Update 539

Survival at the end of this age is something that has certainly occupied the thoughts of many of us. I’ve observed even secular conversations comparing measures of preparation and ideas about how the end of this age may come. Natural disaster, war, and economic collapse, along with their triggers strike fear into the hearts of many. While all of the above calamities are supported by the Bible, the one thing we know is that the end-time fulfillment during the Day of the Lord will come about as a punishment for disobedience to God, and for a purpose.
 
Even though God does not call many in this day and age for salvation, He will work very hard to wake up the inhabitants of this world by causing their circumstances to turn sour, but “will He really find faith on the Earth?” (Luke 18:8). God desires that as many people as possible turn away from sin and look at Him for strength. Only in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ will we find salvation; not in a bunker filled with weapons. When we allow ourselves to be corrected, when we repent and turn to God, it pleases Him greatly. As we read in Luke 15:10, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
 
With all of this in mind, it’s one thing to consider the proper response to massive world-wide correction, it’s another thing to ask ourselves how we respond when we’re trying our hardest to turn to God, but are still experiencing hardship. How do we respond in the face of adversity? Do we get angry, frustrated, discouraged, and give up? As we have learned, sometimes the answer from God is “No.” [http://eternalgod.org/update/2070#Editorial5140]. When our circumstances become difficult even when we try our hardest, does it cause us to lose faith in God and begin to question our beliefs in the truth? Of course, as much as our human nature is prone to respond this way, we must not.
 
When we face troubles at each turn, even if our intents and efforts are genuine, our response must be to keep our focus on God. Habakkuk 3:17-18 serves as an encouraging meditation, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” We may find trouble in the lives that we live, but the fact remains that we have true, eternal salvation as an irrevocable source of joy in our lives, free for the taking, as long as we choose to remain faithful and turn to God.

We begin with reports from Germany and Greece which highlight the growing anti-migrant feelings throughout Europe; Russia warns NATO against placing defensive missiles; Germany flexes its influence against Ukraine injustice; Europe challenges U.S. drone strikes; UK again takes its stand apart from the EU; and Israeli leaders take their disagreements public.

Fear of Violence in Germany Increases

The Local wrote on April 30:

“The ‘Pro NRW’ party in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia has already shown anti-Islamic caricatures in Essen and Gelsenkirchen, though the police prevented demonstrations taking place directly outside mosques. Police have also banned ‘Pro NRW’, which is campaigning on an Islamophobic platform, from using the Danish cartoons that caused massive protests in the Islamic world in 2005. But ‘Pro NRW’ intends to send activists to 25 mosques throughout the state in the run-up to the election on May 13, staging protests in Cologne, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Aachen, Wuppertal and Solingen.

“A report in Die Welt newspaper on Sunday said the far-right party intended to post around 100 what it called ‘Islam-critical’ drawings outside the mosques. Interior Minister in state Ralf Jäger condemned the campaign and expressed support for planned counter-demonstrations. ‘Pro NRW is committing spiritual arson,’ he told the paper… The federal Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich is reportedly worried about violent confrontations with the Salafists, the fundamentalist Muslims who began distributing free copies of the Koran in Germany three weeks ago…

“‘Pro NRW’ campaign manager Lars Seidensticker says he did not understand the outrage over the campaign, and says his party would bear no responsibility for any violence. ‘If the situation is so tense that you can’t do a campaign like this against Islamist influences any more, then the politicians are responsible for doing away with Germany,’ he said, alluding to the title of a 2010 book by banker Thilo Sarrazin (‘Germany Does Away with Itself’), which criticized Islamic immigrants in Germany… ‘Pro NRW’… is also planning to award a cash prize for the ‘best’ anti-Islamic caricature, named after Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, who was responsible for the 2005 images.”

The confrontation involving Muslims in Germany will continue. Even though many won’t say it openly, most Germans are tired and fed up with the attempts of politicians to cater to the Muslims, while Christians all over the world find themselves as victims of fundamental Islamic aggression.

