On May 8, 2021, Norbert Link will present, “Comments on News and Prophecy, May 8, 2021,” and Kalon Mitchell will present the sermon, titled, “Lessons from the Early Church.”

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

In my last editorial on March 19th 2021 in Update 965, I wrote a piece entitled “Free Speech or No Free Speech, That Is the Question!”

One of the problems concerned with speech that many seem to have is that of taking offence.   Any trivial or trifling “slight” seems, with some, to cause hostility, agitation, upset, distress or concern.   Thus, we have the attempt by some in society to try and remove any possible offence, often by the most extraordinary means.   Try this one:

A local councillor wants Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (in the UK) to ditch masculine and feminine terms, because she thinks they are “unnecessary and inaccurate.”   She said that a move to “Mx” is more of a general term that could replace Mr, Mrs or Miss.  Why? The answer given was that “we are just doing our best to avoid any offence.”

There are many more examples that would fit into the same category of absurdity as the example given above.

Of course, the Bible tells us not to give or take offence.  “Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God” (1 Corinthians 10:32) – see also Matthew 18:7; Luke 17:1.

A brief editorial is not the place to review the whole question of Christians not giving or taking offence, but suffice to say that we cannot keep people from being offended; particularly, when they are intent on being “offended”.  As Christians, we should ensure that our attitude, approach and actions are in line with our strongly-held beliefs, irrespective of whether or not this may cause offence to some.   Of course, we must always use discretion and wisdom in all of our dealings with others but we cannot just succumb to the latest linguistic fad in order not to offend those who seem to be offended by almost anything.

In society, it has been taken to a new level.   We have people “cancelled” because their views, which they are allowed to have in a free society, do not conform to those who have differing views.

It should be obvious that today, many people are far more easily offended now than they ever have been.   We can sit on the sidelines and smile at such silliness and stupidity, but we are not going to be able to change the culture, even if we wanted to.

We have a far bigger job to do than try to right the wrongs of a society that is going downhill at a rate of knots [for our non-British readers: “very quickly”].   As society continues in its antipathy to the ways of God, and where offence can be caused by quoting the Bible on a number of topics which oppose the prevailing cultural practice, we know that there will be many who will be offended by what we have to say.

We have over 50 booklets available and a recent one in particular, “God’s Teaching on Sexual Relationships”, is at odds with society throughout the pages of this 133-page booklet.   Another is entitled ”Obeying God Rather Than Men”, and these are available free of charge to anyone requesting them.

We have a job to do and our preaching the news of the soon-coming Kingdom of God may offend some, although most will not be in the least bit interested.   But when the Great Tribulation starts, many attitudes may change as they seek some skin-saving solutions.   We do not seek to offend, but the Truth of God will usually alienate people and cause offence.  Satan will see to that.  But that must not stop us from getting the message out.

Jesus Christ caused offence as did His disciples, and we will get negative responses today.  But that should not deter us.

Do we cause offence?   If we don’t, we will not be doing our job.   It’s not that we are looking to cause offence but the Truth of God offends many people. That must not stop us from doing our job to “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins” (Isaiah 58:1).

by Norbert Link

We begin with North Korean warnings for the USA; the deteriorating relationship between Russia and the West; and the problematic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

We continue with strong criticism of prominent Catholics and voters in general regarding Joe Biden; [in this context, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Catholic Politicians’ Hypocrisy on Abortion Rights” ]  the unconstitutional raid of Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani; and new comments by Trump pertaining to the 2020 election and his plans for the future, as well as a decision by Facebook’s “Oversight Board” to uphold, for the time being, an indefinite ban on Donald Trump.

We speak on Europe’s plan to spend almost 8 billion dollars on military projects; and report on the fear of civil war in France, as well as a holy religious war in Jerusalem.

We speak on Europe’s plan to spend almost 8 billion dollars on military projects; and report on the fear of civil war in France, as well as a holy religious war in Jerusalem.

We report on ongoing religious persecution in Canada; and the ever-changing prognostications and measures of governments and scientists pertaining to COVID-19, including mask mandates, vaccine passports and herd immunity.  

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

North Korea “Warns” USA

The Associated Press wrote on May 2:

“North Korea on Sunday warned the United States will face ‘a very grave situation’ because President Joe Biden ‘made a big blunder’ in his recent speech by calling the North a security threat and revealing his intent to maintain a hostile policy against it…

“The White House said Friday… Biden plans to veer from the approaches of his two most recent predecessors as he tries to stop North Korea’s nuclear program. Press secretary Jen Psaki did not detail findings of the review, but suggested the administration would seek a middle ground between Donald Trump’s ‘grand bargains’ and Barack Obama’s ‘strategic patience’ approaches.

“After a series of high-profile nuclear and missile tests in 2016-17, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un launched summit diplomacy with Trump on the future of his growing nuclear arsenal. But that diplomacy remains stalled for about two years over differences in how much sanctions relief North Korea could win in return for limited denuclearization steps…

“In January, Kim threatened to enlarge his nuclear arsenal and build more high-tech weapons targeting the U.S. mainland, saying the fate of bilateral ties would depend on whether it abandons its hostile policy. In March, he conducted short-range ballistic missile tests for the first time in a year, though he still maintains a moratorium on bigger weapons launches.”

North Korea remains a foe to be reckoned with.

Russia-West Ties Hit Low

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 1:

“Relations between Russia and the West have reached a new low… In April, about a dozen countries expelled Russian diplomats in protest against the country’s secret service operations… Russia… declared a total of seven diplomats from Slovakia and three Baltic states persona non grata, after those countries expelled Russian personnel. Romania and Poland have told Russian diplomats to pack up and leave. So, too, have Slovakia and the Baltic states in show of solidarity with the Czech Republic. In mid-April, the Czech government [accused Russia] of being responsible for explosions at Czech munitions depots in 2014, which left two dead. Media reports claim Russia orchestrated the attacks to stop arms deliveries to Ukraine via Bulgaria. Czech authorities consequently expelled 18 Russian diplomats.

“Russia, denying the accusations, in turn expelled 20 Czech embassy workers… Several days earlier, the US declared that 10 Russian diplomats would be expelled in response to Russian meddling in the 2020 presidential election and for hacking. Moscow rejected the accusations and responded in kind. President Joe Biden’s tough rhetoric directed at Russian President Putin has further strained relations between both countries. Russia has now recalled its Washington ambassador Anatoly Antonov for consultations and urged the US to likewise withdraw its ambassador. This pattern of tit-for-tat retaliations can be observed in numerous countries. In late March, for instance, Italy expelled two Russian diplomats accused of military espionage. Russia responded by sending one Italian home.

“… The US embassy in Russia has now said it will stop issuing visas as of mid-May. This does not bode well for US-Russia relations.”

Even though the relationship between the USA and Russia might continue to deteriorate, it is more the fragile situation involving Russia and Europe which is of prophetic significance.

US Orders Non-Essential US Embassy Workers to Leave Afghanistan

The Daily Mail wrote on April 27:

“The State Department is ordering home most remaining staff at the U.S. embassy in Kabul due to security concerns after President Joe Biden announced earlier this month a full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. All personnel have been instructed… to depart Afghanistan unless their jobs require them to be physically located there…

“Guidance from State also says American citizens should not travel to Afghanistan and those already there ‘should leave as soon as possible on available commercial flights.’…

“The new order also comes after footage of an Afghan woman being lashed 40 times by the Taliban has emerged in a stark reminder of the state of the region as the U.S. pulls out of the country. The Islamists [have been] emboldened by Joe Biden’s decision to pull troops out of the country… Video of the woman being whipped, for reportedly having a phone call with a man, serves to underline the power which the Taliban still holds over the country despite Washington’s two decades of military intervention and trillions of dollars poured into trying to improve life for Afghans. Dozens of local men watched the punishment being meted out as villagers turn to the Taliban to enforce justice, having no faith in the toothless government in Kabul…

“Politicians on both sides of the Atlantic have warned that Biden’s plan to withdraw risks creating a power vacuum which the Taliban is already seeking to fill… The United States’ nearly two decades of fighting and trillions of dollars spent on Afghanistan has done little [to] put an end to the suffering of women in the country…

“Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has called Joe Biden’s plan ‘reckless’ and ‘a grave mistake. It is retreat in the face of an enemy that has not yet been vanquished and abdication of American leadership.’ Others argue that it is the only possible conclusion to a fruitless effort to bring peace to a country which has claimed thousands of American lives, as well as those of their allies in Nato including British troops.”

The article points out accurately the dilemma of countries which have sent troops to Afghanistan to create peace and which now withdraw the troops after having failed to do so. In either case, bloodshed has been and will be the result.

“Joe Biden is dividing Americans even more than Donald Trump”

The British tabloid Express wrote on April 30:

“JOE BIDEN is an even more divisive President than Donald Trump after 100 days in office, according to a new Gallup poll. The new US President came to power promising to be a leader who would govern for all Americans and ‘who seeks not to divide, but to unify.’ However, the survey found that Mr Biden was seen as anything but a unifying figure by disillusioned Republican voters. According to the poll, 94 percent of Democrats approved of the new President’s performance, while only 11 percent of Republicans did. By contrast, Mr Trump received 87 percent approval ratings from Republicans and 12 percent from Democrats at the same stage.

“On Wednesday, the new US President addressed both Houses of Congress to mark the first 100 day[s] of his administration… His speech was greeted by enthusiastic applause from Democrats but stony silence from Republicans. The Republicans called the speech ‘the most radical socialist agenda in American history’.

“Former Presidential candidate Mitt Romney tweeted: ‘The President says he wants unity, but it’s impossible to unify America if you’re only appealing to the liberal wing of your own party….’”

Romney has been an outspoken critic of Trump. He barely missed being censured for his vote to impeach Trump by his own party during a GOP convention in Utah. CNN wrote that even though the censure failed, it was a reminder of the fracture in the GOP. Likewise, the Democrats are fractured as well. How can we expect unity in the country under those circumstances?

US Catholics against Biden

Breitbart wrote on May 3:

“Prominent Catholic thinkers have handed Joe Biden a failing report card following the president’s first hundred days in office. Robert Royal, a well-known author and president of the Faith & Reason Institute in Washington, D.C., has compared Biden to the Chinese Communist Party, noting that both talk a lot about the common good while their actions betray it at every turn… Catholic Social Doctrine… ‘warns of potential tyranny and demoralization of people and civic institutions when government seek to assume authority over everything – family, faith, morals, even personal attitudes.’

“… As usual, Biden’s promotion of abortion rights is front and center in Catholics’ minds. ‘Abortion is a clarifying issue because it gives a sharp edge to these and a host of other questions about politics and the moral order,’ Royal observes, and on this vital issue Joe Biden holds a position the Catholic Church finds untenable… The slaughter of the innocents through abortion is happening today to the tune of about 150,000 globally, Royal writes, ‘the equivalent of killing everyone in Cambridge, Massachusetts plus the entire faculty and staff at Harvard, every day.’

“For this reason, he asserts, the American bishops ‘find themselves at a crossroads,’ since to let things go on as they have ‘would give the impression that they’re just fine with a self-proclaimed “devout” Catholic politician acting this way… As Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, noted last Friday, there is nothing ‘right wing’ about ‘addressing public figures who boast of their “devout Catholic” status while constantly undermining what the Church teaches, especially on life and death issues.’”

This is not just referring to devout Catholic Joe Biden. The number of Catholic Democrats who are supporting abortion is staggering, including leading politicians like Pelosi and Schumer. Their sheer hypocrisy is breathtaking!

Raid of Giuliani Unconstitutional for Numerous Reasons

Newsmax wrote on May 2:

“The FBI raid this week of former President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani violated the ‘spirit and the letter of the Constitution,’ because it permitted prosecutors to read privileged information without permission, according to legal expert Alan Dershowitz…

“‘This was just a misuse of the search and seizure power… Initially it was turned down; now it was approved, both by a judge and by the attorney general of the United States…  It just shouldn’t be done this way… It should be done through subpoena, and that is the constitutional route to getting evidence… To conduct a search warrant is to imply that Rudy Giuliani and the other lawyers who are subject to the search warrant would destroy evidence… Now, Giuliani knew they were after the cell phones and the computers for months and months and months, and he didn’t destroy anything, so what’s the basis for the search warrant rather than the subpoena?

“‘The 4th Amendment demands a subpoena in these situations, not a search warrant. What they did in this case was unconstitutional… The 4th Amendment doesn’t protect you only against criminal prosecution, it protects your privacy… They’re looking hard. I don’t think they have anything on this registration because, really, Giuliani was representing an American; he was representing the president. He was doing investigations in the Ukraine to see if it can help his president….’

“There is a lack of ‘compelling evidence’ of potential obstruction of justice by a former federal prosecutor like Giuliani, Dershowitz said.”

In addition, Dershowitz also said that the search warrant violates the attorney-client privilege between Trump and Giuliani, and this privilege belongs to Trump as the client. He did not agree to a waiver and so, arguably, he could sue the FBI and the Justice Department for their unconstitutional action against him.

“The Big Lie” of 2020 Election Results

Newsmax wrote on May 3:

“Former President Donald Trump shot back at opponents and the mainstream media Monday, saying the 2020 election result [will] forever [be] known as ‘The Big Lie.’… The mainstream media has called Trump’s claim the 2020 election was stolen due to voter fraud as ‘the big lie.’… Trump last week called the 2020 election a ‘disgrace to our country.’ He said, ‘at 10:30 in the evening, everyone thought the election was over and that we had won. All of a sudden, late in the night, they closed up the tabulation centers and they came out with new numbers. This election is a disgrace to our country. And the whole world knows it and they’re watching.’

“Trump added he was ‘100%’ thinking about running again for the White House in 2024. ‘The polls show it and everybody wants me to do it: 100% I’m thinking about running and we will I think be very successful,’ Trump told Fox Business…

“Also last week, Trump said Democrats fighting an audit of Arizona’s election result… was an admission of using ‘unconstitutional’ election processes… ‘They sent a team of over 100 lawyers to try and stop it because they know what the result of the Arizona Senate sponsored audit will be — and it won’t be good for the Dems.’

“The Arizona state Senate used its subpoena power to take possession of all 2.1 million ballots in Maricopa County and the machines that counted them, along with computer hard drives full of data.”

So, it’s still not over?

Trump Continues to be Banned on Facebook

Deutsche Welle wrote on May 5:

“Former US President Donald Trump will be suspended from Facebook and Instagram for at least another six months. He was banned from the platform following the January 6 siege of the US Capitol by his supporters. The social media giant’s independent oversight board upheld the ban on the former US president, but said the decision should be reviewed in six months. The board said Trump ‘created an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible… Given the seriousness of the violations and the ongoing risk of violence, Facebook was justified in suspending Mr. Trump’s accounts on January 6 and extending that suspension on January 7,’ the board said after its review.

“The review board was established recently and includes academics, lawyers and rights activists. Its decisions are binding on the company… Trump responded to the announcement by repeating his… claims of voter fraud  in the 2020 US election. ‘Had gutless and clueless MINORITY Leader Mitch McConnell… fought to expose all of the corruption that was presented at the time, with more found since, we would have had a far different Presidential result,’ Trump said in a statement.”

Conservatives Respond

Fox News wrote on May 5:

“Conservatives blasted Facebook and its Oversight Board for upholding an indefinite ban on former President Trump on Wednesday… ‘Facebook’s decision to uphold its ban on President Donald Trump is extremely disappointing. It’s clear that Mark Zuckerberg views himself as the arbiter of free speech,’ Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said in a statement…

“The news prompted swift reaction from Republican lawmakers. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had a warning for Big Tech. ‘Facebook is more interested in acting like a Democrat Super PAC than a platform for free speech and open debate,’ McCarthy wrote on Twitter. ‘If they can ban President Trump, all conservative voices could be next…’ ‘Big tech thinks it can control everything. Companies that censor Americans while giving brutal dictators a pass should not have free rein over your personal data to use for their benefit…’, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., wrote on Twitter. ‘Disgraceful. For every liberal celebrating Trump’s social media ban, if the Big Tech oligarchs can muzzle the former President, what’s to stop them from silencing you?’ Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wrote on Twitter…

“Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley… also criticized Big Tech. ‘Facebook and Twitter ban a former U.S. President, yet, some of the world’s worst dictators, terrorists, and bad actors still have a platform,’ Haley wrote on Twitter. ‘This is a gross double standard and it’s why most Americans don’t trust big tech.’ ‘The Facebook Oversight Board is a dumb distraction from the actual issue of Facebook’s hegemonic control over global political speech, reinforced today by the platform anointing itself with the moral authority to memory hole future world leaders at their own discretion,’ Rachel Bovard of the Conservative Partnership Institute wrote on Twitter…’

“The board’s decision comes after Trump rolled out a new communications platform, ‘From the desk of Donald J. Trump.’ The space allows Trump to post comments, images and videos, and allows followers to share the former president’s posts to Twitter and Facebook, though it does not have a feature letting users ‘reply’ or engage with Trump’s posts.”

