On September 24, 2016, Norbert Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Let Us Make Man in Our Image,” and Michael Link will present the sermon, titled, “Fight Our Fears.”

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.

When someone has suffered trauma, is unconscious, has stopped breathing and his heart has stopped, then the person is administered CPR.

“Cardiopulmonary resuscitation,” commonly known as CPR, is described as an emergency procedure that combines chest compression, often with artificial ventilation, in an effort to manually preserve brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person.

The reason this has to be administered quickly is to avoid brain damage from a lack of oxygen to the brain. Failure to act immediately can cause permanent and irreparable brain damage. CPR in first aid was developed to prolong a person’s life until professional medical attention could be given to the patient involved.

When you look at the conditions in the world with all its current ills and evil, you have to conclude that the patient (mankind) is in dire straits, and something needs to be done or the patient will surely die. What is needed for mankind is another form of CPR—“Christ’s pressing return”—to avoid certain death. The professional treatment for mankind is the imminent return of Christ in order to save mankind from himself, as man is currently on a self-destructive course from which there would be no return.

This ushering in of a new age will solve, in time, all the ills and problems of mankind. A patient or victim, bleeding severely and in shock, has to have the bleeding controlled in order to get well. Likewise, conditions on the earth cannot get better until the bleeding, as it were, is controlled and the patient can and will recover.

This new age is one of peace and harmony, something mankind has not experienced to any degree or at any length of time since Adam and Eve were cast out of Paradise and Cain killed his brother Abel.

God’s Church has the opportunity and responsibility to be engaged in the process of proclaiming the good news (the gospel) of God’s Kingdom to the world, just prior to the new age being ushered in. This is a great privilege which should not be taken lightly. Rather, we should be zealously doing the Work, which our loving Father has given us, not looking back but moving forward to finish the job for the ultimate benefit of mankind.

While a dying patient may need CPR in the form of “cardiopulmonary resuscitation,” this world needs another form of CPR—“Christ’s pressing return.”

Last Friday, Donald Trump made a “big announcement.” Without any explanation as to the drastic change in his prior position, and without giving any evidence whatsoever, he stated within a few seconds that Barack Obama was born in Hawaii. In this issue, we analyze the legitimate concerns regarding the official explanation of Mr. Obama’s birthplace, and also the apparent political reason for Mr. Trump’s “reversal,” which does not look good at all.

We continue reporting on turmoil in North Carolina and another terrorist attack in New York City; the worldwide reaction to Mr. Trump’s denial of “climate change”; and on Europe’s “fragile” unity and its willingness to create a European army, over UK objection, partly because of fear of Donald Trump. We also point out the anti-Americanism in Germany as one reason for Germany’s strong opposition against an Obama-backed trade deal with Europe.

We address another terrible loss of Angela Merkel in Sunday’s election in Berlin, while the anti-Immigration party AfD keeps scoring points; report on European plans to create an “entry system” for non-EU visitors; speak on the end of a cease-fire agreement in Syria which never really began; and the “biggest threat to modern medicine”; and we conclude with articles about the crazy ideas of evolutionists and an amazing discovery and procedure, proving that God preserved His Word—the Holy Bible.

“Trump’s Greatest Trick He’s Ever Pulled”

The Washington Post wrote on September 16:

“Donald Trump is, at heart, a showman. He rose to national fame thanks to star turns on reality TV… His great gift is the ability to draw attention — and then use that attention for his own, usually commercial, purposes.

“Trump may have outdone himself on Friday morning. He and his campaign touted a ‘major’ announcement at his newly opened hotel in Washington, D.C., at 10 a.m. The word was that Trump would walk away from his past skepticism about President Obama’s citizenship while also laying the blame for the birther movement at the feet of Hillary Clinton…  And say it he did. ‘Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it,’ Trump said. ‘President Obama was born in the United States. Period.’

“Trump’s assertions about Clinton’s role in the birther movement are wrong. His simple statement that Obama was born in the United States directly contradicts myriad statements he has made questioning the president’s birthplace over the past five years.

“But neither of those things were the most amazing part of that Trump event. The most amazing thing was that it took the Republican nominee 29 minutes to deliver those three sentences. The event was slated to start at 10 a.m. Eastern time. It wasn’t until 11 a.m. that it actually began — with Trump touting his new hotel and proclaiming that it is likely to be one of the best in the world. He then ceded the stage to a parade of decorated military veterans who testified to his toughness, his judgment and his temperament.

“Cable networks seemed to not know what to do. All three of them — MSNBC, Fox News and CNN — stayed with the generals’ testimonials for the better part of 20 minutes. That’s a remarkable amount of free cable time to dedicate to a series of surrogates testifying how great one of the two party nominees is.

“The networks eventually cut away from the generals, but then Trump was back at the mic — roughly 90 minutes after his event was originally slated to start. Meaning that he drew an hour and a half of live coverage for:

“1. An empty podium.

“2. A series of military endorsements/testimonials.

“3. Three sentences from Trump himself — one that is totally false and two others that represent a total reversal from a position he held as recently as, well, Thursday night.

“It was a low moment for politics and political coverage… But for Trump, it might have been his crowning achievement: All eyes on him with the chance to direct the play in whatever way he saw fit. The ringmaster — calling the shots in all three rings of the circus. It was peak Trump.”

If America wants a showman as President, then it was indeed a great performance. The sad truth of the matter is that the presidential election for 2016 has sunk to an unprecedented low… never before in the history of the USA have there been two nominees for the Republican and Democratic parties who are equally disliked by most voters, especially in view of their perceived lack of qualification and trustworthiness.

Will Trump’s Circus Act Get Votes?

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 16:

“For years, Trump was the most prominent proponent of the ‘birther’ movement, which questioned whether US President Barack Obama had been born outside the United States and thus potentially constitutionally ineligible to be president – and calling on him to prove he was born in Hawaii. As recently as Thursday he refused to answer a question from the ‘Washington Post’ about his claim. That ended this week when Trump and his campaign abruptly changed tack and conceded that Obama had indeed been born in Hawaii. Trump then pivoted and tried to blame his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, for raising the issue and bragged that it was his pressure as a private citizen in 2011 that forced the president’s hand in releasing his birth certificate.

“Yet even if that were true, it fails to explain why Trump repeatedly made the claim for years to question the president’s legitimacy in holding the country’s highest office. His comments speculating on Obama’s birthplace have been seen by many as an attempt to delegitimize the nation’s first black president, playing to a racist vein within American society but also losing votes from the non-white electorate.”

“To get votes” seems to be the underlying motive for Mr. Trump’s sudden “epiphany,” as the next article points out as well.

What Happened to Donald Trump’s Concerns? It’s All About Politics…

The Washington Post wrote on September 16:

“In April 2011, Obama released his long-form Hawaiian birth certificate [actually, he released a copy, which was “authenticated” by an Hawaiian official who subsequently died in a plane crash]…  But Trump didn’t revise his position and repeatedly questioned the validity of the document Obama released. In an October 2011 interview with CNN, Trump said that if ‘you check out the Internet, many people say it is not real.’ In August 2012, Trump tweeted that ‘an “extremely credible source” has called my office and told me that Barack Obama’s birth certificate is a fraud.’…

“Days before the 2012 election, Trump posted a video online that labeled Obama ‘the least transparent president in the history of this country’ and demanded that Obama release his college records, college applications and passport records…  When Trump launched his long-shot presidential bid in June 2015, he continued to say in interviews that he didn’t know if Obama was born in the United States…  In January [2016], Trump said on CNN that he doesn’t know where the president was born…

“A sizable number of voters agreed with Trump. A 2010 Washington Post-ABC News poll [and a CNN-ORC poll in September 2015] found 20 percent saying Obama was born in another country…  In the latest survey, beliefs that Obama was born outside the United States peaked at 26 percent among Republicans and 34 percent among self-identified tea party supporters…

“[This has] caused many black voters to turn sharply against Trump, offended that he would challenge the qualifications of the country’s first black president… Earlier this month, former Republican candidate Ben Carson – who now advises Trump on race issues – said on CNN that Trump could immediately improve his relationship with African American voters by apologizing for questioning the president’s place of birth…”

The “birther” movement was never about the color of the President. After all, one should never forget (even though the mass media likes to do this), that Mr. Obama is both black and white.

Do the “Birthers” Buckle Too?

The Washington Post wrote on September 17:

“A few hours after Donald Trump’s announcement that he had renounced ‘birtherism,’ Andy Martin was pleased with how it went. ‘He handled it as well as he could,’ said Martin, a lawyer, writer and frequent candidate who began asking questions about Barack Obama’s birth certificate in 2004. ‘His supporters don’t really care about the issue any more…’

“Orly Taitz, a dentist and lawyer who long ago surpassed Martin as the face of birtherism, took a similar position on Trump’s reversal… ‘ My word to my supporters: let Trump win the election. There are only 8 weeks left. Now is not the time to talk about Obama, he is not running for president, Clinton is.’…

“Philip J. Berg, a Pennsylvania lawyer who filed the first high-profile lawsuits against Obama, quit his law practice to avoid being disbarred…

“Taitz… was the only prominent birther still raising questions. In a rundown of the interviews she’d done on Friday, Taitz repeated the eight questions she had about the fraud the president might have committed. ‘When media is corrupt, when the Department of Justice is corrupt, the country becomes a banana republic or even worse, a tyranny,’ she wrote. ‘For now, let’s concentrate on the election, let’s help Trump get elected, we’ll renew this conversation later.’”

The question is: Will Mr. Trump participate in that “conversation”? At this point, he did not give any answer to a myriad of questions. To just make “politically correct” statements to gain some advantage in the number of votes is neither helpful nor persuasive.

Arizona’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio Won’t Buckle

The Huffington Post wrote on September 21:

“Arizona’s Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio still isn’t convinced President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Arpaio, a supporter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, told a tea party group Tuesday he’s still investigating Obama’s birth certificate, which the president made public in April 2011. ‘I don’t care where he’s from,’ Arpaio told the crowd, according to USA Today. ‘We are looking at a forged document. Period.’ ‘I know all the politicians say, “Sheriff, don’t talk about it,”’ he continued. ‘But how can I back down when we started it? I’m not going to just forget it.’”

Why couldn’t Donald Trump behave in the same manner?

Trump Backtracking Again?

