Update 1003

Lasting Impressions / To Judge or Not to Judge?

On January 1, 2022, Michael Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Lasting Impressions,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “To Judge or Not to Judge?”

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

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Self-Restraint

by Dave Harris

Over the past year, powerful images of social bedlam and mayhem have often dominated the news. What is now being called an “insurrection” is the description of what took place in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, as crowds of people turned into a mob of anarchists.

People were injured and people died!

That sad episode hardly begins to represent the breakdown of civil order that is occurring all around us and all over the world. People are now being randomly assaulted, stabbed or even shot in circumstances where safety was taken for granted. Here is how God prophetically describes our time:

“‘By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed’” (Hosea 4:2).

Jesus Christ never allowed Himself to become entangled in the chaos of this world, although He was constantly surrounded by it and even eventually became its victim. His overpowering self-restraint in all that He faced serves as our example—especially, as times grow even more dire.

Our challenge to practice self-restraint in all that we think, say or do, will not be easy. To live as Christians, we need help:

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Our “help” is found in following the lead of Jesus, and it involves thinking as He thinks. The Apostle Paul puts it this way:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Paul adds:

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Regarding what we should say:

“‘“These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,” Says the LORD’” (Zechariah 8:16-17).

Jesus taught the kind of self-restraint we should practice regarding what we do:

“‘Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves’” (Matthew 10:16).

Indeed, we do live, as Paul writes, “…in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom [we] shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).

As mentioned, the past year has been a time of unrestrained violence, and it will, as we have been warned by God, grow to become the very worst trouble ever experienced or that ever will be again. Against this backdrop, God’s Church will continue to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God—even as we remain separate from the destructive path of those who continue to choose violence and who continue to break all restraint.

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by Norbert Link

We begin with alarming warning signs regarding the worldwide threats to democracy and of “conquest by authoritarian forces, either through military invasion or subversion from within”; speaking especially of China and Russia in this context; publish a grim review of events in 2021 showing the decline of democracy in the USA; address the perceived “need” of many Europeans to establish their own army to deal with overseas crises to avoid having to deal with them “on their own soil”; and report on Poland’s fear of Germany’s ambition to establish a “Fourth Reich.” We also quote a British article to the effect that the UK and Europe are destined to “remain the best of enemies.”

Please view in this context our new StandingWatch program, titled, “2022 in Prophecy.”

We speak on a faux pas (?) of Kamala Harris and Dr. Fauci’s methods of intimidation and coercion; and point out Donald Trump’s controversial and, as some view it, hypocritical stance on vaccination which might cost him the votes of many conservatives, unless he changes his position. We also address the historically bad approval ratings of US Presidents after their first year in office, focusing especially on Biden, Clinton, Obama and Trump.

We address another terrible tragedy regarding the killing of an innocent victim through a police officer in Los Angeles; speak on events in or pertaining to Israel, including an airstrike on Syria and the outbreak of the bird flu; terrible privacy intrusions through Canada’s federal government; and close with a demonically-inspired example of mankind’s waste of energy, time and resources in trying to deal with “extraterrestrial aliens.”

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

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Democracy in Peril Worldwide

Breitbart wrote on December 24:

“Several of the world’s free nations will greet the year 2022 under the immediate threat of conquest by authoritarian forces, either through military invasion or subversion from within.

“The best-known example is Taiwan, an outpost of free-market democracy under the perpetual threat of conquest by the hideous tyrants of China… Last week, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said it fears China could turn large-scale military exercises near Taiwan into a full-scale surprise attack, while simultaneously deploying naval forces to keep allies like the United States and Japan from coming to Taiwan’s assistance. Chinese officials and state media are increasingly belligerent about threatening to attack any military that attempts to defend Taiwan, including the U.S. military…

“Seizing Taiwan may appeal to Chinese leaders as a bold move that would destroy the credibility of the United States and Europe, frightening other Asian powers into China’s orbit because they can no longer rely on Western security guarantees. The death of democracy in Taiwan could threaten its survival in South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and elsewhere…

“And then again, democracy could conceivably topple in Taiwan without a military invasion. China invested considerable effort in subverting Taiwanese democracy and nourishing pro-Beijing opposition parties…

“Also living under the threat of invasion from the authoritarians next door is Ukraine. Russia now has over 90,000 troops massed along the Ukrainian border and Ukrainian intelligence believes they could invade by the end of January 2022… Relentless Russian propaganda portrays the Ukrainian government as an illegitimate puppet of foreign interests….

“In South America, there are troubling signs of anti-democratic leftist dictatorships on the rise. The odious regime of Nicolás Maduro appears securely in control of Venezuela, having vanquished a pro-democracy movement even as the national economy comes crashing down in socialist flames. International observers are nervously hoping the new leftist president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, does not follow in Maduro’s footsteps…

“Authoritarian powers like China and Iran are increasing their influence in Latin America, posing both a strategic challenge to the United States and an ideological threat to democracy…

“Democracy in other parts of the developing world is threatened by a string of military coups. The most horrific example is obviously Afghanistan, where the Taliban insurgency swept away the elected civilian government in a matter of days while the Biden administration fumbled through a disastrous withdrawal of American troops. Thanks to Biden’s reckless abandonment of American military equipment and weapons, the Taliban is now the best-armed junta in the world, with plenty of munitions to spare for sale to other anti-democratic forces.

“In Myanmar and Sudan, military juntas seized power… These juntas have survived intense pressure from human rights activists, democratic governments, and the United Nations.

“Libya, transformed into a gruesome wasteland of warlords and jihadis by Biden’s Democrat predecessor Barack Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is still struggling to hold a nationwide democratic election. Ten years after Obama’s invasion, Libya perpetually teeters on the edge of either disintegrating completely or becoming a military dictatorship…

“2022 will dawn with democracy in peril – not just from the vicious struggle to redefine it being waged across the Western world, but from numerous fragile democracies on the brink of external invasion or authoritarian revolution. 2021 was the year that saw freedom and autonomy die in Hong Kong. Representative government is on the chopping block in far too many other places.”

This analysis is, sadly, very real and true. Dictatorships will increase. There will be more and more wars and rumors of wars, as well as famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places, indicating the “beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8).

Close to Civil War

The Washington Post wrote on December 17:

“Barbara F. Walter, a political science professor at the University of California at San Diego, serves on a CIA advisory panel called the Political Instability Task Force that monitors countries around the world and predicts which of them are most at risk of deteriorating into violence…

“Her bottom line: ‘We are closer to civil war than any of us would like to believe… No one wants to believe that their beloved democracy is in decline, or headed toward war,’ she writes. But, ‘if you were an analyst in a foreign country looking at events in America — the same way you’d look at events in Ukraine or the Ivory Coast or Venezuela — you would go down a checklist, assessing each of the conditions that make civil war likely. And what you would find is that the United States, a democracy founded more than two centuries ago, has entered very dangerous territory.’…

“Walter writes that the United States is now an ‘anocracy,’ somewhere between a democracy and an autocratic state….”

Of course, as can be expected from the Washington Post, this decline of US democracy is blamed on Trump, without mentioning the ongoing autocratic dictatorial measures imposed by the Biden Administration.

2021 in Review

The Rutherford Institute wrote on December 27:

“A simmering pot of political tensions boiled over on January 6, 2021, when protesters stormed the Capitol… It took no time at all for the nation’s capital to be placed under a military lockdown, online speech forums restricted… The subsequent  military occupation of the nation’s capital by 25,000 troops as part of the so-called ‘peaceful’ transfer of power from one administration to the next was little more than martial law disguised as national security

“On any given day, the average American going about his daily business was monitored, surveilled, spied on and tracked in more than 20 different ways, by both government and corporate eyes and ears… In response to the events of Jan. 6, the tech giants meted out their own version of social justice by way of digital tyranny and corporate censorship… ‘Domestic terrorism’ became the new poster child for expanding the government’s powers at the expense of civil liberties…  the ramifications… are so far-reaching as to render almost every American an extremist in word, deed, thought or by association.

“Political correctness gave way to a more insidious form of group think and mob rule which, coupled with government and corporate censors and a cancel culture determined not to offend ‘certain’ viewpoints, was all too willing to eradicate views that do not conform. Critical race theory also moved to the forefront of the culture wars…

“Government agents routinely violated the Fourth Amendment at will [by invading homes] under the pretext of public health and safety…

“Caught in the crosshairs of a showdown between the rights of the individual and the so-called ‘emergency’ state, concerns about COVID-19 mandates and bodily integrity remained part of a much larger debate over the ongoing power struggle between the citizenry and the government over our property ‘interest’ in our bodies. This debate over bodily integrity covered broad territory, ranging from abortion and forced vaccinations to biometric surveillance and basic healthcare…

“What started out as an apparent effort to prevent a novel coronavirus from sickening the nation (and the world) became yet another means by which world governments (including our own) expanded their powers, abused their authority, and further oppressed their constituents.

The national debt exceeded $29 trillion. Meanwhile, the government continued to spend taxpayer money it didn’t have on programs it couldn’t afford; businesses shuttered for lack of customers, resources and employees; and consumers continued to encounter global supply chain shortages (and skyrocketing prices) on everything from computer chips and cars to construction materials…

Owing in large part to the government’s deep-seated and, in many cases, top-secret alliances with foreign nations and global corporations, the US entered into a new world order—a global world order—made up of international government agencies and corporations. Fascism became a global menace…

“Every crisis—manufactured or otherwise—since the nation’s early beginnings has become a make-work opportunity for the government to expand its reach and its power at taxpayer expense while limiting our freedoms at every turn: The Great Depression. The World Wars. The 9/11 terror attacks. The COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, the government’s (mis)management of various states of emergency in the past 20 years from 9/11 to COVID-19 has spawned a massive security-industrial complex the likes of which have never been seen before….

There may have been a new guy [Biden] in charge this year, but for the most part, nothing changed. The nation remained politically polarized, controlled by forces beyond the purview of the average American, and rapidly moving the nation away from its freedom foundation. Over the past year, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans found themselves repeatedly subjected to egregious civil liberties violations, invasive surveillance, martial law, lockdowns, political correctness, erosions of free speech, strip searches, police shootings of unarmed citizens, government spying, the criminalization of lawful activities, warmongering, etc….”

Sadly, this synopsis does point out convincingly our decline in democracy, freedom and liberties.

More on Russia and Ukraine

The Week wrote on December 22:

“Before this week, I’d never heard of Dmitri Alperovitch or Silverado Policy Accelerator, the nonprofit think tank for which he is co-founder and chair. But Alperovitch is on my radar now, thanks to a viral tweet thread about Russia’s intentions in Ukraine that is at once smart, highly informed, and chilling.

“Alperovitch’s core assertion is simple: The Kremlin has already ‘made a decision to invade Ukraine later this winter.’ The evidence he marshals in defense of this claim is overwhelming. Alperovitch points to Russia’s massive troop deployment to the Ukraine border, increased acts of cyber intrusion into Ukraine, the issuing of diplomatic ultimatums and public demands that would be extremely difficult to walk back, and several other recent moves on Russia’s part.

“He then pivots to listing the reasons he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided on this bellicose course of action. These range from internal conflicts within Ukraine that threaten Russian interests to longstanding concerns about NATO expansion into Russia’s near abroad [sic], which the Kremlin considers a serious danger, to the waning effectiveness of economic sanctions from the West as a deterrent. All of it builds to a prediction: Putin ‘is unlikely to invade western Ukraine but can relatively easily split the country in half along the Dnieper [River] and establish a permanent buffer zone between Europe and Russia, as well as a land bridge to Crimea.’

“Since we’re making predictions, I’ll propose my own: If Alperovitch is right and Putin launches an invasion of Ukraine, the United States and NATO will raise rhetorical hell about it from Washington and Brussels, but they will do nothing to stop it militarily. And that, as Alperovitch points out, ‘would put a permanent end to all talk of Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus, or any Central Asian states of ever joining NATO.’

“… a Russian invasion of Ukraine would propel the United States and the world into an era of geopolitical risk unlike any we’ve seen in several decades. And if Alperovitch is correct, that era may be poised to begin in a matter of weeks.”

Deutsche Welle reported on December 26:

“Russia announced on Saturday that 10,000 troops had finished month-long military drills near Ukraine and would be returning to their permanent bases.”

Whether this is even true and whether, if true, this is only another ploy by Putin to calm the West a little while secretly planning an invasion will have to be seen. In any event, the Bible prophesies that Russia and Ukraine will “unite” in some way and ultimately fight against a mighty European power bloc .

Russia’s Ambitions in the Balkans

Foreign Affairs wrote on December 27:

“This year marks the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the Yugoslav wars, Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II…. Now Russian President Vladimir Putin is seizing his opportunity and using the former Yugoslav states as the next battlefield to weaken NATO and the European Union.

“Russia’s goal in the Balkans is to ramp up tensions so that it can position itself as the sole regional mediator and security guarantor. It simultaneously aims to demonstrate that neither NATO, the EU, nor their members are credible partners for any of the Balkan countries. As Moscow also continues its military buildup near the Ukrainian border, its influence campaign in the Balkans serves as another theater to challenge the West.

“Russia’s efforts have been helped immeasurably by the EU’s weak response. Despite the many years and billions of euros spent preparing the Balkans for EU integration, the effort has stalled. Western Europe was asleep at the wheel the last time war broke out in the Balkans—the stakes are too high for it to ignore the region this time around.”

Europeans “Need” for their  Army

Arab News wrote on December 24:

“The EU is once again at a crossroads that requires bold decisions, in the face of severe cracks from within and relentless external challenges…

“One of the recurring ideas that surfaces among European leaders… is the establishment [of] an independent military force [and] that in international affairs it is no longer enough to concentrate on economic and soft power while relying for hard power on NATO, as that organization does not necessarily provide the answers to an increasingly polarized and conflictual international arena…

“The messy withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan in August has sent a clear message to EU strategists that it is necessary to lead from the front whenever European interests and values do not coincide with those of friends and foes alike….

“One of the EU’s more immediately pressing vulnerabilities was exposed by the deliberate mayhem instigated by Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of President Putin, in orchestrating border crossings by refugees who had been residing in his country into Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. This was retaliation for sanctions imposed on Belarus for its brutal crackdown on opposition activists protesting against Lukashenko’s highly questionable electoral victory last year. The EU’s lack of capacity to adequately respond to this type of cynical, hybrid act of aggression was revealing — and this at a time when Russia has been deploying its troops close to its border with Ukraine in a menacing fashion that leaves little room for doubt about Moscow’s true intentions…

“Ursula von der Leyen, the current European Commission president and a former German defense minister, is one high-profile proponent of the idea of an EU military force. In her State of the Union address in September she emphasized the need to reflect on how the mission in Afghanistan had ended so abruptly, in what was a coded criticism of the US and NATO… For her, it is about recognizing that Europe’s geopolitical vulnerabilities demand that it must itself be prepared to help deal with overseas crises, otherwise it will end up having to deal with such crises on its own soil…”

Ultimately, both will happen, but first, a European army will be established soon at the time when we observe the unification of ten European core nations, including, in all likelihood, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, France, Italy, Spain and others.  

Germany’s Fourth Reich?

The Guardian wrote on December 24:

“The head of Poland’s ruling party, Jarosław Kaczyński, has said Germany is trying to turn the EU into a federal ‘German fourth reich’… the head of the Law and Justice party (PiS) said some countries ‘are not enthusiastic at the prospect of a German fourth reich being built on the basis of the EU’…  Kaczyński is also a deputy prime minister. He added that the European court of justice was being used as an ‘instrument’ for federalist ideas.

“… The EU this week said it was launching legal action against Poland for ignoring EU law and undermining judicial independence. Poland has accused the bloc of ‘bureaucratic centralism’.

“During a visit to Warsaw by the new German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, this month, the prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said the current Berlin government’s support for EU federalism was ‘utopian and therefore dangerous.’”

Whatever expressions are being used, current developments and biblical prophecy show that Germany and a leader of German or Austrian descent will indeed lead a united Europe under ten nations or groups of nations, and this emerging power bloc will by no means be democratic and freedom-loving. The paradox is that in all likelihood, Poland will be part of that authoritarian and dictatorial beast power.

Kurz Becoming a Global Strategist?

Bloomberg wrote on December30:

“Billionaire Peter Thiel’s investment firm is tapping former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to become a global strategist. Kurz, who resigned under a cloud of controversy in October and remains under investigation for corruption, is set to start his new role at Thiel Capital LLC in the first three months of 2022, he told the Heute newspaper.

“The appointment comes amid multiple criminal probes into Kurz and his inner circle over allegations that he used taxpayer money to plant fabricated public-opinion polls in newspapers to help build his career. He completely withdrew from politics earlier this month, setting off another change in power. Kurz has denied wrongdoing.

“Kurz long cultivated connections to Thiel, a conservative power broker. The German-born venture capitalist — one of the first investors in Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook — has supported Republican candidates in the U.S. and endorsed Donald Trump. Kurz, 35, is looking to move beyond a blitz career in politics that made him the youngest head of government in Europe. He was touted as a pioneer of populist conservative politics on the continent before his downfall.”

“UK and the EU Set to Remain Best of Enemies”

The Guardian wrote on December 25:

“The year 2021 has been marked by a remarkable level of petulance in the UK-EU relationship. The unfortunate reality is that 2022 doesn’t offer much hope of redemption.

“France will hold the rolling presidency of the EU for the first six months, during which Emmanuel Macron will have an election campaign to fight and win against the centre and far-right. Boris Johnson is on his uppers, with a large and vocal wing of the Conservative party frothing over Covid restrictions and a lack of Brexit dividend.

“It is quite hard to imagine a less favourable context for relations to be patched up and mature conversations to be had… New German chancellor Olaf Scholz attended his first EU summit just a week ago, but it is yet to be seen whether a date with the British prime minister is even in the diary…”

The relationship between the UK and continental Europe will not improve.

Kamala Harris: Our Democracy Biggest Threat to National Security

The New York Post wrote on December 25:

“During the interview on CBS News ‘Face the Nation,’ host Margaret Brennan asked her about the one national security threat that keeps her up at night worrying. ​‘​Frankly, one of them is our democracy. There is,​ I think, no question in the minds of people who are foreign policy experts that the year 2021 is not the year 2000​,’ she said…

“Later in the interview, she clarified her earlier comment, saying there is a need to ‘fight for the integrity of our democracy.’”

In light of the desired move of the Biden Administration to replace our democracy with a dictatorship—something which Trump admittedly would also have liked to do—note that Christ said this: “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).

The article continued:

“Harris also refused to take any responsibility for the debacle surrounding the US military pullout from Afghanistan in August, instead blaming the Trump administration for inking an agreement with the Taliban…”

She said this: ““I strongly believe that had we broken that agreement, we would be talking about the war in Afghanistan and American troops in Afghanistan, and we’re not talking about that. I don’t regret that…”

No, but we are talking about the unprotected tens of thousands of people whom Biden had left behind, not to mention valuable and sophisticated American equipment and armory,  and the terrible atrocities of the Taliban being committed to the women of Afghanistan. Kamala Harris seems to be living in a dream world… and it‘s a dangerous one.

Fauci’s Method of Coercion

Fox News wrote on December 27:

“Fauci said that taking masks off while on an airplane is ‘not something we should even be considering.’… ‘A vaccine requirement for a person getting on the plane is just another level of getting people to have a mechanism that would spur them to get vaccinated; namely, you can’t get on a plane unless you’re vaccinated, which is just another one of the ways of getting requirements, whatever that might be,’ Fauci said. ‘So I mean, anything that could get people more vaccinated would be welcome…”

He is continuing to show his true colors, but many Americans are sound asleep, without recognizing the real danger of his ideas.

Trump’s Push for Vaccines

The Washington Post wrote on December 23:

“In August, Trump called extra vaccine doses a ‘moneymaking operation,’ and in September he said that he ‘probably’ would not get a booster. He also did not make public that he had received his first two doses during his presidency. But this week he became a vocal advocate for the shots — while maintaining an opposition to vaccine mandates.

“On Sunday, during an event with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, Trump revealed to a crowd of supporters that he had gotten a booster shot. He was immediately booed, but the former president told his supporters to knock it off. ‘Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t,’ Trump scolded, waving his hand dismissively. ‘If you don’t want to take it, you shouldn’t be forced to take it — no mandates,’ Trump said. ‘But take credit, because we saved tens of millions of lives.’

“Then, during an interview published Wednesday by the Daily Wire, Trump told conservative commentator Candace Owens that the coronavirus vaccines are ‘one of the greatest achievements of mankind.’ Owens tried to cast doubt on this, saying that ‘more people have died’ since the vaccines became available and calling their efficacy into question. Trump interrupted her. ‘Oh no, the vaccines work,’ Trump told her. ‘The ones who get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don’t take the vaccine. But it’s still their choice. And if you take the vaccine, you’re protected.’

“He told Owens he takes credit for the ‘incredible speed’ with which the vaccines were developed, and he said that ‘people aren’t dying when they take the vaccine.’

“On Monday, O’Reilly said during an interview with NewsNation that the reason Trump had not discussed his booster status before was that he was afraid of alienating his anti-vaccine supporters. O’Reilly said he reassured Trump of his pro-vaccine views ahead of the event, telling him that the fact that vaccines were developed during his presidency should be part of his pitch to voters

“Trump, however, told Fox News on Tuesday evening that it is tough for him to be ‘overly critical’ of Biden after the president praised his administration for the vaccines’ rollout. Earlier that day, Biden credited Trump with spurring the development of the vaccines, a day after the former president revealed he had gotten a booster… ‘I think he did something very good,’ Trump added. ‘It has to be a process of healing in this country, and that will help a lot.’…

“Still, the former president’s promotion of the shots puts him at odds with a large portion of his base. The widest divide in vaccination rates in the United States is between Democrats and Republicans. Polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation has found that, for every unvaccinated Democrat or Democratic-leaning independent, there are about three unvaccinated Republicans or Republican-leaning independents. Even among those who have already been vaccinated, Republicans are less likely to say they will get a booster…”

Many of Trump’s comments about the effectiveness of “his” vaccines, as underlined in the article above, are demonstrably false or misleading. O’Reilly, no stranger to controversy, also reported that Trump was hurt by the disapproval from the crowd regarding his vaccination push, but that he consoled and encouraged Trump to continue his pitch to voters (compare the Daily Beast, dated December 21). O’Reilly also said that Trump will “definitely run in 2024.” O’ Reilly, who was fired in April of 2017 from Fox News for alleged sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior, may turn out to be one of Trump’s extremely bad counselors [as Dr. Fauci had turned out to be]. Many wrote on Breitbart that they had supported Trump in the past, but now, they have had it with him.

In any event, it makes no difference as to who is leading the USA, as the prophesied downfall of the USA is inevitable. This is because of the abominable sins of the nation, from the top down, while there is absolutely no sign of sincere and deep repentance of the people and their leaders.

Far Right against Trump

Mediaite wrote on December 26:

“Far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones lit into former President Donald Trump on Saturday for his recent statements supporting the Covid-19 vaccinations.

“‘This is an emergency Christmas Day warning to President Trump,’ Jones said… ‘You are either completely ignorant about the so-called vaccine gene therapy you helped ram through with Operation Warp Speed, or you are the most evil man who has ever lived to push this toxic poison on the public and to attack your constituents when they simply try to save their lives and the lives of others… What you told Candace Owens is nothing but a raft of dirty lies,’ Jones added…

“Trump has angered many on the far-right with his recent comments on the vaccines…”

Trump can’t afford to lose the votes of the “far right.”

Hypocrisy of Trump Hotels

The Week wrote on December 24:

“The Trump Grill, located inside Trump Tower in New York City, refused to allow a group of vaccine mandate protesters to eat at the restaurant on Thursday after they failed to provide proof of vaccination…

“While Trump has come around on promoting the COVID-19 vaccines, he’s maintained that ‘there can’t be mandates and all those things.’ As he further put it to Fox News this week, ‘The mandate will destroy people’s lives — it destroys people’s lives, just as the vaccine saves people.’

“Trump Hotels, however, says on its website that its Manhattan location requires proof of vaccination ‘in accordance with the most recent local government mandate.’”

The Sun added on December 25:

“‘We came to Trump Tower because we thought Donald Trump was supposed to be for America, he said he’s against vaccine mandates,’ one unmasked protester said. ‘I thought as a man, who’s for America, he would stand up, pay a $1,000 fine, and let us eat freely – you know the man’s a billionaire, he can afford a $1,000 fine. It would make him look good. But instead, he’s had his people not serve us and it just exposed him as a fraud,’ the anti-vaxxer said. ‘All talk but no action.’…

“‘Prove to us that we are a threat,’ one protester said to the cop, while another said: ‘The burden of proof is on them because they are assuming that we are a threat because we don’t have a vaccine. Well, prove to me that we are a threat.’ The cop explained that Trump Grill didn’t have to prove anything to the protesters.”

So, it appears that the restaurant even called the police. However one views it, Trump’s position in this matter, which is viewed by some of his supporters as clearly hypocritical, becomes more and more controversial and problematic for him.

Biden’s Approval Rating Really Bad… but not as Bad as Trump’s was

Fox News wrote on December 27:

“Biden’s approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House. But the president’s numbers started sagging in August… There is a slight uptick in some of the most recent surveys. Biden stood at 47% approval and 51% disapproval in the latest FOX Business poll, 48%-52% in the most recent CNN survey and slightly back above water at 48%-46% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll. But his average heading into the end of his first year in the White House is nothing to brag about.

“The approval rating is a key indicator of a president’s political strength nationwide and… [it] has also long been a much-watched indicator ahead of the midterm elections, and Biden’s flagging numbers could spell major trouble for the Democrats as they try to hold on to their razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate in the 2022 elections…

“Biden’s numbers lag behind recent predecessors at this point in their presidencies. Former President George W. Bush stood at 84%-12% [sic] in late December 2001, with his numbers skyrocketing as the country rallied around the government in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton stood at 50%-45% and 54%-40%, respectively, at the end of their first years in office. The only recent president whose poll numbers were worse than Biden’s at this point during a White House tenure was Donald Trump, who stood at 39%-56% as 2017 was coming to a close.

“The Democrats suffered disastrous midterm elections in 1994 under Clinton and in 2010 under Obama, but both Democratic presidents rebounded and won reelection two years later. House Republicans were shellacked in the 2018 midterms during Trump’s presidency, losing their eight-year-long majority in the chamber…”

Police Officers too Quick to Fire?

The LA Times Newsletter reported on December 27:

“… the Los Angeles Police Department killed a 14-year-old girl at a Burlington clothing store in North Hollywood last week, only a few days before Christmas… The teenager was in a fitting room with her mother trying on dresses for a quinceañera…  Officers were responding to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon at the store. When they arrived, authorities encountered a man they said was assaulting someone, and they opened fire, according to the LAPD. It was not immediately clear what prompted the officers to shoot.

“The man was taken into custody and died at the scene, a spokesperson for the department said. When officers fired their weapons, their gunfire penetrated a wall, which killed the girl in the dressing room. Authorities said that they found a metal cable next to the suspect whom officers were confronting, but that no gun was recovered.

“The case has caused an uproar, with many citing the shooting as the latest example of officers being too quick to draw and fire their weapons…”

In the Millennium, such tragedies won’t occur, as there will not be any police officers with weapons shooting at people…

Canada’s Privacy Intrusion

The New York Post wrote on December 25:

“Canada’s federal government admitted to secretly surveilling its population’s movements during the COVID-19 lockdown by tracking 33 million phones… Canada’s entire population totals 38 million

“‘Evidence is coming in from many sources, from countries around the world, that what was seen as a huge surveillance surge — post 9/11 — is now completely upstaged by pandemic surveillance,’ David Lyon [said], author of ‘Pandemic Surveillance’ and the former director of the Surveillance Studies Centre at Queen’s University in Ontario…

It can indeed be assumed that the governments of other “democratic” countries engage in the same kind of abominable “Orwellian” conduct.

Israeli Airstrike Sets Port in Syria Ablaze

The Guardian wrote on December 28:

“An Israeli airstrike hit Syria’s Latakia port before dawn on Tuesday, sparking a fire that lit up the Mediterranean seafront in the second such attack on the cargo hub this month, Syrian state media reported. Since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war in 2011, Israel has routinely carried out airstrikes on its neighbour, mostly targeting Syrian government troops as well as allied Iran-backed forces and Hezbollah fighters. But it is only the second time it has hit Latakia port, in the heartland of President Bashar al-Assad’s minority Alawite community…

“Pictures released by Sana showed firefighters hosing stacks of blazing containers that lit up the night sky… the British-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the cargo was ‘arms and munitions’ that had detonated in ‘powerful explosions that were felt across the city of Latakia and its suburbs’… The Syrian government’s other major ally [in addition to Iran], Russia, operates a naval base in the port of Tartus, 53 miles (85km) to the south.

“So far this year, Israel has targeted Syria nearly 30 times, killing 130 people including five civilians and 125 loyalist fighters… On 7 December it carried out a strike targeting an Iranian arms shipment in Latakia, its first on the port since the start of the civil war… According to a report by the Israeli army, it hit about 50 targets in Syria in 2020.

“In the deadliest operation since the strikes began, Israel killed 57 government troops and allied fighters in eastern Syria in January this year. The Israeli military has defended the strikes as a necessary measure to prevent its arch-foe Iran from gaining a foothold on its doorstep… In a shadow war, Israel has targeted suspected Iranian military facilities in Syria and mounted a sabotage campaign against Iran’s nuclear programme.

Iran has been a key supporter of the Syrian government in the decade-old conflict. It finances, arms and commands a number of Syrian and foreign militia groups fighting alongside the regular armed forces, chief among them Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah. The conflict in Syria has killed nearly 500,000 people since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of peaceful demonstrations.”

The violent controversy between Israel and Iran will continue….

Bird Flu in Israel

The Times of Israel wrote on December 27:

“Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with security officials on Monday to discuss an epidemic of bird flu that has killed vast numbers of wild and domestic fowl in Israel in recent days… The Agriculture Ministry is culling hundreds of thousands of birds [mainly chickens and turkeys], in an attempt to stem the spread of the disease in animals and ‘prevent the infection of the human population,’ the statement said…

“Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg called the outbreak ‘the worst blow to wildlife in the country’s history.’”

Israel 365 added on December 27:

“On Sunday, avian experts from the Nature and Parks Authority counted some 5,000 cranes at the Hula Lake Reserve in the Jezreel Valley in the north of Israel that had died from an outbreak of the  H5N1 virus, known as the avian flu. Another 250 dead cranes were seen in the Hula Valley outside of the reserve, and a further 30 were documented elsewhere, mainly in the Jezreel Valley. “

More Nonsense—Contacting Aliens

Newsmax wrote on December 26:

“NASA is reportedly hiring two dozen theologians to take part in a program at Princeton University to assess how humans will react if alien life is found on other planets, and how that would impact ideas about creation and God.

“In 2008, the Vatican’s chief astronomer said there is no conflict between believing in God and in the possibility of ‘extraterrestrial brothers’ perhaps more evolved than humans…

“Jose Gabriel Funes, who heads the Vatican Observatory… told the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano in an interview last week… ‘How can we exclude that life has developed elsewhere,’… explaining the large number of galaxies with their own planets made this possible.”

Of course, if one believes in the ungodly and blasphemous fairy tale of evolution, then everything seems to be possible. But all of this keeps the false notion in place that there are aliens on other planets, not realizing that UFO “sightings” do not prove the existence of extraterrestrial aliens, but they could be fraudulent; simply natural phenomena; or, most likely, part of Satan’s attempts to deceive mankind in preparation for his fight against the returning “alien” Jesus Christ. Note the next article.

The Guardian wrote on December 26:

“From mysterious discs over Slemish Mountain in County Antrim to strange images spotted on CCTV, unexplained sightings increased in Northern Ireland again last year.

UFO sighting reports… include unidentified flying objects (UFOs); aerial phenomena; unidentified aerial phenomena; lights in the sky; and aliens and extraterrestrials.

“Nick Pope, who used to investigate reports of UFO sightings for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), said… he believed the true number of sightings was much higher.”

We can expect that more and more of these “sightings,” “encounters” and “experiences” will be reported as we are nearing the time of the Great Tribulation and Christ’s Second Coming. Compare  Luke 21:11.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

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What does it mean to “esteem others better than himself”?

These words are quoted from Philippians 2:3, in the Authorized Version, but we must read the entire context to understand what Paul is saying.

The entire passage, beginning with verse 2 and ending with verse 8, reads in the Authorized Version:

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

What does the word “esteem” convey? It can be defined as, “to think valuable. If you are esteemed, then people think you’re a valuable person to have around, and have a lot of respect for you.” It has also been defined as “to regard highly or favorably; regard with respect or admiration and with a certain value.”

The word “better” can be defined as “of a more excellent or effective type or quality”. To be better than others means, to be more skilled or adapt as well as being superior.

“Esteeming others better than oneself” would mean, then, that the other person is being perceived as more valuable, more skilled, and more capable.

Inasmuch as the entire passage in Philippians 2:2-8 draws a comparison between ourselves and the mind of Christ, the translation “esteem others better than himself,” as applying to Christ, could be problematic and misunderstood.

Note how other translations are rendering this verse, and many understand the phrase “lowliness of mind” as “in humility”:

The Literal Emphasis Translation states:  “Do nothing according to rivalrous self-interest and not according to empty conceit, but rather in humble perspective, supposing one another superior to themselves.”

The New International Version reads:  “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”

The Berean Study Bible says: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.”

The Interlinear Literal Translation renders the phrase as, “… nothing according to contention or vainglory, but in humility one another esteeming above themselves, not the things of themselves each consider, but also the things of others each.” Another Interlinear rendition states: “surpassing themselves.”

As far as could be ascertained, virtually all German translations, including all Luther Bible renditions, the Elberfelder Bible, the Schlachter Bible and the Menge Bible, render the words in Philippians 2:3  as “higher” [“höher”] and “humility” (“Demut”) (“in Demut achte einer den andern höher als sich selbst”).

Also, the Latin Vulgata renders the phrase in that way (“sed in humilitate superiores sibi invicem arbitrantes”–“superiores” meaning “higher” or “superior.”)

Most Spanish Bibles, including Reina Valera, translate the phrase as “higher” or “superior” (“como superiores a él mismo”) or “more important” (“más importante”).

French Bibles say „above“ or „beyond“ (“étant au-dessus de vous-mêmes”), or „higher“ or „superior“(“supérieurs”) or “more important” (“plus importants que vous memes”).

In the Greek, the word which is translated as “better” in the Authorized Version is “huperecho” and means, according to Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, “to be above, higher.”

It is used in the Authorized Version in Romans 13:1 (“higher”); 1 Peter 2:13 (“supreme”); Philippians 3:8 [“hyperechon”] (“excellency”) and in Philippians 4:7 (“passeth”; “surpassing” in the New King James Bible, in the sense of being “higher”).

And so, we explain in our free booklet, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians – How to Understand It, that this phrase, as written in the Greek, actually describes the attitude of humility, considering others and their needs as more important or more significant than our own selfish ambitions.

We state the following in our booklet:

“Paul is pointing out that selfish ambition and conceit are in opposition to love…  God’s way of love and life is a way of give, whereas our human carnal way of life is a way of get. Selfish ambition, which is caused by pride, is detrimental to love and unity. Rather, we need to develop an attitude of lowliness of mind, or humility, and this attribute enables us to look at others as being better or more important than ourselves. The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown commentary explains: ‘… “esteeming each other superior to yourselves.”’… When we do that, then we are not looking at what is seemingly ‘best’ or most advantageous for us, but we also concentrate on what is helpful for others.

“This is the kind of mindset that Jesus Christ had, and we as followers of Christ must develop the same attitude and outlook…

“Gill’s Exposition to the Entire Bible makes the following comments…:

“‘Let this mind be in you,’…. The Arabic version renders it, ‘let that humility be perceived in you’. The apostle proposes Christ as the great pattern and exemplar [example] of humility… ‘which also was in Christ Jesus.’”

This is in fact the correct understanding. The entire context in Philippians 2:2-8 shows the great humility of Christ who was willing to suffer and die for us so that we could live.

We continue with quoting from our booklet:

“In order to develop an attitude of love and humility for others, we must be willing to sacrifice our own preferences. Jesus Christ proved beyond a shadow of any doubt His love for us, in that He was willing to give up His godly attributes, become a man, and live and die in the flesh. This act of love for us was necessary in order for Him to pay the penalty for our sin, so that we, condemned to death, could obtain forgiveness and live, and inherit eternal life in the Family of God, a life of peace, love and complete harmony with God and each other.

“Christ was in the form of God before He became a human being. He was equal with God the Father, insofar as His nature was concerned. But He did not consider it robbery to be equal with Him; that is, He did not want to selfishly grasp and maintain that status for His own good. He was willing to give it up for the good of others… “

We also point out in our booklet that the phrase that He “made Himself of no reputation” should be translated as “He emptied Himself,” in the sense that He emptied Himself of His divinity and became a human being.  We said this:

“We read in Philippians 2:6–7, in the Revised Standard Version: ‘[Jesus Christ]… though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped (better: retained), but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men…’… The New Jerusalem Bible leaves no doubt in its translation as to what Jesus became: ‘… he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being…’ The Bible is very clear that Christ emptied Himself of existing as a Spirit being, and He emptied Himself of the glory that He had before the world was (compare John 17:5). He BECAME a human being (compare 1 John 4:1–3)….”