What Is Facebook’s “Oversight Board”?

Breitbart wrote on May 6:

“Facebook has released a list of the first 20 members of its ‘Oversight Board,’ a semi-independent body the social network is setting up that will have the power to decide whether content banned by Facebook stays banned or is restored on appeal. Members include the former editor-in-chief of the Guardian and a ‘human rights expert’ who is part of George Soros’ Open Society project. Colloquially known as the ‘Facebook Supreme Court,’ the idea for the body was hatched by Harvard Law professor Noah Feldman, a liberal academic and one of the Democrats’ ‘expert witnesses’ during the impeachment hearings… The 20 members announced by Facebook today include progressive, left-wing, and mainstream media figures who have been highly critical of President Trump.

“One addition is Alan Rusbridger, formerly editor-in-chief of the Guardian, the U.K.’s leading left-wing newspaper. His appointment to Facebook’s Oversight Board — and the lack of any figures from conservative media — has already drawn condemnation from Conservative Party MPs in the U.K…. the former editor-in-chief is no fan of Trump. In September 2017, he expressed his support for Robert Mueller’s ‘obstruction of justice’ investigation against Trump.

“The Oversight Board also includes Nicolas Suzor, who once said he ‘loved’ an article comparing President Trump to Adolf Hitler… Other members of the Oversight Board include Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former Prime Minister of Denmark for the left-wing Social Democrat party…  Pamela Karlan, who worked in the civil rights division of President Obama’s Justice Department, and Evelyn Aswad, who served as director of human rights in Hillary Clinton’s State Department…

“There appears to be no major Trump-supporting figures in Facebook’s list of Oversight Board members…”

Even though the Oversight Board is represented as being “independent”, Breitbart points out that the salaries of all its members are being paid by Facebook.  Daily Mail added that the “oversight board has 20 highly paid, left leaning members who make the decisions. They get paid six figure salaries for approximately 15 hours of work a week.”

Facebook Permanently Bans LifeSite News

Breitbart wrote on May 5:

 “LifeSite News, a major pro-life news website, reports that Facebook has permanently blacklisted its page over ‘false information about COVID-19’ and ‘vaccine discouraging information.’…

 “LifeSite News has been censored by Big Tech companies on numerous occasions. In 2019, LifeSite was locked out of its Twitter account for using the ‘birth name’ of a far-left transgender activist in Canada. Earlier this year, the site was permanently banned by… YouTube.” 

Almost 8 Billion Euros for EU Military Projects

Science Business wrote on or about May 2:

“MEPs signed off on the controversial European Defence Fund on Thursday, clearing the way for a… budget of €7.9 billion to go to new military research projects across the EU between now and 2027. The programme is a pandemic casualty, losing some €5 billion in budget pledges since it was first announced in 2018…

“With both Russia and China investing in new missiles, nuclear capability, drones, unmanned weapons and artificial intelligence, Europe has to act, [Thierry Breton, EU commissioner for the internal market,] said…

“Despite being voted through today, the programme has attracted a large amount of criticism. Some MEPs complained that its investments would lack transparency and parliamentary control. Others, pointing to the Commission’s much-criticised efforts in procuring COVID-19 vaccines, said centralising more power in Brussels at this time was a bad move. German Green Henrike Hahn said she worries about handing a “blank cheque” to industry. ‘For the next seven years, the European Parliament won’t be involved in scrutinising the spending,’ she noted. One of the strongest attacks on the programme came from Irish socialist Clare Daly. The initiative is, ‘a slush fund for weapons of slaughter,’ she said, urging MEPs to, ‘Reject this madness.’”

Even though it is being denied that these steps have anything to do with the creation of a European army, one must indeed be blind for not seeing and recognizing the opposite.

Military Intervention and Civil War in France?

Breitbart wrote on May 1:

“49 per cent of the French public would support the military intervening to restore order and safety in France, even without government orders to do so, according to a poll conducted by Harris Interactive… a letter signed by 20 former French generals and an estimated 1,000 former and active-duty military members… warned of potential civil war and military intervention…

“Around six in ten — 58 per cent — of respondents said they support the military and ex-military members who signed the letter, with those who support right-wing parties such as Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) showing the most support.

“… the French Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, General François Lecointre announced that active-duty members of the military who signed the letter would face removal or disciplinary actions.”

As dictatorships expand in Europe, even such prospects are no longer inconceivable.

Religious War in Jerusalem

Israel 365 wrote on May 2:

“Fatah is apparently determined to upgrade the recent violence into a religious war..

“Fatah Movement Central Committee member Tawfiq Tirawi… called the rioters Jerusalem’s ‘pure-hearted protectors’ and its ‘true ‎defenders,’ and repeated one of the PA’s excuses for the violence, claiming Israel ‎is ‘Judaizing’ Jerusalem, ‘making it Israeli,’ and ‘preventing its original residents ‎from enjoying freedom of worship’ during the Ramadan.‎

“Tirawi called on the ‘Palestinian forces and factions’ to honor their duties toward ‎Jerusalem and called on all Arabs and Muslims to ‘act to save the holy city from the ‎clutches of the occupation and its colonialist occupying racist policy.’”

An outright war for the “ownership” of Jerusalem is prophesied.

Further Religious Persecution in Canada

Breitbart wrote on May 1:

“A judge in Woolwich Township in Ontario, Canada, has ordered parishioners at Trinity Bible Chapel to be locked out of the church to prevent Sunday worship services [ruling] that the church, its pastors, and elders were in contempt of prior court orders to halt in-person worship by gathering a[t] the church last Sunday.

“… last Sunday nine tickets were issued to people for attending a gathering that exceeded the government’s attendance limit… church elders and the church have been charged with violations ‘several times’ in recent weeks. This is the first time parishioners have been ticketed.”

Canada’s persecution of churches is continuing. In the last Update, we reported on other unconstitutional actions against churches in Alberta and elsewhere. Also note the next article.

LiveSiteNews wrote on April 30:

 “A Canadian church will for now at least not have its doors closed to its faithful by police and health officials after a judge today denied an Ontario Attorney General’s request to shut the church doors because it has stayed open contrary to draconian COVID-19 health rules.  Pastor Henry Hildebrandt of the Church of God located in Aylmer, Ontario, announced the news… today…

“Justice Thomas also found today in contempt the Church of God (Restoration) as a corporation, Hildebrandt, and Peter Wall – who works as an assistant pastor and church director at the church – because they defied a February court injunction on the church…

“At the packed Sunday, April 25 service, Hildebrandt said he was ‘very ashamed of many, many pastors in this land’ for… going along with COVID-19 restrictions limiting church size. Independent MP Derek Sloan and Independent Ontario MPP Randy Hillier both attended the service at the Church of God and spoke briefly from the pulpit. The pair have been charged by Aylmer Police for attending…

“Ontario Premier Doug Ford on April 16 introduced extended ‘stay at home orders’ that placed a 10-person limit on church service attendance size, closed playgrounds, implemented provincial border checks, and gave police the power to stop anyone outside his or her home without cause. After public backlash, the Ford government walked back some of its coronavirus rules less than a day later. Playgrounds were allowed to stay open, and police had to have ‘reason to suspect that you are participating in an organized public event or social gathering’ in order to question people. “

Rebel News added on May 3:

“The [Attorney General’s] application [to lock down the church] will be re-examined on May 13… Pastor Hildebrandt… recounted that during the hearing, a representative from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) argued that the ‘government is making criminals out of law-abiding citizens’… Pastor Hildebrandt asked, ‘what’s next… underground church services?’ He drew attention to the fact that our current prime minister’s own father is the one who signed the Constitution Act of 1982, bringing into effect the Charter of Rights and Freedoms…

“When asked if he would be willing to go to jail over the ability to hold religious services, like Pastor James Coates of Grace Life Church, Pastor Hildebrandt said ‘absolutely.’ ‘If I’m not willing to do that, then I question my calling, I question being a pastor,’ he said, while reiterating that he hopes it doesn’t come to that.”

The dictatorial governmental measures in Canada are beyond belief.  Note the next article as well.

Montreal Police vs. the Jews

Rebel News wrote on May 3:

“… last Friday night in Montreal, it was raining cats and dogs… But despite the prevailing downpour, Montreal’s ever-vigilant members of law enforcement were patrolling the streets of the Jewish neighborhoods looking for those who would have the temerity to walk home post-curfew time. After all, inclement weather aside, there are quotas to make…

“And sure enough, as we casually drove around the neighbourhood, it didn’t take long before we happened upon yet another Jewish family getting ticketed by police. From what we could gather, the tickets were for breaching curfew (because that makes for a super-spreader event). Apparently the family did not have any identification papers with them, which is also an actionable offence. All of which brings up some very unpleasant imagery of law enforcement in a different place and a different time requesting: ‘Your papers, please! Schnell! Schnell!’

“We tried to interview the police officers and ask why they were determined to hand out tickets so diligently, but alas, there were no comments forthcoming to the ‘Jew Media,’ as certain Montreal police officers inexplicably call Rebel News these days. In any event, the police officers eventually drove away into the soggy night, ticket books in hand, ever diligent to pounce upon other Jewish people who might be walking the streets of Montreal sans canine i.e., without dogs].”

Terrible memories do in fact arise.

It Never Stops… TSA extends Mask Mandates for all Travels

npr wrote on May 1:

 “Wearing a face mask will continue to be a requirement at airports, aboard commercial flights and on other public transportation across the country through the summer. The federal mask mandate, which was set to expire on May 11, will remain in effect through Sept. 13, according to updated guidance issued by the Transportation Security Administration on Friday.

“The rule, which also applies to buses and rail systems, was first put in place by President Biden shortly after he took office in January. For about a year, major U.S. commercial airlines have required all passengers who are older than 2 to wear face masks on flights…

“… senior TSA official Darby LaJoye said… ‘We will continue to work closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to evaluate the need for these directives…’ Just this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear a mask when they’re outdoors unless they’re in a crowd.”

The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing, and vice versa, and neither provides convincing and logical answers.  

Vaccination Passports and Totalitarian Control

Life Site News published an article by America’s Frontline Doctors on April 29:

“Former Pfizer Vice President and Chief Science Officer Dr. Michael Yeadon has issued a dire warning to the world regarding vaccination programs and related political measures, arguing that it is likely designed to bring about ‘utterly totalitarian control of the entire population forever.’

“Yeadon cited many examples of what is already built into Green Passport systems imposed upon Israel and expanded around the world. In addition, he provided the link to a video report that demonstrates how ‘the situation we are experiencing right now, the fear of a virus and ensuing measures that restrict liberties is exactly the situation that has been repeatedly and intensely trained and rehearsed in the past years with all kinds of infectious disease simulations.’

“‘Vaccination protects those who need it. Vaccine passports protect nobody. But vaxpass is useful to our overlords… Who controls that database and any algorithm governing what it permits and denies has absolutely totalitarian control over every aspect of your life. Imagine a future in which a valid Vaxpass is required to enter a sport ground or museum. Invalid Vaxpass, no entry. Now imagine the rules are hardened up (they will be). Now you can’t enter large shopping malls or hotels without a valid pass…”

This is a very accurate and serious prognostication. Satan’s underlying motive of having governments impose coronavirus restrictions and vaccination passports on unsuspecting people IS the creation of a worldwide dictatorship.

Your Personal Decision

Fox News published on May 4 the following commentary by Tucker Carlson:

“As important as vaccines may be, the question of whether to take them, whether to have powerful drugs injected into your body is the most intimate kind of personal health decisions. Politicians and bureaucrats should have no role in a decision like that. These decisions are for the individual alone to decide, in consultation with family, physicians and clergy. When it comes to medical care, it is your body, your choice…

“Soon, virtually all college students in America will be required to take the COVID vaccine. In effect, it is a national mandate… From a medical standpoint, it’s hard to understand the reasoning behind this. As a group, young people are not at risk of dying from COVID. Maybe more significant, huge numbers of college students have already been infected with the coronavirus. We know that, and therefore they have a natural immunity to it. Why do these kids need a vaccine?… In no other circumstance do we immunize people against a virus for which they already have antibodies…

“At this point, the people who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID are the ones who’ve affirmatively decided they don’t want to be vaccinated. In that, they’re exercising what they assumed was a fundamental American right: the right to choose which medicines you put in your own body. Until recently, all of us assumed that we had that right…

“So what is next? It’s not a question of the vaccine. You may want the vaccine for yourself and your children, you may not. It’s a question of being forced to take it. And if we allow ourselves to be forced to take it, what next? Anything is the answer to that question. If the authorities are permitted to control a health care decision this intimate — if they can force you and your children to take a vaccine you don’t want and are afraid of — what can’t they do? Nothing. They’ll have total power over your body and your mind, forever. What’s the limit to their power? There isn’t one…”

Never Herd Immunity in the USA?

Newsmax Health wrote on May 3:

 “COVID-19 is here to stay, say experts, who believe emerging variants coupled with vaccine hesitancy is likely to make it impossible to achieve herd immunity in the U.S…. What they predict is that COVID-19 will remain for many years to come, causing hospitalizations and deaths, but to a much lesser degree than experienced so far… Experts say that with the current mutations of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the herd immunity threshold is 80%… Surveys show that 30% of Americans are hesitant to get vaccinated which pushes back the goal of achieving herd immunity even further.

“Epidemiologists say COVID-19 will become an endemic disease, much like the seasonal flu… According to Nature, there are other reasons why herd immunity is unlikely. Experts point out that the vaccines that prevent severe illness from COVID-19 may not prevent transmission of the disease… ‘If the coverage is 95% in the United states as a whole, but 70% in a small town, the virus doesn’t care,’ Dr. Marc Lipsitch… the director of the Center for Communicable Diseases, told the [New York] Times. ‘It will make its way around the small town.’’

And that, after all the contrary promises by scientists.

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.

We have written much about the mark of the beast in our Q&As and booklets, and we have given numerous sermons on the issue. As questions have arisen as to whether the mark of the beast applies to the governmental command or “encouragement” to wear masks or to get vaccinated, especially against the coronavirus, we are setting forth below, at first, a synopsis of what we have published about the mark of the beast.

Revelation 13:16–17 explains that people will accept “a mark” of the ancient Roman Empire and its ten European revivals (the “beast” power) “on their right hand” or “on their foreheads.” Without it, they cannot buy or sell (compare Revelation 14:9). This mark is associated with the violation of God’s Sabbath commandment (compare Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:20; Isaiah 56:2; Isaiah 58:13; Amos 8:5; Exodus 16:23, 26; Exodus 31:15). In the Bible, the “right hand” is associated with work (Psalm 90:17; 137:5). The “forehead” is the seat of thoughts (Ezekiel 3:8; 9:4; Revelation 7:3).

The Roman Catholic Church tried to “change times and law” (Daniel 7:25)—that is, God’s law regarding holy time. It has changed the calendar in Europe in 1976, which identifies Sunday as the last day of the week, rather than the 7th-Day Saturday-Sabbath. It has inspired worldly governments to enact laws commanding Christians to rest on Sunday, while working on Saturday. Many of these “blue laws” are “on the books,” even though they might not be enforced everywhere at this time, but this will change soon, when the final European revival of the ancient Roman Empire has manifested itself on the world scene.

As early as 364 A.D., the Catholic Church decreed that Christians must work on the Sabbath, and that they must rest on Sunday. Canon 29 of the Council of Laodicea stated the following: “Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord’s Day [Sunday]; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ.”

Will Durant said in The Story of Civilization about the Code of Justinian: “This Code… enacted orthodox Christianity into law… It acknowledged the ecclesiastical leadership of the Roman Church, and ordered all Christian groups to submit to her authority…. Relapsed heretics were to be put to death… and other dissenters were to suffer confiscation of their goods, and were declared incompetent to buy or sell, to inherit or bequeath; they were excluded from public office, forbidden to meet, and disqualified from suing orthodox Christians for debt.”

In other words, those who were not orthodox Catholics were forbidden from buying and selling—i.e. conducting business. This will be reinforced again, with unparalleled severity, all over the world within the next few years.

In addition to the rejection of the weekly Sabbath, the mark of the beast includes also the rejection of God’s annual Holy Days [which are also called Sabbaths in the Bible, compare Leviticus 23, including the Feast of Tabernacles]. Governments in certain Catholic countries, such as Germany, are already prohibiting children to celebrate the Feast, while unlawfully insisting that they must attend school during that time.

