And thus, I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat in them, having breast plates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouth issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
—Rev. 9:17
7291 Arms Spending Worldwide
Worldwide spending for arms each year totalled over $300 billion. The U.S. and USSR accounts for about 60% of this volume. The biggest proportional rise in arms spending was in third-world countries, especially in the Middle East where arms spending jumped up over ten times in the past 15 years.
This level of arms spending worldwide represents nearly 10% of the world’s total production of goods and services.
7292 U.S. Arms Sales
American arms sales abroad actually create about 350,000 jobs in the U.S. and account for 7% of U.S. exports. It jumped from a mere $300 million in 1952 to approximately $20 billion in 1975.
7293 U.S. Sales Abroad
Orders from abroad for U.S. aircraft missiles, tanks, ships and other weapons of war have doubled in a year to more than 8 billion dollars annually.
U.S. officials say that these sales make the United States the top arms merchant in the world. The Soviet Union, however, is not far behind, with its major armament program in the Middle East.
Military sales abroad are in addition to the half-billion dollar in arms a year handed out free as military aid to friends and allies. Not included, either, are the millions of dollars in secondhand weapons that are passed on to other countries. France and Britain are rated a distant third and fourth in arms exporting.
7294 Meaning Of One Kiloton
The kiloton (KT) is the equivalent of 1,000 tons of T.N.T. One megaton (MT) is the equivalent of 1,000,000 tons of T.N.T. The first atomic bomb exploded in New Mexico was about 19 KT. The bomb of Hiroshima was a 20-KT bomb. The largest hydrogen bomb that has been exploded was a 100-MT bomb by the Russians in 1960s. The force of that bomb was so powerful that measured pressure pulses from this bomb went around the world two times. Though the 100-MT bomb was 5,000 times as powerful as the one on Hiroshima, scientists are discussing bombs of 10,000; 20,000, or even 1,000,000 megatons.
How powerful is a 100-megaton bomb? All the gunpowder, T.N.T., dynamite, and nitroglycerin made since the discovery of gunpowder are not equal to 100 megatons. To equal a 100-MT bomb, you would have to drop a 20-KT bomb (like the one on Japan) every day of the year for 13 years. All the explosives used on both sides in WW II were less than 3 megatons!
7295 Stockpile Of Bombs
By the late l960s, the U.S. had stockpiled over 30,000 atomic devices with total power of 25,000 megatons. Russia had almost the same megatonage.
Incredibly, the United Nations reported that the world’s nuclear arsenals contained enough explosives to blast every man, woman and child off the earth with the equivalent of 15 tons of T.N.T.
THE SUPERPOWERS
7296 The Armed Forces
Since 1970, the U.S. has reduced the size of its armed forces by nearly 900,000 while the Soviets have expanded theirs by 270,000. Result: The Soviets have 4,400,000 men under arms today compared with 2,130,000 in this country.
During a crisis, the Soviets could field over 3 million additional men within 60 to 90 days, all under age 27, with two to three years of active duty behind them.
By contrast, the U.S. plans an all-volunteer force of 2.3 million, backed by nearly 1 million reservists.
7297 The Nuclear Triad
The U.S. defense capability is based on the concept of a nuclear “triad”—bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and submarine-launched missiles.
The idea is that the Soviets can never hope to neutralize all three of these systems simultaneously.
7298 The ICBM Race
In 1962, Soviet Russia had 50 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles ready to fire. At that time the U.S. had 233. Now Soviet Russia has over 2,500 ICBMs ready to fire and the U.S. has 2,200.
As for the vulnerability of America’s 1054 Minuteman missiles, the Congressional Budget Office analysis came to this conclusion: By the early to mid-1980s, the Soviets are expected to be able to destroy a high percentage of the Minute-Man force.”
The U.S. has 1,054 land-based missiles, but they have become vulnerable to a Soviet knockout attack.
The U.S. is therefore contemplating a new system of mobile missiles (or expanded submarine-mounted missiles) at a cost of $30 billion.
