On April 9, 2022, Frank Bruno will present the sermonette, titled, “Relativism is Failing,” and the sermon will be presented by Dave Harris, titled, “The One!”

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.

NOTE: Due to Passover, there will not be an Update next week.

In Matthew 23, we read that Jesus was withering about the attitude and approach of the scribes and Pharisees.   Some of what they taught was correct, but they were hypocrites.

“Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe [insofar as it was in accordance with God’s Law], that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.  For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,  greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, “Rabbi, Rabbi”’” (Matthew 23:1-7)

By having their phylacteries broad and the borders of their garments enlarged was a physical show that they considered themselves more spiritual than others.  They liked to be seen doing things.  They loved to be in the best seats at the top table, their religious titles, and being greeted by all and sundry.   It was showmanship, not religious care for the best interests of others.  They ensured that their works were seen by men.

However, Jesus condemned such an approach.   In Matthew 6:1-4, we read: “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”

The reward for the religious people at that time was the acclamation of the people.  Instead, Jesus said His followers should do their charitable deeds, whatever they were, quietly and in secret so that the Father would see and bless them, those who were not looking for praise from others.

One speaker put it this way: “If you allow your almsgiving, prayer and fasting to put you in the spotlight, you’ve missed the point.  You may get the praise of others, but that’s all you’ll get.  What you won’t get are the blessings God has in store for you when you go about doing good deeds surreptitiously.”

All of this went through my mind when, during the second half of last year, one anonymous donor gave very generously, and regularly, to the Global Church of God in the UK.  That giving has continued regularly into this year.

Over the years, we have received anonymous contributions from time to time but, because of their anonymity, we have never been able to thank them for their help in the work that we are doing in God’s service.   And the same is the case with this person.   If they are reading this editorial, then our heartfelt thanks to them for their generosity.

We have no idea why this generosity was anonymous and there may have been good reason(s) for that but as God looks on the heart, He will know the motivation and that’s all that matters. There is of course nothing wrong with revealing your identity as a contributor to the Church, as this may even be necessary in some countries for numerous reasons, such as receiving from the Church a receipt for tax purposes or because the government might not look favourably at a Church which receives too many anonymous contributions.

We may all at times, have mentioned certain things that we may have done to help others as a matter of conversation.  This might be good and proper and can serve as a motivation for others to do likewise. However, we do have to make sure that this is not looking for the praise of others with the wrong motivation.   God sees everything that is going on (compare Matthew 10:29), and that should be enough motivation for any of us.

It’s what matters to God that should count, not the praise of fellow man.

by Norbert Link

We begin with reports about Disney’s hypocritical conduct and its fight for the “woke” culture, and the serious consequences it might have for Disney regarding its “special benefits” in Florida. When one observes the incredible change from the times Walt Disney lived, and the destruction of his legacy by the Disney Company, one must conclude that he would turn in his grave if he only knew. We also cite Joe Biden’s ever changing comments on gay and transgender people.

We report good news from Finland and bad news from Canada, when addressing religious persecution in both countries; and speak on the ongoing debacle regarding Europe’s “fight” with Russia over Ukraine. We also report on elections in Hungary and Serbia.

We address Europe’s rapid reaction force and the fear that America is losing the Middle East, as well as most recent developments in Israel.

Speaking about the ongoing insane concepts, rules and regulations by medical “experts” and governmental officials regarding the “fight” against the coronavirus, we report on former German health minister Jens Span and current German “lockdown” health minister Kurt Lauterbach, as well as on Dr. Anthony Fauci’s extremely controversial conduct in several respects.

Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Germany Was Never a Pacifist Power.” 

Please also watch our new message, “Natural Immunity and Nuclear Bombs in Germany—Comments on News and Prophecy, April 2, 2022.”

We conclude with the ongoing abortion war with at least four American states allowing abortion for any and no reason; and the curse of the bird flu on American exports.   

How “Disney” Has Changed for the Worse

Fox News wrote on April 1:

“Disney has now transformed into a political propaganda machine that grooms children for abortions and sexual promiscuity… Disney clearly is no longer interested in being a guardian of the innocence of childhood. Instead, by their own admission, Disney leadership is actively pushing children out of Neverland and directly into an adult’s sexualized world, where they can be groomed for others enjoyment.

“Disney is also engaging in a campaign for politicized sex education in its home state [Florida]. Disney recently spoke out in opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, which would prohibit the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in grades Kindergarten to Third [Grade]… The LGBTQ+ community has already been featured multiple times in Disney productions…”

Breitbart wrote on April 1:

“House Republican Study Committee (RSC) Chairman Jim Banks (R-IN) wrote in a letter to Disney CEO Bob Chapek he will fight to rescind Mickey Mouse’s copyright renewal over the megacorporation’s LGBT campaign. Banks wrote to Chapek as the Mickey Mouse copyright will expire on January 1, 2024…

“‘At home, Disney has capitulated to far-left activists through hypocritical, woke corporate actions… A senior Disney employee was recently caught on camera saying she wants ‘many, many, many, LGBTQIA characters in our stories’…

“Banks explained that Congress had repeatedly extended Disney’s copyright due to intense lobbying from Disney. Now, Disney could lose its copyright renewal when Republicans are slated to hold the House majority after the 2022 midterm elections… ‘Given Disney’s continued work with a Communist Chinese regime that does not respect human rights or U.S. intellectual property and given your desire to influence young children with sexual material inappropriate for their age, I will not support further extensions applicable to your copyrights, which should become public domain,’ Banks said. ‘It’s unfortunate that Disney, once an American success story has allied with a hostile foreign regime and domestic ideologues who seek to tear our country apart,’ he concluded in the letter to Chapek.”

Disney’s Special Treatment

Newsmax wrote on April 1:

“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday said… [he supported] stripping Disney’s special privileges. The entertainment company operates as an independent government around its Orlando-area theme park….

“‘Over many, many decades, [Disney has] gotten incredible treatment from the Florida Legislature, and they are treated on a pedestal,’ DeSantis said on ‘Fox & Friends.’… ‘I think the legislature is going to look at that…  and that’s going to represent a major shift for our state, but at the end of the day, you know, I don’t … believe in special treatment for any corporation.’”

Disney’s Hypocrisy

Breitbart wrote on April 2, 2022

“The Walt Disney Co. is getting blasted and called out over its opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, while reportedly expanding into several anti-gay countries… where homosexuality is still illegal, including Qatar and Yemen…

“‘Our goal as a company is for this  [new Florida] law to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts,’ Disney said, while also falsely claiming that the law jeopardizes the ‘rights and safety’ of its LGBTQ employees. The Florida law forbids the teaching of sexual orientation and gender ideology, such as transgenderism, to children in kindergarten through third grade. It has nothing to do with Disney employees.

“Despite an aggressive mainstream media campaign against the legislation, a recent poll shows that Florida Democrat voters support the Republican-backed law, 52 percent to 36 percent.”

Disney’s political agenda inside the USA and its hypocritical conduct internationally cannot be justified in any way whatsoever.

Made in God’s Image?

The New York Post wrote on March 31:

“President Biden released a video message to mark International Transgender Day of Visibility on Thursday, saying that transgender people are ‘made in the image of God’ and that their parents should affirm their gender identity. Biden, who as a senator backed an array of anti-LGBT legislation, slammed what he called ‘hateful bills’ in several states that restrict transgender participation in girls’ sports and limit discussion of sexuality and gender identity…

“Biden has a mixed record on gay and transgender rights. As a senator in the 1990s, he was one of 32 Senate Democrats who voted to impose a federal ban on same-sex marriage. He also voted for the legislation that imposed the military’s since-repealed ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy and for a 1994 amendment to ban schools from using federal funds ‘for the promotion of homosexuality as a positive lifestyle alternative.’

“As vice president, Biden in 2012 said he was ‘absolutely comfortable’ with same-sex marriage… Biden last year also repealed former President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military.”

Man is made in God’s image, but God created man as male and female… not as male and male or as something in between, or as a  female after He had discovered His mistake of creating him/her as a male.  And God did not create or approve of same-sex marriages. Joe Biden as a proud practicing Catholic should know this.

Good News from Finland

International Family News wrote on April 1:

“Parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola were acquitted of all charges of ‘homophobia’ that hung over their heads. The Helsinki Prosecutor’s Office ruled that ‘it is not for the district court to interpret biblical concepts.’ The prosecution has therefore been ordered to pay more than 60 thousand euros in legal costs and has seven days to appeal the sentence.

“Päivi Räsänen had been charged with ‘inciting hatred’ after sharing her views on marriage and sexual ethics, in a tweet 2019, in a radio debate and in a 2004 essay… the prosecutor [had] argued that the case was not about beliefs or the Bible. In the closing statement, the prosecution stated that the use of the word ‘sin’ can be ‘harmful’ and suggested heavy fines in the event of a guilty verdict.

“For its part, the defense… [had argued] that finding Päivi Räsänen guilty would significantly harm free speech in Finland. What the former minister said in the three indictments, [the defense said] is an expression of Christian teaching.”

To even charge someone with hate speech for quoting the Bible is alarming and proves once more that it is Satan who rules this world.

Torture and Persecution in Canada

Life Site News wrote on April 2:

“Canadian Christian Pastor Artur Pawlowski broke his silence on what he described as deplorable jail conditions he faced while spending 51 days in prison, saying he was forced into solitary confinement on many occasions, strip-searched, and generally humiliated at times. Pawlowski claimed that at times prison staff tried to get inmates to ‘beat’ him up, and he was also placed in a part of a jail for a short time that is normally reserved for ‘murderers.’ He said that bizarrely he was placed in a ‘mental health unit’ for a time, as well: ‘What I went through, you got no idea.’

“Pawlowski said that some prison guards were nice to him and said they knew he was a political prisoner, and even offered to pray for him. Pawlowski was released from a Calgary jail on bail on Wednesday after his legal team agreed to terms that allowed him to go home with his family. He had been locked up for 51 days, starting February 8… Despite being out of jail, Pawlowski is under strict house arrest conditions that will severely limit his movement. He will be subject to a house curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. except to attend his church services, and is barred from attending protests of any kind or meeting with the public…

“Pawlowski is facing at least three trials in the next coming months on multiple charges. Pawlowski had been arrested  for the fifth time on February 8 by an undercover SWAT team just before he was slated to speak at a peaceful Freedom Convoy protest at the Alberta-U.S. border near Coutts, Alberta. He had traveled to Coutts and gave a sermon to truckers blockading the highway, telling them peacefully to ‘hold the line.’”

Shame on Justin Trudeau’s dictatorship and shame on all those who support it in any way.

Not “Immediately” Cut Off

The Algemeiner wrote on April 1:

“Russia allowed gas to keep flowing to Europe on Friday despite a deadline for buyers to pay in roubles or be cut off…

“An order by President Vladimir Putin cutting off gas buyers unless they pay in roubles from Friday had caused alarm in Europe, where it was seen as Moscow’s strongest card to play to retaliate for Western financial sanctions. Germany, the biggest buyer, rejected the demand as ‘blackmail’.

“But pipelines were pumping as normal on Friday.  Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the decree would not affect shipments which were already paid for, only becoming an issue when new payments were due in the second half of the month.”

Did Ukraine Attack Oil Storage Facility on Russian Soil?

The Guardian wrote on April 1:

“Russia has claimed that Ukraine sent attack helicopters across the border to strike an oil storage facility in what, if confirmed, would be the first raid on Russian soil since it launched its invasion.

“Ukraine denied that it launched the attack, raising questions about whether Russian negligence may be to blame.”

It is not clear at all whether Ukraine denied the attack. In an interview with Fox News moderator Bret Baier, Zelenskyy refused to speak about this subject, due to the need for military secrecy.  

Nothing Less than Victory

Fox News wrote on April 1:

“Bret Baier asked the Ukrainian leader at the start of the interview how he believes the ‘war will end’ prompting an explanation from Zelenskyy that only ‘victory’ will be acceptable to his country… ‘The question of territorial integrity and sovereignty is out of discussion.’ Zelenskyy said that his country is looking for commitments from ‘leading nations’ that Ukraine’s security will be protected with a treaty if it is to agree to a deescalation with Russia and reiterated his belief that Ukraine would be a beneficial addition to NATO…

“The Ukrainian president added that he has spoken with President Biden and told him he would like to see the United States included in a security agreement that would provide long-term support for Ukraine to address the possibility Russia would… invade again in the future. Zelenskyy said that the United States is ‘considering this proposition.’

“When asked what Putin wants to gain in this conflict, Zelenskyy said that Putin wants whatever the West will give to him and that ‘appetites usually grow… adding that Putin will continue his aggression in Europe beyond Ukraine and will get what he wants ‘unless he is stopped’ now.”

Western nations gave Ukraine security promises before, only to break them subsequently.

Russian War Crimes in Ukraine?

 The Associated Press wrote on April 3:

“Ukraine’s troops found brutalized bodies with bound hands, gunshot wounds to the head and signs of torture after Russian soldiers withdrew from the outskirts of Kyiv, authorities said Sunday, sparking new calls for a war crimes investigation and sanctions against Russia. Associated Press journalists in Bucha, a small city northwest of the capital, saw the bodies of at least nine people in civilian clothes who appeared to have been killed at close range. At least two had their hands tied behind their backs. The AP also saw two bodies wrapped in plastic, bound with tape and thrown into a ditch…

“A day earlier, AP journalists witnessed Ukrainian soldiers gingerly removing at least six bodies from a street in Bucha with cables in case the Russians had booby-trapped corpses with explosives before their withdrawal. Local residents said the dead people were civilians killed without provocation, a claim that could not be independently verified. ‘What happened in Bucha and other suburbs of Kyiv can only be described as genocide,’ Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told German newspaper Bild. Klitschko called on other nations to immediately end Russian gas imports, saying they were funding the killings…

“Charles Michel, president of the European Council, wrote on Twitter that he was shocked by the ‘haunting images of atrocities committed by [the] Russian army’ in the capital region. The EU and non-governmental organizations were assisting in the effort to preserve evidence of war crimes, according to Michel, who promised ‘further EU sanctions’ against Russia. The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and the U.K. separately condemned what was being described and said Russia would be held accountable….”

Reuters added on April 3:

“Germany’s defence minister [Christine Lambrecht] said on Sunday that the European Union must discuss banning the import of Russian gas after Ukrainian and European officials accused Russian forces of committing atrocities near Kyiv… Berlin has so far resisted growing calls to impose an embargo on energy imports from Russia, saying its economy and that of other European countries are too dependent on them. Russia supplies 40% of Europe’s gas needs….

“Russia’s defence ministry denied the allegation, saying footage and photographs showing dead bodies in Bucha were ‘yet another provocation’ by Kyiv.”

The Russian denial is so egregious and appalling that it is difficult to contemplate that anyone would believe Russia on this. On April 6, in response to Russia’s actions and denials, “Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned ‘the massacre of Bucha’ and kissed a Ukrainian flag sent from the town where Russian troops withdrew and where dozens of bodies in civilian clothing have been found… decrying cruelty against civilians, defenseless women and children… He then asked a group of children war refugees who arrived on Tuesday from Ukraine to come up to him. ‘These children had to flee in order to arrive in a safe land. This is the fruit of war. Let’s not forget them and let’s not forget the Ukrainian people,’ he said… ‘In the war in Ukraine, we are witnessing the impotency of the United Nations’” (Newsmax, April 6).

Reuters reported on April 4:

“German Finance Minister Christian Lindner on Monday rejected a European Union embargo on Russian gas imports… ‘It is clear we must end as quickly as possible all economic ties to Russia. We must plan tough sanctions, but gas cannot be substituted in the short term. We would inflict more damage on ourselves than on them.’”

However, Germany seems to be on board with ending coal import from Russia.  

The PROOF Putin’s Soldiers and Wagner Mercenaries Carried out Bucha Atrocities

The Daily Mail wrote on April 7:

“Germany’s foreign intelligence service, the BND, has heard messages from Putin’s forces discussing the brutal murder of civilians in the city of horrors outside Kyiv, which was recaptured by Ukraine over the weekend. The transmissions have been linked to specific corpses seen in Bucha, with one soldier talking about how he and his colleagues shot dead someone on a bicycle, while another said: ‘First question soldiers, then shoot them.’ The audio messages have been relayed to German parliament by the BND to further debunk baseless Kremlin claims that the bodies were staged by Ukraine after Russia withdrew from the city in a ‘monstrous forgery’. 

“Messages show the troops regularly discussed the potential war crimes as if they were talking about their everyday lives. The wiretap recordings also show that the Wagner Group  was present in the city and played ‘a key role’ in the massacre, and that there are likely similar scenes of slaughter elsewhere in the country. The shadowy military company which has been linked to a string of killings, rapes and war crimes around the world is known as Putin’s private army which carries out his dirty work at an arm’s length from the state.”

War Crimes by Ukrainians too?

Politico wrote on April 7:

“A video posted to social media appears to show Ukrainian troops shooting a captured Russian soldier near a village west of Kyiv. In the video posted on Monday, which the New York Times said it had independently verified, a group of Ukrainian soldiers near the village of Dmytrivka walks among at least four stricken Russian combatants, who are tied up and lying on a rural road covered in blood. ‘Look — he’s still alive, he’s gasping,’ one member of the group says, pointing the camera in the direction of one of the captives, who is gasping for air, his head covered by his jacket and clothes soaked in blood. One of the Ukrainian soldiers fires multiple shots at the wounded man, who then falls silent.

“The person filming the scene then pans across the road, where at least three other Russian soldiers are tied up and lying in pools of blood, before approaching a Ukrainian fighter and saying, ‘Glory to Ukraine.’… In Brussels NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said didn’t ‘know anything about that specific incident’ but stressed that all war crimes are ‘unacceptable’ and that such allegations ‘should be thoroughly looked into.’”

The Horrors of War

The Sun wrote on April 3:

“TWO Russian soldiers have died after eating poisonous pies given to them by Ukrainian citizens, Ukrainian intelligence has claimed. The soldiers, from the third Motor Rifle Division, are said to have died instantly after being given the delicacies as ‘gifts’ by locals in Izium. Another 28 Russians were said to have been rushed to intensive care after the poisoning, with hundreds of others said to be suffering ‘severe illness’ from poisoned food and drink…

“It added: ‘About 500 more servicemen of the third Motorized Rifle Division of the Russian Federation are in hospitals due to severe alcohol poisoning of unknown origin.’”

Poisoning the enemy seems to become more common on both sides.

