On February 17, 2024, Eric Rank will present the sermonette, titled, “Strength and Soundness of Identity,” and Rene Messier will present the sermon, titled, “Mission Statement.”
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.
The Daily Beast wrote on February 8:
“President Joe Biden on Wednesday made the surprising claim that he’d had a conversation with former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl that—given when it supposedly took place—could only have happened through a ouija board.
“The Democrat said [at a New York fundraiser] he spoke with [former German Chancellor Helmut] Kohl, who died in 2017, at a 2021 meeting of G7 leaders in the U.K… [Biden] actually repeated the error at another Manhattan fundraiser later in the day.
“What makes the slip-up even stranger is that Biden had made a similar mistake while talking about the same G7 gathering on Sunday. Speaking at a campaign rally in Las Vegas, he [said:] ‘I sat down [at the meeting] and said: “America is back!”’ Biden said “And Mitterand from Germany—I mean, from France—looked at me and said… Said… You know, why… How long you back for?’’
Mitterrand died in 1996, a quarter of a century before the G7 meeting.
The Daily Mail wrote on February 10:
“President Joe Biden continues referring to recent conversations with deceased foreign leaders as he struggles to recall the exact details of previous meetings.
… Biden has a history of struggling to remember who is alive and who is deceased…
“It’s not the only time Biden has confused the names of world leaders. In 2019, he briefly referred to a conversation about America under the leadership of former President Donald Trump with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, when he meant to refer to then-Prime Minister Theresa May…
“During a November 2022 speech, Biden recalled a conversation with a man who ‘invented’ insulin, even though the man who discovered the drug died in 1941, a year before Biden was born. In September 2022, Biden gave a shoutout to deceased Indiana Republican Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., who died in a car crash in August 2022. ‘Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie?’ Biden said, scanning a crowd of lawmakers at a conference on hunger. ‘She must not be here.’…
“… He declared that Russian Vladimir Putin was ‘clearly losing the war in Iraq.’ [The war in Iraq had nothing to do with Putin and ended in 2011].
“In 2023, he closed out a speech on gun control with the bizarre proclamation: ‘God save the Queen, man’ even after Queen Elizabeth II had died in September 2022.
“The following month, Biden claimed to have reached a medical milestone, declaring: ‘We ended cancer as we know it.’ And in December 2023, he bragged about infrastructure spending, saying it was at: ‘Over a billion, 300 million, trillion, 300 million dollars.’”
Clearly, Biden is not well, and has not been for quite some time.
The New York Post wrote on February 8:
”President Biden ‘willfully retained and disclosed classified materials,’ special counsel Robert Hur found in a bombshell report released Thursday — though Hur recommended against criminal charges, in part because a jury might well view Biden as an ‘elderly man with a poor memory.’
“Biden, 81, flouted legal restrictions on keeping sensitive documents throughout his 36 years in the Senate and after his eight-year vice presidency — stashing them in cardboard boxes ‘surrounded by household [items]’ in his garage in Wilmington, Del., and other locations, the 388-page report said. Investigators even uncovered a recording of Biden confiding in his ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer in April 2017, three months after leaving the vice presidency, that he still had official records because ‘I didn’t want to turn them in’… Zwonitzer also told Hur’s investigators that he deleted some audio files of Biden after the special counsel investigation began — and was aware of the probe when he did so…
“A dozen official documents were determined to possess information that still qualifies as top secret… Scores of additional documents contained secret or confidential information.
“Perhaps most damaging to the president, Hur, a former Maryland US attorney, suggested that jurors would not hold Biden liable for his actions on account of his perceived mental decline, even though he is seeking a second four-year term in November…
“When Biden sat for questions with Hur’s investigators Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, he presented himself as confused on many points… Biden ‘did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended (‘if it was 2013 — when did I stop being Vice President?’), and forgetting on the second day of the interview when his term began (‘in 2009, am I still Vice President?’),’ the report says. He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died [May 2015]. And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him. Among other things, he mistakenly said he ‘had a real difference’ of opinion with General Karl Eikenberry, when, in fact, Eikenberry was an ally whom Mr. Biden cited approvingly in his Thanksgiving [2009] memo to President Obama.”…
“Although Biden’s lapses of memory may have been useful for avoiding criminal liability, they are likely to be a serious political problem, as national polls already show large majorities of voters believe he is too old, infirm or both to hold office…
“Hur wrote that his team ‘considered whether to charge the ghostwriter with obstruction of justice, but we believe the evidence would be insufficient to obtain a conviction and therefore declined to prosecute him… the evidence falls short of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that he intended to impede an investigation, which is the intent required by law,’ the report said.
“Trump himself… fumed about what he called a double standard in the US legal system — as he prepares to stand trial over similar allegations beginning May 20 in South Florida…”
The Daily Mail added on February 8:
“The Department of Justice released its long-awaited investigation into Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents Thursday, delivering a damning assessment of the president’s ‘diminished faculties’ and limited memory… His ‘diminished faculties in advancing age’ would likely make him a sympathetic figure to jurors, the report says…
“The investigation said there was plenty of evidence to suggest that Biden was aware that he was not allowed to keep such classified notes after leaving office, pointing out that his long Washington career meant he was familiar ‘with the measures taken to safeguard classified information and the need for those measures to prevent harm to national security.’ Even so, notebooks crammed with classified information were stored in unlocked drawers at his home.
“And it was not simply the case that the notebooks were misplaced and forgotten. ‘He consulted the notebooks liberally during hours of discussions with his ghostwriter and viewed them as highly private and valued possessions with which he was unwilling to part,’ writes Hur.”
Robert Hur, a Republican, was appointed by Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland as special counsel to investigate Biden. In his report, Hur described Biden’s conduct as “utterly irresponsible”, the same words Biden used in attacking Trump. Hur reports that Biden had sensitive documents at unsecured locations—a fact Biden lied about in the press conference as well.
As it was pointed out by many observers, if Biden is too senile to stand trial, then he is clearly too senile to be President. On the other hand, the argument advanced by Hur for not charging Biden is reminiscent of former FBI Director and Republican James Comey’s decision not to charge Hillary Clinton for admitted wrongdoing and mishandling of and destroying classified documents. That there is an obvious double standard of the Justice Department vis-à-vis Biden and Trump is beyond dispute.
Democrats, such as Kamala Harris, tried to put a spin on the report, saying that Hur’s comments were gratuitous, inaccurate and inappropriate. But if they were false or unnecessary to make, then there would have been no basis for not prosecuting Biden. Biden’s alleged mental disability was the compelling reason, in Hur’s alleged mind, for not proceeding against him. That only leaves us with two alternatives: Either Biden IS mentally incompetent and would not be convicted for that reason, then he MUST NOT be allowed to continue as President. Or, he is NOT mentally incompetent, then he MUST be prosecuted.
76% of Americans have major or moderate concerns about his mental and physical health.
But if Biden resigned, or, given his perceived arrogance preventing him from doing so voluntarily, he was forced to resign, Kamala Harris would be next in line. [She already said she was ready to serve]. Even the Democratic Party knows that this would be an absolute nightmare and a catastrophe. The German newspaper Die Welt speculated whether Michelle Obama might not step in to fill the void.
For now, Democrats began to try to put another spin on the matter: It was not because of Biden’s incapacity that he will not be prosecuted, but because he cooperated with the FBI. This is like saying, as one commentator put it, a murderer will not be prosecuted because he cooperated with the police after his arrest by showing them where he disposed of the victim.
Our legal system, and Biden’s Justice Department, have shown time and again that they are utterly corrupt.
Express wrote on February 11:
“US President Joe Biden is ‘wandering around dazed and confused’ [and] his administration is acting with ‘impunity’, a political analyst [said]…
“Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Centre for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation, said Biden’s age raises big questions about his ability to lead. He said: ‘Firstly, Biden is increasingly mentally incompetent. That was hugely evident from his trainwreck press conference… There are so many gaffes now made by the President, this is a President who doesn’t know what he is saying, wandering around dazed and confused, and yet he leads the world’s most powerful country. It is obvious to anyone that this is a President who has lost his mind, and he is not fit to lead the free world. His state of mental confusion is a big concern… He is increasingly angry and aggressive, and he looks completely unhinged. His ranting and raving made him look like a complete madman. It’s a sad state of affairs for the US.’
“Mr Gardiner tells Daily Express US that he disagrees with the apparent differences in how the cases [regarding Biden and Trump] have been handled. He said: ‘It is just ridiculous, Biden acts with complete impunity and there is no accountability. It is outrageous. The Biden Presidency behaves like an imperial presidency and acts with sheer contempt for the American people. There is clearly a double standard here. Donald Trump is treated in a different way to Biden, that is the reality. This is why a lot of Americans have lost faith in the political system and the ruling establishment.’”
No doubt about that.
The New York Post wrote on February 8:
“The White House compounded the damage from the report with a hastily called press conference that was dominated by Biden screaming at reporters. ‘My memory is fine!’ he asserted. The president then astonished the audience by claiming Mexico’s president is in charge of controlling the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip…
“Biden proclaimed, ‘I am the most qualified person in this country to be president of the United States.’ But there was no applause from the White House press corps, some of whose members had wondered if Biden would announce his resignation that night.
“Even Biden’s allies were bailing ship, per the NBC News headline: “‘A nightmare’: Special counsel’s assessment of Biden’s mental fitness triggers Democratic panic.’”
Biden claimed that he knew very well when his son Beau died, and that he just did not want to answer the question, as it was none of the investigators d… business. But as Israel 365 News pointed out on February 9, “Perhaps most concerning of all are Biden’s recent assertions that his son Beau died in Iraq when everyone in the country knows he died of a brain tumor, and Biden started his Cancer Moonshot program in his memory.”
If Biden’s memory is fine, as he claimed in the press conference, then he must have been deceitful during his interviews with the special counsel, pretending that he could not recall and having a faulty memory.
Israel 365 News wrote on February 9 about the above-mentioned “press conference”:
“Joe Biden criticized… Israel’s response to Hamas… ‘I’m of the view, as you know, that the conduct of the response in the Gaza Strip has been over the top,’ Biden told reporters at the White House.”
The disagreement between Biden and Netanyahu becomes more and more obvious.
Business Insider wrote on February 10:
“For years, Republicans have attacked Biden for his age and perceived mental acuity. Those critiques only got louder on Thursday after a special counsel report implied he was forgetful. Some Democrats also previously complained about his age, but the party has no alternatives now.
“With less than a year until election day, the Democratic Party has no apparent backup plan if it decides to part with its endorsed candidate.
“Choosing a candidate to run against or replace Biden would also likely be a tremendously messy process: Would the party want to go with its current vice president, Kamala Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, or some other dark horse candidate? Who within the party would ultimately make that decision? What happens to all of the Biden campaign’s funding?
“The Democratic Party doesn’t have the luxury of time to figure it out, either: The primary election season has already begun across the nation, and it’s far too late for many states to add new names to their ballots per local election laws…
“Super Tuesday, the day when 15 states — roughly a third of the overall delegate count — hold their primaries, is on March 5. Similar to Michigan (which had a cut-off date on December 8, 2023), it’s also much too late to add a new candidate to those primary ballots, including California, which boasts just under 500 delegates and had a late-December 2023 cutoff point to be added to the ballot.
“If a replacement for Biden can’t be formally placed on ballots, the only option for the Democratic Party, if it’s serious about fielding a different nominee, would be to quickly mobilize a campaign to write that candidate’s name on state Democratic primary ballots. But if this write-in campaign isn’t implemented before Super Tuesday, there’s little chance at all that a formal replacement for Biden will be available on Democratic tickets come November…”
The Daily Mail added on February 9:
“Democrat insiders say it is now ‘panic time’ after a blockbuster Justice Department report concluded Joe Biden has ‘diminished faculties’ and is an ‘elderly man with a poor memory’… Increasingly, behind the scenes, a nuclear option is being considered to remove the 81-year-old president as the Democrat nominee at the party’s convention in Chicago in August…
“[Some] have floated the idea of a run by [a] well-known figure like Michelle Obama.
“A recent Daily Mail poll found 60 percent of Americans think Biden should not run again. In an alarming sign for Biden it found 44 percent of Democrats thought it was not too late to replace him a the nominee.
“A Democrat member of Congress told NBC the Justice Department report was a ‘nightmare’ and the party was now in a ‘grim situation’.”
Express wrote on February 11:
“Donald Trump is ahead of Joe Biden in opinion polls to become US president – but former First Lady Michelle Obama could spoil the Republican’s hopes. Joe Biden could be replaced by former First Lady Michelle Obama on the ticket to become the US’s next president… senior Republicans have warned….
““The very unpopular Ms [Kamala] Harris is only on the ticket, say Republicans, because the Democratic Party is ‘a party of identity politics’ that needs to stem the haemorrhaging of African-American support. But there is an alternative waiting in the wings who would represent a real challenge for Mr Trump.
‘The only way to rectify this is to replace Harris with another black woman in the top spot. What other black woman is there with a great approval rating, name recognition and a link to a popular presidency in which Joe Biden also happened to serve as VP? Michelle Obama.’”
JTA wrote on February 13:
“On its second try, the U.S. House of Representatives impeached the Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by a single vote, in a process some Jewish groups said was tainted by antisemitic rhetoric.
“The impeachment of Mayorkas, who is Jewish, passed Tuesday on party lines by a vote of 214-213, with three Republicans breaking ranks. The effort, however, is likely going nowhere, because the Democratic-led Senate may not take it up, and if it does, there are nowhere near the 67 votes necessary to convict and remove Mayorkas, the first cabinet secretary impeached in nearly 150 years.
“The first attempt at impeachment last week narrowly failed, a setback for House Speaker Mike Johnson, the Louisiana Republican whose short tenure has been marked by a number of lost votes.
“Jewish groups have expressed alarm at the impeachment process, noting repeated invocations during the impeachment hearings of the Great Replacement, a baseless conspiracy theory whose original version claims Jews are behind an effort to replace the populations of majority-white countries with immigrants of color…
“A record number of migrants have been crossing the U.S.-Mexico border recently, and Republicans say the border is out of control because Mayorkas is willfully ignoring existing laws. They say amounts to the high crime and misdemeanors [show the necessity] for impeachment.
“Secretary Mayorkas has willfully and consistently refused to comply with federal immigration laws, fueling the worst border catastrophe in American history,” Johnson said in a statement after the vote… ‘Make no mistake — the Secretary has not committed an impeachable offense,’ Rep. Jerry Nadler, the Jewish New Yorker who is the top Democrat on the House Judiciary committee, said on X…
“Former President Donald Trump… urged Republicans to impeach Mayorkas…”
The charge of antisemitism, launched by left-liberal Jews, is utter nonsense. For instance, Trump has a Jewish son-in-law who is married to his daughter who converted to Judaism. Mayorkas’s impeachment was long overdue. So is Biden’s. The Senate run by Democrats will not impeach Mayorkas, because if they did, it would be an admission of Biden’s utter failure and the need to impeach him as well.
Newsmax wrote on February 13:
“Tony Bobulinski, former business partner of Hunter Biden, is testifying before the House Oversight and Judiciary committees Tuesday, alleging the Biden family peddled President Joe Biden’s influence to China and Ukraine — all with the ‘enabler’ Joe Biden’s knowledge and blessing…
“Bobulinski laments the U.S. government and complicit media has ignored his ‘extensive evidence’ and allegations for years — even to the point of suppression — he said in his opening statement. ‘For nearly four years, I have tried to tell the American people the truth about serious corruption at the very top of their government,’ his statement read. ‘In return, I have been falsely accused of being a purveyor of “Russian disinformation” and a political surrogate. My continuous efforts to inform the American people of the facts have been actively suppressed by both the United States government and the so-called “mainstream” media.’…
“Bobulinski noted he is a U.S. Navy veteran upholding the highest standards of truth and devotion to the U.S. and not a partisan operative — as has been alleged. Also, he is nonpartisan, despite admittedly having donated to Democrat political campaigns in the past. ‘I implore each and every one of you to remove your partisan hats today and focus on one party: the United States of America,’ his statement concluded. ‘I hope your focus will be on a thorough and extensive investigation and exposure of all of the facts and evidence — and on answering the question of how we as a country allowed the White House to be infiltrated by our most existential adversary, the Chinese Communist Party. ‘I also hope you will hold the complicit parties, including Joe Biden, accountable for their actions, as well as enact new laws that prevent this kind of deep corruption from ever happening again.’”
Sadly, as in the case of Mayorkas, the left-liberal Senate will not impeach Biden, even if the evidence of “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors” (Section 4 of Article Two of the Constitution) were overwhelming.
Breitbart wrote on February 9:
“This week, 17 Senate Republicans joined [every single Democrat excluding Sen. Bernie Sanders] to approve sending Ukraine another $60 billion. Twelve of those Republicans previously suggested they would not help send Ukraine any more American taxpayer money until the United States’s border was secure from illegal immigration… The money, if approved by the House, will fund weapons and military training… for Ukraine in its war with Russia. [It is coupled with $14.1 billion for Israel in its war with Hamas].
“Already, American taxpayers have been forced to send at least $113 billion to Ukraine in their war with Russia. The latest pool of money, if approved by the House and signed by President Joe Biden, would ensure that nearly $200 billion gets into the hands of Ukraine officials — much of which has gone unaccounted for.”
The Republican dissenters included the usual ones, such as Susan Collins and Mitt Romney, but also some surprises, such as John Kennedy. As expected, Mitch McConnell also joined the group. House Speaker Mike Johnson already declared his opposition, and that he would not bring the Senate bill to the House floor.
The New York Post wrote on February 12:
“Former President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to extend the delay in his election interference trial, saying he is immune from prosecution on charges he plotted to overturn his 2020 election loss…
“His lawyers filed an emergency appeal with the court on Monday… The filing keeps on hold what would be a landmark criminal trial of a former president while the nation’s highest court decides what to do… The Supreme Court’s decision… and how quickly it acts, could determine whether the Republican presidential primary frontrunner stands trial in the case before November.”
Newsmax wrote on February 10:
“The two-tiered system of justice under President Joe Biden will be facing a long overdue existential threat this November, former President Donald Trump vowed Friday night in his eighth headlining address to the National Rifle Association. ‘We will completely overhaul the corrupt Department of Justice to clear out all the communists who have weaponized government activities and gone against conservatives and gun owners,’ Trump told the [crowd] in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a key battleground state in the 2024 presidential election…
“Gone will be the days of soft enforcement of American laws, including the failure to enforce southern border and immigration law or the soft-on-crime policies in Democrat-run cities – all while the DOJ is weaponized against conservatives and even the religious – Trump vowed…
“Trump has vowed for months in his campaign to indemnify police, giving the law enforcement officers their authority back to enforce the laws Biden’s DOJ refuses to and restore public safety that has ravaged Democrat-run cities. ‘Even as they turn America into a crime-ridden, gang-infested, terror-filled dumping ground, Joe Biden and his thugs will do everything in their power to confiscate your guns and annihilate your God-given right to self-defense,’ Trump said.”
Self-defense involving the serious injury or death of an attacker, is NOT a God-given right. Please read our free booklet, “Should YOU Fight in War?”
Deutsche Welle wrote on February 11:
“Former US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would ‘encourage’ Russia to attack members of NATO who had not met their financial obligations… Speaking at a campaign rally in South Carolina Saturday, the Republican presidential nomination frontrunner appeared to recount a conversation with a fellow head of state at an unspecified NATO meeting. ‘One of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, “Well, sir, if we don’t pay, and we’re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?” I said, “You didn’t pay, you’re delinquent? No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want…”’
“Trump has long expressed skepticism about the 31-nation military alliance… European Council President Charles Michel… denounced Trump’s comments as ‘reckless.’… NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, meanwhile, warned in a statement that, ‘Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the US.’…
“In his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump shocked Western allies by cautioning that under his leadership the US might abandon its NATO treaty commitments and only come to the defense of those nations that meet the bloc’s military funding guidelines… As Trump leads President Joe Biden…, European allies are concerned that the US commitment to the alliance could be in jeopardy if Trump wins the November electoral race. “
Newsmax wrote on February 10:
“… former President Donald Trump introduced a new policy proposal Saturday, vowing to turn all future foreign aid from obligation-free bailouts to ‘loans’ that should be paid back… Ultimately, the loan debts could be used as future leverage if the country does not maintain full diplomatic ties to the U.S., Trump added… That include[s] aid like to warring countries Ukraine and Israel, who are fighting imperialistic aggression and radical Islamic terrorism… ‘I did the same thing with NATO,’ Trump continued… Without leverage, there is no reason for a country to pay up for the costs American taxpayers bear, Trump noted. They need incentive, he said… ‘you have to understand: You don’t pay your bills, you get no protection’…”
Europe is in a state of panic and deeply concerned about a return of Donald Trump.
Thomson/Reuters wrote on February 13:
“A leading national security adviser to Donald Trump told Reuters on Tuesday that he would push for changes to NATO if the former president returns to power that could result in some member nations losing protection against an outside attack.
“Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general and onetime chief of staff of the former president’s National Security Council, said in an interview that if a member of the 31-country alliance failed to spend at least 2% of its gross domestic product on defense, as agreed, he would support removing that nation’s Article 5 protections under the North Atlantic Treaty. Article 5 states that an attack against one member of the Europe-based alliance will be considered an attack against all, and members of the alliance must respond appropriately. Without those protections, a member country would not be guaranteed other NATO members would come to its aid. ‘Where I come from, alliances matter,’ said Kellogg, who also served as former Vice President Mike Pence’s national security adviser. ‘But if you’re going to be part of an alliance, contribute to the alliance, be part of the alliance.’…
“Kellogg said if Trump wins, he would likely suggest a NATO meeting in June 2025 to discuss the future of the alliance. He said NATO could subsequently become a ‘tiered alliance,’ in which some members enjoy greater protections based on their compliance with NATO’s founding articles… Kellogg said that if Article 3 of the North Atlantic Treaty was not respected, the protections afforded by Article 5 should not be taken as automatic.
“Article 3 states that NATO member countries must make appropriate efforts to develop their individual defense capabilities. While Article 3 does not say countries must spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense, member nations pledged at a 2014 summit in Wales to move toward that figure within a decade…
“In December, Robert O’Brien, Trump’s national security adviser from 2019 to 2021… told Reuters imposing trade tariffs on NATO countries if they did not spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense would likely be among the policies on the table during a second Trump term.”
Deutsche Welle wrote on February 14:
“Germany will meet NATO’s defense spending target of 2% of its gross domestic product (GDP) for the first time since the early 1990s… German news agency DPA put the figure… at $73.41 billion (€ 68.58 billion) in the current year which it said would be 2.01% of Germany’s GDP.
“In 2023, Germany spent 1.57% of GDP on defense, well short of the 2% target. This Monday, however, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged to meet the 2% spending commitment…
“News of Germany hitting the 2% spending target came as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg praised an ‘unprecedented’ 11% increase in defense spending in the 31-nation alliance. ‘This year I expect 18 allies to spend 2% of their GDP on defense…’, Stoltenberg said… NATO’s European states would invest a combined total of $380 billion in defense this year, Stoltenberg added.
“In 2023, eleven allies are expected to have met the 2% target according to prior NATO estimates — Poland, the US, Greece, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, Britain and Slovakia.”
NATO has 31 members. Many have not met or will not meet the 2% target.
The Daily Beast wrote on February 8:
“’Putin [spoke] for a very long time, probably half an hour, about the history of Russia going back to the eighth century,’ Carlson said. ‘We thought this was a filibustering technique and found it annoying and interrupted him several times, and he responded. He was annoyed by the interruption.’…
“After the modified history lesson was over, Tucker asked an astonishing question, ‘But may I ask, you’re making the case that Ukraine, certainly parts of Ukraine, eastern Ukraine is in effect Russia—has been for hundreds of years. Why wouldn’t you just take it when you became president 24 years ago? You have nuclear weapons. They don’t. It’s actually your land. Why did you wait so long?’
“Instead of responding, Putin delved into another history lesson, going back all the way to 1654 and prompting Carlson to ask, ‘Do you believe Hungary has a right to take its land back from Ukraine, and that other nations have a right to go back to their 1654 borders?’ When Putin demurred, Carlson persisted, ‘Have you told Viktor Orbán that he can have part of Ukraine?’ Putin replied, ‘Never. I have never told him. Not a single time.’
“In the course of the interview, Putin revisited old grievances about Russia offering to join NATO and being rejected. He blamed the U.S. for helping Ukraine to get rid of its formerly pro-Russian presidents…
“In a comical exchange during the meandering interview, Tucker asked Putin: ‘Who blew up Nord Stream?’ Putin replied, ‘You for sure.’ Carlson parried: ‘I was busy that day. I did not blow up Nord Stream. Thank you though.’ Once again, Putin blamed the CIA, but refused to elaborate as to whether Russia has any evidence to prove that…
“Jumping from topic to topic, Putin assured Carlson he has no intention to invade Europe…
“To his credit, Carlson asked Putin to release the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich as a goodwill gesture. Putin harshly replied, ‘We have done so many gestures of goodwill out of decency that I think we have run out of them.’ He added that this matter could be solved through appropriate channels…
“He dramatically proclaimed that Ukrainians and Russians would be ‘reunited’ in the end: ‘No one will be able to separate the soul.’…”
The Daily Mail added on February 8:
“Putin claimed he sought to restore Russian relations with the US when he became president in 2000, even asking then-President Bill Clinton for a place in NATO. However, he alleged his request was rebuffed by Clinton’s team.
“‘[George W. Bush Jr.] was no worse than any other American or Russian or European politician. I assure you he understood what he was doing as well as others.’ He continued and said he had a similarly warm relationship with former President Donald Trump: ‘It is not about the personality of the leader. It is about the elites’ mindset…’ Putin was less enthusiastic about Biden…
”When asked what the decisive moment was that made up his mind to launch his attack, Putin responded, ‘initially, it was the coup in Ukraine’ – referencing the removal of Zelensky’s predecessor Viktor Yanukovych in 2014… Firstly, the current Ukrainian leadership would not implement the Minsk Agreements,’ Putin continued… He accused former leaders of Germany and France of reneging on their commitments to the agreements…
“Today, before the interview dropped, White House Communications Coordinator John Kirby told Americans not to believe ‘anything’ in the interview… While Democrats have bristled at the thought of Carlson giving Putin a platform – including Hillary Clinton branding Carlson a ‘useful idiot’ – others are embracing it. Robert Kennedy Jr. praised Carlson’s efforts earlier this week, saying he had every right to speak to the world leader and inform the public of his stance…
“The controversial interview has drawn criticism from the White House and the EU, both of whom say Putin cannot be trusted and should not be listened to.”
This last underlined comment by the White House and the EU is appallingly telling.
The Daily Mail wrote on February 9:
“[Putin] blamed Poland for starting the global conflict by working with German leader Adolf Hitler. He cited Germany’s invasion of Poland as evidence it was to blame… [Poland] still participated in the partitioning of Czechoslovakia together with Hitler, as the Poles had not given the Danzig corridor to Germany, and went too far, pushing Hitler to start World War 2 by attacking them… In reality, historians attribute the start of the World War II to the Nazis’ decision to invade neighboring countries due to Hitler’s aggressive expansionism. His decision to invade Poland came after he sent troops to occupy Austria and annexed Czechoslovakia without reproach from the international community, which many feel paved the way for his later invasion…
“One of Putin’s major justifications for the war in Ukraine is his fundamental belief the country belongs to Russia. He cited the creation of the USSR as the point of establishment of Ukraine… ‘In 1922 when the USSR was being established, the Bolsheviks started building the USSR and established the Soviet Ukraine, which had never existed before.’ In reality, Ukraine declared its independence from Russia in 1991 after the collapse of the USSR…
“’Ukraine is obviously a satellite state of the US,’ Putin declared… The Russian leader cited the US’ ongoing financial support to the war-torn country as evidence for his claim…
“Carlson… asked if he had any evidence that NATO or the CIA was responsible for the attack [on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines], but Putin refused to provide any… The United States government has staunchly denied claims of involvement in the attack… Suspicion has fallen most strongly on Ukraine, where officials had opposed the project for years claiming it would empower Russia by enabling it to sell more gas to Europe.”
However, Biden made some telling remarks prior to the attack, indicating that America would prevent the pipelines from operating.
Putin also claimed that Boris Johnson “prevented peace talks” and alleged that “ former prime minister Johnson – who he said had a ‘pure heart’ but ‘not a great mind’ – intervened during talks in Istanbul in 2022 and persuaded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy not to sign a peace deal, arguing that ‘it was better to fight Russia’ (The Independent, February 9). Johnson denied the allegation.
Express wrote on February 10:
“Nile Gardiner, Director of The Heritage Foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, tells the Daily Express US that Putin is a ‘dangerous man’ who will want Russian forces to ‘massacre’ people across Europe… ‘he is incredibly dangerous. Europe has to be on its guard as to what Putin will do next in Europe… Clearly he has his sights set on territory beyond Ukraine…’
“The Russian president also said he had ‘no interest’ in attacking Poland or Latvia in his interview with Carlson. He said: ‘It goes against common sense to get involved in some kind of a global war and a global war will bring all humanity to the brink of destruction. It’s obvious.’
“However, in January 2022, Putin said he had no plans to invade Ukraine. Russian troops entered the country at the end of February that year.”
Ron Paul wrote in his weekly column, published by the Ron Paul Institute, dated February 12:
“There has been much written and said about Tucker Carlson’s interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week. As of this writing the video on Twitter alone has been viewed nearly 200 million times, making it likely the most-viewed news event in history. Many millions of viewers who may not have had access to the other side of the story were informed that the Russia/Ukraine military conflict did not begin in 2022, as the mainstream media continuously reports, but in fact began eight years earlier with a US-backed coup in Ukraine. The US media does not report this because they don’t want Americans to begin questioning our interventionist foreign policy. They don’t want Americans to see that our government meddling in the affairs of other countries… has real and deadly consequences to those on the receiving end of our foreign policy.
“To me, however, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Tucker Carlson interview with Putin was the US mainstream media reaction… In the days and weeks before the interview, the US media was filled with stories about how horrible it was that Tucker Carlson was interviewing the Russian president. There was the danger, they all said, that Putin might spread ‘disinformation.’
“That Putin might say something to put his country in a better light was, they were saying, reason enough to not interview him. With that logic, why have journalism at all? Everyone interviewed by journalists – certainly every world leader – will attempt to paint a rosy picture. The job of a journalist in a free society should be to do the reporting and let the people decide. But somehow that has been lost. These days the mainstream media tells you what to think and you better not dispute it or you will be cancelled!…
“In the end, the massive success of the Tucker Carlson interview with Vladimir Putin demonstrates once and for all that the American people are sick to death of their mainstream media propagandists and liars. They are looking not for government narratives, but for truth…”
At one time, it was understood that a journalist is to interview, not to challenge or engage in arguments with the interviewed.
The Sun wrote on February 11:
“WHO would have thought when Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine went off the rails two years ago that Russia’s economy would today be growing faster than any in Europe? Germany has gone from the continent’s powerhouse to a GDP… that is smaller than Russia’s by many measurements.