This is what it means to have the mind of Christ and to treat others and their needs as more important than ourselves and our own needs. We say this in our booklet: “Christ was God Eternal, who BECAME man, so that man COULD ultimately become God! Christ was tempted, He suffered, and He died as a man (Hebrews 12:1–4), so that human beings could become ‘gods’—members of the God Family, unable to die (Luke 20:35–36; John 3:36; 10:28; compare also John 10:34–35).”

No human being could do what Christ did, but it is His mindset which we must emulate. This mindset can also be seen in Paul (Romans 9:1-5) and in Moses (Exodus 32:32-33). 

In general, we read in Matthew 18:4 about the little child which humbles itself. The German Menge Bible states that the phrase „humbles itself“ („ erniedrigt“) can be understood as “to place oneself humbly under others” (“demütig unter andere stellt”).

Luke 14:11 adds that “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Also see Luke 18:9-14.

There are many biblical examples where human beings humbled themselves towards others, or gave preference to them, treating them as superior or more important, even when this would not have been necessary from a human standpoint.

We find an interesting example, even in a merely physical matter, in the relationship between Abraham (Abram) and Lot, in Genesis 13:2-13:

“Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold… Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents… Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. So Abram said to Lot, ‘Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.’

“And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.”

Abraham let Lot choose what land he wanted, even though it would have been Abraham’s prerogative because God’s promises were directed at Abraham, not Lot. And as it turned out, Lot’s choice was very poor, but due, in part, to Abraham’s humility, God blessed him greatly with extraordinary promises (verses 14-17). We also recall that God the Father highly exalted and blessed His Son Jesus Christ for His willingness to become a Man and suffer and die for us (compare Philippians 2:9-11).

We also read that the Apostle Paul became everything to everyone to gain a few. He said in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22: “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

Paul made clear that he was not disobedient to the Law of God, but that he did not cause unnecessary offense, because it was his goal to save some. This included giving up certain personal preferences if that would have prevented him from achieving his goal. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges comments: “… by the operation of a wide reaching sympathy, which enabled him, without compromising his own convictions, to approach all men from their most accessible side.”

Paul also said in 1 Corinthians 10:33: “… just as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.” In 2 Timothy 2:10, he explains what the reason for his selfless conduct was: “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”

Paul admonished us to follow his example, by having the same motivation of love which he had: “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being” (1 Corinthians 10:24).

Matthew Poole’s Commentary states:

“It is the duty of every one who is a disciple of Christ, not merely to look at his own pleasure or profit, but the profit and advantage of others.”

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible adds:

“The injunction… is applicable to all Christians… It does not mean that a man is not in any instance to regard his own welfare, happiness, or salvation; it does not mean that a man owes no duty to himself or family; or that he should neglect all these to advance the welfare of others; but the precept means, that… when a man’s example would have a great influence, he should be guided in his conduct, not by a reference to his own ease, comfort or gratification, but by a reference to the purity and salvation of others. And the observance of this simple rule would make a prodigious change in the church and the world.”

We are not to hate ourselves, but we are to love others as ourselves, with their interests in mind as well.

We can see then that Paul had Christ’s mind. Christ said that he who wants to be great must be a servant (Matthew 23:11). Christ did not come to be served but to serve (Luke 22:27). He considered those whom He served “superior” or “more important” than Himself. He was willing to humble himself in order to exalt or help others. Even at His return, we read that He will serve others by preparing a meal for them (Luke 12:37).

John the Baptist followed Christ’s example, not willing to consider it robbery to be of great reputation—Christ called him one of the great human beings (Matthew 11:11)—but he was willing to make himself of no reputation (compare again Christ’s example in Philippians 2:6-7), as he had the goal and purpose of Christ as the Savior of mankind in mind. He was willing to decrease so that Christ could increase (John 3:30).

Paul’s admonition in Philippians 2:3 applies to husbands and wives as well, who are to submit to one another in the fear of God (Ephesians 5:21). We say the following in our free booklet, Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians—How to Understand It” 

“Even though it is the foremost responsibility for the wife to submit to her husband as to the Lord (verse 22; Colossians 3:18)—that is, submitting to him when his requests are in conformity with Christ’s teachings and not contrary to the will of God (compare Albert Barnes’ Note on the Bible)—so the husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the Church (Ephesians 5:25).

“And still, Paul introduces this section in verse 21 with the admonition to submit one to another in the fear of the Lord. Even though the husband is the head of the wife (1 Corinthians 11:3), as Christ is the head of the husband, he is not to act selfishly and pursue just his own interests. Rather, he has to have the mind of Christ, and if he does, then he will also look out for and submit to the interests of his wife—as his wife will to the interests of her husband (Philippians 2:5, 4).

“When a husband loves his wife in that way—as Christ loves the Church and gave Himself for it—then it will be easier for the wife to submit to her loving husband. Christ is the Savior of the Church (Ephesians 5:23), sanctifying and cleansing it to present it spotless (Ephesians 5:26–27). It is that kind of love that a husband ought to have for his wife. As Christ has the welfare of the Church in mind, so should the Christian husband look after the welfare of his wife.”

This command is not limited to the husband-wife relationship. Rather, we read in 1 Peter 5:5: “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’”

Younger and older people are to submit to one another, which means, parents should look at the interests and needs of their children and, in that sense, treat them in certain circumstances as more important than their own desires and preferences. When we do this, we will be greatly rewarded by God, as, in the ultimate sense, our humility towards others reflects our humility towards God. Verse 6 says: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time…”

Jacob did not have, at first, the mind of Christ when he deceived his father Isaac to receive or “get” his blessing, but he later learned the bitter lesson that when selfish interests, ambitions and conceit rule us, it will backfire (As Jacob deceived Isaac one time to get his blessing, so he was deceived by his uncle Laban when he gave him Leah rather than Rachel as his wife, and when he deceived and changed Jacob’s wages “ten times”, Genesis 31:7 ). But later, Jacob was willing to share much of his flocks with his brother Esau.

The selfish rich farmer is another example of someone who did not care for others. His ground had yielded plentifully, but rather than sharing his rich harvest with others, he built more storage places and bigger barns for himself (Luke 12:16-21). But he died the same night, leaving his riches behind, while not being rich toward God (compare Matthew 6:19-21; see also Hebrews 13:16).

We might also think of the young man who was not willing to follow Christ as he was not ready to get rid of his great riches (which had become a “god” to him) and to give them to the poor (Matthew 19:16-22). Selfish greed prevented him at that time from developing the mind of Christ in his life. Nothing further is reported about that rich man, and we do not know whether he ever repented of his selfishness.

Considering these good and bad biblical examples, and there are many more, let us allow Christ to develop His mind in us by focusing not just on our own interests, but also on the interests of others. Romans 12:10 puts it quite succinctly: “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another…”

When we do this, we develop, emulate and acquire the mind of Christ (compare 1 Corinthians 2:16), while continuously applying Paul’s admonition in Romans 12:2: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

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Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

compiled by Dave Harris

“2022 in Prophecy,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary: 

What are the main developments which we should be watching in 2022 and beyond? What can we know about the USA and the UK? Which other countries, nations, and groups of nations are of great importance, and what does it all mean in the light of biblical prophecy? What are the main developments which we should be watching in 2022 and beyond? What can we know about the USA and the UK? Which other countries, nations, and groups of nations are of great importance, and what does it all mean in the light of biblical prophecy?

“In Demut andere höher achten” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “In humility esteeming others higher.”

“So wahr mir Gott helfe!”,the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Mike Richter, is now posted. Title in English: “So Help Me God!”

“Fear and Control,” a split-sermon presented last Sabbath by Frank Bruno, is now posted. Here is a summary:

This split-sermon will build on recent sermons and will discuss prevailing trends over decades that resulted in fear, a loss of freedom, and the growth of governmental systems and laws designed to control people. As believers in God the Almighty, we have learned that we can insulate ourselves from fear and control by drawing closer to God and His Son. We will review Scriptures that offer these lessons and can prepare us for what is to come.

“Stories of Friendship,” a split-sermon presented last Sabbath by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is a summary:

From the start when God created man, He highlighted the importance of friendship. What can we learn from the stories of friendship in the Bible?

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How This Work is Financed

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

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

Technical Team: Eric Rank, Shana Rank

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

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

Donations can be sent to the following addresses:

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

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

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

This Week in the News

Democracy in Peril Worldwide

Breitbart wrote on December 24:

“Several of the world’s free nations will greet the year 2022 under the immediate threat of conquest by authoritarian forces, either through military invasion or subversion from within.

“The best-known example is Taiwan, an outpost of free-market democracy under the perpetual threat of conquest by the hideous tyrants of China… Last week, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said it fears China could turn large-scale military exercises near Taiwan into a full-scale surprise attack, while simultaneously deploying naval forces to keep allies like the United States and Japan from coming to Taiwan’s assistance. Chinese officials and state media are increasingly belligerent about threatening to attack any military that attempts to defend Taiwan, including the U.S. military…

“Seizing Taiwan may appeal to Chinese leaders as a bold move that would destroy the credibility of the United States and Europe, frightening other Asian powers into China’s orbit because they can no longer rely on Western security guarantees. The death of democracy in Taiwan could threaten its survival in South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and elsewhere…

“And then again, democracy could conceivably topple in Taiwan without a military invasion. China invested considerable effort in subverting Taiwanese democracy and nourishing pro-Beijing opposition parties…

“Also living under the threat of invasion from the authoritarians next door is Ukraine. Russia now has over 90,000 troops massed along the Ukrainian border and Ukrainian intelligence believes they could invade by the end of January 2022… Relentless Russian propaganda portrays the Ukrainian government as an illegitimate puppet of foreign interests….

“In South America, there are troubling signs of anti-democratic leftist dictatorships on the rise. The odious regime of Nicolás Maduro appears securely in control of Venezuela, having vanquished a pro-democracy movement even as the national economy comes crashing down in socialist flames. International observers are nervously hoping the new leftist president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, does not follow in Maduro’s footsteps…

“Authoritarian powers like China and Iran are increasing their influence in Latin America, posing both a strategic challenge to the United States and an ideological threat to democracy…

“Democracy in other parts of the developing world is threatened by a string of military coups. The most horrific example is obviously Afghanistan, where the Taliban insurgency swept away the elected civilian government in a matter of days while the Biden administration fumbled through a disastrous withdrawal of American troops. Thanks to Biden’s reckless abandonment of American military equipment and weapons, the Taliban is now the best-armed junta in the world, with plenty of munitions to spare for sale to other anti-democratic forces.

“In Myanmar and Sudan, military juntas seized power… These juntas have survived intense pressure from human rights activists, democratic governments, and the United Nations.

“Libya, transformed into a gruesome wasteland of warlords and jihadis by Biden’s Democrat predecessor Barack Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is still struggling to hold a nationwide democratic election. Ten years after Obama’s invasion, Libya perpetually teeters on the edge of either disintegrating completely or becoming a military dictatorship…

“2022 will dawn with democracy in peril – not just from the vicious struggle to redefine it being waged across the Western world, but from numerous fragile democracies on the brink of external invasion or authoritarian revolution. 2021 was the year that saw freedom and autonomy die in Hong Kong. Representative government is on the chopping block in far too many other places.”

This analysis is, sadly, very real and true. Dictatorships will increase. There will be more and more wars and rumors of wars, as well as famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places, indicating the “beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8).

Close to Civil War

The Washington Post wrote on December 17:

“Barbara F. Walter, a political science professor at the University of California at San Diego, serves on a CIA advisory panel called the Political Instability Task Force that monitors countries around the world and predicts which of them are most at risk of deteriorating into violence…

“Her bottom line: ‘We are closer to civil war than any of us would like to believe… No one wants to believe that their beloved democracy is in decline, or headed toward war,’ she writes. But, ‘if you were an analyst in a foreign country looking at events in America — the same way you’d look at events in Ukraine or the Ivory Coast or Venezuela — you would go down a checklist, assessing each of the conditions that make civil war likely. And what you would find is that the United States, a democracy founded more than two centuries ago, has entered very dangerous territory.’…

“Walter writes that the United States is now an ‘anocracy,’ somewhere between a democracy and an autocratic state….”

Of course, as can be expected from the Washington Post, this decline of US democracy is blamed on Trump, without mentioning the ongoing autocratic dictatorial measures imposed by the Biden Administration.

2021 in Review

The Rutherford Institute wrote on December 27:

“A simmering pot of political tensions boiled over on January 6, 2021, when protesters stormed the Capitol… It took no time at all for the nation’s capital to be placed under a military lockdown, online speech forums restricted… The subsequent  military occupation of the nation’s capital by 25,000 troops as part of the so-called ‘peaceful’ transfer of power from one administration to the next was little more than martial law disguised as national security

“On any given day, the average American going about his daily business was monitored, surveilled, spied on and tracked in more than 20 different ways, by both government and corporate eyes and ears… In response to the events of Jan. 6, the tech giants meted out their own version of social justice by way of digital tyranny and corporate censorship… ‘Domestic terrorism’ became the new poster child for expanding the government’s powers at the expense of civil liberties…  the ramifications… are so far-reaching as to render almost every American an extremist in word, deed, thought or by association.

“Political correctness gave way to a more insidious form of group think and mob rule which, coupled with government and corporate censors and a cancel culture determined not to offend ‘certain’ viewpoints, was all too willing to eradicate views that do not conform. Critical race theory also moved to the forefront of the culture wars…

“Government agents routinely violated the Fourth Amendment at will [by invading homes] under the pretext of public health and safety…

“Caught in the crosshairs of a showdown between the rights of the individual and the so-called ‘emergency’ state, concerns about COVID-19 mandates and bodily integrity remained part of a much larger debate over the ongoing power struggle between the citizenry and the government over our property ‘interest’ in our bodies. This debate over bodily integrity covered broad territory, ranging from abortion and forced vaccinations to biometric surveillance and basic healthcare…

“What started out as an apparent effort to prevent a novel coronavirus from sickening the nation (and the world) became yet another means by which world governments (including our own) expanded their powers, abused their authority, and further oppressed their constituents.

The national debt exceeded $29 trillion. Meanwhile, the government continued to spend taxpayer money it didn’t have on programs it couldn’t afford; businesses shuttered for lack of customers, resources and employees; and consumers continued to encounter global supply chain shortages (and skyrocketing prices) on everything from computer chips and cars to construction materials…

Owing in large part to the government’s deep-seated and, in many cases, top-secret alliances with foreign nations and global corporations, the US entered into a new world order—a global world order—made up of international government agencies and corporations. Fascism became a global menace…

“Every crisis—manufactured or otherwise—since the nation’s early beginnings has become a make-work opportunity for the government to expand its reach and its power at taxpayer expense while limiting our freedoms at every turn: The Great Depression. The World Wars. The 9/11 terror attacks. The COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, the government’s (mis)management of various states of emergency in the past 20 years from 9/11 to COVID-19 has spawned a massive security-industrial complex the likes of which have never been seen before….

There may have been a new guy [Biden] in charge this year, but for the most part, nothing changed. The nation remained politically polarized, controlled by forces beyond the purview of the average American, and rapidly moving the nation away from its freedom foundation. Over the past year, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans found themselves repeatedly subjected to egregious civil liberties violations, invasive surveillance, martial law, lockdowns, political correctness, erosions of free speech, strip searches, police shootings of unarmed citizens, government spying, the criminalization of lawful activities, warmongering, etc….”

Sadly, this synopsis does point out convincingly our decline in democracy, freedom and liberties.

More on Russia and Ukraine

The Week wrote on December 22:

“Before this week, I’d never heard of Dmitri Alperovitch or Silverado Policy Accelerator, the nonprofit think tank for which he is co-founder and chair. But Alperovitch is on my radar now, thanks to a viral tweet thread about Russia’s intentions in Ukraine that is at once smart, highly informed, and chilling.

“Alperovitch’s core assertion is simple: The Kremlin has already ‘made a decision to invade Ukraine later this winter.’ The evidence he marshals in defense of this claim is overwhelming. Alperovitch points to Russia’s massive troop deployment to the Ukraine border, increased acts of cyber intrusion into Ukraine, the issuing of diplomatic ultimatums and public demands that would be extremely difficult to walk back, and several other recent moves on Russia’s part.

“He then pivots to listing the reasons he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided on this bellicose course of action. These range from internal conflicts within Ukraine that threaten Russian interests to longstanding concerns about NATO expansion into Russia’s near abroad [sic], which the Kremlin considers a serious danger, to the waning effectiveness of economic sanctions from the West as a deterrent. All of it builds to a prediction: Putin ‘is unlikely to invade western Ukraine but can relatively easily split the country in half along the Dnieper [River] and establish a permanent buffer zone between Europe and Russia, as well as a land bridge to Crimea.’

“Since we’re making predictions, I’ll propose my own: If Alperovitch is right and Putin launches an invasion of Ukraine, the United States and NATO will raise rhetorical hell about it from Washington and Brussels, but they will do nothing to stop it militarily. And that, as Alperovitch points out, ‘would put a permanent end to all talk of Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus, or any Central Asian states of ever joining NATO.’

“… a Russian invasion of Ukraine would propel the United States and the world into an era of geopolitical risk unlike any we’ve seen in several decades. And if Alperovitch is correct, that era may be poised to begin in a matter of weeks.”

Deutsche Welle reported on December 26:

“Russia announced on Saturday that 10,000 troops had finished month-long military drills near Ukraine and would be returning to their permanent bases.”

Whether this is even true and whether, if true, this is only another ploy by Putin to calm the West a little while secretly planning an invasion will have to be seen. In any event, the Bible prophesies that Russia and Ukraine will “unite” in some way and ultimately fight against a mighty European power bloc .

Russia’s Ambitions in the Balkans

Foreign Affairs wrote on December 27:

“This year marks the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the Yugoslav wars, Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II…. Now Russian President Vladimir Putin is seizing his opportunity and using the former Yugoslav states as the next battlefield to weaken NATO and the European Union.

“Russia’s goal in the Balkans is to ramp up tensions so that it can position itself as the sole regional mediator and security guarantor. It simultaneously aims to demonstrate that neither NATO, the EU, nor their members are credible partners for any of the Balkan countries. As Moscow also continues its military buildup near the Ukrainian border, its influence campaign in the Balkans serves as another theater to challenge the West.

“Russia’s efforts have been helped immeasurably by the EU’s weak response. Despite the many years and billions of euros spent preparing the Balkans for EU integration, the effort has stalled. Western Europe was asleep at the wheel the last time war broke out in the Balkans—the stakes are too high for it to ignore the region this time around.”

Europeans “Need” for their  Army

Arab News wrote on December 24:

“The EU is once again at a crossroads that requires bold decisions, in the face of severe cracks from within and relentless external challenges…

“One of the recurring ideas that surfaces among European leaders… is the establishment [of] an independent military force [and] that in international affairs it is no longer enough to concentrate on economic and soft power while relying for hard power on NATO, as that organization does not necessarily provide the answers to an increasingly polarized and conflictual international arena…

“The messy withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan in August has sent a clear message to EU strategists that it is necessary to lead from the front whenever European interests and values do not coincide with those of friends and foes alike….

“One of the EU’s more immediately pressing vulnerabilities was exposed by the deliberate mayhem instigated by Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of President Putin, in orchestrating border crossings by refugees who had been residing in his country into Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. This was retaliation for sanctions imposed on Belarus for its brutal crackdown on opposition activists protesting against Lukashenko’s highly questionable electoral victory last year. The EU’s lack of capacity to adequately respond to this type of cynical, hybrid act of aggression was revealing — and this at a time when Russia has been deploying its troops close to its border with Ukraine in a menacing fashion that leaves little room for doubt about Moscow’s true intentions…

“Ursula von der Leyen, the current European Commission president and a former German defense minister, is one high-profile proponent of the idea of an EU military force. In her State of the Union address in September she emphasized the need to reflect on how the mission in Afghanistan had ended so abruptly, in what was a coded criticism of the US and NATO… For her, it is about recognizing that Europe’s geopolitical vulnerabilities demand that it must itself be prepared to help deal with overseas crises, otherwise it will end up having to deal with such crises on its own soil…”

Ultimately, both will happen, but first, a European army will be established soon at the time when we observe the unification of ten European core nations, including, in all likelihood, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, France, Italy, Spain and others.  

Germany’s Fourth Reich?

The Guardian wrote on December 24:

“The head of Poland’s ruling party, Jarosław Kaczyński, has said Germany is trying to turn the EU into a federal ‘German fourth reich’… the head of the Law and Justice party (PiS) said some countries ‘are not enthusiastic at the prospect of a German fourth reich being built on the basis of the EU’…  Kaczyński is also a deputy prime minister. He added that the European court of justice was being used as an ‘instrument’ for federalist ideas.

“… The EU this week said it was launching legal action against Poland for ignoring EU law and undermining judicial independence. Poland has accused the bloc of ‘bureaucratic centralism’.

“During a visit to Warsaw by the new German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, this month, the prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said the current Berlin government’s support for EU federalism was ‘utopian and therefore dangerous.’”

Whatever expressions are being used, current developments and biblical prophecy show that Germany and a leader of German or Austrian descent will indeed lead a united Europe under ten nations or groups of nations, and this emerging power bloc will by no means be democratic and freedom-loving. The paradox is that in all likelihood, Poland will be part of that authoritarian and dictatorial beast power.

Kurz Becoming a Global Strategist?

Bloomberg wrote on December30:

“Billionaire Peter Thiel’s investment firm is tapping former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to become a global strategist. Kurz, who resigned under a cloud of controversy in October and remains under investigation for corruption, is set to start his new role at Thiel Capital LLC in the first three months of 2022, he told the Heute newspaper.

“The appointment comes amid multiple criminal probes into Kurz and his inner circle over allegations that he used taxpayer money to plant fabricated public-opinion polls in newspapers to help build his career. He completely withdrew from politics earlier this month, setting off another change in power. Kurz has denied wrongdoing.

“Kurz long cultivated connections to Thiel, a conservative power broker. The German-born venture capitalist — one of the first investors in Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook — has supported Republican candidates in the U.S. and endorsed Donald Trump. Kurz, 35, is looking to move beyond a blitz career in politics that made him the youngest head of government in Europe. He was touted as a pioneer of populist conservative politics on the continent before his downfall.”

“UK and the EU Set to Remain Best of Enemies”

The Guardian wrote on December 25:

“The year 2021 has been marked by a remarkable level of petulance in the UK-EU relationship. The unfortunate reality is that 2022 doesn’t offer much hope of redemption.

“France will hold the rolling presidency of the EU for the first six months, during which Emmanuel Macron will have an election campaign to fight and win against the centre and far-right. Boris Johnson is on his uppers, with a large and vocal wing of the Conservative party frothing over Covid restrictions and a lack of Brexit dividend.

“It is quite hard to imagine a less favourable context for relations to be patched up and mature conversations to be had… New German chancellor Olaf Scholz attended his first EU summit just a week ago, but it is yet to be seen whether a date with the British prime minister is even in the diary…”

The relationship between the UK and continental Europe will not improve.

Kamala Harris: Our Democracy Biggest Threat to National Security

The New York Post wrote on December 25:

“During the interview on CBS News ‘Face the Nation,’ host Margaret Brennan asked her about the one national security threat that keeps her up at night worrying. ​‘​Frankly, one of them is our democracy. There is,​ I think, no question in the minds of people who are foreign policy experts that the year 2021 is not the year 2000​,’ she said…

“Later in the interview, she clarified her earlier comment, saying there is a need to ‘fight for the integrity of our democracy.’”

In light of the desired move of the Biden Administration to replace our democracy with a dictatorship—something which Trump admittedly would also have liked to do—note that Christ said this: “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).

The article continued:

“Harris also refused to take any responsibility for the debacle surrounding the US military pullout from Afghanistan in August, instead blaming the Trump administration for inking an agreement with the Taliban…”

She said this: ““I strongly believe that had we broken that agreement, we would be talking about the war in Afghanistan and American troops in Afghanistan, and we’re not talking about that. I don’t regret that…”

No, but we are talking about the unprotected tens of thousands of people whom Biden had left behind, not to mention valuable and sophisticated American equipment and armory,  and the terrible atrocities of the Taliban being committed to the women of Afghanistan. Kamala Harris seems to be living in a dream world… and it‘s a dangerous one.

Fauci’s Method of Coercion

Fox News wrote on December 27:

“Fauci said that taking masks off while on an airplane is ‘not something we should even be considering.’… ‘A vaccine requirement for a person getting on the plane is just another level of getting people to have a mechanism that would spur them to get vaccinated; namely, you can’t get on a plane unless you’re vaccinated, which is just another one of the ways of getting requirements, whatever that might be,’ Fauci said. ‘So I mean, anything that could get people more vaccinated would be welcome…”

He is continuing to show his true colors, but many Americans are sound asleep, without recognizing the real danger of his ideas.

Trump’s Push for Vaccines

The Washington Post wrote on December 23:

“In August, Trump called extra vaccine doses a ‘moneymaking operation,’ and in September he said that he ‘probably’ would not get a booster. He also did not make public that he had received his first two doses during his presidency. But this week he became a vocal advocate for the shots — while maintaining an opposition to vaccine mandates.

“On Sunday, during an event with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, Trump revealed to a crowd of supporters that he had gotten a booster shot. He was immediately booed, but the former president told his supporters to knock it off. ‘Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t,’ Trump scolded, waving his hand dismissively. ‘If you don’t want to take it, you shouldn’t be forced to take it — no mandates,’ Trump said. ‘But take credit, because we saved tens of millions of lives.’

“Then, during an interview published Wednesday by the Daily Wire, Trump told conservative commentator Candace Owens that the coronavirus vaccines are ‘one of the greatest achievements of mankind.’ Owens tried to cast doubt on this, saying that ‘more people have died’ since the vaccines became available and calling their efficacy into question. Trump interrupted her. ‘Oh no, the vaccines work,’ Trump told her. ‘The ones who get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don’t take the vaccine. But it’s still their choice. And if you take the vaccine, you’re protected.’

“He told Owens he takes credit for the ‘incredible speed’ with which the vaccines were developed, and he said that ‘people aren’t dying when they take the vaccine.’

“On Monday, O’Reilly said during an interview with NewsNation that the reason Trump had not discussed his booster status before was that he was afraid of alienating his anti-vaccine supporters. O’Reilly said he reassured Trump of his pro-vaccine views ahead of the event, telling him that the fact that vaccines were developed during his presidency should be part of his pitch to voters

“Trump, however, told Fox News on Tuesday evening that it is tough for him to be ‘overly critical’ of Biden after the president praised his administration for the vaccines’ rollout. Earlier that day, Biden credited Trump with spurring the development of the vaccines, a day after the former president revealed he had gotten a booster… ‘I think he did something very good,’ Trump added. ‘It has to be a process of healing in this country, and that will help a lot.’…

“Still, the former president’s promotion of the shots puts him at odds with a large portion of his base. The widest divide in vaccination rates in the United States is between Democrats and Republicans. Polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation has found that, for every unvaccinated Democrat or Democratic-leaning independent, there are about three unvaccinated Republicans or Republican-leaning independents. Even among those who have already been vaccinated, Republicans are less likely to say they will get a booster…”

Many of Trump’s comments about the effectiveness of “his” vaccines, as underlined in the article above, are demonstrably false or misleading. O’Reilly, no stranger to controversy, also reported that Trump was hurt by the disapproval from the crowd regarding his vaccination push, but that he consoled and encouraged Trump to continue his pitch to voters (compare the Daily Beast, dated December 21). O’Reilly also said that Trump will “definitely run in 2024.” O’ Reilly, who was fired in April of 2017 from Fox News for alleged sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior, may turn out to be one of Trump’s extremely bad counselors [as Dr. Fauci had turned out to be]. Many wrote on Breitbart that they had supported Trump in the past, but now, they have had it with him.

In any event, it makes no difference as to who is leading the USA, as the prophesied downfall of the USA is inevitable. This is because of the abominable sins of the nation, from the top down, while there is absolutely no sign of sincere and deep repentance of the people and their leaders.

Far Right against Trump

Mediaite wrote on December 26:

“Far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones lit into former President Donald Trump on Saturday for his recent statements supporting the Covid-19 vaccinations.

“‘This is an emergency Christmas Day warning to President Trump,’ Jones said… ‘You are either completely ignorant about the so-called vaccine gene therapy you helped ram through with Operation Warp Speed, or you are the most evil man who has ever lived to push this toxic poison on the public and to attack your constituents when they simply try to save their lives and the lives of others… What you told Candace Owens is nothing but a raft of dirty lies,’ Jones added…

“Trump has angered many on the far-right with his recent comments on the vaccines…”

Trump can’t afford to lose the votes of the “far right.”

Hypocrisy of Trump Hotels

The Week wrote on December 24:

“The Trump Grill, located inside Trump Tower in New York City, refused to allow a group of vaccine mandate protesters to eat at the restaurant on Thursday after they failed to provide proof of vaccination…

“While Trump has come around on promoting the COVID-19 vaccines, he’s maintained that ‘there can’t be mandates and all those things.’ As he further put it to Fox News this week, ‘The mandate will destroy people’s lives — it destroys people’s lives, just as the vaccine saves people.’

“Trump Hotels, however, says on its website that its Manhattan location requires proof of vaccination ‘in accordance with the most recent local government mandate.’”

The Sun added on December 25:

“‘We came to Trump Tower because we thought Donald Trump was supposed to be for America, he said he’s against vaccine mandates,’ one unmasked protester said. ‘I thought as a man, who’s for America, he would stand up, pay a $1,000 fine, and let us eat freely – you know the man’s a billionaire, he can afford a $1,000 fine. It would make him look good. But instead, he’s had his people not serve us and it just exposed him as a fraud,’ the anti-vaxxer said. ‘All talk but no action.’…

“‘Prove to us that we are a threat,’ one protester said to the cop, while another said: ‘The burden of proof is on them because they are assuming that we are a threat because we don’t have a vaccine. Well, prove to me that we are a threat.’ The cop explained that Trump Grill didn’t have to prove anything to the protesters.”

So, it appears that the restaurant even called the police. However one views it, Trump’s position in this matter, which is viewed by some of his supporters as clearly hypocritical, becomes more and more controversial and problematic for him.

Biden’s Approval Rating Really Bad… but not as Bad as Trump’s was

Fox News wrote on December 27:

“Biden’s approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House. But the president’s numbers started sagging in August… There is a slight uptick in some of the most recent surveys. Biden stood at 47% approval and 51% disapproval in the latest FOX Business poll, 48%-52% in the most recent CNN survey and slightly back above water at 48%-46% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll. But his average heading into the end of his first year in the White House is nothing to brag about.

“The approval rating is a key indicator of a president’s political strength nationwide and… [it] has also long been a much-watched indicator ahead of the midterm elections, and Biden’s flagging numbers could spell major trouble for the Democrats as they try to hold on to their razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate in the 2022 elections…

“Biden’s numbers lag behind recent predecessors at this point in their presidencies. Former President George W. Bush stood at 84%-12% [sic] in late December 2001, with his numbers skyrocketing as the country rallied around the government in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton stood at 50%-45% and 54%-40%, respectively, at the end of their first years in office. The only recent president whose poll numbers were worse than Biden’s at this point during a White House tenure was Donald Trump, who stood at 39%-56% as 2017 was coming to a close.

“The Democrats suffered disastrous midterm elections in 1994 under Clinton and in 2010 under Obama, but both Democratic presidents rebounded and won reelection two years later. House Republicans were shellacked in the 2018 midterms during Trump’s presidency, losing their eight-year-long majority in the chamber…”

Police Officers too Quick to Fire?

The LA Times Newsletter reported on December 27:

“… the Los Angeles Police Department killed a 14-year-old girl at a Burlington clothing store in North Hollywood last week, only a few days before Christmas… The teenager was in a fitting room with her mother trying on dresses for a quinceañera…  Officers were responding to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon at the store. When they arrived, authorities encountered a man they said was assaulting someone, and they opened fire, according to the LAPD. It was not immediately clear what prompted the officers to shoot.

“The man was taken into custody and died at the scene, a spokesperson for the department said. When officers fired their weapons, their gunfire penetrated a wall, which killed the girl in the dressing room. Authorities said that they found a metal cable next to the suspect whom officers were confronting, but that no gun was recovered.

“The case has caused an uproar, with many citing the shooting as the latest example of officers being too quick to draw and fire their weapons…”

In the Millennium, such tragedies won’t occur, as there will not be any police officers with weapons shooting at people…

Canada’s Privacy Intrusion

The New York Post wrote on December 25:

“Canada’s federal government admitted to secretly surveilling its population’s movements during the COVID-19 lockdown by tracking 33 million phones… Canada’s entire population totals 38 million

“‘Evidence is coming in from many sources, from countries around the world, that what was seen as a huge surveillance surge — post 9/11 — is now completely upstaged by pandemic surveillance,’ David Lyon [said], author of ‘Pandemic Surveillance’ and the former director of the Surveillance Studies Centre at Queen’s University in Ontario…

It can indeed be assumed that the governments of other “democratic” countries engage in the same kind of abominable “Orwellian” conduct.

Israeli Airstrike Sets Port in Syria Ablaze

The Guardian wrote on December 28:

“An Israeli airstrike hit Syria’s Latakia port before dawn on Tuesday, sparking a fire that lit up the Mediterranean seafront in the second such attack on the cargo hub this month, Syrian state media reported. Since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war in 2011, Israel has routinely carried out airstrikes on its neighbour, mostly targeting Syrian government troops as well as allied Iran-backed forces and Hezbollah fighters. But it is only the second time it has hit Latakia port, in the heartland of President Bashar al-Assad’s minority Alawite community…

“Pictures released by Sana showed firefighters hosing stacks of blazing containers that lit up the night sky… the British-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the cargo was ‘arms and munitions’ that had detonated in ‘powerful explosions that were felt across the city of Latakia and its suburbs’… The Syrian government’s other major ally [in addition to Iran], Russia, operates a naval base in the port of Tartus, 53 miles (85km) to the south.

“So far this year, Israel has targeted Syria nearly 30 times, killing 130 people including five civilians and 125 loyalist fighters… On 7 December it carried out a strike targeting an Iranian arms shipment in Latakia, its first on the port since the start of the civil war… According to a report by the Israeli army, it hit about 50 targets in Syria in 2020.

“In the deadliest operation since the strikes began, Israel killed 57 government troops and allied fighters in eastern Syria in January this year. The Israeli military has defended the strikes as a necessary measure to prevent its arch-foe Iran from gaining a foothold on its doorstep… In a shadow war, Israel has targeted suspected Iranian military facilities in Syria and mounted a sabotage campaign against Iran’s nuclear programme.

Iran has been a key supporter of the Syrian government in the decade-old conflict. It finances, arms and commands a number of Syrian and foreign militia groups fighting alongside the regular armed forces, chief among them Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah. The conflict in Syria has killed nearly 500,000 people since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of peaceful demonstrations.”

The violent controversy between Israel and Iran will continue….

Bird Flu in Israel

The Times of Israel wrote on December 27:

“Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with security officials on Monday to discuss an epidemic of bird flu that has killed vast numbers of wild and domestic fowl in Israel in recent days… The Agriculture Ministry is culling hundreds of thousands of birds [mainly chickens and turkeys], in an attempt to stem the spread of the disease in animals and ‘prevent the infection of the human population,’ the statement said…

“Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg called the outbreak ‘the worst blow to wildlife in the country’s history.’”

Israel 365 added on December 27:

“On Sunday, avian experts from the Nature and Parks Authority counted some 5,000 cranes at the Hula Lake Reserve in the Jezreel Valley in the north of Israel that had died from an outbreak of the  H5N1 virus, known as the avian flu. Another 250 dead cranes were seen in the Hula Valley outside of the reserve, and a further 30 were documented elsewhere, mainly in the Jezreel Valley. “

More Nonsense—Contacting Aliens

Newsmax wrote on December 26:

“NASA is reportedly hiring two dozen theologians to take part in a program at Princeton University to assess how humans will react if alien life is found on other planets, and how that would impact ideas about creation and God.

“In 2008, the Vatican’s chief astronomer said there is no conflict between believing in God and in the possibility of ‘extraterrestrial brothers’ perhaps more evolved than humans…

“Jose Gabriel Funes, who heads the Vatican Observatory… told the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano in an interview last week… ‘How can we exclude that life has developed elsewhere,’… explaining the large number of galaxies with their own planets made this possible.”

Of course, if one believes in the ungodly and blasphemous fairy tale of evolution, then everything seems to be possible. But all of this keeps the false notion in place that there are aliens on other planets, not realizing that UFO “sightings” do not prove the existence of extraterrestrial aliens, but they could be fraudulent; simply natural phenomena; or, most likely, part of Satan’s attempts to deceive mankind in preparation for his fight against the returning “alien” Jesus Christ. Note the next article.

