What is baptism by means of the holy spirit? Does one have to be first baptized in water before experiencing this type of baptism? What does the experience of Cornelius show in this regard? When the holy spirit was poured out upon Jesus' disciples at Pentecost, did they experience baptism by means of the holy spirit, thus becoming anointed by God for a heavenly inheritance? If so, how should such persons view this token of inheritance?

The latest commentary: The Accelerating Trajectory of Doom was very interesting; but I have to admit some of it is rather confusing. I realize this is due in part to the rather uncertain specifics of yet future events. My question though is: If America is now the acting buffer does that mean it will completely fall in order to allow a more totalitarian system? Or does it mean the changing of its policies while still exercising great control? From what I understand in the commentary it seems that an obvious change in global financial policy will be needed to prevent complete collapse, which naturally means giving up some previously held freedoms. Will the institutions then require all citizens to "pay up" so to speak, since pretty much everyone is in debt essentially relinquishing control of their lives as we know it? I guess in a nutshell my question is: Who will be calling the shots when the present financial system falls and just what will this mean for the nations and God's people? Who essentially takes on the role of "Babylon" as a world power? Is that where the U.N. comes in?

You are right: It is extremely difficult to foresee exactly how things will unfold in the future. All we can do is keep watch on present trends and project how they will play out in harmony with our own limited understanding of the prophecies.

Here are some present trends to take note of: For the last few months numerous nations of the world have been earnestly discussing ways to protect themselves from the collapsing dollar. For example, because of U.S. dominance, all crude oil purchases of all nations are transacted in U.S. dollars. But, because the dollar is becoming worth less and less, relative to other currencies and essential commodities, the oil-producing nations are intent on restricting supply to drive the price up to compensate for the shrinking value of the dollars they are forced to accept. Some analysts fear that a prolonged price above $40 per-barrel of oil with shock the fragile "recovery."

There is even a movement in the Islamic world to repudiate the floating exchange-rate system altogether and return to the gold dinar.  The problem is that the banking houses that rule the world would sooner ignite World War Three than allow themselves to become irrelevant.

Not just the United States, but all legitimate governments have an obligation to put the greater welfare of the people first. Consider Argentina as a case study: Argentina was once the most prosperous nation in South America. However, because of extreme indebtedness and currency devaluation, Argentina is now a basket case. People are literally starving to death. Yet, the creditors have little sympathy for the Argentines' suffering. They want their money!

The President of Argentina has described what is taking place as a form of genocide directed against the poor of his nation. He has refused to pay the nation's creditors at the people's expense. (Remember, in the law of Moses Jehovah God outlawed taking the necessities of life of a debtor to secure a loan)

We may consider what is happening in Argentina as a token of what is to come.

But, to illustrate the fragility of the bankrupt global system at this stage, had Argentina been allowed to default on its three billion dollar debt payment due this past week; it may well have set off a chain reaction domino-collapse of the entire banking system. Instead, this time the IMF blinked and "rolled-over" the debt to buy some time. But, the system has come down to the wire where all it takes is one spark to set off the powder keg.

So, these are the two antagonistic forces that are coming to a decisive showdown: The iron and the clay as it were. On the one hand are the giant multinational corporations and financial institutions (some remnants of the Roman and British Empires) and ideologies that promote globalism. Opposed to these are nationalistic institutions that are constitutionally bound to put the welfare of the people ahead of all else.

To illustrate how nearly all political debate takes place between these two opposed ideologies, consider the recent dire warnings of Alan Greenspan against "protectionism."  Multinational corporations, of course, reserve the right to make a profit—period. But, national governments are called upon to protect the people they serve from being exploited by corporations.  Therein lay the conflict.

The ongoing conflict between globalism and nationalism is all the more potent because the financial system is unquestionably in the final stages of collapse. So, the overriding struggle currently being fought has to do with who is going to rule the post-crash world.

Of all the democratic institutions, the United States is the only nation that can successfully oppose the formidable financial oligarchy, which has been likened to a banking Mafioso. So, the fight is on to control the government of the United States in order to prevent it from using its sovereign power to save the nation-state system. Who will win? According to prophecy the totalitarian forces are ultimately going to crush the nations. It appears that the UN will then be used as the new world government.

In the essay Doom of the Anglo-American Dyad, a comparison was made between Egypt of prophecy and America. As we know, The Babylonian Empire subjugated all the nations of the region—including Egypt. Interestingly, though, in the 19th chapter of Isaiah Jehovah chides the rulers and counselors of Pharaoh for ill-advising their king, as the reason for the nation's demise.

Isaiah 19:11-15 reads: "The princes of Zoan are indeed foolish. As regards the wise ones of Pharaoh's counselors, their counsel is something unreasonable. How will you men say to Pharaoh: "I am the son of wise ones, the son of kings of ancient time"? Where, then, are they—the wise men of yours—that they may now tell you and that they may know what Jehovah of armies has counseled concerning Egypt? The princes of Zoan have acted foolishly, the princes of Noph have been deceived, the keymen of her tribes have caused Egypt to wander about. Jehovah himself has mingled in the midst of her the spirit of disconcertedness; and they have caused Egypt to wander about in all its work, just as someone drunk is made to wander about in his vomit. And Egypt will not come to have any work that the head or the tail, the shoot or the rush, can do."

