"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."
(John 6:27)

Unjust Gain

Dear Friends,

      Greetings. The Pope has recently called for a new, more just, financial order based upon morality in financial decisions rather than greed as the primary motivation. This is a very commendable idea but one we know is impossible to be carried out until the return of Jesus when He sets up His Kingdom on earth to rule and reign for a thousand years with a "rod of iron". (Revelation 12:5 and 19:15)

     This period is more commonly referred to as the "millennium" when; "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea."(Isaiah 11:9)

      If this is going to require a "rod of iron", even during the physical visual reign of Jesus, it would seem obvious that mankind is not going to voluntarily want to submit to a righteous life style treating his fellow man as he himself would like to be treated. After all, the blue print concerning how mankind is supposed to conduct himself has been available for thousands of years, the Bible.

     The world is in a very difficult situation today concerning finances, and will be in a much more difficult situation in the future because we did not heed the instructions given to us in the Book!

     The Bible is very clear concerning borrowing: "The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender". (Proverbs 22:7) We have been conned into borrowing money for things we don't need. Haggai, chapter one, verse six helps to illustrate the problem; "Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes".

      If the Pope is suggesting a new financial order, one of the key issues involved is usury. In our research into the word "usury" there are two main interpretations of this word. One means "charging of interest on money loaned". (The Complete Bible Dictionary) In the story of the unjust steward, Jesus, in Matthew, chapter twenty five, verse twenty seven, exhorts the unjust steward that; "Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury".

      The second definition, which seems to be found in most dictionaries, is "an exorbitant or unlawful rate of interest, greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation".

      Some of the things the Bible says concerning usury are: "He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved." (Psalms 15:5) "But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, He that hath not given forth upon usury...That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase,.. .he shall surely live. In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbors by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD. " (Ezekiel 18:5,8,17 and 22:7)

      It is interesting to note that the only time the Bible records an incident of Jesus resorting to violence involved the money changers. "And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." (John 2:15 and Matthew 21:13)

<P><I>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;    "The moneychangers of Jesus' day were the equivalent of the international bankers of our day. These bankers set up shop in the Temple. Their purpose was to exchange whatever currency the Jewish worshipper brought with him or her into Jewish currency, which would then be used to purchase whatever sacrifice the worshipper required. Of  course, the exchange rates benefitted only the bankers and leaders (and Caesar, who collected a tax on the exchange, of course). For everyone else, the system was nothing more than legalized extortion." (By Pastor Chuck Baldwin, February 26, 2008)</I></P>
<P><I>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;    It seems we have gotten our priorities mixed up. The Bible clearly says to:"Love not the world, neither the <B>things</B>that are in the world. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever". (1John 2:15-17)</I></P>
<P><I>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;    We  have been led to believe we must have certain "things" which we could not afford, and borrowed money at excessive rates of interest, not just individuals but entire nations, and because of debt we are    now facing the greatest economic collapse in world history.</I></P>
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***</P>
    <P><B>guardian.co.uk</B></P>
    <P><B>From profits to ethics: pope calls for a new political and financial world order</B></P>
    <P><B>Global recession caused by greed, says pontiff - • Economic crisis is 'clear proof of effects of sin'</B></P>
    <P>John Hooper in Rome</P>
<P>7    July 2009</P>
<P>     </P>
<img src="/images/docs/pope.jpg" hspace="5" class="img-responsive" align="left" />
<P>Pope Benedict.   Photograph: Chris Helgren/Reuters</P>
    <P>Pope Benedict today pinned responsibility for the worldwide recession squarely on greed  and an amoral fascination with technological progress for its own sake.</P>
    <P>This must be tackled, he said, by the creation of a global political authority and financial     order based not just on the search for ever greater profits, but on ethics and a sense of the common good.</P>
    <P>The pontiff made the appeal in a 144-page encyclical - a reflection on doctrine that is the <I>highest form of papal writing</I> - three days before he was due to discuss the global downturn with Barack Obama.</P>
    <P>Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth) is Benedict's third encyclical and the first to deal exclusively with economic and social issues. In one section, he says <I>the current economic crisis is "clear proof" of the "pernicious effects of sin".</I></P>
    <P>As its title suggests, the papal encyclical is a primarily theological discourse which takes as its point of departure the argument that only a belief in the truth as proclaimed by Christianity can offer the necessary answers.</P>
    <P>Though the pontiff does  not use the word "capitalism" in the encyclical, there are  lengthy reflections on morality in economics.</P>
    <P>In a key passage, the encyclical says: "The conviction that the economy must be autonomous, that it must be shielded from 'influences' of a moral character, has led man to abuse the economic process in a thoroughly destructive way. In the long term, these convictions have led to  economic, social and political systems that trample upon personal   and social freedom, and are therefore unable to deliver the justice that they promise."</P>
    <P>Then in an unequivocal critique of unbridled markets, the pope writes that "grave imbalances are produced when economic action, conceived merely as an engine for wealth creation, is detached from political action, conceived as a means for pursuing justice through redistribution."</P>
    <P>In another section of the reflection, Benedict argues that "financiers must rediscover   the genuinely ethical foundation of their activity ... right    intention, transparency, and the search for positive results are mutually compatible and must never be detached from one another."</P>
    <P>Then, in a passage that builds on ideas first voiced by his predecessor, John Paul II, the pope argues that globalisation has made necessary a "reform of the United Nations Organisation and likewise of economic institutions and international finance so that the concept of the family of nations can acquire real teeth."</P>
    <P>One of his most senior advisers, cardinal Renato Martino, said: "The encyclical is not   asking for a <I>super- or world government</I>." But it comes very close to doing so. It proposes a "true world political authority" that "would need to be universally recognized and to be vested with the effective power to ensure security for all, regard for justice and respect for rights." It would be asked to "manage the global economy; to revive economies hit by the crisis [and] to avoid any deterioration of the present crisis."</P>
    <P>But its responsibilities would be more than just economic. They would include securing "timely disarmament, food security and peace". The new body, a reformed UN, would also be called upon "to guarantee the protection of the environment and to regulate migration".</P>
    <P>Often regarded as the first "green" pope, Benedict also took advantage of his encyclical to make clearer his ideas on the importance of respecting the environment. But Zamagni said the document implicitly rejected    forms of environmental thinking that put other forms of creation on     a par with humankind.</P>
<P>     guardian.co.uk &copy;   Guardian News and Media Limited 2009</P>