“But then our leaders in Washington, London and Brussels made their own blunder. By imposing the toughest-ever economic sanctions on the Kremlin to add to our generous backing for Ukraine, Joe Biden and Co assumed that the Russian economy would tank, Putin would run out of cash to pay for his army, then the Russian people… would rebel against Putin for plunging them into poverty…
“Unemployment in Russia has fallen sharply since war broke out. Of course, mass recruitment into the army partly explains this, but Putin has been massively boosting military industries, sucking in labour and pushing up wages….”
National Interest wrote on February 10:
“The idea of a joint European army has long been tossed around in the Continent’s power centers. This would be a separate organization from NATO and answer to the European Union…. A major obstacle is the very nature of the European Union.
“With 27 member states and about 450 million people, the European Union is a modern-day tower of Babel. There are a lot of interests, ideas, and beliefs, and they clash almost daily. Reaching a consensus for a major political decision to create a common military force doesn’t seem likely anytime soon—even after a major geopolitical event such as the invasion of Ukraine by Russia…. Another major hindrance… has to do with command and control.”
This is why a core Europe of 10 nations or groups of nations will develop which will give their power and authority to a totalitarian leader.
Israel Today wrote on February 8:
“The diplomatic tension surrounding Israel’s efforts to defend itself and prevent the horrors of that black Shabbat from ever recurring has further exposed deep rifts between Israel and the United States. Or, at least, between Israel and the current US administration. The White House needs to understand that Oct. 7 caused a shift in the Israeli psyche. US national interests are no longer on equal footing with Israeli national interests. Because for Israelis, it’s literally a matter of life or death, and a horrible, torturous death at that.
“The vast majority of Israelis no longer care if the White House approves of what they feel must be done to protect the Jewish state, or about the Americans’ preferred path to resolving the conflict. The formulas coming out of Washington have clearly failed…”
In a short “press conference” at the White House, during which no questions were allowed, Biden and visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (who is extremely unpopular in Germany) tried to present a united front. Scholz said they both agreed on the necessity of a two-state-solution, and expressed his hope that Congress would allow further aid for Ukraine. At that point, Biden said: “The failure of the United States Congress, if it occurs, not to support Ukraine, is close to criminal neglect. It is outrageous.”
The Sun wrote on February 10:
“With the US and UK focused on tackling Iran-backed extremists like the Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah – the shadow of even more savage groups is growing in the region. ISIS – the blood-curdling terrorists whose attacks sparked horror around the world for years – are feared to be firing up for a return… [and that ] a terrorist attack on UK soil is ‘absolutely possible’.
“[Experts] warned a larger ‘war is coming’, which could mean a return to the days of War on Terror even worse than we have seen before.
“Professor Glees told us Hamas’ brutal massacre on October 7 was the spark that lit the fuse on a new powder keg – and warned the UK is not prepared. And meanwhile, General Hodges said: ‘The UK is in a pre-war environment. That means war is coming.’…
“US General Joel Vowell – who leads America’s efforts abroad to squash ISIS – warned that the threat of a suspected attack has risen 200 per cent in the last three months… The raging threat of terror groups like Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah could be combined with attacks by organisations like ISIS on UK soil… Met Police commissioner Mark Rowley warned this time last year… that the UK has tens of thousands of potential terrorists hiding in plain sight.”
The Times of Israel wrote on February 10:
“To understand the first, and hopefully last, Holocaust of this century, Secretary Blinken might want to brush up on the last century’s Holocaust and its predecessor pogroms in Europe and the Middle East. Mr. Secretary, please read the ‘Black Book’ that recounts… eyewitness survivors’ reports of the atrocities committed against Jews by the Nazis and their allies in Europe… The Black Book of what Hamas did on October 7 remains to be written and must include how Hamas came to possess American weapons delivered to Ukraine...
“Mr. Secretary, what exactly have the Israelis done to ‘dehumanize’ Gazans or any Palestinians? The IDF did not rape, burn, microwave, dismember, torture or murder Gaza civilians. The IDF kills or captures terrorists as surgically as possible even with greater risk of IDF injuries and deaths. Contrast that with indiscriminate Hamas missiles, rapists, killers and kidnappers. Are Palestinians in any kind of concentration camps like our country created for Japanese-Americans in WW2?…
“Those terrorists your boss calls ‘the other side’ because he forgot the name ‘Hamas,’ have in some cases done much worse in a shorter period of time than what the Nazis and other Axis soldiers and civilians did to Jews…
“Tell us also if you agree with [Biden’s] statement that the Israeli response to Hamas’s genocide was ‘over the top.’ If you agree with what your boss just said, tell us if the American responses to Pearl Harbor, the Gulf of Tonkin, and 9-11 were ‘over the top.’…”
Good questions.
The Ron Paul Institute published the following article by Professor Jonathan Turley on February 7:
“The House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government on Monday revealed yet another facet of the Biden Administration’s sprawling censorship system that targeted dissenting books. It appears that, as with social media companies, it succeeded in getting the company [Amazon] not to promote disfavored books. Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan revealed on X that the White House was directly involved in the censorship campaign. That includes a 2021 email from one Biden official asking to discuss ‘the high levels of propaganda and misinformation and disinformation of [sic] Amazon?’
“Amazon in turn appears to ask only how high the Biden White House wants it to jump on censorship: ‘[i]s the [Biden] Admin asking us to remove books, or are they more concerned about search results/order (or both)?’ After the meeting, Amazon confirmed in an email that it was actively doing what the government demanded in suppressing sales by not promoting disfavored books: ‘As a reminder, we did enable Do Not Promote for anti-vax books whose primary purpose is to persuade readers vaccines are unsafe or ineffective on 3/9, and will review additional handling options for these books with you.’
“This effort notably parallels demands from Democratic leaders who have called for enlightened algorithms to frame what citizens access on the internet… It is important to keep in mind that these efforts at censorship targeted scientists who have been vindicated in many of their objections to policies and claims of the government…
“The new emails… show direct federal efforts supporting censorship…”
The Biden Administration’s approach is the typical hallmark of authoritarian regimes and dictatorships.
Daily Mail wrote on February 13:
“A priest who said the Scottish Catholic Church was run by a ‘powerful gay mafia’ has claimed that he has been ‘bullied’ by the church… Matthew Despard was suspended from his duties in 2013 after making the claims in a self-published book. A ruling made by the Vatican in 2016 said he could return to work- but only if he makes a public apology for his claims… Despard has refused, saying that he is not sorry for ‘telling the truth’…
“Despard remains in employment with the Church, but has been banned from performing certain religious duties, such as saying Mass…
“He raised his case with the Roman Rota in Italy in 2016 – an internal court for the Catholic Church, where he was told to withdraw the book, which he has. But Joseph Toal, the Bishop of Motherwell, said that Father Despard must apologise for any ‘hurt and offence’ caused by his book. But the suspended priest has said his claims have been shown to be true after reports about the Scottish Catholic Church. Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who was once the most senior Catholic cleric in Britain, resigned in 2013 after claims of sexual misconduct against priests as far back as the 1980s…
Why did he withdraw his book? That appears to have been a big mistake.
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer
These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.
On February 17, 2024, Eric Rank will present the sermonette, titled, “Strength and Soundness of Identity,” and Rene Messier will present the sermon, titled, “Mission Statement.”
The live services are available, over video and audio, at http://eternalgod.org/live-services/ (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time; 8:30 pm Greenwich Mean Time; 9:30 pm Central European Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.
by Thilo Hanstein (Germany)
Every now and then, we come across people whose behavior leaves us speechless. There is so much madness happening all over the world that I sometimes ask myself: “Is this the character of the person or is he completely deceived by Satan?” Many people around the world seem to shut their eyes to the absurdity of what is happening around us and simply accept what is about to happen even if they could change it.
We as Christians know what is coming to the world at large, and to us as well, and that Satan is the deceiver of this world. Revelation 12:9 says: “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
We have been teaching time and again that it is very dangerous to become lazy, overconfident, selfish, or even arrogant, and that a person will never find their way out of the mire of self-deception on their own. We also have been explaining repeatedly that a deceived person does not know that he is deceived.
However, we are obligated to make sure that we recognize Satan’s tactics of deception, and we know that we can counter them with the power of God. We must ensure that Satan’s deception does not take hold of our hearts and trick us into believing that the wrong way is righteous and good.
Solomon warns us firmly against this in Proverbs 14:12 and Proverbs 16:25: “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”
So, what would be a good remedy to get to the bottom of Satan’s deception, even if we do not know whether we are deceived?
One of the best remedies is “Humility and the Fear of the LORD.”
In the fifth book of Psalms, we read in chapter 111 and verse 10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” Solomon had the same insight in Proverbs 1:7, where he wrote: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge…”
It is through the power of God, through our humility and through the fear of the LORD that God will help us to obtain the possibility of understanding and open our eyes to whether there is something wrong in our hearts and whether something can or should be improved.
If we neither have nor desire this humility and the fear of the LORD in us, there is a terrible answer: “Because they hated knowledge And did not choose to fear the LORD, They would have none of my counsel And despised my every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own fancies” (Proverbs 1:29-31).
Another method to recognize possible deception is “Self-Examination.”
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:5: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”
James also explains to us in James 1:22-25 that we must be on our guard against precisely this kind of self-deception:
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
We should always keep in mind that love is the supreme characteristic of God’s perfect law.
It is therefore crucial that we all examine ourselves again and again. Let’s try to have a genuine look in the mirror and take a close look at ourselves and ask ourselves: “Am I pleasing God and Jesus Christ with my lifestyle? Is everything really okay, or am I doing something wrong? Should I change something about myself?”
If we ask God for His help, we might easily come to a new realization. There is always something to do within and about us!
I truly wish all of us the strength and courage to take a good look at our mirror image and gain new insights.
Initial Translation from the German: Daniel Blasinger
by Norbert Link
We begin with reports about President Biden’s rapidly decreasing mental health and options, if any, for a new Democratic candidate should Biden step down [please view our new message, “Biden’s Two Alternatives: Prosecution or Resignation—Comments on News and Prophecy, February 10, 2024”].
We continue with focusing on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’s (mis-)handling of the border crisis, and Joe Biden’s alleged involvement with Hunter’s foreign business transactions; as well as controversial comments by Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson’s interview with Vladimir Putin. We also speak on the growing rift between the USA and Israel, and warn of the possibility of more terrorist attacks through ISIS.
We conclude with further censorship caused by the Biden Administration and an article about the Catholic Church in Scotland.
Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Trump Frightens Europe.”
Throughout this section, we have underlined pertinent statements in the quoted articles, for the convenience and quick overview of the reader.
The Daily Beast wrote on February 8:
“President Joe Biden on Wednesday made the surprising claim that he’d had a conversation with former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl that—given when it supposedly took place—could only have happened through a ouija board.
“The Democrat said [at a New York fundraiser] he spoke with [former German Chancellor Helmut] Kohl, who died in 2017, at a 2021 meeting of G7 leaders in the U.K… [Biden] actually repeated the error at another Manhattan fundraiser later in the day.
“What makes the slip-up even stranger is that Biden had made a similar mistake while talking about the same G7 gathering on Sunday. Speaking at a campaign rally in Las Vegas, he [said:] ‘I sat down [at the meeting] and said: “America is back!”’ Biden said “And Mitterand from Germany—I mean, from France—looked at me and said… Said… You know, why… How long you back for?’’
Mitterrand died in 1996, a quarter of a century before the G7 meeting.
The Daily Mail wrote on February 10:
“President Joe Biden continues referring to recent conversations with deceased foreign leaders as he struggles to recall the exact details of previous meetings.
… Biden has a history of struggling to remember who is alive and who is deceased…
“It’s not the only time Biden has confused the names of world leaders. In 2019, he briefly referred to a conversation about America under the leadership of former President Donald Trump with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, when he meant to refer to then-Prime Minister Theresa May…
“During a November 2022 speech, Biden recalled a conversation with a man who ‘invented’ insulin, even though the man who discovered the drug died in 1941, a year before Biden was born. In September 2022, Biden gave a shoutout to deceased Indiana Republican Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., who died in a car crash in August 2022. ‘Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie?’ Biden said, scanning a crowd of lawmakers at a conference on hunger. ‘She must not be here.’…
“… He declared that Russian Vladimir Putin was ‘clearly losing the war in Iraq.’ [The war in Iraq had nothing to do with Putin and ended in 2011].
“In 2023, he closed out a speech on gun control with the bizarre proclamation: ‘God save the Queen, man’ even after Queen Elizabeth II had died in September 2022.
“The following month, Biden claimed to have reached a medical milestone, declaring: ‘We ended cancer as we know it.’ And in December 2023, he bragged about infrastructure spending, saying it was at: ‘Over a billion, 300 million, trillion, 300 million dollars.’”
Clearly, Biden is not well, and has not been for quite some time.
The New York Post wrote on February 8:
”President Biden ‘willfully retained and disclosed classified materials,’ special counsel Robert Hur found in a bombshell report released Thursday — though Hur recommended against criminal charges, in part because a jury might well view Biden as an ‘elderly man with a poor memory.’
“Biden, 81, flouted legal restrictions on keeping sensitive documents throughout his 36 years in the Senate and after his eight-year vice presidency — stashing them in cardboard boxes ‘surrounded by household [items]’ in his garage in Wilmington, Del., and other locations, the 388-page report said. Investigators even uncovered a recording of Biden confiding in his ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer in April 2017, three months after leaving the vice presidency, that he still had official records because ‘I didn’t want to turn them in’… Zwonitzer also told Hur’s investigators that he deleted some audio files of Biden after the special counsel investigation began — and was aware of the probe when he did so…
“A dozen official documents were determined to possess information that still qualifies as top secret… Scores of additional documents contained secret or confidential information.
“Perhaps most damaging to the president, Hur, a former Maryland US attorney, suggested that jurors would not hold Biden liable for his actions on account of his perceived mental decline, even though he is seeking a second four-year term in November…
“When Biden sat for questions with Hur’s investigators Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, he presented himself as confused on many points… Biden ‘did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended (‘if it was 2013 — when did I stop being Vice President?’), and forgetting on the second day of the interview when his term began (‘in 2009, am I still Vice President?’),’ the report says. He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died [May 2015]. And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him. Among other things, he mistakenly said he ‘had a real difference’ of opinion with General Karl Eikenberry, when, in fact, Eikenberry was an ally whom Mr. Biden cited approvingly in his Thanksgiving [2009] memo to President Obama.”…
“Although Biden’s lapses of memory may have been useful for avoiding criminal liability, they are likely to be a serious political problem, as national polls already show large majorities of voters believe he is too old, infirm or both to hold office…
“Hur wrote that his team ‘considered whether to charge the ghostwriter with obstruction of justice, but we believe the evidence would be insufficient to obtain a conviction and therefore declined to prosecute him… the evidence falls short of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that he intended to impede an investigation, which is the intent required by law,’ the report said.
“Trump himself… fumed about what he called a double standard in the US legal system — as he prepares to stand trial over similar allegations beginning May 20 in South Florida…”
The Daily Mail added on February 8:
“The Department of Justice released its long-awaited investigation into Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents Thursday, delivering a damning assessment of the president’s ‘diminished faculties’ and limited memory… His ‘diminished faculties in advancing age’ would likely make him a sympathetic figure to jurors, the report says…
“The investigation said there was plenty of evidence to suggest that Biden was aware that he was not allowed to keep such classified notes after leaving office, pointing out that his long Washington career meant he was familiar ‘with the measures taken to safeguard classified information and the need for those measures to prevent harm to national security.’ Even so, notebooks crammed with classified information were stored in unlocked drawers at his home.
“And it was not simply the case that the notebooks were misplaced and forgotten. ‘He consulted the notebooks liberally during hours of discussions with his ghostwriter and viewed them as highly private and valued possessions with which he was unwilling to part,’ writes Hur.”
Robert Hur, a Republican, was appointed by Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland as special counsel to investigate Biden. In his report, Hur described Biden’s conduct as “utterly irresponsible”, the same words Biden used in attacking Trump. Hur reports that Biden had sensitive documents at unsecured locations—a fact Biden lied about in the press conference as well.
As it was pointed out by many observers, if Biden is too senile to stand trial, then he is clearly too senile to be President. On the other hand, the argument advanced by Hur for not charging Biden is reminiscent of former FBI Director and Republican James Comey’s decision not to charge Hillary Clinton for admitted wrongdoing and mishandling of and destroying classified documents. That there is an obvious double standard of the Justice Department vis-à-vis Biden and Trump is beyond dispute.
Democrats, such as Kamala Harris, tried to put a spin on the report, saying that Hur’s comments were gratuitous, inaccurate and inappropriate. But if they were false or unnecessary to make, then there would have been no basis for not prosecuting Biden. Biden’s alleged mental disability was the compelling reason, in Hur’s alleged mind, for not proceeding against him. That only leaves us with two alternatives: Either Biden IS mentally incompetent and would not be convicted for that reason, then he MUST NOT be allowed to continue as President. Or, he is NOT mentally incompetent, then he MUST be prosecuted.
76% of Americans have major or moderate concerns about his mental and physical health.
But if Biden resigned, or, given his perceived arrogance preventing him from doing so voluntarily, he was forced to resign, Kamala Harris would be next in line. [She already said she was ready to serve]. Even the Democratic Party knows that this would be an absolute nightmare and a catastrophe. The German newspaper Die Welt speculated whether Michelle Obama might not step in to fill the void.
For now, Democrats began to try to put another spin on the matter: It was not because of Biden’s incapacity that he will not be prosecuted, but because he cooperated with the FBI. This is like saying, as one commentator put it, a murderer will not be prosecuted because he cooperated with the police after his arrest by showing them where he disposed of the victim.
Our legal system, and Biden’s Justice Department, have shown time and again that they are utterly corrupt.
Express wrote on February 11:
“US President Joe Biden is ‘wandering around dazed and confused’ [and] his administration is acting with ‘impunity’, a political analyst [said]…
“Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Centre for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation, said Biden’s age raises big questions about his ability to lead. He said: ‘Firstly, Biden is increasingly mentally incompetent. That was hugely evident from his trainwreck press conference… There are so many gaffes now made by the President, this is a President who doesn’t know what he is saying, wandering around dazed and confused, and yet he leads the world’s most powerful country. It is obvious to anyone that this is a President who has lost his mind, and he is not fit to lead the free world. His state of mental confusion is a big concern… He is increasingly angry and aggressive, and he looks completely unhinged. His ranting and raving made him look like a complete madman. It’s a sad state of affairs for the US.’
“Mr Gardiner tells Daily Express US that he disagrees with the apparent differences in how the cases [regarding Biden and Trump] have been handled. He said: ‘It is just ridiculous, Biden acts with complete impunity and there is no accountability. It is outrageous. The Biden Presidency behaves like an imperial presidency and acts with sheer contempt for the American people. There is clearly a double standard here. Donald Trump is treated in a different way to Biden, that is the reality. This is why a lot of Americans have lost faith in the political system and the ruling establishment.’”
No doubt about that.
The New York Post wrote on February 8:
“The White House compounded the damage from the report with a hastily called press conference that was dominated by Biden screaming at reporters. ‘My memory is fine!’ he asserted. The president then astonished the audience by claiming Mexico’s president is in charge of controlling the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip…
“Biden proclaimed, ‘I am the most qualified person in this country to be president of the United States.’ But there was no applause from the White House press corps, some of whose members had wondered if Biden would announce his resignation that night.
“Even Biden’s allies were bailing ship, per the NBC News headline: “‘A nightmare’: Special counsel’s assessment of Biden’s mental fitness triggers Democratic panic.’”
Biden claimed that he knew very well when his son Beau died, and that he just did not want to answer the question, as it was none of the investigators d… business. But as Israel 365 News pointed out on February 9, “Perhaps most concerning of all are Biden’s recent assertions that his son Beau died in Iraq when everyone in the country knows he died of a brain tumor, and Biden started his Cancer Moonshot program in his memory.”
If Biden’s memory is fine, as he claimed in the press conference, then he must have been deceitful during his interviews with the special counsel, pretending that he could not recall and having a faulty memory.
Israel 365 News wrote on February 9 about the above-mentioned “press conference”:
“Joe Biden criticized… Israel’s response to Hamas… ‘I’m of the view, as you know, that the conduct of the response in the Gaza Strip has been over the top,’ Biden told reporters at the White House.”
The disagreement between Biden and Netanyahu becomes more and more obvious.
Business Insider wrote on February 10:
“For years, Republicans have attacked Biden for his age and perceived mental acuity. Those critiques only got louder on Thursday after a special counsel report implied he was forgetful. Some Democrats also previously complained about his age, but the party has no alternatives now.
“With less than a year until election day, the Democratic Party has no apparent backup plan if it decides to part with its endorsed candidate.
“Choosing a candidate to run against or replace Biden would also likely be a tremendously messy process: Would the party want to go with its current vice president, Kamala Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, or some other dark horse candidate? Who within the party would ultimately make that decision? What happens to all of the Biden campaign’s funding?
“The Democratic Party doesn’t have the luxury of time to figure it out, either: The primary election season has already begun across the nation, and it’s far too late for many states to add new names to their ballots per local election laws…
“Super Tuesday, the day when 15 states — roughly a third of the overall delegate count — hold their primaries, is on March 5. Similar to Michigan (which had a cut-off date on December 8, 2023), it’s also much too late to add a new candidate to those primary ballots, including California, which boasts just under 500 delegates and had a late-December 2023 cutoff point to be added to the ballot.
“If a replacement for Biden can’t be formally placed on ballots, the only option for the Democratic Party, if it’s serious about fielding a different nominee, would be to quickly mobilize a campaign to write that candidate’s name on state Democratic primary ballots. But if this write-in campaign isn’t implemented before Super Tuesday, there’s little chance at all that a formal replacement for Biden will be available on Democratic tickets come November…”
The Daily Mail added on February 9:
“Democrat insiders say it is now ‘panic time’ after a blockbuster Justice Department report concluded Joe Biden has ‘diminished faculties’ and is an ‘elderly man with a poor memory’… Increasingly, behind the scenes, a nuclear option is being considered to remove the 81-year-old president as the Democrat nominee at the party’s convention in Chicago in August…
“[Some] have floated the idea of a run by [a] well-known figure like Michelle Obama.
“A recent Daily Mail poll found 60 percent of Americans think Biden should not run again. In an alarming sign for Biden it found 44 percent of Democrats thought it was not too late to replace him a the nominee.
“A Democrat member of Congress told NBC the Justice Department report was a ‘nightmare’ and the party was now in a ‘grim situation’.”
Express wrote on February 11:
“Donald Trump is ahead of Joe Biden in opinion polls to become US president – but former First Lady Michelle Obama could spoil the Republican’s hopes. Joe Biden could be replaced by former First Lady Michelle Obama on the ticket to become the US’s next president… senior Republicans have warned….
““The very unpopular Ms [Kamala] Harris is only on the ticket, say Republicans, because the Democratic Party is ‘a party of identity politics’ that needs to stem the haemorrhaging of African-American support. But there is an alternative waiting in the wings who would represent a real challenge for Mr Trump.
‘The only way to rectify this is to replace Harris with another black woman in the top spot. What other black woman is there with a great approval rating, name recognition and a link to a popular presidency in which Joe Biden also happened to serve as VP? Michelle Obama.’”
JTA wrote on February 13:
“On its second try, the U.S. House of Representatives impeached the Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by a single vote, in a process some Jewish groups said was tainted by antisemitic rhetoric.
“The impeachment of Mayorkas, who is Jewish, passed Tuesday on party lines by a vote of 214-213, with three Republicans breaking ranks. The effort, however, is likely going nowhere, because the Democratic-led Senate may not take it up, and if it does, there are nowhere near the 67 votes necessary to convict and remove Mayorkas, the first cabinet secretary impeached in nearly 150 years.
“The first attempt at impeachment last week narrowly failed, a setback for House Speaker Mike Johnson, the Louisiana Republican whose short tenure has been marked by a number of lost votes.
“Jewish groups have expressed alarm at the impeachment process, noting repeated invocations during the impeachment hearings of the Great Replacement, a baseless conspiracy theory whose original version claims Jews are behind an effort to replace the populations of majority-white countries with immigrants of color…
“A record number of migrants have been crossing the U.S.-Mexico border recently, and Republicans say the border is out of control because Mayorkas is willfully ignoring existing laws. They say amounts to the high crime and misdemeanors [show the necessity] for impeachment.
“Secretary Mayorkas has willfully and consistently refused to comply with federal immigration laws, fueling the worst border catastrophe in American history,” Johnson said in a statement after the vote… ‘Make no mistake — the Secretary has not committed an impeachable offense,’ Rep. Jerry Nadler, the Jewish New Yorker who is the top Democrat on the House Judiciary committee, said on X…
“Former President Donald Trump… urged Republicans to impeach Mayorkas…”
The charge of antisemitism, launched by left-liberal Jews, is utter nonsense. For instance, Trump has a Jewish son-in-law who is married to his daughter who converted to Judaism. Mayorkas’s impeachment was long overdue. So is Biden’s. The Senate run by Democrats will not impeach Mayorkas, because if they did, it would be an admission of Biden’s utter failure and the need to impeach him as well.
Newsmax wrote on February 13:
“Tony Bobulinski, former business partner of Hunter Biden, is testifying before the House Oversight and Judiciary committees Tuesday, alleging the Biden family peddled President Joe Biden’s influence to China and Ukraine — all with the ‘enabler’ Joe Biden’s knowledge and blessing…
“Bobulinski laments the U.S. government and complicit media has ignored his ‘extensive evidence’ and allegations for years — even to the point of suppression — he said in his opening statement. ‘For nearly four years, I have tried to tell the American people the truth about serious corruption at the very top of their government,’ his statement read. ‘In return, I have been falsely accused of being a purveyor of “Russian disinformation” and a political surrogate. My continuous efforts to inform the American people of the facts have been actively suppressed by both the United States government and the so-called “mainstream” media.’…
“Bobulinski noted he is a U.S. Navy veteran upholding the highest standards of truth and devotion to the U.S. and not a partisan operative — as has been alleged. Also, he is nonpartisan, despite admittedly having donated to Democrat political campaigns in the past. ‘I implore each and every one of you to remove your partisan hats today and focus on one party: the United States of America,’ his statement concluded. ‘I hope your focus will be on a thorough and extensive investigation and exposure of all of the facts and evidence — and on answering the question of how we as a country allowed the White House to be infiltrated by our most existential adversary, the Chinese Communist Party. ‘I also hope you will hold the complicit parties, including Joe Biden, accountable for their actions, as well as enact new laws that prevent this kind of deep corruption from ever happening again.’”
Sadly, as in the case of Mayorkas, the left-liberal Senate will not impeach Biden, even if the evidence of “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors” (Section 4 of Article Two of the Constitution) were overwhelming.
Breitbart wrote on February 9:
“This week, 17 Senate Republicans joined [every single Democrat excluding Sen. Bernie Sanders] to approve sending Ukraine another $60 billion. Twelve of those Republicans previously suggested they would not help send Ukraine any more American taxpayer money until the United States’s border was secure from illegal immigration… The money, if approved by the House, will fund weapons and military training… for Ukraine in its war with Russia. [It is coupled with $14.1 billion for Israel in its war with Hamas].
“Already, American taxpayers have been forced to send at least $113 billion to Ukraine in their war with Russia. The latest pool of money, if approved by the House and signed by President Joe Biden, would ensure that nearly $200 billion gets into the hands of Ukraine officials — much of which has gone unaccounted for.”
The Republican dissenters included the usual ones, such as Susan Collins and Mitt Romney, but also some surprises, such as John Kennedy. As expected, Mitch McConnell also joined the group. House Speaker Mike Johnson already declared his opposition, and that he would not bring the Senate bill to the House floor.
The New York Post wrote on February 12:
“Former President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to extend the delay in his election interference trial, saying he is immune from prosecution on charges he plotted to overturn his 2020 election loss…
“His lawyers filed an emergency appeal with the court on Monday… The filing keeps on hold what would be a landmark criminal trial of a former president while the nation’s highest court decides what to do… The Supreme Court’s decision… and how quickly it acts, could determine whether the Republican presidential primary frontrunner stands trial in the case before November.”
Newsmax wrote on February 10:
“The two-tiered system of justice under President Joe Biden will be facing a long overdue existential threat this November, former President Donald Trump vowed Friday night in his eighth headlining address to the National Rifle Association. ‘We will completely overhaul the corrupt Department of Justice to clear out all the communists who have weaponized government activities and gone against conservatives and gun owners,’ Trump told the [crowd] in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a key battleground state in the 2024 presidential election…
“Gone will be the days of soft enforcement of American laws, including the failure to enforce southern border and immigration law or the soft-on-crime policies in Democrat-run cities – all while the DOJ is weaponized against conservatives and even the religious – Trump vowed…
“Trump has vowed for months in his campaign to indemnify police, giving the law enforcement officers their authority back to enforce the laws Biden’s DOJ refuses to and restore public safety that has ravaged Democrat-run cities. ‘Even as they turn America into a crime-ridden, gang-infested, terror-filled dumping ground, Joe Biden and his thugs will do everything in their power to confiscate your guns and annihilate your God-given right to self-defense,’ Trump said.”
Self-defense involving the serious injury or death of an attacker, is NOT a God-given right. Please read our free booklet, “Should YOU Fight in War?”
Deutsche Welle wrote on February 11:
“Former US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would ‘encourage’ Russia to attack members of NATO who had not met their financial obligations… Speaking at a campaign rally in South Carolina Saturday, the Republican presidential nomination frontrunner appeared to recount a conversation with a fellow head of state at an unspecified NATO meeting. ‘One of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, “Well, sir, if we don’t pay, and we’re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?” I said, “You didn’t pay, you’re delinquent? No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want…”’
“Trump has long expressed skepticism about the 31-nation military alliance… European Council President Charles Michel… denounced Trump’s comments as ‘reckless.’… NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, meanwhile, warned in a statement that, ‘Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the US.’…
“In his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump shocked Western allies by cautioning that under his leadership the US might abandon its NATO treaty commitments and only come to the defense of those nations that meet the bloc’s military funding guidelines… As Trump leads President Joe Biden…, European allies are concerned that the US commitment to the alliance could be in jeopardy if Trump wins the November electoral race. “
Newsmax wrote on February 10:
“… former President Donald Trump introduced a new policy proposal Saturday, vowing to turn all future foreign aid from obligation-free bailouts to ‘loans’ that should be paid back… Ultimately, the loan debts could be used as future leverage if the country does not maintain full diplomatic ties to the U.S., Trump added… That include[s] aid like to warring countries Ukraine and Israel, who are fighting imperialistic aggression and radical Islamic terrorism… ‘I did the same thing with NATO,’ Trump continued… Without leverage, there is no reason for a country to pay up for the costs American taxpayers bear, Trump noted. They need incentive, he said… ‘you have to understand: You don’t pay your bills, you get no protection’…”
Europe is in a state of panic and deeply concerned about a return of Donald Trump.
