This Week in the News

“Germany’s Stone-Faced Chancellor Faces Critics on Nearly Every Side”

On August 20, DNYUZ ran the following article which was originally published by the New York Times:

“‘Shame in the chancellery,’ screamed one headline in the tabloid Bild this week, while the newsmagazine Spiegel ran an exasperated column about the chancellor’s hesitant communication style: ‘Scholz is silent.’ Germany’s chancellor, the prominent podcast The Pioneer concluded, has had ‘a horrific week.’

“Mr. Scholz’s most recent travails come on top of a rocky start to his chancellorship… he has struggled to find his footing as the head of Europe’s biggest democracy and as the successor of Angela Merkel…

“Given Germany’s economic and political power in Europe, weak leadership in Berlin has implications for leadership in the European Union as well, at a time when no other country could easily step into a vacuum. In neighboring France, the second-richest member state, President Emmanuel Macron recently lost his majority in Parliament.

“Accused of being too aloof and passive in his communication, Mr. Scholz, a Social Democrat, has slumped in opinion polls since the election, falling far behind his popular vice chancellor and foreign minister, both from the Green party.

“Abroad, too, his dithering has not gone unnoticed… in the nearly six months since the invasion of Ukraine by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, Mr. Scholz has ruled out a gas embargo, saying it would be too costly. He is still dragging his feet on weapons deliveries to Ukraine. And according to a new report by the German Economic Institute, a Cologne-based think tank, Germany might fail — again — to meet the target of spending 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense agreed by N.A.T.O. members…

“… Mr. Scholz held a joint news conference with the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Asked whether he was ready to apologize for the Palestinian terrorist attack at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich that killed 11 Israeli athletes, Mr. Abbas launched into a tirade against Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. ‘Between 1947 and today Israel has committed 50 massacres in 50 Palestinian locations,’ he said, before adding, ‘50 massacres, 50 Holocausts.’ A stony-faced Mr. Scholz listened but did not verbally respond. He shook Mr. Abbas’ hand when his spokesman wrapped up the news conference immediately after… Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany’s conservative opposition, called Mr. Scholz’s failure to speak up ‘beyond belief.’… Mr. Scholz did eventually react, telling the tabloid Bild later that evening that ‘any relativization of the Holocaust is insufferable and unacceptable.’ But it was not until the next morning that he sent out a tweet from his own account…

“Mr. Scholz has come under increasing pressure over allegations that he helped a private bank evade a 47 million-euro tax payment to the city of Hamburg in 2016, when he was mayor. After initially denying that he met privately with one of the co-owners of the M.M. Warburg Bank, Mr. Scholz was forced to admit that they did meet after the banker’s personal calendar indicated as much. Summoned by Hamburg lawmakers for the second time on Friday, Mr. Scholz reiterated that he did not recall what he and a bank executive talked about but insisted that there had been ‘no political influencing’ of the tax procedure… ‘I don’t believe a word the chancellor says,’ Friedrich Merz… told a newspaper on Friday. ‘There is hardly anyone in Germany that buys his many memory lapses.’

“Along with the challenges of rising inflation, slowing economic growth and potential gas shortages — Russia’s state-owned gas company Gazprom announced Friday that gas flows to Germany would temporarily stop again at the end of the month — the accumulation of problems big and small haunting the German chancellor have weighed on his popularity… Several political observers warn of a winter of protests, as Germans feel the pain of higher heating costs.

Less than one in five Germans would now vote for Mr. Scholz’s Social Democrats, according to a poll released Friday. Instead, if an election were held today, the conservatives would beat them….”

Deutsche Welle added on August 21:

“Around two thirds of Germans said they were dissatisfied with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his divided coalition, which has experienced one crisis after another since taking office in December… 62% of Germans [have] an unfavorable view of Scholz… If the Chancellor were elected directly, Scholz would now come only in third place [with] only 18% [of the votes]… 65% of Germans [have]  a negative assessment on the work of the federal government.”

JTA reported on August 18:

“Under fire for accusing Israel of ’50 Holocausts,’ Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas walked back his statement, calling the Holocaust ‘the most heinous crime in modern human history.’”

But he did not apologize for his comments regarding Israel’s “50 Holocausts.”

Focus wrote on August 19:

“Misfortunes never come alone. However, what is currently happening in the Federal Republic’s relationship with the Palestinians and thus also with Israel is not a disaster. The rule here is rather: one lack of instinct follows the other. The indignation about the blatant failure of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz has not yet abated, rightly so, when he wordlessly accepted the downplaying of the Holocaust by the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. And that in the Chancellery, not far from the Holocaust memorial in the capital.

“This lack of instinct number one is immediately followed by lack of instinct number two. Now, of all times, the Federal Foreign Office is announcing that the German government has pledged a total of 340 million euros to the Palestinians for humanitarian aid and development projects for the years 2021 and 2022. Abbas will be happy about that: The Germans obviously don’t blame him for his anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic slurs.

“Germany has always been one of the biggest donors to the Palestinian Authority. Officially, of course, the funds always flowed into humanitarian projects or were intended to promote economic development. Admittedly, there were repeated indications that the Palestinians were not so particular about earmarking. Anyone who claims to be able to precisely control the use of these German payments is lying to their own pockets.

“In any case, the question arises as to how one wants to and can justify financial support – under whatever label – as long as the Palestinian Authority is paying out bonuses to anti-Israel terrorists. After Abbas’ ‘outrageous appearance’, it was not only Volker Beck, the President of the German-Israeli Society, who called for the payments to be checked. But the federal government did exactly the opposite: it keeps the money flowing.”

And although the public prosecution announced, as expected, that they are not going to take action against Scholz, Mr. Scholz’s days are numbered… and that is also true for his unruly and divided “ample” coalition. The failure of the present German government was to be expected from the outset.

Daughter of “Putin’s Brain” Assassinated

The Associated Press wrote on August 21:

The daughter of an influential Russian political theorist often referred to as ‘Putin’s brain’ was killed in a car bombing on the outskirts of Moscow… the bloodshed gave rise to suspicions that the intended target was her father, Alexander Dugin, a nationalist philosopher and writer.

“Dugin is a prominent proponent of the ‘Russian world’ concept, a spiritual and political ideology that emphasizes traditional values, restoration of Russia’s power and the unity of all ethnic Russians throughout the world. He is also a vehement supporter of Russia’s sending of troops into Ukraine… Some Russian media reports cited witnesses as saying that the SUV belonged to Dugin and that he had decided at the last minute to travel in another vehicle

“Denis Pushilin, president of the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic, the pro-Moscow region that is a focus of Russia’s fighting in Ukraine, blamed it on ‘terrorists of the Ukrainian regime, trying to kill Alexander Dugin.’ Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, denied Ukrainian involvement, saying, ‘We are not a criminal state, unlike Russia, and definitely not a terrorist state.’…

“While Dugin’s exact ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin are unclear, the Kremlin frequently echoes rhetoric from his writings and appearances on Russian state TV. He helped popularize the ‘Novorossiya,’ or New Russia, concept that Russia used to justify the 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea and its support of separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. He promotes Russia as a country of piety, traditional values and authoritarian leadership, and disdains Western liberal values.

His daughter expressed similar views and had appeared as a commentator on the nationalist TV channel Tsargrad… Dugina herself was sanctioned by the United States in March for her work as chief editor of United World International, a website that the U.S. described as a disinformation source…”

The USA has also sanctioned Alexander Dugan.

The Sun added on August 21:

“There is no direct evidence Ukraine or its agents were involved in the Moscow attack. Yet senior pro-Putin war supporters were quick to demand an all-out attack on Kyiv over the… assassination…. Margarita Simonyan, head of RT network, posted on Telegram: ‘Decision-making centres [in Ukraine to be blasted]!’ …

“Putin crony Yury Kot warned escalating conflict at Europe’s biggest atomic plant could lead to Armageddon… He claimed it was Kyiv and the West jeopardising nuclear safety – and urged Putin to be ready to fire nukes at London and Washington.”

This could make the Russian-Ukrainian war even more deadly.

While America Falls Apart…

Dr. Ron Paul wrote the following opinion piece in his weekly column in the Ron Paul Institute publication, dated August 22:

“There is a video clip making the rounds showing President Biden speaking at a recent NATO summit about the seven billion dollars the US government had – at that time – provided to Ukraine. Attached to that is another clip showing the horrific state of several US major cities, including in Pennsylvania, California, and Ohio. The video of American cities is shocking: endless landscapes of filth, trash, homelessness, open fires on the street, drug-addicted zombies…

“Watching Biden bragging about sending billions of dollars to… leaders overseas with American cities looking like bombed-out Iraq or Libya is US foreign policy in a nutshell…

“What is seldom asked, is what is in this deal for those Americans who suffer to pay for our… foreign policy. Do they really think a working American in Ohio or Pennsylvania is better off or safer because we are supposedly protecting Ukraine’s borders? I think most Americans would wonder why they aren’t bothering to protect our own borders. A reported 200,000 illegals crossed the border into the US in July alone. You can believe they are learning quickly about the free money provided by the US government to illegals. They’ll probably get a voting card as well.

“Last Friday the Pentagon announced that yet another $775 million would be sent to Ukraine. As Antiwar.com reported, it was the eighteenth weapons package to Ukraine in six months… the reality is that it is in no way aid to Ukraine… It is money created out of thin air by the Fed and appropriated by Congress to be spent propping up the politically-connected military-industrial complex. It is a big check written by middle America to rich people who run Raytheon and Lockheed Martin…

“Bloomberg reported earlier this summer that inflation is costing the average American household more than $5,200 this year. Inflation is a tax on middle class and poor Americans… [We] watch as the dollar buys less and less… America feels like we’re becoming Zimbabwe. How long until it takes a trillion dollars for a loaf of bread?…”

After World War I, Germany experienced something like this.

The Guardian wrote on August 24:

“Joe Biden has announced nearly $3bn in new military assistance to Ukraine, including anti-aircraft missiles, artillery, counter-drone defences and radar equipment.

“The huge tranche of military aid brings to nearly $13bn the US has supplied or pledged to Kyiv under the Biden administration.”

Most Americans Disapprove of Biden

Daily Mail wrote on August 22:

“A whopping 74% of Americans say the United States is on the wrong track in a new NBC News poll conducted earlier this month. It also found that more than half… feel ‘worried that America’s best years may already be behind us’.

“Among the respondents’ main concerns was the economy, with 68 percent saying they think the country is already in a recession despite Biden’s claims. In total, the poll found, 55 percent of Americans disapprove of the job the president is doing while just 42 percent approve.”

Still, how can 42 percent of Americans approve of the miserable job he is doing? This total blindness is just dumbfounding!

Why the Iran Deal Guarantees Nuclear War

Israel365 News wrote on August 21:

“The Biden administration is on the verge of closing its long-sought for nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran…  Back in 2015, news that the Obama-Biden administration was closing in on a final draft of what became its nuclear deal with Iran provoked a mass public outcry. The majority of Americans opposed the deal. Many key Democrats opposed it. The entire Republican Party opposed it. News of the deal was greeted by mass protests in Washington, New York and countrywide. Today, the opposite is the case. News of Biden’s deal is greeted with yawns and apathy.

“The difference is doubly striking because since 2015, the warnings the deal’s opponents sounded have all been borne out by events. Just as the opponents warned, Iran began cheating on the deal the moment it was concluded: Iran stockpiled uranium beyond what was permitted and refused to come clean to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency on its previous nuclear work.

“Even worse, Iran exploited the deal’s loopholes—first and foremost its non-limitation of research and development work. While ostensibly abiding by the agreement, Iran developed advanced centrifuges capable of enriching uranium 10 times faster and to much higher levels of purity than the centrifuges it fielded in 2015…

“As the deal’s opponents had warned, Iran used the tens of billions of dollars it received from sanctions relief in 2015 and 2016 to massively expand its funding of terror proxies… The nuclear deal was supposed to keep Iran a year away from breakout, but last month Teheran announced it had already crossed the nuclear threshold and could develop bombs at will. The nuclear deal Biden is now negotiating won’t push Iran’s nuclear genie back in the bottle. Iran will enter the deal—if it agrees—as a threshold nuclear state. And it will exit the deal as a nuclear power.

“Yet, despite the manifest dangers Iran poses, and everything we have learned since 2015, no one is in the streets protesting today. No one is campaigning against Biden’s deal. The apathy afflicting everyone from moderate Democrats to conservative Republicans, from Jewish American groups to Christian Zionist groups to national security lobbies is particularly stunning because Biden’s nuclear deal is even worse than Obama’s was. Not only does it give nuclear license to Iran, Biden’s agreement ushers in an era of nuclear chaos

“Biden’s policy is far worse in two ways. First, it is being undertaken after Iran announced it had crossed the nuclear threshold. In other words, Biden can’t plausibly claim that this is a non-proliferation deal…  Under Biden’s deal, by 2030, Iran will receive $1 trillion in sanctions relief—enough to transform Iran into a regional economic power as Tehran uses its nuclear arsenal to blackmail its neighbors.

“This leads us to the second reason that Biden’s deal is worse than Obama’s… According to media reports of the E.U. final draft, Biden has accepted Iran’s demand that the IAEA end its investigations of Iran’s undeclared nuclear installations

“The implication is stunning… Once Biden and Iran conclude their deal, the prospect of nuclear war will no longer be a distant if ever-present concern. It will become a certainty, as nation after nation rushes to acquire nuclear weapons…”

The blindness of the Western powers is striking.

Fauci’s Retirement Can’t Come Soon Enough

The New York Post’s Editorial Board wrote on August 22:

“‘Whether you’ve met him personally or not, he has touched all Americans’ lives with his work,’ President Joe Biden said of news that his chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci, is finally retiring [As Breitbart wrote on August 22, “The [Democrat] leader’s remark follows Fauci’s retirement announcement, moving up his timeline to December 2022 — conveniently after the midterm elections, when Republicans hope to gain a majority in both the House and Senate].

“Biden’s only too right — tragically. Fauci’s COVID guidance was disastrous. Fauci, now 81, initially greeted COVID by insisting it wasn’t a ‘major threat,’ only to flip almost overnight into a strident hawk. He demanded contact tracing, a measure as costly as it was useless. He called for economic shutdowns and national school closures. He ridiculed efforts to focus protective efforts narrowly on the truly vulnerable — the elderly and the immunocompromised. He mocked the idea that people who recovered from COVID had some degree of natural immunity (after having once proposed it himself). And he did all this even as he doubted in private the efficacy of masks and the existence of asymptomatic spread.

“His overgrown ego, in short, led him to promote the most destructive federal and state policies in recent US memory. And as of late July he was still at it, saying we should’ve had ‘much more stringent restrictions’ to fight asymptomatic COVID spread in 2020. This, when his tactics accomplished nothing. The United States did worse on overall COVID outcomes than did Sweden, which never closed schools nor implemented other draconian policies.

“Yet Fauci’s chief sin likely came before COVID even reached these shores: As chief of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, he championed and oversaw funding for labs in China that performed gain-of-function research on viruses. Then, as the face of the nation’s coronavirus response, he joined the drive to render unmentionable the idea that the virus might have leaked from that Wuhan lab. And for all the lives his ideas cost and all the needless pain they inflicted, Fauci has not been — and looks likely never to be — held accountable.

“In his own words, the good doctor is leaving to ‘pursue his next chapter.’ For the sake of the world, we hope it’s focused on gardening. Fauci’s too dangerous to be anywhere near the levers of power.”

Will Fauci Be Held Accountable?

Breitbart wrote on August 22:

“A Republican-led House in Congress will hold Dr. Anthony Fauci accountable, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said Monday following Dr. Anthony Fauci’s announcement. ‘Dr. Fauci lost the trust of the American people when his guidance unnecessarily kept schools closed and businesses shut while obscuring questions about his knowledge on the origins of COVID,’ McCarthy said Monday, adding, ‘He owes the American people answers’…

“McCarthy is not the first Republican to warn that Fauci’s departure will not protect the NIAID director from answering tough questions on the origins of the Chinese coronavirus — a battle Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has continued to wage as Fauci continues to deny that NIAID funded gain-of-function research…. ‘Fauci’s resignation will not prevent a full-throated investigation into the origins of the pandemic. He will be asked to testify under oath regarding any discussions he participated in concerning the lab leak,’ Paul said.”

Of course, talk is cheap. We need to wait and see what will really happen to Fauci.

Republican Victory in November Not a Given?

Fox News wrote on  August 21:

“Former President Donald Trump went after Sen. Mitch McConnell… over social media for expressing skepticism around Republicans’ chances of retaking congressional majorities in the November midterms…. McConnell suggested Thursday that he did not think Republicans would retake the Senate as ‘candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome.’ He said his party may fare better in reclaiming the U.S. House…. ‘Right now, we have a 50-50 Senate and a 50-50 country, but I think when all is said and done this fall, we’re likely to have an extremely close Senate. Either our side up slightly or their side up slightly,’ he added.

“The comment was widely criticized by conservatives… McConnell’s shaky optimism comes as Republican senatorial candidates Blake Masters of Arizona, Herschel Walker of Georgia, and Mehemt Oz of Pennsylvania are trailing in their respective races. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-WI, also trails in his re-election effort….”

The Associated Press wrote on August 20:

“Republicans have found success in Democratic strongholds like Maryland and Massachusetts when they have fielded moderate candidates who could appeal to voters in both parties. With Democrats facing headwinds this year, Republicans had hoped that strategy could pay off yet again. But Republican voters have nominated loyalists of former President Donald Trump in several Democratic states, including Maryland and Connecticut, making the GOP’s odds of winning those general election races even longer…”

One will have to wait and see. In regard to the prophesied downfall of the USA, neither a Republican nor a Democratic victory will change anything substantially, anyhow.

“The Trump Warrant Had No Legal Basis”

The Wall Street Journal wrote on August 22:

“A former president’s rights under the Presidential Records Act trump the statutes the FBI cited to justify the Mar-a-Lago raid.

Was the Federal Bureau of Investigation justified in searching Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago? The judge who issued the warrant for Mar-a-Lago has signaled that he is likely to release a redacted version of the affidavit supporting it. But the warrant itself suggests the answer is likely no—the FBI had no legally valid cause for the raid.

 “The warrant authorized the FBI to seize ‘all physical documents and records constituting evidence, contraband, fruits of crime, or other items illegally possessed in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§793, 2071, or 1519’ (emphasis added). These three criminal statutes all address the possession and handling of materials that contain national-security information, public records or material relevant to an investigation or other matters properly before a federal agency or the courts.”

Hannity said on Fox News on August 22: “Federal law gives Mr. Trump a right of access to them. His possession of them is entirely consistent with that right and therefore lawful, regardless of the statutes that the FBI is citing in their warrant…  there was no legal basis for this unprecedented warrant.”

What Did Biden Know?

The New York Post Editorial Board  wrote on August 23:

“The official line spun by the White House is that President Joe Biden and his staff had no clue Attorney General Merrick Garland had authorized the armed FBI raid on ex-Prez Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home until after it actually happened.  But it turns out they at least enabled and knew about the ongoing investigation.

“A now-public May 10 letter to Team Trump from acting National Archivist Debra Steidel Wall notes that the president’s counsel had told her: ‘President Biden defers to my determination’ on respecting Trump’s claims of executive privilege in retaining various documents — and that she had ‘decided not to honor’ those claims. She adds: ‘NARA will provide the FBI access to the records in question, as requested by the incumbent President.’

“That is, Biden told the National Archives and Records Administration, or NARA, it could go ahead and demand more documents. Is that really the last time the White House got involved? Wall’s letter led to a June meeting where Trump’s aides handed the FBI a bunch of documents, on top of the January handover of other docs. The many mysteries here include: Why exactly did Garland then go for the raid, when Trump had been turning over docs regularly?

“How did NARA get involved in the first place? The DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled back in 2012: ‘NARA does not have the authority to designate materials as presidential records, and NARA lacks any right, duty, or means to seize control of them.’…

“The New York Times reported back in April that Biden has been telling his aides that he wants Garland to indict Trump for something. That doesn’t help us believe the White House’s official ‘we know nothing’ stance… we… have zero concrete proof that the raid was actually justified.”

Meritocracy Is Dead

Daily Mail published the following article by Andrew Neil on August 19:

“Meritocracy is dead. Long live diversity. That’s the mantra that increasingly dominates this country’s most powerful public and private institutions, from the civil service to the military, the media to the NHS [National Health Service], the universities to major companies — and just about everything important in between. The age-old idea that jobs, position and promotion are best allocated solely on merit and ability, regardless of background, is withering on the vine, replaced by a new religion — almost a fanaticism — that elevates diversity and inclusion above all else…

“No company or public body is currently immune from it, even traditional, well-established, well-regarded, culturally conservative institutions, such as our illustrious Royal Air Force,  which now operates under a ‘Diversity and Inclusion Directive’. It’s worth quoting one of its key lines: ‘The RAF is intent on increasing diversity across all minority groups, including race, religion and beliefs, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, socio-economic representation and neuro-diversity.’ The prescient reader will have noticed that nowhere in this box-ticking list is there mention of ability or the best person for the job.  It is a bizarre omission, especially at a time when Britain faces greater military and security threats than it has for a generation… when it comes to appointing fighter pilots, drone operators and surveillance aircraft crews — people in whose hands we are placing the defence of the realm — surely ability and aptitude must trump all else…

“The head of RAF recruitment, a female group captain, has reportedly stepped down from her post in protest at what she regards as ‘impossible diversity targets’ (40 per cent women by 2030, 20 per cent from ethnic minority backgrounds). They can’t be met unless there is a de facto freeze on the recruitment of white males, no matter how well-qualified… without meritocracy, we are doomed to decline.”

Diversity, as propagated and applied these days, does in fact eradicate “meritocracy” to a large extent. Andrew Neil pointed out what many believe, without being willing to say it.

Fetus No Longer a Baby?

Life News wrote on August 18:

“This week, Students for Life of America noticed that the definition of ‘fetus’ changed on Google to exclude the word ‘baby.’ Just a few weeks ago, Google defined ‘fetus’ as ‘an unborn offspring of a mammal, in particular an unborn human baby more than eight weeks after conception,’ according to a screen shot captured by Students for Life. Now, when someone searches for the definition on Google, it reads ‘an offspring of a human or other mammal in the stages of prenatal development that follow the embryo stage (in humans taken as beginning eight weeks after conception.).’

“‘Google altered their definition of “fetus” to not include the word “baby.” They don’t want you to know the truth: a human fetus is a human baby,’ the pro-life organization wrote… Google cited Oxford Languages as the source of its definition for the word ‘fetus.’ However, the website Lexico, which also uses Oxford, still has the definition that includes the word ‘baby.’

“The new definition on Google better meshes with a pro-abortion agenda, not science… An unborn baby’s life begins at conception and, by the fetus stage (about eight weeks of pregnancy), already has almost all of his/her body parts… Even the current U.S. Department of Health and Human Services… despite being run by the pro-abortion Biden administration, uses the word ‘baby’ to describe the developing unborn child at the embryo and fetus stages…

“The definition change follows similar actions by the pro-abortion American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and Planned Parenthood… Google, one of the most powerful companies in the world, has a history of leftist pro-abortion politics

The reason for the change in definition is abominably obvious.

Resurrecting the Tasmanian Tiger and the Mammoth?

npr wrote on August 20:

“… the Tasmanian tiger [is] not a feline but a dog-like marsupial, a predator that humans hunted to extinction. The last known specimen died in a zoo in 1936. Now the… company Colossal Biosciences wants to genetically resurrect the Tasmanian tiger, also known as the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) or the Tasmanian wolf… Colossal… has previously aired plans to resurrect the woolly mammoth

It’s not cloning. ‘Cloning is a very specific scientific process. That process requires a living cell,’ evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro of University of California, Santa Cruz told NPR when talk of resurrecting the mammoth gained new currency in 2015. Instead, Colossal plans to essentially create a hybrid animal, with many of the characteristics of a Tasmanian tiger. Its scientists will use CRISPR gene editing technology to splice bits of recovered thylacine DNA into the genome of a Dasyurid — a family of carnivorous marsupials such as the numbat and Tasmanian devil that are the extinct animal’s closest relatives. The altered nucleus would then be inserted into a Dasyurid egg — and when it develops into an embryo, it would be implanted into a surrogate…

“It could arrive as early as the next few years. By comparison, Colossal hopes to bring its first woolly mammoth calves into the world within the next five or six years, using elephant surrogates. “

What will be next?

“India Sees More Deadly Elephant Attacks…”

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 19:

“Elephant-human conflicts have been on the rise in India as a result of habitat loss, and experts say such conflicts could get worse… More than 1,500 people have died in elephant attacks in the country in the past three years, with 300 of the animals killed in retaliation…  India accounts for 70-80% of all recorded human deaths caused by elephants across Asia… India is home to the world’s largest population of Asian elephants and about 29,000 elephants remain in the wild…  Elephants are expected to live for up to 50 years but their survival depends upon regular migration over large distances to search for food, water, and social and reproductive partners…

“Left alone, elephants do not usually attack people. When elephants enter agricultural fields, or go near human habitation, they are inevitably surrounded by mobs of people. They are intelligent, powerful animals and eventually they will retaliate, again and again…   Elephant herds are known to migrate across 350-500 kilometers (200-300 miles) annually but increasingly fragmented landscapes are driving the giant mammals more frequently into human-dominated areas…”

The Bible says that in these end times, men will be attacked by the wild beasts of the earth.

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.

The Power of Support / Don’t Stop Living

On August 20, 2022, Dave Harris will present the sermonette, titled, “The Power of Support,” and Eric Rank will present the sermon, titled, “Don’t Stop Living.”

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

This Week in the News

Biden’s Afghanistan Debacle…

npr wrote on August 15:

“A year ago, U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan, a chaotic end to America’s longest war — and a turning point in the Biden presidency, a moment when his approval ratings fell… Doug Sosnik, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton, said it wasn’t just Afghanistan that started Biden’s fall from grace. Covid-19 was surging and inflation was beginning to accelerate. But Sosnik says the bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan really hurt Biden because it undercut the president’s image. ‘If bringing competence back to government is one of the kind of hallmarks of a candidacy, then I think the optics of the Afghanistan withdrawal go completely against the sort of rationale of why you should have voted for Biden,’ he said…

“The withdrawal helped start Biden’s slide in the polls. But a year later, voters are more concerned about the economy, said Mohamed Younis, Gallup’s editor-in- chief. ‘I’m saying… it’s really been a very long time since foreign policy has been the factor in a presidency sort of turning sour,’ Younis said.”

The indifference of many Americans regarding US foreign policy is another reason for America’s coming downfall…

China Celebrates Biden’s Defeat and the Downfall of the USA

Breitbart wrote on August 17:

“The Global Times and its stable of ‘Chinese experts’ argued the ‘Kabul moment’ showed that America’s playbook of ‘democratic transformation’ will never work anywhere, the American ‘strategy of hegemony’ is a bust, and while Biden might have thought he was escaping from a quagmire, he instead made the United States perpetually responsible for the misery of the Afghan people…

“After US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan island on August 2, a delegation of five US lawmakers arrived on the island of Taiwan on Sunday…

“The Global Times advised Americans to regard the ‘Kabul moment’ as proof they are a ‘superpower in its downfall’… ‘The U.S. has passed its peak, with its withdrawal from Afghanistan marking the beginning of the decline of U.S. strength…”

Bild Online reported on August 17 that China is sending troops to Russia to participate in a military exercise in the east. Troops from India and Belarus will also participate. Bild Online commented: “A clear signal to the USA: Nuclear powers playing war.” Also, Russia and North Korea just announced their desire to improve their friendly relationship. The “kings of the East” are coming together. 

Is the USA Facilitating its Own Death?

On August 17, the Ron Paul institute published the following article by Larry Johnson:

“After 8 years of arming and training Ukraine’s army and air force, spending billions of tax payer dollars, the United States no longer has a viable strategy to defeat the Russian forces and compel Vladimir Putin to accept a humiliating defeat. Yes, the US and NATO are pouring a large amount of HIMARS, Army Tactical Missile Systems (aks ATACMS), tanks, vehicles and aircraft into the fight, but this is only prolonging the inevitable surrender of Ukraine

“Throughout the period from 1990 to February 24, 2022, there were still people in the Russian political leadership who believed that negotiations with the United States and Europe was a viable option. That is no longer the case. Whether the United States and Europe want to believe it, the Russian leaders and people now believe that the west poses an existential threat to them and they will do what is necessary to defend themselves and survive.

“I am old enough to remember a time when the freedom of the press and freedom of speech set the United States apart as a special place. American culture and economic prowess was something that many in Russia and the rest of the world envied. But that was then. When foreigners now consider the state of America they see something radically different. Freedom of the press and freedom of speech are now under regular, sustained attack directed at Christians and conservatives. I remember when the Soviets labeled dissidents as terrorists. Now, America’s own Department of Justice is doing the same to parents opposed to critical race theory and outraged over their daughters being asked to shower with males who claim they are female…

“American culture is now awash with filth. Child pornography, pedophilia and transgenderism is being touted as normal. Anyone who dares challenge these things as abnormal are tagged as racists and hatemongers… Most people in the world, not just Russians, see this and can only conclude that the United States is in the grip of mass psychosis

“When Russia secures its victory in Ukraine–regardless of how much time and bloodshed is required to achieve that end–it will be committed to building global relations that exclude the United States. The era of the United States as the supreme military and economic power in the world is over.

“I am an American patriot. I love this country and what it is supposed to stand for. But the actions of the Biden Administration are weakening dramatically the US economy and military. The weapon systems that are flooding into Ukraine are being destroyed by Russia or sold on the black market by Ukrainian profiteers. I fear that when the war in Ukraine is settled that the United States will have burnt all bridges that could have led to a reconciliation with Russia. I hope I am wrong.”

No, he is right. The irresponsible conduct of the Biden Administration is only accelerating America’s isolation in the world and its inevitable downfall. The Bible says that America will be viewed as a curse and it will be hated by all nations.

The Disunited USA

Newsmax published the following opinion piece by Patrick Buchanan on August 16:

“… we are a country whose people have a diminishing confidence in almost all of its institutions, from big business to the churches, universities and media… Public approval of Biden’s performance is at the lowest level ever recorded for a president at this point in his first term…

“The left today dominates the academic community and culture to a greater degree than it once did and is further removed from the heart of the country in Middle America than it has ever been. When, how, does America ever unite again?… Where is the common ground on which to stand?

