On July 17, 2021, split sermons will be given: Frank Bruno will present “A Two-Front War,” and Eric Rank will present “Why Watch?”

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

When people ask if anyone has ever seen God, they usually mean God the Father. The Bible is clear that no one has seen God the Father, except in a vision. As we learn from John 1:18. “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” Jesus Christ has made Himself known in many ways throughout history, including through physical expressions. These expressions, however, should not be confused with seeing Jesus Christ in His full glory.

For example, Jesus Christ revealed Himself to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8-9). His presence was evident as He walked in the garden and spoke with them.

In Genesis 18:1-2 we find that Jesus Christ appeared to Abraham as a man together with two angels, also appearing as men. We know that those two are angels from Genesis 19:1. Christ and the two angels ate a meal that Abraham had arranged to have prepared for them. Later, the two angels went toward Sodom while the “LORD” spoke with Abraham (Genesis 18:22).

In Genesis 32, Jacob fought with Christ all night and in the morning he called the name of the place Peniel, meaning “Face of God”, because, as he said, “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” (Genesis 32:30).

In Joshua 5:13-15, Joshua saw a Man with a drawn sword. Joshua fell on his face and worshipped, showing us that this was also an appearance of the LORD, Jesus Christ.

When we consider the example of Moses, we find in Exodus 33:11 that “the LORD spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend”. In all these examples mentioned so far, the LORD or Jesus Christ appeared as a man and not as a glorious Spirit Being. However, in Exodus 33:18, Moses asked to see God’s glory. In verse 20 God or Jesus Christ replied and said: “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” In verse 23 we find that God did allow Moses to see His back, but not His face. God stated later that Moses saw the form or similitude of the LORD (Numbers 12:8).

In these examples, men and, at times, women, had seen the appearance of God, actually Jesus Christ, but not in His full glory which is described in Revelation 1:12-18. However, a certain extent of Christ’s glory was revealed to the people. In Exodus 16:7, 10, the whole congregation of Israel saw the glory of the LORD which appeared in a cloud. Also, Ezekiel saw Christ’s glory in a vision (Ezekiel 1:26-28). Interestingly, King David stated in Psalm 17:15 the following: “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” Here David is expecting to see Christ’s glorified face and His glorified likeness when he wakens. This is not just wakening in the morning as some commentaries explain it. But David used the term sleep as a symbol for death as we read in Psalm 13:3: “Consider and hear me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death.” He knew he would not see God’s face in its full glory until he had died and been resurrected. He would also have been aware that Moses was not able to see God’s glorified face while he was still a human.

Another example of this terminology is found in 2 Kings 4:31. This is when a woman had miraculously received a son according to Elisha’s promise, but the son had died: “Now Gehazi went on ahead of them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore, he went back to meet him (Elisha), and told him, saying, ‘The child has not awakened.’”  Elisha then proceeded to bring him back to life. Here again, this physical resurrection is considered an awakening from a sleep.

As David said in Psalm 17:15, he would be satisfied to be like God or to be a glorified God being in substance, and to be with God forever. This was much more valuable to him than temporary, physical possessions. He also realised that at that time, he would be righteous. He had written about this time in the previous Psalm, Psalm 16:11: “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” He certainly understood what he was looking forward to.

Of course, this does not only apply to David. We are given the same promise from God in Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” This encouragement is also given to us in 1 Corinthians 13:12: “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known [by God].”

The apostle John re-emphasises this future for us in 1 John 3:2-3: “Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” This is basically a repeat of David’s expectation in Psalm 17. We will see Christ in His full glory, as He is, because we will BE like Him, or better, we will be equal with Him in substance. We will bear His glorified image (1 Corinthians 15:49; 2 Corinthians 3:18), as Christ bears the Father’s glorified image (Colossians 1:15; 2 Corinthians 4:4). When the heavenly Jerusalem descends on the new earth, we read that we will also see the glorified face of God the Father (Revelation 22:4).

But, of course, there are conditions. In David’s case, he knew he would see God in righteousness. In fact, he wrote in Psalm 15:1-2: “LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart.” And in Psalm 119:172 we read: “All Your commandments are righteousness.”

And in Matthew 5:8 and 1 John 3:3, the ones who will see God are the pure in heart—those who have purified themselves. From this we see that God will raise us from sleep in a resurrection or change us if we are still alive when Christ returns, but we must be striving to live righteously and be pure in heart and life.

by Norbert Link

In this issue, we report on the volatile situation in Haiti, Cuba, Afghanistan and South Africa; the unstable relationship between Ukraine and Germany; the alliance between right-wing European leaders against Brussels; autocratic coronavirus measures by the EU; and a contemptible new resolution by the EU about abortion and the most extreme LGBT agenda.

We focus on President Biden’s “Gestapo-style” tactics in “combating” the coronavirus; an article comparing the unscientific push to vaccinate children with child abuse; and the highly controversial methods of the FBI and the National Security Agency.

We focus on President Biden’s alleged knowledge and participation of his son’s financial deals with foreign entities; Donald Trump’s emergence as the most powerful force in the GOP; speak on a new and until now unknown virus killing birds; ask the question as to what constitutes true Christianity; and conclude with the search for a red heifer.

In this context, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “President Biden Faces Many Problems.”

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

Haiti in Turmoil

The Associated Press wrote on July 10:

“Haiti’s interim government has asked the U.S. and U.N. to deploy troops to protect key infrastructure as it tries to stabilize the country and prepare for elections in the aftermath of President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination… The stunning request for U.S. military support recalled the tumult following Haiti’s last presidential assassination, in 1915, when an angry mob dragged President Vilbrun Guillaume Sam out of the French Embassy and beat him to death. In response, President Woodrow Wilson sent the Marines into Haiti, justifying the American military occupation — which lasted nearly two decades — as a way to avert anarchy.

“The request was received but there has been no decision… the Biden administration has so far given no indication it will provide military assistance… Haiti also sent a letter to the United Nations requesting assistance… The letter asked for troops and security at key installations…

“Meanwhile, more details emerged [of the killing]. Among those arrested are two Haitian Americans… Police have also detained or killed more than a dozen former members of Colombia’s military… It’s not known who masterminded the attack…

“Analysts say whoever plotted the brazen attack likely had ties to a criminal underworld that has flourished in recent years as corruption and drug trafficking have become entrenched. The growing power of gangs displaced more than 14,700 people in Haiti last month alone as they torched and ransacked homes in a fight over territory…”

It will be interesting to see how the USA and the UN will react, if at all, to avoid a complete disaster in Haiti and the outbreak of more violence.

Mass Demonstrations in Cuba

Fox News wrote on July 12:

“Anti-government protests broke out Sunday in Cuba demanding freedom and calling on the disbandment of the country’s communist dictatorship, all while some of the U.S.’s most outspoken, self-professed Democratic socialists appear to be in lockstep by not acknowledging the historic events unfolding on the island about 90 miles from Florida.

“Fox News has emailed Reps. Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Sen. Bernie Sanders and has yet to receive a response from any of them. As of early Monday, none have even mentioned the protest on social media.

“Thousands of Cubans marched on Havana’s Malecon promenade and elsewhere to protest food shortages, high prices and the coronavirus outbreak in one of the biggest anti-government demonstrations in the country ever…

“The Biden administration was criticized on social media for appearing to have difficulty finding its footing on how to respond to the protests. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla, took the State Department to task over a tweet that blamed the protest on concerns over COVID-19 and not the worsening economic situation or the fact that protesters chanted, ‘We Want Liberty.’ ‘People in Cuba are protesting 62 years of socialism, lies, tyranny & misery not expressing concern about rising COVID-19 cases/deaths. Why is it so hard for @Potus & the people in his administration to say that?’ Rubio tweeted…

“Sen. Ted Cruz, the son of a Cuban immigrant… [tweeted that the Communist government in Cuba] ‘has brutalized & denied freedom to generations of Cubans, and forced my family & so many others to flee… The American people stand squarely with the men & women of Cuba and their noble fight for liberty.’”

The Cuban government has announced that it will stage “counter demonstrations,” raising the fear of a brutal crackdown.

USA Being Blamed for Cuban Uprising

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 13:

“Cuban police were deployed to major cities such as Havana on Monday following the protests a day earlier… Authorities have blocked social media sites in an attempt to censor information about the demonstrations. Mobile internet outages — the only way Cubans can go online — are also common…

“Diaz-Canel and other top Cuban officials have accused the US of orchestrating the unrest… Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, a top official in the Communist Party of Cuba, said the demonstrations were funded by the US government to foment ‘instability and chaos’ in the country. He compared the protests to the US-backed demonstrations in 2019 against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a Cuban ally… Mexico and Russia… both warned that the situation in Cuba could be used as a justification for foreign interference in the country’s affairs….”

Biden Under Pressure

The Associated Press wrote on July 14:

“They are two tiny Caribbean states whose intractable problems have vexed U.S. presidents for decades. Now, Haiti and Cuba are suddenly posing a growing challenge for President Joe Biden that could have political ramifications for him in the battleground state of Florida… The administration has come under fire from both sides of the political spectrum for its responses to each of the crises, both unfolding less than two hours’ flying time from Miami. The troubled U.S. history in both countries has hardened positions, making virtually any policy decision politically unpalatable for a president seeking to toe a middle line….

“On Cuba, the political right in the U.S. has accused Biden — who said as a presidential candidate that he would revert to Obama-era policies that loosened decades of embargo restrictions on Havana — of not being supportive enough of Cuban dissidents. Democrats, meanwhile, are unhappy that Biden has yet to reverse Trump’s hard-line approach to the island’s communist government as his administration carries out its review of Cuban policy…”

Withdrawing from Afghanistan

Politico wrote on July 14:

“Former President George W. Bush on Wednesday offered fresh criticism of the withdrawal of American and NATO troops from Afghanistan, as the U.S.-backed government in Kabul appears increasingly imperiled and Taliban fighters continue to make rapid gains across the country.

“Asked whether the drawdown was a mistake, Bush told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle in an interview: ‘I think it is, yeah. Because I think the consequences are going to be unbelievably bad and sad.’

“Bush, whose administration launched the U.S. military invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, specifically cited the plight of Afghan women and girls whom he said could ‘suffer unspeakable harm’ at the hands of the Taliban.

“Bush expressed similar concern for the fate of thousands of Afghan translators and interpreters — as well as their families — who aided U.S. and NATO forces throughout the two-decade war effort. ‘It seems like they’re just going to be left behind to be slaughtered by these very brutal people,’ Bush said. ‘And it breaks my heart.’

“The remarks from the former president come as even senior Biden administration officials have acknowledged what Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby described as a ‘deteriorating security situation’ in Afghanistan, where the Taliban claims to have overtaken 85 percent of the country’s territory.

“The Islamic fundamentalist group has taken over nearly 10 percent of Afghanistan in the last week alone, and it now controls 195 of the country’s 407 districts — while contesting another 129. Despite the escalation in the conflict, the U.S. marked one of the final phases of its drawdown on Monday with the departure of Gen. Scott Miller, the top general in Afghanistan who was among the last of the American forces on the ground…

“Biden denied that a Taliban takeover was inevitable, saying: ‘The likelihood that there’s going to be a Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely.’”

The Guardian added on July 14:

“Taliban fighters said on Wednesday that they had taken control of one of Afghanistan’s main border crossings with Pakistan, perhaps their most strategic gain so far in a rapid advance across the country as US forces pull out.”

That a Taliban takeover is happening should not be in doubt.

Turmoil and Violence in South Africa

The Sun wrote on July 14:

“MILITIAS armed with rifles in South Africa are guarding against looters after the worst violence since the end of apartheid left 75 dead. The vigilantes have stepped into the vacuum left by a police force hopelessly overstretched by the spiralling chaos that has seen deadly stampedes and a hospital torched.

“… scared South Africans have been forming ‘defence squads’ to guard homes and businesses… Shopping malls and warehouses have been ransacked or set ablaze in several cities…”

Ukraine’s Futile Hope in German Help

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 12:

“Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for Germany to do more to help Ukraine protect itself against Russia. But with Merkel’s retirement imminent, grand commitments are looking increasingly unlikely… relations between Ukraine and Germany have soured more recently.

“A main focus [is] protecting Ukraine against potential financial losses from Nord Stream 2. The pipeline will transport natural gas directly from Russia to Germany, bypassing Ukraine and other Central and Eastern European countries, meaning they will lose out on transit fees… German government spokesman Steffen Seibert reiterated that Ukraine must remain a transit country for gas from Russia. Seibert did not provide concrete details…

“Zelenskyy [called] for Germany to supply arms to Ukraine, a request that Berlin has so far refused. Zelenskyy made a bid for weapons in May, weeks after around 100,000 Russian troops amassed on its border and in the annexed Crimea region.”

Ultimately, Russia and Ukraine will unite against the EU and Germany.

No More “Ladies and Gentlemen” at Lufthansa

The Local wrote on July 13:

“Europe’s largest airline group Lufthansa said Tuesday it was retiring ‘ladies and gentlemen’ as an on-board greeting in favour of gender-neutral alternatives. A spokesman for the German company told AFP the move was intended to make all passengers on board feel welcome, including those who do not identify as male or female. ‘Crews are being instructed to choose a greeting that includes all passengers,’ he said, adding that ‘dear guests’ or a simple ‘good morning/good evening’ would be used instead.

“The new policy, which will be phased in gradually, applies to German flag carrier Lufthansa as well as the group’s Swiss, Austrian, Brussels and Eurowings airlines… In recent days major cities including Berlin, Munich and Hamburg said that their transport networks would stop using the word ‘Schwarzfahren’ (black riding) to describe travel without a ticket in response to complaints the word had a racist taint.”

Will this nonsense ever stop?

Right-Wing Leaders Unite against EU

The Gatestone Institute wrote on July 12:

“The leaders of 16 political parties from across Europe have announced an unprecedented alliance to defend the sovereignty of European nation states, protect the nuclear family and preserve traditional Judeo-Christian values. The July 2 ‘Joint Declaration on the future of the European Union’ represents the first significant endeavor by euroskeptic parties to jointly oppose efforts by European federalists to transform the European Union into a godless multicultural superstate.

“Signatories include Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, former Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini and French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen. The document, penned by former Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who leads the powerful Law and Justice (PiS) party, has also been signed by conservative parties in Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain.

“The document states that the European Union requires ‘profound reform’ because, ‘instead of protecting Europe,’ it has itself become ‘a source of problems, anxiety and uncertainty.’ The signatories say that the EU has become a tool of ‘radical forces’ that are determined to carry out a civilizational transformation of Europe. Their objective, they say, is to create a European superstate void of European traditions, social institutions or moral principles.

“The signatories say that conservative establishment parties in Europe have abandoned traditional Judeo-Christian values ​​and have aligned themselves with leftist positions for political gain. They are especially critical of mass migration policies that have allowed millions of migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East to settle in Europe even though many newcomers reject European values.”

Please view our recent StandingWatch program, titled, “The Divided EU–East and West.”

EU’s Contemptible Resolution on Abortion and Most Extreme LGBT Agenda

International Family News wrote on July 10:

“In addition to being the ‘month of pride’…, June was also remembered for the new record-low to which human rights have fallen in the developed countries of the European Union. Namely, the European Parliament adopted the resolution on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the EU (2020/2215 (INI)), prepared by Croatian socialist Predrag Fred Matić. The resolution calls on all EU member states to completely eliminate all legal barriers and restrictions to abortion and to allow elective abortion (abortion on demand, without any specific medical or other reason) in order to bring their laws ‘into line with international human rights standards’. And not only that, the resolution expresses ‘regret’ that in some Member States medical providers have the right to refuse to perform an abortion on grounds of a ‘so-called conscientious objection’…

“… women will now be able to prevent new lives from coming into the world even more easily by…  receiving an abortion pill by mail and having a DIY abortion at home… without medical supervision and without an ultrasound before or after the procedure…

“The resolution also… promotes the most extreme elements of the LGBT agenda. Instead of providing children at school with true information about sexuality, hormonal contraception, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, etc. and affirming the importance of health, marriage and childbirth, ‘comprehensive sex education’ programs tell children to just ‘use protection’ and ‘get tested regularly’, giving them the illusion of safety and a ‘pass’ to engage in sexual activities, and when contraception fails – which happens ever so often – they can ‘simply’ have an abortion, as a backup plan…

“The resolution calls on the WHO to change the definition of infertility to include same-sex couples and transgender persons…”

Shocking and abominable.

The Dictatorships of France and Other European Countries

Daily Mail wrote on July 12:

“France is to make coronavirus vaccination passes compulsory for bars, cafés and restaurants, President Emmanuel Macron announced tonight… He also said there would be ‘compulsory vaccinations’ for those working with ‘fragile people,’ such as the elderly and the disabled… Mr Macron told care workers: ‘You will have until September 15 to get vaccinated. From September 15, checks will be made and sanctions applied’.

“As well as being asked for vaccination passes on long distance planes, coaches and restaurants, anyone going out to eat or drink will need one from August 1. ‘From the beginning of August, the health pass will apply to cafés, restaurants, hospitals, retirement homes, and long-distance transport: planes, trains and coaches for long journeys,’ said Mr Macron. This measure will apply to thousands of British tourists who are hoping to holiday in France this summer. Mr Macron said: ‘From this week, border controls will be further reinforced for nationals from countries at risk, with forced isolation for unvaccinated travellers.’ Mr Macron added: ‘From July 21, use of the health pass will be extended to places of leisure and culture…

“Italy has introduced similar regulations, with the Covid vaccine being compulsory for health care workers and pharmacists, while those who opt out risk suspension or a salary cut. Meanwhile in Denmark, restaurants and public events require a digital pass showing that you have been fully vaccinated or have a recent negative test. Some German states require the same for restaurants, though suggestions of making vaccines obligatory have prompted widespread unease…

“France’s secretary of state for European affairs Clément Beaune advised people to ‘avoid Spain and Portugal as destinations’ because the French government is considering restrictions on travel to their neighbours.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 13:

“The German chancellor [Angela Merkel] stressed there would be no obligation to vaccinate in Germany, saying that mandating shots could endanger public trust…

“Greece… on Monday announced mandatory immunization for healthcare workers who have until September 1 to get the jab; and nursing staff, who will be required to begin receiving vaccinations immediately… On Tuesday, Belgian hospitals published an open letter calling for mandatory vaccinations at the nation’s hospitals and healthcare facilities.”

The ongoing dictatorship in Europe (and elsewhere, see articles below) should wake up everybody, but sadly, most are sound asleep.  

Fully Vaccinated Tourists BARRED from Entering EU!

The Associated Press wrote on July 13:

“After Dr. Ifeanyi Nsofor and his wife received two doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine in Nigeria, they assumed they would be free to travel this summer to a European destination of their choice. They were wrong. The couple — and millions of other people vaccinated through a U.N.-backed effort — could find themselves barred from entering many European and other countries because those nations don’t recognize the Indian-made version of the vaccine for travel.

“Although AstraZeneca vaccine produced in Europe has been authorized by the continent’s drug regulatory agency, the same shot manufactured in India hasn’t been given the green light. EU regulators said AstraZeneca hasn’t completed the necessary paperwork on the Indian factory, including details on its production practices and quality control standards. But some experts describe the EU move as discriminatory and unscientific, pointing out that the World Health Organization has inspected and approved the factory. Health officials say the situation will not only complicate travel and frustrate fragile economies but also undermine vaccine confidence by appearing to label some shots substandard…

“Earlier this month, the European Union introduced its digital COVID-19 certificate, which allows EU residents to move freely in the 27-nation bloc as long as they have been vaccinated with one of the four shots authorized by the European Medicines Agency, have a fresh negative test, or have proof they recently recovered from the virus… the U.S. and Britain remain largely closed to outside visitors…

“The refusal of some national authorities to recognize vaccines manufactured outside the EU is also frustrating some Europeans immunized elsewhere, including the U.S….”

Could despicable profit-making motives have anything to do with these “discriminatory and unscientific” decisions by European countries?

Terrible Statistics of Adverse Effects and Deaths

Children’s Health Defense wrote on July 13:

“Data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) included 9,049 reports of deaths, across all age groups, following COVID vaccines — an increase of more than 2,000 compared with the previous week…

“Data released today show that between Dec. 14, 2020 and July 2, 2021, a total of 438,441 total adverse events were reported… There were 41,015 serious injuries reported during the same time period — up 6,950 compared with last week.”

Still, it is being postulated by governments, politicians, doctors and the pharma industry that all these vaccinations are totally safe.

Biden’s “Gestapo-Style Tactics”

Life Site wrote on July 7:

“White House officials announced yesterday that the federal government will be ‘knocking on doors’ in order to push more people to accept the COVID-19 vaccine. ‘We need to go to community by community, neighborhood by neighborhood, and oftentimes, door to door – literally knocking on doors – to get help to the remaining people protected from the virus,’ said President Joe Biden.

“The president attempted to shame those who have declined to take a vaccine which is not fully tested and which has increasingly been shown to produce disastrous health side effects for some, including death. Because ‘millions of Americans are still unvaccinated and unprotected,’ Biden claimed that ‘their communities are at risk. Their friends are at risk. The people they care about are at risk.’

“Biden also targeted unvaccinated young people ‘who may have thought that they didn’t have to be vaccinated, didn’t have to worry about it, didn’t have to do anything about it up to now.’…

“Announcement of the door-to-door plan immediately sparked an enormous backlash on social media, with many critics comparing the new White House initiative to Gestapo-style tactics. ‘That’s Nazi Germany,’ declared Mike Lindell, founder of MyPillow… ‘This is communism,’ he added. ‘Sending Joe Biden’s Gestapo door-to-door to check up on non-vaccinated Americans is really a recipe for disaster,’ tweeted Lavern Spicer, a Republican candidate for Congress in Florida…

“Others taking to Twitter focused on how the White House initiative was misguided and would perhaps violate the confidentiality of patient records. ‘Vaccine education and conversation should be between a doctor and patient, not by a grassroot government door knocker,’ said, Nicole Saphier, MD, a New York physician and author. “Others made known their outright rejection of the Biden’s door-to-door plan. ‘Not on my watch!’ proclaimed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. ‘I won’t buy a magazine subscription door to door,’ tweeted retired Major League Baseball player Aubrey Huff. ‘What makes you think I’d take a free poison into my body?’”

