On November 12, 2016, Kalon Mitchell will present the sermonette, titled, “The Power of One,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “God’s Control of the Weather”.

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.

Donald Trump has been chosen as the 45th President of the United States. He is a successful business man with no political experience who considers himself an outsider.  He built up a fortune of some nine plus billion dollars and promises to make  America great again.

There is so much corruption in politics that it is difficult to sort everything out and get an accurate evaluation of what is really going on. The one thing we know for sure is that Mr. Trump will not make America great, because the problems are insurmountable.

To put an end to the madness, the only real solution to making America great, and every nation on the face of the earth, is the return of Jesus Christ.

We have just gotten back from the Feast of Tabernacles which pictures a world of true peace and harmony, being ruled by the incorruptible Family of God. The sons and daughters of God, under Christ, will not be subject to political pressures, bribes and corruption, but they will govern with equity and fairness, something this world has never seen.

We, as God’s Church, have the responsibility to get this message out to the world. It has to get done so that Christ can return, and it will get done. Matthew 24:14 says: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

The question we need to ask ourselves is this: Are we a part of the process of fulfilling this God-given commission which will, in due time, make the whole world great again, not just America?

In this edition, we begin with the victory of Donald Trump, which has been described in the media as “the most stunning event in US history,” and as an “unparalleled political earthquake.” The polls have all been terribly wrong, as they have been in regard to the Brexit. The reason is that neither the media nor the “polls” understand that God is fulfilling prophecy, as described in the Bible. Mr. Trump won because he will have to carry out an important task in the context of end-time-events. We have felt from the outset—even as early as when he announced his candidacy–that Mr. Trump would win, but most do not understand as to why that was. The world is in shock and very much afraid, and if Mr. Trump will carry out many of his campaign promises, then there would be every reason to be concerned.

We include articles describing shocking statements by President Obama encouraging illegal aliens to vote; and the dirtiest campaign in American history.

We continue with social and religious issues, such as the false concept of an “immortal soul”, Poland’s fight against abortion; and Pope Francis’ and the Vatican’s wrong understanding of the Christian duty and God’s punishment for sin.

We conclude with the effects of the Brexit; Russian warships in the Mediterranean; and the Turkish conflict reaching German borders.

Trump Victory a Repudiation of Obama Presidency

USA Today wrote on November 9:

“Donald Trump’s victory… was nothing less than a repudiation of the Obama presidency… With Republicans maintaining control of the House and Senate, President-elect Trump would be in a position to repeal large parts of Obama’s legislative agenda, repeal his executive orders with a stroke of a pen, and install conservative Supreme Court justices…

“Trump’s election represents a ‘hostile takeover’ of the White House… Judging from his whirlwind campaigning of the past few weeks, no one was more aware of Trump’s threat to his legacy than Obama himself…

“With this loss, President Obama loses the opportunity to go down as one of America’s great presidents… It looks like Obama has failed to exploit his opportunity to be a transformation president.”

Obama Is To Be Blamed

In a biting commentary, Bild Online wrote on November 6, prior to the election outcome:

“Obama is mainly responsible for the conditions of his country… The self-declared healer Obama is to be blamed for the divide… Eight years Obama have radicalized America… Obamacare, so Bill Clinton, is ‘the craziest thing in the world.’ Even more than domestically, Obama leaves behind a field covered with ruins on the international front. America’s foes are no longer afraid of the US President, and America’s friends have no more confidence in him…

“The differences between Trump and Obama are: In Trump’s case, his declarations are frightening; in Obama’s case, his political deeds (or his omissions, such as in Syria) are frightening. America’s weakness in the world… is not a product of Trump’s imagination, but it is because of Obama’s politics…

“I hope the world has learned from eight years of Obama that politicians are dangerous if they present themselves as Saviors.”

Dark Times Await America

The Berliner Zeitung wrote on November 7 (prior to the election):

“One could mention many reasons for (America’s) downfall… It is clear: The status of America’s society will not change, regardless as to who will win the election. For the considerable future, America is paralyzed politically, if not something worse happens. Even without Trump, dark times await America…”

EU in Fear

BBC News wrote on November 9:

“The ‘sincere’ (their word) letter of congratulations to Donald Trump… from the European Commission and the European Council oozes EU angst from every line. Messers Juncker and Tusk rushed to remind the US president-elect of ‘shared values of freedom, human rights, democracy and a belief in the market economy’ in a way that lays bare their very clear fear that Mr Trump doesn’t prioritise these values at all…

“Key EU nations France, Germany and the Netherlands are steaming towards elections next year… Italy’s prime minister risks losing his job in a matter of weeks, depending on the results of a referendum he called on changing the Italian constitution. In what is possibly the political understatement of the morning, Matteo Renzi mused after Donald Trump’s declaration of victory that ‘we are in a new (political) season’.

“By far and away the most effusive European reaction to the US elections came from the jubilant leaders of populist anti-establishment parties from Budapest, to Berlin, Vienna and beyond.

“Mr Trump certainly made waves during his election campaign when he indicated that US military support for Nato member states could be conditioned on whether countries meet their financial obligations to the bloc. If he keeps his word, only four of Nato’s 28 members would qualify for support from Washington in the case of a war.

“Donald Trump’s rhetoric… propelled him to election victory on the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a moment that changed the course of European history. On Wednesday former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta, a man rarely associated with hyperbole, described the US vote as the biggest political rupture since then…”

November 9 – an Extraordinary Day in German History

The Local wrote on November 9:

“November 9th is known as the ‘Day of Fate’ (Schicksalstag) in Germany because… different but momentous events in German history occured on that day. After the Berlin Wall was pulled down on November 9th 1989, it seemed to many a logical day to celebrate the reunification of Germany. However, there is good reason why October 3rd was ultimately chosen as der Tag der deutschen Einheit (German Unity Day)…

“German democratic politician and activist Robert Blum was executed on this day [November 9] in Vienna [in 1848]. He had joined revolutionary fighters in the capital of the then Austro-Hungarian Empire, and was arrested on the November 4th before being condemned to death by a military tribunal. Blum, who was born in Cologne and rose from being an apprentice gardener to sitting in the preliminary democratic parliament in Frankfurt, was a popular advocate of democracy and greater gender equality, condemning Prussian militarism and anti-Semitism… his death… marked the end of the democratic stirrings in Germany in the 1840s.

“During the final days of the First World War, on November 9^th [in 1918], the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany from the throne was announced, and he boarded a train to the Netherlands the following day. In the revolutionary spirit that followed, Social Democrat politician Philipp Scheidemann rushed to a window of the Reichstag in Berlin to declare the new republic before his communist competitor Karl Liebknecht was able to…

“During the early years following the war, there was much instability in Germany, and challenges took place from both the far left and far right against the new democratic Weimar government. [On November 9, 1923, the] leader of the NSDAP (National Socialist German Worker’s Party), Adolf Hitler, marched with First World War General Erich Ludendorff and other party members into the centre of Munich to take control of the southern city. The attempt was quashed by the police: 16 demonstrators and four policemen died, and Hitler was arrested and then imprisoned for five years. The NSDAP was then banned…

“On the night of November 9th, [1938,] SA troops as well as German citizens carried out violent attacks on Jewish populations across Germany. 267 synagogues were destroyed in Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland, and it is estimated that 7,500 German Jewish shops were laid waste to. At least 91 Jews were killed between November 9th and 10th. On the following day, over 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps such as Dachau, Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen. The day marked the true beginning of state persecution of the Jewish race…

“Exactly a month after huge demonstrations against the East German government in Leipzig, November 9^th [1989] became the defining landmark of the end of communism. Following a mistake by East German government spokesman Günter Schabowski in a press conference, announcing that new, more relaxed border regulations were to come into effect ‘ab sofort’ (instantly), thousands of East Berliners rushed to the wall. Hours later they had forced their way through the checkpoints, and the concrete barrier that had divided the city for over 28 years was no more…”

Germany, France and Russia React with Shock and Hope

Time wrote on November 9:

“Leaders and officials across the world reacted with shock, hope and congratulations, as Donald Trump confounded polls and surged to victory over Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential elections early on Wednesday morning… In Russia, President Vladimir Putin reportedly offered his congratulations, and ‘expressed confidence that the dialogue between Moscow and Washington, in keeping with each other’s views, meets the interests of both Russia and the U.S.,’ according to Russia Today.

“German Justice Minister Heiko Maas tweeted, ‘The world won’t end, but things will get more crazy,’ while his colleague, Defence Minister Usula von der Leyen, told Reuters the result was a ‘huge shock’ and asked Trump for clarification on whether the U.S. would remain committed to NATO…”

Deutsche Welle added on November 9:

“German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel called Trump’s victory ‘a warning for Germany and Europe,’ urging policy makers to listen more closely to people’s concerns. ‘Trump is the pioneer of a new authoritarian and chauvinist international movement. He is also a warning for us,’ Gabriel [said].”

The Mirror wrote on November 9:

“… the French ambassador to the United States tweeted that the ‘world is collapsing before our eyes’…”

What President Trump May Mean for Germany

The Local wrote on November 9:

“Donald Trump’s election as the next US president shocked many in Germany, and on Wednesday people across the world woke up wondering what may happen next…

“While Merkel extended an olive branch to Trump on Wednesday, saying she would offer him ‘close cooperation,’ after Trump had previously accused her of ‘ruining Germany,’… her top diplomat seemed more pessimistic. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier [who had called Trump a “hate preacher”] said that foreign relations would become ‘more difficult’ with Trump. Leading foreign policy experts also raised their fears that a Trump presidency could make life extremely awkward for Berlin.

“Sylke Tempel, US expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), described the Republican as ‘poison for fruitful foreign policy’ in an interview with DPA. ‘With Trump in the White House, a man has been elected to the most important office in the world who can’t control himself, who has no political experience, who takes criticism as personal assault, and who is clearly motivated by vengeance.’…

“The German government has been eagerly pushing the major Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) deal between the EU and the US. But Trump’s campaign has been critical of international trade agreements, saying they cost his country jobs… International Relations expert Josef Janning told The Local that Germany ‘can forget about TTIP’ after Trump’s election.”

It Is Now Up to Germany to Lead

The Local wrote on November 9:

“German policy experts are unanimous in saying that Trump is bad news for Berlin… For Olaf Boehnke, a freelance expert on international affairs, ‘with the US election results, the pressure on Germany has increased dramatically.’ Multiple crises in the world, including in Ukraine and Syria, are likely to escalate in the uncertain period after Trump takes power, he argues to The Local. ‘There is a need of leadership, and if the US will not be the leader for the time being, then everybody looks to other leading nations or those with the potential,’ he says. ‘It is up to Merkel and to Berlin to step up at least for the European crowd and take on much more responsibility than she already has.’…

“If Trump follows on a campaign pledge to reduce his country’s financial commitment to NATO, Berlin would have to up its defence spending every year, a highly unpopular political decision among the German electorate, says Boehnke. But, Europe ‘will not be able to hide behind the US anymore’ when it comes to dealing with a more aggressive Russia, and thus Merkel will have to push a common defence ‘at a really fast pace’…”

“Juncker Calls for an EU Army”

Deutsche Welle reported on November 10:

“Jean-Claude Juncker has insisted on closer military and security cooperation between EU member states. The EU Commission president insists the need for an European army is irrespective of Trump’s election victory.”

