Saturday, April 27, 2019, Kalon Mitchell will present the sermonette, titled, “Be Careful With Your Words,” and Brian Gale will present the sermon, titled, “Reluctant Heroes.”

Friday, April 26, 2019, is a Holy Day—the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Services will be broadcast live in the morning and afternoon. Morning services will begin at 10:00 am Pacific Time, and afternoon services will begin at 3:00 pm Pacific Time. Morning: The sermonette will be presented by Dave Harris, titled, “Little to Much,” and the sermon, will be presented by Eric Rank, titled, “Hidden Sins.” Afternoon: Offertory will be presented by Kalon Mitchell, titled, “What Do You Own?” and the sermon will be presented by Brian Gale, titled, “Miracle After Miracle.”

The live services are available, over video and audio, at http://eternalgod.org/live-services/

The live weekly Sabbath 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.

Pictured during the Days of Unleavened Bread is the desire of putting sin out of our lives. Leaven is pictured as sin which if not dealt with can cause us to lose out on salvation. So it is a very important thing for us to remove sin from our lives and keep it out!

Since a little leaven leavens the whole lump (Galatians 5:9), and leaven is likened to sin, it’s crucial for us to remove it from our lives. Leaven, as sin, is similar to a rotten apple on the top of a barrel of good apples. If it is not removed in time the bad apple will rot all the good ones.

The importance of putting sin out is crucial for maintaining a good relationship with God, since sin acts as a barrier and a resistance in our communication with God.  It impedes our prayers and God tells us that He does not hear sinners, that is, those who are practicing sin and are making no effort to remove it from their lives.

John 9:31 states: “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does His will, He hears Him.”

Someone doing the will of God is someone who is obeying God and keeping the commandments. We, as God’s people, fall short of the mark on occasion and sin. However, upon repentance we are forgiven. We also need to seek the spiritual help from God to keep sin out of our lives—which the Days of Unleavened Bread picture. Seven is often pictured as the number of completion; therefore, we need to work towards keeping sin completely out of our lives during the seven days of this Feast.

These days and the days prior to Passover are like a stop sign—an opportunity to examine ourselves, to slow down from our hectic lifestyles and reflect on just where we are.

We all live busy lives but there is a time to reflect on our progress in keeping sin out and make a real examination of ourselves. It takes this reflection to at times flush out sins that we may be overlooking and which are impeding our prayers and relationship with God.

God is so merciful and ready to forgive upon real repentance, and He is willing for a renewed relationship with us if we have fallen a little short of the mark.

Let’s remember that neglect of prayer will weaken our connection with God. On many occasions Christ went to a private place to pray, to strengthen and maintain His connection with His Father. He knew that God always heard His prayers, since He was sinless and there were no obstacles in the way for His prayers not to be heard.

Putting sin out and keeping it out is not a one-time occurrence, but a continual walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, who set us a perfect example of living and maintaining a relationship with God. So let’s ensure that we are staying on the narrow path which leads to eternal life.

We focus this week on the diminishing influence of the U.S. in world affairs—especially as Russia and China exert powerful leadership, both diplomatically and militarily.

We cite the uniting of far-right parties in Europe and note that a Passover sacrifice was offered near Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

USA Pressures the World

moderndiplomacy reported on April 22:

“The recent statement made by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the effect that his country has failed to prevent the implementation of the Nord Stream – 2 gas pipeline project provides glaring proof of the ultimatum-type methods used by President Donald Trump’s administration to thwart unwelcome projects, deals or agreements and simultaneously impose their own products, goods and services on partners – from more expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) to passenger and military aircraft and weapons systems. However, such efforts rarely hit success, exacerbating US relations even with its closest allies in Europe and NATO.

“Addressing the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee on April 10th, Mike Pompeo said Washington had done everything it could to talk European partners out of building Nord Stream 2 but these efforts suffered a fiasco. According to the head of the State Department, Berlin is set on pursuing the project and all attempts to dissuade the Europeans from building the gas pipeline have yielded no results…

“While Washington’s attempts to use political pressure to promote its own energy projects intensify differences between the United States and the European Union, and specifically Germany, similar efforts in the area of defense and military technology jeopardize the integrity and unity of the North Atlantic alliance. US Vice President Mike Pence has de facto presented an ultimatum to Turkey, one of the closest American allies in the Middle East. He warned Ankara against purchasing Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, calling on the Turkish leadership to choose between partnership with NATO and the deal…

“Nevertheless, the attempts to use ultimatum to exert pressure in several areas at once may well result in a closer consolidation of Europeans as they unite to defend their own interests, in a further strengthening the economic ties between Russia and China, as well as in a more pronounced and independent policy by Turkey – and not only in defense and military technology. These recent moves on the part of the United States are tying the knot of conflict throughout an increasingly wider spectrum of geopolitical space. And for now, it is not clear where all this could lead to.”

What is clear is that the world is increasingly refusing to be pressured by the United States!

Putin Holds Summit with Kim

Reuters reported on April 24:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin said after holding talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday that he thought U.S. security guarantees would probably not be enough to persuade Pyongyang to shut its nuclear program.

“Putin and Kim held a day of talks on an island off the Russian Pacific city of Vladivostok two months after Kim’s summit with U.S. President Donald Trump ended in disagreement, cooling hopes of a breakthrough in the decades-old nuclear row.

“Putin, keen to use his summit with Kim to burnish Russia’s diplomatic credentials as a global player, said he believed any U.S. guarantees might need to be supported by the other nations involved in previous six-way talks on the nuclear issue.

“That would mean including Russia, China, Japan and South Korea as well as the United States and North Korea, in a long-standing format that had been sidelined by unilateral U.S. efforts to broker a deal.”

The world stage no longer belongs to just the U.S.

China and Russia Move In

 msn wrote on April 20:

“With Venezuela in flames, China and Russia are seeking claims in the rubble.

“But the United States has been caught flat-footed, and the Pentagon is struggling to develop ways to blunt the countries’ influence in Latin America since President Trump has antagonized and distanced himself from nations in the Western Hemisphere…

“’The Trump administration’s policy has supercharged China’s increased presence in the region,’ said Benjamin Gedan, former National Security Council official under the Obama administration and a senior adviser to the Latin American program at the Wilson Center, a Washington think tank. ‘It’s entirely counterproductive.’

“For years, China and Russia have sought more influence in the Western Hemisphere, but are increasingly emboldened to bolster their economic and security positions in South America, Central America and the Caribbean.”

China—A Military Titan!

msn wrote on April 23:

“In 1938, in the midst of a long campaign to bring China under Communist Party rule, revolutionary leader Mao Zedong wrote: ‘Whoever has an army has power.’

“Xi Jinping, Mao’s latest successor, has taken that dictum to heart…

“In a series of stories, Reuters is exploring how the rapid and disruptive advance of Chinese hard power on Xi Jinping’s watch has ended the era of unquestioned U.S. supremacy in Asia. In just over two decades, China has built a force of conventional missiles that rival or outperform those in the U.S. armory. China’s shipyards have spawned the world’s biggest navy, which now rules the waves in East Asia. Beijing can now launch nuclear-armed missiles from an operational fleet of ballistic missile submarines, giving it a powerful second-strike capability. And the PLA is fortifying posts across vast expanses of the South China Sea, while stepping up preparations to recover Taiwan, by force if necessary…

“For the first time since Portuguese traders reached the Chinese coast five centuries ago, China has the military power to dominate the seas off its coast. Conflict between China and the United States in these waters would be destructive and bloody, particularly a clash over Taiwan, according to serving and retired senior American officers. And despite decades of unrivaled power since the end of the Cold War, there would be no guarantee America would prevail.

“‘The U.S. could lose,’ said Gary Roughead, co-chair of a bipartisan review of the Trump administration’s defense strategy published in November. ‘We really are at a significant inflection point in history.’

Roughead is no armchair theorist: A retired admiral, as former Chief of Naval Operations he held the top job in the U.S. Navy until 2011. His alarm reflects a growing view across the American defense establishment. In their report, he and his colleagues issued a dire warning. The United States faces a ‘national security crisis,’ principally arising from growing Chinese and Russian military power. ‘U.S. military superiority is no longer assured and the implications for American interests and American security are severe,’ the panel concluded.

It is clear that Xi wants to bring the era of U.S. dominance in Asia to an end. ‘In the final analysis, it is for the people of Asia to run the affairs of Asia, solve the problems of Asia and uphold the security of Asia,’ he said in a 2014 speech to foreign leaders on regional security.

Zelenskiy Wins in the Ukraine

 jpost reported on April 22:

“Ukraine entered uncharted political waters on Sunday after exit polls showed a comedian with no political experience and few detailed policies had easily won enough votes to become the next president of a country at war.

“The apparent landslide victory of Volodymyr Zelenskiy, 41, is a bitter blow for incumbent Petro Poroshenko who tried to rally Ukrainians around the flag by casting himself as a bulwark against Russian aggression and a champion of Ukrainian identity.

“Zelenskiy was born in 1978 to Jewish parents and seems set to become Ukraine’s first Jewish president. Ukraine’s Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman is also Jewish…

“Zelenskiy, who plays a fictitious president in a popular TV series, is now poised to take over the leadership of a country on the frontline of the West’s standoff with Russia following Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and support for a pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine.”

Will Ukraine’s New President Deal with Russia?

