On June 19, 2021, Dave Harris will present the sermonette, titled, “Who Will Escape?” and Eric Rank will present the sermon, titled, “Increase and Contentment.”

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.

Many years ago, I read an article in the Plain Truth magazine which spoke about the old political guard stepping down or being replaced. Names of influential political figures, some already forgotten these days, still come to my mind—names such as, for example, Konrad Adenauer, Helmut Kohl and Franz-Josef Strauss from Germany; Charles de Gaulle from France, Mikhail Gorbachev from Russia; Indira Gandhi from India, Golda Meir from Israel, Margaret Thatcher from the UK, Anwar Sadat from Egypt; and Ronald Reagan from the US.

They ultimately gave way to a younger generation coming to power. Names come to my mind such as Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Angela Merkel and Benjamin Netanyahu.

This was some time back, and they have become, by now, the old guard themselves, having been taken off the political scene or going to be replaced very soon.

While Angela Merkel made it clear that she will not stand for re-election and that she will step down for good, others may still return. Then there are those of the old guard, mainly dictators, who try to cement their rule in perpetuity, such as Vladimir Putin of Russia or Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.

At the same time, a new generation of politicians has been striving to take over the reins of rulership—younger people such as Emmanuel Macron of France, Sebastian Kurz of Austria, or Justin Trudeau of Canada.

In many cases, chaos and uncertainty have been the result—a fragile and very temporary government in Israel has been established and a very controversial and inconsequential candidate, Armin Laschet, has been chosen by Angela Merkel’s party to replace her.

Others, young and old, might have lost popularity or have been forced to exit the political arena for now, but perhaps not for good. In Germany, once very popular figures lost the approval of the masses— Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg or Jens Georg Spahn come to mind; in Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu had to step down but is fighting for his return; and the same could be said about Donald Trump in the USA or Silvio Berlusconi in Italy. There are others, of course. We just have to wait and see.

Ecclesiastes 1:4, 9 tells us: “One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever… That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.”

Overall, politicians came and went, but not much has changed. Many might have meant well, but life has not gotten better… rather, it has only gotten worse and more life-threatening. Rulers emerged to be replaced by others who then also went away—and no lasting improvement was accomplished anywhere.

Since the end of World War II, no German or Austrian political “giant” has stepped up to the plate to manifest himself as the prophesied dictatorial ruler over Europe. Some have been trying, but without success. Others might have fulfilled the required characteristics, but it was not time yet. However, unless we are totally off when it comes to our prophetic understanding, we know that that person, called “the beast,” is alive. And it does not appear that we will have to wait for another generation until he manifests himself on the world scene.

Are we now at the brink of a revolutionary development? Will that charismatic, political and military leader finally arrive in our days? Will the establishment of the final revival of the ancient Roman Empire occur very soon—that power which was, is not, and will be ascending out of the bottomless pit or the abyss of history (Revelation 17:8)?

We believe so. Do you? If you do, then remember that this power will bring unparalleled chaos, pain and terrible suffering to this planet. Christ said that unless those days were shortened for the elects’ sake, no human being would survive (Matthew 24:22), but that He will return to make an end to man’s misrule. Prior to His return, He promises us safety and protection from these awful times which are, as we believe, just ahead of us, but only if we are counted worthy to escape all these things which are surely coming to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man when He comes (Luke 21:36).

If you agree with all of this, then realize that the time allotted to us to qualify for God’s Kingdom is running out. We should prepare now for our eternal future. The time of war which we have been experiencing and will experience even more so, will be replaced by a time of universal peace (Ecclesiastes 3:8)—and that, we pray, VERY soon.

by Norbert Link

In this edition, we are reporting about the G7 summit in Britain; about Russia; about Israel’s new government and other developments pertaining to Israel. Please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Putin Won Big Time in Geneva”. 

We also address some disturbing news regarding coronavirus vaccinations.

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

The Hypocrisy of our Leaders

Breitbart wrote on June 13:

“At least one good thing has emerged from the G7 summit: we now know that President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, President Bieber of Canada and the various other world leaders… are… hypocrites.

“Note how their personal rules on mask-wearing, ‘social distancing’…, quarantining and so on differ quite markedly from the ones they’ve been imposing on us… these last 18 months.

“… when they’re posing for one of their staged photographs they all pretend, for propaganda purposes, that they are Covid regulation compliant…

“The [subsequent] photo of the President and First Lady, the Queen, President Bieber, and Prince Charles [was] clearly in breach of the arbitrary ‘two metre’ social distancing rule. Nor is any of them wearing masks. Nor, one can safely assume, is any of them at risk of being put on an NHS Track and Trace watchlist and forced to quarantine at home because they’ve been found to have come into contact with someone who tested ‘positive’.

“… a number of these people have been permitted to travel from foreign countries in aeroplanes — something again which has been largely forbidden…

“I personally have no objection to seeing a 95-year-old widow chatting to a slightly confused looking elderly gentleman and his wife at a cocktail party without being encumbered by ridiculous muzzles. Nor do I have a problem with the lack of social distancing…

“What I do very much object to is the extraordinary mix of arrogance, double standards, and muddled thinking on display here among our governing elites.

“For example: if the Queen is allowed to socialise without a muzzle now, what was the point of subjecting her to the ordeal a few weeks ago of having to sit, masked and isolated without the comforting proximity of her loved ones, at her beloved husband’s funeral?

“And: if Covid is still such a clear and present danger so great that it justifies the continued theft of our freedoms by the state, how come we’re prepared to place our world leaders in encounter scenarios so risky that any one of them could catch a deadly bug and die at any time?

“And: if the jabs are so effective and if all the world leaders in these photographs have been vaccinated, then why do the waiting staff still have to wear muzzles?

“We’re being played. It’s one rule for the elite, another rule for the rest of us. And the reason for these double standards is very simple: none of them believes a word of what they’re telling us about the pandemic.”

The sentiments expressed in the article are telling.

Biden’s Claim to Power and Brutality

Die Welt Online wrote on June 11:

“… a 78-year-old, who was recently considered to be a man from the day before yesterday, seizes power: Joseph Robinette, known as ‘Joe’, Biden … nobody should underestimate his claim to power, his awareness of power, his brutality, if necessary. The host in Carbis Bay, Great Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, received clear announcements from Biden even before the meeting.

“Biden is not a fan of [Johnson]… whom Biden once called a ‘physical and emotional clone of Trump’. Without Johnson as the driving force behind the Brexit campaign, the EU might not have left the EU, which is also on Biden’s negative list for Johnson…

“Alongside all of his ‘we’ rhetoric, the new leader of the western world knows how to pursue tough national interest politics…”

This is a slightly different picture from how Biden is normally portrayed in the press. But then, it may describe Biden, or it may be inadvertently referring to forces behind him pushing him into a certain direction. As one famous German poet wrote: “You think you are pushing but you are being pushed.”

Johnson Clashes with EU Leaders

Bloomberg wrote on June 12:

“Prime Minister Boris Johnson clashed with European Union leaders, warning the U.K. could suspend parts of the Brexit agreement if a dispute over trade rules for goods shipped to Northern Ireland is not resolved. Johnson said on Saturday that Britain could act unilaterally unless the bloc agrees to a compromise when the current grace period governing trade in the region expires on June 30… ‘I’ve talked to some of our friends here today, who do seem to misunderstand that the U.K. is a single country, a single territory,’ Johnson said. ‘I just need to get that into their heads.’…

“The escalation follows a series of what were clearly some tense meetings with his European counterparts… EU officials confirmed there was strong disagreement behind closed doors… the EU has threatened to retaliate…

“U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab stepped up his rhetoric against the bloc… ‘we will not allow the integrity of the U.K. to be threatened,’ he said.

“In the six months since the U.K. completed its divorce from the EU, relations between the two sides have deteriorated, with a series of arguments over unrelated issues, including vaccine sharing, supermarket supplies, and fishing rights for French boats in British waters… Tensions between the U.K. and EU have been rising for months…”

The already extremely fragile and sometimes hostile relationship between the EU and the UK is bound to deteriorate even further.

Trump Strikes Back at Macron

Newsmax wrote on June 12:

“French President Emmanuel Macron’s welcoming President Joe Biden to the G7 ‘club’ Saturday drew a rebuke of the 45th president of the United States. Former President Donald Trump derided Macron’s disingenuous G7 statement, where the Trump critic stated: ‘I think it’s great to have a U.S. president part of the club and very willing to cooperate.’

“Trump responded via a statement Saturday from his Save America PAC:

“‘This was a quote by the President of France. He and many other Leaders before him, in France and throughout Europe, were ripping off the United States like never before. We were treated very unfairly with horrible trade deals, and paying for a large portion of their defense.

“‘They were taking advantage of the United States and therefore, of course, they like Biden because now they will be allowed to return to their old ways of ripping off our Country. If I were a leader of these countries, I too would like Biden far better than President Trump. They will now get very rich off the United States just like they have in the past until a change is made…’”

Historic Low Relationship between Russia and the West

NBC News wrote on June 11:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an exclusive interview Friday with NBC News, called former President Donald Trump a ‘colorful individual’ and said he can work with President Joe Biden. Putin compared the two presidents at a time when relations between Russia and the United States are at a historic low… ‘Well even now, I believe that former U.S. president Mr. Trump is an extraordinary individual, talented individual, otherwise he would not have become U.S. president,’ Putin told NBC’s Keir Simmons during a wide-ranging and, at times, contentious interview. ‘… he didn’t come from the U.S. establishment. He had not been part of big-time politics before, and some like it, some don’t like it but that is a fact.’

“As for Biden, Putin said the current White House occupant ‘is radically different from Trump because President Biden is a career man. He has spent virtually his entire adulthood in politics.’…”

Putin also said, according to Breitbart: “We have a bilateral relationship that has deteriorated to its lowest point in recent years.”

Illinois News added on June 11:

“Russia’s deputy ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky [said that] EU-Russia relations are ‘currently in the lowest decline in history.’ He warned the European block against interfering with the situation in other countries, including taking action against Moscow’s close ally, Belarus…”

Biden Meets Putin

The Associated Press wrote on June 16:

“President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded their summit on Wednesday with an agreement to return their nations’ ambassadors to their posts in Washington and Moscow and a plan to begin work toward replacing the last remaining treaty between the two countries limiting nuclear weapons. But the two leaders offered starkly different views on difficult simmering issues including cyber and ransomware attacks originating from Russia.

“Putin insisted anew that his country has nothing to do with such attacks, despite U..S. intelligence that indicates otherwise. Biden, meanwhile, said that he made clear to Putin that if Russia crossed certain red lines — including going after major American infrastructure — his administration would respond and ‘the consequences of that would be devastating.’”

Express wrote on June 16:

“The two parties also adopted a joint declaration, reaffirming their commitment to the principle ‘that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and that it must never be fought,’ the document, shared on the Kremlin website, said.”

Bible prophecy tells us, however, that nuclear wars will be fought in the future. Many observers feel that the meeting did not accomplish much, if anything, for the USA. Note the next articles.

The Geneva Meeting

Breitbart wrote on June 16:

“President Joe Biden gave Russian President Vladimir Putin almost everything he could have wanted at their Geneva summit. He elevated Putin above other leaders, including American allies; and failed to force any real concessions on Russian policy. The degree to which the summit was a disaster became evident when Putin emerged for his press conference — alone with a forum all to himself… The opportunity to defend his own position, and to attack the United States, without fear of contradiction was a massive gift to the Russian president…

“Biden tried to use his own press conference to make all kinds of claims about tough talk to the Russian president during their two-hour meeting… It was impossible to verify Biden’s claims without Putin there to respond…

“Putin walks away from Geneva with no significant response to cyberattacks; with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline… and with no real pushback against his aggression in Ukraine…

“What Biden does not get… is that… Putin cares about… power… Putin leaves Geneva a winner, and Joe Biden got nothing.”

Reuters wrote on June 17:

“The Kremlin said on Thursday that Ukrainian membership of NATO would be a ‘red line’ for Moscow and that it was worried by talk that Kyiv may one day be granted a membership action plan.”

Still, it was reported by Reuters on June 17 that Putin praised Biden, as follows:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin lavished praise on his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on Thursday, a day after the two leaders held a summit, saying Biden was incorrectly portrayed in the Russian and U.S. media as being unfocused and vague… ‘Biden is a professional, and you have to be very careful in working with him to make sure you don’t miss anything. He doesn’t miss anything, I can assure you.’”

Why Is the EU Suppressing Reports of Antisemitic Schoolbooks?

Israel 365 News wrote on June 10:

“An unpublished report by the European Union on Palestinian textbooks confirmed that the Palestinian curriculum includes anti-Semitic content, incitement of violence, and the delegitimization of Israel. The German newspaper BILD published findings from the report on Tuesday and asked why they were never publicized. The publication stated that the report was commissioned in 2019 by then-E.U. foreign affairs representative Federica Mogherini and examined teaching instructions published by the Palestinian Ministry of Education between 2017 and 2020.

“… When discussing violent actions by Palestinians against Israel, the textbooks label them as part of ‘a heroic struggle’ against the Jewish state…

“A spokesperson for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs… noted that the E.U. continues to invest millions in funding the P.A.’s educational system without monitoring content that appears in textbooks or demanding that it stop ‘indoctrinating its children to hate and kill.’”

This is highly remarkable.

New Israeli Government Sworn In

The Associated Press wrote on June 13:

“Israel’s parliament on Sunday narrowly approved a new coalition government, ending the historic 12-year rule of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sending the polarizing leader into the opposition.

“Naftali Bennett, a former ally of Netanyahu turned rival, became prime minister after the 60-59 vote… Bennett will preside over a diverse and fragile coalition comprised of eight parties with deep ideological differences…

“In the opposition, Netanyahu remains head of the largest party in parliament….

“The new coalition is a patchwork of small and midsize parties that could collapse if any of its members decide to bolt. Bennett’s party, for instance, holds just six seats in the 120-seat parliament…

“The driving force behind the coalition is Yair Lapid, a political centrist who will become prime minister in two years in a rotation agreement with Bennett, if the government lasts.”

It is highly doubtful that the new government will “last” that long.

As Breitbart reported on June 13, Netanyahu said in a speech to Israel’s parliament, the Knesset prior to the vote to confirm the new Israeli government that he would “fight every day against this ‘bad, dangerous government,’ which he vowed to topple. ‘And with God’s help, it will happen much faster than you think,’ Netanyahu concluded.”

Naftali Bennett… an Enigma

The Los Angeles Times wrote on June 10:

“Naftali Bennett… is something of an enigma even to those who have long been acquainted with him… his degree of religious observance is sometimes described by Israeli observers as ‘modern Orthodox lite.’ His wife, Gilat, a high-end pastry chef, is reported to be secular but a keeper of the Sabbath…

“He has also surprised some in Israel’s religious-nationalist community with relatively liberal views on gay rights…

“Among Palestinian citizens of Israel and their political representatives, Bennett’s pro-settlement stance is cause for suspicion and mistrust… he contends that the creation of a Palestinian state would be ‘national suicide’ for Israel…

“When Bennett threw in his lot with Lapid — something he had vowed never to do… — he declared that he, like other coalition members, was willing to compromise in the interest of broader goals…

“The rise of Bennett… is being greeted with almost universal indifference or disdain by Palestinians inside and outside Israel…”

Israel’s future has become more unstable and unsure than ever before. Note the next articles.

The End of Zionism?

Israel Today wrote on June 10:

“In the eyes of many, one of the most worrisome things about Bennett’s new government is its inclusion of Mansour Abbas, leader of the Islamist party Ra’am, which shares the vision of Yasser Arafat and the PLO… Abbas said the burning of synagogues, homes, cars, shops and so on, fall into the category of ‘legal and legitimate protests.’

“… Bennett’s new alliance with Abbas and the Left bloc… makes him a traitor in the eyes of the right-wing constituency…

“… the Left bloc is now fully embracing the Joint Arab List, a party that denies the Jewish state’s right to exist… a growing number of people, not all of them right-wingers, begin to wonder whether or not the Bennett-Lapid government could turn out to be the swan song of Zionism…”

This concern is definitely legitimate.

