On November 9, 2024, Frank Bruno will present the sermonette, titled, “Turn the Cheek,” and Eric Rank will present the sermon, titled, “God is Angry.”

The live services are available, over video and audio, at http://eternalgod.org/live-services/ (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time; 8:30 pm Greenwich Mean Time; 9:30 pm Central European Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

By the time you read this, the presidential election in the United States will be complete. Regardless of who the winner is, I expect people within the country and around the world will respond with heightened emotion and strong rhetoric, revealing a mixture of joy and outrage. The elected president of the United States will undoubtedly set the direction for the future of the country, but it does not matter who wins.

The ultimate future of the United States will not change. Sadly, the nation rejects God and at this time shows no indication of changing. The Bible is clear that this rejection will bring about a level of discipline that must take place. Our nation is on a doomed path leading the country to destruction. The only difference between the two candidates will be the means of destruction and who gets the blame for presiding over the demise.

However, the placement of blame that the world will place on the president will be incomplete. The true blame rests with those who reject God and refuse to obey Him. As God led Israel out of Egypt, He gave them a dire warning about the consequences of disobedience. In Deuteronomy 28:15 He warns, “‘But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you…’” Moses then shares the many, many curses that the people can expect to experience, many of which we can apply in our present age. 

As Biblical prophecy unfolds, we will see further deterioration of our nation, to the point when there will be an attack, which results in captivity (compare Deuteronomy 28:47-52). To many, this is unfathomable to consider. How could the world’s most powerful nation drop to its knees and lose its once favorable influence in the world? Certainly, the leaders will have taken the country down this path, but the citizens have also pushed them in that direction so that they cannot avoid it. The Bible clearly explains why. Quite simply, the people have turned from God, and therefore He removes His blessings of prosperity, peace, and protection. What people are voting for in this election is not a president, but rather the one who will satisfy their desires, in which God is not welcome.

As Christians, our job is to reject this unrighteousness that prevails and do what we can to please God. We choose Jesus Christ as our leader, who will guide us in the path of righteousness. We can find solace in looking to Him: “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3). Even though this nation, along with the rest of the world, has turned away from God and chooses leaders that do not understand true righteousness, we do not have to follow in that direction. We can and must choose a different path. The path that we follow does not lead to destruction, but to everlasting life.

by Norbert Link

Trump has won. Compare our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Trump Won.. Now What’s Next?” 

We address further events pertaining to the presidential election in the USA; European and German fears; America’s numerous wars; developments in the Middle East, especially regarding Israel and Iran; and the annual BRICS summit.

We continue with reports about Germany’s troubles; a weird story involving Tucker Carlson; and a new movie depicting power struggles within the Catholic Church.

We conclude with several articles about the dangers of COVID vaccinations; and the stupidity of the Evolution theory.

Throughout this section, we have underlined pertinent statements in the quoted articles, for the convenience and quick overview of the reader.

US Presidential Election Most Important for Israel

Israel Today wrote on October 11:

“Former President Donald Trump… declared that the upcoming U.S. presidential election will be ‘the most important day in the history of Israel.’…

“[He declared] Vice President Kamala Harris, as an existential threat to Israel… Trump blamed the Biden administration for the atrocities that occurred a year ago… [and] as  ‘one of the darkest hours in all of human history,’ adding, ‘Anti-Jewish hatred has returned even here in America’ and is ‘within the ranks of the Democrat Party in particular.’… ‘I will not allow the Jewish state to be threatened with destruction. I will not allow another Holocaust of the Jewish people,’ Trump declared.”

Israel and the Jewish people are indeed under threat all over the world, including in the USA.

The Enemy From Within

Fox News wrote on October 13:

“‘We have two enemies: We have the outside enemy, and then we have the enemy from within. And the enemy from within, in my opinion, is more dangerous than China, Russia and all these countries,’ Trump said…

“But the thing that’s tougher to handle are these lunatics that we have inside, like Adam Schiff… ‘When you look at the danger he put our country in potentially with Russia — with a phony, made-up deal that he made up with Hillary and some bad people…”

Trump subsequently stated that under Harris, the draft would be reinstated, without saying what his plans are regarding the draft.

Using the Military

The Associated Press wrote on October 13:

“Donald Trump… has pledged to recall thousands of American troops from overseas and station them at the U.S. border with Mexico. He has explored using troops for domestic policy priorities such as deportations and confronting civil unrest. He has talked of weeding out military officers who are ideologically opposed to him. Trump’s vision amounts to a potentially dramatic shift in the role of the military in U.S. society, carrying grave implications for both the country’s place in the world and the restraints that have traditionally been placed on domestic use of the military.

“He… is promising forceful action against immigrants who do not have permanent legal status…  The former president and his advisers are developing plans to shift the military’s priorities and resources, even at a time when wars are raging in Europe and the Middle East… Trump also has said he will use the National Guard and possibly the military as part of the operation to deport millions of immigrants who do not have permanent legal status… the plans would be a striking escalation of the military’s involvement in domestic policy.

“Trump’s potential actions would likely require him to invoke wartime or emergency powers, such as carrying out mass deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law, or quelling unrest under the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that allows a president to deploy the military domestically and against U.S. citizens…”

The Independent wrote on October 12:

“The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 — part of the centuries-old Alien and Sedition Acts drafted during an undeclared war between the US and France — has only been invoked three times within the last 226 years. During the first and second World Wars, the US turned to the law to detain and restrict German, Austro-Hungarian and Italian immigrants, and infamously used the law for the shameful internment of Japanese Americans, now widely seen as a stain on America’s 20th century history.

“The law states that the president may order the arrests and removal of noncitzens during times of ‘declared war’ or during an ‘invasion’ or ‘predatory incursion’ by ‘any foreign nation or government.’ Only Congress can declare war, per the Constitution. But Trump and his allies [want to expand] the definition… to mean border crossings, and for drug cartels or criminal gangs to be considered a ‘foreign nation or government.’”

Media Misquotes Trump: Did Trump Cross the Line?

Express wrote on November 1:

“Trump has been slammed for saying Liz Cheney ‘should be shot at by nine guns’ in a sickening fantasy execution… Speaking to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Trump said the daughter of former Republican VP Dick Cheney should have ‘guns trained on her face’ due to her support for Kamala Harris…

“‘Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her,’ said Trump. ‘Let’s see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are trained on her face.’ The audience were audibly very quiet, unaware of how to react, while Carlson stayed silent. Disgusted viewers slammed Trump for his comments…”

However, the article above, and many other mainstream “reports,” omitted pertinent facts and quoted Trump out of context. The Associated Press published these clarifying comments by Trump, in context, on November 1:

“Former President Donald Trump criticized former Rep. Liz Cheney late Thursday, calling the Republican former Wyoming congresswoman a ‘war hawk’ and suggesting she might not be as willing to send troops to fight if she had guns pointed at her…. ‘The reason she couldn’t stand me is that she always wanted to go to war with people. If it were up to her we’d be in 50 different countries… She’s a radical war hawk. Let’s put her with the rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her. OK, let’s see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are trained on her face… You know they’re all war hawks when they’re sitting in Washington in a nice building saying… well let’s send 10,000 troops right into the mouth of the enemy,’ Trump said.”

“After Harris’ campaign and other Trump critics on social media pounced on the quote, Trump’s campaign responded that he ‘was talking about how Liz Cheney wants to send America’s sons and daughters to fight in wars despite never being in a war herself.’”

What Trump was saying, when read in context, should be obvious, but the sensational media was quick in misquoting Trump in order to show their support of Harris and Cheney. It is also interesting that the Bible says that ultimately the USA will not fight in war against their enemies attacking them on US soil.

Ignorant and Delusional Europeans

Deutsche Welle wrote on October 30, 2024:

“If Europeans were to elect the next US president on November 5, the result would be crystal clear.  In Western Europe, 69% would vote for the Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, in Eastern Europe 46% would… Trump would only receive the support of 16% of voters in Western Europe and 36% in Eastern Europe…  Harris has the highest ratings in Denmark (85%) and Finland (82%) while Donald Trump has the most fans in Europe in Serbia (59%) and Hungary (49%)…

“The vast majority of EU heads of government back Harris. ‘I know her well, she would certainly be a good president,’ German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a television interview. Harris wants to ‘stick to what is important to us,’ Scholz added, referring to trans-Atlantic cooperation. What would Europe’s reaction to a Harris victory be?… A collective sigh of relief, absolutely…

“EU diplomats from the 27 member states and the EU Commission in Brussels have been in confidential working groups for weeks already, discussing how to deal with the US election outcomes, whatever they may be. The main aim is to make economic and security policy as ‘Trump-proof’ as possible… For example, should Trump impose punitive tariffs on goods from Europe after taking office, the aim is to be able to retaliate immediately. ‘We are not prepared to give up our interests without a fight. We have significantly expanded our toolbox’” Bernd Lange, a German politician and chair of the Committee on International Trade in the European Parliament, told DW. ‘I am sure that after the election we will use this toolbox to combat things that are already wrong, such as illegal tariffs on steel or subsidies from the Inflation Adjustment Act.’ Lange said he expects US trade policy to become more challenging for the EU, no matter who wins these elections…

“German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has a similar prediction for foreign and security policy. At a press conference during a visit to London at the end of October, Pistorius said: ‘One way or another, in future, the US is very likely to do less in Europe. And for us that means we must do more.’”

On October 30, MSN quoted Trump as saying: “I’ll tell you what, the European Union sounds so nice, so lovely, right? All the nice European little countries that get together… They don’t take our cars. They don’t take our farm products. They sell millions and millions of cars in the United States. No, no, no, they are going to have to pay a big price,’ Trump stated during a rally in Pennsylvania.”

Germany’s Fears

Deutsche Welle added the following on October 31:

“There is no doubt that the German government favors Harris… In early October, two-thirds of German voters… said they would like to see Kamala Harris become president, while only 12% were in favor of Donald Trump. (In another poll, 78% were for Harris, and only 8% for Trump)…

“Trump… wants to bring about a quick end to the [Russia-Ukraine] war, which would presumably mean that Ukraine would be forced to give up large parts of the territories occupied by Russia… Trump… has repeatedly questioned the very purpose of NATO itself... Trump has announced that if he wins the election, he will impose a 60% tariff on US imports from China and a 20% tariff on imports from the rest of the world. This would make German products significantly more expensive in the US. The automotive and pharmaceutical industries would be hit particularly hard…

“If Trump wins the election,… the US will likely turn away from climate action and withdraw from international climate agreements. This would make it even more difficult for the German government, which is particularly committed to climate protection, to push through internationally binding rules to limit CO2 emissions. During this year’s election campaign, Trump has specifically attacked Germany’s energy policy, claiming that after a failed phase-out of fossil fuels, Germany had begun building one coal-fired power plant every week — which has absolutely no basis in truth.”

J.D. Vance has recently explained that the USA will not leave NATO under Trump. But we will see.

The German Expectation

On October 13, the conservative Bild newspaper published the following commentary by Franz Josef Wagner about Trump, which reflected the general attitude of a broad section of the uninformed German population:

“There are three weeks until November 5. In three weeks we will know who is President of the United States. There is no time to barricade yourself. ‘Run for your life’ was the motto of Hurricane Milton, which ultimately ran out of steam.

“Is Hurricane Trump running out of steam? I’m afraid not. He is the greatest liar of all time and the greatest political entertainer of all time. He reminds me of Joker, that evil clown who made you stop laughing in your throat. He accuses immigrant Haitians of eating Americans’ cats and dogs. ‘Your kittens,’ says Trump. He tells of babies who are aborted and killed after birth. He tells all this with his clown face. It has been proven that he lies five times in every other sentence. 22,000 lies were counted.

“Why does Trump still have half of America behind him? He is the narrator of evil and he is the savior from evil. The survey results are close. There are only three weeks left. You get frightened. Are we prepared? Where are our sandbags when Hurricane Trump comes?

This propagandistic portrayal, which one might expect from radical left-wing media outlets, is frightening.

Trump: Germans Don’t Love Me!

DPA wrote on November 3:

“Former U.S. president Donald Trump spoke about his difficult relationship with Germany during an election campaign appearance on Sunday. ‘They didn’t love me, and I have heritage there,’ said the Republican presidential candidate during a stop in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Trump’s paternal ancestors hail from Kallstadt in the south-western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. He noted that the Germans had loved his predecessor in the White House, president Democrat Barack Obama. ‘You know why? Because they ate our lunch,’ said the Republican presidential candidate for the election on Tuesday, referring to his notion that Germany has allegedly been successful at the expense of the United States.

“Trump then spoke about then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel: ‘They didn’t love me because I said you gotta pay. You gotta pay. I said to Angela. Angela, you haven’t paid.’ Trump was presumably referring to Germany’s defence spending in view of its NATO obligations.

“Mimicking a German accent, the Republican said that ‘Angela’ had told him that ‘[Germany] will start [paying] by 2035.’ ‘They think we are stupid people,’ he added.”

European Reactions

Breitbart wrote on November 6:

“Donald Trump may have turned the U.S. red, but in Europe the airwaves and front pages turned blue as the very tribally left-wing legacy media vented their disappointment at the American people not voting as wanted. German broadsheet newspaper Die Zeit said it for many in the European media on Wednesday morning with their reaction to the re-election of President-elect Trump, stating in their headline simply: ‘F…’The colourful article comparing election night coverage to staring into a nuclear bomb’s mushroom cloud lamented ‘America doesn’t care at all’ about European feelings… the article’s author rhetorically asked whether this was to be the end of America…

“Top-selling Spanish left-wing newspaper El Pais called the election a victory of a ‘convicted felon’ and [the] editorial by the paper’s editor-in-chief claimed a ‘victory of disinformation’… France’s Liberation stated: ‘It would be tempting to decree that 50% of Americans are morons, but that would be flippant… all these people adhere to the priorities defined by Trump (violent economic protectionism, geopolitical isolationism, mass expulsions of migrants)’. Of Trump himself they claimed: ‘…convicted felon, misogynist, racist, egocentric, liar and probably disturbed. Either the voters did not take these accusations seriously, or they were perfectly aware of them but they do not care.’…”

Future of Criminal and Civil Cases Against Trump

Breitbart wrote on November 6:

“Corrupt Special Counsel Jack Smith, the Keystone Cop who has serially failed to throw Donald Trump in prison or undermine his reelection chances, will not wait for incoming President-elect Trump to fire him (as Trump has understandably promised to do). Instead, since a special counsel cannot prosecute a sitting president, Smith will leave the Department of Justice before Trump is sworn in as the 47th president. The (phony) cases against Trump will also be dropped.

“Trump has faced four criminal cases — two at the federal level, and two at the state level. One federal case, the ‘documents’ case, was dismissed in federal court in Florida in July after Judge Aileen Cannon agreed with the defense that Smith’s appointment as Special Counsel was constitutionally invalid. (Smith is currently appealing her ruling.) The other case, the ‘January 6^th’ case, is still pending in the District of Columbia, where Smith had to refile it after Supreme Court rulings on presidential immunity and the relevant law. As of Wednesday, the Department of Justice is dropping both cases…

“At the state level, there are two cases — one in New York, and one in Georgia. In New York, Trump is set to be sentenced on November 26th on 34 felony counts of business fraud. It is unclear what his sentence will be, or whether it would be suspended; his conviction is almost certain to be overturned on appeal. As president, he would probably have the power to pardon himself for federal crimes; it is an open constitutional question as to whether he could pardon himself for state crimes. In Georgia, Trump’s prosecution has been delayed until next year, thanks in part to ethical questions over the conduct of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (who won reelection on Tuesday). There are motions by the defense to dismiss the entire case.

“Trump also faces civil cases. Two of the more prominent case are both in New York: one is his civil fraud case, and the other is his sexual misconduct case. The fraud case is currently on appeal in New York, and the state’s appellate judges have shown skepticism thus far about the massive fine that New York Attorney General managed to slap on Trump for allegedly inflating his wealth in loan applications. The latter case, involving suddenly-remembered allegations by writer E. Jean Carroll, is also being appealed; Trump was found civilly (not criminally) liable for ‘sexual abuse’ (though not for rape) and also for defamation…

“Trump’s stunning and historic victory Tuesday night was, at least in part, a rebuke of this obscene and fascist lawfare persecution…”

NBC News added on November 6:

“Justice Department officials have been evaluating how to wind down the two federal criminal cases against President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office to comply with long-standing department policy that a sitting president can’t be prosecuted,”

Muhammad Ali and the American Propaganda

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on October 8:

“After Muhammad Ali… announced that he would not comply with the U.S. government’s draft notice, which almost certainly would have meant that he would have been sent to Vietnam to kill Vietcong, Ali stated, ‘I ain’t got no quarrel with them Vietcong.’… Not surprisingly, they went after him with a vengeance, trying not only to destroy his reputation and career but also to have him jailed for the next several years of his life. But Ali had a good point. The Vietcong had never attacked him, the United States, or the American people. Why should he go thousands of miles away to kill them?

“The answer is: Because the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA had designated the Vietcong to be official enemies of the United States. Therefore, since they are the ones with the power to do that, American citizens were expected to make the Vietcong their own enemy…

“Conscription is not voluntary. Conscription is force. They were seizing Americans and forcing them to travel thousands of miles away to kill or be killed. How in the world can conscription be reconciled with freedom? It can’t be. Conscription is one of the gravest violations of freedom one could ever find… But few Americans understood the contradiction. They considered being forced to fight, die, and kill for freedom to be normal. U.S. officials and many American citizens, especially right-wingers, condemned Ali, as well as blacks who came to his defense, for their lack of ‘patriotism.’ Again, it was a reflection of the power of government indoctrination and propaganda.”

The comments regarding conscription are well-taken. Conscription is a form of modern slavery. The article continues to try to draw a connection between the government-sponsored American war propaganda and the assassinations of John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King.

America Dragged Into Numerous Wars

Ron Paul wrote in his weekly column on October 21:

“When you take on the role of the world’s policeman, don’t be surprised when countries who cannot fight their own wars call ‘911.’ That is exactly what is happening to the United States on two fronts and it is bankrupting our country, depleting the military that should serve our own national interest, and threatening to drag the US into World War III.

“Last week… Vladimir Zelensky publicly presented his ‘Victory Plan.’ It was delusional: immediate NATO Membership for Ukraine, NATO strikes against incoming Russian missiles, and permission to use Western long-range missiles for strikes deep into Russia including Moscow and St. Petersburg… Ukraine is on the verge of losing its war with Russia and is desperate to draw the United States military into the fight… they are calling on us to step in and fight the country with the most nuclear weapons on earth — Russia – in a battle that could not be more unrelated to our actual interests…

“Likewise with Israel. Tel Aviv has, in response to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, launched a war to annihilate Palestinians from Gaza, invade and occupy southern Lebanon, degrade the military of Iraq and Syria, and take on Iran. But the Israeli military has nowhere near the capacity to fight so many wars on so many fronts, so it has increasingly demanded US involvement in the conflicts.