Breitbart added on July 11:

“[Former Planned Parenthood president and] CNN medical contributor Dr. Leana Wen said Friday that life needs to be ‘hard’ for Americans who have not received a coronavirus vaccine with ‘twice weekly testings.’”

Incredibly and quite disturbingly, some Republican “Rhinos” (Republican dissidents) even support Biden’s approach.

Fauci’s and Biden’s Dangerous Propaganda

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on July 13:

“ In a CNN interview over the weekend, Fauci told the host that he’s very much in favor of vaccine mandates and that any vaccine hesitancy is ‘horrifying’ considering how safe and effective the shots are.

“The White House has warned that those questioning the shots are ‘dangerous’ and ‘extremist,’ motivated by (conservative) politics.”

Such irresponsible statements are just abhorrent.

New Zealand follows Biden’s Lead

Life Site News wrote on July 9:

“New Zealand’s COVID-19 Response Minister suggested that his government would need to ‘go out and find’ any Kiwis who were still unvaccinated next year…

“[His] comments… have raised eyebrows among those skeptical of the hastily produced experimental shots and the politicization of vaccination by government officials.”

It reveals the same spirit.

Child Abuse?

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on July 12:

“Wanted: a pediatrician who actually believes in science and not child abuse.

“My children are months overdue for their checkups because they are distraught about having to wear masks. The baby, who doesn’t yet have to cover her breathing orifices, was traumatized at her recent visit by seeing everyone dressed like a mummy. How can it be that the doctors responsible most for the health of children can’t read simple data and studies showing clearly that children are more at risk from the trauma of the response to COVID than from the virus?

“Scientists from University College London and the Universities of York, Bristol, and Liverpool studied the data from all pediatric COVID-19 infections in the U.K. and found that just 25 children under 18 likely died from the virus in a country with over 12 million children. Only six of those children had no known serious underlying conditions, although the authors caution that they could not confirm that all of them were indeed healthy. The rest of the fatalities were among those with the sorts of conditions that cause people to die every year from other endemic respiratory viruses for which we never disrupt society or force masking and experimental injections…

“According to this data, healthy children under 18 have a 1 in 2 million chance of dying of COVID in the U.K. over the course of a year. According to the CDC, in the US, every person has a 1 in 500,000 chance of being struck by lightning in a given year. In other words, there is more math and science behind destroying the lives of children and forcing them to wear a protective suit or stay inside for a year because of lightning than because of COVID.

“The forced masking and vaccination of children is likely the biggest scandal of all time. For pediatrician offices to continue focusing their regulations on COVID when every other ailment is a bigger threat to children is global malpractice that will leave an indelible stain on a profession that now follows voodoo rituals over science. There is simply no way a pediatrician can possibly think it’s humane to pressure children to get the experimental injections, even if the risk factors are as low as they believe.

“Even if we are to trust Pfizer’s own trial data and allow the foxes of profit from guarding the academic henhouse, there is a 1 in 333 risk for a serious adverse event (SAE) from the vaccine… So, let’s assume that somehow the vaccine is 100% effective in stopping the one in 2 million pediatric deaths. On the way to that 2 million pediatric vaccination number, over 6,000 children would suffer serious adverse effects, including life-altering disabilities and deaths. But that is from Pfizer’s untrustworthy data. A detailed analysis from Israel’s Hadassah Medical Center found that the rate of just one serious side effect – myocarditis – was as high as 1 in every 3,000-6,000 among young men.”

Voodoo rituals over science is an interesting comparison…

China “Recovered” before Vaccines

Money Morning wrote on July 12:

“… we need to remember that China went into this pandemic first and thus came out of it first too (notably before vaccines were developed, which is something we seem to be forgetting as we discuss our own release from lockdown).”

FBI Under Attack

Breitbart wrote on July 12

“The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) published a tweet on Sunday telling Americans to report their own family members and peers for ‘suspicious behaviors.’ The tweet included a link to a government booklet that was first written in 2015 on ‘indicators’ that someone may be contemplating violent action.

“Conservatives slammed the FBI for encouraging Americans to report their family members. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) tweeted: ‘In both Cuba & China, they also ask children to spy on their parents….’

“Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) tweeted: ‘These people protected Hillary, abused NSA surveillance databases against Americans, used known, unreliable DNC-funded propaganda to spy on Trump, perpetuated the Russia hoax, & lied to the FISC repeatedly. And now they tell you that you should spy on your family.’

“Former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell tweeted: ‘This is outrageous. The FBI has a growing credibility problem and this type of sinister snitching is clearly unhelpful. Why hasn’t the FBI made more progress finding the BLM rioters from last summer? Why hasn’t the FBI leadership apologized for the Russian hoax they pushed?

“Mike Doran, Middle East expert and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, tweeted: ‘If any person takes this seriously, I feel sorry for them. The FBI encourages us to snitch on family members. Meanwhile FBI leaders cover up for the transgressions of their colleagues, to say nothing of their families.’”

Hitler’s Nazi Germany, Stalin’s Soviet Union, former Communist East Germany and so many other dictatorships were and are known for these kind of tactics.

Spying on Tucker Carlson?

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on July 8:

“After the shocking revelation that the US National Security Agency had intercepted Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s emails and then leaked them to media in an effort to smear him, the question all Americans should be asking is: how did we get to this banana republic state? Will there be any accounting for this lawlessness?”

Chances are, there won’t be…

President Joe Biden Direct Beneficiary of Hunter’s Financial Deals?

Breitbart wrote on July 12:

“Peter Schweizer, president of the Government Accountability Institute (GAI), said on Monday that his organization had confirmed that President Joe Biden ‘was a direct beneficiary’ of Hunter Biden’s financial deals with foreign interests…

“GAI is in the process of investigating its copy of files found on Hunter Biden’s laptop… GAI’s forthcoming reports on the laptop’s contents will expose disastrous dimensions of the Biden family…”

Will anything really come out of it?

Trump Speaks at CPAC

The New York Post wrote on July 11:

“Former President Donald Trump delivered a blistering rebuke of President Biden, Big Tech, critical race theory, the media and other targets during a fiery keynote speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Sunday… He wasted no time jumping on the key themes of his post-presidency — immigration, the media and the election he deems fraudulent… Trump lambasted the ‘fake news’ media and tech companies, saying they conspired to stifle him while ignoring stories critical of Biden…

“Trump has remained a potent force in the GOP since exiting the White House and has repeatedly railed against the 2020 election results as fraudulent… Trump has also stressed the importance of the 2022 midterm elections, touting favorable candidates and vowing to oust GOP candidates he deems disloyal. He has also not ruled out another run for the White House in 2024….”

In fact, he has said repeatedly that he has made up his mind as to what he will do in 2024, but that he cannot reveal it as yet due to certain rules and regulations pertaining to political candidacies.

Donald Trump to Run and Win?

Newsmax wrote on July 10:

“Former President Donald Trump will not just run again for the White House in 2024, but he will win, political analyst and Newsmax host Dick Morris predicted Saturday…

“Trump will ‘absolutely’ win, Morris added… saying he will take both elections, starting with ‘the Republican primary, which he can’t possibly lose.’ ‘No matter what happens, he could win that from jail if he has to,’ Morris joked. ‘The other is the general election, which a Republican is guaranteed to win because of the terrible performance of [President Joe] Biden. So in a real sense, the future is laid out for Donald Trump. He is going to be the 47th president of the United States.’”

Let us wait and watch…

New Deadly Epidemic for Birds

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 7:

“…a new epidemic seems to have hit multiple bird species in North America. Across the United States, people have been finding dead birds. The birds appear to have been hit by a wave of mysterious illnesses since April… the illness has spread at least 965 kilometers (600 miles) from the capital, across the Midwest regions of the United States and into the state of Indiana… Animal centers have been examining the birds for a possible cause of death or illness, but tests have been inconclusive so far…

‘We are losing our population of birds at an alarming rate,’ says [Jim Monsma, director and founder of the animal rescue center City Wildlife in Washington, D.C.], including Fledglings, European Starlings, Bluejays and others. ‘About a third of the species in America are decreasing rapidly. It’s spreading to other species,’ he says. ‘And we certainly cannot rule out the possibility that it might spread to humans.’’

The Bible predicts that in these end times, many birds will die.

True Christianity?

International Family News wrote on July 10:

“75% of Christians in America believe that the Bible is the Word of God. Yet… more than 25% (and sometimes even a majority) of Catholics, Mainline Protestants, and Evangelicals support gay marriage, abortion, transgenderism, and other positions that are antithetical to what the Bible and traditional Christianity clearly teach…

“… every time a ‘Christian’ comes out in support of gay marriage or the gay lifestyle, he or she is also supporting… beliefs that directly [undermine] Christianity… Christians who take heretical stances on gay marriage, abortion, transgenderism, and other issues are causing great damage. They are sowing chaos and division within Christianity as the clear teachings of the Bible are being called into question. Indeed, denominations have been ripped apart by these heretical teachings. More ominously, though, such Christians are… supporting conduct condemned by the Bible. First, they are hurting the unrepentant sinner… Second, they are harming those sinners who truly wish to repent and live a moral life…

“Rather than affirming sinful conduct, we should be encouraging these people to do all they can to heroically live up to the tough—but loving—demands of the Christian Faith, demands that lead to true joy and true life both now and in eternity.

“Why do people who claim to be ‘Christian’ hold views that are against what the Bible and traditional Christianity profess?… First, ignorance… Second, intellectual laziness… Third, peer pressure… Fourth, the desire to avoid looking into one’s own soul… Finally, simple arrogance. Some of these people just think they know better than the Bible and almost two thousand years of Christian teaching…”

This wrong attitude and endorsement of unchristian values and doctrines is, sadly, not limited to the issues mentioned in the article. We dare to say that most teachings of traditional Christianity are in opposition to the Bible.

The Search for the Red Heifer

Israel 365 News wrote on July 11:

“The Temple Institute launched its Red Heifer program about a decade ago but even in Temple times, an animal that fulfilled the Biblical requirements was exceedingly rare. The Temple Institute has a breeding program in Israel and is investigating the possibility of utilizing genetic science to produce an entirely red calf…

“The heifer, born from a natural birth, must be entirely red, with no more than two non-red hairs on its body. It must also never have been used for any labor or have been impregnated… To be suitable for the ceremony,  the heifer must be two years and one day old. Sometimes, a calf that is perfectly red when it is young develops black or white hairs as it grows older, or it may develop a blemish. Sometimes, the colored hairs fall out or disappear…

“According to Jewish tradition, there will only be ten red heifers in human history with the tenth heifer ushering in the Messianic era…”

Jews believe that the red heifer is a necessary requirement for building the Third Temple. The Bible does not support this idea. In Old Testament times, a red heifer procedure for purification is described, but the animal did not have to have the stringent requirements, as Jews have invented.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

The question seems to make reference to an event described in Genesis 9. In verses 18-27, we read:

 (18) Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan.

(19) These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.

(20) And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard.

(21) Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent.

(22) And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.

(23) But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.

(24) So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him.

(25) Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.”

(26) And he said: “Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant.

(27) May God enlarge Japheth, And may he dwell in the tents of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant.”

A superficial reading of this passage might indeed lead to the conclusion that Noah cursed Canaan for his father Ham’s conduct. Indeed, many commentaries state this, with somewhat incredibly ridiculous arguments.

One explanation is that God foresaw Canaan’s or the Canaanites’ wicked conduct in the future, and He therefore cursed Canaan already in advance, even though Canaan had not acted wickedly towards Noah. It should be obvious that this explanation could not possibly be true. God is not condemning us for something which we have not even done yet.

Another concept is that the children have to pay for the sins of their fathers; that God will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation (compare Exodus 20:5; 34:6-7; Deuteronomy 5:8-10; Numbers 14:18).

However, Exodus 20:5 speaks of those “who hate [God].” Soncino points out that the phrase, “of those that hate Me,” applies to the children, i.e. God will punish the children if they [the children] hate Him. Soncino comments, too, that the punishment will be brought upon the children, “when they retain the evil deeds of their fathers.” It is true, of course, that false conduct of parents can have a detrimental influence on their children who may emulate their example and repeat such bad conduct.

Still, Deuteronomy 24:16 states that children are not to be put to death for the sins of their fathers (but only for their own sins). The same is expressed in 2 Kings 14:6 and 2 Chronicles 25:4. Also, Ezekiel 18:4, 17, 19-20 tells us, “(4) Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son are Mine; The soul who sins shall die… (17) [The righteous son] shall not die for the iniquity of his father; He shall surely live… (19) Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the guilt of his father?’ Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all My statutes and observed them, he shall surely live. (20) The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son.’” (Compare, too, Exodus 32:31-33, as well as Jeremiah 31:29-30).

Passages such as Matthew 23:29-36; Luke 11:44-51; or Acts 7:51-52 do not teach something different. Even though all these passages speak about the sins of the fathers or previous generations, it is also emphasized that the sons or descendants committed the same sins themselves, following their forefathers’ bad example. The sins of the fathers were not imputed to the sons; rather, we read: “… as your fathers did, so do you” (Acts 7:51). At first glance, it might appear that the terrible sins of the fathers might be “imputed” to their descendants who were alive at Jesus’ time, because Jesus said: “… you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets” (Matthew 23:31). But the very next verse negates this, because Jesus goes on to say: “FILL UP, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.” And even though He says in Luke 11:50-51 that the blood of the prophets “shall be required of this generation,” He condemns that very generation for their terrible deeds and actions, showing that they were sinful themselves, having followed the unrighteous deeds of their ancestors.

The opposite does not follow from Lamentations 5:7, which reads: “Our fathers sinned and are no more, But we bear their iniquities.” The entire book of Lamentations shows the recognition of personal sin (Lamentations 1:5, 18; 3:39-42). So, people bear the iniquity of their fathers because they have engaged in the same kind of conduct and thinking… not because the sins of their fathers were “imputed” to them.

This means, then, that Canaan could not have been cursed by God for the sin of his father Ham. Before we analyze what really happened causing Noah to curse Canaan, let us consider another, somewhat related concept—that of original or inherited sin. This concept was developed by Augustine, based on a wrong translation of the Greek text in Romans 5. The Broadman Bible Commentary points out, in Vol. 10, on page 195: “Augustine, who knew very little Greek, followed the Latin translation… and, on the basis of this mistranslation, developed his doctrine of original sin, understood as inherited guilt, and the result was a lurid picture of unbaptized infants in limbo. It is significant that even Roman Catholic scholars, plagued most by this disaster, are now saying bluntly the doctrine is not in Scripture.”

Simply put, the concept of the original sin holds that we all “inherited” guilt from Adam and Eve who “originally” sinned. According to that concept, we inherited eternal death–which is the penalty for sin (compare Romans 6:23)–even though we ourselves did nothing to deserve this penalty. In other words, Adam and Eve’s original sin was somehow arbitrarily transmitted to all. The argument would be that Canaan inherited “original sin,” leading to death, and God’s additional curse only emphasized and reiterated that “fact” that Canaan was guilty of sin and subject to punishment anyhow.

This concept is blatantly wrong and unbiblical.

Romans 5 does not teach the concept of inherited sin and inherited punishment. Romans 5:12 reads, in its entirety: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death [the penalty for sin] spread to all men, BECAUSE ALL SINNED…” In addition, Romans 3:23 tells us that “ALL have sinned [not just Adam] and fall short of the glory of God.”

For more information on the topic of original sin, please read our Q&As, “Would you please explain the concept of ‘original sin’ in light of Romans 5:12,19?” and, “Are Babies Guilty Because of ‘Original Sin’?”

Original sin, then, could not have been the reason why Noah cursed Canaan. Why then DID Noah curse Canaan?

First, it would be strange if Noah only cursed Canaan for a sin committed by Ham, while not cursing Ham, the perpetrator. Obviously, something is wrong with this concept.

The context of the passage shows, of course, that more was involved than the mere “nakedness” of Noah. Apparently, somebody had violated Noah, while he was drunk. But who did? We read that Noah awoke and knew what “his younger son” had done to him. This is not a reference to Noah’s son Ham, but to Ham’s son Canaan. A correct rendering of Genesis 9:24 states: “And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his YOUNGEST son had done unto him.” Compare, for example, the New International Version; the Revised Standard Version; the Revised English Bible; the New American Bible; the New Jerusalem Bible; the Moffat translation; the Amplified Bible; the Tanakh—the Holy Scriptures; the Luther Bible; the Elberfelder Bible; the Menge Bible; the Schlachter Bible; and the Zuercher Bible.

But Ham was not Noah’s youngest son—Japheth was—while Canaan was the youngest son of Ham (Genesis 10:6). So it was Ham’s youngest son, Canaan, who committed the sin towards Noah. The narrative in Genesis 9 concentrates on Ham and Ham’s son Canaan (verses 18, 22), and Noah cursed Canaan when he learned what he, as Ham’s youngest son, had done to him. Verse 24 does not speak of Noah’s youngest son, but Ham’s youngest son, when it says, “ Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his [that is, Ham’s] youngest son had done to him” (RSV).

Soncino gives several “interpretations” on page 47, one of which is that “Ham saw the indignity which his son Canaan inflicted upon” Noah; and that Canaan either “castrated” Noah or that he “indulged a perverted lust upon him.” Further, that Ham saw on his uncovered father the terrible signs of Canaan’s evil deed or perverted lust, and Shem and Japheth covered Noah with a garment.

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible states:

“Ham had at this time four sons, and Canaan was the youngest of them; and he was grown up to an age sufficient to be concerned in this matter, of treating his grandfather in an ill way, so as to bring his curse upon him.”

Matthew Poole’s Commentary states:

“… it doth not appear that [Ham] was the youngest, for wheresoever these three brethren are mentioned he is always put in the middle place, and because that addition (in verse 18, “And Ham was the father of Canaan”) seems to be unnecessary and impertinent to the present business, which if Canaan be intended, is proper and pertinent, by way of distinction, to show that [Noah] spake of his grandson, or his son’s son.”

Ellicott’s Commentary gives an additional explanation as to why Canaan, and not Ham, was the violator of Noah:

“This can only mean [Ham’s] youngest son. So it is applied to Benjamin in Genesis 42:34; Genesis 43:29, and to David in 1 Samuel 16:11, where the words literally are, there re-maineth yet the little one. Now Ham was not the youngest son, but Japheth; and it is not Ham who is cursed, but Canaan… As the son, the little one, was not Ham, so certainly it was not Japheth, but probably it was Canaan. He was the youngest son of Ham, and in Hebrew ‘son’ is occasionally used for grandson (Genesis 29:5; Genesis 31:55), and so he might be described as Noah’s youngest son, being the youngest member of his family.

“… the meaning seems to be, ‘Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what (Canaan) his youngest son (or grandson) had done unto him; and it was a deed so shameless that he said, ‘Cursed be Canaan.’”

So it was Canaan, not Ham, who perpetrated that sinful act. The reference to “his youngest son” applies to Ham’s youngest son Canaan, not to Ham who was not Noah’s youngest son.

When reading seemingly difficult passages, it is important to study the passage in context and in light of other Scriptures. It is not that uncommon throughout the biblical narrative, that subjects, objects or pronouns might be referring to another person other than what might be suspected at the first reading of a particular passage.

An additional example is Exodus 4:24-26, which refers to Moses, his wife and his son, and which reads:

“And it came to pass on the way [to Egypt], at the encampment, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses’ [literally: his] feet, and said, ‘Surely you are a husband of blood to me!’ So He let him go. Then she said, ‘You are a husband of blood!’–because of the circumcision.”

Who was the person whom God met and sought to kill, and whom God then let go? Some say that God was determined to kill Moses. But this incident occurred after God had prophesied to Moses how Pharaoh would react to his demand to let the people of Israel go (verses 21-23). It would therefore make little sense to assume that God had changed his mind a few hours later to kill Moses. The context of the passage in Exodus 4:24-26 shows that God did not intend to kill Moses [whom He was sending to Egypt to free the Israelites], but one of Moses’ two sons, who had not been circumcised. At the time of Moses, there was in effect a temporary law that God had given to Abraham, to circumcise every male child (Genesis 17:9-13). God specifically stated that “the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people” (verse 14).

It is apparent that Moses and Zipporah had neglected to circumcise one of their sons, even though both knew better. God, true to His Word, was about to “cut off” or kill the uncircumcised son, due to Moses’ and Zipporah’s disobedience. Zipporah might have influenced Moses not to circumcise their son; so she immediately acted in obedience to God’s command, whereupon God ceased from attempting to kill the son. The point is, we read in Exodus 4:24 that “the LORD met him and sought to kill him,” and it says in verse 26 that “He let him go,” but the reference is not to Moses, but to Moses’ firstborn son, as in the previous verses (verses 22-23) the “firstborn son” was the subject matter.

Compare our Q&A, “Why did God want to slay Moses after He had commanded him to free Israel from Egypt?”

For another example, let’s consider Exodus 34:27-28 (Authorized Version):

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.”

The question is, Who wrote the words of the covenant on the tablets of stone? A superficial reading might suggest that it was Moses. But a study of other Scriptures reveals that it was God, not Moses.

After Moses had destroyed the first tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments, because of his anger over the sin of the Israelites who had built a golden calf, God had Moses cut two new tablets of stone (Exodus 34:1). But God also said, in the same verse: “… I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke.” The fact that it was God–not Moses–who wrote the Ten Commandments a second time on the tablets of stone, is confirmed in Deuteronomy 10:4: “And He wrote on the tablets according to the first writing, the Ten Commandments, which the LORD had spoken to you.. and the LORD gave them to me.” Moses did not write the Ten Commandments on the tablets of stone–God did that.

Again, when we read in Exodus 34:28 that “he” wrote the Ten Commandments on the tablets of stone, the reference is to God, not Moses, even though it was just said in the same verse that “he”—Moses—did not eat bread or drink water for forty days and forty nights.

Another example in this context can be seen in David’s decision to number his army. The Bible includes two accounts of this episode. One account has been recorded in 2 Samuel 24. We read in verse 1, in the Authorized Version: “And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, `Go, number Israel and Judah.’”

In the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 21:1, we are told that “Satan stood up against Israel, and moved [or provoked] David to number Israel.”