    <P ALIGN=LEFT><B>Biden  Admission: Obama Plan Doomed</B></P>
    <P ALIGN=LEFT>By    Gerald Celente</P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT>7-8-9</P>
    <P>KINGSTON, NY -- Vice     President Joseph Biden's admission that the Obama Administration's economic recovery plan was predicated on egregiously inaccurate forecasts consigns the entire effort to failure, predicts Gerald Celente.</P>
    <P>"The plan is based upon false premises," said Celente, Director of The Trends Research Institute, referring to White House projections used to   sell the stimulus package to the nation. To make their case, Washington warned that without the Obama stimulus, unemployment, then at 7.2 percent, would rise above 8 percent in 2009 and peak at   9 percent in 2010.</P>
    <P>Yet, only midway through     2009, the unemployment rate is already 9.5 percent and rising. "This is an enormous miscalculation," contends Celente. "In real world terms, it means that 2.5 million more Americans than  anticipated have lost their jobs. The inaccuracy of the forecast undermines the validity not only of the plan, but also of the planners."</P>
    <P>Joe Biden sidestepped blame, pleading "guilty with an explanation." Weaseled Biden, "The truth is, we and everyone else misread the  economy."</P>
    <P>NO! "Everyone else" did not "misread the economy." The Trends Research Institute read it correctly, and has been reading it correctly for decades.</P>
    <P>"How often does the government have to be wrong, and how wrong do they have to be before people and the media stop taking them seriously?" wondered  Celente. "The first spending package didn't deliver as promised, and now Obama's advisors want another stimulus, as if doubling up on failure will achieve success."</P>
    <P>"If we made forecasts as inaccurate as the Obama team's and implemented similarly unsuccessful plans, and then tried to salvage the situation by repeating exactly the same mistakes, we'd have been laughed out of business long ago," Celente said.</P>
    <P>Celente contends there are but three possible explanations for President Obama and his "brilliant" team of economic advisors "misreading how bad the economy was":</P>
    <P>1. They're ignorant, despite PhD's and impressive resumes.</P>
<P>2. They are so arrogant they are incapable of acknowledging that anyone outside the incestuous Beltway circle could possibly get it right ... when they've got it wrong.</P>
<P>3. They actually do know better, but are lying.</P>
    <P>"None of these suffice as excuses," concluded Celente, "but the inability or unwillingness to make accurate forecasts appears to be a Vice Presidential prerequisite." This past January, departing VP Dick Cheney sloughed off his administration's central role in accelerating the financial crisis and failure to head it off,   claiming, "Nobody anywhere was smart enough to figure it out."</P>
    <P>Anyone in the media interested in interviewing one person who was "smart enough to figure it out" should talk to Gerald Celente.</P>
    <P>The Greatest Depression is at hand. The stimulus, bailout and buyout packages being forced   on the nation by an Administration that "misread how bad the economy was" will only lead to "Obamageddon": The Fall of Empire America.</P>
    <P>&copy; MMIX The Trends   Research Institute&reg;</P>