Does such ground even exist, given the divisions in religion, race and ethnicity, and the seemingly irreconcilable disagreements over morality, ideology, culture and politics? Has the great experiment run its course?”

America is destined to fall…

USA in Perilous Times

Breitbart wrote on August 15:

“Donald Trump’s legal team demolished the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) media spin that denied having the former president’s passports in their possession following the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago last week… As Breitbart News noted, the passports were ‘not independently itemized on the FBI’s property receipt of the 28 inventory items federal agents seized… The warrant, which Attorney General Merrick Garland says he approved and was signed by Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, did not state that they could take Trump’s passport,’ the report noted. ‘Typically, the government needs a separate court order to seize someone’s passport, even temporarily.’

“According to Norah O’Donnell of CBS News, a DOJ official said the former president’s passports were not in their possession, one of which presumably would have been a diplomatic passport… Shortly after Norah’s post, Taylor Budowich, the former president’s communications director, shared an email from Jay Bratt, the top counterintelligence official in the Justice Department’s national security division, confirming that three passports were seized in the raid and that they would be returned to the former president soon… [According to other press releases, they have now been returned.]

“Donald Trump warned about the ‘tremendous anger’ brewing in the country following the raid on his private residence. ‘There has never been a time like this where law enforcement has been used to break into the house of a former president of the United States, and there is tremendous anger in the country—at a level that has never been seen before, other than during very perilous times,’ Trump said.”

The New York Post added on August 16:

“Trump initially accused the FBI of taking the passports Monday afternoon — an explosive allegation that suggested investigators believed he was a flight risk or faced potential charges that would prevent him from leaving the country… The former president and his allies have slammed the FBI and said the raid is the latest phase of a long-running ‘witch hunt’ that dates back to the bureau’s investigation into whether he colluded with Russia’s government during the 2016 campaign.

“After the search warrant and inventory were unsealed Friday, Trump claimed that the documents in question had already been declassified and that the FBI search was unnecessary. ‘They could have had it anytime they wanted without playing politics and breaking into Mar-a-Lago,’ he wrote on Truth Social. ‘It was in secured storage, with an additional lock put on as per their request. They could have had it anytime they wanted—and that includes LONG ago. ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS ASK.’”

There is indeed tremendous anger in the country, and calls for civil war are getting louder.

Cheney vs. Trump

The Associated Press reported on August 17:

“Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was increasingly open on Wednesday about considering a 2024 presidential campaign after soundly losing a Republican primary to a challenger backed by former President Donald Trump. Speaking to NBC in the wake of her loss, the third-term congresswoman called Trump ‘a very grave threat and risk to our republic,’ and said defeating him will require ‘a broad and united front of Republicans, Democrats and independents — and that’s what I intend to be part of.’ She declined to say if she would run for president but conceded it’s ‘something that I’m thinking about.’…

“With Cheney’s loss, Republicans who voted to impeach Trump are going extinct… In all, seven Republican senators and 10 Republican House members backed Trump’s impeachment… Just two of those 10 House members have won their primaries this year…”

Cheney’s defeat was expected.  Her constant attacks on Trump did not win her any favors.

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 17:

“Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, a fierce critic of Donald Trump, lost her seat in Congress to Trump-backed candidate Harriet Hageman on Tuesday… Hageman’s rout of Cheney was also a testament to Trump’s grip over the party’s fortunes and an achievement in his campaign to oust Republicans who backed impeaching him… Cheney’s criticism of Trump and her role in the congressional panel investigating the January 6 attack made her a pariah in her party. Her third and final Congress term ends in January. She will continue in her leadership role on the January 6 attack panel until it dissolves at the end of 2022.”

Will Trump Go After Clinton and Obama?

Daily Mail wrote on August 17:

“Former President Donald Trump signaled that he intends to capitalize on the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago raid – sharing an op-ed that predicting Republicans might exact vengeance by using law enforcement to go after Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

“Trump shared without comment an op-ed by loyalist and conservative columnist Kimberly Strassel in the Wall Street Journal, whose work he has frequently promoted in the past. In an email from his Save America PAC, Trump tweeted the article’s headline: ‘The Payback for Mar-a-Lago Will Be Brutal.’”

Abortion Merely a Means of Birth Control?

Life News wrote on August 8:

“Minnesota has released its report on abortion in the state in 2020 and 2021. The report points out reasons why women had abortions. In 2021, by far the most common reason given was that the woman ‘[did] not want children at this time.’ Eighty-four percent of women who responded gave this reason for their abortions… Less than 1% of Minnesota abortions in 2021 and 2020 were committed because the mother was a victim of rape or incest, and no abortions were reported either year to save the life of the mother.”

Economic hardship is another major reason for abortions. But how can this justify the murder of an unborn child?

Mr. President, Get Rid of Corona Restrictions!

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on August 15:

“In June, the United States Department of State published an announcement of the ending of coronavirus testing requirements imposed on Americans and foreigners flying to America. The announcement, though, also declared that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ‘Order requiring proof of vaccination for noncitizen nonimmigrants to travel to the United States is still in effect.’ And that coronavirus crackdown requirement remains in effect today.

“Fortunately, public opposition to the requirement that visitors to America take the experimental coronavirus ‘vaccine’ shots is rising among Republican governors and Republican House of Representative members. Indeed, Joseph Summers wrote Thursday at LifeSite about two letters groups of Republican office holders sent to President Joe Biden this month requesting that Biden terminate the requirement that foreigners take coronavirus shots as a prerequisite for visiting America, The first is an August 1 letter from eight Republican US House of Representatives members. The second is an August 10 letter from 17 Republican governors.

“Notably, the governors’ letter includes this strange assertion: ‘Republican Governors consistently stood against the immense, unconstitutional overstepping of power that occurred in our country during the pandemic in the name of public health.’ Of course, most Republican governors jumped right on the coronavirus crackdown bandwagon, though they often applied a lighter tyrannical touch than their Democratic counterparts. Still, it is good to see now the increased number of Republican governors standing in opposition to some of the still in place aspects of the crackdown.”

Will Joe Biden listen? Now his wife has corona. 

She was fully vaccinated. According to some reports, she is now taking the corona pill Paxlovid, a medication which German doctors are warning about (see last Current Events, “Germany’s COVID Chaos”).

Kennedy Jr. Suspended from Facebook and Instagram

 The Associated Press wrote on August 18:

“Instagram and Facebook suspended Children’s Health Defense from its platforms this week… [The] anti-vaccine group [is] led by Robert Kennedy Jr… In a statement, Kennedy compared Facebook’s actions to government censorship…”

Germany’s Vaccination Mandate

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 18:

“The Federal Constitutional Court rejected a bid to overturn a measles vaccination requirement for children in day care centers and schools, upholding a law that has come into effect in March 2020… If a child’s immunization is not documented, schools are required to notify the local public health office.

“It is not possible to exclude unvaccinated children from schools, because of a legal obligation to education, but parents who refuse to vaccinate their children face fines of up to €2,500 ($2,760).”

The New Inflation Reduction Act

Fox News wrote on August 16:

“White House officials are not saying when the act will start reducing inflation or by how much, even though the legislation is being billed as a way to slow price increases…. overall inflation… sits at 8.5% over a year ago as of July…

“… multiple outside studies and economists are projecting that the bill will have very little, if any, success in decreasing inflation. Even Sen. Bernie Sanders… said the bill ‘will in fact have a minimal impact on inflation’… “

The bill was passed on party-line votes in both the House and the Senate. It will double the IRS workforce over the decade. Fox News wrote that despite assurances from Democrats to the contrary, “Republican politicians have voiced concern that the [bill will] not only raise taxes on lower- and middle-class Americans, but could also increase the amount of tax audits, disproportionately affecting citizens who are unable to afford legal counsel… The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal also demurred, with a Sunday editorial that argued the IRS expansion would likely collect billions in cash from ‘new middle-class audits.’ The problem is that for every tax cheat the IRS identifies, several more compliant tax filers will be subjected to needless scrutiny,’ the board wrote.”

Biden’s New $739 Billion Inflation Bill Blasted

Fox News wrote on August 16:

“President Joe Biden was blasted for his comments while signing the Inflation Reduction Act into law Tuesday. The bill costs $739 billion and the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and Penn Wharton Budget Model estimate it will not reduce inflation, despite its name…

“Conservative commentator Ian Miles Cheong, a refugee from China, tweeted, ‘Orwellian. This might be the single largest transfer of wealth from the middle class to corporate and state interests since the pandemic policies bankrupted numerous small businesses… Not only are these people taking away your hard earned money, they’re killing your children’s chance of having any kind of comfortable future,’ he continued.

“Cheong also criticized Biden’s speech, which the president struggled to get through, tweeting, ‘It’s clear that Joe has dementia but no one in the media will point it out.’

“Guy Benson, a Fox News contributor and political editor of Townhall, tweeted, ‘Oh, a lot of “green” special interests won. So did the IRS, big time. And when the IRS doubles, a lot of Americans don’t feel like winners.’ Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., disputed Biden’s claim that ‘no one earning less than $400,000 a year will pay a penny more in federal taxes.’ ‘The CBO disagrees. Americans earning less than $400k a year are estimated to pay an additional $20 BILLION in new taxes. This Administration just lies…and the media covers for them. Every time,’ Tuberville tweeted.

“James J. Carafano, vice president for foreign and security policy at the Heritage Foundation, tweeted, ‘This will be a dark day for everyday Americans that will bear the brunt of this big government law. How fitting to sign on anniversary of Afghanistan disaster that humiliated every single American.’”

Is the European Army on the Way?

Politics Today wrote on August 16:

“On July 20, the European Union Commission announced its plan to provide 1.2 billion Euros… to support 61 joint defense research and development projects… This move raised questions about whether the EU states are now more willing to form a European military identity given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine… The idea of creating a European army has a long and contentious history in Europe… Some EU countries such as France, Germany, and Italy prioritize the EU’s own defense and promote the idea of an EU army… Today, there is considerable support among other EU member states for the EU maintaining its own security. Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi argued for the need to enhance European security…

Tensions between the U.S. and some EU countries, too, fuel debates on Europe becoming a self-sufficient and self-reliant power. In NATO-EU security relations, the distrust felt by some EU member states—especially evident during the Trump administration—has a potential to resurge in the future… It is remarkable that Germany, which kept its defense budget the same for years, has finally increased it to €100 billion… though still small in size, the EU is getting closer to a common security understanding. It will be curious to follow whether the European Union will achieve a strong security and defense of its own.”

According to biblical prophecy, it will.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

Update 1035

The Power of Support / Don’t Stop Living

On August 20, 2022, Dave Harris will present the sermonette, titled, “The Power of Support,” and Eric Rank will present the sermon, titled, “Don’t Stop Living.”

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

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Look Forward to the Future in Faith

by Paul Niehoff (Australia)

In our Christian lives, we have many promises from God. He reminds us via the apostle Paul that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). We also know through James that “the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5:15). These are promises for us mainly during this life, but what about promises for our future? What should we have faith in regarding our future? What does God want us to be thinking about as we go through our day-to-day life with both its pleasures and difficulties?

We know that God tells us to seek first His “kingdom… and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). And if we do, it is pleasing to God, but we must have the faith to believe His promises. Remember, believing God counts for righteousness as was described about Abram. See Genesis 15:6.

When we want to study faith, the obvious chapter to refer to is Hebrews 11, which is commonly called “the faith chapter.” In it, we can read about many men and women who lived and died in faith. But what did they have faith in? In this chapter, there are examples of the ancients who looked to the promises of the future, rather than just their present lifetime.

Some did receive a reward for their faith during their lifetime. Noah was warned about a flood and by building the ark saved his household. And, in fact, it is because of his faith and action that we are alive today. By faith Sarah was able to conceive a child. Through that child we have received physical and spiritual blessings today. But others did not receive the promises while they lived, but looked to the future fulfilment of them (compare Hebrews 11:13). So, what did these look forward to?

Abraham obeyed God and left his homeland to a place that he was promised he would inherit even though he did not know where he was going. He dwelt there with his son Isaac and grandson Jacob who had the same promise. They and their families dwelt in tents during their lifetime, as we can read that Isaac took Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent as his wife. See Genesis 24:67. They did not have permanent buildings to live in during their lifetime.

So, what did Abraham especially look forward to? Hebrews 11:10 explains that “he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” He was looking forward to a time when He would live in a permanent city that God would provide, not just in tents as he was living in during his life. Moses also, in faith, looked forward to the reward, “esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt…” (See Hebrews 11:26).

So, all those mentioned who died in faith “…desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:16). We can see glimpses of this promise, as a physical forerunner, in the Millennium; for example, in Isaiah 33:20-21. There we see Jerusalem, a quiet home, a place of broad rivers and streams. It will be so much better than what it is today. A city of peace—the name Jerusalem traditionally meaning “Possession of Peace.”

It will be where Christ will rule the earth from in stability and peace, for the benefit and blessing of all people. There will be no uncertainty as to who will be elected as the next president and whether he will do a good job or not, as there is today, but Christ will rule perfectly. And thinking about Jerusalem today, it could not be called a quiet home with broad rivers and streams today as it will be in God’s future. It has experienced many wars over the millennia and had very little peace.

But ultimately, after the Millennium and the Great White Throne Judgment, God will provide “…the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). And as we read in Hebrews 11:39-40: “And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.”

So, as we go through life with its many difficulties, we can remind ourselves that the men and women of faith mentioned in the Bible have not yet received their ultimate promise. God is waiting to share it with them and with us when we are all made perfect together. It is a promise that we should consider the most important thing in our life to look forward to—one that will be filled with joy and pleasure forevermore. So today, as we live our lives in both good times and in bad times, we should be looking toward that future Kingdom that God has promised to us and all of His people forever.

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by Norbert Link

We report on America’s debacle in Afghanistan one year ago; the celebration of America’s enemies over Biden’s disaster; and the inevitable downfall of the USA. Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, America’s Downfall IS Prophesied!”

We continue with the undeniable influence of Trump over the Republican Party and further developments on the FBI raid on Trump’s private property; an appeal to President Biden to finally revoke coronavirus restrictions; and the highly controversial “Inflation Reduction Act.”

We conclude with an article asking whether the long-awaited EU Army is on its way.

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

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Biden’s Afghanistan Debacle…

npr wrote on August 15:

“A year ago, U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan, a chaotic end to America’s longest war — and a turning point in the Biden presidency, a moment when his approval ratings fell… Doug Sosnik, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton, said it wasn’t just Afghanistan that started Biden’s fall from grace. Covid-19 was surging and inflation was beginning to accelerate. But Sosnik says the bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan really hurt Biden because it undercut the president’s image. ‘If bringing competence back to government is one of the kind of hallmarks of a candidacy, then I think the optics of the Afghanistan withdrawal go completely against the sort of rationale of why you should have voted for Biden,’ he said…

“The withdrawal helped start Biden’s slide in the polls. But a year later, voters are more concerned about the economy, said Mohamed Younis, Gallup’s editor-in- chief. ‘I’m saying… it’s really been a very long time since foreign policy has been the factor in a presidency sort of turning sour,’ Younis said.”

The indifference of many Americans regarding US foreign policy is another reason for America’s coming downfall…

China Celebrates Biden’s Defeat and the Downfall of the USA

Breitbart wrote on August 17:

“The Global Times and its stable of ‘Chinese experts’ argued the ‘Kabul moment’ showed that America’s playbook of ‘democratic transformation’ will never work anywhere, the American ‘strategy of hegemony’ is a bust, and while Biden might have thought he was escaping from a quagmire, he instead made the United States perpetually responsible for the misery of the Afghan people…

“After US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan island on August 2, a delegation of five US lawmakers arrived on the island of Taiwan on Sunday…

“The Global Times advised Americans to regard the ‘Kabul moment’ as proof they are a ‘superpower in its downfall’… ‘The U.S. has passed its peak, with its withdrawal from Afghanistan marking the beginning of the decline of U.S. strength…”

Bild Online reported on August 17 that China is sending troops to Russia to participate in a military exercise in the east. Troops from India and Belarus will also participate. Bild Online commented: “A clear signal to the USA: Nuclear powers playing war.” Also, Russia and North Korea just announced their desire to improve their friendly relationship. The “kings of the East” are coming together. 

Is the USA Facilitating its Own Death?

On August 17, the Ron Paul institute published the following article by Larry Johnson:

“After 8 years of arming and training Ukraine’s army and air force, spending billions of tax payer dollars, the United States no longer has a viable strategy to defeat the Russian forces and compel Vladimir Putin to accept a humiliating defeat. Yes, the US and NATO are pouring a large amount of HIMARS, Army Tactical Missile Systems (aks ATACMS), tanks, vehicles and aircraft into the fight, but this is only prolonging the inevitable surrender of Ukraine

“Throughout the period from 1990 to February 24, 2022, there were still people in the Russian political leadership who believed that negotiations with the United States and Europe was a viable option. That is no longer the case. Whether the United States and Europe want to believe it, the Russian leaders and people now believe that the west poses an existential threat to them and they will do what is necessary to defend themselves and survive.

“I am old enough to remember a time when the freedom of the press and freedom of speech set the United States apart as a special place. American culture and economic prowess was something that many in Russia and the rest of the world envied. But that was then. When foreigners now consider the state of America they see something radically different. Freedom of the press and freedom of speech are now under regular, sustained attack directed at Christians and conservatives. I remember when the Soviets labeled dissidents as terrorists. Now, America’s own Department of Justice is doing the same to parents opposed to critical race theory and outraged over their daughters being asked to shower with males who claim they are female…

“American culture is now awash with filth. Child pornography, pedophilia and transgenderism is being touted as normal. Anyone who dares challenge these things as abnormal are tagged as racists and hatemongers… Most people in the world, not just Russians, see this and can only conclude that the United States is in the grip of mass psychosis

“When Russia secures its victory in Ukraine–regardless of how much time and bloodshed is required to achieve that end–it will be committed to building global relations that exclude the United States. The era of the United States as the supreme military and economic power in the world is over.

“I am an American patriot. I love this country and what it is supposed to stand for. But the actions of the Biden Administration are weakening dramatically the US economy and military. The weapon systems that are flooding into Ukraine are being destroyed by Russia or sold on the black market by Ukrainian profiteers. I fear that when the war in Ukraine is settled that the United States will have burnt all bridges that could have led to a reconciliation with Russia. I hope I am wrong.”

No, he is right. The irresponsible conduct of the Biden Administration is only accelerating America’s isolation in the world and its inevitable downfall. The Bible says that America will be viewed as a curse and it will be hated by all nations.

The Disunited USA

Newsmax published the following opinion piece by Patrick Buchanan on August 16:

“… we are a country whose people have a diminishing confidence in almost all of its institutions, from big business to the churches, universities and media… Public approval of Biden’s performance is at the lowest level ever recorded for a president at this point in his first term…

“The left today dominates the academic community and culture to a greater degree than it once did and is further removed from the heart of the country in Middle America than it has ever been. When, how, does America ever unite again?… Where is the common ground on which to stand?

Does such ground even exist, given the divisions in religion, race and ethnicity, and the seemingly irreconcilable disagreements over morality, ideology, culture and politics? Has the great experiment run its course?”

America is destined to fall…

USA in Perilous Times

Breitbart wrote on August 15:

“Donald Trump’s legal team demolished the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) media spin that denied having the former president’s passports in their possession following the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago last week… As Breitbart News noted, the passports were ‘not independently itemized on the FBI’s property receipt of the 28 inventory items federal agents seized… The warrant, which Attorney General Merrick Garland says he approved and was signed by Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, did not state that they could take Trump’s passport,’ the report noted. ‘Typically, the government needs a separate court order to seize someone’s passport, even temporarily.’

“According to Norah O’Donnell of CBS News, a DOJ official said the former president’s passports were not in their possession, one of which presumably would have been a diplomatic passport… Shortly after Norah’s post, Taylor Budowich, the former president’s communications director, shared an email from Jay Bratt, the top counterintelligence official in the Justice Department’s national security division, confirming that three passports were seized in the raid and that they would be returned to the former president soon… [According to other press releases, they have now been returned.]

“Donald Trump warned about the ‘tremendous anger’ brewing in the country following the raid on his private residence. ‘There has never been a time like this where law enforcement has been used to break into the house of a former president of the United States, and there is tremendous anger in the country—at a level that has never been seen before, other than during very perilous times,’ Trump said.”

The New York Post added on August 16:

“Trump initially accused the FBI of taking the passports Monday afternoon — an explosive allegation that suggested investigators believed he was a flight risk or faced potential charges that would prevent him from leaving the country… The former president and his allies have slammed the FBI and said the raid is the latest phase of a long-running ‘witch hunt’ that dates back to the bureau’s investigation into whether he colluded with Russia’s government during the 2016 campaign.

“After the search warrant and inventory were unsealed Friday, Trump claimed that the documents in question had already been declassified and that the FBI search was unnecessary. ‘They could have had it anytime they wanted without playing politics and breaking into Mar-a-Lago,’ he wrote on Truth Social. ‘It was in secured storage, with an additional lock put on as per their request. They could have had it anytime they wanted—and that includes LONG ago. ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS ASK.’”

There is indeed tremendous anger in the country, and calls for civil war are getting louder.

Cheney vs. Trump

The Associated Press reported on August 17:

“Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was increasingly open on Wednesday about considering a 2024 presidential campaign after soundly losing a Republican primary to a challenger backed by former President Donald Trump. Speaking to NBC in the wake of her loss, the third-term congresswoman called Trump ‘a very grave threat and risk to our republic,’ and said defeating him will require ‘a broad and united front of Republicans, Democrats and independents — and that’s what I intend to be part of.’ She declined to say if she would run for president but conceded it’s ‘something that I’m thinking about.’…

“With Cheney’s loss, Republicans who voted to impeach Trump are going extinct… In all, seven Republican senators and 10 Republican House members backed Trump’s impeachment… Just two of those 10 House members have won their primaries this year…”

Cheney’s defeat was expected.  Her constant attacks on Trump did not win her any favors.

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 17:

“Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, a fierce critic of Donald Trump, lost her seat in Congress to Trump-backed candidate Harriet Hageman on Tuesday… Hageman’s rout of Cheney was also a testament to Trump’s grip over the party’s fortunes and an achievement in his campaign to oust Republicans who backed impeaching him… Cheney’s criticism of Trump and her role in the congressional panel investigating the January 6 attack made her a pariah in her party. Her third and final Congress term ends in January. She will continue in her leadership role on the January 6 attack panel until it dissolves at the end of 2022.”

Will Trump Go After Clinton and Obama?

Daily Mail wrote on August 17:

“Former President Donald Trump signaled that he intends to capitalize on the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago raid – sharing an op-ed that predicting Republicans might exact vengeance by using law enforcement to go after Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

“Trump shared without comment an op-ed by loyalist and conservative columnist Kimberly Strassel in the Wall Street Journal, whose work he has frequently promoted in the past. In an email from his Save America PAC, Trump tweeted the article’s headline: ‘The Payback for Mar-a-Lago Will Be Brutal.’”

Abortion Merely a Means of Birth Control?

Life News wrote on August 8:

“Minnesota has released its report on abortion in the state in 2020 and 2021. The report points out reasons why women had abortions. In 2021, by far the most common reason given was that the woman ‘[did] not want children at this time.’ Eighty-four percent of women who responded gave this reason for their abortions… Less than 1% of Minnesota abortions in 2021 and 2020 were committed because the mother was a victim of rape or incest, and no abortions were reported either year to save the life of the mother.”

Economic hardship is another major reason for abortions. But how can this justify the murder of an unborn child?

Mr. President, Get Rid of Corona Restrictions!

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on August 15:

“In June, the United States Department of State published an announcement of the ending of coronavirus testing requirements imposed on Americans and foreigners flying to America. The announcement, though, also declared that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ‘Order requiring proof of vaccination for noncitizen nonimmigrants to travel to the United States is still in effect.’ And that coronavirus crackdown requirement remains in effect today.

“Fortunately, public opposition to the requirement that visitors to America take the experimental coronavirus ‘vaccine’ shots is rising among Republican governors and Republican House of Representative members. Indeed, Joseph Summers wrote Thursday at LifeSite about two letters groups of Republican office holders sent to President Joe Biden this month requesting that Biden terminate the requirement that foreigners take coronavirus shots as a prerequisite for visiting America, The first is an August 1 letter from eight Republican US House of Representatives members. The second is an August 10 letter from 17 Republican governors.

“Notably, the governors’ letter includes this strange assertion: ‘Republican Governors consistently stood against the immense, unconstitutional overstepping of power that occurred in our country during the pandemic in the name of public health.’ Of course, most Republican governors jumped right on the coronavirus crackdown bandwagon, though they often applied a lighter tyrannical touch than their Democratic counterparts. Still, it is good to see now the increased number of Republican governors standing in opposition to some of the still in place aspects of the crackdown.”

Will Joe Biden listen? Now his wife has corona. 

She was fully vaccinated. According to some reports, she is now taking the corona pill Paxlovid, a medication which German doctors are warning about (see last Current Events, “Germany’s COVID Chaos”).

Kennedy Jr. Suspended from Facebook and Instagram

 The Associated Press wrote on August 18:

“Instagram and Facebook suspended Children’s Health Defense from its platforms this week… [The] anti-vaccine group [is] led by Robert Kennedy Jr… In a statement, Kennedy compared Facebook’s actions to government censorship…”

Germany’s Vaccination Mandate

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 18:

“The Federal Constitutional Court rejected a bid to overturn a measles vaccination requirement for children in day care centers and schools, upholding a law that has come into effect in March 2020… If a child’s immunization is not documented, schools are required to notify the local public health office.

“It is not possible to exclude unvaccinated children from schools, because of a legal obligation to education, but parents who refuse to vaccinate their children face fines of up to €2,500 ($2,760).”

The New Inflation Reduction Act

Fox News wrote on August 16:

“White House officials are not saying when the act will start reducing inflation or by how much, even though the legislation is being billed as a way to slow price increases…. overall inflation… sits at 8.5% over a year ago as of July…

“… multiple outside studies and economists are projecting that the bill will have very little, if any, success in decreasing inflation. Even Sen. Bernie Sanders… said the bill ‘will in fact have a minimal impact on inflation’… “

The bill was passed on party-line votes in both the House and the Senate. It will double the IRS workforce over the decade. Fox News wrote that despite assurances from Democrats to the contrary, “Republican politicians have voiced concern that the [bill will] not only raise taxes on lower- and middle-class Americans, but could also increase the amount of tax audits, disproportionately affecting citizens who are unable to afford legal counsel… The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal also demurred, with a Sunday editorial that argued the IRS expansion would likely collect billions in cash from ‘new middle-class audits.’ The problem is that for every tax cheat the IRS identifies, several more compliant tax filers will be subjected to needless scrutiny,’ the board wrote.”

Biden’s New $739 Billion Inflation Bill Blasted

Fox News wrote on August 16:

“President Joe Biden was blasted for his comments while signing the Inflation Reduction Act into law Tuesday. The bill costs $739 billion and the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and Penn Wharton Budget Model estimate it will not reduce inflation, despite its name…

“Conservative commentator Ian Miles Cheong, a refugee from China, tweeted, ‘Orwellian. This might be the single largest transfer of wealth from the middle class to corporate and state interests since the pandemic policies bankrupted numerous small businesses… Not only are these people taking away your hard earned money, they’re killing your children’s chance of having any kind of comfortable future,’ he continued.

“Cheong also criticized Biden’s speech, which the president struggled to get through, tweeting, ‘It’s clear that Joe has dementia but no one in the media will point it out.’

“Guy Benson, a Fox News contributor and political editor of Townhall, tweeted, ‘Oh, a lot of “green” special interests won. So did the IRS, big time. And when the IRS doubles, a lot of Americans don’t feel like winners.’ Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., disputed Biden’s claim that ‘no one earning less than $400,000 a year will pay a penny more in federal taxes.’ ‘The CBO disagrees. Americans earning less than $400k a year are estimated to pay an additional $20 BILLION in new taxes. This Administration just lies…and the media covers for them. Every time,’ Tuberville tweeted.

“James J. Carafano, vice president for foreign and security policy at the Heritage Foundation, tweeted, ‘This will be a dark day for everyday Americans that will bear the brunt of this big government law. How fitting to sign on anniversary of Afghanistan disaster that humiliated every single American.’”

Is the European Army on the Way?

Politics Today wrote on August 16:

“On July 20, the European Union Commission announced its plan to provide 1.2 billion Euros… to support 61 joint defense research and development projects… This move raised questions about whether the EU states are now more willing to form a European military identity given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine… The idea of creating a European army has a long and contentious history in Europe… Some EU countries such as France, Germany, and Italy prioritize the EU’s own defense and promote the idea of an EU army… Today, there is considerable support among other EU member states for the EU maintaining its own security. Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi argued for the need to enhance European security…

Tensions between the U.S. and some EU countries, too, fuel debates on Europe becoming a self-sufficient and self-reliant power. In NATO-EU security relations, the distrust felt by some EU member states—especially evident during the Trump administration—has a potential to resurge in the future… It is remarkable that Germany, which kept its defense budget the same for years, has finally increased it to €100 billion… though still small in size, the EU is getting closer to a common security understanding. It will be curious to follow whether the European Union will achieve a strong security and defense of its own.”

According to biblical prophecy, it will.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

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Why do you not baptize by using the words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost”? (Part 2)

In the previous installment, we discussed the fact that Matthew 28:19 does not set forth a “formula,” which must be used when baptizing a person, and that the teaching that the baptizing minister must say the words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit,” is erroneous and unbiblical.  At the same time, we pointed out that “the concept stated in Matthew 28:19, in referring during the entire baptism ceremony to the role and function of the Father and Jesus Christ, bestowing on the baptized person the gift of the Holy Spirit, is accurate and biblical.” We did not address the question in the previous installment whether the Scripture itself is genuine or not.

Before addressing this intriguing issue, let us point out that it would not be beyond possibility or comprehension that a “passage” was added by translators or copyists which was not in the original text—or, that a passage which was in the original text was subsequently deleted. God would allow this as He has given His people discerning minds, through His Holy Spirit, to note such rare occasions and to point them out to those who have willing and receptive hearts.