EURACTIV wrote on April 19:

“Ukraine’s new president could regain control over the separatist-controlled east of his country within months and get cheap gas and major investment from Russia if he does a deal with Moscow, the Kremlin’s closest ally in Ukraine said.

“Viktor Medvedchuk, a prominent figure in Ukraine’s Russia-leaning opposition, outlined the prospect in an interview before a presidential election runoff in Ukraine on Sunday which polls show political novice Volodymyr Zelenskiy should easily win.

“He said the Kremlin was keen to know more about Zelenskiy, a 41-year-old Russian-speaking TV comedian who has no political experience, to understand if he is someone it could do a deal with, something it failed to do with incumbent Petro Poroshenko.

“‘They don’t have any expectations in Moscow,’ he said. ‘They want to see what happens afterwards, who will be in his (Zelenskiy’s) entourage, and what he will do and with whom.’”

Bible prophecy indicates the Ukraine WILL fall under Russia’s sphere of influence!

Europe Wary of Russia

dw reported on April 20:

“General Eberhard Zorn says he’s disturbed by the American and Russian withdrawal from the INF nuclear missile treaty. He warned that Moscow remains ‘a big threat’ to peace in Europe.

“The inspector-general of Germany’s Bundeswehr, General Eberhard Zorn, has called for a new arms treaty to replace the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) which both Washington and Moscow have suspended…

“Zorn added that a new arms treaty would be essential to ensure the safety of Germany and Europe.

“Although he pointed to several world powers as being responsible for the current escalation in global politics, he singled out Russia as a “big threat” to peace in Europe…

“’As far as Europe is concerned, the facts speak for themselves,’  Zorn said, detailing several Russian infractions — the annexation of Crimea, its involvement in eastern Europe, the poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, cyberattacks, and the suspension of the INF Treaty.”

Europe’s Far-Right Merging

dw reported on April 20:

“Marine Le Pen has thrown her weight behind Salvini’s new pan-European right-wing bloc. So far the group has garnered support from nationalist parties in Austria, Germany, Denmark, Estonia and Finland.

“France’s right-wing National Rally party formally joined a new alliance of far-right forces in Europe on Friday. The populist coalition, spearheaded by Italy’s anti-immigrant interior minister and deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, was formed to unite and strengthen disparate right-wing parties ahead of critical EU elections next month…

“Salvini, the leader of Italy’s League party, announced the launch of the pan-European far-right faction earlier this month at a press conference where he called the EU ‘a nightmare, not a dream’ and vowed to reform the bloc…

“European far-right parties are currently split between three different groups in the European Parliament. If the parties were to merge, they would hold 173 out of 751 seats in the EU parliamentary assembly, or 23%, which would make them the second-largest bloc in the European Parliament, according to the latest poll of polls released by the EU assembly.

Temple Institute Sacrificed a Passover Lamb

israeltoday wrote on April 22:

“In accordance with the biblical commandment, priests from the Temple Institute sacrificed a Passover Lamb this year overlooking the Temple Mount in the ancient City of Jerusalem…

“Today, in the absence of the Temple, the commandment to offer the Passover Sacrifice is memorialized in the form of a roasted shank bone placed on the Passover Seder Plate.

“The Temple Institute is dedicated to rebuilding the Temple on Mount Moriah (the Temple Mount) in Jerusalem and its ceremonies in accordance with the biblical commandments. The Jerusalem-based group are preparing every aspect of Temple worship and ‘restoring the central role it fulfilled in the spiritual well being of both Israel and all the nations of the world,’ according to the group’s mandate.

In Exodus 20:1-17 God spoke the Ten Commandments, and the 5th Commandment reads as follows: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your (your)  God is giving you.” This is repeated in Deuteronomy 5:16.

The Church of God has long taught that the first four Commandments show us that we must love God first and foremost, followed by the love that we must have for other people which is defined in the last six Commandments. We further read in Ephesians 6:1-3: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’”

By so doing this sets a pattern for life which can only be of great benefit to the growing child.

A parent to a small child is almost like God and that is why it is so important for the parent to set the standards and example very early in life.   However, it can be disastrous if there is any hint of hypocrisy on the part of the parent as children can quickly pick this up.

Parents have to be available to be honoured but there are so many single parent families that an increasing number of children are deprived of a proper family environment.   Of course, it must be added, that some families with only one parent may be in that position because of factors beyond their control, one of which could be death, but many choose a lifestyle that produces children without the stability of a father figure or a really loving and caring mother.   It is doubtful that any who would choose this lifestyle would have deeply held religious convictions anyway and so a bad example is set by wrong actions and probably very little, if any, of teaching their offspring the Godly way of life that can truly benefit children as they grow up.   You may want to look at our Q&A on “What is a Family?” 

There is no question that a child who is trained and disciplined in a Godly way will have a good relationship with his human father and mother.   Those who do not have a father in the home may later have a problem relating with our spiritual Father in heaven.   There have been cases where this has proved to be a spiritual problem for those being called into the Church of God because of a poor upbringing with no father figure to relate to or with an uncaring mother who does not respect and support the role of her husband and father of their children.

In Proverbs 22:6 we read: ”Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”   One commentator made these observations on this verse:

“This statement is not a hard-and-fast promise to parents, however, for the rest of the book makes clear that the power of the youth’s future depends not only on the parents’ guidance but also very much on the choices he or she makes.   The immediately preceding verse implies that the youth must guard his soul from those who are crooked (Proverbs 22:5).   He could choose to follow the wicked unto death (Proverbs 2:12-19), or he could heed the wisdom of his parents and choose the good paths of the righteous unto life (Proverbs 22:1-11, 20).”

When training children, it is important that they know the rules and the boundaries that have been set by their parents, and without these, children will be left to their own devices which could lead to bad consequences later in life.   Discipline is always necessary but the parents must always have the best interests of the child at heart.

Children left to their own devices will not turn naturally to the way of God, and Satan will be there with his broadcasting to ensure that that is so.   Children need guidance and direction for their own good and well-being and a youngster growing up in a positive family environment will, generally, prove to be a good solid member of society.   Even one godly parent can provide such guidance, although the other parent might not endorse and teach a godly life-style, or might even resist it and try to counteract God’s injunctions.  With God’s help it is possible for the godly parent to do a marvelous job, and God will give the godly parent extra strength and wisdom as to how to train up the child in the way he or she should go. Please read in this context our free booklet, “The Keys to Happy Marriages and Families.” When a child learns obedience for his own good, he will be polite and courteous and he will have no problem with authority that is necessary in a well-ordered society.

So many people today have a very jaundiced view of authority and law enforcement which can be a real problem in society, and that is the outcome of a lack of training of young people as they grow up.   In an article in the Daily Telegraph dated October 2008 and headed “Children in single-parent families more likely to suffer emotional problems” the report found that “young people whose mother and father split up are also three times as likely to become aggressive or badly behaved, according to the comprehensive survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics.   Living in a ‘reconstituted’ family containing step-children or step-parents increased the risk of developing behavioural problems still further, it found.   The stark findings of the study, commissioned by the Department for Health and the Scottish Government, fly in the face of the government’s repeated failure to extol the benefits on children of growing up in a traditional family home.”

This is a strong indictment against those guilty of breaking up a marriage and causing turmoil to a child, by, for example, leaving their mate for another partner.

In a newspaper report in the UK on 3rd March 2019, it stated that 3,000 incidents of parental abuse had been recorded in London over the past three years with the biggest rise being among daughters accused of assaulting parents.  The Metropolitan Police listed parental abuse as an area of ‘emerging demand’.

This is just a flavour of so much information that is available today that backs up the importance of a stable family.

You may want to review our Q&A entitled “Are We Required to Honor Our Parents Even if They Are Abusive and Ungodly?” Which was published in Update 828 dated 18th May 2018:

Those who have been reared with correct values to be a good member of society, would, generally, not look to become involved in criminal activity or any other anti-social behaviour.

The 5th Commandment is vital not only for the good and well-being of the family unit and society in general but also for future generations, and this helps with law and order in a decent society.  It is a win-win situation.

It is fair to say that childrearing has always been challenging but, perhaps, never more so than in today’s very secular and permissive society.

It is interesting that in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 we read childrearing advice from God from thousands of years ago: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.   You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.   You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Matthew 15:3-6 is a good example of those trying to avoid honouring parents: “He answered and said to them, ‘Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?   For God commanded, saying, “Honor your father and your mother”; and, “He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.”   But you say, “Whoever says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God’— then he need not honor his father or mother.” Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.”’”   Jesus was very straightforward to these “religious men” who tried to opt out of their family responsibilities.

Proverbs 30:11 is a statement along the same lines: “There is a generation that curses its father, And does not bless its mother.”

The Bible has many examples of family order where parental teaching is lax with terrible consequences and also where children are disobedient to their parents.

Children should be taught biblical principles and this should come from the parents.  Today, unfortunately, many expect the teaching profession to fully teach their children as so many parents abdicate the responsibility that is rightfully theirs.   It must be remembered that parents are the child’s first and most important teachers that they will ever have.

We must understand that education in schools today has the basis of evolution underpinning so much of what it teaches, and in terms of morality, it simply follows the societal patterns which now approve and applaud practices that the Word of God clearly shows are perversions and abominations.   So why would any God-fearing parent want to allow other people, however well-intentioned they may be, to teach their children about decent and acceptable standards?

Even though school attendance is mandatory in most countries and parents may have little or no influence on what their children are being taught in school, they must do everything they can to counteract those false teachings by educating their children properly at home.

