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.

On March 30, 2019, Michael Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Easter in the Bible?” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “The Fulfillment of the Passover through Christ and His Church.”

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

Is everything going well in your life? Or do you encounter trials and do you struggle with problems and obstacles? I dare to say, you do! And you would not be alone! The question is, How do you deal with setbacks? Do you view them as just being temporary and passing, or permanent and lasting?

When God revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush and announced that He would use Moses to free Israel from Egyptian slavery, Moses did not believe him. So God convinced him through a set of miracles that it would happen as declared, and finally Moses reluctantly followed God’s command and returned to Egypt. God told Moses very clearly that there would first be obstacles—Pharaoh would not let Israel go until he was forced to do so by a mighty hand. God even told Moses that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart and multiply His signs and wonders in the land of Egypt (Exodus 7:3).

When Moses still doubted that the Israelites would believe him, God also told him that the elders of Israel would listen to Moses (Exodus 3:18), and this is exactly what occurred at first (Exodus 4:29-31).

But then things did not go too well, it seemed. When Moses and Aaron demanded of Pharaoh to let Israel go, Pharaoh’s response was to plague the people even more severely. The people were not prepared for this setback, and so they complained to Moses (Exodus 5:20-21), and Moses was likewise caught off guard and complained to God (Exodus 5:22-23). God gave him encouragement, which he passed on to the people, but now they did not listen “because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage” (Exodus 6:9). And so, Moses, being frustrated, told God that Pharaoh would not listen to him either (verse 12). But God commanded him to carry out his pre-ordained task of bringing Israel out of Egypt (verse 13).

Moses, under inspiration, announced to Pharaoh that terrible plagues would be poured out if he were to refuse to let Israel go. They would even culminate in the death of Pharaoh’s firstborn son (Exodus 4:23). But as God had predicted, Pharaoh hardened his heart time and again, and God allowed it (Exodus 7:3, 13-14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 12, 34-35; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10). As a consequence, God did pour out plagues on the land, as He had announced through Moses and Aaron. This God did because of three reasons, which He clearly revealed to Moses: The Egyptians would recognize that He was God (Exodus 7:5); God’s name would be declared in all the earth (Exodus 9:16); and Israel would also know that “I am the LORD” (Exodus 10:2).

After the initial “setbacks,” it seemed that now everything would run smoothly. Didn’t Israel just have to wait until Pharaoh would give in? Not so! First, the people were still enslaved and they still had to suffer because of their cruel affliction; and then, they too were affected by the first three plagues. Only beginning with the fourth plague, God would protect Israel so that His plagues would not come near them (Exodus 8:22-23; 9:26; 10:23). God’s protection culminated of course during the Passover night when He would not allow the destroyer to touch the Israelites in their houses when He saw the blood on the doorposts, while all the firstborn in Egypt would be killed.

Finally, Pharaoh relented and allowed Israel to leave. They did so full of joy and boldness and thankfulness. But right afterwards, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart once again so that he pursued Israel with a huge army (Exodus 14:4, 8). Israel’s reaction to this new setback was telling: “So they were very afraid… and said to Moses, ‘Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, “Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?” For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness’” (Exodus 14:10-12).

Moses responded that God would fight for them (Exodus 14:14), and He surely did. When the Red Sea opened, Israel “went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground” (verse 22), but when Pharaoh and his army followed them, the waters of the sea returned and drowned them all (verses 27-28, 30; Psalm 136:14-15).

NOW, when the people of Israel saw the great work which God had done, they feared and believed God and His servant Moses (Exodus 14:31). Sadly, it did not last long. A few days afterwards, the people did not find water in the wilderness, or only bitter waters which could not be consumed (Exodus 15:22-24). And so, they started complaining again about this new setback and their misery. God helped them and made the bitter waters sweet, but the same pattern would continue throughout their journey. When obstacles or setbacks occurred, the people forgot God’s mighty hand, which works miracles, and only focused on their seemingly hopeless condition.

Are we that different today? If things do not work out right away or in the way we expect or hope, are we falling into despair? Do we take into consideration that God may work things out in a very special way, which we do not quite understand yet, for HIS glory?

It is human to become frustrated in the face of setbacks. But notice how the sons of Korah addressed such a set of circumstances in their lives: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God… My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, ‘Where is your God?’… When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me… Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance” (Psalm 42:2-5).

Let us have the same mindset, knowing that when we go through fiery trials, we are never alone, and that God will intervene for us in HIS due time. Whatever setbacks we may encounter—they are temporary, and God knows about all of them. Let us have faith in Him and His doing, and let us allow Him to fight our battles in His unique way, and He will!

by Norbert Link

We begin with the Mueller report vindicating Trump and his team while politically–motivated Democrats are unhappy, and we are discussing the incredible costs and waste of time for the Mueller investigation. We report on interesting developments pertaining to the Golan Heights and Jerusalem; and address the inconsistent stance of Europeans towards Israel. In this regard, please view our new StandingWatch program, “Does President Trump fulfill a preordained role?”