Czech Tanks Roll into Ukraine

Express wrote on April 6:

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been calling for measures to bolster their army and the first NATO country has answered his call. In a brutal blow to Putin and his forces, more than a dozen T-72 tanks and some BVP-1 infantry fighting vehicles have been sent to Ukraine in a shipment as a gift agreed with NATO allies…

“Prague’s decision will likely increase pressure on NATO allies to follow their lead…”

According to a new poll, nearly 70% of Americans  fear that Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine will lead to nuclear war.

Europe’s Rapid Reaction Force Under German Leadership

Express wrote on April 1:

“Denmark will hold a vote on June 1 on whether to begin participating in a common European Union defence policy following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, almost 30 years after Danes chose to opt out… Denmark won exemptions from some EU policy areas, including the euro currency and defence and security policy, in a 1992 referendum on the Maastricht Treaty that laid the groundwork for the modern European Union… the… Democracy Movement wrote:  ‘… Using a crisis to push for more powers and diminish democracy is a classic pro-EU ploy….’

“Germany is ready to provide the core of the EU’s new rapid reaction force in 2025, the year it is meant to become fully operational… The force will replace the existing EU battlegroups that the bloc has had since 2007 but never used. Plans for an overhaul gained traction after European countries struggled to handle the chaotic withdrawal from Kabul in August.”

So it will be GERMANY which will provide the CORE of the EU’s new “defense” force. Whoever has eyes to see, let him see.

So it will be GERMANY which will provide the CORE of the EU’s new “defense” force. Whoever has eyes to see, let him see.

“Germany Has Never Been a Pacifist Power”

Foreign Policy wrote on April 4:

“Germany has not been a pacifist power at any moment since 1949… In the postwar era, Germany has indeed been more reluctant to use force than the United States, Britain, or France. But Bonn—and then Berlin—has always prepared for war, including nuclear war…

“The 1945 Potsdam Agreement that ended World War II called for the ‘complete disarmament and demilitarization of Germany.’ But this was a short-lived goal… The 1949 West German Constitution struck a very different chord: It forbade ‘wars of aggression,’ but it did not say anything about other forms of war… West Germany’s founding document ‘implicitly permitted wars of self-defense,’ enabled the introduction of conscription, and provided for the country’s participation in military alliances… In 1955, West Germany joined NATO and officially created the Bundeswehr… The Bundeswehr soon boasted 500,000 soldiers, making it NATO’s largest standing army in Western Europe.

“In 1957, the United States agreed to place its nuclear weapons stationed in Germany under the control of the Bonn government—with the Bundeswehr trained to deploy them in a potential conflict with the Soviet bloc. The prospect of Germany’s nuclearization triggered mass protest. Two-thirds of the German public rejected the move, yet Adenauer was able to push it through the parliament thanks to the CDU’s absolute majority…

“When the SPD finally came to power under Chancellor Willy Brandt in 1969, they had long abandoned their opposition to NATO, rearmament, and nuclear weapons. Adenauer’s defense policy was left unchanged. While reaching out to the Soviet bloc, Brandt still relied on NATO and Germany’s military muscle for defense and deterrence. In fact, the country’s defense budget increased by 50 percent over Brandt’s five years in office—record numbers. Brandt… wrote that his experience with the Nazi regime prevented him from becoming a pacifist and that the SPD under his chairmanship was ‘no pacifist party.’

“Helmut Schmidt, Brandt’s successor and party fellow, fully supported the deployment of a new generation of U.S. nuclear missiles on German soil as part of NATO’s response to a similar Soviet missile plan in Eastern Europe… Backing NATO’s confrontational policies put Schmidt not only against the peace movement but also most of his own party… his posture contributed to the SPD’s exit from government in 1982… the [new] governing conservative coalition led by Helmut Kohl stuck to Schmidt’s policy…

“Reunified Germany enjoyed the peace dividend that came with the Cold War’s end. But changing demands from allies, led by the United States, forced Berlin to take a stance on the new wars of the day. These were increasingly waged well beyond NATO territory—in the Persian Gulf,  Kuwait, Somalia, and, most importantly, the former Yugoslavia—making it difficult to interpret them as self-defense in the conventional sense. Eventually, Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court ruled in 1994 that even ‘out of area’ deployment of the Bundeswehr could be permitted under certain circumstances, especially if as part of a broader international effort.

“This opened the door for the Bundeswehr to engage in direct warfighting as part of NATO-led coalition forces: first, in the sky over Serbia during the 1999 Kosovo crisis, and then in Afghanistan with 150,000 soldiers—the second-highest number after the United States—making their tour until the final retreat in 2021…

“Despite fierce internal opposition, the Green leadership supported Germany’s new wars, arguing military violence was necessary to stop a genocide in Kosovo or to respond to the ‘totalitarian challenge’ in Afghanistan. This distinctly nonpacifist stance earned then-Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer a famous paint bomb attack at a party congress in 1999… The Greens then dropped pacifism from their 2002 long-term program, which explicitly—if not unconditionally—embraced both NATO and military deployments abroad.

“Germany’s military engagement appeared to become more conservative in the following years. While staying in Afghanistan and participating in multiple smaller missions in Mali, the Mediterranean, and off the coast of Somalia, the Bundeswehr avoided the U.S.-led war in Iraq in 2003 and the U.N.-sanctioned and NATO-led intervention in Libya in 2011. These decisions were occasionally wrapped in peace rhetoric… Yet… the German government supported those wars by other means: guarding U.S. military bases, helping with logistics, or sharing intelligence… Germany was pursuing, as the Berlin daily Die Tageszeitung wrote in 2002, ‘a little bit of war.’”

Hungary’s Viktor Orban Reelected

 JTA wrote on April 4:

“Hungary’s nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orban, has won a fourth term in office, dashing the hopes of a broad opposition alliance of unseating him after 12 years in power. In his victory speech Sunday night, Orban said he had prevailed against a slew of perceived enemies: ‘the left at home, the international left all around, the Brussels bureaucrats, the Soros empire with all its money, the international mainstream media, and in the end, even the Ukrainian president.’…

“Orban has clashed publicly with the European Union, to which Hungary belongs, over key issues such as immigration — he has refused to let in asylum seekers from the Middle East — as well as the treatment of Hungary’s Roma minority. He has also been accused of inciting antisemitic sentiments… his share of the vote is seen as a solid barometer of public opinion, suggesting that many Hungarians are satisfied with Orban’s positions, including when it comes to Russia’s war on Ukraine. Orban has declined to attenuate or sever economic ties with Russia as other European countries have done.

“Zelensky… implied that Orban is doing Russia’s bidding in the European Union. ‘There can be no Russian branches in Europe that divide the EU from within, that are trying to help Russia make as much money as possible even now… Everyone knows very well who in the European Union opposes humanity and common sense, and who does nothing at all to help establish peace in Ukraine. This must stop, and Europe must stop listening to the excuses of Budapest.’”

The Associated Press added:

“Orban, a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has insisted that Hungary remain neutral and maintain its close economic ties with Moscow, including continuing to import Russian gas and oil on favorable terms. At his final campaign rally Friday, Orban claimed that supplying Ukraine with weapons — something that Hungary, alone among Ukraine’s EU neighbors, has refused to do — would make the country a military target, and that sanctioning Russian energy imports would cripple Hungary’s own economy…

“Orban — a fierce critic of immigration, LGBTQ rights and ‘EU bureaucrats’ — has garnered the admiration of right-wing nationalists across Europe and North America. He has taken many of Hungary’s democratic institutions under his control and depicted himself as a defender of European Christendom against Muslim migrants, progressives and the ‘LGBTQ lobby.’”

Serbia Too

CNN wrote on April 4:

“In both Hungary and Serbia, openly pro-Russian parties comfortably won legislative elections, providing Putin with a welcome reminder that despite the international community’s firm and largely united response to the invasion, he does have some friends to his west…. Serbia…  isn’t a member of the EU or NATO. It is currently going through the process of joining the EU, with negotiations expected to end in the next couple of years.

“Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vučić, has been placed in a difficult position by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For years, he has tried to balance maintaining strong diplomatic and economic ties to Russia (and a particular fondness for Putin) with the Western embrace that would come with full EU membership…

“Serbia is almost entirely dependent on Russian gas, while its army maintains ties with Russia’s military. Although Serbia backed two United Nations resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it refused to impose sanctions against Moscow…. The Kremlin also supports Belgrade’s opposition to the independence of Kosovo by blocking its membership to the United Nations.”

It has been reported to us that most of the Serbs are among the fiercest and most fanatic supporters of Russia.

America is Losing the Middle East

Israel Today wrote on April 3:

“It’s come as a shock to some that Israel has refrained quite resolutely from joining the United States in condemning and sanctioning Russia over its invasion of Ukraine… But it’s not only the Jewish state that is loosening ties to the US. A chorus of Arab voices are warning that America is losing its grip on the entire Middle East due to reckless, contradictory and even hypocritical policies…

“This breakup began with the previous Iran nuclear deal facilitated by former US President Barak Obama  Now, continued al-Yahya, President Joe Biden is doing the same with the nuclear deal emerging from ongoing talks in Vienna…

“The conclusion that the Arabs have arrived at is that the United States no longer has their back, at least not in the way that would protect them from Iranian aggression. Israel has reached much the same conclusion, even if it doesn’t say so in such explicit terms.”

The USA is losing its influence worldwide and will end up all alone and forsaken.

Israel in Disarray

The Guardian wrote on April 6:

“A key member of Naftali Bennett’s Yamina party has quit the Israeli coalition government after a row about unleavened bread during Passover, in a surprise move that leaves the prime minister without a parliamentary majority.

“Idit Silman’s announcement left Bennett’s coalition, an alliance of parties ranging from the Jewish right and Israeli doves to an Arab Muslim party, with 60 seats – the same as the opposition… On Monday, Silman lashed out at the health minister, Nitzan Horowitz, after he instructed hospitals to allow leavened bread products into their facilities during the upcoming Passover holiday, in line with a recent supreme court ruling reversing years of prohibition. Jewish tradition bars leavened bread from the public domain during Passover…

“If another member of the coalition defects… the Knesset could hold a vote of no confidence and potentially lead Israel back to the polls for a fifth parliamentary election in four years.”

Some are speculating that Netanyahu is planning his comeback.

Jens Spahn’s Secret and Quiet Return

Der Westen wrote on April 1:

“What does Jens Spahn actually do? Until the change of power in Berlin, the CDU politician was Minister of Health. During large parts of the Corona crisis, he was at the center of events. Now the 41-year-old has reinvented himself: Jens Spahn has said goodbye to health policy… Almost secretly, quietly, Jens Spahn looked for a new job in Berlin. That only became really clear to many when he gave an interview to the TV station Phoenix on Tuesday. There Jens Spahn was suddenly introduced as the ‘energy expert’ of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. In this capacity, he gave an assessment of the gas threat from Moscow, which he believes to be a bluff by Vladimir Putin.

“From health minister to energy expert? Not a few TV viewers rubbed their eyes in amazement. There is a plethora of irritated and scornful reactions on the internet… In fact, Jens Spahn is now one of the deputy leaders of the Union parliamentary group and in this capacity is responsible for the topics of economy, climate, energy, small and medium-sized enterprises and tourism. So energy is now also his area of ​​expertise…

“Jens Spahn, who has felt at home in health policy almost continuously since entering the Bundestag in 2002, now wants to make a name for himself in the areas of energy and business – as a counterpart to Green Minister Robert Habeck. Some people will have to get used to that.”

The funny thing is, Jens Spahn was no expert in health matters, nor is he an expert on energy. But lack of expertise does not stop a politician from gaining prestige and influence.

Riding a Dead Horse?

Bild Online wrote on April 1st:

“A Dakota Indian proverb says: if you find yourself riding a dead horse, dismount. It is good that the… coalition partners, who wanted to oblige all citizens over 18 to be vaccinated by law, now see that nothing will come of it. Because the Omicron variant spreads at breakneck speed, but is much milder, there is no need for vaccination.

“Unfortunately, the coalition now changes from one dead horse to another horse, which is already half-dead on the ground. From mandatory vaccinations from the age of 18 to mandatory vaccinations from the age of 50! It would be much more important to clarify soon how many citizens in Germany have already recovered from Corona. Studies indicate that those who have recovered are also well protected from serious illnesses.

“As many infections remain undetected, many more than the officially reported 16.5 million citizens are likely to have recovered.”

This all sounds like an April Fool’s joke by the government, but unfortunately it isn’t. It doesn’t look like the government is just riding dead or half-dead horses, it looks like the riders themselves are “dead”.

Germany’s Lockdown Health Minister Lauterbach

Breitbart wrote on April 3:

“Germany’s lockdown-loving health minister… Karl Lauterbach is reportedly still hoping to legally force everyone over the age of 18 in the European Union member-state to get vaccinated against the Chinese coronavirus… In an interview posted by public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk, Lauterbach made clear that his dream scenario of all over-18s being forced to get jabbed against COVID-19 is still something he is committed to, despite a reported lack of support from elected officials… noting that he was not going to stop pushing the legislation in parliament….

“Forced masking is another lockdown rule that remains prominent in Germany, and while the requirements to wear such face coverings are being dropped at a national level from Sunday, many parts of the country will still require their use…, with 69 per cent of Germans still supporting the mandate according to a report by Bild.”

Words fail…

No Vaccine Mandate in Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 7:

“Germany’s Bundestag rejected a proposal to impose a vaccine mandate on those older than 60, which was supported by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach… Of 674 Bundestag MPs, 378 voted against the vaccine mandate, while 296 supported it…

“The measure’s rejection was a major blow to Scholz and his governing coalition, consisting of the chancellor’s Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP)… several senior FDP members came out against mandating vaccines, joining instead the conservative opposition CDU/CSU in rejecting the measure.”

Bild Online commented that this is a debacle for Scholz and Lauterbach. One wonders what Scholz and Lauterbach will try next—from failed efforts to impose a vaccine mandate for those over 18 to those over 50 to those over 60.

Once Upon a Time, Fauci Told the Truth

Breitbart wrote on April 1:

“Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) observed that Dr. Anthony Fauci was once able to ‘tell the truth’ about natural immunity — a reality the White House chief medical adviser has largely dismissed throughout the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. ‘Hmmm…Once upon a time Anthony Fauci could tell the truth…What happened?’ Paul asked, referring to an older clip of Fauci on CSPAN, where the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) chief firmly defended the concept of natural immunity against an illness. When asked if someone who had the flu for 14 days needed a flu shot, Fauci said, ‘Well, no. If she got the flu for 14 days, she’s as protected as anybody can be because the best vaccination is to get infected yourself... If she really has the flu she definitely doesn’t need a flu vaccine,’ he continued, adding that ‘she doesn’t need it’ because ‘the most potent vaccination is getting infected yourself.’

“… Fauci has been hesitant to overtly tout the reality of natural immunity throughout the pandemic, encouraging everyone eligible to get the jab. That also happened to be one of the main issues among critics of vaccine mandates, as they noted that the rules did not consider the reality of natural immunity…

“Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) has also blasted Fauci for refusing to overtly acknowledge natural immunity in the wake of the virus. ‘When asked to comment on the effectiveness of natural immunity against the virus based on recent studies from Israel, Dr. Anthony Fauci stated he did not ‘have a real firm answer’ on that,’ Johnson said in a September 2021 statement. ‘Almost 20 months into the pandemic, it is shocking that the chief medical advisor to the president does not have a firm grasp on the effectiveness of natural immunity, but still promotes freedom-robbing vaccine mandates. This administration clearly does not want the public to question whether natural immunity is more effective than vaccines… This administration’s decision to disregard the effectiveness of natural immunity and demand vaccination ignores current data and is an assault on all Americans’ civil liberties,’ he added.”

Natural immunity does not put money in the coffers of the pharma industry… vaccines do.

Dr. Fauci Acting Like a Mafia Don

Breitbart wrote on April 2:

“A recent Vanity Fair magazine report described heavy-handed tactics and what was claimed to be ‘a siege mentality’ at the National Institutes of Health when evolutionary biologist Jesse Bloom presented the draft of an unpublished scientific paper about the origins of the COVID-19 virus he had written to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci and two of his colleagues, evolutionary biologist Kristian Andersen and virologist Robert Garry. Bloom’s paper suggested the virus came from a lab, contradicting Fauci’s stated belief. The article described a contentious exchange among a group of scientists over a Zoom call.

“Friday on FNC’s ‘The Ingraham Angle,’ Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) reacted to the Vanity Fair piece and described the behavior of the NIH-affiliated scientists as ‘more like [what] you see from a mafia don than from a government bureaucrat or scientist… Well, this expose in Vanity Fair shows Dr. Fauci and his acolytes once again, trying to suppress and trying to block any scientists who disagree with them,’ Paul said… ‘I mean, it’s really alarming… And this is what I tried to bring out in the last committee hearing is, is that they will do anything… If you disagree with him, they come down on you hard, and they try to suppress anybody with a different opinion. It happened to three famous epidemiologists from Stanford, Harvard and Oxford…’”

Is the suppression of opposing views the way in which “science” operates?

Abortion War Goes On

Life News wrote on April 1:

“While pro-life states have passed a record number of laws to protect unborn babies from abortion, already this year, pro-abortion states have been taking aggressive action to expand abortions… four states in particular… have thrown out the ‘safe, legal and rare’ mentality and replaced it with the notion that more abortions and fewer safety regulations are a good thing. They are California, Colorado, Oregon and Illinois.

“All four states force taxpayers to pay for elective abortions and allow late-term abortions on viable, healthy unborn babies with healthy mothers. They do not have informed consent laws for mothers or basic health and safety standards for abortion facilities, and they allow non-doctors to perform abortions – putting both mothers’ and unborn babies’ lives at risk. Hundreds of thousands of unborn babies are aborted in these four states alone every year, and the numbers are expected to rise with their aggressive efforts to expand abortions.

“However, many other states are taking bold action to protect unborn babies from abortion and support mothers in need. The Guttmacher Institute estimates 26 states ‘are certain or likely to ban abortions’ if the Supreme Court gets rid of Roe. Researchers estimate abortion numbers would drop by about 120,000 in the first year and potentially even more in subsequent years if the high court allows states to ban abortions again.

“Right now, Roe and later abortion rulings force states to legalize the killing of unborn babies without limits up to viability. As a result, more than 63 million unborn babies have been killed in abortions in the past 50 years. The Supreme Court likely will issue its ruling… in June.”

