On March 21, 2015, Rene Messier will give the sermon, titled, “Love For The Truth.”

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.

Infections and infectious diseases can be a source of great worry and concern for those who suffer from them. We have recently had Aids and the Ebola crisis; there is bird flu, blood poisoning, chicken pox, scarlet fever, cholera, glandular fever, measles, malaria, salmonella, shingles, whooping cough and a whole range of other infectious diseases, a list of which could probably fill a book.

We try not to become infectious in the first place by avoiding contact with those who have anything that is contagious, and those who have such health problems should stay away from others. This is not only an act of kindness but is the way that true Christians should behave; that of esteeming others better or more important than self, and that of caring for others.

For many years, the Church has issued instructions about this matter in respect of attendance at the Feast of Tabernacles along the following lines:

“Elders will be available at all times during the Feast. However, if you think that you have a contagious illness, please do not come to services or to the Festival Desk to be anointed. Likewise, please do not bring children with contagious illnesses to services, to the Festival Desk or to any of the activities.” Of course, this also applies to the weekly Sabbath and other Holy Days.

Avoidance of infection should always be our aim, and we do have a Q&A on the quarantine principle.

If we are infected and have a health issue, we are admonished to call for the elders in the Church for anointing (see James 5:13-14). This is what we should do in such circumstances as outlined above, but what about this matter in a spiritual context?

Satan, the god of this world (see 2 Corinthians 4:4), wants to infect us with as many of the works of the flesh as possible (see Galatians 5:19-21), and he does this in many ways. Often, he can work through others to cause as many problems as possible to those called by God. This is a much greater threat to us than physical infection because the consequences can be much more serious!

For example, someone with a wrong spirit who may have taken issue with a member, a minister or a particular Church teaching can cause serious problems with those whom he/she knows or attends Church. We understand that tares will grow with the wheat (see Matthew 13:24-30), and they will often grow together until the harvest when a reckoning will take place, and so we shouldn’t be too surprised when someone from amongst us tries to cause problems.

The key to this situation is to look at the fruits of the ones causing the problems. Are they taking their concerns only to the ministry (if applicable), or are they trying to resolve any issues with brethren quietly and discreetly, as Matthew 18:15-17 instructs? If so, then other brethren may not be aware of any such concerns; however, if the person concerned is spewing bile out at all and sundry, then the fruits are not good and some, or many, may be “infected.”

Human nature, being what it is, can push us to get involved and to take sides. Spiritual infection can spread and this can be unfortunate where others may be involved. The apostle Paul faced problems in the Corinthian Church where he writes about envy, strife and division (1 Corinthians 3:1-4).

Satan causes division (Revelation 12:10), and we must not adopt any such attitude that is not a Godly one. One writer observed: “Anyone versed in military tactics knows the maxim ‘divide and conquer.’ If you can get your enemies to break ranks, turn on themselves and fight each other, you can quickly rout them”— and this is a tactic used successfully by our adversary.

If accusation, division, antagonism and animosity are the results of anyone’s actions, then you can be assured that this is not of God, and we must avoid being infected by anyone acting in such a manner. Irrespective of our relationship with that person, God and His way must always come first. Taking sides with someone with a rebellious attitude, even if they are very closely related to us, is asking for trouble.

We must always remember that there have been difficulties in the Church down through the ages, and a falling away from the truth has happened many times. We experienced that in the 1990’s, and since that time, and we must remember that Matthew 24:12 clearly spells out conditions at the end of this age: “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” We have been warned, and being on our guard against rogue elements will stand us in good stead.

Ephesians 2:10 states: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Good works do not include rebellion, accusation, division and an angry spirit.

We should be developing holy righteous character, as Romans 12:1-2 states: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

When we are approached by someone with a “grievance” or different mindset, we must always look at the fruits! If the person is suffering from a contagious spiritual disease, we must avoid contact and make sure that we do not become infected.

We begin with interesting articles about Benjamin Netanyahu’s stunning victory and its possible consequences; America’s dealings with Iran and consequential heart-rendering criticism from Saudi Arabia and Iran’s political prisoners and dissidents; speak about threats from ISIS and other radical terrorist groups in Nigeria, Yemen and Tunisia; and address Vladimir Putin’s unscrupulous intentions and the resulting ongoing discussion about a pan-European army—with or without American help—to counter perceived Russian aggression.

We continue with remarkable statements by Pope Francis and the Catholic faith of Jeb Bush; address the ongoing email controversy pertaining to Hillary Clinton; a dangerous idea by the American President; religious confusion amongst Americans and Jews; and we conclude with a shocking article about the dictatorial measures of US governmental DCF employees, judges, doctors and nurses to impose their will on a 17-year-old girl (and her mother), suffering from cancer.

Netanyahu Wins

Breitbart wrote on March 17:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has… defied the mainstream media and the Obama administration with a stunning, come-from-behind victory in Israel’s elections on Tuesday. Netanyahu’s Likud Party had been projected to lose to Isaac Herzog’s Zionist Union by a margin of 26-22… Netanyahu is now expected to form a new governing coalition.”

JTA wrote on March 18:

“After weeks in which polls consistently showed Zionist Union holding a slight lead over the Likud Party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli leader effected a dramatic comeback to win a decisive victory in Israeli elections. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Netanyahu’s Likud had won 30 seats  — a quarter of the Knesset and six more than the Zionist Union’s 24.”

The Associated Press added on March 18 that Netanyahu is now “in a position to build with relative ease a coalition government with its nationalist, religious and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies.”

The Netanyahu Miracle–CNN Wrong Again

Breitbart wrote on March 17:

“All day long CNN has been relentlessly beating the drum and practically celebrating the forgone conclusion that sitting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was about to lose today’s elections. Every move Netanyahu made over the past few weeks that outraged Obama and his media allies was framed by CNN today as a blunder — from the speech he made before Congress to  sounding the alarm today about Israeli Leftists busing Arabs to the polls.

“CNN was quite obviously setting up a Narrative to explain and gloat over what polls said was almost certain to be a Netanyahu defeat. A funny thing happened at 4 pm ET when the exit polls from Israel came in. Netanyahu was tied or slightly ahead. An hour later news reports suggested Netanyahu had already cobbled together enough allies from other parties to form a governing coalition. This means he will remain Prime Minister. This is why he took to Twitter to declare victory.

“By 6pm, the biggest story in the world, and one of the biggest electoral upsets in recent memory, was no longer the biggest story on CNN. Despite all the domestic and international ramifications of Netanyahu’s almost certain victory, despite all the backfilling CNN had done all day to ‘explain’ Netanyahu’s defeat, Netanyahu’s upset did not lead CNN’s 6 pm hour with Wolf Blitzer. Netanyahu giving his victory speech  did not lead the 7 pm hour with Erin Burnett.

“At 6 pm and 7pm, CNN decided that the story of the night was … a single Air Force veteran trying to join ISIS. At around 7:10 pm, Burnett finally decided it was time to talk about the Israeli elections, and when she did she read a chyron that read, ‘Is Netanyahu About to Lose?’ Not ‘Too Close to Call.’ Not ‘Bibi Upset Victory?’ Nope. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, CNN stuck to its ‘about to lose’ narrative.

“Things got much worse. An obviously rattled Burnett came back from commercial and then went on to prove she knows absolutely nothing about how the Israeli government works. For some ignorant reason she is under the impression that a tie or something close to it means Netanyahu is weakened and will — this is a direct quote — ‘have to share a significant amount of power with Isaac Herzog.’…

“CNN isn’t alone. But CNN was the news outlet that had gone further out on a limb than any other in gambling big on a Netanyahu loss.

“As far as the rest of our unbiased, objective media, let me put it this way: All the planned and hotly anticipated ‘Did Bibi’s Speech to Congress Backfire?’ narratives and thought pieces will not be replaced with ‘Did Obama’s Meddling In the Israeli Elections Backfire?’ narratives and thought pieces. The media likely lost this one…”

No Palestinian State?

The EUObserver wrote on March 17:

“Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said that if he is re-elected there will be no Palestinian state, putting in doubt the future of EU-Israel relations… his anti-Palestine comments pose fundamental questions for EU relations…

“EU diplomats are waiting for the US to restart talks in the final months of president Barack Obama’s second term in office. But the prevailing mood in Washington is that there’s no point if Netanyahu retains office, meaning the two-state idea would be put on hold for years to come… But without US engagement, neither EU restrictive measures nor diplomatic recognitions would change facts on the ground. The two-state solution, in any case, involves moving, by force, more than 110,000 Israeli settlers from East Jerusalem and the West Bank.”

Iran a Disruptive Player in the Arab World

BBC News reported on March 16:

“A senior member of the Saudi royal family has warned that a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme could prompt other regional states to develop atomic fuel. Prince Turki al-Faisal told the BBC that Saudi Arabia would then seek the same right, as would other nations…

“With a late March deadline for an Iran deal approaching, Saudi Arabia last week signed a nuclear co-operation agreement with South Korea that included a plan to study the feasibility of building two nuclear reactors in the kingdom. Riyadh has also signed nuclear co-operation agreements with China, France and Argentina, and intends to construct 16 nuclear power reactors over the next 20 years.

“The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, flew to Riyadh earlier this month to reassure Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab allies that America would not accept any deal unless it prevented Iran from building a nuclear weapon. He was told that they found Iran’s support for armed Shia Muslim groups in regional conflicts as troubling as the prospect of an atomic bomb. ‘Iran is already a disruptive player in various scenes in the Arab world, whether it’s Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, or Bahrain,’ said Prince Turki.”

The Other Side of Iran—Iranian Dissidents Lashing Out at Obama’s “Diplomacy”

The Washington Free Beacon wrote on March 17:

“A group of Iranian dissidents and political prisoners have lashed out at the Obama administration, lambasting its ongoing diplomacy with Iran, according to two open letters sent to the White House in recent days… In each letter, the dissidents—most of whom are currently political prisoners in Iran—criticize the White House for ignoring the issues of human rights and democracy in Iran as they push to finalize a deal with a regime that the dissidents says     is murderous and untrustworthy.

“Iranian reformers and those seeking a change in the country’s leadership say they do not view the agreement as representing the plurality of Iranians. ‘Any deal in which the real representatives of Iranian people are not present and human rights are ignored, is basically a deal between President Obama and Khamenei’s agents, and Iranian people will not consider it to be legal,’ 21 Iranian political prisoners wrote in an open letter to Obama…

“As the Obama administration negotiates with Iran, the Islamic Republic continues to execute scores of political prisoners and dissidents each day, the letter states. An American pastor, Saeed Abedini, also continues to be imprisoned in Iran. ‘In this chaos, Iranian people, human rights, and basic civil rights are absent without any representation,’ they write. ‘During President Obama’s negotiations for a profitable deal with the non-democratic Regime of Iran, the number of people executed increases every day; freedoms of speech, religion, women, and journalists are restricted more and more, and civil, labor, and political associations are suppressed heavily.’

“On Sunday, another Iranian dissident currently in jail for leading protests against the regime sent his own letter to Obama. Heshmat Tabarzadi says that the Obama administration has been ignoring human rights issues in order to placate the Islamic Republic in talks. ‘When the people of Iran asked you to support them against the tyranny of the Shia clerics over five years ago you, the president of the most powerful country on earth, were secretly writing letters to the dictator of Iran,’ he writes in the letter, which was smuggled out of Iran by human rights activists and provided to the Foundation for Democracy in Iran, an advocacy group.

“Obama’s outreach has only empowered Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, writes Tabarzadi, who says he shares a prison cell with Saeed Abedini. ‘In June 2009, as Khamenei ruthlessly ordered his paramilitary forces to kill people on the streets and on university campuses, imprisoning and torturing journalists, intellectuals, the young and the old mercilessly, your friendly communications with the tyrant of Iran continued in the name of the people of the United States, ignoring the human rights of the people of Iran,’ the letter states. ‘You helped Khamenei to continue his Islamic tyranny in the name of Allah and Islam… The Islamic clerics have taken our nation hostage to their fanatical Islamic tyranny…

“‘In 2009 when the people of Iran loudly and clearly asked for your support for their freedom and sovereignty, you ignored us and empowered the tyrants to imprison, torture, and kill us.’ Nations such as the United States should be supporting ‘the People of Iran, not the tyrants,’ according to Tabarzadi…  ‘You claim that the only choice that you have is either to make a deal with Khamenei—which I believe means surrender—or war,’ he states. ‘I dare say this claim is a form of misinformation and intimidation of the people of America… Please sanction and weaken the illegal regime of Khamenei, and empower the people to overthrow this tyranny… You know that you can support the people in many ways, such as giving us Internet access that the Khamenei regime cannot police. This would allow us to organize and rise up against these godless tyrants.’…

“Saeed Ghassiminejad, an Iranian dissident and expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that the letters reflect growing frustration with the Obama administration among reform-minded Iranians… ‘[Obama] has shown that he does not care at all about human rights and democracy. Whether it is Cuba, Iran, or Syria he and his secretary of state are either neutral or on the side of dictators.’”

ISIS and Boko Haram Join Forces

Newsmax wrote on March 13:

“ISIS has declared its intention to ‘blow up your White House, Big Ben, and the Eiffel Tower,’ its official spokesman said in a new audio message [continuing] that the organization had accepted a pledge of allegiance from the Nigerian terror group Boko Haram… [The] ISIS spokesman… declared that Boko Haram’s move was ‘a new door opened by Allah’ and said jihadists should go to West Africa… [and that] ISIS wanted control of numerous cities across the globe, including Jerusalem, Kabul, Rome, and Paris.

“The ISIS spokesman warned Jews and Christians that they could either ‘convert to Islam or pay the ultimate price when your armies are expelled from Muhammad’s peninsula, from Jerusalem, and all Muslim lands.’”