Since the Bible does not contradict itself, we must read both passages together, to harmonize the accounts. Therefore, it was actually Satan who directly influenced David to number his army, but God allowed it, as He was angry with Israel. In addition, God would not have provoked or moved David to sin, as God does not tempt anyone (James 1:13). So, the passage in 2 Samuel 24:1, in reading it together with 1 Chronicles 21:1, can also be read and understood in this way: “… the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he [that is, Satan] moved David against them…”

Another misunderstood Scripture is Revelation 20:10, which reads in the Authorized Version:

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

A superficial reading, especially in many of the modern translations, might indeed lead us to conclude the existence of a never-ending torture of the beast (a military leader) and the false prophet (a religious leader) in hell. However, analyzing the Scripture carefully, a different conclusion is warranted.

Please note that the subject of the sentence is the devil. It is he who will be tormented in the lake of fire. In regard to the beast and the false prophet, note that the word, “are” is in italics, in the AV. This means that there is no verb in the Greek language, so that the translators had to ADD a verb—they ADDED the English word “are,” based on how they understood the meaning of the sentence. However, the addition of the word “are” is clearly WRONG in this context.

We read, in Revelation 19:20, that the beast and the false prophet were cast—about 1,000 years earlier, when the Millennium was about to begin—into the lake of fire, to be burned up and destroyed. Since there needs to be an addition of a word or phrase in Revelation 20:10 (“where the beast and the false prophet…”), the words to be added should be, “were cast,” so that the sentence reads: “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet WERE CAST [namely, 1,000 years earlier, as reported in Revelation 19:20]…”

Most translations continue this sentence by saying: “…and THEY shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” From this rendition, commentators argue that not only the devil, but also the beast and the false prophet will be tormented for all eternity; otherwise, the sentence would have to continue to read: “…and HE (that is, the devil) shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

Not all agree. As we saw, the Authorized Version OMITS the word, “they,” and renders the continuation of the sentence: “… and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever,” indicating that the subject is the devil, and not the beast and the false prophet.

Some insist, however, that the clause “THEY shall be tormented” is correct. If so, then we must ask the question as to whom this passage refers.

When we understand for WHOM the lake of fire was prepared, the answer would be obvious. We read in Matthew 25:41 that the lake of fire was “prepared for the devil and his angels.”

 Therefore, it will be the devil and his demons who will be tormented in the lake of fire, for as long as that lake exists. Since spirit beings cannot die (compare Luke 20:36), they will be tormented—in a spiritual way—while being confined to the lake of fire, when they come to the realization that they are unable to deceive man anymore, and when they see all their “works” and evil “accomplishments” replaced by the good and prosperous ways of God. (For more information, please read chapter 23 of our booklet, “Is That in the Bible? The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation!” )

We see then that, from the context and in reviewing other Scriptures adding to Revelation 20:10, the devil was cast into the lake of fire (where, as a forerunner of the ultimate lake of fire, the beast and the false prophet had been cast 1,000 years earlier), and they—the devil and his demons—will be tormented forever and ever, showing thereby, that also the demons will be cast into the lake of fire, since the lake of fire had been prepared for the devil and his fallen angels.

In conclusion, it is important to read “difficult” Scriptures in context and in conjunction with the rest of the Bible. A correct understanding reveals that Noah did not curse Canaan for an evil deed perpetrated by Noah’s son Ham, but for an evil deed committed by Ham’s youngest son, Canaan. Also, God did not try to kill Moses, but Moses’ son, who was not circumcised. It was not Moses, but God, who wrote the Ten Commandments twice on two tablets of stone. It was not God, but Satan, who moved or tempted David to sin; and it will be the devil and his angels who will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented there for a long time.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

Our annual Church Conference (July 18-19, 2021) will be conducted via SKYPE and will include participants from Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.

“President Biden Faces Many Problems,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

This program explores the almost countless problems President Biden is facing on many different levels. From international problems regarding Haiti, Cuba, Afghanistan, Mexico, Iran, Russia and Germany; to national problems regarding vaccination issues; and to several personal problems, it seems that there is no end in sight, and that matters will only get worse.

“Wie zerstritten ist die EU—der Osten gegen den Westen?” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English:“How Divided is the EU—the East Against the West?”

A new Member Letter (July 2021) has been posted and mailed to our subscribers. Pastor Rene Messier writes about our need to focus on God’s calling, especially in the midst of so many distractions and problems which confront us in society.

“Toxische Umgebungen,” is the title of last Sabbath’s German sermonette, presented by Mike Richter. Title in English: “Toxic Environments.”

“What’s Your Reason Why?” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is a summary:

It is vital that we have a reason to continue living a Christian life. If we do not have a source of motivation in life that honors God’s purpose for us, it will inevitably lead us away from God. But if we love the Way of life He has designed for us, it will provide us with the encouragement we need to overcome whatever life hits us with, resulting in a glorious outcome.

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

For what cause, reason or purpose does God declare His divine Will and purpose before the time of fulfillment? Those whom God is calling can understand prophecy—are you among those few who do?

We will observe the Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day for 2021, in Rapid City, South Dakota, and near Düsseldorf, Germany.  If you would like more information, check out our websites: https://www.eternalgod.org/feasts/  ; https://www.ewigengottes.de/wir-uber-uns/laubhuttenfest-2021/

On July 10, 2021, Eric Rank will present the sermonette, titled, “What’s Your Reason Why?” and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “WHY Prophecy?”

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.

In this chaotic world of upside-down values, we have witnessed in the UK yet another example of what priorities are important to a national politician who has been at the forefront of the nation’s approach to the Covid pandemic. Matt Hancock, the UK’s Health Secretary, was caught acting in a compromising situation leading to the revelation of his adulterous affair, and it resulted in him losing his high profile job.

The BBC reported that “his resignation and apology followed photos published by the Sun newspaper showing him in an embrace with a colleague, Gina Coladangelo.  The paper says the photos of the pair – both of whom are married – were taken inside the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on 6 May 2021.”

The Sun newspaper added on the 25^th June 2021 that “Matt Hancock has today broken his silence to admit he ‘breached social distancing rules’ – but failed to apologise to his wife of 15 years after his explosive affair was revealed by The Sun.”

Politicmag.net added that the “Labour Party chairwoman Annaliese Dodds said of Mr Hancock: ‘He set the rules. He admits he broke them. He has to go.’”

What so many were complaining about was that “social distancing rules” were breached.

Much of the nation’s anger could be summed up by one of his constituents who said: “We’ve done what’s been asked of us for more than a year, and he betrayed all of us. He has broken his own rules and our trust. He simply could not be trusted anymore.”

Tim Stanley wrote in the Daily Telegraph on 28^th June 2021: “It says something about how morally twisted the 21st century is that Matt Hancock resigned not over adultery but over breaking social distancing rules, as if the latter is more serious than the former. In the 24 hours between exposure and resignation, during which he obviously thought he might be able to cling on, he described his affair as a ‘personal matter’ and the PM [Boris Johnson] considered the ‘matter closed.’ Mr Hancock was using adultery as a shield, as if the subject were so sensitive, almost sympathetic, that society would draw a veil over it.”

Priorities today don’t take into account God’s instruction on morality.   You can cheat on your husband or wife, you can father several children outside marriage, you can live together without getting married (fornication), you can practice, as a way of life, homosexuality and other perverted forms of behaviour, you can marry a person of the same sex, and in general, society just regards this as normal and acceptable behaviour.   But break someone’s made up social distancing rules and the flack flies.   Priorities wrong yet again.

It is going to take the great tribulation, God’s wrath and the return of Jesus Christ to get man’s attention.  It is the only way that there can be a response to the quagmire of ungodly behaviour which is now mainstream and part of society’s moral, or rather immoral, DNA.  Unfortunately, this story is replicated many times around the world on a daily basis, and much worse, too.   Satan has this world in the palm of his hand, and only Christ’s return will alter the landscape.

We must continue to pray for God’s Kingdom to come soon, when true standards of righteous behaviour will be required.   Only that event will reverse what we currently experience and the time when Satan’s influence will be removed for the benefit of all of mankind!

by Norbert Link

We report on the selective and hypocritical “reporting” of America’s mainstream media, using the Hunter Biden scandal as an example; address another potential witch hunt involving Donald Trump; speak on the refusal of the US Supreme Court to hear an important LGBT case; and report on class action lawsuits against Big Tech.

We address the assassination of Haiti’s president; the terrible suffering of the people of Lebanon and hopeless attempts by the EU to better the situation; Putin’s ridiculous and at the same time extremely dangerous attempts to rewrite history and whitewash Stalin’s mass murders and atrocities; and another huge Russian cyber-attack on US firms.

We point out expressed medical concerns regarding COVID 19-vaccinations of young people and the persecution of the unvaccinated, while more and more national, state and local governments impose mandatory vaccinations.

We speak on Angela Merkel’s last official visit to the UK and the growing demand by the American travel industry to get rid of Biden’s travel ban. We also address the growing divide between Eastern and Western EU members [in this regard, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “The Divided EU–East and West”] and report on a “trigger warning” requirement in a UK university regarding the discussion of “sensitive” issues in class.

We conclude with the claim that a pig-human hybrid organ has been created for the purpose of transplantation.

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

President Biden Seemed to Have Known about His Son’s Shady Business Dealings

The Ron Paul Institute published on July 3 the following article by Law Professor Jonathan Turley:

“We have previously discussed the concerted and often embarrassing blackout in the media on stories involving Hunter Biden’s influence peddling during his father’s tenure as Vice President. That includes the burying of the laptop story and the growing contradictions over his father’s denial of any knowledge or involvement in his shady business dealings. Even recent reports that Hunter may have paid prostitutes with his father’s account were blacked out by mainstream media… Now, however, there is a major allegation that Hunter used access to his father to seal previously unknown deals with Mexican businessmen…

“As in the past, Americans interested in such stories have had to rely on the foreign press or a couple [of] domestic sites for such information. The new emails include references to the use of Air Force II by Hunter Biden to pursue the deals — a similar pattern revealed with regard to the China dealings. The emails detail a number of visits to Mexico, including a February 2016 flight on Air Force II with his father…

“It obviously does not sound… good if you are a reporter who has been repeatedly assured by President Biden that he had no knowledge or involvement in any dealings with Hunter. That was previously refuted by various sources…

“The new emails contain additional information directly contradicting President Biden… Hunter arranged for then Vice President Biden to have dinner on April 16, 2015 with his Ukrainian, Russian and Kazakhstani business associates…

“It is clear that Hunter Biden was selling access and influence. It appears that Joe Biden was aware of that effort. That is very serious. If these emails are false, this is a major story. If they are true, this is a major scandal…”

The selective and hypocritical reporting of America’s mainstream media is stunning…

Another Witch Hunt?

The Associated Press wrote on July 2:

“Companies give perks to their employees all the time. Many top executives at Fortune 500 companies have access to a corporate jet for personal use, a company apartment, or an expense account for fancy meals. Even lower-level employees regularly get access to perks like tuition reimbursement or cash to join a gym. But the extravagant perks prosecutors say the Trump Organization lavished onto its CFO Allen Weisselberg — apartments, cars, cash for holiday tips, tuition for his grandchildren to name a few — are well beyond the level of compensating a valued employee, some tax law experts said…

“Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump and his allies have tried to frame the indictment against Weisselberg and the Trump Organization as a ‘witch hunt’ by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both Democrats. They have said the perks involved were standard for successful American companies…

“The indictment alleges that this wasn’t just a matter of Weisselberg failing to report his pay properly. It says the Trump Organization, as a company,  was complicit…. But that doesn’t mean the allegations, which will require proof of willfulness, will be easy to establish in court. ‘That’s really going to be the burden that the DA’s office is going to have to prove is that there was a scheme here, and that it wasn’t just a series of mistakes or misunderstandings,’ [one tax expert said].”

In addition, clients have a reasonable expectation that their accountants advise them properly and keep suitable accounting records. To construe criminal liability in the case at issue sounds extremely far-fetched.

US Supreme Court Refuses to Hear LGBT Case

RT wrote on July 2:

“The US Supreme Court has passed on hearing a case that would have settled whether businesses are entitled to refuse services for same-sex marriages on religious or free speech grounds. Declining to consider the appeal brought by a Washington state florist, the Supreme Court on Friday deferred to earlier state court rulings on the case.

“In 2013, Barronelle Stutzman refused to provide flowers for the same-sex wedding of two male customers because it violated her ‘relationship with Jesus Christ.’ The couple took her to court over the matter, and state judges ruled that she had broken a law prohibiting businesses from discriminating against people due to their sexual orientation. The Washington Supreme Court backed that decision…

“Prior to the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case, Stutzman’s lawyers argued that ‘these First Amendment violations must stop’ and that the justices should rule that ‘religious people should be free to live out their beliefs.’”

Passing the buck to somewhat liberal Washington state courts, as the US Supreme Court did, does not help to establish the law.

Trump Sues Big Tech in Class Action Lawsuits

Newsmax reported on July 7:

“Former President Donald Trump has announced class-action lawsuits against tech giants Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube parent company Google, over their ‘unlawful’ censorship of him and other conservatives, after the social media giants banned him from posting in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol…

“The actions are being supported by the America First Policy Institute, headed by former Trump officials Linda McMahon and Brooke Rollins… Trump is banned from Twitter and will not be eligible to return to Facebook for two more years…

“But even before Jan. 6, Trump took aim at Dorsey and Zuckerberg, along with Big Tech, signing an executive order meant to limit legal protections that shield social media companies from liability for the content users post on their platforms [and from banning or censoring users]. President Joe Biden revoked Trump’s order in May…”

The New York Post added on July 7:

“[Trump said:] ‘We’re asking the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida to order an immediate halt to stop social media companies’ illegal and shameful censorship of the American people.’… Trump accused the big tech companies of violating Americans’ First Amendment rights by selectively censoring information… Trump added that he’s asking the court to impose punitive damages against the companies… [and] that the team is looking to reform Section 230 [of the Communications Decency Act], which legally protects social media companies from content their users post and how they moderate their platforms…

“Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.)… and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) have both introduced legislation in Congress aimed at reeling in the power of big tech companies. Members of both political parties in Congress historically supported reforms to laws governing Big Tech firms such as Amazon, Google, Facebook and Twitter. For example, both President Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) backed repeal of Section 230…”

Haitian President Jovenel Moise Assassinated

Deutsche Welle  wrote on July 7:

“The president of Haiti, Jovenel Moise, 53, was shot and killed in his private residence, the interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph announced… [He] has called a state of siege in Haiti and closed the international airport… ‘The president was assassinated at his home by foreigners who spoke English and Spanish,’ Joseph told AFP, labeling the assassination a ‘hateful, inhumane and barbaric act.’…

“The Dominican Republic announced it was closing the border that it shares with Haiti on the island Hispaniola… The US Embassy announced it would be closed Wednesday due to the deteriorated security situation in Haiti…

“The President of Colombia called the murder a ‘cowardly act’… British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted that he was ‘shocked and saddened by the death of President Moise. He called the murder ‘an abhorrent act’…  Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez appealed for Haiti’s ‘political unity to get out of this terrible trauma that the country is going through.’ Finally, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen wished Haiti’s first lady [who was also injured in the attack]  ‘a prompt recovery’. As Haiti is one of the few countries that recognizes Taiwan separate from China, he added that his island nation stood ‘together with our ally Haiti in this difficult time.’”

Sanctioning Lebanon?

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 2:

“Lebanon continues to unravel as its economic and political crisis worsens. The country has not had a government for almost a year now and its economy is in the process of collapsing after decades of mismanagement and corruption… It is estimated that almost half of all Lebanese now live below the poverty line thanks to the ongoing crisis…  around 77% of Lebanese households don’t have enough food or enough money to buy food…

“Most Lebanese blame their leaders for the crisis. After the end of Lebanon’s almost 15-year-long civil war in 1990, peace negotiations divided power between 18 religious sects there. The peace deal effectively set the stage for decades of corruption and the resulting near-collapse of the Lebanese banking system.

“… the German Embassy in Lebanon confirmed that the EU was looking into sanctions against Lebanese leaders. France had already taken some steps unilaterally and began blocking visas for some Lebanese officials in April this year.

“‘I think European governments feel pretty desperate and there’s a lot of frustration,’ Julien Barnes-Dacey, head of  the Middle East and North Africa program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said. ‘But I don’t think the question is really one of whether [imposing sanctions] is tough enough, it’s a question of whether they will be effective.’…

“Joseph Bahout, the director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs based at the American University of Beirut, agreed… As an example, he cited the French ban on visas. ‘They [the members of the Lebanese elite] usually have two or three passports and they just enter Europe through another country, like Italy,’ Bahout noted. ‘Then we see pictures of them shopping in Paris or Nice.’

“Imposing sanctions could also be dangerous, added Shahin Vallee, head of the geo-economics program at the German Council on Foreign Relations… ‘either you sanction all Lebanese politicians as a block or you do targeted sanctions,’ he said. ‘But then you could create an imbalance in the political system. Sanctions could backfire.’ ‘In choosing politician X over politician Y, the EU would be setting some against others,’ Bahout agreed.”

It seems that in this world, there is nothing but political problems without any tangible and lasting solutions.

Russians and Ukrainians One People

JTA wrote on July 1:

“Vladimir Putin… suggested that Israel offered a good model for his designs on Ukraine…

“Essentially he suggested that Slavic peoples take a cue from Israelis and unite as one people despite different ethnicities, origins and maternal languages… adding that Ukrainians and Russians ‘are generally one people.’…”

And that “one people” will combine their efforts to fight against continental Europe.

Putin’s Ridiculous Attempts to Rewrite History

Daily Mail wrote on July 2:

“Vladimir Putin has made it illegal to compare the Soviets to the Nazis… [His] uncompromising view whitewashes Stalin’s tyranny, his early alliance with Hitler in carving up Poland and the genocidal terror of the Great Purge.

“Putin signed the bill last night which bans the publication of material which draws parallels between the ‘aims and decisions’ of the Soviets and the Third Reich, and anything which denies the Red Army’s ‘decisive role’ in defeating Hitler…

“The claim is bound to infuriate former Soviet states like Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which say they were occupied by the Red Army and forced to join the Soviet Union.”

Putin’s persecution of those who want to tell the truth and his attempts to rewrite history are not only ridiculous, but they are also extremely dangerous. Note the next two sections.

Stalin and Hitler both Responsible

In a related article, Daily Mail wrote:

“In August 1939, Hitler and Stalin signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, agreeing on Soviet and German spheres of influence across Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland… After Hitler invaded Poland on September 1 the Soviets moved in from the east, seizing great tracts of territory agreed upon in a secret clause. Poland was crushed between the vice of Moscow and Berlin. More than three million people perished in Nazi-occupied Poland and an estimated 500,000 in the Soviet occupied part. Stalin also annexed eastern Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and parts of Romania; he also attacked Finland and extorted territorial concessions.

“Over the next two years the Soviet Union and Germany signed economic pacts, with Moscow supplying raw materials to the German war machine including 865,000 tonnes of oil and 1.5 million tonnes of grain. In exchange, Berlin shipped locomotives, turbines, generators, diesel engines and vital military intelligence to Moscow. Stalin received plans for naval cruisers, destroyers, heavy naval guns and samples of the Nazi’s latest warplanes, including Messerschmitt fighters and Junkers ‘fast bombers.’…

“The talks eventually collapsed because of the intransigence of Hitler and Stalin over access to territories including Finland, as well as Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. Hitler remarked to his top brass that Stalin ‘demands more and more’, ‘he’s a cold-blooded blackmailer’ and ‘a German victory has become unbearable for Russia’ so that ‘she must be brought to her knees as soon as possible.’ Hitler attacked the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, tearing up existing treaties, in an attempt to conquer Communism… The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, founded after the Cold War to help keep peace in Europe, has said the Soviet Union was equally responsible for WWII, which claimed 50 million lives…”

Please view our recent StandingWatch program, “Germany’s Invasion of the Soviet Union… but let’s stick to the Truth!”

Hitler’s and Stalin’s Atrocities

Daily Mail also published this related article:

“Stalin’s Great Purge, taking place from 1937 – 1938 is estimated to have killed between 600,000 to 1.2 million. Political opponents and ethnic minorities were summarily executed, while others were sent to gulags where they died in horrendous captivity in Siberia… some historians have put the total as high as 6 to 10 million, this being across his entire despotic tenure from 1922 to 1953…

“The Holocaust was Hitler’s systematic murder of six million Jewish men, women and children, around two thirds of Europe’s Jewish population…

“The Holodomor, or the Hunger, was [Stalin’s] mass starvation of an estimated 3.5 million in Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933. When famine struck across the Soviet Union that year, the Ukraine was pillaged by the army and secret police who stole the harvest and all the food in villagers’ homes. Ukrainians dropped dead in the streets, lay dying and rotting in their houses, and some women became so desperate for food that they ate their own children…

“The Nazi Hunger Plan was devised to steal food from the Soviet Union and give it to soldiers and civilians to continue fuelling the German war effort… Historian Timothy Snyder estimates that ‘4.2 million Soviet citizens (largely Russians, Belarusians, and Ukrainians) [were] starved by the German occupiers in 1941–1944.’

“Between 1929 and the year of Stalin’s death in 1953, 18million men and women were transported to Soviet slave labour camps in Siberia and other outposts of the Red empire – many of them never to return. Prisoners worked in the most extreme climates, facing temperatures of -20C (-4F)… By the time the last Soviet gulag closed its gates, millions had died. Starvation was not uncommon, as prisoners were barely fed enough to sustain such difficult labour. Other prisoners were simply dragged out to the woods and shot by guards…

“From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps across occupied Europe. The camps were run exclusively by the SS… The first camps were filled with many of Hitler’s political opponents… Many were killed in gas chambers, others died of starvation, in extreme working conditions, while others were killed by firing squad and by hanging…”

This is so terrible, showing the cruelty of man.

Another Russian Cyber Attack

The Sun wrote on July 5:

“RUSSIAN hackers REvil have demanded a $70 million ransom in Bitcoin for a decryption key, after a cyberattack that targeted 1,000 US firms. The breach, which is the largest ransomware attack on record, has reportedly hit the IT systems of up to 1 million companies across the globe, by breaching the systems of US-based software firm Kaseya…

“The demand was posted on a blog typically used by the REvil cybercrime gang – a group with links to Russia, that is considered to be among the cybercriminal world’s most prolific extortionists…

“US President Joe Biden was on Saturday branded ‘weak’ against Vladimir Putin, after hundreds of US companies were hit by the breach. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tweeted on the weekend: ‘Remember when President Biden gave Putin a list of things that were supposed to be off-limits for cyber attacks? What he SHOULD have said is that ALL American targets are off-limits.’…”

Of course, Putin denies all responsibility, and Biden’s demands of just keeping some American firms off limits did not help one bit.

