On September 5, 2020, Norbert Link will present “Comments on News and Prophecy (September 5, 2020),” and he will also present the sermon, titled, “We Know!”–But Do We… Really?

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

I remember that some time ago in the UK there was some controversy about the merits, or otherwise, of radio and telephone masts.

One mobile telephone company wanted to install new aerial transmitters in every region of the country over the following two years in order to give the emergency services a comprehensive new digital communications network.  But, it seemed that there were growing fears about the health risks of the new transmitters, which some experts regarded as more dangerous than conventional mobile telephone masts.

Some studies had suggested that radio waves around this frequency could cause calcium to leak from the brain and other tissue.   This in turn could trigger damage to the nervous and immune systems. One biophysicist said that the electromagnetic radiation could also cause mood swings, headaches, sleep disruption and short-term memory loss.   It could even retard the academic development of children.

Of course, for every argument, there is always a counter argument.   But the point was that there were those who were concerned and worried about the damage that could be caused by such broadcasting devices.

But there is a spiritual parallel and this is what came to my mind.   Worrying about the damage that can be caused by such broadcasting devices is a legitimate concern but worrying about the spiritual application should be an even greater concern.   Broadcasting devices may well cause damage; Satan’s broadcasting, certainly and irrefutably, can, and does cause massive damage!

In his book “Mystery of the Ages” on pages 143/144, Mr Herbert W Armstrong makes these insightful comments under the heading “Satan -the Master Broadcaster”:

“In Ephesians 2:2, Satan is called the prince of the power of the air, working in-inside the minds of-people.  I could never have understood this until: 1) I had understood how radio and television sounds and pictures are transmitted through the air; and 2) I had learned the truth about the human spirit in the human brain. If your radio is set on the proper radio wavelength, or television set is tuned to the proper channel, the broadcaster’s message comes through clearly. Satan as prince of the power of the air broadcasts-not in words, sounds or pictures, but in attitudes, moods, impulses.

“For example, we read in Ezra 1:1, when King Cyrus of Persia issued a proclamation to send a colony of Jews back to Jerusalem to build the second Temple, he was moved to do so because God stirred up his human spirit-in other words, put the suggestion and impulse in his mind, and the king acted on it.  In the same manner Satan moves on the human spirit within people to move them in attitudes of envy, jealousy, resentment, impatience, anger, bitterness and strife.  People have no realization of the tremendous power of Satan.  The human spirit within each human is automatically tuned to Satan’s wavelength. It seems as if Satan has surcharged the air over the entire earth with his attitude of self-centeredness and vanity.”

The broadcasting systems of men require masts and poles and other equipment because they are all physical.   These are necessary items for their equipment to function effectively.   Without them, reception would be fuzzy, difficult and, in some cases, non-existent.

Not so with Satan.   Our adversary requires no such paraphernalia!   His broadcasting is without any physical props whatsoever.   He broadcasts, as Mr Armstrong wrote, in terms of attitudes, moods and impulses and is crystal clear at all times.   He makes sure that there is no interference in his broadcasting except when it comes to the people of God who can use the gift of the Holy Spirit to thwart his broadcasting and purposes.   However, some of the programmes that are broadcast on radio and television today have Satan as their author, anyway!   While the transmissions of men may be for the good of mankind at times, the broadcasting of Satan is always to the detriment of its recipients.

In his editorial last week, Robb Harris made these insightful comments:  “When we listen to the news, we are bombarded with a never-ending amount of ‘facts’—all aimed at telling a story from a certain perspective. And the select details that are brought to light are often based on the opinions of the speaker.  The truth of a situation in today’s political and social environment is designed to push people into a specific mindset.  The tendency of man is to build a narrative based more on ego and vanity than on verity.”

The opinions of these “newscasters”, as Mr Harris mentions, are rarely from a godly perspective and so often “worldly” and we know who the god of this world is (see 2 Corinthians 4:4 for confirmation of this!).

God tells us through the apostle Peter to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  We know from many other Scriptures that Satan is the father of lies and so any broadcasting that is done by him will not be truthful.   He is the accuser of the brethren, and he seeks to destroy, and if his broadcasting system can achieve that end, then he will use it to the maximum.

And so we have quite a comparison: a good analogy between the concerns that people in the world have about the problems that may be caused by broadcasting equipment and the concerns that we—you and I as the people of God—should have, and must have, about the broadcasting that Satan the Devil is involved in.

However, there is one big difference—in fact a huge, massive, life and death difference.   Physical concerns, while real and difficult to deal with, are in the here and now.   Spiritual concerns—as in Satan’s Broadcasting System—have the potential of causing us not physical problems and death, but, most importantly of all, spiritual death.

Now, that is something that we must campaign against on an individual level and something that we must truly be on our guard against.

by Norbert Link

We begin with reporting on Russia’s ambitions in Alaska and Belarus; the poisoning of Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny; the fight between the USA and Germany over the Russian Nord Stream pipeline; Turkey’s ambitions in Lebanon and the Middle East; ongoing violence in the USA; hunger in the USA; and terrible atrocities by BLM protestors.

We speak on mean conduct by a county in California against a church; the warning against rushing out a coronavirus vaccine too soon; and further scientific evidence that the number of corona cases is terribly inflated and that lockdowns are useless.

We also speak on huge protests in Berlin, Germany, against coronavirus restrictions, with Robert F Kennedy Jr. being present; as well as the typical incorrect and sickening reporting in the “mainstream” media and the “outrage” of Germany’s federal government and the predictable “retaliation” of Berlin’s local government [please view our new StandingWatch program, “Is Germany again on Its Way to a Dictatorship?” ]; on harsh and ridiculous penalties in the UK for Corona measures “violators”;  and on a totally different approach in Italy.

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

Russia’s Ambitions regarding Alaska

The Associated Press wrote on August 28:

“The Russian navy conducted major war games near Alaska involving dozens of ships and aircraft, the military said Friday, the biggest such drills in the area since Soviet times… more than 50 warships and about 40 aircraft were taking part in the exercise in the Bering Sea, which involved multiple practice missile launches…

“Russia has prioritized boosting its military presence in the Arctic region, which is believed to hold up to one-quarter of the Earth’s undiscovered oil and gas. Russian President Vladimir Putin has cited estimates that put the value of Arctic mineral riches at $30 trillion…

“The Russian military has expanded the number and the scope of its war games in recent years as Russia-West relations have sunk to their lowest level since the Cold War after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, and other crises.”

Russia has had its eyes on Alaska for a long time.

Russia Ready to Intervene in Belarus

TRT World wrote on August 28:

“Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin that their countries could unite their troops in the event of a threat from the West… Lukashenko… is facing the biggest challenge in his 26 years in power after protests and strikes erupted following a contested August 9 election… Lukashenko ordered half of the country’s army to enter combat preparedness…

“The EU… is preparing sanctions against his regime for ballot fraud and a violent crackdown on opposition protesters… German Chancellor Angela Merkel… said she has also tried to call Lukashenko, but that he has refused to speak with her thus far.”

It seems that Russia’s intervention in Belarus is only a matter of time. Belarus will not become a part of the EU. Neither will Ukraine.

Lukashenko Plays Hardball

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 29:

“Authorities in Belarus stripped several foreign media journalists of their press accreditation on Saturday, with some reportedly facing expulsion from the country. Journalists working for news agencies Agence France Presse and the Associated Press as well as British broadcaster BBC, German public broadcaster ARD and US broadcaster Radio Liberty had their accreditation stripped.

“German broadcaster ARD said that one of their camera teams was arrested overnight despite having the appropriate accreditation. They were released in the morning after authorities withdrew their accreditation and ordered two Russian members of the team to leave the country. Their Belarusian producer has been threatened with legal action… the Belarusian Association of Journalists spoke of a massive wave of accreditation withdrawals for journalists working for foreign TV, radio, newspapers and news agencies.”

The Associated Press added on August 30:

“Belarus on Saturday cracked down hard on foreign news media that have been covering the protests, deporting at least four Russian journalists, including two from The Associated Press. The government also revoked the accreditation of many Belarusian journalists working for foreign new agencies, including journalists working for AP.”

VOA News reported on August 29:

“Lukashenko… said he would block neighboring European countries from shipping goods to Russia over Belarusian territory and divert Belarusian exports now shipped through ports in neighboring EU member Lithuania to other outlets.

“‘If they, Poles and Lithuanians, used to fly through us to China and Russia, now they will fly through the Baltic or through the Black Sea to trade with Russia, and so on, and they can only dream of sanctioned products, those products on which Russia has imposed an embargo,’ he said. Lithuania, Poland and Latvia have called for Europe to take stronger action against Lukashenko…”

Demonstrations Ongoing

The Associated Press wrote on August 30:

“Tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied Sunday in the Belarusian capital of Minsk to begin the fourth week of daily protests demanding that the country’s authoritarian president resign… There were no official figures on the crowd size, but some opposition sources claimed it exceeded 100,000…

“Putin and Lukashenko talked by phone on Sunday, but a Kremlin statement gave few details of the conversation, other than noting that Putin congratulated the Belarusian leader on his 66th birthday.”

The situation in Belarus is nearing its boiling point.

Merkel: Russian Opposition Leader Navalny Was Poisoned

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 2:

“Angela Merkel said there was ‘shocking information’ that showed ‘beyond a doubt’ that the apparent poisoning of Alexei Navalny was ‘an attempted murder with nerve agent’ after a toxicology test in Germany showed that the opposition leader had been targeted with Novichok. Merkel said Navalny was ‘the victim of a crime intended to silence him.’

“She said the gravity of that fact made it important for her to ‘take a clear stance.’ The chancellor said the case raises ‘very serious questions that only the Russian government can answer — and must answer,’ adding, ‘the world will wait for an answer.’…

“Berlin will now confer with its EU and NATO partners to discuss an appropriate reaction to the incident… Calling for a united diplomatic reaction in her statement, Merkel said, ‘The crime against Alexei Navalny was aimed at the fundamental values and rights for which we stand.’” 

It will remain to be seen what “diplomatic” measures the EU and NATO are willing to take against Russia.    

The Nord Stream Pipeline–Resisting the USA “from the Beginning!”

Der Spiegel wrote on August 28:

“Threats of sanctions from the U.S. have put a stop to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. The multibillion-euro project is now at risk, and leading German politicians are not amused. … It’s not just environmentalists who have spent years resisting the project. Many of Germany’s European Union partners, particularly Poland and the Baltic countries, see it as a strategic error since it makes Europe dependent on Russian gas… the German government has stubbornly pursued its completion, and now, the two 1,230-kilometer-long pipelines beneath the Baltic Sea from the Narva Bay in Russia to the German town of Lubmin is virtually finished. Only about 150 kilometers still have to be laid.

“Now, though, U.S. President Donald Trump could torpedo the project at the very last moment. Washington is currently threatening to impose sanctions on companies that are involved in the pipeline. Both houses of Congress are intending to expand the Sanctions Act to include the pipeline. Construction has currently been halted due to concern over the potential sanctions… U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that the pipeline falls under 2017 Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), effective immediately. The act was originally passed as a lever against enemies like Iran and North Korea, but now Germany has also become a target of extraterritorial sanctions…

“Placing Germany on the same level as Iran and North Korea in the debate over the pipeline marks a new low in the German-American relationship. ‘Sanctions between partners is clearly the wrong path. Germany and Europe make their own decisions about energy policy,’ said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, a member of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD). He was echoed by Manuela Schwesig, the SPD governor of the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which is where Mukran Port is located and has borne the brunt of the halt in construction. ‘The behavior of the U.S. government is scandalous,’ she said. ‘We can’t accept that. I expect the federal government to make it clear to the U.S. that we do not accept such behavior.’

“But it’s not that easy. For Berlin, the conflict with the U.S. is a sensitive tightrope walk. On the one hand, it must try to protect domestic companies from the American aggression. On the other, it makes Berlin look even more like a sponsor of the project, which promises to provide a significant financial boost to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Given the recent poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, calls for sanctions against Putin have grown louder. Were Berlin to now step in on behalf of the multibillion-euro joint project, say critics, it would seem rather counterproductive. Indeed, there have been increasing demands for Germany to end its involvement in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline… At the same time, though, it would be a victory for Washington and Trump’s foreign policy, which many have begun to view as a form of extortion….

“Germans have underestimated the danger eminating from Putin’s Russia. The suspicion is that the pipeline is part of his geo-political ambitions, giving him yet another lever with which he can exert pressure. It would allow him to simply cut off the gas supply to countries formerly in the Soviet sphere of influence without affecting flows to customers further to the west. Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia and Estonia are all dependent on natural gas from Russia. At greatest risk, however, is Ukraine, where Russia has been supporting separatists in the country’s far east for many years. Some 40 percent of the natural gas imported by the EU from Russia flows through Ukraine…

That, in turn, will allow Moscow to exert more pressure on Kiev, thus potentially sabotaging the country’s attempts to establish closer ties to Europe…

“Many EU countries that have thus far been critical of the pipeline, however, felt the need to show solidarity with Germany in the face of the harsh U.S. sanctions. In mid-August, 24 of the 27 EU member states sent the State Department a sternly worded note of protest in the form of a video conference. Hungary, Latvia and Romania did not join the protest… Should the U.S. find success with its bullying tactics, says one diplomat, every EU member state would have to prepare for being a U.S. target at some point – and thus dependent on assistance from its partners in the bloc. Today, the focus is on Nord Stream 2, ‘but tomorrow it could be on computers, ships, cars or something else,’ says Daniel Caspary, head of the German conservatives group in the European Parliament. ‘We have to resist at the beginning.’”

Europe’s intent to gang up with Germany against the USA is only too obvious.

Turkey Grants Citizenship to Hamas Operatives

Breaking Israel News wrote on August 28:

“The Telegraph reported its reporter had seen Turkish identity papers issued to at least one of 12 senior Hamas operatives. At least seven of the operatives were granted citizenship and issued an 11-digit identity number and passports, while the five remaining Hamas operatives are in the process of receiving passports…  Turkish passports would allow the operatives to travel extensively around the world.

“In a shocking revelation, the Telegraph reported that all of the 12 operatives were released and deported from Israel under the Shalit Deal of 2011, in which 1,027 mostly Palestinian prisoners were released in exchange for an Israeli soldier. Two-hundred and eighty of these had been sentenced to life in prison for planning and perpetrating various attacks against Israeli targets. Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari was quoted… as confirming that the prisoners released under the deal were collectively responsible for the killing of 569 Israelis.”

The Bible does not have too many good things to say about end-time Turkey.

Turkey’s Ambitions in Lebanon

The Jerusalem Post wrote on August 27:

“… officials in Lebanon are concerned at increased indications of Turkish efforts to build strength and influence in the country. The report quoted two sources in Lebanese intelligence, who mentioned recent Turkish efforts to bring [‘an incredible amount of’] weapons into northern Lebanon…

“Turkey is actively involved using both its own forces and proxies in the two fragmented Arab countries to Lebanon’s east – Syria and Iraq. The deployments in both countries already have the look of the long term about them, with clearly defined areas of control. Turkey is also active in Libya…

“To these areas add Turkey’s aggressive naval stance in the Eastern Mediterranean, and its active backing of Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank and of Islamist organizations in Jerusalem. All these add up to a strategy in which Ankara is seeking to emerge as the main strategic beneficiary of the chaos and fragmentation that has gripped much of the region over the last decade….

“The fragile Lebanese sectarian balance has been shattered over the last decade by the entry of around one million overwhelmingly Sunni Syrian refugees… Sunni Islamist Turkey is seeking to fill the vacuum, and to recruit the Lebanese Sunni street to its banner…”

Turkey would love to become the leader of Sunni nations, but this will never happen. For instance, Saudi Arabia would never agree to this.

Trump Accepts Republican Nomination

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 28:

“In a speech delivered from a huge stage on the White House front lawn he… described the upcoming election as ‘the most important in the history of our country.’ In an attack on his Democrat rival Joe Biden, he said there had never been ‘a clearer choice between two parties, two visions, two philosophies… Joe Biden is not a savior of America’s soul, he is a destroyer of America’s jobs and if given the chance he will be the destroyer of American greatness,’ Trump said…

“The location of Trump’s speech broke tradition and regulations of not using the White House mansion for purely political events. There was no social distancing in place for the crowd sat watching the speech and face masks were not required…

“Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday [accepted] his… nomination. He defended police and called for an end to unrest in cities where violence broke out following anti-police demonstrations… He added: ‘We’re not going to defund the police. Not now, not ever.’”

The coming election might very well turn out to be the most important one in the history of the USA, as it might be the last one.

South Dakota under Attack

KELO wrote on August 28:

“Right now South Dakota has the highest number of active Covid-19 cases since the pandemic started. There were 2,182 active cases in the state as of Friday’s briefing from the State Department of Health. But Governor Noem says that’s not the number she’s most concerned about.

“‘What we’ve always been focused on is the hospitalization numbers,’ Noem said. ‘We’ve seen a little bit of an increase in those as well but previously for the last several weeks they’ve been declining. I think we’re exactly where we thought we would be.’”

Satan is very anxious to try to destroy South Dakota and with it the feast site for the Church of the Eternal God. But he will not prevail.

Deadly Violence in Portland, Oregon

The Associated Press reported on August 30:

“Police issued a plea early Sunday for videos, photos or eyewitness accounts of a fatal shooting in Portland, Oregon, that unfolded after hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters in the streets of the city. The shooting late Saturday night came about 15 minutes after a caravan of about 600 vehicles that were part of a pro-Trump rally left downtown, police said. It wasn’t clear if the shooting was related to the clashes between Trump supporters and counterprotesters in Oregon’s largest city, which has become a flashpoint in the national Black Lives Matter protests…

“On Sunday, Trump issued a flurry of tweets and retweets including several that blamed Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler for the death… Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf blamed local officials for failing ‘to protect their communities.’…”

Breitbart added on August 30:

“Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) issued a statement on Sunday blaming President Donald Trump for the violence seen across American cities, particularly in Portland, after a Trump supporter was shot and killed. Brown’s comments came after months of inaction by local authorities to wrangle violent protests across the city of Portland under Mayor Ted Wheeler…

“Since the death of George Floyd, Portland has become a hot spot for violent crime, including the burning and looting of buildings, the tearing down of statues and monuments, and various shootings. Police in Portland have been left to fend for themselves with little to no backing from state or local officials.

“Protests across Portland for the past few months have been mostly anti-police. One group took to the streets to burn the American flag and copies of the Bible. Another group set ablaze a severed pig’s head, donned with a cop hat sitting atop an American flag.”

This hypocrisy by Oregon’s Democratic governor and Portland’s incompetent mayor will undoubtedly help Trump in November’s election.

Hunger in the USA

Bloomberg wrote on September 2:

“The ranks of Americans fighting hunger are projected to swell some 45% this year to more than 50 million… About one-third of those relying on food shelves, large-scale and emergency food distributions now are doing so for the first time… In parts of Minnesota, that number is closer to 70%.

“During the pandemic, about a 10th of American households reported they haven’t had enough food in a given week. That’s a shocking figure for the world’s richest country. It’s more than double pre-Covid figures and the highest since comparable government data [started] in 1995… lockdowns have snarled supply chains, and food inflation is projected to rise at the fastest pace in almost a decade. Meanwhile, unemployment, low wages and reduced working hours are diminishing purchasing power—all of which are disproportionately impacting women and minorities, as is food insecurity…”

Terrible consequences of lockdown measures…

Black Lives Matter… That’s How the Nazis Began

The Daily Mail wrote on August 27:

“The footage could hardly be more chilling, like something from the wilder fringes of Hollywood’s dystopian imagination. A woman sits at a table, recoiling in fear. She is penned in, surrounded by a mob of masked men and women, their clenched fists raised menacingly in the air. Again and again the rhythmic chants go up: ‘White silence is violence! No justice, no peace!’ The woman shrinks further back in her chair. The mob moves in. Some of them lean into her face. They stand over her, fists raised, shrieking and shouting, demanding that she too raises her arm in salute. On and on it goes. Nobody comes to her defence. It’s an awful scene, reminiscent of the street scenes in Germany in the spring of 1933, when Nazi thugs demanded that ordinary people raise their arms in homage to Hitler.

“But this is not Germany in 1933… This was Washington DC, one of the great capitals of the democratic West, just two days ago. The woman’s name was Lauren Victor, and her crime was to have been spotted having dinner outside a Washington restaurant. The mob were, inevitably, Black Lives Matter protesters, roaming the streets of the US capital during their latest demonstrations about alleged police brutality towards black Americans. According to an appalled reporter from the Washington Post, the predominantly white activists were trying to force ordinary diners to raise their fists and join in with their chants. Miss Victor, an urban planner, said no.

