On January 21, 2023, Michael Link will present the sermonette, titled, “What Are You Thinking About?,” and Brian Gale will present the sermon, titled, “Bible Gems, Part 1.”

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.

At first glance, this headline might appear as a harsh statement and representation of impossibility, but with a more profound approach, the fact that each person makes his own decision to be happy or not, leaves no room for doubt.

When I reflect on my childhood and adolescence, I remember that this world was seemingly spinning much more calmly and at a much slower pace, and there was much greater joy in little things than in the big things that the world offers us today.

Today, we live in a time of breathtaking speed. Through the Internet we have a tremendous and relentless flood of information, which is getting bigger and bigger. The time pressure to solve tasks is becoming more and more urgent, and the time span of the deadlines are getting closer and closer. People are expected to be available for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Industry runs 24/7, and employees do not have a balanced work-week any longer. Meanwhile, even small businesses are converting their structure to the 24/7 strategy. Quantity has overtaken quality, and this hamster wheel is inevitably becoming more and more unbearable for humanity. Many people who must work and live in this hamster wheel are losing their quality of life as a result.

Whether it is divided families, the sadness of lonely people, negative stress, burnouts, dissatisfaction, or depression due to worldly developments – all this will increase more and more, and mankind is merely functioning instead of being able to enjoy life.

As a result, kindness and love of neighbor drift further and further apart, and people will become more and more sensitive and far more susceptible to negative influences. All this and much more are circumstances designed by Satan, the ruler of this world. Through his vile and ugly attacks, he has placed the entire, clueless world under his most abysmal, sinister and filthy spell, but it is our duty to escape all of it and be obedient to God, so we can BE HAPPY.

Quality of life begins with being happy and content with what you have, with what God gives you, and not with being dissatisfied concerning what you do not have. Solomon, the wisest man after Jesus Christ, leaves us the following verses on the blessing of the “Fear of God and Wisdom”, as the revised Luther Bible 2017 says in the heading:

“Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her” (Proverbs 3:13-18).

This is what God wants to give us by His grace – simple happiness and peace in Jesus Christ and God the Father.

On February 16, 2010, I found an article on the Internet about a millionaire. His “new philosophy of life”, which led him to liquidate all his possessions, seems quite a bit too extreme, but the basic idea is very interesting:

“A Millionaire Is Giving Up His Possessions.

‘I used to be rich, but only now am I becoming wealthy,’ [he] told the…magazine ‘Chrismon.’ ‘Wealthy is a person who can do something positive with his possessions. I realize that the less money I have, the more possibilities I have. Because something finally starts to work in my head again: Why am I on this planet? What do I really want? I just felt more and more fear, the more I had: Fear of losing something and then not being able to afford some things – that I didn’t need anyway.’”

Even though this man is by no means called by God at this time, he has literally done, what Christ once said to the rich young ruler who asked Him what to do in order to inherit eternal life. Christ spoke of the Ten Commandments, which the rich man had supposedly kept from his youth: “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.’ But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Mark 10:21-22).

Of course, Christ did not really want the rich young ruler to sell all his possessions, but it was a test, since Christ saw that he loved the goods of this world too much. And Christ tells us plainly that no servant can serve two masters: “… for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [which comes from Satan]” (Luke 16:13).

The point is to find our quality of life, to have inner peace, to be happy and content, to cast all our cares on God and love Him with all our heart, our mind, our devotion, and our strength, and to surrender our lives to Him unconditionally. There is no room for compromise that violates God’s commandments!

It is also never too late to change something in one’s life. It really doesn’t matter what age we are. It is not too late for anything, no matter how old we are. Whether you are between the ages of 30 and 60, or between the ages of 60 and 90, is irrelevant; the lapse of time is the same, only that different circumstances may be present.

I found an interesting article on the Internet on this topic. The German „Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend“ (Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth) posted an article on its platform on July 16, 2020, according to which an elderly lady in her 73rd year had caught up on her high school graduation.

Of course, we must not forget that we need to continue earning our living, especially in order to be able to pay God’s tithes as well as other monetary offerings to finance the Work of God, but it is NEVER too late to learn new things and find happiness therein.

Whether you want to graduate from high school or college, choose a new career – whatever change you want to make to improve your quality of life and happiness, or whatever your heart may desire – do it, but do it with God and trust Him to give you the strength and the mind to do it.

Nowadays, God does not offer many people the opportunity to be freed from their sins and to repent, to be baptized, and to walk the new Way of Life with God. But today, if we are called to come out of this terrible world, we should listen to the call of God and submit to Him.

If we want to handle everything only with our own mind, we will surely be shipwrecked now and then, and in the worst case, we might fall into depression and leave the Way of God. It is important that we open our hearts to God, that we trust Him and that we are conquerors in difficult situations.

Changing one’s way of life for a better quality of life, no matter how old one may be, is not shameful, and it is never too late.  It is only too late when we have died and cannot do anything anymore.

Even Paul, who often endured persecution and suffered from a disease that was not cured, was happy in Jesus Christ and God the Father:

“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

This blessedness can only come from God if one remains faithful to Him and lives in His commandments and statutes. This includes truly loving one’s brethren. We will not find a more loyal, honest and better friend in this world than in the Church of God. We must manifest the “new” commandment given to us by Christ in a sincere way and live it with faithful sacrifice and devotion: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34).

Why do you think we sing in our Church services this classic hymn to God with a joyful heart: “Blest and happy is the man Who does never walk astray….”?

We must be constantly aware that one day many will come to an end with the love of God in them and with the love for God and the brethren. Many will betray one another, at an evil time that no one desires, but even in this scenario, we have to escape and wait in bliss until the end comes, until Christ comes back to earth and ends all injustice.

Each one of us is his own unique individual, with the gift granted by God to make his own decisions. In doing so, one can follow Satan, who inspires one to do the works of the flesh, namely, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like (cf. Galatians 5:19-21).

Or we can allow God to lead us with His power, the Spirit of love, and show in our lives the fruit of the Spirit, namely, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law (cf. Galatians 5:22-23). Then we will live a joyful and content life in happiness; thankful for each called friend we have made and will continue to make; and we will love God the Father and Jesus Christ with full devotion, remaining faithful to them for eternity.

“Therefore keep the words (the commandments) of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do” (Deuteronomy 29:9).

Initial Translation: Daniel Blasinger

We report on the discovery of sensitive and classified documents in President Biden’s private possession and the alarming revelation that his son Hunter and presumably numerous other unidentified “visitors” had unrestricted access to them.

Not only is President Biden accused, at a minimum, of blatant hypocrisy, and the White House of stonewalling and hiding the information, known to them at least since September, but the position of Attorney General Garland is also extremely awkward, to say the least, given the fact that he also knew about the situation prior to the midterm election.

We also report on the collusion between Big Tech and the White House and the suppression of pertinent facts which the government did not want to be circulated, and focus specifically on Facebook and Twitter. An especially disturbing article shows the appalling role which Adam Schiff and Richard Blumenthal, among others, allegedly played in all of this.

We address demands to defund or even abolish the IRS and a decision in Wisconsin to allow again conversion therapies.

We speak of the release of most of the CIA’s “Kennedy files,” while the most crucial ones are still being kept secret; report on the terrible situation in Haiti; and address the appointment of Germany’s new minister of defense, Boris Pistorius, nicknamed the “red general,” following the resignation of highly unpopular Christine Lambrecht.

In regard to the situation in Ukraine, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Germany’s ‘Recalcitrant’ Policy With America’s ‘Acceptance.’”

Biden and Garland in Awkward Positions

DNYUZ wrote on January 13:

“A new special counsel investigation into the discovery of classified documents in President Biden’s home and office puts both him and his attorney general in awkward positions as another special counsel investigates his predecessor for his own mishandling of secret papers… as a political matter, the new inquiry will muddy the case against Mr. Trump…

“Mr. Biden, who excoriated Mr. Trump for being ‘irresponsible’ with national secrets, now has to answer for his own team’s mishandling of sensitive papers… the White House did not disclose the discovery to the public for two months, waiting until after the November midterm elections, before which it might have damaged Democrats… even then the White House did not fully reveal the extent of the situation in its original statement. That statement, released on Monday, confirmed a news media report about a first batch of classified documents discovered at his think tank in November but made no mention of a second set found at his Delaware home in December.

“Only on Thursday, three days after that initial statement, did the White House confirm news media reports about the second batch, which was found in the garage of Mr. Biden’s home in Wilmington, and a… document found nearby on Wednesday night…”

Why did Garland wait until now to appoint a special counsel to investigate Biden while he knew about the sensitive documents in Biden’s possession prior to the midterm election?

Biden’s Credibility Problem

CNN wrote on January 13:

“Joe Biden is facing the worst political crisis of his presidency after a failed attempt at damage control over his classified documents controversy…

“Biden was doomed to face a political furor the moment his lawyers found the first secret vice presidential file in his former Washington office last fall… But then the botched messaging strategy became more clear – when Americans learned that a second batch of classified material, also dating to Biden’s time as vice president, had been found in a search of his home in Delaware. This detail was communicated to the Justice Department on December 20. And yet the White House didn’t disclose that this week when it spoke about the initial documents found last year in an office Biden previously used at the Penn-Biden center in Washington…

“Not only did this make it look like Biden had something to hide, it set up the kind of drip, drip of disclosures guaranteed to supercharge a Washington scandal. And Biden’s bid Thursday to minimize the discovery of secret material in his garage – by saying it was locked to protect his beloved Corvette – didn’t exactly back up his earlier claim that Americans know he takes classified documents seriously.

“The result is that [it] made the prospect of any future prosecution of Trump over his Mar-a-Lago document stash, which may pose his greatest risk of criminal charges, even more politically explosive…

“And there is the haunting fear that grips 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue whenever a special counsel sweeps into view – along with the dreaded possibility that they could uncover some unrelated, but damning area of wrongdoing. Former Biden vice presidential aides – many of whom are now serving in his close-knit White House inner circle– will face the always distracting prospect of testifying under oath.

“And there could be more unflattering details to come out, since CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Phil Mattingly, Jeff Zeleny and Arlette Saenz revealed on Thursday a chaotic administrative process at the end of the Obama administration, which may have allowed vice presidential documents to go astray…

“The White House’s public relations performance so far offers little confidence that Democrats will be able to hammer home their message as the storm rages… the White House’s selective transparency this week does raise some questions of credibility…”

This article is even more remarkable as it was published by left-wing pro-Democratic CNN. Their introduction, however, is an understatement. Biden has had other political scandals before… including Afghanistan and the Hunter Biden laptop debacle, not to speak of the totally out-of-control situation at the Mexican border.  

Hunter Biden Had Access to Sensitive Files

Breitbart wrote on January 13:

“Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the chair of the House Oversight Committee, confirmed that the address on Hunter’s driver’s license is the same as Joe Biden’s Delaware residence. Comer’s report verifies that Hunter had access to Joe Biden’s home where a trove of classified documents was stashed… ‘The Committee is concerned President Biden stored classified documents at the same location his son resided while engaging in international business deals with adversaries of the United States.’

“In 2016, Joe Biden admitted that Hunter had access to his father’s garage… Hunter owned Joe Biden’s residence in 2018… Some of the classified documents discovered are related to Ukraine. The Biden family business has an extensive history in Ukraine.

“In 2017, Hunter Biden was paid $83,000 per month to be on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company. Hunter was appointed to the board of Burisma in 2014 with no previous experience in the energy sector or in Ukraine… Hunter made massive sums of money from Ukraine for which he ‘offered no real work.’ In 2015, Joe Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion from Ukraine if the Ukrainian government did not fire the prosecutor who was investigating Burisma.”

In addition to Hunter Biden’s access to secret and classified documents at Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, which was occupied by Hunter, the White House revealed that no visitor logs exist, “as it is a private residence.” This means, we have no idea as to who had access to these highly sensitive documents.

While Trump was impeached for allegedly threatening Zelensky to withhold money if Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine were not investigated (a claim which was denied by both Zelensky and Trump), Joe Biden openly and publicly admitted and bragged about the fact that he threatened to withhold money from Ukraine unless the prosecutor was fired who investigated the corrupt firm of Burisma for which Hunter Biden worked, and even though Joe Biden was successful with his threat, he was never impeached for this egregious violation of his duties as vice president.  

Justice Department “Independent”?—No Way!

 On January 18, 2023, the New York Post published the following article by Professor Jonathan Turley:

“Given the opportunity to search President Joe Biden’s office and residences, the Department of Justice declined to do so, The Wall Street Journal reports. Instead, it allowed potentially uncleared and unnamed private counsel to search for classified material after the discovery of the highly classified documents in the Penn Biden Center office… the decision raises additional questions over the independence of top law enforcement personnel…

“There is no plausible reason why, given the chance, the Justice Department would not want to conduct a national security search itself. After Nov. 2, the Justice Department was aware that material at the top secret or higher levels was discovered in a closet in the Penn Biden center. It was also aware that the material may have been moved over the course of six years and that other material could be in other unsecured locations. Nevertheless, it reportedly opted to allow uncleared attorneys to search for additional classified material.

“… the decision is breathtaking. It effectively replaced well-established national security protocols with an honor system to be followed by persons unknown. The decision undermines the credibility of the Justice Department in both the Biden and Trump investigations. The department is threatening criminal charges over the mishandling of classified material but opted for a grossly negligent approach itself in the search for additional classified documents. It just rolled the dice and lost…”

Biden’s World Turned Upside Down

The New York Post wrote on January 14:

“A favorite saying among insiders is that two weeks is a lifetime in politics, meaning anything can happen. In Joe Biden’s case, a mere five days was enough to turn his world upside down.

“The news Saturday that more classified documents were found in his Delaware home ends a bizarre week that suddenly put Biden’s presidency in peril and further damaged the sagging credibility of the Department of Justice.

“When reports emerged last Monday that multiple classified documents were found in an office Biden used after leaving the White House as vice president, the propaganda media circled the wagons around him by insisting he’s no Donald Trump. They had a point — up to a point.

“But when reports two days later said a second batch of supposedly secret papers was found in Biden’s Delaware garage, the wall of media protection showed some cracks as the differences between the presidents’ cases narrowed. And when an additional classified page was found in Biden’s Delaware library, and a special prosecutor was appointed Thursday to investigate him, the defenders made a hasty retreat.

“Then came Saturday’s finding, which proves the president was serially sloppy with America’s secrets. The result is that Trump now looks like a lucky man while Biden looks like a man whose luck has run out. It’s been a feature of Trump’s political career that he’s been fortunate in his enemies. Say ‘Hillary Clinton’ and it’s enough said…

“Biden has come to Trump’s rescue, with his multiple document stashes making it nearly impossible for Trump to be prosecuted if Biden isn’t. All the more so because of the way Garland, solidifying his reputation as a bitter partisan hack, kept secret the first Biden document finding of Nov. 2 until after the midterm elections and seemed to be hiding each new finding until it was forced into the open…

“All the president’s men and media helpers won’t be able to limit his predicament to the classified documents. For one thing, the timing of the discoveries couldn’t be worse, coming just as Republicans take control of the House with a pledge to end the see-no-evil approach Dems took to Biden family corruption. Long before the document bombshells, GOP leaders vowed to follow the millions upon millions of dollars that Hunter Biden and Jim Biden, Joe’s brother, got abroad from selling access to Joe. Based on the contents of Hunter’s laptop, it’s certain that Joe benefited from foreign payments.

“As Re. James Comer of Kentucky put it, ‘We’re not investigating Hunter Biden. We’re investigating Joe Biden.’ The quest will be to find how much money Joe Biden reaped and what favors he did in return, primarily as vice president and even possibly as president.

“Regardless of Garland’s intent for the special prosecutor handling Biden’s document case, Comer, Jim Jordan and other GOP inquisitors are not going to stand down. Their probes will serve as fact-checkers and hold Garland accountable while giving the public hope the Biden family grifters will finally face the music.”