7299 MIRV-ING
Russia has more intercontinental ballistic missiles than does the U.S. and it has larger nuclear warheads on them. We do have more total warheads, however, because we developed the MIRV multiple-warhead missiles before Russia did.
However, even this advantage has been eroded since Russia has started MIRV-ing their intercontinental missiles.
The Russians, according to this study, are deploying four new missiles that are as much as four times more powerful than the launchers that they are replacing and are more accurate. Also, these missiles are armed with MIRV’s multiple independently-targeted warheads.
7300 Complicating The Scenes
Ten years ago in 1967, the Los Angeles Times described a new kind of weapon: “Unlike conventional intercontinental missiles, which follow an up-and-down ballistic trajectory reaching a peak altitude of 800 miles, the orbital missile is fired like a satellite into a low orbit perhaps 100 miles high. There is no way of determining what the FOBS target is until retro-rockets are fired to bring it down to earth, some three minutes before impact.”
Three years later, there came the MIRV-type of warheads which multiplied the complexity of the thing, since each FOBS could carry multiple-reentry pods of rockets, targeted at widely separated places on earth.
7301 The Navies
For years, the U.S. Navy has taken the position that the American and Soviet fleets are structured for different missions. That view is changing. With the appearance of a new antiship-missile cruiser and a 35,000-ton carrier within the Soviet forces, the Navy has concluded the Russians are moving from the defense of the Eurasian land mass and denying sea lanes to the West to the projection of power overseas—a move that will further strain U.S. resources.
At present, the U.S. fleet consists of 283 combatant ships, including 119 submarines, of which 41 carry ballistic missiles. The Soviet fleet numbers 456 combat ships, including 350 attack and missile-carrying submarines.
Russian submarines, with their 4,200 miles missiles, could hit “pretty well the whole of North America, Europe, and a pretty large hunk of China” without leaving the Barents Sea off their Arctic coast.
Russia has more submarines than all the NATO countries combined, including the United States.
7302 Soviet Naval Power
The Soviet submarine force is three times the size of ours. Although we maintain a certain comparative advantage in submarine technology, that gap, too, is closing. Soviet submarine surface ships, and their Air Force are equipped with a variety of missiles which present a real challenge.
During the 1973 Middle East war, the nearly 100 Soviet ships in the Mediterranean clearly outnumbered our own. Our surface ships are down to 1939 levels. The Soviets now possess the ability to interdict the vital sea lanes on which we depend to supply our allies and to obtain vital resources such as oil.
7303 The Bombers
The U.S. still has an edge over Russia in strategic bombers, but this is narrowing. The air forces of the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations are being modernized and increased in strength. Its airforce had 300 heavy bombers and 500 medium bombers in 1968. Since then, they number over 5,000.
7304 The Laser
A struggle for supremacy between the United States and the Soviet Union in the development of “death ray” laser beams which could destroy nuclear missiles is currently in progress.
On five separate occasions, beginning in October 1975, the Soviets illuminated U.S. satellites for periods of up to four hours or more with powers of up to 1,000 times that seen in a forest fire or an intercontinental missile (ICBM) launch.
ARMS IN USE
7305 Soviet Weapons
Russia’s vast arsenal of huge multi-megaton payload SS-9 rockets with their new six-pack version of the MIRV multiple independently-targeted reentry vehicle warheads, plus similar MIRV-type warheads for their lesser SS-11 rockets (similar to our Minuteman III 8 intercontinental ballistic missiles-ICBMs) and their smaller SS-13 rockets; and their high development of the Fractional Orbital Ballistic Satellites (FOBS); plus their dep loyment of Poseidon-type multiple-warhead Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs) in Russian nuclear-powered submarines that now roam the globe lanes are known to be stationed near enough to our Atlantic and Pacific seacoasts to hit any target in the U.S.A.
—Charles R. Taylor
7306 The Cruise Missile
The Cruise missile is a subsonic, superaccurate weapon that can be fired up to 2,500 miles and strike within 30 feet of its target. It can be launched from aircraft, submarines, surface ships and land.
