On June 6, 2015, Eric Rank will present the sermonette, titled, “Adapt,” and Robb Harris will present the sermon, titled, “Misguided Perceptions.”

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.

During the middle of last week my mother contacted me to let me know that my 94 year old grandmother had died, and that the funeral would be on Friday. After hearing the news I quickly booked a flight at the last minute to travel back to my childhood home for the weekend. The unexpected travel took some effort to coordinate, but it was very important for me to be with my family during that time.

During the many hours that I spent traveling, I was compelled and had the time to meditate on the brevity of life, the swiftness of time, and the vain pursuits of mankind (compare Ecclesiastes 1:14). I was reminded of the statement made in James 4:14,  “… For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” Certainly, the time that we have to live a life in the flesh is very short, and therefore the time that we have should be spent on things that are very important.

What is important then? This is a question that I thought a lot about. Do I spend my time on activities that are really important? After experiencing mortality closely, the typical answers naturally become re-evaluated. During the memorial service for my grandmother, I had the opportunity to look at photographs of snapshots taken throughout her life. I listened to stories from people who had spent time with her. The kinds of things that captivated me were the relationships that she had with people, how she influenced the lives of others, and the character of her way of life. Reflecting on her life caused me to realize that character and the ability to influence others in a positive way are very important for our relationship with other humans.

It is the development of our character that is important to God as well. We all have the opportunity to live our lives in a way that is obedient to God, showing our willingness to do what is good and right in His sight. Whether we are able to accumulate wealth or accomplish great worldly feats is inconsequential. Our ability to develop positive relationships with others so that we might influence people is also important to God. Christians are called to be lights in this world, as a living example of good works. As Jesus Christ instructed in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” The ability to live a life that develops good, righteous character, that may cause God to be glorified is what’s important for us to focus on.

The corollary of knowing what is important is knowing what is not important in life. It is all too easy to become distracted and focus a disproportionate amount of time and energy on things that really don’t matter that much. When our lives are evaluated at the end, whether by our friends and family, or by Jesus Christ, many of the things that are seemingly important at the moment will be of little consequence. What will be important is the manner in which we have lived our short lives. Did we show the love for God and people in our lives, or not? Solomon sums it up well in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 where he writes, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all [or, “the whole duty of man”]. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.”

We are living in a corrupt world. And that not only in the well-recognized area of politics. The FIFA soccer (football) scandal is a sad testimony to the fact that even in the world’s most popular sport, bribery, kick-backs and other illegal activities seem to be commonplace. FBI investigations are apparently even directed against FIFA’s long-time president, Sepp Blatter, who was reelected in spite of the scandal, but subsequently decided to resign. The appalling truth is that many have warned in the past of FIFA’s illegal activities, including Germany’s “Kaiser” Franz Beckenbauer, especially when deciding on where to hold the World Cup tournaments, but he was immediately silenced by FIFA and ordered not to attend several soccer games for a certain period of time. What should be an enjoyable and relaxing occasion has become a morass of sinful behavior and corruption, due to unscrupulous functionaries… and we dare to say that the events in the soccer world are by no means limited to just that sport.

 In this issue, we begin reporting on developments in the Middle East, including the real danger for the whole world posed by some of ISIS’s activities; Iran’s unwavering support of Assad’s Syria and its increased stockpile of nuclear fuel in contradiction to the Obama administration’s representations; and the remarkable fact that most Turks view the state of Israel as the biggest threat to Turkey’s security.

We continue with David Cameron’s attempts to find help and support in Germany and other European countries, with a rather mixed and cautious reaction.

 We address the relationship between Germany and Egypt and report on appalling hateful accusations and actions of Muslims against Jews.

We focus on Rand Paul’s lonely fight against the NSA surveillance and bulk data collection program, facing criticism from all sides of the established political spectrum, while most Americans approve of his conduct; speak on President Obama’s stated belief that the USA has become the most respected country in the world; and report about America’s unconstitutional blackmail of those parents who refuse to vaccinate their children, as well as the virtually non-existent medical exemption.

We conclude with articles on a clash of “values” between “mainstream” Catholic Nancy Pelosi and the official position of her Church on abortion and same-sex marriage; a clash of “values” between Russia and the West on the issue of homosexuality and same-sex marriage; a clash of “values” on transgender identity; and a clash of “values” between the Bible and the position of the Church of England on the issue of women bishops and the description of God, which might be a contributing factor as to why the Christian religion does not seem to play an important role anymore for many British people.

ISIS Destruction of Oil Fields… the Unrealized Danger

The Telegraph wrote on May 30:

“Thick black smoke rising from the Baiji oil refinery could be seen as a dirty smudge on the horizon as far away as Baghdad after fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) set fire to the enormous processing plant just over 100 miles north of the capital last week. The decision to torch the refinery, which once produced around a third of Iraq’s domestic fuel supplies, was made as the insurgents prepared to pull out of Baiji, which they captured last June in a victory that sent shock waves across world oil markets…

“A year on from the start of the siege and a shaky alliance of the Middle East’s major Arab powers, with the limited support of the reluctant US government, has failed to contain the expansion of Isil.

“The problem for the US and the rest of the industrialised world is that the Middle East controls 60pc of proven oil reserves and with it the keys to the global economy. Should Isil capture a major oil field in Iraq, or overwhelming the government, the consequences for energy markets and the financial system would be potentially catastrophic…

“Although most of Iraq’s major oil fields are located in the south of the country, which are Shia Muslim heartlands, the failure of the Iraqi army to deal with the threat of Isil is a sign of their vulnerability to isolated attacks. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is in a virtual state of lockdown after the bombing by Isil militants of a Shia mosque in the oil-rich Eastern Province…

“To add to the problems facing Saudi Arabia’s new ruler, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, his kingdom is also facing insurgency from the so-called Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula terrorist group which is intent on destabilising the regime…

“Iran opposed Saudi Arabia last November when the kingdom’s oil minister, Ali al-Naimi, insisted that the group should stand on the side lines and allow market forces to drive down the oil price in order to render high-cost oil such as US shale unprofitable…”

When one considers this utmost picture of confusion in the Middle East, it is completely unrealistic to even suggest that in light of these in-fightings between Arab nations, ISIS, Iran and Syria, the nation of Saudi Arabia could be the next “king of the South” (as mentioned in Daniel 11). In addition, we have made clear and repeatedly explained in our literature that Egypt could not be the king of the South either. IF there is still another king of the South (which is not mandatory under biblical prophecy), it would have to be Ethiopia.

Iran’s Unwavering Support for Syria’s Assad Regime

Breitbart reported on June 1:

“The Speaker of Iran’s Majles [parliament] reiterated on Monday that Tehran continues its ‘unwavering’ support of the Assad regime in Syria. The Assad regime has been responsible for killing the majority of the 250,000+ dead as a result of the ongoing Syrian Civil War… By some estimates, Assad’s forces have been responsible for more than 85 percent of the civilian deaths during the war. Larjani, a former Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, praised the Assad regime for its battles against the Islamic State and the ‘Zionist regime (Israel),’ state-run Mehr News Agency reported…

“On Monday, Larjani hosted a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart, Mohammad Jihad al-Laham, who said of the occasion: ‘I am now in Tehran to talk about and boost bilateral ties; we are attacked by terrorist Takfirists (false Muslim) supported by the western hegemonic powers and which is their foster child; Iran and Russia are in the frontline of support for Syria; we have support by Iran and BRICS group on our sides.’

“Al-Laham added that the Tehran-Damascus alliance serves to protect stability in the region…”

Iran’s Stockpile of Nuclear Fuel Increased by 20 Percent

Newsmax reported on June 1:

“Iran’s stockpile of nuclear fuel increased about 20 percent over the last 18 months as high-stakes talks were underway – and despite the Obama administration’s claim the program had been ‘frozen.’ The spike was included in a report issued last week by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations organization that monitors compliance with nuclear treaties.

“… the increase creates a daunting challenge for President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry as a deadline for completion of a nuclear agreement looms at the end of June: Convincing Congress and U.S. allies that Iran will shrink its stockpile by 96 percent while it continues to produce new material and hasn’t made a dent in its current stockpile.”

The New York Times added on June 1:

“A major element of the forthcoming deal, if it is completed, permits Iran to maintain a stockpile of only 300 kilograms, or about 660 pounds, of nuclear fuel, less than would be needed to make a single weapon.

“That means Iran… would have to rid itself of more than nine tons of its stockpile in a matter of months. One easy solution would be to ship the fuel out of the country, but that is a politically fraught topic for the Iranians — and one that their deputy negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, ruled out in March… A State Department statement released a few days later that outlined the preliminary agreement reached at a marathon session in Lausanne, Switzerland, was silent on the question of how the reduction would be realized… ‘How are they going to do it?’ one senior American official said recently when asked about the negotiations, details of which Mr. Kerry and his team are trying to keep confidential. ‘We’re not certain. It’s their problem, not ours. But it’s a problem.’

“Nonetheless, officials say they expect the radical reduction of Iran’s stockpile to happen in the opening months of any agreement, either by shipping it out of the country or changing it into a form that would make it impossible to re-enrich and use as a weapon…”

It is mind-boggling to read the stated position of the US government in regard to this matter. It is a mixture of illusion, wishful thinking, denial, and worse.

Turks See Israel as Biggest Threat to Their Security

The Times of Israel wrote on May 31:

“A survey conducted recently in Turkey found that nearly half that country’s citizens see Israel as the biggest security threat, followed by the United States, and only then Syria… A similar poll in 2013 found 41% saw the United States as Turkey’s biggest threat, while 37.1% named Israel…

“Israel and Turkey have been at loggerheads over a 2010 incident that saw the Turkish Mavi Marmara ferry boarded by Israeli commandos as it attempted to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. In the ensuing melee, after the Israeli soldiers were attacked with iron bars and wooden bats, troops opened fire and nine Turkish activists were killed; 10 Israeli soldiers were injured. The incident triggered a crisis in relations between Israel and Turkey, which were already strained since Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in 2008-2009. Israel issued a formal apology to Turkey in March 2013 but disagreements persist over Ankara’s demand that Israel pay damages to families of the deceased and to the wounded.

“Ties between the two countries have yet to recover, with Turkish officials often unleashing scathing rebukes of Israel. In January Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu accused his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, of killing Palestinian children and radicalizing the Muslim world. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is known for his angry outbursts at the Jewish state, declaring in July 2014 that Israel had ‘surpassed Hitler in barbarism.’ Turkey under his rule has been a consistent supporter of Hamas, the terror group that rules Gaza.”

These developments are highly remarkable, as the Bible prophesies in the book of Obadiah that Turkey (ancient Edom or Esau) will participate in an end-time confrontation against Israel, and that many Turks will celebrate Israel’s defeat and act very cruelly against Israeli refugees—even though Turkey has been very accommodating towards Jewish refugees in the more distant past.

“When Ephraim Went to Assyria”

The Local wrote on May 29:

“In contrast to previous frosty receptions from Merkel to Cameron’s pushes for reform, she welcomed the newly-reelected Prime Minister and promised constructive talks. ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way,’ Merkel said. ‘We can’t say that treaty change [to the agreements underpinning the EU, a difficult and complex process] is totally impossible.’

“Cameron had come to Berlin in search of support for his shopping list of reforms, including tougher rules against migrants claiming benefits, protection for the City of London, and an exemption from the Treaty of Lisbon’s promise to strive for ‘ever closer union’ among EU countries. ‘We already have a multi-speed Europe,’ Merkel said, noting that some EU member states remained outside the Euro single currency and the Schengen free-travel zone. ‘We will continue to have two speeds, and I don’t see a problem with that.’…

“One surprise came when Merkel suggested that Germany itself might have changes of its own if Britain’s push for reform bore fruit… Both countries made much of their mutual economic interests, with Cameron praising the push for a free-trade agreement between the EU and USA, also noting that Germany is the biggest European investor in the UK.

“The two leaders’ close harmony was in contrast to the lukewarm agreement from French President Francois Hollande at a Paris meeting with Cameron on Thursday. And after her own meeting with Cameron, Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz said that her country would respond with a ‘definite no’ to his hoped-for migration reforms.”

The EUObserver added on May 29:

“German chancellor Angela Merkel has indicated she’s willing to go as far as changing the EU treaty in order to keep Britain in the Union… The Berlin trip is part of Cameron’s tour of all EU capitals ahead of next month’s EU summit and ahead of his referendum on EU membership, to be held by the end of 2017. He has promised to campaign for a Yes, but only if EU leaders agree to far-reaching reforms.

“Merkel said she’s willing to consider treaty change, but noted that London should first draw up concrete demands… She also voiced willingness to grant the UK an opt-out from ‘ever closer Union’. The phrase is contained in the 1957 Treaty of Rome, the EU’s founding charter…

“… the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, accused [Cameron] of trying to ‘dismantle’ the EU. Despite Merkel’s words, an EU source said there’s ‘no appetite’ for treaty change at this point.  The process, which can take years, would, in any case, be almost impossible to complete in time for the UK vote… One solution could be to give the UK a legal promise that changes agreed now will be inserted later on.”

The Guardian wrote on May 29:

“[Cameron] is welcome here [in Berlin] in the most powerful EU country and, says Stefanie Bolzen in a commentary for Die Welt, the world’s most powerful woman [Merkel] ‘is an unconditional apologist for keeping the kingdom in the union, despite all the infuriation surrounding Cameron’s manoeuvring’.

“Despite the frustrations over what the German government sees as Cameron’s rather overly confident approach, and the distinct impression that he is ‘spoiling for a fight’… there are few in Berlin who want to see Britain leave…

“German business leaders too have warned that a referendum should happen sooner rather than later, and that 400,000 British jobs that are dependent on trade with Germany could be at risk if Britain leaves. Growing numbers of German companies in Britain have said they are plotting their departure in the case of a Brexit.”

The Local wrote on June 1:

“German Social Democratic Party (SPD) MEP Jo Leinen [a member of the EP’s Foreign Affairs, Environment and Constitutional Affairs committees] told The Local on Monday he was unhappy with comments from European Parliament (EP) President Martin Schulz, who suggested that Britain should be allowed to opt out of the call to work towards ‘ever closer union’ among EU countries. ‘The only country that has opted out of European integration with special rules in the past decades has been Great Britain,’ Schulz told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. ‘We would only be recognizing what has been true for London for a long time.’

“But Social Democratic MEP Jo Leinen told The Local that Schulz’s fellow SPD members saw things differently. ‘European integration is an idea that’s been there from the very beginning – that it’s more than an economic space, but also a political community,’ Leinen said. ‘Anyone who wants to get rid of that doesn’t want to belong to a political community, but a single market… Many like me aren’t ready to throw the idea of European community overboard.’…

“He added that while German and UK interests are similar, with the two countries often forming the core of a northern European voting bloc to counterbalance the likes of France, Spain and Italy, the UK should take heed of Germany’s deeply ingrained sense of belonging to Europe. ‘Germany has the European idea almost in its Constitution,’ Leinen said. ‘That’s what has guided 60 years of German European politics.’

“While there were certainly reforms to be made so that the EU becomes more competitive and effective, Social Democrats wouldn’t abandon their political ideals just to keep Britain in, he said…”

Modern Ephraim (mainly the UK) is prophesied to try to find help from modern Assyria (mainly Germany), but God says in Hosea that such endeavors will fail, and that Assyria “cannot” help, even if it wanted to.

 Germany’s Blindness Regarding Egypt

Deutsche Welle reported on June 3:

“Angela Merkel has praised Egypt’s peace efforts in the Middle East following a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Berlin. The pair’s press conference was shut down after it descended into chaos. The news conference hosted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Wednesday came to an abrupt end after security was called in to remove a female reporter who addressed al-Sisi yelling ‘He’s a murderer!’ There were also cries of ‘down with the military rule’ from the press pack, while reporters from Egypt yelled ‘long live Egypt!’ before the two leaders were hurriedly whisked from the room.

“Before the upset, Merkel had pledged closer economic ties with Egypt, saying the country was a key strategic partner in the Middle East and in the fight against Islamist extremism… Al-Sisi, Egypt’s former army chief, led the coup that ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013. He was subsequently elected by a landslide and has waged a brutal crackdown against Morsi’s supporters ever since. Hundreds have been killed or jailed, while dozens, including Morsi, have been sentenced to death in a series of mass trials.

“Al-Sisi’s two-day visit to Berlin has stirred up some controversy in Germany. Human rights activists have organized a number of street protests to coincide with the Egyptian leader’s trip, while NGOs including Amnesty International have asked Merkel to urge al-Sisi to end Egypt’s ‘human rights crisis.’