For instance, we explained in the previous installment that a passage in 1 John 5:7-8 WAS added, which should not be in the Bible. The words, “there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one,” are clearly a later addition to “prove” the Trinity. As we mentioned, the wording in Matthew 28:19 has also been used as proof for the unbiblical concept of the Trinity, and it is therefore only natural to ask the question whether this passage might also have been added.

Before exploring this question more deeply, let us address a situation as described in our free booklet, Jesus Christ—a Great Mystery!,” where we pointed out that an important passage has been OMITTED from the original text, but which should BE in the Bible. In the box with the article titled, “How Did Christ Die?”, on pages 78 and 79, we explained:

“When we read Matthew’s account, in the New King James Bible, we will not find exactly how Christ died. The reason is that this translation omits a crucial verse, at the end of Matthew 27:49. Several translations, as well as many old manuscripts, have retained this missing verse. For instance, verses 49 and 50 read in the Moffat translation: ‘But the others said, “Stop, let us see if Elijah does come to save him!” (Seizing a lance, another pricked [better, pierced] his side, and out came water and blood.) Jesus again uttered a loud scream, and gave up his spirit.’”

We then quoted several translations which either contain this missing verse in the text, or in a footnote.

In a subsequent Q&A, elaborating on this issue, we stated the following:

“Do we know WHY the inspired passage in Matthew 27:49 was deleted from the sacred text? The deletion occurred when a spurious version of the book of Matthew, which was allegedly written by Barnabas, was found, which did not include the passage in Matthew 27:49. Note the following excerpts from Westcott and Hort:

“‘In a letter partially preserved in Syriac… [Severus] mentions the reading [of the missing passage] as having been vigorously debated at Constantinople in connexion with the matter of the patriarch Macedonius, when the… [spurious] copy of… Matthew’s Gospel said to have been discovered in Cyprus with the body of… Barnabas in the reign of Zeno (?477) was consulted and found not to contain the sentence in question … at Constantinople the holy Gospels were by command of the emperor censored,’ and the passage in question was deleted from the sacred text of the gospel according to Matthew.

“Of course, no emperor–nor ANY MAN, for that purpose–has any divine authority to add to or delete from the Word of God. And so, God saw to it that the missing passage WAS preserved–and anyone with an open mind can read it today in its original form.”

With this introduction, let us now explore the question as to whether or not it is possible that the passage in Matthew 28:19 might have been added and that it was not in the original inspired writings.

First, we want to cite quotes from commentaries and other sources advocating the authenticity of Matthew 28:19.

 James Hastings, The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Vol. 2, art. “Baptism,” pp. 376, 380, 389, writes:

 “There is no real ground for doubting the authenticity of Mt. 28:19 as part of Mt’s Gospel in its final form. But this is far from settling its historicity as a word of Jesus Himself… If it were undisputed, this would, of course, be decisive, but its trustworthiness is impugned on the grounds of textual criticism, literary criticism, and historical criticism…In connection with the name (which may mean one or more names) the question of formula arises. The earliest known formula is ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus,’ or some similar phrase; this is found in the Acts, and was perhaps still used by Hermas, but by the time of Justin Martyr [c. A.D. 100 –165] the triune formula had become general… In all extent versions the text is found in the traditional form, though it must be remembered that the African old Latin and… old Syriac versions are defective at this point.”

Please note several points:

First, Hastings says that the passage in Matthew 28:19 is clearly authentic, but confirms that we cannot say that these are words from Jesus Himself. But if Jesus did not utter those words, then the passage in Matthew 28:19 could clearly not be authentic. Then, Hastings admits that the phrase was not used as a formula by the early New Testament Church; that those who used it later understood it to be a “triune formula”; and that some versions do NOT contain this phrase (we will address this point later).

Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 4th ed., pp. 624-625, states:

“It is not necessary to assume that, when Jesus employed these words [i.e., “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”], He intended them as a formula to be used ever after. He merely used them as descriptive of the character of the baptism which He instituted… [The apostles] did not understand the words of Jesus in the great commission as prescribing a definite formula.”

Even though Berkhof concludes or at least does not question the authenticity of the passage, he likewise feels confident that it is not describing a baptismal formula.

Then, there are authors who conclude that the passage in Matthew 28:19 is authentic and a trinitarian formula for the reason that, as they point out, the concept of a trinitarian baptism is mentioned in early “Christian” writings.

J.R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible, writes on page 721:

“Although the Trinitarian formula in this passage is found in all manuscripts and versions, some recent critics regard it as an interpolation, or at least as an unauthentic utterance of Jesus. They argue that all the baptisms described in the N.T. are into the name of Jesus, not into the name of the Trinity (Ac 2:28; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5)… the formula, whether spoken by Jesus or not, dates certainly from the apostolic age. It was known to Clement of Rome (90 A.D.), who has three Trinitarian statements, mentioning Father, Son and Holy Spirit thrice in that order; it forms the basis of the earliest form of the Apostles’ Creed (cir. 100 A.D.); it is expressly quoted in the Didache (c. 100 A.D.); and is … alluded to by Justin Martyr (150 A.D.). It may be doubted whether any other single text of the N.T. has such early and satisfactory attention.”

The Apostolic Fathers, Vol. I, art. “The First Apology of Justin,” p. 183, quote Justin Martyr [A.D. 100-165] as saying: “For, in the name of God the Father and God of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water.”

Regarding the Apostles’ Creed, we state this in our free booklet, The Authority of the Bible,” in chapter 10:

“We do not consider the ‘Apostles’ Creed’ as inspired—neither in the form used by the Roman Catholic Church, nor in its numerous variations used by Protestant churches. Some claim that the ‘Apostles’ Creed’ is the oldest of all the Christian creeds. It is considered the basis of all other creeds in non-Catholic churches. As fairy tales would have it, some allege that each of the apostles supplied one article to the Creed. This claim is totally without merit. The apostles had nothing to do with formulating this Creed.”

Later, we say in our booklet:

“The doctrinal problems with the ‘Apostles’ Creed’ are numerous.

“First of all, it clearly suggests the belief in the Trinity—a belief which is a human invention and which cannot be found in the Holy Scriptures… It also suggests that Christ went to ‘hell,’ while He was dead and in the grave for three days and three nights, apparently, so it is said, to preach to demons. This concept is false—Christ had NO CONSCIOUSNESS while in the grave, and He did not go anywhere.”

So, the fact that the wording in question might be found in the spurious and uninspired Apostles’ Creed is of no convincing evidentiary value. We will address the reference to Justin Martyr later. In any event, they describe what allegedly took place in certain “Christian” communities, without stating that this procedure was based on the passage in Matthew 28:19.

James Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible, Vol. II, art. “God”, “Distinction in the Godhead,”  writes:

“This [command to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost] belongs to a comparatively late and suspected part of the Gospel… Now, the Didache shows us that we no sooner cross the frontier of the apostolic age than we find baptism into the Threefold Name in full possession of the field (Did. Vii 1,3). The tradition is continuous. It is taken up by Justin (Apol. 1.61), and Tertullian expressly tells us that the person baptized was dipped three times in recognition of the Threefold Name (Prax. 26). The practice, then, is at least very old.”

A person being “dipped” three times in recognition of the Trinity (others say, that according to the Didache, water may be poured three times on the head of the person if otherwise, not enough water was available) would most certainly not have experienced a proper baptism. The Didache is another spurious text which includes many false teachings. For instance, it teaches Sunday observation (which it wrongly calls the “Lord’s Day”) and “fasting” on Wednesday and Friday. Followers had to say the “Lord’s Prayer” three times a day (even though Jesus forbids such practice in Matthew 6:7).

The Apostolic Fathers, “Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians,” Longer Version, pp. 85-86, point out that Ignatius (who died about A.D. 107) quotes Jesus as having said, “Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

We should state that Ignatius was a heretic. He advocated the keeping of Sunday, calling it the Lord’s Day, and he stated, not to keep the Sabbath “after the Jewish manner”, to “rejoice in the days of idleness.”

Irenaeus, who died in A.D. 202, wrote in his work, Against Heresies, Book III, chapter xvii:

“He said to them, ‘Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’”

He also wrote in ch. 61, “Christian Baptism”: “For in the name of God the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water.”

To summarize at this point, none of the authors argue that the “trinitarian baptismal formula” was adopted from the wording in Matthew 28, as a passage being in existence; they only claim that it was the practice by certain Christian communities to use those words for baptism, while admitting the possibility that they were NOT said by Jesus Himself. That the practice of baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost might have been in existence as early as the second century is immaterial. Many teachings and practices had developed by that time which were not biblical.

That some authors or works, many of them of a heretical or spurious character themselves, quote Jesus as having said those words, or claim that the practice was based on Christ’s teachings, is also immaterial. Nowhere is a direct quote from Matthew 28:19 given. Nowhere do we read that an author by the end of the first or the beginning of the second century said: “Jesus said in the book of Matthew, at the end of the book, that we are to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Those who allude to the wording of the threefold trinitarian baptism, claiming that Jesus said those words, without quoting and directly referring to the book of Matthew as evidence for their claim, might as well have just referred to some “human tradition,” according to which Jesus allegedly stated these words. The suspicion, then, that these words were later added in order to confirm the “Christian” practice and belief, as did happen in the case of 1 John 5:7-8, ought to be addressed.

In the next installment, we will discuss the concerns authors and commentaries have raised as to the genuineness of Matthew 28:19.

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

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Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

compiled by Dave Harris

On the Sabbath of August 13, 2022, Frank Bruno was ordained to the ministry by Evangelist Norbert Link and Pastors Dave Harris and Eric Rank. This ordination took place in Fort Collins, Colorado—congratulations to Frank and his family.

“America’s Downfall IS Prophesied!” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Some observers recognize that America is divided and in decline. They openly talk about its downfall, both domestically and internationally. But many don’t see or care about the signs of the time. The Bible confirms that the USA will lose its supreme military and economic power in the world. But there IS light at the end of the dark tunnel. 

A new Member Letter (August 2022) has been written by Eric Rank. He presents a very insightful analogy reminding us to view our challenges through God’s perspective. Also, our new booklet, “God is…Our Destiny!” is being mailed along with this letter. If you would like a copy of this booklet, just request it, and we will be happy to mail one to you. “God is… Our Destiny!” is also available at our website.

“Der prophezeite Aufstieg des Staates Israel,” is the title of a new German sermon presented by Norbert Link. Title in English, “The Prophesied Rise of the State of Israel.”

“Quo Vadis—Where Are You Going?” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Frank Bruno, is now posted. Here is a summary:

In our relationship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ, we are moving either towards them, or away from them. Standing still may seem a safe compromise in this world, but it is the essence of being on the fence and presenting an undecided heart to God. The pathway that Jesus accepted to return to the Father was essential to our salvation. Jesus made clear that those who are called could one day follow. This Sermonette we will consider scriptures and examples that can help guide us on our own journey.

“Europe’s Rise and Fall,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

We find an amazing end time prophecy in the Book of Ezekiel about the political, economic, military and religious European power bloc, and its sudden demise and fall that will result in its total annihilation and destruction. Who will be the main players in this development; who are the modern Medes; and what is the connection between the prince and the king of Tyre, and the false prophet?

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How This Work is Financed

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

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

Technical Team: Eric Rank, Shana Rank

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

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

Donations can be sent to the following addresses:

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

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

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

Update 1034

Quo Vadis—Where Are You Going? / Europe’s Rise and Fall

On August 13, 2022, Frank Bruno will present the sermonette, titled, “Quo Vadis—Where Are You Going?” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “Europe’s Rise and Fall.”

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

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When the Truth Is No Longer the Truth!

by Thilo Hanstein (Germany)

For quite some time now, we have been in the midst of many strange scenarios with the most impossible justifications, so that it sometimes becomes very difficult to distinguish between what is a lie and what is Truth. Satan has actually managed to make God’s Truth barren to most people in this world.

Within a very short time, he has succeeded in confusing people even more, frightening them, and even driving some, if not many, into madness, culminating in suicide.

Whether it concerns the politicians of the world, the BigTech media industry, the pharmaceutical industry with its lobbyists, the judiciary, the court system, or even our circle of acquaintances and friends—far too much deceitful nonsense is being talked about; half-truths are being spread and totalitarian autocratic ideologies are being broadcast and carried out, which simply can no longer make sense for those who want peace.

News is being censored and facts twisted due to the arbitrariness of governments all over the world, and that is, shockingly, supposed to be allowed even according to the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany.

The LGBT+ madness is becoming more and more unbearable. Pre-school children are indoctrinated to submit to this new way of life and parents have no say in their upbringing. Boys are allowed to wear girls’ clothes, and if a boy feels like a girl, he is allowed to use the girls’ locker room to change clothes there and to shower with them naked. All of this is contrary to God’s Commandments and His Truth—a very frightening and sickening notion that is nothing but painful.

They tried to convince all mankind that multiple vaccinations against the Coronavirus would help people, proclaiming that if you get vaccinated you could not get Covid. We were even told that we would all die if we did not get vaccinated, even though many knew that these vaccinations could be very dangerous for some. If you requested to have an autopsy in regards to someone’s death with the suspicion that it could be the result from the vaccination, it was immediately undermined, and many side effects were “explained” in other ways.

I could never believe it either, until it was explained to me, that the justice system is often not about Truth at all, but about who presents the best arguments. A lawyer tells his client that it might be better to confess to a crime even though he is innocent, so that he can get a lighter sentence and the trial can be ended quickly. Or bribery is practiced with some kind of gifts, be it money or goods. Practically speaking, it is about making a deal, not about actual facts, nor about the Truth.

But let us not think that such situations are new or a present-day invention.

In 1 Samuel 8:1,3, we read: “Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel… But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.”

God hates it when there is lying involved in a matter, and when facts are perverted into injustice, or when false compromises are made. Such things are a great abomination to God. God is unmistakable in His statements and judgments.

In Deuteronomy 16:19-20, God tells us: “You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. You shall follow what is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the LORD your God is giving you” (see also Exodus 23:6-8).

God’s command to mankind is obvious, but at the same time, a mystery to those who are not interested in God. But in Isaiah 1:16-17, God speaks very distinct words: “‘Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.”

To declare a lie as Truth is, to put it mildly, very shameful, degrading, humiliating and hurtful as well as devastating to any innocent victim; but for God it is a sin that leads to death if not repented of.

God tells us in Isaiah 5:20-23: “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! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight! Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink, Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away justice from the righteous man!”

Make no mistake thinking that God will overlook such scenarios. We are in the end times where painful labor has begun—like a pregnant woman who will give birth soon.

If we are not attentive and remain vigilant, it could easily happen that we too believe the lie instead of the Truth. Christ was aware of this problem with people, and so He told them: “But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me” (John 8:45). Abraham Lincoln is credited with the following statement: “It is easier to believe a lie that one has heard a thousand times than the truth that one has heard only once.”

This is Satan’s very strategy! We must NEVER underestimate his power! He is very sneaky and tactically very clever in his workings. Peter tells us: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Satan often knows our weaknesses better than we do, and he will attack us where we are weakest because that is where we are most likely to fail.

When we observe world events today, we must not be deceived or influenced by media images or their statements, nor frightened by unjust human laws, nor by the justice system which supports false compromises. God is our strength in the time of trouble, and He has promised that He will help us (see Psalm 37:39).

And so we read in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14:

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.”

Initial Translation by Daniel Blasinger

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by Norbert Link

We begin with the raid of the FBI on Trump’s property in Florida and show the consequences of this politically motivated and allegedly illegal ill-advised move, while examining who was or might have been “behind” this [please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, The Raid—a Failed Attempt to Stop Trump!”]; continue with statements by Trump during his rallies which are deeply disturbing, even though they are not new at all; Fauci’s ongoing fear mongering regarding COVID, while baselessly blaming the unvaccinated; and Germany’s Health Minister Lauterbach blowing into the same horn producing an uncertain and unpopular sound.

We continue with recession fears in the USA, Britain and Germany; and we focus at length on deeply troubling developments in and pertaining to China. In this regard, please view our recent message, “China on the Warpath—Comments on News and Prophecy, August 6, 2022.”

We address the relationship between China and Japan; the vulnerable military situation in Canada; the shaky relationship between Ukraine and the USA; report on allegations regarding Pope Francis’s retirement;  and conclude with reports on Amsterdam’s nine-day gay parade.

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

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Witch-Hunt on Trump from Every Angle

The Sun wrote on August 9:

“Sources say the FBI search was part of an investigation into whether he took classified records from the White House to Mar-a-Lago… Law enforcement sources told TMZ that federal agents ‘waited for Trump to leave town’ before conducting the raid. The protocol of an FBI raid like the one conducted on Monday would require federal agents to ‘handcuff the target – if they’re home – until the property is secured,’ the outlet reported citing sources. ‘The target would not be arrested, but rather detained. Once the property was secured, agents would remove the handcuffs, but the target could not reenter the premises until the raid was completed.’

“On Tuesday, the DC Court of Appeals announced that the House Ways and Means Committee could obtain Trump’s tax returns from the IRS in the latest legal blow to the former president.

“… the search comes amid a separate grand jury investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election…

“Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence ripped the FBI, saying the raid ‘undermines public confidence’ in the country’s justice system… ‘No former President of the United States has ever been subject to a raid of their personal residence in American history… the appearance of continued partisanship by the Justice Department must be addressed… Attorney General Garland must give a full accounting to the American people as to why this action was taken and he must do so immediately.’”

Of course, Garland has so far refused to say anything which would have been substantial. Republicans and political conservative contenders for the White House like Mike Pence were quick to give their full support for Donald Trump. The political and presumably illegal action of the Justice Department and the FBI will backfire and might constitute the biggest debacle for the Biden administration… much bigger than the Afghanistan catastrophe. It does not appear that Biden and the Democrats will be able to recover from these devastating developments. Note the next articles.

Republicans in Arms in Support of Trump

Florida Politics wrote on August 8:

“The historic spectacle of the FBI raiding the former President’s… Palm Beach estate lit Twitter on fire with outraged Republicans venting about the news. State Republicans argued the raid… is an example of the federal government being weaponized against the administration’s opponents...

“Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio went on something of a Tweetstorm, evoking the political upheaval in his parent’s native country, Cuba. ‘Using government power to persecute political opponents is something we have seen many times from 3rd world Marxist dictatorships. But never before in America,’ Rubio said… U.S. Sen. Rick Scott was making basically the same point as Rubio. ‘The FBI’s raid of Mar-A-Lago is incredibly concerning, especially given the… Biden admin’s history of going after parents and other political opponents. This is 3rd World country stuff…’ [He also wrote:] Biden is playing with fire by using a document dispute to get the Justice Department to persecute a likely future election opponent. Because one day what goes around is going to come around. And then we become Nicaragua under Ortega.’

“Gov. Ron DeSantis was also pessimistic about the historic event… ‘The raid of MAL is another escalation in the weaponization of federal agencies against the Regime’s political opponents, while people like Hunter Biden get treated with kid gloves,’ DeSantis tweeted. ‘Now the Regime is getting another 87K IRS agents to wield against its adversaries? Banana Republic.’

“Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronisdemanded additional explanation about the raid from federal officials… ‘This administration has lost its mind. It is corrupt. It is political. They raid a former President, they do nothing about the border or about Hunter…. Pure Banana Republic tactics. Only in dictatorship do they use the power of government to eliminate their enemies.’”

Newsmax added on August 8:

“House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said in a statement[:] ‘The Department of Justice has reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization.’“

Breitbart published on August 8 numerous comments from conservative newscasters, supporting Trump and accusing the Biden Administration, the FBI and the Justice Department for improper conduct:

Lou Dobbs: ‘The FBI and the DOJ have ruthlessly violated the Constitution and law in America. Joe Biden and Merrick Garland are no more than Marxist thugs, not public servants. They’re an outrage against decency, judgment, a former President, and the American people.’

Sebastian Gorka: ‘The FBI is currently raiding President Trump home at Mar-a-Lago. They have declared war on 74 MILLION Americans.’

Glenn Beck: ‘This is the act of a dictator of a Banana Republic. Republicans NEVER did this to Clinton, although perhaps we should have. With Joe & Hunter Biden paying zero consequence for his actions. This is shameful and MUST STOP. We don’t do this in America. Way over the line… Hillary Clinton acid washed hard drives. TOOK SKIFF only top secret documents home. WILDLY illegal. THEY did NOTHING. The FBI needs to be fumigated. ANY FBI agent who knows about corruption and keeps quiet is just as guilty.’”

Deutsche Welle added on August 10:

“Senator Lindsey Graham… said ‘launching an investigation of a former president this close to an election is beyond problematic,’ while Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, the third-ranking House Republican, called Monday’s events a ‘dark day in American history.’”

Fox News added on August 10:

“Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino called the FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home a ‘constitutional abomination to our constitutional republic’ and said the personnel involved with the raid should be fired.”

Termination and PROSECUTION may have to include EVERYONE directly or indirectly involved, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and any and all “higher-ups,” if they were in any way complicit in this attack on American liberties and freedoms.

What’s Really Behind the Raid?

The New York Post wrote on August 9:

“The court-authorized search… is another unmistakable signal that the Justice Department is trying to build a criminal case against [Trump] arising out of the Capitol riot. Ostensibly, the search relates to a long simmering dispute between the former president and the government over Trump’s potentially illegal retention and mishandling of classified information. But don’t be deceived

“The ongoing proceedings implicating Trump – in particular, the Justice Department’s investigation and the House January 6 committee probe – seem geared toward undermining his capacity to seek the presidency again in 2024…But a felon is not a disqualification, so even crimes potentially far more serious than mishandling classified information are not a bar to seeking the presidency…

“The Justice Department obviously used the potential classified information as a pretext to obtain a warrant so it could search for what it is really looking for: evidence that would tie Trump to a Capitol riot offense… The Biden Justice Department is under enormous pressure from the Democratic base to indict Trump, and it is straining to deliver. But what it is trying to deliver is a Capitol riot case, not a case of mishandling classified documents.”

This supports the suggestion raised by many that the FBI and others went on a politically and legally problematic fishing expedition. There exists a statute which might be used to bar Trump from running for the Presidency. But as legal scholars point out, only the Constitution declares when someone is barred from running. So any statute going beyond this is unconstitutional and void.

Trump’s Response

Newsmax and Reuters wrote on August 8:

“Former President Donald Trump on Monday said his opponents ‘desperately don’t want me to run for President in 2024’ and will ‘likewise do anything to stop Republicans and Conservatives in the upcoming Midterm Elections.’ That, he said, is why FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday even though he said he had been ‘working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies.’… Trump called the move against a former president ‘dark times for our nation,’ and said the action was no different than Watergate and had turned the United States into a ‘broken third-world country.’

“Trump, who found plenty of support on Monday from political allies, issued a statement reading:

“‘Nothing like this has ever happened to a president of the United States before… Such an assault could only take place in broken, third-world countries. Sadly, America has now become one of those countries, corrupt at a level not seen before. They even broke into my safe!…

“‘Hillary Clinton was allowed to delete and acid wash 33,000 e-mails AFTER they were subpoenaed by Congress. Absolutely nothing has happened to hold her accountable. She even took antique furniture, and other items from the White House.

“I stood up to America’s bureaucratic corruption… the establishment hated it. Now, as they watch my endorsed candidates win big victories, and see my dominance in all polls, they are trying to stop me, and the Republican Party, once more. The lawlessness, political persecution, and witch hunt must be exposed and stopped…’”

Calls for taking up arms and the need for civil war are becoming louder in some circles.

 Newsmax wrote on August 9:

President Joe Biden ‘knew all about’ Monday’s raid at Mar-a-Lago, just as he surely knew all about son Hunter Biden’s business deals, former President Donald Trump proclaimed on Tuesday… Trump has been blasting the actions of the Biden administration’s Justice Department as a continuation of efforts to discredit him as a president and potential 2024 candidate for reelection.

“Earlier Tuesday, at a White House press conference, officials insisted Biden had not been briefed on the FBI raid. That, they said, is because he would have had no role in it, with the Justice Department expected to perform its tasks independent of the Oval Office.

“Biden has also repeatedly denied any involvement in, or knowledge of, son Hunter’s business dealings with foreign entities and individuals.

“Democrat and anti-Trump operatives have offered hints, and sometimes more, about wanting to attack Trump with an eye toward blocking a 2024 run. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., has acknowledged that a goal of the House Jan. 6 Select Committee probing the Capitol attack is to keep Trump from the White House…”

The problem is, Biden has been lying on several occasions. There is clearly an appearance of collusion between the White House and the FBI and the Justice Department. Further concerns were raised when it was revealed that “The federal judge who reportedly signed off on the raid at former President Trump’s …  Mar-a-Lago residence donated thousands of dollars to former President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign and victory fund in 2008” (Fox News, dated August 9).

Dark Days in the USA—While It Is Getting Darker…

The New York Post reported on August 9:

“FBI agents scoured Melania Trump’s wardrobe and spent several hours combing through Donald Trump’s private office, breaking open his safe and rifling through drawers when they raided the former First Family’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida Monday morning… A source close to the former president expressed concern that FBI agents or DOJ lawyers conducting the search could have ‘planted stuff’ because they would not allow Trump’s attorneys inside the 128-room building to observe the operation, which lasted more than nine hours.

“The raid… extended through the Trump family’s entire 3,000-square-foot private quarters, as well as to a separate office and safe, and a locked basement storage room in which 15 cardboard boxes of material from the White House were stored. The boxes [taken by the FBI] contain documents and mementos from Trump’s presidency, reportedly including [private!] letters from Barack Obama and Kim Jong Un, and other correspondence with world leaders…

“… agents fanned out to search every room, while shocked staff were instructed by Trump’s lawyers to unlock doors and provide the FBI access to every room, including the sumptuous Versailles Master Bedroom, renovated by Melania two years ago. Another group of agents, including a professional safe cracker, moved to a separate part of the enormous 1924 Spanish stucco building to search Trump’s office and safe. The demeanor of the three DOJ lawyers who accompanied the FBI was described by one eyewitness as ‘arrogant’

“Despite the sweltering 91 degrees temperature Monday, Trump’s lawyers were forbidden by the feds to shelter inside the cool lobby, or to observe the search in any way, but were left outside in the baking sun near a parking lot. The feds instructed Trump’s representatives to switch off the security cameras but they refused.

If this does not tell us what is happening…

Newsmax wrote on August 9:

“No former president had been raided in the 114-year history of the FBI before Trump, including President Barack Obama, who Trump has alleged was a part of spying on his 2016 presidential campaign against Hillary Clinton.

“Former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik…  issued a warning Tuesday the FBI raid required body cameras, and he issued a call for the House Judiciary Committee and Ranking Member Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to subpoena those from the raid on Trump…”

“Justice” in America?

Newsmax wrote on August 10:

“The FBI raided former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence as opposed to issuing a subpoena, because they wanted to circumvent Trump’s Fifth Amendment rights – and seize anything they wanted – according to legal expert Alan Dershowitz… Dershowitz… added… a search warrant is easily obtained through a judge, who signs off on them without much justification. ‘For a search warrant, you go to Santa Claus and you say, “Santa, it’s Christmas, give me presents,”’ Dershowitz said. ‘Every judge grants almost every search warrant request, and there is no judicial oversight to speak of for search warrants.’

“Dershowitz’s remarks appear to stamp out allegations from the likes of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who suggested the FBI must have had ‘justification’ to raid Trump’s private residence. Dershowitz argued a search warrant has a very low bar. ‘I’ve been doing this for 60 years, Greta: I don’t remember a case where a judge turned down a search warrant,’ Dershowitz continued. ‘… And, if a judge turns down a search warrant, you just go to another judge and another judge and another judge. You can get to the eighth judge, if seven have been denied, you still get your search warrant.’”

Incredible. This shows how the “justice system” “works.” The Ron Paul Institute is asking the question on August 9 whether America is now a “police state.”

It Will Backfire!

The New York Post reported on August 10:

“The former commander-in-chief told the [Republican Study Committee] he ‘has made up his mind’ about his long-teased run, and ‘enjoyed encouragement’ from them to ‘get the decision out sooner rather than later.’… ‘The Republican Party is bigger and stronger than ever before because of Donald Trump’s leadership,’ insisted the study committee chairman.

“[Rep. Jim] Banks joined others in saying that ‘what happened at Mar-a-Lago unifies Republicans in our outrage… If anything, what the left and the corrupt Biden administration has done will only backfire on them, as they see that the American people stand with President Trump,’ he told Fox. ‘The House GOP is fighting back. We stand united in outrage against the Biden White House and DOJ, and we stand with President Trump.’”

It will backfire indeed. Republicans and even Democrats and Independents take Trump’s side against the irresponsible conduct of those responsible for this raid. In a sense, nothing better could have happened toTrump…

The Days the Truth Died

Paul Craig Roberts, Institute for Political Economy, wrote on August 5:

“The Establishment’s determination to close down narrative-challenger Alex Jones has put Sandy Hook back in the news…

“My search of the IPE archives brought up my articles on other controversial shootings–Las Vegas and Orlando–and the Oklahoma City Bombing.  The common thread in all of these incidents is that the narrative is established the minute the news is reported, and officials and media never vary from the narrative.  As soon as it happens, the government and the media already know what happened.  No investigation ever takes place.  It was the same for President Kennedy’s assassination, his brother’s assassination, 9/11, the Gulf of Tonkin, Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, Assad’s use of chemical weapons, the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, etc.

Legitimate questions about the narratives are ignored by officials and media who seem to be involved in a conspiracy to bury the truth.  Skeptics, no matter how prominent or fact-based are demonized as ‘conspiracy theorists’ unworthy of attention. Clearly, America no longer has a media watchdog.  America has a propaganda ministry for official narratives. What this tells us should shock every American… truth is hard to find in the American media and the American government.

“In the not distant future, it will become actionable to doubt… the government on the grounds that doubt implies disbelief and disbelief is a crime or proves that you are a foreign agent.  Slander and libel will evolve to apply to media and government as institutions.  As we are so gullible, so trusting, we are going to be reduced to silence or praise.  Silence will bring official suspicion.  Praise of the false narratives will bring career success and rewards…

“Younger people have been indoctrinated in schools that government and media protect blacks, homosexuals, and transgendered from racist, homophobic and transphobic white people who use normality as an illegitimate standard of approval. Sodom and Gomorrah are approved, but not the white family unit.

