This Week in the News

Biden and Harris Announce Bid for Reelection

The New York Post wrote on April 25:

“President Joe Biden formally announced his bid for re-election Tuesday, asking voters to give him another four years as America’s oldest president to help him ‘finish the job’ despite plunging support… He tweeted a more than three-minute video… making clear he will run again with Vice President Kamala Harris… However, the announcement came in the face of overwhelming proof that Americans want him to step down…”

Breitbart added on April 25:

“… his campaign launch video… opens with scenes from January 6th and featured issues such as abortion (‘personal freedom’) and LGBTQ…

“Over images of former President Donald Trump… as well as Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Biden warned that ‘MAGA extremists’ are looking to go after American’s social security benefits, despite the Republican Party opposing such measures.

“Mr Biden will not only face a challenge from the Republicans in his re-election bid, but also from Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. who is already polling in double digits after he announced his bid to enter the race…

“[Kamala Harris’]aspirations to run again are contrary to what the vast majority of voters feel about her contributions up to now, with critics seeing her as stumbling eagerly from one disappointment to the next.”

Biden Should Not Run Again… Say the Right…

Fox News wrote on April 22:

“The Wall Street Journal editorial board… alleged the White House ‘goes to great lengths’ to hide what they speculate is Biden’s declining health. ‘But his decline is clear to anyone who isn’t willfully blind… the risk of an accelerated decline for Mr. Biden is considerable. The chance that he could serve a full second term is hardly assured,’ they wrote. The editors argued that Vice President Kamala Harris would make a poor commander-in-chief and that she would be nearly unelectable should Biden be forced to drop out of the race…”

… and the Left!

Fox News wrote on April 21:

“CNN anchor John King… spoke on his show ‘Inside Politics’ about the issues undermining Biden’s re-electability. King noted that Biden ‘clearly has liabilities’ and said, ‘he’s 80 years old. He will be 82 on Inauguration Day 2025.’  ‘Do the American people want that?’ he asked. ‘Do they want four more years for this president?’

“King then spoke about various political issues that have dogged Biden’s presidency. ‘Immigration is an issue where the Biden Administration, the numbers are not working in his favor, and the Republicans plan to make a very big deal of that,’ he said. ‘Inflation and recession fears, obviously, issue number one…

“He then noted a poll with grim implications for Biden’s electoral chances… ‘Nearly three quarters of Americans say the country is going in the wrong direction. Joe Biden is asking for four more years,’ he said. ‘When 74 percent of Americans think the country is heading the wrong way it’s hard for the boss to say “give me four more years.” This is a giant challenge for the president.’”

Breitbart wrote on April 28:

“Biden’s approval rating among independents in five of the latest national polls registered at 33.2 percent, while an average of 56.2 percent of independents disapprove of his performance…”

Biden Fit for Office?

Express reported on April 29:

“Biden’s latest public blunder saw the US President forget about his trip to Ireland – less than two weeks after it took place… To add further embarrassment, President Biden had to be reminded about the trip by a [three-year-old] child on the White House lawn… The blunder was even more bizarre considering that President Biden spent a significant time in Ireland speaking about his emotional and ancestral connection to the country…

“It comes in the same week that President Biden was caught using a ‘cheat sheet’ during a press conference, which suggested he had advance knowledge of a question from a journalist… President Biden has been ridiculed for relying on detailed cheat sheets in the past…

“Back in February, the White House physician said that the US President remains healthy, vigorous and fit to successfully execute his duties. However, the physical… did not include a cognitive test.”

Biden a Wise Man???

Bild Online published the following comment by Franz Josef Wagner on April 26:

“… to me you are ‘not an old fool.’ You are a wise man to me. You stumble up Air Force One sometimes – … you have age-related spinal arthritis.

“To me, Donald Trump is an old fool who has crushes on younger women…

“Your age and his age cannot be compared. There is much suffering in the face of Joe Biden. His first wife had an accident with her daughter. You were a single father to your sons. Then your son Beau died of a brain tumor. With this suffering he tried to become a decent person.

“Joe Biden has been accused of mumbling. Joe Biden has been a stutterer since childhood. He trained himself to stop stuttering with 100,000 exercises.

“But he’s too old, critics say. What nonsense. Character doesn’t get old. Decency doesn’t get old. I think it’s good that Joe Biden is running for President again. I would choose him.”

This is typical of the propaganda of the mass media with which the German people are kept in ignorance when it comes to the obvious failings of Joe Biden. Examples of his blatant incompetence are basically ignored.

Biden’s Economic Success Story?

The left-wing Deutsche Welle spoke in an article about Biden’s astonishing economic “success story.” Nothing could be remotely further from the Truth. Note the following article by the Sun, dated April 25:

“Biden has faced domestic and international challenges since entering office in January 2021.

“The aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic saw widespread supply chain shortages and energy prices have skyrocketed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In June, inflation in the US hit 9.1 percent – its highest figure in four decades. Florida Senator Rick Scott claimed that high inflation was Joe Biden’s ‘fault’ and said he was ‘asleep at the wheel.’”

Daily Mail wrote on April 25:

“Financially, the US is still working to manage a cost of living crisis and make up for labour shortages. The IMF warned this month that the US faces a ‘rocky recovery’ as it looks to build back from the uncertainty around the financial sector, high inflation, the war in Ukraine and Covid. The update forecast 1.6 per cent growth for the US this year… down significantly from the 2.8 per cent last year… the overall picture is still ‘clouded’ by uncertainty. The country also faces rising interest rates, affecting the ability to borrow money…

“Abroad, Biden has poured billions into supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion, providing military, humanitarian and financial aid – and slapping Russia with costly sanctions. Trump has positioned himself against Biden, arguing the US should avoid sending aid abroad.”

Living in America, one knows how misleading the claim of Deutsche Welle is. But the German mass media has had a tendency of whitewashing Obama and Biden, while attacking Bush and Trump.

“Did Biden Steal The Election?”

Ron Paul wrote in the Ron Paul Institute, dated April 24:

“On or around Oct. 17, 2020, then-senior Biden campaign official Antony Blinken called up former acting CIA director Mike Morell to ask a favor: he needed high-ranking former US intelligence community officials to lie to the American people to save Biden’s lagging campaign from a massive brewing scandal.

“The problem was that Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, had abandoned his laptop at a repair shop and the explosive contents of the computer were leaking out. The details of the Biden family’s apparent corruption and the debauchery of the former vice-president’s son were being reported by the New York Post, and with the election less than a month away, the Biden campaign needed to kill the story…

“In short, at the Biden campaign’s direction Morell launched a covert operation against the American people to undermine the integrity of the 2020 election… Social media outlets prevented any reporting on the laptop from being posted and the mainstream media could easily ignore the story as it was merely ‘Russian propaganda.’…

“The Democrats and the mainstream media have relentlessly pushed the lie that the ruckus inside the US Capitol on Jan. 6th 2021 was a move by President Trump to overthrow the election results. Hundreds of ‘trespassers’ were arrested and held in solitary confinement without trial to bolster the false narrative that a conspiracy to steal the election was taking place.

“It turns out that there really was a conspiracy to steal the election, but it was opposite of what was reported…  Did the Biden campaign’s disinformation campaign help rig the election in his favor? Polls suggest that Biden would not have been elected had the American electorate been informed about what was on Hunter Biden’s laptop. So yes, they cheated in the election.

“The Democrats and the mainstream media are still at it, however. Now they are trying to kill the story of how they killed the story of the Biden laptop. This is a scandal that would once upon a time have ended in resignation, impeachment, and/or plenty of jail time. If they successfully bury this story, I hate to say it but there is no more rule of law in what has become the American banana republic.”

Biden falsely denied that the Biden family had received a $1.3 million China payout—more evidence that a huge cover-up took place to protect Hunter Biden and, more importantly, Joe Biden. An IRS Whistleblower allegedly said that he will provide evidence that Attorney General Merrick Garland lied under oath to Congress, according to an article by the New York Post, dated April 20.

Biden’s Denial of His Grandchild

Daily Mail wrote on May 1:

“Last week, ironically, at a White House ‘Take your child to work day’ event, Biden was asked how many grandchildren he has… He told the crowd of sweet, trusting, naive kids that he has six grandchildren. But that is a flat lie. Joe Biden has seven grandchildren. The human being that goes without mention is Navy Joan Roberts – Hunter’s four-year-old daughter. She’s persona non grata in the White House…

“Navy was reportedly conceived in a relationship that occurred while Hunter was still involved with his brother Beau’s widow, Hallie Biden. Ms. [Lunden Alexis] Roberts gave birth to Navy in August 2018. Subsequently, Hunter denied paternity of the child, but a 2019 DNA test reportedly proved otherwise and has since gone uncontested. In 2020, Hunter reportedly settled with Roberts for $2.5 million…

“… since Navy’s birth, according to court filings, Hunter ‘has never seen or contacted’ the child and could not pick her out of a photo lineup… if there’s anything that the Washington press corp and the Democratic Party are good for – it’s giving Joe and Hunter a pass. They’ve known about Navy for some time and turned a blind eye…

“The gutting tragedy of all of this is that a sinless child is the victim…

“Let me ask you a question, Mr President. How can you heal a nation if you can’t acknowledge the life of your own grandchild?… I can’t accept that our nation is so far gone that we don’t demand our president speak the name of his innocent grandchild.”

This is so sad and disturbing.

Robert Kennedy, Jr.’s Announcement Speech

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on April 20:

“Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s presidential campaign announcement speech on Wednesday included much that advocates of limiting the power of the United States government can cheer, including strong criticism of the US government’s crackdown in the name of countering coronavirus and of the series of wars in which the US government has engaged from Vietnam to Ukraine…”

According to various polls, Kennedy has an approval rate of about 13% or 14% of Democratic voters who voted for Biden in 2020. The press has been anxious to paint Kennedy in the most unfavorable light, saying overwhelmingly that Kennedy has no chance of succeeding. Still, many Democrats seem to be looking for an alternative to Biden whom they perceive to be too old, feeble and unproductive. Interestingly, Breitbart, Fox News and Newsmax broadcast interviews with and segments on the Democratic candidate, Robert Kennedy, Jr., and had not much to say about him in negative terms, and Newsmax moderator Rob Schmitt even said, in effect, that there is not much which you can disagree with.

“Robert F Kennedy Jr. vs. Democrat National Committee (DNC)

Breitbart wrote on April 24:

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. slammed the Democrat National Committee (DNC)… for having a ‘rigged’ primary system, with no debates and moving voting in South Carolina ahead of New Hampshire on the calendar…”

Will Kennedy Jr. continue to run as a Democrat, or perhaps in a different capacity? He also told Breitbart News this weekend that his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, has lost jobs in Hollywood for supporting his campaign. He said that cancel culture exists and it is “alarming.”  Though Cheryl Hines has been critical of her husband’s anti-vaccine advocacy in the past, she did issue a short statement in support of her husband’s presidential run. At the same time, Trump has allegedly said that he would not participate in presidential debates with Republican contenders as he would subject himself to “being libeled and slandered” and because “his poll numbers are so high he has no reason to compete with the rest of the field.”

Opposition to Transgenders in Women’s Sport

Breitbart wrote on April 30:

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr…. told CNN on Saturday that ‘biological males’ threaten women’s sports. ‘I am against people participating in women’s sports who are biologically male,’ Kennedy said. ‘I think women who have worked too hard to develop women’s sports over the past 30 years I watched it happen and I don’t think that’s fair.’

“Kennedy said his opposition to trans athletes in women’s sports represents another area where he and Biden ‘differ really dramatically.’ The politician also recently came out in opposition to cancel culture…

“President Biden has been a fierce supporter of transgenders in women’s sports.”

Appalling Censorship by ABC News

The Ron Paul Institute published the following opinion piece on May 1 by Law Professor Jonathan Turley:

“Before he was assassinated, Robert F. Kennedy declared that ‘hand in hand with freedom of speech goes the power to be heard.’ That does not appear to be the view of ABC News, which censored his son who is now running for the Democratic presidential nomination. ABC objected to Kennedy’s views on COVID-19 vaccines, so it simply announced that it was preventing viewers from hearing those views to protect them from dangerous ideas.

“ABC’s Linsey Davis began the interview by introducing Kennedy as ‘one of the biggest voices pushing anti-vaccine rhetoric, regularly distributing misinformation and disinformation about vaccines, which scientific and medical experts overwhelmingly say are safe and effective based on rigorous scientific studies.’ That apparently was not enough. After telling viewers that this is one of his most famous stances (and its own disagreement), it then censored those views.

“After airing the interview, Davis announced “[w]e should note that during our conversation, Kennedy made false claims about the COVID-19 vaccines. We’ve used our editorial judgment in not including extended portions of that exchange in our interview.’

“Kennedy tweeted that ‘47 USC 315 makes it illegal for TV networks to censor Presidential candidates but Thursday, ABC showed its contempt for the law, democracy, and its audience by cutting most of the content of my interview with host Linsey Davis leaving only cherry-picked snippets and a defamatory disclaimer.’…

“Putting aside the federal law, this is wrong. ABC can challenge such views, but it is actively seeking to prevent voters from hearing a presidential candidate on an issue of great public interest and debate. It is particularly troubling after prior media censorship has been shown to have been wrong in silencing dissenting scientific views.

“We have seen various journalistic and scientific figures banned for expressing skepticism over pandemic claims from the origins of the virus to the efficacy of certain treatments… The same is true with the debate over the efficacy of masks…

“It is also not clear where ABC draws the line. Joe Biden has made so many false statements that the Washington Post gave him a ‘bottomless Pinocchio.’ Likewise, many view contested claims over climate change and transgender issues to be dangerous. Will ABC now be censoring these other candidates or positions?…”

Sadly, ABC has become more and more one of the left-wing propaganda machines in support of the Biden Administration.

Tucker Carlson Out

Breitbart reported on April 24:

“The political world was shaken Monday after Fox News announced it had parted ways with prime time host Tucker Carlson…”

This development is “a shocker,” sensational and stunning. On Monday, it was also announced that CNN had fired long-time moderator Don Lemon, but it pales in comparison with what appears to be Tucker Carlson’s firing. Speculation is ripe that his apparent dismissal was a somewhat undisclosed part of the highly controversial settlement agreement less than a week before between Fox and election technology company “Dominion Voting Systems” for more than $787 million. In this context, Fox was charged with having violated the freedom of speech by entering in the settlement. It appears Carlson did not know of his “dismissal” on Friday, when he wished viewers a nice weekend and stated he would be back Monday.

It appears Fox News is moving further and further away from its at one-time strong conservative platform. According to Mike Huckabee, Carlson’s audience out-paced that of MSNBC and CNN combined.

Also on Monday, it was announced that Susan Rice was leaving the Biden White House “with world chaos in her wake,” according to former ambassador Ric Grenell, continuing, “Sudan is only the latest disaster she has overseen.”

Tucker Carlson Responds

The New York Post wrote on April 26:

“In a video posted to Twitter, Carlson… accused political leaders on both sides of the aisle of silencing voices and shutting down media outlets that uncover corruption or reveal truths… Both political parties and their donors have reached a consensus on what benefits them and they actively collude to shut down any conversation about it. Suddenly, the United States looks very much like a one-party state,’ he added.”

The Hill reported on April 27:

“[The video] racked up more than 57 million views on Twitter as of Thursday afternoon [in less than 24 hours].”

Ukraine to Become Part of NATO AFTER Having Won the War Against Russia?

Breitbart wrote on April 21:

“(NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told cameras [in Germany] that Ukraine’s membership of the alliance [NATO] was coming. Regardless, and possibly to reassure those who fear the consequences of admitting a country already at war into the fold of the NATO nuclear mutual assurance club would mean, Stoltenberg made clear that the present conflict would have to be won first… [He said:] ‘without a sovereign, independent Ukraine there is no meaning in discussing membership’…

“Russia… said in the past that allowing Ukraine to join the alliance would trigger ‘world war three’… Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said preventing Ukraine from joining NATO was one of the key purposes of the war…’”

It does not appear that Ukraine will win this war against Putin, so NATO membership would be a moot issue.

Medvedev Threatens to Destroy Berlin

Bild Online wrote on April 21:

“After Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (63, SPD) said on Thursday evening… that he considered limited attacks by Ukraine on Russian territory in the fight against the invasion acceptable, [ex-Russian President Dmitry] Medvedev freaked out again on Twitter. This time his destination: Berlin!

“‘The German defense minister (…) certainly envies the fame of the warlords of the Third Reich,’ said Medvedev… And the Kremlin’s mouthpiece threatens all of Germany: ‘The German who wants to attack Russia must be prepared for our parade in Berlin.’…

“It’s not the first time that the ex-Russian president and Putin friend has threatened Germany. In March he spoke openly of dropping bombs on Berlin. Reason for the threatening gestures: a possible arrest of the Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin (70) after an arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court…

“Medvedev at the time: ‘The current head of a nuclear state arrives on the territory of, say, Germany and is arrested. What is that? A declaration of war against the Russian Federation.’ Should an arrest take place in Germany, ‘all our means, rockets and so on, will fly at the Bundestag, the Chancellery and so on,’ said Medvedev…”

From the context, it did not appear that Pistorius advocated a German attack on Russia. He spoke about an attack by Ukraine. Medvedev seems to have used that statement suggesting that Germany’s delivery of weapons to Ukraine makes it complicit IF Ukraine were to attack Russia on Russian soil. This is even more interesting as allegedly, Ukraine is preparing for a “big bang” strike to retake Crimea which has been in Russian hands since 2014, according to the Sun, dated April 22, 2023. Military experts seem to think that the key for Ukraine’s victory in the war against Russia is winning Crimea. Also note the next article.

Drone Attacks on Sevastopol

The Associated Press reported on April 29:

“A massive fire erupted at an oil depot in Crimea after it was hit by two of Ukraine’s drones, a Russia-appointed official there [Mikhail Razvozhayev] reported Saturday, the latest in a series of attacks on the annexed peninsula as Russia braces for an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive…

“Razvozhayev said the fire at the city’s harbor was assigned the highest ranking in terms of how complicated it will be to extinguish. However, he reported that the open blaze had been contained. Razvozhayev said the oil depot was attacked by ‘two enemy drones,’ and four oil tanks burned down. A third drone was shot down from the sky, and one more was deactivated through radio-electronic means, according to Crimea’s Moscow-appointed governor, Sergei Aksyonov…. Earlier this week, Razvozhayev reported that the Russian military destroyed a Ukrainian sea drone that attempted to attack the harbor…”

Ukraine Allegedly Tried to Kill Putin

Italy 24 Press News wrote on April 26:

“Ukrainian intelligence allegedly tried to kill the Russian president… with a UJ-22 explosive drone on April 23, when he was supposed to visit the Rudnevo industrial park near Moscow. This is what the newspaper ‘Bild’ reveals, adding that the assassination attempt is ‘kept secret by the Russian authorities although it failed’…”

On May 3, yahoo!news reported this:

“The Russian presidential administration said Wednesday that the Kremlin was attacked by drones overnight in an attempt on President Vladimir Putin’s life.

“Moscow residents had reported hearing two explosions behind Kremlin walls shortly after 2 a.m. local time, after which the lights went out. Footage shared by residents in a local Telegram channel captured the incident, as smoke was seen filling the sky above the Kremlin. Videos also appeared to show part of the Kremlin on fire.

“Now, authorities say it was a brazen attack by Ukraine using two drones, both of which they say have been destroyed…

“The Kremlin, describing the incident as a ‘planned terrorist attack’ and ‘assassination attempt on the president of Russia,’ is now threatening to take ‘retaliatory measures.’

“A spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied that the country was behind any attack on the Kremlin…”

But reports that Ukraine is trying to assassinate Putin are increasing.

Germany’s Toxic Relationship with Russia

MSN wrote on April 8:

“Over the past 75 years, the Germans have rebuilt Europe in their own image. With its coalition politics, mercantile economics, green ideology and woke culture, the EU is in many ways the Federal Republic writ large…

“Public support for Ukraine’s fight for survival is falling: half the country no longer supports sending arms and four out of five think it is more important to end the war quickly than for Ukraine to win.

“German trade with Russia almost halved by volume in 2022, but the value of imports actually rose by 6.5 per cent. This means that last year Germany alone contributed more than £30 billion to Putin’s war chest… anti-Americanism has surged…

“So why does Germany still have such a toxic relationship with autocracy? The short answer is: because that was the price of German reunification… The fact that the Federal Republic was able to absorb East Germany without violence was seen as a miracle, made possible by Mikhail Gorbachev’s reluctance to use military force. The quid pro quo came with the disastrous Ostpolitik of Gerhard Schröder and Angela Merkel, which left Germany dependent on Russian energy and virtually defenceless….”

Under a new German government being less friendly towards Russia and China, this may all change.

Switzerland’s Ban on Exporting Ammunition to Ukraine

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 24:

“Swiss ambassador to Berlin Paul Rene Seger said he was surprised by the ‘extent of the criticism that is raining down’ on his country over Switzerland’s ban on reexporting ammunition for Germany’s Leopard (or Gepard) tanks to Ukraine… Seger pointed to Switzerland’s long-running tradition of neutrality, which is one of the basic principles of Swiss foreign policy…

“Until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany had a very similar policy about not sending weapons to hot conflicts as Switzerland’s and often faced criticism in 2022 for its perceived reluctance to provide weaponry for Kyiv.”

Of course, Germany has had a history of violating its policy, when economically advantageous, long before the Ukraine conflict.

On the other hand, the Ron Paul Institute wrote on May 2:

“Washington’s old guard can’t help itself: when it comes to throwing endless streams of our money down a foreign boondoggle they just never refuse. Even if they promise to do so. Speaker Kevin McCarthy is backing off his ‘no blank check’ promise when it comes to Ukraine – even after $100 billion has already been authorized!”

Worldwide Military Spending at an All-Time High

Breitbart wrote on April 24:

“The world has never spent so much on military muscle. Figures released Monday show $2.24 trillion was outlaid globally in 2022 with Europe leading the way due to Ukraine’s demands for continued supplies of battlefield hardware… There was a 13 percent rise in Europe, the steepest in at least 30 years…

“Overall the United States remains by far the world’s biggest military spender. U.S. military spending reached $877 billion in 2022, which was 39 percent of total global military spending and three times more than the amount spent by China, the world’s second largest spender…

“[Following Russia as the world’s third highest military spender,]India’s military spending of $81.4 billion was the fourth highest in the world… In 2022 military spending by Saudi Arabia, the fifth biggest military spender, rose by 16 percent…”

The Associated Press added on April 24:

“… the three largest arms spenders were the United States, China and Russia, who between them accounted for 56% of global expenditure.”

De-Dollarization Attempts

Bitcoin.com wrote on April 27:

“Russia’s former head of state, Dmitry… Medvedev… predicted… late December that the U.S. dollar will be losing its status of global reserve currency in 2023, amid the increasing spread of digital currencies.

“Russia has been working on a digital ruble and a new payment system that officials claim will not restrict digital currency payments. Pressed by Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow also intends to legalize crypto payments in international settlements as part of its de-dollarization attempts.”

It was also reported on the Internet that China plans to create a $58 billion railway system connecting Pakistan and China to reduce Western trade dependence. The South China Morning Post reported on April 27 that “many other train systems could connect China to Turkey and Iran moving forward. China, the world’s largest manufacturer of goods, is bypassing the U.S. dollar dominance by improving and promoting the Chinese Yuan’s utility. If the development goes through, it would open direct access for China to trade with other Asian nations.”

The Challenge of the BRICS Countries

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 10:

“… the BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa — are setting themselves up as an alternative to existing international financial and political forums… South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor has said worldwide interest in the BRICS group was ‘huge.’ [She said] she had 12 letters from interested countries on her desk. ‘Saudi Arabia is one,’ she said. ‘United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, and Argentina,’ as well as Mexico and Nigeria… [Subsequently, it was reported that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Algeria have formally requested to join the BRICS alliance; and that Iran has also shown interest in joining].  

“Since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine, the BRICS countries have only distanced themselves further from the so-called West. Neither India, Brazil, South Africa or China are taking part in sanctions against Russia. This has become increasingly clear with near-historic levels of trade between India and Russia, or in Brazil’s dependence on Russian fertilizer.”

Watcher Guru added on April 28 that the BRICS countries are moving “to replace the US dollar with a new currency of global stage to settle international trade”; and that they are a challenge to the G7 countries (the US, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, the UK and Japan).

South Africa Wants to Arrest Putin During BRICS Summit?

Newsmax wrote on May 2:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin has been warned that he could be arrested if he travels to the BRICS summit in South Africa this August, with officials in the country saying they will have to detain him on the warrant issued this March by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

“According to the South African outlet The Sunday Times, government officials there are trying to convince Putin to attend the BRICS summit in Cape Town by videoconference rather than in person, because as a member of the ICC, South Africa would have to honor Putin’s arrest warrant.”

Earlier, South Africa had assured Putin that they would NOT arrest him if he were to enter their country. Why the sudden change in approach?

Germany’s Unpopular Measures

Breitbart wrote on April 21:

“Germany’s Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck announced that the cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz will back the Building Energy Efficiency Act, which would require that all new heating systems run on at least 65 per cent of so-called renewable forms of energy. This would effectively ban new gas and oil heaters, which would need to be replaced with heat pumps or hybrid systems that only use fossil fuels as a backup.

“According to the draft legislation, the plan would cost the German public some 9.16 billion euros ($10 billion) per year until at least 2028…

“… nearly half of the 41 million households [are] using natural gas for heating and 25 per cent using oil.

“The green agenda push is apparently not appreciated by the German public, who have been suffering under an energy crisis as a result of dried-up supplies of Russian gas…  78 per cent of Germans are opposed to the legislation, as opposed to just 18 per cent who back the bill. Over six in ten people also told the pollster that they believed the move towards renewables would result in their heating bills costing more.

“The push to ban new gas and oil heaters comes just days after Germany closed down its final three remaining nuclear power plants…”

Habeck from the Green party has turned out to be one of the most unpopular politicians in Germany. With Habeck’s insane green-driven woke agenda, how can Germany’s incompetent government survive?

Germany’s “Energiewende”

Forbes wrote on April 20:

“Germany has been at the forefront of efforts to transition away from nuclear power and towards renewable energy sources with its ‘energiewende’ initiative…

“Germany’s decision to phase out nuclear power appears to be at odds with the country’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions… Germany’s phaseout of nuclear power is all the more stunning because it comes at a time when Europe is grappling with high energy prices caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine…

“Germany’s nuclear phaseout has angered many, including some environmentalists… Despite the criticisms, German leaders appear committed to their energiewende initiative. This may be premised on the false belief that renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, can completely replace nuclear and coal on the path to zero carbon emissions…”

Swearing Allegiance to the King?

AFP wrote on April 30:

“All Britons will be called on to swear allegiance to King Charles III at his coronation, an oath hitherto reserved for British nobility…

“The office of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who will lead the coronation ceremony on May 6 at Westminster Abbey, announced on Saturday that the traditional ‘Homage of Peers’ — during which representatives of the nobility kneel before the king and pledge allegiance to him — would be scrapped. Instead, the ceremony will include a ‘Homage of the People’, with the archbishop calling on all people in the United Kingdom and other places where King Charles is the head of state to swear allegiance…

“The order of service will read: ‘All who so desire, in the abbey, and elsewhere, say together: I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.’

“British parliamentarians, but also Canadians since the British sovereign is their head of state, already swear allegiance to the monarch when they take office…

“At Saturday’s ceremony, women bishops will take part for the first time, as well as representatives of non-Christian faiths…”

Very strange indeed.

Pastor Threatened with Jail for Quoting the Bible

Fox News wrote on April 24:

“An outspoken street preacher is appealing to the Oklahoma Supreme Court after he was slapped with a five-year restraining order that threatened him with jail time if he speaks out in opposition against a local LGBTQ advocacy group…

“Penkoski referenced Bible verses condemning homosexuality, including Romans 1:32 – ‘and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same but also give hearty approval to those who practice them’…

Penkoski made two additional posts in which he expressed his disapproval of several Pride events in Bartlesville. In one post, he criticized local Disciples Christian Church for sharing photos of children celebrating Pride Month last June…

“… the Rutherford Institute, which represented Paula Jones in her sexual harassment claim against former President Bill Clinton, took on Penkoski’s case because they believe it could set a dangerous precedent that could chill the speech of Christians or anyone else who publicly opposes LGBTQ ideology… Whitehead [a constitutional attorney of the Rutherford Institute] said that if Penkoski fails in his appeal, the First Amendment is ‘dead,’ which he believes ‘would open [the] door for persecution, obviously… He quotes what Jesus Christ says, OK? If that’s a crime, then we’re in a bad state in this country,’ he added.”

We ARE in a bad state in this country!

No Consequence For Breaking the Law

The New York Post wrote on April 26:

“Under the new crop of George Soros-backed, soft-on-crime district attorneys, there is no consequence for breaking the law…

“In Chicago, two teens steal a car, speed down a road and kill a baby. That’s not enough to lock them up…

“Progressives will tell us with a straight face that crime isn’t increasing, and if it is, it has nothing to do with this new breed of no-bail, no-jail prosecutors. It’s ludicrous…

“This experiment in anarchy must end.”

Finally, Some GOOD NEWS–No More COVID Vaccinations for International Travelers

Reuters wrote on May 1:

“The United States will end its COVID-19 vaccination requirements for international travelers and federal workers on May 11, when the coronavirus public health emergency ends, the White House said on Monday. In February, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to lift the requirement that most foreign air travelers be vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the few remaining pandemic travel restrictions still in place.

“The Biden administration last June dropped its requirement that people arriving in the U.S. by air must test negative for COVID but kept in place Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccination requirements for most foreign travelers.

“The Homeland Security Department also said Monday starting May 12 it will no longer require non-U.S. travelers entering the United States via land ports of entry and ferries to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination upon request.

“The Biden administration’s rules imposed in September 2021 requiring about 3.5 million federal employees and contractors to be vaccinated or face firing or disciplinary action have not been enforced for over a year after a series of court rulings. A federal appeals court in March upheld a decision blocking enforcement of the employee vaccine requirement…”

It was more than overdue to end this insane policy; hopefully, it will stay that way.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Update 1066

What’s Age Got to Do with It? / To Be First

On May 6, 2023, Kalon Mitchell will present the first split-sermon, titled, “What’s Age Got to Do with It?” and Michael Link will present the second split-sermon, titled, “To Be First.”

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.

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The Power of Together

by Eric Rank

Over the years, I have found that it is not uncommon to refer to the annual Church conference as “a Feast.” I have noted myself and others making the same association. Of course, the conference is not mentioned in the Bible as a commanded observance like the Feast of Tabernacles. However, there are several similarities that make it easy to draw this comparison.

Those who attend the conference gather together, in person if possible, to discuss doctrine, review the past year, and make plans for how we will perform the Work for the coming year, among other operational details of the Church. Thought and conversations are dedicated to matters that are spiritual. We take a great deal of time to carefully consider how we carry out the commission we have from God to preach the Gospel and feed the flock. In addition to the Work carried out during our meetings, we get to spend a lot of time together as brethren. We enjoy meals, leisure activities, and sometimes a modest adventure with one another. Like the Feast of Tabernacles, it is a time when we have a chance to focus our attention on the most important aspects of life and revive our energy for the year with brethren that we don’t normally see throughout the year. It’s no wonder to me that I so easily call the conference a “Feast,” given the similar focus on the Work of God and joy of camaraderie.

Coming home from the conference this year, I am contemplative of how valuable it is to spend time with brethren beyond the structured time of conference meetings or of Sabbath services. Only by spending time with another person are we able to have the kind of common experience that builds a relationship. A simple conversation about life, or even sitting quietly together, can have the power of building a bond of friendship. Being with one another helps us to understand the context of each other’s life in subtle ways that build empathy and deepen our capacity for love. As Christian brethren, the potential for building a meaningful relationship with others of like mind is great because we have the same purpose that drives us.

The instruction we have in Hebrews 10:24-25 carries tremendous meaning, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Reflecting on this passage, we not only see the importance of assembling together, but we can also see the purpose. It is far too easy to become weary as we battle against the influence of the world that stands opposed to the righteousness we strive to live by. To carry on day after day without the support from others can become a grueling task. To say it plainly and simply, we need one another for encouragement to hold fast to love and righteousness.

