On September 19, 2015, Robb Harris will present the sermonette, titled, “The Easy Choice,” and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “Small Things.”

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.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015, is the Day of Atonement. Services will start at 12:30 pm Pacific Time.

Robb Harris will present the Offertory, and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “Life for Life.”

Please NOTE: This will be the last published Update until we return from observing the Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day. Our next edition will be sent on October 16, 2015.

We—through the Holy Days of God—are able to get a sense of what God has done and will do in His dealings with mankind. I am struck by something Jesus said about His own anticipation in fulfilling the Passover meal with His disciples:

“Then He said to them, ‘With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer…’” (Luke 22:15).

Knowing explicitly that He would suffer during the hours following this Passover and die, Jesus nonetheless focused on the bigger picture, for He understood that His actions would open up salvation to the world. This had been His message from the start of His earthly ministry:

“‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved’” (John 3:15-17).

But there is more to what Jesus revealed, and this has to do very directly with the Feast of Tabernacles—a time that pictures His return and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. Recall that Jesus taught that we should pray, “‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven’” (Matthew 6:10).

Note how Jesus also emphasized another event during that Passover with His disciples and this one will take place in the future:

“‘[F]or I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God’” (Luke 22:16); “‘for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes’” (Luke 22:18).

There is a time ahead when the reality of what we are about to observe at the Feast of Tabernacles will come! Indeed, all that Jesus Christ spoke of will be fulfilled!

As we keep this year’s Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day, let us also do so with fervent desire for the ultimate fulfillment of God’s marvelous plan—eternal life in the Family of God!

While the insanity regarding the Iran deal continues, the migrant situation in Europe is exploding.

As more and more details emerge, it is clear that America has capitulated by agreeing to a deal without any economic advantage, but with the real potential of finding itself attacked on AMERICAN SOIL by Iran-sponsored terrorists. We also analyze the role of the Vatican and the Pope in political affairs, including the Iran deal.

At the same time, more and more voices in Germany and elsewhere are criticizing Angela Merkel for her “unprecedented” “mistaken” policy in the migrant crisis, which is now perceived as having “devastating consequences.” Being overwhelmed by the ever-growing arrival of refugees, Germany is calling in its army and reinstating some of its borders, while there is chaos in Hungary and pro- and anti-migrant (and anti-Islamic) demonstrations are conducted in Catholic Poland and other Eastern European states. In addition, anti-American sentiments are becoming more visible, blaming the migrant crisis on America’s failed foreign policy.

Britain experienced the “most extraordinary result in modern political history,” when a “socialist” and “Marxist,” Jeremy Corbyn, was elected as the new Labour leader. His success is being compared with the success of another socialist—the American senator Bernie Sanders who is running for the Democratic Presidential nomination. The Washington Post points out that the success of socialists Corbyn and Sanders, but also of other politicians on the far right, shows that “parties of the left are just as vulnerable to populist takeovers as parties of the right,” and that “voters on both ends of the spectrum are looking for alternatives to the traditional power-brokers.”

We conclude with a report about a dense sandstorm which was the “worst that the Jewish state has ever endured” “since its creation in 1948”; more nonsense regarding the foolish “end of the world” phantasies and marriage licenses; and left-wing California Governor Brown’s provocative and accusatory stance on climate change as well as Donald Trump’s ongoing success.

House Rejects Iran Deal in a Symbolic Vote

Newsmax and Reuters reported on September 11:

“House Republicans Friday slammed the Iran nuclear deal after they voted it down… saying the deal would empower the world’s largest sponsor of terrorism and endanger the future of both the United States and Israel… lawmakers voted 269-162 to oppose the deal. No Republicans backed the accord, while 25 Democrats broke with Obama to reject it… [The number of votes, even though constituting a majority, were not enough to kill the deal or even send the House’s objections to President Obama for his anticipated veto.]

“Ohio Rep. Mike Turner said that he was ‘perplexed as to how any member of Congress can vote in good faith knowing there are secret side agreements to this deal. The president is seeking approval of a deal that largely remains hidden from the public.’…

“Besides voting to reject the deal, the House also approved another resolution that would prevent Obama from releasing billions of dollars that had been held up through five years of crippling sanctions.

“The votes, though considered largely symbolic, were part of an effort by Republicans to underscore their objections despite a Democratic move on Thursday in the Senate that blocked a GOP-led effort to kill the deal by passing a resolution of disapproval.

“‘I am encouraged that House Republicans and principled Democrats voted against approval of the deal and to pass other measures requiring the president to provide information regarding every aspect of the deal negotiated with Iran,” said Oklahoma GOP Rep. Tom Cole. ‘If this deal is implemented, it will almost certainly lead to a nuclear-capable Iran in the near future,’ he added. ‘While the president insists on trusting this dangerous state sponsor of terrorism, he is recklessly jeopardizing the safety and security of America and our allies.’”

Democrats Block Republicans’ Attempt to Sink Iran Deal

The Times of Israel wrote on September 17:

“Senate Democrats foil latest GOP attempt to sink Iran deal. Amendment to keep sanctions unless Tehran recognizes Israel and releases US hostages falls 53-45 on [the] final day to shoot down [the] deal…

“Senate Democrats have turned back the latest GOP effort to undermine the Iran nuclear deal Thursday. Democrats blocked a measure aimed at maintaining sanctions unless Iran recognizes Israel and releases American hostages. The vote was 53-45, short of the 60 votes needed to advance to a final vote. Two previous votes against the Iran deal have resulted in similar outcomes.

“Thursday’s vote saw Democrats even more united, as several who oppose the Iran deal nonetheless voted with their party, rejecting GOP majority attempts to use the issue to political advantage… Thursday is the deadline for Congress to vote against the deal, meaning the measure will likely go into effect next month.”

No Business for US Companies with Iran

Deutsche Welle reported on September 11:

“President Obama’s victory in Congress finally clears the path for his Iran deal. While the nuclear agreement with Tehran could be a boon for European and Asian businesses, US companies will be left in the cold…

“The main feature of the nuclear agreement is that the US and Europe will lift most of its economic sanctions against Tehran. That means that on implementation day – when the IAEA issues an official report verifying that Iran has complied with all its obligations under the arrangement, probably in the second quarter of 2016 – Iran will regain access to the international financial system.

“Tehran will then be able to sell oil again and its blocked funds abroad will be unfrozen. Iran will also be able to engage in trade relationships and sign contracts with foreign entities again – with the exception of American businesses… ‘US companies will remain off limits during the duration of this deal,’ said Elizabeth Rosenberg, a former senior sanctions adviser in the Obama administration’s Treasury Department. ‘The US embargo that prevents US people and companies from doing business in Iran remains basically in place.’

“The reason why American firms will be essentially locked out from doing business with Iran with some exceptions like sales of commercial passenger airplanes is that the US sanctions regime vis-à-vis Tehran is far broader and dates back much further than that of Europe. ‘The US really has two kinds of sanctions in place,’ explained Christopher R. Wall, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration under George W. Bush. Back in the 1990s Washington began to impose various restrictions against Tehran. These direct sanctions penalized American companies for dealing with Iran.

“Then around 2010 the United States started a second round of sanctions, this time aimed at non-US companies engaging in business with Iran, so called secondary sanctions. As part of the Iran deal, the US has agreed to lift those secondary sanctions. ‘However, the direct sanctions will stay in place for the US companies,’ said Wall… ‘And that means that US companies will not be able to engage in business with Iran because they would be violating US regulations’… ‘It will be European and Asian companies and others that will have the ability to expand trade and investment with Iran,’ noted Rosenberg…”

Iran Deal—Real Danger for America

The Times of Israel wrote on September 13:

“The majority of Americans oppose the deal. But deep down… Americans do not feel that a nuclear Iran poses a direct threat to them. After all, the United States is more than 6,000 miles away, with the strongest military in the world. But Americans haven’t been informed of the danger that… is more real.

“Until now, nuclear weapons have been in the hands of governments. Even when those governments are evil to the core, wreaking havoc on the world — as was the case in the former Soviet Union, and is now the case with Russia and North Korea — they still seemed to understand the consequences — both for their own countries and the world — if they ever unleashed their nuclear power.

“Iran, however, is in a different class. Its government is inextricably bound to terrorism, to the belief that terror can change the global balance of power. And so, if this deal will lead to Iran becoming a nuclear power, the danger is not limited to Iran’s using part of the more than $100 billion it will receive after the removal of sanctions to fund conventional terror. The real danger is that Iran will willingly give Hezbollah and other terrorist proxies the capability to carry miniaturized nuclear weapons in backpacks and around their waists.

“So far, only the United States and Russia are known to have miniaturized nuclear weapons so small that they could fit into a backpack. In time, with billions more in its coffers, it’s likely that Iran will be able to do the same… Just imagine if the terrorists at the Boston Marathon were armed with small nuclear weapons. Imagine if the planes that hit the Twin Towers or the terrorists who murdered and maimed in London, Paris, Madrid, Sydney, Tel Aviv and Kenya (the list goes on) were not only suicide bombers, but nuclear suicide bombers.

“Americans must understand that the deal with Iran cannot be separated from Iran’s clear intentions to destroy America. Iran may not be able to hit our cities from its mainland, but it will be perfectly capable of supplying terrorists with small nuclear weapons. Chances are, some will attempt to infiltrate our subways, shopping malls and industrial centers. Conventional terrorist bombs scatter nails and explosives that can kill scores. A nuclear terrorist bomb can murder many, many thousands…”

Iran’s Unexpectedly High Uranium Reserve

Reuters reported on September 12:

“Iran has discovered an unexpectedly high reserve of uranium and will soon begin extracting the radioactive element at a new mine, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said on Saturday. The comments cast doubt on previous assessments from some Western analysts who said the country had a low supply and sooner or later would need to import uranium, the raw material needed for its nuclear program…

“After decades of effort, Iran… has achieved a full nuclear fuel cycle, ranging from the extraction of uranium ore to enrichment and production of fuel rods for nuclear reactors. Sanctions on companies taking part in Iran’s uranium mining industry will be lifted when the agreement is implemented…”

The Vatican’s Pro-Iran and Anti-Israel Position

Breitbart wrote on September 15:

“The Vatican released a statement Tuesday officially welcoming the nuclear agreement between the P5+1 world powers (U.S., UK, China, France, Russia, Germany) and Iran, stating that the Holy See believes Tehran will reduce its nuclear capabilities in exchange for sanctions relief. In calling for a Middle East free of nuclear weapons, the Vatican also appeared to target Israel, given that it is the lone nuclear power in the region.

“The Vatican ‘values positively this agreement because it considers that the way to resolve disputes and difficulties should always be that of dialogue and negotiation,’ Archbishop Paul Gallagher said in a statement… Gallagher also appeared to single out Israel in calling for ‘the establishment of zones free of nuclear weapons … especially in the Middle East’…

“The news about the Vatican’s pro-Iran deal position comes as Pope Francis is set to visit Washington, D.C., on September 22. He will then be welcomed to the White House by President Obama on the 23rd. On the 24th, he is set to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress.”

Either the Vatican is totally naïve, or its stated position reflects a complete anti-Israeli bias.

Obama Provokes Francis

Breitbart wrote on September 16:

“President Obama will apparently test just how far Pope Francis’ notorious tolerance will go by inviting a rogue’s gallery of people opposed to Catholic teaching to greet the pontiff at the White House during his visit next week. In a stunning show of political indecorum, Obama has invited a series of individuals who publicly flout Catholic teaching, including a pro-abortion religious sister, a transgender woman and the first openly gay Episcopal bishop, along with at least two Catholic gay activists.

“The White House was illuminated in gay pride colors on June 26, 2015, after the Supreme Court legalized gay same-sex marriage. One of the invitees, retired Episcopal bishop Gene Robinson, made history by becoming the first openly gay episcopal bishop in 2003 and subsequently the first to divorce his gay partner in 2014, after having previously separated from his wife of 14 years. He has attended a number of religious events with the Obama administration, offering a prayer at President Obama’s inauguration in 2009 and taking part in the 2014 National Prayer Breakfast…

“Though Pope Francis has said that he doesn’t believe in judging persons and is ready to welcome anyone in Christ’s name, he has also said that Catholics do not accept the modern mentality of transgenderism and once said that gay marriage is the devil’s ‘attempt to destroy God’s plan’… Earlier this month, the Vatican officially prohibited transgender persons from being baptismal godparents posing as the opposite sex from which they were born…”

The Pope’s Political Activities Around the World

On September 17, the website of “Indiaeveryday.in” published the following preview of an article from TIME magazine, titled, “Pope Francis and the New Roman Empire,” to be officially released on September 28, 2015. The title is somewhat misleading, as the article does not address at all the “New Roman Empire” (commonly understood as a revival of the ancient Holy Roman Empire as a religious and political union, which is prophesied to occur in Europe), but it makes interesting reading in pointing out the influential role which the pope is playing on the world scene… and behind closed doors:

“… when Obama and Castro sealed the historic deal by telephone on Dec. 16, 2014, they found common ground expressing their gratitude to the Pope… Francis’ popularity as a religious figure in the U.S. gave Obama cover as he cut a deal with godless communists across the Straits of Florida, while the Pope’s credibility as a Latin American shielded Castro as he got in bed with Yankee capitalists…

“Nearly a year after Ortega’s visit, Francis… credited divine inspiration for his own part in the talks’ successful outcome…  the Pope is making the Holy See a player in the most pressing global issues in a way unseen since the early days of Pope John Paul II. From the outset of his papacy he has drawn attention to the Mediterranean migrant crisis… he routinely speaks out about the persecution of Christians in Syria and Iraq as he pushes for action to end the wars there.

“He praised the controversial nuclear deal between Iran, the U.S. and five other world powers. His 180-page encyclical on the environment has been called ‘radical’ by one prominent environmentalist and has helped make Francis a perceived front runner for the Nobel Peace Prize. And the State Department has asked the Vatican for help on relocating prisoners from the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, so that it can be closed… Secretary of State John Kerry ‘early on saw Francis as a potentially activist foreign policy Pope,’ says one senior State official…

“Francis’ strategy is bold, both on the world stage and within the Vatican. First, he is injecting himself into high-level diplomacy by taking controversial positions on the biggest issues of the day. His climate encyclical–timed to precede the upcoming U.N. Conference on Climate Change in Paris–pleased backers of aggressive action against global warming but worried conservatives… its language was confrontational…

“In the Middle East, the Pope has alternately pleased and disappointed all sides. His push for the Iran nuclear deal bolstered the White House but angered Israel. The Vatican recognized Palestinian statehood in June, infuriating Jerusalem, but chose not to support Palestinians’ effort to raise their flag at the U.N. before the Pope’s visit there this month… Francis’ willingness to weigh in on hot-button issues is bolstered by his popularity around the world…

“In the U.S., Francis’ approval dropped to 59% over the summer as many came to oppose the positions he has taken. While Obama and many Democrats praised the Pope’s climate encyclical, others, like GOP presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Rick Santorum, said he was in over his head… Within the Vatican itself, there are also some signs of dissent…

“One of the Vatican’s biggest diplomatic prizes, formal relations with China, remains out of reach, but there are signs Francis may be making progress… Chinese state television reported favorably on the Pope’s condolences after the chemical-plant explosion in Tianjin in August. China allowed the ordination of a Roman Catholic bishop in a diocese in central China in early August–the first to take place with the Vatican’s approval since 2012…”

Merkel Under Attack

The Financial Times wrote on September 11:

“German chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to welcome hundreds of thousands of refugees into the country has come under fierce attack from rightwing critics in her own ruling coalition, in a sign of growing conservative resistance to her liberal approach… in an unusually direct assault on the government, leading members of the Bavaria-based Christian Social Union, sister party to Ms Merkel’s Christian Democrats, criticised the chancellor’s decision to relax the rules for Syrian asylum-seekers looking to settle in Germany…

“They were speaking as Frank-Walter Steinmeier, foreign minister, was due to fly to Prague for a key meeting with his counterparts from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary — the four countries most opposed to EU plans to redistribute the hundreds of thousands of refugees who have arrived in Italy, Greece and Hungary this year… Hans-Peter Friedrich, a former CSU interior minister, said in a press interview on Friday that giving free access for migrants massed in Hungary into Germany was ‘an unprecedented political mistake’ which would have ‘devastating consequences’…

“Horst Seehofer, CSU leader, said Ms Merkel’s decision was a mistake. He told Spiegel magazine: ‘It was a mistake that will occupy us for a long time yet. I see no possibility of putting the stopper back into the bottle.’…

“The CSU is likely to stay on the offensive; it has long called for more restrictive immigration rules for migrants coming from both within and beyond the EU. Mr Seehofer earlier this week said the government had taken ‘the wrong decision’ over Syrian refugees and warned it to pay attention to the ‘concerns and fears of the population’ if it wanted to prevent the rise of the far right.”

Germany Calls in the Army

Express wrote on September 11:

“Merkel calls in the army: ‘Generous’ Germany faces migrant chaos as troops put on alert. Germany has put 4,000 troops on standby as the country buckles under the pressure of the record-breaking number of migrants arriving in the country.

“[German] Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said: ‘For this weekend alone we have put 4,000 soldiers on standby.’ [She] added that the troops would be able ‘to pitch in in an emergency’…

“On Wednesday, the leading conservative newspaper Allgemeine Zeitung wondered if the ‘heterogenous crowds’ could really be transformed into ‘constitutionally loyal’ citizens and taxpayers. Saudi Arabia have controversially offered to help Germany cope by building at least 200 mosques. The rich Gulf state said it would build one mosque for every 100 Middle Eastern refugees who entered Germany.

“The German army order follows a move by the Hungarian parliament to pass laws to allow its forces to use rubber bullets and tear gas on migrants… Janos Lazar, chief of the Hungarian cabinet, admitted that the possibility of terrorism is growing in Hungary following the refugee crisis.

“The decision means that thousands of armed soldiers will be assembled across the Hungarian border with Serbia. Prisoners have also been drafted in to build 10km of 13ft fencing every day.”

Germany Has Reached Its Limit

The Local wrote on September 13:

“Germany’s transport minister on Sunday… called for measures to halt a record migrant influx that has seen the infrastructure of the southern city of Munich buckling. Dobrindt, who is a member of the Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Bavarian allies CSU, warned that the country ‘has reached its limit of capacity’, a day after 12,200 more refugees reached Munich — a key arrival point… The president of the Upper Bavaria region, Christoph Hillenbrand said he did not know ‘how we can cope’, according to the Bild am Sonntag tabloid which headlined its article ‘Munich at the brink of collapse’.”