At the same time, the Catholic Church caused and is causing governments to enact laws enforcing the celebration of man’s pagan holidays, falsely so-called “Christian,” such as Christmas days, Good Friday, Easter days and New Year’s, just to name a few.

God specifically warned ancient Israel not to incorporate pagan elements in their worship of Him (Deuteronomy 12:30-32). The early Roman Church absorbed pagan elements into their worship to make the new faith attractive to Gentiles who were already steeped in pagan customs. This was also done because of anti-Semitism and the desire to appear different from the Jews.

These pagan customs were placed under a “Christian” mantle so that they would have the appearance of being godly. Traditional Christianity has clearly violated God’s command to not learn pagan ways of worship from the Gentiles, to not add pagan elements to holy worship, and to not delete godly elements that are to be observed, such as the weekly and annual Holy Days. Therefore, it has, in effect, accepted for a long time the mark of the beast by embracing human religious traditions that violate God’s laws of proper worship.

The mark of the beast is tantamount to a religious philosophy detrimental to the true worship of God. It includes the mandatory and legally enforced celebration of pagan religious holidays and the practical and/or legal prohibition of the observance of God’s sacred days. It also includes humanly devised and ungodly ideas supporting and embracing a religion which preaches a false God, a false Jesus or a false gospel (Galatians 1:6–9; 2 Corinthians 11:3–4).

As mentioned, the mark of the beast has been in existence for a long time and even though it will reach its climax in the days ahead, it cannot possibly be a reference to microchips or cryptocurrencies or, as we will show, to vaccinations or a vaccine certificate, as these did not even exist in times past.

Rather than referring to a chip or some other tangible “evidence,” the commentary of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown states that, “The mark may be… not a visible mark, but symbolical of allegiance.” This “allegiance” can be seen today in many different ways, if we analyze what laws and regulations governments have already enacted or are in the process of enacting.

In our booklet, “Obeying God Rather Than Men,” we said this:

“True Christians understand that the Sabbath and the Holy Days must be kept, and that they must not instead accept the mark of the beast by worshipping on Sunday and pagan holidays, and by refusing to worship on God’s weekly and annual Sabbaths.

“But how does this play out in practice when the government prohibits Christian churches to meet and assemble on the Sabbath? They might not even place this prohibition under a religious mantle, but they might give some other reasons, such as the outbreak of a pandemic that would require people to stay at home. The weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days are commanded biblical holy assemblies or holy convocations (compare Leviticus 23). We should ask ourselves whether refusing to follow God’s command, because the government says so, would be pleasing to God (compare Hebrews 10:25; the Living Bible states: “Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near”).

“… God’s ministers are commanded to feed the flock. Zechariah 11:16 warns us of a worthless shepherd who will not feed or heal Church members. Ezekiel 34:4 applies this to other shepherds as well. God’s true ministers have a duty to anoint those with oil who are sick (James 5:14), which includes the laying on of hands (Luke 4:40; Mark 16:18; Acts 28:8). But in times of the existence of a real or perceived virus that is allegedly being transferred through touch or close proximity (‘social distancing’ is supposed to prevent this from happening), a government might prohibit such a practice of anointing…

“Conflict may arise when a government, perhaps due to fear of a virus which might allegedly be transmitted by touch or close proximity, prohibits the practice of baptizing or ordaining a person, which requires the laying on of hands by the minister on the person (compare Acts 8:12–17; 19:5–6; Acts 6:2–6; 1 Timothy 4:14; 1 Timothy 5:22; 2 Timothy 1:6). In addition, a government might prohibit Church ministers to bless little children (Mark 10:16; compare Matthew 19:13–15) or to conduct marriages, as all these procedures require the laying on of hands to set the persons aside for a holy and righteous purpose. Already in Old Testament times, it was understood as symbolizing the imparting of godly blessings (Genesis 48:13–20), His authority and spiritual power (Numbers 27:18; Deuteronomy 34:9).

“… A government might also prohibit God’s Church from preaching the gospel of the Kingdom… a government might not prohibit the preaching entirely, but it might seriously limit it to only those statements that are deemed politically correct. It might prohibit preaching God’s Truth about sin, including homosexuality, abortion, voting, jury duty or fighting in war… [God’s Church must] preach the ‘full counsel of God’ (Acts 20:27), no matter how ‘offensive’ it might be to other people and to the government…

“What if a government would issue a decree prohibiting the worship of the true God, or enjoining the worship of the ‘god’ of their choosing?… [In the past, people were forced to accept the Trinity and were declared “anathema from Christ” if they rejected this false concept. Also, Catholics must pray to the “Virgin Mary”—another false teaching.]

“In the future, God’s Church is described as fleeing to a place of safety here on earth from governmental authorities. Even though we do not know exactly how this flight will transpire, the point is that it is God who will set in motion such a ‘flight’ to protect His people from governments under Satan’s control, and He will even intervene when the governmental armies are trying to capture and kill God’s people. If someone, falsely understanding the relationship between God’s and men’s prerogatives, would feel that he cannot flee as this would violate the government’s orders, he would most certainly not be taken to the place of safety, but he would be left behind and suffer the terrible consequences of his misguided and faulty perception.”

What should have become clear from the foregoing is that the mark of the beast PREVENTS the true worship of God, including the observance of and proper assembly and worship on His weekly and annual Holy Days, accompanied by prayer and singing out loud without a mask to praise God, and other commanded activities, such as baptism, anointing of the sick, blessing of little children, conducting marriages, etc.

Anything which does not prevent true Christians from worshipping God in the right way, or which even assists them in doing so, could not possibly be described as (part of) the mark of the beast.

This means, then, that a Christian who does not buy or sell goods on Sunday or who is not working on that day, is not, per se, accepting the mark of the beast, as long as he does not keep Sunday holy as the day of worship towards God. The Bible does not command us to buy or sell goods on Sunday or to work (doing our business) on that day. On the other hand, a Christian who refuses to keep God’s Sabbath holy and conducts instead his business on that day does thereby accept the mark of the beast, as he violates God’s command to refrain from his ordinary customary work and to worship God on that day.

The same is true, of course, for God’s annual Holy Days and man’s pagan holidays. To not work or do business on Christmas or Easter is not, per se, accepting the mark of the beast, as long as the Christian does not participate in man’s pagan worship services on these days. On the other hand, to work or do business on God’s annual Holy Days, while neglecting to assemble on these days to worship God, would in fact constitute the acceptance of the mark of the beast.

Applying these principles to the issues of wearing masks or of vaccinations, the answer becomes clear: As long as none of these activities prevent us from worshipping or following God in the way which is pleasing to Him, they do not constitute the acceptance of the mark of the beast. This is even more obvious if those governmental measures constitute the government’s approval, enabling us to worship God in the proper way.

Wearing or not wearing a mask, or getting or not getting vaccinated is not, per se, tantamount to accepting the mark of the beast, as long as they do not prevent us from worshipping God in the right way (However, wearing a mask in church services might very well prevent us from worshipping God in a proper way). Otherwise, these are personal decisions, based on one’s individual situation. If a minister ought to travel overseas to visit the church or baptize or preach the gospel, but could only do so if he is vaccinated first, then vaccination does not prevent him from worshipping God and fulfilling his job as a minister; in fact, it might enable him to do so. If air travel in such a case would require the wearing of a mask, and if there was no other way to travel, then doing so would not constitute accepting the mark of the beast. This does not mean however that he must travel under those circumstances, because additional considerations, personal and otherwise, might have to be taken into account.

These principles, discussed above, do not just apply to ministers. If one has to wear a mask or has to be vaccinated to be able to keep his or her job or to go shopping, then a decision to do so would not constitute the acceptance of the mark of the beast, as it has nothing to do with worshipping or not worshipping God in the right way.

In this Q&A, we are primarily addressing the concept of the mark of the beast, and what it does and does not constitute. We are not speaking, in general, about the advisability or inadvisability of wearing a mask or becoming vaccinated. In particular, we are not addressing here whether or not vaccinations are safe; whether or not they will cause short-term or long-term (genetic) side effects; whether or not it is advisable to become vaccinated because of one’s health or age; or whether or not vaccinations are morally and ethically questionable because they were originally developed from cells of aborted fetuses. (We would like to add in this context, however, that today’s vaccinations are not manufactured from cells of aborted fetuses.)

A decision to get vaccinated or not is an individual decision, but it must be based on one’s individual conscience and conviction, because whatever is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23). We must be persuaded or fully convinced in our own mind (Romans 14:5). It is important, however, that our conviction is based on a sound mind and not on speculation, unproven narratives or political propaganda. (For instance, a concept that wearing a mask is our patriotic duty or responsibility is as wrong as the idea that wearing a mask is sinful and constitutes acceptance of the mark of the beast.)

However, God commands us to work, earn money and support our family, and we should consider in this context whether or not a commanded activity, enabling us to do so, is “neutral” in that it does not violate God’s command to worship Him properly. Health concerns should be taken into consideration as well, when it comes, for instance, to wearing masks or getting vaccinated, such as difficulties with breathing, allergies, a compromised immune system, reactions to vaccinations, etc. But health concerns must not become our main priority if this means neglecting other and perhaps even more demanding duties. We read, for example, that Epaphroditus became sick because he worked so hard in the Work of God (Philippians 2:25-30). Paul said: “For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8).

It is true, of course, that we are not to put God to the test. On the other hand, we must also recognize that time and chance do not rule over a Christian, but that he is in God’s hands. It is therefore important that we always pray to God for His lead, guidance, inspiration and protection (Psalm 48:14; Proverbs 16:9; Jeremiah 10:23 and Isaiah 58:11), and that we do not judge or condemn anyone who might decide in a way other than what our preference would be, because our situation might be quite different from the situation of our next-door neighbor, relative or friend.

James asks this question: “Who are you to judge another?” (James 4:12). We are all God’s servants, and so, Paul asks this question: “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls…” (Romans 14:4). In 1 Corinthians 4:5, he says: “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will… reveal the counsels of the hearts…” He also states in 1 Corinthians 10:29: “For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience?”

Whatever our individual decision will be, especially when it comes to getting or not getting vaccinated, God’s Church will back us up, honoring our individual conviction, based on our circumstances. Wearing a mask or getting vaccinated is not tantamount to accepting the mark of the beast, nor do they constitute sinful conduct (unless wearing a mask prevents us from worshipping God in a proper and righteous way.) Neither is it sinful conduct not to get vaccinated.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

“Catholic Politicians’ Hypocrisy on Abortion Rights” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

High-ranking Catholic politicians may speak against abortion in private, but support it in public. The Catholic Church condemns abortion and is highly critical of “devout” practicing Catholics, such as Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Andrew Cuomo, Patrick Leahy and others, who officially uphold a pro-choice position. But is abortion really wrong, and does God prohibit it?

A Tech Team Meeting was conducted via SKYPE on May 2, 2021. Hosted by Eric Rank, development of the Church website theme, provisional back-ups for YouTube, Google Ads and Sabbath Service presentations along with Conference plans were among topics discussed.

“Was das Malzeichen des Tieres (nicht) ist!” is the title of this coming Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “What the Mark of the Beast is (not).”

“Jesus Christus—der Erlöser der Menschheit,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath in Germany by Marc Voeller, is now posted. Title in English: “Jesus Christ the Redeemer of Humanity.”

“Governmental Attacks on Freedom to Speak and to Worship, Comments on News and Prophecy, May 1, 2021,” the first message presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

In this message, we will discuss attacks by governments and the mass media on our freedom to speak and to worship, as well as persecution and unconstitutional actions, in Germany, the USA, Canada and the UK. What all of this has in common is the creation of an autocratic and dictatorial climate in these countries.

“Paul’s Challenges,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Michael Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

What can we learn from Paul’s life with all the challenges he went through?

On May 1, 2021, Norbert Link will present, “Comments on News and Prophecy, May 1, 2021,” and Michael Link will present the sermon, titled, “Paul’s Challenges”.

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.

During our regular Bible study, we might come across a Scriptural passage which might at first sight be difficult to understand, requiring further scrutiny, research, prayer and meditation. Peter said at one time that Paul wrote “some things [which] are hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16). He warned against twisting those Scriptures to one’s own destruction. One fundamental principle to always keep in mind is that the Bible never contradicts itself. Another principle is that God reveals His Truth “line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little” (Isaiah 28:10).

One of these passages which I recently concentrated on is Malachi 1:11, which says:

“‘For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,’ says the LORD of hosts.”

I wondered: Does this passage tell us that in the Millennium or even before, Israelites and Gentiles will bring incense and animal sacrifices and offerings to God wherever they want to, “in every place,” and that God will accept such religious worship?

If so, then we would have been very wrong with comments we made in chapter 8 in our booklet, “Biblical Prophecy—from Now until Forever,” where we explained that at the beginning of the Millennium during the first 3 ½ years of Christ’s reign, animal sacrifices will be given to God by the lost sheep of the House of Israel at a new Temple, but not “in every place” throughout the entire earth. We also pointed out that the third Temple, where the sacrifices will be given, is mentioned only in connection with the House of Israel.

We also said this:

“Physical Israelites will bring animal sacrifices to a new temple in Jerusalem at the beginning of the Millennium. These sacrifices will not be given for the purpose of obtaining spiritual forgiveness, but just to remind the people that they had sinned, and help them to focus on the ultimate Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As it was the case in Old Testament times, these sacrifices will be temporary and will be administered by physical Levites to physical unconverted people, so as to allow the transgressor to remain within the community of Israel.”

There is nothing in the Bible indicating that Gentiles will bring animal sacrifices to God before the Millennium begins; nor, that they will be brought in every place. Jews (not Gentiles) will bring for a short while sacrifices in Jerusalem, not in every place, but even they will be suppressed by the European beast power. And after the Millennium has begun, we read that Egyptians who want to have fellowship with Israelites, will bring sacrifices and offerings (Isaiah 19:21), but the implication is, in light of all the passages in the book of Ezekiel, chapters 40 – 47, that they will do so at the third temple and not “in every place” they choose.

How then, so I wondered, are we to understand Malachi 1:11? I viewed the context and saw the contrast between the Israelites who profane God’s name, and the Gentiles who honor it. I began to contemplate that this must be referring to spiritual sacrifices, which true Christians are already giving now, and which they will also give in the Millennium. I found that several commentaries came to the same conclusion.

The Benson Commentary wrote:

“Prayers and praises shall be presented before me as incense. For here the prophet describes the Christian sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving…”

The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary added:

“Since ye Jewish priests and people ‘despise My name’ (Mal 1:6), I shall find others who will magnify it (Mt 3:9). Do not think I shall have no worshippers because I have not you; for from the east to the west My name shall be great among the Gentiles (Isa 66:19, 20), those very peoples whom ye look down upon as abominable. Pure offering—not ‘the blind, the lame, and the sick,’ such as ye offer (Mal 1:8). … The ‘incense’ is figurative of prayers (Ps 141:2; Re 8:3). ‘Sacrifice’ is used metaphorically (Ps 51:17; Heb 13:10, 15, 16; 1Pe 2:5, 12).”

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges stated:

“By ‘incense’ and ‘offering’ we are to understand those ‘spiritual sacrifices’ of prayer and praise (Hebrews 13:15)… and self-dedication (Romans 12:1), which all Christians as a ‘holy priesthood’ (1 Peter 2:5) are privileged to offer, and which are ‘acceptable to God through Jesus Christ’. … incense was the symbol of prayer (Luke 1:9-10). The Psalmist saw the same spiritual significance in ‘incense’ and ‘offering’ (Psalm 141:2).”

I also found other commentaries trying to say that the incense offered by Gentiles refers to Catholic rites and worship services. That explanation could be easily dismissed, as Catholics do not pray to the God of the Bible, but to a Trinitarian God, falsely believing that the Holy Spirit is a person. They most certainly do not magnify God’s true name.

And so, Malachi 1:11 speaks of true Christians who give spiritual sacrifices, and refers especially to those of Gentile descent, who are part of the firstfruits in this day and age, signified by one of the two leavened wave loaves which had to be offered at Pentecost (Leviticus 23:17). Paul says in Romans 15:16 that the offering consisting of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit (compare the margin in the new NKJV and the NIV).