Great Britain Reacts—“We all Face Dark, Uncertain and Fearful Times”

The Guardian wrote on November 9:

“The unthinkable is only unthinkable until it happens. Then, like the sack of Rome, it can seem historically inevitable. So it is with the global political earthquake that is the election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States. If he is true to his campaign pledges, which were many and reckless, Mr Trump’s win will herald America’s most stunning reversal of political and economic orthodoxy since the New Deal in the 1930s, but with the opposite intention and effect…

“The parallel with Britain’s Brexit vote is obvious and real… The result will be lamented by liberals across America and beyond. But it will be cheered in Moscow and Damascus, which will feel emboldened. This is not a good week to be a Latvian or a Ukrainian, and another dire one to be a Syrian oppositionist…

“But this is primarily an American catastrophe that America has brought upon itself. When it came to it, the US was unable to find a credible way of rallying against Mr Trump and what he represents. Hillary Clinton failed that crucial test both in herself and in what she offered; for her this is the end. But she was the symptom, not the cause. Mr Trump was not taken seriously and was widely not expected to beat Mrs Clinton throughout the long, bitter campaign. At each stage, his candidacy was deemed certain to crash and burn. The opinion polls and the vaunted probability calculus rarely trended in his direction; both are now discredited…

“Mr Trump’s victory was total… It was the most stunning upset in modern US history… He won most of the battleground states into which the Clinton campaign had poured money – Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina and Wisconsin…

“Meanwhile, Republican congressional candidates who had scrabbled to put distance between themselves and their nominee after the ugly TV debates found themselves riding to victory on Mr Trump’s coattails. Republicans held most of their seats in the Senate races… predictably, the House remained firmly in Republican hands too…

“President Trump is the shock heard round the world… Mr Trump’s win means uncertainty about America’s future strategy in a world that has long relied on the United States for stability. But Mr Trump’s capacity to destabilise is almost limitless. His military, diplomatic, security, environmental and trade policies all have the capacity to change the world for the worse. Americans have done a very dangerous thing this week. Because of what they have done we all face dark, uncertain and fearful times.”

Israel’s Reaction—No Palestinian State, and US Embassy to Move to Jerusalem

JTA wrote on November 9:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Donald Trump on his presidential victory, calling him a ‘true friend of the State of Israel.’… ‘I am confident that President-elect Trump and I will continue to strengthen the unique alliance between our two countries and bring it to ever greater heights.’

“Opposition leader Isaac Herzog, head of the opposition Zionist Union camp, offered his congratulations in a post on Facebook. ‘American democracy today elected a leader who surprised the pundits, and showed that we are in an era of change and new direction. You did the unexpected, against all odds,’ Herzog wrote…

“Likud lawmaker and Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick congratulated Trump and invited him to ‘ascend the Temple Mount…’

“In his congratulations to Trump, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the right-wing Jewish Home party, claimed ‘The era of a Palestinian state is over.’ Bennett said in a statement: ‘Trump’s victory is an opportunity for Israel to immediately retract the notion of a Palestinian state in the center of the country, which would hurt our security and just cause. This is the position of the president-elect, as written in his platform, and it should be our policy, plain and simple.’

“Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat in a congratulatory letter sent to Trump reminded the president-elect of his promise to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, something his three predecessors have failed to do since the passage of the Jerusalem Act in 1995…”

President Obama Encouraged Illegal Aliens to Vote!

BRP wrote on November 5:

“In a jaw-dropping move, lame duck Barack Obama told illegal aliens they can vote, citing the ‘sanctity of the vote’… Obama made the bizarre declaration that it’s okay to commit voter fraud and break the law by voting in a U.S. election even if you’re in the country illegally.

“A woman interviewer asked Obama: ‘I call [illegal aliens] citizens, as they contribute to this country. They are fearful of voting and wonder: “If I vote, will Immigration know where I live? Will they come for my family and deport us?”’ ‘This is not true,’ Obama said in the live TV interview. ‘First of all, when you vote, there’s not a situation where voting rolls are transferred over and people start investigating. The sanctity of the vote is strictly confidential.’

“The shocking video clip first aired on Neil Cavuto‘s Fox Business News show ‘Coast to Coast.’ After hearing Obama tell illegal aliens they won’t get caught if they commit voter fraud, a disgusted Cavuto exploded. ‘I can’t believe that I heard what I heard!’ Cavuto said. ‘It was very clear that the question that was being asked was about illegals voting and them being afraid they might be reported to Border Security.’

“Cavuto said Obama missed the entire premise of the question: ‘You’re ignoring the fact that you are being questioned about illegal voting, which you can’t do. Why? Because you’re not a citizen of this country!’ Cavuto added: ‘You’re illegal! You cannot vote. The President of the United States is saying no one will be spying on you, catching you.’

“Voter fraud has taken center stage this election cycle, as instances of voter fraud were recently reported in California and in other states…”

The Dirtiest Campaign in American History

Der Spiegel wrote on November 4:

“Trump versus Clinton will go down in American history as the dirtiest campaign of all time. It seemed at times as though script writers had let their imaginations run wild. But the consequences for democracy in the United States will be long lasting…

“For the last year, American democracy has become a circus, one in which the most outlandish gag gets the most applause. And it won’t be without consequences: The country will have to live with the scars of this ugly campaign for quite some time to come. Make no mistake: When the advances of civilization are set aside, even if only temporarily, fractures are the result and they aren’t easy to repair. When arguments don’t count and lies are accepted as truth, when politicians have entire teams working to spread disinformation, democracy as we understand it ceases to exist.

“Clinton and Trump have managed to drag US politics — already not the purest of spectacles — into the muck. With the help of the hysterical media, they have transformed the race into a soap opera, and this time, reality has far exceeded even our wildest imaginations.”

Sadly, the political circus will have lasting consequences for a country being alienated already from the true God.

Der Spiegel added on November 7:

“When Americans go to the polls on Tuesday, there will be no chance left to salvage this election. All that remains is picking the lesser of two evils. But the damage has already been done…

“How could the entire country have allowed the democracy for which it stands to fall into this degree of decline?… bankruptcy is around the corner…”

America—a Laughing Stock Around the World

On November 8, Piers Morgan wrote for the Daily Mail:

“Elections are supposed to be momentous events in a nation’s history, filled with hope, excitement and optimism for the future. This one feels like the complete opposite. Many Americans feel repulsed, sickened, angry and thoroughly depressed by what has been happening over the past 18 months… nobody in this race… has fought fair. It’s been shockingly nasty and appallingly mean-spirited… The combined effect of all this has been to render America a laughing stock around the world…

“70% of Americans don’t like the direction the country is headed… Who, after all, wants to be an object of ridicule?… Trump and Clinton are the two most unpopular candidates in US presidential history… So whoever wins tonight, the absolute first priority of the new President must be to work urgently to restore some dignity and respect to this great country. Millions of Americans feel lost, helpless, abandoned and resentful…

“[America] IS breaking and it needs re-setting. When you break a bone, you go see a doctor and get it healed… The Dis-United States of America must be United again.”

Sadly, it won’t be healed again. It is far too late for that.

The Epitome of Human Foolishness

The Sun wrote on November 5:

“SCIENTISTS have claimed that death may not be as final as we once feared – and that humans have souls that can leave the body after their hosts kick the bucket. It may sound like a supernatural myth, but the idea that human consciousness lives on after death has been put forward by a number of well-respected scientists.

“We may not know exactly what consciousness is, but physicist Sir Roger Penrose believes that it’s just a packet of information stored at a quantum – or sub-atomic – level… Sir Roger has argued that when a person dies temporarily, this quantum information is released into the universe, only to return to the body’s cells if the host is brought back to life. He argues that this explains why people can have near-death experiences, and believes that this quantum information amounts to a soul leaving the body.

“And Sir Roger is not alone in believing this, since his theory is backed by researchers at the renowned Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich. Experts there argue that our physical universe is just a perception, and that once our bodies die there is an infinite life beyond…. Dr Hans-Peter Dürr, former head of the institute, has said: ‘… The body dies but the spiritual quantum field continues. In this way, I am immortal.’

“Earlier this year, another remarkable claim about the afterlife was made by a terminally-ill violinist who survived 17 near-death experiences, and claims to have been to the other side… During one near-death experience, he claimed he was blocked from entering heaven by a group of laughing angels who smelled of aftershave. Another vision saw him bathed in the aura of an ‘Asiatic goddess’, whilst he claims a further supernatural encounter made him believe he was a husky dog bounding through the Arctic.’

This is such utter nonsense that one must shake one’s head at such foolishness and demonic deceptions, but sadly, many people believe in these ridiculous concepts. And now, even so-called “scientists” support this ungodly idea, albeit from quite a different equally preposterous angel.

 For the biblical truth, please watch Norbert Link’s recent sermon, “Is the Soul Immortal?”

How Poland Fights the Curse of Abortion

The Associated Press wrote on November 6:

“Polish lawmakers approved a plan Friday to pay a bonus to families whose child is born disabled — part of a policy aimed at curbing the number of abortions. The ‘For Life’ plan, which is expected to take effect next year, gives a one-time payment of 4,000 zlotys ($1,000) upon the birth of a disabled child or one with a life-threatening disease.

“Government official Elzbieta Witek said the money is intended as the ‘first step’ of government support for families with disabled children. Such families have long been demanding higher aid, which currently stands at 1,300 zlotys a month for a parent taking care of the child full-time.

“The conservative Law and Justice government, backed by the Catholic church, is seeking to ban abortions of deformed or sick fetuses, or even those with no chance of survival, to make possible their baptism and burial.

“Polish law now bans abortions except in cases when the woman’s life or health is threatened, when the pregnancy results from rape or incest or when the fetus is irreparably damaged. But amid the threat of prison terms, doctors often refuse to perform even admissible abortions.

“Government figures say 1,040 abortions were performed in Poland last year, while experts say some 150,000 abortions a year are done illegally and secretly. The government says most of the legal abortions are performed on fetuses with genetic defects like Down syndrome and wants that stopped.”

Abortion is sin, without exception. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Are You Already Born Again?”

The False Human Wisdom of Pope Francis

The website of Americamagazine.org wrote the following on November 6:

“In a speech delivered at the Vatican just three days before the U.S. presidential election, Pope Francis urged social justice activists from around the world not to give into the politics of fear by building walls but instead work to build bridges… The pope did not mention the Nov. 8 U.S. election, but many of the themes he touched on have played out in debates between Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton in recent months.

“For example, the pope reiterated his plea for nations to respond more generously to the global refugee crisis, which he blamed on ‘an unjust socio-economic system and wars.’

“… It is not just Republicans on the receiving end of Catholic criticism around immigration. Some Catholic immigration activists have been critical of the Obama administration for its mass deportations of undocumented people living in the United States and for what they say are human rights abuses in U.S. detention centers along the southern border…

“Christians have a duty, he said, to be active in political life…”

The truth is, Christians have a duty NOT to be active in political life. For more information, please view our StandingWatch program, “Are You Voting for World War III”?

Divine Punishment for Gay Unions?

The Sun wrote on November 5:

“AN Italian priest has branded recent earthquakes that have shaken the country, killing hundreds and leaving tens of thousands homeless, as ‘divine punishment’ for gay civil unions. The controversial comments have now sparked the wrath of the Vatican who have moved quickly to refute the outspoken views spoken by theologian Father Giovanni Cavalcoli…

“Cavalcoli said on Radio Maria that the seismic shocks were ‘divine punishment’ for ‘the offence to the family and the dignity of marriage, in particular through civil unions’. The radio station distanced itself from his views with the  Vatican also quick to come out with a stinging rebuke, saying the idea of a vengeful God was ‘a pagan vision’ dating from ‘the pre-Christian era’…

“But Cavalcoli has refused to back down, insisting to another radio station that earthquakes are indeed caused by ‘the sins of man’ and telling the Vatican to ‘read their catechism’. Legislation allowing gay civil unions in Italy only took effect last month, making it the last country in Western Europe to legally recognise same-sex relationships.”

Even though we are not saying that the current earthquakes in Italy were directly caused by God, the notion that divine punishment for sin is a “pagan vision from a pre-Christian era” shows a completely dumbfounding lack of biblical understanding by the Catholic Church. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Punishment for Our Sins.”

Pope Addresses the Habsburg Family

Zenit wrote on November 7:

“Pope Francis [spoke to] 300 members of Austria’s Habsburg family, when he received them in the Vatican on Saturday as they make a family pilgrimage to Rome, on the occasion of the Jubilee of Mercy.

