"Last Days"

William Shannon Sun, 06 Aug 2000 11:02:46 -0700

<HTML>The New World
Order, Prophecy, and the Last Days: 
A critical review of talks given by Barry Smith 
By Michael J. Rush 
Occult and demonic forces are undermining world governments, heralding the Day of
Judgement of biblical infamy. At least, according to the New Zealand Christian
Evangelist Barry Smith. Barry Smith travels extensively expounding his views on
current affairs in relation to Biblical prophecy about the Last Days. The phrase �the
Last Days� refers to a period immediately preceding the time when God will carry out
final Judgement on humankind. Prophecy about the Last Days generally deals with events
that can be seen as a warning that the biblical Day of Judgement is imminent. The
following is a critical review of Barry Smith�s claims, put forth by him, in talks at
West Bromwich Town Hall on 4th, 5th and 6th October 1997 and another series of talks
given at Zion Church, Chesterfield on 11th, 12th and 13th September. 
 
This review will briefly summarise Barry Smith's ideas but will not cover anything
like the amount of detail that actually goes into his talks. Some of his meetings are
both audio and video taped, and he has written a series of books dealing with his
claims. Interested readers are encouraged to pursue the details further for
themselves. 
 
According to Barry Smith the Common Market will be the final world empire, which is
represented by the feet of iron and clay in Daniel�s vision of the statue; Dan.
2:31-45. The leader of the European Union will be the anti-Christ, as described in the
book of Revalation. The goal of the EU is to set up a �New World Order� (NWO) in which
there is a single world-wide monetary system and world religion, the latter being set
up by the World Council of Churches (WCC). This religion, fears Barry Smith, would be
�Luciferan� in nature. That is, devoted to worship of Satan. The NWO will be brought
about by the inauguration of a �Global Village�, basically the assigning of production
of certain commodities to particular countries. He quotes Henry Kissenger as saying,
�By controlling energy we control nations, by controlling food we control
individuals.� 
 
To set up the �Global Village� every country will be made to lose it�s independence by
a process of overseas privatisation. Barry Smith alleges that this is being done by
two groups called the �International Monetary Fund� (IMF) and the �World Bank�. In
brief it works as follows; the international money lenders loan large amounts of money
to a country whose leaders unwittingly sign �Conditionalities Policies�. After a
number of years the international money lenders then call on these conditions to be
fulfilled and the country has no choice but to comply. In order to fulfil the policies
the countries government will have to undergo �Restructuring�, �Corporatisation�, and
�Privatisation�. Institutions such as Telecom, the Post Office, and Unions will be
abolished, and shares will be sold overseas. The end result will be that the debt has
been paid but the country will be left with no money and no assets. The country will
become �ungovernable� and world-wide interdependence enforced. This will effectively
achieve the abolition of war and pave the way for the �Global Village� and
one-world-government. 
 
Barry Smith claims that New Zealand was selected by the leaders of this NWO plan, to
be the �guinea pig� for these economic and governmental changes. He then says that
these principles will be spread to other countries in order to destabilise each
nation's government thus making it more easy to control. The alleged link between the
Devil's activities in the Last Days and current government is made through the
assertion that behind the facade of everyday political activity there is a highly
organised and hierarchical system of secret occult societies. These societies, such as
the Freemasons, Illuminati, Ordo Templi Orientis, and the Palladium, are working to
bring about the NWO in which the freedom and power of individuals and nations will be
compromised. Further to the political and economic changes, he claims that each and
every individual will be made to receive a silicon chip implant in order to identify
that person, in a similar way that pets can currently be electronically tagged in
connection with quarantine laws. This will be the mark of the Beast from Rev16:2 and
19:20 and will proceed from the introduction of electronic cash cards, such as
�Mondex�, and culminate in implants. 
 