The search for the right understanding of Malachi 1:11 just serves as an example as to how we are to study God’s Word. It may need time, effort, patience and dedication to the Truth, without coming to premature and hasty conclusions (Isaiah 28:16). Daniel wondered about a passage and had to wait with patience for understanding until God revealed to him the meaning (Daniel 9:20-23; 10:11-12, 14). Christ opened understanding to His apostles so they would comprehend the Scriptures (Luke 24:45). On the other hand, there were certain prophecies which Daniel would not understand, as it was not yet the time (Daniel 12:8-10). But with Bible study, prayer and meditation, answers will come, if God so wills (Ephesians 1:15-19), and these answers will make sense and add further pieces to our comprehension of the great puzzle of God’s masterful Work—the foundation of knowledge—the Holy Bible.

by Norbert Link

 We begin with a European announcement to perhaps allow fully vaccinated US tourists to travel to Europe this summer while in spite of the hype in the press, many questions remain unanswered at the moment [please see our new StandingWatch program, titled, “US Tourists Allowed to Visit Europe?—Not So Fast!”; address the German government’s “observation” of anti-lockdown demonstrators by creating a “new category”; a campaign of some popular German actors to protest against Germany’s new coronavirus restrictions and the incredible shameful backlash which they are experiencing; a new push for a European Army, this time by Germany’s rising political star, the chancellor candidate of the Green Party; the FBI’s new troublesome powers to break into private computers without the owner’s consent and without a search warrant; the FBI’s raid on Rudy Giuliani due to an investigation whether he “violated the law by lobbying the Trump administration on behalf of Ukrainian officials”; and calls for John Kerry’s resignation due to “allegations he fed Iran sensitive information on 200 Israeli military operations.”

 We continue with the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, which has begun, while Taliban “ramps up” bombings there.

We focus on incredible police and governmental persecution of churches in Canada and the UK; California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recall in the fall due to, among other concerns, his coronavirus restrictions and his hypocritical conduct; and Putin’s violent crack-down on his opponents and his alleged ambition to reestablish the Tsarist Empire by taking over or invading certain countries which once belonged to the Russian Empire.

We conclude with some remarkable comments by Dr. Ron Paul about the Marxist ideology.

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

Fully Vaccinated US Tourists Allowed to Visit Europe this Summer?

The Associated Press wrote on April 26:

“The European Union is finalizing plans to allow tourists from the United States to travel to the 27-nation bloc this summer, officials said Monday… The commission didn’t say when exactly tourists will be allowed back inside the bloc, and if a reciprocal approach will apply to European tourists willing to travel to the U.S…

“On Sunday, The New York Times published an interview with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, reporting that fully vaccinated Americans would be able to visit EU countries this summer since all coronavirus vaccines currently used in the U.S. have also been approved by the EU’s drug regulator. But the report didn’t mention whether she was asked about whether Americans could also provide a negative PCR test or evidence of recovering from COVID-19… [She said that the] ‘27 member states will accept, unconditionally, all those who are vaccinated with vaccines that are approved by EMA.’…

“The European Union is putting the finishing touches to a system of certificates that would allow EU residents to travel freely across the region by the summer as long as they have been vaccinated, tested negative for COVID-19 or recovered from the disease. Under the plan discussed with their U.S. counterparts, American tourists could be included in the program… But EU member states will have the final say on whether to implement the guidelines. The commission said other third countries have made similar requests, but didn’t name them. Asked whether negotiations with the United Kingdom were ongoing, European Commission spokesman Christian Wigand said ‘no contact to this end’ has been made.

“Travel to the EU is currently extremely limited except for a handful of countries with low infection rates including Australia and New Zealand. But Greece, which is heavily reliant on tourism, has already lifted quarantine restrictions for the U.S., Britain, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Israel, and non-EU members Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland that are part of a European travel pact. Travelers from those countries will no longer be subject to a seven-day quarantine requirement if they hold a vaccination certificate or negative PCR test….”

Deutsche Welle added on April 26:

“Trump attempted to loosen travel restrictions on European travelers shortly before he left office in January, but this was promptly reversed by the President Joe Biden’s administration later that month. The US has yet to announce plans on allowing travel from the EU.”

npr wrote on April 26:

“It is not yet clear when the EU will open up — von der Leyen did not provide a specific timeline, and individual EU member states are permitted to enforce stricter rules than the bloc as a whole. It is also unclear how countries will determine if travelers have been fully vaccinated, but nations and air carriers in Europe have been discussing the use of vaccine passports or vaccine certificates for months…

“Even as the EU is sending positive signals to American travelers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning them not to travel to much of Europe, at least not yet. The CDC website warns Americans not to go [to] Greece, Italy, Spain or even the United Kingdom…”

Bloomberg added on April 26:

“The United States was ‘on track’ and making ‘huge progress’ with its campaign to reach so-called herd immunity, or the vaccination of 70% of adults, by mid-June, New York Times said citing Ursula von der Leyen…”

Talks are cheap. Let’s see what actions will follow, if any. That 70% of American adults will be vaccinated by mid-June is highly doubtful in light of the strong opposition of many Americans to Coronavirus vaccinations. But the increased governmental pressure to get vaccinated is growing everywhere.

The LA Times Newsletter wrote on April 24:

“[California’s] Health officials say they have no plans to institute vaccination ‘passports.’ But new reopening rules incentivize businesses to demand such proof. Meanwhile, the University of California and California State University intend to require vaccinations.”

More and More Shots Needed?

The Associated Press wrote on April 28:

“Europe can achieve herd immunity against the coronavirus within the next four months, the head of German pharmaceutical company BioNTech, which developed the first widely approved COVID-19 vaccine with U.S. partner Pfizer, said… Ugur Sahin, BioNTech’s chief executive, [said:] ‘… we need a third shot to get the vaccine protection back up to almost 100% again…’ Vaccine recipients currently receive a second dose three weeks after their first shot, although some countries have longer intervals. Sahin suggested the third should be administered nine to 12 months after the first shot. ‘And then I expect it will probably be necessary to get another booster every year or perhaps every 18 months,’ he said.

“Concerns have been raised that existing vaccines might be less effective against new variants of the virus now emerging in different parts of the world… Sahin said the vaccine’s effectiveness… was still being investigated.”

“Germany’s Fauci”, Christian Drosten, said, according to Focus, dated April 28, that in the autumn or winter, a new modified shot against the coronavirus might have to be administered because those who have been vaccinated might still pass on the virus to others.

And now… Anti-Coronavirus Lockdown Protest Movement under Observation

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 28:

“German intelligence chiefs have placed parts of the anti-coronavirus lockdown protest movement under observation… Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV)… said elements of the so-called Querdenker (lateral thinking) group  were of particular concern because they questioned the legitimacy of the state…

“The movement does not fall into pre-existing categories of concern — such as far-right, far-left, or Islamist — but a new category, the BfV said. For this reason, the German Interior Ministry said it had created a new category of ‘delegitimization of the state where relevant to constitutional protection.’”

Germany’s actions become more troublesome and dangerous by the week…

Actors Oppose Germany’s Coronavirus Restrictions

The Guardian wrote on April 26:

“… a series of satirical videos making fun of coronavirus restrictions, recorded by TV actors associated with the crime drama (“Tatort”), has plunged lockdown-fatigued Germany into a bitter culture war. A website called #allesdichtmachen (“close it all down”), was launched on Thursday night, featuring 53 to-camera clips in which high-profile actors sarcastically boast of the lengths they have gone to restrict their social contacts and appeal on the government to lock down the country even harder… The videos… have drawn a ferocious backlash not least from other actors…

“Jan Josef Liefers… used his video to sarcastically praise the media for uncritically supporting the government’s measures and shutting out scientists who didn’t toe its line… Twenty actors have withdrawn their videos from the campaign’s website after the backlash…

“The tabloid Bild, the country’s bestselling newspaper, and its sister broadsheet Die Welt, have become increasingly vocal in their criticism of the nationwide ‘emergency brake’ rules that came into effect this weekend and shown… sympathy for the actors’ campaign.

“At the start of the pandemic Germany had high levels of compliance with social distancing measures… Even when the government agreed on a second lockdown in the winter, 67% of those surveyed in polls showed their approval… At the start of April, 48%… wanted restrictions to go further, while only 24% thought they went too far.”

This is really a sad commentary on German sheep mentality. Disappointing that 20 actors withdrew their videos, for whatever reasons. If one has a conviction, one has to follow it, no matter the backlash and no matter from where support or criticism are coming.

German Green Party for EU Army

Express wrote on April 26:

“The German Green Party’s candidate to succeed Ms Merkel has set out steps to implement the creation of a European Union armed forces in the party’s foreign policy agenda. Polls in Germany suggest that the Green Party’s Annalena Baerbock has a high chance of becoming the nation’s first Green Chancellor. Ms Baerbock has called for the creation of EU military units that would come under the direct control of the European parliament. Speaking to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung she said: ‘In my view, we have to bundle our capabilities together more strongly as Europeans. Europe’s defence spending is three or four times as high as Russia’s but our capabilities are limited because we duplicate a lot.’

“… Over the weekend two surveys were conducted in Germany that showed the Green Party levelling with Ms Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union Party, CDU, in popularity…

“Now that a Green-led German government is a distinct possibility the party has attracted serious scrutiny over its defence policies. The German Green Party has traditionally been pacifist and campaigned for the nation to withdraw from Nato and remove US atomic weapons from its territory. However, the Greens have adopted a more pragmatic and less principled approach in recent years.”

In addition, the Green Party is at the forefront of strongly supporting heavy fines for violators of coronavirus restrictions. Angela Merkel proposes more rights for vaccinated people (the Local, dated April 26), but this proposal is being criticized, for now, for its obvious and blatant violation of the German Constitution. But it is shocking to see how far the German government is already willing to go. And it will get much worse.

US Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan Has Begun

Fox News wrote on April 26:

“The U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan has begun, just as the Taliban ramp up bombings in the region.

“President Biden pushed back the initial May deadline set by the Trump administration, instead aiming withdraw all troops by Sept. 11. Around 2,500 American troops currently operate within the country. The move has received bipartisan backlash, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., saying it would be a ‘grave mistake’ to withdraw before ensuring the Taliban had been defeated…

“The Taliban have continued their activity in the region… The Ministry of Interior reported that the Taliban conducted 62 bomb blasts and six suicide bombings in the last 11 days, killing 63 civilians and wounding 180 more… Former President George W. Bush warned last week that the decision to withdraw troops from the country would provide opportunities to the Taliban that he hoped the U.S. would not come to regret.

“Biden has maintained that his withdrawal timeline is based on consultation with experts, Congress and allies on the world stage. ‘I am now the fourth American president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats,’ Biden said. ‘I will not pass this responsibility to a fifth.’”

America’s presence in Afghanistan did not end the bloodshed, nor did it bring peace or security.  It turned out to be a futile, but very costly adventure in terms of the loss of American lives.

FBI Can Break into Private Computers without Owner’s Consent

Market Watch wrote on April 26:

“The FBI has the authority right now to access privately owned computers without their owners’ knowledge or consent, and to delete software. It’s part of a government effort to contain the continuing attacks on corporate networks running Microsoft Exchange software, and it’s an unprecedented intrusion that’s raising legal questions about just how far the government can go… The authority the Justice Department relied on and the way the FBI carried out the operation set important precedents. They also raise questions about the power of courts to regulate cybersecurity without the consent of the owners of the targeted computers…

“The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act generally makes it illegal to access a computer without authorization. This law, though, does not apply to the government… Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure… permits the FBI to access computers outside the jurisdiction of a search warrant…

“Important legal issues remain unresolved with the FBI’s current operation. One is the question of liability. What if, for example, the privately owned computers were damaged in the FBI’s process of removing the malicious code? Another issue is how to balance private property rights against national security needs in cases like this. What is clear, though, is that… the FBI could hack into computers at will, and without the need for a specific search warrant.”

This is a truly dangerous and deeply worrisome development.

Feds Raid Giuliani’s Apartment

Fox News wrote on April 28:

“Federal investigators have executed a search warrant on… Rudy Giuliani… The raid on Giuliani… comes as federal authorities were investigating whether he violated the law by lobbying the Trump administration on behalf of Ukrainian officials in 2019. Giuliani has served as former President Donald Trump’s personal attorney on a number of high-profile matters.

“According to Giuliani’s attorney Robert Costello, seven FBI agents arrived at the apartment at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, and remained for roughly two hours. The agents seized several electronic devices including laptops and cell phones. ‘This is totally unnecessary,’ Costello told Fox News, claiming that the raid was done to ‘make him look like he’s some sort of criminal.’…

“Giuliani was instrumental in Trump’s push to have Ukraine investigate then-candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter regarding energy company Burisma Holdings, for which Hunter Biden served on the board.”

Newsmax added on April 28:

“In addition to his Madison Avenue apartment… investigators also executed a warrant at Giuliani’s office on Park Avenue… Federal prosecutors in Manhattan had pushed last year for a search warrant for records, including some of Giuliani’s communications, but officials in the Trump-era Justice Department would not sign off on the request… Officials in the deputy attorney general’s office raised concerns about both the scope of the request, which they thought would contain communications that could be covered by legal privilege between Giuliani and Trump, and the method of obtaining the records…

“The issue was widely expected to be revisited by the Justice Department once Attorney General Merrick Garland assumed office… The Justice Department requires that applications for search warrants served on lawyers be approved by senior department officials.

“The warrants do not mean that charges are near or even expected.”

While Trump was President, the Justice Department did not proceed against Giuliani. Under the new President and the new Attorney General, it does while apparently refusing to proceed against Hunter Biden, Hillary Clinton and others.

John Kerry under Fire

The Daily Mail wrote on April 28:

“John Kerry is facing mounting calls to resign as President Biden’s climate envoy amid allegations he fed Iran sensitive information on 200 Israeli military operations while he was Secretary of State under Obama. Several Republicans… have called for him to step down following leak of tapes of recordings from Tehran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif.

“Kerry emphatically denied giving Zarif information about Israeli attacks on Syria, calling stories about it ‘unequivocally false.’ A leaked recording of Iran’s foreign minister featured Iranian diplomat Zarif claiming that Kerry told him Israel had attacked Iranian proxies in Syria while serving as Barack Obama’s Secretary of State, a role he held between 2013 and 2017…

“Pompeo, Kerry’s successor as Secretary of State…, said the recording tells ‘what I’ve said for years: that [Zarif] continued to engage with former Secretary of State Kerry on policy matters after Kerry’s public service and, according to Zarif, Kerry informed the Iranians of Israeli operations,’ said Pompeo.

“Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley accused Kerry of ‘tipping off’ the Iranians. ‘This is disgusting on many levels. Biden and Kerry have to answer for why Kerry would be tipping off Iran, the number one sponsor of terror, while stabbing one of our greatest partners, Israel, in the back,’ she said.”

Persecution of Churches in Canada

RT wrote on April 26:

“Churches in Canada have been subjected to aggressive policing of Covid-19 restrictions, despite the fact that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the rights of religion and assembly… In Alberta, a church called Gracelife has been physically fenced off by the government until its leaders agree to abide by government rules regarding mass gatherings. In the same province, a pastor in Calgary named Artur Pawlowski kicked health officials and police out of his church, comparing their tactics to those of the Gestapo, after they’d arrived to investigate supposed public-health violations. Given that the pastor is Polish, he’s likely all too aware of how the Gestapo treated his people during World War II. Similarly, the Gracelife church being fenced off rings some familiar, and alarming, bells…

“Canada is supposed to recognize the right of citizens to practise their religion… community and fellowship have always been part not just of Christianity, but of all Abrahamic religions.

“When I see a health inspector show up with several armed police officers to a place of worship demanding that a service is stopped, I have a hard time arguing against comparisons to the Gestapo. The same with seizing a church and telling its congregation that they must comply with the government or they cannot worship God in their own church.

“Anytime that a government sees itself above deity or as a substitution for deity it is becoming a tyranny. These Canadian citizens have the right to believe in God and worship as they choose. They have the freedom to assemble, and they have the freedom of association… Canada as a nation is going to need to decide something right now. Is it going to allow Christians to kneel to God, or is it going to act as if it is God and want them to kneel to it first? If the answer is the latter, I fear that the darkest days for Christians in Canada have only just begun.”

Sadly, these same questions must be asked for just about every country all over the world.

Persecution in the UK Too

The Daily Mail reported on April 28:

“This is the moment police pulled an elderly Christian preacher off his podium and arrested him for making ‘homophobic statements’ – after supporters say he refused to stop reading from the Bible about how God wanted families to be headed by a ‘father and a mother’. Two women can be heard shouting ‘this is a Christian country’ as two policemen lead the 71-year-old man away when he refused to stop addressing the crowd outside Uxbridge Station in West London. Police said they had received complaints the man had been making ‘allegedly homophobic comments’ and arrested him under the Public Order Act, which can be used under the vague proviso that someone is using ‘abusive or insulting words’ that cause ‘harm’ to someone else.  He was later released without charge…

“Pastor Peter Simpson, Minister of Penn Free Methodist Church in Buckinghamshire, who was preaching with Pastor Sherwood before the arrest, said: ‘Everything he said was bible based. He was not saying anything abusive; he is a Christian minister. There did not seem to be any recognition from the police that Christian ministers and such views exist. If there was a Pride parade in Uxbridge, the police would support it even if Christians were offended. You don’t have to be an evangelical Christian to be shocked by this. Anyone who cares about liberty should be concerned about what happened in Uxbridge…

“Whatever one’s personal views on homosexuality might be, it is surely pertinent to ask what kind of nation have we become that the minister of a Christian church is arrested for upholding in the public square the very truths which Her Majesty the Queen promised to uphold in her Coronation Oath in 1953, with a Bible in her hand?’”