We also report on the renewed never-ending battle (it seems) regarding healthcare insurance without any tangible results, and we speak on the defeat of the Islamic State “caliphate,” but not necessarily of ISIS.

We continue with Theresa May’s isolation and an incredible attack of the British government on the Bible; a dark day for the Internet due to a highly controversial newly-enacted European law; and the desire to build a strong relationship between China and Europe.

 We conclude with outrageous comments by Barbara Streisand about child abuse; and a new push by the pharmacy and politicians to make measles vaccinations mandatory in Germany, as well as incredible measures in the USA.

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

The Mueller’s Report

The Independent wrote on March 22:

“Special counsel Robert Mueller did not recommend any further charges as he submitted his long-awaited report on his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 US election…”

The Associated Press wrote on March 24:

“Attorney General William Barr declared Sunday that Mueller’s long investigation found no evidence that Trump’s campaign ‘conspired or coordinated’ with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election. Mueller also looked into whether Trump tried to obstruct the inquiry, but did not provide a definitive answer on that point.”

In particular, Axios wrote on March 24:

“After taking the weekend to pore over the Mueller report, Attorney General William Barr has sent Congress his summary of the ‘principal conclusions’ from the special counsel’s 675-day investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia:

“‘… [T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.’

“On the question of obstruction of justice, Barr writes that while Mueller’s report ‘does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.’

“Barr says he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein concluded that the evidence ‘is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense,’ noting that the government would have to prove such a case ‘beyond a reasonable doubt.’” [To this point, Deutsche Welle added on March 24: “The report also ‘did not draw a conclusion — one way or another’ on whether Trump’s actions had obstructed justice…”]

Deutsche Welle also wrote: “In the meantime, a series of investigations into potential illegal activity and irregularities in Trump’s business dealings are underway, both in Congress and in his home state of New York. None of these will likely remove the US president from office…”

This is undoubtedly a huge win for President Trump and his team. Not surprisingly, politically-motivated Democrats, not stopping at anything in trying to “get” Trump, declared that the fight will go on, indicating to subpoena Barr and Mueller to testify before Congress, amongst other contemplated measures. As if this superfluous and distracting “witch hunt” did not cost Americans more than enough in terms of money and waste of time. Note the next article:

The Costs

The Guardian wrote on March 22:

“Mueller was appointed on 17 May 2017, to serve as special counsel for the Department of Justice. The appointment was prompted by the firing of the FBI director, James Comey, eight days earlier; the recusal of the then attorney general, Jeff Sessions, from matters pertaining to the Russia investigation; and a perceived need to protect and advance open investigations into Russian election tampering and the Trump campaign…

“Mueller turned in his report 650 days after his appointment. By the end of last December, the investigation had cost about $27m… Mueller’s duties connected with his appointment as special counsel are now complete, and he is not expected to take on a further public role. Before agreeing to the special counsel appointment, Mueller, 74, was in private practice, after having served for 12 years as director of the FBI, as a US attorney, and as a marine…”

Time for Reckoning?

Breitbart wrote on March 25:

“Wall Street Journal assistant editor James Freeman and Sen. Rand Paul are on the same page: the Mueller report confirms it is now time for the Obama administration toaccount for its flagrant abuse of the surveillance powers of the federal government…

“Freeman wrote: ‘… This historic abuse of executive authority was either approved by President Barack Obama or it was not. It’s time for Mr. Obama, who oddly receives few mentions in stories about his government’s spying on associates of the 2016 Trump campaign, to say what he knew and did not know about the targeting of his party’s opponents.’

“Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, similarly tweeted it is ‘time to investigate the Obama officials who concocted and spread the Russian conspiracy hoax!’”

Another costly and time-consuming investigation?

The War on Healthcare which Won’t Go Away

Newsmax republished the following article by The Associated Press, dated March 27:

“President Donald Trump is calling on Republicans to revive the effort to quash the Affordable Care Act, handing Democrats an opportunity to unite in defense of the law… Trump’s administration [over the objections of Attorney General William Barr and others]  is asking a federal appeals court to strike down the entire healthcare law…

“The Supreme Court has twice upheld President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, known as ‘Obamacare.’ Five justices — a majority — who upheld the law in 2012 are still on the bench. Trump’s effort to repeal Obamacare narrowly failed in the Senate in 2017… there’s no indication that GOP senators want another fight over repealing Obamacare — particularly not those up for re-election next year. The GOP also lost control of the House, which means any attempt to dismantle the law could not pass Congress…