It would be something, but highly unlikely, given our corrupt and hypocritical political and legal system…

Democrats Unhappy With New Committee Members

Axios wrote on January 18:

“The White House on Wednesday condemned the addition of far-right Republicans to the House Oversight Committee, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.)… The blistering statement foreshadows the tension that will fester in Washington over the next two years, with the Oversight Committee set to be ground zero for investigations and high-profile standoffs between House Republicans and the Biden administration…

“The House Oversight Committee is preparing to ramp up its investigations into Hunter Biden, the Afghanistan withdrawal, and COVID origins, among other issues. ‘Joe Biden, be prepared. We are going to uncover every corrupt business dealing, every foreign entanglement, every abuse of power, and every check cut for The Big Guy,’ Greene said in a statement Tuesday. Meanwhile, Republicans plan to remove Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) from the House Intelligence Committee, as well as Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.”

Maybe the Democrats are concerned that the Committee will uncover some more unpleasant facts about Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s involvement, the Afghanistan withdrawal and the true origin of COVID and Fauci’s role in it. At least, they should be.

And Now Facebook!

Breitbart wrote on January 13:

“In yet another revelation about the level of collusion between Big Tech and the White House, documents show Facebook not only attempted to suppress ‘incorrect’ content related to coronavirus vaccines, but also took steps to curb the spread of ‘often-true content’ on the subject.

“The information came to light through a series of documents obtained by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, as part of a lawsuit that accuses the Biden administration of violating Americans’ First Amendment rights by colluding with Big Tech to suppress speech. One email, sent by a Facebook staff member to the White House on March 21, 2021, discussed ‘levers for tackling vaccine hesitancy content’ with a senior advisor on Biden’s COVID-19 response team and the White House’s director of digital strategy.

“In the email, the Facebook staffer… acknowledged that in addition to removing misinformation, the company has been focused on reducing the spread of content that discourages vaccines, but does not contain actionable information… users, groups, and pages were being kicked off the largest social network in the world, not for posting ‘misinformation’ — but because people at Facebook determined that their tone was too ‘sensational.’

“This is just the latest revelation to come out of the multi-state lawsuit against the Biden Administration, filed by the states of Missouri and Louisiana. Previously, the lawsuit revealed that the administration pressured tech companies to suppress some of the most popular critics of their policies, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson…

“The case is State of Missouri and State of Louisiana v. Joseph R. Biden, No. 3:22-cv-01213 in District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.”

The level of collusion between the White House and Big Tech is nothing short of appalling…

How Mainstream Platforms Censor You!

Brownstone published on January 12 the following article by Jeffrey A. Tucker:

“Since Elon Musk has taken over Twitter, it’s been quite a wild ride. Thousands of doctors and scientists have been unbanned and are now speaking. Same with journalists. Accounts that posted against Covid restrictions and mandates are now unthrottled…

“Of course, this is also infuriating. When we needed these voices the most was during the biggest attacks on liberty in our lifetime. Now that the powers that be have been forced by public opinion to dial back their oppressions, these voices can speak again. It’s good that the truth is getting out there but imagine the kind of difference it would have made for these 33 months if there had been no blocks on information from the start?…

“There were FBI agents embedded all over the platform. The White House and various deep-state actors were pushing Twitter to censor. After a while, it became the main job of the platform to block reach…

“Twitter is quasi-free now but what about the rest?…

“For years, my Facebook account has been irrelevant to me. I don’t even know why I bother using it at all. We know for sure that Facebook has been subject to the same controls that once affected Twitter. Same goes for LinkedIn and Google, of course. No doubt about that. My typical post sits there with almost no reach at all.

“What I’ve not known is whether I’m targeted directly or my account has long been restricted by virtue of keywords and content. As everyone knows, I shifted my life 3 years ago to post entirely about the invasions of life, liberty, and property that commenced in 2020. I did this not because I wanted to abandon other research projects but rather because Covid became a window into the nefarious works of the ruling class I had long opposed. Plus few others seemed willing to speak out. Most of my own ideological set was predisposed to ‘leave this subject to the experts’ and thus went silent. I went the other direction.

“That decision killed my reach on Facebook. There was nothing I could do about it so I decided just to forget it. But this morning, a friend had a great idea. He suggested that I post a cute animal picture with no other comment other than to say it is a test. I did this very thing [just publishing a cute picture of a puppy dog]… The results: an explosion of reach! Out of nowhere it was like the old Facebook, with comments and conversations and shares, plus many hundreds of likes. Absolutely amazing! At least for me, this test suggests something important.

“Zuckerberg is surely flagging accounts but the main means of control is content. Say something that means something and your post disappears from feeds. Post something stupid and irrelevant and you can have all the views you want…

“What applies here is also true for YouTube, Instagram, and all the rest of the mainstream platforms, which constitute the vast swath of social media content in existence. I like the alternative platforms but they are small players by comparison. The freedom and reach we get today on Twitter is beautiful but how long can it last? Is this a brief window that is opened before it shuts again?

“Nothing has changed on the rest of them, which means that nothing has changed with regard to the state-directed censorship that took over our lives three years ago. That’s a terrifying reality, and especially so for intellectuals and writers who imagined some years ago that these tools would be a gift for making a difference in the world.

“I’m inclined to think that the Elon Musk takeover of Twitter is a fluke – a lucky one to be sure but the strange exception. He should watch his back. The main drive to control the conversation and shape the public mind is still with us: bad actors working to limit criticism of themselves and their policies. It is just as intense now as it was at the height of the lockdowns and drive for universal vaccination…”

There should be no doubt that what the article describes is absolutely true.

Deep Corruption in Washington

On January 16, Ron Paul wrote in his weekly column:

“With each new release of the ‘Twitter Files’ we learn more and more about the deep corruption in Washington. We sensed during Covid that something was really wrong – for example the bizarre denial of natural immunity. But thanks to Elon Musk’s decision to open the books, our worst fears have been proven true. Each new release seems to show something even more criminal inside America’s rotten ruling class.

“In the latest release, thanks to the excellent reporting of independent journalist Matt Taibbi, we see outgoing Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), continuously pressuring Twitter to validate his fantasies of ‘Russian bots’ manipulating US politics.

“The short version of what Taibbi reported comes from around the time then-Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) was about to release his Committee’s findings about the FBI misuse of the FISA Court to spy on the Trump presidential campaign. The FBI, it turns out, relied exclusively on the widely-discredited ‘Steele Dossier’ – paid by the Hillary Clinton campaign – as justification to spy on the Trump campaign.

“When pressure grew to release the Nunes findings, Twitter exploded with users demanding that Congress ‘release the memo.’ That’s where then-ranking Member Schiff and his staff began relentlessly pressuring Twitter to show that the accounts demanding the release of the memo were actually Russian agents, out to help their supposed favorite, Donald Trump. Schiff was not alone. Fellow ‘Russiagate’ hoaxers like Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) also pressured Twitter to find Russians behind the demand to release Nunes’ findings.

“Over and over, Twitter – which was hardly sympathetic to Trump – told Schiff and his colleagues there was simply no evidence of Russian involvement… Even after Twitter had informed Schiff and his fellow hoaxers that there was no Russian involvement, Sen. Blumenthal released a statement he knew was not true: ‘We find it reprehensible that Russian agents have so eagerly manipulated innocent Americans.’ Again, this was right after he had been informed by Twitter employees – who were by-and-large strongly opposed to Trump – that there was just no evidence to back up such a statement…

“For political gain the Democrats – and plenty of Republicans – have been pushing the ‘Russiagate’ hoax…”

Defunding and Abolishing the IRS?

On January 14, The Week published the following editorial by Harold Maass:

“The narrow new Republican majority took control of the House this week and, as its first order of business, fulfilling a campaign promise by voting to rescind much of the funding boost for the Internal Revenue Service included in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the legislation, if it became law, would eliminate $71 billion of the $80 billion in new IRS funding…

“Next, Republicans plan to present legislation calling for abolishing the IRS outright. The bills have no chance of passing in the Senate, still controlled by Democrats… [And even if it did, Biden already stated that he would veto such a bill.]

“Republicans will keep the pressure on when Biden’s nominee to run the agency, Danny Werfel, has his confirmation hearing in the Senate soon… Republicans will have other opportunities to try to cut the IRS’ funding… Democrats intended the $80 billion to come on top of regular IRS budget increases of about $12 billion a year. But Congress has to approve those annually…”

Wisconsin to Allow Conversion Therapy

The Associated Press wrote on January 12:

“Wisconsin Republicans voted Thursday to again allow therapists, social workers and counselors to try to change LGBTQ clients’ gender identities and sexual orientations…

“A ban on conversion therapy was passed in 2020 by a state board within the Democratic governor’s administration overseeing licensing for mental health professionals. But a committee in the Republican-controlled Legislature temporarily blocked the ban then and did so again Thursday, with all six Republican members voting to block it and the four Democrats voting to keep it in place…

“At least 20 states and the District of Columbia have outlawed conversion therapy for minors… Wisconsin is not one of them…

“Republican lawmakers in at least 11 states have already introduced legislation to restrict access to transgender health care. Conservatives also have pushed to restrict conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools…

“Julianne Appling, president of the conservative group Wisconsin Family Action, told the committee that banning conversion therapy infringes on counselors, social workers and therapists’ free speech rights. The state, she said, should not be allowed to threaten their careers for exercising freedom of speech, freedom of conscience and freedom of religion.”

The Release of the Kennedy Files… Sort Of…

The Guardian wrote on December 16:

“Historians and conspiracy theorists have been given an early Christmas present: the release from US National Archives of 13,173 documents relating to the official investigation into the 1963 assassination of President John F Kennedy. From barely legible memos filled with the crabby handwriting of CIA agents, through reports on secret meetings with Russian diplomats, to painstaking detective work on the movements of Lee Harvey Oswald, the trove of documents will keep JFK assassination obsessives busy for months. Few expect bombshells among the pile, however…

“Thursday’s release of thousands of documents means that 95% of the CIA’s records on the assassination are now available to the public. As a final step there will be an ‘intensive one-year review’ of any remaining closed files before a complete opening of the books by 30 June 2023. The unveiling of the CIA documents has been delayed for years. In 1992, Congress ordered their full release by October 2017, but the deadline was pushed back by presidential decrees from both Donald Trump and Joe Biden…

“Hours after Biden released the new files, [Fox News moderator] Tucker Carlson… began his primetime show by telling his 3 million viewers that the CIA did it. Carlson had talked to an ‘unnamed source’ with direct knowledge of the JFK files the CIA was still hiding. The informed view of the ‘source’ was that ‘the CIA was involved in the Kennedy assassination. It’s a whole different country from what we thought it was. It’s all fake… This is not a ‘conspiracy theorist’ we spoke to. Not even close,’ he said.”

The Intercept added on December 22:

“LAST WEEK, the Biden administration declassified a trove of documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. While this action brings the government closer to the full disclosure of relevant files mandated by a 1992 law, it still keeps the most sensitive records secret.”

They also quoted Tucker Carlson saying this:

“And people have known this for a long time. The people who knew would include every director of the CIA since November of 1963. And that list would include Obama’s CIA Director John Brennan, one of the most sinister and dishonest figures in American life.

“That list would also include — we are sad to say — our friend Mike Pompeo, who ran the CIA in the last administration. Mike Pompeo knew this. We asked Pompeo to join us tonight, and though he rarely turns down a televised interview, he refused to come.”

It should be rather obvious that if the explanation would simply be, “Oswald acted alone”, there would have not been continued delay in making the documents public, with Trump’s admission that he could not release the documents after he read them. And it is rather naive to assume that the CIA’s documents would include clear-cut admissions by the CIA that they were involved.

Haiti’s Total Collapse

 npr wrote on January 18:

“Haiti, a country long beset by catastrophe and political turmoil, is facing perhaps its steepest challenge in recent decades as its piecemeal government, now lacking any democratically elected officials, struggles to chart a path forward amid gang violence and a cholera outbreak. The constitutional mandate of Haiti’s de facto ruler, Prime Minister Ariel Henry — which some viewed as questionable from the start, as he was never technically sworn in — ended more than a year ago. The country has had no president since its last one, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in 2021. Its Senate is supposed to have 30 members, and its lower legislative chamber should have 119; all of those seats are unfilled. Haiti’s elected mayors were all reappointed or replaced in 2020.

“And last week, its 10 remaining senators departed office after their terms ended, leaving behind a nation’s worth of elected offices that now sit empty after years of canceled elections. ‘The situation is catastrophic,’ said Robert Fatton, a Haitian-born political scientist at the University of Virginia. ‘It would not be an exaggeration to say that the current crisis is one of the most severe crises that Haiti has ever confronted.’…

“The country of 12 million people last held national elections in 2016. In the years since, the turmoil — political and otherwise — has been relentless.

“Gang violence has displaced more than 150,000 people from their homes and forced aid groups such as Doctors Without Borders to close facilities and relocate staff. A new outbreak of cholera is suspected to have infected nearly 25,000 Haitians since October. In 2021,  an earthquake killed 2,000 people and wrought new devastation to a part of the country that had been hit just five years before by a Category 5 hurricane.

“Rampant inflation has sent the cost of food and gas spiraling; food insecurity is so widespread that about 40% of the population do not have enough to eat. And the disasters have combined to keep thousands of the country’s schools closed, meaning millions of Haitian children have lacked steady education and meals since the beginning of the pandemic. ‘I grew up under dictatorship, so I’m not idealizing the Haiti I grew up under. But this is the first time I think we have seen this level of lawlessness, this level of gang violence where people’s lives do not matter,’ said Cécile Accilien, a professor of Haitian studies at Kennesaw State University…

“Now, Henry stands alone at the head of a fractured, weakened government that appears powerless to address the country’s many challenges: gang violence, cholera, inflation. ‘It’s a collapse,’ said Patrice Dumont, one of the 10 senators who departed office this month… Given the country’s terrible security situation and the lack of popular support for Henry’s government, the idea of elections in the immediate future is ‘frankly preposterous,’ Fatton said…”

Rishi Sunak’s Gut Reaction Almost Always Wrong

The Guardian wrote on January 18:

“To be fair, Sunak has the odds stacked against him. It’s not entirely his fault the Tories voted for Liz Truss rather than him… It’s not his fault that Putin invaded Ukraine. [But he has] a unique talent to make every bad situation worse. His gut reaction is almost always the wrong one.

“Take the strikes. Everyone knows the end game. The unions and the government get around a table and agree a compromise. Everyone except [Sunak]. He has chosen to pick a fight with the nurses and paramedics. A battle he’s never going to win, because almost the entire country has already picked a side. And it’s not with the government. When nurses pay has been eroded over such a long period – some are using food banks to get by – and their union calls for strike action for the first time in its history, then a stand has to be taken.

“Sunak is dying a slow death. Nowhere more so than at prime minister’s questions…”

The Guardian is of course a left-liberal paper in support of the Labor party. Still, we have to wait and see whether and how Sunak will survive.

Boris Pistorius Germany’s New Defense Minister

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 17:

“Boris Pistorius, interior minister of the state of Lower Saxony [for nine years], is to serve as Germany’s next defense minister, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday. The 62-year-old Social Democrat will succeed Christine Lambrecht, who resigned Monday after criticism of her leadership… Scholz has chosen a man who is little known abroad: Boris Pistorius… has gained a reputation for getting policies implemented…

“He is widowed and has two children. In October 2016, it emerged that he was in a relationship with Doris Schröder-Köpf, previously wife of former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. The couple has since separated.

“Pistorius main challenge in office will be administering the special €100-billion fund that Scholz promised the German armed forces in February. According to military analysts, at least €20 billion is needed to fill up stocks of ammunition alone. New frigates, tanks or F-35 combat aircraft also cost billions, plus investments in infrastructure and digitization. And there is a need to streamline procurement procedures in a military that has been racked with inefficiency.

“… the appointment of Pistorius also means that the Cabinet no longer has gender parity. At the beginning of his term in office, Chancellor Olaf Scholz had said that men and women each make up half of society — and therefore women should also have half of the power. If Scholz wants to maintain parity, another Cabinet reshuffle would be necessary.”

France 24 wrote on January 17:

“The man referred to by Der Spiegel magazine as the ‘red general’ has a reputation as a straight talker who can appear undiplomatic at times… In May last year, Pistorius was forthright about Ukraine’s right to recapture territories taken by Russia, putting him at odds with many other Social Democrats who had been reluctant to endorse a counteroffensive…

“However, he was also critical of calls to destabilise Russia, adding: ‘There will have to come a time after the war… when we in Europe will be able get along with Russia, in whatever form.’”

Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Pistorius voiced his opposition to European sanctions against Russia.

Politico added on January 17:

“Having served in Germany’s Bundeswehr prior to his law studies, Pistorius also has some military background. Pistorius faces daunting tasks in his new office. The German armed forces are in a sad state and an announced sea change in German foreign and security policy, Scholz’s so-called Zeitenwende, is in the spotlight as Berlin lags behind on its defense spending targets.

“More immediately, the new defense minister will have to deal with pressure from allies to step up military support for Ukraine by supplying Kyiv with German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks. Poland and Finland have already announced their intention to send Leopards to Ukraine, but the move would require German approval [as the tanks were manufactured in Germany], which Berlin has signaled it might give. The expectation, however, is that Germany should also join a broader alliance of European countries that would collectively send a contingent of such Western tanks.”

The Local had written on January 14 about Lambrecht:

“Critics… questioned [Lambrecht’s] ability to lead Europe’s biggest economy in reviving its long-neglected armed forces in the wake of the war in Ukraine. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Lambrecht, along with Scholz, had been blasted over Germany’s stuttering response to the conflict. The minister was mocked in January 2022 for her announcement that Germany would send 5,000 helmets to Kyiv, where the Ukrainian government was seeking heavy weapons to ward off Moscow.”

We will have to wait and see whether Pistorius is (allowed to be) more decisive than Lambrecht.

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.

In the first part of this three-part series, we reviewed the matter of racial discrimination and political correctness in relation to the way that a true Christian must live his life, and we continue to look at other movements that reflect different values to that of the Bible.

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement

On the BBC website in June 2021 under the heading “What is Black Lives Matter and what are the aims?,” we read: “Among its main goals are stopping police brutality and fighting for courts to treat black people equally. Its demands for equality also include mental health, the LGBT community and voting rights.  However, former US secretary of housing and developments Ben Carson [who is black] said people with noble aims had been taken advantage of by a ‘Marxist-driven organisation’ that supports ‘taking down the model of Western family structures’.  Carol Swain, a political commentator and former professor, said: ‘They are using black people to advance a Marxist agenda.’”

In 2019, the Guardian newspaper reported the following: ‘A majority of people believe Black Lives Matter, the anti-racism movement that spread across the UK this summer, has increased racial tension, according to a poll.  Just over half (55%) of UK adults believe the BLM protests that took place in big cities but also in the Shetland Islands and the Isle of Wight, increased racial tensions, according to a survey of more than 2,000 people by pollsters Opinium. Only 17% of the people polled in October disagreed. The polling also showed 44% of ethnic minorities felt BLM increased racial tensions.”

The following was written by a black journalist, Elizabeth Matory, in September 2020, and reported on the website townhall.com. The heading was, “Yes, There’s a Problem With BLM, and No, You’re Not a Racist For Thinking That”:

“Society eventually came to believe that slavery was wrong, even though modern slavery still exists under the radar in various forms. Yet most people can understand that forcing another human being into submission and bondage against their will and treating that person as non-human is wrong.  Anti-abortionists and abolitionists have been able to voice opposition to these wrongs for generations.

“Here is the key difference: the BLM movement remains above reproach in that anyone questioning them is shut down, socially ridiculed, personally attacked, deemed a racist, and becomes a victim to our modern day ‘cancel culture.’ This fact makes the BLM movement the most powerful propaganda campaign in modern history.”

A number of the goals of this movement are not in alignment with the way that God requires of His people, including their apparent hatred for white people and their willingness to burn or otherwise destroy or vandalize buildings, burn cars, resort to violence and throw stones at police officers, and illegally occupy government buildings, sometimes with the use of weapons.

Therefore, it is not an organisation with which we should have any involvement or support in any way.

In the section on “Woke,” you will find a quotation from the Merriam Webster Dictionary showing the interconnection between the “Woke” movement and the Black Lives Matter and Antifa movements.

LGBT+

Another vociferous group which is connected to the other movements we are discussing is the LGBT+ organisation.   Wikipedia gives this definition:

“LGBT is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.

“The LGBT term is an adaptation of the initialism LGB, which began to replace the term gay (or gay and lesbian) in reference to the broader LGBT community beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s.  When not inclusive of transgender people, the shorter term LGB is still used instead of LGBT.

“It may refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual or non-cisgender, instead of exclusively to people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. To recognize this inclusion, a popular variant, LGBTQ, adds the letter Q for those who identify as queer or are questioning their sexual or gender identity.”

In our booklet “God’s Teachings on Sexual Relationships,” https://www.eternalgod.org/gods-teachings-on-sexual-relationships/ the matter of homosexuality is discussed on pages 95-114.

On page 95, we state the following:

“Before covering the controversial issue of homosexuality, we feel it is necessary to state our position, as anyone who opposes this behavior is commonly thought to be a homophobe or homophobic. This term is casually used against anyone who has the audacity to question the morality of such behavior, especially when asserting it to be sin, which homosexual lobbyists often refer to as hate speech.

“This argument is invalid, as people on both sides of the argument must be allowed to agree or disagree about homosexuality in a free and fair society. To assert that homosexual behavior is a sin is simply stating a biblical fact, and Christians who live by the Word of God are simply stating what God’s Word clearly reveals. There should be no hate for the individual concerned, just sadness at their way of life.”

In an editorial in our weekly Update, dated December 9, 2022 https://www.eternalgod.org/update-1048/, entitled “Just Because….”, we wrote: “… more controversy has arisen because of the refusal of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) to allow teams to wear the ‘OneLove’ rainbow armband in a show of solidarity for the LGBT+ community and as protest against many human rights violations in that country.”

There was uproar about this situation with the press and media regarding this denial.  As our booklet on the matter clearly shows, the abhorrent practice of homosexuality which God roundly condemns, is supported by the mainstream media.  We know that it works this way – you either go along with it or you are in trouble!

In our Update No. 1053, dated January 13, 2023, https://www.eternalgod.org/update-1053/ we quoted the following from Life Site News, published on January 5: “Trump has also killed a lot of his support with his hosting of that massive Log Cabin Republicans event at Mar-a-Lago and his and Melania’s and Kari Lake’s enthusiastic partying with them. In doing so, they gave massive, likely naïve support to the ongoing LGBT agenda… and policies to protect and promote their immoral, anti-life, anti-natural-family lifestyle, and to punish all who even think or speak anything critical of what they do…”

On the website lgbted.uk, there is the following information:

“LGBTed is a network of LGBT+ teachers and leaders, empowering them to be authentic in schools, colleges and universities, to support students and to be an advocate for increasing LGBT+ visibility in our education system.

“LGBTed use our network to influence education policy around LGBT+ inclusion in education; we support and empower colleagues to come out at all levels in education; we increase school leaders’ knowledge of LGBT+ issues in education and provide training & mentoring.  We help improve teacher retention by allowing colleagues to be more authentic in the workplace.”

There can be no doubt that the teaching profession in schools, colleges and universities can influence students in ways that are not Godly.   The above is evidence of this.

On the Law Society website in the UK, there was an article in February 2021 entitled: “LGBT History Month, Imogen Hamblin, employment lawyer at Thrive Law and member of our LGBT+ Lawyers Division Committee, explores two facets of her identity – her faith and her sexuality.”   She writes:

“Let’s note, rejection of the LGBT+ community can take many subtle forms, for example exclusion from the membership or leadership teams, refusing to conduct marriage ceremonies and making comments like ‘we love the sinner not the sin’ or that ‘you are welcome, but your way of life is not’.

“The implication is there is something unholy or sinful about our lifestyle.

“The church is in an uncomfortable place for LGBT+ persons; however, there is good news.

“Facets of the church have reacted positively to the changes in legislation and have adopted a more thoughtful approach to the teachings of Scripture, recognising the culture in which it was written.

“The church is starting to become more inclusive and some Christian denominations do not consider homosexuality or transgender identity to be sins. Leading the way in this advancement is Rev Steve Chalk MBE of Oasis Church, Waterloo. He celebrates having LGBT+ people in the leadership team, music team and youth work teams. They also regularly conduct same-sex marriages.”

This is written by a professing Christian who is a lesbian which any honest student of the Bible will see as incompatible.   Referring to the culture in which the Bible was written is not an answer.

It may be that many are under the delusion that LGBTQ+ issues are the most important things in the world to them today when to most people on earth, they are very definitely not.  No one has to recognise or support this group if they don’t want to, and their constant pushing of this perverted “lifestyle” can become wearying.  We must be steadfast in our opposition to these ungodly lifestyles and practices that God condemns.

The Bible states quite clearly and unambiguously that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, we read: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” Compare also 1 Timothy 1:8-11.

Romans 1:26-27 tells us: “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.  Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.”

No amount of theological twisting and turning can make acceptable that which is an abomination to God (See Leviticus 18:22, 26, 29; 20:13).

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

“Germany’s ‘Recalcitrant’ Policy With America’s ‘Acceptance,’” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link.  Here is a summary:

What is the real reason for Germany’s recalcitrance to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine and allow allies to hand theirs over to Ukraine? And why is America’s strategy in Ukraine failing? Articles in Politico and the Asia Times paint a less than flattering picture, but they are almost prophetic. 

“Deutschlands ‘widerspenstige’ Politik mit Amerikas ‘Einwilligung’,” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This covers the same topic as described above in the SW program. 

A new Member Letter (January 2023) has been posted and sent to our subscribers. Dave Harris writes about the challenges Christians face while living in the world of the ungodly.

“Wahrheit und Freiheit in der Gosse!” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Truth and Freedom in the Gutter!”

“Das ‘Quatschen’ der Gottlosen,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Manuel Giermann, is now posted. Title in English: “The ‘Gossip’ of the Ungodly.”

“Der Mensch prüfe aber sich selbst,” the sermon presented last Sabbath in Germany by Christoph Sperzel, is now posted. Title in English: “But Let a Man Examine Himself.”

“The Biblical View on World Developments—Comments on News and Prophecy, January 14, 2023,” the first message presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

We discuss the burden of sin; the election of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House and Donald Trump’s involvement; whether there are any biblical exceptions for abortion; the biblical teaching on paying taxes; TSA’s extension of Corona vax mandates for tourists; serious suspected cases of corona vaccination complications in Germany; constitutional restrictions in Ukraine; discrimination; and biblical prophecies showing that the third temple will be built on the Temple Mount.

“Good Intentions for 2023,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Let us look at our lives sincerely and honestly; let us examine ourselves and see where we need improvement. Ignoring certain areas of weakness and shortcoming does not bring results; instead, we must take up the fight. Good intentions are important, but they must be put into action.

On January 14, 2023, Norbert Link will present “Comments on News and Prophecy (January 14, 2023),” and the sermon, titled, “Good Intentions for 2023.”

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

A mule is used as a beast of burden when it is loaded down with goods or merchandise, as is mentioned in Genesis 44:1: “And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, ‘Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack.’”

The phrase, “as much as they can carry,” refers to their donkeys (see verse 3). There are limits to what an animal can carry.

The more you add on, the more the animal has to work to keep going and the heavy load slows them down. There is an expression: “The straw that broke the camel’s back,” which means you can load a camel to the point where just adding the weight of a straw pushes the weight beyond the critical point and the camel’s back is broken.

At the other end of the scale, the more weight you reduce, the faster the animal can move, and it can climb up trails and paths more easily.

Sin has a similar effect on us if we do not deal with it. It becomes a burden on us, slowing us down in our spiritual growth and in our driving distance between us and God.

Satan, the first being to sin, did not make the effort to change, repent and realize he was doing wrong. Now he is in the position where he will not repent, being hardened by sin, so that he cannot repent. He is corrupted beyond repair, having committed the unpardonable sin. We have to be careful not to fall into such a state by adding on to sin, by failing to repent and by asking God daily to wash us in the blood of Christ for our sins and have our plate cleansed daily; lest we pile on the sins to the point where it breaks our backs spiritually speaking and hardens us to the point we don’t want to repent and thus commit the unpardonable sin from which there is no return.

Christ used prayer to maintain a close relationship with God and His prayers were heard and He was totally submissive to God His Father. As a result, He never sinned even though He was tempted in all things, as Hebrews 4:15 tells us: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

He set the example for us by maintaining a close relationship with God. As we do sin, we must also confess them, repent of them and leave them behind.

As we move forward in the coming year, let’s ensure we do not add the burden of sin in our lives which creates walls and distances us from God.

We will undoubtedly face trials and tests but we have to keep our eyes on the reward and not get bogged down with sin, always seeking to have our sins forgiven when we confess them before God and have them, upon repentance, cleansed by the blood of Christ.

It is God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom, so let us show our appreciation by removing the burden of sin from our lives.

by Norbert Link

We begin with the tumultuous election of Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, his concessions and his priorities and intentions, as well as Donald Trump’s crucial role in McCarthy’s election. We speak of the disappointment of many of Trump’s supporters; the latest scandal involving President Biden;  the FBI’s alleged “absurd” conduct; and we publish an article discussing America’s tax system.

We address allegations against Adam Schiff in relation to veteran journalist Paul Sperry; President Biden’s visit to the border; and the unfortunate and ill-advised American extension to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for foreign travelers, as well as other related disturbing developments.

We address the turmoil in Brazil which is in a sense somewhat reminiscent of the attack on the US Congress on January 6, 2020; and controversial moves by the Ukrainian government under Zelensky.

We speak on Israel’s isolation in the world, without many or any true friends and supporters; and we conclude with appalling statistics of worldwide deaths in 2022.

Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “The Bible Prophesies: The Third Temple Will Be Built!” on YouTube and on Rumble. https://rumble.com/v25519p-the-bible-prophesies-the-third-temple-will-be-built.html

Trump Helped McCarthy Win

Breitbart wrote on January 6:

“Former President Donald J. Trump played a vital role behind the scenes in bringing about a compromise among House Republicans to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker of the House of Representatives…

“On the historic 15th ballot for the speakership Friday night, McCarthy finally sealed the deal and garnered the votes necessary for the position. Voting had raged on since Tuesday, as a block of 21 Republicans, primarily driven by House Freedom Caucus members, repeatedly voted against McCarthy. However, the deal McCarthy and his allies struck with the delegation budged enough detractors to land the California Republican the speaker’s gavel.  Chief among those responsible for forging a compromise was Trump…

“Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who will chair the Judiciary Committee in the 118th Congress and was a crucial player in these negotiations, lauded Trump for his work helping to bring about a deal. ‘This doesn’t get done without the support and leadership of President Trump,’ he told Breitbart News…

“Trump’s involvement persisted throughout this week, including in talks last night and this morning ahead of the crucial breakthrough for McCarthy… On Friday night, he made calls to Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Andy Biggs (R-AZ), both of whom had voted against McCarthy for days, and told them that the matter needed to be resolved. Ultimately on the 15th round, they both voted ‘present,’ helping to lower the vote threshold for McCarthy…

“Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) told Breitbart News on Friday that Trump’s ‘role was huge’ in the negotiations. Specifically, she pointed to his statements in support of McCarthy this week and the phone calls he was making behind the scenes….”

On Saturday, McCarthy publicly thanked Trump for his support and involvement. The Daily Mail reported on January 7:

“McCarthy said of Trump, ‘He was with me from the beginning… and he was all in. He would call me and he would call others. And he really was — I was just talking to him tonight — helping get those final votes.’”

McCarthy’s Concessions

Fox News wrote on January 7:

“Taking the anti-McCarthy votes off the table capped a week in which McCarthy was able to chip away at the 20 Republicans who opposed him, thanks in large part to negotiations that will dramatically reshape the way the House is run. Some of the most conservative members of the House said they got virtually everything they wanted out of the talks and started to break for McCarthy on Friday morning.

“McCarthy agreed to allow a single lawmaker to make a motion to elect a new speaker, returning to the way the House ran for decades before that practice was eliminated under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He agreed to votes on term limits and the adoption of a budget resolution that balances the budget in 10 years, and a cap on fiscal year 2024 spending at FY 2022 levels.

“McCarthy agreed to reject any negotiations on spending with the Senate until the Senate passes its own spending bills. He agreed not to increase the debt limit without spending cuts or other fiscal reforms, to set up a committee to examine the weaponization of government against U.S. citizens, and to ensure no bills are brought up on the floor until at least 72 hours passed.”