New Violence 

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 17:

“Israel carried out airstrikes on the Gaza Strip late on Thursday evening ‘in response’ to ‘arson balloons’ launched by Hamas, the Israeli military said. It is the second time in as many days strikes have occurred with the region’s cease-fire looking increasingly vulnerable [and]  is now hanging by a thread [and appears in tatters]…”

AfD first in Saxony-Anhalt for Voters under 30

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 11:

“If Germany’s recent regional election [in East Germany] had been decided by young people, the far-right AfD would have won…

“Last Sunday’s election victory for the [CDU] in… Saxony-Anhalt was reassuring for Germany’s centrist mainstream parties, but it also carried an undercurrent that disturbed them: … it emerged that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) had come first among voters under 30. That torpedoed the argument… that some sections of the population there vote for the far-right because they grew up in a dictatorship. One in five voters born after 1991 voted for the AfD…

“Schmidt (29) is head of AfD’s youth organization in Saxony-Anhalt, the Junge Alternative… Schmidt represents the AfD’s ambitious new generation… [and] is now running for the Bundestag… His step up to Berlin in September is almost certain…”

The AfD is far from gone.

Millions of Covid Vaccine Doses to be Destroyed Due to Potential Contamination

The U.S. Sun wrote on June 11:

“JOHNSON & Johnson has been ordered by the FDA to throw out 60million Covid jab doses. The discarded shots were made at a facility in Baltimore where there were several violations. The issues left 15million doses of the vaccine ruined due to an ingredient mix-up…

“The facility was shuttered after an FDA inspection uncovered unsanitary conditions and other problems in April. Earlier on Friday, the agency sent off 10million doses to other countries, but made it clear that there was no guarantee they were made under good manufacturing practices. The huge clear-out came just one day after the company extended the expiration date on millions of vaccine doses by six weeks.”

Incredible!

Daily Mail added on June 11:

“The contract J&J signed with the U.S. government last year priced each dose at roughly $10, meaning $600 million worth of doses are being tossed out…

“Critics say this represents a colossal blunder by all parties involved – the FDA, Johnson & Johnson and Emergent – in the effort to get vaccines distributed to countries that are suffering from a shortage… J&J’s vaccine was believed to be a game-changer in the fight against coronavirus because it only requires one and does not need to be stored at freezing temperatures…

“The loss of the 60 million doses means the U.S. is even more unlikely to reach Biden’s goal of 70 percent of Americans with at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose by July 4.”

This also affects other countries, for instance in Europe, which suddenly experience now a shortage.

Side Effects Prompt CDC Investigation

The Washington Times wrote on June 11:

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will hold an ‘emergency meeting’ of advisers to talk about the higher-than-expected numbers of young men who’ve experienced heart inflammation after taking doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against coronavirus [and after Israel announced a link between the inflammation and the vaccine]. That is, after taking doses of the entirely experimental, never-before-approved-for-use-in-any-disease mRNA vaccines against coronavirus.

“Remember, these vaccines are labeled ‘emergency use authorization’ for a reason. And that reason is the side effects, both short-term and long-term, and most definitely longest-haul-term, are completely unknown…

“Fox reported that the agency… received 275 reports of heart inflammation possibly tied to the vaccines… Fox wrote that the [complaints have] all come… from young males between the ages of 16 and 24. The very ages who don’t get harmed by the coronavirus in the first place.”

All of this is just mere insanity.

Live Bats on Wuhan Premises

Breitbart wrote on June 13:

“The Wuhan Institute of Virology did keep live bats on its premises, a report by Sky News Australia revealed Sunday, contradicting the World Health Organisation (W.H.O.)…

“Sky News Australia obtained official Chinese Academy of Sciences video footage [showing] bats being held in a cage on the premises, along with vision of a scientist feeding a bat with a worm…

“A member of the W.H.O. team investigating the origin of the pandemic in Wuhan, zoologist Peter Daszak [had] said it was a conspiracy to suggest bats were held at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and no evidence existed to support the allegation… Other W.H.O. members were also keen to join him and downplay any such links or questions about the biosafety of the Wuhan facility.”

Theories abound as to how the virus developed and was spread. There can be no reasonable doubt that China engaged from the very outset in efforts to suppress any real investigation, and that with the support of the WHO and the news media and other outlets, such as Facebook. What might a future military power bloc such as Europe do if something similar were to happen again in the future?

Wuhan Institute Still Operational

Breitbart wrote on June 15:

“… former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said… ‘We shouldn’t forget this lab is still up and running… There [are] no increased safety measures that I’m aware of. I’m sure they are still conducting viral research, probably gain-of-function research inside this lab, making these viruses more lethal and more transmissible… [We] know that the Chinese Communist Party allowed this virus to escape from Wuhan. They allowed folks to travel to Milan and outside of Hubei province and foisted this virus that killed three million people around the world upon us all. [They] continue to cover it up to this day.’…

“Pompeo noted the political corruption of the World Health Organization… ‘We left the World Health Organization. What a joke to sit beside them at a meeting and have them pretend to be part of the global effort to end pandemics, when in fact they were the providers of the pandemic and covered it up… we have to stop the Chinese Communist Party from doing the kinds of things that could next time kill not three million, but 30 million.’”

Cardinal Marx Obeys the Pope

The Vatican News reported on June 11:

“‘In a spirit of obedience I accept his decision.’ … To his letter of 21 May, in which the Cardinal asked to resign from his post as pastor of Munich and Freising, Pope Francis replied on Thursday, 10 June, inviting him to stay on. The Cardinal immediately expressed his assent to the Pope’s will.

“… the German Archbishop… stressed the need to ‘seek new paths’ to follow, also in view of a history of multiple failures… For Cardinal Marx, now is a time for reflection on how to ‘contribute even more to the renewal of the Church…’

“The Pope’s decision, Cardinal Marx acknowledges, ‘represents a great challenge for me’ and therefore, he concludes, returning ‘simply to the agenda of “yesterday” cannot be the way forward, neither for me nor for the archdiocese.’”

Interesting times lie ahead for the Roman Catholic Church in Germany.

The Foolishness of the “Wise”

Daily Mail wrote on June 9:

“A white psychoanalyst has published a paper in a respected academic journal branding whiteness ‘a malignant, parasitic like condition’ that is ‘incurable‘ and triggers ‘perverse appetites’…

“Dr. Donald Moss published the article titled On Having Whiteness last month in the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association…”

This is beyond craziness.

Swallowed by a Whale

Boston CBS News reported on June 12:

“A lobster diver says he was nearly swallowed by a whale in a terrifying encounter off Cape Cod Friday morning. Michael Packard has been a lobster diver out of Provincetown for 40 years but has never experienced anything like this.

“Packard told WBZ-TV News that after jumping off his boat into the water, he ‘felt this huge bump and everything went dark.” At first he feared he was being attacked by a shark. ‘And then I felt around and I realized there was no teeth,’ he said. ‘And then I realized… “I’m in a whale’s mouth. . . and he’s trying to swallow me.”… Then… he went up to the surface and… I just got thrown in the air and landed in the water,’ Packard recalled…

“‘He’s… lucky to be alive,’ said Captain Joe Francis, who was heading a fishing charter nearby… ‘I saw Mike come flying out of the water feet first with his flippers on and land back in the water,’ Francis said…

“The lobster diver estimates he was in the whale’s mouth for about 30 seconds… Peter Corkeron, a senior scientist at the New England Aquarium [said] that when humpback whales feed, ‘they do what we call gulp feeding, and they can open their mouths up incredibly widely… It’s a very unusual accident…’”

Fox News added:

“In an effort to save himself, Packard said he began shaking the whale’s head before the animal surfaced and ejected him. In a Facebook post, he said the whale ‘spit me out’ and that he escaped with bruises and no broken bones.”

The biblical account of Jonah being in the belly of a whale or a great fish clearly comes to mind.

A Fifth Ocean

WDRB reported on or about June 13:

“It has been taught for a very long time that there are four different oceans on Earth, those being the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic… the Earth now has a fifth ocean, called the Southern Ocean.

“All of this is according to National Geographic who announced that it was officially recognizing the Southern Ocean as the body of water that surrounds the Antarctic. This new and now fifth ocean will extend from the Antarctic coastline to 60 degrees south latitude….

“The Southern Ocean is ‘defined by a current’… which flows from west to east, National Geographic explains. [It] also pulls water from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific to transport heat around the Earth…”

All these delineations and definitions by scientists are arbitrary and capricious anyhow.

Creating Chimeras

Life Site News wrote on June 14:

“The U.S. Senate has passed a bill which will allocate billions of dollars to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with some of the funds expected to go toward a disturbing form of research whereby tissue from aborted babies is spliced with animal cells to create mixed-species organisms called ‘chimeras.’”

Sick, foolish and dangerous.

Toxic Cosmetics

Newsmax wrote on June 16:

“More than half the cosmetics sold in the United States and Canada likely contain high levels of a toxic industrial compound linked to serious health conditions, including cancer and reduced birth weight… Researchers at the University of Notre Dame tested more than 230 commonly used cosmetics and found that 56% of foundations and eye products, 48% of lip products and 47% of mascaras contained high levels of fluorine — an indicator of PFAS, so-called ‘forever chemicals’ that are used in nonstick frying pans, rugs and countless other consumer products. Some of the highest PFAS levels were found in waterproof mascara (82%) and long-lasting lipstick (62%)…

“Graham Peaslee, a physics professor at Notre Dame and the principal investigator of the study, called the results shocking. Not only do the cosmetics pose an immediate risk to users, but they also create a long-term risk, he said. ‘PFAS is a persistent chemical. When it gets into the bloodstream, it stays there and accumulates,’’ Peaslee said.”

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 two Q&As of this series, we reviewed some of the many changes that have occurred during the lifetime of many of us in the education of our children.  The fruits are there to be seen today in the way that many of the younger generation behave.

As a final look at contemporary education, let us review some recent news items. The following was printed in “Israel 365 News” on 29^th March 2021, with the headline, “A plan to root out Christianity in California.”

The article stated: “The Department of Education in California… has approved a 900-page ‘Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum’ designed to ‘decolonize’ America. The program aims to right the supposed wrongs of the imperial Christianity that swept the Americas clean of their indigenous religions. The curriculum’s core promise is that it will help root out Christianity, and the capitalism and racism that apparently came with it.

“To empower children as forces for ending such white colonialist hangovers, pupils are being instructed to pray in chants each day to Aztec gods that formerly sacrificed (and sometimes ate parts of) children and their parents. The curriculum instructs the pupils to invoke these gods to empower themselves as ‘social warriors’…

“Huitzilopochtli, the former Aztec god of war and sun, is expected to be particularly helpful in the new curriculum’s mission to right these wrongs. Students are encouraged to entreat Huitzilopochtli (a deity who inspired hundreds of thousands of human sacrifices during Aztec rule) to endow themselves with ‘a revolutionary spirit’ in order to bring ‘transformation’ in combatting ‘white supremacy, racism and other forms of power and oppression.’

“It is not enough, apparently, in today’s ethnic studies to learn about other religions. Children must be made to practice those religions… the new curriculum ‘recommends that teachers lead their students in a series of indigenous songs, chants, and affirmations, including the “In Lak Ech Affirmation,” which appeals directly to the Aztec gods.”

 In October 2020, The Mathematical Association of America released a statement… claiming that mathematicians should engage in “uncomfortable conversations” about race.

The statement went on to disparage the “biases” that mathematics supposedly “inherently carries,” pointing out:

“‘It is time for all members of our profession to acknowledge that mathematics is created by humans and therefore inherently carries human biases. Until this occurs, our community and our students cannot reach full potential,’ wrote the group. ‘Reaching this potential in mathematics relies upon the academy and higher education engaging in critical, challenging, sometimes uncomfortable conversations about the detrimental effects of race and racism on our community. The time is now to move mathematics and education forward in pursuit of justice.’”

On the website of farleftfacts, we read:

“Math education prof: 2+2 = 4 ‘trope’ ‘reeks of white supremacy patriarchy.’

“Math professors and educators at leading American universities have taken to Twitter and to debate whether math is racist.

“Some asserted that objective mathematics is rooted in ‘white supremacist patriarchy’ and white social constructs. ‘People say it’s subjectivism to ask if math is Western. I don’t get that.’

“The debate itself was rooted in George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, in which citizens of a fictional totalitarian state believe that 2 plus 2 equals 5 as a result of government propaganda.

“Laurie Rubel, who teaches math education at Brooklyn College, says that the idea of math being cultural neutral is a ‘myth,’ and that asking whether 2 plus 2 equals 4 ‘reeks of white supremacist patriarchy.’ ‘Y’all must know that the idea that math is objective or neutral IS A MYTH,’ she tweeted.”

And then, the piano was considered to be racist! We can read on the website of greatamericanpolitics:

“The music department at the prestigious and ancient university has seen calls to remove music notation from the curriculum as professors seek to focus less on white European heritage and culture, according to documents seen by The Telegraph.

“The woke educators went on to claim that musical notation itself is a ‘colonialist representational system’ that has ‘complicity to white supremacy’.

“The claim is similar to leftist pronouncements in America that mathematics is inherently racist.

“The Oxford academics went on to pronounce that teaching the piano or conducting orchestras could cause ‘students of colour great distress’ as the skills involved are closely tied to ‘white European music.’

These are the sort of educators that mould young minds, and it is an inescapable fact that to influence young people to imbibe such leftist nonsense doesn’t bode well for the future.

And, finally, The Daily Mail published this report on 8^th May 2021:

“A school secretly reported its chaplain to the anti-terrorism Prevent programme after he delivered a sermon defending the right of pupils to question its introduction of new LGBT policies.

“The Reverend Dr Bernard Randall told pupils at independent Trent College near Nottingham that they were allowed to disagree with the measures, particularly if they felt they ran contrary to Church of England principles.

“Among them was a plan to ‘develop a whole school LGBT+ inclusive curriculum’.

“Having decided that Dr Randall’s sermon was ‘harmful to LGBT’ students, the school flagged him to Prevent, which normally identifies those at risk of radicalisation.

“Police investigated the tip-off but advised the school by email that Dr Randall, 48, posed ‘no counter terrorism risk, or risk of radicalisation’. Derbyshire Police confirmed that the case ‘did not meet the threshold for a Prevent referral’.

“But in a disturbing development, Dr Randall, a former Cambridge University chaplain and Oxford graduate, claims that the school later told him that any future sermons would be censored in advance.

“He also claims that he was warned his chapel services would be monitored ‘to ensure that… requirements are met’.   Dr Randall was later dismissed.  He is suing for discrimination, harassment, victimisation and unfair dismissal and his case is due to be heard next month. ‘My career and life are in tatters,’ he said.”

In our weekly Update #965, dated 19^th March 2021, there was an editorial entitled “Free Speech or No Free Speech, That Is the Question!,” in which we said:

“More recent struggles for freedom and equality in Western societies were just as intimately bound up with freedom of speech. The demand for free speech, the right for their voices to be heard, has proved central to the struggles for women’s emancipation, gay liberation and racial equality in the UK and US. There is a grim irony in the fashion… for feminist, trans or anti-racist activists today to demand restrictions on free speech as a means of protecting the rights of the identity groups they claim to represent. Without the efforts of those who fought for more free speech in the past, these illiberal activists would not be free to stand up and call for less of it in the present.

“Put another way, those who have used the right to free speech in the first place are happy to have done so in pursuit of their agenda, and when that has been achieved, they then try and close down any comment, discussion or debate on that very same subject. Freedom of speech or no free speech, we all know which! It can also be called the cancel culture.”

What we have seen in this Q&A is the stupidity that those educationalists who indulge themselves with such absurd theories that defy simple logic, can be very quick to try and suppress or quash any opposition to their outbursts. However, there is good news just over the horizon which we will address in the final two parts of this series.

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale

compiled by Dave Harris

“Putin Won Big Time in Geneva,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

President Biden’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Geneva has been described by many as a disaster for Biden and a great victory for Putin. What happened? The previous meeting with European leaders during the G7 summit did not go that well for Biden either. Why? Does the Bible tell us what will occur soon?

“Bidens erfolglose Reise nach Europa,” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. This program covers similar topics as the SW program described above. Title in English: “Biden’s unsuccessful trip to Europe.”

Markus Scheurer from Germany was baptized last Sabbath in Speyer by Thilo Hanstein and Christoph Sperzel. Welcome to the Church of God, Mr Scheurer!

A new Member Letter (June 2021) has been written and mailed to our subscribers. Dave Harris writes about people of the Bible who serve as examples for us in faith and obedience to God.

“Biblical Prophecy From Now Until Forever,” is the title of a new booklet Promo Video, presented by Michael Link. This video is posted on www.eternalgod.org.

“Wie kann Gott all die Sünden der Menschen ertragen?” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “How Can God Endure all the Sins of Mankind?”

“Der tägliche Blick in den Spiegel, Teil 2,” is the title of last Sabbath’s German sermonette, presented by Robert Macher. Title in English: “The Daily Look in the Mirror, Part 2.”