“As the debate plays out on Capitol Hill, the White House made a surprising legal argument for eliminating the healthcare bill. In a Monday court filing, the administration said the entire healthcare law should be struck down as unconstitutional after Congress repealed fines [the individual mandate] on people who remain uninsured. That’s at odds with previous statements by leading congressional Republicans who said they didn’t intend to repeal other parts of the law when they cut out its fines, effective this year…

“Repeal of Obamacare in its entirety would risk making more than 20 million people uninsured. That includes some 12 million low-income people covered through its Medicaid expansion and some 11 million purchasing subsidized private health insurance through HealthCare.gov and state-run insurance markets… Several GOP senators said Tuesday that Trump told them to ensure those with pre-existing conditions stayed protected as they work on an Obamacare replacement…”

However, they won’t stay protected without legislation to that effect. And Republican Senators confirmed that presently no legislation exists replacing Obamacare. If Obamacare was to be repealed without a replacement, millions of people, including those with pre-existing conditions, might find themselves without any healthcare insurance.

Recognizing the Golan Heights

JTA wrote on March 21:

 “Last week, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, called on the U.S. to recognize Israel’s claim to the Golan. Trump himself followed suit on Thursday, breaking with half a century of U.S. policy… it makes clear that peace between Israel and Syria isn’t happening anytime soon, even when the civil war ends. If Israel’s hold on the Golan was tight before, it’s airtight now…

“It’s also a big deal for Netanyahu, who is facing a credible challenge to his premiership in the election a couple of weeks away. Trump’s statement is a huge boost in a tight race…

“After the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel took control of five territories. In the ensuing 52 years, it’s withdrawn from two — the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula, both in the south… Israel has also annexed two — eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. Trump recognized the Jerusalem annexation in 2017…

“The fifth territory is the West Bank, which is way more complicated. Israel hasn’t withdrawn from nor annexed it… If Trump recognized Israel’s annexation of the Golan and eastern Jerusalem, could he recognize a West Bank annexation, too? The answer to that question used to be ‘no.’ Now it’s ‘maybe.’”

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 24:

“The decision has been criticized by many US allies — Germany, Britain, France and the EU have all said they still consider the Golan Heights to be ‘occupied’ by Israel.”

The Independent added on March 28:

“The 28 member countries of the European Union have unanimously declared that they do not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights region, despite a change in policy by the United States.”

JTA wrote on March 25:

“With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looking on, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. ‘Our relationship is powerful,’ Trump said Monday at the White House ceremony… ‘We will confront the poison of anti-Semitism through our words and more importantly our actions.’

“Trump’s formal recognition comes four days after he said on Twitter that it was time to do so and two weeks before elections in Israel. The proclamation is one of several actions taken by the Trump administration to boost Netanyahu, perhaps the international leader Trump is closest to, ahead of the April 9 vote…

“The United States is the first country to recognize Israel’s sovereignty. Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017 and moved the U.S. Embassy there last year.”

Trump Like Queen Esther?

The Independent wrote on March 22:

“Donald Trump may have been sent by God to save the Jewish people from any threat posed by Iran, his secretary of state has claimed. In an interview in Jerusalem with the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Mike Pompeo was asked whether the US president was a latter-day Queen Esther, a figure who appears [in] both Christian and Jewish stories as a person who halted an attempt to wipe out the Jewish people. Mr Pompeo claimed that because of the president’s hardline stance against Iran, Mr Trump may indeed fit such a role.

“‘Could it be that President Trump right now has been sort of raised for such a time as this, just like Queen Esther, to help save the Jewish people from the Iranian menace,’ CBN’s interviewer asked Mr Pompeo. ‘As a Christian I certainly believe that’s possible,’ replied the US secretary of state. ‘It was remarkable. So we were down in the tunnels where we could see 3,000 years ago, and 2,000 years ago — if I have the history just right — to see the remarkable history of the faith in this place and the work that our administration’s done to make sure that this democracy in the Middle East, that this Jewish state remains.’ He added: ‘I am confident that the Lord is at work here’…”

Trump’s role for the USA, Israel and the world is indeed providential.

Romania to Move Embassy to Jerusalem?

The EUObserver wrote on March 25:

“Romania will move its embassy to Jerusalem [“the capital of Israel”], its prime minister has said… Her announcement broke the joint EU and UN line that Israeli-occupied Jerusalem ought to be shared by Israel and Palestine in a future two-state solution. It made Romania the first EU state to follow the example of US president Donald Trump, who moved America’s embassy to Jerusalem last year.  And it did extra damage to EU policy because Romania currently holds the six-month EU chairmanship…

“[Prime Minister Viorica] Dancila’s embassy move was put in doubt by Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, however, who said on Sunday: ‘The final decision about moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem rests with me’. ‘The prime minister shows complete ignorance regarding foreign affairs,’ he added, in a sign of internal turmoil in Bucharest…

“Dancila’s announcement marked a broader split in EU Middle East policy. Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary are also opening lower-level diplomatic missions in Jerusalem in echoes of Trump’s move. Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, and Romania declined to join the EU line on [and opposing] Trump’s embassy move at the UN last year…”

Ultimately, ten leading European anti-Israeli core nations or groups of nations will arise out of the present EU. Note the interesting next article as well.