“Ironically, it turns out she had previously been on Black Lives Matter marches herself, but now she just wanted to have her dinner in peace. ‘It didn’t feel right,’ she said afterwards, adding that she felt ‘under attack’. That seems a remarkably understated way of putting it. I wonder how many of us, in Miss Victor’s shoes, would show the same grace and guts under such horrendous pressure. In almost every detail, it’s a scene that turns your stomach.

“The snarls of aggression and ritual chanting are nothing new. Neither is the hysterical, bullying tone of the protesters. But the facemasks give the episode a deeply sinister feel. So do the ubiquitous camera phones, held up as if the protesters are recording Miss Victor’s non-compliance for some future show trial. In America, the pictures inspired well-deserved horror. Many moderate black leaders were quick to express their condemnation, and even some Black Lives Matter protesters were eager to distance themselves… for weeks now it has been obvious that whatever its origins, the Black Lives Matter movement has become a nihilistic, monomaniacal cult…

“It is now perilously close to fascism – not, perhaps, the same kind of fascism practised by Hitler, Himmler, Goering and Goebbels, but fascism of a peculiarly sinister 21st-century variety. Like all true fascists, the most extreme BLM supporters have a crude… view of history… They believe that through the fires of destruction – ‘defunding’ the police, tearing down statues, emptying museums – humanity can be purged…

“Over time, it has become glaringly obvious that the BLM movement is largely driven by rich, white, expensively educated Left-wing university graduates, like the people involved with Oxford’s Rhodes Must Fall movement. A year ago, they were marching behind the banners of Extinction Rebellion. But anti-racism has become their new status symbol… Their sacred cause permits them to break whatever laws they like…

“It is no exaggeration to say that these self-styled activists will not rest until every museum has been remodelled, every patriotic hymn suppressed, every country house ‘contextualised’, every employee re-educated, every curriculum rewritten. That, too, is how fascism works. There is only one way to stop them. They cannot be appeased, for with every concession their appetite grows. We cannot ignore them and hope they will go away. Nor can we go along with them and hope they leave us alone. The only way to beat them is to stand up to them, and say: ‘No.’”

This is awful conduct! The comparison with Nazi behavior in the 1930s is well deserved.  

Californian County Retaliates against Church—“The Essence of Tyranny”

The Washington Free Beacon wrote on August 31:

“A California church challenged local coronavirus restrictions on worship services, and county authorities responded by canceling the church’s five-decade-old lease.

“County officials informed Grace Community Church that it will terminate its decades-old lease on a parking lot after the church filed a lawsuit over local restrictions against in-person worship. The county told the church in a letter it intends to terminate the lease of a large section of the parking lot that the church leases, threatening to forcibly remove any of the church’s property that remained in the lot. ‘If Grace fails to vacate the premise as required, the District may enter the premises and remove Grace’s personal property in accordance with the Agreement and applicable law, and Grace will be responsible for any resultant expenses incurred by the District,’ the letter states.

“Jenna Ellis, special counsel to the Thomas More Society, said the move is meant to punish a religious organization for requesting the same privileges afforded to protesters. She accused county officials of attempting to ‘abuse their power through burdensome, restrictive, and unconstitutional orders’ and retaliate against those who object. ‘L.A. County is clearly trying to evict Grace Church from use of their parking lot for no other reason than because Pastor John [MacArthur] stood firm and is challenging their power,’ she said. ‘This is the essence of tyranny.’

“The church has leased the parking lot since 1975 without interruption. The county has given the church until October 1 to vacate the lot… The church returned to in-person indoor services in July following more than a month of protests tied to the Black Lives Matter movement. While state and local officials turned a blind eye to—and in some cases participated in—the demonstrations that attracted tens of thousands of people, church leaders filed suit. The lawsuit argues that the ongoing state and local coronavirus restrictions violate the church’s First Amendment rights and unconstitutionally favor political protests over religious services. The church won a temporary victory last week when a judge rejected the county’s attempt to obtain a temporary restraining order to shut down church services…”

Shameful and SO hypocritical!

Don’t Rush out a Vaccine too Soon!

CNN wrote on September 1:

“Vaccine experts are warning the federal government against rushing out a coronavirus vaccine before testing has shown it’s both safe and effective. Decades of history show why they’re right…

“On April 12, 1955 the government announced the first vaccine to protect kids against polio. Within days, labs had made thousands of lots of the vaccine. Batches made by one company, Cutter Labs, accidentally contained live polio virus and it caused an outbreak. More than 200,000 children got the polio vaccine, but within days the government had to abandon the program… From 1955 to 1963, between 10% and 30% of polio vaccines were contaminated with simian virus 40 (SV40)… It was being transferred to millions of Americans…

“In 1976, scientists predicted a pandemic of a new strain of influenza called swine flu. More than 40 years later, some historians call it ‘flu epidemic that never was… Ford was being cajoled to put forward a vaccine that was hastily put together… Ford made the decision to make the immunization compulsory. The government launched the program in about seven months and 40 million people got vaccinated against swine flu, according to the CDC. That vaccination campaign was later linked to cases of a neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome…

“It took several incidents for people to start distrusting vaccines…

“A too-early EUA for a vaccine could cause a ‘nightmare scenario,’ for a few reasons. One, the vaccine may not be safe. Two, if it is not safe, people will lose faith in vaccines. Three, if a vaccine doesn’t offer complete protection, people will have a false sense of security and increase their risk. Four, if a substandard vaccine gets an EUA, a better vaccine may never get approval, because people would be reluctant to enroll in trials and risk getting a placebo instead of a vaccine….”

And fifth, even “safe” vaccines are not safe, as they all have the risks of serious side effects.

Inflated Figures and Lockdown Useless and Harmful

Collective Evolution wrote on August 30:

“According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), out of all the deaths that have been labelled as a COVID-19 death in the United States so far, for 6% of them ‘COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned’ and for 94% of the deaths, there were other causes and conditions in addition to COVID-19. The CDC states that ‘for deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death.’

“…[For] the majority of deaths that have been attributed to COVID-19, the new virus may not have been the cause of the death… There have also been many claims around the internet that people who have died in car accidents and other causes have been marked as a Covid death if they test positive… a study published in Italy shows that 99 percent of people who had died so far from COVID 19 at the time of the study had pre-existing medical conditions that made them more susceptible to death… we do not see people who die of a heart attack tested to see if they have the flu. What’s been happening here is that if someone dies of a heart-attack but tests positive for COVID-19, it’s also marked as a covid death…

“There have been some eye-opening statements from health authorities all over the world that seem to have emphasized that some deaths that are clearly not a result of covid, but of something else, have again, also been marked as a covid death if the patient tested positive. This has been a common theme throughout the pandemic. For example, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, recently stated that, even if it’s clear one died of an alternative cause, their death will still be marked as a COVID death… Toronto Public Health tweeted in late June that ‘Individuals who have died with COVID-19, but not as a result of COVID-19, are included in the case counts for COVID-19 deaths in Toronto.’

“The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced a change to how it tallies coronavirus deaths amid complaints that it inflated numbers… Vittorio Sgarbi, Italian politician Mayor of Sutri, gave an emotional speech at a hearing on the 24th of April where he emphasized that the number of deaths in Italy due to COVID-19 are completely false and that the people are being lied to. He stated his belief that governments were doing this to exercise more control over the population. This sentiment echoes the thoughts of many notable people, like Dr. Ron Paul for example…

“It’s also important to mention the research and opinions of many health experts who have been emphasizing that the case-fatality rate of COVID-19 is very similar to a severe flu. For example, Ronald B. Brown, Ph.D., from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada says, based on his research, that the coronavirus fatality rates we were/are given represents ‘Worst Miscalculation in Human History.’ Dr. Brown added that CDC and WHO documents show that the case fatality rate for influenza was similar to the coronavirus, implying that the lockdowns were pointless. His paper questions why the 2017-2018 influenza season in the United States did not ‘receive the same intensive media coverage as COVID-19.’

“The Physicians For Informed Consent (PIC) recently published a report titled ‘Physicians for Informed Consent (PIC) Compares COVID-19 to Previous Seasonal and Pandemic Flu Periods.’ According to them, the infection/fatality rate of COVID-19 is 0.26%… Many doctors and scientists around the world have been emphasizing from the very beginning that lockdown measures [are] completely unnecessary, harmful, and don’t really make any sense. For example, more than 500 German doctors & scientists have… expressed the same thing multiple times early on in the pandemic all the way up to today…

“What makes it even more important is that the thousands of scientists and doctors all over the world who are sharing opinions, research, and data that seems to contradict what we’ve been given from organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) are being heavily censored, and in some cases ridiculed. A lot of the information presented in this article is never really presented by the mainstream media, and as a result the masses are usually beamed with a one-sided perception while these same networks simply ridicule and label any opposing information that threatens their narrative as a ‘conspiracy theory.’…

“We live in a world where big interests seem to dominate politics and science… Understanding what’s going on here, or at least attempting to through the process of critical thinking and questioning, is all part of the process. In an ideal world there would be complete transparency of all issues, but today we have a digital authoritarian ‘fact-checker’ that seems to be patrolling the internet telling people what is and what isn’t instead of allowing people to make up their own minds. You are not stupid, and you have the ability to think for yourself! Don’t ever forget that.”

Very well expressed! Also, the Ron Paul Institute wrote on September 2 about the “Pelosi-Gate: House Speaker’s Hair-Raising Hypocrisy,” continuing:

“US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was busted yesterday, sneaking in to a beauty salon in San Francisco for a shampoo. Salons in California had been closed for months to ‘fight Covid’ but the Speaker obviously believes that some people are more equal than others.”

Robert F Kennedy at Berlin Anti-Corona Demonstrations

BBC News reported on August 29:

“Some 38,000 people took to the streets in [Berlin] for mostly peaceful demonstrations… Similar rallies took [place] in other European cities… Thousands gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square to protest against issues including coronavirus restrictions… Similar protests took place in Paris, Vienna and Zurich…

“The protests have also gained support from Robert F Kennedy Jr. The anti-vaccination campaigner, also the son of assassinated US Democratic presidential hopeful Robert F Kennedy and nephew of assassinated US President John F Kennedy, is at the demonstrations in Berlin.

“Mr Kennedy told the crowd at the Victory Column that his uncle had famously addressed Berlin in 1963 to counter totalitarianism and that ‘today Berlin is again the front against totalitarianism’, warning of a surveillance state…’”

The Irish Times wrote on August 29:

“Robert F Kennedy, a US vaccination sceptic, praised the cheering crowd for pushing back against what he called efforts to spread fear in the pandemic and impose a new surveillance state. Half a century after his uncle visited Berlin, then a cold war frontier against totalitarianism, Mr Kennedy delighted the crowd by repeating his uncle’s most famous slogan, but in a very different context. ‘Today Berlin is once again a front against totalitarianism,’ he said to huge cheers. ‘And that is why I’m proud to say, ‘Ich bin ein Berliner.’”

Spahn Criticizes Demonstration

Die Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on August 30:

“Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) [criticized] on Saturday the demonstration in Berlin against the corona-virus. ‚It showed a lack of solidarity and was deeply unpatriotic, not to wear masks, not to practice social distancing, and thereby to jeopardize others,’ Spahn said.”

Maybe Herr Spahn should check the meaning of the words “patriotic” and “lack of solidarity.” It is interesting that even the higher court, allowing the demonstration, thereby overruling the appeal of the police in Berlin, did not demand the wearing of masks, even though it did require social distancing. However, just about two hours after the demonstration started, police called off the protest, citing as justification the disregard for social distancing rules. According to reports which we received, the police provoked the protestors from the outset. They blocked all side streets and they kept delaying the start of the demonstration in an apparent attempt to prevent social distancing. This then was used by the police as “justification” to call off the demonstration. It was reported that demonstrators held posters that read “stop the coronavirus madness” and “end the coronavirus dictatorship,” and a protest leader called for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to resign.

German Politicians Conveniently Outraged over Reichstag Incident

Fox News reported on August 30:

“German police forcibly removed far-right protesters and others who stormed the parliament building in Berlin following a protest against the country’s strict coronavirus restrictions. Police dispersed the protesters after they broke away from a large peaceful demonstration, breached a security barrier and then ran up the steps of the Reichstag late Saturday… Scuffles broke out as police drove back the demonstrators with pepper spray…”

What has been consistently “overlooked” in the mainstream media and the “scandal-mass” tabloids is the fact that those who “stormed” the Parliament building (they never entered it) were a few people who were not part of the demonstration, but acted, “following” the demonstration.

Deutsche Welle reported on August 29:

“President Frank-Walter Steinmeier described the incident as an ‘unbearable attack on the heart of our democracy.’

“Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tweeted: ‘It is shameful to have flags of the German Reich in front of Parliament.’ ‘Nazi symbols and flags of the Reichsbürgers and of Imperial Germany have no place in the German Bundestag,’ wrote Finance Minister Olaf Scholz…

“Authorities arrested around 300 people… Around 200 of those were detained in front of the Russian embassy…”

200 or 300 allegedly “violent” people out of 38.000 mostly peaceful demonstrators! According to reports and video material posted on social media, the police acted or reacted very violently against the protestors in front of the Reichstag building or the Russian embassy. Most of them were average citizens and NOT Nazis or far right protestors. Typical propaganda of the mass media in an attempt to manipulate the public! Will this incident be used by Germany’s politicians as a further excuse for prohibiting any anti-corona demonstrations from now on? A macabre parallel could be drawn from the famous Reichstagsbrand in 1933, allegedly perpetrated by a socialist Jew (although some feel that the Nazis themselves were behind the fire), which was then used by Hitler to enact autocratic laws and suspend civil liberties.

The ”comments” by German President Steinmeier on Monday were quite interesting in this regard. He said, as reported by Deutsche Welle, dated August 31:

“My understanding ends where demonstrators allow themselves to be harnessed to the carts of the enemies of democracy and the political agitators, those who seek cooperation with right-wing extremists on the street, but also those who simply walk — without being concerned — alongside neo-Nazis, xenophobes and anti-Semites. Those who don’t clearly and actively separate themselves from them, make common cause with them.”

As mentioned above, there is no evidence that those who “stormed” the Reichstag were right-wing extremists, neo-Nazis, xenophobes and anti-Semites. But even allowing Steinmeier’s comments to be accurate, with that rationale, EVERY demonstration could be prohibited, as some “political agitators” will always be mingling with peaceful protesters. Maybe this is what the German government wants to achieve. Due to the one-sided political reporting of Germany’s mass media and tabloids, a discussion as to whether to ban all anti-Corona protests has already begun.

It Was SO Predictable

Deutsche Welle wrote on September 1:

“In Berlin, anybody taking part in a rally of over 100 people [will] soon be required to wear a face mask [beginning this Saturday]… Face masks also have to be worn at smaller demonstrations if the protesters chant slogans or sing.

“Berlin Mayor Michael Müller announced the new amendments on Twitter, stating that ‘at open-air meetings of more than 100 people, especially demonstrations, the wearing of a mouth and nose cover is now compulsory.’ Until now masks have only been obligatory in shops and on public transport, as well as for children at school, outside of lessons.

“Alongside the decision to make masks mandatory at protests, further new regulations were also agreed on. These included demanding that anyone who wishes to host a private party such as a wedding or birthday will be responsible for ensuring that safety measures are abided by and to keep track of guests contact details to support the tracing of any possible outbreaks.”

Many New Corona “Cases” in the UK, BUT no deaths

The Daily Mail wrote on August 30:

“Another 1,715 people have tested positive for coronavirus today in the biggest daily rise in 12 weeks…

“But, in a positive sign, the country’s death toll is remaining low as just one person died after testing positive for the disease… There were no new deaths in Scotland for the fourth consecutive day. Wales and Northern Ireland each had no new fatalities for the third straight day.”

And so, the scare tactic continues… Newsmax wrote on August 30: “Health experts say PCR testing is too sensitive and needs to be altered to rule out people who have insignificant amounts of COVID-19 because they’re likely not contagious…”

They must be kidding…  

Stiff Fine imposed on Anti Coronavirus Organizer

The Guardian wrote on August 30:

“Piers Corbyn (73) has become one of the first people to receive a £10,000 fixed penalty under new coronavirus laws restricting public gatherings of more than 30 people. The weather forecaster and climate change denier, who is the older brother of the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, was arrested and fined for his part in organising Saturday’s demonstrations in central London against lockdown restrictions… Corbyn said he was held for 10 hours by police and told officers he and other organisers had filled out all the necessary risk assessments and spent two weeks negotiating with Scotland Yard over the event. He said he planned to challenge the fixed penalty notice in court… Under new changes to regulations, those attending a gathering of more than 30 people may be committing a criminal offence….

“Corbyn’s fine comes after the Met last week dropped a threat to investigate the organiser of another protest on suspicion of breaching coronavirus regulations, after accepting that as a political protest it was exempt.”

What dangerous hypocritical political nonsense.

Another Approach in Italy

Breitbart wrote on August 30:

“The mayor of the Italian town of Sutri north of Rome has established fines for wearing masks except when required by law, insisting that ‘only thieves and terrorists wear masks.’ The contrarian Italian parliamentarian Vittorio Sgarbi, who is also the mayor of Sutri, has been a vocal critic of mask-wearing and other restrictions imposed by the Italian government to address the coronavirus. Mr. Sgarbi announced Saturday that in Sutri ‘anyone found wearing a face mask without need will be fined,’ noting that there are no cases of coronavirus infection in the city. ‘In compliance with the decree of the President of the Council of Ministers, the use of the mask outdoors in the City of Sutri is prohibited for obvious health reasons and indoors except in the case of assemblies,’ the city ordinance reads.

“Mr. Sgarbi said that in all other cases, those found wearing a mask will be fined in compliance with legislation on public order, which prohibits face coverings. ‘The use of protective helmets or any other apparel making it difficult to recognize a person is prohibited in a public places or places open to the public without sufficient reason,’ the law states.

“Mr. Sgarbi also takes aim at certain mask-wearing practices that he finds ‘ridiculous’… ‘the use of the mask in public places, except for employees, appears in evident contrast to the time dedicated to eating that requires taking food without a mask,’ he writes. ‘It therefore seems contradictory that after eating without a mask you get up from the table and put it on. These are ridiculous forms of ostentation that have nothing to do with healthcare needs,’ he concludes.”

His assessment regarding the mandates of wearing masks is quite convincing.

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.

As the question suggests, the underlying motivation is one of fear. We have recently published several Q&As on the topic of fear, but in this time of ongoing panic, paranoia and propaganda with the goal of causing people to become afraid and fearful, we need to bring out biblical principles and clear promises from God, assuring us that fear of the future is not inevitable for Christians.

We are going to focus in this Q&A on the many Scriptures which deal with fear of future events—with anxiety as to what our future may bring and what may “happen” to us if we were to act in obedience to God’s commands.

Specifically, and in answering the question raised in this Q&A,  we will address concerns of those who may not personally want to attend weekly Sabbath services or assemblies during the annual Holy Days and especially the Feast of Tabernacles, for fear that they might get sick of the coronavirus or of another contagious disease if they did… and especially in those countries or US states without mandatory social distancing measures or mask-wearing mandates.

Would it be permitted in God’s eyes to just stay home and not assemble with God’s people? Would this kind of fear be justified or at least an excuse in God’s eyes? Is such fear even “necessary” or “logical”?

To begin with, God clearly commands us to assemble on God’s Holy Days in person. They are sacred assemblies or holy convocations. In Old Testament times, offerings had to be brought to the LORD (Leviticus 23:8). Even though these animal offerings do not have to be brought today, the implied sense of personal attendance is clear. We are told not to forsake assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25). Listening in via the Internet is only meant for those who are unable, because of physical handicap or great distance, to attend in person.

Addressing the question of perhaps not attending in person because of fear, we must first of all have the conviction and persuasion that God hears us when we call on Him (Psalm 4:3). When we are convinced that God is on our side, we need not fear or be afraid of the future (Psalm 118:6).

David wrote in Psalm 32:6-7: “For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him. You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble…”

Is that our conviction? Do we believe that when we obey God, God is mighty and powerful enough to preserve us from trouble and to prevent that a contagious disease comes near us?

Again, David writes in Psalm 23:4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Right now, we are living in the valley of the shadow of a deadly disease—so we are told. But even if that were true, do we live in fear that we might get sick with it… thereby forgetting that God is with us?

The sons of Korah stated this in Psalm 46:1-3,7:

“… God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah… The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”

The sons of Korah expressed their confidence in God which would not be shattered even in times of earthquakes and huge tidal waves. How much more confidence in God should we have that He will be a very present help in trouble when we obey His commands to keep His weekly and annual Holy Days?