The Guardian wrote on December 26:

“From mysterious discs over Slemish Mountain in County Antrim to strange images spotted on CCTV, unexplained sightings increased in Northern Ireland again last year.

UFO sighting reports… include unidentified flying objects (UFOs); aerial phenomena; unidentified aerial phenomena; lights in the sky; and aliens and extraterrestrials.

“Nick Pope, who used to investigate reports of UFO sightings for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), said… he believed the true number of sightings was much higher.”

We can expect that more and more of these “sightings,” “encounters” and “experiences” will be reported as we are nearing the time of the Great Tribulation and Christ’s Second Coming. Compare  Luke 21:11.

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.

Lasting Impressions / To Judge or Not to Judge?

On January 1, 2022, Michael Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Lasting Impressions,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “To Judge or Not to Judge?”

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.

Fear & Control / Stories of Friendship

On December 25, 2021, Frank Bruno will present the first split-sermon, titled “Fear & Control,” and Eric Rank will present the second split-sermon, titled, “Stories of Friendship.”

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

This Week in the News

Christians Refuse to Celebrate Christmas

Israel 365 wrote on December 20:

“It’s time to explain why many of Jesus’ followers stop celebrating Christmas. It’s done out of a deep desire to respect Jesus and God’s Word. No longer celebrating Christmas can be easily misunderstood and challenging for one’s family, relatives, and congregation. It is usually perceived as if one is no longer celebrating the birth of Jesus, his life and God’s great gift to the world. With this in mind, why are more and more of Jesus’ followers giving up Christmas celebrations?

“The reason that many stop celebrating Christmas, is not that they try to minimize the Son of God. Rather, they do it out of respect for him. To understand this question, some background history is needed… A clear and concise source for the history of Christmas is bibelfragan.com (The Bible Question):..

“‘During the first 300 years of the history of the Christian Church, no one celebrated the birth of Jesus whatsoever. The reason was primarily threefold: Firstly, the date for the birth of Jesus is not given anywhere in the Bible. Secondly, in the Bible, only wicked people celebrated their birthdays. Thirdly, in the pagan Roman Empire (which was occupying Israel at the time of the beginning of the Church) there was a common tradition to celebrate the birthdays of the pagan gods.

“‘… In Rome, the great god was called Saturn. In the middle of the winter, there was a long celebration held in his honor. This feast was called ‘Saturnalia’ and lasted from December 17–24. It was a feast when one ate and drank, gathered friends together, and gave gifts to one another. December 25th was the last and greatest day of Saturnalia.

“‘During the first 300 years of the Roman Empire, sun worship had begun to spread from the East—from Syria and Persia—and reached large parts of the Empire. Already in ancient Babylon, people had worshiped the sun. One of the highest deities among the Babylonians was the sun god Shamash. The most important day in the solar religion was the day when the sun was ‘born’ again and rose in the heavens, after it had been sinking closer to the horizon and the days had become shorter and shorter in the fall and early winter. When the winter solstice occurred on December 25, it was celebrated with a great feast.

“‘Eastern philosophers and mystics preached about the divine nature of the sun and immigrants from the East brought their faith to the West. This resulted in the solar religion getting ever more followers in the Roman Empire. Then it happened that a Roman emperor won a great military victory after praying to the sun god for victory. As a thank you, he elevated the ‘Invincible Sun’ (Sol Invictus) above all the other gods of Rome. In the year 273 CE, he had a magnificent temple built for the sun. This temple was dedicated on the birthday of the sun—December 25.

“‘Barely 50 years later, the Roman emperor Constantine became an adherent of the Christian doctrine. He was a former sun worshipper and the new religion presented a problem. What should he do with the annual festival for the sun? To begin with, the Church tried to have him ban the sun religion and its December festival, but he refused. If he banned the popular feast, conflicts could arise between the followers of the different religions. Finally, a compromise was made. December 25 was the winter solstice, the day when the sun was born again. Why not transfer the worship of the masses from the sun god to the “sun of righteousness,” “the light of the world”—Christ?… If one “Christianized” the festival of the sun god, by instead celebrating the birth of Jesus on that day, perhaps conflict could be avoided. In addition, many people would automatically join the new religion.

“‘Consequently, the Romans were allowed to continue celebrating the large feast on December 25, but the sun god was removed and Christ was put there instead. And, once Rome had accepted December 25 as the “birthday” of Jesus, there was no difficulty for the feast to spread to the rest of the Roman Empire.

“‘In Constantinople, they started to celebrate Christmas year 380 CE; in Asia Minor, year 382; in Egypt, around year 430; and in Jerusalem, around year 440. This spread up through Europe, where the “sun-turning feast” had been celebrated since ancient times in most of the countries. Also, in the far North, something called “Jul” [still the Swedish name for Christmas today], a midwinter feast was celebrated. The word jul some claim comes from the Anglo-Saxon hweol which means “wheel,” symbolic of the divine sun and its path around the earth… When Christianity arrived, the ancient northern “Jul” was Christianized and ever since then we have continued to celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25…’

“There is another aspect to the story as well. The church adopted the holiday within a larger paradigm shift, a process of intentionally cutting itself off from its Jewish roots and God’s own calendar, in order to establish a separate identity and gain cultural influence in Rome. The majority of today’s Christians are probably unaware of this history. Some, who do know it, feel that the pagan origin of Christmas is something in the past and of no current significance. They feel that the history might be unfortunate, or that the Church did right in Christianizing the feast, but maintain that Christians who celebrate Christmas do not worship idols, but simply celebrate Jesus and spend quality time with family.

“… many… see the nature of Christmas as ultimately irreconcilable with Biblical faith for several serious reasons. It is primarily because Scripture teaches strongly against such syncretism, i.e. to ‘Christianize,’ or appropriate, pagan rites (see for instance Deut. 12:1–5, 30–31)… It is a question, not about how we feel about the subject, but about how God feels about it, and what He has said in His Word… The pagan elements of Christmas are far from absent… nearly every Christmas custom has pagan roots… the dark principalities that once were worshipped through the holiday are still a reality in our world…”

But those who do not WANT to know will not care… Please read our free booklet “Don’t Keep Christmas,” and note our two-part series on Christmas celebrations in this and the previous Q&A. Also view our new StandingWatch program in this regard, titled,“Why Won’t Some Christians Keep Christmas this Year?”.

Biden tested on China, Russia and Iran

Newsmax wrote on December 17:

“There is ‘every indication’ that Russian President Putin and China’s leader Xi Jinping are coordinating their strategies ‘more closely than ever before,’ and that puts the United States in a ‘crisis situation,’ former ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said… Bolton said he believes Putin is sensing weakness in President Joe Biden, and that leaves the United States ‘vulnerable.’

“Meanwhile, Russia is laying demands for a sweeping new security deal with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including a written agreement that the alliance won’t expand east to Russia, and Bolton said he thinks that the move is another way Putin and Moscow are testing Biden’s administration. ‘I think this is a real test for NATO. This is something that the Biden administration will be judged for. If it gives up on this point it will be a terrible signal not just to Russia but China and our other adversaries around the world.’…

“The former ambassador has also recently written that he believes Biden is losing the contest of wills with Iran over nuclear weapons… Bolton said he’s worried that Biden is so determined to revive the [Iran] deal, which was struck while he was vice president under President Barack Obama, that he will make ‘very dangerous concessions’ that will cause problems for the United States, Israel, and other allies in the Middle East.”

So far, Biden has failed just about every test.

Russian-Chinese Financial Collaboration

The Russian government’s controlled RT wrote on September 15:

“Both Russia and China are said to be increasingly looking to move away from using the US dollar as the main currency of international trade, instead using their own denominations to underpin the booming volume of Moscow-Beijing trade.

“Russia and China will develop shared financial structures to enable them to deepen economic ties in a way that foreign states will be unable to influence, the Kremlin has announced following talks between the countries’ leaders.”

Russia’s Demands and Military Threats

The Moscow Times reported on December 20:

“Russia demands immediate talks with the United States on security guarantees from NATO… while President Vladimir Putin’s chief arms control negotiator warned of a ‘military response’ if the alliance continues to step on Moscow’s ‘sore spots.’…

“In its list of demands published Friday, Russia demanded that the U.S. not establish any new military bases in ex-Soviet countries and that NATO guarantee to block these states’ future memberships. Russia also wants NATO to abandon all military activities in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus region and Central Asia. Additionally, Russia wants NATO to pledge not to deploy troops in former-communist member states Poland, the Czech Republic and the Baltics without Moscow’s consent.”

The article also pointed out:

“The United States has responded to Russia’s demands… that it would not negotiate without input from Europe. The EU has rejected Russia’s bid to block Ukraine’s NATO ambitions. European officials have in recent days signaled a willingness to negotiate with Moscow, however. ‘We need to solve the current tensions on the diplomatic level,’ the Financial Times quoted Germany’s new defense minister Christine Lambrecht as saying.”

Will Germany Confront Russia?

The Week wrote on December 17:

“Germany has long had a Russia problem. Even before their unification under the Hohenzollerns in 1870, German principalities struggled to deal with their giant neighbor to the east. In 1863, at the beginning of his long stint in power, the legendary statesman Otto von Bismarck quipped, ‘The secret of politics? Make a good treaty with Russia.’ But despite interludes of stability, Germany hasn’t quite figured out how to make its agreements, both formal and informal, stick.

“Now, time may be running out…  Germany may hope to muddle through, neither conceding the former Soviet sphere of influence to Russia nor imposing painful economic and perhaps military consequences. But Putin’s ambitions won’t let them avoid the choice forever. As with his predecessor Angela Merkel, Scholz’s ambivalence about Russia follows domestic opinion…  Germans overwhelmingly want more co-operative relations between Berlin and Moscow. At the same time, Russian provocations have grown harder to ignore. Beyond the Ukraine situation, Germans were outraged by Russian agents’ 2019 murder of a former Chechen fighter in Berlin. Just this week, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced the expulsion of two Russian diplomats as punishment for that offense.

“Despite their hopes for a middle way, Scholz and the German public need to decide what they’re willing to tolerate from Russia — and what they can hope to prevent… Russia looms larger in the German mind than most Americans realize… the German and Russian economies are also closely linked… [Russia] is an important market for German exports and major supplier of energy. That’s why Scholz was silent about the planned Nordstream II pipeline in his speech on Monday… [In] 2014, Merkel sharply condemned the Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The problem is that nothing much has [followed.] Like Merkel, Scholz has expressed his opposition to Russian encroachment on Ukraine as a matter of principle. What he hasn’t done is spell out the consequences he’s willing to impose…

“To be fair, the coercive measures at Scholz’s disposal are limited… Germany and its partners can’t expect much military help from the United States, either as the Biden administration has made clear we won’t fight for Ukraine. Nor could we, realistically… With the American presence in Europe receding… Berlin enjoys more flexibility in choosing its Russia policy than at any time since the end of World War II. Doing so, however, requires a clarity about its goals, resources, and principles… In seeking inspiration for a new Ostpolitik, Scholz could do worse than asking what Bismarck would do. But Olaf Scholz is no Bismarck.”

He certainly is no “Bismarck,” who was also called the “Iron Chancellor.” Not much can be expected from Scholz and his new government when it comes to opposing Russia. It will require a strong leader of German or Austrian descent who will do just that… but with terrible and disastrous consequences. Scholz is not that leader.

Friedrich Merz new CDU Party-Chief

AFP and The Local wrote on December 17:

“Friedrich Merz, a die-hard opponent of Angela Merkel within Germany’s conservative CDU, was elected party chief on Friday, marking a new direction after its disastrous defeat in September’s election.

“Merz, a 66-year-old member of the Bundestag and former MEP… [walked] away with 62.1 percent of the vote share. Merz will replace Merkel ally Armin Laschet, who was forced to announce his resignation after leading the CDU-CSU bloc to its worst-ever result in the September general election.

“… the election of Merz marks a decisive shift away from the cautious, centre-leaning politics of the Merkel era. As a staunch right-winger, he was one of 130 conservative MPs to vote against repealing a law change to make rape in marriage a criminal offence in 1997. He has also been a vocal opponent of a proposed wealth tax to off-set the impact of the Covid crisis on the poorest in society…

“A millionaire and corporate lawyer by trade, Merz had previously been pushed out of politics altogether by a power struggle with Merkel in the 2000s before returning when she resigned as head of the CDU in 2018. He has since lost out twice in his quest to become party leader, beaten in both cases by candidates preferring a more centrist course and continuity with the Merkel era.”

Bild Online commented on December 17 that Merz’ victory is at the same time an expression of disapproval for Merkel, and that with Merz, Chancellor Olaf Scholz will face the strongest and persistent leader of the opposition. The paper also opinionated that the role of Chancellor may now be in reach for Merz. In his first interview with Bild Online after his election as CDU Party Chief, Merz stated that new Health Minister Lauterbach (SPD) is prone to very strong exaggerations (“sehr starke Übertreibungen”).  

Germany’s Persecution of Christians

The Daily Mail wrote on December 17:

“Hate crimes targeting Christians in Germany have nearly trebled in a year amid a wave of religious discrimination across Europe… Overall, hate crime in Germany rose by 19 per cent last year. .. On Germany, the [Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance against Christians in Europe] OIDAC report says: ‘Freedom of expression has been limited in Germany when it comes to discussions about gender, marriage, bioethics, and sexuality.’…

“A study by Matthias Revers and Richard Traunmüller at the Goethe University Frankfurt found that a third of German students are in favour of banning controversial books from the student library. Meanwhile between a third and a half of university students would not allow a controversial speaker on campus.

“Gynaecologist Michael Kiworr was blocked from speaking at Gottingen University about abortion after being invited by Christian student group Reformatio 21.The group Alternative Linke Liste Göttingen staged protests and forced the university to rescind the invitation. The move was criticised by The Professor’s Forum, an 800-member strong association of academics in Germany. They said: ‘There are frequent incidents in which aggressively appearing political groups sabotage the right to freedom of expression.’”’

For quite a while, Germany has severely restricted, if not outright prohibited, the pursuit of numerous liberties, including the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of expression, assembly, movement and the exercise of religion, just to name a few.

“The Year of the New Normal Fascists”

The Consent Factory wrote on December 18:

“Here in Europe, things are particularly fascist. One by one, New Normal countries are rolling out social-segregation systems, ordering ‘lockdowns’ of ‘the Unvaccinated,’ and otherwise persecuting those who refuse to conform to official New Normal ideology…

“In New Normal Germany, ‘the Unvaccinated’ are under de facto house arrest. We are banned from society. We are banned from traveling. We are banned from protesting. Our writings are censored. We’re demonized and dehumanized by the New Normal government, the state and corporate media, and the New Normal masses on a daily basis…”

 According to new left-wing German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, mandatory vaccinations should be enforced as soon as possible, but he does not believe they will be enforced as early as January!!!!

According to reports from Germany which we have received, more and more people get Corona, although [or because?] they had been “fully” vaccinated.

New Measures in Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 21:

“Germany’s federal and state leaders on Tuesday agreed to impose contact restrictions — including for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals – starting next week. The regulations — which come into effect ‘at the latest’ on December 28 — are aimed to dissuade people from holding and attending large New Year’s Eve celebrations.

“… a maximum of 10 people who have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 would be allowed to attend a private gathering. In cases when an unvaccinated person is present, only one other household would be able to attend. The new capacity limits apply to both indoor and outdoor celebrations. Access to restaurants remains limited to people who could provide proof of vaccination or recovery

“Starting on December 28, spectators will be banned from sporting events, cultural shows, concerts and other large public events…  the German government is also preparing for the event that more drastic measures could be necessary next year… German lawmakers in the Bundestag will also debate whether to make COVID vaccines mandatory for the general public — and how they will implement it.”

These restrictions—which did not work under Merkel either—show Germany’s descent into full blown dictatorship, and it will only get worse. But most Germans are totally blind.

The Global Decline of Democracy

Axios wrote on December 16:

Democratic governance is sliding backward in the U.S. and much of the world, according to a series of recent reports…

“Democratic decline stems in part from the pandemic, as governments pursue policies to control the virus that involve restricting civil liberties like free movement and as citizens become frustrated that those policies haven’t yet brought an end to COVID-19… Authoritarian countries like China are taking advantage of democratic woes to tout their own systems…”

We have reported about this development for a long time.

Pope Francis’ Fight with Conservatives Continues

Breitbart wrote on December 18:

“Pope Francis doubled down Saturday on his efforts to quash the old Latin Mass, forbidding the celebration of some sacraments according to the ancient rite in his latest salvo against conservatives and traditionalists.

“The Vatican’s liturgy office issued a document that clarified some questions that arose after Francis in July took the extraordinary step of reimposing restrictions on celebrating the so-called Tridentine Rite. Francis’ July move outraged conservatives and traditionalists, given it amounted to a direct reversal of one of the singular policies of Pope Benedict XVI. Benedict in 2007 had relaxed the restrictions on celebrating the Latin Mass in a bid to reconcile with a breakaway group of traditionalists who were opposed to the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Francis said in July he had to reverse course because Benedict’s 2007 decision had divided the church and been exploited by conservatives on ideological grounds.

“The Vatican repeated that rationale on Saturday in explaining the need for the new restrictions. The new decree outlaws using the ancient ritual for the sacraments of Confirmation and ordaining new priests, and will make it exceedingly difficult for traditionalists to access the sacraments of Baptism, Marriage and First Communion according to the old rite. Archbishop Arthur Roche, prefect of the Vatican’s liturgy office, said the restrictions were needed to promote unity in the church and unity in the celebration of its sacraments.”

Far from creating unity, the division within the Catholic Church is widened. Also note the next article.

Vatican Apologizes to LGBT Community

ABC News wrote on December 17:

“A Vatican official apologized to a leading Catholic LGBTQ advocacy group for having yanked a reference to it on the Vatican website, drawing immediate praise Monday from the group as an ‘historic’ move to repair the painful rift between the Catholic hierarchy and the gay community…

“The flip-flop on the reference to New Ways Ministry on the Synod website is indicative of the mixed messages the Holy See over the years, and Pope Francis himself, have sent about the Vatican’s position on gays and their place in the church.

“Francis made international headlines in 2013 when he quipped ‘Who am I to judge?’ about a purportedly gay priest. He followed up over the years with unprecedented gestures of papal outreach to the gay and transsexual communities… But he has also upheld official church teaching… asserting that the Catholic Church cannot and will not bless same-sex unions since God ‘cannot bless sin.’

“In the aftermath of the Synod’s original removal of the webinar video, New Ways Ministry revealed that Francis had written the group two letters this year commending its work. That was significant… “

Based on the clear Word of God, practicing homosexuality is sin, and we are to judge this accordingly. The Vatican’s flip-flop is for the sole purpose of embracing and keeping as many of the “faithful” in their fold, no matter what their background, preferences and persuasions. This stands in sharp contrast to Francis’s attack on traditionalists and conservatives [see previous article].

Abortion by Mail

CNN wrote on December 16:

“The US Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that it is lifting a requirement that patients seeking medication abortion had to pick up the medication in-person, instead allowing pills to be sent by mail. The move comes as the Supreme Court is poised to undo its abortion rights precedent.

“Relaxing the federal restrictions on medication abortion is one thing that the Biden administration could do to mitigate the fallout from a Roe v. Wade reversal… Medication abortion, in which a pregnancy is ended in a two-pill process, has become a prevalent approach to terminating a pregnancy.”

Whatever it takes to promote the left-wing liberal agenda of the Biden Administration.

BBC News added on December 17:

The change is… allowing women to receive the pill by post from a certified medical worker or pharmacy and receive abortion consultations on the internet…

“…the move will be overridden by 19 states that already have rules banning mail-order abortion pills.”

Biden’s $4.91 Trillion “Build Back Better Act” Doomed?

Breitbart wrote on December 19:

“Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said on Sunday he will oppose the $4.91 trillion Build Back Better Act, effectively killing the ‘mammoth’ legislation… Manchin, the West Virginia moderate Democrat, serves as the critical swing vote in the Senate for Democrats to pass the bill through the Senate…

“[Since] Democrats only have a one-member majority, it would require the approval of two swing votes, Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). ‘This is a no on this legislation,’ Manchin said…”

Thanks to Manchin for standing up for what he believes and for saving America, at least for now, from another terrible increase of national debt. Of course, the backlash against Manchin was predictable, but the mean viciousness was surpassing.

Trump: American Jews Don’t Like Israel

i24News and the Algemeiner reported on December 17:

“… former US president Donald Trump [said] American Jews, especially those in positions of power in the media… ‘either don’t like Israel or don’t care about Israel.’

“Trump also had harsh and controversial words for the New York Times. ‘I mean you look at the New York Times, the New York Times hates Israel. Hates them,’ he said. ‘And they’re Jewish people that run the New York Times.’

“The statements garnered condemnation from multiple officials across the political spectrum.”

In fact, Trump was accused of making antisemitic statements, which is of course utter nonsense, given the fact that his son-in-law is Jewish and that his daughter converted to Judaism. According to the Guardian, dated December 18, Trump also said: “… the evangelical Christians love Israel more than the Jews in this country.” Trump also allegedly criticized Netanyahu for congratulating Biden right away after the “rigged” election.

Trump might very well be correct, which might be evidenced by the biblical prophecy in the Book of Zechariah that Judah will fight against Jerusalem. In addition, it is becoming common and convenient to label opposing views as being antisemitic. Note the next article.

Don’t Dare to Express Your Belief

JTA wrote on December 16:

“Following a court order, a Dutch lawmaker removed social media messages in which he drew parallels between COVID-19 measures and the treatment of Jews by the Nazis… The previous day, a judge in Amsterdam issued an injunction ordering the deletion of the content, prescribing a fine of 25,000 euros – or $28,000 – for each day that the content is still online.

“The judge said that [Thierry] Baudet’s tweets ‘contribute to a climate in which antisemitism is encouraged.’… Speech that equates to Holocaust denial is illegal in many European countries, though not in the Netherlands, where some forms of denial are prosecuted under laws against hate speech.

“In one of the deleted tweets, from Nov. 14, Baudet called the unvaccinated ‘the new Jews’… Two days later, Baudet posted a picture of a child unable to attend a seasonal holiday procession juxtaposed with a picture of a child wearing a yellow star during the Holocaust in Poland. Later last month he posted a sign requiring vaccination certificates at the entrance to the museum on the grounds of the Buchenwald former concentration camp

“‘I am extremely sad that I am not allowed to express what I believe in, and I will not accept it. We will definitely be appealing,’ Baudet wrote…”

To even suggest that Baudet’s statements amount to antisemitism is beyond ridiculous. Neither can Baudet’s statements be remotely compared with a Holocaust denial. It should be obvious that just the opposite is the case!

Transgender Rights and Persecution in the UK

The Daily Mail wrote on December 20:

“The Scout Association has apologised to a campaigner after investigating her for two years for ‘misgendering’ someone on Twitter.

“Assistant cub scout leader Maya Forstater inadvertently called a bearded transgender scout leader ‘he’ rather than ‘they’ in 2019. This prompted an inquiry, which found Miss Forstater had brought the organisation into disrepute.

Along the same lines, the Daily Mail published this article by Andrew Pierce on December 19:

“Hounded out of her job for her feminist views in the trans debate, academic Kathleen Stock is an archetypal victim of cancel culture. Stock, who is gay and opposes ‘self ID’ for trans people, which makes it easier for biological males to enter women-only spaces, was until recently Professor of Philosophy at Sussex University.

“Then balaclava-wearing trans-rights activists forced her out of her job by running a vindictive campaign, brandishing signs demanding for her to resign and, they hoped, ending her career.”

This scenario is a really peculiar one. The author of the article is homosexual, commenting on a lesbian who is being harassed by the transexual lobby. What a combination…

Big Trouble Ahead for Boris Johnson

The Sun wrote on December 17:

“The scale of the Tories’ by-election ­disaster dwarfs even Downing Street’s ­grimmest nightmares. A 23,000 majority [was] blown away in a super-safe Leave-backing North Shropshire seat the Conservatives had held for most of two centuries. The winners, by a mile, [are] the Lib-Dem ultra-Remainders…

“Governments often lose mid-term by-elections, but this calamity is of a different order. It is the dire consequence of Boris Johnson sneakily trying to bend rules… [It is the] predictable result of illicit parties and other scandals

“Elected by a landslide, then boosted by his world-beating jabs programme, the PM has in a few bewildering weeks shredded a huge amount of the goodwill and authority he enjoyed. His poll leads have gone, handing ill-deserved hope to Labour’s rabble and their wooden, opportunist leader Keir Starmer…

“Boris must… develop a credible long-term plan to live with Covid — and not be plunged by overwrought scientists into lockdowns with every new variant. [He must deal with the] soaring cost of living — with prices rocketing and our vast tax burden going in precisely the wrong direction. Crime, too. The illegal migrants cheating the system by sailing across the Channel.

“We fear [we] are in for a tough few months. They need a PM focused on their lives, not distracted by crisis after crisis as his enemies drag him ever deeper into the quicksand.”

Will Boris Johnson accept the challenge and step up to the plate of true leadership?

Britain’s “Brexit Mastermind” Quits over Corona Restrictions—Boris Johnson in Big Trouble

The Sun wrote on December 19:

“BORIS Johnson was rocked by a fresh crisis last night as his Brexit mastermind quit the Cabinet. Lord Frost — one of his most loyal ministers — sensationally resigned in protest over the direction of the Government. Lord Frost’s walk-out will intensify the pressure on Mr Johnson’s faltering leadership…  Sources said the final straw for [Lord Frost] 56, was last week’s bid to impose Covid passports for pubs and big events as well as his growing ‘disillusionment’ with the ‘direction’ of Tory policy…

“The hammer blow came as Boris planned his fightback after his worst week in charge. Mr Johnson has agreed to fire [“Chief whip” Mark] Spencer… Ministers blame Spencer for last week’s rebellion when 100 Tory MP’s voted against Government Covid pass plans…”

“Lockdowns Do Immense Harm”

The Sun wrote on December 19:

“Lockdowns do immense harm to our livelihoods, mental health and children’s safety, as horrific recent cases prove.

“Our way of life, and our kids’ futures, cannot be endlessly restricted by the constant need to protect a health service supposedly always on the brink… The political price for Boris Johnson if he opts for a new lockdown vote, and the inevitable backbench mutiny, would be massive. That’s a side issue to the damage it would mean for the rest of us.”

It surely would mean that.

Archbishop of Canterbury’s Divisive Comments

The Daily Mail wrote on December 22:

“The Archbishop of Canterbury has implied that Jesus would get vaccinated against Covid. Justin Welby suggested that people who refuse to get jabbed are ‘immoral’ as he told people to ‘love one another, as Jesus said’…

“Last month, he was forced to apologise after saying that failure to strike a climate change deal at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow would lead to a ‘genocide’ worse than that committed by the Nazis. …

“And in April, the archbishop was accused of ‘jumping on a woke bandwagon’ after claiming that being a royal is like serving ‘life without parole’ – in words that appeared to signal his support for Harry and Meghan over Buckingham Palace.”

A more ridiculous comment than the one that Jesus would get vaccinated against Corona has rarely been uttered.

Fury Erupts in London over Johnson’s Lockdown Plans

Express wrote on December 18:

“A demonstration against mandatory vaccinations [occurred] at Parliament Square in Westminster. The iconic location was said to be ‘rammed’ with angry Britons on Saturday afternoon… The  protest today saw people travel to the capital from across the UK and there are also rallies in Bournemouth, Blackburn, Gloucestershire, Bristol, Glasgow, Cardiff, Belfast and the Isle of Wight. The protest is supported by an umbrella movement called the ‘Together Declaration’, with 170,000 signatures including business, religious and campaign leaders, as well as MPs, which is campaigning against mandatory vaccinations as well as an end to vaccine passports and mass testing

“It is understood the Prime Minister is also considering further measures under a so-called Plan C, which includes another lockdown, the Financial Times reports.”

Resistance to autocratic governmental measures is rising all over the world, and the concern is that real violence will break out between protestors and governmental agents… perhaps even creating civil unrest and civil war. And it creates animosity between certain countries, as the next article shows.

France’s and Germany’s Attack on the UK

The Guardian wrote on December 16:

France will dramatically tighten restrictions on travel from Britain… effectively banning all non-essential journeys. The government announced in a statement that incoming travellers would require ‘an essential reason to travel to, or come from, the UK, both for the unvaccinated and vaccinated’ from midnight on Saturday…

“‘People cannot travel for tourism or professional reasons,’ it said… In addition, all arrivals from the UK will need a negative PCR or antigen test taken within the previous 24, rather than 48 hours, and will have to quarantine in France for seven days – reduced to 48 hours if they can produce a new negative test…. The French government also… asked travellers from France who had planned to visit the UK to postpone their journey….”

The age-long animosity between France and Britain can again be seen in this example of willful discrimination… And Boris Johnson seems to be a far-too-willing “accomplice.”

The Sun wrote on December 19:

GERMANY is the latest country to ban travel to and from the UK from this weekend over Omicron variant fearsFrom midnight on Sunday, or 11pm UK time, any travellers from the UK apart from German nationals, residents and transit passengers will be banned.

“Everyone entering Germany from Britain, whether vaccinated or not, will need a negative PCR test and is required to be quarantined for 14 days.”

Of course, Germany would join France against the UK. No surprise there.

Huge Demonstrations against Corona Restrictions in Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 18:

“Thousands of people have demonstrated against coronavirus rules in several major German cities… Several thousand people took to the streets in the northern port city of Hamburg, then marched in several blocks through the city center, police said. About 8,000 attendees were registered [This means, many more participated.] ‘No to compulsory vaccination!’ was written on self-made placards, as well as ‘Hands off our children.’ In the western city of Düsseldorf, police said an estimated 4,000 protesters marched through the city center…

“Vaccinations for children are beginning in Germany, following recommendations made by the country’s top vaccine body. However, many parents are divided on the issue… Demonstrations also took place in the financial hub of Frankfurt am Main, as well as the southwestern cities of Karlsruhe and Freiburg.  Police said around 3,500 people marched through the center of Freiburg, adding that they sporadically split up groups because some attendees were not wearing obligatory face masks. Around 900 people took to the streets in Karlsruhe to protest mandatory vaccinations, particularly for health care workers such as nurses. In Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, nearly 2,000 people demonstrated under the slogan ‘Basic rights are not negotiable,’ according to police. Around 1,900 people attended a protest against restrictions in Schwerin, the capital of the northern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, police said…

“Meanwhile, officials in Berlin banned a demonstration that had 2,000 registered protesters, citing the expectation that demonstrators would violate coronavirus rules such as the obligation to wear a mask and maintain social distance. However, protesters have gathered on many occasions despite police bans.

“Police in the eastern German state of Saxony shut down gatherings organized by the Querdenker or ‘lateral thinkers’ group. People demonstrated in several parts of Dresden, which is one of the cities where the Querdenker movement is most popular. Meanwhile, in Rathenow in the state of Brandenburg, 360 police officers stopped a protest on Friday evening, citing a lack of people complying with mask requirements…”

The more people demonstrate, the more German state governments will respond harshly. Violence is to be expected.

The Netherlands Pushes the Panic Button

Reuters wrote on December 18:

“The Netherlands will go into a strict lockdown over the Christmas and New Year period to try to contain the highly- contagious Omicron coronavirus variant, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Saturday.

“All non-essential shops and services, including restaurants, hairdressers, museums and gyms will be closed from Sunday until Jan. 14. All schools will be shut until at least Jan. 9…. Other measures include a recommendation that households receive no more than two visitors and that gatherings outside are also limited to a maximum of two people…”

Israel again in the News

Israel Today wrote on December 19:

“Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett appeared to fail a critical Covid-combatting leadership test at the weekend, after opposition to his wish to impose a near-total travel ban on Israelis forced him to backtrack… The prime minister used coercive manipulation, including warnings that those who opposed the measures would be to [be blamed] for any Covid-19 disaster that might result…

“Following those reports, and as the premier huddled with his government leaders at the weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday morning, news emerged that he was no longer planning a sweeping travel ban, but would announce a more limited list of countries to which Israelis may no longer fly, including the United States, Canada, Germany and Turkey. These restrictions will reportedly go into effect a little later this week.”

Far from being a shining light of democracy in the Middle East, the governments of Israel have been at the forefront of imposing dictatorial coronavirus restrictions.

More and More Vaccinations Required

Deutsche Welle reported on December 21:

“The European Commission announced Tuesday that COVID vaccine certificates in the bloc would only be valid for nine months without a booster shot…. The new rule concerns traveling within the European Union, but the Commission said in a statement that it recommends EU countries also apply it on a national level… EU residents are recommended to receive a booster shot six months, at the latest, after they’re fully vaccinated. But the certificate will be valid for three additional months as a grace period to ensure access to booster doses…”

JTA wrote on December 22:

“Israel will likely begin administering a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine to seniors, immunocompromised people, and healthcare workers in an effort to stem the spread of the Omicron variant.

“The move was recommended Tuesday by the panel of experts advising Israel’s government on the coronavirus pandemic. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had been hinting at the possibility of a fourth shot and embraced the recommendation in a statement Tuesday. ‘This is wonderful news that will assist us in getting through the Omicron wave that is engulfing the world,’ Bennett said…

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said on December 22 that a fourth dose might become necessary soon, as the vaccines might not be that “durable.” When will it end? And how about the lack of confidence of scientists and doctors in their own vaccines?

Canada’s Dictatorial Restrictions

Life Site News reported on December 17:

“A Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) MP sounded the alarm that the Liberal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is planning to keep COVID jab mandates and rules for years to come… as [h]idden in [Trudeau’s] Fiscal and Economic Update”…

“Many Canadian doctors have spoken out against both jab mandates as well as their purported safety and effectiveness

“The Liberal’s fiscal update also praises the draconian and discriminatory Trudeau travel ban by air, sea, or train for the vaccine-free, which has been in place since December 1… The Liberal’s fiscal update also highlights the federal government’s mandate of COVID shots for all federally regulated sectors.

“However, many consider jab mandates as a blatant assault on individual freedoms that’s unnecessary given COVID’s high survivability among most groups, its minimal risk of asymptomatic spread, and research indicating that post-infection natural immunity is equally protected against reinfection [in fact, as the evidence proves, and as it is pointed out in this section, it is MORE EFFECTIVE than vaccinations.]

“There is also a substantial amount of evidence that vaccine mandates are a failed strategy for tackling COVID… the government once again has mandated COVID testing for returning air travelers, along with mandatory quarantine, even for those who are considered ’fully vaccinated.’”

They must not have too much confidence in their vaccinations.

“Dr. Fauci, Please Stop Lying!”

The left-liberal outlet, The Week, wrote on December 17:

“American public health bureaucrats… have repeatedly lied to the public, playing politics with the pandemic, and in the process undermined both the fight against COVID-19 and confidence in their own credibility… Back in February and March 2020… Anthony Fauci was all over the media downplaying masks. ‘If you look at the masks that you buy in a drug store, the leakage around that doesn’t really do much to protect you,’ he told USA Today that spring. ‘Now, in the United States, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to wear a mask.’ In an interview with 60 Minutes in March, he said, ‘Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.’

“It turns out Fauci almost certainly didn’t believe what he was saying. In an interview with InStyle several months later, he admitted that trying to preserve the mask supply for doctors and nurses was his first motivation…

“Fauci didn’t learn his lesson. Not only did he lie more, but he exposed his own deception once again. Last December, he told The New York Times he’d also been lying about how many people would have to get vaccinated to reach herd immunity (moving from 60 to 90 percent)…”

We do not endorse the gist of the article nor the premises expressed therein [such as the importance of wearing masks and the need for three vaccinations]. But what we found interesting is the recognition of Fauci’s repeated lies and the lack of trust people are having in his advice, competence and predictions. Also note the next incredible article.

Fauci, the Spin Doctor

Fox News reported on December 17:

“Fauci said Friday that the possibility of changing the definition for fully vaccinated is ‘certainly on the table’… which currently states a person is fully vaccinated when they have received two doses of a Pfizer or Moderna regimen or a shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. In the face of omicron, some have suggested the definition should include a booster shot… Friday morning he finally planted his flag in the war of words around the pandemic when he suggested that some terms may – and in one case, should – change… [He said:] ‘… there’s no doubt that optimum vaccination is with a booster’…

“He also discussed the difficulty in pushing ‘mandates,’ instead suggesting that people should discuss ‘requirements’ as a more palatable term. ‘Mandates — that’s a radioactive word. Requirements people seem to respond better to that. They work,’ Fauci argued. ‘We are never going to get out of this outbreak if we still have 50 million people who for reasons that are very difficult to understand refuse to get vaccinated.’

“Fauci has walked this line in the past two weeks, making a distinction between ‘fully’ vaccinated versus ‘optimum’ vaccination [stressing] that ‘optimum’ vaccination would include a booster.

“Omicron has driven new cases up across the country…  The new variant appears to spread more than the delta variant while only creating mild symptoms so far. Hospitalizations and deaths have not increased to the same degree if at all… The United States has yet to record a death as a result of the omicron variant.”