Lazy and uncaring parents who take little or no interest in educating, disciplining, guiding and directing their children, will be happy to let schools do all the teaching of their offspring even if the outcomes are not very satisfactory.   A good moral compass that most people used to have decades ago has, in so many ways, simply disappeared and been replaced by an attitude that many have which simply says there is no right or wrong.

What a person thinks about authority in the home, and in society, starts from an early age when habits and attitudes are formed.  As children develop within the right environment in the family, usually the same standards are passed on to their own family.   In addition, such children will, almost certainly, move on from obeying their parents when they were small to honouring them when they become self-sufficient adults.   They will generally realise how much their parents loved them to give them such a caring and positive upbringing, and their appreciation will be shown in the same approach that they take with their own children as well as respecting and honouring their parents for all that they have done for them, and the more so as the parents approach old age.

One writer opined: “A reason for a thorough study of the Fifth Commandment is that our culture most often hinders and opposes our efforts to honor our parents. In the culture of the ancient Near East, there was a much higher regard for those in positions of authority (in general) and for parents in particular.”

In the book of Luke, chapter 2, we see the perfect example of Jesus as a 12-year-old being subject to His parents.   In verse 42 we read: “And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.”   As we read this account, we read that He stayed behind to listen and ask questions of the teachers in the Temple.   In verse 51 we further read: “Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.  And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

When we really understand the Fifth Commandment, it becomes clear that it brings into sharp focus how important it is for the family, and society, and reflects the true love that children should have for their parents, those who spent many years of untold and incalculable sacrifice to ensure that they gave their children the best possible start in life.

The Fifth Commandment is the first one with promise because it is the one where the benefit is not just for the individuals at the time but something that can be passed on from generation to generation, and it hugely benefits society at large.

It also reflects the spiritual aspect of God as our Father and the importance of the family now which further reflects the importance of the future Family of God which will last for eternity.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

The German booklets “Wie sollten wir den Sabbat einhalten?” (How to keep the Sabbath) and “Niedergang und Aufstieg von Großbritannien und Amerika” (Fall and Rise of Britain and America) were received from the printer and will be distributed to those in attendance this weekend, and they will be sent to the German subscribers next week.

All German sermonettes and sermons which were presented during the weekly Sabbath and the First Day of Unleavened Bread by Norbert Link, Christoph Sperzel, and Mario Danisch were posted on our German website. The messages which will be given on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread and the following weekly Sabbath by Michael Link, Thilo Hanstein, Christoph Sperzel and Manuel Müller will be recorded and posted soon.

Norbert and Michael Link report that their stay in Germany and their meetings with the brethren have been very enjoyable and successful. We also would like to congratulate Monica Stratila and Philipp Bauer for their wedding which was officiated by Norbert Link.

There will be two baptisms this weekend. Further information will follow

We are also happy to report that our Church organization was registered in Germany and that it has obtained tax-exempt status, effective January 1, 2020.

“The Work is Done,” the sermonette presented in morning services on the First Day of Unleavened Bread by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted in audio only. Here is a summary:

Christ came and said that He accomplished the work given to Him by the Father. But this in no way has precluded us from accomplishing and carrying on with the mighty work that has been given us. We need to be able to come to the point that Christ was at and be able to say that we, too, have finished the work given to each of us.

“Are you a Temple of God?” the sermon presented in morning services on the First Day of Unleavened Bread by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted in audio only. Here is a summary:

The Tabernacle and later the Temple were key components in the lives of the Israelites. God had them very specially and specifically created. The symbols that they stood for still have application for us today. We are to become the actual living temples of God. How do we accomplish this?

“Does it Hurt to Give to God?” the offertory presented in afternoon services on the First Day of Unleavened Bread by Robb Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Our attitude in giving to God is much more important than how much offer. Our humble attitude is the currency God desires as an offering of service to Him.

“Leavened or Unleavened?” the sermon presented in afternoon services on the First Day of Unleavened Bread by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Do you understand the symbolism which leaven plays regarding sin? More importantly, do you know how you can be unleavened–spiritually?

On April 20, 2019, The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins. Services will be broadcast live on Saturday, April 20, 2019. Morning services will begin at 10:00 am Pacific Time, and afternoon services will begin at 3:00 pm Pacific Time. Morning: Sermonette, “Be Careful With Your Words!” and sermon, “Are You a Temple of God?” will be presented by Kalon Mitchell; Afternoon: Offertory will be presented by Robb Harris and the sermon will be presented by Dave Harris, titled, “Leavened or Unleavened?”

The live services are available, over video and audio, at http://eternalgod.org/live-services/

As this Update (#872) is being published and sent out, many of those faithful to the Word of God will have already observed the Passover, the first of God’s annual Feasts. This will be followed by the Feast of Unleavened bread, which contains the first two of God’s commanded annual Holy Days.

These, and those Holy Days and Feasts which follow throughout the year, portray the plan of mankind’s salvation. The ultimate focus is on the role God gave to Jesus Christ in making this plan possible. This is why God the Father sent His Son into the world, and Jesus confirmed this:

“‘I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was'” (John 17:4-5; also, verses 24-25).

The “work” which Jesus “finished” represented two major accomplishments. First He qualified as the Messiah. The Apostle John wrote of the mission given to Jesus: “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14). Jesus said of Himself: “‘…I did not come to [condemn] the world but to save the world'” (John 12:47). Jesus also established the Church of God (Matthew 16:18)–into which those destined for salvation would be called.

Concerning the “glory” which Jesus previously had with the Father, consider the remarkable opening verses in the Book of John:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-3, 14).

Likewise, Paul wrote:

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence (Colossians 1:15-18).

Following the Feast of Pentecost, Peter and John were arrested for preaching in the name of Jesus Christ and questioned for healing a lame man. Peter boldly stated that it was “‘…by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth'” that the man was made whole (Acts 4:10). Then Peter made this powerful declaration:

“‘Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved'” (Acts 4:12).

The Feasts of the LORD are holy convocations (Leviticus 23:2). God has commanded that they be observed in order for us to understand His great plan for mankind’s salvation and the vital role Jesus Christ has in giving us eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

We begin with articles on out-of-control science; reports on the fading international influence of the United States and the United Kingdom and conclude with a report on Finland’s far-right reaction to immigrants.

Chinese Experiment –an Abominable Nightmare!

vox wrote on April 12:

“Scientists in China have created a new kind of monkey. It’s got a human brain gene. And that just might make its intelligence a little bit more like ours.

“That, in turn, makes its fate — and its very existence — very ethically fraught.

“In a study published last month in Beijing’s National Science Review journal, researchers took human copies of the MCPH1 gene, which is believed to play an important role in our brain development, and introduced it into monkey embryos by means of a virus that carried the gene.

“Of the 11 transgenic macaque monkeys they generated, six died. The five survivors went through a series of tests, including MRI brain scans and memory tests. It turned out they didn’t have bigger brains than a control group of macaques, but they did perform better on short-term memory tasks. Their brains also developed over a longer period of time, which is typical of human brains.

“Although the sample size was very small, the scientists excitedly described the study as ‘the first attempt to experimentally interrogate the genetic basis of human brain origin using a transgenic monkey model.’ In other words, part of the point of the study was to help tackle a question about evolution: How did we humans develop our unique brand of intelligence, which has allowed us to innovate in ways other primates can’t?…

“It’s hard to imagine a study like Su’s ever getting the green light in the US, where primate research has come under increasing scrutiny, thanks in part to the work of animal rights advocates. But China is much more open to this kind of research. The country has vast breeding facilities for monkeys, tens of thousands of which it exports each year.”

This research only reflects a little bit of what actually is taking place in the name of science.

Do Pigs Die?

Reuters.com wrote on April 17:

“Yale University scientists have succeeded in restoring basic cellular activity in pigs’ brains hours after their deaths in a finding that may one day lead to advances in treating human stroke and brain injuries, researchers reported on Wednesday.

“The scientists emphasized that their work did not even come close to reawakening consciousness in the disembodied pig brains. In fact the experiment was specifically designed to avoid such an outcome, however improbable.

“Still, the study raises a host of bioethical issues, including questions about the very definition of brain death and potential consequences for protocols related to organ donation.

“The research grew out of efforts to enhance the study of brain development, disorders and evolution. The main practical application is the prospect of allowing scientists to analyze whole brain specimens of large mammals in three dimensions, rather than through studies confined to small tissue samples, Yale said…

“The limited rejuvenation of circulatory function and cellular metabolism in pig brains, which were harvested from animals slaughtered at a meat-packing plant, was achieved four hours after death by infusing the brains with a special chemical solution designed to preserve the tissue.

“‘The intact brain of a large mammal retains a previously underappreciated capacity for restoration of circulation and certain molecular and cellular activities multiple hours after circulatory arrest,’ lead researcher Nenad Sestan said in a Yale press release issued ahead of the study…

“In the meantime, the research could spark new quandaries surrounding the determination of death itself, widely defined by one measure as the irreversible loss of all brain function. The blurring of that line has implications in turn for deciding when doctors are ethically bound to go from preserving a patient’s life to preserving their organs.”

Israeli Researcher Prints a 3D Heart

Bloomberg reported on April 15:

“Israeli researchers have printed a 3D heart using a patient’s own cells, something they say could be used to patch diseased hearts — and possibly, for full transplants.