The last change was adopted to allow Congressional members to at least read a bill before they vote on it. Of course, there is no guarantee that they actually will read (and understand) it.

It was the first time since 1923 that a nominee had not won the gavel on the first vote. In 1856, it took former House Speaker Nathaniel Prentice Banks two months and 133 rounds of voting for the House of Representatives to settle on a leader – the longest stretch on record, during debates over slavery in the run-up to the Civil War. New Jersey’s William Pennington required 44 votes to take the gavel in 1860.

McCarthy’s Priorities

Fox News wrote on January 7:

“House Speaker Kevin McCarthy officially opened the 118^th Congress early Saturday morning, holding the speaker’s gavel and conducting a chamber-wide swearing-in ceremony for new members… McCarthy also revealed some of his priorities for this session of Congress, which included investigating China, securing the country’s border, and attempting to eliminate some of the federal debt, which is over $31 trillion… He also committed to ‘stop wasteful Washington spending to lower the price of groceries, gas, cars, and housing… ‘Our first bill will repeal funding for 87,000 new IRS agents. Because the government should be here to help you, not go after you.’

‘The Republican also said he would reopen the U.S. Capitol Building which remained behind additional security measures and was mostly inaccessible to the public following the riots on Jan. 6, 2021. ‘My friends – this chamber is now fully open for all Americans,’ he said, which was met with thunderous applause from Republicans. Democrats in the chamber remained silent.”

The Daily Mail also quoted McCarthy on January 7 as follows:

“We’re going to pass bills to fix the nation’s challenges from wide open southern borders,  to American last energy policies to woke indoctrination in our schools…  We will use the power of the purse and the power of the subpoena to get the job done.’”

His comment to investigate China must be viewed in the context of his intention to investigate the origins of COVID-19 and specifically the U.S. government’s involvement in any funding of gain-of-function research. He had also declared before his election that Hunter Biden (and by extension, Joe Biden) would have to be investigated pertaining to Hunter Biden’s financial deals (and Joe Biden’s alleged knowledge of them). We will see whether those long overdue investigations will really take place.

McCarthy to Remove Schiff, Swalwell and Omar From Committees

Newsmax added on January 11:

“House Speaker Kevin McCarthy… plans to boot Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., from the House Intelligence Committee, and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from the House Foreign Affairs Committee as payback for Democrats ousting Republicans from panels. Democrats had stripped Reps. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., of their committee assignments in the last Congress…

“‘Swalwell can’t get a security clearance in the private sector. I’m not going to give him a government security clearance. Schiff has lied to the American public… Last year, I promised that when I became Speaker, I would remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee based on her repeated anti-semitic and anti-American remarks,” McCarthy tweeted. ‘I’m keeping that promise.’”

Congress to Investigate Federal Agencies

Newsmax wrote on January 10:

“House Republicans officially signed off on their promised investigation into Democrats’ alleged weaponization of the federal government against conservatives on Tuesday. In a strict party-line vote of 221-211, the Judiciary Committee’s select subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government was formed, with Republican congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio slated to be chairman…

“The House Republicans’ new probe follows several supposed whistleblowers approaching Republican lawmakers with allegations of political favoritism in government agencies… It also comes after Elon Musk’s ‘Twitter Files’ suggested the FBI provided Twitter with over $3 million to suppress foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election, eventually leading to the platform’s suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story.”

More on the “Twitter Files” scandal below.

Secret Documents at Biden’s Residence

The Associated Press wrote on January 12:

“Documents with classified markings from President Joe Biden’s time as vice president were found at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, the White House said Thursday, days after it was disclosed that sensitive documents were also found at the office of his former Washington institute… the revelation that Biden potentially mishandled classified or presidential records is proving to be a political headache for Biden, who called former President Donald Trump ‘irresponsible’ for keeping hundreds of such records at his private club in Florida…

“White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre… refused to say... why the White House waited more than two months to reveal the discovery of the initial batch of documents. They were found Nov. 2, days before the midterm elections…”

Newsmax added on January 11:

“‘We all know why it was kept secret — right before the midterms — that Joe Biden kept classified documents at his Chinese-funded “think tank,”’ Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., tweeted Tuesday…

“Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., [said:] ‘There’s a double standard when it comes to how to deal with conservatives and liberals under this administration… The media is complicit; social media companies need to be regulated… they’re an extension of the Democratic Party in many ways… America is not a very fair place now when it comes to administration of the law.’”

Sadly, Graham is absolutely correct.

Garland Appoints a Special Counsel

Newsmax wrote on January 12:

“U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday named a special counsel to investigate whether President Joe Biden improperly handled sensitive government documents, setting up a parallel inquiry to an ongoing probe of former President Donald Trump. The inquiry, to be led by Robert Hur, could cast a shadow over the Democrat president’s expected run for reelection in 2024…

“Republicans in Congress called the new discoveries evidence of Biden’s hypocrisy. ‘It’s obvious. Everybody can see it, and it’s on open display for everyone in the country to see,’ Republican U.S. Representative Mike Johnson said…”

 The New York Post wrote on January 12:

“On Thursday, before Garland’s announcement, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters, ‘I think Congress has to investigate this’ and ‘We don’t think there needs to be a special prosecutor.’ ‘Here’s an individual that’s been in office for more than 40 years. Here’s an individual that sat on ‘60 Minutes’ and was so concerned about President Trump’s documents locked in behind, and now we find that this is a vice president keeping it for years out in the open in different locations,’ McCarthy said.

“The speaker was referencing a Sept. 18 interview with the CBS newsmagazine in which Biden described his predecessor as “irresponsible” for keeping sensitive documents at Mar-a-Lago.”

Trump Has Disappointed Many Supporters

Life Site News published on January 5 the following article by its co-founder and managing director:

“[Trump] wrongly claimed the ‘abortion issue was poorly handled by many Republicans [during the midterm elections], especially those that firmly insisted on No Exceptions, even in the case of Rape, Incest, or Life of the Mother, that lost large numbers of Voters.’…

“Any pro-life persons who advocate those exceptions betray a weakness of conviction, a lack of trust in God and the power of His truth… Either all human lives are sacred, or they are not. Either every child is a human from conception, regardless of the circumstances under which they were conceived or they are not human. There is no in-between category or argument. Political pragmatism, when it involves life and death, kills…

“Trump has also killed a lot of his support with his hosting of that massive Log Cabin Republicans event at Mar-a-Lago and his and Melania’s and Kari Lake’s enthusiastic partying with them. In doing so, they gave massive, likely naïve support to the ongoing LGBT agenda… and policies to protect and promote their immoral, anti-life, anti-natural-family lifestyle, and to punish all who even think or speak anything critical of what they do…

“Then there have been Trump’s astonishingly bad, false statements on his Operation Warp Speed, deadly COVID jabs allegedly having saved millions of lives. The exact opposite has now been proven to be the truth… The sudden deaths and cancers, infertility, and many other short- and long-term serious injuries from them continue to increase and even many children, who could not possibly have benefited in any way from the jabs, are now dying from them. This horror story is expanding every day and affecting the entire world – thanks to U.S. government and health agency policies that the rest of the world has relied upon for their own COVID policies.

“Trump should apologize that he listened to all the wrong people and should call for an immediate, worldwide halt on the COVID jabbing and demand criminal investigations of all those who wrongly advocated lockdowns, masking, and all the other deadly, unnecessary COVID mandates and policies that have [devastated] many nations, individuals, families, and businesses…

“Since he was removed from the presidency…, he has not been the same person. Many of us feel betrayed by him… I was hoping that Trump would wake up to the above issues and repent and change, but that has sadly not happened.

“We are in a historic nightmare situation right now in many respects. Whether we will ever have a fair election again is in serious doubt. We must continue to do the best that we humanly can and leave the rest up to God, but compromising our fundamental principles in any way cannot earn us any graces from God who ultimately is the only One who matters.

“We are well beyond compromising political pragmatism being able to save us now. We must change to a policy of being wise as serpents but also fully placing all our trust in God who is the only One who can save us at this time. If we continue to compromise on His principles, He will not save us.”

As we pointed out in our recent Current Events editions, Trump’s statements about abortion and his support of the LGBT community, in order to get their votes, are serious causes for concern. But Trump’s influence should not be underestimated, as the development regarding the election of the Speaker of the House has shown.

The “Absurd” Conduct of the IRS

Reason wrote on January 6:

“[The IRS] continued historic trends of hassling primarily low-income taxpayers [in 2022], with relatively few millionaires and billionaires getting caught up in the audit sweep…

“This is, after all, the agency that sent $1.1 billion in child welfare payments to the wrong people over the course of merely five months during the pandemic. It’s the agency that was hacked back in 2015, resulting in the personal information of more than 700,000 taxpayers being compromised. It’s the agency that has been foolishly going after Americans who hold $10,000 or more in a foreign bank since 2010, never mind the fact that many of them are middle-class expats, not folks with yachts in the Mediterranean…

“Though some libertarians may argue such an agency ought not to exist in the first place and cheer its relative ineptitude at going after the well-to-do, it’s decidedly absurd that the agency taxpayers just fed $80 billion to has, for another year, continued its assault on the poor.”

God is not looking at such IRS conduct lightly.

Taxing the Rich?

On January 9, 2023, Ron Paul wrote in his weekly column:

“The final act of the Democrat majority on the House Ways and Means Committee was to make public several years of Donald Trump’s tax returns, which the Committee obtained after a prolonged legal battle. The tax returns confirmed that, despite being one of the richest people in America, Donald Trump paid very little in federal income tax. In fact, in at least one year he paid under a thousand dollars.

“Trump’s success in minimizing his tax liability without ever being audited is surprising only to those who think IRS audits are mainly used to catch rich ‘tax cheats.’ According to data released by the Syracuse University Transactional Records Clearinghouse, in 2022 lower-income taxpayers were five and half times more likely than millionaires and billionaires to be audited! This is because low-income taxpayers cannot afford to hire top-notch tax attorneys and accountants to help fight the IRS, so they are more likely to give in to the agency’s demands…

“Proponents of a flat tax or national sales tax argue that such a system would ensure millionaires and billionaires paid their ‘fair share’ of taxes. Saying we must all pay our ‘fair share’ of taxes assumes we have a moral obligation to the government that can only be fulfilled by turning over as much of our income as our so-called ‘public servants’ demand. This is not the case. Individuals have a moral duty to support their families, and to support private charities if they wish. They do not have a moral duty to support the government.

“Tax reform proponents also complain that the current tax code contains too many loopholes that cause economic distortions and inefficiencies. It is true that the current tax system promotes inefficiency, but this is caused by the income tax itself, not the loopholes. Conversely, loopholes actually promote economic efficiency by giving taxpayers the ability to spend more of their money the way they prefer, rather than allowing politicians to spend it. As economist Thomas DiLorenzo put it, ‘private individuals always spend their own money more efficiently than government bureaucrats do.’

“The major problem with the income tax, and the reason it must be eliminated, not merely ‘reformed,’ is that it is rooted in the idea that the government has first claim on our income…”

Jesus told us to pay our taxes… to give Caesar what is Caesar’s (Luke 20:22-25). But this does not mean, to give Caesar what he does not require. And it does by no means justify the king’s or the government’s abuse of tax money and spending it for ungodly purposes. Therefore, there is nothing wrong, biblically, with the idea of the government simply eliminating taxes, such as the income tax. Furthermore, Samuel described the king’s or the government’s practice of taxing people as a curse (compare 1 Samuel 8:15, 17-18, 7, 9). We also read that a king or a government which “imposes heavy taxes,” “ruins” the land (Proverbs 29:4, New American Bible).

Schiff’s Assault on the First Amendment

Breitbart added on January 6:

“Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) violated the First Amendment and, arguably, his oath to uphold the Constitution in 2020 when his office demanded that Twitter suspend the account of Paul Sperry, an investigative journalist.

“Sperry happens to be the journalist who reported in 2019 that the ‘whistleblower’ who worked with Schiff to engineer the impeachment investigation against President Donald Trump was Eric Ciamarella, a CIA analyst who had worked at the White House. Though Democrats convinced the media and Silicon Valley to suppress the story, Sperry’s reporting was never refuted…

“The attempt by any member of Congress to suppress the freedom of expression of a journalist is a flagrant violation of the First Amendment, which specifically restricts Congress from interfering in a free press. That violation is even more egregious when perpetrated by a congressional leader with unique access to secret information, and who implies that he has evidence no one else does and is acting to protect national security.

“Schiff… is a frequent guest on mainstream media news programs, who have given him wide latitude for years to promote unfounded claims, such as the ‘Russia collusion’ hoax.”

Journalist Paul Sperry Speaks Out

The New York Post published on January 6 the following article by Journalist Paul Sperry:

“Schiff, the powerful Democratic chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, made his ‘request’ to ban me through his staff in a November 2020 memo to Twitter. Three months later, in early February 2021, I was kicked off the platform.

“Why would a congressional leader sworn to protect the Constitution and First Amendment want to muzzle a veteran journalist? Like authoritarians everywhere, Schiff did not like critical reporting. The man who vowed to ‘protect our Democracy’ from Donald Trump wanted to censor a free press…

“In his list of demands, Schiff tried to justify banning me by claiming I was promoting ‘false QAnon conspiracies,’ which I have never done and I challenge Schiff to produce evidence to back up his defamatory remarks…

“After joining Twitter in June 2016, I tweeted more than 20,100 tweets and I amassed more than 340,000 followers — all without any problems, without any suspensions. Until Schiff exercised his vendetta against me.

“He appears to have secretly interfered with my ability to do my job for almost two years… If a powerful government official prevented me from promoting my stories, including my New York Post columns, on the nation’s digital town square, how is that not state censorship?”

In his article, Sperry also recounted several examples where Schiff publicly and apparently knowingly lied.

Biden’s Visit at the Border—Too Little, Too Late

The New York Post wrote on January 8:

“President Biden made his first trip to the beleaguered Mexican border since he took office two years ago — for a brief three hour visit. Biden… has been roundly criticized for his failure to control the number of migrants crossing the border into the US and for repealing a number of programs begun by former President Donald Trump that led to the escalation…

“Critics chided Biden for what they called little more than a photo-op at the overwhelmed border with Mexico, with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, one of the most vocal officials about a federal lapse in border protection, handing the president a scathing letter slamming his policies. ‘Your visit to our southern border with Mexico today is $20 billion too little and two years too late,’ Abbott wrote in the letter…

“There were more than 2.4 million migrants crossing the nearly 2,000-mile length of the southern border with Mexico in [the] fiscal year 2022.”

US Extends Air Travel COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for International Visitors

Fox Business reported on January 4:

“The U.S. government has quietly issued an extension to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for foreign travelers. The TSA issued the extension of vaccine mandates that will last until April 10, 2023.”

The Washington Times added on January 5:

“Critics of the rule say it is hampering tourism and that vaccination should be a personal choice, especially since the shots do not stop transmission of the virus outright.

“‘President Biden himself said the pandemic is over so the original justification for the mandate has lapsed. Pre-pandemic, international tourism generated close to $2 trillion in U.S. economic activity, so denying entry to unvaccinated foreign guests is denying us untold billions in revenue,’ Jenny Beth Martin, the honorary chairwoman of Tea Party Patriots Action, said in a midweek statement blasting the extension. ‘And last but not least, as a matter of principle, no one should be forced to take a vaccine against their will, whether they’re an American or a foreign guest.’”

None of this makes any sense, except that it deprives people of their individual freedom; prevents unnecessarily tourists from visiting the USA; and contributes to the destruction of the American economy.

WHO’s New “Recommendations”

The Daily Mail reported on January 10:

“American travelers should show a negative Covid test in order to enter European countries, the World Health Organization implied today… But she stopped short of recommending testing mandates ‘at this stage’, instead urging people on long-haul flights to wear face masks to curb the spread of Covid…

“But scientists are quick to point out that America’s wave is not growing as fast as feared and that there is no sign the strain is more likely to cause severe disease at present… in the European Union — which has twice as many people [as the USA] — cases are falling…”

As long as it stays with just a recommendation from the WHO, one couldn’t care less. But if becomes another requirement, then here we go again…

No More Vaccination Mandate for Troops?—Not So Fast!