Assembling together on the weekly Sabbath and annual Holy Days is the commanded and ideal way to both give and receive the support we need. Yet, we are a Church with members spread out over long distances, which makes attending weekly and annual Sabbath services in person not always possible. We also understand that physical ailments may make it prohibitive to attend in person as well. Given any real limitations, we ought to carefully consider if we are taking advantage of the opportunities to be together when possible. If we are physically limited in our ability to gather together on the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days, we can still connect in other ways. A simple note or phone call to someone when we’re thinking about them can be extremely uplifting, and it doesn’t take much commitment.

The fact is, we all need encouragement to endure until the end. Life is hard, and it doesn’t seem to get much easier when we consider the circumstances in the world around us. We can take heart in reading Paul’s encouragement to the Thessalonians, “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

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by Norbert Link

We report on deeply unpopular Joe Biden’s and Kamala Harris’ bids for reelection, as well as Robert F. Kennedy’s participation in the race as a (for now) Democratic candidate; and we speak on the surprise ouster of Tucker Carlson from Fox News. Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Should Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Be Censored?

We address dramatic developments pertaining to the Russia-Ukraine war [note our recent StandingWatch program, titled, “Will Russia Win Against Ukraine?” ] and continue with Germany’s “toxic” relationship with Russia; insane worldwide military spending; and de-dollarization attempts.

We point out some of Germany’s unpopular measures; speak about the fear of prosecution of Christian Bible-preaching pastors and the lack of prosecution of real criminals; and conclude with some very good news which was long overdue.

Throughout this section, we have underlined pertinent statements in the quoted articles, for the convenience and quick overview of the reader.

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Biden and Harris Announce Bid for Reelection

The New York Post wrote on April 25:

“President Joe Biden formally announced his bid for re-election Tuesday, asking voters to give him another four years as America’s oldest president to help him ‘finish the job’ despite plunging support… He tweeted a more than three-minute video… making clear he will run again with Vice President Kamala Harris… However, the announcement came in the face of overwhelming proof that Americans want him to step down…”

Breitbart added on April 25:

“… his campaign launch video… opens with scenes from January 6th and featured issues such as abortion (‘personal freedom’) and LGBTQ…

“Over images of former President Donald Trump… as well as Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Biden warned that ‘MAGA extremists’ are looking to go after American’s social security benefits, despite the Republican Party opposing such measures.

“Mr Biden will not only face a challenge from the Republicans in his re-election bid, but also from Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. who is already polling in double digits after he announced his bid to enter the race…

“[Kamala Harris’]aspirations to run again are contrary to what the vast majority of voters feel about her contributions up to now, with critics seeing her as stumbling eagerly from one disappointment to the next.”

Biden Should Not Run Again… Say the Right…

Fox News wrote on April 22:

“The Wall Street Journal editorial board… alleged the White House ‘goes to great lengths’ to hide what they speculate is Biden’s declining health. ‘But his decline is clear to anyone who isn’t willfully blind… the risk of an accelerated decline for Mr. Biden is considerable. The chance that he could serve a full second term is hardly assured,’ they wrote. The editors argued that Vice President Kamala Harris would make a poor commander-in-chief and that she would be nearly unelectable should Biden be forced to drop out of the race…”

… and the Left!

Fox News wrote on April 21:

“CNN anchor John King… spoke on his show ‘Inside Politics’ about the issues undermining Biden’s re-electability. King noted that Biden ‘clearly has liabilities’ and said, ‘he’s 80 years old. He will be 82 on Inauguration Day 2025.’  ‘Do the American people want that?’ he asked. ‘Do they want four more years for this president?’

“King then spoke about various political issues that have dogged Biden’s presidency. ‘Immigration is an issue where the Biden Administration, the numbers are not working in his favor, and the Republicans plan to make a very big deal of that,’ he said. ‘Inflation and recession fears, obviously, issue number one…

“He then noted a poll with grim implications for Biden’s electoral chances… ‘Nearly three quarters of Americans say the country is going in the wrong direction. Joe Biden is asking for four more years,’ he said. ‘When 74 percent of Americans think the country is heading the wrong way it’s hard for the boss to say “give me four more years.” This is a giant challenge for the president.’”

Breitbart wrote on April 28:

“Biden’s approval rating among independents in five of the latest national polls registered at 33.2 percent, while an average of 56.2 percent of independents disapprove of his performance…”

Biden Fit for Office?

Express reported on April 29:

“Biden’s latest public blunder saw the US President forget about his trip to Ireland – less than two weeks after it took place… To add further embarrassment, President Biden had to be reminded about the trip by a [three-year-old] child on the White House lawn… The blunder was even more bizarre considering that President Biden spent a significant time in Ireland speaking about his emotional and ancestral connection to the country…

“It comes in the same week that President Biden was caught using a ‘cheat sheet’ during a press conference, which suggested he had advance knowledge of a question from a journalist… President Biden has been ridiculed for relying on detailed cheat sheets in the past…

“Back in February, the White House physician said that the US President remains healthy, vigorous and fit to successfully execute his duties. However, the physical… did not include a cognitive test.”

Biden a Wise Man???

Bild Online published the following comment by Franz Josef Wagner on April 26:

“… to me you are ‘not an old fool.’ You are a wise man to me. You stumble up Air Force One sometimes – … you have age-related spinal arthritis.

“To me, Donald Trump is an old fool who has crushes on younger women…

“Your age and his age cannot be compared. There is much suffering in the face of Joe Biden. His first wife had an accident with her daughter. You were a single father to your sons. Then your son Beau died of a brain tumor. With this suffering he tried to become a decent person.

“Joe Biden has been accused of mumbling. Joe Biden has been a stutterer since childhood. He trained himself to stop stuttering with 100,000 exercises.

“But he’s too old, critics say. What nonsense. Character doesn’t get old. Decency doesn’t get old. I think it’s good that Joe Biden is running for President again. I would choose him.”

This is typical of the propaganda of the mass media with which the German people are kept in ignorance when it comes to the obvious failings of Joe Biden. Examples of his blatant incompetence are basically ignored.

Biden’s Economic Success Story?

The left-wing Deutsche Welle spoke in an article about Biden’s astonishing economic “success story.” Nothing could be remotely further from the Truth. Note the following article by the Sun, dated April 25:

“Biden has faced domestic and international challenges since entering office in January 2021.

“The aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic saw widespread supply chain shortages and energy prices have skyrocketed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In June, inflation in the US hit 9.1 percent – its highest figure in four decades. Florida Senator Rick Scott claimed that high inflation was Joe Biden’s ‘fault’ and said he was ‘asleep at the wheel.’”

Daily Mail wrote on April 25:

“Financially, the US is still working to manage a cost of living crisis and make up for labour shortages. The IMF warned this month that the US faces a ‘rocky recovery’ as it looks to build back from the uncertainty around the financial sector, high inflation, the war in Ukraine and Covid. The update forecast 1.6 per cent growth for the US this year… down significantly from the 2.8 per cent last year… the overall picture is still ‘clouded’ by uncertainty. The country also faces rising interest rates, affecting the ability to borrow money…

“Abroad, Biden has poured billions into supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion, providing military, humanitarian and financial aid – and slapping Russia with costly sanctions. Trump has positioned himself against Biden, arguing the US should avoid sending aid abroad.”

Living in America, one knows how misleading the claim of Deutsche Welle is. But the German mass media has had a tendency of whitewashing Obama and Biden, while attacking Bush and Trump.

“Did Biden Steal The Election?”

Ron Paul wrote in the Ron Paul Institute, dated April 24:

“On or around Oct. 17, 2020, then-senior Biden campaign official Antony Blinken called up former acting CIA director Mike Morell to ask a favor: he needed high-ranking former US intelligence community officials to lie to the American people to save Biden’s lagging campaign from a massive brewing scandal.

“The problem was that Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, had abandoned his laptop at a repair shop and the explosive contents of the computer were leaking out. The details of the Biden family’s apparent corruption and the debauchery of the former vice-president’s son were being reported by the New York Post, and with the election less than a month away, the Biden campaign needed to kill the story…

“In short, at the Biden campaign’s direction Morell launched a covert operation against the American people to undermine the integrity of the 2020 election… Social media outlets prevented any reporting on the laptop from being posted and the mainstream media could easily ignore the story as it was merely ‘Russian propaganda.’…

“The Democrats and the mainstream media have relentlessly pushed the lie that the ruckus inside the US Capitol on Jan. 6th 2021 was a move by President Trump to overthrow the election results. Hundreds of ‘trespassers’ were arrested and held in solitary confinement without trial to bolster the false narrative that a conspiracy to steal the election was taking place.

“It turns out that there really was a conspiracy to steal the election, but it was opposite of what was reported…  Did the Biden campaign’s disinformation campaign help rig the election in his favor? Polls suggest that Biden would not have been elected had the American electorate been informed about what was on Hunter Biden’s laptop. So yes, they cheated in the election.

“The Democrats and the mainstream media are still at it, however. Now they are trying to kill the story of how they killed the story of the Biden laptop. This is a scandal that would once upon a time have ended in resignation, impeachment, and/or plenty of jail time. If they successfully bury this story, I hate to say it but there is no more rule of law in what has become the American banana republic.”

Biden falsely denied that the Biden family had received a $1.3 million China payout—more evidence that a huge cover-up took place to protect Hunter Biden and, more importantly, Joe Biden. An IRS Whistleblower allegedly said that he will provide evidence that Attorney General Merrick Garland lied under oath to Congress, according to an article by the New York Post, dated April 20.

Biden’s Denial of His Grandchild

Daily Mail wrote on May 1:

“Last week, ironically, at a White House ‘Take your child to work day’ event, Biden was asked how many grandchildren he has… He told the crowd of sweet, trusting, naive kids that he has six grandchildren. But that is a flat lie. Joe Biden has seven grandchildren. The human being that goes without mention is Navy Joan Roberts – Hunter’s four-year-old daughter. She’s persona non grata in the White House…

“Navy was reportedly conceived in a relationship that occurred while Hunter was still involved with his brother Beau’s widow, Hallie Biden. Ms. [Lunden Alexis] Roberts gave birth to Navy in August 2018. Subsequently, Hunter denied paternity of the child, but a 2019 DNA test reportedly proved otherwise and has since gone uncontested. In 2020, Hunter reportedly settled with Roberts for $2.5 million…

“… since Navy’s birth, according to court filings, Hunter ‘has never seen or contacted’ the child and could not pick her out of a photo lineup… if there’s anything that the Washington press corp and the Democratic Party are good for – it’s giving Joe and Hunter a pass. They’ve known about Navy for some time and turned a blind eye…

“The gutting tragedy of all of this is that a sinless child is the victim…

“Let me ask you a question, Mr President. How can you heal a nation if you can’t acknowledge the life of your own grandchild?… I can’t accept that our nation is so far gone that we don’t demand our president speak the name of his innocent grandchild.”

This is so sad and disturbing.

Robert Kennedy, Jr.’s Announcement Speech

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on April 20:

“Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s presidential campaign announcement speech on Wednesday included much that advocates of limiting the power of the United States government can cheer, including strong criticism of the US government’s crackdown in the name of countering coronavirus and of the series of wars in which the US government has engaged from Vietnam to Ukraine…”

According to various polls, Kennedy has an approval rate of about 13% or 14% of Democratic voters who voted for Biden in 2020. The press has been anxious to paint Kennedy in the most unfavorable light, saying overwhelmingly that Kennedy has no chance of succeeding. Still, many Democrats seem to be looking for an alternative to Biden whom they perceive to be too old, feeble and unproductive. Interestingly, Breitbart, Fox News and Newsmax broadcast interviews with and segments on the Democratic candidate, Robert Kennedy, Jr., and had not much to say about him in negative terms, and Newsmax moderator Rob Schmitt even said, in effect, that there is not much which you can disagree with.

“Robert F Kennedy Jr. vs. Democrat National Committee (DNC)

Breitbart wrote on April 24:

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. slammed the Democrat National Committee (DNC)… for having a ‘rigged’ primary system, with no debates and moving voting in South Carolina ahead of New Hampshire on the calendar…”

Will Kennedy Jr. continue to run as a Democrat, or perhaps in a different capacity? He also told Breitbart News this weekend that his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, has lost jobs in Hollywood for supporting his campaign. He said that cancel culture exists and it is “alarming.”  Though Cheryl Hines has been critical of her husband’s anti-vaccine advocacy in the past, she did issue a short statement in support of her husband’s presidential run. At the same time, Trump has allegedly said that he would not participate in presidential debates with Republican contenders as he would subject himself to “being libeled and slandered” and because “his poll numbers are so high he has no reason to compete with the rest of the field.”

Opposition to Transgenders in Women’s Sport

Breitbart wrote on April 30:

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr…. told CNN on Saturday that ‘biological males’ threaten women’s sports. ‘I am against people participating in women’s sports who are biologically male,’ Kennedy said. ‘I think women who have worked too hard to develop women’s sports over the past 30 years I watched it happen and I don’t think that’s fair.’

“Kennedy said his opposition to trans athletes in women’s sports represents another area where he and Biden ‘differ really dramatically.’ The politician also recently came out in opposition to cancel culture…

“President Biden has been a fierce supporter of transgenders in women’s sports.”

Appalling Censorship by ABC News

The Ron Paul Institute published the following opinion piece on May 1 by Law Professor Jonathan Turley:

“Before he was assassinated, Robert F. Kennedy declared that ‘hand in hand with freedom of speech goes the power to be heard.’ That does not appear to be the view of ABC News, which censored his son who is now running for the Democratic presidential nomination. ABC objected to Kennedy’s views on COVID-19 vaccines, so it simply announced that it was preventing viewers from hearing those views to protect them from dangerous ideas.

“ABC’s Linsey Davis began the interview by introducing Kennedy as ‘one of the biggest voices pushing anti-vaccine rhetoric, regularly distributing misinformation and disinformation about vaccines, which scientific and medical experts overwhelmingly say are safe and effective based on rigorous scientific studies.’ That apparently was not enough. After telling viewers that this is one of his most famous stances (and its own disagreement), it then censored those views.

“After airing the interview, Davis announced “[w]e should note that during our conversation, Kennedy made false claims about the COVID-19 vaccines. We’ve used our editorial judgment in not including extended portions of that exchange in our interview.’

“Kennedy tweeted that ‘47 USC 315 makes it illegal for TV networks to censor Presidential candidates but Thursday, ABC showed its contempt for the law, democracy, and its audience by cutting most of the content of my interview with host Linsey Davis leaving only cherry-picked snippets and a defamatory disclaimer.’…

“Putting aside the federal law, this is wrong. ABC can challenge such views, but it is actively seeking to prevent voters from hearing a presidential candidate on an issue of great public interest and debate. It is particularly troubling after prior media censorship has been shown to have been wrong in silencing dissenting scientific views.

“We have seen various journalistic and scientific figures banned for expressing skepticism over pandemic claims from the origins of the virus to the efficacy of certain treatments… The same is true with the debate over the efficacy of masks…

“It is also not clear where ABC draws the line. Joe Biden has made so many false statements that the Washington Post gave him a ‘bottomless Pinocchio.’ Likewise, many view contested claims over climate change and transgender issues to be dangerous. Will ABC now be censoring these other candidates or positions?…”

Sadly, ABC has become more and more one of the left-wing propaganda machines in support of the Biden Administration.

Tucker Carlson Out

Breitbart reported on April 24:

“The political world was shaken Monday after Fox News announced it had parted ways with prime time host Tucker Carlson…”

This development is “a shocker,” sensational and stunning. On Monday, it was also announced that CNN had fired long-time moderator Don Lemon, but it pales in comparison with what appears to be Tucker Carlson’s firing. Speculation is ripe that his apparent dismissal was a somewhat undisclosed part of the highly controversial settlement agreement less than a week before between Fox and election technology company “Dominion Voting Systems” for more than $787 million. In this context, Fox was charged with having violated the freedom of speech by entering in the settlement. It appears Carlson did not know of his “dismissal” on Friday, when he wished viewers a nice weekend and stated he would be back Monday.

It appears Fox News is moving further and further away from its at one-time strong conservative platform. According to Mike Huckabee, Carlson’s audience out-paced that of MSNBC and CNN combined.

Also on Monday, it was announced that Susan Rice was leaving the Biden White House “with world chaos in her wake,” according to former ambassador Ric Grenell, continuing, “Sudan is only the latest disaster she has overseen.”

Tucker Carlson Responds

The New York Post wrote on April 26:

“In a video posted to Twitter, Carlson… accused political leaders on both sides of the aisle of silencing voices and shutting down media outlets that uncover corruption or reveal truths… Both political parties and their donors have reached a consensus on what benefits them and they actively collude to shut down any conversation about it. Suddenly, the United States looks very much like a one-party state,’ he added.”

The Hill reported on April 27:

“[The video] racked up more than 57 million views on Twitter as of Thursday afternoon [in less than 24 hours].”

Ukraine to Become Part of NATO AFTER Having Won the War Against Russia?

Breitbart wrote on April 21:

“(NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told cameras [in Germany] that Ukraine’s membership of the alliance [NATO] was coming. Regardless, and possibly to reassure those who fear the consequences of admitting a country already at war into the fold of the NATO nuclear mutual assurance club would mean, Stoltenberg made clear that the present conflict would have to be won first… [He said:] ‘without a sovereign, independent Ukraine there is no meaning in discussing membership’…

“Russia… said in the past that allowing Ukraine to join the alliance would trigger ‘world war three’… Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said preventing Ukraine from joining NATO was one of the key purposes of the war…’”

It does not appear that Ukraine will win this war against Putin, so NATO membership would be a moot issue.

Medvedev Threatens to Destroy Berlin

Bild Online wrote on April 21:

“After Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (63, SPD) said on Thursday evening… that he considered limited attacks by Ukraine on Russian territory in the fight against the invasion acceptable, [ex-Russian President Dmitry] Medvedev freaked out again on Twitter. This time his destination: Berlin!

“‘The German defense minister (…) certainly envies the fame of the warlords of the Third Reich,’ said Medvedev… And the Kremlin’s mouthpiece threatens all of Germany: ‘The German who wants to attack Russia must be prepared for our parade in Berlin.’…

“It’s not the first time that the ex-Russian president and Putin friend has threatened Germany. In March he spoke openly of dropping bombs on Berlin. Reason for the threatening gestures: a possible arrest of the Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin (70) after an arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court…

“Medvedev at the time: ‘The current head of a nuclear state arrives on the territory of, say, Germany and is arrested. What is that? A declaration of war against the Russian Federation.’ Should an arrest take place in Germany, ‘all our means, rockets and so on, will fly at the Bundestag, the Chancellery and so on,’ said Medvedev…”

From the context, it did not appear that Pistorius advocated a German attack on Russia. He spoke about an attack by Ukraine. Medvedev seems to have used that statement suggesting that Germany’s delivery of weapons to Ukraine makes it complicit IF Ukraine were to attack Russia on Russian soil. This is even more interesting as allegedly, Ukraine is preparing for a “big bang” strike to retake Crimea which has been in Russian hands since 2014, according to the Sun, dated April 22, 2023. Military experts seem to think that the key for Ukraine’s victory in the war against Russia is winning Crimea. Also note the next article.

Drone Attacks on Sevastopol

The Associated Press reported on April 29:

“A massive fire erupted at an oil depot in Crimea after it was hit by two of Ukraine’s drones, a Russia-appointed official there [Mikhail Razvozhayev] reported Saturday, the latest in a series of attacks on the annexed peninsula as Russia braces for an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive…

“Razvozhayev said the fire at the city’s harbor was assigned the highest ranking in terms of how complicated it will be to extinguish. However, he reported that the open blaze had been contained. Razvozhayev said the oil depot was attacked by ‘two enemy drones,’ and four oil tanks burned down. A third drone was shot down from the sky, and one more was deactivated through radio-electronic means, according to Crimea’s Moscow-appointed governor, Sergei Aksyonov…. Earlier this week, Razvozhayev reported that the Russian military destroyed a Ukrainian sea drone that attempted to attack the harbor…”

Ukraine Allegedly Tried to Kill Putin

Italy 24 Press News wrote on April 26:

“Ukrainian intelligence allegedly tried to kill the Russian president… with a UJ-22 explosive drone on April 23, when he was supposed to visit the Rudnevo industrial park near Moscow. This is what the newspaper ‘Bild’ reveals, adding that the assassination attempt is ‘kept secret by the Russian authorities although it failed’…”

On May 3, yahoo!news reported this:

“The Russian presidential administration said Wednesday that the Kremlin was attacked by drones overnight in an attempt on President Vladimir Putin’s life.

“Moscow residents had reported hearing two explosions behind Kremlin walls shortly after 2 a.m. local time, after which the lights went out. Footage shared by residents in a local Telegram channel captured the incident, as smoke was seen filling the sky above the Kremlin. Videos also appeared to show part of the Kremlin on fire.

“Now, authorities say it was a brazen attack by Ukraine using two drones, both of which they say have been destroyed…

“The Kremlin, describing the incident as a ‘planned terrorist attack’ and ‘assassination attempt on the president of Russia,’ is now threatening to take ‘retaliatory measures.’

“A spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied that the country was behind any attack on the Kremlin…”

But reports that Ukraine is trying to assassinate Putin are increasing.

Germany’s Toxic Relationship with Russia

MSN wrote on April 8:

“Over the past 75 years, the Germans have rebuilt Europe in their own image. With its coalition politics, mercantile economics, green ideology and woke culture, the EU is in many ways the Federal Republic writ large…

“Public support for Ukraine’s fight for survival is falling: half the country no longer supports sending arms and four out of five think it is more important to end the war quickly than for Ukraine to win.

“German trade with Russia almost halved by volume in 2022, but the value of imports actually rose by 6.5 per cent. This means that last year Germany alone contributed more than £30 billion to Putin’s war chest… anti-Americanism has surged…

“So why does Germany still have such a toxic relationship with autocracy? The short answer is: because that was the price of German reunification… The fact that the Federal Republic was able to absorb East Germany without violence was seen as a miracle, made possible by Mikhail Gorbachev’s reluctance to use military force. The quid pro quo came with the disastrous Ostpolitik of Gerhard Schröder and Angela Merkel, which left Germany dependent on Russian energy and virtually defenceless….”

Under a new German government being less friendly towards Russia and China, this may all change.

Switzerland’s Ban on Exporting Ammunition to Ukraine

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 24:

“Swiss ambassador to Berlin Paul Rene Seger said he was surprised by the ‘extent of the criticism that is raining down’ on his country over Switzerland’s ban on reexporting ammunition for Germany’s Leopard (or Gepard) tanks to Ukraine… Seger pointed to Switzerland’s long-running tradition of neutrality, which is one of the basic principles of Swiss foreign policy…

“Until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany had a very similar policy about not sending weapons to hot conflicts as Switzerland’s and often faced criticism in 2022 for its perceived reluctance to provide weaponry for Kyiv.”

Of course, Germany has had a history of violating its policy, when economically advantageous, long before the Ukraine conflict.

On the other hand, the Ron Paul Institute wrote on May 2:

“Washington’s old guard can’t help itself: when it comes to throwing endless streams of our money down a foreign boondoggle they just never refuse. Even if they promise to do so. Speaker Kevin McCarthy is backing off his ‘no blank check’ promise when it comes to Ukraine – even after $100 billion has already been authorized!”

Worldwide Military Spending at an All-Time High

Breitbart wrote on April 24:

“The world has never spent so much on military muscle. Figures released Monday show $2.24 trillion was outlaid globally in 2022 with Europe leading the way due to Ukraine’s demands for continued supplies of battlefield hardware… There was a 13 percent rise in Europe, the steepest in at least 30 years…

“Overall the United States remains by far the world’s biggest military spender. U.S. military spending reached $877 billion in 2022, which was 39 percent of total global military spending and three times more than the amount spent by China, the world’s second largest spender…

“[Following Russia as the world’s third highest military spender,]India’s military spending of $81.4 billion was the fourth highest in the world… In 2022 military spending by Saudi Arabia, the fifth biggest military spender, rose by 16 percent…”

The Associated Press added on April 24:

“… the three largest arms spenders were the United States, China and Russia, who between them accounted for 56% of global expenditure.”

De-Dollarization Attempts

Bitcoin.com wrote on April 27:

“Russia’s former head of state, Dmitry… Medvedev… predicted… late December that the U.S. dollar will be losing its status of global reserve currency in 2023, amid the increasing spread of digital currencies.

“Russia has been working on a digital ruble and a new payment system that officials claim will not restrict digital currency payments. Pressed by Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow also intends to legalize crypto payments in international settlements as part of its de-dollarization attempts.”

It was also reported on the Internet that China plans to create a $58 billion railway system connecting Pakistan and China to reduce Western trade dependence. The South China Morning Post reported on April 27 that “many other train systems could connect China to Turkey and Iran moving forward. China, the world’s largest manufacturer of goods, is bypassing the U.S. dollar dominance by improving and promoting the Chinese Yuan’s utility. If the development goes through, it would open direct access for China to trade with other Asian nations.”

The Challenge of the BRICS Countries

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 10:

“… the BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa — are setting themselves up as an alternative to existing international financial and political forums… South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor has said worldwide interest in the BRICS group was ‘huge.’ [She said] she had 12 letters from interested countries on her desk. ‘Saudi Arabia is one,’ she said. ‘United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, and Argentina,’ as well as Mexico and Nigeria… [Subsequently, it was reported that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Algeria have formally requested to join the BRICS alliance; and that Iran has also shown interest in joining].  

“Since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine, the BRICS countries have only distanced themselves further from the so-called West. Neither India, Brazil, South Africa or China are taking part in sanctions against Russia. This has become increasingly clear with near-historic levels of trade between India and Russia, or in Brazil’s dependence on Russian fertilizer.”

Watcher Guru added on April 28 that the BRICS countries are moving “to replace the US dollar with a new currency of global stage to settle international trade”; and that they are a challenge to the G7 countries (the US, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, the UK and Japan).

South Africa Wants to Arrest Putin During BRICS Summit?

Newsmax wrote on May 2:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin has been warned that he could be arrested if he travels to the BRICS summit in South Africa this August, with officials in the country saying they will have to detain him on the warrant issued this March by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

“According to the South African outlet The Sunday Times, government officials there are trying to convince Putin to attend the BRICS summit in Cape Town by videoconference rather than in person, because as a member of the ICC, South Africa would have to honor Putin’s arrest warrant.”

Earlier, South Africa had assured Putin that they would NOT arrest him if he were to enter their country. Why the sudden change in approach?

Germany’s Unpopular Measures

Breitbart wrote on April 21:

“Germany’s Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck announced that the cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz will back the Building Energy Efficiency Act, which would require that all new heating systems run on at least 65 per cent of so-called renewable forms of energy. This would effectively ban new gas and oil heaters, which would need to be replaced with heat pumps or hybrid systems that only use fossil fuels as a backup.

“According to the draft legislation, the plan would cost the German public some 9.16 billion euros ($10 billion) per year until at least 2028…

“… nearly half of the 41 million households [are] using natural gas for heating and 25 per cent using oil.

“The green agenda push is apparently not appreciated by the German public, who have been suffering under an energy crisis as a result of dried-up supplies of Russian gas…  78 per cent of Germans are opposed to the legislation, as opposed to just 18 per cent who back the bill. Over six in ten people also told the pollster that they believed the move towards renewables would result in their heating bills costing more.

“The push to ban new gas and oil heaters comes just days after Germany closed down its final three remaining nuclear power plants…”

Habeck from the Green party has turned out to be one of the most unpopular politicians in Germany. With Habeck’s insane green-driven woke agenda, how can Germany’s incompetent government survive?

Germany’s “Energiewende”

Forbes wrote on April 20:

“Germany has been at the forefront of efforts to transition away from nuclear power and towards renewable energy sources with its ‘energiewende’ initiative…

“Germany’s decision to phase out nuclear power appears to be at odds with the country’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions… Germany’s phaseout of nuclear power is all the more stunning because it comes at a time when Europe is grappling with high energy prices caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine…

“Germany’s nuclear phaseout has angered many, including some environmentalists… Despite the criticisms, German leaders appear committed to their energiewende initiative. This may be premised on the false belief that renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, can completely replace nuclear and coal on the path to zero carbon emissions…”

Swearing Allegiance to the King?

AFP wrote on April 30:

“All Britons will be called on to swear allegiance to King Charles III at his coronation, an oath hitherto reserved for British nobility…

“The office of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who will lead the coronation ceremony on May 6 at Westminster Abbey, announced on Saturday that the traditional ‘Homage of Peers’ — during which representatives of the nobility kneel before the king and pledge allegiance to him — would be scrapped. Instead, the ceremony will include a ‘Homage of the People’, with the archbishop calling on all people in the United Kingdom and other places where King Charles is the head of state to swear allegiance…

“The order of service will read: ‘All who so desire, in the abbey, and elsewhere, say together: I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.’

“British parliamentarians, but also Canadians since the British sovereign is their head of state, already swear allegiance to the monarch when they take office…

“At Saturday’s ceremony, women bishops will take part for the first time, as well as representatives of non-Christian faiths…”

Very strange indeed.

Pastor Threatened with Jail for Quoting the Bible

Fox News wrote on April 24:

“An outspoken street preacher is appealing to the Oklahoma Supreme Court after he was slapped with a five-year restraining order that threatened him with jail time if he speaks out in opposition against a local LGBTQ advocacy group…

“Penkoski referenced Bible verses condemning homosexuality, including Romans 1:32 – ‘and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same but also give hearty approval to those who practice them’…

Penkoski made two additional posts in which he expressed his disapproval of several Pride events in Bartlesville. In one post, he criticized local Disciples Christian Church for sharing photos of children celebrating Pride Month last June…

“… the Rutherford Institute, which represented Paula Jones in her sexual harassment claim against former President Bill Clinton, took on Penkoski’s case because they believe it could set a dangerous precedent that could chill the speech of Christians or anyone else who publicly opposes LGBTQ ideology… Whitehead [a constitutional attorney of the Rutherford Institute] said that if Penkoski fails in his appeal, the First Amendment is ‘dead,’ which he believes ‘would open [the] door for persecution, obviously… He quotes what Jesus Christ says, OK? If that’s a crime, then we’re in a bad state in this country,’ he added.”

We ARE in a bad state in this country!

No Consequence For Breaking the Law

The New York Post wrote on April 26:

“Under the new crop of George Soros-backed, soft-on-crime district attorneys, there is no consequence for breaking the law…

“In Chicago, two teens steal a car, speed down a road and kill a baby. That’s not enough to lock them up…

“Progressives will tell us with a straight face that crime isn’t increasing, and if it is, it has nothing to do with this new breed of no-bail, no-jail prosecutors. It’s ludicrous…

“This experiment in anarchy must end.”

Finally, Some GOOD NEWS–No More COVID Vaccinations for International Travelers

Reuters wrote on May 1:

“The United States will end its COVID-19 vaccination requirements for international travelers and federal workers on May 11, when the coronavirus public health emergency ends, the White House said on Monday. In February, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to lift the requirement that most foreign air travelers be vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the few remaining pandemic travel restrictions still in place.

“The Biden administration last June dropped its requirement that people arriving in the U.S. by air must test negative for COVID but kept in place Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccination requirements for most foreign travelers.

“The Homeland Security Department also said Monday starting May 12 it will no longer require non-U.S. travelers entering the United States via land ports of entry and ferries to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination upon request.

“The Biden administration’s rules imposed in September 2021 requiring about 3.5 million federal employees and contractors to be vaccinated or face firing or disciplinary action have not been enforced for over a year after a series of court rulings. A federal appeals court in March upheld a decision blocking enforcement of the employee vaccine requirement…”

It was more than overdue to end this insane policy; hopefully, it will stay that way.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

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Does God Love Everyone? Does the Bible Teach Unconditional Love? (Part 1)

A reader sent us the following message:

“[Someone] told me that God loves everyone, no matter what, but I can’t believe that. Now, if God loves everyone, why did He kill everyone in the Flood except for Noah and his family? If God loves everyone, why did He destroy all the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire from heaven? If God loves everyone, why does He send people to the Lake of Fire (Eternal Death)? If God loves everyone, then all people would have to be written in the book of life, including Satanists [and] witches. That God loves everyone seems to me to be a widespread myth in Christianity. Romans 9:13 says God hated Esau. And Psalm 5:5 says God hates all workers of iniquity.”

These are important questions. In this new series, we will discuss those and other questions regarding God’s love, and answer whether God loves every human being and whether the Bible speaks of God’s “unconditional” love.

We want to begin with God’s statement that He loved Jacob and hated Esau. We read Paul’s words in Romans 9:9-13:

“For this is the word of promise: ‘At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.’ And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, ‘The older shall serve the younger.’ As it is written, ‘Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.’”