Greece Blocks Migrants

The euobserver.com reported on April 30, 2012:

“Greece on Sunday (29 April) set up its first detention centre for undocumented migrants, composed of box homes, surrounded by high wire, and meant to house some 1,200 people

“Citizens’ Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis said the centre – situated in Amygdaleza, northwest of Athens – will help the country to deal with immigration. Athens expects to build another 50 similar centres between now and mid-2013…

“Athens has been struggling to contain and process some estimated 130,000 migrants who cross into the country by sea or along the porous Turkish border every year.

“‘We are sending a message in every direction that the country is not unfenced anymore,’ Chrysohoidis said at a rally in Athens.

“Earlier in the month, Chrysohoidis said they are nearing completion of a three-metre-high barrier to stem the flow of crossings along a 12.5km-long strip of land with Turkey…

“A poll conducted by To Vima newspaper on 9 April found around 90 percent surveyed believe immigrants are responsible for the rise in violence and crime.

“The resentment towards immigrants and undocumented migrants has fuelled support for the xenophobic former fringe movement, the Golden Dawn party.

“Headed by Nikolaos Michaloliakos, the Golden Dawn say all irregular migrants should be deported. They also want to place landmines along the Greek-Turkish border.

“Golden Dawn also organise security patrols in immigrant-dense neighbourhoods in Athens and hand out food and clothing to impoverished Greeks.

“’Only men and women of Greek descent and consciousness should have full political rights,’ proclaims Golden Dawn’s charter.”

However one wants to look at the issue of “illegal immigration,” the methods employed, as described above, remind us very clearly of what happened in Germany prior to and during World War II. We must be aware of the fact that history WILL repeat itself in Europe, and this will bring about a rude awakening for many.

Russia Warns Against European Shield

BBC reported on May 3, 2012:

“Russia says it is prepared to use ‘destructive force pre-emptively’ if the US goes ahead with controversial plans for a missile defence system based in Central Europe.

“The warning came after the Russian defence minister said talks on missile defence were nearing a dead end.

“Moscow fears that missile interceptors would be a threat to Russia’s security.

“But the US and Nato say they are intended to protect against attacks from Iran or North Korea.

“‘A decision to use destructive force pre-emptively will be taken if the situation worsens,’ chief of the Russian defence staff Gen Nikolai Makarov said…

“Gen Makarov also said that if the European shield was built, Russia would respond by putting more powerful warheads on its own ballistic missiles.”

We hear more and more of powerful nations threatening with or even carrying out preemptive strikes–including the USA, Israel and now Russia. Many legal experts feel that preemptive strikes are in violation of international law, and Christian churches, even though they have developed a complicated and unbiblical system of “righteous wars,” would not allow preemptive strikes. But nobody seems to care… and so, the insanity of mass destruction continues, leading to the potential of the utter annihilation of the human race. But thankfully, Jesus Christ will intervene to shorten those days and bring an end to man’s willful attempts to destroy himself.

The Ukraine Under Attack

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 30, 2012:

“Last Thursday and Friday, it was the new German president, Joachim Gauck, who dominated the press review. He had cancelled a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yanukovych, to protest the treatment of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko. Gauck’s decision had the press and politicians scrambling to sing his praises. The new president had set a ‘standard for everyone,’ wrote Berlin’s Tagesspiegel. ‘Gauck takes a stand,’ commented the Hamburger Abendblatt…

“It didn’t take long for officials at the Chancellery to seek to capitalize on Gauck’s exceedingly good press. Merkel’s assistants hurried to emphasis the role their boss had played in the president’s well-received decision. Of course, Chancellery officials hastened to add, the president had only cancelled his meeting with Yanukovich after consulting with the chancellor. Furthermore, government spokesman Seibert indicated, Merkel might decide not to attend any of the games played by the German national team at the upcoming European Football Championship, which Ukraine is co-hosting…