Thomson/Reuters wrote on February 13:
“A leading national security adviser to Donald Trump told Reuters on Tuesday that he would push for changes to NATO if the former president returns to power that could result in some member nations losing protection against an outside attack.
“Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general and onetime chief of staff of the former president’s National Security Council, said in an interview that if a member of the 31-country alliance failed to spend at least 2% of its gross domestic product on defense, as agreed, he would support removing that nation’s Article 5 protections under the North Atlantic Treaty. Article 5 states that an attack against one member of the Europe-based alliance will be considered an attack against all, and members of the alliance must respond appropriately. Without those protections, a member country would not be guaranteed other NATO members would come to its aid. ‘Where I come from, alliances matter,’ said Kellogg, who also served as former Vice President Mike Pence’s national security adviser. ‘But if you’re going to be part of an alliance, contribute to the alliance, be part of the alliance.’…
“Kellogg said if Trump wins, he would likely suggest a NATO meeting in June 2025 to discuss the future of the alliance. He said NATO could subsequently become a ‘tiered alliance,’ in which some members enjoy greater protections based on their compliance with NATO’s founding articles… Kellogg said that if Article 3 of the North Atlantic Treaty was not respected, the protections afforded by Article 5 should not be taken as automatic.
“Article 3 states that NATO member countries must make appropriate efforts to develop their individual defense capabilities. While Article 3 does not say countries must spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense, member nations pledged at a 2014 summit in Wales to move toward that figure within a decade…
“In December, Robert O’Brien, Trump’s national security adviser from 2019 to 2021… told Reuters imposing trade tariffs on NATO countries if they did not spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense would likely be among the policies on the table during a second Trump term.”
Deutsche Welle wrote on February 14:
“Germany will meet NATO’s defense spending target of 2% of its gross domestic product (GDP) for the first time since the early 1990s… German news agency DPA put the figure… at $73.41 billion (€ 68.58 billion) in the current year which it said would be 2.01% of Germany’s GDP.
“In 2023, Germany spent 1.57% of GDP on defense, well short of the 2% target. This Monday, however, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged to meet the 2% spending commitment…
“News of Germany hitting the 2% spending target came as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg praised an ‘unprecedented’ 11% increase in defense spending in the 31-nation alliance. ‘This year I expect 18 allies to spend 2% of their GDP on defense…’, Stoltenberg said… NATO’s European states would invest a combined total of $380 billion in defense this year, Stoltenberg added.
“In 2023, eleven allies are expected to have met the 2% target according to prior NATO estimates — Poland, the US, Greece, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, Britain and Slovakia.”
NATO has 31 members. Many have not met or will not meet the 2% target.
The Daily Beast wrote on February 8:
“’Putin [spoke] for a very long time, probably half an hour, about the history of Russia going back to the eighth century,’ Carlson said. ‘We thought this was a filibustering technique and found it annoying and interrupted him several times, and he responded. He was annoyed by the interruption.’…
“After the modified history lesson was over, Tucker asked an astonishing question, ‘But may I ask, you’re making the case that Ukraine, certainly parts of Ukraine, eastern Ukraine is in effect Russia—has been for hundreds of years. Why wouldn’t you just take it when you became president 24 years ago? You have nuclear weapons. They don’t. It’s actually your land. Why did you wait so long?’
“Instead of responding, Putin delved into another history lesson, going back all the way to 1654 and prompting Carlson to ask, ‘Do you believe Hungary has a right to take its land back from Ukraine, and that other nations have a right to go back to their 1654 borders?’ When Putin demurred, Carlson persisted, ‘Have you told Viktor Orbán that he can have part of Ukraine?’ Putin replied, ‘Never. I have never told him. Not a single time.’
“In the course of the interview, Putin revisited old grievances about Russia offering to join NATO and being rejected. He blamed the U.S. for helping Ukraine to get rid of its formerly pro-Russian presidents…
“In a comical exchange during the meandering interview, Tucker asked Putin: ‘Who blew up Nord Stream?’ Putin replied, ‘You for sure.’ Carlson parried: ‘I was busy that day. I did not blow up Nord Stream. Thank you though.’ Once again, Putin blamed the CIA, but refused to elaborate as to whether Russia has any evidence to prove that…
“Jumping from topic to topic, Putin assured Carlson he has no intention to invade Europe…
“To his credit, Carlson asked Putin to release the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich as a goodwill gesture. Putin harshly replied, ‘We have done so many gestures of goodwill out of decency that I think we have run out of them.’ He added that this matter could be solved through appropriate channels…
“He dramatically proclaimed that Ukrainians and Russians would be ‘reunited’ in the end: ‘No one will be able to separate the soul.’…”
The Daily Mail added on February 8:
“Putin claimed he sought to restore Russian relations with the US when he became president in 2000, even asking then-President Bill Clinton for a place in NATO. However, he alleged his request was rebuffed by Clinton’s team.
“‘[George W. Bush Jr.] was no worse than any other American or Russian or European politician. I assure you he understood what he was doing as well as others.’ He continued and said he had a similarly warm relationship with former President Donald Trump: ‘It is not about the personality of the leader. It is about the elites’ mindset…’ Putin was less enthusiastic about Biden…
”When asked what the decisive moment was that made up his mind to launch his attack, Putin responded, ‘initially, it was the coup in Ukraine’ – referencing the removal of Zelensky’s predecessor Viktor Yanukovych in 2014… Firstly, the current Ukrainian leadership would not implement the Minsk Agreements,’ Putin continued… He accused former leaders of Germany and France of reneging on their commitments to the agreements…
“Today, before the interview dropped, White House Communications Coordinator John Kirby told Americans not to believe ‘anything’ in the interview… While Democrats have bristled at the thought of Carlson giving Putin a platform – including Hillary Clinton branding Carlson a ‘useful idiot’ – others are embracing it. Robert Kennedy Jr. praised Carlson’s efforts earlier this week, saying he had every right to speak to the world leader and inform the public of his stance…
“The controversial interview has drawn criticism from the White House and the EU, both of whom say Putin cannot be trusted and should not be listened to.”
This last underlined comment by the White House and the EU is appallingly telling.
The Daily Mail wrote on February 9:
“[Putin] blamed Poland for starting the global conflict by working with German leader Adolf Hitler. He cited Germany’s invasion of Poland as evidence it was to blame… [Poland] still participated in the partitioning of Czechoslovakia together with Hitler, as the Poles had not given the Danzig corridor to Germany, and went too far, pushing Hitler to start World War 2 by attacking them… In reality, historians attribute the start of the World War II to the Nazis’ decision to invade neighboring countries due to Hitler’s aggressive expansionism. His decision to invade Poland came after he sent troops to occupy Austria and annexed Czechoslovakia without reproach from the international community, which many feel paved the way for his later invasion…
“One of Putin’s major justifications for the war in Ukraine is his fundamental belief the country belongs to Russia. He cited the creation of the USSR as the point of establishment of Ukraine… ‘In 1922 when the USSR was being established, the Bolsheviks started building the USSR and established the Soviet Ukraine, which had never existed before.’ In reality, Ukraine declared its independence from Russia in 1991 after the collapse of the USSR…
“’Ukraine is obviously a satellite state of the US,’ Putin declared… The Russian leader cited the US’ ongoing financial support to the war-torn country as evidence for his claim…
“Carlson… asked if he had any evidence that NATO or the CIA was responsible for the attack [on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines], but Putin refused to provide any… The United States government has staunchly denied claims of involvement in the attack… Suspicion has fallen most strongly on Ukraine, where officials had opposed the project for years claiming it would empower Russia by enabling it to sell more gas to Europe.”
However, Biden made some telling remarks prior to the attack, indicating that America would prevent the pipelines from operating.
Putin also claimed that Boris Johnson “prevented peace talks” and alleged that “ former prime minister Johnson – who he said had a ‘pure heart’ but ‘not a great mind’ – intervened during talks in Istanbul in 2022 and persuaded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy not to sign a peace deal, arguing that ‘it was better to fight Russia’ (The Independent, February 9). Johnson denied the allegation.
Express wrote on February 10:
“Nile Gardiner, Director of The Heritage Foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, tells the Daily Express US that Putin is a ‘dangerous man’ who will want Russian forces to ‘massacre’ people across Europe… ‘he is incredibly dangerous. Europe has to be on its guard as to what Putin will do next in Europe… Clearly he has his sights set on territory beyond Ukraine…’
“The Russian president also said he had ‘no interest’ in attacking Poland or Latvia in his interview with Carlson. He said: ‘It goes against common sense to get involved in some kind of a global war and a global war will bring all humanity to the brink of destruction. It’s obvious.’
“However, in January 2022, Putin said he had no plans to invade Ukraine. Russian troops entered the country at the end of February that year.”
Ron Paul wrote in his weekly column, published by the Ron Paul Institute, dated February 12:
“There has been much written and said about Tucker Carlson’s interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week. As of this writing the video on Twitter alone has been viewed nearly 200 million times, making it likely the most-viewed news event in history. Many millions of viewers who may not have had access to the other side of the story were informed that the Russia/Ukraine military conflict did not begin in 2022, as the mainstream media continuously reports, but in fact began eight years earlier with a US-backed coup in Ukraine. The US media does not report this because they don’t want Americans to begin questioning our interventionist foreign policy. They don’t want Americans to see that our government meddling in the affairs of other countries… has real and deadly consequences to those on the receiving end of our foreign policy.
“To me, however, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Tucker Carlson interview with Putin was the US mainstream media reaction… In the days and weeks before the interview, the US media was filled with stories about how horrible it was that Tucker Carlson was interviewing the Russian president. There was the danger, they all said, that Putin might spread ‘disinformation.’
“That Putin might say something to put his country in a better light was, they were saying, reason enough to not interview him. With that logic, why have journalism at all? Everyone interviewed by journalists – certainly every world leader – will attempt to paint a rosy picture. The job of a journalist in a free society should be to do the reporting and let the people decide. But somehow that has been lost. These days the mainstream media tells you what to think and you better not dispute it or you will be cancelled!…
“In the end, the massive success of the Tucker Carlson interview with Vladimir Putin demonstrates once and for all that the American people are sick to death of their mainstream media propagandists and liars. They are looking not for government narratives, but for truth…”
At one time, it was understood that a journalist is to interview, not to challenge or engage in arguments with the interviewed.
The Sun wrote on February 11:
“WHO would have thought when Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine went off the rails two years ago that Russia’s economy would today be growing faster than any in Europe? Germany has gone from the continent’s powerhouse to a GDP… that is smaller than Russia’s by many measurements.
“But then our leaders in Washington, London and Brussels made their own blunder. By imposing the toughest-ever economic sanctions on the Kremlin to add to our generous backing for Ukraine, Joe Biden and Co assumed that the Russian economy would tank, Putin would run out of cash to pay for his army, then the Russian people… would rebel against Putin for plunging them into poverty…
“Unemployment in Russia has fallen sharply since war broke out. Of course, mass recruitment into the army partly explains this, but Putin has been massively boosting military industries, sucking in labour and pushing up wages….”
National Interest wrote on February 10:
“The idea of a joint European army has long been tossed around in the Continent’s power centers. This would be a separate organization from NATO and answer to the European Union…. A major obstacle is the very nature of the European Union.
“With 27 member states and about 450 million people, the European Union is a modern-day tower of Babel. There are a lot of interests, ideas, and beliefs, and they clash almost daily. Reaching a consensus for a major political decision to create a common military force doesn’t seem likely anytime soon—even after a major geopolitical event such as the invasion of Ukraine by Russia…. Another major hindrance… has to do with command and control.”
This is why a core Europe of 10 nations or groups of nations will develop which will give their power and authority to a totalitarian leader.
Israel Today wrote on February 8:
“The diplomatic tension surrounding Israel’s efforts to defend itself and prevent the horrors of that black Shabbat from ever recurring has further exposed deep rifts between Israel and the United States. Or, at least, between Israel and the current US administration. The White House needs to understand that Oct. 7 caused a shift in the Israeli psyche. US national interests are no longer on equal footing with Israeli national interests. Because for Israelis, it’s literally a matter of life or death, and a horrible, torturous death at that.
“The vast majority of Israelis no longer care if the White House approves of what they feel must be done to protect the Jewish state, or about the Americans’ preferred path to resolving the conflict. The formulas coming out of Washington have clearly failed…”
In a short “press conference” at the White House, during which no questions were allowed, Biden and visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (who is extremely unpopular in Germany) tried to present a united front. Scholz said they both agreed on the necessity of a two-state-solution, and expressed his hope that Congress would allow further aid for Ukraine. At that point, Biden said: “The failure of the United States Congress, if it occurs, not to support Ukraine, is close to criminal neglect. It is outrageous.”
The Sun wrote on February 10:
“With the US and UK focused on tackling Iran-backed extremists like the Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah – the shadow of even more savage groups is growing in the region. ISIS – the blood-curdling terrorists whose attacks sparked horror around the world for years – are feared to be firing up for a return… [and that ] a terrorist attack on UK soil is ‘absolutely possible’.
“[Experts] warned a larger ‘war is coming’, which could mean a return to the days of War on Terror even worse than we have seen before.
“Professor Glees told us Hamas’ brutal massacre on October 7 was the spark that lit the fuse on a new powder keg – and warned the UK is not prepared. And meanwhile, General Hodges said: ‘The UK is in a pre-war environment. That means war is coming.’…
“US General Joel Vowell – who leads America’s efforts abroad to squash ISIS – warned that the threat of a suspected attack has risen 200 per cent in the last three months… The raging threat of terror groups like Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah could be combined with attacks by organisations like ISIS on UK soil… Met Police commissioner Mark Rowley warned this time last year… that the UK has tens of thousands of potential terrorists hiding in plain sight.”
The Times of Israel wrote on February 10:
“To understand the first, and hopefully last, Holocaust of this century, Secretary Blinken might want to brush up on the last century’s Holocaust and its predecessor pogroms in Europe and the Middle East. Mr. Secretary, please read the ‘Black Book’ that recounts… eyewitness survivors’ reports of the atrocities committed against Jews by the Nazis and their allies in Europe… The Black Book of what Hamas did on October 7 remains to be written and must include how Hamas came to possess American weapons delivered to Ukraine...
“Mr. Secretary, what exactly have the Israelis done to ‘dehumanize’ Gazans or any Palestinians? The IDF did not rape, burn, microwave, dismember, torture or murder Gaza civilians. The IDF kills or captures terrorists as surgically as possible even with greater risk of IDF injuries and deaths. Contrast that with indiscriminate Hamas missiles, rapists, killers and kidnappers. Are Palestinians in any kind of concentration camps like our country created for Japanese-Americans in WW2?…
“Those terrorists your boss calls ‘the other side’ because he forgot the name ‘Hamas,’ have in some cases done much worse in a shorter period of time than what the Nazis and other Axis soldiers and civilians did to Jews…
“Tell us also if you agree with [Biden’s] statement that the Israeli response to Hamas’s genocide was ‘over the top.’ If you agree with what your boss just said, tell us if the American responses to Pearl Harbor, the Gulf of Tonkin, and 9-11 were ‘over the top.’…”
Good questions.
The Ron Paul Institute published the following article by Professor Jonathan Turley on February 7:
“The House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government on Monday revealed yet another facet of the Biden Administration’s sprawling censorship system that targeted dissenting books. It appears that, as with social media companies, it succeeded in getting the company [Amazon] not to promote disfavored books. Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan revealed on X that the White House was directly involved in the censorship campaign. That includes a 2021 email from one Biden official asking to discuss ‘the high levels of propaganda and misinformation and disinformation of [sic] Amazon?’
“Amazon in turn appears to ask only how high the Biden White House wants it to jump on censorship: ‘[i]s the [Biden] Admin asking us to remove books, or are they more concerned about search results/order (or both)?’ After the meeting, Amazon confirmed in an email that it was actively doing what the government demanded in suppressing sales by not promoting disfavored books: ‘As a reminder, we did enable Do Not Promote for anti-vax books whose primary purpose is to persuade readers vaccines are unsafe or ineffective on 3/9, and will review additional handling options for these books with you.’
“This effort notably parallels demands from Democratic leaders who have called for enlightened algorithms to frame what citizens access on the internet… It is important to keep in mind that these efforts at censorship targeted scientists who have been vindicated in many of their objections to policies and claims of the government…
“The new emails… show direct federal efforts supporting censorship…”
The Biden Administration’s approach is the typical hallmark of authoritarian regimes and dictatorships.
Daily Mail wrote on February 13:
“A priest who said the Scottish Catholic Church was run by a ‘powerful gay mafia’ has claimed that he has been ‘bullied’ by the church… Matthew Despard was suspended from his duties in 2013 after making the claims in a self-published book. A ruling made by the Vatican in 2016 said he could return to work- but only if he makes a public apology for his claims… Despard has refused, saying that he is not sorry for ‘telling the truth’…
“Despard remains in employment with the Church, but has been banned from performing certain religious duties, such as saying Mass…
“He raised his case with the Roman Rota in Italy in 2016 – an internal court for the Catholic Church, where he was told to withdraw the book, which he has. But Joseph Toal, the Bishop of Motherwell, said that Father Despard must apologise for any ‘hurt and offence’ caused by his book. But the suspended priest has said his claims have been shown to be true after reports about the Scottish Catholic Church. Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who was once the most senior Catholic cleric in Britain, resigned in 2013 after claims of sexual misconduct against priests as far back as the 1980s…
Why did he withdraw his book? That appears to have been a big mistake.
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer
These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.
The apparent distinction between being called and being chosen has confused many people. As we will show in this new series, these words are addressing different aspects of the same concept.
We will, in this installment, concentrate on people who are called and chosen for salvation; that is, who have been elected by God long before they were born to be given an opportunity in their lifetime to inherit salvation when Christ returns.
Quoting from our free booklet, “Are YOU Predestined to be Saved?”, https://www.eternalgod.org/booklet-605/ we say this on page 52:
“The Bible teaches that in this day and age, God calls just very few to salvation. Those who respond to the call and become converted are referred to as the firstfruits (compare James 1:18; Revelation 14:4). Some try to defeat the Biblical concept of predestination, as explained in this booklet, by stating that God does not know ahead of time whom He will call and choose. Rather, they claim that God ‘calls’ many, based on their prior conduct in this life, and that He then decides to choose or accept those who respond to His call, while rejecting those who reject His call.
“However, those who are truly called today have been first foreknown and predestined by God (Romans 8:28)…”
Notice the wording of Romans 8:28-30:
“(28) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (29) For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (30) Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
Paul says here that God foreknew and predestined those whom He called. The next step in the process would be justification—upon repentance and belief in Christ’s sacrifice, they would obtain forgiveness and would thereby become justified in God’s eyes—their former sins were blotted out—and if they remain faithful to God and His Way of Life, they would be glorified—obtain glorification—being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. In God’s eyes, those who were foreknown and predestined to be called would make it into His Kingdom—only they could prevent this from happening.
Continuing with our quote from the above-stated booklet:
“They were singled out BEFORE they did right or wrong—that is, they were NOT called because of their works (compare Romans 9:11; 2 Timothy 1:8–9).”
Let us focus on the exact wording of Romans 9:10-12:
“(10) And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (11) (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), (12) it was said to her, ‘The older shall serve the younger.’”
We read here that God’s purpose according to election must stand regarding those whom God calls.
Also notice the wording in 2 Timothy 1:8-9:
“(8) Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, (9) who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began…”
According to this passage, those who are called with a holy calling were not called because of their works, but according to God’s purpose and grace which was given to them “before time began.”
In Romans 8:28, the Greek word for “called” is “kletos.” In Romans 8:30, the word is “kaleo.”
In Romans 9:11, the Greek word is also “kaleo,” So is the word for “calls” in 2 Timothy 1:9, whereas the word for calling, in “holy calling,” is “klesis.”
Regarding the meaning of the verb “kaleo,” W.E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words writes:
“Kaleo is used… with a personal object, to call anyone, invite, summon…; it is used particularly of the Divine call to partake of the blessings of redemption… of vocation… Thus it suggests either vocation or destination; the context determines which…”
Vine’s defines the adjective “kletos” and the noun “klesis” as a calling and is used “especially of God’s invitation to man to accept the benefits of salvation.”
We see, then, that God has called some for salvation before they were born; in fact, before time began. He foreknew them, predestined them, called them.
We continue with quoting from our before-mentioned booklet:
“Those who are truly called are also chosen and faithful (compare Revelation 17:14). The Bible does not teach that God calls many today to salvation, but that most reject their calling and that only a few will respond and become chosen and faithful. If that were true, then those who have rejected their spiritual calling to eternal salvation would have committed the unpardonable sin—and this is decisively not correct. Today, God only calls and chooses the few (compare 1 Corinthians 1:26–29), and when He brings them to true conversion, they, for the most part, will stay loyal to Him (although it is possible, that some, who are truly called to salvation, will commit the unpardonable sin).”
Many have stumbled over the fact that those who were predestined to be called were also predestined to be chosen—and that, long before they were born. If we wanted to draw a distinction between being called and being chosen by saying that some would be called first, and only later, after having proven themselves to be worthy, they would become chosen, then we would also have to say that God, even though He foreknew and predestined some to be called in this day and age, engaged in a big gamble as to who would also advance to become chosen, and that most of those whom God predestined to be called would not make it, and would fall away, and that God knew this ahead of time; in fact, before time began. This is truly a preposterous concept. Why would God call those whom He had foreknown and predestined, knowing that they would not make it, but fall away? After all, we read Paul’s words in Philippians 1:6: “… being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…”
God did not call the firstfruits so that most would fail; rather, He called them “before time began” so that they would succeed. God calls [“kaleo”] us into His own kingdom and glory (1 Thessalonians 2:12). We are also told: “He who calls [“kaleo”] you is faithful, who also WILL DO it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). We are “the called [“kletos”] of Jesus Christ”—the “saints” (Romans 1:6, 7; 8:28). Jude 1 refers to us as “those who are called [“kletos”], sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ.” In Hebrews 3:1, we are referred to as “holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling [“klesis”].” And 2 Peter 1:10 admonishes God’s true disciples “to make your call [“klesis”] and election sure.”
In focusing now on the fact that those who are called were chosen by God, we continue with quoting from pages 52 and 53 of our before-mentioned booklet:
“Those who are called by God and whose names are written in God’s Book of Life are God’s ‘chosen’ generation or people (1 Peter 2:9; Acts 9:15; James 2:5). They are ‘the elect’ or ‘chosen ones’ (Matthew 24:24, 31). We read in Ephesians 1:3–5 that ‘the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… chose us in Him before the foundation of the world… having predestined us… as sons [the rendering “adoption as sons” is incorrect] by Jesus Christ to Himself.’
“We also read in 2 Thessalonians 2:13–14: ‘But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.’
“Christ says in John 15:16, 19: ‘You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain… I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
“When the Bible talks about the predestination of those truly ‘called’ to salvation in this day and age, it includes the concept that they are also ‘chosen’ to be numbered among the ‘elect’…
“At the same time, we read in Mark 13:20 about the coming Great Tribulation: ‘And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.’”
Rather than teaching that some are called first, and if they overcome and don’t fall away, then they are also chosen, the Bible teaches the exact opposite. Remember, we read that those whom God foreknew and predestined, He also called them before time began. We also just read above, in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, that God from the beginning chose us for salvation to which He called us. So, if anything, the order would be reversed. But the Truth is that some were preordained or elected or chosen to be called in this day and age. And that, before the foundation of the world (compare again Ephesians 1:3-5).
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 uses the words “calling” and “chosen” interchangeably:
(26) For you see your calling [Greek: “klesis”], brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called [Note that the words “are called” are not in the Greek and were added by the translator]. (27) But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; (28) and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, (29) that no flesh should glory in His presence.”
We need to review the different Greek words, all being translated as “chosen,” to get a clearer picture of their meaning.
In 1 Corinthians 1:27-28, the Greek word for “chosen” is “eklego.” It is also used in John 15:16, 19 (see above), and in Ephesians 1:4 (see above). It is also used in James 2:5: “Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom…?”). According to Vine’s, it means “to pick out,” “select”, “to choose for oneself.”
The Greek word “eklego” is also used in Mark 13:20, where the words “elect” and “chosen” are used interchangeably: “… for the elect’s sake, whom He chose…”
The Greek word for “chosen,” “eklektos”, is used, for example, in 1 Peter 2:9 (“you are a chosen generation”). It means “chosen out, select.” It is rendered as “elect” in Matthew 24:22, 31. The New King James Bible includes an annotation to Matthew 24:31 (“they will gather together His elect,” “chosen ones”).
Vine’s says:
“eklektos, lit. signified picked out, chosen (ek, from, lego, to gather, pick out) and is used of… believers… Believers were ‘chosen before the foundation of the world… The source of their election is God’s grace, not human will…They are given by God the Father to Christ as the fruit of His Death, all being foreknown and foreseen by God.”
The Greek word “ekloge” in Acts 9:15 (“a chosen vessel”) has a similar meaning; it refers to choice and selection. It is sometimes rendered “election.” It is used in Romans 9:11 in reference to the election of Jacob, which can also be rendered, according to Vine’s, as “that which is chosen.”
So, the firstfruits were selected or picked out, before the foundation of the world, to be called in this age. To put it differently, if we belong to the firstfruits, we were called before time began; that is, God had already decided before He created anything physical, that He would call us in our lifetime for salvation.
An unusual word is used in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, where we read that God chose us from the beginning. The word is “aireomai” and means, to take or to lift up for oneself. Again, the thought is conveyed that God, for Himself and for His plan, predestined and chose certain elected ones to be called in this age, for His purpose.
In this context, how are we to understand Revelation 17:14, which says: “These [10 nations] will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called [“kletos”], chosen [“eklektos”], and faithful.”
Barnes Notes on the Bible gives the following explanation:
“Are called – That is, called by him to be his followers; as if he had selected them out of the world to maintain his cause…
“And chosen – … In their steadfast adherence to the truth, they had shown that they were truly chosen by the Saviour…
“And faithful – They had shown themselves faithful to him in times of persecution, and in the hour of darkness.”
Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible adds:
“… are called, and chosen, and faithful; they are chosen in Christ from all eternity… and though their calling is here set before election, as in 2 Peter 1:10, yet it does not precede it; the Arabic version reads, ‘chosen, called, faithful’; first ‘chosen’ by God the Father, then ‘called’, … being called they remain ‘faithful’:..”
The Geneva Study Bible speaks here about “those that are elected, called, and are his faithful ones in Christ.”
Rightly understood, this passage does not convey the thought that the firstfruits are called, and only when they have proven themselves, then they become “chosen.” Rather, our calling and election (being chosen) were determined by God before the foundation of the world—before time began.
We are admonished to make our calling (“klesis”) and election (“ekloge”) sure (2 Peter 1:10) because even though we were predestined and chosen to be called in this age, we must make sure that we do not receive our calling in vain. We prove to God through our conduct that we, having been foreknown and predestined for the Kingdom of God, are fulfilling our destiny of becoming immortal God beings when Christ returns.
(To Be Continued)
Lead Writer: Norbert Link
Tôi muốn xem Phim Sex Hay khiêu dâm của những em gái châu Á, PhimTan ạ! Những trang web khiêu dâm châu Á miễn phí này có những gì tôi cần không? Vâng, bạn có phải là fan của những trang web khiêu dâm JAV (Video Người lớn Nhật Bản) không? Bạn có muốn tải xuống hoặc xem trực tuyến những video khiêu dâm châu Á (thời lượng dài hoàn chỉnh) trên máy tính của bạn không? Bạn có muốn thủ dâm với những bức ảnh lồn lông của những em gái trẻ châu Á nóng bỏng với những Phim cấp 3 vú nhỏ trên xe buýt hoặc thủ dâm với những bức ảnh của những em nữ sinh với cặp mông săn chắc trong chiếc váy cao đẳng trên điện thoại di động của bạn? Bạn thích xem những thần tượng trẻ tuổi nóng bỏng trong những bộ đồ bơi, những người mẫu ảnh khiêu dâm nhẹ nhàng và những diễn viên khiêu dâm Nhật Bản nổi tiếng với cặp vú to? Thế còn việc xem những nữ diễn viên JAV như Yuma Asami, Maria Ozawa, Tila Tequila và Asa Akira tất cả đều ướt sũng, chịch nhau và chịch đa sắc tộc với những con cặc đen to lớn trên máy tính bảng của bạn thì sao?
compiled by Dave Harris
“Trump Frightens Europe,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:
Trump’s recent comments about NATO and delinquent NATO members have led to fear and panic in Europe. Europeans are deeply concerned about a return of Trump. They feel that they need to act quickly if Europe is to survive. What are they planning to do, and will they be successful? How dangerous are their ideas and proposals?
“Trump macht Europa Angst,” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This German program covers the topic described above.
“Zwanglos,” last Sabbath’s German split sermon presented by Manuel Müller, is now posted. Title in English: “Casual.”
“Das Werk der Liebe Jesu Christi,” last Sabbath’s German split sermon presented by Thilo Hanstein, is now posted. Title in English: “The Work of Love of Jesus Christ”
“Biden’s Two Alternatives: Prosecution or Resignation—Comments on News and Prophecy, February 10, 2024,” last Sabbath’s first message presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:
Special Counsel Robert Hur concluded in his report that Biden “willfully retained” highly classified and top secret documents at unsecured locations, but recommended against prosecuting Biden as a jury might not convict him because of his “perceived mental decline,” “confusion,” “diminished faculties” and “poor memory.” Democrats quickly condemned Hur for his “inaccurate, inappropriate and gratuitous comments.” But as this program will show, Hur’s comments were none of the above. Many examples are given which seem to support the concerns of a vast majority of Americans about Biden’s mental health. Which leaves us with two alternatives: If Biden is too senile to stand trial, then he must resign as President. If he is not mentally incompetent and his memory is good, as he claims, then he must be prosecuted. But replacing Biden with another candidate might already be too late and may constitute other serious challenges for the Democratic Party.
”Before It’s Too Late,” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:
As we continue to watch the world descend into chaos, we are admonished that we need to be the opposite – we need to draw closer and closer to God so that we are not sucked into the coming destruction. To do this, we need to make sure we are fully focused on our Christian lives. It will become too late at some point!
This Update is an official publication by the ministry of the Church of the Eternal God in the United States of America; the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada; and the Global Church of God in the United Kingdom.
Editorial Team: Norbert Link, Dave Harris, Rene Messier, Brian Gale, Johanna Link, Eric Rank, Michael Link, Anna Link, Kalon Mitchell, Manuela Mitchell, Dawn Thompson
Technical Team: Eric Rank, Shana Rank
Our activities and literature, including booklets, weekly updates, sermons on CD are provided free of charge. They are made possible by the tithes, offerings and contributions of Church members and others who have elected to support this Work.
While we do not solicit the general public for funds, contributions are gratefully welcomed and are tax-deductible in the U.S. and Canada.
Donations can be sent to the following addresses:
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On, February 10, 2024, Norbert Link will present, “Comments on News and Prophecy—February 10, 2024,” and Kalon Mitchell will present the sermon, titled, “Before It’s Too Late.”
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.