Daily Mail wrote on September 22:

“Last week, the Republican presidential candidate announced that Obama was in fact born in America, and not Kenya, as Trump had claimed for years. But when asked why he backtracked on his birther theory on Wednesday, Trump appeared to reverse his opinion once again… Trump said that his birther theory was becoming a distraction from his big issues and appeared to say he only admitted that Obama was born in the U.S. to get the public back on track…”

CNN wrote on September 21:

“Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that his statement late last week that President Barack Obama was born in the US was motivated by politics, not by a genuine change of heart…”

On September 22, Newsmax published the following article:

“A reporter from ABC6/FOX28 asked Trump ‘what changed’ to make him believe Obama was born in this country.  ‘Well, I just wanted to get on with, I wanted to get on with the campaign…’

“During a campaign stop in North Carolina on Tuesday, The Associated Press’ Jill Colvin called out, ‘Mr. Trump, when did you change your mind about the birther issue? When did you decide that President Obama was actually born in the United States?’ Trump did not answer, and the press were soon ushered out…”

FLASHBACK:

“Obama Was Born in Kenya and His Birth Was Later Registered in Hawaii at two Different Hospitals”

Israel National News wrote this on October 12, 2008:

“According to Obama’s Kenyan (paternal) grandmother, as well as his half-brother and half-sister, Barack Hussein Obama was born in Kenya, not in Hawaii… His grandmother bragged that her grandson is about to be President of the United States and is so proud because she was present DURING HIS BIRTH IN KENYA, in the delivery room…  Obama’s mother Ann Dunham, flew to Kenya in 1961 with Obama’s father to meet his family… Obama’s family did not take to Stanley Ann Dunham Obama very well, because she was white, according to Sarah Obama. Shortly after she arrived in Kenya Stanley Ann decided to return to Hawaii because she later said, she did not like how Muslim men treated their wives in Kenya.

“However, because she was near term the airline would not let her fly until after the birth of her baby. Obama’s grandmother said the baby–Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.–was born in Kenya… Then, after he was born, his mother returned with him to Hawaii where his birth was REGISTERED on or about August 8th, 1961, in the public records office in Hawaii. There is also a discrepancy in what hospital Barack Hussein Obama was born in, even if he was born in Hawaii.  Reports by his own sister in two separate interviews state that he was born[on August 4, 1961] at two different hospitals — Kapiolani Hospital and Queens Hospital–in Honolulu.”

There are many more unanswered questions. We have reported about these unresolved issues for many years in our weekly Updates.

Chaos and Turmoil in North Carolina

Newsmax wrote on September 21:

“One person was killed in Charlotte Wednesday and another one was injured as police fired tear gas on the second night of protests after the fatal shooting of an African-American man by police officers who said he had refused their orders to drop a handgun… The protest is located in the uptown section of North Carolina’s largest city…”

CBS News wrote on September 21:

“The killing inflamed racial tensions in a city that seemed to have steered clear of the troubles that engulfed other places… The unrest took many by surprise in Charlotte, the banking capital of the South with a population of 830,000 people, about 35 percent of them black. The city managed to pull through a racially charged shooting three years ago without the unrest that erupted in recent years in such places as Baltimore, Milwaukee and Ferguson, Missouri.”

Another Terrorist Attack in New York City

Express wrote on September 18:

“THE New York bomb explosion has seen Donald Trump threatening action against anyone who threatens US security. The New York explosion injured 29 people and was caused by one of two devices discovered in the city last night… Democrat rival Hillary Clinton refused to say anything other than that she had been briefed…  New York Governor said the explosion was a terror attack but stressed no links to any international terrorist group like ISIS had been found… A White House official said President Barack Obama… had been ‘apprised of the explosion in New York City, the cause of which remains under investigation’.”

It was subsequently reported that police arrested an Afghan-born American wanted in connection with weekend bombings in New York and New Jersey, and that the assailant had shot two officers during a firefight in Linden, New Jersey. Reuters quoted two US unnamed officials as saying investigators believed there were more people involved, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “the evidence might suggest a foreign connection.”

Scientists “Alarmed” About Trump’s Denial of Global Warming

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 21:

“Nearly 400 scientists have blasted Donald Trump for threatening to pull the US out of the Paris climate accord. Their criticism comes just seven weeks before the US presidential election. The scientists, including 30 Nobel Prize winners and numerous members of the US National Academy of Sciences, take issue with Trump’s denial of global warming…

“Most of the signatories are from the United States, with many from leading universities such as Harvard, Cambridge and Columbia.”

Express wrote on September 21:

“MUCH has been made about his controversial views, but there has been little coverage on what US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump thinks about climate change… the outspoken billionaire does believe in climate change in a sense, but believes that it is a natural weather cycle… He claims it is a money making hoax designed to control how much energy the US uses… If he does make it into power, Mr Trump would be the world’s only national leader to deny climate change as a man-made problem, according to a report from environmental agency The Sierra Club.”

Will Mr. Trump stick to his position in light of growing criticism?

“Amid Fears of Trump, Europe Tries to Make its Security Less Dependent on the U.S.”

MSN.com wrote on September 16:

“The leaders of the remaining 27 nations in the European Union gathered Friday in Slovakia to discuss their visions for a Europe without Britain, including a Franco-German proposal to create a centralized European military headquarters in Brussels… Stronger coordination among European countries could bolster militaries that have relied on American firepower as a crutch…

“A Europe that is more independent militarily would also be more capable of pursuing a foreign policy path more distinct from the United States, potentially widening cracks in Western unity… ‘It is time to move forward to a European defense union,’ German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said last week. ‘… together, we Europeans are very strong if we improve our capabilities.’…

“The efforts to pool European defense would touch one of the core aspects of national sovereignty: the military, years after many European countries agreed to share a single currency and rely on one another for border controls…

“Still, defense cooperation may be among the least-divisive projects for Europe’s future, particularly with American commitments to European security the most in question since the end of World War II. Trump has said that he would not automatically come to the defense of other NATO alliance members but would first review how much those nations have done for their own defense… Proposals to rethink European defense long predate Trump’s rise, but he has jolted Europe with his willingness to question longstanding U.S. doctrine…”

Paper Tiger UK Would Object to an EU Army… So What?

The Independent wrote on September 17:

“The UK would exercise its power of veto to block the creation of an EU army while it remains a member of the European Union, according to Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon. EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has spoken of the possibility of a ‘common military force’ at a meeting of EU leaders in Bratislava, to which Britain was not invited.

“Sir Michael told The Times newspaper. ‘That is not going to happen. We are full members of the EU and we will go on resisting any attempt to set up a rival to Nato.’ A document discussed at the Bratislava summit indicates the European Commission will put forward proposals in December for a common military force, for which agreement will be sought in the summer. France and Germany are understood to be behind the proposals…

“The veto threat will further poison British relations with Brussels after the Brexit vote and harden attitudes in Germany and France against giving Theresa May concessions on access to Europe’s single market. Diplomatic relations between the UK and the EU are already fraught. The UK vetoing significant EU policy while it simultaneously negotiates its exit from the union could have significant consequences. All previous steps toward creating a common EU military force have been vetoed by Britain.”

The influence of the UK on Europe will be over very soon; but any opposition in the meantime will only increase Europe’s antagonism towards the UK.

Shaky EU Commitment in Bratislava, Slovakia

MSN.com wrote on September 16:

“European Union leaders on Friday… vowed to strengthen cooperation on security, reduce illegal migration and improve prosperity for the alliance’s disaffected citizens… Hollande said that Europe ‘can and must move forward as long as it has clear priorities: protection, security, prosperity and the future of the youth.’ The proposals will likely be ratified in March, when the EU celebrates the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, one of founding documents for a united Europe…

“The summit was held in Bratislava because Slovakia currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency. In many ways it is an apt venue for the talks. Once a jewel in the Austro-Hungarian empire, Bratislava has hosted the coronation of eighteen Hungarian rulers. And its location on the Danube River in Central Europe borders two independent countries — Austria and Hungary — that have long made it an important crossroads for international trade.

“Perhaps most important of all, Slovakia is one of the EU members in Eastern Europe along with Hungary that has consistently objected to Brussels’ plan to redistribute mostly Muslim asylum seekers across EU territory…

“The Visegrad countries — Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia — released a separate statement Friday urging leaders to improve how the EU functions… Whereas Eastern member states want more power returned to national parliaments, bigger players such as France and Germany are adamant that solutions to joint difficulties should take place at the EU level…”

Eastern European nations do not seem to see eye-to-eye with their Western friends. But notwithstanding some “lip services” to the contrary, they all seem to be in agreement with the “need” to build a mighty European “defense force.”

“Hundreds of Thousands Take to Streets in Germany Against Obama-backed Trade Deal”

CNBC wrote on September 17:

“Hundreds of thousands of Germans took to the streets Saturday, in protest of pending trade deals with the United States and Canada. The deals in question are the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the U.S. and the European Union and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) for the Canadian-EU relationship. Neither free trade agreement has been ratified yet, but popular outcry has been growing for the last few years.

“The demonstrations took place in seven cities throughout Germany: Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart. Organizers told CNBC that the official estimate is 320,000 demonstrators across Germany. In Berlin… the largest demonstration of the day took place with about 70,000 attendees, according to the organizers… while the organizers talk of seeking to maintain the sanctity of democracy and rule of law, critics of the movement charge that its ranks thrive at least as much on anti-Americanism as any coherent political or economic philosophy. Those elements were on display Saturday in Berlin as one sign accused U.S. President Barack Obama of being a murderer, and another suggested the American way of life was dominated by corporate interests. The demonstrator behind those signs even had a half-sized Obama effigy with the words ‘the lies of the Peace Prize winner Mr. President Barack Obama’ stuck to its forward.

“… anti-corporate sentiment… pervaded the march. Homemade signs admonished those seeking ‘profits,’ and images of the U.S. dollar bill were stand-ins for greed and inequality. Nearly every demonstrator queried by CNBC pointed immediately to concerns about “big companies” garnering too much power and wealth if the trade deals were enacted.

“You cannot just say all Americans are bad, but I can understand when people hate big companies,” Jonas, a 26-year-old Berlin student, said. Many like-minded demonstrators acknowledged they have friends and relatives who are employed by major multinational companies like Volkswagen, but they insisted that the benefits of a trade deal would go disproportionately to executives.

“Obama has said he hopes to conclude the TTIP negotiations by the end of the year, but that goal suffered a series of blows last month when French and German politicians openly questioned whether any deal was on the horizon. But the White House has indicated it won’t back down, and so it will be making a concerted push to solidify the terms of the TTIP before Obama is out of office. In fact, there is ‘no legitimate plan B’ for eventually crafting an agreement between the U.S. and the EU if the deal doesn’t happen this year…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 21:

“This is arguably one of the most stunning developments of the 2016 presidential race: Both presidential candidates have come out in opposition of free trade. Trump and Clinton have vowed that as president they would block the already fully negotiated Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a large trade agreement hammered out between the US and 11 other nations.”