Good questions in view of a very sad reality.

Newsom Will Face Recall Election in the Fall

The L.A. Times Essential California Newsletter wrote on April 27:

“It’s finally official: Gov. Gavin Newsom will face a recall election in the fall. Newsom is only the second governor in California history and the fourth in U.S. history to face a recall election. The first election to recall a California governor was in 2003, when voters recalled Democratic Gov. Gray Davis from office and elected Hollywood action star Arnold Schwarzenegger, the last Republican to serve as the state’s chief executive… Newsom will face a statewide vote of confidence by year’s end….

“The governor’s first-in-the-nation stay-at-home order and state coronavirus policies brought him soaring job approval ratings in the spring. But as Californians grew frustrated with economically devastating government-mandated restrictions to stem the spread of the virus, those same actions galvanized the campaign against him. Another turning point came in November, when Newsom sat down for one of the more fateful meals in California political history. The optics of opulent hypocrisy — a wealthy, telegenic governor celebrating a lobbyist’s birthday at an ultra-exclusive restaurant after pleading with Californians to stay home — catalyzed a groundswell of anger…

“California voters will be asked two questions on their recall ballots: First, do you want to recall Newsom from office? And second, which of these candidates should replace him? [The votes on the second question will only be counted if more than half say yes to the first.] Newsom is barred from being listed among the candidates who can be considered if the recall passes.

“A Republican has not won statewide office in California since 2006, but several are already challenging Newsom. The list includes former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, businessman John Cox, former Northern California Rep. Doug Ose and Olympic medal-winning reality [and transgender] TV star Caitlyn Jenner.”

Daily Mail added on April 27:

“Jenner is a registered Republican. She voted for Trump in 2016 but not in 2020, in protest against his position on transgender issues. In an announcement on Instagram, she did not indicate whether or not she’ll run as a Republican or Independent.  A member of Jenner’s team – which includes many prominent former Trump White House figures – told Axios: ‘She’s running as someone that’s socially liberal and fiscally conservative.’ She has hired Tony Fabrizio, a pollster who worked on both of Trump’s campaigns, and Brad Parscale also helped her in an informal role.”

Many commentators feel that physically and spiritually bankrupt California cannot be healed, no matter what is being tried.

Russia’s Crackdown on Navalny and his Network

npr wrote on April 26:

“The political network of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been ordered to suspend its activities pending a court ruling on whether to label it and other affiliated organizations ‘extremist’ — a move that would likely result in them being permanently shuttered… [It] would effectively end any meaningful political opposition in Russia ahead of September parliamentary elections…

“The FBK, founded in 2011 by Navalny, has been highly critical of key Russian figures, including President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Navalny himself has become a key political figure and one of the few prominent voices openly opposed to Putin. In January, Navalny’s team released a YouTube video detailing an investigation into what it says is a lavish Black Sea palace built for Putin with funds from a ‘slush fund.’ The video has been viewed tens of millions of times. The Kremlin has dismissed the investigation as ‘pure nonsense.’…

“While traveling last August, Navalny suddenly fell ill and was hospitalized in Germany, where doctors determined that he had been poisoned with a Soviet-era, military grade nerve agent. Navalny blamed Putin for ordering the attack, but the Kremlin has denied any involvement. After months of treatment and recovery, Navalny returned to Russia in January, only to be promptly jailed. He was later sentenced to three and a half years in a penal colony on old fraud charges that he says are politically motivated…

“Just last week, Navalny ended a more than three-week hunger strike to protest his lack of medical treatment for leg and back pain while in prison.

“Amnesty International has condemned the move to label Navalny’s network as extremist, saying the ‘looming ban has far reaching consequences for Russian civil society… Tens of thousands of peaceful activists and the staff of Aleksei Navalny’s organizations are in grave danger – if their organizations are deemed “extremist” they will be at imminent risk of criminal prosecution,’ Amnesty said.”

Newsmax wrote on April 27:

“A Russian court said on Tuesday it had imposed restrictions on jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), while it considers a legal request… from the Moscow prosecutor to officially outlaw the FBK on the grounds that it is an extremist group.”

Russia’s violent persecution of any opposition is well-documented. In addition, Russia, with support of the Russian Orthodox Church of which ex-KGB spy Putin is a member, has also labeled the Jehovah’s Witnesses as “extremist” for their religious views, including on human government, military service and voting.

Putin to Restore the Tsarist Empire?

The Sun wrote on April 26:

“VLADIMIR Putin has staged a ‘successful’ test of a mystery new anti-ballistic missile… It comes as the Russian president aims to use his firepower to restore the country’s Tsarist empire, the Polish defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak has claimed…

“Recent pressure on Ukraine combined with the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and hostilities in Georgia in 2008 indicated this trend he claimed, suggesting the Kremlin leader was eyeing a takeover in four NATO countries including Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Like Ukraine, all were once part of the Russian empire. He quoted late Polish president Lech Kaczynski warning ‘first Georgia, then Ukraine, then the Baltic states, then perhaps Poland’.”

No doubt about the fate of Ukraine. It is less clear when it comes to Poland. The assumption has been that Poland will become a fully integrated part of the emerging European super power.

A Free Non-Marxist Society

Ron Paul of the Ron Paul Institute wrote the following on April 26:

“It is ironic to see self-described Marxists, progressives, and other leftists protesting violence by government agents. After all, their ideology rests on the use of force to compel people to obey politicians and bureaucrats…

“Free markets, individual liberty, limited government, sound money, and peace are key to achieving prosperity and social cohesion. Those sincerely concerned about improving all human lives should turn away from the teaching of Karl Marx and John Maynard Keynes, who advocated expansive government power…”

Paul makes an important point. Marxism and socialism, including national socialism, are based on the heavy use of governmental authority, inadvertently leading to a dictatorship. Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Russia are prime examples… but by no means the only ones.

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.

Underlined is the word “true”. The reason for this is that there are many so-called “Christians” who will claim Christianity but fail to keep the commandments of God, such as the keeping of the Sabbath and annual Holy Days, tithing, clean and unclean meats, or who celebrate pagan holy days, such as Christmas and Easter, to name a few. So we really need to have context as to whom we are talking about. We MUST realize that we are not here to make this world a better place or to make a difference in the world by focusing on “good deeds.” (Please see our Q&A on this subject for further reference).

Rather, it is the foremost commission of the Church of God to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God in all the world as a witness so that Jesus Christ can return (Matthew 24:14). In our free booklet, “How to Find the True Church of God,” How to Find the True Church of God | Church of the Eternal God we explain in detail what all is contained in that announcement. We also say this: “The Church of God must be watchful and zealous in fulfilling its commission of preaching the gospel. It must be committed to doing the Work of God (James 1:25). It must not become complacent and detracted, losing the focus on the most important Work of preaching the gospel by perhaps replacing it with other pursuits; such as trying to make this world a better place by voting in governmental elections; joining the military; or by performing ‘missionary works’ in Third World countries.”

We also explain that the Church of God has a duty to feed the flock. This includes feeding the flock spiritually, but also physically, by helping those members who are in need (Please see our statements in the booklet about the tithing system).

When we keep God’s commands fully, He opens the door for blessings.

It has been observed by the ministry in the Church of the Eternal God and its affiliates that many times people in poorer parts of the world claim that they want to know the Truth and say that they keep the aforementioned commandments, but oftentimes, they are trying to get something out of the deal by misrepresenting or some variant. This is not to say that all are like this, but it is true for the vast majority. When we can help individuals who are truly doing their part and are or want to become faithful Church members, then we do so, as we are able. We have sent a minister to Africa in the past, we have baptized a person in Africa, and we have members in many parts of the world.

In regards to the poor in the church, in 1 John 3:16-18 we are told (NIV): “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

When John wrote this, there were church congregations scattered around. Some of them were able to help others. And so John is saying here that it is right and good to help other Christians if and where possible. He says “sees”, meaning we see a literal need. When we read about the early Church in the book of Acts, we note that they were all near each other in proximity.

Later, when Paul would go and visit other churches in various parts of the world, they were making provisions and gifts for him for the sake of continuing the work of preaching the gospel in all of the world at that time! He would also carry some things to other churches in need, but this wasn’t his primary mission.  He wasn’t just distributing goods. Also of interest is that in the early church, they selected 7 trusted men who could organize the distribution to the poor in the congregation, so that the ministry could continue in doing the work appointed to them, that of preaching the Gospel. Ministers have various duties and responsibilities.

When talking about the Church at that time, it is crucial to note that these people were all of one accord. They were in one group. They were NOT split up. They were pointed all in the same way. Amos 3:3 rightly states: “Can two walk together unless they are agreed?” In fact, in 1 Corinthians 1:31, when there started to be some contention between members due to people liking one minister over another and actually “adoring” them, Paul was quick to point out that there should be no discrepancies as they were all mere men, of like mind and working together to preach the gospel, each in their own way and calling as God saw fit. Unfortunately, there are many splits today, and many individuals and groups who are teaching various things or holding on to the way that they perceive the Truth to be. Due to this reason, we in the Church of the Eternal God and affiliates are holding on to the Truth as God has shown us, and we will continue to do so as God opens the doors for us to preach this truth!

We cannot assume to know how many “poor” are in the various churches of God which are not affiliated with us, nor can we assume to know who is converted. We would think that they are being taken care of, physically, by the organization that they belong to. Indeed, it would be quite challenging to think otherwise as there are hundreds of offshoots of the Worldwide Church of God. If a church organization were to attempt to help every poor person whom they became aware of, there would be nothing left to help preach the Gospel as we have been commissioned to do. So, when we have the means to do so within our realm of influence regarding those whom we know, as they are affiliating with us, we reach out and help whenever possible.

Paul reminds us in Acts 20:35 that it is more blessed to give than to receive. This is a general way of thinking that does not come naturally to most people. Most people are more worried about themselves, individual needs and interests, often even to the detriment of others. Going above and beyond is what Christ taught.

When Christ was here on the earth, there were the poor then as well. Yet we do not find Him condemning the use of costly fragrance on Himself. John 12:1-7 (NIV) shows us that Christ was making a point that there would always be those to take care of. We find in many places that taking care of those who are poor is good in the eyes of God. He was NOT talking about those in the world, as we find for example in Deuteronomy this command (given by Christ Himself as the God of the Old Testament). Chapter 15 and verses 7-11 (NIV) reads: “If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: ‘The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,’ so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” (Compare James’ admonition in New Testament times in James 2:14-17 regarding needy brethren).

In the early Church it was a very unique time. When study is given into what was happening at that time and the situations at hand, it is interesting because the wealth distribution system in the Roman Empire at that time was very skewed and unjust. 90% of people lived below the poverty line in those days!

Also interesting is the use of the words, “those in your land.” That is, those with whom you have contact. The nation of Israel was a great people and scattered. But this would have to be localized. This was to be happening where it was local. While we have the internet today to quickly disseminate information, there are still principles involved. Currently we do not have ministers in Africa or remote places. We have contact with a few faithful in parts of the world and we send help when there is a need and when we can do so.

Another point to make is that God does and will bless those who faithfully keep all of His commandments, no matter where they live. Sometimes this includes having to suffer through extreme trials and hardships. We cannot expect to be able to help every single poor person within the Churches of God. There may be situations which God is using for His own purpose to enable  people to grow in allowing them to go through whatever trials they have to endure to make it into the Kingdom of God, to ultimately become a part of His Family. Let us think about the early Christians who were martyrs, and of those in the near future who will be persecuted and will also have to face martyrdom for the sake of the Truth! The Bible prophesies this! Many times we think we know what’s right or best in a situation or a matter and we don’t take into consideration what God wants, what He is working out, or the path that He has laid out for each of us individually. On the other hand, it is fully supported in Scripture that when we see someone in need we do what we can to help them if at all possible (note Galatians 6:10).

When focusing on tithes and offerings, including freewill offerings and third tithe, we should of course be sure that we are sending the money to the right place, approved by God, but once we have done so, that is, once we have made a tithe or an offering to God, possibly even a freewill offering, that money is no longer ours. Where that money goes should no longer be our concern. An offering is to be given with a cheerful heart, not a begrudging one that needs to know where and how the tithes and offerings will be spent. It is pretty bold to take on the proclamation that one needs to know where and how money is being used. Some within the greater Churches of God have written to us in the past, and their attitude is that the leaders in charge should be transparent with funds! Is this what God says? Is that what we find in the Scriptures above? No! It is plain that God expects the leadership in the Church to lead righteously and to do those things that are expected! Unfortunately, it has been experienced by the ministry (think of Moses and moving on through the Bible) that people will always find a way to complain about how money is being used. There have been unfortunate circumstances where money has been misappropriated or misused within the Church, but this doesn’t nullify God’s commands, and those who have misused funds will have to give an answer just as all of us will before the judgement seat when it is our time.

This includes a little bit of a warning for all of us.  It is unwise to make broad-stroke assumptions about the ministry and the time that they have. In some instances there are those in the ministry who are paid and work full time for the church. In other instances there are those ministers who work “outside,” not being employed by the Church, and still find time to do the work given to them in the Church on top of their full schedule. Each has been called by God to accomplish a role within the Church, which is also true for each of the members.

God has ordained the ministry as He sees fit! If we truly believe that Christ is the Head of the Church, then we also have to take instruction and listen to the people whom He puts in charge. This is no light thing! 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 shows us that all in the body of Christ are put in their respective positions, as God sees fit!  This includes the ministry and those in charge under Christ. Ephesians 4:11-16 reminds us that the ministry is there to help guide and direct everyone to grow in unity. Each part doing its work! As we said above, without unity, how can a body function? It cannot!

God’s Family is a hierarchy. God the Father at the Head, Jesus Christ below Him and in subjection to the Father, then the various ranks in the ministry and then deacons and members. This is not a justification for trying to “lord” it over people. It is the fact. God has ordained tithing. In fact, in Malachi 3:8, we find the question: “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.” When God appointed the Levites as the priests and those who would take care of the temple and all of the process that went along with that, He laid out very careful instructions on everything that was to be done. In those instructions, nowhere do we find the command that the other tribes were to be auditing and looking into how the Levites carried out their responsibilities.  Remember that even Jesus did not “control” Judas who had the money bag, even though he was a thief. But all of this was for a purpose—Judas was to betray Christ because of his greed, and Christ knew this.

Paul had something to say in this regard. He said in 1 Corinthians 11:1: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” Many times we have heard people complain and say something along the lines of: “Well, then you are just following a man,” but they really misrepresent and are being stubborn in this regard! As mentioned, the ministry was put in place by God! Christ tells us in Matthew 7:15-20 that by people’s fruits we WILL know them! We can see from the fruit of the Spirit in someone’s life how they are living, how close they are to God. This is what the Bible tells us! This is not to say that the ministry doesn’t make mistakes, but in general, we need to look at the overall picture.

God commands generosity and giving as a general attitude where and when possible. We are not supposed to be hoarding riches for the sake of becoming rich. Psalm 128 talks about the blessings that come from those who fear God. That is, keeping all of the commandments which are in force and effect today (we are not talking about rituals and ordinances which were superseded by Christ’s death). It also says that if people are doing this, then they will have food to eat and will be happy.

Solomon, in Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, relates this knowledge (NIV): “I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people: to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all their hard work on earth during the few days of their life that God has given them, for this is their reward. To every man whom God has given wealth and possessions, he has also given him the ability to eat from them, to receive his reward, and to find enjoyment in his toil; these things are the gift of God. For he does not think much about the fleeting days of his life because God keeps him preoccupied with the joy he derives from his activity.”

We know about the rich ruler to whom Christ spoke saying go and give all you have to the poor, and follow Me (Matthew 19:20-22). Is this saying that we should all be giving everything we have to the poor? Should we not be enjoying the product and fruit of our labors?

God knows everything about us. He knows our hearts and our needs. He provides and makes provision for us in different ways. Christ knew what the rich ruler needed to do to follow Him—apparently to become a minister—and in order to inherit eternal life in the Kingdom of God.  In this instance, it was to do as He commanded. But this man couldn’t bring himself to do this. He loved his riches too much and was unwilling to give them up to follow Christ. This is not to say that money is wrong, nor are riches. But the concept is that this should not be the main focus in our lives. If we can and want to help others, then we can give to those whom we know personally or we can give free-will offerings to the Church for dispersal as seen fit by the ministry and those who are in charge. But we should never lose focus and forget our main collective and individual responsibility as the Church of God—to be involved in and support the most important Work on earth today: To announce the soon-coming Kingdom of God so that Christ can return to make an end to all hardship, misery, pain, suffering and poverty for all peoples.