Furthermore, he claims that satellites have been used to map and divide the whole
planet into a series of grid squares, these are further sub-divided to a very small,
and therefore accurate, scale. Each of these grid squares has a specific number which
can be assigned to a person�s silicon chip implant in order to identify not only them
but also their exact location. One of the key doctrines of the NWO is that developed
by the philosophers Kant and Hegel. This is stated as: thesis + antithesis =
synthesis. That is, bring two opposites together to form one new resultant. This, says
Smith, is the basis on which the NWO has �engineered� history. The �Cold War�, and the
negotiations for peace in Ireland, and between the Arabs and Israel, are examples of
this doctrine in action. With the end of the Cold War a new polarity is needed to
distract people and provide justification for actions leading up to the implementation
of the NWO. Therefore Barry Smith claims that global warming, ozone depletion, and the
nuclear threat are all red-herrings designed to replace wars. His claims are
summarised in brief below: 
 
a) global warming is not happening and sea levels will not rise. He states as
�evidence� cold weather in New Zealand and other places, and the fact that when ice
melts it takes up less volume not more. 
 
b) ozone depletion is not happening. The �evidence�; the holes at the poles grow and
shrink with the seasons not because of ozone depleting gasses. There are also no holes
over the major cities. The reason for the fallacy is to cause people in developing
countries to get rid of their fridges resulting in lack of food and medicine therefore
death and so a reduction of the population. 
 
c) nuclear bombs can only be detonated at two times during the year when the sun is in
the correct position. The �evidence� is mainly anecdotal, and that past detonations
only occur in certain months. 
 
That is, very briefly, an outline of what Barry Smith claims to be taking place in the
world today. What follows is a critical evaluation of the assertions made in this
outline. 
 
 
Secret Societies 
Much of Barry Smith�s theory rests on the connection between occult symbolism and the
secret societies. One of the main secret societies that Barry Smith implicates in his
theory is that of the �Illuminati�. According to him this is where the idea behind the
NWO began. The Illuminati were founded in Bavaria in 1776 by a man called Adam
Weishaupt. However, what Barry Smith neglects to inform us, perhaps demonstrating his
one-sided approach, is that the Illuminati were disbanded by the Bavarian government
in 1785. Not only that but one of the heads of the society, Baron Knigge, was a
Christian.[1] It is therefore unlikely that the objectives of the Illuminati would
have continued to the present day or have been anti-Christian. From time to time
groups have surfaced calling themselves, or claiming to be, the Illuminati. However,
there are not necessarily any connections between these groups or the original
Illuminati of Weishaupt just because they share a name. It is interesting to note that
there is a connection with another secret society that Smith implicates, the �Ordo
Templi Orientis� (OTO). Two men, Theodore Reuss and Franz Hartmann, who also belonged
to a later group going by the name of the Illuminati co-founded the OTO.[2] Again
there are many groups that use this name, although the one that advertises itself on
the WWW is the only one recognised to be legitimate by the US Courts.[3] However, this
connection certainly does not imply that the OTO are an extension of the Illuminati.
As regards the Freemasons, they are often accused of being a secret society with
occult or even Satanic connections. However, according to an Anti-Masonry FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions) compiled by T.W. McKeown [4] Freemasons are not
Satanists, and few would claim to be Luciferans. When used the term �Luciferan�,
rather than referring to the Christian devil, denotes �a spirit of enquiry and a
search for knowledge, wisdom and truth�. It has nothing to do with worship, and no
specific supreme being is worshipped in Freemasonry. 
 
He also points out that the word �Lucifer� itself actually refers to the planet Venus
not the Christian Devil. Smith quotes a statement, allegedly by a man named Albert
Pike, which asserts that Freemasons everywhere accept Lucifer (as in the Christian
Devil) as the real God and that he should be worshipped accordingly. Firstly,
Freemasonry claims not to have one head who speaks for the whole fraternity. Secondly,
Albert Pike is not considered an authority on Freemasonry. Thirdly, Pike�s �Lucifer is
God� statement was a forgery by a hoaxster called Leo Taxil.[5] Pike never gave the
statement. Leo Taxil was also responsible for another hoax. This was �The Palladium�,
a supposedly Satanic order within Freemasonry. Taxil admitted publicly to this
hoax.[6] However, Barry Smith still assures us that the Palladium, although it never
existed, is one of the secret occult societies in the hierarchy behind the NWO. 
 