The versatility of the cruise missile is extraordinary. It can be fired from the torpedo tube of a submarine or the deck of a surface ship. A modified Boeing 747 could launch as many as 100. Its speed is subsonic but it flies at an altitude of less than 250 feet—under enemy radar and air defenses. The warhead can be nuclear or conventional interchangeably.
The guidance system, taking it on a preprogrammed course by scanning the terrain below, guarantees virtually 100 percent accuracy. A miniaturized propulsion system gives it a 2,500-mile range while still fitting in a shell that is 14 to 20 feet long and weighs only 2,000 pounds.
7307 Smoke Grenades
Washington (AP)—The US Army said it has adopted a British-developed smoke grenade system to protect US tanks in battle.
The British system, now being mounted on US M60 tanks in Europe is faster-reacting than US-made smoke protection devices, the army said. It noted that “fast reaction time is critical for tank survivability” in combat.
The announcement appeared intended to demonstrate that the United States buys military equipment from its NATO allies when that equipment proves to be better than what is available in this country. Some NATO critics have complained that the Pentagon has frozen out European-manufactured military equipment from its forces in the past.
7308 Minute Mines
Mines smaller than a soldier’s hand can be strewn in front of an advancing enemy like confetti. Bigger, vastly more powerful and controversial nuclear mines have also been stockpiled for possible use along potential invasion routes in Europe.
7309 Pentolite
A super explosive, called Pentolite, twenty percent more powerful than TNT, is being used in rocket projectile. Major General L. H. Campbell, chief of Army Ordinance, announcing this, said that a “small quantity of this explosive” would penetrate five feet of reinforced concrete. Beside providing “terrific punch” for bazooka ammunition and other rocket projectiles, the Army added, Pentolite also is employed in rifle grenades, antitank explosives, certain types of artillery shells, for demolition work and for clearing wrecked harbors.
7310 Smart Bombs
A search is on at Air Force, Army and Navy laboratories for high-energy lasers which can fuse enemy missiles into harmless junk, knock down aircraft, destroy tanks, slice through spaceships, detect submarines and carry thousands of messages, all at the speed of light, 186,000 miles per second.
Industrial laboratories conducting laser research have achieved short bursts of energy equal to 300,000 megawatts. A megawatt is 1 million watts. Russia and France have reported bursts of 10 billion megawatts—but only for a few trillionths of a second.
What experts in high-energy lasers seek is a device of such intensity that it will vaporize anything it strikes. That is possible now at ranges of a few yards. Scientists hope to increase these ranges, step by step, to miles.
7311 Napalm Burns
Man-created napalm victim gives us some idea of how heat can destroy flesh. The temperature of a napalm flame can approach 2060° C. Napalm burns are deep and extensive with burns that result in severe scars. What will a severe burn be like in that coming day of the Tribulation.
7312 U.S. Arms In Vietnam
North Vietnam recovered enough weapons after the collapse of Saigon’s former regime to equip an army with 550 tanks, 1,300 artillery pieces and 130,000 tons of ammunition, according to a Pentagon report.
The South Vietnamese left $5 billion worth of military equipment in the final collapse, the report said.
Among equipment abandoned were 1.6 million rifles, 466 helicopters, 113 A-36 bombers, 90 transport planes, 42,000 trucks and 940 ships.
Shortly after the Spring of 1975, North Vietnamese victory, defense department experts estimated that only about half of the equipment was in working order.
Military experts also point out that the North Vietnamese must find a spare parts system before they can really use the abandoned gear.
In numbers of planes, South Vietnam ranked behind the United States, the Soviet Union and China as the world’s fourth biggest air force.
With its captured aircraft, North Vietnam moves into fourth place. But Pentagon officials said they believed the Vietnamese have not been able to keep many of the captured planes flying because of a lack of spare parts.
7313 “Orban’s Folly”
In the middle of the sixteenth century one of the strangest military weapons was developed. It was a huge cannon with a 25-inch bore that could be fired only seven times a day because it took so long to reload it. Huge piles of powder were required for each shot; the barrel had to be greased each time. It could shoot only one mile, but could be heard for twelve miles.
