Yes, agreed, on the question.
------------------
BTS wrote re: China:
"Incidentally, an army of millions of sexually frustrated young men would probably be unstoppable."
FWIW, that very thing (millions of Chinese men w/o enough Chinese women to marry) is often the explanation by some Bible prophecy teachers for what will account for the "two hundred million" army of horsemen of Revelation 9:15,16 and the "kings from the East" of Rev. 16:12:
9:15,16: "So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horsemen [was] two hundred million; I heard the number of them."
16:12: "Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared."
----------
I don't know, though... if you continue reading chapter 9:17-19, it doesn't sound like a description of "normal" Chinese soldiers... unless they end up wearing lion/dragon-like military headpieces that can emit bursts of fire and smoke...
"And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses [were] like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. By these three [plagues] a third of mankind was killed -- by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails [are] like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm."
---------------------------------------
As for chapter 16:12, you know the WT used to say (and maybe still does-?) that the "Kings from the East" applies to "Jehovah and Jesus" but I don't buy that either. In this case I think it literally could be ALL of the "kings" from the ALL of the Eastern/Asian countries heading to the Valley of Megiddo for Armageddon.
---------------------------------------
Back to chapter 9:15,16, this author gives some interesting "logistics" problems as to why the 200 million army of horsemen cannot be a Chinese army: http://www.aoreport.com/mag/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=272&Itemid=6
But the Chinese army is growing just the same per this global elite Heritage Foundation report from 2007:
A Chinese Military Superpower?
http://www.heritage.org/Research/AsiaandthePacific/wm1389.cfm
And this current wiki article gives an idea of their current total personnel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Liberation_Army
[...]
"The PLA is the world's largest military force, with approximately 3 million members (see List of countries by number of total troops: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_total_troops ), and has the world's largest (active) standing army, with approximately 2.25 million members (see List of countries by number of active troops: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_active_troops ). The PLA comprises five main service branches consisting of the PLA Ground Force, PLA Navy (PLAN), PLA Air Force (PLAAF), Second Artillery Corps (strategic nuclear or missile force), and the PLA Reserved Force."
[...]
vs. this older report from year 2000:
http://www.comw.org/cmp/fulltext/iddschina.html
[...]
" In 2000, the total estimated personnel strength of the Chinese military is 2.5 million, of which 1.8 million are in service with the PLA (ground forces)."
[...]
Anyway you look at it, 7 million max army personnel at present for China is a long way from 200 million, even if you combined ALL of the military personnel from ALL of the Eastern/Asian countries (which I don't feel like doing, but here's China alone)...
People's Republic of China, per wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_active_troops
China's Armed Forces, CSIS (Page 24), (PDF) (2006-07-25):
Active Service Personnel - 2,255,000
Reserve Force - 800,000
Paramilitary - 3,969,000
Total - 7,024,000
You could then add the Republic of China/Taiwan:
Republic of China (Taiwan)
290,000
1,653,500
22,000
Total: 1,965,000
Those two combined only brings it up to approx. 9 million.
----------
And LOL at ninja.
abbagail
JoinedPosts by abbagail
-
23
Are we entering a new era?
by BurnTheShips in19 december 2008situation report: global economy, december 2008filed under: post-wwii era, end of tags: financial crisis, napoleon, peak oil, transition, treaty of paris, wwi, wwii fabius maximus @ 5:00 am this is a situation report on the global economy.
speculation, attempting to find order from the confusing and rapidly-changing datastream.. the roots of this crisis lie in the cumulative decisions of us all collectively over the past 3 decades.the problem grew to become major problem as a result of regulatory decisions made over the past decade or so.we passed the last exit during the 2001 recession, with the governments decision to supercharge credit expansion instead of allowing a natural recession to rebalance the economy (as volker did in 1980-82).the financial crisis ignited in december 2006 with the collapse of the mortgage brokers.it became a conflagration as a result of the governments ad hoc response, incremental steps taken into the void without a plan.the financial crisis hit the real world in fall 2008, a cardiac arrest of global economic activity.so far main street has experienced only the fore-quakes, the tremors before the main event.i suspect it will hit during the next few months.the defining characteristic of this downturn is the unexpected breaking of links in the economic machinery.
home prices crash far beyond anything seen since the 1903s.
-
-
abbagail
-
27
Buried in Snow
by Mulan inwe had a major snowstorm last night, to add to the week of snow we've been having off and on.
temperatures wayyyy below freezing.. i took this photo from the living room window.
you can barely see our steps.
-
-
abbagail
Thanks for all the SNOW photos! Gorgeous! Nothing as beautiful as untouched snow glistening like diamonds in the morning sun... I miss it...
...BUT nine months of snow is a bit long to endure... gorgeous or no... when I lived in Aspen '75-'80, it was gorgeous Summer, Fall, Winter (Spring was melted yuk), but you only got about three months of Non-snow with nine-months OF snow. If it could be half and half (six months of each) I'd move back in a second... ($$$ would be needed for that, of course... super expensive there).
FLA, as jaguarbass says, is one big bore, weatherwise, and way Tooooooooo Hot for nine months vs. three months of reprieve (or at least it's more "bearable" for about three months). And hurricanes, NO THANKS, the three in 2004 were enough for a lifetime. ;-/ -
54
Last bookstudy group this week I think there will be great sadness in the
by eyeslice intuesday sees the last group bookstudy for many.
i know the group that my wife attends will be having a bit of a party afterwards.
even my son ,who is 17 and has not attended the meetings for the past 6 months, says he wants to go on tuesday.