“The heart the Tel Aviv University team printed in about three hours is too small for humans — about 2.5 centimeters, or the size of a rabbit’s heart. But it’s the first to be printed with all blood vessels, ventricles and chambers, using an ink made from the patient’s own biological materials.

“‘It’s completely biocompatible and matches the patient,’ reducing the chances of rejection inside the body, said Tal Dvir, the professor who directed the project.

“Researchers took fatty tissue from a patient, then separated it into cellular and non-cellular components. The cells were then “reprogrammed” to become stem cells, which turned into heart cells. The non-cellular materials were turned into a gel that served as the bio-ink for printing, Dvir explained…

“‘Patients will no longer have to wait for transplants or take medications to prevent their rejection,’ the press release said. ‘Instead, the needed organs will be printed, fully personalized for every patient.’”

Note what God said of mankind’s capacity at the tower of Babel: “And the LORD said, ‘Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them’” (Genesis 11:6).

Don’t Bully Us!

Politico reported on April 10:

“Manfred Weber, the European People’s Party’s lead candidate to be Commission president, warned Washington not to ‘play with’ the EU when it comes to trade.

“‘It must be clear that when we sit together, we are working together as partners on an equal, level playing field,’ Weber said at an event hosted by the Bruegel think tank in Brussels.

“‘We cannot be forced to do something. That must be clear. So if there is one action, one concrete [trade] activity against us — steel, Airbus or car industry — then Europe has to answer, no doubt about this. And that must be a decisive and a strong answer. So, don’t play with us.’

“His comments come a day after the U.S. released a list of $11 billion worth of European goods — including wine, cheese and helicopters — that could be hit with punitive tariffs in a long-running dispute over subsidies for airplane manufacturer Airbus.”

Mussolini’s Great Gandson—Now a Possible Far-right Candidate

The Washington Post reported on April 18:

“During the political convention last weekend of the Italian far right party Fratelli D’Italia (FDI), leader Giorgia Meloni described its platform as ‘revolutionary.’ She vowed to ‘change everything in Europe’ and to move ‘Europe’s capital’ to Rome. While FDI’s campaign for the upcoming European Parliament elections abounds in predictions for the future, the party also seems to have an eye fixed on the country’s past — more specifically, its fascist past under Benito Mussolini.

Earlier this month, Meloni announced in a Facebook video that Mussolini’s great grandson, Caio Giulio Cesare Mussolini, will run with the party in the May 26 elections. The video was shot in front of Rome’s Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, a well-known 1940s example of fascist architecture.

There’s little doubt that Mussolini was nominated because of — not despite — his relationship to Il Duce, who ruled from 1922 to 1943. Both Meloni and Mussolini avoided explicit references to fascist ideology, but Mussolini repeatedly hinted he views his great grandfather as an inspiration.

Russia Challenges U.S. Leadership in the World

Newsweek wrote on April 13:

“Russia’s top diplomat has argued that the world is losing faith in the United States as a global leader and that the international community has sought a more diverse approach to global decision making.

“At an annual address to Moscow’s diplomatic academy, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hailed on Friday a new geopolitical era marked by ‘multipolarity,’ stating that ‘the emergence of new centers of power to maintain stability in the world requires the search for a balance of interests and compromises.’ He said there is a shift in the center of global economic power to East from West, where a “liberal order” marked by globalization was ‘losing its attractiveness and is no more viewed as a perfect model for all.’…

“Washington and Moscow, rival superpowers during the decades-long Cold War, have somewhat resumed their bout for global influence in the 21st century. Russian President Vladimir Putin has set to restore and revamp his country’s military and political posture, which were deeply damaged in the collapse of the Soviet Union, leaving the U.S. entirely unmatched.

“Despite President Donald Trump’s promises of detente, the U.S. has doubled down on sanctions and other measures designed to push back against the Kremlin since the Republican leader entered the White House. Trump and Putin, once seen as potential political allies, have continued to feud over conflicts in Ukraine and Syria and, at times, have both found themselves largely isolated internationally.

“The Trump administration has repeatedly threatened sanctions against several nations, including allies, for not adhering to its policies targeting stated foes such as Iran, North Korea, Syria and Venezuela.”

Indeed, the United States is having less and less the final say on global issues as other nations step in.

U.K.’s Tarnished Global Image

U.S.News wrote on April 17:

“When it comes to Brexit, the United Kingdom’s now delayed divorce from the European Union, the British public is still deeply divided on whether it’s a good idea. But there’s one thing that a sizable majority of voters agree on: the Conservative government of Prime Minister Theresa May bungled the negotiations with the EU.

“A mere 7 percent of Britons say the talks have gone well, according to recently published data from the National Centre for Social Research. Meanwhile, 80 percent of Leave voters and 85 percent of Remainers say it’s been a mess.

“And much of the rest of the world agrees.

“The shambolic Brexit haggling and Parliament’s subsequent inability to coalesce around any final agreement have badly dented the United Kingdom’s once sterling international standing as a leading parliamentary democracy and a diplomatic powerhouse, experts in international relations say.

“’It’s caused significant damage to the U.K.’s reputation,’ says Jamie Gaskarth, a senior lecturer in politics and foreign relations at the University of Birmingham.

“Britain’s impotence in the negotiations was on display last Wednesday when May met with the 27 other EU leaders in Brussels to plead for a short delay of Brexit. She wanted more time to win parliamentary approval for either the withdrawal agreement she and the EU spent two years hammering out, or a modified version of it. Britain was initially scheduled to exit the bloc on March 29. But days before that deadline, the EU granted it an extension to April 12. May wanted to stretch that out until June 30. Instead, the EU leaders extended the deadline by six months, to Oct. 31.

Brexit will continue to unravel the U.K.—both at home and internationally!

Immigration Issues Rise in Finland

Afp.com reported on April 13:

“In the remote, northern Finnish town of Oulu where he has lived for seven years, Syrian-born Jabo Waleed recently started feeling that some people’s behaviour towards him was becoming less welcoming…

“Waleed’s experiences have been echoed by many other immigrants across Finland, since police in Oulu announced in December the arrest of nine suspects — all of whom had arrived in the EU country as refugees or asylum seekers — for suspected sexual offences against minors. A handful of similar arrests followed in subsequent months.

“The heavily publicised incidents spread outrage through Finland, and helped the far-right, populist Finns Party capitalise on anti-immigration sentiment ahead of Sunday’s legislative elections.

“The Finns Party’s election manifesto, released after the arrests, goes into detail about a perceived security risk posed by immigrants, particularly in the areas of sexual assault and terrorism.

“After three years as the fifth largest party in public opinion polls, pre-election forecasts put Finns Party support at around 16 percent, which could make it the second largest party after Sunday.”

Hard-line anti-immigration positions are fueling far-right political parties across Europe, and that will lead to a dramatic change in national leadership.

In the book of James, chapter 1 and verses 2-3, we read: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”

In Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible we read that to count it all joy is to “regard it as a thing to rejoice in; a matter which should afford you happiness. You are not to consider it as a punishment, a curse, or a calamity, but as a fit subject of felicitation (an expression of such joy or acknowledgment).”

Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible observes: “Count it all joy … Did not Christ say, ‘Blessed are ye when men shall persecute you … rejoice and be exceeding glad’? (Matthew 5:11,12). This is exactly the thought of James here.”

Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible gives this explanation: “All joy. The first exhortation is, to bear trials with a cheerful mind. And it was especially necessary at that time to comfort the Jews, almost overwhelmed as they were with troubles. For the very name of the nation was so infamous, that they were hated and despised by all people wherever they went; and their condition as Christians rendered them still more miserable, because they held their own nation as their most inveterate enemies. At the same time, this consolation was not so suited to one time, but that it is always useful to believers, whose life is a constant warfare on earth.”

It is, perhaps, one of the most difficult instructions in the Bible for most Christians to deal with.  The Bible is replete with examples of hardships and difficulties that God-fearing individuals have encountered and overcome, as well as difficulties encountered by the true Church of God which is made up by spirit-begotten members.

In 2 Corinthians 12:7 the apostle Paul wrote: “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.”  Whilst he was not healed in this life, he will be when he is resurrected at Christ’s return. James, the half-brother of Christ, showed how we should react in a crisis or crises and we will all have known the joy when such a crisis or crises have passed.

We have to accept that we will have suffering in this life, in one way or another, as all other people do. However, as someone called by God, we may well have more trials because God wants to see how we react when confronted by such difficulties. Will we just give in or will we show the necessary resilience, the ability to recover quickly from illness, change, or other difficulties?  To make it into the Kingdom of God, we have to show character and nothing less will do.

Further, it would be unrealistic to expect to live a full life and never have any test, trial or difficulty.   If we never had problems, it wouldn’t be real life.   Think of the joy when we are healed of a disease; when we overcome what may have seemed at one time an insurmountable obstacle, and when see our family, friends and church members also succeed where it may not have been realistic to expect such an outcome.   If there is not a trial in the first place, there is no possibility of joy that such a positive outcome would bring.

We can have trials in many different ways: spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally, psychologically and financially, and it is how we deal with these that really counts.

There are a number of Scriptures that follow through on this principle (our emphasis by underlining).

Romans 5:3-4:

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

James 1:12; the subheading is “Loving God Under Trials”:

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

James 5:10-11:

“My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”

1 Peter 1:6:

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials…”

2 Corinthians 12:10:

“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Colossians 1:24; the subheading is: “Sacrificial Service for Christ”:

“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church…”

1 Peter 4:12-19; the subheading is: “Suffering for God’s glory”:

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.  If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.  On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.  For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?  Now ‘If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?’  Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.”