Military Action against Cyber Attackers?

CPO Magazine wrote on July 5:

“NATO’s proposed response [to cyber-attacks] could involve military action against perpetrators… EU NATO members could turn to the alliance to address specific security incidents originating from specific countries such as Russia and China.”

Before military action is employed, one would need to know where the perpetrators are located. It appears that at this point, NATO has no clue.

Dr. Merlone Speaks out against COVID Vaccinations for Young Adults and Children

Life Site News wrote on June 30:

“As many colleges throughout the nation mandate students to be injected with experimental COVID-19 gene-therapy vaccinations… the inventor of the mRNA technology behind at least two of the vaccines said a risk-benefit analysis doesn’t justify the jabs for young adults, and certainly not for those under 18 years of age.

“Dr. Robert Malone, who was a guest on Tucker Carlson Tonight last week, recently had his voice suppressed on YouTube discussing these topics, though, as Carlson asserted, he ‘may be the single most qualified person on planet earth to discuss this subject,’ and thus, ‘we think he has a right to speak.’

“The physician’s primary concern is that there is still insufficient data for anyone, including the young, to be able to exercise sufficient informed consent regarding the reception of these experimental biological agents. ‘[O]ne of my concerns is that the government is not being transparent with us about what [the] risks are,’ he said. ‘I know that there are risks. But we don’t have access to the data and the data haven’t been captured rigorously enough so that we can accurately assess those risks. And therefore, for folks like your audience, you, and me, we don’t really have the information that we need to make a reasonable decision.’

“‘[Therefore], I am of the opinion that people have the right to decide whether to accept vaccines or not, especially since these are experimental vaccines,’ Malone said, affirming the fact that the vaccines are not FDA-approved, but only authorized for emergency use…

“When asked by the Fox News host if the benefits of the injections outweigh the risks, Malone said that in the case of younger Americans, ‘I have a bias that the benefits probably don’t outweigh the risks in that cohort… I can say that the risk-benefit ratio for those 18 and below doesn’t justify vaccines…’

“While many young people are essentially required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the fall in order to attend school, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) best estimate is that those under 20 years of age have a 99.997 percent survival rate if infected with COVID-19.

“Further, CDC data released last Friday reveals reports of 387,087 total adverse events in the United States following injections of experimental COVID-19 gene therapy vaccines, including 6,113 deaths and 31,240 serious injuries, between Dec. 14, 2020, and June 18, 2021.”

But the mass media and certain physicians and governments are vigorously promoting vaccinations for young people, while suppressing those with different opinions and attacking those who refuse to get vaccinated.

Healthy 13-year old Boy Dies of Apparent Complications from Covid Vaccine

Detroit Free Press wrote on July 5:

“The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating the case of a 13-year-old Saginaw County boy who died in his sleep three days after getting his second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in mid-June… The boy… lived in Zilwaukee and had just completed eighth grade when he got his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine June 13 at a Walgreens store, said… his aunt… [He] had no known underlying medical conditions. He complained of common post-vaccine symptoms, she said, in the two days between his immunization and death, which included fatigue and fever…

“The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices found that among adolescents and young adults who got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, there appears to be an association with… cases of myocarditis and pericarditis. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle that can affect heart rhythm and its ability to pump. Pericarditis is inflammation of the sac or pericardium around the heart.

“… complications have been reported at a rate of 12.6 per million among people ages 12-39 within 21 days after a second dose of the vaccine… Some cases have been reported after the first vaccine dose as well.”

These are terribly frightening figures.

The Unvaccinated Under Attack

CNN wrote on July 3:

“Unvaccinated people do more than merely risk their own health. They’re also a risk to everyone if they become infected with coronavirus, infectious disease specialists say. That’s because the only source of new coronavirus variants is the body of an infected person…

“‘Unvaccinated people are potential variant factories,’ Dr. William Schaffner… told CNN Friday. ‘The more unvaccinated people there are, the more opportunities for the virus to multiply,’ Schaffner said… it has to replicate to do that. An unvaccinated person provides that opportunity.”

In addition, Dr. Fauci claimed that over 99% of those who died of Covid in June [he alleged that 10,000 died of Covid in June] were unvaccinated. And so, let the witch hunt against unvaccinated people begin!!! Note the next article.

Mandatory Vaccinations

Medical Press wrote on July 5:

“A growing number of countries and territories around the world are forcing people… to be vaccinated against COVID-19… In the Vatican, the world’s smallest state, vaccinations were made obligatory for residents and workers in February, with those refusing liable to be sacked…

“Several countries or territories have imposed vaccinations on certain sections of the population. Italian doctors and health workers in the public and private sector must get vaccinated or face being banned from working directly with patients…

“On June 16 the British government announced all care home staff in England will need to be fully vaccinated. If approved by parliament, the new legislation means anyone working in a care home must have two doses of a vaccine from October unless they have a medical exemption…

“Some 60 percent of all service industry workers in Moscow—just over two million people—were ordered to be fully vaccinated by August 15… other localities have taken similar measures, including… Saint Petersburg…

“The city of San Francisco… will require all municipal employees to be vaccinated or they could face penalties up to and including dismissal… More than 150 employees at the Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas have already been fired or resigned after failing to comply with orders to get a shot…

“[France] is working on a draft law to force health workers to be jabbed…”

Worldwide totalitarian dictatorships and liberty-depriving measures are on the rise as NEVER before. Please view our recent News and Prophecy program from June 26, titled, “The World’s March towards Totalitarianism.” 

Merkel’s Last Official Visit to UK

Deutsche Welle wrote on July 2:

“Angela Merkel has said she will [be] taking a ‘step by step’ approach to the new relationship with the United Kingdom after Brexit. The German leader was also non-committal when asked if UK prime ministers could be invited to European Union summits as an attempt to repair ties in the post-Brexit era…

“Chancellor Merkel has said she expects travel between Germany and the United Kingdom to be made easier soon. ‘I assume that in the foreseeable future, those who have been vaccinated twice will be able to travel again without having to go into quarantine,’ Merkel told the press conference that followed her talks with Johnson. Germany currently requires travelers from the UK to undergo a 14-day quarantine period…

“Chancellor Merkel said she and Johnson had discussed the Northern Ireland Protocol and that pragmatic solutions were needed… Prime Minister Johnson said there remained a lot of issues to resolve with regard to Northern Ireland.”

These vague assumptions and assurances by Merkel are unfortunately all too common. Let us pray for GOD’s intervention—in spite of what men and women might want to do.

Get Rid of the Travel Ban!

The Hill wrote on July 5:

“The Biden administration is coming under pressure to ease travel bans for international tourists… critics say the administration needs to move faster, slamming travel bans as unrelated to the spread of COVID-19 and raising concern about the loss of revenue from international business travel, summer vacations and foreign students trying to arrive before the fall semester.

“The administration’s travel bans are ‘frozen in time,’ said Steve Shur, president of the Travel Technology Association, a trade organization that partners with online travel agents, airlines and hotels…

“Travel into the U.S. from abroad is largely shut down, with exceptions for American citizens returning from abroad, family members of U.S. citizens and individuals from exempted groups such as international students. The U.S.-entry bans target travelers from China, Iran, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil and South Africa. In April, President Biden banned travel from India…

“But experts say picking and choosing countries based off of COVID-19 infections is arbitrary because the disease, including the… delta variant, is already entrenched in the U.S….

“While the U.S. has working groups with the E.U., Mexico, Canada and U.K. about safely reopening travel, hopes for a planned U.S. and U.K. travel corridor for the summer appear to be shelved… ‘The Biden administration is in no hurry … and the chances of anything happening before August now seem to be zilch,’ a person familiar with the U.K. discussions told the Financial Times last week. Advocates for the travel industry are deeply frustrated…”

It is amazing how unrealistically the US government is dealing or not dealing with urgent matters.

Slovenia—Thorn in Brussel’s Side

Express wrote on July 3:

“Slovenia’s increasingly strained relations with Brussels will undoubtedly be underscored for the next six months as Prime Minister Janez Jansa prepares to be a thorn in Brussels’ side during his presidency of the EU. The Slovenian leader has been in charge of the rotating EU presidency for just three days and he already lashed out at the EU’s treatment of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

“Mr Jansa said on Friday that the Hungarian leader must be allowed to express his ideas about the European Union’s future, warning that the bloc would ‘continue to shrink’ if people are excluded from the debate. His comments were a further sign of a growing alliance between the nationalist leaders of Slovenia, Hungary and Poland that is worrying more liberal countries in the EU.

“Mr Orban faced criticism at an EU summit last week over a Hungarian law banning schools from using materials seen as promoting homosexuality, with French President Emmanuel Macron referring to a fundamental ‘East-West divide’… In western capitals, the increasingly assertive coalition of eastern leaders is being watched with concern. Some academics believe an ‘Eastern European Union’ is emerging…”

RT added on July 4:

“Sandwiched between Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia, Slovenia is a tiny country of 2.1 million people. However, for the next six months, it will set the agenda of the European Council… [Prime Minister] Jansa… proclaimed that Slovenia is not ‘a colony’ of the EU to be dictated to…”

This is an interesting development as according to biblical prophecy, ten core nations or groups of nations will develop from the current EU, consisting of 27 member states.

Orban and the Colonial European Empire

Express wrote in a related article on July 3:

“Hungarian… Prime Minister Viktor Orban… has rejected criticism from the EU of a law against the portrayal of homosexuality, saying it was the behaviour of colonisers. Mr Orban said: ‘They want to tell us how to live our lives and how to behave.’ According to the law passed in June, minors in Hungary are no longer allowed to have access to information about homosexuality, transsexuality and gender reassignment. Only depictions of heterosexual lifestyles are permitted in curricula, films and advertisements that are accessible to people under the age of 18…

“Seventeen EU countries have requested that Hungary be brought before the European Court of Justice because of the law… The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte suggested that Mr Orban should decide whether Hungary wants to adhere to the EU’s fundamental values or leave the Union. ‘This is a colonial approach,’ Mr Orban told public radio on Friday…

“Several leading European newspapers have refused to run a paid advertisement signed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, saying they do not want to give space to a politician they accuse of subverting human rights and press freedom. The one-page ad says that Brussels is building a ‘super-state,’ denounces what it calls the ‘European Empire’, calls for the strengthening of national parliaments and stands up against closer European integration.”

The Times of Malta; the Belgian newspaper De Standaard and the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter refused to run the ad, in addition to two other newspapers in Belgium, La Libre Belgique and De Morgen. It was printed by newspapers Le Figaro in France, ABC in Spain, Jyllands-Posten in Denmark and Mlada fronta Dnes in the Czech Republic.

Trigger Warnings for Certain Topics in Class at British University

Daily Mail wrote on July 5:

“Fury has erupted after University of Reading lecturers were told to issue trigger warnings to students if classes contain ‘distressing’ content… But critics slammed the move saying that Britain’s universities are descending into ‘an educational Dark Age’…

“The full list of topics that will lead to a ‘trigger’ warning at the University of Reading [includes:]

“Sexual Assault; Abuse; Child abuse/paedophilia/;Incest; Animal cruelty or animal death; Dissection; Self-harm and suicide; Eating disorders and body hatred; Violence; Pornographic content; Kidnapping and abduction; Death or dying; Pregnancy/Childbirth; Miscarriages/Abortion; Blood; Mental illness and ableism; Racism and racial slurs; Sexism and misogyny; Classism; Hateful language directed at religious groups (e.g., Islamophobia, antisemitism); Transphobia and trans misogyny; Homophobia and heterosexism.”

While some of the topics, if discussed improperly, are indeed sensitive, to include other topics in the trigger warning system is plainly ridiculous and uncalled for. In addition, it is not clear as to why there should be a trigger warning in the first place when classes discuss certain topics. Why would doing so be distressing per se?

Creation of Pig-Human Hybrid Organ?

The Jerusalem Post wrote on July 4:

“A team of Israeli researchers have developed a hybrid organ – an organ from a pig with ‘human’ blood vessels – that they believe could help alleviate the shortage of transplant organs. There have been many attempts to implant animal organs in humans but this has largely been unsuccessful, mostly due to acute rejections, explained Dr. Shahar Cohen of Beilinson Hospital, whose team developed the hybrid organ.

“The main trigger of an organ rejection is the internal lining of its blood vessels, he said. This coating is the point of contact between the transplanted organ and the recipient’s body. ‘We looked for a way to produce an alternative coating that does not cause rejection,’ Cohen told The Jerusalem Post… Cohen’s team removed the coating from the pigs’ blood vessels and replaced it with a more ‘friendly’ coating to the human immune system that was engineered in the laboratory from human placenta cells, which, as far as is known, do not trigger rejection…

“‘We remove the pig’s internal layer of blood vessels and replace it with a “human layer,” thereby humanizing the blood vessels of the organ and generating a hybrid organ – a pig organ with humanized blood vessels. This is the way to surmount the barrier to pig organs in humans.’ He said the team chose to use placenta cells because the placenta is the ‘ideal organ that connects two human beings and plays a key role in maintaining the connection between mother and fetus.’… Next, he said, the researchers plan to perform their first hybrid organ transplants in animals and in about five years Cohen hopes that the first human transplant can be performed…”

Where will it end?

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.

Have you ever thought about what was a prophet? Why did God provide them? What was their job? How much do we know about them? How much success did they have? We intend to expand our view of a prophet from what is traditionally thought.

There were many prophets mentioned in the Bible, from possibly the first one mentioned in the book of Genesis, namely Enoch, although he was not specifically named as a prophet. We do not find this out about him until we read the book of Jude in verse 14: “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints…’” The first person actually named by God as a prophet was Abraham (Genesis 20:7). The last person specifically identified and named as a prophet, Agabus, is mentioned in Acts 21:10-11. He prophesied that the Jews would bind Paul and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

So, what was a prophet? Sometimes they went by the name seer which appears to be an older word for prophet. 1 Samuel 9:9 says: “(Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he spoke thus: ‘Come, let us go to the seer’; for he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.).” In this instance Samuel admitted he was the seer that Saul was looking for (1 Samuel 9:19). However, earlier in 1 Samuel 3:20, we find that Samuel was also called a prophet of the LORD.

According to Strong’s concordance, the Hebrew word for prophet means an inspired man – one that prophesies. The Hebrew word for seer can mean one who sees visions which is appropriate for a prophet. The Greek word for prophet means a foreteller of events or an inspired speaker. So, the Hebrew and Greek terms are quite similar.

Unfortunately, there is no glossary in the back of the Bible to look up what God meant by prophet. So, the only way we can find what a prophet is, is to see from examples what these men and women did as prophets and prophetesses.

Was a prophet an old man with a beard and a staff, similar to Moses in the film “The Ten Commandments”, going around foretelling the future, or was there more to a prophet? In fact, Moses certainly was a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15), as was his brother Aaron (Exodus 7:1), and his sister Miriam was a prophetess (Exodus 15:20), and they would have all been eighty years or older at the time of the beginning of the exodus. We know this because Moses was the youngest of the three, and he was eighty years old at the time (Exodus 7:7).

Actually, a prophet could be of varied age. Some began as a prophet when they were young like Samuel (1 Samuel, chapter 3) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5-10). Some worked for fifty or sixty years prophesying. Others may only have had one event recorded in the Bible and were never mentioned again. Some were not even named. They also were from various tribes. Ezekiel and Jeremiah were priests from the tribe of Levi whereas Samuel was a judge from the tribe of Ephraim, and David, the king, was from the tribe of Judah. (Acts 2:29-30 informs us that David was a prophet.) Amos was a sheep breeder and tender of sycamore fruit (Amos 7:14). Daniel was a Jewish captive in a high government position in Babylon. So, God chose whomever He wanted to be a prophet, regardless of tribe, profession or age—whomever was appropriate for the task at hand.

There were also four prophetesses named: Miriam; Deborah who was also a judge (Judges 4:4); Huldah (2 Chronicles 34:22); and Anna of the tribe of Asher (Luke 2:36). There was also one unnamed prophetess, the wife of Isaiah (Isaiah 8:3). So, God, at times, chose women for the role. For some reason Josiah sent Hilkiah, the father of Jeremiah, and others to the prophetess Huldah rather than to Jeremiah for instruction after finding the book of the law. At that time, Jeremiah had been a prophet for at least five years.

A good biblical definition of a prophet is God’s spokesman. A prophet conveys God’s messages according to God’s purposes at the time. Some prophecies could be very limited and short term. Jonah’s prophecy simply stated: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4). Other prophecies could be very long term, e.g. considering Daniel, Isaiah and others. Some of their prophecies are still to be fulfilled. A prophet fulfilled an appointed called office, with the calling coming directly from God. Anybody who appoints himself to the office of prophet who has not been called by God to that position would be a false prophet.

A prophet is often thought of as somebody who gives predictive prophecy. In actual fact, that was not the main job of most prophets. Moses did give predictive prophecies (Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, for example). However, his job was mainly to lead the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt. There were many different types of prophets. However, they were all zealous for everything of God, if they were true prophets.

What did they do during their life? Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). That makes him God’s spokesman and therefore he could be considered a prophet. He preached for around seventy-five years while building the ark, but how many people listened to him and believed God? Possibly Shem and maybe Japheth believed him. This was not a good result for all that preaching as we would count results. And yet, God used him as a witness, not to convert people.

Samuel fulfilled the role of both a prophet and a judge. He anointed Saul and David as kings. Therefore, he effectively had a governmental position. As a young boy, he was to tell Eli of his judgement by God, even though he did so hesitantly (1 Samuel 3:11-18). As an older man, he rebuked Saul for his sins.

David as king had what appears to be official government positions under him, being the prophet Nathan and the seer Gad (2 Chronicles 29:25). Both of these men had to have courage to tell the king he was wrong, especially in that day when the king had the power of life and death over his subjects. Nathan told him how he had sinned in his affair with Bathsheba and Gad told him of his sin in numbering Israel. Both of these prophets wrote books (1 Chronicles 29:29), but God did not preserve them as a part of Scripture.

What was God’s requirement for a prophet? He was to be a witness for God. He had to be courageous. He had to speak out powerfully, and some of the prophets who did so were martyred, so it was not a job that was desirable from a physical point of view. They rebuked kings and leaders and some suffered physically. Elijah was threatened with his life by Jezebel after he had executed the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 19:2).

A prophet was not primarily a predictive preacher. He was mainly a preacher of righteousness. Any appointed office he had was coincidental to his role as a prophet. Most did not do miracles, although Moses and Aaron did some to show Pharaoh who God was working through. Most did not explain dreams for the future, except for Daniel and, for instance, Joseph, Jacob’s son, even though the Bible does not expressly say that Joseph was a prophet.

Prophets came to be more general teachers of the people, like John the Baptist (Matthew 11:13). He prepared the people for the coming of Jesus Christ, who, of course, was also called a prophet by Moses. In Matthew 21:11 we read that the multitude said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

As an example, let us look at the writer of the longest book in the Bible as we now have it, Jeremiah (while counting Hebrew rather than English words). He ministered for over forty years. He produced the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations. In forty years, he wrote 57 chapters. But apart from his writings, he had a very full life.

According to history, after the Babylonian captivity occurred, Jeremiah was given his freedom and ended up in Ireland with the king’s daughters. This is not mentioned in the Bible. But what is mentioned is that he delivered many prophecies from God, contended against false prophets, was put in prison and in a dungeon where he sank into the mud. Attempts were made to kill him. He was kidnapped and taken to Egypt. His life was not plain sailing but was full of activity, and not necessarily pleasant. After being released from prison, he went right back to preaching righteousness. He never gave up because of fear for his life, even though he had his moments of despair and discouragement, as did Elijah. Of course, he had the promise from God in Jeremiah 1:8 that God would deliver him and that he should not be afraid.

Ninety percent of the lives of the prophets was not recorded. Predictive prophecies were only a minor part of their job. Their main job was instructing the people and their leaders how to live. Considering Isaiah, he wrote a book of sixty-six chapters with much prophesying of the future, but in his over sixty years of being a prophet, he engaged in many other activities, only some of which we can read about.

In actual fact, God intended the job of teaching righteousness to be that of the Aaronic priesthood (Leviticus 10:10-11). But often times, they were not righteous. As mentioned above, Samuel told Eli of God’s judgement upon him especially because he did not restrain his vile sons. Later, the prophet Malachi rebuked the priests for despising God’s name (Malachi 1:6-8).

Actually, there was one prophet who had a great response from his preaching. When Jonah preached in Nineveh, the whole city believed God and fasted. Even the farm animals were made to fast (Jonah 3:5-9). This was a result that Jonah had hoped would not happen.

We know only what God wants us to know about them, with a little extra from history. But a lot of what they did day to day was not recorded. We know very little about most of their lives. However, there is mention of groups of sons of the prophets at Bethel and Jericho associated with Elijah and Elisha, but the relationship is not fully clear whether it was educational or something else.

The true prophets of God were very successful as God counts success. As we count it, some could be considered failures, but God’s requirements were to preach His message, and as they did that faithfully, they were totally successful.

Prophets and the prophetic office are mentioned in the New Testament, but as far as we are aware, there have been no men or women in the position of prophets in our time. When God has need of them in the future, He is well able to provide them. After all, we read in Ephesians 4:11-12 that Jesus Christ gave to His Church “some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…”  We also know that in the future, two Witnesses will prophesy for 3 ½ years (Revelation 11:3-6).

Much, if not most, of the Bible was written by prophets, beginning with Moses and ending with Malachi in the Old Testament. Interestingly, in the New Testament, we are informed in Acts 13:1: “Now in the Church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.” Saul, who later was named Paul, had been teaching powerfully in the synagogues, so he fulfilled the role of a teacher, but he is also referred to as a prophet in the above-quoted Scripture. When we look at his writings, he made many prophetic statements, so he also fulfilled the role of a prophet as well as an apostle. This means that at least fourteen books in the New Testament were written by a prophet. We would also assume that the apostle John was a prophet, even though he is not expressly identified as such. Still, he wrote the book of Revelation and he was commanded to prophesy about many peoples and kings (Revelation 10:8-11). We do not read about any prophetess since the beginning of the New Testament church, even though some women “prophesied” or spoke under inspiration.

