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.

On December 31, 2022, Brian Gale will present the sermonette, titled, “I Wouldn’t Have Done That!,” and Eric Rank will present the sermon, titled, “True Repentance.”

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

The other day, I was at our local library and snow was expected.  Two employees were discussing closing early. As the one with the authority walked away, the other remarked: “Remember, use your powers for good!” We’ve heard this phrase: “use your powers for good,” typically in a light-hearted manner and most often in the superhero storyline.

People enjoy seeing underdogs overcome evil. It is satisfying watching a porch pirate or an internet scammer receive his or her due. While we are not meant to deliver retribution, it is hard to watch evil and selfish people rise to power and corrupt cities, states, and nations; we want David to overcome Goliath.

God gave us the capacity to learn and develop our skills, and we are capable of significant accomplishment. If one studied the early actions by the Nazi command in WWII, one could see the role that radar and codes had in triangulating points in England to be bombed. In this way, the German Air Force could run raids regardless of weather or darkness.

The codes the Nazis used were complex and had so many combinations that breaking them proved to be nearly impossible. Mathematicians and others were at work at Bletchley Park, 50 miles northwest of London, attempting to break the codes.

Though fascinating, our focus is on the evil that inspired the work of creating the codes that would be used to destroy British military targets and level cities rich with history, culture, and people of all ages. It was a time that evil was establishing a foothold in Europe and had eyes on conquering the rest of the world. This behavior is clear to us in the book of Isaiah, chapter 5 and verse 20, and we read: “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!”

History is tainted by human perception, but provides some understanding of a moment in time. World domination and the eventual annihilation of a group of humans was not clear when Hitler rose to power in the mid-1930’s. The pursuit of excellence in industry, the arts, and technology is often the screen for more nefarious goals. As Hitler came on the scene, the nation was still recovering its economic footing following WWI. A leader who could galvanize people to action would have been welcome. However, understanding his deeper motivation was difficult in the early days of his role as Chancellor.

Evil can be masked and characterized in ways that people can be drawn to it and embrace it willingly. This was the case with Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin in that era. Of course, in our time, we are witnessing the rise of evil in so many ways, and it is not limited to government.

As Europe came increasingly under Nazi control, it became clear that revitalizing Germany was no longer the primary goal.  The military leaders could no longer deceive themselves into thinking that Hitler was nothing more than a strong leader. I suspect many Russian troops found themselves in a similar dilemma with their recent attempts to invade Ukraine. However, in time they too understood that the same treatment would be given to their homeland by the opposition, just as it occurred in WWII. War is evil and killing begets more killing.

In Galatians 6:7-8, we read: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” No manner of rationalization can alter this truth.

We know that God did not create us to be evil. This is the motivation of Satan; given the carnality and free will of mankind, we seek to do at times what we understand to be evil. God however wants us to obey and follow Him. In Ephesians 5:8-9, we see what God wants for us: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth)….”

Similar skills and expertise that led to the use of the codes and radar to kill, led to the creation of a replica of the code machine at Bletchley. This work began to turn the tide of the war; however, it did not end the evil and killing. The code breakers were using their skills for good, but war is immoral on all sides. We see this lesson in Romans 3:10:  ^“As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one.” And the point is enhanced in verse 23 of Romans 3: “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Though we may believe our cause is just, unless it is God’s Will and in obedience to God, it cannot be just. Any action that leads to more killing is wrong and is not pleasing to God. He did not imbue us with skills to use for evil purposes. For example, God chose David to lead His people, but He was not pleased with David’s tendency for violence. It was God’s Will that allowed David to defeat Goliath, but in 1 Chronicles 22:8, we see how God viewed David’s war-like focus that he continued to pursue: “… but the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight.’” Psalm 11:5 provides a blunt warning to all: “The Lord tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.”

It may be tempting to see evil receive its due, but this is in God’s hands, and we need to focus on using our talents and abilities to honor Him with all we do. Remember, let’s all use our God-given skills for good and turn from evil whenever we confront it.

by Norbert Link

We begin reporting on, what has been termed America’s “worst winter storm in decades” and the troubles of Southwest Airlines; continue with the shameful adoption of the omnibus bill and even another secretly adopted interim spending bill, showing how utterly corrupt and incompetent Congress is [please view our new StandingWatch program, “The Omnibus Bill—An Insane Way to Run the Country.” ]; continue with the shameful action of the FBI in the Twitter scandal and its despicable “justification” of indefensible conduct, as well as the manufactured propaganda regarding the COVID pandemic; and point out how corrupt the sham-and-farce January 6 Committee has been in their effort to blame Donald Trump for the events, while conveniently ignoring and suppressing the culpability of Nancy Pelosi.

We address the animosity of American Jewish rabbis towards Israel’s new government; the strong condemnation of Europe by Israel’s Knesset members and Europe’s antisemitism; and an interesting discussion in a Knesset Committee regarding building the Third Temple.

We continue with Croatia’s adoption of the euro and its becoming the latest member of the Schengen Agreement; and speak on the fact that Europe is presently a mess; and how it is being humiliated by Ukraine’s President Zelensky. In this regard, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Europe Against Ukraine and Israel – YouTube”

We conclude with a cryptic message of Pope Francis and his ignorance of the true Jesus; and with the adoration, if not worship, of the Christmas Tree in Germany.

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

Worst Winter Storm in Decades in the USA

The Associated Press wrote on December 25:

“Millions of people hunkered down in a deep freeze overnight and early morning to ride out the frigid storm that has killed at least 24 people across the United States, trapping some residents inside homes with heaping snow drifts and knocking out power to several hundred thousand homes and businesses.

“The scope of the storm has been nearly unprecedented, stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico. About 60% of the U.S. population faced some sort of winter weather advisory or warning, and temperatures plummeted drastically below normal from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians…

“Some 1,346 domestic and international flights were canceled as of early Sunday… Forecasters said a bomb cyclone — when atmospheric pressure drops very quickly in a strong storm — had developed near the Great Lakes, stirring up blizzard conditions, including heavy winds and snow.

“The storm unleashed its full fury on Buffalo, with hurricane-force winds and snow causing whiteout conditions, paralyzing emergency response efforts… and shutting down the airport through Monday…

“The storm knocked out power in communities from Maine to Seattle… Across the six New England states, about 121,300 customers remained without power on Sunday, with Maine still the hardest hit…

“In South Florida, temperatures dropped to as low as 43 degrees (6.1 degrees Celsius) in West Palm Beach. The temperature drop was conducive to iguanas falling out of trees since the cold-blooded reptiles typically become immobilized in unusually cold weather.”

So much for man-made global warming.

Southwest Airlines Chaos

OpentheBooks Substack wrote on December 27:

“Southwest Airlines received $7.2 billion in federal subsidies for payroll and operations since 2020. However, the airline stranded tens of thousands of passengers around the country on the Christmas holiday when it canceled 5,400 flights in less than 48 hours…

“Southwest is blaming the failure on a crash of its internal systems that schedule flight crews and pilots. A union for Southwest Airlines flight attendants attributed the meltdown to outdated scheduling systems that should have been upgraded years ago.

“Late yesterday, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that it opened a federal investigation into the airline… [CITING] concern about an ‘unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays and reports of lack of prompt customer service.’

“Indeed. The Southwest mobile app, phone lines, and website were offline for much of yesterday afternoon and evening. In major hubs like Chicago Midway, some in-person customer service personnel walked off the job with hundreds of stranded passengers waiting to reschedule cancelled flights.

“Once bags were checked, the bags flew to final destinations even though no flights were available for canceled passengers. Stranded passengers found this baggage policy completely unacceptable – passengers were not able to reclaim checked luggage after flights were cancelled.

“It was absolute chaos for thousands and a logistical nightmare for the airline that won’t be solved for weeks…

“In September 2020, as part of massive COVID relief packages, Southwest received a $3.3 billion from the federal government. Its stock price also received a boost, with the US Treasury agreeing to purchase 1,054,907 shares of Southwest stock as part of the deal. In April 2021, as a part of the American Rescue Plan Act and other subsidies, Southwest received another $3.8 billion…

“In total, federal aid to the entire airline industry amounted to $64 billion in cash and loans during the Covid-period… While some of the aid was technically a loan, for example, Southwest only has to pay back 30% of the first $3.3 billion ($976 million) at a low interest rate over a ten year period.

“Southwest received so much federal aid, they turned a profit of $116 million in 2021… Other airlines were also received their cut of pandemic aid, of course, with the Treasury awarding over $37 billion of the first $54 billion in payroll support to the top ten airlines alone.

“During the 2022 Christmas holiday period, those airlines were able to keep their planes flying, by and large.”

Southwest Airline Chaos Continues

Newsmax wrote on December 28:

“Families hoping to catch a Southwest Airlines flight after days of cancellations, missing luggage and missed family connections suffered through another wave of scrubbed flights, with more than 2,500 pulled from arrival and departure boards Wednesday… In all, Southwest has canceled more than 15,700 flights since winter weather began disrupting air travel Thursday… And the chaos seemed certain to continue. Southwest already has scrubbed nearly 1,400 for Thursday…

“Southwest’s problems began over the weekend and snowballed Monday, when Southwest called off more than 70% of its flights. That was after the worst of the storm had passed…  Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, said the airline failed to fix problems that caused a similar meltdown in October 2021. ‘There is a lot of frustration because this is so preventable,’ Murray said. ‘The airline cannot connect crews to airplanes. The airline didn’t even know where pilots were at.’…

“The size and severity of the storm created havoc for many airlines, although the largest number of canceled flights Tuesday were at airports where Southwest is a major carrier… Spirit Airlines and Alaska Airlines both canceled about 10% of their flights, with much smaller cancellation percentages at American, Delta, United and JetBlue…”

Obviously, the storm cannot be blamed for Southwest Airlines’ incredible incompetence.

Shameful Omnibus Bill Approved

Breitbart wrote on December 23:

“The House passed the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill Friday by a vote of 225-201-1. Nine Republicans voted for the bill… Many of the GOP ‘yes’ votes came from outgoing members who lost their reelection bids in the 2022 cycle or are retiring [Of course, “RINOs” Adam Kinzinger  and Liz Cheney were among those “Republicans” voting for the scandalous bill. They might have figured, “I might as well vote for it, because my political career is over anyhow.”]…. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was the only Democrat ‘no’ vote. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) voted present…

“The House rushed to vote on the bill before the looming government shutdown Friday night. The omnibus passed the Senate by a vote of 68-29 on Thursday afternoon. Eighteen Republican Senators voted for the 4,155-page bill [Shame on them]…

“Critics of the bill opposed the $45 billion aid to Ukraine. That $45 billion is in addition to the $66 billion of taxpayers’ money lawmakers have already approved for Ukraine… America’s debt stands at over $31 trillion.”

Republican Opposition

Fox News wrote on December 23:

“House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy blasted the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill after it passed on Friday, calling it a ‘stain’ on this Congress… ‘For the first time in history, a bill in the House was passed without a physical quorum present—more people voted by proxy than in person,’ McCarthy tweeted… adding that proxy voting will be repealed…

“In total, the omnibus contains 7,200 earmarks that add up to over $15 billion. The bill drew complaints from Republicans and some Democrats, with Sen. Rand Paul R-Ky., saying that ‘The process stinks. It’s an abomination. It’s a no good, rotten way to run your government. $6 trillion entity. And they want 24 hours to process this and then they want to go forward,’ Paul said.”