The Associated Press reported on January 10:

“The Pentagon formally dropped its COVID-19 vaccination mandate Tuesday, but a new memo signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also gives commanders some discretion in how or whether to deploy troops who are not vaccinated.

“Austin’s memo has been widely anticipated ever since legislation signed into law on Dec. 23 gave him 30 days to rescind the mandate…

“Austin… added… that other department policies — including mandates for other vaccines — remain in place. That includes, he said, ‘the ability of commanders to consider, as appropriate, the individual immunization status of personnel in making deployment, assignment, and other operational decisions, including when vaccination is required for travel to, or entry into, a foreign nation.’”

Even though the law prohibits COVID vaccination mandates for the military, it is obvious, as can be seen from the above article, that the Biden Administration, being obsessed with vaccinations, will do everything they can to circumvent that law.

The Twitter Files: Disturbing Connection With Big Tech

The Daily Signal wrote on January 10:

“The latest installment of the ‘Twitter Files’ reveals a disturbing connection between Twitter and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a Pfizer board member who used to head the U.S. Food and Drug Administration… Pfizer Inc. is one of the pharmaceutical companies that came up with three initial FDA-approved vaccines against the disease. Gottlieb joined the drugmaker’s board in June 2019, before the pandemic.

“The new information from inside Twitter shows how ‘elites’ such as Gottlieb with connections to large corporations and the government can twist and suppress what gets to the public, warping society’s ability to speak freely and find the truth.

“According to the ‘Twitter Files’ report released by former New York Times reporter—and vaccine sceptic—Alex Berenson, Gottlieb coordinated with the social media giant to suppress alternative policy recommendations for how to respond to COVID-19. Berenson was at one time banned by Twitter at the urging of the Biden administration, but the ban was lifted after he sued the company. He now is one of the relatively few journalists that new Twitter CEO Elon Musk trusts to disclose the social media company’s previous internal workings in a series of ‘Twitter Files’ reports…

“Twitter and Facebook also coordinated with [the] government as other ‘Twitter Files’ entries suggest… Facebook acted as if it were an arm of the Democratic Party and censored American citizens seeking the truth… YouTube censored Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for questioning the effectiveness of cloth masks… The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initially said masks don’t work,  then insisted they worked and you need to wear them, then finally admitted that cloth masks likely don’t offer any protection from COVID-19. Paul was right…

“The ‘Twitter Files,’ including the Gottlieb revelations, show how it was Big Tech companies, not the people, that caused ‘harm’ during the pandemic. They abused their position of power, thoughtlessly and perniciously silenced dissenters, and pulled Americans away from the process of discovering the truth…”

In light of this apparent suppression of the Truth in the USA, note the following appalling article about the situation in Germany.

German Government Denies Obvious Side Effects From CORONA Vaccination

Bild Online wrote on January 11:

“It starts with a tingling in your fingers. The hands swell, become bluish. Then a sharp pain shoots up both arms. Five days after his first corona vaccination, Nicolas S. (23) from Lichterfelde [in Germany] experienced this for the first time. Since then several times a day. Diagnosis: Suspected vaccination complication! But nobody helps him.

“Nicolas S. was successful in his job as a computer scientist and also had a small software company. ‘After the corona vaccination, my life was destroyed,’ he says. When asked by BILD, a spokeswoman for the State Office for Health and Social Affairs (Lageso) said: ‘The expert opinion comes to the conclusion that there is no causal connection between the vaccination and the symptoms in the case of an unclear clinical picture.’

“His employer recommended to him immunization in early summer of 2021 – because of the contact with customers. In a practice in Lichterfeld, Nicolas S. had the Biontech vaccine injected… A short time later, the first symptoms. ‘The pain was so present that I couldn’t concentrate on anything anymore,’ he says. Desperate, he went to an emergency room. Heart attack and stroke were ruled out.

“His vaccinator was at a loss, gave him the second dose. The symptoms worsened. Only during the ultrasound of the vessels… did the specialist note the suspicion: ‘non-specific vaccination side effects’…

“Meanwhile, Nicolas S. has been on sick leave for 78 weeks. His arms and hands feel ‘asleep’. The smallest movements trigger severe pain. He was fired from his job. He had to liquidate his company. At the beginning of 2022, he applied for recognition of vaccination damage and severe disability. No reaction!…

“Biontech also contradicts a connection with vaccination. ‘So far we have no evidence that the symptoms you mentioned are more common in vaccinated people.’

“Nationwide, the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute has so far recorded 50,145 serious suspected cases of corona vaccination complications, but in Berlin, the Lageso has only recognized twelve…

“Nicolas S. now lives on social benefits. He says: ‘The worst thing is that there is no contact person for those affected.'”

Protestors Storm Brazil’s National Congress

Deutsche Welle reported on January 8:

“Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the National Congress building in Brasilia earlier on Sunday…

“Supporters of the former president refuse to accept that the populist autocrat lost his bid for reelection, claiming the election was stolen. Hardcore supporters have even openly called for a military coup in order to put him back in charge…”

The New York Post added on January 8:

“The… protests are reminiscent of the attack on the US Congress [on] January [6,] 2020, when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Building in Washington, DC…”

We will see whether the left-wing mass media will be blaming Trump for the events in Brazil. Of course, Trump claimed as well that the 2020 election was stolen. But this claim has been labeled in the USA as the “big lie” by the left-wing mass media, and woe unto those who even suggest that the election might have been stolen. They are facing censorship, ostracism and persecution… and that in a “democratic” country which supposedly protects the “right” of free speech.  

More Than Meets the Eye

Breitbart reported on January 9:

“Protesters opposing the inauguration of far-left convicted felon Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as the country’s president on January 1 stormed Brasília on Sunday, breaching police barricades to break into the Brazilian Congress and destroy its façade, as well as several critical meeting chambers. The mob also attacked the STF, the nation’s supreme court, reportedly leaving its headquarters unusable and damaging or stealing priceless historical artifacts. The protesters attempted to break into the Planalto Palace, the president’s headquarters, but caused more minimal damage there.

“Lula became president this month after a bitter presidential race [against] his predecessor, conservative former President Jair Bolsonaro, that he won by a razor-thin margin. Lula should have been disqualified from running for president again as a result of crimes he was convicted for during his past term in office, from 2003 to 2011. Lula was sentenced to nearly 25 years in prison for taking bribes while president, but the STF overturned the conviction on jurisdictional grounds in 2021, allowing his name to be on the ballot.

“STF Minister [justice] Alexandre de Moraes, who also ran the country’s top election court during the election, outlawed discussing Lula’s conviction or calling him a criminal in media communications while allowing Lula to spuriously call Bolsonaro a ‘pedophile.’ The STF’s handling of the election has prompted a movement of Bolsonaro supporters calling for the military to intervene and prevent Lula from taking office…

“Police have arrested over 300 people at press time for participating in the riot, according to O Globo. Reports indicate that most of those arrested will face charges such as acts of violence against the states and conspiracy, which may result in prison terms of up to 12 years.

“The bulk of arrests related to the riot that have occurred so far, however, were not of people directly participating in the event. In response to an order from de Moraes, the police dismantled a massive tent city of Bolsonaro supporters who had organized outside of the headquarters of the armed forces, asking the military to overthrow Lula. Police confirmed over 1,500 arrests as they dismantled the camp, most of those arrested going peacefully. The operation required 40 buses to transfer those detained to prisons.”

The highly controversial role of Brazil’s Supreme Court contributed to the uproar and tumult in the country.

Condemnation of Zelensky Government Over Freedom of the Press and Religion

Breitbart wrote on January 7:

“The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Europe’s largest journalist association, has expressed concern about a new Ukrainian law that could arbitrarily censor media in the country. EFJ president Ricardo Gutiérrez voiced his concerns over the new legislation passed by the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky late last month, which will give the government enormous power over media operating in the country…

“The new law has been framed by the Zelensky government in terms of stopping the spread of Russian propaganda, and will give greater power to the National Television and Radio Council, which is appointed by the Ukrainian parliament. Some news sites which do not register with the council may be shut down as a result of the new law.

“According to Gutiérrez, the council is completely controlled by President Zelensky. ‘We are surprised by the lack of reaction from Western countries. We don’t understand why they don’t tell Zelensky that this law doesn’t live up to our standards. I would say that it will be impossible for Ukraine to join the European Union with a law like this,’ he said.

“The EFJ has previously defended Danish journalist Matilde Kimer, who was excluded from reporting in Ukraine and had her press credentials revoked after being accused of being ‘pro-Russian’ by the Zelensky government. The ban came just months after Kimer had also been banned from Russia.

“The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine has also raised issues with the new media law, releasing a statement saying ‘[s]uch powers are clearly excessive,’ and adding: ‘No one has yet managed to tame freedom of speech in Ukraine. It won’t work this time either.’

“Combatting Russian influence and propaganda has been used as the reason for several moves by the Zelensky government that have been controversial, including the recent suppression of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Raids on Orthodox churches by the Ukrainians prompted condemnation from Russia, with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev stating that ‘[t]he current Ukrainian authorities have openly become enemies of Christ and the Orthodox faith.’”

In times of war, these kinds of moves can be expected. The freedom of the press, the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion and of religious assembly will be constantly under attack.

The World Against the State of Israel

Israel Today wrote on January 4:

“Love him or hate him, agree with him or oppose him, Itamar Ben-Gvir has become a barometer for international attitudes regarding the prophetic restoration of Israel. The Bible is fairly clear that the physical rebirth of Israel that we’ve already witnessed was just an initial step… leading to a particular set of national actions that in turn lead to the nations of the world coming against the Jewish state… the UN is trying to tell the Jews that they may not do what the Lord God of Israel told them to do, which in this case is to ascend the Temple Mount in worship of Him.

“We are witnessing the nations of the world align themselves against the Almighty, though they fail to see it as such. And it’s only possible for them to do so in this way because of the rebirth of Israel as a nation, which has in turn enabled Jews like Itamar Ben-Gvir to again (after 2,000 years of exile) express their commitment to God and His Word in a sovereign and independent manner.”

U.N. Wastes Everybody’s Time

Fox News added on January 6:

“Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. lambasted the organization for calling a meeting to discuss an Israeli official’s visit to a Jerusalem holy site. ‘Minister Ben-Gvir’s recent visit to the Temple Mount was not an incursion into al-Aqsa or any other fabrication that the Palestinians branded his visit as,’ Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan said during a blistering speech to the U.N. Security Council, Thursday…

“The status quo allows for Muslims alone to worship at the site, where the Al-Aqsa mosque stands. Ben Gvir’s supporters insist that the minister never stepped on the actual believed location of the Holy of Holies and never prayed, therefore avoiding any violations…

“‘When this council dedicates its valuable time to “shows about nothing,” it legitimizes the poisonous lies of the Palestinians, and as a result, empowers terrorists to continue in their murderous ways,’ Erdan said. ‘While the Temple Mount is sadly not yet a house of prayer for all nations, it is still the right of every Jew… to at least… visit this holiest of holy spots.’”

The U.N.’s Hatred for Israel

Israel 365 News added on January 6:

“A report by UN Watch revealed that in 2022, the United Nations General Assembly approved 15 anti-Israel resolutions as compared to 13 against all other countries combined. Russia, which invaded Ukraine amid accusations of human rights violations, garnered six condemnations. North Korea, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, Iran and the US were hit with one resolution each.

“Saudi Arabia, China, Lebanon, Turkey, Venezuela and Qatar, which have poor human rights records or were involved in regional conflicts, were not dinged by any resolutions criticizing them.

“Since 2015, the General Assembly has adopted 140 resolutions against Israel. In the same period of time, the UN passed 68 resolutions against all other countries combined…

“From 2006 through 2022, the UN Human Rights Council has adopted 99 resolutions against Israel, 41 against Syria, 13 against Iran, 4 against Russia, and 3 against Venezuela…

“In 2022, EU member states voted for one resolution each to criticize Iran, Syria, North Korea, Myanmar, the U.S. for its embargo on Cuba, and six resolutions on Russia’s war in Ukraine. By contrast, EU states voted for about 10 resolutions on Israel. These same EU states failed to introduce a single UNGA resolution this year on the human rights situation in China, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Turkey, Pakistan, Vietnam, Algeria, or 175 other countries.”

These statistics speak for themselves and show the blatant bias and Antisemitism of the world towards Israel.

Israel and USA on Collision Course

The Times of Israel wrote on January 7:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government is little more than a week old but it’s already giving the Biden administration headaches…

“The new government is an unwelcome complication for a Biden national security team seeking to shift attention away from the Middle East and toward rivals like China and Russia. It also comes as Republicans take control of the House of Representatives and are eager to cast Biden as unfriendly to Israel ahead of the 2024 presidential election…

“… while Biden and Netanyahu have known each other for years, they are not close. Biden and former Obama administration officials who now work for Biden still harbor resentment toward the prime minister who, during his previous iteration as Israel’s leader, sought to derail their signature foreign policy achievement: the Iran nuclear deal.

“… on Friday, Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet approved a series of punitive steps against the Palestinian leadership in retaliation for the Palestinians pushing the UN’s highest judicial body to give an opinion on the Israeli occupation of the West Bank… The Security Cabinet decided to withhold millions of dollars from the Palestinian Authority and transfer those funds to a compensation program for the families of Israeli victims of Palestinian terror attacks. And, it will deny benefits, including travel permits, to Palestinian officials who ‘are leading the political and legal war against Israel.’

“Meanwhile, Biden’s administration is moving in a diametrically opposed direction. Since taking office, the administration has reversed the Trump ban on aid and provided more than $800 million in economic, development, security, and other assistance to the Palestinians and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

“… exactly one week before Netanyahu took office in late December, the State Department imposed but immediately waived terrorism sanctions against the Palestinian leadership, saying engagement with the Palestinians is a critical US national security interest.

“On December 22, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman notified Congress that she had imposed travel bans on senior leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization because they ‘are not in compliance’ with requirements to tamp down and publicly condemn terrorist attacks against Israelis. But, in the same notification, the State Department said Sherman had waived the travel bans ‘based on her determination that such a waiver is in the national security interests of the United States.’”

What a circus!

USA vs. Catholic Rome?

LifeSiteNews wrote on January 6:

“… the idea the U.S. government could be involved in a plot to undermine the Catholic Church is not without precedent, as emails released by Wikileaks in 2016 showed how John Podesta, chairman of Hilary Clinton’s presidential campaign, exchanged ideas with Obama-linked non-profit executive Sandy Newman about how to foment ‘revolution’ in the Church.”

Worldwide “Unnatural” Deaths in 2022

The Christian Post wrote on January 6:

“Statistics reveal that abortion was the leading cause of death worldwide for the fourth year in a row, as the number of abortions nearly quadrupled the number of deaths from infectious diseases in 2022.

“Worldometer, a database that keeps track of statistics about health, the global population and other metrics in real-time, continuously compiles information about the number of abortions worldwide. The last available snapshot of the Worldometer from 2022, captured on Dec. 31 by the internet archiving tool The Wayback Machine, shows that more than 44 million abortions took place last year.

“While Worldometer cites a fact sheet from the World Health Organization as the source for its abortion statistics, the WHO maintains that ‘around 73 million induced abortions take place worldwide each year.’ The global organization characterizes abortion as an essential health service.

“The second leading cause of death in 2022, as identified by the Worldometer, was communicable diseases, causing nearly 13 million casualties. The deaths attributed to infectious diseases, as well as the more than 8 million deaths caused by cancer, the approximately 5 million fatalities triggered by smoking, the roughly 2.5 million alcohol-related deaths and the nearly 2 million deaths caused by AIDS this year combined add up to less than the number of lives lost to abortion in 2022.

“Additional leading causes of death identified by the Worldometer include road traffic accident fatalities, which claimed more than 1 million lives last year, and suicides, numbering slightly more than 1 million. Over 800,000 people lost their lives due to water-related diseases last year, half a million people died because of the seasonal flu, nearly 400,000 people died of malaria and around 300,000 women died during childbirth.

“Deaths caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which have become the subject of much media attention, were measured at 1,209,570 in a separate set of [statistics] compiled by Worldometer…

“… the number of worldwide deaths in 2022… [exceeded] 100 million. The total world population at the end of 2022 came in at slightly above 8 billion.”