Bird Flu Affects American Exports

Bloomberg wrote on March 30:

“A deadly strain of bird flu that’s been raising egg prices ahead of Easter was discovered in five new U.S. states Wednesday, and the virus increasingly is threatening American poultry exports. Highly pathogenic avian influenza was discovered at a commercial poultry farm in Johnston County, North Carolina, and in backyard flocks in Massachusetts, North Dakota, Ohio and Wyoming, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a release. Since mid-January, it’s been found in 23 states in flocks totaling nearly 17 million birds.

“Countries have been temporarily banning imports from U.S. states where bird flu is present as a result, according to the USDA. Top buyers such as Mexico, China and Cuba could bring in less poultry following the discovery in North Carolina, a major producer of chicken and turkeys, said Jim Sumner, president of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council in Tucker, Georgia. Bird flu will also make eggs relatively scarce for the Easter holiday, with production still below levels seen prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report from agriculture lender CoBank.”

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

In the first part of this series, we looked at the proposition that some theologians believe that the four accounts about Christ’s birth contradict each other. We showed that the Bible does not contain errors, and that the gospel accounts complement, rather than contradict each other.

While different scholars may have their own, and varied views, on the matter about Jesus’ birth, the Church of God, historically, has explained that the Bible interprets the Bible in all matters!

And so, let us look at the two different writings in Matthew and Luke and see where they have the same information and are in complete agreement.

1. Mary was a virgin

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin, as we read in Matthew 1:18, 23 and 25:

 ^“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit… Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name “Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”’… [Joseph] did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.”

The word “virgin” is only mentioned in verse 23, but the other two verses, quoted above, contain the phrases: “Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together” and that Joseph “did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son.”

In Luke 1:26-27, we read: “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.”

We will discuss the biblical claim of the “Virgin Birth” in more detail in the next Q&A.

2. Nazareth was the city where Joseph and Mary lived

 As mentioned above in Luke 1:26-27, we read that Nazareth was where Mary and Joseph lived.

Also, in Luke 2:39, as referenced in subheading No. 4 below, we read that “they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.”  See also Matthew 2:23.

3. Jesus was born in Bethlehem

 In the book of Matthew 2:1, we read a clear statement of fact: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem.”

We further read in Luke 2:4-7: “Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.  So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Both accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Also, the prophecy of Micah confirms this fact, where we read in Micah 5:2: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”

4. They returned to Nazareth after Jesus’ Birth

Matthew 2:23 says: “And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.’”

Luke 2:39 says: “So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.”

In passing, much confusion exists about the statement in Matthew that Jesus was called a Nazarene. In our Q&A, titled “Is the Shroud of Turin Authentic?,” we wrote:

“… we are told that a man is not to wear ‘long hair,’ and that even nature teaches us that wearing long hair is a ‘dishonor’ to a man…

“…  the Old Testament permitted a man on special occasions to wear long hair. This exception is set forth in Numbers 6, known as ‘the Law of the Nazarite.’ Men were permitted to make a temporary ‘Nazarite vow’ to God. During the time of their vow, a Nazarite was not to cut his hair, but let ‘the locks of the hair of his head grow’ (verse 5). In addition, he was not to touch a dead person, eat any fresh grapes or raisins, or drink anything made from grapes, including wine. This law was inseparably connected with the ritual law of sacrifices: At the end of the separation, the Nazarite had to bring several offerings, and he had to go through additional rituals before the priest.

“Jesus, however, was not a Nazarite. He grew up in the city of Nazareth and was therefore called a ‘Nazarene’ (Matthew 2:23) — which is of course quite different from being a Nazarite.

“Since we have no record of a written Old Testament prophecy regarding to Christ being called a Nazarene, we conclude that Matthew is referring here to an oral prophecy (He specifically states that this had been ‘spoken’ of Jesus.) However, in Isaiah 11:1, Christ is called the ‘Branch,’ in Hebrew ‘nezer.’ This Hebrew word is very similar to the Hebrew word for Nazarene. It has therefore been suggested that Jews at the time of Jesus might have understood this verse to refer to someone from Nazareth.

“In any event, Christ was not a Nazarite, because He did many things which were prohibited for Nazarites.”

So, we see, that both Matthew and Luke confirm Jesus grew up in Nazareth.

However, there are events that are exclusively written in just one of the gospel accounts, as a study of the harmony of the gospels will show.

Only in the book of Matthew do we read about the visit of the magi (Matthew 2:1-12) and the flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15).

Only in the book of Luke do we read about the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:1-7); the visit of the shepherds (Luke 2:8-17); Christ’s presentation in the temple (Luke 2:22-24) and the words of Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:25-38).

Does this mean that there are errors in these accounts?   We must remember that none of these events are mentioned in either the book of Mark or John.  If we honestly and carefully put all of this information together, there are no contradictions, just accounts that focus on different things that happened.

There are two verses at the end of the book of John which are very telling: “This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.  And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen” (John 21:24-25).

This clearly reveals that only so much about Jesus was written and much more was not recorded in the Bible.   Therefore, we have a lot of information about the Savior of mankind, recorded in different biblical books, but it is only a small amount that could have been recorded.   But God decided, directed and inspired the writers of the gospel accounts what needed to be recorded for posterity. The information that we have is sufficient to reveal God’s Master Plan for Salvation which shows that God’s faithful and loyal people can enter the Kingdom of God at Christ’s return.

Other areas of dispute in the article originally referred to at the beginning of this Q&A was that of the alleged differences between the events of Matthew 2 where the wise men from the east visited the “young Child” (Matthew 2:1-12) and where Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus fled to Egypt on the instruction of the angel of the LORD (Matthew 2:13-15).

In Luke 2, we find recorded the visit of the shepherds who were told by an angel: “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:11-12), and the journey that Joseph and Mary made to Jerusalem “to present Him at the temple in Jerusalem to the Lord” (Luke 2:22 and 39).

In Matthew 2, we read that the wise men “came into the house and saw the young Child with Mary” (verse 11).  In Luke 2, the shepherds saw a “Babe” (not a young Child) lying in a manger.   These two events were obviously quite a time apart.

There are those who see that these events are contradictory when, in fact, they are complementary.  Just because one writer gives one account and another writer gives different information, pertaining to a different time, doesn’t mean that either is in error.

The shepherds saw Christ just after He was born; He was circumcised in Jerusalem, and Simeon (Luke 2:25-32) and Anna (Luke 2:36-38) saw Him in the Temple at Jerusalem.  Much later, the wise men saw the Child and after Herod realised that the wise men had not returned to give him any news, it was then that Joseph was told to flee into Egypt.   We then read about the massacre of all male children under the age of two years taking place.  The fact that it was all male children under the age of two gives us an understanding that Jesus could have been up to two years old when this happened. In fact, we read that Herod ordered the massacre and “put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men” (Matthew 2:16).

In our Q&A on the wise men in Matthew 2, we quote the Bible Encyclopaedia as follows:

“[Regarding the] Magi who worshipped Jesus [the word] translated ‘wise men’ is the Greek word magos. This is the same as magus, an old Persian word equivalent to the chakam of the Old Testament (above). Magi is the plural of magus… There is no indication that they practiced sorcery or claimed magical powers. Their recorded conduct is sincere and worshipful. They appear to have researched the Old Testament and believed its prophecies about the Messiah… The record does not specifically say that there were three, or that they were kings… but there was obvious wealth involved… These magi did not arrive until possibly almost two years after Christ’s birth, certainly sometime after his presentation in the Temple (Luke 2:22-39)… There is no mention of camels or any mode of transportation in the biblical record. There is also no mention of their names…”

After the massacre, Herod died and Joseph was told to go back to the land of Israel, and the family then dwelt in Nazareth (compare Matthew 2:19-23).

Regarding the reporting of events, one internet writer opined that “When one reads any of the gospels, one gets the impression that it was a normal narrative technique at that time to report incidents which were separated by a significant amount of time as if they were successive events.”

The events in Matthew 2 and Luke 2 are complementary, and must be true because if they are not, then the Bible has errors, but we know that this is not so.   If the Bible had errors, then it could not be trusted.   But that is not the case, and the Bible is the Word of God that we can truly rely on!

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writers: Brian Gale (United Kingdom) and Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

Germany Was Never a Pacifist Power” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

It has been recently alleged that due to the Afghanistan debacle and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany has given up its pacifist stance to become more engaged in military activities. But as this program shows, Germany was never a pacifist power, and Bible prophecy tells us what Germany will do very soon.  

“Papst Franziskus und der Krieg… richtig oder falsch?” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Pope Francis and War… Right or Wrong?”

A new, pre-Passover Member Letter (April 2022) has been written by Norbert Link. This letter has been posted and mailed to our subscribers. Mr. Link strongly reminds members to be preparing for the Passover by truly examining ourselves to reaffirm that we are indeed walking in the Faith and that Jesus is living in us.

The first of this year’s Holy Days are approaching. Passover will be on April 15, 2022 (observed the previous evening), followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread: April 16^th (annual Holy Day) through April 22^nd (annual Holy Day). We will provide live services over the Internet for both Holy Days.

A Tech Team meeting was conducted via Google Meet on Sunday, April 3, 2022. Led by Eric Rank, emphasis was given to reporting on developments regarding our new ad campaigns. Michael Link presented a new compilation video featuring prophetic statements made by Norbert Link over several years—noting that prophecy is being fulfilled. You may view this presentation at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRRfXHfPoj0

“Verschwörungstheorien -ein Produkt Satans,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Manuel Giermann in Germany, is now posted. Title in English: “Conspiracy Theories – A Product of Satan.”

“Natural Immunity and Nuclear Bombs in Germany—Comments on News and Prophecy, April 2, 2022,” the first message presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

We are discussing the war in Ukraine; a contemplated but ill-conceived deal between the USA and the EU to reduce the continent’s reliance on Russian energy; Putin’s demands to pay in rubles for Russian natural gas exports; American nuclear bombs being stored in Germany and in other European countries; the curse of abortion; and new developments regarding Covid mandates and Dr. Fauci’s surprising admissions in the past. We also speak on the hoax about Trump’s missing phone records and the return of Germany’s former health minister, Jens Spahn.

“Total Confusion! Spiritual Bodies in the Resurrection?” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Hard to believe, but there is incredible confusion about the concept of the “spiritual body” which a Christian will have when he is resurrected, and even Christ’s appearance after His resurrection has been totally misunderstood. As a consequence, many do not understand what is the potential of man, and how Christians will and will not look in the Kingdom of God.

On April 2, 2022, Norbert Link will present, “Comments on News and Prophecy, April 2, 2022,” and the sermon, titled, “Total Confusion! Spiritual Bodies in the Resurrection?”

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.

Having something to look forward to in life gives us the motivation that it takes to get up in the morning and make the most of the day. At times we might have more to look forward to than at other times. The things we enjoy can be as simple as having a good cup of coffee, a conversation with a friend, or the sense of accomplishment after completing a challenging task. They might be big things too, like a long-awaited vacation or the birth of a child. Big or small, appreciating the wholesome things can motivate us to find the joy in life that helps us to appreciate the short time with which God has blessed us.

I’m sure we can all think of something that we look forward to on a day-to-day basis. Though, the magnitude of problems that threaten to squelch our hope demand so much of our attention that it can be difficult to even bring those elements of hope to mind. It’s probably easier to think of things that fight to bring us down. Problems may begin with ourselves, affecting our health or otherwise. Outside ourselves, problems that affect us scale up at every level, ending with the pitiable state of the world at large. We, however, have a responsibility to fight against the dark forces of discouragement.

As helpful as it is to find a source of hopeful anticipation in the physical things in our lives, we know that these things are fleeting. God offers us blessings for obedience in our lives, intentionally giving us reason for joy while we live in these physical bodies. But the world that we live in is passing away. Placing our source of joy in what the world offers us will end in sore disappointment (compare 1 John 2:15-17). If we only place value in the things the world has to offer, we place our hope in a precarious place. The state of the world will only continue to worsen, eclipsing even the simplest sources of worldly joy.

The Bible tells us that there is a better way to live! Our job is to put the Word of God to work in our lives so that we are not found vulnerable to the world’s decay. We have to realize that the true source of joy that we have comes from God. When we have that state of mind, even the most difficult of circumstances give us something to hope for. Consider the perspective of the disciples when they were beaten and imprisoned (compare Acts 5:40-42, Acts 16:20-34). They knew that their worldly circumstances, as dire as they were, served a greater purpose in God’s plan for their lives. With the understanding that the worldly discouragement they experienced was temporary and meaningful, the disciples found something to appreciate – that they could serve God mightily.

We would do well to acknowledge how fortunate we are. The knowledge of the Truth about God’s plan can help us every single day to understand the circumstances of our lives. God is doing a work with us individually, to help us grow, to challenge us, and to do as much as possible with the resources He gives us. Knowing this adds much deeper meaning in the small things of our lives. Anticipating the weekend becomes even richer because we have the Sabbath that God gives us as a day of rest. The joy in seeing the smiles on the faces of our family and brethren becomes more precious because those moments demonstrate the effect of love that God commands. We can also find strength to get through the hard things we experience, knowing that in the big picture, those difficulties will pass and that they will help us to develop the character that pleases God. When we are able to see our life as God sees it, we have much to look forward to.

But even more, God promises us the greatest possible gift, which of course is eternal life as glorified members in His Family. That event lies beyond the boundary of our physical lives, so we cannot experience it until we become glorified (compare 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). However, it is going to be so awesome that nothing compares. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.   For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:18-21). This moment when we inherit the earth to share in righteous rulership under Jesus Christ and God the Father gives us a reason to enjoy the moments that lead up to that time. We know that every moment serves a virtuous purpose.

The world will try to convince us otherwise, but the FACT is that we have a tremendous amount of wonderful things to look forward to. When we have the right frame of mind, we can see God in our lives at every scale. From the micro-moments that put a smile on our face, to the culmination of God’s plan, when all pain and sorrow will be destroyed, we know that everything we experience serves His purpose for us. Now, that gives us something to look forward to!

by Norbert Link

We begin with incredible idolatry in the Catholic Church and remarkable comments by Pope Francis. Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Pope Francis and War… Right or Wrong?”

We also speak on Justin Trudeau’s hypocrisy.

We continue with an alleged but inconsequential deal between the USA and the EU; American nuclear weapons in Germany and the rest of Europe; and Germany’s ongoing typical blunders.

We speak on Biden’s devastating gaffes; and America’s “most dangerous time in its history.”

We speak on Putin’s threat to “unfriendly” countries to have to pay Russian natural gas exports only in rubles; questions whether Russia will retreat from parts of Ukraine; and dangerous Chinese propaganda.

We also speak on the dangerous Iran deal and include a warning to watch the Middle East. We also focus on Afghanistan and North Korea.

We conclude with articles on Covid vaccines; fossil fuels; and abortion. In this context, please view our recent StandingWatch program, “Free Abortions in California…’Repent or Perish!’”

Idolatry, Superstition, Demonology and Blasphemy in the Catholic Church

The Associated Press wrote on March 25:

“Pope Francis prayed for peace in Ukraine in a ceremony Friday that harked back to a century-old apocalyptic prophecy about peace and Russia that was sparked by purported visions of the Virgin Mary to three peasant children in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. Francis invited bishops, priests and ordinary faithful around the world to join him in the consecration prayer, which… concluded with Francis sitting alone before a statue of the Madonna. There, he solemnly asked forgiveness that humanity had ‘forgotten the lessons learned from the tragedies of the last century, the sacrifice of the millions who fell in two World Wars… Free us from war, protect our world from the menace of nuclear weapons,’ he prayed…

“The prayer ritual… deals with some of the more controversial aspects of the Catholic faith: purported visions of the Madonna, revelations of hell, Soviet communism and the death of a pope, and questions about whether the prophecies contained in the so-called ‘secrets of Fatima’ have already been fulfilled or not… Retired Pope Benedict XVI participated from his home in the Vatican gardens. A papal envoy celebrated a simultaneous service at the shrine in Fatima.

“The Fatima story dates to 1917 when according to tradition, Portuguese siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto and their cousin Lucia said the Virgin Mary appeared to them six times and confided to them three secrets. The first two described an apocalyptic image of hell, foretold the end of World War I and the start of World War II, and portended the rise and fall of Soviet communism. The children were between 7 and 10 years old at the time. In 2000, the Vatican disclosed the long-awaited third secret, describing it as foretelling the May 13, 1981, assassination attempt against St. John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square. According to later writings by Lucia, who became a nun and died in 2005, Russia would be converted and peace would reign if the pope and all the bishops of the world consecrated Russia to the ‘Immaculate Heart of Mary.’ Lucia later claimed that John Paul fulfilled that prophecy during a Mass on March 25, 1984, exactly 38 years ago Friday, even though he never specified Russia in the prayer.

“The text of Francis’ prayer corrected that 1984 omission. It reads: ‘Therefore, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the Church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine.’ It adds: ‘Grant that war may end and peace spread throughout the world.’…”

The extent of idolatry, superstition, demonology and blasphemy in the Catholic Church is astounding.

Pope Francis: Wars Must End

Breitbart wrote on March 27:

“Pope Francis renewed his appeal for an end to war Sunday, condemning the ‘bestiality’ of the Russian war on Ukraine… ‘There is a need to repudiate war, a place of death where fathers and mothers bury their children, where men kill their brothers without even having seen them, where the powerful decide and the poor die… War not only devastates the present but also the future of a society’…

“Francis went on to insist that war cannot be ‘something inevitable’ and humanity must never grow used to armed conflict… ‘Faced with the danger of self-destruction, humanity understands [according to Thompson/Reuters, he said: “humanity must understand”] that the time has come to abolish war, to erase it [Reuters: “to cancel it”] from human history before it is she who erases [“cancels”] man from history,’ he exhorted.”

Sadly, humanity by no means understands that the time has come to abolish war. In fact, the opposite is true, and a terrible nuclear war will be fought in the near future, threatening the very survival of mankind.

Trudeau’s Dictatorship and Hypocrisy

LifeSiteNews wrote on March 25:

“Organizers of the anti-COVID mandate ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest now face up to five years in prison after police came up with several additional charges. Despite the non-violent nature of the ‘Freedom Convoy’ demonstration that occurred in Ottawa for three weeks earlier this year in protest of COVID restrictions, two of the primary organizers… have now been hit with charges [of] mischief, counselling mischief, intimidation, counselling intimidation, counselling obstruction of police, and obstructing police…

“Ottawa’s chief of police reluctantly admitted that during the police crackdown of the protest following Trudeau’s invocation of the never-before-used Emergencies Act, not a single charge for weapons possession came down, despite the constant accusations that the Freedom Convoy protesters were ‘insurrectionists’ and posed a threat to national security…

“The significance of the government’s backtracking on the nature of the Freedom Convoy protest is monumental, as it was these arguments that the Trudeau government used to justify invoking the Emergencies Act, which allowed it to use the national police force to physically remove peaceful protesters while demanding financial institutions freeze the bank accounts of private citizens without a court order.  As a result of this backtracking, the state-funded CBC has since had to retract a story that falsely claimed most support for the Freedom Convoy came from foreigners. The CBC had also earlier retracted a story run in January that falsely claimed Russia was somehow behind the Freedom Convoy. “

To hear dictator Trudeau speak about the importance of democracy when accusing Putin and defending Ukraine is the epitome of hypocrisy.