Lost–$500 Million in US Military Aid Given to Yemen

The Washington Post wrote on March 17:

“The Pentagon is unable to account for more than $500 million in U.S. military aid given to Yemen amid fears that the weaponry, aircraft and equipment is at risk of being seized by Iranian-backed rebels or al-Qaeda, according to U.S. officials. With Yemen in turmoil and its government splintering apart, the Defense Department has lost its ability to monitor the whereabouts of U.S.-donated small arms, ammunition, night-vision goggles, patrol boats, vehicles and other supplies. The situation has grown worse since the United States closed its embassy in Sanaa, the capital, last month and withdrew many of its military advisers.

“In recent weeks, members of Congress have held closed-door meetings with U.S. military officials to press for an accounting of the arms and equipment. Pentagon officials have said they have little information to go on and that there is little they can do at this point to prevent the weapons and gear from falling into the wrong hands…

“Yemen’s government was toppled in January by Shiite Houthi rebels, who receive support from Iran and have strongly opposed U.S. drone strikes in Yemen. The Houthis have taken over many Yemeni military bases in the northern part of the country, including some in Sanaa that were home to U.S.-trained counterterrorism units. Other bases have been overrun by fighters from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula…”

Terror Attack on Tourists in Tunisia

Deutsche Welle reported on March 18:

“At least 19 people have been killed when militants attacked a popular museum in Tunisia’s capital, the prime minister confirmed. The attack was the country’s worst in nine years… Tunisian state television reported that two gunmen had died in the violence, but Prime Minister Essid said some of the terrorists could still be at large.

“Tourists from Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain were among those who lost their lives in Wednesday’s attack, the prime minister added. Another 22 tourists and two Tunisians were injured… The European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini condemned the attacks, blaming the ‘Islamic State’ (IS) militants, who were, according to her ‘once again targeting the countries and peoples of the Mediterranean region. This strengthens our determination to cooperate more closely with our partners to confront the terrorist threat,’ she said, adding that the EU was willing to ‘mobilize all the tools it has to fully support Tunisia in its fight against terrorism.’

“Gunmen opened fire on tourists as they were getting off buses outside Tunisia’s national museum on Wednesday, officials said. Many tourists remained inside the museum until security forces stormed in and killed the two militants. The attack dealt a huge blow to the small country which is still recovering from the political uprising, also known as the Arab Spring in 2011. Tunisia relies heavily on tourism from Europe and has tried to avoid terror attacks since leader Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali was ousted four years ago… Officials estimate that around 3,000 Tunisians have joined the ‘Islamic State’ in Syria and Iraq, raising fears that they may plan terror attacks at home.”

Deutsche Welle reported on March 19 that ISIS claimed responsibility for the abominable and cowardly terrorist attack, and that at least 20 people were killed. In an audio message, ISIS said that this was only the first drop of the rain.

Putin Was Willing to Use Nukes Over Crimea

AFP wrote on March 15:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to put the country’s nuclear forces on alert as he sought to annex Crimea last year after the fall of a Moscow-backed government in Kiev.

“In a nearly three-hour documentary aired on state TV in Russia on Sunday a year after the takeover of the Black Sea Peninsula from Ukraine, Putin showed the lengths he was willing to go to in order to protect Russian-speaking citizens of the province he considered a historic slice of Russia. The documentary, ‘Homeward Bound’, features interviews with Putin and reconstructions in which the Russian leader presents himself as the saviour of Crimea, forced to deploy elite troops to prevent a war with ‘nationalists’ who took power in Kiev… And unsure whether the West would intervene militarily to stop the annexation, he was ready to face ‘the worst possible turn of events.’”

Putin Does It Again

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 18:

“Russia tightened control over South Ossetia on Wednesday, when… Putin and his self-declared counterpart, Leonid Tibilov… signed the 25-year ‘Treaty on Alliance and Integration.’ The tiny mountainous region’s 50,000 inhabitants broke away from Georgia in the 1990s, and Russia effectively gained full control over it and a second secessionist territory, Abkhazia, after a brief war between the government and separatists in 2008, stationing troops there to preserve the peace. ‘This step made against the territorial integrity of a sovereign state further worsens the situation created as a result of the occupation and brings it to the level of an annexation,’ Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili said in a statement Wednesday…

“The treaty hands border control to Russia, which would also formally take charge of South Ossetia’s economy and military… ‘A joint defense and security zone will be created between our two countries, our customs agencies will be integrated, and border crossings for our citizens will become open,’ Putin said on Wednesday…

“On Wednesday, the European Union’s diplomacy chief said that the agreement undermined efforts to strengthen security and stability in the region. ‘This ‘treaty’ – which includes references to a transfer of powers in some areas – clearly violates Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,’ EU Foreign Policy coordinator Federica Mogherini said.”

“Putin Has Started a War, and Ten Million Could Die”

Express wrote on March 17:

“Vladimir Putin has started a war with the ‘whole civilised world’ which could leave ‘ten million people dead’. Polish statesman Lech Walesa made the ominous warning as the Russian President made clear he will deploy the nuclear-capable Tupolev bomber to annexed Crimea. The 62-year-old has also signalled his attentions to send Iskander surface-to-surface missile systems close to Poland’s border.
“The man who as a Gdansk trade union leader inspired the end of the Cold War accused the Kremlin leader of playing with fire… ‘He broke agreements, contracts, guarantees. The world cannot just leave it like this. If something like this happens, only force is left… If Russia takes a risk and attacks Poland and other countries… there will be a war… a million will be killed, ten million maybe’…

“World heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko echoed Mr Walesa, saying… ‘What is happening at the moment could set off a third World War… I think that the European community is sleeping. Putin is doing what he wants to… He will continue to march forward.’”

Russia’s Northern Fleet on Full Alert

CNN reported on March 17:

“As the U.S. and several Eastern European NATO countries conduct a series of military exercises near Russia’s border, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his Northern Fleet ‘to full alert in a snap combat readiness exercise’ in the Arctic, state-run media reported Monday.

“… a Kremlin spokesman described the Northern Fleet inspection as routine practice aimed at improving military capabilities… Conversely, a diplomat told Tass that Russia was ‘deeply concerned’ about NATO drills near its border…”

Dangerous Putin and Helpless EU

The EUObserver wrote on March 16:

“Russian leader Vladimir Putin, in a pre-filmed interview, has said he was ready to use nuclear weapons if the West had tried to stop him seizing Crimea… He said he also deployed high-tech coastal defence missiles, which can be seen from space, to deter outside intervention.

“He added that he warned his Western counterparts he is prepared to go to war… Russian propaganda outlets have said it is capable of reducing the US to ‘radioactive ash’. Putin has also claimed he could conquer Kiev, Bucharest, and Warsaw ‘in two days’ by conventional means if he is provoked…

“But speaking to European media at the weekend, EU Council chief Donald Tusk noted how hard it is to maintain EU unity.  ‘A common policy of the 28 member states doesn’t exist. We have 28 different foreign policies’, he said.

“He noted he has little faith in the recent, so-called Minsk 2, ceasefire accord… He added that any EU leader who believes Putin is ready to make peace is guilty of ‘naivete or hypocrisy’.”

“A Pan-European Army with or Without American Help”

NBC News wrote on March 15:

“As conflicts worsen on NATO’s eastern borders, the case is being made for a pan-European army as commanders seek multinational ‘coalitions of force’ — with or without American help… ‘Europe must accept that the world regards the E.U. as more than just an economic union,’ Raimund Kirch, editor in chief of the Nürnberger Zeitung, wrote in an editorial. ‘Therefore, it must develop an independent moral and military power, in order to survive between the bi-polar forces.’…

‘‘This is not about having more influence in NATO,’ former German NATO general Harald Kujat told NBC News. ‘But the idea is that Europe wants to show “we must be more powerful” in light of the Ukraine crisis. NATO’s reaction time is too long because the Europeans have reduced the readiness status of their forces so much that they are, in practice, not available within the necessary time frame… the fact that the Europeans are not in a situation to defend their eastern allies in the Baltics and Poland without American support is shameful,’ said Kujat… ‘Germany spends about 1.3 percent of its GDP on the military. That’s not enough’…

“Stefan Soesanto, of the RAND research institute in Brussels, argues for an ‘enhanced interoperability among European soldiers’ which in the long term could also lead to more independence from American dominance within NATO.”

How Pope Francis Sees It

Breitbart wrote on March 13:

“In an exclusive interview Wednesday, the second anniversary of his election to the papacy, Pope Francis spoke on a wide range of topics, many of which revolved around Mexico. He said that ‘the devil doesn’t forgive Mexico because there [the Virgin Mary] revealed her Son,’ referring to the appearances of the Virgin of Guadalupe…

“‘I think the devil punishes Mexico fiercely.’… ‘Mexico… is privileged in martyrdom, for recognizing and defending its Mother… You will find Catholics, non-Catholics, and atheists in Mexico, but they are all ‘guadalupanos.’ That is, everyone feels like her child. Children of the one who brought the Savior, who destroyed the devil.’”

Reuters reported on March 13:

“Pope Francis said in an interview published on Friday he believes his pontificate will be short and that he would be ready to resign like his predecessor [Pope Benedict] rather than ruling for life… ‘I have the feeling that my pontificate will be brief – four or five years, even two or three. Two have already passed. It’s a somewhat strange sensation,’ he said… ‘I feel that the Lord has placed me here for a short time…”

The Associated Press added on March 13:

“Francis announced a special Jubilee Year starting Dec. 8 [and ending November 26, 2016] to focus the church on forgiveness and mercy. It’s only the 27th time in the history of the Catholic Church that there has been a Holy Year. [The first one was in 1300] The last one was called by St. John Paul II in 2000 to mark the start of the third millennium.

“Holy Years allow the faithful to receive special indulgences, ways to repair the damage of sin beyond the absolution granted by going to confession. The year begins with the symbolic opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.”

These are interesting developments. If Francis steps down soon or if he dies, it would be quite important to see who the next pope would be… and how he would view things. Would he be another more “liberally” minded pope, or a conservative follower of Catholic Church doctrine? In addition, Francis’ comments regarding Mexico show the fascination with the “Virgin Mary”—regardless of the religious convictions of the Mexicans. In fact, it may be the symbol and “appearances” of the “Virgin Mary” which might bring about strong collaboration between the Catholic Church and other religious groups believing in apparitions of Mary… such as Greek and Russian Orthodox believers and many Muslims. The Bible warns against such “visions and dreams”—since they are not Godly in any way. For more information, please read our free booklets, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?”, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World” and “The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation.”

The Catholicism of Jeb Bush

The New York Times wrote on March 17:

“Twenty years after Mr. Bush converted to Catholicism, the religion of his wife, following a difficult and unsuccessful political campaign that had put strain on his marriage, his faith has become a central element of the way he shapes his life and frames his views on public policy…

“Many of his priorities during his two terms as governor of Florida aligned with those of the Catholic Church — including his extraordinary, and unsuccessful, effort to force a hospital to keep Terri Schiavo on life support, as well as less well known, and also unsuccessful, efforts to appoint a guardian for the fetus of a developmentally disabled rape victim, and to prevent a 13-year-old girl from having an abortion…

“He differed from his church, significantly and openly, over capital punishment; 21 prisoners were executed by the state on his watch, the most under any Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. But he has also won praise from Catholic officials for his welcoming tone toward immigrants, and his relatively centrist positions on education — two issues in which he is at odds with the right wing of his party…

“The son and brother of Protestant presidents, Mr. Bush, if elected, would be the nation’s second Catholic president. He carries a rosary in his pocket, fingering its beads at moments of crisis, is a member of the Knights of Columbus and has retweeted Pope Francis. He was part of the American delegation to the installation of Pope Benedict XVI, and during his travels in the United States he sometimes attends Mass in local churches…

“Mr. Bush is not the first Catholic in his family. His great-grandfather George Herbert Walker was a Jesuit-educated Roman Catholic. But Mr. Walker married a Presbyterian and joined her church, a pattern that would be repeated multiple times in Mr. Bush’s family tree. George Bush, the former president, joined the Episcopal Church of his wife, Barbara; George W. Bush joined the United Methodist Church of his wife, Laura…

“Mr. Bush was officially received into the Catholic Church at the Easter vigil of 1995, making a profession of faith and being anointed with oil before receiving Communion for the first time as a Catholic… He has also suggested that concerns about the Episcopal Church, which has moved steadily to the left on social issues and liturgical matters, played a role in his decision…

“Mr. Bush is now courting Protestant leaders as well, presenting himself as a man of faith who understands the concerns of religious voters…”

Is Obama Trying to Stop Clinton?

Newsmax wrote on March 17:

“President Barack Obama definitely knew that Hillary Clinton was using a private email account as secretary of state — and he cautioned her not to, veteran political journalist Edward Klein told Newsmax TV.  ‘According to State Department, White House, and Clinton sources — three separate sources — the president of the United States was … aware she was using a private server, a private email,’ Klein said… ‘And either he or his people told her and warned her not to.’…

“Klein called Clinton’s apparent skipping of a separation agreement, requiring her to return all government documents when she left the State Department, a ‘classic Clinton avoidance.’ ‘She knew what she was doing when she used the server to begin with, which meant that nobody could get it,’ he said. ‘And … when she was asked or knew she was supposed to sign a separation agreement, she didn’t because that separation agreement requires you to then turn over all your emails to the State Department.’