The list above does not even include the many hundreds of thousands of people who died in war in 2022.

 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.

Discrimination is a much used word today, and there is so much confusion about a number of issues which seem to have been integrated into one package, and someone not accepting that totality of those issues can become “cancelled,” with others being called a variety of names that are deemed to show the outrage, bigotry, disapproval and opprobrium of their none-acceptance.  This “morphing” (changing the form or character of, or transforming) of one very necessary and important subject (racial discrimination) and adding other more contentious matters on to the same basic premise is clever; you either accept all of the attachments or you choose what to accept and reject, and then receive the usual abuse when you resist and challenge the orthodoxy.

In this new series, let us unpick this “blob” of many different issues which have come together, purposely by those with an agenda that undermines the very fabric of a healthy and decent society.  We will review those individual issues which are now a constituent part of the overall racial discrimination discussion and package.

According to Wikipedia, “Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, religion, disability, or sexual orientation, as well as other categories.”

Because of this, many attachments are made to the initial racial discrimination issue and you have to accept, and approve of, the whole package or else you are in big trouble.   That is why we must review all attachments to the original as they may not be in line with what is approved by God.

It is very important, right at the beginning of this Q&A, to get some definitions.   We know, today, that words can mean different things to different people at different times, and it is easy for misunderstandings to occur.   The meaning of words is not static and set in stone. What a word means or describes can change over time, and that is how languages evolve.   For example, the word “wicked” used to mean “evil or immoral, playfully malicious or mischievous” whereas today, for some, it can mean something that is “neat” or excellent.

We have already seen one definition of discrimination above.   On the website eoc.org.uk, we read the following:

“Understanding When It May Not Be Considered Discrimination.

“In some instances, it may not be considered unlawful discrimination if someone treats you unfairly on the basis of any of the protected characteristics, provided that they have good enough reason for this unfair treatment and are able to justify the discrimination.

“These few examples demonstrate when discrimination may not be considered unlawful:

“A construction company requires all applicants for a high-rise construction job to take a series of physical tests. While this might put older applicants at a disadvantage and could be considered as indirect age discrimination, the company is justified as an older worker may not be able to meet the physical rigors of the job.

“A shelter for women posts an advertisement for female counsellors only. In this case the employers could escape any potential sex discrimination complaint by arguing that all of their clients are women who have suffered domestic violence by their male partners and they would be reluctant to speak to other men about their experience.

“A Roman Catholic school is justified in restricting applications for a job as a scripture teacher to only baptised Catholics.

“If an employer turns down an application because a prospective worker insists they be given time off at certain times for religious observance, it could be construed as religious discrimination. However, if the time off coincides with the employer’s business time and all workers are required to be on the job to ensure customer’s orders are met, then the employer may be justified in taking this action by citing the ‘occupational requirement clause.’”

Looking at the last example above, a request for certain times off for religious observance may sometimes be rejected, or a person may not be hired for that reason.   That is discrimination but not in the eyes of the law although it is blatant discrimination and in direct violation of the Law of God, if the requested time off for religious observance is biblically commanded. This refers mainly to the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days, including the eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day!  So much for protection in this rebellious and God-defying world ruled by Satan the Devil! But we know that if there is a conflict between what man wants and what God instructs, the true Christian will follow the Will of God and take the punishment dealt out by man.   In Acts 5:29, Peter said that “We ought to obey God rather than men.”

We will look now at the different groups that have become attached to, and inextricably linked with racial discrimination and will describe who and what they are, although we have covered some of this information previously in our writings.

Let us start with the matter of racial discrimination itself.   Of all the myriad descriptions of this matter, Wikipedia gives a fairly simple definition as follows: “Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their skin color, race or ethnic origin.  Individuals can discriminate by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or share resources with people of a certain group.”

What does the Bible have to say about this?  

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:27-28).   In the first book of the Bible, we read: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26-27). Also note Acts 17:26.

We read that Jesus engaged the Samaritan woman in conversation (see John 4:1-42) and in Acts 8:26-39, Philip baptised an Ethiopian eunuch.  Paul preached to the Gentiles, and when the Day of Pentecost had fully come (Acts 2:1), there were “Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven” (verse 5) and “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them” (verse 41).   Many different races and ethnic groups were there, who had become “proselytes” and converted to Judaism, and none of them were discriminated against and many became church members. Compare our Q&A on Acts 2:5-11 and the presence of Arabs in Jerusalem.

The Bible most certainly does not discriminate against the different races; after all, God created them all in the first place.

Political Correctness

In our Q&A entitled “Why is political correctness a potential problem for Christians and the Church of God today?”, we cover this matter and will quote selectively from this to make the point that this can be a problem in certain circumstances for true Christians:

“On the Wikipedia website, the definition of political correctness is as follows: ‘The term political correctness (adjectivally: politically correct; commonly abbreviated to PC or P.C.) is used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society’…

“Of course, it should not be our goal to purposefully insult others and to cause offense. But this does not mean that God’s Church can become timid and shy away from our duty to proclaim the Truth…

“The Church has a duty to proclaim God’s Way of Life and His standards fully and boldly, even and especially if this conflicts with the norms of a society which is cut off from God and inspired and motivated by Satan and his demons.

“In one of our Q&A’s on Romans 13:1-7, we state the following:

“‘As soon as the law of the land contradicts God’s command, we are to disobey the law of the land and obey God’s law. However, even in that instance, we are to accept the government’s authority over us. This is demonstrated by the fact that Peter and John did not protest being flogged, but instead rejoiced that they suffered for obeying God’ (Acts 5:40-42)…

“It is interesting that the UK, the USA, Canada and other countries pride themselves on freedom of expression which is not enjoyed in many other nations around the world.

“However, political correctness can have the opposite effect of allowing freedom of speech; for example, anyone quoting the Bible and God’s teaching on a number of issues could be seen as engaging in ‘hate speech’. Such is the level of antipathy now afforded the Word of God…

“Think about how society today is at odds with biblical teachings:

“Society today approves of a behaviour that the Bible calls an abomination – homosexuality – but don’t you dare speak out against it or you will be vilified.

“Abortion is allowed today in so many countries around the world but the killing of innocent, unborn children is called ‘choice’ by its proponents, but the bottom line is that abortion is murder. Therefore, by extension, society today approves of murder in this instance.

“Certain mind-altering drugs which are highly addictive and dangerous are decriminalised which can wreak terrible havoc on the users and their families. The anguish that bereaved parents and other family members may suffer is appalling.

“Society today is consumed by equal rights irrespective of Godly instruction and the rightness of things.

“We must never give the impression of condoning wrongdoing or wrong principles just for the sake of peace. We have to say and do, and be seen to say and do, the right things and not condone evil. Isaiah 5:20 tells us: ‘Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!’ We do live in a perverse society which, in general, rejects God and makes up its own laws and rules and the fruits of this are plain for all to see.

“The Church of God has a duty of responsibility to teach the ways of God. In Isaiah 58:1 we read: ‘Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins.’…

“There is the warning message in Ezekiel 33:6 which reads as follows: ‘But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’

“We have the responsibility to warn of the terrible times to come because of our sinful and godless societies, and we must fulfil that responsibility…

“Inevitably, the Church of God will be at odds with society. The Church teaches the Way of God; the world has no interest in this, thinking that they are capable of forging and maintaining a good and decent society without God being involved. We know that the world is deceived by Satan (see Revelation 12:9), and so no one should be in the least bit surprised. And, yes, political correctness can be a real problem for both true Christians and the Church today. However, God’s true Church will continue to stand up for God without compromising even one inch with what God has revealed to us about His Way.”

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

“The Bible Prophesies: The Third Temple Will Be Built!” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. You will also find this program on Rumble, at https://rumble.com/v25519p-the-bible-prophesies-the-third-temple-will-be-built.html.

Here is a summary: 

The Bible is very clear that just prior to Christ’s return, a third Temple will be built on the Temple Mount, and that animal sacrifices will be given there. In the light of that understanding, notice citations from many recent articles in the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and several Israeli papers, as well as quotations from the Bible, which shed light on that fact.

A Tech Team Meeting was conducted on Sunday, January 9, 2023, via Google Meets. Hosted by Eric Rank, the main focus was dealing with limitations imposed by YouTube for the posting of our programs—including our Live Services. Our appeal regarding the censorship of one of our programs was rejected, and we were prevented by YouTube to file another appeal, but the blocking from YouTube was only temporary. We will continue to use YouTube, without having our message compromised, and as a consequence, we have added Rumble as an alternative. In addition, we discussed our current ad campaign for free booklets, which has necessitated reprinting another two-thousand copies of “The Fall and Rise of the Jewish People.”

“Ein Fleisch,” a split sermon presented last Sabbath in Germany by Daniel Blasinger, is now posted. Title in English: “One Flesh.”

“Special,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is a summary:

When we are considered to be special by others, especially by those we hold in high esteem, it feels great. We feel loved and valued. Do we realize that God Himself considers us to be special to Him? What can we do to honor that privilege and develop our relationship with Him?

“They Who Overcome the World,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Jesus made a profound statement to His disciples when He said, “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). What did He mean, and how does that apply to Christians, today? Is it actually possible for us to also overcome the world?

On January 7, 2023, Eric Rank will present the sermonette, titled, “Special,” and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “They Who Overcome the World.”

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.

When considering all that happened in 2022, one can hardly believe that it could even get much worse in 2023. But it surely will. At the same time, we must be careful with premature predictions, only because we would love them to happen so that the return of Jesus Christ can occur sooner rather than later.

In its article of December 31, 2022, Politico listed numerous false predictions which were made in 2022, including that Russia would NOT invade the Ukraine; that there would be a strong defeat of the Democratic Party during midterm elections through a “red wave” or even a “red tsunami”; that a federal indictment of Donald Trump in 2022 was imminent; and the most outrageous one of them all, that “gas prices in the U.S. will average $2.88 per gallon in 2022.” This false and preposterous statement, divorced from any reality, was made by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on December 7, 2021.

Politico listed three main reasons for false predictions: (1) You might misread events “because you missed something that proved important”; (2) you engage in “wishcasting” by basing a prediction less on a sober reading of what is likely to happen than on what you’d personally like to happen; and (3) even though you are aware that what you’re publicly predicting is quite unlikely, but are in a position of leadership and feel the need to project confidence, lest your supporters lose enthusiasm. In regard to this last reason for false predictions, Politico quoted Nancy Pelosi proclaiming in October that Democrats would not only hold the House, but expand their majority.

These cautionary remarks are not limited to political predictions. They apply to religious predictions too. To make those predictions are tempting, and we all have had our share of doing them. The reason being, we know the general framework of events which are prophesied to happen, but we may not know the  exact timing or the identity of individuals who would fulfill certain prophesied events. However, in our desire to see prophetic events occur, we may prematurely declare what we expect to happen.

I dare to say that true ministers of God do not make any prediction which they know is false. They are sincere, but they might be sincerely mistaken. Think of the many times when we felt strongly that Christ would come back in a particular year. We looked at events which seemed to convince us of a certain conclusion, looking at the parable of the fig tree, but the predicted year came and went, and Christ had still not returned. It should not have surprised us when considering that not even the Son of God knows the time of His return.

Or think of the times when we were just about certain as to who the beast had to be. Some of these candidates have died in the meantime; others are still alive, but it does not seem that many of them would qualify for that prophesied “position.”  When the beast manifests himself on the world scene, God’s people will know… but not necessarily before then.

Now, former Pope Benedict XVI has died. He had become the first pope, in 2013, to resign since Gregory XII in 1415. As BBC News wrote, “there had been speculation that Pope Francis, who himself has been suffering ill health, had been contemplating stepping down, but was reluctant to do so if it meant there would be three popes in Rome.” Now, predictions are being made that Pope Francis will resign as well, and another pope will take his place. Surely, so the predictions go, this pope must be the last one. To add to this, “prophecies” by Nostradamus are being circulated claiming that 2023 will witness the resignation of the current pope and the arrival of a bad pope or a kind of “antichrist.”

Other “prophets” have declared that the last pope will be black and adopt the name of Peter. We need to be careful not to jump on these “predictions.” First of all, Nostradamus’ proclamations were extremely vague and many times wrong. Furthermore, Nostradamus and other “prophets” were in no way godly inspired; if there was any inspiration, it would have been Satanic. And demons, even though they might know the future, are lying spirits—one can never be sure when they lie or when they, on occasion, tell the truth.

What God’s Church needs to do is watch. In due time, God’s people will understand exactly when and how prophesied events will unfold, and who the key players are. God might also give some of His servants special insight into prophetic events and details, which might not be specifically mentioned in Scripture, but which would be in line with prophecies contained in the Bible (Compare Amos 3:7-8; Isaiah 44:26; Revelation 19:10). But we must wait for God, and don’t act hastily and fall into the trap of prematurely proclaiming what is going to happen, let’s say in 2023, even though the Bible may be less than clear on a given point. It is not wrong to speculate, in light of biblical prophecy, but it is important to emphasize that it is speculation, and nothing more.

As some of you will recall, I was certain that Donald Trump would be reelected and occupy the White House in 2020, and I said so publicly. I should not have done that because even though all indications pointed to that outcome, events occurred which were unexpected. I did not foresee the strong possibility of a rigged election; the involvement of the FBI and the mass media to suppress the truth about the Hunter Biden laptop scandal which, if it had been released, would most certainly have prevented Joe Biden from becoming elected, and some other factors. But this shows that unexpected developments can alter what seems to be so clear and certain.

On December 29, Newsmax published the following article by Dick Morris, former presidential adviser to Bill Clinton for 20 years, and political strategist:

“Two serendipitous things happened and just dumped into Trump’s lap issues that will make him president again. First, the Twitter Files exposé is one of the most shocking examples of government censorship and collusion with the FBI and Big Media ever. Second, there’s the big spending, budget-busting omnibus bill Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., backed, effectively castrating the new Republican House majority… So Donald Trump has two great issues to ride: free speech and fighting McConnell… This is Donald Trump’s fight — one he’ll win, and with it, the White House in 2024.”

This sounds pretty persuasive, but let us not forget that some of Dick Morris’ past predictions turned out to be awfully wrong. He predicted that Mitt Romney would win the 2012 election in a “landslide”; that Hillary Clinton would win against Barack Obama in 2008; and that Obama would not run again in 2012. When it comes to Trump’s predicted victory in 2024, we just need to wait and see.

One thing is certain. God cannot lie. He has told us in general and specific terms what IS going to happen… but He did not tell us the exact time or specifically and in detail, how certain events would come to pass.  And don’t forget, God can delay and accelerate prophesied events. The wisest course of action for anyone is this: Live as if you had your entire life still ahead of you, and live as if the end of your life and the end of the world were to occur tonight. And don’t waste too much time with studying and uttering “predictions” for 2023 which may or may not come to pass.

by Norbert Link

When we thought we had finally heard enough about COVID restrictions and other worldwide “pandemics,” here we go again. In this issue, we are publishing four articles dealing with or touching upon related developments.

We also report on the most recent violence in Germany; the debacle of Germany’s Defense Minister; and we take some time reporting on interesting news and opinions regarding Donald Trump, including his fight for the presidency in 2024; the publication of his tax returns for the years of 2015 until 2020; Trump’s highly controversial statements about pro-life Republicans; and the unique and unprecedented challenges which Attorney General Merrick Garland is facing.

We continue with the precarious situation Israel finds itself in, including Jordan’s warning;  Ben Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount; attempts by the UN and Europe to fight and isolate Israel; and Israel’s strike of Syria’s airport in Damascus.

We point out worldwide financial losses in stocks and bonds in 2022; and report on Brazil’s current grim economic situation under its new left-wing leadership.

We conclude with the death of former Pope Benedict XVI who was praised by some while others spoke of him as a controversial figure and a lightning rod. In this regard, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled  “Is There Prophetic Meaning to the Death of Pope Benedict?”

COVID Restrictions… Here We Go Again!!!

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 30:

“The United Kingdom and France are set to require negative COVID-19 tests for travelers arriving from China… Travelers on airplanes arriving from France will have to wear masks… Spain, South Korea and Israel announced earlier Friday they would introduce COVID test requirements for Chinese travelers too. Malaysia on Friday [said] it would screen all international arrivals from China for fever as well.