Over 650 men were needed to operate it. There were no wheels; it had to be dragged over the ground on rollers and weights. Another 250 carpenters went on ahead to strengthen bridges and roads.
The gun was cast by a Hungarian founder at the directions of its inventor, a man named Orban, who presented the unwieldy weapon to Mohammed II to use in the siege of Constantinople.
The giant gun did not last long, however. After a few days it blew up, blowing the body of its own creator into bits. Hence it was known as Orban’s Folly.
7314 Secret Atomic Bomb Project
History’s greatest secret project was the secret development of the atomic bomb by the United States during the World War II. Franklin D. Roosevelt approved of the project in 1939, but actual work started in 1942 under “AAA” priority. On July 16, 1945, the bomb was successfully test-fired at New Mexico.
The entire project had involved over 600,000 men but for nearly 4 years the secret of the bomb was protected by their silence. Each scientist and project was assigned a code name, and “atom” or “bomb” was never mentioned in conversation.
Towards the end of World War II, the news appeared that the Germans had developed the atomic bomb. But the onrushing allied troops found the German A-bomb at its elementary stage of development.
Hitler never learned that the USA was that advanced in the development of this nuclear weapon.
MISCELLANEOUS STORIES
7315 “Gentlemen, Closing Time”
In 1869, the famous French chemist, Pierce Bethelot, wrote these prophetic and startling words:
“In one hundred years of physical and chemical science, man will know what the atom is. It is our belief that when science reaches this stage, God will come down to earth with his big ring of keys and say to humanity, “Gentlemen, it is closing time.””
Pierce Bethelot reasoned that the splitting of the atom would mark a point of no return in the history of man.
—The Bible Friend
7316 The Circulated Letter
Several years ago a number of Nobel-prize-winning scientists from various countries prepared a document and sent it to the leaders of all the world powers. They warned: “Here, then, is the problem which we present to you, stark and dreadful and inescapable: shall we put an end to the human race or shall mankind renounce war? We appeal, as human beings to human beings; remember your humanity, and forget the rest. If you can do so, the way lies open to a new paradise; if you cannot, there lies before you the risk of universal death.”
Many of the scientists who were most responsible for the development of the H-bomb signed the document quoted above.
—Hal Lindsay
7317 “Maniac”
Dr. John Von Neumann was one of the scientists who helped to build the hydrogen bomb. For the intricate calculations, Dr. Von Neumann used a machine which he called “Mathematical Analyzer, Numerical Integrator, and Computer.” After the mathematical wonder was delivered, Dr. Von Neumann and other scientists realized that when initiated, the name was MANIAC.
7318 Bomb As Anvil Explodes
A World War II bomb in use for the last 10 years in a blacksmith’s shop as anvil in the Philippines, exploded suddenly when it was moved. A welder was killed and three men seriously injured. The bomb had been used the last 10 years as anvil before being sold to a welding shop.
7319 Bomb In Bell Tower
In November 1973, Tass News agency reported that Soviet bomb disposal experts removed an unexploded shell from a church bell tower at Yaroslav, northeast of Moscow. The shell, it is believed, dates from a 1918 battle in the Russian civil war.
7320 Live Bomb In Cebu
Cebu City, Philippines—housands of residents in the Taboan area, this city, were saved from possible death when a live bomb, weighing 500 pounds, failed to explode here.
The bomb, the deadly “blockbuster” type, was being tinkered by construction workers six feet underground digging the foundation of a four-story building.
Using bars and picks in the excavation, the workers innocently kept on pounding the stubborn metal only to scamper in horror later on realizing that the object was a bomb.
7321 Bomb To Stay In Tokyo
A news item dated February 22, 1956, told of a schoolteacher in Tokyo, Japan, who found an unexploded World War Two bomb under a rose bush in his back yard. He was told that it would have to stay there for a couple of months. Why? Bomb disposal officials explained they had spent all their allotted money for digging up 7,000 bombs and shells during the past 10 months.