Lead Writer: Kalon Mitchell

compiled by Dave Harris

“US Tourists Allowed to Visit Europe?—Not So Fast!” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen allegedly said in an interview with the New York Times that “fully vaccinated Americans would be able to visit EU countries this summer.” But MUCH MORE was said and would be required, as this program will explain, and what does “fully vaccinated” actually mean? Be very careful when you hear and are tempted to act upon sensational news or representations and assurances by some health experts or governmental officials which might be misleading or continuously changing. When it comes to vaccinations, do your own research and make a decision based on your own individual situation and personal circumstances.

“Are Jews and Christians at Odds with Jesus Christ?” our new booklet, has been mailed to our subscribers in the US; also, copies were sent to Germany, the UK,  Australia and to Canada. Copies are available upon request.

“Beasts of the Bible—Evil People and Evil Empires,” is the working title of our newest booklet. This has entered the first review cycle.

“Deutschlands Absturz in die Diktatur” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Germany’s descent into dictatorship.”

“Das Wort mit Leben füllen,” last Sabbath’s sermonette given in Germany by Daniel Blasinger, is now posted. Title in English: “Filling the Word With Life.”

“Beyond a Doubt,” the first sermon presented last Sabbath by Frank Bruno, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Doubt is a word that we use in our everyday lives—perhaps even overuse. There are so many examples of how we express doubt in our lives, and it can creep into our relationship with God the Father and with Jesus Christ. In this Split Sermon, we will discuss the insidious nature of doubt and explore scriptures that can offer a pathway to strengthen our bond with Jesus and our obedience to God’s Commandments. Doubt can be like a poison in many ways and faith and confidence in Jesus Christ is the antidote.

“Job and His Friends,” the second sermon presented last Sabbath by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is a summary:

What can we learn about the subtleties of right and wrong in the story of Job? The counsel of Job’s friends provides us with a provocative example of how one can arouse the wrath of God by having the wrong attitude.

On April 24, 2021, Split Sermons will be given this coming Sabbath: Frank Bruno will present the first sermon, titled, “Beyond Doubt,” and Eric Rank will present the second sermon, titled, “Job and His 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.

Throughout the Bible, we see how God deals with situations in various ways, and He makes it clear that His Law still stands and that He wants us to abide by it.  There are examples where He boldly proclaims His laws and judgments; and when He wants to get His point across, it becomes quite evident that His Will is being done. When He has a purpose for you and me, He will be there to guide us, to test us, and to make us realize what His intentions are for our future.  Just as God is bold, we are to be the same when it comes to His Law, when the situation calls for it.  We are not to be shy in what we believe; we must not be unsteady, doubtful and fearful about what others may think, wavering when being asked about our beliefs. Rather, we are to use our voice with conviction, with confidence, and with boldness.

Of course, we should be mindful of the situation in what we say and to whom we say it. Christ, for example, always had the perfect response in every situation He was in.  He knew what to say and when to say it, when to be bold and when to be quiet.

When there is a purpose that God wants to be fulfilled, He will see to it that it happens.  After Elijah fled into the wilderness and prayed that God would take his life when he heard that Jezebel, the wife of the king of Israel, Ahab, was seeking to kill him, notice how God responded to him (1 Kings 19:9-18).  He showed Elijah His power through nature, just like He explained to Job His almighty power and just how insignificant Job was compared to God.  God responded to Elijah in a supernatural way which really got his attention—with all this might through a powerful wind, an earthquake and a fire, to nothing but a delicate whispering voice.   This also shows us that the Work of God doesn’t always need to occur with dramatic revelation and manifestations (compare Zechariah 4:6).  Noticeable displays of power are not always necessary for God to act.  He knows how to deal with each and every one of us.

There are many different ways in which He proclaims His voice to communicate with His people.  We find throughout the Bible how He communicates through a whirlwind in the book of Job; how He reveals His presence in an earthquake and a fire with Moses and the Israelites in the book of Exodus; and how His voice sounds like thunder in various Scriptures.

When God proclaimed His Law to the Israelites, it was given amidst a tempest of wind, thunder and lightning, attended with an earthquake (notice Hebrews 12:18-24).  But as we just saw in the example of Elijah, God does not always speak in that way.

The world perceives God’s Law as harsh and chooses to celebrate man’s pagan holidays, instead of keeping the weekly Sabbath and God’s annual Holy Days.  Mankind today doesn’t care about God’s Law or want to believe that it is wrong to keep these pagan days. Mankind may just be completely ignorant about these days anyway, but the time will come when God will manifest His power and will declare to the whole world what is right and what is wrong.

Once people understand what God’s Law is all about and their eyes are opened, their perception will be quite different.  They will realize that God gave His Law to protect man from harm—that it is for their own good. Depending on the person and his or her situation, God may speak with a loud voice, or with a “whisper.” As Gill’s Exposition of the Bible puts it in reference to Psalm 89:15, God may speak with “a gentle voice of love, grace, and mercy, of peace, pardon, righteousness, and salvation by Christ.” The commentary continues that God, “by the law breaks the rocky hearts of men in pieces, shakes their consciences, and fills their minds with a sense of fiery wrath and indignation they deserve, and then speaks comfortably to them, speaks peace and pardon… blessed are the people that hear this still, small, gentle voice.”

God speaks to people at different times and in different ways, but only a few actually listen and understand what He is saying. That is why it is vital to keep learning and studying, to build our understanding and relationship with God because the more we do that, the more ready we will be to listen to His voice when He speaks, and the more likely we are to obey and apply what we hear.

by Norbert Link

We report on escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine, as well as America’s weakness and a call for European strength in light of Putin’s warning to the West. We report on inappropriate comments by America’s ambassador to the UN and U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, in connection with police officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial and conviction [please see our new StandingWatch program, titled, “Chauvin’s Conviction—Was Justice Served in a System that Works?” ]; an increase of American troops in Germany; and a brutal power struggle for succession of Angela Merkel’s post. We also report on Chancellor Merkel’s and Health Minister Jens Spahn’s planned Coronavirus restrictions through federally imposed measures, as well as German court decisions prohibiting all demonstrations against Coronavirus restrictions.

We speak on deeply troubling announcements regarding the ongoing need for continued Pfizer injections; Dr. Fauci’s inability or unwillingness to become specific, thereby “destroying” America “from the inside” through “tyranny”; and “inhumane” coronavirus restrictions in the UK.

We address attempts by the Catholic Church to enforce Sunday worship and the willful ignorance regarding the institution of Sunday and the replacement of the biblical Sabbath; the intent to declare sainthood for Robert Schuman, a key “founding father” of the European Union; and another example of unscrupulous censorship by Facebook.

We conclude with developments in Israel; the precarious situation in Lebanon; a horrible decision by a Canadian activist judge; and the insane scientific ambition to create monkey-human chimeras.

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

Ukraine Tensions Sore

AFP wrote on April 17:

“Faced with the largest deployment of Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders since 2014, [Ukraine] President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested more help from the West, and Western leaders have urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop intimidating Ukraine… The US on Thursday announced sanctions and the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats in retaliation for what the White House says is the Kremlin’s US election interference, a massive cyber attack and other hostile activity..”

According to Israel 365, dated April 19, “Russia responded to the sanctions on Friday by expelling ten US diplomats and banned several other high-ranking officials from entering the country. The banned officials included Attorney General Merrick Garland, Director of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Director of the U.S. Domestic Policy Council Susan Rice, and Director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons Michael Carvajal. In addition, entry is denied to John Robert Bolton, former National Security Advisor to the United States President, former US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and Robert James Woolsey Jr., former director of the US Central Intelligence Agency…”

The Sun wrote on April 17:

“The US has warned commercial pilots against overflying the potential war zone around eastern Ukraine… amid fears they could be shot down like flight MH17. During the last ‘hot’ conflict in the region, a Malaysia Alrlines Boeing 777 – flight MH17 – was shot out of the sky by pro-Moscow rebels, killing 298 people, in July 2014… [We are observing] the greatest period in tension between Russia and Ukraine…

“In Ukraine, a warning was given by [the] army… not to form private militias amid fear of Russian attack… The Ukrainians fear that formation of unofficial armed bands could be exploited by Russia.”

The Sun wrote on April 19:

“RUSSIA has deployed nuclear bombers and fighters in a show of strength as fears of war with Ukraine mount… Pilots practised carrying out air combat, interception and striking air targets at speeds of up to 1,550mph, at a potential altitude of 12.5 miles. Russia has insisted that its current spate of military exercises across the country pose no threat to its neighbour.

“The show of strength comes as Russian state TV claimed the takeover of Ukraine’s border region was ‘inevitable.’… Ukraine has threatened to rebuild its nuclear arsenal – which it gave up after the collapse of the USSR a generation ago – if the West refuses to grant it membership of the alliance… The Russian ambassador to the UK has warned of a ‘bloodbath’ in Ukraine – and vowed to respond if Kiev moves troops to the Donbass region.”

Israel 365 wrote on April 19:

“There is no doubt that the Russian military is gearing up for a military conflict… Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed Decree No. 117/2021 on March 24, essentially declaring war with Russia. Since the decree was issued, a bilateral military buildup has been underway…”

American Weakness

Deutsche Welle added on April 17:

“Russia sent 15 warships to the Black Sea for a maneuver on Saturday amid escalating tension with Ukraine and the West… The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Friday that some sea areas off the Crimean Peninsula would be temporarily closed off to foreign warships because of the maneuvers… The United States recently canceled the deployment of two warships to the Black Sea following complaints from Russia… the Kremlin has argued that it is entitled to move Russian troops wherever it pleases within its territories… it has pledged to go to lengths to protect Russian speakers in the region.”

After Joe Biden announced some economic sanctions against Russia and the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats, he declared that these were sufficient and that sending warships to the Black Sea was no longer necessary to deter Russia (which reacted in kind by announcing retaliatory sanctions against the USA). This is truly another example of incredible shortsightedness, but in line with prophecy which tells us that ultimately, Russia and Ukraine will collaborate against Europe. This is reminiscent of World War II when Ukraine originally worked together with Nazi Germany against Russia, but then switched sides and became Russia’s supporter against Hitler’s Germany.

Putin Warns the West

The Associated Press wrote on April 21:

“President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday sternly warned the West against encroaching further on Russia’s security interests, saying Moscow’s response will be ‘quick and tough’ and make the culprits feel bitterly sorry for their action… ‘I hope that no one dares to cross the red line in respect to Russia, and we will determine where it is in each specific case,’ Putin said. ‘Those who organize any provocations threatening our core security interests will regret their deeds more than they regretted anything for a long time.’

“Moscow has rejected Ukrainian and Western concerns about the troop buildup… But the Kremlin also has warned Ukraine against trying to use force to retake control of the rebel-held east, saying Russia could be forced to intervene to protect civilians in the region…

“As Putin spoke, a wave of protests started rolling across Russia’s far east in support of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The politician, who is Putin’s most persistent critic and was poisoned with a chemical nerve agent last year, started a hunger strike three weeks ago to protest what he said was inadequate medical treatment and officials’ refusal to allow his doctor to visit him. Navalny’s treatment and deteriorating condition has caused international outrage and prompted his allies to call the nationwide protests. Police detained several Navalny associates in Moscow and moved to disperse unauthorized demonstrations across Russia, arresting scores.

“In his speech, Putin pointed to Russia’s moves to modernize its nuclear arsenal and said the military would continue to build more state-of-the-art hypersonic missiles and other new weapons… In an apparent reference to the U.S. and its allies, the Russian leader denounced those who impose ‘unlawful, politically motivated economic sanctions and crude attempts to enforce its will on others.’

“In an emotional outburst, Putin chastised the West for acquiring a defiant stance toward Russia… Russia this week engaged in a tense tug-of-war with the Czech Republic, following Prague’s move to expel 18 Russian diplomats over a massive Czech ammunition depot explosion in 2014. Moscow has dismissed the Czech accusations of its involvement in the blast as absurd and retaliated by expelling 20 Czech diplomats.

“Putin also harshly criticized the West for failing to condemn what he described as a botched coup attempt and a failed plot to assassinate Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko, allegedly involving a blockade of the country’s capital, power cuts and cyberattacks. Belarusian and Russian security agencies arrested the alleged coup plotters in Moscow earlier this month. ‘The practice of organizing coups and planning political assassinations of top officials goes over the top and crosses all boundaries,’ Putin said, drawing parallels to plots against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the popular protests that led to the ouster of Ukraine’s former Russia-friendly president, Viktor Yanukovych, in 2014. Russia responded to Yanukovych’s ouster by annexing Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and throwing its support to the separatists in the country’s east. Since then, fighting there has killed more than 14,000 people and devastated the industrial heartland…”

It is interesting that in light of biblical prophecy, the time will come when Europe will attack Russia and Far Eastern nations with “conventional” and bio-chemical weapons, and the “kings of East” will react quickly with powerful nuclear weapons.

Deutsche Welle reported on April 22:

 “The Russian defense minister on Thursday ordered troops taking part in military drills near the Ukrainian border to return to their regular positions [by May 1].  However, [the defense minister] also ordered that heavy weapons be kept in place about 160 kilometers (100 miles) east of the border for another military exercise later this year.”

Europe’s Need for Strength

Express wrote on April 19:

“EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has claimed that Russia has massed ‘over 150,000 troops’ along the Ukrainian border and in the annexed Crimea peninsula… Mr Borrell said Russia was deploying ‘all kind of materials’ on the border including ‘the highest military deployment of Russian army in Ukrainian borders ever’ in what he dubbed a ‘clear matter of concern’ for the EU.

“But French President Emmanuel Macron once suggested going one step further to counter the threat of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. Mr Macron, who has pushed for a joint European Union military force since his arrival in power, said the continent needed a ‘real European Army’ to defend itself.”

And so, a European Army IS going to come.

US Ambassador Maligns the US Constitution

Newsmax wrote on April 18:

“U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield [rebuked] the Constitution as having underpinnings of ‘white supremacy’ [and as being] fundamentally corrupt and flawed and not noble and good… Thomas-Greenfield [said], ‘the original sin of slavery weaved white supremacy into our founding documents.’”

A US ambassador is not to malign his or her country in front of those less righteous than the USA (compare Habakkuk 1:13).

Rep. Maxine Waters’ Abhorrent Comments in the George Floyd Murder Case

Star Tribune wrote on April 19:

“… defense attorney Eric Nelson called for a mistrial, citing immense media exposure, particularly a comment by Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters over the weekend in which she said while in the Twin Cities that protesters should get ‘more confrontational’ if there is no guilty verdict.

“‘I’ll give you that Congresswoman Waters may have given you something on appeal that may result on this whole trial being overturned,’ Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill said, denying the motion while acknowledging that Nelson’s concerns were legitimate. ‘This goes back to what I’ve been saying from the beginning,’ the judge said.

“‘I wish elected officials would stop talking about this case, especially in a manner that is disrespectful to the rule of law and to the judicial branch and our function. I think if they want to give their opinions, they should do so in a respectful and in a manner that is consistent with their oath to the Constitution to respect a coequal branch of government. Their failure to do so I think is abhorrent, but I don’t think it has prejudiced us with additional material that would prejudice this jury,’ Cahill said, adding that the jury has been repeatedly told to not to follow the news. “

Controversial Maxine Waters’ inappropriate comments have been interpreted in the news as inciting violence. Nancy Pelosi felt her comments do not need an apology (note articles below).

Verdict against Chauvin to be Overturned on Appeal?

Breitbart wrote on April 20:

“Renowned defense attorney and Harvard Law School professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz said Tuesday that the conviction of former Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd should be overturned on appeal because of the public intimidation of the jury and the judge’s refusal to sequester the jury. Dershowitz noted the ‘outside influence’ of people like Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), who encouraged unrest at a protest on Saturday night in nearby Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, if there was no murder conviction in the case.

“Chauvin was convicted Tuesday of all of the charges in the case — second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

“Dershowitz told Newsmax: ‘What was done to George Floyd by Officer Chauvin was inexcusable, morally. But the verdict is very questionable, because of the outside influences of people like Al Sharpton, and people like Maxine Waters. Their threats and intimidation, and hanging the sword of Damocles over the jury, and basically saying if you don’t convict on the murder charge, on all the charges, the cities will burn, the country will be destroyed, seeped into the jury room because the judge made a terrible mistake by not sequestering the jury. So the judge himself said, this case may be reversed on appeal. And I think it might [be] reversed on appeal. I think it should be reversed on appeal.