Merkel Loses Again; Victory for AfD

The Telegraph wrote on September 18:

“Angela Merkel was facing damaging losses at the hands of Germany’s resurgent far-Right in regional elections in Berlin on Sunday evening. The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won the highest share of the vote for the far-Right in Berlin since the Second World War, with [14.1 percent of the votes]…

“The strong showing in Berlin proves the AfD ‘doesn’t just trade off discontent in rural areas but can establish itself in a city of millions known for its open lifestyle,’ Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper wrote in an editorial…

“Mrs Merkel’s CDU came second, but with just [17.5] per cent of the vote the result was disastrous for the party. It will almost certainly be forced out of the Berlin state government, where it previously served as junior coalition partner to the SPD…”

Deutsche Welle added on September 18:

“The populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party entered Berlin’s 149-seat state assembly… It now enters its tenth regional assembly out of 16 German states… Sunday’s elections represent another significant blow to Merkel’s party…  The CDU suffered a sobering defeat to the AfD in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania regional elections at the beginning of September. The CDU finished third behind the SPD and AfD with 19 percent – its all-time lowest result in the northeastern state.”

EU to Enact Entry System for Non-EU Visitors

Deutsche Welle reported on September 21:

“The EU is planning to massively increase its border controls. Those who want to enter have to register, or apply for a visa…

“Australia’s had one for a long time, and the United States has had one since 2007: An electronic entry system for travelers who don’t need a visa. Now, the EU wants to implement such a system in order to have better control over who is actually entering and leaving the bloc. In the US, the online electronic registration system is known as ‘ESTA.’ In Europe, it will be known as ‘Etias’ (European Travel Information and Authorisation System). The EU Commission is currently carrying out a feasibility study to determine how Etias can be set up at hundreds of airports and border crossings. The legislative process would then begin at the end of the year.

“EU interior ministers called for a digital registration system last year following the terror attacks in Paris. But the system, designed to close recognized security loopholes, has been in planning for much longer. Now, it’s going to become a reality. Similar to the US system, travelers who don’t need a visa for the EU will be required to register online. A fee will be charged for the process; according to EU officials, it could be anywhere between 13 and 50 euros ($15 and $56). Based on the current 30 million travelers from non-EU countries who do not need a visa, that would create income of between 390 million to 1.5 billion euros per year.

“The number of people who don’t need a visa but who will have to pay this ‘entry fee’ could increase considerably in the next few years. After Brexit, millions of British people traveling to the EU for vacations or business trips will also have to pay and register with Etias. The same goes for people from Turkey or Ukraine, in the event that the EU grants them visa-free travel…

“The system to record the movements of all travelers from non-EU states is at the heart of the new security measures. This network, called ‘EES’ should be agreed on by the end of the year…”

This is just the start, and it was predictable. It may become more and more difficult, burdensome and expensive for non-Europeans to even visit the European continent.

Syrian Army Declares End of “Ceasefire”

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 19:

‘The Syrian army has blamed ‘terrorist groups’ of undermining a ceasefire brokered by Washington and Moscow… The Syrian army on Monday unilaterally declared an end to a US-Russia brokered ceasefire that witnessed days of calm across the conflict-ridden country. Syrian officials cited repeated ceasefire violations on behalf of US-backed rebels.

“The US has admitted that a coalition airstrike may have killed scores of Syrian army soldiers amid a fragile ceasefire in Syria. Russia has demanded ‘full and detailed explanations’ at the UN Security Council… At least 80 Syrian soldiers were killed by the US-led coalition airstrikes on Saturday, and included the involvement of British forces…

“President Bashar al-Assad described the airstrikes as ‘blatant American aggression.’ The incident cast doubt on the fragile ceasefire between rebel groups and government forces, prompting a sharp rebuke from Russia…

“Meanwhile, US State Secretary John Kerry, who brokered the deal with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, said that Russia failed to uphold its side of the bargain by enforcing the truce and pressuring the Syrian government to halt its attacks…

“More than 250,000 people have been killed and half the population displaced since the conflict erupted five years ago. The conflict erupted in 2011 when government forces launched a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters calling for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.”

It should have been clear from the outset that that “ceasefire” agreement would never hold.

The “Biggest Threat to Modern Medicine”

The Guardian wrote on September 20:

“All 193 United Nations member states are set to sign a declaration agreeing to combat ‘the biggest threat to modern medicine’ in Wednesday’s high-level meeting on antibiotic resistance…

“It is estimated that more than 700,000 people die each year due to drug-resistant infections… Scientists warned about the threat of antibiotic resistance decades ago when pharmaceutical companies began the industrial production of medicine…”

The Washington Post added on September 21:

“In the United States, drug-resistant gonorrhea already is one of the country’s three most urgent superbug threats… In each case, as with other diseases such as pneumonia and tuberculosis, overexposure to antibiotics has allowed the particular germ to more rapidly develop resistance.”

Crazy Evolutionary Ideas

Daily Mail wrote on September 20:

“Occasionally in science there are theories that refuse to die despite the overwhelming evidence against them. The ‘aquatic ape hypothesis’ is one of these, now championed by Sir David Attenborough in his recent BBC Radio 4 series ‘The Waterside Ape’. The hypothesis suggests that everything from walking upright to our lack of hair, from holding our breath to eating shellfish could be because an aquatic phase in our ancestry…

“In 1960, marine biologist Alister Hardy published an article in New Scientist, titled: Was man more aquatic in the past? He re-told the familiar tale of the evolution of land animals from ancient fish, and then considered the return of various groups of reptiles, birds and mammals to an aquatic existence: ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, crocodiles, sea-snakes, penguins, whales, dolphins and porpoises, manatees and dugongs, and seals – as well as polar bears, otters and water voles, who hunt in water. Then he suggested that many of the unique characteristics of humans and their ancestors, marking them out as different from the other apes, could be explained as adaptations to spending time in water.”

The entire evolutionary concept is an appalling foolish blasphemy in the eyes of God.

God Preserved His Word

On September 22, Times of Israel re-published the following article by The Associated Press:

“The charred lump of a 2,000-year-old scroll sat in an Israeli archaeologist’s storeroom for decades, too brittle to open. Now, new imaging technology has revealed what was written inside: the earliest evidence of a biblical text in its standardized form. The passages from the Book of Leviticus, scholars say, offer the first physical evidence of what has long been believed: that the version of the Hebrew Bible used today goes back 2,000 years.

“The discovery… was made using ‘virtual unwrapping,’ a 3D digital analysis of an X-ray scan. Researchers say it is the first time they have been able to read the text of an ancient scroll without having to physically open it…

“The biblical scroll examined in the study was first discovered by archaeologists in 1970 at Ein Gedi, the site of an ancient Jewish community near the Dead Sea… The synagogue was destroyed in an ancient fire, charring the scrolls. The dry climate of the area kept them preserved, but when archaeologists touched them, the scrolls would begin to disintegrate. So the charred logs were shelved for nearly half a century, with no one knowing what was written inside.

“The researchers say it is the first time a biblical scroll has been discovered in an ancient synagogue’s holy ark, where it would have been stored for prayers, and not in desert caves like the Dead Sea Scrolls. The discovery holds great significance for scholars’ understanding of the development of the Hebrew Bible, researchers say.

“In ancient times, many versions of the Hebrew Bible circulated. The Dead Sea Scrolls, dating to as early as the 3rd century B.C., featured versions of the text that are radically different than today’s Hebrew Bible. Scholars have believed the Hebrew Bible in its standard form first came about some 2,000 years ago, but never had physical proof, until now, according to the study. Previously the oldest known fragments of the modern biblical text dated back to the 8th century.

“The text discovered in the charred Ein Gedi scroll is ‘100 percent identical’ to the version of the Book of Leviticus that has been in use for centuries, said Dead Sea Scroll scholar Emmanuel Tov from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who participated in the study…  ‘In 2,000 years, this text has not changed.’ Noam Mizrahi, a Dead Sea Scrolls expert at Tel Aviv University… said the imaging technology holds great potential for more readings of unopened Dead Sea Scrolls.”

This is indeed a great discovery, also showing that the so-called “Dead Sea Scrolls” were altered by an obscure sect and are totally unreliable.

In the first three installments of this series, we addressed questions related to God’s command not to do “work” on the Sabbath; not to pursue our own “pleasure”; not to engage in “business”; whether it is permissible to eat out in a restaurant on the Sabbath; and attendance of Church services. In this installment, we will address guidelines for proper appearance in our worship services. The next and final installment in this series will address proper conduct during our Church services.

In addressing our proper dress code during Church services, we stated the following in our Q&A on wedding rings:

“Some have raised the issue that the wearing of rings… especially by women… allegedly violates biblical injunctions… This assumption is wrong… James 2:2-4 speaks about a ‘man with gold rings, in fine apparel,’ coming into our assembly or church services. James is not saying that the man should stop wearing gold rings or fine clothes; rather, his point is that the brethren should not show favoritism towards him and look down on those in the church who do not possess such fine things…”

We elaborated on this in our Q&A on James 2:2-4, as follows:

“If we apply James’ statements to worship services on the weekly or annual Sabbaths, two factors have to be kept in mind. First, James is drawing a comparison. He compares the appearance of a rich and prosperous man — who is aware of his riches and manifests them without any sense of recognition or compassion for others — with the appearance of a poor man. The translation of the words ‘with filthy clothes’ in James 2:2 (‘vile raiment’ in the Authorized Version) is somewhat misleading in the context. The Greek word for ‘filthy’ or ‘vile’ is ‘rhuparos’ and can ALSO have the meaning of ‘relatively cheap’ (compare Strong’s under No. 4508)…

“Second, if applied in that sense, it is important to note that the context speaks of a person ‘coming into your assembly.’ James does not seem to be talking about regular Church members (who know how they ought to dress when they appear before God), but a newcomer or a guest.

“But others are not to condemn a ‘poor’ person who is visiting for the first time or who has just begun attending because he is not dressed in an appropriate way. In addition, the way in which he is dressed might be the best the person can do… rather than condemning a person or looking down on him for not dressing up, we should be lending a helping hand and give the needy what is necessary to meet the proper standard…”

Regarding proper standard and dress code for men and women in Church services, we continued to state the following in our Q&A on wedding rings:

“The… passages in 1 Peter 3:3-6 and 1 Timothy 2:9-10 do not prohibit women to wear jewelry or fine clothes or rings per se… but as we also read in Isaiah 3:16-23, they warn against the overemphasis and misuse of the same for wrong purposes, in order to draw undue attention to themselves and their riches…  the Living Bible renders 1 Peter 3:3 as follows, by accurately conveying the intended meaning: ‘Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on jewelry, or beautiful clothes, or hair arrangement. Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit which is so precious to God.’