“[The Pope said this:] ‘In this happy circumstance, you are remembering especially Blessed Karl of Austria, who in fact one hundred years ago or so ascended the throne. May his spiritual presence in your midst be such that the Habsburg family does not turn today to the past nostalgically but, on the contrary, is actively present in today’s history with its challenges and needs. In fact, some of you play leading roles in organizations of solidarity and human and cultural promotion, as well as in supporting the European project as a common home founded on human and Christian values…

“‘Karl of Austria was first of all a good family man, and as such a servant of life and of peace. He had known war, having been a simple soldier at the beginning of World War I. He assumed the kingdom in 1916 and, sensitive to the voice of Pope Benedict XV, he spent himself with all his strength for peace, at the cost of being misunderstood and derided. In this also he gives us an ever more timely example, and we can invoke him as intercessor to obtain from God peace for humanity…’”

Trade Between India and UK Will Suffer Because of Brexit

The Guardian wrote on November 5:

“Trade between India and the UK will suffer a ‘double hit’ as a result of the Brexit vote and the decline in sterling, the head of India’s largest business lobby has warned, ahead of a three-day visit by Theresa May. The prediction by the head of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) echoes those of other analysts…

“Ficci’s secretary general, A Didar Singh, said the Brexit vote would ‘obviously’ have consequences for about 800 Indian businesses operating in the UK, as many used the country as a gateway into Europe. ‘The EU is India’s largest trading partner … but exports from the UK to India have been declining,’ he said, adding that trade would also be hit by the drop in sterling, which rallied on Friday. ‘Now, exports from India to the UK will also decline because you’ve lost 18% of your pound’s value…’

“London has been a hub for drug companies because the European Medicines Agency, which sets standards across the bloc, is headquartered in Canary Wharf. Spain and Sweden are reportedly among those already lobbying to be its new home. India’s largest carmaker, Tata, will also be sweating over negotiations between Britain and the EU. About 90% of its value is tied up in the UK-based Jaguar Land Rover, which is dependent on European supply chains and markets that might soon attract steep duties…”

Theresa May to the High Court: Accept the Decision of the People

On November 5, the Telegraph published the following editorial by Prime Minister Theresa May:

“On Thursday, the High Court decided that the government could not begin the process of withdrawing from the European Union without the permission of MPs and members of the House of Lords. It is a decision the government will challenge in the Supreme Court.

“This may appear to be a debate about process, and the legal argument is complex, but in reality there is an important principle at stake. Parliament voted to put the decision about our membership of the EU in the hands of the British people. The people made their choice, and did so decisively. It is the responsibility of the government to get on with the job and to carry out their instruction in full.  MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided. Instead of re-fighting the battles of the past, we should be focusing on how we can come together as a country to make the most of this great national opportunity…”

Russian Warships in the Mediterranean

The Guardian wrote on November 4:

“A Russian frigate armed with cruise missiles has passed through the Bosphorus on its way to the eastern Mediterranean in a potentially ominous development for the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo.

“The Admiral Gligorovich, part of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, arrived off the Syrian coast on Friday as the latest pause in the Russian bombardment of eastern Aleppo came to an end, adding to an emphatic Russian show of naval force in the Mediterranean. Three Russian submarines from Russia’s northern fleet capable of firing Kalibr missiles are also reported to have arrived in the Mediterranean…

“The arrival of the Grigorovich and the Russian submarines armed with cruise missiles could add to the devastation being wreaked on eastern Aleppo, home to 275,000 people. However, if that was Russia’s only aim, it could easily increase the number of planes it bases at Hmeimim air base, near Latakia. The flexing of naval muscle is about geopolitical image as much as military firepower…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on November 8:

“Russia has said it will soon begin airstrikes on Syria launched from its flagship aircraft carrier… Jets from Russia’s flagship aircraft carrier will launch airstrikes from the eastern Mediterranean around the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo…  Warplanes from the Admiral Kuznetsov will target rebels on the outskirts on the city, where they have launched a counter offensive against the Syrian government-controlled western part of the city…

“The deployment of the Admiral Kuznetsov, the first active combat mission for a Russian aircraft carrier, is the latest escalation since Russia intervened in Syria last September. Moscow has used the conflict to test its capabilities and flex its military muscles, including by launching cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea and using strategic bombers to pound targets. Russia has a naval facility in the Syrian port city of Tartus.”

“Will the Turkish Conflict Come to Germany?”

Deutsche Welle wrote on November 5:

“Anger and desperation motivated many Kurds living in Germany to march in Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund and Hanover…

“Hundreds of people joined spontaneous protests over the jailing of Kurdish politicians Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP). Thousands aired their grievances on social media platforms. ‘This is Erdogan’s final declaration of war on the Kurdish people,’ said Ali Ertan Toprak, head of Germany’s large Kurdish community when talking with DW.

“Both politicians have been in the crosshairs of the Turkish government since it began jailing over 30,000 people that it called ‘enemies of the state’ in the wake of July’s failed military coup. The government in Ankara accuses the leftist-liberal HDP of supporting the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) and thus supporting terrorism. The party denies the accusation. Nevertheless, over the past several weeks numerous oppositional Kurdish politicians have been removed from office, journalists have been persecuted and pro-Kurdish media outlets have been closed down. The HDP’s electoral success last year made it a serious political force in Turkey and Demirtas one of Erdogan’s most important rivals…

“Toprak is certain that the situation ‘will spill over into Germany, where Turks and Kurds live.’ When he speaks of Turks and Kurds in Germany, he is talking about 1.5 million people – secular, Muslim, conservative and liberal. The Turkish diaspora is just as fractured as Turkish society itself…

“One trend, more than any, is clear: many Germans with Turkish roots still strongly identify with their country of origin. A comprehensive study published this June by Detlef Pollack, a sociology of religion professor at the University of Münster, showed that Turks in Germany feel well integrated but at the same time do not feel as if they are fully accepted as equal members of German society…

“‘There are groups within Germany’s Turkish community that defend everything that Erdogan does because they long for a different Turkey,’ explains Toprak. He says that Erdogan is pushing the country towards an Islamic dictatorship… The head of the Kurdish community in Germany adds: Those who are of a different opinion are ‘declared terrorists and handled as such.’…

“Toprak goes a step further: ‘If Turkish nationalists take to the streets in the next few days and call for counter-demonstrations, one cannot rule out the possibility that there will be rioting in Germany.’ Toprak says that Germany’s federal government has a special obligation to deescalate the situation by ‘condemning Erdogan’s actions in unmistakable terms.’ Demands from the Kurds are clear: immediately suspend EU accession talks with Turkey, end all economic aid and stop arms sales.”

This is not going to happen. Note the next article:

The EUObserver wrote on November 4:

“The EU has condemned the latest raft of arrests in Turkey, but is not yet considering changing its relationship with the country.”

Deutsche Welle added on November 9:

“The European Commission’s assessment of candidate country Turkey has sparked a heated standoff. With patience seemingly running short, each side has accused the other of stalling Turkish membership negotiations… The European Commission released a scathing report on Wednesday concerning Turkey’s accession progress. The Turkish government’s post-coup crackdown on civil rights, the judiciary and press freedom all made the prospect of EU-membership increasingly unlikely, the report said.

“In the escalating standoff, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later challenged European leaders to ‘go and make a final decision’ on Turkey’s membership… Erdogan told business leaders: ‘You know those 3 million refugees in Turkey? They say there is a problem. What if the negotiations end and they open the gates, where would we put those 3 million refugees? That is their worry. That is why they cannot come to the end point.’”

To see the context, let us read first the entire passage in Matthew 7:1-12:

“(Verse 1) Judge not [or condemn not, see margin in New King James Bible], that you be not judged. (Verse 2) For with what judgment [or condemnation] you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. (Verse 3) And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? (Verse 4) Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ and look, a plank is in your own eye? (Verse 5) Hypocrite! First remove the speck from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Verse 6) Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

“(Verse 7) Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (Verse 8) For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Verse 9) Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? (Verse 10) Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? (Verse 11) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! (Verse 12) Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Also note the parallel Scripture in Luke 6:31:

“And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”

The clause “the Law and the Prophets” in Matthew 7:12 is oftentimes used as a summary term for the entire Old Testament; sometimes the word “psalms” or “writings” is added as well. (Notice Luke 24:44, 26-27; 18:31.)

For instance, Christ stated in Matthew 5:17 that He had NOT come to destroy the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill—to magnify the Law, to exalt it and to make it more honorable (Isaiah 42:21), to fill it up with its intended meaning, to show how to keep it perfectly in the flesh. The Greek word for “fulfill” is “pleroo.” It literally means “to fill” or “to make full” (Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible). In Matthew 3:15 it is used in this context: “…it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

In addition, the word “Law” is also used many times as a summary term for the Ten Commandments, by dividing our duty towards God (which duty was written on the first tablet of the two tablets, containing the first four commandments of the Ten Commandments) with our duty towards neighbor (which duty was written on the second tablet in the form of the last six commandments). The Law of the Ten Commandments tells us how to love God and neighbor. The first four commandments describe our love towards God, and the last six commandments describe our love towards neighbor.

We discussed the concept of the “Law,” being a summary term for the Ten Commandments, in a Q&A on Romans 13:8. Limiting our quotes to Paul’s statement that we must fulfill our debt of loving one another (“… owe no one anything except to love one another,”), we stated this:

“When we love our neighbor, we fulfill the law of the last six of the Ten Commandments, which deal with our relationship with our neighbor. The last six of the Ten Commandments define for us HOW to love our neighbor, and how NOT to do him any harm… when we love our neighbor by keeping the last six of the Ten Commandments, then we fulfill or DO the law. And when we break just one of these commandments, as the apostle James says, then we have broken them all (James 2:8-11).”

We also stated this:

“Regarding our general duties toward one another, we read in Proverbs 3:27-28: ‘Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,” When you have it with you.’ Compare Galatians 6:10 and James 2:15-16.

“In light of this, true servants of God should have the attitude, that loving conduct towards others is their duty, obligation and debt. Christ said in Luke 17:9-10: ‘Does he [the master] thank the servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, “We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.”’

“… we are always indebted to others to love them and show our love to them. We do this by keeping God’s law from the heart. It is His Law which defines for us what is and what is not true godly love…”

In our free booklet, “Paul’s Letter to the Galatians”: we wrote about Galatians 5:14:

“‘(Verse 14) For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’

“Having introduced in the previous verse ‘love,’ which IS the keeping of God’s commandments (1 John 5:3), Paul continues to summarize the law as love toward neighbor. He speaks of ‘all the law,’ as it relates to our relationship with man… The last six of the Ten Commandments show us how to love our neighbor. In Romans 13:8–10, Paul writes: ‘Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.’

“Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible states regarding Romans 13:8: ‘Love is a debt… it is a sin not only to devise evil against thy neighbour, but to withhold good from those to whom it is due; both are forbidden together… This proves that love is the fulfilling of the law… Love is a living active principle of OBEDIENCE to the whole law.’

“The New Bible Commentary: Revised, agrees, stating: ‘This conclusion does not invalidate the Ten Commandments in the interest of a nebulous, existential “Love, and do as you please”… Love… is the spirit in which we are to keep the law; but we need the law’s particulars and prescriptions to give body and definition…’

“John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible writes: ‘… he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law… of the decalogue; that part of it particularly which relates to the neighbour; the second table of the law… for fulfilling the law means DOING it, or acting according to it; and so far as a man loves, so far he fulfils, that is, DOES it…’”

In this light, we will proceed to explain what Christ meant when He said that it “is the Law and the Prophets” to DO to others whatever we want them to do to us. Christ talked about helping others (in Matthew 7:11), making the point that when even carnal people help their children when they ask them, how much more should we ask God to give us “good things” and especially His Holy Spirit (compare Luke 11:13), bestowing on us His love (Romans 5:5) which, in the context of Matthew 7, enables us to love our neighbor even more perfectly. Also, Christ had just addressed the fact that we must not have a spirit of condemnation (Matthew 7:1-2), admonishing us to look at ourselves first before we try to “help” others (verses 3-5).  He also cautioned us against “helping” those (in physical or spiritual ways) who would reject that help (verse 6).

