[JOYnet] Subject: Charles Colson on America's Abandoned Babies
Subject: Charles Colson on America's Abandoned Babies Source: BreakPoint with Charles Colson; December 31, 2001 America's Abandoned Babies: Whatever happened to the preciousness of new life? by Charles Colson [Pro-Life Infonet Note: Charles Colson is the founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries.] One cold December night, Jamie, 19, the frightened and unmarried mother of a two-year-old son, gave birth to a baby boy on her trailer home floor. Out of fear, she had kept her pregnancy hidden from her parents. She would have gone to a hospital, she said, but she had no money and no insurance. Jamie's boyfriend asked a hospital emergency room nurse where they could leave a baby awaiting adoption. "We do not handle that," the nurse said. Before midnight, Jamie bundled up the baby and left the trailer. She returned empty-handed. Police later found the newborn, alive, in a cardboard box. He had been abandoned in the dark empty hallway of a nearby apartment complex. Jamie's baby is just one of America's newborns routinely found abandoned in trash bins, junk cars, and dark alleyways. Recently, ten abandoned infants were found dead in New York City. Minnesota officials discovered a dead newborn in a bathroom stall. Four abandoned babies, three of them dead, were found in Louisiana. Spurred by the discovery of thirteen abandoned babies in ten months in Houston, in September 1999 Texas passed the nation's first Safe Haven Law. After the death of an abandoned newborn in a hospital parking lot, Indiana also passed the Safe Haven law. In the past two years, thirty-five other states have adopted Safe Haven Laws. These laws allow mothers to anonymously leave a newborn at hospitals, firehouses, and other designated facilities without fear of prosecution. But even with widespread promotion, they are having little effect. When New Jersey spent $500,000 to promote newborn Safe Havens, six babies were left at Safe Havens, but two others were left at a doorstep and old car. Florida distributed decals at firehouses proclaiming: "A Safe Baby Station: Leave a Baby in Safety." Yet, Florida firefighters recently counted eleven illegal abandonments, with four of the babies dead. The problem of abandoned babies goes far deeper than lack of finances, fear of family, or criminal prosecution. It's a reflection, I believe, of our callous disregard of the sanctity of human life. The abortion lobby and the pro-choice people wouldn't sanction leaving abandoned babies in dark alleys, but in helping undercut respect for life, that's exactly the horror they've helped create. The truth is, all life is precious in God's sight. The Psalmist David writes: "For you [God] created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made . . . All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." A baby -- born and unborn -- is precious to God. It is not a disposable commodity. A child's life should not be subject to our finances, our fears, and our convenience. We somehow have lost the sense of sacredness that a new life embodies. We are throwing away precious human life -- our future generations. And until we regain our respect and reverence for valuable human life -- until we realize that our babies belong to God, not to us -- we will no doubt continue to find America's newborns crying in cardboard boxes and abandoned in dark empty hallways. -- When using items from the Pro-Life Infonet in your newsletter, please include our web site (www.prolifeinfo.org) or email address ([EMAIL PROTECTED]). Thanks! _ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[JOYnet] marriage in Ecuador
Dear friends in Jesus Greetings from Ecuador! Due to some log-in problems I could not send mails for some time. Now I have signed up with a new email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Well,We are very happy here at the beginning of this New Year, because, last Sunday I blessed the marriage of Daniel and Diana. I really could not help crying when I blessed their marriage because it was the first marriage that I bless after coming to this mission and staying here for 17 months. Theirs was the only marriage of 2001.Here it is very rare to get married in the church, and still more rare it is to get married young people. Those who marry here usually have children and grand children. And that too is very rare. The men fear to get married telling that they will loose their authority after marriage. The women also dont like the bond of marriage, because they will loose a pension from the government for the unwed mothers. Moreover, it is very expensive here to get married. They will have to pay to the government to register it. And they cannot even think of a marriage without a grand feast. So the poor people fear it. When I talked with many on this issue I tried to convince them that to live together a man and women without receiving the Sacrament of marriage is adultery, but they dont understand and admit it. They say that it is adultery only when a man has relations with more than one woman. The Sacrament of marriage is no matter of concern for them. Only the Holy Spirit can convince them. Please pray for our people. May God bless you all Fr.Rafi Kootumkal Ecuador This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[JOYnet] Re: [ParableNet] The Old Fisherman...
