COLOMBIA - Ancient Shipwreck Holds Billions
More than three centuries after the legendary San Jose galleon sank off the coast of Colombia while laden with gold, silver and emeralds, the nation has officially approved a plan to recover the wreck and its treasures, officials announced.
“For the first time in history, a model of comprehensive public management of the archaeological site and asset of cultural interest, protected by regulations and public missionality, is advanced,” the Colombian government said in a news release.
Between April and May, [a] robot would extract some items from “the surface of the galleon” to see “how they materialize when they come out (of the water) and to understand what we can do” to recover the rest of the treasures, said Culture Minister Juan David Correa.
[A] robot will work at a depth of 600 meters to remove items such as ceramics, pieces of wood and shells “without modifying or damaging the wreck,” Culture Minister Juan David Correa told AFP aboard a large naval ship.
The San Jose galleon was owned by the Spanish crown when it was sunk by the British navy near Cartagena in 1708. Only a handful of its 600-strong crew survived.
The ship had been heading back from the New World to the court of King Philip V of Spain, laden with treasures such as chests of emeralds and some 200 tons of gold coins.
-www.cbsnews.com, 21 March 2024
Arno's Commentary
The sub-headline reads, “Plan to recover ‘holy grail’ of shipwrecks holding billions of dollars in treasure…” Colombia, a country of almost 50 million in population, seems to be ruled by an elite. The CIA World Factbook reports that in 2015, the percentage of the nation’s GDP for the lowest 10% was only 1.2%, while it was 40% for the highest 10%. The same source shows a combined European level of the lowest 10% at 2.8% of GDP, with the highest 10% at 23.8%.
For Colombia, the hunt has started. The presumed 200 tons of gold coins would quite obviously filter its way to the rich, as is always the case. Thus, in the long run, it will not make any noticeable difference to the whole of the 50 million population.
According to a Google search, 90% of the population adheres to Christianity, of which 16.7% identify as Protestant/Evangelical.
The nation is classified as relatively poor, lacking modern infrastructure and incentives for international investors.
What about the future? Then, there will be no difference between the rich and the poor, the backward or the sophisticated. All will have to submit to the global power structure which, incidentally, is in the process of being established to fulfill Revelation 13:15: “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