“Germany’s government is keen to maintain a cordial relationship with its partner in North Africa, although Bundestag house speaker Norbert Lammert called off his meeting with al-Sisi, citing Egypt’s lack of democracy and the crackdown on political opposition.

“In Wednesday’s press conference, Merkel acknowledged there were ‘differences of opinion’ between the two countries on human rights matters and capital punishment. The chancellor criticized Cairo’s reliance on the death penalty and stressed that ‘under no circumstances, even with regard to terrorist activities, must people be sentenced to death.’…

“Earlier on Wednesday, al-Sisi was welcomed by German President Joachim Gauck with full military honors at Berlin’s Bellevue Palace. The Egyptian leader was later expected to meet with Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel.”

The stance of many leading German politicians regarding Egypt’s dictatorship is shameful and cowardly.

Incredible Hatred and Anti-Semitism on the Temple Mount

The Times of Israel wrote on June 3:

“An Islamic preacher on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem told congregants that the Nazis burned the Jews of Europe during the Holocaust because they had been kidnapping children to use their blood in Passover bread. He also claimed that Jews worship Satan, plotted the 9/11 attacks, and control the Freemasons who sacrifice their wives and children in secret ceremonies…

“The Simon Wiesenthal Center sent a letter to Jordan’s King Abdullah and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas urging them to ‘immediately take action against Sheikh Khaled al-Mughrabi, the religious teacher at the Al-Aqsa Mosque who is on the payroll of the Waqf [the PA religious authority], for using his class to promote the infamous blood libel screed that ‘explains’ why the Nazi Holocaust took place. The ‘Blood Libel’ is a Christian medieval canard that accuses Jews of using the blood of children to make Passover matzah,’ the center said in a statement sent out to the press.

“‘The Temple Mount is a site of ultimate religious importance to Judaism and revered also by both Christianity and Islam. It should be an area that promotes peace, tolerance, and mutual understanding. However, the Al Aqsa Mosque has now been used to repeat horrific lies and legitimize genocide. Left unchallenged, the Sheik’s ‘sermon’ will only spawn more hatred and violence,’ the letter to Abdullah and Abbas read.

“During the recent sermon captured on video, al-Mughrabi says: ‘On the holiday of Passover it is ‎forbidden for them to eat regular bread. These matzahs ‎[unleavened Passover bread] were not kneaded in the regular way, but rather with the blood of children. In the end it reached the point ‎where they were burned in Germany, because of these things, because they ‎kidnapped young children.’…

“Al-Mughrabi begins by explaining that of the multiple gods that Jews worship, Satan ranks above the Muslim god Allah… ‘The Children of Israel had the holiday of Pesach, ‎what is now called Passover,’ al-Mughrabi said. ‘Every holiday, every group would look for a small child, ‎kidnap and steal him, bring a barrel called the barrel of nails… They would put the ‎small child in the barrel and his body would be pierced by these nails. In the bottom of ‎the barrel they would put a faucet and pour the blood… The Devil or one of the big ‎gods, demanded it of them as a condition for fulfilling their wishes, that they eat ‎‎[matzah] bread kneaded with the blood of children.’…

“Freemasons, he went on, are ‘witchcraft gatherings of the ‎Children of Israel.’ ‘One of the ceremonies, for instance if someone wants to be ‎accepted as a new member, or rise in rank… he has to somehow bring one of his sons ‎or daughters, or his wife or one of his male or female relatives, and put them on the ‎table and slaughter them with his own hands as a sacrifice to Satan, in order to rise in ‎the ranks of the Freemasons. My brothers, this exists until today.‎’

“The myth of blood baked into matzah, known as ‘the blood libel,’ dates back to the Middle Ages in Europe, and was often used as a pretext to commit atrocities against Jewish communities. The false allegation is still believed in some Arab cultures and is occasionally cited by officials and public figures.

“In September 2014 Sheikh Abd Al-Mun’im Abu Zant, a former Jordanian MP revived the blood libel in an interview with al-Aqsa TV. ‘On their religious holidays, if they cannot find a Muslim to slaughter, and use drops of his blood to knead the matzos they eat, they slaughter a Christian in order to take drops of his blood, and mix it into the matzos that they eat on that holiday,’ Abu Zant said.

“In July 2014 Palestinian Islamic Jihad spokesman Daoud Shihad said that Israeli rabbis told IDF soldiers to knead the blood of Arabs into their dough… A year earlier, in May 2013, Egyptian politician Khaled Zaafrani, during an interview on al-Hafez TV, a Salafist Egyptian station, also brought up the blood libel. ‘It is well-known that during Passover they make matzos called the “Blood of Zion.” They take a Christian child, slit his throat, and slaughter him…they never forgo this rite.’…”

These hateful and completely false accusations are ridiculous, but gullible people and fanatics are eager to believe them. Unless the Arab world stands up in a unified fashion to strongly condemn these fabrications (which will never happen), Muslims should not be surprised when some Christians and Jews resort to drawing pictures of Mohammed and ridiculing him. This, in turn, leads to more Islamic violence and attempts to murder those who organize these contests and demonstrations.  

Newsmax wrote on June 3:

“A man shot and killed by police in Boston on Tuesday was allegedly conspiring with another man to behead police officers and kill the Jewish-American activist Pamela Geller who had recently organized a Mohammed cartoon competition that was attacked in Texas, CNN reported Wednesday night.”

Geert Wilder on the Roll

The Associated Press reported on June 3:

“Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders said Wednesday he plans to show cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad on Dutch television after Parliament refused to display them.

“Wilders said he would show the cartoons during television airtime reserved for political parties, in a move likely to offend Muslims since Islamic tradition holds that any physical depiction of the Prophet Muhammad is blasphemous. Political parties in the Netherlands get a small amount of airtime each year and broadcasting authorities have no say in what the parties show. Wilders said the broadcast would likely take place in the next few weeks, but an exact date has yet to be determined.

“The announcement came a month after Wilders gave a speech at a contest in Garland, Texas, for cartoon depictions of Muhammad. Shortly after Wilders left the event, it was targeted by two men with pistols and assault rifles. Security guards shot and killed the attackers…

“Wilders is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of free speech and targeting Islam. He has lived under round-the-clock protection since 2004 because of death threats.

“In the past, he triggered protests in the Muslim world for a short film he broadcast online which juxtaposed verses from the Quran against videos of violence and terrorism. He was acquitted in 2011 of hate speech as judges said that his anti-Islam rhetoric came in the context of a fierce national debate about immigration and multiculturalism. Wilders is again facing prosecution for hate speech over a chant last year in which he asked his supporters whether they wanted more or fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands and they shouted back ‘Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!’”

How such conduct could possibly lead to prosecution for hate speech is very difficult to comprehend.

Rand Paul’s Temporary Victory Against the NSA and the Political Establishment

Breitbart reported on June 1:

“Late Sunday the National Security Agency (NSA) shut down its bulk data collection program as the PATRIOT Act expired thanks to Paul’s efforts. He tells Breitbart News exclusively that ‘we’re excited by the fact that the battle has been won… The president has been told in no uncertain terms—and by the end of the week this will be in writing—that he can no longer illegally collect all of Americans’ phone records and keep them in Utah,’ Paul said.

“‘I think this is a big rebuke for the president. The courts told him it was illegal and he just kept doing it anyway. I think most Americans, particularly Republicans, don’t trust this president. This is the same president who went after Tea Party groups and went after religious liberty and religious groups. I don’t understand why some of the big government Republicans up here don’t get it because most Republicans I meet across the country don’t want this president to have access to all their phone records.

“Paul criticized—without naming names—GOP senators including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) of Florida, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) of Arizona and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) of South Carolina and other Republicans like Jeb Bush for failing to listen to voters about their concerns with the NSA program.

“I think they get in a Washington echo chamber for so long and don’t get outside the beltway enough to listen to people in America,” Paul said of the Republicans who blindly support the program’… several recent polls that show he’s in the top tier of GOP candidates—and one of the best Republicans when it comes to facing off directly with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In fact, polls from battleground states ranging from Iowa to Colorado to Pennsylvania to New Hampshire have Paul beating Clinton if the election were held right now.

“What’s more, several GOP primary polls put Paul in the top tier of GOP candidates…

“In Paul’s interview with Breitbart News on Monday, he largely credited Matt Drudge—the proprietor of the wildly successful Drudge Report—for helping lead the fight to stop the NSA… Drudge himself has been very vocal on the matter, Tweeting out his disdain for the NSA’s data collection program many times and also highlighting stories and efforts critical of the program on his website.

“Paul added he thinks that his effort to take down the NSA’s data collection program is proof positive that one person can make a difference in this world—even when they’re going up against the entire federal government…”

Newsmax added on June 1:

“More than twice as many Americans stand with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul in wanting to see parts of the Patriot Act dealing with the collection of citizens’ cellphone data expire compared with those who want to keep existing rules, according to a new poll.”

The Washington Post wrote on June 1:

“The Capitol Hill impasse over federal surveillance powers continued Monday, as Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) refused to yield to pressure from the White House and fellow Republicans to step aside and allow the reinstatement of key USA Patriot Act provisions that expired early Monday morning…

“Paul… faced criticism from all sides. McConnell on Sunday accused him of engaging in a ‘campaign of demagoguery and disinformation,’ while Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he had a ‘higher priority for his fundraising . . . than the security of the nation…’”

However, it was recently reported and is widely believed that there is no evidence that any of the NSA’s data which was collected under the NSA’s data collection program has led to a substantive prevention of a terror attack.

The Associated Press reported on June 2:

“Congress approved (and President Obama signed into law on Wednesday) sweeping changes… to surveillance laws enacted after the Sept. 11 attacks, eliminating the National Security Agency’s disputed bulk phone-records collection program and replacing it with a more restrictive measure to keep the records in phone companies’ hands. The legislation [revives] most of the programs the Senate had allowed to lapse in a dizzying collision of presidential politics and national security policy. But the authorization will undergo major changes, the legacy of agency contractor Edward Snowden’s explosive revelations two years ago about domestic spying by the government.”

In response to the new law, Rand Paul commented on June 3 that the American government only admits to its unconstitutional actions when those have been clearly revealed, after having repeatedly denied and lied about their conduct. TV Evangelist and political commentator Pat Robertson made some very strong remarks during his 700 Club TV program on June 3, accusing the NSA of conducting unnecessary Big Brother activities, which severely restrict individual liberties and freedoms.

USA Most Respected Country on Earth?

Breitbart reported on June 1:

“Monday while President Barack Obama was answering questions at a town hall… he said his administration has restored the United States as the ‘the most respected country on earth… People don’t remember, but when I came into office, the United States in world opinion ranked below China and just barely above Russia, and today once again, the United States is the most respected country on earth.

“‘Part of that I think is because of the work we did to reengage the world and say we want to work with you as partners with mutual interests and mutual respect. It was on that basis we were able to end two wars while still focusing on the very real threat of terrorism and try to work with our partners in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s the reason why we are moving in the direction to normalize relations with Cuba and the nuclear deal that we are trying to negotiate with Iran.’”

Sadly, the President’s opinion could not be farther from reality. As some commentators have said, one wonders as to what planet the President is living on.

American Blackmail and the Virtually Non-Existent “Medical Vaccine Exemption”

On May 18, the website of www.nvic.org reported the following:

“Vaccine risks for you or your child can range from zero to 100 percent depending upon the genes you were born with; your microbiome DNA; the environment you live in; your age and health at the time of vaccination, and the type and how many vaccines you get.

“Vaccines are not safe or effective for everyone because we are not all the same and we do not all respond the same way to pharmaceutical products like vaccines.  Our response to infectious diseases and the risk for complications can also vary, depending upon our genes, environment, and age and health at the time of infection. That is why malnourished, vitamin deficient children living in impoverished environments, for example, are at higher risk for complications from gastrointestinal, respiratory and other childhood infections.

“The doctor or nurse giving vaccines to you or your child does not know whether the odds will be in your favor. You may get vaccinated and have no reaction or your immune system and brain function could be severely compromised. The scientific literature is clear about that fact and so is Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court, which have declared vaccines to be ‘unavoidably unsafe’ and shielded the pharmaceutical industry from vaccine injury lawsuits.

“Since 1988, there have been thousands of children and adults in America who have suffered brain inflammation and other long recognized vaccine reactions and have been awarded $3 billion dollars in vaccine injury compensation. There are thousands more, who have been unable to secure federal compensation for their vaccine injuries.

“But doctors and nurses are not taught about the genetic, biological and environmental high risk factors that could make you or your child more vulnerable to experiencing disabling vaccine complications. Vaccines are being recommended and given in a vacuum of knowledge and vaccine policymakers know it. As many Institute of Medicine committees have repeatedly pointed out in published reports spanning a quarter century, there are huge gaps in vaccine safety science.

“Vaccine safety research is not a priority because long ago public health officials made a calculated decision that the lives of those harmed by vaccines are expendable in order to pursue what they consider to be a more important goal: the eradication of a long list of infectious microorganisms through compulsory vaccine use. When vaccine risks turn out to be 100 percent for you or your child, you are expected to quietly accept that you are unavoidable collateral damage in the war on microorganisms.

“This cruel utilitarian rationale, also known as ‘the ends justifies the means,’ has been used by public health officials and medical trade groups to narrow the medical vaccine exemption so that, today, almost no medical condition qualifies as an ‘official’ reason (contraindication) for a doctor to grant someone a medical exemption to vaccination… Basically, the Centers for Disease Control now tells doctors that a medical vaccine exemption should only be granted if you are one of the estimated 320,000 children and adults annually receiving chemotherapy; 39 40 or one of the estimated 47,000 Americans who have had a recent organ or blood cell transplant; 41 42 or your child is one of the 40 to 100 children born every year with Severe Combined Immune Deficiency, known as SCID.

“Once you are done with chemo, no medical vaccine exemption for you. Once you have recovered from your organ or blood cell transplant, no medical vaccine exemption for you. And if you are immunosuppressed but don’t have SCID, the rarest and most severe of all immunodeficiency disorders, in most cases no medical exemption for you.  If you or your child are already suffering with autoimmune or brain disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, inflammatory bowel syndrome, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy or an immunosuppressive disease like HIV, no medical vaccine exemption for you. If you or your child have a family history of severe allergies, vaccine reactions, seizures, sudden infant death syndrome or serious autoimmune and neurological disorders, no medical vaccine exemption for you. If you or your child are sick at the time of vaccination with a fever or on antibiotics, no medical vaccine exemption for you.

“If, after vaccination, you or your child ran a 105-degree fever, collapsed or had seizures and symptoms of brain inflammation followed by serious health deterioration and you are still chronically ill but a doctor disagrees that your continuing health problems were caused by vaccination, no medical vaccine exemption for you.  If you are a pregnant health care worker and do not want to get a flu shot while you are pregnant because you do not want to risk a miscarriage, no medical vaccine exemption for you. If your child was injured or died after vaccination and you want to protect your other children from vaccine injury, no medical vaccine exemption for your children. If your baby was born prematurely and is low weight and struggling to survive, no medical vaccine exemption for your infant.

“For all practical purposes, the Centers for Disease Control and medical trade organizations now direct pediatricians and other vaccinators to deny the medical vaccine exemption to 99.99 percent of Americans. Although nobody can predict whether the odds will be in your favor, you are expected to obey doctors’ orders and get and give your children every government recommended vaccine – no exceptions and no questions asked – or be subjected to threats, coercion, discrimination and denial of medical care, education, and employment.

“Like drug companies selling vaccines, doctors giving vaccines are protected from vaccine injury lawsuits. If a doctor vaccinates you or your child against your will and you suffer a catastrophic vaccine reaction, you cannot seek justice in a civil court of law in front of a jury of your peers. Without accountability or liability, there is strong incentive for vaccinators to implement government vaccine policy and deny vaccine harm – but little incentive to prevent vaccine harm.

“Now public health and medical trade groups are pressuring legislators to pass laws that would not only eliminate non-medical religious and conscientious belief vaccine exemptions for children to attend school, but also would require children to get every one of the 69 doses of 16 federally recommended vaccines – unless a parent can get a medical vaccine exemption from a doctor…

“Zealously pursuing a 99.99 percent vaccination rate and using very small groups of immune compromised individuals as an excuse to eliminate all non-medical vaccine exemptions, liability free doctors want permission from lawmakers to blackmail virtually every American into playing vaccine roulette. And they want to do this in the absence of sound vaccine safety science, even for those potentially at higher risk for suffering vaccine harm…”

This entire scenario paints a horrible picture of scientific incompetence and prostitution, as well as cowardice and blackmail, uncontrolled morbid capitalism and governmental socialistic dictatorship, without ANY regard for individual liberties, freedom and religious conscience.