“Conviction in Uncertain Times,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is a summary:

We show our faith by taking action on what we believe. Even if we have no idea about what kind of outcome we can expect on our journey through life, we can trust that God’s purpose for us will lead us through uncertainty.

“Death After Life,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

What happens at the end of life is death, but only in the pages of the Word of God is there a true revealing of what comes next!

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 12, 2021, Eric Rank will present the sermonette, titled, “Conviction in Uncertain Times,” and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “Death After Life.”

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

This past Sunday, a friend and I worked on my wife’s car. It needed front brakes,  cabin and engine air filters cleaned, sparkplugs, and an oil change. The job took us a few hours to get done. During the process, we noticed that the axle boots on both sides had torn and needed replacing, and a few hoses and the serpentine belt also needed replacing. So my job, while done for the moment, requires more work in the near future. The car is 10 years old and so it is starting to need some work done on it. This is life. Things break down and end up needing fixing. If I am being honest though, I have put off some of these repairs. I knew that some of them were required and kept meaning to get to them. But inevitably time, money and brain power all seem to be missing in order for me to act in the best possible way. Now the fear is that without proper attention and care over a long enough time, the car would break down to the point where it would become unusable.

How many times in our lives do we find these same analogies popping up? It doesn’t matter in what areas. Physically, we can eat whatever we want, and in the short term this seems to be ok, until over many years things start to break down. This will be true in any area of life that we want to observe. And none more so than in our spiritual lives!

What we do in our spiritual lives plays so much into our physical lives.

In a book entitled, “As A Man Thinketh,” by James Allen, he starts the book with:

“Mind is the Master power that molds and makes, And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills, Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:— He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass: Environment is but his looking-glass.”

This sentiment is so true. I believe this is why the Bible states many times that we can only have one mind.

Matthew 6:22-24 says: “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

A powerful indictment by Christ here: If you see that your light is only slightly better than the “light” of the people of this world, then darkness is creeping in, it’s there!

In James 1:2-8, we find a slightly different way of phrasing it, but it reveals the same result: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 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. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

The effects of double-mindedness are emphasized here—of not being able to really and fully put ABSOLUTE confidence and faith in God for ALL THINGS.

Hebrews 4:12 states: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Again and again we are told that the basics, namely prayer, Bible study, meditation, drawing close to God, occasional fasting, and putting on the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) will create our thinking, which will eventually create our reality! The reality is that without Christ leading in our lives and without properly learning how to submit to Him, we will fully embrace our own thinking, leading to our own paths.

David lovingly asks God often to help him find the way—to put in his life the things he needed so he could focus on finding God to lead. He wrote in Psalm 25:4-6: “Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old.” This is how David thought a lot of the time.

What is it that we are neglecting in our lives? What outcome will that have now and in the future? Everything in life compounds. Do we want a running car? We have to do maintenance. Do we want a healthy body? We have to take care of it. Do we want a relationship with others? We have to foster respect and love and care. Do we want a relationship with God—the One who promises to help and take care of EVERYTHING in our life if we have faith and trust? Then we must do what it takes to build that relationship with Him. Like many things in life, it is not complex, but it does take dedication, perseverance and mental strength to stay on this path.

by Norbert Link

We begin with, as it has been described, the “crisis of legitimacy” and the “biggest election scam” in Israel’s history; speak on America’s “confusion” as to Iran’s goals; the problematic relationship between America and Europe; as well as between the US government and the press; and continue with the fake media’s defense of Dr. Fauci while calls for his resignation are growing louder. In this context, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “The Divided United States.” 

We also focus on Vladimir Putin’s ongoing push for the creation of a Russian dictatorship.

We report on the defeat of California’s government in their fight against churches; speak on an influential and powerful attempt to influence President Biden to grant Europe more military powers; Germany’s push for a European autocracy; Europe’s mandate for vaccination passports; and the proposed “historic” deal by G-7 nations on global tax.

We speak on more LGBT nonsense; Donald Trump’s planned comeback; and an immigration decision by the US Supreme Court which could have dire consequences for about 400,000 illegal aliens under the current protection of TPS, as well as the estimated 800,000 “Dreamers” who have received DACA protection. The real number of “Dreamers” is estimated as being anywhere between 3.6 million and 11.3 million.

We report on the ongoing problems in the Roman Catholic Church and the resistance of the German Catholic Church towards the Vatican and “official” Church teaching; Hezbollah’s rising presence in Germany; problems which Germany’s health minister Jens Spahn is encountering; and a despicable anti-Semitic attack on biblical beliefs.  

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

The Biggest Election Scam in Israel

Breitbart wrote on June 6:

“Israel’s new government is facing a crisis of legitimacy as a prime minister whose party won only 6% of the vote is set to take the reins of government, while the party that won the most votes is being pushed out of office and into opposition. The crisis is exacerbated by the fact that incoming Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of the Yamina party betrayed most of his promises to his voters, including a pledge not to govern with Yair Lapid of the Yesh Atid party, or with Arab parties…

“Israelis are perplexed that Bennett, a politician with a small constituency, could have emerged the winner… On Sunday, Netanyahu condemned the incoming government… He called it ‘a scam against the public. The biggest election scam, maybe, in history,’ the Times of Israel noted.

“Netanyahu argued that the new government would not be able to withstand pressure from U.S. President Joe Biden to accept the Iran nuclear deal, and that it would be weak against Palestinian terror, given its reliance on an Islamist party.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 7:

“Israel’s legislature announced on Monday it will vote on approving a new government, formed by opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on June 14 [this date was subsequently changed again to Sunday, June 13]… setting in motion preparations for a confidence vote in the new government to take place… For the coalition to begin its work, a majority of the 120 legislators must vote in favor of the plan. Should the June 14 vote pass, the coalition government leadership would lie with right-wing nationalist Naftali Bennett of the religious nationalist Yamina party for two years, followed by centrist opposition leader and former television personality Yair Lapid for the remaining two years…

“Netanyahu is not expected to give up his position without a fight. His supporters have been working to win backing from lawmakers unsure of Bennett’s plans to form [a] government with Jewish leftists and Arab conservatives.”

At this point, the coalition of eight parties has a razor-thin majority, which means that all or virtually all members would have to vote in favor.

US in Confusion over Iran

Thompson/Reuters reported on June 7:

“The United States still does not know whether Iran is ready to resume compliance with its 2015 nuclear deal and if Tehran continues to violate the pact, the ‘breakout time’ it needs to amass enough fissile material for a single nuclear weapon will shrink to weeks, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday.

“‘It remains unclear whether Iran is willing and prepared to do what it needs to do [to] come back into compliance,’ Blinken told lawmakers. ‘Meanwhile, its program is galloping forward. … The longer this goes on, the more the breakout time gets down … it’s now down, by public reports, to a few months at best. And if this continues, it will get down to a matter of weeks.’…

“Resuming talks on Thursday would leave only eight days to reach a pact before Iran’s June 18 election, which is likely to usher in a hard line president. Some delegates say that while a deal is possible by then, it appears increasingly unlikely.”

USA and Europe

The Week wrote on June 9:

“During his trip to Europe over the next week, Joe Biden can pronounce all he wants that ‘America is back.’ But his hosts will know it might not be true.

“Over the past 20 years, the United States has undermined its own global leadership by inconstancy. We launched a war over the strong objections of our most important NATO allies; then we actively sought to mend the resulting strained ties; then we insulted these same allies to their faces, pulled out of multilateral institutions, and threatened to walk away from NATO altogether; and now we’re reaffirming our commitment to the organization and multilateralism. We’ve also joined, withdrawn from, and rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement — and spent years negotiating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, pulled out of it, and are now trying to revive it.

“This is the behavior of a country deeply and sharply divided about how to comport itself in the world, lurching haphazardly, from one president to the next, between conflicting policy stances, temperaments, and geostrategic approaches. Given this capriciousness, our allies are bound to remain wary, and for good reason. They will know that, no matter what assurances Biden offers, promises and priorities laid out now could well end up shredded on January 20, 2025. In the wild oscillations between Republican and Democratic administrations since September 11, 2001, we’ve demonstrated in innumerable ways that we’re an unreliable partner.

“… lurking in the background at all times will be an awareness that, regardless of where the conversations lead, the United States could change its mind and shift directions again a few years down the road… leadership… requires a steadiness and dependability we’ve lacked for two decades now. The damage has been done, and Biden won’t be able to reverse it.”

The relationship between the USA and Europe is prophesied to deteriorate steadily.

Biden and the US Press

The Week wrote on June 9:

“President Biden will never call the press the ‘enemy of the people.’ He won’t whine about ‘nasty’ media ‘witch hunts’ or taunt reporters as ‘fake news.’… That does not mean he is the champion of press freedom he makes himself out to be.

“… While attention focused on Trump’s harsh language, his administration continued a long presidential tradition of  spying on members of the media, coercing revelation of reporters’ sources, and punishing whistleblowers. Trump continued ‘the aggressive crackdown on journalists’ that is a little-remembered part of former President Barack Obama’s legacy, as reporter James Risen… wrote at The New York Times in 2016:

“‘[The Obama administration] prosecuted nine cases involving whistle-blowers and leakers, compared with only three by all previous administrations combined. It has repeatedly used the Espionage Act, a relic of World War I-era red-baiting, not to prosecute spies but to go after government officials who talked to journalists. Under Mr. Obama, the Justice Department and the FBI have spied on reporters by monitoring their phone records, labeled one journalist an unindicted co-conspirator in a criminal case for simply doing reporting, and issued subpoenas to other reporters to try to force them to reveal their sources and testify in criminal cases…’

“This is the exact tradition Biden now prolongs, picking up where Trump left off.”

As the article points out correctly, Republican and Democrat US governments have been guilty of persecuting the “free” press.

Our Fake Mass Media

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on June 4:

“Watching the media coverage – or lack thereof – of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s emails and what they mean for the origin of the coronavirus, one is struck by how relentlessly fake everything is, from public health experts to science… Simply put, Donald Trump said the virus came from China and might have come from a lab, therefore that had to be wrong and racist…

“Trump disagreeing with CNN is a mortal threat to democracy and free speech, but Biden telling a reporter he’d rather run her over with an electric truck than answer a question about the war currently going on in Israel is a funny joke… This may seem partisan at first blush, but let’s remember this is the same media that once proudly carried water for the narrative about ‘Saddam’s WMDs.’ So the old Democrat-vs-Republican dichotomy doesn’t really work here, and misses the bigger picture…

“American founders codified the First Amendment because they regarded a free press necessary for a free republic. Yet the corporate media complex and their Big Tech counterparts have become a lapdog, not a watchdog, of power…  ‘Facts’ mean nothing… ‘Science’ isn’t a rigorous process of finding the truth, but a word-totem invoked to grant authority and banish dissent. ‘Truth’ is whatever they declare it is at the moment…

“Biden’s behavior starts making sense when you understand he exists in a fantasy world, entirely conjured by the press and his staff…”

We feel sorry for those who think they will learn the truth by relying on the reporting of the left-wing mass media.  Note the next articles.

Republicans Want Fauci Ousted

Fox News reported on June 5:

“…a growing wave of congressional Republicans are now [calling] on Anthony Fauci to resign or be fired from his post over revelations contained in thousands of his emails released this week…”

Newsmax wrote on June 4:

“…some of the emails indicated early in 2020 that Fauci was aware that some of the coronavirus’ features pointed toward its being engineered… In one of the Fauci emails, dated Feb. 1, 2020, Dr. Hugh Auchincloss wrote to Fauci that virus engineering experiments had been performed.

“Dr. Li Meng-Yan, a Chinese virologist who has alleged the COVID-19 pandemic is the result of an unrestricted bioweapon that leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, told Newsmax early Friday that the memo shows Fauci was among scientists and organizations that knew what was going on and tried to hide the matter. Yan fled to the U.S. after making allegations that China covered up its COVID outbreak and has since published two reports last year and one this year making claims about China’s virus work.”

The Biden Administration has ruled out to fire Fauci. Not surprisingly, as Fox News reported on June 7, “CNN has rushed to his defense and claimed conservatives are distorting history to smear him… Washington Times columnist Tim Young feels CNN has a ‘vested interest’ in Fauci and therefore must attempt to protect his once-sterling reputation… ‘Again, CNN is showing their hand that, with a pile of evidence and emails exposing Fauci… they’d rather stick to their narrative [than] be actual journalists. This non-journalistic behavior has become the modus operandi for CNN…’”

Russia’s Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses

The Moscow Times wrote on June 3:

“Russia has sentenced six Jehovah’s Witnesses to multi-year prison terms on extremism charges… Rights advocates decry Russia’s prosecutions of Jehovah’s Witnesses — which has been banned in Russia as an ‘extremist’ group since 2017 — as infringements of religious freedom.

“A district court in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk sentenced engineer Andrei Stupnikov, 47, to six years in prison on charges of ‘organizing extremist activities,’ the Jehovah’s Witnesses said in an emailed statement. ‘According to the prosecution, Stupnikov’s fault lies in the fact that he did not renounce his religious beliefs and participated in peaceful services, said prayers, performed chants and Bible discussions,’ the group said…

“Last year, the U.S. added  Russia to its watchlist of religious freedom violators, citing the country’s crackdown on Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

Russia’s conduct is appalling, and so is the silence or inactivity of Western nations.

Putin’s Dictatorship

Newsmax wrote on June 4:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new law Friday that critics say is aimed at squashing political opposition. The new law prevents members of ‘extremist’ or ‘terrorist’ organizations from standing in elections for three to five years, with the length of time depending on the person’s position, CNN reported.

“The legislation was signed and posted on a government website Friday, the birthday of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Navalny was imprisoned earlier this year for allegedly violating the probation terms of a 2014 case in which he received a suspended sentence of 3 ½ years. On Friday, Navalny’s chief of staff Leonid Volkov tweeted he didn’t believe Putin ‘accidentally’ signed the law on that particular day.

“Founders and leaders of designated groups will not be able to run for elected office for five years after a court decides to ban the group, the new law says. Employees or financial supporters of court-ruled extremist and terrorist organizations will be banned from running for office for three years.

“A Russian court, presiding over a case involving a lawsuit filed in April by the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office, will decide whether Navalny’s political and anti-corruption organizations will be designated as extremist groups. If prosecutors’ requests are granted, Navalny’s team could face serious consequences. CNN said the opposition leader’s supporters already have been subject to police raids and arrests…

“Russia already has sweeping anti-extremism laws, which critics say effectively limit freedom of speech and rights to public assembly. The new law threatens opposition politicians and ordinary Russian citizens… Constitutional reform in Russia last year allows Putin, 68, to run again. Before that, Putin would have been required to step down after his fourth and current term. Now, he can seek two more six-year terms….

“Russian authorities have ramped up their pressure on dissent ahead of the September elections. Andrei Pivovarov, the head of the Open Russia movement that dissolved itself last week, was pulled off a plane at St. Petersburg’s airport late Monday and was to be taken to Krasnodar in southern Russia Tuesday as part of a criminal probe against him. Also on Tuesday, police raided a country home of opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov, a former lawmaker who has aspired to run for parliament. Gudkov was released from custody after being held by Russian authorities for two days.”

Subsequently, Deutsche Welle reported on June 10:

“The Moscow City Court on Wednesday decided to disband organizations linked to jailed Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny Wednesday. Moscow’s chief prosecutor had accused Navalny and his allies of attempting to destabilize Russia socially and politically.

“It marks the latest move in a campaign to silence dissent and bar Kremlin critics from running for parliament in September. The court decision stops people associated with Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption and his sprawling regional network from seeking public office.

“Many of Navalny’s allies had hoped to run for parliamentary seats in the September 19 election.”

Open Skies Treaty Gone

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 7:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law the country’s departure from the Open Skies treaty on Monday, following in the footsteps of the former and current US presidential administrations. The agreement was set up after the Cold War to build confidence between Russia and NATO members by allowing signatory states to conduct unarmed surveillance missions over each other’s territory…

“There had been hopes that the current president would seek to return to the treaty. These hopes were dashed in May when the United States State Department informed Moscow that it would continue with Trump’s policy after concluding that Russia had not complied with the pact.”

California to Pay Church Legal Fees Due to Permanent Injunction

Breitbart wrote on June 3:

“The state of California agreed to a settlement in which it will pay more than $2 million in legal fees to attorneys who represented churches that were handed down significant restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, even as retail businesses experienced fewer regulations… The deal includes a permanent injunction following the High Court’s rulings that asserted houses of worship cannot have restrictions placed upon them that surpass those placed on retail businesses… ‘All churches and places of worship now have the protection of the statewide permanent injunction,’ Liberty Counsel said in a statement Wednesday. ‘Many of these cases will also have to be compensated by the state and/or local city or county.’