USA Today added on September 12:

“German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) said Saturday that ‘Germany sees itself in a situation where we are reaching limits,’ news agency dpa reported. He added that ‘the speed is almost more problematic than the number.’”

Germany Is Reinstating Borders

The Local wrote on September 13:

“Germany is reinstating controls at its border with Austria as Europe’s top economy struggles to cope with a record influx of refugees… Passport checks had been abolished for countries within Europe’s Schengen zone, but… [by] reinstating controls, Berlin is seeking to buy time to cope with the influx, according to news magazine the Spiegel.

“Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt had issued a statement earlier Sunday saying that ‘effective measures are necessary now to stop the influx… That includes help for countries from where refugees are fleeing and also includes an effective control of our own borders which also no longer works given the EU’s complete failure to protect its external borders,’ he said.”

Deutsche Welle added on September 13:

“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban praised Germany’s decision to reintroduce border controls in comments made to German periodical ‘Bild’… ‘We have great understanding for Germany’s decision and we’d like to express our solidarity,’ Orban said. ‘We understand that this decision was necessary in order to defend Germany’s and Europe’s values,’ Orban added…

“The EU has said that Germany’s reintroduction of controls on its border with Austria due to the arrival of thousands of refugees ‘appears to be a situation covered by the rules.’ ‘The temporary reintroduction of border controls between Member States is an exceptional possibility explicitly foreseen in and regulated by the Schengen Borders Code, in case of a crisis situation,’ the EU said in a statement…

“The Czech Republic’s Prime Minister Milan Chovanec said it will also increase controls on its border with Austria in response to the refugee influx, moments after Germany made a similar announcement…”

In the meantime, Hungary has closed its borders completely and begun to conduct mass arrests of those who still tried to come into the country.

European Pro- and Anti-Migrant Rallies

 The website of samaa.tv reported on September 12:

“Thousands of people joined anti-migrant protests in three eastern European capitals on Saturday… In the Polish capital Warsaw, nearly 5,000 people, many chanting anti-Islamic slogans, marched through the city… ‘Islam will be the death of Europe’, one of the banners said. ‘We’re here so that the government hears our voice and abandons any plans to welcome Muslims,’ shouted one of the organisers after starting the march with prayers which identified the participants as Roman Catholics. Members of far-right fringe parties and football supporters chanted ‘Poles against migrants’ and ‘Migrants today, terrorists tomorrow’.

“Another thousand or so joined a ‘Welcome refugees’ rally in favour of hosting migrants in Poland, a strongly Catholic EU member state which has a population of 38 million and has seen hardly any newcomers arriving… ‘I became a refugee when I had to flee Warsaw as the Germans invaded during the war,’ 80-year-old Danuta Chomiak told AFP as she marched with the crowd. ‘I have a duty to be here today.’…

“All poorer members of the EU, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic on Friday ruled out accepting refugees under a compulsory quota system outlined by the European Commission, rejecting German pleas for European solidarity in tackling the crisis.”

Coming–A European Army

Express wrote on September 14:

“Merkel is pressuring Cameron to drop his opposition against an EU army… The Prime Minister is to be told that Germany would support his bid to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s EU membership if he accepts moves to create a European military force… Mr Cameron has resisted plans for a Brussels-led military force because of the possible impact on Nato…

“It emerged yesterday that policy officials in Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union party had drawn up a 10-point plan for EU military cooperation… European federalists have dreamed of a united European army for more than 60 years. But successive British governments have resisted the notion…”

Germany’s Failed Migrant Policy

Breitbart wrote on September 15:

“Germany’s recent, surprise announcement of renewed border controls seems a direct consequence of its ill-fated decision to throw open its gates to all Syrians, a policy that has been fraught with problems from the outset. Since Syrians enjoy a privileged status, suddenly everyone applying for asylum turns out to be Syrian.

“In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Minister of the Interior of the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lorenz Caffier, confirmed suspicions about the origin of many supposed Syrian refugees. ‘At least a quarter of those refugees allegedly coming from Syria are not from Syria, but from other Arab or African countries,’ said Caffier.

“Caffier’s statement echoes the experience of Rainer Wendt, head of the German Police Union: ‘Almost without exception, every refugee pretends to be a Syrian when in fact, many come from other countries, even from sub-Saharan Africa,’ he said. ‘All present themselves as Syrians,’ said a police officer stationed in Bavaria to Spiegel Online, ‘even if they are obviously black Africans.’

“The discovery echoes comments made by the chief of the European border force FRONTEX, who said last week, ‘A lot of people get into Turkey [with] Syrian fake papers, because they know that they’ll get easier asylum in the EU… People who use these fake passports, speak mostly Arabic. They come from North Africa, the Middle East, but are economic refugees’.

“Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has criticised the European policy of open doors to ‘alleged-Syrian refugees’… ‘Many Europeans have also forgotten the lessons of 9/11 as they allow waves of alleged Syrians refugees to stream across their borders and denounce anyone who questions it as being intolerant,’ declared Huckabee. ‘Even as some of the newcomers were attacking and cursing police, throwing bottles, and shouting “Allahu akbar.”’…”

Chaos in Hungary

Breitbart wrote on September 16:

“Hungarian police have opened fire with tear gas against 1500 rioting migrants who are attempting to break through the country’s border fence. Migrants have been chanting ‘Allah hu Akbar’ while pelting police officers with missiles including ‘really big rocks’, bottles, and even food, leading to the crack down. The news follows Hungary’s state of emergency declared yesterday.

“The Hungarian crack down followed the suspension of the Schengen free movement area by Germany and Austria this weekend… Reuters reports that Serbia says it has been informed by Hungary that the Roszke-Horgos border crossing will be closed for the next 30 days, and that Hungarian humvees with mounted guns are moving towards the Serbia border.

“There are reports that some migrants have managed to break through the border fence, and Hungarian police have begun to use the water cannon to deter the rioting migrants, dozens of whom are climbing onto local buildings, hurling rocks at the border police, while others find more ammunition and keep a constantly supply going…

“In the past few days Hungary has begun construction on another border fence, this time on its Romanian border, and has positioned military vehicles along its border to scare off migrants…”

More Chaos in Europe 

Reuters reported on September 17:

‘Helmeted riot police tried to control growing crowds of migrants at a Croatian border town on Thursday, as migrants crossing from Serbia jostled to board buses headed into Croatia… Long queues formed for buses bound for migrant reception centers elsewhere in Croatia.

“Over 100 riot police officers were deployed to control the crowds and keep them back from railway tracks. More than 6,000 migrants have entered Croatia from Serbia since Wednesday morning, after Hungary sealed its southern frontier with Serbia.”

ISIS Terrorists Enter Europe as “Migrants”

The Daily Mail reported on September 17:

“ISIS fighters and economic migrants are able to buy Syrian identity documents that allow them to hide among refugees travelling to Europe with frightening ease, an investigation by MailOnline can reveal. Our reporter was able to buy a Syrian passport, identity card and driving licence from a fraudster in a Turkish border town this week. The genuine documents were stolen from Syria when they were blank. The forger added our reporter’s picture and gave him the identity of a Syrian man from Aleppo killed last year. The documents, on sale for around $2,000, would help an asylum claim in Europe.

“The forger who sold us the papers, said that they are being used by ISIS fanatics to travel undetected across borders into Europe hidden among tens of thousands of genuine refugees fleeing the terror and destruction. Once in Europe they can set up sleeper cells… The revelation comes as Lebanon warned two in every 100 Syrian migrants smuggled into Europe are ISIS-trained fanatics, with most travelling overland through Turkey to Greece.”

It’s America’s Fault

The Washington Post wrote on September 11:

“From the squalid migrant campgrounds in Hungary to the offices of Europe’s elected officials, many… saw the swell of migrants crossing borders as evidence of a failed U.S. foreign policy. Even as President Obama declared that the country would extend asylum to 10,000 Syrians, many blamed the United States for the migration crisis that has walloped Europe.

“In Germany, it is rare that the distant reaches of the political left and right agree on anything. But they do now: The United States is at fault…

“In Britain, the crisis has renewed old arguments about the country’s commitment to the Middle East… U.S. and British commentators have criticized their nations’ policies as wishy-washy.”

“Most Extraordinary Result in Modern Political History”

The Daily Mail wrote on September 12:

“[The] new Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tells thousands at refugee rally he wants peace with jihadis… [The] unassuming 66-year-old leftwinger stuns the party by winning on the first round with anti-austerity pitch…

“Jeremy Corbyn this afternoon vowed to lead the opposition to any attempt to bomb ISIS in Syria as he called for a ‘peaceful solution’ to the threat from jihadi fanatics… The Tories immediately claimed Corbyn-led Labour was now a ‘serious risk to national security’.

“In the most extraordinary result in modern political history, the 66-year-old Marxist throwback who has never run anything in his life will now take charge of the party of Keir Hardie, Clement Atlee and Tony Blair… After thanking the unions, attacking the media, and accusing the Conservatives of ‘social cleansing’, Mr Corbyn took his supporters to the Sanctuary pub in Westminster for a victory drink where they hailed former socialist firebrand Tony Benn and sang the socialist Red Flag anthem…

“Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed that ISIS must be destroyed ‘in the interests of civilisation’, insisting it must be ‘degraded and destroyed and ultimately defeated’ through military action in Syria on the scale seen in neighbouring Iraq…

“Labour is now led by the most radical leader of a mainstream party the country has ever seen…”

Jeremy Corbyn—the British Bernie Sanders?

The Washington Post added on September 12:

“Jeremy Corbyn’s stunning transformation from perennial leftist rebel to leader of Britain’s Labour Party upended British politics Saturday and delivered a striking message worldwide: At this anti-establishment moment, parties of the left are just as vulnerable to populist takeovers as parties of the right.

“The Corbyn victory represented an extraordinary rebuke to Labour’s more centrist powers-that-be, especially to former prime minister Tony Blair, who had campaigned vigorously against Corbyn and who argued that his selection would mean the party’s ‘annihilation.’ But interventions from Blair and other party heavyweights apparently did little to halt Corbyn’s momentum and may have even backfired…

“Corbyn’s rise echoes that of another senior-citizen socialist who has come out of nowhere this year to rattle his party’s center-left establishment. Like Corbyn, Sen. Bernie Sanders… has been waging a surprisingly effective insurgency in a campaign that was once thought to be unwinnable… While Sanders is still fighting uphill in his effort to outmaneuver Clinton for the Democratic nomination, Corbyn’s once-quixotic-seeming campaign ended Saturday with a landslide win. Nearly 60 percent of voters backed him over three more centrist rivals just four months after Labour suffered one of its worst-ever defeats in national elections…

“But within minutes of the results being announced, it became clear just how difficult it will be to hold Labour together. Half a dozen prominent Labour politicians announced they would not serve in Corbyn’s shadow cabinet, the opposition party’s main vehicle for challenging the government’s policies.

“The Conservative Party also unleashed a stinging attack that previewed what will likely be a relentless drumbeat for as long as Corbyn remains leader of the opposition…

“But Corbyn capitalized on a widespread grass-roots backlash against the political establishment that has grown out of the wreckage of the Iraq war and the widening wealth gap since the Great Recession… He has previously called for Britain to leave NATO, favors unilateral nuclear disarmament and champions the nationalization of vast sectors of the economy, including the railways and the energy industries. He has also said that he will apologize on behalf of Labour for the Iraq invasion and that Blair could face war-crimes charges.

“In his first official act as leader, Corbyn gave an impassioned address to tens of thousands of demonstrators who thronged central London demanding that the government allow in more refugees from Syria and other conflict zones…

“Outside Britain, Corbyn’s victory was welcomed by leftist parties. Syriza, the coalition of socialists and communists that faces its own election next Sunday after a tumultuous eight months governing Greece, called the vote ‘a message of hope to the people of Europe.’ The radical left has also been on the rise in countries such as Ireland and Spain, both of which hold elections in the coming months.

“Corbyn’s victory places him in line to be the party’s candidate for prime minister in the next general election, in 2020. But he did not focus on the 2020 campaign in his victory speech, and analysts say it’s more than likely he’ll face an internal leadership challenge before that vote.

“The emergence of the radical left as a key player in European politics comes at least several years after the far right began asserting itself. In Britain, the anti-immigration U.K. Independence Party had its best-ever result in May elections, proving that voters on both ends of the spectrum are looking for alternatives to the traditional power-brokers…”

Worst Storm Ever for the State of Israel

Times of Israel wrote on September 11:

“The dense sandstorm that has blanketed Israel with thick yellowish-brown dust in recent days is the worst that the Jewish state has ever endured, the Environmental Protection Ministry said Friday. According to the ministry, the current storm, which began Tuesday, and the one experienced in February of this year have seen the highest concentration of dust particles in the air since the creation of the state in 1948, Channel 10 reported… By its second day, the massive sandstorm broke both electricity usage and air pollution records across the country…

“According to figures announced by the Israel Electric Corporation, power usage broke an all-time record as Israelis tried to keep cool — surpassing an earlier all-time high set during a heatwave last month… On Tuesday, air pollution in Jerusalem was 173 times higher than average; in the Negev, 51 times higher than average; and in the Galilee, 32 times higher than average. The ministry on Wednesday evening re-issued a warning advising Israelis against being outside for extended periods, and reminded people to avoid any excessive outdoor physical activity.”

The End of the World–More Fanciful Nonsense of Ignorant and Gullible “Christians”

Newsmax reported on September 13:

“A sizable number of Mormons in Utah are prepping for the end times, which they believe may begin this month… Several makers of survival food and gear report a huge spike in sales over the past few months. The reason is a mix of world events and prophecy from the Bible and a Mormon author who had a near death experience in 2004. The scenario is divided into seven-year periods and begins with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The stock market crashed seven years later – in 2008 – and began a seven-year period of economic uncertainty.

“It has now been seven years since then, and the preppers believe things are aligning this month for the seven years of tribulation as outlined in the biblical book of Revelation. The Jewish high holy days begin on Sunday, and Sept. 28 will have a red full moon, known as a ‘blood moon.’ Revelation also mentions the moon turning to blood. The preppers believe America will be judged for wickedness, and some believe there may be a U.N. troop invasion, technological disruptions and chaos.

“Julie Rowe, a Mormon mother of three and author of the books ‘A Greater Tomorrow: My Journey Beyond the Veil’ and ‘The Time Is Now,’ has fueled some of the speculation with prophecies she said she received after a near death experience in 2004. Rowe said she saw ‘cities of light’ with people living in tents. Some were fed heavenly manna like the ancient Israelites escaping captivity in Egypt.

“Rowe’s books have sold more than 20,000 copies each, leading The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to send out notices that her writings are not endorsed by the church. ‘Although Sister Rowe is an active member of the [LDS Church], her book is not endorsed by the church and should not be recommended to students or used as a resource in teaching them,’ church officials wrote. ‘The experiences … do not necessarily reflect church doctrine, or they may distort doctrine.’”

In fact, these “experiences”—if they were not merely human imaginations—would have nothing to do with godly revelations. The Scriptures do not teach a seven-year tribulation; rather, the Bible teaches a tribulation which will not last longer than 3 ½ years. The phenomenon of the moon turning to blood, as mentioned in Revelation, will appear AFTER the beginning of the great tribulation—not before then. Finally, the UN will NOT attack the USA, but the attack will come from a confederation of ten European countries, under the leadership of the “beast,”, who will still have to be manifested on the world scene. This attack will BEGIN the great tribulation.

When Will the Nonsense End?

Newsmax wrote on September 15:

“As the same-sex marriage debate rages in conservative states, Alabama is getting closer to its own solution: stop issuing marriage licenses altogether. A bill moving through the legislature would do just that…

“It wouldn’t force Alabamians to ‘live in sin,’ but rather would allow them to declare themselves married without having to get the approval of county officials. Instead of issuing marriage licenses, couples would simply fill out marriage contracts – be they same-sex or opposite sex – that probate judges in the state would then file in the state’s official records.”

Left-Wing Jerry Brown on Climate Change and his Accusations to Republican Visitors: “Welcome, ‘Merchants of Destruction!’”

Newsmax reported on September 15:

“As he struggles to bring under control devastating wildfires that he blames at least partly on global warming, California Governor Jerry Brown has an un- welcome message for the Republican presidential candidates gathering in his state for a debate Wednesday. ‘I would challenge these Republican presidential candidates to speak to what is certainly one of the fundamental issues of our time,’ Brown said in an interview. ‘They fancy themselves defenders of life but they actually are willing merchants of destruction. I would like to see them be honest about climate change.’

“Brown, a 77-year-old Democrat currently grappling with a series of wildfires, one of which has destroyed more than 400 homes and burned an area more than twice the size of San Francisco, said none of the 15 Republicans scheduled to appear on stage 400 miles (700 kilometers) south… has a credible plan to deal with climate change…

“Donald Trump… told CNN’s Jake Tapper… that he’s not convinced that humans are warming the planet. ‘I’m a huge believer in clean air,’ Trump said June 28 on CNN’s ‘State of the Union.’ ‘I’m not a huge believer in the global-warming phenomenon.’ … Ben Carson… said believers in climate change assert it without being able to produce evidence. ‘There is no overwhelming science that the things that are going on are man- caused and not naturally caused,’ Carson said…

“Jeb Bush… has said he believes in climate change, but said there’s no scientific consensus on man’s role. ‘For the people to say the science is decided on this is really arrogant, to be honest with you,’ Bush said in New Hampshire May 20…

“Ted Cruz… dismissed global warming as a ‘pseudoscientific theory’ in a June 29 interview… and asserted that politicians are invoking it to increase their power over people’s lives.

“Marco Rubio… has consistently cast doubt on the scientific consensus of man-made climate change… In April 2015… Rubio said on CBS’ Face The Nation: ‘Humans are not responsible for climate change in the way some of these people out there are trying to make us believe’ and argued that while it’s impossible to tell what the effect of limiting carbon would be on the environment ‘I can tell you with certainty, it would have a devastating impact on our economy.’ During a campaign stop in Londonderry in late August, Rubio elaborated: ‘The climate’s been changing forever and it’s going to continue to change,’ he said. ‘But here’s the bottom line. I’m not supporting any laws that destroy our economy, make life more expensive for our people and don’t change the climate.’