Not only that, as WND reported on December 17, “Nearly 80% of the omicron variant cases in the United States were found in people who were fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention… In Israel, where most of the population has received a booster shot, 54 of 67 omicron cases, 80%, were people who had received three COVID-19 shots.”

Fauci’s spinning of the facts cannot hide the truth that we are dealing with a money-making political agenda.

The Fallacy of “Public Health” Experts

The Dossier wrote on December 18:

“There’s one thing that the ‘public health expert’ class is certain about these days. They claim to have ‘the tools’ to stop this coronavirus. But the thing about these ‘tools’ is that they require blind faith in order to work, since every observable metric shows that they’ve failed in catastrophic fashion

“We are now almost two full years into our population-wide ‘public health expert’-managed COVID tyranny, and it has not exactly paid dividends for anyone other than the people in charge, who have catapulted to a life of fame and prestige.

“There is no evidence anywhere in the world that top-down authoritarianism, guided by these excessively praised ‘public health experts,’ has produced positive outcomes for the health and safety of any nation. In fact, the opposite is true. Throughout the world, sickness and unhealthy habits are increasing across the board, both indirectly and directly related to COVID-19… In fact, most of these ‘tools,’ when employed, are making everything worse.

“The mRNA shots were originally sold to the public with the claim that they prevent people from both infecting others and being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. This is why the FDA and CDC, among other ‘public health’ bureaucracies, decided to green light injecting unthreatened 5 year olds with experimental drugs. The promise was that they would be ‘doing their part’ to ‘save grandma’ and ‘stop the spread.’ Yet the prevention and transmission claim has been completely memory-holed. As evidenced most recently by the breakouts in universally compliant settings, after a period of time, the shots seem to do nothing at all to prevent infection or transmission.

Universal masking, another agreed upon tool to stop a virus, doesn’t work, yet the ‘experts’ continue to [demand it]. Curfews and lockdowns… have done absolutely nothing to solve a virus problem…”

Still, gullible people are listening to their unfounded and oftentimes totally false opinions…

Masks Don’t Help on Flights

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on December 16:

“CEOs of Southwest Airlines and American Airlines testified before Congress this week that forcing people to wear masks on board their planes does little if anything to prevent spread of the virus.

“As predicted, Dem Members freaked out after hearing this blow to their deep faith.”

It has been known for a long time that masks on flights do not help at all. For many, they could be harmful. Still, airlines follow Biden’s mandate to demand wearing masks. Fauci responded that masks on planes will “always be necessary, no matter what” (Fox News, December 19). What an incredible situation.

Natural Immunity Overlooked

Newsmax wrote on December 20:

“Former FDA commissioner and Pfizer board member Dr. Scott Gottlieb on Sunday said… on CBS News: ‘A lot of people believe, including myself, that the reason why it’s [Omicron] manifesting as a less severe illness is probably because we have baseline immunity in the population… Probably around 80% of Americans and 90% of South Africans have some level of immunity, either from prior infection or through vaccination’… Gottlieb also believes omicron will ‘blow through fairly quickly.’”

In a related article, Newsmax wrote on December 20:

“Stumping for the overlooked science of natural immunity and denouncing the ‘inconsistent’ political science ‘tune’ of Dr. Anthony Fauci, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said she has overcome COVID-19 and does not need a vaccination from it now. ‘It’ll be over my dead body that I’ll have to get a shot,” Palin [said] on Sunday. ‘I will not. I won’t do it and they better not touch my kids either.’…

“The remarks came as Republicans are denouncing Biden’s vaccine mandates, not only on choice, but also on the scientific belief natural immunity might be protection enough, if not better.”

Natural immunity is overlooked because it does not pay the Big Pharma industry.

And Now… First Death in USA Reported

Reuters reported on December 20:

“Texas’ Harris County on Monday reported its first death related to the Omicron COVID-19 variant, a man who was unvaccinated, the county health department said… Earlier in December, Britain reported the first publicly confirmed death globally from Omicron. Twelve people in Britain have now died with the variant, and 104 are currently in hospital with it…”

Of course, an unvaccinated person is blamed and the push for vaccinations ensues as a consequence, even though the virus affects many more vaccinated than unvaccinated people. It would also be interesting to find out the exact circumstances of the person’s death.

Biden’s War on the Unvaccinated

Fox News reported on December 20:

“The White House was viciously mocked over the weekend after pushing the message that unvaccinated Americans would experience a winter of ‘severe illness and death’ due to the omicron variant of the coronavirus….

“Critics took to social media to mock the White House’s message of death, with some referring to Biden as the ‘Grim Reaper’

“‘President Biden’s warning of a “winter of severe illness and death” makes President Jimmy Carter’s “malaise” speech urging Americans to lower expectations seem a cheerful upper by contrast. How do Democrats run as the party of ‘severe illness and death’? This is madness,’ wrote former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Other critics echoed his Jimmy Carter comparison…”

Madness indeed. God has poured out a spirit of deep slumber on our leaders.

Utter Confusion regarding Biden’s Vaccine Mandates

Newsmax, The Associated Press and Thomson/Reuters wrote on December 18:

“A U.S. appeals court on Friday reinstated a nationwide vaccine-or-testing COVID-19 mandate for large businesses, a federal government rule that covers 80 million American workers. The ruling by the 6th U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati lifted a November injunction that had blocked the rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which applies to businesses with at least 100 workers

“The [decision] comes a day after the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a nationwide ban on the mandate [for healthcare workers]. The court instead allowed the mandate to remain blocked in 14 states that had collectively sued in federal court in Louisiana. That action altered a Nov. 30 ruling by U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty, who originally applied his order nationwide.

“A different appeals court, the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, has declined to disturb a lower court order blocking the mandate in 10 other states.

“The Biden administration asked the justices to allow the mandate to take effect in the 24 states covered by those two courts’ decisions. A federal judge in Texas granted an injunction Thursday that applies only to that state.”

The Associated Press wrote on December 17 about the decision of the 6th Court of Appeals regarding private companies:

“‘Given OSHA’s clear and exercised authority to regulate viruses, OSHA necessarily has the authority to regulate infectious diseases that are not unique to the workplace,’ Judge Julia Smith Gibbons, who was nominated to the court by former President George W. Bush, a Republican, wrote in her majority opinion…. She was joined in the majority decision by Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch, an appointee of former President Barrack Obama, a Democrat… The dissent in Friday’s ruling came from Judge Joan Larsen, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, who said Congress did not authorize OSHA to make this sort of rule and that it did not qualify as a necessity to use the emergency procedures the agency followed to put it in place.’”

This decision by two judges (against one) is SO unconstitutional and plainly wrong.

Fox News added on December 18:

“The Supreme Court earlier this week refused to block a New York regulation mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for health care workers – a move that could spell trouble for those opposed to the sweeping mandate.”

All of this is becoming SO political, as evidenced by the fact that courts and judges disagree amongst themselves and decide, strictly based on political preferences. The concern for the health of the American people is secondary, if it exists at all, even though lip-services to the contrary might be uttered here and there. Nobody knows how the utterly political and divided Supreme Court will decide, while innocent workers are the pawns in this despicable chess game.

The Associated Press added on December 18:

“A vaccine mandate for companies that have contracts with the federal government is on hold nationwide, while a separate mandate for health care employees who work for providers that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid funding has been blocked in half the states…

“… vaccine mandates for federal government employees and the military remain in effect, as do mask requirements for airline passengers and people using public transportation.”

Californians Openly Defy Newsom’s Corona Mandates—Good for Them

NBC San Diego wrote on December 18:

“Coronado and El Cajon leaders said this week if the state wants to enforce the new indoor mask mandate it can use its own resources. On Friday the city of Oceanside joined them. The mandate won’t be enforced at privately owned businesses in Oceanside, and many small business owners who made it through the pandemic are fine with it…”

Breitbart wrote on December 17:

“Californians are ignoring Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide mask mandate, which went into effect Wednesday for most indoor spaces… Newsom exempted San Francisco — where he used to be mayor of the city — and the surrounding counties…

“In Los Angeles County, for example, gyms and restaurants are continuing as before…  The Sacramento Bee reported that no one can figure out who is responsible for enforcing the mask mandate, and that Newsom says he has ‘faith’ in Californians to enforce his mandate themselves, saying that they would ‘self-enforce’ but didn’t provide specifics on what would happen if they didn’t…

“Local government officials say the state hasn’t given any guidance on enforcement, and some local authorities say they won’t enforce the state’s order at all. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has said… he would not enforce vaccine mandates in his county.”

Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia?

The Jerusalem Post wrote on December 16:

“A fascinating connection between Ethiopia and Jewish history is the belief that the Ark of the Covenant, containing the tablets of the Ten Commandments, may reside to this day in Ethiopia. While a Talmudic source relates that the ark – along with several other of the Temple’s sacred objects – was hidden just prior to the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, numerous other theories exist as to its whereabouts.

“A longstanding religious legend in Ethiopia describes how the Ark of the Covenant was brought there 3,000 years ago by a man named Menelik, who, according to the legend, was the son of the Queen of Sheba and Israel’s King Solomon. The legend states that the Queen of Sheba was from Ethiopia and that she traveled to Jerusalem, where she was seduced by King Solomon, giving birth to Menelik upon her return home. Menelik later traveled to Jerusalem and studied with his father before taking the ark and bringing it to Ethiopia, where, legend has it, it still resides in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Aksum, where only ‘The Guardian of the Ark of the Covenant’ can view it.

“Others maintain that a sect of Jews driven by King Manasseh from Israel took the ark with them and transported it to Egypt, from where they eventually sailed up the Nile to Ethiopia. Researchers who journeyed to Aksum and made their way to Mary of Zion Church were purportedly introduced to a man referred to as the guardian of the ark. This man was said to live his entire life inside a fenced-off area surrounding the church and will not leave his post until he dies, at which time he will be replaced by the next guardian. In the chapel of the church, 30 robes from 30 previous guardians are on display – and every one of those 30 professed that the object they protected was the true Ark of the Covenant.

“While others dispute and debunk this legend – claiming that, at most, the ark in the church is merely a replica of the real thing – it fits neatly with the claim by Ethiopia’s former emperor Haile Selassie that he was a direct descendant of Menelik. Selassie, who ruled Ethiopia from 1930-1974, called himself ‘the Lion of Judah,’ the 225th king descended from King David, and prominently displayed a Lion of Judah motif on the country’s flag and currency.”

Whether true or not, the question is what others believe, especially the Roman Catholic Church which is very interested in possessing all kinds of religious relics and which therefore might be prompted to participate in a war against Ethiopia (Daniel 11:40-43). Regarding the whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant and its future, see our Q&A on the issue. 

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

Update 1002

Fear & Control / Stories of Friendship

On December 25, 2021, Frank Bruno will present the first split-sermon, titled “Fear & Control,” and Eric Rank will present the second split-sermon, titled, “Stories of Friendship.”

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

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Choices

by Rene Messier (Canada)

I think we all have at one time or another sat down and pondered some of the choices we have made. Some were good and turned out well; others were not so good and brought us close to a disaster.

When opportunities arise, we have to use wisdom in our decision-making process; especially in regard to those opportunities where we can supposedly make a lot of money quickly. If something is too good to be true, it usually is. If we are being pressured to purchase something—for instance a vehicle which has been only driven allegedly by a little old lady from Pasadena— then we ought to be on guard. This is also true when buying shares in a company when we are told that it is guaranteed that we will double our investment in a short period of time. The higher the financial commitment, the more we should take time to decide on what to do, including perhaps walking away from a supposed deal. We would not buy a house, no matter how good the deal sounds, without seeing it, having it checked out by a professional inspector and ascertaining whether there were any liens against the title. God assures us that there is wisdom in seeking proper counsel.

God gave the nation of Israel a choice—receiving blessings through obedience or curses from not obeying. His laws were given to express their love for God, as summarized in the first four of the Ten Commandments, and their love for man, as explained in the last six commandments. They had to follow these rules, which are further expounded in many statutes and judgments, in order to obtain physical blessings and protection from God.

The motivation for keeping the commandments should be the demonstration of our love for God and man; knowing of course that our disobedience would bring about punishment and retribution for sinning. But fear of punishment should not be our primary motivation for obeying God; rather, it should be our love for God and man and for the Truth that convicts us to obey.The nation of Israel frustrated God by their disobedience, and how quickly they turned away from God! One of their problems was that they did not totally cleanse the territory they occupied of the existing inhabitants who in time corrupted their worship of God, and they turned to Baal worship and even went as far as sacrificing their children on the altar of pagan gods which surprised God who stated that such evil conduct had not even entered His mind.

In Jeremiah 32:35, He says: “And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.”

That’s a pretty astonishing statement that it did not even enter God’s mind that His people would engage in such abominable and detestable conduct.

God’s relationship with the nation of Israel was, figuratively speaking, one of husband and wife, but they broke their “marriage” covenant on a continual basis, and thus, God had to divorce them.

Jeremiah 31:32 explains that God made a covenant “‘with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,’ says the LORD.”

Consequently, we read in Jeremiah 3:8: “Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.”

Jesus Christ, the God of the Old Testament, will marry converted Israelites at the time of His return. He betrothed the New Testament church to Him which was established in 31 AD. It is described as the bride of Christ, consisting of all converted Church members who are obligated to follow the same rules of obedience, but they have been promised a much greater reward than physical Israel and Judah in Old Testament times had been offered.

Revelation 21:9 says: “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’”

Ephesians 5:24-27, 32 adds: “Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish… This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

The great mystery is that Christ is betrothed to His Church, figuratively speaking, whom He will marry as His bride at His return.

So, we are faced with a choice. Will we be obedient to God by keeping His laws and statutes, which are still in force today, and receive a much greater reward than what the nation of Israel was offered? Theirs was a physical reward while ours is eternal rulership in the Kingdom of God. While eternal life as God beings is a gift, our reward is based on our works and includes ruling with and under Christ in the Millennium and down through eternity. Or, will we fall short by rebelling and refusing to repent of our sins and thus disqualify ourselves from the great gift of eternal life as God beings and from the reward of eternal rulership Christ is anxious to give us?

Life is full of choices, but the most important one we face is either one of glory or one of shame.

Let’s bring joy to our Husband (Jesus Christ) by making the right choice. Either way, it’s for eternity.

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by Norbert Link

We begin with an article showing why many Christians refuse to keep Christmas [please view our new StandingWatch program in this regard, titled,“Why Won’t Some Christians Keep Christmas this Year?” ] ; and continue with the vulnerability of the Biden Administration vis-à-vis Russia, China and Iran; continue with Germany’s “Russia problem”; the new chief of Merkel’s opposition party; and Germany’s persecution of Christians and of the unvaccinated.

We address the worldwide decline of democracy; enduring divisions in the Catholic Church; abortions by mail; the fate of Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better Act”; Donald Trump’s strong words regarding American Jews; and unfounded charges of antisemitism.

We point out big problems facing Boris Johnson; and speak on renewed draconian and authoritarian coronavirus restrictions and reactions, while focusing in particular on Britain; France; Germany; the Netherlands; Israel; and Canada.

We publish several articles, from the left and the right, strongly accusing Dr. Fauci and other “health experts” of misrepresentations and incompetence; and we address the utter confusion and intolerable situation regarding Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates; as well as Californians’ refusal to abide by and enforce Governor Newsom’s new mask regulations.

We conclude with an interesting article about the Ark of the Covenant.

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

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Christians Refuse to Celebrate Christmas

Israel 365 wrote on December 20:

“It’s time to explain why many of Jesus’ followers stop celebrating Christmas. It’s done out of a deep desire to respect Jesus and God’s Word. No longer celebrating Christmas can be easily misunderstood and challenging for one’s family, relatives, and congregation. It is usually perceived as if one is no longer celebrating the birth of Jesus, his life and God’s great gift to the world. With this in mind, why are more and more of Jesus’ followers giving up Christmas celebrations?

“The reason that many stop celebrating Christmas, is not that they try to minimize the Son of God. Rather, they do it out of respect for him. To understand this question, some background history is needed… A clear and concise source for the history of Christmas is bibelfragan.com (The Bible Question):..

“‘During the first 300 years of the history of the Christian Church, no one celebrated the birth of Jesus whatsoever. The reason was primarily threefold: Firstly, the date for the birth of Jesus is not given anywhere in the Bible. Secondly, in the Bible, only wicked people celebrated their birthdays. Thirdly, in the pagan Roman Empire (which was occupying Israel at the time of the beginning of the Church) there was a common tradition to celebrate the birthdays of the pagan gods.

“‘… In Rome, the great god was called Saturn. In the middle of the winter, there was a long celebration held in his honor. This feast was called ‘Saturnalia’ and lasted from December 17–24. It was a feast when one ate and drank, gathered friends together, and gave gifts to one another. December 25th was the last and greatest day of Saturnalia.

“‘During the first 300 years of the Roman Empire, sun worship had begun to spread from the East—from Syria and Persia—and reached large parts of the Empire. Already in ancient Babylon, people had worshiped the sun. One of the highest deities among the Babylonians was the sun god Shamash. The most important day in the solar religion was the day when the sun was ‘born’ again and rose in the heavens, after it had been sinking closer to the horizon and the days had become shorter and shorter in the fall and early winter. When the winter solstice occurred on December 25, it was celebrated with a great feast.

“‘Eastern philosophers and mystics preached about the divine nature of the sun and immigrants from the East brought their faith to the West. This resulted in the solar religion getting ever more followers in the Roman Empire. Then it happened that a Roman emperor won a great military victory after praying to the sun god for victory. As a thank you, he elevated the ‘Invincible Sun’ (Sol Invictus) above all the other gods of Rome. In the year 273 CE, he had a magnificent temple built for the sun. This temple was dedicated on the birthday of the sun—December 25.

“‘Barely 50 years later, the Roman emperor Constantine became an adherent of the Christian doctrine. He was a former sun worshipper and the new religion presented a problem. What should he do with the annual festival for the sun? To begin with, the Church tried to have him ban the sun religion and its December festival, but he refused. If he banned the popular feast, conflicts could arise between the followers of the different religions. Finally, a compromise was made. December 25 was the winter solstice, the day when the sun was born again. Why not transfer the worship of the masses from the sun god to the “sun of righteousness,” “the light of the world”—Christ?… If one “Christianized” the festival of the sun god, by instead celebrating the birth of Jesus on that day, perhaps conflict could be avoided. In addition, many people would automatically join the new religion.

“‘Consequently, the Romans were allowed to continue celebrating the large feast on December 25, but the sun god was removed and Christ was put there instead. And, once Rome had accepted December 25 as the “birthday” of Jesus, there was no difficulty for the feast to spread to the rest of the Roman Empire.

“‘In Constantinople, they started to celebrate Christmas year 380 CE; in Asia Minor, year 382; in Egypt, around year 430; and in Jerusalem, around year 440. This spread up through Europe, where the “sun-turning feast” had been celebrated since ancient times in most of the countries. Also, in the far North, something called “Jul” [still the Swedish name for Christmas today], a midwinter feast was celebrated. The word jul some claim comes from the Anglo-Saxon hweol which means “wheel,” symbolic of the divine sun and its path around the earth… When Christianity arrived, the ancient northern “Jul” was Christianized and ever since then we have continued to celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25…’

“There is another aspect to the story as well. The church adopted the holiday within a larger paradigm shift, a process of intentionally cutting itself off from its Jewish roots and God’s own calendar, in order to establish a separate identity and gain cultural influence in Rome. The majority of today’s Christians are probably unaware of this history. Some, who do know it, feel that the pagan origin of Christmas is something in the past and of no current significance. They feel that the history might be unfortunate, or that the Church did right in Christianizing the feast, but maintain that Christians who celebrate Christmas do not worship idols, but simply celebrate Jesus and spend quality time with family.

“… many… see the nature of Christmas as ultimately irreconcilable with Biblical faith for several serious reasons. It is primarily because Scripture teaches strongly against such syncretism, i.e. to ‘Christianize,’ or appropriate, pagan rites (see for instance Deut. 12:1–5, 30–31)… It is a question, not about how we feel about the subject, but about how God feels about it, and what He has said in His Word… The pagan elements of Christmas are far from absent… nearly every Christmas custom has pagan roots… the dark principalities that once were worshipped through the holiday are still a reality in our world…”

But those who do not WANT to know will not care… Please read our free booklet “Don’t Keep Christmas,” and note our two-part series on Christmas celebrations in this and the previous Q&A. Also view our new StandingWatch program in this regard, titled,“Why Won’t Some Christians Keep Christmas this Year?”.

Biden tested on China, Russia and Iran

Newsmax wrote on December 17:

“There is ‘every indication’ that Russian President Putin and China’s leader Xi Jinping are coordinating their strategies ‘more closely than ever before,’ and that puts the United States in a ‘crisis situation,’ former ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said… Bolton said he believes Putin is sensing weakness in President Joe Biden, and that leaves the United States ‘vulnerable.’

“Meanwhile, Russia is laying demands for a sweeping new security deal with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including a written agreement that the alliance won’t expand east to Russia, and Bolton said he thinks that the move is another way Putin and Moscow are testing Biden’s administration. ‘I think this is a real test for NATO. This is something that the Biden administration will be judged for. If it gives up on this point it will be a terrible signal not just to Russia but China and our other adversaries around the world.’…

“The former ambassador has also recently written that he believes Biden is losing the contest of wills with Iran over nuclear weapons… Bolton said he’s worried that Biden is so determined to revive the [Iran] deal, which was struck while he was vice president under President Barack Obama, that he will make ‘very dangerous concessions’ that will cause problems for the United States, Israel, and other allies in the Middle East.”

So far, Biden has failed just about every test.

Russian-Chinese Financial Collaboration

The Russian government’s controlled RT wrote on September 15:

“Both Russia and China are said to be increasingly looking to move away from using the US dollar as the main currency of international trade, instead using their own denominations to underpin the booming volume of Moscow-Beijing trade.

“Russia and China will develop shared financial structures to enable them to deepen economic ties in a way that foreign states will be unable to influence, the Kremlin has announced following talks between the countries’ leaders.”

Russia’s Demands and Military Threats

The Moscow Times reported on December 20:

“Russia demands immediate talks with the United States on security guarantees from NATO… while President Vladimir Putin’s chief arms control negotiator warned of a ‘military response’ if the alliance continues to step on Moscow’s ‘sore spots.’…

“In its list of demands published Friday, Russia demanded that the U.S. not establish any new military bases in ex-Soviet countries and that NATO guarantee to block these states’ future memberships. Russia also wants NATO to abandon all military activities in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus region and Central Asia. Additionally, Russia wants NATO to pledge not to deploy troops in former-communist member states Poland, the Czech Republic and the Baltics without Moscow’s consent.”

The article also pointed out:

“The United States has responded to Russia’s demands… that it would not negotiate without input from Europe. The EU has rejected Russia’s bid to block Ukraine’s NATO ambitions. European officials have in recent days signaled a willingness to negotiate with Moscow, however. ‘We need to solve the current tensions on the diplomatic level,’ the Financial Times quoted Germany’s new defense minister Christine Lambrecht as saying.”

Will Germany Confront Russia?

The Week wrote on December 17:

“Germany has long had a Russia problem. Even before their unification under the Hohenzollerns in 1870, German principalities struggled to deal with their giant neighbor to the east. In 1863, at the beginning of his long stint in power, the legendary statesman Otto von Bismarck quipped, ‘The secret of politics? Make a good treaty with Russia.’ But despite interludes of stability, Germany hasn’t quite figured out how to make its agreements, both formal and informal, stick.

“Now, time may be running out…  Germany may hope to muddle through, neither conceding the former Soviet sphere of influence to Russia nor imposing painful economic and perhaps military consequences. But Putin’s ambitions won’t let them avoid the choice forever. As with his predecessor Angela Merkel, Scholz’s ambivalence about Russia follows domestic opinion…  Germans overwhelmingly want more co-operative relations between Berlin and Moscow. At the same time, Russian provocations have grown harder to ignore. Beyond the Ukraine situation, Germans were outraged by Russian agents’ 2019 murder of a former Chechen fighter in Berlin. Just this week, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced the expulsion of two Russian diplomats as punishment for that offense.

“Despite their hopes for a middle way, Scholz and the German public need to decide what they’re willing to tolerate from Russia — and what they can hope to prevent… Russia looms larger in the German mind than most Americans realize… the German and Russian economies are also closely linked… [Russia] is an important market for German exports and major supplier of energy. That’s why Scholz was silent about the planned Nordstream II pipeline in his speech on Monday… [In] 2014, Merkel sharply condemned the Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The problem is that nothing much has [followed.] Like Merkel, Scholz has expressed his opposition to Russian encroachment on Ukraine as a matter of principle. What he hasn’t done is spell out the consequences he’s willing to impose…

“To be fair, the coercive measures at Scholz’s disposal are limited… Germany and its partners can’t expect much military help from the United States, either as the Biden administration has made clear we won’t fight for Ukraine. Nor could we, realistically… With the American presence in Europe receding… Berlin enjoys more flexibility in choosing its Russia policy than at any time since the end of World War II. Doing so, however, requires a clarity about its goals, resources, and principles… In seeking inspiration for a new Ostpolitik, Scholz could do worse than asking what Bismarck would do. But Olaf Scholz is no Bismarck.”

He certainly is no “Bismarck,” who was also called the “Iron Chancellor.” Not much can be expected from Scholz and his new government when it comes to opposing Russia. It will require a strong leader of German or Austrian descent who will do just that… but with terrible and disastrous consequences. Scholz is not that leader.

Friedrich Merz new CDU Party-Chief

AFP and The Local wrote on December 17:

“Friedrich Merz, a die-hard opponent of Angela Merkel within Germany’s conservative CDU, was elected party chief on Friday, marking a new direction after its disastrous defeat in September’s election.

“Merz, a 66-year-old member of the Bundestag and former MEP… [walked] away with 62.1 percent of the vote share. Merz will replace Merkel ally Armin Laschet, who was forced to announce his resignation after leading the CDU-CSU bloc to its worst-ever result in the September general election.

“… the election of Merz marks a decisive shift away from the cautious, centre-leaning politics of the Merkel era. As a staunch right-winger, he was one of 130 conservative MPs to vote against repealing a law change to make rape in marriage a criminal offence in 1997. He has also been a vocal opponent of a proposed wealth tax to off-set the impact of the Covid crisis on the poorest in society…

“A millionaire and corporate lawyer by trade, Merz had previously been pushed out of politics altogether by a power struggle with Merkel in the 2000s before returning when she resigned as head of the CDU in 2018. He has since lost out twice in his quest to become party leader, beaten in both cases by candidates preferring a more centrist course and continuity with the Merkel era.”

Bild Online commented on December 17 that Merz’ victory is at the same time an expression of disapproval for Merkel, and that with Merz, Chancellor Olaf Scholz will face the strongest and persistent leader of the opposition. The paper also opinionated that the role of Chancellor may now be in reach for Merz. In his first interview with Bild Online after his election as CDU Party Chief, Merz stated that new Health Minister Lauterbach (SPD) is prone to very strong exaggerations (“sehr starke Übertreibungen”).  

Germany’s Persecution of Christians

The Daily Mail wrote on December 17:

“Hate crimes targeting Christians in Germany have nearly trebled in a year amid a wave of religious discrimination across Europe… Overall, hate crime in Germany rose by 19 per cent last year. .. On Germany, the [Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance against Christians in Europe] OIDAC report says: ‘Freedom of expression has been limited in Germany when it comes to discussions about gender, marriage, bioethics, and sexuality.’…

“A study by Matthias Revers and Richard Traunmüller at the Goethe University Frankfurt found that a third of German students are in favour of banning controversial books from the student library. Meanwhile between a third and a half of university students would not allow a controversial speaker on campus.

“Gynaecologist Michael Kiworr was blocked from speaking at Gottingen University about abortion after being invited by Christian student group Reformatio 21.The group Alternative Linke Liste Göttingen staged protests and forced the university to rescind the invitation. The move was criticised by The Professor’s Forum, an 800-member strong association of academics in Germany. They said: ‘There are frequent incidents in which aggressively appearing political groups sabotage the right to freedom of expression.’”’

For quite a while, Germany has severely restricted, if not outright prohibited, the pursuit of numerous liberties, including the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of expression, assembly, movement and the exercise of religion, just to name a few.

“The Year of the New Normal Fascists”

The Consent Factory wrote on December 18:

“Here in Europe, things are particularly fascist. One by one, New Normal countries are rolling out social-segregation systems, ordering ‘lockdowns’ of ‘the Unvaccinated,’ and otherwise persecuting those who refuse to conform to official New Normal ideology…

“In New Normal Germany, ‘the Unvaccinated’ are under de facto house arrest. We are banned from society. We are banned from traveling. We are banned from protesting. Our writings are censored. We’re demonized and dehumanized by the New Normal government, the state and corporate media, and the New Normal masses on a daily basis…”

 According to new left-wing German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, mandatory vaccinations should be enforced as soon as possible, but he does not believe they will be enforced as early as January!!!!

According to reports from Germany which we have received, more and more people get Corona, although [or because?] they had been “fully” vaccinated.

New Measures in Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 21:

“Germany’s federal and state leaders on Tuesday agreed to impose contact restrictions — including for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals – starting next week. The regulations — which come into effect ‘at the latest’ on December 28 — are aimed to dissuade people from holding and attending large New Year’s Eve celebrations.

“… a maximum of 10 people who have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 would be allowed to attend a private gathering. In cases when an unvaccinated person is present, only one other household would be able to attend. The new capacity limits apply to both indoor and outdoor celebrations. Access to restaurants remains limited to people who could provide proof of vaccination or recovery

“Starting on December 28, spectators will be banned from sporting events, cultural shows, concerts and other large public events…  the German government is also preparing for the event that more drastic measures could be necessary next year… German lawmakers in the Bundestag will also debate whether to make COVID vaccines mandatory for the general public — and how they will implement it.”

These restrictions—which did not work under Merkel either—show Germany’s descent into full blown dictatorship, and it will only get worse. But most Germans are totally blind.

The Global Decline of Democracy

Axios wrote on December 16:

Democratic governance is sliding backward in the U.S. and much of the world, according to a series of recent reports…

“Democratic decline stems in part from the pandemic, as governments pursue policies to control the virus that involve restricting civil liberties like free movement and as citizens become frustrated that those policies haven’t yet brought an end to COVID-19… Authoritarian countries like China are taking advantage of democratic woes to tout their own systems…”

We have reported about this development for a long time.

Pope Francis’ Fight with Conservatives Continues

Breitbart wrote on December 18:

“Pope Francis doubled down Saturday on his efforts to quash the old Latin Mass, forbidding the celebration of some sacraments according to the ancient rite in his latest salvo against conservatives and traditionalists.

“The Vatican’s liturgy office issued a document that clarified some questions that arose after Francis in July took the extraordinary step of reimposing restrictions on celebrating the so-called Tridentine Rite. Francis’ July move outraged conservatives and traditionalists, given it amounted to a direct reversal of one of the singular policies of Pope Benedict XVI. Benedict in 2007 had relaxed the restrictions on celebrating the Latin Mass in a bid to reconcile with a breakaway group of traditionalists who were opposed to the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Francis said in July he had to reverse course because Benedict’s 2007 decision had divided the church and been exploited by conservatives on ideological grounds.

“The Vatican repeated that rationale on Saturday in explaining the need for the new restrictions. The new decree outlaws using the ancient ritual for the sacraments of Confirmation and ordaining new priests, and will make it exceedingly difficult for traditionalists to access the sacraments of Baptism, Marriage and First Communion according to the old rite. Archbishop Arthur Roche, prefect of the Vatican’s liturgy office, said the restrictions were needed to promote unity in the church and unity in the celebration of its sacraments.”

Far from creating unity, the division within the Catholic Church is widened. Also note the next article.

Vatican Apologizes to LGBT Community

ABC News wrote on December 17:

“A Vatican official apologized to a leading Catholic LGBTQ advocacy group for having yanked a reference to it on the Vatican website, drawing immediate praise Monday from the group as an ‘historic’ move to repair the painful rift between the Catholic hierarchy and the gay community…

“The flip-flop on the reference to New Ways Ministry on the Synod website is indicative of the mixed messages the Holy See over the years, and Pope Francis himself, have sent about the Vatican’s position on gays and their place in the church.

“Francis made international headlines in 2013 when he quipped ‘Who am I to judge?’ about a purportedly gay priest. He followed up over the years with unprecedented gestures of papal outreach to the gay and transsexual communities… But he has also upheld official church teaching… asserting that the Catholic Church cannot and will not bless same-sex unions since God ‘cannot bless sin.’

“In the aftermath of the Synod’s original removal of the webinar video, New Ways Ministry revealed that Francis had written the group two letters this year commending its work. That was significant… “

Based on the clear Word of God, practicing homosexuality is sin, and we are to judge this accordingly. The Vatican’s flip-flop is for the sole purpose of embracing and keeping as many of the “faithful” in their fold, no matter what their background, preferences and persuasions. This stands in sharp contrast to Francis’s attack on traditionalists and conservatives [see previous article].

Abortion by Mail

CNN wrote on December 16:

“The US Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that it is lifting a requirement that patients seeking medication abortion had to pick up the medication in-person, instead allowing pills to be sent by mail. The move comes as the Supreme Court is poised to undo its abortion rights precedent.

“Relaxing the federal restrictions on medication abortion is one thing that the Biden administration could do to mitigate the fallout from a Roe v. Wade reversal… Medication abortion, in which a pregnancy is ended in a two-pill process, has become a prevalent approach to terminating a pregnancy.”

Whatever it takes to promote the left-wing liberal agenda of the Biden Administration.

BBC News added on December 17:

The change is… allowing women to receive the pill by post from a certified medical worker or pharmacy and receive abortion consultations on the internet…

“…the move will be overridden by 19 states that already have rules banning mail-order abortion pills.”

Biden’s $4.91 Trillion “Build Back Better Act” Doomed?

Breitbart wrote on December 19:

“Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said on Sunday he will oppose the $4.91 trillion Build Back Better Act, effectively killing the ‘mammoth’ legislation… Manchin, the West Virginia moderate Democrat, serves as the critical swing vote in the Senate for Democrats to pass the bill through the Senate…

“[Since] Democrats only have a one-member majority, it would require the approval of two swing votes, Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). ‘This is a no on this legislation,’ Manchin said…”

Thanks to Manchin for standing up for what he believes and for saving America, at least for now, from another terrible increase of national debt. Of course, the backlash against Manchin was predictable, but the mean viciousness was surpassing.

Trump: American Jews Don’t Like Israel

i24News and the Algemeiner reported on December 17:

“… former US president Donald Trump [said] American Jews, especially those in positions of power in the media… ‘either don’t like Israel or don’t care about Israel.’

“Trump also had harsh and controversial words for the New York Times. ‘I mean you look at the New York Times, the New York Times hates Israel. Hates them,’ he said. ‘And they’re Jewish people that run the New York Times.’

“The statements garnered condemnation from multiple officials across the political spectrum.”

In fact, Trump was accused of making antisemitic statements, which is of course utter nonsense, given the fact that his son-in-law is Jewish and that his daughter converted to Judaism. According to the Guardian, dated December 18, Trump also said: “… the evangelical Christians love Israel more than the Jews in this country.” Trump also allegedly criticized Netanyahu for congratulating Biden right away after the “rigged” election.

Trump might very well be correct, which might be evidenced by the biblical prophecy in the Book of Zechariah that Judah will fight against Jerusalem. In addition, it is becoming common and convenient to label opposing views as being antisemitic. Note the next article.

Don’t Dare to Express Your Belief

JTA wrote on December 16:

“Following a court order, a Dutch lawmaker removed social media messages in which he drew parallels between COVID-19 measures and the treatment of Jews by the Nazis… The previous day, a judge in Amsterdam issued an injunction ordering the deletion of the content, prescribing a fine of 25,000 euros – or $28,000 – for each day that the content is still online.

“The judge said that [Thierry] Baudet’s tweets ‘contribute to a climate in which antisemitism is encouraged.’… Speech that equates to Holocaust denial is illegal in many European countries, though not in the Netherlands, where some forms of denial are prosecuted under laws against hate speech.

“In one of the deleted tweets, from Nov. 14, Baudet called the unvaccinated ‘the new Jews’… Two days later, Baudet posted a picture of a child unable to attend a seasonal holiday procession juxtaposed with a picture of a child wearing a yellow star during the Holocaust in Poland. Later last month he posted a sign requiring vaccination certificates at the entrance to the museum on the grounds of the Buchenwald former concentration camp

“‘I am extremely sad that I am not allowed to express what I believe in, and I will not accept it. We will definitely be appealing,’ Baudet wrote…”

To even suggest that Baudet’s statements amount to antisemitism is beyond ridiculous. Neither can Baudet’s statements be remotely compared with a Holocaust denial. It should be obvious that just the opposite is the case!

Transgender Rights and Persecution in the UK

The Daily Mail wrote on December 20:

“The Scout Association has apologised to a campaigner after investigating her for two years for ‘misgendering’ someone on Twitter.