Let us go back to James 1:2-3 and look at what one online writer wrote:

“In order to understand what James is doing, let’s put three definitions underneath all of this. ‘Joy’ is not glib, naive happiness. The Bible refers to joy as contentment in Christ above all else. ‘Steadfastness’ carries similar connotations. It means to be confidently rooted in Christ; in other words, it means that all of our confidence comes from belonging to him, not depending on our own effort or resources. ‘Faith’ is believing that the promises of God that we cannot yet see or feel as reality will someday come true, because He said so.

“Now, we can rephrase what James is telling us, and ask how it is possible to live out these words. He is saying, ‘Seek to be happy in Christ above anything else, and you will find that, even in trials, He will prove Himself and make His promises real to you again.’ By implication, then, it will be worth it. All of it will be worth it.”

And so, coming back to the question “How Can We Count it All Joy When We Go Through Various Trials?”, we can state the answer in this way: Put simply, because we cannot hurdle these obstacles successfully through our own power, they drive us to seek help from God.  There is the joy of trusting God even when things are not going in the direction that we would want and it can also demonstrate that our future life in God’s Family means more to us than our current plight.

Yes, it can be difficult, very difficult at times, but when we see the “big picture” and realise that our current existence is but a training ground for eternity, then we can move on towards our goal with joy and excitement even when we are suffering many trials in this life.   Many of us in the Church of God may still struggle with this instruction but although it can be difficult in our current frame, it can be done.   In fact, it must be done so that God can see that we trust Him in everything.

Let us consider this matter very seriously and do, as this admonition in James exhorts us to do.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

compiled by Dave Harris

Norbert Link and Michael Link have travelled to Germany for observing the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread with the brethren there.

“How Can We Know That Christ’s Return Is Near?” our newest booklet, written by Norbert Link, has entered its second review cycle.

“Quarrelling With God Over Being Gay?” is the title of our newest StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Breitbart reported that IN Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who is openly gay and married to his husband Chasten, recently stated that his marriage has moved him closer to God and that those who have a problem with his sexual orientation (such as Vice President Mike Pence) are quarrelling with his creator. He also said, according to CNN, that those who don’t share his views are hypocrites and act in a way not consistent with scripture taught in church. What DOES God’s Word say about all of this?

“Being On Guard,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Kalon Mitchell, is now posted. Here is a summary:

It is our duty as Christians to stand guard against the many pitfalls this world has to offer. If we are not focused on this at all times we can fall, loose our way and potentially loose everything we have worked so hard for.

“The Nonsense of Atheism,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Brian Gale, is now posted. Here is a summary:

There is plenty of evidence for God, from people’s personal experience, to the complexity, interdependence, beauty and design of the natural world.  This sermon examines a number of irrefutable truths about the necessity for a great Creator God.

On April 6, 2019, Brian Gale will present the sermonette, titled, “Clearing the Decks” and Rene Messier will present the sermon, titled, “A Better World Now.”

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.

NOTE: The Update will not be published next week due to our 2019 Church Conference currently being conducted in Escondido, California.

The gods of this world go by many names and they belong to many religions. They have different origin stories and mythologies surrounding them. They each have purported special powers to allegedly influence the lives of their followers, for better or worse. And each of those gods figuratively competes for the top post, positioned above the others. Yet, there is only one true God, who puts all others to shame.

Since you are reading this editorial, there’s a strong likelihood that you proclaim your god to be the one true God; the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and all that lives upon it; the God who blessed Abraham because of his obedience; the God who is a Family, consisting of the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ; the God whose plan involves increasing His Family to include as many of mankind as will obey Him. If this is the one whom you proclaim to be your God, you do well.

However, merely claiming that He is our God is not enough. Do our actions prove it? The question of who our God is can be answered by observing whom we serve. Is the one we serve the same as the God that we proclaim, or do our actions provide contrary evidence? The way that we behave shows how we set our priorities in deed, and points to the God — or false god — in our life.

The first commandment provides us with a very clear instruction. That is, we are to have one God, who is the Eternal, and serve none other. As simple as this commandment is, we need to fully recognize what it means. It is not enough to proclaim that we are Christians who worship the true God. It is not enough to merely claim that we believe the Truth of the Bible. We have to obey God as well. If we choose not to serve God by obeying His commandments, we choose instead to serve someone or something else, and that in turn becomes our god. Any time we prioritize the desires we have above the obedience to God, we break that first commandment to serve the one true God.

Perhaps the one whom we serve is ourselves. Do we allow our own wants to get in the way of following God’s instructions? Do we choose to interpret the Bible in a way that is convenient to us, and ignore the Scriptures that contradict those interpretations? If we fall into these kinds of self-deceptive traps of pride, it can be very difficult to snap out of them and wake up to the Truth. The only way to protect ourselves from the trap of pride is to dedicate our love to God and His Way of Life, and objectively live by His instructions rather than the desires of our own.

Paul provides a warning about people who do not serve the true God in his letter to the Philippians, “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things” (Philippians 3:18-19). Clearly, those whom Paul describes have the wrong focus in their lives. By seeking earthly pleasures of an immediate nature, rather than the spiritual fulfillment of righteous living, they choose the way that leads to death. It’s a grim ending for those who choose to turn from God and serve themselves.

Fortunately, if we are called, we can always correct our path by recognizing that we have gone astray and repent of our sins. If we want our God to be the one true God, we must show it through our willingness to serve Him with obedience.

by Norbert Link

We begin with the broken immigration system in the USA; address President Trump’s chances for reelection (please view our recent StandingWatch program, “Does President Trump fulfill a preordained role?”); and speak on gun glorification and the growing acceptance of sex outside marriage.

We continue with recent developments in the ongoing Brexit saga, which are all bad for Britain; and report on deepening tensions between US and Germany and strong criticism against Pope Francis.

We address frightening and deeply disturbing developments regarding the push for mandatory vaccinations. In this regard, please view our new StandingWatch program, “The Dangerous Vaccination Paranoia.” 

We also speak on developments in Turkey and President Erdogan’s defeat in local elections, as well as tensions between Turkey and the USA; and we conclude with a report confirming the long-held belief that asteroids killed the dinosaurs.

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

Illegal Immigrants–Entire System Broken

USA Today wrote on March 31:

“Along the Texas border with Mexico – from El Paso to Eagle Pass to the Rio Grande Valley – masses of migrants have been crossing the border in unprecedented numbers, overwhelming federal holding facilities and sending local leaders and volunteers scrambling to deal with the relentless waves of people. Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said… that the border had hit its ‘breaking point’ and urged Congress to come up with legislative solutions to the problem. Border Patrol officials were on pace in March for more than 100,000 apprehensions and encounters with migrants – the highest monthly tally in over a decade, he said. Around 90 percent of those – or 90,000 – crossed the border between legal ports of entry… ‘The surge numbers are just overwhelming the entire system,’ McAleenan said.

“President Donald Trump recently declared a national emergency at the border to secure funding for a proposed wall, despite Congressional opposition. On Friday, the president in a tweet threatened to close the U.S.-Mexico border if Mexico didn’t stop undocumented migrants from coming. But not even Trump’s proposed wall could stop the wave of migrants overflowing shelters in the Rio Grande Valley, where the vast majority are turning themselves in to apply for asylum, McAllen Mayor Jim Darling said. A wall would go up on levees about a mile from the winding Rio Grande, which is the U.S.-Mexico border. Migrants will just have to cross the river to be in U.S. territory and seek asylum, he said…

“Once in the U.S., the migrants – mostly families from Central America – are crowding into facilities designed to hold single adult men… Increasingly, smugglers are bringing larger numbers of families together and delivering them across the Rio Grande, knowing they’ll overrun facilities and be released until their immigration court date… Under U.S. law, Border Patrol is not supposed to hold any migrant for longer than 72 hours. Usually, Border Patrol hands them over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which can detain families for up to 20 days. But all of those facilities are overcrowded…”

Breitbart wrote on March 31:

“… at current projections of illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, Catch and Release levels, and visa overstays, the nation is set to admit and resettle about one million to 1.5 million border crossers and illegal aliens this year.

“… Center for Immigration Studies Executive Director Mark Krikorian compared the flood of illegal immigration to the European migrant crisis, which remains ongoing, where the continent saw nearly 2.5 million illegal crossings into the Mediterranean in 2015 and 2016. ‘We are seeing an Angela Merkel-style disaster on the border caused by loopholes in our laws that the Democrats refuse to even consider changing,’ Krikorian told Politico.”

For decades, the USA has been struggling unsuccessfully with its broken immigration system. This will not change.

Trump on Track for Huge Landside Victory in 2020

Politico wrote on March 26:

“U.S. President Donald Trump has a low approval rating…

“But if the election were held today, he’d likely ride to a second term in a huge landslide, according to multiple economic models with strong track records of picking presidential winners and losses. Credit a strong U.S. economy featuring low unemployment, rising wages and low gas prices — along with the historic advantage held by incumbent presidents.”

Gun Glorification

The Sun wrote on March 29:

“Millennials are flooding Instagram with snaps of themselves brandishing deadly guns… The trend follows an alarming rise in gun violence and mass shootings, with latest figures revealing there were 39,773 gun deaths in the US in 2017 – the highest on record in the country –  and more than 2700 this year alone. Last year there were 340 mass shootings, including a spate of bloody school gun attacks.