 
Symbolism 
One of the main sources of evidence that Barry Smith relies on to back up his claims
that the secret societies are connected with the American government is the symbolism
he finds on the American dollar-bill. This is known as the �Great Seal of the United
States�. The problem here is that some symbols are highly subjective. They can carry a
simple core meaning and be applied to whoever and whatever one wishes, even within
Christianity. Or the same symbol can have several completely different and even
contradictory meanings given to it which can change through time. This depends on the
interpreter. 
 
 
The Phoenix? 
 
First of all Barry Smith claims that the �eagle� on the American dollar-bill is not an
eagle at all but actually a phoenix. A phoenix is a mythical bird which, after being
devoured by fire, rises from it�s own ashes to new life. Barry Smith equates this
symbol with the Tower of Babel, after Manley Hall,[7] and claims that this, in turn,
is a symbol representing the NWO. That the eagle has been interpreted as a phoenix and
that this has some, unspecified, connection with the biblical Tower of Babel, are both
unsupported speculations on the part of the interpreter. The Phoenix symbol can be
applied to whatever one wishes. It could quite legitimately, and with no hint of
anything sinister or anti-Christian, be applied to either the �born-again� experience
or the doctrine of the resurrection in Christianity. In fact the fathers of the Church
saw it as a symbol of the immortal soul and the resurrection of Christ.[8] 
 
 
The Eye in the Triangle? 
Also on the American dollar bill is the symbol of a single eye-in-a-triangle.
Officially the eye is said to be the �eye of God� and to signify divine guidance or
Providence, the symbol having its origins in renaissance art.[9] According to Barry
Smith this cannot be true as God is always described as having two eyes, plural, in
scripture. Unfortunately he seems to fail to realise that both the
�eye-in-the-triangle� and the use of the word �eyes� in scripture are purely symbolic
or metaphorical. According to John 4:24 God is spirit and therefore has no eyes at
all. The respected Christian apologetics writer Walter Martin brings the point home
when discrediting a similar error allegedly made by some Mormons when interpreting the
Bible. 
 
 
�Progressing beyond this, another cardinal Mormon point of argument is the fact that
because expressions such as �the arm of the Lord,� �the eye of the Lord,� �the hand of
the Lord,� �nostrils,� �mouth,� etc., are used, all tend to show that God possesses a
physical form. However, they have overlooked one important factor. This factor is that
of literary metaphor, extremely common in Old Testament usage. If the Mormons are to
be consistent in their interpretation, they should find great difficulty in the Psalm
where God is spoken of as �covering with his feathers,� and man �trusting under his
wings.� If God has eyes, ears, arms, hands, nostrils, mouth, etc., why then does He
not have feathers and wings?�.[- italics mine][10] 
 
Horus? 
However, today the eye-in-the-triangle symbol does appear to be associated with the
occult. It is used on the lamen of the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), an occult group,
and appears on books written by one of the most infamous of occultists, Aleister
Crowley. The ancient Egyptians used a symbol of a single eye to represent the God
Horus. Barry Smith then equates this with the eye-in-the-triangle and asserts that
Horus is analogous to the Devil. According to Egyptian mythology and symbolism Horus
was not their equivalent of the Devil but actually fought against him. At this point
it may be worth pointing out that Barry Smith seems to take the radical fundamentalist
evangelical attitude of; if he doesn�t think it�s Christian, then it�s of the Devil.
Cases in point, �All Eastern religions are of the Devil�, �All Martial Arts are of the
Devil�, and �If you�re not a born again Christian, the Devil�s got you!�.
Nevertheless, the Egyptian god Horus, whether in reality or in myth, fought against
the equivalent of the Devil; that is �Typhon� or �Set�.[11] Horus is also the
equivalent of the Greek god �Apollo� who fought against Python of night. It may also
be interesting to note the serpent symbolism and also that Apollo was the expiatior of
crime.[12] 
 