“Assistant cub scout leader Maya Forstater inadvertently called a bearded transgender scout leader ‘he’ rather than ‘they’ in 2019. This prompted an inquiry, which found Miss Forstater had brought the organisation into disrepute.

Along the same lines, the Daily Mail published this article by Andrew Pierce on December 19:

“Hounded out of her job for her feminist views in the trans debate, academic Kathleen Stock is an archetypal victim of cancel culture. Stock, who is gay and opposes ‘self ID’ for trans people, which makes it easier for biological males to enter women-only spaces, was until recently Professor of Philosophy at Sussex University.

“Then balaclava-wearing trans-rights activists forced her out of her job by running a vindictive campaign, brandishing signs demanding for her to resign and, they hoped, ending her career.”

This scenario is a really peculiar one. The author of the article is homosexual, commenting on a lesbian who is being harassed by the transexual lobby. What a combination…

Big Trouble Ahead for Boris Johnson

The Sun wrote on December 17:

“The scale of the Tories’ by-election ­disaster dwarfs even Downing Street’s ­grimmest nightmares. A 23,000 majority [was] blown away in a super-safe Leave-backing North Shropshire seat the Conservatives had held for most of two centuries. The winners, by a mile, [are] the Lib-Dem ultra-Remainders…

“Governments often lose mid-term by-elections, but this calamity is of a different order. It is the dire consequence of Boris Johnson sneakily trying to bend rules… [It is the] predictable result of illicit parties and other scandals

“Elected by a landslide, then boosted by his world-beating jabs programme, the PM has in a few bewildering weeks shredded a huge amount of the goodwill and authority he enjoyed. His poll leads have gone, handing ill-deserved hope to Labour’s rabble and their wooden, opportunist leader Keir Starmer…

“Boris must… develop a credible long-term plan to live with Covid — and not be plunged by overwrought scientists into lockdowns with every new variant. [He must deal with the] soaring cost of living — with prices rocketing and our vast tax burden going in precisely the wrong direction. Crime, too. The illegal migrants cheating the system by sailing across the Channel.

“We fear [we] are in for a tough few months. They need a PM focused on their lives, not distracted by crisis after crisis as his enemies drag him ever deeper into the quicksand.”

Will Boris Johnson accept the challenge and step up to the plate of true leadership?

Britain’s “Brexit Mastermind” Quits over Corona Restrictions—Boris Johnson in Big Trouble

The Sun wrote on December 19:

“BORIS Johnson was rocked by a fresh crisis last night as his Brexit mastermind quit the Cabinet. Lord Frost — one of his most loyal ministers — sensationally resigned in protest over the direction of the Government. Lord Frost’s walk-out will intensify the pressure on Mr Johnson’s faltering leadership…  Sources said the final straw for [Lord Frost] 56, was last week’s bid to impose Covid passports for pubs and big events as well as his growing ‘disillusionment’ with the ‘direction’ of Tory policy…

“The hammer blow came as Boris planned his fightback after his worst week in charge. Mr Johnson has agreed to fire [“Chief whip” Mark] Spencer… Ministers blame Spencer for last week’s rebellion when 100 Tory MP’s voted against Government Covid pass plans…”

“Lockdowns Do Immense Harm”

The Sun wrote on December 19:

“Lockdowns do immense harm to our livelihoods, mental health and children’s safety, as horrific recent cases prove.

“Our way of life, and our kids’ futures, cannot be endlessly restricted by the constant need to protect a health service supposedly always on the brink… The political price for Boris Johnson if he opts for a new lockdown vote, and the inevitable backbench mutiny, would be massive. That’s a side issue to the damage it would mean for the rest of us.”

It surely would mean that.

Archbishop of Canterbury’s Divisive Comments

The Daily Mail wrote on December 22:

“The Archbishop of Canterbury has implied that Jesus would get vaccinated against Covid. Justin Welby suggested that people who refuse to get jabbed are ‘immoral’ as he told people to ‘love one another, as Jesus said’…

“Last month, he was forced to apologise after saying that failure to strike a climate change deal at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow would lead to a ‘genocide’ worse than that committed by the Nazis. …

“And in April, the archbishop was accused of ‘jumping on a woke bandwagon’ after claiming that being a royal is like serving ‘life without parole’ – in words that appeared to signal his support for Harry and Meghan over Buckingham Palace.”

A more ridiculous comment than the one that Jesus would get vaccinated against Corona has rarely been uttered.

Fury Erupts in London over Johnson’s Lockdown Plans

Express wrote on December 18:

“A demonstration against mandatory vaccinations [occurred] at Parliament Square in Westminster. The iconic location was said to be ‘rammed’ with angry Britons on Saturday afternoon… The  protest today saw people travel to the capital from across the UK and there are also rallies in Bournemouth, Blackburn, Gloucestershire, Bristol, Glasgow, Cardiff, Belfast and the Isle of Wight. The protest is supported by an umbrella movement called the ‘Together Declaration’, with 170,000 signatures including business, religious and campaign leaders, as well as MPs, which is campaigning against mandatory vaccinations as well as an end to vaccine passports and mass testing

“It is understood the Prime Minister is also considering further measures under a so-called Plan C, which includes another lockdown, the Financial Times reports.”

Resistance to autocratic governmental measures is rising all over the world, and the concern is that real violence will break out between protestors and governmental agents… perhaps even creating civil unrest and civil war. And it creates animosity between certain countries, as the next article shows.

France’s and Germany’s Attack on the UK

The Guardian wrote on December 16:

France will dramatically tighten restrictions on travel from Britain… effectively banning all non-essential journeys. The government announced in a statement that incoming travellers would require ‘an essential reason to travel to, or come from, the UK, both for the unvaccinated and vaccinated’ from midnight on Saturday…

“‘People cannot travel for tourism or professional reasons,’ it said… In addition, all arrivals from the UK will need a negative PCR or antigen test taken within the previous 24, rather than 48 hours, and will have to quarantine in France for seven days – reduced to 48 hours if they can produce a new negative test…. The French government also… asked travellers from France who had planned to visit the UK to postpone their journey….”

The age-long animosity between France and Britain can again be seen in this example of willful discrimination… And Boris Johnson seems to be a far-too-willing “accomplice.”

The Sun wrote on December 19:

GERMANY is the latest country to ban travel to and from the UK from this weekend over Omicron variant fearsFrom midnight on Sunday, or 11pm UK time, any travellers from the UK apart from German nationals, residents and transit passengers will be banned.

“Everyone entering Germany from Britain, whether vaccinated or not, will need a negative PCR test and is required to be quarantined for 14 days.”

Of course, Germany would join France against the UK. No surprise there.

Huge Demonstrations against Corona Restrictions in Germany

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 18:

“Thousands of people have demonstrated against coronavirus rules in several major German cities… Several thousand people took to the streets in the northern port city of Hamburg, then marched in several blocks through the city center, police said. About 8,000 attendees were registered [This means, many more participated.] ‘No to compulsory vaccination!’ was written on self-made placards, as well as ‘Hands off our children.’ In the western city of Düsseldorf, police said an estimated 4,000 protesters marched through the city center…

“Vaccinations for children are beginning in Germany, following recommendations made by the country’s top vaccine body. However, many parents are divided on the issue… Demonstrations also took place in the financial hub of Frankfurt am Main, as well as the southwestern cities of Karlsruhe and Freiburg.  Police said around 3,500 people marched through the center of Freiburg, adding that they sporadically split up groups because some attendees were not wearing obligatory face masks. Around 900 people took to the streets in Karlsruhe to protest mandatory vaccinations, particularly for health care workers such as nurses. In Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, nearly 2,000 people demonstrated under the slogan ‘Basic rights are not negotiable,’ according to police. Around 1,900 people attended a protest against restrictions in Schwerin, the capital of the northern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, police said…

“Meanwhile, officials in Berlin banned a demonstration that had 2,000 registered protesters, citing the expectation that demonstrators would violate coronavirus rules such as the obligation to wear a mask and maintain social distance. However, protesters have gathered on many occasions despite police bans.

“Police in the eastern German state of Saxony shut down gatherings organized by the Querdenker or ‘lateral thinkers’ group. People demonstrated in several parts of Dresden, which is one of the cities where the Querdenker movement is most popular. Meanwhile, in Rathenow in the state of Brandenburg, 360 police officers stopped a protest on Friday evening, citing a lack of people complying with mask requirements…”

The more people demonstrate, the more German state governments will respond harshly. Violence is to be expected.

The Netherlands Pushes the Panic Button

Reuters wrote on December 18:

“The Netherlands will go into a strict lockdown over the Christmas and New Year period to try to contain the highly- contagious Omicron coronavirus variant, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Saturday.

“All non-essential shops and services, including restaurants, hairdressers, museums and gyms will be closed from Sunday until Jan. 14. All schools will be shut until at least Jan. 9…. Other measures include a recommendation that households receive no more than two visitors and that gatherings outside are also limited to a maximum of two people…”

Israel again in the News

Israel Today wrote on December 19:

“Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett appeared to fail a critical Covid-combatting leadership test at the weekend, after opposition to his wish to impose a near-total travel ban on Israelis forced him to backtrack… The prime minister used coercive manipulation, including warnings that those who opposed the measures would be to [be blamed] for any Covid-19 disaster that might result…

“Following those reports, and as the premier huddled with his government leaders at the weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday morning, news emerged that he was no longer planning a sweeping travel ban, but would announce a more limited list of countries to which Israelis may no longer fly, including the United States, Canada, Germany and Turkey. These restrictions will reportedly go into effect a little later this week.”

Far from being a shining light of democracy in the Middle East, the governments of Israel have been at the forefront of imposing dictatorial coronavirus restrictions.

More and More Vaccinations Required

Deutsche Welle reported on December 21:

“The European Commission announced Tuesday that COVID vaccine certificates in the bloc would only be valid for nine months without a booster shot…. The new rule concerns traveling within the European Union, but the Commission said in a statement that it recommends EU countries also apply it on a national level… EU residents are recommended to receive a booster shot six months, at the latest, after they’re fully vaccinated. But the certificate will be valid for three additional months as a grace period to ensure access to booster doses…”

JTA wrote on December 22:

“Israel will likely begin administering a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine to seniors, immunocompromised people, and healthcare workers in an effort to stem the spread of the Omicron variant.

“The move was recommended Tuesday by the panel of experts advising Israel’s government on the coronavirus pandemic. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had been hinting at the possibility of a fourth shot and embraced the recommendation in a statement Tuesday. ‘This is wonderful news that will assist us in getting through the Omicron wave that is engulfing the world,’ Bennett said…

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said on December 22 that a fourth dose might become necessary soon, as the vaccines might not be that “durable.” When will it end? And how about the lack of confidence of scientists and doctors in their own vaccines?

Canada’s Dictatorial Restrictions

Life Site News reported on December 17:

“A Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) MP sounded the alarm that the Liberal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is planning to keep COVID jab mandates and rules for years to come… as [h]idden in [Trudeau’s] Fiscal and Economic Update”…

“Many Canadian doctors have spoken out against both jab mandates as well as their purported safety and effectiveness

“The Liberal’s fiscal update also praises the draconian and discriminatory Trudeau travel ban by air, sea, or train for the vaccine-free, which has been in place since December 1… The Liberal’s fiscal update also highlights the federal government’s mandate of COVID shots for all federally regulated sectors.

“However, many consider jab mandates as a blatant assault on individual freedoms that’s unnecessary given COVID’s high survivability among most groups, its minimal risk of asymptomatic spread, and research indicating that post-infection natural immunity is equally protected against reinfection [in fact, as the evidence proves, and as it is pointed out in this section, it is MORE EFFECTIVE than vaccinations.]

“There is also a substantial amount of evidence that vaccine mandates are a failed strategy for tackling COVID… the government once again has mandated COVID testing for returning air travelers, along with mandatory quarantine, even for those who are considered ’fully vaccinated.’”

They must not have too much confidence in their vaccinations.

“Dr. Fauci, Please Stop Lying!”

The left-liberal outlet, The Week, wrote on December 17:

“American public health bureaucrats… have repeatedly lied to the public, playing politics with the pandemic, and in the process undermined both the fight against COVID-19 and confidence in their own credibility… Back in February and March 2020… Anthony Fauci was all over the media downplaying masks. ‘If you look at the masks that you buy in a drug store, the leakage around that doesn’t really do much to protect you,’ he told USA Today that spring. ‘Now, in the United States, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to wear a mask.’ In an interview with 60 Minutes in March, he said, ‘Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks.’

“It turns out Fauci almost certainly didn’t believe what he was saying. In an interview with InStyle several months later, he admitted that trying to preserve the mask supply for doctors and nurses was his first motivation…

“Fauci didn’t learn his lesson. Not only did he lie more, but he exposed his own deception once again. Last December, he told The New York Times he’d also been lying about how many people would have to get vaccinated to reach herd immunity (moving from 60 to 90 percent)…”

We do not endorse the gist of the article nor the premises expressed therein [such as the importance of wearing masks and the need for three vaccinations]. But what we found interesting is the recognition of Fauci’s repeated lies and the lack of trust people are having in his advice, competence and predictions. Also note the next incredible article.

Fauci, the Spin Doctor

Fox News reported on December 17:

“Fauci said Friday that the possibility of changing the definition for fully vaccinated is ‘certainly on the table’… which currently states a person is fully vaccinated when they have received two doses of a Pfizer or Moderna regimen or a shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. In the face of omicron, some have suggested the definition should include a booster shot… Friday morning he finally planted his flag in the war of words around the pandemic when he suggested that some terms may – and in one case, should – change… [He said:] ‘… there’s no doubt that optimum vaccination is with a booster’…

“He also discussed the difficulty in pushing ‘mandates,’ instead suggesting that people should discuss ‘requirements’ as a more palatable term. ‘Mandates — that’s a radioactive word. Requirements people seem to respond better to that. They work,’ Fauci argued. ‘We are never going to get out of this outbreak if we still have 50 million people who for reasons that are very difficult to understand refuse to get vaccinated.’

“Fauci has walked this line in the past two weeks, making a distinction between ‘fully’ vaccinated versus ‘optimum’ vaccination [stressing] that ‘optimum’ vaccination would include a booster.

“Omicron has driven new cases up across the country…  The new variant appears to spread more than the delta variant while only creating mild symptoms so far. Hospitalizations and deaths have not increased to the same degree if at all… The United States has yet to record a death as a result of the omicron variant.”

Not only that, as WND reported on December 17, “Nearly 80% of the omicron variant cases in the United States were found in people who were fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention… In Israel, where most of the population has received a booster shot, 54 of 67 omicron cases, 80%, were people who had received three COVID-19 shots.”

Fauci’s spinning of the facts cannot hide the truth that we are dealing with a money-making political agenda.

The Fallacy of “Public Health” Experts

The Dossier wrote on December 18:

“There’s one thing that the ‘public health expert’ class is certain about these days. They claim to have ‘the tools’ to stop this coronavirus. But the thing about these ‘tools’ is that they require blind faith in order to work, since every observable metric shows that they’ve failed in catastrophic fashion

“We are now almost two full years into our population-wide ‘public health expert’-managed COVID tyranny, and it has not exactly paid dividends for anyone other than the people in charge, who have catapulted to a life of fame and prestige.

“There is no evidence anywhere in the world that top-down authoritarianism, guided by these excessively praised ‘public health experts,’ has produced positive outcomes for the health and safety of any nation. In fact, the opposite is true. Throughout the world, sickness and unhealthy habits are increasing across the board, both indirectly and directly related to COVID-19… In fact, most of these ‘tools,’ when employed, are making everything worse.

“The mRNA shots were originally sold to the public with the claim that they prevent people from both infecting others and being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. This is why the FDA and CDC, among other ‘public health’ bureaucracies, decided to green light injecting unthreatened 5 year olds with experimental drugs. The promise was that they would be ‘doing their part’ to ‘save grandma’ and ‘stop the spread.’ Yet the prevention and transmission claim has been completely memory-holed. As evidenced most recently by the breakouts in universally compliant settings, after a period of time, the shots seem to do nothing at all to prevent infection or transmission.

Universal masking, another agreed upon tool to stop a virus, doesn’t work, yet the ‘experts’ continue to [demand it]. Curfews and lockdowns… have done absolutely nothing to solve a virus problem…”

Still, gullible people are listening to their unfounded and oftentimes totally false opinions…

Masks Don’t Help on Flights

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on December 16:

“CEOs of Southwest Airlines and American Airlines testified before Congress this week that forcing people to wear masks on board their planes does little if anything to prevent spread of the virus.

“As predicted, Dem Members freaked out after hearing this blow to their deep faith.”

It has been known for a long time that masks on flights do not help at all. For many, they could be harmful. Still, airlines follow Biden’s mandate to demand wearing masks. Fauci responded that masks on planes will “always be necessary, no matter what” (Fox News, December 19). What an incredible situation.

Natural Immunity Overlooked

Newsmax wrote on December 20:

“Former FDA commissioner and Pfizer board member Dr. Scott Gottlieb on Sunday said… on CBS News: ‘A lot of people believe, including myself, that the reason why it’s [Omicron] manifesting as a less severe illness is probably because we have baseline immunity in the population… Probably around 80% of Americans and 90% of South Africans have some level of immunity, either from prior infection or through vaccination’… Gottlieb also believes omicron will ‘blow through fairly quickly.’”

In a related article, Newsmax wrote on December 20:

“Stumping for the overlooked science of natural immunity and denouncing the ‘inconsistent’ political science ‘tune’ of Dr. Anthony Fauci, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said she has overcome COVID-19 and does not need a vaccination from it now. ‘It’ll be over my dead body that I’ll have to get a shot,” Palin [said] on Sunday. ‘I will not. I won’t do it and they better not touch my kids either.’…

“The remarks came as Republicans are denouncing Biden’s vaccine mandates, not only on choice, but also on the scientific belief natural immunity might be protection enough, if not better.”

Natural immunity is overlooked because it does not pay the Big Pharma industry.

And Now… First Death in USA Reported

Reuters reported on December 20:

“Texas’ Harris County on Monday reported its first death related to the Omicron COVID-19 variant, a man who was unvaccinated, the county health department said… Earlier in December, Britain reported the first publicly confirmed death globally from Omicron. Twelve people in Britain have now died with the variant, and 104 are currently in hospital with it…”

Of course, an unvaccinated person is blamed and the push for vaccinations ensues as a consequence, even though the virus affects many more vaccinated than unvaccinated people. It would also be interesting to find out the exact circumstances of the person’s death.

Biden’s War on the Unvaccinated

Fox News reported on December 20:

“The White House was viciously mocked over the weekend after pushing the message that unvaccinated Americans would experience a winter of ‘severe illness and death’ due to the omicron variant of the coronavirus….

“Critics took to social media to mock the White House’s message of death, with some referring to Biden as the ‘Grim Reaper’

“‘President Biden’s warning of a “winter of severe illness and death” makes President Jimmy Carter’s “malaise” speech urging Americans to lower expectations seem a cheerful upper by contrast. How do Democrats run as the party of ‘severe illness and death’? This is madness,’ wrote former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Other critics echoed his Jimmy Carter comparison…”

Madness indeed. God has poured out a spirit of deep slumber on our leaders.

Utter Confusion regarding Biden’s Vaccine Mandates

Newsmax, The Associated Press and Thomson/Reuters wrote on December 18:

“A U.S. appeals court on Friday reinstated a nationwide vaccine-or-testing COVID-19 mandate for large businesses, a federal government rule that covers 80 million American workers. The ruling by the 6th U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati lifted a November injunction that had blocked the rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which applies to businesses with at least 100 workers

“The [decision] comes a day after the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a nationwide ban on the mandate [for healthcare workers]. The court instead allowed the mandate to remain blocked in 14 states that had collectively sued in federal court in Louisiana. That action altered a Nov. 30 ruling by U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty, who originally applied his order nationwide.

“A different appeals court, the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, has declined to disturb a lower court order blocking the mandate in 10 other states.

“The Biden administration asked the justices to allow the mandate to take effect in the 24 states covered by those two courts’ decisions. A federal judge in Texas granted an injunction Thursday that applies only to that state.”

The Associated Press wrote on December 17 about the decision of the 6th Court of Appeals regarding private companies:

“‘Given OSHA’s clear and exercised authority to regulate viruses, OSHA necessarily has the authority to regulate infectious diseases that are not unique to the workplace,’ Judge Julia Smith Gibbons, who was nominated to the court by former President George W. Bush, a Republican, wrote in her majority opinion…. She was joined in the majority decision by Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch, an appointee of former President Barrack Obama, a Democrat… The dissent in Friday’s ruling came from Judge Joan Larsen, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, who said Congress did not authorize OSHA to make this sort of rule and that it did not qualify as a necessity to use the emergency procedures the agency followed to put it in place.’”

This decision by two judges (against one) is SO unconstitutional and plainly wrong.

Fox News added on December 18:

“The Supreme Court earlier this week refused to block a New York regulation mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for health care workers – a move that could spell trouble for those opposed to the sweeping mandate.”

All of this is becoming SO political, as evidenced by the fact that courts and judges disagree amongst themselves and decide, strictly based on political preferences. The concern for the health of the American people is secondary, if it exists at all, even though lip-services to the contrary might be uttered here and there. Nobody knows how the utterly political and divided Supreme Court will decide, while innocent workers are the pawns in this despicable chess game.

The Associated Press added on December 18:

“A vaccine mandate for companies that have contracts with the federal government is on hold nationwide, while a separate mandate for health care employees who work for providers that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid funding has been blocked in half the states…

“… vaccine mandates for federal government employees and the military remain in effect, as do mask requirements for airline passengers and people using public transportation.”

Californians Openly Defy Newsom’s Corona Mandates—Good for Them

NBC San Diego wrote on December 18:

“Coronado and El Cajon leaders said this week if the state wants to enforce the new indoor mask mandate it can use its own resources. On Friday the city of Oceanside joined them. The mandate won’t be enforced at privately owned businesses in Oceanside, and many small business owners who made it through the pandemic are fine with it…”

Breitbart wrote on December 17:

“Californians are ignoring Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide mask mandate, which went into effect Wednesday for most indoor spaces… Newsom exempted San Francisco — where he used to be mayor of the city — and the surrounding counties…

“In Los Angeles County, for example, gyms and restaurants are continuing as before…  The Sacramento Bee reported that no one can figure out who is responsible for enforcing the mask mandate, and that Newsom says he has ‘faith’ in Californians to enforce his mandate themselves, saying that they would ‘self-enforce’ but didn’t provide specifics on what would happen if they didn’t…

“Local government officials say the state hasn’t given any guidance on enforcement, and some local authorities say they won’t enforce the state’s order at all. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has said… he would not enforce vaccine mandates in his county.”

Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia?

The Jerusalem Post wrote on December 16:

“A fascinating connection between Ethiopia and Jewish history is the belief that the Ark of the Covenant, containing the tablets of the Ten Commandments, may reside to this day in Ethiopia. While a Talmudic source relates that the ark – along with several other of the Temple’s sacred objects – was hidden just prior to the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, numerous other theories exist as to its whereabouts.

“A longstanding religious legend in Ethiopia describes how the Ark of the Covenant was brought there 3,000 years ago by a man named Menelik, who, according to the legend, was the son of the Queen of Sheba and Israel’s King Solomon. The legend states that the Queen of Sheba was from Ethiopia and that she traveled to Jerusalem, where she was seduced by King Solomon, giving birth to Menelik upon her return home. Menelik later traveled to Jerusalem and studied with his father before taking the ark and bringing it to Ethiopia, where, legend has it, it still resides in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Aksum, where only ‘The Guardian of the Ark of the Covenant’ can view it.

“Others maintain that a sect of Jews driven by King Manasseh from Israel took the ark with them and transported it to Egypt, from where they eventually sailed up the Nile to Ethiopia. Researchers who journeyed to Aksum and made their way to Mary of Zion Church were purportedly introduced to a man referred to as the guardian of the ark. This man was said to live his entire life inside a fenced-off area surrounding the church and will not leave his post until he dies, at which time he will be replaced by the next guardian. In the chapel of the church, 30 robes from 30 previous guardians are on display – and every one of those 30 professed that the object they protected was the true Ark of the Covenant.

“While others dispute and debunk this legend – claiming that, at most, the ark in the church is merely a replica of the real thing – it fits neatly with the claim by Ethiopia’s former emperor Haile Selassie that he was a direct descendant of Menelik. Selassie, who ruled Ethiopia from 1930-1974, called himself ‘the Lion of Judah,’ the 225th king descended from King David, and prominently displayed a Lion of Judah motif on the country’s flag and currency.”

Whether true or not, the question is what others believe, especially the Roman Catholic Church which is very interested in possessing all kinds of religious relics and which therefore might be prompted to participate in a war against Ethiopia (Daniel 11:40-43). Regarding the whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant and its future, see our Q&A on the issue. 

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

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Is Christmas still acceptable in spite of its pagan roots and origins? – Part 2

In the first part of this two-part series, we looked at the fact that many writers will agree that there are pagan connections to Christmas but conclude that it is still acceptable to keep the festival.   We gave two examples and continue with further examples.

EXAMPLE 3:

Here is another approach to try and justify Christmas celebrations:

“The Lord, through His sacrifice, has cleansed us of our sins. He sanctifies what he touches.  When we came in contact with Him, it is we who were cleansed. It is not Him who is defiled.  The woman with the issue of blood who touched Jesus (Mark 5:25-34) was made clean. It was not Jesus who was defiled. Likewise, Jesus touched the unclean lepers and cleansed them (Matthew 8:3). Jesus came in contact with many people, and it was never He who was defiled. It was they who were cleansed.

“I think this principle can be applied to Christmas. Yes, Christmas has pagan origins. Yes, it is a highly commercial time. Yes, many do not have their eyes on Jesus. But for the Christian, it is a time to reflect upon the birth of our Lord and to celebrate His coming into the world to die for our sins.”

This approach is exactly what the Bible condemns.

In our Update 122, dated December 19, 2003, we read the following in our Q&A, “Why don’t you celebrate Christmas?” 

“The age-old question is, however, why is it so important to know that Christmas and its customs were a pagan invention? What is wrong with ‘Christianizing’ those pagan customs? We might not be able to bring Christ BACK into those customs (as He was never part of them in the first place), but why can’t we bring those customs to Christ and use them to worship Him in that way?

“Simply, because the Bible prohibits us to do so. The concept of adding pagan practices to godly worship, known as ‘syncretism,’ is condemned throughout Scripture. Again, we encourage our members, subscribers and friends to read or re-read our booklet, ‘Don’t Keep Christmas,’ for a more comprehensive analysis of this important question.

“In short, we read in Deuteronomy 12:29-32, that God commanded Israel that ‘you do not inquire after their [pagan] gods, saying, “How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.” You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way…”

“What could be clearer? God commands us NOT to worship Him in the way that the Gentiles did. Christmas was a pagan festival in honor of pagan gods. God FORBIDS us to worship Him in that way. We read in Matthew 15:7-9 that we worship Christ IN VAIN when we teach ‘as doctrines the commandments of men’ or pagans. The Ryrie Study Bible comments regarding the passage in Deuteronomy 12:30: ‘The Israelites were not even to inquire about the worship of the Canaanites, lest they be tempted to INCORPORATE ASPECTS OF IT INTO THEIR WORSHIP OF GOD.’

“That is, exactly, what the Roman Catholic Church did. That is exactly what God PROHIBITS His people from doing!”

EXAMPLE 4:

Another writer gives us an insight into further antagonism towards those who say that Christmas is not a festival that true Christians should keep:

“Q. WHAT IS A PROPER CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO PEOPLE WHO CLAIM CHRISTMAS AND OTHER CHRISTIAN CELEBRATIONS ARE PAGAN?

“A. First, if we are honest, we are forced to acknowledge that aspects of Christmas certainly are pagan: the revelry, drinking and overeating, commercialism, coveting, and immorality that are rife during the season. The holiday atmosphere as represented by these sins surely cannot be considered a part of true Christianity. Also, holly and mistletoe, Santa Claus, and the like are not found in Scripture either, though certain trappings of the season, like Christmas trees, candles, wreaths, and bells, are not necessarily wrong if they classify as decorations rather than gods. Anything can become a god if we lose perspective and don’t put God first. Further, enough eons have elapsed so that any pagan connections with items such as Christmas trees are now truly meaningless.

“I believe Christians must part company with those, such as certain cultists who advocate totally ignoring the celebration of Christ’s birth. We are unsure of the exact date on which our Savior was born. In fact, Dec. 25 is almost certain not to be the day. Does that matter? The precise day of the year should not deter us from designating a day to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. Further, there is nothing wrong with having family gatherings, exchanging gifts, sending greeting cards, singing, going to special services at church, and enjoying good food God has provided. We should use Christmas as a special time to witness to unsaved loved ones and acquaintances too. Many people have trusted Christ as Savior through the local church during the holiday season, the only time when some people enter a church.

“‘Christmas is for children’ is quite true. Many of us remember our early childhoods as the time when the account of the Christ Child was especially enthralling. Therefore, we adults can make Christmas a time of unselfish giving toward children (not just material things, by the way), creating great experiences that they will remember all their lives. It is an important part of bringing them up in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Many of us remember events surrounding our early Christmases better than any other times during our entire childhoods.

“These are responses that I believe honor the Lord. Christmas is not going to go away and critics will always be around. If some Christians cannot in good conscience observe Christmas, or any other Christian celebration, they have the privilege of leaving it alone.”

That is quite a statement but is hardly a proper response to people who claim Christmas and other Christmas celebrations are pagan!   Here’s why:

It is incorrect to say that any pagan connections with items such as Christmas trees are now truly meaningless.  God, who doesn’t change (see Malachi 3:6), said quite categorically that His people should not follow the customs of worship who serve false gods (compare again Deuteronomy 12:29-32).   That was true in the times of the ancient Israelites and still applies to God’s people today.

As often happens, those who disagree with the practice of keeping Christmas are labelled as cultists with opponents trying to denigrate and falsely accuse them so as to undermine their standing.

The assertion is made that “Dec. 25 is almost certain not to be the day” but that “it doesn’t matter.”  Is it not strange that the celebration of His birthday which they say is not on December 25th is a wrong date and yet they keep it?

What can be said about the argument that “we should use Christmas as a special time to witness to unsaved loved ones and acquaintances too”?   So, they use a time that is not the date of the Savior’s birth, pretend it is, and to try and teach others that this is quite alright? What sort of example is that?

Regarding the training of children, they say that “It is an important part of bringing them up in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).” To teach children God’s Word is indeed the responsibility of parents, but that must be based on the sure foundation of the truth.   Teaching them lies about a pagan festival with a cloak of so-called Christianity draped over it is not in line with what God expects of us.

It is stated that “Christmas Is not going to go away” which may well be true but that does not mean that true Christians have to be involved in it.   It is highly unlikely that Halloween is not going to go away but we should never have anything to do with that demonic celebration, either.

The Church of the Eternal God and its corporate affiliates have consistently taught that we must never be involved with Christmas celebrations.

One of our Q&As has the following headline: “You teach that Christians should not keep man’s holidays, such as Christmas, but rather, they need to observe God’s annual Holy Days. Why can’t we do both? And what, exactly, are those annual Holy Days, and how are they different from days such as Christmas?”  We address in that Q&A the fact that the world’s holidays of which Christmas is just one, should not be kept, and it goes into the biblical Holy Days that God’s people are commanded to keep.  You can access this Q&A at: https://www.globalchurchofgod.co.uk/q-a-8343/

Of course, becoming lax in this area couldn’t happen to us, could it? Not all that long ago a photograph appeared of a former evangelist in the Church of God who had taught the truth about Christmas, until the mid-1990’s, when he was standing in front of a Christmas tree obviously enjoying the experience.   His new-found “freedom” seemed to have allowed this action that he preached vehemently against in his ministry in the Church of God.  Quite a turnaround!

“Whether to celebrate Christmas or not, is man’s choice. However, to decree whether it is right or wrong to do so, is God’s prerogative.”(See our weekly Update 122, dated December 19, 2003).

In Mark 7:6-7, we read Jesus’ words, quoting Isaiah, when speaking to the Pharisees and scribes: “He answered and said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: “This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”’”  It is obvious for those with eyes to see that this applies to modern mainstream Christianity as they have discarded the Holy Days of God and replaced them with man-made holidays of which Christmas is just one of them.   We must never forget that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Also, as mentioned repeatedly in this series, a reading (or a re-reading) of our booklet Don’t Keep Christmas could prove to be very well worthwhile, as we approach this time of the year once again.

Lead Writer:  Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

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Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

compiled by Dave Harris

A new Member Letter (December 2021) has been written and mailed to our subscribers. Eric Rank writes about the lies and deceptions Christians face in the world, especially during this time of the year. He points to our need to closely adhere to the Truth of God both personally and in fulfilling the job God has given to His Church.

“Why Won’t Some Christians Keep Christmas this Year?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary: 

Some may not keep Christmas this year because of governmental restrictions to fight the coronavirus pandemic, forbidding them to meet. Depending on the country, unvaccinated must not meet at all; others may be allowed to meet in small groups not exceeding ten persons. Church services might be totally banned, or severely restricted. But then there are those who won’t celebrate Christmas this year for altogether different reasons which have nothing to do with coronavirus restrictions.

“Warum einige Christen dieses Jahr kein Weihnachten feiern” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Why Won’t Some Christians Keep Christmas this Year?”

“Gott oder der Mensch? – Teil 1” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Michael Link. Title in English: “God or Man? Part 1.”

“Die drei himmlischen Bücher,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Manuel Mueller, is now posted. Title in English: “The Three Heavenly Books.”

“Ein wahrer loyaler Freund!” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Christoph Sperzel, is now posted. Title in English: “A True Loyal Friend.”

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

Christians are instructed to bear Spiritual fruit. What is involved in the process? How can we practically produce the results that God expects?

“Jacob’s Trouble,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Why is so much going wrong? Once great world powers, the UK and the US are now experiencing what might appear to be punishment—and it is! Punishment from God has been prophesied long ago for these nations because of their refusal to obey Him. The Bible shows that even greater catastrophes are coming!

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How This Work is Financed

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

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

Technical Team: Eric Rank, Shana Rank

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

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

Donations can be sent to the following addresses:

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

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

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

Update 1001

Fruition / Jacob’s Trouble

On December 18, 2021, Eric Rank will present the sermonette, titled, “Fruition,” and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “Jacob’s Trouble.”

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

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Attributes of God

by Paul Niehoff (Australia)

Many of us will remember learning the 23rd Psalm as a child or young adult. It consists of six verses so it is quite easy to remember and many articles, or even books, have been written about it. There are even a number of hymns written using its words, some are sung in many different churches, and we even have two versions in our own Hymnal.

The theme of the Psalm is obviously about how a shepherd looks after his sheep, and from that point of view, is most inspiring and encouraging, especially as it applies to us. But it also lists many of the attributes of God in just five of its verses. All of these attributes are mentioned in other Scriptures so we can see consistency in God’s Word.

The very first thing we read in verse 1 is that “The LORD is my Shepherd.” This is not newly revealed in the Bible here but is first mentioned in Genesis 49:24. There we read, speaking of Joseph that “… the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel).” This attribute is continued through the Bible, and we read again of it in John 10:11: “I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

Continuing on in Psalm 23:1, “I shall not want.” In other words, God will provide. This attribute is first mentioned in Genesis 22:14 after God had provided a ram as a sacrifice in place of Isaac. “And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, ‘In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.’”

Considering Psalm 23:2, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.” This is a very peaceful situation. In fact, that is another attribute of God. In Judges 6:23-24 we read, “Then the LORD said to him, ‘Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.’ So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”

Following on in Psalm 23:3, it begins with, “He restores my soul…” This shows us that God is our healer. This is first mentioned in Exodus 15:26 where God said: “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”

The second part of Psalm 23:3 states, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” This is mentioned in Jeremiah 23:6 where we read, “In His days [the days of the Branch of righteousness] Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely. Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Going on to Psalm 23:4, we read, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” David acknowledged that the LORD was with him; that He was present. In Ezekiel 48:35, last part, we read: “…and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.”

In Psalm 23:5, we find that, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” In Exodus 17:15, we read, “And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner.” This signifies that the LORD protects us from enemies—a banner being a symbol of authority and power, like a national flag.

In the second part of Psalm 23:5, we read: “You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.” In the last part of Exodus 31:13, we read that when you keep God’s Sabbath, “… you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” It was a practice for kings and others, e.g. Aaron or David, to be sanctified by anointing them with oil to show that they were appointed to their office.

But, of course, this is not the end of Psalm 23. It finishes up in verse 6 with, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.” The prophet Ezekiel echoes this in Ezekiel 37:25: “Then they [the children of Israel] shall dwell in the land I have given to Jacob My servant, where you fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever.”

When we read this very short Psalm, it shows us God’s loving attitude and concern, not just to David, but also toward us. It also shows us some of God’s attributes that we can rely upon. It finishes up with a promise of eternal life for David, and other Scriptures show that this promise also extends to us. So, this Psalm is very encouraging, well worth meditating on and singing praise to God.