As we will explain, this passage addresses God’s mercy (compare verses 15-16, 18) and the time of our calling (compare again verse 11 and verses 23-26). God calls only very few today to salvation, referring to them as the “firstfruits” (James 1:18; Revelation 14:4); and His calling has nothing to do with our works, but is strictly based on His mercy and grace (compare also Romans 11:32; 1 Peter 2:9-10; see as well Romans 11:5-6). But the timing of God’s election regarding the few does not show a lack of love of God for all of mankind, because, as we will see, everyone will be called to salvation, in his or her due time.

Everyone will get his or her chance to respond to God, but everyone in his or her own order (compare 1 Corinthians 15:23). God has not preordained anyone to eternal death — those who are not called yet are not judged yet — they will be judged later, when their time of calling has come. God most certainly does not hate anyone, “before having done any good or evil” (Romans 9:11).

In Romans 9:13, God explains that He CALLED Jacob, and that He did NOT CALL Esau at that time. We need to understand that God had decided to call or choose for salvation certain ones “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:3-4). We don’t know exactly, and God does not reveal, on what basis He chooses and elects those whom He had preordained, but we know that He does make such an election, as the Bible tells us so.

In calling Jacob, God loved him in a special way, by opening his understanding to His truth, and by ultimately granting him His Holy Spirit. God did not call Esau AT THAT TIME. He WILL call Esau and all of his descendants later — during the Second Resurrection and the Great White Throne Judgment period, as we will explain.

By comparison, God “loved” Jacob more than Esau. God’s “love” needs to be understood in light of God’s calling at that time. In not calling someone to repentance and to the understanding of His truth, God “loves” such a person “less” by comparison — at that moment in time — but not forever. God knows that such a person, still cut off from Him, will engage in sinful ways, bringing about automatic penalties.

God’s statement that He loved Jacob and HATED Esau must be understood as saying that God loved Esau LESS BY COMPARISON. We might also note that the Bible itself sometimes describes “hate” as “love less by comparison.”

In Luke 14:26 we read that Christ tells us, “If anyone comes to Me and does not HATE his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” In the parallel passage, in Matthew 10:37, the word “hate” is described as “love less by comparison.” We read, “He who loves his father or mother MORE than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter MORE than Me is not worthy of Me.” In other words, we must love them LESS, by comparison, than Jesus Christ. We are to love the Father and the Son with all our heart and our strength and our mind (compare Matthew 22:37). God must always come first in our lives. At the same time, we are to LOVE — not hate — our neighbor AS ourselves (compare Matthew 22:39). We are not to hate our neighbor, including our own family, nor are we to hate ourselves (but we must hate it when we do something wrong). We are to love them and us LESS than God, though, by comparison.

Another biblical example, where the meaning of “hate” must be understood as “loving less by comparison,” can be seen in Genesis 29:30-31, which states:

“Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years. When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.”

The Margin of the New King James Bible states that the word for “unloved” is literally “hate.” Compare also Deuteronomy 21:15-17 in the Authorized Version.  

When God said that He “hated” Esau, by loving him less than Jacob, He was talking about His decision to call Jacob, but not Esau, to salvation at that time. The time for Esau’s and his descendants’ salvation is still coming.

The fact that God WILL call ALL for salvation proves that God loves ALL. But this does not mean that God loves evil doing. When God calls us, He wants us to forsake unrighteousness and love His Way of Life. God HATES it when we sin. Likewise, God hates it when He sees unconverted people sinning, and at times, He might intervene to stop them from doing so, as He did in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah and also at the time of Noah. But as we will see, this does not negate His love for those whom He destroyed, because He will raise them up in a “Second Resurrection” to offer them salvation at that time.

It is important, however, to consider as to WHY God decided at times to intervene and destroy evil people and rotten societies, even though generally speaking, it is Satan and his demons, and not God, who rule this world (compare Luke 4:5-8; John 14:30; Ephesians 2:1-2; 6:12). In the case of Noah’s Flood, please note how the people were described at that time. Genesis 6:5-13 explains:

“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.’… The earth… was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.’”

The people were so corrupt and violent that God was sorry that He had made them. He felt it was better to destroy them and make a new beginning with righteous Noah, rather than let evil men continue to live with their wickedness and defile perhaps even Noah and his wife and family.

We even read in Genesis 6:1-2 about another abomination at that time:

“Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.”

This passage does in no way address the erroneous concept that righteous or fallen angels cohabited with women. Such conduct would have been impossible at the time of the Flood, nor would it be possible today. This whole idea is in fact a demonic and blasphemous abomination. The sons of God in Genesis 6 were not angels or demons, but male descendants of Seth (the third-born son of Adam and Eve), who sinned when marrying unrighteous female descendants of Cain (Cain was Adam and Eve’s unrighteous first-born son who had murdered his righteous brother Abel). For extensive proof, please read Part 5 of our free booklet, “Heavens and Earth… Before and After the First Man!”

Clearly, Satan and his demons were behind these events, in that they influenced the descendants of Seth to marry the unrighteous descendants of Cain. This ungodly behavior by Seth’s descendants, apparently even with the use of violent conduct (“they TOOK wives for themselves of all whom THEY CHOSE”), was another reason why God decided to make an end to that evil generation. Seth’s “righteous” descendants had become “unrighteous” themselves by marrying unrighteous descendants of evil and wicked Cain. Sinful rotten conduct had been adopted by just about everyone. But God knew of course that He would resurrect all of those whom He would destroy in the Flood to physical life again in the “Second Resurrection.”

But even during these terrible times, God granted people the opportunity to repent. While Noah built the ark and before God brought “in the flood on the world of the ungodly,” Noah warned the people of impending destruction, being called a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5).

In addition, we are told in 1 Peter 3:19–20 that Christ “went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (Authorized Version). Some claim that Christ went to “hell” to preach to the spirits of the “departed ones” or to imprisoned demons while He was in the grave for three days and three nights. This is utter nonsense. Rather, the correct understanding of this passage is that Jesus Christ preached to the spirits in prison—the demons—at the time of Noah, when God suffered long or “when the longsuffering of God waited patiently” (Margin of New King James Bible) and when He was about to protect Noah from destruction. Christ used this example to show that the demons who had sinned “some time”—before the creation of man—were still awaiting their judgment.

Turning to the destruction of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, their evil way had to be ended right there and then in the eyes of God, as even righteous Lot had already been defiled to an extent, and his wife and his sons-in-law had no desire to flee from that evil environment. We read God’s words about Sodom’s depravity in Genesis 18:20-21: “And the LORD said, ‘Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.’”

As it turned out, not even ten righteous people could be found in Sodom. We read in Genesis 19:4-9:

“Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.’ So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, and said, ‘Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!… And they said, ‘Stand back!’ Then they said, ‘This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.’ So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door.”

The angels who lodged in Lot’s house helped him, and God’s judgment is revealed in Genesis 19:13-15: “‘For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.’… When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, ‘Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.’”

Homosexual practice, combined with violent behavior, was clearly part of the reason why God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, “making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly” (2 Peter 2:6; compare also Jude 7), but more was involved. We read in Ezekiel 16:48-50:

“‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done. Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.’”

But as in the case of the people who died in Noah’s Flood, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah will also be brought back to life in the Second Resurrection or the Great White Throne Judgment period when they will be offered, as we will explain, an opportunity to receive salvation. Christ said in Matthew 10:15 that in comparison to the cities who rejected Christ’s apostles at the time of Jesus’ first coming, “it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” [Compare also Luke 10:12.] He also said in Matthew 11:23-24: “… if the mighty works which were done in [Capernaum] had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

The fact that God will resurrect the people of Sodom and Gomorrah to offer them salvation shows that He does not hate them, but that He loves them, even though He clearly hated their terrible ungodly conduct.

Sometimes, Scriptures may suggest that God does not only hate the sin, but also the sinner. For instance, we read in Psalm 5:4-6:

“For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.”

Psalm 11:5-6 states: “… the wicked and the one who loves violence His [the LORD’s] soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind Shall be the portion of their cup.”

Furthermore, Psalm 7:11 states: “God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.”

But correctly understood, God is angry with and hates the wicked behavior of the sinner. We read in Psalm 45:7 about Jesus Christ: “You love righteousness and hate wickedness…” When biblical passages say that God hates the workers of iniquity and the wicked persons, then the sin or wickedness is “personified.” Such usage of words is not uncommon in the Bible (compare Romans 7:8, 11, 17). But as we have seen, God loves the sinner (but not his sinful way, nor does He love what he is doing) and because of His love for him, He is willing to give him the opportunity to repent and submit to and love Him.

This becomes very clear when we discuss the doctrine of the Second Resurrection.  

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

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Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

compiled by Dave Harris

“Should Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Be Censored?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Some networks are trying to censor Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., allegedly due to his controversial views, but this could backfire. And what about censorship in general?

“Will Russia Win Against Ukraine?” is the title of our recent StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

There are more and more signs that Ukraine’s supporters in the West are not that anxious anymore to help Ukraine by delivering weapons and money. And without that help, Ukraine cannot survive and win against Russia. Does the Bible indicate as to what will happen ultimately? In this program, we focus on the true feelings of many Western Europeans, and especially Germans, towards Ukraine.

“Hat Biden überhaupt eine Chance, Präsident zu bleiben?” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Does Biden Even Have a Chance to Remain President?”

The 2023 Ministerial Conference was conducted on April 27 and 28. Details will be presented in our next monthly Member Letter.

Our new booklet, “The Rise and Fall of Germany and Europe,” has reached its final review cycle and will be sent to the printer very soon.

“Wer ist der wahre Gott?” the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Tahir Coban, is now posted. Title in English: “Who Is the True God?”

“Leuchtet das Licht in uns mit voller Kraft?” the sermon presented last Sabbath in Germany by Christoph Sperzel, is now posted. Title in English: “Does the Light Within Us Shine With Full Force?”

“Joshua,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Eric Rank, is now posted.

The Law of God Makes All the Difference,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Brian Gale, is now posted. Here is a summary:

If everyone on earth kept just one of God’s Ten Commandments, the whole world would be so very much better for doing that and what a difference it would make.   But when Jesus Christ sets up the Kingdom of God on earth, all 10 of the Commandments will be kept and the world will be a completely different place – and so much better for it! 

Spring Holy Day: Pentecost—May 28, 2023.

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How This Work is Financed

This Update is an official publication by the ministry of the Church of the Eternal God in the United States of America; the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada; and the Global Church of God in the United Kingdom.

Editorial Team: Norbert Link, Dave Harris, Rene Messier, Brian Gale, Johanna Link, Eric Rank, Michael Link, Anna Link, Kalon Mitchell, Manuela Mitchell, Dawn Thompson

Technical Team: Eric Rank, Shana Rank

Our activities and literature, including booklets, weekly updates, sermons on CD and video and audio broadcasts, are provided free of charge. They are made possible by the tithes, offerings and contributions of Church members and others who have elected to support this Work.

While we do not solicit the general public for funds, contributions are gratefully welcomed and are tax-deductible in the U.S. and Canada.

Donations can be sent to the following addresses:

United States: Church of the Eternal God, P.O. Box 270519, San Diego, CA 92198

Canada: Church of God, ACF, Box 1480, Summerland, B.C. V0H 1Z0

United Kingdom: Global Church of God, PO Box 44, MABLETHORPE, LN12 9AN, United Kingdom

Integrity / Are You Watching?

On April 22, 2023, Paul Niehoff will present the sermonette, titled, “Integrity,” and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “Are You Watching?”

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.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to our ministerial conference next week, we will not publish the Update again until May 5, 2023.

This Week in the News

China Threatens Taiwan

BBC News wrote on April 8:

“US President Joe Biden has said on several occasions that the US would intervene if China attacked the island, but US messaging has been murky…

“Taiwan’s status has been ambiguous since 1949, when the Chinese Civil War turned in favour of the Chinese Communist Party and the country’s old ruling government retreated to the island. Taiwan has since considered itself a sovereign state, with its own constitution and leaders. China sees it as a breakaway province that will eventually be brought under Beijing’s control – by force if necessary. China’s President Xi Jinping has said ‘reunification’ with Taiwan ‘must be fulfilled.’”

Will America REALLY intervene militarily if China invades Taiwan? This is highly doubtful.

EU and China: Is Taiwan Really Europe’s Problem?

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 23:

“Macron caused international consternation by stating… that Europeans should not simply be ‘followers’ of the US amid escalating tensions with China over the east Asian island, nor get caught up in ‘crises that aren’t ours.’

“His words prompted backlash in Washington and raised eyebrows in EU capitals, most notably in Warsaw…

“But the controversy Macron’s comments caused doesn’t mean Macron is wrong, said Jeremy Shapiro, research director for the European Council of Foreign Relations. ‘I suspect that the vast majority of [European leaders] agree in terms of wanting to maintain some independence from the United States, to have a relationship with China, and in fact, how Taiwan isn’t really their problem,’ he told DW…”

The division between the USA and Europe is getting greater.

Baerbock’s Position Regarding China

Reuters wrote on April 13:

“German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock…said Europe needed to maintain a close exchange with Beijing, one of the bloc’s biggest trade partners, but also to draw lessons from Russia’s war in Ukraine by tackling ‘unhealthy’ dependencies on China… ‘A military escalation in the Taiwan Strait … would be a worst-case scenario globally and affect us as one of the biggest industrial nations in particular,’ she added of Germany, the EU’s largest economy…

It’s all about money. Baerbock’s controversial comments are well known; for instance, when she declared that NATO was at war with Russia.

Washington’s Worst National Security Breach

The Guardian wrote on April 11:

“US intelligence reportedly warned in February that Ukraine might fail to amass sufficient troops and weaponry for its planned spring counter-offensive, and might fall ‘well short’ of Kyiv’s goals for recapturing territory seized by Russia, according to one of a trove of leaked defence documents.  

“The leaked documents also revealed fraught relations with supposed allies and partners, including some who appear to lean more towards Moscow…

“The disclosure of the highly classified material represents Washington’s worst national security breach in many years…

“One of the latest leaks claims Egypt was planning to covertly supply Russia with rockets and other munitions…”

Suspected Leaker Arrested—How Could It Have Happened?

The Associated Press reported on April 14:

“The emergence of Teixeira as a primary suspect is bound to raise questions about how such a profound breach, one that the Pentagon termed a ‘very serious risk to national security,’ could have been caused by such a young, low-ranking service member…”

The Sun added on April 14:

“A treasure trove of classified documents was shared on Discord, Twitter, and Telegram, containing bombshell US intelligence gathered on other countries… and reports that the US has been spying on key allies.

“… intelligence experts fear the most damaging revelation of all is the simple fact that the US appears to have lost the ability to keep its secrets safe.”

America’s reputation is steadily diminishing.

Possible Motives?

JTA wrote on April 14:

“Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the influential Republican congresswoman from Georgia… has come to Teixeira’s defense. She tweeted that ‘Teixeira is white, male, christian, and antiwar. That makes him an enemy to the Biden regime’…

“The Post… quoted a friend who said he was a ‘devout Catholic’ who often spoke of God in the chats. He also reportedly referred to government raids on far-right compounds in the 1990s, events that have spurred extremist antigovernment anger.

“The documents Teixeira allegedly leaked exposed weaknesses on both sides in Russia’s war against Ukraine

Breitbart added on April 14:

“Greene [also] tweeted, ‘Jake Teixeira… told the truth about troops being on the ground in Ukraine and a lot more. Ask yourself, who is the real enemy? A young, low-level national guardsmen? Or the administration that is waging war in Ukraine, a non-NATO nation, against nuclear Russia without war powers?’”

There are indeed many troubling questions. Note the next article.

“Something Is Not Right”

The Ron Paul Institute published the following article on April 16:

“The media obsession in vilifying Jack Texeira for ‘leaking’ TOP SECRET and SECRET documents and judging him guilty without any benefit of doubt, is just another symptom of the authoritarian fever that grips many inhabitants of the United States…

“One of the major revelations from this leaking incident is that most of the press in the United States have rejected the fundamental mission of the media — expose truths the Government wants to hide from the public… Fifty years ago the New York Times and the Washington Post led the way in defying the Nixon Administration’s effort to quash the publication of the highly classified Pentagon Papers. Those documents revealed that the U.S. Government, under both Republican and Democrat Presidents, lied to the American public about the war in Vietnam. And today? Those two media outlets are enthusiastically helping the U.S. Government identify the leaker and smear him in the process. So much for the viability of the First Amendment.”

Is the mass media too quick again to convict a person of a crime without having all the evidence?

Ukraine Will Cease to Exist?

aa.com.tr wrote on April 8:

“Ukraine will ‘disappear’ as ‘no one needs it,’… Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, said [continuing] Europe does not need Ukraine because it is already experiencing ‘a financial and political hell’ provoked by its support to Kyiv… The US also does not need Ukraine, he argued, saying that while some US politicians use Ukraine to ‘make publicity’ on the matter, ordinary Americans do not understand why their government is busy with Ukraine and send lots of money to Kyiv instead of dealing with its own problems

“Medvedev emphasized that Moscow does not need ‘parts of Russia named as Ukraine in 1991,’ it instead needs ‘Big Great Russia.’… ‘Such a Ukraine is not needed by anyone on the planet. That is why it will not exist,’ he concluded.”

AFP wrote on April 14 that Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has demanded of the USA to cease and desist from supporting Ukraine militarily. He also said that the EU should start speaking about peace.

According to Focus on April 15, Medvedev said that Poland will disappear too. In this, he is wrong. In other news, the Guardian reported on April 14 that “China approved the provision of lethal aid to Russia for its war in Ukraine but wanted any shipments to remain a secret, according to leaked US government documents.”

The Kings of the East are coming together, and Ukraine will indeed cease to exist in that it will become part of Russia.

Finland Joins NATO

The Sun wrote on April 4:

“Finland becomes the 31st member of the military alliance serving a heavy blow to… Putin…

Finland and Russia share a painful 810 mile border with one another… Russia has vowed to ‘strengthen our military potential in the western and northwestern direction’…

“Olga Skabeyeva, Russia-1 host… claimed the Finnish territory as ‘our historical land’… She said: ‘We have to liberate the brotherly Finnish people.’…

“Finland [is] the sixth Nato nation to share a border with Russia, joining Norway, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland. The Finnish contribution [adds] more than 257,000 troops to the combined forces.”

Ultimately, Russia will invade Europe, including Finland.

Russia’s New Hostile Neighbor

Breitbart wrote on April 15:

“Norway declared 15 Russian diplomats persona non grata on Thursday… saying it had discovered the individuals were actually ‘intelligence officers’ that were either handlers running other spies, or were ‘specialists’ actively intercepting communications…

“Russia itself responded to the expulsion with characteristic bluster and bombast, declaring that in removing Russian citizens Norway had revealed itself to be a hostile state and that repercussions would follow…”

Russia and Norway share a long land border in northern Europe.

What we said about Finland equally applies to Norway.

Turkey vs. Israel

The Jerusalem Post wrote on April 7:

“Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi over the phone that the ‘Islamic world should be united against Israel’s attacks in Palestine,’ Turkish media reported…

“Erdogan condemned the Israeli police’s actions at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem on Wednesday, calling such acts in the mosque compound a ‘red line’ for Turkey… “

Turkey will be part of an alliance of Arab nations against Israel.

Christians Persecuted in Israel?

The Associated Press wrote on April 13

The head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land has warned in an interview that the rise of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government has made life worse for Christians in the birthplace of Christianity. The influential Vatican-appointed Latin Patriarch, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, told The Associated Press that the region’s 2,000-year-old Christian community has come under increasing attack, with the most right-wing government in Israel’s history emboldening extremists who have harassed clergy and vandalized religious property at a quickening pace…

“‘The frequency of these attacks, the aggressions, has become something new,’ Pizzaballa said… ‘These people feel they are protected … that the cultural and political atmosphere now can justify, or tolerate, actions against Christians…’

“‘The right-wing elements are out to Judaize the Old City and the other lands, and we feel nothing is holding them back now,’ said Father Don Binder, a pastor at St. George’s Anglican Cathedral in Jerusalem… 2023 is shaping up to be the worst year for Christians in a decade, according to Yusef Daher from the Inter-Church Center…”

Alleged or real persecution of Christians, and especially Catholics, in Israel will contribute to the false prophet’s invasion of the “Holy Land.” An additional factor is the infighting of Christian sects in Israel. Note the next article.

Christian Sects Are Fighting in Jerusalem

DNYUZ wrote on April 15:

“As Orthodox Christians descended on Jerusalem this Easter week to visit the holiest site in their religion, a more earthly concern hovered over the holiday: Would rival monks keep the peace this year or again engage in clashes? In a centuries-long conflict, Egyptian Coptic monks and Ethiopian Orthodox monks have competed for the control of a small monastery located on the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built at the site where Christians believe Christ was crucified, entombed and resurrected…

“‘When I first arrived in Jerusalem I was shocked,’ said Markos Alorshalemy, an Egyptian monk. ‘I was expecting to see a holy land, where everyone is living in peace and light. But instead, I found a place where everyone is constantly fighting, even inside the holiest church’…

“Rival sects of Christians have been jostling for control of their faith’s holy sites in Jerusalem for nearly two millenniums, and the sprawling Church of the Holy Sepulcher is at the heart of these contests… Six Christian denominations try to share control over the church, which is really a tangled knot of several chapels, monasteries and shrines, a complex and sometimes chaotic arrangement that has contributed to the occasional bloodshed…”

Syria to Come Out of Isolation?

The Times of Israel wrote on April 14:

“Arab countries gathered in Jeddah on Friday to discuss ending Syria’s long spell in the diplomatic wilderness, as regional relations shift following Saudi Arabia and Iran’s decision to resume ties. Ministers and top officials from the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — plus Egypt, Iraq and Jordan are meeting at Saudi Arabia’s request.

“Up for discussion in the Red Sea city is Syria’s suspension from the Arab League, imposed when President Bashar al-Assad’s government launched a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011. Backed by Iran and Russia, Assad has been shunned by many Middle Eastern countries and is a Western pariah over the war, which has killed more than half-a-million people and forced about half of Syria’s pre-war population from their homes.

“But on Wednesday, in the latest sign of an easing in tensions with Damascus, Syria’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad arrived in Jeddah, the first such visit since the war began. Mekdad and his Saudi counterpart discussed ‘the necessary steps’ to end Damascus’s isolation, according to a Saudi statement on Wednesday.

“Any recommendation to reinstate Syria in the 22-member Arab League, whose next meeting is due to be held in Saudi Arabia in May, is likely to draw protests from Western capitals…  late on Wednesday, gas-rich Qatar and its tiny but strategic Gulf neighbors Bahrain agreed to re-establish relations, putting aside a long-running diplomatic feud…”

For more information on Syria, please read our free booklet, “Middle Eastern and African Nations in Bible Prophecy.” https://www.eternalgod.org/booklet-2187/

Sudan in Turmoil

The Wall Street Journal reported on April 15:

“Heavy fighting broke out in Sudan’s capital and other cities between the national military and a powerful militia—a dangerous escalation of tensions between the country’s top two generals, who worked together to oust Sudan’s longtime dictator, Omar al-Bashir, in 2019.

“In competing statements, the military, commanded by Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, a state-sponsored militia led by Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, blamed each other for starting the conflict…

“The vast country of around 45 million is perched between Egypt and Ethiopia along the Red Sea… Both Gen. Burhan and Gen. Dagalo have been building international alliances, including with Gulf countries and Russia…

“In February 2022, days before Russia invaded Ukraine, Gen. Dagalo visited the Kremlin for talks with President  Vladimir Putin to discuss the continued export of gold to Russia, the purchase of Russian arms and construction of a new military port on the Red Sea…”

Peace vs. War

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 9:

“Thousands of people took part in Easter peace marches across [the nation] to call upon the government to push for an end to Ukraine war. The rallies, organized by the Peace Cooperative Network, called for an end to German arms exports to Ukraine and a rollback of the plans to expand and rearm the German armed forces…

“The Easter rallies —  that first began in the 1960s and gained momentum during the 1980s to oppose war and militarization — have once again regained significance against the backdrop of the Ukraine war. Even though Russia’s invasion last year represented a ‘Zeitenwende’ or a ‘change of times’ for Germany, the public opinion on Germany’s increased defense spending in the second year of the war remains divided

“Zelenskyy said that there was ‘no alternative’ for Ukraine other than the return of Crimea into its control…”

Germany will clearly continue to “rearm,” but may not continue supporting Ukraine for long.

Germany’s Controversial Move to Shut Down Last Three Nuclear Plants

Fox News wrote on April 15:

“Germany has begun dismantling its nuclear energy infrastructure, claiming the country will aim for a 100% renewable energy systems. The European financial power is shutting down its final three reactors — Emsland, Neckarwestheim II, and Isar II…”

Breitbart wrote on April 15:

“[The] end to nuclear in Germany is being celebrated by the country’s hardline political left, with the ruling Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) holding a ‘nuclear phase-out festival’ in Munich to mark the day… officials from within the country’s green agenda-loving government have insisted that the end of nuclear power will mark the beginning of an era of renewables in Germany.

Such a claim is hard to believe considering the country is already in the midst of a major energy crisis, with green technologies already failing to pick up the slack left by Russian oil and gas that has ceased to be regularly available since the invasion of Ukraine…”

Deutsche Welle added on April 16:

“[FDP] Party leader Christian Lindner, who is Germany’s finance minister… said if it was up to him, Germany would retain the last three power plants in reserve.

“Opposition conservative politicians were also disappointed, including Markus Söder, premier of the southern state of Bavaria, who told the Focus Online website on Thursday that he wanted the plants to stay online and three more to be kept ‘in reserve.’ [According to Bild Online, dated April 16, Söder is even willing to carry on with Bavaria’s own nuclear power plant.] Söder accused the coalition government’s decision of being ‘purely ideological,’ adding that it was a ‘serious mistake to exit nuclear energy at this point in time.’…

“Christian Democratic Union (CDU) chief Friedrich Merz on Friday insisted that the last three nuclear plants ‘are the safest in the world.’…

“The decision goes against plans by many other countries, such as the United States, China, France and Britain, who are counting on nuclear energy to replace planet-warming fossil fuels. Even Japan has walked back plans to phase out nuclear power…

“Meanwhile, two-thirds of Germans favor extending the lifespan of nuclear reactors or connecting old plants back to the grid, with only 28% backing the phase-out, a survey by the Forsa Institute showed earlier this week…”

Ironically, Finland has just launched Europe’s most powerful nuclear reactor. As Newsmax reported on April 16, “It will help Finland to achieve its carbon neutrality targets and increase energy security at a time when European countries have cut oil, gas and other power supplies from Russia, Finland’s neighbor.”

Germany’s government is becoming less and less popular. Everything seems to be demanding change.

Queen Camilla

The Sun wrote on April 5:

“BUCKINGHAM Palace has dropped Camilla’s ‘Consort’ title from Coronation invitations — and she will now be known as the Queen… When Camilla married Charles in 2005 it was announced she would take the title Princess Consort when Charles became King. But last year the late Queen upgraded her to Queen Consort

“The Palace said Queen Consort is Camilla’s ‘rank’ while Queen will be her title. She will officially be called Queen ­Camilla in all royal documents from the day of the Coronation…”

The Stone of Destiny

BBC News wrote on April 6:

“… this year, in the run up to the coronation of Britain’s latest king, Charles III, visitors are paying particular attention to the Coronation Chair, the seat on which English monarchs have been crowned since 1308.

“Despite its age, the chair is only part of the coronation story. Underneath the seat… is a wooden platform. This was designed by King Edward I to house the Coronation Stone, a sacred rock with mysterious origins that he brought from Scotland in 1296.

“The platform is currently empty – but before the coronation on 6 May, the stone will be brought from Edinburgh Castle (where it’s housed alongside the Scottish Crown Jewels) to the Abbey when Charles III is crowned king of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

“The Coronation Stone – also known as the Stone of Scone or Stone of Destiny – is an ancient symbol of Scottish sovereignty with links to Ireland and Spain…

“According to legend, it was the same stone used by the biblical figure Jacob (the father of the Israelites) as a pillow in Bethel when he dreamed of a ladder reaching to heaven. From here, one of Jacob’s sons is said to have taken it to Egypt, from where it travelled to Spain and later to Ireland…

“There it was placed on the sacred Hill of Tara near Skryne in County Meath and named the Lia Fail

“… the stone was taken to Scone Abbey in Perthshire after Kenneth I – who united the Scots and Pictish kingdoms and is known as the first King of Scotland – moved his capital from Western Scotland to Scone in around 840 CE. This ‘Stone of Destiny’ was used for centuries in the coronation ceremonies of Scottish monarchs.

“But following his victory at the Battle of Dunbar in 1296, England’s King Edward I marched north, seized the stone from Scone Abbey and had it fitted into the base of a specially crafted wooden Coronation Chair on which English – and later British – monarchs have been crowned inside London’s Westminster Abbey ever since…

“This same procedure will be repeated later this year, when the stone is brought to London for the crowning of King Charles. Once the stone is laid under the Coronation Chair, they will be moved from their place by the West Door to the Coronation Theatre, an area in the middle of Westminster Abbey… ‘Here the king will be anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury…

“The Abbey will also be closed to the public in the days leading up to 6 May – as will Edinburgh Castle when the Stone of Destiny is removed. Given the stone’s history and significance, the exact details of when and how it will be transported are a closely guarded secret… the coronation will serve as a reminder of their history – a history that is entwined with that of the British Isles, and perhaps even the ancient father of the Israelites.”

The Daily Mail wrote on April 1:

“A cloak-and-dagger operation is under way to transport the sacred Stone of Destiny from Edinburgh Castle to Westminster Abbey ahead of King Charles’ Coronation next month. The Stone has had huge significance in coronations for centuries and is steeped in controversy – which is why exact timings of the carefully planned military operation to move it are being kept secret. There are fears the relic, also known as the Stone of Scone, could be hijacked by republican groups or angry Scottish nationalists…”

For more information on the Stone of Destiny, please see our two Q&As, https://www.eternalgod.org/what-do-we-know-of-the-stone-of-destiny-part-1/ and https://www.eternalgod.org/what-do-we-know-of-the-stone-of-destiny-part-2/

Biden Hates Britain?

Daily Mail wrote on April 4:

“[Biden’s] obvious disdain, which I am prepared to call out as both monarchy and Britain-hating, has continued throughout his presidency. Be it consistently backing Ireland and the EU during highly sensitive Brexit negotiations, slamming ex-PM Liz Truss publicly for trying to cut taxes, or siding with the ghastly Prince Harry and Meghan Markle over their fake Royal Family racism claims to Oprah Winfrey…

“If Biden were prepared to show respect for the UK, there could be no better way than turning up at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6, alongside dozens of other heads of state the world over, including all three presidents of our political enemies over at the EU.

“Sure, Biden is already travelling to Northern Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement later this month and describing the 80-year-old gaffe-prone leader as doddery is being kind to him… US officials want to avoid the decision being seen as a snub and will possibly send the First Lady Jill Biden, but the damage has been done

Biden’s anti-English stance is indicative of the way the left internationally have started slowly turning on the UK and our Royal Family as some sort of walking talking manifestation of colonialism, which they deride for political purposes on a daily basis, forgetting the many wonders the British Empire brought to the world. Whatever one thinks of him, I have not a shadow of doubt that Donald Trump would have moved mountains to attend the King’s coronation…

“Biden might think his snub is clever, delighting his leftie base and impressing his Californian pals the Sussexes, but he’s missed the chance to make royal history – and the British public won’t forget his barely concealed hatred towards our great country.”

Breitbart wrote on April 14:

“Although the American leader’s four-day long tour of the island has been warmly welcomed by many Irish politicians, it has rubbed officials in Britain and Northern Ireland the wrong way, with the President repeatedly being accused of being ‘anti-British’ both before and during Biden’s stint abroad.

“How much damage such anger the trip may cause to future U.S. foreign policy does not appear to have been on the forefront of the commander-in-chief’s mind on Thursday however… who described his Ireland visit as a return home for him… adding that both Ireland [and] the United States must stand together on the international stage. ‘The United States will be Ireland’s closest partner,’ he insisted…”

The relationship between the USA and Great Britain will ultimately deteriorate.

America’s Shameful Blindness

Newsmax wrote on April 9:

“Constitutional law expert Alan Dershowitz has ‘never seen a weaker indictment,’ but he told Newsmax that ‘there’s no chance of a fair trial or dismissal’ for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against former President Donald Trump. ‘It’s a scandal; it’s a shame,’ Dershowitz, a self-proclaimed liberal Democrat [said]… ‘And I’m appalled that so many good lawyers in his office… went along with this travesty of justice.’…

“For Dershowitz, arguably the most renowned constitutional law expert of our lifetimes, to not find a legal standing for this case speaks volumes… ‘I don’t understand what crimes are being charged. Probably the reason he doesn’t list them in the indictment is there are no valid crimes there… I just couldn’t find anything illegal, and I was shocked…’

“Dershowitz broke down all four cases Democrats and anti-Trump operatives are using to try to keep Trump from running for president again… there is nothing to any of the four cases,’ Dershowitz concluded.”