“At the same time, these passages do not say that women should dress inappropriately or sloppy, without adorning themselves in some way, when attending Sabbath services. The Sabbath is a holy feast day, and we are appearing in front of God on that day, who is our King. We would not appear before a worldly king with dirty clothes or in a sloppy and casual attire…

“When God gave instructions for the creation of ‘holy garments’ for the priests of Israel, He specifically wanted them made ‘for GLORY and for BEAUTY’ (Exodus 28:2). Regarding how both men and women dress when attending Church services, we find a meaningful example in the time when the children of Israel were commanded to wash their clothes in advance of appearing before God (Compare Exodus 19:10,14)…

“Likewise, the priests were to wash themselves when appearing before God (Compare Exodus 30:19-20); and, they were to wear special clothing… Note that we are today a ‘holy’ and a ‘royal priesthood,’ as 1 Peter 2:5, 9 points out, also showing our duty to appear before God during Sabbath services with washed and special clothing…

“It has been the practice of the Church of God to recognize that we are appearing before God when we assemble for Sabbath services along with other special commanded assemblies as given by God [such as commanded worship services throughout the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, even though only the first day is a Holy Day]. As such, we do recommend that each person present himself or herself in the best apparel they have available. The foremost idea is to specially prepare to appear before God to honor HIM!”

In a related Q&A on proper appearance in our worship services, we stated the following:

“That we ought to appear properly dressed for worship services, has been the long-standing teaching of the Church of God, and for good reason:

“We must understand that we are appearing before GOD. God is a great King. God is the Creator of everything that is good and costly and priceless. He is the Creator of beauty. He most certainly is the Creator of quality. He owns all the gold and silver, and it is He who made it all. If we were to be invited by an earthly king, how would we appear in front of him?… Would you want to appear in unwashed, dirty clothing, wearing washed-out jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers?

“How much more should we appear before GOD, the KING over His creation, in proper clothes! The famous parable in Matthew 22:10-13 about the king’s wedding feast for his son contains a spiritual lesson, but it also describes a physical principle–that we dress appropriately for the occasion. It DID matter to the king–God the Father–how the guests were dressed for the wedding of His Son, Jesus Christ.

“In this context, we must not neglect culture. In the Western World, it is normally appropriate for men to wear a suit, or a nice combination, with a shirt and a tie… In the U.S.A., Canada or in England [and we might include continental Europe as well], men don’t dress up, when they appear in worship services with an open shirt, a T-shirt or jeans.

“Ladies should also wear appropriate clothing, of course. In addition, their dresses should not be too short or too tight or too revealing…

“God gives us the freedom to determine what is appropriate clothing, within the acceptability of proper dress in our cultures, but to clarify, God does not give us the freedom to violate His specific instructions so that we can follow our culture. For example, God has told us how to wear our hair. We are told that it is a shame for a man – young or old – to wear long hair…

“God takes great exception to the self-absorbed and self-willed practices of people who lose all restraint. This applies to inappropriate sloppy appearance, as well as to the over-emphasis on wealth and riches… Our responsibility is to dress modestly and yet to dress with quality garments that reflect our honoring of God…”

As we pointed out in our previous Q&A (“How Are We to Keep the Sabbath?,” Part 3), young children should attend Church services with their parents. The rules of proper dress code apply to our children as well. We are not saying, of course, that our young boys need to appear in a suit (even though some might wish to dress them up in such a “cute” way), nor, that our young girls need to wear a “wedding dress,” but our children should not appear sloppy and uncombed, wearing “every-day” street clothes, washed-out or torn jeans, T-Shirts or Sneakers. Their appearance should reflect the sanctity and holiness of Sabbath services.

Regarding the proper dress code during participation in our live Internet services, we stated the following in the above-mentioned Q&A:

“We realize that for some brethren, it is impossible or very difficult to attend our Church services in person. They might be scattered; they might be too sick or handicapped; or there might be other valid reasons preventing them to attend in person. Since they cannot physically join with other members on the Sabbath, they listen to sermon CDs, or they sit in and listen to live Internet worship services… if scattered brethren have Sabbath worship services ‘in their home,’ while listening to CDs, to our sermonettes and sermons which are posted online, or to live Internet Church services, they still appear before God during that time in a SACRED assembly, and we don’t want to appear before God uncombed, unshaved and unwashed, or by just wearing our pajamas.

“The requirement of proper attire does of course not apply to somebody who is sick and in bed; or to those who might be listening to CDs or tapes during the week or after the Sabbath is over. Nor does it apply to those who might be listening in to live services from overseas, after the Sabbath has already passed for them. We are strictly addressing live Internet services for those participating in Sabbath services in lieu of attending in person, simply because they are scattered or are suffering, for example, from a flu, which would not prevent them from being dressed appropriately…”

To emphasize the fact that participants in our live Internet services appear before God in a sacred assembly, we have published the following statement on our LiveStream page regarding “Attending Live Internet Church Services”:

“The Church of the Eternal God broadcasts weekly and annual live services over the Internet for those who are unable to attend our local services in person. We emphasize that the live broadcasts of our Church services are holy and sacred convocations. Participants over the Internet should conduct themselves appropriately during services, in accordance with our doctrines and practices, and this includes proper dress when we are appearing before God. We encourage any person interested in participating over the Internet to contact the ministry to receive guidance and answers to any questions.”

These same principles apply to those who use CDs or tapes for their Sabbath services at home, in lieu of participating in Church services in person.

Before ending this installment, we would like to make the following observations:

We are presenting these Q&A’s on proper Sabbath observance to provide a balanced approach, based on God’s Word. We also need to emphasize that God’s true ministers are the custodians or “stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1); and that God’s Church is the “pillar and ground of [God’s] truth” (1 Timothy 3:15), speaking with godly authority on administrative matters (Matthew 18:18), such as how to keep the Sabbath properly. The question arises whether God will accept worship from members or prospective members when they devise their own practices, and whether He will inspire and lead people who reject His ministry. The biblical record has strong warnings for those who refuse the clear instructions and principles established by God in His Word and faithfully taught by His ministers (Ephesians 4:11-16; Hebrews 13:17).

The Jews of Jesus’ time had warped the keeping of the Sabbath by replacing the godly approach with their own customs and traditions. Those actions led them to seek to kill Jesus over the way He properly taught and kept the Sabbath. The keeping of the Sabbath in our generation is still the subject of false teachings, and the Church of God, under God’s inspiration, upholds the truth of correct Sabbath observance.

In addition, we need to ask whether knowledge of TRUE Sabbath observance has been lost and is being rejected by some. All kinds of people in their own groups and all kinds of people in their own minds talk about keeping the Sabbath. As Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong used to say about the differing “Christian” denominations—“they can’t all be right!”

After Mr. Armstrong’s death in 1986, the new administration of the Worldwide Church of God began to disembowel the Sabbath and the annual Holy Days—to water them down—to provide alternate observances, until it completely rejected the weekly and annual Sabbaths in their entirety. This was not unlike the way King Jeroboam set up more “convenient places” than Jerusalem and the Temple of God for worship.

The residue of people who once attended the Worldwide Church of God have mostly thrown away Sabbath keeping. Various Church of God groups are hanging on, but the question must be asked whether the grip of some has been slipping with the passage of time. Right Sabbath keeping is so much more than just knowing ABOUT the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days—God expects obedience concerning the sacred times He has established!

When God looks across this earth during His weekly Sabbaths and His annual Holy Days, how many faithful Sabbath keepers does He see? Our series on the right way of Sabbath keeping should be viewed as a clarion call for the people of God to WAKE UP!

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writers: Norbert Link and Dave Harris

A Ministerial Meeting via SKYPE was conducted on Sunday morning, September 18, 2016.

We have improved our “ABOUT” tab at www.eternalgod.org for easier use. If you are curious about us, about our policies or our Statement of Beliefs, please refer to this site.

A brochure for the 2016 German Feast of Tabernacles has been produced and is now posted.

“Vermehrt sich Gott durch den Menschen? (Teil 2),” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon. Title in English: “Does God Reproduce Himself Through Man? (Part 2).”

“Angels Among Us?,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

What is the role of angels regarding Christians and their children? And what is the Church of God’s responsibility towards angels?

“Knowledge and Wisdom,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Are knowledge and wisdom the same thing? Does the Bible speak about them differently? Can we have one without the other? Why is it so important that we have both in our Christian lives? The Bible clearly defines for us what we should be looking for in both of these!

Here are the dates for the 2016 Fall Holy Days:

October 3—Feast of Trumpets
October 12—Day of Atonement
October 17 through October 23—Feast of Tabernacles
October 24—Last Great Day

On September 17, 2016, Norbert Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Angels Among Us?,” and Kalon Mitchell will present the sermon, titled, “Knowledge and Wisdom.”

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.

In the British parliamentary system, there is the ruling party and the opposition.   On the website www.parliament.co.uk the following is written:

“The Opposition are the political parties other than the largest or government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons and House of Lords Chambers. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty’s Official Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of government. In the House of Commons the Leader of the Opposition is the title given to the leader of the second largest party.”

The dictionary definition of “opposition” is: “resistance or dissent, expressed in action or argument.”

Synonyms are: “resistance, hostility, antagonism, antipathy, enmity, objection, dissent, criticism, defiance, non-compliance, obstruction, obstructiveness, counteraction.”

Those definitions don’t give a positive view of “the opposition”.   In fact, that is usually how it turns out to be.   Not very often do “the opposition” agree with the government; in fact quite the contrary as they have different political agendas and feel that they can’t be seen as being cooperative as that would boost the prestige and support of the government itself.

(We are not saying, of course, that the government is always right and that the opposition is always wrong or that there is never a time to disagree with the concepts or the way in which the government handles things. In this world which is cut off from God, disagreement with the government’s position on just about any given topic is more likely than not, but the opposition’s proposals are, in all likelihood, unacceptable as well. What we are saying is that God’s standards and methods are quite different from the way in which the government and the opposition are conducting themselves.)

The term “the opposition” can have a very negative connotation and can be divisive.  How about using a term that will be a constant in the world tomorrow when Jesus Christ rules on earth in the Kingdom of God?   That word is cooperation.   If the term was changed at this time to “the cooperation”, hands would be thrown in the air and would be deemed to be inappropriate or impossible.

Of course, in the age when Satan is in control of society, there is no way that he would want cooperation and would see to it that it would not happen.   He is the opposition particularly to God and the people of God and also to the rest of humanity.   He doesn’t want to see people happy and cooperating with each other.