Europeans Reject UN Anti-Israel Resolution

JTA wrote on March 22:

“In a major policy reversal by Western members of the United Nations Human Rights Council, all its European Union member states voted against a permanent item singling out Israel. The vote Friday was the first time that EU members states, plus Brazil and Japan, have voted against Item 7 — a recurrent draft resolution that is the only permanent item on the agenda singling out any one nation.

“The EU states currently on the council are Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Spain and the United Kingdom. The draft resolution passed, despite the Western opposition: while 16 opposed it, including Australia, 26 were in favor. Whereas European nations in recent years have abstained by and large in votes on Item 7 at Human Rights Council sessions, this year they made a joint stand against the item, citing its ‘imbalance,’ as the representative of Bulgaria said in a statement representing the bloc…

“Item 7 comprises four resolutions. One states that the Council is ‘deeply concerned at the suffering of the Syrian citizens in the occupied Syrian Golan due to the systematic and continuous violation of their fundamental and human rights by Israel since the Israeli military occupation of 1967.’ It does not mention the slaughter of Syrians by their government and other forces involved in fighting in Syria…

“Another part of Item 7 ‘Calls upon Israel, the occupying Power, to immediately end its occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.’ The third expresses ‘grave concern at the continuing violations of international humanitarian law and the systematic violation of the human rights of the Palestinian people by Israel, the occupying Power.’ The fourth, titled ‘Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories,’ does mention terrorism, but only by ‘extremist Israelis.’

“A total of five critical but nonbinding resolutions, including one supporting an arms embargo on Israel, were passed about the Jewish state during the 40th session of the Council. It was the highest number of negative resolutions passed about any individual country during the session.

“In an earlier vote, all EU countries on the Council except the United Kingdom voted against adopting a U.N. report accusing Israel of war crimes in Gaza. The British delegate abstained… the resolution… passed with a majority of 23 yes votes and 15 abstentions…

“Last year, the United States pulled out of the Human Rights Council. Nikki Haley, then the U.S. envoy to the United Nations, called the council a ‘cesspool of political bias.’”

In light of Germany’s embarrassing and hypocritical conduct in its Parliament (see our Current Events in previous Update #869), we wonder how Germany would have voted if they had been a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council. While some of the present EU Council member states will be part of the prophesied ten nations or groups of nations, others won’t be.

 “Islamic State ‘Caliphate’ Defeated, Yet Threat Persists”

Reuters and the Algemeiner wrote on March 23:

“US-backed forces proclaimed the capture of Islamic State’s last territory in Syria on Saturday, eliminating its rule over a self-proclaimed ‘caliphate,”’ but the jihadists remain a threat from sleeper cells around the world. Originally an offshoot of al-Qaeda, IS took large swathes of Iraq and Syria from 2014, imposing a reign of terror with public beheadings and attacks by supporters abroad — but it was eventually beaten back to the village of Baghouz…

“Some IS fighters still hold out in Syria’s remote central desert, and in Iraqi cities they have slipped into the shadows, staging shootings or kidnappings. The United States believes the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is in Iraq… jihadists in Afghanistan, Nigeria, and elsewhere show no sign of recanting allegiance, and intelligence services say IS devotees in the West might plot new attacks…

“Still, the fall of Baghouz is a big milestone in a fight waged against the group by numerous local and global forces… for more than four years. France and Britain, which also back the SDF, both welcomed Saturday’s developments, though US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned: ‘We still have work to do.’…”

We agree. ISIS is still a terrible threat to life, liberty and freedom.

Theresa May Isolated?

AFP wrote on March 24:

“Accused of presiding over an unprecedented national humiliation in her chaotic handling of Brexit, British Prime Minister Theresa May has all but lost control of her party and her government… her approach to the endgame, refusing to accept MPs’ opposition to her divorce deal and agreeing to delay Brexit to try for a third time to get it through, has prompted frustration and anger on all sides… And this weekend, after yet another bruising Brussels summit for the prime minister, British newspapers were full of moves by her colleagues to oust her.

“In an editorial, Conservative-supporting Spectator magazine suggested May was the ‘worst prime minister in our history’… although it also accused the ruling party itself for failing to find a better leader.

“May’s former director of communications, Katie Perrior, wrote in The Times newspaper that the prime minister was ‘a passenger at the time when the country needed a rally driver’… The top selling The Sun tabloid [said] it was ‘time to move on… She has lost the backing of much of the country and now her party’…

“However, May has been written off before… May’s critics are deeply divided, and their inability to unite behind a rival candidate has foiled previous attempted coups. Her finance minister, Philip Hammond, condemned any talk of replacing May… ‘This is not about the prime minister or any other individual, this is about the future of our country,’ he said.”