“If Berlin has its way, the tussle over the fate of the imprisoned former prime minister will no longer take place behind closed doors, but on the larger political stage instead. The Tymoshenko case offers Merkel the opportunity to portray herself as a committed proponent of human rights. The overwhelmingly positive response to Gauck’s accession to office has now given the Germans a new means of exerting pressure. When the new German president took office on March 18, his Ukrainian counterpart had already issued an invitation for a mid-May meeting of European heads of state in Yalta…

“It seems safe to assume that no German cabinet member would travel to the tournament… The EU’s association agreement with Ukraine won’t be signed until Yanukovich relents, either. If necessary, say senior diplomats, individual member states will block the agreement. The Germans, they add, have simply taken on a key role in the Ukraine case…”

“The Tymoshenko case gives Merkel the opportunity to portray herself as a champion of human rights once again. The Chancellery’s goal is to bring the former Ukrainian prime minister to Germany for treatment, but the days of face-saving solutions are now gone. Gauck’s cancellation of the Yalta visit has pushed backroom diplomacy into the bright spotlight, a move that is absolutely to Merkel’s advantage.

“She still hopes that Yanukovich will eventually give in. Meanwhile, the Chancellery is already mapping out other scenarios for the event that he doesn’t come around. If Tymoshenko is not released before the European Football Championship kicks off in June, the German team will probably have to play without Merkel in attendance.”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 30:

“The Ukrainian government  reacted angrily on Monday to reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her ministers are considering not attending matches in the European Championship soccer tournament in June in protest of the treatment of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko…

“The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:

“‘Kiev cannot afford to break with the European Union, and especially not with Berlin. The question arises as to why Yanukovych will not accept Chancellor Angela Merkel’s peace offering: to allow the opposition leader to travel to Berlin to receive medical treatment. Not only would Yanukovych be praised for a humanitarian gesture, but it would also put an end to his international isolation. Yanukovych would gain latitude in dealings with Putin, whom he clearly does not like. The Russian Prime Minister is supposed to have repeatedly uttered disparaging remarks about the man from eastern Ukraine. Altogether it is unclear to what extent Yanukovych has an overview of the political situation. It could be that the entourage that he has built up around him shelters him from a portion of the media influence, which of course does not make him more inclined to take on a bigger responsibility for the Tymoshenko case as well as other abuses. There is also an argument to be made that the eastern Ukrainian steel barons have lost influence over the presidential office in Kiev in favor of the pro-Russian gas lobby.'”

According to the Bible, the Ukraine will become an ally with Russia against Europe and Germany. Current events might lead to such a constellation.

Rift Between USA and Europe

Der Spiegel Online wrote on April 30, 2012:

“A US Army drone strike in March killed a German citizen who had joined the jihad in Pakistan. His death has the potential to reignite the debate over the legitimacy of air strikes by unmanned drones and may increase diplomatic tensions with the US…

“The fact that the strike killed a German national lends it diplomatic precarity. With its attacks in Waziristan, the United States has been operating in a gray zone of international law. On the one hand, members of the Afghan Taliban are hiding out in the region. On the other, however, Pakistan is officially at peace. Given these circumstances, is it still permissible to launch pre-emptive strikes using military means?

“US President Barack Obama has answered this question with a clear ‘yes.’ In recent years, the American military’s Joint Special Operations Command has massively increased the number of operations it conducts with unmanned aircrafts in the war on terror. Roughly 800 drones are currently in use in the Hindu Kush region and North Africa. According to one US study, some 2,000 people in Pakistan alone have been visited by death from the sky.

“This isn’t the first time that a German citizen has fallen victim to a drone attack. In October 2010, Bünyamin E., a 20-year-old German of Turkish descent from the western city of Wuppertal, was killed on the outskirts of the town of Mir Ali, in Waziristan.

“At the time, this incident sparked serious political debates within Germany because the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) had provided American intelligence agencies with information related to Bünyamin E.’s departure from Germany and cell-phone usage. In response, Germany’s Interior Ministry issued tighter regulations and instructed the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, to no longer relay information to German allies that would allow them to locate German citizens.