David also said in Psalm 31:15: “My times are in Your hand.” He knew that nothing could happen to him unless God were to allow it—including his “good” times and “bad” times, as well as the time of his life and the time of his death—and that God would only allow or do in his life what would be best for him. Paul would later say that all things work together for good to those who love God and do His commandments. We read in Psalm 112 that the righteous who “delights greatly in His commandments” (verse 1) “will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established; He will not be afraid” (verses 7-8).

We ought not be afraid of “evil tidings” that the number of “cases” of coronavirus is climbing in the state where God has placed His name for the Feast of Tabernacles. We must not think that we, as an organization, would be wise to cancel that Feast site or, as individual members, should stay home, rather than attending.

We must always have the confidence that God is on His throne; that He knows what is happening in our lives; and He will not allow that anything happens to us which would be too difficult for us. At the same time, He tests us and His Church to see whether we are always willing to obey Him—no matter what the circumstances.

God promises us in Isaiah 43:2, 5, 15:

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you… Fear not, for I am with you… I am the LORD, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King.”

God is with us. He is our mighty King—the RULER over the entire universe. Even if He allows us to go through fire which could burn us and water which could drown us, or through the shadow of a contagious disease all around us (real or imagined), He is with us and will not allow that they harm or kill us before the God-decreed time of our death.

Note God’s powerful promise to His people in Psalm 91:3-11:

“Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence… You shall not be afraid of… the pestilence that walks in darkness… Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.”

Do we truly believe this? Do we believe that God’s angels will protect us from the pestilence or plague that walks in darkness, let alone the coronavirus, when we attend His Feast site? Or do we live in fear that IF we were to go there, we MIGHT get sick there? If that is the way we approach things, then our faith is very small.

God also gave this promise to ancient Israel, as well as to us today. We read in Exodus 15:26:

“If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”

God promises us His protection, including from sickness, when we obey Him. In context, when we obey His command to attend His Festivals in person.

Note, too, His promise to His people in Deuteronomy 7:15, if they were to obey Him:

“And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you.”

If we obey God by attending His weekly and annual Holy Days, including the Feast of Tabernacles, then God will not afflict us with terrible diseases, nor will He allow that we will be afflicted with them.

As we point out in our free booklet, “Obeying God rather than men,” it has also been a remarkable experience within the Church of God that God’s ministers who fulfill God’s commands to anoint those who are sick (compare James 5:14) have not contracted a contagious disease for which and when they anoint the sick person, as God has been protecting His ministers who faithfully follow His directions in this regard. He did not and does not allow that they are afflicted with the disease and sickness for which they anoint the sick. That is why any prohibition to ministers to anoint the sick with the laying on of hands constitutes a total lack of faith in God’s power.

We might also want to consider God’s promise in Exodus 34:22-24, where we read:

“(22) And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks of the firstfruits of wheat harvest [Pentecost], and the Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end [Feast of Tabernacles]. (23) Three times in a year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the LORD God of Israel [Three festival seasons—one in the spring, one in the summer and one in the autumn—are mentioned here, as one has to appear before God on every annual Holy Day: Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread as the first season in the spring; Pentecost as the second season in the summer; and the fall season, consisting of the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day]. (24) For I will cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three times in a year.”

That we must appear in person is also clear from God’s command not to appear empty-handed, but to give as we are able (Deuteronomy 16:16-17). This command tells us to appear in person to give our offering at the place which God has chosen.

God grants us security when we observe God’s annual Holy Days by assembling at the Church’s designated Feast sites—especially during the eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day. The Church’s understanding of this passage has been that God will protect our belongings, which we are leaving behind during this time, so that no one will covet them and break into our homes to rob us during our absence.

When God promises us protection of our physical belongings while attending the Feast in obedience to His Word, do we think that He won’t protect us when we are at His Feast site—including from contracting a dangerous sickness—while worshipping with God’s people on God’s Holy Days and during the Feast of Tabernacles. It seems to us that fear and concern in that regard would constitute a lack of faith and trust in God Almighty. After all, when we are living with the understanding and conviction that we are in God’s hands and that NOTHING will happen to us without God’s knowledge and consent, WHY THEN are we afraid to keep His commandments of keeping His Holy Days, and to do so in person and in the way which He has ordered us to do? This would include singing in services (Psalm 30:4; 2 Chronicles 29:30; Hebrews 2:12)—making to God a “joyful noise” (Psalm 81:1-3).

We are of course not to put God to a serious test and to try Him. And we must never break one of His commandments with the (misapplied) wish to keep one of His other commandments. For example, we cannot lie or steal in order to save life. Likewise, we must not attend Church services if and as long as we ARE sick. The Bible contains provisions for quarantine regarding those who suffer from contagious diseases so that they cannot infect others. However, the idea to place someone into quarantine to protect him or her from others who might be sick is just turning the biblical commands on their head, by quarantining the sick together with the healthy.

The biblical principle of quarantine applies to persons who ARE sick. THEY are to stay in isolation as long as they are suffering from their contagious sickness so as not to infect others. The idea that an entire city, county, country or the entire world must be locked up and that everyone needs to stay in isolation or in house arrest—whether sick or not—is just a Satanic perversion of God’s holy law of quarantine. The same applies to Church members who refuse to attend Sabbath services or one of God’s Feast sites in person because of fear that someone in attendance might be sick (even though he or she shows no symptoms). This attitude is in direct violation of God’s command to keep the Feast.

To conclude, as true Christians who are being led by God and place their confidence in Him, there is no need to fear anything. They know that they are in God’s hands, and that “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted [or tested] beyond what you are able, but with the temptation [or test] will also make the way to escape, that you may be able to bear [or endure] it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

“Is Germany again on Its Way to a Dictatorship?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary: 

Are the huge protests in Berlin against coronavirus restrictions; the incorrect national and international reporting in the “mainstream” media; and the “outrage” of Germany’s government about the “storming” of the Reichstag showing signs of the development of a totalitarian dictatorship in Germany? This program will show that the “official” reporting of the events has been terribly deceiving, and what REALLY happened in Berlin last Saturday.

“Globale Corona-Restriktionen—Regiert die Angst?” is the title of a new AufPostenStehen program, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Global Corona-Restrictions —Does Fear Rule?”

“Lehnt das orthodoxe Christentum Jesus Christus ab?” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Does Orthodox Christianity Reject Jesus Christ?”

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

“The Falling Away IS HERE—Comments on News and Prophecy (August 29, 2020),” is the title of last Sabbath’s first message, presented by Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Looking at the ongoing fulfillment of biblical prophecy right now, the question becomes more and more critical for you as to whether you will keep the Feast of Tabernacles at the place where God has chosen to “put His name.” And, whether you will keep it in the way which God has prescribed and ordered by God. If you are not, or if you compromise in any way, maybe because of fear, you are in danger of departing from the Truth and the living God—slowly perhaps, but surely.

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

We need to be healed internally as well as physically. This might require repenting and drawing closer to God by using the tools available to us. Especially asking for help is very important .

The YouTube channel for the Church of the Eternal God presents past videos for StandingWatch programs along with sermonettes, sermons and promotional videos. These are also available on our website: www.eternalgod.org.

On August 22, 2020, Norbert Link will present “Comments on News and Prophecy (August 22, 2020),” and Michael Link will present the sermon, titled, “Faith That Saves.”

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.

There is undoubtedly a lot of anger and hatred in the world, especially in the last several months. There has always been hatred throughout history, since the beginning of the records in the Bible, but the types of hatred we are seeing today are tough to comprehend. Could we have ever guessed that choosing or not choosing to wear a mask, for example, would lead someone to absolute hatred to the point of violence and death toward the other individual? Does that not make us angry when we hear something like that?  Do we hate to hear something like that?

When we listen to all the different restrictions enforced by the US governors in their states or measures in different counties as to what is banned and what is allowed, and when we see how absolutely inconsistent those restrictions are as if the virus has boundaries, it makes us angry, doesn’t it? And we can see that oftentimes, these restrictions have little to do with the pandemic itself, or else the whole world would be following a unified approach. This shows that the world does not know what to do. Do we also hate to hear about all these inconsistencies? Are we sick and tired of hearing over and over again about the coronavirus and the different massive governmental responses, perhaps even reading this Editorial or reading the Current Events each week?  Does it make us angry when all we seem to be reading or hearing about is this upsetting and negative news, and are we not just anxiously waiting for something good to happen?

Lately, it has seemed like that, but we must not close our eyes as to what is going on. Otherwise, we would be unprofitable servants who refuse to pay attention and to watch. We in the Church of God know that even the current pandemic and man’s reaction to it are part of prophesied events. We also know what’s just ahead of us, as the observance of God’s annual fall Feast Days approach. We can expect trials and obstacles to happen to us, seemingly designed to prevent us from keeping God’s Holy Days. The Church has clearly been affected, and for some, plans are still not absolutely definitive when it comes to where they will be able to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. We are all being tested to see where our faith lies. With God, EVERYTHING is possible, and we need to trust that HE will make His Will known to each and every one of us (compare Matthew 19:26, Proverbs 3:5-6).

There is nothing wrong to feel hatred and anger with the terrible things that are going on all around us. Even God hates them, and He lists seven specific things in Proverbs 6:16-19, describing the conduct of the arrogant, liars, killers, schemers, evildoers, false witnesses and of those who sow discord in the Church. What God hates is what we ought to hate. We shouldn’t hate somebody, but we should hate the evil that the person does. We should hate what is sinful, because God hates that also. It has been correctly said that God hates the sin, but loves the sinner. He wants the sinner to repent and cease from sinning. That should be our attitude as well. This also teaches us self-control—how we are supposed to control hatred.

We should know what hatred or anger toward a person can do. That is why self-control is very important. It is very easy to get angry and feel hatred towards other people, with everything that is going on right now and especially if someone has done evil towards us. However, God tells us to love one another; love our enemies and to do good to those who hate us; and to love God’s Law, even if we are hated for it, and if we’re not already hated by the world for it, we will be (compare Matthew 10:16-22). This shouldn’t be a surprise. We should expect this if we stand up for God’s Truth.

If we struggle at times with the wrong kind of hatred, remember that God is perfect and He can change our attitudes and our way of thinking in ways that are humanly impossible to explain. We continue to do what we need to do, and when things seem humanly impossible, remember that God is the One who makes ALL things possible. And remember also, God will not allow a temptation or trial to overtake us which would be impossible for us to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). Knowing this, we shouldn’t have anything to worry about or to fear. This, in turn, is how we can have our “hatred” under control. If we do our part, God will guide and provide for us as He sees fit.

by Norbert Link

We begin with articles about the fragile Middle East deal between the USA, Israel and UAE, [please see our StandingWatch program, “The Third Temple, the End of the World, and the ‘Historic’ Peace Deal”] with obviously different opinions by Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump as to what it means, and the opposition to the deal by Israel’s right, as well as, predictably, the Palestinians, Turkey, Iran, Hamas, and others. We speak on Turkey’s dictator Erdogan and Europe’s and America’s hypocritical approach towards him;  America’s failure to extend an arms embargo on Iran;  and we focus on events in Belarus and dictator Lukashenko’s connection with Russia, as well as the connection between Belarus and Ukraine. We also address America’s failed immigration system and proposed measures which might contribute to the destruction of America’s economy.

We continue with some interesting comments by President Trump and events at the Democratic Convention. We also speak about an interview with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., addressing the assassination of his father, Robert Kennedy, and his uncle, John F. Kennedy; and we address insane coronavirus requirements in Germany; a ludicrous proposal by Joe Biden; the success story of South Dakota; and, as one author puts it, the “good news” that Fauci is out. Further good news was reported that a California church won, for now, a legal battle against the government over coronavirus restrictions; and we report on the lucrative business for companies working on the development of a vaccine and a dangerous and deeply unsettling announcement by Australia’s Prime Minister.

We speak on the mind-boggling processing of sick or diseased chicken for food; a sickening report about North Korea’s consumption of dogs; and we conclude with further nonsense in Germany in trying to be politically correct in fighting “racism.”

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

The Fragile Middle East Deal

JTA wrote on August 14:

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his plan to annex part of the West Bank ‘remains on the table,’ despite agreeing to suspend the move as part of an agreement to establish formal ties with the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. ‘There is no change in my plan to apply sovereignty, our sovereignty, in Judea and Samaria, in full coordination with the U.S. I’m committed to it, this hasn’t changed. I was the one who put sovereignty in Judea and Samaria on the table. This issue remains on the table,’ Netanyahu said at a news conference in Jerusalem after the agreement was announced. He did note that President Donald Trump asked that ‘Israel wait temporarily’ to move ahead with annexation, Netanyahu said, adding he intends to comply.

“Hours later, Trump said at a news conference in Washington that the plan is ‘off the table.’… David Friedman, his administration’s ambassador to Israel [said:] ‘Yes, the word “suspend” was chosen carefully by all the parties,’ Friedman said. ‘“Suspend,’ by definition, look it up, means temporary halt, it’s off the table now but it’s not off the table permanently.’”

Kushner: We Will Not Allow Israel to Annex West Bank Territory

The Times of Israel wrote on August 17:

“Senior White House official Jared Kushner said Monday that US President Donald Trump would not allow Israel to reverse its pledge to hold off on annexing West Bank territory in exchange for normalizing ties with the United Arab Emirates. ‘President Trump is committed to holding them accountable to it, and Israel has agreed with us that they will not move forward without our consent,’ Kushner told reporters during a briefing. ‘We do not plan to give our consent for some time…’

“Trump referred to the suspension of those plans several times at a press briefing last week, including by saying it was ‘more than just off the table.’”

However, that is apparently not Netanyahu’s understanding. Even between the USA and Israel, there seems to be some friction on the issue. This deal will not bring peace, but it will cause more turmoil and violence.

US Embassy in Jerusalem “for the Evangelicals”

JTA reported on August 18:

“President Donald Trump said he moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem ‘for the evangelicals.’… He was referring to his decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017, and the move of the U.S. Embassy there the following May. While Israel considers Jerusalem its capital, most countries do not recognize the claim and keep their embassies in Tel Aviv.

“‘And the Golan Heights, don’t forget that, we did the Golan Heights. So we’ve done a lot,’ Trump added, referring to his recognition in March 2019 of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed…

“Gallup… says evangelicals have for decades comprised just over 40% of the population. And a 2017 poll commissioned by pro-Israel evangelicals found that the percentage of evangelicals who believe that the establishment of Israel was a fulfillment of prophecy was 80%.”

When the peace deal falls apart—as it will—then Israel might be given a green light to annex West Bank territory.

Israel’s Right Objects

The Times of Israel wrote on August 14:

“Criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the right continued to grow Friday over his agreement to suspend plans to annex West Bank land… Sensing the rising discontent among their settler base, many Likud ministers on Thursday and Friday said it was imperative not to give up on annexation.

“On Friday, Settlement Affairs Minister Tzachi Hanegbi told Army Radio Israel had not given up on its sovereignty bid, saying ‘Of course it will take place’ and repeating Netanyahu’s assertion that the shelving of the plan was only temporary. Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said annexation ‘is no less important to the people of Israel’ than the accord with the UAE. Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told Kan Bet he understood the disappointment felt by some, but argued annexation ‘is not off the table’…

“Smotrich, who until recently was transportation minister under Netanyahu, acknowledged in a Facebook post that the prime minister is ‘a magician’ — a moniker many of the premier’s supporters, as well as political analysts, have attached to him over the years. But, he added, the main talent of magicians is ‘deception,’ and Netanyahu had repeatedly hoodwinked the country’s right wing. ‘Netanyahu has deceived right-wing voters for years with great success…’ Smotrich argued…

“Former MK Aryeh Eldad, who was one of the founders of what eventually became far-right party Otzma Yehudit, said Netanyahu ‘has sold out the Land of Israel… for “peace” with the UAE, as if there were ever war between us.’…”

These are harsh words, and Netanyahu knows that he needs the support of the right.

Over 600,000 Settlers Say Netanyahu Betrayed Them

 Reuters wrote on August 19:

 “Israel’s settler leaders say Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defrauded them of their long-held dream of annexing the occupied West Bank as part of the country’s normalisation deal with the United Arab Emirates. Their anger could be a problem for right-wing Netanyahu, whom they accuse of repeatedly floating the idea of annexation only to cave in to international pressure when the terms of the UAE deal required him to walk back his promises…

 “Around 450,000 Jewish settlers now live among 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank, with a further 200,000 settlers in East Jerusalem… the ideological settler leadership has significant political clout, and has long been a bastion of Netanyahu’s support. Aware that he might lose their backing to parties even more hawkish than his own, Netanyahu sought to keep settler hopes alive. But many settler leaders are unconvinced.

 “… the Trump vision of limited Palestinian statehood has created strange bedfellows. The Palestinians say it gives them too little. But for the most hardline Israeli settlers it gives the Palestinians too much. For these settlers, any Palestinian state is anathema.”

 There is no way this peace deal will succeed, and Netanyahu begins to see it now. His political survival is on the line, and he realizes that he needs the support of the right and settlers.

Palestinians and Turkey Object

Breaking Israel News wrote on August 14:

“Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas… spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh called the deal ‘treason,’ saying it must be reversed… The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki announced that following the order of Abbas, its ambassador to the UAE would be recalled.”

The Times of Israel added on August 14:

“The Palestinian Authority issued a scathing statement in response to the move, calling it a ‘betrayal of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian cause,’ language clearly aimed at inflaming Arab and Muslim sentiment worldwide.”

Not surprisingly, Hamas and Iran objected to the deal as well. And so did Turkey; see the next article.

The Jerusalem Post wrote on August 14:

“President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey was considering closing its embassy in Abu Dhabi and suspending diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates over its accord to normalize ties with Israel. Erdogan was speaking to reporters in Istanbul after the Turkish Foreign Ministry said history will never forgive the ‘hypocritical behavior’ of the UAE… The Foreign Ministry said the  Palestinian people and administration were right to react strongly against the agreement…”

How to Deal with and Contain Erdogan…

The Guardian wrote on August 16:

“Europe’s harsh public criticism of Lukashenko [see article below] contrasts sharply with its reluctance to openly denounce the latest aggressive machinations in the eastern Mediterranean of another elective dictatorship, that of Turkey’s long-entrenched leader, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Turkey is a Nato member, key EU trade partner, border gatekeeper and influential actor in Syria and the Near East. Unlike Belarus, it has real strategic importance. Perhaps that explains the awkward silence of many governments, including the UK’s. It does not excuse it…

“Erdoğan hopes to insure Turkey’s position in the Aegean, eastern Mediterranean, Syria and Libya against a change of administration in Washington… Erdoğan maintains a constant state of friction with Israel, partly by supporting Hamas… If all this were not trouble enough, Erdoğan’s lurch to Russia, symbolised by Turkey’s purchase of S-400 surface-to-air missiles, has left Nato members asking whether he can be trusted. The fact that Trump, anxious as always to please Vladimir Putin, failed to insist on Turkey cancelling the deal will not prevent it becoming a major point of contention…

“Head-in-the-sand European leaders must surely realise their Erdoğan problem cannot be ignored, dodged, or downplayed indefinitely in the hope that he will eventually go away. Turkey turning rogue is a very real, immediate and dangerous prospect. Nobody seems to have an Erdoğan containment plan. One is increasingly required.”

US Utterly Fails in Fight against Iran

Zero Hedge wrote on August 15:

“The US bid to extend a UN Security Council total arms embargo on Iran which had been in effect for 13 years… has ended in utter failure late this week… Officially, the final tally was 11 abstentions, two yes and two no votes. After all of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s lobbying through the summer to essentially make permanent an international arms blockade on the Islamic Republic the US had only two votes in favor: its own and that of the Dominican Republic.

“All European members of the P5+1 nuclear deal as expected were abstentions… Just before the Friday evening Security Council announcement of the resolution’s results, Pompeo voiced frustration, saying the council ‘failed today’ in its mission. He previously said it was ‘nuts’ to allow Iran to purchase and import weapons…

“The Trump administration is still vowing that Iran will never be able to buy weapons again, but it will be fighting an uphill battle, relying on its own diplomatic pressures on other nations, including allies, to ensure that’s the case, also with threat of sanctions against international violators.”

Again, the USA stands pretty much alone in the world.

Europe’s “last Dictator” asks Putin for Help… Controversy on the Horizon with the EU?