“Last week, Klein said the Obama administration ‘is up to its eyebrows in efforts to stop’ Clinton from running for the White House — including six investigations launched by longtime presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett involving Clinton’s years as Secretary of State. ‘This administration… will do virtually anything to prevent Hillary from becoming president,’ Klein [said]. ‘It’s their view that if she does become president — like her husband, Bill — she will govern from the left of center and not be a true liberal,’ Klein said, ‘and will, therefore, compromise with Republicans like Bill did when he was in office, and will undo a lot of the Obama legacy. They are determined to stop her — and of course, it’s not going to be easy,’ he said.”

Danger Alert–Voting to Become Mandatory in the USA?

The Associated Press reported on March 19:

“President Barack Obama is floating the idea of making it mandatory to vote in the United States… He says the U.S. should be making it easier — not harder — to vote.

“The president is noting that countries like Australia have mandatory voting. He says if everyone voted in the U.S., it would completely change the political map… Obama says it would be ‘transformative’ and would counteract the influence of money in politics more than anything else.”

One of the many problems with (mandatory) voting is that there are NO qualified candidates to vote for.

Religious Confusion of Americans and Jews

Times of Israel wrote on March 18:

“An Idaho state senator’s description of Hinduism as ‘a false faith with false Gods’ drew calls from Jewish clergy for an apology. Sen. Sheryl Nuxoll joined two other Republican senators in refusing to attend the daily invocation on March 3 because a Hindu chaplain, Rajan Zed, led it.

“Nuxoll was quoted by The Associated Press as saying that she refused to attend because she sees the United States as a Christian nation… Her statement led Rabbi Daniel Fink of Boise’s Congregation Ahavatah Beth Israel to recruit a slate of local clergy to sign on to a letter he wrote calling for an apology. ‘Being a public official who is expected to represent all citizens, it is highly inappropriate and insensitive for Ms. Nuxoll to unnecessarily label a major religion as “false,” as there are about 3 million Hindus in U.S.A., including some in Idaho,’ said the March 14 letter, organized through the state’s Interfaith Equality Coalition. It was signed by 28 clergy and a number of other people.

“Also asking for an apology was Rabbi ElizaBeth Beyer of congregations in Reno, Nev. and Tahoe Vista, Calif., who has served with Zed on interfaith panels. ‘If Nuxoll had a clue, she would know that Hinduism is the third largest religion of the world and it offers rich philosophical thought,’ Beyer said in a statement…”

What ridiculous reasoning and utter confusion! Because someone is a public official and because a religion is the third largest in the world, he or she must participate in its religious practices? 

No, It’s Not Russia or China… It’s the USA—the Land of the “Free”!

People Magazine published the following article on its website, people.com, on March 15:

“After being forced by the state of Connecticut to undergo chemotherapy treatments she did not want, the 17-year-old known in court papers as Cassandra C. is now in remission – fighting to get out of the hospital where she has been held since Dec. 9. ‘I have been alone in the hospital for the most part,’ the Windsor Locks, Connecticut, teen tells PEOPLE from the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, where she has been legally required to stay since late last year under the temporary custody of the state Department of Children and Families…

“Even though the chemotherapy she received brought her into remission, she says, ‘I would never get chemo again after this if I ever relapsed. I would explore alternative methods like I originally wanted to. I don’t want to go through this again.’

“Last fall, when Cassandra’s doctors at CCMC suspected she might have Hodgkin’s lymphoma, she began researching chemotherapy, its standard treatment, which medical experts say has about an 85 percent chance of curing it. Without it, her doctors said she could have died. She says she wasn’t that concerned about side effects such as nausea or hair loss. She says she was most worried about other ‘major possible side effects’ she had read about including possible heart damage and secondary cancers…

“Her mother, she says, initially wanted her to have chemotherapy. ‘She told me as a parent that she didn’t want to lose her only daughter and that we would get through the chemo, but that wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to try anything else that wasn’t as potentially harmful as chemo. Eventually she chose to not fight with me about it. She chose to stand by me’…

“After doctors confirmed her diagnosis, Cassandra says, CCMC scheduled appointments for Cassandra to begin chemotherapy. Instead, Cassandra and her mother went to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, to get a second opinion, she says. When she missed several appointments at CCMC (Cassandra says her mother told the hospital she would reschedule them), doctors there notified DCF, according to court records…

“DCF took temporary custody of her and placed her in a foster home with a family member, she says. She returned home after she agreed at a Nov. 12 court hearing to undergo the chemotherapy. But on Nov. 18, on her second day of treatment, her oncologist told her that she needed surgery the next morning to insert a chemotherapy port in her chest, which she did not want and thought she would not have to get for another month. ‘I was freaking out.’ She ran away, leaving home after her mother fell asleep…

“On Dec. 9, after she returned home, a Superior Court judge granted DCF temporary custody of Cassandra… ‘ DCF kind of just took me away, so there was really no time to make a decision on what we wanted to do or to research alternative treatments. No one ever sat down and talked to me about the chemotherapy. It was, “You have cancer. You have to get in here so we can start chemo.’”

“Life in the hospital was bleak at first for Cassandra. She wasn’t allowed to have a phone. DCF limited who could come see her, banning visits from her mother after Jan. 8, though she is trying to regain her visitation rights. Someone even stood guard outside her room for the first few weeks to make sure she didn’t try to leave. ‘I feel like a prisoner,’ she says.

“On Dec. 17, she says, her doctor told her that she was scheduled for surgery the following morning to insert the port she feared, so that she could get the chemotherapy she had fought so hard against. On the morning of the surgery, ‘a nurse came in and I told myself just to fight. When she started to put an IV in me, I wouldn’t let her.’

“After spending two hours telling her doctor, DCF and other hospital staff that she didn’t want the surgery, ‘Security had to pick me up, pin me to the bed and strap me down by my wrists and ankles,’ she says. ‘When I woke up, I looked down and there was a port in my chest. I thought, “I cannot believe they did this to me”’…

“The following day, she was forced to resume the chemotherapy. And on Jan. 8, the Connecticut Supreme court ruled that Cassandra had to continue the state-ordered treatments, saying she was not mature enough to make that decision for herself…

“Looking back on everything she has gone through, she says, ‘I can only hope that if there is a kid out there who doesn’t want chemo, they will show my story to a judge and say, “Remember this girl?’””

To read something like this makes one wonder how insensitive governmental officials, doctors, nurses, judges and above all DCF employees can be when it comes to human beings who are being treated like cattle and prisoners to follow medical procedures which are questionable at best. As we have pointed out in our Updates, personal liberties and freedoms ARE being taken away from American citizens on a CONSISTENT BASIS.

It depends.

Before answering the particular question at issue, we need to understand that a true Christian is not obligated to avoid a certain practice or conduct, only because pagans are engaged in it. We addressed this question in two previous Q&As, titled “Should Christians Use Symbols which Are Used by Pagans?“ and “Should Christians Wear Wedding Rings?” .

We pointed out the following in the Q&A on wedding rings:

“… we must be careful that we do not… prohibit everything, whether it is used in worship services or otherwise, only because pagans might have engaged in it. We addressed this issue in a recent Q&A, which answered the question as to whether Christians should use symbols which are used by pagans. Among other symbols, we discussed the symbol of the heart, certain symbols which are being used in sign language, the Star of David and the symbols of stars in general. We also pointed out that the mere fact that pagans and occultists attach a particular meaning and human interpretation to certain symbols should not compel a Christian to refrain from using these symbols. This same principle applies to wedding rings…

“Inasmuch as the Bible has to be our guide on whatever questions might arise, it is immaterial as to what superstitious meanings pagans and occultists may give to their use of wedding rings. Since the Bible clearly allows the wearing of wedding rings, pagan and occult interpretations are meaningless for us—as long as we do not wear wedding rings with a superstitious understanding of occult practices.”

This same principle applies to the lighting of candles in memory of a deceased loved one.

Even though not compelling, it is still interesting to note that this tradition has been used in Judaism.

The website of JewishBoston.com addressed the question: “Where does the custom of lighting memorial candles for the dead come from…?”

Rabbi Neal Gold responded as follows, especially addressing the annual memorial day of “yahrtzeit” — the yearly anniversary of a loved one’s death which goes back to Talmudic times:

“A Yahrtzeit candle should be lit on the evening of the anniversary (remembering that in the Jewish calendar days begin at sunset). If the anniversary falls on Shabbat or on a holiday, the Yahrtzeit candle is lit before the Shabbat/holiday candles. The candle typically will burn for 24 hours…”

We are also informed by another source that Jews light a Yahrzeit candle to remember someone who brightened our lives, stating that amid the sadness and gloom of mourning, light is a symbol of hope and of comfort. Mourners light a candle in honor of the decedent that burns for 24 hours. This ceremony is conducted on the anniversary of special family members each year to ensure that their memory is cherished. In addition, during services on Yom Kippur, Shemini Atzeret, the last day of Passover, and Shavu’ot, close relatives recite the mourner’s prayer, Yizkor (“May He remember…”) in synagogue. Yahrzeit candles are also lit on those days.

Even though the Bible does not say anything about an annual memorial of loved ones (or a “Yahrtzeit”), it is important for us to note that the lighting of candles is associated with it, as well as on other occasions in Judaism, without pointing at any pagan origin.

At the same time, we find in Scripture that mourning for dead loved ones and also remembering those who have died is very clearly not against God’s Will. We read in Genesis 37:34-35 that Jacob mourned many days for his son Joseph (who he thought had died). In turn, the Egyptians mourned for dead Joseph seventy days (Genesis 50:3-4). The Israelites mourned for Moses thirty days (Deuteronomy 34:8). A reference to a long-time mourning for the dead is also found in 2 Samuel 14:2-6. King David mourned for his dead son Absalom even though he had betrayed him (2 Samuel 19:2-4). We read that Israel will mourn for Christ and His death, when they realize why Christ died, “as one mourns for his only son, and… as one grieves for a firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10).

As we will see, since we are allowed to mourn over the death of a loved one, we most certainly are allowed to express our good memories of him or her and our hope in his or her future life.

It is true, of course, that lighting a candle is applied in Catholicism and paganism. Candles burning in a Roman Catholic church are thought to continue the prayer’s petition long after he/she has left the church. But to ascribe power to candles is unbiblical. On the eve of All Souls’ Day in Ireland, families lit a candle in the window to guide the souls of the dead back to their old homes. Candles are lit for the dead as a way of symbolizing their rebirth and transition. This is equally unbiblical, as man does not possess an immortal soul which continues to live when a person dies.

This brings us to the question as to whether a Christian would be free to light candles in memory of a deceased loved one, as long as he does not do it with the wrong understanding of ascribing power to the candle or believing in an immortal soul concept.

We know that in Old Testament times, candles played an important role even in worship services. We read about the golden lampstand with seven lamps (Exodus 25:37), and the lamps had to burn continuously (Exodus 27:20-21). In the New Testament, Christ often used the symbol of light to express His love and concern for the world, and we are told that we are the light of the world and that we are not to light a lamp (or a candle) and put it under a basket. New Testament Christians would light candles at the beginning of the Sabbath, as they would do in the evening of every new day (remember, they did not have any electrical lights). In addition, Christ refers to entire churches as “candlesticks.”

There is rich symbolism in the act of lighting a candle on behalf of a loved one, if we combine with it the contemplation on the promise that one day our loved one will rise from the dead and that we will see him or her again.

We read in Proverbs 20:27 that every human being has a spirit, which is the “lamp of the LORD.” The Authorized Version says that the human spirit is “the candle of the LORD.” Ecclesiastes 12:7 tells us that when a person dies, his or her spirit goes back to God in heaven who gave it (compare Zechariah 12:1). God preserves the human spirit in heaven until He uses it for the resurrection of the dead person. We understand of course, that the spirit in man is not conscious while it is preserved in heaven. It is not a living soul, and we do not pray or communicate in any way to the human spirit or a conscious soul, when we think of a deceased loved one, by lighting a candle.

Nevertheless, in lighting a candle for a deceased loved one, we might think of the fact that his or her spirit (“the lamp of the LORD”) is preserved in heaven and that God has promised that one day, the deceased loved one will be resurrected and brought back to life. We read in Hebrews 12:22-24 that in prayer to God, we come to the heavenly Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the innumerable company of angels, the general assembly and church of the first-begotten registered in heaven, AND to the “spirits of the just men made perfect.” But the promise of the preservation of the human spirit and future resurrections applies to everyone—not just to those who have been “made perfect” and will be in the FIRST resurrection. The overwhelming majority of human beings will be brought back to life in a SECOND resurrection (compare Revelation 20:5, speaking of the “first” resurrection, with Revelation 20:11-12, describing the second resurrection).

To light a candle in memory of a loved one would not be wrong with the understanding, as described herein. However, we do not advocate, nor will we follow the practice, of lighting candles in general church services—apart perhaps from a one-time special memorial service for a deceased loved one.

The comments herein are meant to constitute a permission and not a command. If someone would feel uncomfortable with lighting a candle for a deceased loved one at any time, he or she should not do it, because whatever is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

“Should Christians Keep Easter?” is the new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link, as part of our promotional endeavor to call attention to our message and the many aspects of the Work of the Church.

Here is a summary:

Was Jesus crucified on a Friday and resurrected on Sunday morning? If so, how did He fulfill the sign of His Messiahship that He was to be three days and three nights in the grave? If not, how did Christianity come to believe in a Friday crucifixion and Sunday morning resurrection? And where do our Easter customs come from? Why do we color eggs and believe in an egg-laying rabbit? Did early Christians keep Easter?

A new Member Letter has been written by Norbert Link. In it, Mr. Link reviews the theme of preparing for the Passover and points to several written messages from the ministry during the past several weeks which have all focused on our need to really take our calling to heart!