Of course there isn’t. This is indeed a shameful left-wing political witch-hunt against Trump.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s Class Action Lawsuit Against Biden

Clark County Today wrote on March 27:

“On Friday, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Children’s Health Defense (CHD) et al., filed a class action lawsuit against President Joe Biden and numerous other federal agents and agencies in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Monroe Division. The complaint alleges that the defendants have colluded with, encouraged and pressured social media companies to suppress speech that the government does not want the public to hear and to silence specific speakers who are critical of federal policy.

“The complaint calls the government’s campaign to censor online speech one of ‘the gravest threats to free speech this country has ever faced.’”

This class action lawsuit is more than overdue, but it will in all likelihood have no chance of success.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Running for President

The Associated Press wrote on April 5:

“Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist and scion of one of the country’s most famous political families, is running for president… Kennedy, a nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of his slain brother Robert F. Kennedy, was once a bestselling author and environmental lawyer who worked on issues such as clean water. But more than 15 years ago, he became fixated on a belief that vaccines are not safe. He emerged as one of the leading voices in the anti-vaccine movement, and his work has been described by public health experts and even members of his own family as misleading and dangerous. Kennedy had been long involved in the anti-vaccine movement, but the effort intensified after the COVID-19 pandemic and development of the COVID-19 vaccine…

“Kennedy released a book in 2021, ‘The Real Anthony Fauci,’ in which he accused the U.S.’s top infectious disease doctor of assisting in ‘a historic coup d’etat against Western democracy’… Kennedy has appeared at events pushing the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and with people who cheered or downplayed the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A photo posted on Instagram showed Kennedy backstage at a July 2021 Reawaken America event with former President Donald Trump’s ally Roger Stone, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and anti-vaccine profiteer Charlene Bollinger. All three have promoted the lie about the 2020 election being stolen

“Kennedy has repeatedly invoked Nazis and the Holocaust when talking about measures aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19, such as mask requirements and vaccine mandates… “

The propaganda, with which the Associated Press reports on Kennedy whose concerns are very important, is more than telling.

Imagine… America’s Downfall

Times Life News wrote on April 13:

“Imagine a country that just a few short years ago was the only superpower on earth and suddenly it loses all stature and credibility throughout the world.

“Imagine a country if you will, that at one time was both respected and feared, and now that country’s friends don’t trust them and their enemies don’t fear them.

“Imagine a country that would have left behind $81 billion dollars’ worth of military equipment to a militant culture that hates Christianity, mocks equality, and dismisses human rights.

“Imagine a country if you will, that is so short-sighted and led so strongly by the military industrial complex that it successfully ran its two strongest enemies into the arms of each other. Now that union, China-Russia, is about ready to destroy the American dollar and the dollar will no longer be the world’s reserve currency…

“Imagine a country that makes biological males ‘Female Athlete of the Year.’ Imagine if you will, a country where abortions are considered ‘healthcare’ while being pro-life is thought to be sexist. Imagine a country if you will, where those that said the 2016 election was stolen are acclaimed, while those who said the 2020 election was stolen are imprisoned.

“Imagine if you will, a government that calls many of its political enemies Nazis and fascists, while at the same time ignoring the Nuremberg Codes and forcing its citizens under penalty of law to take an experimental, dangerous, and ineffective vaccine

“Imagine if you will, a government and its president and its military allowing a rival antagonist nation to fly a spy balloon over the entire country gathering classified military information; and this government does not shoot the spy balloon down until it is finished gathering top secret material.

“Imagine if you will, a country and its leadership that allows for the arrest of their political opponents. Imagine if you will, a political party that ignores the difference between felonies and misdemeanors, ignores the statute of limitations, and leaks lies from official departments to taint jury pools. Imagine bowels of government so corrupt that they would set up to destroy the legally elected president

“Imagine if you will, the writings of Dr. Seuss being censored from school libraries while the writings of Mao, Marx, and Nietzsche are taught in glowing terms..

“Imagine a country… that claims a 12-year-old can have a sex change but a 19-year-old cannot drink a beer

“Imagine if you will, a country’s leadership that calls evil good and good evil. Imagine a country’s leadership that calls quoting directly from the Holy Bible ‘hate speech’…

“Imagine a place where its political leadership preaches ‘Global Warming’ and states that the seas are rising is ‘settled science,’ while these same leaders buy multi-million dollar homes on the coastline…”

Just imagine such a country! But it’s not imagination; it is far too real. And it is testimony of a country going downhill and falling into the abyss.

Fear of HUGE Earthquake in the USA

The Sun wrote on April 14:

“EXPERTS are on high alert amid fears a crack at the bottom of the ocean could trigger an apocalyptic earthquake. The hole, just 50 miles off the coast of the US state of Oregon, is spewing hot liquid that scientists warn could spark a magnitude-nine earthquake with the potential to devastate the west coast. It is located along a 600-mile fault line that stretches from California to Canada known as the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

“…the liquid coming out is a so-called ‘fault lubricant’, which allows tectonic plates to move easily. Therefore, the more fluid that is in the cracks of the faults, the less pressure there is between the two tectonic plates. Without it, pressure beneath the earth’s crust can grow, leading to an unbelievably powerful quake.

“Scientists believe the Cascadia Subduction Zone will be responsible one day for the Big One, an earthquake of such destruction not seen for centuries that could devastate many cities in the western continental United States.

“Subduction systems – where one tectonic plate slides over another – have been responsible for some of the deadliest earthquakes in recent years, including the 2011 quake in Japan that killed some 20,000 people. Scientists believe the last powerful quake in the Cascadia zone was in 1700. That tremor is believed to have been 30 times more powerful than the strongest predicted earthquake along the San Andreas Fault which stretches the length of California…”

These are frightening prognostications. Our only help for individual protection during such troublesome times is in God and in Him alone.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Clean or Dirty? / The Passover and Humility

On April 1, 2023, Michael Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Clean or Dirty?” and Brian Gale will present the sermon, titled, “The Passover and Humility.”

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.

April 6, 2023, is the First Day of Unleavened Bread. We will present live services (note the time table above). The Offertory will be presented by Eric Rank, and the sermon, titled, “Why Christians Must Observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread,” will be presented by Dave Harris.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to observing Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, we will not publish the Update again until April 21, 2023.

This Week in the News

King Charles’s France Visit Postponed

BBC News wrote on March 24:

“King Charles III’s state visit to France has been postponed after a request by President Emmanuel Macron, Downing Street says. The president said ‘we would not be sensible and would lack common sense’ to go ahead after unions called a day of pension protests during the visit [The retirement age is supposed to be raised from 62 to 64 without a parliamentary vote]. The trip to Paris and Bordeaux had been due to begin on Sunday. But both cities were caught up in violence on Thursday, some of the worst since demonstrations began in January…

“The decision is a significant loss of face for France and for President Macron. This was supposed to have been a showcase for France, introducing the new monarch to the best of French life and cementing a newly awakened friendship. But the protests made the trip impossible…

“This was a hugely important trip for the King: a first state visit, and to one of the UK’s closest and oldest allies… It may have been a joint decision [to cancel the visit] with the UK government, but he was the one under pressure…

“The King and Camilla were due to travel from France to Germany on Wednesday. Charles’s first state visit will instead begin in Berlin.”

The statement that France is one of the UK’s closest allies is a joke. France and the UK have never been close allies.

Express added on March 24:

“Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said… ‘The postponement of King Charles’s state visit to France, the first of his reign, marks a humiliation for President Macron. The country is descending into anarchy and it was clearly impossible to guarantee the safety of the royal party and to keep to any set schedule where security could be relied on.’”

Words about France’s descent “into anarchy” remind us of terrible events during the “French Revolution.”

Terrorist Attack Likely or Highly Likely in the UK

The Daily Mail wrote on March 28:

“The Northern Ireland terrorism threat level has been raised to ‘severe’ – meaning an attack is considered highly likely. The news comes ahead of a series of events to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement – with US President Joe Biden due to visit in the middle of next month.

“Sectarian tensions have been rising for some time, with the most high-profile incident being the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell in Omagh last month.

“The situation has threatened to snowball against the backdrop of the row over post-Brexit rules. The DUP has been refusing to participate in power-sharing in protest at the Protocol – with Rishi Sunak’s new Windsor Framework package so far not succeeding in bringing them back to Stormont…

“The threat level for the rest of the UK remains at ‘substantial’, meaning an attack is considered ‘likely’.”

ICC Arrest Warrant for Putin and the Consequences

Breitbart wrote on March 24:

“Following remarks by the German government that if Vladimir Putin happened to visit their country they would be obliged to arrest him, Medvedev railed during a press event: ‘let’s imagine that it has happened. The incumbent head of a nuclear country arrives in, say, Germany and is arrested. What does it mean? A declaration of war against Russia. In such a case, all our weapons will target the Bundestag, the [German] Chancellor’s office and so on’…

“While it is unlikely Vladimir Putin will find himself in Germany — or any other European Union nation — by choice in the near term, he is due to visit South Africa for the BRICS summit in August. South Africa is a signatory to the ICC  [International Criminal Court] and therefore legally obliged to execute arrest warrants. However,… they have ignored this before, arguing that visiting heads of state — even if they have outstanding ICC warrants — have diplomatic immunity…

“While Russia’s threats to bomb the Netherlands for hosting the ICC, and any country that would try to serve the warrant, is extreme, it is not far away from the threats the United States [not recognizing the ICC] has made against that same court in the past. While threatening to arrest judges who attempt to investigate alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan is a bold enough move, there is also the American Service-Members’ Protection Act on the books. Passed in 2002 and better known as the ‘Hague Invention Act,’ the Bush-era law empowers the President to use any means necessary to release U.S. citizens imprisoned by the ICC, including invading The Hague, which is the administrative capital of NATO member the Netherlands.”

If Germany’s government is stupid enough to make these kinds of threats against Putin, they should not be surprised about the reaction. Of course, Austria even tops Germany in stupidity, as the next article shows.

Now Austria

Report 24 wrote on March 25:

“As soon as Sigi Maurer (Greens) casually declared war on Russia in a press conference, the Ministry of Justice (Greens) also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin would of course be arrested [in Austria]. Former Russian President Medvedev explained to Germany only yesterday that such an action would be considered as an act of war and would result in the immediate bombing of Berlin…

“The arrest warrant against Putin is ridiculous in itself, because the court in The Hague, which feels responsible, is not recognized by Russia, the USA, or about half of the countries in the world. This did not prevent Germany or the USA from enthusiastic applauding the arrest warrant…

“Actually [the Greens] should act in accordance with the constitution and the law in the exercise of their state offices – i.e. neutrally. But instead they joined Germany’s threat… it is clear that the offer to bomb the German capital also applies to the capital of Austria…”

According to the Bible, Russia WILL ultimately destroy Berlin (and perhaps Vienna).

Germany’s War Against Antiwar Activists

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on March 22:

“Article 5 of the Basic Law grants individuals the right to express opinions, but there are numerous limitations in the Criminal Code, with punishment for ‘inciting hatred,’ racism, anti-Semitism and prison terms for Holocaust denial. Also prohibited are propaganda or symbols of ‘unconstitutional’ organizations, disparagement of the State and its symbols, blasphemy against established religions and especially failure to respect ‘human dignity.’

“Of course, what matters in all these laws is how they are interpreted. The ban on ‘rewarding and approving crimes’ (Section 140), that was originally intended to apply to convictions for violent civil crimes, has now been extended to the geopolitical sphere, namely, outlawing ‘approval or support’ of what it terms ‘aggressive war.’ 

“Antiwar activist Heinrich Bücker’s speech in Berlin last June 22 calling for good relations with Russia on the anniversary of the 1941 Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union was condemned by a Berlin court for ‘approving Russia’s crime of invasion.’…

“Needless to say, Germans were never threatened with criminal prosecution for approving the US invasions of Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan, much less the totally aggressive and illegal 1999 bombing of Serbia, in which they enthusiastically took part. Widely celebrated as a laudable act of humanitarianism, that bombing campaign, killing civilians and destroying infrastructure, forced Serbia to allow NATO to occupy its province of Kosovo, where the Americans built themselves a huge military base. Ethnic Albanian rebels declared independence and thousands of non-Albanians were driven out…”

Germany is marching again to the tune of war.

Nuclear War on German Soil?

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 24:

“If the Cold War had gone nuclear, it would have likely begun on German soil…  Germany… faces the direct risk of nuclear escalation. Former West Germany has been home to a strong pacifist movement, while many in former East Germany hold a less hostile view of Russia…

“Germany’s opposition to nuclear weapons competes with the expectation that it supports the security status quo. NATO nuclear sharing — the US-led military alliance’s long-standing policy that permits the stationing of US nuclear weapons on non-US territory — means German warplanes could carry them in the event of nuclear war.

“As many as 20 such warheads remain at the Büchel Air Base in western Germany…”

Sadly, ultimately, there WILL BE nuclear war on German soil.

Both Russia and Ukraine Guilty of War Crimes?

Breitbart wrote on March 25:

“The Russian and Ukrainian armed forces have been accused of torturing and executing prisoners of war over the past year by the United Nations, which said that such actions could amount to war crimes. A report from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) claimed that both Russia and Ukraine have engaged in the summary execution of prisoners of war, which contravenes numerous international human rights laws and treaties on war.

“The OHCHR said that they documented cases of summary executions of at least 25 Russian prisoners of war (POWs) under the authority of Ukrainian forces… The UN body went on to claim to have documented poor treatment of POWs at eight of the 31 transit or permanent camps run by the Ukrainian government, in which they found documented cases of torture and other forms of poor treatment of Russian prisoners, including so-called ‘welcome beatings’ in a prison in Dnipro from March to May 2022…

“Through investigative efforts, including interviewing Ukrainian POWs who were released from Russian captivity, the UN said that they found evidence of the summary executions of 15 POWs at the hands of the Russian armed forces or the Wagner Group mercenary organisation or other contracting groups. They went on to claim evidence of POWs being used as human shields, the death of two wounded prisoners for lack of medical attention, and the use of torture to extract information…

“While often lauded by the West, Ukrainians have previously been accused of wrongdoing in the war by Amnesty International, who alleged that they were unnecessarily endangering the lives of civilians by establishing military bases in residential areas including schools and hospitals, as well as launching attacks from heavily populated civilian areas in attempts to deter retaliation from the Russians…”

War is a cruel and inhumane curse. In every major war, war crimes will always be committed by all parties.

Russia Places Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Belarus

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 25:

“The Russian leader said he struck a deal with his Belarusian counterpart to station tactical nuclear weapons on its territory, making it the first time Moscow has based the arms outside the country since the mid-1990s.

“‘We agreed with Lukashenko that we could place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus without violating the nonproliferation regime,’ Putin said, according to the TASS report. ‘There is nothing unusual here either: The United States has been doing this for decades. They have long placed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allies,’ Putin added.”

Putin is correct in that analysis.

Germany’s Immigration Laws

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 21:

“A prerequisite for a visa to join a spouse in Germany is reaching a basic level of German language competency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing — called A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages… if somebody does not live in Germany and knows nothing of everyday life there, it is not so easy for them to answer questions about it…  Each year, more than 10,000 spouses have failed to pass the required language exams abroad and consequently cannot join their partners who are living in Germany…

“In 2022, more than a third of the students from the 30 most important countries of origin failed their A1 test. No language test means no visa. The German Foreign Office told DW that each year for the past few years, between 8,000 and 10,000 visa applications for spouse reunification have been rejected or withdrawn.

“In December, Germany’s government decided to relax the rules but only for skilled personnel. Their spouses can come to Germany without a language test. If [a spouse] were a Greek or Romanian national, if [he or] she came from Brazil, El Salvador, or Korea, [he or] she could bring her husband [or his wife] live with [him or] her without him [or her] passing the A1 language test.

“Spouses of citizens from EU member states and selected other countries are allowed to enter Germany without having to prove their German language competency beforehand. The same applies to spouses of recognized refugees, researchers, self-employed or highly qualified people, and, most recently, skilled professionals, even if neither of them speaks German.”

This bureaucratic lunacy is hard to swallow.

Biden and Trudeau vs. Putin and Xi Jinping

Thomson/Reuters wrote on March 24:

“President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented a united front on Friday against authoritarian regimes as Biden visited the Canadian capital days after the leaders of China and Russia held a Moscow summit… There, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin professed friendship and pledged closer ties…

“At a joint news conference with Trudeau, Biden questioned the level of China and Russia’s cooperation, noting that China has not provided weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine… Addressing Canada’s parliament, Biden said that, as NATO members, the two countries would ‘defend every inch of NATO territory.’”

Two dictators in the Western world unite against two dictators in the East… and do not see that their star is fading while the star in the East is rising… and alarmingly so. Note the next article.

Biden in Denial

Newsmax wrote on March 25:

“President Joe Biden and his administration don’t want to acknowledge the growing danger of Russia and China joining forces or the fact that they and their proxies, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, and Algeria have formed a ‘ new axis,’ Asia expert Gordon Chang told Newsmax on Saturday… ‘China has been providing lethal assistance to Russia from the beginning of its war against Ukraine, as well as ‘financing this war…’

“Iran is also an issue, considering its partnership with China, said Chang. ‘Iran-backed groups attacked Americans,’ he said. ‘They killed a contractor, wounded five Americans. We’ve got to remember that this is China working through Iran… China’s been flooding the region with weapons through Iran. And so we’ve got to ask the question: Is China killing Americans through Iran?’…”

One must indeed be blind not to see the—biblically prophesied—developing unification of the “kings of the East.”

Trump’s Rage

The New York Post wrote on March 24:

“Donald Trump on Friday threatened ‘death and destruction’ if he’s criminally charged in New York — writing the shocking social media warning after posting an image of himself holding a baseball bat next to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s head. ‘They are HUMAN SCUM!’ the 76-year-old former president raged in one post asking why Bragg ‘refuses to do the right thing and “call it a day?”’…

“Trump… kept on raging until the early hours of Friday with continued incendiary name-calling. ‘What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country?’ he asked just after 1 a.m. ‘Why & who would do such a thing? Only a degenerate psychopath that truely [sic] hates the USA!’

“He continued posting until 2 a.m. — then started again after 9 a.m., writing: ‘PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT!’…

“George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, who testified for Trump’s defense during his first impeachment for pressuring Ukraine to investigate the Biden family, has repeatedly sought to warn the former president of threatening postings…”

According to some reports, Trump subsequently deleted his post showing him holding a baseball bat.

The American Thinker wrote on March 25:

Donald Trump has shot himself in the foot… At least, he realized it, and deleted a Truth Social posting in which he had a picture of himself holding a baseball bat next to a picture of the corpulent DA… My friend and colleague Andrea Widburg notes that the picture automatically appeared when Trump used a National File article containing it…

“I am afraid that when you have to explain, you are losing. Trump owns Truth Social, and can be expected to understand how images appear. I don’t know how long it took him to delete the post, but it appears that it was not immediate, when he discovered that he had inadvertently posted a questionable image…

“Equally counter-productive was his threat of ‘death and destruction.’… I don’t see this post on Truth Social as accomplishing anything for Trump, and harming himself with people that might be persuaded to support him. Worst of all, he has reinforced the ‘insurrection’ narrative.” 

Still, many feel that the whole affair will help Trump. Bild Online wrote on March 24: „Es scheint bereits fast so, als würde Trump immer irgendwie zuletzt lachen …“ [„It almost appears as if somehow Trump would always laugh in the end…”]

Trump’s Colossal Blunder

The Brownstone Institute wrote on March 24:

“An enduring mystery for three years is how Donald Trump came to be the president who shut down American society for what turned out to be a manageable respiratory virus, setting off an unspeakable crisis with waves of destructive fallout that continue to this day… On March 9, 2020, Trump was still of the opinion that the virus could be handled by normal means. Two days later, he changed his tune. He was ready to use the full power of the federal government in a war on the virus… It was only a week later when Trump issued the edict to close all ‘indoor and outdoor venues where people congregate,’ initiating the biggest regime change in US history that flew in the face of all rights and liberties Americans had previously taken for granted… This action confounded critics on all sides. 

“A month later, Trump said his decision to have ‘turned off’ the economy saved millions of lives, later even claiming to have saved billions. He has yet to admit error. Even as late as June 23rd of that year, Trump was demanding credit for having followed all of Fauci’s recommendations… Something about this story has never really added up. How could one person have been so persuaded by a handful of others such as Fauci, Birx, Pence, and Kushner and his friends? He surely had other sources of information – some other scenario or intelligence – that fed into his disastrous decision…

“On the 12th, Trump shut all travel from Europe, the UK, and Australia, causing huge human pile-ups at international airports…”

We may never know in this lifetime who influenced Trump to make these terribly wrong and disastrous decisions… In addition, Trump’s advocacy of “his” experimental and untested vaccines contributed to a climate of terrible persecution of those who voiced concerns. Of course, under the Biden Administration, the persecution of the “pandemic of the unvaccinated” has continued with full rage.

Running the Country from Prison

The New York Post wrote on March 25:

“Former President Donald Trump could run for the White House — even if he is convicted and sent to prison… It wouldn’t be the first time a major campaign was staged from behind bars.

“In 1920, Socialist candidate Eugene V. Debs launched a White House run and garnered nearly a million votes while incarcerated at the federal pen in Atlanta. Debs had been convicted of sedition in 1918 for protesting US involvement in World War I. He was sentenced to 10 years, but that was commuted to time served in 1921 by President Harding…

“In more recent times, former Ohio Rep. James Traficant — who was expelled from the House in 2002 after being convicted in federal court of racketeering, bribery and tax evasion — staged an unsuccessful run for his old seat while incarcerated at Allenwood federal prison in White Deer, PA…

“‘If Trump is in jail, he could run, as Debs did; and if that happens, the uproar over it will surely be exploited by the government, to stoke more rage and panic over “domestic terrorism.” In short, it won’t end well,’ said NYU professor Mark Crispin Miller.”

What a spectacle that would be! But it may not come to that. Note the next article.

Donald Trump INDICTED!

The Associated Press reported on Marcy 30, 2023:

Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, prosecutors and defense lawyers said Thursday, making him the first former U.S. president to face a criminal charge and jolting his bid to retake the White House next year.

“The charges remained under seal late Thursday, but the investigation centered on payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter. Prosecutors said they were working to coordinate Trump’s surrender, which could happen early next week, but they did not say whether they intended to seek prison time in the event of a conviction.”

The implications of this indictment and the potential for civil unrest may spin out of control, and a broken America grows more and more divided!

Trump’s First Rally of His 2024 Republican Presidential Campaign

Newsmax wrote on March 25:

“Former President Donald Trump returned to the campaign rally trail Saturday night in Waco, Texas, saying ‘2024 is the final battle’… Trump delivered his pointed rebuke of all his opposing forces, including ‘stupid warmongers,’ open-border fanatics, radical left Democrats, and anti-Trump Republicans. ‘When this election is over, I will be the president of the United States, you will be vindicated and proud, and the thugs and criminals who are corrupting our justice system will be defeated, discredited, and totally disgraced,’ Trump said…

“Trump denounced the forces working against him as anti-America. ‘For seven years, you and I have been taking on the corrupt, rotten, and sinister forces trying to destroy America… they do get closer and closer with rigged elections… We’ve been the ones in this fight, standing up to the globalists and standing up to the Marxists and communists. That’s what they are.’”

The New York Post quoted Trump as saying the following during his rally:

“‘Either we surrender to the demonic forces demolishing our country, or we defeat them in a landslide,’ Trump warned. ‘Either the deep state destroys America, or we destroy the deep state.’”

The reference to demonic forces is telling, as it is indeed Satan and his demons who rule this evil world; and Jesus did not refute Satan’s claim that the authority over all kingdoms has been given to him (Luke 4:5-6).

Transgender Murders Six People at School in Nashville

“Six people – including three children – are dead after a transgender female shooter opened fire at a private school in Nashville, killing three nine-year-old children and three staff members. The shooter was 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who at one time attended the school. 

“Police said she identified as transgender [meaning, the biologically born woman thought she was a man], and online profiles show Audrey used ‘he/him’ pronouns. At around 10.13am, she opened fire at The Covenant School, shooting and killing nine-year-old Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney.  Scruggs was the daughter of Chad Scruggs, the pastor at the affiliated presbyterian church. 

“Substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, head of school Katherine Koonce, 60, and custodian Mike Hill, 61, were also killed…

“It’s unclear what Hale’s motive was… she had detailed, drawn maps of the school and had been surveilling it, according to police… It’s unclear how she gained access to the building. Police say all of the doors were locked. Police arrived at the scene and heard the gunshots coming from the 2nd floor. By 10.27am, she had been shot dead. She was armed with two assault-style rifles and a handgun…”

Horrible! Demons are having a field day, but just about no one seems to see the connection and connect the dots. Rather, we are informed that the murderer was suffering from “an emotional disorder.”

Additionally, the stupidity of the mass media seems to know no bounds. Breitbart reported on March 28:

“The New York Times and USA Today complied with radical gender ideology by apologizing for correctly identifying the Nashville Christian School shooting suspect as a woman.”

In other words, they correctly identified her as a woman, but then apologized, as they felt they should have referred to her as a man.

Biden’s Performance—Insensitive and Embarrassing

Fox News wrote on March 27:

“President Biden was criticized Monday for his response to the Nashville school shooting after he joked that he only made a public appearance because he heard there would be ice cream before discussing the tragedy that claimed the lives of three adults and three children at an elementary school earlier in the day.

“‘My name is Joe Biden. I’m Dr. Jill Biden’s husband,’ Biden said from the White House’s East Room in his first public appearance since a 28-year-old woman shot and killed three students and three teachers at a Christian private school in Nashville. ‘I eat Jeni’s ice cream — chocolate chip. I came down because I heard there was chocolate chip ice cream,’ he continued. ‘By the way, I have a whole refrigerator full upstairs,’ he added. ‘You think I’m kidding? I’m not,’ Biden told the crowd.

“Biden later called the shooting ‘sick’ and ‘heartbreaking’ while demanding Congress do more to ‘stop the gun violence.’ But critics went after the president for the inappropriate reaction and seemingly playful tone while addressing the tragedy. ‘To say that he misunderstood the moment would be an understatement,’ former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told Fox News later Monday. ‘You know, the president is watching, you’d hope before he comes down there, the awful scenes from the shooting and the reactions of family members and friends of people in that school. And to be coming down, joking about the fact that he’s Jill Biden’s husband and looking for chocolate chip ice cream is hardly the way to start it,’ Christie said… ‘And so there’s no room to joke in that circumstance at all. And certainly not from the President of the United States.’

“Christie said the president committed the ‘second-worst thing to do’ in a circumstance like this one by invoking the political card (of gun control)  while parents and students across the country grapple with the impact of the horrific shooting… ‘Nobody in their right mind goes into that school and kills three young children and three adults helping to teach those children.’”

Biden is an embarrassment for the USA… and that puts it mildly. The question is being asked whether he is indeed mentally able to run the USA. And to be sure, the shooter was not a person in his or her right mind. Rather, he or she clearly gave in to demonic influence, if not possession.

Netanyahu Suspends Judicial Reform

The Jerusalem Post wrote on March 27:

“Prime Minister Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday evening that he was temporarily freezing the bill that would alter the makeup of the Judicial Appointments Committee… [which has] thrown the country into turmoil and unprecedented civil unrest…

“Netanyahu said that either way, his government would bring a reform that will ‘return the balance that was lost between the [government] branches’…

“The prime minister added that the country was on a ‘dangerous path,’ and that he would not allow it to descend into civil war.”

The Associated Press added on March 27:

“The plan would give Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges, and his allies the final say in appointing the nation’s judges. It would also give parliament, which is controlled by his allies, authority to overturn Supreme Court decisions and limit the court’s ability to review laws.”

 Dissident German Bishops

 Reuters wrote on March 24:

“Pope Francis should take disciplinary action against German bishops who support same-sex unions and hold other ‘heretical’ views, a top conservative cardinal said in an interview published on Friday.

“The German Catholic church is discussing a series of reforms, including on homosexuality, women priests and priestly celibacy, as part of its so-called Synodal Path.

“Speaking to La Repubblica newspaper, Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Mueller said some of the bishops taking part in the process have approved ‘heretical texts’ and should be tried under canon law… The cardinal, himself a German bishop, said allowing gay couples to have their union blessed by a priest goes ‘directly against Catholic faith… Blessing homosexual couples is a blasphemy’…

“In July, the Vatican tried to slam the brakes on the German Synodal Path movement, saying it risked causing a schism in the universal Church…”

 Please see our new StandingWatch program, “Catholic Church in Turmoil.”

 Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Update 1064

Clean or Dirty? / The Passover and Humility

On April 1, 2023, Michael Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Clean or Dirty?” and Brian Gale will present the sermon, titled, “The Passover and Humility.”

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.

April 6, 2023, is the First Day of Unleavened Bread. We will present live services (note the time table above). The Offertory will be presented by Eric Rank, and the sermon, titled, “Why Christians Must Observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread,” will be presented by Dave Harris.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to observing Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, we will not publish the Update again until April 21, 2023.

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Examining Oneself

by Rene Messier (Canada)

Why would Paul admonish us to conduct a self-examination prior to taking the Passover?

He says in 1 Corinthians 11:28: “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”

It is important to stop on occasion and analyze our progress as Christians and our relationship with God to maintain the goal of walking in the footsteps of Christ, our perfect example, who never sinned, and to understand that sin acts as a barrier in our relationship with God.

It is a perfect time to do that prior to taking the Passover which we are admonished to take in a worthy manner, according to the instructions from God through Paul.

Since even a little sin will corrupt the individual just as a little leaven leavens the whole lump, we have to be cognizant of this fact and make a genuine effort to get rid of sin and replace the void left from that removal with righteousness.

It is amazing how a little sin can become not that big a deal in our minds; yet, we must deal with it or it will deal with us. A stain on a carpet might be delayed in being cleaned up because we may think it is not a major issue. The longer we put it off, the more it is accepted. Later, it just becomes part of the decor. We must never allow sin in our lives not to be dealt with, so that it just becomes a decor.

Sin by itself will not just disappear on its own. Satan is smart enough to know that if he can get us to just compromise a little bit with God’s laws and not deal with it, he has taken hold of us. Realize that he would like all of us to fail in our journey into the Kingdom of God and to become born-again members of the God Family.

Killing us physically does not remove salvation from us, but failure to put sin out without repenting and getting rid of it can be our ultimate downfall.

At times, little sins can go unnoticed until we do a complete analysis. I remember a minister in the 80s, relating to my wife and me that during the Days of Unleavened Bread, he and his wife were sitting in their living room.

Years ago, some houses had a ledge to put small ornaments and knickknacks about a foot from the ceiling and about eight inches to a foot deep. They were sitting there, looking at the figurines and ornaments and something caught both their eyes.  It was the top of their wedding cake with a small man and woman on top dressed in wedding clothing which had been up there for years. The thought came to mind that they never checked it since at times the top is made of cake and the cardboard or wood is sometimes decorated with the figurines on top. They took it down to check it and to their dismay, they found it to be cake, with leavening in it which had been there in full view since they were baptized. This is like sin, which might be in front of our eyes, but we sometimes fail to see it.

The importance of examining ourselves thoroughly cannot be stressed enough, especially at this time of year. Let us therefore ensure we conduct that examination, clean ourselves up by repenting of our sins, and partake of the Passover in a worthy manner.

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By Norbert Link

We begin with the canceled trip of King Charles to France, due to the dangerous situation in France which is “descending into anarchy”; speak on the likelihood of a terrorist attack in the UK.; the arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin; Germany’s intolerance and war against anti-war activists; the fear of nuclear war on German soil; alleged war crimes of Russia and Ukraine; Russia’s tactical weapons in Belarus; and Germany’s ridiculous immigration laws.

We report on Putin’s meeting with Xi Jinping and Biden’s meeting with Trudeau; Trump’s outbursts, his colossal blunders during the Covid pandemic, the question of whether he could run the country while in prison, and his rally in Texas.

We address the senseless and horrific murder in Nashville which was committed by a transgender female shooter, who wanted to be a man and was described as having suffered from an “emotional disorder” (which does not even come close to addressing the real causes of her insane conduct); Biden’s embarrassing and insensitive response; and Netanyahu’s suspension of his judicial reform package.