Rather than unity and cooperation, Satan has promoted, very successfully, enmity and division.  We read in Matthew 24:12 when talking about the end times: “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.   And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

This is a result of the activity of the one who wants to undermine everything positive and see the demise of humanity.  It may seem a small thing about calling Members of Parliament who are not part of the ruling group as the opposition, but this strikes at the heart of UK governance.   Opposition can have a negative feel about it and that is one of many things that Satan wants to promote.

In the coming Kingdom of God there will be total cooperation and the government will be absolutely unified as they do everything possible to promote God’s way of life to those living at that time.

Cooperation is the way of God and the way that we must adopt, promote and clearly reflect in our Christian lives now and is the way that we will live forever as members of the God Family.   And it will promote happiness as never before!

We begin with a lengthy discussion on the conspiracy theory that the travesty of September 11, 2001, was an “inside job” by the US government, as this controversial concept was again fueled by an article in a prestigious scientific magazine. We also report on the passing of a bill allowing 9/11 victims and their families to sue the Saudi Arabian government.

We continue with the latest nuclear test by North Korea, openly defying the USA and proving the US policy to have failed; and we discuss the fact that North Korea leaves the US with a list of bad options.

We address the many concerns by physicians about Hillary Clinton’s health and continue with her “fishy” E-mail story; and we report on concerns about Donald Trump’s interview with a media outlet which is sponsored  by the Russian government; and the “mystery” as to why a Christian bishop gave Donald Trump a Jewish prayer shawl, bringing into focus many false concepts taught by Messianic Jews. We also speak of unbiblical laws and efforts in at least two US states, trying to implement the left-liberal Obama transgender policy. In this context, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “America’s Persecution of Churches.” 

We address threats from terrorists in Germany; German efforts to expand its military role in Europe; attempts by Germany and France to “beef up” the European defense; and calls for a European military headquarters. We also report on another delay regarding the highly-anticipated election of the Austrian President; and we conclude with the decision of the Irish parliament to appeal against a 13-billion-euro back tax bill the European Commission ordered Ireland to collect from Apple.

September 11 Conspiracies Alive and Well

 A highly controversial and speculative piece about the alleged “inside job” of the September 11 attack was published in the respected scientific magazine, “Europhysics News,” Volume 47, Number 4, July-August 2016, which was authored by four writers. The Editors noted the following:  “This feature is somewhat different from our usual purely scientific articles, in that it contains some speculation. However, given the timing and the importance of the issue, we consider that this feature is sufficiently technical and interesting to merit publication for our readers. Obviously, the content of this article is the responsibility of the authors.”

These authors included Steven Jones, a “former full professor of physics at Brigham Young University.” (According to Der Stern, dated September 9, 2016, this Mormon university dismissed him in 2006 when he began to propagate the 9-11 conspiracy theory). Another author was (retired) Robert Korol, “a professor emeritus of civil engineering at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada”; Anthony Szamboti, “a mechanical design engineer,” and Ted Walter “who holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of California, Berkeley” (compare Europhysics News’ annotation.)

The article caught attention in obscure pseudo-scientific and occult publications, but also in the German magazine “Der Stern” (as mentioned above). However, that magazine made it clear that the article presented nothing new and that it was just a repetition of the old conspiracy concepts (especially the so-called “False Flag Theory,” according to which the attack was “instigated” to justify military intervention in the Middle East.)

 On the other hand, the idea of an “inside job” continues to be believed in by many people, including by at least more than 30% of Germans.

 Die Welt ran an article on September 9, discussing the many aspects of the conspiracy theory  and concluded that  “doubts in the official explanation are groundless.”

On September 7, Esquire published a convincing article with the headline, “Disproving 9 of the Biggest 9/11 Conspiracy Theories.” In the article, it was stated:

“There are still plenty of 9/11 conspiracy theorists, and no matter what you tell them, they will tell you the attacks on September 11, 2001 did not happen the way our government or our media claim. Conspiracy theorists will tell you it was an inside job. They will tell you the government let it happen. They will tell you the buildings couldn’t have fallen that way, or the Air Force could have stopped the whole thing if they wanted to.

“There are an untold number of theories about what really happened that day. They are the subject of a well-known documentary film, and they have spawned countless websites. Most of them are weird, and some are almost comical. But exploring these theories involves venturing into the darkest corners of our imagination, where confusion and despair bleed into reactionary paranoia, and the enduring sacrifice of the innocent people who died that day is almost cheapened by slander and suspicion.”

How “dark” these theories are can be seen by an article of Bild Online, stating that one “unexplained” occurrence was the observance of “ghosts” right after the attack, “helping with searching for survivors.”

We are bringing you excerpts from the Esquire article, focusing on the two most common “beliefs” in a conspiracy:

“The theory: The fuel from the planes that hit the World Trade Center could not have caused the buildings’ structural failures, because no kerosene fire burns hot enough—2,750 degrees Fahrenheit—to melt their steel frames. The debunk: Jet fuel burns at 800 to 1,500 degrees, Popular Mechanics notes—not hot enough to melt the steel frames. But the frames did not even need to fully melt for the buildings to collapse; they just had to weaken significantly. Steel loses about half its strength at 1,100 degrees, and moreover, the fuel wasn’t the only source of fire. The combustible material inside the buildings (rugs, curtains, furniture, paper) brought the temperature up to 1,832 degrees in some places…

“The theory: An addendum to the previous theory, many theorists believe that controlled explosions, not the planes, brought down the towers. Among the evidence cited: Puffs of dust shot out horizontally as the buildings fell, and the initial damage was too widespread (particularly to lower floors) to have been caused by the jets. The debunk: A spring 2005 report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology found that plane debris ‘sliced through the utility shafts at the North Tower’s core,’ Popular Mechanics reports, ‘creating a conduit for burning jet fuel—and fiery destruction throughout the building.’ The blaze exploded down the elevator shafts, disabling them and causing damage (and killing people) all the way to the lobby below, long before the towers collapsed. The puffs of dust were the result of each floor bearing down on the one below ‘with pulverizing force’ as the buildings fell, in what is known as ‘pancaking.’ That force caused the air between floors to shoot out with formidable speed and power, creating the bursting clouds of dust…”

From all the evidence available, the Church of the Eternal God and its international affiliates have concluded a long time ago that 9/11 was NOT an “inside job,” but that it was a terrorist attack of 19 hijackers. Ideas to the contrary have been convincingly debunked.

House Passes Saudi 9/11 Bill

Newsmax wrote on September 9:

“Rep. Pete King took a victory lap Friday as the House passed a bill allowing 9/11 victims and their families to sue the Saudi Arabian government. The House passed the measure by overwhelming margin on a voice vote, confirming a similar Senate vote in May… ‘The Saudi government employs many former government officials and they tried to stop [the bill] at every turn,’ he said.

“The bill goes to President Obama’s desk for signature. The Obama administration has vigorously opposed the bill and already has signaled a veto is coming. But some question whether the president will veto a bill that will likely be overridden by Congress. It took nearly 15 years after the worst assault on U.S. soil by a foreign aggressor.

“Since then 9/11 families and other groups have complained of Saudi involvement in the attacks — 15 of the 19 perpetrators were Saudi nationals – and have argued for the right to sue and legally explore the involvement of this foreign power. The bill amends a 1976 law that grants foreign states immunity from lawsuits in the U.S.

“The new law provides that Americans can sue if any nation was directly involved in terror attacks against U.S. nationals…

“The September 11, 2001, attacks killed 2,966 people, and injured more than 6,000. Of those killed, the majority — 2,606 — died in New York’s World Trade Center and the surrounding area…”

North Korea’s Latest Nuclear Test

The Washington Post wrote on September 9:

“North Korea defiantly celebrated its fifth nuclear test Friday, claiming that it can now make warheads small enough to fit onto a missile and warning its ‘enemies’ — specifically the United States — that it has the ability to counter any attack… the test appeared to mark another step toward North Korea’s goal of putting a nuclear warhead on a weapon capable of reaching the mainland United States…

“The U.S. Geological Survey detected an artificial 5.3-magnitude earthquake near North Korea’s nuclear test site at 9 a.m. local time on Friday, a national holiday marking the 68th anniversary of the formation of the communist regime by Kim Il Sung, the current leader’s grandfather. ‘This is clearly a nuclear test,’ said Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia nonproliferation program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, Calif. He estimated the size at between 10 and 20 kilotons. The North’s last nuclear test, carried out in January, was about six kilotons…

“In a White House statement Friday, Obama called the test ‘a grave threat’ to regional and international security and noted Pyongyang’s claims to be developing nuclear warheads capable of hitting the United States and its allies…”

North Korean Test Leaves U.S. With a List of Bad Options

The New York Times wrote on September 9:

“North Korea’s latest test of an atomic weapon leaves the United States with an uncomfortable choice: Stick with a policy of incremental sanctions that has clearly failed to stop the country’s nuclear advances, or pick among alternatives that range from the highly risky to the repugnant.

“A hard embargo, in which Washington and its allies block all shipping into and out of North Korea and seek to paralyze its finances, risks confrontations that allies in Asia fear could quickly escalate into war. But restarting talks on the North’s terms would reward the defiance of its young leader, Kim Jong-un, with no guarantee that he will dismantle the nuclear program irrevocably…

“For more than seven years, President Obama has adopted a policy of gradually escalating sanctions that the White House once called ‘strategic patience.’ But the test on Friday — the North’s fifth and most powerful blast yet, perhaps with nearly twice the strength of its last one — eliminates any doubt that that approach has failed and that the North has mastered the basics of detonating a nuclear weapon… American experts warn that it is speeding toward a day when it will be able to threaten the West Coast of the United States and perhaps the entire country.

“… an agreement between the United States and South Korea to deploy an advanced missile defense system in the South, has inflamed China…  In both South Korea and Japan, a small but increasingly vocal minority has begun to advocate developing nuclear weapons to counter the North instead of relying on the United States…”

Serious Concerns about Hillary Clinton’s Health

Newsmax wrote on September 9:

“Hillary Clinton has been struck by coughing attacks, leading to a resurfacing of speculation about her health…

“Concerns about Hillary Clinton’s health are ‘serious—could be disqualifying for the position of President of the U.S.,’ say nearly 71 percent of 250 physicians responding to an informal internet survey by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). About 20 percent said concerns were ‘likely overblown, but should be addressed as by full release of medical records.’ Only 2.7 percent responded that they were ‘just a political attack: I have confidence in the letter from her physician and see no cause for concern.’”