“Carly Fiorina… has said that regardless of whether global warming is human-caused, a single country or state shouldn’t be forced to act on its own.

“Scott Walker… hasn’t articulated a position on the issue… Chris Christie… said he believes climate change is real and at least partly caused by humans, but he said all countries need to do their part to combat it.

“John Kasich… has said that while he believes there is climate change, he’s not convinced about how much human activity is responsible…

“Mike Huckabee… has said climate science is ‘not settled.’

“Rand Paul… voted to endorse the idea that climate change is real and at least partly human-caused as part of an amendment to a bill in January regarding the Keystone XL oil pipeline. But Paul has said he’s skeptical of government action to address climate change.”

Trump Unstoppable?

Newsmax reported on September 17:

“The GOP presidential debate winner Wednesday night was dominant front-runner Donald Trump, a Newsmax Poll finds. In early results from a poll of Newsmax TV viewers, the billionaire businessman logged 46  percent support, while former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina came in second, with 20 percent. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio came in third with 9 percent.

“Retired pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who’s been surging in national polls since his first debate appearance on Aug. 6 — and pulled into a virtual tie with Trump…— didn’t fare as well with Newsmax TV viewers, logging only 9 percent. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz came in just over 5 percent. Gov. Jeb Bush [only reached] 1.45%.”

According to the Drudge Report’s poll, Trump came in first with 52%, followed by Fiorina with 22% and both Cruz and Rubio with 6%. Carson and Paul reached 4%, and Bush only 1%.

Breitbart added on September 17:

“Regardless of how well you think Republican frontrunner Donald Trump performed at Wednesday night’s CNN debate, there is no question he is generating unprecedented interest and excitement. Last night CNN earned its highest ratings ever…”

In three previous Q&A’s on healing, we pointed out that because of Christ’s supreme Sacrifice, God has promised to heal our physical illnesses, if we are fulfilling certain conditions. We showed that God expects of a sick person to ask the ministers of His Church to anoint the sick with oil or send an anointed cloth to the sick person.

We also showed that the sick person must have faith to be healed, and that he or she must do the things “which are pleasing in God’s sight.” Another important requirement necessary to receive God’s gift of healing will be discussed in this Q&A. In 1 John 3:22, we read: “And whatever we ask we receive from Him (including a request for physical healing), because we KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”

Keeping God’s commandments is an absolute necessity.

Christ made it very clear to a young ruler that he had to keep the commandments to enter ETERNAL life (Matthew 19:17); it is obvious that this condition also applies for protection and healing in this physical life. After all, Christ came so that we should have LIFE, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). This passage speaks foremost about physical life, free from pain, suffering and sickness.

The commandments which Christ was addressing are clearly the Ten Commandments, and the statutes and judgments which explain the Ten Commandments more fully. He listed some of the Ten Commandments when speaking to the young ruler (Matthew 19:18-19), and James says that if we break one point of the “royal law”, we are guilty of all, clarifying that he is addressing the Ten Commandments, as he uses the injunctions against murder and adultery as examples (James 2:8-11).

Sin is defined as the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4, Authorized Version). We cannot live in sin by disobeying God and breaking His commandments, and expect at the same time that God would heal us. God had afflicted Abimelech and his household with sickness when he ignorantly took Abraham’s wife Sarah, thinking she was Abraham’s sister. In this case, God prevented Abimelech from sinning, and when he realized what he had done and let Sarah return to her husband, God “healed” him and his wife and his female servants (Genesis 20:17-18).

In Genesis 26:4-5, God pronounces a blessing on Abraham and his descendants because Abraham had obeyed God and had kept His commandments, statutes and laws. God’s blessing because of obedience towards His law would include healing from sickness—as sickness is generally not a blessing, but a curse.

In Exodus 15:26, God says: “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will PUT NONE of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”

So we see that healing also includes the concept of God’s intervention and protection when we keep His commandments, so that we do not even get sick. God promises us that it will be well with us and our children and that He will prolong our days when we obey Him (Deuteronomy 4:40; 5:33; 6:1-2; 12:28).

In addition, God promises us healing from our sickness, if we obey Him.

Deuteronomy 7:11-15 says: “Therefore you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I command you today, to observe them. Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the LORD your God … will love you and bless you… He will also bless the fruit of your womb… and the LORD will TAKE AWAY from you all sickness, and He will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known…”

However, we read in Leviticus 26:14, 21, 25 that if we do not obey God and do not observe His commandments, then He will bring many plagues upon us, including “pestilence.”  He is even more specific in Deuteronomy 28, saying in verses 20-22 that in case of disobedience, God will send “confusion”; that He will “make the plague cling to you”; and that He “will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish.”

He adds in verse 35 that He “will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils which cannot be healed, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.”

Again, the warning is clear. God says that if we do not keep His commandments, we cannot expect healing from sickness. Instead, we can expect to get sick. He says in Deuteronomy 28:58-61 that if we are not carefully observing His commandments, He will “bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues –great and prolonged plagues–and serious and prolonged sicknesses. Moreover He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this book of the Law, will the LORD bring upon you until you are destroyed.”

We can see a clear connection in a millennial prophecy of Isaiah 33:24 between keeping God’s commandments and healing:  “And the inhabitant will not say, ‘I am sick’; The people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity.”

The New International Version reads: “… the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.” The Living Bible states: “The people of Israel will no longer say, ‘We are sick and helpless,’ for the Lord will forgive them their sins and bless them.” God forgives when we repent. The people will repent of their sin; they will cease living in sin. And so, they will be healed from their sickness.

Isaiah 58:8-9 adds that when we obey God’s voice (including the proper way of fasting, leading to a sinless behavior, verses 3-4, 6-7), then “Your healing shall spring forth speedily… then you shall call, and the LORD will answer.”

In Psalm 32:1-5, David contemplated about the fact that he had become sick because he had not acknowledged his sin. When he did, God forgave the iniquity of his sin, and, by implication, He also healed him from his sickness. We also see a connection between healing and forgiveness of sin in Matthew 9:1-7.

As we explain in our free booklet, “Sickness and Healing – What the Bible Tells Us,” this is not to say that if we obey God, we will never get sick (Paul obeyed God and got sick); nor are we saying that every time we get sick, we have sinned against God and that the sickness is always God’s punishment for our sin; nor are we saying that when we repent of our sin and cease living in sin, God will automatically heal us right away from our sickness. We have already discussed the fact that there are additional conditions for healing. But it IS clear that if we refuse to obey God, then we CANNOT expect that He will heal us from our sicknesses.

New people who are being introduced to the truth may not yet know all of God’s commandments, and so God, in His mercy, looks at the heart of a person and might very well heal those who have faith in Him and accept Christ’s Sacrifice, even though they do not fully understand yet what commandments have to be kept. But once the understanding is revealed to them, they are duty-bound to follow through. Some are healed without knowing yet about the requirement of keeping the weekly and annual Sabbaths. But once they learn about them and refuse to keep them, they cannot expect any further healing from God in the future; in fact, the sickness from which they were healed might even return.

The same is true (and even more so) for those who experienced healing, while obeying God’s commandments, including the observation of the weekly and annual Sabbaths, but then decided later that they will not keep them anymore, thereby returning to the world from which they had been freed. Again, these people are living very dangerously — physically and spiritually (compare Jeremiah 8:4-9, 22).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

We are greatly pleased to announce the ordination of Kalon Mitchell to the ministry as an elder. The ordination took place in Ramona, California, during services on the Feast of Trumpets, September 14, 2015. The ordination was conducted by Evangelist Norbert Link and Elder Mike Link.

“Why the World WON’T End this Month!”  is the title of a new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Some Christian groups and ministers believe and teach that the world will end in September of 2015. They believe that this will be brought about by a “blood moon”— allegedly the fourth consecutive lunar eclipse since April 2014 – being part of a “tetrad.” Others preach that the great tribulation starts in September of 2015, following seven years since September 11, 2001. Some claim that this was shown to them through godly revelations or near-death experiences.

We will prove to you in this program why all of this is nonsense, and that the Bible dogmatically declares that the end of the world will NOT occur in September of 2015. Don’t be deceived and fooled by ridiculous and ignorant teachings, but prove all things from the Holy Scriptures, and only hold on to what is correct. We are offering you our free booklet, “Biblical Prophecy— From Now Until Forever.”

“Teach Us to Pray,” is the title of a new Global Trailer presented by Pastor Brian Gale. Here is a summary:

It is common in Protestant churches to pray to Jesus Christ, while in the Catholic Church, Mary and various saints are also addressed in prayers. There is, indeed, much confusion regarding how to pray and to whom one should pray, but what is the Biblical teaching on this important subject?

“Krankenheilung und Gottes Wohlgefallen,” is the title of this week’s German sermon. Title in English: “Healing from Sickness and God’s Delight.” It uses material from the last two Q&A’s, discussing 1 John 3:22.

“Whole Heart,” the morning sermonette for the Feast of Trumpets which was presented by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The conversion of a Christian must be complete. If we have desires that compete for our attention we put ourselves in danger of falling away. Our whole heart must be dedicated to converting our lives and overcoming sin through the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

“The Law Is Setting Us Free,” the morning sermon for the Feast of Trumpets which was present by Robb Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The laws of man have increasingly superseded the laws of God in recent years.  Belief in God is considered archaic and superstitious.  This attitude has plagued the nation of Israel throughout their history.  Time after time it wasn’t freedom, but slavery, that Israel sought as they gave up on God’s laws and followed after Idolatry.  We must be wary not to follow the human reasoning that preaches freedom, but it actuality only results in slavery.

“Three Times a Year,” the afternoon Offertory for the Feast of Trumpets which was presented by Norbert Link, in now posted. Here is a summary:

Why are we to appear before God three times a year, “at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles”? What is meant by this term, since we are commanded to attend every Holy Day service, in addition to weekly Sabbath services? How are we to appear, and where? Why does God command to give an offering on each Holy Day? Does He need our money?

“Religious Deception in God’s Church,” the afternoon sermon for the Feast of Trumpets which was presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The Feast of Trumpets symbolizes the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The Bible prophesies that in the end time, just prior to His Return, there will be massive religious deception and confusion. How can we protect ourselves against false prophets and religious teachers, as well as wrong doctrines? How can we prevent from falling away from God’s Truth?

As a reminder, here are the dates for the Fall Holy Days:

September 23—Day of Atonement
September 28 through October 4—Feast of Tabernacles
October 5—Last Great Day

by Dawn Thompson

There are times when deadlines at my job fall on or near Holy Days. I submit in advance the dates for Holy Days so there is plenty of notice to prepare for my absence. There are “blackout dates” on our calendar and on those same dates is my name for time off. My teammates don’t understand Holy Days and when those days fall close to or on deadlines, they think I should stay and work, stating “God will understand.” I just respond with, “that’s not how it works. God and His way is first, everything else is after.” Silence follows.

At times, I experience my teammates criticizing my regular actions with heavy sighs or unapproving glances, even though my activity is no different than theirs! The regular actions I’m talking about are: talking to other co-workers; taking a personal call; scrolling on my personal phone and responding to messages. They all do it but I’m exempt from being able to do those things because on that other level of life, I choose God’s rule over work where they think work should be the priority. They don’t understand the Godly rules that apply to me, and so they translate that to mean that the casual rules that apply to them cannot apply to me.

All of this is trivial and I know I am not alone in the struggle to live in this world according to the rules that apply to God’s true followers. I long for the time we will all live in one accord and joyfully follow the rules that apply to us all.

On September 12, 2015, Mike Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Are You Ready?” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “What Is and What Isn’t a Christian Marriage?”

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.

Monday, September 14, 2015, is the Feast of Trumpets. Services in the morning will start at 10:00 am Pacific Time; the afternoon services will begin at 2:00 pm Pacific Time.

In the morning, Eric Rank will present the sermonette, titled, “Whole Heart,” and Robb Harris will present the sermon, titled, “The Law is Setting Us Free”; in the afternoon, Norbert Link will present the offertory, titled, “Three Times a Year,” and the sermon, titled, “Religious Deception in God’s Church?”

During my children’s summer vacation I’ve had the opportunity to spend a little more time than usual doing things together with them. Usually that means running an errand or doing something that’s just a little bit out of the ordinary. None of those activities are very noteworthy, but what stands out to me is their willing attitude to join me in the activity. Most of the time, these activities are very new to my kids and involve the risk of doing something differently. I usually present the opportunity to be my companion without requiring them to join me, so I’m pleased when they demonstrate the willingness to try something new and tag along with me. Their willing attitude is what pleases me the most.

This kind of willing attitude is something that God requires of us too. As human beings, we have free will to choose how we will behave, whether to follow God, or not. While the choice is freely ours to make, the Bible is very clear about what the right choice is. The decisions we make about obeying God or following other competing desires have drastically different rewards and consequences. There may be a short-term benefit of worldly satisfaction by following our own desires, but the ultimate consequence of not following God is death. Just as a parent is pleased when his children heed instruction, God is pleased when we follow Him. On top of that, He offers an eternal reward!

Our attitude is very important to God. We’ve heard this before, but it is good to be reminded. Even when our actions have the appearance of obedience and righteousness, it is our attitude that is judged. Proverbs 21:2 describes this in elegant terms, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts.”  God is not going to be fooled by the mere appearance of our behavior, but our intentions and willingness to submit will be judged.

With the Fall Holy Days upon us, we will undoubtedly find ourselves under all kinds of pressure, putting our attitudes to the test. Knowing that our hearts will be judged under such pressure, now is the time to make sure that we are willing to follow God with joy and gladness. If we follow God begrudgingly or bitterly, it will be plain to Him and the consequence will be severe.

There may be unpleasant consequences for obeying God as well, but those consequences are worldly and temporary. Paul served jail time and was physically beaten for standing up for the Truth. Jesus Christ laid down His whole life in the ultimate act of obedience. How severe are these “bad” consequences relative to the good things that we face? I think that it’s clear that the vast majority of difficulties that we may encounter pale in comparison. When we read about Paul’s or Christ’s examples, we see how courageous and how willing they were to fulfill their purpose. This is the kind of willing attitude that we must have.

We need to be encouraged, especially as we enter the Fall Holy Day season, knowing that we can trust in God and that the worldly consequences that we may face are relatively insignificant. David reflects on this when he writes, “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Are we willing to put our trust in God and stand up firmly for the Truth? We must!

We report about the unsolvable migrant crisis in Europe; show the different actions and reactions in this regard; and speak on the fear that ISIS may be using the refugee crisis to infiltrate Europe.

We continue with articles raising the question as to whether Europe is trying to build a superstate “by the back door” and whether it is attempting to build a “Christian fortress.”

Turning to events in the USA, we publish an article about the ongoing debate and the pitiful decision of US lawmakers regarding the incredibly ridiculous Iran deal; pointing out that Pope Francis may be at odds with both Republican and Democratic frontrunners–Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton; speak on the ongoing Christian persecution in this country through the left-liberal agenda; and conclude with a warning that terrible natural disasters of unparalleled proportions are bound to strike America, while some ignorant Christian groups preach their usual nonsense about the end of the world.

Wealthiest Muslim Countries Refuse to Take in Syrian Refugees

Breitbart reported on September 5:

“Five of the wealthiest Muslim countries have taken no Syrian refugees in at all, arguing that doing so would open them up to the risk of terrorism. Although the oil rich countries have handed over aid money, Britain has donated more than Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar combined.

“Between 10 and 12 million Syrians have been displaced by the bloody civil war raging in their country. Most still remain within Syria’s borders, but around four million have fled over the borders into neighbouring countries, mostly Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, and beyond.

“Lebanon, which has 1.1 million Syrian refugees, shut her borders to the Syrians in June of last year. Jordan, host to another 630,000, followed suit in August last year, preventing more Syrians from abandoning their country.

“By early August 2015, European states had received nearly 350,000 asylum applications from Syrians, nearly a third of whom applied to Germany for asylum. Another 65,000 have applied in Sweden and 50,000 in Serbia. Hungary and Austria have received close to 19,000 applications each although that figure is likely to rise, while the UK is processing 7,030 applications, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

“Yet amidst cries for Europe to do more, it has transpired that of the five wealthiest countries on the Arabian Peninsula, that is, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, not one has taken in a single refugee from Syria. Instead, they have argued that accepting large numbers of Syrians is a threat to their safety, as terrorists could be hiding within an influx of people…”

The fear of radical Muslim integration is real. See the next article.

Is ISIS Using Migrant Crisis to Infiltrate Europe?

WND wrote on September 5:

“… looking at Europe and America, a migration invasion… is underway. Evidence of that invasion came in February when an ISIS operative confirmed what many already suspected – the Islamic State is using the refugee crisis to form a fifth column of Muslim fighters inside Western nations. The Syrian operative claimed more than 4,000 trained ISIS gunmen have already been smuggled into Europe – hidden among innocent refugees…

“ISIS is believed to be actively smuggling covert gunmen across the 565-mile Turkish border and on to wealthier European nations… The ISIS fighters use local smugglers to blend in and travel within the ranks of a tidal wave of illegal migrants flooding into Europe, both by boat from North Africa and on land through Hungary and Austria into Germany, Belgium and Sweden…

“More than 1.5 million have migrated into Turkey alone, with millions more refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and outside their homes in Syria itself. Almost all of the migrants flooding into Europe are Muslims. Most of the Christians have been hiding in churches and homes in the Middle East, afraid to venture to the United Nations refugee camps, which tend to be managed by Muslims…”

The fact that most Christian Syrians decide to stay, while many Muslims decide to leave, is an interesting phenomenon.

Uncomfortable Questions

The Times of Israel wrote on September 6:

“… Is Europe paying a price for its efforts to stay out of certain recent and ongoing Middle East crises, notably the civil war in Syria? The West has known all along, in terrible, gory detail, that President Bashar Assad has been massacring his own people. And yet, to its immense moral discredit, it has allowed him to carry on doing so… Europe was certainly not insisting that US President Barack Obama punish Assad for his use of non-conventional weapons.

“… had certain world leaders and forums been a little less obsessed with the notion of Israel as the root of all Middle East evil, and a little more focused on tyranny and religious extremism as the root of most Middle East evil, Western diplomatic and economic leverage could have helped alleviate at least some of the horrors that various people in this part of the world are now seeking to escape?