“The case of Samir H. has been kept secret until now. But in Germany at least, it could reignite the debate over the legitimacy of America’s air war.”

As we have repeatedly and consistently informed our readers, the relationship between the USA and Europe will deteriorate.

U.K. Rejects EU Banking Plan

AP reported on May 2, 2012:

“European finance ministers early Thursday failed to reach a deal that would force banks to build up higher capital cushions against financial shocks amid disagreements over the powers of national regulators.

“The 27-country European Union is in the process of writing an international agreement on capital defenses for banks into European law. The so-called Basel III deal was negotiated by the world’s largest economies in the hope of avoiding a repeat of the financial meltdown brought on by the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers. The 2008 crisis demonstrated that many banks did not have enough of a capital cushion to absorb sudden losses on subprime mortgage loans and other risky activities.

“Danish Finance Minister Margrethe Vestager, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, called the new rules ‘one of the most important files taking the lessons from the financial crisis.’

“Once enacted, Basel III would require lenders to increase their highest-quality capital — such as equity and cash reserves — gradually from 2 percent of the risky assets they hold to 7 percent by 2019. An additional 2.5 percent would have to be built up during good times.

“The new rules will apply to more than 8,300 banks in Europe, forcing them to compile billions of euros in extra capital by selling shares or assets or reining in bonuses and dividends…

“After the meeting, three EU officials said that all states apart from the U.K. were willing to agree to the latest compromise proposal. Another official said that Bulgaria also objected to parts of the deal. The officials were speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential talks.

“Their resistance puts Britain and Bulgaria in an interesting position, since they do not have enough votes in the council of ministers to block a deal on capital rules at their next meeting in two weeks. If all other states stick to the compromise, they can force the agreement onto the holdouts — a first in EU financial decision making.”

Britain continues to position itself at odds with the EU. At every level, from adopting the Euro to falling in line with the common decisions of the membership within the European Union, the British just can’t find themselves willing to “give in” to Europe. That is a fact that will grow even more apparent in the months and years immediately ahead! Please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”

Israel’s Leaders Fight–Themselves!

The Christian Science Monitor wrote on May 3, 2012:

“Top Israeli political and military figures remain at odds over their opinions on Iran’s regime and its nuclear program, making it difficult to guess what Israel’s next steps will be. The prime minister’s announcement this week that he is open to moving elections up by more than a year only increase the uncertainty.

“Today Defense Minister Ehud Barak slammed former prime minister Ehud Olmert, former Mossad chief Meir Dagan, and former Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin, all of whom have downplayed the threat that Iran poses to Israel and criticized Mr. Barak and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their hawkish approach.

“‘Olmert, Dagan, and Diskin are traveling the world and are weakening Israeli leaders’ accomplishment of turning the Iranian issue into an important and urgent one – not only to Israel but to the world,’ Barak said today, according to Haaretz. Of Mr. Diskin, who formerly headed Israel’s domestic security agency, Barak said, ‘it is not even his field of specialization or his responsibility.’

“Israel’s top foreign-policy priority has been convincing the international community, particularly the United States, that Iran is an imminent threat, and the world cannot afford to wait and see if increasingly stringent sanctions will curtail Iran’s nuclear program. Iran argues that its program is wholly peaceful, but Israel and others suspect Tehran aims to develop nuclear weapons under cover of its civilian program…

“Diskin said last week that he had no confidence in Barak and Netanyahu’s leadership and said their Iran efforts were motivated by a “messianic” drive. There has been dissent for months – often public – among current and former political and security officials, but his unequivocal comments gave the criticism a substantial credibility boost, The Christian Science Monitor’s Dan Murphy writes: Israeli politicians are known for their very public disagreements, but differences between security officials past and present and Israel’s sitting government – especially on a topic as critical as this – are rare. Israel’s generals have far more sway over policy in Israel than US ones do, at least historically, and in the case of the war posturing over Iran’s nuclear program the simple message of their public comments appears to be: Don’t.”