We conclude with the liberal movement in the German Catholic church.

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King Charles’s France Visit Postponed

BBC News wrote on March 24:

“King Charles III’s state visit to France has been postponed after a request by President Emmanuel Macron, Downing Street says. The president said ‘we would not be sensible and would lack common sense’ to go ahead after unions called a day of pension protests during the visit [The retirement age is supposed to be raised from 62 to 64 without a parliamentary vote]. The trip to Paris and Bordeaux had been due to begin on Sunday. But both cities were caught up in violence on Thursday, some of the worst since demonstrations began in January…

“The decision is a significant loss of face for France and for President Macron. This was supposed to have been a showcase for France, introducing the new monarch to the best of French life and cementing a newly awakened friendship. But the protests made the trip impossible…

“This was a hugely important trip for the King: a first state visit, and to one of the UK’s closest and oldest allies… It may have been a joint decision [to cancel the visit] with the UK government, but he was the one under pressure…

“The King and Camilla were due to travel from France to Germany on Wednesday. Charles’s first state visit will instead begin in Berlin.”

The statement that France is one of the UK’s closest allies is a joke. France and the UK have never been close allies.

Express added on March 24:

“Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said… ‘The postponement of King Charles’s state visit to France, the first of his reign, marks a humiliation for President Macron. The country is descending into anarchy and it was clearly impossible to guarantee the safety of the royal party and to keep to any set schedule where security could be relied on.’”

Words about France’s descent “into anarchy” remind us of terrible events during the “French Revolution.”

Terrorist Attack Likely or Highly Likely in the UK

The Daily Mail wrote on March 28:

“The Northern Ireland terrorism threat level has been raised to ‘severe’ – meaning an attack is considered highly likely. The news comes ahead of a series of events to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement – with US President Joe Biden due to visit in the middle of next month.

“Sectarian tensions have been rising for some time, with the most high-profile incident being the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell in Omagh last month.

“The situation has threatened to snowball against the backdrop of the row over post-Brexit rules. The DUP has been refusing to participate in power-sharing in protest at the Protocol – with Rishi Sunak’s new Windsor Framework package so far not succeeding in bringing them back to Stormont…

“The threat level for the rest of the UK remains at ‘substantial’, meaning an attack is considered ‘likely’.”

ICC Arrest Warrant for Putin and the Consequences

Breitbart wrote on March 24:

“Following remarks by the German government that if Vladimir Putin happened to visit their country they would be obliged to arrest him, Medvedev railed during a press event: ‘let’s imagine that it has happened. The incumbent head of a nuclear country arrives in, say, Germany and is arrested. What does it mean? A declaration of war against Russia. In such a case, all our weapons will target the Bundestag, the [German] Chancellor’s office and so on’…

“While it is unlikely Vladimir Putin will find himself in Germany — or any other European Union nation — by choice in the near term, he is due to visit South Africa for the BRICS summit in August. South Africa is a signatory to the ICC  [International Criminal Court] and therefore legally obliged to execute arrest warrants. However,… they have ignored this before, arguing that visiting heads of state — even if they have outstanding ICC warrants — have diplomatic immunity…

“While Russia’s threats to bomb the Netherlands for hosting the ICC, and any country that would try to serve the warrant, is extreme, it is not far away from the threats the United States [not recognizing the ICC] has made against that same court in the past. While threatening to arrest judges who attempt to investigate alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan is a bold enough move, there is also the American Service-Members’ Protection Act on the books. Passed in 2002 and better known as the ‘Hague Invention Act,’ the Bush-era law empowers the President to use any means necessary to release U.S. citizens imprisoned by the ICC, including invading The Hague, which is the administrative capital of NATO member the Netherlands.”

If Germany’s government is stupid enough to make these kinds of threats against Putin, they should not be surprised about the reaction. Of course, Austria even tops Germany in stupidity, as the next article shows.

Now Austria

Report 24 wrote on March 25:

“As soon as Sigi Maurer (Greens) casually declared war on Russia in a press conference, the Ministry of Justice (Greens) also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin would of course be arrested [in Austria]. Former Russian President Medvedev explained to Germany only yesterday that such an action would be considered as an act of war and would result in the immediate bombing of Berlin…

“The arrest warrant against Putin is ridiculous in itself, because the court in The Hague, which feels responsible, is not recognized by Russia, the USA, or about half of the countries in the world. This did not prevent Germany or the USA from enthusiastic applauding the arrest warrant…

“Actually [the Greens] should act in accordance with the constitution and the law in the exercise of their state offices – i.e. neutrally. But instead they joined Germany’s threat… it is clear that the offer to bomb the German capital also applies to the capital of Austria…”

According to the Bible, Russia WILL ultimately destroy Berlin (and perhaps Vienna).

Germany’s War Against Antiwar Activists

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on March 22:

“Article 5 of the Basic Law grants individuals the right to express opinions, but there are numerous limitations in the Criminal Code, with punishment for ‘inciting hatred,’ racism, anti-Semitism and prison terms for Holocaust denial. Also prohibited are propaganda or symbols of ‘unconstitutional’ organizations, disparagement of the State and its symbols, blasphemy against established religions and especially failure to respect ‘human dignity.’

“Of course, what matters in all these laws is how they are interpreted. The ban on ‘rewarding and approving crimes’ (Section 140), that was originally intended to apply to convictions for violent civil crimes, has now been extended to the geopolitical sphere, namely, outlawing ‘approval or support’ of what it terms ‘aggressive war.’ 

“Antiwar activist Heinrich Bücker’s speech in Berlin last June 22 calling for good relations with Russia on the anniversary of the 1941 Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union was condemned by a Berlin court for ‘approving Russia’s crime of invasion.’…

“Needless to say, Germans were never threatened with criminal prosecution for approving the US invasions of Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan, much less the totally aggressive and illegal 1999 bombing of Serbia, in which they enthusiastically took part. Widely celebrated as a laudable act of humanitarianism, that bombing campaign, killing civilians and destroying infrastructure, forced Serbia to allow NATO to occupy its province of Kosovo, where the Americans built themselves a huge military base. Ethnic Albanian rebels declared independence and thousands of non-Albanians were driven out…”

Germany is marching again to the tune of war.

Nuclear War on German Soil?

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 24:

“If the Cold War had gone nuclear, it would have likely begun on German soil…  Germany… faces the direct risk of nuclear escalation. Former West Germany has been home to a strong pacifist movement, while many in former East Germany hold a less hostile view of Russia…

“Germany’s opposition to nuclear weapons competes with the expectation that it supports the security status quo. NATO nuclear sharing — the US-led military alliance’s long-standing policy that permits the stationing of US nuclear weapons on non-US territory — means German warplanes could carry them in the event of nuclear war.

“As many as 20 such warheads remain at the Büchel Air Base in western Germany…”

Sadly, ultimately, there WILL BE nuclear war on German soil.

Both Russia and Ukraine Guilty of War Crimes?

Breitbart wrote on March 25:

“The Russian and Ukrainian armed forces have been accused of torturing and executing prisoners of war over the past year by the United Nations, which said that such actions could amount to war crimes. A report from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) claimed that both Russia and Ukraine have engaged in the summary execution of prisoners of war, which contravenes numerous international human rights laws and treaties on war.

“The OHCHR said that they documented cases of summary executions of at least 25 Russian prisoners of war (POWs) under the authority of Ukrainian forces… The UN body went on to claim to have documented poor treatment of POWs at eight of the 31 transit or permanent camps run by the Ukrainian government, in which they found documented cases of torture and other forms of poor treatment of Russian prisoners, including so-called ‘welcome beatings’ in a prison in Dnipro from March to May 2022…

“Through investigative efforts, including interviewing Ukrainian POWs who were released from Russian captivity, the UN said that they found evidence of the summary executions of 15 POWs at the hands of the Russian armed forces or the Wagner Group mercenary organisation or other contracting groups. They went on to claim evidence of POWs being used as human shields, the death of two wounded prisoners for lack of medical attention, and the use of torture to extract information…

“While often lauded by the West, Ukrainians have previously been accused of wrongdoing in the war by Amnesty International, who alleged that they were unnecessarily endangering the lives of civilians by establishing military bases in residential areas including schools and hospitals, as well as launching attacks from heavily populated civilian areas in attempts to deter retaliation from the Russians…”

War is a cruel and inhumane curse. In every major war, war crimes will always be committed by all parties.

Russia Places Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Belarus

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 25:

“The Russian leader said he struck a deal with his Belarusian counterpart to station tactical nuclear weapons on its territory, making it the first time Moscow has based the arms outside the country since the mid-1990s.

“‘We agreed with Lukashenko that we could place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus without violating the nonproliferation regime,’ Putin said, according to the TASS report. ‘There is nothing unusual here either: The United States has been doing this for decades. They have long placed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allies,’ Putin added.”

Putin is correct in that analysis.

Germany’s Immigration Laws

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 21:

“A prerequisite for a visa to join a spouse in Germany is reaching a basic level of German language competency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing — called A1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages… if somebody does not live in Germany and knows nothing of everyday life there, it is not so easy for them to answer questions about it…  Each year, more than 10,000 spouses have failed to pass the required language exams abroad and consequently cannot join their partners who are living in Germany…

“In 2022, more than a third of the students from the 30 most important countries of origin failed their A1 test. No language test means no visa. The German Foreign Office told DW that each year for the past few years, between 8,000 and 10,000 visa applications for spouse reunification have been rejected or withdrawn.

“In December, Germany’s government decided to relax the rules but only for skilled personnel. Their spouses can come to Germany without a language test. If [a spouse] were a Greek or Romanian national, if [he or] she came from Brazil, El Salvador, or Korea, [he or] she could bring her husband [or his wife] live with [him or] her without him [or her] passing the A1 language test.

“Spouses of citizens from EU member states and selected other countries are allowed to enter Germany without having to prove their German language competency beforehand. The same applies to spouses of recognized refugees, researchers, self-employed or highly qualified people, and, most recently, skilled professionals, even if neither of them speaks German.”

This bureaucratic lunacy is hard to swallow.

Biden and Trudeau vs. Putin and Xi Jinping

Thomson/Reuters wrote on March 24:

“President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented a united front on Friday against authoritarian regimes as Biden visited the Canadian capital days after the leaders of China and Russia held a Moscow summit… There, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin professed friendship and pledged closer ties…

“At a joint news conference with Trudeau, Biden questioned the level of China and Russia’s cooperation, noting that China has not provided weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine… Addressing Canada’s parliament, Biden said that, as NATO members, the two countries would ‘defend every inch of NATO territory.’”

Two dictators in the Western world unite against two dictators in the East… and do not see that their star is fading while the star in the East is rising… and alarmingly so. Note the next article.

Biden in Denial

Newsmax wrote on March 25:

“President Joe Biden and his administration don’t want to acknowledge the growing danger of Russia and China joining forces or the fact that they and their proxies, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, and Algeria have formed a ‘ new axis,’ Asia expert Gordon Chang told Newsmax on Saturday… ‘China has been providing lethal assistance to Russia from the beginning of its war against Ukraine, as well as ‘financing this war…’

“Iran is also an issue, considering its partnership with China, said Chang. ‘Iran-backed groups attacked Americans,’ he said. ‘They killed a contractor, wounded five Americans. We’ve got to remember that this is China working through Iran… China’s been flooding the region with weapons through Iran. And so we’ve got to ask the question: Is China killing Americans through Iran?’…”

One must indeed be blind not to see the—biblically prophesied—developing unification of the “kings of the East.”

Trump’s Rage

The New York Post wrote on March 24:

“Donald Trump on Friday threatened ‘death and destruction’ if he’s criminally charged in New York — writing the shocking social media warning after posting an image of himself holding a baseball bat next to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s head. ‘They are HUMAN SCUM!’ the 76-year-old former president raged in one post asking why Bragg ‘refuses to do the right thing and “call it a day?”’…

“Trump… kept on raging until the early hours of Friday with continued incendiary name-calling. ‘What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country?’ he asked just after 1 a.m. ‘Why & who would do such a thing? Only a degenerate psychopath that truely [sic] hates the USA!’

“He continued posting until 2 a.m. — then started again after 9 a.m., writing: ‘PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT!’…

“George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, who testified for Trump’s defense during his first impeachment for pressuring Ukraine to investigate the Biden family, has repeatedly sought to warn the former president of threatening postings…”

According to some reports, Trump subsequently deleted his post showing him holding a baseball bat.

The American Thinker wrote on March 25:

Donald Trump has shot himself in the foot… At least, he realized it, and deleted a Truth Social posting in which he had a picture of himself holding a baseball bat next to a picture of the corpulent DA… My friend and colleague Andrea Widburg notes that the picture automatically appeared when Trump used a National File article containing it…

“I am afraid that when you have to explain, you are losing. Trump owns Truth Social, and can be expected to understand how images appear. I don’t know how long it took him to delete the post, but it appears that it was not immediate, when he discovered that he had inadvertently posted a questionable image…

“Equally counter-productive was his threat of ‘death and destruction.’… I don’t see this post on Truth Social as accomplishing anything for Trump, and harming himself with people that might be persuaded to support him. Worst of all, he has reinforced the ‘insurrection’ narrative.” 

Still, many feel that the whole affair will help Trump. Bild Online wrote on March 24: „Es scheint bereits fast so, als würde Trump immer irgendwie zuletzt lachen …“ [„It almost appears as if somehow Trump would always laugh in the end…”]

Trump’s Colossal Blunder

The Brownstone Institute wrote on March 24:

“An enduring mystery for three years is how Donald Trump came to be the president who shut down American society for what turned out to be a manageable respiratory virus, setting off an unspeakable crisis with waves of destructive fallout that continue to this day… On March 9, 2020, Trump was still of the opinion that the virus could be handled by normal means. Two days later, he changed his tune. He was ready to use the full power of the federal government in a war on the virus… It was only a week later when Trump issued the edict to close all ‘indoor and outdoor venues where people congregate,’ initiating the biggest regime change in US history that flew in the face of all rights and liberties Americans had previously taken for granted… This action confounded critics on all sides. 

“A month later, Trump said his decision to have ‘turned off’ the economy saved millions of lives, later even claiming to have saved billions. He has yet to admit error. Even as late as June 23rd of that year, Trump was demanding credit for having followed all of Fauci’s recommendations… Something about this story has never really added up. How could one person have been so persuaded by a handful of others such as Fauci, Birx, Pence, and Kushner and his friends? He surely had other sources of information – some other scenario or intelligence – that fed into his disastrous decision…

“On the 12th, Trump shut all travel from Europe, the UK, and Australia, causing huge human pile-ups at international airports…”

We may never know in this lifetime who influenced Trump to make these terribly wrong and disastrous decisions… In addition, Trump’s advocacy of “his” experimental and untested vaccines contributed to a climate of terrible persecution of those who voiced concerns. Of course, under the Biden Administration, the persecution of the “pandemic of the unvaccinated” has continued with full rage.

Running the Country from Prison

The New York Post wrote on March 25:

“Former President Donald Trump could run for the White House — even if he is convicted and sent to prison… It wouldn’t be the first time a major campaign was staged from behind bars.

“In 1920, Socialist candidate Eugene V. Debs launched a White House run and garnered nearly a million votes while incarcerated at the federal pen in Atlanta. Debs had been convicted of sedition in 1918 for protesting US involvement in World War I. He was sentenced to 10 years, but that was commuted to time served in 1921 by President Harding…

“In more recent times, former Ohio Rep. James Traficant — who was expelled from the House in 2002 after being convicted in federal court of racketeering, bribery and tax evasion — staged an unsuccessful run for his old seat while incarcerated at Allenwood federal prison in White Deer, PA…

“‘If Trump is in jail, he could run, as Debs did; and if that happens, the uproar over it will surely be exploited by the government, to stoke more rage and panic over “domestic terrorism.” In short, it won’t end well,’ said NYU professor Mark Crispin Miller.”

What a spectacle that would be! But it may not come to that. Note the next article.

Donald Trump INDICTED!

The Associated Press reported on Marcy 30, 2023:

Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, prosecutors and defense lawyers said Thursday, making him the first former U.S. president to face a criminal charge and jolting his bid to retake the White House next year.

“The charges remained under seal late Thursday, but the investigation centered on payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter. Prosecutors said they were working to coordinate Trump’s surrender, which could happen early next week, but they did not say whether they intended to seek prison time in the event of a conviction.”

The implications of this indictment and the potential for civil unrest may spin out of control, and a broken America grows more and more divided!

Trump’s First Rally of His 2024 Republican Presidential Campaign

Newsmax wrote on March 25:

“Former President Donald Trump returned to the campaign rally trail Saturday night in Waco, Texas, saying ‘2024 is the final battle’… Trump delivered his pointed rebuke of all his opposing forces, including ‘stupid warmongers,’ open-border fanatics, radical left Democrats, and anti-Trump Republicans. ‘When this election is over, I will be the president of the United States, you will be vindicated and proud, and the thugs and criminals who are corrupting our justice system will be defeated, discredited, and totally disgraced,’ Trump said…

“Trump denounced the forces working against him as anti-America. ‘For seven years, you and I have been taking on the corrupt, rotten, and sinister forces trying to destroy America… they do get closer and closer with rigged elections… We’ve been the ones in this fight, standing up to the globalists and standing up to the Marxists and communists. That’s what they are.’”

The New York Post quoted Trump as saying the following during his rally:

“‘Either we surrender to the demonic forces demolishing our country, or we defeat them in a landslide,’ Trump warned. ‘Either the deep state destroys America, or we destroy the deep state.’”

The reference to demonic forces is telling, as it is indeed Satan and his demons who rule this evil world; and Jesus did not refute Satan’s claim that the authority over all kingdoms has been given to him (Luke 4:5-6).

Transgender Murders Six People at School in Nashville

“Six people – including three children – are dead after a transgender female shooter opened fire at a private school in Nashville, killing three nine-year-old children and three staff members. The shooter was 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who at one time attended the school. 

“Police said she identified as transgender [meaning, the biologically born woman thought she was a man], and online profiles show Audrey used ‘he/him’ pronouns. At around 10.13am, she opened fire at The Covenant School, shooting and killing nine-year-old Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney.  Scruggs was the daughter of Chad Scruggs, the pastor at the affiliated presbyterian church. 

“Substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, head of school Katherine Koonce, 60, and custodian Mike Hill, 61, were also killed…

“It’s unclear what Hale’s motive was… she had detailed, drawn maps of the school and had been surveilling it, according to police… It’s unclear how she gained access to the building. Police say all of the doors were locked. Police arrived at the scene and heard the gunshots coming from the 2nd floor. By 10.27am, she had been shot dead. She was armed with two assault-style rifles and a handgun…”

Horrible! Demons are having a field day, but just about no one seems to see the connection and connect the dots. Rather, we are informed that the murderer was suffering from “an emotional disorder.”

Additionally, the stupidity of the mass media seems to know no bounds. Breitbart reported on March 28:

“The New York Times and USA Today complied with radical gender ideology by apologizing for correctly identifying the Nashville Christian School shooting suspect as a woman.”

In other words, they correctly identified her as a woman, but then apologized, as they felt they should have referred to her as a man.

Biden’s Performance—Insensitive and Embarrassing

Fox News wrote on March 27:

“President Biden was criticized Monday for his response to the Nashville school shooting after he joked that he only made a public appearance because he heard there would be ice cream before discussing the tragedy that claimed the lives of three adults and three children at an elementary school earlier in the day.

“‘My name is Joe Biden. I’m Dr. Jill Biden’s husband,’ Biden said from the White House’s East Room in his first public appearance since a 28-year-old woman shot and killed three students and three teachers at a Christian private school in Nashville. ‘I eat Jeni’s ice cream — chocolate chip. I came down because I heard there was chocolate chip ice cream,’ he continued. ‘By the way, I have a whole refrigerator full upstairs,’ he added. ‘You think I’m kidding? I’m not,’ Biden told the crowd.

“Biden later called the shooting ‘sick’ and ‘heartbreaking’ while demanding Congress do more to ‘stop the gun violence.’ But critics went after the president for the inappropriate reaction and seemingly playful tone while addressing the tragedy. ‘To say that he misunderstood the moment would be an understatement,’ former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told Fox News later Monday. ‘You know, the president is watching, you’d hope before he comes down there, the awful scenes from the shooting and the reactions of family members and friends of people in that school. And to be coming down, joking about the fact that he’s Jill Biden’s husband and looking for chocolate chip ice cream is hardly the way to start it,’ Christie said… ‘And so there’s no room to joke in that circumstance at all. And certainly not from the President of the United States.’

“Christie said the president committed the ‘second-worst thing to do’ in a circumstance like this one by invoking the political card (of gun control)  while parents and students across the country grapple with the impact of the horrific shooting… ‘Nobody in their right mind goes into that school and kills three young children and three adults helping to teach those children.’”

Biden is an embarrassment for the USA… and that puts it mildly. The question is being asked whether he is indeed mentally able to run the USA. And to be sure, the shooter was not a person in his or her right mind. Rather, he or she clearly gave in to demonic influence, if not possession.

Netanyahu Suspends Judicial Reform

The Jerusalem Post wrote on March 27:

“Prime Minister Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday evening that he was temporarily freezing the bill that would alter the makeup of the Judicial Appointments Committee… [which has] thrown the country into turmoil and unprecedented civil unrest…

“Netanyahu said that either way, his government would bring a reform that will ‘return the balance that was lost between the [government] branches’…

“The prime minister added that the country was on a ‘dangerous path,’ and that he would not allow it to descend into civil war.”

The Associated Press added on March 27:

“The plan would give Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges, and his allies the final say in appointing the nation’s judges. It would also give parliament, which is controlled by his allies, authority to overturn Supreme Court decisions and limit the court’s ability to review laws.”

 Dissident German Bishops

 Reuters wrote on March 24:

“Pope Francis should take disciplinary action against German bishops who support same-sex unions and hold other ‘heretical’ views, a top conservative cardinal said in an interview published on Friday.

“The German Catholic church is discussing a series of reforms, including on homosexuality, women priests and priestly celibacy, as part of its so-called Synodal Path.

“Speaking to La Repubblica newspaper, Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Mueller said some of the bishops taking part in the process have approved ‘heretical texts’ and should be tried under canon law… The cardinal, himself a German bishop, said allowing gay couples to have their union blessed by a priest goes ‘directly against Catholic faith… Blessing homosexual couples is a blasphemy’…

“In July, the Vatican tried to slam the brakes on the German Synodal Path movement, saying it risked causing a schism in the universal Church…”

 Please see our new StandingWatch program, “Catholic Church in Turmoil.”

 Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

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Are you concentrating too much on minor and less important areas in your life?

Some can indeed be engaging in the process of “majoring in the minors.” Before we address the practical application of some areas, we need to stress that in God’s eyes, a sin is a sin, whether we consider it as “major” or “minor.”

In our Q&A, “Are there sins which are more serious than others? Are all of God’s Laws equal in importance?”, we state the following:

“We need to understand that Christ died for our sins, and sin is defined as the transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4, Authorized Version). In that sense, all of God’s spiritual commandments are of equal importance, as Christ died for each and every one of our sins… The wages for each and every sin is the second death (Romans 6:23). At the same time, each sin, which is truly repented of, will be forgiven (1 John 1:7, 9)…

“This does not mean that in God’s eyes, some sins are not more serious than others… Certain sins could more easily than others lead to an attitude of defiance of God and perhaps even to a complete rejection of God and His way of life… There are sins–although they will be forgiven upon true repentance–which are more grievous and weigh more heavily in God’s eyes than other sins…

“It is true that we must strive to obey ALL of God’s laws, but the Bible makes it clear that we must not try to ‘major in the minors,’ while neglecting the majors. For instance, even though tithing is clearly still a commandment that must be obeyed by true Christians today, Christ emphasized that there are ‘weightier matters of the law,’ namely justice, mercy, faith, and the love of God (compare Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42). He said that while we must tithe, we must not leave undone the weightier matters of the law.

“Christ made it very clear that He did not come to do away with even ‘the least’ of the commandments of God (Matthew 5:17-19), and that the one who teaches contrariwise will be called the ‘least’ in the Kingdom of God. But He also explained that there is no commandment ‘greater’ than the injunction to love God and to love our neighbor (Mark 12:28-31).

“We read that this IS the love of God that we keep His commandments (1 John 5:3). It IS important to be ‘faithful in what is least,’ because this shows God that such a person will also be faithful ‘in much’–and vice versa (Luke 16:10). But we are also told that godly love is the greatest of all of the characteristics of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:13), and that no one has ‘greater love’ than he who lays down his life for his friends (John 15:13).

“All these passages show that in God’s eyes, there are commandments within the law which are greater than others…

“No sin and no commandment of God is unimportant. Christ died for our sins–whether small or big. But we must realize that in God’s eyes, there are distinctions regarding the weight of our sins and His laws. Let us strive, foremost, to attain to the weightier matters of the law, desiring the greater spiritual gifts (compare 1 Corinthians 12:31). We must especially concentrate on avoiding to sin against those weightier matters, and it would be extremely dangerous to do so defiantly and presumptuously.”

That then leads us to the question as to whether a certain conduct or action is sinful. Many have created a catalog of “sins,” referring to actions which might not be sinful at all in God’s eyes. They are quite literally trying to major in the minors, as the Pharisees were guilty of doing.

The right kind of Sabbath keeping is a good example. It is clear that we must observe the Sabbath by “resting”; that is, by refraining from our usual labor and from carrying heavy burdens and, instead, by worshipping God and attending worship services on that day. It is also clear that we are not to engage in buying or selling, but how is this to be applied in certain circumstances?

We state this in our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days”:

“The Pharisees totally misinterpreted the prohibition against carrying burdens on the Sabbath. They decreed that a person was guilty of breaking the Sabbath if he carried a sheet of paper, or any food that weighed as much as a dried fig, or if he carried more than one swallow of milk, or enough oil to anoint a small part of the body. If a fire broke out in a person’s home on the Sabbath, he could carry out only the necessary food to be consumed on the Sabbath. This meant that if the fire broke out at the beginning of the Sabbath—right after sunset—the person could take out enough food for three meals; but if the fire broke out on the afternoon of the Sabbath, he could only take out enough food for one meal. The rest could not be carried out and had to be left behind, to burn with the building. Further, only necessary clothes could be taken out of a burning house on the Sabbath.”

We might not have these kinds of rules for correct Sabbath keeping, but we might have enacted other rules, which are quite contrary to the official teaching of the Church of the Eternal God. One of these self-made rules might be that it is sinful to eat in a restaurant or in a hotel on the Sabbath—something that the Church does NOT teach, and which it has never taught. In a letter from the Letter Answering Department of the Worldwide Church of God, dated October 1988, this understanding was correctly explained, as follows:

“The Church has long taught that it is not wrong to eat out on the weekly Sabbath occasionally or on the annual Holy Days, depending upon one’s circumstances and preferences. Those waiters, waitresses, chefs, and the like, who may serve in a restaurant, are not our ‘servants’ in the way described in the Fourth Commandment. They are the employees of the owner of the restaurant. They would be working regardless of whether or not we ate there. God does not hold us responsible for their working on the Sabbath just because we use their services — unless we are the only ones who ever ate in that restaurant on the Sabbath. Obviously, we make up a very small portion of the customers served in restaurants on the Sabbath or Holy Days. Further, eating out occasionally on the Sabbath can enhance spiritual fellowship with brethren and allow family members more time to be with one another.”

The Church of God in Germany published a booklet in the early 70’s, titled “Gottes Sabbat–ein Tag der Freude” (“God’s Sabbath — A Day of Joy”). It reflected the Church’s understanding on the issue, and stated: “In Matthew 12:1-5, Christ shows clearly that it is not prohibited to acquire food on the Sabbath, when one is hungry and has nothing to eat. If one is not at home, it is not wrong to go to a restaurant on the Sabbath. There are people who do not have the means of cooking at home. In such cases it is permissible to buy food on the Sabbath.”

Another conclusion would lead to ridiculous consequences. We could not stay at a hotel during the Sabbath, as we would pay for the hotel’s services during that time (including eating complimentary breakfasts, room cleaning, using electricity), and we could never use public transportation to get to services.

Some have said that we can eat out on an annual Holy Day, or on a weekly Sabbath, when we are traveling, but that we cannot eat out on a weekly Sabbath, when we are “within our gates.” However, there is no Scriptural evidence supporting this claim.

The concept of majoring in the minors can also apply in other ways, when considering proper Sabbath keeping.  In our free booklet, “How to Keep the Sabbath,” we state:

“Some have no problem with going to a restaurant on the Sabbath to be with Church members, but reject the concept that when they get together for a picnic after Church services, some participating members, who have been traveling from a distance, go to a shop to buy some beer or some sandwiches for the picnic. Some may object to others stopping at a coffee shop on their way to Church services to drink coffee there or eat a sandwich, but they have no problem with buying coffee at the hotel where they are meeting, or at a restaurant where they might meet after services. We must not have double standards. If one set of actions is accepted, why not the other set? In addition, we do not know why the member would stop at a coffee shop on his way to services. Maybe, his family situation is such that he would rather enjoy peace at the coffee shop than having coffee at home, where he might be facing antagonism and rejection because of the Sabbath. As mentioned before, these are questions which must be answered pursuant to personal choices and convictions. It is not for us to condemn or criticize those who might not act in a way which we might approve or disapprove.”

Another example of majoring in the minors might be in relationship to deleavening our homes before the Days of Unleavened Bread.  

Again, it is clear that we have to physically deleaven our belongings before the Days of Unleavened Bread, and that we have to refrain from eating leavened products during that time [however, this does not apply to beverages or items which are not meant for human consumption].

As we explain in our free booklet, “The Meaning of God’s Spring Holy Days,” “[w]hen used in connection with the Days of Unleavened bread, leaven symbolizes sin. Christ spoke of the ‘leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees’ (Matthew 16:6, 11), which He described as their wrong and sinful ‘doctrine’ (verse 12). He also equated the ‘leaven of the Pharisees’ with the sin of ‘hypocrisy’ (Luke 12:1). As sin may begin small and spreads, so does leaven. Paul warns us twice that ‘a little leaven leavens the whole lump’ (1 Corinthians 5:6; Galatians 5:9). During the seven Days of Unleavened Bread, we are reminded that we are to overcome sin and leave it behind, pictured by removing and not eating leavened food. We are then to replace sin with righteousness, pictured by the consumption of unleavened products…

“Paul told the Corinthians to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread with the ‘unleavened bread of sincerity and truth’ (1 Corinthians 5:7–8). He admonished them that, even though they were physically ‘unleavened’ (verse 7)—keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread and removing all leavened products from their houses—they also had to behave with a spiritually unleavened mind, by removing not just physical leaven, but also the spiritual leaven of sin from their lives.”

Considering this, we might ask ourselves the question, what is more important? Is it more important in God’s eyes to do away with the physical leaven in our houses, or the spiritual leaven in our hearts and lives? The answer should be obvious, and Christ’s admonition regarding tithing applies as well in this context. We are to do the one, while not neglecting the weightier matters of the law. When we just take great effort to find every single last crumb of leavened bread in the hidden corners of our homes or cars, while forgetting the spiritual meaning, we have missed the point and majoring in the minors.

Another good example of wrong priorities can be seen when considering eating unclean food. No doubt, God prohibits us to consume unclean meat; it is an abomination in His eyes to do so. But again, we can lose proper balance if we go too far in establishing self-made rules.

In our Q&A, “Can we consume food that contains unclean insects?”, we say the following:

“We feel that, generally, food that is labeled with unclean ingredients, which do not go through an ‘alteration’ process, unlike gelatin products, should be avoided. That is, when we can, we should avoid them—looking at labels when available and asking when possible, just as we inquire at Mexican restaurants whether the beans are made with lard (pig fat); or as we inquire in Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants whether their dishes are made with oyster sauce.

“However, to really know exactly what is in the food we eat is hard to tell. When it comes to foods and drinks that say ‘may contain’ certain ingredients, it isn’t very clear and again poses the question, how do we really know what’s in there and how far do we want to go asking for an ingredient list wherever we eat? We need to take a balanced approach… and ultimately, the decision is up to us individually whether, and in what circumstances, to partake of the products, keeping in mind that we must never eat or drink or do anything that violates our conscience if we feel that we would be compromising with the Word of God. However, having done our part, we leave the rest to God who can also protect us if we eat something inadvertently which happens to be unclean.