“… do the world powers truly believe that their latest act of ‘statesmanship’ — rewarding Iran for its rogue nuclear program with a deal that sends tens of billions into the regime’s coffers and thus entrenches the rapacious, human rights-abusing ayatollahs in power — is going to foster greater stability in this part of the world?

“What now, for instance, is Germany, the economic powerhouse of Europe, to do in the face of what is certain to be the ongoing escalation of demands by the world’s oppressed to be allowed to join its citizenry?…  How to prevent the evils of Islamic extremism entering along with its victims?

“… how should Israel be acting? Should the Jewish state throw open its borders to the peoples of the north, brought up to hate us?…  Should we allow people of Palestinian origin to cross from Syria and Lebanon into the West Bank, as PA President Mahmoud Abbas has demanded? Plainly, that would be easier if we were at peace with the Palestinians, rather than deadlocked…

“Too many questions; too few answers. And the validation of a familiar assertion: The Middle East is the dinner guest who never goes home. Ignore it or seek to disengage from it at your peril.”

Pope Francis’ Appeal to Europe’s Catholics

The Washington Post wrote on September 6:

“Issuing a broad appeal to Europe’s Catholics, Pope Francis on Sunday called on ‘every’ parish, religious community, monastery and sanctuary to take in one refu­gee family — an appeal that, if honored, would offer shelter to tens of thousands… The appeal also amounted to interfaith outreach — something Francis has been known for — because the majority of the refugees are Muslims from Syria, Iraq and other parts of the Middle East, Asia and Africa…

“Thousands of people fleeing war and poverty continued to stream into Austria and Germany from Hungary on Sunday, an extraordinary column of asylum-seekers that showed little sign of abating. With a fresh rush of migrants at Europe’s borders, the broader refugee crisis only looked to be deepening. Austrian authorities said that 2,000 new asylum-seekers had arrived at their border overnight, a day after trains took more than 11,000 people onward to Germany.

“… there remained no European plan in place to handle the torrent of human need… The absence of an agreement has led individual nations to take radically different approaches to the problem. Hungary has built a 108-mile fence of razor wire at its border with Serbia, and leaders have vowed to deploy the army to keep new migrants from entering. Sweden, meanwhile, is offering permanent residency to Syrian refugees… British Prime Minister David Cameron [has] criticized the German open-door approach for spurring a vast flow of asylum-seekers to Europe, many of whom have taken dangerous routes to get there. Cameron has said that the solution to the crisis lies in achieving peace in Syria, not in taking in more refugees…”

Putin Blames USA and EU for Migrant Crisis

Breitbart wrote on September 4:

“The Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed the migrant crisis emanating from the Middle East on America. He also blamed European states for backing US efforts to spread democracy, which he said were responsible for the current exodus of people sweeping across the EU… ‘We in Russia say, and I have said it myself, that there will be large scale problems if our so-called Western partners pursue such an erroneous policy, especially foreign policy, in the regions of the Muslim world in the Middle East and North Africa. They continue to engage in such a policy… What kind of policy is it? It is about imposing their own standards, without taking into account the historical, religious, national, cultural features of these regions…’

“Putin commented that he was surprised [at] the US’s criticism of Europe’s handling of the crisis, seeing as it was the US which had created it. He emphasized that America had not suffered at all personally from the crisis, while Europe, which ‘blindly followed US instructions,’ had suffered heavily.’

Sadly, Putin has a point. On the other hand, in supporting Assad, Russia is pursuing some self-serving interests in Syria. Rumors are being circulated that Russia may be willing to intervene militarily in Syria, by sending ships, troops and airplanes, and that Russian forces are already fighting in Syria for Assad.

European-Wide Immigration Deal in the Making?

The Telegraph wrote on September 4:

“European leaders are preparing to create a powerful EU-wide border protection force to deal with the refugee crisis engulfing the continent… the Commission will draw up a list of ‘safe countries of origin’. Migrants from these countries would be returned, because the EU considers them to be sufficiently stable. The list is expected to include all the Balkan States, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Senegal and a number of other African countries…

“Countries such as Germany and Italy called for the EU rapidly to put in place a common asylum system or face the collapse of its cherished right to free movement… Italy’s Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, and his ministers back the creation of an EU-wide immigration policy and an EU asylum law…”

This example shows that when the EU is faced with a continent-wide humanitarian crisis, it is willing to unite. According to prophecy, the threat of a military crisis will ensue soon, prompting the EU to establish a European army. The next articles show, however, that a solution will not be found easily, and that Britain has strong reservations.

“There Is Not Enough Unity in the EU”

The New York Times wrote on September 9:

“Citing history, morality and economics… Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, urged the bloc to put aside deep divisions over welcoming refugees from war-torn and poverty-stricken nations in the Middle East and Africa and forge a stronger and more unified response… Mr. Juncker cast the crisis as the most compelling one facing the bloc since World War II. It was not only a humanitarian issue but also a test of the European Union’s fundamental ability to act in a unified manner…

“‘There is not enough Europe in this union,’ he said, referring to how the bloc has reacted so far. ‘And there is not enough union in this union. We have to change this. And we have to change this now.’… He also proposed unity on such matters as identifying those who are more likely to be granted asylum, and establishing common standards for how they are treated, rather than a patchwork of national policies…

“Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain… has balked at surrendering national autonomy… Others have argued that guaranteeing spots for migrants will only encourage more to make the journey.

“Mr. Juncker is hardly the first to deliver such an appeal to European leaders. Last November, Pope Francis addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg and challenged its malaise in addressing its problems. ‘The time has come for us to abandon the idea of a Europe which is fearful and self-absorbed,’ the pope said.”

Too Expensive for Germany?

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 6:

“According to a report in the Sunday edition of German newspaper, the ‘Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung’ (FAZ), financial costs for Germany could reach anywhere between 9 and 10.5 billion euros by the end of the year… A refugee summit held by the German parliament in July budgeted 5.6 billion euros for an expected 450,000 asylum applications this year. In light of the recent mass influx of refugees from Africa and the Middle East, however, Germany is now expecting to take in some 800,000 by the end of December…

“But there are already ructions within Angela Merkel’s conservative side of the coalition over her handling of the refugee crisis. In a telephone conference late on Saturday, the Bavarian sister party to her Christian Democratic Union, the Christian Social Union, reportedly criticized Merkel for taking in more refugees who were stranded in Hungary this week. CSU General Secretary Andreas Scheuer deemed the move as the ‘wrong decision.’ Several other conservatives also warned of a ‘suction effect’…  Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said that every refugee coming to Europe was heading for Germany, and the country could not afford to deal with the situation alone. It was a ‘completely wrong signal within Europe,’ he said…”

Reuters added on September 7:

“Thousands more refugees were expected to arrive in Germany on Monday after 20,000 came in over the weekend, piling pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel whose open-door policy has made the country a magnet for people fleeing civil war in Syria… German and Austrian officials appeared to have been surprised by the numbers that continued to flow in from Hungary…

“Merkel has been praised by human rights groups for her decision — in response to a growing humanitarian crisis in Hungary — to temporarily ignore European rules which state that migrants must register for asylum in the first EU country where they arrive. But over the weekend there were signs of dissent within her conservative camp, with officials from the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) criticizing her handling of the crisis. ‘There is no society that could cope with something like this,’ said CSU leader and Bavarian premier Horst Seehofer said. ‘The federal government needs a plan here.’…”

How Long Will German Acceptance of Hundreds of Thousands of Migrants Last?

The New York Times wrote on September 5:

“As tens of thousands of asylum seekers now pour into Germany, their desired destination, they will be met here by bowls of steaming soup and bread rolls, working bathrooms and an efficient bureaucracy to move them to temporary housing and, possibly, legal immigration status. The arrival in August of more than 104,400 people seeking asylum has strained resources and challenged authorities from Bavaria to Berlin. Yet such logistical problems are manageable for the Germans, who pride themselves on the country’s order and adherence to established rules.

“But the long-term integration of a group of people expected to reach 1 percent of the overall population, most of whom practice a different religion and often hold profoundly different world views, is another question altogether… some fear the outpouring of generosity will not last. The Social Ministry expects the German government to spend 1.8 billion to 3.3 billion euros, about $2 billion to $3.7 billion, in 2016 to cover the refugees’ basic needs, language lessons and job training. As those costs mount, so might resentment.

“Already Germany has experienced a formidable backlash against the migrants — the worst in Europe… Even as the country prepares to mark a quarter-century of German reunification this fall, a spate of violent anti-immigrant protests in the eastern state of Saxony has led to accusations that differences between the two regions still exist, revealing just how difficult it can be even for two peoples who share a language and heritage to feel as one.

“Experts also point to the former West Germany’s far less successful experiment of integration in the 1960s, when that country invited men, most of them from Turkey, to fill the industrial jobs in its post-World War II factories. But they were viewed as ‘guests,’ who would eventually return home, not as future citizens… The descendants of those ‘guest workers’ who remained in the country now make up the nearly four million Muslims in Germany’s population of almost 82 million… the Turkish experience is apparently very much on the mind of [Thomas] de Maizière, [Germany’s interior minister]… ‘Now we will get hundreds of thousands of Muslims more formed by Arabic background,’ he told the weekly [“Die Zeit”]. ‘According to all that I am told by my French colleague, that is a big difference, as far as integration is concerned.’”

Hungary and Austria Close Borders to Migrants

Breitbart wrote on September 7:

“Hungary has had enough. After weeks of turmoil driven by immigrants surging through the country’s frontiers on their way to Germany, borders with Serbia to the south and Austria to the north are being closed in an effort to return order to the nation’s sovereignty…

“Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann told reporters late Sunday night he supports the closures after what he called ‘intensive talks’ with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. ‘We have always said this is an emergency situation in which we must act quickly and humanely,’ said Faymann. ‘We have helped more than 12,000 people in an acute situation. Now we have to move step-by-step away from emergency measures towards normality, in conformity with the law and dignity.’

“Austria’s agreement to once again close its border came after a statement broadcast by state television broadcaster ORF, when Mr Orban said the two countries should state clearly they will not accept more refugees, ‘because otherwise several million people would arrive in Europe.’”

Chaos in Europe 

Breitbart wrote on September 10:

“Borders are being closed and major European Union (EU) treaties are being discarded as tens of thousands of migrants swarm across Europe, overwhelming national police forces in their wake…

“The Serbia-Hungary border was closed last week, and has been in a state of political flux since uncontrollable volumes of people walked the major M5 motorway between Serbian capital Belgrade and Hungarian capital Budapest. Dozens of major arterial routes have been closed across the continent since, as police have been forced to re-route legitimate traffic as the column of immigrants headed north…

“The border between Germany and Denmark was closed last night by Danish police as hundreds of migrants continued their foot journey north to Sweden…  Guardian reports Danish police instructed railway operators to stop all trains going between the two nations ‘until further notice’, with police physically stopping two trains at Rødby, Denmark, and stopping ferries crossing the Baltic.

“Passport checks have been reconstituted on the Danish-German border, possibly for the first time since 2001.

“Austrian police were also forced to close a major motorway after a column of 800-strong immigrant column  ‘surprised’ the force when they walked up the main motorway to Vienna from Budapest… More than 1,700 crossed the border in just the three hours after midnight…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 10:

“Austria has suspended train services from Hungary as it struggles to cope with overcrowding at train stations… The company said domestic services would continue to run from Nickelsdorf – the main border crossing into Austria from Hungary for migrants seeking to travel on to other countries such as Germany… Danish train operator DSB said trains to and from Germany, which were suspended on Wednesday, would start running again on Thursday. Danish police said they were letting refugees travel freely towards Sweden…

“Hungary said its armed forces were taking part in exercises to prepare to guard the border and assist police in controlling the flow of migrants…”

Majority of Brits for Brexit… Caused Largely by the Migrant Crisis

The Daily Mail wrote on September 7:

“A majority of British people would vote to leave the European Union in the wake of the migrant crisis engulfing the continent, a shock new Mail on Sunday poll has found. If a referendum were to be held tomorrow on whether to remain a member of the EU, 51 per cent of British people would vote ‘No’… The survey also found strong backing for David Cameron’s stance in standing up to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who wants the UK to take in a greater share of migrants.

“Growing public support to cut all ties with Brussels came as it was revealed the Prime Minister told Merkel to her face: ‘I could walk away from the EU.’ At a private dinner in Downing Street, Merkel accused him of being ‘too forceful’ in demanding concessions from the rest of the EU. That was why ‘we all hate you and isolate you,’ she said…

“British voters are opposed to opening the door to large numbers of refugees… Nearly three in ten say the UK should accept no refugees at all, while nearly half think we should take 1,000 or fewer. Only one in four favours taking 10,000 or more…

“The Prime Minister will take comfort from support for his handling of the issue so far. He beats Merkel by a clear two-to-one margin. And nearly two out of three say he is right to refuse to sign up to Merkel’s plan to divide up the migrants among all EU countries, with the larger and richer countries taking the most. Only one in five say Cameron is wrong…

“The poll also reflects concern that letting more refugees in could make things worse not better. Nearly six out of ten say it would encourage more people to come to the UK. And there is little appetite for British military intervention against Islamic State to solve the crisis. Nearly half of those questioned oppose such action, against a third who are in favour…”

EU Superstate in the Making?

The Telegraph wrote on September 6:

“Professor Otmar Issing, the chief architect of monetary union through its early years, said it would be ‘dangerous’ to transfer control over tax and spending to the EU federal level before full political union has been established first on democratic foundations. Such a quantum leap in the constitutional structure of Europe – effectively the creation of an EU superstate, with a parliament comparable in power to the US Congress – is unthinkable in the current political atmosphere. It would require referenda across Europe, and a two-thirds majority in both houses of the German parliament. ‘The chances of political union are close to zero,’ he said, speaking at the Ambrosetti forum of world policymakers on Lake Como.

“If Europe were to jump the gun and force the pace of integration, this would lead to a rogue plenipotentiary with unbridled powers over sensitive issues of national life. ‘It is hard to see how it could be given democratic accountability,’ he said.

“Prof Issing, a towering figure in the pre-EMU Bundesbank and the European Central Bank’s first chief economist, said control of budgets must for now be left to national government and sovereign parliaments that are genuinely answerable to their own peoples. ‘Political union cannot be obtained in the European Union by the back door. It is a violation of the principle of no taxation without representation, and represents a wrong and dangerous approach,’ he said…

“Prof Issing has always been open to an authentic United States of Europe similar to the US federal democracy. What he objects to is a deformed halfway house where supra-national bodies take decisions behind closed doors…”

But that is exactly what may happen… and which is already happening to a large extent today.

Building a Christian Fortress Europe?

AFP wrote on September 7:

“Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu on Sunday criticised the ‘ridiculously small’ share of refugees the EU is accepting, labelling the continent the ‘Christian fortress Europe.’ Turkey had taken more than two million people alone from war-torn Syria and Iraq, creating ‘a buffer zone between the chaos and Europe,’ Davutoglu wrote for Monday’s edition of Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily.

“He criticised as low the financial contribution the EU had made in support of Turkey’s effort… There seemed to be the ‘convenient reflex’ to load the refugee problems on the shoulders of Turkey and to build a ‘Christian fortress Europe,’ he wrote. Such an approach contradicted European values, and Turkey as an EU candidate nation could not imagine it had the support of majority of Europeans, wrote the prime minister.

“For Europe, it was time to finally act collectively on immigration, he added, saying that Turkey was ready for a coordinated cooperation with ‘our European partners.'”

Iran’s Continuing Threats

JTA wrote on September 9:

“Israel will not exist in 25 years, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said. Khamenei made the threat in a speech to the Iranian people and followed it up with a tweet  on his official Twitter account later on Wednesday. ‘After negotiations, in the Zionist regime they said they had no more concern about Iran for next 25 years; I’d say: Firstly, you will not see the next 25 years; God willing, there will be nothing as Zionist regime in 25 years. Secondly, until then, struggling, heroic and Jihadi morale will leave no moment of serenity for Zionists,’ Khamenei said.

“Khamenei also took aim at the United States, which he called the ‘Great Satan.’ ‘Iranian nation did expel this Great Satan; we barred their direct access and now we must not allow their indirect access and infiltration,’ Khamenei tweeted. ‘We would negotiate and reach agreement in different levels of ‘state, religion or ethnic groups’ with all countries but the Great Satan,’ he also tweeted, indicating that he will not allow talks with the United States on other issues.”

It is amazing that President Obama, who calls Khamenei the “supreme leader,” is willing to strike a deal with Iran. Democrats’ desire to support this deal, due to wrongly understood “party loyalty,” and Republicans’ bickering in the House as to how to oppose it, paint a terrible picture of American helplessness.

Right-Wing Coalition Opposes Iran Deal, Slams Boehner

The Times of Israel wrote on September 9:

“Gathered outside the steps of the Capitol under a blazing sun, a coalition of right-wing organizations gathered to oppose the Iran deal, but while the rhetoric against President Barack Obama blazed as hot as the sun, speakers and audience members spared little vitriol for the Republican leaders in Congress. Three Republican presidential candidates — Senator Ted Cruz, mogul Donald Trump and former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore — all took the stage to condemn the nuclear agreement, but speakers also accused the Republican leadership of tacitly giving in to the administration.

“Attendees booed at the mention of Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell minutes after the House floor debate on the Iran deal ground to a halt due to an internal uprising among conservative Republicans in the House…

“Cruz warned businesses that ‘if this president behaves illegally and says you can hand this money over to Iran — that does not exempt you from having to uphold the law.’ US banks, he said, would be subject to ‘billions of dollars in civil liabilities and litigation’ if they facilitate trade with Iran under what Cruz described as an illegitimate agreement. ‘Mitch McConnell and John Boehner can stop this deal if they simply enforce federal law,’ Cruz asserted. ‘If Republican leadership decides that a show vote is more important than stopping this deal, then the single biggest issue in 2016 will be stopping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.’

“The Republican candidate… said that any presidential candidate ‘should be ready to stand up in January 2017 and rip up this catastrophic deal.’ Trump, who took the stage shortly after Cruz, has said that he would not ‘tear up the deal,’ but would rather look for loopholes and weaknesses in its text… He promised that if he won the election in November 2016, three Americans being held in Iran and one who has disappeared in the Islamic Republic would be returned immediately. ‘I guarantee you those prisoners will be back in the country before I take office,’ he said. ‘I’m telling [Iran] right now.’