Newsmax wrote on March 25:

“British lawmakers voted on Monday to wrest control of Brexit from Prime Minister Theresa May… The move underlined to what extent May has lost her authority… Monday’s vote… came after the prime minister admitted that the deal she had agreed with the EU after two years of talks still did not have enough support to pass…”

Express wrote on March 27:

“Mrs May said she will stand down before the next stage of Brexit negotiations. She told MPs: ‘I am prepared to leave this job earlier than I intended in order to do what is right for our country and our party.’ The Prime Minister’s offer comes after a string of MPs said they would back her divorce deal in return for her promising to go.”

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 28:

“The EU has agreed to put Brexit on hold until May 22 if the deal is approved this week. If parliament cannot agree upon any kind of deal, the UK would crash out of the EU with no deal on April 12…

“The German papers shook their collective heads following the latest round of voting in the British Parliament, which saw the House of Commons vote against eight different proposals for a way out of the UK’s Brexit crisis…

“Bild, Europe’s biggest mass-circulation newspaper, began its top story with the line: ‘The next act in the Brexit drama — and the chaos has become even more confusing!’…  Die Zeit’s Matthias Krupa… laid much of the blame for the debacle on May for failing to consult Parliament for a majority in the past two years of negotiations with the EU. But he added that Wednesday’s events showed that ‘the parliament isn’t any cleverer [than] the prime minister.’… Der Spiegel… noted that even May’s offer to resign once her deal had been passed by parliament could not guarantee the Commons’ approval…

“House Speaker John Bercow said on Thursday that MPs would vote on a motion to approve the Brexit withdrawal agreement, which sets the divorce terms. Unlike the two meaningful votes already held, it will not cover the political declaration which deals with the future relationship between the UK and the European Union. Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom said that the vote on Friday would not count as a meaningful vote on the whole Brexit deal… it is still a question if the government has the numbers.”

Incredible Attack of British Government on the Bible

Daily Mail wrote on March 24:

“The Home Office turned down a Christian convert’s bid for asylum in an ‘unbelievably offensive’ letter quoting bloodthirsty passages from the bible to prove Christianity is not a religion of peace. The Iranian national claimed asylum in 2016, but was turned down, with Home Office officials saying his conversion from Islam was ‘inconsistent’ with his claim Christianity was a peaceful religion – by highlighting violent passages from the bible.

“In the refusal letter six passages are listed and a claim is made that Revelations is filled with ‘images of revenge, destruction, death and violence.’… The refusal letter also quotes parts of The Book of Leviticus from the old testament.

“The full statement below the verses says: ‘These examples are inconsistent with your claim that you converted to Christianity after discovering it is a “peaceful religion, as opposed to Islam which contains violence, rage and revenge.”’”

It is truly shocking that such unqualified Home Office officials, being hostile to the Bible, are allowed to make important decisions based on nonsensical and ignorant reasoning.

“‘Dark Day for Internet Freedom’: EU Lawmakers Approve Controversial Copyright Reform”

The Drudge Report linked to the following article by RT, on March 26:

“The European Parliament has voted to adopt the highly controversial Article 13 provision which would govern the production and distribution of content online under the auspices of increasing copyright protections. Tuesday’s move will update the EU’s 20-year-old copyright rules and will govern audiovisual content, much to the dismay of many social media users who have already begun outpouring their grief online…

“MEPs passed the legislation by 348 votes to 274 Tuesday. Opponents had hoped for last-minute amendments to be made but their efforts were in vain. Julia Reda, a German MEP with the Pirate Party, described it as a ‘dark day for internet freedom.’… The onus will now be on tech companies to clamp down on content-sharing on their platforms, which will likely ensure yet more draconian policing of speech and content.

“EU member states now have two years to pass their own laws putting Article 13 into effect. Tens of thousands marched in protest across Germany ahead of the vote, decrying what they viewed as severe online censorship. Tech giant Google said that… the directive… will… lead to legal uncertainty and will damage Europe’s creative and digital economies. Critics have argued that the only way for Article 13 to be effectively enforced would be through the use of upload filters which automatically check content to see if it’s copyrighted or not, at least in theory. However, the exact mechanics of such a system have yet to be fully debated and the potential for abuse is immediately clear.’”