McCarthy also criticized the bill for forwarding various “left-wing pet projects.” He said: “This is a monstrosity. That is one of the most shameful acts I’ve ever seen in this body,” continuing, “The appropriations process has failed the American public, and there’s no greater example of the nail in the coffin of the greatest failure of a one-party rule of the House, the Senate, and the presidency.”

Washington is doomed. America is doomed. Competent leadership is missing. This is a fiasco with a circus of leaders who should never be responsible for running the country. But Satan is the god, prince and ruler of this world, and those not being called by God (and very few are in this day and age) are following the Devil’s evil desires and devices.

This is even more appalling when considering the incredibly high amount of taxes which hard-working Americans have to pay to the government which is just misusing, pilfering and wasting taxpayers’ money. But an accounting will come when Jesus Christ returns to this earth, replacing all these incompetent leaders and demanding a reckoning for their evil deeds.

Just to name a few “pork” examples, the ludicrous omnibus bill includes, according to Breitbart, $11 million for LGBT-related projects; $410 million for border security for other countries, including Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, and Oman; $1.5 million for the “COVID–19 American History Project”; $3.6 million for the establishment of a Michelle Obama Trail in Georgia; and $2 million in taxpayer dollars for the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore, Maryland; and $2.3 million for the Allotment (going to the Secretary of Education) to “conduct outreach to borrowers” who could qualify for the Biden administration’s stalled plan to cancel the debt of student loan borrowers.

We doubt that tax-payers, IF they were asked, would approve of any of this wasteful spending, while they are suffering to bring food on the table and make ends meet. Please view our new StandingWatch program, “The Omnibus Bill—An Insane Way to Run the Country.” 

The entirely POLITICAL nature of this bill can also be seen, when considering the following two examples.

It’s Just Political

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 23:

“The sweeping package includes $45 billion for Ukraine aid… The legislation was passed just days after… Zelenskyy visited the White House to argue for the $45 billion aid. Failure to place the bill on Biden’s desk would have been a foreign policy embarrassment.

“One of the key provisions of the bill includes an overhaul of the 1887 Electoral Count Act… The new revision makes it clear that vice presidents do not have the power to overturn elections… Trump had exploited the loosely worded text of the 19th century law to argue that his deputy—Mike Pence—could halt the transfer of power.

“In response, Pence issued a statement rejecting the then-president’s claims that he could subvert the outcome of the election.”

Under the old law, Pence’s conclusion was highly debatable.

America’s Absolutely Corrupt and Incompetent Congress

Fox News wrote on December 25:

“Believe it or not, despite weeks of machinations, a 4,100-page bill and a House roll call vote on Dec. 23, Congress still missed its deadline to fund the government… Lawmakers dithered for weeks – dragging out the final vote on the omnibus spending bill until nearly the last moment…

“A big, complicated bill like the omnibus must be ‘engrossed’ and ‘enrolled.’ Engrossment refers to the final version of legislation when passed by one body or other – but before it’s sent to the other chamber. In other words, the Senate passed the omnibus and then altered the legislation on the fly, adopting a host of amendments. So, upon passage, the Senate sent the tweaked version to the House to pass.

“Once the House approved the bill [better, rubber-stamped, without even reading it], both bodies were in sync. But, it would take time for congressional enrollment clerks to finalize the bill for President Biden’s signature. This is not an easy process. In fact, it was likely the enrollment clerks would need a couple of days to get the bill into proper parliamentary form as it was…

“Federal law requires Congress to print the legislation on parchment. That’s a practice which dates back to the beginning of the republic. Printing the bills on parchment was a method to protect Congress against forgeries. Plus, the speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate need to sign the bill. So, the technical process of getting the omnibus to the president to sign before the Friday night deadline was out of the question. This was going to take until a few days after Christmas at the earliest…

“Very quietly… both the House and Senate approved yet another interim spending bill. This would just keep the lights on for a few days, giving the enrollment clerks time to prepare the bill. It would only run through Dec. 30…”

This is SO incompetent and appalling. America’s governmental system is becoming a mockery.

Kamala Harris Strong Leader?

The New York Post wrote on December 23:

“Vice President Kamala Harris complained this week about poor media coverage — during a friendly interview with a Washington Post columnist — moaning that the press doesn’t focus on what she called ‘the strength of my leadership.’…

“[Interviewer] Capehart argued that contrary to conventional wisdom, Harris, 58, has ‘had a most excellent year’… Capehart [cited] Harris’ appearance at the Munich Security Conference in February just prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. What he did not mention was that Harris was roundly mocked for telling reporters at that conference that Europe had enjoyed ‘peace and security’ since the end of World War II.

“That remark, as many critics pointed out, ignored the 40-year Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe, the violent breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, and Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008 and annexation of Crimea in 2014.”

We would be hard-pressed naming a vice president as incompetent as Kamala Harris. Her proud self-adoration of strong leadership would be laughable, if it were not that serious.

The Shameful Action of the FBI

The Ron Paul Institute published on December 23 the following article by Law Professor Jonathan Turley:

“It is not clear what is more chilling: the menacing role played by the … FBI in Twitter’s censorship program or its mendacious response to the disclosure of that role. This week saw another FBI ‘nothing-to-see-here’ statement to the release of files detailing how it actively sought to suppress the Hunter Biden story before the 2020 election, gave millions to Twitter, and targeted even satire or tiny posts that did not conform with its guidelines… The FBI has largely shrugged and said that there is nothing concerning about over 80 agents working on the censoring of posters, including many American citizens.

“… the FBI is now adopting the language of pundits on the left that any objections to its role in censorship is a ‘conspiracy theory’… it is attacking free speech advocates who are raising the concern that Twitter had become an agent of the government in censorship. Notably, Twitter itself now believes that such an agency relationship existed.

“[The FBI] is still engaged in framing public opinion and echoing the narrative being advanced by the White House…”

As is so often the case, the villain becomes a denier or even the accuser.

How Twitter Suppressed COVID Information

Newsmax wrote on December 26:

“Twitter helped manipulate the COVID-19 debate by relenting to government pressure and censoring content related to the virus, according to the latest ‘Twitter Files’ release.

“Reporter David Zweig on Monday morning took to Twitter to post about COVID-19-related actions by the social media platform before billionaire Elon Musk assumed control… The reporter cited numerous examples, including how Twitter suspended journalist Alex Berenson hours after President Joe Biden, in the summer of 2021, said social media companies were ‘killing people’ for allowing vaccine misinformation. ‘Berenson sued (and then settled with) Twitter. In the legal process Twitter was compelled to release certain internal communications, which showed direct White House pressure on the company to take action on Berenson,’ Zweig tweeted.

“A recent summary of meetings with the White House by Lauren Culbertson, Twitter’s head of U.S. public policy, said the Biden team ‘was “very angry” that Twitter had not been more aggressive in deplatforming multiple accounts. They wanted Twitter to do more,’ Zweig tweeted… Twitter ‘did suppress views — many from doctors and scientific experts — that conflicted with the official positions of the White House. As a result, legitimate findings and questions that would have expanded the public debate went missing.’

“That included some experts’ opinions, despite being in line with vaccine policies in numerous other countries, being labeled ‘false information’ because they differed from the CDC guidelines. Zweig said that internal files he viewed showed that both the Trump and Biden administrations pressed Twitter executives and other social media platforms to moderate pandemic content.

“Zweig’s 40 posts on Monday morning concluded with an obvious question. ‘What might this pandemic and its aftermath have looked like if there had been a more open debate on Twitter and other social media platforms — not to mention the mainstream press — about the origins of Covid, about lockdowns, about the true risks of Covid in kids, and much more?’…”

A good question, but this was not in the government’s interest, showing how WRONG the government [with the “guidance” of Dr. Fauci and others] has been in dealing with COVID 19. And the government CONTINUES to be wrong with its ridiculous vaccine “recommendations” and mandates.  

How the Mass Media and the US Government Colluded on the Corona Narrative

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on December 28:

“From the beginning of the Covid panic, it felt that something was very wrong. Never had a pandemic, much less a seasonal pathogenic wave, been treated as a quasi-military emergency requiring the upending of all freedoms and rights… And what applies at Twitter pertains equally to Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and all platforms associated with those companies (YouTube, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp)… These platforms colluded with the federal government’s administrative arm to craft a particular Covid narrative, throttling and censoring dissidents and boosting any credentialed expert who was willing to toe the line.

“At this point, it is wise to trust no one and nothing but those who fought against this nonsense… I watched the population gradually fall into a medieval-style disease panic that tore families apart, kept loved ones from traveling, wrecked businesses and churches, and even violated the sanctity of the homes… The closing down of opinion and debate resulted in unspeakable human carnage. And even as I write, the largest sources of the mainstream media are still refusing to report on this...”

The Corrupt Conduct of the January 6 Sham-and-Farce Committee

On December 213, Life Site News reprinted the following article by WND News Center:

“A partisan congressional committee this week blamed former President Donald Trump for the January 6 riot at the Capitol that left an unarmed protester dead at the hands of police, asking the Department of Justice to investigate and charge him with four crimes. However, a new report from the House GOP suggested that outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her staff were more culpable than they’ve ever admitted…

“Jim Jordan (R–OH) who soon will be the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and heading up various investigations, said, ‘The reason there wasn’t a proper security presence on that day goes right to the speaker’s staff and the speaker’s office.’ It’s been reported before that Trump had offered additional National Guard troops to be present at the Capitol that day, but those responsible for security of the building, including Pelosi, refused.

“That day hundreds of protesters amassed outside the Capitol to protest the expected congressional confirmation of President Joe Biden’s move into the White House, on the belief the election was stolen from President Trump… what has been documented are at least two significant influences on the election, either of which could have taken the win away from Trump.

“One was the $400 million-plus Mark Zuckerberg handed out, through foundations, to various local election officials who often used it for get-out-the-vote schemes in Democrat strongholds. The other was the decision by the FBI to interfere in the election and tell social media to beware of ‘disinformation’ about Hunter Biden’s scandal-ridden laptop computer, which he abandoned at a repair shop. However, the reporting on the Biden family schemes revealed that was all accurate…

“Just the News said while Pelosi denied any power over Capitol police or influence on security, ‘Two years later, that claim is directly challenged by contemporaneous text and email messages made public by five House Republicans showing her staff had direct contact with the officials who planned the security and even edited some of the plans and notifications in the fateful days before tragedy struck.’ And the details ‘are prompting serious questions about whether the January 6 Capitol breach could have been prevented while creating a new push for Republicans to summon Pelosi for testimony after they take over the House next month.’…

“Just the News reported police whistleblowers confirmed there were enough warnings that violence would occur, but ‘the leadership of the Capitol Police failed to adjust the security plan to address the threat while the political leadership in Congress repeatedly refused to provide resources to secure the building.’ Whistleblowers confirmed ‘congressional security leaders turned down resources like armed officers or National Guard troops ahead of the tragedy because of concerns about the political optics.’