Dear Irma, May God Bless you and your Family. Your sharing was very enlightening. It's true that most of us due to our Human weaknesses judge others on the bases of their physical appearances. Your story has given a beautiful insight and yes we have to look into the hearts of the people not their outward appearance. Thank you for a wonderful sharing and I pray that all of us at Joynet will start living the word of God mentioned in Samuel 16:7. Love & Prayers Jennifer - Original Message - From: "Irma Raymond" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2002 10:10 AM Subject: [ParableNet] The Old Fisherman... Many times when we come in contact with others, we automatically judge them by their appearance and that should not be. The Bible declares in 1 Samuel 16:7 "...For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." I hope you will be challenged by this message that shows the blessings of not looking at the outward appearance of a person but looking rather at their heart. THE OLD FISHERMAN Our house was directly across the street from the clinic entrance of John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. We lived downstairs and rented the upstairs rooms to out patients at the clinic. One summer evening as I was fixing supper, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see a truly awful looking man. "Why, he's hardly taller than my eight-year-old," I thought as I stared at the stooped, shriveled body. But the appalling thing was his face-lopsided from swelling, red and raw. Yet his voice was pleasant as he said, "Good evening. I've come to see if you've a room for just one night. I came for a treatment this morning from the eastern shore, and there's no bus 'til morning." He told me he'd been hunting for a room since noon but with no success; no one seemed to have a room. "I guess it's my face...I know it looks terrible, but my doctor says with a few more treatments..." For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me: "I could sleep in this rocking chair on the porch. My bus leaves early in the morning." I told him we would find him a bed, but to rest on the porch. I went inside and finished getting supper. When we were ready, I asked the old man if he would join us. "No thank you. I have plenty." And he held up a brown paper bag. When I had finished the dishes, I went out on the porch to talk with him a few minutes. It didn't take long to see that this old man had an oversized heart crowded into that tiny body. He told me he fished for a living to support his daughter, her five children, and her husband, who was hopelessly crippled from a back injury. He didn't tell it by way of complaint; in fact, every other sentence was prefaced with a thanks to God for His blessings. He was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease, which was apparently a form of skin cancer. He thanked God for giving him the strength to keep going. At bedtime, we put a camp cot in the children's room for him. When I got up in the morning, the bed linens were neatly folded and the little man was out on the porch. He refused breakfast, but just before he left for his bus, haltingly, as if asking a great favor, he said, "Could I please come back and stay the next time I have a treatment? I won't put you out a bit. I can sleep fine in a chair." He paused a moment and then added, "Your children made me feel at home. Grownups are bothered by my face, but children don't seem to mind." I told him he was welcome to come again. And on his next trip he arrived a little after seven in the morning. As a gift, he brought a big fish and a quart of the largest oysters I had ever seen. He said he had shucked them that morning before he left so that they'd be nice and fresh. I knew his bus left at 4:00 a.m. and I wondered what time he had to get up in order to do this for us. In the years he came to stay overnight with us there was never a time that he did not bring us fish or oysters or vegetables from his garden. Other times we received packages in the mail, always by special delivery; fish and oysters packed in a box of fresh young spinach or kale, every leaf carefully washed. Knowing that he must walk three miles to mail these, and knowing how little money he had made, the gifts were doubly precious. When I received these little remembrances, I often thought of a comment our next-door neighbor made after he left that first morning. "Did you keep that awful looking man last night? I turned him away! You can lose roomers by putting up such people!" Maybe we did lose roomers once or twice. But oh! If only they could have known him, perhaps their illnesses would have been easier to bear. I know our family always will be grateful to have known him; from him. We learned what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good with gratitude to God. Recently I was visiting a friend who has a greenhouse. As she showed me her
[JOYnet] The Source of Peace -II
Dear Friends, "The blood of Jesus whispers peace within." -EDWARD HENRY BICKERSTEIN The Source of Peace Romans 5:1-2 1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace n which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. A favorite American gospel hymn contains the powerful but unusual lyric, "Ive got peace like a river in my soul." When you think of peace, do you imagine a river? In the book of Romans we are told that "The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit." (5:5) Again in John 4:14, the analogy of water is used when Jesus tells the woman at the well, "Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." Just as a clear mountain stream refreshes and nourishes the wildlife in its midst, the peace of God fills of our hearts with comfort through the Holy Spirit. There is no greater peace than that which is available through Jesus Christ. Try to imagine His peace washing over you like a cool stream of watersoothing your heartache, washing away doubt, and cleansing the wounds of sin and pain. Is the river of peace becoming clear to you now? The peace that comes from God is not a static, stagnant emotion. Rather, it is a fluid, energetic wave of confidence in the One who holds the universe in His hands. Open your heart. Receive the satisfying waters of peace into your soul and give praises to God for His mercy and love. Copyright © 2000, IN TOUCH Magazine. In Touch Ministries. All Rights Reserved. Your's in Christ Jesus, Biji James, Bangalore Everything you'll ever need on one web page from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts http://uk.my.yahoo.com This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[JOYnet] Birthday Notification !!!