In addition, a new Member Letter to the German brethren has been written in which Mr. Link addresses points relative to the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. He, along with Mike Link, will depart for Germany following the Church Conference which is currently in progress in San Diego, California.

“Erfolgreiche Gebete—Dein Ist die Herrlichkeit” is the title of this week’s German sermon. The title in English is “Successful Prayers—‘Yours Is the Glory!’”

by Rhonda Cagle

As I sit here and think about my eight-year work anniversary coming up in May, I pause and reflect on the many truly wonderful blessings my Heavenly Father has given me.  When I hear so many of my friends tell me of their struggles in life, both materially and personally, I realize just how blessed I really am.

I have gone through trials especially the past couple of years. The loss of my mother was extremely hard for me, yet out of that I was blessed in so many different ways. I went through three different company-wide layoffs, yet all the time never having my job in jeopardy. I have gone through many health issues and have learned and grown through them to trust God and His promises about healing. I have even experienced a healing this last year. I know that God does hear and answer prayers! But I must always trust He knows what is best for me and that in His time, He will answer. Yes, there are trials and there are hard days to get through, but the more I go through these trials and blessings, I learn more and more to trust our Heavenly Father. I know that He is faithful and true.

I am grateful for all He has given me and I wonder at times if I am doing enough to show Him how thankful I am. As we approach Passover, I ponder deeply about this–do I live the life that is accepting to Him? Do my actions in all I do praise Him? Do I thank Him enough for not just the material things in life but for His Son and His Sacrifice for me? Do I thank Him enough for His Holy Spirit that lives in me and helps me each day? Do I thank Him enough for my calling and all that it means? Do I find it a joy and an honor to serve Him? Do I really show Him how truly grateful I am for His love and the eternal life He has promised me if I am only faithful?  Am I doing enough to hear the words, “Well done, enter into your rest!”

I know, of course, that I will never reach perfection in this life. But I also know that as long as I follow God and rely on His help, I will grow in all of these areas.

On March 14, 2015, Dave Harris will give the sermon, titled, “Keep the Passover!”

The live services are available, over video and audio, at http://eternalgod.org/live-services/ (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time; 8:30 pm Greenwich Mean Time; 9:30 pm Central European Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

The Spring Holy Days are almost upon us! Have we been recently experiencing various trials in our lives? Have we been active yet in our “spring cleaning” by removing the leavening in our houses? And most importantly, have we been examining ourselves, making sure that when the Passover approaches, we will be partaking of it in a worthy manner? Yes, these are questions we are faced with annually as we are reminded about the significance of what is coming shortly.

There are a few weeks left to prepare for Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread – meaning that we must physically deleaven our houses and examine ourselves spiritually before we take the Passover and observe the Days of Unleavened Bread to see where we are in relation to God and His Way of Life. However, there is much more to it than that. Because keeping the Days of Unleavened Bread symbolizes living a sinless life, we have to be prepared at all times for the unexpected, especially now, since the time is getting closer to Christ’s return. We know this because of what is happening around the world, based on biblical prophecy, and we do have a general idea of what to expect. That is why we must become free from sin.

We have to make sure that we are strong in the Church as well. There is a dangerous warning for those who take this lightly. Revelation 3:14-22 talks about the lukewarm Church, describing the works and attitudes of those who don’t produce much fruit. Verse 16 says, “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” This is why it is important to BE PART of God’s Church and to do zealously what God commands us to do. If we want to be prepared and inherit salvation, we have to watch and be aware of what is happening in this world. We need to be ready for Christ’s return (Matthew 25:1-13).

There will be a time again when we, just like Israel, will have to be saved physically out of this world to be brought to a place of safety and protection. But we have to respond to God’s calling starting NOW. We individually have to be prepared for the coming of Christ. We read about the fall of Babylon the Great – which is a political, religious and economic power in the end time, when unimaginable and terrible events will take place (compare Revelation 18:4-5).

When that time approaches, it will become increasingly difficult to remain faithful and obedient because people with whom we are in close contact will betray us and will hate us for what we believe in. Perhaps that has already happened to us. Have we lost friends over our beliefs? It may feel as if we are alone, but we are not alone, as God is with us.

We have to make sure we are not caught off guard when that time comes. “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:35-40).

We must become spiritually strong and we have to be aware of what is going on in this world, making sure that we don’t return to it as many former Church members have already done. We have less than three weeks left before we take the Passover, before we ask our merciful Father to forgive us our sins. This is our fresh start to try to live a sinless life, a taste of what God’s Kingdom is all about. Are we preparing ourselves for this right now and for what the future holds?   Many people will not be ready for Christ’s return, but we have been given the opportunity right now because of what we already know. Will we be ready when that time comes?

We are reporting on world news which increase the worries over a coming nuclear war; address America’s controversial politics towards Iran, Israel and the Middle East; speak on Hillary Clinton’s trouble regarding her personal email account and Ben Carson’s apologetic and inconsistent remarks regarding practicing homosexuals; and point out Russia’s ongoing attempts to hide the truth regarding the murder of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov.

We are reporting on renewed attempts and a desire to create a European army to counter Russian aggression, which idea is favored by Germany, but rejected by Britain; and conclude with German hysteria regarding the “outbreak” of measles and shocking dictatorial measures in Pakistan to force parents to have their children receive Polio vaccines, which are so dangerous that they are no longer used in the USA and other developed countries.

The Fear of Nuclear War

The Economist wrote on March 7:

“Every nuclear power is spending lavishly to upgrade its atomic arsenal… Russia’s defence budget has grown by over 50% since 2007, and fully a third of it is devoted to nuclear weapons… China… is adding to its stocks and investing heavily in submarines and mobile missile batteries. Pakistan is amassing dozens of battlefield nukes to make up for its inferiority to India in conventional forces. North Korea is thought to be capable of adding a warhead a year to its stock of around ten, and is working on missiles that can strike the west coast of the United States…

“[Obama] has asked Congress for almost $350 billion to undertake a decade-long programme of modernisation of America’s arsenal… Dmitry Kiselev, one of the Kremlin’s mouthpieces, has declared with relish that Russian nuclear forces could turn America into ‘radioactive ash’… the murder of Boris Nemtsov, an opposition leader, on the Kremlin’s doorstep on February 27th was only the latest sign that Mr Putin’s Russia is heading into the geopolitical badlands… First in Georgia and now in Ukraine, Russia has shown it will escalate to extremes to assert its hold over its neighbours and convince the West that intervention is pointless…”

The Bible does not predict a nuclear confrontation between the USA and Russia or China, but it does prophesy a nuclear war between the USA and continental Europe.

North Korea Threatens With Nuclear War

Newsmax reported on March 4:

“South Korea and the United States rejected an offer from North Korea on Jan. 10 that Pyongyang would temporarily stop its nuclear testing if the U.S. canceled this year’s exercise scheduled for this month… ‘The prevailing situation where a great war for national reunification is at hand requires all the Korean People’s Army units to become guard units fully prepared for war politically and ideologically, in military technique and materially,’ [North Korean leader Kim Jong-un] said, according to the Korean Central News Agency…

“Kim told North Korea’s military that he wanted ‘to tear to pieces the Stars and Stripes’ and threatened that America was vulnerable to a nuclear attack from his country, according to Daily Mail. ‘The U.S. is seriously mistaken if it thinks its mainland is safe,’ said Kim.

“The Daily Mail reported that Kim’s comments come shortly after the U.S. government took another step in imposing new sanctions on North Korea’s banks, blocking their access to hard cash.”

One might want to dismiss these comments as political hyperbole, but Kim is a ruthless murderous leader, and North Korea does possess the bomb.

USA Dependent on Iran?

The New York Times wrote on March 5:

“At a time when President Obama is under political pressure from congressional Republicans over negotiations to rein in Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, a startling paradox has emerged: Mr. Obama is becoming increasingly dependent on Iranian fighters as he tries to contain the Islamic State militant group in Iraq and Syria without committing American ground troops…

“‘The only way in which the Obama administration can credibly stick with its strategy is by implicitly assuming that the Iranians will carry most of the weight and win the battles on the ground,’ said Vali R. Nasr, a former special adviser to Mr. Obama who is now dean of the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. ‘You can’t have your cake and eat it too — the U.S. strategy in Iraq has been successful so far largely because of Iran.’… the closer the United States appears to get to Iran, the more fretful Sunni Arab allies become.”

America’s “strategy” is predestined to failure, but it is also very dangerous for its own national security.

Iran Letter Causes Stir

Breitbart wrote on March 10:

“Democrats are pushing back against the letter, circulated by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and signed by 47 Senators in all [out of the Senate’s 54 GOP members], that warns the Iranian regime that any deal it signs with President Barack Obama could be voided by the next president if it is not ratified by the Senate under the U.S. Constitution…

“It is certainly unusual to have Senators approach foreign leaders, as Cotton and his colleagues did in tongue-in-cheek fashion, to fight what is a domestic policy dispute. But it is not unheard of for Congress to strike an independent posture on foreign policy–as Democrats did, to their disgrace, in coddling Syria after 2006–and in this case the Senators have no other choice. Obama has refused to listen to Congress on foreign policy–or, in the case of Cuba, even to keep it informed.

“The brilliance of the Cotton letter is that it has forced Obama to admit openly what he had only hinted at indirectly before–that he has no intention of submitting any Iran agreement to Congress for ratification–or even for review. That admission exposes the fact that Obama no longer, in any meaningful sense, represents the United States at the negotiating table… A freshman Senator has beaten the president.”

Newsmax added on March 10:

“[President] Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and other Democrats excoriated the letter’s authors Monday, saying Republican leaders were reaching out to a U.S. adversary to try to undermine the president. The front page of the New York Daily News Tuesday put images of Cotton and other Senate Republicans with the headline ‘Traitors.’

“Asked whether the signatories were traitors, Cotton replied negatively and said they were just trying to speak for the American people… ‘This letter, in the guise of a constitutional lesson, ignores two centuries of precedent and threatens to undermine the ability of any future American president, whether Democrat or Republican, to negotiate with other nations on behalf of the United States,’ Biden said in a statement Monday.

“Cotton shot back Tuesday. ‘Joe Biden, as Barack Obama’s own secretary of defense has said, has been wrong about nearly every major foreign policy and national security decision in the last 40 years,’ he said.

“The back-and-forth between Republicans in Congress and the White House comes as the Obama administration faces an end-of- month deadline on a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program. Obama and White House officials have said the likelihood of reaching a deal is no more than 50 percent.”

As the previous article points out, Joe Biden has also been wrong with his “historic” statement. And the left-wing media should be very careful before they libel others by calling them traitors.

Deutsche Welle reported on March 13:

“[German Foreign Minister] Frank-Walter Steinmeier has warned that Republican efforts to undermine an Iran nuclear deal are unhelpful. Senior US Senator John McCain blasted Germany’s visiting foreign minister…

“McCain accused Steinmeier of being in the ‘Neville Chamberlain school of diplomacy; when it came to Ukraine, referring to the former British prime minister considered to have appeased Adolf Hitler in the run-up to the Second World War. ‘The foreign minister of Germany is the same guy that refuses – and his government – to enact any restrictions on the behavior of Vladimir Putin, who is slaughtering Ukrainians as we speak,’ McCain told reporters. ‘He doesn’t have any credibility in any way to me.’”

Israelis Don’t Trust Obama

The Jewish Daily Forward reported on March 8:

“The paradox that Israelis rely on — and expect — American support and yet don’t trust American judgment on Middle Eastern affairs helps explain the recent U.S.-Israel dustup in Washington. On March 3, that clash reached its climax when Netanyahu appeared before a joint meeting of Congress to warn the assembled lawmakers against their own president’s negotiations, together with other countries, with Iran ahead of a possible deal on that country’s nuclear program.

“Israelis were split on the value of Netanyahu’s trip to Washington, which was widely seen as a play to the prime minister’s right-wing base before the March 17 election. But most Israelis were in agreement about their premier’s message. About three-quarters of Israelis ‘don’t trust Obama to be a reliable ally and to deal effectively with the Iranian nuclear threat’ said Eytan Gilboa, a senior researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. That opinion was evident on the Israeli street the day of Netanyahu’s speech to Congress… many Israelis fundamentally disagree with what they take to be the American approach, especially when it comes to the Iranians…”

Dershowitz: “Obama Totally Misled the American People” over Iran

Newsmax wrote on March 4:

“President Barack Obama ‘totally misled the American people’ by saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during his Tuesday address to a joint session of Congress, presented no new ideas about striking a deal with Iran over nuclear weapons, Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz said Wednesday…

“‘His proposal, and it’s a very sound one, is that the sunset provision doesn’t kick in unless Iran does three things — it has to stop being the world’s greatest exporter of terrorism, it has to stop bullying neighboring countries like Syria and Lebanon, and it has to stop calling for the destruction of Israel. That’s new, Mr. President and you have an obligation to respond to that instead of name-calling and invoking protocol…’”

Hillary Clinton Has Some Explaining to Do Over Email Controversy

Real Clear Politics wrote on March 6, 2015:

“In 2007, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton denounced the Bush administration practice of hiding official correspondence from the public using private email servers… ‘You know our Constitution is being shredded. We know about the secret wiretaps, about the secret military tribunals, we know about the secret White House email accounts.’”

The gatewaypundit added the following on March 5, 2015:

“Two years later, as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton set up a secret email account and secret servers in her basement for all of her official business.”