National Post wrote on or about March 27:

“It is a brazen thing to go to other countries like some John the Baptist for the democracies, shortly after having trampled all over the rights of those involved in a largely peaceful democratic protest… The trucker protest was not an attempted coup. It was not a rebellion. It was not an assault on Canada’s democracy. It was none of those things.

“The convoy protest was strong and present, but it was unthreatening and largely non-violent. It was superbly Canadian. It should not be slandered. And it surely should not be used as some sort of example of anti-democratic forces by the leader of the country in which it took place. Most especially when he goes about the world delivering passionate defences of the idea of democracy itself.

“To defend democracy, you should adhere to its principles. Don’t go to Brussels to preach what you skip over in Ottawa. Some examples:… Don’t call protesters racist and homophobic and characterize them as a fringe minority and stoke public anger against them with your extravagant and mean rhetoric. Don’t rhetorically isolate one small portion of the Canadian population and paint them all as villains and seditionists and insurrectionists in a blatant attempt to whip up animosity towards them and their cause. Don’t, as the leader of a democracy, claim they were out to overthrow the government. This is so much an overstatement it is really difficult to understand how some in the press actually repeated it…

“A leader preaching democracy abroad… wouldn’t give himself the power to reach into personal bank accounts. He wouldn’t use the brute authority of the federal government to interfere with their fundraising. All this being the case, maybe Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should think twice before wandering into an international forum, during  a time of real war and death, and evoking the Canadian protest in the context of Ukraine’s savage hurt and danger….”

Rebel News wrote on March 24 about Trudeau’s trip to Belgium and the reaction he received from some:

“Croatian Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Mislav Kolakušić…  [categorized] the force Canada… used against Freedom Convoy protesters as methods of ‘a dictatorship of the worst kind.’… At least two more MEP’s criticized Trudeau’s leadership and his invitation to address the European legislature. A fourth MEP, Italy’s Francesca Donato, says she was denied the opportunity to speak after Trudeau did, despite being one of the scheduled speakers.

“German MEP Christine Anderson said ‘Mr. Trudeau, you are a disgrace for any democracy. Please spare us your presence.’ Anderson… did not hold back her fiery words for the increasingly authoritarian Trudeau… ‘a prime minister who openly admires the Chinese basic dictatorship, who tramples on fundamental rights by persecuting and criminalizing his own citizens as terrorists, just because they dare to stand up to his perverted concept of democracy should not be allowed to speak in this house at all.’

“MEP Bernhard Zimniok, another representative from Germany, went as far as trying to prevent Trudeau’s speech in the European Parliament meeting from happening at all…”

A Deal Between the USA and EU?

The Associated Press wrote on March 25:

“The United States and European Union on Friday announced a new partnership to reduce the continent’s reliance on Russian energy… Under the plan, the U.S. and other nations will increase liquified natural gas exports to Europe by 15 billion cubic meters this year, though U.S. officials were unable to say exactly which countries will provide the extra energy this year. Even larger shipments would be delivered in the future… the initiative will likely require new facilities for importing liquified natural gas…

“Getting more liquefied natural gas to Europe could be difficult… Many export facilities are already operating at capacity, and most new terminals are still only in the planning stages… Even if the U.S. can ship more gas to Europe, the continent may struggle to receive it. Import terminals are located in coastal areas, where there are fewer pipeline connections for distributing it.

“And if all Europe’s facilities were operating at capacity, the amount of gas would likely be only about two-thirds of what Russia delivers through pipelines.”

According to the New York Times, it would take years before new terminals are in operation to receive substantial amounts of gas from the USA. Also, if the USA has so much gas to spare, why is it that the gas prices at America’s gas stations are so astronomically high? And why is it that in Tijuana/Mexico, just across the US-Mexico border, “regular gas sells for an average of $3.96 a gallon — nearly $2 less than in California.” One of the reasons is that the Mexican government “provides subsidies to Mexican oil companies and refineries” (Los Angeles Times, March 24).

Nuclear Weapons in Germany and Europe… Ready to Be Used

The Washington Post wrote on March 25:

“Near steep vineyards of riesling grapes, in an underground vault at an air force base in western Germany, sits an American nuclear bomb. More than one of them, actually… Experts estimate that there are about 100 such bombs stored among five NATO countries, ready to be loaded on jets and dropped by the United States and its allies… toward an enemy target. One version of this bomb can carry the explosive equivalent of 11 Hiroshimas….

“The bomb’s family name is B61… As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggers another round of anxiety about World War III, the B61 remains the only U.S. nuclear weapons system based in Europe… In May, the United States is scheduled to begin full-scale production of a modernized version of the B61 that will have an adjustable yield – meaning that the military can dial up or down the force with which each bomb explodes – and a guided tail kit to improve accuracy (no parachute necessary). This modernization, which started more than a decade ago, is predicted to cost between $9.1 billion and $10.1 billion – making it probably the most expensive nuclear-bomb program in U.S. history…

“The mood in Germany – where for years the parliament has held debates on phasing out custody of those B61s by the vineyards – ‘has changed significantly since the Russian invasion of Ukraine,’ says Xanthe Hall, a nuclear-disarmament expert… ‘The reaction to this is very strong but in both directions. Many people are calling for abolition of nuclear weapons,’ she says, while ‘others are saying that nuclear deterrence is our only protection.’

“On March 14 Germany announced that it would replace its aging bomber jets with American F-35s that can also carry B61s…”

Nuclear weapons do not only exist for the purpose of deterrence. They are there to be used.

More Typical German Blunders

Express wrote on March 27:

“THE UKRAINIAN ambassador to Germany has hit out at a [German] ‘solidarity concert’… Ambassador Andriy Melnyk refused to attend the event, which he described as ‘an affront’. The concert, organised by German President Frank Walter Steinmeier, took place earlier today. It was organised to ‘condemn the attack on Ukraine and send a signal of solidarity and the shared belief in the value of freedom and self-determination’, a statement said. According to the Office of the Federal President, musicians from countries such as Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Germany were set to perform… However, only Russian soloists could be seen on the schedule, alongside performances by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra… [Melnyk announced:] ‘Sorry I’m staying away!!!’

“Germany has previously faced criticism from Ukrainian politicians, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hitting out at the country for failing to secure peace in Europe, despite pledges to do so in the wake of the Holocaust. In a brutal speech to German politicians in Berlin in March, Mr Zelensky said: ‘I address all of you who heard politicians say every year ‘never again,’ but I can see these words are worth nothing. Now, our whole nation is being exterminated in Europe…’ Meanwhile, Ukrainian MP Dymtro Gurin has accused the German Government of ‘financing mass murder’, over Berlin’s reluctance to ditch Russian gas… Mr Gurin said: ‘Germany has to understand that buying Russian gas they’re financing the mass murder… they are afraid they will not get gas and because they fear, they’re financing mass-murdering.’”

Biden’s Devastating Gaffes

The Associated Press reported on March 26:

“President Joe Biden delivered a forceful and highly personal condemnation of Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Saturday, summoning a call for liberal democracy and a durable resolve among Western nations in the face of a brutal autocrat. As he capped a four-day trip to Europe, a blend of emotive scenes with refugees and standing among other world leaders in grand settings, Biden said of Putin: ‘… this man cannot remain in power.’ It was a dramatic escalation in rhetoric — Biden had earlier called Putin a ‘butcher’ — that the White House found itself quickly walking back. Before Biden could even board Air Force One to begin the flight back to Washington, aides were clarifying that he wasn’t calling for an immediate change in government in Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov quickly denounced Biden, saying ‘it’s not up to the president of the U.S. and not up to the Americans to decide who will remain in power in Russia’…”

Breitbart added on March 27:

“This is the third time the White House has had to clarify Biden’s remarks during his trip to Europe. On Friday, the White House reassured people that Biden would not send American troops into Ukraine, even after the president spoke with the troops about what they would see when they got to the country. On Thursday, the White House had to clarify that Biden did not mean the United States would use chemical weapons when he said that if Putin used them the United States and NATO would respond ‘in kind.’”

Some commentators felt that Biden’s call for regime change in Russia [or for a demand to “take him out”] were not a “gaffe,” but expressed accurately what Biden really believes. “A top official confirmed for Axios that the line wasn’t on Biden’s teleprompter or in his text” (Axios, March 27). The New York Post wrote on March 27:  “Shortly after the speech, a Biden aide told pool reporters that ‘the president… was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change.’ Unbelievable. So what Biden so clearly said is not at all what he meant.”

Breitbart added on March 29:

“On Monday, Biden struggled to clarify his remarks [on Putin], first claiming falsely that he had not walked back his Warsaw comment, then repeating it, claiming it was just a statement of ‘moral outrage.’… He indicated he believed everyone criticizing him for his comments about Putin was being dishonest.”

As Fox News and the New York Post reported and evidenced by photos, Biden had a carefully prepared “cheat sheet” with written-down answers in anticipation of questions regarding his Putin comments. Biden has used cheat sheets several times before.

Biden also suggested on his trip that there would be food shortages in the USA, which the White House denied. And, Biden once again stated that the sanctions imposed on Russia and Putin were never meant to deter him. This contradicts totally comments by Kamala Harris and the Biden Administration, including numerous times by Antony Blinken as well as Ned Price, Jake Sullivan and Daleep Singh.

Breitbart pointed out on March 29:

“However, as far back as January 19, Biden was explaining how the threat of sanctions would deter Putin. A reporter asked Biden at a press conference that day, ‘Given how ineffective sanctions have been in deterring Putin in the past, why should the threat of new sanctions give him pause?’ Biden responded, ‘Well, because he’s never seen sanctions like the ones I promised will be imposed if he moves.’”

Surely, the sanctions did not deter Putin, but If they were not imposed for the purpose of deterrence, why impose sanctions at all?

The Most Dangerous Time in American History

Newsmax wrote on March 27:

“Former President Donald Trump is warning President Joe Biden is risking provoking Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons to defend himself against Biden’s accidental call for a regime change in Russia. ‘When you put him into a corner and you talk the way they’re talking… they’re almost giving him an incentive…’  Trump noted that tends to make dictators use deadly force, if not nuclear weapons to defend themselves… Provoking Putin to escalate an invasion of Ukraine into a nuclear attack on a NATO ally, if not the United States, makes this the ‘most dangerous time’ in American history, according to Trump. ‘I don’t think our country has ever been in greater danger than it is right now, because of the power of certain weapons that I know very well.’…

“Biden has bungled the Trump-era deterrence on Russia and Putin, effectively opening the door for the invasion and needlessly leading to thousands of deaths, Trump continued… ‘All those people should be living now. They should not be dead…  You look at these cities; they’ve been bombed, and they’ve been blown up, but it’s going to take 50 to 100 years to rebuild them. And so many people have been killed and horribly wounded… It should have never happened.’”

Paying in Rubles?

The Associated Press wrote on March 25:

“President Vladimir Putin’s threat to have ‘unfriendly’ countries pay for Russian natural gas exports only in rubles from now on got the not-so-friendly treatment from European Union nations Thursday. ‘I don’t think anybody in Europe really know how rubles look like,’ said Slovene Prime Minister Janez Jansa. ‘Nobody will pay in rubles.’ If others put it less bluntly, it came down to the same – from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who as former chief of the European Central Bank, knows something about currencies…

“Making such demands [to pay in rubles instead of US dollars or euros] would fundamentally change contracts and render them null and void, several European leaders said… The Russian threat is potent since the EU imports 90 per cent of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40 per cent of the bloc’s gas….”

On the other hand, what if Russia insists? It is Europe which needs Russian oil, not vice versa. And since when have “contracts” prevented ANY country from breaking them? 

German Chancellor Scholz announced Thursday that he agreed with Putin in a phone conversation that Germany could still pay in Euros. However, the extent of that alleged “agreement” is very unclear. 

Will Russia Retreat?

The Daily Mail wrote on March 25:

“Ukraine has disabled 20 Russian battalions, Western officials said today, as a Kremlin army chief hinted that Moscow may scale back its attack on its neighbour and instead focus on ‘liberating’ the eastern Donbas region.

“Russia’s defence ministry also updated its losses in Ukraine to 1,351 soldiers, adding that 3,825 soldiers had been wounded – figures that are far lower than Western intelligence estimates that put Moscow’s losses in the tens of thousands. In a military update today, Moscow attempted to put a positive spin on its disastrous invasion saying that the first phase of its military campaign in Ukraine was over….

“In another embarrassing blow to Putin, it was revealed today that a Russian brigade commander had died after being run down with a tank by his own troops…. But despite the apparent change in tactics, smaller-scale strikes continued without pause as Russia, suffering heavy losses and meagre progress against key targets, pursues its relentless campaign of bombardment against Ukraine’s cities… A NATO official estimated on Wednesday that 7,000 to 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in four weeks of war in Ukraine, and added that between 30,000 to 40,000 Russian soldiers are estimated to have been killed or wounded in total. By comparison, Moscow lost about 15,000 soldiers in Afghanistan over 10 years….

“Russia has continued to deny it has been deliberately targeting civilian centres, despite swathes of evidence to suggest otherwise…. Ukrainian authorities said 300 people were killed in the Russian airstrike last week on a Mariupol theater that was being used as a shelter. The bloodshed at the theatre fueled allegations Moscow is committing war crimes by killing civilians, whether deliberately or by indiscriminate fire.”

Express wrote on March 26:

“Putin’s decision to focus his military operations on ‘liberating’ the Donbas could be a pivotal moment of maximum peril for Ukraine’s survival, according to a military expert…. Defence and security expert Dominic Nicholls said that President Zelensky faced a difficult military and political dilemma: to stand firm and defend the Donbas or to retreat. If Ukrainian forces were to stay put, then they could face the threat of being cut off and surrounded by Russian forces and defeated in the field.

“At the same time, to retreat and give up the Donbas to the Russians would be a significant blow to Ukrainian morale and would weaken Mr Zelensky’s negotiating position in any future peace talks with Moscow…. ‘Vladimir Putin cannot end this reckless, ridiculous and illegal adventure without the Donbas. He will not survive without it. Equally though, Mr Zelensky cannot allow the area to fall.’”

Subsequently, it became extremely doubtful that Russia will limit its activities to the eastern Donbas region. Whatever the further actions of all parties involved, the ultimate outcome has been pre-determined… which is that Russia and Ukraine will combine forces in their fight against Europe.

“Germany’s ‘Bild’ Newspaper Blocked in Russia”

 Deutsche Welle wrote on March 27:

“Russian authorities said they would block the website of German tabloid Bild, which is now one of the latest Western media outlets to be censored in Russia as the Kremlin seeks to control the domestic narrative on the war in Ukraine. Bild said it has been publishing Russian-language reports on its website on the war in Ukraine, and Russia’s slide toward ‘totalitarian dictatorship.’…

“Russian authorities also have blocked access to foreign media website including Germany’s Deutsche Welle, the BBC in the UK, Euronews, the US government-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.”

Dangerous Chinese Propaganda

Breitbart wrote on March 25:

“China’s state-run Global Times on Friday slammed NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg for criticizing China’s support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Global Times howled that Stoltenberg was a liar, China clearly wants the Ukraine war to end, and NATO is more of a threat to world peace than the Chinese Communist Party… Beijing also repeated Russian disinformation efforts tying the U.S. to biological weapons labs in Ukraine… ‘Is NATO, the biggest promoter of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in any way qualified to point a finger at China, which has been facilitating dialogue for peace from the very beginning?’ the Global Times shrieked.

“After reciting some Chinese Communist boilerplate about how Beijing, which adamantly refuses to denounce the Russian invasion, wants nothing more than peace in Ukraine, the Global Times accused NATO of tricking Russia into attacking because it wants to recreate the Cold War to justify its continued existence… Those are some deeply offensive metaphors coming from the brutal regime that unleashed the Wuhan coronavirus upon the world and condemned millions of innocent people to suffer on very non-metaphorical ventilators…

“The Global Times hooted that NATO’s focus on the rising threat of China proves it is merely a ‘tool for the U.S. to maintain hegemony’ and a ‘machine for the implementation of the U.S.’ global will… As long as NATO exists, there will be no day of peace in Europe and in the world,’ the editorial concluded.”

Sadly, this kind of rhetoric can also be heard in places other than China.

The Dangerous Iran Deal

The Associated Press wrote on March 27:

“The Biden administration has been working to renew the 2015 nuclear deal, which placed curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in sanctions relief. With support from Israel, the Trump administration withdrew from the deal in 2018, causing it to unravel.

“Although Iran has since raced ahead with its nuclear program, Israel and Gulf Arab countries are deeply concerned about restoring the original deal. Israel fears it does not include enough safeguards to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Both Israel and its Gulf allies also believe that relief from economic sanctions will allow Iran to step up its military activities across the region, including support for hostile militant groups…

“It remains unclear if or when the nuclear deal will be renewed, but there are indications it could be soon… Israel is deeply opposed to such a step… If a deal is reached, Israel has repeatedly noted that it is not a party to the agreement and reserves the right to take action, including a potential military strike, against Iran.”

Pay Attention to the Middle East

Times of Israel wrote on March 27:

“Saudi Arabia and Qatar expressed regret on Saturday at a lack of attention to Middle East conflicts, as the West pushes them to show more solidarity with Ukraine…

“Over a 100,000 people in Yemen have been killed, directly or indirectly, and millions have been displaced as a result of its years-long conflict, in what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The war in Syria is estimated to have killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions more since it began with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011.”

What’s Going on in Afghanistan…

 The Huffington Post wrote on March 16:

“In recent weeks, the Taliban have launched a massive house-to-house search in Kabul and other Afghan cities, in what a Taliban spokesperson called a ‘cleaning operation’ to look for weapons and criminals. But thousands of Afghans fear they are about to be persecuted because of their links to the country’s former, Western-backed government, or to U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan over the past 20 years…

“The Taliban’s house searches started amid the heat of the Ukraine crisis. ‘The world’s attention is now on Ukraine,’ Shawn VanDiver, the founder and board chair of AfghanEvac [said]. ‘The Taliban took advantage of that. They started doing mass searches and beating people, and people are being abducted.’ People who worked with the U.S. in any fashion are particularly at risk, and the U.S. government has left many of them stranded and vulnerable….”