“Already the US has provided some $23 billion in additional military aid to Israel and has employed US military assets in the region to shoot down missiles and provide increased weapons and intelligence… US and Israeli leaders understand that they will be considered legitimate targets for any additional Iranian missile attack, but as soon as American troops start getting killed in Israel there will be a massive push for further US involvement. Imagine the mainstream media war propaganda if such a terrible thing happens…”

The Ron Paul Institute published on October 24 the following article by Judge Napolitano:

“Under the Constitution, only Congress can declare war on a nation or group. The last time it did so was to initiate American involvement in World War II. But Congress has given away limited authority to presidents and permitted them to fight undeclared wars, such as the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and President George W. Bush’s disastrous and criminal invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.”

The West Rejects Zelensky’s’ Victory Plan

Rezon Media reported on November 1:

“The New York Times… reported that the classified part of Volodymyr Zelensky’s plan contained a proposal to supply Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles. According to the newspaper, American officials consider this an ‘absolutely impossible request’. Zelensky failed to convince Washington to make a decision to strike deep into Russian territory with Western weapons, the publication notes… Zelensky indicated this condition in his ‘victory plan’…

“Even after receiving training in the West, Ukrainian servicemen find it difficult to adapt to NATO’s combat tactics. This was stated by an instructor from the British army to The Daily Telegraph… Since 2022, in the United Kingdom, as part of Operation Interflex, over 45 thousand recruits of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have completed training courses.”

Assassination Attempt on Netanyahu

Newsmax wrote on October 22:

“The drone attack launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon on Oct. 19 targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea scored a direct hit on the home… ‘Iran tried to eliminate the prime minister of Israel. It will not escape responsibility,’ a senior Israeli government official told Ynet.

“According to reports, the assault included three drones, one of which scored a direct hit on a bedroom window at the Caesarea residence. Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, were not home at the time.”

Not unlike Trump who has survived numerous assassination attempts, Netanyahu likewise escaped unharmed. It appears they still have to play a role in the fulfillment of biblical prophecy.

Israel Strikes Iran

The Jerusalem Post wrote on October 27:

“The Israel Air Force struck a dozen targets in Iran that were used to produce solid fuel for long-range ballistic missiles as part of its retaliatory military action against the Islamic Republic, severely harming Tehran’s ability to replenish its inventory, it was reported on Saturday night. The targets struck were sophisticated equipment that Iran could not produce on its own and had to be purchased from China, Walla reported. The targets were a critical component of Iran’s ballistic missile program, Walla cited three anonymous Israeli sources as saying.

“An American researcher said an Israeli airstrike on Saturday hit a building that was part of Iran’s defunct nuclear weapons development program, and he and another researcher said facilities used to mix solid fuel for missiles also were struck… Israel also hit Khojir, according to Eveleth, a sprawling missile production site near Tehran…

“Overall, more than 100 Israeli aircraft participated in the attack on Iranian targets, stating that their mission was to hit the most advanced anti-aircraft systems of the Islamic Republic and develop air superiority there for any possible upcoming IAF operations – in such a way that Israeli fighter jets would be able to fly even at a relatively low altitude in the skies of Tehran itself in the future…”

Even though it was reported that Israel, following American pressure, did not attack Iran’s oil fields and nuclear reactors, the article seems to raise some doubts in that regard.

Did Israel Not Go Far Enough?

On October 31, The New York Post published the following article by John Bolton, who was national security adviser to President Donald Trump, 2018-19, and US ambassador to the United Nations, 2005-06.

“Israel lost a perfect opportunity to cripple Iran’s nuclear-weapons program during its strike against Iran this week. The targets actually selected, air defense and missile-production facilities, were entirely legitimate. Undoubtedly, both Iran’s defensive and offensive capabilities suffered significant damage. But it was not enough.

“Under enormous Biden administration pressure, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government did not strike Iran’s gravest threat: the existential danger of nuclear holocaust against Israel. And the mullahs’ nuclear aspirations — including the threat of Tehran transferring nuclear devices to international terrorist groups — also pose grave dangers to the United States, Gulf Arab countries and many others. Yet that threat remains in place… This mistake should weigh heavily on the consciences of President Biden and his advisers.

“Donald Trump’s stance is murky. To those who think Trump will support Israel as he did in his first term, I say simply: think again.  Trump’s dislike of Netanyahu is palpable, and… the importance of US electoral politics to Trump will be much less than before. Trump came within an eyelash of meeting with Javad Zarif, Iran’s former foreign minister, in 2019. He could easily do so in a second term, always in search of a deal, any deal he believes makes him look good…

“In any event, the decision is ultimately Israel’s. Having failed to act against Iran’s nuclear-weapons activities before Nov. 5, it must decide whether to act thereafter…”

We should also not forget that according to prophecy, Israel will receive a wound—some kind of a military defeat—prior to the Great Tribulation.

Iran Prepares Counter Attack

The New York Post wrote on October 31:

“Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has instructed his forces to prepare a direct attack against Israel after deeming the Jewish nation’s retaliatory strike last week too big to ignore, according to a new report. While Khamenei attempted to downplay to the public the extent of Israel’s attack on Tehran’s military facilities, privately, he greenlit plans for a counterattack in a meeting with his Supreme National Security Council… The ayatollah allegedly made his decision on Monday after reviewing the damage report from his military officials, which detailed the strikes across Tehran’s missile production plants and defense systems.

“Khamenei told his generals that the attack, which also killed four Iranian soldiers, could not go unanswered, saying a lack of response would mean admitting defeat to Israel… ‘Iran’s response to the Zionist aggression is definite,’ said Gen. Ali Fadavi, the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps deputy commander, according to Iranian media. ‘We have never left an aggression unanswered in 40 years. We are capable of destroying all that the Zionists possess with one operation,’ he added.

“Israel carried out a four-hour operation last Friday consisting of 100 jets, spy planes and refueling aircraft to conduct its largest ever strike on Iran, bombing military facilities tied to the Islamic Republic’s own ballistic missile barrages against the Jewish state.

“The tit-for-tat cycle has raised fears that an all-out war is inevitable in the Middle East between Israel and Iran and its terror proxies…”

The Jerusalem Post added on October 31: “Israeli intelligence suggests Iran is preparing to attack Israel from Iraqi territory in the coming days…”

Iran Threatens With Nuclear Weapons

The New York Post wrote on November 2:

“Iran claimed it could build a nuclear weapon as its supreme leader on Saturday threatened the US and Israel with a ‘tooth-breaking response’ to Israel’s strike on Iranian military targets… ‘If an existential threat arises, Iran will modify its nuclear doctrine, we have the capability to build weapons and have no issue in this regard,’ Kharrazi [a top adviser to supreme leader Khamenei] told Lebanese media…”

Fox News added on November 2:

“Benjamin Netanyahu signaled on Thursday that Iran’s nuclear program could be Jerusalem’s next target amid Tehran’s promises of violence… Reports this week suggested that Iran could be waiting until after the U.S. presidential election next week, though other reports have said Tehran’s retaliatory strike could come at any time.”

Annual BRICS Summit

Deutsche Welle wrote on October 25:

“Russian leader Putin welcomed representatives of more than 36 countries to Kazan this week [at the] annual BRICS summit…  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres flew to Russia where he met Putin for the first time in more than two years…

“One major focus of the summit was… increased economic cooperation between BRICS members, including alternatives to Western-dominated financial systems…”

BRICS seems to be used as an instrument to bring together some prophesied important Far Eastern alliances.

Fundamental Shift for German Military

The Sun wrote on October 22:

“GERMAN military aircraft will use British bases in a historic deal — 80 years after the Blitz. The PS Poseidon spy planes, ­operated by the Deutsche Marine and possibly armed with British torpedoes, will fly out of RAF Lossiemouth under the Trinity House Agreement

“… the accord [has been called] ‘a fundamental shift in the UK’s relations with Germany.’ It will lead to German tank-maker Rheinmetall opening a factory in Britain.”

The Rise of Björn Höcke (AfD)

Deutsche Welle wrote on October 26:

“Björn Höcke… the state chairman of the AfD branch in Germany’s eastern state of Thuringia, has… flirted with presenting himself as the supposed savior of the country… Höcke is alluding to a far-right propaganda video that depicts him as the 12th-century Holy Roman Emperor Barbarossa. According to an old legend, Barbarossa, who is known for making peace across the Germanic kingdoms and beyond, is not dead but only sleeping and will wake up again to unite his loyal followers…

“At the beginning of September, the AfD in Thuringia became the first far-right party since World war II to win the most votes in a German state election. Höcke was widely celebrated by his supporters in the wake of the victory…”

Germany Deserves Better Than This Government!

Bild Online published the following comment from Bild boss Robert Schneider on October 29th:

“The German economy is wounded, Volkswagen is already bleeding! While tens of thousands of VW employees are threatened with layoffs, wage cuts and factory closures are pending at Germany’s largest car manufacturer, the traffic light government is today committing a level of madness to our economy that is astonishing.

“First, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner gathers top representatives of the German economy for a crisis talk. A few hours later, Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks to representatives of major industry and unions about ways out of the recession. By the way, Economics Minister Robert Habeck is not at both economic summits! How are the shocked VW employees supposed to understand this ego trip by the traffic light men?

“The fact that the red-green-yellow coalition can no longer even agree on a joint conversation with business and trade unions is an admission of capitulation and another proof of the failure of the traffic light…

“Germany as a business location suffers from high taxes, levies, bureaucratic burdens, a shortage of skilled workers and energy prices… But the traffic light lacks the courage and strength to govern, and not only in economic and financial policy:

“The migration crisis is not even remotely resolved and the consequences are affecting the entire country. The housing market is broken, many Germans are worried that they will no longer be able to pay their rent or even find an apartment. Internal security (crime) and external security (Bundeswehr) are in a worrying state… In the Middle East war, Germany is verbally and officially on Israel’s side… but at the same time the government blocked the supply of spare parts for the Israeli army for months. And in the Ukraine war, it is not known whether it is currently more important for the Chancellor not to irritate Putin too much or to help Ukraine achieve lasting military successes.

“I think: Germany deserves better than this government!”

It is clear that the German government is perhaps the worst since the end of the Second World War. But the big question is whether Germany deserves a better government. We think: Germany deserves exactly this government.

German Government History

Deutsche Welle reported on November 6:

“Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz has dismissed finance minister Christian Lindner on Wednesday, after a breakdown in talks among the coalition government that was composed of Scholz’s social democrats (SPD), the Greens and Lindner’s liberal party FDP.”

Bild Online wrote that the government coalition is history. Die Welt announced that there will be no new elections at this time, but that Scholz will ask in January for a vote of confidence.

Reuters wrote on November 7:

 “German opposition parties and business groups on Thursday urged Chancellor Olaf Scholz to trigger a new election quickly to minimise political uncertainty after his rocky three-way coalition collapsed. The coalition fell apart on Wednesday when years of tensions culminated in a row over how to plug a multi-billion-euro hole in the budget and revive Europe’s largest economy, headed for its second year of contraction. The break-up creates a leadership vacuum at the heart of the European Union just as it seeks a united response to Tuesday’s election of Donald Trump as U.S. president on issues ranging from possible new U.S. trade tariffs to Russia’s war in Ukraine and the future of the U.S.-led NATO alliance…

“The last straw was [Finance Minister Lindner’s] opposition to Scholz’s plan to ease debt limits in order to increase support for Ukraine in the 2025 budget by 3 billion euros ($3.25 billion). Lindner’s dismissal led to the FDP quitting the coalition, leaving Scholz’s SPD and the Greens running a minority government…

“The crisis comes at a critical juncture for Germany, with a flatlining economy, ageing infrastructure and an unprepared military. It is likely to deal another blow to consumption and investment in coming months even as Trump’s return threatens to dampen exports…”

Tucker Carlson Attacked by Demon?

Mediaite wrote on October 31:

“Tucker Carlson said that he was ‘physically mauled’ by a demon a year and a half ago that left him bleeding and with still-visible scars on his body from ‘claw marks’… ‘I got attacked while I was asleep with my wife and four dogs and mauled, physically mauled… by a demon… Or by something unseen that left claw marks on my sides… I was totally confused, I woke up, and I couldn’t breathe, and I thought I was going to suffocate. And I walked around outside and then I walked in and my wife and dogs had not woken up. And they’re very light sleepers. And then I had these terrible pains on my rib cage and on my shoulder, and I was just in my boxer shorts and I went and flipped on the light in the bathroom, and I had four claw marks on either side underneath my arms and on my left shoulder. And they’re bleeding… And I sleep on my side, so I wasn’t clawing myself. I don’t have long nails and they didn’t fit my hands anyway…

“Carlson went on to say that he consulted his assistant, an evangelical Christian, because he had ‘never heard of anything like that happening before,’ and that she told him, ‘That happens, people are attacked in their bed by demons…’”

Demons are real. But to be clear, demons do NOT have the power to attack or influence us while we are asleep. Note our Q&A in this regard. https://www.eternalgod.org/can-satan-influence-us-whilst-we-are-asleep/

“Conclave”… Too Close to Francis’ Home?

The Associated Press wrote on October 27:

“With Pope Francis a few weeks away from his 88th birthday, the plotting for his successor is well underway at the Vatican. How timely, then, that just across town in Rome, ‘Conclave,’ a thriller filled with back-stabbing, manipulative cardinals, quick to toss morality out of the window as they promote their candidate, is a top draw at the Rome Film Festival. This might be a little too close to home — literally and figuratively — for Pope Francis…

“The conclave is the centuries-old tradition in which, on the death of a pope, cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican to participate in rounds of voting until they elect a new pontiff. Conclave comes from the Latin ‘cum clave,’ meaning ‘with a key,’ to indicate the Cardinals are locked in until they have chosen the new leader for the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics.

“Francis is not immortal. Discussions on who could be his successor have already begun, but it remains to be seen if the next real conclave will be as thrilling as the film…”

And it will also be interesting to see who will emerge as the next pope… an equally left-liberal pope with extremist anti-Catholic views, or, as a reaction, a conservative candidate who will be more fully in line with Catholic traditionalism.

Dangers of Corona Vaccination

Report 24 wrote on October 28:

“Pfizer/BioNTech has quietly updated the product information on the Corona vaccine and added the following regarding heart damage: ‘There is an increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis after vaccination with Comirnaty. These diseases can develop within a few days after vaccination and mainly occur within 14 days. They were seen more frequently after the second vaccination and more frequently in younger men. Available data shows that most cases recover. In some cases, intensive care was required and fatal cases were observed.’

“‘The mechanism of action of this new mRNA technology can lead to the destruction of many cells in all organs by the immune system. This damage is particularly dramatic in organs that have little or no ability to regenerate, such as the brain and heart. That’s why we always warned against the corona vaccination… Now that large parts of the population have already been vaccinated and the many complications are obvious, these risks, which have been expected since the beginning and have been known for a long time, are secretly included in the specialist information,’ explains Dr. Christian Fiala. In this way, the manufacturer is trying to avoid liability, at least for future vaccinations. Because the patient himself is liable for all risks listed in the specialist information…

“The fact that the change took place in 2023 makes the matter even more explosive. Because the denial of side effects and the trivialization of inflammation of the heart have continued since then – as has the promotion of the vaccination…”

Children Endangered Through Covid Vaccines?

On October 30, Dr. Paul Alexander wrote the following:

“[A] UK study confirmed the global stable data that no healthy child in US or elsewhere, none, got severely ill or died from this thing called ‘COVID’; in fact severe outcomes ONLY after MALONE et al. mRNA… Bottom line, NO COVID mRNA vaccine was needed in any child, NONE! And is NOT needed! Parents be warned! The mRNA gene-based vaccine should have never been rolled out to children, as much as it should not have been given to pregnant women who were excluded from the registrational legacy trials by Pfizer, Moderna etc…

“Furthermore, the study found that Covid shots offered the children very little protection from the virus, with many becoming infected after just 14 to 15 weeks of receiving an injection.’ ‘The researchers were investigating the safety and effectiveness of Pfizer’s vaccine in fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated, and unvaccinated children and teenagers. However, they discovered that cases of myocarditis and pericarditis only emerged in the vaccinated group.’..

“Myocarditis and pericarditis are both forms of inflammation in the heart. Pericarditis is a condition where the sac around the heart becomes inflamed, while myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle. Both disorders restrict the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body and can cause clots, strokes, heart attacks, cardiac arrest, and ultimately sudden death.”

Kennedy to Reorganize Department of Health?

Breitbart wrote on October 31:

“Former President Donald Trump has asked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead a reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in a new administration…

“Kennedy told Breitbart News: ‘President Trump has asked me… to root out … the corruption, and the conflicts of interest; and to restore the traditions of gold-standard, empirically-based, evidence-based science and medicine, and to end the chronic disease epidemic. And he’s told me that he wants to see measurable results in the decline of chronic disease within two years. And I’ve promised him that we can to that.”

That would not be a bad idea, also in light of the next article. Kennedy has been very outspoken about the danger of Covid vaccinations.

The Propaganda and Threats of the WHO

LifeSiteNews wrote on October 31:

“The public health establishment needs to be even more ‘aggressive’ against vaccine critics than it already is, the leader of the embattled World Health Organization (WHO) declared in recent remarks… WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus decried that ‘more than 14 million children in 2022 did not receive a single dose of vaccine,’ and while work with international organizations like UNICEF hopes to reduce that number, a ‘serious challenge’ remains. ‘I think we need to strategize to really push back, because vaccines work, vaccines effect adults, and we have science, evidence on our side,’ Tedros said. ‘I think it’s time to be more aggressive in pushing back on anti-vaxxers. They used COVID as an opportunity and all the havoc they are creating.’
“… Tedros gives little consideration to … the significant risks to the COVID shots… [including] higher risks of myocarditis following the first, second and third doses of mRNA-based COVID shots, as well as signs of increased risk of… pericarditis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis… and other potential safety signals… [and] statistically significant increases… in cancer deaths after third doses of mRNA-based COVID-19 jabs…”

The Evolution Theory—Such a Dumb Monkey Tale!