“The document reveals House security planners slammed Pelosi for failing to provide the resources necessary for Capitol security. It was House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving who had to resign after the riot, but Just the News reported staff members believed he, and Capitol Police Chief Steve Sund, were made the ‘fall guys.’…”

All of this, and much more, has been reported before, but the sham-and-farce Committee, in its desire to blame Trump and protect Pelosi and other Democrats, chose to ignore these reports. In regard to Trump’s asking for National Guards, the Committee just said there was no “evidence” for that claim. And even though admitting that Trump did tweet twice right after the riot had begun, stating that violence should cease, the Committee said the tweets had no impact, apparently concluding that it could therefore ignore them.

American Rabbis Oppose Israel’s New Government

The Algemeiner wrote on December 23:

“Over 330 senior American rabbis are vowing to ban members of the far-right Religious Zionism bloc in Benjamin Netanyahu’s incoming government from appearing at their synagogues… Following a convincing victory to the right-wing bloc in November’s general election, Netanyahu brought in members of a far-right faction and promised an expanded national security ministry to firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir… The incoming government, which Netanyahu announced he formed late Wednesday, is expected to be the most right-wing in Israel’s history…

“An open letter from rabbis and other Jewish community leaders in the U.S. charges that the policies of Ben-Gvir and his associates ‘will cause irreparable harm to the Israel-Jewish Diaspora relationship.’ The signatories say they will not invite members of the bloc ‘to speak at our congregations and organizations. We will speak out against their participation in other forums across our communities. We will encourage the boards of our congregations and organizations to join us in this protest as a demonstration of our commitment to our Jewish and democratic values.’

“… However, not a single Orthodox rabbi signed the document.”

The anti-Israel stance by many left-wing American Jews is well-known. The rabbis’ “open letter” is another interesting development as the Bible says in the Book of Zechariah that Judah will fight against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:14; Revised Standard Version).

Russia’s Plan on the World Scene

Fox News wrote on December 27:

“Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday said there will be no more joint projects with the European Union and said Moscow will instead turn to ‘like-minded’ allies for future diplomatic partnerships… The minister’s comments come as Russian President Vladimir Putin has increasingly looked to bolster ties with China and Iran in recent months, turning to the latter for arms as its looks to shore up economic ties with Beijing…

“The Russian foreign minister accused the EU of following in the footsteps of the U.S. and NATO… Lavrov has repeatedly accused the U.S. and its Western allies of waging war against Russia by providing Ukraine with defensive and humanitarian aid – including financial support to help Kyiv restore its energy infrastructure which Russia began targeting ahead of winter…”

Preparations are being made for the prophesied emergence of the kings of the East.

Putin Calls Netanyahu

Israel Today wrote on December 23:

“Just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was feted in the White House and US Congress, Wednesday, and hours after incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had formed a government, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Israeli to congratulate him on winning the General Election seven weeks before…  The two leaders reportedly spoke about Ukraine, with Netanyahu expressing his hope that a way would be found to bring the conflict to an end… Some journalists speculated that, going forward, Netanyahu might make an effort to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow…

“Other observers pointed to another ‘coincidental’ state visit taking place as Zelenskyy jetted across the Atlantic – that of former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Chinese President Xi Xinping in Beijing to discuss ‘advancing the bilateral relations in a new era and jointly promot[ing] global governance in a more just and reasonable direction’. These commentators suggested that Putin might have thoughts about trying to manoeuvre Israel into Russia’s orbit by driving a wedge between allies.”

No doubt, and Europe in particular will turn against Israel even more forcefully. And that with the help of Turkey, Jordan and other Arab nations, as Psalm 83 explains. We even read that America will be against Great Britain, and vice versa, and both will be against Israel (Isaiah 9:21).

Knesset Members Strongly Condemn the EU

Israel 365 News reported on December 23:

“Forty Knesset members sent an open letter to European Union leaders on Tuesday, protesting the recently exposed E.U. document outlining a strategy to expand the Palestinian presence in Israeli-controlled territory in Judea and Samaria. ‘[W]e learned of an official policy document of the European Union, a document the gravity of which cannot be overstated, one that leaves no room for doubt as to the one-sidedness and animosity of the E.U. towards the State of Israel and the Jewish people,’ the Knesset members wrote.

“Their letter was addressed to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission; Charles Michel, president of the European Council; and Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament.

“‘The document completely ignores our people’s historical affinity to our homeland, completely ignores the political agreements and the status of the State of Israel in Area C and seeks to establish the 1949 borders as Israel’s final-status permanent borders—in complete disregard of the Jewish communities in the area,’ the letter continued… ‘Your efforts to expedite the Palestinian Authority’s seizure of Area C… constitute an extremely grave breach of the relationship between Israel and the European Union, causing irreplaceable damage to natural and archaeological treasures throughout Judea and Samaria,’ the lawmakers said.

“‘We were apparently mistaken in thinking that racist, religious hatred of Jews and Israel was a thing of the past. It saddens us to discover time and time again that under the thin veneer of the E.U.’s civility and manners and the seeming concern for human rights, the same old blood libels can be found, along with the same flames of primitive hatred that seek this time to persecute—not the individual Jew, but the tiny Jewish state,’ the Knesset members wrote.

“The letter concludes by calling on the E.U. to halt all illegal construction in sovereign Israeli territory, especially Area C; halt the damage done by E.U.-funded illegal activity to heritage sites and nature in Judea and Samaria; desist from funding delegitimization groups that promote antisemitism against the State of Israel; and cease funding Israeli organizations that promote E.U. foreign policy interests.”

Strong words. Will Europe listen? The answer should be obvious, and all lip-services aside, the Bible is very clear that there is a deep-seated European hatred for the state of Israel.

The EU’s Subversion of Israel

 Jewish News Syndicate wrote on December 22:

“Earlier this week, Israel’s Channel 13 revealed that a document drafted by the European Commission in eastern Jerusalem proposed helping the Palestinian Authority secretly take control of land in Area C—which is supposed to be under full Israeli control according to the Oslo Accords—and suggested using left-wing NGOs in Israel for this purpose.

“The document… said the E.U. should map the land to ‘prove’ Palestinian Arab rights in the disputed territories, as well as violate local land-planning law, without leaving any trace of its activities. The document also called for ‘following and monitoring Israeli archaeological activity in the area,’ claiming that this was being used as a pretext for settlement building in Judea and Samaria.

“What this really means is that the E.U. wants to stop these excavations because they are consistently uncovering indisputable archaeological proof that the Jews are the indigenous people of the land. By saying it wants to ‘prove’ Palestinian rights to the land, the E.U. revealed its true intention: to fabricate an entitlement that doesn’t exist. The only people with a legal, historical and moral claim to the land are the Jews… the E.U. and the Palestinian Arabs who are stealing land to which the Arabs have no entitlement… the Palestinian Authority and the E.U. are rapidly annexing areas surrounding Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria…

“The E.U. is in effect helping the Palestinians build a state in Judea and Samaria. It is also helping the Bedouin illegally carve up the Negev in a further dire threat to Israel’s security…

“Now the E.U. has been engulfed by revelations of a corrupt relationship with Qatar—the sponsor of Hamas and mortal foe of Israel. While details are still unfolding, this axis isn’t surprising. There’s a nexus between the universalism embodied by the E.U. and the desire to bring down Israel…”

Ultimately, the EU, under German leadership, WILL become a mortal enemy of the state of Israel. In this regard, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Europe Against Ukraine and Israel – YouTube”

Discussions in a Knesset Committee about the Third Temple

Israel 365 News wrote on December 22:

“During a discussion in a Knesset committee concerning a new law, a question was raised about its application after the construction of the Third Temple. Though the suggestion was in jest and generated light-hearted banter, most of the opposition to the law came from the religious MKs while many of the non-religious lawmakers said they supported the law and did not oppose the Temple…

“The question was raised by MK Michal Shir (Yesh Atid), a non-religious MK, if the government would be able, or even required to appoint an additional minister if the Third Temple is constructed. It should be noted that Shir opposed the bill and clearly intended the question to be a critical note of sarcasm to illustrate the shortcomings of the intended law.

“The suggestion caused a bit of consternation as questions were raised if voting in favor of the amendment implied support for the construction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Several MKs noted that they favored the law but not the Temple. Others noted that they opposed the law but not the Temple.

“This caused a moment of confusion when a vote was called with one MK asking if they were voting for the Temple or the amendment. Several of the religious MKs voted ‘Nay’, presumably opposing the amendment but not necessarily opposing the Third Temple. ‘You see, the Reform Jews will make the Temple for us,’ one religious MK noted. ‘I have no problem that there will be a Temple,’ MK Shir said. ‘It may as well come tomorrow, as far as I am concerned.’”

One must ask the question why “schizophrenic” RELIGIOUS MKs opposed the concept of building the Third Temple. Is it because of fear of political repercussions and reactions?

Croatia Adopts the Euro

The Los Angeles Times wrote on December 22:

“More than nine years after Croatia became the European Union’s newest member, the country is on a roll to make the most of its status as the EU member in the Western Balkans. [Croatia joined the EU in 2013, the last time the bloc admitted a new member]…

“Croatia is adopting the EU’s common currency, the euro, and joining the Schengen Area, Europe’s visa-free travel zone, on Jan. 1. Officials in the small nation of 4 million people say the developments will be remembered as one of the country’s biggest achievements since it gained independence during the breakup of Yugoslavia 31 years ago.

“Adopting the euro offers economic benefits stemming from deeper financial ties with the currency’s 19 other users and with the European Central Bank. It also means that the 340 million people who live in the current Eurozone will no longer need to exchange their euros for Croatian kuna. Schengen Area membership allows travelers to enter the country… from other Schengen nations without stopping at border controls.

“‘After 10 years of membership [in the EU], we intentionally and deservedly reached the stage where we would become the only country in history to join the Schengen and euro zones on the same day,’ Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said at a recent business conference on the upcoming integration milestones. ‘Some countries achieved the two goals one after another over a relatively short period of time, but none achieved both on the same day,’ he said…

“But not all Croats are so excited by the upcoming changes, especially the phasing out of their national currency. Some are sentimental about the kuna, which was introduced to secure monetary autonomy after Croatia’s split from the former Yugoslavia and after a devastating 1991-95 war…

“The Croatian kuna and the euro will be in dual use for cash payments for only 14 days, but as people enjoy post-holiday sales in January, they will receive only euros in change.”

More and more nations are joining the euro and the Schengen community, but this alone will not help Europe become a great economic powerhouse. Note the next article.

Europe—and Especially Germany—Is a Mess!

The Hill wrote on December 20:

“Europe is a mess. The three basic pillars of power have remained the same since the time of the ancient Greeks. What is the state of a country’s army? What is the state of a country’s economy? How politically unified is a country to act both within and beyond its borders? By these exacting and unchanging political risk standards, Europe remains a busted flush as a great power, a political entity promising much and perpetually underdelivering.

“First, the continent punches way below its weight in terms of its military. Germany, both Europe’s greatest power and the source of many of its ills, is a case in point. Berlin long has outsourced its military policy to America, its energy policy to Russia (ruinously), and its trade policy to China. Rather than serving as the engine of the European Union as a rising power, instead Germany has been an intellectual black hole over the past generation where every good idea for Europe’s revival goes to die.