“Can we believe that there is a future for freedom in America when Democrats, media, CIA, FBI, and NSA can create a narrative of President Donald Trump as a Russian agent? Can we believe that there is a future for freedom in America when the same collection of schemers can create a show trial of the President of the United States planning a coup by a couple of hundred unarmed supporters seizing the government of the United States by walking around in the Capitol and sitting in Nancy Pelosi’s chair?…”

This was even written BEFORE the outrageous raid on Trump’s property in Florida.

On the other hand, we should not forget some of the outrageous ideas Trump supports. Note the next articles.

Trump: Death Penalty for Drug Dealers

In his rallies, including the most recent rally on August 5, 2022, Trump is pleading for the death penalty for drug dealers. His stance is not new; note the following article by The Washington Post from February 15, 2019:

“President Trump spoke fondly again on Friday about the practice — popular among some anti-Democratic leaders — of executing drug traffickers. Speaking at the White House to announce that he was declaring a national emergency to secure funding to build his long-promised border wall, Trump digressed to speak about a recent conversation he had with Chinese President Xi Jinping. ‘Their criminal list — a drug dealer gets a thing called the death penalty,’ he said of China… ‘When I asked President Xi, I said, “You have a drug problem?” “No no no.”… Why? Death penalty,’ Trump said, imitating someone who speaks broken English. “We give death penalty to people who sell drugs. End of problem.”’ [Trump repeats this conversation continuously during his recent rallies.]

“Human rights experts said Trump’s regular praise for Xi is concerning and misleading… While Trump claimed he was told that China does not have a drug problem, that does not appear to be the case. According to China Daily, a state-run newspaper, police in China solved ‘140,000 criminal cases related to drugs in 2016, arrested 168,000 suspected drug users, seized 82.1 tons of drugs and destroyed 438 drug labs.’ And the outlet noted that there were 2.5 million known drug addicts in China by the end of 2017.’…

“China does execute people in some cases for drug trafficking, distribution and manufacturing but that its legal processes would not pass muster in the United States… There’s no due process… Everything about every death penalty case in China would fail the tests we have here for a fair trial…”

The death penalty for drug dealers, following China’s example, is a terrible idea which would not fly in the USA. And what about mothers who abort their children? Is Trump, who was at one time “pro-choice,” suggesting that they should get the death penalty too?

Trump: End Chain Migration

In his rallies, including the most recent rally on August 5, 2022,Trump is pleading for ending chain migration. His stance is not new; note the following article by Vox, dated January 30, 2018:

“[President Donald Trump is] talking more — a lot more — about how ‘chain migration’ is bad for the United States. ‘Ending chain migration’ has become one of the four pillars that the White House demands be part of any bill to protect the 690,000 young unauthorized immigrants affected by Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program [commonly referred to as the “Dreamers”]. The White House’s own proposal suggests doing this by preventing all US citizens from sponsoring parents, siblings or adult children to settle in the US — a radical change from current law….”

We should point out that legal chain migration is a long, cumbersome and expensive process. Many would not qualify. Trump does not seem to know much about how chain migration really works. We should also point out that Trump’s own parents-in-law were able to settle in the USA because of chain migration. Ending chain migration is another one of Trump’s terrible ideas.

Fauci at it Again

The Ron Paul Institute republished on August 5 the following article by the Dossier:

“This week, Anthony Fauci has been making the media rounds warning of a severe winter of death and illness for the unvaccinated. Once more, he has warned of a heavy toll for those who refuse experimental gene injections that have been fraudulently represented as the cure to the coronavirus… Fauci recently had a bad bout with COVID-19, despite taking four Pfizer injections and two full courses of Pfizer oral pills

“Last year, Fauci warned of a brutal winter for those who decided not to get injected with the gene juice… President Biden infamously declared a coming ‘winter of death and severe illness for the unvaccinated.’ Of course, that 2021 winter of death and severe illness never came to fruition, and neither will the 2022 winter projection, to the devastation of the people in charge… Americans are largely tuning out the Big Pharma-Government Health seasonal mRNA sales drive.”

One of Trump’s colossal blunders was not to fire Fauci. We cannot expect Biden to do so, of course.

In fact, Fauci has become somewhat of a mentor for other “health experts”… with disastrous consequences. Note the next articles regarding COVID restrictions in Germany.

Germany’s COVID Chaos

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 5:

“German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has tested positive for the coronavirus and is isolating at home… Lauterbach… has received four doses of the COVID vaccine… On Wednesday, the German government announced basic COVID measures… The most notable national plan, the compulsory wearing of face masks on long-distance trains and airplanes, will remain in place… A negative COVID-19 test will also be required from October until early April for many people to secure entry to hospitals, nursing homes and similar institutions…

“Germany’s 16 states are largely left to implement their own rules from among a range of options… State governments could decide to require masks on local public transport, in schools for students, or at indoor events, for example… The government also plans a vaccination drive in the coming months…”

 Lauterbach does not seem to have too much confidence in these vaccines, as he is now taking the corona pill “Paxlovid” to avoid complications, even though his symptoms are allegedly “mild.” So did Biden after he came down with COVID the first time in July, but subsequently he came down with it again, and has been tested positive for 7 consecutive days including Friday. We are being told that his symptoms were mild. He has now been tested negative, as of Saturday.

German doctors warn against Paxlovid. According to t-online, dated August 6, the medication causes side-effects such as high blood pressure, diarrhea and muscle pain, and should only be taken after diligent medical consultation. The article also points out that it is unknown why Corona returns after taking Paxlovid.

That’s Enough, Herr Lauterbach!

The mass German tabloid, Bild Online, wrote on August 5:

Germany is back in the Corona crisis. But not because of the virus, but because of the rules…

“The threatening rule chaos is homemade. While other countries (e.g. Switzerland, Austria, France) rely on freedom instead of measures, Health Minister Lauterbach and Justice Minister Buschmann are sending Germany back to arbitrary rule.

“Masks are compulsory in schools even though children almost never get sick? Vaccinations every 3 months to avoid wearing an FFP2 mask in the restaurant? It has nothing to do with health protection.

“Karl Lauterbach calls this the ‘incentive for vaccination’. But that is nothing more than vaccination pressure. Many people who have supported all Corona measures in the past will say: That’s enough!”

But will Lauterbach and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) listen to these appeals? That is hardly to be expected. Their goal of fearmongering and pressuring those who do not agree with their unscientific opinions is very obvious.

Recession Is Still Looming…

Breitbart wrote on August 5:

“The U.S. economy added 528,000 jobs in July and the unemployment rate fell to 3.5 percent… The July figures and the upward revisions to June’s gains are likely to spark concerns over inflation persisting at very high levels. Particularly with economic output contracting, adding demand in the form of additional workers and higher wages is likely to push prices up.”

The Associated Press added on August 5:

“The economic backdrop is troubling: Gross domestic product — the broadest measure of economic output — fell in both the first and second quarters; consecutive GDP drops is one definition of a recession. And inflation is roaring at a 40-year high… History isn’t entirely reassuring: The unemployment rate was even lower — 3.5% — when an 11-month recession began in December 1969…

“Economist House at Wells Fargo expects employers to keep adding jobs for a few months. But rising interest rates, she said, will gradually choke off economic growth… ‘Our expectation is that the U.S. economy will slip into recession, probably at the start of the year.’”

CNBC wrote on August 5:

“There is no historical precedent to indicate that an economy in recession can produce 528,000 jobs in a month, as the U.S. did during July. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a recession ahead, and, ironically enough, it is the labor market’s phenomenal resiliency that could pose the biggest danger. The Federal Reserve’s rate tightening to address inflation poses a recession threat into 2023.”

On the other hand, Politico wrote on August 5:

It’s the fastest pace of jobs growth since February as the labor market continues to defy fears that the economy is heading into a recession.”

In Britain too…

Breitbart wrote on August 5:

“The Bank of England has warned that the British economy is heading into a protracted recession as it raised interest rates to fight inflation amid fears of 13 or 15 per cent inflation by the end of year…. the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis. The central bank raised the rates in the hopes of mitigating the expected increases to inflation, which it now forecasts as hitting 13.3 per cent this year, a four decade high. It is now expected that at the end of the year, the British economy will sink into a recession that will last for at least five quarters…”

… and in Germany…

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 7:

“For the fifth month in a row, German factories received fewer orders for their products. In June, orders fell 0.4% compared with May. Though a minor decline at first glance, that adds up to a 5.6% decrease for the second quarter of 2022. Because of the bottlenecks in global supply chains, German industries still have a high order backlog, but not enough to protect them from the upcoming economic hardship, Commerzbank chief economist Jörg Krämer told DW. ‘The risk of a recession is increasing,’ Krämer said….

“The current high inflation rates continue to erode consumer purchasing power… There is also great uncertainty as to what additional costs might arise from the high energy prices caused by the war in Ukraine and the gas levy… Additionally, the global economy is suffering, affecting overseas markets. In the United States, one of the most important sales destinations for German industry, inflation rates are so high that the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates much faster than the European Central Bank, pushing people and businesses to spend less….

A recession seems inevitable… That could push at least parts of German industry to relocate their production abroad — to places where energy is cheaper and produced domestically…”

These are not good signs for the economic prosperity of Germany. It would take a strong and dictatorial Führer with drastic measures to turn this trend around, but it would have terrible consequences for Germany and the entire world.

Snickers Gives in to China

Bild Online wrote on August 5:

“One of the most successful chocolate bars collapses in front of the Chinese dictatorship!

“The US candy company Mars Wrigley (including Snickers, Twix) apologized on Friday for a Snickers ad in which Chinese social media users said that Taiwan was a country… Unbelievable (and inedible): The American bar -Giant posted an apology on its account… and said the relevant content had been changed. The former Snickers slogan ‘When you get hungry’ would have to be rephrased: ‘When you get cowardly’…”

The correct slogan is: “You’re not you when you’re hungry“, to be changed to, “You’re not you when you’re a coward.”

China on the Warpath

Breitbart wrote on August 5:

“The ambassador for Communist China to France said on Monday that the people of Taiwan will need to be ‘re-educated’ after the democratic island nation is ‘reunified’ with the mainland.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 5:

“The Chinese Communist Party says that self-ruled, democratic Taiwan is part of its territory and has promised to one day take it, if necessary by force. As such, Beijing objects to foreign governments having formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. While the US does not have such relations with Taipei, it remains its most important military and political backer. .. Pelosi said on Friday that the US would ‘not allow’ China to isolate Taiwan…

“Taiwan’s defence ministry on Friday said a total of 68 Chinese military aircraft and 13 navy ships were conducting missions in the Taiwan Strait. Some, they said, had crossed an official buffer separating the two sides. The ministry described the move as ‘damaging the status quo’.”

The Guardian added on August 5 that “Japan’s prime minister also called for an immediate halt to the exercises after his government said at least five missiles landed within its exclusive economic zone.”

The Sun wrote on August 6:

“CHINA boasted it has rehearsed sinking US aircraft carriers using hypersonic missiles as part of a massive war games amid simmering tensions over Taiwan… Warships, warplanes and missiles have all been moved towards the island for the massive Chinese war games – which in effect blockaded Taiwan.

“Beijing’s state run media bragged the drills showed how China could attack the island by first unleashing a wave of rocket strikes across the Taiwan Strait. And it then boasted missile launches showed how the Communist forces could also strike any ‘foreign’ aircraft carriers that may attempt to ‘intervene from the Philippine Sea’. Hypersonic missiles such as the DF-17 could be used, it claimed…

“The ‘foreign’ ships being referred to is clearly a barb at the US – with aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and her strike group just days ago operating in the Philippine Sea. Chinese state media described the ship as ‘retreating’ as she started to sail back towards its home port in Japan.”

The Sun wrote on August 5, 2022:

Oriana Skylar Mastro, a fellow at Stanford University and a former China analyst at the Pentagon,… explained that Beijing now believes it also has to fight the US if it is to fulfil its… goal of invading Taiwan and ‘reuniting’ with the mainland. And Mastro believes the most likely way such a conflict would play out is with a Pearl Harbor-style attack on US forces in the region. It would be designed to try and knock out US forces so they could not react to stop China gaining a foothold in Taiwan… And it has always been unclear if Washington would intervene militarily should China attack Taiwan, despite a recent vow from US President Joe Biden.

“Mastro is one of the world’s leading authorities on the Chinese military and its thinking… Mastro is not the only expert to have suggest that the US could face another ‘Pearl Harbor’ over Taiwan… Brands and Beckley warn the ‘most worrying’ scenario would see Beijing attempt to launch a ‘surprise missile attack’ on American forces in Asia… they warn ‘by the time the [US] was ready to fight, the war might effectively be over’…. The massive assault would then be followed by cyberattacks and anti-satellite operations to try [to] sow chaos and stop any effective response by Taiwan and the US…

“Taiwan is feared to be a major flashpoint between Washington and Beijing — with a potentially invasion potentially forcing the US to either abandon the island or face full scale war with China… state controlled media has been turning up the heat on the rhetoric, referring to the drills as ‘rehearsals for the reunification operation.’”

The Bible does not indicate any full-fledged war between China and the USA prior to Christ’s return. This does not rule out a scenario as described above.

It Gets More Complicated

The Washington Post wrote on August 5:

“The fallout over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan escalated sharply Friday as China reacted angrily to having its ambassador [Qin] summoned to the White House, said it would cancel or suspend dialogue with the United States on several issues and sanctioned Pelosi and her family…

“The fast-moving events have forced President Biden to manage potentially volatile confrontations between the United States and two other world powers. Even as tensions bubble between the United States and China over Pelosi’s trip, Biden is striving to keep Beijing from aiding Russia in its scorched-earth war against Ukraine...”

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 5:

“German foreign policy faces a dilemma: China is Germany’s most important trading partner. If Berlin took a clear stand against Chinese efforts to retake Taiwan, this could risk serious conflict, above all in economic terms. Yet if Germany keeps quiet, the country undermines its claims to have a ‘values-based’ foreign policy. Either way, it is difficult for Berlin to stay out of the growing conflict between China and the United States

“Germany does not officially recognize Taiwan as an independent state; rather, Taiwan is considered part of China. There are no high-level contacts. The ‘One China’ policy stipulates there is only one Chinese government: in Beijing. Most of the international community abides by this concept, including Germany and the US. Taiwan has never officially declared itself independent… Despite the One China policy, Germany and Taiwan maintain close relations…. Germany is Taiwan’s largest trading partner in Europe, to the tune of  €22 billion ($22 billion) worth of trade in 2021. However, trade volume with China dwarfs that relationship by a factor of 12…

“‘Even if there is no military confrontation, the Europeans and especially… Germans will be the ones to suffer from the decoupling from the Chinese economy that Washington is now pushing,’ said Josef Braml, a political scientist. ‘Should Trump or a similar China hawk enter the White House in 2024, Braml thinks the EU will need greater strategic sovereignty. That would include a stronger political and military union…  If we don’t succeed in this, we will become collateral damage in a major confrontation between the US and China,’ Braml said.”

Bild Online wrote on August 5:

“”The G7 had expressed concern and stressed that there was no reason to use a visit [by Pelosi] as a pretext for ‘aggressive military activity’. In Beijing, ambassadors from EU countries and Japan, as well as EU representatives, were summoned to the Foreign Ministry, where they were handed a formal protest against the G7 statement. Germany currently holds the presidency of the G7.

“Further irritations with Beijing are expected from a long-planned visit by the Human Rights Committee of the Bundestag to Taiwan. The trip should take place between October 22nd and 30th and also go to Japan and the Chinese special administrative region of Hong Kong… MEPs from all six parliamentary groups are expected to take part in the trip.”

The Bible prophesies a major nuclear war between Europe and Far Eastern nations, including China, prior to Christ’s return.

China and Japan… a Troubled Relationship

Foreign Policy wrote on August 8:

“China’s… extensive military action is bringing a new sense of urgency to heighten Japan’s defense capability, substantially raise the defense budget, and, potentially, institute new rules that would for the first time allow preemptive military steps if Japan is at risk…

“Japanese analysts saw China’s actions as a direct warning, especially in relation to Japan’s hosting of more than 50,000 U.S. service personnel, the largest offshore deployment of U.S. forces in the world. ‘The purpose of those kind of threatening [actions] is … make Japan recognize that if Japan cooperates with the United States to contain China or to block China conducting the unification operation of Taiwan, then Japan must be involved in the war, must be damaged by the Chinese military operation,’ Bonji Ohara, a senior fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, [said]…

“Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida… has promised a significant increase in Japan’s defense spending. Japan’s military… is one of the largest and considered among the most capable in the world, but the spending level has been unofficially capped…

“The Chinese action also serves as something of a vindication for former Prime Minister Taro Aso, who said a year ago when he was a deputy prime minister that an attack on Taiwan would represent a threat to Japan. The remarks were criticized at the time, but the recent Chinese military actions show that his analysis was correct. More controversially, he also said that ‘if that is the case, Japan and the U.S. must defend Taiwan together.’

“Japan has long-term ties to Taiwan, formerly a Japanese colony. China-Japan tensions are not new…”

Japan was an ally to Germany in WW II against China. This scenario could repeat itself, or China and Japan will finally unite—as Russia and Ukraine will do.

Canada’s Weak Military Condition

National Post wrote on August 8:

“For the first time in eight years, Canadian warships are not involved in either of two NATO naval task forces charged with patrolling European waters and defending against Russian threats… Canada… is struggling with a shrinking fleet of aging ships and a lack of trained sailors

“While Canada has 12 frigates…, the navy’s maintenance and training requirements mean only a handful are available to deploy at any given time. Canada used to also have three destroyers, but those vessels were retired in 2014.

“The navy, like the rest of the military, is also facing a severe shortage of personnel.”

All of this is to be expected from a radical left-wing government.

Relationship Between USA and Ukraine in Turmoil?

Head Topics Deutschland wrote on August 3:

“The New York Times makes a remarkable revelation: the White House’s relationship with the Ukrainian president appears to be at turmoil. The story does not appear to be mere conjecture by the columnist…

“At the beginning of June, US intelligence officials complained that Kyiv had not given them enough information about what was happening in the country. ‘How much do we really know about how Ukraine is doing?’ Beth Sanner, a former senior intelligence official, told the NYT at the time: ‘Can you find a person who will tell you with confidence how many troops Ukraine has lost, how many pieces of equipment has Ukraine lost?‘”

In the New York Times article of June 8, 2022 , it was also stated:

“Some European agencies say it will be difficult if not impossible for Ukraine to reclaim the land that Russia has taken since it invaded in February, but U.S. intelligence agencies are less pessimistic, officials said. Still, there are cracks in Ukraine’s defenses, and questions about the state of Ukraine’s military forces and strategy in the Donbas have created an incomplete picture for the United States.”

Three Popes?

The Guardian wrote on August 5:

“Almost a decade has passed since Pope Benedict XVI became the first pontiff for 600 years to retire rather than die in office. The idea of two popes – one serving and one emeritus – intrigued some and troubled others… But three popes? That prospect was raised by Pope Francis last weekend when he told reporters on his return to Rome after a penitential visit to Canada that the ‘door is open’ to his retirement. It would not be a catastrophe, he said. His comments… were not the first time Francis has hinted at retirement.

“Almost as soon as he was elected, in March 2013 at the age of 76, Francis began alluding to a time when he would no longer be pope – either because of death or retirement. His health… has deteriorated in recent years…

“On stepping down, Benedict took the title of pope emeritus. He has continued to wear the incumbent’s traditional white cassock, and lives within the Vatican at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery. Francis has already indicated that he would take the title of emeritus bishop of Rome, live quietly outside the Vatican, and eschew the papal white robes…

“The existence of two popes has not always been easy. [Papal biographer Austen] Ivereigh said: ‘When the emeritus pontificate was created, effectively as a new institution, the fear was it would be confusing, it could act as a focus of opposition or contrast with the existing pope… There have been many instances where the pope emeritus has effectively been manipulated in the service of traditionalist agendas. It creates a sense there is a rivalry.’…”

There have been incidents in the Catholic Church where there have been two rival popes, each with his own following, cardinals, and administrative offices. This Western or Great Schism took place from 1378 to 1417, with one pope residing in Rome and the other in Avignon, and it was never officially announced by the Catholic Church as to who of the two rival popes was the “official pope.”  To end the schism, cardinals from both movements elected a third pope, Alexander V. Finally, the Roman pope, Gregor XII, and the Avignon pope, Benedict XIII, were replaced by Martin V in 1417, ending the schism.  

Huge Pride Canal Parade in Amsterdam

 AP wrote on August 6:

“Hundreds of thousands of spectators lined Amsterdam’s historic canals Saturday to celebrate Canal Parade, a flotilla of 80 brightly decorated boats packed with partying and singing people waving rainbow flags, balloons and umbrellas. The boats representing rights groups, bars, clothing brands and even the Dutch military made their way slowly through the waterways in a resumption of the hugely popular LGBTQ Pride event after two years canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic….

“Spectators were packed several people deep along canals and on bridges to watch the 25th version of the parade that was the the highlight of a nine-day pride event in the Dutch capital.”

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

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Why do you not baptize by using the words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost”? (Part 1)

Many mistakenly believe that a proper baptism must include these words, as quoted in the Question above, or similar words such as, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” and they base that concept on the Scripture in Matthew 28:19, as rendered in the Authorized Version, using the words “Holy Ghost,” or in the New King James Bible, using the words “Holy Spirit.”

But as we will show in this series, the Bible really does not command us to use those words during the baptism ceremony, and there are many reasons for this.

It should be stated at the outset that Trinitarians see clear evidence for their belief in Matthew 28:19. The Ryrie Study Bible comments: “Here is evidence for the trinity: one God (the name) who subsists in three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Each of the three is distinguished from the other; each possesses all the divine attributes; yet the three are one.“

We know, of course, that the concept of the Trinity is wrong. Even the Ryrie Study Bible continues to state, “This is a mystery which no analogy can explain satisfactorily.” Of course not, because this idea is utter nonsense. But it must be admitted that the passage in Matthew 28:19 could pose a problem which must be properly explained, as we will attempt to do in this series.

To begin with, there is one other passage that has been frequently used to prove the Trinity.  This passage can be found in 1 John 5:7-8, which is translated in the New King James Bible as follows:

“For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.”

We explain this Scripture in our booklet, “Is God a Trinity?”:

“The way this passage is translated in the New King James Bible is considered a proof text by some that the Holy Spirit is a person. But this is not true at all. With that rationale given to verse 7 (‘there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one’), it would follow from verse 8 (‘there are three that bear witness on earth, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and these three agree as one’), that ‘water’ and ‘blood’ would also have to be persons. But nobody claims that.

“In addition, most scholars agree that the words in verse 7, ‘in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one,’ were later added by the Catholic Church to ‘prove’ the Trinity, and that these words were not in the original writings. Many Bible translations and commentaries state that this particular phrase, referred to as the ‘Comma Joanneum,’ is ‘not contained in the best authorities and constitutes a late addition in the Latin Text’ [Pattloch Bible, Appendix, page 85].

“The Zürcher Bible comments in a footnote that ‘this passage was added in the fourth century in the Latin Text, and only in the 15th century in some Greek Texts.’ The NIV [New International Version] adds in a footnote that this particular phrase is only contained ‘in the late manuscripts of the Latin Bible and that it is not found in any Greek manuscripts before the 16th century.’ Other commentaries point out that these words are clearly a falsification and that they have therefore been correctly omitted, even as a footnote, in many modern translations. So this passage is clearly not proof at all that the Holy Spirit is a separate divine person.”

When turning again to Matthew 28:19, the genuineness of this passage has also been questioned by commentators. Before addressing this question in future installments, we explain in our free booklet, “Is God a Trinity?”, that, in any event, this passage does not teach the Trinity at all:

“As the role of Christ in the baptismal ceremony is mighty important… so also is the role of the Father. It was God the Father who gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for us, so that we could have eternal life. Once we repent and believe we are then to be baptized as an outward sign of inner repentance, to ‘bury our old self.’ Once we come out of the watery grave, we are to walk in newness of life. And, this can only be done with the help of God’s Holy Spirit.

“We are to make disciples by baptizing them, and by teaching them to observe all things that Christ commanded. And, we baptize a person ‘in’ or ‘into’ [the Greek word eis can mean ‘in’ or ‘into’] the ‘name’ or ‘possession’ [the Greek word onoma can mean ‘name’ or ‘possession’] of the Father and of the Son who both are present through the Holy Spirit. The entire clause, ‘baptize in the name of,’ in Greek, ‘eis (to) onoma tinos,’ also conveys the meaning of coming under the ‘control’ or ‘authority’ of the Father and of the Son (cp. Strong’s, #3836; and William Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, p. 575). And… it is the Holy Spirit, emanating from the Father and from the Son, by which we have fellowship with the Father and Jesus Christ.

“When we are baptized in, or into, the name or possession of Jesus, we recognize that we are baptized into His death (Rom. 6:3). When we come out of the watery grave, and one of God’s ministers places his hands on our heads and asks God the Father for the Holy Spirit, emanating from both the Father and the Son, we recognize that it is the Holy Spirit of God flowing into us that enables us to walk in newness of life. We also recognize that we are entering, at that very time, the Family of God as begotten, but not yet born, children of God the Father and brothers and sisters of our elder brother Jesus Christ. In that sense, we become the possession or the ‘property’ of the God Family. And all of this is made possible, then, through God’s Holy Spirit, dwelling in us. So rather than teaching the personage of the Holy Spirit, Matt. 28:19 teaches how God makes it possible, through His Spirit in us, to become a part of the Family of God.”

The point here is, we are not the property of a man. We are the property, or possession, of Jesus Christ who has purchased us with His own blood, as Acts 20:28 states, “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

With these introductory comments, let us begin to show why we do not use Matthew 28:19 as a “formula,” by reviewing how the early apostles baptized the disciples.

The following are selected quotes from our free booklet, “Baptism—a Requirement for Salvation?”: (We recommend, however, that you read the entire booklet for a complete understanding.)

“One of the early baptisms is described in Acts 8:14–17. This passage… summarizes for us the exact ceremony of baptism leading to the gift of the Holy Spirit… ‘Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He [better: it—the Holy Spirit] had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

“Notice carefully that they first received or accepted the word of God. They heard the message, accepted it, believed it and repented of their sins. They were then baptized ‘in the name of the Lord.’ Following their baptism, the ministers prayed for them and laid their hands on them to set them apart for the holy purpose of following God and His way of life. It was THEN that they received the Holy Spirit. So we see that baptism in the name of Christ was sufficient. Some have said that this passage just describes the fact that the apostles baptized the people with Christ’s authority. Although certainly included, the Scriptural meaning is more encompassing.

“We must realize that in the phrase, ‘in the name of the Lord,’ the Greek word for ‘in’ is ‘eis,’ and the Greek word for ‘name’ is ‘onoma.’ The Greek word ‘eis’ can mean ‘in’ or ‘into,’ depending on the context. Scriptures such as Matthew 2:23; 18:6; Mark 2:1; 13:16, translate the Greek word ‘eis’ correctly as ‘in.’ Other passages, such as Matthew 2:11, 12 and 13 (AV), correctly translate the Greek word ‘eis’ as ‘into.’

“Additionally, the Greek word for ‘name,’ ‘onoma,’ can also mean, ‘possession.’ It would therefore be accurate to render the phrase, ‘baptism in the name of Christ,’ as ‘baptism into the possession of Christ.’ This phrase not only describes the fact that baptism must be done with Christ’s authority, it also shows the result of baptism—we become Christ’s property because He died for us and bought us with His blood (compare Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 2 Peter 2:1).

“Now notice another revealing passage in Acts 19:1–6: ‘And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “INTO what then were you baptized?” So they said, “INTO John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.’

“These disciples had been baptized into the baptism of John. That baptism was not sufficient to receive the Holy Spirit. John’s baptism was an outward sign of inner repentance, but it did not include the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. Another baptism—baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ—was necessary to receive the Holy Spirit. This passage implies that Christ’s baptism, which He accomplished through His apostles, was different from John’s baptism (compare again John 3:22; 4:1–3). Paul seemed to have known this distinction and that is why he asked the disciples, ‘Into WHAT [baptism] then were you baptized?’

“Let’s notice again the distinction. The disciples were baptized ‘into John’s baptism.’ The Greek word for ‘into’ is ‘eis.’ After they learned of the need of another baptism to receive the Holy Spirit, they were baptized ‘in [or into] the name of the Lord.’ In the Greek, the word for ‘in’ is also ‘eis,’ which can also mean ‘into.’ As they were baptized into John’s baptism, they were now baptized into the name or possession (‘onoma’ in Greek) of Christ, that is, into Christ’s baptism. This passage shows that baptism in, or into, the name of Christ is not only necessary, but is also sufficient, so that the Father will forgive our sins and give us His Holy Spirit.”

Later in the booklet, we point out the following:

“… there is no recorded biblical incident where the early apostles baptized people other than in, or into, the name of Jesus Christ. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, explained this very well in Romans 6:1–4:… ‘What shall we say then? Shall we continue to sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.’

“Paul says that we are baptized into (Greek, ‘eis’) Christ and into His death. As Christ died a physical death, so we die spiritually in baptism. As Christ was literally resurrected from the dead, so we, too, are raised by the Father from the spiritually dead to live in newness of life. This part of the symbolism of baptism—death in the watery grave—clearly compares symbolically only with the death of Christ. Neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit—God’s power—died in any way. Only Christ, as a human being, died. Further, it is Christ’s death that is not only sufficient, but also necessary, for our forgiveness (Matthew 1:21). That is the reason why baptism into any other human being, be it Paul or Moses or John, would not have the effect of granting forgiveness and receiving God’s Holy Spirit. Their death did not, and could not, accomplish what Christ’s death accomplished…

“Let us also read… Colossians 2:11–13: ‘In Him [Christ] you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.’ When we are baptized into Christ—into His death—our old man dies, and we ‘put on’ Christ—the new man of God. Notice Galatians 3:27, ‘For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.’ Compare, too, Romans 13:14.