All of this shows how to love our neighbor, as this is how we would want to be treated by our neighbor. We would not want to be condemned by him for our faults, while he is committing great sins; nor would we want to be left destitute when we are in need of help.

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible writes about Matthew 7:12: “This is the law and the prophets – That is, this is the sum or substance of the Old Testament. It is nowhere found in so many words, but it is a summary expression of [what] the law required.”

The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary adds: “… for this is the law and the prophets—‘This is the substance of all relative duty; all Scripture in a nutshell.’ Incomparable summary! How well called ‘the royal law!’ (Jas 2:8; compare Ro 13:9)…”

The Matthew Poole’s Commentary writes: “This precept containeth in it the substance of all that is to be found in the books of the law and the prophets which concerneth us in reference to others, the sum of the second table, which requireth… justice and charity. Christ doth not say, this is all the law and the prophets, but this is the law and the prophets…”

The Pulpit Commentary explains:

“… Verse 12. ‘Therefore.’ Summing up the lesson of vers. 1-11… ‘For this is the law and the prophets.’ For this. This principle of action and mode of life is, in fact, the sum of all Bible teaching (cf. Leviticus 19:18)…  with its necessary limitation to the second table, in Matthew 22:40 (cf. Romans 13:10).”

As mentioned before, Isaiah 42:21 tells us that Christ came to exalt the Law and make it more honorable, explaining the spirit and intent of the Law, and showing by His example that we can keep it from the heart and in its ultimate and perfect sense, as God’s Holy Spirit of love has been poured out into our hearts. Our new free booklet, “God’s Law… or God’s Grace” explains this misunderstood topic in great detail.

The concepts of loving neighbor, as mentioned in Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31, are of course mentioned throughout the Law (the five books of Moses) and the Prophets (the former prophets such as Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings and the latter prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel and the twelve minor prophets). [For the correct breakdown of the Old Testament Scriptures, see our free booklet, “The Authority of the Bible,” chapter 14, page 79]. But Jesus points out in His brief statement and with a few examples the ESSENTIAL teaching of the Law and the Prophets (and by extension, the Psalms or the “writings”), in respect to loving our neighbor: “DO to them as you would have them do to you.”

That says it all. If you don’t want to be killed, then don’t kill. If you want to be saved by others, then save them, if you can, when they are in need. If you don’t want your neighbor to lie to you, but tell you the truth, then don’t lie to him, but tell him the truth (cp. Ephesians 4:25). If you don’t want to be robbed, but rather receive help, then don’t rob and steal from your neighbor, but rather, give him if he has need (Ephesians 4:28). If you are a parent and want your children to treat you with respect, then treat your parents with respect. If you are married and don’t want your neighbor to commit adultery with your wife, then don’t commit adultery with your neighbor’s wife, but do the right thing by avoiding evil situations which could tempt you to sin. And if you don’t want your neighbor to be envious of your possessions and desire them (and show by his conduct HOW MUCH he desires them), then don’t be envious of your neighbor’s possessions and don’t desire what he has; but rather, enjoy that your neighbor has been blessed with possessions and show him your joy.

Focusing again on the examples in Matthew 7:1-12, if you want to be helped in time of need, then help others in their time of need. And if you don’t want to be condemned for your sins which you commit (and sin is the transgression of the law, 1 John 3:4), then do not condemn others for their sins, but rather, show them mercy and help them in the right way and with a humble heart to find again the right path of overcoming and to “restore” them in the faith (Galatians 6:1-5). Because THIS is the teaching of the Law and the Prophets.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new member letter has been written. It has been posted and will be distributed soon. In the letter, Norbert Link addresses the presidential election and what we can expect in the future.

“The World Is Afraid of President Trump,” is the title of the most recent StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link.

Here is a summary:

Donald Trump will soon be the most powerful man in the world. Most did not anticipate this, and the word is shocked and concerned. How did all of this happen, and what does the future hold? Will the relationship between Europe and the USA deteriorate? Are the Great Tribulation and nuclear World War III coming? 

This program is also available in the German language AufPostenStehen presentation.

“Are You Voting for World War III?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Most Americans will vote on November 8 for “their” candidate, but many don’t do it because of conviction, but in order to prevent “greater harm”; giving their voice to a “lesser of two evils.”  But will either of the candidates make a substantial difference to the horrible condition of this country? They have accused each other of bringing about World War III, and sadly, they might very well be right. We are offering free literature which places the current catastrophic situation within the USA into proper biblical perspective.

“Ist die Lehre über die Wiedergeburt biblisch?,” is the title of this Sabbath’s German sermon. Title in English:  “Is the Teaching about “Born Again” Biblical?”

“Motivation,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Mike Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

How are we doing in our spiritual lives to get us motivated?  What can we do to keep us going as we run our race to perfection?

“Is the Soul Immortal?” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Most religious people, Christians and non-Christians alike, believe in the immortality of the soul. What does the Bible say about this question? Do people have souls, or are they souls? Are there dead souls? Can a soul die? Why does the Bible speak about the resurrection of the dead, if the dead are not really dead, but keep on living after death as “immortal souls”? What is death? And what is hell, in which God can destroy body and soul?

On November 5, 2016, Mike Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Motivation,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “Is the Soul Immortal?” In addition, Feast reports from Germany will be given.

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.

There is a programme on Sunday mornings on BBC television in the UK where weekly debates are conducted about moral, ethical and religious issues. In May 2016 the issue debated was entitled “Did Man Create God?” My first reaction was “here we go again” but, on reflection, I thought that in every case except the worship of the true God, man did indeed create the god or gods that he now worships.

We know that there is “no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12) and that this applies only to Jesus Christ. Further, we also know from the Bible that the Holy Spirit which God has given to those who obey Him is a condition of being a called-out member of the Family of God.

The true Church of God knows and understands that there is only one God and that there are conditions that apply to being a member of the Church that Jesus founded.   We also know that there will be those from other religions who will see our understanding as being “exclusive” and even within mainstream Christianity they can also take the same view about Church of God “exclusivity”.

But we are not exclusivists in the way that the world would understand. Jesus made it abundantly clear that there is only one way and that is the narrow way and there are few who find it (Matthew 7:14). So it is not exclusivist to make the assertions that we do, but just a reflection of the knowledge that God has given us through a correct understanding of His Word.

If you think about it, man did create god or gods in his own foolish imaginations. We read in Romans 1:21-23: “…because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”  This clearly shows that man has created “gods” and worships them accordingly.

We know that the ancient Egyptians worshipped all manner of created beings with a myriad of so called “gods” that had nothing to do with the true God. Down through the ages, man has created a god or gods and ignored the true God. Of course, many have never even heard of the true God because of the societies in which they live but we are privileged to know that they will be given their opportunity to know the true God at a later time.

When we see all of the gods of other religions today, we can get an understanding of the way that Satan works as he counterfeits religion and makes paganism seem another way that leads to God but we have been given the understanding that this is not acceptable to the true God.

In this programme with a carefully selected audience which included religious people, philosophers, scientists and others, we were exposed to false religionists pontificating about their brand of religion which we know from the Bible is truly false. In addition, there was a female rabbi and a female vicar. The latter stated that she knew the New Testament but not so much the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) but, from what she said, she didn’t even know the New Testament that well; otherwise, she wouldn’t be a part of the ministry! A Muslim from a Muslim think tank and someone representing Hinduism gave their insights, not realising that their brand of religion was in fact man creating god or gods, a principle not acceptable to the true God.

The ancient nation of Israel was told to “love the LORD your God, with all your heart, with all your soul (being) and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5) and we know that God is a “jealous God” (Exodus 20:5) which is mentioned as part of the second commandment. Jealous means that God is intolerant of unfaithfulness.   As one commentator put it: “Jealousy is a sin when it is a desire for something that does not belong to you. Worship, praise, honour, and adoration belong to God alone, for only He is truly worthy of it. Therefore, God is rightly jealous when worship, praise, honour, or adoration is given to idols. This is precisely the jealousy the apostle Paul described in 2 Corinthians 11:2, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy…”

Did man create God? No, he didn’t create the true God, of course, but all of the other gods have indeed been created by man. We have just been privileged to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day which gives us such invaluable understanding of the Way of the true God and His master plan for all of humanity.

It is quite sobering to think how far man is from the knowledge of the one true God but that will be rectified during the Millennium and the Great White Throne Judgment when everyone who has not been called until that time will then be given their opportunity to worship the true Creator. Then there will not be the need for such a discussion; just happiness and joy that the one true God is in charge and that mankind has been given the opportunity to share eternity with Him.

In this issue, we report about the “unalterable” and correct Catholic stance on women priests; the negative German view on the two US Presidential candidates and the entire American electoral system; the Obamacare disaster; interesting comments by the EU commissioner for digital affairs about China, Angela Merkel and former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder; Turkey’s “Attack” on Germany; a new “Brexit Betrayal Court Ruling”; Russia’s Lost Bid for the UN’s Human Rights Council due to their conduct in Syria; France’s ridiculous “fight” against extra-terrestrial aliens; more earthquakes in Italy; we conclude with an article pointing to Muslim history verifying that the Dome of the Rock was built on the site of previous Jewish temples.

No Catholic Women Priests… Ever!

USA Today reported on November 1:

“The Catholic Church’s ban on female priests will stand forever, Pope Francis said Tuesday. The pontiff made the declaration in response to a female reporter asking whether he thought women would one day serve as Catholic priests and bishops, noting the head of Sweden’s Lutheran Church whom Francis met on his trip there is a woman… ‘Pope John Paul II had the last clear word on this and it stands,’… The reporter then asked ‘Forever, forever? Never, never?’ ‘If we read carefully the declaration by… John Paul II, it is going in that direction,’ the pope responded.

“Pope John Paul II, in an Apostolic letter written in 1994, wrote that despite the church’s long history of male-only priests, ‘in some places it is nonetheless considered open to debate.’ Not so, wrote the pope who died in 2005 and was canonized a saint in 2014… ‘I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful,’ John Paul II wrote.”

In this, the Catholic Church is correct.

 Germans for Clinton as a Lesser of Two EVILS

Deutsche Welle wrote on November 1:

“A whopping 86 percent of Germans would vote for Hillary Clinton for US president and only four percent would choose Donald Trump, a recent poll showed. DW spoke to five very different Germans about the election.

“Theresia Scholz is an 85-year-old pensioner from Reutlingen and has been a member of the conservative CDU for 50 years:…  ‘I would advise the American electorate: Vote for the lesser of two evils. There’s nothing perfect in the world. You can’t elect someone who’s so revolting and is a blowhard and constantly contradicts himself. In the end you don’t know what you’ll get…’

“Helmut Kopp, 46, is a senior partner in a business consultancy near Frankfurt and is married to a German-Persian woman:… ‘I think it’s pathetic that a population of 320 million people has a choice between a senile old man and 69-year-old woman. The two of them should be preparing for the final years of their lives and not go around pretending to be 50-year-old yuppies …’

“Stefan Hauser, 46, works for an online shop in Dresden and is the publisher of a pocket calendar devoted to dead rock musicians: ‘… Neither candidate holds much appeal for young people in Germany.’

“Pauli Heinz, 19, is from Hamburg and just started studying product design in Berlin after going to school for three years in England: ‘… I find the American electoral system problematic. In the end there are only two candidates who have a true chance. If you don’t like either, you don’t have much of a choice.’

“Beate Brinkmeier, 40, is a born and bred West Berliner who works for the picture department of a national newspaper and is in the process of getting a degree in psychology: ‘I think if I were American, I wouldn’t vote. Fundamentally, I ask myself as a European how it can happen that the two candidates are this bad. It’s pretty horrifying… As someone from Berlin, I worry about how the fronts have hardened between the West and Russia. Not that I like Putin, but I don’t think either candidate will do anything to ease the tension. That’s what I’m most worried about.’”

The article summarizes accurately the German sentiments. German preference for Hillary Clinton is largely due to extremely one-sided reporting about the two candidates… which is not to say that we are endorsing either of the candidates in any way.