Deutsche Welle wrote on January 2:
“The German lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, approved the controversial rolling back of tax relief for diesel use by the German agricultural industry on Friday as part of the government’s spending plans. Later on Friday, the Bundestag also voted in favor of a 2024 budget after much delay. The budget of around €477 billion ($519 billion) will include €39 billion in new borrowing.
“This proposal has angered German farmers, leading to nationwide protests in recent weeks… The budget financing law was put forward by the current governing coalition of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), environmentalist Greens and business-focused Free Democratic Party (FDP). Other measures apart of the law passed Friday include higher air traffic taxes and new rules on financial support for families.
“In order for the law to be enacted, it will need to be approved by the Bundesrat [which is supposed to meet sometime in March], which represents Germany’s 16 federal states. German Farmers’ Association chief Joachim Rukwied suggested Thursday that the Bundesrat could put a stop to the law.
“The German government’s spending plans were first derailed in November, after the German Constitutional Court ruled that the coalition may not reappropriate €60 billion in unused credit made available during the COVID pandemic to a climate fund…”
If this proposal becomes law, we can expect further widespread anti-government demonstrations by angry and desperate farmers and others.
LifeSiteNews wrote on February 2:
“On February 1, the Europe-wide farmers’ protest against policies threatening their existence reached Brussels, where protestors blocked many roads with tractors, started bonfires, set off fireworks, and toppled a statue in front of the European Parliament… The protest in Brussels happened in the context of a continent-wide uprising, including in France… Farmer protests also took place in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Germany, Scotland and Ireland.
“A German comedian and member of the European Parliament, Martin Sonneborn, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, ‘… Brussels is at a standstill, already 230 kilometers of traffic jams at 8 o’clock in the morning… As far as the EU is concerned, the outside world and the inside world are clearly no longer in any meaningful relationship with each other: while more than 1,300 tractors are blocking the European Parliament and its burning forecourt outside, the 27 heads of state inside have not even put the farmers’ anger on their agenda,’ he wrote…
“Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the former papal nuncio to the U.S., expressed his support for the farmer’s protests in a recent post on X. ‘The globalist criminal plan wants to destroy traditional agriculture, animal husbandry, and fishing in order to force people to eat artificial food produced by multinational corporations,’ he wrote. ‘And it is the big investment funds and the Word Economic Forum that are lobbying parliaments to impose a devastating and inhuman “transition”. I express my complete solidarity with and encouragement to the farmers, ranchers, fishermen, truck drivers, and all those who support them. Let us accompany with prayer those who are fighting against the New World Order…’
“One of the farmers’ concerns is the flooding of the European market with cheap Ukrainian imports that are meant to help the country with its war efforts. Since Ukraine and other non-EU countries do not have to adhere to the high environmental standards of the EU, the farmers view it as unfair competition that threatens their existence. For the same reason, the farmers also oppose a planned trade deal between the EU and the Mercosur bloc, a federation of countries in South America.
“One of the major issues for farmers is the so-called ‘green’ measures imposed by EU bureaucrats that include higher taxes or cuts to tax subsidies as well as bans on necessary tools such as nitrogen fertilizer. The farmers have also been blamed for their greenhouse emissions and their alleged contribution to ‘climate change’. They are heavily affected by the EU’s plan to achieve ‘net-zero’ emissions and make the bloc ‘climate-neutral’ by 2050.
“The plan includes cutting fertilizer use by 20%, limiting the amount of land dedicated to agricultural use, halving pesticides by 2030, and doubling organic food production. While some of these measures may have a positive impact on food quality [they surely would], they put immense pressure on farmers, especially smaller farms, whose numbers have been on the decline for decades. The EU’s plan to combat so-called ‘climate change’ could lead to the majority of farmland being controlled by a relatively small elite.
“Part of the problem for smaller farms is the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP), a € 55 billion per year subsidy system that has been in place for over 60 years. The system ‘has historically been based on economy of scale: bigger farms, bigger holdings, common standards,’ Jon Henley from The Guardian writes. This policy has led to a continuous decrease in small farms in Europe as they have become increasingly uncompetitive.”
Business Standard added on February 2:
“Farmers… wrested some promises of relief from European leaders on Thursday, the culmination of weeks of protests across the continent over excessive red tape and competition from cheap imports. Eager to reassure a key part of the electorate and end disruptions in several cities, leaders at a European Union summit in Brussels showered the farmers with compliments and compassion if few concrete proposals…
“Leaders welcomed the plan of the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, to shield farmers from cheap imports from Ukraine during wartime and allow farmers to use some land that had been forced to lie fallow for environmental reasons… In France, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced a new set of measures, including hundreds of millions of euros in aid and tax breaks, and also promised not to ban pesticides in France that are allowed elsewhere in Europe. In Brussels, many leaders also said they would not approve a trade deal with South American nations that is under consideration unless any imports would meet the same regulatory standards that EU farmers face, a key demand from the sector…”
Will the farmers’ protests have some lasting success?
The Jerusalem Post wrote on January 31, 2024:
“Last month, [Hans-Georg] Maassen announced he was setting up a party… aiming to capture voters who polls say are increasingly disenchanted with Germany’s dominant parties…
“Hans-Georg Maassen, who until five years ago was responsible for protecting Germany against violent and extremist threats to its democracy, is himself now being monitored by the security agency he ran, the bureaucrat-turned-politician said.
“Maassen was dismissed as head of Germany’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV—Bundesamt fuer Verfassungschutz) in 2018 after appearing to play down the threat of violence by right-wing extremists who at the time were rioting in an eastern German city. Since, the lawyer has become known for his increasingly radical comments on the supposed threat immigration poses to Germany, becoming a hero to far-right activists including some in the circles surrounding Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, the aristocrat who led [an alleged] foiled coup attempt in 2022. [We have reported about this “made-up “coup” by the mass media].
“‘Germany is clearly afraid of me,’ he said on X, adding the country was using the internal security agency to monitor him and the party he has founded… Maassen published on his website a letter from the BfV… confirming that he featured extensively in their databases tracking extremists…
“As BfV chief, he was in effect Germany’s chief hunter of neo-Nazis. The documents released to him by the BfV show him being repeatedly praised by far-right figures.”
Sounds quite like what is happening in the USA. Opposition candidates are persecuted with the goal to shut them up.
Deutsche Welle wrote on February 3:
“Around 150,000 people have attended a protest rally in the German capital, Berlin, against the far right and its ideology… Many of the slogans chanted were directed against the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party…
“Several politicians attended the demonstration in Berlin, including the leader of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ Social Democrats (SPD), Saskia Esken, and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, from the same party…
Chancellor Scholz voiced his support for the protests across Germany in a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, calling them a ‘strong signal for democracy and our constitution.’
“The AfD voiced anger at the government support for the protests, asking on X: ‘What have we in Germany actually come to when a government calls a demonstration against part of the population?’…
[The AfD] is currently Germany’s second most popular party, coming behind only the conservative CDU.”
Trend News Agency wrote on February 5:
“The head of the federal state of Hesse, which is one of the major economic centers of Germany, Boris Rein proposed that Europe create its own military alliance without the participation of the United States… He noted that the nuclear arsenal can be used to deter and ‘intimidate’ Russia. ‘That’s why we want a strong European security union – with common defence, a European nuclear umbrella, secure borders and protection of our critical infrastructure,’ he said.”
Comments like these show more and more Europe’s REAL GOAL of establishing their own army with nuclear weapons apart from or in opposition to the USA.
Breitbart wrote on February 2:
“Despite fatigue with funding NATO’s proxy war with Russia setting in across the West, globalist politicians appear intent on continuing the war no matter what. For the Hungarian leader, who has been a lone voice among European heads of state calling for peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv… the only viable offramp for the conflict is for his longtime friend and ally [Donald Trump] to return to the White House…. ‘My personal conviction remains that if, in February 2022, the American president had been called Donald Trump, there would be no more war in Europe. Today I don’t see anyone other than him, neither in Europe nor in America, who is a leader strong enough to stop the war,’ the Hungarian leader declared.
“Legacy media outlets and globalist EU politicians have begun to openly warn of the claimed danger to Europe posed by Trump coming back to power — ignoring the destabilising policies of the Biden administration, from the birth of another European migrant crisis following the botched withdrawal of Afghanistan to war breaking out in Europe under his watch…
“Orbán criticised power players in Berlin, Brussels and Paris, who ultimately seek to expand the EU into Ukraine, no matter the threat of sparking a full-on war with Russia or the likely negative economic impacts of incorporating the former Soviet state into the bloc, particularly for farmers throughout Europe who will face being further undercut by cheap Ukrainian exports. ‘The European Union, in recent years, has increasingly moved in an imperialist direction, especially after the departure of the United Kingdom. It is less and less a community of sovereign states. More and more, no matter what treaty rights you have, no matter what reasonable arguments you put forward to them, they are trying to force you into something you don’t want,’ Orbán said.
“Those words came just days before Hungary was apparently forced with menaces into signing off on a massive $54 billion EU cash programme for Ukraine, which it had blocked since last year.
“President Trump, for his part, has consistently maintained that he would seek a swift end to the conflict in Ukraine, declaring that not only would the war not have happened under his watch but that he would be able to force a peace settlement should he return to the White House… Conversely, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has openly baulked at Trump, saying that the former president’s claim that he could end the war in 24 hours was ‘very dangerous’…”
The end has been decreed by God from the beginning: Ukraine and Russia will unite and ultimately fight against Europe.
Express wrote on February 6:
“Former President Donald Trump has shot back after a US court ruled that he does not have immunity from prosecution in a case related to the 2020 presidential election. The former president believes the landmark ruling could stop future presidents from doing their job and ruin the country. ‘A nation-destroying ruling like this cannot be allowed to stand,’ he raged on Truth Social, adding it would leave any president fearing ‘vicious retribution after leaving office.’
“The ruling has dealt a blow to his attempts to avoid prosecution for events leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021. The three-judge panel considering his appeal delivered their decision clearly, stating: ‘Any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as president no longer protects him against this prosecution.’… The former president’s lawyers argue that he enjoys broad legal protections unless impeached by Congress and removed from office. Trump could still take his claim to the Supreme Court [Trump was given leave to do so until Monday]… The issue at hand is whether former presidents can be prosecuted after leaving office for actions they took related to official duties. The Supreme Court has previously decided that they are protected from civil cases. Trump and his lawyers insist that should also extend to criminal actions…
“[The case] was heard by Judges Michelle Childs and Florence Pan, who were both appointed by Biden, and Karen LeCraft Henderson, appointed by President George H.W. Bush. They dismissed Trump’s argument that he already faced impeachment proceedings over the same allegations and should not stand trial again. They wrote: ‘In light of the very different procedures and purposes associated with impeachment proceedings as compared to criminal proceedings, former President Trump’s reliance on the Double Jeopardy Clause is misplaced.’ They also stated: ‘Impeachment is not a criminal process and cannot result in criminal punishment’…”
The rationale of the court (being clearly unfriendly towards Trump) is not convincing. It will remain to be seen how the US Supreme Court will decide this important issue.
Newsmax wrote on February 5:
“Conservative reaction to the Senate’s border security bill was fast and furious. The Senate on Sunday unveiled a $118 billion bipartisan border security bill that also would provide billions in aid to Ukraine and Israel following months of negotiations. House Speaker Mike Johnson [said] the bill was ‘worse than expected’ and ‘dead on arrival’ in the House. Others seemed to agree with his assessment…
“‘Any Republican voting for this Senate America last open border amnesty bill must be paid off by foreign interests and is acting as a foreign agent,’ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote on X. ‘What an embarrassment! Shame on them!!’…
“Former President Donald Trump said… ‘Only a fool, or a Radical Left Democrat, would vote for this horrendous Border Bill… It takes the HORRIBLE JOB the Democrats have done on Immigration and the Border, absolves them, and puts it all squarely on the shoulders of Republicans. Don’t be STUPID!!! We need a separate Border and Immigration Bill. It should not be tied to foreign aid in any way, shape, or form!…’
“Democrats, meanwhile, insists the bill upholds the country’s ‘tradition of immigration.’”
Amazingly, Republicans in the Senate voted for this horrible bill.
The New York Post wrote on February 6:
“Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell waved a rhetorical white flag Tuesday, admitting the bipartisan.. spending package was doomed… ‘It’s been made pretty clear to us by the [House] speaker [Mike Johnson] that it will not become law,’ the 81-year-old Kentuckian bluntly conceded to reporters. ‘It looks to me and to most our members as if we have no real chance here to make a law,’ McConnell added.
“The Republican leader bowed to political reality after a two-day outcry among conservatives over the $118 billion measure…”
The New York Post wrote on February 7:
“The Senate’s $118 billion border deal officially crashed and burned Wednesday, as the upper chamber was ready [to] put the nation’s migration crisis on the back burner by prepping a bill that would provide $95 billion in military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
“Almost exactly 24 hours after Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters the supplemental spending package had ‘no real chance;’ of becoming law, the measure came up 11 votes short of clearing the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster.”
Newsmax wrote on February 8:
“A $95.34 billion bill that includes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan advanced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday after Republicans blocked compromise legislation that included a long-sought overhaul of immigration policy… There was no immediate word on when the 100-member chamber would consider final passage….
“Even if the aid bill eventually passes the Senate, it faces uncertainty in the House of Representatives. Dozens of Republican House members, particularly those most closely allied with former President Donald Trump, have voted against Ukraine aid, including Speaker Mike Johnson.”
Breitbart wrote on February 6:
“The House of Representatives let Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas off the hook for the border crisis created under his watch in a historic 216-214 vote against impeachment.
“Reps. Ken Buck (R-CO) and Tom McClintock (R-CA) announced before the vote they would vote against impeachment. They were joined by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) in voting with unified Democrats…
“The defeat is the latest for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who inherited a slim majority that has been decimated further by the ejection of Rep. George Santos (R-NY), early retirement of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and, temporarily, the absence of Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), who is recovering from cancer.”
Even though impeachment would not have been successful in a Senate, dominated by Democrats, the three dissenting Republican voices are embarrassing, in light of the facts.
The U.S. Sun wrote on February 7:
“The mother of Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley who killed four students has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in an unprecedented court case… [She] is the first American parent to ever be convicted of the crime over a mass shooting carried out by their child…. [The prosecution alleged the parents failed] to give their [15-year-old son] son proper mental health treatment despite repeated warning signs, including meetings with school administrators over some worrying drawings…. of a gun pointing at the words ‘the thoughts won’t stop. Help me.’ Next to it was a drawing of a person who had been shot twice with the words ‘blood everywhere’, ‘my life is useless’ and ‘the world is dead.’ Ethan’s parents were called into the school that morning at 10am – but later left and around three hours later, the teen took a gun out of his backpack and killed his fellow students…
“During one text message exchange in spring 2021, just months before the attack, Ethan told his mom that there was a ghost or a devil in the house and pleaded for her to respond, but she did not… ‘My parents won’t listen to me about help with a therapist…’ the teen wrote.
“[The mother] on the other hand, testified that she saw no signals of mental health troubles in her son…
“Prosecutors slammed [the mother], arguing she was responsible for the deaths after she and her husband irresponsibly gave Ethan a gun for Christmas… [The mother] admitted she and her husband… gifted Ethan the weapon, ‘We didn’t just hand him a gun as ‘here you go son,”’ she testified. ‘It was something we could use when we went to the (gun) range as a family.’…
“Ethan’s dad… bought him the 9mm handgun for Christmas – even though he was too young under state laws to own a gun. It was this gun that he took to school on the day of the shooting – when no one checked his bag. It was reportedly bought four days before the shooting ahead of the holiday, and was ‘freely available’ to the teen…
“[The teen, by now 17 years old, was sentenced to life in prison], without the possibility of parole in December after pleading guilty to murder, terrorism and other charges. [A separate trial will still be held against the father, starting March 5.]
Whether right or wrong, this decision, if it stands, will have unparalleled legal consequences for parents in many different aspects.
NBC News wrote on February 2:
“The United States launched attacks Friday against 85 sites in Iraq and Syria used by Iranian forces and Iran-backed militants, its first retaliatory strikes for the killing of three American soldiers in Jordan last weekend, U.S. officials said.
“U.S. military forces struck targets at seven facilities [in Iraq and Syria] tied to attacks on U.S. personnel in the region… ‘Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing,’ President Joe Biden said in a statement…
“The military action is a significant escalation in Washington’s bid to deter the growing threat from Iran-backed groups across the Middle East — a step fraught with risk abroad and at home…
“The U.S. conducted the strikes knowing that the facilities are used by Iranian-backed militia personnel and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps…
“The Iraqi army condemned the U.S. airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraqi border areas, calling the air assault a ‘violation of Iraqi sovereignty’ and ‘a threat that will drag Iraq and the region into unforeseen consequences.’”
It was also reported that at least 34 pro-Iranian fighters were killed in the US attack. In fact, the USA had bombed 85 targets in seven different locations, hitting four points in Syria and three in Iraq. Iraq’s reaction is telling and is bad news for the USA. While the White House has said Iraq was warned ahead of the blitz, the Sun reported on February 3:
“Iraq on Saturday said the US was ‘misleading public opinion’ by claiming they had given an explicit warning. Iraqi officials said 16 people, including civilians, were killed and 25 others were wounded. They raged: ‘This aggressive strike will put security in Iraq and the region on the brink of the abyss, and it also contradicts efforts to establish the required stability.’… Syrian media also said cities in the east of the country were hit… And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 18 people were killed in the strikes on their soil. While Iran-linked targets were hit – Iran itself was not.”
Fox News reported on February 6:
“White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby apologized Tuesday for falsely saying last week that Iraqi officials were notified before a series of coordinated air strikes… He was forced to retract this claim after State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel confirmed this was not accurate and that Iraqi leaders were not informed until after the strikes…
“Kirby released a statement about the confusion the same day, saying he was going off ‘information that I had been provided at the time.’”
npr wrote on February 2:
“U.S. troops left Iraq in 2011 but returned in 2014 to fight ISIS alongside Iraqi forces. And now there are 2,550 — not in combat, but assisting Iraqis in going after the remnants of ISIS. Now, many of the U.S. troops are stationed in northern Iraq in Erbil, and those troops also support the anti-ISIS fight next door in Syria.
“The U.S. also provides hundreds of millions of dollars to Iraq in aid, government development, humanitarian assistance, demining efforts and military sales —more than $16 billion, covering everything from F-16 aircraft to helicopters and radar and small arms. In addition, the U.S. has provided Iraq with excess defense equipment over the recent years — 300 large armored vehicles, Humvees, helicopters, body armor — all of which contributed to the ISIS fight.
“Still, the U.S. airstrikes have created a political problem for the Iraqi government, some of whose parliamentarians have ties to Iran and want to see U.S. forces withdraw from the country. And the latest strikes will certainly add to that headache.
“Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani came to power because Iran, and the militias it supports, backed him. So in between anger over the U.S. role in supplying Israel with weapons for the war in Gaza, and anger over U.S. breaches of Iraqi sovereignty, he faces intense pressure about the future of U.S. forces in Iraq…
“An adviser to the Iraqi prime minister said the aim is to come up with what he called a specific and clear timetable for the gradual reduction of the U.S.-led coalition troops in Iraq and to an end to the U.S.-led anti-ISIS mission. The government spokesman, Bassem al-Awadi, told Iraqi state TV viewers that Sudani had repeatedly made clear that Iraq’s stability required ending the U.S. military presence in Iraq. ‘He literally said that ending the mission of the international coalition in Iraq is necessary for Iraq,’ said al-Awadi. ‘He used the term necessity. And I assure you that when the prime minister uses a term, he means it.’”
Newsmax wrote on February 3:
“Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., criticized the Biden administration’s weeklong buildup to the retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed proxies in the Middle East. ‘The tragic deaths of three U.S. troops in Jordan, perpetrated by Iran-backed militias, demanded a clear and forceful response. Unfortunately, the administration waited for a week and telegraphed to the world, including to Iran, the nature of our response,’ Johnson said…
“Reaction to the strikes and their timing was met with a party line approval or disapproval.
“Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Sen. Jack Reed D-R.I., called the strikes ‘a strong, proportional response…
“Sen. Roger Wicker R-Miss., reiterated Speaker Johnson’s sentiments… that the administration ‘spent nearly a week foolishly telegraphing U.S. intentions to our adversaries, giving them time to relocate and hide.’”
Breitbart added on February 3:
“During CNN’s coverage of Friday’s American strikes in the Middle East, CNN Military Analyst and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Wesley Clark (Ret.) argued that… ‘we didn’t really deter Iran’s hostility to the United States… [T]he Iranians are going to come back and do something. My guess is, it will take a few days, several weeks before they can reconstitute these forces. And then, depending on what happens in Gaza, they’ll be back… you can be sure that, on the terrorist websites and in their communications, they’re sort of laughing, yeah, they gave us a lot of warning and yeah, we got all the people out and some of the bombs missed… because that’s the kind of the bravado that you expect from some of these people. What we’re going to do is… collect hard intelligence, and see if we have to go back in and re-strike.’”
The Ron Paul Institute wrote on February 3:
“The Axis of Resistance is present throughout the Middle East. It has its own economic and social networks. It produces its own weapons and its fighters are well trained to fight under the local circumstances. This is an enemy the U.S. cannot defeat… it is the Resistance which is using small and increasingly larger cuts to eliminate, over time, the U.S. presence in the Middle East. It is dead serious…
Give it two, three or maybe even five years. But the envisioned results WILL be achieved.”
npr explained on February 2 that “The so-called ‘axis of resistance’ is a network of Iran proxy groups across the region. It includes Hezbollah in Lebanon, a coalition of militias in Iraq that go by the name the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, Ansar Allah — Houthi forces — in Yemen and Iran-linked groups in eastern Syria. Kataib Hezbollah (which means Party of God Brigades) is not a subsidiary of the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, but both have close links to Iran. KH is considered the most powerful of the Iran-backed militias in the Iraq-based resistance, which has claimed about 160 attacks on U.S. forces since the beginning of the Gaza war.”
The Editorial Board of the New York Post wrote on February 2:
“Too Little, Too Late… so far it looks like President Biden opted for the least he could do…. it looks like the targets will be exclusively in Syria and Iraq, and mainly Iran’s proxy forces there, though some Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps units might get hit. IRGC forces inside Iran will be perfectly safe, even though the White House fully admits Tehran is behind it all…
“A commander-in-chief who refuses to think about it until it actually happens, and then takes his time deciding, is plain unfit for his sworn duties…
“As for our president’s oft-expressed fear of escalation:… Iran is escalating anyway, and will keep at it at least until we give it real reason to worry how we’ll escalate. Tehran won’t care how many of its proxies we kill, nor even a few low-level IRGC sacrificial lambs. Whereas it does fear having its own forces pulled in: As it finishes its dash to nuclear-weapons capability and negotiates the transition to a new “supreme leader” (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is 84), the last thing it wants is any more instability at home…”
Breitbart wrote on February 5:
“A senior member of the Yemeni Houthi terrorist organization declared that the group’s ongoing jihad in the Red Sea, which he described as ‘spillover’ in the conflict between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas, would ‘inevitably result in an end to US hegemony.’ The statement was not the first of its kind from the Houthis but does solidify the objective of the Houthi campaign against global commercial shipping as being the destruction of America…
“The promise to destroy America arrived on Monday in response to targeted airstrikes by the administration of President Joe Biden and the government of the United Kingdom against Houthi assets in Yemen. Multiple rounds of airstrikes have failed to deter the Red Sea attacks, a reality Biden has recognized…
“The Houthis announced following the first American and British airstrikes that ships from those countries are ‘legitimate targets…’…
“The Houthis – a Shiite terrorist operation that seized control of Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, in 2014 with the backing of Iran – declared war on Israel in October in a gesture of support to Hamas… The official Houthi slogan is ‘Allahu Akbar, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam.’
“Shortly after the war declaration, the Houthis began using Yemen’s position on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait leading to the Red Sea to attack commercial shipping vessels… The attacks resulted in a 90 percent drop year-on-year in container ship traffic through the Red Sea and Suez Canal between January 2023 and 2024 and soaring shipping prices. The United Nations reported in late January that it had documented a 45 percent drop in two months in freight volume through the Suez Canal, which lies on the northern tip of the Red Sea. Multinational shipping corporations, such as Maersk, announced a major redirection of ships despite assurances from the Biden administration that the American military would protect civilian ships as part of ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian,’ a coalition of allied navies.”
Big powers such as the USA and the UK seem to be unable to defeat a tiny group of terrorists.
Daily Mail wrote on February 7:
“Controversial talk show host Tucker Carlson could be subjected to sanctions from the European Union… Russian President Vladimir Putin has been interviewed by Carlson, the Kremlin confirmed Wednesday. It is Putin’s first interview to a Western journalist since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago…
“Former Belgian Prime Minister and current member of the European Union Parliament Guy Verhofstadt told Newsweek as the Russian president is considered a ‘war criminal’ it’s ‘logical’ that an investigation be held into Carlson. Verhofstadt has also called for a ‘travel ban’ against Carlson and described the host as a ‘mouthpiece’ for Donald Trump who has long been criticized for his pro-Kremlin views. Any investigation into Trump would be conducted by the EU’s European External Action Service, or EEAS, which is essentially the 27-nation bloc’s foreign ministry…
“Following the publication of the interview, Carlson’s friends in the American far right chimed in. ‘The same EU globalist scum are trying to bully Elon Musk in to censorship with criminal prosecution threats. Now they are moving in on Tucker! We must stand together for free speech,’ wrote… Alex Jones. ‘The EU is considering sanctions against Tucker Carlson for interviewing Putin. This is little more than an admission that they have been lying about everything regarding Ukraine,’ wrote commentator Candice Owens. ‘This narrative is about to fully collapse and they are terrified,’ she added.
“’Was there ever any doubt they would come for Tucker Carlson to daring to interview Putin? Rest assured there are those in power in the US who want to do the same as the EU,’ columnist and attorney Phil Holloway tweeted.
“Russian authorities have cracked down on media, forcing some independent Russian outlets to close, blocking others and ordering a number of foreign reporters to leave the country. Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that Carlson was chosen for the interview because ‘he has a position which differs’ from other English-language media… ‘Carlson’s position, Peskov said, ‘is in no way pro-Russian, nor pro-Ukrainian, but rather pro-American.’”
Breitbart wrote on February 6:
“Ukraine’s controversial American transgender sometimes-‘spokesperson’ Sarah Ashton-Cirillo has accused Tucker Carlson of being the ‘Kremlin’s favourite court eunuch’ and an ‘enemy of humanity,’ apparently placing a target on the head of Carlson…
“The often bombastic rhetoric spouted by Ashton-Cirillo, including public threats to ‘hunt down’ people allegedly spreading Russian propaganda, has previously sparked concern among American lawmakers… Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance wrote a letter to the Biden White House questioning whether Ashton-Cirillo had any ties to the U.S. government or intelligence agencies and whether the president would demand free speech is respected in Ukraine. Following the report, Ashton-Cirillo accused Sen. Vance of engaging in ‘gender chaos’, while claiming that free speech protections should not be afforded to those who spread so-called Russian propaganda and that they should be sent to prison as ‘war criminals’.
“The comments came amid the imprisonment of late citizen journalist YouTuber Gonzalo Lira, an American-Chilean dual citizen, who faced a lengthy prison sentence in Ukraine over comments on his YouTube channel critical of the Zelensky and Biden governments. [Lira died last month in prison.]
“Lira’s death was first announced by Tucker Carlson, who had interviewed his father shortly before his son’s death. Lira’s father accused the White House of ignoring the plight of his son…”
Breitbart added on February 7:
“Carlson said interviewing Putin was important — although dangerous — because, in his view, one-sided reporting from the establishment media has left many Americans ignorant of much of what was happening with Russia. The journalist called some reporting of the Ukraine war, which he said blindly parroted Ukraine government information, ‘government propaganda.’
“Condemnation of Mr Carlson for interviewing President Putin has been swift, with U.S. figures like neoconservative writer Bill Kristol, paraphrasing a meme to write: ‘Perhaps we need a total and complete shutdown of Tucker Carlson re-entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on’ and former Congressman Adam Kinzinger claiming simply: ‘He is a traitor’.”
On February 6, NBC’s Lester Holt interviewed on TV Iran’s ambassador to the USA, without any complaints from anyone. In the same manner, interviews by American journalists and moderators were conducted with Arafat, and other terrorists. The present “outcry” is just another proof for the incredible hypocrisy in the Western mass media.
The Palestine Chronicle wrote on February 2:
“Ireland is in talks with other EU members who want a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement on the basis that Israel may be breaching the agreement’s human rights clause… Ireland’s action is consistent with the political attitude of other European countries, who are either critical of Israel or are calling for a Palestinian state.
“A number of EU States are also talking about a possible joint recognition of a Palestinian State after the current conflict…
“Ireland has long been a champion of Palestinian rights, and ministers have repeatedly said the government is considering recognizing a Palestinian State… Ireland, Belgium, Spain and a few other EU countries were some of the early voices to join international criticism of the Israeli war on Gaza, starting on October 7.”
The negative and hostile attitude of Europeans towards Israel is quite telling. And so is the attitude of the Biden Administration. Note the next article.
Israel 365 News wrote on February 1:
“The Biden administration is bucking decades of U.S. foreign policy by considering a plan to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state… Both Axios and The New York Times reported on Wednesday about this potential major shift in the American approach towards Palestinian statehood…
“According to the Axios report… Secretary of State Antony Blinken requested a review of policy options for the recognition of a Palestinian state after Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza concludes. In the months since the Oct. 7 terrorist assault on southern Israel, the Biden administration has been pushing for Palestinian statehood…
“A senior U.S. official told Axios that some inside the Biden administration believe that unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state should be the first step in talks to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict instead of the last.
“This goes against the doctrine of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who sees increasing relations with the wider Arab world as the key to solving the Palestinian issue… Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious coalition is firmly against establishing a Palestinian state. There is also widespread opposition among the Israeli public to the creation of a Palestinian state… when asked whether they support the creation of a ‘Palestinian’ state alongside Israel, 66% of Jewish respondents said they opposed such a move, while 27% expressed support for the creation of a ‘Palestine.’…
“Axios reported on several options the Biden administration could take, including bilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, withdrawing its veto power against the United Nations Security Council admitting ‘Palestine’ as a full U.N. member state, and urging other countries to recognize a Palestinian state. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Monday that the U.K. was considering recognizing a Palestinian state…”
To unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state would burn all bridges with Israel.
Israel 365 News wrote on February 5:
“Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday set out the country’s core demands for ending the war against Hamas in Gaza.’ The essential goal is, first of all, the elimination of Hamas. To achieve this goal, three things are needed,’ Netanyahu told journalists…
“‘The first requirement is the collapse of Hamas’s battalions…’ After the battalions are destroyed, the Israeli military will have to carry out clearance operations to prevent Hamas from rebuilding its terrorist army… Finally, Netanyahu said, Israel will need to complete ‘the neutralization of the underground [tunnels]…’
“The Israel Defense Forces will not withdraw from Gaza before it achieves the goals of eliminating Hamas, returning all 136 hostages and ensuring that the coastal enclave never again constitutes a threat to the Jewish state, Netanyahu reiterated.