“Baptism pictures our death and burial in a watery grave in the same way that Christ died and was buried in a tomb. Baptism also pictures our resurrection from the dead and our leaving the watery grave, just as Christ was resurrected from the dead and left the tomb. Finally, it pictures walking in newness of life as we put on Christ, who is now living in us through His Holy Spirit…

“We read in Acts 2:38 that we must be baptized IN the name of Christ. Peter tells us to ‘Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ The Greek word for ‘in’ in this clause (‘in the name of Christ’) is ‘epi.’ The Greek word for ‘name’ is again, ‘onoma.’ Peter tells us, then, that we must be baptized ‘in’ the name, or possession, of Christ and then we will receive the Holy Spirit. After all, it is Christ who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit, as Matthew 3:11 tells us: ‘[Christ] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’ (Compare, too, Matthew 3:14.)

“We also read in Acts 10:48 that Peter commanded them ‘to be baptized in the name of the Lord.’ The Greek word for ‘in’ within the phrase, ‘in the name of the Lord’ is ‘en.’ We find here a biblical command, through the mouth of Peter, to be baptized ‘in the name of the Lord.’ In the passages in Acts 2:38 and Acts 10:48, discussed above, the additional thought is conveyed that baptism must be done with Christ’s authority. Only then, the Father—through Jesus Christ—will bestow on us the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 15:26; Titus 3:5–6).”

We continue to explain that Matthew 28:19, assuming the passage is genuine, does not, in any event, teach a mandatory “baptismal formula”:

“We have seen from the biblical record that the disciples were baptized in, or into, the name, or possession, of Jesus Christ. There is no biblical example where someone was actually baptized in, or into, the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We read consistently that disciples were baptized in, or into, Christ, or in, or into, the name of Jesus Christ ONLY.

“We discussed Acts 8:14–17 and Acts 19:1–6 as proof of this assertion. Note that in those passages, the Greek term for ‘in the name of’ reads, ‘eis to onoma tou,’ exactly as it does in Matthew 28:19… The occasional claim that the expression “eis to onoma” only appears in Matthew 28:19, is therefore incorrect…

“If Christ had given His apostles a command in Matthew 28:19 to use a particular ‘formula’ during baptism, then His disciples would have been in flagrant violation of His command, as they never used that ‘formula.’ At least, there is no biblical record that they ever used it. Rather, we find that Paul told the disciples to be baptized in, or into, the name of Christ (compare Acts 19:1–6), not, in or into, the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Remember, though, what happened after the persons came out of the watery grave. The baptizing apostles prayed over them, and they laid hands upon them (compare Acts 8:14–17). We pray to the Father, as Christ instructed us to do (compare Matthew 6:9), so in laying hands on the persons and praying over them, the apostles asked the Father to give those people the Holy Spirit to set them aside from the rest of the world…

“When a minister baptizes us in, or into, the name, or possession, of Jesus Christ, we recognize that we are baptized into Christ’s death. Note that the Bible nowhere states we are baptized into the death of the Father or the Holy Spirit. Such an analogy simply does not fit. It was ONLY Christ who died, and it was ONLY Christ who was resurrected, by the Fatherthrough the Holy Spirit. (Compare again Romans 6:1–13.)

“At the same time, it is also recognized that the Father gave Christ, His only begotten Son, to die for us; that the Father resurrected Christ; that the Father raises us up, spiritually speaking; and that the Father gives us the Holy Spirit. When we come out of the watery grave, God’s minister places his hands on our head and asks God the Father for the Holy Spirit—the same Spirit that emanates from both the Father and the Son. It is this Spirit of God flowing into us that enables us to walk in newness of life. We also recognize that, at that very moment, we enter into the Family of God as begotten—not yet born again—children of God the Father, and brothers and sisters of our elder Brother, Jesus Christ. In that sense, we become the possession, or the ‘property,’ of the God Family (Whatever Christ owns, the Father owns too, and vice versa; compare John 16:15). All of this is made possible, then, through God’s Holy Spirit. So, rather than teaching a particular baptismal formula, Matthew 28:19 teaches how God makes it possible for us, through the Holy Spirit in us, to become part of the Family of God.”

Genuine or not, the concept stated in Matthew 28:19, in referring during the entire baptism ceremony to the role and function of the Father and Jesus Christ, bestowing on the baptized person the gift of the Holy Spirit, is accurate and biblical. On the other hand, to teach that the baptizing minister must say the words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” is erroneous and unbiblical.  Note, too, that the wording in Matthew 28:19, “baptizing them,” is describing a process during the entire baptismal ceremony, not a particular one-time rendered “formula.”  Christ did NOT say; “You must baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” which is quite in contrast with the requirement stated in passages such as Acts 2:38, where we read, …“let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ…”

Continuing from our booklet, “Baptism—a Requirement for Salvation?”:

“Notice Christ’s words in the parallel account in Mark 16:15–16: ‘And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe [and is not baptized] will be condemned [better translated: judged].”’ There is not even a hint of a baptismal formula here.”

We should also note that Mark 16:15-16 does not include the concept of baptizing someone “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost [or Spirit].” In the following installments, we will explain why this might be the case.

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

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Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

compiled by Dave Harris

“The Raid—a Failed Attempt to Stop Trump!” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

The raid of Trump’s private property in Florida with the obvious attempt to prevent him from running for the office of President in 2024 has backfired. There is clearly an appearance of collusion between Joe Biden, the White House, the FBI and the Justice Department. Many feel that the FBI would have NEVER conducted this highly sensitive raid without the green light from Biden and Co. The raid was conducted under the pretext of discovering classified documents, but has been described by many as an unconstitutional fishing expedition. Republicans, Democrats, Independents and retired FBI agents have condemned the action. While the raid might constitute the biggest debacle for the Biden administration, Republicans have shown their support for Trump who is now clearly viewed as their candidate for the Presidential race in 2024. But more needs to, and is being addressed, in this program. 

“Wird sich der 11. September 2001 wiederholen?” is the title of the new AufPostenStehen Program. It is the German version of our StandingWatch program from last week, titled, “Could There Be Another 9-11?”  

A Tech Team Meeting was conducted via Google Meets on Sunday, August 7, 2022. Hosted by Eric Rank, most of the time was devoted to our current Ad campaign in terms of evaluating cost and topics presented.  Additionally, discussion centered on publishing alternatives to serve as back-ups to YouTube and equipment needs at the Feast.

“Größe braucht Korrektur,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Robert Indlekofer, is now posted. Title in English: “Size Needs Correction.”

“China on the Warpath—Comments on News and Prophecy, August 6, 2022,” the first message presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Was Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban correct with his recent comments about human races? Why are new conditions after COVID shots and Fauci’s misinformation alarming, and why are Germany’s new Corona restrictions so stupid? In what way did Biden’s monumental failure contribute to the terrible situation in Afghanistan; and what did Pelosi’s visit in Taiwan trigger regarding China? Frightening news from China may signal a Chinese military strike on US forces in the region. What would or could the USA do in such a case?

“Why the Book of Ecclesiastes Is Misunderstood,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The book of Ecclesiastes has many layers. It describes the lives of people under the sun who are cut off from God. To that extent, life is vain and a grasping for the wind. In addition, when Solomon addresses the reader DIRECTLY, he is not talking about people who have turned away from God and who refuse to submit to God. It is important to see the distinction.

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How This Work is Financed

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

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

Technical Team: Eric Rank, Shana Rank

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

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

Donations can be sent to the following addresses:

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

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

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

This Week in the News

Witch-Hunt on Trump from Every Angle

The Sun wrote on August 9:

“Sources say the FBI search was part of an investigation into whether he took classified records from the White House to Mar-a-Lago… Law enforcement sources told TMZ that federal agents ‘waited for Trump to leave town’ before conducting the raid. The protocol of an FBI raid like the one conducted on Monday would require federal agents to ‘handcuff the target – if they’re home – until the property is secured,’ the outlet reported citing sources. ‘The target would not be arrested, but rather detained. Once the property was secured, agents would remove the handcuffs, but the target could not reenter the premises until the raid was completed.’

“On Tuesday, the DC Court of Appeals announced that the House Ways and Means Committee could obtain Trump’s tax returns from the IRS in the latest legal blow to the former president.

“… the search comes amid a separate grand jury investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election…

“Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence ripped the FBI, saying the raid ‘undermines public confidence’ in the country’s justice system… ‘No former President of the United States has ever been subject to a raid of their personal residence in American history… the appearance of continued partisanship by the Justice Department must be addressed… Attorney General Garland must give a full accounting to the American people as to why this action was taken and he must do so immediately.’”

Of course, Garland has so far refused to say anything which would have been substantial. Republicans and political conservative contenders for the White House like Mike Pence were quick to give their full support for Donald Trump. The political and presumably illegal action of the Justice Department and the FBI will backfire and might constitute the biggest debacle for the Biden administration… much bigger than the Afghanistan catastrophe. It does not appear that Biden and the Democrats will be able to recover from these devastating developments. Note the next articles.

Republicans in Arms in Support of Trump

Florida Politics wrote on August 8:

“The historic spectacle of the FBI raiding the former President’s… Palm Beach estate lit Twitter on fire with outraged Republicans venting about the news. State Republicans argued the raid… is an example of the federal government being weaponized against the administration’s opponents...

“Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio went on something of a Tweetstorm, evoking the political upheaval in his parent’s native country, Cuba. ‘Using government power to persecute political opponents is something we have seen many times from 3rd world Marxist dictatorships. But never before in America,’ Rubio said… U.S. Sen. Rick Scott was making basically the same point as Rubio. ‘The FBI’s raid of Mar-A-Lago is incredibly concerning, especially given the… Biden admin’s history of going after parents and other political opponents. This is 3rd World country stuff…’ [He also wrote:] Biden is playing with fire by using a document dispute to get the Justice Department to persecute a likely future election opponent. Because one day what goes around is going to come around. And then we become Nicaragua under Ortega.’

“Gov. Ron DeSantis was also pessimistic about the historic event… ‘The raid of MAL is another escalation in the weaponization of federal agencies against the Regime’s political opponents, while people like Hunter Biden get treated with kid gloves,’ DeSantis tweeted. ‘Now the Regime is getting another 87K IRS agents to wield against its adversaries? Banana Republic.’

“Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronisdemanded additional explanation about the raid from federal officials… ‘This administration has lost its mind. It is corrupt. It is political. They raid a former President, they do nothing about the border or about Hunter…. Pure Banana Republic tactics. Only in dictatorship do they use the power of government to eliminate their enemies.’”

Newsmax added on August 8:

“House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said in a statement[:] ‘The Department of Justice has reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization.’“

Breitbart published on August 8 numerous comments from conservative newscasters, supporting Trump and accusing the Biden Administration, the FBI and the Justice Department for improper conduct:

Lou Dobbs: ‘The FBI and the DOJ have ruthlessly violated the Constitution and law in America. Joe Biden and Merrick Garland are no more than Marxist thugs, not public servants. They’re an outrage against decency, judgment, a former President, and the American people.’

Sebastian Gorka: ‘The FBI is currently raiding President Trump home at Mar-a-Lago. They have declared war on 74 MILLION Americans.’

Glenn Beck: ‘This is the act of a dictator of a Banana Republic. Republicans NEVER did this to Clinton, although perhaps we should have. With Joe & Hunter Biden paying zero consequence for his actions. This is shameful and MUST STOP. We don’t do this in America. Way over the line… Hillary Clinton acid washed hard drives. TOOK SKIFF only top secret documents home. WILDLY illegal. THEY did NOTHING. The FBI needs to be fumigated. ANY FBI agent who knows about corruption and keeps quiet is just as guilty.’”

Deutsche Welle added on August 10:

“Senator Lindsey Graham… said ‘launching an investigation of a former president this close to an election is beyond problematic,’ while Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, the third-ranking House Republican, called Monday’s events a ‘dark day in American history.’”

Fox News added on August 10:

“Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino called the FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home a ‘constitutional abomination to our constitutional republic’ and said the personnel involved with the raid should be fired.”

Termination and PROSECUTION may have to include EVERYONE directly or indirectly involved, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and any and all “higher-ups,” if they were in any way complicit in this attack on American liberties and freedoms.

What’s Really Behind the Raid?

The New York Post wrote on August 9:

“The court-authorized search… is another unmistakable signal that the Justice Department is trying to build a criminal case against [Trump] arising out of the Capitol riot. Ostensibly, the search relates to a long simmering dispute between the former president and the government over Trump’s potentially illegal retention and mishandling of classified information. But don’t be deceived

“The ongoing proceedings implicating Trump – in particular, the Justice Department’s investigation and the House January 6 committee probe – seem geared toward undermining his capacity to seek the presidency again in 2024…But a felon is not a disqualification, so even crimes potentially far more serious than mishandling classified information are not a bar to seeking the presidency…

“The Justice Department obviously used the potential classified information as a pretext to obtain a warrant so it could search for what it is really looking for: evidence that would tie Trump to a Capitol riot offense… The Biden Justice Department is under enormous pressure from the Democratic base to indict Trump, and it is straining to deliver. But what it is trying to deliver is a Capitol riot case, not a case of mishandling classified documents.”

This supports the suggestion raised by many that the FBI and others went on a politically and legally problematic fishing expedition. There exists a statute which might be used to bar Trump from running for the Presidency. But as legal scholars point out, only the Constitution declares when someone is barred from running. So any statute going beyond this is unconstitutional and void.

Trump’s Response

Newsmax and Reuters wrote on August 8:

“Former President Donald Trump on Monday said his opponents ‘desperately don’t want me to run for President in 2024’ and will ‘likewise do anything to stop Republicans and Conservatives in the upcoming Midterm Elections.’ That, he said, is why FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday even though he said he had been ‘working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies.’… Trump called the move against a former president ‘dark times for our nation,’ and said the action was no different than Watergate and had turned the United States into a ‘broken third-world country.’

“Trump, who found plenty of support on Monday from political allies, issued a statement reading:

“‘Nothing like this has ever happened to a president of the United States before… Such an assault could only take place in broken, third-world countries. Sadly, America has now become one of those countries, corrupt at a level not seen before. They even broke into my safe!…

“‘Hillary Clinton was allowed to delete and acid wash 33,000 e-mails AFTER they were subpoenaed by Congress. Absolutely nothing has happened to hold her accountable. She even took antique furniture, and other items from the White House.

“I stood up to America’s bureaucratic corruption… the establishment hated it. Now, as they watch my endorsed candidates win big victories, and see my dominance in all polls, they are trying to stop me, and the Republican Party, once more. The lawlessness, political persecution, and witch hunt must be exposed and stopped…’”

Calls for taking up arms and the need for civil war are becoming louder in some circles.

 Newsmax wrote on August 9:

President Joe Biden ‘knew all about’ Monday’s raid at Mar-a-Lago, just as he surely knew all about son Hunter Biden’s business deals, former President Donald Trump proclaimed on Tuesday… Trump has been blasting the actions of the Biden administration’s Justice Department as a continuation of efforts to discredit him as a president and potential 2024 candidate for reelection.

“Earlier Tuesday, at a White House press conference, officials insisted Biden had not been briefed on the FBI raid. That, they said, is because he would have had no role in it, with the Justice Department expected to perform its tasks independent of the Oval Office.

“Biden has also repeatedly denied any involvement in, or knowledge of, son Hunter’s business dealings with foreign entities and individuals.

“Democrat and anti-Trump operatives have offered hints, and sometimes more, about wanting to attack Trump with an eye toward blocking a 2024 run. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., has acknowledged that a goal of the House Jan. 6 Select Committee probing the Capitol attack is to keep Trump from the White House…”

The problem is, Biden has been lying on several occasions. There is clearly an appearance of collusion between the White House and the FBI and the Justice Department. Further concerns were raised when it was revealed that “The federal judge who reportedly signed off on the raid at former President Trump’s …  Mar-a-Lago residence donated thousands of dollars to former President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign and victory fund in 2008” (Fox News, dated August 9).

Dark Days in the USA—While It Is Getting Darker…

The New York Post reported on August 9:

“FBI agents scoured Melania Trump’s wardrobe and spent several hours combing through Donald Trump’s private office, breaking open his safe and rifling through drawers when they raided the former First Family’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida Monday morning… A source close to the former president expressed concern that FBI agents or DOJ lawyers conducting the search could have ‘planted stuff’ because they would not allow Trump’s attorneys inside the 128-room building to observe the operation, which lasted more than nine hours.

“The raid… extended through the Trump family’s entire 3,000-square-foot private quarters, as well as to a separate office and safe, and a locked basement storage room in which 15 cardboard boxes of material from the White House were stored. The boxes [taken by the FBI] contain documents and mementos from Trump’s presidency, reportedly including [private!] letters from Barack Obama and Kim Jong Un, and other correspondence with world leaders…

“… agents fanned out to search every room, while shocked staff were instructed by Trump’s lawyers to unlock doors and provide the FBI access to every room, including the sumptuous Versailles Master Bedroom, renovated by Melania two years ago. Another group of agents, including a professional safe cracker, moved to a separate part of the enormous 1924 Spanish stucco building to search Trump’s office and safe. The demeanor of the three DOJ lawyers who accompanied the FBI was described by one eyewitness as ‘arrogant’

“Despite the sweltering 91 degrees temperature Monday, Trump’s lawyers were forbidden by the feds to shelter inside the cool lobby, or to observe the search in any way, but were left outside in the baking sun near a parking lot. The feds instructed Trump’s representatives to switch off the security cameras but they refused.

If this does not tell us what is happening…

Newsmax wrote on August 9:

“No former president had been raided in the 114-year history of the FBI before Trump, including President Barack Obama, who Trump has alleged was a part of spying on his 2016 presidential campaign against Hillary Clinton.

“Former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik…  issued a warning Tuesday the FBI raid required body cameras, and he issued a call for the House Judiciary Committee and Ranking Member Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to subpoena those from the raid on Trump…”

“Justice” in America?

Newsmax wrote on August 10:

“The FBI raided former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence as opposed to issuing a subpoena, because they wanted to circumvent Trump’s Fifth Amendment rights – and seize anything they wanted – according to legal expert Alan Dershowitz… Dershowitz… added… a search warrant is easily obtained through a judge, who signs off on them without much justification. ‘For a search warrant, you go to Santa Claus and you say, “Santa, it’s Christmas, give me presents,”’ Dershowitz said. ‘Every judge grants almost every search warrant request, and there is no judicial oversight to speak of for search warrants.’

“Dershowitz’s remarks appear to stamp out allegations from the likes of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who suggested the FBI must have had ‘justification’ to raid Trump’s private residence. Dershowitz argued a search warrant has a very low bar. ‘I’ve been doing this for 60 years, Greta: I don’t remember a case where a judge turned down a search warrant,’ Dershowitz continued. ‘… And, if a judge turns down a search warrant, you just go to another judge and another judge and another judge. You can get to the eighth judge, if seven have been denied, you still get your search warrant.’”

Incredible. This shows how the “justice system” “works.” The Ron Paul Institute is asking the question on August 9 whether America is now a “police state.”

It Will Backfire!

The New York Post reported on August 10:

“The former commander-in-chief told the [Republican Study Committee] he ‘has made up his mind’ about his long-teased run, and ‘enjoyed encouragement’ from them to ‘get the decision out sooner rather than later.’… ‘The Republican Party is bigger and stronger than ever before because of Donald Trump’s leadership,’ insisted the study committee chairman.

“[Rep. Jim] Banks joined others in saying that ‘what happened at Mar-a-Lago unifies Republicans in our outrage… If anything, what the left and the corrupt Biden administration has done will only backfire on them, as they see that the American people stand with President Trump,’ he told Fox. ‘The House GOP is fighting back. We stand united in outrage against the Biden White House and DOJ, and we stand with President Trump.’”

It will backfire indeed. Republicans and even Democrats and Independents take Trump’s side against the irresponsible conduct of those responsible for this raid. In a sense, nothing better could have happened toTrump…

The Days the Truth Died

Paul Craig Roberts, Institute for Political Economy, wrote on August 5:

“The Establishment’s determination to close down narrative-challenger Alex Jones has put Sandy Hook back in the news…

“My search of the IPE archives brought up my articles on other controversial shootings–Las Vegas and Orlando–and the Oklahoma City Bombing.  The common thread in all of these incidents is that the narrative is established the minute the news is reported, and officials and media never vary from the narrative.  As soon as it happens, the government and the media already know what happened.  No investigation ever takes place.  It was the same for President Kennedy’s assassination, his brother’s assassination, 9/11, the Gulf of Tonkin, Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, Assad’s use of chemical weapons, the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, etc.

Legitimate questions about the narratives are ignored by officials and media who seem to be involved in a conspiracy to bury the truth.  Skeptics, no matter how prominent or fact-based are demonized as ‘conspiracy theorists’ unworthy of attention. Clearly, America no longer has a media watchdog.  America has a propaganda ministry for official narratives. What this tells us should shock every American… truth is hard to find in the American media and the American government.

“In the not distant future, it will become actionable to doubt… the government on the grounds that doubt implies disbelief and disbelief is a crime or proves that you are a foreign agent.  Slander and libel will evolve to apply to media and government as institutions.  As we are so gullible, so trusting, we are going to be reduced to silence or praise.  Silence will bring official suspicion.  Praise of the false narratives will bring career success and rewards…

“Younger people have been indoctrinated in schools that government and media protect blacks, homosexuals, and transgendered from racist, homophobic and transphobic white people who use normality as an illegitimate standard of approval. Sodom and Gomorrah are approved, but not the white family unit.

“Can we believe that there is a future for freedom in America when Democrats, media, CIA, FBI, and NSA can create a narrative of President Donald Trump as a Russian agent? Can we believe that there is a future for freedom in America when the same collection of schemers can create a show trial of the President of the United States planning a coup by a couple of hundred unarmed supporters seizing the government of the United States by walking around in the Capitol and sitting in Nancy Pelosi’s chair?…”

This was even written BEFORE the outrageous raid on Trump’s property in Florida.

On the other hand, we should not forget some of the outrageous ideas Trump supports. Note the next articles.

Trump: Death Penalty for Drug Dealers

In his rallies, including the most recent rally on August 5, 2022, Trump is pleading for the death penalty for drug dealers. His stance is not new; note the following article by The Washington Post from February 15, 2019:

“President Trump spoke fondly again on Friday about the practice — popular among some anti-Democratic leaders — of executing drug traffickers. Speaking at the White House to announce that he was declaring a national emergency to secure funding to build his long-promised border wall, Trump digressed to speak about a recent conversation he had with Chinese President Xi Jinping. ‘Their criminal list — a drug dealer gets a thing called the death penalty,’ he said of China… ‘When I asked President Xi, I said, “You have a drug problem?” “No no no.”… Why? Death penalty,’ Trump said, imitating someone who speaks broken English. “We give death penalty to people who sell drugs. End of problem.”’ [Trump repeats this conversation continuously during his recent rallies.]

“Human rights experts said Trump’s regular praise for Xi is concerning and misleading… While Trump claimed he was told that China does not have a drug problem, that does not appear to be the case. According to China Daily, a state-run newspaper, police in China solved ‘140,000 criminal cases related to drugs in 2016, arrested 168,000 suspected drug users, seized 82.1 tons of drugs and destroyed 438 drug labs.’ And the outlet noted that there were 2.5 million known drug addicts in China by the end of 2017.’…

“China does execute people in some cases for drug trafficking, distribution and manufacturing but that its legal processes would not pass muster in the United States… There’s no due process… Everything about every death penalty case in China would fail the tests we have here for a fair trial…”

The death penalty for drug dealers, following China’s example, is a terrible idea which would not fly in the USA. And what about mothers who abort their children? Is Trump, who was at one time “pro-choice,” suggesting that they should get the death penalty too?

Trump: End Chain Migration

In his rallies, including the most recent rally on August 5, 2022,Trump is pleading for ending chain migration. His stance is not new; note the following article by Vox, dated January 30, 2018:

“[President Donald Trump is] talking more — a lot more — about how ‘chain migration’ is bad for the United States. ‘Ending chain migration’ has become one of the four pillars that the White House demands be part of any bill to protect the 690,000 young unauthorized immigrants affected by Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program [commonly referred to as the “Dreamers”]. The White House’s own proposal suggests doing this by preventing all US citizens from sponsoring parents, siblings or adult children to settle in the US — a radical change from current law….”

We should point out that legal chain migration is a long, cumbersome and expensive process. Many would not qualify. Trump does not seem to know much about how chain migration really works. We should also point out that Trump’s own parents-in-law were able to settle in the USA because of chain migration. Ending chain migration is another one of Trump’s terrible ideas.

Fauci at it Again

The Ron Paul Institute republished on August 5 the following article by the Dossier:

“This week, Anthony Fauci has been making the media rounds warning of a severe winter of death and illness for the unvaccinated. Once more, he has warned of a heavy toll for those who refuse experimental gene injections that have been fraudulently represented as the cure to the coronavirus… Fauci recently had a bad bout with COVID-19, despite taking four Pfizer injections and two full courses of Pfizer oral pills

“Last year, Fauci warned of a brutal winter for those who decided not to get injected with the gene juice… President Biden infamously declared a coming ‘winter of death and severe illness for the unvaccinated.’ Of course, that 2021 winter of death and severe illness never came to fruition, and neither will the 2022 winter projection, to the devastation of the people in charge… Americans are largely tuning out the Big Pharma-Government Health seasonal mRNA sales drive.”

One of Trump’s colossal blunders was not to fire Fauci. We cannot expect Biden to do so, of course.

In fact, Fauci has become somewhat of a mentor for other “health experts”… with disastrous consequences. Note the next articles regarding COVID restrictions in Germany.

Germany’s COVID Chaos

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 5:

“German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has tested positive for the coronavirus and is isolating at home… Lauterbach… has received four doses of the COVID vaccine… On Wednesday, the German government announced basic COVID measures… The most notable national plan, the compulsory wearing of face masks on long-distance trains and airplanes, will remain in place… A negative COVID-19 test will also be required from October until early April for many people to secure entry to hospitals, nursing homes and similar institutions…

“Germany’s 16 states are largely left to implement their own rules from among a range of options… State governments could decide to require masks on local public transport, in schools for students, or at indoor events, for example… The government also plans a vaccination drive in the coming months…”

 Lauterbach does not seem to have too much confidence in these vaccines, as he is now taking the corona pill “Paxlovid” to avoid complications, even though his symptoms are allegedly “mild.” So did Biden after he came down with COVID the first time in July, but subsequently he came down with it again, and has been tested positive for 7 consecutive days including Friday. We are being told that his symptoms were mild. He has now been tested negative, as of Saturday.

German doctors warn against Paxlovid. According to t-online, dated August 6, the medication causes side-effects such as high blood pressure, diarrhea and muscle pain, and should only be taken after diligent medical consultation. The article also points out that it is unknown why Corona returns after taking Paxlovid.

That’s Enough, Herr Lauterbach!

The mass German tabloid, Bild Online, wrote on August 5:

Germany is back in the Corona crisis. But not because of the virus, but because of the rules…

“The threatening rule chaos is homemade. While other countries (e.g. Switzerland, Austria, France) rely on freedom instead of measures, Health Minister Lauterbach and Justice Minister Buschmann are sending Germany back to arbitrary rule.

“Masks are compulsory in schools even though children almost never get sick? Vaccinations every 3 months to avoid wearing an FFP2 mask in the restaurant? It has nothing to do with health protection.

“Karl Lauterbach calls this the ‘incentive for vaccination’. But that is nothing more than vaccination pressure. Many people who have supported all Corona measures in the past will say: That’s enough!”

But will Lauterbach and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) listen to these appeals? That is hardly to be expected. Their goal of fearmongering and pressuring those who do not agree with their unscientific opinions is very obvious.

Recession Is Still Looming…

Breitbart wrote on August 5:

“The U.S. economy added 528,000 jobs in July and the unemployment rate fell to 3.5 percent… The July figures and the upward revisions to June’s gains are likely to spark concerns over inflation persisting at very high levels. Particularly with economic output contracting, adding demand in the form of additional workers and higher wages is likely to push prices up.”

The Associated Press added on August 5:

“The economic backdrop is troubling: Gross domestic product — the broadest measure of economic output — fell in both the first and second quarters; consecutive GDP drops is one definition of a recession. And inflation is roaring at a 40-year high… History isn’t entirely reassuring: The unemployment rate was even lower — 3.5% — when an 11-month recession began in December 1969…

“Economist House at Wells Fargo expects employers to keep adding jobs for a few months. But rising interest rates, she said, will gradually choke off economic growth… ‘Our expectation is that the U.S. economy will slip into recession, probably at the start of the year.’”

CNBC wrote on August 5:

“There is no historical precedent to indicate that an economy in recession can produce 528,000 jobs in a month, as the U.S. did during July. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a recession ahead, and, ironically enough, it is the labor market’s phenomenal resiliency that could pose the biggest danger. The Federal Reserve’s rate tightening to address inflation poses a recession threat into 2023.”

On the other hand, Politico wrote on August 5:

It’s the fastest pace of jobs growth since February as the labor market continues to defy fears that the economy is heading into a recession.”

In Britain too…

Breitbart wrote on August 5:

“The Bank of England has warned that the British economy is heading into a protracted recession as it raised interest rates to fight inflation amid fears of 13 or 15 per cent inflation by the end of year…. the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis. The central bank raised the rates in the hopes of mitigating the expected increases to inflation, which it now forecasts as hitting 13.3 per cent this year, a four decade high. It is now expected that at the end of the year, the British economy will sink into a recession that will last for at least five quarters…”

… and in Germany…

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 7:

“For the fifth month in a row, German factories received fewer orders for their products. In June, orders fell 0.4% compared with May. Though a minor decline at first glance, that adds up to a 5.6% decrease for the second quarter of 2022. Because of the bottlenecks in global supply chains, German industries still have a high order backlog, but not enough to protect them from the upcoming economic hardship, Commerzbank chief economist Jörg Krämer told DW. ‘The risk of a recession is increasing,’ Krämer said….

“The current high inflation rates continue to erode consumer purchasing power… There is also great uncertainty as to what additional costs might arise from the high energy prices caused by the war in Ukraine and the gas levy… Additionally, the global economy is suffering, affecting overseas markets. In the United States, one of the most important sales destinations for German industry, inflation rates are so high that the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates much faster than the European Central Bank, pushing people and businesses to spend less….