BBC News reported on November 1:

“Two Australian mathematicians have called into question an old adage, that if given an infinite amount of time, a monkey pressing keys on a typewriter would eventually write the complete works of William Shakespeare… However, a new peer-reviewed study led by Sydney-based researchers Stephen Woodcock and Jay Falletta has found that the time it would take for a typing monkey to replicate Shakespeare’s plays, sonnets and poems would be longer than the lifespan of our universe…

“As well as looking at the abilities of a single monkey, the study also did a series of calculations based on the current global population of chimpanzees, which is roughly 200,000. The results indicated that even if every chimp in the world was enlisted and able to type at a pace of one key per second until the end of the universe, they wouldn’t even come close to typing out the Bard’s works. There would be a 5% chance that a single chimp would successfully type the word ‘bananas’ in its own lifetime. And the probability of one chimp constructing a random sentence – such as ‘I chimp, therefore I am’ – comes in at one in 10 million billion billion, the research indicates…”

What is also being overlooked in all of this is the fact that an unbreachable spiritual gap exists between men and monkeys. Monkeys can never even remotely achieve what man does. This, of course, completely debunks the ridiculous evolution idea. Please read our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution—A Fairy Tale for Adults?” 

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

As members of the Church of God, we trust God because He is the great Creator and the source of all power.   He is the greatest being in the universe and knows all that is going on in our lives and what we need.   Human beings are fallible and make mistakes.   God does not.

Is it compatible to say that a man can trust both in God and man?  Let us start with Psalm 118:8 where we read: “It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man.”

The explanations given by a number of Bible Commentaries on this verse are helpful.   Let us look at a few of these:

Barnes Notes on the Bible states:

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man – This is stated apparently as the result of his own experience. He had found people weak and faithless; he had not so found God. Compare Psalm 40:4; Psalm 62:8-9.  Literally, ‘Good is it to trust in Yahweh more than to confide in man.’ This is the Hebrew form of comparison, and is equivalent to what is stated in our version, ‘It is better’ etc. It is better,

“(1) because man is weak – but God is almighty;

“(2) because man is selfish – but God is benevolent;

“(3) because man is often faithless and deceitful – God [is] never;

“(4) because there are emergencies, as death, in which man cannot aid us, however faithful, kind, and friendly he may be – but there are no circumstances in this life, and none in death, where God cannot assist us; and

“(5) because the ability of man to help us pertains at best only to this present life – the power of God will be commensurate with eternity.”

The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary observes:

“Even the most powerful men are less to be trusted than God.”

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible states:

“It is better to trust in the Lord…. This, with what follows in Psalm 118:9, is the conclusion from the above premises and experience; it is good to trust in the Lord; such enjoy peace, are in safety, shall not want any good thing, nor ever be ashamed and confounded: the Targum [explanation of “Targum” below] is:

“‘it is better to trust in the Word of the Lord;’ than to put confidence in man; it is not good to put confidence in man at all [but note the previous comments above and subsequent comments below]; it is trusting to a broken staff, to a mere shadow, which can yield no support or relief: it is best to trust in the Lord; he is able to help, as well as willing; he is faithful to his word, and unchangeable in his promises; whereas man, though he may have a will to help, oftentimes has it not in his power; and when it is in his power, and has promised it, he disappoints, being changeable or unfaithful. Wherefore trust not in man, but in the Lord; yea, cursed is the man that trusts in man; see Jeremiah 17:5.”

Regarding the Targum, Wikipedia states that “The Targum is a term for various Aramaic versions of the Hebrew Bible or parts of it, dating from the post-exilic period. They were used for oral translation and exposition in synagogues, and later became written texts with commentary and interpretation.”

King David knew from personal bitter experience what it was like to be let down by another human being when he wrote in Psalm 41:9: “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.”  In short, the Lord is a “refuge” who is totally dependable and reliable because He is perfect, whereas human beings called by God today must be striving to improve in everything they do and are not yet perfect; thus, they will make mistakes.   The instruction doesn’t say to never trust other human beings, but rather, trusting God is better – and by a very large margin!

Matthew Poole’s Commentary states the following about Psalm 41:9: “‘Mine own familiar friend’; he means either Ahithophel, or some other perfidious counsellor or courtier, who was a type of Judas, to whom therefore it is applied, John 13:18, as David was a type of Christ in being thus betrayed.  So these words were literally fulfilled in David, and yet the Holy [Spirit] which dictated them, looked further in them, even to Christ and Judas, in whom they received a further and fuller accomplishment.”   Even King David had those who let him down with their wrong type of behaviour and didn’t behave like a trusted friend.

King David’s son and successor, Solomon, wrote in Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

One commentator wrote: “It is precisely because we know that God will never fail us that we can trust others. Our ultimate security is in Him, so we are free to trust others and experience the joy it brings. Trusting others is almost inseparable from loving others.”

Let us review Micah 7:5: “Do not trust in a friend; Do not put your confidence in a companion; Guard the doors of your mouth From her who lies in your bosom.” 

We read in Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible the following explanation (our emphasis underlined):

“‘Trust ye not in a friend’…. This is not said to lessen the value of friendship; or to discourage the cultivation of it with agreeable persons; or to dissuade from a confidence in a real friend; or in the least to weaken it, and damp the pleasure of true friendship, which is one of the great blessings of life; but to set forth the sad degeneracy of the then present age, that men, who pretended to be friends, were so universally false and faithless, that there was no dependence to be had on them.”

For many today, the same principle can easily apply.

Jeremiah 17:5 reads: “Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD.” 

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers states: “’

“‘Cursed be the man’… The words are vehement and abrupt, but they burst from the prophet’s lips as proclaiming the root evil that had eaten into the life of his people. Their trust in an arm of flesh had led them to Egyptian and Assyrian alliances, and these to departing from the Lord.”  

This passage looks at the emphasis on man’s ability and influence rather than the strength we can have through trusting God.  The emphasis was wrong and it also clearly shows the principle of “whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

There is much to learn from God’s Word about the way that we must conduct ourselves as those who have been called to “the Way” by the Father.   We ourselves are less than perfect, and we will make many mistakes and errors of judgment throughout our lives, however well-intentioned we may be.   We will let others down at times, maybe unknowingly in some circumstances, but as we have not yet achieved perfection, mistakes will be made and trust may figure amongst those problems that will arise in our lives.

It is something well worth remembering that trust goes two ways.   We cannot expect that others will be perfect in this way because we ourselves are not perfect.

When we were called into the true Church of God, we learnt so many things that were previously a mystery to us.   Did we discount all of this information initially because when we didn’t yet fully understand all that we were learning or did we trust God that what He said was totally trustworthy?   For all those now reading and understanding these words, the answer is that we did trust God; otherwise, we wouldn’t still be an active member in His Church.   Of course, it should be much easier to trust God because we see His mighty creation and know that He is supreme over all, but some may still have “reasons” why that might not apply to them. 

Hebrews 11 is known as the “faith” chapter, and in verse 1 we read: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”   This is where our trust in God is shown, and we read about the benefits of such belief in Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”

We know that we can trust God because He is perfect but man is not, but that doesn’t mean that we should not trust others as far as we are able and as far as they deserve such trust:

Christianity.com makes these excellent observations:

“If you are like me, there are a great many people you have come to trust in your life. Over the years, they have proven themselves trustworthy. People you can count on in a time of need. A great many others you have learned to never trust. They have let you down time and again — and again and again.

“The list of those who are trustworthy every time is quite likely far shorter than those who have proven unreliable and undependable.

“And it is not a restricted list: parents, siblings, friends, co-workers, bosses, teammates. Those people all make those who do prove trustworthy that much more of a treasure.

“A trusted friend is more precious than pure gold. Rarer too, perhaps. When we find that person, we tend to cling tightly.

“Trusting in people is not a bad thing — in fact, such a friend is to be appreciated and is truly valuable in a time of need.

“When that trusted friend also happens to be your spouse, it is a timeless treasure to be cherished.  Such healthy, trusting relationships can and will bear much fruit in our lives.

“Friends who trust can talk to each other; lean on each other; bear one another’s burdens — and be counted on to keep each other’s secrets.

“But… if we are honest, we also know that friends — human beings — can, and will, let us down. Whether intentionally or unintentionally.   We are all broken beings and all subject to mistakes. We know, too, the damage it can cause — both to the relationship, as well as our lives and the lives of others.”

In our Christian Way of Life, we are given the tools to do what we know is right, but it might not be that easy to ascertain and to act correctly when decisions have to be made. 

For example, we read in Proverbs 26:4-5:

“Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.”  

We don’t just sit back expecting that God Himself will sort these things out for us, but He will certainly give us the wisdom to make such right decisions.   Likewise, He will also give us the guidance, if we request this from Him, in whether to trust other fallible human beings or not.

We must remember that when immorality defiled the Church in the early days of apostolic Christianity, the apostle Paul wrote, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 5:9-10:

“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.”   Even in the early Church, there were some considerable problems.

There is a saying that no man is an island, and this was originally written by John Donne and is about the connection between all of humankind and the need for each other.

litcharts.com observes:

“Donne essentially argues that people need each other and are better together than they are in isolation, because every individual is one piece of the greater whole that is humanity itself. The paragraph isn’t actually a poem but a famous excerpt from Donne’s Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions. Written in 1623 when Donne was in the grips of a serious illness, the Devotions examine what it means to be a human being and the relationship between humanity and God.   An island is a piece of land surrounded on all sides by water; it’s entirely cut off from the mainland. In saying that nobody is an island, then, Donne is saying that nobody exists entirely cut off on all sides from the metaphorical mainland of humanity. In other words, nobody is completely isolated and alone.”

On the website biblestudytools.com, we read:

“Trusting people is not a bad idea, in fact, trusting people, certain people is wise and essential. The Bible makes clear from the Book of Genesis that God does not desire for any of us to be alone. God made Eve for Adam, and for each of us God desires companionship in some form.

“When we put trust in people, we can reap the fruits of a healthy relationship. A trusting couple experiences peace and calm in their relationship as a result. When questionable things occur, communication is had and all issues get resolved. Friends who trust will talk, share secrets, and bear one another’s burdens. Children who trust adults are more likely to share and seek support.

“However, people, unlike God, can damage trust, whether accidentally or intentionally. If we are accustomed to running to people every time we need help, and not God, we will find ourselves disappointed. Sometimes people don’t want to hear our problems, sometimes they are unavailable. There are times we put our trust in people only to receive bad advice, be lied to, or for someone to divulge our secrets. Not everyone engages in this, but trusting people can potentially have this result. That’s the risk we take when building a relationship.

“That is not the case with God. He is a trustworthy refuge, a permanent one, a person to run to and a place to reside. Humans cannot offer that for us and that is why we need to keep our focus on God. He is for us what people never can be, and for that, He will always remain trustworthy.”

There are many verses that talk about human relationships and the need for inter-acting with others.  When we trust others, it can lead to healthy relationships and partnerships which is the state of having shared interests or efforts.  But, most critical of all is our relationship with God which is of paramount importance and He is the One whom we can always trust.

God NEVER lets us down and unlike human beings, He doesn’t gossip. He always keeps His word, is totally reliable and is there for us at all times.   On the other hand, human beings live in a world which is under the sway of Satan the devil (compare 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2) which can prove troublesome for true Christians unless we are anchored to the great God.  

Trust, primarily and essentially in God, is vital to our spiritual well-being and trust within our human relationships is necessary for setting the very best example we can, particularly, but not exclusively, within the true Church of God.   We should strive always to be trustworthy and not let others down, and take note of the apostle Paul’s admonition as we read in Ephesians 4:1-2: “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love.”

We must always trust God in all things as He knows what is best for all of us, and we can ask Him to give us insight and wisdom about whom we can trust and, in the final analysis, trust God with the outcomes.   And we ourselves must work on being trustworthy to others at all times.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

“Trump Won… Now What’s Next?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is the summary:

We were told it would be a close race. But Trump won decisively, and many are stunned and shocked. His victory has been termed “a comeback for the ages” and “history’s greatest comeback.” Four years ago, many felt that Trump would win in 2020. A letter from us explained the situation and pointed at the next election in 2024, also suggesting that Trump might have a prophetic role to fulfill, especially in relationship to Israel and Europe. What we said then is more relevant now than ever before. Do you know what is coming next? Are you prepared for an astonishing and bumpy ride?

“Trump hat gewonnen.. was jetzt?” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This covers the same topics as described above.

“Who is Jesus Christ?—His Many Descriptions in the Bible,” our newest booklet, written by Brian Gale and Norbert Link, has been sent to the printer, and it is posted.

A Tech Team Meeting was conducted on November 3, 2024. Hosted by Eric Rank, a review of Feast activities and reports for ongoing booklet ads were discussed.

“Ist Neugierde Sünde?” is the title of this Sabbath’s German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Is Curiosity Sin?”

Recent sermons given in both the United States and Germany during the Fall festival season are posted on our websites.

“Wurdig,” last Sabbath’s first split-sermon, presented in Germany by Mike Richter, is now posted. Title in English: “Worthy.”

“Das Ende der Welt, wie wir sie kennen, ist nur der Anfang,” last Sabbath’s second split-sermon, presented in Germany by Daniel Blasinger, is now posted. Title in English: “The End Of The World As We Know It Is Just The Beginning.”

“Our Atmosphere,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Michael Link, is now posted. Here is the summary:

We can survive physically through God’s perfect creation of the earth within the atmosphere mankind lives in. The atmosphere at this year’s Feast of Tabernacles was everything that this current world is not. It was positive with joy, peace, and spiritual food to prepare us for what the future holds. The atmosphere of this world is deteriorating more and more and we must remain vigilant spiritually as we fight against the god of this world. How can we succeed?

“Why Are You Called Today?” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is the summary:

If you can understand biblical Truth today, then God has called you and given you the opportunity to attain eternal salvation. Did God make a mistake? Don’t you know what to do with your calling… what God requires of you? If God has a plan for you, what is that plan? Are you expecting too much from God… or too little?

On October 5, 2024, Paul Niehoff will present the sermonette, titled, “A Peculiar Treasure,” and Brian Gale will present the sermon titled, “The Power and Might of God.”

The live services are available, over video and audio, at http://eternalgod.org/live-services/ (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time; 8:30 pm Greenwich Mean Time; 9:30 pm Central European Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

FEAST OF TRUMPETS:

On October 3, 2024, Kalon Mitchell presented the Offertory, titled, “Snakes,” and Norbert Link presented the sermon, titled, “God’s Warning to the Nations (Feast of Trumpets 2024).”

DAY OF ATONEMENT:

On October 12 is the Day of Atonement. The offertory will be given by Eric Rank, and the sermon will be given by Dave Harris.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to observance of the Fall Holy Days, we will not publish the Update again until November 7, 2024.

Paul conveys these familiar words in Philippians 4:13, stating, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” 

Paul knew that ANYTHING was possible when leaving matters in God’s hands, no matter what difficulties he encountered. He also respected the fact that God was in complete control over his life, even though he prayed continuously for God to intervene when it came to his physical ailments. God answered by not healing him at times. That, however, didn’t discourage him as he admitted that through this physical weakness, he was strong (2 Corinthians 12:7-10), knowing that it was God who strengthened him in his weakness.

Having a sound mind with the help of God’s Holy Spirit is what sets us apart from the rest of the world.“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

Paul also tells us in Ephesians 6:10 that we need to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” 

David also understood this, and he faced many difficult trials as well. He pleaded with God with fasting and prayer and knew that he had to change. He was not too proud to admit that he sinned when he recognized it, and he bitterly repented. He was still punished at times, but God accepted his repentance, and he was forgiven. After all, he was a man after God’s own heart. His heart was in the right place. He loved God’s Law and he received strength from God as he indicated in Psalms 27:1: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” 

He couldn’t rely on just his physical strength and abilities for that is only temporary, but that which is spiritual, is everlasting. It is vital that we in the Church of God are of one mind—to be unified with God and with one another.

To be truly unified, we are to “speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among [us], but that [we] be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10.) We NEED to be of ONE mind (1 Peter 3:8). Romans 12:16 adds that we need to be of the same mind with one another and that we are not to be wise in our own opinion. If we think that we can make it on our own, saying that we don’t need the Church or the ministry, that we don’t need to keep God’s Law and just do what we believe is correct in our own eyes, WE WILL FAIL. Proverbs 3:5-6 reveals in whom we are to put our trust; and yes, God will direct our paths when we DO just that. 

But God also provides help because we are not alone. Who can understand the Bible without direction, explanation, and guidance? This is how God provides help for the purpose of teaching (compare Ephesians 4:11-13; Acts 20:28).  We need God’s ministry to be taught (Romans 10:14). But, we need to be of one mind.  How can two walk together unless they are agreed (Amos 3:3)?

To be truly unified, we must have humility (Philippians 2:1-8), we must have peace (Ephesians 4:3), and we must have love which is the bond of perfection (Colossians 3:14.)  Verses 12 and 13 elaborate on what we need to do to have that bond of perfection.

Through unity of like mind, we receive strength. God will strengthen us when we are unified with Him and with one another. We must allow God to help us when we go through difficult times and we must not take for granted what God has given us. Let’s really think about what His purpose is for us — why we are here, what we are commissioned to do. We must all do our part individually and as a whole. Together in unity, together in strength! 

by Norbert Link

We begin with an extraordinary admission that hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who have been convicted of murder, rape and other capital crimes, are running loose in the USA.

We continue with the volatile situation in the Middle East, and Israel’s fight for survival. In this regard, please view our new program, titled, “Israel’s Countless Enemies—Comments on News and Prophecy, September 28, 2024.”

We address further developments pertaining to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Please view our StandingWatch program, titled “Nuclear War with Russia?”.

We speak on the sex scandals within the Catholic Church.  Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Scandals and Falsehoods in the Catholic Church.”

We conclude with focusing on elections in Austria and Germany.

13,099 Illegal Immigrants Convicted of Homicide Loose on the Streets

Fox News wrote on September 27:

“Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants with sex offenses and homicide convictions are loose on the streets, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data provided to lawmakers this week… The data, as of July 2024, is broken down by those in detention, and those who are not in detention — known as the non-detained docket.  The non-detained docket includes illegal immigrants who have final orders of removal or are going through removal proceedings but are not detained in ICE custody. There are currently more than 7 million people on that docket. The data says that, among those not in detention, there are 425,431 convicted criminals and 222,141 with pending criminal charges.

“Those include 62,231 convicted of assault, 14,301 convicted of burglary, 56,533 with drug convictions and 13,099 convicted of homicide. An additional 2,521 have kidnapping convictions and 15,811 have sexual assault convictions. 

“There are an additional 1,845 with pending homicide charges, 42,915 with assault charges, 3,266 with burglary charges and 4,250 with assault charges…”

Trump has been ridiculed and maligned for consistently stating that many illegal aliens entering the USA are murderers and rapists. After all, he was right. The actual numbers might be much higher than the ones listed above.