 
The Great Pyramid? 
Another example of aberrant interpretation of symbolism; first Smith claims that the
Great Pyramid that appears on the back of the American dollar-bill has no connection
with America other than that it is an occult symbol. Then he says that the Great
Pyramid may actually be an ancient edifice to God. Once again he presents no evidence
to back him up in this assertion. This is also an example of applying two completely
different meanings to the same symbol according to the whim of the interpreter. This
does not mean that Mr Smith is wrong, but he cannot use the assertion that the pyramid
is an occult symbol as a basis on which to form the argument that the American
government is connected with occult secret societies. Smith claims that the founding
fathers of the US were all members of the NWO conspiracy and linked to the Illuminati
via the Freemasons. It was the founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and
Thomas Jefferson, who had the task of designing the Great Seal, thus the incorporation
of �occult� symbols. However, this is irrelevant as their suggestions for symbols were
rejected and the final design was actually contributed by William Barton or Charles
Thomson in 1782.[13][14] The pyramid is meant to represent strength and endurance and
is unfinished because the US will continue to grow more complete.[15] It is also meant
to allude to the escape of the Israelites from the tyranny of Pharaoh, to whom the
founding fathers compared themselves symbolically.[16] �Novus Ordo Seclorum�, the
Latin motif beneath the pyramid, translates as �a new world of the ages�, and the
number thirteen represents the original thirteen states of the Union.[17] Not, as
Barry Smith claims, �New World Order�, which is sloppy Latin [18], or to denote
witchcraft by the number 13 respectively. 
 
 
City Plans of Washington DC? 
Further connections between occult secret societies and the American government is the
symbolism Barry Smith finds in the layout of certain landmark buildings in Washington.
Apparently, the Masonic square and compass, and the inverted pentagram are mapped out
in the positioning of certain key buildings in the city. The lower point of the
pentagram touches the White House, for example. This kind of reasoning is not original
to Barry Smith. Very similar ideas and techniques have been used by other researchers,
where figures such as pentagrams, hexagrams, triangles and squares have all been found
encoded in certain documents and paintings. The theory being that the respective
authors and artists knew something we didn�t and left us a kind of geometrical code.
These figures were then found to have remarkable similarities with maps of a certain
area of the countryside in Southern France. Each point marked a landmark like a tower,
castle, church, ancient junction etc. The similarity with Barry Smith�s theory is
readily apparent. However,the conclusions of all this geometric detective work in
France was that Jesus did not die on the cross and lived on to father children, his
family line still being alive today.[19] An embellishment to the story now claims that
Jesus� burial place has been discovered using the same methods; a mountain in Southern
France.[20] It is alleged that this sinister secret has been kept in the hands of
secret societies down the ages, including the Templars and the Freemasons.
Anti-Christian propaganda or fact? It is claimed that the approach taken has proven
these claims scientifically.[21] The point is these methods prove nothing and are far
from scientific in the proper sense of the word. Scientific principles may have been
applied, i.e. geometry, but that does not make the "hypothesis" scientific. It can be
seen that it is fairly easy to arrive at wild conclusions by using such �evidence�.
One final consideration concerning the symbols on the American dollar-bill and in the
plans of Washington is; what would be the purpose of putting them there? If something
is to be kept secret it isn�t usually advertised or even hinted at without good
reason. Unfortunately Barry Smith doesn�t appear to answer this question. 
 
 
�Red-Herrings� 
 
Global Warming 
In the past there has been a lot of controversy over whether or not the theory of
global warming is a reality. This debate continues today, however more scientists are
beginning to accept that the effect exists. The main disagreement is over how much the
global warming effect is natural and how much is caused by humankind. The term global
warming may be somewhat misleading. It does not necessarily mean that every country
will get warmer. Weather systems are complicated things which, as everyone knows, are
hard to predict. The average global temperature may increase. This means that some
places may get colder. In general the current world climate will shift Northwards.
Barry Smith�s point about water taking up less volume than ice is correct. However,
this would only be true for certain areas of the Arctic which is frozen sea water. The
water that would contribute to sea level rises is that from snow and ice on Arctic
land areas; parts of Canada, Russia, Scandinavia, Iceland, Alaska, and the whole of
Greenland.[22] Much of the Antarctic is also frozen water on land. Not only ice on
land but also frozen water within the soil, permafrost, may also contribute.[23]
Finally, another effect of an increase in temperature on a volume of water is that it
expands. This may, or may not, contribute to the global rise in sea levels as well. To
suggest that no one needs to worry about global warming is simply complacent and
irresponsible. 
 
