotive industry. It’s a descendant of an aerospace technology called, yes, fly-by-wire. The first aircraft to fly with it—a Canadian fighter jet called the Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow—took off in 1958. Most of the pilot’s controls, from the elevators to the rudders, were triggered electronically.




The advantages—instantaneous response and lighter weight—were compelling: Within a few decades, many commercial airliners were using fly-by-wire technology. It made every aircraft from the Concorde to the Boeing 777 possible and was integral to improving autopilot systems—including those that can land a plane. It’s nice to have Captain Sullenberger on board, but he’s only needed on special occasions.




The by-wire throttle first made its way into cars in 1988, in the BMW 750iL, and it now makes radar-assisted cruise control possible in any number of Fords, Lincolns, Volvos, Jaguars, and Mercedes. Some hybrids rely on it to switch nimbly between gas and electric power.

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How to Capture the Sun in a Beer Can

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How to Capture the Sun in a Beer Can

This sun-streaked image comes from the easiest, yet most time-intensive DIY astrophotography project ever: solargraphy.

Solargraphs trace the seasons by exposing a sheet of photosensitive paper to sunlight for up to a year. The bright arches in this image mark the sun’s path across the sky in Middleburg, the Netherlands, from the summer solstice to the winter solstice.

Amateur astronomer and photographer Jan Koeman slipped a piece of photographic paper into an empty beer can, poked a hole in the can with a pin, and suspended the makeshift camera in the garden from July to December. The sun’s daily tracks, high in the summer and low in the winter, were etched onto the paper. Sometimes the tracks were interrupted by clouds, and some rainy days are missing entirely.

“Solargraphy is very basic photography. And it is a combination of art, science and chemistry,” Koeman said in an e-mail to Wired.com. “Everyone can do it, and the camera (empty tin) is for free!”

Images: Jan Koeman

See Also:

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Inflatable Doll Blamed For Minor Crash

Amplify’d from www.wgal.com

Inflatable Doll Blamed For Minor Crash

Driver Spotted Doll Lying In Road Last Week

BOILING SPRINGS, Pa. -- Officials in Cumberland County said a blow-up doll is responsible for a minor car crash last week.

A motorist was rear-ended Tuesday when he stopped suddenly after spotting what he thought was a person lying in the road Tuesday in South Middleton Township, Cumberland County, state police said.

The person turned out to be an inflatable doll, investigators said.

Both drivers and a passenger were wearing their seat belts. No injuries were reported.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Pope: Europe Must Strengthen Catholic Roots


Pope: Europe Must Strengthen Christian (Catholic) Roots

This article comes from the Vatican Information Service blog.
Europe Must Strengthen Its Christian Roots



VATICAN CITY, 31 DEC 2010 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a Letter to Archbishop Julian Barrio Barrio of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, to marks today's closing of the Compostela Holy Year.



  The people who have made the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela during the course of this year "must return to their homes as the disciples of Emmaus returned to Jerusalem", the Pope writes. "We cannot be credible witnesses of God if we fail to collaborate with men and women and to serve them. This service to profound understanding and to the courageous defence of man is an evangelical requirement and an essential contribution that we, as Christians, can make to society".



  Addressing himself in particular to the young, "whom I will have the joy to meet next year in Madrid for World Youth Day", the Pope invites them to let themselves "be attracted by Christ, establishing a frank and serene dialogue with Him and asking themselves: Will the Lord be able to rely on me to be His apostle in the world, to be His messenger of love? May your response not be lacking in generosity, nor in the enthusiasm which led St. James to follow his Master with no concern for the sacrifices involved".



  The Holy Father then goes on to encourage seminarians "to identify themselves increasingly with Jesus, Who calls them to work in His vineyard. The priestly vocation is an admirable gift of which we should be proud, because the world needs people completely dedicated to making Jesus Christ present, shaping their lives and their activities around Him, daily repeating His words and gestures with humility, so as to be His image in the flock entrusted to their care".