That Iran poses a threat to world peace cannot be in doubt. That a preemptive strike against Iran would ignite a powder keg in the Middle East is likewise without question. Man’s problems are unsolvable, and all signs point at cataclysmic events of unknown proportions. But there is hope. Our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God” shows you the nature of that hope.

In the two previous Q&A’s, we explained that the Bible does not teach that we go to heaven upon death. The last Q&A began to discuss passages, which are sometimes quoted to teach the opposite. We continue to discuss additional passages in this Q&A.

Last time, we explained John 14:1-4, stating that in the Father’s house there are many mansions, and that Christ is preparing a place for us and that He will return and receive us to Him.

We showed that Christ, while in heaven, prepares individual positions of responsibility for each of His disciples, depending on their works (Revelation 22:12). But they all will be in God’s Kingdom (Matthew 25:34)—part of the Family of God and the Bride having made herself ready—born-again members of God’s spiritual Temple—the Father’s house—comparing it with the physical temple with mansions or chambers.

When Christ returns to this earth to establish God’s rule and kingdom over all of mankind, His disciples will be with Him here on earth also—in the Kingdom of God—ruling under Christ in their respective functions and positions as kings and priests over ten cities or five cities or two cities—which fact is signified by the different chambers in the Father’s house.

But there is another additional way of understanding Christ’s statement in John 14:1-3—which does not, of course, support the false concept that we go to heaven when we die.

In John 14:23, Christ said that if we love Him, we will keep His words, and the Father will love us, and both the Father and Jesus Christ will come and dwell and live in us—through the Holy Spirit. Understood this way, Christ was telling His disciples that Christ would go to the Father in heaven and prepare a place for them so that the Father and Christ would be able to dwell there. Remember, that the Church is the spiritual temple of God, and each member is part of that temple, but in addition, each and individual converted member is him-or herself a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).

When Christ returns, He will take His disciples to Him and give them their reward, because they will have allowed the Father and Christ to dwell and live IN them.

Notice that Ephesians 3:14-19 explains that through the Holy Spirit, Christ dwells in our hearts; James 4:5 confirms that the Holy Spirit dwells in converted Christians; John 14:16-18 reiterates that the Holy Spirit will abide with the Father’s and Christ’s disciples forever; and 1 John 4:12-13 tells us that God the Father dwells in us, and we in Him, when we love one another, and that we know this because He has given us of His Holy Spirit.

We also read in Romans 9:23 that God has prepared us beforehand for glory. Since God the Father created everything through Jesus Christ, and since it is Christ who is the Head of His Church, it is Christ who prepares a place for us so that the Father and He can dwell there—so that we can become glorified. Remember that the word “mansion” can also mean “abode” or “dwelling place.” Understood this way, we are the mansions or chambers or abiding places in God’s spiritual temple, which is the Church—the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 6:16: Ephesians 2:19-22).

To summarize: in the Father’s House—God’s spiritual temple—there are many mansions or abiding places for the Holy Spirit, and Christ is preparing such a home individually for the Father and the Son, so that we can become glorified and inherit eternal life, when Christ returns with the reward, which is based on our individual works and conduct.

Another passage, which is sometimes quoted for the concept that we go to heaven when we die, is the alleged ascension by the Two Witnesses to the third heaven. We read in Revelation 11:3-12 that after the Two Witnesses have prophesied for 3 ½ years, the beast (a political military leader) will kill them, and their bodies will lie in Jerusalem for 3 ½ days. After that, they will be brought back to life and ascend to heaven in a cloud.

But this does not mean that they will ascend to the third heaven. Rather, as we explain in our free booklet, “The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation,”  their resurrection will take place when all the saints (those who died in Christ) will be resurrected from the dead, at the time of Christ’s return, and they will all meet Jesus in the clouds of the first heaven (the atmosphere) to welcome Him (1 Thessalonians 4:17), and they will all descend together to the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:5).