A recession seems inevitable… That could push at least parts of German industry to relocate their production abroad — to places where energy is cheaper and produced domestically…”

These are not good signs for the economic prosperity of Germany. It would take a strong and dictatorial Führer with drastic measures to turn this trend around, but it would have terrible consequences for Germany and the entire world.

Snickers Gives in to China

Bild Online wrote on August 5:

“One of the most successful chocolate bars collapses in front of the Chinese dictatorship!

“The US candy company Mars Wrigley (including Snickers, Twix) apologized on Friday for a Snickers ad in which Chinese social media users said that Taiwan was a country… Unbelievable (and inedible): The American bar -Giant posted an apology on its account… and said the relevant content had been changed. The former Snickers slogan ‘When you get hungry’ would have to be rephrased: ‘When you get cowardly’…”

The correct slogan is: “You’re not you when you’re hungry“, to be changed to, “You’re not you when you’re a coward.”

China on the Warpath

Breitbart wrote on August 5:

“The ambassador for Communist China to France said on Monday that the people of Taiwan will need to be ‘re-educated’ after the democratic island nation is ‘reunified’ with the mainland.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 5:

“The Chinese Communist Party says that self-ruled, democratic Taiwan is part of its territory and has promised to one day take it, if necessary by force. As such, Beijing objects to foreign governments having formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. While the US does not have such relations with Taipei, it remains its most important military and political backer. .. Pelosi said on Friday that the US would ‘not allow’ China to isolate Taiwan…

“Taiwan’s defence ministry on Friday said a total of 68 Chinese military aircraft and 13 navy ships were conducting missions in the Taiwan Strait. Some, they said, had crossed an official buffer separating the two sides. The ministry described the move as ‘damaging the status quo’.”

The Guardian added on August 5 that “Japan’s prime minister also called for an immediate halt to the exercises after his government said at least five missiles landed within its exclusive economic zone.”

The Sun wrote on August 6:

“CHINA boasted it has rehearsed sinking US aircraft carriers using hypersonic missiles as part of a massive war games amid simmering tensions over Taiwan… Warships, warplanes and missiles have all been moved towards the island for the massive Chinese war games – which in effect blockaded Taiwan.

“Beijing’s state run media bragged the drills showed how China could attack the island by first unleashing a wave of rocket strikes across the Taiwan Strait. And it then boasted missile launches showed how the Communist forces could also strike any ‘foreign’ aircraft carriers that may attempt to ‘intervene from the Philippine Sea’. Hypersonic missiles such as the DF-17 could be used, it claimed…

“The ‘foreign’ ships being referred to is clearly a barb at the US – with aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and her strike group just days ago operating in the Philippine Sea. Chinese state media described the ship as ‘retreating’ as she started to sail back towards its home port in Japan.”

The Sun wrote on August 5, 2022:

Oriana Skylar Mastro, a fellow at Stanford University and a former China analyst at the Pentagon,… explained that Beijing now believes it also has to fight the US if it is to fulfil its… goal of invading Taiwan and ‘reuniting’ with the mainland. And Mastro believes the most likely way such a conflict would play out is with a Pearl Harbor-style attack on US forces in the region. It would be designed to try and knock out US forces so they could not react to stop China gaining a foothold in Taiwan… And it has always been unclear if Washington would intervene militarily should China attack Taiwan, despite a recent vow from US President Joe Biden.

“Mastro is one of the world’s leading authorities on the Chinese military and its thinking… Mastro is not the only expert to have suggest that the US could face another ‘Pearl Harbor’ over Taiwan… Brands and Beckley warn the ‘most worrying’ scenario would see Beijing attempt to launch a ‘surprise missile attack’ on American forces in Asia… they warn ‘by the time the [US] was ready to fight, the war might effectively be over’…. The massive assault would then be followed by cyberattacks and anti-satellite operations to try [to] sow chaos and stop any effective response by Taiwan and the US…

“Taiwan is feared to be a major flashpoint between Washington and Beijing — with a potentially invasion potentially forcing the US to either abandon the island or face full scale war with China… state controlled media has been turning up the heat on the rhetoric, referring to the drills as ‘rehearsals for the reunification operation.’”

The Bible does not indicate any full-fledged war between China and the USA prior to Christ’s return. This does not rule out a scenario as described above.

It Gets More Complicated

The Washington Post wrote on August 5:

“The fallout over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan escalated sharply Friday as China reacted angrily to having its ambassador [Qin] summoned to the White House, said it would cancel or suspend dialogue with the United States on several issues and sanctioned Pelosi and her family…

“The fast-moving events have forced President Biden to manage potentially volatile confrontations between the United States and two other world powers. Even as tensions bubble between the United States and China over Pelosi’s trip, Biden is striving to keep Beijing from aiding Russia in its scorched-earth war against Ukraine...”

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 5:

“German foreign policy faces a dilemma: China is Germany’s most important trading partner. If Berlin took a clear stand against Chinese efforts to retake Taiwan, this could risk serious conflict, above all in economic terms. Yet if Germany keeps quiet, the country undermines its claims to have a ‘values-based’ foreign policy. Either way, it is difficult for Berlin to stay out of the growing conflict between China and the United States

“Germany does not officially recognize Taiwan as an independent state; rather, Taiwan is considered part of China. There are no high-level contacts. The ‘One China’ policy stipulates there is only one Chinese government: in Beijing. Most of the international community abides by this concept, including Germany and the US. Taiwan has never officially declared itself independent… Despite the One China policy, Germany and Taiwan maintain close relations…. Germany is Taiwan’s largest trading partner in Europe, to the tune of  €22 billion ($22 billion) worth of trade in 2021. However, trade volume with China dwarfs that relationship by a factor of 12…

“‘Even if there is no military confrontation, the Europeans and especially… Germans will be the ones to suffer from the decoupling from the Chinese economy that Washington is now pushing,’ said Josef Braml, a political scientist. ‘Should Trump or a similar China hawk enter the White House in 2024, Braml thinks the EU will need greater strategic sovereignty. That would include a stronger political and military union…  If we don’t succeed in this, we will become collateral damage in a major confrontation between the US and China,’ Braml said.”

Bild Online wrote on August 5:

“”The G7 had expressed concern and stressed that there was no reason to use a visit [by Pelosi] as a pretext for ‘aggressive military activity’. In Beijing, ambassadors from EU countries and Japan, as well as EU representatives, were summoned to the Foreign Ministry, where they were handed a formal protest against the G7 statement. Germany currently holds the presidency of the G7.

“Further irritations with Beijing are expected from a long-planned visit by the Human Rights Committee of the Bundestag to Taiwan. The trip should take place between October 22nd and 30th and also go to Japan and the Chinese special administrative region of Hong Kong… MEPs from all six parliamentary groups are expected to take part in the trip.”

The Bible prophesies a major nuclear war between Europe and Far Eastern nations, including China, prior to Christ’s return.

China and Japan… a Troubled Relationship

Foreign Policy wrote on August 8:

“China’s… extensive military action is bringing a new sense of urgency to heighten Japan’s defense capability, substantially raise the defense budget, and, potentially, institute new rules that would for the first time allow preemptive military steps if Japan is at risk…

“Japanese analysts saw China’s actions as a direct warning, especially in relation to Japan’s hosting of more than 50,000 U.S. service personnel, the largest offshore deployment of U.S. forces in the world. ‘The purpose of those kind of threatening [actions] is … make Japan recognize that if Japan cooperates with the United States to contain China or to block China conducting the unification operation of Taiwan, then Japan must be involved in the war, must be damaged by the Chinese military operation,’ Bonji Ohara, a senior fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, [said]…

“Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida… has promised a significant increase in Japan’s defense spending. Japan’s military… is one of the largest and considered among the most capable in the world, but the spending level has been unofficially capped…

“The Chinese action also serves as something of a vindication for former Prime Minister Taro Aso, who said a year ago when he was a deputy prime minister that an attack on Taiwan would represent a threat to Japan. The remarks were criticized at the time, but the recent Chinese military actions show that his analysis was correct. More controversially, he also said that ‘if that is the case, Japan and the U.S. must defend Taiwan together.’

“Japan has long-term ties to Taiwan, formerly a Japanese colony. China-Japan tensions are not new…”

Japan was an ally to Germany in WW II against China. This scenario could repeat itself, or China and Japan will finally unite—as Russia and Ukraine will do.

Canada’s Weak Military Condition

National Post wrote on August 8:

“For the first time in eight years, Canadian warships are not involved in either of two NATO naval task forces charged with patrolling European waters and defending against Russian threats… Canada… is struggling with a shrinking fleet of aging ships and a lack of trained sailors

“While Canada has 12 frigates…, the navy’s maintenance and training requirements mean only a handful are available to deploy at any given time. Canada used to also have three destroyers, but those vessels were retired in 2014.

“The navy, like the rest of the military, is also facing a severe shortage of personnel.”

All of this is to be expected from a radical left-wing government.

Relationship Between USA and Ukraine in Turmoil?

Head Topics Deutschland wrote on August 3:

“The New York Times makes a remarkable revelation: the White House’s relationship with the Ukrainian president appears to be at turmoil. The story does not appear to be mere conjecture by the columnist…

“At the beginning of June, US intelligence officials complained that Kyiv had not given them enough information about what was happening in the country. ‘How much do we really know about how Ukraine is doing?’ Beth Sanner, a former senior intelligence official, told the NYT at the time: ‘Can you find a person who will tell you with confidence how many troops Ukraine has lost, how many pieces of equipment has Ukraine lost?‘”

In the New York Times article of June 8, 2022 , it was also stated:

“Some European agencies say it will be difficult if not impossible for Ukraine to reclaim the land that Russia has taken since it invaded in February, but U.S. intelligence agencies are less pessimistic, officials said. Still, there are cracks in Ukraine’s defenses, and questions about the state of Ukraine’s military forces and strategy in the Donbas have created an incomplete picture for the United States.”

Three Popes?

The Guardian wrote on August 5:

“Almost a decade has passed since Pope Benedict XVI became the first pontiff for 600 years to retire rather than die in office. The idea of two popes – one serving and one emeritus – intrigued some and troubled others… But three popes? That prospect was raised by Pope Francis last weekend when he told reporters on his return to Rome after a penitential visit to Canada that the ‘door is open’ to his retirement. It would not be a catastrophe, he said. His comments… were not the first time Francis has hinted at retirement.

“Almost as soon as he was elected, in March 2013 at the age of 76, Francis began alluding to a time when he would no longer be pope – either because of death or retirement. His health… has deteriorated in recent years…

“On stepping down, Benedict took the title of pope emeritus. He has continued to wear the incumbent’s traditional white cassock, and lives within the Vatican at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery. Francis has already indicated that he would take the title of emeritus bishop of Rome, live quietly outside the Vatican, and eschew the papal white robes…

“The existence of two popes has not always been easy. [Papal biographer Austen] Ivereigh said: ‘When the emeritus pontificate was created, effectively as a new institution, the fear was it would be confusing, it could act as a focus of opposition or contrast with the existing pope… There have been many instances where the pope emeritus has effectively been manipulated in the service of traditionalist agendas. It creates a sense there is a rivalry.’…”

There have been incidents in the Catholic Church where there have been two rival popes, each with his own following, cardinals, and administrative offices. This Western or Great Schism took place from 1378 to 1417, with one pope residing in Rome and the other in Avignon, and it was never officially announced by the Catholic Church as to who of the two rival popes was the “official pope.”  To end the schism, cardinals from both movements elected a third pope, Alexander V. Finally, the Roman pope, Gregor XII, and the Avignon pope, Benedict XIII, were replaced by Martin V in 1417, ending the schism.  

Huge Pride Canal Parade in Amsterdam

 AP wrote on August 6:

“Hundreds of thousands of spectators lined Amsterdam’s historic canals Saturday to celebrate Canal Parade, a flotilla of 80 brightly decorated boats packed with partying and singing people waving rainbow flags, balloons and umbrellas. The boats representing rights groups, bars, clothing brands and even the Dutch military made their way slowly through the waterways in a resumption of the hugely popular LGBTQ Pride event after two years canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic….

“Spectators were packed several people deep along canals and on bridges to watch the 25th version of the parade that was the the highlight of a nine-day pride event in the Dutch capital.”

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.

Quo Vadis—Where Are You Going? / Europe’s Rise and Fall

On August 13, 2022, Frank Bruno will present the sermonette, titled, “Quo Vadis—Where Are You Going?” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “Europe’s Rise and Fall.”

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.

Comments on News and Prophecy, August 6, 2022 / Why the Book of Ecclesiastes Is Misunderstood

On August 6, 2022, Norbert Link will present, “Comments on News and Prophecy, August 6, 2022,” and the sermon, titled, “Why the Book of Ecclesiastes Is Misunderstood.”

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

This Week in the News

Dissolving Ukraine?

The Associated Press wrote on July 30:

“The US ambassador to the United Nations said Friday there should no longer be any doubt that Russia intends to dismantle Ukraine ‘and dissolve it from the world map entirely.’

“… Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ‘has even stated that this is Russia’s war aim,’ she said. Lavrov told an Arab summit in Cairo on Sunday that Moscow’s overarching goal in Ukraine is to free its people from its ‘unacceptable regime.’ Apparently suggesting that Moscow’s war aims extend beyond Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region in the east comprising Donetsk and Luhansk, Lavrov said: ‘We will certainly help the Ukrainian people to get rid of the regime, which is absolutely anti-people and anti-historical.’

“Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky told the Security Council on Friday that ‘The de-Nazification and demilitarization of Ukraine will be carried out in full.’”

There should be no doubt that Russia wants to bring Ukraine back into “Mother Russia’s” fold, and unification between Russia and Ukraine (the modern “Medes”) is indeed prophesied.

Italy’s Return to Fascism?

The Associated Press wrote on July 30:

“Italy’s president [Sergio Mattarella], marking the 100th anniversary of one of the attacks that helped bring dictator Benito Mussolini to power, on Thursday encouraged Italians to reinvigorate their country’s democracy as a bulwark against fascism.

“Italy’s fascist legacy faces increasingly closer scrutiny these days as the country holds an early parliamentary election on September 25. Opinion polls indicate the far-right Brothers of Italy, which has neo-fascist roots, would be the top vote-getter, with the party’s leader, Giorgia Meloni, eager to become premier. She has never disavowed her party’s fascist roots but has distanced it from Mussolini’s racial laws targeting Jews….

“After Italian Premier Mario Draghi’s wide-ranging coalition collapsed last week, Mattarella dissolved Parliament, triggering the early election. Sinking Draghi’s pandemic unity government were Salvini, Berlusconi and the populist 5-Star Movement, all refusing to back him in a confidence vote. Meloni was the only major leader to refuse to join Draghi’s pandemic unity government when it was formed in early 2021 after he was tapped by Mattarella. She argued that Italians should decide their leader in an election.

“When it appeared that Berlusconi and Salvini were waffling at the prospect of Meloni becoming the next premier — and the first woman to hold that office — she demanded the three of them huddle to confirm the alliance’s long-standing rule: whoever gets the most votes becomes its pick for the premiership.”

Italy, as well as other European nations, may very well return to their fascist roots under the umbrella of a “United States of Europe.”

America’s Suffering Military

Politico wrote on July 27:

“Lawmakers from both parties are putting increasing pressure on the Pentagon to fix the recruitment crisis that threatens to leave the military well short of its goals to bring new troops aboard this year, in what is widely considered the worst recruiting environment since the end of the Vietnam War…

“While leaders from the different military branches have all acknowledged the problem, they also have been unable to move the needle in a positive direction, as the desire of young Americans to join the military falls off the statistical cliff

“The Army has reached 66 percent of its goal for the fiscal year ending in September, and the Navy is at 89 percent… Even with rates of 100 percent for the Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force, that leaves the department with a total rate of just 85 percent.”

America in decline and nearing total disaster will not have a powerful army to defend itself against foreign enemies.

Fox News Banning Trump

Newsmax wrote on July 30:

“The New York Times reported Friday that Fox News has not had Donald Trump on its network in over 100 days, which the paper said was part of a larger strategy to eliminate the former president as a major GOP player. Trump’s last appearance on Fox News came April 13 on ‘Hannity.’ But, The Times noted, even Trump has complained his longtime friend ‘doesn’t seem to be paying him much attention anymore.’ The paper said Trump believes Fox’s strategy of shunning him is an effort in ‘effectively displacing him’ from the news cycle and as de facto leader of the Republican Party.

“The decision to shun Trump has been made at ‘the highest levels’ of Fox’s parent company, and is backed by its billionaire chairman, Rupert Murdoch, and his son, company CEO Lachlan Murdoch. Both are Republicans, but are said to have developed a strong distaste for Trump. Earlier this month, the Murdoch-owned newspapers the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal published harsh rebukes of Trump’s actions regarding Jan. 6 while strongly opposing a Trump bid for president in 2024. The Times said Trump’s failure to accept the 2020 election result was at the root of the Murdochs’ criticism of the former president, a view shared by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

“Trump has not hidden his new distaste for Fox News… this week, Trump blasted ‘Fox & Friends’ on his Truth Social account for being ‘terrible’ and having ‘gone to the dark side.’ Trump suggested former House Speaker Paul Ryan’s sitting on Fox Corp.’s board of directors is behind the shadow banning of Trump.

“Meanwhile, The Times said Fox has sought to displace Trump with other GOP 2024 contenders, notably Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis. A recent FoxNews.com report featured man-on-the-street interviews with Trump ‘supporters’ who did not want him to run again and ‘unanimously’ backed DeSantis for 2024. ‘I spent 11 years at Fox, and I know nothing pretaped hits a Fox screen that hasn’t been signed off on and sanctioned at the very top levels of management — especially when it has to do with a presidential election,’ Newsmax host Eric Bolling said in a monologue this week.

“Dick Morris, a former Fox News Analyst who is currently with Newsmax, said The Times’ report should not surprise anyone who has been watching Fox. ‘Lachlan Murdoch and the network’s leadership wants Fox to be more like CNN,’ Morris said. ‘The Fox ban of Trump is a politically motivated decision, not based on news value, because Trump completely dominates the Republican Party and is still the biggest newsmaker in politics,’ Morris added.

“Recent polls show Trump crushing all potential opponents in a Republican primary. A recent Harvard-Harris poll had Trump pulling 56% of the vote against a field of seven GOP rivals, including DeSantis with 16%. Morris… argues Trump will easily win the upcoming Republican primary, but is the only GOP candidate who can win against the Democrats in 2024.”

The influence of Trump critics in high positions at Fox and associated media outlets can hardly be denied—and Trump’s former “friends” stay quiet… perhaps, because they want to keep their jobs.

DNYUZ added on July 29:

“On July 22, as Mr. Trump was rallying supporters in Arizona and teasing the possibility of running for president in 2024saying ‘We may have to do it again,’ Fox News chose not to show the event — the same approach it has taken for nearly all of his rallies this year. Instead, the network aired Laura Ingraham’s interview with a possible rival for the 2024 Republican nomination, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. It was the first of two prime-time interviews Fox aired with Mr. DeSantis in the span of five days; he appeared on Tucker Carlson’s show shortly after talking to Ms. Ingraham.

“When Mr. Trump spoke to a gathering of conservatives in Washington this week, Fox did not air the speech live. It instead showed a few clips after he was done speaking. That same day, it did broadcast live — for 17 minutes — a speech by former Vice President Mike Pence….

“Referring to the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 attack, the Fox anchor Bret Baier said it had made Mr. Trump ‘look horrific’ by detailing how it had taken 187 minutes for him to be persuaded to say anything publicly about the riot… Viewers in recent weeks have seen occasionally critical coverage of Mr. Trump, but, unlike other news networks, Fox has chosen to air its own prime-time programming rather than the hearings of the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack… Mr. Carlson, Mr. Hannity and Ms. Ingraham dismiss the hearings as a ‘show trial.’”

But if Trump becomes the Republican nominee, then we can expect Fox News and its main moderators to be Trump’s friends again. Oh what hypocrisy!

Tunisian Constitution Calls for Palestinian State With Jerusalem as Capital

Israel 365 wrote on July 29:

“A new constitution was passed by a referendum in Tunisia on Tuesday, expressing support for a Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem.

“‘We defend the legitimate rights of the peoples who, according to this legitimacy, have the right to decide their own destiny, the first of which is the right of the Palestinian people to their stolen land and the establishment of their state over it after its liberation, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif [Jerusalem] as its capital,’ read the preamble of the new constitution.”

Antisemitism and anti-Zionism are growing once again.

Europe and Libya

Politico wrote on July 27:

“Since February, the eyes of the world have been firmly fixed on the horrors unfolding in Ukraine. But while Europe’s attention has been consumed by the crisis on its eastern flank, the trouble burgeoning on its southern one in Libya has been largely ignored.  As escalating political tensions and recent outbreaks of violence now threaten to hurl the country back into civil war again, and the consequence will impact Europe and the wider international community…

“Africa’s most oil-rich nation finds itself in a state of total dysfunction and could be accurately described as a failed state. Since the civil war, which ended in 2020, it has effectively been split between an internationally recognized government based in Tripoli and the Russia-aligned Libyan National Army controlling the country’s east, and violence has been ongoing…

“Europe and Libya share the Mediterranean Sea: Alexander the Great, the Greeks, Romans and even the Normans have all exchanged goods, culture and ideas with Libya. But this proximity has also meant the country’s troubles often wash up on European shores… And as Europe finds itself in need of alternative energy sources — while it tries to cut itself off from Russian fossil fuels — Libya is the bloc’s closest alternative supply source… However, Libya’s enduring instability makes its supply largely inaccessible, as the vast majority of its reserves are under the control of the Libyan National Army…

“Currently, Libya has enough cash in its central bank to last several years, tens of billions of dollars in foreign investments, plus there’s all the oil — despite all the chaos, Libya is still able to produce over a million barrels of oil per day for export. But what the country doesn’t have is experience in building a functional state — this is where the international community comes in.

“Today, Libya is overflowing with arms, many of which are relics from the Gaddafi era… If a major global power or international body could eliminate these supply lines, Libya’s warring factions would soon run out of ammunition and have little choice but to work toward a peaceful solution for the country…”

A global power from Europe will invade Libya in due time, as Daniel 11:43 prophesies. The production and receipt of oil may be a major factor.

Pope Participates in Pagan Ritual of Sacred Circle of Spirits

Life Site News reported on July 28:

“Speaking in the presence of pro-abortion Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pope Francis criticized the ‘ideological colonizations’ which target ‘the unborn,’ and defended the Church’s role in protecting life from ‘conception to natural death.’… Following a pagan ‘smudging’ ritual, which called on ‘the sacred circle of spirits,’ Francis delivered an address in which he lamented a ‘colonizing mentality,’ and spoke of a need for the Catholic Church to ‘promote indigenous cultures.’…

“Justin Trudeau had issued yet another fiery attack against the Catholic Church for ‘its role’ in the ‘spiritual abuse, cultural abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse of Indigenous children in Church run residential schools.’ However, Francis appeared to somewhat rebuff Trudeau’s criticism… highlighting the Church’s ‘service’ of life at ‘every stage, from conception to natural death.’…

“The Pope’s comments gained a particular significance given those he was addressing. Following the U.S. Supreme Court leak pre-empting the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Trudeau publicly voiced  his support for the killing of the unborn on demand. ‘The right to choose is a woman’s right and a woman’s right alone,’ he tweeted. Indeed, the self-professed Catholic has regularly professed his support for abortion…

“However, Pope Francis has a peculiar record with regards to abortion… his actions have undermined any vocal opposition to abortion which he makes. The Pope has repeatedly sided with the United Nations (UN) and its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is heavily pro-abortion… In recent weeks he authorized and defended the Vatican’s joining of the Paris Climate Agreement, despite its pro-abortion tenets. Francis has also ignored Catholic teaching regarding Holy Communion for pro-abortion politicians on a number of occasions…”

Life Site News wrote on a related article on July 30:

“Popular Catholic commentators have been reacting with shock and outrage to video footage of Pope Francis and prominent cardinals partaking in a ‘smudging’ ritual invoking a ‘sacred circle of spirits’ that went ‘viral’ on social media earlier this week…

“Catholic author and exorcist scholar Charles D. Fraune [wrote:] ‘Francis is literally participating in summoning demons. This is so wrong….’ ‘Give us access to the sacred circle of spirits so they can be with us,’ Lord, have mercy!’ added Fraune, quoting words said by one of the leaders of the ceremony…

“… the ritual is not merely a cultural act but a religious act of ‘superstition,’ reminiscent of… Pope Francis’ veneration of the pagan pachamama idol at the Vatican in 2019.”

The inclusion of many pagan rites in Roman Catholicism and communication with demons by some prior Popes is well-documented. Please read especially chapter 10 of our free booklet, “The Ten European Revivals of the Ancient Roman Empire.” 

Hungarian Prime Minister’s Controversial Remarks

Reuters reported on July 29:

“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stuck to his anti-immigration stance Thursday but insisted it was not rooted in racism after his recent remarks that Hungarians did not want to become ‘peoples of mixed race’ drew fire at home and abroad… his comments in Romania on Saturday, when he said that in contrast to Western Europe’s ‘mixed-race world’ where people mixed with arriving non-Europeans, Hungary was not a mixed race country — hit a nerve, drawing condemnation from the United States, the European Union, Jewish groups and academics…

“European Commission vice president Frans Timmermans said on Twitter ‘poisonous’ racism had no place in Europe that drew its strength from diversity… Budapest’s chief rabbi Zoltan Radnoti told Reuters any communication ‘talking about races, pure races, and mixing of races’ was unacceptable.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 27:

“Hungarian Chief Rabbi Robert Frölich said there was ‘only one species on earth that walks on two legs, works, speaks and occasionally thinks: Homo sapiens — that is a single and indivisible race.’”

msn added on July 30:

“The concept used by the National Socialists, among others, that there are different human races is scientifically untenable and part of racist worldviews.”

JTA wrote on July 30:

[Subsequent to his speech] Orban wrote: ‘You can’t be serious about accusing me of racism after 20 years of working together. You know that, according to my understanding, God created all people in his own image. Therefore, in the case of people like me, racism is excluded from the get-go.’

“In his statement about Orban’s speech, Koeves, [an] Orthodox rabbi, said… it may be appropriate to lament ‘the loss of space in Western Judeo-Christian culture…’ But, he added, ‘one of the fundamental values of Judeo-Christian civilization is that God created every human being in his own image. For this reason alone, it is particularly unfortunate to speak of races.’”

To describe all human beings as the human race is correct. But to say that there are no human races is ludicrous. The Bible speaks of three human races, the black, the yellow and the white race. And to equate this correct biblical understanding with racism is ridiculous, ignorant and deeply offensive. For more information on the origin and existence of races, as well as the concept of interracial marriages, please read our free booklet, “God’s Teachings on Sexual Relationships,” chapter 9, pages 57-66.

Brand-New Conditions After COVID Shots?

WND wrote on July 31:

“Stories abound of healthy people, including athletes, suddenly dying or suffering severe illness without explanation. Many who have posted links to the reports on social media have suggested a possible relationship to the experimental COVID-19 vaccines. When four practicing physicians in the greater Toronto area died unexpectedly in the past two weeks, their hospitals made a point of insisting their deaths were not related to the vaccines. A fifth area physician, just 27 years old, died Thursday after collapsing during a triathlon.

“Now, national survey by Zogby Strategies has found 17% of adults who received at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine say they were diagnosed with a new condition within weeks to several months after getting the shot. The figure was 15% for those who had received at least one shot. The respondents also were asked if someone they personally knew had been diagnosed with a new medical condition within the same time frame. Overall, 26% reported yes, while 63% reported no.

“Significantly, 34% of those ages 18-29 say they know someone who was diagnosed, as did 30% of those ages 30-49, 21% of those ages 50-64, and 18% of those older than 65. Among those who were medically diagnosed with a new condition, the top conditions were blood clots (21%), heart attack (19%), liver damage (18%), leg or lung clots (17%), and stroke (15%).

“The survey was commissioned by Children’s Health Defense, the organization founded by Robert Kennedy Jr. that says it’s mission is ‘to end the childhood health epidemics by working to expose causes, eliminate harmful exposures, hold those responsible accountable, seek justice for those injured, and establish safeguards to prevent future harm.’ The survey of 1,038 adults found 67% received one or more COVID-19 vaccines and 33% were unvaccinated. Among the vaccinated, 6% received one dose, 28% two doses, 21% three doses and 12% took four or more.

“Laura Bono, the executive director of CHD, noted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports more than 232 million Americans ages 18-65 have taken at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. She said the result is ‘concerning and needs further study.’… The survey found 58% said it was a good decision to get the vaccine, 28% were neutral and 14% regretted it.”

To get or not to get vaccinated is an individual decision, and based on individual circumstances, a person may have no reasonable choice other than getting vaccinated. In such a case, the person and his or her loved ones should pray to God that He will protect the person and not allow him or her to get sick with serious side effects from the COVID shot.

New COVID Rules

The Washington Post wrote on August 2:

France became the latest country in Europe to get rid of pandemic-era entry restrictions for visitors. As of Monday, tourists going to France no longer need to provide proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test… Earlier this summer, the country required travelers to be vaccinated, or show proof of recovery or a recent negative test. ‘France reserves the right to reimpose entry restrictions if the health situation requires it,’ the [US] embassy [in France] says on its website… Travelers don’t have to offer health information in advance of arriving in France or test upon arrival.

“Destinations including Italy, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Germany have all dropped their covid-era entry rules. The United States still requires foreign nationals to show proof of vaccination before flying to the country, crossing a border by land or arriving by ferry. Travelers flying into the U.S. no longer need to show a negative test, as of mid-June.”

ABC News wrote on August 3:

“The German government on Wednesday said basic coronavirus  requirements would remain in place during the coming fall and winter… Face masks and presenting proof of a negative coronavirus test will be mandatory from October until early April at hospitals, nursing homes and similar institutions with vulnerable people. Passengers on airplanes and making long-distance trips by train and bus also will have to wear masks during that period, as they do now…

“However, Germany’s 16 states have the authority to adopt their own rules depending on how severely the virus affects their areas. State governments could decide to require masks on local public transportation in schools for students in fifth grade and up, and at public indoor events.