“Whereas the U.S. will spend 3.5 percent of its GDP on defense, only France comes close to NATO’s required 2 percent of spending at 1.9 percent. In contrast, Italy will spend only 1.5 percent, Germany a laughable 1.4 percent, and Spain a risible 1 percent. This isn’t remotely intellectually serious even as the problem has festered for a generation…

“Economically, Europe is also so much less than meets the eye… Germany — the continent’s undoubted economic powerhouse — best explains the problem. Here the Ukraine war has done more than point out Germany’s military follies; it also underlines the fact that its vaunted economic model is now irretrievably broken.

“The German model was based on buying cheap Russian energy to make high-end products (machine tools, petrochemicals, luxury cars)… Now, in our dawning age of insecurity, the Russian cheap energy inputs that the German model requires are definitively at an end… The German model is definitively broken, and nothing has yet emerged to take its place…

“Finally, Europe is a Tower of Babel. How could it be otherwise? There are 27 countries in the European Union… As such, the EU’s policy outputs, even when generally on the money, will always amount to half-measures, compromises that do not genuinely ‘solve’ any of its problems.

“The common position on Ukraine is a case in point. Beneath a surface agreement about the war, deep fissures exist on the continent… As the war drags on into 2023, look for these hairline cracks to become canyons.

“Militarily anemic, economically sclerotic, and politically divided — this is the reality of a Europe that has been mastered by history over the past generation. It must face up to these festering problems… And there is simply no more time to waste.”

That is why ten European core nations or groups of nations will emerge, and they will in turn give their power to a European dictator of German or Austrian descent (compare Revelation 17:12-13).

Europe’s Humiliation

The Telegraph wrote on December 22:

 “Naturally, President Zelensky’s appearance before Congress as a war-time leader appealing for American support, has been likened to Winston Churchill’s address on almost exactly the same date in 1941. Yet by then the US had declared war on Germany and victory was arguably assured. Today in Ukraine, victory is far from assured. Putin could still win.

“A more appropriate comparison would be with Churchill’s conference with Franklin D Roosevelt on board the USS Augusta and HMS Prince of Wales in August 1941. As with Ukraine, the US had been supplying arms to the UK. Churchill’s purpose, like Zelensky’s, was to consolidate US support for a long war ahead.

“Though even this is not like-for-like. In 1941, with all of Europe occupied, Churchill had nowhere else to turn. That is, of course, not the situation today – Europe is free and prosperous. So why did Zelensky not make his address to the European Parliament in Brussels instead? Indeed, how extraordinary that after decades of peace on the Continent, with European nations claiming to have learnt the lessons of the Second World War, a fellow European nation battling tyranny still has to rely on the United States above its neighbours.

“Despite a comparable GDP to the US… EU countries are supplying less than half that of the US… Some of the wealthiest nations on the Continent have inadequate supplies to maintain their own sovereignty, let alone that of Ukraine or the West.

“But this is no excuse. The weakness of European will since February has been disgraceful. Remember when, as Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s borders, several Western European countries were so terrified of antagonising Putin that they balked at the idea of providing even small, defensive-only equipment? For a time, Germany refused all arms exports, limiting military aid to 5,000 combat helmets and doing its best to hold up weapons supplies from Eastern European Nato members…

“France, with the second largest economy in the EU, is still only the 11th largest donor in the world. Germany, meanwhile, has repeatedly failed to follow through on the commitments it eventually made. Its ‘tank swap’, a scheme to replace Soviet-era tanks with German models, still remains largely unfulfilled. Thus, with the notable exception of brave Eastern European governments like those of Poland, Lithuania and Estonia, the Continent’s leaders have failed Ukraine.

“No wonder Zelensky had far more praise for Boris Johnson than either Macron or Scholz. And who can blame him for travelling across the Atlantic first? For without British and American strategy and leadership, EU nations would almost certainly have defaulted to their habitual compromise and capitulation, pressuring Zelensky into negotiations on Putin’s terms. Indeed, Macron pretty much confirmed that on his recent visit to Washington when he ridiculously spoke of Nato making security guarantees to Russia if negotiations began, when his talk should only have been of Russian guarantees to Ukraine… In 2022, the EU showed the world that, when push comes to shove, it is nowhere to be found. Now Britain, like Zelensky, is better off staying closer to Washington than Brussels.”

Ultimately, Ukraine and Russia will unite AGAINST Europe. And Europe will become a deadly enemy of the USA and Britain.

The Pope’s Cryptic Message

Life Site News wrote on December 22:

“In his annual Christmas address to the Roman Curia, Pope Francis claimed that ‘true heresy’ involved not only ‘preaching another Gospel’ but in neglecting to ‘translate it into today’s languages and ways of thinking.’…

“Reiterating his argument for some kind of development of doctrine in ‘form,’ Francis employed the words of Scripture and placed his own interpretation on them, stating: ‘True heresy consists not only in preaching another gospel… as… Paul told us, but also in ceasing to translate its message into today’s languages and ways of thinking, which is precisely what the Apostle of the Gentiles did. To preserve means to keep alive and not to imprison the message of Christ.’

“The Pontiff did not expand on what imprisoning the message of Christ might look like, or how the Roman Curia was to change the ‘form’ of the Gospel while somehow keeping the ‘substance’ the same…

“Pope Francis has used such language… with increasing regularity over the past years. In his recent address to the International Theological Commission, Francis urged them to avoid ‘going backward’ in ‘Tradition’ instead asking them to promote the Gospel by consulting non-Catholic ‘experts.’… Pope Francis’ promotion of such themes is being evidenced through the agenda of his Synod on Synodality – which is pushing for female deacons and wider ‘inclusion’…”

Core Europe will unite with and under the tutelage of the Catholic Church. A new “Holy Roman Empire” will emerge—the last European revival of ancient Rome.

Pope Ignorant of the True Jesus

The Associated Press wrote on December 24:

“Recalling Jesus’ birth in a stable, Pope Francis rebuked those ‘ravenous’ for wealth and power at the expense of the vulnerable, including children, in a Christmas Eve homily decrying war, poverty and greedy consumerism. In the splendor of St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis presided over the evening Mass attended by about 7,000 faithful, including tourists and pilgrims… ‘Jesus was born poor, lived poor and died poor,’ Francis said…

“When the Mass ended, the pope, pushed in a wheelchair by an aide, moved down the basilica with a life-sized statue of Baby Jesus on his lap and flanked by several children carrying bouquets. The statue then was placed in a manger in a creche scene in the basilica.”

The contrast between the Catholic Church’s incredible riches and the Pope’s plea to help the poor should be noted, as well as the irony of making that plea “in the splendor” of St. Peter’s Basilica. But it is absolutely false to say that Jesus lived and died poor. Also, to carry a statute of Jesus is in violation of God’s Ten Commandments. Please read our booklets, “Do You Know the Jesus of the Bible?” and “The Ten Commandments.”

Christmas Customs in Germany

The Local wrote on December 24:

“As is the case across most of Western Europe, Germany’s main day of celebration for Christmas is the 24th, the so-called ‘Heiligabend’. In the morning of the 24th, the Christmas tree is put up and decorated, and in the evening, children get to open their presents. Shops usually close earlier on this day, and businesses shut for the whole day or a half day.

“However, while Christmas Eve is the main event of the German Christmas calendar, the 25th and 26th are still designated ‘Feiertage’ (celebration days/holidays) with their own festive traditions…

“Christmas tree praising is a fabulous tradition in southern Germany, specifically southern Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, where visitors come to your home to admire and compliment your tree, usually with a reward of one (but probably a few more) glasses of schnapps. Because Christmas trees are traditionally put up on Christmas Eve in Germany (at least traditionally), the praising of the Christmas tree occurs during the period “zwischen den Jahren”, or between the years, meaning the period between Christmas and New Year.

“While this tradition can happen between neighbours – and can be a great way to get to know your community – it is often a feature of a group; for example, the staff of a small business or members of a football team will go to each individual’s house to praise their Christmas trees one by one. The praising can sometimes take an entire day and can end up quite merry. It can also get pretty competitive, with the most lavish, over the top tree being hailed the winner and given a special prize (most likely also in the form of a festive beverage).”

This adoration and worship of the Christmas tree is aptly described and condemned in the Bible. Compare Jeremiah 10.

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 a series of three Q&A’s entitled, “why do you consider the Old Testament so important?,” we discussed the close connection between the Old and New Testament which is shown by the number of times the Old Testament is quoted in the New Testament.   The Old Testament had the approval of Jesus Christ and He quoted from it to prove the point.

In 2 Timothy 3:16, we learn an important lesson about ALL Scripture: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

As we explained in the previous series, Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers observes the following when discussing that it can be translated as: “Every scripture inspired by God is also profitable for doctrine, for reproof… “:

“The rendering followed by the English version, and which is certainly grammatically possible, by making—’all Scripture’ the subject, and ‘given by inspiration of God’ the predicate, declares positively the inspiration of all the Old Testament Scriptures, for this is what the Apostle must have referred to, if we understand this verse as we have it rendered in the English version above.”

In Acts 20:27, Paul wrote: “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God,” and that must have been from the Old Testament which was the main written text at that time plus the teachings of Jesus which were, for the most part, not yet part of the written Word of God. Scholars tell us that some of the New Testament texts (such as the gospel records according to Mark, Matthew and Luke, and 1 Thessalonians) were all written before the book of Acts.

A key verse in the New Testament can be read in John 14:26: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom (which) the Father will send in My name, He (it) will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

Barnes Notes on the Bible are instructive about this verse:

“Will send in my name – On my account [or better: “through Me”]. To perfect my work. To execute it as I would in applying it to the hearts of men. See John 14:13.

“Shall teach you all things – All things which it was needful for them to understand in the apostolic office, and particularly those things which they were not prepared then to hear or could not then understand. See John 16:12. Compare… Matthew 10:19-20. This was a full promise that they would be inspired, and that in organizing the church, and in recording the truths necessary for its edification, they would be under the infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit. [We hasten to add that the Holy Spirit is not a Person, but God’s power emanating from the Father and the Son.]

“Bring all things to your remembrance – This probably refers to two things:

“1. He [that is, Jesus through His Spirit] would seasonably remind them of the sayings of Jesus, which they might otherwise have forgotten. In the organization of the church, and in composing the sacred history, he would preside over their memories, and recall such truths and doctrines as were necessary either for their comfort or the edification of his people. Amid the multitude of things which Jesus spake during a ministry of more than three years, it was to be expected that many things which he had uttered, that would be important for the edification of the church, would be forgotten. We see, hence, the nature of their inspiration. The Holy Spirit made use of their memories, and doubtless of all their natural faculties. He (better “it”, unless we speak of Jesus Christ, working through His Spirit) so presided over their memories as to recall what they had forgotten, and then it was recorded as a thing which they distinctly remembered, in the same way as we remember a thing which would have been forgotten had not some friend recalled it to our recollection.

“2. The Holy Spirit [that is, Jesus Christ, through His Spirit] would teach them the meaning of those things which the Saviour had spoken. Thus they did not understand that he ought to be put to death until after his resurrection, though he had repeatedly told them of it, Luke 24:21, Luke 24:25-26. So they did not until then understand that the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles, though this was also declared before. Compare Matthew 4:15-16; Matthew 12:21, with Acts 10:44-48.”

The ministry then, and down through the ages until the present time, were instructed in 2 Timothy 2:15: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Therefore as “rightly dividing the word of truth” is required, the admonitions and teachings of the New Testament must be God-breathed in order for His ministry to accomplish this.