Some quote the passage in Revelation 6:5-11, describing the fifth seal of the martyrdom of the saints, to claim that immortal souls of those who died are in heaven, before God’s throne. But as we explain in our free booklet, “Is That In the Bible? The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation,” this VISION is not to be understood literally—otherwise the fate of immortal righteous souls in heaven before God’s throne, unable to move, would be too much of a horrible fate to even consider. As we explained in the first Q&A in this series, there are no immortal souls, but the soul—the person–dies and sleeps an unconscious sleep, until he is resurrected from his sleep of death.

A similar passage, pertaining to the VISION of the great multitude in Revelation 7:9-17, does not support the concept that they are or will be in heaven (We explain this passage in great detail in our free booklet, “Is That In the Bible? The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation.”

Another passage can be found in Revelation 19:1, speaking of “voices in heaven.” But these voices do not belong to Christians who went to heaven after death, but to the multitude of heavenly angels (compare Revelation 4:8-11; 5:11-12).

Finally, some quote Revelation 19:14 for the idea that Christ will return with immortal Christians from the third heaven—claiming that therefore, Christians will have been with Christ and God the Father in the third heaven after their death and before Christ’s return.

However, Revelation 19:14 only says that the returning Christ will be seen riding a white horse, and that those who are with Him will also ride on white horses. Even if this were a reference to immortal Christians, it would refer to the time of their resurrection and their meeting with Christ in the air. The passage does not say that those who are with Christ are descending from the third heaven.

In addition, as we explain in our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World,” it is more likely that those who follow Christ on white horses are holy angelic beings (compare Matthew 25:31). The reference in Jude 14, explaining that the LORD will come with ten thousands of His saints, could refer to resurrected and immortal Christians, as well as to angels. The Greek word, “hagios,” means “holy ones” and could apply to both.

Taken all these passages together, none contradicts the very clear biblical teaching that we will not go to heaven when we die. Rather, the dead need to be and will be resurrected from their sleep of death, but this will not happen prior to Christ’s return to this earth.

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new member letter has been written and will be sent out next week. In the letter, Rene Messier reminds us of the most important task in which we could possibly be involved today, and he shows HOW it can be done.

We are including the following report given by Norbert Link–as noted before, both he and his wife found it necessary to extend their stay in Germany:

“Just wanting to give all of you a quick update:

“I conducted services yesterday (April 28, 2012) at Thilo/Anita [Hanstein’s] place, because Monique [Sperzel] was sick. So it was just the three of us in person, but we were able to “broadcast” services live over Skype (only audio though, as the video was not working). We had nine adults and two children/babies participate over Skype. We also called Johanna (who stayed with my mom/Oma), and she was able to listen in via phone (due to our limited internet access, she could not participate via Skype). We will attempt to do the same next Sabbath.

“Also, one person from Germany booked already a flight for the FOT in Wales, and I just talked to another couple on the phone, and they and their little baby are committed to attending as well. Perhaps more as we move closer to the Feast.

“I spoke on Grace, Law and Obedience (three “Gs” in German–Gnade, Gesetz and Gehorsam).

“Thilo and Anita [Hanstein] completed “production” of ten more German hymnals, and they are reproducing the CDs, to be distributed to those who signed up for them when attending services in Speyer.

“We are still planning on returning all together on May 8, but would like to solicit your prayers in this regard. Oma’s/my mom’s health had been steady, allowing for the trip. But now, beginning on May 2, her health has begun to deteriorate. Thanks very much for your continued prayers that her health will improve again so that we can make the trip together and are not forced to postpone again. In addition, the problem with the house remains, and we were told that it will NOT be ready on May 8. They are now telling us that it will be May 21. That would be of course a devastating scenario, so your prayers are requested in that regard as well.”

Pentecost will be observed on Sunday, May 27, 2012, with morning and afternoon services.

A reminder for those wishing to attend the Feast of Tabernacles with us for 2012–please review details posted on our website under the “FEASTS” heading. Our locations for this year are Pismo Beach, California, and Deganwy, North Wales.