“China is easing travel restrictions that it had since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic despite a surge in cases. Beijing’s move prompted the US, Italy, Japan and other countries to impose checks on arrivals from China…

“Italy has called for EU-wide checks, but the bloc’s health agency said it saw such measures as unjustified arguing that the situation in China was unlikely to affect Europe with its high levels of immunization.

“China had said it would no longer release an official daily COVID death toll. The country also stopped mass testing and reporting asymptomatic cases, sparking concerns that the official data is likely not an accurate representation of the situation…

“Chinese state media… have criticized the growing number of countries requiring negative COVID tests from travelers from China… Global Times called the restrictions ‘unfounded’ and ‘discriminatory.’

“Until now, China has required all passengers arriving from abroad, including Chinese nationals, to quarantine for five days at a hotel, followed by three days at home. The country of 1.4 billion people reported on Thursday one death linked to the coronavirus. But a UK-based health data firm, Airfinity, estimated around 9,000 people in China were likely dying each day of COVID.”

Express added on December 30:

“UK arrivals from China will have to provide a negative Covid test before they can enter the country from next week… the policy change will come into effect from January 5… In addition to the negative test requirement, the UK Health Security Agency… will also launch surveillance from January 8. This will see a sample of passengers arriving from China tested for the virus in a bid to monitor the development of any new variants.”

It is feared that these developments, true or not, may cause governments around the world to reinstitute sweeping coronavirus restrictions.

“What Went Well in Germany in 2022”—Really?

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 30:

“Among the steady stream of bleak news of war, crisis and recession, news of positive developments almost got sidetracked this year. Here’s what Germany can look back at.

“Since the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine, millions of people have fled Ukraine, many of them to Germany. The Central Register of Foreigners listed about 1 million Ukrainian refugees by the end of October. People in Germany were immensely willing to help…  The willingness to help has dropped off somewhat since the war started in February, but it was still at a high level months later…

“Germany’s major DAX companies are looking at a pretty good year… Mercedes, Volkswagen and Siemens were listed as the companies with the biggest profits. Anyone who might have expected a slump in business was wrong, said Henrik Ahlers of EY. ‘Sales and profits are rising, and business is booming for the majority of DAX companies,’ he added…

“Christian Drosten, Germany’s preeminent virologist, said we have reached the end of the coronavirus pandemic. Immunity in the population will be so widespread and resilient after this winter that the virus will hardly be able to spread in the summer, the head of virology at Berlin’s Charite hospital said…”

Realistically, there are not too many positive developments, and even those which are quoted in this article are subject to interpretation. The arrival of many Ukrainian refugees has also been described as a problem for Germany; the success of German companies does not match the misery of the average German customer; and the “end of the coronavirus pandemic” has now been questioned due to the latest resurgence of restrictions due to alleged developments in China. Regarding refugees and immigration, note the next article.

Violence in Germany

Breitbart wrote on January 4:

“Young migrants were allegedly involved in much of the violence across the country [of Germany] on New Year’s Eve, according to local witnesses, police and firefighters, with one incident seeing a man with an Albanian flag fire a flare gun at a police vehicle.

“Although it has taken until now for more solid information about the nature of the violence to emerge, even at the time Germany’s Bild hinted at the circumstances when it reported on New Year’s Day that the violence in Berlin had been concentrated in migrant ‘hot spot’ neighbourhoods. Now Die Welt reports 18 nationalities were arrested on the night, with just 45 of 145 arrested holding German citizenship. The largest groups otherwise of those arrested include Afghans and Syrians, the report said.

“German journalist Frank Schneider lamented the trend for delaying or suppressing the reporting of the influence of immigration in crime in an opinion article for the tabloid Bild, stating that ‘Politicians prefer to call for a general ban on firecrackers than to clearly name the perpetrators. No outcry from the upright in defence of the rule of law. People are afraid of being considered racist.’

“According to Schneider, police and government officials are afraid to acknowledge the links between migration and the violence on New Year’s Eve due to such rhetoric being used by populist politicians and political parties. ‘Citizens are noticing that more and more is slipping. In times of growing economic problems, it is extremely dangerous if there is also the feeling that certain problems are deliberately concealed. Or played down,’ he wrote.”

The Debacle of German Minister of Defense Lambrecht

bobrtimes wrote on January 2:

“Already weakened by blunders, the German Minister of Defense, Christine Lambrecht, was again criticized on Monday after the broadcast of her wishes [in a video].

“The video is only a minute long, but was deemed so unsuccessful that the social-democratic minister is again targeted by calls for [her] resignation… ‘A war is raging in the middle of Europe. I was able to draw many particular impressions from it’, … the minister [said] about the Russian invasion, evoking ‘many, many meetings with interesting and formidable people’. ‘For that, I say a big thank you.’

“‘Doubts about her suitability for this position have been around for a long time. It is now time for the Chancellor to draw the consequences’, lambasted the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel on Monday. ‘The New Year’s speech recorded by mobile phone and barely comprehensible due to firework flares and the absence of a microphone on a Berlin sidewalk would already have been embarrassing for a volunteer village mayor – for a Minister of Defense and a member of NATO, it is simply shameful,’ complains Bild, the country’s most read daily…

“The minister accumulated disappointments in 2022, regularly attracting ridicule and criticism, such as when she announced the sending of thousands of helmets to Ukrainians who were instead expecting deliveries of heavy weapons from Germany. Ms. Lambrecht also embodied, in the eyes of the Ukrainian regime, but also of the Germans, the shortcomings of an army whose equipment is obsolete. In mid-December, Berlin thus had to suspend new orders for Puma armored vehicles after a series of breakdowns affecting armored vehicles already in use by the army…

“For the daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, the minister’s repeated errors ‘constitute a huge [liability]’ for an army that is supposed to modernize and regain strategic importance in times of war.”

Germany is plagued by one debacle after the other.

Do COVID Vaccinations Cause Sickness?

The Wall Street Journal wrote on January 1:

“Public-health experts are sounding the alarm about a new Omicron variant dubbed XBB that is rapidly spreading across the Northeast U.S. Some studies suggest it is as different from the original Covid strain from Wuhan as the 2003 SARS virus. Should Americans be worried?

“It isn’t clear that XBB is any more lethal than other variants, but its mutations enable it to evade antibodies from prior infection and vaccines as well as existing monoclonal antibody treatments. Growing evidence also suggests that repeated vaccinations may make people more susceptible to XBB and could be fueling the virus’s rapid evolution.”

California’s New Crazy (and Dangerous) Laws

Breitbart wrote on January 1:

“California will see several radical laws go into effect on Sunday, January 1…The  ‘COVID Misinformation’ law… requires California’s medical licensing boards to take disciplinary action against doctors who are involved with the dissemination of misinformation or disinformation related to…  ‘COVID-19’. The law does not take into account the fact that authorities like Dr. Anthony Fauci changed their recommendations over time…

“The ‘Freedom to Walk Act’ presumes that jaywalking is a racist crime because it is supposedly enforced unevenly — by the nation’s most left-wing state — in ‘communities of color’ where people supposedly cannot afford to pay the fines…

“[Another] law attempts to expand access to abortion by allowing qualified nurses to perform certain abortion procedures in the first trimester of pregnancy without the supervision of a doctor. This new law will take effect alongside a new provision in the California constitution, passed by a referendum in 2022, guaranteeing the right to abortion and contraception…

“Newsom has signed several other radical laws that go into effect in future years. He is currently thought to be mulling a run for president, and is establishing a national reputation as a left-wing leader on cultural issues.”

In regard to the “COVID Misinformation” law, Twitter and many other outlets determined what was “misinformation” and as a consequence, censored and banned articles and statements which turned out to be absolutely correct. California is now going much further by REQUIRING medical licensing boards to take disciplinary action regarding statements which THEY determine to be misinformation… even though, as the past has shown, those doctors making such statements might be absolutely correct. This is indeed a terrible development, endangering once again freedom of speech and potentially suppressing the TRUTH, while catering to Big Pharma and doctors acting on their behest, including for fear that they otherwise might be disciplined.

A Simulation of the Next Plandemic?

Rumble published the following article by Clayton Morris, a former Fox News anchor, on December 26:

“Bill Gates and the WHO have ran a simulation of the next plandemic, coming soon to a government near you in 2025.

“Coincidentally, a video of Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), back in January 2017, warned members of the incoming Trump administration about the inevitability of a ‘surprise outbreak’ of a new disease. He said at the time that the United States needed to do more to prepare… According to Forbes magazine: ‘In 2014, President Barack Obama’s Administration enacted a federal funding pause for what was termed “gain-of-function” research.’

“It turns out, through waivers and pause exemptions, Anthony Fauci’s institute was funding many of the very scientists doing the potentially risky virus, bio-weapons research. Anthony Fauci’s NIAID quietly restarted funding, with guidance, for what was then termed ‘enhanced potential pandemic pathogens.’ News of the funding restart surprised many in the scientific community.

“The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation conducted another plandemic tabletop exercise in Brussels, Belgium, on October 23, 2022. The phenomenon is dubbed SEERS, Severe Epidemic Enterovirus Respiratory Syndrome 2025.”

Any connection?

“Trump Just Won the ’24 Election”

On December 29, Newsmax published the following article by Dick Morris, former presidential adviser to Bill Clinton for 20 years, and political strategist:

“Two serendipitous things happened and just dumped into Trump’s lap issues that will make him president again.

“First, the Twitter Files exposé is one of the most shocking examples of government censorship and collusion with the FBI and Big Media ever.

“Second, there’s the big spending, budget-busting omnibus bill Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., backed, effectively castrating the new Republican House majority… So Donald Trump has two great issues to ride: free speech and fighting McConnell…

“The Twitter-FBI censorship issue gives Trump the unique status of victim-in-chief… When the FBI and Twitter suppressed and discredited evidence from Hunter’s laptop — in a direct effort to sway the 2020 election — this was one of the most dangerous governmental efforts to interfere in an election ever… Had this information been shared widely by the media just weeks before the 2020 election, there is no way Biden could have won…

“While many admire DeSantis, I believe he has no role to play in this war against Big Tech/Big Media and the Swamp. This is Donald Trump’s fight — one he’ll win, and with it, the White House in 2024.”

Please read this week’s Editorial in regard to this article.

Trump’s Tax Returns Made Public

Breitbart wrote on December 30:

“Democrats in control of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee released six years of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns on Friday, an unprecedented intrusion that revealed nothing in particular. The release marked the first time Congress had ever obtained and published the tax returns of any individual.

“… Trump resisted the committee’s efforts in the courts, until finally losing at the Supreme Court, which allowed the Committee to compel the IRS to turn over the tax returns of Trump, now a private citizen.

“The House Ways and Means Committee released the returns just days before Democrats formally lose their majority in the House of Representatives — and, with it, majority control of the various House committees. The six years of newly-released returns, covering the years 2015 through 2020, show that Trump paid a total of $4.4 million in federal income taxes over that period, with an adjusted gross income of -$53.2 million…

“… there appeared to be few bombshells. In a statement on Truth Social, his social media platform, the former president said the returns showed ‘how proudly successful I have been’ and warned that ‘the Democrats should never have done it.’ Republicans echoed the latter sentiment, saying the release of the tax returns seemed to have a purely political motive, and opened the door for Republicans to do the same in future.”

There can be no doubt that Democrats acted because of a purely political motive.

CNN published the following opinion piece on December 30:

 “… we have long known the basic story. Trump is a bad businessman who seems to lose money on everything from casinos to golf clubs, with steaks and vodka and even a so-called university in between. So the main reason he often pays so little, if any, in taxes, is that he often reports a loss. He also lost other people’s money and got big tax breaks for that.

“Trump has benefitted from the huge head start given to him by his father Fred Trump, which continued to pay dividends with large capital gains from the sale of inherited property in 2018 (leading to Trump paying some taxes that year – just under $1 million)… Friday’s release has already shown, for example, that Trump did not donate his presidential salary to charities in 2020, as he had promised – he made no charitable gifts at all in 2020, when he paid no taxes…

“Given his massive and mysterious income tax refund of nearly $73 million in 2010, Trump may not have paid net positive income taxes in his life. And he is not alone. Many billionaires pay no income tax, and many do so perfectly legally.”

Obviously, something is terribly wrong with our tax system, and the employment of hundreds of IRS agents will only acerbate the problem by going mainly after the average hard-working tax-paying American citizen.

Trump Blames Pro-Life Republicans for Midterm Loss

Fox News wrote on January 2, 2023:

“Trump faced heavy criticism following midterm elections after Trump-endorsed candidates lost key close races across the country. Many commentators argued Trump had forced the party to put up bad candidates, but Trump now argues it was the fault of staunchly pro-life Republicans… ‘It was the “abortion issue,” poorly handled by many Republicans, especially those that firmly insisted on No Exceptions, even in the case of rape, incest or life of the mother, that lost large numbers of voters.’…

“Trump’s attack on pro-life voters comes as support for his 2024 presidential run has plummeted in the polls. Prior to the midterms, Trump was the overwhelming favorite to be the Republican nominee, regularly winning primary polls with upward of 50% of the vote. Support has surged for Trump’s perceived rivals since the midterm losses of his handpicked candidates like Herschel Walker in Georgia, Kari Lake in Arizona and Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania.

“A Wall Street Journal poll of Republican primary voters found last month that Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis leads Trump by double digits for the GOP nomination.”

Abortion for any reason is murder in the eyes of God. To allow for “exceptions” in order to gain more votes is shameful and appalling. One should not forget that Trump was a pro-choice supporter at one time. His remarks now bring back sad memories and pose the question as to what Trump is really convinced of.

AG Garland’s Unique Challenge

The Hill published the following opinion piece on January 2:

“[Attorney General] Merrick Garland will face two unprecedented scenarios: He could become the first attorney general in American history to indict a former president, as well as the first attorney general to be impeached by Congress.

“For months, Garland has faced the unenviable prospect of having to eventually decide whether or not to prosecute Donald Trump. There are two ongoing federal investigations into the former president: One involving his possible mishandling of classified documents and presidential records, and the other concerning his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol…

“Seeking political insulation, the attorney general appointed an independent special counsel, Jack Smith, to handle the DOJ’s active investigations into Trump after he announced his intention to seek the presidency again in 2024. But regardless of what Smith recommends, Garland will have the ultimate say in bringing an indictment, as the attorney general has the full power to override a special counsel’s recommendation.

“Appointing a special counsel does not offer Garland any real degree of political absolution, and he will personally bear the consequences of the department’s eventual decision…

“That being said, we cannot ignore this reality: An opposing party bringing criminal charges against a former president — who is again running for office — would set a dangerous and divisive precedent in the United States, and could turn the justice department into a perpetual political weapon… an indictment could embolden far more nefarious actors in the future to prosecute their political opponents with much less evidence of criminality.

“It is not an exaggeration to suggest that this could trigger a constitutional crisis, a civil war — or both…

“As damaging as an indictment would be to the country, an even greater threat to the republic would be if Garland makes the decision not to prosecute Trump if there is clear and unequivocal evidence that he committed a serious federal crime or multiple. That could jeopardize America’s endurance, stability and place in the world…

“But there is no denying that Merrick Garland, as the chief law enforcement officer in the United States, will face an unprecedented set of challenges in ultimately determining where that line is.”

It will be interesting to see what Garland is going to do.

Jordan Ready for Conflict With Israel

Israel 365 News wrote on December 29:

“Jordanian King Abdullah II on Wednesday said he was ready for a conflict should Israel’s incoming government violate ‘red lines’ by changing the status quo governing relations at Jerusalem’s holy sites… Jordan has since 1967 been the custodian of holy sites in the Israeli capital’s Old City, including the Al Aqsa Mosque that sits atop the Temple Mount, Judaism’s most sacred place.

“While Muslims are allowed to freely visit and worship at the mosque, Jews are severely restricted from accessing the site where two biblical temples stood and are banned from praying there, although the latter stringency has been relaxed in recent years.

“Abdullah also warned that the Palestinians could launch another terror war. ‘We have to be concerned about a next intifada,’ he said, adding: ‘If that happens, that’s a complete breakdown of law and order and one that neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians will benefit from…’

“A spokesman for Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday said the incoming Israeli government’s policy agenda constituted a ‘dangerous escalation.’ Nabil Abu Rudeineh issued a veiled warning that there would be ongoing violence unless a Palestinian state was created…”

The Middle East will never experience peace prior to Christ’s return.