“The grim statistic prompted CNN to claim that at one stage in 2018, there was the equivalent of one school shooting per week… Yet despite the gun violence epidemic, a growing number of young Americans are ‘glorifying’ firearms by posting ‘countless’ pictures and videos to hundreds of thousands of followers… Thousands of people post gun snaps each day…”

There will come a time when people’s fascination with guns will cease, and when they will destroy their guns or beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.

Sex Outside Marriage Just Fine?

npr wrote on March 29:

“Until this week, sex between unmarried people in Utah was technically illegal, a vestige of earlier times. That changed Wednesday, when Gov. Gary Herbert signed a bill that decriminalizes sex outside of marriage in the state… Utah’s 1973 fornication law designated sex outside of marriage as a class B misdemeanor. The act carried a possible penalty of up to six months in jail or a maximum fine of $1,000. Utah was among only a few states that retained these laws.

“State Senate Minority Leader Karen Mayne sponsored the bill… ‘You hear all over the U.S. how you have antiquated laws about horses in the streets and all kinds of things, so we wanted to make them modern-day, in the now,’ Mayne says… State Rep. Paul Ray called the 1973 fornication law unenforceable…”

We are not addressing here the aspect of criminal prosecution, but it is clear that God condemns fornication and sex outside marriage, including adultery. Even though a sin is a sin and every sin can be forgiven upon genuine repentance, fornication in all its different forms and adultery are not light transgressions or petty offenses, but serious and destructive violations of God’s law.  

Brexit Disaster

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 29:

“The Conservative government lost its Brexit vote in the House of Commons on Friday by a margin of 58 votes, on the day the UK had been scheduled to leave the EU… The result means the UK has failed to meet a 2300 UTC deadline and thus loses the automatic extension of the Article 50 negotiating period until May 22, which the EU had offered last week. The British government now has to propose a new way forward to the EU by April 12 — or revoke the Article 50 it triggered to leave the bloc. Otherwise, the UK will have left the EU without a deal…

“The European Commission [stated] a ‘No-deal scenario on 12 April is now likely,’ adding that the benefits of the Withdrawal Agreement would not be replicated under such circumstances. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas echoed the Commission’s comments: ‘We are running out of time to prevent a disorderly Brexit,’ he wrote on Twitter on Friday. ‘The British must decide before April 12 how to proceed. Otherwise, it is a No-deal Brexit, as tough as that would be. Germany and the EU are well prepared in any case.’”

No More Brexit Delay?

Daily Mail wrote on March 30:

“Theresa May faces an insurrection after more than half of Conservative MPs demanded that Brexit should not be delayed by more than a few months. A letter calling for Britain to leave the EU soon, even if it means a no-deal Brexit, was signed by 170 of the 330 Tory Members of Parliament and sent to the Prime Minister after her withdrawal deal was rejected for a third time on Friday. As many as 10 Cabinet ministers… and 20 other members of the Government are believed to have signed the letter…”

Brexit Disaster Deepens

The Sun wrote on April 2:

“BRITAIN’S squabbling MPs tonight plunged the country into further Brexit chaos by voting against every possible way forward – AGAIN. The House of Commons rejected four different Brexit options leaving the UK more deadlocked than ever…”

Newsmax added on April 1:

“The European Parliament’s Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt, warned that a no-deal Brexit was looming unless Britain changed course. ‘The House of Commons again votes against all options,’ he tweeted. ‘A hard Brexit becomes nearly inevitable…”

In Case of a No-Deal Brexit

The EUObserver wrote on April 3:

“EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday (3 April) ruled out another short extension to the Brexit deadline in a speech to MEPs, if the Brexit withdrawal agreement is not adopted by British lawmakers by 12 April. Juncker said that British MPs – if they want to have another short extension – first need to vote to pass the deal already negotiated between the UK government and the EU.”

The EUObserver wrote on April 4:

“MEPs Thursday approved a law allowing British citizens visa-free travel to the EU’s Schengen passport-free zone for 90 day trips, under a no-deal Brexit. The waiver will depend on Britain providing the same rights to EU travellers. The bill was passed after EU countries, supporting Spain, pushed the EU parliament to remove a British MEP from the file, which describes Gibraltar as a ‘colony of the British crown’…

“[All EU-27 members agreed that the] EU will immediately introduce customs checks and collect import duties [for incoming goods] in the event of Britain leaving the bloc without a withdrawal agreement on 12 April…”

Brexit and Merkel as Holy Roman Emperor?

The Week wrote on March 29:

“What if there are not enough votes for an extension, though? Or if the E.U., which has already granted a delay till April 12, refuses to play ball? (I for one hope for the latter, if only to imagine German Chancellor Angela Merkel triumphing once more in the autumnal twilight of her reign as the greatest Holy Roman Emperor since Frederick II.)

“What would a no-deal Brexit actually look like? Who knows. It is to this unknown country that many Brexit hardliners wish to venture and never return. It is difficult to believe all the metropolitan liberal horror stories about food shortages and the end of air travel and mobs of St. George Cross-waving thugs roaming the streets burning cafés and gelaterias… It is also difficult to believe that the whole thing will not be a logistical nightmare…”

Even if we were to accept the concept of Merkel fulfilling the role of a Holy Roman Emperor, she would not have been the first since Frederick II, as Napoleon and Mussolini fulfilled that role as well… and the last personification and manifestation of a Holy Roman Emperor will arise soon on the world stage.

Trump Can’t Wait

Breitbart wrote on March 29:

“President Trump’s National Security Advisor John Bolton has offered some words of assurances to the British people… ‘We’re standing here waiting to make a trade deal with a United Kingdom independent of the European Union,’ Mr Bolton continued, in an optimistic note… ‘President Trump is eager for the will of the British people to be carried out and he is even more eager to do a trade deal…’

“At the time of the historic 2016 vote, and since, President Donald Trump has been a supporter of Brexit and the prospect of a strong U.S.-UK bilateral trade deal… ‘He thinks that the EU rules discriminate against American trade, and he wants a free, fare, and reciprocal trade with Great Britain.’… ‘Britain had a referendum, the Leave vote won in what everybody agrees was a free and fair election; doesn’t the will of the British people get to be carried out?’”

It would be interesting to see if the prophesied Brexit will lead to a closer collaboration between the USA and the UK against the wishes and interests of the EU.

The Humiliation of Britain

The New Statesman America wrote on March 27:

“We are reduced to this. A humiliated, supplicant British prime minister sitting alone in a Brussels side room for six hours while the rest of the European Union discusses our fate. A government no longer capable of governing. A country that has become a byword for chaos and dysfunction.

“A sundered ‘United Kingdom’. Hundreds of thousands of Britons seeking citizenship in other EU states. Industry howling in rage and frustration. MPs needing police protection. People stockpiling food and medicines. The public discourse poisoned. Families split. Friends riven. The military on standby in case of civil unrest…

“It is… an epic act of self-harm brought about not by some war or disaster but by our own stupidity. And the true ‘enemies of the people’ are… those whose lies, zealotry, and political recklessness have all but broken Britain…”

Ongoing and Deepening Tensions between US and German Relationship

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 1:

“The news that Germany won’t meet defense spending targets set by NATO plays badly in the US, even among friends of the country. It is just the latest in a string of issues fueling tension between Berlin and Washington.

“There arguably would never have been a good moment for Berlin to renege on its planned increase in defense spending. But to do it in the run-up to NATO celebrating its 70th anniversary in Washington is particularly bad timing. Germany’s latest projection that it now won’t even meet the 1,5 percent mark it set itself was met with dismay.

“‘There is very little understanding in the United States, quite frankly — whether among Republicans or Democrats — for the German government’s reluctance to meet the 2 percent of the GDP spending target,’ said Jeff Rathke, president of the American Institute for Contemporary Studies at Johns Hopkins University, ‘and even less understanding for the current wobbliness with respect to the 1.5 percent of GDP target which Chancellor Merkel and other German leaders just a few months ago affirmed.’

“Republican Senator Rand Paul, a member of the foreign relations committee, lashed out on Twitter at Berlin’s projected military spending, writing that ‘Germany expects the US to pay for their defense.’…

“[Germany’s] move threatens to chip away at the public perception that Germany is a reliable player at a time when trans-Atlantic ties are challenged by a US president who is deeply skeptical about Washington’s European allies and especially Germany…

“Complicating matters further, Berlin’s defense spending is only the latest among a range of contested issues between the US and German governments: President Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on German cars, US opposition against the planned Nord Stream 2 pipeline and against allowing Chinese telecoms giant Huawei to build Germany’s new 5G network — all have increased the friction between Washington and Berlin…”

These tensions will continue.

Germany’s Lacking Defense Spending

Deutsche Welle reported on April 4:

“Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen repeated the government’s pledge to spend more on defense, albeit in smaller increments than Washington would like. Germany plans to increase its defense spending to 1.5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2024 and will then try to hit NATO’s 2 percent target at an unspecified point in the future… The comments came… amid hefty criticism from US President Donald Trump and others in his administration over Germany’s contributions. ‘It is simply unacceptable for Europe’s largest economy to continue to ignore the threat of Russian aggression and neglect its own self-defense and our common defense,’ Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday.