To those of us who have access to the Hebrew Bible, they may notice that in the original order of the Old Testament books, the book of Daniel is not included in the section of the prophets but in the section of the writings.  This is believed to be because all the other prophets worked among the tribes of Israel and Judah and prophesied mainly (but of course not exclusively) to and about them. However, Daniel’s prophecies are mainly about Gentile nations and kings, only occasionally mentioning Israelite people as the activities of the Gentiles would impact upon them. There is another major difference. In most of the other prophetic books and historical books, the expressions “Thus says the LORD” and “The word of the LORD came to me” are used very frequently. They are used when God is announcing something. However, they are never used in the book of Daniel except once in reference to Jeremiah. This shows a considerable difference between Daniel and the other prophetic books, even though the book of Daniel is very clearly a prophetic book, which has to be read together with the prophetic book of Revelation.

So, to answer the question, what was the role of a prophet? Their roles were many and varied. God raised them up to fulfill His purpose at certain times—mostly to correct the leaders and the people when they were straying from God’s Way of Life. They were also used to prophesy future events, often as warnings of what would happen to nations and people when they displeased God. Finally, they wrote much of God’s revelation to man to be recorded forever.

For further information, please read our Q&A, “Are there any true prophets in God’s Church today?”

Lead Writer: Paul Niehoff (Australia)

compiled by Dave Harris

Our annual Church Conference (July 18-19, 2021) will be conducted via SKYPE and will include participants from Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.

“The Divided EU—East vs. West?” is the title of our newest StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link.  Here is a summary:

How divided is the EU? Why are especially Western European nations concerned about a fundamental “East-West divide”? Could the developments pertaining to Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and other Eastern European nations have anything to do with biblical end-time prophecies in the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation?

“What’s behind the Indictment against the Trump Organization and its CFO?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

When reading reports from the left-liberal and the conservative press, you are getting quite a different perspective as to what is happening regarding the indictment of the Trump Organization and its CFO, Allen Weisselberg. This is also true for the alleged motives of the prosecution and the nature of the charges. Some say that “any political motivation in getting to former President Donald Trump might backfire and have the opposite result.”

“Verhärte Dein Herz nicht,” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Don’t Harden Your Heart.”

“Der Weg eines Kriegers,” is the title of last Sabbath’s German sermonette, presented by Christian Mrosek. Title in English: “The Way of a Warrior.”

“A Confused World in Denial—Comments on News and Prophecy, July 3, 2021,” the first message presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

We point out the fight between many Western and Eastern European nations over “core values,” especially involving Germany, France, Hungary and Poland; the fact that the USA did not win a major war since World War II and won’t do so prior to Christ’s return; the Pope’s attack on “false preachers”; the indictment of the Trump organization and emails pertaining to Hunter Biden, directly contradicting President Biden; Hitler’s and Stalin’s atrocities and shared responsibilities for World War II; Angela Merkel’s last official visit to the UK; lockdowns in Australia; and Dr. Robert Malone’s and many other doctors’ concerns regarding coronavirus shots. We also speak on missed opportunities in our Christian lives and godly education in the World to Come.

“With Liberty and Justice For All,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The United States was founded on the idea that there would be liberty and justice for all.

As we near the time of Christ’s return, we find ourselves living in a world that is increasingly unfair and unjust. Will we ever live to see a time where there is true liberty and justice for everyone? Can it happen in this world?

We will observe the Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day for 2021, in Rapid City, South Dakota, and near Düsseldorf, Germany.  If you would like more information, check out our websites: https://www.eternalgod.org/feasts/  ; https://www.ewigengottes.de/wir-uber-uns/laubhuttenfest-2021/

On July 3, 2021, Norbert Link will present “Comments on News and Prophecy, July 3, 2021,” and the sermon will be presented by Kalon Mitchell, titled, “With Liberty and Justice for All.”

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.

I was recently on a long bicycle ride, as I am apt to do in the summertime, and witnessed a minor accident when I was on the descent down the final hill. There was a man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties off to the side of the road half way down the hill standing next to his bicycle. The rocky ground he stood on was on a slight incline, causing him to lose balance, falling backwards to the ground. He simply fell over. If he had fallen on a grassy surface, it would not have been a serious fall. However, the ground was very rocky, and though I couldn’t tell for certain, it was easy to imagine that he could have hurt himself. I had about 5 to 10 seconds to react – enough time to stop and help. But I didn’t. I slowed down slightly and looked behind after I passed, seeing that the car behind me had stopped. The people in that car had acted out of concern for this stranger, but I did not for several reasons that essentially add up to poor judgment.

I learned a big lesson that day. My reflexes to help and express love for my fellow man need some exercise. The familiar parable of the good Samaritan immediately came to mind (compare Luke 10:25-37). In that story, a lawyer tested Jesus Christ, asking who his neighbor is, whom he is obligated to love. Jesus responds by telling a parable of a man, half dead on the side of the road, who the priest and a Levite both pass by. But the Samaritan sees the injured man, and offers him the compassion and help he needs. The answer to the question of whom we are obliged to love Jesus expresses in the form of a question to the lawyer. “‘So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?’ And he said, ‘He who showed mercy on him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise’” (Luke 10:36-37). It was the Samaritan – that despised foreigner – who was the loving neighbor, acting with love and compassion for the injured man in the ditch. This is the example Jesus instructs us to follow.

The direct parallels of this story to the accident I witnessed still sting my conscience. While I cannot go back in time to make a better decision, I am able to use the experience to improve my decisions going forward. Even though this story is about a regret of my own, I believe that the lessons I learned are generally relatable. We all want to be the one who makes virtuous decisions perfectly. But we are all imperfect. We all make mistakes. We all miss opportunities for compassion. We all can do better. And that’s what this editorial is about – getting better at making virtuous decisions and acting upon them instinctively, without hesitation.

In the most recent Comments on News and Prophecy and sermon, “Will YOU Have Eternal Life in God’s Kingdom?” by Norbert Link on June 26, 2021, he made the emphatic statement about the importance of having an urgency and zeal in our lives as the time remaining before the return of Jesus Christ rapidly approaches. The question that we should all be asking ourselves is, “What do urgency and zeal mean for me?” Our answers will all be personal, but in whatever way we put urgency and zeal into action should demonstrate our readiness for the return of Christ as if it was to happen NOW. [We know, of course, that Christ could not come “tonight,” as certain prophecies must be fulfilled first. But the urgency of getting ready must be there. Also, if we were to die today, we would be facing Christ within the next second of our consciousness, when we are resurrected.]

How does urgency and zeal relate to a missed opportunity to help a stranger who has fallen in the ditch? Quite simply, our readiness for the return of Christ means that we actively, continuously, in every moment, and without hesitation work on the fulfillment of our Christian conversion. When we have an opportunity to act righteously, we do it without thinking twice about any inconvenience it might cause us. When presented with the call to follow Christ and participate in the Work of the Church, we appreciate the magnitude of the opportunity and do it (compare Matthew 4:18-22). When we have a decision to make to leave our worldly possessions behind in a moment, we do it (compare Luke 17:31). The prioritization of developing spiritual fruit above all other gain is how urgency and zeal work. Urgency does not work by sitting around to contemplate other options. Zeal does not work by having thoughts without action. This Way of Life must be at our core, directing all of our thoughts and actions if we want to be ready for Jesus Christ to return.

Urgency and zeal sound like great characteristics, but how do we develop that frame of mind and behavior? The answer is simple. Practice. “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous” (1 John 3:7). When we practice righteousness, we increase our ability to respond instinctively with righteousness. Remember that we are flesh and blood, carnal beings. Because of this, being mindful of spiritual things and bringing spiritual fruit to maturity do not come naturally. Only through spiritual practice will we be able to prepare ourselves to have the zeal and urgency that make us ready for the return of Christ.

Practice takes place in the little things just as much as the big things. “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much” (Luke 16:10). In innumerable ways we can consider the opportunity to express our zeal. It could be in the way we treat our family members, how we interact with a server at a restaurant, the bigger decisions surrounding our commitments in life, or simply how we respond when we see someone in need. In whatever ways we practice, our goal is to aim for an immediate reaction directed through spiritual motivations, so that it becomes a reflex. We will certainly stumble along the way as we practice, but it all helps us to learn. And if we don’t practice righteousness, we are not preparing the way Jesus instructed us. The consequences of failing to practice are dire. But we were not called to this Way of Life to fail. We can rest assured that if we actively work to please God through obedience and actively developing righteousness, we will be ready when Christ returns.

by Norbert Link

We begin with shocking claims about alleged misinformation and propaganda regarding the “danger” of the Delta variant and Covid shots in general [you might want to watch our recent message, “The World’s March Towards Totalitarianism—Comments on News and Prophecy, June 26, 2021”; address America’s ambiguous stance on the Golan Heights and its recent airstrike on Iraq and Syria, and speak on Europe’s battle with abortion and LGBT issues.

We report on Vladimir Putin’s attempts to “woo” Germany; speak on Europe’s condemnation of Ethiopia; and address the Republic of Ireland’s dilemma in regard to a European army.

We report on the Roman Catholic Church’s ungodly belief in evolution; the controversy regarding Catholic politicians who support abortion; and the Pope’s warning against “false” preachers (while some of them may in fact be true preachers).

We speak on the US government’s long awaited but inconclusive report on UFOs (we could quote the title of Shakespeare’s famous comedy, “Much Ado About Nothing”), and conclude with the death of former Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld; the suspension of Rudy Giuliani’s license to practice law in New York, which suspension has been described as unconstitutional; and Bill Cosby’s unconstitutional conviction.

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

The Lie about the Delta Variant

On June 24, the Ron Paul Institute republished an article from the Dossier:

“Prominent actors within the US government have been lying to the American people about COVID-19 for 18 months and counting, and their latest behavior shows that the individuals in charge of US Government Science have no intention of stopping the charade anytime soon. Over time, their lies have evolved to become so common and so reckless to the point that someone with even the most rudimentary understanding of viruses can instantly debunk the lies.

“The latest ‘Delta variant’ paranoia peddling has put their incompetence, deliberate spreading of falsehoods, and perpetual gaslighting of their own citizens on display for the world to see. The Biden Administration, through lifelong government bureaucrat Anthony Fauci, is making a hard push to fear monger about the supposed dangers posed by the ‘Delta variant’ of the virus that causes COVID-19.

“A video posted from the White House account made the rounds Thursday morning, stating: ‘…The Delta variant is more contagious, it’s deadlier, and it’s spreading quickly around the world – leaving young, unvaccinated people more vulnerable than ever. Please, get vaccinated if you haven’t already. Let’s head off this strain before it’s too late.’…

“First of all, it goes against all understanding of 101 concepts for a virus to mutate to become both more contagious and more deadly. If a virus becomes more contagious, it spreads faster but does not kill off its host. If a virus becomes more deadly, it doesn’t spread as fast because it has taken out its host. In fact, the best evidence we have on the Delta variant shows that it is probably less deadly than previous mutations. And it’s always good to remember that we’re talking about a disease that sports an original recovery rate well over 99%.

“Second, the idea that human intervention can ‘head off’ a strain is an idea straight out of ‘COVID Zero’ (the idea that you can eliminate the virus from this earth) pseudoscience playbook. Fauci and the gang are by no means brilliant minds, but they are well aware that they cannot eliminate a virus from circulation. This makes it obvious that there are several ulterior motives in play, none of which have anything to do with our health.

“Outside of academic models (we all know how well those held up in the past with lockdowns, masks, etc), there is no hard evidence anywhere in the world that this Delta variant is any more or less dangerous than any other mutation of the virus. In fact, the statistics on this variant shows no particular reason for alarm. Yet the government is… baselessly making stuff up about a virus based on absolutely zero real world data.

“Since the beginning of COVID Mania, the government has never been on the side of science, evidence, and data. From the infamous Gates-funded panic models and fraudulent Chinese government ‘science’ that encouraged the world to lock down indefinitely, to the absurd ‘studies’ about the efficacy of masks, this latest Delta variant scaremongering has once again put their lies on display for the world to see. Given the almost two years of immunity building related to the virus, the threat posed by COVID-19 at this point in time is virtually nonexistent. There never was a legitimate reason for a single restriction on our liberties, and today, the ‘delta variant’ argument to curb our rights and transform our society is more baseless than ever before.”

Thoughts to ponder.

The Ron Paul Institute added on June 30:

“The media has joined the ‘public health experts’ in hyping the danger of the ‘Delta variant’ of the coronavirus. Fauci warns that it is the most dangerous yet. Yet data from the UK strongly suggest that, like all viruses, it becomes weaker with each mutation. So who’s telling the truth and who is pushing a narrative?”

The Washington Post wrote on June 26:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that Europe remains ‘on thin ice’ in its fight against the coronavirus, as experts predicted that the more infectious delta variant, which was first detected in India, would become the dominant variant across much of the continent by summer’s end. ‘We need to remain vigilant,’ Merkel, who is set to leave office this year, said Thursday.”

This does not sound good.

Daily Mail added on June 26:

“Boris Johnson will attempt to persuade Angela Merkel to allow Britons to visit EU countries this summer, as uncertainty over foreign trips continues.  The Prime Minister will meet the German chancellor at Chequers on Friday (July 2) to discuss her hopes to introduce an EU-wide quarantine policy to protect against the ‘Delta’ variant which has taken hold in the UK. She has been met with various levels of support, with French President Emmanuel Macron backing her plans – while Madrid is adamant that it will set its own border policy…

“Much of Europe is on the ‘amber list’ and UK holidaymakers are unlikely to book a trip to the Continent if they face a lengthy stay in self-isolation upon their arrival. The exact date for the easing of the ‘amber list’ rules for people who are fully vaccinated is yet to be set but August appears likely…”

Let us hope that Boris Johnson will be able to persuade Angela Merkel to give up her ill-conceived proposals, give up her politically motivated paranoia, and restore liberty and freedom to the people.

Propaganda Goes On

The Los Angeles Times wrote on June 27:

“Experts say the Delta variant poses a greater chance of infection for unvaccinated people if they are exposed. The variant, first identified in India, may be twice as transmissible as the conventional coronavirus strains… But vaccinated people are well protected against infection and illness from the Delta variant…

“There is no widespread scientific consensus on whether the Delta variant is more likely to cause more serious illness than other strains….”

Words fail… Still, several countries are imposing again partial or even full lockdowns. They are very good at hitting the panic button, and that without ANY or even contrary to scientific evidence. Also note the next article.

“Majority of Physicians Decline COVID Shots” 

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) published the following article on June 16:

“Of the 700 physicians responding to an internet survey by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), nearly 60 percent said they were not ‘fully vaccinated’ against COVID. This contrasts with the claim by the American Medical Association that 96 percent of practicing physicians are fully vaccinated. This was based on 300 respondents. Neither survey represents a random sample of all American physicians, but the AAPS survey shows that physician support for the mass injection campaign is far from unanimous.

“‘It is wrong to call a person who declines a shot an “anti-vaxxer,”’ states AAPS executive director Jane Orient, M.D. ‘Virtually no physicians are “anti-antibiotics” or “anti-surgery,” whereas all are opposed to treatments that they think are unnecessary, more likely to harm than to benefit an individual patient, or inadequately tested.’

“The AAPS survey also showed that 54 percent of physician respondents were aware of patients suffering a ‘significant adverse reaction.’ Of the unvaccinated physicians, 80 percent said, ‘I believe risk of shots exceeds risk of disease,’ and 30% said ‘I already had COVID.’

“Other reasons for declining the shot included unknown long-term effects, use of aborted fetal tissue, ‘it’s experimental,’ availability of effective early treatment, and reports of deaths and blood clots…

“Nonphysicians were also invited to participate in the survey. Of some 5,300 total participants, 2,548 volunteered comments about associated adverse effects of which they were aware. These included death, amputation, paralysis, stillbirth, menstrual irregularities, blindness, seizures, and heart issues. ‘Causality is not proven. However, many of these episodes might have resulted in a huge product liability or malpractice award if they had occurred after a new drug,’ stated Dr. Orient. ‘Purveyors of these COVID products are protected against lawsuits.’”

Shocking!          

Unverified Data in Portugal

America’s Frontline Doctors wrote on June 23:

“Following a citizen’s petition, a Lisbon court was forced to provide verified COVID-19 mortality data, reports AndreDias.net. According to the ruling, the number of verified COVID-19 deaths from January 2020 to April 2021 is only 152, not about 17,000 as claimed by government ministries. All the ‘others’ died for various reasons, although their PCR test was positive. ‘We live in a fraud of unprecedented dimensions,’ wrote Dias.”

Dias continued that even “the reference to 152 death certificates issued ‘under Justice Ministry supervision’ is spurious, as all death certificates are issued under Justice Ministry auspices, being the only institution that issues them…”

Canada’s Reasoning for Lockdowns

The Jewish Voice wrote on June 27:

“Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Strang admitted during a COVID-19 hearing last month… the goal of Canada’s strict lockdowns…

“When a citizen asked Strang via phone call whether Canada’s injunction banning public gatherings was still necessary, Strang explained: ‘… bringing large numbers of people together can present some risk… But I think the other purpose of the injunction is to prevent groups that are deliberately spreading false information that creates risk… The information itself if listened to creates risk to the public…’”

Incredible that they would admit such blatantly unconstitutional and illegal conduct.

The Next Pandemic… Dying from Antibiotic Resistant Infections

El Pais wrote on June 25:

“Edith Heard… is the director general of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory… [said:] ‘Many companies stopped developing antibiotics, so now there are only a few drugs. That will be the next big killer. In 10 to 20 years we will be dying from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, which we will no longer be able to treat…

“‘If we don’t do something, in 20 years the antibiotics that exist today will not be able to treat the infections we have. It’s going to be the next pandemic…”

US Position on Golan Heights

The Times of Israel wrote on June 25:

“The US State Department on Friday denied that the Biden administration planned to rescind recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, after a false report sparked an uproar in Israel. ‘US policy regarding the Golan has not changed, and reports to the contrary are false,’ State Department’s Near Eastern Affairs Department tweeted.

“Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said the claim that the Biden administration was walking back former president Donald Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights was part of efforts to harm Israel’s ties to the US and undermine the new government. The rumor spread after a spurious report in a far-right US news site [the Washington Free Beacon] was picked up by some mainstream Israeli news outlets, leading to an outcry from several politicians. ‘The Golan Heights is a strategic asset and an integral part of the sovereign State of Israel. The United States recognized our sovereignty over the Golan Heights and its strategic importance to Israel’s security,’ Lapid said.”

The future will show what the Biden Administration is REALLY up to when it comes to Israel’s status.

US Strikes Iraq and Syria

Deutsche Welle reported on June 28:

“The US military carried out airstrikes on ‘facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups’ near the border between Iraq and Syria… The militias were using the facilities to carry out attacks by ‘unmanned aerial vehicles’ — otherwise known as drones — against US interests in Iraq…

“Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi slammed the US raids as ‘flagrant violation’ of his country’s sovereignty… It marks a rare criticism of US military action in the conflict-stricken Middle Eastern nation…

“Since the start of the year, there have been more than 40 attacks against US interests in Iraq… Sunday’s strikes mark the second time Biden has ordered retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed militia since taking office five months ago. Biden last ordered limited strikes in Syria in February in response to rocket attacks in Iraq.”

Even under the Biden Administration, America’s reputation among allies suffers.

EU: Abortion a Human Right

C-Fam wrote on June 24:

“The European Parliament adopted a resolution that labels abortion a ‘human right’… The resolution… calls on EU member states to decriminalize all abortions and to allow abortion-on-demand in order to bring their laws ‘into line with international human rights standards.’…

“Abortion advocates were militant in their speeches during a heated debate and resorted to violent and fearful rhetoric… The resolution, prepared by Croatian socialist Predrag Fred Matić, doesn’t just promote abortion. It attacks the conscience rights of doctors who refuse to perform abortions and calls on EU members to remove ‘all limitations’ on abortion during the COVID-19 emergency…

“The resolution also endorses ‘comprehensive sexuality education’ and promotes the most extreme elements of the LGBT agenda. It calls for bans on any kind of therapy to help individuals with same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria to cope with or overcome their condition, and it calls on the World Health Organization to change its definition of infertility to ensure it applies to same-sex couples and men and women who identify as transgender…

“Several pro-life MEPs… made passionate calls for protections for mothers and children in the womb from abortion…

“Despite the spirited opposition to the resolution, it passed comfortably with 378 votes in favor and 255 against. While the resolution is not binding, its recommendations can be incorporated into the policies of the powerful European Commission…”

The EU is becoming more and more a dictatorial power bloc and cesspool of inhumane and ungodly ideas.

 The EU vs. Hungary

Politico wrote on June 25:

“Leaders from around the EU confronted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán over anti-LGBTQ+ measures on Thursday in an extraordinary clash reflecting rising tension over the bloc’s core values.

“In a heated debate around the European Council table in Brussels, leaders spoke in unusually personal and emotional terms. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte suggested Orbán should leave the EU while Luxembourg’s Xavier Bettel spoke of his own struggles to be accepted as a gay man. ‘I did not become gay. I am, it is not a choice,’ Bettel told the conservative Hungarian leader…  ‘My mother hates that I am gay, I live with that… It is about basic rights, the right to be different.’

“… The controversy erupted after the Hungarian parliament passed legal amendments to ban the promotion and portrayal of homosexuality or sex change to minors… Orbán received support from Poland… and to some extent also from Slovenia, while a few countries — such as Slovakia — did not take a clear position…

“Orbán has repeatedly insisted that the amendments are about protecting children’s rights… Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga took a combative approach, writing on social media that Rutte has ‘written himself out of the circle of civilized people… Hungary doesn’t want to leave the EU. On the contrary, we want to save it from hypocrites,’ Varga tweeted…

“Over half of the EU’s member nations signed a declaration condemning Hungary’s legislation. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it a ‘shame,’ and the EU executive has indicated it will take legal action…  The Commission could ultimately take Hungary to court over the amendments. While that process is a relatively slow one, there is reason to believe the law wouldn’t hold up. In 2017, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that a nearly identical law adopted by Russia in 2013 was discriminatory. In a sharp rebuke to the Kremlin, the court said the law encouraged homophobia.