Hi Friends These are the birthday babies of the day (January 08). Alex Joseph <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> anjjel d dad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hari K G <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Wishing you a very happy birthday God Bless With Love The JOYnet Family This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[JOYnet] R-V- Committed ??
Hai folks, Hope that life in the new year is going on well, and all have celebrated the feast of Epiphany well. Yesterday I was there to attend the meeting of JYNT (Jesus Youth National Team) at Emmaus, Kerala. It was a very fruitful meeting. We celebrated the Holy Eucharist at the end of the meeting. During the Holy Eucharist Fr. P.C.George (pastor-JYNT) shared something about commitment which made me think a lot. I would like to share something based on it. After the parliament attack in India, it seems they were able to arrest some who aided this attack. During the integrations, one of the arrested said that their boss or head never sleeps in the night, his head is always filled with the thought of how to mobilise the youth of Kashmir. This arrested man said that he sleeps off, but his boss is always thinking about his cause. How committed is he to his cause- what about us. We needn't be committed to a cause, we have to be committed to a person(Jesus), are we? If we look at the world it would seem that the powers of darkness is more committed that those in light ! for me this sounds to be true. Take the case of the three wise men and King Hearod, both were committed to find Jesus but the basic motive was totally different. We who have known the Love of Christ, are we committed to him? Should we not stand for His Kingdom and values? As some one said " a dog barks when its master is attacked, woo to we Christians when we keep mum when out Master and His values are attacked" So pause for a moment and think, Who are we? Whose are we? and Why are we hear? Where does our commitment lie? Nothing more for now. Love and Prayers, C.C.Joseph May God Bless You This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [JOYnet] What the stars foretell ?
Hi, I fully agree with Jennifer. Yes, in HIS time, HE makes all things beautiful, in HIS time. Today, while sending Isaac to school I met a lame, hindu boy names Renjit from our neighbourhood. He is an electrical engineer, not having a proper job for the past six years. I asked him, whether he is having a job somewhere. He replied in the negative. And said that it was Vidhi (fate). I actually get very angry when people tell like this. But since he is a poor hindu boy, I tried to control my temper, because the Lord has given me a chance to correct him and I utilised that opportunity to the fullest. So I said,"Every thing that happens in our life is with the Lord's Knowledge. Nothing bypasses the Lord. The Lord sees that every thing that happens turns out to be for our benefit". (Jer 29:11). He said,"I made many mistakes, I didn't try for a proper job and wasted many years". I said,"What is gone, don't regret about it, pray to the Lord Jesus and try your best. Because it it not by chance that you have become an electrical engineer. It is in the Lord's plans. HE will surely give you a good job". Then he said,"I am lame, so I have a complex that I cannot do things better". I said," The Lord gave you a seat in engineering, since you are lame. Take your handicap as a special gift from the Lord, you will get a better job than the normal people. You can go well ahead of them in your career". I thank the HOLY SPIRIT for guiding me throughout the conversation. Please do pray for him. Praise God! Annie John, KOchi, India. This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[JOYnet] Praying incessantly: THE JESUS PRAYER
The Jesus Prayer is a small prayer practised by the fathers of the Church. The words are "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner". This is a wonderful prayer that helps us to meditate on Jesus. More about the fruits of this prayer can be found in the book "The way of the Pilgrim". (The Malayalam translation is published by Sri Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, Ramanattukara, Thrissur, Kerala. I am not sure wheter the English version is available in India.) Do go thru these sites for more info about this prayer http://www.svots.edu/Faculty/Albert-Rossi/Articles/Saying-the-Jesus-Prayer.ht ml http://www.cygnus.uwa.edu.au/~jgrapsas/pages/Jprayer.html http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/ignaty_jesus.htm http://pw1.netcom.com/~mikalm/jesuspry.htm Saju Bangalore This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[JOYnet] prayer request