CBS reported on March 10:

“Hillary Clinton is finally breaking her silence about the email controversy surrounding her. Following a speech at the United Nations Tuesday afternoon, Clinton told reporters she ‘opted for convenience’ for only using her private email address while at the State Department because she wanted to use one device for both her personal and work emails… The former secretary of state said it ‘would’ve been better’ to use an official government email…

“Clinton added that she deleted all of her personal emails from her private account of the more than 60,000 emails in total that were sent and received. About half of them were personal emails, she said. Some of those emails pertained to her daughter Chelsea’s wedding, her mother’s funeral arrangements, and her yoga routine…

“The White House has said that President Barack Obama learned only recently that Clinton was using a privately run server for emailing during her tenure and that she was using private email for all official business. He was aware of the account’s existence before because the two had exchanged emails using it. Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said Clinton should turn the server itself over to an ‘independent arbiter’…

“Clinton is under scrutiny over whether she fully complied with federal laws requiring government officials to preserve written communications involving official business. By using her own email server, traced to an Internet connection registered to her hometown in Chappaqua, New York, she gained more control over her email than she would have had using a government server… Last week, Clinton said in a Twitter message that she wanted her emails released by the State Department as soon as possible — but did not address why she does not put them out herself…”

On March 10, The Washington Post gave Democrats “three Pinocchios” for their “misleading spin” and attempts to defend Hillary Clinton’s conduct, stating: “… this common defense among her supporters is used to deflect the central issue: that Clinton exclusively used a personal account, and did not provide records until she was requested to, after she left office. That is the most relevant point, so the Democrats earn Three Pinocchios.”

Ben Carson’s Gay Remarks … and Then “Apologizes” and “Backtracks”

Newsmax reported on March 4:

“Tea party Republican and potential 2016 presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Tuesday that being gay is a choice, an example being straight people who emerge from prison as homosexuals. During a discussion about same-sex marriage rights, Cuomo asked Carson if, as with slavery, gay marriage needed to be corrected in the Constitution as a form of equal protection. Carson replied that there’s no comparison between the two. ‘You can’t just say because it happened that way this time, this is the same situation, it’s not the same situation,’ he said, ‘because people have no control over their race, for instance.’

“Cuomo then asked if Carson believed people had control over their sexuality and if being gay was a choice. ‘Absolutely,’ said Carson…

“In 2013, Carson apologized for comments he made comparing homosexuality to bestiality and pedophilia when he said that marriage was ‘a well-established, fundamental pillar of society and no group, be they gays, be they NAMBLA (North American Man/Boy Love Association), be they people who believe in bestiality — it doesn’t matter what they are, they don’t get to change the definition.’…”

CNN reported on March 5:

“Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson apologized for commenting Wednesday that prisoners’ changes after they leave jail proves being gay is a choice, but said that the science is still murky on the issue. And then, in a radio appearance later Wednesday, he criticized CNN for airing the comments he’d made in an interview and said he won’t be addressing gay rights issues for the duration of his presidential campaign…

“He backtracked in a statement afterward, saying he ‘realized that my choice of language does not reflect fully my heart on gay issues. I do not pretend to know how every individual came to their sexual orientation. I regret that my words to express that concept were hurtful and divisive. For that I apologize unreservedly to all that were offended,’ he added.

“Carson referenced his medical education and his work at Johns Hopkins Hospital and asserted that the verdict is still out on whether people are born either gay or straight. ‘Some of our brightest minds have looked at this debate, and up until this point there have been no definitive studies that people are born into a specific sexuality,’ he said.”

We don’t care about the misled “brightest minds” of doctors and what they say. After all, the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. And the Bible is VERY clear in this issue: People are NOT born being gay. God demands that those who practice homosexuality must change if they want to be in God’s Kingdom. God calls the practice of homosexuality an abomination. In Old Testament Israel, they were killed. That totally excludes the notion that one is “born” that way.

We feel sorry for Ben Carson’s apologetic and cowardly stance. Ben Carson also recently advocated compulsory vaccinations and claimed erroneously that the pharmaceutical industry was not acting because of profit and financial gain.

Britain vs. Israel

The Washington Post wrote on March 4:

“British authorities have banned an Israeli government tourism ad because it appears to suggest that Jerusalem’s Old City, which is technically occupied Palestinian territory, is a part of Israel…

“Jerusalem’s Old City, a protected UNESCO World Heritage site, is home to shrines and temples that are sacred to all three biblical religions. Its status is the source of endless friction… A separate Palestinian state, as imagined in a long-stalled two-state solution, would make East Jerusalem its capital. But the expansion of Israeli settlements and housing blocks in the West Bank and areas of East Jerusalem has made that a distant reality.

“In a speech before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to Jerusalem as Israel’s ‘eternal, undivided capital’ – a wording that’s consistent with his long-standing rhetoric. European frustration has been mounting with Netanyahu’s government, which many critics accuse of undermining the prospect of a two-state solution.”

In the Millennium, Jerusalem WILL BE the undivided capital not just of Israel, but of the entire world, when Jesus Christ sits on the throne of David in Jerusalem.

Insane ISIS on a Rampage

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 6:

“‘Islamic State’ fighters have looted and bulldozed the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud in Northern Iraq. UNESCO condemned this act of destruction as a war crime… The extremist fighters ‘assaulted the ancient city of Nimrud and bulldozed it with heavy machinery, appropriating the archeological attractions dating back 13 centuries BC,’ Iraq’s tourism and antiquities ministry said…

“The destruction of the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud in northern Iraq, about 20 miles (30 km) south of Mosul, is the latest assault on some of the world’s greatest archaeological treasures committed by the terrorist group.”

Russia’s “Investigation” of Its Murders

The Associated Press reported on March 7:

“Two suspects have been detained in the killing a week ago of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, the head of Russia’s federal security service said Saturday, an announcement received with both skepticism and reserved satisfaction by some of Nemtsov’s comrades… Suspicion in the opposition is high that the killing was ordered by the Kremlin in retaliation for Nemtsov’s adamant criticism of President Vladimir Putin. The 55-year-old was working on a report about Russian military involvement in the eastern Ukraine conflict… Many believe that Nemtsov’s death in a tightly secured area near the Kremlin wouldn’t have been possible without official involvement, and could be an attempt to scare other government foes…

“In some previous killings of Kremlin critics, especially the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya in 2006, there has been wide criticism that those who ordered the killing have not been identified or prosecuted…”

Bild Online reported on March 7 that Boris Nemtsov stated in an interview in March 2012 that Putin would be behind any killings of any opposition leaders, stating that Putin admitted to him that that was his plan. He said that if a high-ranking KGB man says something like this–and if one was in the KGB, one is always in the KGB –then this means that he was planning such murders. Bild also stated that world-renown Russian violist Gidon Kremer wrote to “Bayrischen Rundfunk” (a German TV news agency) that the death of an opposition leader is never “accidental” or a “provocation.” It was also emphasized that leads to the Kremlin are not even considered in the “investigation.” Experts doubt that an independent investigation is even possible under the influence of the Kremlin. Bild concluded that Nemtsov’s murder would not be the first murder of Kremlin opponents which will not be solved.

On March 6, Die Zeit published a revealing interview with Putin opponent Yuri Felshtinsky who expressed his conviction that Putin, whom he compared with Hitler, ordered Nemtsov’s execution. To learn more about the basis for his comments, watch Norbert Link’s recent video-taped message, “Russia and Iran in Prophecy.”

Nemtsov’s Murderers Caught?—Utter Nonsense!

Reuters wrote on March 9:

“Suggestions that Russian politician Boris Nemtsov was killed by Chechen Islamists are nonsense designed to deflect suspicion from President Vladimir Putin, associates of the slain opposition figure said on Monday. Investigators have charged two men, including a former Chechen police official, over the shooting of Nemtsov within sight of the Kremlin walls on Feb. 27. Three more men have been arrested, and another blew himself up late on Saturday as police in Chechnya tried to detain him, Russian media said.

“Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov [a fierce loyalist of Putin and one of his puppets who received a state award from Putin on Monday, March 9, which is bestowed for achievements in public service] said the charged ex-policeman, Zaur Dadayev, was a pious Muslim who had been angered by publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Nemtsov had condemned an attack on Charlie Hebdo in which Islamist militants killed 12 people in January. But friends reject this as a motive, saying they do not believe Islamist gunmen acting alone could have shot him dead in one of the most closely guarded areas of central Moscow unless they had powerful and well-connected backers.

“These associates believe it was Putin who stood to gain from his killing, though Russian officials have denied involvement and the president has called it a shameful tragedy. [Putin’s Russia also denied initially that they were involved in annexing Crimea, and they are still denying that they are supporting the rebels in Eastern Ukraine.]…

“Dadayev and four other suspects, all ethnic Chechens, appeared in a Moscow court on Sunday… Dadayev’s mother told Reuters her son could not have killed Nemtsov, and was being set up…”

This theory by the Kremlin makes no sense, and one would have thought that even Putin and his supporters would have come up with a better theory. Dadayev had served for many years as a policeman in Chechnya. As the Washington Post reported, “Kadyrov, a Moscow ally who has led the Chechen Republic since 2007, has been widely criticized for a crackdown on dissent. But he has been lauded by Putin for his support in battling Islamist separatists in the region.” The Associated Press reported on March 9 that Putin granted the medal to Kadyrov for “services to the motherland,” giving it to “a man British police say poisoned former security services agent Alexander Litvinenko.”

Anti-Americanism in Russia

Newsmax reported on March 9:

“Russia’s anti-American sentiment is at levels not seen at any time since the Stalin era… and a new study reveals that more than 80 percent of Russians hold a negative view of the United States. The country’s indignation has been growing for some time… and was further stoked after rumors started concerning the assassination of Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov. Conspiracy theorists have been saying that he was killed through the CIA in a plot to discredit Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin….

“Already, efforts are being made in Russia to move away from Western brands of clothing, soft drinks and more. And news of sanctions and rumors of conspiracies that blame Washington for unrest in Ukraine and Russia is further stoking Russians’ anger… U.S.-led sanctions have helped push the Russian economy toward recession, further souring relations, and the anger could grow if Obama decides to send weapons to the Ukrainian military… And with Russia’s national television channels, where 90 percent of the country’s residents get their news, spreading more anti-Washington reports, anti-American sentiment is continuing to grow even stronger…

“Evidence of the dislike ranges from Crimean coffee shops that are not serving Americans to an instance where activists projected racially insulting images of Obama eating a banana onto the side wall of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow… Western diplomats are saying that they are being blocked from speaking engagements, and Russians who work for Western-based companies say their friends and neighbors are questioning their patriotism.

“McDonald’s, once popular for its connections to the West, saw some of its most prominent restaurants closed in the fall for health violations… When they reopened, the company launched an advertising campaign emphasizing its 25-year history in Russia, including a billboard in Moscow that proclaims McDonald’s products are ‘made in Russia, for Russians.’”

No German Trust in Russia

The Local wrote on March 6:

“A new poll showed on Friday that only 15 percent of Germans think Russia is a trustworthy partner in international affairs. Meanwhile, 81 percent told pollsters… that Russia was ‘not to be trusted’… Asked specifically about the Minsk ceasefire agreement for Ukraine, hammered out with President Vladimir Putin of Russia by Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of France and Ukraine, only 13 percent of people thought it would lead to peace.

“Reuters reported on Thursday that Russia will conduct large-scale military exercises expected to last over a month in disputed border territories, including the Crimean peninsula – a part of Ukraine annexed by Moscow last year.”

The German mood against Russia is interesting in light of the German government’s idle attempts to strike deals with Russia.

A European Army

The Guardian wrote on March 8:

“Jean-Claude Juncker, the former prime minister of Luxembourg, told a German newspaper that having an army would solve the problem of the EU’s foreign policy not being taken seriously. The European Union needs its own army to help address the problem that it is not ‘taken entirely seriously’ as an international force, the president of the European commission has said. Jean-Claude Juncker said such a move would help the EU to persuade Russia that it was serious about defending its values in the face of the threat posed by Moscow.

“However, his proposal was immediately rejected by the British government, which said that there was ‘no prospect’ of the UK agreeing to the creation of an EU army… In the past David Cameron, the British prime minister, has blocked moves to create EU-controlled military forces…

“But in Germany, Ursula von der Leyen, the defence minister, said in a statement that ‘our future as Europeans will one day be a European army’, although she added ‘not in the short term’. She said such a move would ‘strengthen Europe’s security’… Norbert Röttgen, head of the German parliament’s foreign policy committee, said having an EU army was ‘a European vision whose time has come’…”

The Financial Times added on March 8:

“Large member states are split over the idea of an EU army, with the proposals being cautiously welcomed by many senior German politicians but repeatedly dismissed outright by a succession of British governments… Mr Juncker… has long argued for the establishment of an EU force, making it part of his foreign policy plan during the selection process for the presidency of the commission in 2014…

“Mr Cameron has repeatedly reassured eurosceptic MPs in his own party that Britain would ‘never support’ any form of EU army…

“Mr Juncker said an EU army would ‘help us to develop a common foreign and security policy, and to fulfil Europe’s responsibilities in the world’. Nato was not a sufficient protection for the EU as not all EU members are part of the alliance, according to Mr Juncker.”

Zerohedge.com added on March 8:

“Having specifically aimed his call for a unified European Army at ‘reacting credibly to show Russia that Europe is serious about defending its values,’ it is no surprise that Russia has responded to Jean-Claude Juncker’s statements. As TASS reports, first deputy chairman of the United Russia faction in the State Duma, Frants Klintsevich, told the media on Sunday that ‘in the nuclear age extra armies do not provide any additional security. But they surely can play a provocative role,’ adding it was regrettable that such ideas had already met with some support…

“The Germans are all for it…”

German news magazines also reported that Angela Merkel (CDU) and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD), as well as the opposition party of The Greens, supported the idea of a European army. All said that it will not happen soon and that there is still a long way to go. It may happen sooner than many anticipate, but Britain won’t be a part of it.