“The firm also observed that ‘the victory against Governor Newsom is also being filed in pending church cases across the nation,’ including in Maine, where Gov. Janet Mills (D) permitted unrestricted gatherings of business and secular organizations, but still required severe restrictions on churches, including a limit of 50 people, regardless of size of the building. ‘The dominoes are falling, and churches are being freed from dictatorial and unconstitutional restrictions,’ said Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel chairman. ‘The Supreme Court has intervened multiple times to provide relief. As a result, there will be more restrictions lifted and charges dropped for churches in the near future.’”

Biden Urged to Push EU to be a Military Power

Politico wrote on June 2:

“It’s time for the EU to become a global military power — and for the U.S. to stop thwarting Europe’s ambitions on defense. That’s according to a new report by the Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank with close ties to the Biden administration.

“The report… urges President Joe Biden to encourage the EU to develop hard-power military capabilities and calls on him to abandon decades of opposition to EU defense integration by previous U.S. leaders, under the guise of preventing wasteful duplication with NATO — which remains orthodox thinking for most American military commanders, and even for many EU governments…

“‘Since the 1990s, the United States has typically used its effective veto power to block the defense ambitions of the European Union. This has frequently resulted in an absurd situation where Washington loudly insists Europe do more on defense but then strongly objects when Europe’s political union — the European Union — tries to answer the call… This policy approach has been a grand strategic error…’

“EU leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have long endorsed the idea of creating an EU army…

“The report is likely to generate attention in part because the Center for American Progress has become known as a training ground for Biden administration officials…”

In this context, Airforce Technology reported on May 17:

“Thales and Rheinmetall have been awarded a contract to jointly support the certification phase of the ‘future training centre organisation’ for the Franco-German C-130J Hercules fleet. The Franco-German C-130J transport aircraft project is one of the key airforce programmes in Europe… Set to be established at Évreux in Normandy, France, the new training centre will host the French and German C-130J Super Hercules aircraft as a joint transport squadron….

“Starting this year, Germany and France plan to jointly operate a total of ten C-130J Super Hercules aircraft in Évreux, Germany.  France has already taken delivery of a total of four Super Hercules, while Germany will contribute six aircraft to the squadron, with deliveries expected next year… The C-130 air transport squadron is expected to reach its initial operational capability (IOC) on 1 September.”

Is the USA creating a Frankenstein monster which will ultimately turn on his “master”?

On the Way to EU Dictatorship

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 7:

“The European Union cannot allow itself to be ‘held hostage’ in its foreign policy by single nations exercising their veto rights, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday. His remarks are being widely seen as a rebuke directed at Hungary, which in recent months has blocked several foreign policy measures agreed on by almost all other member states.

“Speaking at a conference of Germany’s ambassadors in Berlin, Maas said: ‘… The veto has to go, even if that means we can be outvoted.”

This sets a dangerous precedence.

EU Imposes Coronavirus Travel Passports

The Associated Press wrote on June 9:

“European Union lawmakers on Wednesday endorsed a new travel certificate that will allow people to move between European countries without having to quarantine or undergo extra coronavirus tests… Several EU countries have already begun using the system, including Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece and Poland.

“…The new regulations governing the vaccine certificates were adopted in two votes at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France… The vote must still be rubber-stamped by EU nations, but that’s likely a formality.

“It means that beginning July 1 for 12 months, all EU countries must recognize the vaccine certificate. They will… certify that a person has either been fully vaccinated against the virus, has recently tested negative or has recovered from the disease… The passes will be issued by individual nations, not from a centralized European system…

“People coming from outside the EU, the overwhelming majority of whom should be vaccinated to enter, will be able to get a certificate if they can convince authorities in the EU country they enter that they qualify for one.”

Actually, this is a pretty bleak picture when it comes to individual liberties and freedoms.

“Historic” Deal by G-7 Nations on Global Tax

CNBC wrote on June 5 (with comments included in brackets and italics, being adopted from an article by The Guardian):

“The finance ministers of the most advanced economies, known as the Group of Seven, have backed a U.S. proposal that calls for corporations around the world to pay at least a 15% tax on earnings [in each country where they operate and where they are headquartered]… If finalized, it would represent a significant development in global taxation. Members of the G-7, which include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S., will convene for a summit in Cornwall, U.K., next week [starting Friday]… President Joe Biden and his administration had initially suggested a minimum global tax rate of 21%… However, after tough negotiations, a compromise was reached to set the bar at 15%…

“Biden’s idea had not been received… excitement across the world. The U.K., for example, did not immediately voice its support for the proposal. The issue can be contentious within the European Union as well, where various member states charge different corporate tax rates and can attract big-name firms by doing so. Ireland’s tax rate, for example, is 12.5%, while France’s can be as high as 31%.

“Speaking in April, Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said smaller nations should be allowed to have lower tax rates given that they don’t have the same capacity for scale as the larger economies do…

“The U.S., under former President Donald Trump, vehemently opposed digital tax initiatives in different countries and threatened to impose trade tariffs against countries that would plan on taxing U.S. tech companies.”

Bloomberg added on June 5:

“The Group of Seven advanced economies agreed the outline of a global deal on taxation that could give governments greater rights to tax U.S. tech giants…”

Deutsche Welle added on June 5:

“The global minimum tax would be levied… on the world’s 100 largest and most profitable companies [with profit margins of at least 10%]…

“G7 finance ministers backed moves to force banks and companies to disclose their exposure to climate-related risks… They also reiterated that digital currency projects should not operate until it meets ‘legal, regulatory, and oversight requirements through appropriate design and by adhering to applicable standards,’ the communique read.”

The New York Post wrote:

“Saturday’s deal is not binding and other groups, including the G-20 and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, along with governing bodies like the US Congress, would need to sign off on the deal…”

More LGBT Nonsense

Daily Mail wrote on June 4:

“Hundreds of organisations wanting to be included on Stonewall’s equality leaderboard should replace the term ‘mother’ with ‘parent who has given birth’, the LGBT charity has said. The controversial group has issued various guidance to employers wanting to make the cut on its Workplace Equality Index, which has attracted more than 500 applications in the last year.

“A number of government departments, such as the Home Office, the Department for International Trade and the Ministry of Justice – ranked as high as fifth – feature on the list, as well as the likes of MI6 and the British Army. … According to Stonewall there are more than 850 organisations, including 250 government departments and public bodies such as police forces, local councils and NHS trusts, signed up as ‘diversity champions’.

“Membership to the scheme starts at around £2,500, which according to the LGBT charity’s website, buys employers access to expert advice and resources to make their workplaces ‘inclusive’. However, the charity was embroiled in a new row over transgender rights last week, when its chief executive Nancy Kelley likened ‘gender critical’ beliefs to anti-Semitism as she defended its pro-trans campaigning.”

Is Trump Planning his Comeback?

Newsmax wrote on June 4:

“Former President Donald Trump may consider running for the House in 2022 to try to win the speaker of the House position… Others had suggested the former president run for the Senate. ‘But you know what, your idea [of becoming Speaker of the House] might be better,’ Trump said. ‘It’s very interesting.’ Previously, Trump mentioned he intends to make another presidential run in 2024, health permitting. The idea to run for the House underscores the interest many in the GOP have for Trump to make a return to public office sooner rather than later.

“The exact logistics for a House run would mean Trump would have to figure out in which district he would run. For now, the former president seems mainly interested in endorsing other congressional candidates rather than becoming one himself. Trump will also resume his rallies this summer, which could shed more light as to the next moves he wants to make. According to GOP polling, Trump would be in a strong position to win the presidential nomination in 2024. And, in a statement condemning Facebook’s decision to ban him from the platform for two years, Trump hinted that he could run for another term in the White House. ‘Next time I’m in the White House there will be no more dinners, at his request, with Mark Zuckerberg and his wife. It will all be business!’ Trump stated.”

Newsmax reported on June 5:

“Trump said America under Biden is heading to a dictatorship, although he mocked the current president for not even being the one in charge. ‘We’re going to take back the Senate, we’re going to take back the House, and we’re going to take back the White House sooner than you think,’ Trump said in a video circulating on Twitter before his North Carolina GOP Conference speech Saturday night… Despite social media rumors the former president was talking about an August return to the White House, advisers and those close to the president have denied he is maintaining that belief.”

US Supreme Court Denies Green Card for Aliens entering US Illegally

Daily Mail wrote on June 7:

“The Supreme Court ruled Monday that up to 400,000 immigrants who gained temporary protected status but came here illegally won’t be able to get green cards – with liberal Justice Elana Kagan such status ‘does not come with an admission ticket.’ The Supreme Court was unanimous in its refusal to let immigrants who have been allowed to stay in the United States on humanitarian grounds apply to become permanent residents if they entered the country illegally. it impacts thousands of immigrants who fled to the U.S. following hurricanes and other disasters and who established residency with special protected status…

“President Joe Biden, who has sought to reverse many of Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies, had opposed the immigrants in this case, placing the president at odds with immigration advocacy groups and some of his fellow Democrats.

“A federal law called the Immigration and Nationality Act generally requires that people seeking to become permanent residents have been ‘inspected and admitted’ into the United States. At issue in the case was whether a grant of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which gives the recipient ‘lawful status,’ satisfies those requirements…

“Steve Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law, told CNN: ‘Today’s decision is not just a setback for those immigrants currently in Temporary Protected Status who did not enter the United States lawfully; it also reinforces the barriers that Dreamers would face until and unless Congress provides a statutory path to some kind of permanent lawful status…

“Michael Kagan, a University of Nevada law professor and immigration lawyer, tweeted: ‘SCOTUS decision on TPS (Sanchez) is just one more measure forcing large numbers of immigrants to live precariously, depending for their futures on the result of the next presidential election…’”

Roll Call wrote on June 7:

“[The ruling] will also make it more difficult for thousands of TPS holders who initially entered the U.S. without authorization, and thus were not originally ‘admitted,’ to become permanent residents, even after living in the U.S. under the temporary status for years or even decades… The case puts an end to a split among circuit courts that allowed immigrants living in some states to get green cards in the last few years…

“This gave TPS holders in those states with employers willing to sponsor them a path to a green card. It also relieved TPS holders with American spouses from having to travel abroad and reenter the country to become permanent residents, a difficult process that can be prohibitively expensive and require individuals to wait in countries deemed unsafe by the U.S. government…”

Especially the uncertain situation of the Dreamers has been a constant problem which no administration so far has been able or willing to solve adequately. It would indeed be up to Congress, but there is little hope that Congress, divided as it is, could agree on anything substantial on this issue. In fact, in the case at hand, Congress enacted the section on TPS, but it is so vague and ambiguous that the Supreme Court did not feel they could conclude that Congress wanted to convey admission status in addition with its legal status.  Because of this highly questionable technicality and the lack of foresight of Congress, TPS holders are now barred from obtaining a green card.

Also, Vice President Kamala Harris came under attack from all sides–the left and the right–for her immigration stance and her visit and comments in Guatemala and her subsequent interviews. In a related development, Newsmax and The Associated Press reported on June 8 that “Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Tuesday proclaimed, ‘the era of bipartisanship is over’ after talks broke down between the Biden administration and Republicans over infrastructure legislation. The breakdown comes as the two sides could not broker the divide over the scope of the president’s sweeping infrastructure investment and how to pay for it.”

This country has NEVER been divided before like this, following the civil war, and that says something!

German Catholic Church More Trouble for Rome

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 4:

“German Cardinal Reinhard Marx has offered Pope Francis his resignation from his position as archbishop of Munich and Freising, saying the Catholic Church had reached a ‘dead point.’… Marx said investigations and reports of the past 10 years [regarding child sexual abuse] showed him there had not only been ‘a lot of personal failure and administrative errors,’ but ‘also institutional and systemic failure’ within the Catholic Church.

“… Marx has previously apologized on behalf of the Catholic Church to the victims of sexual abuse… Marx had been president of the German Bishops’ Conference from 2012 to 2020… A study commissioned by the German Bishops’ Conference under Marx’s presidency and released in 2018 showed that 1,670 clergymen had committed a type of sexual attack against 3,677 minors, mostly boys, from 1946 through 2014. The study found that the number of victims was certainly much higher…

“The series of scandals have prompted thousands of church members to leave Germany’s largest diocese [in Cologne]. The Cologne Catholic Church is also the world’s richest diocese by some measures, bringing in more income than the Vatican… Germany’s Catholic Church counted 22.6 million members in 2019 and remains the largest religion in the country.”

Newsmax reported on June 10:

“Pope Francis refused Thursday to accept the resignation offered by German Cardinal Reinhard Marx over the sex abuse scandal in the church, but said a process of reform was necessary and that every bishop must take responsibility for the ‘catastrophe’ of the crisis.

“Francis wrote a letter to Marx in response to the German’s bombshell announcement last week that he had offered to resign as archbishop of Munich and Freising over the church’s mishandling of abuse cases. Francis refused to accept the resignation and told Marx in the letter he must continue as archbishop…

“Francis’ letter, written originally in Spanish and using an informal, brotherly tone, appeared to give Marx papal backing to proceed with the German Church’s controversial reform process that was launched as a response to the abuse crisis and reports into the German hierarchy’s mishandling of abuse cases over decades.

“The so-called ‘Synodal Path’ reform process has sparked fierce resistance inside Germany and beyond, primarily from conservatives opposed to opening any debate on issues such as priestly celibacy, women’s role in the church and homosexuality. Resistance has also come from the Vatican and bishops outside Germany, including culture warriors in the United States who have broken with church protocol to pen essays critical of the German reform process.”

Hezbollah’s Rising Presence in Germany

The Algemeiner wrote on June 9:

“Despite Germany’s efforts to curtail Hezbollah-related activities, the terrorist organization’s presence continues to rise across the country. German intelligence estimates that the number of Hezbollah operatives increased 20 percent last year, from 1,050 members and supporters to 1,250. There are roughly 180 Hezbollah-affiliated individuals in the German state of Lower Saxony alone… German intelligence previously identified about 30 mosques and cultural associations intimately connected to Hezbollah, or that propagate the terrorist group’s Iranian-inspired, radical Shia ideology…

“The terrorist organization has also used Germany, among other countries, to store bomb-making material…

“Following years of malicious activity inside and outside its borders, Germany designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in April 2020, joining other Western countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Canada. Yet most European Union countries continue to selectively outlaw the group’s military wing. This approach, however, allows Hezbollah’s political wing to operate freely and engage in nefarious propaganda and terror financing activities. Hezbollah is a cohesive and hierarchical organization that does not treat its political, terrorist, and military wings as distinct entities.

“Germany faces an array of Islamist terrorist threats, and has foiled numerous high-profile plots in recent years, including Islamic State-led cells that sought to…carry out a mass-casualty attack using ricin-based biological weapons… Hezbollah remains resilient in the face of German sanctions and continues to strengthen its presence across the country.”

Bible prophesy shows that Iranian mercenaries will fight for Germany and Europe against Israel. See our free booklet, “Middle Eastern and African Nations in Bible Prophecy.”

Spahn under Fire

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 5:

“German Health Minister Jens Spahn is facing fierce cross-party criticism after a report emerged about his ministry’s plans to dispose of unusable face masks by handing them out to vulnerable groups amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Health Ministry on Saturday hit back at the claims made in the German magazine Der Spiegel, saying all its masks had been tested to a high standard and that protection of the wearer was its top priority…

“The magazine on Friday reported that the Health Ministry had ordered face masks from China in Spring 2020 for an estimated €1 billion ($1.2 billion). The order was placed amid a global mask shortage and had not been tested to meet EU standards. Due to this,  the masks were unable to be used on arrival and needed to undergo emergency testing to be deemed fit for use. The Ministry of Health under Spahn drew up plans to distribute the masks to the homeless, the disabled or Hartz IV benefit recipients, the magazine reported.

“But the Ministry of Labor, which is responsible for mask safety, refused to give its approval to the plan…”

Angela Merkel strongly defended Spahn on Monday, and her colleagues in her party (CDU) accused her coalition party (SPD), on Wednesday of conducting a dirt campaign without any proof. Still, Der Spiegel responded and maintained that their reporting has been accurate.

Forced to Consume Pork!

The Associated Press reported on June 4:

“The head football coach at an Ohio high school and six other coaches there have been ousted after a football player said he was forced to eat pork in violation of his religious beliefs for missing a voluntary workout… The player and his family are members of the Hebrew Israelite religious faith and do not eat pork…

“The teen’s attorney, Ed Gilbert, said the player skipped a voluntary workout four days before the incident while nursing a sore shoulder. He was ordered to sit in the middle of the gym and eat an entire pepperoni pizza, Gilbert said. He was allowed to remove the pepperoni and some of the cheese, but pork residue remained, Gilbert said.