  "As I conserve in my heart the recollection of my happy stay in Santiago de Compostela, I ask the Lord that the forgiveness and the aspiration to sanctity which have developed during this Compostela Holy Year may, under the guidance of St. James, help to make the redeeming Word of Jesus Christ present in that particular Church and in all of Spain. May this light", he concludes, "also be perceptible in Europe, as an incessant call to strengthen its Christian roots and thus increase its commitment to solidarity and the defence of man's dignity".
Read more at thevaticanlobby.blogspot.com
 

Pope Invites Religious Leaders to World Summit


Pope Invites Religious Leaders to World Summit

This article comes from the Catholic News Agency.
Benedict XVI calls religious leaders to renew commitment to peace



Vatican City, Jan 1, 2011 / 01:28 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Pope invited religious leaders from around the world to Assisi, Italy to renew their commitment to peace.



Pope Benedict announced plans for the peace summit in his words before the Angelus on Jan. 1. The October gathering will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the first World Day of Prayer for Peace, reported Vatican Radio.



The Pope's announcement came shortly after suicide bombers in Egypt killed 21 Coptic Christians leaving Mass on Jan. 1.



In addition to calling for the October meeting, Benedict XVI asked Catholics to pray “for peace throughout the world.”



“I invite all of you to join in heartfelt prayer to Christ the Prince of Peace for an end to violence and conflict wherever they are found.”



The Pontiff then prayed that those gathered receive “God’s abundant blessings” in 2011.
Read more at thevaticanlobby.blogspot.com
 

How to Make Sure Your Church Is Boring!

Amplify’d from www.christianpost.com

How to Make Sure Your Church Is Boring!

By Perry Noble|Christian Post Guest Columnist

I know some people do not agree with me…but I FIRMLY believe that church should not be a boring place…because…

The Bible is NOT boring–the teachings of God’s Word are more relevant and exciting that anything on the planet.

Jesus was NOT boring – to see His life lived out in the Scriptures AND to see WHO HE IS should inspire AWE, not apathy!

Our message is NOT boring – Jesus was DEAD, came BACK TO LIFE and offers us the same opportunity, to cross over from death to life and be reconciled to God.

The Book of Acts is NOT boring – there is NOWHERE in the book of Acts that ritual replaced relationship!

If the tomb is empty, Jesus is alive and HOPE is possible then HIS church should reflect that.

BUT…if you want to make sure your church is boring, here are Eight Simple Steps…

#1 – There has GOT to be apathetic leadership – Seriously, the leaders in the church MUST be obsessed with not rocking the boat and pursuing personal comfort!

#2 – There CANNOT be a desire to reach people far from God! Seriously, new birth can bring excitement to a church, which is NOT what people in pursuit of boredom desire. SO…don’t focus on the Gospel…instead teach lots of history lessons and talk about things that very few people actually care about. This will keep people far from God away from your group of people, thus not messing up the chemistry in your holy huddle. WHATEVER you do…DO NOT talk about the Gospel…it changes people!!!

#3 – DO NOT call for ANY type of commitment from ANYONE–EVER! People MUST be allowed to come and go as they please…and must NEVER be made to feel uncomfortable under any type of circumstances. If people begin responding to God it will increase the excitement level, which cannot happen in a boring place.

#4 – Always be predictable. Do the same songs at the same times, pray the same prayers and make SURE that people can look at their watch at any point in the service and know exactly what’s coming next.

#5 – Make excuses when things are done poorly! WHATEVER you do…do NOT address the obvious issues that are right under your nose. In fact, if you will simply criticize any church or ministry that IS seeing success it will take the attention off of your dysfunction and allow you to maintain the current state of your church.

#6 – PLEASE make sure not to make ANY type of references to culture in your church services. If you want to have a boring church then you’ve GOT to make people believe that the lives they live Monday through Saturday and then the life they live on Sunday are two separate things. You cannot teach that Scripture speaks to culture…because if people begin making that connection then they will begin to experience what Jesus promised in John 10:10!

#7 – You’ve GOT to allow people to pretend that their lives are perfect! Seriously, if someone has a problem then you must either put them out of your church OR tell them to act as if they are perfect. If people begin to bring their junk to your church and Jesus begins to help them work through it and they get delivered from it…your church cannot maintain its boring status.

#8 – You MUST focus on the external and NOT the internal. Make the way people dress the MOST important issue…and the way they LIVE a non-issue!!!