Deutsche Welle added on March 26:

“The draft law… means:

“Social media platforms would have to ensure uploaded content is not in breach of copyright rules. Companies will need licensing agreements with rights holders such as  musicians, performers and authors to use their content. The likes of Google News would have to pay publishers for press snippets shown in search results (whatever that means). Non-profits and encyclopedias such as Wikipedia will still be able to use data for research and educational purposes (whatever that means). Fledgling companies with an annual turnover below €10 million ($11.3 million) are exempt…

“European consumer organization BEUC also opposed the reform. ‘We fully support the aim of ensuring fair remuneration for creators, but this should not happen to the detriment of consumers,’ said Monique Goyens, head of BEUC. ‘There is a very high risk that the new law will do more harm than good.’”

Of course it will. As can clearly be seen from these articles, this is a most ridiculous and at the same time ambiguously worded and extremely dangerous law for consumers. Depending on how this law is implemented, it could also adversely affect God’s Church, which would have to be seen as a clear attempt of Satan to destroy God’s commission to His Church. But as usual, the majority of ignorant European parliamentarians did not care a bit.

A New World Order?

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 26:

“The leaders of China, Germany, France and the EU have held ‘unprecedented’ talks on building a new global governance. The challenge for Europe is how to balance ties in the face of Beijing’s growing global influence. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker joined French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping for talks in Paris on Tuesday… Macron urged his Chinese counterpart to ‘respect the unity of the European Union and the values it carries in the world.’…

“A prosperous Europe corresponded with China’s ‘vision for a multipolar world,’ Xi said, adding that the EU and China were ‘advancing together’ despite ‘suspicions.’… France wants to engage China as a closer partner as Washington becomes more isolationist under Trump’s ‘America First’ policy. A full China-EU summit is due to take place in Brussels on April 9.”

However, this “close” cooperation between the EU and China will not last.

Streisand under Fire for Outrageous Comments

New York Daily News wrote on March 22:

“Barbra Streisand is under fire for comments she made about two men accusing Michael Jackson of sexually assaulting them as children. The legendary singer and actress said that [the alleged victims] — ‘were thrilled to be there’ and that what allegedly happened to them ‘didn’t kill them.’… she also said that Jackson’s ‘sexual needs were his sexual needs.’ She says she ‘absolutely’ believes the allegations of abuse… but puts more blame on their parents than [Jackson]…

“‘You can say “molested,” but those children, as you heard say [the grown-up alleged victims] they were thrilled to be there. They both married and they both have children, so it didn’t kill them.’”

Subsequently, Streisand issued a somewhat contradictory, convoluted and rambling “clarification” and “apology,” stating that “there is no situation or circumstance where it is OK for the innocence of children to be taken advantage of by anyone” and that “It’s clear that the parents of the two young men were also victimized and seduced by fame and fantasy.”

First Fox Moderator Tucker Carlson’s damnable comments about abused minor school boys by female teachers (see Current Events in Update #868), now these damnable (initial) comments by Barbara Streisand. Where is decency and what is this world coming to?

And Now Germany? Measles Vaccinations to Become Mandatory?

Deutsche Welle wrote on March 25:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and coalition partners, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), are considering the measles vaccination compulsory for children nationwide, according to media reports on Monday… [German] parents are increasingly opting not to vaccinate their children…

“Opposition parties in Germany are split over the move, with the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) backing mandatory vaccinations for children up to the age of 14… Pushback came from the Greens, who say they support vaccines, but are skeptical about requiring them…”

Also, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAAP) leaders have called for the elimination of non-medical exemptions to vaccination to be the top priority for the year. Maybe governmental officials should consider as to why so many parents are opposed to vaccinations. Obviously, the attempts by pharmaceutical “scientists” to deny clearly-established side effects and to “convince” parents of the “need” for highly dubious vaccinations did not produce the desired results. Governmental hysteria, combined with an ill-informed and manipulated mass media and autocratic governmental measures, have never been a good combination.

When You Thought It Could Not Get Any Crazier…

CNN wrote on March 26:

“Unvaccinated people under age 18 are banned from public places in Rockland County, New York, as of midnight Wednesday… The declaration is an effort to contain an outbreak of measles that began in October… Public places include synagogues, churches, schools, restaurants, stores and public buses. ‘Public places are defined as: a place where more than 10 persons are intended to congregate,’ the news release says… the penalty is six months in jail and/or a $500 fine…”

It was pointed out on Fox News that this is almost impossible to enforce and that the ban is likely to be unconstitutional, but when there is paranoia, who cares? In addition, some are claiming the quarantine to be anti-Semitic because Rockland County has a high number of unvaccinated Orthodox Jews. Quarantine is to be applied during Passover season, so Jews with unvaccinated children won’t be able to attend services.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

In the first part, we began with explaining as to why we are quoting New Testament writings primarily from the New King James Bible (the modernized rendition of the old King James Bible or Authorized Version). These renditions are both based on Greek manuscripts commonly referred to as the Textus Receptus. We also explained that basically two more sets of Greek manuscripts exist—the Alexandrian text and the Majority Text. Many feel that greater emphasis should be placed on especially the Alexandrian text, as the copies we have are allegedly older than those used for the Textus Receptus.