“Conservative talk show host Charles Levin… condemned what he described as ‘the capitulation of a Republican Congress’… accusing the Republican leadership of ‘recklessly and deliberately avoiding any direct confrontation with an imperial president… Tell the Republicans in Congress it’s time to step up, enforce the constitution and defeat this disastrous deal.’”

This does not show much confidence in the establishment of the Democrats and the Republicans. But will those who make strong promises really deliver, if they get the chance? In any event, in spite of the clear handwriting on the wall, irresponsible lawmakers blocked attempts to stop the horrible deal. Please note the next articles.

Irresponsible US Lawmakers Approve of the Iran Deal

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 10:

A Democratic minority in the US Senate staved off a united Republican effort to sink the Iran nuclear deal Thursday, edging President Barack Obama closer to a major foreign policy victory. But the parliamentary riposte by Democrats is only a temporary victory as Republicans vow to keep fighting.

“… the Republican motion failed by two votes shy of the 60 needed to advance in the 100-member Senate. Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, immediately took steps to push for another vote. ‘This debate is far from over, and frankly, it’s just beginning,’ said House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican. ‘This is a bad deal with decades-long consequences for the security of the American people and our allies. And we’ll use every tool at our disposal to stop, slow, and delay this agreement.’

“But in reality the House’s power to stop the deal is doubtful; it can at best delay ratification. All 42 of the Senate votes not to advance the measure were from Democrats or independents who normally vote with them. Four Democratic senators sided with Republicans.

“Congress had passed legislation that gave it 60 days to review the July accord, which is set to expire September 17… From next week, the Obama administration will be free to start scaling back US sanctions against Iran. The accord aims to constrain Iran’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for hundreds of billions of dollars in relief from international sanctions.”

The Washington Post added on September 10:

“Meanwhile, the House on Thursday evening passed, 245 to 186, a resolution stating that President Obama didn’t fulfill his obligations under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act because Congress has yet to see two confidential side agreements pertaining to the deal — documents the administration says it doesn’t have. The resolution also stated that the 60-day clock for Congress to approve the deal hasn’t started.

“But despite the House vote… the Senate action virtually assures that the deal will be implemented, at least in the short term.”

Politics galore. The only problem is, because of this political maneuvering and these desperate attempts to get votes, the interests of the USA, Israel and other countries in the free world are being neglected, abused and violated.

Pope vs. Trump and Clinton

Breitbart wrote on September 7:

“Politico has called Francis the ‘anti-Donald Trump,’ saying that he differs from the GOP—and Trump in particular—on a host of issues, noting that many of his declarations ‘are at odds with positions held by Republicans.’ No one would suggest that Pope Francis and Donald Trump see eye to eye. The men differ on an array of topics, from immigration to economic reform to the environment…

“One could just as easily, and perhaps more truly, call Pope Francis the ‘anti-Hillary,’ since many of the key positions she trumpets… are diametrically opposed to the Pope’s views. In recent days, the Pope has spoken out against abortion more than any other single issue, while in late July Hillary Clinton reaffirmed her undying support for Planned Parenthood, in the midst of the abortion giant’s scandal over the sale of baby body parts…

“Donald Trump will not be the only one to find himself challenged by what the Pope has to say.”

Pope Francis does not see eye to eye with any of the potential future leaders of the USA.

Left-Liberal Religious Persecution in the USA Continues…

ABC News reported on September 5:

“[Oregon’s] Marion County Judge Vance Day is being investigated by a judicial fitness commission in part over his refusal to perform same-sex marriages on religious grounds, a spokesman for the judge said.

“When a federal court ruling in May 2014 made same-sex marriage legal in Oregon, Day instructed his staff to refer same-sex couples looking to marry to other judges… Last fall, he decided to stop performing weddings altogether… ‘He made a decision nearly a year ago to stop doing weddings altogether, and the principal factor that he weighed was the pressure that one would face to perform a same-sex wedding, which he had a conflict with his religious beliefs,’ [spokesman] Korten said…

“The investigation of Day’s conduct comes amid heightened national attention to the responsibilities of public officials who oppose same-sex marriage. Kim Davis, a county clerk in Kentucky, went to jail Thursday because of her refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Last month, the Ohio Supreme Court’s Board of Professional Conduct said judges can’t refuse to marry same-sex couples on personal, moral or religious grounds.

“Judges who stop performing all marriages to avoid marrying same-sex couples may be interpreted as biased and could be disqualified from any case where sexual orientation is an issue, the Ohio board ruled.”

Surrendering to Judicial Tyranny?

Breitbart wrote on September 7:

“On Sunday, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, appearing on ABC’s This Week, was queried by host George Stephanopoulos about Huckabee’s blazing defense of Kim Davis, who was jailed for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses in Kentucky. Stephanopoulos started by stating that some conservatives said Davis should not have defied the Supreme Court’s ruling that same-sex marriage was legal…

“Huckabee answered bluntly, ‘… Lincoln ignored the 1857 Dred Scott decision that said black people weren’t fully human. It was a wrong decision. And to say that we have to surrender to judicial supremacy is to do what Jefferson warned against, which is in essence to surrender to judicial tyranny’…

“Then Huckabee moved in for the kill, blasting: ‘You’ve got Democrats who ignored the law when it was the law to have traditional marriage. Gavin Newsom in San Francisco as mayor performed same-sex weddings even though it was illegal. Did he ever get put in jail? He most certainly did not. You have Barack Obama and Eric Holder, when he was attorney general. They ignored the rulings of [the Defense of Marriage Act].  Did they ever get put in jail for ignoring the law? They most certainly did not. So when is it that liberals get to choose what laws they support, but a county clerk in Kentucky who, acting on her Christian faith, is criminalized, jailed without bail, because she acted on her conscience and according to the only law that is in front of her?’…”

The Huffington Post wrote on September 6:

“GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee on Sunday defended Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses. When asked by ABC host George Stephanopoulos whether Davis had an obligation to uphold the law, even if she disagreed with it, Huckabee argued she did not. ‘You obey if it’s right,’ the former Arkansas governor said… ‘So, I go back to my question, is slavery the law of the land because Dred Scott said so? Was that a correct decision? Should the courts have been irrevocably followed on that? Should Lincoln have been put in jail? Because he ignored it. That’s the fundamental question.’

“The 1857 Dred Scott decision is widely viewed as the worst Supreme Court ruling in history. In it, the Court ruled that no one with African ancestry could be a citizen of the United States and voided prior legislation that had blocked the expansion of slavery into parts of the country…”

The Bible is very clear that we have to obey the law of the land ONLY if it does not violate the law of the Bible, in word and/or in spirit. We must obey GOD rather than man. This appalling development, which is instigated by the left-wing agenda, is a serious threat to religious liberty and freedom. What we see is that a tiny Bible-defying noisy minority, consisting of Homosexuals, Transgender etc,. impose their will on the silent majority of heterosexual American citizens who still claim to believe in the moral standards taught in the Bible. And now notice the next truly incredible article.

Gay Judge Refuses to Perform Marriages for Straight Couples

The website of thepcmdgazette.com reported on September 7:

“An openly gay Texas judge says she refuses to conduct marriage ceremonies for straight couples. No one tried to put her in jail. No federal judges tried to condemn her. The Dallas County Judge Tonya Parker explained her decision at a monthly meeting for the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas. ‘I do not perform them because it is not an equal application of the law. Period,’ she said, according to the Dallas Voice, a newspaper for the gay community.

“Parker is believed to be the first openly ‘gay’ African-American elected official in the history of the state… Her refusal to marry people based on the fact that they were not homosexuals wasn’t backed by any faith based belief or anything other than a personal vendetta. So why isn’t this a big deal? Well, most people that go to her and get turned down go somewhere else.

“People that know she is just being an attention seeker go somewhere else without even considering her as an option… So why was Kim Davis jailed and not the judge? Why did this gay couple come from another state, go to the only place not issuing gay marriage licenses, bring the media, then demand Kim Davis denounce her faith? Why couldn’t they have just [gone] somewhere else?…”

The answer is simple: Because some in the gay minority want to impose their radical will on a silent majority. In the meantime, Davis was released from prison, but nothing has changed, and if she refuses to conduct marriages for gay couples, she will find herself in jail again.

Coming—The Mother of All Disasters

The Atlantic wrote on September 2:

“For years before Hurricane Katrina, storm experts warned that a big hurricane would inundate the Big Easy. Reporters noted that the levees were unstable and could fail. Yet hardly anyone paid attention to these Cassandras until after the levees had broken, the Gulf Coast had been blown to pieces, and New Orleans sat beneath feet of water.

“The wall-to-wall coverage afforded to the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina reveals the sway that a deadly act of God or man can hold on people, even 10 years later. But it also raises uncomfortable questions about how effectively the nation is prepared for the next catastrophe, whether that be a hurricane or something else. There are plenty of people warning about the dangers that lie ahead, but that doesn’t mean that the average citizen or most levels of the government are anywhere near ready for them…

“Huge hurricanes could all but wash major cities away. Earthquakes on the West Coast and even in the center of the country could knock out power for months, make running water a distant memory, and deprive residents of the roofs over their heads. A deadly epidemic, such as the U.S. hasn’t seen in 97 years, could take the lives of tens of thousands. A terrorist could unleash an improvised nuclear device in a major city, killing thousands—an event without historical precedent…

“Some [events]—like a major earthquake hitting Southern California—are inevitable, given enough time… the most fearsome threats are the ones that have existed forever, and which humans are powerless to prevent: hurricanes and earthquakes…

“On September 8, 1900, a hurricane struck the Texas coast at Galveston, just southwest of Houston. The gales from the storm are estimated at 120 miles per hour, but the exact number is unknown… Historians now think between 6,000 and 12,000 people were killed. It was impossible to bury so many bodies, so corpses were thrown into the sea. When they washed ashore, a new tactic was adopted: mass funeral pyres. It remains the deadliest U.S. hurricane on the record and, by one measure, the third most costly…

“Miami, too, has been repeatedly struck by hurricanes—but not, perhaps, ‘the big one,’ at least not recently. That happened in 1926, when a storm slammed Miami, moved across Florida to Tampa, and then continued on to hit the panhandle… There’s no way to stop hurricanes…

“The classic [anticipated earthquake], of course, is the one fault line practically every American can name: the San Andreas, running through California. The San Andreas is responsible for some of the nation’s most famous tremors—from the San Francisco quake of 1906 to the 1989 Loma Prieta quake…

“Los Angeles isn’t the only West Coast hegemon threatened by seismic activity. A widely read New Yorker story in July awakened many lay readers to the threat of a huge earthquake in the Pacific Northwest that could devastate Seattle and Portland… The New Yorker’s Kathryn Schulz lays out the danger clearly: A quake with a magnitude of 9 or greater. Buildings not constructed for an earthquake, like those in Los Angeles. An impact area of 140,000 square miles, with 13,000 dead. And the real clincher: A massive tsunami sweeping in after the quake.

“…a major earthquake around New Madrid could shake Memphis and St. Louis and spread devastation across seven states… the last time there was major activity around New Madrid, in 1811 and 1812, the tremors strongly shook some 50,000 square miles. The shaking was strong enough to ring church bells in Boston. In some places, the ground subsided by more than 16 feet. Boatmen reported that the Mississippi River ran backwards in places as the ground shifted under it.

“What makes each of these scenarios so scary is that they’re inevitable… it’s practically certain that a huge hurricane will hit Miami or Houston, and that a huge earthquake will hit Los Angeles or the Northwest.

“The other major menaces tend to fall into the category of possible… Take the improvised nuclear device… How likely is it that a terrorist group is able to detonate a dirty bomb in a population center? That’s very tough to predict… Or how about a huge epidemic?…

“Each of these Maximum of Maximum scenarios represents a disaster larger than any the United States has ever seen. The swath of destruction they would create seems too large to imagine…”

… but not in the Way Some Ignorant Christian Groups Predict

The Independent wrote on September 8:

“Minority Christian groups have predicted the world will end later this month – when they say a ‘blood moon’ will bring about an apocalyptic meteor strike. Scientists say a ‘blood moon’ will occur on September 28, when the moon passes into the shadow of the earth cast by the Sun (a lunar eclipse) and appears dim and reddish.

“Some religious leaders believe that because this is the fourth consecutive lunar eclipse since April 2014, it is part of a ‘tetrad’ – which foretells a meteorite destroying earth and the end of time.

“Experts at Nasa remain unconvinced…

“The Blood Moon theory has its roots in a passage in the Bible in Joel 2:31 which reads: ‘And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.

“Similarly, in Acts 2:20: ‘The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.’ And again in Revelation 6:12: ‘[…] and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood’.

“That a ‘tetrad’ of lunar eclipses, with six full moons in between them, will coincide with an asteroid hitting earth was popularised by US pastors Mark Biltz and John Hagee. They each noted that previous tetrads in history had coincided with noteworthy, tragic and triumphant events in Jewish history… Present day biblical theorists who follow the teachings have been worried that in a period somewhere between September 22 to 28 2015, the world will end.”

We can DOGMATICALLY say that the world will NOT end in September of 2015. Hagee is wrong on this, and he has also popularized the false concept of a secret rapture in his “Left Behind” series… which is totally contradicted in Scripture. The biblical passages, quoted above, speak of a time AFTER the great tribulation has begun… which it has NOT.  For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation.”

Also, we want to remind our readers in this same context of the following “failed prophecy”: 

IWB had reported on March 20, 2015:

“Jonathan Cahn was given a revelation from Almighty God and wrote a book by the name of ‘The Harbinger’. A harbinger is a warning, and in this case it is a pattern of warnings from Almighty God to the American people… I can tell you now that if Almighty God continues His pattern of judgment on the USA, the financial collapse of the US dollar, will happen on Sunday, the 13th of September 2015. This date is the 29th of ELUL 5775 on the Hebrew calendar and the next Shemitah in the Septennial Sabbatical Cycle…”

Of course, the US dollar will not collapse this Sunday. All of these deceiving “prophecies” are just mere human reasoning or demon-inspired… God has NOTHING to do with them. Sadly, some gullible and ignorant Christians and Jews fall for them.

In two previous Q&A’s on healing, we pointed out that because of Christ’s supreme Sacrifice, God has promised to heal our physical illnesses, if we are fulfilling certain conditions. We showed that God expects of a sick person to ask the ministers of His Church to anoint the sick with oil, place their hands on the sick person’s head and pray over him or her, asking God for healing.

If a minister is not living close enough to the sick person, he can anoint a small piece of cloth with oil, lay his hands on it and pray over it, and then send it to the sick person who will place it on his or her head and pray to God for healing. It will be within the MINISTER’s discretion whether to anoint personally or to prepare and send an anointed cloth, and ONLY ordained ministers of God are permitted to anoint the sick or to prepare an anointed cloth for the sick.

It has been the long-held understanding of the Church of God that a sick person should first ask the ministry for anointing. This may be followed in appropriate cases by a prayer request from the ministry to the Church congregation. Usually, it would not be the right procedure to request of the ministry to ask for prayers from the congregation, without having first asked the ministry for anointing.

We also showed in our previous Q&A’s, that the sick person must have faith to be healed, being certain that he or she WILL be healed. A sick person must not doubt that God will heal him or her, because a doubter must not suppose that he or she will receive anything from God.

In our free booklet, “Sickness and Healing – What the Bible Tells Us” we explain the following:

“Faith is necessary for healing, but faith alone is not enough. Our way of life has a great deal to do with whether God may choose to heal us or not. We read in 1 John 3:22: ‘And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.’”

In this Q&A, we will focus on John’s statement that we must do those things which are pleasing in God’s sight. It is important to understand WHAT we must DO in order to please God.

The Greek word which is used for “pleasing” in 1 John 3:22 is “arestos.” Christ said in John 8:29: “The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please [Greek: “arestos”] Him.”

We read in the Old Testament that God was well pleased with Christ because He was righteous, exalted the law and made it more honorable (Isaiah 42:21). This is a reference to God’s spiritual law of the Ten Commandments and the statutes and judgments. Christ came to reveal the spiritual intent of the law. Ritual temporary animal sacrifices found their fulfillment in Christ’s Sacrifice, and in this context, David said in Psalm 69:30-31: “I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bull…” However, as we will see, we are still to give “spiritual” sacrifices to God.

In the New Testament, the Father confirmed on several occasions that Christ was His beloved Son in whom He was well pleased.

Greek words which are related to “arestos,” but emphasize a still higher degree of acceptance, are “euarestos” or “euaresteo.” The New King James Bible translates the last word sometimes with “acceptable” or “acceptably.”

We read in 2 Corinthians 5:9 that Paul and his co-workers made it their aim, “whether present or absent, to be well pleasing” to God. We read that Enoch pleased God because he had faith, and that it is impossible to please God without faith, knowing that God will reward us when we diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:5-6). We are told in Hebrews 12:28 that with God’s grace, we can and should serve Him “acceptably” or in a way which is well pleasing to God, with reverence and godly fear, knowing that we are to inherit the Kingdom of God.

Hebrews 13:16 reminds us to do good and to share, as God is well pleased with such sacrifices. Elaborating on this, Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2 that we are to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and “acceptable” or well pleasing to God. He continues that we are not to be conformed to this world, but that we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we can prove what is God’s good, perfect and “acceptable” or well-pleasing will.

Ephesians 5:8-11 states that we were once darkness, but that we are not to have any more fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; rather, we are now light in Christ and must walk as children of light, manifesting goodness, righteousness and truth in our lives and finding out what is “acceptable” or well pleasing to God. (Colossians 1:10 adds that Paul is praying for the brethren that they “may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Even though a different Greek expression for “fully pleasing” is used here, the conveyed meaning is the same.)

Romans 14:18 tells us that we are “acceptable” or “well pleasing” to God and approved by men if we are living in righteousness and peace and joy through the power of the Holy Spirit (verse 17).