Reportedly, there are also quite a few American citizens and green card holders in Afghanistan, who are unable to leave.

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 26:

“The United States has announced that it has canceled planned talks with the Taliban [pertaining to key economic issues, including independence of the Afghan central bank and printing of Afghani currency bank notes] after the rulers of Afghanistan made a U-turn on the topic of girls’ education, shuttering girls out of middle and high schools hours after doors were opened…

“The Taliban had promised a softer rule when they returned to power last year, claiming they respect women’s rights in line with their interpretation of Islamic law, Shariah…  However, the Islamist group has imposed a range of restrictions on women, more or less banning them from government jobs, policing what they wear and keeping them from traveling out of their cities alone.”

Newsmax added that “The Taliban… have also been accused of suppressing free speech, violently breaking up protests and exacting deadly revenge on their former foes.”

How anyone in his right mind could trust the words of the Taliban, a terrorist organization, is hard to understand.

… and in North Korea?

The Guardian wrote on March 25:

“North Korea has confirmed that it tested a new, powerful type of intercontinental ballistic missile, marking an end to a self-imposed moratorium on long-range testing in place since 2017 and drawing international condemnation. State media said on Friday that leader Kim Jong-un had directly guided the test of the Hwasong-17 – a ‘new type’ of intercontinental ballistic missile that is North Korea’s biggest to date. He said the North would continue to develop a ‘nuclear war deterrent’ while preparing for a ‘long-standing confrontation’ with the US…

“The Hwasong-17 is the largest liquid-fuelled missile ever launched by any country from a road-mobile launcher, analysts said… It… represents a significant step in Pyongyang’s development of weapons that might be able to deliver nuclear warheads anywhere in the US…  North Korea’s launch missile was a jarring reminder that Kim will not be ignored even as the world’s attention is gripped by the Ukraine crisis.”

America is challenged by dangerous enemies. And even its allies and friends will switch sides in the end.

Covid Vaccines…

Rumble wrote on March 23:

“The Covid mandates are tools for desensitizing people to extensive gene editing and manipulation via the ‘vaccine’. Dr. David Martin [said], a speaker at the upcoming Let’s Go Brandon rally in Florida… to expose the dangers of the jab induced toxic spike protein, water contamination, and more.

“Dr. Martin detailed how Big Pharma acknowledges the illegality of their injections, yet they continue to test them on the masses, killing thousands.”

Axios wrote on March 29:

“The FDA authorized a second COVID-19 booster shot for Americans age 50 or older [It still needs to be approved by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention]…. The authorization comes as communities across the U.S. are shutting down COVID testing and vaccination sites…   Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said… that a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine ‘is necessary’…”

And so, President Biden was proud to show that he received his fourth dose already. And on and on and on it goes…

Cininatti.com wrote on March 25:

“Pope Francis recently removed Puerto Rican Bishop Fernandez Torres from his post for telling Catholics that, if it violated their conscience, they could refuse to be vaccinated… Fernandez sought, but was denied, a formal hearing on the subject, and while it’s certainly within the Pope’s discretion to dismiss a bishop, it shows how politically active he’s become.”

Fossil Fuels–a Seductive Idea and a Wrong Assumption

 The Portland Tribune wrote on March 22:

“Many… politicians have convinced themselves that we can have a high quality of life without the use of oil, coal or natural gas. If you ask them how we can do this, they have a two-word response: ‘electrify everything.’

“It’s a seductive idea… politicians implicitly assumed that fossil fuel infrastructure does not include electricity. That assumption is wrong… Most electricity is provided by coal and natural gas plants, with hydropower a dominant source in the Pacific Northwest. Once on the grid, electricity is an open-access resource; it is shared by everyone, regardless of fuel source.

“The state legislatures in California, Oregon and Washington have all adopted stringent policies mandating various levels of carbon-free electricity within the next few decades, but those policies can’t actually be implemented. There are many reasons for this, but the most obvious is that the power sources preferred by liberal politicians — wind and solar — don’t provide electricity most of the time. Since the physics of the grid require that electricity supply and demand be in equilibrium at all times, intermittent sources such as wind and solar are always backed up by fast-response generators that can be dispatched on command.

 “In most parts of the world, the back-up is natural gas. In the Pacific Northwest, it is more likely the Columbia River hydropower system. But since hydro has both physical and political limits, any policy of mass electrification powered by wind and solar will necessarily require more natural gas in the future. In fact, it’s already happening. The Oregon Department of Energy maintains a useful web page showing where Oregon’s electricity comes from. The dataset covers the years 2012-2019.

“Hydro remains the dominant power source but has dropped by 19%. Coal consumption has dropped by 16%, but natural gas use has more than doubled, going from 12% to 25%. The combined market share of gas and coal has also increased, from 45% to 52%, despite political mandates to the contrary. Wind was small to start with in 2012 and dropped by 10%. Solar is essentially irrelevant.

“When politicians want to fool the public, they enact policies that have implementation deadlines far in the future — such as 2035 or 2050. That way, when the policies fail — as they usually do — no one will be held accountable. This is what’s going on with the ‘electrify everything’ movement. Fossil fuels run the global economy and they will for a long time. When politicians claim otherwise, they reveal their own ignorance.”

Not to speak of the fact that electric cars are more expensive and less productive. But in order to follow the politically correct agenda of man-made climate change allegedly caused by fossil fuels, politicians are willing to destroy the USA from within…

Colorado to Become an “Abortion Beacon”?

Newsmax wrote on March 29:

“As one of the most permissive states in allowing abortions, Colorado is readying to become a magnet for women residing elsewhere in the U.S. if the Supreme Court overturns or severely weakens its landmark Roe v. Wade decision, as it is expected to do.

“… Colorado… is already one of the few places without any restrictions on when in pregnancy an abortion can occur and is one of the few states in the area without a mandatory waiting period of up to 72 hours after required abortion counseling…

“About 10,400 people received abortions in Colorado in 2020, with 13% of them coming from out of state.”

The Daily Mail wrote on March 28:

“The world’s most influential health organisation is calling on governments to scrap the legal time limit on abortion… New guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation  (WHO) claim laws preventing abortion at any point during pregnancy risk violating the rights of ‘women, girls or other pregnant persons’…

“The WHO’s ‘Abortion Care Guideline’ published this month… also recommends that governments: Allow abortion under all circumstances – ruling out laws banning terminations because the foetus is the ‘wrong’ sex; Stop women requiring approval from a doctor or nurse to have a termination; Roll out ‘pills by post’ schemes so that women can be sent abortion medication after a phone call; Curtail medical professionals’ rights to refuse to take part in abortions on conscience grounds…”

Murdering Babies AFTER Birth Without Penalty?

Life Site News wrote on March 26:

“A gruesome new pro-abortion bill proposed in California could legalize infanticide for weeks, months, or even years after a child is born… AB 2223 was introduced in February… On March 17, the bill’s authors submitted updated language to amend existing state laws.

“Under the new language, a ‘person shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability or penalty, or otherwise deprived of their rights, based on their actions or omissions with respect to their pregnancy or actual, potential, or alleged pregnancy outcome, including miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion, or perinatal death.’

“[According to] Thomas More Society Special Counsel Charles LiMandri… the proposal ‘exposes the false narrative that the abortion lobby has been peddling for over half a century:  That no one knows when life begins, and babies in their mothers’ wombs feel no pain. No sane person can deny that a newborn infant is a fully developed human being, one that is capable of feeling intense pain. Yet, by including “perinatal” in its provisions, [the bill] would authorize the brutal murder of these infants even after they are born.’

“LiMandri… noted that the definition of the term ‘perinatal’ varies, spanning weeks or even years after an infant is born.  He cited MedicineNet which puts the definition of ‘perinatal’ at ending ‘1 to 4 weeks after birth,’ as well as the government definition of the phrase via PubMed.gov, which states, ‘The perinatal period, broadly defined, encompasses the time frame from … 18 to 24 months after the birth of the child.’ ‘Hence, [AB 2223] leaves one to ask: “What kind of depraved monsters would justify the killing of innocent and helpless children between one week and two years after their birth?”’ LiMandri said…”

For a biblical explanation about the horrors and ungodly practice of abortion, please see our three Q&A’s: https://www.eternalgod.org/the-abortion-question-today-part-1/   https://www.eternalgod.org/the-abortion-question-today-part-2/  and  https://www.eternalgod.org/the-abortion-question-today-part-3/

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.

It was brought to our attention by a reader in Africa that there had been a paper produced entitled, “Was Jesus really born in Bethlehem?  Why the Gospels disagree over the circumstances of Christ’s birth.” The paper was published in December of 2021 by Rodolfo Galvan Estrada III, Assistant Professor of the New Testament, Vanguard University.

He states that “Every Christmas, a relatively small town in the Palestinian West Bank comes center stage: Bethlehem. Jesus, according to some biblical sources, was born in this town some two millennia ago. Yet the New Testament Gospels do not agree about the details of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. Some do not mention Bethlehem or Jesus’ birth at all.

“The Gospels’ different views might be hard to reconcile. But as a scholar of the New Testament, what I argue is that the Gospels offer an important insight into the Greco-Roman views of ethnic identity, including genealogies. Today, genealogies may bring more awareness of one’s family medical history or help uncover lost family members. In the Greco-Roman era, birth stories and genealogical claims were used to establish rights to rule and link individuals with purported ancestral grandeur.”

With these comments, the author implies that the four Gospel accounts cannot be relied upon as being factual, but that they just relate a “narrative” based on manufactured genealogies to establish Christ’s “right to rule” and His “ancestral grandeur.”

Let us, first of all, answer the supposed contradictions in the genealogies in Matthew and Luke. We have addressed this issue in our free booklet, “Jesus Christ—A Great Mystery” and also in our Q&A entitled: “Would you please explain the difference in genealogy in the records in Matthew 1 and Luke 3? What was the nationality of Jesus?” To quote briefly from this Q&A, we say the following:

“Matthew 1 and Luke 3 describe different lines. Matthew 1 describes Christ’s legal genealogy through Joseph. Luke sets forth Mary’s line.

“Matthew 1:16 tells us that Matthew’s record covers Christ’s lineage through His stepfather Joseph. It says ‘Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.’

“A correct rendering of Luke 3:23 shows that Luke is setting forth Christ’s blood descent. However, the translation of the New King James Bible is misleading. It gives the impression that Joseph was the father of Heli, and that therefore, Luke is also setting forth Christ’s descent of Joseph. This is incorrect, as Joseph was not the SON of Heli, but of Jacob, as Matthew 1:16 points out.

“Luke sets forth Christ’s genealogy through His mother Mary, NOT through His stepfather Joseph. Accurately translated, Luke 3:23 should read: ‘Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age (being, as was supposed the son of Joseph), which was of Heli.’ The parenthesis should start with the words ‘being, as was supposed,’ and it should close after ‘the son of Joseph.’ The word ‘son’ in ‘son of Heli’ is not found in the original Greek. Jesus, who was supposed to be the son of Joseph, was, through Mary, a grandson of Heli. Heli was the father of Mary.”

It is interesting that this academic, Rodolfo Galvan Estrada III, tries to devalue the veracity of God’s Word and veers off on a tangent rather than trying to reconcile any differences that he might see. Surely, he must realise that if all the gospels were exactly the same, then one would be vitally important and the other three would be totally redundant.

From a human standpoint, we know, for example, that different witnesses of the same accident can often, seemingly, give different versions.   This may be due to a number of reasons; seeing an accident from a different angle; a good view of the incident rather than just a glance; one witness’ eyesight could be much better than another’s; problems with memory; maybe vested interests in the outcome, and more. This kind of argumentation has been used by some to criticize or question the accuracy of the four Gospel accounts, as the writers allegedly were suffering from faulty memory; vested interest in the outcome; a lack of thorough investigation or observation, etc.

As we will see, none of the following applies to the accuracy and reliability of the Gospel accounts, but strictly from a human standpoint, here is interesting information on the neurosciencenews.com website where we read the following:

“Researchers investigate why two people who experience the same event often have different memories of what occurred. Does it ever strike you as odd that you and a friend can experience the same event at the same time, but come away with different memories of what happened?  So why is it that people can recall the same thing so differently?? We all know memory isn’t perfect, and most memory differences are relatively trivial. But sometimes they can have serious consequences.

“Imagine if you both witnessed a crime. What factors lead to memory differences and whom should we trust? There are three important aspects to memory: encoding, storage, and retrieval. Encoding is how we get information into the brain. Storage is how we retain information over time. Retrieval is how we get information out of the brain.

“Differences in each or a combination of these aspects might help explain why memories differ from one person to another.”

This may sound pretty convincing for those who regard the four Gospel accounts, and for that matter, the entire Bible, only as uninspired writings by fallible human beings who tried to use their faulty memories, or even human traditions, to relate certain events.

However, interesting as it is when applied to human beings with faulty memories or observations, this is not the case with Scripture.

Jesus said: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, [it] will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26).

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible explains:

“… bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said to you; which through inattention, or want of understanding in them, had slipped their minds, and were forgotten by them. This accounts for it, how the evangelists some years after the death of Christ; at different times and places, and without consulting each other, could commit to writing the life, actions, sayings, and sermons of Christ, with all the minute circumstances attending them.”

Further, we read in 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…”

Also, 2 Peter 1:20-21 tells us that “no prophecy [or inspired preaching] of Scripture is of any private interpretation [or origin; compare margin of the New King James Bible], for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

Ecclesiastes 12:11 states: “The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by ONE SHEPHERD.”

Barnes Notes on the Bible comments:

“One shepherd – i. e., God, who is the supreme Giver of wisdom, Proverbs 2:6, and the chief Shepherd, Jeremiah 23:1-4. Compare 1 Corinthians 2:12-13.”

Matthew Poole’s commentary says: “And this clause seems to be added partly as the reason of that admirable harmony and agreement which is amongst all the men of God in all ages and places, because they are all taught by one Master, and guided by the same hand; and partly to oblige us to the greater attention and reverence to all their doctrines and counsels, which we are to receive as the word of God, and not of men only, as it is said, 1 Thessalonians 2:13.”

In 1 Thessalonians 2:13, we find the following remarkable words by Paul:

“For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.”

We can, therefore, safely appreciate that all of Scripture, including the four Gospel accounts, was authored by God, and written by men as they were led, not by their own faulty memory, but by God’s Holy Spirit.

As we know that the Holy Spirit guided the four different writers of the four Gospel accounts, we know that they will need to be harmonised; otherwise, we would not be able to trust the Bible to be true.   What we find in the different reports about the birth of Jesus and subsequent events is that they are complementary, not in competition.

In the paper that was written by the above-mentioned scholar disputing this fact, the following was an approving answer from another misguided scholar on the historical Jesus, John Meier, who wrote that: “Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem is to be taken not as a historical fact but as a ‘theological affirmation put into the form of an apparently historical narrative.’” In other words, the belief that Jesus was a descendant of King David led to the development of an invented story about Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem.

In addition, Raymond Brown, a Roman Catholic and another scholar on the Gospels, also stated erroneously that “the two narratives are not only different – they are contrary to each other in a number of details.”

However, the Hebraic Jesus scholar Geza Vermes, speaking of the Nativity narratives, has described Brown’s coverage as “the primary example of the position of having your cake and eating it” (Wikipedia Encyclopaedia).

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom) and Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

“Pope Francis and War… Right or Wrong?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Are there no just wars, as Pope Francis claims? Are we really facing self-destruction, if we do not abolish war now, as the Pope also said? But if this is so, what are the Pope’s solutions to our problems? How does he think that peace will spread throughout the world? 

The first of this year’s Holy Days are approaching. Passover will be on April 15, 2022 (observed the previous evening), followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread: April 16^th (annual Holy Day) through April 22nd (annual Holy Day). We will provide live services over the Internet for both Holy Days.

“Völlige Verwirrung! Geistliche Körper in der Auferstehung?” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Total Confusion! Spiritual Bodies in the Resurrection?”

“Die Bibel auf dem Prüfstand,” the German sermonette presented last Sabbath by Andreas Raetz, is now posted. Title in English: “The Bible Under Scrutiny.”

“Was wird unsere Gedankenwelt beeinflussen?” the German sermon presented last Sabbath by Thilo Hanstein, is now posted. Title in English: “What Will Affect Our Thoughts?”

“Worldwide Persecution—Comments on News and Prophecy, March 26, 2022,” the first message presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

This program discusses Russian persecution of Protestants and other minorities; concepts of “just wars” and the “justified” killing of enemies;  the pope’s prayer to the “Virgin Mary” and the consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the “immaculate heart of Mary”; a bridge too far for Zelenskyy when speaking of the righteous Gentiles of Ukraine helping Jews in World War II; the Biden administration’s  hypocrisy in regard to Iran; Trudeau’s ongoing dictatorship which should ring alarm bells for America; the murder of abortion; and Germany’s “thought police” and march into totalitarianism.

“Choose Your Sacrifice,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Life requires sacrifices. There is no one who does not sacrifice something in this life.

The question really is what are we willing to sacrifice? What are we willing to change?

On March 26, 2022, Norbert Link will present, “Comments on News and Prophecy, March 26, 2022,” and Kalon Mitchell will present the sermon, titled, “Choose Your Sacrifice.”

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.

Have we been caught off guard?  Are we aware of the fact that in less than three weeks, baptized members of the Church of God will be partaking once again in the Passover service and immediately following, the Days of Unleavened Bread?  It is amazing how time flies by, especially when so much around us can interfere with the very things we would really like to focus on.  Life gets in the way.  Unexpected situations can occur at any time, and we try to find ways to adjust.

Distractions can get the better of us if we’re not careful. They come in many forms and they may hinder us from focusing on what we really need to be focusing on, and if we are not careful, it could become a problem.  There are many things in the world that could divert our thinking by giving into things that the world has to offer, especially everything that goes against God’s teaching, and also being caught up and sidetracked with speculation and assumption.  We need to be aware of what is going on, what the Bible is prophesying, and we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be deceived by all the propaganda, politics and conspiracies floating around the internet and media sources.  That is a distraction and it can consume our thinking, and if we are not careful, it can lead us down the wrong path.