The Church of God has, for many decades, concluded for important reasons that the manuscripts based on the Textus Receptus are most reliable.

First, we need to understand that we have today about 5,000 Greek manuscripts, but no original copies. Almost 4,500 of these are based on the Byzantine text [the Textus Receptus], stemming from the fourth and fifth century A.D. They are pretty much consistent. Whatever differences exist are in spelling or wording.

In “The Inspired Text of the Bible,” the late Dr. Herman L Hoeh, a long-time Evangelist, historian and biblical scholar, set forth in 1969 the position of the Church of God, as follows:

“The first and fundamental principle is very simple: God has told us in the Bible that He has indeed revealed His will to man by (1) inspiring men to write or say certain things; and (2) to have it preserved. In short, the concept is that all scripture is given by inspiration of God (II Tim. 3:16)…

“Now, with these two basic premises in mind, we would logically expect that the Old Testament would have been preserved by those people in whose language it was originally given! This is the simplest, most logical, and most likely result: The people to whom the revelation is given, who understand the language, are the people who will preserve it. You really cannot preserve something like the Hebrew Bible [the Old Testament] intelligently when it comes to copying if you can’t understand the LANGUAGE. Try to copy a language you don’t understand and see how many errors will immediately creep in!

“The point is that God did choose a particular people to whom He revealed His will. These are the people about whom we read in the Bible that ‘unto them were committed the oracles of God’ (Romans 3:2)…”

In other words, God entrusted the Jews with the preservation of the Old Testament Scriptures. Continuing:

“Now we also read that God was going to commit this information to the Gentiles. The Jews had turned aside and therefore, Paul said, ‘I go to the Gentiles.’ He did give the message to the Gentiles and God inspired the New Testament to be written in Greek! So we would logically and consequently expect the Greeks to preserve it. If the Jews preserved what was written in Hebrew, why should not the Greeks have preserved what was written in Greek? That is exactly what happened!

“What text have the Greek people preserved for the New Testament? – the ‘Byzantine.’ In the Western world the Protestant form of that text is called the Textus Receptus, which is essentially the same as the Byzantine except for a little Latinization here and there and late Greek spellings. The Greeks as a people have within their national and religious body, a whole series of manuscripts that is available to the scholarly world.

“If the Greeks had not preserved it, there would not even have been a Greek Bible available until Tischendorf and Griesbach and others uncovered manuscripts. In fact, if the Greek Bible is not the New Testament God inspired to be preserved in Greek, then the New Testament in Greek was lost, and we only had the Latin. And only when Tischendorf, for instance, went to Sinai and was looking in the waste basket, could the Western world have recovered the Greek New Testament – which doesn’t make sense!”

Dr. Hoeh went on to explain why the Dead Sea Scrolls (discovered by Tischendorf) should not be the standard as they were not publicly preserved but hidden for almost two centuries and as the Essenes and other heretical sects were not a part of the mainstream of the Jewish community and did not accurately preserve the Greek text to begin with.

Dr. Hoeh continued:

“Now, in what community do we find the inspired Greek text has publicly been preserved? Answer: In the Greek community in general… [at] Mount Athos… Athens, or Constantinople. Mount Athos was… a center of the multiplication of the text of the Greek world…

“There are two major areas of deviation from the Byzantine text. The one used by the scholars to replace the Byzantine is the Alexandrian…”

To interject, the Alexandrian text consists of ancient Greek manuscripts, and three of them date from the third century A.D., while it is claimed that the earliest manuscripts in our possession on which the Textus Receptus is based, are, as mentioned above, from the fourth and fifth century. Even though this may be true, ancient versions in other languages have been found following the reading of the Textus Receptus, which include manuscripts from as early as AD 120.

In any event, does this mean that the older Alexandrian text is more reliable than the younger Byzantine text?

Dr. Hoeh went on to explain:

“The Alexandrian text, though Greek, was preserved in Egypt – named after the city of Alexandria. What does God say about Egypt?… Egypt is a type of sin and we’re to flee from it! Christ came out of Egypt; Moses fled Egypt; The Children of Israel left Egypt. You can go on and on and you will note how many people have had to come out of Egypt! This should have been a warning to the scholars. The Greeks in Egypt, unlike any other place in the world, were the most important grammarians and hence their approach to the text was critical. The Alexandrian text gives every evidence of suffering more from a critical analysis of the various readings. Alexandria was the center of critical scholarship of that day! Therefore it was… the unsafe area for preserving Scripture.