Perry Noble is the founding and senior pastor of NewSpring Church which has campuses in Anderson, Columbia, Florence, and Greenville, South Carolina. At ten years old, the church averages over 10,000 people across all campuses. You can find Perry online at perrynoble.com or on twitter @perrynoble.
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Crime Miracle? 6-Year-Old Boy Survives After Dad Stabs Him 20+ Times

Amplify’d from www.theblaze.com

Crime Miracle? 6-Year-Old Boy Survives After Dad Stabs Him 20+ Times

A Tampa, FL dad has been arrested after police say he stabbed his 6-year-old son over 20 times during a New Year’s celebration.

Miraculously, the boy survived and the father has been charged with attempted murder. The AP reports:

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Xavier Thomas, 23, had been watching New Year’s Eve fireworks with relatives late Friday. When the fireworks were over, Thomas took his son, also named Xavier, to a play area in the apartment complex.

About a half hour later, Thomas returned without the boy. The Sheriff’s Office says Thomas fled on foot when relatives asked about the boy.

The family called authorities.

Deputies say the blood-covered child appeared from the play area as they arrived.

The Sheriff‘s Office says none of the child’s wounds were life-threatening.

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Crime ‘Destructive’ Teen Mob Shuts Down Large Milwaukee Mall

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Crime ‘Destructive’ Teen Mob Shuts Down Large Milwaukee Mall

A popular Milwaukee-area mall had to be shut down early on Sunday after groups of unruly teenagers ransacked a store and people reported gunfire outside.


The incident, which one local news station dubbed a “melee,” occurred at Mayfair Mall in the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa.

“What occurred this afternoon appears to be a group of youth intent on disrupting the shopping experience at Mayfair. The safety and security of our visitors are always our top priority. This behavior is isolated and we will not condone it,” Mayfair Senior General Manager Steve Smith said in an e-mail statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“To assist police earlier in identifying and apprehending suspects, we made the decision to close the mall shortly before our regular closing time,” Smith wrote. “We anticipate there will be consequences as a result of what happened today.”

WTMJ news interviewed one of the teen’s who said they were “just trying to have fun”:

The Sentinel reports the incident may have started after a shopper was accused of shoplifting:

Shafi said a Boston Store clerk told her that the incident occurred after a girl was accused of retail theft and the fracas spilled over into Boston Store.

“Her friends followed her and the security guard into the store, screaming, barking, yelling, and knocking over racks and displays. We were invited to stay and continue shopping,” Shafi said in an e-mail. “But we decided to leave through the exit where police guards surrounded the building. The salespeople who stuck around were immensely professional and comforting as well.”

Laura Hughes was in the Barnes & Noble bookshop when she heard screaming and the sound of a large group of people running. She walked out the second floor of the bookseller and “saw large sums of teenagers running towards Boston Store and going down the escalators to the first level. Mall security had been chasing some of the kids, followed by police officers, who were literally herding the kids downstairs.”

People eating in the food court noticed lights dimming and going out before seeing security officers walking around.

Another shopper said she saw a group of young people flow out of the food court area on the mall’s second floor and saw a security officer blow his whistle but no one reacted because the noise from the kids was much louder than the whistle. She said the kids were mostly young girls.

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Crime NJ Town Sees 6 Shootings in 5 Hours

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Crime NJ Town Sees 6 Shootings in 5 Hours

New Jersey has some of the strictest gun laws in the country. Those laws, apparently, aren’t having much of an affect on criminals in the town of Jersey City. That’s where, during a five-hour span on New Year’s Eve, the town averaged over one shooting an hour.

“We had a perfect storm,” Jersey City Police Chief Thomas Comey told the Jersey Journal. “Alcohol and gunpowder don’t mix.”

The Journal reports “cops arrested two people and recovered two illegal handguns after responding to six shooting incidents that resulted in five gunshot victims hospitalized between 11:40 p.m. Friday and 4:45 a.m. Saturday.”

NJ.com details the shootings:

Friday, 11:40 p.m.: A 16-year-old boy was shot three times in the stomach and once in the back on Grant Avenue by two men with handguns, according to Jersey City Police Department spokesman Lt. Edgar Martinez. Yesterday, the boy was listed in stable condition at an area hospital, officials said.

Saturday, 2:04 a.m.: Police arrested Rashauon Johnson, 31, of Fulton Avenue in Jersey City, who was shot in the abdomen during a shootout outside Brenda’s Place at 269 Ocean Ave., police said. Johnson, who remained hospitalized last night, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, and various weapons related charges, officials said.