“Netanyahu also called to replace the Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA with other aid organizations ‘not tainted by support for terrorism.’…
“Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir leveled criticism at U.S. President Joe Biden, saying Donald Trump would have been better for Israel during the current war. ‘Instead of giving us his full backing, Biden is busy with giving humanitarian aid and fuel [to Gaza], which goes to Hamas,’ charged Ben-Gvir…”
Israel’s concern is well-founded. Note the next article.
Israel Today wrote on February 5:
“The administration of US President Joe Biden has taken Israeli law into its own hands by issuing an executive order that compelled Israeli banks to freeze the assets of at least four Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, the so-called ‘West Bank.’ In the executive order issued last Thursday, the White House said it was imposing sanctions against ‘persons undermining peace, security and stability in the West Bank.’ Notably, the order only targets Jews. The assets of senior Palestinian Authority leaders, despite their demonstrable participation in incitement and violence against Israel, are left untouched.
“The order goes on to falsely claim ‘high levels of extremist settler [read: Jewish] violence, forced displacement of people and villages and property destruction.’…
“It should be pointed out, however, that none of the four men named by the White House have been convicted of crimes by the Israeli judicial system… Bank Leumi, where Yinon Levi does business, immediately informed him that in light of Biden’s executive order, it was freezing his assets and closing his accounts. ‘The executive order is a result of requests to Biden by the anarchist, anti-Zionist left, which hates the Jewish people and made up a bunch of stories about Israel’s pioneers,” Levi told the Kan public broadcaster on Sunday. But he also vowed: ‘Biden, who is unable to deal with the Houthis who murder American soldiers, doesn’t scare us. We will continue to settle the Land of Israel without fear.’
“Bank Hapoalim, where Einan Tanjil and Shalom Zicherman have accounts, said it will take similar action soon for fear of getting on Washington’s bad side.
“Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded by insisting that Israel is ‘not a banana republic of the United States,’ and promising to take action to prevent the banks from harming Israeli citizens.”
Biden’s actions leave no doubt that he is NOT a friend of Israel.
Life Site News wrote on February 2:
“Colonel Douglas Macgregor has warned that Israel’s current operation of ‘expelling or killing the population in Gaza’ is enraging the Arab nations in the region. Macgregor believes this will ‘culminate… in the destruction of Israel’ with war easily expanding globally, even onto American soil, and the real possibility of nuclear exchanges…
“For many decades Christians in the Holy Land have pleaded with Israel and the international community to end the Jewish state’s illegal occupation and building of settlements on the Palestinian people’s internationally recognized territory, as a necessary foundation for peaceful coexistence…
“Though the leaders of Middle East Arab nations such as Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Turkey want to avoid a regional war, due to what the consequences will be for their nation’s infrastructure and population, their own positions are in danger due to the possibility of popular uprisings among their citizens, the colonel explained. The populations in these regions, particularly the Muslim Arabs and the Turks, ‘are so angry and so enraged, they’re ready to fight, regardless of what the costs are, to destroy Israel.’ ‘As a result, increasingly across the Middle East, everyone who is in power or authority is privately saying … we will no longer tolerate this Israeli state and they are moving towards a state of war across the region, which will culminate, I think, in the destruction of Israel,’ Macgregor warned. ‘And I don’t think we can stop it.’
“… should the Israeli and U.S. authorities be successful at initiating war with Iran, the retired colonel predicts these forces ‘will pay a heavy price.’ ‘Iran has an enormous arsenal of missiles,’ he said. These include, ‘thousands of very precise, very destructive theater ballistic missiles as well as tactical ballistic missiles. They have cruise missile technology, [and] infinite numbers of drones.’
“There are around 57,000 American troops in the region, and these missiles can ‘attack with great precision’ all of their bases and positions.. These include hypersonic missiles which can hit targets at sea, and there remains ‘no way to shoot them down or defend against them.’…
“‘Remember, Hezbollah has substantial facilities and concentrations of people in Mexico. So do Islamists who are Sunni Muslims,’ he recalled. With all the recent waves of illegal immigrants pouring across the Mexican border in recent years, ‘we don’t even know who has actually entered the United States.’…
“And thus, ‘the greatest danger,’ the colonel said, ‘is that the Israelis will respond, but with the use of a nuclear weapon, particularly as they watch their cities Tel Aviv, Haifa and so forth, largely annihilated by these arsenals of missiles. And if that were to happen, I think that would have catastrophic consequences for Israel and the world, far worse than anything we’ve seen thus far.’”
Even though Macgregor has been a controversial figure with some extreme positions, he claimed, correctly, that Ukraine will lose the war against Russia. Further, we read that prior to the downfall of the state of Israel during the Great Tribulation, Israel will receive a wound… presumably a military defeat of some kind. It will then turn to Germany for help, but won’t receive it.
Breitbart reported on February 5:
“King Charles has cancer, Buckingham Palace has said in a statement, and he will postpone his public duties while undergoing a programme of treatment that began today. Just days after being discharged from hospital for treatment of a non-cancerous enlarged prostate, it has been revealed King Charles III also has cancer. The cancer was discovered during tests the monarch underwent during his hospital stay, which identified a ‘separate issue of concern’.
“Subsequent testing confirmed the King does have a non-specified ‘form of cancer’, Buckingham Palace said, and that he had already started a regime of treatment today… While the King is unable to perform public duties, the Palace made clear his constitutional role is unaffected as he would be able to continue to undertake ‘State business and official paperwork as usual’.
“… King Charles III is the King of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and ten other Commonwealth Realms besides. As a Constitutional monarch, his assent is required for the passing of laws but in practice this is now a mere formality, and he acts on the advice of his Prime Minister and Parliament…
“The King’s enlarged prostate was disclosed by Buckingham Palace on January 17th, the same day it was revealed the future Queen, Princess Kate, had undergone abdominal surgery for an undisclosed ailment. It rapidly became apparent the Princess’ surgery had been a major one, and she spent 13 days recovering in hospital and is expected to spend months more convalescing.
“The disclosure about the health of the Royals is highly unusual from a house that until recently kept such information under tight control, but the change is down to a King wishing to be more open…
“Both the King and Princess Kate receiving treatment or recovering at the same time puts two of the Royal Family’s most effective and best-known faces out of the public eye for possibly months. Prince William has also taken time to help care for his wife and their children, and Princess Anne, the King’s sister, has stepped up to take on more duties…”
Daily Mail wrote on February 5:
“Police broke up a snaking queue that formed outside a newly-opened NHS dental practice today, in scenes which illustrate the appointments crisis plaguing millions of desperate Brits… A local news website compared the queue, eventually shut [down] by police at 2.15pm, as being ‘reminiscent of Soviet-era Eastern Europe’, where queues for basic goods like food were an infamous part of daily life…
“NHS dentistry has been in crisis for years, with leaders claiming the sector has been chronically underfunded, making it financially unviable to carry out treatments. Exacerbating the problem is that, as more dentists leave the NHS, those that remain become swamped by more and more patients… “
The Reese Report wrote on February 2:
“In the late nineteen-forties, Major Maynard White, commander of Project Nanook, discovered that the Earth experiences routine magnetic pole flips that occur in the span of just one day. But this information was suppressed from the public and was directly followed by the birth of the United Nations Global Warming propaganda campaign.
“Western governments adopted the man made global warming cover story, but this does not seem to be the case in the East. In Russia, talk of a pole shift is openly being discussed. Russian scientists have been tracking the wandering magnetic north which has been exponentially moving towards Siberia for decades. And even state run media, Ria News, has been reporting that the north and south magnetic poles have repeatedly changed places and that it could happen again at any moment…
“The Russian Federation seems to be preparing for this pole shift. Massive infrastructure is being developed in the Eurasian arctic, and Russian bases in Antarctica are being drastically restored. The farmers in Russia are not being attacked, they are being given extra subsidies by the government and encouraged to expand…”
It is a well-known fact that pole changes HAVE occurred in the past.
The U.S. Sun wrote on February 1, 2024:
“AN ARMY of thousands of monkeys have run a city in central Thailand into the ground. Several stores and businesses have been forced to shutter and relocate, investors have halted their investments, and shoppers have all but entirely vanished from Lopburi. The Thai city, once a thriving hub for tourists who flocked to see the city’s wild macaques, has now been completely overrun by the 3,500-strong army that have taken control. Some locals have fled, while others have been forced to barricade their homes in a desperate bid to protect themselves against the rampaging monkeys… Lopburi has had to establish several no-go zones throughout the city, as some of these areas have been taken over by warring rival monkey gangs.
“At first the locals attempted to keep the animals at bay by providing them with junk food, but that plan backfired and seemed to only make the monkeys more violent. They had been giving the monkeys sweets, fizzy drinks and cereal – sugary treats which are well known to make monkeys more hyper and sexually-active.
“Female monkeys already have the ability to reproduce twice per year, and the frequency with which they have been given sugar has meant that these monkeys have had an abundance of energy to do so. Pre-pandemic, monkey and man lived in harmony in the city – the macaques attracted tourists to the city, and those tourists would buy bananas to feed the animals and pose with them. But that balance quickly collapsed when lockdowns stopped the steady flow of tourism, leaving the macaques desperate for a new food source…
“The monkeys can now be found everywhere. They sit atop rooftops, ready for ambush, they run riot on the roads, and they even rob passing cars. Thailand’s Department of National Parks has had to launch a sterilisation program, in the hope that they can curb some of the rapidly-growing monkey population in the city.
“Back in 2020, authorities were able to use large fruits to lure several hundred monkeys into cages so that they could sterilise them. At first they were successful, managing to catch some 500 monkeys on a daily basis, but now the monkeys have caught on to their tactics.
“Supakarn Kaewchot, a government veterinarian,… said that catching the macaques is no longer an easy feat. ‘As soon as they see our faces they remember. They know what we’re going to do… In some groups, the head of the group tries to stop their clan from going into the cage.’ He said that now, managing to capture a mere 20 monkeys is proving to be a challenge.”
Sounds like a scene from the “Planet of the Apes” movies. But the Bible warns that in these end times, animals will behave aggressively towards man. In addition, monkeys are being viewed as sacred in Thailand. According to the national epic Ramakien — a version of India’s Ramayana — monkeys in Lopburi are the direct descendants of Hanuman, god-king of the apes.
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer
These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.
On, February 10, 2024, Norbert Link will present, “Comments on News and Prophecy—February 10, 2024,” and Kalon Mitchell will present the sermon, titled, “Before It’s Too Late.”
The live services are available, over video and audio, at http://eternalgod.org/live-services/ (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time; 8:30 pm Greenwich Mean Time; 9:30 pm Central European Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.
by Eric Rank
The German language has a reputation for requiring more letters and words than the English language for expressing an equivalent meaning. However, there are exceptions for which a single German word conveys a deep, poetic sentiment with great efficiency. “Weltschmerz” is one of those words, so eloquent that it appears in English language dictionaries without modification. This word is a contraction of two words in German, “Welt” and “Schmerz”, which translate to “World” and “Pain” in English, respectively. Taken in a literal sense, “World Pain” does not convey the complete meaning of the word. Weltschmerz describes a personal emotion of feeling weighed down by the demise of the world at large, causing malaise, sadness, depression, or apathy. It describes a sense of personal hopelessness, resulting from internalizing the downward spiral of the world.
Today, there is no shortage of events in the world to inspire a feeling of Weltschmerz. World leaders are a disgrace to their countries, governments, and the people they rule. The prevailing morality in societies around the world is baseless and self-indulgent with no concern for God. Violence and wars escalate more and more, bringing death and pain to those affected. Desperation pierces the lives of the innocent in so many ways – with sickness, job loss, poverty, and pain. When looking around us, it can be difficult to see what’s happening, knowing where it all leads, without feeling the gut-wrenching agony of the world’s demise.
The prophet Jeremiah may have felt the agony of Weltschmerz when he inquired of God why the wicked prosper (compare Jeremiah 12:1-4). In his time, he observed the wicked ways of the people and how they caused the environment around them to become desolate. Unquestionably grieved in seeing God neglected, we get a sense of Jeremiah’s lament for the state of the world. God’s response to Jeremiah’s inquiry explains the corruption He saw from His perspective: “‘Many rulers have destroyed My vineyard, They have trodden My portion underfoot; They have made My pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. They have made it desolate; Desolate, it mourns to Me; The whole land is made desolate, Because no one takes it to heart’” (Jeremiah 12:10-11). In this example, we see the cause of desolation. The people of Judah, to whom Jeremiah prophesied, took God and His blessings for granted. [Of course, Jeremiah also had the responsibility to prophesy to other nations (Jeremiah 1:5) and in prophetic terms, to the entire world in the last days]. They chose to disobey Him, as is also the case today. They took part in the way of destruction. In figurative language, God’s creation mourns this dismal state of affairs.
I’m afraid that our current state of the world is far worse than described by Jeremiah for his day and age. The vast majority in the world have departed from God, blatantly choosing to follow their own ways. The world glorifies sin. It corrupts the Truth. It puts trust in the faultiest of men to fix its problems. Only Jesus Christ will manage to correct the path this world is on when He establishes His righteous government (compare Isaiah 2:2-4; Isaiah 9:6-7).
Fortunately, the world has hope. The dire straits will become straight and smooth when Jesus Christ returns to save the world from mankind. And we, as true Christians, will have the opportunity to work underneath His perfect authority to make it happen. The world will breathe a sigh of relief. “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now” (Romans 8:20-22). Just as the world has hope for relief from its grief, we too can find solace in knowing that the current corruption will cease, giving way to a wonderful restoration.
by Norbert Link
We begin with the German government’s ill-conceived and highly controversial measures against Germany’s farmers; and we point out that the farmers’ movement has now reached the heart of Europe. We also speak on the German government’s ridiculous persecution of opponents; and on Europe’s real goal.
We address the Hungarian leader’s strong support of Donald Trump; a court decision denying Trump immunity; and address the Senate’s horrible bi-partisan border bill. We report on the failed attempt to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and discuss an unprecedented court decision, convicting a mother of involuntary manslaughter over a mass shooting carried out by her child. We also point out America’s strike on Iran’s proxies in the Middle East, as well as divided reactions to this strike and America’s troubled relationship with Iraq. We also speak on the Houthis’ declared intent to destroy America.
We address the outcry over Tucker Carlson’s interview with Vladimir Putin.
We report on Europe’s and especially Ireland’s desire to establish a Palestinian state; which is shared and promoted by the Biden Administration, but rejected by Netanyahu and most Israelis. We address Netanyahu’s three conditions to end the war in Gaza; Biden’s highly dubious executive orders against Jewish settlers; and an alarming assessment to the effect that Israel’s destruction may be inevitable.
Please view our newStandingWatch program in this regard, titled, “Is Israel’s Destruction Imminent?”
We report on King Charles III’s health condition; Britain’s dental care crisis; a potential magnetic pole flip; and we conclude with an amazing story about an ever-growing army of monkeys (macaques) taking over a central city in Thailand.
Throughout this section, we have underlined pertinent statements in the quoted articles, for the convenience and quick overview of the reader.
Deutsche Welle wrote on January 2:
“The German lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, approved the controversial rolling back of tax relief for diesel use by the German agricultural industry on Friday as part of the government’s spending plans. Later on Friday, the Bundestag also voted in favor of a 2024 budget after much delay. The budget of around €477 billion ($519 billion) will include €39 billion in new borrowing.
“This proposal has angered German farmers, leading to nationwide protests in recent weeks… The budget financing law was put forward by the current governing coalition of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), environmentalist Greens and business-focused Free Democratic Party (FDP). Other measures apart of the law passed Friday include higher air traffic taxes and new rules on financial support for families.
“In order for the law to be enacted, it will need to be approved by the Bundesrat [which is supposed to meet sometime in March], which represents Germany’s 16 federal states. German Farmers’ Association chief Joachim Rukwied suggested Thursday that the Bundesrat could put a stop to the law.
“The German government’s spending plans were first derailed in November, after the German Constitutional Court ruled that the coalition may not reappropriate €60 billion in unused credit made available during the COVID pandemic to a climate fund…”
If this proposal becomes law, we can expect further widespread anti-government demonstrations by angry and desperate farmers and others.
LifeSiteNews wrote on February 2:
“On February 1, the Europe-wide farmers’ protest against policies threatening their existence reached Brussels, where protestors blocked many roads with tractors, started bonfires, set off fireworks, and toppled a statue in front of the European Parliament… The protest in Brussels happened in the context of a continent-wide uprising, including in France… Farmer protests also took place in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Germany, Scotland and Ireland.
“A German comedian and member of the European Parliament, Martin Sonneborn, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, ‘… Brussels is at a standstill, already 230 kilometers of traffic jams at 8 o’clock in the morning… As far as the EU is concerned, the outside world and the inside world are clearly no longer in any meaningful relationship with each other: while more than 1,300 tractors are blocking the European Parliament and its burning forecourt outside, the 27 heads of state inside have not even put the farmers’ anger on their agenda,’ he wrote…
“Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the former papal nuncio to the U.S., expressed his support for the farmer’s protests in a recent post on X. ‘The globalist criminal plan wants to destroy traditional agriculture, animal husbandry, and fishing in order to force people to eat artificial food produced by multinational corporations,’ he wrote. ‘And it is the big investment funds and the Word Economic Forum that are lobbying parliaments to impose a devastating and inhuman “transition”. I express my complete solidarity with and encouragement to the farmers, ranchers, fishermen, truck drivers, and all those who support them. Let us accompany with prayer those who are fighting against the New World Order…’
“One of the farmers’ concerns is the flooding of the European market with cheap Ukrainian imports that are meant to help the country with its war efforts. Since Ukraine and other non-EU countries do not have to adhere to the high environmental standards of the EU, the farmers view it as unfair competition that threatens their existence. For the same reason, the farmers also oppose a planned trade deal between the EU and the Mercosur bloc, a federation of countries in South America.
“One of the major issues for farmers is the so-called ‘green’ measures imposed by EU bureaucrats that include higher taxes or cuts to tax subsidies as well as bans on necessary tools such as nitrogen fertilizer. The farmers have also been blamed for their greenhouse emissions and their alleged contribution to ‘climate change’. They are heavily affected by the EU’s plan to achieve ‘net-zero’ emissions and make the bloc ‘climate-neutral’ by 2050.
“The plan includes cutting fertilizer use by 20%, limiting the amount of land dedicated to agricultural use, halving pesticides by 2030, and doubling organic food production. While some of these measures may have a positive impact on food quality [they surely would], they put immense pressure on farmers, especially smaller farms, whose numbers have been on the decline for decades. The EU’s plan to combat so-called ‘climate change’ could lead to the majority of farmland being controlled by a relatively small elite.
“Part of the problem for smaller farms is the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP), a € 55 billion per year subsidy system that has been in place for over 60 years. The system ‘has historically been based on economy of scale: bigger farms, bigger holdings, common standards,’ Jon Henley from The Guardian writes. This policy has led to a continuous decrease in small farms in Europe as they have become increasingly uncompetitive.”
Business Standard added on February 2:
“Farmers… wrested some promises of relief from European leaders on Thursday, the culmination of weeks of protests across the continent over excessive red tape and competition from cheap imports. Eager to reassure a key part of the electorate and end disruptions in several cities, leaders at a European Union summit in Brussels showered the farmers with compliments and compassion if few concrete proposals…
“Leaders welcomed the plan of the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, to shield farmers from cheap imports from Ukraine during wartime and allow farmers to use some land that had been forced to lie fallow for environmental reasons… In France, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced a new set of measures, including hundreds of millions of euros in aid and tax breaks, and also promised not to ban pesticides in France that are allowed elsewhere in Europe. In Brussels, many leaders also said they would not approve a trade deal with South American nations that is under consideration unless any imports would meet the same regulatory standards that EU farmers face, a key demand from the sector…”
Will the farmers’ protests have some lasting success?
The Jerusalem Post wrote on January 31, 2024:
“Last month, [Hans-Georg] Maassen announced he was setting up a party… aiming to capture voters who polls say are increasingly disenchanted with Germany’s dominant parties…
“Hans-Georg Maassen, who until five years ago was responsible for protecting Germany against violent and extremist threats to its democracy, is himself now being monitored by the security agency he ran, the bureaucrat-turned-politician said.
“Maassen was dismissed as head of Germany’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV—Bundesamt fuer Verfassungschutz) in 2018 after appearing to play down the threat of violence by right-wing extremists who at the time were rioting in an eastern German city. Since, the lawyer has become known for his increasingly radical comments on the supposed threat immigration poses to Germany, becoming a hero to far-right activists including some in the circles surrounding Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, the aristocrat who led [an alleged] foiled coup attempt in 2022. [We have reported about this “made-up “coup” by the mass media].
“‘Germany is clearly afraid of me,’ he said on X, adding the country was using the internal security agency to monitor him and the party he has founded… Maassen published on his website a letter from the BfV… confirming that he featured extensively in their databases tracking extremists…
“As BfV chief, he was in effect Germany’s chief hunter of neo-Nazis. The documents released to him by the BfV show him being repeatedly praised by far-right figures.”
Sounds quite like what is happening in the USA. Opposition candidates are persecuted with the goal to shut them up.
Deutsche Welle wrote on February 3:
“Around 150,000 people have attended a protest rally in the German capital, Berlin, against the far right and its ideology… Many of the slogans chanted were directed against the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party…
“Several politicians attended the demonstration in Berlin, including the leader of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ Social Democrats (SPD), Saskia Esken, and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, from the same party…
Chancellor Scholz voiced his support for the protests across Germany in a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, calling them a ‘strong signal for democracy and our constitution.’
“The AfD voiced anger at the government support for the protests, asking on X: ‘What have we in Germany actually come to when a government calls a demonstration against part of the population?’…
[The AfD] is currently Germany’s second most popular party, coming behind only the conservative CDU.”
Trend News Agency wrote on February 5:
“The head of the federal state of Hesse, which is one of the major economic centers of Germany, Boris Rein proposed that Europe create its own military alliance without the participation of the United States… He noted that the nuclear arsenal can be used to deter and ‘intimidate’ Russia. ‘That’s why we want a strong European security union – with common defence, a European nuclear umbrella, secure borders and protection of our critical infrastructure,’ he said.”
Comments like these show more and more Europe’s REAL GOAL of establishing their own army with nuclear weapons apart from or in opposition to the USA.
Breitbart wrote on February 2:
“Despite fatigue with funding NATO’s proxy war with Russia setting in across the West, globalist politicians appear intent on continuing the war no matter what. For the Hungarian leader, who has been a lone voice among European heads of state calling for peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv… the only viable offramp for the conflict is for his longtime friend and ally [Donald Trump] to return to the White House…. ‘My personal conviction remains that if, in February 2022, the American president had been called Donald Trump, there would be no more war in Europe. Today I don’t see anyone other than him, neither in Europe nor in America, who is a leader strong enough to stop the war,’ the Hungarian leader declared.
“Legacy media outlets and globalist EU politicians have begun to openly warn of the claimed danger to Europe posed by Trump coming back to power — ignoring the destabilising policies of the Biden administration, from the birth of another European migrant crisis following the botched withdrawal of Afghanistan to war breaking out in Europe under his watch…
“Orbán criticised power players in Berlin, Brussels and Paris, who ultimately seek to expand the EU into Ukraine, no matter the threat of sparking a full-on war with Russia or the likely negative economic impacts of incorporating the former Soviet state into the bloc, particularly for farmers throughout Europe who will face being further undercut by cheap Ukrainian exports. ‘The European Union, in recent years, has increasingly moved in an imperialist direction, especially after the departure of the United Kingdom. It is less and less a community of sovereign states. More and more, no matter what treaty rights you have, no matter what reasonable arguments you put forward to them, they are trying to force you into something you don’t want,’ Orbán said.
“Those words came just days before Hungary was apparently forced with menaces into signing off on a massive $54 billion EU cash programme for Ukraine, which it had blocked since last year.
“President Trump, for his part, has consistently maintained that he would seek a swift end to the conflict in Ukraine, declaring that not only would the war not have happened under his watch but that he would be able to force a peace settlement should he return to the White House… Conversely, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has openly baulked at Trump, saying that the former president’s claim that he could end the war in 24 hours was ‘very dangerous’…”
The end has been decreed by God from the beginning: Ukraine and Russia will unite and ultimately fight against Europe.
Express wrote on February 6:
“Former President Donald Trump has shot back after a US court ruled that he does not have immunity from prosecution in a case related to the 2020 presidential election. The former president believes the landmark ruling could stop future presidents from doing their job and ruin the country. ‘A nation-destroying ruling like this cannot be allowed to stand,’ he raged on Truth Social, adding it would leave any president fearing ‘vicious retribution after leaving office.’
“The ruling has dealt a blow to his attempts to avoid prosecution for events leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021. The three-judge panel considering his appeal delivered their decision clearly, stating: ‘Any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as president no longer protects him against this prosecution.’… The former president’s lawyers argue that he enjoys broad legal protections unless impeached by Congress and removed from office. Trump could still take his claim to the Supreme Court [Trump was given leave to do so until Monday]… The issue at hand is whether former presidents can be prosecuted after leaving office for actions they took related to official duties. The Supreme Court has previously decided that they are protected from civil cases. Trump and his lawyers insist that should also extend to criminal actions…
“[The case] was heard by Judges Michelle Childs and Florence Pan, who were both appointed by Biden, and Karen LeCraft Henderson, appointed by President George H.W. Bush. They dismissed Trump’s argument that he already faced impeachment proceedings over the same allegations and should not stand trial again. They wrote: ‘In light of the very different procedures and purposes associated with impeachment proceedings as compared to criminal proceedings, former President Trump’s reliance on the Double Jeopardy Clause is misplaced.’ They also stated: ‘Impeachment is not a criminal process and cannot result in criminal punishment’…”
The rationale of the court (being clearly unfriendly towards Trump) is not convincing. It will remain to be seen how the US Supreme Court will decide this important issue.
Newsmax wrote on February 5:
“Conservative reaction to the Senate’s border security bill was fast and furious. The Senate on Sunday unveiled a $118 billion bipartisan border security bill that also would provide billions in aid to Ukraine and Israel following months of negotiations. House Speaker Mike Johnson [said] the bill was ‘worse than expected’ and ‘dead on arrival’ in the House. Others seemed to agree with his assessment…
“‘Any Republican voting for this Senate America last open border amnesty bill must be paid off by foreign interests and is acting as a foreign agent,’ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote on X. ‘What an embarrassment! Shame on them!!’…
“Former President Donald Trump said… ‘Only a fool, or a Radical Left Democrat, would vote for this horrendous Border Bill… It takes the HORRIBLE JOB the Democrats have done on Immigration and the Border, absolves them, and puts it all squarely on the shoulders of Republicans. Don’t be STUPID!!! We need a separate Border and Immigration Bill. It should not be tied to foreign aid in any way, shape, or form!…’
“Democrats, meanwhile, insists the bill upholds the country’s ‘tradition of immigration.’”
Amazingly, Republicans in the Senate voted for this horrible bill.
The New York Post wrote on February 6:
“Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell waved a rhetorical white flag Tuesday, admitting the bipartisan.. spending package was doomed… ‘It’s been made pretty clear to us by the [House] speaker [Mike Johnson] that it will not become law,’ the 81-year-old Kentuckian bluntly conceded to reporters. ‘It looks to me and to most our members as if we have no real chance here to make a law,’ McConnell added.
“The Republican leader bowed to political reality after a two-day outcry among conservatives over the $118 billion measure…”
The New York Post wrote on February 7:
“The Senate’s $118 billion border deal officially crashed and burned Wednesday, as the upper chamber was ready [to] put the nation’s migration crisis on the back burner by prepping a bill that would provide $95 billion in military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
“Almost exactly 24 hours after Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters the supplemental spending package had ‘no real chance;’ of becoming law, the measure came up 11 votes short of clearing the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster.”
Newsmax wrote on February 8:
“A $95.34 billion bill that includes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan advanced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday after Republicans blocked compromise legislation that included a long-sought overhaul of immigration policy… There was no immediate word on when the 100-member chamber would consider final passage….
“Even if the aid bill eventually passes the Senate, it faces uncertainty in the House of Representatives. Dozens of Republican House members, particularly those most closely allied with former President Donald Trump, have voted against Ukraine aid, including Speaker Mike Johnson.”
Breitbart wrote on February 6:
“The House of Representatives let Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas off the hook for the border crisis created under his watch in a historic 216-214 vote against impeachment.
“Reps. Ken Buck (R-CO) and Tom McClintock (R-CA) announced before the vote they would vote against impeachment. They were joined by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) in voting with unified Democrats…
“The defeat is the latest for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who inherited a slim majority that has been decimated further by the ejection of Rep. George Santos (R-NY), early retirement of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and, temporarily, the absence of Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), who is recovering from cancer.”
Even though impeachment would not have been successful in a Senate, dominated by Democrats, the three dissenting Republican voices are embarrassing, in light of the facts.
The U.S. Sun wrote on February 7:
“The mother of Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley who killed four students has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in an unprecedented court case… [She] is the first American parent to ever be convicted of the crime over a mass shooting carried out by their child…. [The prosecution alleged the parents failed] to give their [15-year-old son] son proper mental health treatment despite repeated warning signs, including meetings with school administrators over some worrying drawings…. of a gun pointing at the words ‘the thoughts won’t stop. Help me.’ Next to it was a drawing of a person who had been shot twice with the words ‘blood everywhere’, ‘my life is useless’ and ‘the world is dead.’ Ethan’s parents were called into the school that morning at 10am – but later left and around three hours later, the teen took a gun out of his backpack and killed his fellow students…
“During one text message exchange in spring 2021, just months before the attack, Ethan told his mom that there was a ghost or a devil in the house and pleaded for her to respond, but she did not… ‘My parents won’t listen to me about help with a therapist…’ the teen wrote.
“[The mother] on the other hand, testified that she saw no signals of mental health troubles in her son…
“Prosecutors slammed [the mother], arguing she was responsible for the deaths after she and her husband irresponsibly gave Ethan a gun for Christmas… [The mother] admitted she and her husband… gifted Ethan the weapon, ‘We didn’t just hand him a gun as ‘here you go son,”’ she testified. ‘It was something we could use when we went to the (gun) range as a family.’…
“Ethan’s dad… bought him the 9mm handgun for Christmas – even though he was too young under state laws to own a gun. It was this gun that he took to school on the day of the shooting – when no one checked his bag. It was reportedly bought four days before the shooting ahead of the holiday, and was ‘freely available’ to the teen…
“[The teen, by now 17 years old, was sentenced to life in prison], without the possibility of parole in December after pleading guilty to murder, terrorism and other charges. [A separate trial will still be held against the father, starting March 5.]
Whether right or wrong, this decision, if it stands, will have unparalleled legal consequences for parents in many different aspects.
NBC News wrote on February 2:
“The United States launched attacks Friday against 85 sites in Iraq and Syria used by Iranian forces and Iran-backed militants, its first retaliatory strikes for the killing of three American soldiers in Jordan last weekend, U.S. officials said.