“The Greek Septuagint was the first translation of the Hebrew text. It was done by Hellenized Jews in Alexandria, Egypt! The Jews themselves recognized in their day that the Septuagint represented an early form of the Bible but, a heretical form with false readings…”

To elaborate, while the scribes who copied the Byzantine manuscripts in Asia Minor were extremely diligent, this was not the case for those copying manuscripts in Egypt. This explains why there are even several differences between the three most ancient Alexandrian manuscripts. Also, thousands of words seem to be missing from the Alexandrian texts, again indicating that the copying was somewhat sloppy. Others claim that these missing texts were added in the Byzantine manuscripts, but for the most part, there is no proof for such an allegation. Exceptions exist, of course; note our discussion in our previous Q&A on the fraudulent addition of a portion in 1 John 5:7-8.

Dr. Hoeh went on to explain:

“What other name is applied to non-Byzantine [Greek] readings other than Alexandrian? The Western! Why do scholars use the Alexandrian and not the Western as the standard text type in competition with the Byzantine? Because they saw clearly themselves that there were so many variations within the Western that they couldn’t produce a text. The Western text was not a critical solution trying to resolve problems of divergent reading…

“… there are many variations in the Alexandrian… but sufficient uniformity that it entertains the scholars. There are a sufficient number of variations in the Alexandrian that you can never arrive at the right answer, but you can always get something that is an approximation – and scholars like that! That’s the ‘scientific’ approach. It must not be exact, but it must be potentially resolvable – ‘enough to keep us employed!'”

Dr. Hoeh also made the point that for a long time, the variants in the Greek text, that is, the Alexandrian and the Western texts, were not publicly circulated. He stated: “They have not been available, but rather unused, forgotten, unknown, uncirculated!”

On the other hand, it must be stated that the differences between Alexandrian texts and Byzantine texts (Textus Receptus) are very small. It has been estimated that they involve less than one tenth of 1 percent of the text of the New Testament. Almost none of them includes a significant change in meaning. They may be interesting to textual scholars, but the overall spiritual content is maintained in both sets of manuscripts. That is to say that someone who is honest in reading and understanding texts based on Alexandrian or Byzantine manuscripts will not conclude that the doctrines of Scriptures have been altered—including the Ten Commandments, the Sabbath, the Holy Days, unclean meats, tithing, and many other salvational matters.

In conclusion, we must empathize again that God has determined to preserve His Word, and He has seen to it that this was done. The following statement in this regard must be taken very seriously:

“For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19).

Technically, this passage refers specifically to the book of Revelation, but the overall application relates to the entire body of Scriptures. Moses gives the same admonition in Deuteronomy 4:2 which specifically refers to God’s words as related by Moses, but which clearly applies to all Scriptures: “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it…”

God gave His true Church the ability to determine what was added and what was deleted in certain manuscripts. It boils down to a matter of faith and conviction that God IS true to His Word.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

The 2019 Church Conference will be conducted in Escondido, California, next week. Arrival will be Wednesday, April 3, 2019, and departure is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, 2019.

“Does President Trump Fulfill a Preordained Role?” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link. Here is a summary:

Why will President Trump stay in power beyond 2020? Why will he continue bringing about important developments in Israel? Why will the relationship between the USA and an anti-Israeli Europe under German leadership continue to deteriorate? You might be surprised to learn the answers from your Bible.

“Der Sabbat und Gottes heilige Jahresfeste” is a new German trailer presented by Michael Link which features two German booklets about the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days.

“Erfüllt Präsident Trump eine vorherbestimmte Funktion?” a new AufPostenStehen program presented by Norbert Link, covers the same topic as described above, in German.

“Was die Tage der Ungesäuerten Brote für Christen bedeuten?” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “What Do the Days of Unleavened Bread Mean for Christians?”

“Allgemeine Missverständnisse—Ostern” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermonette, presented by Michael Link. Title in English: “Common Misconceptions—Easter.”

Max Busse from Alberta Canada died peacefully in his home on Saturday March 23, 2019. Max was one of the oldest church members at 90 years of age.  He is survived by his wife Carol and his son Ron. Max exemplified generosity towards the church and others even with his limited income. At the feast which he was able to attend a few times he would eat pancakes in the morning and at noon to save money so he could treat others at supper. He had a great sense of humour and will be greatly missed. Anyone wishing to send cards, the address is

PO Box 47, Strome, Alberta, Canada,  T0B 4H0

“Facing the Pain & Adversities of Life,” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Frank Bruno, is now posted. Here is a summary:

One need only listen to announcements during Sabbath Services to understand that Church Members may be in pain each and every day, or face other adversities that could crumple those without hope—hope for a future with God and His Son, Jesus Christ. In this Sermonette we will together consider the scriptures that prove to us that our suffering is a trial that can prepare us for what God requires from us, and what He has in store if we overcome, as Christ overcame.

“Forgotten Christianity—Overcoming!” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Beyond our calling, repentance and baptism, is there more that we, as Christians, should be doing? Do we grasp the tremendous challenges before us—things we must be overcoming?