“We should also understand that in such a case, we do not sin or become ‘unclean’ in the eyes of God (compare Mark 7:15-19; note that the last clause in verse 19 should be translated: ‘…it is eliminated into the sewer which purifies all foods.’ Compare also Matthew 15:17-20).”

Spending hours on the Internet or in a grocery store to study labels “ad infinitum” is most certainly not what God has in mind for us.

We should remember that Paul tells us in Romans 14:17 that the Kingdom of God “is not a matter of eating or drinking” (New International Version); this is not the major focus of God’s teaching.

Christ warns us in Matthew 23:24 not to become “blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel.”

Another example where we can easily lose balance and try to major in the minors is the question about  what kind of sports a Christian can practice. In our Q&A, we discuss the difference between violent sports and games and those which are not.  Addressing the issue of chess, we said:

“… some say that playing chess is wrong since it is a game of war.  We have never taught this in the Church, and many Church members are or were very good chess players. Even though world chess champion Bobby Fisher was never a member of the Worldwide Church of God, he showed some interest at one time and volunteered to play chess with many Ambassador College students. (He was an extremely talented chess player, and he played simultaneously numerous games with different students. At the same time, his fascination with chess caused him to be unbalanced.).”

In that series of Q&As on sports, we give several examples as to what is clearly appropriate, and what might not be. But again, proper balance and avoiding majoring in the minors are all-important.

Actually, the list of examples in all kinds of areas of life could be endless. For some, physical exercise might be THE priority in their lives, and even though it says that physical exercise profits a little (note our Q&A on 1 Timothy 4:8) it also says that godliness—the spiritual aspect—is profitable for all things. As the Living Bible puts it: “Bodily exercise is alright, but spiritual exercise is much more important.”

Some may think and advocate that buying a lottery ticket or spending a few dollars at a slot machine are terrible sins, while they may see nothing wrong with gambling with thousands upon thousands of dollars at the stock market.

Some may advocate refusing to watch Television and they may even advocate removing a TV set from their homes, but they may have no problem with surfing on the internet for countless hours. Some may advocate their own rules of “healthy living” by concluding that coffee, alcohol, clean meat, cheese, butter and salt are unhealthy and must be avoided, while the Bible says nothing of the kind. Some may advocate refusing to consult medical doctors while advocating and propagating the effectiveness of homeopathy. Some may recommend spending endless hours to devise prophetic charts and timelines to figure out when Christ will return, even though Christ told us that no one knows the time, and that He will return when we do NOT expect it.

And we could list many more examples.

Some say, members must follow their conscience, and they must never violate it, as this would be sin (compare Romans 14:23). This is true, but here is an important caveat, as we explain in our Q&A, “How do we address the objections and convictions of individual church members?”

“It is clear from Scripture that we must not violate our conscience IF it is NOT in contradiction to what the Bible prohibits or demands. At the same time, we are NOT to follow our conscience if this would violate biblical injunctions. For instance, we must never follow our conscience when it ‘commands’ us to kill (such as, defeating our enemy in war); or to vote in governmental elections (to ‘improve’ the situation in our country); or to commit adultery with our neighbor’s wife (because she feels unloved by her husband); or to violate the Sabbath (as we ‘must’ work to feed our family); or to attend Christmas celebrations (so as not to offend our relatives and friends). Likewise, we must never follow our conscience by not doing what we are commanded to do…

“It would be advisable… to review the Scriptures to see whether your conscience is based on the Bible or merely on man-made traditions… Two principles are to be emphasized in this context.

“First, it is not wrong or against Church teaching, which is based on the Bible, to eat out in a restaurant on the Sabbath. This has been a very contentious issue for some who have tried to enforce their personal contrary opinion on the entire Church.

“Second, the individual member must evaluate his or her stance to see whether he or she is in line with Church teaching. As God’s true Church has been given the authority from God to bind and to loose, which includes decisions pertaining to biblical principles in ‘gray’ areas, the individual member is to review his conscientious position to see whether it should be maintained.

“We need to address a third principle. That is, the Church is not to forego a certain practice, which is based on the Bible, just because an individual member has a different ‘conviction.’ In other words, the Church is under NO obligation to cater to such opinions by individual members. We have seen over the years that some Christians have developed their own personal opinions, calling them conviction and arguing that the Church must follow and adopt them for the individual’s benefit…

“Some may like certain types of music, while others may not care for them. But the mere fact that one Christian might not like or object to a certain type of music is not a compelling reason for other Christians to refrain from listening to or playing such music… But this does not mean… that the Church would need to forego an entire musical presentation during a social event because one member might be offended by some of the music which might be played or performed at that event… if the Church concludes that such an event is appropriate, then the member would be well advised to critically evaluate his or her contrary ‘conviction.’

“When addressing Sabbath activities, the Church is under no obligation to forego eating in a restaurant on the Sabbath… only because one member would have a problem of conscience with such activity. A big problem ensues if the Church decides to meet in a restaurant for the Night to Be Much Observed (which always falls on an annual Sabbath—the First Day of Unleavened Bread). In that case, the member will have to make a decision as to whether to follow the Church’s directive or his or her own conscience. Again, in this case, the member would need to carefully evaluate whether his or her ‘conscience’ is in accordance with Scriptural injunctions and teachings (which it would not be); and whether he or she might become guilty of causing division by his or her disagreement.

“Some new members, especially because of their religious background, might reject dancing or playing cards, chess or video games. Again, it would be important for the members to review their conscience (since it is based on erroneous thinking, as the Bible does not prohibit such activities), but it most certainly would not be the duty of the Church to cancel a dance activity or a fun and game night because of the ‘conscience’ of that particular member…

“Especially when addressing… movies, the scale of potential ‘offenses’ could be huge. Some might only watch movies which are rated G, and some have refused watching cartoons in which animals ‘speak.’ These ‘convictions’ can never be the basis for other members as to what to watch or not to watch; nor for the Church to decide as to what movies to watch or show during a social Church gathering…’

The conclusion of the matter is this: Let us not attempt to major in the minors. Let us not establish rules in our minds which we elevate to unjustified importance, even though they are not established by God. And finally, let us not judge others for their behavior which may not be in agreement with our ideas of proper conduct. Rather, let us concentrate on what is most important in the eyes of God, by majoring in the majors.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

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Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

compiled by Dave Harris

Brian and Jill Gale have arrived in California from England to participate in the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, along with the upcoming Church Conference. Norbert and Johanna Link traveled to Germany this week to be with the brethren for Passover and for the Days of Unleavened Bread.

“The Rise and Fall of Germany and Europe,” our new booklet written by Evangelist Norbert Link, has been sent to graphic artist, Shelly Bruno, in preparation for printing.

Sind Sie vorbereitet?” is the German sermon presented by Michael Link for this Sabbath.  Title in English: “Are You Prepared?”

“Würdig leben,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Johann Schell, is now posted. Title in English: “Live Worthy.”

“Passiver/Aktiver Glaube,” the sermon presented last Sabbath in Germany by Christoph Sperzel, is now posted. Title in English: “Passive/Active Faith.”

“What If Trump and Putin Were Arrested?—Comments on News and Prophecy, March 25, 2023,” the first message last Sabbath was presented by Norbert Link, and it is now posted. Here is a summary:

If Donald Trump were ever convicted and imprisoned, could he still run for the Presidency; could he be elected; and could he still operate as President from prison? If Vladimir Putin was ever arrested in a foreign country, such as Germany or Austria, due to the arrest warrant of the International Criminal Court, what did Russia say it would do to those countries? In other news, we address the postponement of the visit of King Charles in France due to France’s “descent into anarchy”; problems the Biden family is facing; the ongoing bank debacle; calls for the removal of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell; and the liberal “reform” movement of the German Catholic church.

“God’s Knowledge in Your Life,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

God is willing to reveal His knowledge to you which is opposed to the so-called wisdom of this world, but are you willing to reject this world’s silly philosophies and rather accept and act upon the knowledge of God? And how careful are you not to lose the understanding which God has given to you, while at the same time growing and increasing in His knowledge?

Spring Holy Days: Passover—April 5, 2023 (observed the evening before); Feast of Unleavened Bread—April 6-12, 2023; Pentecost—May 28, 2023.

2023 Ministerial Conference: April 27, 28 and 30, 2023.

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How This Work is Financed

This Update is an official publication by the ministry of the Church of the Eternal God in the United States of America; the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada; and the Global Church of God in the United Kingdom.

Editorial Team: Norbert Link, Dave Harris, Rene Messier, Brian Gale, Johanna Link, Eric Rank, Michael Link, Anna Link, Kalon Mitchell, Manuela Mitchell, Dawn Thompson

Technical Team: Eric Rank, Shana Rank

Our activities and literature, including booklets, weekly updates, sermons on CD and video and audio broadcasts, are provided free of charge. They are made possible by the tithes, offerings and contributions of Church members and others who have elected to support this Work.

While we do not solicit the general public for funds, contributions are gratefully welcomed and are tax-deductible in the U.S. and Canada.

Donations can be sent to the following addresses:

United States: Church of the Eternal God, P.O. Box 270519, San Diego, CA 92198

Canada: Church of God, ACF, Box 1480, Summerland, B.C. V0H 1Z0

United Kingdom: Global Church of God, PO Box 44, MABLETHORPE, LN12 9AN, United Kingdom

Comments on News and Prophecy, March 25, 2023 / God’s Knowledge in Your Life

On March 25, 2023, Norbert  Link will present “Comments on News and Prophecy, March 25, 2023,” and the sermon, titled, “God’s Knowledge in Your Life.”

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.

This Week in the News

Indictment Coming?

Fox News wrote on March 17:

“Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung reacted to the news [of a possible indictment against Trump, BEFORE Trump’s announcement, see below] by… calling [Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s]investigation a ‘witch hunt’ and accusing him of being in the pocket of President Biden and ‘radical Democrats.’… ‘This is happening because President Trump is leading in the polls by a large margin against both Democrats and Republicans, and there’s never been anything so blatant in American political history.’

“‘Everyone knows it’s a sham. In fact, the Department of Justice stocked the DA’s office with top people from DC to help “Get Trump” at a local level. Americans will not tolerate Radical Left Democrats turning our justice system into an injustice system to influence a presidential election, which is all they want to do…’

“The potential indictment stems from the yearslong investigation surrounding Trump’s alleged hush money scandal involving porn star Stormy Daniels. Towards the end of the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen sent $130,000 to Daniels to prevent her from disclosing her 2006 affair with Trump. Trump reimbursed Cohen through installments.”

As the following articles show, this is indeed a witch hunt against Trump which, from a legal standpoint, is destined to failure… but in light of a deeply corrupt “justice” system in New York, which lets criminals go free and goes after others because of hatred for a person who is supposed to be innocent unless proven guilty, and strictly because of political considerations, one never knows. Former mayor Giuliani stated in an interview on March 19 that the conduct by the prosecution in New York is reminiscent of East Germany before the unification of Germany, and must be described as fascist.  

To Be Arrested?

Trump wrote on March 18 on his website “Truth Social” [we refrained from correcting his typographical errors in the post]:

“OUR NATION IS NOW THIRD WORLD & DYING. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS DEAD! THE RADICAL LEFT ANARCHISTS HAVE STOLLEN OUR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, AND WITH IT, THE HEART OF OUR OUR COUNTRY. AMERICAN PATRIOTS ARE BEING ARRESTED & HELD IN CAPTIVITY LIKE ANIMALS, WHILE CRIMINALS & LEFTIST THUGS ARE ALLOWED TO ROAM THE STREETS, KILLING & BURNING WITH NO RETRIBUTION. MILLIONS ARE FLOODING THROUGH OUR OPEN BOARDERS, MANY FROM PRISONS & MENTAL INSTITUTIONS. CRIME & INFLATION ARE DESTROYING OUR VERY WAY OF LIFE…

“NOW ILLEGAL LEAKS FROM A CORRUPT & HIGHLY POLITICAL MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEYS OFFICE, WHICH HAS ALLOWED NEW RECORDS TO BE SET IN VIOLENT CRIME & WHOSE LEADER IS FUNDED BY GEORGE SOROS, INDICATE THAT, WITH NO CRIME BEING ABLE TO BE PROVEN, & BASED ON AN OLD & FULLY DEBUNKED (BY NUMEROUS OTHER PROSECUTORS!) FAIRYTALE, THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”

In a post later in the day, Trump wrote:

“THEY’RE KILLING OUR NATION AS WE SIT BACK & WATCH. WE MUST SAVE AMERICA!PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!”

Trump wrote on Sunday, March 19:

“IT IS THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY OF MANHATTAN WHO IS BREAKING THE LAW BY USING THE FAKE AND FULLY DISCREDITED TESTIMONY (EVEN BY THE SDNY!) OF A CONVICTED LIAR, FELON AND JAILBIRD, MICHAEL COHEN, TO INCREDIBLY PERSECUTE, PROSECUTE, AND INDICT A FORMER PRESIDENT, AND NOW LEADING (BY FAR!) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, FOR A CRIME THAT DOESN’T EXIST… ALVIN BRAGG SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE CRIME OF ‘INTERFERENCE IN A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION’…”

Subsequently, Newsmax wrote on March 20:

“A law enforcement source told Fox News Monday that authorities do not expect former President Donald Trump to face arraignment until next week…”

The Daily Mail added on March 21 that an indictment WAS expected this week, but that Trump, who presently lives in Florida, won’t appear before a judge in New York until next week.

Legally Pathetic

Breitbart wrote on March 18:

“In an opinion article published in the Hill Saturday, [Professor Jonathan] Turley wrote that the case was ‘legally pathetic’…

“‘While we still do not know the specific state charges in the anticipated indictment, the most-discussed would fall under Section 175 for falsifying business records, based on the claim that Trump used legal expenses to conceal the alleged hush-payments that were supposedly used to violate federal election laws… A Section 175 charge would normally be a misdemeanor. The only way to convert it into a Class E felony requires a showing that the ‘intent to defraud includes an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof.’ That other crime would appear to be the federal election violations which the Justice Department previously declined to charge.’

“He added that Bragg’s office could not prosecute the charge as a misdemeanor, as the statute of limitations is two years. He would have to pursue a felony…”

Timing Suspect in a Political Circus

Newsmax wrote on March 18:

“Regardless of former President Donald Trump’s arrest for a ‘hypercreative’ prosecution, Democrats leading this charge will not stop him from running for president, according to legal expert Alan Dershowitz [who is a self-proclaimed liberal Democrat who has not voted for Trump in the past and said he will not do so next time either]. ‘They’re going to want to make this [a] political circus; in the end, it will help Trump politically… And remember that it doesn’t matter if he’s indicted or even convicted or even in prison: He can still run for president and serve as president. The state can’t stop it and the Legislature can’t stop it. It’s in the Constitution.’…

“The timing is also suspect, Dershowitz noted, as allegations of influence peddling against the Biden family has reached a crescendo [note articles below]… ‘This [is] purely, purely political… There is no basis for this prosecution… the prosecution itself is an unrighteous prosecution… It’s an example of the conversation between the head of the KGB and Stalin, where the KGB guy said to Stalin: “Show me the man, and I’ll find you the crime”…

“‘… in New York you can indict a ham sandwich if you’re the grand jury, and probably convict the ham sandwich if his name is Trump, because the jury pool will be so dramatically opposed to Trump. This is a very bad day for America…’”

No wonder Americans are upset about this politically-driven circus. Note the next article.

America in Turmoil

The Daily Mail wrote on March 19:

“Trump supporters are pushing for a ‘MAGA moat’ around Mar-a-Lago to prevent the former president from being arrested… Among those calling for action are political commentator Mike Cernovich and radio host Stew Peters. Cernovich, for his part, demanded that DeSantis refuse to extradite the former president…

“Political strategist and former radio host Joey M. also tweeted ‘if DeSantis signs that extradition request, his political career as we know it would be over… If he doesn’t sign them, he becomes a hero to MAGA and possibly becomes the de facto nominee for 2024 – or mends fences with Trump and forms a unity ticket with himself as VP. ‘

“Meanwhile, Peters tweeted ‘if Ron DeSantis is the conservative hero he projects himself to be he should REFUSE to honor the arrest warrant for President-in-exile Trump and send the Florida National Guard to Mar-a-Lago to ensure Trump’s protection. Anything less proves DeSantis is a fraud.’

“There are also similar reports of people calling to surround Mar-a-Lago or block traffic to prevent the former president’s arrest, with many already descending on the Florida estate to protest — as others gather around the New York City Trump Tower…

“The Florida governor is so far one of the few Republicans who have not spoken out about Trump’s pending indictment [but see an article below], with even House Speaker Kevin McCarthy denouncing it on Twitter. ‘Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump,’ the California representative wrote, referring to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

“McCarthy then vowed to direct any relevant committees to investigate whether federal funding is being used to ‘subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically-motivated prosecutions.’ [Breitbart wrote on March 19: “House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Sunday said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is ‘abusing his office’ by going after former President Donald Trump, while Democrats, including Bragg, are allowing crime to run rampant. ‘Alvin Bragg is abusing his office to target President Trump while he’s reduced a majority of felonies, including violent crimes, to misdemeanors. He has different rules for political opponents,’ McCarthy said on Twitter.” Bragg also announced that he will NOT prosecute armed robberies!!!]

“Controversial Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also said Trump will ‘win even bigger’ than he already was going to in 2024 if Bragg indicts him and he ‘did nothing wrong.’… MAGA Sen. JD Vance, meanwhile, noted that he has been asked whether he will take away his endorsement of Trump in 2024. ‘The answer is:… no,’ he said. ‘A politically-motivated prosecution makes the argument for Trump even stronger. We simply don’t have a real country if justice depends on politics.’

“And Rep. Elise Stefanik, the chair of the House Republican Conference, said in a statement that the ‘Radical Left’ will have Trump arrested because they know they cannot defeat him.’ She said that is ‘un-American’ and reaches a ‘dangerous new low of Third World countries.’ ‘What the corrupt Leftist prosecutors like Alvin Bragg and their Socialist allies fail to understand is that America First Patriots have never been so energized to exercise their constitutional rights to peacefully organize and VOTE at the ballot box to save our great Republic.’

“Sen. Lindsey Graham also said… Saturday that Bragg has ‘done more’ to get Trump re-elected than any one… in the country. ‘They’re making stuff up that they never used against anybody because they hate Trump,’ he said…  Former Vice President Mike Pence also stuck up for his former boss in an interview with reporters Saturday, saying: ‘The idea of indicting a president of the United States is deeply troubling to me as it is to tens of millions of Americans – and particularly happening in what appears to be a politically charged environment in New York, where the attorney general and other elected officials literally campaigned on a pledge to prosecute the former president.’…

“And even Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy said Trump being indicted would be a ‘national disaster.’… He explained that indicting Trump will only undermine Americans’ trust in the electoral system… ‘Our entire country is skating on thin ice right now and we cannot afford to politicize the justice system, or else we will reach our breaking point,’ he warned.”

Breitbart added on March 18:

“Former President Donald Trump will win reelection in a ‘landslide victory’ if he is handcuffed and arrested next week, Elon Musk [who is supporting DeSantis]… predicted in a tweet…”

Blitz added on March 18:

“The Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation [Dmitry Medvedev] turned to the people of the United States and advised the citizens of the country to end the rule of the incumbent President Joe Biden [and to “destroy the tyranny of Washington,” according to Express, dated March 19, adding: ‘‘The jerks in Europe wanted to arrest someone else [referring to Putin, see below], and on March 21 they will arrest their own in America,’ he said on Telegram.”

Bragg to Testify Under Oath

Fox News wrote on March 20:

“The House Judiciary Committee is demanding that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg testify before Congress in the wake of his ‘unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority’…  Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, sent a letter… to Bragg Monday morning demanding his testimony. The letter was also signed by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and House Committee on Administration Chairman Brian Steil, R-Wis…

“The statute of limitations on a matter of ‘falsifying business records,’ which Jordan said ‘would ordinarily be a misdemeanor subject to a two-year statute of limitations,’ would have ‘expired long ago.’ ‘State law, however, allows a district attorney to “elevate nominal misdemeanor conduct” to a felony charge if the “intent to defraud includes an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof,”’ Jordan wrote, noting that showing would extend the statute of limitations to five years…

“‘The only potential speculated crime that could be alleged here would be a violation of campaign finance law, according to one scholar, a charge that the Justice Department has already declined to bring,’ Jordan wrote… ‘In addition to the novel and untested legal theory, your star witness for this prosecution has a serious credibility problem—a problem that you have reportedly recognized,’ Jordan wrote. ‘This case relies heavily on the testimony of Michael Cohen, a convicted perjurer with a demonstrable prejudice against President Trump… In 2019, when he testified before Democrats on the House Oversight Committee to aid their fruitless investigation into President Trump, Cohen lied again—six times,’ Jordan said…

“Jordan went on to slam Bragg, saying his ‘progressive criminal justice policies that allow career ‘criminals to run the streets’ of Manhattan requires congressional scrutiny about how public safety funds appropriated by Congress are implemented by local law-enforcement agencies.’

“Jordan is demanding that Bragg turn over records and communications between Manhattan DA office and the Justice Department referring to the Manhattan DA’s investigation of Trump; all communications sent by and received from the ex-prosecutors Dunne and Pomerantz; and all documents and communications referring or relating to the Manhattan district attorney’s office’s receipt and use of federal funds. Jordan demanded that Bragg contact the House Judiciary Committee to schedule his transcribed interview by March 23 at 10:00 a.m. Jordan demanded those records be turned over to the committee by the same day.”

Breitbart wrote on March 20:

“Jordan told Politico: ‘Bragg is a George Soros-backed crazy left wing prosecutor who is presiding in Manhattan where crime is on the rise and is doing this as a purely political sham.’”

DeSantis Goes on Record

Newsmax wrote on March 20:

“Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday denounced the ‘manufactured circus’ behind Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation of former President Donald Trump, rebuking him as a George Soros-funded prosecutor.

“Further, the governor, while answering a question from Newsmax’s Leo Feldman during a press briefing Monday, said he will not become involved in anything to do with a potential arrest of Trump, whose Mar-a-Lago home is in his state… DeSantis, meanwhile, said he is not ‘aware of anything’ when it comes to communications between law enforcement officials in Florida and New York authorities, should Trump be indicted and refuse to go north for his arraignment…

“‘I do know this, the Manhattan District Attorney is a Soros-funded prosecutor, so he like other Soros-funded prosecutors weaponize their office to impose a political agenda at the expense of the rule of law and public safety. He has downgraded over 50% of the felonies to misdemeanors. He says he doesn’t even want to have jail time for the vast majority of crime. So what we’ve seen in Manhattan is the crime rate go up and citizens become less safe.

“‘… you have a prosecutor who is ignoring crimes happening every single day in his jurisdiction and he chooses to go back many, many years ago to use what something about porn star hush-money payments, that’s an example of using a political agenda and weaponizing the office… New Yorkers and ordinary Americans in various jurisdictions… get victimized every day because of the reckless political agenda these Soros-funded prosecutions bring to the job. These Soros-funded district attorneys are a menace to society…’”

Left-liberal Jews have objected to references to Soros-funded political candidates as “antisemitic.”

Jail for the DA?

The Hill wrote on March 21:

“Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Tuesday [tweeted:] ‘A Trump indictment would be a disgusting abuse of power. The DA should be put in jail.’”

Public on Edge

Professor Jonathan Turley wrote on March 21:

“Bragg will have to convince a court that Trump paid the hush money for the sole purpose of the election. As a married man and television celebrity, Trump had other reasons to try to avoid a scandal …This is a patently political prosecution… Indeed, voters could well view the election as a vote against the establishment and the media — the very thing that got Trump elected in 2016…

“Then there is the question of a self-pardon. I have long maintained that a president can pardon himself…

“Bragg is releasing this case into a public that is already on edge. Polls show that a large number of Americans believe that the legal system is being politicized and hold both state and federal government in suspicion. A fifth of Americans now view the government as the greatest threat facing the nation…  53 percent in one poll agreed with the statement that the FBI acts like ‘Biden’s Gestapo.’… [Bragg] could single handily reanimate the presidency of Donald J. Trump.’”

Cohen a Serial Liar

Fox News wrote on March 20:

“Robert Costello, the former legal advisor to ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen, appeared before the grand jury in the Manhattan District Attorney’s investigation into former President Trump Monday, and testified that Cohen is a ‘serial liar’…

“Costello said he testified to the grand jury Monday that Trump did not know about the payments made by Cohen to Stormy Daniels…. ‘There can be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Michael Cohen has great difficulty telling the truth,’ Costello said. ‘He is, after all a convicted perjurer, and our track record with Mr. Cohen convinced us that he was a serial liar.’…”

The case against Trump hinges mainly on the “trustworthiness” of Cohen. The New York Times said that Costello had this to say after his testimony: ‘I told the grand jury that this guy couldn’t tell the truth if you put a gun to his head.’”

Chaos at Court

The New York Post wrote on March 22:

“The Manhattan grand jury hearing evidence against former President Donald Trump in the Stormy Daniels ‘hush money’ case didn’t reconvene Wednesday as scheduled… The afternoon session was unexpectedly [cancelled] by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg… The move… came because an unidentified witness was unable to appear, sources said. The witness is believed to be someone who will rebut Monday’s testimony from lawyer… Robert Costello, sources said.

“Wednesday’s turn of events came as a source with ties to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office told The Post that DA Alvin Bragg was concerned following Costello’s testimony. ‘The last thing he wants is for the grand jury to vote against him,’ the source said. ‘He wants a no-doubt-about-it case. He is pressuring the “Trump obsessed” to step up and prove the case.’

“A source inside Bragg’s office also said a substantial number of assistant district attorneys were ‘shaking their heads’ over Bragg’s decision to pursue Trump, 76. ‘They don’t understand how this case is going forward,’ the source said. ‘These ADAs are not fans of Trump but they are professional lawyers and know the law.’

“Fox News also reported ‘major dissension’ inside Bragg’s office, with one source saying the ‘weakness’ of the evidence against Trump was posing problems for prosecutors….”

Cohen Lied

The New York Post wrote on March 22:

“A newly surfaced letter from 2018 shows Michael Cohen lying to federal election officials about his infamous $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels… In it, Cohen told the Federal Election Commission that he ‘used his own personal funds to facilitate a payment of $130,000 to Ms. Stephanie Clifford,’ aka Daniels, in 2016. ‘Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Ms. Clifford, and neither reimbursed Mr. Cohen for the payment directly or indirectly,’ Cohen lawyer Stephen Ryan wrote on Feb. 8, 2018….”

Major Dissension

Fox News wrote on March 23:

“A Manhattan grand jury will not hear testimony, deliberate or vote on the hush-money case against former President Donald Trump on Thursday… Since the grand jury does not sit on Fridays, a vote on the Trump case is not expected this week…”

A Sideshow Gift for Biden

Miranda Devine of The New York post wrote on March 19:

“… the story took the spotlight off the bombshell bank records released the previous day by the House Oversight Committee, showing $1,065,000 had been funneled from a Chinese energy company, through Biden intimate Rob Walker, to four immediate family members of Joe Biden—his son Hunter, brother James, and Hallie Biden, the widow of his late son Beau, who also is Hunter’s former lover [and] an as-yet-unidentified family member, listed only on bank wires as ‘Biden.’ 

“Comer’s team has subpoenaed further bank records and is expected to reveal the identity of that mystery person… In anyone’s language, that is a huge story. Even the New York Times had to cover it…

“So for the Democrats’ spin machine, it was time for a Trump scandal… Enter Bragg, the George Soros-funded, soft-on-crime DA who has been talking about Trump being indicted on something or other since at least 2019, and who made ‘Get Trump’ a part of his election campaign. 

“His case is a joke. The allegation is that Trump falsified business records by concealing a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels that was made by his estranged former lawyer Michael Cohen in 2016. Everything rests on the word of Cohen, a convicted perjurer, who testified before Bragg’s grand jury for three hours last Monday, and then again on Wednesday. Before that, he had been in for interviews with the DA’s office at least 19 times…

“If a legal witch hunt is the Democrats’ plan to win in 2024, it just shows how desperate they are. Why don’t they try winning elections the old-fashioned way, by presenting candidates and policies worthy of voters’ approval instead of perverting the justice system in the pursuit of power?”

But presenting a qualified candidate and acceptable policies is the big challenge for Democrats.

It Does Not Look Good for the Biden Family

The New York Post wrote on March 18:

‘CNN news anchor Erin Burnett admitted that evidence revealing that the Biden family received over a million dollars from accounts linked to Hunter Biden’s Chinese business dealings does not ‘look good’ for the president’s family…

“House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky) revealed on Thursday that on March 1, 2017 — just weeks after Joe Biden left office as Barack Obama’s VP— State Energy HK Limited, a firm affiliated with Chinese Communist Party-backed energy company CEFC China Energy, wired $3 million to Biden family associate Rob Walker. Walker then proceeded to dish out the money to a number of Biden associates and members of the Biden family, including Hunter Biden, the president’s brother James Biden and his late son Beau Biden’s widow Hallie Biden.

“The windfall was subsequently divvied up over a period of about three months to at least three members of the Biden clan, and two Biden family associates.  Here’s how the $3 million from China was distributed, according to Comer (R-Ky.):  James Gilliar: $1,065,000; John ‘Rob’ Walker: $869,308; Hunter Biden: $610,692; James Biden: $360,000; Hallie Biden: $25,000; Unknown Biden: $70,000.”

The “unknown Biden” could be the most interesting one. According to former mayor Giuliani, this is just the tip of the iceberg, and much more will be revealed, including the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop. The impression exists that the expected indictment of Trump and the revelation regarding the Biden family is not a mere coincidence.

Joe Biden Denies Payments to Family Despite Bank Records

Fox News wrote on March 18:

“President Biden denied that his family received more than $1 million in payments from accounts related to Hunter Biden’s business associate Rob Walker and their Chinese business ventures in 2017, even though financial records indicate otherwise… A spokesperson for Hunter Biden’s legal team confirmed the payments Thursday but emphasized that the recipients’ accounts ‘belonged to Hunter, his uncle and Hallie – nobody else.’ However, Biden denied that the payments were made when confronted by a reporter on the White House lawn Friday…

“Republican lawmakers say they are probing whether the Biden family leveraged Joe Biden’s former position as vice president to make lucrative deals with foreign nationals. The White House in a statement did not deny the findings, but blasted the committee’s investigation into the Biden family… Hunter Biden’s legal team accused Republicans of pushing a ‘baseless right-wing conspiracy theory,’ even as they confirmed that the payments had happened…”

Joe Biden denies what has been admitted by his son’s legal team which, while on the other hand, presents a ridiculous “defense.”

Majority of GOP Voters Against Supporting Ukraine

LifeSiteNews wrote on March 17:

“A new poll released Thursday verifies a significant trend among Republican voters against deeper involvement in the Ukraine war… The IPSOS-Axios poll reveals that only 42% of Republicans ‘support providing weapons and financial support to Ukraine,’ meaning a full 58% do not.”

The time will come when the USA will cease supporting Ukraine, and then, core Europe will follow suit, bringing about the prophesied “unification” in some way of Russia and Ukraine.

Newsmax Back on Direct TV

Breitbart wrote on March 22:

“Newsmax is returning to DirecTV, after the satellite giant dropped the conservative news and commentary channel from its lineup in January…

“DirecTV dropping Newsmax caused an uproar among Republican lawmakers, who threatened hearings and fumed about conservative censorship. DirecTV had previously dropped One America News Network in April 2022.”

Woke Banks Fail

Daily Mail wrote on March 15:

“Woke Silicon Valley Bank donated over $73 million to Black Lives Matter-related social justice groups in the years before it collapsed, while failed Signature Bank gave $850,000…

“Both banks had touted their efforts to improve diversity among their staff and address social issues.”

It has been suggested that the reason why the Biden Administration is bailing out these two banks [sometimes referred to as “Biden’s banks] is because they followed the “woke” agenda of radical Democrats, while picking and choosing which other banks may be bailed out—leaving the impression that failing Republican-run banks might not be helped.

Interest Rates Raised Once Again

Breitbart wrote on March 22:

“The Federal Reserve continued to increase interest rates by [a] quarter of percent (25 basis points) on Wednesday…

“The Fed was stuck between a rock and a hard place. With the Fed increasing interest rates, banks could likely continue to struggle with liquidity and perhaps cause more bank failures. Not raising the interest rate would likely fuel inflation that previous interest rate hikes were intended to reduce…”

Powell to Be Removed?

Breitbart wrote on March 22:

“Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said Wednesday on CNN’s ‘The Lead’ that Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell should be removed because he is ‘trying to drive’ the U.S. economy into a recession.