The Guardian wrote on August 16:

“Tens of thousands of Belarusians have gathered in Minsk for the biggest protest in the country’s history, as an extraordinary week of rising sentiment comes to a close. Seven days after the country’s authoritarian ruler, Alexander Lukashenko, [who has been called the last dictator in Europe, but notice the article on Turkey above] claimed to have secured 80% of the vote in a presidential election, his legitimacy is in tatters and his regime faces its biggest crisis since he came to power 26 years ago. The mood at Sunday’s rally was stoked further by egregious police violence against thousands of protesters earlier in the week…

“The protest came as the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, told Lukashenko in a phone call on Sunday that Moscow stood ready to provide help in accordance with a collective military pact if necessary… Lukashenko addressed a crowd of several thousand supporters in front of the country’s parliament on Sunday. They waved Belarusian flags and cheered as he said he had no intention of giving up the country, and suggested Nato forces were preparing to invade…

“Russia and Belarus are technically part of a ‘union state’, but Lukashenko has resisted closer integration in recent years and proved a tricky partner for Moscow. Putin will, however, still be keen to keep Belarus as a strategic ally and for street protests not win out in yet another neighbouring state…

“Lukashenko’s appeal to Putin, and his threat that those who continue to come out on to the streets would be ‘cannon fodder’, suggest that he is considering a new crackdown. The police and army remain under his control…”

Deutsche Welle added on August 16:

“NATO said it was closely monitoring events in Belarus, but denied a military buildup was underway in eastern Europe… Lukashenko, who has led the former Soviet state for 26 years, denies election fraud. He says foreign interference is to blame for the unrest…

“The European Union says the presidential vote was neither free nor fair, and is preparing to impose sanctions… EU Commission Vice President Josep Borrell praised the protests… French President Emmanuel Macron said the EU should support the anti-government demonstrations in Belarus… German Finance Minister [and vice chancellor] Olaf Scholz described Lukashenko as a ‘dictator’ who had lost the support of his people…”

On August 19, the EU officially rejected the election results in Belarus.

Belarus—a Pro-Russian Country

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 18:

“Anti-government protesters have rallied in Minsk and other cities for more than a week — but they haven’t been waving EU flags. Experts point out that Belarus is a pro-Russia country, even without President Lukashenko. A glance at a map shows the unique geographical situation of Belarus. To the west, the country borders on NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. To the south is neighbor Ukraine, and to the east is Russia. But Belarus is far from being a ‘buffer state,’ said Gustav Gressel of the European Council on Foreign Relations, a pan-European think tank. Belarus isn’t ‘neutral’ like Switzerland, Sweden or Finland, he said — it’s part of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a six-country military alliance dominated by Russia. Created in 2002, the alliance… includes Armenia and three Central Asian republics, alongside Russia and Belarus…

“According to Gressel and other experts, Russia isn’t pinning its hopes on the weakened autocrat, but on the fact that Belarus is and remains a pro-Russia country. They believe the Kremlin wouldn’t mind a change in government, as long as it doesn’t involve an abrupt turn toward the West, the EU or NATO. That doesn’t appear to be the aim of this protest movement. The opposition hasn’t suggested that Belarus join the EU, for instance, making the sanctions that the EU now wants to impose on officials responsible for the post-election crackdown rather counterproductive, Belarus opposition politician Maria Kolesnikova told Germany’s Welt am Sonntag paper…”

There is an interesting connection between Belarus and Ukraine. As we have explained before, Ukrainians are to be viewed as part of the modern Medes who will ultimately be at war with Europe.

Belarus was formerly known as Belorussia or White Russia. Many theories exist as to why it was named this way. The term “White Russians” has also been applied to Ukrainians. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the term “White Russian” described ethnic Russians living in the area between Russia and Poland (today this includes Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia and Moldova).

Ethnic Belarusians make up about four-fifths of the population of Belarus. Being Slavic nations, both Belarus and Ukraine share closely related cultures and are predominantly inhabited by the East Slavic ethnic groups of Belarusians and Ukrainians respectively, along with a few Russians. Today, the two countries share an 891–km border. Belarusians in Ukraine are the second biggest minority after Russians. Unlike many other ethnic groups, Belarusians do not have any particular concentration in the country, but spread out more or less evenly across all regions. There are now Belarusian organizations in major cities like Lviv and Sevastopol in the Crimea.

A notable Ukrainian of Belarusian descent is Viktor Yanukovych, the fourth president of Ukraine. He was removed from office in the 2014 Ukrainian revolution. He currently lives in exile in Russia.

Russian Opposition Leader in Coma Due to Alleged Poisoning

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 20:

“Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was rushed to hospital after a suspected poisoning on Thursday. He was unconscious in intensive care after his airplane made an emergency landing… He later fell into a coma…. ‘We assume that Alexei was poisoned with something mixed with his tea,’ [his spokeswoman] said. ‘That’s the only thing he drank this morning.’… Medical authorities told Interfax news agency that tests had shown he was poisoned with an unidentified psychodysleptic (hallucinogen)… Navalny’s normal doctor told DW that the hospital was refusing to talk to her…

“Navalny spends his time exposing corruption among the Russian elite and has suffered a constant campaign of intimidation and threats. He suffered a similar incident last year where he was also suspected to have been poisoned while in police custody.”

In the past, other Kremlin and Putin critics have been poisoned or otherwise killed. 

The Final Days of Legal Immigration?

Forbes wrote on August 13:

“… since Congress has failed to reach a deal on a COVID-19 stimulus package, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) will proceed with its furlough of about 13,400 employees, or about two-thirds of its workforce, on August 30^th.

“… a shutdown of the immigration system would negatively impact: families, U.S. businesses, educational institutions, medical facilities, and churches. In addition, immigrants who are in the process of becoming naturalized U.S. citizens will not be able to complete the process in time to register to vote, DACA recipients will not be able to renew their benefits, asylum applicants will face increased delays, and businesses will be unable to hire or retain employees. In short, the full magnitude of a halt to immigration caused by budgetary problems has not yet been fully explored and could be quite shocking to America’s economy…

“Danielle Spooner, President of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 119, which represents workers within the USCIS, said, ‘This isn’t only about the 13,400 American families to be laid off during a pandemic – this is yet another thinly veiled attack on the legal immigration system by Trump administration officials like Stephen Miller… By failing to fund this agency, the administration has managed to use the global pandemic to effectively shut down all immigration to the U.S. by the end of the month, hurting thousands of American families and businesses in the process.’

“According to an analysis from the National Foundation for American Policy, immigration policies under Trump have reduced legal immigration by 49 percent… ‘I don’t think I can emphasize enough how large an issue this will be – we’re looking at the final days of legal immigration as we know it in the United States,’ said Ruark Hotopp, a representative for USCIS workers in Nebraska who has spent years assisting American businesses in his role at the USCIS. ‘International students, scientists coming to America to study COVID-19, asylum seekers, workers recruited by American businesses, refugees – we’re talking about millions of people dealing with an immigration system running at 30 percent of the capacity it usually does. Our economy will lose billions in revenue, American businesses will lose access to the workforce they need, and hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants will be thrown into limbo.’”

Apart from the human tragedy of the uncertainty for legal immigrants, the loss of billions of dollars in revenue will only contribute to the economic downfall of the USA.

Trump’s Suggestions

Rolling Stone wrote on August 17:

“With the political world focused on the Democratic convention Monday night, President Trump looked to steal some of the limelight by saying that he will seek a third term if he wins re-election. During a rally in Wisconsin, the president [told] a cheering crowd… that he deserves eight additional years in office because… his campaign was spied on in 2016…”

Mediaite wrote on August 18:

“President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday that the 2020 presidential election may have to be done again if universal mail-in voting is introduced… ‘You can’t take millions of ballots, send them haphazardly all over the country, or all over a state, and expect it to come out properly… [It is] going to be a disaster the likes of which our country has never seen… It’ll end up being a rigged election or they will never come out with an outcome. They’ll have to do it again, and nobody wants that,’ Trump concluded. ‘And I don’t want that.’”

The Week added on August 17:

“President Trump on Monday blasted his likely presidential challenger former Vice President Joe Biden during a speech in Manakato, Minnesota, saying he’d ‘abolish the American way of life’ en route to turning the U.S. into a ‘very boring socialist country that will go to hell.’ He then had a go at Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), for co-sponsoring a ‘socialist takeover of health care.’

“The president also joked the coronavirus pandemic was ‘God testing me’ to rebuild the U.S. economy a second time.’”

Even if it’s meant to be a joke, there are things you do not want to joke about.

Steve Bannon Indicted for Fraud

CBS News reported on August 20:

“Federal prosecutors in New York announced Thursday that Steve Bannon, President Trump’s former White House chief strategist, has been indicted along with three others for allegedly defrauding donors to a $25 million fundraising campaign to build a wall along the southern border… Mr. Trump distanced himself from Bannon on Thursday, telling reporters at the White House that ‘I haven’t been dealing with him for a very long period of time.’ The president also said he disliked the private effort to fund construction of the border wall and believed ‘it was being done for showboating reasons.’…

“Federal prosecutors said donors were repeatedly assured that 100% of the money raised would be used to build the wall, but those claims were false… the Justice Department said the men profited from the fundraising scheme. Bannon allegedly received more than $1 million… which was funneled through a non-profit he controlled and some of which was used to cover his personal expenses… To hide the payments from the fundraising campaign, federal prosecutors said the four men… concealed the money [by] using fake invoices and fraudulent vendor arrangements to ensure the scheme remained confidential… the men learned We Build the Wall was under federal criminal investigation in October 2019 and ‘thereafter took additional steps to conceal the fraudulent scheme.’ Each of the four are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, federal prosecutors said. Each carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.”

Biden and Harris Not Enough…

On August 17, 2020, Deutsche Welle wrote:

“Many US voters continue to hate Clinton, the Democrats’ 2016 presidential nominee, to this day… Many major groups within the Democratic Party remain profoundly dissatisfied with their… presidential nominee [On August 18, Biden and Harris were officially and formally nominated]… For many Black, Latino, female and other progressive voters, [Biden] is far from being the candidate they wanted to usher in political change, stand up to corporations and revive the idea of the American dream.

“Some hope Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris — though also seen as an establishment politician like the former vice president — will be enough to convince voters to come out en masse in November, to motivate those who are tired of politics and others who remain undecided. But will she be enough to convince those Democrats who voted Republican in 2016 to come back to the party, or even win over those Republicans who don’t want another four years of Trump?… Biden doesn’t have the necessary charisma… Without a doubt… it’s President Trump who has the larger stage. And if there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s knowing which strings to pull to draw the attention of the global media.”

While Michelle Obama’s speech on August 17 met with much approval from many Democrats, Bill Clinton’s speech on Thursday night (August 18) was not well received which was reflected by headlines such as, “Impeached President Slams Impeached President,” or comments by left-wing comedian Stephen Colbert who said: “I don’t think Bill Clinton gets to lecture anyone on what should happen in the Oval Office. Those in glass houses should not be allowed near the interns.” In addition, left-wing or “progressive” Democrats and Sanders’ supporters are not happy at all with Biden and Harris. As Deutsche Welle reported on August 19: “… when it was revealed that [extreme left-wing Congresswoman] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez… would only get one minute to speak, progressive Democrats were outraged,” adding, “The Democratic National Convention, which was supposed to unite the party, has become another point of contention.”

That Donald Trump will stay in power is preordained.

Harris Flopped

The Week published the following opinion piece by Damon Linker on August 20:

“Barack Obama delivered an incredible speech — a rhetorically accomplished, complexly argued case for defeating Donald Trump, and he delivered it impeccably… In that respect, Harris was in an impossible position. Originally Obama’s remarks were supposed to follow the speech of the vice-presidential nominee, but the former president reportedly suggested flipping the order once Harris’ name was announced. That inadvertently set Harris up for failure.

“But if she had gone first, her pedestrian, disjointed speech, delivered in a tone of phony overacting, would have been largely forgotten by the morning. Obama really was that good, and Harris really was that bad… Harris delivered her remarks on a large stage ringed with American flags before an auditorium empty of all but a handful of journalists, photographers, and producers. The vibe started at awkward and sank lower from there… no way it helped…”

We would agree with the analysis that Harris flopped big time, but we do not think that Obama’s speech was that incredible. He spent much time attacking Trump (nothing new, even though it breaks tradition which, until now, “prohibited” a former president from publicly attacking a sitting president), but he said little and nothing convincingly as to why voters should vote for Biden.

The Assassination of John F. Kennedy

On August 19, the Ron Paul Institute republished the following article by the “Future of Freedom Foundation”:

“Former Congressman Ron Paul and his colleague Dan McAdams recently conducted a fascinating interview with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which focused in part on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, who was Kennedy Jr.’s uncle [as well as the assassination of his father, Robert Kennedy] …. In the interview, Robert Kennedy Jr…. stated that the deep animosity that the CIA had for the Kennedy family actually stretched back to something the family patriarch, Joseph P. Kennedy, did in the 1950s that incurred the wrath of Allen Dulles, the head of the CIA.

“Kennedy Jr. stated that his father had served on a commission that was charged with examining and analyzing CIA covert activities, or ‘dirty tricks’ as Kennedy Jr. put them. As part of that commission, Kennedy Jr stated, Joseph P. Kennedy (Kennedy’s Jr.’s grandfather) had determined that the CIA had done bad things with its regime-change operations that were destroying democracies…  Consequently, Joseph Kennedy recommended that the CIA’s power to engage in covert activities be terminated and that the CIA be strictly limited to collecting intelligence and empowered to do nothing else.

“According to Kennedy Jr., ‘Allen Dulles never forgave him — never forgave my family — for that.’… consider what happened with the Bay of Pigs. The CIA’s plan for a regime-change invasion of Cuba, was conceived under President Eisenhower. Believing that Vice President Nixon would be elected president in 1960, the CIA was quite surprised that Kennedy was elected instead. To ensure that the invasion would go forth anyway, the CIA assured Kennedy that the invasion would succeed without US air support. It was a lie. The CIA assumed that once the invasion was going to go down in defeat at the hands of the communists, Kennedy would have to provide the air support in order to ‘save face.’

“… When the CIA’s army of Cuban exiles was going down in defeat, the CIA requested the air support, convinced that their plan to manipulate the new president would work. It didn’t. Kennedy refused to provide the air support… Knowing that the CIA had played him and double-crossed him, John Kennedy fired Allen Dulles as CIA director, along with his chief deputy, Charles Cabell. He then put his younger brother Bobby Kennedy in charge of monitoring the CIA, which infuriated the CIA.

“Now jump ahead to the Cuban Missile Crisis, which Kennedy resolved by promising that the United States would not invade Cuba for a regime-change operation. That necessarily would leave a permanent communist regime in Cuba, something that the CIA steadfastly maintained was a grave threat to ‘national security’— a much bigger threat, in fact, than the threats supposedly posed by the regimes in Iran in 1953 and Guatemala in 1954…

“In his famous Peace Speech at American University in June 1963, [Kennedy] declared an end to the entire Cold War and announced that the United States was going to establish friendly and peaceful relations with the communist world…. In the minds of former CIA Director Allen Dulles and the people still at the CIA, what Kennedy was doing was anathema and, even worse, the gravest threat to ‘national security’ the United States had ever faced… At that point, the CIA’s animosity toward President Kennedy far exceeded the animosity it had borne toward his father, Joseph P. Kennedy, several years before.”

Europe’s Insane Corona Requirements

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 14:

“Germany has declared nearly all of Spain, including the island of Mallorca, as risky areas following a spike of coronavirus cases in the south European country. Only the Canary Islands — which lie off the coast of North Africa — are exempted. Travelers returning from high-risk areas [will] be required to undergo testing and wait for the result in self-isolation… The decision was made in coordination between Germany’s interior, foreign, and health ministries… The foreign ministry later updated its travel advice to include the warning.

“… the move is likely to be an immense blow for tourism in Mallorca, Ibiza and other Balearic islands, which normally see millions of German visitors every season. Some 4.3 million Germans visited Mallorca alone in 2018…

“The United Kingdom said Thursday it will reimpose a mandatory two-week quarantine on travelers arriving in the country from France or the Netherlands. Monaco and Malta — as well as the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos and Aruba — also join the travel quarantine list… More than 500,000 Britons are holidaying in France… France’s junior minister for European affairs, Clement Beaune, said it was ‘a British decision we regret and which will lead to a reciprocal measure.’”

These are ridiculous measures. In Britain, Boris Johnson becomes more and more unpredictable and controversial. (So is Netanyahu in Israel and, of course, Donald Trump in the USA). In Germany, the unconscionable decision regarding Spain was made by, inter alia, the health ministry under Health Minister Jens Spahn. Spahn, who is openly gay and just bought a luxurious villa in Berlin in the amount of 4.2 million Euros together with “his husband,” has proven to be a somewhat “low key” politician with highly controversial and devastating decisions.

Crazy Corona Requirements in German State for Students

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 12:

“It’s Christopher Niiaddysai’s first day at his new school. The 15-year-old is starting 11th grade. Teachers must now address him like an adult, and in two years, if all [is] going well, he can sit his school graduation exams. As he and his two friends stride purposefully through the gates of their school in Bonn, the sense of expectation is great… Like his fellow-students, he’ll be wearing [a mask] all day.  All secondary school students in the western state of North Rhine Westfalia – -about two million in total – have to cover their mouths and noses: in the schoolyard, in lessons, in the hallways…

“‘It’s annoying,’ says Niiaddysai… ‘I can’t breathe properly. That makes it hard to learn; it’s difficult to concentrate.’… The decision by the state authorities to make masks mandatory came just days ago. NRW is the only one of Germany’s 16 federal states to introduce the measure… The state education minister has called for harsh punishment of people who refuse to wear a mask: ranging as far as expulsion.”

This is totally insane. But it’s not limited to just one state in Germany. Note the next article.

Biden Wants Nationwide Mask Mandate

Deutsche Welle wrote on August 14:

“The presumptive US Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, has called for a nationwide mask mandate to curb the coronavirus outbreak.  ‘Let’s institute a mask mandate nationwide starting immediately and we will save lives, he said, adding that the plan could save more than 40,000 lives over the next three months.”

This is a political idea which is totally unsupported by the evidence, but which may sound good for certain voters.

Success Rate in South Dakota

Breitbart wrote on August 16:

“South Dakota turned down extra federal unemployment aid Friday due to the high rate of job recovery in the state. ‘Gov. Kristi Noem (R), a vocal ally of the White House, said South Dakota did not need the additional funds because workers in her state have been rehired and that its economy is rebounding after suffering economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic,’ according to The Hill.

“In a statement, Noem [stated:] ‘South Dakota’s economy, having never been shut down, has recovered nearly 80% of our job losses. South Dakota is the only state in the nation that didn’t have extended benefits kick in because our insured unemployment rate has been the lowest in the nation. We have the third best housing construction market in the country. And many, many businesses are looking to relocate to South Dakota because of the decisions we made during the pandemic. South Dakota is open for business — that applies to our business owners and their employees.’”

If other American states had done the same, we would not be in the devastating state we are in today as a country.

“Good News”—Fauci Is Out

On August 17, Dr. Ron Paul wrote in the Ron Paul Institute:

“These days it seems there is not much good news out there. People are still panicked over the coronavirus, governments are still trampling civil liberties in the name of fighting the virus, the economy –already teetering on the edge of collapse – has been kicked to the ground by what history may record as one of the worst man-made disasters of all time: shutting down the country to fight a cold virus.

“That’s why we’ll take good news wherever we can get it, and President Trump’s hiring of Dr. Scott Atlas to his coronavirus task force may just be that good news we need. As the media has reported, President Trump has sidelined headline-hogging Anthony Fauci in favor of Atlas, the former Stanford University Medical Center chief of neuroradiology…

“Fauci’s advice, forecasts, and assessments proved to be wildly wrong, contradictory, and just plain bizarre: Don’t wear a mask! You must wear a mask. Masks are important as symbols. Put on goggles. Stay home! Churches must be severely restricted but Black Lives Matter marches and encounters with strangers met over the Internet are perfectly fine.

“When Anthony Fauci demanded a lockdown of the economy for an indefinite period he actually seemed oblivious to the havoc it would wreak on the economy and on people’s lives. People like Fauci and others who demanded lockdowns and stay-at-home orders were still collecting their paychecks, so what did they care about anyone else?

“Dr. Scott Atlas is not only a former top physician and hospital administrator: as a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution he also understands the policy implications of locking a country down. On April 22, Dr. Atlas wrote an op-ed in The Hill… In the article he made five main points that are as true today as when he wrote them: an overwhelming majority of people are at no risk of dying from Covid; protecting older people prevents hospital overcrowding; locking down a population actually prevents the herd immunity necessary to defeat the virus; people are dying because they are not being treated for non-Covid illnesses; we know what part of the population is at risk and we can protect them.

“Imagine how many thousands of lives could have been saved had the Administration listened to Dr. Atlas back in April. CDC Director Robert Redfield admitted last month that lockdowns were killing more Americans than Covid… We very much hope that Dr. Atlas will not ‘moderate’ his message to please the blob in Washington. Trump’s Covid policies to this point have caused more harm than good. With Fauci out of the driver’s seat we finally have a chance of turning things around.”