dear friends on the JOYnet, thanks for your prayers. The teacher for whom i had asked prayer request is doing better . The problem is that she had a difficult childhood . This is all i know. More she has not shared yet. I am letting her take her own time not forcing her. Lord has to work -- and i am suer he will. the parents of this teacher are into renewal and commited christians.. Keep praying. One more thing there is some difficulties in our college at SAtara about shortage of staff - do pray. JOseph/Satara/INdia. _ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [JOYnet] A humbling experience
Dear Friends in Christ,, Really nice Josun.. for sharing the experience that taught you wisdom. "He`s still working on us To make us what we ought to be." Keep in touch, Love from Jesus & Dexon. Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: Click Here This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[JOYnet] He is a wonder working God
Hi all My call to mumbai went cool Praise the lord and thanku for the prayers with love and prayers in Jesus mary and Joseph shobith Coimbatore _ Join SQAtester.com Community ---> http://www.sqatester.com/testersarea/joinus.htm This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[JOYnet] He is a wonder working God
Hi all My call went cool Praise the lord and thanku for the prayers with love and prayers in Jesus mary and Joseph shobith Coimbatore _ Join SQAtester.com Community ---> http://www.sqatester.com/testersarea/joinus.htm This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[JOYnet] Prayer request
Dear Friends, Please prayer my friends Seaton who has a lot of trouble now. He has lost his job and is suffering from various physical problems. He is not able to eat well.. Please pray for him specially. Love and regards Jose This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[JOYnet] Re:what the stars foretell !!!
I remember those days in college when I bought Midday just to read my stars for the day When some once asked me ,y do u believe in horoscope ..I used to say just for fun not knowing this was Funny thing kept ringing in my mind all the time & making me a slave of the same . I freaked out on Birthstones in those days too ...Being a gemology student ..I loved playing around with Gemstones . I kept my birthday stone with me so that it could bring me Good luck & on my moms birthday ,I gifted her a cute pendant with her birth stone engrafted on it. (Little did I know at that time that stones don't really bring good things.) Once a Hindu Friend also printed a computerized horoscope depending on my birth timings etc & i treasured that too . Any way, the first thing I did after the retreat was to dispose away all these so called lucky things . & Yes today the CROSS & the Word Of GOD has replaced Stars & Stones in my life . Praise God I dont need these so called Luck Bearers anymore .I am doing much better without them . In Jesus & His Glorious Cross WELCHY F Mumbai This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[JOYnet] ' Scripture Quote No.16 '
7-1-2002 (Monday) Dear friends in Christ, " SCRIPTURE QUOTE NO.16 " " Seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and everything shall be added unto you. " - Mt. 6/33 In HIS grip and grace, (Thomas) Bangalore, India This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[JOYnet] Replies to the Prayer Request sent here.
Dear JYs.. two days ago... I had posted some Prayer Requests which I had received last week. I had also informed the ones who sent the Prayer Requests that we at JY was praying for them. These are some of the replies.. 1. Thank you for your prayers. SanDee 2. thnak you very much. That was for a friend who was bitten by a dog and the dog died so she was so anxious about her life. Can I ask you to please pray for my family as well and for financial healing and emotional healing for all of us! thank you and may God bless you always... IGTobais 3. Thank you, God has been merciful to us and we can't praise Him enough. My husband is coming home today, is doing much better. I'm so thankful for prayer partners . Love in Christ.Barb. Oma&Opa, 4. Thankyou for your prayer for s---. would it be ok to mail you for prayers for others in the future? Alex 5. Thank you for praying and agreeing with me. I feel the holy spirit working miracles already I am at peace a little more than before May God almighty bless you for taking out time to pray on my behalf. Lily 6. Just want to thank you for your prayers. Natalie 7. Dear ---, good to hear that you are praying - thanks! The LORD has given me quite a few E-Friends in India - it has been great - I had no idea there were so many wonderful Christians there before! I have been richly blessed by all those I have heard from - very blessed! Do you have any idea which prayer request this was, because I sent about three lately 1) for my E-friend Sandy who needs help their finances; 2) for a man named Jim who just lost his wife Darlene {I had asked for healing -but God took her home}; 3) for the sister {Mary} of our friend Bennie who is battling cancer! These all still need your prayers in Jesus name! Please keep it up! In His Boundless love,Carolyn B JASONV This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[JOYnet] 7 and 666