Convicted Illegal Immigrants in the USA

CBS News wrote on September 30:

“… a letter U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement [which was] recently shared with Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales… contained figures on immigrants with criminal records being tracked by ICE but not detained by the agency… many of the convicted criminals described in the letter have been in the U.S. for a long time, before the Biden administration took office, according to government data and officials. Some are still in federal or state custody serving criminal sentences and are likely to be arrested by ICE. And others cannot be deported because their home countries won’t take them back or they received legal relief from deportation in immigration court.

“… The number of non-detained docket cases has ballooned under the Biden administration, fueled by the release of millions of migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years. ICE is currently tracking roughly 7.7 million non-detained cases, up from 3.3 million in fiscal year 2020…

“ICE efforts to arrest immigrants accused or convicted of crimes are often frustrated by jurisdictions with so-called ‘sanctuary’ policies that limit local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Some communities, for example, do not honor requests from ICE to hold individuals longer so the agency can pick them up and take them into custody… ICE sometimes has to release immigrants who have been ordered deported by a judge, often because of a criminal conviction, simply because their home country won’t accept them. Additionally, some immigrants, even those convicted of serious crimes, can have their deportation deferred if immigration judges determine they would likely be tortured or persecuted in their home countries…”

The End of Democracy?

Media ITE wrote on September 29:

“Elon Musk claimed Sunday that electing former President Donald Trump in November is the ‘only way’ to save the country from the tyranny of Democrats and illegal migrants. He wrote on X:

“‘Very few Americans realize that, if Trump is NOT elected, this will be the last election. Far from being a threat to democracy, he is the only way to save it! Let me explain: if even 1 in 20 illegals become citizens per year, something that the Democrats are expediting as fast as humanly possible, that would be about 2 million new legal voters in 4 years. The voting margin in the swing states is often less than 20 thousand votes. That means if the “Democratic” Party succeeds, there will be no more swing states!! Moreover, the Biden/Harris administration has been flying “asylum seekers”, who are fast-tracked to citizenship, directly into swing states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and Arizona. It is a surefire way to win every election.

“‘America then becomes a one-party state and Democracy is over. The only “elections” will be the Democratic Party primaries. This already happened in California many years ago, following the 1986 amnesty. The only thing holding California back from extreme socialism and suffocating government policies is that people can leave California and still remain in America. Once the whole country is controlled by one party, there will be no escape. Everywhere in America will be like the nightmare that is downtown San Francisco.’”

This is a frightening but not improbable scenario. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Sunday that will bar local authorities from requiring photo ID to vote.

“Ridiculous ‘Fact Check’ of a True Statement During CBS Vance-Walz VP Debate”

The Editorial Board of the New York Post wrote on October 1:

“Sen. JD Vance was accurately describing the migrant crisis fueled by Kamala Harris and Joe Biden when CBS moderator Margaret Brennan decided to insert herself with a ‘fact check.’ ‘Just to clarify for our viewers, Springfield, Ohio does have a large number of Haitian migrants who have legal status,’ she said smugly.

“Vance was rightly annoyed by the interruption and said, ‘The rules were that you guys weren’t going to fact-check, and since you’re fact-checking me, I think it’s important to say what’s actually going on.’ He then proceeded to truthfully, forcefully explain what ‘legal status’ means: ‘So there’s an application called the CBP One app, where you can go on as an illegal migrant, apply for asylum or apply for parole, and be granted legal status at the wave of a Kamala Harris open border wand.’ At which point CBS decided to CUT OFF HIS MIC.

“This was the most shameful moment in a long history of shameful moments by moderators biased against Republicans. They ‘fact-checked’ the truth, then stopped the politician from responding. It was made all the more partisan by the fact that when Gov. Tim Walz told the howler that ‘illegal border crossings are down compared to when Donald Trump left office,’ which is not even close to true, no one let out of a peep. Some ‘facts’ are too good to check…

“What Vance was explaining is absolutely, verifiably correct. There is no congressional authorization for the Biden-Harris administration to simply allow 1,000 people a day, 365,000 a year, to just walk across the border. Moreover, asylum law requires that seekers apply in the first safe country they enter. The White House is ignoring that rule. Venezuelans can walk through a half-dozen nations where they could apply for asylum, and they still let them apply here. They aren’t required to remain in Mexico while their applications are processed, as former President Donald Trump required…

“So yes, the Haitians of Springfield have ‘legal status.’ But that’s only because Kamala Harris and Joe Biden are ignoring the law.”

That was by far not the only problem with the moderators of the Vance-Walz debate. Tim Walz was not taken to task when he incorrectly claimed that he did not sign a bill allowing abortions after birth; no questions were asked about his falsified record as a soldier; and no really pertinent questions were even asked about Russia and Ukraine.

Worse yet, they brought up the January 6 incident, falsely claiming that all courts had ruled that there was no evidence of fraud. The truth is, most courts did not even address the substance of the case—they dismissed causes of actions on procedural grounds such as lack of standing—and the few courts which did address substance limited their judgments to strictly local occurrences in a particular state, but not the USA as a whole. The verdict on HOW much the election was rigged is still out. It has been rightly observed that the Vance-Walz debate was again three against one (as had been the case in the previous debate between Trump and Harris). Still, it has been overwhelmingly stated that Vance won the debate.

The Costs of the Port Strike

inc.com wrote on October 2:

“Analysts at J.P. Morgan calculated that the strike that shut down ports from Maine to Texas could cost the U.S. economy between $3.8 billion to $4.5 billion for each day they remain closed. Roughly 45,000 dock workers walked off the job at 36 ports when the clock struck midnight on Tuesday when their contract expired. Negotiations have reportedly stalled for months over wages… For each day the workers strike, estimates suggest that supply chains could face an additional five to seven days of congestion as goods are rerouted to open ports in other regions of the country, namely the West Coast. Assuming those ports stay open…

“Many are concerned that the snarled supply chains the nation experienced in 2021 could resurface, along with the price increases that such disruptions may bring. Goods such as bananas, cherries, chocolate, and alcohol could be in short supply if the strike becomes protracted… As of now, Biden has chosen not to step in. The president, who has been a vocal advocate for labor unions over the years, called on USMX to raise workers’ wages. It’s unclear when both parties will next return to the bargaining table.”

That is one way of destroying the US economy.

Fortunately, The New York Post wrote on October 3:

“The three-day longshorseman strike that sparked panic in the US over potential supply chain issues is set to end immediately as dock workers and port operators reached a tentative deal, representatives for each group said Thursday.

The strike — which snarled incoming shipments at dozens of ports stretching from Maine to Texas — will end at least until Jan. 15 after the Internation Longshoremen’s Association, the union representing 45,000 dockworkers, and the US Maritime Alliance, which represents shippers and port operators, reached a tentative deal on wage increases… Dockworkers will see an approximately 62% wage hike over six years under the new deal… The union had been asking for a 77% raise.”

But this is apparently only temporary, and much damage has already been done. In addition, Fortune wrote on September 29 that “Total damages and economic loss from Hurricane Helene could reach $110 billion.”

It is clear that God is not blessing the USA.

Abbas Attacks Israel

Israel Today wrote on September 27:

“In an address to the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday morning, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas called the holiest Jewish site—the Temple Mount in Jerusalem—the ‘exclusive property of Muslims’ and referred to Israel as a ‘terrorist state’ that does not deserve membership in the United Nations…

“He also referred to Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir as a terrorist for calling for a Third Temple to be built on the mount.”

A Third Temple will be built on the Temple Mount, prior to Christ’s return, as the Bible clearly reveals. The evidence is indisputable. 

Netanyahu Attacks UN, Iran Before Strike on Beirut

The New York Post wrote on September 27:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the United Nations General Assembly as a ‘swamp of antisemitic bile’ during a fiery address Friday morning…  He also called the organization an ‘anti-Israel flat-earth society.’ The Likud party leader slammed the International Criminal Court’s allegations that Israel has deliberately targeted civilians in Gaza as the product of ‘profound moral confusion.’

“He called out the Iranian government for backing terror groups, including Hamas, and mentioned how Tehran directly attacked Israel for the first time in April this year. Netanyahu repeatedly emphasized Israel’s nearly year-long struggle in a war that now involves multiple fronts, as Hezbollah, the Houthis and militants in Syria and Iraq renewed their efforts against the Jewish state in response to the Gaza war…

“Shortly after Netanyahu’s speech, Israel rained down missiles on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut, marking its most powerful attack on the group to date.  The explosions marked a serious escalation and came weeks after Israel confirmed that the focus of its war effort was shifting from Gaza to Lebanon. Netanyahu’s office circulated an image of the prime minister on the phone approving the strike on the Lebanese capital.”

Hezbollah Leader Killed

The U.S. Sun wrote on September 28:

“HEZBOLLAH leader Hassan Nasrallah has been killed in a massive missile blitz on Lebanon. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that Friday’s fighter jet blitz successfully eliminated the terror group’s Secretary-General…

“The death of Nasrallah, considered by many to be the single most powerful individual in Lebanon, is a pivotal moment for Israel – and has sparked fears of wider escalation. Ali Karki, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front, is also believed to have been killed alongside Nasrallah in the strikes on Friday. Israel also claims to have wiped out several other Hezbollah officials including Muhammad Ali Ismail, the commander of Hezbollah’s missile unit in southern Lebanon, in the blasts. His deputy and ‘other senior officials’ were also taken out.”

Intervention of Outside Powers?

The New York Post wrote on September 28:

“Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged the Muslim world to ‘stand by’ Lebanon and Hezbollah.

“The international community has expressed concern that these bombings in Lebanon would inevitably lead to an even wider war in the Middle East…

“ ‘Shockwaves radiating from the unprecedented death and destruction in Gaza now threaten to push the entire region into the abyss,’ UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutierez told the Security Council Friday.  ‘War in Lebanon could lead to further escalation involving outside powers.’”

Fox News wrote on September 28:

“… the immediate question is not whether Iran will respond, but how. Hezbollah is a creation of the Islamic Republic, built on decades of effort, and billions of dollars of support… The relationship between Iran’s supreme leader… Khamenei and Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, was almost familial – akin to that of father and son…

“Iran’s leadership cannot simply sit back while Hezbollah endures these levels of humiliation and harm. To do so would not only result in the weakening or loss of its most important proxy, but could signal the start of the unraveling of its entire regional strategy of eradicating the state of Israel, empowering Islamist groups, and expelling U.S. forces from the Middle East….”

Ultimately, Israel will receive a wound—prior to the Great Tribulation. This is apparently some kind of a defeat in war.

Reactions:

The Algemeiner and Reuters wrote on September 28:

“The following are reactions by regional politicians and others to the killing of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Friday:

“IRAN’S FOREIGN MINISTRY: The ministry said in a statement that Nasrallah’s ‘path will continue and his goal will be realized in Jerusalem’s liberation’.

“YEMEN’S IRAN-ALIGNED HOUTHIS: The group said it mourned the killing of Nasrallah, adding: ‘The martyrdom … will increase the strength of sacrifice … determination and continuity.’

“MOHAMMED SHIA AL-SUDANI, IRAQ’S PRIME MINISTER: He said the killing of Nasrallah showed ‘the reckless desire to expand the conflict at the expense of all the peoples of the region and their security and stability.’

“HERZI HALEVI, ISRAEL’S CHIEF OF THE GENERAL STAFF: Nasrallah indiscriminately murdered Israeli civilians and aimed to end this war with the destruction of the State of Israel. We made sure that did not occur. We eliminated him, and we will continue to grow stronger. Hezbollah has murdered innocent people worldwide, hiding his weapons under the homes of families, women and children and turning them into human shields. As we have shown, we will not allow such a threat to our citizens. We are determined to continue destroying the Hezbollah terrorist organization and to keep fighting.’

“MOQTADA EL SADR, IRAQI SHI’ITE MUSLIM POLITICIAN: He said he mourned Nasrallah as ‘his companion in resistance’.

“GEBRAN BASSIL, LEADING LEBANESE CHRISTIAN POLITICIAN: He said he mourned the death of Nasrallah as a major loss and said it was a hard time for all Lebanese, adding: ‘In the face of the Israeli enemy, we have no choice but to be together as Lebanese.’

“MICHEL AOUN, FORMER LEBANESE PRESIDENT: In a statement mourning Nasrallah, he referred to ‘the dangers our country is witnessing as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression which requires rising to the highest level of national solidarity that protects and fortifies our unity because that is the true salvation’.

“SAAD AL-HARIRI, FORMER LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER: The assassination of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has plunged Lebanon and the region into a new phase of violence. It is a cowardly act condemned in its entirety by us, who paid dearly for the lives of our loved ones when assassination became an alternative to politics. May God have mercy on Sayyed Hassan and my sincere condolences to his family and comrades. We often disagreed with the deceased and his party and met a few times, but Lebanon was everyone’s tent. In this extremely difficult phase, our unity and solidarity remain the foundation.’

“TURKISH PRESIDENT TAYYIP ERDOGAN: In a post on X after the killing of Nasrallah but which did not name him, Erdogan said he condemned recent attacks in Lebanon as part of what he called an Israeli policy of ‘genocide, occupation, and invasion’ and said the Muslim world should show a more ‘determined’ stance.”

The Times of Israel added on September 28:

“Russia also criticized Israel for killing Nasrallah, with a statement from the country’s foreign ministry saying it ‘decisively condemn[s] the latest political murder carried out by Israel’ and ‘once again insistently urge[s] Israel to immediately cease military action.’”

The Lebanese unite against Israel. And what Russian hypocrisy! Controversial German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (the Greens) stated that the elimination of Hassan Nasrallah was not necessary for Isarel’s security.

It is also shocking to see that large parts of the left-wing mass media in the USA and Europe portray mass murderer and terrorist Nasrallah as a somewhat sympathetic figure. For instance, the New York Times wrote falsely that Nasrallah was a “gifted orator” who “maintained that there should be one Palestine with equality for Muslims, Jews and Christians.” The truth is, he wanted Israel destroyed and obliterated.

USA Didn’t Succeed  

AFP wrote on September 28:

“EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell voiced regret Friday that no power, including the United States, can ‘stop;… Netanyahu,  saying he appears determined to crush militants in Gaza and Lebanon… Borrell said Netanyahu has made clear that the Israelis ‘don’t stop until Hezbollah is destroyed,’ much as in its nearly year-old campaign in Gaza against fellow Iranian-backed militant group Hamas. ‘If the interpretation of being destroyed is the same as with Hamas, then we are going to go for a long war,’ Borrell said…

“The outgoing EU foreign affairs chief [said;]  ‘We cannot rely just on the US. The US tried several times; they didn’t succeed…’”

The rift between Europe and the USA, even under Biden and now Harris, is widening.

Israeli Strikes Continue

Daily Mail wrote on September 28:

“Israel launched fresh strikes on Beirut again this afternoon after killing Hezbollah boss Hassan Nasrallah and a senior Iranian commander in an attack on Friday that has rocked the region and threatens drastic escalation. The Israeli military said late Saturday afternoon it had carried out an air strike in the Dahieh area of Beirut – the same district targeted in the strike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in the city yesterday. 

“Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi acknowledged that ‘challenging days await’ for Israel after confirming the death of Hezbollah’s secretary-general, with Iran and Hezbollah’s allies vowing revenge… Israel defended its operations in Lebanon today, amid growing pressure from its allies to de-escalate, claiming that it had thwarted a Hezbollah plot to carry out an attack similar to October 7.”

The Sun wrote on September 30:

“ISRAELI special forces have stormed Hezbollah tunnels inside Lebanon as Netanyahu warns there’s nowhere Israel cannot reach. Military bosses have massed tanks and 13,000 reservists at its northern border with Lebanon to pave the way for a bloody showdown with Hezbollah terror troops…. The IDF’s elite troops have carried out raids in southern Lebanon ahead of the possible invasion.”

Can Israel Succeed?

The Sun wrote on September 29:

“Analysts said terror group Hezbollah are ready for a ‘fight to the death’ against Israel should they invade – with Iran ready to pounce and send the region into chaos… Israel’s daily rocket barrages on Beirut are believed to be a clever ploy from the IDF to help begin their ground invasion into southern Lebanon… [Israel] has left the terror group in chaos after it eliminated dozens of their leaders – paving the way for an Israeli invasion. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi has already made it clear that the attacks on Lebanon have been tactically done to open up opportunities for the military to enter…

“But… despite the IDF outnumbering, outgunning and potentially outsmarting Hezbollah a complete offensive will be a tricky task to pull off. Despite being severely weakened by the rocket strikes Hezbollah are still a scary prospect after decades of training and Iranian funding…

“In the short term, Israel may be able to push Hezbollah and Iran back with their impressive battlefield skills and range of weapons. But many fear that their dominance won’t last long in the region – potentially triggering a war involving global powers…”

Ultimately, foreign powers WILL invade and conquer the state of Israel.

Israel Strikes Yemen

Express wrote on September 29:

“Israel has launched an all-out air assault on Yemen’s Houthis striking targets in a raid using dozens of aircraft. The IDF confirmed that the strike was the most powerful against the terror group since it joined the widening Middle East war following the October 7 attack in Israel last year. The targets of the strikes were oil reserves in Ras Issa and also the port of Hodeidah, according to Israeli army sources. Additionally, power plants were also struck in the devastating attacks carried out by  Israel’s air force…

“The strikes appear to be in retaliation for attacks on Israel carried out by the Houthis last week. Three missiles were fired at Tel Aviv and central areas of the country, following Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon…”

Israel is fighting on numerous fronts. In the long run, it will be extremely difficult to continue doing so.

Iran Attacks Israel

The Daily Mail wrote on October 1:

“The Israeli military has announced that missiles have been launched from Iran into Israel tonight – with the Islamic Republic ignoring warnings that any such attack would invite ‘severe consequences’. Air raid sirens sounded as dozens of missiles began raining down on Israel, with some dramatically exploding into flames as they appeared to strike areas of Tel Aviv, Israel’s capital. As the sustained attack continued into the night sky, other missiles exploded in the air as they were intercepted by Israel’s defence systems. 

“… Israel was expecting ballistic missiles to be launched by Iran this evening in yet another major escalation that leaves the Middle East on the brink of an all-out war. These can reach their targets in just 12 minutes…

“Israeli media are reporting that [about 200] missiles have been fired into Israel – after Iran vowed on Saturday that Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah would be avenged…

“It comes as:  Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on towns and cities across Israel; IDF claimed to have conducted cross-border raids on southern Lebanon; Israeli airstrikes continue to devastate targets across Lebanon and Syria; Lebanon… appealed for $400 million in humanitarian aid…

“President Joe Biden said the United States was prepared to help Israel defend itself from Iranian missile attacks and to protect American military in the region…”

However, Biden also said that Israel should not attack Iran’s nuclear sites in retaliation. But many feel that Israel will have to do something. At the same time, Israel lost eight IDF soldiers in Southern Lebanon’s Ground Offensive who were killed by Hezbollah.