This is exactly what Satan wants, who is the author of confusion, the deceiver, the ruler of this world.  He is also specifically targeting God’s people, doing what he can to make us fail, but we need to be stronger than that.  Satan knows where we are vulnerable which is why we need to remain vigilant at all times, and God knows that we can succeed IF we obey Him. We need to understand what our commission is, what our purpose is. We see how quickly things can change, how the world is caught in disarray.  The immediate future is fragile, and we need to be conscious of this. Matthew 24:42 commands us to watch, and that is exactly what we should be doing – watching and also warning of what is to come.

These diversions can have a bearing on our decision-making and our actions which could affect us personally.  Trials are abundant as we all go through them individually, trying to cope, trying to overcome. And we tell ourselves the same thing right around this time when faced with various challenges that “Passover must be right around the corner.”

Well, it is! And this is also the time when we really need to examine ourselves to see where we stand and how serious we are in our spiritual calling.  How is our relationship with God?  How is our relationship with our like-minded brethren? Are we prepared and ready to partake of the Passover in a worthy manner?

Indeed, there are many things that we may get sidetracked on which could affect our focus.  God wants us to be ready at all times.  He wants us to be prepared, and He wants us to conquer our weaknesses and overcome the distractions that Satan throws at us.  We know that Satan will tempt us in every way possible but we also know that we can overcome every obstacle that we are faced with, as there is nothing too difficult for us to handle. We should take God’s Word very personally.  God has called us for a reason.  He has a purpose for us NOW.  And as we say time and time again, we need to understand that we could possibly delay the return of Christ if we are not faithful in doing the Work, if we are not faithful within ourselves by doing what we need to be doing (2 Peter 3:4-9, 14-18).

We have less than three weeks to get our spiritual minds in check. “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for NOW our salvation is nearer than when we first believed”  (Romans 13:11).

by Norbert Link

We begin with further evidence of Putin’s mental sickness and demonic possession while explaining that his real goals go far beyond Ukraine; and continue with Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s desire to meet with Vladimir Putin (see our new message, “Ukraine Disappointed with NATO and Europe—Comments on News and Prophecy, March 19, 2022”). We point out dubious and disappointing “reporting” on the Russian invasion of Ukraine; speak about a stunning statement by Pope Francis on the situation in Ukraine which completely contradicts the Roman Catholic Church’s doctrine on “just wars”; and publish a remarkable article on abortion. In this context, view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Free Abortions in California… ‘Repent or Perish!’”.

We speak about ongoing persecution of religious liberties and freedoms in Canada and America.

We report on the Biden administration’s hypocrisy as it relates to contemplated actions pertaining to Iran; and the shameful conduct of the US mass media regarding the Hunter Biden scandal. We also publish a truly remarkable article on abortion.

Turning to Germany, we discuss the country’s military ambitions; its embarrassing “help” for Ukraine; its “green policy”; dangerous developments regarding a threat to democracy; and dubious discussions regarding vaccination mandates.

We conclude with new mask mandates in Austria and Austria’s “neutrality,” and a report on the danger of mental illness caused by lockdowns.

Putin Not Backing Down and Being Guilty of Blatant Blasphemy

The Associated Press wrote on March 18:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared at a huge flag-waving rally at a Moscow stadium Friday and praised his country’s troops in biblical terms as they rained lethal fire on Ukraine’s cities….  Moscow police said more than 200,000 people were in and around the Luzhniki stadium for the celebration marking the eighth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula, seized from Ukraine.

“The event included patriotic songs, including a performance of ‘Made in the U.S.S.R.,’ with the opening lines ‘Ukraine and Crimea, Belarus and Moldova, it’s all my country.’

“Seeking to portray the war as just, Putin paraphrased the Bible to say of Russia’s troops: ‘There is no greater love than giving up one’s soul for one’s friends.’ And he continued to insist his actions were necessary to prevent ‘genocide,’ a claim flatly denied by leaders around the globe.”

The Sun added on March 18:

“During the speech, Putin promised the tens of thousands of people waving Russian flags that all the Kremlin’s aims would be achieved… He told the crowd: ‘We know what we need to do, how to do it and at what cost. And we will absolutely accomplish all of our plans.’…

“He said the soldiers fighting in Russia’s ‘special military operation’ had highlighted the unity of the country. ‘Shoulder to shoulder, they help each other, support each other and when needed they shield each other from bullets with their bodies like brothers. Such unity we have not had for a long time,’ he said…

“According to the BBC, many people said they worked in the public sector and they had been pressured into attending by their employers. ‘Many seemed embarrassed or ashamed to be there,’ BBC producer Will Vernon said.”

Just the same as at Hitler’s big rallies when many were forced or misled to attend. And while Hitler did not quote the Bible, he spoke repeatedly of “fate” (“Vorsehung”) which “protected” him.

Moldova in Danger

CNBC wrote on March 18:

“… analysts have warned that President Vladimir Putin may be considering his next target: Moldova… Moldova, like Ukraine, is not part of the European Union, nor is it a member of NATO — though it has ambitions to join both. But, like Ukraine, the former Soviet republic is home to a sizeable pro-Russian separatist population based primarily in the breakaway state of Transnistria on the Ukrainian border. Governed by its own Kremlin-backed leader, Transnistria could present a strategic opportunity for Russia, which has already amassed some 1,500 troops in the area.

“Either Putin could recognize it as an independent state — as he did with Donetsk and Luhansk before launching a full-blown invasion of Ukraine — or it could become the focus point of a so-called false flag event, manufactured by Russia to justify an intervention… if Russia were to take that path, it would spell further hardship, not least for Moldova’s 2.6 million residents and the 350,000 migrants from Ukraine who have fled there… The country — one of Europe’s poorest on a GDP per capita basis — has much less military capability than Ukraine.

“An invasion of Moldova could therefore open a back door into southwest Ukraine… If that were to happen, Moldova could face a fate similar to that of Ukraine, locked in conflict with a global superpower while Western allies watch from the sidelines… without being an EU or NATO member, neither organization is likely to help substantially…”

Putin Has Completely Lost his Mind

The Sun wrote on March 18:

“It seems the Russian dictator is becoming increasingly paranoid behind the scenes, fearing someone in his own inner sanctum could poison him. Boris Karpichkov, a former KGB spy now living in exile in the UK, said Putin is now ‘completely losing his mind” over the state of the Ukraine war… ‘He turned out to be a psychopath really heavily obsessed with paranoid ideas and conspiracy theories against himself and about nonexistent threats Russia allegedly faces from the rest of the world.’…

“Mr Karpichkov said: ‘Putin doesn’t care and has already started literally marching over dead bodies under his feet – regardless of whether corpses belong to Ukrainians, or to his own Russian fellow citizens… Based on the fact that Putin is now using barbaric cluster bombs and missiles and using these horrible weapons against civilians, this is a sign Putin is completely losing his patience and his mind… What’s going on with Putin and what’s inside his head cannot be explained…’

“Already an unusually paranoid leader, Putin is now said to have ordered a team of people to taste his food before he eats it over fears he could be wiped out by a deadly concoction. A source told the Daily Beast contributing editor Craig Copetas that the Russian leader has also replaced his entire personal staff of 1,000 people... Putin has made several strongly-worded appearances on Russian state TV since the war started, denouncing Russians who opposed his war with Ukraine as ‘scum’ and ‘traitors’ [This is Stalin-like language.]….

“It comes after a former Russian deputy prime minister spoke out against the Kremlin’s actions in Ukraine. Arkady Dvorkovich, deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2018, became one of Russia’s most senior figures to question the war when he said his thoughts were with Ukrainian civilians under bombardment. Thousands of people have been detained for protesting against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine…”

Forcibly Sent to Russia?

The Guardian wrote on March 20:

“Authorities in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol have said Russian troops have forcibly deported several thousand residents to Russia, as reports emerged that Russian forces bombed an art school in the city where 400 people were taking shelter. ‘Over the past week, several thousand Mariupol residents were deported on to the Russian territory,’ the city council said in a statement on its Telegram channel late on Saturday. ‘The occupiers illegally took people from the Livoberezhniy district and from the shelter in the sports club building, where more than a thousand people (mostly women and children) were hiding from the constant bombing.’… the council’s statement is one of several reports about Mariupol residents being taken to Russia…

“RIA Novosti agency, citing emergency services, reported last week that nearly 300,000 people, including some 60,000 children, had arrived in Russia from the Luhansk and Donbas regions, including from Mariupol, in recent weeks….”

Meeting in Person?

Express wrote on March 20:

“Putin has ‘finally agreed’ he will need to meet with Ukrainian president… Zelenskyy  in person [‘at some point’] to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine…  Speaking to BBC’s Broadcasting House, [BBC correspondent Lysa] Doucet said: ‘…  He hasn’t said it in public, he says quite the opposite in public… The Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet is very busy, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is very busy. They’ve said privately their understanding is that President Putin will meet President Zelensky when the time is right. But the time is not right now.’…

“Turkey’s Foreign Minister said Russia and Ukraine were nearing agreement on ‘critical’ issues and he was hopeful for a ceasefire if the two sides did not backtrack from progress achieved so far.”

Ultimately, Ukraine and Russia will collaborate together against Europe.

Russia and Fox News’s Dubious Reporting

Russia responded to Joe Biden’s assertion about Putin being a war criminal, saying: “Given such irritability from Mr. Biden, his fatigue and sometimes forgetfulness…fatigue that leads to aggressive statements, we will not make harsh assessments, so as to not cause more aggression.” Shameful.

But equally shameful is the following, as reported by the Guardian on February 18:

“Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has praised Fox News for its coverage, appearing on the Russian state-controlled RT network to hail the right-leaning US cable channel, whose primetime host Tucker Carlson has played down the invasion…. ‘If you take the United States, only Fox News is trying to present some alternative point of view,’ he said… Russian media regularly play clips of Carlson criticizing the US and Ukraine, and he was still praising President Vladimir Putin hours before Russia invaded Ukraine almost four weeks ago. In contrast, as Moscow’s bombardment escalated, Russian apologism by numerous Fox hosts, commentators and guests was being corrected on air by the network’s own national security correspondent, Jennifer Griffin.

“The mental split-screen effect only sharpened earlier this week when a Fox news team on the ground in Ukraine came under Russian fire on the frontline. Cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and producer Oleksandra Kuvshynova were both killed  during a Russian attack outside the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Correspondent Benjamin Hall was badly wounded in the incident.”

Newsmax added on March 18:

“Since the onset of the war, Fox’s Tucker Carlson has become a media star in Russia… Carlson has long been a critic of supporters of Ukraine and Biden’s support of the Zelenskyy government. U.S. media across the political spectrum has criticized Carlson for suggesting the Biden administration is permitting a war between Russia and Ukraine in an effort to ‘grab more power’…

“Carlson has repeatedly claimed that Ukraine is not a democracy, and has blamed NATO for the war by expanding near Russia’s border… ‘At exactly the moment when the emergency powers they awarded to themselves to fight COVID started to wane, our leaders began pushing for conflict with Russia,’ Carlson said on his program last Friday.

“Dick Morris said Fox’s Carlson coverage of the war has been ‘an outrage against all that America stands [for].’ The Newsmax commentator and former Fox News contributor said, ‘Roger Ailes, the founding chairman of the network, must be rolling over in his grave. Ailes was above all else a patriot.’”

Carlson’s reporting has also been matched by other outlets in the USA, such as the Ron Paul Institute, making the same dubious allegations. Certain Putin-friendly and anti-Zelenskyy outlets in Germany and Austria are even worse, containing most outlandish unproven accusations or implications, including, for instance, “Wochenblick” and “Report 24.” This is so regrettable, as they did a fairly good job in covering controversial governmental restrictions in response to the Corona pandemic.

Russian Persecution of Protestants and other Religious Minorities

Christian Today wrote on March 21:

“There are fears that the persecution of Christians will increase if Russia widens its control over Ukraine… In parts of Ukraine already under Russian separatist control, many Protestant churches have been closed and some Christian books have been banned.

“Donetsk and Luhansk in the disputed Donbas region have been under the control of pro-Russian separatists since 2014… In Luhansk, a Religion Law passed in 2018 required churches to re-register with the authorities… Since then, the authorities have refused to register all Protestant, Baptist and Pentecostal congregations. In March 2019, Baptist Union churches were threatened with punishment if they did not suspend public worship.

“Raids have been carried out on places of worship and the congregations of unregistered churches have been denied access to their buildings or had the water, gas and electricity supply cut off. The Luhansk authorities have also banned 12 Christians books on an ‘extremist material’ list… These include an 1820 edition of the Gospel of John, a Baptist hymnbook, and books by Charles Spurgeon and Billy Graham.”

Putin’s Russia Strikingly Similar to Nazi Germany

Euractiv wrote on March 21:

“Vladimir Putin demands the ‘denazification’ of Ukraine. But under Putin, Russia has turned into a totalitarian state strikingly reminiscent of Nazi Germany… Since Putin came to power, Stalinism has been whitewashed and Stalinist crimes have become taboo… History has been conveniently re-written… Putin’s propagandists make it simple: The ‘collective West’ is some sort of heir to Nazism, and its goal is the destruction of Russia.

“Accordingly, the main threat for Russia today comes from Ukraine, where neo-Nazi organisations, such as the Azov battalion, purportedly with 900 soldiers, have been given free rein. They are also told that a far-right Ukrainian politician from the period of WWII, Stepan Bandera, is being glorified…

“When  I interviewed the Russian Ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov on the second day of war, I asked him to specify who the Nazis in Ukraine were. He said it was those who marched with a Nazi salute and who glorified Bandera. I asked him if Russia would then come to invade my country, Bulgaria, under the same excuse. As in any other country I know, Bulgaria’s far-right movements can rightly be called neo-Nazi. He said no, because, at least, in his words, Bulgaria has not erected monuments to neo-Nazis. (He didn’t say what I expected – that Russia would not attack us because we are in NATO.) But what is interesting is that in Bulgaria, the parties that can be described as neo-Nazis are today marching with banners glorifying Vladimir Putin.

“Historically the oldest of them is Ataka of Volen Siderov.  Siderov, who has used symbols of pro-Nazi Bulgarian organisations from WWII, has been called by the German press ‘Putin’s man in Bulgaria.’ He rushed to recognise Crimea’s annexation in 2014…

“Led by Kostadin Kostadinov, a younger version of Siderov, Vazrazhdane… call themselves ‘the only true patriots’…  their ideology can be described as national-socialist (Nazi), and they are now represented in parliament. Every day, Kostadinov and his MPs make speeches supporting Putin, against NATO, and Bulgaria’s country’s membership of the alliance. Kostadinov even said he would ‘de-Nazify’ Bulgaria, whatever that means…

“When we watch Putin’s recent rally on the occasion of the eighth anniversary of the annexation of Crimea, we cannot fail to think about Nazi rallies from the 1930s…”

More on Bulgaria

Politico added on March 21:

“For years, Bulgaria has played a cautious double act, trying to balance itself between East and West and not anger Moscow. While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 united Europe in condemning the war, the conflict has exacerbated old divisions within Bulgarian politics and society….

“Ties between Russia and Bulgaria — a member of both the EU and NATO — run deep, with the countries sharing historic, religious, and cultural ties… Because of Russian clout in Bulgaria, some see the Balkan country as Moscow’s Trojan Horse in the EU…

“Internal coalition squabbles also erupted shortly after Putin launched his assault on Ukraine on February 24. In Sofia, the parliament moved to approve a declaration condemning the war. After hours of debates the Socialists did not support the part of the declaration referring to sanctions. The only other party which did not sign the declaration was Revival, a far-right party and currently one of the most vocal Kremlin supporters. It’s not surprising that Kostadin Kostadinov, the party’s leader, is nicknamed Kopeckin, after the Russian coin…. many Bulgarians tend to see Russia very favorably — indeed Bulgaria’s the country where Moscow gets the highest approval ratings — 73 percent…

“Bulgaria has been a fertile testing ground for Russian propaganda and conspiracy theories for years… Still, experts predict that the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine could force moderate pro-Russian sympathizers to reconsider their loyalties. A recent poll… shows that only four days after Russia invaded Ukraine, the approval of Putin dropped to 32 percent, compared with 55 in July 2021.”

Pope: Just Wars Do not Exist

Breitbart wrote on March 19:

“Pope Francis said… that the war in Ukraine proves how savage human beings can be, up to the point of becoming ‘murderers of our brothers.’ ‘We think of so many soldiers who are sent to the front, very young, Russian soldiers, poor things,’ Francis said. ‘Think of the many young Ukrainian soldiers; think of the inhabitants, the young people, the young girls, boys, girls’…

“‘A war is always — always! — the defeat of humanity, always,’ he said. ‘There is no such thing as a just war: they do not exist!’

“It is not clear how the pope’s assertion that just wars do not exist squares with Catholic teaching on just wars. The Catechism of the Catholic Church… lays out a series of conditions necessary to justify the use of military force, summing up the teachings articulated by Saint Augustine of Hippo and Saint Thomas Aquinas.

“It states that ‘the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain; all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective; there must be serious prospects of success; the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. These are the traditional elements enumerated in what is called the “just war” doctrine,’ the Catechism declares.”

Even though the pope is absolutely right in stating that wars, fought by humans, can never be just, it must be emphasized that he is again in obvious contradiction with the teachings of his church. He is also in effect condemning all the warmongering activities of his church throughout its existence. Please read our free booklet, “Should YOU Fight in War?”

Killing Russians Not a Sin?

The Jerusalem Post wrote on March 16:

“Ukrainian Orthodox Church leader, Metropolitan Epiphanius I of Kyiv, on Monday blessed his people to ‘fight against the Russian invaders’… The archbishop also stated that killing Russian soldiers isn’t a sin. ‘We, as a nation, do not wish death to our neighbors,’ Epiphanius said. ‘However, since they came to our land, we’re defending our land. Protecting ourselves is not a sin. The [Orthodox Church] blesses everyone for this military feat.’

“This was not the first time Epiphanius made strong declarations  in opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a statement last month, he wrote, ‘The spirit of the Antichrist operates in the leader of Russia. This was [Nazi leader Adolf] Hitler during World War II. This is what [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has become today.’ The church head further asserted that there are ‘signs’ revealing the ‘pride, devotion to evil, ruthlessness [and] false religiosity’ of Putin, just as it was for Hitler.”

The sixth commandment says very clearly: “You shall not kill.” See our free booklet, “The Ten Commandments.” 

Freedom of the Press?

Breitbart wrote on March 20:

“Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced the banning of Ukraine’s main opposition party [“Opposition Platform — For Life”] as part of an anti-Russian crackdown. A number of other major opposition parties were also banned by the Ukrainian government amid the ongoing Russian invasion of the country at least ‘for the period of the martial law.’