“The EU now has a mechanism that allows the bloc to cut funding to countries if some rule-of-law problems impact the financial interests of the EU, but it remains unclear when and how it would be used… Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven told fellow EU leaders that his citizens were fed up that budget money they contribute to the EU is going to countries that don’t uphold the Union’s core principles…”

The EU has core principles?

Euractiv reported on June 29:

“Poland should copy a Hungarian law that bans schools from using materials seen as promoting homosexuality, the Polish education minister [Przemysław Czarnek] has said as the nationalist government attacks what it calls ‘LGBT ideology.’”

Jewish groups vs. Orbán

JTA added on June 25:

“Jewish groups in Hungary have condemned a new law in the country that forbids sharing content on homosexuality with minors. Called the ‘gay propaganda law,’ the legislation passed last week in parliament follows similar moves in Russia in 2013 that define written or visual materials pertaining to sex reassignment or homosexuality as propaganda that should not be allowed to reach children…

“Mazsihisz, the largest federation of Jewish communities in Hungary, [stated:] ‘The Mazsihisz, as a Jewish group, firmly believes that all people are inherently pure and their emotions do not make them unclean…’

“Hungary’s right-wing government under Viktor Orban has clashed on several issues with Mazsihisz, which has warned that the government’s campaign criticizing Jewish billionaire philanthropist George Soros risks encouraging antisemitism, and that the government is facilitating Holocaust revisionism. Other local Jewish groups, including the EMIH Jewish federation, have disputed these allegations.”

Czech President Supports Orbán

The Daily Caller wrote on June 28:

“Czech President Milos Zeman [expressed] his support for the recent Hungarian legislation that banned gay and transgender content for minors…

“Zeman defended Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, saying that he is against the Hungarian education system’s ‘manipulation’ of parents and children… ‘I see no reason to disagree with him, because I am completely annoyed by the suffragettes, the Me Too movement and Prague Pride…’”

More Idiocy from California–Travel Ban for State Employees…

The Associated Press wrote on June 29:

“California added five more states… to the list of places where state-funded travel is banned because of laws that discriminate against members of the LGBTQ community, the state attorney general announced Monday. Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta added Florida, Arkansas, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia to the list that now has 17 states where state employee travel is forbidden except under limited circumstances. ‘Make no mistake: We’re in the midst of an unprecedented wave of bigotry and discrimination in this country — and the State of California is not going to support it,’ Bonta said.

“Lawmakers in 2016 banned non-essential travel to states with laws that discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The 12 other states on the list are: Texas, Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee. The five states newly added to the list have introduced bills in their legislatures this year that prevent transgender women and girls from participating in school sports [by women] consistent with their gender identity, block access to health care and allow the discrimination of the LGBTQ community, Bonta said….”

If you thought it could not get any crazier… It appears that it is Rob Bonta who is guilty of discrimination. This is TRULY a world ruled by SATAN!

Putin Tries to Woo Germany, Ignores the Past

Carnegie Europe wrote on June 24:

“To mark the eightieth anniversary of Nazi Germany’s attack on the Soviet Union, Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote a commentary in the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit. Putin’s commentary is an attempt to woo Germany back to its once-cozy relationship with Russia, blame NATO expansion eastward for undermining European security, and point the finger at the United States for the ‘armed coup’ in Ukraine in 2014.

“With a German audience in mind—and especially with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron now anxious to reset EU relations with Russia—Putin presses all the right buttons. He praises how West Germany ‘concluded the deal of the century’ by agreeing to a long-term gas deal with the Soviet Union back in 1970. It was, he wrote, the foundation for ‘constructive interdependence’ despite serious misgivings and criticism by the United States. The controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline that brings Russian gas directly to Germany via the Baltic Sea is a continuity of that interdependence, which U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized during his talks with Merkel in Berlin on June 23.

“As for NATO, Putin lashes out at the U.S.-led military organization for expanding to Eastern and Central Europe during the late 1990s and onward. ‘Many countries were put before the artificial choice of being either with the collective West or with Russia. In fact, it was an ultimatum,’ Putin wrote. Actually, these countries that were once under the Soviet yolk weren’t forced to join NATO. They chose to apply because they wanted security. They didn’t trust post-1989 Russia.

“And finally, Putin repeats an old plea that plays into the hands of those who want to end the transatlantic relationship and the NATO security umbrella. Putin’s oft-repeated version of a Europe whole, free, and united is one based on creating a ‘common space of cooperation and security from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.’ It would ‘comprise various integration formats,’ including the European Union and the Moscow-initiated Eurasian Economic Union.

“Putin’s words chime well with many German Social Democrats who still yearn for Ostpolitik. This policy, devised during the 1970s, was aimed at stabilizing relations between West Germany and Moscow through economic, energy, and political ties…

“Putin blames the United States for the ‘unconstitutional armed coup in Ukraine’ in 2014 which ‘European countries weak-heartedly support[ed].’… According to Putin, the United States—with some support from Europe—’provok[ed] a split within Ukraine and the withdrawal of Crimea.’ The fact that Russian-backed militia forces invaded parts of Eastern Ukraine in 2014 and are still there is ignored. So is the historical fact that Russia illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula in early 2014.

“Forget too how Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 and annexed Abkhazia and South Ossetia, or how it still has troops in the Moldova region of Transnistria…

“From cyber and chemical attacks and murders of opponents in Germany and the United Kingdom to poisoning Putin’s arch critic, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and silencing critics back home, Russia’s leadership is in denial about the present and the past.

“… when Putin writes about defeating Nazi Germany at the tremendous cost of to the Red Army and civilians, for Central and Eastern Europeans, especially Belarus and Ukraine whose peoples were ruthlessly murdered by the Nazis and the Red Army, defeat of the Wehrmacht was not liberation but occupation. If it had been liberation, why did the East Germans rise up in 1953, the Hungarians in 1956, and the Czechoslovaks in 1968?…

“Organizations such as Memorial that try to investigate the Stalinist crimes, or others who want to understand their country’s past, are obstructed from doing so. In Russia, this past is off limits.

“After 1945, aspects of the past—especially collaboration with the Nazis—were off limits for several Western European countries, while East Europeans were prevented from dealing with the past. Aspects of the Holocaust, Jewish deportations, enforced exile of ethnic communities, and Stalinist trials and executions were off the agenda…”

Everyone in politics  seems to be willing to rewrite history to fit into their own personal agenda.

EU vs. Ethiopia

The East African (News) reported on June 25:

“The Ethiopian army on Thursday denied carrying out deadly airstrikes targeting civilians at a busy market place in Togogo, a town in the Tigray region… [The military official] told reporters Thursday that the airstrikes targeted only rebels who had been gathered to celebrate Martyrs’ Day. [He] also denied reports that innocent people were killed in yesterday’s attack. He claimed that those killed were militants in civilian clothing.

“Eyewitnesses and hospital sources, however, yesterday told Nation.Africa that over 50 civilians had been killed in Tuesday’s aerial attack…

“The European Union and the United States have condemned the airstrikes… ‘This is yet another attack adding up to the horrific series of international humanitarian law and human rights violations, atrocities, ethnic violence, combined with serious allegations of use of starvation and sexual violence as weapons of conflict’ said the EU in a statement.

“The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs, Joseph Borrell, has placed Ethiopia on the agenda for the next Foreign Affairs Council in July to discuss possible responses with EU member states.”

Ultimately, the final leader of the EU will militarily intervene and conquer Ethiopia.

The European Army and the Republic of Ireland

News Letter wrote on June 25:

“With the prospect of a European Union army gaining ‘new impetus’ due to Brexit, the TUV has questioned whether the Republic of Ireland will now be forced to choose between membership of the EU or military neutrality…

“The party’s East Londonderry representative and ex-serviceman Jordan Armstrong was commenting after an EU body said the departure of the UK has made it easier to create a multi-nation ‘Rapid Military Response’ team. On Thursday, a member of the EU’s European Army Interoperability Centre cited the tensions in Ukraine as an example of where such a force could be deployed.

“The article said: ‘Talks about developing the Rapid Military Response team have also arisen due to comments made by former US President Donald Trump. He critiqued the EU for heavily relying on NATO military action led by the US instead of taking a role for itself, particularly when the security threat is presented on its borders. ‘Brexit has also given new impetus to the EU in refining and improving their defence and security policies, as the United Kingdom had previously placed many constraints on the EU.’

“It adds: “Furthermore, Ukraine has recently appealed to western nations for urgent intervention as Russia has significantly increased its military presence in its Ukrainian territory.”

“… Armstrong said: ‘It is no secret that the EU wants to expand its power and influence. With a flag, an anthem, a currency and now the prospect of an army it is increasingly taking on the trappings of state.’”

Hence, the united STATES of Europe…

The Catholic Church’s Belief in Evolution

Israel 365 wrote on June 23:

“Last month, the Vatican Observatory Research Group (VRG) launched… a website to present their theories, with the expressed mission of showing the world that ‘the Church and science can coexist.’ A closer look shows that the Vatican project is challenged by the Biblical account of creation and comes very close to explicitly rejecting Genesis…

“In a 2002 interview for the Catholic Education Resource Center, George Coyne, a Jesuit… stated that the Vatican policy was to firmly embrace evolution… as fact… ‘New knowledge has led us to realize that the theory of evolution is no longer a mere hypothesis… The Catholic church has long accepted a developmental worldview, complete with descent from apes and a Big Bang beginning,’ Coyne said…

“Coyne’s writings still serve as the basis for the Vatican’s website. In one paper, he rejects the validity of ‘intelligent design’, the assertion that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as random natural selection. “In this conflict between evolution and Biblical Creation, Coyne and the Vatican assert that evolution is the irrefutable truth. On the new website, Coyne states that ‘intelligent design movement lies outside [scientific] methodology.’”

Some “Christians” and Jews believe in evolution by intelligent design, meaning that God guided the process. This concept is as wrong as blind or accidental evolution.

US Catholic Bishops “Clarify” Position on Communion

Newsmax wrote on June 26:

“The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops clarified its position on giving politicians who support abortion communion by saying a recent vote does not mean a ‘national policy’ to deny them… ‘The bishops made no decision about barring anyone from receiving Holy Communion,’ the organization said…

“According to Catholic doctrine, anyone in a state of mortal sin, such as ‘receiving or participating in an abortion,’ should not take Communion unless they have first been to confession… The move was seen as a step in the direction of denying Communion to Biden, who is the first practicing Catholic President since John F. Kennedy, for his support of abortion. Other Democrat Catholics like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., could also be denied, under the new guidance… [The] bishops [said they] were not pressured to make the clarification from the Vatican in Rome…”

If one wants to believe that…

S.F. Archbishop Disagrees

Breitbart wrote on June 26:

“San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone has blasted the 60 ‘Catholic’ Democrat congressmembers who published a defense of their public support for abortion. In their open ‘Statement of Principles,’ the 60 Democrats assert that the U.S. bishops should not deny Holy Communion to professed Catholics who promote abortion.

“In his response, Cordileone notes… ‘Surely the members of Congress know, as committed Catholics, that the early Church described abortion as a form of homicide… and that the Christian community condemned abortion as early as the first century in the Didache… ‘they ignore one of the most basic principles of Catholic belief: “Don’t intentionally kill, or collude in enabling others to kill, innocent human life.”’

“The archbishops saves some of his choicest expressions for the heart of his response, underscoring the hypocrisy of the signers of the statement…”

However, looking at the history of the Catholic church in killing millions of innocent lives, then their hypocrisy is blatantly obvious.

Pope Warns against False Preachers

The Catholic Telegraph wrote on June 23:

“Pope Francis warned against preachers who sow division and mistrust online. ‘There is no shortage of preachers who, especially through the new means of communication, can disturb communities.

“‘… they strongly affirm that the true Christianity is the one they adhere to, often identified with certain forms of the past, and that the solution to the crises of today is to go back so as not to lose the genuineness of the faith. Today too, as then, there is a temptation to close oneself up in some of the certainties acquired in past traditions.’”

As part of the Catholic Church‘s foundation is their own traditions, the Pope is referring to biblical teachings which he considers as being obsolete, and therefore, anyone clinging to the teachings of the Ten Commandments [including the Fourth Commandment], unclean meat, or annual Holy Days is viewed by him as a false preacher.

Inconclusive UFO Report

The Week wrote on June 25:

“The United States government has released a highly-anticipated report on unidentified flying objects, but it wasn’t able to come to a definitive conclusion… 144 reports of unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) were examined, but investigators were not able to explain 143 of them…

“In one case, an object was identified as a ‘large, deflating balloon,’ but the report said the ‘others remain unexplained.’ ‘Of the 144 reports we are dealing with here, we have no clear indications that there is any non-terrestrial explanation for them — but we will go wherever the data takes us,’ a senior U.S. official [said.]

“The official also [said] that investigators believe most of the sightings were of ‘physical objects’…”

Donald Rumsfeld Dies at 88

The Columbus Dispatch wrote on June 30:

“Donald Rumsfeld – Republican power broker, controversial defense secretary and architect of the Iraq War – died Tuesday, days before his 89th birthday…

“President George W. Bush selected Rumsfeld for his second stint as Pentagon chief in 2001 [He had been appointed as Defense Secretary under Richard Nixon in 1975]. Rumsfeld vowed to shake up the military bureaucracy, seeking to make it leaner and more agile. The Sept. 11 terror attacks changed everything.

“Rumsfeld oversaw the Pentagon’s response and its initial attack on al-Qaida bases in Afghanistan. With stunning speed, U.S. commandos and airstrikes toppled the Taliban from power, and a democratically elected government was established.

“By early 2002, Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney turned the Pentagon’s attention to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, nearly captured in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, slipped away into Pakistan, where he was killed in 2011.

“In 2003, U.S. forces invaded Iraq to prevent Saddam from launching attacks with weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons were found, and the mismanaged American occupation led to a guerrilla war and sectarian violence.

“Bush fired Rumsfeld in 2006 as the United States was mired in grinding insurgencies that killed and maimed thousands of U.S. troops and thousands more combatants and civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. About 2,000 troops remain in Iraq supporting a fragile government fighting Islamic insurgents, and the last U.S. combat troops prepare to leave Afghanistan, where the top commander warns of a brewing civil war.”

What the article shows is that the USA did not win a major war since World War II—not in North Korea or Vietnam, nor in Afghanistan or Iraq. The Church of God has proclaimed for a long time that the USA will not win a major war until the time of Jesus Christ’s return.

Giuliani’s Law License Suspended

Newsmax wrote on June 26:

“Rudy Giuliani’s license to practice law in New York was suspended after a state appeals court claimed this past week he lied in arguing the 2020 presidential election was stolen from his client, former President Donald Trump. The court claimed Giuliani had made several false statements about voting in Georgia, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, highlighting a court hearing in Pennsylvania where the former New York City mayor alleged there was widespread voter fraud but had not mentioned it in his former written complaint.”

Newsmax quoted Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz as follows:

“‘I taught legal ethics for 35 years at Harvard… I’ve never seen a case like this’… Giuliani did not have a hearing or an opportunity to prove whether or not he had told the truth, or if he knew that he was lying, Dershowitz [said]. The ruling against Giuliani’s law license might stand in the New York courts, which means that it could end up being decided in the Supreme Court, according to Dershowitz.

“Still, Dershowitz said he thinks, after there is a hearing, it will be much harder to make Giuliani’s suspension stand. ‘The criteria is so vague,’ said Dershowitz, noting the court not only ruled against Giuliani for his ‘misstatements’ in courts but also for his comments to the media. ‘If you start holding lawyers responsible for everything, they said… I can tell you myself and my own experience: Many, many lawyers who have committed much, much worse lies in the public domain, and they don’t go after them… This is a very selective department.’”

Dershowitz is right.  

Life Site News added on June 26:

“‘It’s a complete invasion of my First Amendment rights and my rights as an attorney, I’m allowed to have a client,’ Giuliani responded… ‘President Trump is not allowed to have a lawyer, of course it’s a partisan hit. I didn’t do anything wrong. There’s nothing I said that a witness didn’t tell me. We’re getting to be like East Germany.’

“‘Can you believe that New York wants to strip Rudy Giuliani… of his law license because he has been fighting what has already been proven to be a Fraudulent Election?’ Trump himself added… ‘this is what the Radical Left does to him. All of New York is out of control, crime is at an all-time high—it’s nothing but a Witch Hunt, and they should be ashamed of themselves…’”

We are observing more and more radical developments in this country, especially from the left, not unlike former socialist and Marxist East Germany, as Giuliani correctly points out.

Bill Cosby Released from Prison Due to Violation of Constitution

The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote on June 30:

“Bill Cosby was released from prison Wednesday after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his sexual assault conviction and barred him from being retried… The justices ruled the 83-year-old comedian — who has served more than two years of a three-to-10-year sentence — had been denied a fair trial, citing an agreement struck with a previous prosecutor that the justices said barred Cosby from ever being charged with the 2004 assault of Temple University employee Andrea Constand.

“Justice David N. Wecht, writing for the majority, said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele was legally bound by that decade-old promise and therefore should not have brought charges when new evidence surfaced in 2015. Vacating Cosby’s conviction, Wecht said, ‘is the only remedy that comports with society’s reasonable expectations of its elected prosecutors and our criminal justice system.’”

Cosby always insisted on his innocence and refused a parole offer which would have required him to plead guilty and show remorse. While we do not condone his alleged behavior, if he is in fact guilty of the accusations which have been made against him, this shows the problems with the legal system when it comes to apparent technicalities that determine innocence or guilt, rather than the facts. However, as the next article shows, more than just mere technicalities are involved in the Cosby case.

Cosby and Trump

 Newsmax wrote on July 1:

“No matter what people think of Bill Cosby, the fact remains that he wasn’t given due process in his trial proceedings and an appeals court made the right decision to free him from prison because he shouldn’t have been tried in the first place, Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz argued…

“Dershowitz also rejected the argument that Cosby was released on a ‘legal technicality.’ ‘It’s a constitutional basis,’ he said… ‘The Constitution provides that no person shall be prosecuted without due process of law. So it’s anything but a technicality. It’s the heart and soul of our legal system.’

“Dershowitz also commented on the indictments that have been handed down against former President Donald Trump’s namesake company, the Trump Organization, and its Chief Financial Officer Alan Weisselberg… ‘They don’t generally go after people criminally for tax violations that even the IRS apparently hasn’t gone after them for,’ said Dershowitz… In these situations, the IRS usually sends the person accused a letter ordering them to pay their taxes, and it’s ‘rare that you get criminal prosecution for this kind of thing.’

“At any rate, Vance’s goal is ‘obviously to try to flip’ Weisselberg to get him to turn against Trump, the ‘ultimate target of any of these prosecutors,’ said Dershowitz.”

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

In the previous Q&A, we looked at the many changes that will occur at the return of Jesus Christ and finished up by showing that for Satan and his demons, their time of influencing and misleading mankind is almost up. Let us continue in this final Q&A of our series to see the incredible changes that will take place.

With the evil demonic world removed, it will be time for re-educating the world in true values. Will there be schools or colleges? In Mr Armstrong’s book, “The Wonderful World Tomorrow,” referenced previously, we read on page 53 the following:

“Actually, the Gospel and religious development is merely spiritual education. And it is significant that Elijah had organized and headed three schools or colleges (II Kings 2:3, 5; 4:38 — at Bethel, Jericho, and Gilgal) teaching God’s Truth in a world corrupted by false pagan education.”

When properly organised, with a Godly curriculum and teachers who understand the Law of God, schools or colleges for young adults could be wonderful places of true learning and it is possible that these could be the vehicles for true education during the Millennium. Of course, parents will be expected to fulfil the instructions in Deuteronomy 6:5-9, as applied to their children, which was originally given to the ancient nation of Israel but will be even more applicable during Christ’s millennial reign:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

This will be a parent’s responsibility and, unlike today, young and growing children will be open to correct teaching. They will certainly be brought up in the knowledge of the LORD.

There will be right knowledge and education about health. Mr Armstrong, in his book previously referenced, makes these encouraging statements on pages 82-83:

“In God’s new world tomorrow, there will, indeed, probably be a place for doctors. But it will be teaching people to keep well, by avoiding the causes of disease. That will require an entirely new type of ‘medical’ education — only we shall then drop the term ‘medical.’ A very good doctor friend once said to me: ‘We physicians have been kept so busy treating sicknesses and diseases, that we haven’t had much time to do extensive study and research into the causes of these troubles.’

“In the world tomorrow there actually will be Utopia. There will be universal good health. How can such Utopian dreams come true? It’s simple! Remove the cause of disease!

“But how do that? Two ways:

“First, by right education. Cause people to know that God did not design the human physical body so that it must be getting sick all the time, catching continual diseases. Sickness and disease occur only when nature’s laws are broken [either by the sick person him- or herself or by conditions caused by men leading to a person getting sick]. It is not natural to be diseased — it is UNnatural. Educate people in the laws of good health. In proper diet. God designed certain foods for good health. Some things that grow are not designed for food. Some are poison. Educate people in sanitation, hygiene, required amounts of sleep, pure water, fresh air, sunshine, exercise.

“And when people, in spite of this education, do get sick or catch a disease, it can be healed — God’s way! Actually, Christ’s healing [includes] forgiveness of sin.

“The combined force of right education about true health, and… healing of all sickness [our addition: and insofar as it was caused by false individual conduct and] when it is repented of, will mean perfect, Utopian health!

“Notice how God describes it!

“But there the glorious Eternal will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. For the Eternal is our Judge, the Eternal is our LAWgiver, the Eternal is our King; He will save us.

“… And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity”! (Isaiah 33:21-24.)

“Listen to this wonderful promise: ‘Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing…’ (Isaiah 35:3-6).

“God describes the rewards for obedience to His laws of mercy and love. Notice Isaiah 58:8, “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily….”

Those who have become members of the God Family will be very active in bringing about understanding the Way of God. We read this in Isaiah 30:20-21: “And though the LORD gives you The bread of adversity and the water of affliction, Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, But your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.”

There will be education about so many things.

Ultimately, there will be no more war – see Isaiah 2:4: “He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.”