“During a discussion about Powell raising interest rates, anchor Jake Tapper asked, ‘Have you ever directly told President Biden that you think he should fire the chair, Jerome Powell? And who would you like to see replace him?’

“Warren said, ‘So, I’m not going to talk about private conversations, but what I will say is I made it very clear as publicly as humanly possible that I didn’t think that he should be reconfirmed as chair of the Fed. And I think he’s doing a really terrible job.’

“Tapper asked, ‘Do you think the United States is headed for a recession?’ Warren said, ‘I think that that is where Jerome Powell is trying to drive it… I said five years ago I think he a dangerous man to have in this job.’”

Arrest Warrant for Putin

The Associated Press wrote on March 17:

‘The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant Friday for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. The bold legal move will obligate the court’s 123 member states to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he sets foot on their territory… the Kremlin branded the court decision as ‘null and void.’

“Neither Russia nor Ukraine are members of the ICC, although Kyiv granted it jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed on its territory. [Under the Rome Statute, the] tribunal has no police force of its own and relies on member states to make arrests…

“Stephen Rapp, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues under former president Barack Obama, said: ‘This makes Putin a pariah. If he travels he risks arrest. This never goes away. Russia cannot gain relief from sanctions without compliance with the warrants.’…”

The Daily Mail added on March 17:

“[The Rome] Statute – from which the ICC draws its authority – precludes trials being held in absentia, meaning Putin would have to be tried in person. But while the likelihood of Putin’s arrest remains highly unlikely, it is not entirely impossible… Putin will not be arrested in or extradited from Russian territory, but has made trips abroad since the outbreak of the war in February last year.

“In June, he travelled to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan before visiting Iran the following month. [He] also travelled to Uzbekistan in September, Kazakhstan in October and Armenia in November, as well as Kyrgyzstan and Belarus in December. Of these countries, only Tajikistan is a member of the ICC and party to the Rome Statute and Putin may avoid entering the country again on that basis.

“But while non-members have no obligation under the statute to cooperate with the ICC, they will be encouraged to do so… If the United Nations Security Council triggers the ICC’s jurisdiction over a situation, the country has a duty to cooperate regardless of whether they are a member of the Rome Statute.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 23:

“Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned that any attempt to arrest Vladimir Putin [in Germany] would be seen as ‘a declaration of war… ‘And, in that case, all our assets — all our missiles etc. — would fly to the Bundestag, to the chancellor’s office.’”

EU Foreign Police Chief Not Welcome in Israel

The Associated Press wrote on March 15:

“Israel has signaled to the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, that he is not welcome to visit following critical comments he made about Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank, Israeli officials said Wednesday. The incident marked the latest sign of deteriorating relations between Israel’s new far-right government and some of its closest allies…

“In Brussels, European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano said Borrell had not been prevented from entering Israel because he has not been trying to visit… He added that Borrell’s comments reflected the official positions of the 27-nation EU…  The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has criticized Israeli settlement announcements by Netanyahu’s government and ongoing settler violence against Palestinians…”

Europe, under German leadership, will totally turn against Israel.

Israel Adopts New Incapacity Law for Prime Ministers

Newsmax wrote on March 23:

“Israel ratified a law on Thursday limiting the circumstances in which a prime minister can be removed, despite worries… that it may be meant to shield the incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu from any fallout from his corruption trials…

“By a 61-to-47 final vote, the Knesset approved the bill under which prime ministers can be deemed unfit – and compelled to step aside – either if they or three-quarters of cabinet ministers declare them so on physical or psychological grounds.”

Covid Hysteria… Courage vs. Cowards

The Dossier published the following article on or about March 17:

“When I look back at the times of Covid hysteria, I think most about outliers and rule followers, and what separates courageous people from cowards. These past three years served as a good reminder that true courage is an isolating experience. It is both difficult to possess and retain, and regularly interpreted by one’s peers as both peculiar and dangerous. Courage is special because it is a unique trait that separates the man from the mob… in late 2019, when push came to shove, the vast majority of our population submitted to the regime… Cowardice, unlike courage, is encouraged, rewarded, and it comes easily. 

“In the face of a government declared ‘national emergency,’ so many decided to take the coward’s route in the form of compliance, submission, and even taking to targeting the regime-declared ‘enemies’ of society. To be a good citizen, all you had to do was sit down, shut up, wear your submission mask, shutter your family business, carry your movement pass with you, and be up to date on your experimental pharmaceuticals. In exchange, society rewarded the coward class with opportunity, public praise, and a Good Citizen stamp of approval.

“After all, it is an enormously difficult task to swim upstream. It is much easier just to blend in… Courageous people stick to their principles despite the vast majority of the population — and even those closest to them — declaring them a problem, or something much worse. Courage is unique because it is almost impossible to be courageous and popular at the same time. If courage were popular, it wouldn’t be brave. If courage was common, it wouldn’t be courageous…

“When the forces for tyranny rear their ugly heads for the next manufactured crisis in the not so distant future, courageous citizens will once more be called upon to thwart their ambitions.”

Note our Editorial in this Update.

Wuhan Market Raccoon Dogs

Newsmax wrote on March 17:

“Genetic data found in a Wuhan, China seafood market shortly after it was shut down in early January 2020 has linked the coronavirus with raccoon dogs, a fox-related animal that was being sold there at the time, according to a new report from a team of international virus experts.

“The swabs were taken around the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market after authorities in China ordered it closed because they suspected it was connected to the then-new coronavirus outbreak… it doesn’t prove conclusively that a raccoon dog was infected, and even if it was, that it spread the virus to people, as another animal could have spread the disease to people, who then gave it to the raccoon dog.

“But raccoon dogs are known to be able to transmit the coronavirus and as they deposited genetic signatures in the same places where the virus material was left, it shows consistencies with what would be a scenario in which humans were infected by wild animals, the report said.

“The new evidence is being released just weeks after an intelligence assessment from the U.S. Department of Energy pointed to the theory that the COVID-19 pandemic originated from a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

“However, it is also being considered as the first tangible evidence concerning how the virus could have spread to people through wild animals, and suggest that scientists in China may have not given a complete accounting of evidence about how the virus spread at the seafood market…”

The New York Post added on March 17:

“Three years after COVID-19 brought the world to its knees, the scientific community remains bitterly divided over the origins of the virus, despite the growing consensus that it was manufactured inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology during gain-of-function research.

“But a new analysis of genetic material from the infamous Wuhan wet market points to a new unlikely culprit — the raccoon dog. Analysis of genetic sequences collected from the market in January 2020 shows that raccoon dogs being illegally sold at the [Market] may have been carrying and shedding the virus at the outbreak of the pandemic, according to a wild new report in the Atlantic.

“However, researchers who conducted the analysis have expressed caution about their own findings, which do not conclusively prove that raccoon dogs were the original host of the virus… Indeed, as the New York Times [wrote:] ‘The jumbling together of genetic material from the virus and the animal does not prove that a raccoon dog itself was infected. And even if a raccoon dog had been infected, it would not be clear that the animal had spread the virus to people.’”

Whatever the Truth, the consumption of unclean animals such as the raccoon dog is a horrible abomination in the eyes of God. Note the next article in this context.

Extra Credit for Kids Eating Bugs

LifeSiteNews wrote on March 17:

“Kim Cutler, a teacher at Spring Canyon Middle School [in Utah], assigned sixth grade English students an essay titled ‘Why Americans Should Be Eating Bugs?’ According to the parameters of the assignment, students were supposed to write an essay arguing that people should eat bugs rather than cows as their primary source of protein as cows produce methane that damages the ozone layer. Students were not allowed to disagree with the assignment’s argument.

“In addition to the essay, Cutler gave students the opportunity to receive extra credit by eating grasshoppers that the school district, Nebo School District, bought from a commercial website.

“A student in the class, Saige Wright,… asked Cutler why students could not argue against the essay’s premise, Cutler responded by saying, ‘Because we don’t have any evidence for it… There’s only one right answer to this essay…’

“This is not the first time a school offered students bugs to eat for the sake of climate change. As of last October, over 1,000 schools in Australia started offering corn chips laced with insect protein…

“Eating bugs has also been encouraged by the World Economic Forum (WEF), with the organization arguing that ‘we need to give insects the role they deserve in our food systems.’

“Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who… in 2019 invested… into an insect-farming start-up, last year stated that ‘all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef.’”

The left-wing extreme indoctrination of our kids in schools is appalling.

Tremendous Success of the Pro-Farmer Movement in The Netherlands

Breitbart wrote on March 20:

“The anti-Great Reset, pro-farmer BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) movement appears to have won even more seats in the Dutch senate than expected, with the globalist coalition government losing heavily.

“The BoerBurgerBeweging (Farmer-Citizen Movement) was founded to represent the interests of Dutch farmers facing severe difficulties or being closed down altogether as a result of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s efforts to implement European Union-mandated curbs on the use of nitrogen fertilisers, in order to serve the bloc’s climate change green agenda.

“Initially a protest movement, the BBB has been involved in many major demonstrations, often involving tractors, in the Netherlands — but it arrived as a political force in the country’s recent regional government elections for the first time, which also determine the make-up of the First Chamber of the States General — the upper house or senate of the Dutch legislature… the Farmer-Citizen Movement’s success was greater than polls initially suggested, with it being due to claim 17 seats in the Senate and become by far the largest party there…

“The precarious four-party coalition government of the supposedly ‘centre-right’ Prime Minister Mark Rutte, meanwhile, appears to have suffered somewhat worse losses than expected, with [suggestions] they will be unable to achieve a majority even with the support of the Labour Party and the Greens…”

German Bishops vs. the Vatican

LifeSiteNews wrote on March 15:

“Bishop Georg Bätzing, the head of the German bishops’ conference (DBK), said that they will implement ‘blessings’ of same-sex couples in Germany, regardless of what the Vatican says…

“On March 10, the same day that Bätzing made these remarks in the interview with ZDF, the members of the Synodal Way voted overwhelmingly in favor of a document containing ‘blessings’ for same-sex couples, as well as for the divorced and ‘re-married,’ in a move putting them in direct opposition to Catholic teaching…

“[Bätzing] added that ‘we have heard today from the Belgian Church that this has already been implemented there and that it has even been agreed upon with Rome.’ 

While Pope Francis has been ambiguous on the subject, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith did issue a document in 2021 confirming that the Catholic Church does not have the authority to bless same-sex unions.

“The interviewer confronted Bätzing with criticism from the former secretary of Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, who said that he is worried that the German Catholic Church is ‘saying goodbye’ to union with the universal Catholic Church. ‘Those who speak of division perhaps hope to get something out of it,’ the head of the German bishops’ conference responded. ‘We do not speak of it, we do not want it and we will remain in unity with the large Catholic Church.’”

But deeds speak louder than words…

More Paganism in the Catholic Church

LifeSiteNews wrote on March 17:

“… Now it is another form of paganism that is being promoted by Rome. The ancient Mayan religion is permeated by polytheism (the earth, the sun, the moon, and animals are all regarded as being gods), by animism (belief that objects and creatures have a soul), by the belief in communication with one’s ancestors (and even worshipping them), and by human sacrifice (to include women and children) as part of its worship… many of these idolatrous elements will be included in this new rite of Mass…

“The revival of Mayan practices and symbols… is seen as a return to ‘pre-Columbian’ traditions, that is, pre-Christian. But for these theologians, however, there is no real contradiction between these two religions… Bishop Ruiz pointed out that the God venerated in Indian theology was not different from the Jesus worshipped in Catholicism… the author describes the incorporation of ancient religious rituals into Catholic practices without seeing a contradiction…

“Very important to these practices also, is the Mayan Altar — an altar that is dedicated to the gods and beliefs of the Mayan religion… pine needles or boughs… are placed around the altar. As one description of the Mayan meaning of pine needles explains, they ‘are the portal to the other world…’ Problematic also is the use of a shell, as can be seen being used in different liturgies in the diocese… The shell is a Mayan practice of communicating with the spirits of their ancestors. [It is also contended that] we are to encounter ‘Mother Earth’ as a goddess…

“Rattles… are also ways to call the ancestors to communicate with the living.

“… many Mayan elements… were included in the Mass of Pope Francis when he came to visit the diocese on February 15, 2016…

“Bartolomé Espinosa Vázquez, an expert in the Mayan culture and a member of the South Team of the diocese, was responsible for installing the altar that was placed during the official ceremony held on January 25, 2022… Some of Espinosa Vázquez’ explanations of the Mayan Altar speak for themselves:… ‘When we blow the shell we are calling the spirit of our ancestors… The burning of copal is believed to call upon the God Tlaloc and the goddess Chalchiuhtlicue. Both of these dieties were associated with fertility and creation’…”

Trying to communicate with the dead is a horrible sin, as it may bring us into contact with demons. The Catholic Church has, from the outset, practiced syncretism—the inclusion of pagan elements in their worship system.  Days like Christmas and Easter are clearly of pagan origin. Therefore, further inclusion of pagan customs, beliefs and practices should not be surprising.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

Update 1063

Comments on News and Prophecy, March 25, 2023 / God’s Knowledge in Your Life

On March 25, 2023, Norbert  Link will present “Comments on News and Prophecy, March 25, 2023,” and the sermon, titled, “God’s Knowledge in Your Life.”

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.

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How Courageous Are You?

by Norbert Link

In our Current Events section of Update #1062, dated March 17, 2023, we published an article by the New York Post of March 11, 2023, under the following headline: “US Government as ‘Obstructionist’ as China?”

In the article, we quoted Kentucky Senator Rand Paul as follows: “I think it will be more difficult for them [the government and the health experts and scientists] the next time they try this [impose restrictions], because the evidence is pretty much in. None of the things they did to slow down the spread of the disease worked… In the end, everybody got COVID whether they stood on stickers six feet apart from each other or not.”

He continued: “People need to resist… When the government tells you, you can’t go to church, your government says, you can’t go to the gym, your government says, you can’t go to a restaurant or you can’t go to a hotel — we need to resist that.”

But how are we to resist?  Surely not by violent means, and Paul did not even suggest that. And further, WILL it be more difficult to convince people to follow the “restrictions” which will be imposed, no doubt, when the next real or imagined pandemic hits?

In the Current Events of this week’s Update, we are publishing an article by the Dossier which was released on or about March 14, 2023, under the headline, “Covid Hysteria… Courage vs. Cowards.”

In the article, the author writes:

“When I look back at the times of Covid hysteria, I think most about… what separates courageous people from cowards. These past three years served as a good reminder that true courage is an isolating experience. It is both difficult to possess and retain… Cowardice, unlike courage, is encouraged, rewarded, and it comes easily.

“In the face of a government declared ‘national emergency,’ so many decided to take the coward’s route in the form of compliance, submission, and even taking to targeting the regime-declared ‘enemies’ of society. To be a good citizen, all you had to do was sit down, shut up, wear your submission mask, shutter your family business, carry your movement pass with you, and be up to date on your experimental pharmaceuticals. In exchange, society rewarded the coward class with opportunity, public praise, and a Good Citizen stamp of approval.

“After all, it is an enormously difficult task to swim upstream. It is much easier just to blend in… Courageous people stick to their principles despite the vast majority of the population — and even those closest to them — declaring them a problem, or something much worse. Courage is unique because it is almost impossible to be courageous and popular at the same time…

“When the forces for tyranny rear their ugly heads for the next manufactured crisis in the not so distant future, courageous citizens will once more be called upon to thwart their ambitions.”

In this context, I want to focus in this Editorial on our duty as true Christians to attend the worship services of God’s Church, in person, whenever possible, including the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days and Festivals. This also means for properly baptized Church members to attend in person, whenever possible, the annual Passover evening with the footwashing ceremony and the partaking of bread and wine as symbols for Christ’s broken body and His shed blood. It takes courage to do so, when the government tells you that you must stay home and that you must not assemble with others of like mind to celebrate and observe those most holy occasions. Make no mistake, the government will try again, and your courage will be tested.

This is what we wrote in our free booklet, Obeying God Rather Than Men, under the headline, “What the Mark of the Beast Means For Us Today”:

“True Christians understand that the Sabbath and the Holy Days must be kept, and that they must not instead accept the mark of the beast by worshipping on Sunday and pagan holidays, and by refusing to worship on God’s weekly and annual Sabbaths. 

“But how does this play out in practice when the government prohibits Christian churches to meet and assemble on the Sabbath? They might not even place this prohibition under a religious mantle, but they might give some other reasons, such as the outbreak of a pandemic that would require people to stay at home. The weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days are commanded biblical holy assemblies or holy convocations (compare Leviticus 23). We should ask ourselves whether refusing to follow God’s command, because the government says so, would be pleasing to God (compare Hebrews 10:25; the Living Bible states: ‘Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near’)…

“In this day and age, we have the means of broadcasting sermons live over the Internet to the homes of Church members, which we can resort to on a temporary basis, when physical person-to-person meetings and assemblies with the brethren are not possible. But what happens if a government would prohibit such services as well? How far would we go to follow governmental rules which would prohibit religious services in any manner and of any kind?

“Christians in the early Church were forced to meet in secret, in catacombs, in order to escape the fury of the Roman government. When they were caught, they were severely punished, but they were willing to obey God rather than men.”

They were courageous enough to follow and obey God, even if that meant punishment, incarceration, and worse. Would we be willing today to follow their example, resist governmental restrictions and obey God rather than men?

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By Norbert Link

We begin with reporting on the attempt by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to manufacture a case against Donald Trump which has no chance of success, except perhaps initially in the corrupt legal system of New York. The American public is already on edge because of the perception that the legal system is politicized  and weaponized. Republicans are up in arms and investigating whether the prosecutor himself is in violation of the law, rather than Trump. In any event, the whole “political circus” only helps Trump, and according to observers, his road to the presidency in 2024 has now been guaranteed.

We also speak on the “coincidence” that this “legally pathetic” witch hunt against Trump is occurring at a time when the Biden family are in deep trouble due to evidence that they received over a million dollars from accounts linked to Hunter Biden’s Chinese business dealings—something which Joe Biden and his son Hunter have consistently denied.

We report that most GOP voters are against deeper involvement in the Ukraine war; the failure of woke banks [please view our recent StandingWatch program, titled, “What Does The Biggest Bank Failure Since The Great Recession Mean To You?”]; the international arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin; the revelation that the EU foreign police chief is not welcome in Israel; covid hysteria and new “discoveries” of a possible culprit; the insane propagation of the consumption of bugs; the extraordinary success of the pro-farmer movement in the Netherlands; and the controversy between German bishops and the Vatican and further paganism entering the Catholic Church. Please note our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Catholic Church in Turmoil.”

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Indictment Coming?

Fox News wrote on March 17:

“Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung reacted to the news [of a possible indictment against Trump, BEFORE Trump’s announcement, see below] by… calling [Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s]investigation a ‘witch hunt’ and accusing him of being in the pocket of President Biden and ‘radical Democrats.’… ‘This is happening because President Trump is leading in the polls by a large margin against both Democrats and Republicans, and there’s never been anything so blatant in American political history.’

“‘Everyone knows it’s a sham. In fact, the Department of Justice stocked the DA’s office with top people from DC to help “Get Trump” at a local level. Americans will not tolerate Radical Left Democrats turning our justice system into an injustice system to influence a presidential election, which is all they want to do…’

“The potential indictment stems from the yearslong investigation surrounding Trump’s alleged hush money scandal involving porn star Stormy Daniels. Towards the end of the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen sent $130,000 to Daniels to prevent her from disclosing her 2006 affair with Trump. Trump reimbursed Cohen through installments.”

As the following articles show, this is indeed a witch hunt against Trump which, from a legal standpoint, is destined to failure… but in light of a deeply corrupt “justice” system in New York, which lets criminals go free and goes after others because of hatred for a person who is supposed to be innocent unless proven guilty, and strictly because of political considerations, one never knows. Former mayor Giuliani stated in an interview on March 19 that the conduct by the prosecution in New York is reminiscent of East Germany before the unification of Germany, and must be described as fascist.  

To Be Arrested?

Trump wrote on March 18 on his website “Truth Social” [we refrained from correcting his typographical errors in the post]:

“OUR NATION IS NOW THIRD WORLD & DYING. THE AMERICAN DREAM IS DEAD! THE RADICAL LEFT ANARCHISTS HAVE STOLLEN OUR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, AND WITH IT, THE HEART OF OUR OUR COUNTRY. AMERICAN PATRIOTS ARE BEING ARRESTED & HELD IN CAPTIVITY LIKE ANIMALS, WHILE CRIMINALS & LEFTIST THUGS ARE ALLOWED TO ROAM THE STREETS, KILLING & BURNING WITH NO RETRIBUTION. MILLIONS ARE FLOODING THROUGH OUR OPEN BOARDERS, MANY FROM PRISONS & MENTAL INSTITUTIONS. CRIME & INFLATION ARE DESTROYING OUR VERY WAY OF LIFE…

“NOW ILLEGAL LEAKS FROM A CORRUPT & HIGHLY POLITICAL MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEYS OFFICE, WHICH HAS ALLOWED NEW RECORDS TO BE SET IN VIOLENT CRIME & WHOSE LEADER IS FUNDED BY GEORGE SOROS, INDICATE THAT, WITH NO CRIME BEING ABLE TO BE PROVEN, & BASED ON AN OLD & FULLY DEBUNKED (BY NUMEROUS OTHER PROSECUTORS!) FAIRYTALE, THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”

In a post later in the day, Trump wrote:

“THEY’RE KILLING OUR NATION AS WE SIT BACK & WATCH. WE MUST SAVE AMERICA!PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!”

Trump wrote on Sunday, March 19:

“IT IS THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY OF MANHATTAN WHO IS BREAKING THE LAW BY USING THE FAKE AND FULLY DISCREDITED TESTIMONY (EVEN BY THE SDNY!) OF A CONVICTED LIAR, FELON AND JAILBIRD, MICHAEL COHEN, TO INCREDIBLY PERSECUTE, PROSECUTE, AND INDICT A FORMER PRESIDENT, AND NOW LEADING (BY FAR!) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, FOR A CRIME THAT DOESN’T EXIST… ALVIN BRAGG SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE CRIME OF ‘INTERFERENCE IN A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION’…”

Subsequently, Newsmax wrote on March 20:

“A law enforcement source told Fox News Monday that authorities do not expect former President Donald Trump to face arraignment until next week…”

The Daily Mail added on March 21 that an indictment WAS expected this week, but that Trump, who presently lives in Florida, won’t appear before a judge in New York until next week.

Legally Pathetic

Breitbart wrote on March 18:

“In an opinion article published in the Hill Saturday, [Professor Jonathan] Turley wrote that the case was ‘legally pathetic’…

“‘While we still do not know the specific state charges in the anticipated indictment, the most-discussed would fall under Section 175 for falsifying business records, based on the claim that Trump used legal expenses to conceal the alleged hush-payments that were supposedly used to violate federal election laws… A Section 175 charge would normally be a misdemeanor. The only way to convert it into a Class E felony requires a showing that the ‘intent to defraud includes an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof.’ That other crime would appear to be the federal election violations which the Justice Department previously declined to charge.’

“He added that Bragg’s office could not prosecute the charge as a misdemeanor, as the statute of limitations is two years. He would have to pursue a felony…”

Timing Suspect in a Political Circus

Newsmax wrote on March 18:

“Regardless of former President Donald Trump’s arrest for a ‘hypercreative’ prosecution, Democrats leading this charge will not stop him from running for president, according to legal expert Alan Dershowitz [who is a self-proclaimed liberal Democrat who has not voted for Trump in the past and said he will not do so next time either]. ‘They’re going to want to make this [a] political circus; in the end, it will help Trump politically… And remember that it doesn’t matter if he’s indicted or even convicted or even in prison: He can still run for president and serve as president. The state can’t stop it and the Legislature can’t stop it. It’s in the Constitution.’…

“The timing is also suspect, Dershowitz noted, as allegations of influence peddling against the Biden family has reached a crescendo [note articles below]… ‘This [is] purely, purely political… There is no basis for this prosecution… the prosecution itself is an unrighteous prosecution… It’s an example of the conversation between the head of the KGB and Stalin, where the KGB guy said to Stalin: “Show me the man, and I’ll find you the crime”…

“‘… in New York you can indict a ham sandwich if you’re the grand jury, and probably convict the ham sandwich if his name is Trump, because the jury pool will be so dramatically opposed to Trump. This is a very bad day for America…’”

No wonder Americans are upset about this politically-driven circus. Note the next article.

America in Turmoil

The Daily Mail wrote on March 19:

“Trump supporters are pushing for a ‘MAGA moat’ around Mar-a-Lago to prevent the former president from being arrested… Among those calling for action are political commentator Mike Cernovich and radio host Stew Peters. Cernovich, for his part, demanded that DeSantis refuse to extradite the former president…

“Political strategist and former radio host Joey M. also tweeted ‘if DeSantis signs that extradition request, his political career as we know it would be over… If he doesn’t sign them, he becomes a hero to MAGA and possibly becomes the de facto nominee for 2024 – or mends fences with Trump and forms a unity ticket with himself as VP. ‘

“Meanwhile, Peters tweeted ‘if Ron DeSantis is the conservative hero he projects himself to be he should REFUSE to honor the arrest warrant for President-in-exile Trump and send the Florida National Guard to Mar-a-Lago to ensure Trump’s protection. Anything less proves DeSantis is a fraud.’

“There are also similar reports of people calling to surround Mar-a-Lago or block traffic to prevent the former president’s arrest, with many already descending on the Florida estate to protest — as others gather around the New York City Trump Tower…

“The Florida governor is so far one of the few Republicans who have not spoken out about Trump’s pending indictment [but see an article below], with even House Speaker Kevin McCarthy denouncing it on Twitter. ‘Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump,’ the California representative wrote, referring to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

“McCarthy then vowed to direct any relevant committees to investigate whether federal funding is being used to ‘subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically-motivated prosecutions.’ [Breitbart wrote on March 19: “House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Sunday said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is ‘abusing his office’ by going after former President Donald Trump, while Democrats, including Bragg, are allowing crime to run rampant. ‘Alvin Bragg is abusing his office to target President Trump while he’s reduced a majority of felonies, including violent crimes, to misdemeanors. He has different rules for political opponents,’ McCarthy said on Twitter.” Bragg also announced that he will NOT prosecute armed robberies!!!]

“Controversial Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also said Trump will ‘win even bigger’ than he already was going to in 2024 if Bragg indicts him and he ‘did nothing wrong.’… MAGA Sen. JD Vance, meanwhile, noted that he has been asked whether he will take away his endorsement of Trump in 2024. ‘The answer is:… no,’ he said. ‘A politically-motivated prosecution makes the argument for Trump even stronger. We simply don’t have a real country if justice depends on politics.’

“And Rep. Elise Stefanik, the chair of the House Republican Conference, said in a statement that the ‘Radical Left’ will have Trump arrested because they know they cannot defeat him.’ She said that is ‘un-American’ and reaches a ‘dangerous new low of Third World countries.’ ‘What the corrupt Leftist prosecutors like Alvin Bragg and their Socialist allies fail to understand is that America First Patriots have never been so energized to exercise their constitutional rights to peacefully organize and VOTE at the ballot box to save our great Republic.’

“Sen. Lindsey Graham also said… Saturday that Bragg has ‘done more’ to get Trump re-elected than any one… in the country. ‘They’re making stuff up that they never used against anybody because they hate Trump,’ he said…  Former Vice President Mike Pence also stuck up for his former boss in an interview with reporters Saturday, saying: ‘The idea of indicting a president of the United States is deeply troubling to me as it is to tens of millions of Americans – and particularly happening in what appears to be a politically charged environment in New York, where the attorney general and other elected officials literally campaigned on a pledge to prosecute the former president.’…

“And even Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy said Trump being indicted would be a ‘national disaster.’… He explained that indicting Trump will only undermine Americans’ trust in the electoral system… ‘Our entire country is skating on thin ice right now and we cannot afford to politicize the justice system, or else we will reach our breaking point,’ he warned.”

Breitbart added on March 18:

“Former President Donald Trump will win reelection in a ‘landslide victory’ if he is handcuffed and arrested next week, Elon Musk [who is supporting DeSantis]… predicted in a tweet…”

Blitz added on March 18:

“The Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation [Dmitry Medvedev] turned to the people of the United States and advised the citizens of the country to end the rule of the incumbent President Joe Biden [and to “destroy the tyranny of Washington,” according to Express, dated March 19, adding: ‘‘The jerks in Europe wanted to arrest someone else [referring to Putin, see below], and on March 21 they will arrest their own in America,’ he said on Telegram.”

Bragg to Testify Under Oath

Fox News wrote on March 20:

“The House Judiciary Committee is demanding that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg testify before Congress in the wake of his ‘unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority’…  Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, sent a letter… to Bragg Monday morning demanding his testimony. The letter was also signed by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and House Committee on Administration Chairman Brian Steil, R-Wis…

“The statute of limitations on a matter of ‘falsifying business records,’ which Jordan said ‘would ordinarily be a misdemeanor subject to a two-year statute of limitations,’ would have ‘expired long ago.’ ‘State law, however, allows a district attorney to “elevate nominal misdemeanor conduct” to a felony charge if the “intent to defraud includes an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof,”’ Jordan wrote, noting that showing would extend the statute of limitations to five years…

“‘The only potential speculated crime that could be alleged here would be a violation of campaign finance law, according to one scholar, a charge that the Justice Department has already declined to bring,’ Jordan wrote… ‘In addition to the novel and untested legal theory, your star witness for this prosecution has a serious credibility problem—a problem that you have reportedly recognized,’ Jordan wrote. ‘This case relies heavily on the testimony of Michael Cohen, a convicted perjurer with a demonstrable prejudice against President Trump… In 2019, when he testified before Democrats on the House Oversight Committee to aid their fruitless investigation into President Trump, Cohen lied again—six times,’ Jordan said…

“Jordan went on to slam Bragg, saying his ‘progressive criminal justice policies that allow career ‘criminals to run the streets’ of Manhattan requires congressional scrutiny about how public safety funds appropriated by Congress are implemented by local law-enforcement agencies.’

“Jordan is demanding that Bragg turn over records and communications between Manhattan DA office and the Justice Department referring to the Manhattan DA’s investigation of Trump; all communications sent by and received from the ex-prosecutors Dunne and Pomerantz; and all documents and communications referring or relating to the Manhattan district attorney’s office’s receipt and use of federal funds. Jordan demanded that Bragg contact the House Judiciary Committee to schedule his transcribed interview by March 23 at 10:00 a.m. Jordan demanded those records be turned over to the committee by the same day.”

Breitbart wrote on March 20:

“Jordan told Politico: ‘Bragg is a George Soros-backed crazy left wing prosecutor who is presiding in Manhattan where crime is on the rise and is doing this as a purely political sham.’”

DeSantis Goes on Record

Newsmax wrote on March 20:

“Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday denounced the ‘manufactured circus’ behind Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation of former President Donald Trump, rebuking him as a George Soros-funded prosecutor.

“Further, the governor, while answering a question from Newsmax’s Leo Feldman during a press briefing Monday, said he will not become involved in anything to do with a potential arrest of Trump, whose Mar-a-Lago home is in his state… DeSantis, meanwhile, said he is not ‘aware of anything’ when it comes to communications between law enforcement officials in Florida and New York authorities, should Trump be indicted and refuse to go north for his arraignment…

“‘I do know this, the Manhattan District Attorney is a Soros-funded prosecutor, so he like other Soros-funded prosecutors weaponize their office to impose a political agenda at the expense of the rule of law and public safety. He has downgraded over 50% of the felonies to misdemeanors. He says he doesn’t even want to have jail time for the vast majority of crime. So what we’ve seen in Manhattan is the crime rate go up and citizens become less safe.

“‘… you have a prosecutor who is ignoring crimes happening every single day in his jurisdiction and he chooses to go back many, many years ago to use what something about porn star hush-money payments, that’s an example of using a political agenda and weaponizing the office… New Yorkers and ordinary Americans in various jurisdictions… get victimized every day because of the reckless political agenda these Soros-funded prosecutions bring to the job. These Soros-funded district attorneys are a menace to society…’”

Left-liberal Jews have objected to references to Soros-funded political candidates as “antisemitic.”

Jail for the DA?

The Hill wrote on March 21:

“Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Tuesday [tweeted:] ‘A Trump indictment would be a disgusting abuse of power. The DA should be put in jail.’”