2:23 a.m.: Police met a 21-year-old Irvington man at a Virginia Avenue house who had been shot in both hips. Witnesses said he had been involved in an argument with other men, according to reports.

2:59 a.m.: Police were called to help a 26-year-old victim who was standing on the sidewalk on Bidwell Avenue near Ocean Avenue with a non-life threatening gunshot in the left buttock, police said.

4:09 a.m. Saturday, police responded to a hotel room with at least 6 guests at the Candlewood Suites Hotel on Second Street where a 20-year-old Gates Avenue man sustained a non-life threatening gunshot wound in the right thigh. The victim told police that one of the male guests shot him in the leg while he was in the bathroom with the shooter and his brother. Police reports didn’t explain yesterday what the three men were doing in the bathroom together.

4:45 a.m.: At 254 Halladay St., police officers heard five gunshots and saw a muzzle flash from a window of the building, police said. Inside, officers found an aggravated assault victim bleeding from the face, mouth and head. The man had been beaten, not shot, police said. Police searched a top-floor apartment where they found a loaded Cobray M-11 9 mm handgun.

Last month, when confronted with the idea that criminals don’t abide by gun laws, a CNN panelist suggested more aggressive gun laws as a remedy.

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The Key to the King of the North

Amplify’d from sabbathsermons.com

The Key to the King of the North

Daniel 11:40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.


Who invaded Egypt at the time of the end 1798?  The French under the leadership of Napoleon. On the 5th of March following, Bonaparte received the decree of the Directory relative to the expedition against Egypt. He left Paris May 3 and set sail from Toulon the 29th, with a large naval armament consisting of 500 sail, carrying 40,000 soldiers and 10,000 sailors. July 5, Alexandria was taken, and immediately fortified.   Did the king of the south (Egyptian Mamelukes) push at him (Napoleon)?  In the battle of the pyramids the Mamelukes contested the field against the French. In the vision of Daniel 11 and 12 the king of the south is in all cases the kingdom that occupies Egypt the land south of Palestine.  The time of the end in all cases being the year 1798 and the king of the north in all cases being the power that occupies Egypt. In Daniel 11:5-15 the power occupying Egypt was the Ptolemaic dynasty.  In Dan 11:25 it was the Roman Power under the leadership of Mark Antony and Cleopatra.  While in Dan 11:40 it was the Mamelukes who ruled Egypt as a kingdom of the Ottoman Sultan.  This leads to the conclusion that the king of the north must be whatever power occupies the territories of Asia Minor, Syria and Mesopotamia (the land North of Palestine).  In Dan 11:6-15 it was the Seleucid dynasty while in Dan 11:40 it was the Ottoman Turks.


The key to the king of the north is Daniel 11:40;


Daniel 11:40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.


Who in 1798 declared war upon the French in Egypt?  The Ottoman Turks declared war on them.


…on September 2 of this same year, 1798, the sultan of Turkey, under feelings of jealousy against France, artfully fostered by the English ambassadors at Constantinople, and exasperated that Egypt, so long a semi-dependency of the Ottoman empire, should be transformed into a French province, declared war against France. Thus the king of the north (Turkey) came against him (France) in the same year that the king of the south (Egypt) “pushed,” and both “at the time of the end:” which is another conclusive proof that the year 1798 is the year which begins that period.


Did Napoleon attack Ottomans?  Yes in Syria.


At the time of the end in 1798 the Ottoman Turks occupied the territory of the king of the north.


Is it possible for the King of the north to be papacy?


What happened to papacy at the time of the end? The pope was made prisoner.


General Berthier by order of the French directory, moved against the dominions of the pope in January 1798.  Feb 10 he affected an entrance into the self styled Eternal City and on the 15th of the same month proclaimed the establishment of the Roman Republic.  The Pope, after this deprivation of his authority, was conveyed to France as a prisoner, and died at Vlanace Aug 29 1799.


What happened to the power of the papacy after 1798?  The power of the papacy was greatly diminished.


Stripped of his power, both civil and ecclesiastical, the captive pope, Pius Vl, died in exile at Valence in France, Aug. 29, 1799. But the deadly wound was healed when the papacy was re- established, though with a diminution of its former power, by the election of a new pope, March 14, 1800. (See Bower’s History of the Popes, pp. 404-428; Croly on the Apocalypse, London edition, p. 251.)