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by Norbert Link

We begin with America’s troublesome domestic situation, from unparalleled rising inflation in recent times; the unprecedented rise of the government’s debt; increasing violence; the left-wing frenzy in the Smollett case, led by no others than Biden and Harris; CNN Anderson Cooper’s arrogance; NBC Brian Williams’ sober warning; the proposed costly Build Back Better Act; shocking revelations in Wisconsin’s presidential election in 2020; holding former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in contempt; Elon Musk new person of the year; to Fauci’s doomsday clock which is mirrored by Fauci’s clone, Germany’s new health minister Karl Lauterbach; and California’s new measures regarding Corona and White House press secretary Jen Psaki’s appalling comments.

We continue with developments pertaining to America’s foreign partners, allies and enemies, starting with bad signs for Europe’s “democracies”; the persecution of the unvaccinated and of European Christians; a remarkable new statue at the UN’s headquarters in New York City; the dangerous situation between Russia and Ukraine and America’s cluelessness in the matter; Ukraine’s hope for European intervention while tensions escalate; Germany’s new weak and indecisive Chancellor Olaf Scholz; and Europe’s incredibly ridiculous proposals for a “new” language under the auspices of Ursula von der Leyen.

We address new challenges from China over Taiwan, and we conclude with the fairy tale about Santa Claus without a good ending.  Please view in this context our new StandingWatch program, titled, Why do we lie to our children?” 

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

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Inflation at all Time High since 1982

The Associated Press wrote on December 10:

“Prices for U.S. consumers jumped 6.8% in November compared with a year earlier as surging costs for food, energy, housing and other items left Americans enduring their highest annual inflation rate since 1982.

“It is the sixth straight month that inflation has been above 5%.”

Fox News added on December 10:

Consumer prices surged at the fastest pace in nearly four decades in November as Americans paid more for practically everything from groceries to cars to gasoline… Price increases were widespread: Energy prices jumped 3.5% in November and are up 33.3% year over year. Gasoline is a stunning 58.1% higher than it was a year ago. Food prices have also climbed 6.1% higher over the year, while used car and truck prices – a major component of the inflation increase – are up 31%.”

No spin of the Biden Administration that we are on the road of economic recovery can change the facts.

US Debt Limit now at 31.4 Trillion Dollars

Newsmax wrote on December 15:

“The U.S. Congress on Tuesday approved raising the federal government’s debt limit by $2.5 trillion, to about $31.4 trillion, sending the bill to President Joe Biden to sign and avert an unprecedented default… A deal last week between Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and his Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell, set the stage for Tuesday’s vote, bypassing normal Senate rules requiring at least 60 of the chamber’s 100 members to agree to advance most legislation. The Senate passed the bill earlier on Tuesday in a partisan 50-49 vote.

“The Democrat-led House of Representatives approved the bill in a 221-209 vote.”

CNS News reported on December 15:

“With that limit lifted, the federal debt will take a jump upward, then keep steadily climbing, constantly increasing the burden on future taxpayers….

“Among those lending money to the federal government so it can continue to run its massive annual deficits are foreign governments and foreign interests. According to the Treasury Department, entities in Japan owned $1.299 trillion in U.S. government debt as of the end of September. Entities in mainland China owned $1.047 trillion. Entities in the United Kingdom owned $566.5 billion; entities in Luxembourg owned $311.8 billion; entities in Ireland owned $309.6 billion; and entities in Switzerland own $296.5 billion…

“In fiscal 2021, according to the Monthly Treasury Statement, interest payments on Treasury securities hit $562.38 billion. That was more than three times as much as the fiscal 2021 cost of the Department of State ($35.814 billion), the Department of Justice ($39.261 billion) and the Department of Homeland Security ($91.069 billion) combined ($166.144 billion).

“Will the federal government ever again balance its budget? The obvious bet is: No.”

Foreigners become the head, and the borrower is servant to the lender…

Violent America

ABC News wrote on December 8:

“At least 12 major U.S. cities have broken annual homicide records in 2021… Philadelphia, a city of roughly 1.5 million people, has had more homicides this year (521 as of Dec. 6) than the nation’s two largest cities, New York (443 as of Dec. 5) and Los Angeles (352 as of Nov. 27). That’s an increase of 13% from 2020, a year that nearly broke the 1990 record.

“Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city, leads the nation with 739 homicides as of the end of November, up 3% from 2020…

“Other major cities that have surpassed yearly homicide records are St. Paul, Minnesota; Portland, Oregon; Tucson, Arizona; Toledo, Ohio; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Austin, Texas; Rochester, New York; and Albuquerque, New Mexico, which broke its record back in August.

“… the nation saw a 30% increase in murder in 2020, the largest single-year jump since the bureau began recording crime statistics 60 years ago…”

America’s Crazy Windstorms

Gizmodo wrote on December 15:

“Dust Bowl-like conditions have spread across the Plains, with dust storms, ferocious fires, and staggering storms that are exceptional for this time of year…. Less than a week after a freak tornado outbreak  [in six states, especially in Kentucky], meteorologists are again gawking in awe and horror at the scenes unfolding on their radar screens and across the Midwest and Plains.

“A powerful windstorm unleashed by the clash of record heat and a vigorous storm system dropping out of the Mountain West has unleashed chaos for a huge swath of the United States. Raging winds have whipped up to 107 mph (172 kmh) in Colorado, fires have lit up the Texas Panhandle, and monster plumes of dust have turned night into day from Nebraska to Kansas.

“As if that wasn’t enough, a line of thunderstorms is now screaming into the region with shocking speed and ferocity—and could be poised to unleash a handful of tornadoes in locations usually covered in snow at this time of year. Dealing with one of these hazards alone would be shocking for this time of year, but seeing the weather map painted in broad brush strokes with some of the most extreme warnings that the National Weather Service issues is a nightmare…

“The conditions that gave rise to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s have become twice as likely thanks to carbon pollution from burning fossil fuels… In addition to satellites showing dust, smoke is also visible in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. Wildfires have rapidly spread in the region…”

How Biden and Harris, and other Lefties, Led Frenzy in Jussie Smollett’s False Claims

Fox News wrote on December 10 in three different articles [which were compiled below in just one publication]:

“It is shameful, but predictable, that Smollett’s false accusations were accepted as gospel by prominent politicians and others without ever waiting for the facts to unfold…

“In 2019, top Democrats, celebrities, and liberal news outlets, including CNN, all uncritically peddled the false narrative that [‘Empire’ actor] Jussie Smollett [who is gay] was attacked by two MAGA hat-wearing Trump supporters at 2 AM during the polar vortex in Chicago… Even when his story began raising scrutiny, CNN’s left-wing media guru Brian Stelter defended the media’s coverage of the disgraced actor at the time….

“Smollett was found guilty on five [out of six] charges of staging a hate crime [by hiring two Nigerian brothers to fake the attack against him] and lying to police on Thursday…

“What happened today to Jussie Smollett must never be tolerated in this country,” President Biden tweeted in January 2019 when he was mulling a presidential run, ‘We must stand up and demand that we no longer give this hate safe harbor; that homophobia and racism have no place on our streets or in our hearts. We are with you, Jussie.’

“Vice President Kamala Harris also believed Smollett’s story and posted about it on Twitter calling the alleged attack an attempted ‘modern day lynching.’ New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, a Democrat who ran for president, also referred to the alleged attack as an attempted ‘modern day lynching.’…

“Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg took Smollett’s side as well and used the incident to push for hate crime legislation… Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California called the alleged attack ‘vile’ and ‘tragic.’… Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and many other prominent Democrats also chimed in with support for Smollett..

“It says something about the quality of leadership in the White House when neither the president nor vice president have the common decency to apologize for their role in blindly supporting a phony hate crime….”

Shameful indeed, but this narrative was used eagerly by the left in their support of the “hate crime-racial oppression” agenda.

CNN Anderson Cooper’s Arrogance

Breitbart wrote on December 9:

“CNN anchor Anderson Cooper said Thursday on his show ‘Anderson Cooper 360’ that those who choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 are arrogantly shirking their responsibilities to society, which he finds ‘infuriating.’”

What about the arrogance of many proponents of mandatory vaccinations towards the unvaccinated? Comments published by Breitbart were telling:

“No tyranny can survive without a complicit media… Notice no anger toward the drug companies who made these big promises?… The drug companies support the media by pumping big $ into ads… a full third of those fully vaccinated are getting sick. It’s coming to light the original vaccine only lasts 4-5mos…”

Brian Williams Retires with a Sober Warning

Real Clear Politics wrote on December 10:

“Longtime NBC News broadcaster Brian Williams issued a strange warning Thursday as he retired from his 11 p.m. MSNBC show.

“‘I’m not a liberal or a conservative. I’m an institutionalist. I believe in this place. And in my love of my country… But the darkness on the edge of town has spread to the main roads and highways and neighborhoods. It is now at the local bar, and the bowling alley, the school board, and the grocery store. And it must be acknowledged and answered for. Grown men and women who swore an oath to our Constitution, elected by their constituents, possessing the kinds of college degrees I could only dream of, have decided to join the mob and become something they are not while hoping we somehow forget who they were.

“‘They’ve decided to burn it all down with us inside. That should scare you to no end as much as it scares an aging volunteer fireman… The reality is though, I will wake up tomorrow in the America of the year 2021, a nation unrecognizable to those who came before us and fought to protect it, which is what you must do now…”

But his warning will fall on deaf ears…

Build Back Better Will Cost Almost 5 Trillion Dollars

Breitbart wrote on December 10:

“Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told reporters on Friday that the true cost of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion reconciliation package is far more costly and debt-ridden than previously disclosed by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

“Upon request from Graham, the CBO issued a report Friday that revealed the reconciliation package would increase the deficit by $3 trillion over a ten-year period and cost $4.9 trillion in scope. The CBO’s original scoring claimed the deficit would only increase $0.2 trillion over ten years…

“Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, said in a statement on Friday that the $4.9 trillion Build Back Better Act will ‘bankrupt the economy’ while Americans continue to suffer from soaring inflation.”

Wisconsin 2020 Election Rigged?

Life Site News reported on December 9:

“Tens or even hundreds of thousands of people likely cast illegal votes in Wisconsin’s 2020 election, according to newly-released findings from a months-long investigation by a conservative legal group. Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) published the results of a 10-month probe of last year’s elections in the battleground state, reporting that the number of unlawful ballots in Wisconsin all but certainly surpassed Joe Biden’s victory margin of under 21,000 votes. ‘It is almost certain that in Wisconsin’s 2020 election the number of votes that did not comply with existing legal requirements exceeded Joe Biden’s margin of victory,’ the group said…

“It seems clear that voters abandoned the rules for voting indefinitely confined, drop boxes were used, at least one ballot harvesting event was conducted without statutory authorization, absentee balloting in nursing homes was conducted contrary to law, ballots were cured without authorization, and voter rolls were not accurately maintained as required by state and federal law… WILL said that while it did not find evidence of widespread, intentional fraud, the possibility ‘cannot be excluded.’

“While the fact that something ‘could have’ happened is not evidence that it did, failure to follow the required procedures raises the possibility of fraud and undercuts confidence in the results… It is unclear whether, had these ballots been disqualified, the results of the election would have changed. ‘It is not possible to know who these legally questionable votes were cast for,’ according to the WILL report. ‘Given the location of the votes it may be more likely than not that, depending on which ballots were thought to be unlawfully cast, that Trump would have wound up the winner’ due to Wisconsin’s ‘drawdown’ method, the group concluded.”

But the left-wing mass media does not want to hear about that.

Meadows Held in Contempt

NBC News wrote on December 15:

“The House voted Tuesday night to refer former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to the Justice Department for a potential criminal charge over his refusal to answer questions about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol [claiming executive privilege]. Lawmakers passed the measure largely along party lines in a 222-208 vote. Two Republicans voted with Democrats: Reps. Liz Cheney, of Wyoming, and Adam Kinzinger, of Illinois…

“Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio… accused Democrats of ‘destroying executive privilege’ by seeking to force ‘the closest of close’ presidential advisers [i.e. Trump] to testify…’

“A contempt referral is not the first to stem from the Jan. 6 investigation. The House previously voted to refer former Trump adviser Steve Bannon to the Justice Department for contempt charges after he defied the committee’s subpoenas. The Justice Department acted on the recommendation… Bannon has been charged with two counts of contempt and could face up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine if he is convicted. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial in July.”

Trump’s claim of executive privilege is being adjudicated. To hold Meadows and Bannon in contempt is premature at best. Meadows rightly pointed out that this is another attempt by Democrats and two Rino’s to get to Trump.

Elon Musk “Person of the Year”

The Brownstone Institute published the following article by Jeffrey Tucker on or about December 15:

“It’s a good call for Time Magazine: it made Elon Musk the person of the year… Musk is arguably the most prominent opponent of lockdowns and vaccine mandates in the US. In his official interview, he refused to take back his last-year denunciation of stay-at-home orders as ‘fascist.

“He stepped it up even further concerning vaccine mandates. ‘I am against forcing people to be vaccinated, not something we should do in America… ‘I believe we’ve got to watch out for the erosion of freedom in America.’…

“For some reason, people have a hard time understanding how someone could be for the right to accept the vaccine but also be against imposing it by force. And yet that position is clearly the most reasonable one, the one consistent with freedom, and good public health…

“Only a few weeks ago, he told the Wall Street Journal that the whole of the Democrats’ and Biden’s $1.9 trillion spending bill on infrastructure should be scrapped… There is nothing worth anything in it… What’s surprising is that someone so rich, so influential, so decisive to our present economic lives, would actually say openly what everyone knows… Musk… is now beyond being controlled or contrite at this point. In that way he is a very dangerous man, in the best possible way we can use that term. He had better watch his back.

“Today, the White House spokesman routinely says that no edicts against rights and freedom are ‘off the table.’ Anything is possible. Anything can happen. They will decide. No one says a word; the craven press believes this is just normal. It’s not. It’s dangerous…

“[Musk] began to realize that the governing elites in this country are incredibly inept and unwilling to take responsibility for their actions. He noted the completely undemocratic methods and the unscientific rationale that were deployed to bring about lockdowns. For that reason, he has been smeared and put down as a promoter of misinformation. Anyone who has paid attention for the last two years knows exactly what that means: he is telling truths he is not supposed to tell…”

Fauci and Lauterbach—the great Dividers

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on December 9:

“As Biden’s vaccine mandates continue to be smacked down by courts, as the Senate has held a bipartisan vote rejecting mandates, as even Democrats are…  ‘souring’ on vaccine mandates, Fauci was asked in a MSNBC interview whether it might be time to back down a bit. Not at all! – was Fauci’s response. If people won’t take the shots they must be forced to take the shots, he replied.”

Newsmax wrote on December 10:

“Fauci says families should ‘ask,’ and ‘maybe require’ that guests be vaccinated if they come over for holiday celebrations…”

Fauci’s clone or alter ego, Germany’s new Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, blows into the same horn. According to an article in Bild Online, dated December 10, [“Unvaccinated are hit now very hard” – “Ungeimpfte trifft es jetzt ganz hart”], he said in a discussion televised by ZDF:

https://www.bild.de/politik/talk-kritik/talk-kritk/omikron-debatte-im-zdf-lauterbach-ungeimpfte-trifft-es-ganz-hart-78500232.bild.html

“I will continue to say that one is perhaps only protected well with three vaccinations [“Ich werde immer wieder erklären, dass man nur mit drei Impfungen wahrscheinlich gut geschützt ist”.]… [Those who are not vaccinated] are not protected at all [“Die sind gar nicht geschützt!”].” He also stated that the vaccines can only be preserved for nine months. [“Der Impfstoff ist neun Monate lagerbar, tiefgekühlt”], and that Delta and Omicron can only be fought with the two pillars of booster shots and mandatory vaccination.” [“Delta und Omikron wirklich effektiv zu bekämpfen [ist] nur möglich mit den zwei Säulen Boosterimpfung und Impfpflicht.“]

Nothing was said that those who have had corona ARE protected because of natural immunity.

Wochenblick ran a lengthy article on December 10, stating that “Lauterbach continues to lie.” [“Lauterbach lügt weiter.”] 

California Joins the Corona Hysteria

NBC7 wrote on December 13:

“… the state announced Monday that beginning Wednesday, mask-wearing will become mandatory in all indoor public settings across California regardless of vaccination status. The mask mandate… will remain in place until Jan. 15.

“The state will also toughen the restriction for unvaccinated people who attend indoor ‘mega-events’ of 1,000 people or more, requiring them to receive a negative COVID-19 test within one day of the event if it’s a rapid antigen test or within two days for a PCR test… State officials will also recommend, but not require, that people who travel to California or return to the state after traveling be tested for COVID-19 within three to five days.”

Nothing else was to be expected from left-wing Governor Newsom.  

Is WH Press Secretary Jean Psaki for Real?

Fox News wrote on December 10:

“White House press secretary Jen Psaki suggested Friday that it is OK for kids to eat their lunches outside in cold temperatures in an effort to maintain safety amid the COVID 19 pandemic.

“Asked whether the White House wanted school children to ‘get back to a more normal school experience,’ Psaki insisted schools are having children practice social distancing measures, mask up, and eat their snacks and lunch in frigid outdoor temperatures in an effort to ‘keep their kids safe and keep students safe.’

“Psaki said she believes the ‘vast majority of parents appreciate’ such measures being taken by school systems to limit the spread of the coronavirus among elementary-aged school children.”

This is appalling. We would say that the vast majority of parents who have not been brainwashed by the left-wing propaganda, do NOT appreciate such measures being taken by autocratic school systems which endanger the health of our children much more than COVID could ever do.

Confusion regarding Mandatory Vaccinations

 Fisher Phillips wrote on December 16:

 “Serving up yet another curveball for healthcare employers, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals effectively reactivated the [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] CMS vaccination mandate across nearly half of the country with a surprise decision on Wednesday afternoon…

“… It is… possible that the vaccine mandate may have received only a brief reprieve. The Fifth Circuit stopped short of approving the mandate, ruling only that the Louisiana judge had exceeded his authority in enjoining the vaccine mandate nationwide.

“In states such as Florida and Tennessee – where the CMS mandate is reinstated and new state laws or executive orders have all but gutted employer vaccine mandates – a clear conflict exists between state and federal law on this issue. Although the CMS mandate clearly states its intention to supersede any contrary state or local law, it remains to be seen as to how long it remains in place, if at all.”

Bad Signs for Europe’s “Democracies”

The Local wrote on December 10:

“As the German parliament votes through a vaccine mandate for medical and care workers, the new Health Minister has clarified that people who avoid compulsory Covid jabs will face fines… ‘The imposition of fines is unavoidable,’ Lauterbach said… If someone doesn’t pay, the fines will have to be increased considerably, he said… [He] also spoke out in favour of a vaccine mandate for teachers and nursery school employees

“From March 15th, 2022, employees in clinics, doctors’ surgeries and care homes will have to show proof that they are fully vaccinated – or present a doctor’s note explaining why they are unable to get their jabs…

“The step towards compulsory jabs for certain sections of the population follows similar moves by France, Italy, Britain and Greece. Neighbouring Austria plans to bring in a general vaccine mandate by next February, with fines of around €3,000 for people who still refuse to get their Covid jabs.

“Germany’s new Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said he is in favour of compulsory jabs [for] the general public…”

It does not look as if many of the European nations will ever return to a free democracy. Rather, the build-up to an authoritarian and dictatorial society is steadily and swiftly increasing.

The Propaganda against the Unvaccinated

The medical Journal, the Lancet, published an article by Guenther Kampf, “a prominent German researcher,” on November 20, which was referenced by the Ron Paul Institute on December 14:

“In the USA and Germany, high-level officials have used the term pandemic of the unvaccinated, suggesting that people who have been vaccinated are not relevant in the epidemiology of COVID-19. Officials’ use of this phrase might have encouraged one scientist to claim that ‘the unvaccinated threaten the vaccinated for COVID-19.’ But this view is far too simple.

“There is increasing evidence that vaccinated individuals continue to have a relevant role in transmission. In Massachusetts, USA, a total of 469 new COVID-19 cases were detected during various events in July, 2021, and 346 (74%) of these cases were in people who were fully or partly vaccinated, 274 (79%) of whom were symptomatic. Cycle threshold values were similarly low between people who were fully vaccinated (median 22·8) and people who were unvaccinated, not fully vaccinated, or whose vaccination status was unknown (median 21·5), indicating a high viral load even among people who were fully vaccinated.

“In the USA, a total of 10 262 COVID-19 cases were reported in vaccinated people by April 30, 2021, of whom 2725 (26·6%) were asymptomatic, 995 (9·7%) were hospitalised, and 160 (1·6%) died. In Germany, 55·4% of symptomatic COVID-19 cases in patients aged 60 years or older were in fully vaccinated individuals, and this proportion is increasing each week…

“People who are vaccinated… are still a relevant part of the pandemic. It is therefore wrong and dangerous to speak of a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Historically, both the USA and Germany have engendered negative experiences by stigmatising parts of the population for their skin colour or religion. I call on high-level officials and scientists to stop the inappropriate stigmatisation of unvaccinated people, who include our patients, colleagues, and other fellow citizens, and to put extra effort into bringing society together.”

AMEN!

Governmental Persecution of Christians in Europe

Christian Today wrote on December 9:

“A new report [by OIDAC] has identified the UK as one of the most challenging places for Christians in Europe amid a startling rise in anti-Christian hate crime across the continent…. It reveals a 70 per cent increase in anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe between 2019 and 2020, with the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Sweden forming the top five countries where Christians face the ‘most severe challenges’ for their faith… The hate crimes include… physical attacks on Christians, and restrictions on religious freedom, freedom of expression and parental rights…. It warned of ‘a strong and sometimes even extreme opposition to Christian morals derived from core beliefs’, and the increasing criminalisation of opinion.

“OIDAC director Madeleine Enzlberger said the 60-page report revealed a ‘worrisome phenomenon’… When Christians are forced to choose between their moral values and their professions; Christian students and speakers get silenced on campuses; when parental rights are trampled on by overreaching governmental interference or asylum claims of Christian refugees are arbitrarily denied; we often find that the main source of this intolerance and discrimination against Christians is due to a simple ignorance towards the problem or an explicit anti-Christian bias,’ she said.”

We should note that Germany is mentioned as one of the five top countries guilty of Christian persecution by the government.

The UN and the Lion with Wings

On December 9, Israel 365 wrote the following:

“A statue with Biblical implications has been erected recently outside the United Nations headquarters in New York City. The statue, entitled the ‘guardian for international peace and security, is situated on the Visitor’s Plaza outside UN Headquarters. According to the UN, the ‘guardian’ is a ‘fusion of jaguar and eagle.’ It was donated by the Government of Oaxaca, Mexico.

“Many have noticed an eerie similarity to Daniel’s dream in the Bible… His dream featured four beasts – a lion with wings, a bear with fangs, a four-winged leopard. The fourth beast had ten horns… The lion with wings represents Babylon. The bear represented Persia. The four-winged leopard represented Greece and the final most treacherous of them all represented Rome…”

UN Beast Statue
UN Beast Statue

In Daniel 7, four world-ruling empires are described and compared with wild beasts—the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greco-Macedonian and Roman Empires. The first beast, the Babylonian Empire, is described as “a lion, and had eagle’s wings” (Daniel 7:4). Although the Babylonian Empire was replaced by the Medo-Persian Empire and ultimately absorbed by the ancient Roman Empire, it would experience a revival in these last days… in the form of a revived Roman Empire in Europe. The modern Chaldeans will lead that revival into an all-encompassing war. It is interesting that the UN headquarters would erect such a statue, claiming peace and security, but signifying dictatorial war-mongering world domination.

No War with Russia

An Editorial by Pat Buchanan of December 9, published by buchanan.org, states the following:

“A U.S. war with Russia over Ukraine would be a disaster for all three nations. Nor could the U.S. indefinitely guarantee the independence of a country 5,000 miles away that shares not only a lengthy border with Mother Russia but also a history, language, religion, ethnicity and culture…

“Forced to choose between accepting Russia’s demand that NATO stay out of Ukraine and Russia going in, the U.S. is not going to war.”

See our new StandingWatch program, titled, “War between Russia, America and Europe over Ukraine?

America’s Cluelessness regarding Russia and Ukraine

Here are some comics which were published in the Week (December 10, 2021) on the Russia-Ukraine developments https://theweek.com/cartoons . Even though satirical, they DO point out the current danger of the situation and Biden’s cluelessness as to how to deal with it. .

Grinch Ukraine
Kevin Siers | Copyright 2021 Cagle Cartoons
Russian bear eating Ukraine
Scott Stantis | Copyright 2021 Tribune Content Agency
Biden negotiates with Putin on Zoom
Dana Summers | Copyright 2021 Tribune Content Agency
Tanks at Ukrainian Border
Paresh Nath | Copyright 2021 Cagle Cartoons

Ukraine Hopes for Europeans to Intervene

The Telegraph wrote on December 9:

“Vladimir Putin will be emboldened to invade Ukraine if European Union countries don’t sign up to a package of sanctions to deter Russia, Ukraine’s country’s foreign minister has warned. Dmytro Kuleba told the Telegraph that Mr Putin’s goal was to ‘destroy Ukraine’ and that he would be more tempted to resort to military actions if Western allies do not quickly find agreement on punitive measures… The Kremlin has denied planning an attack, but has simultaneously signalled that it will go to war unless the West and Ukraine concede a list of demands…

“Meanwhile, Joe Biden… promised ‘additional military capabilities’ would be deployed in the region – although he ruled out sending forces to Ukraine.”

Tensions Escalate

Express wrote on December 13:

“President Putin has sent the notorious Buk-M1 medium-range surface to air missiles to the frontline of the conflict. The Buk became infamous in 2014 after a missile fired from a territory controlled by Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine shot down a Malaysian airline, killing all 298 people aboard.

“The news of Mr Putin sending in this deadly weapon does not bode well for peace talks between Russia, the US and Ukraine… Even if he does not launch a full-scale invasion, experts suggest Mr Putin may be leaving his troops and the Buk near the frontline as leverage for negotiations. However, Russian and western analysts also agree that this military buildup is a dire warning about a series of future crises over Ukraine…

With over 175,000 personnel now ready in the region, the US has warned allies the Russian leader may be planning a renewed invasion for real this time. In the past few days alone, Mr Putin has likened Ukraine’s policy in the Donbas, the border region where Russia has led a slow-burning separatist war since 2014, to ‘genocide’ – words Kyiv fears may be a pretext to invade.

The US has shared intelligence to convince even the most sceptical European allies that Mr Putin may be prepared to make good on Russia’s quasi-imperial ambitions early next year but has yet to conclude precisely when or if he may give the order to invade. Officials and analysts in Washington and Europe, and even people close to the Kremlin in Moscow, admit Putin’s true intentions with Ukraine remain a mystery.”

Russian-Chinese Cooperation

The New York Ledger wrote on December 15:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to present a united front with Xi Jinping as the Kremlin said the Chinese leader supported Moscow’s demand for security guarantees that would limit western influence in its backyard. In remarks shown by Russian state television at the start of their 90-minute video call on Wednesday, Putin told his ‘dear friend’ Xi that ‘a new model of co-operation between our countries has formed on principles such as non-interference in internal affairs and respecting each other’s interests’…

“‘Certain international forces are interfering in the internal affairs of China and Russia, and trampling on international law and recognised norms of international relations,’ Xi added. ‘China and Russia should carry out more joint actions to safeguard the security interests of both parties.’”

While Russia is reportedly planning an invasion of Ukraine, China is reportedly planning an invasion of Taiwan.

Scholz NOT the new European Leader

Politico wrote on December 9:

“The power shift in Berlin this week sparked hopes around Europe and across the Atlantic that the new chancellor’s government would unfreeze Germany’s stance on everything from pipelines to Poland, reversing Angela Merkel’s why-can’t-we-all-be-friends approach to the world. Instead, they’re likely to get more of the same.

“For Germany’s international partners, that shouldn’t be reassuring. With serious tensions on Europe’s eastern flank, not to mention challenges the EU faces on its southern doorstep and its dealings with China and even the U.S., a divided Continent could use some leadership from its most populous country. It’s unlikely to get any

“Germany’s new coalition promises to be a difficult partner for Washington

“Germany’s future engagement with the world isn’t clear. It doesn’t suggest, however, that Germany… is eager to play a central role… If [Scholz] fails to act quickly, his international standing will melt long before summer.’

It should have been clear from the outset that Scholz and his left-wing coalition spell disaster for Germany.

France and Hungary United?

The Times wrote on December 14:

“President Macron smoothed over differences yesterday with Viktor Orban, the man he has defined as his European adversary, and won Hungarian support for French goals for EU defence, nuclear power and agriculture.

“The Hungarian prime minister… struck a relatively friendly note with the French leader, who was visiting Budapest to push his plans for an ambitious French turn in the rotating six-month presidency of the European Council. Four months from an election in which he hopes to win a second term, Macron is treating the usually routine EU role as a moment for France to shine on the global stage. ‘Hungary’s relation towards President Macron is that of respect,’ Orban said.”

Europe Is Losing It

Israel 365 wrote on December 8:

“After widespread criticism (including from the Pope) the European Union retracted a manual for communications that claims to promote religious and gender ‘inclusion’ but which many believe is anti-religion.

“The 32-page internal document called the ‘Union of Equality’ was released last month as an initiative of Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen, President of the European Commission to ensure that ‘everyone is valued and recognized’. The manual for EU officials was intended as a guide for how they should communicate in press briefings and social media. It recommended that EU representatives ‘update your language’…

“It also suggested using the phrase ‘first name’ rather than ‘Christian name’ and using names ‘Malika and Julio’ instead of ‘Mary and John’ to describe an ‘international couple’…

“The manual also instructed to avoid gender-referencing words such as ‘Man-made’ and ‘ladies and gentlemen,’ which should be replaced with more neutral phrases like… ‘dear colleagues.’ Words such as ‘chairman’ should be replaced by ‘chairperson’, and ‘policeman’ or ‘policewoman’ substituted for ‘police officer’, the guide said. It also recommended the word ‘stewardess’ be avoided in preference of ‘flight attendant’, and ‘principal’ be used instead of ‘headmaster’ or ‘headmistress’.

“Pope Francis reacted strongly to the EU statement, comparing it to other anti-religious ideologies. In a statement on Monday, the pontiff said, ‘In history many, many dictatorships have tried to do it. Think of Napoleon: from there… Think of the Nazi dictatorship, the communist one… it is a fashion of a watered-down secularism, distilled water… But this is something that throughout hasn’t worked… This could end up dividing the countries and [causing] the European Union to fail. The European Union must respect each country as it is structured within, the variety of countries, and not want to make them uniform.’

“‘[Nazism] ended up annihilating democratic life, indeed life itself with the death of the people, in becoming a bloody dictatorship,’ Pope Francis said… ‘This happens when there is a superpower that dictates economic, cultural, and social behavior to the other countries…’”

Now China

The Washington Free Beacon wrote on December 9:

“China’s military ‘will heavily attack U.S. troops who come to Taiwan’s rescue’ if a war between China and Taiwan breaks out, a possibility that is increasingly likely as the Communist regime readies its war machine on Taiwan’s borders.

“China’s latest threat to escalate tensions with Taiwan comes on the heels of remarks by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who said the United States is prepared to counter an attempt by China to forcefully seize Taiwan and bring it back into the Communist country’s orbit. The long-simmering standoff comes as the Biden administration confronts Russian attempts to invade Ukraine… China has been threatening to take Taiwan since the Biden administration took office.”

Biden’s troubles only mount, while he seems incapable of dealing with them.

You Must Not Tell the Truth

The Associated Press wrote on December 10:

“A Roman Catholic diocese in Sicily publicly apologized to outraged parents after its bishop told a group of children that Santa Claus doesn’t exist… The diocesan communications director, the Rev. Alessandro Paolino, said Stagliano was trying to underline the true meaning of Christmas and the story of St. Nicholas…  Italian news reports quoted Stagliano as saying during a recent religious festival that Santa doesn’t exist and that his red costume was created by the Coca-Cola company for publicity.

“‘First of all, on behalf of the bishop, I express my sorrow for this declaration which has created disappointment in the little ones…’ Paolino wrote on the diocesan Facebook page. ‘We certainly must not demolish the imagination of children, but draw good examples from it that are positive for life,’ he continued…

“While several welcomed the bishop’s attempt to focus on the Catholic meaning of Christmas, others faulted Stagliano for interfering with family traditions and celebrations, and crushing the spirits of children…”

So, one is willing to continue to LIE to their children and attack those who are daring to tell the truth.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

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Is Christmas still acceptable in spite of its pagan roots and origins? (Part 1)

It is interesting when reviewing this question that many writers will agree that there are pagan connections to Christmas but conclude that it is still acceptable to keep the festival.

There was a special report on the BBC News website some years ago entitled “Whose Christmas is it anyway?,” which stated the following:

“Apparently, the season of good cheer did not start out as exclusively a Christian festival. According to Pagans, the early Christian church hijacked December 25 to celebrate the birth of Jesus because they saw that everyone was already having a good time and decided to take advantage of it.

“Historical debate has been raging for a long time over the exact date of the birth of Jesus Christ, with estimates ranging from sometime in September to much later in February.

“But the most important date in the festive season for Pagans is the winter solstice which always takes place around December 21. Called Yule, it is one of the traditional Celtic fire festivals and marks the return of the light after the longest night of the year.

“The Pagan Federation, an umbrella group for Pagan organisations, describes Paganism as a spiritual nature-venerating belief system rooted in the ancient nature religions of the world.”

In spite of so many understanding the roots of this worldly festival, there are still those, who with limpet-like qualities, cling tenaciously to the fact that “we know all of this, but it is fine to keep this end-of-year celebration”.

Let us look at several examples, although we could quote many more.  Because we believe that the examples shown are in gross error we have, for once, deliberately not put the source for the examples shown. Although they have been taken from websites that have published this information, the reasons they give are fairly generic, and to publish specific names when others have the same kind of reasoning could be seen as a personal attack on their set of beliefs.

EXAMPLE 1:

One commentator wrote on 25th December 2020, the following in a long article, amongst many other similar assertions:

“This year of all years — with a clarity denied us in happier times — it is possible to recognise in Christmas its fundamentally Christian character. The light shining in the darkness proclaimed by the festival is a very theological light, one that promises redemption from the miseries of a fallen world. In a time of pandemic, when the festive season is haunted by the shadows of sickness and bereavement, of loneliness and disappointment, of poverty and dread, the power of this theology, one that has fuelled the celebration of Christmas for century after century, becomes easier, perhaps, to recognise than in a time of prosperity. The similarities shared by the feast day of Christ’s birth with other celebrations that, over the course of history, have been held in the dead of winter should not delude us into denying a truth so evident as to verge on the tautologous: Christmas is a thoroughly Christian festival.”

You have to wonder about the depth of deception that has been foisted on a deceived world by authors who can cleverly use words to show exactly the opposite of what is meant in the Word of God.

In his book “4000 Years of Christmas,” Earl W. Count writes: “‘The [Roman Catholic] Church finally succeeded in taking the merriment, the greenery, the lights, and the gifts from Saturn [a Roman sun god patterned after the Persian sun god Mithras] and giving them to the Babe of Bethlehem.’”  Mr Count is one of many authors who write extensively about the pagan roots of this end-of-year festival.

When considering the relevant Scriptures and some external sources, we can, indeed, find out the approximate time of Christ’s birth, but it is impossible to find out the exact date. It is all to do with King David who had divided the priests into several “courses” or divisions — that is, each group or “course” of priests was to serve God for a specific period of time. Luke 1:5-9 shows that Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was of the course of Abijah (which courses are listed in 1 Chronicles 24) and that he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course or division. Each course lasted eight days — from Sabbath to Sabbath.  By studying this, it becomes clear that John was born in the spring and Jesus was born six months later – around late September or early October. It is clear that Jesus was born in the autumn — not on December 25.   For a full exposition of this important matter, please study this Q&A:

Therefore, to associate the light shining in the darkness—Jesus Christ—with Christmas is absolutely ridiculous. Christ was not born anywhere near Christmas. If we want to associate a “light” with Christmas, it would be Satan, who pretends to be an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and whom Christ saw fall from heaven like lightning (Luke 10:18).

EXAMPLE 2:

After questioning all of the trappings of this festive season, another writer asks a number of questions and then comes up with a conclusion.   To start with, the question is asked: “So can Christians have Christmas things?” and states the following:

“Since the pagan origins of Christmas have long passed and Christians no longer have any association with paganism and certain Christmas decorations, my personal view is that some decorations may or may not be harmless.

“Others, however, perhaps should be avoided. Is your tree the centerpiece of your house and does it distract from worship of God? Do you spend too much time decorating the tree instead of praying and having a Bible study with your family all while playing ‘O Christmas Tree’ pagan tree-worship songs? In this case, I believe you should not have the tree.

“The problem with avoiding holidays entirely could be you are the oddball. But if that’s what God wants, then it’s ok to be the oddball. After all, Halloween should definitely be avoided by Christians. But Christmas? I don’t know. At least, I’m not prepared myself to get rid of Christmas just yet. Maybe this will change, but for now I don’t feel convicted to eliminate and avoid Christmas entirely; just to avoid some things like mistletoe and ungodly things and ungodly songs.