We are afraid that in light of the politics involving the upcoming elections, Atlas might either change his message, or his moderate voice will not be heard.

Church Wins against Los Angeles County

California Globe wrote on August 15:

“A California superior court ruled in favor of the First Amendment and Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church this week, while smacking down Los Angeles County officials… LA County tried to enforce a limit of 100 on church service attendees – a tiny fraction of the megachurch congregation…

“Judge James Chalfant denied almost all of the county’s requests at the August 14 Los Angeles Superior Court hearing, agreeing with [Pastor] MacArthur and the church that it is the county’s burden to show why they should be permitted to infringe on the constitutionally protected rights of churches to freely exercise religion.

“Attorneys for Grace Community Church explained that Los Angeles County was being unreasonable in its demands, and offered to have the congregation comply with face mask wearing and social distancing indoors until the matter could be fully heard. This was stipulated as a more reasonable action than that of the county’s rush to shut down church services. The judge agreed and set the full hearing for September 4, 2020, ordering the church to have congregants wear masks and social distance between family groups indoors…”

Still not that good, but better than prohibiting church services altogether.

Breitbart added on August 16:

Christian evangelical leader Rev. Franklin Graham posted to Facebook:

“‘It’s an important win for freedom of worship and for our Constitutional right to assemble and worship. Today a California judge ruled that Grace Community Church has every right to have indoor worship services and does not have to adhere to any attendance cap or ban on singing. This was the right call. I’m thankful for Pastor John MacArthur’s stand against the progressive leftist bullies in his state, and for Thomas More Society Attorney Jenna Ellis who is helping the church …in this legal battle. The First Amendment ensures the rights and freedoms of people of faith are protected. I hope this sends a message to those who would like nothing better than to keep churches shut down or limited…’

“Ellis also serves as an attorney to President Donald Trump.”

At least it’s a start. But we are not confident at all that other courts will follow the example.

Wildfires in California

The LA Times newsletter reported on August 20:

“It’s been an apocalyptic few days, even by California standards. Fueled by extraordinary weather conditions (officially 10,849 lightning strikes in a 72-hour period, record-breaking heat), fires have exploded across the state. Tens of thousands of Californians have had to evacuate… ‘We are experiencing fires, the likes of which we haven’t seen in many, many years,’ Gov. Gavin Newsom told Californians during a press conference Wednesday… According to the governor, the state has already seen 6,754 fires this year — a 68% increase from the same time last year… more than 300,000 acres have already burned statewide in 2020, which is more than the total acreage burned last year…

 “The sheer number of new fires is straining resources, particularly because fires are also burning in other nearby states amid a historic heat wave scorching the West Coast. Newsom said that this has complicated the call for mutual aid… the cascade of compounding crises continues to mount. The fires have also created serious air quality issues in several parts of the state. The San Francisco Bay Area has been blanketed by ash and smoke as fires burn in eight of its nine counties… the biggest fires, many of which are believed to have been sparked by an unusually active sequence of largely dry lightning strikes, are in Northern and Central California. The two largest active fires — the SCU Lightning Complex fire and the LNU Lightning Complex fire — are actually both clusters of many smaller fires…”

 Is California cursed?

The Lucrative Business with Coronavirus Vaccines

CNN Business wrote on August 14:

“The race for a successful coronavirus vaccine is heating up in labs around the world — and on Wall Street. Germany’s CureVac, a biotech with the backing of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, more than tripled in its first day of trading Friday. CureVac priced its initial public offering at $16 a share. The stock soared nearly 250%, to just below $56, by the end of the day…

“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the charitable arm of the multibillionaire Microsoft (MSFT) co-founder and his wife, invested $40 million in the company in 2015. CureVac recently received approval from the governments of Germany and Belgium to start clinical tests for one of its vaccines for Covid-19…

“CureVac also has another big name in its roster of partners: the firm is working on technology with Elon Musk’s electric car giant Tesla (TSLA)…”

But haven’t we been told time and time again that the development of a vaccine is for the good of the people without any financial benefits for the companies? We are joking, of course.

Mandatory Coronavirus Vaccines in Australia?

AFP wrote on August 18:

“Australia should make any coronavirus vaccine compulsory for its 25 million citizens bar medical exemptions, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday, wading into a heated ethical debate… Anticipating a backlash from vocal anti-vaccine activists, Morrison said the stakes were too high to allow the disease to continue unchecked… The Australian government estimates that up to 95 percent of the population would need to be immune to the virus for it to be eradicated…

“… kids have to receive vaccines for diseases including polio and tetanus to enrol in kindergarten or school.”

Many doctors feel that the figure of 95% is totally overblown. Australia’s governmental measures and restrictions become more and more radical and dictatorial. For instance, in Melbourne, one cannot travel more than 5 km from home without a valid reason. Anyone who works at night needs a government-issued permit to travel during curfew.

Processing Diseased and Sick Chicken for “Food”?

Bloomberg wrote on August 11:

“Consider the decision last month by the agriculture department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to allow poultry plants to process diseased chickens for human consumption. In July the FSIS approved a petition from the National Chicken Council requesting that slaughterhouses be allowed to process broilers infected with Avian Leukosis — a virus that causes chickens to develop cancerous lesions and tumors. Inspectors would no longer be required to examine the first 300 birds of each flock for signs of the disease, and processors would be able to cut off tumors and lesions and then process the rest of the bird…

“Here’s what we know about Avian Leukosis: A small percentage of birds (less than 1%) are diagnosed with the virus each year, but it spreads quickly through flocks and tens of thousands of chickens are condemned annually due to exposure. While it’s unlikely that the virus could transfer from chickens to humans, it’s not impossible. There is some evidence that workers exposed to birds infected with the disease in the U.K. have developed antibodies, indicating a transfer of the virus from animal to human…

“The CDC reports that ‘more than six out of every 10 known infectious diseases in people can be spread from animals, and 3 out of every 4 new or emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals.’”

To process diseased chicken for food is clearly unbiblical. To process chicken with a virus for food is just plain stupid.

North Korea Confiscates Pet Dogs for Food?

The New York Post wrote on August 17:

“North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has ordered [pet] dogs to be confiscated in the country’s capital, saying the pooches represent Western ‘decadence’… Kim issued the directive in July to round up the pets, claiming they were part of ‘a “tainted” trend by bourgeouis ideology’…  ‘Ordinary people raise pigs and livestock on their porches, but high-ranking officials and the wealthy own pet dogs, which stoked some resentment’ among the lower classes, the source said. ‘Authorities have identified households with pet dogs and are forcing them to give them up or forcefully confiscating them and putting them down.’’

“But while the oppressive regime says the move is to clamp down on capitalist extravagance in Pyongyang, the dog owners are fearful that given North Korea’s food shortage — and propensity for eating dog meat—the directive has only come about to feed the masses. The dog owners are ‘cursing Kim Jong Un behind his back,’ but otherwise, their hands are tied, the source lamented.”

Sick!

More Nonsense from Germany

Fox News wrote on August 16:

“A popular spicy dressing in Germany is getting rebranded because of the racist connotations of its name. Food company Knorr will change the name of its ‘Zigeunersauce,’ or ‘gypsy sauce’ to ‘Paprika Sauce Hungarian Style,’ Bild am Sonntag reported Sunday. ‘Since “gypsy sauce” can be interpreted in a negative way, we have decided to give our Knorr sauce a new name,’ said Unilever, the company that owns Knorr…

“The renaming of the brand follows recent international debates over racism, especially in the United States, where big national companies have also renamed traditional brands in response to concerns about racial stereotyping…”

Stupidity galore.

“Germans Must Walk their Dogs twice a Day…”

The Guardian wrote on August 19:

“Germany’s agriculture minister, Julia Klöckner, has said she is introducing the new law based on evidence that many of the nation’s 9.4 million dogs are not getting the exercise or stimuli they need. Under the new regulations in the Hundeverordnung, or Dog’s Act, owners will not get away with a quick jog round the block, but will be required to take their dogs out for at least one hour [a day]… The tethering of dogs on a chain or a lead for long periods also faces an all-out ban. Dogs may not be left alone at home all day, and a person will be required to take care of their dog ‘several times a day’….

“News of the law, which is due to be introduced next year and was made widely known for the first time this week, has prompted a lively debate in Germany. The main question is how it will be possible to check up on the 19% of German households that own dogs, which as pets are second in popularity only to cats. A spokeswoman for the agricultural ministry has said the authorities in each of Germany’s 16 states will be responsible for enforcing the law.”

An opinion piece in the Bild newspaper was titled: “Compulsory Walkies for Dog Owners? Rubbish!” Indeed it is. Germany, a country known for its bureaucracy, has imposed many unreasonable restrictions on the German population to “combat” the coronavirus pandemic. But if that were not enough, now another silly proposal is made to tell dog owners how to raise their dogs. 

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

In previous articles, we explained that and why the Jewish establishment and the numerous Jewish sects and fractions were at odds with Jesus, when He was here on earth, and that the Jews are still waiting for the coming of the Messiah, as they reject Jesus as the Messiah.

In this article, we will point out that nominal or professing Christians are likewise guilty of rejecting the true Jesus of the Bible, albeit for different reasons than the Jews, even though they may not realize this.

This article is a fitting conclusion of our series, as true Christians are spiritual Jews and Israelites (Romans 2:28-29; Romans 9:6-8; Galatians 6:16; John 4:22-24), while nominal Christians are not spiritual Jews in the eyes of God, but rather belong to those “Jews” who are rejecting Jesus (Revelation 2:9; 3:9).

There are many concepts nominal Christianity believes in, which we could quote, all being in contradiction to the clear teachings of the Bible. It has been said that virtually everything which the Bible teaches has been rejected or distorted by traditional Christianity. In this article, we will be concentrating on some major discrepancies showing that traditional or orthodox professing Christians do in fact reject Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

To begin with, nominal Christians reject the true Jesus Christ as they believe in another Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4) and in a different message than the one which Jesus taught (Galatians 1:6-8). They believe in the idea that man has an immortal soul [see below] and that therefore, Christians will go to heaven when they die, and that the wicked will go to hell to be tormented forever. All these teachings are wrong and reject the Bible, the written Word of God, and therefore Jesus Christ—the “Logos” or the “Spokesman” or “Speaker,” the spoken WORD of God the Father.

The concepts of “heaven” and “hell” in orthodox Christianity are quite astonishing and troublesome:

Wikipedia writes:

“…in most forms of Christianity, [heaven] is the abode of the righteous dead in the afterlife… According to Catholic… teaching, Mary is said to have been assumed into heaven without the corruption of her earthly body; she is venerated as Queen of Heaven.”

The Bible does not teach us that we go to heaven when we die. Christ taught that no one will go to heaven (John 3:13: “No one ascends to heaven, but He who came down from heaven; that is, the Son of Man…”, Luther Bible 1891). The Bible actually teaches that when we die, we sleep a dreamless sleep, without consciousness, and that we have to be raised from the dead. However, according to the Bible, no one, with the exception of Jesus Christ, was raised from the dead to eternal life. Jesus is the FIRSTBORN of many brethren. Those who died in Christ, including Mary, will be resurrected to eternal life at the time of Christ’s return… not before then (1 Corinthians 15:50; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).  Mary is still dead and in her grave, as everybody else who has died.  But the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians believed in and worshipped a goddess in heaven, called Astarte or Ishtar, whom they called the Queen of Heaven (Jeremiah 7:18).

Going to heaven when we die is a doctrine that is NOT contained in Scripture. Neither is the concept of hell.

The Conversation writes:

“In traditional Christian doctrine, hell was conceived as a place, generally beneath the earth, where the wicked would be punished for eternity. There would be both psychological torment – at our knowing we had lost the opportunity for salvation – and physical ones inflicted by the Devil and his demons. There were gnawing worms and unquenchable fires. No escape from hell or mitigation of eternal torment was possible…

“Amidst the gloom, there was one bright spot in the traditional Christian doctrine of hell. Our punishment there would be proportionate to our sins just as our rewards in heaven would be proportionate to our virtues. This sense of proportionality led around the year 1000 CE to the invention of another place between heaven and hell – a place of purification of our sins…

“Purgatory was the place where those who were judged worthy of heaven eventually were purged, purified and punished for their sins before going on to their heavenly reward… The inhabitants were purified by fire…

“The Protestant reformers of the 16th century hated the idea of Purgatory and threw it out… Protestant Christianity therefore returned to the harsh either/or of heaven or hell, determined by God at the time of death (or birth)… Today’s conservative Christians… remain unmoved by the possibility of eventual salvation from hell for everyone. The doctrine of eternal torments in hell has stayed on their theological agenda.”

The concept of hell and purgatory is not biblical. Those who died without having had an opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior in this life will be given the opportunity when they are raised from the dead to a physical temporary existence in the Second Resurrection to qualify then for eternal life (Revelation 20:6, 11-12).  If they committed the unpardonable sin, they will be resurrected in a third resurrection to physical life to be burned up in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:13-15). They will cease to exist (Obadiah 16; Malachi 4:1, 3).

Nominal Christians also reject Christ by believing that He will not return to set up the Kingdom of God, but that the Kingdom is either the Church or that it is within us. They do not believe that God is the Kingdom, the Family of God, and that true Christians who are begotten today will be BORN into the Kingdom as God beings. Even though some may give lip services to this Truth (see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Number 460), they really do not truly believe in it, as reflected by their other teachings (Please read our free booklets, “God is a Family,” and “Are You Already Born Again?”).

Nominal Christians believe in a Jesus who came to do away with the Law of God, even though Christ said the exact opposite (Matthew 5:17-19). They teach against and transgress God’s commandments in order to keep their own traditions.  Christ said that in doing so, they worship Him in vain; that is, they reject Him (Matthew 15:7-9; Mark 7:6-9, 13).

This is especially true for the Sabbath commandment. Jesus is the LORD of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27-28). He created it, as God the Father created everything through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:9). Since no one has seen the Father or heard His voice (John 5:37), it was Christ, the God and LORD of the Old Testament, who proclaimed the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai. He told us to KEEP the Sabbath holy (Exodus 20:8). But orthodox Christianity has abolished the Sabbath and replaced it with Sunday [calling it the “eighth day”]. The Roman Catholic Church began this movement, due to anti-Semitism and the desire of embracing pagans into their fold who already kept Sunday in honor and worship of their gods, and most Protestant churches have followed the lead of the Catholic Church. In rejecting the Sabbath—God’s creation—they are rejecting Jesus Christ, the Creator and Lord of the Sabbath.

In our literature about the Sabbath and the mark of the beast, we have published numerous admissions of the Catholic Church to the effect that they have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, knowing that the Bible does not endorse such a change. Here are a few more admissions by the Catholic Church (we could cite many more quotations, but this should suffice):

“It is well to remind the Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and all other Christians, that the Bible does not support them anywhere in their observance of Sunday. Sunday is an institution of the Roman Catholic Church, and those who observe the day observe a commandment of the Catholic Church” (Priest Brady in an address on March 18, 1903).

“Sunday is founded, not [on] scripture, but on tradition, and is distinctly a Catholic institution. As there is no scripture for the transfer of the day of rest from the last to the first day of the week, Protestants ought to keep their Sabbath on Saturday and thus leave Catholics in full possession of Sunday” (Catholic Record, September 17, 1893).

“The Sunday… is purely a creation of the Catholic Church” (American Catholic Quarterly Review, January 1883).

“Sunday…is the law of the Catholic Church alone…” (American Sentinel, June 1893).

“Protestants… accept Sunday rather than Saturday as the day for public worship after the Catholic Church made the change… But the Protestant mind does not seem to realize that … in observing Sunday, they are accepting the authority of the spokesman for the Church, the pope” (Our Sunday Visitor, February 5th, 1950).

“They deem it their duty to keep the Sunday holy. Why? Because the Catholic Church tells them to do so. They have no other reason… The observance of Sunday thus comes to be an ecclesiastical law entirely distinct from the divine law of Sabbath observance…The author of the Sunday law… is the Catholic Church” (Ecclesiastical Review, February 1914).

“[Sunday] is a day dedicated by the Apostles to the honour of the most holy Trinity, and in memory that Christ our Lord arose from the dead upon Sunday, sent down the holy Ghost on a Sunday… and therefore is called the Lord’s Day. It is also called Sunday from the old Roman denomination of Dies Solis, the day of the sun, to which it was sacred” (The Douay Catechism of 1649, by Henry Tuberville).

There is no “holy Trinity,” as will be explained below. In addition, Sunday is nowhere called the Lord’s Day in the Bible. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, not of Sunday. When the term “the day of the Lord” is used, it refers to a prophetic time span for the last days of approximately one year—not a particular day (compare Zephaniah 1:7, 14.) In Revelation 1:10, the phrase “the Lord’s day” is used in English translations. This is the only passage where this wording is used. Some try to make a distinction between the “day of the Lord” (a prophetic time span) and the “Lord’s Day” which allegedly refers to Sunday. As we have seen, IF the phrase “the Lord’s Day” was to refer to a particular day, then it would refer to the Sabbath. However, the distinction is arbitrary and a “clever” invention of the translator to teach the “holiness” of Sunday. Some translations even say quite deceitfully: “I was on Sunday in the spirit…” But the phrase in Revelation 1:10 could be easily and correctly translated with “the day of the Lord.” All German bibles render this phrase as “the day of the Lord.”

Also, Christ did not rise on a Sunday [see below], so the argument of having to keep Sunday holy to honor Christ’s resurrection or that suddenly Sunday became the Lord’s day evaporates as well.

The same is true for the replacement of God’s Holy Days or annual Sabbaths (cp. for instance Leviticus 23:24, 27, 32, 39) which Jesus, the God of the Old Testament, instituted for His Church, with pagan holidays which were instituted under Satan’s inspiration, such as Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and New Year’s Day. In doing so, they reject Jesus and the sign for His people (which sign is associated with both the weekly and the annual Sabbaths). This sign shows that those keeping God’s weekly and annual Sabbaths are God’s and that the true God is their God (Exodus 31:13-17; Ezekiel 20:12, 20).

Orthodox Christianity rejects Jesus in that they deny the only sign that He gave to the Pharisees that He was the Messiah—that He would be three days and three nights in the grave (Matthew 12:40); that He was crucified on a Wednesday and placed in the grave just before sunset, when the annual Holy Day or Sabbath of the first Day of Unleavened Bread began—a “high day” (John 19:31); and that He was resurrected on Saturday (the Sabbath) and left the grave just before sunset, exactly three days and three nights later, as He had said that He would. It was right “in the end” (Authorized Version) or “at the close” (Moffat) of the [two] Sabbaths (as it should be rendered—so the Fenton Bible; the word here for “Sabbath” is in the plural, referring to the annual Sabbath on Thursday and the weekly Sabbath on Saturday), when the women appeared at the grave (Matthew 28:1), and Jesus had already risen (verses 5-6). Instead, traditional Christianity believes that He was crucified on “Good Friday” (called “black Friday” in pagan religions) and that He was resurrected on Sunday morning—the day of the pagan sun god Baal, also known as Nimrod, Mithra or Attis. This Sunday is called Easter Sunday, which was dedicated to the pagan goddess Ishtar, known today as Easter. As mentioned, Ishtar was also worshipped by pagans as the Queen of Heaven (see above).

For more information, please read our free booklet, “Jesus Christ—a Great Mystery.”

Traditional Christianity rejects Jesus Christ, the Son of God, by believing in the Trinity and that Jesus was somewhat of a human extension on earth while He—as the Son—was still in heaven.

First, let us notice how the concept of the “Trinity” is being described:

Infoplace.com writes:

“The central teachings of traditional Christianity are that Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

Wikipedia writes:

“Trinity refers to the teaching that the one God comprises three distinct, eternally co-existing persons: the Father, the Son (incarnate in Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit… They are distinct from another: the Father has no source, the Son is begotten of the Father, and the Spirit proceeds from the Father. Though distinct, the three persons cannot be divided from one another in being or in operation… The Trinity is an essential doctrine of mainstream Christianity…”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes it in this way:

“The faith of all Christians rests on the Trinity… The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life…”

The question is then, what happened to the Son (the second “Person” of the Trinity) when Christ became a human being and when He died.

Carm.org writes:

“God is a trinity of persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit… If any one of the three were removed, there would be no God… Jesus has two natures: divine and human… When Jesus died on the cross, his human nature died. The divine nature did not die. Therefore, we see that the Trinity never ceased to exist…”

This is nowhere taught in Scripture, and it is in fact utter nonsense. Worse yet, it constitutes a rejection of Christ and represents the spirit of Antichrist.