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    <P>"Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name. Don't neglect to do good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices."     (Hebrews 13:15-16).</P>
    <P>LEBANON, Tenn. (BP)--My very round, less-than-five-feet-tall, Appalachian grandmother owned one navy blue dress. She had several thin cotton housedresses, too, but when she had some place special to go--like one of her sons'     football games or a band concert for the high school--she wore her navy blue dress.</P>
    <P>I'm sure she would have liked to have had more than one dress to wear, but my mother never   heard her complain about it if she did. Nanny knew how to sacrifice.    And it wasn't just a fashion statement for her. She went whole hog  about it. Although she and Papaw never owned a house of their own, she always opened their rented, two-story house on the alley to  others who were in need.</P>
    <P>More than one family member spent their final days in her care. Struggling nieces and nephews were always welcomed, and even college students lived in the upstairs bedroom during the school year, lining up in the hallway     with the rest of the family to use the one and only bathroom.</P>
    <P>Five children of her own, working as a cook in several restaurants, and a volunteer with the Salvation Army, Nanny never stopped giving. Even her reputation was fair game as she demonstrated by witnessing in a local bar and losing her church membership when the congregation chastised her for entering such a place.</P>
    <P>She just kept giving until she gave it all away. Although she died when I was only 5, I remember her gifts to me. Drawing a large circle on the dining room floor with a crayon so that we could play marbles. Rolling out dough     and cutting the most delicious noodles with a big butcher knife.    Buying me a black, King James Bible with a gold zipper around the   pages. And handing down a heritage of fearless and selfless living through the stories I've heard from my mother, aunt and uncles.  Nanny pleased God.</P>
    <P>Nanny was a great example. But am I? Sacrifice is not as popular today as it once was. It is more common to sacrifice others' needs than it is to give up our own. Men and women sacrifice their marriages to fulfill selfish desires. Parents sacrifice children to gods of career and success.     And many of us sacrifice common sense by buying things we don't need with money we don't have. We even deny God's truths as He proclaims them in His Word in order to show the world that we aren't     small-minded or intolerant of alternate lifestyles. Yes, we sacrifice a lot today, but not in a way that pleases God. (And I    have sacrificed my grammar by mixing my pronouns. "We" is a lot easier and less convicting to say than "I.")</P>
    <P>But I long to please God. To offer sacrifices of both word and deed. To confess His name     continually and to do good and to share. Maybe it was easier for Nanny. Maybe she didn't hang onto things so tightly, because she never had much to begin with. But couldn't that make it even harder to give it away? She had so little, but she offered it all. Like the widow who gave her last "mite," Nanny gave with all her  might. Oh Lord, help me to do the same. Let me speak Your name with praise and thanksgiving. Help me to give with joy and sacrifice so that I will please You and bless those around me. More than lifted   hands and songs sung in a sanctuary, let my daily life be a sacrifice of praise--all for You and Your glory.</P>

The New York Times Company

January 22, 2009

The One-State Solution

By MUAMMAR QADDAFI

Tripoli, Libya

THE shocking level of the last wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence, which ended with this weekend's cease-fire, reminds us why a final resolution to the so-called Middle East crisis is so important. It is vital not just to break this cycle of destruction and injustice, but also to deny the religious extremists in the region who feed on the conflict an excuse to advance their own causes.

But everywhere one looks, among the speeches and the desperate diplomacy, there is no real way forward. A just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians is possible, but it lies in the history of the people of this conflicted land, and not in the tired rhetoric of partition and two-state solutions.

Although it's hard to realize after the horrors we've just witnessed, the state of war between the Jews and Palestinians has not always existed. In fact, many of the divisions between Jews and Palestinians are recent ones. The very name "Palestine" was commonly used to describe the whole area, even by the Jews who lived there, until 1948, when the name "Israel" came into use.

Jews and Muslims are cousins descended from Abraham. Throughout the centuries both faced cruel persecution and often found refuge with one another. Arabs sheltered Jews and protected them after maltreatment at the hands of the Romans and their expulsion from Spain in the Middle Ages.