There will be no more tyranny from ungodly rulers – see Psalm 72:1-4 which has the heading in the New King James Bible, “Glory and Universality of the Messiah’s Reign,” and which continues to state: “Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king’s Son. He will judge Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with justice. The mountains will bring peace to the people, And the little hills, by righteousness.  He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor.”

People will be educated in all aspects of the right Way to live. Set forth below are just some of these areas:

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7).

“The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). People will organise their finances properly.

“…whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7) to ensure that outcomes are favourable by doing the right things.

The dietary laws are still and will continue to be in full force and effect (Leviticus 11). By avoiding the consumption of inappropriate “food” and by eating proper foods, health will be considerably improved.

Man will be taught not to cheat or short change others: Leviticus 19:36 says: “Have true scales, true weights and measures for all things,” and Proverbs 16:11 adds: “Honest weights and scales are the LORD’S; All the weights in the bag are His work.”

In becoming converted and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, people will experience the fruit of the Spirit which brings great rewards: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).

The golden rule in Luke 6:31 will be implemented: “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.” (Also see Matthew 7:12.)

Man will also learn to consider others as a matter of routine: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3).

All of the above references have been readily available to mankind during the 6,000 years of man’s misrule on earth, but have rarely been used, and that will be rectified in God’s Kingdom. Using such Godly wisdom and instruction is true education and of the highest value.

Let us review a few verses that show how widespread true education will be:

Habakkuk 2:14 states: “For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.”

Isaiah 11:9: reads: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.”

It is interesting to note that the oceans cover 71 percent of the Earth’s surface and contain 97 percent of the Earth’s water. Less than 1 percent of the Earth’s water is fresh water, and 2/3 percent is contained in glaciers and ice caps. The vast waters of the ocean cover all of its depths, find their way into all the caverns, flow into all the recesses on the shore – and thus shall the knowledge of the true God spread like deep, flowing waters, until the earth shall be covered with it. This has not happened before and it is obviously a prophecy for the future – a time to look forward to with eager anticipation.

Jeremiah 31:34 reveals: “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Isaiah 29:18 adds: “In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.”

Proverbs 29:2 says: “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.”

There is so much on this subject in the Bible, but what has been included in this series will, we hope, give you a desire to study more about what God has in store for His people in the Kingdom of God.

All of the changes we have reviewed in education over the last 50 years or more will be celebrated by those who have a view that we must “move on” and eradicate all of the “norms” of previous years and that a new, freer society embracing such change is to be welcomed.

However, positive changes in education, and the Way of Life in general that will really last, will be introduced in the Kingdom of God when Jesus returns to this earth. There will be no more toleration of all the evil that has been a feature of man’s way of life, particularly of that in more recent times that is in obvious opposition to the Way of Life as set out in the Bible.

To recall, there will only be just two genders, male and female; proper families of husband and wife and any children they may have. There will be no more teaching of evolution; no more left-leaning godless members of the teaching profession. Liberal views on any aspect of teaching young people will be substituted by the correct way of bringing up the next generation with politeness and courtesy and with appropriate punishment if it is found necessary.

The teaching of the Ten Commandments will then be the order of the day. Right prayer to the true God will be required, and the world will be so much better when right values are reinstated as the norm.

In Matthew 7:24-27, we read about the importance of building on firm and sure foundations:

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

“Like building a house, the right foundations must be in place. And the foundation of education then will be spiritual with the Ten Commandments being the direction for mankind to move forward with, and prosper, and for eternity!

In this regard, and to properly understand what God’s Law entails, please read our free booklet, “The Ten Commandments.” 

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom).

compiled by Dave Harris

“Josef in Ägypten und Gottes unglaubliches Wirken in UNSEREM Leben!” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Joseph in Egypt and God’s Incredible Work in OUR Lives!”

“Künstliche Intelligenz, als Auslöser für den dritten Weltkrieg?” is the title of last Sabbath’s German sermonette, presented by Manuel Mueller. Title in English: Artificial Intelligence as a Trigger for the Third World War?

“The World’s March towards Totalitarianism—Comments on News and Prophecy, June 26, 2021,” is the title of the first message presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

We discuss a startling account of a Holocaust survivor who draws frightening parallels with what we are experiencing today in so many areas of life, including exclusionary laws and discrimination, forbidden activities and debates, as well as the propagation of outright lies. It all becomes clear when we understand that it is Satan the Devil, the author of lies, who rules this earth.

“Will YOU Have Eternal Life in God’s Kingdom?” is the title of last Sabbath’s sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Do you share God’s confidence and conviction that you will become an immortal Spirit being in His Kingdom?  Or are you sometimes tempted to give up when you experience difficulties and trials which might appear to be too severe? Is your salvation a big question mark in your and God’s eyes?

We will observe the Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day for 2021, in Rapid City, South Dakota, and near Düsseldorf, Germany.  If you would like more information, check out our websites: https://www.eternalgod.org/feasts/  ; https://www.ewigengottes.de/wir-uber-uns/laubhuttenfest-2021/

On June 26, 2021, Norbert Link will present “Comments on News and Prophecy, June 26, 2021,” and the sermon, titled, “Will YOU Have Eternal Life in God’s Kingdom?”

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

The times we are presently in bring forth many temptations where we may be enticed to do or say things in response to statements that go against what we believe, where we may also want to have our “voice” heard.   But even if we were to say something based on our own convictions, is whatever we say going to make a difference?  Biting our tongue and keeping quiet can be quite a challenge.  Knowing when to stay silent and when to speak involves much patience and wisdom.  These two characteristics don’t come out of thin air, but it is a gift from God to develop these traits, through His Holy Spirit, which is the same power that Christ was filled with when He was in the similar situations that we all go through when we are put to the test.

The question we hear often with all the inconsistencies around us is, what is the Truth?  That is easy for us to answer since we have been called out of this world to understand the Truth, by believing in the Bible, which is the Book of Truth, and it has been proven to us that the Bible is in fact true.  We read in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”  The Bible proves itself.  We don’t pick and choose what we want to believe and accept things here and there that contradict and violate what the Bible says.   If we then believe that the Bible is the Truth, we need to go a step further as it says in the prior verses in 2 Timothy 3:14-15, “…continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

We do this through the two character traits of wisdom and patience, which go hand in hand, as wisdom produces patience. James 1:4-5 makes that clear.  “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

Truth was also the focus of what Christ taught.  “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).  John 13:17 states: “And if you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

Our commission in the Church is to teach the Truth according to the Bible, and there will be those who do not agree and will forsake the Church, and there are also those who may know the Truth, BUT choose not to obey.  What has history taught us, when things had changed and change was introduced to the Truth?  It wasn’t Godly, for we read in Colossians 2:8,  “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”

This is a warning for us to be cognizant of worldly beliefs and not to return to what we came out of.  God has called US out of that lifestyle for the purpose of NOT returning to it.  And He has shown us the Truth through His Word in the pages of the Bible.  Christ spoke the Truth boldly when He had to, and this is what we are to do, when we have to.  “The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1).  When we are in a situation when our beliefs are being questioned, we need to stand up with boldness for the Truth, and there are many examples throughout the Bible of those who did just that.

We know what is right, we know what is good, and we know what the Truth is.  And if we know this, we have to do it, especially when the Bible makes it clear.  Using the knowledge that has been granted to us is vital in developing patience which will help us determine when to speak and when not to.

by Norbert Link

We are focusing on the election of radical cleric Ebrahim Raisi—called “the butcher”—as Iran’s new president; warn of new violence in Israel;  address Germany’s invasion of Russia 80 years ago, please view our new StandingWatch program titled: “Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union…But let’s stick to the Truth”; speak on the EU’s actions against LGBT dissenters; Europe’s enemy; and the fight of Austrian President Sebastian Kurz for his survival.

We address America’s relationship with Ukraine; the probability that the draft might be reinstituted in the USA; the US Supreme Court’s decision regarding same-sex couples and foster parents; and the resignation of many Oregon police officers in protest to perceived injustice or indifference of the government.   

We quote revealing and astute comments by a Holocaust survivor regarding coronavirus restrictions; and report on brainwashing in the USA and more nonsense in Britain.

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

The Butcher—Iran’s New President

The Sun wrote on June 19:

“Iranian hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi has won a landslide victory to be declared the country’s next president – but he has a bloody history steeped in murder and executions, activists claim… The 60-year-old’s securing of the office means all arms of the Iranian regime are now in the hands of ultra conservative hardliners… Iran’s president is the second-highest ranking official in the country, second only to the Ayatollah… As head of Iran’s judiciary, the traditionalist cleric is a close ally of the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose confidence he has gained after holding key positions of power over four decades.

“Raisi earned his ‘Butcher’ nickname [as he] was allegedly [involved] in the mass execution of political prisoners… It’s reported that he was a key member of the so-called ‘Death Commission’ which ordered thousands to be killed in the massacre of 1988… Amnesty International have… said that Raisi should face investigation for ‘crimes against humanity’ and torture…”

Thomson/Reuters wrote on June 19:

“… dissidents inside and abroad said popular anger over economic hardship and curbs on freedoms kept many Iranians at home… another deterrent for many pro-reform voters was a lack of choice, after a hardline election body barred heavyweight moderates and conservatives from standing… A U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Friday: ‘Iranians were denied their right to choose their own leaders in a free and fair electoral process’ – a likely reference to the disqualification of candidates.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 19:

“Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hailed the election as a victory for the nation over ‘enemy propaganda.’… Raisi, 60, has been the head of the nation’s judiciary since 2019 and belongs to the ultraconservative camp that most deeply distrusts the United States… The EU and the US have imposed sanctions on Raisi for his role in the human rights violations…

“But even though the president has significant influence to set direction on a wide range of issues, from economic policy to foreign affairs, ultimate power in Iran lies with the supreme leader, Khamenei. Nevertheless, many observers see Raisi as a possible successor to Khamenei, who turns 82 next month, as supreme leader.”

Khamenei served two terms as president before becoming supreme leader when the founder of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, died in 1989. It will be interesting to see how the EU and the USA are going to act now towards the new Iranian president whom they have sanctioned for human rights violations.

Bennett Warns the World

The Associated Press wrote on June 20:

“Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett… said at the Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem [on Sunday] that ‘of all the people that (Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei could have chosen, he chose the hangman of Tehran, the man infamous among Iranians and across the world for leading the death committees that executed thousands of innocent Iranian citizens throughout the years.’…

“Bennett said Raisi’s election as Iranian president was ‘the last chance for the world powers to wake up before returning to the nuclear agreement and to understand who they’re doing business with. These guys are murderers, mass murderers: a regime of brutal hangmen must never be allowed to have weapons of mass destruction that will enable it to not kill thousands, but millions…’”

But the world is not listening. Note the next article.

Reuters added on June 20:

“Negotiators for Iran and six world powers on Sunday adjourned talks on reviving their 2015 nuclear deal and will return to respective capitals for consultations as remaining differences still need to be overcome, officials said. ‘We are now closer than ever to an agreement but the distance that exists between us and an agreement remains and bridging it is not an easy job,’ Iran’s top negotiator Abbas Araqchi told state TV from Vienna.”

US Takes Down Iran-linked News Sites

The Associated Press wrote on June 22:

“American authorities took down [roughly three dozen websites] of Iran’s state-linked news websites they accused of spreading ‘disinformation’ on Tuesday, a U.S. official said, a move that appeared to be a far-reaching crackdown on Iranian media amid heightened tensions between the two countries…

“The takedowns come as world powers scramble to resurrect Tehran’s tattered 2015 nuclear deal and just days after the election victory of Iran’s hard-line judiciary chief, Ebrahim Raisi… [He] ruled out the possibilities of meeting with President Joe Biden or negotiating over Tehran’s ballistic missile program and support for regional militias… such as Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels…”

However one may want to look at news reports coming from Iran, to seize their websites sets dangerous precedents.

New Violence in Israel

The Times of Israel reported on June 18:

“Palestinian worshipers clashed with Israeli police on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount on Friday afternoon, amid fears of renewed fighting with the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip over the situation in the Holy City. Police said the clashes began after Friday afternoon prayers at the holy site in the Old City with a procession of several hundred people, dozens of whom refused to disperse when they arrived at the exit to the compound and began hurling rocks at police… The clashes occurred after the Israel Defense Forces conducted airstrikes on Hamas targets throughout the Gaza Strip on Thursday night in response to ongoing arson attacks from the enclave…

“On Tuesday, thousands of Jewish nationalists marched through parts of Jerusalem’s Old City, with some chanting racist slogans, as Israel reportedly warned Hamas, via Egyptian mediators, of a tough and immediate response to any rocket fire from the Gaza Strip…”

There will be no peace…

Ready to Invade the Golan Heights?

Israel 365 News wrote on June 17:

“The pro-Iranian Shi’ite Iraqi Al-Nujaba movement announced that its Golan Liberation Brigade is ready to embark on a campaign to ‘liberate the Golan’ when the Syrian government gives the command, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute’s Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (MEMRI-JTTM). In an interview with Hezbollah’s Al-Ahed News website, spokesman Naser Al-Shammari said the brigade’s fighters have received advanced training and have weapons that can attack deep inside Israel.

“Shammari said that ‘the Golan Liberation Brigade was established by the Al-Nujaba movement to serve as its main pathway to participation with the brothers in Syria in the campaign to liberate the Golan [Heights], which is drawing nearer every day.’ He voiced support for the proposal by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah that a violation in Jerusalem would mean regional war… [Nasrallah] claimed that all resistance movements would join against the Jewish state.

“[Shammari] also said that such a war… would [also be directed against] the United States, in addition to others in the region that collaborate with America and Israel….”

EU Highest Court Tells Jews How They Must (and Mustn’t) Live!

Israel 365 wrote on June 17:

“Jewish community leaders in Europe say the EU is not only outlawing certain methods of kosher and halal slaughter but is also instructing Jews and Muslims as to how to practice their own religions… This was the result of a recent ruling by the European Union’s highest court. It upholds bans in Belgium on manufacturing both kosher and halal meat, outlawing a practice in which livestock is slaughtered without initially being electrically stunned unconscious…

“However, the December 17 decision by the Court of the European Union takes it a step further… Shimon Cohen [is] campaign director for Shechita UK, a London-based organization that lobbies against attempts to ban shechita, or kosher slaughter. A secular court … ‘has no right to tell me how to practice. That’s gross overreaching.’

“Pinchas Goldschmidt, the president of the European Conference of Rabbis, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that for the court ‘to seek to define shechita is absurd.’…

“In addition to the court exceeding its purview, Cohen said that the court ‘lumped Muslim and Jewish customs together.’ The two religions have distinct methods for ritual slaughter. ‘The court’s ruling makes as much sense as moving Shabbat to Sunday because Christians are fine with it,’ Cohen said.”

“So-called Christians,” he should have said. True Christians know that the Sabbath is still in force and effect, while Sunday, a pagan holiday, has no place in godly worship.

Germany’s Invasion of Russia 80 Years Ago—but Let’s Not Distort History

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 19:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday looked ahead to next week’s 80th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, calling it ‘an occasion for shame.’ In her video podcast, she also criticized the ongoing crackdown against political opposition figures and civil society in Russia and Belarus… Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s commemorations, Merkel noted how millions lost their lives — especially in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic states and other former Soviet republics —  when Adolf Hitler’s forces invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941…

“The invasion of Crimea and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine violated international law, she added. For Germany and the EU, Merkel said the situation was unacceptable….

“On Friday,  German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke at the German-Russian Museum in Berlin-Karlhorst… While representatives from the 15 countries comprising the former Soviet Union were invited to partake, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andrij Melnyk declined the invitation [calling the museum venue ‘an affront’ because of its ‘Russian’ focus and because the wartime persecution of other countries such as Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic states was being ‘simply ignored.’].”

Steinmeier’s somewhat controversial speech has been reported, as follows, by Deutsche Welle on June 18:

“Steinmeier said… that the German war against the Soviets was carried out with ‘murderous barbarity.’ ‘It weighs on us that our fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers who waged this war, were involved in these crimes,’ he added….

“’From the first day the German campaign was driven by hatred, by antisemitism and anti-Bolshevism, by racist madness against the Slavic and Asian peoples of the Soviet Union,’ Steinmeier said. ‘Those who waged this war killed in every possible way, with unprecedented brutality and cruelty,’ he added. ‘It was German barbarism, it cost millions of lives and devastated the continent.’…

“He added that after the war, many Germans did not want to hear about the wartime suffering of people in the Soviet Union, whose story had been obscured by the Cold War and the division of Europe behind the Iron Curtain.”

This makes it sound as if every German soldier having fought in Russia was guilty of crimes of murderous unprecedented barbarism, hatred, and racist madness. This is of course simply untrue.

Deutsche Welle also reported the following on June 18:

“On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany launched its invasion of the former Soviet Union, which was code-named Operation Barbarossa. The attack involved 3.3 million troops along an 1,800-mile (2,900-kilometer) front, making it one of the largest invasion forces in history. Adolf Hitler famously broke the non-aggression pact, known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, signed in secret between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union weeks before the war began in August 1939. The German invasion less than two years later caught the Soviets by surprise…

“Steinmeier’s office said in a statement that the series of memorial events this week is intended to draw attention to the suffering of the Soviet Union, which at 27 million incurred the highest number of casualties during World War II, 14 million of whom were civilians… ‘Only those who learn to read the traces of the past in the present will be able to contribute to a future that avoids wars, rejects tyranny and enables peaceful coexistence in freedom,’ Steinmeier said Friday.”

Steinmeier’s last statement, as quoted above, is correct. However, to say, as DW does, that the Soviets were caught by surprise, is only correct if implying that they did not expect Hitler’s invasion so soon.  Neither Stalin nor Hitler intended to abide by the non-aggression pact; both were preparing for war; and Stalin intended to invade Germany, but Hitler preempted him. War is terrible—each war fought by humans—and must be condemned. The suffering of Russian soldiers and civilians was severe, but so was the suffering of Germans who had to flee when the Russians invaded countries such as Hungary or Poland, where Germans lived for decades, as well as many German civilians, including women, when retaliating Russian forces invaded Germany.

According to the Bible, the same scenario will play out again in the future… but with even much more devastating and terrible atrocities and dimensions. See chapter 4 (especially pages 14-16) of our free booklet, “Biblical Prophecy… From Now Until Forever.” 

EU to Sanction Hungary over anti-LGBT Law?

The Jerusalem Post wrote on June 15:

“The EU could impose funding restrictions on Hungary over legislation that bans the dissemination in schools of content deemed to promote homosexuality and gender change, the bloc’s equality chief told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Tuesday. Speaking shortly before Hungary’s parliament approved the ban, European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli said Brussels was prepared to take measures similar to those imposed on Polish regions that had declared themselves ‘LGBT-free.’…

“The Hungarian government… has said the ban on LGBT+ content was aimed at ‘protecting the healthy physical and mental development of children.’…

“In November, Dalli presented the first EU strategy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non-binary, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) equality… Backed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Dalli said the strategy had gained broad support from the 27 member states…”

But not from God.

Who is Europe’s Enemy?

Politico wrote on June 14:

“At a news conference on Sunday following the G7 leaders’ summit, French President Emmanuel Macron made clear that he was focused more on threats closer to the European homeland [rather than China or Russia], and said it was crucial for the alliance to recognize its true adversaries… ‘Who is the enemy?’ Macron asked. ‘Every power, every actor that wants to harm the territorial integrity of the members of the alliance, that threatens the security of members of the alliance, [is the enemy]… So we must prepare, in our plans, ways and means to protect ourselves in the face of that…’

“… some seem to worry that Biden will be too soft on the alliance — including Macron who… demanded recognition of Europe’s broader efforts to develop so-called strategic autonomy, the push to build up capabilities on the Continent.”

The king of the North (Europe’s future leader) will hear troubling rumors or “news” from the east and the north (the Far East, including Russia, China and others), apparently perceived as threatening Europe’s security, and he will go out against those nations “with great fury to destroy and annihilate many” (Daniel 11:44).

Austria’s Chancellor on the Defensive

Der Spiegel Online worte on June 20:

“Investigators are looking into both Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and many of his closest allies. There have been allegations of lying under oath and of cronyism. The young head of government is facing his most difficult challenge yet.

“For years, Kurz’s political career followed a constant upward trajectory. The Vienna native was first appointed to a cabinet post at the age of 24. At age 30, he promised that he would do everything differently if he were elected chancellor – more efficiently and more transparently. Now, four years later, his job-approval ratings are sliding. The ‘House of Kurz’ is in danger of collapsing like a house of cards, says the media. The heat is on the Austrian chancellor.

“Matthias Strolz, former head of the NEOS party, accuses Kurz and his team of ‘structurally fascist methods’ due to their repeated verbal attacks on the country’s public prosecutors. Leading politicians with the Green Party say the behavior of their coalition partner is ‘unacceptable’ and ‘unworthy’ of such a party. The initiators of an anti-corruption referendum said last Tuesday that Austria is ‘approaching a tipping point,’ and that respect for the rule of law and the country’s democratic institutions has recently been eroding. Among the critics is the ÖVP’s former spokesman for judiciary issues….

“The avalanche that has been careening toward the chancellor for the last several months threatens to knock over central pillars of the Kurz system – assuming state prosecutors haven’t overplayed their hand. Kurz himself is suspected of having provided false testimony to a parliamentary investigative committee and he could find himself in court as early as this fall. Meanwhile, close confidants like Finance Minister Gernot Blümel and Chief of Staff Bernhard Bonelli are also under investigation for different infractions. Other former ÖVP ministers and dignitaries with close ties to the party likewise find themselves in the judiciary crosshairs. All of the accused reject the allegations that have been leveled against them…

“Still, short of a conviction of the chancellor, a collapse of the coalition is considered highly unlikely… As things currently look, the committee will issue him a summons for a session in July. A decision as to whether to initiate possible criminal proceedings will likely only be made after the summer break.

“In the Chancellery… they have already started working on the story of a persecuted, unrelenting and successful chancellor who is innocent of any wrongdoing… Kurz himself says he sees no cause for concern – neither for himself nor for his party. ‘I am confident that in Upper Austria in September, we will win the ninth state parliamentary election in a row.’”

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Sebastian Kurz, who has been nicknamed “holy Sebastian.”