Focusing on the conditions and requirements for physical healing and the fact that we must be pleasing God in how we live, we find an interesting statement in Proverbs 16:7, which reads: “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Since God is interested in a peaceful relationship with one’s enemies, how much more is He interested in peaceful reconciliation between brethren. We cited Romans 14:17-18, stating that we please God when we live in peace. We also read in Psalm 133:1 : “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Pleasing God includes seeking to establish a peaceful relationship with one another. This requires asking others for their forgiveness of trespasses which we might have committed against them, and forgiving others their trespasses against us. This is the reason why James says in chapter 5, verses 13–16: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray… Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

We state in our above-mentioned booklet about healing:

“We are being told in James 5:16 that we are to ‘confess [our] trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that [we] may be healed.’ The Greek word for ‘trespass,’ paraptoma, is used in numerous additional passages, for instance in Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:1; 2:5; or 2 Corinthians 5:19. It is consistently and correctly translated in the New King James Bible as ‘trespasses’ in those passages. We are told in Colossians 2:13 that God, upon our repentance, forgives us all of our ‘trespasses.’ We are also told that if we forgive men their ‘trespasses,’ our Father will forgive us our ‘trespasses’ as well, but if we do not forgive men their ‘trespasses,’ our Father will not forgive us our ‘trespasses,’ either (Matthew 6:14–15; compare Matthew 18:35).

“The ‘trespasses’ which we need to confess to our brother or sister, in order to obtain his or her ‘forgiveness,’ are those that we have committed against our brother or our sister. Mark 11:25–26 tells us: ‘And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.’

“Unresolved problems between brethren might… prevent healing of physical sickness. James 5:16 tells us, ‘Confess your trespasses to one another [with the goal to ‘clear the air’], and pray for one another, THAT you may be healed.’ After all, Christ told Peter to forgive his repenting brother ‘seventy times seven’ (Matthew 18:22). In Peter’s question, the brother had sinned against Peter and had come to him to express to him his sorrow—in other words, to ‘confess’ to Peter his trespass or sin against Peter…

“Notice, too, Matthew 5:23–24, ‘Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.’

“If we commit a sin or trespass against someone else, resulting in an offense and a problem within our relationship with that other person, we are to ‘confess’ our sin or trespass to that person, asking him or her for forgiveness, with the goal of restoring our relationship. At the same time, we are NOT to ‘confess’ or talk about our sin or trespass with others, unless a situation develops as described in Matthew 18:15–17. Notice, however, the very first step in the Matthew 18 process: ‘Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him ALONE. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.’ At that moment, the process is supposed to end, and the sin or trespass against the brother is supposed to be forgiven, buried and gone. It is not to be ‘resurrected’ by the parties, and it is most certainly not to be talked about to others…”

The Scripture in James 5:14–16 is a command for us that if we are sick, we are to ask for God’s true ministers to anoint us with oil [a symbol of God’s Holy Spirit of power] and to pray over us. We have to pray with faith. At the same time, we read that if we committed SINS, they will be forgiven us. This is addressing sins against God, and God will only forgive us when we REPENT. We must not think that we can ask God for healing, while we are willing, at the same time, to continue living in sin. Pleasing God means and includes that we deeply repent of our sins, cease from sin and forsake it, and ask God for His forgiveness.

In addition, we do what is pleasing in God’s sight when we confess our trespasses to one another; that is, we must repent of our trespasses and we may even have to ask the other person against whom we have trespassed to forgive us, if it is obvious that this particular trespass is still an ongoing problem between us. Further, we must be willing to forgive others their trespasses against us—the goal is to restore a peaceful relationship and unity between brethren.

If we behave in this way, then we “do those things that are pleasing in His sight,” and we have fulfilled another requirement or condition necessary for our healing.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new Member Letter has been mailed. In this letter, Norbert Link addresses the terrible violence that is occurring and continuing to spread in the world. He also points to the importance of the Fall Holy Days we are about to observe and the Work of God we must accomplish. This letter is posted on our webpage.

The 2015 Feast Brochure has been completed by our graphics designer, Shelly Bruno. We will distribute copies at the Feast, and you can view and download a copy from our webpage.

Our newest booklet, “Do You Know the Jesus of the Bible?” was received today from the printer. It is also posted for viewing. We will distribute the booklet during the Feast of Tabernacles to our Feast attendees, and we will mail copies to those requesting the booklet shortly thereafter.

“No More Religious Freedom in the USA?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

The decision of a U.S. District Judge in Kentucky to jail County Clerk Kim Davis for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because of her religious beliefs manifests ongoing and increasing religious persecution in America. Politicians who say that Davis has to obey the law of the land do not seem to understand the complexity of the matter. Numerous examples will be presented in this program, showing that individual religious freedom is under attack and violated on a constant basis. The trend will continue, being pursued by a relentless tiny minority which is determined to impose its will on a silent majority. But whom are we to obey more–man or God?

 

“Biblical Prophecy,” is a new Standingwatch Talking Points, presented by Pastor Rene Messier. Here is a summary:

What does the Bible tell us about our future? What will happen from now until the time of Christ’s Return—and far beyond that? What person on earth would not want to know? The surprising answer is that God revealed thousands of years ago, in the pages of the Bible, what is going to happen, beginning very soon.

“Willst Du Gesund Werden?” is the new German sermon for this Sabbath. Title in English: “Do You Want to Be Made Well?”

“Posaunenfest 2015—Religiöse Verführung in Gottes Kirche?“ is the title of the German sermon for the Feast of Trumpets. It deals with religious deception at the time of Christ’s return. Title in English: “Trumpets 2015–Religious Deception in God’s Church?”

“Spiritually Naked,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

In the 3rd chapter of Revelation we find the church of Laodicea mentioned.  This church is mentioned as spiritually naked.  Later on it is mentioned that the true church is making herself ready and clothing herself with righteous acts. Let’s discover the difference between the two.

“Why Did King Saul Fail?” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Following Israel’s demand for a king to fight their battles, God instructed the judge and prophet Samuel to anoint Saul as their king. Saul received God’s Holy Spirit, but he failed miserably. Why? In this sermon we will show you numerous examples of Saul’s misconduct leading to his downfall. They must serve as a warning for us. If we repeat King Saul’s mistakes, we might be likewise at risk of falling away from God.

As a reminder, here are the dates for the Fall Holy Days:

September 14— Feast of Trumpets
September 23—Day of Atonement
September 28 through October 4—Feast of Tabernacles
October 5—Last Great Day

On September 5, 2015, Kalon Mitchell will present the sermonette, titled, “Spiritually Naked,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “Why Did King Saul Fail?”

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.

A while ago when I was musing on the prayer requests that we have, I thought particularly of someone who had cancer.   It is not a new disease to me and my family.   My maternal grandmother died of cancer; my mother died of liver cancer; and my wife had ovarian cancer twenty-five years ago from which she has fully recovered.  We have known a number of church members and personal friends who have been hit by this dreadful disease.

One report on the internet stated that “Each year nearly 300,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK.  It has been estimated that more than 1 in 3 people (33%) will develop cancer at some point in their lifetime.  Cancers can occur at any age, but the risk of developing cancer increases with age.”

At this time I was reading a book which wrote about chemicals and their effect on health.  It said: “We typically assume that somebody else is minding the shop, making sure all these chemicals are safe.   Yet the truth is that out of 75,000 chemicals now in common commercial use, only about 1,200 to 1,500 have been tested for carcinogenicity.   Dr Sandra Steingraber writes in her book ‘Living Downstream’ that ‘the vast majority of commercially used chemicals were brought to market before 1979, when federal legislation mandated the review of new chemicals.   Thus many carcinogenic environmental contaminants likely remain unidentified, unmonitored, and unregulated.’”

The book also pointed out that the average American hosts up to 500 different chemicals in his or her body.

All of this reminded me of an article that was printed in “The Millennial Times” – a magazine in full color for the Feast of Tabernacles that we produced and published a couple of years ago, where brief articles were written about how it will be after the return of Christ in the Kingdom of God.   One article was entitled “Chemical Companies Out of Business” by Phyllis Bourque, which stated the following (amongst other comments):

“At last, the chemical companies have permanently met their demise!   After being destroyed in the last great war, the facilities that produced such deadly poisons will NOT be rebuilt!   In the meantime, the ruling God Family has effectively neutralized the effects of thousands of years of poisoning the air, the water, the land, the vegetation, and all living creatures.

“The land , which had been drenched with poison in the form of ‘pesticides’ and ‘fertilizers,’ has been decontaminated and restored to the Creator’s specifications so that it can sustain all life – plant, animal and human.”

There will be no more cancer and other diseases, caused by man’s misuse of the earth and him ignoring the instruction that was given in Genesis 2:15: “The LORD God placed the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it.”   Down through the last 6,000 years, man has generally, with few exceptions, ignored that instruction and greatly to his detriment.

We will be keeping the Feast of Tabernacles soon, which pictures the coming Kingdom of God.   And we can rejoice that in the Kingdom, there will no longer be any chemicals or contaminants that, today, cause so much pain and suffering through cancer and other illnesses.   We will be able to look forward to a time when man will no longer have dominion over the earth under the sway of Satan.

What a joy it will be when God—His ruling Family—hold sway!

We report on mixed messages from Pope Francis and the Vatican on a “gay children’s book” and the issue of abortion; address a horrible teaching by modern Judaism on abortion; and speak at length about the current European “migrant” crisis which does not seem to present any solutions, but which could lead to drastic changes within and pertaining to Europe.

We continue focusing on the related issue of the radical actions and plans of the terrorist organization ISIS.

We address the hotly debated issue as to what the American Constitution says about birthright citizenship; and we publish an article uttering a strong warning against mass deportations such as those which occurred during the “1930s repatriation.”

We conclude with articles describing the ugliness of American politics; the Dow Jones’ worst August decline in 17 years; and the predictable consequences of the US Supreme Court’s controversial political decision pertaining to same-sex marriages.

Pope Francis Praises Gay Children Book

On August 28, AFP wrote the following:

“Pope Francis has sent his blessing to a lesbian author of children’s books dealing with same-sex families, wishing her and her wife well in their work, it emerged on Friday. As Vatican officials scrambled to clarify that the message was simply a standard courtesy which did not signal any change in Church teaching on the subject, the author told AFP she had been pleasantly surprised to have received such a positive response. Francesca Pardi, who writes and publishes books such as ‘Why you have two mummies’, wrote to Francis in June after the publishing company she runs with her wife came under fire from Christian groups.

“She included examples of her works, some of which have recently been controversially withdrawn from nurseries and primary schools by a new mayor in Venice. ‘My books present different types of families without setting any of them up as a model,’ Pardi told AFP, praising the pope for having responded in a manner that showed ‘respect and dignity’ towards her, her wife and their four children…

“In his message, the pope wished the two women ‘ever more fruitful work in the service of young generations and in spreading authentic human and Christian values.’

“Francis has signaled that he wants the Church to adopt a more pragmatic and understanding approach to the situation of believers living in gay relationships… But proposals to integrate a shift to a more welcoming tone… have been opposed by conservatives. Bishops from around the world will return to the subject at a Vatican synod in October which will seek to find a compromise on that and other divisive issues…

“Pardi and her partner got married in Spain. Italy is the only major western European country that has no provision for same sex couples to have their unions legally recognized. The center-left government has pledged to enact legislation introducing the possibility of civil unions by the end of this year but there are no plans to legalize gay marriage.”

Zenit published the following “retraction” on August 28:

“Once again Pope Francis is being ‘used’ by those in favor of promoting the same-sex lifestyle. The latest case arose this morning following news of a letter sent by an official in the Vatican Secretariat of State to the author of children’s books that promote ‘different family types.’ The Guardian reported the letter with the headline, ‘Pope Francis sends letter praising gay children’s book.’

“What actually happened is that, as customary, the Secretariat of State responded to a letter sent to the Pope… The official reply on the part of the Holy See followed, in which Father Benedettini himself, describing the tones of Prandi’s letter as ‘respectful and educated,’ confirmed a reply letter had been sent, signed by the councillor for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, Monsignor Peter Brian Wells. He specified that ‘it was a private answer and, therefore, not destined for publication (something that unfortunately happened).’

“The Vatican spokesman then added that ‘the Pope’s blessing at the end of the letter is to the person and not to eventual teachings not in line with the doctrine of the Church on gender theory, which in no way has changed…”

The pope’s congratulations and blessings do not sound like a “simple courtesy message,” nor is the “clarification” of the Vatican’s spokesman in any way convincing. It is clear that a power struggle between the pope and conservative bishops and Vatican officials is happening in the Catholic Church. It will be interesting to see who will win this war.

Abominable Admission—Judaism Demands Abortion in Certain Cases

The Daily Caller wrote on August 26:

“In recent weeks, presidential candidate Marco Rubio has defended his opposition to abortion in all cases, even to save the life of the mother, by claiming a scientific consensus that life begins at conception. As such, the argument goes, a law protecting the mother’s life over that of her fetus would be criminal.

“He may not know, though, that his position could destroy the lives of some Orthodox Jews like me. Because in our faith tradition, abortion to save the life of the mother is not ‘permitted.’ It is mandatory. Jewish law considers a fetus threatening the mother’s life to be a ‘rodef’ (a pursuer) – similar to a knife-wielding man about to murder someone. Jewish law requires killing a rodef to protect the life of an innocent person.

“Well-respected Modern Orthodox Rabbi Shlomo Riskin has explained the Jewish approach this way: ‘What determines the “right of life” for the fetus is its potential danger. If it “pursues” the mother, threatening her life, then the fetus must be destroyed.’…

“Now, many liberal Jews discussing American politics have incorrectly proclaimed that ‘Judaism is pro-choice’ because our texts and precedents allow abortion in certain circumstances beyond saving the mother’s life – for example to protect her from grievous emotional harm, and in some opinions when the child has a fatal diagnosis portending a short and painful life. But Jewish law does not require abortion in those other cases; it just allows it…

“But that rule does not apply to mandatory termination of life-threatening pregnancies under Jewish law. If the Rubio policy prevails, some traditional Jews will have excruciating decisions to make – like whether they want to pursue secret and potentially unsafe medical procedures; leave the country; or face jail time for doing something we believe God demands.”

This teaching of Judaism is an abomination. The rationale of comparing an unborn child “who must be destroyed” with “a knife-wielding man about to murder someone” is a horrible outgrowth of an aberrant mind. To suggest that God demands the murder of an unborn child under any condition is blasphemy. To be clear, the position of Marco Rubio on abortion is the ONLY correct position taught in the Bible. Please note the next article.

The Pope’s Mixed Message on Abortion

AFP wrote on September 1:

“Pope Francis on Tuesday called on priests to pardon women who have abortions during the upcoming Jubilee year — overruling hardline traditionalists within the Catholic Church. ‘I have decided, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to concede to all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness,’ he said.

“In a message outlining special measures for the Jubilee year starting in December, Francis said he knew that while ‘abortion is experienced by some with a superficial awareness’ many others ‘believe that they have no other option’. The Argentine pontiff said he was ‘well aware of the pressure’ that some women were under to abort, adding that he had ‘met so many women who bear in their heart the scar of this agonising and painful decision’.

“Abortion is considered a particularly serious sin and is punishable under Canon law by excommunication, by which those guilty are expelled from the Church and considered to be condemned to Hell in the afterlife… Catholics for Choice, a US-based pro-choice organization, said this was another positive example of Francis trying to bridge the gulf ‘between what the hierarchy says and what ordinary Catholics really do’. ‘However, despite what Pope Francis has said, I do not believe that Catholic women will be queueing up to ask for forgiveness,’ the organisation’s president Jon O’Brien said in a statement. And limiting the period of forgiveness to one year ‘suggests that he still has a blind spot when it comes to women and what they want.”’…

“In his message, Francis also reached out to the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), a break-away super-conservative group which refuses to recognize church reforms and has been accused of being mired in anti-Semitism. Vatican expert John Allen, writing for Crux, said by putting measures which will please both liberals and conservatives alike in the same package, Francis had performed ‘a daring pastoral double play’…”

Apart from the mixed and contradictory messages on abortion with a temporary option of forgiveness for just one year, the concept that those who have aborted their child must go to “hell” is of course totally unbiblical, since such a “hell,” as taught by the Catholic Church, does not exist.

Europe’s Migrant Crisis—Worst Since World War II

The Associated Press wrote on August 29:

“Death and desperation mounted in Europe’s migrant crisis Friday as Austrian police said 71 people appeared to have suffocated in the back of an abandoned truck, while an estimated 200 people were feared drowned off Libya when two overloaded boats capsized. More than 300,000 people have sought to cross the Mediterranean Sea so far in 2015, up from 219,000 in all of last year, as European authorities grapple with the largest influx since World War II…

“The International Office of Migration has recorded 2,636 deaths linked to Mediterranean crossings this year, and more may have vanished beneath the waves out of sight of rescuers.

“Each day, thousands are boarding flimsy boats for Italy or Greece, and many more are placing themselves and their families at the mercy of human traffickers by slogging for days or weeks through the western Balkans toward what they hope will be a brighter future. Most are fleeing war, conflict or persecution in countries including Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea…”

Bad News for Migrants

Breitbart wrote on September 1:

“An Afghan man who tore pages out of the Koran and threw them in a nearby toilet ended up making a decision that almost cost him his life, as an angry Syrian migrant mob reacted by chasing him through the streets of a refugee area in Suhl, Germany, this week. In total, over 17 people were injured during the incident, including six police officers and members of the press, according to reports. It remains unknown if the Koran-desecrating man would have survived had there not been a police presence in the immediate area.

“After the Afghan man ripped up the Koran and discarded its pages in a nearby toilet, dozens of Syrian refugees began to chase the individual who had purportedly ruined their holy book. It took a team of armed guards to stop the rioting men, who then began pelting the policemen and security officers with rocks and steel weapons, local reports stated. ‘The Syrian men, armed with iron rods, bricks and concrete blocks, then they went completely berserk. They smashed doors, windows, police cars chased the journalists and tossed about with furniture and other things,’ read a translated report from DKA.

“The violence has continued into Tuesday, the Daily Mail UK reports. Migrants ‘smashed car windows, ransacked buildings and demolished the walls which divide the shelter in the rampage which lasted several hours,’ the report stated. The refugee camp has taken in approximately 1,700 individuals, which is five hundred over what is supposed to be its maximum capacity, local reports said. In order to try and prevent future hostilities, German officials are planning on dividing migrants by their ethnicity…”

Those incidents, based on religious fanatic behavior, will not help Muslim migrants one bit.