“But you should pray and decide for yourself whether Christmas decorations are good for you and your family. Ask God to impress on your heart what He wants you to do, and surely God will show you.

“All that said, have a merry Christmas and a happy holiday full of joy and the love of Christ! And be sure to use this time as an opportunity to show the love of Christ to others one way or another!”

That seems to be fairly typical of the approach of many where accepting wrong practices is questioned but still going ahead with the celebrations.   In fact, this writer wishes everyone “a merry Christmas and a happy holiday,” even though he also says: “After all, Halloween should definitely be avoided by Christians. But Christmas? I don’t know. At least, I’m not prepared myself to get rid of Christmas just yet.”   There is no conviction in his argument, and Romans 14:23 states: “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.”

The argument, as expressed above, that the pagan origins of Christmas have long passed and that Christians who keep Christmas have no association with paganism is blatantly false. In our booklet “Don’t Keep Christmas,” we read on pages 19-20 these observations under the heading “Counter Arguments of the Carnal Mind”:

“Some may respond by saying, ‘So what? Why not keep Christmas anyway? Even though Christmas is a pagan festival and its customs are pagan in origin, I do it to honor Christ. And even though the Bible doesn’t command us to keep it, doesn’t God give us the freedom to celebrate the birthday of His Son whenever we want? And further, if we don’t like the “paganism” associated with Christmas, why not just keep Christmas solely to honor Christ, while leaving all the pagan customs behind?’

“Yes, we humans can come up with all kinds of reasons to hang on to our traditions and beliefs.  We somehow want to justify our actions rather than coming to terms with the truth of the matter, and it quickly becomes evident how strongly our beliefs entrench our customs.  We don’t give up easily, even when shown to be wrong.

“For example, we know that Christmas has become totally commercialized, and it is being kept alive by commercialism. As U.S. News & World Report points out in its December 23, 1996 article, on page 64: ‘To turn Christmas into a purely religious celebration now might cheer those who want to “take back Christmas.”… But such an observance “would lack the cultural resonance and impact of a holiday deeply rooted in the marketplace.” If Christmas came to that… “we probably wouldn’t keep it as a society.”’

“And, while Christmas is widely touted as a time of ‘peace on earth and good will toward men,’ it is a well-known fact that Christmas is the time of year in the Western world when more crimes are committed than at any other time.  It is a time when alcoholism runs rampant.  It is a time when commerce reaches its peak of illogical and irresponsible conduct and behavior, and people incur credit card debts that they can never repay, only to fulfill their ‘obligation’ to give gifts to others.  Parents lie to their children, telling them that Santa Claus will come through the chimney to bring Christmas presents, and that if they don’t behave, Santa Claus won’t bring them presents at all.”

We know what the world says about Christmas, but what does God have to say about this celebration? Although the word “Christmas” is never used in the Bible, are there guidelines and principles on how to look at this issue?

One author explained the pagan origin of Christmas and its ongoing pagan “relevance,” as follows:

“It may sound silly to some people but not everyone believes Christmas is a Christian holiday. After all, we hear ‘Keep Christ in Christmas’ every year. It’s said to be all about the birth of Jesus. But not everyone believes this.

“Why? Because the Christmas tree, the toys given to children, Santa Clause, and his 8 tiny reindeer… had nothing to do with Jesus originally. Neither does the Easter bunny, for that matter. No, Christmas was originally a pagan celebration…

“Romans had a holiday known as Saturnalia, it was a time of lawlessness between December 17-25. During this holiday no one would be punished or brought to court for anything they did. This meant you could pretty much do anything you wanted.

“During this time each community would select a sacrifice. A person that they would force to indulge in every kind of pleasure they could and then on December 25th they would kill them. This was thought to be a method of destroying evil…

“If you have ever been to New Orleans LA. or Mobile AL. then you know about something called Mardi Gras. It’s a time of Parades where people dress in costumes and throw beads, toys, and Moon-pies. It’s called a family event in Mobile. But this is actually about as pagan as it gets.

“The holiday is actually all about gods and goddesses, parties of excessive drinking, and sexual pleasures. I know because I lived in Mobile, AL. most of my life.

“So what do the churches in the area do about this? Wait for it…THEY GO OUT AND THROW BEADS!!! What?! Why would they be celebrating such a thing?

“It’s because they want to be ‘relevant’ to the culture and use it as a method of ‘evangelism.’ While they are throwing beads and Moon-pies to people they are also trying to preach the gospel. So what you get is a mix of pagan and Christian influences.

“This is EXACTLY how Saturnalia became Christmas. People of the time tried to ‘evangelize’ the pagans by telling them they could still celebrate this holiday. The only problem is it didn’t have anything to do with Christ. So they began to say December 25th was the birthday of Jesus. And Christmas was born. A mix of pagan and Christian influences.”

In the next instalment, we will continue to address the fact that Christmas is pagan to the core, and that we are NOT to mix pagan customs with the worship of God, which further hammers home that the keeping of this festival should not be kept by those who are followers of Christ.

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

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Preaching the Gospel and Feeding the Flock

compiled by Dave Harris

“Why Do We Lie to Our Children?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary: 

Are our children growing up with the truth or with lies? This program will examine many lies which parents tell their children, not realizing the great harm they are causing. We expose the lies of Christmas and Easter; evolution; sexual conduct; war and coronavirus restrictions; and we explain that while God cannot lie, it is Satan, the author of lies, whom we must resist.

“Warum belügen wir unsere Kinder?” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Why Do We Lie to Our Children?” 

Our Ministerial Conference for 2022 will take place on Friday, April 29; Sunday, May 1 and Monday, May 2. The Conference will again be conducted using SKYPE.

“Die Hoffnungsimpfung,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Andreas Raetz, is now posted. Title in English: “The Vaccination of Hope.”

“America’s Disastrous Downfall under Biden—Comments on News and Prophecy, December 11, 2021,” the first message presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

For over 20 years, we have told our audience what the future will bring, based on biblical prophecy. We have warned about ongoing worldwide dictatorships with autocratic governmental restrictions and mandates. In this report, we address the inevitable downfall of the USA under the failing Biden Administration, including inflation, unemployment, staggering costs of trillions of dollars for Biden’s proposed projects; and, following the Afghanistan debacle,  threats from China and Russia, which do not take the US President seriously. We address concerns about Joe Biden’s mental health and his repetition of his fabricated and at times slanderous stories;  and his unconstitutional vaccination mandates which are supported by Anthony Fauci, but which are smacked down by federal courts.

“Our Duty to Fulfill,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Michael Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

We are in the beginning stages of self-destruction. The future for the world is heading towards a terrible time, as predicted in the book of Isaiah and Habakkuk.   Through man’s selfish desires they look to their own resources and reasoning, instead of looking to God and keeping His commandments.  There is hope however and God tells us how we can be saved, how we are to continue the work until Christ returns, so we can inherit everlasting life.

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How This Work is Financed

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

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

Technical Team: Eric Rank, Shana Rank

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

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

Donations can be sent to the following addresses:

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

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

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

Fruition / Jacob’s Trouble

On December 18, 2021, Eric Rank will present the sermonette, titled, “Fruition,” and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “Jacob’s Trouble.”

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

This Week in the News

Inflation at all Time High since 1982

The Associated Press wrote on December 10:

“Prices for U.S. consumers jumped 6.8% in November compared with a year earlier as surging costs for food, energy, housing and other items left Americans enduring their highest annual inflation rate since 1982.

“It is the sixth straight month that inflation has been above 5%.”

Fox News added on December 10:

Consumer prices surged at the fastest pace in nearly four decades in November as Americans paid more for practically everything from groceries to cars to gasoline… Price increases were widespread: Energy prices jumped 3.5% in November and are up 33.3% year over year. Gasoline is a stunning 58.1% higher than it was a year ago. Food prices have also climbed 6.1% higher over the year, while used car and truck prices – a major component of the inflation increase – are up 31%.”

No spin of the Biden Administration that we are on the road of economic recovery can change the facts.

US Debt Limit now at 31.4 Trillion Dollars

Newsmax wrote on December 15:

“The U.S. Congress on Tuesday approved raising the federal government’s debt limit by $2.5 trillion, to about $31.4 trillion, sending the bill to President Joe Biden to sign and avert an unprecedented default… A deal last week between Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and his Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell, set the stage for Tuesday’s vote, bypassing normal Senate rules requiring at least 60 of the chamber’s 100 members to agree to advance most legislation. The Senate passed the bill earlier on Tuesday in a partisan 50-49 vote.

“The Democrat-led House of Representatives approved the bill in a 221-209 vote.”

CNS News reported on December 15:

“With that limit lifted, the federal debt will take a jump upward, then keep steadily climbing, constantly increasing the burden on future taxpayers….

“Among those lending money to the federal government so it can continue to run its massive annual deficits are foreign governments and foreign interests. According to the Treasury Department, entities in Japan owned $1.299 trillion in U.S. government debt as of the end of September. Entities in mainland China owned $1.047 trillion. Entities in the United Kingdom owned $566.5 billion; entities in Luxembourg owned $311.8 billion; entities in Ireland owned $309.6 billion; and entities in Switzerland own $296.5 billion…

“In fiscal 2021, according to the Monthly Treasury Statement, interest payments on Treasury securities hit $562.38 billion. That was more than three times as much as the fiscal 2021 cost of the Department of State ($35.814 billion), the Department of Justice ($39.261 billion) and the Department of Homeland Security ($91.069 billion) combined ($166.144 billion).

“Will the federal government ever again balance its budget? The obvious bet is: No.”

Foreigners become the head, and the borrower is servant to the lender…

Violent America

ABC News wrote on December 8:

“At least 12 major U.S. cities have broken annual homicide records in 2021… Philadelphia, a city of roughly 1.5 million people, has had more homicides this year (521 as of Dec. 6) than the nation’s two largest cities, New York (443 as of Dec. 5) and Los Angeles (352 as of Nov. 27). That’s an increase of 13% from 2020, a year that nearly broke the 1990 record.

“Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city, leads the nation with 739 homicides as of the end of November, up 3% from 2020…

“Other major cities that have surpassed yearly homicide records are St. Paul, Minnesota; Portland, Oregon; Tucson, Arizona; Toledo, Ohio; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Austin, Texas; Rochester, New York; and Albuquerque, New Mexico, which broke its record back in August.

“… the nation saw a 30% increase in murder in 2020, the largest single-year jump since the bureau began recording crime statistics 60 years ago…”

America’s Crazy Windstorms

Gizmodo wrote on December 15:

“Dust Bowl-like conditions have spread across the Plains, with dust storms, ferocious fires, and staggering storms that are exceptional for this time of year…. Less than a week after a freak tornado outbreak  [in six states, especially in Kentucky], meteorologists are again gawking in awe and horror at the scenes unfolding on their radar screens and across the Midwest and Plains.

“A powerful windstorm unleashed by the clash of record heat and a vigorous storm system dropping out of the Mountain West has unleashed chaos for a huge swath of the United States. Raging winds have whipped up to 107 mph (172 kmh) in Colorado, fires have lit up the Texas Panhandle, and monster plumes of dust have turned night into day from Nebraska to Kansas.

“As if that wasn’t enough, a line of thunderstorms is now screaming into the region with shocking speed and ferocity—and could be poised to unleash a handful of tornadoes in locations usually covered in snow at this time of year. Dealing with one of these hazards alone would be shocking for this time of year, but seeing the weather map painted in broad brush strokes with some of the most extreme warnings that the National Weather Service issues is a nightmare…

“The conditions that gave rise to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s have become twice as likely thanks to carbon pollution from burning fossil fuels… In addition to satellites showing dust, smoke is also visible in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. Wildfires have rapidly spread in the region…”

How Biden and Harris, and other Lefties, Led Frenzy in Jussie Smollett’s False Claims

Fox News wrote on December 10 in three different articles [which were compiled below in just one publication]:

“It is shameful, but predictable, that Smollett’s false accusations were accepted as gospel by prominent politicians and others without ever waiting for the facts to unfold…

“In 2019, top Democrats, celebrities, and liberal news outlets, including CNN, all uncritically peddled the false narrative that [‘Empire’ actor] Jussie Smollett [who is gay] was attacked by two MAGA hat-wearing Trump supporters at 2 AM during the polar vortex in Chicago… Even when his story began raising scrutiny, CNN’s left-wing media guru Brian Stelter defended the media’s coverage of the disgraced actor at the time….

“Smollett was found guilty on five [out of six] charges of staging a hate crime [by hiring two Nigerian brothers to fake the attack against him] and lying to police on Thursday…

“What happened today to Jussie Smollett must never be tolerated in this country,” President Biden tweeted in January 2019 when he was mulling a presidential run, ‘We must stand up and demand that we no longer give this hate safe harbor; that homophobia and racism have no place on our streets or in our hearts. We are with you, Jussie.’

“Vice President Kamala Harris also believed Smollett’s story and posted about it on Twitter calling the alleged attack an attempted ‘modern day lynching.’ New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, a Democrat who ran for president, also referred to the alleged attack as an attempted ‘modern day lynching.’…

“Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg took Smollett’s side as well and used the incident to push for hate crime legislation… Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California called the alleged attack ‘vile’ and ‘tragic.’… Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and many other prominent Democrats also chimed in with support for Smollett..

“It says something about the quality of leadership in the White House when neither the president nor vice president have the common decency to apologize for their role in blindly supporting a phony hate crime….”

Shameful indeed, but this narrative was used eagerly by the left in their support of the “hate crime-racial oppression” agenda.

CNN Anderson Cooper’s Arrogance

Breitbart wrote on December 9:

“CNN anchor Anderson Cooper said Thursday on his show ‘Anderson Cooper 360’ that those who choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 are arrogantly shirking their responsibilities to society, which he finds ‘infuriating.’”

What about the arrogance of many proponents of mandatory vaccinations towards the unvaccinated? Comments published by Breitbart were telling:

“No tyranny can survive without a complicit media… Notice no anger toward the drug companies who made these big promises?… The drug companies support the media by pumping big $ into ads… a full third of those fully vaccinated are getting sick. It’s coming to light the original vaccine only lasts 4-5mos…”

Brian Williams Retires with a Sober Warning

Real Clear Politics wrote on December 10:

“Longtime NBC News broadcaster Brian Williams issued a strange warning Thursday as he retired from his 11 p.m. MSNBC show.

“‘I’m not a liberal or a conservative. I’m an institutionalist. I believe in this place. And in my love of my country… But the darkness on the edge of town has spread to the main roads and highways and neighborhoods. It is now at the local bar, and the bowling alley, the school board, and the grocery store. And it must be acknowledged and answered for. Grown men and women who swore an oath to our Constitution, elected by their constituents, possessing the kinds of college degrees I could only dream of, have decided to join the mob and become something they are not while hoping we somehow forget who they were.

“‘They’ve decided to burn it all down with us inside. That should scare you to no end as much as it scares an aging volunteer fireman… The reality is though, I will wake up tomorrow in the America of the year 2021, a nation unrecognizable to those who came before us and fought to protect it, which is what you must do now…”

But his warning will fall on deaf ears…

Build Back Better Will Cost Almost 5 Trillion Dollars

Breitbart wrote on December 10:

“Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told reporters on Friday that the true cost of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion reconciliation package is far more costly and debt-ridden than previously disclosed by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

“Upon request from Graham, the CBO issued a report Friday that revealed the reconciliation package would increase the deficit by $3 trillion over a ten-year period and cost $4.9 trillion in scope. The CBO’s original scoring claimed the deficit would only increase $0.2 trillion over ten years…

“Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, said in a statement on Friday that the $4.9 trillion Build Back Better Act will ‘bankrupt the economy’ while Americans continue to suffer from soaring inflation.”

Wisconsin 2020 Election Rigged?

Life Site News reported on December 9:

“Tens or even hundreds of thousands of people likely cast illegal votes in Wisconsin’s 2020 election, according to newly-released findings from a months-long investigation by a conservative legal group. Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) published the results of a 10-month probe of last year’s elections in the battleground state, reporting that the number of unlawful ballots in Wisconsin all but certainly surpassed Joe Biden’s victory margin of under 21,000 votes. ‘It is almost certain that in Wisconsin’s 2020 election the number of votes that did not comply with existing legal requirements exceeded Joe Biden’s margin of victory,’ the group said…

“It seems clear that voters abandoned the rules for voting indefinitely confined, drop boxes were used, at least one ballot harvesting event was conducted without statutory authorization, absentee balloting in nursing homes was conducted contrary to law, ballots were cured without authorization, and voter rolls were not accurately maintained as required by state and federal law… WILL said that while it did not find evidence of widespread, intentional fraud, the possibility ‘cannot be excluded.’

“While the fact that something ‘could have’ happened is not evidence that it did, failure to follow the required procedures raises the possibility of fraud and undercuts confidence in the results… It is unclear whether, had these ballots been disqualified, the results of the election would have changed. ‘It is not possible to know who these legally questionable votes were cast for,’ according to the WILL report. ‘Given the location of the votes it may be more likely than not that, depending on which ballots were thought to be unlawfully cast, that Trump would have wound up the winner’ due to Wisconsin’s ‘drawdown’ method, the group concluded.”

But the left-wing mass media does not want to hear about that.

Meadows Held in Contempt

NBC News wrote on December 15:

“The House voted Tuesday night to refer former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to the Justice Department for a potential criminal charge over his refusal to answer questions about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol [claiming executive privilege]. Lawmakers passed the measure largely along party lines in a 222-208 vote. Two Republicans voted with Democrats: Reps. Liz Cheney, of Wyoming, and Adam Kinzinger, of Illinois…

“Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio… accused Democrats of ‘destroying executive privilege’ by seeking to force ‘the closest of close’ presidential advisers [i.e. Trump] to testify…’

“A contempt referral is not the first to stem from the Jan. 6 investigation. The House previously voted to refer former Trump adviser Steve Bannon to the Justice Department for contempt charges after he defied the committee’s subpoenas. The Justice Department acted on the recommendation… Bannon has been charged with two counts of contempt and could face up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine if he is convicted. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial in July.”

Trump’s claim of executive privilege is being adjudicated. To hold Meadows and Bannon in contempt is premature at best. Meadows rightly pointed out that this is another attempt by Democrats and two Rino’s to get to Trump.

Elon Musk “Person of the Year”

The Brownstone Institute published the following article by Jeffrey Tucker on or about December 15:

“It’s a good call for Time Magazine: it made Elon Musk the person of the year… Musk is arguably the most prominent opponent of lockdowns and vaccine mandates in the US. In his official interview, he refused to take back his last-year denunciation of stay-at-home orders as ‘fascist.

“He stepped it up even further concerning vaccine mandates. ‘I am against forcing people to be vaccinated, not something we should do in America… ‘I believe we’ve got to watch out for the erosion of freedom in America.’…

“For some reason, people have a hard time understanding how someone could be for the right to accept the vaccine but also be against imposing it by force. And yet that position is clearly the most reasonable one, the one consistent with freedom, and good public health…

“Only a few weeks ago, he told the Wall Street Journal that the whole of the Democrats’ and Biden’s $1.9 trillion spending bill on infrastructure should be scrapped… There is nothing worth anything in it… What’s surprising is that someone so rich, so influential, so decisive to our present economic lives, would actually say openly what everyone knows… Musk… is now beyond being controlled or contrite at this point. In that way he is a very dangerous man, in the best possible way we can use that term. He had better watch his back.

“Today, the White House spokesman routinely says that no edicts against rights and freedom are ‘off the table.’ Anything is possible. Anything can happen. They will decide. No one says a word; the craven press believes this is just normal. It’s not. It’s dangerous…

“[Musk] began to realize that the governing elites in this country are incredibly inept and unwilling to take responsibility for their actions. He noted the completely undemocratic methods and the unscientific rationale that were deployed to bring about lockdowns. For that reason, he has been smeared and put down as a promoter of misinformation. Anyone who has paid attention for the last two years knows exactly what that means: he is telling truths he is not supposed to tell…”

Fauci and Lauterbach—the great Dividers

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on December 9:

“As Biden’s vaccine mandates continue to be smacked down by courts, as the Senate has held a bipartisan vote rejecting mandates, as even Democrats are…  ‘souring’ on vaccine mandates, Fauci was asked in a MSNBC interview whether it might be time to back down a bit. Not at all! – was Fauci’s response. If people won’t take the shots they must be forced to take the shots, he replied.”

Newsmax wrote on December 10:

“Fauci says families should ‘ask,’ and ‘maybe require’ that guests be vaccinated if they come over for holiday celebrations…”

Fauci’s clone or alter ego, Germany’s new Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, blows into the same horn. According to an article in Bild Online, dated December 10, [“Unvaccinated are hit now very hard” – “Ungeimpfte trifft es jetzt ganz hart”], he said in a discussion televised by ZDF:

https://www.bild.de/politik/talk-kritik/talk-kritk/omikron-debatte-im-zdf-lauterbach-ungeimpfte-trifft-es-ganz-hart-78500232.bild.html

“I will continue to say that one is perhaps only protected well with three vaccinations [“Ich werde immer wieder erklären, dass man nur mit drei Impfungen wahrscheinlich gut geschützt ist”.]… [Those who are not vaccinated] are not protected at all [“Die sind gar nicht geschützt!”].” He also stated that the vaccines can only be preserved for nine months. [“Der Impfstoff ist neun Monate lagerbar, tiefgekühlt”], and that Delta and Omicron can only be fought with the two pillars of booster shots and mandatory vaccination.” [“Delta und Omikron wirklich effektiv zu bekämpfen [ist] nur möglich mit den zwei Säulen Boosterimpfung und Impfpflicht.“]

Nothing was said that those who have had corona ARE protected because of natural immunity.

Wochenblick ran a lengthy article on December 10, stating that “Lauterbach continues to lie.” [“Lauterbach lügt weiter.”] 

California Joins the Corona Hysteria

NBC7 wrote on December 13:

“… the state announced Monday that beginning Wednesday, mask-wearing will become mandatory in all indoor public settings across California regardless of vaccination status. The mask mandate… will remain in place until Jan. 15.

“The state will also toughen the restriction for unvaccinated people who attend indoor ‘mega-events’ of 1,000 people or more, requiring them to receive a negative COVID-19 test within one day of the event if it’s a rapid antigen test or within two days for a PCR test… State officials will also recommend, but not require, that people who travel to California or return to the state after traveling be tested for COVID-19 within three to five days.”

Nothing else was to be expected from left-wing Governor Newsom.  

Is WH Press Secretary Jean Psaki for Real?

Fox News wrote on December 10:

“White House press secretary Jen Psaki suggested Friday that it is OK for kids to eat their lunches outside in cold temperatures in an effort to maintain safety amid the COVID 19 pandemic.

“Asked whether the White House wanted school children to ‘get back to a more normal school experience,’ Psaki insisted schools are having children practice social distancing measures, mask up, and eat their snacks and lunch in frigid outdoor temperatures in an effort to ‘keep their kids safe and keep students safe.’

“Psaki said she believes the ‘vast majority of parents appreciate’ such measures being taken by school systems to limit the spread of the coronavirus among elementary-aged school children.”

This is appalling. We would say that the vast majority of parents who have not been brainwashed by the left-wing propaganda, do NOT appreciate such measures being taken by autocratic school systems which endanger the health of our children much more than COVID could ever do.

Confusion regarding Mandatory Vaccinations

 Fisher Phillips wrote on December 16:

 “Serving up yet another curveball for healthcare employers, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals effectively reactivated the [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] CMS vaccination mandate across nearly half of the country with a surprise decision on Wednesday afternoon…

“… It is… possible that the vaccine mandate may have received only a brief reprieve. The Fifth Circuit stopped short of approving the mandate, ruling only that the Louisiana judge had exceeded his authority in enjoining the vaccine mandate nationwide.

“In states such as Florida and Tennessee – where the CMS mandate is reinstated and new state laws or executive orders have all but gutted employer vaccine mandates – a clear conflict exists between state and federal law on this issue. Although the CMS mandate clearly states its intention to supersede any contrary state or local law, it remains to be seen as to how long it remains in place, if at all.”

Bad Signs for Europe’s “Democracies”

The Local wrote on December 10:

“As the German parliament votes through a vaccine mandate for medical and care workers, the new Health Minister has clarified that people who avoid compulsory Covid jabs will face fines… ‘The imposition of fines is unavoidable,’ Lauterbach said… If someone doesn’t pay, the fines will have to be increased considerably, he said… [He] also spoke out in favour of a vaccine mandate for teachers and nursery school employees

“From March 15th, 2022, employees in clinics, doctors’ surgeries and care homes will have to show proof that they are fully vaccinated – or present a doctor’s note explaining why they are unable to get their jabs…

“The step towards compulsory jabs for certain sections of the population follows similar moves by France, Italy, Britain and Greece. Neighbouring Austria plans to bring in a general vaccine mandate by next February, with fines of around €3,000 for people who still refuse to get their Covid jabs.

“Germany’s new Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said he is in favour of compulsory jabs [for] the general public…”

It does not look as if many of the European nations will ever return to a free democracy. Rather, the build-up to an authoritarian and dictatorial society is steadily and swiftly increasing.

The Propaganda against the Unvaccinated

The medical Journal, the Lancet, published an article by Guenther Kampf, “a prominent German researcher,” on November 20, which was referenced by the Ron Paul Institute on December 14:

“In the USA and Germany, high-level officials have used the term pandemic of the unvaccinated, suggesting that people who have been vaccinated are not relevant in the epidemiology of COVID-19. Officials’ use of this phrase might have encouraged one scientist to claim that ‘the unvaccinated threaten the vaccinated for COVID-19.’ But this view is far too simple.

“There is increasing evidence that vaccinated individuals continue to have a relevant role in transmission. In Massachusetts, USA, a total of 469 new COVID-19 cases were detected during various events in July, 2021, and 346 (74%) of these cases were in people who were fully or partly vaccinated, 274 (79%) of whom were symptomatic. Cycle threshold values were similarly low between people who were fully vaccinated (median 22·8) and people who were unvaccinated, not fully vaccinated, or whose vaccination status was unknown (median 21·5), indicating a high viral load even among people who were fully vaccinated.

“In the USA, a total of 10 262 COVID-19 cases were reported in vaccinated people by April 30, 2021, of whom 2725 (26·6%) were asymptomatic, 995 (9·7%) were hospitalised, and 160 (1·6%) died. In Germany, 55·4% of symptomatic COVID-19 cases in patients aged 60 years or older were in fully vaccinated individuals, and this proportion is increasing each week…

“People who are vaccinated… are still a relevant part of the pandemic. It is therefore wrong and dangerous to speak of a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Historically, both the USA and Germany have engendered negative experiences by stigmatising parts of the population for their skin colour or religion. I call on high-level officials and scientists to stop the inappropriate stigmatisation of unvaccinated people, who include our patients, colleagues, and other fellow citizens, and to put extra effort into bringing society together.”

AMEN!

Governmental Persecution of Christians in Europe

Christian Today wrote on December 9:

“A new report [by OIDAC] has identified the UK as one of the most challenging places for Christians in Europe amid a startling rise in anti-Christian hate crime across the continent…. It reveals a 70 per cent increase in anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe between 2019 and 2020, with the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Sweden forming the top five countries where Christians face the ‘most severe challenges’ for their faith… The hate crimes include… physical attacks on Christians, and restrictions on religious freedom, freedom of expression and parental rights…. It warned of ‘a strong and sometimes even extreme opposition to Christian morals derived from core beliefs’, and the increasing criminalisation of opinion.

“OIDAC director Madeleine Enzlberger said the 60-page report revealed a ‘worrisome phenomenon’… When Christians are forced to choose between their moral values and their professions; Christian students and speakers get silenced on campuses; when parental rights are trampled on by overreaching governmental interference or asylum claims of Christian refugees are arbitrarily denied; we often find that the main source of this intolerance and discrimination against Christians is due to a simple ignorance towards the problem or an explicit anti-Christian bias,’ she said.”

We should note that Germany is mentioned as one of the five top countries guilty of Christian persecution by the government.

The UN and the Lion with Wings

On December 9, Israel 365 wrote the following:

“A statue with Biblical implications has been erected recently outside the United Nations headquarters in New York City. The statue, entitled the ‘guardian for international peace and security, is situated on the Visitor’s Plaza outside UN Headquarters. According to the UN, the ‘guardian’ is a ‘fusion of jaguar and eagle.’ It was donated by the Government of Oaxaca, Mexico.

“Many have noticed an eerie similarity to Daniel’s dream in the Bible… His dream featured four beasts – a lion with wings, a bear with fangs, a four-winged leopard. The fourth beast had ten horns… The lion with wings represents Babylon. The bear represented Persia. The four-winged leopard represented Greece and the final most treacherous of them all represented Rome…”

UN Beast Statue
UN Beast Statue

In Daniel 7, four world-ruling empires are described and compared with wild beasts—the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greco-Macedonian and Roman Empires. The first beast, the Babylonian Empire, is described as “a lion, and had eagle’s wings” (Daniel 7:4). Although the Babylonian Empire was replaced by the Medo-Persian Empire and ultimately absorbed by the ancient Roman Empire, it would experience a revival in these last days… in the form of a revived Roman Empire in Europe. The modern Chaldeans will lead that revival into an all-encompassing war. It is interesting that the UN headquarters would erect such a statue, claiming peace and security, but signifying dictatorial war-mongering world domination.

No War with Russia

An Editorial by Pat Buchanan of December 9, published by buchanan.org, states the following:

“A U.S. war with Russia over Ukraine would be a disaster for all three nations. Nor could the U.S. indefinitely guarantee the independence of a country 5,000 miles away that shares not only a lengthy border with Mother Russia but also a history, language, religion, ethnicity and culture…

“Forced to choose between accepting Russia’s demand that NATO stay out of Ukraine and Russia going in, the U.S. is not going to war.”

See our new StandingWatch program, titled, “War between Russia, America and Europe over Ukraine?

America’s Cluelessness regarding Russia and Ukraine

Here are some comics which were published in the Week (December 10, 2021) on the Russia-Ukraine developments https://theweek.com/cartoons . Even though satirical, they DO point out the current danger of the situation and Biden’s cluelessness as to how to deal with it. .

Grinch Ukraine
Kevin Siers | Copyright 2021 Cagle Cartoons
Russian bear eating Ukraine
Scott Stantis | Copyright 2021 Tribune Content Agency
Biden negotiates with Putin on Zoom
Dana Summers | Copyright 2021 Tribune Content Agency
Tanks at Ukrainian Border
Paresh Nath | Copyright 2021 Cagle Cartoons

Ukraine Hopes for Europeans to Intervene

The Telegraph wrote on December 9:

“Vladimir Putin will be emboldened to invade Ukraine if European Union countries don’t sign up to a package of sanctions to deter Russia, Ukraine’s country’s foreign minister has warned. Dmytro Kuleba told the Telegraph that Mr Putin’s goal was to ‘destroy Ukraine’ and that he would be more tempted to resort to military actions if Western allies do not quickly find agreement on punitive measures… The Kremlin has denied planning an attack, but has simultaneously signalled that it will go to war unless the West and Ukraine concede a list of demands…

“Meanwhile, Joe Biden… promised ‘additional military capabilities’ would be deployed in the region – although he ruled out sending forces to Ukraine.”

Tensions Escalate

Express wrote on December 13:

“President Putin has sent the notorious Buk-M1 medium-range surface to air missiles to the frontline of the conflict. The Buk became infamous in 2014 after a missile fired from a territory controlled by Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine shot down a Malaysian airline, killing all 298 people aboard.

“The news of Mr Putin sending in this deadly weapon does not bode well for peace talks between Russia, the US and Ukraine… Even if he does not launch a full-scale invasion, experts suggest Mr Putin may be leaving his troops and the Buk near the frontline as leverage for negotiations. However, Russian and western analysts also agree that this military buildup is a dire warning about a series of future crises over Ukraine…

With over 175,000 personnel now ready in the region, the US has warned allies the Russian leader may be planning a renewed invasion for real this time. In the past few days alone, Mr Putin has likened Ukraine’s policy in the Donbas, the border region where Russia has led a slow-burning separatist war since 2014, to ‘genocide’ – words Kyiv fears may be a pretext to invade.

The US has shared intelligence to convince even the most sceptical European allies that Mr Putin may be prepared to make good on Russia’s quasi-imperial ambitions early next year but has yet to conclude precisely when or if he may give the order to invade. Officials and analysts in Washington and Europe, and even people close to the Kremlin in Moscow, admit Putin’s true intentions with Ukraine remain a mystery.”

Russian-Chinese Cooperation

The New York Ledger wrote on December 15:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to present a united front with Xi Jinping as the Kremlin said the Chinese leader supported Moscow’s demand for security guarantees that would limit western influence in its backyard. In remarks shown by Russian state television at the start of their 90-minute video call on Wednesday, Putin told his ‘dear friend’ Xi that ‘a new model of co-operation between our countries has formed on principles such as non-interference in internal affairs and respecting each other’s interests’…

“‘Certain international forces are interfering in the internal affairs of China and Russia, and trampling on international law and recognised norms of international relations,’ Xi added. ‘China and Russia should carry out more joint actions to safeguard the security interests of both parties.’”

While Russia is reportedly planning an invasion of Ukraine, China is reportedly planning an invasion of Taiwan.

Scholz NOT the new European Leader

Politico wrote on December 9:

“The power shift in Berlin this week sparked hopes around Europe and across the Atlantic that the new chancellor’s government would unfreeze Germany’s stance on everything from pipelines to Poland, reversing Angela Merkel’s why-can’t-we-all-be-friends approach to the world. Instead, they’re likely to get more of the same.

“For Germany’s international partners, that shouldn’t be reassuring. With serious tensions on Europe’s eastern flank, not to mention challenges the EU faces on its southern doorstep and its dealings with China and even the U.S., a divided Continent could use some leadership from its most populous country. It’s unlikely to get any

“Germany’s new coalition promises to be a difficult partner for Washington

“Germany’s future engagement with the world isn’t clear. It doesn’t suggest, however, that Germany… is eager to play a central role… If [Scholz] fails to act quickly, his international standing will melt long before summer.’

It should have been clear from the outset that Scholz and his left-wing coalition spell disaster for Germany.

France and Hungary United?

The Times wrote on December 14:

“President Macron smoothed over differences yesterday with Viktor Orban, the man he has defined as his European adversary, and won Hungarian support for French goals for EU defence, nuclear power and agriculture.

“The Hungarian prime minister… struck a relatively friendly note with the French leader, who was visiting Budapest to push his plans for an ambitious French turn in the rotating six-month presidency of the European Council. Four months from an election in which he hopes to win a second term, Macron is treating the usually routine EU role as a moment for France to shine on the global stage. ‘Hungary’s relation towards President Macron is that of respect,’ Orban said.”

Europe Is Losing It

Israel 365 wrote on December 8:

“After widespread criticism (including from the Pope) the European Union retracted a manual for communications that claims to promote religious and gender ‘inclusion’ but which many believe is anti-religion.

“The 32-page internal document called the ‘Union of Equality’ was released last month as an initiative of Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen, President of the European Commission to ensure that ‘everyone is valued and recognized’. The manual for EU officials was intended as a guide for how they should communicate in press briefings and social media. It recommended that EU representatives ‘update your language’…

“It also suggested using the phrase ‘first name’ rather than ‘Christian name’ and using names ‘Malika and Julio’ instead of ‘Mary and John’ to describe an ‘international couple’…

“The manual also instructed to avoid gender-referencing words such as ‘Man-made’ and ‘ladies and gentlemen,’ which should be replaced with more neutral phrases like… ‘dear colleagues.’ Words such as ‘chairman’ should be replaced by ‘chairperson’, and ‘policeman’ or ‘policewoman’ substituted for ‘police officer’, the guide said. It also recommended the word ‘stewardess’ be avoided in preference of ‘flight attendant’, and ‘principal’ be used instead of ‘headmaster’ or ‘headmistress’.

“Pope Francis reacted strongly to the EU statement, comparing it to other anti-religious ideologies. In a statement on Monday, the pontiff said, ‘In history many, many dictatorships have tried to do it. Think of Napoleon: from there… Think of the Nazi dictatorship, the communist one… it is a fashion of a watered-down secularism, distilled water… But this is something that throughout hasn’t worked… This could end up dividing the countries and [causing] the European Union to fail. The European Union must respect each country as it is structured within, the variety of countries, and not want to make them uniform.’

“‘[Nazism] ended up annihilating democratic life, indeed life itself with the death of the people, in becoming a bloody dictatorship,’ Pope Francis said… ‘This happens when there is a superpower that dictates economic, cultural, and social behavior to the other countries…’”

Now China

The Washington Free Beacon wrote on December 9:

“China’s military ‘will heavily attack U.S. troops who come to Taiwan’s rescue’ if a war between China and Taiwan breaks out, a possibility that is increasingly likely as the Communist regime readies its war machine on Taiwan’s borders.