A look at some of the New Testament writers will reveal much about the God-inspired nature of their writings.

As mentioned above, Paul addressed the Ephesians’ Elders and stated: “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.”  We know from Acts chapter 9 that Saul was “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem” (verses 1-2).  On the road to Damascus, he met Jesus and, after 3 days of blindness which was healed, he was baptised (verses 3-18).   In verses 19-20, we read:

“So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.”   After persecuting those of “The Way,” he became one of the giants of the New Testament with many of his writings becoming part of the Word of God.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14:37: “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.”

There is further proof in 1 Corinthians 2:13-16: “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.  For ‘who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”

In 2 Corinthians 2:17, there is further proof that what Paul wrote was of Godly inspiration: “For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.”

In 1 Peter 1:12, Peter writes: “To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.”

It is interesting that Peter indicates that Paul’s writings are to be viewed as are the rest of the Scriptures:

“…and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:15-16).

The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary observes: “other scriptures—Paul’s Epistles were, therefore, by this time, recognized in the Church, as ‘Scripture’: a term never applied in any of the fifty places where it occurs, save to the Old and New Testament sacred writings.”

In 1 Thessalonians 2:13 we read what Paul wrote to the Church there: “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.”

We read in Luke 1:2-4: “… just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”   It is clear that the physician Luke, who also wrote the Book of Acts, wrote this gospel record to inform positively to the “most excellent Theophilus” about the truth, life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

In the Book of Revelation which was the last book written and which was included in the Scriptures, we read the following in Revelation 1:1-2: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.”

This statement in the last book of the Bible clearly shows that Jesus Christ revealed to the apostle John those things that had to happen in the future. The Greek word for Revelation is apokalupsis (apocalypse) which is an uncovering, revealing or unveiling and it was God the Father who, through Jesus, gave this information thus sealing it with Godly authority.

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

“Europe Against Ukraine and Israel,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Presently, Europe, and especially Germany, are a mess, but don’t let that fool you. Europe’s real attitude towards Ukraine and the state of Israel are telling, and it will get much worse and dangerous, when decisive leadership will take over the continent.

“Europa gegen die Ukraine und Israel,” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This program covers the same topic as described above for StandingWatch. 

“Gute Vorsätze für 2023,” this coming Sabbath’s new German sermon by Norbert Link, is now posted. Title in English: “Good Intentions for 2023.”

“Ein Stein des Anstosses,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Mike Richter, is now posted. Title in English: “A Stumbling Block.”

“A Short History of Christmas Observance,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Paul Niehoff, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The celebration of Christmas, as well as being Pagan, has had a long and confusing observance. December the twenty fifth is not the only time it was and is celebrated, and at different times and places, it was banned altogether. God commands us not to keep it.

“Why is Jerusalem Important?”, the sermon presented last Sabbath by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Jerusalem is the most contested city on the planet, and that status will become even more intense in the near future! Few understand that Jerusalem is destined to soon become the capital of the world but that tremendous problems lie still ahead!

On December 24, 2022, Paul Niehoff will present the sermonette, titled, “A Short History of Christmas Observance,” and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “Why Is Jerusalem Important?”

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.

Do you ever have doubts about your prayers to the point you don’t know what to say?

Jesus made an amazing point for us when He taught about how we are to pray, and this is what He said, “‘…For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him’” (Matthew 6:8). He also taught: “‘Therefore do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things’” (Matthew 6:31-32).

God knows what we need, but we still must ask—that is, pray about it:

“‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened… If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!’” (Matthew 7:7-8, 11).

Although the Father knows what we need before we ask, we also must believe that He will answer us when we pray. We must learn to rely upon the Father and that requires faith, as Hebrews 11, verse 6, reveals: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Do you want to have great faith? Believe God! Jesus stated, “‘Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them’” (Mark 11:24).

The most vital key for us when we pray is that we always seek God’s Will:

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).

Don’t be wishy-washy when you pray! Come before God with confidence, and present your requests in the way that Jesus did. When Jesus struggled with the fact that He was about to die to pay the price for mankind’s sins, He went so far as to ask the Father to release Him from what He knew He was about to suffer: “And He said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will’” (Mark 14:36).

We can grow in faith by learning what the Will of the Father is: we can find that in His Word; we can learn the Will of the Father through the Church of God and the Ministry; and, we can come to deeply understand the Will of the Father by receiving His Holy Spirit.

No matter what we face in this life, we can pray about it—completely trusting that the Father knows exactly what we need!

We begin with reporting on further shocking and appalling revelations regarding the collaboration between the FBI and Twitter to suppress true stories, including the Hunter Biden laptop story, while the FBI was using ex-FBI general counsel Jim Baker for their purposes and paying Twitter over 3 Million Dollars “in exchange for devoting staff hours ‘processing requests from the FBI.’” Demands are getting louder to totally dismantle the FBI, which is being viewed by some as incurably corrupt. The FBI issued a “justification” for their conduct related to Twitter which is even more troublesome and frightening.

At the same time, hypocritical Europe threatens Elon Musk, claiming to be concerned about his restoration of free speech on Twitter. In this regard, “the long criminalization of speech in countries like France, Germany, and England” is being discussed.

We address the controversy regarding Title 42, pertaining to the “influx of migrants” “along the U.S. Mexico border”; and speak on the truly bi-partisan decision by Congress to abandon the Coronavirus vax mandate for the military, with the hope that all COVID vax mandates (including for healthcare workers and foreign visitors) will also be abandoned soon.

We continue with the recommendation of the falsely so-claimed “bi-partisan” House January 6 Committee to the Department of Justice to file criminal charges against Donald Trump. Many feel that this Committee, consisting of Trump-haters, has been a sham-and-a-farce “investigation” from the outset and throughout its existence and that it has been rightly described as a Kangaroo Court; and legal experts explain that the Committee’s “recommendation” has no legal relevance whatsoever. This Committee, which should have never existed in the first place, will be dissolved on January 3.

We report on the willingness of Democrats and Republicans to flagrantly violate the Law of God; the miserable condition of Germany’s army, mainly due to the incompetence of both major parties (the CDU and the SPD); the recommendation of Hungary to dissolve the European Parliament; Russia’s intent to enlarge its military by 30%; reactions to Ukrainian President Zelensky’s visit to Washington; riots in Jordan; and we conclude with the Vatican’s controversial dismissal of a popular pro-life American priest and some interesting comments by Pope Francis.

Regarding Washington’s desperate attempt to avoid a partial governmental shutdown, please view our new StandingWatch program, “The Omnibus Bill—An Insane Way to Run the Country.” riots in Jordan; and we conclude with the Vatican’s controversial dismissal of a popular pro-life American priest.

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

The FBI’s Inappropriate Conduct in the Twitter Scandal

The New York Post wrote on December 19:

“The FBI reimbursed Twitter to the tune of more than $3 million as it pushed the social media company to ban accounts and target so-called ‘foreign influence’ operations, the latest installment of the ‘Twitter Files’ revealed on Monday.

“In an email dated Feb. 10, 2021, an unidentified Twitter employee told then-deputy general counsel Jim Baker and then-general counsel Sean Edgett that ‘we have collected $3,415,323 since October 2019! The email, published by independent journalist Michael Shellenberger, explained that Twitter’s Safety, Content & Law Enforcement (SCALE) division had instituted a ‘reimbursement program’ in exchange for devoting staff hours to ‘processing requests from the FBI.’

“The message added that Twitter had opted not to exercise its right of reimbursement prior to October 2019, though it did not say why… The reports by Shellenberger and fellow independent journalists Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss, have revealed extensive collaboration and employee overlap between Twitter and the FBI, who Taibbi reported last week treated the social media company as a ‘subsidiary’ and repeatedly reported supposed ‘misinformation.’

“In the sixth installment of the Twitter Files, published Friday, Taibbi revealed that the bureau was so aggressive in sending Twitter ‘possible violative content’ to review that an employee described one set of materials as a ‘monumental undertaking’ that required several colleagues to pitch in and help.

“On Monday, Shellenberger reported that the FBI and other law enforcement agencies repeatedly primed Twitter’s former head of trust and safety Yoel Roth to dismiss The Post’s bombshell October 2020 report on Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop as a Russian ‘hack and leak’ operation. The files reveal the FBI could communicate with top Twitter executives through multiple channels, including email accounts and specially built encrypted portals. The bureau would often send the company lists of users they wanted investigated for terms of use violations.

“In some cases, Shellenberger noted, Twitter would probe cases presented by the bureau but come up empty, not finding evidence of a foreign influence campaign… ‘Time and again, FBI asks Twitter for evidence of foreign influence & Twitter responds that they aren’t finding anything worth reporting,’ Shellenberger writes. The FBI also made repeated requests for internal data from Twitter that the social media company refused to send over, citing privacy concerns.

“As recently as August 2022, Twitter continued to work with the FBI, which pressured the company to disclose more sensitive information. Baker and Edgett were fired after billionaire Elon Musk bought the social network in October.”

Has the USA become an autocratic dictatorship?

How the FBI and Twitter Suppressed the Hunter Biden Laptop Story

The Daily Mail wrote on December 20:

“Jim Baker, Twitter’s top lawyer and ex-FBI general counsel, personally intervened to say it [the Hunter Biden laptop story] should be banned. Baker told Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of security, that the laptop story should be blocked – a day after getting a top secret briefing from his former FBI colleagues… Baker’s shameless attempts to discredit the Hunter Biden laptop story – which has since been proven to be accurate – where also shared by Shellenberger.

“Monday’s Twitter Files release also showed that so many ex-FBI staffers had joined the social media network, there was now a private Slack channel set up just for them… the latest batch of Twitter files have sparked concerns about what else those former government operatives may have been up to.

“The most recent ‘Twitter Files’ also revealed how an FBI official-turned Twitter lawyer sent a letter thanking the Bureau for its help suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story…

“Baker became involved… because he had previously held top secret security clearance during his work for the FBI – during which he had been involved in one of the Bureau’s investigations into Donald Trump… Once Baker was given clearance [by the FBI]… the FBI fed him information intended to influence… Twitter executives into believing that the [Hunter Biden] laptop story was hacked… Hours after The Post published their laptop story the next day, it was almost immediately censored by Twitter and thus undermined in the public eye. The files showed that… Hunter Biden was earning millions in foreign business dealings…”

The conduct of the FBI has been appalling. It might also have been illegal. Notice the next article.

Dismantle the FBI

Ron Paul wrote in his weekly column, which was published by the Ron Paul Institute, on December 19:

“As we learn more and more from the ‘Twitter Files,’ it is becoming all too obvious that Federal agencies such as the FBI viewed the First Amendment of our Constitution as an annoyance and an impediment. In Friday’s release from the pre-Musk era, journalist Matt Taibbi makes an astute observation: Twitter was essentially an FBI subsidiary.

“The FBI, we now know, was obsessed with Twitter. We learned that agents sent Twitter Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth some 150 emails between 2020 and 2022. Those emails regularly featured demands from US government officials for the ‘private’ social media company to censor comments and ban commenters they did not like.

“The Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF), a US government entity that included the FBI as well as other US intelligence agencies expressly forbidden from domestic activities, numbered 80 agents engaged regularly in telling Twitter which Tweets to censor and which accounts to ban. The Department of Homeland Security brought in outside government contractors and (government-funded) non-governmental organizations to separately pressure Twitter to suppress speech the US government did not like.