Zelenskyy and Trump Meet

The Associated Press wrote on September 27:

“Ukrainian President Zelenskyy met face-to-face with Donald Trump  Friday with public tensions rising between the two over Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion… Trump has for months criticized U.S. support for Ukraine and derided Zelenskyy as a ‘salesman’ for persuading Washington to provide weapons and funding to his military as it tries to fend off Moscow…

“In an interview with The New Yorker that was published earlier this week, Zelenskyy implied Trump does not understand and oversimplifies the conflict. The Ukrainian leader said Trump’s running mate JD Vance was ‘too radical’ and has essentially advocated for Ukraine to ‘make a sacrifice’ by ‘giving up its territories.’…”

Zelenskyy stated that both he and Trump agree that Putin “cannot win the war.”  It is unclear what is meant by that phrase. If the intention was to say that he must not win the war, that would be one thing; if it was meant to say that Putin will be unable to win the war, then that would be illusionary. Note the next article.

Ukraine Should Be Talking About Peace

The Ron Paul Institute added on September 28:

“Russia is gaining territory quickly because Ukraine is low on manpower. No amount of NATO technology or weaponry is going to help this fundamental weakness.  This is the reality in Ukraine; they are losing the war… Zelensky is dead-set on getting permission to use US and European long range missile systems against targets deep within Russia… So far the Biden Administration has refrained from supporting the long range option, but has offered another $8 billion in support.  Under a Trump presidency, the money train is likely to stop abruptly.

“Zelensky has offered no practical measures for negotiations, arguing that concessions are off the table.  Furthermore, he claims that peace is only possible once Ukraine has taken back all territory seized by Russia, including Crimea which was annexed in 2014.  He then demanded that Russia pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction and that Putin and a multitude of other Russian officials be handed over to be tried for war crimes.  This is never going to happen.

“The core of Ukraine’s victory plan relies on long range strikes using NATO guided missiles and acceptance into NATO.  Both factors at this stage would cause WWIII…

“Many officials within the US and Europe have given Zelensky delusions of grandeur about his chances, perhaps because they want the war to grind on forever.  These same officials have hinted consistently that they will not accept a Ukrainian loss.   Regardless of what side people think should win, the fact is that Russia is the inevitable victor according to all the evidence on hand…. The longer the war goes on the greater the chances of a powder keg moment and a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.  Ukraine should not be talking about ‘victory’, that time has come and gone. They should be talking about peace.”

The Western press keeps repeating the mantra that Ukraine is winning the war. This is not supported by the facts. In any event, Russia and Ukraine will unite, no matter who “wins” the war.

Europe Prepared for a Suicide Venture?

Newsweek wrote on September 28:

“Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov… issued a new nuclear warning during the… (U.N.) General Assembly on Saturday…   NATO leaders have increasingly warned that direct conflict with Moscow is a realistic danger as it has more nuclear warheads than any other country…  Lavrov… warned Washington, D.C. as well as London to prepare for a ‘suicide venture’ pointing out the ‘pointlessness and danger of the very idea to fight to victory with a nuclear power like Russia.’

“‘A goal has been declared to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia – almost like London and Washington planned in May 1945 as they developed “Operation Unthinkable” on destruction of the Soviet Union even before the end of World War II. Back then, it was a closely held secret. The Anglo-Saxon strategists of today, however, make no secret of their intentions. So far, they expect to defeat Russia with the hands of the illegitimate neo-Nazi Kiev regime, but they already prepare Europe to leap into a suicide venture as well,’ Lavrov said.”

Again, none of these Russian warnings should be taken lightly.

Belgium Unhappy with Pope and Catholic Church

The Associated Press wrote on September 27:

“Belgium’s prime minister blasted Pope Francis for the Catholic Church’s horrific legacy of clerical sex abuse and cover-ups here, demanding ‘concrete steps’ to come clean with the past and put victims’ interests ahead those of the institution in a blistering welcome at the start of Francis’ visit on Friday.

“The speech by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo was one of the most pointed ever directed at the pope during a foreign trip, where the genteel dictates of diplomatic protocol usually keeps outrage out of the public remarks. But even King Philippe had strong words for Francis, demanding the church work ‘incessantly’ to atone for the crimes and help victims heal.

“Their tone underscored just how raw the abuse scandal still is in Belgium, where two decades of revelations of abuse and systematic cover-ups have devastated the hierarchy’s credibility and contributed to an overall decline in Catholicism and the influence of the once-powerful Catholic Church…

“The prime minister, king and pope also referred to a new church-related scandal rocking Belgium, over so-called ‘forced adoptions,’ which echoed earlier revelations about Ireland’s so-called mother and baby homes.  After World War II and through the 1980s, many single mothers were forced by the Belgian church into offering their newborns up for adoption. Often they barely saw their babies before nuns took them away, and the babies were then placed for adoption, with money changing hands. For those adopted, it is close to impossible now to find out who their birth mothers were, since the records have long ago disappeared.

“Francis said he was ‘saddened’ to learn of these practices, but said such criminality was ‘mixed in with what was unfortunately the prevailing view in all parts of society at this time… Many believed in conscience that they were doing something good for both the child and the mother,’ he said, referring to the social stigma of an unwed mother in a Catholic country… [it is estimated] it affected up to 30,000 babies…”

These scandals in the Catholic Church are as old as the Catholic Church, and they will continue. Only at times, the tip of the iceberg reaches the surface, but one can only imagine what is all going on in the abyss below.

The Catholic Church’s New Seven Capital Sins

FSSPX News wrote on September 30:

“Here is the [new] list of [capital] sins, as the Synod document describes them:

• Sin against peace
• Sin against creation, against indigenous populations, against migrants
• Sin of abuse
• Sin against women, family, youth
• Sin of using doctrine as stones to be hurled
• Sin against poverty
• Sin against synodality / lack of listening, communion, and participation of all

“Some of them are too general and can cover many situations: the sin against poverty can be a lack of assistance to the poor, or even wastefulness. The sin against the family can cover divorce, contraception, abortion, surrogacy… The latter is also a sin against surrogate women, a kind of slavery.

“It is curious that there is a sin against youth, but no sin against old age: euthanasia is already rife in many countries, and seeks to spread to every continent. As for the sin of abuse, it’s a vast spectrum: abuse through physical violence, sexual violence, abuse of power, abuse of corporate assets.

“… it should be noted that these sins reflect the preoccupations of a Pope who has a personal conception of certain current issues, and who often comes to forget the essentials because of this bias…

“As for the sin against migrants, it has taken on an increasingly sharp tone recently, to the point of asserting that turning away migrants is a grave sin. This would only be conceivable in cases of grave danger to the migrant’s life…

“But the one that appears most strikingly strange is the last one: ‘Sin against synodality’ or ‘lack of listening, communion, and participation of all.’… Should we see this as an accusation against bishops—and possibly priests—who defend episcopal power and refuse to see it diluted in the ‘common priesthood’ of the faithful? Should we see it as a ‘landmine’ prepared for participants in the synodal Assembly who wish to reject what is being cunningly prepared in this Synod? Should we anticipate a forthcoming sin ‘against democracy in the Church’, which would be nothing more than a negation of the hierarchical structure that Christ willed for the supernatural society He founded? But doesn’t this sin against synodality already savor of that? It certainly does. And that is undoubtedly why it’s on this list…”

Austria in the News

NBC News wrote on September 28, BEFORE the election on Sunday:

“Politics in a central European country of just 10 million people might not seem consequential. But that’s not the case in Austria, where there’s a good chance its election Sunday will be won by a far-right, pro-Russia party… A win for the Freedom Party, or FPÖ, would not just have historical connotations — Austria was the birthplace of Adolf Hitler — it could tilt the balance of power between Russia and the West...

“The FPÖ is led by Herbert Kickl, 55, a wiry, acerbic provocateur in designer glasses. He has been branded as ‘Volkskanzler’ or ‘People’s Chancellor,’ by his party, a term most associated with the Nazis who used it to describe Hitler. Indeed the FPÖ was founded in the 1950s by former members of Hiter’s paramilitary group the SS, although Kickl and his supporters reject the modern-day comparison…

“Kickl’s vision is to build  ‘Fortress Austria’ and ‘Fortress Europe,’ as he put it during a debate on Austrian public television Thursday night. That would involve a dramatic overhaul of Austria’s immigration system, registering all new arrivals and detaining them in specialist facilities. The party is also proposing to introduce ‘remigration’ of ‘unwanted strangers’ — deporting migrants to their country of origin.

“… the FPÖ’s influence could extend far beyond its own borders. It has for years been sympathetic toward Russia, not just calling for an end to Europe’s support for Ukraine but also advocating an end to the sanctions placed on Russia over its war. In 2016, party leader Heinz-Christian Strache signed a formal ‘cooperation pact’ with Putin’s United Russia party…“It has been a junior coalition partner before,  but crashed out in 2019 after Strache was secretly recorded offering to fix government contracts with a woman posing as the relative of a Russian oligarch…

“This time, an FPÖ-led Austria could form a Ukraine-skeptical bloc with like-minded neighbors, Slovakia and Hungary, the latter led by Trump ally Victor Orban… Its election would be the latest chapter in a rightward lurch across Europe, with voters rejecting mainstream centrists not just over immigration and the economy, but the environment and so-called ‘culture war’ issues, too… A coalition is almost certain —  not an easy task when the FPÖ is so vilified by opponents.”

In 1970, Jörg Haider became the leader of the FPÖ youth movement and headed it until 1974. Haider rose rapidly through the party ranks. In 1972, at the age of 22, he was already a well-established leader and was made party affairs manager of the Carinthian FPÖ in 1976. In early 2000, FPÖ leader Jörg Haider made a deal with the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) to form a coalition government.

Haider had been in line to become Austrian chancellor. But strong international pressure convinced both parties to give the chancellor post to the ÖVP. Haider stepped down as FPÖ chief in February 2000. Just 13 days after the elections in 2008,  Haider died in a mysterious car crash in southern Austria. His wife claimed that foul play was involved.

It has been reported that Kickl had been the speech writer for Haider, and also for his successor, Heinz-Christian Strache.

The FPÖ Wins!

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 29:

“Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) has scored a historic victory, winning the country’s parliamentary election for the first time. According to the preliminary official results, the FPÖ garnered 29.2% of votes, followed by Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s center-right conservative ÖVP with 26.48%… The FPÖ now has the most seats in the new Austrian parliament. Turnout stood at 74.9%, slightly down from the previous election in 2019…

“On Sunday evening, FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl said his party was ready to negotiate with other political forces… Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen also told political parties to hold talks to form a government... Chancellor Nehammer (ÖVP) conceded defeat by Sunday evening…

“Despite the far-right party’s historic victory, it does not have enough seats to form a government on its own and would require a coalition. The Social Democrats already ruled out such an agreement, but the ÖVP has not…

“The head of Germany’s far-right AfD party, Alice Weidel, congratulated FPÖ after the projections were published. The German party… shares large elements of its ideology with FPÖ…

“During the campaign, Nehammer sought to portray FPÖ’s Kickl as a toxic extremist and said he would not be working with him, but signaled the conservatives could cooperate with the FPÖ as a whole. On Sunday, the incumbent chancellor doubled down on his rejection of Kickl…

“The far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) has been in government several times but it has never topped a national vote before Sunday… Under [Kickl’s] abrasive leadership, the party… has seen its popularity rebound on voter anger and anxieties over COVID restrictions, migration, inflation and the Ukraine war…”

Newsmax added on September 29:

“Austrian voters handed a first-ever general election victory to the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) on Sunday… underlining rising support for hard-right parties in Europe fueled by concern over immigration levels…. The FPO victory [makes] Austria the latest EU country to register surging far-right support after gains in countries including the Netherlands, France and Germany.”

Politics Made in Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 28:

“The parliament in the eastern German state of Thuringia elected Thadäus König of the conservative … CDU  as its new speaker on Saturday. The speaker presides over the parliament and has the power to call lawmakers to session at any moment… König was competing for the speakership against a nominee from the… AfD, Wiebke Muhsal. König was able to secure a majority of 54 out of 88 total seats, which included members of center and far-left parties.  It comes after the AfD placed first in the September 1 regional election in Thuringia, garnering almost 33% of the vote. The CDU, meanwhile, came in second in that election with almost 24% of the vote. 

“As a result of the September 1 vote, the AfD managed to win over a third of all seats in Thuringia’s parliament. The AfD thus had priority in putting forward a parliamentary speaker candidate, although the other parties vowed to block the far-right nominee for the post…

“The CDU… turned to Thuringia’s constitutional court. The court ruled against the AfD, paving the way for the CDU to put forward König as its speaker candidate… The CDU is currently trying to form a government in Thuringia, bypassing the AfD. In order to form a ruling coalition in the state, the CDU is negotiating with the center-left… SPD  and the left-wing populist, anti-immigration… BSW.” 

The constant attempts by the main parties to bypass the AfD, and the ongoing negative reporting in the mainstream media about the AfD, will backfire. 

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

In part 3, we looked at the fact that paganism is the very opposite of belief in a supreme Creator God and is inextricably linked with occult practices.  We looked at a small selection of verses from the Bible to show its consistency in condemning such practices.

In the last part of this four-part series, we will look at a number of well-researched sources that show that paganism has been a part of mainstream Christianity for a very long time.  This practice is called syncretism—the mixture of godly and ungodly practices (is this meant to be repeated or is a word missing?). Syncretism was extant in Old Testament times.   Let us look at just one section of Scripture outlining this in Deuteronomy 12:29-32:

“When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD  which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”

God gave the ancient Israelites clear instructions about not following what surrounding nations did, but they didn’t listen to and heed the warnings.  Elements of pagan worship were incorporated against the clear instructions from God not to do so – for their own benefit.

Moving on to the New Testament, we read in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1959, vol. 5, p. 642 the following about “Christmas”: “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church…. Christmas customs are an evolution from the times that long antedated the Christian period—a descent from seasonal, pagan, religious and national practices, hedged about with legend and tradition.”

In an article, “Catholicism Confronts New Age Syncretism” by Bernard D. Green, we read the following interesting information:

“They recently ran a story about the possibility that the Catholic feminist movement known as Women-Church was losing all connection with Catholic tradition. The report said that an upcoming Women-Church conference would have, in addition to rituals by witches, rituals led by ‘Buddhists, American Indians, Quakers and Jewish leaders–as well as by Catholic nuns.’

“This syncretistic mentality is widespread in the Church today. Witness the following description of the program of a respected Midwestern Catholic center for spirituality: ‘Readings are selected every day from the sacred texts of Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, and Islam, as well as Christianity. On occasion, ancient festivals of the Celts or Saxons are remembered, and members dance around a maypole or fire-pit in the fields or forest…. The Chapel is visually stimulating and instructive…. Icons of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Risen Christ are placed side by side with statues of Buddha, Lord Vishnu and Moses.’”

The above details are quite shocking but hardly unexpected in today’s religious supermarket.  We know that modern Christianity has much syncretism within its structure; for example, Christmas and Easter and other worldly and non-biblical saints days are all derived from paganism.

Will Durant and his wife wrote the following in Volume III, titled “Caesar and Christ” (1944, p. 595: “Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it…. [T]he Greek mysteries passed down into the impressive mystery of the Mass. Other pagan cultures contributed to the syncretist result. From Egypt came the ideas of a divine trinity, the Last Judgment, and a personal immortality of reward and punishment; from Egypt the adoration of the Mother and Child…. From Phrygia came the worship of the Great Mother; from Syria the resurrection drama of Adonis…. The Mithraic ritual so closely resembled the eucharistic sacrifice of the mass that Christian fathers charged the Devil with inventing these similarities to mislead frail minds. [Nicaean] Christianity was the last great creation of the ancient pagan world.”

On another website, the question is asked “what do these two – Christianity and paganism” have in common?  The answer is given as follows: “The roots of Christianity are interlaced with ancient pagan traditions and elements, mainly because the Church gained power through conversion. In order to convert the people of Europe (and the world) from their pagan beliefs, the Church felt they had to turn them against their beliefs by fear or adopt the pagan beliefs into the Christian religion.”

We can see this in mainstream Christianity where the Roman Catholic Church has so much of this embedded in their “belief” system.  The true Church of God, down through the ages, has stayed with the Truth as outlined in the Word of God.  This approach which we read in the New Testament is very different from that which is practiced by the mainstream today where syncretism in the true Church of God has not been accepted, nor is it practiced.

When congregations of the true Church of God began, however, to engage in pagan practices, then they ceased very soon to be part of the true Church of God.

There are other books that have been written showing how apostolic Christianity survived but other forces were accepted into the apostate church from early on.  In the book “A History of the True Church,” the writers, Dugger and Dodd, make these comments on page 57 which discuss the period 100 AD to 200 AD.  They quote Hurlbutt in his “Story of the Christian Church” on page 41, as follows: “For 50 years after St Paul’s life, a curtain hangs over the church, through which we vainly strive to look; and when it at last rises, about 129 AD with the writings of the earliest church-fathers, we find a church in many aspects very different from that in the days of St Peter and St Paul.”

“The Two Babylons” by Alexander Hislop is an interesting and well researched book quoting from hundreds of sources with 621 illustrations, showing the connections between the Roman Catholic Church and ancient paganism, and in his conclusion the writer states: “I have now finished the task that I proposed to myself.   Even yet the evidence is not nearly exhausted; but on the evidence which has been adduced, I appeal to the reader if I have not proved every point which I engaged to demonstrate.   Is there one, who has candidly considered the proof which has been led, that now doubts that Rome is the Apocalyptic Babylon?   Is there one who will venture to deny that, from the foundation of the topmost stone, it is essentially a system of paganism?”

In August 2017, a columnist in the Guardian newspaper wrote the following: “‘Five centuries after the Reformation triggered a series of long and bloody religious wars across Europe; modern-day Protestants and Catholics believe they have more in common theologically than they do differences, and most would be willing to accept each other as neighbours and family members. Theological differences that split western Christianity in the 1500s have diminished to a degree that might have shocked Christians in past centuries,’ says a report by the Washington-based Pew Research Center.” 

This commonality can be seen in the keeping of Christmas, Easter celebrations, belief in a trinity, Sunday keeping (not the true Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset), the keeping of saints days and the ignoring of God’s commanded annual Feast Days, pouring or sprinkling in infant baptisms and other areas.  Both Roman Catholics and Protestants have accepted syncretism in their churches which is roundly condemned by God, and paganism concepts have been part of their journey.