A New Catastrophe in the Making…

The Guardian wrote on June 22:

“A ban on farm feed made of animal remains introduced during the BSE crisis is to be lifted in the EU to allow cheap pig protein to be fed to chickens over fears that European farmers are being undercut by lower standards elsewhere… The EU’s member states have already endorsed the regulation, with only France and Ireland abstaining…

“The first case of BSE was reported in 1986 in the UK. The disease was spread widely by farmers feeding cattle with the meat and bone meal of dead and infected animals. More than 4m cattle were slaughtered in the UK and 178 people died after contracting the human variant, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, understood to be passed along by consuming infected beef…

“The UK continues to ban the use of PAP in the feed of farm animals. A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: ‘… following our departure from the EU there is no legal obligation for us to implement any of these changes…’”

From one pandemic to the next…?

USA Halts Lethal Aid Package to Ukraine

Breitbart wrote on June 18

“President Joe Biden’s White House halted a proposed package of lethal aid to Ukraine, according to a Politico report. State Department officials and the Pentagon worked to develop the aid proposal before the White House National Security Council put it on hold ahead of Biden’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The package’s development came in response to Russia’s massive military buildup near the Ukrainian border earlier in 2020…

“The United States considered including short-range air defense systems, small arms, and anti-tank weapons, Politico reported, but those plans are now on hold….”

It is not a surprise, then, that Ukraine did not feature prominently during Biden’s and Putin’s meeting in Geneva. Putin already got what we wanted prior to the summit. Please view our recent StandingWatch program, “Putin Won Big Time in Geneva.” 

Abolishing or Restoring the Draft?

The Ron Paul Institute republished an article on June 18 that had originally been published by the Future of Freedom Foundation:

“Young people might think the matter [of the draft] is irrelevant, given that there hasn’t been conscription since the Vietnam War. That is naive, wishful, and dangerous thinking. Every 18-year-old male is required, on pain of a felony conviction, to register for the draft. The reason? Because in the event of some major foreign war, make no mistake about it: The Pentagon will not hesitate to restore the draft because it will need soldiers to fight, kill, and die. Young men — and also most likely young women — will begin receiving draft notices ordering them to report to military facilities for training and ‘service’ to ‘their country.’

“… the possibility of a draft [is] even more likely. And once it happens, there is little anyone will be able to do to stop it. In fact, in the event of another major foreign war, I wouldn’t be surprised if they started jailing people for just challenging the draft, as US officials did in World War I…

“In fact, there is actually no difference between slavery and conscription. Under slavery, a person is being forced to serve his master. That’s what conscription is based on. It’s a system in which the individual is being forced to serve his master, with the master being the federal government, and specifically the Pentagon…

“Proponents of the draft say that sometimes it is necessary to force people to fight for ‘freedom.’ But that’s ridiculous because if you have a system where the government can conscript people, you no longer have a free society. Freedom has been destroyed in the name of protecting freedom…”

You might want to read our free booklet, “Should You Fight in War?”

America Could Lose Its Next War

War on the Rocks wrote on June 17:

“For several years, analysts have been sounding the alarm that the United States and its allies might not prevail in a high-level conflict with a near-peer adversary… American forces may be defeated even if its commanders don’t make any mistakes. Unfortunately, there exists a longstanding taboo in American strategic culture against the contemplation of defeat. To the extent that the possibility U.S. forces might lose on the battlefield is acknowledged at all, prescriptions for dealing with it fail to account for all the ways in which this defeat might transpire…

“U.S. decision-makers can no longer afford to pretend that defeat is not a real possibility. And, so long as policymakers do not take losing seriously, they are unlikely to take the difficult steps needed to prevent such a defeat…

“The most effective deterrent force is not necessarily the same thing as the most effective war-fighting force, as the military capabilities that appear most impressive to either adversaries or allies may not be the same as those that prove most effective on the battlefield once conflict begins…

“It is much more unpleasant to envision losing than winning — but this does nothing to change the fact that defeat is an increasingly plausible possibility in a war…”

The article makes the common mistake of looking at China or Russia as America’s enemies in a potential war. The real enemy will be Europe, but this does not change anything as to the sentiments expressed in the article.

US Supreme Court Decision on Same-Sex Couples as Foster Parents

RT wrote on June 17:

“The US Supreme Court has ruled that the city of Philadelphia violated the US Constitution when it ended a contract with Catholic Social Services (CSS) because the group refused to work with same-sex couples as foster parents. In a unanimous decision issued on Thursday, the court said the city failed to neutrally apply its non-discrimination policy when it ended CSS’s long-standing contract in 2018. ‘CSS seeks only an accommodation that will allow it to continue serving the children of Philadelphia in a manner consistent with its religious beliefs,’ Chief Justice John Roberts wrote. ‘It does not seek to impose those beliefs on anyone else.’

“The city relies on contracts with private agencies to place displaced children with foster families. CSS, which had been among those contractors for more than 50 years, had a policy against placing children with unmarried or same-sex couples…The ACLU tried to diminish Thursday’s ruling as ‘very narrow,’ saying it stemmed from the language of Philadelphia’s foster-services contract, but a city official acknowledged that the decision has ramifications for other public services… CSS is vastly outnumbered by agencies that gladly place children with same-sex foster parents…”

So, the US Supreme Court decision did NOT prohibit such practice; it only permitted CSS, under the circumstances of the case, to refuse from participating in it.

Oregon Police Officers Resign En Masse in Protest

ABC News reported on June 17:

“A team of 50 police officers who serve on a specialized crowd-control unit in Oregon and respond to Portland’s ongoing, often violent protests have resigned en masse after a team member was indicted… and accused of fourth-degree assault stemming from a baton strike against a protester last summer… Last summer, when Portland became the epicenter of Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd, the team was on the front lines. Many demonstrations devolved into clashes with officers late at night, and at times ended with vandalism, property damage and fires. The crowd-control team was the unit often directed to disperse groups after police declared unlawful assemblies or riots…

“In late October, the president of the police union, the Portland Police Association, sent the mayor and police chief a letter, urging both to ‘stand up and publicly support Police Bureau members who voluntarily serve on the Rapid Response Team.’ ‘Our RRT members do not volunteer to have Molotov cocktails, fireworks, explosives, rocks, bottles, urine, feces and other dangerous objects thrown at them,’ wrote Daryl Turner, then-president of the union. He noted that the team members volunteer for the work without any specialty pay…”

This seems to be so upside down…

Covid Mandates New “Fascist Dictatorship”

Life Site News wrote on June 17:

“A survivor of the Holocaust has denounced… public health policies during the COVID-19 crisis… In an interview earlier this year with German attorney Dr. Reiner Fuellmich, Vera Sharav, a long-time medical activist, drew on her experience under the Nazi regime as she warned about ‘unprecedented oppressive and repressive elements’ instituted in the coronavirus era.

“She told Fuellmich that ‘as a child survivor of the Nazi reign of terror I learned indelible lessons about the nature of evil. I know the consequences of being stigmatized and demonized as a spreader of disease.’ Born in Romania during the Second World War, Sharav was held in a Ukrainian detention center as a child and ultimately lost her father in the Holocaust.

“‘We were required… to wear a yellow Star of David to identify us, to segregate Jews,’ she said. ‘Exclusionary laws barred the family from normal life, from attending ordinary activities. Our property was impounded, we were forbidden to participate in all educational, religious, cultural gatherings. Travel was forbidden for Jews, so there was no escape. These painful memories from my childhood sensitized me to the threat posed by current restrictive government dictates.’

“Sharav blasted today’s ‘medical mandates’ as ‘a major step backward toward a fascist dictatorship’… ‘What they are doing with this virus is to institute absolutely unprecedented oppressive and repressive elements that imprison us in our homes,’ she said. ‘Mandatory masks are an insidious psychological weapon. They demean our dignity as free human beings,’ she added. ‘They do not work in this or any epidemic and they are the symbolic equivalent of the yellow star.’ Lockdowns likewise have ‘this time around proved to be [a] very effective tool for social control but they failed to change the course of the virus. People are being conditioned to submit passively to government dictates,’ while ‘children who are deprived of an education are being conditioned to distrust people’…

“The Holocaust survivor condemned the state of the medical establishment, drawing comparisons between contemporary medical policies and those employed by the Nazis. ‘Today, debate is forbidden. A doctor is not allowed to say that the virus is being exploited to maintain a state of fear. Doctors and scientists who express views that challenge official dictates are treated as heretics. They are threatened with loss of livelihood,’ and ‘muzzled and vilified by the media’ for speaking out about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, she said. ‘Fear and propaganda were the psychological weapons the Nazis used to impose a genocidal regime, and today some are beginning to understand why the German people didn’t rise up: fear kept them from doing the right thing,’ Sharav said…

“‘We’re being tracked, surveyed,’ Sharav told Fuellmich, pointing to the rise of vaccine credential systems, like ‘green passports,’ which she said create ‘an apartheid two-class society,’ with ‘one class privileged, the other reviled and discriminated against. Sound familiar? Will ghettos, detention camps follow?…’”

Can one really argue with that? The writing is clearly on the wall…

Just the Beginning?

The Guardian wrote on June 22:

“Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to jail people who refuse to be vaccinated against the coronavirus as the country battles one of Asia’s worst outbreaks, with a cumulative total of more than 1.3 million cases and 23,000 deaths.

“‘You choose, get vaccinated or I will have you jailed,’ Duterte said in a televised address on Monday following reports of low turnouts at vaccination sites in the capital, Manila.”

WHO: Do NOT Vaccinate Children!

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on June 21:

“In America, national, state, and local governments are pulling out all the stops to advance giving experimental coronavirus shots to children down to the age of 12. Up next, babies and children up to age 11. The shots are ‘safe and effective,’ the propagandists proclaim. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has a different approach. The WHO says do not vaccinate children, at least not yet.

“At its website, the WHO offers this advice regarding giving experimental coronavirus vaccines… to children:

“‘Children should not be vaccinated for the moment. There is not yet enough evidence on the use of vaccines against COVID-19 in children to make recommendations for children to be vaccinated against COVID-19…’”

Now, what about THAT?

Brainwashed in the USA

The Daily Mail wrote on June 19:

“The most bitterly funny story of the week is that a defector from North Korea thinks that even her homeland is ‘not as nuts’ as the indoctrination now forced on Western students… A staff member [of Columbia University in New York City] ticked her off when she revealed that she enjoyed classics such as the books of Jane Austen… but the staff member replied: ‘Did you know those writers had a colonial mindset? They were racists and bigots and are subconsciously brainwashing you.’

“After encountering the new requirement for the use of gender-neutral pronouns, she concluded ‘Even North Korea is not this nuts… North Korea was pretty crazy, but not this crazy.’… Eventually, she learned to keep quiet, as people do when they try to live under intolerant regimes…”

And so, the USA is descending more and more into the abyss of ridiculous confusion.

More British Nonsense

Daily Mail wrote on June 20:

“The BBC has sparked a discrimination row after only allowing people from ethnic minorities to apply for a trainee position. The broadcaster is advertising a one-year, £17,810 trainee production management assistant role with its Science Unit in Glasgow, but the position is ‘only open to black, Asian and ethnically diverse candidates’.

“Positive discrimination is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010, but ‘positive action’ is allowed for trainee and internship roles in areas where there is under-representation….”

Whatever happened to competence, no matter what the skin color or ethnic background?

Farage: Don’t Trust “Chameleon” Boris Johnson

Newsmax wrote on June 21:

“British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has changed like a ‘chameleon,’ winning election as a conservative, but now bowing to President Joe Biden’s campaign slogans, according to British Brexit architect Nigel Farage… ‘Don’t trust Boris Johnson; he’s not really a conservative; he cozied up to Biden,’ Farage said… Farage’s jaw dropped from a pair of notable shockers by Johnson, including calling Biden a ‘breath of fresh air’ and adopting leftist virtue-signaling ideology from Biden, saying ‘We’re building back better together, and building back greener, and building back fairer, and building back equal, and in a more gender neutral way, perhaps a more feminine way.’…

“‘Boris was elected as a conservative, and he’s now governing as a green. He’s obsessed with climate change, with carbon taxes, with carbon reduction, making British consumers ultimately paying massive bills for all of this.’…

Trump: “No, I have not Conceded”…  after admitting Defeat…

Newsmax wrote on June 22:

“Former President Donald Trump denied that he ever admitted defeat in last year’s presidential election… ‘No, I never admitted defeat,’ Trump said, adding that he has ‘not conceded.’ Last week during an interview with Sean Hannity, Trump said ‘shockingly, we were supposed to win easily at 64 million votes and we got 75 million votes and we didn’t win, but let’s see what happens on that.’

“Trump also refused to rule out that he will be reinstated as president this August, saying ‘I’m not going to comment on that. I’m going to just see what happens. If the election was fraudulent, people are gonna have to make up their own minds. It’s not going to be up to me. It’s going to be up to the public. It’s going to be up to, perhaps politicians, I don’t think there’s ever been a case like this where hundreds of thousands of votes will be found.’

“Commenting on reports that he would become speaker of the House next year, Trump said, ‘I have seen talk about that, but it’s nothing that I’ve ever considered,’  [He did say the opposite before].… Concerning speculation that he would run for president again in 2024, Trump remained evasive…”

Trump’s stories seem to change by the day…

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

In the first three Q&As of this series, we have seen how the decline in societal standards has plummeted over many decades, particularly in the area of education, and where we have arrived at the juncture where this madness cannot go on for much longer.

Let us now move on to education in the future which is awesome to look forward to, when the standards that God will expect in the Kingdom of God will be instigated at the return of Jesus Christ.

Let us again quote from Mr Armstrong’s book, “The Wonderful World Tomorrow,” where he shows on page 63 WHY modern education is wrong:

“Modern education has been based on a false, erroneous, untrue foundation. The supposedly educated of this world — even the great minds — have absorbed false knowledge. They have been trained in a false approach to knowledge. Almost always, error is based on a false assumed premise or hypothesis, taken for granted, never questioned — and, of course, unproved. The ‘educated’ minds have been filled with such false hypotheses. They have allowed a false sense of values to flood their minds.

“Truth appears to them to be fable. What is right may be to them foolishness. That which may be utterly wrong appears to be right. They come to view things through the false concept of evolution.

“This miseducation holds their minds captive.

“It has been explained how the natural carnal mind, devoid of revealed knowledge from God, is limited to knowledge of the physical and material. The approach to all knowledge in the Western world has been through the evolutionary hypothesis — never through God’s revealed knowledge.

“In God’s millennial civilization, the basis of all knowledge dissemination will be revelation. Light will replace darkness — truth will replace error. Understanding will replace crass materialism. True knowledge will replace intellectual ignorance.

“The educating and re-educating of this world will be one of the most important tasks the Kingdom of God will face. Young people today follow too often false and deceptive values. Their entire thinking will require reorientation — a change of direction.”

“The educating and re-educating of this world” is a great place to start to review the massive difference between education today and God’s way of doing things.

We have briefly looked at education today at school, college and university levels, but when Christ returns, the whole world will need to be re-educated, and not just those young people in their scholastic and formative years. The world will have gone through the most horrendous time in all of human history, as we read in Daniel 12:1: “At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.”

The world will literally be “shell-shocked,” as defined by the Free Dictionary as “stunned, distressed, or exhausted from a prolonged trauma or an unexpected difficulty,” and that is putting it mildly. Worldwide education of the young and old will be necessary to show them the right way to live after 6,000 years of human misrule, mismanagement and ungodly education.

First of all, we will have a new language, as we read in Zephaniah 3:9: “For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, That they all may call on the name of the Lord, To serve Him with one accord.”

The background to this whole scenario can be found in Genesis 11. In the first verse we read, “Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.^” Because of man’s attitude and behavior, God confused their language, as is stated in verse 9: “Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.” Man has been living ever since with the consequences of these actions.

According to Ethnologue, which is widely considered to be the most extensive catalogue of the languages of the world, there are currently 7,117 known languages spoken by people around the world. Of these languages, 90% are spoken by less than 100,000 people. There are around 46 languages that only have a single speaker! In Asia, there are 2,294 spoken languages, in Africa 2,144, in Americas 1,061, in the Pacific 1,313, and in Europe 287 languages.

It is amazing that there are so many languages in the world today; and what about all of the various accents within each language? Language is a means of communication – the thought in your mind is then translated into speech and uttered via the vocal cords, and the hearer hears the words that are uttered and the mind digests and, hopefully, understands what is being communicated. Unfortunately, all too often, because of double meanings, intonation and different levels of understanding, what is said may be misconstrued, and problems ensue. And that is just at the basic level of one language, but when translations are involved, the problems can multiply.

The problems that all of these languages currently can cause are immense but God is going to give all the nations a pure language so that they may all call upon His name and serve Him with unity of purpose. He will reverse the process by eliminating confusion and by restoring harmony and unity. Of the thousands of languages in the world today, not one of them is a pure language. All that will change with the return of Jesus Christ when He sets up the Kingdom of God on earth, and because it will be a pure language, there will be no double meanings which can often be confusing and even vulgar, and there will be no pagan names for most days of the week as we have them today in English and other languages. Through the vehicle of a pure, universal language, God will unite all nations under His perfect rule. And everyone can have understanding through this pure, universal language. There will be no loss of understanding through translation problems that we experience today. It will be a time of joy, happiness and abundance, with complete comprehension that only a one-world-language can give. And with one pure language, illiteracy will be eliminated.

This new language will be necessary for proper education, so that full understanding will be available to all in the same language in the future coming Kingdom of God.

(For further important information of the pure language to come, please read our Q&A, titled, “Is there a contradiction between Zephaniah 3:9 and Zechariah 8:23?”).

True education requires true educators, which in turn requires the establishment of God’s government. Sir Winston Churchill wryly observed that “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” There is probably a good deal of truth in that statement because even democracy has monumental failings. The only government that can work correctly at all times is the government of God which will be instituted at the beginning of the 1,000-year reign of Christ. We find how this will happen in the book of Daniel, chapter 7:

Verse 14 states: “Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.”

This is about the responsibility given to Jesus Christ at His return.  And then we see, in verse 27, that the saints of God, those who will have been resurrected at His return, will be part of that spiritual government: “Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.”

Christ will rule over and with the saints who will assist Him in ruling on earth. We read in Luke 19:17-19, in the parable of the minas, how this will be achieved: “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’  And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’  Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’”

In Luke 22:29-30, we read: “And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” The disciples were told directly by Jesus that they would have judging responsibilities in the Kingdom of God.

Another encouraging verse is Revelation 5:10: “And [You] have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” In Revelation 2:26, we see the reward for those called by God who remain faithful and loyal to Him to the very end: “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations…”

These verses show that government will be hierarchical—from the top down—and that authority will be given to those who remain faithful to God until Christ’s return. Unlike human government, it will be perfect and well organised. There will not be any elections or spending of huge amounts on electoral campaigning.

Revelation 1:6 shows us what positions the saints will occupy: “… [Christ] has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Corinthians 6:2 states: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?”

We have seen that the saints will be kings, priests and judges. God’s Law, not the law of man, will be paramount, and He has laid out the principles for living, as clearly shown in His Word. The God Family will enforce the laws, and the office of priest includes, and will continue to include, a teaching responsibility. Education for everyone will be spiritually based, and there will not be allowed any man-made rules and regulations that conflict with God’s perfect Way.

So far, we have taken some time to outline the basis of living in the Kingdom of God where there will be one universal language understood by all, and just one righteous government.

Right education is vital and re-educating the world will be no easy task. The world today has absorbed so many wrong values, many even sincerely, but that will have to be addressed as a matter of urgency. We see this false approach reflected today in Isaiah 5:20: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” However, there will be one huge advantage at that future time compared to today. We read in Revelation 20:1-3 about the removal of the influence of Satan and his demons during the Millennium:

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.”

“Satan’s Broadcasting System” (“SBS”) will be closed down for about 1,000 years during the Millennium.  We state in our booklet: “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World”, on page 54:

“In Romans 10, the ‘abyss’ is used as an analogy in association with the dead who are buried. It is also used as an analogy in Luke 8 and in Revelation 20.  When Satan and his demons will be placed in the ‘abyss’ at the beginning of the Millennium, they will be as good as dead—unable to influence and deceive the nations any longer during that time period (compare Revelation 20:3). The fact that they won’t be able to destroy others will give them spiritual torment—that is why they asked Christ whether He had come to torment them before ‘the time.’

“Satan’s spiritual torment, and that of his angels, will continue. After a time period called the Great White Throne Judgment, Satan and his demons will be cast into the lake of fire, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:10; Matthew 25:41). Their torment will be spiritual, as they will see all of their evil works destroyed by fire (compare 2 Peter 3:10–13), and their influence on others will be gone forever. Their final fate might be revealed in Jude 13, referring to ‘wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.’ Compare, too, 2 Peter 2:17).

“God knows what is in store for them, and so do they.”

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

“Germany’s Invasion of the Soviet Union … But Let’s Stick to the Truth!” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

80 years ago, Hitler’s Nazi Germany invaded Stalin’s Soviet Union. But the media and politicians paint a picture which does not always reflect the events accurately. This program sets the record straight and points to the future, as revealed in the Bible.

The new German sermon for this sabbath, titled: “Hass! Aber nicht Hassen!” Will be given by Michael Link. Title in English: “Hatred! But not Hating!”

“Deutschlands Einmarsch in die Sowjetunion … doch bleiben wir bei der Wahrheit!” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This German language program covers the same topics as discussed in the English version described above.

“Das Haupt und der Leib,” is the title of last Sabbath’s German sermonette, presented by Jens Herrmann. Title in English: “The Head and the Body.”

“Who Will Escape?” is the title of last Sabbath’s sermonette, presented by Dave Harris. Here is a summary:

The Bible speaks of unmatched tribulation which will be greater than anything that has or will ever occur. What can we do to escape these things?

“Increase and Contentment,” is the title of last Sabbath’s sermon, presented by Eric Rank. Here is a summary:

When is it good to want more? When is it better to be content? A balanced Christian life requires careful consideration as we guide our ambitions.

We will observe the Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day for 2021, in Rapid City, South Dakota, and near Düsseldorf, Germany.  If you would like more information, check out our websites: https://www.eternalgod.org/feasts/  ; https://www.ewigengottes.de/wir-uber-uns/laubhuttenfest-2021/