Calls for the Army to “Defend” Borders in Europe

Bloomberg wrote on August 31:

“The Czech Republic should defend its borders, using the army to expel ‘illegal immigrants’ because the European Union isn’t curbing the influx of refugees into the bloc, President Milos Zeman said. Zeman’s comments echoed those of other politicians calling for the EU to take action to stem the flood of people into the region from Syria and other conflict areas as they travel through Greece and the Balkan states to western Europe.

“‘Of course I would wish for the EU to strengthen its borders, but I don’t see any real action,’ Zeman told reporters in Prague castle on Monday. ‘Therefore I believe the Czech Republic should take [care] of its borders alone and expel illegal immigrants from the borders, including with the use of the army.’”

Horrible images of East German soldiers patrolling the Berlin Wall come to mind.

The Terrible Fate of Migrants in Hungary

The New York Times wrote on September 2:

“A ragged metropolis of thousands of weary and bedraggled migrants continued to rise here on Wednesday in the labyrinth of underground passageways outside Keleti train station [in Budapest, Hungary]. The Hungarian authorities, saying they were merely obeying European migration regulations, continued to keep migrants out of the station, despite having allowed thousands onto westbound trains on Monday. At the same time, the desperate migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Afghanistan — most of them hoping to reach Germany — continued to pour over the Hungarian border from Serbia. The construction of a razor-wire fence seems to have barely slowed them down.

“And so, while European ministers squabbled and prepared for a series of meetings to discuss the crisis, vowing to move toward some sort of common and humane response, the squalid city outside Keleti grew and festered, developing new suburbs by the hour…

“Hundreds of thousands of migrants have been seeking refuge in Europe, only to find themselves confronted with a patchwork of incoherent asylum policies across the 28-member European Union. At the same time, anti-immigrant sentiment, stoked by far-right political parties, is fostering a backlash in some countries, including Britain, France and Hungary, where those parties have influenced the political agenda…

“Many of the migrants had valid tickets to board trains to the West, bought in a mad rush on Monday evening and Tuesday morning after the Hungarian authorities allowed some migrants to leave. But because they could not get inside the station, they could not board their trains. And because the tickets were nonrefundable, they watched as more of their precious resources evaporated into the muggy air…

“Outside Hungary’s Parliament building, several thousand people marched Wednesday evening to protest the government’s treatment of the migrants….”

Deutsche Welle added on September 2:

“After the initial joy of arriving in Europe, it becomes clear to most of the refugees in Budapest that they’re trapped at the train station. Police are watching over an increasingly disgruntled crowd of thousands… Right now, it’s a trap with no way out.

“The people here want one thing: To go to Germany. The joy they felt at arriving in the EU has evaporated. When asked what the worst part of his journey so far has been – the war zone, the sea, or the scorching heat in the Balkans – one of the men answers quickly: ‘This here.'”

It’s Getting Ugly in Hungary

Reuters wrote on September 3:

“Hungarian police halted a train packed with migrants bound for the Austrian border and tried to force them to disembark in a town with a detention camp on Thursday, a confrontation that has become a focus of Europe’s migration crisis.

“After shutting migrants out of the main train station in the capital Budapest for two days, authorities allowed exhausted and confused migrants to board a westbound train. Hundreds crammed aboard clinging to doors and squeezing their children through open carriage windows.

“But instead of proceeding to the Austrian border, the train was stopped just west of Budapest in the town of Bicske, where Hungary has a migration reception center, and police ordered the migrants off. Police cleared one carriage, while five more stood at the station in the heat. Fearing detention, some migrants banged on windows chanting ‘No camp! No camp!’

“One group pushed back dozens of riot police guarding a stairwell to fight their way back on board. One family – a man, his wife and their toddler – made their way along the track next to the train and lay down in protest. It took a dozen riot police wrestling with the man to get them up again…

“European public opinion was galvanized by images of a drowned three-year-old Syrian boy face down in the surf on a Turkish beach which appeared on the front pages of newspapers across the continent on Thursday…

“The influx has strained the European Union’s asylum system to breaking point, sowing division among its 28 nations and feeding the rise of right-wing populists.

“The major EU countries have taken sharply opposing positions on whether to offer welcome. Germany plans to receive 800,000 refugees this year, while Britain has set up a program to allow in vulnerable Syrians that has admitted just 216… Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday the problem could not be solved by Britain taking more refugees…

“Prime Minister Viktor Orban [of Hungary], in Brussels for talks with other EU leaders, said Europeans were ‘full of fear because they see that the European leaders … are not able to control the situation.’ In an opinion piece for Germany’s Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung, he wrote that his country was being ‘overrun’ with refugees, most of which, he noted, were Muslims, not Christians. ‘That is an important question, because Europe and European culture have Christian roots,’ he said…”

EU’s 30-Year-Old Schengen Agreement Under Attack

The Telegraph wrote on August 31:

“The German Chancellor says for the first time that the Schengen zone, which allows passport-free travel across mainland Europe, cannot continue in its current form unless other EU countries accept their share of migrants. The European Union could be forced to bring back border controls in the wake of the migrant crisis, Angela Merkel said last night…

“Her comments echo those made by Thomas de Maiziere, the German interior minister, who also raised the prospect of border controls earlier this month. And they signal that European leaders are beginning to question whether the EU can continue to exist with open borders as it struggles to cope with the hundreds of thousands of migrants coming into the continent from Africa and the Middle East.

“Her comments came as Austria imposed tough new controls along its eastern border with Hungary on Monday… Mrs Merkel’s decision to raise the prospect of border controls could benefit David Cameron’s attempts to reform the European Union as it would require major treaty change.”

Smugglers Capitalize on Desperate Condition of Migrants

The Daily Mail reported on August 28:

“[There is] a growing number of Facebook pages which offer to smuggle desperate Syrians and Iraqis to mainland Europe for thousands of pounds. The traffickers are seeking to cash in on the thousands of middle-class families who are willing to risk their life savings on the promise of a ‘safe’ passage… Thousands have died crossing the Mediterranean in unseaworthy craft this year, meaning the traffickers are now playing on families’ fears by offering expensive package deals…

“One Facebook page, titled ‘Safe Journey from Turkey to Greece’, tells its would-be clients they will board a 130ft yacht in the Turkish port of Izmir. It carries a picture of the gleaming white Orient Bosphorus, its upper deck strung with fairy lights. Passengers pay a hefty £2,500 per ticket but are told it is ‘forbidden’ to bring any luggage or to wear headscarves because they must look like Western tourists… The men behind the Facebook page, who do not give their names, insist their boats are ‘100 per cent safe’ and suggest their customers carry digital cameras and laptops to help them look like tourists and evade capture. For those who do not want to risk a sea crossing, the site also offered a two-day route to Austria via lorry for £5,500 per person. In reality, both routes could be deadly, as shown by the grim discovery of 71 migrants’ bodies in a lorry in Austria this week.

“And in fact the ‘safe’ five-star yacht pictured on the site is also an illusion. When the Daily Mail contacted the operators of the Orient Bosphorus, they said it was used only for romantic river cruises along the Bosphorus in Istanbul, and never went to Izmir, let alone across the Mediterranean… For Syrians travelling without valid documents, various shady companies offered passports for sale, with prices starting at £650. Visas for European countries can cost thousands.”

This is an example of human nature at its worst.

The Late Curse of the Balkan War

Der Spiegel Online wrote on August 29:

“More than a third of all asylum-seekers arriving in Germany come from Albania, Kosovo and Serbia. Young, poor and disillusioned with their home countries, they are searching for a better future. But almost none of them will be allowed to stay…

 “30,000 Kosovars… have applied for asylum in Germany since the beginning of the year… the country has [also] seen [this year] the arrival of 5,514 Macedonians, 11,642 Serbians, 29,353 Albanians and 2,425 Montenegrins. Of the 196,000 people who had filed an initial application for asylum in Germany by the end of July, 42 percent are from the former Yugoslavia, a region now known as the Western Balkans.

“The exodus shows the wounds of the Balkan wars have not yet healed. Slovenia and Croatia are now members of the European Union, but Kosovo, which split from Serbia and became prematurely independent in 2008, carves out a pariah existence. Serbia is heavily burdened with the unresolved Kosovo question. The political system in Bosnia-Hercegovina is on the brink of collapse, 20 years after the end of the war there. And Macedonia, long the post-Yugoslavia model nation, has spent two decades in the waiting rooms of the EU and NATO, thanks to Greek pressure in response to a dispute over the country’s name. The consequences are many: a lack of investment, failing social welfare systems, corruption, organized crime, high unemployment, poverty, frustration and rage.

“… close to two-thirds of 14-to-29-year-olds want to leave Albania, as do more than half of those in the same age group from Kosovo and Macedonia. They have lost all confidence in their young democracies, and they dream of a better life. They apply for asylum in Europe because that is the only way to obtain a residence permit. But almost all applications are ultimately denied… One of the topics of discussion at the next asylum summit in Berlin on Sept. 9 will be whether Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo should be added to the list of ‘safe countries of origin’ along with Serbia, Macedonia and Bosnia-Hercegovina [This would mean, asylum seekers from those countries would be denied as well].

“And there are, indeed, hardly any reasons to grant asylum to migrants from the Balkans. Even human rights organizations have few objections to classifying these countries as ‘safe,’ with the exceptions that apply to minorities like the Sinti and Roma, as well as homosexuals… After Syrians and Kosovars, Albanians have become the third-largest group of asylum seekers in Germany… Albania became a candidate for EU accession a year ago, but it is also a country where human trafficking and organized crime are rampant… Albania is also the poorest of… 37 European countries…

“Belgrade has become a transit hub for tens of thousands of Syrians, Afghans and Iranians who are flowing into northern Europe via Turkey and Greece. The EU, their dream destination, is located just 200 kilometers from the Serbian capital and around 2,500 refugees arrive in Serbia every day. And so many refugees are arriving in neighboring Macedonia that the government declared a state of emergency last Friday…

“On Thursday, the Western Balkan Conference is set to begin. Ironically, the meeting will be held inside Vienna’s Hofburg Palace, the heart of the former Habsburg Empire. The countries touching the empire’s former external borders still haven’t found lasting peace even 100 years after it unraveled…”

The curse of war does not only apply to the senseless killing of thousands, if not millions of people, but also to the related problems of innocent refugees and migrants who are driven away from their homeland due to the fighting and barbarous acts of “friends” and enemies alike… See the next article.

The Curse of the Syrian War

The Washington Post wrote on August 29:

“While the world’s attention is fixed on the tens of thousands of Syrian refugees swarming into Europe, a potentially far more profound crisis is unfolding in the countries of the Middle East that have borne the brunt of the world’s failure to resolve the Syrian war. Those reaching Europe represent a small percentage of the 4 million Syrians who have fled into Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq, making Syria the biggest single source of refugees in the world and the worst humanitarian emergency in more than four decades.

“As the fighting grinds into a fifth year…  [the] conflict has left at least 250,000 people dead in the strategic heart of the Middle East and displaced more than 11 million overall, yet there is still no peace process, no discernible solution and no end in sight. Now, the humanitarian effort is failing, too…

“Syrians accounted for the largest percentage of asylum-seekers in Europe over the past two years, and their numbers are growing fast — 63 percent of the 160,000 people who have washed up in Greece so far this year were Syrian. But Europe is an option available only to refugees with the means to pay the $5,000 or $6,000 fee demanded by smugglers…”

“ISIS Growing Like Crazy”

Newsmax reported on August 30:

“September marks the first anniversary of the U.S. war against the Islamic State group (ISIS), but American efforts are showing little success, NBC News reported on Sunday. Turkey’s recent permission for airstrikes and drone missions to be based there was ‘a huge tactical gain,’ NBC’s Richard Engel reported… but added, ‘ISIS doesn’t seem to be shrinking.’ Engel quoted one U.S. official as saying the terror group’s international branches are ‘growing like crazy,’ spreading  [across] North and West Africa, Arabia, Afghanistan and into the Far East.

“‘ISIS has expanded far more quickly and extensively than Al Qaeda ever did,’ Engel said… The current [U.S.] strategy is based on three pillars, ‘and they’re all shaky,’ Engel said. Retraining of the Iraqi army has been slow, and Iran often calls the shots, he said. Only a few Syrian rebels have been trained, and many have been kidnapped already. The airstrikes have been successful in killing ISIS leaders and fighters, but they all are quickly replaced.”

ISIS Destroys Temples Dedicated to Baal

AFP wrote on August 31:

“Satellite images confirm the destruction of another famed temple in Syria’s Palmyra, the United Nations said late Monday. ‘We can confirm destruction of the main building of the Temple of Bel as well as a row of columns in its immediate vicinity,’ the UN training and research agency UNITAR said, providing satellite images from before and after a powerful blast in the ruins of the ancient city Sunday… UNITAR said its satellite program put to rest any doubts that the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel had been destroyed in the blast… IS already destroyed the smaller Baal Shamin temple at Palmyra last week… UNITAR on Friday also presented satellite images confirming the destruction of the Baal Shamin temple, which the UN’s cultural agency UNESCO called a ‘war crime’… [Baal Shamin was dedicated to the Phoenician god of storms and fertilizing rains]…

“The jihadists have carried out a sustained campaign of destruction against heritage sites in areas under their control in Syria and Iraq, and in mid-August beheaded the 82-year-old former antiquities chief in Palmyra. The extremist group’s interpretation of Islam considers statues and grave markers to be idolatrous, but it has also been accused of destroying heritage sites to loot items for the black market and to gain publicity.

“Known as the ‘Pearl of the Desert’, Palmyra, which means City of Palms, lies 210 kilometres (130 miles) northeast of Damascus. Before the Syrian conflict erupted 2011, more than 150,000 tourists visited Palmyra every year. Before the arrival of Christianity in the second century, Palmyra worshipped the Semitic god Bel, along with the sun god Yarhibol and lunar god Aglibol… Construction on the temple began in 32 BC and ended in the second century, and it later served as both a church and a mosque.”

Daily Mail Online added on August 31:

“Constructed in 32AD, the temple [of Bel] was dedicated to gods worshipped by the Semites – a group of different cultures in the Ancient Middle East including Assyrians, Phoenicians, Hebrews and Arabs. It stood on an artificial hill which dates back more than 2,200 years and lavish carvings of the then-known seven planets, zodiac signs and Makkabel the fertility god adorn the monolithic ceiling of its northern chamber… ISIS also destroyed the treasured Lion of al-Lat – the 15-tonne, 3.5m-high piece made out of limestone early in the 1st Century AD. The lion was considered the ancient consort of al-Lat, the goddess of the underworld who abhorred violence…”

Old Testament Israel and Judah were involved in Baal worship for which God strongly condemned them. Baal was a sun god, and today, those who worship God on Sunday, instead on the biblically-commanded Sabbath, are following Gentiles who did worship Baal and other pagan gods on Sunday. God tells us, however, that we must not attempt to worship Him in this way (Deuteronomy 12:29-32).

ISIS to Conquer Rome?

Express wrote on August 30:

“ISIS… was founded on the belief that all civilisations will crumble in an imminent apocalypse, with their wild theory also identifying four likely locations for a battle they claim will bring about the end of the world. Three of those sites exist in the Middle East, including two in Syria and one in Israel. But the fanatics have also pinpointed Italy’s capital Rome as the site of another great clash between their soldiers and the West. ‘The Muslim armies are supposed to take over Rome, and eventually they are supposed to take over the whole world,’ explained William McCants, a US expert on jihadism, who has written a new book on the ISIS obsession with the apocalypse…

“Jihadists believe the Prophet Muhammed is said to have remarked that ‘the last hour will not come; until an army vanquishes the Romans at ‘Dabiq or Al-A’maq’. [Dabiq is a tiny town in northern Syria]. Also highlighted as a potential flashpoint is a town just outside the Syrian capital Damascus, while Jerusalem in Israel also gets a mention as the potential epicentre of an apocalyptic clash. But most worrying to those in the West is the suggestion that Rome could also be targeted… The group has threatened to bring in Sharia law in the city… There have also been threats made against the Pope, whose official residence is in the Vatican City…

“According to their theory, ‘nations gathering under 80 flags will confront the Muslim armies’. For many jihadists, the alliance of Western and other powers against ISIS in bombing raids over Iraq and Syria is seen as the fulfilment of that prophecy…  to date, more than 60 nations have committed to fight against the terror network. It means that were a handful more countries to join the growing anti-ISIS alliance, jihadists could act on their terrifying prediction.”

Because of such perceived threats, some have concluded that ISIS is the king of the South, mentioned in the book of Daniel, pushing against Europe (identified as the king of the North). Others have claimed that ISIS or some other Muslim groups will produce the “Antichrist.” None of that is biblical.

However, we do read that Rome will ultimately be destroyed by the modern “Medes” (Ukrainians and Russians), leading an alliance of several military nations from the Far East (the “kings of the East” in biblical terms), and it appears that Iran, for example, will be part of that alliance. Other Muslim countries may be too.

For further information, please read our free booklets, “Middle Eastern and African Nations in Bible Prophecy” and “The Ten European Revivals of the Ancient Roman Empire.”

The Ice War

Fox News wrote on September 2:

“President Obama announced Tuesday he would speed up the acquisition of icebreakers to help the U.S. Coast Guard navigate an area that Russia and China increasingly see as a new frontier. The announcement is the latest power play in the Arctic north… Forty percent of the world’s oil and natural gas reserves lie under the Arctic… Russia wants to establish a kind of Suez Canal which it controls. More than a Cold War, Russia may be preparing for an Ice War, and the Pentagon is taking note.

“Last March, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a snap, full combat military exercise in Russia’s Arctic north to mark the anniversary of his annexation of Crimea — with 40,000 Russian troops, dozens of warships and submarines… Russia has reestablished Soviet-era military bases across the Arctic and begun building a string of search-and-rescue stations along its Arctic shores. In April, Russia’s economic minister explained the importance. ‘For us, the Arctic is mineral resources, transportation, and one also should not forget about fish and sea products, and bio-resources. The potential here is enormous,’ Alexey Ulyukaev said.

“Meanwhile, the U.S. only has two functioning icebreakers. Russia has 41, with plans to build 11 more… Meanwhile, the U.S. Army, facing budget cuts, plans to pull out 3,000 troops from Alaska, in what some say is poor timing as the U.S. plays catch-up to Russia in the Arctic.”

The USA is on the losing side of this battle as well.