In the book “The Golden Bough” by Sir James Frazer, a thick tome of over 750 pages, he writes the following: “Thus it appears that the Christian Church chose to celebrate the birthday of its Founder on the 25^th December in order to transfer the devotion of the heathen from the Sun to him who was called the Sun of Righteousness.   If that was so, there can be no intrinsic improbability in the conjecture that motives of the same sort may have led the ecclesiastical authorities to assimilate the Easter festival of the death of their Lord to the festival of the death and resurrection of another Asiatic god which fell at the same season.  Now the Easter rites still observed in Greece, Sicily and southern Italy bear in some respects a striking resemblance to the rites of Adonis, and I have suggested that the Church may have consciously adapted the new festival to its heathen predecessor for the sake of winning souls for Christ” (page 359).

“Taken altogether, the coincidences of the Christian with the heathen festivals are too close and too numerous to be accidental.  They marked the compromise which the Church in the hour of its triumph was compelled to make with its vanquished yet still dangerous rivals” (ibid, page 361).

Please see our booklet “Don’t Keep Christmas” for a very thorough explanation on this subject.

In the book “Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries,” historian Ramsay MacMullen writes, “The triumph of the church was one not of obliteration [of non-Christian beliefs] but of widening embrace and assimilation” (1997, p. 159).

In his book, “A Concise History of the Early Church,” author Norbert Brox wrote on page 14, after discussing the Roman Empire: “… emperor worship belongs with different degrees of emphasis to the official religion of the state, which mainly consisted in the divine cults of ancient religion.  Christianity was confronted with a paganism with religious vitality, not with morbid, played out religion.   Religion dominated private and public life.   People lived by the rhythm of religious festivals, and in a world full of divine and demonic powers.   Here the state looked after its sacral institutions, temples, priests and cults.   For as duty towards the gods, on whom the empire was dependent for its prosperity (salus publica) religion was primarily a state matter, on which the state could enforce.  This description of the pagan world has already indicated the problems which arose for Christianity and influenced its development.”

On page 15 of the same book is an admission that “Christianity had contacts with all these forms of alien religion: with the classic religion of antiquity, the cult of emperor and state, the mysteries or oriental religion.  This left deep traces of syncretism (= a fusion of different religious phenomena) in the theology, structures and self-understanding of the early church.”

One writer opined that “Syncretism continues to be a powerful tool to separate God from His people.”

The question was asked “What is Truth?” by Pontius Pilate, the fifth prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, during the illegal trial of Jesus, and he asked this question as recorded in John 18:37-38:

^“Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘Are You a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’ Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’ And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, ‘I find no fault in Him at all.’”

In the previous chapter, in John 17:17, when Jesus was praying for His disciples, He said: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

We have only scratched the surface of how much mainstream Christianity has accepted pagan influences in its practices—practices that God clearly condemns in His Word.   The true Church of God has down through the ages stuck with their understanding of apostolic Christianity which is a far cry from what mainstream has practiced for a very long time.

And that is where we finish up.  The Word of God is our guide to life and syncretism must be dismissed.   Paganism must not be part of our Way of Life as we follow the Ways of God as clearly expressed in the Bible.

No other way is acceptable to God!

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

“Scandals and Falsehoods in the Catholic Church,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is the summary:

“You might wonder why you should listen to this program, if you are not a Catholic. You might think you are not affected by what is being discussed here. But you would be awfully mistaken. The scandals within the Catholic Church; the pope’s “justifications”; and a new catalog of alleged “capital” sins are mind-boggling, but far too many—Catholic or not—might agree with the falsehoods which are being presented by the pope and his Synod.”

 A new Member Letter (October 2024) has been posted and mailed to our subscribers. Evangelist Norbert Link writes warning against false doctrines which lead to deception. He also points out that if we obey God by keeping the Sabbath and annual Holy Days, “we will be God’s people, and He will be our God”!

”Gottes Warnung an die Nationen (Posaunenfest 2024)” is the title of the Feast of Trumpets German sermon, presented by Norbert Link.

“Warum sind wir in Gottes Kirche?” last Sabbath’s German sermonette presented by Dmitrij Niemann, is now posted. Title in English: “Why Are We in God’s Church?”

“Israel’s Countless Enemies–Comments on News and Prophecy, September 28,2024,” last Sabbath’s first message, presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The UN wants Jerusalem’s Old City, Judea and Samaria to become “Judenrein”; Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas speaks of the danger of the Third Temple; the world is consumed by Anti-Semitism; the USA and Germany have failed to bring peace to the Middle East; Israel attacks Lebanon and kills the leaders of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, Hassan Nasrallah and Ibrahim Aqil, and other officials; and many speak of further escalation involving outside powers. Israel is facing numerous enemies—Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, the UN, Russia and China… the list seems to be endless. Not to forget Germany, France and most of Europe. Can Israel win such a war which is being fought on multiple fronts?

“The Cure for the Hardened Heart!” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

We have to maintain a heart that is soft and usable by God. What happens when we have hardened hearts? Are there Spiritual consequences for having a hard heart?

FALL HOLY DAYS:

Feast of Trumpets–October 3, 2024

Day of Atonement—October 12, 2024

Feast of Tabernacles—October 17-23, 2024

Last Great Day—October 24, 2024

Note: These services will be broadcast live.

On September 28, 2024, Norbert Link will present “Comments on News and Prophecy, September 28, 2024,” and Kalon Mitchell will present the sermon, titled, “The Cure for the Hardened Heart!”

The live services are available, over video and audio, at http://eternalgod.org/live-services/ (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time; 8:30 pm Greenwich Mean Time; 9:30 pm Central European Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

NOTE: Next Thursday, October 3, is the Feast of Trumpets. The sermonette will be given by Kalon Mitchell, and the sermon will be given by Norbert Link.

The fall of the United Kingdom continues apace.   Apart from a loss of standing on the world scene and internal problems in the country wherever you look, we now have two-tier policing. britannica.com has this to say about the police: “a body of officers representing the civil authority of government. Police typically are responsible for maintaining public order and safety, enforcing the law, and preventing, detecting, and investigating criminal activities. These functions are known as policing.”

The riots in various cities in the UK during the early part of August this year brought out misleading statements by the Prime Minister about it being brought about by right-wing thugs, thus missing the real point which many who were not involved actually have sympathy with.   In his Standing Watch programme at that time, Mr Norbert Link spoke about “Why Riots in the UK” and gave a very sensible and reasoned view of why these events took place.

We don’t get involved in politics, we don’t vote and we don’t take sides for or against any particular group or party but comment on what the effects of any action are that is taken as compared with what God has set out in His Word as to how man should behave.

Unfortunately, the police have been very selective about their policing, no doubt taking a lead from the government.  As we have a new government in power who are trying to show how tough they are going to be on law and order, certain actions have recently been taken which have been breath-taking.   Those who have been caught in violent actions have finished up in court, convicted with prison sentences in many cases in just a matter of days showing that this is conduct that will not be tolerated.

The problem is that it is a two-tier system.   Those who have protested in other ways are ignored.  For example, pro-Hamas demonstrators are allowed to spit out their vile hatred of Israel and the police haven’t taken any action at all.   Thugs who fought with police have not had their cases heard yet when they were caught on camera with their actions clear to see.

Not that long ago, the organisation, Black Lives Matter, was able to march and spew out their anarchic approach and, again, this was all allowed without the police taking any action at all.   

The Telegraph wrote in early August 2024 that “if [Prime Minister] Sir Keir Starmer wants to know why Britain’s worst riots in more than a decade have happened on his watch, he need only pay a visit to Lord Sewell, the man who wrote a landmark report on racial and ethnic disparities in 2021.  

“Tony Sewell as he was then, ruffled feathers – particularly on the Left – by concluding that deprivation, rather than ethnicity, was the biggest driver of inequality, and that poor white people in ‘left behind’ towns made up the largest group of disadvantaged people in the country.

“Three years on, his report seems uncannily prescient, and Lord Sewell (who is black) believes that unless Sir Keir confronts the underlying issues that have driven so many people onto the streets in recent days, the appalling scenes that have shamed the country will only be repeated.

“’Taking the knee, him [Keir Starmer] and Angela Rayner [then deputy leader of the Labour Party and now Deputy Prime Minister]- disaster!’ he says. ‘Both of them were just taking their lead from the US.’”

These problems don’t just happen in a vacuum; there are always reasons why and a background that has to be addressed in an even-handed and fair way.

Many still remember the problems that the UK had when rioters damaged statues of famous people and got away with lawless behaviour.  Yes, it was a different government then but the police still had a job to do and failed to do it.   Two-tier policing.

There comes a time when even the mild mannered and suffering masses will eventually say that enough is enough if matters are not dealt with in a fair and unbiased fashion; the majority of the population will accept that but when it comes to a blatantly biased approach, trouble will not be far away.

In our booklet “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America” we list many sins that will bring about the fall of these nations in chapter 3 which is headed – “Impending Downfall of Great Britain, the United States and Other English-Speaking Nations”.  Add to these, the possibility of civil unrest, and for those with eyes to see, a bleak future awaits our nations.

The Church of God has been given the commission to proclaim the Ezekiel warning message that we read about in chapter 3:17 which states: “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.”

And that is what we are doing today!

by Norbert Link

We begin with the escalation in the Middle East, caused by Iran and its proxies, and the shameful—but typical—hypocritical anti-Israel conduct of the UN and many Western nations, including France and Germany.

We discuss the dicey situation in Germany in light of the country’s most recent state election in Brandenburg; address new developments regarding the EU and NATO; and speak about the dangerous developments pertaining to the EU, Russia and Ukraine.

In this context, please view our new StandingWatch program, “Nuclear War With Russia?”

We speak on censorship of free speech; the conflict between Spain and the UK over Gibraltar; and the braindead idea to woo Catholics by offering them free tattoos.

We conclude with two interesting articles about Hitler’s plans to conquer Great Britain and the age-old question whether Hitler really died at the end of World War Two.

Israel-Lebanon War Escalates

The Sun wrote on September 20:

“A wanted Hezbollah terror chief has been killed in a deadly Israeli airstrike on Beirut.

“The devastating strike came just moments after the militant group launched 140 of their own rockets at northern Israel – with one even blasting a playground… The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed top brass Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil, from their Radwan Force, was eliminated in today’s strike…  The Hezbollah chief was seen as the second in command of the Iran backed militia. [The US had offered a $7 million bounty for him.] Some 10 other senior chiefs from the terror group were killed alongside Aqil, Israel said.

“The Israeli air attack came just before Hezbollah launched their own menacing attack across the border. Three separate Hezbollah barrages, made up of Katyusha rockets, were recorded today with the first being made up of over 60 missiles. Minutes later the biggest collection of rockets was let off from Lebanon with 70 being reported by the IDF. Another 20 were then reportedly launched at the Mount Meron region in Israel.

“Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has also declared the start of a ‘new phase’ of war as the country’s army moved north in recent weeks. The announcement paves the way for the first full-scale invasion of southern Lebanon since 2006 in a drive to push back the terror group and allow Israelis to return home.”

Of course, the world condemns Israel, while few condemn with the same vigor the terrorist activities of Hezbollah.

Newsmax wrote on September 22:

“Hezbollah and Israel exchanged heavy fire into Sunday, as the Lebanese militant group sent rockets deep into northern Israeli territory after facing some of the most intense bombardment in almost a year of conflict… Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said operations would continue until it was safe for evacuated people on his side of the border to return – also setting the stage for a long conflict as Hezbollah has vowed to fight on until a ceasefire in the parallel Gaza war…

“Israel wants Hezbollah to cease fire and withdraw forces from the border region, adhering to a U.N. resolution signed with Israel in 2006, irrespective of any Gaza deal. Tens of thousands of people have left their homes on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border since Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel in October in sympathy with Palestinians in Gaza.”

Hezbollah Strikes Tel Aviv

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 25:

“Hezbollah said it targeted a Mossad base after one of the group’s leaders was killed in a strike on Beirut. Israel intercepted the missile and said it was the first time Hezbollah had targeted Tel Aviv…

“The Israeli military said the move represented ‘an escalation.’ It all comes after senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Kobeisi, who headed the group’s missile and rocket force, was killed in Beirut on Tuesday.”

UN the Diplomatic Arm of Hamas?

Israel Today wrote on September 20:

“Jerusalem’s Old City, in addition to Judea and Samaria, must be Judenrein within a year, according to a Palestinian-drafted resolution, which the UN General Assembly passed on Wednesday. The resolution, which passed by a 124-14 margin with 43 abstentions, is meant to give force to a July advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice, which declared Israeli presence to be illegal in any area over the 1949 armistice line. More than 40 countries sponsored the resolution, which was the first that Palestinians filed after being granted unprecedented privileges, for a non-UN member, earlier this year.

“The resolution calls on the Israel Defense Forces to withdraw completely from Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip within 12 months, which means evacuating all Jewish communities beyond the armistice line, including Jerusalem’s Old City. It also bans arms sales to the IDF of any equipment that would be expected reasonably to be used in the territory over the 1949 lines and calls for a boycott of all products produced by Jews in those areas…

“General Assembly resolutions have no legal force, but the resolution’s passage on Wednesday is expected to be used in international courts and other fora to seek additional action against the Jewish state…

“Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, called it ‘a shameful decision that backs the Palestinian Authority’s diplomatic terrorism.’ He added that the General Assembly ‘continues to dance to the music of the Palestinian Authority, which backs the Hamas murderers.’…

“Arsen Ostrovsky and Nadav Steinman, CEO and board chair, respectively, of the International Legal Forum, stated that ‘today, simply put, the United Nations has become the diplomatic arm of Hamas’... ‘All it does is reward the murderers, rapists and abductors of Hamas while pouring further fuel on worldwide antisemitism and eroding whatever remaining credibility of the already problematic and politicized International Court of Justice, upon which this resolution is meant to be based,’ they added…”

The Israeli anger directed at the duplicity and hypocrisy of the UN is totally understandable.

Iran’s Grand Ambition

The Algemeiner wrote on September 19:

“Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon lambasted Iran for being a puppet master ‘pulling the strings’ of terrorist groups across the Middle East, describing them as ‘Iran’s attack dogs’ while addressing the UN Security Council on Thursday. Danon stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran, which he described as ‘the most oppressive regime in the world,’ wants ‘dominance, not diplomacy.’ ‘The country’s ‘grand ambition’ is the ‘creation of a Shiite supremacist empire that stretches across the entire Middle East and beyond,’ he insisted…

“‘The dark force driving the violence we see today is not a collection of independent groups. It is Iran pulling the strings. The Iran proxies — Hezbollah, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Houthis in Yemen, Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, and terrorist cells in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] — are all Iran’s attack dogs unleashed to spread death and destruction across the region.’ Danon also described the different terror cells as the ‘claws of a beast’ that is Iran.

“The ambassador then shifted his attention to the Palestinian Authority, accusing it of ‘standing by, utterly weak and impotent,’ by turning a blind eye to Iran’s terrorist actions or ‘actively collaborating with these terror networks.’ He once again criticized the PA’s leadership, including President Mahmoud Abbas, for refusing to condemn Hamas since the terror group’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel.”

Danon stated the obvious, but most members of the Security Council [and many countries in the world] are willfully closing their eyes and ears so that they cannot see and hear.

France vs. Israel

Israel Today wrote on September 22:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron held a difficult conversation last week over the escalating situation in Lebanon, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Friday. According to the report, Macron, who initiated the call, hurled harsh accusations at the Israeli premier for leading Israel and Lebanon to the brink of a full-scale war. ‘The responsibility to prevent escalation is yours. You can opt for a diplomatic solution. This is the moment to show leadership and responsibility. Your activity in the north is pushing the region to war,’ Macron was quoted in the report as saying.

“Netanyahu replied: ‘Instead of putting the pressure on us, it’s about time you pressured Hezbollah. We will bring our residents back home [in the north]. This is the decision we made this week and we will act on it.’ On Thursday, France voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution proposed by the Palestinian Authority to impose sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel.”

Macron wants to be a leader of Europe, but he has been failing miserably. Now, he is venting his anger on Israel. But Germany’s Olaf Scholz and his staff are not any better. Note the next article.

Germany’s Failing  Policy

Focus wrote on September 20:

“The UN General Assembly calls by a large majority on Israel to vacate the occupied Palestinian territories. Germany abstains from the resolution…  FOCUS online chief correspondent Ulrich Reitz [wrote:] ‘Ultimately it turns out that the Israel strategy of Annalena Baerbock and the Foreign Office is simply embarrassing for Germany. The UN, under the leadership of Secretary General Antonio Guterres, is no longer an organization that can be unreservedly claimed to be on the side of law and international order…

“‘Already after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Germany abstained from a resolution. Then as now, the justification was that we wanted to keep channels of communication open to all sides.’ However, this is not an argument for Reitz. ‘If the channels of discussion are open to all sides, then one simply has to say that this German foreign policy has led to nothing. You have to attest to a complete lack of influence here.’… Baerbock’s numerous visits to the Middle East had no effect… no one was listening…

“Reitz finds the Foreign Office’s call for de-escalation from both sides to be misplaced. There can be no equality between the Israeli government and a terrorist organization… ‘We are dealing with a democratically legitimized government on the one hand… and a bunch of terrorists on the other. Those in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have decided to drive Israel into the sea and eradicate the Jewish state.”

Germany’s stance may not be only one of incompetence. Germany’s lip services for supporting Israel have long been more than dubious.

Too Political!

The Algemeiner wrote on September 20:

“Eden Golan, Israel’s representative in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, will perform her original song ‘October Rain’ at the United Nations to mark the one-year anniversary of the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel…

“The lyrics of ‘October Rain’ reference the Oct. 7 massacre…  Golan had originally planned to perform ‘October Rain’ at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden, but the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the contest, rejected the song, deeming it too political. Golan instead competed in the Eurovision with a reworded version of the song that was retitled ‘Hurricane.’

“Golan finished in fifth place in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest… after being booed on stage by anti-Israel protesters, experiencing death threats, and having one of the competition’s jury members refuse to give her points because of his personal opposition to Israel…”

European antisemitism, from the top down, is shameful, shocking and VERY dangerous. But it IS prophesied.