“The teen would have been subjected to additional drills and his status on the team might have been jeopardized if he had not followed [the head football coach’s] order, Gilbert said.”

This is despicable, but in line with growing anti-Semitism all over the world.

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 of this series, we noted that the teaching of evolution has long been a false basis for indoctrinating the young, and with a preponderance of teachers with left-leaning views, we have a completely different picture to that experienced by students in decades past. We also started to look at the influences now at work in education.

One conservative student wrote that “To survive college you keep [your mouth] shut when it comes to left versus right. That is the way it goes in USA colleges.”

There is no doubt that if anyone wants to influence the young of today, start the process as early as possible at school, and continue this through college and university.

Going back some years, we can see how perversion infiltrated the teaching profession and society.In 1970, in the UK, Margaret Thatcher was appointed education secretary and was elected as Prime Minister in 1979. In 1988, under her leadership, there was a classic case that can be seen from its inception to where we are today in terms of bringing and promoting perversion into schools. This would never have been countenanced in previous decades. Wikipedia reports as follows:

“Section 28 or Clause 28 was a British law that prohibited the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ by local authorities. Introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government, it was in effect from 1988 to 2000 (in Scotland) and 2003 (in England and Wales). It caused many organizations such as lesbian, gay and bisexual student support groups to close or limit their activities or self-censor.

“The law is named after Section 28 of the Local Government Acts 1988, which added Section 2A to the Local Government Acts 1986. Enacted on 24 May 1988, the amendment stated that a local authority ‘shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality’ or ‘promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship’. It was repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland by the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Act 2000, one of the first pieces of legislation enacted by the new Scottish Parliament, and on 18 November 2003 in England and Wales by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003.

“In December 2005, homosexuals were allowed to marry when new same sex civil unions became law and this was the inevitable outcome of years of pressure.

“In 2009, David Cameron, then leader of the Conservative Party, apologised for his party supporting the law.  In 2013, after he became Prime Minister, his government passed the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, legalising gay marriage in England and Wales. In 2013, the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher prompted critical comment from many LGBT organisations and individuals such as Peter Tatchell about her legacy on gay rights, including Section 28.”

We can see from just this one issue how a 180 degree-change can be achieved over a sustained period of time.

The BBC reported in April 2019 that the UK Education Secretary had said that it was up to primary schools in England to choose what they teach about same-sex relationships. They reported that the UK Education Secretary had written to head teachers saying they are encouraged to teach children about LGBT issues if they ‘consider it age appropriate’. He said head teachers should consult parents but reassured them parents had no right to veto what was taught. Some parents said they believed the lessons “undermined parental rights and authority.”

It is interesting that the “Stonewall” organisation boasts on its website that “Over the past 30 years we’ve made a big difference to the lives of LGBT people here and around the world. In the UK, the LGBT movement has won employment rights. Parenting rights. Partnership rights. An equal age of consent.”

They, and many others, have been very clever at manipulating public opinion over the last half century, and through the continuous promotion of the need to accept homosexuality as normal, their constant, energetic, resolute, tireless and indefatigable work has paid handsome dividends for their cause. Of course, they have lobbied and persuaded media, politicians and others in influential positions at the highest level of the “rightness of their cause,” as they would see it, and this has resulted in a gradual acceptance of this as “mainstream,” as we clearly observe in society today. Having created the current climate, we have now arrived at the sorry state where saying that homosexuality is an abomination in the eyes of God may be a punishable offence in certain countries, as it may be considered hate speech.

The “Stonewall” organization then asks the question: “What is LGBT-inclusive education and why does it matter?” They answer it as follows: “For every young person to be prepared for life in modern Britain, it’s vital that their curriculum reflects the full diversity of the world they live in. This includes teaching about LGBT people and themes.”

Those who have used the right to free speech in the first place are happy to have done so in pursuit of their agenda, and when that has been achieved, they then try and close down any comment, discussion or debate on that very same subject. What is worse, as we will see, they who claim to have been persecuted are now becoming the persecutors. What a sorry state of affairs we now have in the UK and elsewhere.

This now leads us to review the role of government in schooling. In April 2019, the government in the UK announced new regulations for teaching relationships and sex education in England. [In other countries in our Western societies, it is not much better; in certain cases, such as in Germany, it is even much worse.] For secondary schools the guidance states that (amongst other matters):

“RSE (Relationship and Sexual Education) must be taught in all schools in England: Sexual orientation and gender identity must be explored at a timely point; Same-sex relationships should be included within lessons discussing healthy and stable relationships.”

For primary schools (ages 5-11), the guidance says that: “All schools should teach about different families (which can include LGBT parents), along with families headed by grandparents, single parents, adoptive parents, and foster parents/carers, among other family structures.”

For more information about what a family really is, please see our Q&A on this subject.

On the website of brighthorizons,  it is stated:

“Literature is a wonderful way to expose children to the world. By sharing books such as the ones listed below, you are communicating that diverse families and people are all acceptable. There may be different values and structures, but in the end… it’s about family.”  The sort of literature that they present are:

“The Great Big Book of Families,” by Mary Hoffman. This book features a diverse variety of so-called family structures, what family members do, and where they live.

“The White Swan Express,” by Jean Davies Okimoto and Elaine Aoki. This story is about a quartet of parents adopting a quartet of Chinese orphans. It just so happens that the four families consist of a single mom, a heterosexual couple, a lesbian family, and an interracial family.

“The Family Book,” by Todd Parr. In this book, the author celebrates all types of “families” in a funny, reassuring manner. He includes diverse “family” structures like adoptive families, step-families, single-parent families, two-mom and two-dad families, and families with both a mom and a dad.

They go on to say:

“Find out how to teach acceptance to pre-schoolers. Read why it’s important for one of our bloggers to teach her children about all kinds of families…”

It is interesting that they talk about “teaching acceptance,” which means a form of brainwashing, and that is what modern education is doing to our young people. It is important to understand the state of play with the educational system in 2021.

We must realize the situation we find ourselves in today. Modern “educators” give us this solution – indoctrinate the very young to their perversion as early as possible.  It has all the hallmarks of Satan’s handiwork indelibly stamped on it. And, it has created so much confusion with over 70 so-called different gender definitions (and growing) that many young people have had normality snatched from them with all the problems that we now see. The fruits of all this activity are evil.

At the same time, they are eagerly determined to censor and prohibit books or movies which do not agree with their desired agenda. Well-loved classic children books have been erased from the school curriculum or warning labels have been attached to them, and many Disney movies for children have been included in the rubric of undesired categories, as they allegedly teach racial discrimination or make fun of gender neutrality.

And then we have the ridiculous, superfluous or even outright dangerous courses offered in the UK and USA universities. On the website of goconqr, we read about some of the weirdest university courses that are available:

“The Simpsons and Philosophy” – This peculiar course offered at the University of California in Berkeley;

“David Beckham” – The Staffordshire University in England offers this unique course and will, study, amongst other things, his different haircuts;

“The Sociology of Fame and Lady Gaga” is available at the University of South Carolina;

“Harry Potter and the Age of Illusion” is offered by the University of Durham in the UK;

“Feel the Force: How to Train in the Jedi Way” is taught by the Queen’s University in Belfast;

“Maple Syrup” – The Alfred University in New York teaches a course focused exclusively on the process of producing maple syrup;

“Zombie Studies” – This University of Baltimore course analyses zombie movies and shows.

And there are many more, including courses on Transcendental Meditation and other Far Eastern “methods” to achieve personal “enlightenment.”

If anyone had predicted this state of affairs 50 years ago, it would have been seen as an impossibility, but the impossible is now a reality and is now the mainstream of today.

Let us consider further erosion of sound principles in the area of education.

In the UK, prayers and assembly at schools were a staple of daily school life, but that has now been badly eroded. We hasten to state that we do not propagate public prayers in school either, but for very different reasons. While modern “educators” want to eradicate God and the Bible from their schools, or are concerned about not offending non-Christians, we in God’s Church realize that school prayers are addressed to the wrong Entity—either the false concept of the Trinity or the “Virgin Mary” or certain dead saints in heaven.  We would not want our children to participate in such prayers or worship services. But that is not the reason why “Christian” societies prohibit prayers in school.

In February 1998, the BBC reported: “Daily worship for schoolchildren could soon be a thing of the past if the government acts on a report.  A review panel set up a year ago suggests scrapping the daily ritual of hymns and prayers because they alienate some children from non-Christian faiths.”

In December 2005 the BBC reported that: “Prayers and assembly at schools which were a staple of daily school life but that is now a thing of the past.”

The Independent newspaper reported in December 2015: “Schools should no longer be forced by law to hold daily acts of Christian worship, as part of major reforms reportedly outlined by an influential commission.  A report by the Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life, which includes the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, said the arguments for mandatory Christian prayers in secular schools was ‘no longer convincing.’”

We can see how, over just a few years, things have changed drastically.

Wikipedia writes that in the UK: “Despite this statutory requirement for schools to hold a daily act of collective worship, most do not. Ofsted’s 2002-03 annual report, for example, stated that 80% of secondary schools were not providing daily worship for all pupils.”

Again, we hasten to add that laws of mandatory collective school worship are wrong and even destructive, for the reasons stated above, but these are not the reasons as to why these laws are now either not followed or repealed.

While this is still allowed legally in the UK, it is nothing like it was in former times. Wikipedia states that “Countries that prohibit school-sponsored prayer include the USA, Canada, France, Turkey and Singapore.”

Corporal punishment in British state schools, and also in private schools receiving any element of public funding, was banned by parliament in 1987. In the remaining private schools it was banned in 1999 in England and Wales, 2000 in Scotland, and 2003 in Northern Ireland. Most had anticipated the legislation and abandoned CP voluntarily several years earlier. A few Christian private schools held out, and fought the ban through the courts, ultimately without success.

One teacher remarked that “when the change came, they took something away without anything to replace it with that was a real threat. You would threaten detentions, but some of the most disruptive just didn’t turn up to them.  And if you excluded them from school, they took it as an extra holiday.” In fact, we have seen particularly in the USA, that many schools have become a battleground with many shootings in the last few years. That sort of frightening environment is not the sort of place where students will be happy and do their best work.

We don’t deny that in certain cases, corporal punishment, including in schools, has been horribly abused, and it is still abused in a most gruesome way in certain countries right now. But to eliminate it totally is not the right course of action either, nor is it biblical.

Our booklet “The Keys to Happy Marriages and Families!” covers discipline in the home on pages 23-26.   We read on page 24:

“There is never a justification for physical abuse. On the other hand, to totally ban spanking and define it as physical abuse only shows how liberal and anti-biblical our Western society has become. This is of course the fruit of the anti-authoritarian education that has brought about a curse on our Western world. Note what the Bible clearly teaches in regard to corporal punishment in Proverbs 13:24, ‘He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who LOVES him disciplines him promptly [or early].’ Since using the rod is compared with prompt or early discipline, it is clear that this passage includes the concept of spanking, where and when appropriate. Of course, we don’t spank a teenager or an adult, so the spanking needs to be done early in the life of the child. But note, again, we discipline our children, because we LOVE them.”

“Proverbs 23:13–14 reads, ‘Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell.’ The Ryrie Study Bible comments, ‘A wise teacher warns of neglecting child discipline… Discipline may deliver a child from an untimely death.’”

Because of all the changes in schooling today, is it any wonder that home-schooling is now the choice of many more parents than in the past? Of course, in certain countries, such as Germany, home-schooling is totally forbidden.

Further, when Church of God parents want to take their children to the godly annual Feast of Tabernacles, they have to request time off and, in certain countries such as Germany, which have government-imposed mandatory school attendance requirements, this request may be refused with fines or other punishment doled out to those who defy the system and keep God’s Holy days anyway, while refusing to lie by pretending that their children got sick. In contrast, the world’s pagan holidays, Christmas, Easter and others are state holidays!

In summary, so far, we have seen the following in modern education:

It is underlined by the false teaching of evolution. In addition, there is ample proof that the overwhelming number of those teachers, lecturers and professors who have the responsibility to educate young minds are liberal and left wing purveyors of information.

There is the sexual revolution where anything goes, and wrong examples are now the norm for very young minds from a very young age with the unacceptable use of books highlighting different “lifestyles.” Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 in the UK which restricted the promotion of homosexuality in UK schools was overturned, and we now have the indoctrination of the very young in schools. Literature showing different “lifestyles” and “family make-up” in schools are now commonplace.

There is the “dumbing down” of some university/college courses.

Prayer in schools is not allowed in some countries; in others, while it may be allowed, there seems to be little take-up of that activity.

Corporal punishment of any kind is now not allowed, with the inevitable increase in disruptive students.

There seems to be more home-schooling taking place in some countries to remove children from a climate of wrong teaching and, in many cases, because of bullying that can happen when children don’t conform to the world’s and their teachers’ and co-students’ norms.

What are the fruits of all of this “so-called” progress? The stress on children, their parents and teachers themselves, can lead to physical, mental and psychological problems that may last way beyond the time spent in the educational system. It is not a happy scenario but has been the result of many bad decisions made over a sustained period of time and there is no end in sight in its current form.

For those who are interested, there is a timeline of all the events that have transformed the educational landscape in the UK from 1910-2015.   See https://www.tes.com/news/timeline-history-education .

(To be Continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

The Divided United States” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

The USA is deeply divided in ways that have not been experienced for many decades. This program gives numerous examples of that division and is asking as to where it will lead.  

“Die biblische Prophezeiung—von nun an bis in Ewigkeit!,” is a new booklet Promo Video presented in German by Michael Link. Title in English: “Biblical Prophecy – From Now Until Forever.”

“Werden SIE ewiges Leben in Gottes Reich haben?” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Will YOU have Eternal Life in God’s Kingdom?”

“Einsamkeit in der Corona Krise,” is the title of last Sabbath’s German sermonette, presented by Robert Muhr. Title in English: “Solitude in the Corona Crisis.”

“Dramatic Events in Germany—Comments on News and Prophecy, June 5, 2021,” is the title of last Sabbath’s update, presented by Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Germany is in the news… whether it’s their refusal to help Ukraine militarily; their admission of genocide in Namibia; the precise revelation of the exact number and location of American nuclear weapons on German soil; Bild Online’s strong accusation of the German government’s mismanagement of the coronavirus crisis, causing great harm to children; and the “real, if not declared” schism between the Vatican and the German Catholic Church with the world’s richest diocese in Cologne… Germany is THE power to watch in the light of biblical prophecy.

“Presence of Mind,” is the title of last Sabbath’s sermonette, presented by Michael Link. Here is a summary:

When we are in any given situation where we may be put on the spot, criticized, or accused, how do we respond?  Will we respond hastily without thinking or will we apply a different approach, that of self-control?  Who is the prime example that we should emulate?

“Friends,” is the title of last Sabbath’s sermon, presented by Rene Messier. Here is a summary:

We need to appreciate the value of true friends and to recognize that God and Christ are our true friends who will never abandon us, regardless of the trials and tests we go through. This sermon covers seven characteristics of true friends.

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 5, 2021, Michael Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Presence of Mind,” and Rene Messier will present the sermon, titled, “Friends.”

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.

You hate to listen to the news these days because it’s mostly bad news.  A good day in Chicago means that only ten people have been shot. Anti-Semitism is up tremendously since the conflict in Israel, with increasing attacks on Jewish people around the world. We should not think that we could not be next. In fact, the whole world will hate us.

Luke 6:22 says: “How blessed are you whenever people hate you, avoid you, insult you, and slander you because of the Son of Man!” (International Standard Version throughout). The reason is: We do not fit in.  A people willing to kill the unborn and turn their nose at obeying God will not tolerate righteous people within their midst because those who obey God make them look bad.

However, there will eventually be peace on earth without wars, conflicts and killings, when the glorious Kingdom of God will rule. Let us look at some encouraging Scriptures in regard to this.

Isaiah 2:2 tells us: “It will come about in the last days that the mountain that is the LORD’s Temple will be established as the highest of mountains, and will be raised above the hills; all the nations will stream to it.”

Isaiah 2:3 continues: “Many groups of people will come, commenting, ‘Come! Let’s go up to the Temple of the God of Jacob, that they may teach us his ways. Then let’s walk in his paths.’”

Isaiah 2:4 says: “He will judge between the nations, and will render verdicts for the benefit of many. ‘They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nations will not raise swords against nations, and they will not learn warfare anymore.’”