“Community facilities such as schools, prisons or asylum-seeker shelters may implement regular testing again… The government also plans a fall vaccination campaign.”

Germany’s left-wing health minister Lauterbach is known for his radical preference for vaccination mandates.

Discrimination Against Clergy Because of COVID

WND wrote on July 31:

“A state judge in Wisconsin has ruled that the Department of Corrections broke the law when it decided to give lawyers and bureaucrats and even reporters and dog trainers access to inmates during COVID, but refused to provide any procedure for clergy to visit

“For 450 days, Catholic clergy were forbidden from fulfilling their religious duty to meet in-person with inmates at Wisconsin’s correctional institutions; they could not administer sacraments or even meet in-person to provide counseling. At the same time, however, WIDOC granted in-person access to a host of other individuals ranging from lawyers to law enforcement to teachers to dog trainers…

“The court’s ruling means that corrections department had to cancel the restrictive policy and is not allowed to renew it in the future. The judge noted that the state agency ‘simply “shut off” clergy access completely for over 450 days…’”

Dr. Fauci’s Disinformation

WND wrote on August 1:

“Dr. Anthony Fauci complained on Monday that his effort to get people to adopt the government’s COVID-19 health measures has been hampered by ‘misinformation and disinformation.’ But it’s Fauci who, in his defense of masking, lockdowns and vaccines, has spread information that has turned out not to be true, sometimes with life-altering and even deadly consequences

“Fauci insisted in July that he did not recommend locking down the nation. But in October 2020, he explicitly said, ‘I recommended to the president that we shut the country down.’.. As of July 22, VAERS contained 29,790 reports of COVID-19 vaccine-related deaths among a total of more than 1.3 million adverse events.

“Last Friday, the nation’s first class action lawsuit for health care workers over a COVID shot mandate was settled for more than $10.3 million. The settlement against NorthShore University HealthSystem was on behalf of more than 500 current and former health care workers who were denied religious exemptions from the COVID shot mandate.”

Fauci and Biden also insisted that you cannot get sick if you are fully vaccinated. But both got sick, even though they were fully vaccinated… Biden even twice so far. Fauci’s coworker Dr. Birx even admitted that they knew that the vaccines did not prevent infection. Fauci also downplayed natural immunity in his push to get vaccinated…even though he should and might have known better. And while he is now once again pushing for the wearing of masks, he said there is no reason to be walking around with a mask in the middle of an outbreak, while admitting that the wearing of masks could have negative consequences in some cases. It should be clear that Fauci’s declarations and his judgment cannot be trusted.

Kansas Voters for Abortion

Deutsche Welle reported on August 3:

“Voters in the US state of Kansas [with a high proportion of Republican voters in the state which is run by Democratic governor Laura Kelly] overwhelmingly backed protections for abortion rights on Tuesday, rejecting an amendment to the state’s constitution. It was the first major ballot on abortion since the US Supreme Court [overturned Roe v Wade]  in June…

“The right to abortion is protected in the Kansas constitution. Tuesday’s vote asked whether this should be removed and the responsibility on the issue returned to the control of politicians in the state… The referendum in Kansas was being monitored closely as a test case for abortion rights nationwide…

“The states of California and Kentucky are scheduled to vote on the issue in November…  As it stands, abortion in Kansas is legal and the procedure may take place up to 22 weeks. The law is based on the assertion that a fetus can feel pain after that point….”

Even Republican voters support abortion. This country is going downhill so fast…

Did the FBI Swing the 2020 Election?

The Ron Paul Institute published on August 3 the following article by James Bovard from the Future of Freedom Foundation:

“Joe Biden won the 2020 election as a result of 43,000 votes in three states. The election was far closer than the media has usually admitted. There were plenty of dubious factors that could have tipped the scales for a Biden victory, including machinations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation… the bureau has long history of intervening in presidential elections…

“In 1964, the FBI illegally wiretapped Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater’s presidential headquarters and plane and conducted background checks on his campaign staff for evidence of homosexual activity. The FBI also conducted an extensive surveillance operation at the 1964 Democratic National Convention to prevent embarrassing challenges to President Lyndon Johnson.

“In 2016, the FBI whitewashed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, protecting her despite her various crimes regarding handling of classified information and destruction of emails and other evidence from her time as secretary of state. An Inspector General report revealed in 2018 that the key FBI agents in the investigations were raving partisans… The FBI failed to make any audio or video recordings of its interviews with Clinton aides and staffers…

“The FBI failed to stop Trump from winning in 2016, but FBI officials devoted themselves to crippling his presidency with fabricated evidence implying that Russia had illicitly intervened in the presidential election. One top FBI lawyer was convicted for falsifying evidence to secure a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant to target Trump campaign officials. FBI chief James Comey leaked official memos to friendly reporters, thereby spurring the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Trump. Mueller’s investigation generated endless allegations and controversies and helped Democrats capture control of the House of Representatives in 2018 prior to admitting in 2019 that there was no such Russian conspiracy. Not one FBI official has spent a single day in jail for the abuses

“In December 2019, FBI agents came into possession of a laptop that Hunter Biden had abandoned at a Delaware computer repair shop. That laptop was a treasure trove of crimes, including evidence that Hunter and other Bidens had collected millions in payments from foreign sources for providing access in Washington and other favors. That laptop provided ample documentation that Joe Biden could be compromised by foreign powers. When news finally leaked out about the laptop in October 2020, 50 former intelligence officials effectively torpedoed the story by claiming that the laptop was a Russian disinformation ploy. The FBI knew that the laptop was bona fide but said nothing to undercut the falsehoods by the former spooks. The Justice Department commenced an investigation of Hunter Biden in 2019, but Attorney General William Barr made sure that information did not surface publicly before the 2020 election. (The investigation is ongoing.)

“The FBI’s most brazen intervention in the 2020 election consisted of fabricating a ludicrous plot to kidnap Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, one of Biden’s favorite governors. Michigan was a swing state in the election. Whitmer enraged many Michiganders by placing the entire state under house arrest after the outbreak of COVID-19. Anyone who left their home to visit family or friends risked a $1,000 fine, and business owners faced three years in prison for refusing to close their stores. Unemployment soared to 24 percent statewide…  The FBI exploited the anger against Whitmer to try to add some scalps to their collection. A few weeks before the 2020 election, the FBI announced the arrests of individuals who had been lured by FBI informants and undercover agents to talk about capturing Whitmer and putting her on trial. After the arrests were announced, Whitmer speedily denounced Trump for inciting ‘domestic terrorism’…  Joe Biden claimed that the arrests showed President Trump’s ‘tolerance of hate, vengeance, and lawlessness to plots such as this one.’

“… There was plenty of reason to doubt the plot from the start… A Michigan jury in April effectively concluded that the plotters had been entrapped in an FBI-fabricated plot… Almost 100 years ago, the American Civil Liberties Union warned that the FBI had become ‘a secret police system of a political character.’ Neither Congress nor federal courts have since effectively reined in the most powerful domestic federal agency. What mischief will the FBI commit to influence future elections? And what are the odds that Americans will know about it before the polling booths close?”

That is another nail in the coffin of political corruption.

Bin Laden’s Successor Killed in Afghanistan

Breitbart wrote on August 1:

“President Joe Biden…announce[d] Monday that the U.S. has killed Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri…

“Al-Zawahiri was apparently killed by a CIA drone in Afghanistan. Biden, suffering low approval ratings, is expected to benefit from the news, especially as the one-year anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan draws nearer…  Al-Zawahiri took over Al Qaeda after U.S. forces eliminated Osama bin Laden in 2011. He was one of the most elusive terror figures in the world, and U.S. intelligence hunted in vain for him for many years until he was ultimately found and killed.”

Deutsche Welle added on August 2:

“The latest strike is likely to complicate Washington’s already strained relations with the Taliban… US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Taliban ‘grossly’ violated the 2020 Doha Agreement — which led to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan — by sheltering al-Qaida’s chief… In a statement, the Taliban government condemned the US strike, saying it constituted ‘a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement.’ …

“The Egyptian surgeon was identified as one of the masterminds of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US that killed nearly 3,000 people… As a teenager, he joined the banned Islamist group Muslim Brotherhood. He was among hundreds arrested and accused of involvement in the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981. Although he was cleared of the charge, he spent three years in an Egyptian prison on charges of weapons possession — an experience that is said to have further radicalized him.

“He traveled to Afghanistan after his release, where he got to know bin Laden and participated in the battle against Soviet troops. Al-Zawahiri is believed to have forged a strong bond with bin Laden in the late 1980s when he treated the latter in the caves of Afghanistan amid Soviet bombardment. He rose to become second-in-command of al-Qaida in 1998.  Since the killing of bin Laden by US forces in 2011, al-Zawahiri topped the list of most-wanted fugitives by the FBI, with a $25 million (€24.3 million) bounty on his head.”

Biden’s Monumental Failure

Piers Morgan wrote on August 2 in an article published by the New York Post:

“… after Biden’s disastrous overnight withdrawal from Afghanistan last summer, betraying the people there — including allies — to the Taliban wolves, the president assured us that al Qaeda was ‘gone’ from the country… al Qaeda’s No. 1 terrorist swiftly moved into Kabul with his family… Zawahiri would [not] have done this without the knowledge and explicit support of Taliban chiefs… the leader of al Qaeda was actively plotting further terror attacks from inside Kabul, and the Taliban knew it. Of course, this makes an absolute mockery of Biden’s claim that al Qaeda was ‘gone’ from Afghanistan.

“But if the Taliban allowed Zawahiri to do this, how many more al Qaeda operatives are back in Afghanistan right now, also planning to murder Americans and their allies? The whole point of the 20-year war that followed 9/11 was precisely to stop al Qaeda using Afghanistan as a base to plan more such attacks…. All hopes of a new, reformed, different, ‘nicer, wiser’ Taliban were as bogus as many of us feared at the time… Both hate America and everything it stands for, and given the chance, will kill as many Americans as they can.

“The fact that Zawahiri was able to plan new attacks from Kabul tells you all you need to know about the real damage caused by Biden’s appalling abandonment of Afghanistan…. let’s be under no illusion: The fact the world’s most wanted man was back in the heart of Afghanistan, devising new ways to kill Americans, is a monumental failure. And the buck for that failure stops with you, Joe Biden, the man who waved the white flag a year ago and has now exposed the US to a potential whole new world of pain and bloodshed at the hands of the very same terrorists who brought down the Twin Towers in 2001.”

Yes, terrible times are awaiting this country due to the utmost incompetence of its leadership.

Pelosi in Taiwan, Defies Biden and China

Breitbart wrote on August 2:

“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) landed in Taipei, Taiwan, late Tuesday evening local time in defiance of the Biden administration’s and China’s warnings not to go.

“The trip marks the first time in 25 years that a U.S. official of her level visited Taiwan. The previous visit was in 1997 by then-Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich (GA)…. ‘Our Congressional delegation’s visit to Taiwan honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy,’ Pelosi said in a statement…

The Biden administration opposed her trip out of fear it would further destabilize the U.S. relationship with China at a time when the U.S. is suffering from high prices of goods, supply-chain disruptions, and pursuing a green energy agenda, all of which the administration hopes it can work with China on as midterm elections loom….

“The trip sparked fury from Beijing, which warned of consequences. Chinese propagandist Hu Xijin threatened that China could shoot down her plane in a tweet, which he later deleted after Twitter locked his account. The Taiwan president’s website was reportedly under a cyber-attack earlier Tuesday.

“Republicans urged Pelosi to take the trip and not back down to Biden or allow Beijing to veto the travel of American officials.”

The New York Post added on August 2:

“President Biden said July 20 that the US military believed a Pelosi trip to Taiwan was ‘not a good idea now.’ However, members of Congress responded by rallying behind the speaker — including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who said Pelosi would hand China ‘a victory of sorts’ if she canceled. Beijing had repeatedly made clear that it would view a visit by Pelosi as an endorsement of Taiwan’s independence and China’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that its military would ‘not sit idly by’ if the speaker went ahead with the trip.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 2:

“Shortly ahead of Pelosi’s arrival, Beijing’s state media reported that Chinese fighter jets had crossed the Taiwan Strait, which separates mainland China and Taiwan… Foreign Minister Wang Yi said US politicians who ‘play with fire’ on the Taiwan issue will ‘come to no good end…’ China said its military had been put on high alert and would launch ‘targeted military operations.’… Chinese President Xi Jinping has made ‘reunification’ with Taiwan a key objective, and has not ruled out the possible use of force to achieve this… the US… provides considerable political and military support to Taiwan while stopping short of formal diplomatic relations.”

The situation involving China and Taiwan seems to mirror the situation regarding Russia and Ukraine. The USA has made no commitment to send troops to Taiwan in case of a Chinese occupation, but it has said it would send weapons to Taiwan to defend themselves.

Pelosi Left Taiwan

Thomson/Reuters wrote on August 3:

“U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi left Taiwan on Wednesday after pledging solidarity and hailing its democracy, leaving a trail of Chinese anger over her brief visit to the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own. China demonstrated its outrage over the highest-level U.S. visit to the island in 25 years with a burst of military activity in surrounding waters, summoning the U.S. ambassador in Beijing and halting several agricultural imports from Taiwan

“Fury on the mainland over the 82-year-old Democrat’s defiance of Beijing was evident all over Chinese social media…”

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

Update 1033

Comments on News and Prophecy, August 6, 2022 / Why the Book of Ecclesiastes Is Misunderstood

On August 6, 2022, Norbert Link will present, “Comments on News and Prophecy, August 6, 2022,” and the sermon, titled, “Why the Book of Ecclesiastes Is Misunderstood.”

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

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Most Qualified to Rule

by Rene Messier (Canada)

When addressing the question as to who is qualified to rule others, we need to consider three types of beings or kinds in existence today.

There are physical beings—plants and animals and of course human beings or mankind. Since Adam, the number of human beings has been estimated somewhat over twenty billion.

Man is mortal, temporary and subject to die. From the time of Adam, man was given dominion over the earth and the animals and to take care, tend and keep the Garden of Eden and with it the plants.

In addition to the physical realm, there are spirit beings—of the spirit kind—which include the angels created by God by fiat; that is, they were willed into existence and had no pre-existence. Their numbers are in the hundreds of millions as revealed in the Book of Revelation.  Revelation 5:11 states: “Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.”

That figure of “ten thousand times ten thousand” amounts to one hundred million, plus it says “thousands of thousands,” so there could be billions of angels. Angels cannot die.

Then there are God Beings—Beings of the God kind, of which there are currently two: the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. They are immortal, eternal, incorruptible and all-powerful. They rule over the spirit and the physical creation in a loving, compassionate and just manner.

Who then is most qualified to rule over the physical and within the spirit world?

Mankind has failed miserably in his efforts to rule over himself and over others. Mankind has tried every possible form of government which have all failed and descended to the degree that we are headed for total destruction if God were not to intervene to end the madness, caused by human beings, by sending His Son to rule over the earth in the near future.

Human government leaders are proven liars and corrupt individuals. How can civil servants elected by the people over the course of decades accumulate a personal fortune of over one hundred million on the stock market, outperforming professional investors like Warren Buffet?  It is many times through insider trading information and corruption. Man, in his physical state, is obviously unqualified to rule over the earth and the universe.

When considering angels, composed of spirit, we note that Lucifer, the seal of perfection and the most powerful and beautiful cherub, whom God created by fiat, sinned against God.  Lucifer had been given the responsibility of administrating the government of God on the earth. He rebelled against God, taken down by his own pride, and became known as Satan the Devil—the adversary and enemy of God. One-third of the angels followed Satan in his rebellion and became known as demons or evil spirits. So we see that even the most righteous and perfect angels could and did rebel since they had been created by God with free moral agency and are not forced by God to do what is right and good.

Satan is the current ruler and god of this world, but he is an evil and terribly destructive ruler. Matthew 4:8-9 says: “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me’” (Compare Luke 4:5-7).

Christ did not dispute that Satan was the current world ruler and that he had the authority to give rulership to whomever he would choose. We also read in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that the god of this age has blinded the minds of men, “who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”

Inasmuch as there is no guarantee that other angels who have not followed Satan will never sin, that leaves us with God. ONLY God—the God Family—CANNOT sin, because God has decided never to sin, and His decision is perfect and not subject to change. That is why God decided that He wants to reproduce Himself through humans to bring them into His Family, as God Beings, so that they, too, would be incapable of sinning. The God Family will grow to include billions of humans made immortal in the future.

God Beings cannot be corrupted, bribed, coerced or threatened. They will have the mind of God the Father and of Jesus Christ. As God Beings, they cannot be tempted to sin, and they never will. God the Father and Jesus Christ will not have to be concerned whether anyone in the God Family will in the future be plotting to rebel and sin, since they will be immortal members of the God Family and God Beings.

1 Corinthians 15:52-53 explains that the growth within the immortal God Family will begin at the time of the first resurrection, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

Becoming God Beings was never offered to the angels, but it is offered to those who are being called since Adam and Eve, to overcome sin, their human nature and Satan and the pulls of this world. As immortal and incorruptible God Beings, they will be totally qualified, under God’s direction, to rule over the universe and have authority over angels. They will be ruling forever and ever over the physical and the spiritual creation.

That is what the future holds for those of us who stay the course and remain faithful to our calling.

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by Norbert Link

We report on growing concerns that Russia wants to dissolve Ukraine from the world map; Italy’s perceived return to Mussolini’s fascism; America’s suffering military; and the contemplated goal by Fox News to ban Donald Trump as part of an ill-conceived strategy to eliminate the former president as a major GOP player.

We point out that Tunisia’s new constitution supports a Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem; and the interesting relationship between Europe and Libya.

We speak on Pope Francis’ participation in the alleged worship of demons; and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s misunderstood comments about races.

We address new developments regarding COVID; the FBI’s alleged involvement in the 2020 election, the assassination of al Qaida’s leader in Afghanistan and Joe Biden’s monumental failure; and Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in defiance of the Biden Administration and China.

Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, Could There Be Another 9-11?”

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

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Dissolving Ukraine?

The Associated Press wrote on July 30:

“The US ambassador to the United Nations said Friday there should no longer be any doubt that Russia intends to dismantle Ukraine ‘and dissolve it from the world map entirely.’

“… Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ‘has even stated that this is Russia’s war aim,’ she said. Lavrov told an Arab summit in Cairo on Sunday that Moscow’s overarching goal in Ukraine is to free its people from its ‘unacceptable regime.’ Apparently suggesting that Moscow’s war aims extend beyond Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region in the east comprising Donetsk and Luhansk, Lavrov said: ‘We will certainly help the Ukrainian people to get rid of the regime, which is absolutely anti-people and anti-historical.’

“Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky told the Security Council on Friday that ‘The de-Nazification and demilitarization of Ukraine will be carried out in full.’”

There should be no doubt that Russia wants to bring Ukraine back into “Mother Russia’s” fold, and unification between Russia and Ukraine (the modern “Medes”) is indeed prophesied.

Italy’s Return to Fascism?

The Associated Press wrote on July 30:

“Italy’s president [Sergio Mattarella], marking the 100th anniversary of one of the attacks that helped bring dictator Benito Mussolini to power, on Thursday encouraged Italians to reinvigorate their country’s democracy as a bulwark against fascism.

“Italy’s fascist legacy faces increasingly closer scrutiny these days as the country holds an early parliamentary election on September 25. Opinion polls indicate the far-right Brothers of Italy, which has neo-fascist roots, would be the top vote-getter, with the party’s leader, Giorgia Meloni, eager to become premier. She has never disavowed her party’s fascist roots but has distanced it from Mussolini’s racial laws targeting Jews….

“After Italian Premier Mario Draghi’s wide-ranging coalition collapsed last week, Mattarella dissolved Parliament, triggering the early election. Sinking Draghi’s pandemic unity government were Salvini, Berlusconi and the populist 5-Star Movement, all refusing to back him in a confidence vote. Meloni was the only major leader to refuse to join Draghi’s pandemic unity government when it was formed in early 2021 after he was tapped by Mattarella. She argued that Italians should decide their leader in an election.

“When it appeared that Berlusconi and Salvini were waffling at the prospect of Meloni becoming the next premier — and the first woman to hold that office — she demanded the three of them huddle to confirm the alliance’s long-standing rule: whoever gets the most votes becomes its pick for the premiership.”

Italy, as well as other European nations, may very well return to their fascist roots under the umbrella of a “United States of Europe.”

America’s Suffering Military

Politico wrote on July 27:

“Lawmakers from both parties are putting increasing pressure on the Pentagon to fix the recruitment crisis that threatens to leave the military well short of its goals to bring new troops aboard this year, in what is widely considered the worst recruiting environment since the end of the Vietnam War…

“While leaders from the different military branches have all acknowledged the problem, they also have been unable to move the needle in a positive direction, as the desire of young Americans to join the military falls off the statistical cliff

“The Army has reached 66 percent of its goal for the fiscal year ending in September, and the Navy is at 89 percent… Even with rates of 100 percent for the Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force, that leaves the department with a total rate of just 85 percent.”

America in decline and nearing total disaster will not have a powerful army to defend itself against foreign enemies.

Fox News Banning Trump

Newsmax wrote on July 30:

“The New York Times reported Friday that Fox News has not had Donald Trump on its network in over 100 days, which the paper said was part of a larger strategy to eliminate the former president as a major GOP player. Trump’s last appearance on Fox News came April 13 on ‘Hannity.’ But, The Times noted, even Trump has complained his longtime friend ‘doesn’t seem to be paying him much attention anymore.’ The paper said Trump believes Fox’s strategy of shunning him is an effort in ‘effectively displacing him’ from the news cycle and as de facto leader of the Republican Party.

“The decision to shun Trump has been made at ‘the highest levels’ of Fox’s parent company, and is backed by its billionaire chairman, Rupert Murdoch, and his son, company CEO Lachlan Murdoch. Both are Republicans, but are said to have developed a strong distaste for Trump. Earlier this month, the Murdoch-owned newspapers the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal published harsh rebukes of Trump’s actions regarding Jan. 6 while strongly opposing a Trump bid for president in 2024. The Times said Trump’s failure to accept the 2020 election result was at the root of the Murdochs’ criticism of the former president, a view shared by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

“Trump has not hidden his new distaste for Fox News… this week, Trump blasted ‘Fox & Friends’ on his Truth Social account for being ‘terrible’ and having ‘gone to the dark side.’ Trump suggested former House Speaker Paul Ryan’s sitting on Fox Corp.’s board of directors is behind the shadow banning of Trump.

“Meanwhile, The Times said Fox has sought to displace Trump with other GOP 2024 contenders, notably Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis. A recent FoxNews.com report featured man-on-the-street interviews with Trump ‘supporters’ who did not want him to run again and ‘unanimously’ backed DeSantis for 2024. ‘I spent 11 years at Fox, and I know nothing pretaped hits a Fox screen that hasn’t been signed off on and sanctioned at the very top levels of management — especially when it has to do with a presidential election,’ Newsmax host Eric Bolling said in a monologue this week.

“Dick Morris, a former Fox News Analyst who is currently with Newsmax, said The Times’ report should not surprise anyone who has been watching Fox. ‘Lachlan Murdoch and the network’s leadership wants Fox to be more like CNN,’ Morris said. ‘The Fox ban of Trump is a politically motivated decision, not based on news value, because Trump completely dominates the Republican Party and is still the biggest newsmaker in politics,’ Morris added.

“Recent polls show Trump crushing all potential opponents in a Republican primary. A recent Harvard-Harris poll had Trump pulling 56% of the vote against a field of seven GOP rivals, including DeSantis with 16%. Morris… argues Trump will easily win the upcoming Republican primary, but is the only GOP candidate who can win against the Democrats in 2024.”

The influence of Trump critics in high positions at Fox and associated media outlets can hardly be denied—and Trump’s former “friends” stay quiet… perhaps, because they want to keep their jobs.

DNYUZ added on July 29:

“On July 22, as Mr. Trump was rallying supporters in Arizona and teasing the possibility of running for president in 2024saying ‘We may have to do it again,’ Fox News chose not to show the event — the same approach it has taken for nearly all of his rallies this year. Instead, the network aired Laura Ingraham’s interview with a possible rival for the 2024 Republican nomination, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. It was the first of two prime-time interviews Fox aired with Mr. DeSantis in the span of five days; he appeared on Tucker Carlson’s show shortly after talking to Ms. Ingraham.

“When Mr. Trump spoke to a gathering of conservatives in Washington this week, Fox did not air the speech live. It instead showed a few clips after he was done speaking. That same day, it did broadcast live — for 17 minutes — a speech by former Vice President Mike Pence….

“Referring to the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 attack, the Fox anchor Bret Baier said it had made Mr. Trump ‘look horrific’ by detailing how it had taken 187 minutes for him to be persuaded to say anything publicly about the riot… Viewers in recent weeks have seen occasionally critical coverage of Mr. Trump, but, unlike other news networks, Fox has chosen to air its own prime-time programming rather than the hearings of the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack… Mr. Carlson, Mr. Hannity and Ms. Ingraham dismiss the hearings as a ‘show trial.’”

But if Trump becomes the Republican nominee, then we can expect Fox News and its main moderators to be Trump’s friends again. Oh what hypocrisy!

Tunisian Constitution Calls for Palestinian State With Jerusalem as Capital

Israel 365 wrote on July 29:

“A new constitution was passed by a referendum in Tunisia on Tuesday, expressing support for a Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem.

“‘We defend the legitimate rights of the peoples who, according to this legitimacy, have the right to decide their own destiny, the first of which is the right of the Palestinian people to their stolen land and the establishment of their state over it after its liberation, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif [Jerusalem] as its capital,’ read the preamble of the new constitution.”

Antisemitism and anti-Zionism are growing once again.

Europe and Libya

Politico wrote on July 27:

“Since February, the eyes of the world have been firmly fixed on the horrors unfolding in Ukraine. But while Europe’s attention has been consumed by the crisis on its eastern flank, the trouble burgeoning on its southern one in Libya has been largely ignored.  As escalating political tensions and recent outbreaks of violence now threaten to hurl the country back into civil war again, and the consequence will impact Europe and the wider international community…

“Africa’s most oil-rich nation finds itself in a state of total dysfunction and could be accurately described as a failed state. Since the civil war, which ended in 2020, it has effectively been split between an internationally recognized government based in Tripoli and the Russia-aligned Libyan National Army controlling the country’s east, and violence has been ongoing…

“Europe and Libya share the Mediterranean Sea: Alexander the Great, the Greeks, Romans and even the Normans have all exchanged goods, culture and ideas with Libya. But this proximity has also meant the country’s troubles often wash up on European shores… And as Europe finds itself in need of alternative energy sources — while it tries to cut itself off from Russian fossil fuels — Libya is the bloc’s closest alternative supply source… However, Libya’s enduring instability makes its supply largely inaccessible, as the vast majority of its reserves are under the control of the Libyan National Army…

“Currently, Libya has enough cash in its central bank to last several years, tens of billions of dollars in foreign investments, plus there’s all the oil — despite all the chaos, Libya is still able to produce over a million barrels of oil per day for export. But what the country doesn’t have is experience in building a functional state — this is where the international community comes in.

“Today, Libya is overflowing with arms, many of which are relics from the Gaddafi era… If a major global power or international body could eliminate these supply lines, Libya’s warring factions would soon run out of ammunition and have little choice but to work toward a peaceful solution for the country…”

A global power from Europe will invade Libya in due time, as Daniel 11:43 prophesies. The production and receipt of oil may be a major factor.

Pope Participates in Pagan Ritual of Sacred Circle of Spirits

Life Site News reported on July 28:

“Speaking in the presence of pro-abortion Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pope Francis criticized the ‘ideological colonizations’ which target ‘the unborn,’ and defended the Church’s role in protecting life from ‘conception to natural death.’… Following a pagan ‘smudging’ ritual, which called on ‘the sacred circle of spirits,’ Francis delivered an address in which he lamented a ‘colonizing mentality,’ and spoke of a need for the Catholic Church to ‘promote indigenous cultures.’…

“Justin Trudeau had issued yet another fiery attack against the Catholic Church for ‘its role’ in the ‘spiritual abuse, cultural abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse of Indigenous children in Church run residential schools.’ However, Francis appeared to somewhat rebuff Trudeau’s criticism… highlighting the Church’s ‘service’ of life at ‘every stage, from conception to natural death.’…

“The Pope’s comments gained a particular significance given those he was addressing. Following the U.S. Supreme Court leak pre-empting the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Trudeau publicly voiced  his support for the killing of the unborn on demand. ‘The right to choose is a woman’s right and a woman’s right alone,’ he tweeted. Indeed, the self-professed Catholic has regularly professed his support for abortion…

“However, Pope Francis has a peculiar record with regards to abortion… his actions have undermined any vocal opposition to abortion which he makes. The Pope has repeatedly sided with the United Nations (UN) and its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is heavily pro-abortion… In recent weeks he authorized and defended the Vatican’s joining of the Paris Climate Agreement, despite its pro-abortion tenets. Francis has also ignored Catholic teaching regarding Holy Communion for pro-abortion politicians on a number of occasions…”

Life Site News wrote on a related article on July 30:

“Popular Catholic commentators have been reacting with shock and outrage to video footage of Pope Francis and prominent cardinals partaking in a ‘smudging’ ritual invoking a ‘sacred circle of spirits’ that went ‘viral’ on social media earlier this week…

“Catholic author and exorcist scholar Charles D. Fraune [wrote:] ‘Francis is literally participating in summoning demons. This is so wrong….’ ‘Give us access to the sacred circle of spirits so they can be with us,’ Lord, have mercy!’ added Fraune, quoting words said by one of the leaders of the ceremony…

“… the ritual is not merely a cultural act but a religious act of ‘superstition,’ reminiscent of… Pope Francis’ veneration of the pagan pachamama idol at the Vatican in 2019.”

The inclusion of many pagan rites in Roman Catholicism and communication with demons by some prior Popes is well-documented. Please read especially chapter 10 of our free booklet, “The Ten European Revivals of the Ancient Roman Empire.” 