The Most Unlikeable Candidates

The Washington Post wrote on November 1:

“Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are some of the most unlikeable candidates in political history… but even after this seemingly never-ending election cycle, they’re still more popular than Congress.”

The Obamacare Disaster

BBC News wrote on October 25:

“The cost of healthcare insurance in the US under the Affordable Care Act is expected to rise by an average of 25% in 2017, according to the government. About one in five consumers will also only be able to pick plans from a single insurer, it said… Republican nominee Donald Trump vowed on Tuesday to repeal the law, which is known as Obamacare.

“It is a major part of President Barack Obama’s legacy, and his signature piece of legislation… The enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 mandated that every American had to purchase private insurance, and prohibited insurers from turning away the sick. It also provided subsidies.

“… Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has said she supports the Affordable Care Act, but has denounced ‘skyrocketing out-of-pocket health costs’, saying the federal government should have the power to block or modify unreasonable rate increases… small-business owners and the self-employed… will take it on the chin…

“The unsubsidised portion of the government-run health insurance marketplace was what Bill Clinton notably called ‘the craziest thing in the world’ earlier this month. Donald Trump and the Republicans tried to make hay out of his remarks at the time – and now they have solid numbers to make their case.

“Mrs Clinton continues to be in the awkward position of defending Obamacare…”

Not only Obamacare, but the entire presidency of Barack Obama has been a complete and utter disaster. It is mind-boggling that especially in Germany, many would prefer a third term for Mr. Obama. This is largely due to a completely inaccurate and propagandistic reporting by the German press.

Günther Oettinger Ridicules Chinese, Merkel and Schroeder

The Guardian wrote on October 28:

“Günther Oettinger, the EU commissioner for digital affairs, has used a speech to poke fun at the Chinese, gay marriage and former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s separation from his wife. Speaking to invited guests of the Hamburg company AGA, the German politician triggered both nervous laughter and applause with his remarks.

“Oettinger, who is known for his gaffes, described a recent contingent of Chinese businessmen who came to Brussels to meet EU officials as ‘nine men, (with) one party and no democracy’, who all wore ‘single-breasted dark-blue jackets, all with their hair brushed from left to right with black shoe polish’.

“Criticising Germany’s welfare system as overly generous, he went on to have a dig at the liberal policies of Angela Merkel’s grand coalition government, saying he would not be surprised if it introduced ‘obligatory homosexual marriage’.

“He said that following the recent collapse of [former Chancellor Gerhard] Schröder’s fourth marriage and the doubts over the North Stream 2 project which he had been working on in his advisory capacity at Gazprom, he would now ‘have plenty of time on his hands’.

“Oettinger, who is responsible for the EU’s IT developments, said he took pride in being the only person in his vicinity who read a newspaper instead of reading his news on a tablet or smartphone.”

Interesting comments….

Turkey Attacks Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on November 3:

“Germany has become one of the most important havens for terror groups, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday, warning that this ‘cursed terror will boomerang back and hit you.’

“Erdogan said Germany had refused to extradite alleged members of FETO, the name the government uses to describe the organization led by US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara has blamed for the attempted coup in July. The Turkish president said Germany has for years harbored militants and organizations tied to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency for greater autonomy, as well as the far-left DHKP-C. The EU designated both groups terror organizations…

“The mushrooming of the post-coup purges of more than 100,000 people has drawn criticism in Germany, where there is increasing worry that the conflict between Gulenists and Erdogan backers could spill into the country.  The purges have also raised concerns over the rule of law and Erdogan’s attempts to silence all opposition… Relations took a further hit earlier this year after Germany passed an Armenian genocide resolution.” 

The “Brexit Betrayal Court Ruling”

The New York Times wrote on November 3:

“The British government’s plan for leaving the European Union was thrown into uncertainty on Thursday after the High Court ruled that Parliament must give its approval before the process can begin. The court’s decision seemed likely to slow — but not halt — the British withdrawal from the bloc, a step approved by nearly 52 percent of voters in a June referendum.

“Nevertheless, the court’s decision was a significant blow to Prime Minister Theresa May. She had planned to begin the legal steps for leaving the European Union by the end of March, and to prepare for the negotiations over Britain’s exit mostly behind closed doors. If the court’s ruling is upheld — the government immediately vowed to appeal — that plan would be thrown into disarray, analysts said. Mrs. May would be forced to work with Parliament and consider its competing priorities for Britain’s future. Specifically, she would have to give it a detailed strategy for negotiating the British departure, or ‘Brexit.’ She has adamantly resisted doing so, arguing that this would impede her flexibility in the negotiations, preventing Britain from getting the best possible deal.”

Express wrote on November 3:

“THE BRITISH public have reacted strongly against today’s Brexit court ruling… The prime minister’s official spokesman said the government had ‘no intention of letting’ the judgement ‘derail Article 50 or the timetable we have set out. We are determined to continue with our plan’… Prime Minister Theresa May had said she would trigger Article 50, which notifies the EU of the UK’s intention to leave the EU, by the end of next March.

“… the High Court ruled that parliament must vote on whether the UK can trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and begin the process of leaving the European Union. This means that the Government cannot begin formal exit negotiations without the backing of the House…”

In a related article, Express wrote on November 3:

“EURO judges could have the final say on the terms of Britain’s exit from the European Union following today’s bombshell Article 50 decision in another hammer blow to eurosceptics… Critics have branded the situation a ‘mess’ and urged the Prime Minister to sidestep Article 50 altogether by passing an act of parliament repealing all EU laws. 

“Top lawyers have said that the controversial legal trigger for leaving the bloc, which has never been activated before, is a legal minefield because of its ambiguous wording. Buried deep in the Lisbon Treaty, eurosceptics say Article 50 is so ambiguous and full of holes because arrogant Brussels bureaucrats never conceived that anyone would want to leave their club… A report by the European Parliament, compiled in February this year, also agreed that Article 50 is an ‘international agreement’ between the exiting country and Brussels, and is ‘therefore subject to judicial review by the Court of Justice of the EU’.

“… Ukip MEP Gerard Batten said the growing legal confusion showed that Theresa May should sidestep the flawed exit clause altogether and instead take firm action through the UK parliament. He said:… ‘This mess demonstrates why we should forget Article 50 and leave the EU by repealing the 1972 European Communities Act which is perfectly legal under our constitution.’

“Theresa May has repeatedly asserted that ‘Brexit means Brexit’ and has promised to trigger Article 50 by the end of March at the latest. Once the notification is served to Brussels there will be a two-year window in which to negotiate the terms of Britain’s exit from the bloc, which can only be extended with the unanimous agreement of all 28-member states.”

Russia Lost Bid for UN’s Human Rights Council

The Guardian wrote on October 28:

“Russia has lost its bid to become a member of the UN’s human rights council, in a defeat that reflects the diplomatic cost of its war in Syria. Russia was beaten on Friday by Hungary and Croatia in the competition for two seats on the council allotted to eastern European states. It was the first time one of the permanent five members of the security council had failed to get elected to the HRC since its formation a decade ago, and followed a campaign by human rights groups opposing Russian membership because of its role in the bombing of Syrian cities, eastern Aleppo in particular…

“Human rights groups also campaigned against Saudi Arabia for the high civilian death toll of its bombing campaign in Yemen, but the kingdom won one of the four seats reserved for the Asia-Pacific region.

“The 193-member general assembly on Friday elected 14 members to the 47-nation council, the UN’s main body charged with promoting and protecting human rights. Brazil, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iraq, Japan, Rwanda, South Africa, Tunisia, the UK and the US were also elected to the council… ‘Russia deserves this defeat, but it will only increase Moscow’s contempt for the UN,’ said Richard Gowan, a UN expert at the European Council for Foreign Relations…”

The conflict between Russia and the EU is bound to increase.

The Fight Against Aliens

Gizmodo wrote on October 29:

“With UFO sightings on the rise and Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman leading a push to reveal more classified info on extraterrestrial life, one small town in France wants to potentially ruin it for us all.

“Claude Avril, the current mayor of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France, says that he will not overturn a 62-year-old law that prohibits the ‘flying over, landing, or taking off of flying saucers’ in his town. First introduced by the former mayor, Lucien Jeune, the law states: ‘Any aircraft, known as flying saucer or flying cigar, which should land on the territory of the community will be immediately held in custody.’…

“According to the Telegraph:  ‘The 1954 law was established after a man in northern France said he had seen two figures that looked like ‘deep sea divers’ emerging from a ‘cigar-shaped’ space ship.”

How ridiculous can mankind get?

More Earthquakes in Italy

The Guardian wrote on October 30:

“Prime minister Matteo Renzi swore that Italy would rebuild devastated towns and villages across central Italy that were rocked by a 6.6-magnitude earthquake on Sunday morning, saying the area represented the ‘soul of our country’. It was the most powerful earthquake to hit Italy since 1980, striking a blow to the regions of Marche and Umbria just days after they were hit by two other earthquakes.

“It also frightened and displaced thousands of already-jittery residents who have seen the ancient structures and walls in their towns, including the San Benedetto basilica in Norcia, which is considered a sacred site, crumble into heaps on the street.”

Ultimately, the city of Rome will be hit by a big earthquake.

Muslim Worlds Considered Dome of the Rock as Place for the Two Temples

The Times of Israel wrote on October 31:

“A recently studied inscription from a mosque near Hebron offers insight into how, until the mid-20th century, the Muslim world considered Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock to be the successor to two ancient Jewish shrines that formerly stood atop the Temple Mount.

“The previously overlooked dedicatory inscription from the Mosque of Umar in Nuba, a village nearly 26 kilometers (16 miles) southwest of Jerusalem, mentions the village as an endowment for the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. But what’s striking is that the Dome of the Rock is referred to in the text as ‘the rock of the Bayt al-Maqdis’ — literally, ‘The Holy Temple’ — a verbatim translation of the Hebrew term for the Jerusalem temple that early Muslims employed to refer to Jerusalem as a whole, and the gold-domed shrine in particular.

“Local tradition ascribed the construction of the mosque to Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab, under whose rule Arab armies conquered Jerusalem and the rest of Byzantine Palestine in the mid-7th century. It was under his eventual successor Abd al-Malik, the fifth caliph, that the Dome of the Rock was completed in 691 CE…

“… medieval Muslim traditions surrounding the Dome of the Rock… ‘identified the mount again and again with David and Solomon’s temples’ and ‘understood that the mount is the ancient temple rebuilt, the Quran is the true faith and the Muslims the true Children of Israel… In effect, the Muslims saw themselves as the ones continuing the biblical tradition of the temple,’ [a scholar] explained; they considered themselves the ‘new Jews.’ In that vein, the Muslims built the third temple in the 7th century in the form of the Dome of the Rock.

“For several centuries, until the fall of Jerusalem to crusading Christians in 1099, Muslims associated the Haram al-Sharif with the former temples…  Muslim traditions identify the Haram again and again with the Temple of David and Solomon, from where the Ark of the Covenant and God’s Presence had been removed, where the Children of Israel killed John, the son of Zechariah (the biblical prophet Zechariah), and Nebuchadnezzar in revenge slaughtered them,’ [another scholar wrote].

“Despite the fact that Muslim texts and historians associated the Temple Mount with the two ancient Jewish temples that stood there, since the foundation of the State of Israel that narrative has been expunged from the Palestinian narrative. A guide to the Haram al-Sharif, the Arabic term for the Temple Mount, published by the Islamic Waqf in 1925 informed visitors that the fact that the Dome of the Rock was built atop the site of Solomon’s Temple was ‘beyond dispute.’ Even as late as 1951, historian — and then-Palestinian mayor of East Jerusalem — Aref el-Aref’s history of the Dome of the Rock stated unequivocally that ‘the ruins of Solomon’s Temple are under al-Aqsa’ and that Umar built a mosque atop the former building’s site. But by 1965, ‘A Brief Guide to the Dome of the Rock and Haram al-Sharif,’ published by the Supreme Awqaf Council, completely avoided mentioning the ancient Jewish temples.