-
-
abbagail
I guess I'm the oddball... I NEVER liked attending the BS in PRIVATE homes, all cramped and crowded in someone's living room, or forced to sit in a "circle" and have to "stare at each other." 8-/
When they finally began an afternoon BS at the KH (back in the 1980s), I loved that! Just a small group, we all sat near the front, but there was "room to breathe" and you didn't feel "obligated" to "hang around afterward" like you did when it was a private home. Also, since I worked at night, it "freed up" the constant struggle of getting in enough hours vs. attending meetings.
--------
As for what/where the JWs are supposed to meet now when "the enemy strikes," I guess there will be some announcement about that? I would think it would make JWs very nervous to no longer have that long-standing-panic-arrangement. -
25
Would you throw a shoe at the governing body?
by Witness 007 ingeorge bush had a shoe thrown at him as a middle eastern sign of disrespect, so would you throw one at ted jaracz and what would you yell before the bethel heavy's grab you?
if it missed they would claim "jehovah's protection.".
"that's for the 1914 generation!"......
-
-
abbagail
That is a hysterical headline you created, lol.
Throwing your old bookbag full of WT lit might make more of an "impact."
;-) -
10
It's not as dangerous to live in California as some may think
by mrsjones5 in"death map" shows heat a big hazard to americans"the most dangerous places to live are much of the south, because of the heat risk, the hurricane coasts and the great plains states with their severe weather, cutter said.. the south central united states is also a dangerous area, with floods and tornadoes.. california is relatively safe, they found.".
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081217/hl_nm/us_death_usa.
i have no fear about moving back home to california.
-
-
abbagail
I would love to live in CA, love the weather, no humidity, cool, dry -- at least when I was there for a short while, north of San Fran ...
but isn't it severely expensive? And I heard it is THE most regulated state in the nation... (Strategic Relocation book, Joel Skousen).
Somewhere in the mountains would be my next choice, Idaho maybe, I dunno...
As for that article, agree 100000000000000000000 % about THE HEAT! BLAHHHHHHHHHHHH!
I am totally ANTI-HEAT, despise it. I quit going out probably 4-5 years ago, at least for the LONG horrid humid Florida summers that last 3/4's of the year. Can't stand it. Drippy dippy sweaty, miserable. Heat is very draining. -
40
question on atheism vs. god
by bonnzo ini am, for now a witness on the outside, and still believe in god most of the time.
i have read dawkins "the god delusion", found it pretty interesting and helped me understand why athiests believe the way they do.
but i always have questions.....one that really bothers me about deism is the thought that god has always existed and always will, had no beginning and no end.
-
-
abbagail
hehe ink. I don't mind a God with a backbone.
-
50
And UGLY response to a Christmas Card!
by LovesDubs inboy..just when i thought things couldnt get weirder in my life...i spent a whole day designing a christmas newsletter with colorful pictures and stories about what my kids and family have been doing, and the election and you know...year end things and greetings, to send out.
i do this every year.
this year i had to file bankruptcy in august and decided to email the newsletter to save money.
-
-
abbagail
I would love to have the father's nasty email read to a nationwide audience on Dr. Phil!
Not because I think Dr. Phil is the be all to end all, but he DOES teach the willy nilly men that end up on his show that it is ALWAYS their responsibility to stand up for their wives to their parent, and vice versa if it's the wife's parent.
I'm not fond of lilly livered men... knew one for tooooo long.
The FIL has a bad case of ego-arro-gance. -
328
Jesus Is Jehovah/Jehovah Is Jesus
by snowbird inhttp://www.str.org/site/news2?page=newsarticle&id=5725.
i fought against this with all my wts-trained power, but truth prevailed.. any way you cut it, it comes out the same.. peace and strength in your search.. sylvia.
-
-
abbagail
"However, 1x1x1 does equal 1."
Heehee, I like that! -
40
question on atheism vs. god
by bonnzo ini am, for now a witness on the outside, and still believe in god most of the time.
i have read dawkins "the god delusion", found it pretty interesting and helped me understand why athiests believe the way they do.
but i always have questions.....one that really bothers me about deism is the thought that god has always existed and always will, had no beginning and no end.
-
-
abbagail
"When I realized I could never love and worship a being that would put me to death if I didn't worship him..."
Therefore, if you choose not to worship Him, which He doesn't force anyone to do so, but the fact is, you will be alive forever, so He has to put you "somewhere."
He would rather "put you" with Himself in glory for all eternity, but since you don't want that, then He will abide by our wishes and "put you" somewhere else.
God is a gentleman, contrary to popular opinion. -
328
Jesus Is Jehovah/Jehovah Is Jesus
by snowbird inhttp://www.str.org/site/news2?page=newsarticle&id=5725.
i fought against this with all my wts-trained power, but truth prevailed.. any way you cut it, it comes out the same.. peace and strength in your search.. sylvia.
-
-
abbagail
Hey, wow, sacolton! That's it! Thanks! and a NICE BIG SIZE, too, which is readable. The one I got from Mouthy's friend was small and the print was tiny.
Everybody take a peek at the chart sacolton posted, for a bunch of scripture references on this subject: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dTSEBZ7tOe0/SKaeSl1fouI/AAAAAAAAARU/-ivAk8BAnwM/s1600-h/CetnarWheel.JPG