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ was the Son of God (2 Corinthians 1:19; 1 John 4:14-15; 5:5; 2 John 1:3,9) who became man—fully flesh—and who died (Romans 5:10). When Jesus died, the Son died. The Son did not continue to be a living “Person” within a Trinity. Secondly, it was God the Father who resurrected Jesus Christ—the SON—from the dead (Galatians 1:1).

By believing in the Trinity, orthodox Christianity rejects Jesus Christ as God who came in the flesh and who died for us (1 John 4:2-3). Christ, the Son of God, needed to die for us to become our Savior. If the Son of God did not die, we don’t have a Savior (1 John 2:22). Orthodox Christianity rejects Christ as the Son, saying that the Son, as part of the Trinity, could not die. The Son stayed alive when His “human shell” or His “human nature” died. Jesus’ “divine nature” did not die. This, quite frankly, is blasphemy.

Traditional Christianity rejects the Sacrifice of Christ for an additional reason in that it claims and believes that even the Man Christ—His human shell—did not really die, but kept on living as an “immortal soul.” They state that Jesus (who, they say, did not really die, not even as a Man) went to hell to preach to the spirits, while His human body was in the grave.

Wikipedia writes about immortality:

“By the 3rd century, with the influence of Origen, the traditions of the inherent immortality of the soul and its divine nature were established. As the new Encyclopedia Britannica points out: ‘The early Christian philosophers adopted the Greek concept of the soul’s immortality…’”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church writes:

“…every spiritual soul is created immediately by God… and it is immortal: it does not perish when it separates from the body at death.”

We show in our free booklet “Do We Have an Immortal Soul,” that the Bible nowhere teaches that concept. In fact, the Bible says that the SOUL which sins will DIE (Ezekiel 18:4, 20).

However, since it is taught that Jesus (as supposedly every human being) had an immortal soul, the concept is that He went to hell after He died, but before He was resurrected.

Vatican.va writes:

“The frequent New Testament affirmations that Jesus was ‘raised from the dead’ presuppose that the crucified one sojourned in the realm of the dead prior to his resurrection… that Jesus, like all men, experienced death and in his soul joined the others in the realm of the dead. But he descended there as Savior, proclaiming the Good News to the spirits imprisoned there…  In his human soul united to his divine person, the dead Christ went down to the realm of the dead. He opened heaven’s gates for the just who had gone before him.”

The National Catholic Reporter wrote in 2012:

“Every Christian knows the story: Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. But what did he do on Saturday? … Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and most mainline Protestant churches teach that Jesus descended to the realm of the dead on Holy Saturday to save righteous souls, such as the Hebrew patriarchs, who died before his crucifixion.

“The catechism of the Catholic church calls the descent ‘the last phase of Jesus’ messianic mission,’ during which he ‘opened heaven’s gates for the just who had gone before him.’ An ancient homily included in the Catholic readings for Holy Saturday says a ‘great silence’ stilled the earth while Jesus searched for Adam, ‘our first father, as for a lost sheep.’…

“Churches that teach he descended to the realm of the dead most often cite 1 Peter 3:18-20…”

Of course, this passage does talk about the time of Noah, prior to the Flood, when Jesus preached to the spirits in prison (that is, the spiritually imprisoned demons—not any “departed ones” or dead people still being alive in “hell”).

Many within traditional Christianity also don’t believe—contrary to Matthew 24:27, 30; Mark 13:26; Revelation 1:4-7—that Jesus, at His Second Coming, will come back visibly, but they claim that Jesus will come back at first in secret, or that He already returned on the Day of Pentecost as the Holy Spirit—the third “person” of the Trinity who is somehow “identical,” but still not identical, with the Holy Spirit. This idea is nonsense for the simple reason that the Holy Spirit is not a person, and if it were a person, then it would have been the Person of the Holy Spirit who would have come—and not the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. For more information on what the Holy Spirit is, and what it is not, please read our free booklet, “Is God a Trinity?”

We could add many more concepts taught by traditional Christianity, which are contrary to who and what Christ was and is, and what He, the Word, taught; but we believe that the foregoing is sufficient to show that traditional Christianity does in fact reject the TRUE Jesus of the Bible. As long as it does, it does not believe and accept our Savior… and there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12) than the name of the TRUE Jesus of the Bible.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

With deep sympathy we announce the death of Barbara Jones, from Salyer, California. Her death occurred in late July according to notification from her husband, Mr. Joe Jones. Until recent years, Mr. and Mrs. Jones attended the Feast of Tabernacles with us, but due to health problems they could no longer travel away from their home area. Prayers for Mr. Jones will be greatly appreciated.

A Tech Team meeting  was conducted on Sunday, August 16, 2020, via SKYPE. Hosted by Eric Rank, we discussed sermon setup, Facebook, stock images, website security and Feast preparations.

“You Must be Very Proud!” is the title of last Sabbath’s sermonette, presented by Frank Bruno. Here is a summary:

In this Sermonette we will explore together what the Bible tells us in terms of a correct, godly way to find satisfaction in serving and doing our best—without becoming proud, haughty and superior, which can ultimately cause us to succumb to evil influences and sinfulness.

“What is True Worship?” is the title of last Sabbath’s sermon, presented by Dave Harris. Here is a summary:

Does God accept your worship, or are you worshipping God in vain? Is the mere act of worship enough? What does the Bible reveal about worship—especially the true worship of God?

The YouTube channel for the Church of the Eternal God presents past videos for StandingWatch programs along with sermonettes, sermons and promotional videos. These are also available on our website: www.eternalgod.org.

On August 15, 2020, Frank Bruno will present the sermonette, titled, “You Must be Very Proud!” and Dave Harris will present the sermon, titled, “What is True Worship?”

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.

As I write this Editorial, I am enjoying a vacation, absent from work and spending a lot of time relaxing with my family. Taking the time off from work without having the burden to handle the day-to-day tasks and spending time on the beach feels absolutely luxurious. And in many ways, it truly is. A frequent meditation on this trip involves my gratitude for the blessings that God has provided to make it possible to spend a little bit of time abounding in joy.

Knowing the grim future that lies in store for the world and knowing that the paramount motivations for Christians are spiritual, it can be hard (for me) to make the space to enjoy physical blessings. But to reject all joy that has roots in physical existence is to deny the fact that we are human. Certainly, God provides blessings in this life for us to enjoy, but how can we reconcile the need to live according to the Spirit?

It brings to mind the state of mind that Paul mentions in Philippians 4:11-12, “…for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” Seeing that Paul knew how to abound, living at times a life of fullness and abundance, there must be a way to do so ourselves without compromising righteousness. In fact, we can see some of the keys directly in this statement, beginning with contentment.

By placing value in our spiritual relationship with God over and above whatever physical blessings there might be, it allows us to be content. Paul’s contentment originates from his trust in God believing that He will provide all that he needs, whether it makes him hungry or full. If our obedient actions are our focus rather than the targeted results according to worldly metrics, it doesn’t matter whether we are blessed with a lot or a little. With that state of mind, what matters in our lives is our relationship with God, making everything else incidental. Maintaining contentment in a broad spectrum of physical circumstances requires spiritual motivations that transcend the physical outcomes of our actions.

Even so, God promises blessings in physical ways, which are the natural results of obedience. “‘Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God…’” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2). The promises that follow the conditional proclamation on obedience in this chapter of the Bible describe abundance in mainly physical terms. To abound then, requires obedience first. But as we learn from Paul, when properly motivated, contentment is a result regardless of the physical benefit of obedience. Clearly, God provides blessings on obedience for the purpose of our enjoyment. To abound then involves enjoying the fruits of obedience as well!

If we want to know how to abound in the world we live, the prescription is simple. Our focus must be on our way of life, ensuring that we are living lives that are pleasing to God. To abound in life involves obedience first. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). By abounding in the work of supporting the Church’s commission for this end time of preaching the gospel in all the world as a witness and of overcoming sin in our lives, thereby expressing love towards God and our fellow man, we will also have the ability to abound in enjoying the physical blessings God provides for us in our lives now.

by Norbert Link

We begin with deeply disturbing articles about ongoing governmental restrictions; the absurdity and hypocrisy behind measures to limit or prohibit Church services; and the Satanic attempt to prevent God’s people from observing His Holy Days, including the commanded Feast of Tabernacles in the biblically prescribed manner, coupled with our appeal for PRAYER that God would bind the hands of Satan and enable God’s people to obey His commands for His weekly and annual Sabbaths in an uncompromising way.

We speak of attempts by Big Tech to suppress the Truth; a bogus claim by Russia regarding their development of a “safe” coronavirus vaccine; and we report on the dangers of the bubonic plague which is apparently transmitted through unclean animals. We point out further developments showing the deterioration of the relationship between the USA and Germany. We also report on the Beirut disaster and the distinct possibility that the gigantic explosion was caused by foreign interference (a bomb) and that Hezbollah was somehow involved. We also address the fact that Lebanon is bankrupt.

We continue with articles about the biblically prophesied European army; the “historic” peace deal between Israel, the UAE and the USA; and the Third Temple prior to Christ’s return [please view our new StandingWatch program in this context, titled, “The Third Temple, the End of the World, and the “Historic” Peace Deal”]; and we speak on the attempts of Russia and China to bring about “Dedollarization” in their countries.

We also address President Trump’s executive order for unemployment benefits and the deferral of the payroll tax, which might be challenged by Democrats in court; and we conclude with Joe Biden’s pick of Kamala Harris as his running mate.

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

Governmental Restrictions Might Jeopardize Celebration of Feast of Tabernacles

The World wrote on August 6:

“Oregon Gov. Kate… Brown’s Press Secretary Liz Merah responded [to an inquiry]: “‘… in recent weeks, doctors, health experts, and case investigators have reported seeing cases linked to interstate travel. The issue of travel restrictions was raised by members of the Governor’s Medical Advisory Panel based on COVID-19 cases linked to travel in southern Oregon, which is troubling based on the spikes in case counts California is currently experiencing. County-level COVID-19 data from across the country likewise shows increasing case counts between linked communities across state borders.

“‘We are asking the health experts at the Oregon Health Authority and the Medical Advisory Panel for more data on travel-related spread of COVID-19, as well as recommendations for health and safety measures to address such cases. In conversations with legislators today, our office also discussed the reality that many Oregonians in communities on the state’s borders often cross those borders for work, and that any restrictions must take economic and supply chain implications into account. As the Governor has stated previously, our focus is on restrictions related to tourist travel from hotspot states and communities. Conversations are ongoing about how those restrictions could work.’”

It is obvious to us that panic-driven and mostly unrealistic and unscientific governmental restrictions are Satan’s tool to destroy the Church of God and to prevent the Church and its members from keeping the biblically commanded Feast of Tabernacles in the month of October for eight days. The Church of the Eternal God (CEG) is determined to keep the Feast in the manner prescribed by God and at the place(s) where God has placed His name. We would therefore like to ask for PRAYERS that God binds the hands of Satan and allows us to keep God’s commandment. The situation in Oregon is one example as to how Satan might try to prevent Church members from traveling to God’s designated feast site for CEG in South Dakota. (As the article below points out, Satan might even try to sabotage the Feast site in South Dakota.)

Canadian Church members are presently not allowed to travel to the USA by land; and American members are not permitted to fly to Germany to keep the Feast there at God’s designated site near Düsseldorf with the German-speaking brethren. We see indications that Satan may be trying to influence the German state and federal governments to restrict or even prohibit Church services and Church assemblies in the country. Right now, members from the UK and other European and some non-European countries are still allowed to travel to Germany for the Feast, but not to the USA. Australian members are likewise faced with the possibility of a lockdown which might prevent them from keeping the Feast, if Satan were to prevail.

In addition, even where governments allow Church services, Satan wants to use them to restrict the biblically commanded way as to how to conduct those, and sadly, many worldly churches and even some claiming to be in the Body of Christ manifest a spirit of Sardis or Laodicea and have buckled in fear and are far too willing to “oblige,” sometimes with most ridiculous results. Our free booklets, “Obeying God Rather Than Men,” and “How to Keep the Sabbath,” give important guidelines in this regard.

It is therefore incumbent upon God’s people to pray to God for His mighty intervention to bind the hands of Satan and to allow God’s people to observe the Feast of Tabernacles at the place where God has placed His name, and to be able to do so in freedom and security and with joy and thankfulness.  

Motorcycle Enthusiasts Gather in South Dakota

Fox News wrote on August 8:

“Crowds of motorcycle enthusiasts gathered in Sturgis, S.D., Friday for the start of the 80^th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally…  Organizers were expecting 250,000 people from all over the country to [meet] at the 10-day event. Many bikers were defiant over the restrictions…

“Republican Gov. Kristi Noem has taken a largely hands-off approach to the pandemic, avoiding a mask mandate and preaching personal responsibility. She supported holding the Sturgis rally, pointing out that no virus outbreak was documented from the several thousand people who turned out to see President Donald Trump and fireworks at Mount Rushmore last month.”

Good for her but the fear is that a manufactured alleged “rise” in cases might place pressure on Gov. Noem to impose some restrictions. We hope not, as God has led us to keep the Feast of Tabernacles this year in South Dakota.

Ban on American Citizens to Enter the USA?

The New York Times wrote on August 10:

“President Trump is considering new immigration regulations that would allow border officials to temporarily block American citizens and legal permanent residents from returning to the United States from abroad if authorities believe they may be infected with the coronavirus…

“Under the proposal…, the government could block a citizen or legal resident from crossing the border into the United States if an official ‘reasonably believes that the individual either may have been exposed to or is infected with the communicable disease.’… The documents appear not to spell out how long a citizen or legal resident would be required to remain outside of the United States. The draft memo says the prohibition on the introduction of U.S. citizens or legal residents from abroad would apply ‘only in the rarest of circumstances,’ and ‘when required in the interest of public health, and be limited in duration.’

“Still if Mr. Trump approves the change, it would be an escalation of his government’s longstanding attempts to seal the border against what he considers to be threats, using the existence of the coronavirus pandemic as a justification for taking actions that would have been seen as draconian in other contexts… It is unclear whether there are any existing rules that would allow American citizens and legal residents to be prohibited from returning to the United States for a period of time because of concerns about a communicable disease. Immigration officials have broad authority to deny entry to people based on national security issues.

“The rule appears to apply to all points of entry into the United States, including at airports and along both the northern and southern borders. In particular, the draft could impact the border with Mexico, where many American citizens and legal residents cross back and forth frequently. The rule notes the prevalence of the coronavirus in Mexico as evidence of the need for the modified rule, citing the death on August 2 of the health minister in the Mexican border state of Chihuahua, who the order says died of Covid-19 after a two week hospitalization. The draft regulation notes the stress that Covid-19 has placed on the Mexican health care system and says it has driven people from Mexico into the United States to seek care.”

We wonder whose ”brilliant” mind is behind this draft. It’s getting worse and worse… This concept does not seem to have ANY justification or logic whatsoever. What would happen to those who will be rejected at an airport? Where would they end up? Where would they stay? They could not enter the USA, and they could not go back to the country of their last vacation. (That country would not accept them back.) Would they have to stay in the airport complex, in “no man’s land,” before crossing the border?

Will this nonsense EVER end????

Further Corona Restrictions for Germany

Deutsche Welle reported on August 7:

“German Health Minister Jens Spahn announced Thursday wide-reaching new testing measures for arrivals in Germany. From Saturday, all of those arriving from designated risk areas will have to be tested for coronavirus unless they can produce a negative test certificate no more than two days old. The rules apply to anyone of any nationality arriving in Germany from a so-called risk area… Germany’s public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), has a list of risk areas that they update on a daily basis… It extends to a large number of countries outside of the European Union, but EU members are not necessarily exempt. At the time of writing, the list of risk areas included the US, several northern regions of Spain, North Macedonia, Israel, Iran, Turkey, India and North Korea. The Belgium province of Antwerp was added on Wednesday after a spike in cases…

“People refusing to take a test could face a fine of up €25,000 ($30,000), depending on the federal state where they live… The tests… will be carried out by the German Red Cross right behind the passport and customs areas at airports. There are also plans to set up testing booths at the borders by motorways and train stations. Should an immediate test not be possible, because the test booths are closed, travelers are obliged to go for a test within 14 days and remain in quarantine until they have done so…

“Medical experts say the obligatory testing introduced by Jens Spahn is legitimate…”

The legality for any of this is very doubtful, but who cares?

Religious Persecution… A Ridiculous Decision by a California Judge

The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote on August 7:

“A California church that for weeks has held indoor worship in defiance of anti-coronavirus health orders must close its doors, a judge ruled Friday. A temporary restraining order was issued that bars Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park from indoor worship services anywhere in the county. ‘The court finds that there is an immediate threat to public health and safety due to the 2019 novel coronavirus,’

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Matthew Guasco wrote. The order will be in place until another hearing is held on Aug. 21.

“The county north of Los Angeles and its health officer sued the church after Pastor Rob McCoy repeatedly defied health orders designed to limit the spread of COVID-19. Services for as many as 200 worshipers offered ‘singing, hugging, no masks,’ in McCoy’s words. The suit was filed last week, a day after the county Board of Supervisors authorized court actions to enforce the health orders. The suit said permitting the church to keep holding indoor services could harm the public, ‘including hospitalizations and deaths.’

“‘On a scale of one to 10 of the most immediate irreparable harm possible, this is a 10,’ Guasco said at the hearing. ‘It doesn’t get much more immediate or irreparable than the threat that a lot of people are going to spread a contagious and deadly disease.’…

“McCoy has argued that the risk of spreading COVID-19 from its services is small and there hasn’t been a confirmed case among parishioners. Lawyers for the church also have argued that the health orders are overreach that are trumped by the Constitutional right to freedom of expression and worship… ‘We believe that COVID-19 can be fought with far less restrictive measures than banning all healthy persons from church and our expert witnesses will prove that,’ said a statement Friday from Tyler & Bursch, which is defending the church through a non-profit organization, Advocates for Faith & Freedom.

“Godspeak Calvary Chapel is one of a handful of churches in the state that have wound up in court over state or local health orders restricting services. Judges have consistently ruled against the churches on grounds of public safety. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld state COVID-19 restrictions on religious gatherings in a suit filed by South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista… ‘The Constitution is not a suicide pact,’ Guasco said…”

Have you ever heard a more ridiculous statement? Truly, Satan is ruling this world! It is time for Jesus Christ to return to replace unrighteous judges with righteous ones.  

Worshipping God Inside Walmart

Breitbart wrote on August 7:

“Christian worshippers outsmarted Pennsylvania’s fascist Democrat governor [Tom Wolf] by gathering to praise God inside a Walmart — which, unlike the church, has been deemed ‘essential’… The Walmart [incident] is not only beautiful for all the obvious reasons, it also points out the hypocrisy and anti-religious bigotry of these selective lockdowns and guidelines — not to mention their absurdity. Gathering to sing and praise God in a Walmart does not defy these totally unnecessary and useless social distancing guidelines, but gathering to sing and praise God in a house of worship does.

“Please do tell me why it’s safe to gather in a Walmart, but not a church, synagogue, or mosque? I guess the science behind that thinking must be the same science that explains why a Trump rally is deadly but a Black Lives Matter/Antifa riot is totally safe — or why you holding a funeral for your loved one will kill people, but it is perfectly safe when left-wing elites gather for an indoor funeral to say goodbye to John Lewis, one of their own…

“Just try to wrap your mind around the fact that one of America’s major political parties… as well as the corporate media… want to shut down our church but protect abortion clinics and marijuana dispensaries as ‘essential.’ They want to protect the right to gather to loot and riot and burn, even as they use the fascist power of the State to strip us of our First Amendment right to gather together and worship…”

Indeed, it shows the abhorrent stupidity and blatant hypocrisy of such restrictions and prohibitions and that SATAN is behind all of this. Why then would a church, claiming to be part of the Body of Christ, support and endorse such nonsense?

Megachurch Defies California Restrictions

The Hill wrote on August 12:

“The pastor of a megachurch in Los Angeles defended the church’s decision to allow thousands in for services Sunday, defying California state orders amid the coronavirus outbreak. Grace Community Church held in-person services on Sunday, and pastor John MacArthur told CNN that 6,000 or 7,000 people showed up. The crowd size defies a state order released at the end of July that limits indoor attendance at a place of worship to 25 percent of a building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower…

“‘We opened the doors because that’s what we are, we’re a church and we’re going to trust those people to make adult decisions about the reality of their physical and spiritual health and how that balance works for each one of them,’ [MacArthur] said. ‘Nobody’s forcing anything, they’re here because they want to be here.’

“MacArthur called the restrictions on places of worship put in place to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus ‘not constitutional’ and ‘burdensome,’ and argued they make ‘no sense in light of the actual numbers of death’ members of his church are seeing.”