Pope Francis vs. Nancy Pelosi—the Epitome of Nonsense

Breitbart wrote on May 31:

“For the second time in a week, Pope Francis blasted abortion on Saturday, referring to it as a ‘scourge’ and insisting that ‘a just society recognizes the primacy of the right to life from conception to natural death.’ ‘The degree of progress of a civilization is measured by its ability to protect life, especially in its most fragile stages,’ he said in an address to the Science and Life Association, celebrating its 10th anniversary

“In a fascinating juxtaposition of news, on Friday the pro-abort House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi put herself forward in an MSNBC interview as a faithful, ‘mainstream Catholic’ unlike pro-life Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), whom she called a ‘polarizing’ figure for opposing same-sex marriage.

“On two of the biggest social justice issues of our day—abortion and gay marriage—Pelosi has taken a hardline stand in direct opposition to Church teaching, something resembling a ‘faithful’ Greenpeace member advocating baby seal killing or an orthodox Jew pushing pork. This past January, Ms. Pelosi said that she knew ‘more about having babies than the pope,’ and that a woman has “the right” to an abortion. In her acceptance speech for Planned Parenthood’s highest honor—the Margaret Sanger Award—Pelosi went still further, calling pro-lifers (like the pope) ‘dumb,’ ‘closed-minded’ and ‘oblivious.’

“At the time, Pelosi’s comments drew a stern response from her own archbishop, Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, who stated that ‘no Catholic can dissent in good conscience’ from Church teaching on the sanctity of life. In a recent interview, Pope Francis underscored the paradox of modern secular societies that go to great lengths to protect children from harm, and yet defend a ‘right’ to abortion. ‘Curiously,’ he said, these countries with very strict laws regarding the protection of minors, who even punish fathers or mothers who spank their children, ‘have laws allowing them to kill their children before they are born… Those are the contradictions we live with now,’ he said.”

Pope Francis it totally correct on the issue of abortion and related subjects, including childrearing, and Nancy Pelosi is not only totally wrong… it is incomprehensible that she would call herself a faithful mainstream Catholic with rebellious views which completely deny her church’s doctrine. It is a mystery why she thought she could get away with such an anti-Catholic position and still claim to be a faithful Catholic.

Clash of “Values” between Russia and the West

The EUObserver wrote on May 27:

“Recent events in the EU and the Eurasian Union, Russia’s new bloc, highlight the clash of values. In Luxembourg on 15 May, Xavier Bettel, the PM, married his gay partner – a first for an EU head of government. In Ireland, a week later, people enshrined gay marriage in the constitution by referendum – another first. But in Moscow on 17 May, the international anti-homophobia day, police arrested rights activists at a small rally. In Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, which is to shortly join the Eurasian Union, thugs beat up activists, who were taken away by police, who beat them up again.

“The clash is also visible, in green (equality) and red (rights violations)… Most EU countries, but not the former Iron Curtain ones, are becoming greener. Most former Soviet states, including pro-EU ones, such as Ukraine, are becoming redder. It’s a clash enforced from the top.

“Russia, in 2012, passed legislation saying NGOs that receive EU or US money, a category which includes most NGOs that promote gay rights, are ‘foreign agents’. In 2013, it forbid ‘propaganda’ of homosexual relationships. In May, it said ‘undesirable’ NGOs can be shut down.

“Kyrgyzstan is passing Russia-model ‘foreign agents’ and homosexual propaganda laws. In Armenia, which is already in the Eurasian Union, the Russian ambassador has recommended a ‘foreign agents’ law. A homosexual propaganda bill, tabled in 2013, is, activists say, ‘still on the agenda’…

“Conservative mores in Catholic and Orthodox societies aren’t new. But Russia’s project, to turn them into anti-Western feeling, is a recent development.

“Loparev, the film-maker, whose last work documents gay teenagers’ life in Russia… noted that state TV, fronted by celebrity homophobes such as Dmitry Kiselyev and Arkady Mamontov, began to depict gay people as a fifth column and to blame them for economic problems. Ivan Okhlobystin, another pro-Kremlin TV star, in December 2013 said gay people should be ‘burned in ovens’. He was fired from his PR post at a mobile phone firm. But a fashion company, Baon, snapped him up. It later said ‘he’s … consistent with our target audience, our brand values: attachment to family life; Orthodox Christianity’…

“The EU-Armenia association treaty called for hate crime legislation. That’s defunct. But EU conditions for Armenia visa-free travel also include hate crime laws… But off the record, some EU diplomats say it’s unwise to give gay rights a prominent place in EU communications in the eastern neighbourhood.”

Practicing homosexuality is wrong, and promoting it especially among children and teens is also wrong. But at the same time, committing violent acts against them is wrong, too, and a suggestion to burn them in ovens, which is reminiscent to Hitler’s atrocities, is outrageous and appalling.

Transgender Identity a Mental Disorder?

Breitbart wrote on June 3:

“On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal‘s online edition promoted a June 2014 op-ed by Dr. Paul McHugh, former psychiatrist-in-chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital, which argues that transgender identity is a mental illness akin to bulimia and should not be treated with surgery, which can cause more harm than good. Though the article did not appear in the paper’s print edition, its promotion on the website coincides with the debate over former Olympian Bruce (Caitlyn) Jenner.

“At the time of the op-ed’s original publication, the left reacted in fury…

“Dr. McHugh’s arguments focus on treatments that are demanded for transgendered individuals as a matter of right, including surgery in adults and puberty-delaying drugs in children. He writes: ‘A 2011 study at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden produced the most illuminating results yet regarding the transgendered, evidence that should give advocates pause. The long-term study—up to 30 years—followed 324 people who had sex-reassignment surgery. The study revealed that beginning about 10 years after having the surgery, the transgendered began to experience increasing mental difficulties. Most shockingly, their suicide mortality rose almost 20-fold above the comparable nontransgender population. This disturbing result has as yet no explanation but probably reflects the growing sense of isolation reported by the aging transgendered after surgery. The high suicide rate certainly challenges the surgery prescription.’”

When Is a Man a Man and a Woman a Woman?

In an accompanying article, Breitbart wrote on June 3:

“On Monday, Bruce Jenner announced that he wanted to be called Caitlyn Jenner in a photo spread for Vanity Fair… The notion that gender is completely fluid – that a man can become a woman and a woman can become a man – rests on the redefinition of maleness and femaleness into nothingness. The media insist that everyone use female pronouns to describe Jenner…

“Furthermore, the media claim that womanhood is completely disconnected from biology… Gender, it turns out, is all in one’s head, and therefore can be shifted at will… Jenner has already said he doesn’t know whether he will choose to have sex with men or women or both or neither…

“A male cannot magically become a female simply by injecting estrogen, reshaping the jawline, or inserting silicon beneath the skin of the chest. All of the straight male politicians and media members currently babbling on about how Jenner is a ‘she’ ought to be asked whether they would now be capable of having sex with him. The answer, of course, is no…

“Being a female is more than injections and plastic surgery, and even those who purport to believe Jenner is now a female recognize that, or hold the utterly incoherent position that genders are completely subjective and impossible to objectively define, but that we can objectively recognize transitions between them – and that those who refuse to submit to the delusions of the mentally ill must be denounced as intolerant and unscientific.”

The Independent wrote on June 4:

“Jenner’s transition has been celebrated across the world, while the cover has been praised as ground-breaking and an important moment for transgender rights and visibility.”

In spite of the “values” and “standards” in our world which is ruled by Satan, the concept that a man could become a woman through surgery, or vice versa, is completely condemned in the Bible.

Clash of “Values” on Same-Sex Marriages

The Local wrote on June 3:

“Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union party (CDU) told the Saarbrücker Zeitung that she was worried about the consequences of changing the definition of marriage – currently narrowly defined as being between a man and a woman in the German Constitution. ‘If we open up this definition to become a long-term responsible partnership between two adults, then other demands can’t be ruled out, such as a marriage between close relatives or between more than two people,’ she opined.

“Social Democratic Party (SPD) politicians were quick to respond to Kramp-Karrenbauer, with secretary-general Yasmin Fahimi calling it ‘a new low for the debate on marriage for all… This is a blow in the face of hundreds of thousands of same-sex partnerships who stand up for one another and take on responsibilities,’ said Fahimi.

“The SPD were joined by Free Democratic Party (FDP) secretary-general Nicola Beer, who called Kramp-Karrenbauer’s words ‘shameless… She is deeply insulting homosexuals. I call on her to apologize for going off the rails’…

“A mother and a father pairing was the best way of raising a child, [Kramp-Karrenbauer] said…

“Politicians from the SPD, Greens and Linke (Left Party) are trying to put together a majority in the Bundesrat (upper house of parliament, representing the federal states) in favour of equalizing gay partnerships with heterosexual marriage. They hope to put Chancellor Merkel under pressure to overcome naysayers like Kramp-Karrenbauer in her own party.”

This is another example as to how liberal politicians are willing to aggressively silence those who do not agree with their unbiblical agenda through intimidation and defamation.

God a “She” in the Church of England

The Telegraph wrote on May 31:

“Support is growing within the Church of England to rewrite its official liturgy to refer to God as female following the selection of the first women bishops. Growing numbers of priests already insert words such as ‘she” and ‘mother’ informally into traditional service texts as part of a move to make the language of worship more inclusive, it has been claimed.

“But calls for a full overhaul of liturgy to recognise the equal status of women have already been discussed informally at a senior level… The Church of England’s worship already includes some references to God as female, many of them centuries old. Canticle 82, the song of Anselm, the 11th and 12th Century Archbishop of Canterbury, likens Jesus to a mother, while number 86, attributed to Julian of Norwich, speaks of God as ‘our mother in all things’…

“A spokesman for Lambeth Palace emphasised that the steering group is independent of the Archbishop of Canterbury and that any change in liturgy would have to be approved by the General Synod.”

To have women ministers and bishops in a Christian church is totally prohibited by the Bible, and to heap insult on injury, to refer to God as a woman is another abomination.

Being Christian Unimportant in Britain

The Independent wrote on June 1:

“The Church of England has lost nearly two million followers in the last two years and is on the brink of ‘extinction’, it has been warned.

“The number of people in the UK who describe their beliefs as being Church of England or Anglican dropped from 21 per cent to 17 per cent between 2012 and 2014- a loss of around 1.7 million followers. The number of Anglicans in Britain is now thought to stand at around 8.6 million…

“Over the same period, the poll found that the number of Muslims in Britain grew by close to a million making it the fastest growing religion in the UK. 4.7 per cent of Britons now describe themselves as Muslim, amounting to 2.4 million. When asked about their religious belief, the survey found that the most common response was having no religion. 49 per cent of people do not describe themselves has having any belief…

“Naomi Jones, Head of Social Attitudes at NatCen, said of the figures: ‘The proportion of people saying that they are Anglican has fallen quite dramatically in the last ten years, coinciding with a rise in people saying they are not religious… Another explanation could be that in the past religion played a more prominent role in people’s identity. We know… that people are less likely than in previous years to see being Christian as an important component of being British. Therefore, fewer British people may feel that the Church of England is an important part of their identity nowadays.”

With the Church of England having lost fundamental biblical standards, why should we be surprised?

(Español: ¿Cómo se puede creer en la Biblia?)

We recently received the following question:

“I have a very important question. Obviously there are many mistakes and things which contradict each other in the common Bible translations. So what is the true one without any mistakes? I mean there must be one. Otherwise, there would be no reason to believe in the whole thing. I hope you can answer my question.”

First, and foremost, let’s understand that no one has in their possession the original manuscripts upon which the Bible is based. Everything is either a copy or a translation. Does that fact invalidate the Bible? Not at all! The Bible, itself, is its own greatest witness for the proof that God inspired men to write down and then to preserve words from Him. Let’s begin with some Bible basics.

Among men, Jesus Christ, alone, has seen God. The Bible makes this point:

“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18).

Now consider what Jesus said of God—the One Who is called “the Father”:

“‘And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form’” (John 5:37).

God is Spirit (John 4:24); God is invisible (Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:27); God is eternal (Deuteronomy 33:27; Revelation 4:9; Romans 16:26).

Some might conclude that these Scriptures contradict other statements in the Bible in which it is said that men heard the voice of God and some actually saw His form. A direct example is found concerning the children of Israel during their exodus from Egypt, as they went to the Promised Land. Note:

“Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity” (Exodus 24:9-10).

Other Scriptures reveal that the God seen by these men was Jesus Christ—before He came as a flesh and blood human (compare 1 Corinthians 10:4; John 1:18). The remarkable truth we find here is that two individuals are revealed as God in the Bible, the Father and the Son.

Now this is an example to show that there are explanations contained within the pages of the Bible concerning so-called contradictions. But one must realize that understanding the Word of God requires a willing attitude on our part, and we find how this approach was used by people who heard the gospel being preached:

“Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men” (Acts 17:10-12).

Even to Timothy, a minister, Paul said, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, Authorized Version). Paul also gave Timothy these instructions:

“But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:14-17).

Paul was addressing the value of what we call the “Old Testament.” Jesus also referred to “‘the Scriptures’” (John 5:39); “‘the writings’” (John 5:47); and “‘the Law and the Prophets’” (Matthew 7:12; 22:40; compare also Luke 16:16)—all terms identifying the authority of the Old Testament!

Jesus Christ believed the Bible—as did His disciples who were led to establish the Church of God based on the very Word of God!

The Bible is not an accidental accumulation of various scrolls and letters which have somehow been preserved until our day. In fact, the Bible contains prophecies written specifically for our time! These particular writings were not even understood by those who wrote them.

Jacob’s revelation to his twelve sons was for “‘the last days’” (Genesis 49:1); Daniel wanted to know the meaning of the prophecies he was given, but was told, “‘the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end’” (Daniel 12:9); Habakkuk was told to write a vision which “‘at the end… will speak’” (Habakkuk 2:3); and Jesus Christ answered questions from His disciples about the end of the age by revealing signs and events which would coincide and culminate with His return to the earth!

You can believe the Bible based on prophecy—both the ones already fulfilled and those that are coming to pass even now.

Another test you can apply is to begin to seek God through reading the Bible and doing those things God instructs—get to know God through His written Word! King David used this as a key for himself:

“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts” (Psalm 119:97-100).

Consider that Jesus Christ’s sinless life was based on His obedience to God’s laws found in the Word of God:

“Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come–In the volume of the book it is written of Me–To do Your will, O God’” (Hebrews 10:7; compare also John 15:9-10).

Jesus was asked by His disciples why it was that He spoke in parables. This is His answer:

“And He said, ‘To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that “Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand”’” (Luke 8:10).

For you to believe the Bible, help from God is needed—you simply can’t open up the scriptures by yourself. The reason for this is that the Bible is a spiritual document which requires God’s revelation through His Holy Spirit:

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

So what do you do, now? Do what the apostle Peter instructed:

“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38).

As to your concern about various translations of the Bible, take the first steps to begin to study and ask God to guide you. There are, of course, versions which more accurately reflect the original, and these are those which translate on a word-for-word basis into the language at hand. Understand, as well, that on the Day of Pentecost, when the Church of God was founded, those hearing the disciples preach were astounded and said, “‘And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?’” (Acts 2:8).

They did not have to hear the message of salvation in a language they did not understand! So it is, today!

And, yes, your question is indeed an important one. For although there may be some minor difficulties in modern Bible translations, the truth of God IS contained in His written Word. BELIEVE THAT as a starting point!

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Lead Writer: Dave Harris

“Prophecy – How to Understand It – Part 1: The Number of the Beast,” is the first of three new sermons to be presented by Norbert Link on June 13, 2015—followed by presentations on June 20 and 27. In addition, we are promoting this series through press releases, Facebook and our own webpage, www.eternalgod.org

“Corruption and Lies in Satan’s World” is the title of the most recent StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a Summary:

We are living in a corrupt world, which is ruled by Satan the Devil. This program will give you recent examples of lies, deceit, corruption and delusion in the field of worldwide soccer or football; the controversial NSA Data Collection program; the false idea of America’s good reputation in the world; an incredibly hateful Muslim sermon on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem; the unrealized danger of transgender identity; the push for female pronouns to identify the Christian God; and the hot debate on same-sex marriages in Germany. We are offering a free subscription to our weekly Update and a free copy of our booklet, “Human Suffering…Why, and How Much Longer?”

“Good or Evil? — Catholic Ireland Votes to Legalize Same-Sex Marriages,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

The Irish people voted by a landslide in favor of the legalization of same-sex marriages. Catholic Ireland is now referred to as a “beacon of light” and a “leader out of darkness,” “showing others the right way.” While the Roman Catholic Church officially views practicing homosexuality as “unnatural,” the German Protestant Church declared that it is “neither abnormal nor sinful.”  How does God see it? What does the Bible have to say about it? And if the Bible is clear on the matter, why are so many Christians afraid to stand up for the truth?