“US Federal government agencies literally handed Twitter lists of Americans it wanted to see silenced, and Twitter complied. Let that sink in.

“This should be a massive scandal… As Constitutional Law Professor Jonathan Turley wrote over the weekend, a new Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll found that even though the mainstream media has ignored the ‘Twitter files,’ Americans have not. Nearly two-thirds of respondents believe that Twitter was involved in politically-motivated censorship in advance of the 2020 election. Some 70 percent of those polled believe Congress must take action against this corporate/state censorship.

“As Professor Turley points out, although the First Amendment only applies to the US government, ‘it does apply to agents or surrogates of the government. Twitter now admits that such a relationship existed between its former officials and the government.’ So now we have proof that the FBI (along with US intelligence agencies and the Department of Homeland Security) have been acting through ‘private’ social media companies to manipulate what Americans are allowed to say when they communicate with each other. Is there anything more un-American than that? Personally, I find it sickening.

“We do not need the FBI and CIA and other federal agencies viewing us as the enemy and attacking our Constitution… End the Federal Bureau of Investigation!”

A demand which should be considered. But it won’t happen. Apart from the Democratic opposition to such a move, even too many House and Senate Republicans are unwilling to entertain that possibility.

The FBI “Responds”

Newsmax wrote on December 21:

“The Federal Bureau of Investigation defended itself following a slew of accusations levied against it by journalists releasing Elon Musk’s Twitter files… In a Wednesday statement, the agency suggested reporters Matt Taibbi, Lee Fang, and Bari Weiss, as well as author Michael Shellenberger, were ‘conspiracy theorists’ in their threads exposing internal Twitter documents. ‘The correspondence between the FBI and Twitter show nothing more than examples of our traditional, longstanding, and ongoing federal government and private sector engagements, which involve numerous companies over multiple sectors and industries,’ the statement read.

“The FBI further argued its tips from agents to Twitter employees provided ‘critical information’ to the social media platform to protect themselves and their customers… It is unfortunate that conspiracy theorists and others are feeding the American public misinformation with the sole purpose of attempting to discredit the agency,’ it added.”

The FBI’s “defense” is even more troublesome, as the underlined sentences prove.

Europe Threatens Musk

The Ron Paul Institute published the following article by Professor Turley on December 17:

“I was struck by the European Union (EU) rushing into the controversy to threaten, again, sanctions against Musk.. We have been discussing efforts by figures like Hillary Clinton to enlist European countries to force Twitter to restore censorship rules… Clinton and others are resorting to good old-fashioned state censorship, even asking other countries to censor the speech of American citizens. It is an easy case to make given the long criminalization of speech in countries like France, Germany, and England.

“The EU responded immediately by threatening Musk that restoring free speech could result in immediate sanctions or an entire ban. Now, EU commissioner Vera Jourova warned that the EU’s Digital Services Act was preparing to act to defend press freedom…

“Jourova’s self-righteous tirade was almost comical given the EU’s long-standing attacks on free speech and silence of prior media suspensions… Where was Jourova and the EU when Twitter was aggressively suspending media like the New York Post for publishing the true story of Hunter Biden’s laptop? How about the slew of conservative writers and experts barred for questioning official accounts on issues ranging from Covid to climate change?

“Not surprisingly, the EU is threatening to use the unprecedented anti-free speech law recently passed by the body… [This is] a roadmap for state censorship on the Internet. It is the Western embrace of Chinese style speech controls on the Internet…”

And it will only get much worse in Europe.

Title 42 Stays, Pending Further Order

Fox News wrote on December 19:

“The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday temporarily blocked an order that would lift Title 42, the pandemic-era health policy that has been used to deter migrants more than 2.5 million times. The order Monday by Chief Justice John Roberts comes as cities along the U.S. Mexico border have been scrambling to prepare for an expected influx of migrants in anticipation of Title 42’s end. Earlier Monday, 19 states had asked the high court for an emergency stay that would keep Title 42 in place. In the one-page order, Chief Justice Roberts granted a stay pending further order…

“El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez in Mexico on Sunday were preparing for a surge of as many as 5,000 new migrants a day in anticipation of Title 42’s expiration… Immigration advocates sued to stop the use of Title 42 to limit who can apply for asylum, saying that the policy goes against American and international obligations to people fleeing to the U.S. to escape persecution…”

This controversy won’t end any time soon.

No More Vaccine Mandates for Members of U.S. Military

Breitbart wrote on December 16:

“Members of the U.S. military deserve ‘healthcare freedom,’ Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said on Thursday following the Senate approving the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which repeals the military vaccine mandate enforced under the Biden administration. The Senate on Thursday passed the NDAA — it saw overwhelming bipartisan support with a 83-11 vote — which repeals the military vaccine mandate…

“Lawmakers on the House side, while celebrating the end of the vaccine mandate on members of the military, are also warning that it does not go far enough... Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has… called for further action, demanding the end of ‘all COVID vax mandates’ remaining across the board:… ‘The military COVID vaccine mandate will end! Page 407 & 408 of NDAA text just released. Next steps: end all COVID vax mandates (healthcare workers and foreign visitors), and reinstate all members of military wrongfully terminated due to vax.’

“After passing both the House and Senate, the NDAA now heads to President Biden’s desk.”

The TSA will announce on or before January 8 whether to uphold or abolish the current vaccination mandate for tourists entering the USA.

The House Committee Urges DOJ to Charge Trump Criminally

The Associated Press wrote on December 19:

“The House Jan. 6 committee urged the Justice Department on Monday to bring criminal charges against Donald Trump for the violent 2021 Capitol insurrection, calling for accountability for the former president… the committee alleged violations of four criminal statutes by Trump, in both the run-up to the riot and during the insurrection itself…

“The panel… will dissolve on Jan. 3 with the new Republican-led House…

“House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California… decided not to participate after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected some of his appointments. That left an opening for two anti-Trump Republicans in the House — Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois — to join seven Democrats... The committee members said that full accountability can only be found in the criminal justice system. ‘No one should get a pass,’ said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.”

Schiff is one to talk. Note that the Wall Street Journal had published the following article on May 22, 2020:

“In the good old days if a member of Congress was caught in a major lie, knowingly misleading Congress and the American public, there were consequences. His own party would denounce him, the electorate would surely vote him out of office but perhaps he would resign in disgrace beforehand. But not today.

“Rep. Adam Schiff was playing to the base with a calculated lie, cheered on by fellow party members and supported by most of the media. He is a hero—to some. There are not, nor will there be, consequences for him. How times have changed. Any wonder the approval rating of Congress is at such an abysmally low rating?”

No Legal Relevance of a “Political Stunt”

Fox News wrote on December 19:

“The committee’s unprecedented criminal referral holds no official legal weight, and a final determination in whether to pursue the charges will be up to Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Justice Department.

“The committee also referred several GOP House lawmakers Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Scott Perry, R-Pa., to the House Ethics Committee for not complying with subpoenas.

“A spokesperson for Jordan responded to the committee’s referral in statement to Fox News: ‘This is just another partisan and political stunt made by a Select Committee that knowingly altered evidence, blocked minority representation on a Committee for the first time in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives, and failed to respond to Mr. Jordan’s numerous letters and concerns surrounding the politicization and legitimacy of the Committee’s work.’”

Of course, this entire Committee consisting of Trump-haters has been a sham and a farce all along.

Newsmax wrote on December 19:

“… it’s unconstitutional for members of Congress to recommend prosecution for anyone, making the committee’s determination a ‘worthless piece of paper,’ Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz said… not only should the DOJ reject the committee’s recommendation, but it should reprimand the committee for referring the former president to face charges, said Dershowitz.

“However, Dershowitz said he hopes for a reprimand, but he does not think that will happen, even if he does expect that the DOJ won’t take the recommendation seriously. ‘The Justice Department will say [to] Congress, Look we process, we investigate,’ said Dershowitz. ‘Don’t tell us who to investigate and who to prosecute. You had a kangaroo hearing. One-sided. You didn’t allow a cross-examination. You didn’t allow any adverse witnesses, so don’t expect us to take seriously any recommendations. You made a bad prosecution, so the American public should make no conclusions based on this one-sided recommendation and it should ignore it as well.’”

That is what the DOJ should say. We doubt that it will say that.

Pelosi’s Kangaroo Court

Newsmax wrote in a related article, on December 19:

“Former President Donald Trump’s campaign blasted the House Jan. 6 select committee on Monday for being a ‘Kangaroo court’ that ‘makes a mockery of democracy.’… When creating the committee in 2021, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi flouted House rules by not allowing the House Republican leadership to select their members. ‘Nancy Pelosi refused to accept two Republican members (Jim Banks and Jim Jordan) for the January 6^th select committee,’ Trump’s statement read.

“Instead, Pelosi and her committee itself selected the Republicans, picking Reps. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., both among Trump’s biggest GOP detractors… Cheney was so zealous in her efforts to ‘get Trump,’ the Washington Post reported, that at least 15 former and current committee staff members suppressed other key findings in the final report…

“In revelations made by the House Committee…, no evidence has been provided to the public that indicated Trump or his top aides orchestrated or encouraged the protests at the Capitol. But significant evidence, including text messages from top White House officials, Trump family members, and other close supporters, showed that the protests caught the president and his inner circle completely by surprise.”

All of this is truly shameful and unworthy of the USA—or any supposedly free democratic nation.

Democrats and Republicans in Opposition to the Law of God

Life Site News published on December 20 the following editorial by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America:

“A large scandal has been created, as well as discouragement, upon learning the news of the gala event hosted by President Donald J. Trump for openly homosexual supporters of the Republican Party. This endorsement of LGBT ideology is even more serious if one considers that, only two days previously, Joe Biden signed the ‘Respect for Marriage Act’ which recognizes the legal validity of so-called homosexual marriages in the United States, in violation of the Natural Law and also the Law of God.

“The Democratic Party is totally anti-Christian and obstinately determined to implement the globalist agenda of the New World Order. On the other hand, the Republican Party is recklessly pursuing a minority of voters who are indulging in lifestyles that are contrary to the Commandments and to the common good. American Catholics find themselves today in the impossible situation of being represented by a political class that is revealing itself to be completely incapable of representing and expressing Catholic convictions in moral and religious matters. This causes voters to become disaffected, which is added to electoral fraud and scandals that are emerging about media censorship and the manipulation of electoral consensus.

“Up until now, certain aspects of the political platform of the Republican Party were able to be overlooked to some extent due to the much more serious threat embodied by the Democratic Party. But it is now evident that the action of the deep state has contaminated the entire political elite without distinction, even involving Donald Trump, who up until now seemed to be a source of hope for the future of the United States.

“A nation that offends the Law of God cannot hope to be blessed by the Lord, and those who support sinful lifestyles ought to think of the Judgment that awaits them rather than pleasing those who are corrupt in a calculated effort to win votes. This nonchalance in political action by Republicans is no less harmful than the open opposition to the perennial Magisterium of the Church on the part of Democrats.”

This world is thoroughly in the hands of Satan the Devil.