Ben Gvir’s Visit to the Temple Mount

The Times of Israel wrote on January 2:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Monday about the latter’s stated intention to visit the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which has drawn condemnations from the opposition and threats from the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group.

“The content of the conversation was not made public, but Hebrew media reports indicated that the two agreed that Ben Gvir would hold off on visiting the flashpoint site. A statement issued by Ben Gvir’s office said he would visit the Temple Mount as a minister ‘in the upcoming weeks,’ and not this week as reportedly planned.

“Unnamed associates of Ben Gvir who were cited by the Walla news site said the prime minister did not ask him to nix the visit altogether. According to the Ynet news site, Ben Gvir told Netanyahu, ‘We mustn’t cave to Hamas,’ after the terror group warned against the visit [stating it] would ‘blow up the situation.’”

Ben Gvir had announced that he intended to visit the Temple Mount on Tuesday, January 3, which is the tenth day of Tevet, a fast day commemorating the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar that led to the destruction of the Temple. However, Ben Gvir went ahead with his original plan. Note the next article.

Ben Gvir Did Go Ahead With His Visit on Tuesday!

Deutsche Welle wrote on January 3:

“Israel’s new national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, on Tuesday visited a Jerusalem flashpoint holy site known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. ‘The Temple Mount is open to all,’ the ultranationalist politician said afterward on Twitter…

“Ben-Gvir previously stated his intent to visit the site. This drew threats from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. The group runs Gaza and is recognized as a terrorist organization by the German government, the EU, the US and some Arab states… ‘Itamar Ben-Gvir must not go up to Temple Mount,’ opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid was quoted as saying… ‘It is a deliberate provocation that will put lives in danger and cost lives.’

“The paper reported earlier that Ben-Gvir had agreed to hold off on the visit after speaking with Netanyahu later that day. However, on Tuesday, Ben-Gvir went ahead with the visit, saying that the Israeli government ‘will not surrender to the threats of Hamas.’

“The Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Ministry said it ‘strongly condemns the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by the extremist minister Ben-Gvir and views it as unprecedented provocation and a dangerous escalation of the conflict.’… Jordan, which acts as custodian of the contested shrine, condemned Ben-Gvir’s visit ‘in the strongest terms.’’

“Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt also condemned what they described as the ‘storming’ of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.”

Storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound? Ridiculous, but it shows the unified hate by Arabs towards Israel.

BBC News reported on January 3:

“Jordan… summoned Israel’s ambassador in protest… Mr Ben-Gvir sent a message of defiance to Hamas, declaring: ‘No Israeli government that I’m a member of is going to bow to a despicable and murderous terror organisation… and if Hamas thinks that I’ll be deterred by its threats, it needs to accept that times have changed and that there’s a government in Jerusalem.’”

It is somewhat unclear whether Netanyahu ultimately gave his approval for the visit.

UN and EU vs. Israel

Israel 365 News reported on January 1, 2023:

“Israel’s prime minister on Saturday described as ‘disgraceful’ a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling on the International Court of Justice to render an opinion on the legal status of Judea and Samaria. ‘Just like the hundreds of distorted U.N. General Assembly resolutions against Israel over the years, today’s disgraceful resolution will not obligate the government of Israel,’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. ‘The Jewish people is not occupying its land and is not occupying its eternal capital Jerusalem. No U.N. resolution can distort this historical truth,’ he added…

“Prof. Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor, told JNS that the UNGA resolution ‘represents another stage in the political war against Israel, based on the cynical use of U.N. and international legal bodies.’ Behind the scenes, he said, ‘There is a network of European-funded NGOs who are driving the absurd campaign to isolate Israel as South Africa was under apartheid, and eventually seek the prosecution of Israeli officials at the International Criminal Court.’”

Israel Strikes Syrian Airport

The New York Post wrote on January 2, 2023:

“Israel’s military fired missiles toward the international airport of Syria’s capital [Damascus] early Monday, putting it out of service and killing two soldiers and wounding two others, the Syrian army said…

“Israel has targeted airports and ports in government-held parts of Syria in an apparent attempt to prevent arms shipments from Iran to militant groups backed by Tehran, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah…

“Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations. Israel has acknowledged, however, that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces…

“Israel says an Iranian presence on its northern frontier is a red line that justifies its strikes on facilities and weapons inside Syria.”

For further information on the future of Syria and the city of Damascus, read our free booklet, “Middle Eastern and African Nations in Bible Prophecy” 

Worldwide Losses

The Financial Times wrote on December 30:

“Global stocks and bonds lost more than $30tn for 2022 after inflation, interest rate rises and the war in Ukraine triggered the heaviest losses in asset markets since the global financial crisis [in 2008]… with shares from Wall Street to Shanghai and Frankfurt all notching up significant falls… The market value of companies traded across all global stock exchanges tumbled by $25tn…”

CNBC added on December 30:

“Friday marked the final day of trading in what has been a painful year for stocks. All three of the major averages suffered their worst year since 2008… As the calendar turns to a new year, some investors think the pain is far from over. They expect the bear market to persist until a recession hits or the Fed pivots [that is, until the Fed completely changes its way which, sadly, cannot be expected]. Some also project stocks will hit new lows…”

The Bible speaks of perilous or “expensive” times which will confront us in the last days.

Brazil’s Current Economic Outlook

Aljazeera wrote on January 1:

“Compared with [Brazil’s new President] Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s [known as Lula’s] first two terms in office, from 2003-2010, the current economic outlook is gloomy. Inflation is hovering at 6 percent despite the central bank’s decision to raise interest rates to 13.75 percent in August, extending an 18-month tightening cycle.

“High borrowing costs look set to constrain investment and consumption, just as concerns over an impending global recession have started to undercut commodity markets…

“Today, the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio is almost 90 percent…

“The upshot is that Lula will not be able to ride on the coattails of a 2000s-era growth spurt. He is also facing growing pressure to de-carbonise Brazil’s growth model and to reassert greater government control over Petrobras, the state-backed energy company. In short, he faces enormous challenges.”

It was suggested that left-wing “socialist” Lula may be forced to move more towards center, which would anger left-wing supporters.

Death of Former Pope Benedict XVI

BBC News wrote on December 31:

“He led the Catholic Church for fewer than eight years until, in 2013, he became the first Pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415… Joe Biden – only the second Catholic to serve as US president – said Pope Benedict ‘will be remembered as a renowned theologian, with a lifetime of devotion to the Church, guided by his principles and faith’…

“Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Pope Benedict as a ‘defender of traditional Christian values,’ in his New Year address to the nation…

“In recent years… the Pope Emeritus became something of a lightning rod for some opposed to the new Pope. There had been speculation that Pope Francis, who himself has been suffering ill health, had been contemplating stepping down, but was reluctant to do so if it meant there would be three popes in Rome…

“Born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany, Benedict was 78 when in 2005 he became one of the oldest popes ever elected. For much of his papacy, the Catholic Church faced allegations, legal claims and official reports into decades of child abuse by priests….”

The Daily Mail added on December 31:

“He was elected pope on April 19, 2005 to succeed the widely popular Pope John Paul II, who reigned for 27 years… The first German pope in 1,000 years, Benedict himself acknowledged that he was a weak administrator…”

Now, After Benedict’s Death…

The Wall Street Journal wrote on January 4:

“Pope Francis has been the leader of the Catholic Church for almost 10 years, but he has been the only pope in the Vatican just since Saturday.

“The death of Pope Benedict XVI after a decade in retirement has ended an extraordinary arrangement that helped define the current pontificate. While Francis has already taken a markedly different tack than his predecessor, he may feel even freer to do so now…

“According to Cardinal Joseph Zen, a former bishop of Hong Kong… Pope Benedict was a restraining influence on Pope Francis on more than one occasion. In particular, he cites the decision by Pope Francis in 2020 not to make it easier to ordain married men as priests… ‘a Pope Emeritus, like every bishop and cardinal as long as he has breath and is of sound mind, must fulfill his duty as Successor of the Apostles to defend the sound tradition of the Church,’ Cardinal Zen wrote on his personal website on Tuesday…

“Already, one of the late pope’s closest confidants [Archbishop Georg Gänswein] has confirmed that Benedict privately disapproved of Francis’ 2021 decision to impose restrictions on the use of the traditional Latin Mass, which largely undid Benedict’s lifting of restrictions in 2007.”

Benedict—a Highly Controversial Figure

AFP wrote on December 31:

“He had previously served as the Church’s chief doctrinal enforcer, earning the nickname ‘God’s Rottweiler’ [“Panzerkardinal”] and a reputation as a generally conservative thinker on theological issues…

“He made waves during a 2009 trip to the Holy Land, where he called for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“He… staunchly defended traditional Catholic teaching [against] abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage. Benedict rejected the ordination of women and marriage for priests and described same-sex relationships as destroying the essence of the human creature, drawing criticism for making the Church look out of touch.

“He angered the Muslim world with a speech in 2006 in which he appeared to endorse the view that Islam is inherently violent, sparking deadly protests in several countries as well as attacks on Christians. In 2009, he offended Jews by lifting the excommunication of a Holocaust-denying bishop…

“AIDS activists were angered when, on a trip to Africa, Benedict said condom use could be aggravating the crisis. However, he later became the first pope to sanction their use under certain circumstances to prevent HIV infection.

“…  he failed to stamp his authority on the Curia, the Church’s governing body, and also appeared to have lost control of his household. In 2012, his butler Paolo Gabriele leaked secret papers to the media, an act of betrayal which profoundly saddened the pontiff. His papacy was also marred by a money-laundering scandal at the Vatican bank, which exposed infighting among Benedict’s closest allies.”

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.

In the first instalment of this two-part series, we looked at quite a number of Scriptures that clearly show that the New Testament writings were considered part of God’s Word by those disciples living in the New Testament, and that God had approved their writings.

It could be said by critics that the New Testament writers were making grandiose claims personally by reflecting that their words carried the approval of God as part of the inspiration of the written Word of God.

However, two arguments countering that claim are as follows:

1. We believe that God inspired the whole of the Bible which includes both the Old and New Testaments, and
2. The consistency of the whole of the Bible.  We read on the website “scripturesubjects” the following: “The Bible was written over a span of 1,500 years by 40 authors living on three continents speaking three different languages with diverse educational and cultural backgrounds—yet it reads as one cohesive story from Genesis through Revelation. All 66 books of the Bible [in the way English Bibles order and count those books] are perfectly harmonious and consistent in their message, especially when answering and addressing life’s essential questions, ‘Where did we come from, and why are we here? Do we have a purpose? Does God exist, and if so, what is He like? Why is there suffering, evil, and trouble in the world? Is there life after death, and if so, where do we go and why?’

“If a survey were taken of twenty people from the same generation with similar backgrounds asking them these crucial questions, their responses would be diverse. Yet, the biblical writers’ content and doctrines are entirely coherent and congruent, fitting together within a logical framework. This fact is one powerful evidence of its divine origin.”

Therefore, it is entirely correct to embrace ALL Scripture, both Old Testament and New Testament, as approved by the great Creator God, given mercifully for our learning and understanding which leads to eternal life for all those called into His Church at this time and in previous generations, and for others to be given that same opportunity at a later time.

In our booklet “The Authority of the Bible” we read the following on pages 28 and 29 under the heading “The True Author and Preserver”:

“Beyond the rather blurry record that marks the transition of the early Christian faith into history’s background and the subsequent emergence of the Roman Catholic Church, another factor supersedes in accounting for WHO preserved the New Testament. The real AUTHOR of the inspired writings of the New Testament has also sustained His written Word throughout the ages. The proof of this statement is found in the words of Jesus Christ, when He said, ‘Sanctify them [set them apart] by Your truth, Your word is truth’ (John 17:17); and, ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away’ (Matthew 24:35; also, compare parallel statements in 1 Peter 1:23, 25).

“These Scriptures, along with many others, point to the fact that the New Testament record would be preserved. Another quote from Jesus shows that His teachings would come before all men in all generations: ‘He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day’ (John 12:48).

“Consider one final answer as to who preserved the New Testament. The teachings of Christianity became a way of life for those who embraced what they learned! Note this statement by Paul: ‘For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe’ (1 Thessalonians 2:13; also, compare a parallel statement in 1 John 2:5).

“By taking to heart their calling to salvation, the faithful ones of countless generations have helped sustain and preserve a true understanding of the written Word of God. That same responsibility now falls upon us. We, too, must endeavor to uphold the teachings we have been given, just as those before us helped preserve the New Testament: ‘I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, HAVE KEPT MY WORD, and have not denied My name’ (Revelation 3:8).”

We further read in this booklet the following on pages 34-35 under the heading “God’s Word Endures Forever”:

“Jesus Christ Himself promised that God would ensure that His Word would be preserved for all eternity. He said in Matthew 5:18: ‘… one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.’

“Peter explained that ‘the word of the LORD endures forever’ (1 Peter 1:25). Paul instructed Titus to only ordain an elder if he would hold ‘fast the faithful word as he has been taught’ (Titus 1:9), expecting, of course, that ‘the word’ would be preserved. Jude challenged the brethren to ‘contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints’ (Jude 3). Again, true brethren were asked to stand up for the faith which had been taught and preserved in the sacred writings.

“We read that God’s end-time disciples would keep His Word (Revelation 3:8)—which requires that God’s Word had been preserved and would be available in the end time. In fact, some living in the end time would even be killed for keeping the Word of God (Revelation 20:4).

“Jesus is the personified Word of God (Revelation 19:13; John 1:1, 14; 1 John 1:1). As He is still alive today, so He made sure that His written Word—the entire Bible—would stay ALIVE as well. After all, the Word of God is ‘LIVING and powerful’ (Hebrews 4:12).

“Who canonized the New Testament? It was God, but He inspired His apostles Paul, Peter and John to pronounce the decision which books and letters should be considered as sacred and infallible. And so, God ultimately used the apostle John to canonize the writings of the New Testament.”

From the website “the banner,” we read the following observations.

“So then, can we trust the New Testament?

“The answer is a resounding ‘Yes!’

“The New Testament manuscript copies we have were written relatively close to their originals, and we possess more manuscript copies than any other document of antiquity. Fewer than 1% of its variants are meaningful, and it has both Christian and non-Christian sources that affirm the events of the biblical account. If we are to question the reliability of the New Testament, I argue we should then question every other historical work, too, because the New Testament surpasses in authenticity any other work of antiquity.”

If we ignore any part of the Bible, then we can’t have the full picture of what God is trying to achieve in our lives.   We must use ALL of the Word of God.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

“Is There Prophetic Meaning to the Death of Pope Benedict? is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Former Pope Benedict XVI (95) died on December 31, 2022. He became the first pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415 and he was the first German pope in 1,000 years. The Wall Street Journal wrote that “his death, after a decade in retirement, has ended an extraordinary arrangement” with Pope Francis and that Francis “might feel freer to act”, as Pope Emeritus Benedict has been described as a restraining influence on Pope Francis. Others proclaim and “prophesy” that Pope Francis will also resign soon, and another pope will take his place. What does it all mean?

“God the Father Is the Highest,” written by Evangelist Norbert Link, is our newest booklet and has entered the first review cycle in preparation for printing.

“Ist es wirklich notwendig, für das Heil zu leiden?” is the title of this Sabbath’s German split sermon, presented by Michael Link. Title in English: “Is It Really Necessary to Suffer for Salvation?”

“Satan der Schmarotzer,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Johann Schell, is now posted. Title in English: “Satan the Parasite.”

“I Wouldn’t Have Done That,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Brian Gale, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The expression “I wouldn’t have done that” can often be made with the advantage of hindsight. We can sit in judgment when we may not know all the facts or have been in the position that others may have found themselves in.

“True Repentance,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is a summary:

At the heart of Christianity is the doctrine that as human beings we need forgiveness of our sins to obtain salvation, and inherit eternal life. A naïve prescription for becoming forgiven instructs people that all they need to do is to believe in Christ to be saved. While this is a necessary condition for receiving forgiveness, merely believing is not independently sufficient. We need to begin by understanding our sins and turning away from them. This is the act of true repentance.