“Neu! Warum Christus Zurückkommen Muss!” is the title of this week’s German sermon. The English title would be, “Why Christ Must Come Back!”

A new StandingWatch Global Trailer by Pastor Brian Gale is now posted. “Evolution” is the title of this presentation.

“The Work in Germany,” last Sabbath’s sermonette presented by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The Bible prophesies that at a time when a short powerful work of preaching the gospel message is being revived, modern Babylon will rise once again in Europe as the final short-lived resurrection of the ancient Holy Roman Empire. We are seeing the beginning of this prophecy being fulfilled in Germany; and Satan is very angry, knowing that his time is short.

“Good Fruits,” last Sabbath’s sermon presented by Mike Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

To produce good fruit, one has to apply certain attributes which should produce blessings, if applied correctly.

On May 30, 2015, Norbert Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Update on the German Work,” and Mike Link will present the sermon, titled, “Good Fruit.”

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.

Over the decades I have had close contact with literally thousands of members in the Church of God. The beginning for me was hearing The World Tomorrow broadcast at age fifteen. A couple of years later, I met someone who was part of what was then called the Radio Church of God. That was followed by my attending Church services in Springfield, Missouri, and then being accepted to Ambassador College in the fall of 1964.

In those years of 1960’s and 1970’s, there was tremendous growth. Every aspect of the work of the Church flourished. There was inspiring unity, a kind of singleness of heart among the majority of people. Occasionally, however, some left the Church even when it was at its strongest. The reasons were varied, but those who remained carried on. The prevailing attitude was that this would only happen to the few, but just the opposite has proven to be the case!

Now, in May of 2015, tens of thousands of members who were once in the Worldwide Church of God have faded into a dizzying array of groups. While some struggle to remain faithful to God, most have allowed themselves to be reabsorbed into the society they once rejected!

My reflection on what has transpired is something we should know all too well. But this isn’t just history—it is our struggle of this time, and it will be true in the days ahead. It is because Satan seeks to stamp out anyone and everyone who is a member in the Church of God.

Looking back, it seems that we were easy prey for Satan. Our mistake in times past was that we didn’t really take precautions—we didn’t heed the warnings we all heard! But know this, while we can learn from what has happened in recent years, the real test remains—to finish!

Jesus outlined the challenge set before us:

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and THERE ARE FEW WHO FIND IT” (Matthew 7:13-14)

We are living in strange times, and even “nature” seems to “behave “crazily.” While California is suffering from a severe draught, Texas and other US states are plagued with rain and flooding, and Israel, India and other countries are experiencing an “unprecedented” “brutal” heat wave, paralyzing industries and killing more than one thousand people.

In this report, we begin with Ireland’s popular vote by referendum to legalize same-sex marriages, and the repercussions this may have for other European countries; address the ongoing NSA and BND scandal in Germany which may have huge consequences for Angela Merkel and her party; speak of Russia’s aggressive conduct towards the West; and point out European ambitions and controversial plans to create a naval force to combat people-smugglers operating from Libya.

 We report on David Cameron’s hopeless attempts to change continental Europe’s thinking and the German and French rejection of his ambitious European plans; and address the election of a right-wing Catholic president in Poland who is considered to be a nationalist and a “moderate Eurosceptic,” while still supporting Poland’s EU membership.

 We continue with a disturbing article, stating that criminals hacked into more than 100,000 IRS records pertaining to individual US taxpayers; and report on the dilemma of many conservatives and Republicans in the USA, as they face a conflict between their Catholic membership, their personal belief and their official relationship with Pope Francis.

 We conclude with reports on God’s awesome universe and the fanciful opinion of intellectuals believing that it created itself and that all life on earth evolved—an unscientific and unbiblical hypothesis which Pope Francis has chosen to adopt as well–and with a warning to parents to be aware as to what (demonic) activities their children and teens may be engaged in.

Catholic Ireland Leads the Way

Deutsche Welle reported on May 24:

“After Ireland’s citizens voted overwhelmingly in favor of marriage equality in a historic referendum, members of Germany’s Green party have called for the recognition of same-sex marriage in Germany as well… Ireland voted by a landslide in favor of changing the constitution to recognize marriage between same-sex couples. It marks a significant step in a predominantly Catholic country where homosexuality was a criminal offense until 1993.

“Same-sex civil partnerships have been legal in Ireland since 2010. Similar recognition was introduced almost a decade earlier in Germany with the Civil Partnership Act in 2001… German partnerships, however, do not provide couples with exactly the same tax and adoption rights as marriage…

“Ireland is set to become the 19th country in the world to allow gay marriage, as well as the first to do so by referendum. More than 62 percent of the 3.2 million votes backed the change, while 37.9 percent opposed it…”

The Local added on May 26:

“Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is feeling the pressure from opposition MPs, its own gay supporters and its Social Democratic Party (SPD) allies to look again at allowing gay marriage after Ireland’s popular ‘yes’ vote on Friday. Linke (Left) party leader Gregor Gysi told the Süddeutsche Zeitung that the Irish decision came at a time of  ‘cultural revolution’ that would have been ‘unimaginable’ just a short time ago…

“The CDU is already facing pressure from within its own ranks to change, with the Federation of Gays and Lesbians in the CDU calling for the party to change its tune. ‘The clear “yes” in Ireland is a signal. In Germany, something has to change in our party, too,’ federation leader Alexander Vogt told Spiegel Online. ‘Frau Merkel doesn’t need to dash forward any more. She just needs to jump aboard the train.’”

The Local added on May 28:

“Three days after Ireland voted ‘Yes’ to gay marriage in a referendum, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert defended the moves that aim to ensure equal treatment for gay couples without granting them the right to legally wed. ‘We will, in Germany, have to find our way,’ he told reporters… ‘It isn’t an equalization with marriage … Putting it on the same footing as marriage is not a goal of this government.’”

“Germany has since 2001 allowed civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, granting many but not all the rights extended to heterosexual spouses. Critics in particular point to gay couples still being forbidden from adopting children together in Germany.”

The EUObserver wrote on May 23:

“Following the referendum, parliament will introduce a bill to amend the Irish constitution. The Irish Times says the law will pass before the summer break. The new wording in the Irish charter is to say: ‘Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex’.

“The vote means Ireland joins several other EU member states allowing same-sex marriage including Belgium, Denmark, France, Spain, and the Netherlands – the first in the world in 2001.”

Many commentators consider the referendum by overwhelmingly Catholic Ireland as a protest vote against the Catholic Church itself, as trust and confidence in the church has strongly diminished, which is largely due to the pedophile scandals, involving Catholic priests and the perceived attempts by the church to cover them up. Please also see the next article.

 “Defeat for Humanity”

 The LAT reported on May 26:

 “A close aide to Pope Francis on Tuesday denounced Ireland’s vote last week to legalize same-sex marriage, calling it a ‘defeat for humanity.’ Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, told reporters he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the outcome of the Friday referendum in Ireland, in which many voters defied the Roman Catholic Church by favoring marriage for same-sex couples…

“Although Francis made headlines in 2013 by saying ‘Who am I to judge,’ when asked for his views on homosexuality, he has fiercely defended heterosexual marriage and traditional family values. During his trip to the Philippines in January, Francis said the family was ‘threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage.’… The Vatican views homosexual acts as unnatural. In November, Francis said at an inter-religious conference that ‘children have the right to grow up in a family with a father and mother capable of creating a suitable environment for the child’s development and emotional maturity.’

“On Monday, the Vatican’s daily newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, called the Irish vote ‘a defeat’ and ‘a challenge for the whole church.’ The newspaper quoted Swiss Cardinal Georges Cottier as saying the result of the referendum was linked to ‘the pedophilia scandal that has rocked the Irish Church.’ Thanks in part to the Vatican’s influence on Italian politics, Italy has long resisted rulings on gay unions. But the Irish vote has galvanized the Italian government, led by prime minister Matteo Renzi, to push ahead with its own planned legislation on civil unions, which would allow couples of the same sex to be recognized by law.”

On this issue, the teaching of the Catholic Church and the Vatican is biblically correct. On the issue of Evolution (see article below), their teaching is wrong.

How the “Yes” Vote Came About

On May 27, Breitbart published the following article:

“The world has now seen that last Friday Ireland voted 62 percent to 38 percent in favor of same-sex marriage. The symbolic significance of the vote can hardly be missed. Once-Catholic Ireland is now a ‘modern, tolerant, secular and inclusive’ society in the eyes of our peers in the Western world…

“I was one of the leaders of the No campaign. I am a national newspaper columnist and have been for 21 years. In January 2007, I founded something called The Iona Institute. We are a small think tank dedicated to arguing for the rightful place of religion in public life and for the importance of traditional marriage.

“In almost all that time, same-sex marriage (preceded by civil partnerships) has been on the political agenda. Until recently, we were the only organization in the country arguing against same-sex marriage on a consistent basis. More recently, we were joined by Mothers and Fathers Matter (to which I am an adviser).

“Arrayed against us was every major political party, all of the mainstream media, every relevant NGO, an army of celebrities, and enormous financial resources. On our side was a very badly weakened Catholic Church, discredited by the child sex abuse scandals and its own authoritarian part.

“The Catholic Church did not play a front-of-house role in the campaign because it knew if it did, it would have been counter-productive. Instead, the Catholic bishops limited themselves to issuing pastoral letters on the subject, which some priests read out at masses and some did not.

“The Yes side in the campaign has also benefitted hugely from millions upon millions of American dollars… The money came from an American foundation called Atlantic Philanthropies, and it was used to turn the LGBT lobby into one of the most formidable lobbies the country has ever seen… The money from America is almost all one way, from the pockets of American liberals into the pockets of Irish liberals.

“But the Irish media cared not a whit about the fact that the LGBT lobby here is so lavishly funded with American dollars…

“By changing the Constitution as we have done, the Irish people, whether they know it or not, have now declared that the marriage of two men or two women is as ‘natural, primary and fundamental’ to society as the sexual unions of men and women. In addition, for the first time in any country ever, two married men or women can go into a court of law and say they have a constitutional right to have children…

“Roughly 30 percent of posters put up by the No side during the campaign were illegally torn down by Yes side activists who often boasted about it on social media. Torrents of abuse was directed at No side speakers on social media on a daily basis. The result was that many ordinary No voters were scared to speak to journalists because of what would then be directed at them as a result.

“Members of our police force, in full uniform, helped out at voter registration drives on behalf of the Yes side. The head of Twitter in Ireland called for a Yes vote. Former Irish President Mary McAleese broke with all previous practice by other past presidents by calling for a Yes vote. (Our presidency is largely a ceremonial role.)

“In this atmosphere, it was a minor miracle that the No side managed to garner 38 percent of votes cast, amounting to almost 750,000 voters. If we had any major media on our side or any major political party, the whole business would have been a much closer-run operation.

“In any event, it is done. An 87-year-old priest wrote to me Wednesday and expressed very well what happened here in Ireland: ‘Compassionate care of homosexual people was confused with the nature of marriage.’ I cannot sum it up any better than that.”

One-Third of Germans Feel Betrayed by Merkel

Deutsche Welle reported on May 24:

“Tension in ties between the United States and Germany heightened yet again Saturday when the mass-market ‘Bild’ newspaper reported that US intelligence agencies had started reviewing their cooperation with Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, the BND, as reports emerged that confidential information was leaked to the media by a German parliamentary committee.

“Allegations that the BND helped the NSA spy on European companies and officials has also strained Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition and damaged her popularity…  A US official said the leaks were worse than those attributed to Snowden, according to ‘Bild.’…

“Pressure is increasing on Merkel as critics accuse her staff of allowing the BND to help the NSA… A poll conducted last week found that one in three Germans feels deceived by Merkel… The Social Democratic Party, the junior member in Merkel’s so-called grand coalition government, has seen support increase as the surveillance scandal goes on…”

The German press reported on May 26 that according to new revelations, Angela Merkel had prior knowledge of the fact that there would be no “no-spy” agreement between the USA and Germany, long before this fact was officially admitted, suggesting that Merkel and her friends intentionally lied to the German people.

Putin’s Ongoing Persecution of Dissenters

The Associated Press reported on May 24:

“President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law Saturday giving prosecutors the power to declare foreign and international organizations ‘undesirable’ in Russia and shut them down. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have condemned the measure as part of an ‘ongoing draconian crackdown which is squeezing the life out of civil society.’

“The law is part of a Kremlin campaign to stifle dissent that intensified after Putin began his third term in 2012. His return to the presidency had been accompanied by mass street protests that Putin accused the United States of fomenting. Russian suspicions of Western intentions have been further heightened because of tensions over Russia’s role in the conflict in Ukraine…

“U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Marie Harf said the United States is ‘deeply troubled’ by the new law, calling it ‘a further example of the Russian government’s growing crackdown on independent voices and intentional steps to isolate the Russian people from the world.’”

Sadly, this is very true, but most Russians don’t care; rather, they admire and support Putin’s conduct.

 Russia Goes on the Attack against Germany

 Deutsche Welle reported on May 25:

“Foreign affairs politician Karl-Georg Wellmann has been stopped from entering Russia, where he was to take part in talks on ‘the future of Ukraine’… Wellmann is the head of the German-Ukrainian group in the German Bundestag, and a known critic of [the] Kremlin.

“Russian authorities banned Wellmann from entering Russia until November 2019… officials only informed of the move after he landed in Moscow Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday night. He was then asked to take the next flight to Berlin… Wellmann returned to Germany on Monday morning, after spending the night in the transit area at Moscow’s airport…

“Wellmann, who is a member of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrat party (CDU), has been sharply critical of Russia’s actions in east Ukraine. He has urged tougher sanctions on the Kremlin and called Russia a ‘warmonger’ for allegedly supporting the rebels… While in Moscow, Wellmann had intended to meet Konstantin Kosachev, the international affairs committee chairman in Russia’s upper house of parliament, as well as Sergei Glazyev who is economic adviser to President Vladimir Putin, the German politician told Focus Online.

“Wellman also said that he suspected Russian authorities of having created a whole list of Western officials that they intend to keep out of Russia… ‘Because the list is not public, you only know that you are on it only when you are in the entry hall,’ Wellmann said.”

… and the USA

Reuters reported on May 28:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin defended Russia’s right to host the 2018 soccer World Cup on Thursday and accused the United States of meddling outside its jurisdiction in the arrest of top officials from world governing body FIFA.

“Putin said the arrests in Switzerland on Wednesday were an ‘obvious attempt’ to prevent FIFA head Sepp Blatter’s re-election this week [Deutsche Welle said that Blatter is expected to win Friday’s polls against Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, even though Europe and the USA have pledged to support Prince Ali, according to the New York Times] but that the 79-year-old had Russia’s backing. ‘If anything happened, it did not happen on U.S. territory and the United States has nothing to do with it,’ he said. ‘This is yet another blatant attempt (by the United States) to extend its jurisdiction to other states.’

“The world’s most popular sport was plunged into turmoil this week when seven senior soccer officials were arrested on U.S. corruption charges to face extradition from Switzerland. Swiss authorities also announced a criminal investigation into the awarding of the next two World Cups, including the 2018 tournament which was granted to Russia in 2010 by a committee containing two of the indicted FIFA officials…

“‘Unfortunately, our American partners use such methods to achieve their selfish aims and illegally persecute people,’ [Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko] said, citing former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, both of whom have evaded prosecution in the United States for divulging secret information by hiding abroad. ‘I do not rule out that in the case of FIFA, it’s exactly the same,’ Putin said.”

Tanks Don’t Need Visas

 Newsmax wrote on May 26:

“‘Tanks don’t need visas,’ Russia’s deputy prime minister reminded western nations in an assertive weekend interview timed with the start of a massive military exercise. Dmitry Rogozin was reacting to a question about visa bans by the U.S. and European countries being imposed on him and other Russia politicians and business leaders connected with the Ukraine dilemma, when he quipped ‘tanks don’t need visas’…

“Reuters and AFP reported that Russia’s Defense Ministry kicked off air force exercises in the Ural mountains and western Siberia involving 12,000 soldiers and 250 aircraft. The maneuvers are meant to prepare for a larger drill in September, called Tsentr-2015. NATO began a dueling military exercise with Germany, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and the U.S. gathering in the Artic for two weeks of maneuvers…

“On Sunday, Rogozin posted a message on Twitter that Russia is not a threat to the West, which is facing ‘collapse under the onslaught of ISIS and gays.’… Tensions between the West and Russia seemed to increase Monday when Germany complained about Moscow denying a German lawmaker [Karl-Georg Wellmann] into Russia because of the Ukrainian crisis…”

EU Plans for Military Involvement

BBC News reported on May 18:

“EU ministers have approved plans to establish a naval force to combat people-smugglers operating from Libya. The aim is to launch the operation next month, with a headquarters in Rome under an Italian admiral, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said. The EU is struggling to cope with a surge in illegal migrants from Africa and the Middle East crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe…

“The UK is playing the lead role at the UN Security Council in drafting a resolution that would give the EU a legal basis for using military force against people traffickers… It is not clear how destroying boats at sea would stem the flow of migrants. If there are plans to destroy boats on standby before they leave Libyan shores then that would require a significant amount of intelligence on the ground. EU member states have no official presence in Libya…

“The mission could mean operating in areas controlled by a potentially hostile Islamist militia, and EU forces taking considerable risks to destroy boats and infrastructure used by smugglers…

“EU officials have said repeatedly that there will be “no boots on the ground”. But there will need to be an effort to disrupt the onshore operations of the smuggling gangs if the mission is to achieve its objectives. That could well involve the use of special forces, something that will not be advertised in advance. And there will be huge risks involved for the EU – political and military. It’s just that doing nothing is an even less attractive option.”