“Despite attempting to dispel doubts about Berlin’s commitment to the military alliance, the German government suffered an embarrassing slip-up on Thursday when a NATO motion [calling for strengthening the military alliance as the backbone of European and trans-Atlantic security] barely passed through parliament…

“Germany is hurting its credibility by not holding to its pledge to significantly increase defense spending, said Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who took over from Merkel as the head of the Christian Democrats in December. The low rate at which Germany has upped its defense spending is ‘one of the biggest political open flanks that we have in debates with the United States,’ Kramp-Karrenbauer told the Heilbronner Stimme newspaper.

“Germany’s opposition, on the other hand, is reluctant to hold to the 2 percent spending target…”

Bild Online reported on April 4 that more and more Germans are against Germany’s membership in NATO. In 2019, only 54 percent of Germans are in support of membership in NATO, while 68 percent expressed support in 2017. In addition, only 31 percent of Germans would be in favor of defending the USA, while 41 percent would be against it.  Finally, the EUObserver wrote on April 4 that “Turkey and Germany have defended their ties with Russia following strident criticism by the US at a Nato event in Washington.”

Fox Business Network Critical of Pope Francis

Newsmax wrote on April 1:

“Fox Business Network host Elizabeth MacDonald took a sharp jab Monday at the spiritual leader of more than 1 billion Catholics, chastising Pope Francis as ‘weak’ on communism, socialism, and border walls… [It] came a day after the pope told reporters that those who build border walls would ‘become prisoners of the walls they put up,’ adding: ‘This is history’…

“Fellow Fox Business Network host Stuart Varney interpreted the pope’s Sunday admonition as a shot at President Donald Trump, with MacDonald calling it an example of the pope getting ‘political.’ MacDonald later added that her point was the pope is failing to criticize ‘the governments that cause these migrant outflows.’…

“During the 2016 presidential election, Pope Francis said it was ‘not Christian’ for a person to think ‘only about building walls.’ And Trump responded by calling the remarks ‘disgraceful.’”

Anti-Semitism Outbreak because of Measles Outbreak

The New York Times wrote on March 29:

“A measles outbreak in this suburban New York county… has also intensified long-smoldering tensions between the rapidly expanding and insular ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and secular society… Hasidic leaders said they feared not only a rise in anti-Semitism but an invasion of their cloistered community by the authorities under the guise of public health. On Tuesday, county officials took the extraordinary step of announcing a state of emergency, barring unvaccinated children under 18 from public places, including restaurants, shopping centers, houses of worship [including churches and synagogues] and schools…

“About 31 percent of the population is Jewish, according to the state, and includes one of the largest concentrations of ultra-Orthodox Jews in the country… fear of vaccines has spread around the world in recent years, with childhood vaccination rates reportedly declining in several countries as a result. Nothing in the belief system of Orthodox Jews makes them any more likely to oppose vaccines, and several Orthodox rabbinical organizations have called on parents to vaccinate their children. But Hasidic Jews… and some ultra-Orthodox rabbis have come out against vaccines…

“Steve Gold, the chairman of the Jewish Community Relations Council for the Jewish Federation of Rockland [was] saying the move by county officials risked exacerbating the anti-Semitism that already existed in the area before the measles crisis…

“The anxiety over the outbreak has spread from the aisles at the kosher supermarkets where women in head-coverings pushed shopping carts laden with babies and goods for the coming Passover holiday, to the ritual bathhouses or mikvahs. In children’s clothing shops, mothers buying Sabbath finery traded stories about friends with sickened children. Near a strip mall that sold religious candelabra and fur hats, a group of teenage boys tugged at the prayer threads that hung at their waists, discussing whether they would hang out with unvaccinated friends…

“The anti-vaccine movement is rooted in a belief that the inoculations are linked to autism… A group called Parents Educating and Advocating for Children’s Health, or Peach, has also released an anti-vaccination handbook directed at Hasidic Jews… Fault lines have appeared within the Orthodox community as well, where its leadership has been struggling not only to push those who fail to immunize their children to get vaccinations, but against the false perception that Hasidim as a whole are against vaccination…”

We have purposefully omitted quoting from the article the typical stereotype but unfounded support for vaccinations and the polemic against those refusing vaccinations. But the hype and hysteria advocating vaccinations have led to mean antagonism against those who refuse to do so. Note the next article.

Frightening–Arizona’s Violation of Parent’s Rights

The Independent wrote on March 30:

“With guns drawn, the police officers broke down the door of the suburban Phoenix home in the early hours of a February morning. ‘Come out with your hands up!’ an officer yelled, with the dark front porch and foyer inside suddenly flooded with light from the officers’ flashlights. The target of the raid: an unvaccinated 2-year-old boy with a high fever. Video from the officers’ body cameras that was released on Thursday shows that moments later, the child’s father emerges, walking out backward with his hands over his head. The boy’s mother then comes out, too, cradling her young son in her arms. The boy was whisked away to a hospital, and since that raid on 25 February, he and the couple’s two other children, aged 4 and 6, have been in the state’s custody. The parents have been charged with child abuse…

“Under Arizona law, parents may decline vaccinations for their child based on personal, religious or medical exemptions. But that law is in opposition to the ‘parens patriae’ theory, a centuries-old principle that empowers the state to look after the interests of children and others unable to care for themselves… Police records show that on 25 February, Ms Beck had taken her 2-year-old boy to a clinic, where his temperature was recorded at above 100 degrees. The child’s doctor became concerned that he could have meningitis, after learning that he was lethargic and had not been vaccinated. Ms Beck was told to take him to an emergency room. ‘I called the doctor back and said, “Hey, I’m not sure how you got this 105 reading, my son’s acting fine,”’ Ms Beck told a local TV station. ‘”This doesn’t really seem like a medical emergency.”’

“The child’s doctor, after learning Ms Beck had ignored the recommendation to take the child to the hospital and having follow-up phone calls to the family go unanswered, then contacted the Arizona Department of Child Safety. Asked to do a welfare check, police officers later arrived at the family’s door, but were not allowed in… An emergency court order was issued, allowing police to take the child into custody…

“The boy was eventually found to have a respiratory illness. A judge has told the child’s parents that the state wants them to regain custody of their children, but it was unclear when that would happen.”

So, the overzealous doctor whose pride had been hurt, was wrong; the overzealous welfare department was wrong; the overzealous court was wrong; the overzealous police, following the court’s decision, were wrong; and the overzealous prosecution was wrong. Still, the children were taken away from the parents who have been charged with child abuse. Now, a judge, after recognizing the error of the state’s ways, wants the parents to regain custody, but it is unclear whether and how the state will cooperate.

 We should remember that this is even happening in a state which allows refusal of vaccinations (which had really nothing to do with this case anyhow, except for the overzealous players in this affair) for personal, religious and medical exemptions. Please view our most recent StandingWatch program, “The DangerousVaccination Paranoia.” 

Erdogan Suffers Defeat in Ankara and Istanbul

BBC wrote on April 1:

“The party of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lost control of the capital, Ankara, in local elections, in a blow to his 16-year rule. The main opposition is also slightly ahead in the contest for mayor of Istanbul. But the president’s AKP party is challenging the result in both cities…

“With most media either pro-government or controlled by Mr Erdogan’s supporters, critics believe opposition parties campaigned at a disadvantage. Mr Erdogan’s rallies dominated TV coverage.

“The opposition pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) said the elections were unfair and refused to put forward candidates in several cities. Some of its leaders have been jailed on terrorism charges, accusations they reject.”

US Halts Delivery of Equipment for Fighter Aircraft to Turkey

Reuters reported on April 1:

“The United States has halted delivery of equipment related to the stealthy F-35 fighter aircraft to Turkey, marking the first concrete U.S. step to block delivery of the jet to the NATO ally in light of Ankara’s planned purchase of a Russian missile defense system… Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has refused to back down from Ankara’s planned purchase of a Russian S-400 missile defense system that the United States has said would compromise the security of F-35 aircraft.

“The disagreement over the F-35 is the latest of a series of diplomatic disputes between the United States and Turkey including Turkish demands that the United States extradite Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, differences over Middle East policy and the war in Syria, and sanctions on Iran…”

It was also stated in the press that this development represents a major escalation in the relationship between Turkey and the USA.

Asteroid Killed the Dinosaurs

The Washington Post wrote on March 29:

“Sixty-six million years ago, a massive asteroid crashed into a shallow sea near Mexico. The impact carved out a 90-mile-wide crater and flung mountains of earth into space. Earthbound debris fell to the planet in droplets of molten rock and glass.

“Ancient fish caught glass blobs in their gills as they swam, gape-mouthed, beneath the strange rain. Large, sloshing waves threw animals onto dry land, then more waves buried them in silt. Scientists working in North Dakota recently dug up fossils of these fish: They died within the first minutes or hours after the asteroid hit... ‘You’re going back to the day that the dinosaurs died,’ said Timothy Bralower, a Pennsylvania State University paleoceanographer who is studying the impact crater…

“The killer asteroid most famously claimed the dinosaurs. But the T. rex and the triceratops were joined by hordes of other living things. Freshwater and marine creatures were victims, as were plants and microorganisms, including 93 percent of plankton…

“Four decades of research buttresses the asteroid extinction theory, widely embraced as the most plausible explanation for the disappearance of dinosaurs. In the late 1970s, Luis and Walter Alvarez, a father-son scientist duo at the University of California at Berkeley, examined an unusual geologic layer between the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods. The boundary was full of the element iridium, which is rare in Earth’s crust but not in asteroids…

“After the asteroid struck, seismic waves from a magnitude 10 to 11 earthquake rippled through this sea…”

The Daily Mail added on March 30:

“… a paleontologist has finally confirmed something he’s long suspected – in the heart of North Dakota lies a prehistoric ‘killing field’ that may be the best evidence yet of the events that occurred during Earth’s most notorious mass extinction. Fossilized fish, vegetation, mammals, insects, marine reptiles, and even part of a Triceratops lay piled atop one another, preserving for eternity the moment a 30-foot wall of water pummelled the landscape and buried all living creatures in its path… it’s the first ‘mass death assemblage’ of large lifeforms that’s ever been found from the dinosaur extinction event.”