“‘I think the American Civil Liberties Union, which would be all over this case if it weren’t a racially-charged case, all Americans who care about due process and liberty should be concerned that the jury verdict may have been influenced by, if not the thumb, maybe even the elbow of the outside pressures, the fears, the threats. Every juror in that room knew about those threats. And when they sit and deliberate, they have to be saying to themselves, consciously or unconsciously, if I were to render a verdict other than a murder verdict, what the consequences will be, for me, and my family, my friends, my business. That should never, ever, be allowed to seep into a jury room. So I have no real confidence that this verdict — which may be correct in some ways — but I have no confidence that this verdict was produced by due process and the rule of law, rather than the influence of the crowd.’”

If that verdict were to be overturned, one can only imagine the reaction in the country.  Also note the next article.

Political Interference Unacceptable

The New York Post published the following article by Andrew C. McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor, on April 20:

“Remember when the Left used to go ballistic over President Trump’s propensity to lob rhetorical bombs into pending investigations and prosecutions?… For all the downsides of his unhinged commentary, Trump never took matters to the point of jury intimidation, as the preternaturally unhinged Democratic Congresswoman Maxi[n]e Waters did over the weekend.

“Because of her, this isn’t over.

“Waters checked every box. As a federal representative from a California district, she traveled to another sovereign state, Minnesota, to interfere in its judicial system. Her rabble-rousing was done in violation of a curfew that the elected mayor had imposed to suppress the rioting that followed the tragic accidental killing of Daunte Wright by a police officer. And her remarks can only be interpreted as an incitement to violence — one less ambiguously provocative than the one over which she and other House Democrats impeached Trump.

“Waters’ standing as a member of Congress gives her no immunity against Minnesota’s criminal laws against obstruction of justice. She ought to be under investigation. Remarkably, rather than distance themselves from such egregious conduct, the nation’s leading Democrats are piling on. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insists that her fellow California congresswoman has nothing to apologize for. For his part, President Biden waited until the jury was deliberating to make the stunning public statement that he is ‘praying’ for Chauvin to be convicted.

“The fact that the jury was sequestered [during deliberation]… is no excuse. [Biden] is a lawyer and former Senate Judiciary Committee chairman who well knows that sequestration does not make jurors impervious to prejudicial publicity. And if he’s been following the case as he claims to have been, he knows trial judge Peter Cahill has pleaded that public officials stop commenting on the trial — under circumstances where, even before the Bidens and Waters piped up, there was already substantial reason to doubt that Chauvin could get a fair trial in Minneapolis.

“It does not matter how you hoped Chauvin’s trial would end. Our viability as a free, prosperous, rule-of-law society is dependent on the viability of courts as the protection every one of us, equally, can rely on against overbearing government and politicized mobs. In fact, due process is essential if we are to hold the guilty accountable — including police officers who abuse their power. Chauvin’s… conviction now has a real chance of having the result overturned because public officials, who know better, have recklessly undermined the integrity of the trial…”

In light of the 9+ minute video showing Chauvin’s horrible conduct towards Floyd, the conviction of Chauvin was hoped for and celebrated in the USA and all over the world, including by many liberal and conservative outlets, with the claim that the American legal system is the best in the world and that it works, or begins to work. However, this is the very point which is in question, as the previous articles raise—apart from the obvious hypocrisy, the politicizing and the double-standard of some American politicians and their supporters.

More US Soldiers to Germany

Defense News reported on April 13:

“The U.S. Army is sending two new units to Europe… making up about 500 soldiers… This will bring 750 family members to U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden in Germany… a third one that will deploy where necessary… ‘The [new units] will enable U.S. Army Europe and Africa to synchronize joint fires and effects, control future long range fires across all domains and will create more space, cyber and electronic warfare capabilities in Europe,’ Col. Joe Scrocca, the spokesman for U.S. Army Europe and Africa, said.

“The Army in Europe will also retain three sites ‘previously scheduled to be returned to the German government due to growing operational requirements in the European theater.’ President Trump had plans to drawdown U.S. troops presence in Europe against the advisement of military leaders, lawmakers and defense and national security experts.”

Not only are these American enlargements of US troops in Germany highly unpopular, one must ask whether the US is creating a Frankenstein monster in Europe.

Power Struggle in Germany

Bloomberg News wrote on April 18:

“The battle to lead Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc into September’s election is headed for a final showdown…

“Armin Laschet, who leads Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, and Markus Soeder, who runs the CDU’s Bavarian sister party CSU… have been holding secret negotiations since Friday… Both leaders… missed their self-imposed Friday deadline for an agreement. Given the current stalemate, there is growing concern among party leaders that any escalation of the standoff could cause irreversible damage to Merkel’s conservative bloc five months before the national election…

“In the latest poll by the institute Kantar the CDU/CSU bloc is only 7 percentage points ahead of the Green party… Polls have consistently showed that Soeder would comfortably defeat his main rivals if there were a direct vote for chancellor in the general election, while Laschet would lose.”

Bild wrote on April 18 that both leaders have been engaged in a brutal election war. The paper added that even though finally there will be a chancellor candidate who will call himself “victor,” he will be, in reality, a defeated man.

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 19: 

“Leading officials for the German conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party voted to nominate Armin Laschet as chancellor candidate for this year’s election in the early hours of Tuesday morning… The vote is not an official decision on the candidate for the conservative bloc…”

With such an unpopular candidate as Laschet, one wonders how even conservative voters would react in the next election.

The Greens named their co-leader, 40-year old Annalena Baerbock, as the candidate to succeed Merkel. Deutsche Welle commented that based on Baerbock’s policies, there is “ little room for doubt that any potential coalition between the Greens under Baerbock and the conservatives could be a volatile arrangement.”

Germany has never had a Green chancellor or a chancellor from Bavaria’s CSU party. At the same time, as the Bloomberg News article points out, Armin Laschet is unpopular in Germany, while Markus Soeder, an admirer and follower of the legendary late Franz-Josef Strauss, has been gaining in popularity after his recent humiliating showing in Bavaria where he only reached 37 percent—the worst result in the history of Bavaria’s CSU. On the other hand, 63 percent of Germans see in Soeder as an acceptable chancellor candidate, while only 29 percent believe this of Laschet.

Armin Laschet CDU/CSU Top Candidate

Deutsche Welle reported on April 20:

“The state premier of Germany’s most populous state (NRW) is set to lead the conservative challenge in the general election later this year after his main rival Markus Söder backed out of the race… only 32% of voters who voted CDU or CSU in the 2017 federal election said they would stick with their choice if Laschet were the candidate… Observers say that it will now be no easy task to unite the CDU/CSU bloc behind its top candidate in an election campaign…

“The CDU is experiencing unusually hard times, for numerous reasons. These include difficulties in containing the coronavirus pandemic; various cases of corruption in party ranks; cronyism and distrust; not to mention a chancellor who… is domestically seen as a ‘lame duck’ because this is her last term… The road to the chancellorship will be a long and rocky one for Laschet.”

None of this looks good for the future of Merkel’s party.

Germany’s Planned Coronavirus Restrictions per Federal Law

The Local wrote on April 19:

“Politicians in Germany are holding crunch talks over a new nationwide ’emergency brake’ mechanism that would force states to implement tougher Covid rules when infections reach a certain level. On Monday, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives (the CDU and CSU) plus the Social Democrat (SPD) parliamentary groups – which make up the coalition government – discussed changes to the Infection Protection Act draft. If the law is passed by the Bundestag, states would be obliged to enforce new restrictions as soon as more than 100 new coronavirus infections per 100,000 inhabitants are registered over three days in a seven-day period.

“Here are the proposed changes under discussion:

“Night-time curfews in badly-hit Covid areas should be in place from 10pm to 5am… Jogging and walks would be allowed until midnight. People would generally only be allowed to leave their homes during the curfew for work or emergencies…  In schools, virtual learning would be compulsory when a region hits a 7-day incidence of 165 Covid infections per 100,000 people or more… For children up to the age of 14, sports should continue to be possible in groups. The outdoor areas of zoos and botanical gardens are to remain open to visitors with an up-to-date negative Covid test. Employers must provide two coronavirus rapid tests per week to staff who can’t work from home. If the employer says staff can work from home, employees have to accept this offer…

“All regulations are initially limited to June 30th. Other parts of the draft include limiting gatherings of people from different households. Contact with one person outside of the household is permitted, with a maximum of five people being allowed together in hotspots. [As Deutsche Welle reported on April 21, in affected areas, (it is to be ensured that) “nonessential shops only allow customers in with a negative COVID-19 test and an appointment. If the incidence rate exceeds 150, customers can only pick up preordered goods.”]

“The Bundestag wants to pass the law on Wednesday [which it did after a “contentious debate” with strong opposition from the FDP, the Left and the AfD]. It will then go to the Bundesrat – which represents Germany’s 16 states – on Thursday.  If it is passed [and signed by the German President] the update to the Infection Protection Act would be put into place as soon as possible… “Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU)…  called on states to introduce restrictions immediately [adding, “No one needs to wait for the law.”].”

These harsh measures would even constitute a compromise and a “watered-down” version of a prior draft which Angela Merkel and Jens Spahn supported. “On Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called upon lawmakers in the country to grant additional powers to the federal government to enforce lockdowns and curfews…” (Breitbart, April 19).

Subsequently, Deutsche Welle wrote on April 22:

“German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday signed a national ‘emergency brake’ into law shortly after the legislation passed the upper house of parliament [Bundesrat, which is made up of representatives of the 16 federal states.] … The secretary-general of the free-market liberal Free Democrats (FDP)… reiterated his party’s opposition. Volker Wissing told public broadcaster ZDF on Wednesday evening: ‘In a free constitutional state, the state must clearly justify why it intervenes so massively in fundamental rights. The federal government has not succeeded in providing this justification.’… Even before the law was passed by the Bundesrat, Berlin lawyer Claus Pinkerneil lodged a complaint with the German Constitutional Court… FDP members of the Bundestag have also announced lawsuits.”

As Bild Online explained, both the Bundesrat as well as Steinmeier could have stopped the law due to concerns, but they did not do so. The tabloid also said that many legal experts question the constitutionality of that law, and that Germany’s highest court could revoke it. However, based on the hype and political propaganda, that is more than doubtful.

Germany is just one example, but an important one, for the ridiculous nonsensical restrictions which are being enforced in countries all over the world. Satan is TRULY the god of this world and the prince of darkness and of the power of the air, ruling all nations and governments whom he has thoroughly deceived.

Germany Prohibits Anti-Corona Restriction Demonstrations

Deutsche Welle reported on April 17:

“Bavaria’s Administrative Court agreed with the local authority that a ban on gatherings by groups of mostly COVID-deniers was necessary to prevent the risk of infection… the Saxony Higher Administrative Court… said that there was justifiable danger for the participants and passers-by… The ruling said the organizers would not be able to maintain social distancing and safety measures. The decision is unappealable and any other planned events are also prohibited…

“The Querdenker group has hosted several anti-lockdown rallies in recent months, with one demonstration in Leipzig attracting over 20,000 participants from around the region in November. German Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht has called on police to take a hardline against coronavirus demonstrations… ‘In addition to criminal prosecution, demonstrations must be broken up by the police,’ she said…”

Breitbart added on April 19:

“Despite the ban on gatherings, thousands of people turned out to protest in the city of Stuttgart on Saturday, with at least 700 people being arrested for attending the ‘illegal’ rally. Police in the city said that they also had recorded over 1,000 breaches of the mask-wearing mandate. Around 250 people also gathered in Cologne, under the banner of ‘no to curfews! Health protection instead of restricting our rights,’ after the city imposed a curfew for the first time since the Second World War.”

The police also forcefully stopped a demonstration in Berlin with 7,000 participants.

Germany is becoming more and more a prophesied dictatorship that does not tolerate any views opposed to the official policy. At the same time, Israel dropped outdoor COVID mask orders.

A THIRD Shot and ANNUAL Vaccinations!

Daily Mail wrote on April 15:

“Pfizer Inc’s CEO says he believes people will ‘likely’ need a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. During a panel discussion hosted by CNBC in conjunction with CVS Health that aired on Thursday, Albert Bourla said a potential booster shot would be administered six to 12 months of being fully vaccinated.

“Bourla added that he thinks it is possible that people will need to be immunized against coronavirus annually.”

The Times of Israel added on April 15:

“Pfizer and BioNTech are now testing their shots for children. On Wednesday they said the vaccine showed 100 percent efficacy against the coronavirus in 12- to 15-year-olds, as the companies eye approval for adolescents to get the shots before the next school year.”

When and where will this end?

Fauci’s Tossing a Coin

On April 18, the Ron Paul Institute republished the following article by the Washington Times:

“Fauci said on Sunday on national news that even those who’ve been vaccinated should not gather indoors, or eat indoors, or remove their masks — or basically, in essence, do anything that involves being and breathing around others. [He] will have Americans walking on pins and needles, living in fear, forever…

“His so-called supporting science is about as solid as tossing a coin. Heads, stay at home; tails, don’t go outside. Heads, wear a face mask; tails, wear two face masks…

“Now, with vaccines rolled out left and right, and more and more Americans getting vaccinated, and more and more Americans doing what the government told Americans to do — to wear face masks, to get vaccinated, to socially distance, to stay out of school, even — now, Fauci wants to suggest it’s all for naught?… Fauci and his made-up scientific terminology has done enough harm to the American people in terms of generating needless fear to strip individual liberties.

“It’s time to stop listening to him. It’s actually well past time to stop listening to him. Fauci’s faux science is simply destroying America from the inside, crippling freedoms and cowering Americans in the corner…”

The Bible has prophesied for a long time that America will be destroying itself from the inside, before it will be totally destroyed from the outside.

In a related article, Adam Dick of the Ron Paul Institute wrote on April 18:

“As in the past, freedom stands in opposition to tyrannical government. Out of the coronavirus panic, tyranny gained the upper hand. What Fauci is saying in the interview is that one type of tyranny — coronavirus crackdown — can only be eliminated if another tyranny is accepted — people giving up their own control over their medical care by acceding to pressure to take the shots even though they do not believe doing so is the right health decision for them. Fauci thus leverages one form of tyranny to advance an additional form of tyranny. Either people take the shots or they keep, mostly figuratively, being hit by clubs… Fauci… is really declaring he is an enemy of freedom.”

Inhumane Coronavirus Rules

Breitbart wrote on April 18:

“Brexit leader Nigel Farage has slammed the ‘inhuman’ coronavirus rules which saw the Queen, 94, left sitting masked and alone at the funeral of her husband of 73 years. The Queen, who along with her late husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was vaccinated against the Chinese virus all the way back in January, was following social distancing rules for funerals imposed on the rest of England by Boris Johnson’s administration. ‘So desperately sad to see the Queen sat alone during the funeral service,’ [wrote] Farage on social media. ‘These Covid rules are inhuman.’

“Just 30 people attended the funeral of the Duke, Britain’s longest-serving consort, in a substantial reduction from the 800 who had originally been planned — although a substantial number of Armed Forces personnel took part in the proceedings, reflecting his status as perhaps the last major public figure to have seen action during the Second World War, when he served in the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific theatres…

“Grandson Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, flew in from America to participate in the restricted funeral, although his controversial and heavily pregnant wife Meghan remained behind, reportedly on the advice of her doctors.”

 Sunday Rest Required?

Vatican News wrote on March 4, 2021

“…on the occasion of the International Day for a work-free Sunday, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the EU (COMECE) and the European Sunday Alliance urged political leaders in Europe to protect synchronised free time… According to the network – which includes more than 100 national Sunday alliances, trade unions, employers’ organisations, civil society associations, churches and religious communities in the European Union – a full day of rest per week is indispensable to recover… EU Bishops also recall that ‘humans are social beings…A day free of work recognised by tradition or custom is therefore ‘essential to disconnect, literally and figuratively”’.

“The Alliance thus urges political leaders in Europe to make synchronised free time a priority… In particular, the European network calls on the European Commission ‘to align its upcoming proposal for a directive on a right to disconnect with article 2 of the Council of Europe’s Social Charter which already requires “a weekly rest period which shall, as far as possible, coincide with the day recognised by tradition or custom in the country or region concerned as a day of rest.”’”

The “mark of the Beast”  requires Sunday rest and work on Saturday—God’s holy weekly Sabbath. Note the next article.

Sunday NOT the biblical Sabbath

Forward wrote on March 25:

“Georgia Republicans recently passed a bill to eliminate early voting on Sunday… Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, of Mississippi [wrote:] ‘In God’s word, in Exodus 20:8, it says “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.”’…  Hyde-Smith figured that it was self-evident that Sunday is the Sabbath… The Jewish Sabbath… is on Saturday, not Sunday; in fact, some Christians, such as the Eastern Orthodox, also observe a Saturday Sabbath.