The EUObserver wrote on May 26:

“Another leaked EU paper on the Libya boat-sinking operation says it could harm Europe’s image and create false hope the warships are there to rescue people. The paper, drafted by the EU’s military committee, a branch of the foreign service, on 12 May was published on Monday (25 May) by whistleblower site Wikileaks… It says there’s ‘a risk to EU reputation’ if ‘loss of life be attributed, correctly or incorrectly, to action or inaction by the EU force’.

“It also says military activity in Libya risks ‘destabilising the political process by causing collateral damage, disrupting legitimate economic activity, or creating a perception of [the EU] having chosen sides’ between Libya’s rival authorities. It adds: ‘the information strategy should avoid suggesting that the focus is to rescue migrants at sea but emphasise that the aim of the operation is to disrupt the migrant-smuggling business model’…

“The military paper notes the warships, despite their mandate, will be in a tricky position if they encounter migrants whose safety is at risk, because ‘preservation of human life at sea is a legal obligation’ under international law… It also contradicts EU foreign service press statements there won’t be military activity on land… it says smugglers’ land-based ‘enabling assets (logistical facilities, fuel, communication equipment)’ are also targets.”

The UK might not be part of this planned EU endeavor. See the next articles.

Cameron Soon All Alone?

 The Telegraph wrote on May 26:

“Germany and France have agreed a pact to bring the Eurozone closer together without the need for treaty change in a potential blow to Britain’s plans for EU reform… The Prime Minister told Mr Juncker that the British people are ‘not happy with the status quo’ and believe that the EU needs to change ahead of a referendum on Britain’s membership by the end of 2017…

“After the Queen’s Speech on Wednesday, Mr Cameron will embark on a two-day diplomatic offensive to make his case with visits to Denmark, Holland, France, Poland and Germany…

“Earlier Mr Cameron spoke to Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, and the two men agreed to re-open talks over how to end the civil war in Syria and stop the rise of Isil.”

The Guardian added on May 26:

“Germany and France have forged a pact to integrate the eurozone without reopening the EU’s treaties, in a blow to David Cameron’s referendum campaign. Sidestepping Britain’s demands to renegotiate the Lisbon treaty and Britain’s place in the EU, the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the French president, François Hollande, have sealed an agreement aimed at fashioning a tighter political union among the single-currency countries while operating within the confines of the existing treaty…

“The Franco-German initiative, likely to be endorsed by the 25 June summit, would definitively close the door on treaty renegotiation… The Franco-German policy proposal, said Le Monde, ‘shows that French and German leaders do not have much in common with David Cameron’.”

The Local wrote on May 23:

“Germany and France have agreed to forge closer Eurozone ties without reopening the bloc’s treaties… The move is seemingly designed to undermine UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s attempts to renegotiate his country’s ties to the EU… Die Welt newspaper said the agreement represented ‘Berlin and Paris showing Cameron the red card’…

“Cameron wants EU heads of state to agree to reopen treaties so he can renegotiate Britain’s ties to the EU and win back some powers from Brussels, while at the same time allowing for closer cooperation among eurozone nations. The PM’s chief requirement is a change to laws surrounding access to benefits by EU migrants. Cameron wants restrictions on benefits unless migrants have lived in the country for four years. He is also expected to demand an opt-out from one the EU’s core principles of forging an ‘ever-closer union’ between member states.

“But it seems Hollande and Merkel have an entirely different agenda on the table… ‘Given that Cameron is about to go on tour around Europe and meet several heads of state, this move by Merkel and Hollande can’t be just coincidence,’ Philippe Marliere, professor in French and European politics at the University College London told The Local. ‘It’s clearly a signal of intent to show Cameron that “whatever he wants to get from us, we aren’t budging when it comes to treaties and the monetary union.”’”

Express added on May 26:

“Cameron’s attempts to renegotiate Britain’s role in the European Union will fail, Ukip’s deputy chairwoman [Suzanne Evans] has warned… The Prime Minister hopes to win ‘major concessions’ from Brussels – but Suzanne Evans claimed that he ‘won’t even get close’ to securing Britain’s independence… Evans also urged Britain to further its relations with the old Commonwealth and Anglosphere after leaving the EU, She said: ‘It’s the non-EU countries that mostly do the best trade with the EU.’”

Mr. Cameron’s desperate attempts to find allies and supporters for his cause, wherever he may be able to find them—inside and outside the EU—will not prevent the occurrence of the prophesied truth that the UK will find itself isolated and not helped by its allies in the very near future.

Austria to Repatriate Much of Its Gold Reserves from Britain

The Local wrote on May 28:

“Austria’s central bank announced on Thursday it would repatriate a large part of its gold reserves currently stored in Britain, after auditors warned of the risk of bulk storing in a foreign country. Until now the Austrian National Bank has kept 80 percent of its 280 tonnes of gold, worth around €8.6 million ($9.3 million), in London.

“But by 2020, the Bank of England’s stock of the precious metal will be reduced to 30 percent, while Austria will hold 50 percent and Switzerland 20 percent…

“Vienna confirmed it would begin to gradually repatriate 92.4 tonnes this summer. A further 47.6 tonnes will be transferred from Britain to Switzerland. Austria’s move echoes an announcement by Germany in 2013, which said it would repatriate all of its gold stocked in France as well as some of the reserves held in the United States, to ensure at least 50 percent was kept on German soil by 2020.”

 What’s Going on in Poland?

 Times of Israel wrote on May 26:

“Leaders of Poland’s Jewish community said Polish Jews are ready to cooperate with the country’s new right-wing president, who has criticized his predecessor’s apologies to Jews over the Holocaust.

“Andrzej Duda won Sunday’s presidential elections in Poland. Duda, whose father-in-law Julian Kornhauser is a well-known Polish-Jewish poet, garnered 52 percent of the vote, according to official results certified on Sunday night. His opponent, former president Bronislaw Komorowski, received 48 percent of the vote. Duda, a conservative politician, criticized the president’s apologies in recent years for the massacre that Polish farmers perpetrated against their Jewish neighbors in Jedwabne. The 1941 Jedwabne pogrom, in which dozens of Jews were burned alive by villagers who trapped them inside a barn, was exposed in the early 2000s by the historian Jan Gross. The discovery triggered furious reactions by Polish nationalists who claimed there was too little evidence to support the allegations, which they said falsely depicted Poland as a perpetrator nation instead of a victim of Nazi occupation.

“Komorwski said of Jedwabne during campaign debate that ‘the nation of victims was also the nation of perpetrators.’ Duda called Komorowski’s apologies an ‘attempt to destroy Poland’s good name.’… Duda is a member of the conservative right-wing Law and Justice Party. On Monday he announced that he would resign from membership in the party in order to serve as an independent president…

“Duda, a 43-year-old lawyer, will be taking office in August for a five-year term. Duda, a Roman Catholic, traveled on Monday to the Jasna Gora shrine in Czestochowa, and prayed there…

“Duda’s win is a serious warning for the ruling pro-EU government, in power since 2007, before fall parliamentary elections. It could herald a major political shift in the European Union’s sixth-largest economy, a country that has been able to punch above its weight in Europe without belonging to the 19-nation eurozone. Poland’s influence is underlined by the fact that one of its own, Donald Tusk, now heads the European Council in Brussels…

“Poland’s president has limited powers, but is the head of the armed forces, and can propose and veto legislation…

“In Moscow, the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin congratulated Duda and ‘expressed confidence that building constructive relations between Russia and Poland, based on the principles of good neighborly relations and the mutual respect of interests, would strengthen security and stability in Europe.’”

The EUObserver added on May 25:

“Duda’s presidency will also influence Poland’s stance on the European scene, especially if Law and Justice wins parliamentary elections in October which past experience shows is likely… If it happens it is going to be a conservative and nationalistic shift in one of the most pro-European countries in EU… Duda is considered to be moderately eurosceptic. He thinks that Poland should not follow European mainstream politics which he sees as driven by Germany, but he supports Poland’s EU membership.”

IRS Hacked and Under Attack

 The Associated Press reported on May 26:

“Sophisticated criminals used an online service run by the IRS to access personal tax information from more than 100,000 taxpayers, part [of] an elaborate scheme to steal identities and claim fraudulent tax refunds, the IRS said Tuesday. The thieves accessed a system called ‘Get Transcript,’ where taxpayers can get tax returns and other filings from previous years. In order to access the information, the thieves cleared a security screen that required knowledge about the taxpayer, including Social Security number, date of birth, tax filing status and street address, the IRS said…

“Identity thieves, both foreign and domestic, have stepped up their efforts in recent years to claim fraudulent tax refunds. The agency estimates it paid out $5.8 billion in fraudulent refunds to identity thieves in 2013… ‘That the IRS — home to highly sensitive information on every single American and every single company doing business here at home — was vulnerable to this attack is simply unacceptable,’ said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. ‘What’s more, this agency has been repeatedly warned by top government watchdogs that its data security systems are inadequate against the growing threat of international hackers and data thieves.’’

 Republicans and Conservatives Clash with the Pope

Newsmax wrote on May 25:

“As Pope Francis makes pronouncements that are increasingly more progressive, this poses a problem for Catholic Republicans, Politico argues. The Vatican recognized Palestine as a state earlier this month, Pope Francis is expected to release an encyclical, which is a teaching document, addressing climate change by the end of June, and climate change will also be a topic he is expected to highlight when he addresses Congress in September. This is in addition to statements the pontiff has made previously about softening the church’s views on gay marriage, divorce and birth control.

“Catholic and conservative political activist and Iowa state treasure candidate Sam Clovis told Politico that ‘in northwest Iowa, we are discussing this a great deal, and sometimes it’s hard for us to reconcile the pronouncements we read from the Holy Father with our conservative principles.’ Politico contends that this may also present a problem for potential Catholic candidates for president such as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. Clovis, who also ran for Senate, told Politico that Bush’s Catholicism is ‘going to cause a lot of problems’ for him in Iowa ‘because Republicans are simply not going to take him seriously.’ …”

Our Awesome Universe

The Website of engadget.com reported on May 24:

“… imagine looking at something with the brightness of 300 trillion suns. That’s how intense ‘the most luminous galaxy found to date’ is, so much so that NASA has created a new classification for it and the 19 other similar galaxies it has discovered: extremely luminous infrared galaxies, or ELIRGs… This particular one is located 12.5 billion light years away, which means it started forming soon after the universe was born 13.8 billion years ago…”

Let’s put it in another way. GOD created it about 13.8 billion years ago (assuming these figures are remotely accurate).

 Flashback–The Erroneous Viewpoint of Pope Francis

The Independent wrote on October 28, 2014:

“The theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real and God is not ‘a magician with a magic wand’, Pope Francis has declared… Francis explained that both scientific theories were not incompatible with the existence of a creator – arguing instead that they ‘require it’. ‘When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so,’ Francis said.

“He added: ‘He created human beings and let them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one so they would reach their fulfilment… The Big Bang, which today we hold to be the origin of the world, does not contradict the intervention of the divine creator but, rather, requires it…’

“Giovanni Bignami, a professor and president of Italy’s National Institute for Astrophysics, told the Italian news agency Adnkronos: ‘The pope’s statement is significant. We are the direct descendents from the Big Bang that created the universe. Evolution came from creation.’”

The pope’s comments are not only in total opposition to and rejected by the Bible, but they also make no sense. If he truly believes in the Evolution concept, then God did not create any human beings—rather, a cell developed in an original soup of gases. The comment by Bignsami about the big bang “creating” the universe is even more fanciful.

Teaching of Creationism (to Be) Prohibited … but Evolution Must Be Taught in Schools

On May 24, the website of heraldscotland.com stated the following:

“Campaigners who called for an official ban on teaching creationism in schools have welcomed a ‘clear statement’ from a Scottish Government minister it should not be taught in science classes…

“In England and Wales, the teaching of creationism as scientific theories is prohibited in schools.

“A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: ‘Education Scotland does not identify creationism as a scientific principle, and it does not form part of the learning and teaching of science in our schools.’”

“Charlie Charlie” No Harmless Game!

CNA Daily News reported on May 27:

“A game that purports to invoke a Mexican demon – known as ‘Charlie, Charlie’ and considered to be a simplified version of the Ouija board – has gone viral on social media among young people…

“Scores of short video clips, mostly by teens, show players shrieking and running out of view when the pencil apparently moves on its own and points to a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ after they say a phrase inviting the demon.”

Parents beware—and know what your children and teens are doing… including in school.

Some claim that Satan will be deceiving those who will be resurrected at the time of the Great White Throne Judgement period. That resurrection is referred to as the Second Resurrection and described in Revelation 20:11-12 and in many other places in the Bible. Others dispute that Satan will still be active at that time. Who is correct? Does the Bible give us clear answers?

God tells us that when Christ returns, Satan and his demons will be banished and thrown into a prison (the “bottomless pit” or the “abyss”), so that they will not be able to deceive the nations anymore. At that time, the Millennium of Christ’s rule over man will begin here on earth.

We explain this in detail in chapter 5 of our free booklet, “Biblical Prophecy–From Now Until Forever“:

“After Christ’s return and His battle with the hostile armies of this world, He will deal with the real author of destruction and deception—Satan the devil, along with his demons. We read in Revelation 20:1-3: ‘Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold on the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.’

“We read that Satan will be thrown into the ‘bottomless pit’… that same fate awaits all the demons under his control… When Satan and his demons will be placed in the ‘abyss’ [same Greek word as for ‘bottomless pit’] at the beginning of the Millennium, they will be as good as dead—unable to influence and deceive the nations any longer during that time period (compare Revelation 20:3)…[Later] Satan and his demons will be cast into the lake of fire and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:10; Matthew 25:41). Their torment will be spiritual, as they will see all of their evil works destroyed by fire (compare 2 Peter 3:10–13), and their influence on others will be gone forever. Their final fate might be revealed in Jude 13, referring to ‘wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.’ Compare, too, 2 Peter 2:17.

“Even though only Satan the Devil is specifically mentioned in Revelation 20:1-3, as the one who is being thrown into the abyss, it is obvious that the demons are included. This also becomes clear when reviewing carefully the fate of Satan and his angels at the time when the Millennium ends. Revelation 20:10 says that the Devil will be cast in the lake of fire, and that ‘they’ will be tormented day and night… We read in Matthew 25:41 that the lake of fire was ‘prepared for the devil and his angels.’ Therefore, it will be the devil and his demons who will be tormented in the lake of fire, for as long as that lake exists. Since spirit beings cannot die (compare Luke 20:36), they will be tormented—in a spiritual way—while being confined to the lake of fire, when they come to the realization that they are unable to deceive man anymore, and when they see all their ‘works’ and evil ‘accomplishments’ replaced by the good and prosperous ways of God…

“The same is true for Revelation 20:1-3, which mentions that Satan—the ruler of the demonic world—will be bound in the abyss or bottomless pit for a thousand years. Even though only the ruler over the demons is mentioned here, the demons themselves are included as well.”

We continue to explain, in referring to several biblical passages, that “the abyss or the bottomless pit, where Satan and his demons will be shut up, describes the destroyed areas where currently the modern city of Babylon—Rome—is situated. We read that the modern city of Babylon will never be rebuilt and inhabited again (Isaiah 13:19-22).”

We also explain that at the very beginning of the Millennium, an Asiatic army will invade the Promised Land, but it will be supernaturally defeated by God Himself. We go on to show that a “similar attack on Jerusalem will occur about 1,000 years later, after Satan has been ‘released from his prison.’ He will ‘go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea’ (Revelation 20:7-8). They will try to conquer Jerusalem, but God will destroy them (verse 9)…

“After 1,000 years of God’s rule, the peoples in the Millennium will not have experienced Satan and his demons who were imprisoned during that time. They will be unaware of the powerful influence of Satan and his evil devices. Once he is released from prison for a short while, he will go out to deceive the nations, just as he deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden; and as Eve fell for Satan’s deception, so will those people, choosing to believe Satan rather than God. Having lived all this time in a peaceful ‘Garden of Eden,’ they will still want to believe Satan.”