War and hatred are taught at a very young age, but in the future, peace and love will be taught instead, and killing and violence will be abolished.

Also note this setting:

Isaiah 11:6 reads:  “The wolf will live with the lamb; the leopard will lie down with the young goat. The calf and the lion will graze together, and a little child will lead them.”

This depicts an era of safety for children, where they are not abused or harmed in any way. Zechariah 8:5 elaborates: “The city parks will be filled with boys and girls. They will play in the city’s open parks.”

Again, these Scriptures picture a time of peace and safety for children and all of mankind.

Today, we read of children being shot in the streets, kidnapped and abused by evil people. All of this will change in the not too distant future, so we must not be discouraged by events going on, but look to the future when all the evils in this world will cease once and for all.

I recall a song sung by the Ambassador choir, titled: “It won’t be long now.” The time is much closer than when this song was sung in the seventies, and it cannot come soon enough.

by Norbert Link

We report on interesting developments regarding Russia and Belarus, as well as Ukraine; further attacks of Russian hackers against the USA; the potential departure of Benjamin Netanyahu (please see our new StandingWatch program in this regard, titled, “Israel’s Netanyahu Ousted?”) ; Germany’s admission of committing genocide in Namibia and the origin and true nature of Hitler’s Nazi party (the “NSDAP”); French resistance to additional funding of NATO; and the leak of classified information about the place and nature of US nuclear weapons in Europe and Turkey.

We continue with the invasion of millions of mice in Australia and American budget plans to raise the national debt to unparalleled astronomical proportions.

We address vaccine passport propaganda; the desire to vaccinate children; the curse of lockdowns and the resulting harm caused especially to children; and a new report asserting that the coronavirus was created in China through laboratory manipulations and that it was subsequently covered up by the Chinese government.

We speak on suppression of truth and deliberate lies by the mainstream media; the powerful abortion industry; a “rainbow index” for Christian churches and the schism within the Catholic Church; ongoing persecution of Christian Churches in Canada; and we conclude with the claim that Einstein had it all wrong.

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

Russia and Belarus

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 28:

“Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday for talks on closer economic ties…

“Belarusian authorities forced a Ryanair plane to land in the capital Minsk on Sunday. They arrested dissident journalist Raman Pratasevich who was on board the flight from Greece to Lithuania, which are both EU member states…

“The Kremlin chief also said he and Lukashenko were continuing to integrate their two countries closer together… Russia is Belarus’s closest ally. They have signed an agreement that calls for closer political, economic and military ties. The Belarus economy is in freefall after the EU froze assets and slapped visa bans on Lukashenko and 87 of the regime′s leaders… The EU barred Belarusian carriers from its airspace and advised European airlines to avoid flying over Belarus… European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for total regime change in Belarus…

“Analysts fear that a further escalation in EU sanctions might push Lukashenko even closer to Putin.”

NBC News added on May 28:

“The Kremlin has championed Belarus… Meanwhile, the head of NATO said it was hard to believe that Russia was not involved in Belarus’ plane ‘hijacking.’ ‘We know the very close relationship between Russia and Belarus,’ NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the British broadcaster Sky News. ‘Therefore it’s hard to believe that the regime in Minsk could do something like this without any kind of coordination with Russia.’”

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 31:

“Minsk’s border agency has announced new rules that will make it nearly impossible to leave the country. As citizens attempt to flee Belarus, longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko appears to be closing all the exits.”

Belarus is also known as White Russia. Other White Russians live in Ukraine. Russians and White Russians will combine their efforts to become a challenge to Europe.

Germany Refuses to Help Ukraine militarily

The Associated Press wrote on June 1:

“Germany, along with France, has led Western diplomatic efforts to resolve the long-running conflict between Kyiv and Russia-backed separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. But efforts toward a political settlement are stalled. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was quoted in an interview Tuesday with the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that Chancellor Angela Merkel has done a lot for Ukraine but ‘of course I had hoped for more from her’… ‘Germany can do more,’ he said, pointing to recent comments by opposition Green party leader Robert Habeck during a visit to Ukraine.

“Habeck said that ‘from my point of view, it is hard for us to deny Ukraine weapons for defense, for self-defense.’ His comments drew widespread criticism in Germany in an election year, not least from his own party, which has pacifist roots. ‘Germany has not given us military help, but it could do,’ Zelenskyy said. ‘Germany has great ships: speedboats, missile speedboats and patrol boats.’

“German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas firmly rejected the idea of weapons deliveries, while highlighting Germany’s support for Ukraine in diplomacy and in bilateral aid… Ukraine also strongly opposes the completion of a new Russian-built natural gas pipeline to Germany under the Baltic Sea.”

This will backfire for Germany. Soon, Ukraine will align with or be overtaken by Russia against continental Europe.

Russian Hackers Attack Again

CNN wrote on May 28:

“The hackers behind one of the worst data breaches ever to hit the US government have launched a new global cyberattack on more than 150 government agencies, think tanks and other organizations, according to Microsoft. The group, which Microsoft calls ‘Nobelium,’ targeted 3,000 email accounts at various organizations this week — most of which were in the United States… It believes the hackers are part of the same Russian group behind last year’s devastating attack on SolarWinds— a software vendor — that targeted at least nine US federal agencies and 100 companies.

“Cybersecurity has been a major focus for the US government following the revelations that hackers had put malicious code into a tool published by SolarWinds. A ransomware attack that shut down one of America’s most important pieces of energy infrastructure — the Colonial Pipeline — earlier this month has only heightened the sense of alarm. That attack was carried out by a criminal group originating in Russia,  according to the FBI… the hackers were able to send out phishing emails that Microsoft said ‘looked authentic but included a link that, when clicked, inserted a malicious file’ that allowed the hackers to access computers through a backdoor.

“The latest disclosure shows how Russia has been undeterred by recent US efforts to hold the Kremlin accountable and bolster cybersecurity following the SolarWinds campaign, said James Lewis, a cybersecurity expert…  ‘The Russians have a campaign plan for massive attacks against US targets, for which they have no incentive to stop,’ Lewis said. ‘They aren’t afraid of the US response. They are testing the new administration.’”

Whether those hackers are working independently of the Russian government is extremely doubtful.

Deutsche Welle wrote on June 1:

“The Brazilian multinational] JBS, the world’s largest meat producer, has been forced to close a number of its plants around the world as the result of a cyberattack on its servers… JBS closed facilities in Australia on Monday and in the US and Canada on Tuesday. JBS, the largest beef producer in the US, slaughters, packages and sells roughly a quarter of all beef in the country…”

Breitbart added on June 1:

“…the White House said Tuesday that Russia was likely the origin of the cyberattack and has called on Moscow to punish the hackers responsible… The White House is engaging directly with the Russian government on this matter, and delivering the message that responsible states do not harbor ransomware criminals, the White House official added.”

Fox Business wrote on June 2:

“JBS…  has shuttered all of its US-based beef plants… The attack raised concerns of a potential meat shortage in the U.S. and several other countries impacted by the situation. It wasn’t immediately clear how the shutdown would affect meat prices.”

So quickly things can change.

Netanyahu Ousted?

On June 2, JTA reported the following:

“Benjamin Netanyahu will no longer be Israel’s prime minister, as his political opponents announced Wednesday night that they have formed a coalition that will replace him, pending a vote in Israel’s parliament.

“The new coalition, dubbed the ‘change bloc,’ is an ideologically broad alliance that spans the Israeli political right, center and left. For the first time in Israeli history, it will include an Arab-Israeli party, not as an external supporter of the government, but as a full member of the coalition. It comprises 61 lawmakers, the smallest possible majority in Israel’s 120-seat parliament, the Knesset.

“The coalition was announced by Yair Lapid, head of the centrist Yesh Atid party, with less than an hour to go before his chance to form a governing coalition expired…

“For the first two years-plus of its term, the coalition will be led by Naftali Bennett, head of the right-wing Yamina party. Bennett will be Israel’s first Orthodox prime minister. Lapid will take over for the second half of the term. Netanyahu has led Israel for the past 12 years.

“The coalition includes eight parties in total that differ vastly on their vision for Israel, but agree on the need to end the Netanyahu era and the political crisis that has gripped Israel since 2019. Over the past two years, Israelis have voted in four elections whose results have been mostly inconclusive. Had Lapid failed to announce a coalition, Israel would have almost definitely held a fifth election later this year.

“The new Israeli government, most significantly, will be the first one since 2009 not led by Netanyahu, who is the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history. He was indicted on corruption charges in 2019 and his trial is ongoing, one of the main factors that led former right-wing allies of his, such as Bennett, to join his opponents.

“To agree to partner with each other, the incoming coalition’s eight parties had to overcome a range of disagreements over policy and ministerial positions. In addition to Yamina and Yesh Atid, the coalition will include the right-wing parties New Hope and Israel Beiteinu; the centrist Blue and White party; the left-wing Labor and Meretz parties; and the Arab-Israeli Raam party, which is Islamist.

“The new government is set to be approved in a Knesset vote sometime before June 14. Negotiations over its particulars, as well as efforts to undermine it, may continue until the vote takes place. The new coalition was announced on the same day that Isaac Herzog,  a former leader of Israel’s Labor party, was elected president of Israel, a largely ceremonial role.”

It was also reported that Netanyahu has no intention of resigning, and plans to lead the opposition while engaging in attacks against Yamina and intense efforts to break up the coalition along ideological lines. It has been stated that this new coalition cannot and will not succeed for long–if at all.

The Associated Press wrote on June 3:

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opponents pushed Thursday for a quick parliament vote to formally end his lengthy rule, hoping to head off any last-minute attempts to derail their newly announced coalition government. The latest political maneuvering began just hours after opposition leader Yair Lapid and his main coalition partner, Naftali Bennett, declared they had reached a deal to form a new government and muster a majority in the 120-member Knesset, or parliament. 

“The coalition consists of eight parties from across the political spectrum with little in common except the shared goal of toppling Netanyahu after his record-setting 12 years in power. The alliance includes hard-liners previously allied with Netanyahu, as well as center-left parties and even an Arab faction — a first in Israeli politics. But the fragile coalition still faces a tough road ahead — it was not able to unseat the parliament speaker, a Netanyahu ally, later on Thursday and it remained unclear how events would play out over the next few days.

“Netanyahu lashed out at his foes on Thursday, signaling that he will continue to exert pressure on former allies who joined the coalition. ‘All members of Knesset who were elected with right-wing votes need to oppose this dangerous leftist government,’ he wrote on Twitter.

“Bennett, who is slated to become prime minister, has come under heavy pressure from Israeli hard-liners who accuse him of betrayal. He heads Yamina, a small right-wing party that appeals to religious, nationalist voters… In a televised interview, Bennett said he would never agree to freeze construction in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, which is seen by the Palestinians and much of the international community as a major obstacle to peace…

“The coalition has a razor-thin majority of 61 votes in parliament. On Thursday, it attempted to replace parliament speaker Yariv Levin, in order to speed up the vote on the new government. But the effort failed after Nir Orbach, a lawmaker from Yamina, refused to sign on, underscoring the fragility of the alliance. Levin can now use his position to delay the vote and give Netanyahu more time to sabotage the coalition.”

Germany Admits Genocide in Namibia

NPR wrote on May 28:

“Germany is formally recognizing that its killing of tens of thousands of people belonging to two ethnic groups more than a century ago in present-day Namibia was a genocide… From about 1884 to 1915, Germany occupied several territories in Africa. Its colony in German South West Africa, in what is now Namibia, was established to provide more territory for its people, a campaign called Lebensraum. At the time, German urban areas were overcrowded due to a population boom.

“After settlers seized their land and cattle, ethnic Herero and Nama people launched a rebellion against their occupiers. German soldiers killed tens of thousands of them between 1904 and 1908. Survivors were forced into the desert and later placed in concentration camps… Many died of disease and starvation, some after being used for medical experiments. It’s estimated that 80% of the Indigenous populations of the Herero and Nama died during the genocide.”

What should also be noted is that Germany’s campaigns for Lebensraum and the establishment of horrible concentration camps predate Hitler by many years. Hitler did not invent these ideas; he “capitalized” on them. Something similar, but much more gruesome, is prophesied to happen again.

Some have also claimed that Hitler’s NSDAP (“National Socialist German Workers’ Party”) was in fact a national socialist party. The left-wing liberal media, such as the Washington Post, strongly condemned them for that assertion. However, that claim is absolutely true, as the name of the party already reveals. This was also very well-known in Germany at the time. To deny it today does not make it less true.

For instance, it was reported by the Jerusalem Post on May 29 that “Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made another reference to the Holocaust Thursday, comparing Democrats to Nazis…  Nazis were the National Socialist Party, ‘just like the Democrats are now a national socialist party,’ said Greene at a Georgia rally… Greene, a firebrand ally of former President Donald Trump, was broadly denounced by her fellow Republicans on Tuesday for likening COVID-19 masks and vaccinations to the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews.”

Of course, she was condemned by Democrats, but also, sadly, by Republicans, who all seem to be (willfully) ignorant of the past.

France Resists More “Brain Dead” NATO Funding

Reuters wrote on May 28:

“A $20 billion plan to give NATO more flexibility in facing military threats, climate change and China’s rise has hit firm resistance from France, which fears the move could undermine its defence priorities… The EU has been working since December 2017 to develop more firepower independently of the United States, led by France, the EU’s remaining major military power after Britain left the bloc…

“Germany and other European allies, as well as Canada, also want to know what any extra money would be spent on…’Some Europeans are asking: do we build up NATO, or do we develop the EU’s defence capacity…?’, said a senior NATO diplomat. ‘Each euro can only be spent once.’”

Very soon, euros will be spent for Europe, not NATO.

Classified Information about Nuclear Weapons in Europe Leaked

Deutsche Welle reported on May 29:

“Troops on US bases in Europe housing nuclear weapons have been using publicly accessible online flashcard apps to remember long and complex security protocols, the investigative website Bellingcat revealed on Friday… The latest leaks… have gone so far as to identify the exact number and location of the weapons within the bases, including whether the vaults they are stored in are ‘hot’ — with live weapons — or ‘cold.’

“The author of the investigative piece… explained that the researchers were able to discover the flashcards belonging to the active soldiers by searching for certain terms known to be associated with nuclear bases. The result was the unearthing of several sets of flashcards revealing information about several bases around Europe, including in Germany, the Netherlands and Turkey… Bellingcat discovered flashcards dating back as far as 2013 and as recent as April 2021… This is yet one more warning that these weapons are not secure…”

So, what happens if they fall into the “wrong” hands?

Australia Invaded by Millions of Mice and other Problems

MSN wrote on May 28:

“Australian farmers could face a more than $775 million loss in crops from a plague of mice that are taking over their fields in New South Wales… To try to prevent the mice from devouring everything, the state government has ordered 1,320 gallons of bromadiolone, a banned poison, from India. Approval from a federal government regulator has yet to come, and there are concerns that other animals, such as wedge-tail eagles and family pets, might be exposed to the deadly poison…

“Vast tracts of land in Australia’s New South Wales state are being threatened by a mouse plague that the state government describes as ‘absolutely unprecedented.’…

“The plague is a cruel blow to farmers in Australia’s most populous state who have been battered by fires, floods and pandemic disruptions in recent years, only to face the new scourge of the introduced house mouse, or Mus musculus… The worst comes after dark, when millions of mice that had been hiding and dormant during the day become active.

“… the pandemic brought a labor drought. Fruit was left to rot on trees because foreign backpackers who provide the seasonal workforce were absent. Plagues seemingly appear from nowhere…”

The mouse plague is also causing mental problems for people having to live with thousands of mice continually.

We received the following report, dated May 29, from Paul Niehoff:

“Here in Victoria, we are under a lockdown again. We are limited to 5 km travel. One person in hotel quarantine in Adelaide caught Covid from a fellow inmate on his last day, day 14, before returning to Melbourne. So far he has indirectly infected 35 others and because a football game was an infection site, 15,000 people are in isolation at home. Yesterday 56,000 people were tested, some waiting up to 6 hours. When driving, we pass long queues waiting to be tested. The vaccination hot lines for appointments are crashing because of demand. We expect to be in lockdown for at least a week depending on whether the contact tracers can contact all the potential sufferers.  Even the army is helping to ensure that all who are supposed to be at home are isolating. There are a few demonstrations but the police greatly outnumber the protesters. So far no deaths but the government has a total elimination policy which can work only if outsiders are not allowed in or are correctly quarantined.”

God pronounced curses on the modern descendants of the ancient house of Israel—including the English-speaking nations of the “British Commonwealth” such as Australia—if they were to disobey Him, including devastating harvests and plagues caused by animals (Leviticus 26:20, 22; compare also Deuteronomy 28). But the Bible also predicts that worse things will happen to them.