German Hysteria against Measles “Outbreak”

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 6:

“A measles outbreak in Berlin… has provoked new calls for vaccination against measles and other preventable diseases to be made compulsory in Germany. According to a survey commissioned this week by public service broadcaster ARD, 72 percent of Germans are in favor of compulsory vaccination. The official German pediatric association, the BVKJ, on Friday reiterated its demand for parents to be required by law to have their children vaccinated… He pointed out that vaccination was not only there to protect the person being inoculated, but also children who could not be vaccinated for medical reasons, such as young babies and children with congenital or acquired immune deficiencies.”

This shows how an ill-informed media can influence the opinion of others and lead to unfounded or even dangerous and life-threatening decisions. Note the next article.

Americans Beware—Violent Persecution in Pakistan over Dangerous Polio Vaccines

On March 7, vaccineimpact.com reported the following eye-opening piece on its website, showing where hysteria and irresponsible propaganda can lead:

“The Guardian is reporting that health officials in Pakistan are arresting and throwing into jail hundreds of parents who refuse to allow their children to receive the oral polio vaccine. These health officials are forcing children to receive the vaccine at gunpoint…

“Last year (2014) polio made headline news because the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it was now an ‘epidemic’ in certain parts of the world, and Pakistan was claimed to be an area especially hard hit. As usual, ‘anti-vaccine parents’ were blamed for this world-wide ‘epidemic.’

“So how bad was this polio ‘epidemic’ that WHO declared in 2014? In May of 2014, when they made the announcement which was carried as headline news in most U.S. mainstream media outlets, there had been 74 cases – in the ENTIRE WORLD. 59 of those cases were in Pakistan at the time. Today, as of Feb. 25, 2015, there have been 10 cases so far worldwide, but 9 of those are in Pakistan…

“One must ask: Who is actually profiting from this?

“UNICEF, which partners with WHO for global vaccine purchases and distribution, is one of the largest purchasers of vaccines for worldwide distribution. In 2013, for example, they purchased 1.7 billion doses of the live oral polio vaccine to administer to children under the age of 5. The oral polio vaccine is so dangerous that it is no longer used in developed countries like the U.S. But, it is mandated, purchased, and distributed in poor countries.

“The real tragedy with the live oral polio vaccines is that they can cause the very thing they are supposed to be preventing: polio. Both ‘vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis’ and ‘non-polio acute flaccid paralysis’ are known side effects of the live oral polio vaccine. It sheds the virus from the vaccine through feces and into sewers and sanitation systems. India recently achieved its ‘polio-free’ status, but at the cost of tens of thousands of non-polio acute flaccid paralysis cases each year.

“Doctors and researchers who understand the dangers and risks of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) have been calling for an end to this terrible vaccine for years now… Outbreaks of polio in China, Egypt, Haiti, Madagascar, and the Philippines caused by circulating, neurovirulent vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPVs) demonstrate that these revertent strains are fully transmissible and pose significant population risks…

“The pro-pharma western media in places like the U.S. like to paint vaccine-dissenters in places like Pakistan as ignorant, poor people who need to be forced into a vaccination program against their will for the ‘greater good’ of society. However, is this actually true? Just as is the case in the U.S., researchers and health professionals are not unified in their views on vaccination policies…

“Could we see armed health officials roaming the streets of cities in the U.S. forcing children to be vaccinated against the wishes of their parents at gunpoint? The rationale and the legal framework for such actions is actually already in place to do just that… the Department of Homeland Security is quietly stockpiling billions of dollars worth of experimental vaccines to presumably use in the case of a ‘national emergency.’ The U.S. government has broad powers granted to them to force people to receive these vaccines by declaring an ‘epidemic’ or ‘national emergency.’

“All across the U.S. local state legislators and health officials are moving to take away the right to informed consent regarding vaccines for children. If Americans don’t wake up soon, whether you are pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine, and stop this rush to take away individual rights and liberties, it may not be long before [what occurs in Pakistan these days] represents what is happening in the streets of America, with thousands of parents being arrested and thrown into jail for refusing to comply with mass vaccination programs…”

This conclusion might appear far-fetched, but given the systematic attempts of the US government to deprive its citizens of liberty and freedom, we must say that stranger things have happened. Has this world and much of the medical profession and the entire pharmaceutical industry gone mad? Yes, indeed, mad and greedy and oblivious to or ignorant of the causes for human suffering, while being largely responsible, directly or indirectly, for more and more suffering and death. But this should surprise no one who knows the truth, because it is SATAN who is the god of this world, who pretends to be an angel of light, and who has deceived the whole world.

1 Timothy 5:8 reads as follows: “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

God tells us very clearly that we are not to work on the Sabbath to make money (Exodus 20:8-11). But does this command also apply when a family is in need of money?

Let us first look at the general responsibility of a husband in regard to his wife and family.

Ephesians 5:25 – 29 tells us:

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.”

A husband is to love his wife and his family and care for them. This of course implies taking care of their physical needs and not to neglect those needs. The comparison is given as to how Christ loves the church. He nourishes it; that is, He ensures the members are fed spiritually. God also takes care of our physical needs (Philippians 4:19). And we read that Christ cares for the church and protects it. Notice also the admonition about nourishing his own flesh which is to provide food for himself, his wife and his family.

Further admonition to husbands is given in Colossians 3:19-21:

“Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”

Husbands are to love their wives. They are not to provoke their children, which includes providing for their needs. We have many examples in the Bible of men providing for their wives and families, including Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Some husbands had large families and ensured they were well taken care of, and they still were obedient to the laws of God, refusing to work on the Sabbath.

The question may be asked as to what to do if a husband does not earn enough money (which is normally the case today), or if a man falls on hard times and cannot provide for the basic needs of his family. Is he then entitled or even obligated to work on the Sabbath?

The Bible does not allow us to do so. Some may point at some “safety nets,” such as unemployment benefits, food banks, governmental assistance, etc., but these are only temporary measures (if at all) which do not give us real answers. The Church of God also provides temporary and discretionary third tithe assistance for its members to help them in emergency situations (including for widows, orphans and “Levites”).

If a capable husband is temporarily unemployed, he is not to just wait for a miracle, without doing his part. It is his job to find a job. It goes without saying that in this day and age, and especially in our western societies, a capable wife may have to help out by finding employment herself, or to assist in other ways (note Proverbs 31). In fact, this is basically the norm today in most cases—especially, when there are no children, or when the children are gown. However, if there are small children, it should be guaranteed that they do not suffer in the process and are well taken care of. Such arrangement should be by mutual consent between husband and wife.

God commands us that we are to rest on the Sabbath and to cease engaging in our customary and usual work for the purpose of making money. God tells us to rest on that day from our labors as God did after the re-creation week. He did not rest because He was tired, but He gave us an example to follow. After all, the Sabbath was made for MAN (Mark 2:27).

Keeping the Sabbath holy by observing it brings blessings. Breaking the Sabbath brings curses, even if one feels justified to do so. Rather than thinking that we need to work on the Sabbath to provide for ourselves and our families, Christ told us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then God promises us to give us what we need (Matthew 6:32-33). This requires faith, and we have to do our part, to be sure, but God will open up for us possibilities to find a good job and other opportunities, so that it is never an option for us to violate any of His laws.

Lead Writer: Rene Messier (Canada)

Our annual Church Conference, to be held in San Diego, California, will begin on Friday, March 20^th and conclude on Tuesday, March 24, 2015.

A new promotional endeavor featuring the StandingWatch program about Easter is being implemented. This is the second broad-based media activity we are using to call attention to our message and the many aspects of the Work of the Church.

“Should Christians Keep Easter?” is the new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Does Easter really commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Find out the truth about Easter and its customs!

“Erfolgreiche Gebete—‘Dein ist die Kraft!’” is the title of this week’s German sermon. The title in English is “Successful Prayers—‘Yours Is the Power!’”

“Russia and Iran in Prophecy,” the opening message from last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Terrible things are happening in Russia and Iran, but the Western world seems to be oblivious to these traumatic events. Opponents to Vladimir Putin are convinced that he is directly or at least indirectly responsible for the murder of Boris Nemtsov, and the numerous “unusual events” surrounding his murder and the many examples of prior murders of Putin’s opponents seem to support their reasoning. The Bible tells us very clearly what is about to happen in and pertaining to Russia, as well as its proxy, Iran, and why many governmental leaders seem to be sound asleep.

“Heaven or Hell?” the sermon from last Sabbath presented by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Nominal Christianity believes that either you will go to heaven or hell when you die. But is this understanding correct, based on what the Bible has to say about the subject? How can we know what will happen to us when we die? Can we base our lives and faith on what we read in the Bible or should we lean on false knowledge passed down over the centuries?

On March 7, 2015, Kalon Mitchell will give the sermon, titled, “Heaven or Hell?”

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.

I hear it all the time from our viewers and readers: “Why are you not together with this or that organization which is also a part of the Church of God, since we are all believing the same thing?” If that were true, then we should all be together, but in reality, this perception is simply not accurate. In fact, we differ greatly in doctrine, administration, approach and purpose.

The founding documents of the Church of the Eternal God state the following in our Statements of Beliefs, under “Doctrinal Foundation”:

“The major doctrines of the Church are those, which were taught by Herbert W. Armstrong, derived from the Biblical teachings as followed by God’s faithful servants, and originally established by Jesus Christ through the founding of His Church in the time of His chosen early apostles. Since we are to increase in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, we are committed to review and alter any of our teachings, if and when proven to be wrong by from the Bible.”

Unlike other Church organizations which declared from the beginning of their existence that “everything is on the table” and that all doctrines and teachings of the Church must be reviewed and reconsidered, we have been taking the opposite approach. For us, nothing is on the table, unless a doctrine, teaching or administrative practice is proven to be wrong, based on Scripture. This means, even if we cannot fully prove a particular established teaching from the Bible, we will not change it, if we cannot prove it to be in violation of God’s written Word.

At the same time, we will change if a doctrine or administrative practice is shown to be in contradiction with the Bible. However, there are groups which say that nothing can be changed after Herbert W. Armstrong’s death in 1986… and some even go so far as to say that none of the Church’s changes can be accepted which occurred subsequent to 1974 and 1975, including major changes pertaining to the correct day of Pentecost and our teaching on divorce and remarriage. This concept that nothing can be changed today is clearly unbiblical and must be rejected.

Our approach, as described herein, is the ONLY safe approach which ALL Church organizations in the Body of Christ should take, because only then true unity in doctrine and administration can be achieved. To just give one example, it is simply not acceptable that one organization disfellowships a person for Scriptural reasons (compare Matthew 18:17-18; Romans 16:17), and another organization, claiming to be in the same spiritual Body of Christ, embraces him or her with open arms, without even inquiring into the cause of the excommunication. Another unacceptable policy prevails in many Church organizations which sanction and officiate over the re-marriage of divorced persons in their fellowship who are still married in the eyes of God, since God had bound their marriage (Matthew 19:4-9; 1 Corinthians 7:10-15) and no subsequent biblical grounds existed for divorce and re-marriage. Such conduct gives some of the many reasons as to why there is no unity amongst many Church groups. Unity can only come through the working of the Holy Spirit, based on the teachings of God. How CAN two walk together, unless they are agreed (Amos 3:3)?

We in the Church of the Eternal God and our affiliates in the UK, Canada and German-speaking areas are committed to grow in Christ’s knowledge. As Mr. Armstrong changed or modified doctrines and practices when he found them to be wrong, so have we. A careful study of our literature shows our willingness to change in areas of administration and teaching, but all of our changes have been clearly documented and proved by the pages of the Bible.

If someone wants to find out what we teach, he or she must study our literature and listen to our messages. Just to go back to old and ancient Church literature may or may not give an accurate picture of our current teaching. At the same time, all our changes and modifications are based and built on the doctrines which all of us have learned. We are not going to deviate and depart from the faith which has been—once for all—delivered to the saints (Jude 3). This is our commission and God-given responsibility, which we are determined to fulfill to the best of our ability.

We begin with reports on the murder of Boris Nemtsov, an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the more than dubious role Mr. Putin and the Russian government have been playing in this affair. Many observers are convinced that Mr. Putin was directly or at least indirectly involved, and far too many “unusual” developments occurred in connection with the murder than to believe in a random crime without political background and motivation.

We also report on Russia’s militaristic ambitions and its new-found “friendship” with China, while Germany is planning to increase the flexibility and capability of its armed forces.

We continue with pointing out growing anti-Semitism all over the world, including in Europe; Israel’s temporary collaboration with Jordan; and further provocations from Iran. In light of these developments, the big news of this week has been the further confrontation and alienation between Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barak Obama and Netanyahu’s powerful speech before the American Congress, warning of the danger of a nuclear Iran.

We conclude with reports on the dangers of smoking and an unconscionable decision of a British flower supermarket giant prohibiting the use of the word “Christ” in gift messages.

Lawlessness and Terrorism Pervades Putin’s Russia

Reuters reported on February 28:

“Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s involvement in the war in Ukraine, was shot dead steps from the Kremlin in central Moscow late on Friday. Nemtsov, 55, was shot four times in the back by assailants in a white car as he walked across a bridge over the Moskva River with a Ukrainian woman who was unhurt…

“Nemtsov was by far the most prominent opposition figure killed in Russia under Putin’s 15-year-rule and the Kremlin swiftly sought to deflect any blame for the murder. Putin condemned the ‘brutal’ slaying and took the investigation under presidential control, saying it could have been a contract killing and a ‘provocation’ on the eve of a big opposition protest [against the war in east Ukraine] Nemtsov had been due to lead on Sunday.