When will this last “war” take place? When will Satan be released from prison for a short period or a little while?

As we have read, Revelation 20:2-3 tells us that “Satan is to be bound for a thousand years,” and that “he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.”

Please recall that we were also told in Revelation 20:7-10:

“Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison.” He will then go out to deceive the nations “in the four corners of the earth,” but God will defeat those who want to fight, and verse 10 tells us: “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone… And they (the devil and his demons) will be (spiritually) tormented day and night forever and ever.”

Now notice carefully. AFTER these events have taken place, we read in verses 11-12: “THEN I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it… And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God… And the dead were judged…” This describes the Second Resurrection of “the rest of the dead” who did not “live again until the thousand years were finished” (verse 5). It is then, AFTER the Millennium and AFTER the temporary release of Satan and his deception, that “the rest of the dead” are going to be resurrected and judged in the “Great White Throne Judgment.” At that time, Satan and his demons will not be around anymore to deceive any of them, because they will have been thrown, BEFORE these events, into the lake of fire and brimstone.

This poses the question as to why Satan will even be released from prison, and who exactly will be his targets. Also, when will the human beings living in the Millennium inherit eternal life?  To answer the second question first, two possibilities exist: Either, they will be changed to immortality on an individual basis in their due time when they have qualified (after all, when Christ returns, those who are still alive in Christ will be changed instantaneously); or, all those living in the Millennium will live the entire time period of 1,000 years and those who have qualified will be changed to immortality at the end of the Millennium (after they withstood Satan’s last temptation). After all, some people, before and at the time of Noah, lived for almost 1,000 years. The Bible does NOT say that people will DIE in the Millennium TO BE RESURRECTED TO IMMORTALITY at a later time.

It appears LIKELY that all will indeed live until the end of the Millennium, so that all will be exposed to Satan’s evil devices when he is released from prison. Most (except for those very few who survive the Great Tribulation and live on into the Millennium) had never had any experience with Satan who was bound in prison for all this time, while they were born in the Millennium and grew up; so God might want to test all of them to see where they really stand. This is not the case with those who will be in the Second Resurrection, because ALL of them had been tempted by Satan in their prior life. Therefore, there is no need for God to keep Satan around to allow him to tempt them once again.

This poses the next question as to when EXACTLY Satan will be released from prison. We read in the New King James Bible that this will occur when the thousand years “are finished” (Revelation 20:3) and when they “have expired” (Revelation 20:7). If this is the correct rendering, then this would mean that a short time will elapse after the Millennium, during which time Satan and his demons will be allowed to deceive the nations, before those who have qualified will be changed to immortality (Those who follow Satan in his last deception and who will be destroyed by God through fire will either be resurrected in the Second Resurrection, or, if their actions constitute the unpardonable sin, they will be resurrected in the Third Resurrection to be burned up in the lake of fire, Revelation 20:13-15). In any event, the Satanic deception will occur BEFORE the Great White Throne Judgment begins.

But it is possible, and even likely, that the rendering in the New King James Bible is not totally accurate, and that the wording should be that the coming Satanic deception will occur when the 1,000 years “are expiring” or “coming to a close”—not, when they “have expired” or “totally ended.” The New Living Translation and the Lamsa Bible say in Revelation 20:7 that the 1,000 years “come to an end.” But note that the Greek word in Revelation 20:3 and in Revelation 20:7 is in both cases “teleo,” and even though different words are used in the English translation, the original Greek word means, according to Strong’s Concordance, “to end,” “make an end” or “fill up” (which could include, “ending” or “coming to an end).” If so, then the Satanic deception would occur at the very end of the Millennium, when the thousand years are expiring or just coming to a close.

In light of this, it has been suggested that Revelation 20:9 may refer to or include the assembly of (some of) the saints (not yet made immortal) during the Feast of Tabernacles at the end of the Millennium, when the hostile nations will surround “the camp of the saints” and “the beloved city” of Jerusalem. The same word for “camp” is used in Hebrews 13:11 and 13, referring to the camp of Israel and the sanctuary in the wilderness. (In other places, the term is used to refer to hostile armies or barracks, but it clearly does not mean this in Revelation 20:9.). After this Satanic attack and the saints’ rejection of Satan’s deception, they would then be changed immediately to immortality.

In any event, this Satanic deception will not occur at the beginning of or during the Great White Throne Judgement. Rather, it will occur BEFORE then. When the billions of human beings who had died and who will be resurrected in the Second Resurrection to be given their first chance for salvation, Satan and his demons will NOT be allowed to deceive them; as they will already be imprisoned and “spiritually” “tormented” during that time in the lake of fire.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

“Prophecy – How to Understand It – Part 1:  The Number of the Beast,” is the first of three new sermons to be presented by Norbert Link on June 13, 2015—followed by presentations on June 20 and 27.  In addition, we are promoting this series through press releases, Facebook and our own webpage, www.eternalgod.org

“Warum Kam Jesus zu Uns?” is the new German sermon for this week. Title in English: “Why Did Jesus Come to Us?”

A new Global Trailer with Brian Gale (“Germany in Prophecy,” #26)  has been posted on the Internet.

The following messages from last Sabbath and Pentecost have been posted:

“A Vision”—sermonette by Kalon Mitchell

“Comfort and Encouragement”—sermon by Norbert Link

“Crayons”—sermonette by Robb Harris

“What is the Church”—sermon by Dave Harris

“Cain and Abel”—sermonette by Michael Link

“Why Do We Keep Pentecost?”—sermon by Norbert Link

On May 23, 2015, Kalon Mitchell will present the sermonette, titled, “A Vision,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “Comfort and Encouragement.”

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.

Pentecost will be observed on Sunday, May 24, 2015. There will be two services with starting times as follows: 10:00 AM Pacific Time and 2:30 PM Pacific Time. The live services are available, over video and audio, at http://eternalgod.org/live-services/

In the morning, Robb Harris will present the sermonette, titled, “Crayons”, and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “What Is The Church.”

In the afternoon, Michael Link will present the offertory, titled, “Cain and Abel”, and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “Why Do We Keep Pentecost?”

 

We all love rewards, and God loves to reward us. God has a very great reward in store for us, but have we ever wondered how our personal reward will be determined?

Jesus said:  “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). He said also: “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Both statements can be connected with the Holy Spirit as the source of light. “Light” is a manifestation of the Spirit.

In the Revelation of Jesus Christ, recorded by John, we read about “seven lampstands which… are the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20).  Revelation, chapters two and three, identify the seven churches and their eras. Importantly, the seven lampstands, of and by themselves, are not the source of light. The source of light is the oil, representing God’s Spirit.

On the Day of Pentecost in 31 AD., light appeared “as of fire” (Acts 2:3), which was in fact a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. That was the power source, by which the lampstand of the early Church burst into illumination! That light, down through the ages, has never been extinguished. However, some individual lights, which should be shining, have gone out.

The light of Pentecost is in fact key to a great reward. We read in Revelation 22:12: “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give everyone according to his work.” This connects with the parable of the pounds or the minas in Luke 19:11-27. The one who gained ten pounds was rewarded with authority over ten cities. The one who gained five pounds was rewarded with authority over five cities. The one who did nothing and who gained nothing, whose light went out, lost his reward.

Authority, rulership and power will be handed to us by Jesus, the King of kings. Christ’s original apostles have already been promised twelve thrones – judging the twelve tribes of Israel. That is their reward. Our reward will be the thrilling opportunity to serve, with great honours, as kings and priests – bringing salvation to our loved ones and to this dying world. We, of and by ourselves, cannot do anything. We are not the source of light – it is the light of God’s Spirit that empowers us!

Christ tells us: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). The Spirit that ignited the lampstand of the early Church now works in us, helping us to produce good works, which will determine our great reward!

May the original light of Pentecost come upon us and shine brightly within and through us!

We begin with articles pointing to changing conditions in the State of Israel; report on the amazing influence Pope Francis is exerting as leader of the Catholic Church; present articles showing the utter confusion of circumstances in the Middle East; continue with reports centered on the UK and its shrinking commitment to world leadership; highlight news from the EU and Catholic Ireland showing the unparalleled acceptance of gay leaders and gay marriages; and we conclude with ominous proposed legislation from California making vaccines mandatory for nearly every child.

Who Are Israel’s Friends?

The Times of Israel wrote on May 15:

“Forget the United States of America. Move over, Canada, Australia and Germany. The days when those countries were considered Israel’s closest friends are over. The Jewish state’s new best buddies are Egypt and Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. At least that’s the impression one could get if one listened carefully to… Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“… he has repeated this idea perhaps a dozen times — perhaps because he believes statements about peace can soften the expected pressure from the US and the European Union to advance the peace process with the Palestinians…

“Netanyahu officially agrees, in principle, to the creation of a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes that Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people. But he believes that in the current circumstances, with radical Islamists spreading havoc in Israel’s immediate vicinity, a two-state solution as imagined by the international community is unfeasible if not impossible.

“Both the US administration and the EU have explicitly called on Israel’s new government to commit to the goal of Palestinian statehood and take actual steps toward a renewal of the peace process…

“So what of Netanyahu’s dream of an Arab-Israel détente?… experts doubt that an alliance with the Gulf states is in the cards… In the absence of significant progress on the peace process, Netanyahu’s new ‘best allies’ in the Arab world will continue to show Israel the cold shoulder. Jerusalem’s friends in the US and Europe will not be so kind either…”

Israel will find itself isolated and alone in the near future. The notion that Germany might intervene in the Middle East on Israel’s behalf, as propagated by some religious groups, is naïve and unrealistic. In fact, the Bible prophesies something altogether different.

Violence on Jerusalem Day

Times of Israel wrote on May 17:

“Tens of thousands of revelers danced at Jerusalem’s Western Wall Sunday evening amid celebrations throughout the capital, marking Israel’s conquest of the city in the 1967 Six Day War. The celebrants marched to the Western Wall plaza, adjacent to Judaism’s holiest site, the Temple Mount, through the Old City’s Muslim Quarter, where Jewish marchers and Arab protesters clashed violently throughout the afternoon and evening.

“While some 2,000 police were deployed in an effort to preserve the peace and separate Israelis and Palestinians along the route of the march, Jewish teens chanted nationalistic slogans and threw cardboard boxes at the Palestinians, while Arab teens threw stones at marchers and police. Altercations broke out between the groups at the Old City’s Damascus Gate Sunday evening. It was the latest of multiple rounds of clashes…

“Israelis marked the 48th anniversary of the IDF’s capture of East Jerusalem Sunday, a military victory that opened the holy city’s ancient center — and with it the holiest place in Judaism, the Temple Mount and its Western Wall — to Jewish worshipers for the first time since Israel’s founding in 1948. The day is celebrated with official ceremonies, special tours and events, and a march which for years has raised tensions over its route through the Old City’s Muslim Quarter.

“The march concluded in the evening with tens of thousands of celebrants dancing at the Western Wall in the company of prominent politicians and rabbinic leaders. Events were taking place throughout the city Sunday, including concerts, museums opening to the public for free and parades to mark Israel’s larger victory in the 1967 Six Day War and the unification of the capital under Israeli rule. Official events included memorials for soldiers killed during the 1967 war and a ceremony featuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin and other prominent officials…

“A number of other ceremonies were also scheduled at the Mount Herzl military cemetery, at the Rockefeller Museum, the American consulate in Jerusalem, and a special event for Ethiopian Jews who died on their journey to Israel. Settlements throughout the West Bank also celebrate Jerusalem Day as the beginning of the Jewish settlement movement in the West Bank.”

Abbas an Angel of Peace?

The Associated Press wrote on May 16:

“Pope Francis praised Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as an ‘angel of peace’ during a meeting Saturday at the Vatican that underscored the Holy See’s warm relations with the Palestinians.

“Francis made the compliment during the traditional exchange of gifts at the end of an official audience in the Apostolic Palace. He presented Abbas with a medallion and explained that it represented the ‘angel of peace destroying the bad spirit of war.’ Francis said he thought the gift was appropriate since ‘you are an angel of peace.’ During his 2014 visit to Israel and the West Bank, Francis called both Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres men of peace.

“Abbas is in Rome for the canonization Sunday of two 19th-century nuns from what was then Ottoman-ruled Palestine. The new saints, Mariam Bawardy and Marie Alphonsine Ghattas, are the first from the region to be canonized since the early days of Christianity. Abbas on Saturday offered Francis relics of the two new saints… Abbas’ visit also comes days after the Vatican finalized a bilateral treaty with the ‘state of Palestine’ that made explicit its recognition of Palestinian statehood…”

Pope Francis’ Diplomatic Leadership

Reuter’s reported on May 17:

“Pope Francis’ hard-hitting criticisms of globalization and inequality long ago set him out as a leader unafraid of mixing theology and politics. He is now flexing the Vatican’s diplomatic muscles as well.

“Last year, he helped to broker an historic accord between Cuba and the United States after half a century of hostility.

“This past week, his office announced the first formal accord between the Vatican and the State of Palestine — a treaty that gives legal weight to the Holy See’s longstanding recognition of de-facto Palestinian statehood despite clear Israeli annoyance.

“The pope ruffled even more feathers in Turkey last month by referring to the massacre of up to 1.5 million Armenians in the early 20th century as a “genocide”, something Ankara denies.

“After the inward-looking pontificate of his scholarly predecessor, Pope Benedict, Francis has in some ways returned to the active Vatican diplomacy practiced by the globetrotting Pope John Paul II, widely credited for helping to end the Cold War.

“Much of his effort has concentrated on improving relations between different faiths and protecting the embattled Middle East Christians, a clear priority for the Catholic Church…

“‘He’s someone who’s capable of praying in the Blue Mosque in Istanbul and then talking about the Armenian genocide. He’s not someone who’s bound by political correctness,’ said former Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini.

“‘It’s the diplomacy of a real leader.’”

Iran’s True Colors

Breitbart wrote on May 15:

“Iran will never allow Western powers or the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect Tehran’s military sites as part of a final agreement with the P5+1 world powers, Iran’s Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani said Friday in an address to Tehran University students. Kermani has enormous influence in the country as Tehran’s Friday Prayers imam, and is appointed directly by the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

“He said that the West, and particularly the United States, ‘are hallucinating’ if they think that Iran would allow inspection of its military apparatus, according to Iran’s state-controlled Fars News agency. Those who wish for Iran to recognize the State of Israel as part of a final agreement should ‘bury their dreams,’ the Ayatollah added…

“In addition to his role as Friday prayers leader, Kermani serves as the leader of the Combatant Clergy Association, an Iranian political party that helped overthrow the Shah in 1979 and install the radical Islamic Republic into power.”

As Iran is very clear in its ambitions and goals, why is the West so set on striking a deal with Iran?

Egypt’s New Phase of Terrorism

AFP wrote on May 16:

“An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced deposed Islamist [first democratically elected] president Mohamed Morsi and more than 100 other people to death for their role in a mass jailbreak during the 2011 uprising. [The verdict included Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badei, already sentenced to death in another trial, and his deputy Khairat al-Shater.]

“Hours after the ruling, gunmen shot dead two judges, a prosecutor and their driver in the strife-torn Sinai Peninsula, in the first such attack on the judiciary in the region…

“Morsi, elected president in 2012 as the Brotherhood’s compromise candidate after Shater was disqualified, ruled for only a year before mass protests spurred the military to overthrow him in July 2013. He was among dozens of Islamist leaders detained during a crackdown that left hundreds of Morsi supporters dead. Many of those sentenced on Saturday were tried in absentia, including prominent Qatar-based Islamic cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi.

“The court will pronounce its final decision on June 2, since under Egyptian law, death sentences are referred to the mufti, the government’s interpreter of Islamic law, who plays an advisory role. Defendants can still appeal even after the mufti’s recommendation…

“Amnesty International lashed out at Saturday’s verdict, saying it reflected ‘the deplorable state of the country’s criminal justice system’. ‘The death penalty has become the favourite tool for the Egyptian authorities to purge the political opposition,’ the London-based rights watchdog said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the death sentence, saying the country was ‘turning back into ancient Egypt’, referring to Pharaonic rule that ended more than two millennia ago… [He also accused the West of turning “a blind eye” to the 2013 coup.]