 
Ozone Depletion 
That the ozone �holes� over the poles grow and shrink with the seasons is well known
to scientists. The ozone hole over the Antarctic grows during the spring and persists
for several months before shrinking again. This is taken into account when an overall
percentage of ozone levels is calculated. This figure is decreasing.[24] A similar
problem has been detected over the Arctic. Ozone holes appear over the poles and not
over major cities using CFCs due to strong winds and air currents high in the
atmosphere. This is largely due to a vortex set up by the large land mass of the
Antarctic. It is also important to realise that the ozone �holes� are not holes as
such but areas within which the ozone layer is thin. This is most noticeable at the
poles due to the collection of CFC gasses but not necessarily confined to these areas.
Finally, the idea that developing countries are being coerced into throwing away their
CFC containing fridges does not make sense. No one would encourage this as a remedy to
global warming. The CFCs within fridges only leak into the atmosphere when the fridge
is no longer used and has been discarded. During normal use this is not a problem. If
everyone threw away their fridges right now this would result in a large volume of
CFCs being released into the atmosphere possibly making the ozone problem worse,
certainly not better. It only takes one CFC molecule to destroy 100,000 ozone
molecules. Developing countries have until the year 2010 to stop manufacturing fridges
containing CFCs. Meanwhile, CFC containing fridges can still be used. They are not
being discarded in one move but phased out. 
 
The explanation that the Earth can balance itself automatically without human help is
naive. It is true that ozone forms with oxygen molecules in the presence of
ultra-violet rays in sunlight. However, this process is incredibly slow. As stated
above, CFCs are highly destructive towards ozone molecules. If the balance is exceeded
the Earth�s natural replenishment of the ozone layer will not be able to keep pace. A
similar observation can be made concerning global warming. Normally plants that
photosynthesise convert the atmospheric carbon-dioxide into oxygen. However, this too
is a balance. If carbon-dioxide emissions increase due to industrial activity,
something that the Earth has not encountered before, and plant life decreases, due to
deforestation and a decrease in marine plankton, then carbon-dioxide levels will
increase. 
 
 
The Nuclear Threat 
The claims about the nuclear threat are arguably the most far-fetched. Barry Smith
asserts that nuclear weapons can only be detonated during the months of April-June and
October-December. However, the first nuclear bomb was detonated at Alamogordo, New
Mexico, in July 1945. Probably the most infamous detonations occurred at Hiroshima,
Japan, in August 1945 and Nagasaki, Japan, also in August 1945.[25] The first
thermonuclear weapon was detonated by the United States in November 1952, vapourising
the island of Elogelab.[26] Further thermonuclear detonations were carried out by both
the United States and the Soviet Union in March 1954 and August 1953 respectively.[27]
More recently, the first test by the French at Muruoa occurred in September 1995.[28]
The claim that students at Universities are fed a fake equation is equally
unbelievable. This would mean either: a) all physicists in Universities are part of a
world-wide conspiracy of astounding proportions, or b) all physicists in Universities
are not bright enough to understand their own subject. Neither of these possibilities
is worthy of serious consideration. Other ridiculous statements he makes include; a
cure for AIDS has already been found; this is done by simply passing the infected
blood through oxygen, and that the blue colour of ozone gas is responsible for the
blue colour of the sky, both of which are unscientific and incorrect. Throughout the
section of Barry Smith�s talk concerning the �red-herrings� he seems to demonstrate an
ignorance and contempt of both science and scientists. Although maybe not directly
affecting his other claims, this does reflect badly on his validity and reliability.
 