Germany’s Disastrous Military

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 19:

“The German military faced yet another PR disaster on Monday after reports emerged over the weekend that a training exercise involving one of its key weapons, the Puma tank, left not a single one operational. The conservative opposition was quick to jump on the news as supposed evidence of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s mismanagement of the Bundeswehr, particularly under the control of Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht. ‘It’s a nightmare,’ Christian Democrat (CDU) parliamentary group leader Johann Wadephul told German  public broadcaster ARD. ‘The Puma is supposed to be a main weapon system of the German army. And if the Puma is not operational, then the army is not operational.’…

“The new debacle comes on top of several alarming headlines in the German media recently about the state of the country’s military. These suggested the Bundeswehr only has enough ammunition for two days of intense fighting — a figure apparently leaked by unnamed sources in defense circles. If this is true (and such information cannot be confirmed, as it is a state secret), German ammunition supplies are well below the standards expected by NATO, which requires each member to have 30 days’ worth of ammunition. To make up that shortfall alone, defense experts say Germany needs to invest another €20 to €30 billion.

“The state of the Bundeswehr’s hardware has long been a topic of concern: There have been several stories in recent years about tanks and helicopters that needed repairing, rifles that fail in hot weather and soldiers having to train in the cold without thermal underwear.

“Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a ‘Zeitenwende’ (turning of the times) which was hailed as a sea-change in the country’s approach to foreign policy and military strategy.

“To prove he meant it, Scholz announced an increase in the annual defense budget, making it the largest in all of Europe, as well as a €100 billion ($112.7 billion) one-off ‘special fund’ to modernize the military. Nine months later, some are wondering where that mountain of money is… Rafael Loss, a defense analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)… says Germany lacks a sense of urgency in reacting to the geopolitical implications of Russia’s attack on Ukraine…

“NATO partners in northeastern Europe have already expressed concern that Germany is not a military partner to rely on in a crisis. At a conference in Berlin in late October, Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks asked his European colleagues, ‘We’re prepared to die, are you?’ Addressing the Germans specifically, he said, ‘A lot will depend on the military power of your country, and, I’m sorry, your military power is currently not there.’…

“Germany has signed a deal to buy 35 American-made F-35 fighter jets to replace its aging fleet of Tornados, at a cost of €200 million each. But it will take until 2027 before these are ready for use… Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has upended everything. The stories about Germany’s ammunition shortages emerged partly because questions were raised about maintaining supplies for the weapons Germany is sending to Ukraine. ‘We need roughly 15 times more ammunition to ensure a sustained supply of ammunition for the weapons provided to Ukraine, while rebuilding the German armed forces at the scope required,’ said [defense analyst] Loss.

“But there are also underlying long-term issues. In the past few decades, the Bundeswehr has sold off many of its Cold War-era storage bunkers — meaning that even if it did have the NATO-stipulated 30 days’ worth of ammunition, the military would be struggling to find anywhere to keep it.

“For that reason, defense analyst Loss thinks the criticism from the opposition conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) sounds hollow. ‘Things weren’t different for the last 16 years when the CDU was in power,’ he said. ‘It’s funny seeing the SPD and the CDU blaming each other for the sad state of the German armed forces, but I think both share roughly equal blame.’”

That is why the current political system in Germany with all its incompetent leaders will be replaced soon with a charismatic dictator—the “beast” of the Bible—with horrible consequences for the entire world.

Hungary for Dissolution of EU Parliament

Radio Free Europe wrote on December 21:

“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose right-wing nationalist government has been targeted by corruption accusations and criticized for backsliding on the rule of law, on December 21 accused the European Union of ‘Hungarophobia’ and pointed the finger at the scandal-ridden European Parliament, calling for its dissolution…

“One of the European Parliament’s vice presidents earlier this month was charged in connection with allegations of bribery by soccer World Cup host Qatar. ‘The swamp should be drained,’ Orban said, using a phrase first coined by former U.S. President Donald Trump, a close Orban ally… ‘What the EU is doing today is a few rule-of-law people trying to impose their will on a few countries,’ Orban said.

“Orban is widely considered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest EU ally and has repeatedly claimed that sanctions prompted by Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine have caused more damage to European economies than to Russia.”

The irony is, Europe WILL change in that ten nations or groups of nations will emerge, leading to a total autocracy and dictatorship.

Russia To Increase Military By More Than 30 %

France 24 wrote on December 21:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin supported a proposal by [the] Defence Minister to boost the Russian military by more than 30% on Wednesday… ‘It is necessary to increase the number of armed troops to 1.5 million servicemen, including 695,000 contract soldiers,’ Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told Russian President Vladimir Putin…

“Shoigu also proposed raising the age range for mandatory Russian military service to 21-30, compared to 18-27 at the moment.”

The military buildup by Russia, China and other Far Eastern nations will lead to a powerful collaboration between those nations, called in the Bible the “kings of the East.”

Russia Fumes After Zelenskyy’s Visit

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 22:

“Moscow on Thursday denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington claiming that it showed Kyiv was ‘not ready for peace.’ Zelenskyy met with US President Joe Biden on Wednesday and addressed Congress in his first official trip outside of Ukraine since Russia launched the war in February.  

“Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow regretted that neither Biden nor Zelenskyy said ‘even a few words that could be perceived as potential readiness to listen to Russia’s concerns.’    

“Biden announced on Wednesday that the US would provide Kyiv with an additional security aid of $1.85 billion (€1.737 billion), including the Patriot air defense system. Peskov said that this signaled that the US was ‘continuing its line of de facto fighting an indirect war with Russia to the last Ukrainian,’ adding that the Patriot missile would not deter Russia from achieving its goals in Ukraine.

“In a statement issued by the Russian Embassy in the US on Thursday, Ambassador Anatoly Antonov’s [said]: ‘What was essentially announced […] was the need to continue the ‘proxy war’ against our country’…

“The Russian envoy said the US supplying weapons to Ukraine was ‘deeply disturbing.’ He added that Moscow stressed that ‘the provocative actions by the US are steadily leading to an escalation, the consequences of which cannot even be imagined.’”

Tucker Carlson Bashes Biden Over Zelensky’s Visit

Express wrote on December 22:

“Tucker Carlson (Fox News) … bashed Biden for refusing to ‘specify’ the details of what winning conditions would look like for the administration… [He asked:]  ‘Push the Russian Army back to pre-invasion borders? That sounds reasonable, that’s what most Americans likely assume, those still paying attention…

“‘But that is not what Zelensky means, it is not what he is asking for, Zelensky is demanding regime change in Russia… What happens if he wins? What does the ensuing chaos look like? Who secures the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons? Strangely those questions didn’t come up today… The point was to fawn over the Ukrainian [leader] and hand him billions more dollars from our own crumbling economy.’”

Riots Break Out in Jordan

Israel Today wrote on December 21:

“In recent days, violent demonstrations in the Kingdom of Jordan have been expanding, leading to, among other things, fatalities in the security forces. Escalating fuel prices have triggered the current spate of violence… truck and taxi drivers went on strike and demonstrated in the streets of the kingdom. Many Jordanians joined them. They burned tires and blocked roads. The Jordanian government opened an emergency command center to monitor and deal with the crisis, and a decision was taken to expand the Jordanian army’s forces in the south of the kingdom to prevent further demonstrations…

“The riots climaxed Friday, when one of the patrols sent to suppress the protesters came under fire. Jordanian TV officially reported the death of Ma’an’s deputy police chief, Lt. Col. Dr. Abdel-Razzaq Al-Dalba… In response to violent incidents, the Jordanian government announced that it had taken steps to block some social media countrywide.”

At the same time, Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he has been able to form a right-wing and extremely conservative government, which is bound to clash with Jordan and other Middle Eastern nations. JTA wrote on December 21:

“Netanyahu hasn’t officially signed any coalition deals yet with other parties (he has until 48 hours before the new government is seated Jan. 2 to do so), and some of his expected new partners are first demanding new legislation that has been delayed until after coalition talks.”

Vatican Defrocks Pro-Life Priest

Newsmax wrote on December 18:

“The Vatican has defrocked Father Frank Pavone — who has been described as ‘the most vocal Catholic priest in America for the pro-life movement’ — in a move that has shocked Church conservatives… [The] priest [was stripped] of his religious title and powers, returning him to the laity with no official status in the Church.

“The letter [of the Vatican] alleges that Pavone was guilty of ‘persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop’ and ‘blasphemous communications on social media.’ The letter doesn’t spell out what the disobedient acts Pavone had engaged in, or identify the ‘blasphemous communications,’ but supporters of Pavone were quick to come to his defense.

“‘The blasphemy is that this holy priest is canceled while an evil president promotes the denial of truth & the murder of the unborn at every turn,’ Bishop Joseph Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas wrote on his Twitter account Saturday. ‘Vatican officials promote immorality & denial of the deposit of faith & priests promote gender confusion devastating lives…,’ Bishop Strickland continued…

“Pavone has come under fire in the past over his statements in support of former President Donald Trump and actions he has taken as a leader in the pro-life movement…

“Pope [Francis’s] decision to laicize Pavone appears to be part of a wider effort to undermine the Church’s traditional stand to protect the unborn…”

Reuters wrote on December 18:

“The [Vatican’s] letter… says Pavone will not be allowed to appeal… After Trump lost to Joe Biden in 2020, Pavone was among Trump supporters who questioned the validity of the elections…

“In a one hour, 40 minute video on Sunday… he said: ‘I’m never going to leave the priesthood.’”

The ongoing conflict between liberals and conservatives within the Catholic Church may ultimately lead to an “explosion.”

The Elegant Demon in the Vatican

The Daily Mail wrote on December 22:

“The Pope told Vatican staff to beware the ‘elegant demon’ that lurks in self-righteous Catholics in his traditional Christmas speech. Francis used his annual Christmas greeting to the Roman Curia to again put the cardinals, bishops and priests who work in the Holy See on notice that they are particularly vulnerable to evil. Pope Francis has long used the annual speech as a chance to rebuke bureaucrats in an examination of conscience to help them repent before Christmas.

“Francis told attendees that by living in the heart of the Catholic Church, ‘we could easily fall into the temptation of thinking we are safe, better than others, no longer in need of conversion.’ ‘Yet we are in greater danger than all others, because we are beset by the ‘elegant demon’, who does not make a loud entrance, but comes with flowers in his hand,’ Francis told the churchmen…

“Francis appeared to also want to take broader aim in this year’s speech at arch-conservatives and traditionalists who have become his biggest critics. Francis blasted their way of living the faith, insisting that being Catholic doesn’t mean following a never-changing set of strict rules… Some have even gone so far as to accuse him of heresy for some of his gestures and preaching, including allowing ‘pagan’ statues in the Vatican.

“Francis dedicated the bulk of his speech this year to the need to be vigilant about the work of the devil… He told the Vatican bureaucrats it’s not enough to merely condemn evil or root it out, since it often comes back in different guises, stronger than before. Francis used the term ‘we’ repeatedly, suggesting he includes himself among those in the Vatican who must remain mindful of the devil in their midst… ‘That is how these elegant demons are: they enter smoothly, without our even being conscious of them.’…”

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.

Confusion exists as to who the Hagrites were, and where they could be found today. Some suggest that they are living in Syria today; others claim that they were Egyptians and are living in Egypt. Others even claim that the Hagrites are the ancestors of the modern Hungarians. And then there are those who say that the Hagrites are Ishmaelites or Saudi Arabians. What does the Bible say?