“China’s latest threat to escalate tensions with Taiwan comes on the heels of remarks by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who said the United States is prepared to counter an attempt by China to forcefully seize Taiwan and bring it back into the Communist country’s orbit. The long-simmering standoff comes as the Biden administration confronts Russian attempts to invade Ukraine… China has been threatening to take Taiwan since the Biden administration took office.”

Biden’s troubles only mount, while he seems incapable of dealing with them.

You Must Not Tell the Truth

The Associated Press wrote on December 10:

“A Roman Catholic diocese in Sicily publicly apologized to outraged parents after its bishop told a group of children that Santa Claus doesn’t exist… The diocesan communications director, the Rev. Alessandro Paolino, said Stagliano was trying to underline the true meaning of Christmas and the story of St. Nicholas…  Italian news reports quoted Stagliano as saying during a recent religious festival that Santa doesn’t exist and that his red costume was created by the Coca-Cola company for publicity.

“‘First of all, on behalf of the bishop, I express my sorrow for this declaration which has created disappointment in the little ones…’ Paolino wrote on the diocesan Facebook page. ‘We certainly must not demolish the imagination of children, but draw good examples from it that are positive for life,’ he continued…

“While several welcomed the bishop’s attempt to focus on the Catholic meaning of Christmas, others faulted Stagliano for interfering with family traditions and celebrations, and crushing the spirits of children…”

So, one is willing to continue to LIE to their children and attack those who are daring to tell the truth.

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.

This Week in the News

“Immigration Hardliner” Karl Nehammer new Austrian leader

The Guardian wrote on December 3:

“Austria’s ruling conservatives have picked the interior minister, an immigration hardliner, to lead them and the nation after a wave of resignations by senior officials set off by Sebastian Kurz…

“Karl Nehammer succeeds Kurz as party chief and will lead the coalition government with the Greens. He takes over a party in disarray since Kurz stepped down as chancellor in October because he had been placed under criminal investigation on suspicion of corruption offences.  Kurz denies any wrongdoing. Nehammer said… fighting coronavirus would be a top priority. Austria is in lockdown…

“Kurz’s resignation as party leader on Thursday sent shock waves through the party and prompted two of his closest allies, the chancellor, Alexander Schallenberg, and the finance minister, Gernot Blümel, to say they too would step down. Schallenberg had been in the job for less than two months.

“Bluemel is under investigation in a separate corruption case and also denies wrongdoing. Both he and Kurz said that having newborn children had motivated their decisions… Neither the OVP nor the Greens have an obvious interest in a snap election as opinion polls suggest both would lose seats. But tensions between them are such that few analysts expect their government to survive until the end of this parliament in 2023.”

Voices have warned that under Nehammer, Austria’s dictatorship will even get worse.

On Monday, Nehammer was sworn in as the new Chancellor. Wochenblick added on December 6:

Other ÖVP members were also newly sworn in … the appointment of the new Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, who stood out in the past by caring for the remembrance of the Austro-Fascist dictator Engelbert Dollfuss, is causing criticism. Will the Interior Ministry now act even more aggressively against the resistance than it did under Nehammer? In any case, the Interior Ministry has already found the right [person as the] head of state security for dictatorial reprisals. Just yesterday, the ‘Director for State Security and Intelligence’ Omar Haijawi Pirchner announced that he wanted to monitor closely the social media.”

Demonstrations in Austria

Wochenblick wrote on December 4:

“Tens of thousands are back on Vienna’s streets today. They stand up against the coming compulsory vaccination…. People from all walks of life and of all ages are protesting. Mothers appeal: ‘Protect our children – get children out of schools!’ The state has been repressive from the start. Penalties for not wearing a mask were imposed…

“The lawyer from the Ministry of Defense, Monika Donner, gave an incendiary speech against the lies of the government

“As a trained medical doctor, the FPÖ politician Dagmar Belakowitsch… spoke again at the rally. Alexander Tschugguel from the Catholic St. Bonifatius Institute spoke out decisively against the state access to our bodies and appealed to the people to continue to offer resistance before everything is taken from us…

“The fact that Karl Nehammer is now the new Federal Chancellor is causing a particular resentment among those who resist. They know from their own demonstration experiences that as minister of the interior, he was known by his autocratic, inhuman style… As the government will… force injections, this will also apply to the children and, if nothing changes, even to the newborns as well.”

Wochenblick stated on December 5 that “more than 100,000 people demonstrated in Vienna.”

The New York Times added the following on December 5:

“Austria has also announced that vaccination would become compulsory as of Feb. 1, making it the first Western country to take that step… the editorial board of The Financial Times [has] said the plan exacts too high a price in terms of individual freedom and see it a sign of political failure.”

By Sunday, the lockdown in Austria for the vaccinated will end, for the time being, but NOT for the unvaccinated.

Germany’s New Lockdown and Mandatory Vax Health Minister…

Breitbart wrote on December 6 in a headline:

“New German Government Taps Lockdown Loving Lawmaker as New Health Minister.”

It continued:

The most closely watched appointment was that of the health minister… Scholz chose Karl Lauterbach, an epidemiologist and media-savvy lawmaker who lacks executive experience but has been one of Germany’s most prominent voices urging caution and strict measures against COVID-19 since the pandemic started… Federal and state leaders last week announced tough new restrictions that largely target unvaccinated people… parliament will consider a general vaccine mandate.”

Lauterbach is also an advocate of mandatory vaccinations. Lauterbach is a controversial figure, even in his own party (SPD). Leader of the opposition party AFP, Alice Weidel, tweeted: “It could not have been worse for Germany.”  The three coalition parties of the new government (SPD, Green and FDP) also agreed on other controversial measures, such as obtaining 80% of Germany’s electricity from renewable energies by 2030; lowering the voting age to 16; and legalizing the recreational use of cannabis. Dark clouds on the horizon in Germany…

Germany’s “Fight” against the Unvaccinated

The Local wrote on December 7:

“In a press conference held after the signing of the new government’s coalition agreement in Berlin, incoming Chancellor Olaf Scholz slammed ‘threatening’ protests against Covid restrictions and vaccinations. His comments were echoed by Green Party co-leader Robert Habeck… ‘The fact that we need a higher vaccination rate isn’t up for debate,’ he said. ‘It becomes problematic when, out of the multitude of different reasons (for not getting vaccinated), a movement arises – not necessarily against vaccination, but against the state, against a free and open democracy,’ he added…

“Demonstrations against current Covid measures have been ramping up in Germany as the incoming government moves to bar unvaccinated people from most areas of public life, including non-essential shops. The country has also introduced contact restrictions that prevent unvaccinated people from meeting more than two other people at a time.

“Critics of the measures claim that the moves risk sowing more division in an already divided society, but Scholz defended the move on Tuesday, claiming the German population was ‘not split’ but rather ‘of one mind’. ‘We have to do everything in our power to protect the population, and we’ll only succeed if as many people as possible are vaccinated,’ said Scholz. ‘We need restrictions, particularly for the people who haven’t got vaccinated, because there’s no doubt whatsoever that it’s the people who aren’t vaccinated who are driving the high infection rates.’”

The Local published the following comments:

“What a hypocrisy! To talk about democracy when there is in fact absolute tyranny and segregation.

“The hypocrisy is real… To claim that the only way to succeed in fighting covid is by getting as many people as possible vaccinated or to claim that the unvaccinated are to blame for the rising covid cases is just bogus and false…”

New German chameleon and backpedaling politician Olaf Scholz might be right to the extent that most brainwashed Germans, but by far not all, are of “one mind” when it comes to blaming the unvaccinated and mandating vaccinations.

Meet Karl Lauterbach… the German Anthony Fauci

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 6:

“During the COVID pandemic, epidemiologist and eccentric Karl Lauterbach became known as a voice of reason for some, and an infuriating lockdown supporter for others. Now he will be Germany’s new health minister… Karl Lauterbach… is a regular guest on talk shows, gives interviews and regularly tweets — sometimes every hour… his media appearances were to impart bad news. He regularly called for a tougher stance and more restrictions in Germany’s coronavirus policy

“Karl Lauterbach is a controversial figure. Some are annoyed and [describe] him as a ‘Cassandra,’ a nod to the ancient Greek mythical clairvoyant who always predicted disaster… But many others trust him, and some even became ardent supporters during the course of the pandemic…

“[His] appointment was a highly controversial decision within the SPD right up to the end. In the party, to which Lauterbach has belonged for 16 years as a directly elected member of parliament, he is regarded as a lone wolf, an eccentric and a know-it-all… Olaf Scholz likely knows that with Karl Lauterbach he is bringing a politician into his Cabinet who will not please everyone…”

Germany’s “Quarantine Centers” in Use Again

Life Site News wrote on December 3:

“A recent survey by German newspaper Welt am Sonntag found that at least 15 people have been taken to quarantine facilities in Germany’s 10 largest cities since the beginning of the year. The 15 individuals, who allegedly violated at-home isolation requirements for COVID-19, include 11 in Munich, two in Stuttgart, and one each in Düsseldorf and Frankfurt, Welt am Sonntag reported. The full number of cases is likely higher, as authorities Berlin and Leipzig did not provide figures to the paper.

“Some of the quarantine facilities were located within prisons, according to Welt. ‘Most of the federal states have closed areas in hospitals or prisons for quarantine breakers,’ the outlet noted. ‘In Eisenhüttenstadt, Brandenburg, refusals were last housed in a former deportation detention center, in North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, in a Solingen clinic.’…

“German Infection Protection Act of 2000 specifically authorizes ‘placement in a locked hospital’ or ‘locked facility’ to that effect. ‘The fundamental right to freedom of the person can be restricted in this respect,’ the law states. With hundreds of thousands of Germans subject to domestic quarantine orders at any given time, city authorities typically ‘check’ residents ‘if there is a specific suspicion,’ according to Welt. In Stuttgart, officials rely on ‘special tipsters,’ including ‘neighbors, acquaintances and relatives.’…

“The 10 largest cities in Germany have also initiated more than 250 fine proceedings for quarantine violations, the newspaper noted. Fines ranged between 250-1,000 euros, though they can run up to 25,000 euros….”

Incredible Falsification in Bavaria

Focus wrote on December 4:

“The Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder caused a sensation at the end of November with a graphic: The incidence of unvaccinated people in Bavaria is 1469, compared with only 110 people who have been vaccinated. ‘There is a direct connection between low vaccination rates and high infection rates,’ Söder wrote. His appeal: ‘So please get vaccinated. Only vaccination helps.‘

“Now it became known, however, that the State Office for Health and Food Safety [LGL] which collects the data in Bavaria, apparently often does not even know the vaccination status of the individually infected people, according to ‘Welt’ research. Instead of ignoring the cases with an unknown status, they are added to the unvaccinated.

“The imbalance can be serious. According to a spokesman for the authorities, a total of 81,782 corona cases were reported for the week before November 24th – 9,641 infected people with full vaccination protection, 14,652 without vaccination protection and 57,489 with ‘unknown’ vaccination status. According to the LGL, these 57,489 infected people were then assigned to the group of unvaccinated – with considerable consequences for the incidence value for unvaccinated people.

“Apparently Bavaria is not an isolated case. This counting method is also used accordingly in Hamburg, as a spokesman for the Hamburg Senate of the ‘Welt’ confirmed …

“There has been harsh criticism from the opposition regarding the incidence reports in Bavaria. Martin Hagen, FDP parliamentary group leader in the Bavarian state parliament, called for ‘unreserved clarification’. He criticized according to ‘Welt’: ‘The suspicion that state authorities are deliberately giving the public a wrong picture with distorted statistics weighs heavily.’ And turning to the Prime Minister, he asks: ‘Did Söder know that the numbers were manipulated with which he justifies his politics?’”

It will end up as it did in Bertolt Brecht’s “Mackie Messer”: “… who knows nothing of any of it” (“der von allem nichts gewusst.”)

Subsequently, Focus reported on December 5 that the Bavarian government responded to the report. The audacity with which their falsifications were justified is incredible:

“LGL President Walter Jonas says: ‘This accusation is absolutely absurd. We decided to initially count the cases without information on the vaccination status among the unvaccinated… Merely omitting the missing values ​​would have led to completely wrong incidence ratios … Even after changing the calculation, nothing will change…’

“However, the authority does not provide any information about what the ‘conversion of the calculation’ of the data is all about.”

This is how the people are being misled.

Abolishing the Nuremberg Code?

Ddbnews.org wrote on December 4:

Ursula Van Der Leyen, chairwoman of the EU Commission, told the press on Wednesday that she was in favor of abolishing the long-standing Nuremberg Code and forcing people to get vaccinated against COVID… In Austria, unvaccinated people aged 12 and over are currently almost completely banned and are only allowed outside for essential tasks such as eating or seeing a doctor…

“The Nuremberg Code was enacted in 1947 immediately after World War II to prevent many of the egregious human rights violations committed by the Nazis and the Imperial Japanese during the war.

“In particular, it was about carrying out medical procedures on test subjects without their consent. These procedures, often under the direction of the likes of Dr. Josef Mengele or Hideki Tojo, often included the worst torture methods. Since then, full and proactive ongoing consent has been required.”

If this does not ring alarm bells…

Israel too?

Israel Today wrote on December 6:

“Israel’s ‘Corona Czar’ said last week that the Jewish state must consider mandating COVID-19 vaccines for all citizens. Other officials retorted that doing so would make Israel a dictatorship. Israel is currently not mandating vaccination against coronavirus, though many have argued that there is heavy governmental control to get the jab… Government officials, including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, insist that those sectors of society still refusing the vaccine are now threatening the success of Israel’s battle against the pandemic.

“…  there is a good chance Israel will eventually mandate vaccination in light of decisions by several major European countries… However, Israel is a more fractured society. Vaccination rates are still lowest among the Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews, and it is difficult to see those sectors peacefully acquiescing to any government mandates.”

Italy of Course

The Associated Press reported on December 6:

“Italy is making life more uncomfortable for unvaccinated people this holiday season, excluding them from indoor restaurants, theaters and museums starting Monday to reduce the spread of coronavirus and encourage vaccine skeptics to get their shots.

Italian police have been empowered to check whether diners in restaurants or bars have a ‘super’ green health pass certifying that they are either vaccinated or have recently recovered from the virus. Smart phone applications that verify people’s health pass status have been updated to prevent entry to concerts, movies or performances to those who have merely tested negative in recent days. The measures run through Jan. 15.”

Mussolini is coming to town…

Comeback of Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi?

The Daily Mail wrote on December 5:

“Former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has been tipped to make one more run to be Italy’s next president. The 85-year-old media tycoon… remains Italy’s longest serving post war leader, having been in office three times. Despite regular brushes with the law – including being convicted of tax fraud in 2013 – and a number of health concerns, he has previously been referred to as ‘the immortal’ for his longevity in politics. And now, those within his centre-right Forza Italia party, which he led for more than two decades, are tipping him to make one final run for the top job.

“Antonio Tajani, the deputy leader of the party told the Sunday Telegraph: ‘It would be a dream. A lot of us have asked him [to run]…’ Berlusconi has not officially entered the race but is reportedly campaigning behind the scenes. The right-wing bloc… are expected to back him if he were to officially enter the race… He is currently a legislator in the European Parliament…

“Gianfranco Rotondi, a veteran Forza Italia MP and a former minister under Berlusconi’s last government said his former boss has a ’50-50 chance to make it’ in voting which starts around January 20. Lorenzo Castellani, a political historian at Rome’s Luiss university, said he predicted Berlusconi’s attempt to fade, but expected him to be ‘one of the kingmakers’ in the presidential race. The frontrunner in January’s elections is currently Mario Draghi, the current prime minister, while sitting president Sergio Mattarella has also been mentioned as a credible option, despite saying he wants to retire.

“Italian presidents are elected by approximately 1,000 national and regional lawmakers in a secret ballot.”

A Global Treaty for Pandemics?

Climate Depot wrote on December 1:

“… global leaders on Wednesday agreed to start negotiations to create an international agreement to prevent and deal with future pandemics — which some have dubbed a ‘pandemic treaty.’ The special session of the World Health Assembly, only the second ever held by the WHO’s governing body, pledged by consensus to begin work on an agreement… The United States has said it is largely in favor of such an accord… Britain and European Union states have also championed an agreement…”

Climate Depot went on to comment:

“… if a ‘radical’ WHO ‘pandemic treaty’ that is ‘legally binding’ becomes reality, global mandates may be coming your way… Even the Washington Post is calling a ‘pandemic treaty’ a ‘radical’ idea. Once a ‘pandemic treaty’ is set in place, COVID mandates will become permanent as elite officials fly around the world to discuss how to further crush freedom… Just like the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the architects of a ‘pandemic treaty’ will seek more and more power and control and become a self-interested lobbying organization…”

This is frightening news.

Global Tyranny

Life Site News wrote on December 3:

“Dr. Robert Malone, the original inventor of the mRNA vaccine technology 40 years ago, praised the recent call by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò to build an anti-globalist alliance

“Archbishop Viganò had proposed on November 18 to ‘free humanity from a totalitarian regime that brings together in itself the horrors of the worst dictatorships of all time,’ and he challenged ‘rulers, political and religious leaders, intellectuals and all people of good will, inviting them to unite in an alliance that launches an anti-globalist manifesto, refuting point by point the errors and deviations of the dystopia of the New World Order and proposing concrete alternatives for a political program inspired by the common good, the moral principles of Christianity, traditional values, the protection of life and the natural family, the protection of business and work, the promotion of education and research, and respect for creation.’…

“Dr. Malone [is] a strong opponent to the currently debated and planned vaccine mandates, lockdown policies, and mask mandates, all of which are, according to his study and research, ineffective and potentially harmful to human health… The vaccine expert compared the lockdowns with the ‘camel’s nose’ metaphor: ‘Once the camel’s nose gets in the tent, pretty soon the whole camel is in the tent,’ Dr. Malone said…

“‘There is a growing sense by many people that there’s something fundamentally evil going on here (…) I’ve become convinced that we do have a situation that is essentially the growth and expansion of global tyranny that is harmonized, that is managed, that is aligned across nation states, and it appears to be aligned with the economic interests of a small cluster of investment funds that represents the bulk of global western capital… For two years now we have been witnessing a global coup d’état, in which a financial and ideological elite has succeeded in seizing control of part of national governments, public and private institutions, the media, the judiciary, politicians, and religious leaders… Fundamental rights, which up until yesterday were presented as inviolable, have been trampled underfoot in the name of an emergency: today a health emergency, tomorrow an ecological emergency, and after that an internet emergency.’”

Poll: US Government without Power to Mandate Vaccination

Breitbart wrote on December 3:

“Most voters say the federal government does not have the authority to mandate coronavirus vaccines, a Rasmussen Reports survey released Friday found… “Most, 57 percent, said ‘no,’ the government does not have that power, while 35 percent said ‘yes,’ and eight percent said ‘not sure.’

“The vast majority of Republicans, 81 percent, said the government does not have that power, and 63 percent of independents agree. However, most Democrats, 59 percent, believe the government does, in fact, have the power to make the coronavirus vaccination mandatory.”

This shows where at this point, the greatest danger for US democracy comes from. We are not promoting or endorsing any political party or candidate—we are just stating facts and focusing on trends. However, Trump keeps taking credit for developing the vaccine at high speed “when everyone said it wasn’t possible.” Since the vaccine was not, and could not have been tested for long-time complications, his continued “encouragement” to get vaccinated contributes to the problems which we are facing today. But there can be no doubt that the vaccination policy of the Biden Administration does endanger the safety, security and survival of this country. Note the next article.

Oklahoma’s AG Sues Biden over Vaccine Mandates

Breitbart reported on December 3:

“Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor (R) has sued the Biden administration over its federal coronavirus vaccine mandate for federal employees and National Guard members… Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sent a letter to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt earlier this week reinforcing the need for military members to be vaccinated following Stitt’s request to bypass the mandate…

“‘Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate ensures that many Oklahoma National Guard members will simply quit instead of getting a vaccine, a situation that will irreparably harm Oklahomans’ safety and security,’ O’Connor said in a statement. ‘These patriots, along with many federal employees, who serve their country and their state are now at risk of being terminated because they do not wish to take the vaccine.’”

Federal Judge Blocks Vaccine Mandate for Federal Contractors

Breitbart wrote on December 7:

“A federal judge Tuesday issued an injunction striking down the Biden administration’s coronavirus vaccine mandate for federal contractors, saying the plaintiffs are ‘likely [to] succeed in their claim that the President exceeded the authorization given to him by Congress.’

“The lawsuit was brought by Attorney General Alan Wilson and Governor Henry McMaster of South Carolina, along with the attorneys general of Georgia, Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, Utah, and West Virginia and the governors of Georgia, Alabama, and Idaho, as well as other state entities.

“The case revolves around the president’s authority under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act (Procurement Act) and the authority it gives the president to issue public health mandates such as the one President Joe Biden issues in Executive Order (EO) 14042 to require all federal contractors to be vaccinated or face possible termination. ‘The Court acknowledges the tragic toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought throughout the nation and the globe,’ Judge Stan Baker begins. ‘However, even in time of crisis this Court must preserve the rule of law and ensure that all branches of government act within the bounds of their constitutionally granted authorities.’ Furthermore, writes Baker, the government’s  ‘“strong interest in combating the spread of [COVID-19]’ … does not permit the government to ‘act unlawfully even in the pursuit of desirable ends.’”…

“Baker also pointed out that the Biden administration has neither cited a case that allows the president ‘to promulgate such a wide and sweeping public health regulation,’ nor cited a case in which a court upheld an analogous action. Concluding his determination of the merits, Baker explained that if the Biden administration were to have success in this case, it would give the president the ‘right to impose virtually any kind of requirement on businesses that wish to contract with the Government.’”

New York City’s Ongoing Tyranny under Mayor de Blasio

CNBC wrote on December 6:

“New York City is imposing a vaccine mandate for all private sector employers as a preemptive measure to fight a surge of Covid cases this winter, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday. The mandate covers 184,000 businesses and will go into effect on Dec. 27, de Blasio said. Everyone 12 and older, workers and customers, will be required to show proof of two vaccine doses by that date, unless they received Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine

“The city will also require proof of vaccination for children ages 5 to 11 for indoor dining, entertainment and fitness establishments, the mayor said. Kids will be required to have proof of at least one dose by Dec. 14. They will also have to show proof of one dose for high-risk extracurricular activities such as sports, band, orchestra and dance by the same date.

“The New York City policy comes after the Biden administration was forced to halt implementation and enforcement of national vaccine and testing requirements for businesses with 100 or more employees to comply with a federal court order… It’s unclear whether omicron causes more severe disease, according to the WHO. The people who have tested positive…  so far have shown mild to moderate symptoms.”

This incredible “first in the nation” measure has been summarized by Breitbart in this way: “Covid-1984… It’s All About Control.” De Blasio’s mayoralty ends at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, so he moved quickly to get these new dictatorial measures in place before vacating his office. The proposed new measures have already received sharp criticism from many New Yorkers (see New York Post, December 6).

New York City has been setting a really bad example of terrible dictatorship.

Far Weaker US Jobs Report as Expected

Breitbart wrote on December 3:

“The U.S. economy added 210,00 jobs in November and the unemployment rate sank to 4.2 percent. This was a far weaker jobs report than expected. Economists had forecast 545,000 positions added to payrolls and an unemployment rate of 4.5 percent…”

The White House and President Biden tried to spin the devastating report by saying it contained “incredible news” and proof of a “strong” recovery.  Fox News moderators and others responded to this spin with mockery and condemnation.  Sean Hannity said on Fox News:

“The November jobs report was abysmal, falling well short of every projection — keep in mind we’re already facing a severe worker shortage, record-setting inflation, insanely high gas prices, stagnant growth, and now it appears to be getting even worse,” adding that Biden was supposed to shut down the virus, not the economy (see Fox News, December 4).

Breitbart wrote on December 3:

“Alfredo Ortiz, president and CEO of the Job Creators Network,… said Biden’s speech is evidence of the ‘complete delusion concerning the actual state of the economy.’… Ortiz put forth some sobering economic data, that Biden omitted… ‘Biden touted the “significant improvement” in created jobs since he took office, yet chooses to ignore the fact that we are still 4 million jobs behind pre-pandemic numbers. Today’s jobs report showed there are still 6.9 million Americans unemployed. The number of those who currently want to work but can’t find work is a stagging 5.9 million. It’s worth noting, the Bureau of Labor Statistics does NOT count those 5.9 million looking for work among the 6.9 million currently unemployed…’”

How Soros “Makes” Left-Liberal Politics

Fox News reported on December 9:

“Liberal billionaire George Soros has poured millions of dollars into a dark money hub used by far-left activists pushing to dismantle the police…

“[This] is yet another instance showing how [Soros’] cash funds efforts to reshape the justice system. For years, Soros has showered district attorney races with money, oftentimes backing the most progressive candidate.

“Parker Thayer, a researcher at the Capital Research Center, estimated that Soros has dropped $28 million into prosecutor races since 2015.

“Soros’ Open Society Foundations also devoted $220 million in 2020 to a racial equality push, which included $70 million for local efforts geared toward criminal justice reform.”

Breitbart added on December 9:

“Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón gathered ‘progressive’ prosecutors from around the country to celebrate the one-year anniversary of his time in office, but the party was derailed by questions about rising violent crime.

“Gascón, who ran against the first black woman to hold the job, and who received millions of dollars in donations from left-wing billionaire George Soros, has pursued an aggressive, radical agenda of ‘criminal justice reform’ since taking office. But crime has spiked, leaving the city in the throes of what the Los Angeles Times has called a spate of ‘brutal, brazen’ crimes.”

So much for left-wing billionaire Soros’ policies.

BLM Calls for Boycott of White Companies

Fox Business wrote on December 1:

“The Black Lives Matter movement’s national arm is leading a boycott of ‘white companies’ until New Year’s Day, encouraging supporters to help ‘end white-supremacist-capitalism’ by visiting only Black-owned businesses during the holiday shopping season…

“‘We’re dreaming of a #Blackxmas. That means no spending with white companies from 11/26/2021 – 01/01/2022,’ the BlackXmas website says. The organization also calls on supporters to ‘move your money out of white-corporate banks that finance our oppression and open accounts with Black-owned banks.”

Serious questions about Biden’s Mental Health

The New York Post wrote on December 3:

“President Biden is having a series of worrisome episodes that seem to be a mix of his trademark plagiarism (adopting episodes from other public figures’ lives as his own in addition to appropriating their words) and what we sometimes euphemistically call a ‘senior moment.’

“Recently, President Biden told a truck driver: ‘I used to drive a tractor-trailor.’ This wasn’t the first time he had made the claim. But the White House has since conceded that it is a fabrication

“But that’s par for the course for Biden, who infamously slandered an innocent man in the matter of the death of his first wife and daughter, claiming that the man had been a drunken driver. He wasn’t, there was no suggestion that he was, and police reports at the time suggested that it was probably Mrs. Biden who had been at fault in the accident. Yet Biden spent years alleging that the man ‘drank his lunch’ before causing the accident.

“Biden also has a rich fantasy life, which is not limited to his mythical truck-driving days… On Wednesday, he told an audience that during the Six-Day War, he had acted as a liaison between Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir and the Egyptian government. The Six-Day War occurred in 1967, when Levi Eshkol was the prime minister of Israel and Biden was plagiarizing his way toward finishing No. 76 of 85 in law school… He was years away from beginning his Senate career. This is another fantasy, one that Biden keeps repeating. Is it an ordinary lie, or is it a delusion?

“… Because of Biden’s long history of habitual dishonesty, it is difficult to tell how much of this is Biden being Biden and how much of it is Biden no longer quite being Biden — how much is his longstanding and familiar moral disability and how much is, as it may be, late-life mental disability.

“We need an independent medical assessment of the president’s mental health. That is a sobering fact to face, but face it we must. And right now, we need a Democrat who will say so in public.”

But Democrats are not willing to raise this, and neither do Republicans because the replacement of Biden through Kamala Harris would seem to be even more devastating to many.

The Pope in Greece

The Associated Press wrote on December 4:

“Pope Francis warned Saturday that the ‘easy answers’ of populism and authoritarianism are threatening democracy in Europe… Arriving in Greece, the birthplace of democracy, Francis used a speech to Greek political and cultural leaders to warn Europe at large about the threats facing the continent…

“Francis, who lived through Argentina’s populist Peronist era as well as its military dictatorship, has frequently warned about the threat of authoritarianism and populism and the danger it poses to the European Union and democracy itself… Francis praised the ‘necessary vaccination campaign’ promoted by government authorities to tame the coronavirus…

Francis has accelerated inter-faith initiatives, as the two churches attempt to shift from centuries of competition and mistrust toward collaboration. Orthodox churches are also seeking alliances amid a deepening dispute over the independence of the Ukrainian church, which was historically governed by the Russian Orthodox Church…

“Up to 4,000 police officers were readied for duty in Athens for the pope’s visit, and authorities banned protests and large public gatherings in parts of central Athens over the weekend.”

Francis warned of authoritarianism and praised at the same time the “necessary vaccination campaign” of governments, which includes mandatory vaccinations. These measures clearly constitute authoritarianism. What a contradiction.  It is also interesting that the Greek government prohibited protests against the Pope. So much for Francis’ highly praised Greek democracy. According to the Bible, most “Christian” churches will unite under the umbrella and leadership of the Catholic Church.

Russian Offensive against Ukraine Coming Soon?

Deutsche Welle reported on December 4:

“US intelligence officials claimed on Friday that Russia is planning a military offensive against Ukraine that could begin as early as 2022 [which] would supposedly involve an estimated 175,000 Russian military personnel. A US intelligence document obtained by the Washington Post showed apparent evidence of Russian forces massing in four locations and the arrival of tanks and artillery…

“[While denying that an invasion is planned,] Russian foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov said that President Vladimir Putin will reiterate Russia’s ‘red lines’ in negotiations, including demands for a legally binding guarantee that NATO will not expand into Ukraine. NATO has not set a timeline for Ukrainian membership in the alliance. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Russia has no say in whether Ukraine will join the alliance…”

Newsmax added on December 4:

“Ukrainian officials also warned that Russia could invade next month… But some U.S. government officials say Putin also could be seeking attention and concessions from Biden and other Western leaders, using the military escalation to force Russia back into a central role in world affairs as it had in the days of the Soviet Union.”

Biden and Putin Talk for two Hours… with little or no success

Deutsche Welle reported on December 7:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin and US leader Joe Biden held a virtual summit Tuesday, with Moscow’s troop build-up on Ukraine’s borders dominating the talks. The two presidents spoke for roughly two hours…

“‘President Biden voiced the deep concerns of the United States and our European Allies about Russia’s escalation of forces surrounding Ukraine and made clear that the U.S. and our Allies would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation,’ the White House said in a statement after the summit… The Kremlin also issued a statement after the call, saying that Putin had ‘complained about NATO’s dangerous attempts to develop Ukraine’ for its own goals, and that he ‘expressed concerns about Kyiv’s provocative actions’ towards Ukrainian regions controlled by Russia-backed separatists…

“A Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory could come with consequences for Germany too. US approval for the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Europe was contingent on Moscow refraining from military provocations. Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday that Washington would pull its approval if Russian troops enter Ukrainian territory.”

The approval of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was one of the biggest blunders by Merkel and Biden.

The Sun added on December 7:

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told CNN that there would be a ‘really bloody massacre’ if Russia decides to invade Ukraine… The defense minister also said that five million Ukrainian refugees are fleeing into Europe amid heightened alarm about troop movements on the nations’ border.”

The New York Post added on December 7:

“Following… a virtual summit between President Biden and his Russian counterpart Tuesday, the White House appeared to be taking a ‘wait-and-see’ approach to a potential invasion of Ukraine by Moscow… national security adviser Jake Sullivan… acknowledged in the afternoon that ‘we still do not believe that President Putin has made a decision’ about whether to send his massed forces across the border and into Ukraine… Sullivan declined to say whether additional American forces would be dispatched to eastern Europe in the event of an invasion… When asked why the US should wait to take action… Sullivan responded that American policy, in ‘lockstep with our European allies,’ was to deter a Russian invasion…

“Sullivan also suggested Tuesday that the US could persuade Germany to cut off the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline if Russia invaded Ukraine.’ The fact is the gas is not currently flowing through the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which means that it’s not operating, which means that it’s not leveraged for Putin,’ Sullivan claimed. ‘It is leverage for the West. If Vladimir Putin wants to see gas flow through that pipeline, he may not want to take the risk of invading Ukraine.’

“That claim caused an uproar among online critics, who pointed out that Biden waived sanctions against the pipeline in May despite concerns that it would weaken Ukraine’s security by pumping gas directly from Russia to Germany — depriving Kiev of lucrative gas transit fees…”

Would Germany be willing to give up the Nord Stream 2 pipeline? That is highly doubtful.

But it’s all pretty immaterial as to what different powers may want to do, as the Bible is clear that Russia and Ukraine will unite in some way. Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, War between Russia, America and Europe over Ukraine?”

Christmas Trees Unite Us?

JTA wrote on December 8:

“A Fox News host explained that the Christmas tree represents the Christmas spirit — and Hanukkah… after a man was arrested for allegedly setting fire to the Christmas tree outside Fox News Channel headquarters in New York. ‘It’s a tree that unites us, that brings us together. It is about the Christmas spirit, it is about the holiday season, it is about Jesus, it is about Hanukkah,’ Earhardt said… ‘It is about everything we stand for as a country…’

“Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Jewish temple several centuries before the birth of Jesus,  and its main story is about a Jewish sect’s resistance to assimilating into the dominant religious culture. The two holidays, Christmas and Hanukkah, are coincidental in their midwinter timings, but in little else.

“There is suggestive evidence in the New Testament that Jesus attended a Hanukkah event [as] described in John 10:22… Some angry Jews confronted Jesus about his claim to messiahhood, and it almost ended in a stoning. The apostle does not report any tree-burnings, however.”

Even though of different origins, there can be no doubt that a mixture between Christmas and Hanukkah has occurred. The Christmas tree is thoroughly pagan and was used as a means of worship long before the birth of Christ. If it unites the country, then woe to the country.

Swarm of Earthquakes rattles Oregon

Beach Connection wrote on December 9:

“What seems like an unprecedented number of small to sizable quakes off the Oregon coast have rattled underwater starting early Tuesday morning, with the number still rising 36 hours later. As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, some 74 undersea quakes have hit about 300 miles directly west of Yachats in just over 24 hours… Experts say it’s nothing to worry about because it has nothing to do with the larger Cascadia Subduction zone that also exists off the Oregon coast, which will one day create a massive quake and subsequent tsunami…

“The quake swarm is unusual, as that area generally receives about 20 to 30 quakes per year… Most were in the 4.0 to 4.8 magnitude range, but at least ten were over 5.0, which is sizable… they are not ‘releasing’ pressure for that area and are not lessening the chances of the big one.”

KIRO 7 added on December 8:

“Harold Tobin leads the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network at the University of Washington. He points out the Blanco Fracture Zone is a long way from the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which is what we worry about for a major quake around Seattle… Still, any seismic event is a reminder that we live in earthquake country and should be prepared. ‘We always have the risk of a substantial earthquake that is damaging but I don’t think that risk is different in the Pacific Northwest today than it was two days ago,’ Tobin said.

“Emergency managers now ask people to be ‘two weeks ready,’ which means having enough supplies to be on your own for two weeks.”

If you are naïve enough to take the “experts’” words for it… 

Is the USA-Israel Honeymoon Period Over?

JTA wrote on December 2:

“[Prime Minister Naftali] Bennett has allowed for the construction of thousands of new settler homes. Biden is pushing to reopen the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, formerly the principal venue for U.S.-Palestinian relations. Last month the United States sanctioned two Israeli spyware companies.

“Then there is the ongoing strife over Iran’s nuclear program, a point of contention that those who analyze the U.S.-Israel relationship say could eventually blow the doors wide open… Israeli officials have said they believe Iran is weeks away from nuclear weapons capability; the country is enriching uranium to 60% purity, perilously close to the 90% needed for weaponization…”

It might very well be over, but then note the following surprising news, which was published by a paper in Israel.

Biden and the Third Temple?

Israel 365 wrote on December 2:

“US president Joe Biden hosted the White House’s annual menorah lighting ceremony on the fourth night of Chanukah on Wednesday. During his speech, Biden referenced the story of Chanukah and the destruction of the Second Temple. Biden compared the holy Temple to the ‘temple of our democracy’…

“Later on in his speech, the US president seemed to be optimistic that the third Temple will be rebuilt saying: ‘Whether it’s in the temple of Jerusalem or a temple of our democracy nothing broken or profaned is beyond repair…nothing. We can always build back better. Or perhaps, build back brighter.’

“The speech was not without the president’s signature gaffes… Ironically, Biden who champions both mask and vaccine mandates hailed the lessons of freedom and liberty that could be learned from the Maccabees.”

With Biden, one never knows, of course, how serious he is with speeches drafted for him, and whether any references are intentional or just “accidental.” Still, a third temple WILL BE built prior to Christ’s return, even though some are still stiff-necked or willfully ignorant enough to totally dismiss this possibility, against current events, better judgment and the clear prophecies in the Bible. Please view our recent StandingWatch program, titled, “A False Messiah in the Temple of God?” 

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

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