“U.S. military forces struck targets at seven facilities [in Iraq and Syria] tied to attacks on U.S. personnel in the region… ‘Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing,’ President Joe Biden said in a statement…
“The military action is a significant escalation in Washington’s bid to deter the growing threat from Iran-backed groups across the Middle East — a step fraught with risk abroad and at home…
“The U.S. conducted the strikes knowing that the facilities are used by Iranian-backed militia personnel and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps…
“The Iraqi army condemned the U.S. airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraqi border areas, calling the air assault a ‘violation of Iraqi sovereignty’ and ‘a threat that will drag Iraq and the region into unforeseen consequences.’”
It was also reported that at least 34 pro-Iranian fighters were killed in the US attack. In fact, the USA had bombed 85 targets in seven different locations, hitting four points in Syria and three in Iraq. Iraq’s reaction is telling and is bad news for the USA. While the White House has said Iraq was warned ahead of the blitz, the Sun reported on February 3:
“Iraq on Saturday said the US was ‘misleading public opinion’ by claiming they had given an explicit warning. Iraqi officials said 16 people, including civilians, were killed and 25 others were wounded. They raged: ‘This aggressive strike will put security in Iraq and the region on the brink of the abyss, and it also contradicts efforts to establish the required stability.’… Syrian media also said cities in the east of the country were hit… And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 18 people were killed in the strikes on their soil. While Iran-linked targets were hit – Iran itself was not.”
Fox News reported on February 6:
“White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby apologized Tuesday for falsely saying last week that Iraqi officials were notified before a series of coordinated air strikes… He was forced to retract this claim after State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel confirmed this was not accurate and that Iraqi leaders were not informed until after the strikes…
“Kirby released a statement about the confusion the same day, saying he was going off ‘information that I had been provided at the time.’”
npr wrote on February 2:
“U.S. troops left Iraq in 2011 but returned in 2014 to fight ISIS alongside Iraqi forces. And now there are 2,550 — not in combat, but assisting Iraqis in going after the remnants of ISIS. Now, many of the U.S. troops are stationed in northern Iraq in Erbil, and those troops also support the anti-ISIS fight next door in Syria.
“The U.S. also provides hundreds of millions of dollars to Iraq in aid, government development, humanitarian assistance, demining efforts and military sales —more than $16 billion, covering everything from F-16 aircraft to helicopters and radar and small arms. In addition, the U.S. has provided Iraq with excess defense equipment over the recent years — 300 large armored vehicles, Humvees, helicopters, body armor — all of which contributed to the ISIS fight.
“Still, the U.S. airstrikes have created a political problem for the Iraqi government, some of whose parliamentarians have ties to Iran and want to see U.S. forces withdraw from the country. And the latest strikes will certainly add to that headache.
“Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani came to power because Iran, and the militias it supports, backed him. So in between anger over the U.S. role in supplying Israel with weapons for the war in Gaza, and anger over U.S. breaches of Iraqi sovereignty, he faces intense pressure about the future of U.S. forces in Iraq…
“An adviser to the Iraqi prime minister said the aim is to come up with what he called a specific and clear timetable for the gradual reduction of the U.S.-led coalition troops in Iraq and to an end to the U.S.-led anti-ISIS mission. The government spokesman, Bassem al-Awadi, told Iraqi state TV viewers that Sudani had repeatedly made clear that Iraq’s stability required ending the U.S. military presence in Iraq. ‘He literally said that ending the mission of the international coalition in Iraq is necessary for Iraq,’ said al-Awadi. ‘He used the term necessity. And I assure you that when the prime minister uses a term, he means it.’”
Newsmax wrote on February 3:
“Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., criticized the Biden administration’s weeklong buildup to the retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed proxies in the Middle East. ‘The tragic deaths of three U.S. troops in Jordan, perpetrated by Iran-backed militias, demanded a clear and forceful response. Unfortunately, the administration waited for a week and telegraphed to the world, including to Iran, the nature of our response,’ Johnson said…
“Reaction to the strikes and their timing was met with a party line approval or disapproval.
“Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Sen. Jack Reed D-R.I., called the strikes ‘a strong, proportional response…
“Sen. Roger Wicker R-Miss., reiterated Speaker Johnson’s sentiments… that the administration ‘spent nearly a week foolishly telegraphing U.S. intentions to our adversaries, giving them time to relocate and hide.’”
Breitbart added on February 3:
“During CNN’s coverage of Friday’s American strikes in the Middle East, CNN Military Analyst and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Wesley Clark (Ret.) argued that… ‘we didn’t really deter Iran’s hostility to the United States… [T]he Iranians are going to come back and do something. My guess is, it will take a few days, several weeks before they can reconstitute these forces. And then, depending on what happens in Gaza, they’ll be back… you can be sure that, on the terrorist websites and in their communications, they’re sort of laughing, yeah, they gave us a lot of warning and yeah, we got all the people out and some of the bombs missed… because that’s the kind of the bravado that you expect from some of these people. What we’re going to do is… collect hard intelligence, and see if we have to go back in and re-strike.’”
The Ron Paul Institute wrote on February 3:
“The Axis of Resistance is present throughout the Middle East. It has its own economic and social networks. It produces its own weapons and its fighters are well trained to fight under the local circumstances. This is an enemy the U.S. cannot defeat… it is the Resistance which is using small and increasingly larger cuts to eliminate, over time, the U.S. presence in the Middle East. It is dead serious…
Give it two, three or maybe even five years. But the envisioned results WILL be achieved.”
npr explained on February 2 that “The so-called ‘axis of resistance’ is a network of Iran proxy groups across the region. It includes Hezbollah in Lebanon, a coalition of militias in Iraq that go by the name the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, Ansar Allah — Houthi forces — in Yemen and Iran-linked groups in eastern Syria. Kataib Hezbollah (which means Party of God Brigades) is not a subsidiary of the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, but both have close links to Iran. KH is considered the most powerful of the Iran-backed militias in the Iraq-based resistance, which has claimed about 160 attacks on U.S. forces since the beginning of the Gaza war.”
The Editorial Board of the New York Post wrote on February 2:
“Too Little, Too Late… so far it looks like President Biden opted for the least he could do…. it looks like the targets will be exclusively in Syria and Iraq, and mainly Iran’s proxy forces there, though some Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps units might get hit. IRGC forces inside Iran will be perfectly safe, even though the White House fully admits Tehran is behind it all…
“A commander-in-chief who refuses to think about it until it actually happens, and then takes his time deciding, is plain unfit for his sworn duties…
“As for our president’s oft-expressed fear of escalation:… Iran is escalating anyway, and will keep at it at least until we give it real reason to worry how we’ll escalate. Tehran won’t care how many of its proxies we kill, nor even a few low-level IRGC sacrificial lambs. Whereas it does fear having its own forces pulled in: As it finishes its dash to nuclear-weapons capability and negotiates the transition to a new “supreme leader” (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is 84), the last thing it wants is any more instability at home…”
Breitbart wrote on February 5:
“A senior member of the Yemeni Houthi terrorist organization declared that the group’s ongoing jihad in the Red Sea, which he described as ‘spillover’ in the conflict between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas, would ‘inevitably result in an end to US hegemony.’ The statement was not the first of its kind from the Houthis but does solidify the objective of the Houthi campaign against global commercial shipping as being the destruction of America…
“The promise to destroy America arrived on Monday in response to targeted airstrikes by the administration of President Joe Biden and the government of the United Kingdom against Houthi assets in Yemen. Multiple rounds of airstrikes have failed to deter the Red Sea attacks, a reality Biden has recognized…
“The Houthis announced following the first American and British airstrikes that ships from those countries are ‘legitimate targets…’…
“The Houthis – a Shiite terrorist operation that seized control of Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, in 2014 with the backing of Iran – declared war on Israel in October in a gesture of support to Hamas… The official Houthi slogan is ‘Allahu Akbar, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam.’
“Shortly after the war declaration, the Houthis began using Yemen’s position on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait leading to the Red Sea to attack commercial shipping vessels… The attacks resulted in a 90 percent drop year-on-year in container ship traffic through the Red Sea and Suez Canal between January 2023 and 2024 and soaring shipping prices. The United Nations reported in late January that it had documented a 45 percent drop in two months in freight volume through the Suez Canal, which lies on the northern tip of the Red Sea. Multinational shipping corporations, such as Maersk, announced a major redirection of ships despite assurances from the Biden administration that the American military would protect civilian ships as part of ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian,’ a coalition of allied navies.”
Big powers such as the USA and the UK seem to be unable to defeat a tiny group of terrorists.
Daily Mail wrote on February 7:
“Controversial talk show host Tucker Carlson could be subjected to sanctions from the European Union… Russian President Vladimir Putin has been interviewed by Carlson, the Kremlin confirmed Wednesday. It is Putin’s first interview to a Western journalist since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago…
“Former Belgian Prime Minister and current member of the European Union Parliament Guy Verhofstadt told Newsweek as the Russian president is considered a ‘war criminal’ it’s ‘logical’ that an investigation be held into Carlson. Verhofstadt has also called for a ‘travel ban’ against Carlson and described the host as a ‘mouthpiece’ for Donald Trump who has long been criticized for his pro-Kremlin views. Any investigation into Trump would be conducted by the EU’s European External Action Service, or EEAS, which is essentially the 27-nation bloc’s foreign ministry…
“Following the publication of the interview, Carlson’s friends in the American far right chimed in. ‘The same EU globalist scum are trying to bully Elon Musk in to censorship with criminal prosecution threats. Now they are moving in on Tucker! We must stand together for free speech,’ wrote… Alex Jones. ‘The EU is considering sanctions against Tucker Carlson for interviewing Putin. This is little more than an admission that they have been lying about everything regarding Ukraine,’ wrote commentator Candice Owens. ‘This narrative is about to fully collapse and they are terrified,’ she added.
“’Was there ever any doubt they would come for Tucker Carlson to daring to interview Putin? Rest assured there are those in power in the US who want to do the same as the EU,’ columnist and attorney Phil Holloway tweeted.
“Russian authorities have cracked down on media, forcing some independent Russian outlets to close, blocking others and ordering a number of foreign reporters to leave the country. Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that Carlson was chosen for the interview because ‘he has a position which differs’ from other English-language media… ‘Carlson’s position, Peskov said, ‘is in no way pro-Russian, nor pro-Ukrainian, but rather pro-American.’”
Breitbart wrote on February 6:
“Ukraine’s controversial American transgender sometimes-‘spokesperson’ Sarah Ashton-Cirillo has accused Tucker Carlson of being the ‘Kremlin’s favourite court eunuch’ and an ‘enemy of humanity,’ apparently placing a target on the head of Carlson…
“The often bombastic rhetoric spouted by Ashton-Cirillo, including public threats to ‘hunt down’ people allegedly spreading Russian propaganda, has previously sparked concern among American lawmakers… Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance wrote a letter to the Biden White House questioning whether Ashton-Cirillo had any ties to the U.S. government or intelligence agencies and whether the president would demand free speech is respected in Ukraine. Following the report, Ashton-Cirillo accused Sen. Vance of engaging in ‘gender chaos’, while claiming that free speech protections should not be afforded to those who spread so-called Russian propaganda and that they should be sent to prison as ‘war criminals’.
“The comments came amid the imprisonment of late citizen journalist YouTuber Gonzalo Lira, an American-Chilean dual citizen, who faced a lengthy prison sentence in Ukraine over comments on his YouTube channel critical of the Zelensky and Biden governments. [Lira died last month in prison.]
“Lira’s death was first announced by Tucker Carlson, who had interviewed his father shortly before his son’s death. Lira’s father accused the White House of ignoring the plight of his son…”
Breitbart added on February 7:
“Carlson said interviewing Putin was important — although dangerous — because, in his view, one-sided reporting from the establishment media has left many Americans ignorant of much of what was happening with Russia. The journalist called some reporting of the Ukraine war, which he said blindly parroted Ukraine government information, ‘government propaganda.’
“Condemnation of Mr Carlson for interviewing President Putin has been swift, with U.S. figures like neoconservative writer Bill Kristol, paraphrasing a meme to write: ‘Perhaps we need a total and complete shutdown of Tucker Carlson re-entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on’ and former Congressman Adam Kinzinger claiming simply: ‘He is a traitor’.”
On February 6, NBC’s Lester Holt interviewed on TV Iran’s ambassador to the USA, without any complaints from anyone. In the same manner, interviews by American journalists and moderators were conducted with Arafat, and other terrorists. The present “outcry” is just another proof for the incredible hypocrisy in the Western mass media.
The Palestine Chronicle wrote on February 2:
“Ireland is in talks with other EU members who want a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement on the basis that Israel may be breaching the agreement’s human rights clause… Ireland’s action is consistent with the political attitude of other European countries, who are either critical of Israel or are calling for a Palestinian state.
“A number of EU States are also talking about a possible joint recognition of a Palestinian State after the current conflict…
“Ireland has long been a champion of Palestinian rights, and ministers have repeatedly said the government is considering recognizing a Palestinian State… Ireland, Belgium, Spain and a few other EU countries were some of the early voices to join international criticism of the Israeli war on Gaza, starting on October 7.”
The negative and hostile attitude of Europeans towards Israel is quite telling. And so is the attitude of the Biden Administration. Note the next article.
Israel 365 News wrote on February 1:
“The Biden administration is bucking decades of U.S. foreign policy by considering a plan to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state… Both Axios and The New York Times reported on Wednesday about this potential major shift in the American approach towards Palestinian statehood…
“According to the Axios report… Secretary of State Antony Blinken requested a review of policy options for the recognition of a Palestinian state after Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza concludes. In the months since the Oct. 7 terrorist assault on southern Israel, the Biden administration has been pushing for Palestinian statehood…
“A senior U.S. official told Axios that some inside the Biden administration believe that unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state should be the first step in talks to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict instead of the last.
“This goes against the doctrine of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who sees increasing relations with the wider Arab world as the key to solving the Palestinian issue… Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious coalition is firmly against establishing a Palestinian state. There is also widespread opposition among the Israeli public to the creation of a Palestinian state… when asked whether they support the creation of a ‘Palestinian’ state alongside Israel, 66% of Jewish respondents said they opposed such a move, while 27% expressed support for the creation of a ‘Palestine.’…
“Axios reported on several options the Biden administration could take, including bilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, withdrawing its veto power against the United Nations Security Council admitting ‘Palestine’ as a full U.N. member state, and urging other countries to recognize a Palestinian state. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Monday that the U.K. was considering recognizing a Palestinian state…”
To unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state would burn all bridges with Israel.
Israel 365 News wrote on February 5:
“Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday set out the country’s core demands for ending the war against Hamas in Gaza.’ The essential goal is, first of all, the elimination of Hamas. To achieve this goal, three things are needed,’ Netanyahu told journalists…
“‘The first requirement is the collapse of Hamas’s battalions…’ After the battalions are destroyed, the Israeli military will have to carry out clearance operations to prevent Hamas from rebuilding its terrorist army… Finally, Netanyahu said, Israel will need to complete ‘the neutralization of the underground [tunnels]…’
“The Israel Defense Forces will not withdraw from Gaza before it achieves the goals of eliminating Hamas, returning all 136 hostages and ensuring that the coastal enclave never again constitutes a threat to the Jewish state, Netanyahu reiterated.
“Netanyahu also called to replace the Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA with other aid organizations ‘not tainted by support for terrorism.’…
“Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir leveled criticism at U.S. President Joe Biden, saying Donald Trump would have been better for Israel during the current war. ‘Instead of giving us his full backing, Biden is busy with giving humanitarian aid and fuel [to Gaza], which goes to Hamas,’ charged Ben-Gvir…”
Israel’s concern is well-founded. Note the next article.
Israel Today wrote on February 5:
“The administration of US President Joe Biden has taken Israeli law into its own hands by issuing an executive order that compelled Israeli banks to freeze the assets of at least four Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, the so-called ‘West Bank.’ In the executive order issued last Thursday, the White House said it was imposing sanctions against ‘persons undermining peace, security and stability in the West Bank.’ Notably, the order only targets Jews. The assets of senior Palestinian Authority leaders, despite their demonstrable participation in incitement and violence against Israel, are left untouched.
“The order goes on to falsely claim ‘high levels of extremist settler [read: Jewish] violence, forced displacement of people and villages and property destruction.’…
“It should be pointed out, however, that none of the four men named by the White House have been convicted of crimes by the Israeli judicial system… Bank Leumi, where Yinon Levi does business, immediately informed him that in light of Biden’s executive order, it was freezing his assets and closing his accounts. ‘The executive order is a result of requests to Biden by the anarchist, anti-Zionist left, which hates the Jewish people and made up a bunch of stories about Israel’s pioneers,” Levi told the Kan public broadcaster on Sunday. But he also vowed: ‘Biden, who is unable to deal with the Houthis who murder American soldiers, doesn’t scare us. We will continue to settle the Land of Israel without fear.’
“Bank Hapoalim, where Einan Tanjil and Shalom Zicherman have accounts, said it will take similar action soon for fear of getting on Washington’s bad side.
“Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded by insisting that Israel is ‘not a banana republic of the United States,’ and promising to take action to prevent the banks from harming Israeli citizens.”
Biden’s actions leave no doubt that he is NOT a friend of Israel.
Life Site News wrote on February 2:
“Colonel Douglas Macgregor has warned that Israel’s current operation of ‘expelling or killing the population in Gaza’ is enraging the Arab nations in the region. Macgregor believes this will ‘culminate… in the destruction of Israel’ with war easily expanding globally, even onto American soil, and the real possibility of nuclear exchanges…
“For many decades Christians in the Holy Land have pleaded with Israel and the international community to end the Jewish state’s illegal occupation and building of settlements on the Palestinian people’s internationally recognized territory, as a necessary foundation for peaceful coexistence…
“Though the leaders of Middle East Arab nations such as Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Turkey want to avoid a regional war, due to what the consequences will be for their nation’s infrastructure and population, their own positions are in danger due to the possibility of popular uprisings among their citizens, the colonel explained. The populations in these regions, particularly the Muslim Arabs and the Turks, ‘are so angry and so enraged, they’re ready to fight, regardless of what the costs are, to destroy Israel.’ ‘As a result, increasingly across the Middle East, everyone who is in power or authority is privately saying … we will no longer tolerate this Israeli state and they are moving towards a state of war across the region, which will culminate, I think, in the destruction of Israel,’ Macgregor warned. ‘And I don’t think we can stop it.’
“… should the Israeli and U.S. authorities be successful at initiating war with Iran, the retired colonel predicts these forces ‘will pay a heavy price.’ ‘Iran has an enormous arsenal of missiles,’ he said. These include, ‘thousands of very precise, very destructive theater ballistic missiles as well as tactical ballistic missiles. They have cruise missile technology, [and] infinite numbers of drones.’
“There are around 57,000 American troops in the region, and these missiles can ‘attack with great precision’ all of their bases and positions.. These include hypersonic missiles which can hit targets at sea, and there remains ‘no way to shoot them down or defend against them.’…
“‘Remember, Hezbollah has substantial facilities and concentrations of people in Mexico. So do Islamists who are Sunni Muslims,’ he recalled. With all the recent waves of illegal immigrants pouring across the Mexican border in recent years, ‘we don’t even know who has actually entered the United States.’…
“And thus, ‘the greatest danger,’ the colonel said, ‘is that the Israelis will respond, but with the use of a nuclear weapon, particularly as they watch their cities Tel Aviv, Haifa and so forth, largely annihilated by these arsenals of missiles. And if that were to happen, I think that would have catastrophic consequences for Israel and the world, far worse than anything we’ve seen thus far.’”
Even though Macgregor has been a controversial figure with some extreme positions, he claimed, correctly, that Ukraine will lose the war against Russia. Further, we read that prior to the downfall of the state of Israel during the Great Tribulation, Israel will receive a wound… presumably a military defeat of some kind. It will then turn to Germany for help, but won’t receive it.
Breitbart reported on February 5:
“King Charles has cancer, Buckingham Palace has said in a statement, and he will postpone his public duties while undergoing a programme of treatment that began today. Just days after being discharged from hospital for treatment of a non-cancerous enlarged prostate, it has been revealed King Charles III also has cancer. The cancer was discovered during tests the monarch underwent during his hospital stay, which identified a ‘separate issue of concern’.
“Subsequent testing confirmed the King does have a non-specified ‘form of cancer’, Buckingham Palace said, and that he had already started a regime of treatment today… While the King is unable to perform public duties, the Palace made clear his constitutional role is unaffected as he would be able to continue to undertake ‘State business and official paperwork as usual’.
“… King Charles III is the King of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and ten other Commonwealth Realms besides. As a Constitutional monarch, his assent is required for the passing of laws but in practice this is now a mere formality, and he acts on the advice of his Prime Minister and Parliament…
“The King’s enlarged prostate was disclosed by Buckingham Palace on January 17th, the same day it was revealed the future Queen, Princess Kate, had undergone abdominal surgery for an undisclosed ailment. It rapidly became apparent the Princess’ surgery had been a major one, and she spent 13 days recovering in hospital and is expected to spend months more convalescing.
“The disclosure about the health of the Royals is highly unusual from a house that until recently kept such information under tight control, but the change is down to a King wishing to be more open…
“Both the King and Princess Kate receiving treatment or recovering at the same time puts two of the Royal Family’s most effective and best-known faces out of the public eye for possibly months. Prince William has also taken time to help care for his wife and their children, and Princess Anne, the King’s sister, has stepped up to take on more duties…”
Daily Mail wrote on February 5:
“Police broke up a snaking queue that formed outside a newly-opened NHS dental practice today, in scenes which illustrate the appointments crisis plaguing millions of desperate Brits… A local news website compared the queue, eventually shut [down] by police at 2.15pm, as being ‘reminiscent of Soviet-era Eastern Europe’, where queues for basic goods like food were an infamous part of daily life…
“NHS dentistry has been in crisis for years, with leaders claiming the sector has been chronically underfunded, making it financially unviable to carry out treatments. Exacerbating the problem is that, as more dentists leave the NHS, those that remain become swamped by more and more patients… “
The Reese Report wrote on February 2:
“In the late nineteen-forties, Major Maynard White, commander of Project Nanook, discovered that the Earth experiences routine magnetic pole flips that occur in the span of just one day. But this information was suppressed from the public and was directly followed by the birth of the United Nations Global Warming propaganda campaign.
“Western governments adopted the man made global warming cover story, but this does not seem to be the case in the East. In Russia, talk of a pole shift is openly being discussed. Russian scientists have been tracking the wandering magnetic north which has been exponentially moving towards Siberia for decades. And even state run media, Ria News, has been reporting that the north and south magnetic poles have repeatedly changed places and that it could happen again at any moment…
“The Russian Federation seems to be preparing for this pole shift. Massive infrastructure is being developed in the Eurasian arctic, and Russian bases in Antarctica are being drastically restored. The farmers in Russia are not being attacked, they are being given extra subsidies by the government and encouraged to expand…”
It is a well-known fact that pole changes HAVE occurred in the past.
The U.S. Sun wrote on February 1, 2024:
“AN ARMY of thousands of monkeys have run a city in central Thailand into the ground. Several stores and businesses have been forced to shutter and relocate, investors have halted their investments, and shoppers have all but entirely vanished from Lopburi. The Thai city, once a thriving hub for tourists who flocked to see the city’s wild macaques, has now been completely overrun by the 3,500-strong army that have taken control. Some locals have fled, while others have been forced to barricade their homes in a desperate bid to protect themselves against the rampaging monkeys… Lopburi has had to establish several no-go zones throughout the city, as some of these areas have been taken over by warring rival monkey gangs.
“At first the locals attempted to keep the animals at bay by providing them with junk food, but that plan backfired and seemed to only make the monkeys more violent. They had been giving the monkeys sweets, fizzy drinks and cereal – sugary treats which are well known to make monkeys more hyper and sexually-active.
“Female monkeys already have the ability to reproduce twice per year, and the frequency with which they have been given sugar has meant that these monkeys have had an abundance of energy to do so. Pre-pandemic, monkey and man lived in harmony in the city – the macaques attracted tourists to the city, and those tourists would buy bananas to feed the animals and pose with them. But that balance quickly collapsed when lockdowns stopped the steady flow of tourism, leaving the macaques desperate for a new food source…
“The monkeys can now be found everywhere. They sit atop rooftops, ready for ambush, they run riot on the roads, and they even rob passing cars. Thailand’s Department of National Parks has had to launch a sterilisation program, in the hope that they can curb some of the rapidly-growing monkey population in the city.
“Back in 2020, authorities were able to use large fruits to lure several hundred monkeys into cages so that they could sterilise them. At first they were successful, managing to catch some 500 monkeys on a daily basis, but now the monkeys have caught on to their tactics.
“Supakarn Kaewchot, a government veterinarian,… said that catching the macaques is no longer an easy feat. ‘As soon as they see our faces they remember. They know what we’re going to do… In some groups, the head of the group tries to stop their clan from going into the cage.’ He said that now, managing to capture a mere 20 monkeys is proving to be a challenge.”
Sounds like a scene from the “Planet of the Apes” movies. But the Bible warns that in these end times, animals will behave aggressively towards man. In addition, monkeys are being viewed as sacred in Thailand. According to the national epic Ramakien — a version of India’s Ramayana — monkeys in Lopburi are the direct descendants of Hanuman, god-king of the apes.
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer
These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.
Those who claim to love God should look at what Christ said in regard to keeping the commandments. In John 14:15, He clearly states: “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
It becomes increasingly difficult to just ignore these words from Christ. We demonstrate our love for Christ and also for God the Father by keeping the commandments which Christ, the God of the Old Testament, spoke to Israel and, by extension, to the entire world. Furthermore, we especially demonstrate our love for God and Christ by keeping the first four of the Ten Commandments. The first four commandments are the four main pillars of how to love God.
One of those pillars is to keep the Sabbath—the time span from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. We read in Exodus 20:8-11:
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
God says, remember the Sabbath day; and overall man has forgotten to keep it while introducing Satan-inspired days such as Sunday, a former pagan day of worshipping the sun.
Furthermore, who changed the day from Saturday to Sunday?
We are quoting excerpts from an article by Christian Educators Academy:
“One of the earliest references to Sunday worship can be found in the writings of Justin Martyr, an early Christian apologist who lived in the second century. In his writings, Justin describes how Christians would gather together on Sunday to read the Scriptures, listen to a sermon, and partake in the Lord’s Supper.
“Over time, Sunday worship became more organized and structured. By the fifth century, Sunday had become the official day of worship for the Christian Church. This was largely due to the influence of the Roman Emperor Constantine, who declared Sunday a day of rest and worship throughout the Roman Empire.”
It was the Catholic Church which replaced the Sabbath with Sunday, and it was Constantine who enforced the worship on Sunday. But no institution and no man had or has ecclesiastical authority or an edict from God to make that change. The Sabbath was instituted by God and given to man.
Notice this statement in Luke 6:5: “And He said to them, ‘The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.’”
Of course, He was and is the Lord of the Sabbath since He made it, following the direction of God the Father. If you are Lord of the Sabbath, you have power over it to declare when and how to keep it. No one has the authority to change it to another day, be it Sunday, Friday (which is kept by Muslims) or any day of the week (as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and, for example, Grace Communion International [GCI] believe).
Notice what else Christ said about the Sabbath in Mark 2:27-28: “And He said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.’”
God made the Sabbath during the seven days of recreation of the surface of the earth which had been destroyed by catastrophes. It had become void and empty. God created man and made the Sabbath for man, not for angels or animals. Christ is also emphasizing again that He is LORD of the Sabbath, and we are subject to keeping it, not forgetting it or replacing it with another day.
What else does the fourth commandment say? It commands us to “keep” the Sabbath day “holy.” The Sabbath is holy because God put His presence in it. The Sabbath is holy time. Members and affiliates of the Church of the Eternal God keep it holy by assembling together in worship services to God, while those who have no congregation nearby listen to services which are broadcast live on the Internet, participate in song services and are able to use the chatline to communicate with others. Those who are unable to listen to services can listen to recorded sermons posted on the Internet.
Let us note further instructions of the fourth commandment: “Six days you shall labor and do all your work.” We are to do our customary work during six days of the week, but not on the seventh day, constituting the designated holy time by God.
The Sabbath has been called the test commandment as it can test our willingness to obey God rather than man. The Sabbath may conflict with the type of employment we may have so we have basically four choices:
At times, a person can declare he or she wants to obey God’s commandment regarding the Sabbath; at other times, a person actually has to prove it regardless of the consequences.
Carrying on, we read next: “In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.”
We are to refrain from work involving how we make our income, and from non-essential work, including by those we are responsible for and under our care. That would include not mowing our lawn on the Sabbath and not having our gardener do it for us on that day; it would include not working on our house or having someone else do it for us. It would also include not using our animals for farm work or our machinery to make our physical labor easier, like lawnmowers, tractors and other work-saving machinery. They are to “rest” also.
We continue to read: “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
God is reiterating that the Sabbath was instituted during the week of re-creation [note that God “made” the heavens and the earth in six days, by referring to pages 21-22 of our free booklet, “Heavens and Earth… Before and After the First Man!”]. He also emphasizes that we are to keep it, as it was and is blessed by God. He hallowed it, making it holy time. So what it boils down to is that we can come up with all kinds of excuses and apply human reasoning and justification for NOT keeping the Sabbath, but all of it is totally unacceptable to God.
We prove our love for God by keeping the Sabbath. We prove our love for Satan, the current god and ruler of this earth, by keeping Sunday or any other designated day of the week. Satan has deceived the whole world, so many do not know that we must keep the Sabbath. They are not judged yet—their judgment comes later when they understand the Truth. But God’s people DO know, and they must NEVER deviate from observing the Sabbath and keeping it holy.
So, what is special and unique regarding the Sabbath which cannot be claimed by worshiping any other day? It is sanctified by God, set aside for a holy purpose. It has His approval and it points to the one and true God of creation.
Please notice Exodus 31:16-17: “Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.'”
As an aside and in passing, Exodus 31 actually speaks about the “Sabbaths”—the weekly Sabbath and the annual Sabbaths or Holy Days. Both are to be kept. But in this Q&A, we are concentrating on the weekly Sabbath.
Members of the Church of God, who have been properly baptized and received the Holy Spirit, are spiritual Israelites. They must obey God by keeping the Sabbath (compare Acts 5:32), as physical Israel is commanded to do.
Notice, the Sabbath is a sign—a badge, as it were, that we belong to God, and that God is our God, and the Sabbath points to the one and only true God who should be obeyed by true Christians who are set aside by God’s Spirit in them. It is a sign forever, not just for a few weeks, and no one has the authority to change the day, even though we read in Daniel 7:25 that the “little horn” (the Catholic Church) “shall intend to change times and law”; that is, the law about holy time.
The Sabbath is a special and unique day of rest and refreshing, so let us ensure we take advantage of this wonderful blessing from God.