We find an interesting end-time prophecy, mentioning the Hagrites in Psalm 83:1-8, where we read the following:

“A Song. A Psalm of Asaph. Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, And do not be still, O God! For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, ‘Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.’ For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You: The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot. Selah…”

Some translations say “Hagarites” or “Hagarenes” for “Hagrites.”

We say on page 16 of our free booklet, “Germany in Prophecy” that they were “originally cattle breeding nomads in East Canaan.”

The above-quoted prophecy in Psalm 83 mentions the Ishmaelites as part of the anti-Israel confederacy. Ishmael, the ancestor of the Ishmaelites, is according to Jewish and Christian tradition the ancestor of the Arabic peoples. Jerome stated that in his time, they called the districts of Arabia by the names of the Ishmaelite tribes mentioned in the Bible.

In our Q&A, we wrote this:

 “The last European revival of the ancient Roman Empire and the powerful military leader (the beast) will cause the Great Tribulation. Just prior to that time, they will begin, at first, to temporarily collaborate, to an extent, with Arab nations (including Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Jordan) and Turkey in their common goal of destroying ‘Israel’ (Psalm 83:1-8). This collaboration might not endure until the return of Christ…

“To interject, the collaborating nations mentioned in Psalm 83 are Ishmaelites—the kingdom of Saudi Arabia—as well as other Arabic tribes, such as the Hagrites, who will enter into an anti-Israeli confederacy with nations such as Edom (Turkey); Moab (parts of Jordan and perhaps Iraq); Ammon (Jordan); Amalek (perhaps today violent groups like the PLO); Philistia (Palestinians); Lot (Jordan); and, most noteworthy, Assyria or modern-day Germany. These are some of the nations which will ‘escape’ the hands of the beast. Daniel 11:41 says: ‘… these shall escape from his hands: Edom (Turkey), Moab (Jordan and Iraq), and the prominent people of Ammon (Jordan).’

“At the same time, we are also informed in Daniel 11:42 and 43 that ‘the land of Egypt shall not escape… also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels.’

“How do we have to understand the phrase, ‘…shall follow at his heels’? Since Libya will be allied with Egypt at that time… and since Egypt will be overthrown by Assyria, it appears that Libyans and Ethiopians will also be overthrown and become captives of the Assyrians. In any event, they will all be subject to modern Assyria, either because of volition or compulsion.”

Of particular interest for this Q&A is the identity of the “Hagrites.” We are informed that the Hagrites were mentioned and described as Arab tribes by the Greek geographers Strabo and Ptolemy and by Pliny, the Roman.

We said this in our Q&A, “What does the Bible say about Saudi Arabia?”, in making further statements about the Hagrites and also their reference in Palm 83:

 “Ishmael had twelve sons—among them Ishmael’s second-born son, Kedar (‘powerful’); Dumah (‘silence’; compare Isaiah 21:11; Joshua 15:52); Naphish (‘numerous’); Tema (‘sun burnt’); and Jetur. The Bible, when addressing the descendants of Ishmael, sometimes refers to Ishmael, sometimes to Ishmael’s second-born son Kedar (synonymously used in Scripture with Ishmael); sometimes to Ishmael’s mother Hagar; sometimes to any of the other above-quoted names of Ishmael’s sons; and sometimes simply to ‘Arabia’ (‘wilderness’) or ‘Arabians.’ Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible explains that ‘Arabia today consists mainly of Saudi Arabia. However, it also includes the two Yemens, Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and the Sinai peninsula.’

 “The Bible describes the relationship between Israel or Judah and Ishmael and his descendants mostly as a hostile one. We read in 1 Chronicles 5:19 that the sons of Reuben, the Gadites and half of the tribe of Manasseh made war with some of Ishmael’s descendants, i.e., the Hagrites, Jetur, and Naphish [as well as Nodab].

“1 Chronicles 5:10, 19-20 tells us that King Saul made war with the Hagrites, who are, as mentioned, the descendants of Hagar, the mother of Ishmael (The margin of the New King James Bible confirms that the Hagrites are descendants of Hagar.)…”

“We also read, in Psalm 83:6 that Ishmaelites—the kingdom of Saudi Arabia—as well as other Arabic tribes, such as the Hagrites, will enter into an anti-Israeli confederacy…”

That the Hagrites, mentioned in Psalm 83, seem to be descendants of Ishmael’s mother Hagar, the Egyptian maid servant of Sara, is also the opinion of many commentaries.

The Benson Commentary says:

“And the Ishmaelites — Some of the posterity of Ishmael, called by their father’s name, as others of them are supposed by many to be called Hagarenes, from their grandmother Hagar.”

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible adds:

“The Hagarenes were properly Arabs, so called from Hagar, the handmaid of Abraham, the mother of Ishmael. Genesis 16:1; Genesis 25:12. As connected with the Ishmaelites they would naturally join in this alliance.”

The commentary also says this, in speaking about 1 Chronicles 5:10:

“The ‘Hagarites’ or ‘Hagarenes’ are generally regarded as descendants of Hagar, and a distinct branch of the Ishmaelites… They appear to have been one of the most wealthy and widely-spread tribes of the Syrian Desert, being found on the side of the Euphrates in contact with the Assyrians, and also in the Hauran, in the neighborhood of Palestine, in contact with the Moabites and Israelites…”

Matthew Poole’s Commentary agrees: “Hagarenes, from their grandmother Hagar.”

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible says:

“… the Hagarenes are the same with the Hagarites, 1 Chronicles 5:10, who dwelt to the east of the land of Israel, so called from Hagar, the handmaid of Abraham…’

The Pulpit Commentary writes:

“The ‘Hagarenes,’ or ‘Hagarites,’ are only mentioned here [in Psalm 83] and in 1 Chronicles 5:10, 19-22.  They were probably a branch of the Ishmaelites, named after Hagar, Ishmael’s mother.”

The Jamieson Fausset and Brown Commentary says:

“Hagarites—or, ‘Hagarenes,’ originally synonymous with ‘Ishmaelites,’ but afterwards applied to a particular tribe of the Arabs (compare Ps 83:6).”

The Hagrites or Hagarites would then have been descendants of Hagar, the concubine of Abram and mother of Ishmael. If 1 Chronicles 5:19 lists Jetur, Naphish and Nodab as the leaders of the Hagrites, as some suggest, then they would have been the direct descendants of Ishmael, son of Hagar, as Jetur, Naphish and Nodab are listed as Ishmael’s sons in Genesis 25:12-15 and in 1 Chronicles 1:29-31.

Turning to future prophetic events, we do not read specifically how the Ishmaelites (including the Hagrites) will be defeated in war. But it is possible that the modern Assyrians will turn against them, after the break-up of their confederacy, described in Psalm 83.

We say this in our Q&A, “What does the Bible say about Saudi Arabia?” 

“When God intervenes in world affairs, He will begin to pour out His wrath and fury over all nations, by bringing the sword over them (Jeremiah 25:15-17), including Arabia and Tema, one of Ishmael’s sons (Jeremiah 25:23). This will happen during the Day of the LORD of God’s wrath (Jeremiah 25:33), which will begin approximately one year prior to Christ’s return.

“We find a remarkable and somewhat detailed prophecy about the future of Saudi Arabia in Isaiah 21:13-17, stating: ‘The burden against Arabia. In the forest in Arabia you will lodge… For thus the LORD has said to me; “Within a year, according to the year of a hired man, all the glory of [Ishmael’s second-born son] Kedar will fail; and the remainder of the number of archers, the mighty men of the people of Kedar, will be diminished; for the LORD God of Israel has spoken it.’”

“This Scripture tells us that ‘Arabia’–Saudi Arabia today–will experience defeat in war, and the time span of one year is given, apparently referring to the Day of the LORD. We are not specifically told who exactly will defeat the Arabs in war, but we note that in Old Testament times, the Assyrians did so, and most commentaries apply the prophecy of Isaiah to that occurrence. They overlook, however, that the prophecy is primarily for our times today…, but the question is whether the prophecy is dual, in that Assyria will again be the enemy defeating the Arabs in war, after they first had entered into an alliance with Assyria against Israel.”

It appears then that the modern Hagrites are a very prosperous distinct branch or tribe of the Ishmaelites. Their prosperity might be a reason as to why the modern Assyrians under the beast or the king of the North may turn against it and defeat it in war, as he will also conquer Egypt, and “He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt” (Daniel 11:43).

Ishmael’s connection with Egypt should not be overlooked, as Hagar, the mother of Ishmael and grandmother of the Hagrites, was an Egyptian maid. Also, Ishmael married a woman “from the land of Egypt,” perhaps an Egyptian or someone living there (Genesis 21:21). This woman might be the mother of the Hagrites [making the Hagrites two-third Egyptian if that woman married to Ishmael was Egyptian], but that woman might not have been the mother of the Hagrites, as according to tradition, Ishmael had more than one wife.

As we point out on pages 4 and 5 of our free booklet, “Middle Eastern and African Nations in Bible Prophecy,” even though Egypt will not be part of the anti-Israel confederation described in Psalm 83, it won’t help Israel and Judah either (Hosea 7:11-12). In fact, Egypt will at first fight with Assyria against Israel (Nahum 3:9), but then Assyria will conquer Egypt and some of Israel’s descendants will be captives in Egypt (Isaiah 27:13).

In any event, there is no evidence that the Hagrites are living today in Egypt or that the Bible views them as Egyptians.

Furthermore, there is no biblical evidence that the Hagrites are Syrians or that they are living today in Syria. Syria is the biblical Aram. As we point out in our before-mentioned booklet on pages 12 and 13, Syria and Damascus will ultimately be destroyed, perhaps through the beast or the king of the North.

The Hagarites are not modern-day Hungarians, either. Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible points this out correctly, when addressing 1 Chronicles 5:10:

 “‘And in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagarites…’  Not with the Hungarians, as the Targum, a people not then in being; but the Ishmaelites, so called because they descended from Hagar’s, Sarah’s maid; the same that are placed by Pliny and Ptolemy in Arabia, near the Batanaeans, or inhabitants of Bashan.”

From all the evidence, it appears that the Hagrites are today a very prosperous tribe or branch of the Ishmaelites in Saudi Arabia.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

“The Omnibus Bill—An Insane Way to Run the Country,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

In this program, we address the omnibus bill as an example of  the “insane way” of Congress to run the nation; recite a new and up-to-date version of an old Christmas poem; and end with a sincere blessing for all of our viewers. 

A new Member Letter (December 2022) has been written and will be sent to our subscribers. Kalon Mitchell writes about the power of God which is available to us and  our challenge to choose to use His help as we face the many trials of this life.

“Zugang zu Gott dem Vater (Gott der Vater ist der Höchste, Teil 3),” is the title for this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Access to God (God the Father Is the Highest, Part 3).”

“Wie geht es Ihnen?”, last week’s German sermonette presented by Dmitrij Niemann, is now posted. Title in English: “How Are You?”

“What Do You Owe?”, the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Do we as Christians owe anything? If so, who and what do we owe? What does the Bible say about owing?

“Reconciliation with God the Father,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

When Adam and Eve sinned, they were cut off from God the Father, the Highest in the God Family. In following Adam and Eve’s example, the whole world has been cut off from God. Atonement for our sins and reconciliation with and access to God the Father can only come through the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.