Structural Learning Week 6 - The Return of Jesus Christ

The Return of Jesus Christ by Claire Umumaranrungu:

For our structural learning in week 6 Claire decided to do hers on an issue that she feels strongly about – the returning of Jesus Christ. Although this topic does not relate to a development issue directly Claire thought it important that we all be reminded of it, and it is something she feels very passionate about sharing.

I wanted to talk about the return of Jesus because I feel that it is important to remind people, as it can be very easy for people to forget that the current world is not permanent – and that this is a place we will spend a very short amount of time in. I wanted to highlight how the Bible tells us that there are signs about the return of Jesus, and allow my team mates to see these.

"When you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near."
- Luke 21:31

Throughout the Bible there are references to the second coming of Jesus Christ - Luke 21:28 and 31; Matthew 24:42 - 44, 25:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 John 3:2 - 3; Hebrews 10:24 – 25.

Although it is not possible to say with any certainty how events that take place today relate to the Biblical prophecies, it would be unwise to not take heed and ignore their warnings. The following are some of the signs that the Bible says we should be aware of when considering the return of Jesus Christ.

Wars and Rumours of Wars:

“And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24:6 - 7a NIV)

Famines, Pestilence and Earthquakes:

“And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24:7b - 8 NIV).

Deceivers who claim to follow Jesus:

"Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.” (Matthew 24:4 -5 NIV)

People of Israel return to their Land:

“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.” (Ezekial 37:21 -22 NIV)

Increased Wickedness and Loss of Love:

“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12)

Return of the Fallen Angels and Hybrid Heroes:

"The Nephilim were on the earth in those days--and also afterward--when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown." (Genesis 6:4 NIV)

Strong Delusion:

"For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie." (2 Thessalonions 2:11 NIV)

One World Government:

"It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.That number is 666." (Revelation 13: 16 - 18 NIV)

One World Ruler:

"The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?” (Revelation 13: 1 - 4)

Claire finished off her presentation by getting us to watch the following video...

Structural Learning Week 5 - Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking by Rachel Garner

I chose to do my structural learning on Human Trafficking because I feel that this is a really important development issue. Human Trafficking takes place across all corners of the globe and there isn't one continent that is not affected by it. It permeates all aspects of people lives whether they know it or not, a person may not know that they are condoning trafficking purely because they are unaware of how widespread the effects are. For example did you know that Human Trafficking could have been involved in the making of the chocolate bar you ate yesterday? Or the cotton t-shirt you are wearing right now?

So what is Human Trafficking?

The google definition of Human Trafficking is - “the illegal movement of people, typically for the purposes of forced labour or commercial sexual exploitation” – and I suppose this is the crux of what Human Trafficking is.

 However I feel that Human Trafficking was better described by the Arch Bishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby when he said…

            “Human trafficking is a grave crime against humanity. It is a form of modern day slavery and a profound violation of the intrinsic dignity of human beings. It is intolerable that millions of fellow human beings should be violated in this way, subjected to inhuman exploitation and deprived of their dignity and rights. This outrage should concern each one of us, because what affects one part of humanity affects us all. Virtually every part of this world is touched in some way by the cruelty and violence associated with this criminal activity. If we are to combat this evil then we must work together to prevent the crime, support the survivors and prosecute the criminals.”

This definition and explanation highlights how heinous a crime Human Trafficking is, but also how it can often fall under our radars and how that is not acceptable.

Some Facts and Statistics:

How many children are trafficked every year?

1.2 Million (UNICEF)

How many men, women and children are trafficked across INTERNATIONAL borders each year?

600,000 to 800,000 (US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2007)

Of that, what percentage are minors?

50% (US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2007)

At least 20.9 million people are victims of forced labour worldwide. While it is difficult to establish a precise amount, conservative 2012 research estimated trafficking victims as comprising some 44 per cent of this figure. (ILO 2012 Global Estimate of Forced Labour)

Human Trafficking is the second largest source of illegal income worldwide exceed only by drug trafficking. (Belser 2005)

Relevance of Human Trafficking Today:

There are so many examples of human trafficking going on every day. Even in the past couple of weeks since I have been researching this project there have been numerous examples of crimes involving trafficking. Some of which are incredibly close to home. 

Suspected human trafficker and Thai 'baby factory' under investigation - Thai police hunt Japanese man who fathered 15 babies to 11 surrogate mothers in possible trafficking inquiry - Guardian Article

Tilbury Containter Stoways included 13 children. “The group arrived on Saturday on a ship from Belgium and were said by police to be victims of "people trafficking" -  BBC Article

What can be done?

Human Trafficking happens for many different reasons, some people see it as their only way out of poverty and this is not acceptable. A person should not be able to be driven to such desperation that they feel their only answer is to sell a loved one or themselves, on the promise or false hope of a Human Trafficker. Something has to be done to stop this...

STOP THE TRAFFIK

There are so many different ways for people to get involved, but one of the biggest things that you can do is just to be aware – next time you buy chocolate or cotton, look out for the fair trade sign, without that mark you cannot guarantee that what you are buying doesn't involve the trafficking of people.

Especially in industries where it is none that there is trafficking, it is really important to be alert and proactive so as to not accidentally condone it, through purchasing that product.

If you want to get involved in a more physical way then stopthetraffik have a number of different schemes and ideas to help raise awareness and fundraise. A big campaign that they have going on in October is called “The Big Auction”. Here you auction of a skill or talent that you have, even just your time, and the money that is raised goes to stopthetraffik. To find out more about this go to - Big Auction

What Progress Has Been Made So Far?

Through campaigning organisation such as stopthetraffik so much progress has already been made in order to get the breakthrough that is needed...

Just recently Nestle announced that they are on track to have 100% of their cocoa in the UK & I certified by the end of 2015. They are the first major confectionery brand to reach this milestone. Nestle

Hundreds of people have been rescued from human trafficking, and or been prevented from being trafficked in the first place thanks to charities like stopthetraffik and the campaigns that they are running. 176 Saved.

If you want to find out more about human trafficking then there are lots of different documentaries that focus on particular types of traffiking, for example a couple of years ago Stacey Dooley looked into sex trafficking in Cambodia.