Barry Smith (New Zealand)
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Barry Rumsey Smith (10 May 1933 - 27 June 2002) was a preacher and author from New Zealand.
"Brother Barry", as he was known, travelled extensively preaching throughout the Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
Barry wrote eight books with the theme of end times prophecy. His writings also appeared in his monthly newspaper Omega Times.
Smith was particularly concerned about One World Government and the Mark of the Beast, which he believed one of three types to be a subcutaneous chip to replace money, such as those currently being sold by VeriChip. Although many of his prophecies were wrong in their timing, many are said to have come to fruition or are arguably on the horizon, such as the development of the subcutaneous RFID implant and the rise of terrorism, real or perceived, as well as the Middle East Conflicts. He also predicted the rise of globalisation as a precursor to a one world Government. It is axiomatic that to Smith, a "one world government" would be something evil. It is questionable whether these could really be described as "prophecies" when sociologists and social policy experts would probably have made similar predictions albeit without mentioning precise time frames.
He was strongly Anti-Masonic. He often talked about symbolism alleged to be found in the US $1 banknote, and the layout of certain landmark buildings in Washington DC which supposedly form the Masonic square and compass, and the inverted pentagram.
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[edit] Claims made by Barry Smith
Smith wrote several books (see details below) and gave frequent public addresses, usually to audiences at churches in small towns or provincial centres both in New Zealand and around the world. His themes were principally end time eschatology, conspiracy and an evangelical message encouraging his audiences to accept Christ as their Saviour.
Many claims were made by Smith, both in his books and at his public meetings which were controversial. There were many anecdotes and few of these could be independently verified. Much of what was said was hearsay and frequently it was not clear through how many intermediaries a story passed before reaching him.
Many of the more controversial statements were made in his book, Final Notice, which was his most substantial publication. This was written in an informal and rather disjoint style. Claims made include, inter alia:
• Nuclear weapons can only be detonated at specific places and specific times when the sun and earth are in a certain spatial relationship. The "bomb" is described as a geometric device. Since nuclear fission is an essential aspect of the detonation of both a fission bomb, such as the uranium or plutonium bombs which devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and a fusion bomb, such as the "hydrogen" bomb, it follows logically that if this claim were true a continuous nuclear fission process, such as at a nuclear power station would be impossible, to say nothing of a mobile one, such as nuclear propulsion. Smith admits he is no nuclear physicist but claims to have received the information from a former airline pilot, Bruce Cathie, who is alleged to have predicted accurately the timing of French nuclear tests in the Pacific prior to the information being released to the public.
• The "Greenhouse Effect" also known as "global warming" is described as a "red herring." Smith claims there is no evidence that the greenhouse effect has begun. It is true that the environmental impact of increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is not proven and computer models have been criticised for their reliability but the best available evidence suggests some effect and it is folly to ignore it totally and describe it as a "red herring" simply because it has not been proven or quantified.
• The HIV virus responsible for AIDS was in fact deliberately made by the World Health Organisation and that the US Army research institute in Fort Detrick, Maryland, is involved in secret biological warfare programmes against the "free world". This is the staple of conspiracy theorists,an allegation that by its very nature cannot be disproven, yet logically it is so highly implausible that it is ridiculous and easily dismissed. Further, Smith claims that ozone and hydrogen peroxide can be used to kill the AIDS virus when administered to the blood streams of those infected. Ozone is an incredibly powerful oxidising agent consisting of three oxygen atoms bonded into a molecule. It is highly toxic and second only to fluorine as an oxidising agent. It is hard to imagine this being administered to anyone without serious medical complications.
• A Russian cruise ship, the Mikhail Lermontov, which struck a rock in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand, and sank, in 1989 was the subject of a deliberate cover up and conspiracy, involving possibly, espionage activities by the then Soviet Union's navy. Conspiracy theories concerning this sinking have persisted in New Zealand despite the rather simple and mundane public facts which is that a ship struck a rock and sank.
It is said that amongst his more colourful comments were that The Wizard of New Zealand caused an infestation of insects in part of New Zealand, after he had performed a native American raindance in an aeroplane over said area. He claimed that the Wizard had actually been practicing Luciferian magic. He also created uproar in Wales, when he said that their flag was based on the Devil.
His favourite song was Amazing Grace, with which he ended his meetings.
[edit] Works by Barry Smith
- Warning (1980), ISBN 0-908961-03-0
- Second Warning (1985), ISBN 0-908961-01-4
- Final Notice (1989), ISBN 0-908961-02-2
- Postscript (1992), ISBN 0-908961-04-9
- ...Better Than Nostradamus (1996), ISBN 0-908961-05-7
- The Devil's Jigsaw (1998) ISBN 0-908961-08-1
- I Spy with My Little Eye (1999), ISBN 0-908961-07-3
- Unlocking the Ultimate Secret (2002), ISBN 0-908961-09-X
[edit] See also
- Christian eschatology
- Dispensationalism
- Covenantalism
- Summary of Christian eschatological differences