Lead Writer: Rene Messier (Canada)
compiled by Dave Harris
“Is Israel’s Destruction Imminent?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:
The world is ganging up on Israel. Soon, Israel will end up without any true friends. Plans by Europe and America, including the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, make this very clear. Netanyahu does not concede, and his goal and conditions regarding Hamas and the end of the war have been stated very clearly. But is it even conceivable that a war in the Middle East might break out, which could lead to the destruction of the state of Israel?
“Wird Israel bald zerstört werden?” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This program covers the same topic as described above.
A Tech Team meeting was conducted on February 4, 2024. Hosted by Eric Rank, updated statistical results for our booklet ad campaigns were reviewed along with progress on our French and Spanish websites. A new promo video for our booklet, “God is… Our Destiny,” will be developed by Michael Link, and Feast of Tabernacles sites were briefly discussed.
“Jenseits von Unrecht–Der christliche Lebensweg,” last Sabbath’s German sermonette presented by Andreas Raetz, is now posted. Title in English: “Beyond Injustice – the Christian Way of Life.”
“Language Limitation,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Brian Gale, is now posted. Here is a summary:
One of many ways in which man has been limited is undoubtedly in his use of language. In whatever language, the ability to describe God and everything about Him and all that He has done, is doing and will be doing, is limited by the fact that we are human and our understanding and vocabulary is, therefore, limited. That is going to change in the future when God restores a pure new language to the nations.
“As for Me, I’ll Call on God,” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Michael Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:
What do we do in situations where we need help and where we may think that nobody can help us? What can we learn from the examples in the Bible of those who went through exactly that? What did they do and what can we do?
This Update is an official publication by the ministry of the Church of the Eternal God in the United States of America; the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada; and the Global Church of God in the United Kingdom.
Editorial Team: Norbert Link, Dave Harris, Rene Messier, Brian Gale, Johanna Link, Eric Rank, Michael Link, Anna Link, Kalon Mitchell, Manuela Mitchell, Dawn Thompson
Technical Team: Eric Rank, Shana Rank
Our activities and literature, including booklets, weekly updates, sermons on CD are provided free of charge. They are made possible by the tithes, offerings and contributions of Church members and others who have elected to support this Work.
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On February 3, 2024, Brian Gale will present the sermonette, titled, “Language and Limitation,” and Michael Link will present the sermon, titled, “As for Me, I’ll Call on God.”
The live services are available, over video and audio, at http://eternalgod.org/live-services/ (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time; 8:30 pm Greenwich Mean Time; 9:30 pm Central European Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.
Newsweek wrote on January 27:
“Earlier this week, NATO launched a military exercise called ‘Steadfast Defender 2024.’ The operation will run through May and entail around 90,000 military personnel training in several European countries, including Poland, Russia’s neighbor. The goal of the exercise is to ‘test and refine NATO’s defense plans for reinforcing European defenses against a near-peer adversary,’ according to a statement from NATO.
“While Russia was not named in the announcement, NATO states in its 2022 Strategic Concept, a document that identifies security challenges facing the military bloc, ‘The Russian Federation poses the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security.’…
“During a briefing, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the operation ‘provocative in nature,’ Russian state media Tass reported on Friday… ‘This step is deliberately aimed at escalating things. It increases the risk of military incidents and could ultimately lead to tragic consequences for Europe.’ Zakharova said that Russia ‘has no plans to attack NATO countries,’ despite fears of escalating global conflict if Russia was to win its invasion of Ukraine…
“During her recent briefing, Zakharova said that ‘the chairman of its [NATO] military committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, said that the alliance is preparing for a conflict with Russia. Similar comments have also been repeatedly heard from the leadership of NATO countries’…”
It was reported by Bild Online on January 29 that almost half of Germans are afraid of an attack by Russia, and almost 40% are building up supplies.
The Telegraph wrote on January 26:
“The United States is planning to station nuclear weapons in the UK for the first time in 15 years… the US intends to place nuclear warheads three times the strength of the Hiroshima bomb at the air base… The disclosure comes in the wake of warnings that Nato countries need to ready their citizens for war with Russia… Boris Johnson on Friday night backed Sir Patrick’s call for a citizen army, as he pledged to sign up if the UK went to war with Russia…
“Russia has stated that the placement of US weapons in Britain would be viewed by Moscow as an ‘escalation’ and would be met with ‘compensating counter-measures’…
“The US currently has warheads stationed in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey, under a Nato nuclear-sharing arrangement….”
It is as if America is creating its own Frankenstein monster.
Express wrote on January 28:
“Calls by top eurocrat Manfred Weber for the European Union to be equipped with its own nuclear deterrent are ‘shocking and worrying’, Reform UK deputy leader Ben Habib has said…
“[He claimed] that any such development would in itself represent ‘a threat to world peace’… ‘The EU is going rogue. Not only does it want its own European army, it now wants nuclear weapons directly under its control.’”
Europe will obtain both.
Newsmax wrote on January 27:
“The Biden administration has approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey following the Turkish government’s ratification this week of Sweden’s membership in NATO…
“The State Department notified Congress of its approval of the $23 billion F-16 sale to Turkey, along with a companion $8.6 billion sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Greece, late Friday…
“NATO ally Turkey has long sought to upgrade its F-16 fleet and had made its ratification of Sweden’s membership contingent on the approval of the sale of the new planes. The Biden administration had supported the sale, but several lawmakers had expressed objections due to human rights concerns…
“Sweden’s formal accession to NATO now depends on Hungary, which is the last remaining NATO ally not to have approved its membership…”
To send F-16s to Turkey, which is being run by a ruthless dictator, is another bone-headed decision of the Biden Administration.
The Ron Paul Institute wrote on January 26:
“The breaking news that Ansar Allah (Houthi) fighters have fired on the USS Carney in the Red Sea today (Friday, 26 Jan.) underscores the shocking failure of the Biden Administration, which initiated airstrikes on the Houthis this month with no plan for ‘victory’ beyond hoping that the mere presence of US warships would intimidate them into surrendering… it was the kind of doomed operation that, had cooler (i.e. non-political) Pentagon heads prevailed, would never in a million years have been launched. There was simply no possibility of success and 100 percent probability of failure…
“Yesterday, the US Navy attempted to escort two Maersk tankers – the Maersk Detroit and the Maersk Chesapeake – through the Red Sea loaded with weapons for Israel. This after nine rounds of US airstrikes on the Houthis. The US show of force backfired into an unprecedented… moment… It was a massive defeat for the notion of US military superiority… today the Houthis again fired on US military ships in the Red Sea and have again scored a massive success…
“Even the most comatose US Members and Senators are starting to wake up to the fact that Joe Biden… is taking the country to war without any authorization. Attacks against Biden’s forces in Iraq, Syria, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean will escalate. And he is backed into a corner. What’s next?”
America is entering into more and more wars… without any realistic hope of success.
Reuters reported on January 28:
“Three U.S. service members were killed and dozens may be wounded after an unmanned aerial drone attack on U.S. forces stationed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, President Biden… said. Biden blamed Iran-backed groups for the attack, the first deadly strike against U.S. forces since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October and sent shock waves throughout the Middle East…
“The attack is a major escalation of the already tense situation in the Middle East…Since [October 7], U.S. forces have come under attack more than 150 times by Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria, causing at least 70 casualties prior to Sunday’s attack, most of them traumatic brain injuries…”
Axios wrote on January 28:
“President Biden is facing calls from congressional hawks to escalate attacks on Iran-linked targets, including within Iran itself… Heeding those calls would risk significantly expanding and drawing the U.S. further into an already growing regional conflict that has sprung up as a result of the Israel-Hamas war…
“Senate Minority Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called for ‘serious, crippling costs’ to Iran, ‘not only on front-line terrorist proxies, but on their Iranian sponsors who wear American blood as a badge of honor.’
“Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), said in a statement the attacks the U.S. has carried out on Iranian proxies outside Iran ‘will not deter Iranian aggression,’ calling to ‘strike targets of significance inside Iran.’ ‘The only answer to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East,’ said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). ‘Anything less will confirm Joe Biden as a coward unworthy of being commander-in-chief.’…
“Biden would likely face an outcry from many members of his own party if he retaliated to the degree some Republicans are advocating for.”
With all these meaningless talks, the momentum for action has already been lost. Now, Biden announced that some unspecified retaliation will occur in the future, but apparently not in Iran.
LifeSiteNews wrote on January 27:
“Former FBI executives have warned Congress that military-age men from ‘hostile’ nations and regions are invading the U.S. through the southern border, significantly elevating the risk of a terror attack [cautioning] that the threat ‘may be one of the most pernicious ever to menace the United States’…
“Until this ‘invasion’ is halted, the U.S. is ‘extraordinarily less safe and secure,’ the officials warned…
“A week after the letter was written, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared that the ‘failure of the Biden Administration’ to protect the country against invasion from across the southern border triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which he said gives Texas the ‘constitutional authority to defend and protect itself.’ Abbott then pressed in securing the Texas southern border with razor-wire fencing, which had been previously cut down by federal border patrol agents.
“President Joe Biden yesterday expressed support for a border deal being negotiated in the U.S. Senate. The legislation would mandate the expulsion of illegal immigrants across the border if ‘migrant encounters’ surpass 5,000 a day. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has slammed the deal as a ‘farce’…”
Politico added on January 27:
“While many Senate Republicans are on board with the deal, it is far less popular among Trump-aligned House Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson.”
Trump spoke out against the deal as well, saying “a bad border deal is far worse than no border deal.”
PBS wrote on January 25:
“Earlier this week, the Supreme Court said U.S. Border Patrol agents could remove razor wire that the state put in place along the Rio Grande River. The Homeland Security Department is demanding immediate access to a section of the border and being blocked with razor wire and fencing. But Texas Governor Greg Abbott is doubling down, blocking the agents from entering the area and saying Texas constitutional authority is… ‘the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary.’”
Newsmax wrote on January 27:
“North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum told Newsmax on Saturday that the battle between the states and the federal government over whether to secure the southern border has turned into a ‘constitutional crisis.’ ‘As you know, this is a mass invasion,’ Burgum, a former candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, [said]. ‘This debate… is about national security, and it’s about public safety. And so, of course, we stand with [Texas] Gov. [Greg] Abbott, because the federal government is really abdicating its responsibility.’”
Newsmax wrote on January 28:
“Donald Trump… promised that he will support Texas in its battle to secure the border… ‘Instead of fighting border states, I will use every resource tool and authority of the U.S. president to defend the United States of America from this horrible invasion that is taking place right now,’ Trump said… Trump further thanked Abbott and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, as well as the state of Texas, ‘for rightly invoking the invasion clause of the U.S. Constitution. It’s an invasion.’”
Business Insider wrote on January 28:
“A former Russian president and ally of Vladimir Putin taunted the Biden administration over the Texas border crisis and suggested a ‘destructive civil confrontation’ in the US could be coming. Dmitry Medvedev criticized ‘senile old man Biden’ for the high numbers of migrants trying to cross into the US at the southern border…
“Medvedev said that the possibility of establishing a ‘People’s Republic of Texas’ is getting ‘more and more real,’ days after Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested a ‘national divorce’ between blue and red states over the issue of migration…
“The dispute has inflamed loose talk of civil war and resistance from conservative media and US politicians… Former President Donald Trump has made stoking concerns over immigration a central plank of his campaign for his second Republican nomination for president…”
The Ron Paul Institute wrote on January 29:
“Texas Governor Greg Abbott… issued a statement declaring that ‘an invasion under Article I, Section 10, Clause 3’ of the US Constitution is underway and invoking ‘Texas’s constitutional authority to defend and protect itself.’
“Here Governor Abbott answers an important question I brought up back in my 1988 US Presidential run: at what point do open borders and mass illegal immigration into the US become an ‘invasion,’ which would grant governors the authority – and obligation – to take action?
“By some estimates, more than six million illegal immigrants have crossed into the United States during the three years of the Biden Administration. These illegals likely mostly come from Mexico and Central America, but the fact is we have no idea how many of them may be arriving from, for example, the Middle East or other war-torn areas of the world. Last month even the New York Times wrote of the disaster on the US border that, ‘thousands of migrants are arriving at the border every day, trekking from the farthest reaches of the globe, from Africa to Asia to South America, driven by relentless violence, desperation and poverty.’…
“… if the Biden Administration intends to use the Supreme Court ruling to take action against the Texas border barrier there are… ways of defending the border. Rep. Thomas Massie took to Twitter last week to recount a meeting he and a group of US House Members had with the late Justice Antonin Scalia. At the breakfast, Massie wrote, Justice Scalia told the group to quit complaining about Supreme Court rulings and start defunding rulings they oppose. As Massie explained in another Tweet, ‘Congress can render the 5-4 Supreme Court decision against Texas IRRELEVANT by simply refusing to fund Biden’s removal of border security measures.’ Nullification through the ‘power of the purse’ is an important tool given to Congress in the US Constitution and it could be easily exercised in this case…”
Great idea. However, will a weak and divided Congress be willing to do this?
The New York Post wrote on January 29:
“For three years, Joe Biden and his repulsive Homeland Security chief, Alejandro Mayorkas, have encouraged the Third World to enter America illegally. At least 8 million have answered their siren song. Only now that the sheer numbers of illegal aliens causing mayhem and busting budgets in Democratic cities like New York have become an electoral liability has Biden had an epiphany.
“So he is doing what he does best: telling lies to weasel out of blame. Now he claims he needs Republicans in Congress to give him the ‘authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed…’
“But he already has the authority. He could shut down the border today. He has spent three years lying that the border is ‘secure’ and now he’s lying that he needs new laws to secure it… He signed 94 executive actions in his first 100 days to dismantle Donald Trump-era border protections. He could reinstate them with the stroke of a pen.
“But in the most astonishing act of political self-harm, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his merry band of never-Trumpers are giving Biden cover for his lies and setting their party up for Democrats to blame for the border disaster, as long as the billions keep flowing to Ukraine…
“Everyone knows what Biden has done. We see it in overwhelmed hospitals and schools, shattered budgets, crime and disorder and the sheer unfairness of illegal aliens living high on the hog in flashy Manhattan hotels while American veterans sleep on the street…”
Mitch McConnell has overstayed his position far too long.
The New York Post wrote on January 29:
“President Biden is being ridiculed for his latest blunder, appearing to call his predecessor, Donald Trump, the ‘sitting president.’ The gaffe-prone commander in chief’s blunder came during a speech in South Carolina on Saturday as he repeatedly called former President Trump a ‘loser.’… But online commentators soon said Biden was the real loser as he slipped up while discussing how ‘American consumers are facing real confidence in the economy we’re building. ‘Let me tell you who else is noticing that: Donald Trump,’ Biden said before he stumbled on his words. ‘Did you see what he recently said about … he wants to, he wants to see the economy crash this year? A sitting president,’ he said without correcting himself…
“His comment about the ‘sitting president’ was met with widespread ridicule… Trump backers reveled in Biden’s slip-up, which appeared to corroborate the Republican frontrunner’s… claims to have won the 2020 presidential election amid alleged voter fraud.”
Maybe Biden spoke inadvertently the Truth… for a change.
Breitbart wrote on January 26:
“A well-coordinated, well-funded, and high-powered network of leftist organizations… is behind the push to remove former President Donald Trump, the 2024 frontrunner for president from any party, from the ballot…
“But it’s much broader than that: For years, this network of leftists grew from a powerful vast left-wing conspiracy unmasked a decade ago into now being the dominating force on the left determined to stop Trump at all costs. What’s more, these leftists clearly control what top Democrats are saying, forcing their leaders to adopt their narrative. They even regularly openly brag about controlling what the sitting President of the United States says, taking credit for Democrat President Joe Biden’s dark reelection campaign messaging, where Biden has warned of ‘MAGA extremists’ on the rise…
“The level of influence and control that this leftist network has over elected officials is essentially unprecedented in world history. Everyone from the sitting president of the United States to top law enforcement officials at the federal, state, and local level to leading Democrats in Congress and in states around the country are using these leftists’ playbook and talking points, following them close to verbatim. Nothing remotely like it exists on the right in U.S. politics, and never before has there been such a sophisticated leftist structure in control of at least half of American discourse in a presidential election year…
“Some of the talking points or suggested actions from these leftist groups have shown up later – not just in the legal push to kick Trump off the ballot in several states,, but also seem to have formed at least part of the groundwork for the various indictments he faces, like one from Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation. But beyond simply preceding and fueling the indictments against Trump, these leftist groups have cheered them and organized activists to further politically weaponize them in a manner designed to hurt Trump and any Republicans who associate with him…
“George Soros, the left-wing billionaire, among many other luminaries on the radical left, had come together during the George W. Bush administration as an effort to resist Bush’s policies and push the Democrat agenda in Washington…”
That Soros and other lefties are supporting Biden and the Democrats and fighting Trump has not been a secret. However, the extent to which they are able and willing to go might be somewhat shocking.
The U.S. Sun wrote on January 29:
“Photos and footage obtained by watchdog White Coast Waste show scientists at the Rocky Mountain Lab sedating monkeys and pigs – and carrying out experiments with deadly viruses. White Coat Waste has described the lab as a ‘bioagent superlab’ that infects animals with highly contagious and deadly diseases – such as Ebola, Lassa fever, Nipah, and even the plague… Last year, White Coat Waste revealed that the lab was experimenting with SARS-like viruses just a year before the Covid outbreak as part of a collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
“The Wuhan lab has been at the centre of a storm over the origins of Covid – with many claiming the virus leaked from the facility during experiments on bat coronaviruses. Experiments with SARS-like viruses at the Rocky Mountain Lab have reportedly stopped – but experiments on deadly pathogens are still being carried out, White Coat Waste said. And some of the deadly diseases have the potential to spark a new pandemic.
“Experiments include injecting pigs with Ebola and injecting monkeys with Covid, White Coat Waste said. Researchers also studied how monkeys react to hemorrhagic fever – which causes bleeding and organ failure…”
The stupidity of man and especially of scientists is breathtaking.
Breitbart wrote on January 29:
“The $130 billion sent to Ukraine so far for its war against Russia is apparently not actually going to Ukraine…
“… a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Embassy told Breitbart that ‘funds authorized by American lawmakers to support Ukraine’s armament are not directly allocated to Ukraine’… The spokesperson explained that, instead, a ‘significant portion’ of the billions of dollars to Ukraine is ‘utilized in the United States for the construction of new weapons or to replenish those dispatched to Kyiv from U.S. reserves,’ adding that ‘an analysis’ (not specifically cited) found that ‘nearly 90 percent’ of aid granted by Congress ‘is benefiting American interests.’… ‘American interests’ in this context presumably means weapons manufacturers.
“The Associated Press reported Sunday that employees from a Ukrainian arms firm ‘conspired with defense ministry officials to embezzle almost $40 million’ allocated for weapons purchases. The news comes months after the New York Times reported on the sacking of Ukraine’s minister of defense due to ‘graft’ and ‘financial mismanagement’ in the department, amid an avalanche of cash coming from the United States to fund the beleaguered war effort, and as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asks for more. The Times report said some prepayments for weapons had ‘vanished’ in the bank accounts of weapons dealers, among ‘about $980 million in weapons contracts’ that ‘missed their delivery dates,’ in 2023…”
Again, this has been suspected all along. It is the weapon industry and the military which are profiting greatly from the Ukraine war.
The New York Times wrote on January 28:
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is ready to ‘do it alone’ when it comes to the war in Gaza, as President Biden is accused of sending mixed messages on the US stance over the conflict… ‘Too many countries and too many leaders have been asleep too long. We have to act to assure that Iran will not have nuclear weapons, and I certainly intend to do so.’
“The prime minister characterized the bloody war against the Palestinian terror group Hamas as just one fight in a much broader struggle for the future of global domination — with Iran on one side and the Western world on the other.’
“…Iran is the primary backer of Hamas, the extremist Muslim group which violently attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 civilians and sparking the war which has waged between Gaza and the Jewish state since. Besides Hamas, Iran backs numerous extremist and terror groups in the Middle East known as the Axis of Resistance, which effectively serve as proxy forces in a wider campaign to annihilate Israel, expel western influence from the region and reshape the geopolitical map with Iran at its center.
“Other prominent terror groups doing Iran’s bidding include the Houthis in Yemen — who have disrupted global trade and drawn strikes from US forces by raiding merchant ships in the Red Sea — and Hezbollah along the Israeli border in Lebanon, which has been on the brink of opening a second front in the Gaza war for months…
“Biden officials have reportedly considered slowing down or halting weapons deliveries to Israel to try to pressure the nation into scaling back its offensive in Gaza…”
The New York Post wrote on January 29:
“The United Nations aid agency staffers accused of taking part in Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel included some who provided rocket-propelled grenades — as well as others who actively killed and kidnapped Israelis, according to a damning dossier of intel given to the US. At least 10 of the 12 fired last week by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) were active members of Hamas, while another was affiliated with the Islamic Jihad… In total, Israeli officials say a dozen employees from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency actively took part in the terrorist attack — prompting the aid agency to announce on Friday that it fired nine of the staffers who were still alive, as an investigation continues. Two others have since died, according to the agency.
“The US immediately cut funding to the agency in the wake of the allegations, the State Department said — marking a significant reversal from the Biden administration’s strong support for UNRWA… Other nations including Canada, Italy, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Finland have since announced they were pausing any additional aid to the agency… But Hamas has slammed Israeli ‘threats’ against UNRWA, urging the UN and other international groups not to ‘cave into the threats of blackmail.’ The Palestinian Authority is also urging countries to reverse their suspension of funds…”
Austria on Monday joined 14 other countries in suspending funding for UNRWA over the accusations. In addition to the countries mentioned above, they include Estonia, France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, the Netherlands, Scotland and Switzerland.
The New York Post wrote on January 29:
“Justin Trudeau… turned the federal government’s power on the COVID-mandate-protesting truckers… in 2022, jailing them, seizing their rigs and even shutting down their bank accounts (‘debanking,’ as it’s known) — though that last came to a swift end when enough Canadians withdrew their money to threaten a bank run.
“We were told the truckers were ‘right-wing extremists,’ probably racist and possibly agents for the dreaded MAGA cabal… This… mostly went to show just how afraid the West’s leadership has become of a populist revolt…
“Last week, Federal Court Judge Richard Mosley found that the Canadian government overstepped legal bounds in going after the truckers, writing, ‘I conclude that there was no national emergency justifying the invocation of the Emergencies Act and the decision to do so was therefore unreasonable.’.. Recent independent journalism has demonstrated this ‘unreasonable’ decision wasn’t simply an honest mistake. It was the product of a deliberate campaign of deception and denigration the government organized with help from its media allies…
“Here in the United States we’ve seen a similar phenomenon. And European governments have been rolling out a similar script to deal with those who complain about unrestricted immigration and farmers’ protests against ‘green’ policies designed to shut them down. Apparently anyone who challenges the insider crowd’s power is the next Hitler…
“As journalist Elizabeth Nickson writes, ‘If Canada were a state, it would be poorer than West Virginia or Mississippi, despite being the second-largest country, with abundant natural resources, in the world, blessed with a highly educated populace…’”
These are the fruits of dictatorial rule; the “green” policy; and a spineless and corrupt mass media.
The Daily Mail wrote on January 29:
“The EU has called for ‘gendered language’… A 61-page document advises policymakers, legislators and the media to revise the order of common phrases such as ‘King and Queen’ or ‘brother and sister‘ in which the male comes first.
“It suggests to ‘try swapping the order of these phrases sometimes’. [Rather than saying King and Queen, we ought to say Queen and King. The same for brother and sister.]
“Tory MP Nick Fletcher has called the guidelines ‘nonsense‘ and argued that the EU had ‘far more serious issues’ that it should be concerned about. The famous Star Trek line, ‘To boldly go where no man has gone before’, is noted in the bundle as an example for which ‘women may be subject to invisibility or omission’.
“Former Tory MP Ann Widdecombe [said]: ‘It’s ridiculous.’ Nigel Mills, Conservative MP for Amber Valley, [said]: ‘This is utter madness. It’s an attack on the English language.’
“Even though Britain officially left the EU in January 2020, English is still its official language.
Other “gendered language” alternatives were:
“No man’s land” to be changed to “unclaimed territory.” “Best man for the job” should be changed to “best candidate for the job.” “Repairman” should be changed to “repairer” or “technician.”
It is only a matter of time until silly EU politicians will also fool around with the Bible and recommend a “gender-neutral language” in this regard as well; replacing God the Father and the Man Jesus Christ with some blasphemous alternatives.
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer
These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.
On February 3, 2024, Brian Gale will present the sermonette, titled, “Language and Limitation,” and Michael Link will present the sermon, titled, “As for Me, I’ll Call on God.”
The live services are available, over video and audio, at http://eternalgod.org/live-services/ (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time; 8:30 pm Greenwich Mean Time; 9:30 pm Central European Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.
by Christoph Sperzel (Germany)
We all find it way too easy to point the finger at another person and say, “Well, well, look what he or she is doing.” But when we try to condemn another person, we thereby take away a privilege that belongs to God alone.
As human beings, we can only draw conclusions from what we see or hear.
We read in John 8:3-5: “Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?’”
Jesus Christ did not answer this question right away, as verse 6 shows us: “This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.”
We don’t know what He wrote, but there was little doubt as to her guilt; she had been caught sinning. However, they did not bring the guilty man before Christ either, which was required by the law. The whole incident was an attempt to accuse Christ because of His expected decision. But Jesus did not answer them.
Verse 7 tells us: “So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.’” We then read in verse 8: “And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.”
After a few minutes, Jesus looked up and saw no one else but the woman. Verses 10-11 continue: “When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’”
Christ makes clear at this point that He did not come to condemn people, but to save them. We should follow His example. As human beings, we can only draw conclusions from what we see or hear. But Christ told us not to judge based on physical factors. John 7:24 quotes His words: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.’”
God tells us that before we can judge someone, we first have to be righteous ourselves. This is the message Christ gave to those who accused the adulteress.
Righteous judgment requires us to look deep into a person’s heart in order to recognize his or her innermost motives. Obtaining such insight is beyond the power of man—no matter how righteous we think we are.
Jesus said that it is easy for us to see exactly those faults in others of which we ourselves are most likely guilty. We read in Matthew 7:3-5: “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
When we are tempted to criticize a fellow human being, we are well advised to examine our own actions and see whether we might not be on the same path. Paul warns us in Romans 2:1-3: “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?”
Let’s try pointing a finger at someone and then have a look at our hand: there will be three fingers pointing at us.
James 4:11-12 admonishes us: “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?”
We know that God had decided not to heal Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.” People at the time of Paul may have judged him as weak in faith or as a sinful man. But today we know that it was for the glory of God (compare 2 Corinthians 12:7-9). Anyone who condemned Paul was wrong.
Let us apply the same principle today. When we are tempted to condemn other people, let us remember that we have no idea what God has in mind for that person.
Many times, we don’t even know all the circumstances that are involved, causing a person to act in a certain way. And we have no idea of the tremendous battle someone might be fighting.
Christ must have seen something in the adulterous woman who was standing before Him, that the accusers could not or did not want to recognize. Although she was guilty, Jesus could see that she detested the deed she had committed. He could see that she was repentant, and He forgave her.
In Isaiah 11:3-4, we read about Christ after His return: “…And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth…”
Then we will rule and reign under Christ, and then we will be able to judge with perfect righteousness.
(Initial translation: Daniel Blasinger)
by Norbert Link
We begin with alarming developments pertaining to Russia, NATO and Europe; as well as the controversial American politics in Europe and the UK; continue with America’s failures regarding its many wars and military actions; and speak on the first fatality of American soldiers in the Middle East since October 7.
We address at some length the Southern Border standoff and the showdown between the Biden Administration and the state of Texas; and we reveal the horrendous activities of a Covid Lab in America.
In this regard, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “America’s Self-Inflicted Downfall.”
We point out that most of the US money designated for Ukraine does not reach Ukraine; address Netanyahu’s intention to “do it alone” when it comes to the war in Gaza, if the USA and others were to withdraw their support; speak on a UN agency harboring terrorists; and report on Justin Trudeau’s evil schemes and his persecution of opponents.
We conclude with ridiculous nonsense of the EU regarding gendered language guidelines.
Throughout this section, we have underlined pertinent statements in the quoted articles, for the convenience and quick overview of the reader.
Newsweek wrote on January 27:
“Earlier this week, NATO launched a military exercise called ‘Steadfast Defender 2024.’ The operation will run through May and entail around 90,000 military personnel training in several European countries, including Poland, Russia’s neighbor. The goal of the exercise is to ‘test and refine NATO’s defense plans for reinforcing European defenses against a near-peer adversary,’ according to a statement from NATO.
“While Russia was not named in the announcement, NATO states in its 2022 Strategic Concept, a document that identifies security challenges facing the military bloc, ‘The Russian Federation poses the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security.’…
“During a briefing, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the operation ‘provocative in nature,’ Russian state media Tass reported on Friday… ‘This step is deliberately aimed at escalating things. It increases the risk of military incidents and could ultimately lead to tragic consequences for Europe.’ Zakharova said that Russia ‘has no plans to attack NATO countries,’ despite fears of escalating global conflict if Russia was to win its invasion of Ukraine…
“During her recent briefing, Zakharova said that ‘the chairman of its [NATO] military committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, said that the alliance is preparing for a conflict with Russia. Similar comments have also been repeatedly heard from the leadership of NATO countries’…”
It was reported by Bild Online on January 29 that almost half of Germans are afraid of an attack by Russia, and almost 40% are building up supplies.
The Telegraph wrote on January 26:
“The United States is planning to station nuclear weapons in the UK for the first time in 15 years… the US intends to place nuclear warheads three times the strength of the Hiroshima bomb at the air base… The disclosure comes in the wake of warnings that Nato countries need to ready their citizens for war with Russia… Boris Johnson on Friday night backed Sir Patrick’s call for a citizen army, as he pledged to sign up if the UK went to war with Russia…
“Russia has stated that the placement of US weapons in Britain would be viewed by Moscow as an ‘escalation’ and would be met with ‘compensating counter-measures’…
“The US currently has warheads stationed in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey, under a Nato nuclear-sharing arrangement….”
It is as if America is creating its own Frankenstein monster.
Express wrote on January 28:
“Calls by top eurocrat Manfred Weber for the European Union to be equipped with its own nuclear deterrent are ‘shocking and worrying’, Reform UK deputy leader Ben Habib has said…
“[He claimed] that any such development would in itself represent ‘a threat to world peace’… ‘The EU is going rogue. Not only does it want its own European army, it now wants nuclear weapons directly under its control.’”
Europe will obtain both.
Newsmax wrote on January 27:
“The Biden administration has approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey following the Turkish government’s ratification this week of Sweden’s membership in NATO…
“The State Department notified Congress of its approval of the $23 billion F-16 sale to Turkey, along with a companion $8.6 billion sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Greece, late Friday…
“NATO ally Turkey has long sought to upgrade its F-16 fleet and had made its ratification of Sweden’s membership contingent on the approval of the sale of the new planes. The Biden administration had supported the sale, but several lawmakers had expressed objections due to human rights concerns…
“Sweden’s formal accession to NATO now depends on Hungary, which is the last remaining NATO ally not to have approved its membership…”
To send F-16s to Turkey, which is being run by a ruthless dictator, is another bone-headed decision of the Biden Administration.