Unparalleled American Debt

National Review wrote on May 28:

“President Biden’s budget request is projecting that the U.S. debt burden will reach its highest level in history this year, surpassing the previous record from World War II. In 2021, according to the Biden budget, the U.S. debt will reach 109.7 percent of GDP, which would blow past the previous record of 106.1 percent, just as the U.S. was coming out of World War II. It will then exceed the record every year over the next decade, reaching 117 percent of GDP by 2031.

“While it is true that Biden inherited a high debt level as a result of the pandemic and the continued flow of Baby Boomer retirements driving up entitlement spending, Biden’s spending binge is exacerbating the problem. He signed a $1.9 trillion ‘COVID relief’ bill in March, even though the pandemic was fizzling out and Congress had already spent $4.1 trillion on the pandemic. He is now proposing an additional $4 trillion in spending just this year.

“Overall, Biden’s budget sees $69.2 trillion worth of spending over the next decade… [For] the past several decades, both parties have steadily driven up the debt while ignoring our long-term challenges, and as we emerge from this crisis, Biden is throwing all caution to the wind… We’re now entering an era without precedent in American history…”

The proposed budget includes $6 trillion annual spending.  America will NEVER be able to repay its debt. As the Bible says: The borrower is servant to the lender.

More Propaganda—Vaccine Passports and Vaccinations of Children

Axios wrote on May 28:

“Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday told ABC… that the U.S. is ‘taking a very close look’ at the possibility of requiring vaccine passports for international travel… A DHS spokesperson later on Friday clarified Mayorkas’ comments, saying that there will be no ‘federal mandate’ for vaccine passports in the U.S…

“The European Union and some Asian governments are developing coronavirus vaccine passports that people can access using phone apps in order to ‘help kickstart international travel…’Vaccine passports have become a controversial topic in the country, with several Republican-led states banning state government and some private business from requiring them.

“A recent survey by the COVID States Project revealed that 62% [of] people in the U.S. support government-imposed vaccine mandates, while only 27.5% said they support businesses using vaccine passports.”

The Associated Press added on May 28:

“The Danish government on Friday presented its digital coronavirus passport enabling people to travel abroad or, in Denmark, go to the hairdresser, a tattoo parlor, dine inside a restaurant or wherever else it is needed. ‘The corona passport we present today can be used from July 1 when you can travel within the EU,’ said Finance Minister Nicolai Vammen. Some 20% of Denmark’s population of 6 million have been fully vaccinated…”

Greece also announced that its Covid passport system will be up and running before July 1. The coronavirus passport propaganda, combined with the restrictions of liberty and freedom for the unvaccinated, is simply sickening. For instance, California Governor Newsom offers $1.5 million in a lottery for vaccinated residents.  In addition, $116 million in prizes and incentives are being offered for the vaccinated.  Other states engage in similar highly questionable practices.

NBC News reported on May 28:

“Fully vaccinated children and teens in camp this summer can return to normal activities — without masks or physical distancing — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday… But the advice is somewhat murky for [outdoor activities of] children who will not be vaccinated, a group of kids who will likely make up the majority of typical summer campers. There is no Covid-19 vaccine available for kids under age 12… For indoor activities, the guidance is much more clear: The CDC ‘strongly encourages’ masks for anyone over age 2 who remains unvaccinated.”

These are horrible guidelines, bordering on child abuse. In Germany, the most popular tabloid, Bild, is accusing the government and the media of having harmed millions of children, physically and mentally, through their unscientific lockdown and social distancing measures, and apologizes to parents and their children for these restrictions, because, they say, the government refuses to do so (Bild Online, May 27).

Radical Increase of Kid Suicide Due to Lockdowns

Life Site News wrote on May 26:

“A prominent Canadian hospital and kids’ group have said an ‘emergency response’ is needed from the premiers of provinces to deal with the rapid decline of kids’ mental health, which the organizations say has taken a drastic turn for the worse due to COVID-19 lockdowns. ‘We’re calling for an urgent meeting of Canada’s First Ministers to take immediate action to address this crisis facing the 8 million kids in our country,’ reads a press release, published last week by the Children First Canada group.

“‘Across Canada, COVID-19 has led to devastating effects on the mental and physical health of kids. School closures, the lack of access to sports and recreational programs, and social isolation have led to devasting effects on the health and well-being of kids. The urgency to support children and youth has never been greater…’

“Children First Canada said that according to Children’s Healthcare Canada, there has been a 100 percent increase in youth suicide attempts, while McMaster Children’s Hospital reported a staggering 200 percent increase.”

Oregon Objects…

week.com wrote on May 25:

“On May 18, Gov. Kate Brown offered Oregon businesses a choice not available anywhere else in the nation: They could allow vaccinated patrons not to wear their masks—after checking vaccine cards at the door. Two weeks later, the verdict is clear: a resounding thumbs down. Not a single major retailer or venue in the Portland metro area has taken Brown up on the offer. Business owners don’t want to ask for proof. ‘I just don’t believe that it’s a private citizen’s responsibility to ask another private citizen anything to do with their health,’ says Rep. Daniel Bonham (R-The Dalles), who owns Maupin’s Stoves & Spas, which sells wood stoves, hot tubs and barbecues. ‘Most people believe that they’ve got that right to privacy. You’re putting that frontline worker in a really awkward spot with some people that are very passionate on both extremes of this issue.’

“In all, 31 states no longer require anyone to wear a mask indoors, if they ever did. Four states still require masks for everyone. But Oregon appears to be the outlier among the 15 remaining states that require masks indoors only for the unvaccinated. In the other 14 states, masking up is based on an honor system. That’s what federal officials proposed, too. Only Oregon required businesses to card people.

“A May 25 letter signed by 10 national business associations to top Biden administration officials called Oregon’s requirement for shops to check vaccine cards ‘alarming.’ The letter’s signatories ranged from the National Grocers Association to the National Association of Truck Stop Operators…

“The governor isn’t willing to change course quite yet, but officials in her office admit checking vaccine cards wasn’t a popular idea… Masks, of course, have become a political wedge issue. Vaccines, too. The underlying culture war made asking for proof of vaccination to remove a mask particularly difficult…”

However, with Oregon’s left wing radical policies, one wonders what the governor is going to do next.

Coronavirus Created through Laboratory Manipulation?

Daily Mail reported on May 28:

“In a new 22-page scientific paper… Norwegian scientist Dr. Birger Sørensen and British Professor Angus Dalgleish concluded ‘SARS-Coronavirus-2 has no credible natural ancestor’ and that it is ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ that the virus was created through ‘laboratory manipulation.’

“The study, due to be published in the scientific journal Quarterly Review of Biophysics Discovery, is set to make waves among the scientific community, as the majority of experts have until recently staunchly denied the origins of COVID-19 were anything other than a natural infection leaping from animals to humans. While analyzing COVID-19 samples last year in an attempt to create a vaccine, Dalgleish and Sørensen claim they discovered ‘unique fingerprints’ in the virus that they say could only have arisen from manipulation in a laboratory.

“They said they tried to publish their findings but were rejected by major scientific journals which were at the time resolute that the virus jumped naturally from bats or other animals to humans.”

The Daily Mail published this opinion piece on May 28:

“The liberal media have finally conceded that COVID-19 may have originated in a Wuhan laboratory – after a year spent ridiculing the suggestion… most mainstream media disputed the claims, dismissing them outright or even decrying them as racist.

“When Donald Trump, on May 1, 2020, said he had ‘a high degree of confidence’ that the virus escaped from a lab, the New York Times, CNN, [The Washington Post] and NPR were quick to mock his comments. CNN, which by the end of the Trump administration was brazen in its hostility to the president and his advisors, was almost gleeful in its mockery of the idea that the virus could have come from a laboratory… Some outlets, such as the Huffington Post, even branded any suggestion the virus could have stemmed from a lab as a ‘toxic conspiracy theory.’

“Few were able to suggest that COVID-19 could have stemmed from a research facility without backlash but that didn’t stop some media, including the Daily Mail, from questioning the narrative…”

Whatever the truth, to suppress and ridicule these findings, because they do not fit in their imagined paradigm, only shows how manipulative, dishonest and propagandistic the mass media and scientific journals are. The suppression of true facts by scientists—many of them being agnostics or atheists–regarding the false narrative of the Evolution theory is a prime example.  

The Sun added on May 29:

“… the scientists place blame squarely on the same Chinese lab researchers in Wuhan for attempting to cover their tracks. There was ‘deliberate destruction, concealment or contamination of data’ in Chinese labs and ‘Chinese scientists who wished to share their knowledge have not been able to do so or have disappeared,’ according to the paper…”

Censorship Galore

Breitbart reported on May 28:

“YouTube, the Google-owned video platform, blocked a news clip of a mother in Georgia objecting to mask mandates for children, according to reports from Grabien Media founder Tom Elliott. Grabien is a popular video clipping service that provides news clips and other material to media outlets. Its founder, Tom Elliott, slammed YouTube for censoring his clip…

“The clip shows a woman condemning local elected officials in Georgia for continuing mask mandates for children. ‘Forcing 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9-year-old little children to cover their noses and their mouths, where they breathe, for 7 hours a day, every day for the last nine months, for a virus that you know doesn’t affect them, that is not in their best interest,’ says the mother…

“‘Parents are allowed to express opinions over whether their children should be forced into wearing masks. Parents’ perspectives are a valid part of the public debate. This mother does not represent herself as a doctor or medical expert,’ Elliott [said]. ‘Incidentally the WHO agrees with this mother that there is currently no scientific basis for compelling all children to wear masks indoors/outdoors as a measure to stop the spread of Covid. So YouTube’s “medical misinformation” claim is entirely false.’

“Elliott said that he appealed YouTube’s decision through the platform’s official channels, but his appeal was rejected… Breitbart News reached out to Google, which owns YouTube, for comment. Google did not respond with any statement on the record at the time of publication.”

How far are the mass media and their outlets willing to go to suppress any opinions which are not in harmony with their agenda? Note the next article.

Deliberate Lies by CNN

Newsmax wrote on May 28:

“Legal scholar Alan Dershowitz told Newsmax… on Friday that his lawsuit against CNN for defamation is ‘not about me, it’s about misleading thousands and thousands of people.’ CNN filed an unsuccessful motion to dismiss the suit…

“[Dershowitz explained:] ‘I said the president could be impeached if he committed crimes … they doctored the tape to make me say the president couldn’t be impeached even if he committed unlawful or illegal conduct. ‘They simply distorted my words, the judge looked at it, he said, “No, they don’t get the benefit of the fair-reporting privilege … their reporting was unfair.” They didn’t accurately reflect what I said, and I’m gonna be able to prove it made a deliberate, willful, malicious decision from the top down to doctor my tape in order to make me say exactly the opposite of what I said.’”

“‘…we will be able to depose Jeffrey Zucker, the head of CNN, we’ll be able to depose those who made the decision to edit the tape…’”

Incredible… but not surprising…

Trump to Return in August?

Mediaite wrote on June 1:

“Former President Donald Trump is telling people that he expects to get reinstated in the White House by August, according to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman. Haberman shared this rather stunning detail in response to a CNN segment from Donie O’Sullivan.  The video features a number of QAnon followers lauding a Myanmar-style coup of the U.S. government to replace President Joe Biden with Trump. Haberman wrote, ‘Trump has been telling a number of people he’s in contact with that he expects he will be reinstated by August’ with an important parenthetical caveat that states ‘(no that isn’t how it works but simply sharing the information).’

“Her comments do not come in a vacuum either. A number of Trump toadies have made similar comments before and during the QAnon conference that was held in Dallas, Texas over the weekend.

“Former National Security Advisor to Trump Michael Flynn… appeared to argue on behalf of a Myanmar-style coup during the QAnon conference… Sidney Powell also stated during the QAnon conference that Trump should be reinstated as president. Why? Because according to the former Trump attorney there was ‘abject fraud and obtaining a coup of the United States of America.’…

“Mike Lindell, founder of MyPillow and massive advertiser on Fox News prime time… insisted with Steven Bannon last week that ‘Donald Trump will be back in office in August,’ vowing to file a lawsuit that will confirm evidence of voter fraud during the 2020 election. So Flynn, Powell, and Lindell are all advocating some sort of reinsertion of Trump into office, though there is no Constitutional way for that to happen. And according to the reliably well-sourced Haberman, Trump himself is promoting the idea that he will be back in office by late summer.”

Due to the inconsistent and contradictory statements in the article itself, unless this is “fake news” and short of a violent insurrection and civil war, this could not happen. Still, CNN covered it in great detail, obviously fearing that a return of Trump might happen in the future.

Abortion Industry Condemns New Texas Law

Live Action wrote on May 26:

“The abortion industry is coming out swinging against the recently passed heartbeat bill in Texas. Under the new law… elective abortions are not allowed after a preborn child’s heartbeat can be detected. And abortion activists are wasting no time condemning it.

“The Biden administration attacked the new law in a press conference, in which White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reminded Americans of Biden’s unwavering support for abortion. ‘This is the most restrictive measure yet in the nation, and the most restrictive, recent assault on women’s fundamental rights under Roe v. Wade and critical rights continue to come under weathering and extreme attack around the country,’ Psaki said. “But certainly the president supports and believes we should codify Roe v. Wade. And that is his view regardless of these backward-looking steps that are being taken… by states.’…

“Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson responded to the bill…  calling it ‘diabolical’ and vowing to fight back…

“Despite the hysterics from the abortion industry, polling found that 49% of Texas voters support a ban on abortions after six weeks, about the time an embryonic heartbeat can be detected. A third of Texans would also support an outright ban on abortion if Roe v. Wade was overturned. Research has found that the heart begins to beat as early as 16 days after fertilization. What is actually… ‘diabolical’ is abortion itself, which exists solely to kill an innocent human being in an extremely violent manner.”

America’s Catholic President supports what God condemns.

Rainbow Index of Christian Churches—Schism in Catholic Church

Life Site News wrote on May 26:

 “The first ‘Rainbow Index of Churches in Europe in 2020’ (RICE 2020) that ranks Christian church groups in Europe by their ‘LGBTI inclusivity’ was released in April.

“‘The Rainbow Index of Churches in Europe uses 47 indicators of LGBTI ‘inclusivity,’ including the following:

“‘The Bible is not used as a normative instrument for defining gender roles and is not interpreted as a condemnation of LGBTI people or of LGBTI lived desires, sexualities, and identities.

“‘The church officiates ‘same-sex marriages’ and/or holds a blessing ceremony for same-sex couples.

“‘Transgender persons receive a special blessing when they present their new name and/or identity in church.

“‘Cis-hetero women and openly LGBTI people are admitted in seminary (institute for ministerial education and formation).The church supports the adoption and raising of children by LGBTI couples.

“‘The liturgical language in prayer or worship books is sensitive to gender issues and sexual orientation.

“These indicators were measured by a questionnaire used to assess the LGBTI ‘inclusivity’ of a variety of Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches, which were then ranked according to their index score…

“Leading the list of churches for their ‘inclusivity’ scores are the Metropolitan Community Church in Finland (the majority of whose members are LGBT), the Church of Sweden, and the Protestant Church in Switzerland. Notably, despite Catholic Church teaching acknowledging the grave immorality of homosexual acts, the Roman Catholic Church in Germany ranks fairly high on the church ranking list, with an index score of 25 out of 47.

“The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, ‘Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity (Cf. Genesis 19:1-29; Romans 1:24-27; 1 Corinthians 6:10; 1 Timothy 1:10), tradition has always declared that ‘homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.’…  They are contrary to the natural law… Under no circumstances can they be approved.’…

“The Catholic Church in Germany earned half a point for ‘ordination of female/LGBTI clergy,’ half a point for ‘celibacy not required for LGBTI,’ and another half a point for ‘no support of “traditional” family associations.’ It remains to be seen whether their index score will be ‘upgraded’ after taking into account the recent widespread offering of public blessings to homosexual couples by Catholic priests in Germany, who are enabled by their bishops.

“… The German bishops’ defiance of Catholic Church teaching is one of the main reasons clergy like Cardinal Raymond Burke consider Germany to be in schism ‘that is real if not declared.’ The blessings of homosexual couples by German priests were carried out in open defiance of Church doctrine and the Vatican’s recent ban on same-sex blessings…  The Code of Canon law defines schism as ‘the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him.’