Milei, Erdogan and Pezeshkian Speak at UN

Breitbart wrote on September 24:

“Argentine President Javier Milei used his debut speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to deliver an enthusiastic condemnation of ‘globalism and the moral posturing of the woke agenda’ and warn that the U.N. flagship Agenda 2030 is a threat to global freedom… Milei launched into a searing condemnation of the recent United Nations record, condemning its support of Wuhan coronavirus lockdowns and its support of totalitarian regimes…

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spent over half of his very lengthy address to the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday criticizing Israel for its war against the terrorists of Hamas and Hezbollah. Erdogan accused the Israelis of genocide, compared them to Nazi Germany, and demanded the U.N. authorize ‘coercive measures against Israel’ to halt the war in Gaza…. Erdogan extensively regurgitated Hamas propaganda about the war in Gaza, absurdly insisting that almost all of the casualties were ‘women and children’ deliberately targeted by Israel in a campaign of genocide… ‘Just as Hitler was stopped by an alliance of humanity, Netanyahu and his murder network must be stopped by an alliance of humanity,’ he declared…

“Nowhere in Erdogan’s speech was there even the slightest mention of why Israel is fighting Hamas in Gaza, and now Hezbollah in Lebanon… At the end of his long speech, Erdogan… launched a spirited attack against the LGBTQIAP2S+ movement, describing it as a threat to ‘the institution of the family,’ which is a ‘pillar of society.’… Erdogan said the homosexual agenda has become ‘a war against the sacred and human nature,’ a ‘multidimensional, comprehensive, and ruthless project of destruction.’”…

“Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian used his address to the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday to attack Israel on behalf of Iran’s terrorist clients in Hama… Pezeshkian criticized former U.S. President Donald Trump for withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal… without mentioning the Iranian cheating that prompted Trump to withdraw… The Iranian leader pitched his closing remarks as a direct statement to the American people, implicitly either pleading with them, or threatening them, not to send Trump back to the White House.”

There are reports that Iran has been, and probably continues to be, trying to assassinate Trump.

Biden’s Embarrassing Farewell Address

The New York Post wrote on September 24:

“Biden has not yet come to grips with reality. He dishonestly suggests he voluntarily passed the party’s torch to his vice president, declaring that ‘Some things are more important than staying in power.’ …

“Indeed, the widespread belief that we are now closer than ever to World War III captures the truth of Biden’s disastrous term. Rarely if ever have things gotten so bad so fast. ..

“Vladimir Putin saw the sudden withdrawal as proof that America was in retreat and decided the time was ripe for an invasion of Ukraine… Iran smelled the weakness and unleashed the hell of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis on Israel. Yet, repeating the mistakes of Barack Obama, Biden continues to reward Iran with sanctions relief and punishes Israel by withholding arms and isolating it on the world stage… Then there’s China, which had to be giddy when Biden made excuses after one of its spy balloons flew openly across America’s heartland.”

Fox wrote on September 25:

“President Biden’s swan song on the world stage…  was a sad demonstration of American weakness… He repeated the mantra that Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon, despite the fact that even the UN’s Atomic Energy Agency and everybody listening, knows that under his watch Iran has already become a threshold nuclear power….

“President Biden… lost his moral compass entirely… Antisemitism that is promoted and incited by the United Nations and those in his General Assembly audience. Antisemitism that is now doing enormous damage to a tolerant and peaceful America. Antisemitism that fuels the Iranian threat to world peace. .. Biden’s final speech was an opportunity to be honest and chastise the United Nations itself as an impediment to tolerance, equality and world peace.  He squandered it.”

Newsmax added on September 24:

“Biden addressed the U.N. General Assembly for the final time and urged an end to the Middle East conflict between Israel and Iran’s proxy groups while at the same time praising the military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. Trump’s campaign’s statement noted that the world has already witnessed the ‘devastation wrought by four years of Harris-Biden, and nothing can mask it.’

“Biden told the assembly that the world ‘is stronger than we think’ and noted his accomplishment of ‘ending’ of the war in Afghanistan. The Trump campaign took issue with Biden’s claim and called it ‘among the biggest foreign policy debacles in modern history’ adding it ‘resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and gave the Taliban safe haven for their reign of terror. Kamala [Harris], who has never said the names of the fallen heroes out loud, bragged about being the ‘last person in the room’ for the decisions that led to the withdrawal.” 

The Future of Olaf Scholz

Express published the following article on September 20, BEFORE the anxiously awaited state election in the eastern German state of Brandenburg:

“Voters go to the polls in the east German state of Brandenburg on Sunday, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz faces the prospect of being replaced by his own party if it goes as badly as the most recent regional elections. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) will be hoping to claim victory in the rural state, just as they did in Thuringia at the start of September.

“In that election, Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) managed a meagre 6.1 percent of the vote, as the AfD blew apart the federal governing coalition with almost an 33 percent vote share. On the same day, the neighbouring state of Saxony held their election, in which the SPD once again performed miserably. The party won just 7.3 percent of the vote as they were annihilated by the Christian Democrats (CDU) on 31.9 percent, the AfD on 30.6 percent and the recently formed ‘left conservative’ Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) on 11.8 percent.

“Analysts believe another drubbing could see the Chancellor replaced by the far more popular defense minister Boris Pistorius, echoing how the Democrats dispensed with Joe Biden when he proved to be an electoral liability. The German federal elections are being held in a year’s time and as it stands the SPD under Scholz are tanking in the polls. According to Politico’s Poll of Polls, the SPD are on just 14 percent nationally, five points behind the AfD and 18 points behind the CDU – Angela Merkel’s old party – on 32 percent.”

As it turned out, Scholz’ SPD did not perform as poorly as feared. Note the next article.

SPD Wins Narrowly Over AfD

Thomson/Reuters wrote on September 22:

“German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) [did] fend off the far-right in a state election in Brandenburg on Sunday after trailing behind the Alternative for Germany (AfD) throughout the campaign…  The SPD, which has governed the state surrounding the capital Berlin since reunification in 1990, scored [30.9 %] of the vote, ahead of the far-right Alternative for Germany on 29.2%, in a last-minute comeback…

“The success for the SPD could give Scholz a slight reprieve from party discussions about his suitability to be once more its chancellor candidate for the federal election scheduled for next September given his unpopularity with voters. It is unlikely, however, to give him or his party a major boost given the popular, incumbent SPD premier Dietmar Woidke had distanced himself from Scholz during the campaign and criticized the federal government’s policies…

“Three-quarters of those who voted for the SPD did not do so out of conviction but rather to fend off the AfD…  The SPD is polling just 15% at national level, down from the 25.7% it scored in the 2021 federal election. That is behind the AfD on around 20% and opposition conservatives on 32%.

“All three parties in Scholz’s ideologically heterogeneous coalition combined are currently polling at around 30%, less than the conservatives [CDU] alone. The coalition has come under fire for its constant bickering and for its handling of immigration. In the formerly Communist-run East, many voters are also critical of its delivery of weapons to Ukraine to help it fend off Russia’s full-scale invasion…

“Woidke warned against complacency, noting the AfD was still gaining momentum. The ZDF poll suggested it had gained 5.7 percentage points since the last Brandenburg election in 2019. AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla noted the AfD had made strong gains among young voters…

“The new leftist Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht [came] in third place, on [13.5%], ahead of the conservatives [CDU] on [12.1%], underscoring the ongoing upheavals in Germany’s political landscape making predictions tricky.”

The other two coalition parties in the German government, the Green and the FDP, did not even reach the 5% threshold and did not make it into state parliament. The CDU did not do well in the Brandenburg election. The one who did best, overall in all three states, was the AfD.

It is difficult to see that Scholz (SPD) would be reelected next year. The CDU announced that Friedrich Merz would be their candidate for chancellorship—another highly controversial political figure who is accused of being out of touch with ordinary Germans while representing the interests of corporate elites over the people. Germany seems to stumble from one problem to the next.

Turbulent Times Ahead

Report 24 wrote on September 23:

“In Brandenburg, the SPD under Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke achieved a narrow victory in the 2024 state elections. With a razor-thin lead over the AfD, the SPD was able to maintain its position as the strongest force in the state, but the circumstances of this victory highlight the profound changes and challenges in the East German political landscape… The CDU… recorded the worst result in the East. In addition, the AfD also receives a blocking minority in Brandenburg.

“A decisive factor in the SPD victory was Prime Minister Woidke’s unusual tactics. In a dramatic appeal (which some people also viewed as blackmail), he threatened to resign if his party did not emerge as the strongest force in the election. This strategy proved successful in mobilizing voters from other parties willing to change, especially those who wanted to prevent the AfD from winning…

“While the AfD became the strongest force in all age groups under 60, the SPD owes its victory primarily to seniors. In the group of people over 60, the SPD was able to maintain a clear lead over the AfD, which ultimately made the difference. This trend shows a growing dissatisfaction among young people with the established parties and their turn to populist alternatives…

“The election also revealed the dwindling importance of some parties in eastern Germany. The Greens and FDP, which are still part of the government coalition at the federal level, hardly play a role in Brandenburg and the other eastern federal states. Both parties failed at the five percent hurdle and will therefore not be represented in the state parliament…

“The effects of the Brandenburg election extend far beyond the state’s borders. FDP Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki has already speculated about a possible early end to the traffic light coalition at the federal level. He expressed doubts that the government in Berlin would remain in office until Christmas. These statements underline the nervousness in the ranks of the governing parties in view of the election results in Brandenburg. Another notable aspect of the election was the loss of Prime Minister Woidke’s direct mandate. He lost to the AfD candidate in his constituency with a difference of just seven votes. This result symbolizes the fragility of the political situation and the growing strength of the AfD, including at the local level…

“The SPD’s narrow victory may promise short-term stability, but the underlying trends – particularly the AfD’s strength among younger voters and the weakness of the center parties – point to turbulent times in East German and possibly all-German politics.“

Poor Choices

Report 24 wrote the following on September 23:

“The AfD’s success in the state elections in Brandenburg is remarkable, but democracy in the ‘best Germany of all time’ is in bad shape. The pluralistic system, in which people had a variety of political parties with different programs and priorities to choose from, was buried. Today, citizens can only choose between the united front of the cartel parties and the AfD. And as long as the new anti-German unity party can still scrape together enough votes, all votes for the opposition will be summarily declared invalid…

“In a democracy, it is unreasonable to effectively declare a third of the votes invalid by eliminating any hint of political participation by the elected party. The fairytale of the ‘right-wing extremist’ party, which should be prevented, is only spread on political grounds: This accusation from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is merely a ‘matter of interpretation by a non-independent authority with political officials who are bound by instructions’ (quote from the NZZ). How credible is a salesperson who tries to convince you that every product except his own is dangerous and harmful? Should this seller be put in the position of excluding all competition from the market?…”

German Governmental Green Pary in Disarray

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 25:

“Green party national co-chairman Omid Nouripour told reporters early on Wednesday that he and co-chair Ricarda Lang would be resigning their posts. ‘We came to the conclusion that a new start is needed,’ Nouripour said in Berlin. New leadership should be chosen at the party conference in November, he said. 

“The Greens have endured three disastrous state elections in eastern Germany this month. Most recently,  on Sunday in Brandenburg, they missed the 5% hurdle required to guarantee representation in parliament. ‘Sunday’s election result in Brandenburg is evidence of the most serious crisis in our party in a decade,’ Nouripour said. 

“In Germany’s political system, party leaders or chairpersons at the federal level are not necessarily also the party candidates for chancellor. This is also the case for the Greens. Currently, Economy Minister Robert Habeck is considered most likely to stand as the party’s chancellor candidate in next year’s federal elections, given that Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said she does not want the position for a second consecutive election.”

“German Car Manufacturers Should Become American”

Focus wrote on September 25:

“Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump would like to boost car manufacturing in the USA if he wins the election. Trump spoke about this on Tuesday at a campaign appearance in Georgia – and already has a clear idea of ​​how it works.

“He explained that he wanted to encourage German and other companies to move to the USA: ‘I want German car manufacturers to become American car manufacturers.’ VW, BMW and Mercedes, for example, should increase their locations in the USA.

“Trump also wants to attract companies with special economic benefits. These are intended to offer the ‘lowest taxes, lowest energy costs, lowest regulatory burden and free access to the best and largest market in the world’. All of this assuming they produce in the USA and employ Americans. Otherwise, Trump threatens high import tariffs.”

EU vs. NATO

The Financial Times wrote on or about September 20:

“The EU’s defence efforts were already diverting resources from existing Nato structures, senior alliance officials told the Financial Times. ‘If Europe is under attack, people need to know immediately who is in charge of responding to that,’ said one of the alliance officials… Competing structures create uncertainty . . . that only helps the enemy.’

“In particular, Nato is concerned by the proposed expansion of the EU Military Staff, a structure that oversees the bloc’s military missions. Officials said the plan could complicate critical chains of command in the event of conflict, and is diverting manpower from Nato’s own understaffed command structure at a time when generals are in short supply.

“Officials also warned that EU defence procurement plans could exclude Nato states such as the UK, Norway and Turkey that are not members of the bloc and thus weaken existing defence-industrial co-operation projects. Twenty-three of the EU’s 27 member states are part of Nato, but there are divisions within the bloc as to how much of a role the EU — primarily a trade and regulatory bloc — should play in the future defence of the continent.

“Paris [is] pointing out that the bloc needs to be prepared for a weakening of American interest in Europe — a risk heightened by the potential re-election of Donald Trump as US president. ‘Now is therefore the time to build a true European Defence Union. Yes, I know there are some who are perhaps uncomfortable with the idea. But what we should be uncomfortable about are the threats to our security,’… Ursula von der Leyen said. Von der Leyen has created a dedicated defence commissioner in her new team set to take office this year. She picked former Lithuanian prime minister Andrius Kubilius for the role.”

This new “dedicated defense commissioner” might perhaps play an interesting role in the future. Note the next article.

The New EU Defense Commissioner—“A King Without a Kingdom?”

The Economic Times wrote on September 20:

“Facing an aggressive Russia, a long war in Ukraine and an uncertain American commitment to Europe, Ursula von der Leyen, as president of the European Commission, has created a new post of defense commissioner.

“The task before any new commissioner is formidable. The war in Ukraine has pointed up huge shortcomings in Europe’s capacity to defend itself. Its armies are small and sometimes poorly equipped. It has been slow to increase military spending and prioritize the production of artillery shells, ammunition and air defense. It remains deeply dependent on the United States for key military equipment and funds… Christian Mölling, a defense expert and director for Europe for the Bertelsmann Foundation [said:] ‘It’s a king without a kingdom.’

“In a recent comprehensive report on how to revive European growth and competitiveness, Mario Draghi, the former Italian prime minister and governor of the European Central Bank, supported the new commissioner’s job. Europe buys more than 60% of its equipment from the United States, plus another 15% from other non-EU countries. So making European weapons more competitive would be good for European companies and taxpayers, Draghi argued, echoing many others.

“… the question of European military dependency on Washington is no longer just a theoretical question, said Ian Lesser, director of the Brussels office of the German Marshall Fund… ‘It is in the process of shifting from seeing its own defense companies as national champions to thinking of them also as essential building blocks for stronger European defense,’ Lesser said….” 

Western Arms for Ukraine to Be Used in Russia?

TRT World wrote on September 20:

“The European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling on EU countries to let Ukraine use Western weapons to strike military targets inside Russia, prompting an angry rebuke from Moscow. EU lawmakers approved the resolution on Thursday, which is non-binding and does not reflect the stance of the bloc’s 27 countries, with 425 votes in favour, 131 against and 63 abstentions, during a plenary session in Strasbourg…

“Echoing an earlier warning by President Vladimir Putin, Vyacheslav Volodin, the president of Russia’s lower house Duma, condemned the vote…  ‘What the European Parliament is calling for leads to a world war using nuclear weapons,’ Volodin said, warning that Russian missiles could hit Strasbourg within minutes of launch [He specifically said: ‘The Sarmat missile’s flight time to Strasbourg is three minutes 20 seconds.’] … This month, Putin warned that green-lighting the use of long-range weapons deep inside Russia would put the NATO military alliance ‘at war’ with Moscow. Washington currently authorises Ukraine to only hit Russian targets in occupied parts of Ukraine and some in Russian border regions directly related to Moscow’s combat operations.”

Express added on September 20 that “Strasbourg, France, is often considered the EU’s de facto capital due to the fact it holds many of the bloc’s key institutions including the European Parliament.”

Ultimately, but not quite yet, nuclear war will break out between Europe and Russia.

“Washington’s Ukraine Obsession Is Going to Get Us All Killed!”

On September 23, Ron Paul wrote in his weekly column of the Ron Paul Institute:

“Last week the world narrowly escaped likely nuclear destruction, as the Biden Administration considered Ukraine’s request to allow US missiles to strike deeply into Russian territory. Russian president Vladimir Putin warned, as the request was being considered, that because these missiles could not be launched without the active participation of the US military and NATO, Russia would consider itself in a state of war with both NATO and the US should they be launched. It was a Cuban Missile Crisis on a massive scale.

“Thankfully, permission was reportedly not granted by Washington to hit deep inside Russia, but as we have seen throughout this war, a weapons system is often first denied and then eventually granted to Washington’s proxies in Kiev. We should not rest easy even if nuclear war has been temporarily averted. Would missile strikes deep inside Russia win the war for Ukraine? Not even the Pentagon thinks so. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin himself said earlier this month that granting Ukraine permission to launch missiles into Russia would not be a ‘game-changer’ in the two and a half year war. Risking nuclear destruction for no tangible purpose? Have these people gone insane?

“Even the ‘game-changers’ have changed little in this war. How many times has the pro-war mainstream media told us a weapons system would be a ‘game-changer’ for Ukraine? Remember Javelin missiles? Leopard tanks? HIMARS?… each one of them fails to turn the tide in Ukraine’s favor…  The fact is that Russia is winning the war despite hundreds of billions of dollars and the best weapons systems from the US and NATO countries. Each new shipment of increasingly sophisticated weapons does not produce battlefield victories for Ukraine. It only produces more dead Ukrainian soldiers and more profits for the weapons manufacturers.

“Even the mainstream media… has begun to report on Ukraine’s huge losses and hopeless situation. Yet as more and more start to wake up about the disastrous proxy war, Washington only knows one direction when it comes to war: forward. Just over a week ago the Pentagon announced another $250 million arms package for Ukraine. Nobody believes that is going to reverse the steady gains made by Russia on the battlefield, but it will generate more profits for the US arms manufacturers who are the real force behind our hyper-interventionist foreign policy.

“The unlikely duo of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Donald Trump, Jr., said it best in a recent editorial in The Hill: ‘We cannot get any closer to the brink than this. And for what? To “weaken Russia”? To control Ukraine’s minerals? No vital American interest is at stake. To risk nuclear conflict for the sake of the neoconservative fantasy of global “full-spectrum dominance” is madness.’”