“But the killing focused attention on the tough treatment of Kremlin opponents in Putin’s third term, during which several leading critics have been jailed or fled the country following mass rallies against the former KGB spy three years ago. ‘That a leader of the opposition could be shot beside the walls of the Kremlin is beyond imagination. There can be only one version: that he was shot for telling the truth,’ Mikhail Kasyanov, an opposition leader and a former prime minister under Putin, said at the scene…

“Ed Joyce, the Republican chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said ‘lawlessness now pervades Putin’s Russia… Regardless of who killed Boris Nemtsov, this shocking murder is the latest assault on those who dare to oppose the Putin regime,’ he said…

“Nemtsov briefly served as a deputy prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin in the late 1990s, when he gained a reputation as a leading liberal economic reformer… Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative journalist and Putin critic, was shot dead outside her Moscow apartment in 2006. Paul Klebnikov, an investigative U.S. journalist, was shot dead in 2004.”

Putin’s Murderous Dictatorship

CNN added on February 27:

“Critics like [Opposition leader Ilya] Yashin and [World chess champion-turned opposition activist Garry] Kasparov pointed fingers in the direction of Putin or a supporter of the Russian President. ‘It’s clearly a political murder. It’s definitely a contract one,’ Yashin said. ‘I don’t know who killed Boris, but I know that it’s the government and personally Putin who are responsible for it. They’ve been constantly promoting a hatred towards everyone who doesn’t support their course and thinks different.’…

“Kasparov said the Russian President is to blame even if not directly involved. ‘If Putin gave order to murder Boris Nemtsov is not the point. It is Putin’s dictatorship. His 24/7 propaganda about enemies of the state,’ Kasparov tweeted. ‘In Putin’s atmosphere of hatred & violence, abroad & in Russia, bloodshed is the prerequisite to show loyalty, that you are on the team,’ he added.

“Critics of Putin have in the past suffered miserable circumstances and demises. Oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky accused Putin of corruption and wound up spending 10 years in prison and labor camps. Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko accused state security services of organizing a coup to put Putin in power. He was poisoned by a lethal dose of radioactive polonium and died in London in 2006. No killer has been caught.

“Viktor Yushchenko, the former Ukrainian president, was poisoned, disfigured and nearly killed by a toxic dose of dioxin in 2004…”

Did Putin Set It Up?

The Washington Post wrote on February 27:

“The killing was a dramatic and bloody turn for Russia’s oppressed opposition movement, which has struggled to find its footing during a wave of nationalistic fervor unleashed by the annexation of Ukraine’s semi­autonomous Crimean region last year. Many leaders have been marginalized with prison terms or other forms of harassment, and public rhetoric has grown extremely aggressive toward those who deviate from the majority line…

“Politically motivated slayings are not unknown in Russia, but not once in the 24 years since the breakup of the Soviet Union has such a high-profile figure been the victim…

“Just hours before his death, Nemtsov told Ekho Moskvy radio that Putin had pushed Russia into an economic crisis through his ‘mad, aggressive and deadly policy of war against Ukraine’… Nemtsov had been working on a report that he said would prove that Russian soldiers were fighting alongside pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, where a bloody 11-month-conflict has claimed nearly 5,800 lives. The Kremlin has hotly denied any direct involvement, which Russian opinion polls suggest would be deeply unpopular…

“Russian opposition leaders said Saturday that they were fearful that Nemtsov’s slaying was only the first in a new era of political repression…

“In 2012, Putin warned publicly that his opponents were prepared to murder one of their own so they could blame him for the death. ‘They are looking for a so-called sacrificial victim among some prominent figures,’ Putin, a former KGB agent, told a gathering of the All-Russia Popular Front, a group organized to support him, ahead of Russia’s 2012 presidential election. ‘They will knock him off, I beg your pardon, and then blame the authorities for that.’”

This sounds like Putin might have been toying with the idea as early as 2012, if not even earlier. US Secretary of State John Kerry has claimed that Putin blatantly lied to him and the West when denying Russia’s militaristic support of pro-Russian rebels in East Ukraine.

All Signs Point at Putin

The Telegraph wrote on February 27:

“The leading liberal politician who organised street demonstrations against the authorities was shot four times by unidentified attackers yards from the Kremlin walls… His uncovered body lay for about an hour at the spot where he was killed…

“Only two weeks ago Mr Nemtsov said he feared for his life and that President Putin might order his killing. Speaking to Russia’s Sobesednik news website, he said: ‘I’m afraid Putin will kill me. I believe that he was the one who unleashed the war in the Ukraine. I couldn’t dislike him more.’”

The Guardian added on February 27:

“His murder took place in the heart of Moscow, within touching distance of the Kremlin and the fantastical bulbous domes of St Basil’s cathedral. It is an area infested with police, who typically break up opposition manifestations within seconds. And yet Nemtsov’s killer was seemingly able to escape, having shot his target four times in the chest from a white car…

“In the end, Nemtsov fell victim to old-fashioned mafia methods. His shooting is the first assassination of a major political figure in Moscow for a decade. It robs Russia of a brave, authentic and distinctive voice at a time when the country is locked in a dark spiral of war and propaganda.”

Developments in Russia begin to mirror events in Nazi Germany after Hitler came to power.

How Putin Supresses the Truth

Deutsche Welle reported on March 2:

“The murder of staunch Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov on Friday and the march in his memory through downtown Moscow on Sunday were the main media topics over the weekend, and Russian media were no exception. This politically motivated attack is, without doubt, a tragic and significant event in recent Russian history. It was also interesting to observe how the Kremlin and Russia’s state-controlled media began churning out the usual disinformation in an attempt to obscure the facts.

“Normally, Russia’s state-controlled media remain silent about events involving criticism of President Vladimir Putin. That most likely would have been the case for the opposition march that was actually planned to take place on Sunday. But there was no way to avoid reporting about the murder of a leading opposition politician on a bridge in full view of the Kremlin. Nemtsov was an internationally known figure from his years serving as deputy prime minister in the 1990s. But it would be wrong to speak of any independent reporting – quite the opposite. Instead, the reporting highlighted the skill with which the Kremlin manipulates the media, and in turn, the Russian people.

“Shortly after Nemtsov was killed, the Russian president issued guidelines to the media. He explained that the murder of his critic was a “provocation” aimed at destabilizing the country. Putin made it clear that he himself was actually the target and the victim of the attack – not Nemtsov. It followed that the state prosecution and the Russian media pointed the finger of blame at those who oppose Putin: ‘the Americans,’ ‘the Ukrainians,’ ‘the Islamists,’ and any other groups seen as a threat to Russia’s national security.

“In reporting on the possibility of an Islamist background to the attack, the Russian media seized the opportunity to emphasize that Nemtsov was Jewish. Given the widespread anti-Semitism in Russia, the effect of such information in relation to the murder was evident: to wipe out any sympathy for the 55-year-old victim who, in addition, was in the company of his Ukrainian (!) girlfriend. For all those comrades who remain skeptical of the usual conspiracy theories circulating in Russia, the media made sure to mention Nemtsov’s alleged involvement in dodgy real estate dealings.

“The extensive reporting by the Russian media was not aimed at finding truth, but rather obfuscation. The responsibility of the Russian government, which has for years used the media to slander its opponents, was not a topic up for discussion. Nor was the question of why, right at the time of the murder, all the surveillance cameras around the Kremlin were either switched off, broken, or being repaired.

“With all the talk in the media concerning Nemtsov’s murder, the truth is being drowned out. Boris Nemtsov himself would hardly have been surprised.”

Only the willfully blind cannot see what is happening in Russia, under Putin’s totalitarian dictatorship.

China in Support of Russia

The Independent reported on February 27:

“China has voiced its support for Russia’s handling of the Ukraine crisis…  the Chinese ambassador to Belgium said the West should take ‘the real security concerns of Russia into consideration’… [and that the] ‘nature and root cause’ of the crisis was the ‘game’ between Russia and western powers the United States and EU, and that a change of approach is required to resolve it. After nearly a year of relative silence on the subject, China’s intervention is striking, not least because it comes just as harsher sanctions against Moscow are being discussed…

“This week Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Western powers of trying to dominate and impose their ideology on the rest of world. Meanwhile US and European delegations have slammed Moscow for its continued supported of the rebels in eastern Ukraine.”

No surprise that two totalitarian regimes would support each other…

Russia Heavily Militarizes Crimea

The Business Insider reported on March 2:

“Russia is heavily militarizing Crimea as a way to project power deep in to the Black Sea, USNI News reports citing supreme commander of NATO Gen. Philip Breedlove… Breedlove said that Russia had moved anti-air and anti-surface missile systems into the peninsula. These weapons could be used to hit targets in the Black Sea…

“The Kyiv Post reports that Russia has moved Iskander mobile ballistic missile systems into the peninsula. These missile systems can be redirected in flight to hit moving targets. In addition, Russia is developing a ‘rocket-artillery regiment equipped with Khrizantema, Msta, and Tornado-G missile defense systems’ in Crimea, according to the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM)…

“PISM notes that Russia is also making use of the shipbuilding facilities in Crimea to reconstitute its ageing Black Sea Fleet into a more viable force through the introduction of new ships and equipment. Russia elevated Crimea into one of its three main geopolitical priorities in a new military doctrine announced at the end of 2014. Alongside the Arctic and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, Moscow has designated the militarization of Crimea as a key national priority in order to exert influence beyond the country’s borders.”

Germany’s Armed Forces

Deutsche Welle reported on February 27:

“Germany plans to activate a tank battalion that exists only on paper as it seeks to increase the country’s military capability. The defense minister spoke of a “changed security situation” amid the conflict in Ukraine….

“Among other things, von der Leyen called into question the ceilings for heavy weapons systems established by her predecessor, current Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere…

“Germany’s plans to increase the flexibility and capability of its armed forces come amid growing demands from NATO for member states to boost their reaction speed. In response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine, the military alliance called in September for the founding of a new rapid response force based in eastern Europe, in which the German Bundeswehr plays an important role…”

Anti-Semitism on the Rise in Europe

Reuters reported on February 26:

“Germany’s Jewish community leader has advised Jews not to wear skullcaps in areas with a large Muslim population, a warning that underscores fears about growing anti-Semitism in Europe… Seventy years after the Holocaust, anti-Semitism remains a particularly sensitive issue in Germany, and other European countries, including France and Britain, are also worried by a growth in hostility towards Jews.

“Last week, Berlin’s Jewish community decided to send its monthly newspaper out in a neutral envelope to protect recipients. The number of reported anti-Semitic crimes rose by more than one third last year to 1,076…

“Some German politicians and German Jews blame the rise in anti-Semitism on feelings about Middle East violence. A survey by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation last November highlighted a blurring of the lines in Germany between anti-Semitism and criticism of Israel, with 27 percent of those asked equating the Jewish state’s treatment of Palestinians to the Nazis’ persecution of Jews in World War Two…”

Cooperation between Israel and Jordan

JTA reported on February 26:

“Israel and Jordan signed a bilateral agreement to exchange water and to work together to save the Dead Sea. Government officials from the two countries signed the Seas Canal agreement at a ceremony Thursday on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea. Dignitaries from both sides, as well as representatives from the World Bank and the U.S. embassies in Israel and Jordan, were on hand…

“The agreement implements the first stage of the Seas Canal project, including the construction of a desalination plant north of Aqaba to supply water to the Arava region in Israel and to Aqaba in Jordan. Residual saline brines will be piped to the Dead Sea through an approximately 125-mile pipeline from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea in order to stabilize and save the Dead Sea.

“Also in the framework of the agreement, water from northern Israel will be piped to Amman… ‘This is the most important and significant agreement since the peace treaty with Jordan,’ said Silvan Shalom, Israel’s regional cooperation minister, who signed the agreement on behalf of his country. ‘This is the peak of fruitful and very good cooperation between Israel and Jordan and will assist in rehabilitating the Dead Sea and in resolving water issues in Jordan and the Arava.’”

“Iran Continues to Make Its Presence Felt…”

The Jerusalem Post wrote on February 27:

“A senior Iranian cleric with close ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed on Friday that ‘we will raise the flag of Islam over the White House’ in response to the killing of Hezbollah and Revolutionary Guards operatives on the Golan Heights last month… Israeli attack helicopters killed six Hezbollah terrorists along with six Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) operatives, including a high-ranking general…

“The cleric added that Iran continues to make its presence felt in a number of areas throughout the region, including Yemen, where a sect affiliated with Shi’ite Islam has overthrown a ruling government and taken power. ‘The Islamic Republic directly supports the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq,’ he said.”

Netanyahu Warns Obama Against Iran

Thomson/Reuters reported on March 3:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday against accepting a nuclear deal with Iran that would be a ‘countdown to a potential nuclear nightmare’ by a country that ‘will always be an enemy of America’. ‘If the deal now being negotiated is accepted by Iran, that deal will not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons – it will all but guarantee that Iran will get those nuclear weapons, lots of them,’ the Israeli leader said in a 39-minute speech to the U.S. Congress that offered a point-by-point critique of Obama’s Iran diplomacy.