Amen to that.

The Lockdown Fallacy

The Sun wrote on August 8:

“ALMOST as many have been killed by lockdown as by the virus itself, an official report suggests. According to figures, for every three Covid-19 dead another two have died because they missed vital medical treatment.

“Between March and May there were 25,000 coronavirus deaths. At the same time 16,000 others also died, including 6,000 too scared to go to A&E. People felt that they should stay home because of the Governments ‘Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives’ message. And [it] is thought 10,000 died in care homes after they were discharged early from hospitals. They were not able to access critical care.”

These numbers take the official figures of coronavirus deaths for granted, which is highly questionable. This means, maybe MANY MORE died because of the lockdown than because of the virus. In a related matter, it was now reported that a Nashville councilwoman has proposed charging anyone not wearing a mask with either murder or attempted murder. This is insane lunacy by a completely incompetent politician!

Needed… An anti-Lockdown Movement

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on August 10:

“Shell-shocked is a good way to describe the mood in the US for a good part of the Spring of 2020. Most of us never thought it could happen here. I certainly did not, even though I’ve been writing about pandemic lockdown plans for 15 years. I knew the plans were on the shelf, which is egregious, but I always thought something would stop it from happening. The courts. Public opinion. Bill of Rights. Tradition. The core rowdiness of American culture. Political squeamishness. The availability of information. Something would prevent it. So I believed. So most of us believed.

“Still it happened, all in a matter of days, March 12-16, 2020, and boom; it was over! We were locked down. Schools shut. Bars and restaurants closed. No international visitors. Theaters shuttered. Conferences forcibly ended. Sports stopped. We were told to stay home and watch movies… for two weeks to flatten the curve. Then two weeks stretched to five months. How lucky for those who lived in the states that resisted the pressure and stayed open, but even for them, they couldn’t visit relatives in other states due to quarantine restrictions and so on.

“Lockdowns ended American life as we knew it just five months ago… What many states are calling ‘open’ today would have been called ‘closed’ six months ago. Sports are rare. Theaters aren’t open. In some places, you still can’t go to gyms or eat inside. Mask mandates are everywhere, and mask enforcers too. People are ratting out their neighbors, sending drones to ferret out house parties, and lashing out at each other in public places… America has become an extremely ugly place. This is what lockdowns did.

“… the TV and online media are blaring panic all day every day… people feel tremendously powerless right now. They have been locked down, silenced, humiliated, brutalized. The few attempts to get out and protest the lockdowns were greeted with jeers and derision by mainstream media…

“Where precisely does American opinion stand on lockdowns today? The polls one cannot trust: people know exactly what they are supposed to say to pollsters during a police-state lockdown… The incredible frenzy of the lying media has confused vast numbers. A poll revealed that many Americans think that 9% of us have died from C-19 whereas it is really 0.04%…

“We see almost no discussion in the mainstream press of the empirical evidence at home and abroad that the lockdowns make no sense from a medical and economic perspective…

“This country needs a serious anti-lockdown movement… This movement needs to celebrate and defend religious freedom, since, incredibly, most houses of worship were forcibly closed by government…

“Laws requiring face coverings in public would never have been tolerated even six months ago. And yet here we are, not only with laws but a growing number of recruits within the public to enforce them with appalling rudeness…

“In the end, the case for unlocking society is a spiritual matter. What is your life worth and how do you want to live it? How important are the hard-won freedoms you exercise daily? What of the lives and liberties of others?… Freedom has never prevailed without passionate and courageous voices to defend it…”

It is amazing to see how quickly the world has changed… and how quickly the ill-informed masses have “embraced” autocratic senseless measures by their governments…

Fauci: Chances Are Slim for an Effective Vaccine

CNBC wrote on August 8:

“Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday that the chances of scientists creating a highly effective vaccine — one that provides 98% or more guaranteed protection — for the virus are slim. Scientists are hoping for a coronavirus vaccine that is at least 75% effective, but 50% or 60% effective would be acceptable, too, Fauci… said…

“The Food and Drug Administration has said it would authorize a coronavirus vaccine so long as it is safe and at least 50% effective…  A 50% effective vaccine would be roughly on par with those for influenza…

“Fauci has previously said he worries about the ‘durability’ of a coronavirus vaccine, saying if Covid-19 acts like other coronaviruses, it may not provide long-term protection… Health officials say there is no returning to ‘normal’ until there is a vaccine.”

After all this hype for a vaccine, now this latest “expert” opinion! It appears these health advisors know next to nothing about the virus and how to deal with it. God must have poured out upon them a spirit of sleep and slumber.

Russia’s Dubious and Dangerous Claim

The Associated Press wrote on August 11:

“Russia on Tuesday became the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine, a move that was met with international skepticism and unease because the shots have only been studied in dozens of people. President Vladimir Putin announced the Health Ministry’s approval and said one of his two adult daughters already was inoculated. He said the vaccine underwent the necessary tests and was shown to provide lasting immunity to the coronavirus, although Russian authorities have offered no proof to back up claims of safety or effectiveness…

“However, scientists in Russia and other countries sounded an alarm, saying that rushing to offer the vaccine before final-stage testing could backfire. What’s called a Phase 3 trial — which involves tens of thousands of people and can take months — is the only way to prove if an experimental vaccine is safe and really works. By comparison, vaccines entering final-stage testing in the U.S. require studies of 30,000 people each…

“Becoming the first country in the world to approve a vaccine was a matter of national prestige for the Kremlin as it tries to assert the image of Russia as a global power…”

These kinds of power plays are sickening and endanger the health of millions of people.

Trump: Children Almost Immune from Coronavirus

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on August 7:

“Facebook and Twitter have taken down the US president’s claims on the insusceptibility of children to Covid-19 – a fact on which the science supports him – proving that Big Tech is increasingly acting in a nakedly political way. In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Donald Trump declared that ‘children are almost immune’ from coronavirus. The videos posted online have been deleted, but the trimmed audio is available… on CNN, which… titled it ‘Trump falsely says kids are “almost immune’” from Covid-19,’ just in case its editorial position was in any way in doubt.

“… the evidence of your own eyes should be enough to pass judgement on this. But here are a few statistics that stand out from the literature. Only a tiny fraction (0.8 percent) of Covid-19 hospital patients have been under the age of 19. Not a single child aged under 10 anywhere in the world has transmitted the virus to another person, despite a global effort from the World Health Organization to find one. And a large meta study across 26 counties found just seven deaths among children that were ascribed to coronavirus.

“Bearing those figures in mind, if Trump meant that ‘almost all children are immune,’ he was right. Similarly, if he meant children as a whole are ‘almost immune’, it would take considerable mental gymnastics to disagree. And this is if the statistics are taken at face value: the 0.8 percent figure is just as exaggerated as all the other figures, due to asymptomatic cases, and the seven deaths is such a small number it is statistically insignificant. Who knows what went on in those seven cases, and how old the patients were. If they were older teens, they could just as easily have been classed as adults.”

The intolerance of Big Tech towards those who state scientifically proven FACTS is appalling.

And Now… the Bubonic Plague?

CNN wrote on August 7:

“Authorities in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia have sealed off a village after a resident there died from bubonic plague, a centuries-old disease responsible for the most deadly pandemic in human history. It did not mention how the patient had caught the plague…

“The plague, caused by bacteria and transmitted through flea bites and infected animals, killed an estimated 50 million people in Europe during the Black Death pandemic in the Middle Ages…

“Anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 people get the plague every year… But that total is likely too modest an estimate, since it doesn’t account for unreported cases. According to 2016 data, the possibility of plague exists on almost every continent, especially the western United States, parts of Brazil, scattered areas in southeast Africa and large swaths of China, India and the Middle East.

“… [People were urged] to reduce contact with wild animals while traveling and avoid hunting, skinning or eating animals that could cause infection.

“Last month, two cases of bubonic plague were confirmed in Mongolia — brothers who had both eaten marmot meat… In May 2019, another couple in Mongolia died from the plague after eating the raw kidney of a marmot, thought to be a folk remedy for good health.

“Marmots are a type of large ground squirrel that is eaten in some parts of China and the neighboring country Mongolia, and which have historically caused plague outbreaks in the region. The marmot is believed to have caused the 1911 pneumonic plague epidemic, which killed about 63,000 people in northeast China. It was hunted for its fur, which soared in popularity among international traders. The diseased fur products were traded and transported around the country — infecting thousands along the way.”

Breaking Israel News wrote on August 10:

“In a seemingly unrelated case, a man in his 20s died of the septicaemic plague in New Mexico last week. This was the second case of septicaemic plague in New Mexico in less [than a month] after a man in his 60s was diagnosed with bubonic plague in New Mexico’s Santa Fe County last month.”

Marmots are unclean animals and not to be eaten. The Bible says that many people will die in the future because of the “wild beasts of the earth.”

Disagreements between Washington and Berlin on WHO

Reuters wrote on August 7:

“France and Germany have quit talks on reforming the World Health Organization in frustration at attempts by the United States to lead the negotiations, despite its decision to leave the WHO… The move is a setback for President Donald Trump as Washington, which holds the rotating chair of the G7, had hoped to issue a common roadmap for a sweeping overhaul of the WHO…

“The German and French health ministries confirmed to Reuters that the two countries were opposed to the United States leading the talks after announcing their intention to leave the organization…

“It is unclear whether a G7 summit in the United States, at which Trump hopes leaders will endorse the roadmap, will now go ahead in September as planned… Despite changes to the original text, Washington’s push remained unacceptable, mainly to Germany, sources familiar with the negotiations said.”

The relationship between the USA and Germany is close to reaching a boiling point. Note the next article.

Macgregor new US Ambassador to Germany

Business Insider wrote on August 5:

“US President Trump’s pick for US ambassador to Germany accused Angela Merkel of prioritising ‘unwanted Muslim invaders’ over military aid and said Muslim migrants wanted to turn Europe ‘into an Islamic state.’ The White House on Monday announced that Col. Douglas Macgregor, a former Army tank commander, would succeed Richard Grennel as the US ambassador to [the] European Union’s largest economy, saying he is ‘widely recognized as an expert on force design and grand strategy.’ [Macgregor] is an enthusiastic supporter of Trump’s move to withdraw thousands of troops from Germany.

“In 2018, he… said ‘the Germans, like the Koreans and the Japanese, are tired of this American troop presence on their soil,’ calling for a ‘change our relationship with Germany in terms of military power.’ A year later he [said]: ‘… we’re not going to rush hundreds of thousands of troops to the Polish border to deal with the Russians.’…

“[Macgregor] is inheriting a strained US relationship with Germany. His appointment comes amid months of tension between Washington and Berlin after Merkel’s government reacted angrily to President Trump’s decision to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from Germany…

“A report published last week by London-based think tank, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) said that Germany no longer believed it could expect the US’ help against the threat of Russia and China.

“[Macgregor] has expressed views on other major issues in European geopolitics that fall outside of the mainstream. In 2014, weeks after Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea, he told Kremlin-owned media outlet Russia Today that eastern and southern Ukrainians were ‘clearly Russian’ and ‘should be allowed to join Russia’…”

None of that makes Germany happy. Regardless as to whether Macgregor’s opinions are true or false, they will not help to improve the relationship between these two powers. Grennel’s performance was bad enough in the eyes of the Germans; it appears that Macgregor’s conduct will be viewed as even worse.

Germany “Dismayed” over US Sanction Threat regarding Pipeline

The Associated Press wrote on August 10:

“German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Monday he personally reached out to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to express ‘dismay’ over… a letter sent last week by Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Tom Cotton and Sen. Ron Johnson, which targeted Faehrhafen Sassnitz GmbH, the operator of the Mukran Port located in German Chancellor Angela Merkel´s constituency on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen… The port is a key staging post for ships involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that’s intended to bring natural gas from Russia to Germany.

“The U.S. argues the project will endanger European [energy and American national] security by making Germany overly dependent on Russian gas. It’s also opposed by Ukraine and Poland, which will be bypassed by the pipeline under the Baltic sea, as well as some other European nations… In addition to the security concerns, the U.S. also wants to sell more of its own liquefied natural gas, or LNG, to Germany — Europe’s largest economy.

“In the letter, the three senators say the message ‘serves as formal legal notice’ that the port operator, its board members, corporate officers, shareholders, and employees risk ‘crushing legal and economic sanctions’ unless they stop providing goods, services, and support for the Nord Stream 2 project. This includes providing storage areas for the pipeline’s steel sections and provisions for the Russian-flagged vessels Fortuna and Akademik Cherskiy…”

More controversy and conflicts between the USA and Germany can be expected.

The Beirut Disaster

Breitbart wrote on August 7:

“Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Friday the cause of the titanic explosion in Beirut on Tuesday ‘has not been determined yet,’ and authorities have not ruled out the ‘possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act.’”

The Telegraph added on August 7:

“[The] Government has rejected calls for an international investigation and instead suggested it could have been ‘foreign interference.’ Lebanon’s president has suggested that a missile could have been responsible for the catastrophic Beirut blast, as the country’s entrenched ruling class comes under increasing pressure from enraged citizens to resign….”

This incident and more to come will contribute to a terrible war in the Middle East.

A Bankrupt Nation

Reuters wrote on August 7:

“Lebanon’s president said on Friday its investigation into the biggest blast in Beirut’s history would examine whether it was caused by a bomb or other external interference… While the United States has said it did not rule out an attack, Israel, which has fought several wars with Lebanon, has denied any role. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the cause was unclear, but compared the blast to a 2005 bombing that killed former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri…

“Officials have said the blast, whose impact was recorded hundreds of miles (kms) away, might have caused losses amounting to $15 billion. That is a bill Lebanon cannot pay after already defaulting on a mountain of debt – exceeding 150% of economic output – and with talks stalled on a lifeline from the International Monetary Fund.

“After the blast destroyed Lebanon’s only major grain silo, U.N. agencies helped provide emergency food and medical aid. Aid offers have also poured in from Arab states, Western nations, the Vatican and beyond. But none, so far, addresses the bigger challenges facing a bankrupt nation.”

Hezbollah’s Intentions

The Times of Israel wrote on August 8:

“Hezbollah apparently planned to use the ammonium nitrate stockpile that caused a massive blast at Beirut’s port this week against Israel in a ‘Third Lebanon War,’ according to an unsourced assessment publicized on Israel’s Channel 13 Friday night. The report was broadcast hours after Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, gave a speech ‘categorically’ denying that his group had stored any weapons or explosives at Beirut’s port, following the massive explosion there Tuesday that has claimed over 157 lives and wounded [over 5,000. Around 300,000 Beirut residents were rendered homeless].

“Ammonium nitrate is used in the manufacture of explosives and is also an ingredient in making fertilizer. It has been blamed for massive industrial accidents in the past, and was also a main ingredient in a bomb that destroyed a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995. Last year, reports in Israel claimed that the Mossad had tipped off European intelligence agencies about Hezbollah storing caches of ammonium nitrate for use in bombs in London, Cyprus and elsewhere.

“The Channel 13 report noted that ‘the material that exploded in the port is not new to Nasrallah and Hezbollah.’ It detailed Hezbollah’s previous connections to ammonium nitrate…”

French Ambitions in Lebanon

The Associated Press wrote on August 8:

“It was almost as if Emmanuel Macron forgot that Lebanon is no longer a French protectorate. Visiting explosion-ravaged Beirut this week, France’s leader comforted distraught crowds, promised to rebuild the city and claimed that the blast pierced France’s own heart. ‘France will never let Lebanon go,’ Macron said…

“His critics denounced the overtures as a neocolonialist foray by a European leader seeking to restore sway over a troubled Middle Eastern land – and distract from mounting problems at home. A meme circulating online dubbed him Macron Bonaparte, a 21st century Emperor Napoleon. But Macron’s defenders — including desperate Beirut residents who called him ‘our only hope’ — praised him for visiting gutted neighborhoods where Lebanese leaders fear to tread, and for trying to hold Lebanon’s politicians accountable for the corruption and mismanagement blamed for Tuesday’s deadly blast…

“France’s ties with Lebanon reach back at least to the 16th century, when the French monarchy negotiated with Ottoman rulers to protect Christians – and secure influence — in the region. By the time of the 1920-1946 French mandate, Lebanon already had a network of French schools and French speakers that survives to this day — along with France’s cozy relationships with Lebanon’s power brokers…

“A surprising online petition emerged this week asking France to temporarily restore its mandate, saying Lebanon’s leaders have shown ‘total inability to secure and manage the country.’ It’s widely seen as an absurd idea… but 60,000 people have signed it, including members of France’s 250,000-strong Lebanese diaspora and people in Lebanon who said it’s a way to express their desperation and distrust of the political class.

“[Macron] made a point of noting that he plans to return to Lebanon to verify that promised reforms are being undertaken on Sept. 1, the 100th anniversary of the declaration of Greater Lebanon – and the beginning of French rule.”

French, as well as German ambitions, will play a major future role in the Middle East, including Lebanon.  

Lebanese Prime Minister and Entire Cabinet Resign

The Times of Israel reported on August 10:

“Lebanon’s prime minister said Monday he and the entire cabinet were stepping down in the wake of the Beirut port explosion last week that triggered public fury and mass protests… The cabinet’s resignation risked opening the way to dragged-out negotiations over a new cabinet amid urgent calls for reform. The moment typified Lebanon’s political dilemma.

“Since October, there have been mass demonstrations demanding the departure of the entire sectarian-based leadership over entrenched corruption, incompetence and mismanagement. But the ruling oligarchy has held onto power for so long — since the end of the civil war in 1990 — that it is difficult to find a credible political figure not tainted by connections to them.”

Coming—the European Army

Express wrote on August 11:

“There is ‘growing support’ on the continent for an EU army with enthusiastic backing from Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and France’s President Emmanuel Macron, a former top diplomat has claimed. With the UK no longer a member of the bloc, the push to create a joint military force may be impossible to stop, said Ray Bassett, Ireland’s  former ambassador to Canada, Jamaica and the Bahamas. The warning was sounded by Mr Bassett in the course of his new book, Ireland and the EU Post Brexit, in which he considers Ireland’s place in the bloc after the departure of the UK.

“… Assessing the EU’s stance, Mr Bassett said Brussels was motivated by a ‘growing detachment from the United States and resentment at the domination of that country of present military arrangements under NATO… He added: ‘As the US becomes more wary of foreign adventurism, some within the EU want to fill the vacuum left by Uncle Sam. To do that, they want a European Army, with a large European industrial-military complex in support.’… In fact, the proposal to militarise the EU is receiving growing support among establishment figures in mainland Europe.’

“Media outlets last year reported the ‘delight’ of former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at the news that both Mr Macron and Mrs Merkel had voiced their support. Mr Bassett added: ‘On November 13, Merkel, speaking to the European Parliament, had expressed unambiguously her support for a “real, true, European Army”. This echoed the strong commitment of Macron for a military wing to the EU. Macron had, somewhat farcically, earlier called for a European Army to protect the EU from Russia, China and the US, drawing a sharp rebuke from President Trump.’

“Mrs Merkel had returned to the theme during a ceremony to mark a new friendship treaty between France and Germany, signed in Aachen last January. Mr Bassett said: ‘She described the Treaty as another step forward towards the creation of a European Army. Now with the Brits departing, the push for a European Army will be much more difficult to stop.’”

A strong powerful European Army is clearly prophesied in the Bible.

The Third Temple and the End of the World

Express wrote on August 8:

“BIBLICAL prophecy states the construction of a Third Temple of Jerusalem will precede the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the end of the world as we know it…

“The Holy Temple of Jerusalem is at the heart of the Jewish faith in the Holy Land. To date, two temples have towered over the ancient city on the Temple Mount, only to be destroyed by invading forces. The First Temple was toppled in 586 BC by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, during his conquest of Jerusalem. The Second Temple was then razed by the Romans in the year 70 AD following a Jewish revolt. What remains of the Second Temple is an outer wall, the so-called Western Wall or Kotel, near Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. And with access for prayer barred to the Temple Mount’s al Aqsa Compound to non-Muslims, the Western Wall is considered the holiest of places of prayer in the Jewish world.