Public on Edge

Professor Jonathan Turley wrote on March 21:

“Bragg will have to convince a court that Trump paid the hush money for the sole purpose of the election. As a married man and television celebrity, Trump had other reasons to try to avoid a scandal …This is a patently political prosecution… Indeed, voters could well view the election as a vote against the establishment and the media — the very thing that got Trump elected in 2016…

“Then there is the question of a self-pardon. I have long maintained that a president can pardon himself…

“Bragg is releasing this case into a public that is already on edge. Polls show that a large number of Americans believe that the legal system is being politicized and hold both state and federal government in suspicion. A fifth of Americans now view the government as the greatest threat facing the nation…  53 percent in one poll agreed with the statement that the FBI acts like ‘Biden’s Gestapo.’… [Bragg] could single handily reanimate the presidency of Donald J. Trump.’”

Cohen a Serial Liar

Fox News wrote on March 20:

“Robert Costello, the former legal advisor to ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen, appeared before the grand jury in the Manhattan District Attorney’s investigation into former President Trump Monday, and testified that Cohen is a ‘serial liar’…

“Costello said he testified to the grand jury Monday that Trump did not know about the payments made by Cohen to Stormy Daniels…. ‘There can be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Michael Cohen has great difficulty telling the truth,’ Costello said. ‘He is, after all a convicted perjurer, and our track record with Mr. Cohen convinced us that he was a serial liar.’…”

The case against Trump hinges mainly on the “trustworthiness” of Cohen. The New York Times said that Costello had this to say after his testimony: ‘I told the grand jury that this guy couldn’t tell the truth if you put a gun to his head.’”

Chaos at Court

The New York Post wrote on March 22:

“The Manhattan grand jury hearing evidence against former President Donald Trump in the Stormy Daniels ‘hush money’ case didn’t reconvene Wednesday as scheduled… The afternoon session was unexpectedly [cancelled] by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg… The move… came because an unidentified witness was unable to appear, sources said. The witness is believed to be someone who will rebut Monday’s testimony from lawyer… Robert Costello, sources said.

“Wednesday’s turn of events came as a source with ties to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office told The Post that DA Alvin Bragg was concerned following Costello’s testimony. ‘The last thing he wants is for the grand jury to vote against him,’ the source said. ‘He wants a no-doubt-about-it case. He is pressuring the “Trump obsessed” to step up and prove the case.’

“A source inside Bragg’s office also said a substantial number of assistant district attorneys were ‘shaking their heads’ over Bragg’s decision to pursue Trump, 76. ‘They don’t understand how this case is going forward,’ the source said. ‘These ADAs are not fans of Trump but they are professional lawyers and know the law.’

“Fox News also reported ‘major dissension’ inside Bragg’s office, with one source saying the ‘weakness’ of the evidence against Trump was posing problems for prosecutors….”

Cohen Lied

The New York Post wrote on March 22:

“A newly surfaced letter from 2018 shows Michael Cohen lying to federal election officials about his infamous $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels… In it, Cohen told the Federal Election Commission that he ‘used his own personal funds to facilitate a payment of $130,000 to Ms. Stephanie Clifford,’ aka Daniels, in 2016. ‘Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Ms. Clifford, and neither reimbursed Mr. Cohen for the payment directly or indirectly,’ Cohen lawyer Stephen Ryan wrote on Feb. 8, 2018….”

Major Dissension

Fox News wrote on March 23:

“A Manhattan grand jury will not hear testimony, deliberate or vote on the hush-money case against former President Donald Trump on Thursday… Since the grand jury does not sit on Fridays, a vote on the Trump case is not expected this week…”

A Sideshow Gift for Biden

Miranda Devine of The New York post wrote on March 19:

“… the story took the spotlight off the bombshell bank records released the previous day by the House Oversight Committee, showing $1,065,000 had been funneled from a Chinese energy company, through Biden intimate Rob Walker, to four immediate family members of Joe Biden—his son Hunter, brother James, and Hallie Biden, the widow of his late son Beau, who also is Hunter’s former lover [and] an as-yet-unidentified family member, listed only on bank wires as ‘Biden.’ 

“Comer’s team has subpoenaed further bank records and is expected to reveal the identity of that mystery person… In anyone’s language, that is a huge story. Even the New York Times had to cover it…

“So for the Democrats’ spin machine, it was time for a Trump scandal… Enter Bragg, the George Soros-funded, soft-on-crime DA who has been talking about Trump being indicted on something or other since at least 2019, and who made ‘Get Trump’ a part of his election campaign. 

“His case is a joke. The allegation is that Trump falsified business records by concealing a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels that was made by his estranged former lawyer Michael Cohen in 2016. Everything rests on the word of Cohen, a convicted perjurer, who testified before Bragg’s grand jury for three hours last Monday, and then again on Wednesday. Before that, he had been in for interviews with the DA’s office at least 19 times…

“If a legal witch hunt is the Democrats’ plan to win in 2024, it just shows how desperate they are. Why don’t they try winning elections the old-fashioned way, by presenting candidates and policies worthy of voters’ approval instead of perverting the justice system in the pursuit of power?”

But presenting a qualified candidate and acceptable policies is the big challenge for Democrats.

It Does Not Look Good for the Biden Family

The New York Post wrote on March 18:

‘CNN news anchor Erin Burnett admitted that evidence revealing that the Biden family received over a million dollars from accounts linked to Hunter Biden’s Chinese business dealings does not ‘look good’ for the president’s family…

“House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky) revealed on Thursday that on March 1, 2017 — just weeks after Joe Biden left office as Barack Obama’s VP— State Energy HK Limited, a firm affiliated with Chinese Communist Party-backed energy company CEFC China Energy, wired $3 million to Biden family associate Rob Walker. Walker then proceeded to dish out the money to a number of Biden associates and members of the Biden family, including Hunter Biden, the president’s brother James Biden and his late son Beau Biden’s widow Hallie Biden.

“The windfall was subsequently divvied up over a period of about three months to at least three members of the Biden clan, and two Biden family associates.  Here’s how the $3 million from China was distributed, according to Comer (R-Ky.):  James Gilliar: $1,065,000; John ‘Rob’ Walker: $869,308; Hunter Biden: $610,692; James Biden: $360,000; Hallie Biden: $25,000; Unknown Biden: $70,000.”

The “unknown Biden” could be the most interesting one. According to former mayor Giuliani, this is just the tip of the iceberg, and much more will be revealed, including the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop. The impression exists that the expected indictment of Trump and the revelation regarding the Biden family is not a mere coincidence.

Joe Biden Denies Payments to Family Despite Bank Records

Fox News wrote on March 18:

“President Biden denied that his family received more than $1 million in payments from accounts related to Hunter Biden’s business associate Rob Walker and their Chinese business ventures in 2017, even though financial records indicate otherwise… A spokesperson for Hunter Biden’s legal team confirmed the payments Thursday but emphasized that the recipients’ accounts ‘belonged to Hunter, his uncle and Hallie – nobody else.’ However, Biden denied that the payments were made when confronted by a reporter on the White House lawn Friday…

“Republican lawmakers say they are probing whether the Biden family leveraged Joe Biden’s former position as vice president to make lucrative deals with foreign nationals. The White House in a statement did not deny the findings, but blasted the committee’s investigation into the Biden family… Hunter Biden’s legal team accused Republicans of pushing a ‘baseless right-wing conspiracy theory,’ even as they confirmed that the payments had happened…”

Joe Biden denies what has been admitted by his son’s legal team which, while on the other hand, presents a ridiculous “defense.”

Majority of GOP Voters Against Supporting Ukraine

LifeSiteNews wrote on March 17:

“A new poll released Thursday verifies a significant trend among Republican voters against deeper involvement in the Ukraine war… The IPSOS-Axios poll reveals that only 42% of Republicans ‘support providing weapons and financial support to Ukraine,’ meaning a full 58% do not.”

The time will come when the USA will cease supporting Ukraine, and then, core Europe will follow suit, bringing about the prophesied “unification” in some way of Russia and Ukraine.

Newsmax Back on Direct TV

Breitbart wrote on March 22:

“Newsmax is returning to DirecTV, after the satellite giant dropped the conservative news and commentary channel from its lineup in January…

“DirecTV dropping Newsmax caused an uproar among Republican lawmakers, who threatened hearings and fumed about conservative censorship. DirecTV had previously dropped One America News Network in April 2022.”

Woke Banks Fail

Daily Mail wrote on March 15:

“Woke Silicon Valley Bank donated over $73 million to Black Lives Matter-related social justice groups in the years before it collapsed, while failed Signature Bank gave $850,000…

“Both banks had touted their efforts to improve diversity among their staff and address social issues.”

It has been suggested that the reason why the Biden Administration is bailing out these two banks [sometimes referred to as “Biden’s banks] is because they followed the “woke” agenda of radical Democrats, while picking and choosing which other banks may be bailed out—leaving the impression that failing Republican-run banks might not be helped.

Interest Rates Raised Once Again

Breitbart wrote on March 22:

“The Federal Reserve continued to increase interest rates by [a] quarter of percent (25 basis points) on Wednesday…

“The Fed was stuck between a rock and a hard place. With the Fed increasing interest rates, banks could likely continue to struggle with liquidity and perhaps cause more bank failures. Not raising the interest rate would likely fuel inflation that previous interest rate hikes were intended to reduce…”

Powell to Be Removed?

Breitbart wrote on March 22:

“Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said Wednesday on CNN’s ‘The Lead’ that Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell should be removed because he is ‘trying to drive’ the U.S. economy into a recession.

“During a discussion about Powell raising interest rates, anchor Jake Tapper asked, ‘Have you ever directly told President Biden that you think he should fire the chair, Jerome Powell? And who would you like to see replace him?’

“Warren said, ‘So, I’m not going to talk about private conversations, but what I will say is I made it very clear as publicly as humanly possible that I didn’t think that he should be reconfirmed as chair of the Fed. And I think he’s doing a really terrible job.’

“Tapper asked, ‘Do you think the United States is headed for a recession?’ Warren said, ‘I think that that is where Jerome Powell is trying to drive it… I said five years ago I think he a dangerous man to have in this job.’”

Arrest Warrant for Putin

The Associated Press wrote on March 17:

‘The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant Friday for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. The bold legal move will obligate the court’s 123 member states to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he sets foot on their territory… the Kremlin branded the court decision as ‘null and void.’

“Neither Russia nor Ukraine are members of the ICC, although Kyiv granted it jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed on its territory. [Under the Rome Statute, the] tribunal has no police force of its own and relies on member states to make arrests…

“Stephen Rapp, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues under former president Barack Obama, said: ‘This makes Putin a pariah. If he travels he risks arrest. This never goes away. Russia cannot gain relief from sanctions without compliance with the warrants.’…”

The Daily Mail added on March 17:

“[The Rome] Statute – from which the ICC draws its authority – precludes trials being held in absentia, meaning Putin would have to be tried in person. But while the likelihood of Putin’s arrest remains highly unlikely, it is not entirely impossible… Putin will not be arrested in or extradited from Russian territory, but has made trips abroad since the outbreak of the war in February last year.

“In June, he travelled to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan before visiting Iran the following month. [He] also travelled to Uzbekistan in September, Kazakhstan in October and Armenia in November, as well as Kyrgyzstan and Belarus in December. Of these countries, only Tajikistan is a member of the ICC and party to the Rome Statute and Putin may avoid entering the country again on that basis.

“But while non-members have no obligation under the statute to cooperate with the ICC, they will be encouraged to do so… If the United Nations Security Council triggers the ICC’s jurisdiction over a situation, the country has a duty to cooperate regardless of whether they are a member of the Rome Statute.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 23:

“Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned that any attempt to arrest Vladimir Putin [in Germany] would be seen as ‘a declaration of war… ‘And, in that case, all our assets — all our missiles etc. — would fly to the Bundestag, to the chancellor’s office.’”

EU Foreign Police Chief Not Welcome in Israel

The Associated Press wrote on March 15:

“Israel has signaled to the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, that he is not welcome to visit following critical comments he made about Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank, Israeli officials said Wednesday. The incident marked the latest sign of deteriorating relations between Israel’s new far-right government and some of its closest allies…

“In Brussels, European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano said Borrell had not been prevented from entering Israel because he has not been trying to visit… He added that Borrell’s comments reflected the official positions of the 27-nation EU…  The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has criticized Israeli settlement announcements by Netanyahu’s government and ongoing settler violence against Palestinians…”

Europe, under German leadership, will totally turn against Israel.

Israel Adopts New Incapacity Law for Prime Ministers

Newsmax wrote on March 23:

“Israel ratified a law on Thursday limiting the circumstances in which a prime minister can be removed, despite worries… that it may be meant to shield the incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu from any fallout from his corruption trials…

“By a 61-to-47 final vote, the Knesset approved the bill under which prime ministers can be deemed unfit – and compelled to step aside – either if they or three-quarters of cabinet ministers declare them so on physical or psychological grounds.”

Covid Hysteria… Courage vs. Cowards

The Dossier published the following article on or about March 17:

“When I look back at the times of Covid hysteria, I think most about outliers and rule followers, and what separates courageous people from cowards. These past three years served as a good reminder that true courage is an isolating experience. It is both difficult to possess and retain, and regularly interpreted by one’s peers as both peculiar and dangerous. Courage is special because it is a unique trait that separates the man from the mob… in late 2019, when push came to shove, the vast majority of our population submitted to the regime… Cowardice, unlike courage, is encouraged, rewarded, and it comes easily. 

“In the face of a government declared ‘national emergency,’ so many decided to take the coward’s route in the form of compliance, submission, and even taking to targeting the regime-declared ‘enemies’ of society. To be a good citizen, all you had to do was sit down, shut up, wear your submission mask, shutter your family business, carry your movement pass with you, and be up to date on your experimental pharmaceuticals. In exchange, society rewarded the coward class with opportunity, public praise, and a Good Citizen stamp of approval.

“After all, it is an enormously difficult task to swim upstream. It is much easier just to blend in… Courageous people stick to their principles despite the vast majority of the population — and even those closest to them — declaring them a problem, or something much worse. Courage is unique because it is almost impossible to be courageous and popular at the same time. If courage were popular, it wouldn’t be brave. If courage was common, it wouldn’t be courageous…

“When the forces for tyranny rear their ugly heads for the next manufactured crisis in the not so distant future, courageous citizens will once more be called upon to thwart their ambitions.”

Note our Editorial in this Update.

Wuhan Market Raccoon Dogs

Newsmax wrote on March 17:

“Genetic data found in a Wuhan, China seafood market shortly after it was shut down in early January 2020 has linked the coronavirus with raccoon dogs, a fox-related animal that was being sold there at the time, according to a new report from a team of international virus experts.

“The swabs were taken around the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market after authorities in China ordered it closed because they suspected it was connected to the then-new coronavirus outbreak… it doesn’t prove conclusively that a raccoon dog was infected, and even if it was, that it spread the virus to people, as another animal could have spread the disease to people, who then gave it to the raccoon dog.

“But raccoon dogs are known to be able to transmit the coronavirus and as they deposited genetic signatures in the same places where the virus material was left, it shows consistencies with what would be a scenario in which humans were infected by wild animals, the report said.

“The new evidence is being released just weeks after an intelligence assessment from the U.S. Department of Energy pointed to the theory that the COVID-19 pandemic originated from a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

“However, it is also being considered as the first tangible evidence concerning how the virus could have spread to people through wild animals, and suggest that scientists in China may have not given a complete accounting of evidence about how the virus spread at the seafood market…”

The New York Post added on March 17:

“Three years after COVID-19 brought the world to its knees, the scientific community remains bitterly divided over the origins of the virus, despite the growing consensus that it was manufactured inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology during gain-of-function research.

“But a new analysis of genetic material from the infamous Wuhan wet market points to a new unlikely culprit — the raccoon dog. Analysis of genetic sequences collected from the market in January 2020 shows that raccoon dogs being illegally sold at the [Market] may have been carrying and shedding the virus at the outbreak of the pandemic, according to a wild new report in the Atlantic.

“However, researchers who conducted the analysis have expressed caution about their own findings, which do not conclusively prove that raccoon dogs were the original host of the virus… Indeed, as the New York Times [wrote:] ‘The jumbling together of genetic material from the virus and the animal does not prove that a raccoon dog itself was infected. And even if a raccoon dog had been infected, it would not be clear that the animal had spread the virus to people.’”

Whatever the Truth, the consumption of unclean animals such as the raccoon dog is a horrible abomination in the eyes of God. Note the next article in this context.

Extra Credit for Kids Eating Bugs

LifeSiteNews wrote on March 17:

“Kim Cutler, a teacher at Spring Canyon Middle School [in Utah], assigned sixth grade English students an essay titled ‘Why Americans Should Be Eating Bugs?’ According to the parameters of the assignment, students were supposed to write an essay arguing that people should eat bugs rather than cows as their primary source of protein as cows produce methane that damages the ozone layer. Students were not allowed to disagree with the assignment’s argument.

“In addition to the essay, Cutler gave students the opportunity to receive extra credit by eating grasshoppers that the school district, Nebo School District, bought from a commercial website.

“A student in the class, Saige Wright,… asked Cutler why students could not argue against the essay’s premise, Cutler responded by saying, ‘Because we don’t have any evidence for it… There’s only one right answer to this essay…’

“This is not the first time a school offered students bugs to eat for the sake of climate change. As of last October, over 1,000 schools in Australia started offering corn chips laced with insect protein…

“Eating bugs has also been encouraged by the World Economic Forum (WEF), with the organization arguing that ‘we need to give insects the role they deserve in our food systems.’

“Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who… in 2019 invested… into an insect-farming start-up, last year stated that ‘all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef.’”

The left-wing extreme indoctrination of our kids in schools is appalling.

Tremendous Success of the Pro-Farmer Movement in The Netherlands

Breitbart wrote on March 20:

“The anti-Great Reset, pro-farmer BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) movement appears to have won even more seats in the Dutch senate than expected, with the globalist coalition government losing heavily.

“The BoerBurgerBeweging (Farmer-Citizen Movement) was founded to represent the interests of Dutch farmers facing severe difficulties or being closed down altogether as a result of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s efforts to implement European Union-mandated curbs on the use of nitrogen fertilisers, in order to serve the bloc’s climate change green agenda.

“Initially a protest movement, the BBB has been involved in many major demonstrations, often involving tractors, in the Netherlands — but it arrived as a political force in the country’s recent regional government elections for the first time, which also determine the make-up of the First Chamber of the States General — the upper house or senate of the Dutch legislature… the Farmer-Citizen Movement’s success was greater than polls initially suggested, with it being due to claim 17 seats in the Senate and become by far the largest party there…

“The precarious four-party coalition government of the supposedly ‘centre-right’ Prime Minister Mark Rutte, meanwhile, appears to have suffered somewhat worse losses than expected, with [suggestions] they will be unable to achieve a majority even with the support of the Labour Party and the Greens…”

German Bishops vs. the Vatican

LifeSiteNews wrote on March 15:

“Bishop Georg Bätzing, the head of the German bishops’ conference (DBK), said that they will implement ‘blessings’ of same-sex couples in Germany, regardless of what the Vatican says…

“On March 10, the same day that Bätzing made these remarks in the interview with ZDF, the members of the Synodal Way voted overwhelmingly in favor of a document containing ‘blessings’ for same-sex couples, as well as for the divorced and ‘re-married,’ in a move putting them in direct opposition to Catholic teaching…

“[Bätzing] added that ‘we have heard today from the Belgian Church that this has already been implemented there and that it has even been agreed upon with Rome.’ 

While Pope Francis has been ambiguous on the subject, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith did issue a document in 2021 confirming that the Catholic Church does not have the authority to bless same-sex unions.

“The interviewer confronted Bätzing with criticism from the former secretary of Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, who said that he is worried that the German Catholic Church is ‘saying goodbye’ to union with the universal Catholic Church. ‘Those who speak of division perhaps hope to get something out of it,’ the head of the German bishops’ conference responded. ‘We do not speak of it, we do not want it and we will remain in unity with the large Catholic Church.’”

But deeds speak louder than words…

More Paganism in the Catholic Church

LifeSiteNews wrote on March 17:

“… Now it is another form of paganism that is being promoted by Rome. The ancient Mayan religion is permeated by polytheism (the earth, the sun, the moon, and animals are all regarded as being gods), by animism (belief that objects and creatures have a soul), by the belief in communication with one’s ancestors (and even worshipping them), and by human sacrifice (to include women and children) as part of its worship… many of these idolatrous elements will be included in this new rite of Mass…

“The revival of Mayan practices and symbols… is seen as a return to ‘pre-Columbian’ traditions, that is, pre-Christian. But for these theologians, however, there is no real contradiction between these two religions… Bishop Ruiz pointed out that the God venerated in Indian theology was not different from the Jesus worshipped in Catholicism… the author describes the incorporation of ancient religious rituals into Catholic practices without seeing a contradiction…

“Very important to these practices also, is the Mayan Altar — an altar that is dedicated to the gods and beliefs of the Mayan religion… pine needles or boughs… are placed around the altar. As one description of the Mayan meaning of pine needles explains, they ‘are the portal to the other world…’ Problematic also is the use of a shell, as can be seen being used in different liturgies in the diocese… The shell is a Mayan practice of communicating with the spirits of their ancestors. [It is also contended that] we are to encounter ‘Mother Earth’ as a goddess…

“Rattles… are also ways to call the ancestors to communicate with the living.

“… many Mayan elements… were included in the Mass of Pope Francis when he came to visit the diocese on February 15, 2016…

“Bartolomé Espinosa Vázquez, an expert in the Mayan culture and a member of the South Team of the diocese, was responsible for installing the altar that was placed during the official ceremony held on January 25, 2022… Some of Espinosa Vázquez’ explanations of the Mayan Altar speak for themselves:… ‘When we blow the shell we are calling the spirit of our ancestors… The burning of copal is believed to call upon the God Tlaloc and the goddess Chalchiuhtlicue. Both of these dieties were associated with fertility and creation’…”

Trying to communicate with the dead is a horrible sin, as it may bring us into contact with demons. The Catholic Church has, from the outset, practiced syncretism—the inclusion of pagan elements in their worship system.  Days like Christmas and Easter are clearly of pagan origin. Therefore, further inclusion of pagan customs, beliefs and practices should not be surprising.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.

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How do I make my calling and election sure?

The book of 2 Peter is addressed to Christians who are called out of the world and who understand the promise made to them to become glorified members of God’s Family (compare 2 Peter 1:1-4). Even though this letter was written to the early members of the Church of God, it also directly applies to Christians throughout the ages. Peter writes to encourage the readers to develop their conversion by producing spiritual fruits. He then makes a summary statement, “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10-11). This raises a question that all Christians need to answer for themselves, “How can I make my calling and election sure?”

It is a privilege to be called in this age. Even though the plan of God involves bringing many to salvation, there are only a few who are called now. In our booklet, “Are You Predestined to be Saved?” we highlight the fact that only a relatively few number of people are called today.

“The Bible teaches that in this day and age, God calls just very few to salvation. Those who respond to the call and become converted are referred to as the firstfruits (compare James 1:18; Revelation 14:4). Some try to defeat the Biblical concept of predestination, as explained in this booklet, by stating that God does not know ahead of time whom He will call and choose. Rather, they claim that God ‘calls’ many, based on their prior conduct in this life, and that He then decides to choose or accept those who respond to His call, while rejecting those who reject His call.

“However, those who are truly called today have been first foreknown and predestined by God (Romans 8:28). They were singled out BEFORE they did right or wrong—that is, they were NOT called because of their works (compare Romans 9:11; 2 Timothy 1:8–9). Those who are truly called are also chosen and faithful (compare Revelation 17:14). The Bible does not teach that God calls many today to salvation, but that most reject their calling and that only a few will respond and become chosen and faithful. If that were true, then those who have rejected their spiritual calling to eternal salvation would have committed the unpardonable sin—and this is decisively not correct. Today, God only calls and chooses the few (compare 1 Corinthians 1:26–29), and when He brings them to true conversion, they, for the most part, will stay loyal to Him (although it is possible, that some, who are truly called to salvation, will commit the unpardonable sin).”

This passage should help us understand how special it is to be among the called and elect today. Knowing that we have such a tremendous opportunity to understand and live by the Truth should motivate us to take advantage of the gift of the Holy Spirit with which we have been entrusted. To be in a position to “make our call and election sure” is very special. Therefore, it is vital to clearly understand what it takes to follow through with our calling and succeed in fulfilling the plan that God has in store for us individually.

The instructions that Peter writes preceding the admonition to make our call and election sure serve as a good starting point. He describes the general characteristics to develop on our Christian journey. Diligence, faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love serve as the essential building blocks of spiritual fruit (compare 2 Peter 1:5-9). The application of those efforts is also important to consider. The objects of our faith, virtue, knowledge, and so on matter! To what end should we direct our efforts to make our call and election sure?

There are three things that this Q&A will focus on directing our efforts towards which will help bring fruit to maturity. The first is about staying grounded in the Truth. The second is to maintain endurance. The third is to repent from sin by becoming and staying obedient to God’s commandments. The parable of the sower gives us valuable lessons. But first, let us understand that even though four categories of people are described in that parable, only the people of the fourth category were called for salvation. We write in our free booklet, “Are You Predestined to be Saved?”:

“In the parable with the sower, in Matthew 13:18–23, four types of people are mentioned who all hear the Word of God. But only one person accepts the Word and produces fruit (verse 23), while the other three give up and fall away. Does this mean that all of them were truly called by God to salvation? And—that God was caught by surprise when the first three fell away, although He had predestined them to be called in this day and age? Hardly! God very well knew that only the fourth person would respond and continue in His calling, as God knows the hearts and minds of people. Only the fourth person was predestined to be called and chosen in this life.”

Still, the reaction of the first three categories of people who heard God’s Word can show us how we, who are called for salvation, must not behave, while the reaction of the fourth category illustrates to us how we are to behave in response to God’s calling.

In the first example, we read about a lack of diligence to develop knowledge and understanding of the Truth. “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside” (Matthew 13:19). Applying this to us who are called to salvation, when we first hear the Word of God, it might be a challenge to believe what we hear because it is so contrary to the teachings of the world! But if we don’t completely understand something at first, it should compel us to dig in and learn more about it. If we willingly neglect to learn more about the instruction of the Bible when something doesn’t make perfect sense right away, the Truth could eventually be “snatched” away from us. To prevent that from happening, we need to be dedicated to continual learning. Responding to God’s calling involves diligence in studying and learning so that we develop knowledge and understanding of the Truth.

We must have an open mind to believe what the Bible instructs. The Bereans give us a great example to follow. “Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.   These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men” (Acts 17:10-12). In this example, the love for the Truth is clearly evident. When the Bereans received the instruction from Paul and Silas, they got busy researching to make sure they understood the Truth comprehensively. This is our job too.

Having a love for the Truth also factors into the development of our understanding. Without having a love for the Truth, we will not care enough about it to dedicate ourselves to learning. To be on guard against the evil powers of the world now and in the future, having love for the Truth is essential. We know that a time will come when deception will abound upon the earth, even more than today. The ones who do not have a love for the Truth will be deceived and fall away because the passing pleasures of sin are too compelling (compare 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). When we love the Truth, we care enough to develop our understanding of it, and also become compelled to live by it. The Truth forms the foundation for correctly developing the fruit of the Spirit.

In the second example in the parable of the sower, we see a failure that comes from a lack of endurance. “But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles” (Matthew 13:20-21). Truly, the teaching of the Bible is very exciting! For some, the excitement that initially comes at the start does not develop any further. In those circumstances, the willingness to live by God’s Word ceases and becomes unfruitful. This can also happen to those who are called. When trials come, they lack the endurance to continue to accept and live by the Truth with a joyful heart. 

When we are called by God, it is for a grand purpose – to live as glorified members of His Family. With such an eternal end result, endurance is absolutely essential. To stop in the development of Christian character after the excitement fades leaves the opportunity of a lifetime unfulfilled. “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.   For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: ‘For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.’ But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:35-39). In this passage, we see the contrast between Christian endurance and drawing back into the world. The warning is that when we don’t have endurance, we put ourselves in a precarious position, at risk of failing to live in accordance with our call. Working towards an eternal result requires that we continue our efforts until the time of fulfillment – a lifetime endeavor!

The third aspect of making our call and election sure involves applying these aspects in practical ways in our life. We must work to overcome the world and the way of sin. Returning to the parable of the sower, we can see the attribute of the final failure. “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). In this example, the ones who receive the word do not apply the teachings of the Bible to repent. But rather, the carnal pleasures of sin prevent these people from developing the spiritual fruit required of a Christian and draws them back into the world. To some, sin has too great of an influence, causing them to neglect the requirement to live righteously. For those who are called to salvation, they must continue to live a life of repentance even after their baptism.

Repentance from sin and overcoming the world put the love of the Truth into practice. This is how we truly develop the spiritual fruit required of us. If we love the Christian Way of Life, even at the threat of rejection from the world, we choose to actively please God with the way we live. It brings God an abundance of joy to see people repent from sin and choose obedience when faced with the temptations of the world (compare Luke 15:10). Obedience is absolutely essential for Christians who desire to make their calling and election sure.

Answering the calling from God the Father who draws us to Jesus  Christ involves  continuously making tremendous changes in life (compare John 6:44-45, John 6:65, John 14:6). It takes a life-long commitment to learn the Truth and live the way of righteousness, following the example of Christ. This is not to say that Christians must live a perfect life in order to make their call and election sure. As human beings, we will slip from time to time. While we do not try to sin and make every effort not to sin, we will still stumble (compare Romans 7:15-25, 1 John 1:8). When that happens and we realize what we have done, we confess our sins, and God will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). We put our endurance to work and repent because we love the Truth. To answer our calling, we demonstrate an attitude of perseverance to live in a way that pleases God, because we love Him and His commandments. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). By continually working to understand and live by the Truth, endure in our adherence to those teachings, and overcome the sin, we will receive the promise, having an entrance supplied to us abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of God.

The fourth category of people mentioned in the parable of the sower are the only ones who ARE called for salvation in this life, who have a good ground or a willingness to accept God’s Word; who hear and understand God’s Word; and who act upon that understanding in obeying God’s Word, thereby producing fruit. But even then, some produce more fruit than others; and their reward will be in accordance with their works.

Lead Writer: Eric Rank

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Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

compiled by Dave Harris

“Catholic Church in Turmoil,” the newest StandingWatch program and presented by Evangelist Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Many are concerned that the German Catholic Church will split from Rome. The German bishops are determined to pursue certain “reforms” regardless of what the Vatican says. Others in the Catholic Church are worried that pagan practices and customs are invited into the Church. What could this all mean?

“Die Katholische Kirche in Unruhe,” a new AufPostenStehen program presented by Norbert Link, covers the same topic as described above, in German.

“What Does The Biggest Bank Failure Since The Great Recession Mean To You?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Suddenly, American banks are collapsing or are in great danger. Some constitute the biggest failure since the Great Recession in 2008 and the second and third largest bank failure in U.S. history.  European banks are affected too. Some speak of a coming recession, if not depression, more powerful than that of 1929. Does this mean that we must live in constant fear of financial ruin and disaster, or can we have trust in God that He will protect and take care of us, if we do our part?

“Auszeit vor Gott—legitim oder riskant?” the sermon presented last Sabbath in Germany by Thilo Hanstein, is now posted. Title in English: “Time Out Before God, Legitimate or Risky?”

“Was vor mir liegt,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Christian Mrosek, is now posted. Title in English: “What Lies Ahead?”

“Let’s Make a Deal,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Michael Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

There are many kinds of deals that are made for various reasons. Throughout the Bible, we read stories about deals being made, oftentimes by those who try to get something in return, which can be good or bad “deals.” What can we learn from these and what is the greatest deal that we can make for the best possible outcome?

“When the Going Gets Tough – The Tough Get Going,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

In the coming weeks, months and years we are going to be challenged on multiple fronts. The Bible’s warnings about a Christian’s life are stark. How do we plan on getting through these times? How are we going to react? We are going to have to be tough in ways that we may not be currently prepared for. What can we do to prepare now? 

Spring Holy Days: Passover—April 5, 2023 (observed the evening before); Feast of Unleavened Bread—April 6-12, 2023; Pentecost—May 28, 2023.

2023 Ministerial Conference: April 27, 28 and 30, 2023.

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How This Work is Financed

This Update is an official publication by the ministry of the Church of the Eternal God in the United States of America; the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship in Canada; and the Global Church of God in the United Kingdom.

Editorial Team: Norbert Link, Dave Harris, Rene Messier, Brian Gale, Johanna Link, Eric Rank, Michael Link, Anna Link, Kalon Mitchell, Manuela Mitchell, Dawn Thompson

Technical Team: Eric Rank, Shana Rank

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