“Amid clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police on the Temple Mount last October, the grand mufti of Jerusalem, the Muslim cleric in charge of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, said that there was never a Jewish temple atop the Temple Mount, and that the site has been home to a mosque ‘since the creation of the world.’… ‘This is the Al-Aqsa Mosque that Adam, peace be upon him, or during his time, the angels built,’ the mufti said.”

On November 8, 2016, many Americans will vote for either one of two candidates running for the highest office in the land, wishing to become the most powerful person in the world. This election is truly extraordinary, as we have never seen in the recent history of the USA two candidates who are both very much disliked by a majority of the people, and whose reputation is one of being untrustworthy and dishonest. The mud-slinging libelous contest by both candidates and their campaigns is unparalleled, with new charges and accusations being raised on a daily basis.

The media is having a field day, with endless discussions and mindless debates, and people are taking positions, not because they are convinced of “their” choice, but they fear the “greater evil” of the other candidate.

Looking at this unique disastrous development, even people in God’s Church might be tempted to vote in a few days to “prevent” greater harm. If they do, they are not only engaging themselves in taking an absolutely ridiculous position (no matter whom they are voting for), but they might be held responsible by God for sinning greatly.

In our Q&A #684, dated April 17, 2015, titled “Is It Really That Important to Understand that We Must Not Vote in Governmental Elections?“,  the following was stated:

“To be blunt, voting in governmental, national and presidential elections violates God’s plan for true Christians and constitutes a grave sin. It manifests the absence of faith in God; reveals a complete lack of understanding as to what the role of a true Christian is today; and shows utter ignorance as to who is ruling this world. We will not mince words in this Q&A, because FAR TOO MANY Christians are deceived and are deceiving others on this topic, foolishly thinking that they are serving God and their country by voting in governmental elections.

“We point out the following in our Statement of Beliefs: ‘We believe that a Christian’s duty to God is of a superior and higher nature than our duty arising from any human relationship (Acts 4:18-20; 5:27-29). We therefore, following Biblical commands and principles, do not participate in voting for national elections or jury duty, and we do not join the military.’

“Why is this? WHY do we take such a strong stance against voting in national elections, while other Christians do not seem to see any problems with this? WHY do we claim that it is part of the Christian DUTY NOT to vote in governmental elections?

“The simple answer is: We will NOT water down the truth of God, even though many others do. We will NOT swim with the stream of national pride, patriotism and nationalism, if it involves violating God’s Law. We WILL obey God rather than man, not being afraid of men and their antagonistic reactions and hateful persecution, but being FEARFUL of becoming luke-warm and compromising with God’s Will, even though many Christians do.

“In our free booklet, ‘Should You Fight in War?’, we address biblical passages which PROHIBIT a true Christian from voting in governmental and presidential elections and from getting involved in political campaigns in ANY way, pointing out that one cannot separate the issues of voting, jury duty service and FIGHTING IN WAR! We state the following:

“’It is inconsistent to take the position that one cannot join the military because one is an ambassador of Jesus Christ and a citizen of another government – the Kingdom of God – while at the same time serving on a jury or voting in governmental elections. For instance, in the United States, the President is also the Commander-in-Chief, having both the right and the obligation under the Constitution, in certain circumstances, to declare war. How can one refuse to participate in war, while voting for a person who has the right and the obligation to declare war? In the past, people were disqualified as conscientious objectors because they did not refuse to serve on a jury or to vote in governmental elections. It was ruled that such an obvious inconsistency in position showed evidence for non-sincerity of the applicant.’

“We also explain in our booklet that it is SATAN who rules this world and EVERY country, WITHOUT exception. It is true, of course, that Satan can only do what God ALLOWS him to do, but generally speaking, God is NOT getting involved in the affairs of this world, and neither should we. God will ONLY intervene and see to it that certain individuals end up in governmental positions, if they are temporarily needed to fulfill aspects of God’s plan. But this would be GOD’s doing, NOT ours.

“We state the following in our above-mentioned booklet: ‘Another reason why a Christian is not to vote for a candidate in governmental or local council elections is because he understands the truth about this being Satan’s world at the present time. It is Satan who, with the general permission of God, places candidates into governmental offices. If we were to vote, we might involve ourselves quite directly in Satan’s system. Hosea 8:4 gives us God’s warning in this regard: “They set up kings, but not by Me; they made princes, but I did not acknowledge them.”

“‘Sometimes, in order to ensure that certain aspects of His plan are fulfilled, God Himself might intervene to see to it that the person best (or perhaps worst) suited for the job at that time gets the job… How would God look at us when He intervenes directly to place a specific person into office, while we did not vote for that person, but rather for someone whom God does not want to see in charge at that time? It is obvious that our vote would be found to be in opposition to God’s Will.

“‘To give a prophetic and an historical example, Biblical prophecy reveals that a final political leader of the resurrected Roman Empire – the “beast” – will soon arise in Europe. According to God’s prophetic plan, this person will be placed in office in the very last days, wreaking total havoc on this planet. It is Satan, with God’s permission, who will give his power and authority to this person (Revelation 13:4-5). A Christian could not and should not vote for this person, of course, as he will persecute and kill many of the ‘saints’ (Revelation 13:7), and he will even attempt to fight the returning Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:19). Neither should a Christian have voted for Adolph Hitler, although it is clear now that Hitler came to power, as prophesied, to bring about the ninth resurrection of the Roman Empire. This is to say that God allowed Hitler to become ruler over Germany so that prophecy could be fulfilled.

”The Bible shows that God sometimes appoints directly, or permits Satan to place into office, strong or weak leaders, depending on the situation, in order to insure that God’s purpose will be carried out. For example, God allowed ancient Pharaoh, at the time of the Exodus, to be ruler over Egypt for a very specific reason – ‘that [God] may show [His] power in [him], and that [God’s] name may be declared in all the earth’ (Exodus 9:16).

“In regard to Pharaoh, we read that God placed him into power because he was a stubborn, self-righteous and ungodly person who would refuse to obey God and do His Will. God announced to Moses that He was ‘sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand’ (Exodus 3:19). Pharaoh would only yield after God had stricken Egypt with ‘all Mywonders which I will do in its midst’ (verse 20). God pronounced to Pharaoh that ‘indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth’ (Exodus 9:16). Paul later quoted this passage in Romans 9:17 in the context of God’s Will and His decision as to whom He wants to grant mercy in this day and age. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 16:4 that ‘The LORD has made all FOR HIMSELF, Yes, even the WICKED  for the day of doom.’ The fact that GOD raised up and gave rulership to wicked Pharaoh for the day of his doom in order to show His mercy towards Israel PROVES that any HUMAN voting for governmental leaders is useless, futile and CONTRARY TO GOD’S Will.

“While the Jewish leadership was willing to fight the Babylonian army under King Nebuchadnezzar, the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed God’s Will to the Jewish people NOT to fight, but to put down their weapons and to surrender to the foreign king. Jeremiah did not find a popular acceptance of this command; in fact, he was labeled a traitor and imprisoned as a consequence. King Nebuchadnezzar conquered and subdued the house of Judah, as it had been prophesied, but he was by no means a righteous king. He was full of pride and because of his arrogance and lack of humility, God removed him from his throne for seven years and let him become insane, living with the animals. After that, God restored his sanity and placed him back on his throne. The accompanying lessons before, during and after Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity are strikingly revealed in the Bible. We read in Daniel 2:21 that God ‘removes kings and raises up kings’ (Daniel 2:21). We also read in Daniel 4:32; 5:21 that it is GOD who gives a kingdom to whomever HE chooses. God wants us to know that ‘the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever HE WILL, And sets over it the LOWEST of men’ (Daniel 4:17). The Authorized Version even says that He ‘setteth up over it the BASEST of men.’

“As mentioned, God will do so when His plan requires it; otherwise, He leaves it to Satan to appoint those whom he wants to rule this world. Satan understands this. He showed Jesus in the wilderness all THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD in a moment of time, and said to Him: ‘ALL this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to ME, and I give it to WHOMEVER I WISH’ (Luke 4:5-6). Jesus knew this to be true, and we do not read that He disputed Satan’s claim. This is simply NOT God’s world, and neither is it the world of true Christians. Jesus said that the world hates us because we are not part of it (John 17:14). How FOOLISH to think that we should be a part of it by voting in governmental elections, believing that we can thereby make this world a better place or help our country in any way. How FOOLISH to think that we should be trying to improve Satan’s handiwork.

“In our before-mentioned booklet, we state the following about the related topic of jury duty service: ‘A true Christian is a stranger, alien and exile (1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13) while here on earth; an ambassador for Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20); and a representative of God’s Kingdom. As such, and in being a light to the world by proper conduct (Matthew 5:14-16), a true Christian does not take part in this world’s governmental or political affairs, as presently, it is not God who rules this earth, but Satan the devil (Revelation 2:13; Luke 4:5-6). Christians are challenged to come out of the governmental and political systems of this world. Christ, knowing that God’s Kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), refused to judge a civil matter when He was asked to do so (Luke 12:14). Paul, likewise, prohibited judging those ‘who are outside’ the church (1 Corinthians 5:12).’

“As Christ did not JUDGE a civil matter, so He did not VOTE in governmental elections either, and Christians are likewise PROHIBITED from doing so. The Bible is very clear: We are SINNING if we judge in jury duty services or vote in national elections, while forgetting our true responsibility of being AMBASSADORS for Christ and the coming Kingdom of God. Once God rules on earth, there will be NO MORE VOTING in political campaigns. For true Christians, there must be no voting today.”

We are afraid that this biblical warning will fall on deaf ears of those who in their misguided zeal are determined to vote, no matter what God says. They will do this at great personal peril, because God is not mocked; and what a man sows that he will reap. Especially in this coming presidential election, their vote will only contribute to the destruction of the flesh.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Eric and Shana Rank thank all of the brethren for their heartfelt prayers regarding the birth of their twins. They are happy to announce that their identical twin boys, Jude Everest and Milo Magnus were born into the Rank family on November 1st, 2016 at 9:52 am weighing in at 8lb 6oz and 8lb 9oz respectively.

Many of the video-recorded US and German messages for Trumpets, Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day have been posted on the English and German websites, as well as on YouTube.

We are pleased to announce that ten people were baptized at the recent Feast of Tabernacles, which was observed in Templin, Germany.

A new German sermon for this Sabbath was recorded this week and posted on the Web. In English, the title is: “Is the Teaching of an Immortal Soul Biblical?” The German booklet on the “Theory of Evolution” and the English booklet on the “Immortal Soul” are being offered in the sermon.

On the evening of October 16 through October 24, 2016, we will be observing the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day. Live services will be available—please refer to: https://www.eternalgod.org/live-services/ for scheduled times.

The next Update will be published on November 4, 2016.

One of the key statements in the Bible is the need for man to bring glory and honor to God.

In fact, God says that He created us for His glory. We read in Isaiah 43:5-7 that God’s people are called and created for the purpose of glorifying God. Continuing in Isaiah 66:18-19, we see that ALL nations will be learning about God’s glory, and that the nations of Israel will in fact declare God’s glory.

Many will be asking at that time why they should worship and glorify God. When Moses asked Pharaoh to let Israel go, Pharaoh’s answer was “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?” (Exodus 5:2). And so, an answer must be given in this regard. A prime answer can be found in 1 Chronicles 16:23-36, which helps to show that God’s great might and power are to be talked about and sung about, and that we should worship Him on the Sabbath and the annual Holy Days in holy array. There is no end to the greatness of God. Revelation 15:4 shows that when God’s righteousness is revealed to all nations, they will give glory to God.

Christ noted many times His affinity and love for God in His obedience to God. In this way, He showed glory to God (John 17:4). And by extension, He has shown us that we too, as Christians, must be bringing glory to God. Our good actions and deeds, being founded on God and His Word, can actually influence others to acknowledge and even give glory to God. But the opposite can also be true: We can actually cause God’s name to be blasphemed and dishonored if we are not mindful of our ways (Romans 2:22-24).

We should be constantly aware that we can have a positive or a negative effect on others. Romans 11:33-36 shows that God’s all-powerful presence should be a corner stone for our faith.