As soon as funds were available they would come and dispose of the bomb. Meanwhile the teacher declared that he would give a wide berth to that rose bush.
7322 Chemical Warfare Weapons
Chemical agents are among the most controversial of modern weapons. Within 15 minutes of its use, nerve gas produces headaches, vomiting, convulsions, coma—and death.
Western experts estimate that Moscow has 80,000 soldiers who have been specially trained to identify targets for gas attacks. About 15% of Warsaw Pact (East Europe) ammunition is believed to be chemical. NATO’s commitment to chemicals is considerably more modest. In fact, only the US among NATO countries has a significant chemical arsenal—and over the last decade, American stockpiles have been drastically reduced.
The U.S. now has an estimated 42,000 tons of chemical weapons, compared with 350,000 tons for the Soviets. The US is now well aware of the gap. Over the next five years, 1980–85, the Army plans to spend $1.3 billion to begin developing a new generation of chemical weapons.
7323 Trawler Catches U.S. Sub
Lorient, France (UPI)—A 129-feet French fishing trawler reported it made a remarkable catch—an American submarine.
The Lorraine-Bretagne, part of the fleet, reported that at 2 p.m. (130 GMT) it experienced “enormous pulling” in its nets.
When the catch came to the surface the crew discovered it had caught the U.S. Robert F. Lee, a 382-feet vessel complete with 16 Polaris missiles and 112 sailors. After five hours the two vessels untangled themselves and proceeded with their respective tasks.
The 6,700-ton sub apparently suffered no damage, but the trawler lost most of its fishing equipment. Company officials said they lodged a strong protest with the U.S. embassy in Paris and that the Americans are obliged to pay for the damages.
7324 “Powder Room” In Embassy
It was during the regime of the late and unlamented Herr Schickelgruber and plans had been drawn up for the conversion of the old Bluecher Palace in Berlin into our embassy. Included in the architects’ blueprints was a “powder room” for feminine guests.
No sooner was the American staff established within the rehabilitated mansion than in filed the Gestapo—waving a copy of the architectural drawings. Literally translated into German, it seems, “powder room” become “Pulver-kammer.” The grim-visaged intruders wanted to see—and quick—the room in which the Embassy people were storing those munitions! Gleefully they were led to the room in question.
7325 Queen Mentioned “Armies”
History tells us that during the reign of Queen Elizabeth the Spaniards once unjustly imprisoned some English subjects. No reasoning or expostulation could induce the Spanish authorities to release them; when our Queen, finding all other means had failed, lost all patience, and sent a peremptory message declaring that if the imprisoned English were not immediately liberated her fleets and armies should know the reason why.
The threat accomplished more than all the previous remonstrances, for at the mention of “fleets and armies” the captives were immediately released. It is often found that one stroke of the rod will bring men to their senses sooner than all the reasoning which can be urged.
—W. G. Pascoe
7326 Hiroshima!
On Aug. 6, 1945, at 8:15 AM, Hiroshima awoke after a restless night of alarms. At that moment, 9,000 meters above the bomb—nicknamed “Fat Boy”—detached itself from the B-29 “Enola Gay” and glided down through a cloudless sky. Forty-three seconds later a purple flash dazzled the city.
A 150-meter-wide ball of fire engulfed the center, waves of 9,000 degree centigrade heat were sent rolling across the city at speeds of 4 kilometers per second, and shock waves from an explosion equal to that of 20,000 tons of TNT followed. Then the “atomic mushroom” rose up miles above the city, which had already become a desert.
Fire engulfed the city, the wind raged and the “black rain” began to fall. The survivors were soon shaking with cold.
Estimates of casualties vary between 100,000 and 200,000 dead for Hiroshima and 30,000 to 70,000 at Nagasaki. Thirty years later, victims of the atomic contamination still fall at the rate of 3,000 per year.
See also: Peace Settlements ; Armageddon ; War ; Rev. 8:7; 9:19; 11:18.