“Many of the defendants are Palestinians alleged to have worked with Hamas in neighbouring Gaza. They were tried in absentia, as was a Lebanese Hezbollah commander. They were alleged to have colluded with Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood to carry out attacks in Egypt in what prosecutors allege was a vast conspiracy…

“Condemning the verdict, Hamas said that some of its members mentioned in the proceedings were already dead before the 2011 uprising, while some are in Israeli prisons…

“Morsi and other former opposition members have now been condemned for violence during the anti-Mubarak uprising, while Mubarak himself has been cleared of charges over the deaths of protesters during the 18-day revolt that toppled him. Morsi was in prison when the anti-Mubarak uprising erupted on January 25 2011, having been rounded up with other Brotherhood leaders a few days earlier.

“On January 28, protesters fuelled by police abuses torched police stations across Egypt, allowing thousands of prisoners to escape when the force all but collapsed. Since Morsi’s overthrow, the police [have] largely been rehabilitated in public eyes, with officials and loyal media blaming the Brotherhood and foreigners for the violence of the anti-Mubarak uprising.

“The army chief who overthrew Morsi, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, was himself elected president last year. He has pledged to eradicate the Brotherhood, once Egypt’s largest political movement.”

This does not sound like Egypt will become a modern “king of the South,” as some erroneously claim, leading the Arab world, including Iran, the Palestinians and other Islamic countries, and “pushing”  against Europe. Welt Online commented that these verdicts show how much Egypt has departed from being a “constitutional state.”

US Forces Kill One of IS Leaders in Syria

Deutsche Welle reported on May 16:

“US troops flew into eastern Syria and killed IS militant leader Abu Sayyaf in what Washington has called a ‘major blow’ to the terrorist group. Sayyaf is believed to have handled the IS’ oil and financial operations.

“Sayyaf was killed ‘during the course of the operation when he engaged US forces,’ White House National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said. The operation was carried out with the ‘full consent of Iraqi authorities’ and was ‘consistent with domestic and international law,’ she added.

“US authorities, however, did not coordinate with Syrian authorities, Meehan said, adding that Washington had ‘warned the Assad regime not to interfere with our ongoing efforts against ISIL [The Islamic State in Syria and the Levant] inside of Syria.’

“US Special Operations Forces had been ordered to conduct an operation in al-Amr in eastern Syria to capture Sayyaf and his wife, Umm Sayyaf, Pentagon chief Ashton Carter said late Friday.”

Bild Online reported that the US forces had attempted to capture Sayyaf alive, but when he resisted, he “had to be” killed. However, Welt Online reported that according to the White House, the order to kill Sayyaf was given directly by President Obama at Camp David. The paper also claimed that Syria had NOT been informed ahead of time of the action.

To contribute to the confusion, The Associated Press added on May 16:

“Syrian state TV earlier reported that Syrian government forces killed at least 40 ISIS fighters, including a senior commander in charge of oil fields, in an attack Saturday on the country’s largest oil field — held by ISIS… It was not immediately clear why both Syria and the U.S. would claim a similar operation in the Omar oil field. The U.S. has said it is not cooperating with President Bashar Assad’s government in the battle against the Islamic State group. But it says it usually gives Damascus a heads-up on operations within its borders.

“… National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said the U.S. government did not coordinate with the Syrian government or advise it in advance of the operation…

“The extremist group controls much of northern and eastern Syria as well as northern and western Iraq. It has control of most of the oil fields in Syria, which are a key source of its funding… The special operation was announced as ISIS fighters were advancing in central and northeastern Syria. The militants are nearing the historic city of Palmyra, in the central province of Homs, and have seized [a] water facility and an oil field on the city’s eastern outskirts, activists said.

“The advances in the Palmyra countryside were coupled with an announcement Saturday by the Islamic State group that its fighters have seized full control of Saker Island in the Euphrates River north of Deir el-Zour, the northeastern province divided between areas held by the group and the government.”

Breitbart added on May 21:

“Just two days after Islamic State fighters were supposedly routed and driven into the desert by Syrian government troops, ISIS has reportedly taken the entire city of Palmyra, placing both its population and historical treasures in grave peril… 

“CNN quotes one Palmyra resident saying of ISIS fighters, ‘They are everywhere.’  Many of the 70,000 people who lived in the city have fled, while others are huddled in their houses, hoping to escape the notice of the brutal occupation force. ‘After at least 100 Syrian soldiers died in fighting overnight, Syrian warplanes carried out airstrikes Thursday in and around Palmyra, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. 

“But there’s no indication when, or if, Syrian ground forces will try to take back the city. Nor is there a sense that any of the others fighting ISIS, like the United States, will come to the rescue,’ writes CNN.”

The Financial Times added on May 21:

“Ever since the Islamist militants of Isis swept into northern Iraq from Syria last June, the Obama administration has had a consistent response: the Syrian conflict may be complex and uncertain, officials would argue, but the US had a clear plan for Iraq. The dramatic fall in recent days of Ramadi [in Iraq] has blown a hole in that confidence… 

“For an administration still struggling to come to terms with the rapid rise of Isis, which seized the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra on Thursday, the fall of Ramadi has had uncomfortable echoes of the takeover nearly a year ago of the northern city of Mosul, when Iraqi forces simply melted away.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 21:

“The Islamists are now thought to control more than half of Syria.”

In addition, the Huffington Post wrote on May 21:

“U.S.-led airstrikes against the Islamic State and other militants in Syria killed two young girls in November, the military confirmed Thursday. The announcement is the first American acknowledgement that the campaign, begun in September 2014, has killed civilians…

“The killing of civilians, even unintentionally, has serious ramifications for the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State and Washington’s hopes to restore stability to Syria. Many Syrians — particularly non-extremists central to President Barack Obama’s vision for the country — are already highly skeptical of the international mission because they say it neglects the real problem in their country — the oppressive, bloody rule of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“Scores of reports have questioned previous U.S. claims that no civilians have been killed. The most recent evidence of civilian deaths caused by the U.S.-led campaign emerged earlier this month as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an air raid hit a civilian village by mistake and claimed 52 lives — including those of seven children. 118 civilians appeared to have died in the overall campaign at that point…”

England on Its Way Out?

Daily Express wrote on May 16:

“During face-to-face talks with Mr Cameron in Edinburgh yesterday, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called for a veto for Scotland, as well as for England, Wales and Northern Ireland [pertaining to a decision to leave the EU]. It would have meant that Britain could not leave the EU without the agreement of all four nations. But the Prime Minister said Britain will vote as one nation.

“His pledge is a key manifesto commitment and marks a giant leap forward for the Daily Express crusade for the UK to quit the EU. Ms Sturgeon has said if the UK votes to leave the EU in a referendum and a majority in Scotland back staying in, that could trigger a second Scottish referendum. [Mr Cameron rejected that possibility.]…

“Yesterday Foreign secretary Philip Hammond [was] raising the possibility of an in-or-out referendum vote a year early in 2016.”

US Worried About the UK

The EUObserver wrote on May 14:

“US policymakers are worried about the UK. The US’ closest and most capable ally is facing defence spending cuts that could lower the army to its smallest size in 250 years, inhibit its ability to run both its forthcoming aircraft carriers simultaneously, and drop its defence spending rate below the critical 2 percent of GDP threshold that Nato guidelines stipulate. The UK’s national elections last week did little to alleviate these concerns. The Conservatives’ victory raises international concerns over a ‘Brexit’ from the EU and a country fractured along political fault lines through the nascent UK Independence Party and Scottish National Party, which vehemently opposes the country’s nuclear triad…

“But beyond the numbers, these projected defence cuts manifests a larger existential debate on how the UK defines itself in the world. Cracks and fissures are appearing around the edges of the UK’s globalised foreign policy, from the bungled 2013 Parliament vote on intervention in Syria after Cameron convinced the US it was a done deal, to Cameron’s conspicuous absence from the ceasefire agreement his French and German counterparts brokered between Russia and Ukraine, to record-low public support for retaining the UK’s nuclear trident (the linchpin of its nuclear deterrence), to the unresolved ‘Brexit’ debate that continues to erode the UK’s standing in the EU.

“While the UK elections featured a swell of bold platforms from all factions, no political party seemed willing to tackle the uncomfortable question that underlies all these elements: Does the UK still have an appetite for a grander role and global presence, or does it want to close ranks and merely defend the realm? This question does not augur well for the US’ future reliance on the UK as its go-to ally for new military operations…

“The ink was barely dry on an Alliance-wide commitment to reverse defence cuts at the Nato Summit in the UK last September when it was revealed the summit’s host nation likely won’t uphold this pledge…”

What Does Cameron Mean?

The Independent wrote on May 13:

“Britain is too ‘passively tolerant’ and should not leave people to live their lives as they please just because they obey the law, David Cameron has said. At the National Security Council today Mr Cameron unveiled a series of measures that he said would crack down on people holding minority ‘extremist’ views that differed from Britain’s consensus. ‘For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens “as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone”’, he said. ‘It’s often meant we have stood neutral between different values. And that’s helped foster a narrative of extremism and grievance.’”

These are potentially dangerous and explosive words. Would this include religious views being held by a small minority of people, while the majority believes differently? Would this lead to the enforcement of religious practices being upheld by the vast majority, but opposed by a small minority, based on biblical injunctions?

For instance, would this mean that everyone would have to observe Christmas, Easter or Sunday (“Christian” religious holidays which are derived from paganism), while being prevented from keeping the biblically mandated Sabbath and other annual biblical holidays which might be considered “extremist” by orthodox Christianity and the Church of England? One might think that this is far-fetched, but Great Britain’s past includes many cases of severe persecution of Sabbath-keepers—as is true for all European countries, the USA and of course other nations.

The “Biggest Scandal of Our Times”

Der Spiegel wrote on May 15:

“The NSA scandal first morphed into a BND intelligence scandal and eventually into a German government scandal. The biggest scandal of our times. A US intelligence agency, thrown into panic by the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, gathered every last scrap of data it could, presumably (if this qualifier is even necessary at the point), breaking American, German and international law in the process, conducting itself like a secret society inside an open one.

“This breach of law was justified as being in the interests of security… the NSA’s spying activities, carried out with the help of the BND and the failure of the German government, amount to an attack on our freedom, our values and our way of life…”

Annual Charlemagne Prize for Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament

Deutsche Welle reported on May 14:

“At a ceremony in the Germany city of Aachen on Thursday, European Parliament President Martin Schulz was presented with the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen. The prize is awarded for ‘work done in the service of European unification’…

“German President Joachim Gauck, French President Francois Hollande, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and other European and German dignitaries were on hand for the ceremony… In his keynote address, Gauck began on ‘a dark note,’ as he put it, quoting Schulz himself: ‘For the first time in the post-World War II period, the failure of the European Union is a realistic scenario.’ Gauck was referring to problems facing Europe, from the conflict in Ukraine to the divisive, nationalist tendencies in countries such as Greece.

“He said these conflicts showed that many Europeans harbored doubts about the European Union, looking instead to go it alone as nation states in setting policies and crafting foreign relationships. Gauck said Schulz was a man… who saw the need to restore trust in the European Union, implying that this was his biggest contribution to Europe…

“Schulz is German and originally from the town of Würselen, near Aachen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia… he became a member of the European Parliament in 1994. The Social Democrat is serving his second consecutive stint as president of the European Parliament, a role he first assumed in January 2012…”

First Same-Sex Marriage of a EU Leader

The New York Times wrote on May 15:

“The prime minister of Luxembourg on Friday wed his partner of several years in the first same-sex marriage of a European Union leader. Prime Minister Xavier Bettel married Gauthier Destenay, a Belgian architect, less than a year after lawmakers in Luxembourg overwhelmingly legalized same-sex marriage, a sign of shifting attitudes in the predominantly Roman Catholic duchy…

“Mr. Bettel, a 42-year-old lawyer, is the head of the center-right Democratic Party and was elected prime minister in 2013 after having served as mayor of the capital, the city of Luxembourg. He replaced Jean-Claude Juncker, now head of the European Commission, who had been in power for nearly 19 years.

“Johanna Sigurdardottir, the former prime minister of Iceland, which is not a European Union member, married her female partner in 2010, while still in office… Stéphane Bern, a French journalist, noted how Luxembourg, often seen as more conservative than its European neighbors, had surprised even the president of France, where same-sex marriage was legalized in 2013 after months of tumultuous and angry debate…”

How times have changed. Note the next article.

UK Holds the Crown on LGBTI Rights, but Sweden Not Far Behind…

The Local wrote on May 12:

“After looking at how well 48 different nations ranked on issues such as marriage equality, employment, adoption and medical treatment, the ILGA (European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) gave Sweden a score of 72 percent on its annual Rainbow Map. The result puts Sweden above all other Nordic countries for LGBTI rights and in fourth place overall…

“The other Scandinavian countries weren’t far behind, with Denmark and Norway also reaching the top ten and Finland coming in 13th place. The UK held on to its crown at the head of the table while Malta jumped eight places to come third. Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan remained the bottom three nations…

“In Sweden it was agreed that the gender-neutral pronoun ‘hen’ would enter the dictionary, a promise that was fulfilled earlier this year. The move coincided with a number of local initiatives including gender-neutral toilets in several municipalities.

“Denmark was also praised in the report for ‘great steps forward’ in the shape of its ‘progressive legal gender recognition law’ designed to make it easier for transgender people to have their gender identity legally recognised.

“Meanwhile Estonia became the first former USSR country to officially recognise same sex unions by passing an historic cohabitation act and future marriage equality was approved in Finland and enacted in England, Wales and Scotland, the report noted…

“In 2013, the Spartacus International Gay Guide ranked Sweden the most gay-friendly nation in the world.”

Israelite nations excel in their sad reputation of being highly supportive of “alternative life styles,” which the Bible condemns as abominations.

Legalization of Same-Sex Marriages by Popular Vote in Catholic Ireland?

The Washington Post wrote on May 16:

“Catholic and deeply conservative, Ireland was long known as one of the toughest places in the Western world to be gay. Homosexuality was only decriminalized here in 1993, following years of pressure from European authorities. But now Ireland may be preparing for its coming-out party, with a referendum on Friday [May 22] that could make it the world’s first country to approve same-sex marriage in a popular vote.

“That such a momentous event in the gay rights struggle could happen here, of all places, reflects the breathtaking social change that has swept Ireland in recent years and the weakening hold of the scandal-scarred Catholic Church. The church has come out firmly against the referendum. But in a country where priests once held unquestioned sway and where 85 percent of the nation still identifies as Catholic, a large majority of Ireland appears ready to defy church teachings and vote to give same-sex partners the same right to marry as heterosexual couples…

“The change to Ireland’s constitution could reverberate well beyond this island nation’s borders at a time when other countries, the United States among them, are wrestling with the issue in legislation and in the courts. Unlike in the United States, where nine Supreme Court justices will soon give their ruling, Ireland has placed the choice in the hands of its 4.5 million people — leading to a passionate and colorful campaign that has made a once-taboo subject the focus of a national debate…

“Abortion is still prohibited in Ireland. But same-sex marriage is seen by traditionalists as perhaps the ultimate concession to cultural relativism in a country where divorce was illegal and the sale of condoms was tightly regulated until the mid-1990s…

“The government backs a yes vote, as do all the significant political parties, the major media organizations, unions and business groups. The yes campaign has also won support from sports stars and even some dissident clerics. In January, a Dublin priest announced during a Saturday night mass that he supported the referendum and that he is gay. His congregants gave him a standing ovation. The church hierarchy has been notably quiet — releasing letters and preaching sermons against the measure but hardly putting its full weight behind the referendum’s defeat. In a country where the wounds of the church’s child sex abuse scandal are still raw, it’s unclear whether Catholic leaders could influence voters even if they tried…

“Polls have shown that same-sex marriage is favored by a significant majority of Irish voters. But the contest is expected to tighten as the campaign enters its final days…”

 Mandatory Vaccination Bill Passes California Senate

The Huffington Post wrote on May 14:

“A bill that would make vaccines mandatory for nearly every child in California passed the state Senate on Thursday morning. The controversial bill ensures that parents enrolling their children in California schools will be allowed to opt them out of immunizations only for medical reasons and may no longer cite religious or personal belief exemptions as reasons not to vaccinate. It passed 25-10 in the Senate, The Associated Press reported…

“The bill now advances to the state Assembly and, if passed by that chamber, to Democrat Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk for final approval. While the governor has not taken a stance on whether vaccines should be mandatory, a spokesman told the Los Angeles Times that Brown ‘believes that vaccinations are profoundly important and a major public health benefit, and any bill that reaches his desk will be closely considered.’

“If the measure becomes law, California will join Mississippi and West Virginia as the only states with such strict vaccine requirements. Bills aimed at limiting non-medical exemptions to vaccines failed in Washington state and Oregon in March.