“In an appearance that strained U.S.-Israeli relations and was boycotted by dozens of Obama’s fellow Democrats, Netanyahu said Iran’s leadership was ‘as radical as ever,’ could not be trusted and the deal being worked out with world powers would not block Iran’s way to a bomb ‘but paves its way to a bomb.’ ‘This deal won’t be a farewell to arms, it will be a farewell to arms control … a countdown to a potential nuclear nightmare,’ Netanyahu told lawmakers and visitors in the House of Representatives. His speech drew 26 standing ovations…

“Obama refused to meet Netanyahu, saying that doing so just ahead of Israel’s March 17 general election would be seen as interference. Aides to Obama said he would not be watching the speech, broadcast live on U.S. television [but he did announce that he had read Netanyahu’s transcript of the speech]. Underscoring the partisan divide over Netanyahu’s address, House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said afterwards that as a friend of Israel, she was near tears during his speech, calling it ‘an insult to the intelligence of the United States.’ She said she was ‘saddened by the condescension toward our knowledge of the threat posed by Iran.’…

“Netanyahu, who has hinted at the prospect of unilateral strikes as a last resort on Iranian nuclear sites, told lawmakers Israel would stand alone if needed…

Even though the New York Times Editorial Board and many other left-liberal commentators, including President Obama himself, criticized the speech as unconvincing and lacking true alternatives, we feel that his speech was very persuasive and convincing. The alternative to a deal with Iran was very obvious and clearly spelled out: No deal! Why should there be a deal with Iran, if it does not guarantee peace and safety in the Middle East for all parties? Netanyahu also stated that America’s desire to fight with Iran against ISIS was ill-conceived, because “the enemy of your enemy is your enemy.” He said:

“Iran and ISIS are competing for the crown of militant Islam… Both want to impose a militant Islamic empire, first on the region, then on the entire world. They just disagree who will be the ruler of this empire. In this deadly game of thrones, there is no place for America or Israel…When it comes to Iran and ISIS, the enemy of your enemy is your enemy.”

To counter Nancy Pelosi’s comments, it truly appears that the Obama Administration and many lawmakers, as well as a majority of Americans who favor a deal with Iran, are indeed oblivious to the danger of a nuclear Iran.

Will Israel Stand Alone?

Breitbart wrote on March 3:

“Netanyahu got to the heart of his message: absolutely devastating Obama’s reported Iranian peace deal. In the shadow of the Jewish holiday of Purim, when a Jewish woman pled for the survival of her people from the genocidal intentions of a Persian anti-Semite, Netanyahu echoed Queen Esther’s language: ‘I feel profound obligation to speak to you about a threat to the survival of my country and the survival of my people, Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons. In nearly 4,000 years of history, many have tried repeatedly to destroy the Jewish people.’”

Netanyahu added:

“Today the Jewish people face another attempt by yet another Persian potentate to destroy us. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei spews the oldest hatred, the oldest hatred of anti-Semitism with the newest technology. He tweets that Israel must be annihilated — he tweets. You know, in Iran, there isn’t exactly free Internet. But he tweets in English that Israel must be destroyed. For those who believe that Iran threatens the Jewish state, but not the Jewish people, listen to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, Iran’s chief terrorist proxy. He said: If all the Jews gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of chasing them down around the world.”

The article in Breitbart continued:

“Netanyahu concluded by citing the Bible, in Hebrew. He quoted the parting words of Moses as the Jews were about to enter the land of Israel, from Deuteronomy 31:6: ‘Moses gave us a message that has steeled our resolve for thousands of years…Be strong and resolute, neither fear nor dread them. My friends, may Israel and America always stand together, strong and resolute, may we neither fear nor dread the challenges ahead, may we face the future with confidence, strength and hope. May God bless the state of Israel, and may God bless the United States of America.’

“The controversy over the politics of the speech is over. Now the world must answer Netanyahu’s question: will Israel have to stand alone?”

It might very well have to.

The Deadly Dangers of Smoking

Newsmax wrote on March 1:

“When beloved actor Leonard Nimoy was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment eight days before his death, it signified his final struggle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a condition he had battled for years. Although the ‘Star Trek’ star had quit smoking 30 years earlier, Nimoy said that the damage from the habit didn’t surface until later. And when it did, the results were tragically lethal. The 83 year old, best known for his portrayal as Mr. Spock, died in his Bel-Air home on Friday…

“There are three degrees of COPD – mild, moderate, and severe. When COPD becomes severe, it causes flare-ups, which are called ‘exacerbations.’ With each exacerbation, COPD patients lose more lung tissue, further eroding their breathing capacity. Nimoy was apparently suffering a flare-up when he was rushed to the hospital on Feb. 19 complaining of chest pain…

“In the last year of his life, Nimoy made it his mission to warn others about COPD, often taking to social media to warn against smoking, which is the primary cause of the illness. Although he was able to make public appearances during his fight with the ailment, he used an oxygenator, a portable device that helps people with COPD breathe. COPD is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. behind heart disease and cancer.

“Before he quit in the 1980s, Nimoy was a three-pack-a-day smoker. He said he was shocked to be diagnosed with COPD decades after quitting… Last year he took to Twitter in an effort to help others avoid his fate: ‘Smokers, please understand. If you quit after you’re diagnosed with lung damage it’s too late… learn my lesson. Quit now. LLAP (Live long and prosper).’”

Smoking is a deadly killer… but far too many, following their own carnal desires, do not want to see this, until it is too late.

British Flower Supermarket Giant Prohibits the Use of the Word “Christ’ in Gift Messages

The Daily Mail wrote on March 1:

“The words ‘Christ’ and ‘Jesus Christ’ have been placed on a list of banned words by Marks & Spencer and cannot be used in gift messages. Customers buying a bunch of flowers who try to add a free message containing them are prevented from completing their order. An on-screen notification, which pops up if any blocked words are entered, reads: ‘Sorry, there’s something in your message we can’t write.’… ‘Christ’ and ‘Jesus Christ’ join other banned words including ‘f***’ and ‘gay’ – but some terms including jihad, Buddha and Allah are accepted. ‘Terrorist’ and ‘d**k’ can also be included in messages. The policy emerged earlier today after one customer was stopped from buying a £35 bouquet for a funeral because she said in the gift message that it was from a family in ‘Christ Church Teddington’…

“When Gerardine Stockford, 53, phoned customer services an employee told her that it must be a blocked word. Lord Carey, a former Archbishop of Canterbury, was shocked. He said: ‘If Christ becomes an offensive word in a Christian land then all of us should be alarmed.’ Despite the supermarket giant being made aware of the issue yesterday, it still has not changed the facility. A spokesman for Marks & Spencer said: ‘An automatic phrase checker is in place to prevent the use and misuse of certain words and it includes hundreds of words of varying nature. ‘The words Jesus and Christ are included to prevent their misuse.’”

This is SO ridiculous and offensive at the same time!

Some have a totally wrong concept of God and view Him as an impersonal “Something” without “parts,” form and shape. That is not the God of the Bible who created man after His own image, and according to His likeness (Genesis 1:26-27)! In fact, God the Father created everything through His Son Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:15-16; Hebrews 1:1-2; John 1:1-3). The Father and the Son are a Family, and the Members of the God Family are described as Personalities with feelings and emotions.

The following sets forth descriptions of just some of God’s feelings and emotions:

We read in Psalm 16:11: “In Your presence is FULLNESS of JOY…”

Zephaniah 3:17 says: “The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One… will REJOICE over you with gladness… He will REJOICE over you with singing.”

Deuteronomy 30:9-10 adds that God will REJOICE over us “for good” IF we obey Him and keep His commandments. Compare also Isaiah 62:5 and Jeremiah 32:41.

We are told that we are to “enter into the JOY of” our God (Matthew 25:21). We are also told that if a sinner repents and finds his way back to God, “there will be… JOY in heaven” (Luke 15:7), which even includes the joy of God’s angels (verse 10).

God gives us His Holy Spirit, which emanates from Him. The fruit of the Spirit reflects what God is, and God’s Spirit is a Spirit of JOY (Galatians 5:22; compare Romans 14:17; 15:13).

At the same time, God shows His emotions towards sinners and sinful nations who refuse to repent and plan to “fight” against God, by laughing at them, or laughing them to scorn (Psalm 2:2-4; 37:12-13; 59:7-8).

In this context, we need to realize that God is pained when we sin against Him and when we forsake Him. We read that He was “SORRY” that He had made man, and that “He was GRIEVED in His heart” over the sins which they were committing and the terrible lifestyle that they were leading (Genesis 6:6). We read in Psalm 78:40 that sinning Israel “GRIEVED Him in the desert”. Psalm 95:10 quotes God as follows: “For forty years I was GRIEVED with that generation, And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, And they do not know My ways.'” We also read that we should not GRIEVE the Holy Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30); that is, we should not sin and thereby grieve God who dwells in us through His Holy Spirit.

We even read that God HATES the one who sins wickedly against Him—that is, He hates the wickedness in that person: “The LORD tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul HATES” (Psalm 11:5). God warns us not to provoke Him to ANGER through our sins (Jeremiah 25:4-7).

But even when God must punish us for our sinful and wicked conduct, He does not do it “joyfully.” Rather, we read the following about God’s punishment of Moab, in Jeremiah 48:30-33:

“‘I know his wrath,’ says the LORD, ‘But it is not right; His lies have made nothing right. Therefore I will WAIL for Moab, And I will CRY OUT for all Moab; I will MOURN for the men of Kir Heres. O vine of Sibmah! I will WEEP for you with the WEEPING of Jazer. Your plants have gone over the sea, They reach to the sea of Jazer. The plunderer has fallen on your summer fruit and on your vintage. Joy and gladness are taken From the plentiful field And from the land of Moab…'”

We must also understand that God is moved when we suffer. He feels the pain which we endure. He suffers with us. We read in Judges 10:16 that after Israel repented, God’s “soul could no longer ENDURE the misery of Israel.” Isaiah 63:9 tells us that “In all their affliction He was AFFLICTED…” He was “in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:19), when He went through all of His suffering and when He died for us, thereby reconciling us with the Father. With God’s Spirit in us, all of us SUFFER when one member of the Body of Christ suffers (1 Corinthians 12:26).  And so we read that when we go through suffering, God is there to give us joy: “… Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

We also read in Romans 8:26 that the Holy Spirit “makes intercession for us with GROANINGS which cannot be uttered.” We know from other passages that it is Christ who intercedes for us (verse 34) with such groanings, through His Spirit, pleading our case before God the Father. Since He experienced suffering, trial and temptation in the flesh, He, as the second member of the God Family and as our merciful High Priest, can aid and represent us; He knows what it is like to suffer in the flesh.

God is full of COMPASSION and has consideration for our weaknesses (Psalm 78:38-39; 86:15). We read that God PITIES His people, as a father pities his children (Psalm 103:13).

However, His pity has limits. In Ezekiel 16, God describes His love and compassion for ancient Israel when no one else pitied her. He married her and adorned her with the most precious things, so that her “fame went out among the nations because of [her] beauty, for it was perfect through [God’s] splendor which [He] had bestowed on [her]” (verse 14). But Israel became proud and trusted in her beauty (verse 15), and she paid God back with sinful and rebellious behavior, committing spiritual harlotry (verse 17). Finally, God put her away, being “agitated”  (verse 43) by all her terrible actions. Reading the entire chapter, one can get a feeling as to how hurt God must have been, seeing His beautiful wife forsaking Him for other lovers.

God does not allow us to serve anyone but Him. Exodus 34:14 says: “… you shall worship no other God, for the LORD, whose name is JEALOUS, is a jealous God…” When we behave wickedly, He is jealous and furious and He avenges and will take vengeance on us (Nahum 1:2). He is slow to anger, but He will not acquit the wicked (verse 3).

If we do not repent, He—the jealous God—will not forgive us our transgressions and our sins, and if we forsake Him and serve foreign gods, He will turn and do us harm and consume us, after He has done us good (Joshua 24:19-20). Please note also Psalm 78:56-59; Deuteronomy 32:16; and 1 Corinthians 10:22.

Paul expressed the same feeling towards those who were listening to false teachers and who were in the process of departing from the living God, saying: “I am jealous for you with GODLY JEALOUSY” (2 Corinthians 11:2).

God the Father and Jesus Christ have feelings and emotions. They are touched by what we do and experience, and we should be very thankful for this and think and behave accordingly.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

“HEAVENS AND EARTH…BEFORE AND AFTER THE FIRST MAN!” has been sent to the printer. We anticipate that this newest booklet, written by Norbert Link, will be available in April.

“Listen to Netanyahu!” is the title of a new StandingWatch program presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Many have criticized Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his address to the American Congress. However, his warnings against Iran were extremely important and very convincing. This program quotes and analyzes some of his major statements and points out what is in store for Israel, Iran, America and the rest of the world. We are offering two free booklets, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America,” and “Middle Eastern and African Nations in Bible Prophecy.”

“The Mystery of the Holy Spirit”–the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link — is now posted. Here is a summary:

Who gives us the Holy Spirit? In what way is the Holy Spirit “one”? Who resides in true Christians? Is the Holy Spirit a person? The Bible many times uses figurative language when referring to the Holy Spirit. Still, why are descriptions used which seem to imply personhood and conscious activities of the Holy Spirit? Are we unduly restricting and misunderstanding some of those passages?

“Erfolgreiche Gebete um Erlösung vom Bösen,” is the title of this week’s German sermon. It covers successful prayers for deliverance from evil.

Please remember to pray for God’s guidance during our upcoming 2015 Church Conference. We will meet in San Diego, California, beginning Friday, March 20th and continue through Tuesday, March 24th.

by Ben Agbayani

Once I was a part of a movement which fought for the labor class. I saw many atrocities and appalling situations, resulting in imprisonment, torture and even death of my friends by the hands of authorities—authorities, which were backed by the Tycoon business class, being tied with the local government.

My heart bled in despair, seeing my friends perish for something they fought and believed in, trying to improve the needs of families. I had become a part of a group that ended up as becoming a guillotine for the corrupt. Finally, I realized that we were fighting a losing battle, trying to stand up against a force which was too strong for us.

Now that I am a member of the Church of God, I know that this is not God’s world, but one day, when Jesus Christ rules the earth, none of these terrible things will happen again. I can’t wait to see my dear friends alive and smile again.