The history of Israel/Palestine is not remarkable by regional standards -- a country inhabited by different peoples, with rule passing among many tribes, nations and ethnic groups; a country that has withstood many wars and waves of peoples from all directions. This is why it gets so complicated when members of either party claims the right to assert that it is their land.

The basis for the modern State of Israel is the persecution of the Jewish people, which is undeniable. The Jews have been held captive, massacred, disadvantaged in every possible fashion by the Egyptians, the Romans, the English, the Russians, the Babylonians, the Canaanites and, most recently, the Germans under Hitler. The Jewish people want and deserve their homeland.

But the Palestinians too have a history of persecution, and they view the coastal towns of Haifa, Acre, Jaffa and others as the land of their forefathers, passed from generation to generation, until only a short time ago.

Thus the Palestinians believe that what is now called Israel forms part of their nation, even were they to secure the West Bank and Gaza. And the Jews believe that the West Bank is Samaria and Judea, part of their homeland, even if a Palestinian state were established there. Now, as Gaza still smolders, calls for a two-state solution or partition persist. But neither will work.

A two-state solution will create an unacceptable security threat to Israel. An armed Arab state, presumably in the West Bank, would give Israel less than 10 miles of strategic depth at its narrowest point. Further, a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip would do little to resolve the problem of refugees. Any situation that keeps the majority of Palestinians in refugee camps and does not offer a solution within the historical borders of Israel/Palestine is not a solution at all.

For the same reasons, the older idea of partition of the West Bank into Jewish and Arab areas, with buffer zones between them, won't work. The Palestinian-held areas could not accommodate all of the refugees, and buffer zones symbolize exclusion and breed tension. Israelis and Palestinians have also become increasingly intertwined, economically and politically.

In absolute terms, the two movements must remain in perpetual war or a compromise must be reached. The compromise is one state for all, an "Isratine" that would allow the people in each party to feel that they live in all of the disputed land and they are not deprived of any one part of it.

A key prerequisite for peace is the right of return for Palestinian refugees to the homes their families left behind in 1948. It is an injustice that Jews who were not originally inhabitants of Palestine, nor were their ancestors, can move in from abroad while Palestinians who were displaced only a relatively short time ago should not be so permitted.

It is a fact that Palestinians inhabited the land and owned farms and homes there until recently, fleeing in fear of violence at the hands of Jews after 1948 -- violence that did not occur, but rumors of which led to a mass exodus. It is important to note that the Jews did not forcibly expel Palestinians. They were never "un-welcomed." Yet only the full territories of Isratine can accommodate all the refugees and bring about the justice that is key to peace.

YLE="margin-bottom: 0in">

Assimilation is already a fact of life in Israel. There are more than one million Muslim Arabs in Israel; they possess Israeli nationality and take part in political life with the Jews, forming political parties. On the other side, there are Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Israeli factories depend on Palestinian labor, and goods and services are exchanged. This successful assimilation can be a model for Isratine.

If the present interdependence and the historical fact of Jewish-Palestinian coexistence guide their leaders, and if they can see beyond the horizon of the recent violence and thirst for revenge toward a long-term solution, then these two peoples will come to realize, I hope sooner rather than later, that living under one roof is the only option for a lasting peace.

Muammar Qaddafi is the leader of Libya.

BBC NEWS:

WHO warns swine flu 'unstoppable'

2009/07/03

The UN's top health official has opened a forum in Mexico on combating swine flu by saying that the spread of the virus worldwide is now unstoppable.

The WHO says most H1N1 cases are mild, with many people recovering unaided.

As the summit opened, the UK alone was projecting more than 100,000 new cases of H1N1 a day by the end of the summer.

While Mexico in the northern hemisphere has seen swine flu cases decreased, the peak of the flu season is approaching in South America and some areas have declared a public health emergency.

'Mild symptoms'

"As we see today, with well over 100 countries reporting cases, once a fully fit pandemic virus emerges, its further international spread is unstoppable," Dr Chan said in her opening remarks.

She stressed that the overwhelming majority of patients experienced mild symptoms and made a full recovery within a week, often in the absence of any form of medical treatment.

The exceptions, she said, were pregnant women and people with underlying health problems, who were at higher risk from complications from the virus and should be monitored if they fell ill.

"For a pandemic of moderate severity, this is one of our greatest challenges: helping people to understand when they do not need to worry, and when they do need to seek urgent care," Dr Chan said.

Authorities across South America are becoming increasingly concerned as the peak flu season approaches.

Schools across Argentina have sent students home and pregnant women have been told they can take two weeks off work to avoid contracting the virus.