Hungarian Prime Minister’s Controversial Remarks

Reuters reported on July 29:

“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stuck to his anti-immigration stance Thursday but insisted it was not rooted in racism after his recent remarks that Hungarians did not want to become ‘peoples of mixed race’ drew fire at home and abroad… his comments in Romania on Saturday, when he said that in contrast to Western Europe’s ‘mixed-race world’ where people mixed with arriving non-Europeans, Hungary was not a mixed race country — hit a nerve, drawing condemnation from the United States, the European Union, Jewish groups and academics…

“European Commission vice president Frans Timmermans said on Twitter ‘poisonous’ racism had no place in Europe that drew its strength from diversity… Budapest’s chief rabbi Zoltan Radnoti told Reuters any communication ‘talking about races, pure races, and mixing of races’ was unacceptable.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 27:

“Hungarian Chief Rabbi Robert Frölich said there was ‘only one species on earth that walks on two legs, works, speaks and occasionally thinks: Homo sapiens — that is a single and indivisible race.’”

msn added on July 30:

“The concept used by the National Socialists, among others, that there are different human races is scientifically untenable and part of racist worldviews.”

JTA wrote on July 30:

[Subsequent to his speech] Orban wrote: ‘You can’t be serious about accusing me of racism after 20 years of working together. You know that, according to my understanding, God created all people in his own image. Therefore, in the case of people like me, racism is excluded from the get-go.’

“In his statement about Orban’s speech, Koeves, [an] Orthodox rabbi, said… it may be appropriate to lament ‘the loss of space in Western Judeo-Christian culture…’ But, he added, ‘one of the fundamental values of Judeo-Christian civilization is that God created every human being in his own image. For this reason alone, it is particularly unfortunate to speak of races.’”

To describe all human beings as the human race is correct. But to say that there are no human races is ludicrous. The Bible speaks of three human races, the black, the yellow and the white race. And to equate this correct biblical understanding with racism is ridiculous, ignorant and deeply offensive. For more information on the origin and existence of races, as well as the concept of interracial marriages, please read our free booklet, “God’s Teachings on Sexual Relationships,” chapter 9, pages 57-66.

Brand-New Conditions After COVID Shots?

WND wrote on July 31:

“Stories abound of healthy people, including athletes, suddenly dying or suffering severe illness without explanation. Many who have posted links to the reports on social media have suggested a possible relationship to the experimental COVID-19 vaccines. When four practicing physicians in the greater Toronto area died unexpectedly in the past two weeks, their hospitals made a point of insisting their deaths were not related to the vaccines. A fifth area physician, just 27 years old, died Thursday after collapsing during a triathlon.

“Now, national survey by Zogby Strategies has found 17% of adults who received at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine say they were diagnosed with a new condition within weeks to several months after getting the shot. The figure was 15% for those who had received at least one shot. The respondents also were asked if someone they personally knew had been diagnosed with a new medical condition within the same time frame. Overall, 26% reported yes, while 63% reported no.

“Significantly, 34% of those ages 18-29 say they know someone who was diagnosed, as did 30% of those ages 30-49, 21% of those ages 50-64, and 18% of those older than 65. Among those who were medically diagnosed with a new condition, the top conditions were blood clots (21%), heart attack (19%), liver damage (18%), leg or lung clots (17%), and stroke (15%).

“The survey was commissioned by Children’s Health Defense, the organization founded by Robert Kennedy Jr. that says it’s mission is ‘to end the childhood health epidemics by working to expose causes, eliminate harmful exposures, hold those responsible accountable, seek justice for those injured, and establish safeguards to prevent future harm.’ The survey of 1,038 adults found 67% received one or more COVID-19 vaccines and 33% were unvaccinated. Among the vaccinated, 6% received one dose, 28% two doses, 21% three doses and 12% took four or more.

“Laura Bono, the executive director of CHD, noted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports more than 232 million Americans ages 18-65 have taken at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. She said the result is ‘concerning and needs further study.’… The survey found 58% said it was a good decision to get the vaccine, 28% were neutral and 14% regretted it.”

To get or not to get vaccinated is an individual decision, and based on individual circumstances, a person may have no reasonable choice other than getting vaccinated. In such a case, the person and his or her loved ones should pray to God that He will protect the person and not allow him or her to get sick with serious side effects from the COVID shot.

New COVID Rules

The Washington Post wrote on August 2:

France became the latest country in Europe to get rid of pandemic-era entry restrictions for visitors. As of Monday, tourists going to France no longer need to provide proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test… Earlier this summer, the country required travelers to be vaccinated, or show proof of recovery or a recent negative test. ‘France reserves the right to reimpose entry restrictions if the health situation requires it,’ the [US] embassy [in France] says on its website… Travelers don’t have to offer health information in advance of arriving in France or test upon arrival.

“Destinations including Italy, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Germany have all dropped their covid-era entry rules. The United States still requires foreign nationals to show proof of vaccination before flying to the country, crossing a border by land or arriving by ferry. Travelers flying into the U.S. no longer need to show a negative test, as of mid-June.”

ABC News wrote on August 3:

“The German government on Wednesday said basic coronavirus  requirements would remain in place during the coming fall and winter… Face masks and presenting proof of a negative coronavirus test will be mandatory from October until early April at hospitals, nursing homes and similar institutions with vulnerable people. Passengers on airplanes and making long-distance trips by train and bus also will have to wear masks during that period, as they do now…

“However, Germany’s 16 states have the authority to adopt their own rules depending on how severely the virus affects their areas. State governments could decide to require masks on local public transportation in schools for students in fifth grade and up, and at public indoor events.

“Community facilities such as schools, prisons or asylum-seeker shelters may implement regular testing again… The government also plans a fall vaccination campaign.”

Germany’s left-wing health minister Lauterbach is known for his radical preference for vaccination mandates.

Discrimination Against Clergy Because of COVID

WND wrote on July 31:

“A state judge in Wisconsin has ruled that the Department of Corrections broke the law when it decided to give lawyers and bureaucrats and even reporters and dog trainers access to inmates during COVID, but refused to provide any procedure for clergy to visit

“For 450 days, Catholic clergy were forbidden from fulfilling their religious duty to meet in-person with inmates at Wisconsin’s correctional institutions; they could not administer sacraments or even meet in-person to provide counseling. At the same time, however, WIDOC granted in-person access to a host of other individuals ranging from lawyers to law enforcement to teachers to dog trainers…

“The court’s ruling means that corrections department had to cancel the restrictive policy and is not allowed to renew it in the future. The judge noted that the state agency ‘simply “shut off” clergy access completely for over 450 days…’”

Dr. Fauci’s Disinformation

WND wrote on August 1:

“Dr. Anthony Fauci complained on Monday that his effort to get people to adopt the government’s COVID-19 health measures has been hampered by ‘misinformation and disinformation.’ But it’s Fauci who, in his defense of masking, lockdowns and vaccines, has spread information that has turned out not to be true, sometimes with life-altering and even deadly consequences

“Fauci insisted in July that he did not recommend locking down the nation. But in October 2020, he explicitly said, ‘I recommended to the president that we shut the country down.’.. As of July 22, VAERS contained 29,790 reports of COVID-19 vaccine-related deaths among a total of more than 1.3 million adverse events.

“Last Friday, the nation’s first class action lawsuit for health care workers over a COVID shot mandate was settled for more than $10.3 million. The settlement against NorthShore University HealthSystem was on behalf of more than 500 current and former health care workers who were denied religious exemptions from the COVID shot mandate.”

Fauci and Biden also insisted that you cannot get sick if you are fully vaccinated. But both got sick, even though they were fully vaccinated… Biden even twice so far. Fauci’s coworker Dr. Birx even admitted that they knew that the vaccines did not prevent infection. Fauci also downplayed natural immunity in his push to get vaccinated…even though he should and might have known better. And while he is now once again pushing for the wearing of masks, he said there is no reason to be walking around with a mask in the middle of an outbreak, while admitting that the wearing of masks could have negative consequences in some cases. It should be clear that Fauci’s declarations and his judgment cannot be trusted.

Kansas Voters for Abortion

Deutsche Welle reported on August 3:

“Voters in the US state of Kansas [with a high proportion of Republican voters in the state which is run by Democratic governor Laura Kelly] overwhelmingly backed protections for abortion rights on Tuesday, rejecting an amendment to the state’s constitution. It was the first major ballot on abortion since the US Supreme Court [overturned Roe v Wade]  in June…

“The right to abortion is protected in the Kansas constitution. Tuesday’s vote asked whether this should be removed and the responsibility on the issue returned to the control of politicians in the state… The referendum in Kansas was being monitored closely as a test case for abortion rights nationwide…

“The states of California and Kentucky are scheduled to vote on the issue in November…  As it stands, abortion in Kansas is legal and the procedure may take place up to 22 weeks. The law is based on the assertion that a fetus can feel pain after that point….”

Even Republican voters support abortion. This country is going downhill so fast…

Did the FBI Swing the 2020 Election?

The Ron Paul Institute published on August 3 the following article by James Bovard from the Future of Freedom Foundation:

“Joe Biden won the 2020 election as a result of 43,000 votes in three states. The election was far closer than the media has usually admitted. There were plenty of dubious factors that could have tipped the scales for a Biden victory, including machinations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation… the bureau has long history of intervening in presidential elections…

“In 1964, the FBI illegally wiretapped Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater’s presidential headquarters and plane and conducted background checks on his campaign staff for evidence of homosexual activity. The FBI also conducted an extensive surveillance operation at the 1964 Democratic National Convention to prevent embarrassing challenges to President Lyndon Johnson.

“In 2016, the FBI whitewashed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, protecting her despite her various crimes regarding handling of classified information and destruction of emails and other evidence from her time as secretary of state. An Inspector General report revealed in 2018 that the key FBI agents in the investigations were raving partisans… The FBI failed to make any audio or video recordings of its interviews with Clinton aides and staffers…

“The FBI failed to stop Trump from winning in 2016, but FBI officials devoted themselves to crippling his presidency with fabricated evidence implying that Russia had illicitly intervened in the presidential election. One top FBI lawyer was convicted for falsifying evidence to secure a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant to target Trump campaign officials. FBI chief James Comey leaked official memos to friendly reporters, thereby spurring the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Trump. Mueller’s investigation generated endless allegations and controversies and helped Democrats capture control of the House of Representatives in 2018 prior to admitting in 2019 that there was no such Russian conspiracy. Not one FBI official has spent a single day in jail for the abuses

“In December 2019, FBI agents came into possession of a laptop that Hunter Biden had abandoned at a Delaware computer repair shop. That laptop was a treasure trove of crimes, including evidence that Hunter and other Bidens had collected millions in payments from foreign sources for providing access in Washington and other favors. That laptop provided ample documentation that Joe Biden could be compromised by foreign powers. When news finally leaked out about the laptop in October 2020, 50 former intelligence officials effectively torpedoed the story by claiming that the laptop was a Russian disinformation ploy. The FBI knew that the laptop was bona fide but said nothing to undercut the falsehoods by the former spooks. The Justice Department commenced an investigation of Hunter Biden in 2019, but Attorney General William Barr made sure that information did not surface publicly before the 2020 election. (The investigation is ongoing.)

“The FBI’s most brazen intervention in the 2020 election consisted of fabricating a ludicrous plot to kidnap Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, one of Biden’s favorite governors. Michigan was a swing state in the election. Whitmer enraged many Michiganders by placing the entire state under house arrest after the outbreak of COVID-19. Anyone who left their home to visit family or friends risked a $1,000 fine, and business owners faced three years in prison for refusing to close their stores. Unemployment soared to 24 percent statewide…  The FBI exploited the anger against Whitmer to try to add some scalps to their collection. A few weeks before the 2020 election, the FBI announced the arrests of individuals who had been lured by FBI informants and undercover agents to talk about capturing Whitmer and putting her on trial. After the arrests were announced, Whitmer speedily denounced Trump for inciting ‘domestic terrorism’…  Joe Biden claimed that the arrests showed President Trump’s ‘tolerance of hate, vengeance, and lawlessness to plots such as this one.’

“… There was plenty of reason to doubt the plot from the start… A Michigan jury in April effectively concluded that the plotters had been entrapped in an FBI-fabricated plot… Almost 100 years ago, the American Civil Liberties Union warned that the FBI had become ‘a secret police system of a political character.’ Neither Congress nor federal courts have since effectively reined in the most powerful domestic federal agency. What mischief will the FBI commit to influence future elections? And what are the odds that Americans will know about it before the polling booths close?”

That is another nail in the coffin of political corruption.

Bin Laden’s Successor Killed in Afghanistan

Breitbart wrote on August 1:

“President Joe Biden…announce[d] Monday that the U.S. has killed Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri…

“Al-Zawahiri was apparently killed by a CIA drone in Afghanistan. Biden, suffering low approval ratings, is expected to benefit from the news, especially as the one-year anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan draws nearer…  Al-Zawahiri took over Al Qaeda after U.S. forces eliminated Osama bin Laden in 2011. He was one of the most elusive terror figures in the world, and U.S. intelligence hunted in vain for him for many years until he was ultimately found and killed.”

Deutsche Welle added on August 2:

“The latest strike is likely to complicate Washington’s already strained relations with the Taliban… US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Taliban ‘grossly’ violated the 2020 Doha Agreement — which led to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan — by sheltering al-Qaida’s chief… In a statement, the Taliban government condemned the US strike, saying it constituted ‘a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement.’ …

“The Egyptian surgeon was identified as one of the masterminds of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US that killed nearly 3,000 people… As a teenager, he joined the banned Islamist group Muslim Brotherhood. He was among hundreds arrested and accused of involvement in the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981. Although he was cleared of the charge, he spent three years in an Egyptian prison on charges of weapons possession — an experience that is said to have further radicalized him.

“He traveled to Afghanistan after his release, where he got to know bin Laden and participated in the battle against Soviet troops. Al-Zawahiri is believed to have forged a strong bond with bin Laden in the late 1980s when he treated the latter in the caves of Afghanistan amid Soviet bombardment. He rose to become second-in-command of al-Qaida in 1998.  Since the killing of bin Laden by US forces in 2011, al-Zawahiri topped the list of most-wanted fugitives by the FBI, with a $25 million (€24.3 million) bounty on his head.”

Biden’s Monumental Failure

Piers Morgan wrote on August 2 in an article published by the New York Post:

“… after Biden’s disastrous overnight withdrawal from Afghanistan last summer, betraying the people there — including allies — to the Taliban wolves, the president assured us that al Qaeda was ‘gone’ from the country… al Qaeda’s No. 1 terrorist swiftly moved into Kabul with his family… Zawahiri would [not] have done this without the knowledge and explicit support of Taliban chiefs… the leader of al Qaeda was actively plotting further terror attacks from inside Kabul, and the Taliban knew it. Of course, this makes an absolute mockery of Biden’s claim that al Qaeda was ‘gone’ from Afghanistan.

“But if the Taliban allowed Zawahiri to do this, how many more al Qaeda operatives are back in Afghanistan right now, also planning to murder Americans and their allies? The whole point of the 20-year war that followed 9/11 was precisely to stop al Qaeda using Afghanistan as a base to plan more such attacks…. All hopes of a new, reformed, different, ‘nicer, wiser’ Taliban were as bogus as many of us feared at the time… Both hate America and everything it stands for, and given the chance, will kill as many Americans as they can.

“The fact that Zawahiri was able to plan new attacks from Kabul tells you all you need to know about the real damage caused by Biden’s appalling abandonment of Afghanistan…. let’s be under no illusion: The fact the world’s most wanted man was back in the heart of Afghanistan, devising new ways to kill Americans, is a monumental failure. And the buck for that failure stops with you, Joe Biden, the man who waved the white flag a year ago and has now exposed the US to a potential whole new world of pain and bloodshed at the hands of the very same terrorists who brought down the Twin Towers in 2001.”

Yes, terrible times are awaiting this country due to the utmost incompetence of its leadership.

Pelosi in Taiwan, Defies Biden and China

Breitbart wrote on August 2:

“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) landed in Taipei, Taiwan, late Tuesday evening local time in defiance of the Biden administration’s and China’s warnings not to go.

“The trip marks the first time in 25 years that a U.S. official of her level visited Taiwan. The previous visit was in 1997 by then-Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich (GA)…. ‘Our Congressional delegation’s visit to Taiwan honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy,’ Pelosi said in a statement…

The Biden administration opposed her trip out of fear it would further destabilize the U.S. relationship with China at a time when the U.S. is suffering from high prices of goods, supply-chain disruptions, and pursuing a green energy agenda, all of which the administration hopes it can work with China on as midterm elections loom….

“The trip sparked fury from Beijing, which warned of consequences. Chinese propagandist Hu Xijin threatened that China could shoot down her plane in a tweet, which he later deleted after Twitter locked his account. The Taiwan president’s website was reportedly under a cyber-attack earlier Tuesday.

“Republicans urged Pelosi to take the trip and not back down to Biden or allow Beijing to veto the travel of American officials.”

The New York Post added on August 2:

“President Biden said July 20 that the US military believed a Pelosi trip to Taiwan was ‘not a good idea now.’ However, members of Congress responded by rallying behind the speaker — including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who said Pelosi would hand China ‘a victory of sorts’ if she canceled. Beijing had repeatedly made clear that it would view a visit by Pelosi as an endorsement of Taiwan’s independence and China’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that its military would ‘not sit idly by’ if the speaker went ahead with the trip.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 2:

“Shortly ahead of Pelosi’s arrival, Beijing’s state media reported that Chinese fighter jets had crossed the Taiwan Strait, which separates mainland China and Taiwan… Foreign Minister Wang Yi said US politicians who ‘play with fire’ on the Taiwan issue will ‘come to no good end…’ China said its military had been put on high alert and would launch ‘targeted military operations.’… Chinese President Xi Jinping has made ‘reunification’ with Taiwan a key objective, and has not ruled out the possible use of force to achieve this… the US… provides considerable political and military support to Taiwan while stopping short of formal diplomatic relations.”

The situation involving China and Taiwan seems to mirror the situation regarding Russia and Ukraine. The USA has made no commitment to send troops to Taiwan in case of a Chinese occupation, but it has said it would send weapons to Taiwan to defend themselves.

Pelosi Left Taiwan

Thomson/Reuters wrote on August 3:

“U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi left Taiwan on Wednesday after pledging solidarity and hailing its democracy, leaving a trail of Chinese anger over her brief visit to the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own. China demonstrated its outrage over the highest-level U.S. visit to the island in 25 years with a burst of military activity in surrounding waters, summoning the U.S. ambassador in Beijing and halting several agricultural imports from Taiwan

“Fury on the mainland over the 82-year-old Democrat’s defiance of Beijing was evident all over Chinese social media…”

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

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What can we know about the sons of the prophets?

There are two time periods in the books of the former prophets, those books being Joshua to 2 Kings, where groups or sons of the prophets are mentioned. The first was under the prophet Samuel and the second was during the time of Elijah and Elisha.

Considering the time of Samuel, he was the son of Elkanah and Hannah and was conceived miraculously. In fact, the name Samuel means “God has heard,” since he was an answer to Hannah’s prayer. 1 Samuel 1:1 informs us that Elkanah was a resident of the mountains of Ephraim. 1 Chronicles 6, verses 27-28 and 33-34 mention Elkanah and Samuel, listing them as descendants of Kohath, a Levite, but not of the priestly line that descended from Aaron. From this we see that Samuel was a Levite living in the area of Ephraim. The phrase in 1 Samuel 1:1 that Elkanah was “an Ephraimite” is understood as saying that he lived there or that he was born there and belonged, according to his  “civil standing” to the tribe of Ephraim; not, that he was by origin a descendant of Ephraim. He was also a prophet and a judge.

Samuel was brought up under the instruction of Eli, the high priest at the time. However, 1 Samuel 2:12 informs us that Eli’s sons, one of whom was next in line to be the high priest, “did not know the LORD.” In fact, 1 Samuel 2:24 records that their father told them that they made the people transgress.

As Samuel grew, he ministered to “the LORD” before Eli. This was a time when “the word of the LORD was rare,” and “there was no widespread revelation” (1 Samuel 3:1). Samuel matured and the “Word of the LORD” was with him, and all Israel knew that he was a “prophet of the LORD” (compare 1 Samuel 3:19-20). Under Samuel, there was a great increase in the knowledge of the Word of God. In fact, as we read in 2 Chronicles 35:18, Josiah and the people kept the Passover in a manner that it had not been kept in since the days of Samuel the prophet. So, Samuel began a religious revival in the land of Israel.

1 Samuel 7:15-17 informs us that, “Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places. (According to Josephus, he visited these towns twice a year.) But he always returned to Ramah, for his home was there. There he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the LORD.”

In 1 Samuel 8:1, we find, “Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel.” 1 Samuel 8:3 continues, “But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.” Following this, the people told Samuel that he was old and his sons did not walk in his ways, and so they wanted a king to judge them like all the other nations.

God reminded Samuel that the people were not rejecting Samuel but rejecting Him. So, God selected Saul to be their first king. Samuel subsequently anointed Saul king and gave him a number of signs that he would immediately see.

One of those signs is mentioned in 1 Samuel 10:5: “After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying.”

According to Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers, “The name of Gibeah, or Hill of God, was given to it on account of a well-known high place or sacrificial height in or hard by the town. We know that this sacred place was chosen by Samuel as the site of one of his ‘schools of the prophets.’

“A company (or group) of prophets.—These evidently belonged to one of those seminaries termed ‘schools of the prophets,’ founded by Samuel for the training of young men. The foundation of these schools in different parts of the country was one of the greatest of the works of this noble and patriotic man. These schools seem to have flourished during the whole period of the monarchy, and in no small measure contributed to the moral and mental development of the people. Some of the youth of Israel who received in these schools their training became public preachers of the Word; for after all, this, rather than foretelling future events, was the grand duty of the prophet’s calling.

“We note that this group of prophets was accompanied by musical instruments. Dr. Erdmann, in Lange’s Commentary, accounts for this especial mention of the music which we know, from this and other passages, was carefully cultivated in these seminaries (schools) of the sons of the prophets, by suggesting that in these societies religious feeling was nourished and heightened by sacred music.

“The object of the musical teaching of the schools of the prophets was, no doubt, to enable those who had studied in the seminaries (schools) to guide and direct the religious gatherings of the people, into which—as we know from the subsequent Temple service, the model of all popular sacred gatherings for worship—music and psalmody entered so largely.”

Even though Ellicott’s comments have some merit, we would add that the Bible nowhere says expressly that Samuel had founded the “schools of prophets,” even though some commentaries conclude that he had “probably” done so (compare the Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary). In 1 Samuel 19:20,  as will be mentioned below, Samuel is later referred to as the “leader” over the group of prophets.

The Benson Commentary adds. “By prophets here, he understands persons that wholly devoted themselves to religious studies and exercises. For the term of prophesying is not only given to the most eminent act of it, foretelling things to come, but also to preaching, and to the making or singing of psalms, or songs of praise to God. And they that wholly attended upon these things are called sons of the prophets, who were commonly combined into companies or colleges, that they might more conveniently assist one another in God’s work.”

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible mentions that “Musical instruments were the accompaniments of the prophetic song. 1 Chronicles 13:8; 1 Chronicles 25:3.”

There is another mention of the sons of the prophets in 1 Samuel 19 at a time when David was fleeing from king Saul. 1 Samuel 19:20 reads: “Then Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.” 1 Samuel 19:24 continues regarding king Saul: “And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?’”

According to Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers, the term “lay down naked was not necessarily without any clothes, for under the tunic there was worn by men of the upper ranks certainly a fine-woven shirt of linen or cotton. Lyranus explains the words ‘stripped off his clothes’ as simply denoting that he threw off his upper garment, ‘his royal robe.’” In another context, the term naked can also refer to a soldier without any weapons, rather than without any clothes.”

As a clarification, earlier in 1 Samuel 15:35 we read that “Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death…” However, in this event, Saul came to not see Samuel, but to capture David, so there is no contradiction. And with Saul laying down all that day and all that night, David had plenty of time to escape capture.

The other period when the “sons of the prophets” are mentioned is at the time of Elijah and Elisha—Elijah meaning “My God, Yahweh [better: YHWH] is He,” and Elisha meaning “God is Salvation.”

All we know of the origin of Elijah is that he was a Tishbite of the inhabitants of Gilead, a land on the east side of the Jordan river (1 Kings 17:1).

There were still a number of God’s prophets in the land but Jezebel wanted to rid the land of any competition to Baal and his false prophets. 1 Kings 18:4 informs us, “For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water.”

When Obadiah unexpectedly met up with Elijah, he repeated this: “Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid one hundred men of the LORD’s prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water?” (1 Kings 18:13).

The Benson Commentary informs us: “There were schools of these prophets, it is likely, still remaining in Israel; but Jezebel endeavoured both to destroy the schools, and those that were brought up in them, in order that none might be left to instruct the people in the true religion. Obadiah — hid them by fifty in a cave — At the hazard of his own life, and against the king’s command; wisely considering that no command of an earthly prince could overrule the command of the King of kings. And fed them with bread and water — Sent them meat and drink privately every day.”

After Elijah had demonstrated by a miracle from God, that “The LORD, He is God!” (1 Kings 18:39), Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah, as we read in 1 Kings 19:2. He fled as far as Horeb, the mountain of God. In 1 Kings 19:9, God asked him why he was there and he explained why in 1 Kings 19:10, “So he said, ‘I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword.  I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.’”

Commentaries tell us that this statement may have two possible meanings, either no prophet except Elijah, including those that Obadiah had hidden in two caves were still alive, or the ones still alive are in hiding in fear of their lives and not doing God’s work.

The Benson Commentary explains it as “I only am left — Of all thy prophets, who boldly and publicly plead thy cause: for the rest of thy prophets, who are not slain, hide themselves, and dare not appear to do thee service.”

However, as the Church of the Eternal God has pointed out on several occasions, Elijah’s statement should be understood as a complaint that he was the only one left in Israel who worshipped God. He was in deep emotional turmoil which clouded his eyes for reality. The Nelson Study Bible states: “In his depression, he thought he alone was faithful to God. When he was killed, there would be no one left to serve God.”

Similar the Life Application Bible: “Elijah thought he was the only person left who was still true to God… Lonely and discouraged, he forgot that others had remained faithful during the nation’s wickedness.“

1 Kings 20:35 and 1 Kings 20:41 combined give us an understanding what the sons of the prophets were. This was still during the reign of king Ahab and his wife Jezebel. While the context is not being considered here, verse 35 mentions a certain man of the sons of the prophets, and verse 41 mentions king Ahab recognizing him as a prophet. This informs us of two things; firstly, that not all of the prophets were killed by Jezebel, and secondly, at least this son of the prophets was also considered to be a prophet by the king.

When the time approached for Elijah to be taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, the sons of the prophets were aware that Elijah would be removed that day. So, they had some predictive understanding. 2 Kings 2:3 tells us, “Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, ‘Do you know thou that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?’ And he said, ‘Yes, I know; keep silent!’”

2 Kings 2:5-7 continues this theme: “Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, ‘Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?’ So he answered, ‘Yes, I know; keep silent!’ Then Elijah said to him [Elisha], ‘Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.’ But he said, ‘As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!’ So the two of them went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan.”

After Elijah had been removed and Elisha had walked across the Jordan after God had divided it, the sons of the prophets acknowledged that Elisha was their new leader. 2 Kings 2:15 reads: “Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, ‘The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.’ And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him.”

2 Kings 4:1 gives us some more information of the sons of the prophets. Just as Samuel was married, (he had two sons), at least some or even most of the sons of the prophets were also married: “A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, ‘Your servant my husband is dead; and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And the creditor is coming to take away my two sons to be his slaves.’”

2 Kings 4:38 informs us that there was a group of the sons of the prophets at Gilgal. And 2 Kings 6:1-2 tells us that there were so many sons of the prophets at this location that their accommodation was too small, so they built a larger accommodation by the Jordan.

The last mention of the sons of the prophets occurs in 2 Kings 9:1-3 where one of these sons of the prophets was sent by Elisha to go and anoint Jehu king of Israel. 2 Kings 9:7 informs us that God told Jehu: “You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.”

In conclusion, we see that the Word of God was not well known in the land of Israel before the time of Samuel. He worked in many parts of the land as a prophet, a judge and a Levite. As in the time of Moses, one man could not properly fulfill these roles, especially that of a prophet, alone. As stated above, it appears that he may have established schools for training prophets to assist him in this work to teach and edify the people. These students were called the sons of the prophets.

It is apparent that these schools also existed during the times of Elijah and Elisha in the land of Israel, the northern kingdom. As we read, one group of them is stated having fifty members. However, whether they existed in the intervening time is not revealed. But they were certainly a source of teachers for revealing the Word of God to the people of their time.

Lead Writer: Paul Niehoff (Australia)

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Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

compiled by Dave Harris

“Could There Be Another 9-11?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

While the free world has celebrated the assassination of Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan, the frightening prospect of a repeat of 9-11 has been raised in the press, and it was stated that President Biden, due to his “disastrous” and “appalling abandonment of Afghanistan” and his “monumental failure,” “has now exposed the US to a potential whole new world of pain and bloodshed at the hands of the very same terrorists who brought down the Twin Towers in 2001.” Why is this so, and is a repeat of 9-11 possible, likely or even inevitable? What does the Bible say?

“Der Balken im Auge des Heuchlers” is this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Michael Link. Title in English: “The Plank in the Eye of the Hypocrite.”

“Die Bedeutung von Gottes Heiligen Herbstfeiertagen,”  a new German booklet has been sent to  our printer. This is a translation of the English booklet, “The Meaning of God’s Fall Holy Days.”

“Die dreifache Schnur,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Jens Herrmann, is now posted. Title in English: “The Triple Cord.”

“On Belay,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Stepping beyond one’s comfort zone by overcoming doubt and fear is absolutely necessary for Christians. That is possible when the Father and Jesus Christ live in our lives.

“What Are Our Priorities?” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Brian Gale, is now posted. Here is a summary: If we don’t put God the Father and Jesus Christ first in our lives, then we are not worthy of them.   Nothing is to stop us following the great God after we have been called into His Church but, sometimes, other matters and situations can be distractions from what must be our main goal in life.

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How This Work is Financed

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

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

Technical Team: Eric Rank, Shana Rank

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

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

Donations can be sent to the following addresses:

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

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