“The Roman Catholic Church in Malta, Austria, France, and Italy all rank after Germany… The Roman Catholic Church in Poland falls at the bottom of both the Roman Catholic Church list and the overall church list, with an index score of 1 out of 47. In response to the strong pro-family stances of ‘some EU countries, notably Poland and Hungary,’ the European Parliament declared the European Union an ‘LGBTIQ Freedom Zone’ on March 11… In November, the European Commission announced that it wants to make ‘hate speech’ and ‘hate crimes’ EU crimes in 2021 and impose mutual recognition of ‘rainbow families’ across the European Union by 2022.

“EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced during the State of the Union address  at the European Parliament, ‘LGBTQI-free zones are humanity-free zones. And they have no place in our Union,’ she said in reference to resolutions in Poland to protect the family and children from gender ideology.”

Sodom and Gomorrah…

Canadian Persecution of Churches Continues

Global News wrote on May 31:

“Superior Court Justice Bruce Thomas on Monday ordered $66,000 in new fines and costs against the Church of God and two of its leaders after he ruled they have continued to defy a court order to avoid gatherings despite the provincial stay-at-home order. Earlier this year, Thomas had ordered the Church of God to stop holding indoor gatherings that exceed provincial limits. On April 30, Thomas had found the church had defied his orders after he viewed a number of Sunday services that were streamed online by the church. On May 14, the church, along with two of its pastors, were dealt more than $100,000 in fines, with the church ordered to be locked up until the province allows for indoor church gatherings at 30 per cent capacity. The church returned to court on Monday for a second contempt ruling after it was accused of having defied Thomas’ order soon after being handed down the fines. In the three Sundays since the fines were handed down, Aylmer police have laid charges for outdoor services held at the church on May 16, May 23 and May 30,  all of which were streamed online by the church…

“The church’s lawyer, Lisa Bildy, reiterated a number of arguments she had made in previous hearings. This included referring to COVID-19 restrictions as ‘destructive to liberal democracy’… Bildy added that the ‘burden of all of this enforcement has fallen to the church without any evidence whatsoever that their continuing to meet has caused any outbreaks or illness, let alone death, over the last year.’..

“Thomas issued the following fines after ruling the church was again in contempt: $35,000 from the Church of God; $20,000 from pastor Henry Hildebrandt; $6,000 from assistant pastor Peter Wall; $5,000 in legal costs… All fines are to be paid immediately.”

What is occurring in Canada, with the aid of a corrupt legal system, is shameful and ungodly.

Black Matter and Einstein’s Error?

Business Insider reported on May 29:

“Astronomers have created the most comprehensive map yet of all the dark matter in the universe. That’s no easy feat, considering dark matter is invisible. Scientists know this shadowy cousin of regular matter exists, though, because its strong gravitational forces can pull entire galaxies together. Based on observations of its influence, astronomers estimate that dark matter makes up one-quarter of the universe.

“The new map is the product of years of work by a group of 400 scientists from seven countries, known as the Dark Energy Survey (DES). They pointed the Victor M. Blanco Telescope in Chile skyward to peek at millions of galaxies bound together by dark matter. The distribution of those galaxies, and the ways in which light from them reaches Earth, can inform astronomers about how much dark matter sits between those galaxies and our planet.

“In a series of studies published this week, the team showed that the universe is peppered with giant clusters of galaxies bunched together — regions where dark matter, too, is densely packed. But their map, which covers about one-eighth of the sky as seen from Earth, also documents patches of the universe that are nearly devoid of both dark matter and galaxies. These cluttered and empty areas appear to be connected by interstellar gas in a cosmic web.

“According to [Niall] Jeffrey, a cosmologist at University College London, the new findings suggest that gravity may not work the same way in these voids as it does on Earth, which would mean the standard laws of physics do not apply… According to Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, gravity should have caused chunks of matter in the universe to clump up in a predictable way after the Big Bang some 13 billion years ago.

“But according to Jeffrey… Einstein’s theory may have missed the mark to some degree… ‘it may mean there’s something wrong with Einstein’s theory of general relativity, one of the great pillars of physics.’”

Without even attempting to utter an opinion on the “matter,” it is always astonishing to see how much – or how little – scientists seem to know about the origin of the universe and how it functions. Even seemingly established “theories” are coming under scrutiny. The biblical revelation, that it was GOD who created and designed the universe “in the beginning”, and that Christ sustains and upholds it by His mighty word, is dismissed outright.

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.

Jesus Christ made the following startling comment in John 5:37:

“And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.”

He also said this in John 6:46:

“Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.”

The Apostle John added the following in 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.”

He added in 1 John 4:12: “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.”

The Apostle Paul, likewise, confirmed in 1 Timothy 6:13-16:

“I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Jesus Christ… that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He [God] will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.”

At the same time, we find different accounts about a voice from heaven or out of a cloud, speaking about Jesus Christ as “My beloved Son.”

Referring to the account of Christ’s baptism through John the Baptist, Matthew 3:17 says: “And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’”

Another account can be found in John 12:28-29, shortly before His betrayal:

“[Christ prayed:] ‘Father, glorify Your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.’ Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to Him.’ Jesus answered and said, ‘This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.’”

Also, when Christ and some of His disciples were on the Mount of Transfiguration, Matthew 17:5 records: “While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’”

Peter would later reflect on that experience in 2 Peter 1:17-18: “For He [Jesus] received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”

There exist quite a few attempts to explain this apparent inconsistency and contradiction.

One argument is that Jesus just talked to the Jews at His time, when He said in John 5:37 that they had never heard the voice of God. But His statement follows His baptism, when a voice was heard by those Jews (cp. John 1:29-34). This rules out the possibility that Jesus was limiting His comments to the Jews at His time.

Other explanations attempt to spiritualize Christ’s statements.

Jamieson Fausset and Brown say:  “[They] never recognized Him in this character. The words are ‘designedly mysterious, like many others which our Lord uttered’… “

This explanation is clearly wrong, as Christ emphasized that they had not heard God’s voice nor seen His form… this has nothing to do with a recognition “in this character.” There is nothing “designedly mysterious” about it.

The Matthew Poole’s Commentary offers this somewhat adventurous concept:

“Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape; you have no knowledge of him, nor any acquaintance with him. It is expounded… Ye have not his word abiding in you: for though indeed God appeared to the Jews in no shape or similitude; yet they (that is, their forefathers) had heard his voice [Deuteronomy 4:12], speaking out of the midst of the fire… God, being an incorporeal Being, hath no such organs of speech as we have, by which we declare our minds unto others; but God had formed an audible voice, by which he revealed his will unto the Jews; so as it could only be said of the Jews of that generation and their forefathers, from the time of giving the law, that they had not heard his voice; for, Exodus 20:19, they then desired that Moses might speak to them, and that God would speak no more immediately. Accordingly, he did by the prophets speak to them…”

Even though God is a spiritual being, consisting of Spirit, that does not mean that He does not have form and shape, nor, that He does not have a “voice” with which to communicate. We read about communication between God and His angels, or even with Satan.  When He speaks, then it is His voice, and it is not just the formation or creation of an audible voice which otherwise does not exist. The idea is also based, in part, on the false concept that God does not have a voice or form and shape, and that that is the reason why people could not have heard His voice or seen His form. Only confused “theologians” could come up with such a nonsense.

A third explanation is advanced by Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, as follows:

“Jesus does not here deny that God had ‘appeared’ in this manner, but he says they had not seen – that is, had not ‘paid attention to,’ or ‘regarded,’ the appearance of God. He had manifested himself, but they disregarded it, and, in particular, they had disregarded his manifestations in attestation of the Messiah. As the word ‘hear’ means to obey, to listen to, so the word ‘see’ means ‘to pay attention to, to regard’…”

Again, this explanation overlooks the fact that we read, for instance, in John 1:18, that “NO ONE has seen God AT ANY TIME” (compare too 1 John 4:12). Surely, righteous people like Abraham, Moses, David and all the ancient prophets “paid attention to” or “regarded” the words of God and the “attestations” of the Messiah (cp. 1 Peter 1:10-12).

None of these “explanations” are correct; still, as The Pulpit Commentary confirms, “Doubtless the voice of Jehovah had been heard (Exodus 20:19…), the face of Jehovah had been seen (Genesis 32:30; Exodus 24:10; Numbers 12:8; Deuteronomy 5:4, 24). Isaiah saw the glory of… the Lord (cp. John 12:41) and Ezekiel likewise by the river of Chebar (Ezekiel 3:23).”

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible comes closer to the Truth, by pointing out an important aspect that is being overlooked by most commentaries:

“… ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape; for the voices that were heard, and the forms that were seen under the Old Testament dispensation, from the first of this kind in Eden’s garden, to the incarnation of Christ, which are ascribed to God, or to a divine person, were either by the ministry of angels, or they were voices uttered by the Son of God, or forms assumed by him, who often appeared in an human form, as a prelude of his incarnation; so that it was unusual, and wonderful, and remarkable, that the Father should bear a testimony to the sonship of Christ by a voice from heaven; and which therefore ought to be attended to, and received as a sufficient and valid testimony.”

At least, the commentary seems to acknowledge that the voice people heard in Old Testament times might have been the voice of Jesus Christ—not of the Father—even though some of the other remarks miss the point.

When Christ and the New Testament writers said that no one has seen God or His form and that people had not heard His voice, the reference is to God the FATHER. On the other hand, people DID hear the voice and see the form of the GLORIFIED Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Christ was the God of the Old Testament who communicated and dealt with the people.

Philippians 2:5–7 reads: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of GOD, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, TAKING THE FORM OF A BONDSERVANT, and coming IN THE LIKENESS OF MEN.”

Notice, too, John 1:1–3: “In the beginning was the WORD [Note that Christ is still referred to as the “Word of God,” for instance in Revelation 19:13], and the Word was with God, AND THE WORD WAS GOD. He was in the beginning with God [that means there were two God beings—Christ, the “Word of God,” and God the FATHER]. All things were made through Him [the Word, Jesus Christ, compare Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:1–2], and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

John 17:5 adds these words of Christ, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” Earlier, Jesus had this to say while instructing His disciples: “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father” (John 16:28).

The Bible reveals that Christ was the Personage within the Family of God who actually dealt directly with mankind. God the Father created everything, including man, through Jesus Christ. Christ talked with Abraham (John 8:56-58). He was the God being who led Israel out of Egypt (1 Corinthians 10:1-4). It was Christ who was tried by disobedient Israel (verse 9). And, most importantly, it was the Spirit of CHRIST which dwelled in the prophets of old, as 1 Peter 1:10-11 clearly proves: “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST [WHICH] WAS IN THEM was indicating when [it] testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.”

These passages are clear and speak for themselves. The biblical testimony is unequivocal: Jesus Christ was GOD before He came to this earth!

One of the purposes for Christ’s first coming was to reveal the EXISTENCE of God the Father.

John 1:18 tells us: “No one has ever seen God [the Father]. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known” (New Revised Standard Version). Notice the rendering of this passage in the New American Bible: “No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.”

In our free booklet, “God is a Family,” we said this under the headline, “Jesus Came to Reveal the Father”:

“The Jews at the time of Christ did not know—and most still don’t know today—that God is a Family, presently consisting of two God beings. Christ came to REVEAL the Father to them (Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22). The Jews thought they knew the Father, not realizing that the God of the Old Testament, who directly worked with and dealt with Israel, was Jesus Christ—not God the Father.

“We have already read in John 1:18 that ‘no one has seen God at any time.’ John 5:37 confirms that ‘you have neither heard His [the Father’s] voice at any time, nor seen His form.’ Again, we read in John 6:46: ‘Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God,’ that is, Jesus Christ. Finally, 1 John 4:12 repeats, ‘No one has seen God at any time.’

“Still, we have read that God did appear to the ancient Israelites. They did hear His voice many times. Some even saw the form of God, to an extent, in His glorified state (compare Genesis 32:30; Exodus 33:11, 17–23; 34:6–8; Numbers 12:8; Deuteronomy 34:10; Isaiah 6:1–10; Ezekiel 1:26–28; 3:23; 8:4).

“According to Biblical testimony, some did see ‘God’ in Old Testament times, and they did hear His voice.  On the other hand, Christ and the apostles taught that no human has ever seen… ‘God.’ Since God does not contradict Himself in His Word, He is obviously talking about two different personages here. Indeed, the Bible clarifies that no one has ever seen God the Father (compare again John 5:37; 6:46). But some did see ‘God’—that is, the second being in the God Family—Jesus Christ, in His glorified state.

“The Bible confirms that it was Jesus Christ who appeared to people and spoke with them in Old Testament times (compare John 8:56–58; 1 Corinthians 10:4, 9).”

It is true, of course, that righteous people in the Old Testament, such as Abraham, Moses, David and the prophets, knew about the Father, but this is not true for the overwhelming majority, nor for the Jews living at the time of Jesus. For instance, Acts 3:13 states that the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His servant Jesus.” Abraham, Isaac and Jacob understood that their God was the Father, who would later glorify Jesus Christ, the Son.

Still, Christ, as the Son of God, had to come to reveal the Father, even though the Old Testament clearly revealed His existence. References to “the Father” in the Old Testament can be found in Isaiah 63:16; Malachi 1:6; 2:10; 2 Samuel 7:13–14; 1 Chronicles 22:10; and Deuteronomy 32:6.

In those passages, Christ—the “Word” or Spokesman for the Father—communicated to the people the words of the Father. When the Bible speaks of the “Father,” it normally refers strictly and exclusively to the highest God being in the God Family.

However, the Jews were under the misimpression that they were worshipping “the Father.” They did not understand that the God being functioning as the Messenger or Spokesperson of the Father and the God Family, who had been dealing directly with the ancients, was actually Jesus Christ. (Compare Christ’s words in John 8:54, “It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.”)

We have explained that Jesus’ words that no one has seen the form of God and that people did not hear the voice of God refer to God the Father, as people did see the form of the Son of God—Jesus Christ (compare again Numbers 12:8), and they did hear His voice. It was Christ who communicated and spoke the words of the Father. This makes sense for Old Testament passages, but what about the fact that people heard a voice from heaven about Jesus Christ when Christ was here on earth? This voice could not have been the voice of Christ.

Nor could it have been the voice of the Father, because we read later that people did NOT hear the voice of God (the Father) at any time. It is also quite ridiculous to assume that God the Father just formed an audible voice for the occasion, which He otherwise does not have.

In his comments, Gill had referred to the possibility of angels ministering to the people.

Already in Old Testament times, we read that an angel spoke on behalf of God, voicing the command of God. We read in Zechariah 6:5-8 (Authorized Version):

“5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country. 7 And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth. 8 Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.”Even though an angel speaks to Zechariah, it says that “my spirit” has been quieted—an obvious reference to God’s Holy Spirit. So, the angel is communicating God’s words to the prophet, but it appears as if God spoke directly to Zechariah.

In the New Testament, we read the angelic message, “the true sayings of God” (Revelation 19:9-10), coming from God the Father and Jesus Christ, in Revelation 22:8-16 (Authorized Version):

“8 And I John saw these things, and heard [them]. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. 9 Then saith he unto me, See [thou do it] not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. 10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. 11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 14 Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15 For without [are] dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. 16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, [and] the bright and morning star.”

In the passage above, we see that the message of the angel contains the direct words of Jesus Christ, but it is the angel who communicates these words to John. In fact, the message is from God the Father, given to Christ who gave it to the angel to communicate to John (Revelation 1:1). In the same way, an angel communicated the words of the Father to the people when the voice of the angel said: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

“Israel’s Netanyahu Ousted?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

It was reported that Benjamin Netanyahu is no longer Israel’s prime minister, as political opponents from eight greatly diverse parties announced Wednesday that they had formed a coalition that would replace him, pending a simple majority vote in Israel’s parliament to be held on or about June 14. However, if only one member does not support the coalition, it will fall apart, and Netanyahu is trying hard to break up the coalition along ideological lines. What does this all mean for the future of the state of Israel?

“Hat jemand Gottes Stimme gehört und seine Gestalt gesehen?” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Did Anyone Hear God’s Voice and See His Form?”

“Grundbedürfnisse,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Johann Schell, is now posted. The title in English: “Basic Needs.”

“Eine Zeit für alles,” the sermon presented last Sabbath in Germany by Michael Link, is now posted. Title in English: “A Time For Everything.”

“Your Relationship With God Is What?” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

We all have relationships that we consider important and we work hard to make them work. How much do we consider our most important relationship, that with God and Christ? What does the Bible show us in regards to our relationship with them both?

“Will Christ return twice? Will there be a secret rapture?” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

We know that Christ will return, but do we know when and in what manner?  Why did Christ tell us to watch? Can His return be accelerated or delayed? Have the beginning of sorrows already commenced? What is the origin of the “secret rapture” concept? What does the Bible say?