“Even Sunday Sabbath Christians would agree that their Sabbath is not the biblical one Hyde-Smith is referring to in Exodus. Christianity’s shift to observing the Sabbath on a Sunday, as well as changing the parameters of its observance, was an attempt by Christians in the Roman Empire to differentiate themselves from Jews who were persecuted by the Romans. Constantine then codified the Sunday rest day, adding to the law that Christians were forbidden from ‘Judaizing’ and must work on Saturdays. But no one argues that Sunday was the ‘seventh day’ referred to in the holy text; it was considered the first day of the week in both Hebrew and Roman calendars. Hyde-Smith’s Exodus justification for the Sunday voting ban doesn’t hold…”

Sainthood for Key Founding Father of Europe?

Catholic News Agency reported on April 16:

“Pope Francis could declare venerable the French statesman Robert Schuman, a key ‘founding father’ of the European Union, a Vatican official has said… Cardinal Semeraro told the French newspaper La Croix the Pope is likely to declare Schuman venerable before summer begins…

“He was France’s Minister of Foreign Relations when he announced the forming of the European Steel and Coal Community on May 9, 1950. The move is considered a first step towards the creation of the European Union. Schuman was also a key negotiator for the North Atlantic Treaty and the European Coal and Steel Community. He served as the first President of the European Parliament which named him ‘Father of Europe’ when he left office…

“In November 2003 remarks to the Robert Schuman Foundation… St. John Paul II called Europeans to remember and cherish their Christian roots. He praised Schuman for spending his political life ‘in the service of the fundamental values of freedom and solidarity, understood fully in the light of the Gospel.’”

Facebook under Attack (Again) for Arbitrary Political Censorship

Newsmax wrote on April 19:

“Facebook’s decision last week to censor news articles critical of Black Lives Matter leader Patrisse Cullors has been questioned after it was revealed that the social media giant co-founder, Dustin Moskovitz, gave more than $5 million into a network of nonprofits run by Cullors… Facebook blocked its users from posting links to a story in the New York Post about how Cullors, who calls herself a Marxist, spent $3.2 million on high-end real estate as her BLM Global Network Foundation took in millions in donations, saying the reporting violated its ‘privacy and personal information policy.’

“News Media Alliance (NMA), a media nonprofit which represents nearly 2,000 American news organizations, criticized Facebook for its ‘completely arbitrary’ decision to block the story about Cullors… The National Legal and Policy Center, a watchdog group, also slammed Facebook’s decision, saying ‘this, once again, proves freedom of speech is an option not a feature across the Facebook platform, where their corporate interests are placed above the interests of their users at every turn.’”

Sick!

Netanyahu Seeks Direct Election

Newsmax reported on April 21:

“Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to seek a direct election for prime minister and no longer is seeking a government that relies on the support of the United Arab List Party, he said Tuesday. Netanyahu said a direct election for prime minister will pass if Yamina supports it… Seeing no chance to form a government, Netanyahu still intends to maintain his mandate to do so, associates said. That mandate ends May 4, after which a group of small parties that oppose him hope to be able to form an alternative government…

“Netanyahu twice failed to build a governing coalition in Israel’s two 2019 elections. After the 2020 election, the longtime leader formed a unity government with his main rival in what they said was an emergency coalition to manage the coronavirus crisis. The partnership collapsed in December after months of infighting.”

Hezbollah Preparing for Lebanon’s Collapse

The Algemeiner published the following article on April 19

“Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror organization is advancing its preparations for the possibility that the state may collapse… The group is expanding its food ration card system, importing medicine and preparing storage for fuel to be delivered by the organization’s patron, Iran… These steps are aimed at broadening services provided by Hezbollah to its Shi’ite support base, which is mostly concentrated in southern Lebanon, as well as in south Beirut and the Bekaa Valley…

“Having to again rely on factions for basic needs has reminded many Lebanese of the country’s civil war days between 1957 to 1990… Lebanon’s currency has crashed and… food prices in the country have risen by 400 percent.”

A horrible Decision by a “most dishonorable” Judge in Canada

International Family News wrote on April 19:

“In the Canadian National Anthem ring the words, ‘the true north, strong and free.’ And it pains me as a Canadian to say that ‘the north’… my native land, is no longer strong or free, because it has sold truth down the river without a paddle. That point has been recently hammered home thanks to an activist judge in British Columbia. A Canadian father is in jail today for simply doing as any loving parent would do; protecting one’s child from clear and present danger.

“On Friday, April 16th, Rob Hoogland – a postman from Vancouver, British Columbia – was handed a 6 months jail term. His crime? Calling his daughter ‘she’ and ‘her’, railing against ‘gender ideology’ indoctrination his child was being subjected to at school, and defending his child from medical assault being imposed on his family by the state.

“Hoogland is in jail today for those ‘crimes’. But he has been a prisoner for much longer. Well before Hoogland was a prisoner in a Vancouver jail cell from March 16th to April 12th, awaiting trial. Well before Hoogland surrendered himself to the court March 16th in response to the BC Attorney General’s ruling of contempt of court. And even before a most dishonourable Judge Michael Tammen issued the warrant for his arrest on March 4th.

“Rob Hoogland has been a prisoner of the ‘system’ going back to 2015. It was then that things started to unravel for him and his young family… Hoogland and his estranged wife – whom he divorced in the spring of 2015 – were concerned for their then 5th-grade daughter who was getting into trouble at school. The parents consented to having their daughter speak to a school counselor. Unbeknownst to Mr. Hoogland, his daughter would spend the next two years meeting with school counsellors and in grade 7, his daughter cut her hair very short. It was at the end of that school year that Hoogland noticed that his daughter was listed in her yearbook under a male name. What had been happening is that the school had been feeding Hoogland’s daughter a steady diet of transgender ideology. The girl had already begun ‘transitioning’ to a male under the supervision of psychologist Wallace Wong who had referred her to an endocrinologist at the Gender Clinic at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.

“… Hoogland is up against a storm of opposition which includes his wife who, along with Canadian legal and medical systems, continues to forge ahead into transitioning her daughter into a male – both socially and medically. And that doesn’t even take into account the constant barrage from schoolmates, mainstream media, pop culture, and a Marxian education system that put this troubled girl down a road from where there is no return… and her father behind bars…

“By the time Rob Hoogland had attended that first visit to the endocrinologist with his daughter, the cards were well stacked against him. The doctor laid out the plan to medically ‘change’ his 13-year old girl into a boy. Hoogland said ‘no’. He said his girl had told him she was a lesbian. She was just going through a phase. He also told the doctor that his girl had already had two extremely uncomfortable run-ins with the school and his daughter’s infatuation with two separate male teachers. Hoogland was also beside himself having to have dealt with his child’s suicide attempt in Grade 8; this, after the child had been ‘affirming’ herself as a boy…”

In a world ruled by Satan, nothing is surprising anymore. This is a sick sick world.

Monkey-Human Chimeras

Deutsche Welle reported on April 16:

“A team of scientists from China and the United States… injected human stem cells into monkey blastocytes… The team… then managed to keep some of the embryos made up of two different genetic materials alive for up to 20 days. A ‘mixed’ organism like this is also known as chimeric, or an interspecies chimera… the key ethical question relates to what kind of creatures these chimeras would be… whether these embryos are human or not is open to question…”

Hitler experimented with these ideas, trying unsuccessfully to create a mixture or a “hybrid” between humans and chimps, called “humanzee.” Man is trying to play God against the normal laws of nature, as in nature, humans could never mix with chimps to produce a “hybrid” or a “chimera”… These are horrible prospects.

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.

Recently, Pope Francis promoted both concepts.

The Daily Mail wrote on March 2:

“Pope Francis has warned that mankind is facing a second great flood caused by climate change unless leaders act to fix corruption and injustice. The 84-year-old said that, in the story of the great flood in the Bible, God used his wrath to punish injustice and ‘clean up’ the world. He then added that humanity is facing another ‘great deluge, perhaps due to a rise in temperature and the melting of glaciers. [That is] what will happen now if we continue on the same path,’ he said…

“While discussing justice, Francis brings up the example of the biblical flood which destroyed the world except for Noah – who was deemed virtuous enough to survive. The flood itself may have been a myth, Francis says, but it is used as an example to show how God uses wrath to punish injustice and right wrongs in the world.”

The Pope’s belief that Noah’s Flood was or might have been a myth is reflected by the common false understanding of scholars who do not accept the reliability of the Bible.

For instance, we read in the Wikipedia Encyclopedia:

“Although the story of Noah… has become the most well-known flood myth in Western culture, it shows the influence of earlier narratives from Mesopotamia… [There is a Babylonian] account of a great flood, [and we possess now] several versions of the Mesopotamian flood myth; the version closest to that in [the Bible] appeared in a 700 BC Babylonian copy of the Epic of Gilgamesh… [It is] preceded by the similar Sumerian creation myth—the oldest surviving example of such a flood-myth narrative… A worldwide deluge, such as the one described in Genesis, is incompatible with modern scientific understanding.”

However, we are not interested in the “understanding” of God-denying scientists and scholars, whom the Bible calls “fools.” Rather, we do believe in the authenticity of the Bible, and our belief is based on facts.

For proof, please read our free booklet, “The Authority of the Bible.” 

In addition, the existence of many different and independent accounts of a worldwide flood proves the real occurrence of such a flood… and not the opposite.

Let us notice what the Bible says about Noah’s worldwide Flood.

In Genesis 6:7-8, 12-13, we read:

“So the LORD said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.’ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD… So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.’”

Genesis 7:4, 17-23, continues:

“‘For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made’…

“Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.

“And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.”

Clearly, according to the biblical record, Noah’s Flood was not just a local occurrence, but worldwide. It covered the whole earth and destroyed “all living things which were on the face of the ground.” Only Noah and those in the Ark were spared. This means that the “intellectual” idea of the Pope and others that the Flood might have been a myth is false and unbiblical.

In addition, God promised that He would never again bring a worldwide Flood on this earth.

Genesis 9:11, 15 states:

“‘Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth… I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.’”

This means, the Pope’s speculation that a worldwide Flood could occur due to climate change is false and unbiblical as well.

Is there more biblical proof that Noah’s Flood was not a myth, but real?

Jesus believed in it and spoke of it as a fact.

We read, for example, Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:37-39: “‘But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days of Noah before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day THAT NOAH ENTERED THE ARK, and did not know until the FLOOD CAME and took them all away, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.’”

The early apostles accepted the account of Noah’s Ark as HISTORICAL FACT. Paul wrote in Hebrews 11:7: “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

Neither did Peter doubt the historical accuracy of Noah’s Ark. He spoke about the “days of Noah” in 1 Peter 3:20, “…while the ARK was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.”

Also note 2 Peter 3:5-6 (New International Version):

“[Scoffers] deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.”

The Flood was real, and it covered and destroyed the entire earth, and all people and land animals died except those who were in Noah’s Ark.

The story of Noah’s Flood is not a myth. It is true, and Jesus, Paul and Peter believed that it was factual.

We stated the following in our Q&A, “Is the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark based on fact, or is it mere fiction or folklore?”

“Skeptics have claimed the Ark could not possibly hold all those animals and provisions, but simple fact proves otherwise. The physical dimensions alone, as given in Genesis 6:15, stagger the imagination… The Ark had a capacity equal to more than 500 standard American railroad freight cars! That was equivalent to 175 modern one-bedroom apartments! No ship of such size was again built until the 19th century AD!…

“Only 40 percent of the animal kingdom lives on land, and 70 percent of all species of land animals are insects. The remaining 30 percent of the terrestrial animal kingdom are on… average the size of a rhesus monkey or a medium-sized dog. Most animals can be maintained in small confinement for long periods and remain healthy… Estimates of the number of land mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian species on earth today total about 18,000.

“… only about half of the space on the three decks [of the Ark] would have provided plenty of room to accommodate all those animals. That left the other half of the ship for food and supplies and for Noah and his family…

“Today, many who profess to be ‘Christians,’ neither believe in the historical accuracy of ‘Noah’s Ark,’ nor in the return–or Second Coming–of Jesus Christ to this earth. Peter warned of such ignorance and denial of God’s Word, which will have serious consequences for those who are guilty of it. He wrote in 2 Peter 3:3-7: ‘… scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?”… for they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

In addition, two Q&As explain that Noah and his family could indeed have built the ark https://www.eternalgod.org/how-was-it-possible-for-noah-and-his-family-to-actually-build-the-ark/, and how long it took for them to do so https://www.eternalgod.org/how-long-did-it-take-noah-and-his-sons-to-build-the-ark/.

We might also take note of the fact as to HOW God might have brought worldwide destruction through an all-encompassing Flood, based on the account in the Bible.

In our booklet, “Evolution—a Fairy Tale for Adults?”, we say this:

“Perhaps the most familiar worldwide destruction is the flood described in Genesis 7 and 8. Have you ever thought about what events must have occurred to cause such worldwide destruction? Quoting… from the book ‘In Search of Noah’s Ark,’ page 58, ‘…[Genesis 7:11] says, “On that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened”… The pressured waters below the crust suddenly erupted at a point of weakness. Collapse at one point would cause a chain reaction leading to similar eruptions at many other points around the world. The resulting atmospheric turbulence, combined with immense amounts of dust blown skyward from volcanoes, would begin condensation and precipitation of the canopy.’

“… many theologians and scientists state that a vapor canopy once surrounded the earth. Theologians refer to Genesis 7:11 where it says that the ‘windows of heaven were opened.’ They feel this is probably a reference to the pre-flood vapor canopy. Another reference to this canopy can be seen in Genesis 1:6-7, where we read that God made a firmament and divided the waters under the firmament from the waters above the firmament, giving reference to a water vapor canopy. This canopy, scientists explain, would have created a greenhouse effect. This seems to be confirmed in Genesis 2:5 where we are told that the antediluvian world was watered by dew or mist, not by rain. This dew would have been dependent upon humidity, saturation, temperature, dew point and condensation—all made possible through the water vapor canopy.

“Continuing now from the book ‘In Search of Noah’s Ark,’ citing from page 59, ‘We see the possible significance of the order of destruction mentioned in Genesis 7:11. Subterranean upheavals within the oceans, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes and the gushing forth of those waters triggered the opening of the windows of heaven, and the canopy waters poured upon the Earth as torrential rains for 40 days and 40 nights before slacking off to light rain for the next 110 days…’

“But what started the whole thing? Here is one possible answer from the same book. On page 62 it says, ‘We believe it’s plausible that a gigantic meteorite colliding with Earth could have jarred the Earth’s crust so tremendously that it set off the universal cataclysmic conditions necessary to have caused the rising of the sea beds, earthquakes, volcanoes and the collapse of the water canopy.’

“We understand, of course, that it was God who brought about the flood. But as He used water to destroy the earth’s surface, it is legitimate to ask what else, based on Biblical evidence, God might have used to bring about the results. And a meteorite hitting the earth is a possible answer, since God has used meteorites at other times as well to bring destruction on this planet…”

However God chose to do it, it is clear from the pages of the Bible that Noah’s Flood happened, causing worldwide destruction and the death of all people and all land animals, except for Noah and those in the Ark, and it is likewise very clear that God will never bring a worldwide Flood again on this earth, be it through “climate change” or otherwise.

We either believe the clear words of the Bible or the assumptions, speculations and “arguments” of people who think they can doubt God and know it better than God. But for us in the Church of the Eternal God and our corporate affiliates, we choose to believe God and follow Him.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

“Chauvin’s Conviction—Was Justice Served in a System that Works?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Derek Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter for killing George Floyd. The conviction of Chauvin was celebrated with the claim that the American legal system works. However, that statement is in question, due to mistakes made during the court proceedings and inappropriate political intervention. Does God think that our legal system works?

Our newest Booklet, “Are Jews and Christians at Odds with Jesus Christ?” has now been printed, and copies will be sent to our subscribers. If you would like a copy, requests may be made through our website: www.eternalgod.org.

Our new German booklet, “Die biblischer Prophezeiung—von nun an bis in Ewigkeit!” is being printed in Germany. It has been posted on our German website.

“Gehen wir über uns hinaus!” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Michael Link. Approximate Title in English: “Above and Beyond!”

“Die frohe Botschaft,” is the title of last Sabbath’s German sermonette, presented by Johann Schell. Title in English: “The Good News.”

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

The world tells us that the right way to live adheres to a moral standard founded in little more than what feels right. The end result is a self-indulgent model of ethics focused on glorifying man rather than God. The Bible tells us that there is a better way of living that leads us to a truly positive and fulfilling life.

“God of Heaven,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

How do you even begin to know God? Who is God? Where is God from and where is God right now? God is revealed in  the Bible—are you among the very few who understand?