The Ron Paul Institute wrote on January 26:
“The breaking news that Ansar Allah (Houthi) fighters have fired on the USS Carney in the Red Sea today (Friday, 26 Jan.) underscores the shocking failure of the Biden Administration, which initiated airstrikes on the Houthis this month with no plan for ‘victory’ beyond hoping that the mere presence of US warships would intimidate them into surrendering… it was the kind of doomed operation that, had cooler (i.e. non-political) Pentagon heads prevailed, would never in a million years have been launched. There was simply no possibility of success and 100 percent probability of failure…
“Yesterday, the US Navy attempted to escort two Maersk tankers – the Maersk Detroit and the Maersk Chesapeake – through the Red Sea loaded with weapons for Israel. This after nine rounds of US airstrikes on the Houthis. The US show of force backfired into an unprecedented… moment… It was a massive defeat for the notion of US military superiority… today the Houthis again fired on US military ships in the Red Sea and have again scored a massive success…
“Even the most comatose US Members and Senators are starting to wake up to the fact that Joe Biden… is taking the country to war without any authorization. Attacks against Biden’s forces in Iraq, Syria, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean will escalate. And he is backed into a corner. What’s next?”
America is entering into more and more wars… without any realistic hope of success.
Reuters reported on January 28:
“Three U.S. service members were killed and dozens may be wounded after an unmanned aerial drone attack on U.S. forces stationed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, President Biden… said. Biden blamed Iran-backed groups for the attack, the first deadly strike against U.S. forces since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October and sent shock waves throughout the Middle East…
“The attack is a major escalation of the already tense situation in the Middle East…Since [October 7], U.S. forces have come under attack more than 150 times by Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria, causing at least 70 casualties prior to Sunday’s attack, most of them traumatic brain injuries…”
Axios wrote on January 28:
“President Biden is facing calls from congressional hawks to escalate attacks on Iran-linked targets, including within Iran itself… Heeding those calls would risk significantly expanding and drawing the U.S. further into an already growing regional conflict that has sprung up as a result of the Israel-Hamas war…
“Senate Minority Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called for ‘serious, crippling costs’ to Iran, ‘not only on front-line terrorist proxies, but on their Iranian sponsors who wear American blood as a badge of honor.’
“Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), said in a statement the attacks the U.S. has carried out on Iranian proxies outside Iran ‘will not deter Iranian aggression,’ calling to ‘strike targets of significance inside Iran.’ ‘The only answer to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East,’ said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). ‘Anything less will confirm Joe Biden as a coward unworthy of being commander-in-chief.’…
“Biden would likely face an outcry from many members of his own party if he retaliated to the degree some Republicans are advocating for.”
With all these meaningless talks, the momentum for action has already been lost. Now, Biden announced that some unspecified retaliation will occur in the future, but apparently not in Iran.
LifeSiteNews wrote on January 27:
“Former FBI executives have warned Congress that military-age men from ‘hostile’ nations and regions are invading the U.S. through the southern border, significantly elevating the risk of a terror attack [cautioning] that the threat ‘may be one of the most pernicious ever to menace the United States’…
“Until this ‘invasion’ is halted, the U.S. is ‘extraordinarily less safe and secure,’ the officials warned…
“A week after the letter was written, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared that the ‘failure of the Biden Administration’ to protect the country against invasion from across the southern border triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which he said gives Texas the ‘constitutional authority to defend and protect itself.’ Abbott then pressed in securing the Texas southern border with razor-wire fencing, which had been previously cut down by federal border patrol agents.
“President Joe Biden yesterday expressed support for a border deal being negotiated in the U.S. Senate. The legislation would mandate the expulsion of illegal immigrants across the border if ‘migrant encounters’ surpass 5,000 a day. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has slammed the deal as a ‘farce’…”
Politico added on January 27:
“While many Senate Republicans are on board with the deal, it is far less popular among Trump-aligned House Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson.”
Trump spoke out against the deal as well, saying “a bad border deal is far worse than no border deal.”
PBS wrote on January 25:
“Earlier this week, the Supreme Court said U.S. Border Patrol agents could remove razor wire that the state put in place along the Rio Grande River. The Homeland Security Department is demanding immediate access to a section of the border and being blocked with razor wire and fencing. But Texas Governor Greg Abbott is doubling down, blocking the agents from entering the area and saying Texas constitutional authority is… ‘the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary.’”
Newsmax wrote on January 27:
“North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum told Newsmax on Saturday that the battle between the states and the federal government over whether to secure the southern border has turned into a ‘constitutional crisis.’ ‘As you know, this is a mass invasion,’ Burgum, a former candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, [said]. ‘This debate… is about national security, and it’s about public safety. And so, of course, we stand with [Texas] Gov. [Greg] Abbott, because the federal government is really abdicating its responsibility.’”
Newsmax wrote on January 28:
“Donald Trump… promised that he will support Texas in its battle to secure the border… ‘Instead of fighting border states, I will use every resource tool and authority of the U.S. president to defend the United States of America from this horrible invasion that is taking place right now,’ Trump said… Trump further thanked Abbott and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, as well as the state of Texas, ‘for rightly invoking the invasion clause of the U.S. Constitution. It’s an invasion.’”
Business Insider wrote on January 28:
“A former Russian president and ally of Vladimir Putin taunted the Biden administration over the Texas border crisis and suggested a ‘destructive civil confrontation’ in the US could be coming. Dmitry Medvedev criticized ‘senile old man Biden’ for the high numbers of migrants trying to cross into the US at the southern border…
“Medvedev said that the possibility of establishing a ‘People’s Republic of Texas’ is getting ‘more and more real,’ days after Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested a ‘national divorce’ between blue and red states over the issue of migration…
“The dispute has inflamed loose talk of civil war and resistance from conservative media and US politicians… Former President Donald Trump has made stoking concerns over immigration a central plank of his campaign for his second Republican nomination for president…”
The Ron Paul Institute wrote on January 29:
“Texas Governor Greg Abbott… issued a statement declaring that ‘an invasion under Article I, Section 10, Clause 3’ of the US Constitution is underway and invoking ‘Texas’s constitutional authority to defend and protect itself.’
“Here Governor Abbott answers an important question I brought up back in my 1988 US Presidential run: at what point do open borders and mass illegal immigration into the US become an ‘invasion,’ which would grant governors the authority – and obligation – to take action?
“By some estimates, more than six million illegal immigrants have crossed into the United States during the three years of the Biden Administration. These illegals likely mostly come from Mexico and Central America, but the fact is we have no idea how many of them may be arriving from, for example, the Middle East or other war-torn areas of the world. Last month even the New York Times wrote of the disaster on the US border that, ‘thousands of migrants are arriving at the border every day, trekking from the farthest reaches of the globe, from Africa to Asia to South America, driven by relentless violence, desperation and poverty.’…
“… if the Biden Administration intends to use the Supreme Court ruling to take action against the Texas border barrier there are… ways of defending the border. Rep. Thomas Massie took to Twitter last week to recount a meeting he and a group of US House Members had with the late Justice Antonin Scalia. At the breakfast, Massie wrote, Justice Scalia told the group to quit complaining about Supreme Court rulings and start defunding rulings they oppose. As Massie explained in another Tweet, ‘Congress can render the 5-4 Supreme Court decision against Texas IRRELEVANT by simply refusing to fund Biden’s removal of border security measures.’ Nullification through the ‘power of the purse’ is an important tool given to Congress in the US Constitution and it could be easily exercised in this case…”
Great idea. However, will a weak and divided Congress be willing to do this?
The New York Post wrote on January 29:
“For three years, Joe Biden and his repulsive Homeland Security chief, Alejandro Mayorkas, have encouraged the Third World to enter America illegally. At least 8 million have answered their siren song. Only now that the sheer numbers of illegal aliens causing mayhem and busting budgets in Democratic cities like New York have become an electoral liability has Biden had an epiphany.
“So he is doing what he does best: telling lies to weasel out of blame. Now he claims he needs Republicans in Congress to give him the ‘authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed…’
“But he already has the authority. He could shut down the border today. He has spent three years lying that the border is ‘secure’ and now he’s lying that he needs new laws to secure it… He signed 94 executive actions in his first 100 days to dismantle Donald Trump-era border protections. He could reinstate them with the stroke of a pen.
“But in the most astonishing act of political self-harm, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his merry band of never-Trumpers are giving Biden cover for his lies and setting their party up for Democrats to blame for the border disaster, as long as the billions keep flowing to Ukraine…
“Everyone knows what Biden has done. We see it in overwhelmed hospitals and schools, shattered budgets, crime and disorder and the sheer unfairness of illegal aliens living high on the hog in flashy Manhattan hotels while American veterans sleep on the street…”
Mitch McConnell has overstayed his position far too long.
The New York Post wrote on January 29:
“President Biden is being ridiculed for his latest blunder, appearing to call his predecessor, Donald Trump, the ‘sitting president.’ The gaffe-prone commander in chief’s blunder came during a speech in South Carolina on Saturday as he repeatedly called former President Trump a ‘loser.’… But online commentators soon said Biden was the real loser as he slipped up while discussing how ‘American consumers are facing real confidence in the economy we’re building. ‘Let me tell you who else is noticing that: Donald Trump,’ Biden said before he stumbled on his words. ‘Did you see what he recently said about … he wants to, he wants to see the economy crash this year? A sitting president,’ he said without correcting himself…
“His comment about the ‘sitting president’ was met with widespread ridicule… Trump backers reveled in Biden’s slip-up, which appeared to corroborate the Republican frontrunner’s… claims to have won the 2020 presidential election amid alleged voter fraud.”
Maybe Biden spoke inadvertently the Truth… for a change.
Breitbart wrote on January 26:
“A well-coordinated, well-funded, and high-powered network of leftist organizations… is behind the push to remove former President Donald Trump, the 2024 frontrunner for president from any party, from the ballot…
“But it’s much broader than that: For years, this network of leftists grew from a powerful vast left-wing conspiracy unmasked a decade ago into now being the dominating force on the left determined to stop Trump at all costs. What’s more, these leftists clearly control what top Democrats are saying, forcing their leaders to adopt their narrative. They even regularly openly brag about controlling what the sitting President of the United States says, taking credit for Democrat President Joe Biden’s dark reelection campaign messaging, where Biden has warned of ‘MAGA extremists’ on the rise…
“The level of influence and control that this leftist network has over elected officials is essentially unprecedented in world history. Everyone from the sitting president of the United States to top law enforcement officials at the federal, state, and local level to leading Democrats in Congress and in states around the country are using these leftists’ playbook and talking points, following them close to verbatim. Nothing remotely like it exists on the right in U.S. politics, and never before has there been such a sophisticated leftist structure in control of at least half of American discourse in a presidential election year…
“Some of the talking points or suggested actions from these leftist groups have shown up later – not just in the legal push to kick Trump off the ballot in several states,, but also seem to have formed at least part of the groundwork for the various indictments he faces, like one from Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation. But beyond simply preceding and fueling the indictments against Trump, these leftist groups have cheered them and organized activists to further politically weaponize them in a manner designed to hurt Trump and any Republicans who associate with him…
“George Soros, the left-wing billionaire, among many other luminaries on the radical left, had come together during the George W. Bush administration as an effort to resist Bush’s policies and push the Democrat agenda in Washington…”
That Soros and other lefties are supporting Biden and the Democrats and fighting Trump has not been a secret. However, the extent to which they are able and willing to go might be somewhat shocking.
The U.S. Sun wrote on January 29:
“Photos and footage obtained by watchdog White Coast Waste show scientists at the Rocky Mountain Lab sedating monkeys and pigs – and carrying out experiments with deadly viruses. White Coat Waste has described the lab as a ‘bioagent superlab’ that infects animals with highly contagious and deadly diseases – such as Ebola, Lassa fever, Nipah, and even the plague… Last year, White Coat Waste revealed that the lab was experimenting with SARS-like viruses just a year before the Covid outbreak as part of a collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
“The Wuhan lab has been at the centre of a storm over the origins of Covid – with many claiming the virus leaked from the facility during experiments on bat coronaviruses. Experiments with SARS-like viruses at the Rocky Mountain Lab have reportedly stopped – but experiments on deadly pathogens are still being carried out, White Coat Waste said. And some of the deadly diseases have the potential to spark a new pandemic.
“Experiments include injecting pigs with Ebola and injecting monkeys with Covid, White Coat Waste said. Researchers also studied how monkeys react to hemorrhagic fever – which causes bleeding and organ failure…”
The stupidity of man and especially of scientists is breathtaking.
Breitbart wrote on January 29:
“The $130 billion sent to Ukraine so far for its war against Russia is apparently not actually going to Ukraine…
“… a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Embassy told Breitbart that ‘funds authorized by American lawmakers to support Ukraine’s armament are not directly allocated to Ukraine’… The spokesperson explained that, instead, a ‘significant portion’ of the billions of dollars to Ukraine is ‘utilized in the United States for the construction of new weapons or to replenish those dispatched to Kyiv from U.S. reserves,’ adding that ‘an analysis’ (not specifically cited) found that ‘nearly 90 percent’ of aid granted by Congress ‘is benefiting American interests.’… ‘American interests’ in this context presumably means weapons manufacturers.
“The Associated Press reported Sunday that employees from a Ukrainian arms firm ‘conspired with defense ministry officials to embezzle almost $40 million’ allocated for weapons purchases. The news comes months after the New York Times reported on the sacking of Ukraine’s minister of defense due to ‘graft’ and ‘financial mismanagement’ in the department, amid an avalanche of cash coming from the United States to fund the beleaguered war effort, and as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asks for more. The Times report said some prepayments for weapons had ‘vanished’ in the bank accounts of weapons dealers, among ‘about $980 million in weapons contracts’ that ‘missed their delivery dates,’ in 2023…”
Again, this has been suspected all along. It is the weapon industry and the military which are profiting greatly from the Ukraine war.
The New York Times wrote on January 28:
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is ready to ‘do it alone’ when it comes to the war in Gaza, as President Biden is accused of sending mixed messages on the US stance over the conflict… ‘Too many countries and too many leaders have been asleep too long. We have to act to assure that Iran will not have nuclear weapons, and I certainly intend to do so.’
“The prime minister characterized the bloody war against the Palestinian terror group Hamas as just one fight in a much broader struggle for the future of global domination — with Iran on one side and the Western world on the other.’
“…Iran is the primary backer of Hamas, the extremist Muslim group which violently attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 civilians and sparking the war which has waged between Gaza and the Jewish state since. Besides Hamas, Iran backs numerous extremist and terror groups in the Middle East known as the Axis of Resistance, which effectively serve as proxy forces in a wider campaign to annihilate Israel, expel western influence from the region and reshape the geopolitical map with Iran at its center.
“Other prominent terror groups doing Iran’s bidding include the Houthis in Yemen — who have disrupted global trade and drawn strikes from US forces by raiding merchant ships in the Red Sea — and Hezbollah along the Israeli border in Lebanon, which has been on the brink of opening a second front in the Gaza war for months…
“Biden officials have reportedly considered slowing down or halting weapons deliveries to Israel to try to pressure the nation into scaling back its offensive in Gaza…”
The New York Post wrote on January 29:
“The United Nations aid agency staffers accused of taking part in Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel included some who provided rocket-propelled grenades — as well as others who actively killed and kidnapped Israelis, according to a damning dossier of intel given to the US. At least 10 of the 12 fired last week by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) were active members of Hamas, while another was affiliated with the Islamic Jihad… In total, Israeli officials say a dozen employees from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency actively took part in the terrorist attack — prompting the aid agency to announce on Friday that it fired nine of the staffers who were still alive, as an investigation continues. Two others have since died, according to the agency.
“The US immediately cut funding to the agency in the wake of the allegations, the State Department said — marking a significant reversal from the Biden administration’s strong support for UNRWA… Other nations including Canada, Italy, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Finland have since announced they were pausing any additional aid to the agency… But Hamas has slammed Israeli ‘threats’ against UNRWA, urging the UN and other international groups not to ‘cave into the threats of blackmail.’ The Palestinian Authority is also urging countries to reverse their suspension of funds…”
Austria on Monday joined 14 other countries in suspending funding for UNRWA over the accusations. In addition to the countries mentioned above, they include Estonia, France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, the Netherlands, Scotland and Switzerland.
The New York Post wrote on January 29:
“Justin Trudeau… turned the federal government’s power on the COVID-mandate-protesting truckers… in 2022, jailing them, seizing their rigs and even shutting down their bank accounts (‘debanking,’ as it’s known) — though that last came to a swift end when enough Canadians withdrew their money to threaten a bank run.
“We were told the truckers were ‘right-wing extremists,’ probably racist and possibly agents for the dreaded MAGA cabal… This… mostly went to show just how afraid the West’s leadership has become of a populist revolt…
“Last week, Federal Court Judge Richard Mosley found that the Canadian government overstepped legal bounds in going after the truckers, writing, ‘I conclude that there was no national emergency justifying the invocation of the Emergencies Act and the decision to do so was therefore unreasonable.’.. Recent independent journalism has demonstrated this ‘unreasonable’ decision wasn’t simply an honest mistake. It was the product of a deliberate campaign of deception and denigration the government organized with help from its media allies…
“Here in the United States we’ve seen a similar phenomenon. And European governments have been rolling out a similar script to deal with those who complain about unrestricted immigration and farmers’ protests against ‘green’ policies designed to shut them down. Apparently anyone who challenges the insider crowd’s power is the next Hitler…
“As journalist Elizabeth Nickson writes, ‘If Canada were a state, it would be poorer than West Virginia or Mississippi, despite being the second-largest country, with abundant natural resources, in the world, blessed with a highly educated populace…’”
These are the fruits of dictatorial rule; the “green” policy; and a spineless and corrupt mass media.
The Daily Mail wrote on January 29:
“The EU has called for ‘gendered language’… A 61-page document advises policymakers, legislators and the media to revise the order of common phrases such as ‘King and Queen’ or ‘brother and sister‘ in which the male comes first.
“It suggests to ‘try swapping the order of these phrases sometimes’. [Rather than saying King and Queen, we ought to say Queen and King. The same for brother and sister.]
“Tory MP Nick Fletcher has called the guidelines ‘nonsense‘ and argued that the EU had ‘far more serious issues’ that it should be concerned about. The famous Star Trek line, ‘To boldly go where no man has gone before’, is noted in the bundle as an example for which ‘women may be subject to invisibility or omission’.
“Former Tory MP Ann Widdecombe [said]: ‘It’s ridiculous.’ Nigel Mills, Conservative MP for Amber Valley, [said]: ‘This is utter madness. It’s an attack on the English language.’
“Even though Britain officially left the EU in January 2020, English is still its official language.
Other “gendered language” alternatives were:
“No man’s land” to be changed to “unclaimed territory.” “Best man for the job” should be changed to “best candidate for the job.” “Repairman” should be changed to “repairer” or “technician.”
It is only a matter of time until silly EU politicians will also fool around with the Bible and recommend a “gender-neutral language” in this regard as well; replacing God the Father and the Man Jesus Christ with some blasphemous alternatives.
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer
These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.
Having reviewed both the criticism and approval of the family model God gave at the dawn of civilisation in the previous five Q&A’s, let us now look at Scriptures that show how necessary the family is in a well-ordered society and how it will be in the soon-coming Kingdom of God on earth when Jesus Christ returns.
In our booklet “The Keys to Happy Marriages and Families”, we read the following on page 18 under the heading “The Christian Family”:
“As the Bible gives clear instructions as to the individual roles and functions of husbands and wives, it also explains the duties and responsibilities of fathers and mothers toward their children, and of the children toward their parents.
“As we have far too many marriage problems, we also have FAR too many family problems. Too often, parents know little about proper parenting, and rebellious children are the result. Children who are victims of divorce are expected to be resilient when someone they love suddenly disappears from their life. More often than not, they grow up with multiple mothers, fathers, and grandparents due to remarriage, and yet are left to fend for themselves too much of the time, because no one has time for them.
“We read, in fact, a startling and sobering prophecy in the Bible for the very last days—just prior to the return of Christ—that addresses the tragic reality of broken families. Sadly, this situation HAS also affected the attitudes of true Christians, and God says that unless these conditions change, something terrible will happen to this planet.”
This booklet was written in 2002 and problems with family matters have worsened as we have seen with continued empowerment of minority interests who have little or no interest in promoting marriage and the family unit.
In Colossians 1:15-16 when talking about Jesus Christ, we read: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”
We see here that God created all things through His Son, Jesus Christ. In Genesis 1:26-28 we read:
“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”
This clearly shows that God the Father and Jesus Christ were both involved in the creation, and man was made in their image.
Genesis 2:21-25 shows that Adam and Eve were man and wife and that a man was to leave the family home and be married:
“And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: ‘This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”
There is no suggestion anywhere in the Bible that there were to be more than two sexes – just male and female who were to become man and wife. Today, there are those who would have you believe that there are over 100 different gender identities. It was reported in January 2021 that a BBC programme aimed at 9-12-year-olds included the astonishing claim that there are ‘over 100 gender identities’. The film, “Identity – Understanding Sexual and Gender Identities”, is being offered on the corporation’s website as part of its relationships and sex education package. It comes despite Government guidance published last year which advised schools to exercise caution when teaching children about gender issues. This just shows how even a national broadcaster, of long-standing, can be biased when it takes a stance on the matter of gender identity which can then affect the traditional and godly family.
The article about the BBC went on to say that “The programme, which features children asking adults about sexuality and gender on behalf of their peers, suggests the different identities include ‘bi-gender’, ‘gender-queer’ and ‘pansexual’.” The film also tells children that becoming transgender is “a way to be ‘happy’ while making no mention of the growing legal and medical concerns about the rising number of children saying they want to change gender.”
The BBC said teachers were “strongly advised” to watch the film before viewing it with their pupils.
God says there are male and female only; the BBC and many others say that there are 100 different gender identities, depending on who is making the claim. Who do we believe? God who is the great Creator of heaven and earth or fallible man who makes up his own mind contrary to his Creator?
In Matthew 19:4-6 Jesus, the Creator along with His Father, had this to say about a question that the Pharisees put to Him: “And He answered and said to them, ‘Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning “made them male and female,” and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together [or “bound”], let not man separate.’”
And so, Jesus confirmed that marriage was God-ordained. A man and his wife and children from that union was a family.
In Ephesians 5:22-33, Paul teaches about marriage and the husband’s and wife’s responsibilities, and mentions the comparison with Christ and the Church which shows why marriage and the family are so important. Satan knows this and that is why, as the prince of the power of the air (see Ephesians 2:2), he is broadcasting his opposition to those who are members of the Church who will marry Christ at His return (see Revelation 19:7-9).
There are many other Scriptures that further show how a family is to behave and function which is for their own good (see Exodus 20:12; Proverbs 1:8; 6:20; 15:20; 20:7; 22:6; Ephesians 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Timothy 3:4; and many others).
CONCLUSION:
The attack on the institution of the family is being brought about by a concerted effort by many in the education of the young, and not so young, including by many politicians and a growing number in all the many facets of the media and even some mainstream churches, who “go with the flow” rather than with biblical injunction. That’s a heady mix of influencers and pressure groups who mold and shape society to their way of thinking. It does seem in some cases, that once a group has achieved their goals, they are then emboldened and then try and stifle any further discussion on the matter.
Schools, colleges and universities have access to the minds of their pupils from a young age where they can be molded and shaped according to society’s immoral and God-defying culture.
In her book “Aware, Not Woke” Noelle Mering makes these interesting comments on pages 73/74 in the chapter “Will Over Reason: “Rather than conforming ourselves to him, we have made ourselves into our own gods around whom God must adjust. Instead of progress, this is the worst form of cultural regression. It is as if the scientific community returned to the pre-Copernicum thinking of the sun revolving around the earth.
“In order to disobey God, we must first diminish him. We will not adore a being who is our subordinate. We don’t stand in awe of what is beneath us. Once diminished, devotion to him becomes unnecessary but unreasonable. This is why for so many today, the Christian faith seems to be a sign of weakness, or even stupidity.
“In ensuring God revolves around us, we conceive of him as being what he is not, and in that void, we make gods of ourselves. This is at the heart of the will’s triumph over reason, over nature and over God. What we desire becomes right by the sheer fact of desiring it. It is now we, not he, who know all, love all, are all powerful. If we keep God around at all, it is for the sake of sentimentalism or custom. Either way, it will not last.”
Those are powerful words about the current woke culture where they seem to insist that God must bend according to the will of man. It is stupidity on a massive scale that will ultimately fail. And those who want to reduce God to having to bend to the will of puny man are those who also want to dismantle and dismiss the importance of the family as we have known it over the last 6,000 years.
There can be little doubt that there are many who are on a quest to try and eliminate the family as we know it—that which has been the hallmark and bedrock of a stable society down through the ages. God who created mankind in the first place, set out the right way of living which is clearly revealed in the pages of the Bible. However, the world’s best-selling book is probably one of the least read or understood and many just ignore its profound wisdom. The reason is that Satan has blinded their minds so that in most cases they CANNOT see and understand.
In Hosea 4:6 we read a prophecy where God levels charges against Israel which also applies today:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”
In the previous few verses are other charges laid against Israel both then, and now, for their lack of restraint and disobedience. Surely, we can see how this applies in our lands today.
The divorce rate in most of the English-speaking nations continues to be high but because there are so many doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with the institutions of marriage and the family, but the problem is always with the people concerned, albeit sometimes when it may not be their fault.
The institution of family is perfect! It is perfect because God created a man and a woman and instructed them to be a family and raise children. Any problems with any family are because of the individuals involved, not the institution itself.
Always a good question to ask is “What are the fruits?” and in connection with all of the immorality and God-defying attitudes today, the answer will be obvious for those who have eyes to see.
All the information that we have looked at in these 6 Q&A’s are but a drop in the ocean, but they should give us a reasonable overview of the parlous state our nations are in. Many people around the world may not always fully appreciate how far this assault on the God-ordained family has gone, along with many other ungodly practices. Those of us in the Church of God need to make sure that we are not taken in by any of the practices which society allows, and in many cases encourages. We are fighting an uphill battle as a sodomite-type culture continually approves of wrong behaviour, and we know what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah!
In the soon-coming Kingdom of God, true, right and good governance will be the order of the day under the righteous rule of Jesus Christ and His government here on earth. That is the future that all of God’s people must be looking forward to, but in the meantime, all of those who have been called and chosen by God need to ensure that we are following His righteous ways and recognising the stupidity of man’s current governance.
We know that Satan and his demons want to cause doubt and distress to those who are being, and have been called and chosen. By sowing seeds of doubt about the institution of the God-ordained family, these spiritual forces reduce the importance of it in so many people’s minds. In our Q&A, “Where will the marriage supper between Christ and His Church be held?” we read:
“Revelation 19:7-9 states the following about the marriage between Christ and His Church: ‘Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb [Jesus Christ, compare Revelation 5:1-14] has come, and His wife [the Church, compare Ephesians 5:31-32] has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’””
Here we read of the importance to God of the marriage supper and to the future Family of God. Undermining marriage, as society now dictates, will in many people’s minds reduce and possibly eliminate the need for people to be married at all at this time, and this will inevitably impact their view of marriage. Such people could have a hard time understanding the marriage supper of the Lamb!
We mentioned our booklet “The Keys to Happy Marriages and Families” earlier and it seems appropriate to finish this Q&A with the final paragraphs on page 36 from this booklet under the heading “Use These Keys!”:
“We have seen from the Bible the vital keys to happy marriages and families. God wants mankind to apply His perfect laws for our own good. In fact, if we do, God will be in our marriages and in our families, guiding and protecting us as we seek to follow His lead. In Isaiah 66:2, God promises to help us, if we have an attitude pleasing to Him, ‘But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.’
“In the book of Malachi, God takes special note of those who fear or respect Him and who esteem His name. Consider what God says to those people, ‘‘“…And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him”’’ (Malachi 3:17). God is revealed in the Bible as our Father (cp. Matthew 6:9; 23:9). He wants His family to be happy, and the way for us to do that is to apply His keys revealed to us for this tremendous purpose.
“We have been given an awesome privilege of knowing HOW we can better our marriage and family relationships. But with knowledge comes responsibility! We need to ACT upon what we know! Rather than being forgetful hearers or readers, let’s become DOERS of the Word of God (James 1:22–25). And if we do that, the product will be happy and successful relationships, and our marriages and families will stabilize and will last.
“It’s up to us now to respond to God’s challenge—are we going to apply God’s Word in our lives, or not? Our very physical and spiritual survival—as well as the survival of our families—will depend on it!”
Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)
compiled by Dave Harris
“America’s Self-Inflicted Downfall,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:
We are observing more and more America’s downfall which is, sadly, self-inflicted. It is as if we are watching a self-fulfilling prophecy about a country which is creating its own Frankenstein monster. From US nuclear weapons being stored in Europe to the sale of fighter jets to Turkey; from terrible experiments in America’s labs with the potential of spreading deadly pandemics to America’s failure in its “fight” with the Houthis; from the death of three US service members through an Iran-sponsored attack in Jordan to the “invasion” at the southern border—America, a once great country, is plagued with incredible problems beyond solution.
“How Can Young People… Cope With Life?” our newest booklet, is now posted.
“Seit wann kennt Gott SIE?” this Sabbath’s German sermon presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Title in English: “Since When Did God Know You?”
“Eine Welt im Stress,” last Sabbath’s German sermonette presented by Mario Danisch, is now posted. Title in English: “A World in Stress.”
“To Be Like God,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Paul Niehoff, is now posted. Here is a summary:
God has made a promise in many scriptures that we will see God as He is after our resurrection. This, of course, is not possible in our present state, as we must be changed for this to occur.
“Since When Did God Know You?” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:
Did God know YOU before you were born? And if so, when did God “start” to know you, by name? From the foundation of the world? Before the foundation of the world? Before time began? The Bible has much to say about God’s “foreknowledge” and the fact that some have been “predestined” to be ”called” for salvation in this day and age. What exactly does this mean for YOU?
This Update is an official publication by the ministry of the Church of the Eternal God in the United States of America; the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada; and the Global Church of God in the United Kingdom.
Editorial Team: Norbert Link, Dave Harris, Rene Messier, Brian Gale, Johanna Link, Eric Rank, Michael Link, Anna Link, Kalon Mitchell, Manuela Mitchell, Dawn Thompson
Technical Team: Eric Rank, Shana Rank
Our activities and literature, including booklets, weekly updates, sermons on CD are provided free of charge. They are made possible by the tithes, offerings and contributions of Church members and others who have elected to support this Work.
While we do not solicit the general public for funds, contributions are gratefully welcomed and are tax-deductible in the U.S. and Canada.
Donations can be sent to the following addresses:
United States: Church of the Eternal God, P.O. Box 270519, San Diego, CA 92198
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On January 27, 2024, Paul Niehoff will present the sermonette, titled, “To Be Like God” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “When Did God Know You? 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.