“But an expert believes plans are now well underway for a Third Temple to be constructed, and with it, comes the promise of biblical prophecy coming to fruition. Tom Meyer, a professor in Bible and theology at Shasta Bible College and Graduate School in California, US, told Express.co.uk groups like the Temple Institute are unwittingly paving the way for the Second Coming of Christ…

“Professor Tom Meyer [stated:] ‘A survey done by The Joint Forum of Temple Mount organizations in 2013 found that 43 percent of religious Jews and 31 percent of secular Jews supported the immediate reconstruction of Judaism’s most holy place. The human vehicle to bring this Biblical prophecy to fruition could come through not only changing the status quo to permit Jews to pray to YHWH on the Temple Mount – which 60 percent of Jews support – but also through organizations like The Temple Institute…’

“The Temple Institute exists in part to bring about… the Third Temple. It has received some funding from the Israeli government and donations from Jewish billionaires to achieve their objective. The organisation has already reconstructed all the necessary ritual objects needed for an animal sacrificial system like measuring cups, shovels, tongs, lavers, etc according to their ancient specifications. The Temple Institute has also not only begun educational programs to train young men who can prove their lineage through the line of Levi to function as priests in the future Temple, but they have also recreated all the necessary garments for the priesthood including the famous uniform of the High Priest, his breastplate and golden crown. The furniture to be placed inside the actual Temple like the table of shewbread, the altar of incense, and the golden menorah have already been completed… Blueprints have also been produced to set the stage if the construction of a Third Temple becomes a reality.

“Professor Meyer said: ‘Biblically speaking, the construction of a third Jewish Temple is a necessity because Biblical prophecy states that the Antichrist will first proclaim himself to be the true Messiah in the yet-to-be-built third Jewish Temple before the True Messiah appears.’”

It is clear from the Bible that a Third Temple will be erected prior to Christ’s return. We can see from the foregoing article that that time may be very near. Please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of the Jewish People.”

“Historic” Peace Agreement in Middle East

 JTA wrote on August 13:

 “As part of a peace deal brokered by President Donald Trump, Israel will pause its plans to annex areas of the West Bank, according to a joint statement released by the White House. ‘Israel will suspend declaring sovereignty over areas outlined in the President’s Vision for Peace and focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the Arab and Muslim world. The United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates are confident that added diplomatic breakthroughs with other nations are possible, and will work together to achieve this goal,’ the statement read.

“The statement… said that Israel and the UAE will sign agreements in the coming weeks related to investment, tourism, air travel, security, opening embassies and more. The two nations also will work together on developing a vaccine for the coronavirus, it said…

“Most Arab countries do not recognize Israel’s existence. The Jewish state currently has ties only with Egypt and Jordan.”

For an in-depth analysis of this “peace deal” in connection with the building of the Third Temple, please view our new StandingWatch program, titled, “The Third Temple, the End of the World, and the “Historic” Peace Deal.”

Dedollarization in Russia and China

RusNikkei Asian Review wrote on August 6:

“Russia and China are partnering to reduce their dependence on the dollar — a development some experts say could lead to a ‘financial alliance’ between them. In the first quarter of 2020, the dollar’s share of trade between Russia and China fell below 50% for the first time on record… The greenback was used for only 46% of settlements between the two countries. At the same time, the euro made up an all-time high of 30%, while their national currencies accounted for 24%, also a new high.

“Russia and China have drastically cut their use of the dollar in bilateral trade over the past several years. As late as 2015, approximately 90% of bilateral transactions were conducted in dollars. Following the outbreak of the U.S.-China trade war and a concerted push by both Moscow and Beijing to move away from the dollar, however, the figure had dropped to 51% by 2019…

“Replacing the dollar in trade settlements became a necessity to sidestep U.S. sanctions against Russia. ‘Any wire transaction that takes place in the world involving U.S. dollars is at some point cleared through a U.S. bank,’ explained Dmitry Dolgin, ING Bank’s chief economist for Russia. ‘That means that the U.S. government can tell that bank to freeze certain transactions.’ The process gained further momentum after the Donald Trump administration imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods. Whereas previously Moscow had taken the initiative on dedollarization, Beijing came to view it as critical, too.”

The collaboration between China and Russia is happening on many different fronts, while their dependence on the American dollar is decreasing through a replacement with the euro and Chinese and Russian currencies. All of this is completely in line with biblical prophecies.

Trump’s Executive Order for Unemployment Benefits and Deferral of Payroll Tax

Newsmax wrote on August 9:

“President Donald Trump has bypassed the nation’s lawmakers as he claimed the authority to defer payroll taxes and replace an expired unemployment benefit with a lower amount after negotiations with Congress on a new coronavirus rescue package collapsed… his order called for up to $400 payments each week, one-third less than the $600 people had been receiving…

“Trump’s embrace of executive actions to sidestep Congress ran in sharp contrast to his criticism of former President Barack Obama’s use of executive orders…

“Trump said the employee portion of the payroll tax would be deferred from Aug. 1 through the end of the year… In essence, the deferral is an interest-free loan that would have to be repaid… ‘If I win, I may extend and terminate,’ Trump said, repeating a longtime goal but remaining silent on how he’d fund the Medicare and Social Security benefits that the 7% tax on employee income covers. Employers also pay 7.65% of their payrolls into the funds….”

Democrats have threatened legal action, with the possibility that a federal court might issue a preliminary injunction and a preliminary stay against enforcing the orders.

Joe Biden’s Pick of Kamala Harris as his Running Mate

The Associated Press wrote on August 11:

“Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday, making history by selecting the first Black woman to compete on a major party’s presidential ticket and acknowledging the vital role Black voters will play in his bid to defeat President Donald Trump…

“Harris’ record as California attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco was heavily scrutinized during the Democratic primary and turned off some liberals and younger Black voters who saw her as out of step on issues of systemic racism in the legal system and police brutality…

“A woman has never served as president or vice president in the United States… The vice presidential pick carries increased significance this year. If elected, Biden would be 78 when he’s inaugurated in January, the oldest man to ever assume the presidency. He’s spoken of himself as a transitional figure and hasn’t fully committed to seeking a second term in 2024. If he declines to do so, his running mate would likely become a front-runner for the nomination that year.

“Born in Oakland to a Jamaican father and Indian mother… [one] of Harris’ standout moments of her presidential campaign came at the expense of Biden. During a debate, Harris said Biden made ‘very hurtful’ comments about his past work with segregationist senators and slammed his opposition to busing as schools began to integrate in the 1970s… Shaken by the attack, Biden called her comments ‘a mischaracterization of my position.’… Some Biden confidants said Harris’ campaign attack did irritate the former vice president, who had a friendly relationship with her. Harris was also close with Biden’s late son, Beau, who served as Delaware attorney general while she held the same post in California. But Biden and Harris have since returned to a warm relationship.”

The Biden campaign felt that Biden (or they) HAD to pick a black woman as running mate to please their supporters. Some in the press claim that she is an “Asian” woman to make the underlying politics less obvious. All of this is hypocritical politics. Candidates from the same party fight nastily as enemies during debates, and later work together “in friendship.”  This is true for Democrats as well as Republicans. That is why one cannot trust politicians.

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 previously looked at the fact that Judaism has been, and is still looking for, a human being to fulfil the role of the “mashaich” who they expect will bring about the millennial prophecies we read in many books in the Old Testament.

Let us continue to look at the website www.jewfaq.org/mashiach.htm where we read further, as follows:

“When Will the Mashiach Come?

“There are a wide variety of opinions on the subject of when the mashiach will come. Some of Judaism’s greatest minds have cursed those who try to predict the time of the mashiach’s coming, because errors in such predictions could cause people to lose faith in the messianic idea or in Judaism itself. This actually happened in the 17th century, when Shabbatai Tzvi claimed to be the mashiach. When Tzvi converted to Islam under threat of death, many Jews converted with him. Nevertheless, this prohibition has not stopped anyone from speculating about the time when the mashiach will come.

“Although some scholars believed that G-d has set aside a specific date for the coming of the mashiach, most authority suggests that the conduct of mankind will determine the time of the mashiach’s coming.”

We want to interject here that this concept does include elements of truth, but is not entirely correct. We explain in our booklet, “When and How Will Christ Return?,” chapter 4, beginning on page 23, that based on our conduct, we can hasten or delay the coming of the Messiah:

“… we read in 2 Peter 3:12 that we are to be ‘looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God’—the return of Christ…  Just as we can hasten Christ’s return, so we can also delay it, to an extent. This can be seen in 2 Peter 3:9: ‘The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance’…

“According to 2 Peter 3:9, God may delay Christ’s coming, if Church members, whom God wants to be in His Kingdom, are not ready, due to a lack of serious repentance…

“Some feel that the precise moment of Christ’s return has been fixed for thousands of years—as the Father ‘knows’ the exact moment of Christ’s Second Coming. They say that according to Christ’s words, the Father knew at least 2,000 years ago exactly when He would send back His Son: ‘But of that day and hour no one KNOWS, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only’ (Matthew 24:36). (Mark 13:32 adds that not even the Son of God—Jesus Christ—knows that exact time.)

“However, in light of the fact that Christ’s return can be delayed or accelerated—at least partially because of human conduct—it is very doubtful that God the Father ‘knew’ the exact day and hour of Christ’s return for thousands of years.

“We should note that, according to the two passages in Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32, Christ said that man, angels and Christ do not ‘know,’ but ‘only My Father.’ There is NO VERB here, following ‘My Father,’ so it must be added…

“Acts 1:7 does not say that God ‘knows.’ It only says that it is not for Christ’s disciples to ‘know.’ In regard to the Father, it is stated that He has ‘put this’ in His own power or authority. Reading Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32 together with Acts 1:7, it is apparent that the words which need to be supplied in Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32 would have to be those showing God’s AUTHORITY to set the date.”

The Luther Bible from 1891 rendered Acts 1:7 in regard to the time of Christ’s coming: “…which the Father has reserved to His power.”

This means then that we can hasten or delay the time of Christ’s coming, until the Father decides that He has waited long enough and that there would be no further delay (compare Revelation 10:6), as otherwise, all of mankind would be destroyed and no one would survive (Matthew 24:22).

Continuing with the quote from the above-mentioned website:

“In general, it is believed that the mashiach will come in a time when he is most needed (because the world is so sinful), or in a time when he is most deserved (because the world is so good). For example, each of the following has been suggested as the time when the mashiach will come:

“if Israel repented a single day;

“if Israel observed a single Shabbat properly;

“if Israel observed two Shabbats in a row properly;

“in a generation that is totally innocent or totally guilty;

“in a generation that loses hope;

“in a generation where children are totally disrespectful towards their parents and elders…”

This is just man’s mind at work and complete speculation. There are no Scriptures to indicate that any of this will happen under the rule of man.

But let us assume that one of these times, as listed above, came to pass. Could Israel – and do they mean the Jewish nation? – all repent in one day? What about everyone else on earth? It’s never happened in 6,000 years and, even when Jesus returns, there will still be those who will still be difficult and disobedient (compare Zechariah 14:16-19).

If Israel (again just the Jews?) observed a single Sabbath properly or two Sabbaths in a row properly, what would that prove? It is impossible at this time that this could ever happen but there is so much more to an obedient God-fearing person than keeping one or two Sabbaths. It is just such a very narrow, restricted activity to be able to make it a possibility for the Messiah to arise. We can liken this to the fact that so many churches and other places of worship were full just after 9/11 when the Twin Towers in New York had been attacked.  After a few weeks, things got back to “normal”!

The next qualification would be if a generation is totally innocent or totally guilty. How could a generation all be one way or another? Civilisation over the millennia has shown us that generations are made up of people at different levels – the good, the bad and those in between. To think that a generation could all be one way or another is not consistent with 6,000 years of experience.

We are told that the time of the Messiah’s coming will be like the time of Noah (thoroughly evil and wicked), but—like Noah—there will be some who will be righteous. They are called the elect and it is for their sake that Christ will shorten the days and return so that all of mankind will not be destroyed. This includes many members of the true Church of God prior to and during the Great Tribulation and the conversion of 144,000 Israelites and the great multitude of Gentiles prior to the plagues of the Day of the Lord.

According to the opinion of Judaism, as quoted by the writer in the above-mentioned article, the time when the mashiach could arise is when a generation loses hope. Again, this is given as an all-encompassing requirement which is something that has never happened before as there are always those who have a positive mindset even in the most trying of circumstances.

Following the suggestions of Judaism, the last requirement for the human mashiash to arise is when there is a generation where children are totally disrespectful towards their parents and elders. Again, another all-encompassing situation which could never happen in its entirety. The contrary is clearly revealed in Malachi 4:4-6.

Human nature over a period of 6,000 years has amply proved that this world, being ruled by Satan the Devil, will not change under the leadership of a human being. It is also not possible for human beings to become “totally innocent,” nor will it ever happen, due to God’s merciful intervention, that everyone, without exception, will be “totally guilty,” “totally losing hope,” and totally disrespectful.” But only when someone becomes a Spirit-born member of the Family of God will there be perfection.

The above-quoted article continues:

“What Will the Mashiach Do?

“Before the time of the mashiach, there shall be war and suffering (Ezekiel 38:16).”

To inject right here, even though this is a very common error in Jewish interpretation, the events in Ezekiel 38 and 39 take place AFTER the coming of the Messiah, not before. Compare our free booklet, “Biblical Prophecy—From Now Until Forever.”

Continuing:

“The mashiach will bring about the political and spiritual redemption of the Jewish people by bringing us back to Israel and restoring Jerusalem (Isaiah 11:11-12; Jeremiah 23:8; 30:3; Hosea 3:4-5).”

Just to clarify again, this common false concept of the “Jewish people” is mentioned throughout the article. The Truth is that Christ will not only free the Jews from slavery and bring them back to the Promised Land, but also ALL modern descendants of Jacob or Israel—referred to in the Bible as the houses of Israel AND Judah. Compare again our free booklet, “Biblical Prophecy—From Now Until Forever.”

Continuing:

“He will establish a government in Israel that will be the center of all world government, both for Jews and gentiles (Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:10; 42:1). He will rebuild the Temple and re-establish its worship (Jeremiah 33:18). He will restore the religious court system of Israel and establish Jewish law as the law of the land (Jeremiah 33:15).”

The Messiah will not “rebuild” the Temple, but He will cleanse an existing Third Temple and free it from pollution. See, for example, our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of the Jewish People.” In addition, He will not establish Jewish law as the law of the land, but the law of GOD (much of Judaism or today’s Jewish laws, customs and traditions are totally against the commandments of God.)

Continuing:

“Olam Ha-Ba: The Messianic Age

“The world after the messiah comes is often referred to in Jewish literature as Olam Ha-Ba (oh-LAHM hah-BAH), the World to Come. This term can cause some confusion, because it is also used to refer to a spiritual afterlife. In English, we commonly use the term ‘messianic age’ to refer specifically to the time of the messiah.

“Olam Ha-Ba will be characterized by the peaceful co-existence of all people (Isaiah 2:4). Hatred, intolerance and war will cease to exist. Some authorities suggest that the laws of nature will change, so that predatory beasts will no longer seek prey and agriculture will bring forth supernatural abundance (Isaiah 11:6-11:9). Others, however, say that these statements are merely an allegory for peace and prosperity.”

These changes are to be understood literally, not just allegorically. Continuing with the article:

“All of the Jewish people will return from their exile among the nations to their home in Israel (Isaiah 11:11-12; Jeremiah 23:8; 30:3; Hosea 3:4-5). The law of the Jubilee will be reinstated.”

Again, it is all the modern descendants of the houses of Israel and Judah who will have survived the terrible times to come, who will return to the Promised Land. Regarding the law of the Jubilee, see our free booklet, “Old Testament Laws—Still Valid Today?”

Continuing:

“In the Olam Ha-Ba, the whole world will recognize the Jewish G-d as the only true G-d, and the Jewish religion as the only true religion (Isaiah 2:3; 11:10; Micah 4:2-3; Zechariah 14:9). There will be no murder, robbery, competition or jealousy. There will be no sin (Zephaniah 3:13). Sacrifices will continue to be brought in the Temple, but these will be limited to thanksgiving offerings, because there will be no further need for expiatory offerings.”

The world will recognize the God of Israel (not just the Jews) as the one and only true God, but we must understand that God is a Family, presently consisting of the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The world will not totally be without sin, as it is impossible for human beings not to sin, but due to the acceptance of the supreme Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, they will be forgiven of their sin upon repentance and belief.

The idea that the Millennial offerings which will be brought will only be “thanksgiving offerings” is clearly false.  In fact, burnt offerings and sin offerings and offerings for atonement are specifically mentioned (Ezekiel 40:38; 43:10, 18, 21, 27; 44:11, 27, 29; 45:15-25). We discuss these temporary animal sacrifices in the Millennium in our free booklet, “Biblical Prophecy—From Now Until Forever.”

Continuing:

“Some gentiles have tried to put an ugly spin on this theology, claiming that Jews plan to force people to convert to our religion, perhaps based on their own religion’s history of doing exactly the same thing. That is not at all how Jews understand the messianic age. We believe that in that future time, everyone will simply know what the truth is, in the same way that we know that 2+2=4, and there will no longer be any reason to argue about it. It is much like a situation I witnessed at work once: two computer programmers were arguing loudly and at length about whether it was possible for a user to input data at a certain point in a program. Finally someone pressed a key and they all saw that nothing happened. Now they knew the truth, end of argument. When mashiach comes, theological truths will be equally obvious to mankind, and there will be no reason to argue about it.”

This conclusion is also wrong. As mentioned before, not everyone will accept the Messiah and God’s Law right away. Some will still want to wage war. Others will at first refuse to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. People will have to be educated about God, the true worship of God, and God’s Way of Life (Isaiah 2:1-4). This understanding will not come “automatically.”

However, much of the above applies to the return of Christ (with our comments), but Judaism teaches that it will be brought about by a man. That truly would not be possible as man’s history clearly shows, nor is it God’s plan to do so.

In Galatians 5:22-23 we read: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” The thought that a man could bring about such fruit of the Spirit in every person on earth is way beyond the bounds of possibility. No man can possibly bring about peace on earth—only the great God Himself can do this. And even then, not everyone will submit to God… some will refuse to repent even after the coming of the Messiah. This is also true for the time before His coming.

We must remember that there will be a time of trouble such as never was before nor will be again (see Daniel 12:1 and Matthew 24:21) which is when the Great Tribulation starts which will include the Day of the Lord and, even with such terrible events, there will be those who will still refuse to repent. “And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory. Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.  And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds” (Revelation 16:9-11).

The question has to be asked if there will be those who refuse to repent even under the most painful and excruciating circumstances, how can a mashiach, a human being, succeed in bringing the whole world into subjection? The simple answer is that it will be God the Father, sending His Son, Jesus Christ, back to the earth to set up the Kingdom of God – not a mortal, flesh and blood human being. Only then, most people will be led to repentance… while some rebels will refuse even then.

We read in Matthew 24:21-27 about the time of Christ’s return:

^“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.  For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

It is interesting that false christs and false prophets will arise at the end time (Matthew 24:24) and Jesus will have to return to save mankind from blowing himself off the face of the planet at precisely the right time. And God’s timing is perfect.

It will be achieved by the returning Saviour of mankind, not by some human being for which the task would be impossible.

In addition to the booklets mentioned in this article, we have many more free booklets on the biblical Messiah—the Jesus of the Bible—as well as on prophecy which explain in detail what is just ahead of us now and these are available on request.

(To be continued)

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

compiled by Dave Harris

A new StandingWatch program was recorded on Thursday, August 13, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link, titled, “The Third Temple, the End of the World, and the “Historic” Peace Deal.” 

Here is as summary:

How do these three events correlate? Actually, the Bible makes clear that a Third Temple will be built on the Temple Mount just prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the end of this present evil world.  Preparations for the building of the Third Temple are complete. But how does today’s highly praised “historical” peace deal between Israel, the UAE and the USA come into play? This deal, which has been termed the “Abraham Accords,” has no chance for success. On the other hand, it might inadvertently accelerate prophesied events in the Middle East, but not in the way most might expect.

“Gibt es eine heimliche Entrückung? Kommt Christus zweimal zurück?” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “Is There a Secret Rapture? Will Christ Return Twice?”

“Was bin ich wert?” is the title of last Sabbath’s German sermonette, presented by Johann Schell. Title in English: “What am I Worth?”

“America’s departure and Germany’s future—Comments on News and Prophecy (August 8, 2020),” is the title of the first message presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

The decision to remove some 12,000 troops out of Germany is a “sign—not a good one of what lies ahead.” Almost half of Germans welcome the withdrawal of US troops, showing that the relationship between Germany and the USA has never been that good… but it is getting worse. At the same time, what will happen to Germany when, as prophesied, it is being attacked with nuclear weapons, and could China, Russia and Iran play a decisive role in that regard?

“In the Service of Jesus Christ,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Do you have what it takes to be in the service of Jesus Christ? How personally do you take this commission? Is it something that leads and draws your entire focus and mindset day in and out? How can we each make sure that we are  consistently being the type of Christians that Christ wants and needs? The answers and actions taken will have serious consequences!

The YouTube channel for the Church of the Eternal God presents past videos for StandingWatch programs along with sermonettes, sermons and promotional videos. These are also available on our website: www.eternalgod.org.