 
As is common amongst conspiracy theorists Barry Smith manages to link selective
quoting of people, groups, and real events from politics and economics with
speculative theories and unfounded anecdote. It is just as impossible to disprove a
conspiracy theory such as this as it is to prove it. Perhaps one of the best ways to
check the theory, apart from checking those facts that are accessible and applying
some critical thinking, is to look for ongoing developments in the media. For example,
it is surprising that in the talks being reviewed Barry Smith doesn�t draw on alleged
alien abduction accounts for further, albeit anecdotal, evidence. In some of these
accounts the abductee claims to have received a mysterious surgical implant. Perhaps
the aliens are simply a facade for secret government silicon chip implant tests.
Neither does he mention the electronic tagging of prisoners being experimented with
currently. Recently it has been declared that the Post Office will be strengthened and
improved and not, as Barry Smith has predicted, privatised. As regards the satellite
grid system it certainly seems possible that it could be implemented if it hasn�t
already, but this in itself, without linking to silicon chip implants, contains no
sinister implications. That the public would accept the idea of receiving an implant
in a similar way to that administered to animals is, in my opinion, highly unlikely,
would receive much opposition and make the whole idea untenable. Finally, Barry Smith
makes his own attempt to predict the date of the second coming. It is not the first
time this has been attempted by Christians, so far most predictions have been proven
embarrassingly false. As for the remaining ones, only time will tell. 
 
 
Sources and References 
Unfortunately, Mr Smith provides very few references for the more extravagant claims
of his research. This is perfectly understandable up to a point. If his ideas are
correct then information and hard evidence on the relationships and activities of the
secret societies would be difficult to come by. However, this would also be the case
if his ideas were pure fantasy. A brief look at his books is disappointing to the
researcher who wants to be able to check Barry Smith's facts. There is no index, no
bibliography, and no notes or references. Even books which do contain all these aids
to research are not necessarily reliable and are possibly just trying to achieve an
academic veneer. The only two books mentioned are �The Secret Teachings of All Ages�
by Manley Hall, and �The Order� by Anthony Sutton. Unfortunately, apart from these one
of the easiest means of communicating information to other researchers, i.e. his
books, are found to be lacking. Nevertheless, it could be that some references are
given in the body of the text itself. Interested readers are encouraged to look for
these and to bring them to the present writer's attention. 
 
 
Implications? 
Continuing from the previous discussion, is it therefore necessary to conclude that Mr
Smith's facts, assuming not entirely fictional, rely on undocumentable sources such as
hearsay, gossip, and rumour? It is to be hoped this is not the case as several of his
assertions verge on slander, both secular and spiritual. According to Barry Smith the
Mormons, occult groups such as the OTO, the Freemasons, all Eastern religions, martial
artists, and George Bush are all serving the Devil and apparently evil. This seems to
be rather a strong judgement for someone who was told, �Do not judge, or you too will
be judged.� and �Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgement.�[29] It
could even be risking blasphemy. What concerns the present writer is not simply the
accuracy of the assertions made by Barry Smith in themselves. His theories do not have
to be correct for prophecy about the Last Days to be real. Of more concern are the
effects of what he is saying on his listeners. How many people question what they
hear? How many just don�t care? How many soak it all up? And what damage does this
cause? That someone should be allowed to feed unreliable, possibly slanderous material
to people is one thing, when it is done in a Church by a religion, it is all the more
serious. This is effectively summed up in James 3:1 - 3:10: 
 
Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we
who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is
never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in
check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn
the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are
driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot
wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great
boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also
is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person,
sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All
kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have
been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of
deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse
men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and
cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 
 
Perhaps his reprieve is that, according to him, Barry Smith has successfully
evangelised many people. If the Christian faith is indeed true, then this may be his
saving grace. 
 
Michael J. Rush 
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[CTRL] Critical Review Of Barry Smith-NWO/Prophecy/"Last Days"

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