Hi I am very interested in the no.7 and its mysteries. EVen though the most we get about this number is from the book of revelation, the other books also have some information. The first thing is that the highest class of angels (holy angels - mukya doothanmar) consists of 7 angels . They are the only ones who are able to stand before the trinity always. In our holy bible, the names of only 3 are given - Michael the archangel (warrior), Gabriel (messenger) and Raphael (healer). From the apocryphas we see the rest as Uriel, Raguel, Ramiel and Sariett. I am not sure about the last one. They are always blaming because of their love of God. We could take it physically and spiritually. We do not need to argue that there is no oxygen to burn and so on. There are things beyond our knowledge. But let me come to the point - the mystery of the number 7 that is. Jannet mentioned that the number 8 is considered as the number of God. I disagree with that. The perfect no, for man and God is 7 since man was created in his won image and because God became man and lived among men. Also, I do not think that the no. 6 is evil in anyway. It has no connection with the devil. It is usally thought so because of the number 666 mentioned in the book of revelation. But we have to know what St. John meant by that. In the semetic languages Hebrew, Aramaic or its modern version Syriac, every letter has a corresponding number. So what did St. John mean? We have to know that he didn't find any pleasure in writing things that others couldn't possibly understand. He wrote in these mysterious ways (revelation) because he knew that the people there could understand these secrets, and he had to hide these from the hands of emperor Dometian ( 85-86 AD). He killed more than 4 christians within this short period. In the reighn of Nero Caesar, John was imprisoned and transferred to Patmos. He got the revelation from Patmos and when he returned to Ephesus after Dometian's death, he wrote it as a book and sent it to the 7 churches. The time is 86 AD. I hope I haven't gone too far from our subject, I think it is necessary to understand the background too. So, here comes the 7 churches - 1. Ephesus 2. Smirnae 3. Pergamosy 4. Thuetheira 5. Sadrdisi 6. Philadelphia 7. Levudikae (I am not using the english words here - I type the names as they are usually pronounced). So let us go back to the no. 7 and see the significance of 666 later. Actually, 54 times the no. 7 is repeated in this book. In this book it is written about 7 blessings. 1. To those who hear the word of God, read the word of God, obey the word of God - 1:3 2. To those who die in God - 14:13 3. To those who wake up and who keeps his clothes - 16:15 4. To those who are invited to the feast of the lamb - 19:9 5. To those who take part in the 1st ressurection - 20:6 6. To those who keep the phrophesies of this book - 22:7 7. To those who wash their clothes to get to eat from the tree of life and to enter the city - 22:14 Then we see 7 letters written to 7 churches - 1-3 7 seals and 7 trumphets ( Kaahalam in malayalam :) ) 4-11 7 glasses (chashakangal :) ) - 15,16 7 vilakkukaalukal (don't know the english word :) ) 1: 12, 20 7 stars - 1:16, 20 7 angels - 1:20 7 churches - 1:4 A lamb with 7 eyes and 7 horns - 5:6 7 torches - 4:5 7 thunders - 10: 3, 4 A dragon with 7 heads and 7 crowns - 12:3 A leopard with 7 heads - 13:1 An animal with red colour and 7 heads - 17: 3,7 7 mountains - 17:9 7 kings - 17:10 Whew, seems like John really liked that no. In the old testament also wee see the no. 7 many times. For example, creation and rest, Sabbath on the 7th day, year of the Sabbath on the 7th year, Jubilee when 7 Sabbath years come, difference between 7 weeks between Pesaha and Pentecoste. The feast of Pesaha for 7 days, Koodarapperunnal ( don't know the english word - is it feast of the tent? :) ) for 7 days, 14 (7+7) lambs are to be sacrificed for pesaha and the same for koodaraperunnal and an addition of 70 cows ( or bulls? :) ), 7 lambs are sacrificed for pentecoste. And there is another thing - the fall of great Jericho. 7 preists waled for 7 days outside. Each had a trumphet with them - total = 7. When they blew the trumphet 7 times in the 7th day and Jericho was gone. Naman the Syrian washed himself in teh river Jordan 7 times. The bible begins with the creation in 7 days and ends with the book of 7 numbers. What else? 7 days a week, 7 coulours for the rainbow etc - the perfect number indeed. Now let us return to the no. 666. Earlier I wrote that Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac etc have a speciality - each letter beginning with alaph and ending in Tau has a corresponding no. I forgot all the numbers. In those days (after the death of Nero and Dometian), there was a saying among the people that the cruel emperor Nero would return again to kill the christians. In 13:16,17 we see "the mark was either the name of the beast or its number". The Jews used to carry their laws in a small bag which t