Breitbart wrote on September 14:

“Doctors are raising concerns about Hillary Clinton’s recent pneumonia diagnosis and treatment, suggesting a case of the disease that causes a patient to collapse should be treated more seriously… Clinton’s campaign initially left the press in the dark about what occurred at the 9-11 ceremony, but nearly two hours later, the campaign blamed Clinton’s health episode on the former first lady being overheated. Later in the evening, Clinton’s doctor Lisa Bardack issued an official statement, explaining that Clinton had been overheated and dehydrated. The statement revealed Clinton had been diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday…”

Why Hillary Clinton Might Have Avoided the Hospital

The New York Post wrote on September 12:

“Hillary Clinton was headed to an emergency room following her frightening collapse at the Sept. 11 memorial ceremony – but detoured to daughter Chelsea Clinton’s apartment to keep details of her medical treatment under wraps, The Post has learned.

“Secret Service protocol called for the Democratic presidential nominee to be rushed to a state-designated Level I Trauma Center in the wake of her Sunday morning health crisis, sources said. In Manhattan, that would be Bellevue Hospital. But a campaign operative decided to change course to avoid having Clinton seen by doctors, nurses and other medical workers who could leak details to reporters, according to a source.”

Hillary Clinton’s Fishy E-Mail Story

On September 8, The Denver Post Editorial Board published the following article:

“Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton used Denver-based Platte River Networks to host private her e-mail when she was secretary of state. The latest controversy involving Hillary Clinton’s decision to run her State Department e-mail through private servers contains a hard-to-believe shocker that ought to give reasonable people pause.

“Her supporters will join her campaign in decrying a ‘conspiracy’ to spoil her presidential aspirations. But really, how can an objective observer not find problems with this latest story, which suggests a dark conspiracy indeed: An errant engineer decides on his own volition to delete e-mails from her private account after a congressional committee orders them preserved?…

“The FBI said that in December 2014 a top Clinton aide told Denver-based Platte River Networks to destroy an archive of e-mails from her private server, but the company failed to do so. Then, after The New York Times reported in early March 2015 details of then-Secretary Clinton’s use of a private server, the House committee investigating the deadly attacks on the American embassy in Benghazi, Libya, ordered that her e-mails be preserved, and subpoenaed those related to the attack. Three weeks later, the story goes, the engineer responsible for deleting Clinton’s archive suddenly remembered the failed duty, and acted on it by deleting the e-mails with a program (wonderfully named BleachBit) that apparently rendered most of them unreadable.

“Around the time of the engineer’s sudden remembrance, the FBI said, Platte River officials joined a conference call with a longtime Clinton aide and personal lawyer. But when the FBI tried to look into this call, they met with frustration. Platte River’s attorney told the engineer who did the deed to claim attorney-client privilege.

“That just looks awful. So little wonder the Republican chairman of the House committee investigating Clinton’s e-mail arrangement – Utah’s Jason Chaffetz- has asked federal prosecutors to investigate whether she or others were involved in the decision to destroy those e-mails following the preservation order.

“Given that FBI director James Comey’s decision to clear Clinton of wrongdoing in the e-mail scandal came with his unusual denunciation of her actions as ‘extremely careless,’ the information from the bureau’s summary of its investigation doesn’t sit well. It’s reasonable to ask why the FBI didn’t look deeper. It’s reasonable to ask why the engineer would act if, as the logic of the cover story must argue, the e-mails were simply personal notes about yoga appointments and being a grandmother.

“No wonder Chaffetz would seek to dig in. He’s asking the Justice Department ‘to investigate and determine whether Secretary Clinton or her employees and contractors violated statutes that prohibit destruction of records, obstruction of congressional inquiries and concealment of cover-up of evidence material to a congressional committee.’…

“We worry that Chaffetz is right on this one. Something about this story feels whitewashed – or maybe bleached out is the better term for it now.”

There seems to be little doubt about this; and the FBI’s and the Justice Department’s decision not to prosecute Hillary Clinton is really unbelievable. Note the next two articles.

Immunity for the Perpetrators

The New York Times wrote on September 8:

“A computer specialist who deleted Hillary Clinton’s emails despite orders from Congress to preserve them was given immunity by the Justice Department during its investigation into her personal email account… Mr. Combetta is one of at least two people who were given immunity by the Justice Department as part of the investigation. The other was Bryan Pagliano, a former campaign staff member for Mrs. Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign, who was granted immunity in exchange for answering questions about how he set up a server in Mrs. Clinton’s home in Chappaqua, N.Y., around the time she became secretary of state in 2009.

“The F.B.I. described the deletions by Mr. Combetta in a summary of its investigation into Mrs. Clinton’s account that was released last Friday. The documents blacked out the specialist’s name, but the law enforcement official and others familiar with the case identified the employee as Mr. Combetta. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to be identified discussing matters that were supposed to remain confidential.

“Brian Fallon, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign, said that the deletions by the specialist, who worked for a Colorado company called Platte River Networks, had already been ‘thoroughly examined by the F.B.I. prior to its decision to close out this case. As the F.B.I.’s report notes… neither Hillary Clinton nor her attorneys had knowledge of the Platte River Network employee’s actions. It appears he acted on his own and against guidance given by both Clinton’s and Platte River’s attorneys to retain all data in compliance with a congressional preservation request.’… According to the F.B.I. documents, Mr. Combetta told the bureau in February that he did not recall deleting the emails. But in May, he told a different story… [He had] said [he] realized that he had not followed a December 2014 order from Mrs. Clinton’s lawyers to have the emails deleted. Mr. Combetta then used a program called BleachBit to delete the messages, the bureau said.

“In Mr. Combetta’s first interview with the F.B.I. in February, he said he did not recall seeing the preservation order from the Benghazi committee, which Mrs. Clinton’s lawyer, Cheryl D. Mills, had sent to Platte River. But in his May interview, he said that at the time he made the deletions ‘he was aware of the existence of the preservation request and the fact that it meant he should not disturb Clinton’s email data’ on the Platte River server.”

Newsmax added on September 14:

“House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz was clearly frustrated on Wednesday after a former Hillary Clinton aide was a no-show at a hearing on Tuesday, even though he had been served with a subpoena… Bryan Pagliano, who had helped maintain Clinton’s private email server, has been granted immunity by the Justice Department and already invoked his Fifth Amendment rights not to incriminate himself twice on the matter… Just one of the five witnesses called, Justin Cooper, a former White House aide to President Bill Clinton, testified and answered questions for nearly two hours. The other three invoked their Fifth Amendment rights [not to discriminate themselves.].”

Combetta and Pagliano got immunity; others refuse to testify; and so, Hillary Clinton is still not being prosecuted.

Trump Gives Interview to Russia’s Controversial RT Network

The Washington Post wrote on September 9:

“In an interview Thursday, Donald Trump was asked what surprised him most about the American press. ‘Well, I think the dishonesty of the media,’ the Republican presidential hopeful responded, with little hesitation. ‘The media has been unbelievably dishonest.’ That Trump has an unfavorable view of American journalism will surprise few…

“But his outlet for venting this frustration may have been more surprising. Trump’s comments came during an interview with Larry King that was aired on RT America — part of a state-owned Russian media organization that critics accuse of propagandistic aims and poor journalistic standards… Originally known as Russia Today, the organization was founded in December 2005 as an English-language television network… To get a sense of this style of programming, consider this: Julian Assange was given his own show on RT for a few months in 2012. His first guest was Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah.

“RT America began airing Larry King’s interview show, ‘Politicking,’ after CNN dropped him in 2010… Last July, it hired Ed Schultz after MSNBC canceled his low-rated program, ‘The Ed Show,’ after six years… The network also airs a weekly debate and interview show hosted by Jesse Ventura, the former professional wrestler and governor of Minnesota… It also has a deeply conspiratorial side, providing airtime to the notion that the 9/11 attacks were engineered by the government…

“Trump’s interview with RT comes at a time of heightened concerns about Russia’s alleged interference in the upcoming U.S. election. Russia is suspected of involvement in a hack of the Democratic National Committee email system and subsequent leak. (Mr. Trump stated that he does not believe so and that this was probably made up by the Democrats.) The United States is investigating what it thinks could be a wider Russian plan to disrupt the November elections. To complicate matters further, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have made a number of seemingly admiring comments about each other. During an NBC presidential forum Wednesday evening, Trump said the Russian president had been more of a leader than President Obama. In other comments, he has jokingly suggested that Russia should hack the email of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.”

Donald Trump’s granting of an interview to a media outlet which is controlled by the Russian government raises more than just an eyebrow.

“Why Did a Christian Bishop Give Donald Trump a Jewish Prayer Shawl?”

The Times of Israel wrote on September 9:

“When images of Donald Trump sporting a Jewish prayer shawl during his September 3 visit to a Detroit black church hit the web, the reactions on social media ranged from amusement to shock, and, in some cases, outrage.  ‘You guys, a Jewish prayer shawl – a tallit – is a ritual garment. Meant to be worn only by Jews. This is the worst kind of appropriation,’ declared Conservative Rabbi Danya Rutenberg on Twitter.  ‘Wait, did Donald Trump get bar mitzvahed?’ asked The Guardian’s Ben Jacobs, while The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg observed that the anti-Semitic alt-right movement supporting the real estate mogul must be ‘paralyzed by this photograph.’

“But for the pastor [Wayne Jackson] who presented Trump with the tallit, wearing the traditional Jewish garment is standard practice at the congregation he leads, the Great Faith Ministries International… In fact, there are other Jewish traditions the congregation observes. It was no accident Trump visited for a ceremony on a Saturday rather than the normal Sunday church service. ‘We do worship on the sabbath, because I do recognize the holy days,’ Jackson said…

“Great Faith Ministries, which Jackson leads, follows a Pentecostal tradition in which it is common for clergy and worshippers to wear the religious garment with fringes hanging from each of its four corners… Jackson is known to be a proponent of ‘prosperity theology,’ which entails the belief among certain sects of Christianity that an individual’s financial standing and physical condition come from the will of God, and that proper faith will tip the scales in their favor…

“At the service, Jackson not only gave Trump the tallit, but also a Jewish Heritage Study Bible, which the bishop said talks about the foundation of the Christian faith. ‘You know, a lot of Christians who sit in church don’t even know that the foundation of the Christian faith goes back to God’s covenant with Abraham,’ Jackson said…

“John Hagee, the televangelist Christian leader and pastor of a mega-church in San Antonio, Texas, has worn [the tallit] on multiple occasions, and a number of evangelical churches throughout the country sell them in their gift shops. Jackson also stressed: ‘This was nothing to be offensive. I love Israel. I support Israel. I love the people of God. The prayer shawl was meant to do nothing but to show the power of the holy spirit.’… The Christian leader said that bestowing the candidate with the garment was also intended to shore up his feeling for the Jewish state. ‘You know, this man may carry the government on his shoulders. Who knows? He may be the most powerful man in the world, if he becomes the president. And we want him to love the nation of Israel… It was all about the love that was displayed in that service. it was the love there in that room that had Donald Trump leave feeling the love of Yeshua [Jesus].’”