It is hoped the Cancun meeting will address many of the issues that might help slow the spread of swine flu but, our correspondent adds, many people are concerned that an effective vaccine has still not been developed.

***

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ANTICHRIST

Editor: Have you ever wondered if some powerful world leader could be the Antichrist? How will we recognize him? One of the main ways is by his actions--confirming and breaking the Covenant, waging the wars predicted in Daniel 11, etc.--but we'll also recognize him by the personal characteristics the Bible describes him having. Following is a list of those characteristics (based on an article by Joseph Candel in Activated Volume 3, Issue 8):

1. The origin or nationality of the Antichrist.

Ezekiel calls the Antichrist "Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal" (Ezekiel 38:2 NKJ). Scholars agree that the ancient land referred to as Magog is a powerful country north of Israel. Rosh is similar in sound to Russia, and Meshech and Tubal could be renderings of Moscow and Tobolsk. There are also indications that the Antichrist will have something to do with Egypt.

2. The Antichrist will be evil, yet appear as a savior.

"[There] shall stand up a vile person ... he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries" (Daniel 11:21). Other versions of the Bible use the word "intrigue" here, in place of "flattery."

"By peace [he] shall destroy many" (Daniel 8:25).

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [the Second Coming of Jesus Christ] shall not come, except ... that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition" (2 Thessalonians 2:3).

"Then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall ... destroy with the brightness of His coming [at the Battle of Armageddon]" (2 Thessalonians 2:8).

"Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers [such as the Antichrist] also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their [evil] works" (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).

3. The Antichrist will be outspoken and have great speaking ability.

"He shall speak great [pompous] words against the Most High" (Daniel 7:25).

"There was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies" (Revelation 13:5).

4. The Antichrist will have a fierce countenance.

"In the latter time [the Endtime, just prior to Jesus' return] ... when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up" (Daniel 8:23).

The prophet Daniel also describes him as a man "whose appearance was greater than his fellows" (Daniel 7:20 NKJ). Other translations of the Bible render this phrase "more stout than his fellows," or "more imposing than his fellows."

5. The Antichrist will be very proud.

"The king [the Antichrist] shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper" (Daniel 11:36).

His pride even leads him to declare himself God. "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

6. The Antichrist will be a military genius.

Daniel describes several major wars that the Antichrist fights against those who oppose him during the last three and a half years of his reign. "He will be a master of deception, defeating many by catching them off guard as they bask in false security. Without warning he will destroy them" (Daniel 8:25 TLB).

"They worshiped the Beast, saying, Who is like unto the Beast? Who is able to make war with him?" (Revelation 13:4).

7. The Antichrist will not desire women.

"Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all" (Daniel 11:37).

8. The Antichrist will have supernatural powers, given him by the Devil.

"His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully [to an extraordinary degree], and shall prosper" (Daniel 8:24).

"The Dragon [Devil] gave him his power, his throne, and great authority" (Revelation 13:2 NKJ).

"Even him, whose coming is [according to] the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:9).

"I saw [the Antichrist] as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the Beast" (Revelation 13:3).

"Power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb [Jesus]" (Revelation 13:7-8).

"He shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand" (Daniel 8:25).

The Antichrist Shall Come (Song)

Telegraph UK

Mayan 'apocalypse' crop circle appears at Silbury Hill

A 350ft crop circle of an ancient Mayan symbol, said to be a sign of an impending apocalypse, has appeared next to Silbury Hill in Wiltshire.

08 Jul 2009

The Mayan-themed crop circle formation found at Silbury Hill, Wilts Photo: MYNEWSAGENCY

The giant pattern - thought to represent a traditional Mayan head-dress - appeared next to the tallest prehistoric man-made mound in Europe last week.

Members of the crop circle community believe the mystic symbol is a signal of the end of the 5,126-year Mayan 'Long Count' calendar on December 21, 2012.

Karen Alexander, a crop circle enthusiast, said: "This is one of the most interesting crop circles I have ever seen. It is definitely a Mayan symbol and we are sure it is linked to the Mayan calendar, which ends in 2012.

"It appears to be a warning about the world coming to an end when the calendar does. For the ancient Maya, reaching the end of a cycle was a momentous event, so we are taking this crop circle very seriously as an indicator of a possibly huge event in 2012."

Last month a 400-foot crop circle depicting a phoenix rising from the flames appeared in a barley field in Yatesbury near Devizes, Wiltshire.

Crop circle theorists believe the patterns are created by UFOs during nocturnal visits, or caused by natural phenomena such as unusual forms of lightning striking the earth.