“Since the bill was introduced, the state’s vocal anti-vaccination community has staged protests outside lawmakers’ offices throughout the state. Pan’s office has received so many phone calls that it had to open a second phone line, ABC 7 reported.”

This is just another example as to how antagonistic and ignorant law makers in some of our most liberal states are really trying to suppress and abandon religious freedom and liberty in this country—for the sake of the “greater good” (i.e., the “outbreak” of just a very few (!) cases of measles in one of California’s amusement parks, allegedly due to unvaccinated children—a claim which has been highly disputed and which is really without merit).

This slogan has led to the violation and “sacrifice” of individual liberties, while it has caused many atrocities through the years… one may only think of Nazi Germany or Stalin’s dictatorship. This liberal way of thinking justifies the killing of innocent civilians in war, labeling their death as necessary casualties—or it tolerates or even advocates the murder of unborn children through abortion, as it is allegedly within the right of the mother to rule over her body. None of the liberal advocates (including many Catholics and Protestants) seem to care about the right of the innocent and helpless child.

In our free booklet, “The Meaning of God’s Spring Holy Days,” we explained the following:

“The Church of God and the Orthodox Catholic and Protestant world may… at times observe Pentecost on the same Sunday. But this is merely coincidental. There are many years when the Church of God and the Orthodox Christian world celebrate Pentecost on different days. Why? Because the Church of God determines the correct date for Pentecost by counting 50 days from the Sunday [after the weekly Sabbath], which falls within the annual Holy Days of Unleavened Bread, as instructed in the Bible (Leviticus 23:11).

“The wave sheaf was offered on the Sunday during the Days of Unleavened Bread. The wave sheaf pictures Jesus Christ, who ascended to heaven on a Sunday, even though He was resurrected on Saturday evening, just around sunset. Exactly 50 days later, He poured out the Holy Spirit from God the Father on His New Testament Church. This was the Day of Pentecost.

“In other words, we are not to count 50 days from the weekly Sabbath that falls within the seven Days of Unleavened Bread, but from the SUNDAY on which the wave sheaf was offered—and it is that SUNDAY, that must fall within the seven Days of Unleavened Bread (compare Leviticus 23:14-15; Joshua 5:11). [This will be explained below in more detail.]

“Orthodox Christianity determines the date of ‘Pentecost’ by using Easter as a starting point for counting 50 days. Easter, however, is not the correct starting point, as it is a pagan festival. It is not even mentioned in the Bible, and it is not a feast to be kept by true Christians… There are other obvious distinctions between the Biblical Pentecost, which IS to be kept by true Christians, and the Pentecost of this world, which was designed by the Roman Catholic Church and includes numerous pagan customs… [God] does not accept syncretism—which… is the combining of different forms of belief or thought, such as, mixing paganism and Christianity. Christ said that we worship Him in vain when we teach as doctrines the commandments of men, and when we follow man’s traditions in an attempt to worship God (compare Mark 7:6-9).”

In this Q&A, we want to further address the reasons as to why the Church of God celebrates the biblical Pentecost by counting 50 days from the SUNDAY within the days of Unleavened Bread, which follows the weekly Sabbath. Apart from the confusion created by Orthodox Christianity to count “Pentecost” 50 days from Easter, there is also utter confusion within Judaism as to how to count the biblical Pentecost.

The following article from the website of karaite-korner.org/shavuot.shtml gives interesting information as to why many Jews are incorrect on the issue:

“Shavuot (Feast of Weeks/Pentecost) is the Biblical harvest-festival celebrated 50 days after the Sunday which falls out during Passover [i.e., the entire Passover “season,” including the seven Days of Unleavened Bread]. These fifty days are called the Counting of the Omer. The Rabbis incorrectly celebrate Shavuoth on the 6^th of Sivan. In late Second Temple times a debate arose between the Boethusians and the Pharisees about whether the ‘morrow after the Sabbath’ [Heb. Mimohorat Ha-Shabbat; compare Leviticus 23:15, Authorized Version] refers to the Sunday during Hag HaMatzot [Feast of Unleavened Bread] or the second day of Hag HaMatzot (i.e. the 16^th of Nissan). Like the Boethusians and Ancient Israelites before them [including the Sadducees], the Karaites [a movement within Judaism] count the 50 days of the Omer from the Sunday during Hag HaMatzot and consequentially always celebrate Shavuot on a Sunday.

“The Rabbanites claim that in the phrase ‘the morrow after the Sabbath’ the ‘Sabbath’ referred to is the first day of Hag HaMatzot [i.e., the First Day of Unleavened Bread, on the 15^th of Nisan]. In the Rabbanite reckoning the 50th day of the Omer (=Shavuot) would NOT be on ‘the morrow after the seventh Sabbath’ as commanded in Lev[iticus] 23:16. Instead it would be on the morrow after the 7^th Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday or whatever day it happened to fall out after. The only way for the 49^th day of the Omer to be a Sabbath, thereby making the 50^th day ‘the morrow after the Sabbath’ as commanded in Lev[iticus] 23:16, is if the 1^st day of the Omer is on a Sunday.”

In regard to the last comments in the above-stated article, please note Luke 6:1. We read that “it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields.” Some translators, unsure as to what the phrase means, omit it altogether and just say that it happened on a Sabbath. Others give numerous interpretations, but Luke 6 seems to be referring to the second Sabbath—the weekly Sabbath—after the first Sabbath—the annual Holy Day of the First Day of Unleavened Bread, showing that there were two Sabbaths in that week.

The One Volume commentary by Dummelow explains that it was the custom to number the Sabbaths from Passover to Pentecost from the day when the wave sheaf offering had been given.  As Leviticus 23:16 commands to count fifty days to the day AFTER the SEVENTH Sabbath, the Scripture in Luke 6 seems to confirm that the counting has to occur, beginning with the Sunday following the weekly Sabbath as, otherwise, we would not reach Sunday as the 50^th day, being the day after the SEVENTH Sabbath.

The above-quoted article explains correctly that the “day” or the “morrow (morning) after the Sabbath” must refer to Sunday morning, following the WEEKLY Sabbath within the Days of Unleavened Bread. It does NOT and CANNOT refer to the annual Sabbath of the First Day of Unleavened Bread. There was a controversy, according to the Jewish historian Josephus of the first century, between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. While the Sadducees counted the 50 days correctly from the Sunday which falls within the Days of Unleavened Bread and which follows the WEEKLY Sabbath, the Pharisees counted it from the day after the ANNUAL Sabbath—the first day of Unleavened Bread. But we should note, as will be explained below, that the Temple service was entrusted to the Sadducees, not the Pharisees. Their determination as to when to celebrate Pentecost was conclusive and decisive for the public celebration, as long as the Second Temple existed.

However, modern Judaism has adopted the view of the Pharisees, thereby celebrating Pentecost ALWAYS on the SIXTH DAY OF SIVAN (which could fall on any day of the week).  In passing, we should notice as well that most modern Jews have also adopted the view of the Pharisees (contrary to the view of the Sadducees) that one must observe Passover on the 15^th of Nisan, which is the wrong day and one day too late, erroneously claiming that the Passover lamb was sacrificed at the end of the 14th day of Nisan, while it was actually sacrificed at the beginning of the 14th day of Nisan, “between the two evenings”—the time span between sunset and nightfall.

In an article written by Herbert W. Armstrong and Herman L. Hoeh in 1974, the following is stated:

“The New Testament shows the Pharisees had considerable power among the people…  On the other hand, they had no official function in either the temple or the judicial system. Their power was through influence rather than direct office…  The Sadducees were most influential among the priests and those in charge of the temple…  the Sadducees (Boethusians) were firmly in control of the temple and the ritual until shortly before the 66-70 war, and… the wave sheaf was always offered on Sunday and Pentecost counted from then… Acts 5:17ff shows the Sadducees in charge of the temple. About a quarter of a century later, the Sanhedrin is divided between the Pharisees and Sadducees (Acts 23:6ff). But even then the Sadducees have their way in keeping Paul in prison although the Pharisees wanted to release him (23:9)…

“The Encyclopedia Judaica has this significant comment to make: ‘The Sadducees (and later the Karaites) understood the term “Sabbath” in these verses literally, hence, for them Shavuot [Pentecost] always falls on a Sunday’ (Ency. Judaica, 1971 ed., Vol. 14).

“The Universal Jewish Encylopedia says: ‘The Torah provides that the seven weeks up to Shabuoth be counted “from the morrow after the day of rest” (mimohorath hashabbath) of the Passover festival (Lev. 23:l5). The interpretation of this passage became one of the outstanding points at issue between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. According to the Pharisaic point of view, supported by the Septuagint and later universally accepted in the Talmud, the shabbath in question was the first day of Passover [the first Day of Unleavened Bread]; hence Shabuoth [Pentecost] would always fall fifty days later, on the 6^th of Sivan. The Sadducees, however, and later the Karaites, supported by the Samaritans, took the word to mean literally the Sabbath after the beginning of the Passover festival: thus Shabuoth [Pentecost] would always fall on a Sunday and might vary in date…’ (The Universal Jewish Ency., 1943 ed., Vol. 9).

“Notice that the Sadducees’ way of reckoning Pentecost is referred to as ‘the old Biblical view.’ ‘They (the Sadducees) contended that the seven weeks from the first barley-sheaf-offering (‘omer’) to Pentecost should, according to Lev. xxiii. 15-16, be counted from ‘the day after Sabbath,’ and, consequently, that Pentecost should always be celebrated on the first day of the week (Meg, Ta’an l.; Men. 65a). In this they obviously followed the old Biblical view…’ (The Jewish Ency., 1907 ed., Vol. X)… ‘The Boethuseans (a sect of the Sadducees), interpreting the Sabbath as the ordinary Sabbath that fell during the week of the massot between the 15^th and 21^st day of Nisan, kept Pentecost on the Sunday following the 7^th Sabbath’ (New Cath. Ency., 1966 ed., Vol. XI)…

“Notice how, according to history, the Sadducees were in control of the Temple until well beyond 31 A.D. They, therefore, controlled the religious ceremonies and ritual, rather than the Pharisees. ‘The Sadducees celebrated it [Pentecost] on the fiftieth day (inclusive reckoning) from the first Sunday after Passover (taking the ‘sabbath’ of Lv. xxiii.15 to be the weekly sabbath): their reckoning regulated the public observance so long as the Temple stood, and the [Christian] Church is therefore justified in commemorating the first Christian Pentecost on a Sunday… The Pharisees, however, interpreted the ‘sabbath’ of Lv. xxiii.15 as the Festival of Unleavened Bread (cf. Lv. xxiii. 7), and their reckoning became normative in Judaism after AD 70, so that in the Jewish calendar Pentecost now falls on various days of the week’ (The New Bible Dictionary, 1962 ed., by J.C. Douglas)…”

We need to consider the clear instructions in the Old Testament to establish that the Sadducees—and not the Pharisees—were correct in their determination as to when to keep Pentecost.

In Leviticus 23:10-14, we are told that after the Israelites had entered the Promised Land, they had to bring first a wave sheaf offering “on the day [better: “morrow” or morning, compare Authorized Version] after the Sabbath” (verse 11), and only afterwards were they allowed to eat “bread” or “parched grain” or “fresh grain” (verse 14).

In Joshua 5:10-12, we read what happened when they did enter the Promised Land: “Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight [in Hebrew: “between the two evenings”—the time span between sunset and nightfall] on the plains of Jericho. And they ate of the produce of the land ON THE DAY [“on the MORROW,” Authorized Version] AFTER the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. Then the manna ceased on the day [“morrow,” Authorized Version] after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.”

According to the view point of the Pharisees, the wave sheaf offering had to be brought on the day following the ANNUAL Sabbath; that is, on the day following the first Day of Unleavened Bread. The first Day of Unleavened Bread is always on the 15^th of Nisan (Leviticus 23:6). So, the Pharisees hold that the wave sheaf must be brought one day later, on the 16^th of Nisan. However, this is NOT what happened under Joshua. We read that the wave sheaf offering was brought under Joshua on the day after the Passover (the Passover is to be kept at the beginning of the 14^th of Nisan, Leviticus 23:5); that is, the wave sheaf offering was brought that year on the 15^th of Nisan—NOT on the 16^th of Nisan. The Sadducees’ viewpoint is correct in that the sheaf must be waived on the day after the WEEKLY Sabbath; in other words, on Sunday, which fell that year under Joshua on the 15^th of Nisan. This means that Pentecost (the Feast of Weeks) would be celebrated 50 days later—on a Sunday.

In addition, the view point of the Pharisees (and of the modern Jews) that Pentecost always falls on a fixed day—the 6^th of Sivan—makes no sense in that the day of Pentecost has to be determined by counting. While each particular day for all the other annual Holy Days has been specifically given in the Bible, this is not the case for the day of Pentecost. It can only be determined by counting each year 50 days from the Sunday within the Days of Unleavened Bread, which follows the weekly Sabbath. If the Pharisees were correct in that Pentecost always falls on Sivan 6, then the injunction to determine the day by counting 50 from the day after the Sabbath would be meaningless and superfluous.

We might also want to point out again that Jesus was the fulfillment of the wave sheaf offering, in that, following His resurrection from the dead on Saturday, just before sunset (having been dead in the grave for three days and three nights, after His crucifixion on Wednesday), He ascended Sunday morning to the Father in heaven. According to the view point of the Pharisees, He would have had to ascend to the Father in heaven on Friday, since the First Day of Unleavened Bread fell in the crucifixion week on Thursday. But Christ was dead and in the grave on Friday. Again, we see that the view point of the Pharisees was incorrect, and that the view point of the Sadducees was correct, in that the wave sheaf offering was brought on the day after the WEEKLY Sabbath—and Jesus fulfilled that ritual at the prescribed time as the spiritual wave sheaf offering.

A passage in the New Testament might shed further light on the controversy between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. The Holy Spirit was given to the New Testament Church on Pentecost, June 17, 31 AD. Acts 2:1 states that when the Day of Pentecost had “fully” come, the disciples were all with one accord in one place. Some translators had difficulty with this phrase and chose to omit the word “fully” or say that Pentecost was “fulfilled” on that day. Even though the Day of Pentecost was filled with most significant meaning, due to the giving of the Holy Spirit, the Bible does not tell us that the disciples ceased from keeping the Day of Pentecost. The opposite is revealed in Acts 20:16 and in 1 Corinthians 16:8, showing that Paul continued to observe that annual Holy Day. (Another indirect reference to the keeping of Pentecost can be found in Acts 16:13, where we read that Paul and others went “on the Sabbath day” to the riverside where prayer was customarily made. In the Greek, the word for “Sabbath” is in the plural, indicating that reference is made to both the weekly Sabbath and an annual Sabbath or Holy Day—in this case, Pentecost.)

Rather, Acts 2:1 seems to hint at the controversy between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and it seems to emphasize that the Sadducees were correct in that Pentecost had to be kept on that particular day—a Sunday. The J.B. Phillips translation states: “Then when the actual day of Pentecost came…” The reason for this statement could refer to the fact that the Pharisees had preached that the day of Pentecost had already come in that year, i.e. on the previous Friday (since they counted 50 days from the day after the ANNUAL Sabbath or Holy Day of the First Day of Unleavened Bread which was observed that year on a Thursday; that is, they began counting on Friday, not on Sunday, and would have kept “Pentecost” 50 days later, on a Friday). But the correct day to begin counting was Sunday, following the WEEKLY Sabbath, and it was 50 days later, on Sunday, when the Day of Pentecost had “actually” and “fully” come.

We therefore hold that the day of Pentecost is to be observed 50 days after that Sunday within the Days of Unleavened Bread, which follows the WEEKLY Sabbath. This means, that Pentecost always falls on a Sunday. This year (2015), it is to be observed on May 24 (counting 50 days from the Sunday (i.e. April 5, 2015) within the Days of Unleavened Bread, which followed the weekly Sabbath of April 4, 2015). Since the annual Sabbath of the First Day of Unleavened Bread fell this year on a weekly Sabbath, Saturday, April 4, 2015, the Pharisaical view point (counting 50 days from the day after the ANNUAL Sabbath) comes to the same result for THIS year in keeping Pentecost on May 24, 2015). And since Easter Sunday fell this year on April 5, 2015, orthodox Christianity also keeps “Pentecost” this year on May 24, 2015.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

“Was Uns Lots Leben Lehrt,” is the title for this Sabbath’s German sermon. Title in English: “What Lot’s Life Teaches Us.” “Warum Halten Wir Pfingsten?” is the title for the Pentecost sermon. Title in English: “ Why Do We Keep Pentecost?”

“Vestiges,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Robb Harris, and the sermon, titled, “Obedience to the Faith,” presented by Eric Rank, are both now posted.