At the time specified 1798, is it possible for the papacy to be the ‘king of the north’?  The papacy cannot possibly be the king of the north because in 1798 the papacy had fallen and thereafter its power had been greatly diminished.  It neither had armies nor any dominion.  How could it possibly make war like a whirlwind against the least nation?


What will be the eventual outcome for the king of the north?


Daniel 11:45 he shall come to his end and none shall help him.


Have the prophecies of Dan almost reached their final fulfilment?  They are almost complete.


We have no time to lose. The world is stirred with the spirit of war. The prophecies of the eleventh of Daniel have almost reached their final fulfilment.  {RH, November 24, 1904 par. 8}


What powers currently occupy the territory of the king of the north?  Turkey, Syria and Iraq.


The whole reason why Jesus says he comes as a thief is because of how probation closes suddenly and only the wise will be aware it is closing and others won’t have been aware as they aren’t ‘watching’ for that sign of Daniel 11:45.  The watching part is Daniel 11 as it is just before 12:1 When Jesus stands up/the time of trouble which says AND AT THAT TIME.


To “stand up” means to take the kingdom, or to reign (Dan 11:2,3). Christ is presently reigning in association with His Father on the throne of universal dominion (Eph 1:20-22; Rev 3:21). Christ gives up the universal throne (1 Cor 15:24) when He receives the kingdom of those redeemed from sin. Christ will then stand up at the end of His High Priestly ministry and put on the Kingly garments of vengeance (Isa 59:16,17), and the seven last plagues will be poured out on the earth.


Today, the Ottoman Empire no longer exists and the modern nations of the Moslem World (most importantly Turkey, Syria and Iraq) now occupy the territory of the king of the north. Dan 11:45 seems to indicate that these nations will support the Palestinians to occupy Jerusalem and declare it their capital. This would raise tensions to the point of war. The Western powers would then be drawn into a conflict in the Middle East that would result in a catastrophic end of the Moslem nations (Turkey, Syria and Iraq) north of Palestine. With the destruction of these nations, will come the close of mankind’s probation. (Dan 12:1).


Further to this we can add Rev 16:12 which describes the consumption of the Moslem nations (Turkey, Syria and Iraq) that now occupy the watershed of the Euphrates River. The drying up of the waters of this river represents desolation of the peoples of the region.


I have been instructed to warn our people; for many are in danger of receiving theories and sophistries that undermine the foundation pillars of the faith. {1SM 196.4}


This is one of those subjects which is held in great conflict of argument in the Seventh Day Adventist church which they are no longer adhering to which what they once proclaimed in the book of Daniel and the Revelation.  They have an argument with Uriah Smith and the King of the north. Sometimes I wonder how much of the book of Daniel and the Revelation that Seventh Day Adventists do accept as they don’t accept the king of the north, the daily nor the sealing of the 144,000.  How much of the book of Daniel are we going to accept when Sr White says this book has the truth for this time?  Sr White plainly identifies that Uriah Smiths book is the book we are to go by.


Of all the books that have come forth from the press, those mentioned are of the greatest consequence in the past and at the present time. I know that “Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation” has done a great work in this country. {PH079 10.2}


In Daniel and the Revelation, there is precious instruction. These books must be regarded as of special importance, and every effort should be made to get them before the people.–Letter 229, 1903.  {Ev 366.3}


When the King of the North comes to his end (Daniel 11:45) Michael (Jesus) stands up straight away and probation closes.


Daniel 11:45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.  12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.


The King of the North was the Ottoman Empire centred in Turkey which controlled all the Arab nations. When the Ottoman Empire lost its power it was still the Arab world – the king of the north. The papacy comes to its end when Jesus literally comes back – not before probation closes.  By then it’s too late as probation has already closed. When the papacy finally does come to its end the whole world will realise they have been deceived.


Revelation 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army (Armageddon, sixth plague).


19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.


19:21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.


Revelation 18:18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What [city is] like unto this great city!


18:19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.


18:20 Rejoice over her, [thou] heaven, and [ye] holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.


18:21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast [it] into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.


Daniel 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.


The Eastern Question by Ellen White;


http://sabbathsermons.com/2010/06/05/what-did-ellen-white-say-about-the-eastern-question/


 

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