Zelensky Attacks Trump

Breitbart wrote on September 23:

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is bashing former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), attacking them in American media outlets…

“The New Yorker has an exhaustive piece on Zelensky penned by Joshua Yaffa, stating that the Ukrainian leader ‘speaks with the urgency of a leader who knows that he may be facing his last best chance for substantial foreign assistance’ as President Biden’s presidential term is coming to an end. The Q&A in the piece is revealing, as Zelensky openly attacks Trump, asserting that he ‘doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how.’” 

No Digital Dollar in Canada

LifeSiteNews wrote on September 24:

“Plans by the Bank of Canada (BOC) to implement a digital ‘dollar,’ also known as a central bank digital currency (CBDC), have been shelved. Officials from Canada’s central bank said that a digital currency… will no longer be considered after years of investigating bringing one to market…

“Most Canadians do not want a digital dollar… an overwhelming majority of citizens want to ‘leave cash alone’… many people rely on cash to pay for things. The bank concluded that the introduction of a digital currency would only be feasible if consumers demanded its release.  The reversal comes after the BOC had already forged ahead and filed a trademark for a digital currency…

“Digital currencies have been touted as the future by some government officials, but… many experts warn that such technology would ultimately restrict freedom and be used as a ‘control tool’ against citizens similar to China’s pervasive social credit system.”

More Censorship in Canada

Rebel News wrote on September 19:

“Grave news for freedom of the press: the Federal Court of Canada just upheld an atrocious ruling by Justin Trudeau’s hand-picked censorship committee, denying Rebel News a Qualified Canadian Journalism Organization (QCJO) news licence. In free countries, readers get to decide which journalists to trust. But in Trudeau’s Canada, that’s now a government decision, and Trudeau hand-picks the censorship panel making the decision…

“Rebel News publishes thousands of news stories every year. And the busiest time in our history was during the trucker convoy, back in February, 2022. We were publishing up to twenty stories a day, almost all of it from the ground — in Ottawa, Windsor, Coutts and other protest places. We were the window on the trucker convoy for the whole world. That month, we actually had more viewers than the CBC state broadcaster gets on an average month. But here’s how Trudeau’s censorship committee described that three-week period of time: ‘only 2% of the items during the aforementioned period constituted original news content.’… the judge accepted that bizarre claim and used it as a reason to deny us a QCJO licence…

“Trudeau has spent millions of dollars censoring us, including creating this well-paid censorship panel, clearly built with us in mind… What’s extra-gross is the silence from mainstream media journalists. Most Canadian journalists have been bought off by Trudeau. If they work for the CBC, (and more than 50% of Canadian journalists do) they get 100% of their pay from Trudeau. And even if they work for the ‘private’ news media, they get, on average, a $30,000 subsidy from Trudeau. That’s why they’re silent today. And that’s another reason why they hate Rebel News: because we don’t take any cash from the government, and they’re ashamed that they do.

“Under Bill C-11, which is now law, Trudeau has the power to order companies like YouTube and Facebook to either ‘boost’ or ‘throttle’ Canadian content. It would be too conspicuous for Trudeau to order them to ban Rebel News. But all he has to do is to order them to ban journalism that doesn’t have the QCJO licence. That way he can say he wasn’t targeting Rebel News, and that the tech companies did it, not him.”

Canada’s descent into dictatorship under left-wing radical Trudeau is undeniable.

Ireland Drops Portions of Hate Speech Bill… For Now

Fox News wrote on September 21:

“The Irish government is dropping parts of its controversial hate speech laws which have been criticized by free speech advocates around the world, including X owner Elon Musk who vowed to fight the legislation in court… The measure would have allowed for the jailing of citizens for merely possessing material that criticizes certain protected characteristics, ranging from gender identity to national origin. Some critics have compared it to the concept of punishing people for ‘thoughtcrime,’ a term popularized by George Orwell’s dystopian novel ‘1984.’…

“The legislation, the Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences bill, has already passed through the Dáil, Ireland’s lower chamber, but it had stalled in the Senate, the upper chamber. [Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee] says… that legislation aimed at bringing forward tougher sentences for physical hate crimes under the bill will proceed… ‘I am adamant that hate crime legislation will be enacted,’ she said… The hate speech bill had faced mounting criticism even from government backbenches and some of those in opposition. Ireland’s main opposition party Sinn Féin voted in favor of the bill but later called for it to be scrapped.”

It’s all politics. And the push to enact freedom-denying hate speech laws will continue in Ireland, and all over the world.

Socialist Spain to Restrict Freedom of Speech?

The European Conservative wrote on September 18:

“Spain’s socialist government has unveiled radical plans to regulate the press to combat so-called ‘disinformation.’ Critics have branded the move as ‘censorship’ and an attempt by prime minister Pedro Sánchez to distract attention from an ongoing scandal involving his wife.

“The Democratic Action Plan will create a register of media outlets operating in Spain… [which] will allow the government to dictate who media outlets’ shareholders can be, their sources of financing, and how much government institutions will spend on advertising with them. Any media outlet not on the register will likely be branded ‘pseudo-media,’ a term used by the socialist government and its supporters to discredit any new outlets that deviate from the establishment line.

“In a parliamentary debate on Wednesday, the leader of the opposition centre-right Partido Popular, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, accused Sánchez of having a ‘banana-republic conception of power.’ He accused the prime minister of Censorship and persecution of anyone who dares to criticise you. We haven’t seen anything like this since Franco.’

“The plan was proposed amid an investigation into Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, who is accused of influence-peddling and corruption. The PM has blamed what he calls ‘far-right’ online media for pursuing the case. The campaign by Sánchez against supposed ‘misinformation’ has intensified since he was called—and refused—to testify before judge Juan Carlos Peinado, making him the first sitting Spanish prime minister ever to refuse such cooperation. He later announced he would sue Peinado for alleged malfeasance. A government spokesperson accused the judge of acting ‘for political motives and outside the law.’”

And so, it seems Sanchez wants to control the media to protect his wife…

The Fight Over Gibraltar

Express wrote on September 20:

“Spain has issued a dire warning to the UK, with a deal on the status of Gibraltar post Brexit yet to be agreed, despite months of negotiations… there is still no resolution to thorny border issues affecting the UK Overseas Territory. Spain repeated its warning that if the stalemate continues, it will carry out border checks on the Rock within two months…

“On November 10, the EU will introduce Entry-Exit System (EES) at all borders, effectively resulting in a hard-border between the Rock and its neighbour Spain, with fears that it could spark chaos… An open border is of huge importance for the 15,000 people who cross into Spain every day for work as well as the territory’s economy.”

The battle for Gibraltar between Spain and the UK will intensify.

Tattoos in the Catholic Church

Die Welt wrote on September 20:

“During an unusual event, the Catholic Church wants to talk to people. Brave people can get a tattoo in St. John’s Church – only Christian motifs are possible. First pray and sing together, then get a tattoo: With an unusual campaign, the Diocese of Osnabrück wants to make people curious about faith and the Catholic Church.

“Today… a tattoo service will be celebrated for the first time in Osnabrück’s St. John’s Church. The needles should buzz to the sounds of the organ. Anyone who has registered in advance can have a Christian symbol tattooed on their forearm or calf for free… Spontaneous tattoo sessions may also be possible for those who decide at short notice…

“According to the diocese, one in five people in Germany is tattooed… The priest who will lead the service is already tattooed. He is a prison chaplain for the Diocese of Osnabrück…”

Tattoos are sinful. Please read our Q&A in this regard, titled, “Does the Bible teach anything about the use of tattoos?“  

If Hitler Had Conquered Britain…

The Sun wrote on September 20:

“A CHILLING map reveals how Britain would have looked if Adolf Hitler had won World War Two – with a new capital far from London and a holiday home for the dictator. Bombshell dossiers for Operation Sea Lion – Nazi Germany’s ambitious plan for a full-scale invasion of Britain – detail how the Third Reich planned an attack on the English coast in a bid to take over Europe.

“Nazi planners identified five sectors of the English coast to attack – from Ramsgate in Kent to Selsey Bill in West Sussex. They planned to land some 100,000 troops, 650 tanks and 4,500 horses in the first wave of the attack on September 21, 1940 on the southeast coast from the French ports of Le Havre, Cherbourg, Boulogne and Ostend. Once a bridgehead had been established, a further 500,000 soldiers would have landed. They would have begun mass territorial attacks between Ramsgate and Deal, Folkestone and Dungeness, Dungeness and Rye, Bexhill-on-Sea and Beachy Head and Brighton to Selsey Bill…

“Hitler already had managed to pull off some of the greatest military campaigns that summer, capturing France and the Low Countries in Europe… German officials were convinced that an onslaught would have led to the ‘rapid abandonment’ of the British defences south of London within just two weeks – before capturing the length and breadth of the nation…

“Under German plans, Oxford – Hitler’s preferred seat of power for the Reich – was to be the new capital of Britain. The city’s historic centres were left untouched by the Germans during the devastating air raids of the Battle of Britain – believed to be part of Hitler’s plan. Plans were also to carve out the nation to form six new districts – and each of them would have had to central military control centre as big as the size of a city. Headquarters were to be set up at Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle, London, Dublin and Glasgow. Historians also believe that Ireland would have been united under the Nazis.

“Meanwhile, the famous Blenheim Palace near Oxford would have turned into Hitler’s secret holiday home in Nazi Britain. Blenheim Palace is the birthplace and ancestral home of Winston Churchill – the man who led Britain against Hitler during World War Two… Documents detailing Operation Sea Lion reveal how German researchers were employed to find out details of local road systems, geography, units of measurement, money and even translations of some Welsh words, all to be used by invading forces when they landed. The documents were found in the German naval archives after the Allies captured Berlin to end the war.

“Hitler believed that Operation Sea Lion would have led to the rapid conclusion of the war, winning over Europe and establishing his absolute dictatorship…”

The Austrian/German Adolf Hitler failed in conquering Britain, while the next German and/or Austrian leader—the beast—will succeed.

Hitler’s Death… Or Was It?

In an accompanying article, the Sun wrote on September 20:

“On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler…  decided to take his own life in the Führerbunker in Berlin after it became clear that Germany would lose the Battle of Berlin. But in the months and years following his death, however, conspiracy theories circulated over whether or not he actually died – and if he escaped instead. It all began with the Soviet Union’s decision to seed two contradictory narratives in 1945: that Hitler died by taking cyanide or that he had survived and fled to another country.

“Joseph Stalin himself even outright denied Hitler was dead when asked by US President Harry Truman.

“It is known some Nazis used hidden escape routes called ‘ratlines’ to flee from Germany as the Third Reich collapsed, with some finding shelter in South America… Declassified documents… showed how the UK and US hunted for Hitler for ten years after the end of World War 2 as they feared he was still alive. Secret documents reveal investigations into claims Hitler had a body double, U-boat sightings in Argentina, and claims that Adolf was photographed alive in Colombia.

“One document reported to the FBI in 1947 even described a town called ‘Casino’ near Rio Grande in Brazil which appeared to be ‘entirely populated’ by Germans. FBI agents interviewed an informant, who claimed to be a former French resistance fighter, who said he saw Hitler and Eva Braun sitting at a resort in the town. Many notorious Nazis did manage to escape to South America, but it is accepted by history that Hitler and Eva Braun were not among them.”

Even if Hitler survived, he would be dead by now. But the end-time “beast”— following Hitler’s footsteps, but turning out to be much worse than Hitler—is very much alive today.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

In the second part of this series, we specifically looked at Deuteronomy 18:10 in some detail.   This section of Scripture showed that the practices mentioned were those which the people of God should not get involved with.

Let us now look at Deuteronomy 18:11: “(There shall not be found among you) one who conjures spells.”

J R Dummelow listed “this evil practice as the device by which one claimed to weave magic spells and curses by tying knots, etc.” By no stretch of imagination can this be related to “getting information from God”.  Consulter with familiar spirits” – such persons, pretending to speak with ghosts or spirits, “were probably ventriloquists who claimed to hold communications with subterranean spirits.”

They were in fact communicating with demons pretending to be communicating with the “ghosts” of departed ones.

Verse 11 continues: “(There shall not be found among you) a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.”

The Authorized Version translates “who calls up the dead” as “necromancer.”

Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible observe: “‘Necromancer’—This referred to one who made inquiries of the dead, pretending to procure vital information by this device. Despite this evil, futile thing being condemned in the law of God, Saul, king of Israel sought out the witch of Endor in order to have a conversation, as he thought, with the deceased prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 28:7-25).  From the above, it is clear enough that this paragraph deals with a number of evils that having nothing whatever to do with ‘getting a revelation from God….’”

A necromancer pretended to speak with the dead. In reality, he spoke with demons pretending to be the dead relatives of loved ones.

As we read earlier “For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you” (Deuteronomy 18:12).

God’s judgment was upon the Canaanites because of these occult practices, and if Israel took up the same occult practices, they could also expect the judgment of God.

Interestingly, enduringword.com observed: “God did not take these occult actions lightly then, nor does He now. It is consorting with the power of darkness, and always to be rejected by Christians.

“Our culture is becoming more and more accepting of these occult themes and practices, while it is becoming more and more intolerant of Biblical Christianity. In 1991, a ninth grade Junior High Student in Dickson, Tennessee, sued the school board because his teacher wouldn’t accept a research paper written on the life of Jesus. Students were allowed to write on topics such as the occult, reincarnation and spiritualism, and the teacher originally only said that the topics must be ‘decent.’ The student was given a zero on her paper when the topic was declared unacceptable (from an August, 1991 news report).”

And the decline has speeded up in more recent years.  Astrology and Ouija boards are other occult practices condemned by God but tolerated, and maybe even encouraged in our “more enlightened society.”

In decades past, the word occult dealt with anything that was outside of “natural” thinking. It was a generic term that incorporated almost everything that we now view to be part of the non-traditional spiritual frontier.

We have long understood in the Church of God that there are only two sources of spiritual power.  God is the great Creator God who is love, and Satan who is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan has only the power that God allows him to have, but it is considerable, and he is currently the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). God is allowing him some latitude at this time that is within His purpose for mankind. Satan is inevitably involved in the paganism of this world and all of the dark forces that emanate from that.

gaia.com, in its article, “What is paganism?,” gives the following list of books under the heading Paranormal and Occult:

“Tarot, the I Ching, cartomancy, or telling fortunes with regular playing cards, palmistry, numerology, phrenology, crystal gazing, clairvoyance, clairaudience, automatic writing and tea leaf reading. Also séances, astral projection out of body experiences, Ouija boards, mind-reading, auras, ghosts, haunted houses, vampirism, lycanthropy, fairies, brownies and sprites, herbalism, numerology, communicating with elemental forces, reincarnation, past lives, trances, spirit boxes, witchcraft, sorcerers and their familiars, and ritual magic. In addition, there were books on demonology, angelic communication, the dark arts, mind control, ESP for fun and profit…”

It just goes to show how much Satan and the demonic world have influenced so many people that such practices as listed above are accepted in society, and yet the Truth from the Living God can be seen as hate speech.

Paganism, the very opposite of belief in a supreme Creator God, is inextricably linked with occult practices. There are many verses condemning pagan practices in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, and looking at an Analytical Concordance of the Bible will reveal these.  Let us quote just a few of so many passages to show the Bible’s consistency in condemning such practices.

Exodus 22:18 says: “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.”

Leviticus 19:31 states: “‘Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.”

Leviticus 20:6 adds: “‘And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.”

2 Kings 17:17 states: “And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.”

2 Chronicles 33:6 says: “Also he [Manasseh] caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.”

Isaiah 8:19 states: “And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?”

Jeremiah 27:9 says: “Therefore do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’”

Micah 5:12 states: “I will cut off sorceries from your hand, And you shall have no soothsayers.”

Nahum 3:4-5 says: “‘Because of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive harlot, The mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations through her harlotries, And families through her sorceries. Behold, I am against you,’ says the LORD of hosts…”

In the New Testament, in the book of Acts 8:9 and 13, we read about Simon the Sorcerer’s profession of the Christian faith.

^“But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great… Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.”

However, this turned out to be a false conversion, as we read in verses 18-21:

“And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘Your money perish with you [The Luther Bible 1984 writes: “… that you may be condemned with your money”] because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.’”

It was thought that this sorcerer had had a change of heart but that was not how it turned out to be. History tells us that he, as Simon Magus, went to Rome and continued his sorcery there; many think today that the Apostle Peter was in Rome, but it was indeed Simon Magus, and not Simon Peter.

Acts 19:19 states what Simon Magus should have done: “Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.”

Galatians 5:19-21 adds: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:… idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies… those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Revelation 21:8 states: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

However, in spite of the above instructions of God in His Word, mainstream Christianity continues to practice old pagan customs.

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

“Nuclear War With Russia?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is the summary:  

The possibility of nuclear war with Russia seems to be growing. Russia’s warnings in this regard should not be ignored or taken lightly. Last week, the world narrowly escaped  a “Cuban Missile Crisis on a massive scale.” But for how long? What does this all mean?

“Nuklearkrieg mit Russland?” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This German program covers the same material as described above.

“Who Is Jesus Christ?—His Many Descriptions in the Bible!” our newest booklet, has completed final review and has been sent to graphic designer, Shelly Bruno, in preparation for printing.

“Niedergang und Aufstieg des jüdischen Volkes,” our new German booklet, has been received from the printer and is being distributed to subscribers. This is a translation of our English booklet, “The Fall and Rise of the Jewish People.”

“Das Turiner Grabtuch—eine dämonische Fälschung!” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “The Shroud of Turin—a Demonical Fake!”

“Warum hören Sie uns zu?” last Sabbath’s German sermonette presented by Patrick Flück, is now posted. Title in English: “Why Are You Listening to Us?”

“Ich habe Dich berufen…!” last Sabbath’s German sermon presented by Christoph Sperzel, is now posted. Title in English: “I Have Called You…!”

“Empathy,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Frank Bruno, is now posted. Here is the summary:

Living in the world today poses unique challenges for each of us, and more so for a true Christian. In this Sermonette we will cover various scriptures that will help us understand that we must rely on God and His Son to guide us through the turbulence and to salvation. We also must have empathy for our Brethren and understand that we must support one another through our trials and have compassion, just as Jesus Christ has compassion for those who obey Him.

“The Legacy of Faith,” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is the summary:

Do Christians leave a legacy–like many of those listed in the Bible? Will there be long-lasting impact for what God’s people do with their lives? By our actions, are we helping to shape our own future life in the Kingdom of God?

FALL HOLY DAYS:

Feast of Trumpets–October 3, 2024

Day of Atonement—October 12, 2024

Feast of Tabernacles—October 17-23, 2024

Last Great Day—October 24, 2024

Note: These services will be broadcast live.