“According to a report by Der Spiegel, the ban was announced via video message on Sunday, and will suspend the operation of the party, which earned 13 per cent of the national vote in 2020 and is most successful in areas of Ukraine with large ethnic Russian and Russian-speaking populations… All of the parties banned in the country… have been considered Eurosceptic, anti-liberal, or pro-Russian by the Zelensky government, according to Der Spiegel.

“… this is not the first time Zelensky has taken action against groups deemed to be pro-Russian. The current government previously put Platform for Life party leader Viktor Medvedchuk under house arrest in May 2021 over accusations that he committed high treason, with authorities alleging the opposition leader had been handing over military secrets to Russia. Zelensky also banned three news channels associated with Medvedchuk and targeted the man’s family and colleagues…

“Western nations have also targeted Russia-linked media since Vladimir Putin escalated hostilities in Donbas into full-scale war, with both the European Union and United Kingdom taking measures to ban the distribution of content produced by Russian-owned broadcaster RT. for example.

“Meanwhile, Russia has experienced its own, even harsher crackdown on those voicing opposition to the war, with thousands reportedly being arrested by the country’s police for protesting against the conflict and people spreading what the state deems ‘fake’ information threatened with significant prison sentences.”

“Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has announced that his country will participate in sanctions against Russia but will not block Russian state media from his country, stating he is against censorship…”

Especially in times of war, freedom of the press becomes a thing of the past… on either side. But suppression of the free press is never a good idea, arousing suspicion as to what one is prohibited and prevented from hearing…  and why…, thereby playing right into the hands of the enemy.

Ukraine’s Frictions with Israel

Israel 365 News wrote on March 22:

“Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky was accused of trivializing the Holocaust on Sunday after addressing the Israeli Knesset via zoom. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Benett denied Ukraine arm shipments but said he would continue mediation efforts between the two warring countries.

“Zelensky’s zoom address was meant to rally the Israeli government to supply Kyiv with arms to fend off the Russian invasion. But his plea fell on deaf ears after he tried to compare Russia’s invasion to the Holocaust while emphasizing the rare instances of righteous gentiles in Ukraine who aided and abetted Jews during World War 2…

“Zelensky, who is of Jewish parents but baptized both his children, may have gone too far… [when] highlighting the righteous gentiles of Ukraine even though they were an extreme minority among the population of Europe’s cruelest Nazi supporters. A prominent Israeli journalist tweeted: ‘Zelensky’s claim that the Ukrainians were righteous gentiles who saved Jews in the Holocaust is sick historical revisionism. The Ukrainians were active, enthusiastic Nazis. Ukrainian Jewry wasn’t annihilated in Poland, but in Ukraine, by their neighbors.’”

Many Ukrainians Murdered Jews

JTA wrote on March 22:

“Over one quarter of the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, approximately 1.5 million people, were killed within the territory of what is now Ukraine. Millions of non-Jewish Ukrainians also perished under German occupation as prisoners of war, slave laborers, soldiers, partisans, and ordinary townsfolk and peasants…  2,637 Ukrainians [were] recognized for their efforts to save Jews… but far more Ukrainians played [a role] in collaborating with the Germans and facilitating the murder of their Jewish neighbors.

“The Germans knew that Ukraine would be fertile ground for their exterminationist plan…. only 20 years earlier, Ukrainians opposing Bolshevik rule had murdered tens of thousands of their Jewish neighbors… In Lviv, the first major city the Germans captured in Ukraine, Ukrainian soldiers recruited from abroad with the false promise of German support for Ukrainian statehood, rounded up Jews and threw them to the crowds… German special units with the collaboration of Ukrainian auxiliary police and militia killed between 2,000 and 5,000 Jews in the city in July 1941…

“Similar scenes were repeated elsewhere. During the first month of the German invasion, between 12,000 and 35,000 Jews were killed in eastern Galicia and western Volhynia — two regions that the Soviet Union had taken from Poland in 1939. Many of these massacres were perpetrated by locals, and some without even a German presence…

“As the Germans moved further east into Ukraine, they intensified their massacres. In hundreds of locales with the assistance of local Ukrainian collaborators, they gathered Jewish men, women and children, marched them to the outskirts of town, stripped them naked, and shot them in ravines or trenches. Locals were then permitted to scavenge the clothing of the dead. The organization Yahad in Unum, which has been mapping Holocaust-era mass graves, has identified nearly 1,000 such sites in Ukraine.

“After an initial wave of killing during the German advance, the German military established some 250 ghettos in Ukraine and required Jews to wear armbands with stars. Ukrainian police enforced the regulations… By spring 1942, most of the ghettos were liquidated, and another 500,000 Jews were murdered….

“It’s understandable that Zelensky is making use of whatever reference points he think will help his country…. Still, Zelensky’s voice matters. And when he utters untruths about the Holocaust, it’s important not to let them stand.”

Ukraine first supported Hitler, but then changed sides and collaborated with Russia, when they grew disappointed with German conduct. Something similar may happen again.

China’s Support of Russia

The Guardian wrote on March 20:

“‘China will never accept any external coercion or pressure, and opposes any unfounded accusations and suspicious against China,’ the foreign minister, Wang Yi, said on Saturday evening. China has refused to condemn Russia’s action in Ukraine or call it an invasion… [It] has also opposed economic sanctions on Russia over Ukraine, describing them as unilateral and not authorised by the UN security council.

“Wang’s comments came after the US president, Joe Biden, warned his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on Friday of ‘consequences’ if Beijung gave material support to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine….

“Pressure on China to abandon its neutral stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine increased after the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, urged leaders in Beijing to get off the fence and join global condemnation of the Russian leader…  China, however, has shown no sign of altering its stance. On Saturday its vice foreign minister, Le Yucheng, described western sanctions against Russia as increasingly ‘outrageous’. Le also acknowledged Moscow’s position on Nato, saying the alliance should not further expand eastwards and force a nuclear power like Russia ‘into a corner’… adding that Russian citizens were being deprived of overseas assets ‘for no reason’.”

Displacing the Dollar?

Fox News wrote on March 20:

“News that Saudi Arabia is considering pricing oil sales to China using the Chinese yuan instead of the U.S. dollar has Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., concerned the U.S. could be losing its footing on the world stage… Sasse said this development, along with how the war between Russia and Ukraine develops, could send a message to the rest of the world that could have a significant impact… ‘Chairman Xi greenlit this invasion,’ Sasse explained… ‘ Xi desires to seize Taiwan.’

“Sasse went on to say that China’s objective of trying to ‘displace the dollar’ is something the U.S. must monitor. Sasse claimed that other countries would not gravitate toward China out of preference for its policies but out of concern that ‘America is weak.’”

Putin announced that trading of oil and gas with “unfriendly” nations would have to be conducted in Rubles. But it will ultimately be the euro which will replace the dollar.

Biden Administration’s Hypocrisy

The Algemeiner wrote on March 18:

“In his address to the US Congress this week, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky told US President Joe Biden in a plea for American air defenses against Russian bombardment from the sky: ‘You are the leader of your great nation. I wish you to be the leader of the world.’ Congress members gave him a standing ovation. Yet reports suggest that, in its imminent deal with Iran, America is about to massively empower a state that is a lethal threat to the West and already has far more American blood on its hands than has Russian President Vladimir Putin. While the Biden administration postures as standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine in its desperate defense against murderous aggression, it is itself reportedly about to capitulate entirely to Iran. This, astoundingly, is America’s actual answer to Zelensky.

“Given that the Iranian regime has been at war with the West since it came to power in 1979, that its fingerprints are on almost every major terrorist atrocity against Western interests and that it unceasingly declares its genocidal aim to exterminate Israel, the administration’s determination to empower it is incomprehensible. The reported terms of the deal being negotiated in Vienna will allow Iran legitimately to equip itself with a nuclear arsenal after a mere delay — according to Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett — of two-and-a-half years. Meanwhile, through the associated sanctions relief America will enable the regime to receive an estimated $100 billion to ramp up its regional power grab; redouble its terrorist activities; and perpetrate attacks on Israel from its proxies in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq and Yemen. The United States is even said to be considering lifting the designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization in return for some vague commitment by Tehran to rein it in. Given the IRGC’s key role as Iran’s elite global terrorism enforcer, any such commitment would be risible…

“For America to bring Iran into the community of nations is obscene. To do so while purportedly exiling Russia from that community of nations is astonishing hypocrisy. Even worse is that while Biden is instructing the world to impose sanctions against Russia, his administration is actually working closely with Russia to lift sanctions against Iran… the Biden administration is now accepting Putin — the man who Biden himself calls a ‘war criminal’ and who has threatened nuclear war against the West — as the controller of Iran’s nuclear-weapons program…

“Of course, the immediate target in Iran’s sights is Israel…”

The Editorial Board of the New York Post wrote on March 218:

“President Joe Biden called Vladimir Putin a ‘war’ criminal Wednesday. With good reason: The autocrat’s forces have bombed hospitals, schools and other civilian structures, wantonly slaughtered children and are leveling Ukrainian cities to try to make them submit.

“But Biden, as usual, didn’t mean it. Turns out the revived Iran deal now under discussion includes a massive sanctions waiver for Russia’s nuclear projects in Iran… Aside from the ugly moral implications, this is policy malpractice. It endangers US interests abroad and also Ukraine, by telling Putin we’re not that serious…

“The 2015 accord was a disaster: It emboldened Iran and helped solidify its position as an aspirant regional hegemon. President Donald Trump’s withdrawal was one of his wisest foreign-policy maneuvers…”

The Hunter Biden Scandal

Breitbart wrote on March 17:

“Hunter Biden in 2021 paid an outstanding $1 million IRS tax bill to evade conviction or a long sentence, the New York Times reported Wednesday. As a grand jury continues the probe into Hunter’s corrupt international business dealings, Hunter’s taxes are just one potential crime among many. Working with his family, including his father, former Vice President Joe Biden, the probe into Hunter may include his business dealings with Ukrainian Energy company Burisma Holdings and a Chinese energy conglomerate.

“In relation to the business dealings, the Times confirmed the authenticity of Hunter’s ‘laptop from hell’ that was previously passed off by the establishment media and big tech as Russian disinformation. It took the Times nearly two years to admit the emails from laptop were Hunter’s. Twitter infamously canceled the New York Post’s Twitter handle for purveying ‘disinformation’ during and after the 2020 presidential election.”

The admission of the New York Times that the story on Hunter Biden’s laptop was correct, while the mass media continuously lied about it, calling it a hoax” and “Russian misinformation,” raises the question of criminal misconduct, while it was stated on Fox News that the evidence might suggest that Joe Biden might also be complicit in Hunter’s alleged crimes.

Warning to America: Ongoing Canadian Dictatorship and Persecution…

The Christian Post wrote on March 17:

“Recent events in Canada reveal an alarming trend of crackdowns on religious liberty. While not to the same degree of persecution often seen in North Korea or China, it’s nonetheless alarming that brazen violations are happening so close to home. Artur Pawlowski, a Canadian pastor, has been jailed multiple times for holding worship services, expressing his religious views and speaking out against government dictates. He’s just one among many in Canada who’ve faced imprisonment, shuttered facilities, steep fines and continued interference from government officials since the start of the pandemic.

“Additionally, The Washington Times recently reported how Canada is imposing dictatorial speech restrictions: ‘Canada’s recently unanimously passed law, C-4, prevents its citizens from spreading Biblical views on marriage and sexuality. Canadian parents, faith leaders, and citizens who hold traditional views of marriage and sexuality will now face up to 5 years of jail time for providing spiritual guidance to those seeking counseling.’

“Canada’s actions prompted U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley to renew calls to add the country to a special list of religious liberty violators. Last year, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley sent a letter to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom urging it to consider adding Canada to its watch list.

“Americans must confront a difficult question: Is a wave of religious hostility, tyranny and intolerance headed to the Land of the Free? The shocking truth is that similar and equally brazen violations are already happening in our nation… Look at the example of Coach Joe Kennedy, who was fired from his job as a high school football coach. Why? Because the school district claimed it was inappropriate for students and parents to see him take a knee and silently pray for 30 seconds after a football game. A federal appellate court even handed down a troubling ruling stating that any time a public school teacher is on duty and can be seen, everything they do, including a brief, quiet, personal prayer, is government speech… The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear his case and oral argument will be later this year…

“Consider Christian business owners Aaron and Melissa Klein, who were forced to shut down their family bakery… after the state of Oregon imposed a crippling $135,000 fine. An Oregon bureaucratic agency punished them because they declined to create a custom cake for a same-sex wedding…  The Sweet Cakes case is currently pending at the Oregon Supreme Court…

“The Biden administration and the Department of Defense are threatening and punishing service members who request religious accommodations to the military vaccine mandate…

“History shows no nation is immune to tyranny…Though our Canadian neighbors appear to be accepting the erosion of their freedoms and God-given rights, Americans cannot follow suit. Religious liberty is the building block of a free society, the pillar of all our civil liberties. Without it, we cannot truly live in liberty.”

The Murder of Abortion!

Christian Today wrote on March 21:

“Life begins at conception. From the moment the sperm and ovum join, the complete genetic package that is the future adult is there. From that moment on, nothing is added. The individual simply has to develop and grow. A process that continues throughout our lives. But, according to Scripture, God knows us from before we are even in the womb. Every one of us is special, and every one of us has a God-given destiny (e.g. Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139; Isaiah 49:5; Luke 1:30-33).

“In line with that, the Bible prohibits the taking of innocent life, which it brands murder and which carries severe penalties, even placing the perpetrator under a curse (e.g. Genesis 9:6; Leviticus 24:17; Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 27:25). In particular, child sacrifice, whether made to pagan deities or to God Himself, is forbidden as an abomination, and labelled ‘detestable’ (e.g. Leviticus 18:21; Deuteronomy 12:19-31; 2 Kings 16:3; Jeremiah 7:30-31). This is in marked contrast to the cultic worship of pagan cultures, where it was believed the sacrificial blood of innocent children was especially efficacious in feeding and appeasing the gods and thereby influencing events.

“Abortion is a form of child sacrifice. It is worship made to the secular gods of self and sexual freedom, fuelling belief in our absolute right to have consequence-free sex whenever, wherever and with whomsoever we choose. In all of this, abortion has both encouraged and driven society’s rejection of, and rebellion against, God.

“… in England and Wales we have witnessed almost 10 million abortions, 98% of which have been performed for what are euphemistically termed ‘social reasons’, meaning that the unborn child was, for whatever reason, at the time unwanted. The situation has, in fact, become so bad that for many, today, abortion is regarded as simply another form of contraception…  Even this appears not to be enough, however, and abortion activists continue to call for the complete decriminalisation and demedicalisation of abortion, making it available on request and up to term, with pills freely available over the counter.

“To put all this in some kind of perspective, over the last half century the UK has legally killed around 14% of the population, which is equivalent to killing the entire population of Austria, or the combined populations of Wales and Scotland. Yet even this staggering number pales into insignificance when compared with the number of children aborted globally over the last century, because when the figures are added together, we have at a conservative estimate terminated the lives of around two billion children – equivalent to around 7% of the entire human race.

“… because of our rebellion, we have placed ourselves under judgement, as a result of which God has withdrawn His protection. What we are experiencing now is… most assuredly [a] warning of the judgement to come… if we don’t urgently repent.

“Covid, social fragmentation, the financial collapse of world markets, and now the threat of world war … all are signs of the withdrawal of God’s protection and should send us to our knees in remorse. Only repentance can break the stranglehold of evil. Only repentance can save us….”

Release of Billions of Genetically-Engineered Mosquitoes

International Family News wrote on March 21:

“Despite opposition due to public health concerns based on scientific research, the Environmental Protection Agency has given the green light for the release of billions of experimental genetically-engineered mosquitoes; the largest release of GE insects in the world…

“Oxitec maintains Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are being genetically modified with the goal of reducing the transmission of harmful diseases like dengue, Zika and yellow fever. The male species, which do not bite, would be released into the wild to mate with females which do bite. The company says the resulting offspring, regardless of sex, will not survive to reach maturity.

“There are issues which draw suspicion to Oxitec’s plan: The Aedes aegypti mosquito is not prevalent in California, and the state–according to the Centers for Disease Control–does not have any cases of the harmful diseases listed… While Oxitec states the GE insects will reduce incidence of the mosquito-borne diseases, there is no publicly available data that supports their claim.”

Germany’s “Help” for Ukraine

Bild Online reported on March 19:

“At the beginning of March, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (63, SPD) promised Ukraine to deliver 2,700 anti-aircraft missiles. So far, only 500 have arrived… They were only handed over on Thursday… According to government insiders, no further deliveries of the Strela missiles are planned.

“The Federal Ministry of Defense wanted to confirm only that there were supplies to Ukraine. The ministry would not give any further details ‘due to the classification of the information resulting from the current security situation’.

“This makes the delivery of arms a total disgrace for the federal government… As early as March 3, “Der Spiegel’ found out that 700 of the promised rockets from the old GDR stocks were no longer ready for use. According to BILD information, the weapons, which are at least 35 years old, were blocked for use in 2012. Reason: ‘Microcracks in the ammunition’s propellant charge, which led to corrosion/oxidation.’

“Particularly embarrassing: According to ‘Der Spiegel’, the wooden boxes in which the rockets are stored were so moldy in November that Bundeswehr soldiers were only allowed to enter the storage facilities with protective equipment.

“Germany has so far sent few arms and support to Ukraine compared to the US. It started with 5000 helmets, which took a whole month to arrive in Ukraine. At the beginning of this year’s crisis in Ukraine, the German government repeatedly emphasized that it would not supply weapons, but would provide other support. On February 26th, two days after Kremlin despot Putin had started his major attack on the neighboring country, there was a sudden change of heart in the federal government: Germany is now supplying weapons after all!”

Germany’s “help” for Ukraine has been dubious from the outset. Zelenskyy’s trust in NATO, the USA and Germany is failing. His willingness to negotiate with Putin, as reported above, is telling.

Germany’s Military Ambitions

Army Technology wrote on March 18:

“Building a capable military is not solely about money, but, given that Germany’s economy remains the largest in Europe, the annual budget uplift would make the country the third-largest defence spender in the world behind the US and China.”

Alarming Developments! Germany’s Thought Police

Breitbart wrote on March 23:

“A large number of apartments and houses were raided in Germany on Tuesday as Federal police in the country look to prosecute those who made allegedly hateful remarks against elected officials online. In total, federal authorities have said that they have checked over 600 statements for so-called ‘criminal content’, with 100 people being ‘searched and questioned’ across 13 different German states. According to a report by Der Spiegel, a significant number of raids have also been conducted, with the houses and apartments of those suspected of posting illegal online messages being searched by law enforcement for incriminating evidence.