These are very alarming developments. Many of the “Messianic Jewish” concepts, as displayed in the article and claimed to be of Pentecostal origin, are not biblical and do much more harm than good. We address many aspects of false “Messianic Jewish” teachings and practices in our free booklet, “Old Testament Laws—Still Valid Today.” In regard to the use of the word “Yeshua,” please also note our recent Q&A, titled, “Should We Use Hebrew Expressions in Our Worship of God?”

Unbiblical Transgender Policy Affects Churches

WorldNetDaily wrote on September 10, 2016:

“President Obama’s transgender agenda has taken huge leaps forward in the last year or so. There have been orders for public building managers, for colleges and even for public schools to allow a male who says he’s female to use locker rooms and restrooms set aside for women… Now a second state has decided that churches, too, are bound by the agenda.

“The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination this month released a ‘Gender Identity Guidance’ that imposes its demands on society… ‘Under [the law] places of public accommodation may not discriminate against, or restrict a person from services because of that person’s gender identity. For example, a hotel or motel may not refuse to book a room for a person because of the person’s gender identity,’ the state threatens. It continues, ‘Even a church could be seen as a place of public accommodation if it holds a secular event, such as a spaghetti supper, that is open to the general public.’

“The demands include having church officials, and even members, use whatever pronouns a person would demand, irrespective of their actual gender…

“[In Iowa], a church sued the state in federal court, demanding that officials withdraw their threats of prosecution because of the content of the church’s sermons, specifically what is said about homosexuality, same-sex ‘marriage,’ transgenderism and other related topics… That case erupted when the state’s Civil Rights Commission first claimed the authority to control the content of sermons and then to define what’s religious. At issue is the state’s nondiscrimination requirements that specify any ‘public accommodation’ can be ordered not to say anything that might make a homosexual or a transgender feel ‘unwelcome,’ such as even reading from the Bible a condemnation of such behavior…

“The Iowa Civil Rights Act bans places of ‘public accommodation’ from expressing their views on human sexuality if they would ‘directly or indirectly’ make ‘persons of any particular … gender identity’ feel ‘unwelcome.’ The state claims churches are a ‘public accommodation.’”

PJ Media wrote on September 9:

“Contrary to many scientific studies (pediatricians have even called youth transgenderism ‘child abuse’), [transgender ideology] argues that people who identify with the gender opposite their biological sex should be encouraged to do so, even to the extent of undergoing ‘gender re-affirming surgery.’ This is a fancy name for bodily mutilation which causes even more confusion than before.”

This dangerous set of law manifests the anti-biblical approach of the liberal agenda.

Germany’s “Clear and Present Danger”

Reuters wrote on September 10:

“Germany’s interior minister has warned that the country is home to more than 500 Islamic militants who could be capable of carrying out assaults on their own or as members of ‘hit teams.’… He said another 360 ‘relevant’ people were known to police because of their close proximity to the potential attackers…

“‘The hit teams are secretly smuggled into Europe and prepare their actions without being noticed, as we saw with the attacks in Paris and Brussels,’ he added. ‘But it’s even more difficult to uncover the fanatical lone wolves. Unfortunately, there is a real and present danger from both threats.’”

German Military Sends 650 Soldiers to the Mediterranean Sea

Deutsche Welle reported on September 13:

“A new NATO initiative hopes to stop jihadi militants in the Mediterranean Sea. The German military is pitching in to help via major troop commitments to the yearlong mission… [It will] have powers to search vessels suspected of harboring terrorists… Operation Sea Guardian also hopes to curb human trafficking and arms smuggling while assisting the European Union’s border agency, Frontex.

“Germany is expected to join the NATO operation, and could contribute up to 650 soldiers to the international mission in Mediterranean waters… The deployment is regarded as part of a broader shift in Germany to expand its military role in Europe and NATO…”

“France and Germany to Beef Up EU Defence”

The Local wrote on September 10:

“France and Germany are preparing joint proposals for a ‘more active and more useful’ European defence policy, the French defence ministry told AFP on Friday… The Franco-German document proposes the establishment of a European defence headquarters, a common satellite surveillance system and the sharing of logistics and military medical resources… There would be a tighter circle of EU members for some defence projects where it proves impossible to gain agreement from all…

“There is also a suggestion for better use of Eurocorps, an intergovernmental military body that has France and Germany at its centre. Belgium, Spain and Luxembourg are members of the Strasbourg-based Eurocorps, set up for rapid deployment to hotspots. The EU has already been involved in the training of foreign armies, as part of conflict resolution, and might become involved in financing their equipment.

“The bloc could also become engaged in research and development, to strengthen the European defence industry. The discussions are in part due to the June vote by Britain to leave the EU. According to [German defence minister] von der Leyen, London had long ‘paralysed’ European efforts to have a more closely integrated security policy.”

“Europe Needs a Military Headquarters”

BBC News wrote on September 14:

“The European Union needs a military headquarters to work towards a common military force, the Commission president [Jean-Claude Juncker] has told MEPs in Strasbourg… Mr Juncker said a common military force ‘should be in complement to Nato’… A European Defence Fund would stimulate military research and development, he said…

“All EU members have military forces; most are also members of Nato; and several have extensive experience of operations abroad, from peace-keeping to war-fighting. The real question is how to organise these component parts to get greater security. Mr Juncker insists that the EU must have a role here. He wants to improve EU command and control facilities and appears to be suggesting that EU civil and military aspects of a given mission should be run out of the same headquarters…

“Since 2003 the EU has launched some 30 civilian and military operations in Europe, Africa and Asia – under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Sixteen are still going on, including six military operations…

“[Juncker] urged a renewed focus on the EU as a ‘driving force that can bring about unification, for instance in Cyprus’…

“Anti-EU MEPs lined up to criticise Mr Juncker’s rallying cry: UKIP leader Nigel Farage said it was ‘the usual recipe: more Europe, in this particular case, more military Europe’.”

Austria’s Presidential Election Pushed Back

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 12:

“Austria’s presidential election, originally set for October 2, will be pushed back, Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said on Monday. The decision came after a number of voters planning to vote by mail complained the seals for the ballot forms were faulty… The new round of voting is set to take place on December 4.

“This was the latest problem to beset the race for Austria’s head of state… the election became the subject of intense international interest when it was first contested last spring, as Austria came without 31,000 votes of being the first country in western Europe to elect a far-right leader since World War II.

“Austria holds presidential elections every six years, and goes to a second-round run off vote if no candidate garners more than 50 percent in the first ballot. Norbert Hofer of the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) came in less than a percentage point behind Green-party affiliated candidate Alexander Van der Bellen in May’s run-off. However, Austria’s highest court annulled that vote in June and called for a new election after it emerged that thousands of absentee ballots had been counted incorrectly.

“The FPÖ is one of a number of parties in western Europe using anti-immigrant rhetoric to gain steam during the continent’s refugee crisis. It is part of a European parliamentary group chaired by Marine Le Pen of France’s National Front as well as members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and Britain’s right-wing populist UKIP.”

Ireland to Appeal EU Commission’s Controversial Decision on Apple

Reuters reported on September 8:

“Ireland’s government won strong backing from parliament for its appeal against a 13-billion-euro back tax bill the European Commission ordered it to collect from Apple, following 12 hours of debate on Wednesday. Ireland’s fragile coalition overcame initial misgivings from independent members of cabinet to join Apple last week in fighting the ruling that Ireland granted state aid to the company through undue and selective tax benefit.

“The government says Ireland did not give favorable tax treatment to Apple and that no state aid was provided, and it won a motion to endorse its position in parliament by 93 votes to 36. ‘The picture of Ireland painted by the Commission in its decision, as a country prepared to play fast and loose with the law to gain unfair advantage, could not be more damaging or further from the truth,’ Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny told lawmakers. ‘This is not a Commission finding that stands by a small country that has played by the rules. It cannot be allowed to stand.’”

This will make the EU not too happy. The EU Commission has been under constant criticism for its sometimes highly controversial political decisions.

In the first two installments of this series, we addressed questions related to God’s command not to do “work” on the Sabbath; not to pursue our own “pleasure”; not to engage in “business”; and whether it is permissible to eat out in a restaurant on the Sabbath. With this third installment, we will begin to address God’s teaching on Church attendance, and we will focus specifically on God’s command to attend Church services. In the next installment, we will address guidelines for proper appearance and conduct in our worship services.

We will start with quoting from previous articles on the issue of Church attendance, while adding explanations regarding questions which have arisen.

In a previous Q&A, we asked, “Does the Bible command regular personal attendance of Church members at weekly Sabbath and annual Holy Days services?”

We answered as follows:

“Barring extraordinary circumstances, such as health issues or very long distance, which would prevent us from attending Church services, the answer is clearly yes. Not to attend Church services because of lack of convenience or interest is clearly sinful in the eyes of God. And if in doubt, it is always better to attend than to use ‘excuses’ for not attending…

“Turning first to the Old Testament, we will see God’s explicit commands to the people of Israel to assemble on each Sabbath and on each annual Holy Day, as well as for the entire eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day.

“Leviticus 23:3 refers to a ‘holy convocation’ on the weekly Sabbath. A holy convocation is a meeting or gathering for a holy or sacred purpose. Leviticus 23:4 speaks of all of the annual Holy Days or feasts as ‘holy convocations’… Leviticus 23:7 states that the first day of the Days of Unleavened Bread includes a holy convocation [compare Numbers 28:18]…  Leviticus 23:8 says that the seventh or last day of the Days of Unleavened Bread ‘shall be a holy convocation.’ [Compare Numbers 28:25. Deuteronomy 16:8 describes it as a ‘sacred assembly.’]… Leviticus 23:21 commands that on the day of Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks or the ‘day of the firstfruits,’ a ‘holy convocation’ is to be held [compare Numbers 28:26]. Leviticus 23:24 addresses the Feast of Trumpets and states that ‘you shall have a sabbath-rest’ and ‘a holy convocation.’ [Compare Numbers 29:1.] Leviticus 23:27 states that the Day of Atonement ‘shall be a holy convocation for you.’ [Compare Numbers 29:7.]

“Leviticus 23:35 says that on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, there shall be a ‘holy convocation’ [compare Numbers 29:12]. Leviticus 23:36 states that on the eighth day ‘you shall have a holy convocation.’ Numbers 29:35 describes it as a ‘sacred assembly.’… all the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles are described as a ‘feast to the LORD’ which is to be kept for the entire time (Leviticus 23:41). We read in Nehemiah 8:18 that ‘day by day, from the first day until the last day, he [Ezra] read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner.’… Summarizing the annual Holy Days, Leviticus 23:37-38 concludes: ‘These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations… besides the [weekly] Sabbaths of the LORD.’