We should have confidence in our ways and let people see this (Matthew 5:16). This is how we are to show God that we really glorify Him, in growing abundantly in the fruit of the Spirit. John 15:8 states that this is how we prove that we actually are Christ’s true disciples. We must do everything to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31), so that we ourselves know that we are being approved (Romans 14:18; Philippians 1:9-11; 2 Timothy 2:15).

As we are preparing for the Feast of Tabernacles, let us take this thought to heart and really strive to understand just how we can glorify God during this appointed time, and how we can let our lights shine to this darkening world. It is a must if we want to make it into the Kingdom of God, which we will be picturing in the upcoming days.

We report on the concerns coming from Europe as Washington and Russia provoke one-another—prompting even more plans for a European army as a terrorist is captured in Germany.

Cholera in Haiti mounts following devastating death and destruction; the Pope reacts to marriage between two nuns; transgender treatments are now being offered by a Seattle clinic; and we conclude with several articles covering the US presidential contest.

Building its Army!

On October 12, 2016, Der Spiegel Online reported that the four countries with the biggest European armies will be working together more closely, after Britain is out of the way. These countries are France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The article continued that the EU Treaties allow this to happen

Steinmeier Warns of Deteriorating World Order

Deutsche Welle wrote on October 8:

“Writing in the mass-market newspaper Bild, Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said that tensions between Washington and Moscow have created a situation that is ‘more dangerous’ than the Cold War. ‘All options need to be considered’ in light of recent atrocities in Syria, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman has said, when asked about the possibility of fresh sanctions against Russia… Steinmeier penned an opinion piece published Saturday warning that relations between the US and Russia have reached a new low. ‘It’s a fallacy to think that this is like the Cold War. The current times are different and more dangerous,’ Steinmeier wrote in a 214-word guest column published by Bild, Germany’s largest circulation newspaper.

“The Ukrainian crisis, Syrian conflict and a lapse in nuclear material cooperation between the former Cold War adversaries are listed by Germany’s top diplomat as reasons for the dangerous environment. He laid the blame mostly on Russia for ‘provoking’ a new Cold War but, unlike the Cold War-era, in which the US and Russia had ‘red lines and respected them’, the new multi-polar environment has more regional conflict making geopolitics ‘more unpredictable.’…”

Russia’s Further Provocations

Reuters wrote on October 8:

“Russia has moved nuclear-capable Iskander-M missiles into the Kaliningrad enclave bordering Poland and Lithuania, the Defence Ministry said on Saturday, adding it was part of routine drills… ‘The deployment not only increases tensions in the region, but also possibly violates international treaties which limit deployment of ballistic missiles of range of over 500 kilometers,’ [Lithuania’s] Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius told a news briefing in Vilnius… Some modifications of the Iskander can hit targets 700 km (450 miles) away, putting the German capital Berlin in range of Kaliningrad, Linkevicius said.”

Attempted Terror Attacks by Refugees in Germany?

The Local wrote on October 8:

“German police were carrying out a huge manhunt Saturday for a 22-year-old Syrian suspected of planning a bomb attack, after finding ‘highly explosive’ materials in his apartment. Security has been boosted at Berlin’s two airports and at train stations in the capital. The suspect, Jaber Albakr, could have had ‘an Islamist motive’, police sources told AFP. German news agency DPA, citing security sources, reported that Albakr had links to the Islamic State (IS) group. Police said ‘several hundred grams’ of an ‘explosive substance even more dangerous than TNT’ were found in Albakr’s apartment in the eastern city of Chemnitz, about 260 kilometres south of Berlin. ‘Even a small quantity of this substance could have caused enormous damage,’ police said…

“Albakr had been under surveillance for some time, with the magazine Focus reporting that he was suspected of plotting to attack an airport. Two of his associates were arrested close to Chemnitz’s railway station while a third was taken into custody in the city centre…

“Albakr was living in a neighbourhood of Chemnitz whose communist-era housing estates are home to many recently arrived refugees… German police said previously they had identified 523 people who posed a security threat to the country, around half of whom were known to be currently in Germany. On September 21 German officials said a 16-year-old Syrian refugee had been arrested on suspicion of planning a bomb attack in the name of IS. The youngster, thought to have been radicalised only recently, was detained in a special forces operation at a shelter for asylum seekers in the western city of Cologne, police and prosecutors said. Initial information gathered from the teenager’s mobile phone showed that he had expressed an ‘unmistakeable willingness’ to carry out an attack, Klaus-Stephan Becker of the Cologne police told reporters.

“A week earlier, German police detained three men with forged Syrian passports accused of being IS militants and labelled a possible ‘sleeper cell’ with links to the assailants behind the November attacks in Paris. More than 200 police took part in pre-dawn raids in northern Germany to detain the men, suspected of either plotting an attack or awaiting orders to commit one. German authorities have urged the public not to confuse migrants with ‘terrorists’, but have acknowledged that more jihadists may have entered the country among the nearly one million asylum seekers who arrived last year.”

Syrian Terror Suspect Found Dead in Cell in Germany

BBC News reported on October 12:

“A Syrian migrant suspected of planning a bomb attack on a Berlin airport has killed himself in his prison cell in Leipzig, Germany, officials say.

“Saxony’s state justice ministry said Jaber al-Bakr was found dead and that an investigation had been launched.

“He had been turned in to police on Monday by three Syrian refugees after being on the run for two days.

“German police had been watching him for months, but failed to arrest him when they raided his flat on Saturday.

“Since his arrest, Jaber al-Bakr, 22, had been on hunger strike and was under round-the-clock surveillance, news website Der Spiegel reported.”

Cholera in Haiti

Deutsche Welle reported on October 8:

“Cholera outbreaks have killed at least 13 people in Haiti in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. Nearly 900 people have died in Haiti with thousands homeless due to the storm, which is now battering the US southeast… The flood water mixed with sewage, which has likely caused the cholera outbreak. The disease causes severe diarrhea and can kill within hours if a patient doesn’t receive medical treatment.

“… Before Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) released a loan of $8 million (7.14 million euros) to the United Nations Children’s Fund to deal with a worsening cholera epidemic in the country. ‘In 2016, almost 27,000 cholera cases have been reported in Haiti, and over 240 people have died. Hurricane Matthew is feared to significantly worsen the situation and increase the risk of a larger outbreak,’ CERF said in a statement on Friday.”

Pope Sad About Marrying Nuns

Newsmax wrote on October 7:

“Pope Francis was upset to hear that two former nuns had married in a civil ceremony in Italy, Vatican Deputy Secretary of State Archbishop Angelo Becciu said Friday. ‘How much sadness on the pope’s face when I read him the news of the two married “nuns”!’ Becciu tweeted.

“Federica and Isabel were joined in a civil union in northern Italy last month, taking advantage of a law passed this year that offers homosexual couples legal recognition — one of the last countries in the West to do so. The pair, who did not give their surnames, told La Repubblica on Friday that they had fallen in love while serving as missionaries in the West African country Guinea-Bissau. Federica, 44, comes from Italy and Isabel, 40, comes from South America. They said they could have done what other nuns did and live together in a convent while hiding their relationship, but said this would have been ‘false’. ‘There are many such cases where priests or nuns hide their relationships with men or women,’ the pair were quoted as saying, adding that they had received no help when they left their religious order…

“The Italian Bishops Conference came out firmly against the government’s Civil Union bill, arguing that it undermined the status of traditional families. The Church teaches that homosexuality is not sinful but homosexual acts are, and that homosexuals should try to be chaste. However, Pope Francis said in June that Christians and the Roman Catholic Church should seek forgiveness from gay people for the way they had treated them.”

Flashback: “Seattle Children’s Hospital Will Open a Clinic for Transgender Youth”

The Family Policy Institute wrote on September 26:

“Doctors trained in ‘transgender care’ will provide puberty blockers, cross-sex hormone therapy, and mental health support to children struggling with their gender identity. The Gender Clinic will refer children seeking sex reassignment surgery to other medical providers. The clinic… will serve children between eight and 21 years old.

“Seattle Children’s claims that treating transgender children early in life allows them to better integrate into society, despite growing evidence that treating gender dysphoria with puberty blockers and hormone therapies can irreversibly harm young children. In a statement entitled ‘Gender Ideology Harms Children,’ the American College of Pediatricians outlines the risks associated with puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone therapies.

“Puberty blockers prevent a child from beginning puberty. Children using puberty blockers find their growth and fertility inhibited, sometimes permanently. Their sexual organs never fully mature, leaving them deprived of the ability to reproduce and without the physical characteristics associated with either sex. Heartbreakingly, this can leave them feeling as if they belong to neither biological sex.

“There are also health risks associated with these treatments. Puberty blockers decrease bone density and may hinder brain development. Cross-sex hormone therapy increases the risk of high blood pressure, blood clots, stroke, and cancer. Dr. Paul McHugh, the former psychiatrist in chief at John Hopkins Medical Center, likened these medical interventions to ‘child abuse,’ noting that ‘close to 80% of such children would abandon their confusion and grow naturally into adult life if untreated.’ Other research summarized by the American Psychiatric Association suggests as many as 98% of boys and 88% of girls who struggle with gender dysphoria as children will no longer identify as the other gender after finishing puberty.

“Troublingly, the majority of adolescents who will stop identifying as the other gender may be unable to revert to their biological sex if they received puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone treatments. The American College of Pediatricians warns that ‘children and adolescents are incapable of making informed decisions regarding permanent, irreversible and life-altering medical interventions.’

“We agree. Activist doctors shouldn’t encourage children to undergo unnecessary and potentially harmful and irreversible medical treatments – and that’s exactly why the news about the Seattle Children’s Gender Clinic is so concerning.”

Piers Morgan Evaluates the Second Presidential Debate

The Daily Mail reported on October 10:

“I don’t think I’m overstating things when I say that last night’s debate was the most sickeningly squalid spectacle in the history of US politics. To see the remaining two candidates for the presidency trading blows about sexual assault and rape was so unedifying it defies any parody Saturday Night Live might ever come up…

“It’s hard to imagine any ‘October surprise’ that could possibly suit Hillary’s agenda more than this… Yet there was one huge problem: her husband Bill, sitting just a few yards away in the front row.

The world knows him as a brilliant politician, but also as a serial seducer of epic proportions who, while he was President of the United States, even had sexual relations with a young intern in the Oval Office. In comparison to Bill, many view Trump as a choirboy when it comes to women.

“Earlier last night, Trump hosted a press event with four women: Juanita Broaddrick, Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey and Kathy Shelton. Broaddrick claimed Bill Clinton raped her when he was Arkansas attorney general, and that Hillary intimidated her into silence when her husband launched his own bid to be president. Willey was a former White House volunteer aide who alleges Bill Clinton sexually assaulted her during his first term as president. Jones is a former Arkansas state employee who sued Bill Clinton for sexual harassment.

“Shelton was a 12-year-old rape victim whose attacker was defended by Hillary Clinton in her lawyer days. A tape later emerged showing Hillary chuckling when talking about the case and suggesting she knew her client was guilty. She used a legal technicality to get him a substantially reduced sentence…

“It was a prurient, distasteful and thoroughly self-serving stunt by Trump to sit among these women in front of the world’s media shortly before the debate started. And then take them to the actual debate itself and sit them right in the front row, feet away from Hillary. It also proved to be an extremely effective form of ugly politics. Hillary knew they were there. So did Bill. And so did the world…

“When Hillary went after Trump for his sex tapes, he instantly flew back at her about these women. ‘If you look at Bill Clinton, far worse,’ Trump jabbed. ‘Mine were words, his were actions. Bill Clinton was abusive to women, Hillary Clinton attacked those women, attacked them viciously.’ It was devastatingly brutal to watch, but as he doubtless hoped it would, it stopped the sex tape debate in its tracks. Hillary had nowhere to go but meek retreat. ‘I’m reminded,’ she said, ‘of what my friend Michelle Obama advised us all: When they go low, you go high.’…

“I’m not so sure about that, Mrs Clinton. I think the world’s women were more of the ‘when they go THIS low, deliver the fatal blow’ mind-set. But she couldn’t and Trump knew it. Emboldened by this knowledge, you could see his confidence levels rise for the rest of the debate as he scored valuable points against her over issues like emails, Benghazi, Obamacare and Iraq. Hillary held her own but she was nowhere near as comfortable or dominant as she was in the first debate. By the end, it was clear that Trump had won the real battle. Far from being finished, he had sent a firm message to his supporters and indeed to those in the Republican Party itching to ditch him, that he is still alive and kicking in this race…

“As for what happens next, who… knows? The truth about this extraordinary election is that nobody really has a clue what will happen in the next 24 hours, let alone 29 days.