Without addressing the accuracy or inaccuracy of the estimated time of the crash, it is clear that huge catastrophes caused the extinction of ALL animals on earth, making it “void and empty,” followed by the recreation of the surface of the earth and the creation of man. Please read our free booklets, “The Theory of Evolution—a Fairy Tale for Adults?” and “Heavens and Earth… Before and After the First Man.”

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.

First of all, let us get some definitions.

WikiDiff gives the following explanation of these terms:

“As adverbs the difference between willingly and willfully is that willingly is of one’s own free will; freely and spontaneously while willfully is in a willful manner. It often means ‘purposely disobeying; purposely being contrary; purposely doing something wrong’.”

As we will see, this definition is close, but not close enough. Every day, true Christians wrestle against sin and the pulls of the flesh and Ephesians 6:12 also gives further information about our struggles: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

A spiritual giant in the New Testament, the apostle Paul, struggled as we do, as we read in Romans 7:19-20: “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.  Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.”

One website makes these incorrect comments: “Because of the sin nature that dwells within us, there’s a very real sense in which we often sin against our own wills (Romans 7). But we shouldn’t take this idea too far. It’s equally true that every sin is a ‘willful sin.’ If it weren’t, we wouldn’t be responsible. And if we’re not responsible for our own actions, a sin can’t be a sin at all. As James says, ‘Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death’ (James 1:14, 15).”

This can’t be a correct assertion “that every sin is a willful sin” because as we will see, a willful sin is one that is committed because of rebellion, spite and hatred for God’s Way of Life, and depending on one’s understanding, could lead to or constitute the unpardonable sin. Every sin needs to be repented of and a sin is a sin. But there is a difference between a willing sin and a willful sin – both are sins but have different meanings.

A sin which is committed through ignorance or neglect or a sin which is committed intentionally and willingly (because of weakness, temptation, lack of strength or will power or even because of neglect) is not a sin that is committed willfully—but as will be shown, it can become a willful sin.

As stated above, a sin that is committed because of rebellion and spite and hatred for God’s Way of Life is a willful sin and could well lead to committing the unpardonable sin. For example, in Hebrews 10:26 we read about the unpardonable sin: “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.” Note that Paul addresses the situation where someone has received the knowledge of the Truth through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In our Q&A “Would You Please explain James 1:14-15,” we read the following:

“‘But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.’ When and how does sin start? Does death only await us when sin is ‘full-grown’?

“Vincent’s Word Studies explains that the terms ‘drawn away’ and ‘enticed’ ‘are metaphors from hunting and fishing.’ It continues: ‘Drawn away, as beasts are enticed from a safe covert into a place beset with snares. Note the present participle, as indicating the progress of the temptation: “is being drawn away.” Enticed– As a fish with bait. Also the present participle.’

“‘Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. After sin is brought forth in actual commissions, the finishing of it… is its being strengthened by FREQUENT ACTS and SETTLED INTO A HABIT. And, when the iniquities of men are thus FILLED UP, death is brought forth… the wages of sin is eternal death…’

“We see, then, that a PROGRESSION is described and settled into a habit.”

A progression can be defined as “a continuous and connected series, a sequence.”  We all sin on a regular basis because we are not perfect but God sees the heart of each and every one of us. As previously mentioned, we can and do sin which can be committed unintentionally, intentionally and willingly (because of ignorance, weakness, lack of strength or will power, and neglect) but the heart is not set to sin in a way that is committed because of rebellion and spite and hatred for God’s Way of Life.

When we sin willingly, we can still realize that we have done wrong, repent of it and obtain forgiveness. We are truly sorry for what we did. When we sin willfully, we don’t feel any remorse over what we did. We don’t repent because we don’t want to repent. We have set our hearts on doing what is wrong, and we don’t care about it. We hate it when we are confronted with the need to repent. We absolutely refuse to repent. This describes the concept of sinning willfully. There is quite a difference and we should be aware of the differences.

On the E-sword website, the following observations are made:

“Sins of ignorance may be forgiven, Num[bers] 15:22-29. They are sins. Debts of shortcoming need pardon equally as do trespasses. But, as Paul teaches us, we may confidently count on forgiveness for evil things done unwittingly. See 1 Ti[mothy] 1:12-14; Heb[rews] 5:2. It is quite otherwise with sins of presumption, Num[bers] 15:30-36. If persisted in, these induce death. See 1 [John] 5:16.”

Let us review a few Scriptures which are revealing about willful sins, and let us begin with Numbers 15:30: “‘But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the LORD, and he shall be cut off from among his people.”

A presumptuous sin is committed defiantly, literally with a high hand. The Berean Study Bible says: “He shall certainly be cut off, because he has despised the word of the LORD and broken His commandment; his guilt remains on him.”  A high hand denotes going deliberately against God.

This Old Testament example is not to be understood as describing a person who committed the unpardonable sin, because one usually has to have God’s Holy Spirit to be able to commit the unpardonable sin, and in all likelihood, the person mentioned in the Old Testament had not received the Holy Spirit. Most people in ancient Israel were not offered the Holy Spirit at that time. Their opportunity for salvation will come later, in the Second Resurrection. He was to be cut off physically; that is, he was to either be disfellowshipped or killed. But it serves as a good example for those who do receive God’s Spirit. If they act presumptuously and willfully against God’s Way of Life, they are in danger of losing God’s Spirit, thereby committing the unpardonable sin.

The same can be said about Ezekiel 14:3-4, which reads: “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them? Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols.”’”

The Soncino commentary explains: “More lit. ‘have brought up their idols to their hearts,’ an idiom for ‘have set their mind upon their idols.’ The phrase does not imply that they were worshipping idols, but that their thoughts were influenced by pagan ideas, such as believing in magical spells and divination. This has been a stumbling block to them willfully placed by themselves in their way and leading them into iniquity.”

On the other hand, Hebrews 6:4-6 addresses clearly a Christian who has received God’s Holy Spirit and who has lost it because of willful sin: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away (some other translations add “or have fallen away”), to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.”

2 Peter 2:20 is another Scripture that sheds light on true Christians who depart from God by sinning willfully:

“For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.”

One commentator wrote: “Therefore a believer cannot continue in sin. We no longer live in the realm of sin, under its reign and practical dominion. We have, to use Paul’s words, died to sin. We indeed do sin and even our best deeds are stained with sin, but our attitude toward it is essentially different from that of an unbeliever. We succumb to temptations, either from our own evil desires (James 1:13), or from the world or the Devil (Ephesians 2:1-3), but this is different from a settled disposition… our sin is a burden that afflicts us rather than a pleasure that delights us.”

When true Christians begin to depart from and hate God’s Way of Life and settle it in their minds that they want to do the wrong and reject the right, even though they had at one time fully understood, embraced and practiced the Truth, then they are in grave danger. They might develop an attitude of hatred towards God and ultimately refuse to repent and lose God’s Holy Spirit. Filled with hatred towards God and towards true Christians, they sin willfully—they become guilty of the unpardonable sin. They may have started with sinning unintentionally and even intentionally and willingly, because they were not diligent enough in their struggle to avoid and strive against sin, but they ended up sinning willfully and presumptuously. They reached the point in their life that they cannot repent anymore, because they don’t want to repent anymore.

Other Q&A’s which are worth reviewing in respect of the unpardonable sin are:

https://www.eternalgod.org/q-a-10342

https://www.eternalgod.org/qapdf/10163

https://www.eternalgod.org/qapdf/10136

Also, please read our free booklet, “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?” addressing the unpardonable sin on pages 29-32.

We must be very careful that we don’t fall into the trap of becoming lackadaisical about sin, as this can lead to sinning willfully.

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

compiled by Dave Harris

“The Dangerous Vaccination Paranoia,” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

The fascination with mandatory vaccinations has reached unparalleled levels of paranoia in the USA, with incredibly dangerous and blatantly unconstitutional measures by fanatic governmental officials and doctors who are supported by a gullible and uneducated mass media. What are the real dangers of the vaccination hype for life, liberty and freedom; and are vaccinations really as harmless and effective as many uninformed reporters postulate?

“Wie verhalten Sie sich bei Rückschlägen?” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “How Do You React to Set-Backs?”

“Easter in the Bible?” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Michael Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Does the Bible have anything to say about Easter? What do the worldly customs of this festival have to do with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? What does God command us to do instead of keeping this man-made holiday?

“The Fulfillment of the Passover through Jesus Christ and His Church,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Norbert Link, is now posted. Here is a summary:

In ancient Israel under Moses, blood of the Passover lambs was put on the doorposts and the lintel of the houses of the Israelites in Egypt in order to protect those inside from physical death. But still more was necessary for the quality of the Passover lambs and their preparation and consumption through the congregation. This sermon shows that all these requirements and characteristics were fulfilled by Christ and that they are being fulfilled today by His Church.