“The command to assemble before God in holy convocations included men, women and little children… Nehemiah 8:1-12 reports that on the Feast of Trumpets, Ezra read the words of God to ‘all the people gathered as one man,’ and that he brought God’s words ‘before the congregation, of men and women and all who could hear with understanding.’ This included little children, as we read in Joshua 8:35: ‘There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them.’  2 Chronicles 20:13 adds: ‘Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the LORD.’

“Turning now to the New Testament, we find that the command to attend Church services on the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days is still binding for us today… We read in Luke 2:41 that Jesus’ parents—together with Jesus—’went to Jerusalem EVERY YEAR at the Feast of the Passover…’ Christ and His parents went up year by year to keep the Feasts in Jerusalem. Christ, when He was grown, would never deviate from this practice, either. Notice, as examples, John 4:45; 5:1; 7:8, 10, 14, 37; 12:12, 20. In addition, Christ, as His custom was, went each Sabbath day to the synagogue (Luke 4:16, 31; 13:10; Mark 1:21; 6:2).

“Paul and the other early apostles and disciples did the same, by assembling together on the Sabbath day and the annual Holy Days. We read that the disciples (including the apostles, the ‘women,’ the brothers of Christ, and Mary, the mother of Christ, Acts 1:14), were together ‘in one place’ on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1), and that they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread—having meals together—and in prayers (Acts 2:42). Members of early New Testament church congregations would assemble and meet together in the private houses of some of their brethren (Romans 16:3-5; 1 Corinthians 16:19).

“As his custom was, Paul also kept the weekly Sabbath in fellowship with others. He and his party went into the synagogue at Antioch on the Sabbath day to teach (Acts 13:13-15). While the Jews did not like his teaching, ‘the Gentiles begged that these words be preached to them the next Sabbath (verse 42). ‘And the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God’ (verse 44). Paul did so on other occasions as well (Acts 17:2; 18:4)…  In addition, we read that Paul was very anxious to go to Jerusalem to keep certain annual Holy Days there (Acts 18:20-21; Acts 20:16).

“Today… we need to worship God together, in a sacred assembly and a holy convocation, which is authorized by God, and where God has placed His name. Christ is the Head of His Church, and we are to follow Him wherever He goes and leads His Church (Revelation 14:4)…

“As Christians, we are to assemble, as much as possible, in person… on the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days in holy convocations or sacred assemblies… God’s Church has consistently taught that parents are to attend weekly and annual Church services with their small children…”

Why does God require that our babies and young children attend Church services? The Bible instructs parents to train and teach their children in God’s Way of Life from early on (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; 32:46; Genesis 18:19; 1 Timothy 2:15). We are told that when certain habits are instilled in a child—including the right observance of the Sabbath with regular Church attendance (Exodus 20:8-11)—then he or she will not depart from it at an older age (Proverbs 22:6; 20:11). There is no guarantee, of course, as teens will make their own decisions (and sometimes very bad ones), but parents ought to do what they can do to help their children grow up in the right way.

We are warned NOT to neglect attending Church services.

In a Q&A on Hebrews 10:25, warning against “forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,” we stated the following:

“Hebrews 10:24-26 reads, in context: ‘And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. For if we sin willfully, after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.’…

“The Berkely Version of the New Testament says: ‘… not neglecting our own church meeting.’ J.B. Phillips writes in The New Testament in Modern English: ‘And let us not hold aloof from our church meetings.’ The Living Bible states: ‘Let us not neglect our church meetings…’ The Jewish New Testament, by David H. Stern, renders it in this way: ‘… not neglecting our own congregational meetings, as some have made a practice of doing so, but, rather, encouraging each other…’ These renditions state correctly that we are not to forsake assembling for CHURCH SERVICES…

“John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible explains that ‘assembling’ describes ‘their act of meeting together in some one place to attend his [God’s] worship, word, and ordinances. Now to ‘forsake’ such assembling, signifies a great infrequency in attending with the saints, a rambling from place to place… It is the duty of saints to assemble together…’

“[Note] one important ‘human justification’ for forsaking Church services–the wrong idea that we don’t need the Church; that we can stay at home on our own, doing our own Bible studies and gaining thereby the same kind of knowledge which we might have received by attending Church services. This wrong concept is dangerous. It also ignores the fact that we are not only to assemble to be instructed, but also to fellowship with and encourage and help other members… assembling with other members at Church services demonstrates our love to God and to our neighbor–to God, as we DO what He instructs us to do, and to our neighbor, as we show him or her that we care enough for them to assemble and fellowship with them…

“The Life Application Bible gives the following and most helpful analysis: ‘… Difficulties should never be excuses for missing church services. Rather, as difficulties arise, we should make an even greater effort to be faithful in attendance.’…

“Upon the founding of the Church, Jesus Christ established the ministry and holds them strictly responsible to continue guiding His people in obedience to God’s commands–including, ‘…the assembling of ourselves together’ (compare Ephesians 4:11-16).”

We realize that for some brethren, it is impossible or very difficult to attend our Church services in person. They might be scattered; they might be too sick or handicapped; or there might be other valid reasons preventing them to attend in person. Since they cannot physically join with other members on the Sabbath, they listen to sermon CDs, or they sit in and listen to live Internet worship services. In passing (this will be explained in more detail in the next installment), if scattered brethren have Sabbath worship services “in their home,” while listening to CDs, to our sermonettes and sermons which are posted online, or to live Internet Church services, they still appear before God during that time in a SACRED assembly, and we don’t want to appear before God uncombed, unshaved and unwashed, or by just wearing our pajamas.

The requirement of proper attire does of course not apply to somebody who is sick and in bed; or to those who might be listening to CDs or tapes during the week or after the Sabbath is over. Nor does it apply to those who might be listening in to live services from overseas, after the Sabbath has already passed for them. We are strictly addressing live Internet services for those participating in Sabbath services in lieu of attending in person, simply because they are scattered or are suffering, for example, from a flu, which would not prevent them from being dressed appropriately. (Please note our comments below regarding the issue of Sabbath service attendance and temporary sickness.)

In the Q&A on Hebrews 10:25, we addressed the purpose for listening to Sabbath services via tape, CD, our sermons and sermonettes which are posted online, or to live services via the Internet:

“There may always be [so-called] ‘legitimate’ reasons to the human mind for not attending worship services regularly and in person–reasons such as inconvenience, just not feeling like it, feeling too tired, staying with visiting relatives or friends, persecution, high costs of transportation or distance, as well as the idea that we don’t really ‘need’ to attend. Rather, as the reasoning may go, we might as well stay home today and listen to sermon tapes or live services which are broadcast over the Internet.

“However, based on the PURPOSE of PERSONAL CHURCH ATTENDANCE with other members, the means of broadcasting services of the Church of the Eternal God (CEG) over the Internet was developed for those brethren who are scattered, or who might be sick, and who therefore cannot attend regular CEG Church services. It was never meant to be a replacement for personal attendance. Listening to live Internet Church services or listening to sermon tapes [or CDs] does NOT constitute an equally valuable alternative to personal CEG Church attendance. Those who can physically attend CEG Church services are commanded by God to do so, for their own good and for the benefit of other Church members. Listening to Internet services and participating in the chatlines before and after services may only be the second-best option; personal attendance is always the preferable course of action.”

Of course, we realize that there are legitimate reasons for not attending Sabbath services, on occasion. Temporary contagious sickness would be such a reason. We state in our flyers which we publish for our annual Feast of Tabernacles services (but the principle applies for every Sabbath service):

“Although no one wishes to miss any part of the Feast due to illness, please be considerate of your brethren. If you have a fever or other easily transmitted illness, please refrain from joining the group until the illness has passed.”

It is certainly permissible to occasionally go on vacation even if this prevents us from attending Church services in person. In such cases, we might want to make sure that we can have access to live Internet services, or to take with us sermon tapes or CDs to listen to them on the Sabbath. But we would recommend keeping those occasions to a minimum (it would certainly not be appropriate to go on camping trips or on vacation every other month, thereby preventing personal Church attendance.)

We must realize that there is a grave danger in not attending, and we must be honest to evaluate our personal circumstances to determine whether they allow or justify our non-attendance. It would generally not be permissible to forego Church services in order to be able to attend a birthday party of a friend or relative; and we do not feel that it is normally a legitimate excuse to attend a wedding of a friend or relative on the Sabbath, preventing us from attending Church services (Please review again our previous two installments on attendance of birthdays or weddings on the Sabbath.) Since we understand that unforeseen and unexpected circumstances might arise, it would be advisable, if in doubt, to consult with a minister of God on those issues

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new Member Letter (September 2016) has been written and mailed to our subscribers. Pastor Rene Messier (Canada) contrasts the terrible problems of the current time with the tremendous hope that lies ahead in God’s Kingdom—reminding us of why we will soon observe the Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day.

“America’s Persecution of Churches,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Do we realize that the left-liberal state- and government-sponsored agenda, supporting same-sex marriages, gay and transgender people, has been causing increased persecution of churches and Christians, with no end in sight?  Do we understand that conservatives are jumping on the same bandwagon? Schools, pastors, church teachings and church functions are under attack as never before. But God does not approve, and the Bible speaks with authority on this issue.

A Tech Team meeting was conducted on Sunday, September 11, 2016, via SKYPE. Hosted by Eric Rank, theme updates, booklet promotions and broadcast improvements were among topics discussed.

“Europe in Prophecy,” is being featured in a new booklet promotion launched earlier this week. Emails, Facebook ads, press releases and a video promo have been used. Thanks to September Danforth-Prentice for her contributions to this effort.

A new video trailer featuring our booklet, “Europe in Prophecy,” has been produced by Michael Link.

“Vermehrt sich Gott durch den Menschen? (Teil 1),” is the title of this Sabbath’s German sermon. It is the first part of a two-part series. Title in English: “Does God Reproduce Himself Through Man?” (Part 1).

“The Challenge,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Robb Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

God’s ultimate goal for each of us is to be purified and cleaned of our imperfections.  The challenge each of us must face is how we approach that purification.  We must tackle any obstacle that confronts us like David confronted Goliath–knowing God is our support.

“By Design,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Are the universe, our personal existence, and the circumstances we encounter determined by a sequence of fortuitous random events? This is what the modern world professes, but the truth is much more sensible. The Bible clearly states that God applies His design and expresses His intention in every component of existence, great and small.

Here are the dates for the 2016 Fall Holy Days:

October 3—Feast of Trumpets
October 12—Day of Atonement
October 17 through October 23—Feast of Tabernacles
October 24—Last Great Day