What DOES the US Constitution Say about Birthright Citizenship?

The Huffington Post wrote on August 28:

“Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said on Friday that he is open to changing the United States’ birthright citizenship policy… During an interview, conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt asked the Republican presidential hopeful about the current debate over the 14th Amendment which grants American citizenship to any individual born on U.S. soil… Marco Rubio said he wouldn’t support a law to abrogate birthright citizenship…

“Huckabee questioned the current interpretation of the 14th Amendment, which reads, ‘All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.’…

“Debate over the 14th Amendment came to the forefront of the GOP primary after Donald Trump called for an end to birthright citizenship earlier this month… Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, like Huckabee, has addressed ‘birth tourism,” particularly in the cases of Chinese women who pay to come to the United States to give birth so their children can grow up as American citizens…”

Breitbart wrote on August 19:

“Talk radio host and author of ‘Plunder and Deceit,’ Mark Levin said that the 14th Amendment does not require birthright citizenship… Host Sean Hannity stated, ‘Rand Paul was right on this, Trump was right on this, Cruz is right on this, Walker’s right on this.’ He then put up a quotation from Citizenship Clause author Senator Jacob Howard (R-MI) during the debate on the 14th Amendment that ‘Every person born within the limits of the United States, and subject to their jurisdiction is, by virtue of natural law and national law, a citizen of the [United States]. This will not, of course, include persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers, accredited to the government of the United States, but will include every other class of persons.’

“Levin said that people are getting the clause wrong, ‘Because they’re result-oriented. Because they want to insist the Constitution says what it doesn’t say. Moreover, the Supreme Court has never ruled that the children of illegal aliens are American citizens… The clause speaks for itself, the author of the clause made it abundantly, unequivocally clear, let’s add another thing, let’s read the clause together, shall we? “All persons born or naturalized in the United States.” Let’s stop there. If it means what the proponents of birthright citizenship say, it would stop right there. “All persons born or naturalized in the United States” are citizens… Then it says, and, “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.”

“Now, you have slip and fall lawyers, some phony constitutional lawyers, they have “Esquire” after their name, they come on TV, they go all over the place [and say:] “Jurisdiction means geography.” Jurisdiction has nothing to do with geography. Zero. It [has] to do with political allegiance to the United States of America. How do we know it? Because they said it. And they also excluded everybody that the left, and some of the Republicans want to include.

“‘Now… there’s another part of the Constitution. It’s Article I, Section 8, Clause 4. Here’s what that says, in plain English. “The Congress shall have power to… establish a uniform rule of naturalization.” Now, you know what that means, that means Congress, not the courts, not the president, not ICE, it means the United States Congress has the power to regulate immigration in this regard… in the 1920s, that’s exactly what it did. The 14th Amendment excludes Indians, that is Native Americans, as US citizens, because they felt that they had allegiance to their own national tribes… I believe it was in 1923, Congress reversed course, and said, “… Under the 14th Amendment and under this Article I, we’ve decided to grant citizenship, national citizenship to all Native Americans.’”

Other scholars and legal experts would of course disagree with Levin’s interpretation of the 14h Amendment.

Mass Deportations Coming?

The Associated Press reported on August 30:

“Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s call for mass deportation of millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, as well as their American-born children, bears similarities to a large-scale removal that many Mexican-American families faced 85 years ago. During the Great Depression, counties and cities in the American Southwest and Midwest forced Mexican immigrants and their families to leave the U.S. over concerns they were taking jobs away from whites despite their legal right to stay. The result: Around 500,000 to 1 million Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans were pushed out of the country during the 1930s repatriation, as the removal is sometimes called.

“During that time, immigrants were rounded up and sent to Mexico, sometimes in public places and often without formal proceedings. Others, scared under the threat of violence, left voluntarily. About 60 percent of those who left were American citizens, according to various studies on the 1930s repatriation. Later testimonies show families lost most of their possessions and some family members died trying to return. Neighborhoods in cities such as Houston, San Antonio and Los Angeles became empty…”

A repeat of such a terrible development in the 1930s, as described above, would indeed be an appalling injustice and totally inhumane. However, Trump’s claims so far do not advocate such measures.

Politics Getting Really Ugly

Breitbart wrote on August 28:

“A day after Hillary Clinton compared GOP candidates to terrorists, she has suggested an opponent’s plan to deport illegal immigrants is reminiscent of the Nazis. At a press conference Friday in Minneapolis, Hillary [said]: ‘I find it the height of irony that a party which espouses small government would want to unleash a massive law enforcement effort– including perhaps National Guard and others–to go and literally pull people out of their homes and their workplaces’…  Then she added an image which evoked the Nazis: ‘Round them up, put them, I don’t know, in buses… boxcars, in order to take them across our border.’

“The picture Clinton paints of placing people in boxcars is a potent one because, during World War II, Jews were forced into boxcars and transported to Nazi concentration camps as part of Hitler’s final solution. Clinton’s choice of the words appears extemporaneous but not accidental. She mentions buses then pauses and adds ‘boxcars,’ rather than simply saying ‘trains.’…

“The ‘boxcars’ statement comes just one day after Clinton made another controversial attack on her Republican rivals. At a speech in Cleveland Clinton compared Republicans to terrorists, saying, ‘Now, extreme views about women, we expect that from some of the terrorist groups. We expect that from people who don’t want to live in the modern world. But it’s a little hard to take coming from Republicans who want to be the president of the United States.’ Clinton’s terrorism comparison was widely reported, though some observers wondered why it didn’t get even more media attention, given how extreme her statement was.

“Allison Moore, national press secretary for the RNC, put out a statement blasting Clinton’s remarks: ‘Not 24 hours removed from calling Republicans terrorists, Hillary Clinton reached a new low today hurling Holocaust references at her political opponents,’ she said. ‘Hillary Clinton may be getting desperate over her sinking poll numbers and growing email scandal, but that’s no excuse for this kind of inflammatory and extreme rhetoric.’

“In July, GOP candidate Mick Huckabee used a Holocaust reference during a radio interview with Breitbart News’ Alex Marlow on Sirius XM Patriot. Speaking of President Obama’s Iran deal, Huckabee said, ‘he will take the Israelis and march them to the door of the oven.’ For making this reference, Huckabee was widely criticized in the media. He said later that ‘maybe the metaphor is not a good one.’”

On the other hand, some Republicans have referred to Hillary Clinton as a “criminal” who committed a “crime,” referring to her ongoing E-mail scandal. It was reported that “more than 3-in-5 voters, 61 percent, think Clinton isn’t honest and trustworthy. Overall, more than a third of poll respondents said their first thought about Clinton was some version of: She’s a liar” (Politico, August 27). But maybe politicians (who influence the public by what they say) should think—and think again and again—before they talk. However, who would expect them to do this?

“Dow Posts Worst August Decline in 17 Years”

Market Watch reported on August 31:

“The month of August can be pretty rough for stock investors. But this August has earned its place in the record books, as stocks were unsettled by uncertainty over the state of affairs in the world’s second largest economy, China. As far as Augusts go, this has been the worst in nearly two decades (since 1998) for the Dow Jones Industrial Average…

“Overall it was the sixth worst monthly performance for the Dow and the worst since May 2010.”

High School Students Take a Stand against Crazy Rules

CBS reported on September 2:

“Over 150 Missouri high school students voiced their displeasure about a transgender teen using the girls’ locker room by walking out of class. Students at Hillsboro High School staged a two-hour walkout Monday over 17-year-old Lila Perry, a student who has identified as a female since she was 13, using the girls’ locker room during gym class.

“The school offered Perry a gender-neutral bathroom, which she turned down… Family members of high school students were also holding a protest… Lila has dropped out of gym class for safety concerns, but she still plans on using the girl’s bathroom.”

The left-liberal propaganda in this country knows no limits and bounds, imposing their agenda on others. While claiming to uphold the rights of “minorities,” they are willing to violate the rights of others. We applaud the high school girls for making their concerns known.

US Supreme Court Upholds Another Controversial Decision regarding Same-Sex Marriage

Bloomberg wrote on August 31:

“A Kentucky county clerk must issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected contentions that she is being forced to violate her religious convictions. The justices, without explanation, refused to lift a lower court order requiring Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis to resume distributing marriage licenses. She stopped issuing any licenses — and defied an order from the state’s governor — after the Supreme Court ruled in June that gay marriage is a constitutional right.

“The emergency appeal marked an early test of how the Supreme Court will handle religious objections to gay marriage in the aftermath of the landmark June 26 ruling. Davis, an elected official in the northeastern Kentucky county, has become a flashpoint in that debate. She now could face contempt charges if she doesn’t comply with U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning’s order. In addition, the state attorney general’s office has received a request that Davis be prosecuted.

“Davis, who describes herself as a devout Christian, says it would violate her conscience to approve a marriage license to a same-sex couple. She has also barred her deputies from issuing licenses because the documents would bear her name. Davis argued that… [the] Supreme Court’s cases ‘do not create a fundamental right to receive a marriage license from a particular person’… In rejecting those arguments, Bunning said Davis isn’t being asked to condone same-sex marriage. ‘Her religious convictions cannot excuse her from performing the duties that she took an oath to perform as Rowan County clerk,’ the judge wrote.”

Following the decision of the US Supreme Court ruling that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right, this new case is further testimony of a country having completely lost its course. As feared, now decisions are made AGAINST those who want to live by the standards of the Bible. Religious persecution in the USA is continuing dramatically. A legal opinion compelling someone to follow rules which did not exist when the person took an oath is very troublesome. It was that kind of reasoning which many Germans adopted when following orders of the Nazi regime, and many soldiers continued fighting for Hitler because they had initially taken an oath to follow their Fuehrer (which, of course, they should have never done). 

The next article is even more appalling… and should send a warning message to all who believe in religious freedom.

In Contempt of Court

Newsmax wrote on September 3:

“A Kentucky county clerk was jailed on Thursday for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, and a full day of court hearings failed to put an end to her two-month-old legal fight over a U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding same-sex marriage.

“U.S. District Judge David Bunning found Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis in contempt then elicited a pledge from five of her six deputies to issue the licenses. But attorneys for Davis said she would deny them that authority, raising questions about the validity of any licenses they might issue…

“Bunning warned the deputies they would be back in court if they refused to resume issuing licenses on Friday…

“Davis’ jailing drew instant criticism from her supporters with Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee tweeting, ‘Kim Davis in federal custody removes all doubts about the criminalization of Christianity in this country.’

“Christian lobbying group Family Research Council said religious freedom in the United States was under attack. It urged Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear to call for a special session of the state legislature to alter the law to accommodate clerks like Davis. In a statement the governor said a special session was unnecessary and too costly…

“Davis told Fox News earlier she was ready to go to jail for her beliefs. ‘I’ve weighed the cost and I’m prepared to go to jail,’ she told Fox in an interview published on Thursday. ‘This has never been a gay or lesbian issue for me. This is about upholding the word of God..’ Apostolic Christian beliefs are rooted in a literal interpretation of the Bible…”

Religious liberties and freedoms are “criminalized” in this country, as Mike Huckabee put it. What will be next? Will maverick judges hold US citizens in contempt and jail them because they are opposed to fulfilling their “civil duty” of serving as jurors, based on the clear instructions of the Bible prohibiting the same? Will conscientious objectors be incarcerated in case of the institution of the draft because religious beliefs mean nothing anymore in the USA—a country which was founded on the principles of religious liberty and freedom?

First and foremost, you have to establish whether a person is willing to follow the dictates of the Bible and the example of Christ and the New Testament Church or the traditions of men, which are based on paganism and human tradition and not on the Bible.

The following approach could be pursued in a series of questions, as outlined below:

1) How does a person prove, show, manifest and demonstrate that he or she is willing to embrace God’s love?

1 John 5:2-3 says:   “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”

The Bible is clear that one demonstrates love for God—that one is willing to embrace the love OF God–by keeping His commandments. There is nothing ambiguous about this statement.  The conclusion is: If someone does not keep the commandments in spite of what he or she may say, then the person does not truly love God.

2) How many of the commandments should one keep?

The obvious answer is, all of them. So now, why does someone keep Sunday rather than the commanded Sabbath of the Bible?

The Sabbath is part of creation, in that it was instituted when God created man and when He rested on that day.  It is the longest commandment in words of all the ten, and it starts with the admonition to REMEMBER the Sabbath and KEEP it holy, not to substitute it for another day, be it Sunday, Friday or any day, and not to forget that it is a commandment.

When God wants to emphasize something, it is repeated in the Bible.  The Ten Commandments are listed twice, both in Exodus and Deuteronomy, showing the importance and durability of them. Christ said the Sabbath was made for man. He never made that statement about Sunday.  Mark 2:27 states: “And He said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.’”

Christ emphasized that He is Lord of the Sabbath. Mark 2:28 continues:  “‘Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.'”

He is Lord of it because as the God of the Old Testament, He established it and dictated the manner in which it should be kept, which oftentimes was opposed to all the rules which were subsequently added by the Pharisees, Sadducees and the scribes. Many of these rules, as well as additional ones, are also endorsed by modern Judaism, making the Sabbath a burden and a yoke, rather than a joyful occasion.

No claim can be made that Jesus is the Lord of Sunday. It is evident that Christ kept the Sabbath according to His custom. A custom is something one does on a regular and consistent basis. It is not a sporadic event.  Luke 4:16 states: “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.”

We also know that Paul–the apostle to the Gentiles–kept the Sabbath and taught the Gentiles to do likewise. We read in Act 13:14: “But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.”

Acts 17:2 adds: “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures.”

We also read that he told the Corinthians (converted Gentiles) in 1 Corinthians 11:1: “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” As Christ kept the Sabbath according to His custom, so did Paul.

3) Since the Bible expressly tells us to keep the Sabbath which Christ and the apostle Paul kept, where did the Sunday tradition come from?

Historically, it was the Catholic Church which changed the day in the 4rd century from Sabbath to Sunday.

 In the book, “90 Common Questions about Catholic Faith” by John O’Brian, it states on page 63:

“… the Bible does not contain all the teachings of the Christian religion (our comment: a false statement) nor does it formulate all the duties of its members (our comment: another false assertion). Take for instance the matter of Sunday observance, attendance of divine service, and abstention from unnecessary servile work on that day. This is a matter upon which our Protestant neighbours have for many years laid great emphasis; yet nowhere in the Bible is the Sunday designated (our comment: “Sunday” is not even mentioned) as the Lord’s day; the day mentioned is the Sabbath, the last day of the week. The early Church, conscious of her authority to teach in the name of Christ, deliberately changed the day to Sunday: she did this to honour the day on which Christ rose from the dead, (our comment: which He did not) and to signify that we are no longer under the Old Law of the Jews but under the new Law of Christ” (our comment: another wrong concept, as worded).

Sunday was the Gentile day of worshipping pagan gods—sun gods. The Catholic Church adopted Sunday worship to induce pagans entering their fold. They were also motivated by strong anti-Semitic feelings which explain their hostility towards the “Jewish” Sabbath.

However, no man and no human organization or institution has the authority to change God’s Law, which would be paramount to claiming that one had the authority to say adultery and murder are no longer a sin, which would be absurd. No one has the authority to change the Ten Commandments, which were written by God in stone to demonstrate their permanency. One may decide not to obey the commandments, but one cannot change or alter them.

4) One has to make a choice. Does someone want to follow the traditions of men and of the Catholic Church or the clear injunctions of the Bible?

The traditions of men, which are contrary to God’s commands, are inspired by the god of this world, Satan, who deceives the whole world. Revelation 12:9 states:  “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.”

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 adds: “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”

The commandment to keep the Sabbath comes from God. The tradition to keep Sunday comes from the god of this world who worked through the Catholic Church to “change” the Sabbath to Sunday, which it had no divine authority to do.

To summarize, the only way laid out in the Bible to demonstrate our love for God and God’s love in us is to keep all of His Ten Commandments, not only a few of them.

Listed in the Ten Commandments is the command to keep the Sabbath, not Sunday nor any other day. The Sabbath was instituted at the creation of man, and it is the longest commandment in words. The Ten Commandments are listed twice to emphasize their importance, and they were written in stone to show their permanency and durability.

No man, church or group of men have the authority to change God’s commandments. To make such a claim is absurd and would mean that one could change or annul any one of the commandments.  Most Christians would reject the idea that they could now commit adultery or murder an innocent person (even though they might justify killing in war or aborting babies). However, the vast majority of Christians believes and accepts the wrong idea that one could justifiably annul the Sabbath and replace it with Sunday.

It boils down to this: Will you keep the commanded day which God has instituted, blessed and sanctified, and which the Bible commands us to remember and to keep holy, or will you observe the day dedicated to the worship of pagan sun gods and adopted and instituted by the Catholic Church under the influence of the god of this world, which it had no authority to do? In other words, which will you follow–God’s commandments or human traditions?

Lead Writer: Rene Messier (Canada)

Our newest booklet, “Do You Know the Jesus of the Bible?” has been sent to the printer; the printer’s mock version has been approved; and it is now posted for viewing. We anticipate distribution during the Feast of Tabernacles to our Feast attendees, and we will mail copies to those requesting shortly thereafter.

“When Is Abortion Allowed?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Most people, including Christians and Jews, are confused as to when abortion is permitted in the eyes of God. The Catholic Church, most Protestant churches and orthodox Judaism have totally different  and contradictory teachings on the subject, but what does the Bible say?

We have sent out a new German Member Letter. It discusses the Feast, and we make reference in the letter to the pdf files on our German Website, in German and English http://www.aufpostenstehen.de/files/2015/08/FOT-2015-Done.pdf, setting forth the schedule during the Feast.  We also suggested that if anyone wants to participate in the Talent Show and/or Special Music, to contact Mike Link right away.

“Wie Man Gottes Festtage Hält,” is the title of this week’s new German sermon. Title in English: “How to Keep God’s Feast Days.”

“Scar Tissue,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Robb Harris, is now posted.

“The Process or the Product,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is a summary:

If the world as we know it is passing away, of what value are our human achievements now? Sometimes it might seem that the work that we do is meaningless in the greater context of God’s plan. With this in mind, how can we find fulfillment in the activities and achievements of our lives?

As a reminder, here are the dates for the Fall Holy Days:

September 14— Feast of Trumpets
September 23—Day of Atonement
September 28 through October 4—Feast of Tabernacles
October 5—Last Great Day