“A press release by Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office claimed that Tuesday’s so-called ‘joint day of action’ was sparked by posts targeting politicians around the 2021 Federal elections, with elected officials in Germany having special legal privileges making it illegal for their constituents to level certain insults against them. ‘The basis for these investigations is Section 188 of the Criminal Code (StGB), which was revised in spring 2021 and makes insults, slander and defamation of people in political life particularly punishable,’ the Federal Criminal Police Office statement reads. ‘Public officials and elected representatives are given special criminal protection under [Section]188 StGB, regardless of the political level, against hate postings,’ it continues.

“The President of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Münch, also commented on the hardline enforcement of Germany’s speech laws, threatening those in the country who would dare insult politicians that they will meet the same fate… Another official, Hessian Attorney General Torsten Kunze, also commented on the German speech crackdown, claiming that it was somehow a necessary measure to protect democracy, though the official did not cite any evidence for this claim…

“Germany’s day of thought police raids against those who are suspected of insulting or defaming elected politicians is only the latest example of the country’s interesting understanding of what protecting democracy means. The central European country has become infamous for targeting certain political viewpoints, going so far as to put the country’s populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party under surveillance as a so-called ‘suspicious entity’. What’s more, when the party tried to challenge this decision in court, it was ruled that the state spying on the political party was legal, with the court claiming that the party was supposedly a threat to democracy… Thomas Haldenwang, the President of the German Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which ruled on the surveillance case [said] that his court’s decision to allow state surveillance of a party representing a minority political view was a ‘good day for democracy’.”

Democracy and free speech are once again in danger in Germany.

Germany’s Green Policy

Breitbart wrote on March 18:

“Combustion engine cars should go the way of the dinosaur from 2035, according to the German government, who have announced they are backing a plan to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars in the EU from that year on. Despite the country initially resisting Europe-wide legislation pushing for zero-emission cars, the Federal Republic has since about-faced on the idea of a motoring Great Reset, and will join others in the bloc looking to begin phasing out hydrocarbon-burning vehicles by 2035 or earlier… new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles [with] internal combustion engines will no longer be allowed after 2035… while Germany’s change in policy is significant, it is not exactly unexpected, with the country’s new left-wing coalition having promised to push a green environmentalist agenda during their time in office…

“52 per cent of Germans believe that the new government’s climate policy will have an overall negative effect on Germany’s ‘social climate’… 49 per cent believe that the nation’s green agenda will have negative effects for them personally, with that number rising to 61 per cent when only Germans in the east of the country are polled… there are widespread fears that the climate policy measures will lead to social upheaval.”

Vaccination Mandate in Germany?

Die Welt wrote on March 19:

“According to a survey, the introduction of vaccination mandates in Germany would hardly increase the vaccination rate: only two percent of those who were not vaccinated said they would then be vaccinated. Many vaccinated people also doubt whether it can be enforced…

“The vast majority, on the other hand – six out of ten unvaccinated people – want to pay fines or be released from the obligation in this case…. Overall, 51 percent of all respondents are in favor of introducing compulsory vaccination… The Bundestag is to decide [on introducing compulsory vaccination]… probably at the beginning of April.”

Mask Mandates in Austria!

The Local wrote on March 18:

“Austria will reintroduce the… mask mandate for all indoor areas starting March 23rd, Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) said on Friday… he didn’t rule out or confirm the possibility of a mandate also in schools…

“The relaxation of measures was widely criticized in Austria. The capital Vienna announced it would not follow the reopening steps, keeping a 2G rule in gastronomy and the indoor mask mandate.”

What’s wrong with those Austrians? Will this NONSENSE ever stop?

Austria’s “Neutrality”

The New Statesman wrote on March 22:

“Majorities in Finland and in Sweden now support Nato membership… Austrians too are thinking about their neutrality in a Europe forever changed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine… On 25 October 1955 the last Allied troops left Austrian soil; a day later the country’s parliament enacted the Declaration of Neutrality, committing Austria to ‘perpetual neutrality’ and preventing the country from joining ‘military alliances’.

“After the Cold War Austria joined the EU along with Sweden and Finland in 1995. While those two countries are now Nato ‘enhanced opportunity partners’ — the closest relationship short of membership — Austria remains on the periphery of the alliance… Three quarters of Austrians support neutrality, and over 80 per cent are opposed to Nato membership. Austria has come out firmly in support of Ukraine and against the Russian invasion, but in contrast to Sweden and Finland its leadership has been quick to shut down any discussion of abandoning neutrality…

“The Declaration of Neutrality is enshrined in the constitution; repealing it would require a two-thirds majority in parliament which does not currently exist. Austria’s military is also embarrassingly weak; defence spending accounts for just 0.74 per cent of its GDP. While the government plans to raise it to 1 per cent, that would still be well short of the 2 per cent target set for Nato members, let alone the 2.5 per cent analysts believe would be required to build up Austria’s military to the point where it could actually defend the country in the event of an invasion. Austria’s armed forces are little more than a natural disaster response unit.

“Vienna is the third home of the United Nations and yet Austria has not put forward a single initiative that might end the war or bring about a ceasefire in Ukraine…”

It becomes less and less likely that the beast will come from Austria, even though developments may drastically change the Austrian perspective.

Covid Army in Western Australia

Rebel News wrote on March 18:

“Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan faces increasing criticism over his handling of Covid as the state remains isolated from the rest of Australia and its citizens endure the country’s toughest health orders. Today McGowan has released what has been dubbed a ‘Covid Army’ also referred to as a ‘surveillance’ operation on Covid conducted by researchers. Their job is to go door-to-door in Perth over the weekend to conduct random Covid testing on people who do not have symptoms to see if the Omicron variant is going unnoticed within the wider community…

“To put Western Australia in perspective, New South Wales has dropped almost all Covid restrictions, including mask-wearing (except on public transport)… Many Western Australians have taken to social media to express their reservation and anger at the idea of government officials knocking on their door to perform (voluntary) tests… McGowan kept the Western Australian border closed for 697 days.”

CEOs: Get rid of Mask Mandates and Testing in Planes and Airports

Fox Business wrote on March 24:

“A group of airline CEOs sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to end the federal mask mandate on public transportation… ‘It makes no sense that people are still required to wear masks on airplanes, yet are allowed to congregate in crowded restaurants, schools and at sporting events without masks, despite none of these venues having the protective air filtration system that aircraft do,’ the letter said.

“CEOs of Alaska Air, Atlas Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, FedEx Express, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, UPS Airlines and Airlines for America signed the letter…. ‘Now is the time for the Administration to sunset federal transportation travel restrictions — including the international predeparture testing requirement and the federal mask mandate — that are no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment,’ the letter continued.”

Lockdowns Caused Mental Illness

Israel 365 wrote on March 20:

“The national lockdowns instituted in Israel in 2020 negatively impacted people’s health, according to a large-scale study published this week by Clalit Health Services… patients suffering from psychiatric disorders increased by a whopping 60%.”

Is anybody waking up?

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

In Psalm 82 we read about God standing among other gods. This raises questions about who the “gods” are that are in the presence of “God” performing the judgment.

Psalm 82:1-2 reads, “God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods. How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked? Selah”.

To understand this passage to its fullest, we need to look into and investigate several questions. First, what are the Hebrew words used to translate into “God” and “gods”? Second, what does this passage reveal about the nature of God? Also, how can we understand the judgment of the many gods by the one God?  Finally, what is the relevance to true Christians? After addressing these questions, we will find out much more about the nature of God and see how elegantly this event fits into His plan.

To begin, we need to understand more about the translation of this passage. Knowing the origin of the Hebrew words that translate into “God” and “gods”, we will learn how to properly understand the meaning of this passage. Are the gods mentioned pagan gods? Are these God’s angels? Are these gods the other two members of the trinity, even though the Bible does not teach a Trinity of three God beings—one Person in three Persons?

To answer these questions, the Hebrew words used in this passage are the place to start. In Psalm 82:1, in both instances of the word “God” and “gods” is the word “Elohim” in the original Hebrew. The structure of this sentence indicates that the first instance of “Elohim” is singular because the verb “stands” applies only to a singular entity. However, this does not mean that the word “God” only applies to one Being. Even though singular, it can refer to the God Family, consisting of twoBeings, the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. The word “Elohim,” even though it may be followed by a singular verb, still can refer to the one God Family, consisting of a duality of Beings. But the word “Elohim” can also refer to either one of the two God Beings. For more explanation on this topic, please read our free booklet, “God is a Family,” which elaborates in more detail how “Elohim” can indicate a plurality even when presented in a singular context.

The second instance, the word “gods” is appropriately translated in the plural form, because the preposition “among” requires more than one entity. Therefore, we can understand this passage as seeing the authoritative God—either the God Family or one of the two God Beings—standing among several gods, over whom God has authority.

Throughout the Old Testament Hebrew Bible, the word “Elohim” is consistently used when referencing the Almighty God, and is indeed referencing the same in this example. Seeing the context of what takes place reinforces this understanding. God is the righteous Judge who presides over the other gods mentioned here. Throughout the Bible, righteous judgment like this comes from God, and no one else (compare Psalm 119:7, Psalm 119:160, Romans 1:32, 2 Timothy 4:8). Clearly, the first instance of the word “God” in Psalm 82 references the Almighty God.

What about the second instance of the “gods”? Since this is a plural form of the same word “Elohim”, what is the correct interpretation of this word? Again, looking at the context of the events in this passage helps to identify the gods through their activities. In Psalm 82:2, those who are gods are condemned for unjustly judging those on earth. Seeing that the activity that they are engaged with involves judging men on earth helps us to clarify who these gods are. The act of judgement is only applicable to a few possible entities, and is not ascribed to others who might be referenced by the word “Elohim”.

Other translations of the word “elohim” can refer to pagan gods (Exodus 20:3), or even angels (compare one possible rendering in Psalm 8:5). In the context of the events presented in this Scripture, we can rule out these options. Pagan gods are not the judges over man, but rather empty concepts invented by man at best (compare 1 Kings 18:20-39, Romans 1:22-23), and demonic entities at their worst (compare Leviticus 17:7, Deuteronomy 32:17, Psalm 106:37, 1 Corinthians 10:20). Demons simply do not play a role in judging mankind, but rather causing them to fall into judgment. Therefore, to conclude that those in the presence of God are the false, pagan gods or even demons doesn’t make sense.

To say that those in the presence of God in this instance are righteous angels does not make sense either. Reiterating, the activity that identifies these other “elohim” is judgment of mankind. While angels have a special, spiritual existence in the heaven, their job is not to judge mankind. On the contrary, the Bible shows that they have a role to serve mankind as ministering spirits. Reading from Hebrews 1:13-14, “‘But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?’” In this example, the author whom we believe to be Paul, compares angels to Jesus Christ, making the point that their role in the plan of God is much different. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, a member of the Family of God, has a role of rulership. He sits on the throne, having the authority to judge mankind righteously. Angels do not have that capacity. As a reinforcement of the role of servitude, in the book of Revelation when John bowed down to an angel in an act of worship, the angel responded: “Then he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God’” (Revelation 22:9). The angels have an important role in the plan of God, but it is not one of authority and judgment over mankind. In fact, we are told that we will judge angels—not, that angels will judge us (1 Corinthians 6:3). Therefore, to interpret the other “elohim” in Psalm 82 as referring to angels is incorrect.

Could the reference to “elohim,” as describing the “gods,” possibly refer to Jesus Christ? The activity of judgment of mankind fits the role of Jesus Christ, but seeing that these other “elohim” are accused of judging unjustly, this cannot possibly fit. Jesus Christ is indeed the Judge of mankind. From 2 Timothy 4:1 we read, “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom…” But unlike the “elohim” that judge unjustly, Jesus is a righteous Judge. “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). Even though the description of the activity of judgment is consistent with the role of Jesus Christ, since there are at least some “elohim” who judge unjustly, this cannot possibly refer to Jesus Christ

By reading further in Psalm 82, we discover another clue that can help us understand who these other “elohim” are. Quoting from Psalm 82:6-8, “I said, ‘You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High [a reference here to God the Father]. But you shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes.’ Arise, O God, judge the earth; For You shall inherit all nations.” In this passage we see the statement “You are gods” being ascribed to those same “elohim”, again being translated into the same word “gods”. We learn that they will “die like men,” which clearly denotes a mortal, physical existence. It rules out the possibility that it refers to Jesus Christ, angels or demons, since they cannot die. So then, are these “gods” physical people? Before answering this question, we need to fast-forward to the time of Jesus Christ’s physical life on earth.

When Jesus was facing the Jews of His time in the temple, He proclaimed that He was the Son of God (compare John 10:25-32). Remember, He was fully man, completely physical, and proclaiming something that the Jews of His time thought was blasphemous. To provide support for this claim that He was the Son of God, Jesus quotes that same passage from Psalm 82:6. “Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your law, “I said, ‘You are gods’”? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, “You are blaspheming,” because I said, “I am the Son of God”?’” (John 10:34-36). Jesus makes the point that God the Father said “You are gods”, and applies it also, to some extent, to Himself making it clear that His claim as being the Son of God could not be blasphemous. Therefore, it is clear that those “elohim” from Psalm 82 play a role as sons of God, of whom Jesus Christ is the first of the firstfruits (compare 1 Corinthians 15:20-23). Understanding that Jesus Christ referred to Himself as the Son of God, while He was in the flesh, it becomes clear that those who are referenced as the “elohim” have the same potential to be in the Family of God as Jesus Christ. God warns them not to commit the sin of judging unjustly, because it will result in physical death, losing out on the potential to be an eternal member of the God Family.

Therefore, we can see that the other “elohim” mentioned in Psalm 82 must refer to those who have the potential to become members of God’s Family, but also with the potential to die. This refers to physical man, and it may even include Christians, who are still physical, but have become baptized begotten members of God’s Family. Many in the world have a hard time believing that mankind has the potential to become members of God’s Family, but the Bible is replete with this message.

In God’s eyes, even though true Christians are physical, they are considered to be His begotten sons and daughters in the present tense. Although we have not been transformed into spirit, He considers us to already be begotten children of His Family. John writes, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.   Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.   And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:1-3). This clearly reveals that true Christians are considered begotten children of God, now. Knowing that God sees all of mankind, including His begotten children, as those who have the potential to become perfected and glorified through a change from physical into spirit, the other “elohim” from Psalm 82 refers to the potential members of God’s Family while they are still in the flesh.

Other Scriptures in the Bible support this conclusion.

Human judges who have not become converted and who judge unrighteously will not reach their potential of becoming God Beings, unless they repent.  The fact that the other “elohim” are condemned for judging mankind unjustly is also consistent with the admonition of Christians to judge righteously (even though they would not rule as “judges” or jurors in a court of law). Christians have a duty to live to a higher standard, following the perfect example of Jesus Christ, who is the righteous Judge of mankind. Christians too are instructed to judge righteously (1 Corinthians 6:1-6, John 7:24). Yet, we know that Christians are fallible, physical people with the potential to fall into sin, for which the penalty is death (compare Romans 6:23). This understanding is consistent with the warning that unless these other “elohim” don’t change their ways, they will suffer death.

Also, since the other “elohim” are warned that they can “die like men”, this cannot refer to those who have been perfected, for two reasons. First, this cannot refer to those who have been changed to become Spirit Beings in the Family of God, because as born-again God Beings, they cannot sin (compare 1 John 3:9). Secondly, those who have been changed into Spirit Beings as members of God’s Family have inherited eternal life (compare Matthew 19:29). Those who have obtained eternal life cannot die (Luke 20:35-36). Therefore, the other “elohim” from Psalm 82 cannot refer to born-again members of God’s Family who have already been perfected, but rather, when referring to Christians, while they are in a physical state as begotten members of God’s Family.

When looking more deeply into Psalm 82, we can learn a great deal about the plan of God. It shows that mankind has the potential to become perfected, serving a divine role under the authority of God the Father and Jesus Christ. We understand also that Jesus Christ is the firstborn of God, but God’s plan is to bring many more into His Family to participate in divine rulership. Quoting from our free booklet, God is a Family, “After explaining that mankind was to become conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ, God shows the underlying purpose in His plan in Romans 8:29: Christ was to ‘be the firstborn among many brethren.’ So important is the purpose of God in bringing many sons and daughters to glory that He was willing to give His only begotten Son in fulfillment of His objective (compare John 3:16).” We also learn that God sees His converted children as begotten members of His Family in the present tense, even though they are still physical. And because of that, those converted Christians have an obligation, if called upon, to judge righteously in their personal dealings with other people, with the warning of death for those who neglect their potential and fail to overcome sin because of Christ’s Sacrifice. The world may be mystified in understanding who these other gods in Psalm 82 are, but we ought to be comforted knowing that this refers potentially to mankind as a whole and also to us, as dedicated Christians, begotten members of God’s Family, who continually work to follow in the perfect example of Jesus Christ.

Lead Writer: Eric Rank

compiled by Dave Harris

“Free Abortions in California… ‘Repent or Perish!’” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary: 

A new law in California makes it much easier for women to carry out abortions. But what about the unborn children? Do you know how many children have been aborted worldwide over the last century? What is God’s perspective on the matter? And what must we do to obtain God’s protection in these horrible times?

“Kostenlose Abtreibungen in Kalifornien… ‘Bereut oder kommt um!’” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This German language program covers the same topic as described above.

The first of this year’s Holy Days are approaching. Passover will be on April 15, 2022 (observed the previous evening), followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread: April 16^th (annual Holy Day) through April 22^th (annual Holy Day). We will provide live services over the Internet for both Holy Days.

“Ukraine Disappointed with NATO and Europe—Comments on News and Prophecy, March 19, 2022, the first message presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Many feel that Putin will not stop at Ukraine and that he will conquer other Western countries, but the question is whether God will allow it at this time. Germany is not too desirous of really helping Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands accused of behaving shamefully, while President Biden’s call with China did not seem to have accomplished much. Zelenskyy is getting more and more frustrated with NATO, the EU and Germany. His willingness to negotiate peace with Putin is remarkable. Prophecy is marching on.

“Why One Third Will Die,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Michael Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Have we learned anything from history through the suffering and destruction from wars and disease epidemics? The Bible prophecies that this will happen again, but in ways far more horrific than ever before.  How can we prepare ourselves NOW so we can be counted worthy to escape all these inevitable events that will come to pass?