“Trump, Hillary’s supporters insist, is a disgusting, bigoted, women-hating, Hitler-esque monster who couldn’t possibly be elected president. The problem is that’s not what vast swathes of Middle America actually think. They still see Trump as their billionaire Robin Hood, albeit with rather more personal flaws. And they loathe Hillary because to them, she’s the walking, breathing, smirking personification of the very Establishment they believe is conspiring to wreck their lives. They are also, as we’ve seen from the reaction to last night’s debate, well aware that when it comes to defending the rights of women against sexist, misogynist creeps, it’s probably best not to be called Clinton.”

Donald Trump in Hot Water

The Telegraph wrote on October 8:

“Donald Trump’s chances of winning the US election were dealt a severe blow on Friday night after the emergence of a video in which he… uses lewd and sexually aggressive language… The billionaire businessman took the rare step of apologising for any offence he might have caused, describing the filmed conversation from 2005 as ‘locker room banter’. He added Bill Clinton, the former president, had said ‘far worse’…

“Hillary Clinton, Mr Trump’s rival for the White House said: ‘This is horrific. We cannot allow this man to become president..’ Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House and most senior Republican, said he was ‘sickened’ by what he heard and banned him from a political event in Wisconsin. Reince Preibus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee,  slammed the party’s presidential candidate in a statement Friday night. ‘No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever.’ … In the video, Mr Trump is recorded talking about an unnamed woman to Billy Bush, who was a host for Access Hollywood, a TV entertainment show… The footage was taken several months after Mr Trump married his third wife, Melania Trump, in January 2005…”

The Daily Mail added that “Billy Bush is the nephew of former president George H.W. Bush, and first cousins with George W. and Jeb Bush.”

The New York Times added on October 7:

“In the video, from 2005, Mr. Bush can be heard laughing as Mr. Trump describes in vulgar terms his efforts to seduce a married woman… Mr. Bush, 44, issued a statement on Friday evening, writing: ‘Obviously I’m embarrassed and ashamed. It’s no excuse, but this happened 11 years ago — I was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along.’”

The Huffington Post wrote von October 7:

“Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who dropped out of the GOP presidential primary earlier this year, called the remarks ‘reprehensible’ on Twitter. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, another former Trump primary rival, echoed the sentiment. Mitt Romney, the Republicans’ presidential nominee four years ago, condemned his successor’s remarks as ‘vile degradations.’ Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the 2008 GOP nominee, denounced Trump’s ‘offensive and demeaning,’ adding that the GOP nominee ‘alone bears the burden of his conduct and alone should suffer the consequences.’… Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) called Trump’s comments ‘vulgar, egregious and impossible to justify.’”

Deutsche Welle added on October 8:

“Donald Trump’s running mate and closest ally Mike Pence has slammed Trump’s comments on groping women. With outrage mounting against Trump, the ex-reality TV star said there was ‘zero chance’ of him quitting the race. Pence, who is the Republican candidate for vice president, said on Saturday he ‘cannot defend’ Trump’s vulgar remarks caught in a 2005 video…

“Trump’s wife Melania, who married the billionaire only months before the video was recorded, urged the public to accept his apology. ‘The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me. This does not represent the man that I know,’ she said in a statement. At the same time, she defended her husband, saying he had ‘the heart and mind of a leader… I hope people will accept his apology, as I have, and focus on the important issues facing our nation and the world.’”

Trump declares war on GOP, says ‘the shackles have been taken off’

The Washington Post wrote on October 11:

“Donald Trump declared war on the Republican establishment Tuesday, lashing out at House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.), Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and other GOP elected officials as his supporters geared up to join the fight amid extraordinary turmoil within the party just four weeks before Election Day.

“One day after Ryan announced he would no longer campaign on Trump’s behalf, the GOP nominee said as part of a barrage of tweets that the top-ranking Republican is ‘weak and ineffective’ and is providing ‘zero support’ for his candidacy. Trump also declared that ‘the shackles have been taken off’ him, liberating him to ‘fight for America the way I want to.’

“Trump called McCain ‘foul-mouthed’ and accused him with no evidence of once begging for his support…

“’I wouldn’t want to be in a foxhole with a lot of these people, that I can tell you . . . especially Ryan,’ Trump said in an interview with Fox News Channel. He said if he is elected president, Ryan might be ‘in a different position.’

“In perhaps the most piercing insult, Trump said his party is harder to deal with than even Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, whom conservatives loathe….

“By backing away from Trump, Ryan and his allies were hoping to insulate themselves and their majorities on Capitol Hill from the baggage weighing down the nominee’s flagging campaign. For many, the breaking point was the 2005 video. But they are suddenly dealing with another problem: an impulsive and bellicose businessman with an army of loyal supporters willing to exact retribution against elected officials they feel have abandoned them. The rift could have profound ramifications for the Republican Party as a whole, shattering any sense of unity and jeopardizing its chances of holding onto the Senate and even, potentially, the House.”

Russia Defends Trump

Newsmax wrote on October 7:

Russia’s government lodged a formal complaint last month with the United Nations over a top U.N. official’s condemnations of Donald Trump and some European politicians, diplomats told The Associated Press, an intervention that underscores the unusual links between the Republican presidential nominee and the Kremlin…

“Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, issued a verbal ‘demarche’ to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a private meeting on Sept. 13… Churkin angrily protested a pair of speeches by [Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights] that denounced ‘demagogues’ and specifically targeted Trump and several populist leaders in Europe, even likening their tactics to Islamic State propaganda…

“Paul Manafort, a Trump campaign manager, resigned this summer over revelations about his work for Ukraine’s former, Moscow-backed president and other pro-Russian officials…

“Zeid concentrated on Dutch nationalist Geert Wilders, who opposes asylum for refugees and, similar to Trump, immigration from Muslim countries. Wilders also advocates closing mosques and Islamic schools, and outlawing the Quran. Zeid also criticized by name the pro-Brexit head of the U.K. Independence Party, Nigel Farage, who appeared with Trump at an August rally; Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico; Austrian presidential candidate Norbert Hofer; French nationalist leader Marine Le Pen; Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban; and Czech President Milos Zeman.”

Hillary Clinton in Hot Water

Newsmax reported on October 7:

“Hillary Clinton told bankers behind closed doors that she favored ‘open trade and open borders’ and said Wall Street executives were best-positioned to help reform the U.S. financial sector, according to transcripts of her private, paid speeches leaked Friday. The leaks were the result of another email hacking intended to influence the presidential election. Excerpts of the speeches given in the years before her 2016 presidential campaign included some blunt and unguarded remarks to her private audiences which collectively had paid her at least $26.1 million in speaking fees. Clinton had refused to release transcripts of the speeches, despite repeated calls to do so by her primary opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders.

“The excerpts were included in emails exchanged among her political staff, including Campaign Chairman John Podesta, whose email account was hacked. The WikiLeaks organization posted what it said were thousands of Podesta’s emails. It wasn’t immediately clear who had hacked Podesta’s emails, though the breach appeared to cover years of messages, some sent as recently as last month.

“Among the emails was a compilation of excerpts from Clinton’s paid speeches in 2013 and 2014. It appeared campaign staff had read all Clinton’s speeches and identified passages that could be potentially problematic for the candidate if they were to become public.

“One excerpt put Clinton squarely in the free-trade camp, a position she has retreated on significantly during the 2016 election. In a talk to a Brazilian bank in 2013, she said her ‘dream’ is ‘a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders’ and asked her audience to think of what doubling American trade with Latin America ‘would mean for everybody in this room.’

“Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, has made opposition to trade deals a cornerstone of his campaign…

“The excerpts include quotes from an October 2013 speech at an event sponsored by Goldman Sachs, in which Clinton conceded that presidential candidates need the financial backing of Wall Street to mount a competitive national campaign…

“In an April 2013 speech to the National Multifamily Housing Council, Clinton said politicians must balance ‘both a public and a private position’ while making deals…”

We hear many in the world talking about their financial contributions to their particular church organizations. And although the practice of giving a full ten percent in tithe may not be followed, the practice of giving to churches is still prevalent. According to Giving USA, 32% of charitable contributions in 2015 were directed towards “Religion”, totaling $119.3 billion dollars (givingusa.org).

But what is “Religion”, as defined by those millions of people tithing to their churches? Is it true religion or just a shadow of the church Christ is head of? We know that the vast majority of these people are not tithing to God (as His Holy Spirit has opened our eyes to understand). Most don’t know God, but they are still practicing, to some degree, the commands of God. If these tithes are filling the coffers of false churches, does God acknowledge what so many are doing?

The admonition to tithe is plain to understand for God’s people. We state in our booklet, “And Lawlessness Will Abound,” on page 19: “We are still duty-bound to pay tithes; otherwise, we rob God and are under a curse. But it is no longer the Levites who are to collect the tithes. That part of the law was changed. It is now Christ—through His Church—who has the responsibility of collecting God’s tithes.”

We also understand that there are great blessings in tithing. Malachi states, “‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessings That there will not be room enough to receive it’” (Malachi 3:10).

The majority of professing Christians believe the law of tithing was done away with at Christ’s death and that it was a law for Jews. Many, although superficially, can read these same Scriptures and desire to please God. To whatever degree, it’s evident many still give to their religion without understanding why or if they truly should.

Many point to Christ’s interaction with the Pharisees as the point when tithing was no longer necessary. But it was their method of tithing, which caused them to forget what truly mattered, that Christ commented on, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Matthew 23:23). In “And Lawlessness Will Abound,” we comment on this passage: “Jesus Christ confirmed that the tithing law was still in effect at the time of His first coming. While emphasizing that tithing is not an end in itself, He nevertheless endorsed its validity.”

Continuing on page 20 of our booklet, we refute the idea that tithing was only Jewish, “In fact, the tithing law was in existence long before the law was given to the Levites to collect those tithes. Notice Hebrews 7:9: ‘Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.’”

Tithing is still in effect today. It is also a law, like the Ten Commandments, that benefits all of mankind. God’s Spirit enables us to understand the significance and importance of tithing. But what of those who are not baptized and lack this understanding?

There is an outstanding example of one such person. In Acts we read, “There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, ‘Cornelius!’ And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, ‘What is it, lord?’ So he said to him, ‘Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God’” (Acts 10:1-5).

God was obviously working with Cornelius because his prayers were heard and his offerings were accepted by God. It wasn’t until Peter preached to Cornelius and those assembled with him that they had true understanding of God. Continuing in Acts, “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, ‘Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days” (Acts 10:44-48).

God has set forth everlasting principles for the benefit of mankind. When a person follows those principles they will be blessed—to the point of even having their minds opened to the truth of God.

Lead Writer: Robb Harris

Here are the dates for the remaining 2016 Fall Holy Days:

October 17 through October 23—Feast of Tabernacles
October 24—Last Great Day

“In God’s Hands,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Michael Link, is now posted. Here is a summary.

Are our lives in God’s hands? Are the trials that we experience part of God’s purpose? Does God have a hand in world affairs and the leadership, and does He control what the fate of this nation and the rest of the world will be? How can we be spared from the devastation that will soon take place?

“No More Separation,” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Christ came to reconcile us with God the Father; to break down the wall of separation between God and us; to make us one with God. But Christ did not die for us alone. He is the Savior of all of mankind. The Day of Atonement reminds us of the fact that the world is not lost; that Christ came to reconcile the world to God the Father.