Just as Jehovah blessed Egypt in the time of Joseph, in a sense God has also blessed America, even as the patriots insist; in that, America has been a prosperous safe-haven from the tyrannies that have ravaged virtually every other continent on earth. (Remember the Jews on various occasions and even the infant Jesus took refuge in Egypt) The freedoms afforded Americans has allowed Jehovah's work to thrive—to the benefit of all. Even Jehovah says as much at Isaiah 19:23: "Blessed be my people, Egypt."

However, Jehovah's blessing is only temporary. One of the founding Father's of the United States was once asked by a woman what sort of government the constitutional congress had given to the Americans. Benjamin Franklin's answer was: "A republic—if you can keep it."  Fittingly, as a repudiation of all human government, but particularly democracy, the jury seems intent on delivering the final verdict that Americans are not capable of preserving their nation from falling into the hands of tyrants.

The result of the ineptitude and foolishness of the princes and keymen of Egypt was that they lost their freedom and were delivered up by Jehovah to a "hard master." (Is 19:4) A modern parallel is evident, in as much as both political parties seem incapable, and frankly, too stupid and corrupt to deal head on with the real issue that is threatening the destruction of their nation and the world; namely, that the system has long been victimized and exploited by a ruthless financial oligarchy.

Equally interesting is that in connection with the fall of Egypt, Jehovah foretold the drying up of the Nile River, and the resulting economic impact upon the Egyptians. "And the water will certainly be dried up from the sea, and the river itself will become parched and actually run dry. And the rivers must stink; the Nile canals of Egypt must become low and parched. The reed and the rush themselves must molder. The bare places by the Nile River, at the mouth of the Nile River, and every seedland of the Nile River will dry up. It will certainly be driven away, and it will be no more. And the fishers will have to mourn, and all those casting fishhooks into the Nile River must express sorrow, and even those spreading fishing nets upon the surface of the water will actually fade away. And the workers in carded flax must become ashamed; also the loom workers on white fabrics. And her weavers must become crushed, all the wage workers grieved in soul."

The Nile River was the lifeblood of the Egyptian economy. A series of irrigation canals channeled water from the Nile to water a wide region that would otherwise have been a barren wasteland. So, the drying up of the Nile would betoken a national economic disaster. In conjunction with similar prophecies in Ezekiel and Daniel, the destiny of America seems set in stone.

For example, concerning the end-game of the long-running prophecy of the king of the north and the king of the south, Daniel 11:42-43 foretells that during "the time of the end" the king of the north "will keep thrusting out his hand against the lands; and as regards the land of Egypt, she will not prove to be an escapee. And he will actually rule over the hidden treasures of the gold and the silver and over all the desirable things of Egypt."

Notice, please, that Egypt does not cease to exist as a nation. It merely loses its freedom and economic independence when it fails to escape the machinations of the king of the north. (Notice that there is no further reference to the king of the south in that prophecy after Egypt is subjugated. It is a lone king of north who comes all the way to his end when Michael stands up at Armageddon.)

The Watchtower even recognizes that "Egypt" represents the United States as the king of the south; by virtue of the fact that Egypt was the original king of the south. However, we have wrongly imagined that the prophecy was somehow fulfilled during the Cold War; when the assumed Soviet king of the north supposedly ruled over the financial affairs of United States; causing it to exhaust the US treasury in the Superpower arms race. Of course, in reality, the exact opposite proved to be the case—it was the USSR that was bankrupted by the arms race. Besides, we have not entered into the biblically delineated period of the "time of the end;" when the king of the north makes his final push for complete world domination.

So, by the forward-shining light of God's Word it is evident that the leading nation of the world is destined to fall from power—at least as an economic superpower. It is certain to be transformed, just as surely as Russia was transformed by the Soviet revolution; or Germany was transformed when the Nazis took over.

Obviously, though, a nation with the awesome firepower of tens of thousands of nuclear warheads, and countless other weaponry, will always be a formidable military power—just as Russia remains such after the fall of Communism. But the question is: Who will have their finger on the trigger? Again, the Bible's answer is: "And I will deliver up Egypt into the hand of a hard master, and strong will be the king that will rule over them," is the utterance of the true Lord, Jehovah of armies."

As for its impact upon each of us, at some point we may expect to receive our daily ration from off the tailgate of a UN relief truck.

Jehovah's witnesses claim that the first resurrection has already begun. They cite Jesus' crowning in the heavens as marking the end of the gentile times and the beginning of the last days as the time in which anointed Christians experience the first resurrection. How do you appraise this belief? Do the facts indicate that the first resurrection is in progress?